Search Results (31)

Strontium (Sr) is an essential trace element that plays a critical role in bone health, calcium absorption, cardiovascular function, and nerve function. In this experiment, fresh-cut peaches were treated with different concentrations of strontium chloride (SrCl₂) to study the effects of SrCl₂ on the antioxidant system, endogenous nitric oxide (NO) metabolism, and endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) metabolism, aiming to investigate the regulatory mechanism of Sr on postharvest quality of horticultural products. The results showed that, compared with the control, 320 μM SrCl₂ significantly suppressed the respiration rate by 15.10% and delayed the respiratory peak by 2 days. Meanwhile, SrCl₂ treatment effectively inhibited the rise in electrolyte leakage (EL), color difference, and weight loss, and delayed the decline in fruit firmness. In addition, SrCl₂ treatment significantly up-regulated the gene expression levels and enzyme activities of the antioxidant system, the AsA-GSH cycle, NO, and H₂S metabolism, which reduced the loss of antioxidants, enhanced the ability of fruits to scavenge hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), hydroxyl radical (˙OH), and superoxide anion (O₂⁻˙), and lowered the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. It suggests that SrCl₂ treatment has a positive effect on maintaining the postharvest quality of fresh-cut peaches, which appears to be associated with increased endogenous production of NO and H₂S, thereby enhancing antioxidant system activity. Full article

The Ordovician system in the Shunbei area of the Tarim Basin hosts typical ultra-deep, fault-controlled fracture–vuggy hydrocarbon reservoirs. Compared with the surrounding Tabei and Tazhong areas, the genetic types of Ordovician formation water in Shunbei are more complex, and the relationships and spatial distribution of oil, gas, and water exhibit strong heterogeneity and pronounced fault control. This study systematically collected formation water geochemical and pressure data to clarify the geochemical characteristics and origin of Ordovician formation water in the Shunbei area and to investigate the indicative relationships between ion concentrations and ionic ratios of formation water and reservoir dolomitization, hydrocarbon migration, and accumulation. Research shows that, in contrast to the Tabei and Tazhong areas, the Ordovician formation water in Shunbei is predominantly of the calcium chloride (CaCl₂) type, with enrichment in Ca²⁺ and depletion in Mg²⁺, which may be related to euhedral dolomitization. In fault-controlled fracture–vuggy reservoirs, a high desulfurization coefficient—contrary to its interpretation in conventional reservoirs—corresponds to favorable zones for hydrocarbon accumulation. The rare earth element (REE) composition of the formation water is characterized by heavy REE enrichment, a distinct negative cerium (Ce) anomaly, and a positive europium (Eu) anomaly. Combined with hydrogen–oxygen and strontium isotopic data, these features indicate that the Ordovician formation water in Shunbei represents original depositional paleoseawater that has undergone cross-formational flow and concentration. The water bodies are divided into two distinct formation water systems bounded by the Shunbei No. 5 fault zone. Favorable zones for hydrocarbon enrichment are controlled by source rock distribution, and hydrocarbons migrate together with formation water along strike-slip faults within the Shunbei area, showing a northwest-to-southeast trend. The region between the middle segments of the Shunbei No. 4 and No. 8 fault zones is identified as a favorable area for hydrocarbon accumulation. Full article

