CO2-facilitated upcycling of polyolefin plastics to aromatics at low temperature.

Plastics are one of the most produced synthetic materials and largest commodities, used in numerous sectors of human life. To upcycle waste plastics into value-added chemicals is a global challenge. Despite significant progress in pyrolysis and hydrocracking, which mainly leads to the formation of pyrolysis oil, catalytic upcycling to value-added aromatics, including benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX), in one step, is still limited by high reaction temperatures (>500°C) and a low yield. We report herein CO2-facilitated upcycling of polyolefins and their plastic products to aromatics below 300°C, enabled by a bifunctional Pt/MnOx-ZSM-5 catalyst. ZSM-5 catalyzes cracking of polyolefins and aromatization, generating hydrogen at the same time, while Pt/MnOx catalyzes the reaction of hydrogen with CO2, consequently driving the reaction towards aromatization. Isotope experiments reveal that 0.2 kg CO2 is consumed per 1.0 kg polyethylene and 90% of the consumed CO2 is incorporated into the aromatic products. Furthermore, this new process yields 0.63 kg aromatics (BTX accounting for 60%), comparing favorably with the conventional pyrolysis or hydrocracking processes, which produce only 0.33 kg aromatics. In this way, both plastic waste and the greenhouse gas CO2 are turned into carbon resources, providing a new strategy for combined waste plastics upcycling and carbon dioxide utilization.

Occurrence, removal, and risk assessment of emerging contaminants in aquatic products processing sewage treatment plants.

Emerging contaminants (ECs) in aquatic environments have attracted attention due to their wide distribution and potential ecotoxicities. Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are proven to be the major source of ECs in the aquatic environment, while there remains insufficient understanding of the removal and risk assessment of ECs in STPs. Here, we clarified the degradation and risk impact of 13 ECs in two aquatic product processing sewage treatment plants (APPSTPs) along the southeast coast of China. The concentrations of ECs followed the order: endocrine-disrupting chemicals (1877.85-15,398.02 ng/L in influent, 3.37-44.47 ng/L in effluent) > > sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs, 75.14-906.19 ng/L in influent, 1.14-15.33 ng/L in effluent) > pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs, 44.47-589.93 ng/L in influent, 2.54-34.16 ng/L in effluent) ≈ fluoroquinolone antibiotic (54.76-434.83 ng/L in influent, 10.75-32.82 ng/L in effluent) > other antibiotics (16.21-51.96 ng/L in influent, 0.68-6.17 ng/L in effluent). Moreover, the concentrations of PPCPs (decreased by 55.33-87.65% in peak fishing season) and antibiotics (increased by 44.99% in peak fishing season) were affected by fishing activities. In particular, the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process had a better removal effect than the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A2/O) process on the treatment of some contaminants (e.g., norfloxacin and nonylphenol). Risk evaluations of ECs demonstrated that nonylphenol and SAs were at high- and low-risk states, respectively. Overall, our results provide important information for the degradation treatment of ECs, which is essential for pollutant management policy formulation.

Performance of alkali and Cu-modified ZSM-5 during catalytic ozonation of polyvinyl alcohol in aqueous solution.

A novel hierarchical Cu/ZSM-5 was prepared over alkaline treatment and incipient wet impregnation method for the catalytic ozonation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Under the optimum preparation conditions, hierarchical Cu/ZSM-5 exhibited an excellent mineralization performance during the PVA degradation process, and the removal rate of TOC after 60 min of reaction was 47.86%, much higher than that of ozonation alone (5.40%). Its high catalytic activity could attribute to the large pore volume (0.27 cm3/g) and pore size (6.51 nm) which are beneficial for the distribution of loaded copper and adsorption performance for PVA. Compared to ·OH, 1O2 (2.66 times in 10 min) contributed more to the removal of PVA. The degradation of PVA was a combined process of direct ozone oxidation, catalytic ozonation and adsorption. With its high catalytic performance and stability, hierarchical Cu/ZSM-5 has a very broad application prospect in the process of catalytic ozonation of refractory pollutants.

