Stage-specific treatment of colorectal cancer: A microRNA-nanocomposite approach

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is among the leading causes of cancer mortality.The lifetime risk of developing CRC is about 5%in adult males and females.CRC is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage,and at this point therapy has a limited impact on cure rates and long-term survival.Novel and/or improved CRC therapeutic options are needed.The involvement of microRNAs(miRNAs)in cancer development has been reported,and their regulation in many oncogenic pathways suggests their potent tumor suppressor action.Although miRNAs provide a promising therapeutic approach for cancer,challenges such as biodegradation,specificity,stability and toxicity,impede their progression into clinical trials.Nanotechnology strategies offer diverse advantages for the use of miRNAs for CRC-targeted delivery and therapy.The merits of using nanocarriers for targeted delivery of miRNA-formulations are presented herein to highlight the role they can play in miRNA-based CRC therapy by targeting different stages of the disease.

Synthesis and Characterization of Rectorite/ZnO/TiO2 Composites and Their Properties of Adsorption and Photocatalysis for the Removal of Methylene Blue Dye

As efficient water treatment agents, a novel series of rectorite-based ZnO and TiO_2 hybrid composites(REC/ZnO/TiO_2) were synthesized and characterized in this study. Effects of experimental parameters including TiO_2 mass ratio, solution p H and catalyst dosage on the removal of methyl blue(MB) were also conducted. The presence of a little mass ratio(2%-6%) of TiO_2 highly promoted the photoactivity of REC/ZnO/TiO_2 in removal of MB dye from aqueous solution, in which ZnO and REC played a role of photocatalyst and adsorbent. The promotion effects of TiO_2 may result from the accelerated separation of electron-hole on ZnO. The observed kinetic constant for the degradation of MB over REC/ZnO and REC/ZnO/TiO_2 were 0.015 and 0.038 min^(-1), respectively. The degradation kinetics of MB dye, which followed the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, had a reaction constant of 0.17 mg/(L min). The decrease of removal ratio of MB after five repetitive experiments was small, indicating REC/ZnO/TiO_2 has great potential as an effective and stable catalyst.

Exogenous Peroxidase Mitigates Cadmium Toxicity, Enhances Rhizobial Population and Lowers Root Knot Formation in Rice Seedlings

Soil cadmium (Cd) causes toxicity and oxidative stress, alters biochemical processes and rootknot formation in rice. Irrigation of exogenous peroxidase (POX) together with its co-substrate H2O2(POXRice + H2O2), is likely to have protective effect upon the biochemical and nodular changes in ricegrown in Cd-rich soil. Exposure to Cd concentration of 1.00 mg/L increased oxidative stress, loss of cellviability, electrolyte leakage and root knot formation, whereas it significantly lowered the chlorophyll leveland rhizobium growth in rice. Irrigation of exogenous POXRice + H2O2 to Cd-stressed rice seedlingsreversed the Cd-induced alterations in rice to levels similar in control (non-stressed) seedlings. Resultsprovided strong evidence of exogenous POXRice + H2O2-mediated reversal and restoration of physiologicaland biochemical processes as well as increased resistance of rice seedlings to root knot formation.Irrigation with POXRice + H2O2 appeared to contribute towards bringing normoxic conditions in the otherwisehypoxic soil environment by enhancing the O2 in pot-experiments due to reduced Cd uptake, enhancedmineral homeostasis of essential elements viz. P, Fe, Mo, Mg and Mn for maintenance of root architecturedamaged by lipid peroxidation and reduction in oxidative stress by reducing Cd-induced reactive oxygenspecies generation. Therefore, the mitigation of Cd-toxicity in rice through this novel approach appeared tobe a promising mode to limit Cd-uptake, modulate protective and tolerance mechanisms for sustainablerice yield in Cd-contaminated rice-croplands and prevent nematode attack in rice, however, more detailedstudies are needed prior to large scale applications.

Probing the degradation of pharmaceuticals in urine using MFC and studying their removal efficiency by UPLC-MS/MS

Nutrient recovery from source-separated human urine has attracted interest as it is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus that can be utilized as fertilizer.However,urine also contains pharmaceuticals,steroid hormones,etc.and their removal is crucial as they have detrimental effects on the environment and human health.The current study focuses on investigating the degradation of pharmaceuticals using a double-chamber microbial fuel cell(MFC).Urine was spiked with four pharmaceuticals(trimethoprim,lamivudine,levofloxacin,and estrone)at a concentration of 2 mg/mL.The MFC was operated for 7 months in batch mode with this spiked urine as feed.The degradation efficiency of the MFC was studied,for which a selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometric method was developed for the quantitation of compounds used in the spiking experiments and was validated with a lower limit of quantification of 0.39 ng/mL.The maximum removal rate achieved was 96%±2%.The degradation mechanism involved processes like sorption and anoxic biodegradation.The voltage curve obtained showed that the presence of pharmaceuticals had an initial negative impact on power generation along with increased organic content;however,after the reactor acclimatization,increased power output was achieved with maximum organics removal at 30 h of retention time.This work opens a new perspective for the anoxic biodegradation of pharmaceuticals and can be useful in future bioremediation studies.

