Direct contact membrane distillation of refining waste stream from precious metal recovery:Chemistry of silica and chromium (III) in membrane scaling

Precious metals, such as platinum group metals (PGMs) with distinct catalytic activity, are widely used as active components in various industrial catalysts. It is, therefore, highly desirable to recover these valuable components from the end-of-life products. We explored treatment of refining wastewater from precious metals recovery using direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The role of various initial pH of refining wastewater on DCMD performance was assessed. Results suggested that hydrochloride acid (HCl) and high-quality water can be reclaimed from the real refining wastewater by adjusting initial pH. Furthermore, DCMD water flux decline was mainly caused by silica and chromium (III) scaling, which was dependent on initial pH of refining wastewater. Silica scaling was responsible for the decrease of DCMD performance when the initial pH of refining wastewater increased from original 0.03 to 5 and 7. Silica oligomers in the concentrated feed with various initial pH were identified using mass spectra. Dichlorotetraaquochromiun was identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet and visible absorbance spectra as the main species contributing to the green colour and scaling on the PTFE membrane surface. Our results suggest that DCMD can be used as a promising and feasible solution for resource recovery from acidic refining waste stream.</p

Effect of quercetin on biochemical parameters in letrozoleinduced polycystic ovary syndrome in rats

Purpose: To investigate the effect of quercetin, a natural flavonoid, on biochemical parameters in letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in ratsMethods: Oral glucose test was performed with the aid of a glucometer. Estradiol, testosterone and steroidogenic enzyme activities were determined using standard protocols. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities were determined by standard methods. Histological analysis was carried out with haematoxylin and eosin (H&amp;E) staining.Results: Quercetin exerted protective effects against PCOS in the rat model by enhancing the levels of antioxidant enzymes, viz, CAT, SOD and GPX. Quercetin also prevented weight gain, and caused significant decline in serum glucose levels in PCOS rats. Furthermore, quercetin normalised estradiol and testosterone levels, as well t steroidogenic enzyme activities, but blocked letrozole-induced abnormalities in PCOS. It also exerted protective effects on the anatomy of the ovaries.Conclusion: These results indicate that quercetin exerts protective effects on letrozole-induced PCOS in rats. Thus, quercetin may be an important lead molecule for the treatment of PCOSKeywords: Letrozole, Quercetin, Polycystic ovary syndrome, Oxidative stress, Steroidogenic enzyme

Pyrosequencing analysis of IRS1 methylation levels in schizophrenia with tardive dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious side effect of certain antipsychotic medications that are used to treat schizophrenia (SCZ) and other mental illnesses. The methylation status of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) gene is reportedly associated with SCZ; however, no study, to the best of the authors\u27 knowledge, has focused on the quantitative DNA methylation levels of the IRS1 gene using pyrosequencing in SCZ with or without TD. The present study aimed to quantify DNA methylation levels of 4 CpG sites in the IRS1 gene using a Chinese sample including SCZ patients with TD and without TD (NTD) and healthy controls (HCs). The general linear model (GLM) was used to detect DNA methylation levels among the 3 proposed groups (TD vs. NTD vs. HC). Mean DNA methylation levels of 4 CpG sites demonstrated normal distribution. Pearson\u27s correlation analysis did not reveal any significant correlations between the DNA methylation levels of the 4 CpG sites and the severity of SCZ. GLM revealed significant differences between the 3 groups for CpG site 1 and the average of the 4 CpG sites (P=0.0001 and P=0.0126, respectively). Furthermore, the TD, NTD and TD + NTD groups demonstrated lower methylation levels in CpG site 1 (P=0.0003,

Quantitative DNA Methylation Analysis of DLGAP2 Gene Using Pyrosequencing in Schizophrenia With Tardive Dyskinesia: A Linear Mixed Model Approach