The geothermal system in the Jiaodong Peninsula is situated within a continent–ocean transition zone, where complex interactions among meteoric water, geothermal fluids, and seawater produce diverse hydrogeochemical and isotopic signatures, complicating geothermal resource assessment and sustainable development. To constrain recharge sources and seawater mixing mechanisms, geothermal water samples were systematically collected from 15 geothermal fields and analyzed using integrated hydrogeochemical methods and multi-isotope tracers (δD–δ¹⁸O, δ³⁴S-SO₄²⁻, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and ³H). The results show that geothermal waters are predominantly recharged by meteoric precipitation, with δD–δ¹⁸O values distributed along the meteoric water line, while low d-excess values indicate prolonged circulation and significant water–rock interaction. Seawater mixing exhibits marked spatial heterogeneity: only 5 of the 15 fields show detectable marine influence. Chloride-based calculations suggest apparent seawater fractions of up to ~34% in BQ and <4% in DY, whereas the remaining fields show negligible mixing. Sulfur and strontium isotopes indicate contributions from external sulfate sources and continued water–rock interaction rather than simple mixing with modern seawater. Low tritium contents further imply involvement of deeply circulated paleo-seawater. The system is therefore interpreted as a fault-controlled seawater-mixing geothermal system, providing insights into coastal geothermal evolution and resource evaluation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Toothpaste ingredients such as strontium chloride (SrCl₂) and potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) are recognized for their desensitizing and remineralizing effects but may be absorbed through the oral mucosa. Their potential cytotoxic and cardiotoxic properties, however, remain inadequately characterized. Here, we investigated the effects of SrCl₂ and K₂CO₃ on mouse-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Methods: Cells were exposed to varying concentrations of each compound for up to 72 h. Real-time cell analysis (xCELLigence RTCA Cardio system) was used to assess proliferation, and flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell viability. Functional properties of iPSC-CMs were examined using multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings and xCELLigence-based impedance measurements. Cardiac marker expression was examined via immunofluorescence and quantitative RT-PCR. Results: Both SrCl₂ and K₂CO₃ affected iPSC proliferation and reduced viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, accompanied by altered embryoid body (EB) morphology and increased cell death. In iPSC-CMs, both compounds downregulated key cardiac genes and disrupted spontaneous beating activity, with effects intensifying at higher concentrations. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that SrCl₂ and K₂CO₃ induced dose-dependent cytotoxic and arrhythmogenic effects on iPSCs and iPSC-CMs. At elevated concentrations, these compounds impair iPSC-CM function and may pose safety concerns upon chronic exposure. Further mechanistic and long-term in vivo studies are warranted to assess their potential cardiotoxic risk in consumer oral care products. Full article

To explore a safe and effective approach for producing strontium-enriched fish, in this study, we modified the feed for juvenile hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii ♀ × Acipenser schrenckii ♂) and set three different levels of strontium chloride content in their diet (0 mg/kg (Sr0, control), 80 mg/kg (Sr80), and 160 mg/kg (Sr160)) for a period of 8 weeks, analyzing their growth performance, strontium enrichment, muscle nutrition, and hepatic physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic characteristics. The results show that dietary strontium had no significant impact on sturgeon growth or survival rate (p > 0.05). The strontium content in tissues increased with dietary strontium levels, with the highest enrichment in bone plates (p < 0.05). However, muscle crude fat in the strontium-supplemented groups decreased significantly; the Sr160 group had higher glutamic acid, valine, docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester, lower myristic acid, palmitic acid, etc. (p < 0.05). In addition, strontium treatment alleviated hepatic lipid accumulation and mitochondrial swelling. Biochemical analyses revealed reduced plasma levels of Triglyceride (TG), Total Cholesterol (TC), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), as well as decreased hepatic Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, while hepatic Glutathione (GSH) levels increased (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic data further showed that strontium downregulated the expression of fasn and tfrc and upregulated the expression of cpt1a, apoa1, cyp7a1, and slc3a2 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 80–160 mg/kg strontium enables safe strontium enrichment in hybrid sturgeon, improves muscle nutritional quality, and protects liver function by regulating the genes related to lipid metabolism and antioxidant defense, providing a scientific basis for the development of strontium-enriched fish products. Full article