The superiority and feasibility of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride-stained brain tissues for molecular biology experiments based on microglial properties.

BACKGROUND: TTC (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride) staining is the most commonly used method in identifying and assessing cerebral infarct volumes in the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model. Given that microglia exhibit different morphologies in different regions after ischemic stroke, we demonstrate the superiority and necessity of using TTC-stained brain tissue to analyze the expression of various proteins or genes in different regions based on microglia character. METHODS: We compared brain tissue (left for 10 min on ice) from the improved TTC staining method with penumbra from the traditional sampling method. We identified the feasibility and necessity of the improved staining method using real time (RT)-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS: There was no protein and RNA degradation in the TTC-stained brain tissue group. However, the TREM2 specifically expressed on the microglia showed a significant difference between two groups in the penumbra region. CONCLUSIONS: TTC-stained brain tissue can be used for molecular biology experiments without any restrictions. In addition, TTC-stained brain tissue shows greater superiority due to its precise positioning.

Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anodic electrochemical oxidation composting leachate biochemical effluent: Response surface optimization and failure mechanism.

In this work, the electrolytic process conditions for the electrochemical oxidation (EO) of composting leachate biochemical effluent (CLBE) were optimized via the response surface methodology (RSM). Meanwhile, a comparative study had been done on the failure characteristics of Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anodes in a single electrolyte solution system (H2SO4 and NaCl) and real wastewater (CLBE) by accelerated life tests, respectively. The RSM optimization results showed that the COD, NH3-N and TN removal rates were 50.53%, 100% and 95.61% at 30 min, respectively, with a desirability value of 0.993. In parallel, the electrochemical and material characterizations were carried out on the electrodes before and after failure, by which the failure mechanism of Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anodes was clarified. On the whole, the true failure in the H2SO4 solution was attributed to coating dissolution and Ti substrate oxidation. In contrast, the electrode exhibited "apparent failure" due to the "bubble effect" in both NaCl and CLBE solutions, and the "effective roughness" formed compensated for the loss of activity caused by the absence of the coating. Besides, additional dissolution of the Ti substrate occurred in the CLBE solution due to the current edge effect and the presence of organic matter. This paper takes the actual wastewater as the research object and reveals its electrode failure mechanism, which provides a theoretical basis and reference for the subsequent optimization of the actual electrode service life.

Removal performance and mechanism for a three-dimensional electrode system treating biochemical effluent of a wastewater treatment plant.

With the increasingly strict discharge requirements, it is urgent for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to find an efficient and feasible technology for advanced treatment. A three-dimensional (3D) electrode system was used to treat the real biochemical effluent of a WWTP collecting industrial and domestic wastewater in the present study. The 3D electrode system had the best performance at a current density of 2 mA/cm2 and an electrode distance of 3 cm. The kinetic analysis showed that the organic pollutant degradation conformed to pseudo-first-order kinetics. The COD removal of the 3D electrode system was more than twice that of the two-dimensional (2D) electrode system, and the energy consumption was 46.56% less than that of the 2D electrode system. By measuring the adsorption capacity and the electrocatalytic ability of the system to produce strong oxidizing species, it was demonstrated that granular activated carbon (GAC) had the synergy of adsorption and electrochemical oxidation, and ·OH playing the dominant role in oxidizing pollutants. At the same time, the organic contaminants adsorbed on GAC could be degraded. Finally, the adsorption-electrochemical oxidation mechanism was proposed. The above results highlighted that the 3D electrode system was a promising alternative method in the application of advanced treatment for WWTPs.

Base-metal oxide semiconductor electrodes for PPCP degradation: Ti-doped α-Fe2O3 for sulfosalicylic acid oxidation as an example.

