Sediment microbial fuel cell coupled floating treatment wetland for enhancing non-reactive phosphorus removal

The presence of non-reactive phosphorus (NRP) in environmental waters presents a potential risk of eutrophication and poses challenges for the removal of all phosphorus (P) fractions. This study presents the first investigation on the removal performance and mechanism of three model NRP compounds, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC), in the sediment microbial fuel cell-floating treatment wetland (SMFC-FTW). Coupling SMFC with plants proved to be effective at removing NRP via electrochemical oxidation and plant uptake, particularly the challenging-to-degrade phosphonates that contain C-P bonds. Compared with the control group, the removal efficiencies of the model NRP in SMFC were observed to increase by 11.9%-20.8%. SMFC promoted the conversion of NRP to soluble reactive phosphorus (sRP) and the transfer of P to sediment. Furthermore, the electrochemical process enhanced both plant growth and P uptake, and increased P assimilation by 72.6%. The presence of plants in the bioelectrochemical system influenced the occurrence and fate of P by efficiently assimilating sRP and supporting microbial transformation of NRP. Consequently, plants enhanced the removal efficiencies of all P fractions in the overlying water. This study demonstrated that SMFC-FTW is a promising technology to remove various NRP species in environmental waters.

The effect of emotion regulation strategies on nomophobia in college students: The masking role of resilience

College students have a high prevalence of nomophobia. However, research on the effects of emotion regulation and resilience on nomophobia in China is lacking. This research investigated how cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression strategies directly and indirectly affect nomophobia through resilience. Therefore, from March to May 2023, 756 university student volunteers (21.4 % men) were selected from a university in northeastern China for a questionnaire survey. Our findings suggest that college students' resilience has a masking effect on the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and nomophobia and can attenuate the negative effect of the frequency of using cognitive reappraisal strategies on nomophobia. The frequency of expressive suppression strategies directly and positively affected nomophobia. Early psychological interventions targeting resilience might be potentially effective in alleviating nomophobia among college students.

Multi-level FeCo/N-doped carbon nanosheet for peroxymonosulfate oxidation and sterilization inactivation

Magnetic carbon-based catalysts with environmental friendliness have exhibited prominent effects on advanced oxidation processes. Herein, a multi-level FeCo/N-doped carbon nanosheet (FeCo/CNS) was synthesized by facile impregnation iron-cobalt salt onto cotton and followed by confined pyrolysis. We identified excellent advantages of the modified FeCo/CNS materials: (i) The convenience of the synthesis method and (ii) The dual effect of sterilization and contaminant degradation achieved through the FeCo/CNS-activated Peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The comparative experimental showed that FeCo/CNS could provide favorable catalytic performance, completely removing bisphenol A (BPA) and tetracycline (TC) within 5 min. Moreover, the potent sterilization properties against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were also verified. Analysis of the degradation pathway confirmed the existence of intermediates, and toxicological research demonstrated that the toxicity of the degradation intermediates of BPA gradually decreased over time. Our research provided an excellent application of FeCo/CNS in PMS oxidation and sterilization inactivation.

A comprehensive review on the inherent and enhanced antifouling mechanisms of hydrogels and their applications

Biofouling remains a persistent challenge within the domains of biomedicine, tissue engineering, marine industry, and membrane separation processes. Multifunctional hydrogels have garnered substantial attention due to their complex three-dimensional architecture, hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and flexibility. These hydrogels have shown notable advances across various engineering disciplines. The antifouling efficacy of hydrogels typically covers a range of strategies to mitigate or inhibit the adhesion of particulate matter, biological entities, or extraneous pollutants onto their external or internal surfaces. This review provides a comprehensive review of the antifouling properties and applications of hydrogels. We first focus on elucidating the fundamental principles for the inherent resistance of hydrogels to fouling. This is followed by a comprehensive investigation of the methods employed to enhance the antifouling properties enabled by the hydrogels' composition, network structure, conductivity, photothermal properties, release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and incorporation of silicon and fluorine compounds. Additionally, we explore the emerging prospects of antifouling hydrogels to alleviate the severe challenges posed by surface contamination, membrane separation and wound dressings. The inclusion of detailed mechanistic insights and the judicious selection of antifouling hydrogels are geared toward identifying extant gaps that must be bridged to meet practical requisites while concurrently addressing long-term antifouling applications.

[Challenges and strategies in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration]

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy is currently the primary treatment approach. However, the real-world effectiveness of nAMD treatment is not always satisfactory and faces various challenges. Frequent administration and follow-up burdens can lead to decreased patient compliance during long-term treatment, resulting in suboptimal outcomes. Some lesions exhibit poor or no response to anti-VEGF treatment, leading to difficulties in maintaining or even declining visual acuity. Factors such as lesion fibrosis and tissue atrophy can contribute to visual deterioration. Therefore, standardizing and individualizing treatment plans, along with enhancing comprehensive monitoring and management throughout the disease course, are crucial improvement measures. The evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration in China, released in 2023, provide guidance for standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment. Meanwhile, research and development of new drugs and administration methods are anticipated for the future.

Dion-Jacobson Type Lead-Free Double Perovskite with Ultra-Narrow Aromatic Interlayer Spacing for Highly Sensitive and Stable X-ray Detection

The low-toxic and environmentally friendly 2D lead-free perovskite has made significant progress in the exploration of "green" X-ray detectors. However, the gap in detection performance between them and their lead-based analogues remains a matter of concern that cannot be ignored. To reduce this gap, shortening the interlayer spacing to accelerate the migration and collection of X-ray carriers is a promising strategy. Herein, a Dion-Jacobson (DJ) lead-free double perovskite (4-AP)2 AgBiBr8 (1, 4-AP = 4-amidinopyridine) with an ultra-narrow interlayer spacing of 3.0 Å, is constructed by utilizing π-conjugated aromatic spacers. Strikingly, the subsequent enhanced carrier transport and increased crystal density lead to X-ray detectors based on bulk single crystals of 1 with a high sensitivity of 1117.3 µC Gy-1  cm-2 , superior to the vast majority of similar double perovskites. In particular, the tight connection of the inorganic layers by the divalent cations enhances structural rigidity and stability, further endowing 1 detector with ultralow dark current drift (3.06 × 10-8  nA cm-1  s-1  V-1 , 80 V), excellent multiple cycles switching X-ray irradiation stability, as well as long-term environmental stability (maintains over 94% photoresponse after 90 days). This work brings lead-free double perovskites one step closer to realizing efficient practical green applications.

Antimicrobial research of carbohydrate polymer- and protein-based hydrogels as reservoirs for the generation of reactive oxygen species: A review

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in biological milieu. Recently, the rapid growth in our understanding of ROS and their promise in antibacterial applications has generated tremendous interest in the combination of ROS generators with bulk hydrogels. Hydrogels represent promising supporters for ROS generators and can locally confine the nanoscale distribution of ROS generators whilst also promoting cellular integration via biomaterial-cell interactions. This review highlights recent efforts and progress in developing hydrogels derived from biological macromolecules with embedded ROS generators with a focus on antimicrobial applications. Initially, an overview of passive and active antibacterial hydrogels is provided to show the significance of proper hydrogel selection and design. These are followed by an in-depth discussion of the various approaches for ROS generation in hydrogels. The structural engineering and fabrication of ROS-laden hydrogels are given with a focus on their biomedical applications in therapeutics and diagnosis. Additionally, we discuss how a compromise needs to be sought between ROS generation and removal for maximizing the efficacy of therapeutic treatment. Finally, the current challenges and potential routes toward commercialization in this rapidly evolving field are discussed, focusing on the potential translation of laboratory research outcomes to real-world clinical outcomes.

