Phosphorus-rich biochar modified with Alcaligenes faecalis to promote U(VI) removal from wastewater: Interfacial adsorption behavior and mechanism.

Phosphorus-rich biochar (PBC) has been extensively studied due to its significant adsorption effect on U(VI). However, the release of phosphorus from PBC into solution decreases its adsorption performance and reusability and causes phosphorus pollution of water. In this study, Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis) was loaded on PBC to produce a novel biocomposite (A/PBC). After adsorption equilibrium, phosphorus released into solution from PBC was 2.32 mg/L, while it decreased to 0.34 mg/L from A/PBC (p < 0.05). The U(VI) removal ratio of A/PBC reached nearly 100%, which is 13.08% higher than that of PBC (p < 0.05), and it decreased only by 1.98% after 5 cycles. When preparing A/PBC, A. faecalis converted soluble phosphate into insoluble metaphosphate minerals and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). And A. faecalis cells accumulated through these metabolites and formed biofilm attached to the PBC surface. The adsorption of metal cations on phosphate further contributed to phosphorus fixation in the biofilm. During U(VI) adsorption by A/PBC, A. faecalis synthesize EPS and metaphosphate minerals by using the internal components of PBC, thus increasing the abundance of acidic functional groups and promoting U(VI) adsorption. Hence, A/PBC can be a green and sustainable material for U(VI) removal from wastewater.

Characteristics of bacterial community and ARG profiles in the surface and air environments in a spacecraft assembly cleanroom.

Understanding the microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in spacecraft assembly cleanrooms is crucial for spacecraft microbial control and astronaut safety. However, there have been few reports of ARG profiles and their relationship with microbiomes in such environments. In the present study, we assessed the bacterial community and ARGs in the air dust and surface environments of a typical spacecraft assembly cleanroom. Our results show a significant difference in bacterial composition between surfaces and air dust, as they belong to two distinct ecostates. Bacillus and Acinetobacter were significantly enriched in the air samples. Bacterial community network analysis revealed lower topological parameters and robustness of bacterial networks in the air samples. We also observed different distribution patterns of some typical ARGs between surface and air dust samples. Notably, the ermB gene exhibited a relatively high copy number and was enriched in the surface environment, compared to that in the air. Overall, our study provides insight into the complex microbial community and the distribution and transfer of ARGs in spacecraft assembly cleanrooms, and offers important input for developing control strategies against ARGs.

Effectiveness of different antithrombotic agents in combination with tranexamic acid for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and blood management after total knee replacement: a prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been widely applied in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to significantly reduce perioperative blood loss and improve knee function recovery in patients after surgery. The choice of antithrombotic agents for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention after TKA is controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of different antithrombotic agents on patients after primary unilateral TKA in the context of applied TXA. METHODS: A total of 180 patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA from October 2020 to December 2021 were included in this study. All patients were given an intraoperative drip of 60 mg/kg TXA. Thereafter, patients were divided into three groups (n = 60 each). Baseline data were comparable among the three groups. The average follow-up time was 3.02 ± 0.09 months. Group 1 enrolled patients receiving oral rivaroxaban (RA) at 10 mg, Group 2 included patients who received subcutaneous Dalteparin sodium at 2500 IU, while Group 3 included patients taking oral aspirin (ASA) at 100 mg. Patients in all the three groups received treatment once a day for 30 days at 12 h postoperatively. The primary outcomes in this study were post-treatment drainage volume and thrombotic complication rate. The secondary outcomes included hematologic parameters, transfusion rate, intraoperative blood loss, total blood loss (TBL), and bleeding complication rate. RESULTS: The average drainage volume after treatment was significantly lower in Group 3 than in Group 1 and Group 2 (205.2 ± 69.0 vs 243.4 ± 72.5 vs 295.4 ± 72.5 ml, P < 0.001), and there was a significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 (243.4 ± 72.5 mL vs 295.4 ± 72.5 mL, P < 0.001). The blood transfusion rate of Group 2 dramatically increased compared with Group 1 and Group 3 (20.0% vs 6.7% vs 5.0%, P = 0.01). The bleeding complication rate in Group 1 apparently increased relative to Group 2 and Group 3 (26.7% vs 10.0% vs 8.3%, P = 0.008). Besides, there was no significant difference in the thrombotic complication rate among the three groups. CONCLUSION: Under the background of TXA application, ASA, RA, and Dalteparin sodium were all effective on preventing VTE after TKA. In addition, ASA effectively reduced post-treatment Hemoglobin (Hb) loss, drainage volume, TBL, transfusion rate, and bleeding complications compared with RA and Dalteparin sodium. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200060169). Date of Registration: 21/05/2022.

Surface fungal diversity and several mycotoxin-related genes' expression profiles during the Lunar Palace 365 experiment.

