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• The removal of ARGs and pathogens by sludge biolysis is firstly reported. • The lysis of preys including ARB by BALOs would induce ARG abundance's reduction. • BALO consortium improved ARG degradation efficiency via prey profile expansion. • Intl 1 was also lysed by BALOs which help prevent residual ARGs' further diffusion. • Whether or not prey carry ARG does not affect the predation efficiencies of BALOs. As an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), the sludge discharged from wastewater treatment plants is the key intermediate for ARG transport into the environment. Bdellovibrio -and-like organisms (BALOs) are predatory bacteria that are expected to attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). In this study, the screened BALOs (C3 & D15) were mixed with the sludge for biolysis to achieve the satisfying removal efficiencies of six tet genes, two sul genes, and one mobile genetic element (intl 1). Among them, tet (Q) demonstrated the highest reduction rate in relative abundance at 87.3 ± 1.0 %, while tet (X) displayed the lowest of 11.7 ± 0.2 %. The microorganisms, including Longilinea, Methanobacterium, Acetobacterium, Sulfurimonas, allobaculum, Gaiella, AAP99, Ellin6067, Rhodoferax, Ferruginibacter and Thermomonas , were expected to play a dual role in the reduction of ARGs by serving as ARB and BALOs' preferred prey. Meanwhile, BALOs consortium improved ARGs reduction efficiency via the expansion of the prey profile. Additionally, BALOs decreased the relative abundance of not only pathogens (Shinella, Rickettsia, Burkholderia, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Clostridium, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas), but also the ARGs' host pathogens (Mycobacterium, Plesiocystis, Burkholderia , and Bacteroides). Therefore, the application of BALOs for sludge biolysis are promising to decrease the sludge's public health risks via limiting the spread of ARGs and pathogens into the environment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been considering as a high-value product from polymer wastes via the coupled thermal-catalytic technology, and how to improve the yield and quality of CNTs is the key to the further industrialization. Herein, a series of Fe-Al catalysts with different Fe-loading and calcination temperature were prepared and expected to boost CNTs formation from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the improved two-stage reaction system. The fresh and spent Fe-Al catalysts were characterized in detail by SEM-EDX, XRD, N 2 physisorption, NH 3 -TPD, H 2 -TPR, TG-DSC, Raman, and TEM to explore the effects of Fe-loading (5–20%) and calcination temperature (450–650 °C) on the physicochemical properties of Fe-Al catalysts as well as the quantity and quality of CNTs. An increase of Fe-loading generated more active sites for CNTs growth while intensified the competition for the carbon source, promoting the yield while reducing the length of CNTs. A decrease of calcination temperature reduced the interaction between Fe sites and Al 2 O 3 support, promoting both the yield and the length of CNTs. This work provided a promising strategy for optimizing Fe-Al catalysts to boost CNTs production from polymer wastes. • Fe-Al catalysts with different Fe-loading and calcination temperature were prepared. • Fe-Al catalysts were used for CNTs synthesis from polymer wastes. • An increase of Fe-loading promoted the yield while reduced the length of CNTs. • A decrease of calcination temperature promoted both the yield and length of CNTs. • It was ascribed to the regulation of Fe sites and the interaction with Al2O3 support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the disease burden of hepatitis E virus (HEV)-infected inpatients in Jiangsu province, China. Between July 1, 2016 and October 31, 2018, 1152 HEV-infected inpatients were identified from four cities in Jiangsu province, namely, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yancheng, and Zhenjiang. The disease burden comprised the economic burden and loss of health due to HEV infection. Factors influencing the disease burden were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The average direct, indirect, and total economic burden for 1152 HEV-infected inpatients was US$ 4,986.40, US$ 1,507.28, and US$ 6,493.68, respectively, accounting for 46.66%, 14.11%, and 60.77% of per capita disposable income (PCDI) in Jiangsu province, respectively. The disease burden for HEV-infected inpatients with hepatitis B was significantly higher than that for other inpatients. The average EQ-5D utility value of 1152 HEV-infected inpatients was 0.72 ± 0.18 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and the average EQ-visual analogue score (EQ-VAS) was 0.66 ± 0.17 points. Multivariate analysis showed that the direct economic burden and the total economic burden were influenced by variables such as hospitalization days, outcomes, past history of other diseases, and regions (P < 0.05). It was estimated the direct economic burden, the indirect economic burden, and the total economic burden for all HEV-infected inpatients in Jiangsu