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1.
Application of skeleton builders to sludge dewatering and disposal: A critical review.
Bao, P, Du, C, Li, Y, Jiang, H, Zhou, L, Yu, G, Sun, S, Zhou, L, Li, X, Teng, J, et al
The Science of the total environment. 2024;:167106
Abstract
With the development of cities and population, the production of sludge is increasing annually. It has become an unavoidable challenge to achieve sludge dewatering and disposal by a cost-effective, efficient and safe process. In this work, firstly, the factors limiting sludge dewatering are reviewed in terms of moisture distribution, sludge concentration, organic matter content, electronegativity, floc strength, and extracellular polymers (EPS). Subsequently, focusing on the dewatering technology about the skeleton builder, the recent progress of it is detailed in terms of mechanism, evaluation indicators, influencing factors, and technology coupling. In addition, the impact of skeleton builders on the sludge disposal stage is concluded. Finally, the challenges faced by sludge dewatering and skeleton builders are prospected. This review will provide some theoretical basis and technical guidance for subsequent experiments and practices regarding skeleton builders.
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2.
Improving Microbial Cell Factory Performance by Engineering SAM Availability.
Lv, Y, Chang, J, Zhang, W, Dong, H, Chen, S, Wang, X, Zhao, A, Zhang, S, Alam, MA, Wang, S, et al
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. 2024;(8):3846-3871
Abstract
Methylated natural products are widely spread in nature. S-Adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) is the secondary abundant cofactor and the primary methyl donor, which confer natural products with structural and functional diversification. The increasing demand for SAM-dependent natural products (SdNPs) has motivated the development of microbial cell factories (MCFs) for sustainable and efficient SdNP production. Insufficient and unsustainable SAM availability hinders the improvement of SdNP MCF performance. From the perspective of developing MCF, this review summarized recent understanding of de novo SAM biosynthesis and its regulatory mechanism. SAM is just the methyl mediator but not the original methyl source. Effective and sustainable methyl source supply is critical for efficient SdNP production. We compared and discussed the innate and relatively less explored alternative methyl sources and identified the one involving cheap one-carbon compound as more promising. The SAM biosynthesis is synergistically regulated on multilevels and is tightly connected with ATP and NAD(P)H pools. We also covered the recent advancement of metabolic engineering in improving intracellular SAM availability and SdNP production. Dynamic regulation is a promising strategy to achieve accurate and dynamic fine-tuning of intracellular SAM pool size. Finally, we discussed the design and engineering constraints underlying construction of SAM-responsive genetic circuits and envisioned their future applications in developing SdNP MCFs.
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3.
Hyperhidrosis as the initial symptom in FUS mutation-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case report and comprehensive literature review.
Chen, X, Luo, J, Zheng, W, Huang, Q, Du, C, Yuan, H, Xiao, F
Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2024;(4):1523-1527
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is now recognized to involve autonomic dysfunction. The burden of autonomic dysfunction is an important factor in the quality of life and prognosis of ALS patients. This article presents the clinical characteristics of a young female ALS patient with a fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene mutation and notable hyperhidrosis. METHOD Detailed clinical characteristics of the patients were collected, and comprehensive examinations such as electrophysiological assessment, neuro-ultrasound, genetic testing, and relevant blood tests were conducted. RESULT A 24-year-old female experienced progressive weakness in both lower limbs for over 5 months, along with excessive sweating on both palms and feet. A positive skin iodine-starch test was observed. Electromyography revealed extensive neurogenic damage and prolonged sympathetic skin response (SSR) latency in both lower limbs. Full exon gene sequencing showed a heterozygous mutation c.1574C>T (p.Pro525Leu) in the FUS gene. CONCLUSION The pathogenesis of ALS remains unclear at present. This case underscores the presence of autonomic nervous symptoms in ALS associated with FUS mutation and highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely treatment intervention to enhance patient prognosis.
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4.