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a side effect of antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia (SCZ) and other mental health disorders. No study has previously used pyrosequencing to quantify DNA methylation levels of the DLGAP2 gene; while the quantitative methylation levels among CpG sites within a gene may be correlated. To deal with the correlated measures among three CpG sites within the DLGAP2 gene, this study analyzed DNA methylation levels of the DLGAP2 gene using a linear mixed model (LMM) in a Chinese sample consisting of 35 SCZ patients with TD, 35 SCZ without TD (NTD) and 34 healthy controls (HCs) collected in Beijing, China. The initial analysis using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that three groups (TD, NTD and HC) had significant differences in DNA methylation level for CpG site 2 (p = 0.0119). Furthermore, the average methylation levels among the three CpG sites showed strong correlations (all p values \u3c 0.0001). In addition, using the LMM, three groups had significant differences in methylation level (p = 0.0027); while TD, NTD and TD + NTD groups showed higher average methylation levels than the HC group (p = 0.0024, 0.0151, and 0.0007, respectively). In conclusion, the LMM can accommodate a covariance structure. The findings of this study provide first evidence of DNA methylation levels in DLGAP2 associated with SCZ with TD in Chinese population. However, TD just showed borderline significant differences to NTD in this study

Hypertension and Glycemic Control and Associated Factors for Poor Control in Patient Populations at High Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the Community

BackgroundThe low hypertension control rate or low glycemic control rate in people in the community have been attributed to patients&apos; poor disease awareness and irregular medication in some studies. However, few studies have explored hypertension control rate and/or glycemic control rate in patients with good disease awareness and regular medication.ObjectiveTo investigate the adequate hypertension control rate and/or adequate glycemic control rate in hypertension and diabetic patients who are at high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) but have good disease awareness and regular medication, and to explore the reasons for poor control, offering a theoretical basis for better prevention and control of ASCVD.MethodsBy use of cluster sampling, contracted patients with complete data of the China-PAR model who visited 10 community health centers in Shenzhen&apos;s Luohu District from August 2018 to April 2019 were selected, and received an assessment for screening the risk of 10-year ASCVD using the China-PAR model, and those with hypertension and/or diabetes who were at high risk of ASCVD (≥10 points) and volunteered to attend this study were further surveyed using a questionnaire developed by our research group. After that, those who were on regular medication with a good understanding of the threats of hypertension and/or diabetes, and targets for blood pressure control and/or fasting glycemia control, were finally enrolled. The rate of adequate hypertension control was compared between those with hypertension, the rate of adequate glycemic control was compared between those with diabetes, and the rates of adequate hypertension and glycemic control were compared between those with both hypertension and diabetes, by demographcihc factors. Then those who were found with inadequate hypertension and/or glycemic control were selected to attend an in-depth, semi-structured individual interview using a descriptive qualitative research design for understating the causes of inadequate hypertension and/or glycemic control. The contents of the interview were coded and categorized using NVivo 12, and were sorted, analyzed, and themes in which were identified using content analysis.ResultsTotally 299 patients were finally enrolled, including 130 (43.5%) with hypertension, 9 (3.0%) with diabetes, and 160 (53.5%) with both hypertension and diabetes. Among the 290 hypertensive patients, 140 (48.3%) had adequate hypertension control. Among the 169 diabetics, 71 (42.0%) had adequate diabetes control. Among the 130 patients with simple hypertension, those with adequate hypertension control had older mean age than did those without (t&apos;=3.758, P&lt;0.001) . Among the 160 patients with both hypertension and diabetes, those with adequate hypertension control had older mean age than did those without (t&apos;=2.203, P=0.031) . Among the 169 patients with diabetes, those with adequate control of fasting glycemia had lower rate of regular exercising (&#x03C7;2=4.314, P=0.038) and shorter mean duration of diabetes (t=-3.180, P=0.002) , as well as lower mean frequency of blood glucose monitoring (Z=2.228, P=0.026) than did those without. Seven themes emerged from the interview: Patients did not feel compelled to reach the targets, feeling indifferent; Patients gave up after repeated treatments followed by failures to achieve the targets, feeling powerless; Patients took medicines regularly, but had problems in practical medication; Patients were restricted by various realistic factors; Patients were influenced by doctor-related factors, including doctors&apos; irrelevant and ignorant attitudes; Patients had failures due to lack of self-control and unhealthy lifestyles; Other reasons, including unsuccessful medical insurance reimbursement, being afraid of over-control due to previous experiences of too low blood pressure or glucose, etc.ConclusionThe high-risk population of ASCVD who had good disease awareness and took medications regularly still had low hypertension control rate and/or low glycemic control rate. Attention should be specially given to blood pressure levels in young hypertensive patients, and glycemic level in diabetic patients with regular exercising, a long history of diabetes, or frequent blood glucose monitoring. It is necessary to optimize the management of ASCVD in the community by encouraging patients to improve their mindset and change their unhealthy lifestyles, strengthening the promotion of standardized medication use, improving community health services, and improving patients&apos; knowledge, beliefs and behaviors from the biopsychosocial perspective

