The mechanism study of efficient degradation of hydrophobic nonylphenol in solution by a chemical-free technology of sonophotolysis

Nonylphenol is a hydrophobic endocrine disrupting compound, which can inhibit the growth of sewage bacteria in biological processes. This study investigated the degradation of 4-n-nonylphenol (NP) in water by a chemical-free technology of sonophotolysis with emphasis on the impacts of several important parameters, including light intensity, solution pH, two commonly seen inorganic ions (i.e. NO3(-) and HCO3(-)), and principally on the examination of degradation mechanisms. It was found that, solution pH could significantly influence both NP degradation efficiency and the synergistic effect of sonophotolytic process, where higher synergistic effect was obtained at more acidic condition. In addition, the presence of NO3(-) accelerated NP degradation by both acting as a photosensitizer and providing NO2˙ radicals, while HCO3(-) had little effect on NP degradation. Identification of intermediates of NP degradation indicated that NP sonophotolysis was mainly initiated by the formation of hydroxy-NP, and a new intermediate di-hydroxy-NP was identified for the first time ever in this study. Through thermodynamic analysis, results indicated that both ortho- and meta-hydroxy-NP species can coexist in the solution but the ortho-4-NBZQ (4-nonyl-benzoquinone) is dominant. In addition, the mechanism of ortho-hydroxy-NP formation was suggested by the addition of HO˙ and H˙ radicals.

Highly stable bimetallic Au–Cu supported on Al2O3 for selective CO oxidation in H2-rich gas: effects of Cu/Au atomic ratio and sensitive influence of particle size

The effects of Au/Cu atomic ratio and thermal pretreatment on the catalytic performance of Au_xCu_y/Al₂O₃ for PROX were studied. The reduced Au_xCu_y/Al₂O₃ catalysts display higher catalytic activity and stability than the calcined catalysts.

Shear Wave Elastography--A New Quantitative Assessment of Post-Irradiation Neck Fibrosis

PURPOSE

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a new technique which provides quantitative assessment of soft tissue stiffness. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of SWE stiffness measurements and its usefulness in evaluating post-irradiation neck fibrosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

50 subjects (25 patients with previous radiotherapy to the neck and 25 sex and age-matched controls) were recruited for comparison of SWE stiffness measurements (Aixplorer, Supersonic Imagine). 30 subjects (16 healthy individuals and 14 post-irradiated patients) were recruited for a reliability study of SWE stiffness measurements. SWE stiffness measurements of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the overlying subcutaneous tissues of the neck were made. The cross-sectional area and thickness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the overlying subcutaneous tissue thickness of the neck were also measured. The post-irradiation duration of the patients was recorded.

RESULTS

The intraclass correlation coefficients for the intraoperator and interoperator reliability of deep and subcutaneous tissue SWE stiffness ranged from 0.90-0.99 and 0.77-0.94, respectively. The SWE stiffness measurements (mean +/- SD) of deep and subcutaneous tissues were significantly higher in the post-irradiated patients (64.6 ± 46.8 kPa and 63.9 ± 53.1 kPa, respectively) than the sex and age-matched controls (19.9 ± 7.8 kPa and 15.3 ± 8.37 respectively) (p < 0.001). The SWE stiffness increased with increasing post-irradiation therapy duration in the Kruskal Wallis test (p < 0.001) and correlated with muscle atrophy and subcutaneous tissue thinning (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

SWE is a reliable technique and may potentially be an objective and specific tool in quantifying deep and subcutaneous tissue stiffness, which in turn reflects the severity of neck fibrosis.

