Mechanism and Experimental Study on the Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Neodymium Iron Boron Waste Using the ZnF Fluorination Method.

We conducted a mechanistic and experimental study on zinc fluoride roasting for the recovery of NdFeB waste to address the difficulties faced during this pyrometallurgical recovery process, such as the high dependence on the quality of raw materials, the high energy consumption involved in roasting transformations, and the low added value of mixed rare earth products. Thermodynamic calculations showed the feasibility of fluorinating rare earths in NdFeB waste, and one-factor experiments were performed. The results showed that at a roasting temperature of 850 °C, a reaction time of 90 min, and 100% ZnF addition, the fluorination rate of rare earths could reach 95.

Enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation via in-situ AIS/ZIS high-low junctions.

The I-III-VI QDs Ag-In-S (AIS) exhibits excellent properties in photocatalysis because of the adjustable band gap, wide light absorption range, and multiple active sites. Introducing homologous or heterogeneous ions not only derives the composition into quaternary/ quinary quantum dots but also generates new sulfide QDs to form composites, which is an effective strategy to promote photoactivity. In this work, we in-situ synthesized the AIS/ZIS (AgInS/ZnInS) composite photocatalyst by introducing Zn and changing the reaction temperature.

The correlation between stable angina and inflammatory factors and blood lipids: a case-control study.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to compare the levels of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, CRP; procalcitonin, PCT) and blood lipids (total cholesterol, TC; triglyceride, TG; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C) between patients with stable angina and control group, and to explore the correlation between these parameters and the severity and prognosis of stable angina.

Methods: We retrospectively selected 113 patients with stable angina and 128 control group from the medical record system, and compared their inflammatory factors and blood lipids. We also assessed the severity of angina using the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) classification and followed up the patients for 1 year to record any cardiovascular events.

TM9SF1 expression correlates with autoimmune disease activity and regulates antibody production through mTOR-dependent autophagy.

Background: Transmembrane 9 superfamily member 1 (TM9SF1) is involved in inflammation. Since both inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are linked to immune cells regulation, this study investigated the association between TM9SF1 expression and autoimmune disease activity. As B cell differentiation and autoantibody production exacerbate autoimmune disease, the signaling pathways involved in these processes were explored.

Hierarchical Ordered Mesoporous SrBiTiO Microflowers with Rich Oxygen Vacancies In Situ Assembled by Nanosheets for Piezo-Photocatalysis.

The Aurivillius phase layered perovskite ferroelectric material SrBiTiO (SBTO) exhibits spontaneous polarization and piezoelectric properties, which confer significant potential for piezo-photocatalysis. Its ability to enhance electron-hole separation while providing excellent fatigue resistance positions it as a promising candidate in this field. Defects were introduced to improve the structural polarization and photoelectrochemical properties of SBTO.

[Clinical Validation Study of Deep Learning-Generated Magnetic Resonance Images].

This research utilizes a deep learning-based image generation algorithm to generate pseudo-sagittal STIR sequences from sagittal T1WI and T2WI MR images. The evaluations include both subjective assessments by two physicians and objective analyses, measuring image quality through SNR and CNR in ROIs of five different tissues. Further analyses, including MAE, PSNR, SSIM, and COR, establish a strong correlation between the generated STIR sequences and the gold standard, with Bland-Altman analysis indicating pixel consistency.

In-situ hydrogen-generating injectable short fibers for osteoarthritis treatment by alleviating oxidative stress.

Hydrogen (H₂) has great potential in the treatment of osteoarthritis, but its rapid diffusion and short retention time make it difficult to exert stable therapeutic effects. This study developed a short-fiber injectable material that can continuously generate hydrogen in situ to eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS), alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation, and promote tissue repair. We prepared H-Si nanosheets with high hydrogen generation efficiency using a wet chemical exfoliation method and combined them with GelMA short fibers via electrospinning technology, achieving the in situ delivery of H-Si nanosheets and regulated hydrogen generation rate through the encapsulation and degradation of GelMA, ultimately achieving continuous and controlled hydrogen supply and stable therapeutic effects for osteoarthritis.

Polystyrene microplastics facilitate the chemical journey of phthalates through vegetable and aggravate phytotoxicity.

Polystyrene microplastics (PS) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) are emerging pollutants widely coexisting in agroecosystems. However, the efficacies of PS as carriers for DBP and their interactive mechanisms on crop safety remain scarce. Here, this study investigated the combined exposure effects and the interacting mechanisms of PS laden with DBP on choy sum (Brassica parachinensis L.

Accurate Prediction of Rat Acute Oral Toxicity and Reference Dose for Thousands of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Derivatives Based on Chemometric QSAR and Machine Learning.

Acute oral toxicity is currently not available for most polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), especially their derivatives, because it is cost-prohibitive to experimentally determine all of them. Here, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models using machine learning (ML) for predicting the toxicity of PAH derivatives were developed, based on oral toxicity data points of 788 individual substances of rats. Both the individual ML algorithm gradient boosting regression trees (GBRT) and the stacking ML algorithm (extreme gradient boosting + GBRT + random forest regression) provided the best prediction results with satisfactory determination coefficients for both cross-validation and the test set.