Identification and characterization of integron mediated antibiotic resistance in pentachlorophenol degrading bacterium isolated from the chemostat

A bacterial consortium was developed by continuous enrichment of microbial population isolated from sediment core of pulp and paper mill effluent in mineral salts medium(MSM) supplemented with pentachlorophenol(PCP) as sole source of carbon and energy in the chemostat.The consortia contained three bacterial strains.They were identified as Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter sp.by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.Acinetobacter sp.readily degraded PCP through the formation of tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone(TecH),2-chloro-1,4-benzenediol and products of ortho ring cleavage detected by gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer(GC-MS).Out of the three acclimated PCP degrading bacterial strains only one strain,Acinetobacter sp.showed the presence of integron gene cassette as a marker of its stability and antibiotic resistance.The strain possessed a 4.17 kb amplicon with 22 ORF's.The plasmid isolated from the Acinetobacter sp.was subjected to shotgun cloning through restriction digestion by BamHI,HindIII and SalI,ligated to pUC19 vector and transformed into E.coli XLBlue1α,and finally selected on MSM containing PCP as sole source of carbon and energy with ampicillin as antibiotic marker.DNA sequence analysis of recombinant clones indicated homology with integron gene cassette and multiple antibiotic resistance genes.

Evaluation of phenanthrene removal from soil washing effluent by activated carbon adsorption using response surface methodology

Soil washing is a promising technology for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAH)-contaminated sites,but surfactant needs to be recovered to reduce remediation cost and avoid secondary pollution.In this study,activated carbon(AC),prepared from waste walnut shells,was applied to the adsorptive removal of phenanthrene(PHE)from synthetic soil washing effluent with Tween 80 as a model surfactant.Box-Behnken statistical experiment design(BBD)and response surface methodology(RSM)were used to investigate the influence of AC dosage,Tween 80 concentration and adsorption time,and their potential interaction effect on PHE removal.A response surface model was established based on the BBD experimental results.The goodness of fit of the model was confirmed by determination coefficient,coefficient of variation(CV)and residuals analysis.The RSM model indicates that AC dosage or adsorption time had positive effect on PHE removal while Tween 80 concentration had negative effect.The interaction effect between AC dosage and Tween 80 concentration was significant but the other two interaction effects were not.The 3D response surface plots were developed based on the RSM equation.The RSM model was validated by an additional experiment and the obtained result of PHE removal was very close to the model prediction,indicating the RSM model can effectively predict the PHE removal from soil washing effluent with activated carbon adsorption.

Double Z-Scheme g-C_(3)N_(4)/BiOI/CdS heterojunction with I_(3)^(-)/I^(-) pairs for enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance

The g-C_(3)N_(4)/BiOI/CdS double Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst with I_(3)^(-)/I^(-) redox pairs is prepared using simple calcination,solvothermal,and solution chemical deposition methods.The photocatalyst comprised mesoporous,thin g-C_(3)N_(4) nanosheets loaded on flower-like microspheres of BiOI with CdS quantum dots.The g-C_(3)N_(4)/BiOI/CdS double Z-scheme heterojunction has abundant active sites and in situ redox I_(3)^(-)/I^(-) mediators and shows quantum size effects,which are all conducive to enhancing the separation of photoinduced charges and increasing the photocatalytic degradation efficiency for bisphenol A,a model pollutant.Specifically,the heterojunction photocatalyst achieves a photocatalytic degradation efficiency for bisphenol A of 98.62%in 120 min and photocatalytic hydrogen production of 863.44 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) on exposure to visible light.The excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance is as a result of the Z-scheme heterojunction,which extends absorption to the visible light region,as well as the I_(3)^(-)/I^(-) pairs,which accelerate photoinduced charge carrier transfer and separation,thus dramatically boosting the photocatalytic performance.In addition,the key role of the charge transfer across the indirect Z-scheme heterojunction has been elucidated and the transfer mechanism is confirmed based on the detection of intermediate I_(3)^(-)ions.Thus,this study provides guidelines for the design of indirect Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts.

Advanced biomass materials: progress in the applications for energy, environmental, and emerging fields

The world is currently grappling with many crises,including climate change,environmental pollution,resource scarcity,and rampant resource consumption.To address these issues,it is necessary to seek solutions that are low-carbon,environmentally friendly,and cost-effective.One promising avenue for addressing these challenges is through the use of biomass-based materials,which have many unique advantages,including renewability,biodegradability,and abundance.

