[A Retrospective Analysis on the Prevalence of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Gansu Province during 2005-2014].

OBJECTIVE: To review the prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis in Gansu Province during 2005-2014. METHODS: The data of visceral leishmaniasis cases in Gansu Province during 2005-2014 were collected and descriptive statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: During 2005-2014, 1,260 cases of visceral leishmaniasis were reported in Gansu Province. The incidence showed a trend of annual increase from 2005 (90 cases, 7.14%) onwards, peaked in 2011 (168 cases, 13.33%), and decreased afterwards. In 2014, 85 cases (6.75%) were reported. Most of the cases were from the Longnan region and some areas in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Specifically, the case number was highest in Wudu District of the Longnan region (506/1,260, 40.16%), followed by Wenxian County (302/1,260, 23.97%) and Zhouqu County (202/1,260, 16.03%). In total, the cases had a male-to-female ratio of 1.46:1, and concentrated in age group of 0-5 years (665/1,260, 52.78%), showing a trend of decrease with age increase. In addition, visceral leishmaniasis occured throughout the year, with a higher cumulative incidence from March to June [10.48% (132/1,260), 13.33% (168/1,260), 12.86% (162/1,260) and 11.67% (147/1,260), respectively]. CONCLUSION: From 2005 to 2014, the Longnan region and some areas of Gannan Prefecture are the major endemic areas of visceral leishmaniasis, with more cases in children under 5 and higher incidence from March to June.

[Clustering Analysis of Hydatid Disease in Gansu Province].

The prevalence of hydatid disease in human population and livestock, and the positive rate of echinococcal antigen in canine feces were analyzed with sample clustering method, according to the survey on hydatid disease in 72 counties in Gansu province in the database of the National Survey on Prevalence of Echinococcosis in 2012. The prevalence of hydatid disease in huma and livestock, and the positive rate of echinococcal antigen in canine feces were 0-1.59%, 0-15.22%, and 0-16.87% respectively. Clustering analysis revealed four types of prevalence in the 72 counties. The first type existed only in Dunhuang city, with the three indicators being 0.27%, 15.22% and 16.87%; the second in four counties, with the three indicators being 0.43%, 6.57% and 1.83%; the third in 22 counties, with the three indicators being 0.22%, 1.15% and 1035%; and the fourth in 45 counties, with the three indicators being 0.16%, 0.58% and 1.69%.

Response Surface Methodology Optimization of Resistance Welding Process for Unidirectional Carbon Fiber/PPS Composites.

The use of thermoplastic composites (TPCs) as one of the lightweight solutions will inevitably encounter problems in connection. Resistance welding has the characteristics of high strength, simplicity, and high reliability, and is considered a very potential hot-melt connection technology. The resistance welding technology of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polyphenylene sulfide composites (UCF/PPS) was systematically studied. The experimental results show that the 100-mesh brass mesh has the best resin wetting effect and heating efficiency, and the PPS/oxidized 100-mesh brass mesh composite resistance element (Ox-RE/PPS) has the highest welding strength. The welding failure mode changes from interface failure and RE failure to interlayer structure damage and fiber fracture. The single-factor experimental results show that the maximum welding strength is reached at 310 °C, 1.15 MPa, and 120 kW/m2. According to the conclusion of the single-factor experiment, the Box-Behnken method was further used to design a three-factor, three-level experiment, and a quadratic regression model was established according to the test results. The results of variance analysis, fitting curve analysis, and perturbation plot analysis proved that the model had high fitting and prediction abilities. From the 3D surface diagram analysis, the influence of power density is the largest, and the interaction between welding temperature and power density is the most significant. Combined with the analysis of Design Expert 13 software, the optimal range of process parameters was obtained as follows: welding temperature 313-314 °C, welding pressure 1.04-1.2 MPa, and power density 124-128 kW/m2. The average strength of resistance welding joints prepared in the optimal range of process parameters was 13.58 MPa.

