Photochemical transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid precursors in water using engineered nanomaterials

The production of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) has been phased out over recent decades; however, no significant decline in their environmental concentrations has been observed. This is partly due to the photochemical decomposition of PFAAs precursors (PrePFAAs) which remain in extensive use. The decomposition of PrePFAAs may be accelerated by the light-activated engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in water. In light of this hypothesis, we investigated the photochemical transformation of three PrePFAAs, which are 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (8:2 FTSA), 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (8:2 FTOH), and 2-(N-ethylperfluorooctane-1-sulfonamido ethyl] phosphate (SAmPAP), in the presence of six ENMs under simulated sunlight irradiation. The transformation rates of 8:2 FTSA and 8:2 FTOH were increased by 2–6 times when in the presence of six ENMs. However, most of ENMs appeared to inhibit the decomposition of SAmPAP. The transformation rates of PrePFAAs were found to depend on the yield of reactive oxygen species generated by ENMs, but the rates were also related to compound photo-stability, adsorption to surfaces, and photo-shielding effects. The PrePFAAs are transformed to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or/and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) with higher toxicity and longer half-life, PFOA or PFOS and a few PFAAs having shorter carbon chain lengths. Higher concentrations of the PFAAs photodegradation products were observed in the presence of most of the ENMs

The ROS/NF-κB/NR4A2 Pathway is Involved in H\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Induced Apoptosis of Resident Cardiac Stem Cells via Autophagy

Cardiac stem cells (CSCs)-based therapy provides a promising avenue for the management of ischemic heart diseases. However, engrafted CSCs are subjected to acute cell apoptosis in the ischemic microenvironment. Here, stem cell antigen 1 positive (Sca-1+) CSCs proved to own therapy potential were cultured and treated with H2O2 to mimic the ischemia situation. As autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3MA), inhibited H2O2-induced CSCs apoptosis, thus we demonstrated that H2O2 induced autophagy-dependent apoptosis in CSCs, and continued to find key proteins responsible for the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4 Group A Member 2 (NR4A2), increased upon cardiomyocyte injury with unknown functions in CSCs, was increased by H2O2. NR4A2 siRNA attenuated H2O2 induced autophagy and apoptosis in CSCs, which suggested an important role of NR4A2 in CSCs survival in ischemia conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NF- κB (P65) subunit were both increased by H2O2. Either the ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-lcysteine (NAC) or NF-κB signaling inhibitor, bay11-7082 could attenuate H2O2-induced autophagy and apoptosis in CSCs, which suggested they were involved in this process. Furthermore, NAC inhibited NF-κB activities, while bay11-7082 inhibited NR4A2 expression, which revealed a ROS/NF-κB/NR4A2 pathway responsible for H2O2- induced autophagy and apoptosis in CSCs. Our study supports a new clue enhancing the survival rate of CSCs in the infarcted myocardium for cell therapy in ischemic cardiomyopathy

Photochemical transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid precursors in water using engineered nanomaterials

The production of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) has been phased out over recent decades; however, no significant decline in their environmental concentrations has been observed. This is partly due to the photochemical decomposition of PFAAs precursors (PrePFAAs) which remain in extensive use. The decomposition of PrePFAAs may be accelerated by the light-activated engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in water. In light of this hypothesis, we investigated the photochemical transformation of three PrePFAAs, which are 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (8:2 FTSA), 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (8:2 FTOH), and 2-(N-ethylperfluorooctane-1-sulfonamido ethyl] phosphate (SAmPAP), in the presence of six ENMs under simulated sunlight irradiation. The transformation rates of 8:2 FTSA and 8:2 FTOH were increased by 2–6 times when in the presence of six ENMs. However, most of ENMs appeared to inhibit the decomposition of SAmPAP. The transformation rates of PrePFAAs were found to depend on the yield of reactive oxygen species generated by ENMs, but the rates were also related to compound photo-stability, adsorption to surfaces, and photo-shielding effects. The PrePFAAs are transformed to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or/and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) with higher toxicity and longer half-life, PFOA or PFOS and a few PFAAs having shorter carbon chain lengths. Higher concentrations of the PFAAs photodegradation products were observed in the presence of most of the ENMs