A Single-dose, Two-Period Crossover Bioequivalence Study Comparing Two Liraglutide Formulations in Healthy Chinese Subjects.
Feng, S, Cai, L, Wang, X, Yu, Q, Cai, J, Hao, W, Chen, Z, Su, X, Du, C, Zou, Q, et al
Clinical pharmacology in drug development. 2023;(4):385-391
Abstract
Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. The original liraglutide products are costly, which limits patient access to this therapeutic treatment. Herein, a biosimilar was developed that is highly similar to the reference drug in molecular structure and bioactivity, and is expected to have similar pharmacokinetic (PK) and safety profiles in clinical studies. This study aimed to primarily evaluate the bioequivalence of 2 liraglutide formulations and secondarily assess their safety in healthy Chinese subjects following a single-dose subcutaneous injection. Thirty-two healthy volunteers were recruited in this randomized, open-label, single-dose, 2-period crossover bioequivalence study (ChiCTR2100043348). The geometric mean ratios (GMRs) of the test drug to the reference drug (T/R) and corresponding 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for maximum concentration (Cmax ) and the area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 to the time of the last quantifiable concentration (AUC0-t ) were estimated using a mixed-effects model, and bioequivalence was determined to have been achieved if the 2-sided 90%CI fell within the predefined range of 80%-125%. PK parameters were comparable between T and R, with GMRs of T/R for Cmax and AUC0-t being 105.7% and 107.7%, respectively, the 90%CI of which met the acceptance criteria for bioequivalence. We also observed a similar and favorable safety profile in the T and R arms, with adverse events being predominantly mild in severity and of gastrointestinal origin. Our findings indicate that the test drug is safe and well tolerated, bioequivalent to the reference drug, and warrants further testing in a phase III clinical trial.
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5.
[Application of Precision Nursing Based on Multidisciplinary Collaboration Model in Older Patients Undergoing Thoracoscopic Surgery for Lung Cancer].
Mei, S, Wu, X, Yang, J, Yu, Z, Jiang, Y, Xue, Y, Du, C
Sichuan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Sichuan University. Medical science edition. 2023;(5):1052-1057
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the application effect of precision nursing strategies based on multidisciplinary collaboration model in older patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer. METHODS A total of 100 patients who were admitted to our hospital for thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer between July 2022 and March 2023 were prospectively enrolled for the study. They were assigned, with a random number table, to two groups, a control group receiving routine nursing care and an experimental group receiving nursing care based on multidisciplinary collaborative precision nursing strategies. Their lung function, anxiety and depression scores, and quality of life were assessed at three points of time, including upon admission, one week after surgery, and one month after surgery, and comparison was made between the two groups. RESULTS There were significant differences in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) at the three time points ( F=156.787, P<0.001) and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) (FEV1/FVC%) at the three time points ( F=25.587, P<0.001) between two groups. There were significant difference between the findings for FEV1, FEV1/FVC%, FVC, and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) indexes at 1 week and those at 1 month after surgery in the experimental group ( P<0.05). After the surgery, the pulmonary function of the experimental group was better than that of the control group. The anxiety and depression scores of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group, with the difference being statistically significant ( P<0.05), which suggested that the experimental group showed improvement in anxiety and depression in comparison with the control group. Regarding the quality of life, there were significant differences between the two groups in the scores for the functional dimension ( F=109.798, P<0.001), the symptom dimension ( F=106.936, P<0.001), other items ( F=78.798, P<0.001), and overall health dimensions ( F=174.307, P<0.001). At 1 week and 1 month after surgery, the experimental group had higher scores for the functional dimension and lower scores for the symptom dimension than the control group did, with the differences being statistically significant ( P<0.05). The overall health status of the experimental group was better than that of the control group. CONCLUSION Precision nursing strategies based on multidisciplinary collaboration model can effectively help improve the lung function, the mood, and the quality of life of patients in the short term, showing considerable promise for wide clinical application.
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6.
Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on bioaccumulation and bioavailability of As and Cd: A meta-analysis.