Chemical and Structural Engineering of Gelatin-Based Delivery Systems for Therapeutic Applications: A Review

As a biodegradable and biocompatible protein derived from collagen, gelatin has been extensively exploited as a fundamental component of biological scaffolds and drug delivery systems for precise medicine. The easily engineered gelatin holds great promise in formulating various delivery systems to protect and enhance the efficacy of drugs for improving the safety and effectiveness of numerous pharmaceuticals. The remarkable biocompatibility and adjustable mechanical properties of gelatin permit the construction of active 3D scaffolds to accelerate the regeneration of injured tissues and organs. In this Review, we delve into diverse strategies for fabricating and functionalizing gelatin-based structures, which are applicable to gene and drug delivery as well as tissue engineering. We emphasized the advantages of various gelatin derivatives, including methacryloyl gelatin, polyethylene glycol-modified gelatin, thiolated gelatin, and alendronate-modified gelatin. These derivatives exhibit excellent physicochemical and biological properties, allowing the fabrication of tailor-made structures for biomedical applications. Additionally, we explored the latest developments in the modulation of their physicochemical properties by combining additive materials and manufacturing platforms, outlining the design of multifunctional gelatin-based micro-, nano-, and macrostructures. While discussing the current limitations, we also addressed the challenges that need to be overcome for clinical translation, including high manufacturing costs, limited application scenarios, and potential immunogenicity. This Review provides insight into how the structural and chemical engineering of gelatin can be leveraged to pave the way for significant advancements in biomedical applications and the improvement of patient outcomes.

Effluent quality prediction of the sewage treatment based on a hybrid neural network model: Comparison and application

The accurate prediction and assessment of effluent quality in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are paramount for the efficacy of sewage treatment processes. Neural network models have exhibited promise in enhancing prediction accuracy by simulating and analyzing diverse influent parameters. In this study, a back propagation neural network hybrid model based on a tent chaotic map and sparrow search algorithm (Tent_BP_SSA) was developed to predict the effluent quality of sewage treatment processes. The prediction performance of the propose hybrid model was compared with traditional neural network models using five performance indicators (MAE, RMSE, SSE, MAPE and R2). Specifically, in comparison with the prior Tent_BP_SSA, Tent_BP_SSA2 demonstrated notable enhancements, with the R2 increasing from 0.9512 to 0.9672, while MAE, RMSE, SSE, and MAPE decreased by 9.62%, 18.84%, 24.80%, and 47.10%, respectively. These indicators collectively affirm that the utilization of higher-order input parameters ensures improved accuracy of the Tent_BP_SSA2 hybrid model in predicting effluent quality. Moreover, the Tent_BP_SSA2 model exhibited robust prediction ability (R2 of 0.9246) when applied to assess the effluent quality of an actual sewage treatment plant. The incorporation of integrated models comprising the sparrow search optimizing algorithm, tent chaotic mapping, and higher-order magnitude decomposition of input parameters has demonstrated the capacity to enhance the accuracy of effluent quality prediction. This study illuminates novel perspectives on the prediction of effluent quality and the assessment of effluent warnings in WWTPs.

Effects of empagliflozin on progression of chronic kidney disease: a prespecified secondary analysis from the empa-kidney trial

BACKGROUND

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce progression of chronic kidney disease and the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a wide range of patients. However, their effects on kidney disease progression in some patients with chronic kidney disease are unclear because few clinical kidney outcomes occurred among such patients in the completed trials. In particular, some guidelines stratify their level of recommendation about who should be treated with SGLT2 inhibitors based on diabetes status and albuminuria. We aimed to assess the effects of empagliflozin on progression of chronic kidney disease both overall and among specific types of participants in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial.

METHODS

EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA), and included individuals aged 18 years or older with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or with an eGFR of 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher. We explored the effects of 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily versus placebo on the annualised rate of change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR slope), a tertiary outcome. We studied the acute slope (from randomisation to 2 months) and chronic slope (from 2 months onwards) separately, using shared parameter models to estimate the latter. Analyses were done in all randomly assigned participants by intention to treat. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110.

FINDINGS

Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and then followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5-2·4). Prespecified subgroups of eGFR included 2282 (34·5%) participants with an eGFR of less than 30 mL/min per 1·73 m2, 2928 (44·3%) with an eGFR of 30 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, and 1399 (21·2%) with an eGFR 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2 or higher. Prespecified subgroups of uACR included 1328 (20·1%) with a uACR of less than 30 mg/g, 1864 (28·2%) with a uACR of 30 to 300 mg/g, and 3417 (51·7%) with a uACR of more than 300 mg/g. Overall, allocation to empagliflozin caused an acute 2·12 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (95% CI 1·83-2·41) reduction in eGFR, equivalent to a 6% (5-6) dip in the first 2 months. After this, it halved the chronic slope from -2·75 to -1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (relative difference 50%, 95% CI 42-58). The absolute and relative benefits of empagliflozin on the magnitude of the chronic slope varied significantly depending on diabetes status and baseline levels of eGFR and uACR. In particular, the absolute difference in chronic slopes was lower in patients with lower baseline uACR, but because this group progressed more slowly than those with higher uACR, this translated to a larger relative difference in chronic slopes in this group (86% [36-136] reduction in the chronic slope among those with baseline uACR <30 mg/g compared with a 29% [19-38] reduction for those with baseline uACR ≥2000 mg/g; ptrend<0·0001).

INTERPRETATION

Empagliflozin slowed the rate of progression of chronic kidney disease among all types of participant in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial, including those with little albuminuria. Albuminuria alone should not be used to determine whether to treat with an SGLT2 inhibitor.

FUNDING

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly.

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

BACKGROUND

The EMPA-KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population.

METHODS

EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110.

FINDINGS

Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5-2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62-0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16-1·59), representing a 50% (42-58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1).

INTERPRETATION

In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease.

FUNDING

Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council.

Iron-Cobalt magnetic porous carbon beads activated peroxymonosulfate for enhanced degradation and Microbial inactivation

Magnetic carbon-based catalysts are promising materials for advanced oxidation processes, offering both high catalytic activity and environmental friendliness, and hold great potential in environmental remediation. In this work, Fe and Co zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) derived micron-sized magnetic porous carbon beads (MPCBs) were prepared by phase inversion and following the carbonization procedure, and the morphological and structural characteristics of the MPCBs were confirmed. The presence of pores and channels in the MPCBs provides a specific microenvironment for the for the catalysis of the core. Bisphenol A (BPA) was selected for the targeted pollutant, and the catalytic experiments confirmed that the effective catalytic activity of MPCBs in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), which could almost completely degrade BPA in 20 min with a reaction rate of 0.368 min-1. Furthermore, the MPCBs were used to effectively bacterial inactivation. Intermediate products of the BPA degradation process were validated and the toxicological studies showed a gradual decrease in toxicity, indicating effective reduction of potential hazards. The macroscopic preparation methods we developed for MPCBs that is promising for industrial applications and has the potential to cope with complex environmental remediation.

