Novel DNAH1 Mutation Loci Lead to Multiple Morphological Abnormalities of the Sperm Flagella and Literature Review.

The protein encoded by dynein axonemal heavy chain 1 (DNAH1) is a part of dynein, which regulates the function of cilia and sperm flagella. The mutant of DNAH1 causes the deletion of inner dynein arm 3 in the flagellum, leading to multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) and severe asthenozoospermia. However, instead of asthenozoospermia and MMAF, the result caused by the mutation of DNAH1 remains unknown. Here we report a male infertility patient with severe asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia. We found two heterozygous mutations in DNAH1 (c.6912C>A and c.7076G>T) and which were reported to be associated with MMAF for the first time. We next collected and analyzed 65 cases of DNAH1 mutation and found that the proportion of short flagella is the largest, while the bent flagella account for the smallest, and the incidence of head deformity is not high in the sperm of these patients. Finally, we also analyzed 31 DNAH1 mutation patients who were treated with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and achieved beneficial outcomes. We hope our research will be helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility caused by DNAH1 mutation.

Microbial community distribution and extracellular enzyme activities in leach bed reactor treating food waste: effect of different leachate recirculation practices.

This study aimed at understanding the relationship between microbial community and extracellular enzyme activities of leach bed reactor (LBR) treating food waste under different leachate recirculation practices (once per day and continuous) and liquid to solid (L/S) ratios (1:1 and 0.5:1). Microbial community analysis using PCR-DGGE revealed that Lactobacillus sp., Bifidobacter sp., and Proteobacteria were the most abundant species. Number of phylotypes was higher in LBRs with intermittent recirculation; whereas, lower number of phylotypes dominated by the key players of degradation was observed with continuous recirculation. The L/S ratio of 1:1 significantly enhanced the volatile solids removal compared with 0.5:1; however, this effect was insignificant under once a day leachate recirculation. Continuous leachate recirculation with 1:1 L/S ratio significantly improved the organic leaching (240 g COD/kgvolatile solid) and showed distinct extracellular enzyme activities suitable for food waste acidogenesis.

A novel way to utilize hydrogen and carbon dioxide in acidogenic reactor through homoacetogenesis.

This study investigated the potential of Acetobacterium woodii, a homoacetogen, in co-culture with common acetogens for acetate production during glucose fermentation. Three types of inocula, A. woodii (AW), heat-treated sludge (HTS) and co-culture of A. woodii and heat-treated sludge (AW-HTS) were investigated. Results showed that ∼ 150 mM of glucose was almost completely converted to biomass, gases and other products in co-culture. The addition of A. woodii induced homoacetogenic fermentation in AW-HTS during the first 3 days, as evidenced by the decreased hydrogen production and acetate dominance (>90%, corresponding to 1.19 mol acetate/mol glucose) in total soluble products. However, due to the unfavorable environmental conditions, metabolic pathway in AW-HTS treatment shifted towards butyrate type at the end of the experiment. Bacterial diversity analysis indicated that species supporting growth of A. woodii were dominant during the first several days and their abundance gradually decreased until the end of experiment.

