Removal of bisphenol A in a heterogeneous Fenton system via biochar synthesized using different Fe precursors: Properties, effects, and mechanisms.

The reactivity and mechanism of the Fe-doped biochar (FeBC) Fenton reaction are typically influenced by the amount and type of Fe species in materials. This study investigated the effects of different Fe precursors (FeSO4, Fe(NO)3, FeCl2, and FeCl3) used to prepare Fenton catalyst FeBCs (FeSBC, FeNBC, FeC2BC, and FeC3BC) on the physicochemical characteristics, pH resistance, and reactivity for bisphenol A (BPA) removal. In addition to the FeSBC/H2O2 (0.007 min-1) system, FeNBC/H2O2 (1.143 min-1), FeC2BC/H2O2 (0.278 min-1), and FeC3BC/H2O2 (0.556 min-1) completely removed BPA within 20 min under the optimal conditions (FeBCs: 0.1 g/L; H2O2: 1 mM; BPA: 20 mg/L; pH 3). FeBCs/H2O2 systems demonstrated good stability and resistance to inorganic anions and natural organic matter under appropriate initial pH conditions. However, FeC2BC and FeC3BC exhibited better pH applicability than FeNBC. Characterization results indicated that the physicochemical properties of FeBCs were dependent on the Fe precursor, which correlated with the degree of Fe corrosion and the production of distinct reactive oxygen species (ROS). Quenching experiments and electron spin resonance detection results indicated that OH, 1O2, and O2- species were all engaged in BPA removal; the ROS concentrations were significantly influenced by the initial pH and Fe precursor. The results indicate that Fe precursors significantly impact the performance and characteristics of Fe-based biochar materials, which are tailorable to specific applications.

Cocrystallization-driven Formation of fcc-based Ag110 Nanocluster with Chinese Triple Luban Lock Shape.

Luban locks with mortise and tenon structure have structural diversity and architectural stability, and it is extremely challenging to synthesize Luban lock-like structures at the molecular level. In this work, we report the cocrystallization of two structurally related atom-precise fcc silver nanoclusters Ag110 (SPhF)48 (PPh3 )12 (Ag110 ) and Ag14 (µ6 -S)(SPhF)12 (PPh3 )8 (Ag14 ). It is worth noting that the Ag110 cluster is the first compound to simulate the complex Luban lock structure at the molecular level. Meanwhile, Ag110 is the largest known fcc-based silver nanocluster, so far, there is no precedent for fcc silver nanocluster with more than 100 silver atoms. DFT calculations show that Ag110 is a 58-electron superatom with an electronically closed shell1S2 1P6 1D10 2S2 1F14 2P6 1G18 . Ag110 ⋅Ag14 can rapidly catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol within 4 minutes. In addition, Ag110 presents clear structural evidence to reveal the critical size and mechanism of the transformation of metal core from fcc stacking to quasi-spherical superatom. This research work provides an important structural model for studying the nucleation mechanism and structural assembly of silver nanoclusters.

Enhanced organic pollutant removal in saline wastewater by a tripolyphosphate-Fe0/H2O2 system: Key role of tripolyphosphate and reactive oxygen species generation.

The effects of tripolyphosphate (TPP) on organic pollutant degradation in saline wastewater using Fe0/H2O2 were systematically investigated to elucidate its mechanism and the main reactive oxygen species (ROS). Organic pollutant degradation was dependent on the Fe0 and H2O2 concentration, Fe0/TPP molar ratio, and pH value. The apparent rate constant (kobs) of TPP-Fe0/H2O2 was 5.35 times higher than that of Fe0/H2O2 when orange II (OGII) and NaCl were used as the target pollutant and model salt, respectively. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching test results showed that •OH, O2•-, and 1O2 participated in OGII removal, and the dominant ROS were influenced by the Fe0/TPP molar ratio. The presence of TPP accelerates Fe3+/Fe2+ recycling and forms Fe-TPP complexes, which ensures sufficient soluble Fe for H2O2 activation, prevents excessive Fe0 corrosion, and thereby inhibits Fe sludge formation. Additionally, TPP-Fe0/H2O2/NaCl maintained a performance similar to those of other saline systems and effectively removed various organic pollutants. The OGII degradation intermediates were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and density functional theory (DFT), and possible degradation pathways for OGII were proposed. These findings provide a facile and cost-effective Fe-based AOP method for removing organic pollutants from saline wastewater.

LncRNA DSCAM-AS1 Negatively Interacts with miR-124 to Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Proliferation.

It is known that the development of resistance of breast cancer cells to chemotherapy is at least partially mediated by the upregulation of long non-coding RNA DSCAM antisense RNA 1 (DSCAM-AS1). Therefore, DSCAM-AS1 may play a role in cancer biology. The differential expression of DSCAM-AS1 and miR-124 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) Tukey test was used to analyze the differences in gene expression and cell proliferation in HCC cell lines. Expression levels of DSCAM-AS1 and miR-124 were compared between HCC and paired non-tumor tissues by paired t-test. The effects of transfections on SNU-449 and SNU-398 cell proliferation were analyzed by CCK-8 assay. DSCAM-AS1 was upregulated, while miR-124 was downregulated in HCC tissues. DSCAM-AS1 and miR-124 were inversely correlated across HCC tissues but not normal tissues. DSCAM-AS1 level increased, while miR-124 level decreased along with the clinical stage increasing. miR-124 overexpression increased DSCAM-AS1 level while DSCAM-AS1 overexpression decreased miR-124 level. In addition, miR-124 overexpression decreased HCC cell proliferation, while DSCAM-AS1 increased HCC cell proliferation. Moreover, DSCAM-AS1 overexpression reduced the effects of miR-124 overexpression. DSCAM-AS1 interacts with miR-124 to promote HCC proliferation.