Sulfosalicylic acid is a typical pharmaceutical and personal care product with high toxicity, environmental persistence, and low biodegradability. Electrochemical oxidation has been demonstrated to be a promising way for hazardous organics treatment, but it is severely limited by the high cost and resource shortage of electrode materials. Base-metal oxide semiconductor anodes have the merits of low cost, diversity, and tunable energy levels for charge transfer, and thus may be alternatives to the electrodes for wastewater treatment. Herein, we found that Ti-doped α-Fe2O3, as an example, could be efficient for sulfosalicylic acid oxidation, reaching comparable faraday efficiency of sulfosalicylic acid to that of the boron-doped diamond electrode. Ti-doped electrodes exhibited both higher removal rates and current efficiency compared to the undoped. This could be mainly ascribed to the enhanced charge transfer rate constant. Kinetic analysis shows that the apparent reaction order, in terms of sulfosalicylic acid in bulk solution, depended on applied potential and pollutant concentration. Mechanism study shows that the oxidation of sulfosalicylic acid was mainly through indirect pathway. Moreover, the oxidation products were determined and the oxidation mechanism was proposed. This study may open a door to employ base-metal oxide semiconductor anodes for the efficient treatment of organic wastewater.

CircRNA-3302 promotes endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition via sponging miR-135b-5p to enhance KIT expression in Kawasaki disease.

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is implicated in myofibroblast-like cell-mediated damage to coronary artery wall of Kawasaki disease (KD) patients, which subsequently increases the risk of coronary artery aneurysm. Many circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the roles and underlying molecular mechanism of circRNAs in KD-associated EndMT remains indefinite. In this research, we screened out circRNA-3302 from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated by sera from healthy controls (HCs) or KD patients via circRNA sequencing (circRNA-seq). In addition, circRNA-3302 upregulation was verified in endothelial cells stimulated by KD serum and pathological KD mice modeled with Candida albicans cell wall extracts (CAWS). Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrated that overexpression of circRNA-3302 could markedly induce EndMT, and silencing of circRNA-3302 significantly alleviated KD serum-mediated EndMT. To further explore the molecular mechanisms of circRNA-3302 inducing EndMT, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), a dual-luciferase reporter system, nuclear and extra-nuclear RNA isolation, RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses and so on, were utilized. Our data demonstrated that circRNA-3302 contributed to the KD-associated EndMT via sponging miR-135b-5p to enhance KIT expression. Collectively, our results imply that circRNA-3302 plays an important role in KD-associated EndMT, providing new insights into minimizing the risks of developing coronary artery aneurysms.

The Significance of Symptoms in Predicting Coronary Artery Aneurysms of Kawasaki Disease, Especially in Female Patients.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology that occurs during early childhood, commonly involving the coronary artery, and can lead to coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs). Methods: The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of KD patients without coronary artery lesions (N-CAL) and with CAA were collected during 2005-2020 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. The patients were divided into the development cohort and the validation cohort. First, we compared the general information, symptoms, and laboratory data of N-CAL and CAA patients in the development cohort and the total cohort and screened out the different indices by logistic regression analysis. Then, we established three models and compared the area under the curve (AUC) values of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to identify meaningful models for CAA, which were further verified by decision curve analysis (DCA). Second, taking into account previous reports on the importance of gender to CAA, gender stratification was conducted. Results: The analysis of clinical and blood indices revealed the following novel features: (i) Many factors were found to be related to CAA, including IVIG resistance and the symptoms of rash, oral changes, and cervical lymphadenopathy. (ii) The development cohort was analyzed by logistic regression, and three models were established. The ROC curves showed that Model 2, composed of IVIG resistance, rash, oral changes, and cervical lymphadenopathy, had a better AUC value and easily to evaluate in the prediction of CAA. (iii) The selected model for predicting CAA in the development cohort was further confirmed in the validation cohort through DCAs. (iv)We further compared the items enrolled in the three models above between the N-CAL and CAA groups by sex, and the results indicated that female KD patients without rash, oral changes, and cervical lymphadenopathy were more likely to develop CAA. Conclusion: The absence of rash, oral changes, and cervical lymphadenopathy are risk factors for CAA, especially in female KD patients. Accurately recognizing symptoms, early diagnosis, and standard treatment for KD are key to reducing the incidence of CAA.

