Display omitted
•Transboundary evaluation of HMs in coastal environments of the Yellow Sea was conducted.•Sediments moderately contaminated with HMs significantly contributed to waterborne ...HMs.•Environmental factors significantly associated to hot spots contaminated by specific HMs.•Integrated management for coastal HMs pollution was highlighted in site-specific manner.
The Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) is an important socioeconomic zone in Asia, but has been deteriorated by various environmental pollutants over the last half century. However, comprehensive coastal pollution assessments, particularly for heavy metals (HMs), have been limited from an international perspective. Here, we first evaluate coastal HM pollution in sediment and water from 119 riverine, estuarine, and marine locations along the BS and Yellow Sea to perform a comparative assessment between the two countries of China and South Korea. The occurrence, distribution, sources, multimedia fate, interactions, associated environmental factors, and potential ecological risks relating to the HM pollution are widely addressed. Eight typical HMs (As, Hg, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni) were targeted in both sediments and water, and in situ water properties (pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature) and sediment properties (pH and organic matter (OM) content) were analyzed. The results indicated that As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb concentrations in water were higher in the estuarine area than those in riverine and marine areas and that particularly severe HM pollution was evidenced in the BS. The dominant elements in pollution hot spots varied greatly among the countries and regions. According to the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and pollution load index (PLI) values, the sediments exhibited high Hg and Pb pollution in the BS; high As, Hg, and Pb pollution in the Yellow Sea of China; and high Cd and Hg pollution in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. In general, the sediments were moderately contaminated by HMs based on the high PLI (>1.0) and risk index (RI) values (>160). Ni and Cr in the sediment mainly originated from geogenic sources, while the other elements (Zn, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb) were primarily linked to anthropogenic sources. Based on the partial redundancy analysis, we found that environmental factors, especially OM, contributed significantly to the concentrations of HMs in both the sediments and water. The sediment HMs significantly contributed to the waterborne HMs due to their release from the sediments to the water column. An overall assessment of the contamination status, spatial distribution, and potential sources of HMs suggested that the water-sediment interaction of HMs and the influence by environmental factors should be subsequently considered for a better understanding of the multimedia fate of HMs in the given dynamic YSLME system or similar environments elsewhere.
Iron and nitrogen co-doped carbon (Fe-N/C) materials were fabricated by one-step pyrolysis of the mixture of FeCl3 and the low-cost biomass soybeans in N2 atmosphere at different temperatures. The ...physical properties of the prepared Fe-N/C catalysts were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) et al., the catalytic activity and stability of the Fe-N/C catalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution were investigated by the electrochemical techniques. The results show that Fe is mainly in the form of Fe3O4 with the particle size of about 10nm and encapsulated by thin graphite layers, and the content of Fe decreases from 1.19 to 0.24wt.% with the increase of pyrolysis temperature from 600 to 900°C. The ORR activity on the sample prepared at 700°C (Fe-N/C-700) is preferable among the series of Fe-N/C catalysts, with the half-wave potential of the ORR shifting negatively only about 0.020V as compared to that on the commercial Pt/C (40wt.%, JM). The superior electro-catalytic performance of the Fe-N/C-700 catalyst would be due to the higher degree of the graphitization, the higher total contents of the pyridinic-N, quaternary-N/graphitic-N, as well as the relatively higher Fe3O4 content and surface area. The electron transfer number of the ORR on the Fe-N/C-700 catalyst approaches four indicating the 4-electron transfer pathway. Besides, the methanol tolerance and durability are superior to those on the Pt/C.
This study aimed to identify differential circular RNA (circRNA) in the plasma exosomes of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) using high‐throughput sequencing. First, exosomes were isolated ...using an exosome isolation kit and confirmed by Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and NanoSight Assay. Subsequently, plasma circRNA expression profiles were screened by high‐throughput sequencing and confirmed by fluorescence quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) and Sanger sequencing. Finally, the circRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA network was performed to forecast the potential function of circRNAs. The result of high‐throughput sequencing data documented that 182 differentially expressed exosomal circRNAs in all were screened, which included 105 that were upregulated and 78 that were downregulated in LUAD patients plasma compared with controls. The four upregulated circRNAs including circ_0001492, circ_0001346, circ_0000690, and circ_0001439 were identical to the sequencing data by qRT‐PCR, and their latent circRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA interactions were exhibited. Taken together, our study firstly revealed the altered exosomal circRNA expression from plasma samples in patients with LUAD and supports the need for exploring their potential as biomarkers and the pathological effects of lung cancer.
1.
The comprehensive expression profiles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in plasma exosomes of early‐stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are firstly illustrated.
2.
Four exosomal circRNAs are definitely dysregulated based on quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction.
3.
Potential microRNA and targets gene are predicted for these validated circRNAs.
4.
CircRNAs of exosomes may act as novel noninvasive biomarkers for LUAD.
