Formation of the emerging disinfection byproducts halocyclopentadienes from phenolic compounds after chlorination.

Halocyclopentadienes (HCPDs) are an emerging class of alicyclic disinfection by-products (DBPs) with high toxicity in disinfected drinking water. However, their potential precursors remain unclear, which hinders the understanding of their formation and further development of control strategies. In this study, two HCPDs, 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-1,3-cyclopentadiene (TCC) and 1,2,3,4,5,5-hexachloro-1,3-cyclopentadiene (HCC), were identified in chlorinated lignin and tannic acid samples for the first time.

The Causal Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Child-Onset Asthma Come to Light: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had been associated with asthma in observational studies, but the effect of OSA on the onset of asthma in childhood or adulthood remains unclear, and the causal inferences have not been confirmed. This study aims to investigate the potential causal association between OSA with asthma, including different age-of-onset subtypes, providing reliable basis for the clinical treatment of OSA and asthma.

Patients And Methods: Causality between OSA and asthma was assessed using a two-sample bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Lifestyle-based subtypes of childhood obesity and their association with cardiometabolic factors: A cluster analysis.

Background: Lifestyle factors play an important role in the development and management of childhood obesity and its related cardiometabolic complications.

Objective/methods: We aimed to explore childhood obesity subtypes based on lifestyle factors and examine their association with cardiometabolic health. We included 1550 children with obesity from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

[Effects of Pesticides Use on Pesticides Residues and Its Environmental Risk Assessment in Xingkai Lake（China）].

Xingkai Lake, located in Heilongjiang Province, is an important fishery and agricultural base and is seriously polluted by agricultural non-point sources. To clarify the residual status of many pesticides in the surface water of Xingkai Lake, 27 types of pesticides, herbicides, and their degradation products were analyzed in rice paddy, drainage, and surface water around Xingkai Lake (China) during the rice heading and maturity periods. The results showed that all 27 types of pesticides, herbicides, and their degradation products were detected during the rice heading period, and the total concentration ranged from 247.

Impact of smoking cessation duration on lung cancer mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Smoking history is a heterogeneous situation for different populations, and numerous studies suggest that smoking cessation is conducive to reduce the mortality of lung cancer. However, no quantitative meta-analysis regarding smoking cessation duration based on different populations has demonstrated it clearly.

Methods: We systematically searched four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scoups) till February 2023.

A retrospective analysis of heavy metals and multi elements in the Yangtze River Basin: Distribution characteristics, migration tendencies and ecological risk assessment.

The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world with more than 6300 km, covering 0.4 billion people. However, the aquatic ecosystem of the Yangtze River has been seriously damaged in the past decades due to a rapid development of economic and industrialization along the coast.

Depth-dependent variations of physicochemical properties of sedimentary dissolved organic matter and the influence on the elimination of typical pharmaceuticals.

Sedimentary dissolved organic matter (DOM) could exert a significant influence on the transformation of trace organic contaminants. However, the variations of sedimentary DOM properties with depth and their impact on trace organic contaminants biodegradation remain unclear. In this study, the qualitative changes in DOM properties with depth were assessed using spectral techniques.

Closed or Unclosed Mesentery? A Meta-analysis of Internal Herniation After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

During the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, closing mesentery or not was still controversial according to preexisted studies. So, the current meta-analysis aimed to compare the outcome of closure versus non-closure of mesenteric defects in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Fifteen studies were included, enrolling 53,488 patients.

One-pot biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid from chitin combination of chitin-degrading enzymes, N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase, and N-neuraminic acid aldolase.

N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) possesses the ability to promote mental health and enhance immunity and is widely used in both medicine and food fields as a supplement. Enzymatic production of Neu5Ac using N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) as substrate was significant. However, the high-cost GlcNAc limited its development.

Screening of hazardous groundwater pollutants responsible for microbial ecological consequences by integrated nontargeted analysis and high-throughput sequencing technologies.

Organic contaminants, especially hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs), pose potential ecological threats even at environmental concentrations. Characterization of HOC profiles and identification of key environmental stressors are vital but still challenging in groundwater quality management. In this study, a strategy for identifying the key environmental stressors among HOCs in groundwater based on integrated chemical monitoring technologies and microbial ecology analysis methods was proposed and applied to typical groundwater samples.

Contamination and sources of polychlorinated naphthalenes in the surface sediments of Chaobai River, China.

In aquatic systems, sediment is both a sink for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and a potential source of POPs release. Consequently, it is important to understand the pollution characteristics and sources of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) as POPs of Stockholm Convention in sediment for control of the ecological risk. Atmospheric deposition is a potential source of PCNs in sediment.

Contribution of atmospheric deposition to halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments: A validation study.

Surface sediments are both sinks and sources of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Cl/Br-PAHs) in the environment. It is important to study the source of Cl/Br-PAHs in the surface sediment for controlling the ecological risk of Cl/Br-PAHs. Clues from the previous research suggested that atmospheric deposition may be one of the main sources of Cl/Br-PAHs in sediment.

