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The incidence and mortality of influenza in children had risen, but data are limited on children with severe influenza virus infection in China. We conducted a retrospective case–control study and collected the patients' clinical data. Clinical data including demography, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, radiologic findings, treatment and outcomes were collected. Children were clinically confirmed to have virus infection in Shanghai in three hospitals from June 2014 to June 2019. During the study, 36,047 children were enrolled. Among them, 118 met the criteria for severe flu. Clinical symptoms such as fever, cough, gastrointestinal symptoms, coma and epilepsy were higher in the severe group. Complications such as pneumorrhagia, heart failure, septic shock, acute renal failure and influenza-associated encephalitis were higher in the severe influenza group than the death group. The laboratory findings including decreased hemoglobin, high alanine aminotransferase, high urea nitrogen and high lactate levels were risk factors for death in children with influenza. Influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were the common clinical manifestations and complications for the severe influenza, and delayed use of oseltamivir was found to be associated with fatality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acidic sugarcane leaf polysaccharide (ASLP) has a variety of biological activities, but its macromolecular properties make it difficult for the human body to completely absorb or metabolize quickly in the body, and the action time is short. To solve this problem, acidic sugarcane leaf polysaccharide liposomes (ASLPL) were prepared by reverse evaporation method and characterized for encapsulation efficiency, particle size, potential, morphology, rheology and stability. In vitro release and digestion tests were used to verify the sustained release effect and stability of ASLPL. The results showed that ASLPL was spherical, with an encapsulation rate of 86.19% ± 0.976%, a particle size of 134.57 ± 2.501 nm, and a zeta potential of −24.49 ± 1.002 mV, which was a pseudoplastic fluid that was more stable to be stored in a neutral environment at 4 °C. The antioxidant, hypolipidemic and antibacterial activities of ASLPL were significantly increased compared with those of ASLP. The in vitro release and digestion results showed that ASLPL had obvious sustained release effect and could slow down the digestion of ASLP in vivo and prolong the duration of action. Therefore, the development and utilization of ASLPL can provide a greater development potential for the further application of ASLP in the food and pharmaceutical fields. [Display omitted] • ASLPL is a typical pseudoplastic fluid with good stability. • The biological activity of ASLPL was significantly higher than that of ASLP. • ASLPL has obvious sustained release effect and improves the digestive stability of ASLP. • ASLPL is expected to develop into a new type of biological agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Application of membrane separation process in China is comprehensively investigated. • Leachate treatment capacity of NF is the highest in landfill and incineration plant. • A combination of NF and RO exhibits the best efficiency for leachates treatment. • Membrane processes are more likely to be adopted in economically developed regions. • Operation costs of membrane process mainly depends on the pre-treatment process. To comprehensively investigate the application of membrane separation technology in the treatment of landfill leachate in China, the performance of nearly 200 waste management enterprises of different sizes in China were analyzed, with an emphasis on their scale, regional features, processes, and economic characteristics. It was found that membrane separation technologies, mainly nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO), and NF + RO, have been used in China since 2004. The treatment capacity of the two most dominant membrane separation technologies, i.e., NF and RO, were both almost 60,000 m3/d in 2018, and both technologies are widely used in landfills and incineration plants. Their distribution is mainly concentrated in eastern and southwestern China, where the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) is relatively high and the economy is developing rapidly. Membrane separation technology is the preferred technique for the advanced treatment of leachate because more contaminants can be effectively removed by the technology than by other advanced processes. However, the membrane retentate that is produced using this technology—commonly known as leachate concentrate—is heavily contaminated due to the enrichment of almost all the inorganic anions, heavy metals, and organic matter that remain after bioprocessing. An economic cost analysis revealed that the operating cost of membrane separation technology has stabilized and is between 1.77 USD/m3 and 4.90 USD/m3; electricity consumption is the most expensive cost component. This review describes the current problems with the use of membrane separation technology and recommends strategies and solutions for its future use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the genetic aetiology in Chinese children diagnosed with status epilepticus (SE).Methods: Next-generation sequencing, copy number variation (CNV) analysis, and other genetic testing methods were conducted for children with SE lacking an identifiable non-genetic aetiology. Furthermore, the phenotype and molecular data of patients with SE were retrospectively analysed.Results: Among children with SE lacking an identifiable non-genetic aetiology, 73 out of 163 children (44.8 %) were found to have causative variants associated with SE including 66 monogenic mutations in 22 genes and 7 CNVs. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics scoring system, the monogenic variants included 64 pathogenic/likely pathogenic and 2 uncertain significance variants. SCN1A gene mutations (n = 32) were the most common cause, followed by TSC2 (n = 5), CACNA1A (n = 5), SCN2A (n = 4), SCN9A (n = 2) and DEPDC5 (n = 2) gene mutations. Sixteen mutations were identified in single genes. Furthermore, 51 (77.3 %) monogenic mutations were de novo. Age at SE onset < 1 year (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-5.83, p = 0.012) and co-morbidity of intellectual disability (OR = 3.36, 95 %CI: 1.61-6.99, p = 0.001) were independently associated with pathogenic genetic variants.Conclusion: This study identified genetic aetiology in 44.8 % of patients with SE, which indicates a high burden of genetic aetiology among children with SE in China. Our findings highlight the importance for genetic testing of children with SE that lacks an identifiable non-genetic aetiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a facile route to synthesize isolated single iron atoms on nitrogen-sulfur-codoped carbon matrix via a direct pyrolysis process in which hemoglobin, a by-product of the meat industry, was utilized as a precursor for iron, nitrogen and sulfur while bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes served as a support owing to their excellent conductivity and numerous defects. The resulting metal-nitrogen complexed carbon showed outstanding catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline solutions. At an overpotential of 380 mV, the optimal sample yielded a current density of 83.6 mA cm−2, which is 2.5 times that of benchmark IrO 2 (32.8 mA cm−2), rendering it as one of the best OER catalysts reported so far. It also showed negligible activity decay in alkaline solutions during long-term durability tests. Control experiments and X-ray absorption fine structure analyses revealed that Fe-N x species in the samples are the active sites for OER. Further density functional theory calculations indicated that the presence of sulfur in the carbon matrix modified the electronic structures of active species, thereby leading to the superior activity of the sample. Image 1 • Fe-Nx-S species were formed by a direct pyrolysis of hemoglobin and carbon nanotubes. • The resulting sample showed outstanding performance for the OER in alkaline solutions. • The sample gave a current density of 83.6 mA cm−2 at 380 mV, which is 2.5 times that of IrO 2. • Density functional theory calculations were done to explore the role of the sulfur dopant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solidification and stabilization effect of Pb in MSWI fly ash was compared. • Pb leaching concentration, volume change ratio, and treatment cost were evaluated. • Combined solidification-stabilization process yielded the best treatment effect. • Optimal parameters are obtained through response surface methodology. Fly ash is a hazardous material that is produced from municipal solid waste incineration. It contains heavy metals and should be properly treated to meet landfill entry requirements. In this study, under the precondition that the leachable concentration of lead (Pb) exceeded the limit value for landfill disposal, the effects of cement solidification, chemical stabilization, and their combination on the leachable Pb concentration and the chemical state of Pb were systematically investigated. In addition, the reaction conditions were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) in terms of leachable Pb concentration, volume change ratio, and treatment cost. The results indicated that the leachable Pb concentration decreased at lower cement or sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH 2 PO 4) dosages in cement solidification or NaH 2 PO 4 stabilization, and the liquid-to-solid ratio had a significant influence on cement solidification. The leachable Pb concentration met the limit value for landfill disposal in the individual processes with 20% cement or 5% NaH 2 PO 4 , and in the combined process with 10% cement + 2% NaH 2 PO 4. The combined process achieved the best treatment efficiency by enabling Pb to transform to a stable residual state. According to the RSM, a combined cement content of 11.64%, NaH 2 PO 4 content of 2.79%, and liquid-to-solid ratio of 0.48 were the optimal parameters, resulting in substantial decreases in the volume change ratio and treatment costs, while satisfying the preconditions for landfill disposal. In conclusion, the combined process can reduce the pollution risk to the environment, and is an efficient and cost-effective pre-treatment method for incinerator fly ash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The performance differences of three pilot-scale landfills were investigated. • MSW stabilization in the SABL was greatly accelerated. • NH 4 +–N in SABL leachate was substantially lower than that from the other landfills. • SABL leachate exhibited the least chloride pollution risk. Many studies have sought to optimize operation parameters and enhance the treatment capacity of bioreactor landfills (BL) under ideal laboratory conditions. At pilot scale, conclusions drawn from laboratory-scale experiments will be different due to variations in actual landfill composition and changes in environmental conditions. However, comparative pilot-scale studies of traditional anaerobic landfills (AnL) and BLs are rare. In this study, three pilot-scale landfills, including an AnL, anaerobic BL (AnBL) and semi-aerobic BL (SABL), were monitored to examine the difference in performance at different scales and among types of landfills. Settlement amount followed the order SABL (25.45 cm) > AnBL (18.67 cm) > AnL (14.38 cm). Decomposition of organic matter (i.e., volatile fatty acids) was more rapid in SABL than in the other landfills and no hydrolytic acidification period was observed. Therefore, among the three landfills, SABL entered the methanogenic stage in a much shorter time and MSW stabilization was accelerated due to this landfill's unique combination of aerobic-anoxic-anaerobic ambient. In addition, NH 4 +–N concentration in leachate from the SABL (~19.96 mg/L) was substantially lower than from AnL (338.28 mg/L) and AnBL (233.22 mg/L), and SABL leachate exhibited the least chloride pollution risk. This study provides theoretical support and strong evidence for using SABLs to treat MSW in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]