Facile synthesis of highly active Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrode by sol-gel spinning technique for landfill leachate treatment.

Highly active Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes were fabricated using sol-gel spin coating procedure, which exhibited a rough, uniform and multilayer coating structure. The effects of different Sb-SnO2 film layers on the physiochemical, electrochemical properties and pollutant degradability of electrodes and the mechanism were evaluated on a systematic basis. The electrodes with more active layers exhibited higher electro-catalytic performance. Upon exceeding 8 layers, the promotion effect of the coating was reduced. Considering various factors, this paper recommends preparing Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes coated with 8 layers to obtain higher electro-catalytic ability in landfill leachate treatment. The specific number of coating layers should be determined according to the electrode requirements. This work provided a theoretical basis and technical support for the preparation of Ti-SnO2 electrodes with high electro-catalytic activity and stability, while it still remains a great challenge to achieve an excellent balance between performance and stability before Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes can be implemented on a large scale in wastewater treatment.

Dexmedetomidine attenuates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats by inhibiting the JNK pathway.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury (CI/RI) is a common cerebrovascular disease with high morbidity and disability that threatens human health. This study was conducted to explore the effects of dexmedetomidine (Dex) on the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway in CI/RI, and to provide a theoretical basis for the recovery of brain function after cerebral ischemia. METHODS: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (n=24) were randomly divided into Sham, Sham + Dex, Sham + yohimbine (Yoh) + Dex, Sham + SP600125, ischemic reperfusion (I/R), I/R + Dex, I/R + Yoh + Dex, and I/R + SP600125 groups, and a focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion rat model was established by linear thrombus. The neurological deficit score and infarct volume were measured. Wet/dry weight ratios were used to measure brain water content, and cerebral infarct volume was determined by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. The cellular distribution of p-JNK and cleaved caspase-3 were examined using immunofluorescent staining (IF) and the total JNK and p-JNK were determined by Western blotting (WB). RESULTS: Compared with the Sham group, the rats in I/R, I/R + Dex, I/R + Yoh + Dex, and I/R + SP600125 groups developed hemiparesis of the left forelimb at different levels with a higher neurological deficit score, brain water content, infarct volume, and markedly upregulated expression of cleaved caspase-3, p-JNK (P<0.05). Compared with the I/R group, the neurological deficit score, brain water content, infarct volume, and expression of cleaved caspase-3, p-JNK were markedly decreased in I/R + Dex, I/R + Yoh + Dex, and I/R + SP600125 groups (P<0.05), and compared with the I/R + Dex group, the neurological deficit score, brain water content, infarct volume, and expression of cleaved caspase-3, p-JNK were markedly increased in the I/R + Yoh + Dex group (P<0.05). Double immunofluorescence staining showed there was a strong colocalization between p-JNK and the astroglial marker GFAP. CONCLUSIONS: The JNK signaling pathway is involved in CI/RI. Inhibition of the JNK pathway blocked caspase-3 activation which can decrease CI/RI. Dex can alleviate cerebral CI/RI in rats by increasing α2-adrenergic receptor and blocking JNK phosphorylation and activation of caspase-3.