[Comparison of clinical efficacy between percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy and coblation nucleoplasty in the treatment of inclusive lumbar disc herniation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) and target radioffrequency thermal coblation nucleoplasty(CN) on inclusive lumbar disc herniation(LDH) in different age groups, and provide a basis for clinical formulation of precise and individualized treatments. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 219 patients with lumbar disc herniation treated with PETD and CN between January 2018 and June 2021 was performed, in which 107 patients were treated with PETD and 112 with CN. Patients were stratified by age into young group(≤45 years old), middle-aged group(>45 years old and <60 years old) and older group(≥60 years old). Before treatment, 3 days, 1 month and 6 months after treatment, visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, infrared thermal imaging temperature difference (△T) and lumbar range of motion (ROM) were evaluated and clinical efficacy were compared in the different age groups between two treatment methods. RESULTS: ①VAS and JOA score outcomes, in the same age group and the same treatment method, the VAS and JOA scores at different time points postoperatively were obviously improved (P<0.05). For the same age group and the different treatment methods, the older group had lower VAS and higher JOA scores after PETD than after CN (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the young group and middle-aged group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS and JOA scores at the same time between age groups by PETD treatment (P>0.05). The VAS was higher and the JOA score was lower in older group than in young group and middle-aged group at 1, 6 months after CN treatment(P<0.05). ②△T and ROM outcomes, in the same age group and same treatment method, postoperative △T and ROM at different time points were obviously improved(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in △T between two methods of PETD and CN at the same age(P>0.05), there was no significant difference in ROM between young group and middle-aged group(P>0.05), ROM was higher after PETD treatment than after CN treatment(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in △T and ROM at the same time between age groups by PETD treatment(P>0.05). There was no significant difference in △T between age groups by CN treatment, but the ROM was smaller in older group than in young group and middle-aged group after CN treatment(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Both PETD and CN for inclusive LDH have good efficacy, the curative benefit for older patients receiving PETD within 6 months after surgery more than CN, and CN is more appropriate for young and middle-aged patients.

The apoptosis of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) muscle during postmortem condition regulated by the cytokines via TOR and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Postmortem alteration by apoptosis has significant effects on flesh quality. Currently, the information necessary to understand the apoptotic behavior and the molecular mechanisms during postmortem alteration in fish muscle is still lacking. Activation of apoptosis and the cytokines involved in regulating apoptosis in fish muscle were evaluated during postmortem condition at 4 °C for 5 days in terms of apoptotic morphology changes, nucleus DNA fragmentation, caspases activation and related gene expressions. The triggering apoptotic mechanisms associated with multiple cytokines transcriptional levels showed that the up-regulated pro-apoptotic mediators [IFN-γ2, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-17D, IL-12p35 and IL-10 (except IL-15)] and the down-regulated anti-apoptotic mediators of [IL-8 and IL-11 (except TGF-ß and IL-4)] both regulated apoptosis at early stage, which were regulated by NF-κB and TOR, respectively. Results suggested that transcriptional regulation of multiple cytokines produce a positive outcome on triggering apoptosis.

[Advances of transgenic breeding in livestock].

Transgenic technology represents a revolutionary way to produce elite livestock breeds, allowing introduction of alien gene into livestock genome. Currently, pronuclear microinjection of DNA and somatic cell nuclear transfer are two popular methods used to make transgenic farm animals. Transgenic technology can be used in livestock breeding for improving disease resistance, carcass composition, lactational performance, wool production, growth rate, and reproductive performance, as well as reducing negative environmental impact. In addition to introduction of animal transgenic technologies, this review described the status and the future perspective of transgenic breeding in livestock.

[Effect on Ammonia Inhibition Mitigation in the Anaerobic Digestion Process with Zero-Valent Iron].

Ammonia inhibition is an important factor impacting methane production efficiency during the anaerobic digestion of high-solid organic wastes. This study investigated the effect of micro-sized zero-valent iron (m-ZVI) on the anaerobic digestion of excess sewage sludge and thermal hydrolyzed sludge using batch mode experiments. The effect of m-ZVI on ammonia inhibition mitigation was also studied. Results showed that the kinetic characteristics of the methane production rate, lag phase, and methane production potential of the anaerobic digestion of excess sludge and thermal hydrolyzed sludge were not impacted by the addition of m-ZVI at a dosage of 4 g·L-1 and 10 g·L-1. However, during the inhibited anaerobic digestion process with a high ammonia concentration, the addition of 4 g·L-1 and 10 g·L-1 of m-ZVI was able to shorten the lag phase from 18.61 d (the control) to 17.22 d and 16.18 d, respectively. Moreover, the maximum methane production rate (based on the VS) increased from 6.34 mL·(d·g)-1(the control) to 7.84 mL·(d·g)-1 (4 g·L-1 m-ZVI) and 7.39 mL·(d·g)-1 (10 g·L-1 m-ZVI). The pH buffer system was not influenced by the chemical reaction of m-ZVI in the anaerobic digestion, although the relative abundance of the dominant methanogenic archaea (Methanosarcina) improved greatly from 30.71% (the control) to 53.50% (4 g·L-1 m-ZVI) and 60.30% (10 g·L-1 m-ZVI) at 27 d. This study proved that m-ZVI was incapable of improving the methane production potential of sewage sludge, while the mitigation of ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion was enhanced by the stimulating effect on methanogenic archaea.