An accurate understanding of soil heavy metal (HM) pollution characteristics and source apportionment, and a recognition of the major factors influencing ecological and human health risks (HHRs) are ...essential for soil HM pollution control and remediation. In this study, 212 surface soils (0–20 cm) and 15 profile soils (0–100 cm) were collected from cropland soils around an e-waste dismantling site in Taizhou city, Zhejiang Province, China. Spatial analysis was used to evaluate the pollution characteristics of HMs (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr and Ni). Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were also conducted to quantify their source contributions. A modified source-oriented HHR assessment integrated source-oriented ecological risk and source-oriented HHR assessment was developed to describe the major factors that influenced HHR. Results showed that 94.81 %, 88.21 %, 36.79 % and 47.17 % of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, respectively, in surface soils exceeded their screening values in the soil environmental quality standard for agricultural soils (GB 15618–2018). Spatial analysis indicated that high values of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were distributed near the e-waste dismantling site. The results of PCA and PMF showed that the primary sources of HMs in the study area are e-waste dismantling activities, natural sources and atmospheric deposition, which contribute 27 %, 46 % and 27 % of HM pollutants, respectively. The results of source-oriented ecological risk and HHR assessment indicated that e-waste dismantling activities and natural sources were primary sources for ecological risk and HHR. However, source-oriented HHR assessment may underestimate the contribution of e-waste dismantling activities by ignoring HM pollution levels. The modified source-oriented HHR assessment highlights that e-waste dismantling activities were major factor that affect noncarcinogenic risk. This study could provide important data support for subsequent environmental remediation of soil HM pollution in cropland soils around e-waste dismantling sites.
•Cd was the major pollutant of the cropland soils around e-waste dismantling site.•E-waste dismantling activities and atmospheric deposition contributed to HMs over 50 %.•A modified source-oriented HHR assessment was improved integrating HM pollution levels.•Concentration-oriented HHR assessment could overestimate the contribution of natural sources.•E-waste dismantling activities were the major factor influencing noncarcinogenic risk.
Abstract In this work, the cellular uptake, elimination and toxicity of CdSe/ZnS QDs in HepG2 cells were comprehensively studied using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), MTT ...assay, AO/EB staining, and glutathione level and gene expression analysis. ICP-MS analytical results showed that the uptake efficiency of CdSe QDs by HepG2 cells was lower than that of Cd(II) and Se(IV), and the uptake was dose- and time-dependent. The uptake amount was related to the physicochemical properties of QDs, and NH2 -QDs with smaller size were more easily taken up by cells. In combination with various biochemical methodologies, a systematic and thorough quantitative analysis of the in vitro effects of CdSe/ZnS QDs with different coatings was conducted, along with that of Cd (II) and Se (IV). Although Cd(II) above 8.9 μM exhibited obvious toxicity to the cells, no obvious toxicity of four CdSe/ZnS QDs was observed within the tested concentration range (10–100 nM), most likely due to the protection of the ZnS shell and the PEG coating. From the molecular level's point of view, QDs at concentration of 100 nM exhibit obvious impact on the cells, such as increased gene expression (MT1A and CYP1A1), which was positively correlated with the intracellular concentration of QDs.
Abstract
Background
Growing evidence has indicated the vital parts of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in modulating the progression of assorted human cancers, including cervical cancer (CC). ...Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of aspartyl-tRNA synthetase antisense RNA 1 (DARS-AS1) have been not comprehensively illustrated in CC yet.
Methods
Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was exploited for assessing RNA expression while western blot for protein expression in CC cells. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assays, as well as flow cytometry analysis, were employed to evaluate the modulation of DARS-AS1 on the proliferation and apoptosis of CC cells. In addition, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull down assay and luciferase reporter assay confirmed the interactivity among DARS-AS1, miR-628-5p and jagged canonical Notch ligand 1 (JAG1). RBP-JK luciferase reporter assay determined the activity of Notch pathway.
Results
DARS-AS1 level was significantly increased in CC cells. Moreover, down-regulation of DARS-AS1 hampered cell the proliferation and accelerated the apoptosis of CC cells. Importantly, DARS-AS1 was a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to elevate JAG1 level through sequestering miR-628-5p, leading to activated Notch pathway to aggravate CC tumorigenesis.
Conclusions
DARS-AS1/miR-628-5p/JAG1/Notch signaling accelerates CC progression, indicating DARS-AS1 as a novel therapeutic target for patients with CC.
