New Way of Removing Hydrogen Sulfide at a High Temperature: Microwave Desulfurization Using an Iron-Based Sorbent Supported on Active Coke

Microwave was applied to the high-temperature removal of H₂S by a Fe-based sorbent supported on active coke (Fe₂O₃/AC). The influence of the loading content, adsorption temperature, and desulfurization way on the sulfidation properties of sorbents was investigated. N₂ adsorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to characterize the structure of sorbents before and after desulfurization. The results reveal that the microwave sulfidation performs best at 600 °C, while a further increase of the temperature leads to a lower sulfur capacity and utilization rate of Fe₂O₃ as a result of the pore structure deteriorating sorbents. The Boltzmann function is suitable for describing the H₂S evolution behavior of the Fe₂O₃/AC sorbent bed. Several advantages of microwave sulfidation over the conventional way are as follows: much better performance of Fe₂O₃/AC sorbents, less decline in surface area and pore volume per unit sulfur capacity when removing H₂S at 400, 500, and 600 °C, and more S^2– and oxygen vacancy species on the surface of used desulfurizers. In comparison to conventional desulfurization, there is no notable decrease in the apparent activation energy of the overall sulfidation reaction by the microwave way. The enhancement of the desulfurization rate may be due to quicker ion diffusions and/or better mass transfer under microwave conditions

Gender-specific association of the rs6499640 polymorphism in the FTO gene with plasma lipid levels in Chinese children

<div><p>Abstract The fat mass- and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is significantly associated with obesity, but the associations of FTO with obesity-related traits are not fully described. We aimed to investigate the association of the FTO single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6499640 with lipid levels in Chinese children. A total of 3503 children aged 6-18 years were included in the present study. Lipid levels were analyzed and the SNP rs6499640 was genotyped using the TaqMan Allelic Discrimination Assay. Statistically significant associations were found between rs6499640 and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p = 0.008), total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.005), and triglycerides (TG) (p < 0.001) in girls under a dominant model adjusted for age and BMI. No statistical significance was found between the SNP and lipid levels in boys. We demonstrated for the first time that the SNP rs6499640 in FTO is associated with LDL-C, TC, and TG in Chinese girls. Our study identified a new risk locus for lipid levels in children.</p></div

Supplemental Table 4. Estimated increments in each lipid levels (z-score) per 1 standard deviation of BMI, FMI, and FMP in boys and girls by age group

The associations of BMI, and FMI with TC and LDL-C were stronger in the older (boys ≥ 11 y, girls ≥ 10 y) than in the younger age group (boys < 11 y, girls < 10 y) (<i>P</i> for interaction<i> </i>< 0.05). The differences between increments per 1 SD of FMI and BMI for lipid profiles (except for HDL-C) in older boys were greater than in younger boys

Supplemental Figure 1. Association of age with median of body mass index, fat mass index and fat mass percentage by sex in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6 - 18y

<p>Blue lines denote boys, red lines denote girls. Body mass index by sex present in left vertical axis (A, B, dotted lines), fat mass index (A, solid lines) and fat mass percentage (B, solid lines) by sex present in right vertical axis. BMI, body mass index; FMI, fat mass index; FMP, fat mass percentage.</p><p> BMI increased with age for both genders. FMI constantly increased during 6-18 y for girls, while increased until about 11 y and decreased after that for boys. FMP did not change dramatically before 10-11 y for both genders, after that, FMP increased for girls but decreased for boys.</p

Supplemental Table 2. Lipid levels and the prevalence of specific abnormal lipid profiles by FMI and FMP categories

<a>For FMI or FMP categories,</a> significant differences of lipid profiles were also observed between youth with and without excess fat (<i>P </i>< 0.01)

Supplemental Table 1. Lipid levels and the prevalence of specific abnormal lipid profiles by BMI categories

For BMI categories, compared with non-<a></a><a>overweight youth</a>, youth with overweight (including obesity) had a higher TC, TG and LDL, lower HDL levels, and higher prevalence of each specific abnormal lipid (<i>P </i>< 0.01)

Supplemental Table 3. Estimated increments in each lipid levels (z-score) per 1 standard deviation of BMI, FMI, and FMP from simultaneous linear regression models in boys and girls

After mutual adjustment, beta coefficients of BMI with TC, LDL-C, and TG, FMI with HDL were substantial reversed or attenuated in both genders

Table_1_The changes and its significance of peripheral blood NK cells in patients with tuberculous meningitis.DOCX

ObjectiveTuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form of tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the number of natural killer (NK) cells and adaptive immune status, and disease severity in TBM patients.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study on 244 TB patients and 146 healthy control subjects in the 8th Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from March 2018 and August 2023.ResultsThe absolute count of NK cells in the peripheral blood of TBM patients was significantly lower than that in normal controls (NC), latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and non-severe TB (NSTB) patients (p  0.05). The absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets in TBM combined with other active TB group, etiology (+) group, IGRA (−) group, and antibody (+) group were lower than that in simple TBM group, etiology (−) group, IGRA (+) group, and antibody (−) group, respectively. The CD3+ T, NK, and B cells in BMRC-stage III TBM patients were significantly lower than those in stage I and stage II patients (p + T, CD4+ T, and B cells in the etiology (+) group were significantly lower than those in the etiology (−) group (p ConclusionThe absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of TBM patients were significantly decreased, especially in NK cells. The reduction of these immune cells was closely related to the disease severity and had a certain correlation with cellular and humoral immune responses. This study helps to better understand the immune mechanism of TBM and provides reliable indicators for evaluating the immune status of TBM patients in clinical practice.</p

Age- and Sex-Dependent Association between <i>FTO</i> rs9939609 and Obesity-Related Traits in Chinese Children and Adolescents

<div><p>Background</p><p>The associations between common variants in the fat mass- and obesity-associated (<i>FTO</i>) gene and obesity-related traits may be age-dependent and may differ by sex. The present study aimed to assess the association of <i>FTO</i> rs9939609 with body mass index (BMI) and the risk of obesity from childhood to adolescence, and to determine the age at which the association becomes evident.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Totally 757 obese and 2,746 non-obese Chinese children aged 6–18 years were genotyped for <i>FTO</i> rs9939609. Of these, a young sub-cohort (<i>n</i> = 777) aged 6–11 years was reexamined 6 years later. Obesity was defined using the sex- and age-specific BMI cut-offs recommended by the International Obesity Task Force.</p><p>Results</p><p>The associations of <i>FTO</i> rs9939609 with BMI and obesity did not appear until children reached 12–14 years. The variant was associated with an increased BMI in boys (<i>β = </i>1.50, <i>P = </i>0.004) and girls (<i>β = </i>0.97, <i>P = </i>0.018), respectively. Thereafter, the magnitude of association increased in girls at ages 15–18 years (<i>β = </i>2.02, <i>P</i><0.001), but not boys (<i>β = </i>0.10, <i>P</i>>0.05). Age was found to interact with the variant on BMI (<i>P</i><0.001) and obesity (<i>P</i> = 0.042) only in girls. In the sub-cohort, the associations of <i>FTO</i> rs9939609 with BMI (<i>β = </i>1.07, <i>P = </i>0.008) and obesity (OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.12, 3.91) were only observed 6 years later (ages 12–18 years) in girls, even after adjusting for baseline BMI.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The association between <i>FTO</i> rs9939609 and obesity-related traits may change from childhood to adolescence in Chinese individuals, and the association may start as early as age 12 years, especially in girls.</p></div

Table_2_The changes and its significance of peripheral blood NK cells in patients with tuberculous meningitis.DOCX

ObjectiveTuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form of tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the number of natural killer (NK) cells and adaptive immune status, and disease severity in TBM patients.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study on 244 TB patients and 146 healthy control subjects in the 8th Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from March 2018 and August 2023.ResultsThe absolute count of NK cells in the peripheral blood of TBM patients was significantly lower than that in normal controls (NC), latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and non-severe TB (NSTB) patients (p  0.05). The absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets in TBM combined with other active TB group, etiology (+) group, IGRA (−) group, and antibody (+) group were lower than that in simple TBM group, etiology (−) group, IGRA (+) group, and antibody (−) group, respectively. The CD3+ T, NK, and B cells in BMRC-stage III TBM patients were significantly lower than those in stage I and stage II patients (p + T, CD4+ T, and B cells in the etiology (+) group were significantly lower than those in the etiology (−) group (p ConclusionThe absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of TBM patients were significantly decreased, especially in NK cells. The reduction of these immune cells was closely related to the disease severity and had a certain correlation with cellular and humoral immune responses. This study helps to better understand the immune mechanism of TBM and provides reliable indicators for evaluating the immune status of TBM patients in clinical practice.</p