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In order to address freshwater scarcity, seawater desalination technologies have been widely studied in recent years. However, the disposal of desalination brine which contains an even higher concentration of salts than seawater can potentially damage the surrounding environment. Therefore, alternative approaches aiming to recover valuable resources from desalination brine have been conducted. Three resources that can be recovered have been studied in this paper, which are minerals, freshwater and energy. The techniques to recover minerals can be divided into pressure-driven techniques, thermal-driven techniques, electro-driven techniques and other techniques. The water recovery techniques employ mainly membrane/thermal integrated hybrid processes, while the energy recovery techniques such as pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) and reverse electrodialysis (RED) utilize the salinity gradient energy (SGE) to generate energy. The valuable mineral products have also been reviewed in this paper in terms of recovery methods, performance of processes and product quality. The reviewed products are sodium salts (NaCl, NaOH, Na2SO4), lithium salts (LiCl, Li2CO3), magnesium salts (struvite, Mg(OH)2, MgSO4, MgO), calcium salts (CaSO4, CaCO3) and other minerals (U, Rb, Cs). Based on the cost and revenues of each technique, an economic comparison has been conducted along with the cost analysis of operating desalination plants.

Background Reprogrammed glucose metabolism of enhanced Warburg effect (or aerobic glycolysis) is considered as a hallmark of cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been certified to play a crucial role in tumor progression. The current study aims to inquire into the potential regulatory mechanism of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 242 (LINC00242) on aerobic glycolysis in gastric cancer. Method LINC00242, miR-1-3p and G6PD expression levels in gastric cancer tissues and cells were determined by qRT-PCR. Cell apoptosis or viability were examined by Flow cytometry or MTT assay. Western blot was utilized to investigate G6PD protein expression levels. Immunohistochemical (IHC) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were used for histopathological detection. The targeted relationship between LINC00242 or G6PD and miR-1-3p was verified by luciferase reporter gene assay. Nude mouse xenograft was utilized to detect tumor formation in vivo. Result LINC00242 and G6PD was high-expressed in gastric cancer tissues and cells, and LINC00242 is positively correlated with G6PD . Silencing of LINC00242 or G6PD within gastric cancer cells prominently inhibited cell proliferation and aerobic glycolysis in vitro and relieved the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer in vivo. miR-1-3p was predicted to directly target both LINC00242 and G6PD . Overexpression of miR-1-3p suppressed gastric cancer cells proliferation and aerobic glycolysis. LINC00242 competitively combined miR-1-3p, therefore relieving miR-1-3p-mediated suppression on G6PD . Conclusion LINC00242 plays a stimulative role in gastric cancer aerobic glycolysis via regulation of miR-1-3p/ G6PD axis, therefore affecting gastric cancer cell proliferation.

The cyclic GMP–AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway senses cytosolic DNA and triggers innate immune responses. Pharmacological activation of the cGAS-STING pathway by cGAS-STING agonists to overcome cancer drug resistance offers substantial potential to promote antitumor immunity. However, small-molecule STING agonists show rapid excretion, low bioavailability, non-specificity, and adverse effects, which limit their therapeutic efficacy and in vivo applications. The recent emergence of nanomedicine has profoundly revolutionized STING agonist delivery, promoting tumor-targeted delivery and offering new opportunities for tumor-specific immunotherapy. A growing body of evidence has shown that cGAS-STING interacts with ferroptosis in cancer cells. Targeting the interplay between cGAS-STING and ferroptosis using nanomedicines offers a novel cancer treatment regimen. In this review, we outline the principal components of the cGAS-STING signaling cascade and discuss its role in cancer biology. We also review the role of the interplay between cGAS-STING and ferroptosis in cancer genesis. We then focus on providing an overview of the latest findings and emerging concepts that leverage the interplay between cGAS-STING and ferroptosis by nanomedicine to kill cancers. Finally, we discuss the key limitations of the current therapeutic paradigm and possible strategies to overcome them. This article highlights some promising therapeutic avenues that leverage the interplay of cGAS-STING and ferroptosis by nanomedicine, which could be used to treat cancer.

