UV photolysis for relieved inhibition of sulfadiazine (SD) to biomass growth.

UV photolysis was used to relieve inhibition of biomass growth by sulfadiazine (SD), a broad-spectrum anti-microbial. To investigate the effects of SD on biomass growth, three substrates-glucose alone (G), glucose plus sulfadiazine (G+SD), and glucose plus photolyzed SD (G+PSD)-were used to culture the bacteria acclimated to glucose. The biomass was strongly inhibited when SD was added into the glucose solution, but inhibition was relieved to a significant degree when the SD was treated with UV irradiation as a pretreatment.

Mechanisms and efficacy of heat and cold therapies for musculoskeletal injury.

Nonpharmacological treatment strategies for acute musculoskeletal injury revolve around pain reduction and promotion of healing in order to facilitate a return to normal function and activity. Heat and cold therapy modalities are often used to facilitate this outcome despite prevalent confusion about which modality (heat vs cold) to use and when to use it. Most recommendations for the use of heat and cold therapy are based on empirical experience, with limited evidence to support the efficacy of specific modalities.

Ski diminishes TGF-β1-induced myofibroblast phenotype via up-regulating Meox2 expression.

Objective: The aim of the present work was to investigate the mechanism of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and Sloan-Kettering Institute (Ski) in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic scars (HS).

Background: Wound healing is an inherent process, but the aberrant wound healing of skin injury may lead to HS. There has been growing evidence suggesting a role for TGF-β1 and Ski in the pathogenesis of fibrosis.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy caused by single-level vertebral spontaneous fusion.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical features, imaging characteristics, surgical options, and clinical outcomes of patients with Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) caused by single-level vertebral spontaneous fusion (SLVSF).

Methods: Sixteen consecutive patients with SLVSF who underwent anterior surgery were included in this study and 38 patients with CSM caused by spinal degeneration were enrolled as a control group. Demographic features, clinical presentations, imaging characteristics, surgery strategy, Nurick grade, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, neck disability index (NDI), and complications were evaluated.

Genetic variants within obesity-related genes are associated with tumor recurrence in patients with stages II/III colon cancer.

Objective: Obesity is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and it is also linked to CRC recurrence and survival. Polymorphisms located in obesity-related genes are associated with an increased risk of developing several cancer types including CRC. We evaluated whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms in obesity-related genes may predict tumor recurrence in colon cancer patients.

Recent advances in extracellular biopolymer flocculants.

Extracellular biopolymer flocculants (EBFs) are flocculating substances, consisting of polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids, which are secreted in the culture broth by many microorganisms. Some of EBFs have attracted much attention as biodegradable and nontoxic substitutes for conventional chemical flocculants. This paper reviews the recent development of EBFs.

Prognostic impact of the c-MET polymorphism on the clinical outcome in locoregional gastric cancer patients.

Objective: Dysregulation of the c-MET signaling pathway results from various molecular mechanisms including mutation, amplification, and overexpression. Overexpression and amplification of c-MET have been correlated with poor clinical outcome in gastric cancer, whereas the associations between c-MET polymorphisms and prognosis have not been well defined. We examined the prognostic impact of functional polymorphisms of the MET gene on clinical outcome in gastric cancer.

How UV photolysis accelerates the biodegradation and mineralization of sulfadiazine (SD).

Sulfadiazine (SD), one of broad-spectrum antibiotics, exhibits limited biodegradation in wastewater treatment due to its chemical structure, which requires initial mono-oxygenation reactions to initiate its biodegradation. Intimately coupling UV photolysis with biodegradation, realized with the internal loop photobiodegradation reactor, accelerated SD biodegradation and mineralization by 35 and 71 %, respectively. The main organic products from photolysis were 2-aminopyrimidine (2-AP), p-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (ABS), and aniline (An), and an SD-photolysis pathway could be identified using C, N, and S balances.

Solvation and stabilization of palladium nanoparticles in phosphonium-based ionic liquids: a combined infrared spectroscopic and density functional theory study.

Analysis of infrared spectra of palladium nanoparticles (NPs) immersed in the tri-tert-butyl-R-phosphonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) demonstrates that both cations and anions of the ILs interact with the NPs. According to quantum-chemical simulations of these interactions, the binding energy of anions to the Pd6 cluster, taken as a minimal-size model of the NPs, increases from ∼6 to ∼27 kcal mol(-1) in the order [PF6](-)≈ [BF4](-) < [Tf2N](-) < [OTf](-) < [Br](-)≪ [TFA](-). In contrast, the binding energy for all types of the [Bu(t)3PR](+) cations slightly varies at about ∼22 kcal mol(-1) only moderately depending on the choice of the R moiety (n-pentyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-methoxyethyl, 2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl).

Toward understanding the growth mechanism: tracing all stable intermediate species from reduction of Au(I)-thiolate complexes to evolution of Au₂₅ nanoclusters.

Despite 20 years of progress in synthesizing thiolated gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), the knowledge of their growth mechanism still lags behind. Herein the detailed process from reduction of Au(I)-thiolate complex precursors to the eventual evolution of and focusing to the atomically precise Au25 NCs was revealed for the first time by monitoring the time evolution of Au(I) precursor and Au NC intermediate species with ESI-MS. A two-stage, bottom-up formation and growth process was proposed: a fast stage of reduction-growth mechanism, followed by a slow stage of intercluster conversion and focusing.

Acid-free regioselective aminocarbonylation of alkenes.

An efficient method for the synthesis of N-aryl monosubstituted carboxamides via the Pd-catalyzed carbonylation of alkenes with CO and amines is described. Mechanistic insights for this highly selective reaction are provided.

