New insight into the fouling behavior of hydrophobic and hydrophilic polypropylene membranes in integrated membrane bioreactors.

To investigate the effect of hydrophobic and hydrophilic polypropylene hollow fiber membranes (PPHFMs) applied in membrane bioreactors (MBR), the fouling behaviors of membrane surfaces and pores have been tested. The structural and morphological features on the membrane surface were characterized using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and laser granularity distribution analysis. The results showed that significantly more polysaccharide, protein and inorganic ingredients were accumulated in the original membrane compared to the hydrophilic membrane.

Improvement of Polyamide Thin Film Nanocomposite Membrane Assisted by Tannic Acid-Fe Functionalized Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes.

Tannic acid-Fe functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (TA-MWNTs) were successfully obtained through a simple and rapid procedure by forming a stable TA-Fe complex coating on the MWNT surface. Hydrophilic TA-MWNTs can disperse well in the aqueous phase and help the formation of a polyamide (PA) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane through interfacial polymerization. TA-MWNT concentration in the aqueous phase was adjusted to achieve the optimal water flux and salt rejection of the TFN membrane.

Iron-tannin-framework complex modified PES ultrafiltration membranes with enhanced filtration performance and fouling resistance.

In this work, an iron-tannin-framework (ITF) complex was introduced to a poly (ether sulfone) (PES) casting solution as a hydrophilic additive to fabricate ITF/PES ultrafiltration (UF) membranes via non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS). The structure and performance of the PES membranes with ITF concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.9wt.

Development of Hybrid Ultrafiltration Membranes with Improved Water Separation Properties Using Modified Superhydrophilic Metal-Organic Framework Nanoparticles.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are being intensively explored as filler materials for polymeric membranes primarily due to their high polymer affinity, large pore volumes, and alterable pore functionalities, but the development of MOF-based ultrafiltration (UF) membranes for water treatment lags behind. Herein, poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA)-functionalized MOF UiO-66-PSBMA was developed, and incorporated into polysulfone (PSf) casting solution to fabricate novel hybrid UF membranes via phase-inversion method. The resultant UiO-66-PSBMA/PSf membrane exhibited significantly improved water flux (up to 602 L m h), which was 2.

Biocidal and Rechargeable -Halamine Nanofibrous Membranes for Highly Efficient Water Disinfection.

There is a critical need for new efficient solutions to purify and disinfect water from source to point-of-use, especially for the water contaminated by pathogenic microbes. Traditional disinfection technologies are chemically intensive and limited, either by biofouling or by the irreversible consumption of disinfectants. Herein, we present a scalable methodology to create biocidal and rechargeable nanofibrous membranes (BNF membranes) by combining -halamine antimicrobial agent with electrospun nanofibers.

Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2, a Novel Regulator of Immunocyte Phenotypes, Confers Neuroprotection by Relieving Neuroinflammation.

Background: Microglia can not only detrimentally augment secondary injury but also potentially promote recovery. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of microglial phenotypes after stroke remains unclear.

Methods: Mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion for 60 min.

Soluble FLT1 Gene Therapy Alleviates Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Severity.

Background And Purpose: Brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) is an important risk factor for intracranial hemorrhage. Current therapies are associated with high morbidities. Excessive vascular endothelial growth factor has been implicated in bAVM pathophysiology.

[Effects of Pretreatment on Hydraulic Irreversible Membrane Fouling During Ultrafiltration Short Process: A Pilot Study].

Pilot-scale performances for ultrafiltration of Dongjiang river water without and with micro-coagulation and coagulation-adsorption-sedimentation pretreatments were conducted to investigate the effects of pretreatments on hydraulic irreversible fouling of ultrafiltration short processes. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) were employed to identify foulants responsible for irreversible fouling during ultrafiltration with and without pretreatments. The results showed that the hydraulic irreversible fouling rate was 0.

Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots Incorporated into a Thin Film Nanocomposite Membrane with High Flux and Antifouling Properties for Low-Pressure Nanofiltration.

Graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs), novel carbon-based nanomaterials, have attracted tremendous research interest due to their unique properties associated with both graphene and quantum dots. In the present study, thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes comprising GOQDs dispersed within a tannic acid (TA) film were fabricated by an interfacial polymerization reaction for low-pressure nanofiltration (NF). The resultant TA/GOQDs TFN membranes had measurably smoother and more hydrophilic, negatively charged surfaces compared to the similarly formed TA thin film composite (TFC) membrane.

Detection of smoke-induced pulmonary lesions by hyperpolarized Xe diffusion kurtosis imaging in rat models.

Purpose: To demonstrate that hyperpolarized (HP) xenon diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) is able to detect smoke-induced pulmonary lesions in rat models.

Methods: Multi-b DKI with hyperpolarized xenon was used for the first time in five smoke-exposed rats and five healthy rats. Additionally, DKI with b values of up to 80 s/cm were used in two healthy rats to probe the critical b value (a limit beyond which the DKI cannot describe the non-Gaussian diffusion).

Turning a Substrate Peptide into a Potent Inhibitor for the Histone Methyltransferase SETD8.

SETD8 is a histone H4-K20 methyltransferase that plays an essential role in the maintenance of genomic integrity during mitosis and in DNA damage repair, making it an intriguing target for cancer research. While some small molecule inhibitors for SETD8 have been reported, the structural binding modes for these inhibitors have not been revealed. Using the complex structure of the substrate peptide bound to SETD8 as a starting point, different natural and unnatural amino acid substitutions were tested, and a potent ( 50 nM, IC 0.

MicroRNA-210 Enhances Fibrous Cap Stability in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions.

Rationale: In the search for markers and modulators of vascular disease, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potent therapeutic targets.

Objective: To investigate miRNAs of clinical interest in patients with unstable carotid stenosis at risk of stroke.

Methods And Results: Using patient material from the BiKE (Biobank of Karolinska Endarterectomies), we profiled miRNA expression in patients with stable versus unstable carotid plaque.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase and Sirtuin 1 Coregulation of Cortactin Contributes to Endothelial Function.

Objective: Cortactin translocates to the cell periphery in vascular endothelial cells (ECs) on cortical-actin assembly in response to pulsatile shear stress. Because cortactin has putative sites for AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) deacetylation, we examined the hypothesis that AMPK and SIRT1 coregulate cortactin dynamics in response to shear stress.

Approach And Results: Analysis of the ability of AMPK to phosphorylate recombinant cortactin and oligopeptides whose sequences matched AMPK consensus sequences in cortactin pointed to Thr-401 as the site of AMPK phosphorylation.

Quantitative Evaluation of Medial Temporal Lobe Morphology in Children with Febrile Status Epilepticus: Results of the FEBSTAT Study.

Background And Purpose: The pathogenesis of febrile status epilepticus is poorly understood, but prior studies have suggested an association with temporal lobe abnormalities, including hippocampal malrotation. We used a quantitative morphometric method to assess the association between temporal lobe morphology and febrile status epilepticus.

Materials And Methods: Brain MR imaging was performed in children presenting with febrile status epilepticus and control subjects as part of the Consequences of Prolonged Febrile Seizures in Childhood study.

Inhibition of Lysyl Oxidase by Cortisol Regeneration in Human Amnion: Implications for Rupture of Fetal Membranes.

The mechanisms underlying human parturition are still not understood, yet we need this knowledge to combat preterm birth. Fetal membranes express abundant 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1), which converts inert cortisone to active cortisol. We examined whether cortisol regeneration in the amnion might play a role in human parturition through regulation of lysyl oxidase (LOX), a collagen cross-linking enzyme, thereby contributing to the rupture of fetal membranes.

[Effects of Biejiajian Pill on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Hepatic Stellate Cells in Mice].

Objective To observe the possible mechanism of Biejiajian Pill (BP) in fighting a- gainst hepatic fibrosis of hepatic stellate cell T6 ( HSC-T6) by studying effect of BP containing serum on inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of HSC-T6. Methods Forty Wistar rats were randomly di- vided into the negative control group (NC) , the positive drug control group (P) , high, middle, and low dose groups (H, M, L) , 8 in each group. BP suspension was administered by gastrogavage to rats in Group H, M, L at 21.