Comparison of wavefront aberrations under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions using WaveScan.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the differences of wavefront aberrations under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions. METHODS: A total of 174 eyes of 105 patients were measured using the wavefront sensor (WaveScan® 3.62) under different pupil conditions: cycloplegic 8.58 ± 0.54 mm (6.4 mm - 9.5 mm), scotopic 7.53 ± 0.69 mm (5.7 mm - 9.1 mm) and photopic 6.08 ± 1.14 mm (4.1 mm - 8.8 mm). The pupil diameter, standard Zernike coefficients, root mean square of higher-order aberrations and dominant aberrations were compared between cycloplegic and scotopic conditions, and between scotopic and photopic conditions. RESULTS: The pupil diameter was 7.53 ± 0.69 mm under the scotopic condition, which reached the requirement of about 6.5 mm optical zone design in the wavefront-guided surgery and prevented measurement error due to the pupil centroid shift caused by mydriatics. Pharmacological pupil dilation induced increase of standard Zernike coefficients Z(3)(-3), Z(4)(0) and Z(5)(-5). The higher-order aberrations, third-order aberration, fourth-order aberration, fifth-order aberration, sixth-order aberration, and spherical aberration increased statistically significantly, compared to the scotopic condition (P<0.010). When the scotopic condition shifted to the photopic condition, the standard Zernike coefficients Z(4)(0), Z(4)(2), Z(6)(-4), Z(6)(-2), Z(6)(2) decreased and all the higher-order aberrations decreased statistically significantly (P<0.010), demonstrating that accommodative miosis can significantly improve vision under the photopic condition. Under the three conditions, the vertical coma aberration appears the most frequently within the dominant aberrations without significant effect by pupil size variance, and the proportion of spherical aberrations decreased with the decrease of the pupil size. CONCLUSIONS: The wavefront aberrations are significantly different under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions. Using the wavefront sensor (VISX WaveScan) to measure scotopic wavefront aberrations is feasible for the wavefront-guided refractive surgery.

Comparison of wavefront aberrations under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions using WaveScan / Comparação de aberrações de frente de onda sob cicloplegia, condições escotópica e fotópica usando WaveScan

PURPOSE: To evaluate the differences of wavefront aberrations under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions. METHODS: A total of 174 eyes of 105 patients were measured using the wavefront sensor (WaveScan® 3.62) under different pupil conditions: cycloplegic 8.58 ± 0.54 mm (6.4 mm - 9.5 mm), scotopic 7.53 ± 0.69 mm (5.7 mm - 9.1 mm) and photopic 6.08 ± 1.14 mm (4.1 mm - 8.8 mm). The pupil diameter, standard Zernike coefficients, root mean square of higher-order aberrations and dominant aberrations were compared between cycloplegic and scotopic conditions, and between scotopic and photopic conditions. RESULTS: The pupil diameter was 7.53 ± 0.69 mm under the scotopic condition, which reached the requirement of about 6.5 mm optical zone design in the wavefront-guided surgery and prevented measurement error due to the pupil centroid shift caused by mydriatics. Pharmacological pupil dilation induced increase of standard Zernike coefficients Z3-3, Z4(0) and Z5-5. The higher-order aberrations, third-order aberration, fourth-order aberration, fifth-order aberration, sixth-order aberration, and spherical aberration increased statistically significantly, compared to the scotopic condition (P<0.010). When the scotopic condition shifted to the photopic condition, the standard Zernike coefficients Z4(0), Z4², Z6-4, Z6-2, Z6² decreased and all the higher-order aberrations decreased statistically significantly (P<0.010), demonstrating that accommodative miosis can significantly improve vision under the photopic condition. Under the three conditions, the vertical coma aberration appears the most frequently within the dominant aberrations without significant effect by pupil size variance, and the proportion of spherical aberrations decreased with the decrease of the pupil size. CONCLUSIONS: The wavefront aberrations are significantly different under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions. Using the wavefront sensor (VISX WaveScan) to measure scotopic wavefront aberrations is feasible for the wavefront-guided refractive surgery.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar as diferenças de aberrações de frente de onda, em diferentes condições pupilares: sob cicloplegia, escotópica e fotópica. MÉTODOS: Um total de 174 olhos de 105 pacientes foram avaliados utilizando o sensor de frente de onda (WaveScan® 3.62) em diferentes condições pupilares: sob cicloplegia 8,58 ± 0,54 mm (6.4 mm-9.5 mm), escotópica 7,53 ± 0,69 mm (5,7 mm - 9,1 mm) e fotópica 6,08 ± 1,14 mm (4,1 mm - 8,8 mm). Diâmetro da pupila, coeficientes de Zernike, RMS ("Root Mean Square") das aberrações de alta ordem e as aberrações dominantes foram comparados entre as condições sob cicloplegia e escotópica, e entre as condições escotópica e fotópica. RESULTADOS: O diâmetro da pupila foi 7,53 ± 0.69 mm sob a condição escotópica e atingiu a exigência de cerca de 6,5 mm de zona óptica na cirurgia baseada em análise de frentes de ondas, evitando erros de medição consequentes à mudança de centroide pupilar provocada por midriáticos. A dilatação farmacológica da pupila induziu aumento dos coeficientes de Zernike Z3-3, Z4(0) e Z5-5. As aberrações de mais alta ordem (terceira, quarta, quinta e sexta ordem) e a aberração esférica aumentaram de forma estatisticamente significativa, em comparação com a condição escotópica (P<0,010). Quando a condição escotópica se mudou para a condição fotópica, os coeficientes de Zernike Z4(0), Z4², Z6-4, Z6-2, Z6² e todas as aberrações de alta ordem diminuíram de forma estatisticamente significativa (P<0,010), demonstrando que a miose acomodativa pode significativamente melhorar a visão sob a condição fotópica. Sob as três condições, a aberração coma vertical apareceu mais frequentemente dentro das aberrações dominantes, sem influência significativa da variação do tamanho da pupila, e a proporção de aberração esférica diminuiu com a diminuição do tamanho da pupila. CONCLUSÕES: As aberrações de frente de onda são significativamente diferentes sob cicloplegia, condições escotópica e fotópica. O uso do sensor de frentes de onda (VISX WaveScan) para medir as aberrações de frente de onda escotópicas é uma opção viável para a cirurgia refrativa baseada em análise de frentes de onda.