province in 2018 was approximately US$ 9.2 million, US$ 2.8 million and US$ 12.0 million, respectively. The disease burden of HEV infection in Jiangsu province is severe, and more attention should be paid to the prevention of hepatitis E and the treatment of comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To summarize the published literature on microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid microcarcinomas, and to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of MWA as a novel treatment strategy.Methods: Two independent authors carried out the literature search using four databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science. The meta-analysis included prospective and retrospective data that compared pre-treatment values to post-treatment outcomes.Results: From the 33 original articles, seven studies met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. Of these, five were retrospective studies, two were prospective trials, one was controlled study, and one was a multi-center study. The results showed significant improvements in nodule volume, clinical symptom scores, and beauty scores between the baseline and final follow-up visits. In all of the studies, the most common adverse effects were hematomas, unbearable pain, and transient or permanent voice change in 3.8%, 2.2%, and 4.6% of patients, respectively. None of these incidents resulted in hospitalization or death.Conclusions: MWA is effective and safe for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid microcarcinomas. However, future studies should compare the efficacy of MWA, RFA, and surgical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droplet-confined assembly is a powerful tool to fabricate functional nanostructures of block copolymers (BCPs), where the interfacial interaction plays a crucial role. Here, we report an unconventional strategy of using interfacial phase separation to control this assembly. The key lies in the use of an elaborately designed binary surfactant system to tune the interfacial configuration of droplets and realize an asymmetrically directed assembly of BCPs inside droplets, which finally creates unprecedented Janus onion particles with solid surfactant-like properties, e.g., as stabilizers for Pickering emulsions. The formation of Janus onions is due to the strong longitudinal selective interaction and the strong lateral phase separation at the droplet interfaces, provided by our surfactant system. This concept of interfacial phase separation directed assembly not only enriches the routes to controllable assembly of BCPs, but also offers an innovative paradigm to construct distinct regions on droplet surfaces, illuminating potential functions such as smart encapsulation and delivery. Image 1 1. Interfacial phase separation of emulsion droplets was firstly used to direct the droplet-confined assembly of block copolymers. 2. Unprecedented Janus onion-like particles of block copolymers were fabricated. 3. The Janus onions could act as particulate surfactants to stabilize Pickering emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • LBL emulsions including β-Car were encapsulated in vitreous encapsulated solids. • Polyelectrolyte shell composite by WPI/Arabic gum in LBL emulsions was 30 nm. • MD was a suitable carrier and good stabilizer to improve the stability of VES system. • Strength parameter can be linked to the stability and the β-Car loss of VES system. • Controlling of molecular mobility in wall materials slowed down β-Car degradation. β -Carotene (β - Car) is insoluble compounds in water and liable to degradation, which has health benefits for human beings. Although layer-by-layer (LBL) emulsions provide a better protection for β - Car towards environmental stresses, the handling and transportation of LBL emulsions still faces restrictions. In this paper, therefore, the LBL emulsions including β-Car were carefully prepared and encapsulated to obtain vitreous encapsulated solids (VES) using trehalose and maltodextrins (MD) as wall materials. Morphological results indicated that the LBL emulsions were formed a spheric shape, in where the polyelectrolyte shell was 30 nm. The MD exhibited the characteristics of not easy to absorb moisture, suitable carrier, and good stabilizer, which could improve the stability of VES systems at studied environmental stresses. Despite compositional effects from MD and environmental stresses, LBL emulsions changed the water sorption behavior of VES as oil dispersion in storage. Strength analysis indicated that LBL emulsions lubricated systems and increased the molecular mobility of wall materials. Structural collapse, rapid color changes, and β-Car loss were confirmed in VES systems at 0.56 a w from 25 to 45 °C after 30 days of storage. Besides, a relationship between S and β-Car loss kinetics was established, where the β-Car degraded more rapidly in a sample with quicker molecular mobility of wall materials Therefore, the controlling of molecular mobility in wall materials can slow down the β -Car degradation and improve the quality and stability of lipophilic nutrients delivery systems with high total solids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The