A sustainable integrated anoxic/aerobic bio-contactor process for simultaneously in-situ deodorization and pollutants removal from decentralized domestic sewage

The integration of anoxic filter and aerobic rotating biological contactor shows promise in treating rural domestic sewage. It offers high efficiency, low sludge production, and strong shock resistance. However, further optimization is needed for odor control, pollutant removal, and power consumption. In this study, the investigation on a one-pump-drive lab-scale device of retention anoxic filter (RAF) integrated with hydraulic rotating bio-contactor (HRBC) and its optimal operation mode were conducted. During the 50-day operation, optimal operation parameters were investigated. These parameters included a 175 % reflux ratio (RR), 5-h hydraulic retention time in the RAF (HRTRAF), and 2.5-h hydraulic retention time in the HRBC (HRTHRBC). Those conditions characterized a micro-aerobic environment (DO: 0.6-0.8 mg/L) in RAF, inducing improved deodorization (89.3 % sulfide removal) and denitrification (85.9 % nitrate removal) simultaneously. During the operation period, 84.79 ± 3.87 % COD, 82.71± 2.06 % NH 4 + -N, 74.83 ± 2.06 % TN, 91.68± 2.12 % S2-, and 89.04 ± 1.68 % TON were removed in RAF-HRBC. Based on large amount of operational data, organic loading rate curves of RAF-HRBC were validated and calibrated as a crucial reference to aid in full-scale designs and applications. The richness of microbial community was improved in both RAF and HRBC. In the RAF, the autotrophic sulfide-oxidizing nitrate-reducing bacteria (a-son) and heterotrophic sulfide-oxidizing nitrate-reducing bacteria (h-son) were selectively enriched, which intensified the sulfide removal and denitrification process. In the two-stage HRBC system, the 1st stage RBC was primarily composed of organics degraders, while the 2nd stage RBC consisted mainly of ammonium oxidizers. Overall, the integrated RAF-HRBC process holds significant potential for simultaneously improving pollutant removal and in-situ odor mitigation in decentralized domestic sewage treatment. This process specifically contributes to enhancing environmental sustainability and operational efficiency.

Insight into the mechanism of nutrients removal and response regulation of denitrifying phosphorus removal system under calcium ion stress

The influent quality is an important factor affecting the nutrients removal and operational stability of denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) system. This study investigated the effects of calcium ion (Ca2+) on the nutrients removal, nitrogen oxide (N2O) release, microbial community, and quorum sensing in DPR system. Results showed that high accumulation of Ca2+ had a significant impact on the carbon footprint of DPR system. Specifically, N2O release reached 2.11 mg/L under Ca2+ of 150 mg/L, which represented 214.93% increase compared to 0 mg/L of Ca2+. The DPR system demonstrated its adaptability to elevated Ca2+ concentrations by modifying key enzyme activities involved in nitrogen and phosphorus removal, altering the microbial community structure, and adjusting the type and content of signal molecules. These findings hold significant implications for understanding the stress mechanism of Ca2+ on DPR system, ultimately aiding in the maintenance and enhancement of stable operational performance in biological wastewater treatment process.

Dion-Jacobson to Alternating-Cations-Interaction Reconstruction toward Narrow Bandgap 2D Aromatic Hybrid Perovskite

The 2D aromatic Dion-Jacobson (DJ) hybrid perovskites combining advantages of high stability, enhanced light absorption, and favorable charge transport, are regarded as a kind of very promising materials for high-performance optoelectronic applications. However, due to the rigidity and large size of the aromatic ring, how to further reduce the interlayer distance to achieve better carrier transport and wider light response window still remain extremely challenging. Here, an interesting DJ-to-ACI (alternating-cations-interaction) reconstruction in 2D aromatic perovskite is first realized by inserting MA+ cations into (4-AP)PbI4 (1, 4-AP = 4-amidinopyridinium), successfully constructing an unprecedented ACI perovskite of (4-AP)(MA)2 Pb2 I8 (2, MA = methylamine). Remarkably, such a DJ-to-ACI reconstruction not only effectively reduces the interlayer spacing from 3.89 to 3.15 Å but also alleviates the structural distortion, which jointly causes a significant bandgap narrowing from 2.22 to 1.95 eV (smaller than all current 2D monolayered DJ perovskites), hence achieving a broad photodetection window over 660 nm. This work reports a novel narrow bandgap 2D ACI perovskite derived from the aromatic DJ motif, which sheds light on future regulations on the structure and properties of hybrid perovskites.

Alternating chiral and achiral spacers for constructing two-dimensional chiral hybrid perovskites toward circular-polarization-sensitive photodetection

The intrinsic integration of structural flexibility, chiroptical activity, and photoelectric properties endows the two-dimensional (2D) chiral hybrid perovskites (CHPs) with significant application potential in chiroptoelectronics and spintronics. However, the scarcity of suitable chiral organic ligands severely hinders their extensive construction, necessitating the development of new strategies for designing 2D CHPs. Herein, by exploiting a half substitution method, we created a pair of 2D CHPs with alternating cations in the interlayer space (ACI), (R/S-PPA)(PA)PbBr4 (2R/2S, PPA = 1-phenylpropylamine, PA = n-pentylamine), from the achiral Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) (PA)2PbBr4 (1). The successful chirality transfer induces 2R/2S to crystallize in the chiral P212121 space group and thus acquire appealing chiroptical activity. Consequently, the single-crystal devices of 2R exhibit good distinguishability to the left- and right-handed circularly polarized 405 nm lights with a photocurrent dissymmetric factor of 0.10 at 10 V bias. This work demonstrates an intriguing achiral RP to chiral ACI motif reconstruction in 2D halide hybrid perovskites, opening a door for expanding the family of 2D CHPs.

A hierarchical porous aerohydrogel for enhanced water evaporation

Natural solar-powered steam generation provides a promising strategy to deal with deteriorating water resources. However, the practical applications of this strategy are limited by the tedious manufacturing of structures at micro-nano levels to concentrate heat and transport water to heat-localized regions. Herein, this work reports the fabrication of hierarchically porous aerohydrogel with enhanced light absorption and thermal localization at the air-solid interface. This aerohydrogel steam generator is fabricated by a simple yet controllable micropore generation approach to assemble air and hydrogel into hierarchically porous gas-solid hybrids. The tunable micropore size in a wide range from 99±49µm to 316±58μm not only enables contrasting sunlight absorptance (0.2 - 2.5µm) by reducing the reflection of solar light but also harnesses water transportation to the heating region via a capillary force-driven liquid flow. Therefore, a solar-vapor conversion efficiency of 91.3% under one sun irradiation was achieved using this aerohydrogel evaporator, reaching a ready evaporation rate of 2.76kg m-2 h-1 and 3.71kg m-2 h-1 under one and two sun irradiations, respectively. Our work provides a versatile and scalable approach to engineering porous hydrogels for highly efficient steam generation and opens an avenue for other potential practical applications based on this aerohydrogel.