Effect of inoculum to substrate ratio on the hydrolysis and acidification of food waste in leach bed reactor.

The aim of present study was to determine an appropriate ISR (inoculum to substrate ratio) to enhance the hydrolysis rate and reduce the solid retention time of food waste in hydrolytic-acidogenesis leach bed reactor (LBR). LBR 1-4 were inoculated with 0%, 5%, 20% and 80% (w/w basis) of anaerobically digested sludge, respectively, using artificial food waste as substrate. Experiments were conducted in batch mode at mesophilic condition (35 °C) for 17 days. Higher ISR resulted in 4.3-fold increase in protein hydrolysis; whereas, only a modest increase in the decomposition of carbohydrate. Two kinetic models for carbohydrate and protein degradation were proposed and evaluated. The differences among four ISRs in volatile solids removal efficiencies were marginal, i.e. 52.4%, 62.8%, 63.2% and 71.7% for LBR 1-4, respectively; indicating that higher ISR was insignificant in enhancing the overall hydrolysis rate in LBR. Therefore, a lower ISR of 20% was recommended in the hydrolytic-acidogenic process.

Leaching behaviour of bisphenol A from municipal solid waste under landfill environment.

With a preliminary insight into the source and leaching behaviour ofbisphenol A (BPA) from municipal solid wastes (MSW), five kinds of plastic and four kinds of paper materials were leached by distilled water. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste was found to have the highest BPA content of 12.1 microg x g(-1) and leachability of 34.7% in distilled water, while cardboard with relatively low BPA content also showed a high ratio of leaching (53.6%). Fresh leachate and leachates from a landfill of age 1.5 and 10 years were adopted as leachants for the PVC plastic and cardboard to simulate the leaching behaviour of BPA under a landfill environment. The enhancement of BPA leachability in the 10-year leachate compared with distilled water was higher than that in the other two leachates due to its basic pH and high content of humic organic matters. Meanwhile, the enhancement of BPA leachability by the fresh leachate was higher than that by the 1.5-year leachate, possibly due to the presence of small molecules such as volatile fatty acids, amino acids, etc. The paper waste was not only a minor origin of BPA leaching, but also a controlling factor in retarding BPA transformation. The BPA sorption K(f) value of the cardboard in the Freundlich equation was 0.2224 mg(1-n)) x L(n) x g(-1) (n = 0.7680), higher than that obtained in sorption experiments by natural organic adsorbents such as sediment. It suggested that the presence of paper with a high sorption capacity in MSW will restrain BPA transport and bioavailability in landfills.

Optimization of food waste hydrolysis in leach bed coupled with methanogenic reactor: effect of pH and bulking agent.