division of the flood season in a basin is a multi-dimension time series clustering problem with unknown clustering numbers. So the clustering method is required to have the capability of dealing with multi-dimensions, time series and clustering validity. A dynamic fuzzy C-means clustering method (simplified as DFCCM) with clustering validity function based time series was developed in the paper. The real coding based accelerating genetic algorithm (simplified as RAGA) is used for solving DFCCM, which is very effective and can overcome the initial value sensitivity from the regular iterative optimal method generally used for the fuzzy C-means clustering. The newly developed method was applied in the Taihu lake basin in China for the division of the basin flood season, and 11 schemes were designed for removing the uncertainty from the initial value of flood season, which could exert influence on the results of the flood seasons division. Application results show that the method is very effective and the division conclusion of flood season in the Taihu Lake Basin is also reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • KGM-SPI facilitated to encapsulate fish oil and enhance its oxidative stability. • Spray drying is more efficient in encapsulating fish oil than freeze-drying. • M-cells formed through co-culture had greater transport activity for the exogenous fish oil microcapsules. The properties of microencapsulated fish oil, prepared with spray drying and freeze-drying processes using emulsions of konjac glucomannan (KGM) and soybean protein isolate (SPI) was investigated. Comparative analysis of microcapsules showed the encapsulation efficiency of spray drying and freeze-drying were 90.10% and 83.52% respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) results exhibited that microcapsules prepared with spray drying were spherical particles with a compact structure, while microcapsules prepared with freeze-drying were irregular particles with a pore-like structure. Release kinetics test further indicated retention rate of core materials for microcapsules prepared with spray drying were better than with freeze-drying. In addition, a human epithelial microfold cell (M-cell) transcytotic assay demonstrated that the M-cells had greater transport activity for the exogenous microcapsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles have unique properties that make them useful in biomedicine. However, their extensive use raises concerns about potential hazards to the body. Therefore, it is crucial to establish effective and robust toxicology models to evaluate the developmental and functional toxicity of nanoparticles on the body. This article discusses the use of stem cells to study the developmental and functional toxicity of organs of endodermal origin due to nanoparticles. The study discovered that various types of nanoparticles have varying effects on stem cells. The application of stem cell models can provide a possibility for studying the effects of nanoparticles on organ development and function, as they can more accurately reflect the toxic mechanisms of different types of nanoparticles. However, stem cell toxicology systems currently cannot fully reflect the effects of nanoparticles on entire organs. Therefore, the establishment of organoid models and other advanced assessment models is expected to address this issue. [Display omitted] • This paper reviews the effects of nanoparticles on the development of endoderm by using stem cell model for the first time. • We highlight the key role of stem cells in nanoparticles toxicity studies and propose research directions and models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D confined assembly in emulsion droplets is an effective way to prepare block copolymer particles with tunable nanostructures. In this process, the multi-component interaction at the droplet interface plays a crucial role, which is mainly dominated by surfactants. Here, we report the utilization of a polymer surfactant, ammonium-terminated polystyrene chains (N–PS n), to control the 3D confined assembly of poly(styrene- block -2-vinylpyridine) (PS- b -P2VP). N–PS n shows a different interfacial tuning ability from small molecular surfactants, which can not only stabilize the emulsion droplets but also increase the volume fraction of PS components through fusing its PS chains with PS- b -P2VP. Consequently, unusual nanostructured PS- b -P2VP particles were obtained based on a binary surfactant system of N–PS n and poly(vinyl alcohol), e.g. , the rarely reported toroid-stacked ellipsoidal particles. The morphological formation mechanism was systemically studied by regulating the molecular weight of N–PS n. These results provide a new surfactant platform to tune the confined assembly of block copolymers. Image 1 • A unique 3D confined assembly of block copolymers was realized by using polymer surfactants. • Unusual ellipsoidal polymer particles with axially stacked toroidal domains were obtained. • Cationic polymer surfactants with adjustable interfacial controlling ability were synthesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silibinin, a