Although humic substances occur ubiquitously in soil and groundwater, their effect on the biological reduction of uranium(VI) and subsequent reoxidation of U(IV) is poorly understood. This study investigated the role of humics in enhancing the bioreduction of U(VI) in laboratory kinetic studies, in field push-pull tests, and in the presence or absence of metal ions such as Ca2+ and Ni2+, which are known to inhibit the biological reduction of U(VI). Results from laboratory experiments indicate that, under strict anaerobic conditions, the presence of humic materials enhanced the U(VI) reduction rates (up to 10-fold) and alleviated the toxicity effect of Ni2+ on microorganisms. Humic acid was found to be more effective than fulvic acid in enhancing the reduction of U(VI). Such an enhancement effect is attributed to the ability of these humics in facilitating electron-transfer reactions and/or in complexing Ca2+ and Ni2+ ions. Similarly, field push-pull tests demonstrated a substantially increased rate of U(VI) reduction when humic acid was introduced into the site groundwater. However, humics were also found to form complexes with reduced U(IV) and increased the oxidation of U(IV) (when exposed to oxygen) with an oxidation halflife on the order of a few minutes. Both of these processes render uranium soluble and potentially mobile in groundwater, depending on site-specific and dynamic geochemical conditions. Future studies must address the stability and retention of reduced U(IV) under realistic field conditions (e.g., in the presence of dissolved oxygen and low concentrations of complexing organics).

Recent studies have shown that the lack of ideal anodes with both good activity and stability is still one of the critical problems in electrochemical oxidation for organic wastewater treatment. The electrochemical properties, the activity and stability for anodic oxidation of various phenolic compounds, and the degradation mechanism on a novel beta-PbO2 electrode modified with fluorine resin were investigated. The anode life after modification was greatly improved to be more than 10 yr in common electrochemical current conditions. Such an anode was effective for partial degradation of phenolic compounds, but selective because reactive activities were varied with different substituents. Characterized by SEM and XRD, the crystal form of the anode was verified to be mainly beta-PbO2, and it hardly changed when used for p-nitrophenol degradation for around 320 h although there existed slow electrode corrosion. The active species generated during anodic oxidation were determined to be mainly hydroxyl radical and little ozone. The reactions between hydroxyl radical and phenolic compounds were proved to be electrophilic reactions, based on which a general electrochemical degradation mechanism for aromatic compounds was proposed. In general, such a novel anode has a good performance for organics degradation with perfect electrode life, showing potential for environmental application.

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Highlights CSM were prepared by a mild procedure, free of toxic crosslinking agents and porogens. The CSM have excellent biocompatibility and a unique porous structure. Convincing evidence for 3D cell culture was obtained using the CSM as microcarriers. The CSM microcarriers are favorable to maintaining cellular activity and functions.

We used silica particles as a porogen to prepare macroporous chitosan membranes and subsequently prepared macroporous chitosan/Cu(II) affinity membranes for urea adsorption. The morphology, porosity, Cu(II) adsorption capacity, and swelling ratio of the macroporous membrane were measured. SEM photographs show the pores in the membrane dispersed uniformly, a feature that didn't change much after the adsorption of Cu(II). The porosity of the membrane had a maximum value when the silica/chitosan ratio was about 12. The Cu(II) adsorption capacity in the membrane leveled off when the initial concentration of CuSO4 solution exceeded 5 × 10−2 mol/L. The macroporous chitosan/Cu(II) affinity membrane was successfully used for urea adsorption. The maximum urea adsorption capacity was 78.8 mg/g membrane, which indicates that the membrane has a great potential for hemodialysis for urea removal. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1108–1112, 2003

A novel model was constructed to predict prognosis and accurately discriminate survival in ACLF patients treated with an artificial liver support system.

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BackgroundQing’e formula (QEF), prepared from an ancient Chinese recipe, was previously suggested to regulate bone metabolism and improve bone mineral density in patients with osteoporosis. To study the effects of medicated serum containing QEF on the in vitro differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) isolated from the proximal femurs of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) mice.MethodsUsing an established mouse model of PMOP, mononuclear cells were isolated from the bone marrow present in the proximal femurs and cultured. PMOP mice were also randomly divided into four groups: the untreated group (Group A) and the groups treated with respectively low (Group B), medium (Group C), and high (Group D) concentrations of QEF. Serum was isolated from each and used to treat the cultured BMSCs in conjunction with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). Cell morphology, proliferation rates, intracellular alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) mRNA expression were evaluated.ResultsQEF-treated serum, particularly that containing moderate and high concentrations, appears to enhance the rhBMP-2-mediated changes in cell morphology, proliferation, and differentiation (determined via the expression of TGF-β1 mRNA and ALP activity) observed in the BMSCs isolated from PMOP mice.ConclusionsQEF may play a role in the prevention and treatment of PMOP by enhancing the activity of rhBMP-2.