Perceived family relationships and social participation through sports of urban older adults living alone: An analysis of the mediating effect of self-respect levels

IntroductionThe perception of good family relationship is an important factor to promote social participation through sports of older adults living alone. This study explores the influence of perceived family relationship on sports sociability and its group differences, and then discusses the mediating effect of self-respect.MethodsBased on the survey data of 2,801 older adults living alone in Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hohhot, and Dalian, the quantitative index of their “activeness in social participation through sports” was constructed. The OLS model, the Ologit model, the instrumental variable method and the mediating effect were used to explore the influence mechanism of perceived family relationships of urban older adults living alone on their sport participation.ResultsThe results demonstrate that: (1) Older adults 's activeness in sport participation in China is generally at a low level; (2) perceived family relationships have an impact on activeness in sport participation, i.e. positive family relationships will increase their activeness in sport participation, and there are evident gender differences in this tendency; (3) there are regional differences in the activeness in SPS among the older adults living alone in urban areas, and perceived family relationships in first-tier and second-tier cities have a more significant impact on their activeness in sport participation; (4) the mediating effect analysis shows that perceived family relationships can indirectly promote urban old adults' activeness in sport participation through the reconstruction of their self-respect, and this is more pronounced in women.DiscussionTherefore, the important role of families cannot be ignored in promoting sport participation of the older adults

Children-related factors associated with life satisfaction of urban older adults living alone in China

IntroductionThe aim of this study is to investigate the association between the number of children, their gender structure, and the gender of children by birth order with the life satisfaction of urban older adults living alone (UOALA) in five Chinese cities. Traditional reproductive views suggest that having more children, especially sons, is associated with higher life satisfaction for older adults.MethodsThis study utilized a cross-sectional design and included a sample of 2,801 UOALA from five Chinese cities. The life satisfaction of participants was measured using standardized questionnaires. To analyze the data, both OLS and OLogit methods were employed.ResultsEmpirical research shows that the number of children has a positive association with life satisfaction of UOALA, which is greater in male older adults than in female ones. The increase in the number of daughters is significantly associated with higher life satisfaction. In terms of gender structure, UOALA with multiple children, including both sons and daughters, tend to have a higher level of life satisfaction, which partly validates the cohort reproductive preference. In terms of gender of children by birth order, UOALA whose first child is a daughter have higher life satisfaction, which is more pronounced among male UOALA, while the association of gender of children by birth order on female UOALA is relatively weak.DiscussionThis study contributes to the understanding of the factors associated with the life satisfaction of UOALA in China. The findings suggest that having more children, particularly daughters, and a balanced gender structure of children is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction. The study suggests the need for targeted social support for UOALA with varying family structures

Selenite Foliar Application Alleviates Arsenic Uptake, Accumulation, Migration and Increases Photosynthesis of Different Upland Rice Varieties

Funding This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41471274, 41807474), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institute (2020-jbkyywf-zsl). Also, the authors would like to thank the support from the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Service Division (RESAS).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Application of a novel phage LPSEYT for biological control of Salmonella in foods

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne diseases, and in recent years, many isolates have exhibited a high level of antibiotic resistance, which has led to huge pressures on public health. Phages are a promising strategy to control food‐borne pathogens. In this study, one of our environmental phage isolates, LPSEYT, was to be able to restrict the growth of zoonotic Salmonella enterica in vitro over a range of multiplicity of infections. Phage LPSEYT exhibited wide‐ranging pH and thermal stability and rapid reproductive activity with a short latent period and a large burst size. Phage LPSEYT demonstrated potential efficiency as a biological control agent against Salmonella in a variety of food matrices, including milk and lettuce. Morphological observation, comparative genomic, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that LPSEYT does not belong to any of the currently identified genera within the Myoviridae family, and we suggest that LPSEYT represents a new genus, the LPSEYTvirus. This study contributes a phage database, develops beneficial phage resources, and sheds light on the potential application value of phages LPSEYT on food safety