Sonophotolytic degradation of phthalate acid esters in water and wastewater: influence of compound properties and degradation mechanisms

The influence of physicochemical properties on the sonolytic and sonophotolytic degradation of a group of short-chain phthalate acid esters (PAEs) was investigated in this study. A 400 kHz ultrasonic system and a photolytic system at 253.7 nm were employed separately and together, and both pure water and secondary effluent were used as the water matrices. It was found that PAEs with greater hydrophobicity demonstrated more rapid sonolysis and exhibited greater competitiveness in sonochemical reactions in the presence of other compounds. However, although a greater compound hydrophobicity is beneficial for the sonochemical degradation of PAEs, the observed synergy between ultrasound and UV in the sonophotolytic process is reduced owing to the lower accumulation of H₂O₂ in the aqueous phase. For the sonophotolysis of PAEs in secondary effluent, it was found that PAEs with greater hydrophobicity experienced less inhibition or competition from the background organic substances (expressed as TOC). Identification of prominent degradation intermediates of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), as a representative PAE, indicated that hydroxylation of the aromatic ring and butyl-scission of the aliphatic chain are the principal degradation mechanisms. The combined process of US/UV produced a greater degree of DBP mineralization than either US or UV alone (17% TOC reduction within 90 min).

Hypoxia upregulates Rab11-family interacting protein 4 through HIF-1α to promote the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hypoxic microenvironment is a powerful driving force for the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), as a crucial regulator of transcriptional responses to hypoxia, induces the expression of multiple target genes involved in different steps of HCC metastatic process. It is critical to find target genes associated with metastasis under hypoxia for shedding new light on molecular mechanism of HCC metastasis. In this study, we uncovered that hypoxia could induce the upregulation of Rab11-family interacting protein 4 (Rab11-FIP4) and activation of Rab11-FIP4 promoter by HIF-1α. The overexpression of Rab11-FIP4 significantly enhanced the mobility and invasiveness of HCC cells in vitro, also contributed to distant lung metastasis in vivo, whereas silencing of Rab11-FIP4 decreased the ability of migration and invasion in HCC cells in vitro and suppressed lung metastasis in vivo. Rab11-FIP4 facilitated HCC metastasis through the phosphorylation of PRAS40, which was regulated by mTOR. Furthermore, the expression level of Rab11-FIP4 was significantly increased in HCC tissues and high expression of Rab11-FIP4 was closely correlated with vascular invasion and poor prognosis in HCC patients. A markedly positive correlation between the expression of Rab11-FIP4 and HIF-1α was observed in HCC tissues and combination of Rab11-FIP4 and HIF-1α was a more valuable predictor of poor prognosis for HCC patients. In conclusion, Rab11-FIP4 is a target gene of HIF-1α and has a pro-metastatic role in HCC, suggesting that Rab11-FIP4 may be a promising candidate target for HCC treatment.

The genetic diversity of sinipercid fishes based on complete mitochondrial DNA of six sinipercid fishes from different drainages in China

Sinipercids are a group of freshwater perciform fish endemic in East Asia with the majority of species recorded in China. In the present study, we analyzed the organizations of complete mitogenomes of the six sinipercid fish populations from the Yangtze River and the Pearl River systems in China. The proportion of G was relatively low just at 16.2%-16.5% among the fish populations analyzed. The similarity and divergence analysis showed that the populations from different drainages have more sequence similarities than those from different species in the same drainages. The rate of point mutation was 0.39% and a total of 422 variable sites were identified in the 12 protein-coding genes (excluding the ND6) among the four S. scherzeri populations. The analysis of evolutionary relationship showed that the four S. scherzeri populations can be divided into two groups of Yangtze River system and the Pearl River. Overall the data provide significant information for the genetic and evolutionary status of sinipercids upon adapting to different environments, and for genetic conservation and selective breeding of these fish species in fishery and aquaculture.

Atrazine degradation using chemical-free process of USUV: analysis of the micro-heterogeneous environments and the degradation mechanisms