Tan, Q, Guo, Q, Wei, R, Zhu, G, Du, C, Hu, H
Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987). 2023;(Pt 1):120619
Abstract
Increasing industrial activity has led to a growing risk of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) accumulations and biomagnifications in plants and humans. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been extensively studied as a soil amendment owing to their capability to reduce the accumulation of As and Cd in plant tissues. However, a quantitative and data-based consensus has yet to be reached on the effect of AMF on As and Cd bioaccumulation and bioavailability. Here, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively evaluate the impact of AMF using 1430 individual observations from 194 articles. The results showed that AMF inoculation caused a decrease in shoot and root As and Cd accumulation compared to control, and the reduction rates were affected by experimental duration, P fertilizer, AMF species, plant family, plant lifecycle, and soil properties. Intermediate experimental duration (lasting 56-112 days) and no P fertilizer favored AMF to reduce the shoot As and root Cd accumulation. Compared to other plant families, the reduction in As and Cd accumulation in legumes was the greatest, following AMF inoculation. The soils with alkaline, high organic carbon (OC), and low available phosphorus (AP) appeared to be more favorable for AMF to reduce As accumulation in plant tissues, while soils with low AP were more conducive to reducing the Cd accumulation in plant tissues. In addition, AMF inoculation increased pH (1.92%), OC (6.27%), easily-extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EE-GRSP) (29.36%), and total glomalin-related soil protein (T-GRSP) (29.99%), and reduced bioavailable As (0.52%) and Cd (2.35%) in soils compared to control. Overall, the meta-analysis provides valuable guidelines for the optimal use of AMF in different plant-soil systems.
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7.
How Are You Sleeping? Why Nutrition Professionals Should Ask Their Patients About Sleep Habits.
Du, C, Tucker, RM, Yang, CL
Journal of the American Nutrition Association. 2023;(3):263-273
Abstract
Current literature has identified relationships among sleep, nutrition, and diet-related chronic diseases; however, knowledge about how sleep influences diet-related diseases is lacking in dietetics practice. This narrative review briefly explains sleep physiology and outlines the relationships between sleep duration and quality and common nutrition-related diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and cancer. Additionally, the review discusses how sleep influences wound healing and pregnancy outcomes and why hospitalized patients are likely to experience sleep problems. Plausible mechanisms explaining the relationships between sleep and disease are presented. Finally, commonly used sleep assessment tools and interventions are reviewed. Given the importance of sleep to health, dietitians should not only be aware of the role sleep plays in disease development and prevention but also assess sleep when feasible and refer patients and clients who are at high risk for sleep problems to a sleep clinic or community program that can address sleep issues.Teaching points:Sleep duration and quality influence risk and outcomes of common nutrition-related diseases.Sleep health evaluation is a missing piece in dietetic practice.There are easy-to-use, validated tools that dietitians can use to screen for sleep problems in order to refer patients and clients to sleep experts.
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8.
Plasma metabolic profiling of patients with tetralogy of fallot.
Wang, W, Cui, H, Ran, G, Du, C, Chen, X, Dong, S, Huang, S, Yan, J, Chu, J, Song, J
Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry. 2023;:117522
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a common congenital heart disease with high mortality. However, the medical imageology and liquidbiopsy techniques present certain limitations. Thus, this study investigated the plasma metabolic profiles to distinguish key metabolites for early diagnosis of TOF. METHODS In total, 69 patients with TOF and 43 normal controls were enrolled for targeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS). Absolute quantification of metabolites was performed using our standard database. The differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were screened by fold change (FC), VIP value and pearson correlation coefficient of OPLS-DA model. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate predictive ability of DEMs. RESULTS Different metabolic profiles were presented between TOF and Normal.The pathway analysis showed that significantly changed metabolites were enriched in nicotinamide and purine metabolism. Many intermediatesproductof purine and amido acid were higher in TOF than in Normal group, while energy substrates and electron carriers were lower in TOF than in Normal group. ROC analysis revealed a high diagnostic value of plasma FAD for differentiating TOF from Normal (AUC = 1). CONCLUSION Our study quantitatively characterized plasma metabolites in patients with TOF and may help to develop reliable biomarkers that contribute to the early TOF screening.