Water injection is widely recognized as one of the most important operational approaches for enhanced oil recovery in oilfields. However, this process faces significant challenges due to the formation of sulfate and carbonate mineral scales caused by high salinity in both injected water and formation water. To address this issue, the use of mineral scale inhibitors has emerged as a valuable solution. In this study, we evaluated the performance of seven machine learning algorithms (Gradient Boosting Machine; k-Nearest Neighbors; Decision Tree; Random Forest; Linear Regression; Neural Network; and Gaussian Process Regression) to predict inhibitor efficiency. The models were trained on a comprehensive dataset of 661 samples (432 for training; 229 for testing) with 66 features including temperature; concentrations of various ions (sodium; calcium, magnesium; barium; strontium; chloride; sulfate; bicarbonate; carbonate, etc.), and inhibitor dosage levels (DTPMP, PPCA, PBTC, EDTMP, BTCA, etc.). The results showed that GPR achieved the highest prediction accuracy with R² = 0.9608, followed by Neural Network (R² = 0.9230) and Random Forest (R² = 0.8822). These findings demonstrate the potential of machine learning approaches for optimizing scale inhibitor performance in oilfield operations Full article

Petroleum is an indispensable energy source in modern industrial society, and maintaining the safe and stable operation of its injection and production system is of great significance. To analyze the mechanism of pipeline damage caused by corrosion and scaling in the injection production system, taking a water injection pipeline in an oil field as an example, the causes of corrosion and scaling damage were studied by detecting pipeline samples and analyzing corrosion products and various service conditions of the pipeline. The results showed that there was more scaling on the inner wall of the pipeline, and there was local corrosion in the pipeline sections that had experienced water injection, shutdown, and gas injection conditions, while there was no significant corrosion thinning in the pipeline sections that had only experienced water injection and shutdown conditions. The scale layer formed under water injection conditions is mainly composed of barium strontium sulfate (Ba_0.75Sr_0.25SO₄), barium sulfate (BaSO₄) and a small amount of silica (SiO₂). The main reason for scale formation is the high content of barium ions (Ba²⁺) in the injected water. The corrosion products formed under gas injection conditions, including strontium ions (Sr²⁺) and sulfate ions (SO₄²⁻), are mainly composed of ferrous carbonate (FeCO₃) and ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃). The pipeline corrosion product FeCO₃ is mainly caused by carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the medium. In addition, the high liquid content, cecal position, high Cl⁻ (chloride ion) content, and slightly acidic environment in the pipeline also accelerate the occurrence of corrosion damage. The Fe₂O₃ in the corrosion products is formed when the pipeline is exposed to air after sampling, and is not the main cause of pipeline corrosion. Full article

Furnas volcano, one of the three active central volcanoes of São Miguel (the Azores archipelago), hosts mineral waters with significant special variations, divided into hyperthermal (89.4–95.4 °C), thermal (29.9–70.0 °C), and cold (14.2–21.4 °C) waters. Groundwaters are classified as Na-HCO₃, with a neutral to slightly acidic pH, except one SO₄-Na acidic sample. The major elements are primarily influenced by rock leaching and volcanic input, patterns also reflected in the trace elements, including the rare earth elements. The major cations, along with lithium, iron, aluminum, rubidium, and strontium, indicate the influence of water–rock interactions. Some samples depict a higher influence in this input, shown by the similar REE behavior between them and the local rock behavior. The volcanic input is distinguished into two environments: an acid sulfate boiling pool, formed by steam heating, and neutral HCO₃-Cl waters, where bicarbonate-rich waters mix with a neutral chloride fluid from a deep reservoir. The deeper reservoir also provides boron, arsenic, antimony, and tungsten, also seemingly associated with a positive spike in europium due to rock dissolution at temperatures above 250 °C or a reducing environment. This interpretation is corroborated by the stability of the strontium isotopes between samples. Full article

The synthesis of ethylamine-based perovskites has emerged to attempt to replace the lead in lead-based perovskites for the alkaline earth elements barium and strontium, introducing chloride halide to prepare the perovskites in solar cell technology. X-ray diffraction studies were conducted, and EXPO2014 software was utilized to resolve the structure. Chemical characterization was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, photophysical properties were analyzed through ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence properties were determined to confirm the perovskite characteristics. The software employed can determine new crystal structures, as follows: orthorhombic for barium perovskite CH₃CH₂NH₃BaCl₃ and tetragonal for strontium perovskite CH₃CH₂NH₃SrCl₃. The ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy data demonstrated that a temperature increase (90–110 °C) contributed to reducing the band gap from 3.93 eV to 3.67 eV for barium perovskite and from 4.05 eV to 3.84 eV for strontium perovskite. The results exhibited that new materials can be obtained through gentle chemistry and specialized software like EXPO2014, both of which are capable of conducting reciprocal and direct space analyses for identifying crystal structures using powder X-ray diffraction. Full article