E-Selectin Inhibition Mitigates Splenic HSC Activation and Myelopoiesis in Hypercholesterolemic Mice With Myocardial Infarction.

Objective: Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease characterized by lipid accumulation in the arterial wall. After myocardial infarction (MI), atherosclerotic plaques are infiltrated by inflammatory myeloid cells that aggravate the disease and increase the risk of secondary myocardial ischemia. Splenic myelopoiesis provides a steady flow of myeloid cells to inflamed atherosclerotic lesions after MI.

Metabolomic Profiling of Human Urine as a Screen for Multiple Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

Aims: We wished to determine the efficacy of using urine as an analyte to screen for a broad range of metabolic products associated with multiple different types of inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), using an automated mass spectrometry-based assay. Urine was compared with plasma samples from a similar cohort analyzed using the same assay. Specimens were analyzed using two different commonly utilized urine normalization methods based on creatinine and osmolality, respectively.

[The Research on Measurement System and Method of Tissue Optical Parameters with Wide Spectra Based on Double-Integrating-Spheres].

The measurement of tissue optical parameters is the focusing research content of Biomedical Photonics. The optical properties of human tissue are closely related to the physiological and pathological state. In recent years, the tissue imaging diagnosis and non-invasive detection of componentsbecome the hot research topics, applying the tissue optical properties especially the absorption and scattering properties.

Performance of novel hydroxyapatite nanowires in treatment of fluoride contaminated water.

Novel ultralong hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanowires were successfully prepared for fluoride removal for the first time. The fluoride adsorption on the HAP nanowires was studied on a batch mode. The results revealed that the adsorption data could be well described by the Freundlich model, and the adsorption kinetic followed the pseudo-second-order model.

Identification of a high-affinity monoclonal antibody against ochratoxin A and its application in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most commonly occurring mycotoxins produced by some species of Aspergillus and can contaminate cereal and cereal products. A high-affinity anti-OTA monoclonal antibody (mAb) was generated from a hybridoma cell line 2D8 using splenocytes from a BALB/c mouse immunized with synthesized OTA-bovine serum albumin conjugate. The mAb 2D8 is specific with high affinity (3.

The influence of chemically enhanced backwash by-products (CEBBPs) on water quality in the coagulation-ultrafiltration process.

This study was conducted to investigate the typical types of chemically enhanced backwash by-products (CEBBPs) produced in the chemically enhanced backwash (CEB) process and the influence of CEB parameters on typical CEBBPs in the coagulation-ultrafiltration process. Health risk assessment was applied to assess the potential adverse health effect from exposure to effluent after the optimal CEB. The results indicated that backwash reagent of sodium hypochlorite reacted with organic matter to produce CEBBPs, including 12 species of volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOCs) and 9 species of haloacetic acids (HAAs) during CEB process.

Genetic and Functional Evidence Supports LPAR1 as a Susceptibility Gene for Hypertension.

Essential hypertension is a complex disease affected by genetic and environmental factors and serves as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Serum lysophosphatidic acid correlates with an elevated blood pressure in rats, and lysophosphatidic acid interacts with 6 subtypes of receptors. In this study, we assessed the genetic association of lysophosphatidic acid receptors with essential hypertension by genotyping 28 single-nucleotide polymorphisms from genes encoding for lysophosphatidic acid receptors, LPAR1, LPAR2, LPAR3, LPAR4, LPAR5, and LPAR6 and their flanking sequences, in 3 Han Chinese cohorts consisting of 2630 patients and 3171 controls in total.

Transdermal Delivery of Functional Collagen Via Polyvinylpyrrolidone Microneedles.

Collagen makes up a large proportion of the human body, particularly the skin. As the body ages, collagen content decreases, resulting in wrinkled skin and decreased wound healing capabilities. This paper presents a method of delivering type I collagen into porcine and human skin utilizing a polyvinylpyrrolidone microneedle delivery system.