[Effects of Different Colored Polycarbonate Plastics on Growth and Community Structure of Periphytic Algae].

Periphytic algae are important primary producers in water bodies, which play an important role in maintaining ecological function and water purification. Previous studies have shown that plastic is a good substrate for periphytic algae, and different plastic materials have different effects on the colonization of periphytic algae; however, there are few reports on the effects of plastic color on the growth of periphytic algae. In this study, polycarbonate plastic (PC) of various colors were used as the substrate to study the effects of different colors on the growth and community structure of periphytic algae by measuring the biomass, photosynthetic activity, and community composition. The results showed that the growth of periphytic algae was inhibited by the brown PC plastic, and the contents of chlorophyll a and dry weight in this group were significantly lower than those in other groups. Green PC plastic inhibited the photosynthetic activity of periphytic algae, and the actual photosynthetic efficiency (Yield) of the group was significantly lower than that of the other groups. The influence of PC plastic with different colors on periphytic algae occurred mainly in the early colonization/development stage but was not significant in the late community maturity stage. On day seven of the experiment, the community composition of periphytic algae was significantly different between the transparent PC plastic group and the green PC plastic group. By contrast, on days 25 and 40, there were no significant differences in the community structure of periphytic algae. In the early stage of the experiment, the dominant genus was Pseudoranea (Cyanophyta), and in the middle and mature stages, the dominant genus was Mougeotia (Chlorophyta). In this study, the effects of different colors of polycarbonate plastics on periphytic algae were investigated, which provided new insights for selecting suitable substrates for water pollution treatment by using periphyton biotechnology.

A novel MICB allele, MICB*004:02, identifified in a western china Uyghur individual.

The novel MICB*004:02 allele differs from the closest allele MICB*004:01by a synonymous mutation in exon 2.

[Role of Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound in Distinguishing between Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules with Calcification].

Objective To explore the roles of conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound in distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid nodules with calcification. Methods A total of 102 solid thyroid nodules with calcification in 76 patients were evaluated by conventional ultrasound alone and conventional ultrasound combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.The features obtained through conventional ultrasound alone and that combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound were scored,and the diagnostic performance of the two methods was analyzed based on the final pathological results. Results The distribution of microcalcification(P<0.0001),aspect ratio>1(P=0.039),unclear boundary(P=0.027),ring enhancement around nodules(P=0.000),and the degree(P=0.000)and uniformity(P=0.001)of enhancement for the non-calcified part were statistically different between benign and malignant nodules.Compared with conventional ultrasound alone,conventional ultrasound combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound significantly improved the area under the curve(0.841 vs.0.701,P<0.001)and specificity(97.06% vs. 44.12%,P=0.007),without significant change in sensitivity(67.55% vs. 73.53%,P=0.727). Conclusions The combination with contrast-enhanced ultrasound can improve the performance of conventional ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid solid nodules with calcification.Eight malignant signs include solid,hypoechoic,microcalcification,aspect ratio,and blurred edges detected by conventional ultrasound,and non-circular enhancement around nodules,low enhancement and non-uniform enhancement of solid parts detected by contrast-enhanced ultrasound.A solid thyroid nodule with calcification presenting five or more malignant signs highly suggests malignancy.

[Toxicological Effects of Enrofloxacin and Its Removal by Freshwater Micro-Green Algae Dictyosphaerium sp.]

