Wilsonbaker1821

The pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) is complex and unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the noncanonical pathway of pyroptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of IIM, and the intervention effect of drugs glyburide and bright blue G (BBG).

After the drug intervention, we detected the expression of the caspase-4, caspase-5, caspase-11, GSDMD, pannexin-1, NLRP3 and P2X7R proteins in skeletal muscle tissues from the six groups using Western blotting. We detected the expression of the caspase-11, GSDMD, pannexin-1, NLRP3 and P2X7R mRNAs in skeletal muscle tissues from the six groups using RT-qPCR and detected the serum IL-18 and IL-1β levels in the six groups using ELISAs.

Lower expression levels of the P2X7R and NLRP3 proteins were observed in the EAM+BBG group than in the EAM1 group (P<0.05). The expression of NLRP3 in the EAM+glyburide group was lower than in the EAM2 group (P<0.05). Lower expression levels of the P2X7R and NLRP3 mRNAs were detected in the EAM+BBG group than in the EAM1 group (P<0.05). NLRP3 was expressed at lower levels in the EAM+glyburide group than in the EAM2 group (P<0.05). Lower serum IL-1β levels were detected in the EAM+BBG group than in the EAM1 group (P<0.05), and serum IL-1β and IL-18 levels in the EAM+glyburide group were lower than those in the EAM2 group (P<0.05).

Our results suggest that the noncanonical pathway of pyroptosis may be involved in the pathogenesis of IIM, and glyburide and BBG exert certain intervention effects on its pathogenesis.