3D-printed mechanically strong and extreme environment adaptable boron nitride/cellulose nanofluidic macrofibers

Fibrous nanofluidic materials are ideal building blocks for implantable electrode,biomimetic actuator,wearable electronics due to their favorable features of intrinsic flexibility and unidirectional ion transport.However,the large-scale preparation of fibrous nanofluidic materials with desirable mechanical strength and good environment adaptability for practical use remains challenging.Herein,by fully taking advantage of the attractive mechanical,structural,chemical features of boron nitride(BN)nanosheet and nanofibrillated cellulose(NFC),a scalable and cost-effective three-dimensional(3D)printed macrofiber featuring abundant vertically aligned nanofluidic channels is demonstrated to exhibit a good combination of high tensile strength of 100 MPa,thermal stability of up to 230℃,ionic conductivity of 1.8×10^(−4)S/cm at low salt concentrations(<10^(−3)M).In addition,the versatile surface chemistry of cellulose allows us to stabilize the macrofiber at the molecular level via a facile postcross-linking method,which eventually enables the stable operation of the modified macrofiber in various extreme environments such as strong acidic,strong alkaline,high temperature.We believe this work implies a promising guideline for designing and manufacturing fibrous nanodevices towards extreme environment operations.

Ultrasound enhanced heterogeneous activation of peroxydisulfate by bimetallic Fe-Co/GAC catalyst for the degradation of Acid Orange 7 in water

Bimetallic Fe-Co/GAC(granular activated carbon) was prepared and used as heterogeneous catalyst in the ultrasound enhanced heterogeneous activation of peroxydisulfate(PS, S2O2-8) process. The effect of initial pH, PS concentration, catalyst addition and stirring rate on the decolorization of Acid Orange 7(AO7) was investigated. The results showed that the decolorization efficiency increased with an increase in PS concentration from 0.3 to 0.5 g/L and an increase in catalyst amount from 0.5 to 0.8g/L. But further increase in PS concentration and catalyst addition would result in an unpronounced increase in decolorization efficiency. In the range of 300 to 900 r/min, stirring rate had little effect on AO7 decolorization. The catalyst stability was evaluated by measuring decolorization efficiency for four successive cycles.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria--alleviators of abiotic stresses in soil: A review

With the continuous increase in human population,there is widespread usage of chemical fertilizers that are responsible for introducing abiotic stresses in agricultural crop lands.Abiotic stresses are major constraints for crop yield and global food security and therefore require an immediate response.The implementation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR)into the agricultural production system can be a profitable alternative because of its efficiency in plant growth regulation and abiotic stress management.These bacteria have the potential to promote plant growth and to aid in the management of plant diseases and abiotic stresses in the soil through production of bacterial phytohormones and associated metabolites as well as through significant root morphological changes.These changes result in improved plant-water relations and nutritional status in plants and stimulate plants’defensive mechanisms to overcome unfavorable environmental conditions.Here,we describe the significance of plant-microbe interactions,highlighting the role of PGPR,bacterial phytohormones,and bacterial metabolites in relieving abiotic environmental stress in soil.Further research is necessary to gather in-depth knowledge on PGPR-associated mechanisms and plant-microbe interactions in order to pave a way for field-scale application of beneficial rhizobacteria,with the aim of building a healthy and sustainable agricultural system.Therefore,this review aims to emphasize the role of PGPR in growth promotion and management of abiotic soil stress with the goal of developing an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy for future agricultural sustainability.

Chitin derived nitrogen-doped porous carbons with ultrahigh specific surface area and tailored hierarchical porosity for high performance supercapacitors

In this study,we report the fabrication of nitrogen rich activated nanosized carbon with hierarchical micro/mesoporous and ultrahigh specific surface area by template-free and one-step carbonization-activation method,which greatly simplified the process and avoided the waste of reagents.Chitin nanoparticles were prepared by a mechanical induced sol-gel transition process in NaOH/Urea solvent and a subsequent carbonization utilizing NaOH for activation and urea for N doping,resulting in activated carbon(ACNC-800)with extraordinary specific surface area(2631 m^(2)/g)and high nitrogen content(7.1%).Further characterization and electrochemical tests demonstrate high electrochemical performance of the activated nanocarbon.Under the current density of 0.5 A/g,the specific capacitance of the three-electrode system is 245 F/g and that of the two-electrode system is 227 F/g.The assembled capacitors exhibit superior rate performance and good cycle stability(98%capacitance retention after 10000 charge-discharge cycles).This work introduces a simple and efficient strategy to prepare N-doped carbon with hierarchical porosity applied to high performance supercapacitors.

Toward scalable fabrication of electrochemical paper sensor without surface functionalization

Paper-based electrochemical sensors provide the opportunity for low-cost,portable and environmentally friendly single-use chemical analysis and there are various reports of surface-functionalized paper electrodes.Here we report a composite paper electrode that is fabricated through designed papermaking using cellulose,carbon fibers(CF),and graphene oxide(GO).The composite paper has well-controlled structure,stable,and repeatable properties,and offers the electrocatalytic activities for sensitive and selective chemical detection.We demonstrate that this CF/GO/cellulose composite paper can be reduced electroche mically using relatively mild conditions and this GO reduction confers electrocatalytic properties to the composite paper.Finally,we demonstrate that this composite paper offers sensing performance(sensitivity and selectivity)comparable to,or better than,paperbased sensors prepared by small-batch surface-modification(e.g.,printing)methods.We envision this coupling of industrialized papermaking technologies with interfacial engineering and electrochemical reduction can provide a platform for single-use and portable chemical detection for a wide range of applications.