CSF1R Regulates Schizophrenia-Related Stress Response and Vascular Association of Microglia/Macrophages

BACKGROUND: Microglia are known to regulate stress and anxiety in both humans and animal models. Psychosocial stress is the most common risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. However, how microglia/brain macrophages contribute to schizophrenia is not well established. We hypothesized that effector molecules expressed in microglia/macrophages were involved in schizophrenia via regulating stress susceptibility. METHODS: We recruited a cohort of first episode schizophrenia (FES) patients (n = 51) and age- and sex-paired healthy controls (HCs) (n = 46) with evaluated stress perception. We performed blood RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and brain magnetic resonance imaging, and measured plasma level of colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R). Furthermore, we studied a mouse model of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) combined with a CSF1R inhibitor (CSF1Ri) (n = 9 ~ 10/group) on anxiety behaviours and microglial biology. RESULTS: FES patients showed higher scores of perceived stress scale (PSS, p \u3c 0.05), lower blood CSF1R mRNA (FDR = 0.003) and protein (p \u3c 0.05) levels, and smaller volumes of the superior frontal gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus (both FDR \u3c 0.05) than HCs. In blood RNA-seq, CSF1R-associated differentially expressed blood genes were related to brain development. Importantly, CSF1R facilitated a negative association of the superior frontal gyrus with PSS (p \u3c 0.01) in HCs but not FES patients. In mouse CUS+CSF1Ri model, similarly as CUS, CSF1Ri enhanced anxiety (both p \u3c 0.001). Genes for brain angiogenesis and intensity of CD31 CONCLUSION: Microglial/macrophagic CSF1R regulated schizophrenia-associated stress and brain angiogenesis

Excess Folic Acid Supplementation Before and During Pregnancy and Lactation Activates Fos Gene Expression and Alters Behaviors in Male Mouse Offspring

Periconceptional folic acid (FA) supplementation is recommended to prevent neural tube defects and other birth defects. After 20 years mandate food fortification with FA, serum concentration of folate and unmetabolized FA increased significantly in the North American population. But whether excess FA intake impairs neurodevelopment and behavior is still controversial. Here, we treated mice with approximately 2.5-fold (moderate dose of FA, MFA) or 10-fold (high dose of FA, HFA) the dietary requirement of FA 1 week before mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation, and examined behaviors in adult male offspring using open field test, three-chamber sociability and social novelty test, elevated plus maze, rotarod and Morris water maze. We found that early life MFA supplementation increased long-term body weight gain in adults, elevated anxiety-like behavior, and impaired social preference, motor learning and spatial learning ability without modifying motor ability and spatial memory. In contrast, HFA supplementation only induced mild behavioral abnormality. RNA sequencing revealed that FA supplementation altered the expression of brain genes at weaning, among which Fos and related genes were significantly up-regulated in MFA mice compared with control and HFA mice. Quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blots confirmed the increase of these genes. Our results suggested that FA supplementation during early life stage affected gene expression in weaning mice, and exhibited long-term impairments in adult behaviors in a dose-sensitive manner

