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This study was conducted to investigate the speciation, bioavailability and environmental risk of heavy metals (HMs) in chicken manure (CM) and water-washed swine manure (WSM) and their biochars produced at different pyrolysis temperatures (200 to 800 °C). As the pyrolysis temperature increased, the remaining proportion, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), HCl and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) of HMs gradually declined. This result proved that the speciation of HMs in chicken manure biochars (CMB) and water-washed swine manure biochars (WSMB) was influenced by pyrolysis temperature. The proportions of stable fractions were enhanced with increased pyrolysis temperature and weakened the HM validity for vegetation at 800 °C. Finally, the results of the risk assessment showed that the environmental risk of HMs in CMB and WSMB decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Therefore, pyrolysis at 800 °C can provide a practical approach to lessen the initial and underlying heavy metal toxicity of CMB and WSMB to the environment.

Synthetic high-performance fibers present excellent mechanical properties and promising applications in the impact protection field. However, fabricating fibers with high strength and high toughness is challenging due to their intrinsic conflicts. Herein, we report a simultaneous improvement in strength, toughness, and modulus of heterocyclic aramid fibers by 26%, 66%, and 13%, respectively, via polymerizing a small amount (0.05 wt%) of short aminated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), achieving a tensile strength of 6.44 ± 0.11 GPa, a toughness of 184.0 ± 11.4 MJ m −3 , and a Young’s modulus of 141.7 ± 4.0 GPa. Mechanism analyses reveal that short aminated SWNTs improve the crystallinity and orientation degree by affecting the structures of heterocyclic aramid chains around SWNTs, and in situ polymerization increases the interfacial interaction therein to promote stress transfer and suppress strain localization. These two effects account for the simultaneous improvement in strength and toughness. High-performance fibers are promising materials in the impact protection field but fabricating fibers with high strength and high toughness is challenging. Here, the authors polymerize carbon nanotubes into aramid fibers to simultaneously improve strength and toughness.

Slaked lime has been used to remediate contaminated agricultural soils as an in situ chemical immobilization amendment for a long time. However, the effects of slaked lime on peanut and soil cadmium (Cd) levels remain poorly understood with respect to remediating Cd-contaminated soil. In this study, six rates of slaked lime (e.g., 0, 300, 600, 900, 1200 and 1500 kg ha −1 ) were applied to evaluate the effects of slaked lime treatments on soil pH and the growth, Cd accumulation and physiology characteristics of peanut, which were in Cd-contaminated soil, and 0 kg ha −1 was taken as the control. The results indicated that slaked lime application significantly increased soil pH and reduced total Cd contents in peanut tissues at all growth stages. As the rates of slaked lime were increased, kernel biomass increased in the maturity stage, which increased peanut yields. The irregular variations in catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities and chlorophyll and malondialdehyde contents that were observed at all growth stages may be due to the interactions among soil pH, Ca nutrients and Cd, etc. In summary, slaked lime is suitable as an in situ chemical immobilization amendment to increase Cd immobilization and peanut yields in Cd-contaminated soil.

Adipose tissue-derived adipokines facilitate inter-organ communication between adipose tissue and other organs. Omentin-1, an adipokine, has been implicated in the regulation of glucose and insulin metabolism. However, limited knowledge exists regarding the regulatory impact of endogenous omentin-1 on hepatic steatosis. C57BL/6J mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks to induce nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), while HepG2 cells were exposed to a 0.1 mM free fatty acid (FFA) mixture for 24 h to induce hepatic steatosis. Both the mice and cells were treated with omentin-1, and the therapeutic effects as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated. Our data demonstrate that omentin-1 attenuates weight and fat mass gain, preserves glucose homeostasis, normalizes the expression of lipogenesis-related proteins, and alleviates hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD fed mice. Furthermore, omentin-1 normalized AMPKα/mTOR signaling and preserves autophagy in these mice. In vitro, omentin-1 also preserves autophagy and attenuates lipid accumulation by normalizing AMPKα/mTOR signaling in a cell model of FFA treated HepG2 cells. However, inhibition of AMPK with Compound C or AMPKα whole-body knockout reverses the above beneficial effects of omentin-1. The present study demonstrates that omentin-1 exerts a preventive effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by preserving autophagy through normalizing the AMPKα/mTOR pathway, thereby suggesting its potential as a promising therapeutic agent against NAFLD.