Role of hypobromous acid in the transformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during chlorination.

Hypobromous acid (HOBr), a highly reactive active species, can be formed and impact reaction processes with organic pollutants in source water during chlorination disinfection of the water containing bromide (Br-). In this study, we investigated the transformation kinetics of 10 parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and formation mechanisms of transformation products in the presence of Br- during chlorination. The results indicated that HOBr can accelerate the processes of electrophilic substitution (ES) and single electron transfer (ET) reactions in PAHs, and the second-order rate constants of HOBr are 10-10 times higher than those of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with PAHs.

Identification of organic pollutants with potential ecological and health risks in aquatic environments: Progress and challenges.

Thousands of organic pollutants are intentionally and unintentionally discharged into water bodies, adversely affecting the ecological environment and human health. Screening for organic pollutants that pose a potential risk in aquatic environments is essential for risk management. This review evaluates the processes, methods, and technologies used to screen such pollutants in the aquatic environment and discuss their advantages and disadvantages, in addition to the challenges and knowledge gaps in this field.

Occurrence, distribution and ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants.

In this study, we investigated the concentration distribution of parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives in the effluents of 5 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Beijing, China for eight months. We first identified the coexistence of PAHs, chlorinated PAHs (Cl-PAHs), brominated PAHs (Br-PAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) in the effluents of WWTPs. Three Cl-PAHs and 7 Br-PAHs were first found.

Occurrence, health risk assessment and regional impact of parent, halogenated and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water.

Recently, derivates of parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have aroused increasing concerns due to potential health problems they cause. In this study, we first found the coexistence of PAHs, chlorinated PAHs (Cl-PAHs), brominated PAHs (Br-PAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) in tap water. Twenty-six compounds including 13 PAHs, 5 Cl-PAHs, 5 Br-PAHs, and 3 OPAHs were detected.

Simultaneous determination of forty-two parent and halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using solid-phase extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in drinking water.

The coexistence of parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAHs) and halogenated PAHs (HPAHs) in drinking water has generated much concern recently. However, a method to simultaneously determine these compounds has not been developed. In this study, a method using solid-phase extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for determination of PPAHs and HPAHs in drinking water was established.

Diboron-Assisted Interfacial Defect Control Strategy for Highly Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells.

Metal halide perovskite films are endowed with the nature of ions and polycrystallinity. Formamidinium iodide (FAI)-based perovskite films, which include large cations (FA) incorporated into the crystal lattice, are most likely to induce local defects due to the presence of the unreacted FAI species. Here, a diboron-assisted strategy is demonstrated to control the defects induced by the unreacted FAI both inside the grain boundaries and at the surface regions.

Self-assembly of Au@Ag core-shell nanocuboids into staircase superstructures by droplet evaporation.

Plasmonic nanomaterials, along with their assemblies, provide numerous applications due to their profound optical properties. In this work, we report the self-assembly of Au@Ag core-shell nanocuboids (NCs) into staircase superstructures in both vertical and horizontal orientations through two-stage droplet evaporation. Each stair is composed of a uniform well-aligned monolayer of NCs.

A general method for ultrathin 1D oxide nanomaterials.

By utilizing the interaction between inorganic species and organic surfactants, the ordered layered mesostructures were generated for the synthesis of the one-dimensional oxide nanomaterials. The oxide nanomaterial products which evolved from the above layered structures were demonstrated as ultrathin (less than 2 nm) one-dimensional structures with superior catalytic performance. The synthetic method based on layered structures can be extended to prepare other one-dimensional oxide nanomaterials with the same ultrathin structures.

Growth of copper oxide nanocrystals in metallic nanotubes for high performance battery anodes.

A rational integration of 1D metallic nanotubes and oxide nanoparticles has been demonstrated as a viable strategy for the production of both highly stable and efficient anodes for lithium ion batteries. We encapsulated copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles in ultra-long metallic copper nanotubes with engineered interspaces, and explored their electrochemical properties. Such a hierarchical architecture provides three important features: (i) a continuous nanoscale metallic Cu shell to minimize electronic/ionic transmitting impedance; (ii) a unique quasi-one-dimensional structure with a large aspect ratio to reduce self-aggregation; (iii) free space for volume expansion of CuO nanoparticles and stable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation.

Engineering a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate supply for cadaverine production by using Escherichia coli whole-cell biocatalysis.

Although the routes of de novo pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) biosynthesis have been well described, studies of the engineering of an intracellular PLP supply are limited, and the effects of cellular PLP levels on PLP-dependent enzyme-based whole-cell biocatalyst activity have not been described. To investigate the effects of PLP cofactor availability on whole-cell biocatalysis, the ribose 5-phosphate (R5P)-dependent pathway genes pdxS and pdxT of Bacillus subtilis were introduced into the lysine decarboxylase (CadA)-overexpressing Escherichia coli strain BL-CadA. This strain was then used as a whole-cell biocatalyst for cadaverine production from L-lysine.