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Nerve guide conduits (NGCs) offer a promising alternative to traditional tools for regenerating peripheral nerves. The efficacy of nerve regeneration and functional recovery is heavily dependent on the electrical, chemical, and physical properties of NGCs. A bionic melt electrowriting (MEW) NGC loaded with placental derived mesenchymal stem cells (PDMSCs) has been developed. Our study introduces a novel approach by utilizing Schwann cells induced from placental mesenchymal stem cells (PDMSCs), showcasing their potential in enhancing nerve regeneration when integrated with conductive nerve guidance conduits. Schwann cells (SCs) are crucial for nerve regeneration, and while various stem cells, including bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), have been investigated as sources of SCs for NGC loading, they are often limited by ethical concerns and restricted availability. PDMSCs, however, offer the advantages of widespread sourcing and unique ability to differentiate into SCs, making them an attractive alternative for NGC applications. This NGC utilizes an electrostatic direct writing technique employing polycaprolactone (PCL) for the sheath and a crimped fiber scaffold made of polypyrrole (PPY) incorporated with PDMSCs for its internal structure. The bionic PC-NGC loaded with PDMSCs exhibits favorable characteristics including permeability, mechanical stability, and electrical conductivity. The PPY component effectively transmits physiological nerve signals, thereby promoting nerve regeneration, while the PDMSCs differentiate into Schwann cells, creating a conducive environment for nerve regeneration. This research innovatively combines PDMSCs, known for their wide availability and SC differentiation potential, with a bionic NGC to enhance the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs). In vitro evaluations have confirmed the excellent biocompatibility of the materials used. Animal experiments using a rat model with sciatic nerve injury demonstrated that the PC-NGC significently facilitated peripheral nerve regeneration. This was evidenced by improvements in axonal myelination, increased muscle mass, enhanced sciatic nerve function index, and positive electrophysiological findings. These outcomes are comparable to those achieved through autologous transplantation. Characterized by its layered oriented fibers, the bionic PC-NGC integrates multi-scale and multifunctional biomaterials with PDMSCs to effectively address peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs). The use of this printed NGC stimulates neuronal cell growth, thereby accelerating nerve regeneration. This innovative approach in tissue engineering presents a promising clinical treatment strategy for PNIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is becoming more widely acknowledged as a chronic illness that raises the risk of oncogenesis. This inquiry aimed to look into the correlation between cancer patient mortality and obesity, as measured by the weight-adjusted waist index (WWI). Methods: We used continuous data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018 as the benchmark, with a follow-up validity period of December 31, 2019. First, we assessed the correlation between WWI and the all-cause and cause-specific execution of cancer sufferers using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Second, a smoothed curve fit was utilized to examine the relationship between WWI and both cause-specific and all-cause mortality in cancer patients. Lastly, we analyzed the relationship between WWI and both cause-specific and all-cause mortality in cancer patients, to find out if this link held across the population subgroup evaluation and impact analyses were used as well during the last step. Results: With a median follow-up of 87.8 months, 1,547 (34.7%) of the 4,463 cancer patients had deceased. Among them, 508 (11.4%) succumbed to cancer, while 322 (7.2%) passed away due to cardiovascular disease. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model of mortality among cancer patients revealed an all-cause mortality hazard ratio [HR=1.13; 95% CI (1.04, 1.23)] and cardiovascular mortality [HR=1.39; 95% CI (1.16, 1.67)]. Furthermore, for each unit increase in WWI, all-cause mortality was significantly higher in male cancer survivors than in female cancer survivors. Conclusions: Our study reveals substantial correlations between WWI and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in US cancer survivors, helping to identify cancer survivors at higher risk of death and thus potentially guiding targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Wetland loss threatens global biodiversity. Peri-urban wetlands face acute pressures from urban expansion. Aims: Investigate biodiversity and land-cover changes in two wetlands undergoing suburbanisation near Hangzhou, China. Methods: Seasonal field surveys of birds, fish and amphibians, coupled with remote-sensing analysis of land-cover changes from 2009 to 2020. Key results: Suburban wetlands exhibited unique degradation patterns, including reduced species diversity, simplified community structures and proliferation of invasive species, with 91 bird species being recorded, dominated by common residents, 25 still-water fish species with few carnivores and migratory species, and 5 ubiquitous amphibian species detected. Species richness was lower than in nearby conserved wetlands. From 2009 to 2020, 6–7% of the wetlands were lost to urban expansion and converted to artificial vegetation or infrastructure. Conclusions: Ecological degradation is driven by rapid urbanisation, with habitats being fragmented by roads and converted to artificial land covers. Water pollution from insufficient treatment and abandoned aquaculture further impairs habitats. Implications: Innovative integrated-management framework was proposed for wetlands biodiversity restoration in suburban area. Key strategies include (1) modernising traditional circular economies to sustain wise use, (2) wildlife-friendly infrastructure design, (3) targeted invasive species control, and (4) adaptive co-management informed by ongoing monitoring. This socio-ecological systems approach aims to harmonise biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage and sustainable development in threatened suburban wetlands. This investigation showed degraded wetland biodiversity near urbanising Hangzhou, with habitat loss to development, water pollution and invasive species. Strategic planning integrating ecological restoration and sustainable development is urgently needed to conserve these ecosystems critical for wildlife and human communities. This article belongs to the collection Ecological monitoring and assessment of freshwater ecosystems: new trends and future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological co-metabolism is an economical and efficient technique for treating refractory organic matter, and in recent years, it has been widely used in the treatment of chlorophenol-containing wastewater. It has been found that many conditions affect the bio co-metabolism efficiency, such as the carbon source type, carbon source content, microorganism types, and environmental factors. The carbon source concentration experiment showed that when the dosage ratio of sodium acetate to black aniline powder was 1:2, the degradation rate of black aniline powder was 82%, and the removal rate was 92.9%. When tetrachlorophenol increased from 210 mg/L to 2100 mg/L, the tetrachlorophenol was increased in the effluent, and the microorganism's activity was inhibited. Besides, the sedimentation performance of activated sludge was also damaged. The temperature test showed that the removed 4-chlorophenol was as high as 2100 mg/L at 35 °C, and the apparent 4-chlorophenol residue in the effluent could be detected at 20 °C. Therefore, by appropriately controlling the external operating conditions of the reactor, the co-metabolism of refractory organic such as chlorophenols can be achieved.