Serum Neuroactive Metabolites of the Tryptophan Pathway in Patients With Acute Phase of Affective Disorders

BACKGROUND: Many studies showed disrupted tryptophan metabolism in patients with affective disorders. The aims of this study were to explore the differences in the metabolites of tryptophan pathway (TP) and the relationships between TP metabolites and clinical symptoms, therapeutic effect in patients with bipolar disorder with acute manic episode (BD-M), depressive episode (BD-D) and major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: Patients with BD-M (n=52) and BD-D (n=39), MDD (n=48) and healthy controls (HCs, n=49) were enrolled. The serum neuroactive metabolites levels of the TP were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item (HAMD-17) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were used to evaluate depressive and manic symptoms at baseline and after 8 weeks of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, some also received antipsychotic medication. RESULTS: The levels of tryptophan (TRP) and kynurenic acid (KYNA) were significantly lower and the ratios of tryptophan/kynurenine (TRP/KYN), 5-hydroxytryptamine/tryptophan (5-HT/TRP), quinolinic acid/kynurenic acid (QUIN/KYNA) were higher in BD-M, BD-D, MDD vs. HC. The levels of QUIN and the ratios of QUIN/KYNA were higher in BD-M than in BD-D, MDD, and HCs. The 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels of patients with MDD were significantly higher than those in BD-M and BD-D. Binary logistic regression analysis showed the lower peripheral KYNA, the higher the QUIN level, and the higher the risk of BD-M; the lower peripheral KYNA and the higher KYN/TRP and 5-HT/TRP, the higher the risk of BD-D; and the lower the peripheral KYNA level and the higher the KYN/TRP and 5-HT/TRP, the higher the risk of MDD. Correlation analysis, showing a significant association between tryptophan metabolites and improvement of clinical symptoms, especially depression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with affective disorders had abnormal tryptophan metabolism, which involved in 5-HT and kynurenine pathway (KP) sub-pathway. Tryptophan metabolites might be potential biomarkers for affective disorders and some metabolites have been associated with remission of depressive symptoms

QCR7 affects the virulence of Candida albicans and the uptake of multiple carbon sources present in different host niches

BackgroundCandida albicans is a commensal yeast that may cause life-threatening infections. Studies have shown that the cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 7 gene (QCR7) of C. albicans encodes a protein that forms a component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain complex III, making it an important target for studying the virulence of this yeast. However, to the best of our knowledge, the functions of QCR7 have not yet been characterized.MethodsA QCR7 knockout strain was constructed using SN152, and BALb/c mice were used as model animals to determine the role of QCR7 in the virulence of C. albicans. Subsequently, the effects of QCR7 on mitochondrial functions and use of carbon sources were investigated. Next, its mutant biofilm formation and hyphal growth maintenance were compared with those of the wild type. Furthermore, the transcriptome of the qcr7Δ/Δ mutant was compared with that of the WT strain to explore pathogenic mechanisms.ResultsDefective QCR7 reduced recruitment of inflammatory cells and attenuated the virulence of C. albicans infection in vivo. Furthermore, the mutant influenced the use of multiple alternative carbon sources that exist in several host niches (GlcNAc, lactic acid, and amino acid, etc.). Moreover, it led to mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, the QCR7 knockout strain showed defects in biofilm formation or the maintenance of filamentous growth. The overexpression of cell-surface-associated genes (HWP1, YWP1, XOG1, and SAP6) can restore defective virulence phenotypes and the carbon-source utilization of qcr7Δ/Δ.ConclusionThis study provides new insights into the mitochondria-based metabolism of C. albicans, accounting for its virulence and the use of variable carbon sources that promote C. albicans to colonize host niches