This study investigates the impact of strontium (Sr) additions on the corrosion resistance of an LM6 (A413) aluminium alloy. By incorporating varying concentrations of Sr (0.01 wt.% and 0.05 wt.%), the morphological and corrosion behaviours of the alloy were analysed under different corrosive environments, including sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, and sodium chloride solutions. The results demonstrate that Sr modifications significantly enhance the alloy’s corrosion resistance, with the most substantial improvement observed at 0.05 wt.% Sr. The analysis revealed that the weight loss of the alloy in sulphuric acid decreased by 2.5% with 0.05 wt.% Sr after 10 days of immersion, due to the formation of a stable passive oxide layer. In sodium hydroxide, however, the weight loss was reduced by 5% with 0.05 wt.% Sr after 10 days, indicating aggressive uniform corrosion. In the 3.5% sodium chloride solution, the corrosion rates remain relatively low, and the 0.05 wt.% Sr alloy showed a decrease in corrosion product formation over time, suggesting enhanced resistance. Detailed surface analyses, including 3D profiling and morphology assessments, revealed that Sr additions refine the eutectic silicon phase, transforming it from a coarse to a more desirable fibrous or lamellar structure, thus improving the alloy’s overall performance. The innovative findings underscore the potential of Sr as an effective microstructural modifier for enhancing the durability and longevity of Al-Si alloys in corrosive environments. Full article

The role of thermal spring waters (TSWs) in the treatment of dermatological disease has been described by several authors, as have their benefits in treating certain skin conditions, among which atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrhea, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, and sensitive skin can be cited. It has been postulated that the mechanisms involved include chemical, thermal, mechanical, and immunological effects, and the chemical composition of thermal water is crucial in its skin effects. Thus, in this review, the effects of the different anions, cations, trace elements, and other compounds present in TSW were investigated, showing that the benefits of TSW can be mainly linked to its content of chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate anions; calcium, sodium, and magnesium cations; and, among its trace elements, boron, selenium, strontium, manganese, and zinc, which are those with greater influence. Other compounds such as SiO₂, sulfur anions, and CO₂ can also exert specific effects. As a whole, the specific effects can be summarized as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound healing improvement, skin hydration, and skin barrier recovery activities. Full article

Osteoporosis stands out as a prevalent skeletal ailment, prompting exploration into potential treatments, including dietary strontium ion supplements. This study assessed the efficacy of supplementation of three strontium forms—strontium citrate (SrC), strontium ranelate (SrR), and strontium chloride (SrCl)—for enhancing bone structure in 50 female SWISS mice, aged seven weeks. In total, 40 mice underwent ovariectomy, while 10 underwent sham ovariectomy. Ovariectomized (OVX) mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: OVX (no supplementation), OVX + SrR, OVX + SrC, and OVX + SrCl, at concentrations equivalent to the molar amount of strontium. After 16 weeks, micro-CT examined trabeculae and cortical bones, and whole-bone strontium content was determined. Results confirm strontium administration increased bone tissue mineral density (TMD) and Sr content, with SrC exhibiting the weakest effect. Femur morphometry showed limited Sr impact, especially in the OVX + SrC group. This research highlights strontium’s potential in bone health, emphasizing variations in efficacy among its forms. Full article