The effects of pH and bulking agents on hydrolysis/acidogenesis of food waste were studied using leach bed reactor (LBR) coupled with methanogenic up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The hydrolysis rate under regulated pH (6.0) was studied and compared with unregulated one during initial experiment. Then, the efficacies of five different bulking agents, i.e. plastic full particles, plastic hollow sphere, bottom ash, wood chip and saw dust were experimented under the regulated pH condition. Leachate recirculation with 50% water replacement was practiced throughout the experiment. Results proved that the daily leachate recirculation with pH control (6.0) accelerated the hydrolysis rate (59% higher volatile fatty acids) and methane production (up to 88%) compared to that of control without pH control. Furthermore, bottom ash improved the reactor alkalinity, which internally buffered the system that improved the methane production rate (0.182 l CH(4)/g VS(added)) than other bulking agents.

Food waste decomposition in leachbed reactor: role of neutralizing solutions on the leachate quality.

The neutralization effects of 0.1M NaHCO(3), KPO(4)-buffer (pH 7.0) and sodium acetate (NaOAc) solutions (500 ml/kg food waste/day) on controlling the pH and leachate quality in an acidogenic reactor of food waste anaerobic digestion was investigated. pH of leachate from the reactor was low and ranged from 3.24 to 4.15. Although differences in chemical oxygen demand (COD) were observed, the cumulative COD yields were almost similar. Ammonia concentrations gradually decreased from 26 to 3mg/l after 15 days. Acetic acid was the major fraction and the total VFAs decreased gradually for a week and increased thereafter, with a sharp increase in NaOAc treatment. VFAs yield and acetate/propionate ratio were the highest in NaOAc treatment, followed by NaHCO(3) and KPO(4) treatments. Volatile solids reduction was the lowest in NaOAc treatment (47.5%) and highest in NaHCO(3) treatment (67.0%). With lower decomposition and higher yield of VFA and COD, NaOAc could be used as a neutralizing agent in acidogenic reactors to improve the efficiency of the acidogenesis process.

[Comparison of the treatment performance in fresh and mature landfill leachates by Fenton process].

The experiments focused on comparing the removal efficiencies of organic matters in fresh and mature landfill leachate by Fenton treatment. The changes in dissolved organic matter before and after Fenton treatment were assessed using gross organic parameters such as organic compound relative molecular mass (Mr) distribution, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and the ratio of COD to TOC. The results from this study demonstrate that high Mr fractions of mature landffill leachate are more easily converted into dissolved small Mr fractions (Mr < 10(3)) by Fenton reaction than those of fresh landfill leachate, since the average Mr of mature landfill leachate is higher than that of fresh landfill leachate and the Mr > 10(5) fraction of the mature leachate account for 64% of the total mass. Operating parameters such as pH, [Fe2+] and [H2O2]/[Fe2+] demonstrate that the COD removal efficiency of the fresh landfill leachate (from 61% to 84%) is higher than that of the mature landfill leachate (from 31% to 60%), while it is converse for TOC (from 85% and 52% to 91% and 80% for the mature and fresh landfill leachate, respectively). Oxidation seems to play a more active role in COD reduction than coagulation whatever for the mature or fresh landfill leachate. Oxidation efficiency apparently controls coagulation efficiency, so that high oxidation efficiency may cause relatively low coagulation. The mass balances indicate that TOC removal by oxidation (TOCoxid) is more than COD removal by oxidation (CODoxid) for the mature landfill leachate while TOCoxid is less significantly than CODoxid for the fresh landfill leachate. The COD/TOC ratios are 1.17 and 1.58 for the initial mature landfill leachate and fresh landfill leachate, respectively, but they are 1.96 and 0.68 after Fenton treatment by oxidation, respectively. This phenomenon suggests that complete oxidations occur in the mature landfill leachate while both partial and complete oxidations occur in the fresh landfill leachate. The changes of CODcoag and TOCcoag illustrate that the oxidation state of the organic matters removed by coagulation in the mature landfill leachate is significantly lower than in the fresh landfill leachate.