Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se (x = 0-0.15) nanobelts and nanotubes can be synthesized via the removal of diethylenetriamine (DETA) in 1-octadecene (ODE) and ethylene glycol (EG), respectively, using [Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se](DETA)(0.5) nanobelts as a template. The as-prepared ZnSe nanobelts are single-crystalline and grown along the [001] direction, and the ZnSe nanotubes consist of nanoparticles assembled along the [001] direction. In addition, Mn(2+)-doped Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) nanotubes are prepared for the first time if doped [Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se](DETA)(0.5) nanobelts are used as the template. The formation process of Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se nanobelts and nanotubes has been studied, and a plausible mechanism is proposed. Photoluminescence (PL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se nanobelts and Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)Se nanotubes have been investigated.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) have roles in various cellular processes, including angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, cell migration and drug resistance. To clarify the effects of STAT3 in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms, STAT3 was directly silenced, and the effects of STAT3 silencing on cell proliferation, apoptosis and growth with phenotype-associated molecules were examined.pSH1-Si-STAT3 was successfully transfected into the CRC HCT-116 and SW480 cell lines, which was verified by GFP tagging under a fluorescence microscope. An MTT assay revealed that the proliferation of both cell lines that were transfected with pSH1-Si-STAT3 was significantly suppressed in comparison with the control and mock (P<0.05). Acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining and flow cytometry indicated that the transfected cell lines had a significantly higher rate of apoptosis than the control- and mock-treated cells (P<0.05). STAT3-silienced cells were also significantly arrested at the G2/M stage compared with the cells that were transfected with control and mock plasmids (P<0.05). At the mRNA level, the expression of STAT3 and survivin was significantly downregulated (P<0.05), but p53 and caspase-3 were significantly upregulated (P<0.05). The significantly different patterns of expression were observed in western blot analysis (P<0.05). The findings of the present study indicate that STAT3 silencing may suppress the proliferation and growth of CRC cells, and induce their apoptosis by upregulating the expression of survivin, p53 and caspase-3. Therefore, STAT3 may be a good candidate for CRC gene therapy.

Pharmaceuticals in drinking water sources have raised significant concerns due to their persistent input and potential human health risks. The seasonal occurrence of 25 pharmaceuticals including 23 antibiotics, paracetamol (PAR), and carbamazepine (CMZ) in Taihu Lake was investigated; meanwhile, the distribution and removal of these pharmaceuticals in two drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and a constructed wetland were evaluated. A high detection frequency (>70%) in the Taihu Lake was observed for nearly all the 25 pharmaceutics. Chlortetracycline (234.7 ng L), chloramphenicol (27.1 ng L), erythromycin (72.6 ng L), PAR (71.7 ng L), and CMZP (23.6 ng L) are compounds with both a high detection frequency (100%) and the highest concentrations, suggesting their wide use in the Taihu Basin. Higher concentrations of chloramphenicols, macrolides, PAR, and CMZP were observed in dry season than in wet season, probably due to the low flow conditions of the lake in winter and the properties of pharmaceuticals. The overall contamination levels of antibiotic pharmaceutics (0.2-74.9 ng L) in the Taihu Lake were lower than or comparable to those reported worldwide. However, for nonantibiotic pharmaceutics, PAR (45.0 ng L) and CMZP (14.5 ng L), significantly higher concentrations were observed in the Taihu Lake than at a global scale. High detection frequencies of 25 pharmaceuticals were observed in both the two DWTPs (100%) and the wetland (>60%) except for florfenicol and sulfapyridine. The removal efficacies of the studied pharmaceuticals in DWTP B with advanced treatment processes including ozonation and granular activated carbon filtration (16.7-100%) were superior to DWTP A with conventional treatment processes (2.9-100%), except for sulfonamides. Wetland C with the constructed root channel technology was efficient (24.2-100%) for removing most pharmaceuticals. This work suggests that the application of cost-effective technologies such as constructed wetlands should be considered as an efficient alternative for removing pharmaceuticals from water supply sources.

The article Occurrence of 25 pharmaceuticals in Taihu Lake and their removal from two urban drinking water treatment plants and a constructed wetland, written by Xia-Lin Hu, Yi-Fan Bao, Jun-Jian Hu, You-Yu Liu and Da-Qiang Yin, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 06 May 2017 without open access.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus (sensu stricto). The parasite affects a wide range of livestock and wild animals. In this study, the population diversity of the Echinococcus species was investigated based on mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nad5) genes. In addition to this, β-tubulin gene isoforms of Echinococcus granulosus were amplified to determine the resistance against benzimidazoles. For this purpose, 40 cyst samples from cattle (n = 20) and buffaloes (n = 20) were collected from the main abattoir of Sialkot. DNA extraction was performed using Qiagen Blood and Tissue Kits. Amplification was performed through PCR. Each amplicon was confirmed by GelRed™ stained agarose gel (2%). Samples were sequenced in a DNA analyzer and viewed for any misread nucleotide by using MEGA (v.11). Corrections in nucleotide sequence and multiple sequence alignment were made through the same software. NCBI-BLAST was used for sample specific sequences to identify them as belonging to a particular species. Diversity indices were estimated using DnaSP (v.6) while phylogenetic analysis was inferred using the Bayesian method using MrBayes (v.1.1). β-tubulin gene isoforms sequence analysis was performed to find out the candidate gene causing benzimidazole resistance. All 40 isolates were found positive for E. granulosus. BLAST-based searches of sequences of each isolate for each gene (nad5 and cytb) confirmed their maximum similarity with the G1 genotype. Overall, high haplotype diversity (Hd nad5 = 1.00; Hd cytb = 0.833) and low nucleotide diversity (π nad5 = 0.00560; π = cytb = 0.00763) was identified based on diversity indices. For both the genes, non-significant values of Tajima’s D (nad5 = −0.81734; cytb = −0.80861) and Fu’s Fs (nad5 = −1.012; cytb = 0.731) indicate recent population expansion. Bayesian phylogeny-based results of nad5 and cytb sequences confirmed their genotypic status as distinct from other Echinococcus species. This study shed light on the status of benzimidazole resistance in Echinococcus granulosus for the very first time from Pakistan. The findings of this study will significantly add in the information available on genetic diversity of Echinoccous granulosus based on cytb and nad5 genes sequences.