Repair of peripheral nerve defects with chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with neurotrophic factors-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with brain-derived neurotrophic fac- tor-transfected or ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to repair sciatic nerve injury better than chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts alone, or chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. We hypothesized that these allografts compounded with both brain-derived neurotrophic factor- and ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells may demonstrate even better effects in the repair of peripheral nerve injury. We cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells expressing brain-derived neuro- trophic factor and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor and used them to treat sciatic nerve injury in rats. We observed an increase in sciatic functional index, triceps wet weight recovery rate, myelin thickness, number of myelinated nerve fibers, amplitude of motor-evoked potentials and nerve conduction velocity, and a shortened latency of motor-evoked potentials when al- lografts loaded with both neurotrophic factors were used, compared with allografts loaded with just one factor. Thus, the combination of both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cili- ary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can greatly improve nerve injury.

Chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with ciliary neurotrophic factor promotes sciatic nerve repair

A chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft can reduce postoperative immune rejection, similar to an autologous nerve graft, and can guide neural regeneration. However, it remains poorly understood whether a chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with neurotrophic factors provides a good local environment for neural regeneration. This study investigated the repair of injured rat sciatic nerve using a chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with ciliary neurotrophic factor. An autologous nerve anastomosis group and a chemical acellular allogeneic nerve bridging group were prepared as controls. At 8 weeks after repair, sciatic functional index, evoked potential amplitude of the soleus muscle, triceps wet weight recovery rate, total number of myelinated nerve fibers and myelin sheath thickness were measured. For these indices, values in the three groups showed the autologous nerve anastomosis group 〉 chemically extracted acellular nerve graft ＋ ciliary neurotrophic factor group 〉 chemical acellular allogeneic nerve bridging group. These results suggest that chemically extracted acellular nerve grafts combined with ciliary neurotrophic factor can repair sciatic nerve defects, and that this repair is inferior to autologous nerve anastomosis, but superior to chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve bridging alone.

Chemical Extraction Preparation of Delithiated Cathode Materials of Li-ion Battery

A method of conventional chemical reaction to prepare delithiated cathode materials of Li-ion battery was introduced. The cathode material of Li-ion battery was mixed with oxidizing agent Na2S2O8 in water solution, and the solution was stirred continuously to make the chemical reaction proceed sufficiently, then the reaction product was filtered and finally the insoluble delithiated cathode material was obtained. A series of tests were conducted to verify the composition, crystal structure and electrochemical property of the delithiated cathode materials were all desirable. This method overcomes the shortcomings of battery charging preparation and chemical extraction preparation employing other oxidizing agents.

Influence of Solvent onto Chemical Extraction of America-Type Coconut (Coco nucifera L.) Fbers: Analysis of Physicochemical, Mechanical and Morphological Properties

In this study, the natural fibers from Coconuts of the species Coco nucifera L. were Chemically extracted in different solvents such as sodium hydroxide (SH), acetone (AC) and sodium hydroxide-acetone (SHA) for their applications in the textile industries. Structural, morphological and physico-mechanical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanned electron microscopy (SEM), measurements of density, Young’s modulus, water absorption rate and humidity were evaluated. The XRD and FTIR results show that Coco nucifera L. fibers contains type I cellulose. Mechanical characterizations were also carried out. These results show that by varying the different solvents used, the physico-chemical, mechanical and morphological properties of the fibers change, which implies that the solvent has an influence on the properties of these fibers. The fibers extracted by the sodium hydroxide-acetone mixture have a linear density of 1.636, the percentage of water absorption is 62.428%, the percentage of moisture absorption 9.605% compared to other values in the literature shows that this solvent mixture improves the properties of coconut fibers which contain type I cellulose. The tensile stress is 0.013 GPa, the percentage strain is 49.836% and the Young’s modulus is 0.114 GPa as well as the percentage elongation show that these fibers are elasto-plastic. The values obtained mean that these fibers are suitable for use in textiles.

Arsenic removal from contaminated soil using phosphoric acid and phosphate

Laboratory batch experiments were conducted to study arsenic （As） removal from a naturally contaminated soil using phosphoric acid （H3PO4） and potassium dihydrogen phosphate （KHEPO4）. Both H3PO4 and KHEPO4 proved to reduce toxicity of the soil in terms of soil As content, attaining more than 20% As removal at a concentration of 200 mmol/L. At the same time, acidification of soil and dissolution of soil components （Ca, Mg, and Si） resulted from using these two extractants, especially H3PO4. The effectiveness of these two extractants could be attributed to the replacement of As by phosphate ions （PO4^3-）. The function of H3PO4 as an acid to dissolve soil components had little effects on As removal. KH2PO4 almost removed as much As as H3PO4, but it did not result in serious damage to soils, indicating that it was a more promising extractant. The results of a kinetic study showed that As removal reached equilibrium after incubation for 360 rain, but dissolution of soil components, especially Mg and Ca, was very rapid. Therefore dissolution of soil components would be inevitable if As was further removed. Elovich model best described the kinetic data of As removal among the four models used in the kinetic study.