nontoxic bioactive component in milk thistle, is used as a liver-protective drug in the clinic mainly because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities. In this study, we studied the cytotoxic effects of silibinin combined with sorafenib on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The results indicated that silibinin combined with sorafenib potently inhibited the proliferation of various HCC cells and induced significant apoptosis. In an HCC subcutaneous transplantation tumor model, the combination of silibinin and sorafenib significantly suppressed tumor growth compared with monotherapy. As determined by fluorescence staining and Western blots, the combination of the two drugs inhibited the phosphorylation of RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) together with the expression of antiapoptotic proteins including myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein Mcl-1 (Mcl-1) and apoptosis regulator Bcl-2 (Bcl-2), resulting in the death of cancer cells. We also found that the combination inhibited the formation and self-renewal of HCC stem cells by down-regulating the expression of stemness-related proteins, such as Homeobox protein NANOG (Nanog) and Krueppel-like factor 4 (Klf4). These results suggested that silibinin improved the efficacy of sorafenib in HCC therapy, indicating a clinical promising therapeutic strategy for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of ferromagnetism in perovskite oxide LaFeO 3 nanoparticles and colossal dielectric response in ceramics has inspired researchers to study the effect of various dopants on the magnetic and dielectric properties of LaFeO 3 powders and ceramics. However, the influence of alkali element Na doping has not been studied yet, and the origin of such ferromagnetic behavior is still ambiguous. The primary objective of the present work is to elucidate the effect of Na doping on the magnetic properties of La 1−x Na x FeO 3 (x=0, 0.1 and 0.2) powders and dielectric properties of corresponding ceramics prepared by citric sol-gel method. FE-SEM results showed that the introduction of Na dopant actually resulted in the formation of nonstoichiometric La 1−x FeO 3 and x/2 Na 2 O. Compared to the canted AFM behavior for the pure powder, ferromagnetic behavior with enhanced magnetization of 2.11 emu/g at 10 kOe could be obviously observed at room temperature for the powder with x=0.2. XPS measurement suggested nonstoichiometric Fe/La ratio which leads to the distortion of lattice structure and enlarged canting angle between the two AFM coupled Fe sublattice should be responsible for the enhancement of magnetization in the Na-doped samples. Meanwhile, the introduction of Na dopant lowered the growth temperature of grains of the parent LFO and resulted in larger average grain size, which in turn leaded to great enhancement of ε′ into the order of 10 5 at 100 Hz at the cost of high tanδ for the Na-doped ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abuse of antibiotics leading to bacterial resistance has emerged as a significant impediment to wound healing. Consequently, this study developed antibacterial and anti-inflammatory bi-functional carbon dots (AAB-CDs) as the primary active material for the preparation of hydrogel wound dressings, aiming to promote wound healing. The synthesized AAB-CDs exhibited ultra-small size (2.3 nm), abundant surface functional groups, high Zeta potential (30.9 mV), and excellent biocompatibility. The positively charged AAB-CDs with outstanding antibacterial properties, mitigating the risk of bacterial resistance, while the abundant surface functional groups imparted stable antioxidant performance for sustained wound anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel dressings exhibited remarkable antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and significantly promoted the proliferation of L929 fibroblasts. In vivo experiments further substantiated the feasibility of the hydrogel dressings in promoting wound healing and histological analysis revealed the biological mechanisms underlying the promotion of wound healing. In conclusion, AAB-CDs with robust antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties hold tremendous potential for promoting wound healing, providing practical insights for the biological application of CDs. Robust antibacterial and anti-inflammatory bi-functional carbon dots (AAB-CDs) are designed with ultra-small size (2.3 nm), high Zeta potential (30.9 mV) and remarkable antioxidant ability. Then AAB-CDs are doped in biocompatible hydrogel dressing fabricated with the monomers of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP) and N-(hydroxymethyl) acrylamide (NMA). The resultant hydrogel dressing exhibits continuous AAB-CDs release capacity for long-acting treatment that promotes wound healing. [Display omitted] • Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory bi-functional carbon dots were prepared. • Hydrogel dressing was used to promote wound healing by continuously releasing CDs. • In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to confirm the treatment effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]