Acceleration of nitrogen removal performance in a biofilm reactor augmented with Pseudomonas sp. using polycaprolactone as carbon source for treating low carbon to nitrogen wastewater

Heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) process was achieved in a moving bed biofilm reactor after 180-days acclimation using PCL as carbon source for low C/N wastewater treatment. A novel HN-AD strain, JQ-H3, with ability of PCL degradation was augmented to improve nitrogen removal. TN removal efficiencies of 82.31%, 90.05%, and 93.16% were achieved in the augmented reactor (R2), at different HRTs of 24 h, 20 h, and 16 h, while in the control reactor (R1), the TN removal efficiencies were 59.24%, 74.61%, and 76.68%. The effluent COD in R2 was 10.17 mg/L, much lower than that of 42.45 mg/L in R1. Microbial community analysis revealed that JQ-H3 has successfully proliferated with a relative abundance of 4.79%. Relative abundances of functional enzymes of nitrogen cycling remarkably increased due to bioaugmentation based on the analysis of PICRUSt2. This study provides a new approach for enhancing nitrogen removal in low C/N sewage treatment via the HN-AD process.

Effects of nano metal oxide particles on denitrifying phosphorus removal system: Potential stress mechanism and recovery strategy

The accumulation of nano metal oxide particles (NMOPs) in municipal sewage treatment systems harms the microbial community and its metabolism in activated sludge system, resulting in the degradation of its pollutants removal performance. In this work, the stress effect of NMOPs on the denitrifying phosphorus removal system was systematically investigated in terms of pollutants removal performance, key enzyme activities, microbial community diversity and abundances, and intracellular metabolites. Among the ZnO NPs, TiO₂ NPs, CeO₂ NPs, and CuO NPs, the ZnO NPs showed the most significant impacts with the chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen removal ratio decreased from above 90 % to 66.50 %, 49.13 %, and 57.11 %, respectively. The addition of surfactants and chelating agents could relieve the toxic effect of NMOPs on the denitrifying phosphorus removal system, and the chelating agents were more effective than surfactants in performance recovery. After adding ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid, the removal ratio of chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen under ZnO NPs stress was restored to 87.31 %, 88.79 %, and 90.35 %, respectively. The study provides valuable knowledge to better understand the impacts and stress mechanism of NMOPs on activated sludge systems and provides a solution to recover the nutrients removal performance of denitrifying phosphorus removal system under NMOPs stress.

Retraction Note: LNCAROD enhances hepatocellular carcinoma malignancy by activating glycolysis through induction of pyruvate kinase isoform PKM2

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-021-02090-7.

Mining phosphorus from waste streams at wastewater treatment plants: a review of enrichment, extraction, and crystallization methods

Two interrelated problems exist: the non-renewability of phosphate rock as a resource and the excess phosphate in the water system lead to eutrophication. Removal and recovery of phosphorus (P) from waste streams at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is one of the promising solutions. This paper reviews strategies for P recovery from waste streams in WWTPs are reviewed, and the main P recovery processes were broken down into three parts: enrichment, extraction, and crystallization. On this basis, the present P recovery technology was summarized and compared. The choice of P recovery technology depends on the process of sewage treatment and sludge treatment. Most P recovery processes can meet the financial requirements since the recent surge in phosphate rock prices. The safety requirements of P recovery products add a high cost to toxic substance removal, so it is necessary to control the discharge of toxic substances such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants from the source.

Modeling and optimizing of an actual municipal sewage plant: A comparison of diverse multi-objective optimization methods

The activated sludge process of an actual municipal sewage treatment plant was systematically modeled, calibrated, and verified in this study. Identified multi-objective optimization (MOO) methods were employed to optimize the process parameters of the validated model, and the optimal MOO algorithm was obtained by comparing Pareto solution sets. The optimization model consisted of three key evaluation indicators (objective functions), which are the average effluent quality (AEQ), overall cost index (OCI), and total volume (TV) of the biochemical tank, along with 12 more process parameters (decision variables). Three optimization algorithms, i.e., adaptive non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (ANSGA-III), non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II), and particle swarm algorithm (PSO), were adopted using MATLAB. The comparison of these algorithms demonstrated that the ANSGA-III algorithm had better Pareto solution sets under the triple objective optimization, and the effluent quality of COD, TN, NH₄⁺-N, and TP after optimization decreased by 2.22, 0.47, 0.13, and 0.02 mg/L, respectively. Additionally, the simulated AEQ was reduced by 13% compared to the original effluent, and the OCI and TV decreased from 21,023 kWh d^-1 and 17,065 m³ to 20,226 kWh d^-1 and 16,530 m³, respectively. The reported ANSGA-III algorithm and the proposed multi-objective method have a promising ability for energy conservation, emission reduction, and upgrading of municipal sewage treatment plants.

Prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression among community dwelling patients with cervical spondylosis during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The emergence of COVID-19 and its unfavorable consequences lead to disease fear and other related mental health problems for individuals worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence and relevant factors of anxiety and depression among community dwelling cervical spondylosis (CS) patients, and to explore the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety and depression, so as to provide scientific basis for improving their mental health.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a cohort of 556 CS patients by using convenient sampling. These participants were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). The Chi-square test was used to determine the differences among categorical variables. Binary stepwise logistic regression was used to determine predictors of anxiety and depression.

Results

The median HADS-A score was 5 (interquartile interval 2-7), and the median HADS-D score was 4 (interquartile interval 2-8). In this study, the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 25.0% and 26.6%, respectively. Gender and comorbid chronic diseases were predictors of depressive symptoms. In addition, fear of COVID-19 was related to depression and anxiety among community dwelling CS patients.

Conclusion

Approximately one quarter of community dwelling CS patients were suffering depression or anxiety. Our findings could provide a basis for the development of psychological crisis intervention strategies for CS patients under public health emergencies in the future.

Achieving phosphorus recovery at pilot-scale anaerobic anoxic/nitrifying-induced crystallization (A2N-IC) process: Performance, assessment, and challenges

A pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic/nitrifying/induced crystallization (A₂N-IC) process was established for phosphorus (P) recovery and nutrient removal from municipal wastewater with a treatment capacity of 80 m³d^-1. Results show that the A₂N-IC process can operate stably on a pilot scale; the recovery efficiency of influent P reached 62.2%, and the total P removal efficiency of the IC section was 65.4%. The IC section had little effect on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen (N), and the P removal efficiency was improved. Soluble non-reactive P (sNRP) was the key factor affecting P recovery efficiency. Although P recovery increases the construction and maintenance costs, the process can be profitable if a market for P recovery products is established. To improve the P recovery efficiency, attention should be paid to the effects of sNRP and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on P recovery, and P-rich sludge should be considered.