The effectiveness of sonolysis (US), photolysis (UV), and sonophotolysis (USUV) for the degradation of atrazine (ATZ) was investigated. An untypical kinetics analysis was found useful to describe the combined process, which is compatible to pseudo first-order kinetics. The heterogeneous environments of two different ultrasounds (20 and 400 kHz) were evaluated. The heterogeneous distribution of ATZ in the ultrasonic solution was found critical in determining the reaction rates at different frequencies. The presence of NaCl would promote/inhibit the rates by the growth and decline of "salting out" effect and surface tension. The benefits of combining these two processes were for the first time investigated from the aspect of promoting the intermediates degradation which were resistant in individual processes. UV caused a rapid transformation of ATZ to 2-hydroxyatrazine (OIET), which was insensitive to UV irradiation; however, US and USUV were able to degrade OIET and other intermediates through •OH attack. On the other hand, UV irradiation also could promote radical generation via H2O2 decomposition, thereby resulting in less accumulation of more hydrophilic intermediates, which are difficult to degradation in the US process. Reaction pathways for ATZ degradation by all three processes are proposed. USUV achieved the greatest degree of ATZ mineralization with more than 60% TOC removed, contributed solely by the oxidation of side chains. Ammeline was found to be the only end-product in both US and USUV processes.

Degradation of carbamazepine by Fe(II)-activated persulfate process

Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the oxidative degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ), one of the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in various waters, by Fe(II)-activated persulfate process. Results show that the Fe(2+)/S2O8(2-) process is very effective for the elimination of CBZ and characterized by a two-stage kinetics (a rapid initial decay followed by a retardation stage). CBZ degradation reaction was observed to be pH dependent and the optimum pH is 3.0 in the range of 2.00-7.87. The concentration of Fe(2+) and S2O8(2-) exhibited a noticeable influence on CBZ removal efficiency, where [S2O8(2-)] exerted more significant effects than that of [Fe(2+)]. The optimal molar ratio of CBZ, Fe(2+), and S2O8(2-) is found to be 1:5:40. The effect of various inorganic anions on CBZ removal was also evaluated under the optimal conditions. The anions NO3(-), SO4(2-) and H2PO4(-)caused a negative effect on the performance of this process, while Cl(-) interestingly accelerated CBZ degradation. The higher the Cl(-) concentration, the faster the CBZ decay rate. The intermediates were identified during CBZ degradation with and without the presence of Cl(-). The evolution of intermediates for these two scenarios was compared. The decay pathways of CBZ were proposed accordingly.

Sonophotolytic degradation of dimethyl phthalate without catalyst: analysis of the synergistic effect and modeling

The merits of the combined process of high-frequency ultrasound (US) and catalyst-free ultraviolet irradiation (UV) have been evaluated in this study by investigating the sonophotolytic degradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP). A 400 kHz ultrasonic system and a photolytic system at 253.7 nm were employed individually, sequentially and simultaneously to examine the details of the processes. High UV intensities and low pH conditions enhanced the sonophotolytic degradation of DMP and a clear synergy was evident from the combination of the US and UV irradiation with a synergetic index of 2.6. The role of ultrasonically generated hydrogen peroxide was examined qualitatively and quantitatively, and its generation and photo-decomposition were found to be the principal reason for the process synergy. A novel inverted S-curve model was developed and found to successfully describe the process of sonophotolysis and DMP degradation.

When the tumour is not the culprit: avascular necrosis of the hip in a patient with castration-resistant prostate cancer

Avascular necrosis (avn) of the hip is a well-documented side effect of corticosteroid therapy, but it has also been described as a complication of radiation and chemotherapy. Many prostate cancer patients undergo treatment with all three of those therapeutic modalities, and yet reported cases of avn of the hip in prostate cancer patients are rare. Symptoms that might potentially alert physicians to this complication are nonspecific and may be attributed to cancer progression, in particular to progressive bone metastasis.Here, we report on a 79-year-old man diagnosed with castration-resistant prostate cancer whose diagnosis of avn of the hip was confounded by his underlying malignancy. We discuss risk factors and diagnostic clues in this differential diagnosis of acute hip pain in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Physicians might maintain a high index of suspicion for avn of the hip in prostate cancer patients presenting with new-onset hip pain. Surgical intervention may help to prevent the appearance of avn-associated pain and the negative impact of advanced avn on overall quality of life.