Despite strontium ranelate use in osteoporosis management being one of the promising concepts in disease treatment, there is no clear evidence that strontium organic compounds are more effective than inorganic ones. The aim of this study was to compare strontium chlorate and strontium ranelate influence on the mice bone microarchitecture. We investigated whether strontium chlorate (7.532 mmol/L) and strontium ranelate (7.78 mmol/L) solutions fed to healthy SWISS growing mice (n = 42) had an influence on the percent of bone volume (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), number of trabeculae (Tb.N), and separation between each trabecula (Tb.Sp) in the chosen ROI (region of interest) in the distal metaphysis of the left femurs. The cortical bone surface was examined close to the ROI proximal scan. There was an increase in each examined parameter compared with the control group. There were no statistical differences between strontium ranelate and strontium chlorate parameters. Our study indicates that organic and inorganic strontium compounds similarly affect the bone microarchitecture and strength. Full article

Strontium (Sr) is an essential trace element in the human body and plays an important role in regulating male reproductive health. Recent studies have shown that gut flora plays a key role in maintaining spermatogenesis, as well as testicular health, through the gut–testis axis. At present, it is unclear whether gut microbiota can mediate the effects of Sr on sperm quality, and what the underlying mechanisms may be. We investigated the effects of different concentrations of strontium chloride (SrCl₂) solutions (0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg BW) on reproductive function and gut microbiota in male Wistar rats (6–8 weeks, 250 ± 20 g). All the animals were euthanized after 37 days of treatment. The Sr-50 group significantly increased sperm concentration, sperm motility, and sperm viability in rats. After Sr treatment, serum and testicular testosterone (T) and Sr levels increased in a dose-dependent manner with increasing Sr concentration. At the same time, we also found that testicular marker enzymes (ACP, LDH) and testosterone marker genes (StAR, 3β-HSD, and Cyp11a1) increased significantly in varying degrees after Sr treatment, while serum NO levels decreased significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Further investigation of intestinal flora showed that SrCl₂ affected the composition of gut microbiome, but did not affect the richness and diversity of gut microbiota. Sr treatment reduced the number of bacteria with negative effects on reproductive health, such as Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes, Romboutsia, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_014, Weissella, and Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, and added bacteria with negative effects on reproductive health, such as Jeotgalicoccus. To further explore the Sr and the relationship between the gut microbiota, we conducted a Spearman correlation analysis, and the results showed that the gut microbiota was closely correlated with Sr content in serum and testicular tissue, sex hormone levels, and testicular marker enzymes. Additionally, gut microbiota can also regulate each other and jointly maintain the homeostasis of the body’s internal environment. However, we found no significant correlation between intestinal flora and sperm quality in this study, which may be related to the small sample size of our 16S rDNA sequencing. In conclusion, the Sr-50 group significantly increased T levels and sperm quality, and improved the levels of testicular marker enzymes and testosterone marker genes in the rats. Sr treatment altered the gut flora of the rats. However, further analysis of the effects of gut microbiota in mediating the effects of SrCl₂ on male reproductive function is needed. This study may improve the current understanding of the interaction between Sr, reproductive health, and gut microbiota, providing evidence for the development of Sr-rich foods and the prevention of male fertility decline. Full article

The development of efficient heterogeneous persulfate activators is one of the main research topics in the wastewater treatment area. The present work deals with the heterogeneous activation of sodium persulfate (SPS) using nickel oxide/strontium carbonate (NiO/SrCO₃) for the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a representative compound from the group of antibiotics. Results showed that NiO/SrCO₃ exhibited high performance towards the activation of SPS, leading to SMX elimination in brief time spans. The impact of SPS (25–100 mg/L), NiO/SrCO₃ (50–250 mg/L), and SMX (0.25–3.00 mg/L) concentration, and initial pH on the decomposition of SMX was further examined. Experiments were also conducted in real matrices such as secondary effluent and bottled water, revealing the existence of retarding phenomena compared to ultrapure water. This behavior was further investigated with the addition of bicarbonates, chlorides, or humic acid in ultrapure water. It was found that organic matter significantly hampered SMX removal. The role of the main radicals (hydroxyl and sulfate radicals) was determined using appropriate radical traps (methanol and tert-butanol). These quenching experiments combined with the conducted electrochemical measurements revealed that both a radical and a non-radical mechanism contribute to the decomposition of SMX. Full article