An integrated process for struvite recovery and nutrient removal from ship domestic sewage

Marine pollution caused by the untreated and substandard discharge of ship domestic sewage has received widespread attention. A novel integrated process for struvite recovery and nutrient removal from ship domestic sewage (SRNR-SDS) based on seawater magnesium source was developed in this study. Removal efficiencies of the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) for the activated sludge unit in SRNR-SDS process were approximately 67.61% and 41.35%, respectively, under the salinity of 7.85 g/L. The coupling-induced struvite crystallization unit significantly improved the removal efficiency of TN and TP, and the scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction demonstrated that magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) crystals were successfully formed on the surface of zeolite. The SRNR-SDS process had an ideal performance for pollutant removal and MAP recovery under the optimal hydraulic retention time of 20 h. The effluent concentrations of COD, NH₄⁺-N, TN and TP in SRNR-SDS process were approximately 34.73 mg/L, 4.31 mg/L, 10.07 mg/L and 0.23 mg/L, respectively, which meet the Chinese and international ship sewage discharge standards. SRNR-SDS process has obvious environmental, social and economic benefits, which could save 6.20%∼57.14% of the operation cost of ship domestic sewage treatment via MAP recovery. The results could provide theoretical and technical support for the development and application of ship sewage treatment process with the functions of pollutant removal and resource recovery.

Increased Sparc release from subchondral osteoblasts promotes articular chondrocyte degeneration under estrogen withdrawal

OBJECTIVE

The incidence of osteoarthritis (OA) in menopausal women is significantly higher than in same-aged men. Investigating the role of subchondral osteoblasts in estrogen deficiency-induced OA may help elucidate the pathological mechanism, providing new insights for the diagnosis and treatment of menopausal OA.

METHODS

A classical ovariectomy-induced OA (OVX-OA) rat model was utilized to isolate primary articular chondrocytes and subchondral osteoblasts, which were identified and then cocultured in Transwell. The expression of chondrocyte anabolic and catabolic indicators was evaluated. The differentially expressed proteins in the conditioned medium (CM) of osteoblasts were identified by Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). Normal chondrocytes were treated with osteoblast CM, and then RNA sequencing was performed on the treated chondrocytes. KEGG was used to identify significant enrichment of signaling pathways, and Simple Western was used to verify the expression of related proteins in the signaling pathways.

RESULTS

Coculture of OVX-OA subchondral osteoblasts with chondrocytes significantly downregulated the expression of the anabolic indicators and upregulated the expression of the catabolic indicators in chondrocytes. 1,601 proteins were identified in both normal and OVX osteoblast culture supernatants. Protein-protein interaction network analysis revealed that Sparc was one of the hub proteins. The AMPK/Foxo3a signaling pathway of chondrocytes was downregulated by OVX-OA osteoblasts CM. AICAR, the AMPK agonist, partially reversed the catabolic effect of OVX-OA osteoblasts on chondrocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

Sparc secreted by OVX-OA subchondral osteoblasts can downregulate the AMPK/Foxo3a signaling pathway of chondrocytes, thereby promoting chondrocyte degeneration.

Role of emotion regulation capacities in affective state among Chinese high school students in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19

Objective

Psychological wellbeing and emotion regulation skills of vulnerable adolescents have been severely threatened by the long-term impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to seek out the potentially effective emotion regulation strategies to minimize the mental health risk of adolescents during the COVID-19 post-pandemic era.

Methods

A total of 436 high school students aged 16.07 ± 1.08 years were included in this cross-sectional study to complete questionnaires to self-report socio-demographic information, positive and negative affect state, and emotional regulation abilities. Student's t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for intergroup comparisons among socio-demographic variables. Pearson's correlation analysis was used for evaluating the association between each emotion regulation strategy and positivity or negativity. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was used for the determination of the predictors for adolescents' positivity and negativity.

Results

Adolescents' affect was influenced by multiple emotion regulation strategies, including cognitive reappraisal, acceptance and engagement, difficulty in awareness, acceptance, and modification of emotions after adjusting for a range of socio-demographic variables.

Conclusion

Overall, our findings highlight the importance of emotional regulation strategies in the modulation of the mental health of the vulnerable youth population in China during the COVID-19 crisis. In view of the continuous, multifaceted influence on adolescents' mental health of the ongoing pandemic, more effort should be made to leverage emotion regulation strategies to benefit their coping abilities.

Factors influencing patient delay in individuals with obstructive sleep apnoea: a study based on an integrated model

BACKGROUND

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, yet it remains undiagnosed in a large proportion of adults.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the status of patient delay and provider delay in OSA patients and examine related factors affecting patient delay in OSA individuals in China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was conducted on a sample of 309 OSA patients (aged from 18 to 76, median age of 47 years, 84.8% male) in Northeast China. Participants were required to complete the sociodemographic questionnaire, the symptom characteristics questionnaire, the help-seeking attitude scale (HSAS), the social support rating scale and the chronic disease self-efficacy scales (CDSES) to test the hypothesis. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore factors that account for the patient delay.

RESULTS

The median patient delay among OAS patients in this study was 22 months, the median provider delay was one month, and the median total delay was 26 months. As shown by multivariate analysis results, patients who have snored for over 6 years (OR = 3.377, 95%CI: 1.175-9.702) were more likely to experience prolonged patient delays. Per capita monthly family income above 3000 RMB (OR = 0.172, 95%CI: 0.052-0.571), taking up residence in cities or towns (OR = 0.484, 95%CI: 0.248-0.946), higher self-recognition of the disease (OR = 0.793, 95%CI: 0.647-0.972), higher objective support (OR = 0.825, 95%CI: 0.739-0.921) and stronger self-efficacy (OR = 0.674, 95%CI: 0.525-0.867) were significantly associated with shorter patient delays.

CONCLUSION

Patient delay is common in Chinese OSA patients. The upstream factors affecting the patient delay in individuals with OSA include income, place of residence, and objective support; midstream factors include self-recognition of the disease and self-efficacy; downstream factors include years of snoring.KEY MESSAGESDespite being a high-prevalence disease, many obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients are not clearly diagnosed and treated.The factors affecting the delay in seeking medical treatment in individuals with OSA included income, place of residence, objective support, self-recognition of the disease, self-efficacy and years of snoring.Investigations into OSA patients' care-seeking behaviours can better reflect the secondary prevention of OSA, and it is crucial to pay attention to the delayed phase of patients.

Accuracy and modification of the STOP ‐bang questionnaire for screening patients with obstructive sleep apnea in China

Despite the high sensitivity of the STOP-Bang questionnaire [snoring, tiredness, observed apneas, high blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck size, gender] questionnaire (SBQ), which is widely used to screen individuals at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), few studies have evaluated the discrimination related to sex in the SBQ. Therefore, our study aimed to assess whether SBQ performance is gender-related and modified by changing body mass index (BMI) and neck circumference (NC) cut-off values. A total of 470 patients attended the sleep centres. They were divided into moderate-to-severe OSA and non-moderate-to-severe OSA groups based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the results of the SBQ screening. The predictive performance of the SBQ screening instrument was evaluated by 2 × 2 contingency tables and discriminatory ability, which was estimated from the area under the curve (AUC) obtained from receiver operating characteristic curve. Our results suggest that when screening for moderate-to-severe OSA, the original SBQ has higher sensitivity and lower specificity for men; however, women have higher specificity and lower sensitivity. The SBQ achieved the maximum AUC of 0.783 for men and 0.634 for women when the BMI cut-off value was established at 30 kg/m² and the NC cut-off value was established at 38 cm in men, and the BMI cut-off value was established at 25 kg/m² and the NC cut-off value at 36 cm in women. Balancing the optimal sensitivity and specificity, the cut-off value of the optimal modified SBQ total scores for men was determined to be ≥4 and ≥3 for women.