BACKGROUND: Chinese Lunar Palace 1 (LP1) is a ground-based bio-regenerative life support system (BLSS) test bed integrating highly efficient plant cultivation, animal protein production, urine nitrogen recycling, and bioconversion of solid waste. To date, there has been no molecular method-based detailed investigation of the fungal community and mycotoxin potential in BLSS habitats. To ensure safe BLSS design for actual space missions, we analyzed the LP1 surface mycobiome and mycotoxin potential during the Lunar Palace 365 project through internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1) amplicon sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) with primers specific for idh, ver1, nor1, tri5, and ITS1. RESULTS: The LP1 system exhibited significant differences in fungal community diversity compared to other confined habitats, with higher fungal alpha diversity and different community structures. Significant differences existed in the surface fungal communities of the LP1 habitat due to the presence of different occupant groups. However, there was no significant difference between fungal communities in the plant cabin with various occupants. Source tracker analysis shows that most of the surface fungi in LP1 originated from plants. Regardless of differences in occupants or location, there were no significant differences in mycotoxin gene copy number. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that plants are the most crucial source of the surface fungal microbiome; however, occupant turnover can induce significant perturbations in the surface fungal community in a BLSS. Growing plants reduced fungal fluctuations, maintaining a healthy balance in the surface fungal microbiome and mycotoxin potential. Moreover, our study provides data important to (i) future risk considerations in crewed space missions with long-term residency, (ii) an optimized design and planning of a space mission that incorporates crew shifts and plant growth, and (iii) the expansion of our knowledge of indoor fungal communities with plant growth, which is essential to maintain safe working and living environments. Video Abstract.

Microbiomes of China's Space Station During Assembly, Integration, and Test Operations.

Sufficient evidence indicates that orbiting space stations contain diverse microbial populations, which may threaten astronaut health and equipment reliability. Understanding the composition of microbial communities in space stations will facilitate further development of targeted biological safety prevention and maintenance practices. Therefore, this study systematically investigated the microbial community of China's Space Station (CSS). Air and surface samples from 46 sites on the CSS and Assembly Integration and Test (AIT) center were collected, from which 40 bacteria strains were isolated and identified. Most isolates were cold- and desiccation-resistant and adapted to oligotrophic conditions. Bacillus was the dominant bacterial genus detected by both cultivation-based and Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing methods. Microbial contamination on the CSS was correlated with encapsulation staff activities. Analysis by spread plate and qPCR revealed that the CSS surface contained 2.24 × 103-5.47 × 103 CFU/100 cm2 culturable bacteria and 9.32 × 105-5.64 × 106 16S rRNA gene copies/100cm2; BacLight™ analysis revealed that the viable/total bacterial cell ratio was 1.98-13.28%. This is the first study to provide important systematic insights into the microbiome of the CSS during assembly that describes the pre-launch microbial diversity of the space station. Our findings revealed the following. (1) Bacillus strains and staff activities should be considered major concerns for future biological safety. (2) Autotrophic and multi-resistant microbial communities were widespread in the AIT environment. Although harsh cleaning methods reduced the number of microorganisms, stress-resistant strains were not completely removed. (3) Sampling, storage and analytical methods for the space station were thoroughly optimized, and are expected to be applicable to low-biomass environments in general. Microbiology-related future works will follow up to comprehensively understand the changing characteristics of microbial communities in CSS.

Detection of Fungi from Low-Biomass Spacecraft Assembly Clean Room Aerosols.

Highly sensitive and rapid detection of airborne fungi in space stations is essential to ensure disease prevention and equipment safety. In this study, quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification (qLAMP) was used to detect fungi in the aerosol of the low-biomass environment of China's space station assembly clean room (CSSAC). A qLAMP primer set for detecting a wide range of aerosol fungi was developed by aligning 34 sequences of isolated fungal species and 17 space station aerosol-related fungal species. Optimization of sample pretreatment conditions of the LAMP reaction increased the quantitative results by 1.29-1.96 times. The results showed that our qLAMP system had high amplification specificity for fungi, with a quantifiable detection limit as low as 102. The detected fungal biomass in the aerosol of CSSAC was 9.59 × 102-2.20 × 105 28S rRNA gene copy numbers/m3. This qLAMP assay may therefore replace traditional colony-forming unit and quantitative PCR methods as an effective strategy for detecting fungi in space stations.

Influence mechanism of low-dose ionizing radiation on Escherichia coli DH5α population based on plasma theory and system dynamics simulation.

It remains a mystery why the growth rate of bacteria is higher in low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) environment than that in normal environment. In this study, a hypothesis composed of environmental selection and competitive exclusion was firstly proposed from observed phenomena, experimental data and microbial ecology. Then a LDIR environment simulator (LDIRES) was built to cultivate a model organism of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) DH5α, the accurate response of bacterial population to ionizing radiation intensity variation was measured experimentally, and then the precise relative dosage of ionizing radiation E. coli DH5α population received was calculated by finite element analysis based on drift-diffusion equations of plasma. Finally, a highly valid mathematical model expressing the relationship between E. coli DH5α population and LDIR intensity was developed by system dynamics based on hypotheses, experimental data and microbial ecology. Both experiment and simulation results clearly showed that the E. coli DH5α individuals with greater specific growth rate and lower substrate consumption coefficient would adapt and survive in LDIR environment and those without such adaptability were finally eliminated under the combined effects of ionizing radiation selection and competitive exclusion.

