Cynanchum wallichii Wight and CW1 reversed docetaxel resistance effects by inhibiting P-gp and promoting PI3K/Akt-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer.

Cynanchum wallichii (CW) is a traditional Chinese medicine which is widely used for treating arthrophlogosis, traumatic injury, and other conditions. Herein, we investigate the effects and mechanisms of CW and its bioactive constituent CW1 in reversing docetaxel (DTX) resistance in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. We investigated the reversal effects of CW and its bioactive constituent CW1 on 22Rv1/DTX cells in vitro and in vivo.

Comparison contrast-enhanced CT with contrast-enhanced US in diagnosing combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma: a propensity score-matched study.

Objectives: To develop and compare noninvasive models for differentiating between combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) and HCC based on serum tumor markers, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and computed tomography (CECT).

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2021, patients with pathologically confirmed cHCC-CCA or HCC who underwent both preoperative CEUS and CECT were retrospectively enrolled. Propensity scores were calculated to match cHCC-CCA and HCC patients with a near-neighbor ratio of 1:2.

Tailoring a novel hierarchical cheese-like porous biochar from algae residue to boost sulfathiazole removal.

Aquatic pollution caused by antibiotics poses a significant threat to human health and the ecosystem. Inspired from "Emmental Cheese" that owns lots of natural pores, we here fabricated a hierarchical cheese-like porous residue biochar (KSBC) activated by KHCO for efficiently boosting the removal of sulfathiazole (STZ). Through learning form nature that the CO produced by bacteria can serve as the natural pore maker (like cheese-making), KHCO was thus selected as the gas generating agent in this study.

Radiomics and nomogram of magnetic resonance imaging for preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion in small hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Microvascular invasion (MVI) of small hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) (≤ 3.0 cm) is an independent prognostic factor for poor progression-free and overall survival. Radiomics can help extract imaging information associated with tumor pathophysiology.

Peroxymonosulfate activation by oxygen vacancies-enriched MXene nano-CoO co-catalyst for efficient degradation of refractory organic matter: Efficiency, mechanism, and stability.

Cobalt-based catalysts have been widely explored in the degradation of organic pollutants based on peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Herein, we report an MXene nano-CoO co-catalyst enriched with oxygen vacancies (O) and steadily fixed in nickel foam (NF) plates, which is used as an efficient and stable PMS activator for the removal of 1,4-dioxane (1,4-D). Ti originating from MXene was doped into the CoO crystal, generating large amounts of O, which could provide more active sites to enhance PMS activation and facilitate the transformation of Co and Co, causing a high stability.

FX5, a non-steroidal glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, ameliorates diabetic cognitive impairment in mice.

Diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI) is a common diabetic complication characterized by learning and memory deficits. In diabetic patients, hyperactivated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to abnormal increase of glucocorticoids (GCs), which causes the damage of hippocampal neurons and cognitive impairment. In this study we investigated the cognition-improving effects of a non-steroidal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist 5-chloro-N-[4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]thiophene-2-sulfonamide (FX5) in diabetic mice.

Light source for comfortable lighting and trapping pests in tea gardens based on solar-like lighting.

A large amount of tea is produced every year. Tea is often harmed by pests during the cultivation process, causing great economic damage. In this paper, we simulated a kind of light source for comfortable lighting and trapping pests based on solar-like lighting.

Production, properties, and catalytic applications of sludge derived biochar for environmental remediation.

Environment-friendly and cost-effective disposal and reutilization of sludge wastes are essential in wastewater treatment processes (WWTPs). Converting activated sludge into biochar via thermochemical treatment is a promising technology for waste management in WWTPs. This review summarizes the compositions of sludge, the dewatering methods, and the thermochemical methods whichinfluence the structures, chemistry, and catalytic performances of the derived biochar.

Optimizing the production of short and medium chain fatty acids (SCFAs and MCFAs) from waste activated sludge using different alkyl polyglucose surfactants, through bacterial metabolic analysis.

Alkyl polyglucose is an environmentally-friendly biosurfactant, which is able to enhance short-chain fatty acids production with different carbon chain lengths and concentrations, during sludge anaerobic fermentation. This presents a promising strategy for sludge re-utilization by effectively converting hazardous sludge into value-added compounds. The maximum yield of short-chain fatty acids produced from sludge was 479.

An influent responsive control strategy with machine learning: Q-learning based optimization method for a biological phosphorus removal system.

Biological phosphorus removal (BPR) is an economical and sustainable processes for the removal of phosphorus (P) from wastewater, achieved by recirculating activated sludge through anaerobic and aerobic (An/Ae) processes. However, few studies have systematically analyzed the optimal hydraulic retention times (HRTs) in anaerobic and aerobic reactions, or whether these are the most appropriate control strategies. In this study, a novel optimization methodology using an improved Q-learning (QL) algorithm was developed, to optimize An/Ae HRTs in a BPR system.