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9.
The age-dependent changes in risk weights of the prognostic factors for multiple myeloma.
Du, C, Li, L, Fan, H, Mao, X, Liu, J, Xu, Y, Sui, W, Deng, S, Li, C, Zhao, J, et al
Hematology (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 2023;(1):2258686
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Multiple myeloma is a highly heterogenous plasma cell malignancy, commonly seen in older patients. Age is one of the important prognostic factors. However, nearly all the prognostic staging systems are based on clinical trials, where patients were relatively fit and young. It is unknown how the presence of biochemical or cytogenetic prognostic factors and their risk weights changes with older age. To further investigate this question, we retrospectively analyzed the data from a consecutive cohort of patients treated with either bortezomib or thalidomide-based therapy. METHODS This retrospective study was carried out on a cohort of 1125 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, from January 2008 to December 2019. Patients received bortezomib or thalidomide-based induction and maintenance therapy. Patients accepted hematopoietic stem cell transplantation if eligible. Statistical analysis was conducted by Stata/MP 16.0 and SPSS 26.0. RESULTS With age increasing, the proportion of patients with ISS 3, performance status score ≥2, and the incidence rate of gain(1q) significantly increased. We also found that ISS became less important in older patients. However, cytogenetic abnormalities exerted a consistently adverse impact on survival, both in young and old patients. Older patients had an inferior outcome than their young counterparts. All patients in our cohort benefitted more from bortezomib than thalidomide-based induction therapy, except for patients ≥71 years old. CONCLUSIONS ISS may lose prognostic value in patients ≥71 years old. Older patients had an inferior outcome and needed more effective and less toxic treatment.Plain Language SummaryMultiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer commonly seen in older people. To treat this disease, genetic abnormality, the poor physical status of patients and the abundance of tumor cells are the main difficulties. We often draw these conclusions from clinical trials. However, clinical trials always enrolled relatively younger patients, so the presence and significance of these factors may vary from clinical trials to the real world. We conducted the study to find out the real risk in both young and old patients. We found that older patients were more likely to have anemia, poor nutritional status and renal function. We also found older patients had more risk of relapse, progression or death than young patients. Frail physical status is the key obstacle to treating older patients, and tumor burden no longer impacts the outcome of these people. Bortezomib is a powerful drug to treat this disease, but patients ≥71 years old had less benefit than younger ones. More studies should focus on older or frail patients as these patients need more effective and less toxic treatment.
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10.
Strategies to improve the mass transfer in the CO2 capture process using immobilized carbonic anhydrase.
Zhu, X, Du, C, Gao, B, He, B
Journal of environmental management. 2023;:117370
Abstract
High carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere urgently requires eco-friendly mitigation strategies. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a high-quality enzyme protein, available from a wide range of sources, which has an extremely high catalytic efficiency for the hydration of CO2 compared with other catalytic CO2 conversion systems. While free CA is costly and weakly stable, CA immobilization can significantly improve its stability and allow enzyme recycling. However, gaseous CO2 is significantly different from traditional liquid substrates. Additionally, due to the presence of enzyme carriers, there is limited mass transfer between CO2 and the active center of immobilized CA. Most of the available reviews provide an overview of the improvement in catalytic activity and stability of CA by different immobilization methods and substrates. However, they do not address the limited mass transfer between CO2 and the active center of immobilized CA. Therefore, by focusing on the mass transfer process, this review presents CA immobilization strategies that are more efficient and of greater environmental tolerance by categorizing the methods of enhancing the mass transfer process at each stage of the enzymatic CO2 capture reaction. Such improvements in this green and environmentally friendly biological carbon capture process can increase its efficiency for industrial applications.