Halofuginone protects against advanced glycation end products­induced injury of H9C2 cells via alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress­associated apoptosis and inducing autophagy.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been reported to serve an important role in the stiffening of cardiac tissues and myocardial cell injury. Serious myocardial cell injury can result in various heart diseases with high mortality. Halofuginone (HF), which possesses marked anti­inflammatory and antifibrotic effects, has recently been applied to inhibit the effects of cardiac stress. The present study aimed to investigate the potential effects of HF and its underlying mechanism in the treatment of AGEs­induced H9C2 cardiomyocyte damage. The western blot results of the present study demonstrated that HF may reduce the expression levels of myocardial injury markers, including myoglobin, creatine kinase MB and cardiac troponin I. In addition, flow cytometric analysis indicated that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was significantly decreased by HF. Additionally, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was suppressed in response to treatment with HF, as observed by low expression levels of ER stress­associated proapoptotic proteins (CCAAT/enhancer­binding protein homologous protein and cleaved caspase­12); overexpression of prosurvival proteins (growth arrest and DNA damage­inducible protein GADD34 and binding immunoglobulin protein) was also reported. Furthermore, the expression levels of microtubule­associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3)II/LC3I and Beclin 1 were elevated, whereas P62 expression levels were reduced following treatment with HF. These findings, together with immunofluorescence staining of LC3, indicated that HF may induce autophagy. Finally, the protective effects of HF on AGEs­treated H9C2 cells were reversed following treatment with the inhibitor 3­methyladenine, as indicated by inhibition of autophagy, and increases in apoptosis, ROS production and the ER stress response. Collectively, the findings of the present study suggested that the protective effects of HF against AGEs­induced myocardial cell injury may be associated with the induction of autophagy and amelioration of ROS­mediated ER stress and apoptosis. These findings may contribute to the development of a novel therapeutic method to inhibit the progression of myocardial cell injury.

Preparation of High-Quality Fermented Fish Product.

This protocol provides a method for preparation of industrialized fermented fish product with sturgeon (Aquilaria sinensis) meat product. The procedures were: (1) pretreatment of farmed sturgeon including decapitation, evisceration, skinning-off, cleaning and cutting; (2) marinating fish cubes in 6-12% (w/v) salt solution (1:1, fish cube mass to solution volume); (3) drying fish cubes to a water content of 50-60% by hot air (40-60 °C) or by vacuum; (4) fermentation involving inoculating fish cubes with 0.4-1.6% (w/w) S. cerevisiae in flavor solution to fish cubes and fermenting at 25-35 °C for 6-10 h; (5) sealing fish cubes in vacuum packages with marinating and fermenting solutions; (6) sterilizing at 115-121 °C for 10-20 min. The sturgeon meat product prepared by this method has delicious taste which is mellow and thick, has various types and large amounts of volatile flavor compounds such as alcohols and esters which could mask musty and unpleasant odor from fish, has moderate salt content but good texture properties such as high springiness, gumminess and chewiness, and has bright russet color and attractive appearance. This new technique could also be applied in the processing of other fish to provide convenient fish snack foods which could be stored at room temperature. It is appropriate for both marine and freshwater fish.

Trypsin-protease activated receptor-2 signaling contributes to pancreatic cancer pain.

Pain treatment is a critical aspect of pancreatic cancer patient clinical care. This study investigated the role of trypsin-protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) in pancreatic cancer pain. Pancreatic tissue samples were collected from pancreatic cancer (n=22) and control patients (n=22). Immunofluorescence analyses confirmed colocalization of PAR-2 and neuronal markers in pancreatic cancer tissues. Trypsin levels and protease activities were higher in pancreatic cancer tissue specimens than in the controls. Supernatants from cultured human pancreatic cancer tissues (PC supernatants) induced substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide release in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, and FS-NH2, a selective PAR-2 antagonist, inhibited this effect. A BALB/c nude mouse orthotopic tumor model was used to confirm the role of PAR-2 signaling in pancreatic cancer visceral pain, and male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to assess ambulatory pain. FS-NH2 treatment decreased hunch scores, mechanical hyperalgesia, and visceromotor reflex responses in tumor-bearing mice. In rats, subcutaneous injection of PC supernatant induced pain behavior, which was alleviated by treatment with FS-NH2 or FUT-175, a broad-spectrum serine protease inhibitor. Our findings suggest that trypsin-PAR-2 signaling contributes to pancreatic cancer pain in vivo. Treatment strategies targeting PAR-2 or its downstream signaling molecules might effectively relieve pancreatic cancer pain.