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between the total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) ratio and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) risk in older adults. Utilizing data from 4,844 participants aged ≥ 18 years from the 2005 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the TC/HDL-C ratio was calculated and categorized into quartiles. MAFLD was diagnosed according to the 2020 International Expert Consensus Criteria. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between the TC/HDL-C ratio and MAFLD prevalence, while restricted cubic splines evaluated the potential non-linearity and threshold effects. Among the participants, 2,716 (56.1%) were diagnosed with MAFLD. A higher TC/HDL-C ratio was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of MAFLD (odds ratio [OR] 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.55; p  < 0.01). This analysis revealed a U-shaped positive association ( p for non-linearity = 0.004) with an inflection point at a TC/HDL-C ratio of 3.56. Below this threshold, each unit increase in the TC/HDL-C ratio was associated with a steeper increase in MAFLD risk (adjusted OR [aOR] = 1.370, 95% CI 1.066–1.760) compared with increases above the threshold (aOR = 1.165, 95% CI 1.049–1.294; p for log-likelihood ratio = 0.01). The TC/HDL-C ratio demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy for MAFLD (AUC = 0.682) compared with isolated TC or HDL-C measurements. Subgroup analysis indicated significant interactions with body mass index (BMI) and stroke (both p -interaction < 0.05). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the findings. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to validate these results and inform optimal MAFLD prevention strategies.

Objective To investigate the impact of extended aerobic and anaerobic exercise on cerebral activity by analyzing the functional connectivity strength attributes of the cerebral cortex in endurance runners (aerobic) and sprint athletes (anaerobic) during the resting state with fNIRS. Method Thirteen sprinters and twelve endurance runners were assessed using a functional near-infrared spectroscopic imaging system to quantify resting-state functional connection strengths for HbO2, HbR, and HbT across the brain, namely in the prefrontal and primary motor cortex. Results (1) In the examination of functional connectivity of HbO2, the overall functional connection strength of the anaerobic group exceeded that of the aerobic group. In the regions of interest, the functional connection strength in the left and right prefrontal cortex of the anaerobic group surpassed that of the aerobic group. However, the functional connectivity strength in the right primary motor cortex of the aerobic group was greater than that of the anaerobic group. In comparisons between regions of interest, the functional connection strength between the left and right prefrontal cortex was greater in the anaerobic group. In contrast, the aerobic group had a more pronounced functional connectivity strength between the left and right primary motor cortex. (2) The functional connectivity study of HbR indicated that the mean whole-brain functional connection strength in the anaerobic group surpassed that of the aerobic group; however, no significant differences were seen between the two groups in intra- and inter-ROI comparisons. (3) The functional connectivity study of HbT indicated that the average brain-wide functional connection strength in the aerobic group surpassed that of the anaerobic group. In the regions of interest, the anaerobic group had greater functional connectivity strength in the right prefrontal cortex. In contrast, the aerobic group demonstrated more pronounced functional connectivity strength in the right primary motor cortex. The aerobic group exhibited greater functional connection strength between M1-R and M1-L throughout the regions of interest. Conclusion The aerobic group had enhanced functional brain connectivity in the primary motor cortex, whereas the anaerobic group demonstrated superior functional brain connectivity in the prefrontal lobe. Various exercise modalities will have distinct influences on neuroplasticity across different brain regions, establishing a novel theoretical framework for exercise training and clinical rehabilitation.

Despite surgical and therapeutic advances, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is among the most fatal primary brain tumor that is aggressive in nature. Patients with GBM have a median lifespan of just 15 months when treated with the current standard of therapy, which includes surgical resection and concomitant chemo-radiotherapy. In recent years, nanotechnology has shown considerable promise in treating a variety of illnesses, and certain nanomaterials have been proven to pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and stay in glioblastoma tissues. Recent preclinical research suggests that the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumor is significantly explored through the intervention of nanomaterials that has showed enhanced effect. In order to elicit an antitumor response, it is necessary to retain the therapeutic candidates within glioblastoma tissues and this job is effectively carried out by nanocarrier particularly functionalized nanocarriers. In the arena of neoplastic diseases including GBM have achieved great attention in recent decades. Furthermore, interleukin-13 receptor α chain variant 2 (IL13Rα2) is a highly expressed and studied target in GBM that is lacked by the surrounding environment. The absence of IL13Rα2 in surrounding normal tissues has made it a suitable target in glioblastoma therapy. In this review article, we highlighted the role of IL13Rα2 as a potential target in GBM along with design and fabrication of efficient targeting strategies for IL13Rα2 through surface functionalized nanocarriers.

To investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly populations in the U.S. Data were sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2018. A total of 22,130 participants aged 40-70 years were included. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were measured and categorized. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and secondary outcomes were cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality. Multivariable-adjusted models and various statistical analyses were employed. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (≤50.00 nmol/L) was 33.59%, and insufficiency (≤75.00 nmol/L) was 71.74%. For all-cause mortality, the multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) across different 25(OH)D levels (< 25.00, 25.00-49.99, 50.00-74.99, and ≥ 75.00 nmol/L) were 1.00, 0.78 (0.65, 0.93) p = 0.0069, 0.59 (0.49,0.72) p < 0.0001, and 0.54 (0.44, 0.66) p < 0.0001 respectively. Similar patterns were observed for CVD mortality. There was no significant difference in cancer mortality between the moderately deficient and severely deficient groups, but lower mortality was found in the insufficient and sufficient groups compared to the severely deficient group. An L-shaped association between serum vitamin D levels and mortality was identified. Subgroup analyses were consistent with the main findings. This study found that higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are linked to lower all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. The relationship is nonlinear: increases in concentration reduce death risk below a certain threshold, but above it, the association weakens. Further research is needed to understand causal mechanisms.

Podocyte injury is a common pathologic mechanism in obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG). Safflower injection (SFI), scientifically extracted and refined from safflower, is used to treat diabetic kidney disease according to clinical guideline. Our previous study confirmed that the main active compounds of SFI ameliorated high glucose-induced podocyte injury. It is uncertain whether SFI has an effect on ORG-related podocyte injury. This study aimed to explore the pharmacological effects and related mechanisms of SFI on podocyte injury of ORG mice. First, by combining ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis with online databases, the pathway enrichment, target-pathway analysis, and human protein-protein interaction network were conducted to discover the possible crucial mechanism of SFI against ORG. Then, ORG mice model was established by high-fat diet and biochemical assays, histopathology and western blot were used to explore the effects of SFI on obesity and podocyte injury. Finally, system pharmacology-based findings were evaluated in ORG mice. The results of system pharmacology suggested that SFI could alleviate ORG through insulin resistance (IR)-related pathway by regulating insulin receptor (INSR) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expressions. The experiment confirmed that SFI ameliorated obesity, lipid metabolism-related indicators, podocyte injury of ORG mice. The mechanism relationships among IR, INSR, and eNOS were further verified in ORG mice. Our findings imply that by up-regulating the expression of renal INSR and eNOS, thereby inhibiting IR, SFI may be a promising candidate for the treatment of ORG.

According to a previous study, we had found that early weaning causes harm to growth performance, intestinal morphology, activity of digestive enzymes, and antioxidant status in pigeon squabs ( Columba livia ). Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) and Clostridium butyricum have been reported to have great potential to improve the growth performance and intestinal health of early-weaned animals. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore whether dietary supplementation with COS- C. butyricum synbiotic could relieve early-weaned stress by evaluating its effects on growth performance and intestinal health in pigeon squabs. A total of 160 squabs (weaned at 7 days of age) were randomly divided into 5 groups: the control group, fed with artificial crop milk; the COS supplementation group, fed with artificial crop milk + 150 mg/kg COS; and three synbiotic supplementation groups, fed with artificial crop milk + 150 mg/kg COS + 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg C. butyricum . The results showed that a diet supplemented with COS- C. butyricum synbiotic benefitted the growth performance of early-weaned squabs; even so the differences were not significant among the five groups ( p > 0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation of 150 mg/kg COS + 300~400 mg/kg C. butyricum significantly improved the intestinal morphology (especially villus surface area and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth), the activity of digestive enzymes (lipase, trypsin, and leucine aminopeptidase) in duodenum contents, and the production of total short-chain fatty acids and acetic acid in ileum content ( p < 0.05). Additionally, dietary supplementation of 150 mg/kg COS + 400 mg/kg C. butyricum benefitted gut health by improving the antioxidant capacity (glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity) and cytokine status (IL-4 and IL-10) ( p < 0.05), as well as by improving the intestinal microbiota diversity. In conclusion, our results revealed that dietary supplementation with synbiotic (150 mg/kg COS + 300~400 mg/kg C. butyricum ) could relieve early-weaned stress by maintaining intestinal health in pigeon squabs.

Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is a benign condition characterized by the formation of metaplastic cartilage in the synovial membrane of the joint, resulting in numerous attached and unattached osteocartilaginous bodies. SC mostly affects the large synovial joints, especially the knee, hip, elbow, and ankle, whereas involvement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is rare. Approximately 240 cases of SC of the TMJ have been reported in the English-language literature to date. The number of loose bodies varies among patients but usually ranges from the dozens to around 100. We herein report a case of SC of the TMJ accompanied by approximately 400 loose bodies in a healthy 53-year-old woman. Such a high number of loose bodies within a small space is extremely rare. We also include a brief discussion about the differential diagnoses and current diagnostic approaches to SC of the TMJ. Notably, delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis is common because of the nonspecific nature of the presenting complaints.