Simultaneous biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalates by bacterial consortium and its bioremediation for complex polluted soil and sewage sludge.

Simultaneous biodegradation of multiple micropollutantslike polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates (PAEs) by microbial consortia remain unclear. Here, four distinct bacterial consortia capable of degrading PAHs and PAEs were domesticated from sludge and its composts. PAH-degrading consortium HS and PAE-degrading consortium EC2 displayed the highest degradation efficiencies for PAHs (37 %-99 %) and PAEs (98 %-99 %), respectively, being significantly higher than those of individual member strains.

Alanine aminotransferase as a risk marker for new-onset metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Chen . Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a global public health burden whose incidence has risen concurrently with overweight and obesity. Given its detrimental health impact, early identification of at-risk individuals is crucial.

Biochemical insights into proline metabolism and its contribution to the endurant cell wall structure under metal stress.

The cell wall serves as the primary barrier against the entry of heavy metal ions into cells. However, excessive accumulation of heavy metals within plants can lead to alterations in the spatial structure and physical properties of the cell wall, thereby affecting the capacity of plants to capture heavy metals. Proline (Pro) is involved in the synthesis of the cell wall, modulating the stability and integrity of its structure.

Association between tobacco exposure and bladder cancer recurrence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: However, the connection between smoking and the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer remains unclear.

Aim: To determine whether smoking is linked to the recurrence and progression of bladder cancer.

Methods: As of July 20, 2022, relevant English-language research was identified by searching PubMed, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library.

Tumour burden score combined with albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio predicts prognosis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Tumour morphology (tumour burden score (TBS)) and liver function (albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR)) have been shown to correlate with outcomes in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). This study aimed to evaluate the combined predictive effect of TBS and AAPR on survival outcomes in ICC patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis using a multicentre database of ICC patients who underwent curative surgery from 2011 to 2018.

Improving key gene expression and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) degrading ability in a novel Pseudochrobactrum sp. XF203 by ribosome engineering.

Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the important phthalates detected commonly in soils and crops, posing serious threat to human health. Pseudochrobactrum sp. XF203 (XF203), a new strain related with DBP biodegradation, was first identified from a natural habitat lacking human disturbance.

Mining flotation reagents: Quantitative and robust analysis of metal-xanthate complexes in water.

Xanthates, common mining flotation reagents, strongly bind thiophilic metals such as copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn) and consequentially change their bioavailability and mobility upon their discharge into the environment. However, accurate quantification of the metal-xanthate complexes has remained elusive. This study develops a novel and robust method that realizes the accurate quantification of the metal-xanthate complexes resulted from single and multiple reactions of three typical xanthates (ethyl, isopropyl, and butyl xanthates) and four thiophilic metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn) in water samples.

Deep learning reconstruction for lumbar spine MRI acceleration: a prospective study.

Background: We compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) turbo spin-echo images reconstructed using a deep learning technique (TSE-DL) with standard turbo spin-echo (TSE-SD) images of the lumbar spine regarding image quality and detection performance of common degenerative pathologies.

Methods: This prospective, single-center study included 31 patients (15 males and 16 females; aged 51 ± 16 years (mean ± standard deviation)) who underwent lumbar spine exams with both TSE-SD and TSE-DL acquisitions for degenerative spine diseases. Images were analyzed by two radiologists and assessed for qualitative image quality using a 4-point Likert scale, quantitative signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of anatomic landmarks, and detection of common pathologies.

Carbon Dot-Loaded Apoptotic Vesicles Improve the Liver Kupffer Cell-Mediated Antibacterial Effect to Synergistically Alleviate Sepsis.

Sepsis is a lethal systemic inflammatory disease against infection that lacks effective therapeutic approaches. Liver resident macrophage Kupffer cell (KC)-initiated bacterial clearance is crucial for the host to defend against infection. However, it remains unclear whether this process also governs the antibacterial therapy of sepsis that would be used to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Delivery of neurotrophin-3 by RVG-Lamp2b-modified mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes alleviates facial nerve injury.

We aim to investigate the effect of RVG-Lamp2b-modified exosomes (exos) loaded with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on facial nerve injury. Exos were collected from control cells (Ctrl Exo) or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co-transfected with RVG-Lamp2b and NT-3 plasmids (RVG-NT-3 Exo) by gradient centrifugation and identified by western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Effect of RVG-NT-3 Exo on oxidative stress damage was determined by analysis of the morphology, viability, and ROS production of neurons.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived apoptotic vesicles ameliorate impaired ovarian folliculogenesis in polycystic ovary syndrome and ovarian aging by targeting WNT signaling.

It has been emergingly recognized that apoptosis generates plenty of heterogeneous apoptotic vesicles (apoVs), which play a pivotal role in the maintenance of organ and tissue homeostasis. However, it is unknown whether apoVs influence postnatal ovarian folliculogenesis. Apoptotic pathway deficient mice including Fas mutant ( ) and Fas ligand mutant ( ) mice were used with apoV replenishment to evaluate the biological function of apoVs during ovarian folliculogenesis.