Enhanced conversion of carbohydrates to the platform chemical 5-hydroxymethylfurfural using designer ionic liquids.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a key platform chemical that may be obtained from various cellulosic (biomass) derivatives. Previously, it has been shown that ionic liquids (ILs) facilitate the catalytic conversion of glucose into HMF. Herein, we demonstrate that the careful design of the IL cation leads to new ionic solvents that enhance the transformation of glucose and more complex carbohydrates into HMF significantly.

Balancing the rate of cluster growth and etching for gram-scale synthesis of thiolate-protected Au(25) nanoclusters with atomic precision.

We report a NaOH-mediated NaBH4 reduction method for the synthesis of mono-, bi-, and tri-thiolate-protected Au25 nanoclusters (NCs) with precise control of both the Au core and thiolate ligand surface. The key strategy is to use NaOH to tune the formation kinetics of Au NCs, i.e.

Expression of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene of Dirofilaria immitis guided by transcriptomic screening.

Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) infections affect domestic dogs, cats, and various wild mammals with increasing incidence in temperate and tropical areas. More sensitive antibody detection methodologies are required to diagnose asymptomatic dirofilariasis with low worm burdens. Applying current transcriptomic technologies would be useful to discover potential diagnostic markers for D.

Anterior fusion technique for multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a retrospective analysis of surgical outcome of patients with different number of levels fused.

Objective: The anterior approach for multilevel CSM has been developed and obtained favorable outcomes. However, the operation difficulty, invasiveness and operative risks increase when multi-level involved. This study was to assess surgical parameters, complications, clinical and radiological outcomes in the treatment of 2-, 3- and 4-level CSM.

Electrostatic and non-covalent interactions in dicationic imidazolium-sulfonium salts with mixed anions.

A series of thioether-functionalised imidazolium salts have been prepared and characterized. Subsequent reaction of the thioether-functionalised imidazolium salts with iodomethane affords imidazolium-sulfonium salts composed of doubly charged cations and two different anions. Imidazolium-sulfonium salts containing a single anion type are obtained either by a solvent extraction method or by anion exchange.

Intervention effects of knowledge and skills of the public to respond to public health emergencies in Sichuan province, China.

Background: Public health emergencies have a significant impact on the health of citizens, the local economy, and society as a whole. Currently, in many parts of China, there is a widespread lack of the knowledge and skills required for emergency preparedness and self-rescue. By carrying out targeted health education and intervention activities, and by popularizing the knowledge and skills in health emergencies, the abilities of citizens to respond to public health emergencies and protect themselves, reduce property damage, and eliminate unnecessary panic may be greatly improved.

Internal loop photo-biodegradation reactor used for accelerated quinoline degradation and mineralization.

Biofilm biodegradation was coupled with ultra-violet photolysis using the internal loop photobiodegradation reactor for degradation of quinoline. Three protocols-photolysis alone (P), biodegradation alone (B), and intimately coupled photolysis and biodegradation (P&B)-were used for degradation of quinoline in batch and continuous-flow experiments. For a 1,000 mg/L initial quinoline concentration, the volumetric removal rate for quinoline was 38 % higher with P&B than with B in batch experiments, and the P&B kinetics were the sum of kinetics from the P and B experiments.

Ultrathin rhodium nanosheets.

Despite significant advances in the fabrication and applications of graphene-like materials, it remains a challenge to prepare single-layered metallic materials, which have great potential applications in physics, chemistry and material science. Here we report the fabrication of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-supported single-layered rhodium nanosheets using a facile solvothermal method. Atomic force microscope shows that the thickness of a rhodium nanosheet is <4 Å.

Hydrogen sulfide improves spatial memory impairment and decreases production of Aβ in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined both by its progressive cognitive deterioration and hallmark increase in neuronal Aβ plaque formation. However, many of the underlying neurobiological facets of this disease are still being elucidated. Previous research has demonstrated that production of neuronal hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is significantly decreased in patients with AD.

UV photolysis for accelerating pyridine biodegradation.

Pyridine, a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound, is slowly biodegradable, and coupling biodegradation with UV photolysis is a potential means to accelerate its biotransformation and mineralization. The initial steps of pyridine biodegradation involve mono-oxygenation reactions that have molecular oxygen and an intracellular electron carrier as cosubstrates. We employed an internal circulation baffled biofilm reactor for pyridine biodegradation following three protocols: direct biodegradation (B), biodegradation after photolysis (P+B), and biodegradation with succinic acid added (B+S).

Adjustable patella grapple versus cannulated screw and cable technique for treatment of transverse patellar fractures.

Background: Although the cannulated screw and cable (CSC) tension band technique is an effective method for fixation of transverse patellar fractures, it has shortcomings, such as extensive soft tissue damage, osseous substance damage, and complex manipulation. We conducted a retrospective comparison of the adjustable patella grapple (APG) technique and the CSC tension band technique.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients with transverse patellar fractures (45 in the APG group and 33 in the CSC group).

Minimal trephination penetrating keratoplasty for severe fungal keratitis complicated with hypopyon.

Objective: To report outcomes after minimal trephination penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of severe fungal keratitis complicated with hypopyon.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Participants: Series of 19 eyes in 19 patients with severe fungal keratitis complicated with hypopyon that received minimal trephination PKP.

A study on the effect of aqueous extract of Lobelia chinensis on colon precancerous lesions in rats.

This paper studies the effects of Lobelia chinensis on colon precancerous lesions and on colonic epithelial proliferation and apoptosis in DMH-induced rats. After two weeks of feeding, 50 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely the normal group, model group, Lobelia chinensis low-dose group, medium-dose group and high-dose group. Lobelia chinensis was made into ACF model, and administered to experimental groups for 10 consecutive weeks.