Efficacy and Safety of Mulberry Twig Alkaloids Tablet for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Multicenter Clinical Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of mulberry twig alkaloids (Sangzhi alkaloids, SZ-A) for treatment of type 2 diabetes in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial. METHODS: A total of 200 patients were randomized to receive SZ-A (n=100) or placebo (n=100) for 16 weeks. The data analysis system for electronic data capture clinical trial central randomization system was used for randomization and dispensing of drugs. The primary outcome was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. The secondary outcome included the proportions of cases with HbA1c <7.0% and HbA1c <6.5%, fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), area under curve for the PBG (AUC0-2h), body weight, and body mass index (BMI). Adverse events (AEs), severe adverse events (SAEs), treatment-related adverse events (TAEs), gastrointestinal disorders (GDs), blood pressure, routine blood tests, and liver and kidney function were monitored. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, the change of HbA1c at week 16 was -0.80% (95% CI: -0.98% to -0.62%) and -0.09% (95% CI: -0.27% to 0.09%) in SZ-A group and placebo group, respectively. The proportion of patients with HbA1c <7% and <6.5% was higher in the SZ-A group than in the placebo group (46.8% vs. 21.6% and 29.9% vs. 10.8%). The observed values and changes in FBG, 1 h-PBG, 2 h-PBG, and AUC0-2h differed significantly between groups (P<0.001), but differences were not significant in body weight and BMI (P>0.05). The incidence rates of AEs, TAEs, and GDs differed significantly between groups (P=0.010, P=0.005, and P=0.006, respectively), whereas the incidence rates of SAEs showed no significant differences between groups (P=1.000). CONCLUSION: SZ-A are effective and safe for treatment of type 2 diabetes. The protocol was registered in http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=60117 (ChiCTR2000038550).

Efficacy and Safety of Mulberry Twig Alkaloids Tablet for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, and Parallel Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mulberry twig alkaloids (Sangzhi alkaloids [SZ-A]) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, and parallel controlled noninferiority clinical trial that was conducted for 24 weeks. A total of 600 patients were randomly allocated to the SZ-A group (n = 360) or acarbose group (n = 240). The primary efficacy end point was the change of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared with baseline. In addition, adverse events (AEs), severe AEs (SAEs), treatment-related AEs (TAEs), and gastrointestinal disorders (GDs) were monitored. RESULTS: After treatment for 24 weeks, the change in HbA1c was -0.93% (95% CI -1.03 to -0.83) (-10.2 mmol/mol [-11.3 to -9.1]) and -0.87% (-0.99 to -0.76) (-9.5 mmol/mol [-10.8 to -8.3]) in the SZ-A and acarbose groups, respectively, and the least squares mean difference was -0.05% (95% CI -0.18 to 0.07) (-0.5 mmol/mol [-2.0 to 0.8]) between the two groups, with no significant difference on the basis of covariance analysis (P > 0.05). The incidence of TAEs and GDs was significantly lower in the SZ-A group than the acarbose group (P < 0.01), but no differences for AEs or SAEs between the two groups were observed (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SZ-A exhibited equivalent hypoglycemic effects to acarbose in patients with T2D. Nevertheless, the incidence of TAEs and GDs was lower following SZ-A treatment than acarbose treatment, suggesting good safety.

Health-related quality of life and psychological status of women with primary Sjögren's syndrome: A cross-sectional study of 304 Chinese patients.

Patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) always suffer from dryness, pain, and fatigue caused by the involvement of multiple different systems or organs. The uncomfortable disease symptoms, the consequent disability, and the side effects of therapeutic drugs decrease the quality of life and lead to emotional problems. We investigated the health-related quality of life and psychological status of a large cohort of women patients with pSS and associated factors.A total of 304 women with pSS referred to Peking Union Medical College Hospital during 2011 and 2014 were included. The internationally recognized Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess patients' quality of life; a higher score indicated a better quality of life. Patients' psychological status was assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and higher scores predicted more anxiety or depression.Patients with pSS had remarkably lower SF-36 scores. The Hospital Anxiety Scale (HAS) and Hospital Depression Scale (HDS) scores of the pSS patients (7 [4,10] and 6 [3,10], respectively) were significantly higher than that of patients with other internal diseases (3.37 ± 2.81 and 3.83 ±â€Š3.14; both P < .001). Negative predictors of quality of life were: pain (physical condition, ß = -0.225; P < .001); fatigue (physical condition, ß = -0.298; P < .001; and mental condition, ß = -0.319; P < .001). Risk factors for anxiety were: young age (ß = -0.059; P = .035); pain (ß = 0.025; P = .028); or fatigue (ß = 0.029; P = .004). Risk factors for depression were: xeroderma (ß = 0.030; P = .003); pain (ß = 0.022; P = .047); or fatigue (ß = 0.033; P = .001).Patients with pSS have a low quality of life with anxiety and depression. Pain and fatigue are primary factors for lower quality of life, which cause more anxiety and depression.