Normative reference data for body composition in healthy indigenous populations on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Body composition represents an important aspect of physical fitness and has received increasing attention in recent years. The present study was designed and conducted to provide reference values for age-, sex-, and altitude-specific body composition for healthy indigenous Tibetan adults living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has not yet been studied. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,356 healthy Tibetan adults (1,433 females and 923 males) living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for generations. The body composition of the participants was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The measurements included weight, basal metabolic rate (BMR), fat-free mass (FFM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), protein mass (PM), bone mass (BM), fat mass (FM), percentage of body fat (PBF), subcutaneous fat mass (SFM), visceral fat mass (VFM), total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW), and extracellular water (ECW). Overall, males had greater FFM, SMM, PM, BM, and water mass, whereas females were high in fat mass. Participants from plains generally had higher body composition values, and PM, BM, FM and body water values decreased with increasing altitude, with the lowest values found in >4,000 m Shigatse. FFM, SMM, PM, and BM tended to decrease with increasing age, whereas fat mass and ECW tended to increase with increasing age. This study provides the first normative reference data of body composition for healthy indigenous individuals on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These datasets are important for future research related to body composition. A considerable decrease in body composition values in > 4,000 m-altitude areas suggested that body composition cutoff values should be established by altitude. Age-, sex-, and altitude-specific alterations in body composition values also inform the prevention and amendment of abnormal body composition changes and resultant health complications.

Influence of family function on social anxiety among Chinese nursing students: The mediating role of alexithymia

AIMS

This study aims to explore the relationship between family function, alexithymia and social anxiety among Chinese nursing students, especially to determine whether alexithymia acts as a mediator between family function and social anxiety among this social group.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

From January to March 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 204 Chinese nursing students at a nursing school of a medical university in the Northeastern Region of China. The interaction anxiousness scale, APGAR family function scale and Tronto alexithymia scale were used for measurement of social anxiety, perceived family function and alexithymia respectively. The data were subjected to correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and structural equation modelling (SEM).

RESULTS

Results indicated that social anxiety score was negatively correlated with perceived family function (r = -.232), but positively with alexithymia (r = .307). After controlling for demographic variables, family function and alexithymia could explain 14.5% of the total variance in social anxiety. The SEM results suggested that the effect of family function on social anxiety was partially mediated by alexithymia with a 36.9% mediating effect.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals that alexithymia might partially mediate the impact of family function and social anxiety in Chinese nursing students. In this sense, improvement of alexithymia is expected to be an effective strategy to ameliorate the severity social anxiety in Chinese nursing students, especially for those with a dysfunctional family context.

Self-management behavior, associated factors and its relationship with social support and health literacy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome

Background

The proportion of patients with obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is increasing year by year in China, which has become a major public health problem. Self-management of OSAHS and multiple support from caregivers are key to low hospital admissions and high quality of life for patients with OSAHS. Social support and health literacy are the main promoters of self-management behavior. However, their contributions have not been adequately studied. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of self-management among patients with OSAHS and its relationship with general demographics, social support, and health literacy.

Methods

A total of 280 patients with OSAHS treated in two Classiii Grade A hospitals in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province from October 2020 to July 2021 were selected as the study subjects. Patients were investigated by General Characteristics Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Health Literacy Scale for Chronic Patients (HLSCP), and OSAHS Self-management Behavior Questionnaire, and the influencing factors of self-management of patients with OSAHS were analyzed.

Results

The average score of OSAHS self-management was 74.49(SD = 8.06), SSRS and HLSCP scores were positively correlated with total scores of self-management behavior. Furthermore, we found that disease duration, SSRS, and HLSCP scores were the main predictors of self-management behavior (R² = 0.390, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study found that OSAHS patients with a longer duration of disease and higher SSRS or HLSCP scores also had higher levels of self-management. The factors discussed in this study may be helpful in developing individualized interventions in self-management for patients with OSAHS.

Simultaneous denitrification and phosphorus removal: A review on the functional strains and activated sludge processes

Eutrophication has attracted extensive attention owing to its harmful effects to the organisms and aquatic environment. Studies on the functional microorganisms with the ability of simultaneously nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal is of great significance for alleviating eutrophication. Thus far, several strains from various genera have been reported to accomplish simultaneous N and P removal, which is primarily observed in Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, and Arthrobacter. The mechanism of N and P removal by denitrifying P accumulating organisms (DPAOs) is different from the traditional biological N and P removal. The denitrifying P removal (DPR) technology based on the metabolic function of DPAOs can overcome the problem of carbon source competition and sludge age contradiction in traditional biological N and P removal processes and can be applied to the treatment of urban sewage with low C/N ratio. This paper reviews the mechanism of N and P removal by DPAOs from the aspect of the metabolic pathways and enzymatic processes. The research progress on DPR processes is also summarized and elucidated. Further research should focus on the efficient removal of N and P by improving the performance of functional microorganisms and development of new coupling processes. This review can serve as a basis for screening DPAOs with high N and P removal efficiency and developing new DPR processes in the future.

Stability, aggregation, and sedimentation behaviors of typical nano metal oxide particles in aqueous environment

The wide use of nano metal oxide particles (NMOPs) brings about their inevitable release into the water environment, affecting the environment and human health. Therefore, the stability, aggregation, and sedimentation process of four typical NMOPs (ZnO NPs, CeO₂ NPs, TiO₂ NPs, and CuO NPs) were investigated in artificial water and real municipal sewage to reveal their complicated behavior. Results showed that NMOPs aggregated at the pH of zero-charge point, and their hydrodynamic diameters and aggregation rates could reach the maximum values. The hydrodynamic diameters and aggregation rates of ZnO NPs, CeO₂ NPs, TiO₂ NPs, and CuO NPs at the zero-charge point were 617, 1760, 870, 1502 nm, and 31.7, 1158.1, 48.3, 115.7 nm/min, respectively. In addition, the dissolution of NMOPs led to the sedimentation rates under acidic conditions being much lower than those under neutral and alkaline conditions. The aggregation and sedimentation performance of NMOPs were affected by not only pH but also ionic strength (IS) and species. The aggregation rates of NMOPs increased with the increase of IS (0-10 mM), and the maximum aggregation rate of CeO₂ NPs was 470.1 nm/min (pH = 7 and CaCl₂ = 10 mM). According to Coulomb's law, divalent cations (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) were more competitively adsorbed on the surface of NMOPs than monovalent cations (K⁺, Na⁺), which increased the zeta potential and aggregation rate of NMOPs. Furthermore, the NMOPs were easier to aggregate in municipal sewage because of the homogeneous aggregation between nanoparticles and heterogeneous aggregation with natural colloids. The total interaction energy between NMOPs was calculated by the classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theoretical formula, which was consistent with the experimental results.