IL-37b alleviates endothelial cell apoptosis and inflammation in Kawasaki disease through IL-1R8 pathway.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis of pediatric populations that may develop coronary artery aneurysms if untreated. It has been regarded as the principal cause of acquired heart disease in children of the developed countries. Interleukin (IL)-37, as one of the IL-1 family members, is a natural suppressor of inflammation that is caused by activation of innate and adaptive immunity. However, detailed roles of IL-37 in KD are largely unclear. Sera from patients with KD displayed that IL-37 level was significantly decreased compared with healthy controls (HCs). QRT-PCR and western blot analyses showed that the expression level of IL-37 variant, IL-37b, was remarkably downregulated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to KD sera-treated THP1 cells. Therefore, we researched the role of IL-37b in the context of KD and hypothesized that IL-37b may have a powerful protective effect in KD patients. We first observed and substantiated the protective role of IL-37b in a mouse model of KD induced by Candida albicans cell wall extracts (CAWS). In vitro experiments demonstrated that IL-37b alleviated endothelial cell apoptosis and inflammation via IL-1R8 receptor by inhibiting ERK and NFκB activation, which were also recapitulated in the KD mouse model. Together, our findings suggest that IL-37b play an effective protective role in coronary endothelial damage in KD, providing new evidence that IL-37b is a potential candidate drug to treat KD.

Microplastics in composting of rural domestic waste: abundance, characteristics, and release from the surface of macroplastics.

The rural domestic waste (RDW) compost has been widely used in agriculture and horticulture, but little is known about microplastics (MPs) in RDW composting. The current work deals with the abundance and characteristics of MPs in RDW composting, and the effects of composting processes on the composition of MPs. Compost samples from two RDW treatment stations were investigated, and a lab-scale experiment was carried out to verify the possible release of MPs from macroplastics (>25 mm) contained in the RDW during composting. MPs were identified using stereo-microscope and µ-FTIR. The average abundance of MPs (0.05-5 mm) in the RDW compost products was 2400 ± 358 items/kg (dry weight), and the main MPs shapes were fibers and films. Polyester, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) were the most common polymer types. MPs having a size <1 mm accounted for more than 50% of the total quantity. With the progress of composting, the proportion of MPs having size <1 mm increased, and more foam MPs were observed in the late stage of composting. Under the influence of mechanical force, oxidation and biodegradation, a piece of expanded polystyrene (EPS), PP and PE macroplastic could release 4-63 MPs particles during the composting. Thus, the RDW compost was a significant source of MPs in soils, and the MPs in compost products were closely related to the quantity and type of plastic waste present in RDW, which helped to suggest better MPs control strategies.

Industrial-scale food waste composting: Effects of aeration frequencies on oxygen consumption, enzymatic activities and bacterial community succession.

Industrial-scale composting of food waste (FW) was performed at different aeration frequencies (C_5_25: 5 min aeration + 25 min interval, C_10_20: 10 min aeration + 20 min interval, C_15_15: 15 min aeration + 15 min interval and CK: stuffiness) to ascertain the optimal aeration frequency to accomplish polymerization and humification of compost. The tested aeration frequencies affected the oxygen uptake rate, oxygen spatial distribution, and ultimately influenced the humification of compost. Extensive aeration was not beneficial to accumulate nitrogen and phosphorus during composting. Aeration frequency influenced the succession of bacterial community primarily through affecting O2 concentration and the release of various enzymes by these bacteria. Regulating O2 concentration by adjusting aeration strategies may provide guidance for accelerating maturity of composting. Considering various factors, this paper recommends the scheme of heating period (C_5_25), thermophilic period (C_15_15) and psychrophilic period (no aeration).

Structural Insights into the Specificity of Ligand Binding and Coactivator Assembly by Estrogen-Related Receptor ß.

Estrogen-related receptor ß (ERRß) is a nuclear receptor critical for many biological processes. Despite the biological and pharmaceutical importance of ERRß, deciphering the structure of ERRß has been hampered by the difficulties in obtaining a pure and stable protein for structural studies. In fact, the ERRß ligand-binding domain remains the last unsolved ERR structure and also one of only a few unknown nuclear receptor structures. Here, we report the identification of a critical single-residue mutation resulted in robust solubility and stability of an active ERRß ligand-binding domain, thereby providing a protein tool enabling the first probe into the biochemical and structural studies of this important receptor. The crystal structure reveals key structural features that have enabled the integration of the molecular determinants of signals transduced across the ligand binding and coregulator recruitment by all three ERR subtypes, which also provides a framework for the rational design of selective and potent ligands for the treatment of various ERR-mediated diseases.