Enrofloxacin (ENR), a fluoroquinolones antibiotic, is widely used in the medical and aquaculture fields. Its residues in surface waters in China are high. However, few studies have evaluated both its toxicity to phytoplankton and the degradation or removal by microalgae. In this study, the growth, photosynthetic activity, and exopolysaccharides (EPS) of freshwater micro-green algae Dictyosphaerium sp. and the dynamics of ENR concentrations (0, 5, 25, 50, and 100 mg·L-1) were studied through an exposure experiment for 12 days. Results showed that the biomass and photosynthetic pigment content of Dictyosphaerium sp. increased with increasing exposure time in each treatment; however, it showed a significant inhibitory effect on the growth and pigment accumulation of Dictyosphaerium sp. compared with the control group (P<0.01). The LC50 of ENR to Dictyosphaerium sp. was (241.29±7.33) mg·L-1 after 96-h exposure, indicating that Dictyosphaerium sp. could adapt to the stress conditions of high concentration ENR. Meanwhile, when the concentration of enrofloxacin was<5 mg·L-1, it was found to promote the maximum photosynthetic rate (Fv/Fm) of Dictyosphaerium sp. On the contrary, when the concentration of enrofloxacin was>5 mg·L-1, photosynthetic inhibition was observed (P<0.01). The actual photosynthetic rate (Yield) and the maximum electron transfer rate (ETRmax) showed a trend of initially decreasing and then increasing in 12 days. It can gradually adapt to the stress conditions and recover certain photosynthetic activity after 6 days' exposure. In addition, ENR can also stimulate the EPS (RPS and CPS) release. At the end of the experiment, the removal rates of ENR in the four control groups (no algae addition groups) (5, 25, 50, and 100 mg·L-1ENR) were 7.27%, 5.56%, 5.30%, and 4.88%, respectively, while the removal rates of the treatment groups were 3.21, 3.01, 2.69, and 2.83 times of the no algae groups, indicating that Dictyosphaerium sp. had a significant promoting effect on the removal of ENR (P<0.01). Overall, our results can provide new insights for the understanding of the ecological toxicity of fluoroquinolone antibiotics to primary producers in the aquatic system and also provide new ideas for the ecological removal of antibiotic residues in water bodies and the biological resource utilization of freshwater microalgae.

[Utilization and growth response of Chrysosporum ovalisporum to different phosphorus compounds]. / 卵孢金孢藻对不同磷化合物的利用及生长响应.

To explore the ability of bloom-forming cyanobacterium Chrysosporum ovalisporum to utilize different kinds of phosphorus compounds in the water column, we examined the growth response of C. ovalisporum in the laboratory by taking dipotassium hydrogen phosphate as the control and set different treatments of phosphorus substrates. The results showed that C. ovalisporum could utilize sodium tripolyphosphate and terasodium pyrophosphate decahydrate, with better utilization of sodium tripolyphosphate. After 15 days, it had the highest biomass and chlorophyll a concentrations under the treatment of sodium tripolyphosphate, with a value of (426.96±47.42) mg·L-1 and (1852.34±116.60) µg·L-1, respectively. Compared with the control, there was no significant difference in biomass of C. ovalisporum under both the (2-aminoethyl)-phosphonic acid and disodium ß-glycerol phosphate pentahydrate treatments. The change characteristics of dissolved inorganic phosphate were related to the alkaline phosphatase activity, indicating that C. ovalisporum was able to utilize these two organophosphorus compounds via enzyme hydrolysis. The concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphate reached 0 mg·L-1 during the whole experiment when the C. ovalisporum were fed with glyphosate. Biomass, specific growth rate, chlorophyll a concentration and photosynthetic activity of algal cells were significantly lower than those of the control, indicating that C. ova-lisporum could not uptake phosphorus compounds in the glyphosate substrate and thus their growth being inhibited. Our results present new insights to understand the diffusion mechanism of C. ovalisporum into different aquatic ecosystems and had theoretical reference value for the prevention and control of new cyanobacterial blooms.

[Characteristics of Phytoplankton Community and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors in Different Regions of Yilong Lake, Yunnan Province, China].