Chlorogenic acid improves late diabetes through adiponectin receptor signaling pathways in db/db mice.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on glucose and lipid metabolism in late diabetic db/db mice, as well as on adiponectin receptors and their signaling molecules, to provide evidence for CGA in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. We randomly divided 16 female db/db mice into db/db-CGA and db/db-control (CON) groups equally; db/m mice were used as control mice. The mice in both the db/db-CGA and db/m-CGA groups were administered 80 mg/kg/d CGA by lavage for 12 weeks, whereas the mice in both CON groups were given equal volumes of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) by lavage. At the end of the intervention, we assessed body fat and the parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism in the plasma, liver and skeletal muscle tissues as well as the levels of aldose reductase (AR) and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) in the kidneys and measured adiponectin receptors and the protein expression of their signaling molecules in liver and muscle tissues. After 12 weeks of intervention, compared with the db/db-CON group, the percentage of body fat, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the db/db-CGA group were all significantly decreased; TGF-ß1 protein expression and AR activity in the kidney were both decreased; and the adiponectin level in visceral adipose was increased. The protein expression of adiponectin receptors (ADPNRs), the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the liver and muscle, and the mRNA and protein levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) in the liver were all significantly greater. CGA could lower the levels of fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c during late diabetes and improve kidney fibrosis to some extent through the modulation of adiponectin receptor signaling pathways in db/db mice.

[Effect of chlorogenic acid on disordered glucose and lipid metabolism in db/db mice and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of chlorogenic acid on disordered glucose and lipid metabolism in db/db mice and its mechanism. METHODS: Thirteen 5-6-week-old male db/db mice were randomly divided into db/db-CGA group (n=7) and db/db-CON group (n=6), and thirteen 5-6-week-old male db/m mice were randomly divided into db/m-CGA group (n=6) and db/m-CON group (n=7). Mice in the CGA groups were administrated with CGA 80 mg/(kg·d)by gavage, and mice in the CON groups were administrated with PBS in the same volume by gavage. Twelve weeks later, the level of biomedical parameters in plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle were determined, the concentrations of adiponectin and visfatin in visceral adipose, and the mRNA expression of glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) and peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) as well as the protein level of PPAR-α in liver were detected. RESULTS: Twelve weeks after CGA administration, the levels of triglycerides in plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle and the fasting plasma glucose in db/db-CGA group were significantly lower than those in db/db-CON group(P<0.05). The muscle glycogen level was significantly higher than that in db/db-CON group (P<0.05), and the adiponectin concentration was significantly higher than that in db/db-CON group ( P<0.01) and lower than that in db/m-CGA group(P<0.05). The visfatin concentration in db/db-CGA group was significantly lower than that in db/db-CON group (P<0.01) and significantly higher than that in db/m-CGA group(P<0.05). The mRNA expression level of G-6-Pase was significantly down-regulated in db/db-CGA group when compared with db/db-CON group (P<0.05). Both the mRNA and the protein expression levels of PPAR-α were significantly up-regulated in db/db-CGA group(P<0.05) compared with in db/db-CON group. CONCLUSION: CGA improves the disordered glucose/lipid metabolism in db/db mice, which is speculated to be related with its role in modulating the adipokines secretion, up-regulating hepatic PPAR-α, and inhibiting G-6-Pase expression.

Effects of a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage on blood viscosity after dehydration in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: The consumption of carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages (CEs) has been known to be more effective than plain water for recovery from dehydration. This phenomenon suggests that the ingestion of CEs after dehydration is better than water for maintaining body fluid and plasma volume, and for the recovery from hemoconcentration and high blood viscosity as well. High blood viscosity causes infarction and other cardiovascular events. In this study, CE was compared with water and tea for the ability to reduce increased blood viscosity after dehydration. METHODS: A crossover random control study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of three beverages for rehydration and decreasing of blood viscosity. Following exercise-induced dehydration of 2.2% of body weight in a permanent warm environment, 10 male subjects rested in a thermoneutral environment for 3 hours (rehydration period, REP). The subjects ingested test beverages equal to their body weight loss during the first 20 minutes in REP. Blood and urine samples were obtained throughout the experiments to assess the rehydration effect. RESULTS: The change in blood viscosity at a shear rate of 5/s was significantly lower in CE ((-1.66 ± 0.21) mPa×s) in comparison to water ((-0.95 ± 0.26) mPa×s) or tea ((-0.92 ± 0.14) mPa×s) at 60th minute during the REP. The fluid retention rate was significantly greater for CE ((77.0 ± 3.9)%) than water ((61.2 ± 3.4)%) and tea ((60.5 ± 3.7)%) for 3 hours of rest in REP. CONCLUSIONS: The recovery from high blood viscosity induced by dehydration was higher with CE consumption than with water or tea. These results suggest that CE is useful for normalizing increased blood viscosity due to exercise-induced dehydration.