Near-infrared triggered on-demand local anesthesia using a jammed microgels system.

To conveniently modulate the degree of local analgesia in response to changes in patients' needs and level of activity, a NIR-activated drug delivery system based on jammed microgels was introduced in the present study to realize on-demand local anesthesia. Chemically cross-linked gelatin microgels (5-15 µm) containing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), methylallyl polyethylene glycol (APEG) and graphene oxide (GOs) were fabricated through emulsion. After the in situ free radical polymerization, the physical network was formed, producing microgels with double networks (DN microgels). The DN microgels exhibited thermosensitive properties. The copolymerization of APEG resulted in the increase of lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of microgels. The maximum volume shrinkage ratio of DN microgels (NIPAM40 + APEG60) increased with the increase of the content of physical cross-linking network. The DN microgels also exhibited NIR-responsive ability. Under the NIR irradiance of 272 mW/cm2, the temperature of DN microgels with 3 mg/mL GOs reached 40 °C within 60 s, resulting in the volume shrinkage of 14%. Ropivacaine release from DN microgels could be effectively triggered by NIR irradiation in vitro. After centrifugation, a jammed microgels system was produced where microgels packed densely, displaying shear-thinning behavior for achieving injection. The jammed DN microgels carrying ropivacaine were injected subcutaneously into rat footpad. NIR irradiation produced on-demand and repeated infiltration anesthesia in the rat footpad. The jammed DN microgels system thus was beneficial in the management of pain.

Organic degrading bacteria and nitrifying bacteria stimulate the nutrient removal and biomass accumulation in microalgae-based system from piggery digestate.

The microalgae-based system has been applied in anaerobic digestate treatment for nutrient removal and biomass production. To optimize its performance in treating piggery digestate, here, commercial bacterial agents, including organic degrading bacteria (Cb) and nitrifying bacteria (Nb), were inoculated into the microalgae-based system dominated by Desmodesmus sp. CHX1 (D). Reactor DN (inoculated with D and Nb) and DCN (inoculated with D, and Cb to Nb at a ratio of 1:2) have better performance on NH4+-N removal, with a final efficiency at 40.26% and 39.87%, respectively, and no NO3--N or NO2--N accumulations. The final total chlorophyll concentration, an indicator of microalgal growth, reached 4.74 and 5.47 mg/L in DN and DCN, respectively, three times more than that in D. These results suggested that high NH4+-N removal was achieved by the assimilation into high microalgal biomass after the inoculation with functional bacteria. High-throughput sequencing showed that the richness of microbial community decreased but the evenness increased by inoculating functional microorganisms. Microalgae aggregating bacteria were Cellvibrio, Sphingobacterium, Flavobacterium, Comamonas, Microbacterium, Dyadobacter, and Paenibacillus. This study revealed that the inoculation with functional bacteria reconstructed the microbial community which benefited for the microalgal growth and nutrient removal, providing a promising strategy for treating highly-concentrated digestate.

Revealing a Mutant-Induced Receptor Allosteric Mechanism for the Thyroid Hormone Resistance.

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a clinical disorder without specific and effective therapeutic strategy, partly due to the lack of structural mechanisms for the defective ligand binding by mutated thyroid hormone receptors (THRs). We herein uncovered the prescription drug roxadustat as a novel THRß-selective ligand with therapeutic potentials in treating RTH, thereby providing a small molecule tool enabling the first probe into the structural mechanisms of RTH. Despite a wide distribution of the receptor mutation sites, different THRß mutants induce allosteric conformational modulation on the same His435 residue, which disrupts a critical hydrogen bond required for the binding of thyroid hormones. Interestingly, roxadustat retains hydrophobic interactions with THRß via its unique phenyl extension, enabling the rescue of the activity of the THRß mutants. Our study thus reveals a critical receptor allosterism mechanism for RTH by mutant THRß, providing a new and viable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of RTH.