Emerging algal organic matter from simulated on-line chemical cleaning of ultrafiltration membranes treating algae-containing water.

Massive reproduction of algae due to the eutrophication of water body poses a new challenge to the water ecosystem. Despite ultrafiltration (UF) acting as an effective method to treat algae-containing waters, on-line chemical cleaning is frequently utilized to sustain the permeability of UF membranes. However, little attention is currently paid on the side-effects of practical on-line chemical cleaning on aqueous environments.

Low-Dose Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Arbitrary Visuomotor Mapping in Monkeys.

Ketamine, an NMDA antagonist, is widely used in clinical settings. Recently, low-dose ketamine has gained attention because of its promising role as a rapid antidepressant. However, the effects of low-dose ketamine on brain function, particularly higher cognitive functions of primate brains, are not fully understood.

Reticulated Polyamide Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes Incorporated with 2D Boron Nitride Nanosheets for High-Performance Nanofiltration.

Nanofiltration (NF) technology has been widely used in saline wastewater treatment due to its unique separation mechanism. However, the NF membrane, as the core of the nanofiltration technology, is restricted by the trade-off between permeability and selectivity, which greatly restricts the development of NF membranes. The interlamellar arrangement of 2D boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) can provide additional transport channels and selectivity, as well as strong adsorption capacity due to its high specific surface area, exhibiting significant potential for advanced membranes.

Curcumin Alleviates Oxidative Stress, Neuroinflammation, and Promotes Behavioral Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress after traumatic brain injury (TBI) can further lead to neuronal apoptosis, which plays a crucial role in the process of neuron death. Curcumin, which is derived from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, has multiple pharmacological effects.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether curcumin treatment has neuroprotective effects after TBI, and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.

Advanced water treatment process by simultaneous coupling granular activated carbon (GAC) and powdered carbon with ultrafiltration: Role of GAC particle shape and powdered carbon type.

In current ultrafiltration systems, limited removal for small-sized contaminants and membrane fouling remain longstanding obstacles to overcome. Herein, a novel process by simultaneous coupling powered carbon (PC) and fluidized granular activated carbon (GAC) with ultrafiltration was proposed aiming to achieve high effluent quality and mitigated membrane fouling. This study conducted mechanistic explorations on the performances of different-shaped GAC particles on fouling control and PC release during fluidization, meanwhile comparing the utilizations of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and biochar in terms of their adsorption, deposition and interactions with aquatic contaminants during filtration.

Modulating Brain Activity with Invasive Brain-Computer Interface: A Narrative Review.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) can be used as a real-time bidirectional information gateway between the brain and machines. In particular, rapid progress in invasive BCI, propelled by recent developments in electrode materials, miniature and power-efficient electronics, and neural signal decoding technologies has attracted wide attention. In this review, we first introduce the concepts of neuronal signal decoding and encoding that are fundamental for information exchanges in BCI.

Molecular simulations of the effects of substitutions on the dissolution properties of amorphous cellulose acetate.

The dissolution behavior of cellulose acetate (CA) is an extremely important property in its extensive applications and preparation of derivatives. In this paper, we proposed a molecular model building strategy to construct amorphous CA with various substituent distributions (different degrees of substitution and substitution positions). A protocol combing molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory (DFT) was applied to systematically investigate the dissolution behavior of CAs, and the structural properties of CAs.

[Ecological Quality Assessment of the Wetlands in Beijing: Based on Plant Diversity].

Wetland plant diversity reveals key aspects of the environmental and ecological status of wetlands and plays an important role in the maintenance of ecosystem functions and services. The present study surveyed the plant species diversity of 22 wetlands in Beijing and, combining field data and remote sensing data, evaluated ecological qualities of the wetlands based on indicators of habitat status, plant species diversity, typical wetland plant community, and status of alien plant invasion. A total of 338 species (including varieties and subspecies) belonging to 220 genera of 74 families of wetland plants were recorded in Beijing.

Establishment and Evaluation of a Novel High-Efficiency Model of Graded Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice.

Background: Although previous studies have made significant contributions to establishing animal traumatic brain injury (TBI) models for simulation of human TBI, the accuracy, controllability, and modeling efficiency of animal TBI models need to be further improved. This study established a novel high-efficiency graded mouse TBI model induced by shock wave.

Methods: A total of 125 mice were randomly divided into sham, 0.

Efficacy and Safety of Anlotinib for Patients with Advanced NSCLC Who Progressed After Standard Regimens and the Preliminary Analysis of an Efficacy Predictor.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who progressed after standard regimens in real world situations and the preliminary analysis of an efficacy predictor.