[Performance and Factors Analysis of Sludge Dewatering in Different Wastewater Treatment Processes].

Sludge dewatering is one of the keys for sludge disposal and treatment of municipal wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the sludge dewaterability, flocculant consumption and costs of sludge dewatering for different wastewater treatment processes including A2/O and A2/O-MBR processes were analyzed, as well as the factors of sludge dewatering were analyzed by redundancy analysis (RDA) method, based on the data of one municipal wastewater treatment plant of Beijing in 2013. Results showed that both sludge dewaterability and flocculant consumption presented the seasonal variation, which means sludge dewatering was harder and coupled with higher flocculant consumption in the winter. Although the lower moisture content of dewatered sludge was obtained in the A2/O-MBR process (81.92% ± 1.64% ) compared with that in the A2/O process (82.56% ± 1.35%), the consumptions of flocculant [ (8.70 ± 7.25) kg x t(-1) DS] and electric energy (331.82 kW x h x t(-1) DS) in the A2/O-MBR process were higher than those in the A2/O process [(7.42 ± 2.96) kg x t(-1) DS, 121.57 kW x h x t(-1) DS for flocculant consumption and electric energy respectively], resulting in higher operation costs (RMB 204.76 yuan x t(-1) DS of flocculant consumption and RMB 231.61 yuan x t(-1) DS of energy consumption for the A2/O-MBR, RMB 175.00 yuan x t(-1) DS of flocculant consumption and RMB 84.86 yuan x t(-1) DS of energy consumption for the A2/O, respectively). Results of RDA showed that the seasonal variation of sludge dewaterability mainly depended on the content of organic matter in sludge which was related to the seasonal factors such as temperature, and was also impacted by the operating parameters such as SRT in wastewater treatment.

[Energy Consumption Comparison and Energy Saving Approaches for Different Wastewater Treatment Processes in a Large-scale Reclaimed Water Plant].

Energy consumption is the main performance indicator of reclaimed water plant (RWP) operation. Methods of specific energy consumption analysis, unit energy consumption analysis and redundancy analysis were applied to investigate the composition and spatio-temporal distribution of energy consumption in Qinghe RWP with inverted A2/O, A2/O and A2/O-MBR processes. And the A2/ O-MBR process was mainly analyzed to identify the main nodes and causes for high energy consumption, approaches for energy saving were explored, and the energy consumption before and after upgrading for energy saving was compared. The results showed that aeration was the key factor affecting energy consumption in both conventional and A2/O-MBR processes, accounting for 42.97% and 50.65% of total energy consumption, respectively. A pulsating aeration allowed an increasing membrane flux and remarkably reduced the energy consumption of the A2/O-MBR process while still meeting the effluent standard, e.g., the membrane flux was increased by 20%, and the energy consumptions per kiloton wastewater and kilogram COD(removed) were decreased by 42.39% to 0.53 kW-h-kg-3 and by 54.74% to 1.29 kW x h x kg(-1), respectively. The decrease of backflow ratio in the A2/O-MBR process within a certain range would not deteriorate the effluent quality due to its insignificant correlation with the effluent quality, and therefore may be considered as one of the ways for further energy saving.

[Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for treating agricultural and food processing wastewater at high strength].

As the second largest amounts of COD discharged in 41 kinds of industrial wastewater, it is of great urgency for the agricultural and food processing industry to control water pollution and reduce pollutants. Generally the agricultural and food processing industrial wastewater with high strength COD of 8 000-30 000 mg x L(-1), is mainly treated with anaerobic and aerobic processes in series, but which exists some issues of long process, difficult maintenance and high operational costs. Through coupling anaerobic digestion and membrane separation together, anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) has typical advantages of high COD removal efficiency (92%-99%), high COD organic loading rate [2.3-19.8 kg x (m3 x d)(-1)], little sludge discharged (SRT > 40 d) and low cost (HRT of 8-12 h). According to COD composition of high strength industrial wastewater, rate-limiting step of methanation could be either hydrolysis and acidification or methanogenesis. Compared with aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR), membrane fouling of AnMBR is more complicated in characterization and more difficult in control. Measures for membrane fouling control of AnMBR are almost the same as those of MBR, including cross flow, air sparging and membrane relaxation. For meeting discharging standard of food processing wastewater with high strength, AnMBR is a promising technology with very short process, by enhancing COD removal efficiency, controlling membrane fouling and improving energy recovery.