Degradation of antibiotic norfloxacin in aqueous solution by visible-light-mediated C-TiO2 photocatalysis

A visible-light-mediated C-TiO(2) photocatalytic process (Vis/C-TiO(2)) was employed to degrade antibiotic norfloxacin. The influences of catalyst dosage, initial probe compound concentration and solution pH levels on the decay performance and reaction kinetics were investigated and optimized. Based on the experimental results, an equation was established to predict the observed rate constant under neutral pH. In addition, the decay rate was accelerated under weak alkali in the presence of moderate OH(-) anions. Hydroxyl radical was confirmed to play a major role in the Vis/TiO(2) process, where in the presence of OH quencher and electron acceptor, retardation and improvement were found respectively. Furthermore, an original schematic diagram describing the surface property of C-TiO(2) was built and further verified, in which, NH(4)(+) cations normally served as hole scavengers showed a negligible effect because the adsorbed OH(-) formed a barrier for NH(4)(+) ions to approach the holes, and the F(-) anions presented a significant suppression on norfloxacin decay due to the formation of hydrogen bond (OH⋯F) around the C-TiO(2) surface. Besides, the recycling and sedimentation tests justified that the Vis/C-TiO(2) process is a cost-effective and feasible way for wastewater treatment.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and multivisceral resection for primary locally advanced adherent colon cancer: a single institution experience

BACKGROUND

Although there is an extensive body of literature on the role of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the management of rectal cancer, its role in primary locally advanced adherent colon cancer (LAACC) is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To analyzed the outcomes of neoadjuvant CRT and multivisceral resection in the management of LAACC patietns.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed our institutional Colorectal Carcinoma Database for 33 patients with potentially resectable, non-metastatic primary LAACC who received neoadjuvant CRT followed by multivisceral resection. CRT consisted of external beam radiation (45-50 Gy in 25 daily fractions) and concurrent 5-FU infusion (225 mg/m(2)/day).

RESULTS

There were 21 males and 12 females. Median age was 64 (31-83) and median follow-up was 36 months. All patients had microscopically clear resection margins (R0). Complete pathologic response was documented in 1 patient (3%) and 66% had ypT4b disease. Post-operative complications were observed in 36% of patients with no 30-day mortality. The 3-year overall survival and 3-year disease-free survival were 85.9% and 73.7% respectively. Two patients developed a local recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Neoadjuvant CRT and en-bloc multivisceral resection may result in high rates of R0 resection and excellent local control with acceptable morbidity and mortality in selected patients with LAACC.

One-step solvothermal synthesis of Fe3O4@C core-shell nanoparticles with tunable sizes

We report the synthesis of Fe3O4@C core-shell nanoparticles (FCNPs) by using a facile one-step solvothermal method. The FCNPs consisted of Fe3O4 particles as the cores and amorphous uniform carbon shells. The content of Fe3O4 is up to 81.6 wt%. These core-shell nanoparticles are aggregated by primary nanocrystals with a size of 10-12 nm. The FCNPs possess a hollow interior, high magnetization, excellent absorption properties and abundant surface hydroxyl groups. A possible growth mechanism of the FCNPs is proposed. The role of glucose in regulating the grain size and morphology of the particles is discussed. The absorption properties of the FCNPs towards Cr(VI) in aqueous solution is investigated. We demonstrate that the FCNPs can effectively remove more than 90 wt% of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.

Photocatalytic oxidation of monuron in the suspension of WO3 under the irradiation of UV-visible light

A comprehensive study of the degradation of monuron, one of the phenylurea herbicides, was conducted by UV-Vis/WO(3) process. It was found that hydroxyl radicals played a major role in the decay of monuron while other radicals (e.g. superoxide) and hole might also contribute to the decomposition of monuron. The oxidation path likely plays a major role in the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The effects of initial pH level, initial concentration of monuron, and inorganic oxidants on the performance of UV-Vis/WO(3) process were also investigated and optimized. Comparison between monuron decay pathways by UV-Vis/WO(3) and UV/TiO(2) was conducted. The decay mechanisms, including N-terminus demethylation, dechlorination and direct hydroxylation on benzene ring, were observed to be involved in the oxidation of monuron in these two processes. Sixteen intermediates were identified during the photodegradation of monuron and degradation pathways were proposed accordingly.