Early diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) can improve the prognosis of neonates with CHD. We retrospectively evaluated the value of prenatal diagnosis of CHD by comparing the pregnancy ...outcomes. Prenatal diagnosis of CHD was established by echocardiographic evaluation of fetal heart. Amniotic fluid and/or cord blood genetic examination, pathological anatomy, casting specimen, and/or multidisciplinary-joint consultation (MDJC) were performed. A total of 1492 fetuses with CHD were diagnosed by prenatal echocardiography from 67834 pregnant women. There were 445, 236, 583, and 228 cases in groups A (simple CHD), B (simple CHD plus extra-cardiac abnormality), C (complex CHD), and D (complex CHD plus extra-cardiac abnormality), respectively. The pregnancy continuation rate in the four groups was 98.67%, 85.71%, 67.65%, and 36.84%, respectively (P < 0.001). The pregnancy termination rate for fetal CHD with extra-cardiac abnormalities was significantly higher than that for fetuses with only CHD (81.24% vs. 53.6%, P < 0.05). Prenatal genetic test revealed chromosomal abnormalities in 20.43% of fetuses with CHD. MDJC significantly decreased the pregnancy termination rate. In 88 cases, the original decision to terminate the pregnancy was changed after consultation and the pregnancy was continued. Of these, 87 cases culminated in live births; 65 of these children had better prognosis. Nine-segment sequential segment analysis method for prenatal fetal echocardiography was compared with the results of pathological anatomy, cast specimen, postoperative diagnosis, and postnatal ultrasound. The accuracy of prenatal ultrasound for diagnosis of fetal complex CHD and fetal simple CHD was 90.5-91.66% and 98.6%, respectively. Prenatal ultrasound is still the most effective method for fetal CHD diagnosis.
Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) with excellent stability and large specific surface area make them competitive using as supercapacitor materials. Improving the conductivity of TiO2 is of ...great concern for the construction of high-performance supercapacitors. In this work, we developed a novel approach to improve the performance of TiO2 materials, involving the fabrication of Al-doped TiO2 NTAs by a simple electrochemical cathodic polarization treatment in AlCl3 aqueous solution. The prepared Al-doped TiO2 NTAs exhibited excellent electrochemical performances, attributing to the remarkably improved electrical conductivity (i.e., from approx. 10 kΩ to 20 Ω). Further analysis showed that Al3+ ions rather than H+ protons doped into TiO2 lattice cause this high conductivity. A MnO2/Al–TiO2 composite was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, and achieved the specific capacitance of 544 F g−1, and the Ragone plot of the sample showed a high power density but less reduction of energy density. These results indicate that the MnO2/Al–TiO2 NTAs sample could be served as a promising electrode material for high -performance supercapacitors.
•we report a mild electrochemical method to form Al-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs).•Al-doped TiO2 NTAs show a highest electrical conductivity of approx. 20 Ω.•The elemental composition of Al-doped TiO2 NTAs were studied by XPS analysis.•Al-doped TiO2 were proved to be excellent supports materials for supercapacitors.
Ag-MnOx/C composites were prepared using AgNO3 and KMnO4 as the precursors and Vulcan XC-72 as the support. The physical properties of the Ag-MnOx/C composites were investigated via X-ray diffraction ...(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The activity and the stability of the series of Ag-MnOx/C composites toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media were investigated through the electrochemical techniques. The results show that the main species MnO2 and Ag2O in the fresh sample convert into Mn3O4 and Ag(0), respectively, after the heat treatment in N2 at 300°C (Ag-MnOx/C-300). The Ag-MnOx/C-300 sample shows the highest activity toward the ORR, with the half-wave potential of the ORR shifting negatively only 0.035V compared to that on the commercial 40wt. % Pt/C (JM). The electron transfer number during the ORR on the Ag-MnOx/C composite increases with the value close to four after the heat treatment at 300°C, which is mainly attributed to the formation of Ag(0), rather than Mn3O4. The heat treatment brings about a better catalytic stability of the composite, and no obviously negative shift takes place for the half-wave potential of the ORR on the Ag-MnOx/C-300 composite after 1000 cycles accelerated aging test. The maximum power density of the zinc-air battery with the Ag-MnOx/C-300 air electrode reaches up to 130 mW cm−2, higher than those based on the Pd/C and Pt/C cathode catalysts, which shows that the Ag-MnOx/C-300 composite is a promising candidate as the catalyst for the air electrode.
CoO/CoP heterostructure catalyst (POZ) was synthesized by a phosphating strategy, which showed a low overpotential of 236 mV to drive a current density of 400 mA/cm2 in alkaline electrolyte. As ...proved by experimental results and DFT calculations, the strong electron transfer on the CoO/CoP interface endowed good HER performance.
Display omitted
Designing non-noble metal electrocatalysts toward alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with high performance at a large current density is urgent. Herein, a CoO/CoP heterostructure catalyst (termed POZ) was designed by a phosphating strategy. The strong electron transfer on the interface of CoO/CoP was experimentally and theoretically proven. POZ showed a low overpotential of 236 mV at 400 mA/cm2, which was 249 mV lower than non-phosphated sample. It also exhibited a remarkable solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 10.5%. In this work, the construction of CoO/CoP interface realized by a simple phosphating strategy could provide an important reference to boost the HER performance on those materials not merely metal oxides.
PDF
