Microstructural changes of cartilage and subchondral bone in a guinea pig model of early- and middle-stage patellofemoral arthritis.

Objective: Patellofemoral arthritis is a common type of knee osteoarthritis and a prime cause of anterior knee pain and disability. Most of the existing research on knee osteoarthritis focuses on tibial-femoral arthritis, while studies on patellofemoral arthritis are relatively rare. This study aims to observe changes in osteochondral and subchondral bone structure over time in the patella and femoral trochlea in an animal model of spontaneous patellofemoral arthritis.

LncRNA nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 1 antisense RNA 1 (NR2F1-AS1) aggravates nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation.

Emerging reports uncover that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) help regulate intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Here, we probe the function of lncRNA nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 1 antisense RNA 1 (NR2F1-AS1) in IVDD. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to verify the expression of NR2F1-AS1 and miR-145-5p in nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues from IVDD patients or NP cells dealt with IL-1β or TNF-α.

Use of mature compost as filter media and the effect of packing depth on hydrogen sulfide removal from composting exhaust gases by biofiltration.

A study was conducted to investigate the utilization of mature compost as a biofilter medium for the removal of hydrogen sulfide (HS) from the exhaust gases of the composting process. Source-selected kitchen waste from municipal solid waste was composted in a reactor, and the exhaust gas was passed through a biofilter packed with a 1:4 (wet weight) mixture of mature compost and sand. Two treatments were applied under sterilized and unsterilized conditions to quantify the contribution of microbial activity.

Effects of adding bulking agents on biostabilization and drying of municipal solid waste.

The influence of adding a bulking agent on the bio-stabilization and drying of municipal solid waste (MSW) was investigated. Three treatments were considered: the addition of either cornstalks or wood peat to MSW as a bulking agent before bio-drying and a control treatment that contained no bulking agent. Addition of bulking agents to MSW produced less leachate, higher moisture-removal rates, and consumed less volatile solids.

Effects of aeration rate on maturity and gaseous emissions during sewage sludge composting.

This study investigated effects of aeration rate (AR) on maturity and gaseous emissions during sewage sludge composting, sewage sludge and corn stalks as the bulking agent were co-composted at different ARs (0.1, 0.2, 0.