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Crabs can live in diverse lifestyles in both water and benthic environments, which are the basin of microplastics (MPs) inputs. Edible crabs with large consuming quantity, e.g., Scylla serrata were subjected to accumulate MPs in their tissues from surrounding environments and generate biological damages. However, no related research has been conducted. In order to accurately assess the potential risks to both crabs and humans consuming MPs contaminated crabs, S. serrata were exposed to different concentrations (2, 200 and 20,000 μg/L) of polyethylene (PE) microbeads (10–45 μm) for 3 days. The physiological conditions of crabs and a series of biological responses, including DNA damage, antioxidant enzymes activities and their corresponding gene expressions in functional tissues (gills and hepatopancreas) were investigated. PE-MPs accumulated in all tissues of crabs with concentration- and tissue-dependent manner, which was assumed to be via the internal distribution initialized by gills' respiration, filtration and transportation. Significantly increased DNA damages were observed in both gills and hepatopancreas under exposures, however, the physiological conditions of crabs showed no dramatic alterations. Under low and middle concentration exposures, gills energetically activated the first line of antioxidant defense to against oxidative stress, e.g., superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), but lipid peroxidation damage still occurred under high concentration exposure. In comparison, SOD and CAT composed antioxidant defense in hepatopancreas tended to collapse under severe MPs exposure and the defense mechanism attempted to switch to the secondary antioxidant response by compensatively stimulating the activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the content of glutathione (GSH). The diverse antioxidant strategies in gills and hepatopancreas were proposed to be closely related to the accumulation capacity of tissues. The results confirmed the relation between PE-MPs exposure and antioxidant defense in S. serrata , and will help to clarify the biological toxicity and corresponding ecological risks. [Display omitted] • All tissues in Scylla serrata can accumulate MPs from surrounding water. • MPs were first accumulated in gills via filtreation and infiltration. • Transportation of MPs from gills to hepatopancrease occurred. • DNA damages were induced by MPs in both gills and hepatopancreas. • Diverse antioxidant defenses were closely related to tissue structure and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory reflects the brain function in encoding, storage and retrieval of the data or information, which is a fundamental ability for any live organism. The development of approaches to improve memory attracts much attention due to the underlying mechanistic insight and therapeutic potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases with memory loss, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a reversible, adjustable, and non-ablative therapy, has been shown to be safe and effective in many clinical trials for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Among all potential regions with access to invasive electrodes, fornix is considered as it is the major afferent and efferent connection of the hippocampus known to be closely associated with learning and memory. Indeed, clinical trials have demonstrated that fornix DBS globally improved cognitive function in a subset of patients with AD, indicating fornix can serve as a potential target for neurosurgical intervention in treating memory impairment in AD. The present review aims to provide a better understanding of recent progresses in the application of fornix DBS for ameliorating memory impairments in AD patients. • Fornix, a core component of limbic system, plays an essential role in memory. • Fornix DBS could be a promising therapeutic intervention for AD. • At least five putative neurobiological mechanisms mediate the therapeutic actions of fornix DBS treatment • Randomized, double-blind, and multi-clinical trials are needed to verify the safety and efficacy of fornix DBS for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel cyclic dimer based on oleanolic acid was synthesized using click chemistry and it showed remarkable selectivity and affinity to bind fluoride ion through C–H⋯F hydrogen bond interactions which involved the delocalization of proton in methylene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Synthetic methods and structural features of single iron atom catalysts. • Applications of oxygen reduction and carbon dioxide reduction reactions. • Potential applications of environmental catalysis. Single Iron Atom Catalysis (SIAC) shares similar functions with bio-catalysis for pollutant degradation, wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. We speculate that SIAC is fully capable of catalyzing pollutant transformation involving O 2 , NO 3 -, SO 4 2- and CO 2 reduction reactions. SIAC is the foundation of a new generation of environmental technologies. [Display omitted] Single Iron Atom Catalysis (SIAC) is highly attractive as iron is ubiquitous, environmentally beneficial and can replace expensive noble metals. Extensive literature is available on SIAC-mediated oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). Based on the abundance of electron acceptors in the environment, we speculate that SIAC is fully capable of catalyzing pollutant transformation entailing nitrate and sulfate reduction reactions (NO 3 RR and SO 4 RR) and can serve as the foundation of a new generation of environmental technologies for degradation of toxic chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation (LT) is controversial because of its high recurrence rate and low survival rate. Here, we report a case of early diffuse bilateral lung metastasis after LT beyond the Milan transplantation criteria (d = 18 cm, α-fetoprotein >24,000 ng/mL) that successfully achieved 1-year tumor-free remission survival with sirolimus combined with regorafenib. The donor source of the liver is legal, and this study followed the guidelines of the Helsinki Congress in this LT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of regorafenib as a first-line agent combined with sirolimus to treat recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after LT, and this case expands the indications for LT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) are widely used to additives in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paints and foods. Recent studies have demonstrated that TiO 2 NPs increased the risk of cancer and the mechanism might relate with oxidative stress. Grape seed procyanidin extract (GSPE) is a natural compound which has been demonstrated to possess a wide array of pharmacological and biochemical actions, including anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antioxidant properties. Our data show that GSPE prevents the changes of histopathology and biomarkers in heart, liver and kidney that occur in mice exposed to TiO 2 NPs. After pretreatment with GSPE, the DNA damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in mice exposed to TiO 2 NPs had statistically significant decreases in dose dependent manners. GSPE increased the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NF-E2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase[quinine] 1(NQO1), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC). We conclude that grape seed procyanidin extract prevents the majority of tissue and molecular damage resulting from nanoparticle treatment. The protective effect of GSPE may be due to its strong antioxidative activities which related with the activated Nrf2 and its down-regulated genes including NQO1, HO-1 and GCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The evapotranspiration mechanism of the water storage pit orchard is revealed. • An evapotranspiration model of the water storage pit irrigation trees (SWp) is established. • The mechanism of the simulation error of the SW P model is illustrated. Accurately predicting the evapotranspiration of the orchard is of great significance for improving the water use efficiency of orchard and optimizing the water management of orchard. Based on both the evapotranspiration mechanism of the water storage pit irrigation orchard and the Shuttleworth-Wallace dual-source evapotranspiration model, an evapotranspiration model S W p suitable for water storage pit irrigation trees was established in this study. The evapotranspiration measured by the thermal diffusion sap flow meter and mic-lysimeter methods during 2018 were used to verify the performance of the PM model, the SW model and the S W p model under the water storage pit irrigation conditions. The results show that: (1) an evapotranspiration model of the water storage pit irrigation trees is established, and the Nash efficiency coefficient of the model is 0.93; (2) the diurnal variation of the evapotranspiration obtained by the three models of P M , S W , and S W p are the same as the measured value. The simulated value of P M model is 11.45% lower than the measured value, the simulated value of S W model is 24.01% higher than the measured value, and the simulated value of S W p model is 5.55% higher than the measured value; and (3) sensitivity analysis is performed on the six resistance variables in the S W p model, which reveals the mechanism of the simulation error of the S W p. model. Thus the S W p model significantly improved the accuracy against the PM and SW models and can be used to estimate the evapotranspiration under the water storage pit irrigation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradation of recalcitrant organic contaminants such as organic dyes is a fundamental challenge in wastewater treatment. We report herein the integration of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) with membrane bioreactors (nZVI-bio system) to achieve enhanced degradation of Congo red (CR) in wastewater. nZVI pretreatment converts the large and bio-recalcitrant CR molecules into smaller and more biodegradable organic compounds in continuous flow stirred tank reactors (CFSTR). A nZVI-bio system was experimented continuously for 52 d with a color removal efficiency of 99% and a reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 167 mg L−1 to less than 70 mg L−1. However, a conventional biotreatment system treating identical wastewater achieved color removal efficiency of just 30–70% and the COD reduction to 116 mg L−1. This suggests that integrated nZVI-bio system has potential for the treatment of recalcitrant organic dyes. On-line measurements of pH and redox potential in the CSFTR can be conveniently used to monitor and regulate treatment performance. Image 1 • nZVI pretreatment reduced color, toxicity, and enhances biodegradability. • nZVI-bio system enhanced color removal and COD reduction. • nZVI-bio system was feasible for CR wastewater treatment. • pH and E h in nZVI reactor could be used to monitor CR removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]