Methods: A total of 118 patients with advanced NSCLC who progressed after standard regimens were included in this retrospective study. Efficacy was evaluated and toxicity profile was recorded.

Improvement in cognitive dysfunction following blast induced traumatic brain injury by thymosin α1 in rats: Involvement of inhibition of tau phosphorylation at the Thr205 epitope.

Cognitive impairment is a significant sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI) especially blast induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), which is characterized by rapid impairments of learning and memory ability. Although several neuroprotective agents have been postulated as promising drugs for bTBI in animal studies, very few ideal therapeutic options exist to improve cognitive impairment following bTBI. Thymosin α1(Tα1), a 28-amino-acid protein that possesses immunomodulatory functions, has exhibited beneficial effects in the treatment of infectious diseases, immunodeficiency diseases and cancers.

A novel model of blast induced traumatic brain injury caused by compressed gas produced sustained cognitive deficits in rats: involvement of phosphorylation of tau at the Thr205 epitope.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) represent the leading causes for casualties among civilians and soldiers in the present war (including counter-terrorism). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by IEDs results in different degrees of impairment of cognition and behavior, but the exact brain pathophysiological mechanism following exposure to blast has not been clearly investigated. Here, we sought to establish a rat model of closed-head blast injury using compressed gas to deliver a single blast only to the brain without systemic injuries.

Hip survival rate in the patients with avascular necrosis of femoral head after transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The clinical outcome of transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy (TRO) for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) remains controversial, and the promising clinical results of several Japanese studies could not be reproduced in American and European studies. Trying to solve controversies on TRO for ONFH rising from apparently conflicting studies, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the 5- and 10-year hip survival rates (with conversion to artificial joint replacement and radiographic failure as endpoints) after TRO.

Methods: All eligible studies were searched in seven comprehensive databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, VIP Database, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, and Wan Fang Database prior to June 2019.

Fabrication of PP hollow fiber membrane TIPS using environmentally friendly diluents and its CO degassing performance.

CO removal is an essential water purification process in many fields, such as petrochemical production and thermal power generation. It is challenging to remove low concentrations of CO from RO effluent water. The core component of the membrane degassing technique is a high-performance hydrophobic microporous membrane.

Correction to: Elevated expression of CST1 promotes breast cancer progression and predicts a poor prognosis.

In Figure 7f the panel for c-myc of MDA-MB-468 was erroneously duplicated. The corrected version of the figure is shown in this paper. This correction does not influence the conclusion of the study and we sincerely apologize for this oversight.

Prospects of a comprehensive evaluation system for traditional Chinese medicine services.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique health resource in China and one of the main representative traditional medicines globally. TCM has formed a new way of looking at medical practices, health care, scientific research, education, industry and culture. It focuses on promoting and safeguarding the health of people, with an increasing contribution to economic and social development.

Elevated expression of CST1 promotes breast cancer progression and predicts a poor prognosis.

Unlabelled: Cystatin SN (CST1) belongs to the type 2 cystatin (CST) superfamily, which restricts the proteolytic activities of cysteine proteases. CST1 has been recently considered to be involved in the development of several human cancers. However, the prognostic significance and function of CST1 in breast cancer remains unknown.

High-grade mutant OmpF induces decreased bacterial survival rate.

OmpF plays very important roles in the influx of antibiotics and bacterial survival in the presence of antibiotics. However, high-grade mutant OmpF and its function in decreasing bacterial survival rate have not been reported to date. In the present study, we cloned a high-grade mutant OmpF (mOmpF) and sequence analysis suggested that over 45 percent of the DNA sequence was significantly mutated, leading to dramatic changes in over 55 percent of the amino acid sequence.

Biodegradation of tribenuron methyl that is mediated by microbial acidohydrolysis at cell-soil interface.

Tribenuron methyl (TBM) is a member of the sulfonylurea herbicide family and is widely used in weed control. Due to its phytotoxicity to rotating-crops, concerns on TBM-pollution to soil have been raised. In this study, experimental results indicated that microbial activity played a key role in TBM removal from polluted soil.

Studies on antidiabetic effects of cortex Moutan polysaccharide-2b in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats.

Aim: To study the antidiabetic effects of cortex Moutan polysaccharide-2b (CMP-2b) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats.

Methods: The T2DM model rats were induced by a single intravenous injection of low dose streptozotocin (STZ) and intake of high sucrose-fat diet. CMP-2b was given to T2DM rats daily through gavage for 4-5 weeks.