Our results suggest that the noncanonical pathway of pyroptosis may be involved in the pathogenesis of IIM, and glyburide and BBG exert certain intervention effects on its pathogenesis.Photothermal therapy (PTT) is hampered by limited light penetration depth and cell thermoresistance induced by over-expressed heat shock proteins (HSPs). Herein, we proposed a tumor-specific enhanced NIR-II PTT through the starvation mediated thermal sensitization strategy. A semiconducting polymer with superior NIR-II fluorescence imaging (FI) performance and NIR-II PTT efficacy was synthesized and encapsulated into folate modified liposomes, together with a glycolysis inhibitor, 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG). Upon specifically targeting folate receptors and guidance of NIR-II FI, spatiotemporal 2DG release could be achieved by the trigger of NIR-II photothermal effect. The released 2DG could not only deplete the energy supply of tumor cells by inhibiting tumor anaerobic glycolysis, but also decrease the ATP levels and hamper the production of HSPs, ultimately enhancing the tumor thermal sensitivity toward PTT. Owing to the sensitization effect of 2DG, tumor cells with overexpressed folate receptors could be significantly damaged by NIR-II PTT with an enhanced therapeutic efficiency. The work provided a promising strategy for specific starvation/NIR-II PTT synergistic therapy towards tumors.Substitution of fossil fuels by sustainable practices must be rapidly implemented to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The conversion of biomass into combustible gas is investigated in a microwave-induced plasma reactor using pure steam as the plasma working gas for the first time. The optimum results are achieved at the highest forward microwave power of 6 kW with biomass carbon conversion efficiency over 98% and complete biomass energy recovery in syngas. Unreacted steam is simply condensed out, leading to the production of a syngas with low inert dilution and high calorific value in the range 10.5-12 MJ/Nm3. The syngas produced is rich in hydrogen, exceeding 60% by volume. The proposed process could aid in the transition to a carbon neutral economy as it has the potential to efficiently convert biomass to syngas that can be used for the sustainable generation of fuels, chemicals and energy.Performance of anaerobic sludge and microbial social behaviors in an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) were evaluated by increasing reflux ratio from 50% to 500% stage by stage, with a constant influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 5500 mg/L at hydraulic retention time 12 h. The results indicated that the reflux ratio of 100% - 200% was more favorable for the EGSB with a methane production of 2.4 m3/m3·d. It was found that acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs)-mediated quorum sensing (QS) could balance various microbial populations in the anaerobic digestion process. C4-HSL and C8-HSL were identified as the specific AHLs in enhancing granulation of anaerobic sludge by stimulating protein secretion into extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). 3-oxo-C6-HSL and 3-oxo-C14-HSL were verified for the enhancement of methanogenesis. The present study showed a novel perspective on the performance of EGSB with reflux ratios based on the AHLs-mediated QS.Electromethanogenesis (EMG) system could efficiently convert CO2 to CH4 by using excess renewable electricity. However, the fluctuation and interruption of renewable electricity will adversely affect the biocathode and therefore the CH4 production of the EMG system. In this work, a novel biocathode acclimation strategy with intermittent step-up voltage (ISUV) was proposed to improve the stability and resilience of the EMG system against the unstable input of renewable power. Compared with the intermittent application of constant voltage (IACV), the ISUV increased the rate of CH4 production by 11.7 times with the improvement of the stability and resilience by 56% and 500%, respectively. Morphology and microflora structure analysis revealed that the biofilm enriched with ISUV exhibited a compact microflora structure with high-density cells and nanowires interconnected. This study provided a novel effective strategy to regulate the biofilm structure and enhance the performance of the EMG system.So as to accelerate the resuscitation of starved anaerobic granular sludge after long-term stagnation, an innovative method was tried derived from the regulation of N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs)-mediated quorum sensing (QS). The mixture of four AHLs was added to the starved anaerobic granular sludge system in this research. The results confirmed that the exogenous AHLs shortened the recovery time of the granular sludge, and improved the treatment performance and methanogenic capacity of the recovered anaerobic sludge to the level before stagnation. At the same time, exogenous AHLs enhanced the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) during the resuscitation period of starved anaerobic granular sludge. The outcomes of microbial composition detection showed that the change of bacterial and methanogenic bacteria communities towards accelerated performance recovery was significantly correlated with exogenous AHLs. This exploration provided a new technical idea for speeding up the recovery of starved anaerobic granular sludge.Upcycling of nutrients from residual resources for producing microbial protein (MP) is an attractive method to valorize residues. In this study, we investigated bio-electrochemical methods to recover ammonia-N, for further production of MP. Reject water and digestate were used for ammonia-N recovery in microbial fuel cell (MFC) system. In one-stage process, ammonia-N recovery was 32 - 42% with 57 - 154 kJ/m3 waste stream of electricity generation. For further enhancing recovery efficiency, a two-stage process was developed, achieving efficiency of 53 - 61%. Subsequently, MP was grown with the extracted ammonia-N, and amino acid concentration was 421 and 272 mg/L under 25 °C and 35 °C, respectively. Similar essential amino acid content of MP (especially under 25 °C) with the one from fish demonstrated the attractiveness of upcycling residues to proteins. Based on simplified economic evaluation, the produced energy performed the potential to catch 1.63 - 6.54 €/m3 waste stream.Novel ZnS/Au/f-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanostructures were produced via a pulsed laser-assisted technique followed by a wet chemical process. ZnS nanospheres were synthesized via pulsed laser ablation of a Zn target in DMSO, which was used as a solvent and sulfur source. Notably, no additional sulfur sources, surfactants, or reducing agents were used during the synthesis. The structure and morphology of the prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. selleck chemical The fabricated electrochemical sensor based on ZnS/Au/f-MWCNT nanocomposites exhibited rapid and highly selective detection of a toxic pollutant, namely 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Linear sweep voltammetry analysis revealed that the optimized ZnS/Au10/f-MWCNT3 nanocomposite displayed a wide linear dynamic response (10-150 μM) with high sensitivity (0.8084μAμM-1cm-2) and low limit of detection (30 nM). The excellent 4-NP sensing performance of the modified electrode was attributed to the availability of numerous active sites (electrochemical surface area=0.00369μFcm-2) and an enhanced electron transfer rate. Interference and stability studies were also conducted. A 100-fold excess of competing ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Cl-, NO3-, 4-AP, AA, and 2-NP) did not interfere with the selective detection of 4-NP. The newly fabricated ZnS/Au10/f-MWCNT3 nanocomposite could be an effective sensor for the selective and sensitive detection of toxic organic nitro compounds.Environmental risks connected with the combustion of paper/cardboard briquettes are still not sufficiently known. This paper aims to bring attention to the risks related to the utilisation of paper briquettes in local boilers and to characterise these risks by means of the identification of organic compounds in deposits from exhaust flues. The identification of the chemical compounds was performed by pyrolysis gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. Paper/cardboard briquettes contain 119 compounds of biogenic origin derived from major biomass components and 53 additives. Additives are used both for improving the properties of paper and in printing inks. By burning the paper briquettes, the same 53 compounds from the additive group were caught in the deposits from the flue gas pathway, occurring in the range of 1-10% of the concentration of individual compounds (additives) contained in the input fuel. Compounds that are very stable during the combustion process have an enrichment factor (EF) >30, which corresponded to approximately 3% of the additive capture in deposits. The highest values were found for plasticisers (phthalates). Many of the primary organic compounds contained in the input raw material do not decompose during combustion and can have adverse effects on human health.Incomplete removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) has been reported for conventional wastewater treatment technologies. Microalgae-based treatment has recently gained interest thanks to simultaneous removal capacity of organic and inorganic compounds and potentially CECs. In this study, a lab-scale monoculture of Chlorella vulgaris and mixed microalgal-bacterial culture were compared in terms of removal of 28 CECs (bisphenols, 2018 EU Watch List substances, including neonicotinoids, pharmaceuticals, selected transformation products). The removal pathways in light and dark abiotic controls were also studied. Batch photobioreactors were run at hydraulic retention times of 11-12 days and CECs spiked at environmentally relevant concentrations (1-20 μg L-1). The mixed culture was better at removing bisphenols, compared to C. vulgaris. Bisphenols' log Kow was significant in removal pathways, where bisphenols with high log Kow were removed abiotically while bisphenols with low log Kow were mainly biodegraded.