Chlorophenol wastewater belongs to highly toxic industrial wastewater, which can cause serious harm to the environment and human health if not treated effectively. The current treatment methods for chlorophenol wastewater are divided into physical, chemical, and biological methods. The physical adsorption experiment found that the monodisperse magnetic nano-column was prepared by the solvothermal method, which could remove 91.5% of pentachlorophenol within 30 mins. More than 90% of chlorophenol can be extracted using an ionic liquid as an extractant. When the chlorophenol reaches 15 g/L, the extraction rate only slightly decreases. CaO and SiO2 can achieve 99.0% 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in 6 hours as ball milling materials by physical and chemical methods. The electrochemical reduction test found that using Pd/Py SDBS/Ti as the cathode, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, and 3-chlorophenol could be reduced and dechlorinated, in which 100 mg/L of 2-chlorophenol could be completely degraded within 60 minutes. The biochemical index BOD5/COD of wastewater is less than 0.3 if the biological treatment technology based on co-metabolism is adopted to realize the chlorophenol treatment. In treating chlorophenol wastewater, the application scenario should be fully considered to achieve the best treatment effect of chlorophenol wastewater.

Currently, the treatment of point source pollution has been basically com-pleted, and the development of non-point source pollution(NPP) has become a new threat to natural water. Unlike point source pollution, NPP is much more complex than point source pollution in terms of treatment difficulty and treatment measures. Therefore, NPP has gradually become the focus of researchers’ attention. This paper mainly reviews the current research status on the governance of NPP, precisely urban source and agricultural source pollution governance. In addition, the article reviews the treatment measures of NPP at the present stage, from source treatment, process blocking and end-of-pipe treatment. This thesis provides a more comprehensive overview of NPP treatment measures, which can provide a reference for further research and development of engineering practices on NPP.

The Yangtze River protection is an important environmental protection strategy for China, and the quality and efficiency of the sewage system is also one of the environmental protection actions that China is working hard to implement in recent years. As the first batch of pilot cities for the protection of the Yangtze River, Wuhu City has significantly improved its sewage system through a series of comprehensive sewage system improvement engineering measures. This paper briefly described the general situation and measures of the sewage system renovation project in the CD area of Wuhu City, and based on the systematic thinking of “source-network-plant-river”, the performance of improving the quality and efficiency of the sewage system was evaluated. With the implementation of the sewage system remediation project, the water quality at the source and discharge outlet as well as the water quantity of sewage collected had been greatly improved. The sewage collection volume had been increased from 10,000 m3/d to 42,000 m3/d and the COD concentration of the influent has increased significantly. The introduction and analysis of this project may provide some reference for other similar sewage system remediation projects in China and other countries and regions.