Acellular allogeneic nerve grafting combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for the repair of long-segment sciatic nerve defects:biomechanics and validation of mathematical models

We hypothesized that a chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft used in combination with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation would be an effective treatment for long-segment sciatic nerve defects.To test this,we established rabbit models of 30 mm sciatic nerve defects,and treated them using either an autograft or a chemically decellularized allogeneic nerve graft with or without simultaneous transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.We compared the tensile properties,electrophysiological function and morphology of the damaged nerve in each group.Sciatic nerves repaired by the allogeneic nerve graft combined with stem cell transplantation showed better recovery than those repaired by the acellular allogeneic nerve graft alone,and produced similar results to those observed with the autograft.These findings confirm that a chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells is an effective method of repairing long-segment sciatic nerve defects.

Tissue-engineered rhesus monkey nerve grafts for the repair of long ulnar nerve defects:similar outcomes to autologous nerve grafts

Acellular nerve allografts can help preserve normal nerve structure and extracellular matrix composition. These allografts have low immunogenicity and are more readily available than autologous nerves for the repair of long-segment peripheral nerve defects. In this study, we repaired a 40-mm ulnar nerve defect in rhesus monkeys with tissue-engineered peripheral nerve, and compared the outcome with that of autograft. The graft was prepared using a chemical extract from adult rhesus monkeys and seeded with allogeneic Schwann cells. Pathomo- rphology, electromyogram and immunohistochemistry findings revealed the absence of palmar erosion or ulcers, and that the morphology and elasticity of the hypothenar eminence were normal 5 months postoperatively. There were no significant differences in the mean peak compound muscle action potential, the mean nerve conduction velocity, or the number of neurofilaments between the experimental and control groups. However, outcome was significantly better in the experimental group than in the blank group. These findings suggest that chemically extracted allogeneic nerve seeded with autologous Schwann cells can repair 40-mm ulnar nerve defects in the rhesus monkey. The outcomes are similar to those obtained with autologous nerve graft.

TiO2 nanoparticles in aquatic environments:impact on heavy metals distribution in sediments and overlying water

The extensive application of TiO_(2)nanoparticles(NPs)highlights the importance of investigating their influence on aquatic systems.In this work,the effect of TiO_(2)NPs on heavy metals speciation was studied on a lab scale.For this goal,a series of aquaria containing water,sediment,and TiO_(2)NPs with various concentrations were set up.The study results revealed that TiO_(2)NPs caused(copper)Cu,(mercury)Hg,(titanium)Ti,and(zinc)Zn to be adsorbed by sediments in the forms of exchangeable and Fe-Mn species.According to measurements,30μg/L of TiO_(2)NPs made Cu,Hg,Ti and Zn concentration in the water column decreased from 33,1.14,20,and 32 to 4,0.58,3,and 22.3μg/L,respectively.Manganese(Mn)was also adsorbed by sediment,and in all experiments,its concentration in the water column reduced from 44 to about 20μg/L.Due to the photocatalytic capacity of TiO_(2)NPs,arsenic(As)concentration in the water column increased from 0 to 8.7μg/L with the introduction of30μg/L of TiO_(2)NPs.The sequential extraction results showed that in all experiments,concentrations of lead(Pb),nickel(Ni),and cobalt(Co)remained constant in different chemical species of sediment,which meant conservative behavior of them in presence of TiO_(2)NPs.In addition,a remarkable change was observed in water quality parameters such as ORP,TDS,TOC,BOD,NO3’and PO_(4)after the introduction of TiO_(2)NPs to aquaria.The reason behind these changes could be related to the decomposition of sediment organic content by TiO_(2)NPs.

Mercury Speciation of Flue Gas Desulphurization By-Products in Coal-Fired Power Plants in China

The aim of this study was to develop and examine the morphology and distribution of mercury (Hg) in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) by-product. Mercury in the coal of coal-fired power plants is concentrated in the by-products of desulfurization process, and it is widely used as an additive in cement, building materials and other industries. Due to the different stability of various forms of mercury in the environment, subsequent use of products containing desulfurization by-product additives will continue to be released into the environment, endangering human health. Therefore, it is very necessary to study the form and distribution of mercury in the by-products of desulfurization in coal-fired power plants to provide a theoretical basis for subsequent harmless treatment. For content and morphology of mercury analysis, 1 sample of dry FGD ash and 6 samples of wet FGD gypsum were analyzed. The total 7 samples were extracted using a modification of sequential chemical extractions (SCE) method, which was employed for the partitioning Hg into four fractions: water soluble, acid soluble, H2O2 soluble, and residual. The Hg analysis was done with United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) method 7471B. Comparing with the wet FGD gypsums of coal-fired boilers, the total Hg content in the dry FGD by-product was as high as 1.22 mg/kg, while the total Hg content in the FGD gypsum is 0.23 - 0.74 mg/kg, which was 2 times over the wet FGD gypsum. The concentration of water soluble Hg in the dry FGD by-product was the highest amount (0.72 mg/kg), accounting for 59.02% of the total mercury. While residual Hg content was 0.16 mg/kg, only about 13.11% of the total mercury. Mercury content in FGD gypsum was expressed in the form of ρ (residual Hg) > ρ (H2O2 soluble Hg) > ρ (water soluble Hg) > ρ (acid soluble Hg). The morphology and distribution of mercury in FGD by-products is supposed to be analyzed before utilization, and the impact of mercury on the environment should be considered.