Construction of double tube granular sludge microbial fuel cell and its characteristics and mechanism of azo dye degradation

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can obtain electrical energy from extensive organic matter and complete wastewater treatment at the same time. The principal purpose of the research is to find a solution to the biodegradation of X-3B in a double tube MFC with graphite fiber brush as the anode and carbon cloth as the cathode. The anaerobic, aerobic, and electrochemical processes in the MFC were investigated. The effects of dye concentration and circuit connectivity on the performances of MFCs were explored. The degradation efficiency of X-3B in the anode region (85.56%) was higher than that in the cathode region (14.16%) within 24 h under the optimal voltage of 0.43 V, indicating a synergistic effect between electrode reaction and biodegradation. The power density increased from 12.12 mW/m³ to 60.45 mW/m³ with the addition of X-3B from 50 to 200 mg/L, because of the reduced ohmic and polarization resistance. Intermediate productions such as aniline were manufactured with the conjugated double bond of X-3B broken, and the intermediates were degraded into small molecular products like phenol during further degradation processes. Moreover, dye concentration and circuit connection had significant effects on the relative abundance of the microbial community at phylum and genus levels. In general, MFC is a good approach to energy generation and azo dye treatment at the same time.

Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of social anxiety scale for social media users and cross-sectional investigation into this disorder among college students

BACKGROUND

Recent years have seen an increased incidence of social anxiety due to increasing intensive use of social media, especially among young adults.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to translate the original English version of Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users (SAS-SMU) into Chinese, examine its applicability among Chinese College students via reliability and validity indexes, and investigate the influencing factors contributing to SAS-SMU.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a cohort of 1307 Chinese college students, 486 males and 821 females, aged 20.75 ± 3.13 years old. The original version of SAS-SMU was translated into Chinese using the backward and forward translation procedure. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor (CFA) analysis were used for construction of underlying factor structure. Criterion-related validity was assessed using Interaction anxiousness scale (IAS) and the "extraversion" domain of Eysenck Personality Short Scale (EPQ-R-S). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was computed for evaluation of internal consistency. A multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted for determining the potential correlates of SMU-related social anxiety.

RESULTS

The final Chinese version of SAS-SMU had 21 items. Item analysis, exploratory factor, EFA, and CFA jointly supported a three-factor structure of the translated version, defined as social recognition anxiety, interaction anxiety, and privacy concern anxiety, respectively. The three-factor structure of this scale showed configural, metric, scalar measurement invariance across gender. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale and its three subscales were 0.96, 0.93, 0.94, and 0.91, respectively. The mean SAS-SMU overall score for each college student was 51.63 ± 16.32, with 21.64 ± 7.24 (recognition anxiety), 17.10 ± 6.30 (interaction anxiety), 12.90 ± 4.61 (privacy concern anxiety) for each subscale, respectively. IAS score, mobile phone addiction index (MPAI) score, EPQ-E score, time spent on social media per week, relationship with parents, childhood life status, whether being an only child, and cyber bullying experience can explain 51.1% of the variance of SMU related social anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Based on the data, the Chinese version of SAS-SMU has shown to be satisfactory in psychometric properties. Subjects prone to interaction anxiousness, addictive smartphone use, extraversion personality trait, bad relationship with parents, unfortunate childhood life, only-child status, and having cyberbullying experience tend to have a higher level of SMU related social anxiety.

Analysis of the resilience level and associated factors among patients with lumbar disc herniation

This study aims to determine the resilience level and its influence on anxiety among Chinese lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients, and to determine the critical psychological and non-psychological predictors of resilience among LDH patients. Twenty hundred and fifty LDH patients from a tertiary hospital in Jinzhou, China were included in this survey to answer the Resilience Scale-14 (RS-14), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Herth Hope Index (HHI), Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). The mean resilience level of LDH patients was 61.96 ± 12.37. Resilience was negatively correlated with anxiety (χ² = 32.603, p < 0.001), accompanied by a significant linear trend (χ² = 28.567, p < 0.001). Hope, stress, social support, and medical payment type accounted for 48.7% resilience variance. This study reveals that Chinese LDH patients had low resilience level, and that lower level of resilience was closely associated with higher anxiety level. The predictors for resilience among LDH patients include hope, stress, social support, as well as medical payment types. These findings provide local government and related health-care professionals with a basis for development of targeted mental health management of Chinese LDH patients, and will also help to devise appropriate health intervention strategies for promoting the mental health status of LDH patients.

Effects of dissolved organic matter on phosphorus recovery via hydroxyapatite crystallization: New insights based on induction time

Recovery of phosphorus from sewage can help establish a new phosphorus cycle and hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystallization is a promising way. HAP crystallization is an amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) mediated process, and its induction time reflects the rate of HAP nucleation, and seriously affects the efficiency of phosphorus recovery. In this study, the effects of different types of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the induction time and phosphorus recovery performance of ACP-mediated HAP phosphorus recovery were studied, and the mechanism was analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron micrograph with energy dispersive spectrometry. The results show that DOM greatly prolongs the induction time of ACP-mediated HAP crystallization and leads to an increase in the yield of microcrystals, thus leading to a decrease in phosphorus recovery efficiency. DOM inhibits ACP-mediated HAP crystallization by complexing lattice ions and occupying active growth sites on the crystal surface. Pre-removal of DOM can not only improve the speed and efficiency of phosphorus recovery by the HAP crystallization process but also improve product quality.

Noble Metal Nanoparticle Biosensors: From Fundamental Studies toward Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs) have become firmly established as effective agents to detect various biomolecules with extremely high sensitivity. This ability stems from the collective oscillation of free electrons and extremely large electric field enhancement under exposure to light, leading to various light-matter interactions such as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. A remarkable feature of NMNPs is their customizability by mechanisms such as particle etching, growth, and aggregation/dispersion, yielding distinct color changes and excellent opportunities for colorimetric biosensing in user-friendly assays and devices. They are readily functionalized with a large variety of capping agents and biomolecules, with resultant bioconjugates often possessing excellent biocompatibility, which can be used to quantitatively detect analytes from physiological fluids. Furthermore, they can possess excellent catalytic properties that can achieve significant signal amplification through mechanisms such as the catalytic transformation of colorless substrates to colored reporters. The various excellent attributes of NMNP biosensors have put them in the spotlight for developing high-performance in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices that are particularly well-suited to mitigate the societal threat that infectious diseases pose. This threat continues to dominate the global health care landscape, claiming millions of lives annually. NMNP IVDs possess the potential to sensitively detect infections even at very early stages with affordable and field-deployable devices, which will be key to strengthening infectious disease management. This has been the major focal point of current research, with a view to new avenues for early multiplexed detection of infectious diseases with portable devices such as smartphones, especially in resource-limited settings.In this Account, we provide an overview of our original inspiration and efforts in NMNP-based assay development, together with some more sophisticated IVD assays by ourselves and many others. Our work in the area has led to our recent efforts in developing IVDs for high-profile infectious diseases, including Ebola and HIV. We emphasize that integration with digital platforms represents an opportunity to establish and efficiently manage widespread testing, tracking, epidemiological intelligence, and data sharing backed by community participation. We highlight how digital technologies can address the limitations of conventional diagnostic technologies at the point of care (POC) and how they may be used to abate and contain the spread of infectious diseases. Finally, we focus on more recent integrations of noble metal nanoparticles with Raman spectroscopy for accurate, noninvasive POC diagnostics with improved sensitivity and specificity.