A novel clean production approach to utilize crop waste residues as co-diet for mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) biomass production with biochar as byproduct for heavy metal removal.

Proper management of waste crop residues has been an environmental concern for years. Yellow mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758) are major insect protein source. In comparison with normal feed wheat bran (WB), we tested five common lignocellulose-rich crop residues as feedstock to rear mealworms, including wheat straw (WS), rice straw (RS), rice bran (RB), rice husk (RH), and corn straw (CS).

N-doped graphitic biochars from C-phycocyanin extracted Spirulina residue for catalytic persulfate activation toward nonradical disinfection and organic oxidation.

Biochars are low-cost and environmental-friendly materials, which are promising in wastewater treatment. In this study, biochars were manufactured from C-phycocyanin extracted (C-CP) Spirulina residue (SDBC) via thermal pyrolysis. Simultaneously, N-doping was also achieved from the protein in the algae for obtaining a high-performance carbocatalyst for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation.

Magnetic biochar catalysts from anaerobic digested sludge: Production, application and environment impact.

Regulated disposal or re-utilization of dewatered sludge is of economic benefits and can avoid secondary contamination to the environment; however, feasible and effective management strategies are still lacking. In this study, a peroxydisulfate/zero-valent iron (PDS-ZVI) system is proposed to destroy proteins in soluble extracellular polymeric substances (S-EPS) and loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) in anaerobic digested sludge (ADS) to improve the dewaterability. Moreover, ADS derived biochars supported via iron oxides (Fe-ADSBC) were generated by dewatering and thermal annealing.

Highly efficient adsorption of dyes by biochar derived from pigments-extracted macroalgae pyrolyzed at different temperature.

Biochar is known to efficiently adsorb dyes from wastewater. In this study, biochar was derived from macroalgae residue by pyrolysis, and the influence of varying temperature (from 400 °C to 800 °C) on biochar characteristics was investigated. Among the biochar samples tested, macroalgae-derived biochar possessing highly porous structure, special surface chemical behavior and high thermal stability was found to be efficient in removing malachite green, crystal violet and Congo red.

Waste biorefineries - integrating anaerobic digestion and microalgae cultivation for bioenergy production.

Commercialization of microalgal cultivation has been well realized in recent decades with the use of effective strains that can yield the target products, but it is still challenged by the high costs arising from mass production, harvesting, and further processing. Recently, more interest has been directed towards the utilization of waste resources, such as sludge digestate, to enhance the economic feasibility and sustainability of microalgae production. Anaerobic digestion for waste disposal and phototrophic microalgal cultivation are well-characterized technologies in both fields.

Lead removal by a magnetic biochar derived from persulfate-ZVI treated sludge together with one-pot pyrolysis.

In this study, a novel method to treat the persulfate-ZVI dewatered WAS by producing a magnetic biochar as an environmentally friendly biosorbent (nZVI-WSBC) to remove heavy metals (HMs) from wastewaters was proposed. The nZVI-WSBC exhibited good adsorption property of Pb and the adsorption isotherm data were fitted well to Langmuir isotherm. Corresponding reaction kinetics fitted well with the pseudo second-order adsorption model.

High-efficiency removal of lead from wastewater by biochar derived from anaerobic digestion sludge.

The properties of biochar derived from waste activated sludge and anaerobic digestion sludge under pyrolysis temperature varying from 400°C to 800°C were investigated. The heavy metals adsorption efficiency of the sludge-derived biochar was also examined. Among the biochar samples tested, ADSBC600 possessing highly porous structure, special surface chemical behaviors and high thermal stability was found to remove Pb from aqueous solutions efficiently with an adsorption capacity of 51.

Feasibility of CO mitigation and carbohydrate production by microalga CNW-N used for bioethanol fermentation under outdoor conditions: effects of seasonal changes.

Background: Although outdoor cultivation systems have been widely used for mass production of microalgae at a relatively low cost, there are still limited efforts on outdoor cultivation of carbohydrate-rich microalgae that were further used as feedstock for fermentative bioethanol production. In particular, the effects of seasonal changes on cell growth, CO fixation, and carbohydrate production of the microalgae have not been well investigated.

Results: This work demonstrates the feasibility of using outdoor tubular photobioreactors (PBR) for whole-year-round cultivation of a carbohydrate-rich microalga CNW-N in southern Taiwan.

Economical evaluation of sludge reduction and characterization of effluent organic matter in an alternating aeration activated sludge system combining ozone/ultrasound pretreatment.

An ozone/ultrasound lysis-cryptic growth technology combining a continuous flow anaerobic-anoxic-microaerobic-aerobic (AAMA+O3/US) system was investigated. Techno-economic evaluation and sludge lyses return ratio (r) optimization of this AAMA+O3/US system were systematically and comprehensively discussed. Economic assessment demonstrated that this AAMA+O3/US system with r of 30% (AAMA+O3/US2# system) was more economically feasible that can give a 14.