Fate of mercury in flue gas desulfurization gypsum determined by Temperature Programmed Decomposition and Sequential Chemical Extraction

A considerable amount of Hg is retained in flue gas desulfurization（FGD） gypsum from Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization（WFGD） systems. For this reason, it is important to determine the species of Hg in FGD gypsum not only to understand the mechanism of Hg removal by WFGD systems but also to determine the final fate of Hg when FGD gypsum is disposed. In this study, Temperature Programmed Decomposition（TPD） and Sequential Chemical Extraction（SCE） were applied to FGD gypsum to identify the Hg species in it. The FGD gypsum samples were collected from seven coal-fired power plants in China, with Hg concentrations ranging from 0.19 to 3.27 μg/g. A series of pure Hg compounds were used as reference materials in TPD experiments and the results revealed that the decomposition temperatures of different Hg compounds increase in the order of Hg_2Cl_2〈 HgCl_2〈 black HgS 〈 Hg_2SO_4〈 red HgS 〈 HgO 〈 HgSO_4. The Hg compounds existing in FGD gypsums identified by TPD included HgCl_2, Hg_2Cl_2, Hg_2SO_4, black HgS and red HgS, of which mercury sulfides were the primary compounds. The results of SCE indicated that Hg was mainly distributed in the strongly complexed phase. The low Hg content in FGD gypsum increases the ambiguity of assigning extraction fractions to certain Hg species by SCE. The fact that the primary compounds in FGD gypsum are HgS phases leads the leaching of Hg in the natural environment to be quite low, but a considerable amount of Hg may be released during the industrial heating process.

PARTIAL RECONSTITUTION OF BOTANICAL EXTRACT PG102 BY COMBINING CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS KNOWN TO BE PRESENT IN ACTINIDIA ARGUTA: IMPLICATIONS FOR QC OF PHYTOMEDICINES

One of the most important factors limiting the success of plant-derived therapeutics is that these products are generally a mixture containing many different molecules.The compounds responsible for bioactivities and/or clinical effects are also not yet identified.To overcome this hurdle,we investigated whether we can reconstitute bioactivities

Potential bioavailability of mercury in humus-coated clay minerals

It is well-known that both clay and organic matter in soils play a key role in mercury biogeochemistry, while their combined effect is less studied. In this study, kaolinite,vermiculite, and montmorillonite were coated or not with humus, and spiked with inorganic mercury（IHg） or methylmercury（Me Hg）. The potential bioavailability of mercury to plants or deposit-feeders was assessed by CaCl2 or bovine serum albumin（BSA） extraction. For uncoated clay, IHg or Me Hg extraction was generally lower in montmorillonite, due to its greater number of functional groups. Humus coating increased partitioning of IHg（0.5%–13.7%） and Me Hg（0.8%–52.9%） in clay, because clay-sorbed humus provided more strong binding sites for mercury. Furthermore, humus coating led to a decrease in IHg（3.0%–59.8% for CaCl2 and 2.1%–5.0% for BSA） and Me Hg（8.9%–74.6% for CaCl2 and 0.5%–8.2% for BSA）extraction, due to strong binding between mercury and clay-sorbed humus. Among various humus-coated clay particles, mercury extraction by CaCl2（mainly through cation exchange）was lowest in humus-coated vermiculite, explained by the strong binding between humus and vermiculite. The inhibitory effect of humus on mercury bioavailability was also evidenced by the negative relationship between mercury extraction by CaCl2 and mercury in the organo-complexed fraction. In contrast, extraction of mercury by BSA（principally through complexation） was lowest in humus-coated montmorillonite. This was because BSA itself could be extensively sorbed onto montmorillonite. Results suggested that humus-coated clay could substantially decrease the potential bioavailability of mercury in soils, which should be considered when assessing risk in mercury-contaminated soils.

Extraction of Aminobenzoic Acid with TOA and TBP

A series of extraction equilibrium experiments for aminobenzoic acid were carried out. Tri n octylamine (TOA) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) were selected as complexing agents. 1 Octanol and kerosene were selected as diluents. The effects of extractant concentration and pH on the distribution ratio were discussed in detail. It was found that there are ion pair association and hydrogen bond complexing in the extraction. Expressions of the equilibrium distribution for different solvent systems are proposed. The precision of the models is satisfactoy.