Yilong Lake, a shallow, plateau lake, is the ninth largest water body in the Yunnan Province, China. In order to figure out the characteristics of phytoplankton communities in different regions of this lake, the phytoplankton and environmental factors in the west region, east region, and in a submerged macrophytes restoration demonstration region were monthly investigated and analyzed from August 2013 to July 2014. The results showed that the habitats in different regions were spatially heterogeneous. Total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), transparency (SD), turbidity (Turb.), and electrical conductivity (EC) had no significant differences between the demonstration region and the west region, but these two regions showed significant differences in comparison with the east region (P<0.05). The largest phytoplankton density was Cyanophyta and the dominant species in the three regions were different. Mersmopedia tenuissima had the highest dominance in the west region; Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and Pseudanabaena limntica were the most dominant taxa in the east region; while Merismopedia tenuissima and Anabaenopsis sp. were dominant in the O. uminata restoration demonstration region. PCoA compared the ß diversity of phytoplankton communities in the three different regions based on the entire year investigations. It was found that the community structures of the west region and O. uminata restoration demonstration region were similar (P>0.05), but they were significantly different from the community from the east region (P<0.01). Redundant analysis (RDA) showed that TN, TP, BOD5, and SD were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of phytoplankton community in Yilong Lake. In addition, NH4+-N, EC, permanganate index, and pH also have a certain effect on the phytoplankton community.

Furostanol and Spirostanol Saponins from Tribulus terrestris.

Twelve new steroidal saponins, including eleven furostanol saponins, terrestrinin J-T (1-11), and one spirostanol saponin, terrestrinin U (12), together with seven known steroidal saponins 13-19 were isolated from T. terrestris. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, and comparisons with published data.

[Qualitative analysis of chemical constituents in Si-Wu Decoction based on TCM component database].

In order to clarify the chemical constituents of Si-Wu Decoction rapidly and holistically, we analyzed the ethanol extract of Si-Wu Decoction by UPLC/Q-TOF-MSE and UNIFI which based on traditional Chinese medicine database, the probable structures of 113 compounds were identified. The results show that this method can rapidly and effectively characterize the chemical compounds of Si-Wu Decoction and provide a new solution for identification of components from complex TCM extract.

New oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins isolated from the seeds of Celosia argentea.

Three new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins named celosins H, I, and J were isolated from the seeds of Celosia argentea L. Their structures were characterized as 3-O-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-ß-D-glucuronopyranosyl-polygalagenin 28-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester, 3-O-ß-D-glucuronopyranosyl-medicagenic acid 28-O-ß-D-xylcopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-D-fucopyranosyl ester, and 3-O-ß-D-glucuronopyranosyl-medicagenic acid 28-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-[ß-D-xylcopyranosyl-(1 → 4)]-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-D-fucopyranosyl ester by NMR, MS, and chemical evidences, respectively. In our opinion, celosins H-J could be used as chemical markers for the quality control of C. argentea seeds.

[Analysis and identification of chemical constituents in Siwu decoction by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS(E)].

This research analyzed the chemical constituents of Siwu decoction by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS(E). Base on the data of mass and related-literatures, 43 peaks were profiled and 25 compounds, which contain 8 monoterpene glycosides from Paeonia lactiflora and 13 phthalides from Rhizoma chuanxiong and Radix angelica sinensis mainly, were identified in both positive and negative mode respectively. Meanwhile, chemical constituents of water extract and 60% ethanol extract of Siwu decoction were compared by the principal constituent analysis with MarkerLynx software, which provides the basis for the active ingredients of Siwu decoction.

High-sensitivity detection of fruit tree viruses using bacterial magnetic particles.

Prunus necrotic ring spot virus (PNRSV) and grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) were detected by fluoroimmunoassay using bacterial magnetic particles (BMPs), and a double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). For the fluoroimmunoassay, fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled anti-PNRSV antibody or anti-GFLV antibody was conjugated onto BMPs of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1. With this method, a very low minimum antigen concentration (1 x 10(6) dilution of the original sample concentration) could be detected. Using DAS-ELISA, the minimum antigen detection concentration was the original sample concentration. Thus, comparing these two methods, a BMP-based method could increase the sensitivity up to six orders of magnitude (10(6)) higher than an ELISA-based method of detection PNRSV and GFLV.