Molecular mechanism and therapeutic potential of YiQi FuMai injection in acute heart failure

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): The National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China

Background

 Acute heart failure (AHF) is a significant public health problem related to the high mortality and rehospitalization rate of patients. Although drug development is never interrupted, no single drug has been proven to play a decisive role in improving the survival of AHF patients. In China, multi-component traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used to treat AHF. As a Chinese herbal injection included in medical insurance, Yiqi Fumai Injection can reduce the level of NT-proBNP in AHF patients, improve heart function, and alleviate symptoms and signs related to heart failure. To further evaluate the therapeutic effect of Yiqi Fumai Injection on AHF, a multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial that intends to recruit 1270 patients is being carried out in China. However, the mechanism of Yiqi Fumai Injection in the treatment of AHF has not been clarified. To further explore the underlying mechanism, we used systematic pharmacology methods to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of biologically active compounds.

Methods

 We used the databases of HERB, the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM), the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and GeneCards to predict the active ingredients and potential targets of Yiqi Fumai Injection in the treatment of AHF. STRING was used for PPI network construction and analysis. Cytoscape was used to build a network between Chinese medicine, ingredients and targets. The DAVID, GO, and KEGG databases were used to predict the potential pathways of Yiqi Fumai Injection for the treatment of AHF.

Results

 We obtained 31 active compounds of Yiqi Fumai Injection from HERB and ECTM databases. By overlapping targets between YQFMI and AHF, a total of 240 potential targets for Yiqi Fumai Injection to treat AHF were selected. According to the H-C-T network topology analysis, the core compounds include beta-sitosterol, Uridine, Guanosine, and Stigmasterol. Sixteen protein targets had significantly higher node degrees than the average in the PPI network, including AKT1, JUN, TNF, EDN1, CASP3, ESR1, DLG4, PTGS2, NOS3, IL1B, C3, AR, LEP, CNR1, CHRM2, and DRD2. The PPI results showed that the potential therapeutic targets of YQFMI were densely enriched in pathways related to endothelial function, neuromodulation, and lipid metabolism.The same results were shown in GO and KEGG pathway enrichment.

Conclusion

 Our results indicate that Yiqi Fumai Injection may achieve the goal of improving AHF-related symptoms by regulating the function of vascular endothelium and nerves and the biosynthetic pathway of lipid metabolism. These findings support previous studies and provide a reference for studying the mechanism of Yiqi Fumai Injection in the treatment of AHF. Abstract Figure.

Temperature-induced self-assembly transformation: an effective external stimulus on 2D supramolecular structures

With the development of nano-characterization technology, imaging and controlling of two-dimension (2D) self-assembled supramolecular structures on the surface have drawn increasing attention in nanoscience and technology. As an important influence...

Resilience mediates the influence of hope, optimism, social support, and stress on anxiety severity among Chinese patients with cervical spondylosis

OBJECTIVE

Cervical spondylosis (CS) is a potential stressor threatening mental health among affected individuals. This study was to analyze resilience level and associated factors among cervical spondylosis (CS) patients, and to explore the underlying mechanism of anxiety based on resilience-focused psychological variables.

METHODS

Resilience Scale-14 (RS-14), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Herth Hope Index (HHI), Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) were used in this cross-sectional investigation among 250 CS patients.

RESULTS

The score of resilience was 65.58 ± 16.14. Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that hope, optimism, perceived social support, perceived stress, and whether having comorbid chronic diseases were the independent associates of resilience among CS patients, which explained 63.9% of the total variance. The structural equation model showed that hope, optimism, perceived social support and perceived stress affected anxiety via resilience, and hope and optimism also had direct effects on anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Chinese patients with CS had moderate level of mental resilience, which was independently related to hope, optimism, perceived social support, perceived stress, and whether having comorbid chronic diseases. Resilience played a mediating role between various psychological variables and anxiety. Improving the level of resilience, hope, optimism and perceived social support and reducing the level of perceived stress are important strategies to reduce anxiety level. Relevant healthcare professionals should put more focus on the mental problems of Chinese CS patients and help maintain good psychological status by improving their resilience and associated psychological variables thereof.

Highly efficient photosynthesis of H2O2 via two-channel pathway photocatalytic water splitting

To overcome the problems of high energy consumption, heavy pollution and unsafety in the current H2O2 production process, extensive researches have been carried out on the low-cost, green and safety...

Long Non-Coding RNA LINC01572 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression via Sponging miR-195-5p to Enhance PFKFB4-Mediated Glycolysis and PI3K/AKT Activation

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and T2DM-associated HCC represents a common type of HCC cases. We herein identify an lncRNA LINC01572 that was aberrantly upregulated in T2DM-related HCC via high-throughput screening. Based on this, the study was undertaken to identify the functional role and mechanism of LINC01572 in HCC progression.

Methods: RT-qPCR was used to detect the expressions of LINC01572 in HCC tissues and cell lines. Gain- or loss-of-function assays were applied to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo functional significance of LINC01572 in the HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion using corresponding experiments. Bioinformatics, RIP, RNA pull-down, and luciferase reporter assays were performed to explore the regulatory relationship of the LINC01572/miR-195-5p/PFKFB4 signaling axis.

Result: In this study, we profiled lncRNAs in HCC tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues from HCC patients with T2DM by RNA sequencing. Our data showed that LINC01572 was aberrantly upregulated in HCC tissues as compared with control, especially in those with concurrent T2DM. The high level of LINC01572 was correlated with advanced tumor stage, increased blood HbA1c level, and shortened survival time. The overexpression of LINC01572 significantly promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), while the knockdown of LINC01572 had the opposite effects on HCC cells. A mechanistic study revealed that LINC01572-regulated HCC progression via sponging miR-195-5p to increase the level of PFKFB4 and subsequent enhancement of glycolysis and activation of PI3K-AKT signaling.

Conclusion: LINC01572 acts as ceRNA of miR-195-5p to restrict its inhibition of PFKFB4, thereby enhancing glycolysis and activates PI3K/AKT signaling to trigger HCC malignancy.

MiR-410-3p facilitates Angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy by targeting Smad7

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important regulators in the development of cardiovascular diseases. miR-410-3p was shown to play a protective or detrimental role in the progression in cardiovascular events. However, the exact role and the underlying mechanism of miR-410-3p in cardiac hypertrophy have not been documented. The current work was aimed to determine the role and underlying mechanism of miR-410-3p on Angiotensin II (Ang II) induced cardiac hypertrophy. FITC-phalloidin staining was used for determination of cardiomyocyte surface area. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to identify mRNA expression level of hypertrophic markers. Smad7 protein expression level was analyzed using Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to examine the regulatory function of miR-410-3p on Smad7. MiR-410-3p was found significantly up-regulated in Ang II–induced cardiac hypertrophy. MiR-410-3p inhibitor remarkably alleviated cardiomyocyte hypertrophic changes. Dual-luciferase reporter assay result indicated that miR-410-3p directly targeted Smad7 and miR-410-3p inhibitor effectively prevented Ang II triggered down-regulation of Smad7. Moreover, Smad7 overexpression significantly reversed the pro-hypertrophic effect of miR-410-3p. In summary, our findings revealed that miR-410-3p mediated Ang II–induced cardiac hypertrophy via targeting inhibition of Smad7.