Dendritic cells (DCs), a class of professional antigen-presenting cells, are considered key factors in the initiation and maintenance of anti-tumor immunity due to their powerful ability to present antigen and stimulate T-cell responses. The important role of DCs in controlling tumor growth and mediating potent anti-tumor immunity has been demonstrated in various cancer models. Accordingly, the infiltration of stimulatory DCs positively correlates with the prognosis and response to immunotherapy in a variety of solid tumors. However, accumulating evidence indicates that DCs exhibit a significantly dysfunctional state, ultimately leading to an impaired anti-tumor immune response due to the effects of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Currently, numerous preclinical and clinical studies are exploring immunotherapeutic strategies to better control tumors by restoring or enhancing the activity of DCs in tumors, such as the popular DC-based vaccines. In this review, an overview of the role of DCs in controlling tumor progression is provided, followed by a summary of the current advances in understanding the mechanisms by which the TME affects the normal function of DCs, and concluding with a brief discussion of current strategies for DC-based tumor immunotherapy.

The number of college student volunteers has been increasing and they have provided voluntary services in several fields. However, their willingness to continue volunteering remains unsustainable. Thus, this study, integrating the theory of planned behavior and event system theory, constructed a moderated mediating model to test the underlying mechanism of perceived calling on sustained volunteering intention through volunteering norm, and the moderating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic strength. A three-wave field questionnaire was designed and administered to the same 700 college students. The results showed that perceived calling positively predicted volunteering norm; volunteering norm positively influenced sustained volunteering intention. Volunteering norm mediated the link between perceived calling and sustained volunteering intention. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic strength moderated the direct relationship between perceived calling and volunteering norm and the indirect effect. When COVID-19 pandemic strength was at its peak, the direct and mediating effects were stronger. These findings suggest that cultivating college student volunteers’ perceived calling and norm are important to improve their sustained volunteering intention. Plain Language Summary Calling and sustained intention to volunteer College students, as an increasingly great force in volunteering, have greatly contributed to addressing the surge in demand for related staff and preventing them from burning out during the pandemic. However, the willingness of their sustained volunteering as a crucial predictor of volunteering behavior has become more noticeable, especially in situations where conflicts arise during volunteering. To examine the underlying mechanism of perceived calling on sustained volunteering intention through volunteering norm, and the moderating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic strength. A three-wave field questionnaire was designed and administered to the same 700 college students. And SPSS 26.0 was used to analysis the results. Perceived calling positively predicted volunteering norm; volunteering norm positively influenced sustained volunteering intention. Volunteering norm mediated the link between perceived calling and sustained volunteering intention. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic strength moderated the direct relationship between perceived calling and volunteering norm and the indirect effect. When COVID-19 pandemic strength was at its peak, the direct and mediating effects were stronger. These findings suggest that cultivating college student volunteers’ perceived calling and norm are important to improve their sustained volunteering intention. We hope that future research will explore the factors influencing actual sustained volunteering behavior during other critical events.

To evaluate the clinical efficacy, advantages, and disadvantages of the modified Shiraki procedure and the transverse pedicled island flap phalloplasty in treating severe concealed penis in children. This study included seventy children with severe concealed penis treated at Yulin First People’s Hospital from June 2021 to January 2024. They were randomly assigned to either the observation group ( n  = 35), undergoing the modified Shiraki procedure, or the control group ( n  = 35), receiving the transverse pedicled island flap phalloplasty. We assessed average operation time, intraoperative blood loss, penile elongation, time until resolution of penile prepuce edema, flap infection or necrosis, penile erectile pain, prepuce skin redundancy, penile retraction, and overall penile appearance score six months postoperatively. The observation group showed significantly better average operative time and intraoperative blood loss compared to the control group ( p  < 0.05). The time for foreskin edema to regress was longer in the observation group ( p  < 0.05). No significant differences were noted in penile lengthening between groups ( p  > 0.05). The observation group had seven cases of refractory inner prepuce plate swelling and skin redundancy post-operation; two of these cases required secondary surgery, and without skin flap infection or necrosis. The control group reported one case of postoperative hemorrhage and four cases of infection and necrosis of the transferred flap, all resolved after prolonged dressing changes, with one case requiring surgical correction for scar contracture on the side of the penis. Neither group experienced penile erectile pain or retraction. Total complications and reoperations were similar between the groups. No significant difference in the overall penile appearance score was observed between the two groups six months post-surgery ( p  > 0.05). Both the modified Shiraki procedure and the transverse pedicled island flap phalloplasty are effective for treating severe concealed penis in children. The former is characterized by shorter, simpler operations, while the latter offers better cosmetic outcomes despite its complexity.

Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with strong fluorescence were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method using natural biomass waste. Two efficient fluorescent probes were constructed for selective and sensitive detection of oxytetracycline (OTC). The synthesized N-CQDs were characterized by UV-visible absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), which proved that the synthesized N-CQDs surface were functionalized and had stable fluorescence performance. The basis of N-CQDs detection of OTC was discussed, and various reaction conditions were studied. Under optimized conditions, orange peel carbon quantum dots (ON-CQDs) and watermelon peel carbon quantum dots (WN-CQDs) have a good linear relationship with OTC concentrations in the range of 2–100 µmol L−1 and 0.25–100 µmol L−1, respectively. ON-CQDs and WN-CQDs were both successfully applied in detecting the OTC in pretreated tap water, lake water, and soil, with the recovery rate at 91.724–103.206%, and the relative standard deviation was less than 5.35%. The results showed that the proposed N-CQDs proved to be green and simple, greatly reducing the detection time for OTC in the determination environment.

Background Migraine pathophysiology involves trigeminovascular activation and neuroinflammation, with neuropeptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) playing a key role. Growing evidence implicates glymphatic system dysfunction, particularly meningeal lymphatic vessel (mLV) mediated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and waste clearance, as a potential contributor. However, multi-level imaging assessments glymphatic system in episodic migraine (EM) remain limited. Methods We prospectively enrolled 38 EM patients and 22 age- and sex- comparable healthy controls (HCs). Glymphatic function was systematically evaluated using 3T MRI. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) was used to quantify mLV drainage kinetics including Wash-in rate, Time-to-Peak (TTP), Initial Area Under Curve (IAUC) and Ktrans along the superior sagittal sinus (mLV-SSS) and sigmoid sinus (mLV-SS). Diffusion tensor imaging along perivascular spaces (DTI-ALPS) index was used to assess parenchymal interstitial fluid dynamics. Structural MRI was used to rate enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) in centrum semiovale (CSO), basal ganglia (BG), and midbrain (MB). Finally, the correlations among clinical characteristics and neuroimaging data were analyzed. Results Compared to HCs, EM patients showed impaired meningeal lymphatic drainage on DCE-MRI, with reduced wash-in rate, prolonged TTP, and lower IAUC and Ktrans in both mLV-SSS and mLV-SS. Within the EM cohort, these kinetic abnormalities were associated with higher headache intensity on the visual analogue scale (VAS). Although overall DTI-ALPS index did not differ between groups. but high-grade EPVS in the centrum semiovale was more prevalent in EM, with no between-group differences in the basal ganglia or midbrain. Conclusion We demonstrate in vivo impairment of meningeal lymphatic drainage in EM, linked to headache intensity. While DTI-ALPS index in parenchymal glymphatic flow was not altered, the increased burden of centrum semiovale EPVS provide complementary evidence for glymphatic system involvement. These findings support glymphatic involvement and highlight mLVs as a potential therapeutic target in early stage of migraine.

Primary tracheobronchial schwannoma is extremely rare. A woman in her early 60 s was admitted to our department with a 2-month history of cough and expectoration. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a high-density nodule at the opening of the right main bronchus, accompanied by atelectasis in the middle and lower lobes. Flexible bronchoscopy revealed a tumor at the opening of the bronchus of the right middle lung lobe, which protruded into the main bronchus. A high-frequency electrosurgical snare, endobronchial cryosurgery, and argon plasma coagulation (APC) were used under rigid bronchoscopy. Histopathological examination diagnosed the tumor as schwannoma. The patient’s symptoms resolved after the operation. Follow-up chest CT showed that the right main bronchus was unobstructed, and the bronchus of the lower lobe was open. Bronchoscopic interventional therapy is an alternative treatment for tracheobronchial schwannoma.