Eco-friendly phosphorus-free flame-retardant coating for microfiber synthetic leather via alginate-based layer-by-layer technology.

The excellent comprehensive properties of microfiber synthetic leathers have led to their wide application in various aspects of our lives. However, the issue of flammability remains a significant challenge that needs to be addressed. Nowadays, the bio-based chemicals used in the flame-retardant materials have extremely grabbed our eyes. Herein, we developed an ecologically friendly flame-retardant microfiber synthetic leather using phosphorus-free layer-by-layer assembly technology (LBL) based on natural polysaccharide alginate (SA) coupled with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The effect of different LBL coating systems on the flame retardancy of microfiber synthetic leather was investigated. The results demonstrated that the introduction of APTES can completely inhibit the melt-dripping by enhancing char formation through silica elements. Furthermore, the trinary coating system consisting of SA/APTES/PEI exhibited excellent flame retardancy by combining gas-phase action from PEI and condensed-phase function from APTES. This modified microfiber synthetic leather showed a significantly higher limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 33.0 % with no molten droplet. Additionally, the SA-based coating slightly suppressed the heat release, resulting in a 20 % reduction in total heat release during the combustion test. Overall, this work presents a facile and environmentally-friendly approach for achieving flame-retardant and anti-dripping microfiber synthetic leather.

Comparison of the efficiency and microbial mechanisms of chemical- and bio-surfactants in remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon.

Surfactant-enhanced remediation (SER) is one of the most effective methods for petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated sites compared to single physical and chemical methods. However, biosurfactants are not as commonly used as chemical surfactants, and the actual remediation effects and related mechanisms remain undefined. Therefore, to comprehensively compare the remediation effects and biological mechanisms of biosurfactants and chemical surfactants, soil column leaching experiments including two biosurfactants (rhamnolipids and lipopeptide) and three commercially used chemical surfactants (Tween 80, Triton X-100, and Berol 226SA) were conducted. After seven days of leaching, rhamnolipids exhibited the highest petroleum hydrocarbon removal rate of 61.01%, which was superior to that of chemical surfactants (11.73-18.75%) in n-alkanes C10-C30. Meanwhile, rhamnolipids exhibited a great degradation advantage of n-alkanes C13-C28, which was 1.22-30.55 times that of chemical surfactants. Compared to chemical surfactants, biosurfactants significantly upregulated the soil's biological functions, including soil conductivity (80.90-155.56%), and soil enzyme activities of lipase (90.31-497.10%), dehydrogenase (325.00-655.56%), core enzyme activities of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation, and quorum sensing between species. Biosurfactants significantly changed the composition of Pseudomonas, Citrobacter, Acidobacteriota, and Enterobacter at the genus level. Meanwhile, chemical surfactants had less influence on the bacterial community and interactions between species. Moreover, the biosurfactants enhanced the microbial interactions and centrality of petroleum hydrocarbon degraders in the community based on the network. Overall, this work provides a systematic comparison and understanding of the chemical- and bio-surfactants used in bioremediation. In the future, we intend to apply biosurfactants to practical petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated fields to observe realistic remediation effects and compare their functional mechanisms.

Effect of acupuncture at the sphenopalatine ganglion for the treatment of moderate to severe seasonal allergic rhinitis: Study protocol for a three-armed randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) is a major health problem with a relatively high worldwide prevalence that severely limits the quality of life for sufferers. Acupuncture is widely used for SAR treatment in China; however, the evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture at the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) for SAR is inconclusive. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture at the SPG acupoint for the treatment of SAR. Methods and analysis: A total of 120 participants with SAR will be recruited and randomly assigned to the acupuncture group, placebo acupuncture (PA) group, or rescue medication (RM) group with a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. Participants in the acupuncture group and PA group will receive 8 sessions of acupuncture stimulus at the SPG plus RM or 8 sessions of shallow needling at the SPG acupoint plus RM for 4 weeks with a 4-week follow-up in the first year and a 1-week follow-up in the second year. Participants in the RM group will only receive RM throughout the study. The primary outcome is the change from baseline in the average daily combined symptoms and medication score (CSMS) over weeks 1-4. All analysis will be based on an intention-to-treat principle. All statistical tests will be two-sided and a p-value < 0.05 will be considered to be statistically significant.

Predicting the leachate generation from wet phosphogypsum stack using a water-balance-analysis based model.

Leachate from wet phosphogypsum (PG) stack should be properly managed to mitigate the negative environmental impact of phosphoric industry. Accurate prediction of leachate amount is the prerequisite for efficient leachate management. In this study, a model using water balance analysis to predict leachate production from wet PG stack is established. The extruded water, which is related to PG deformation, is innovatively introduced as a variable in the model to account for the porewater's contribution. Model simulation suggested that at the early stage, fresh water need to be added to PG to facilitate the transfer or PG slurries; however, as the leachate accumulates in the tailings pond, a net discharge of PG is required starting at the fourth year for the studied PG stack. Model simulation also indicated that the leachate generation increased gradually over time and that the leachate generation in each month could deviate from the average leachate generation during the life cycle of the stack. The model output matches with measured values reasonably well, which confirmed the model's accuracy. Sensitivity analysis indicated that average precipitation and evaporation are the two most important factors that determine leachate generation rate. Monthly leachate generation rates vary significantly within the year, as the precipitation and evaporation vary in different seasons. The highest leachate generation rates were reached in rainy seasons and the lowest rates were reached in wintery months. This study could be used to optimize the PG leachate managements and to mitigate the PG related pollution to the environment.

Optimization of conditions for a surfactant-producing strain and application to petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil bioremediation.

Petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated sites have been mainly remediated through the surfactant-enhanced soil leaching method. However, the commonly used chemical surfactants have poor biocompatibility and are prone to form residues in fields. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to establish an effective system of biosurfactant remediation in the field and provide instructions for common bioremediation challenges. First, wild-type Bacillus amyloliquefaciens A3, which produced lipopeptide biosurfactant, was used to improve the production of biosurfactant by atmosphere and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis. Second, the mutant 1-24 was selected from a total of 174 mutants due to the outstanding yield. Subsequently, 1-24 was applied in the soil column leaching experiments and removed 45.44% of petroleum hydrocarbons by changing the relevant enzyme activities. Biosurfactant addition and 1-24 inoculation effectively activated a portion of the petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil columns, and 1-24 presented potential as a desired candidate for bioremediation. This is the first report of using ARTP mutagenesis to improve the production of biosurfactants. Simultaneously, we first propose a theoretical system in which the yield of biosurfactant was increased using ARTP mutagenesis for strains and applied the mutants in situ soil bioremediation. This research indicated that the theoretical system was useful in soil columns to simulate field remediation conditions, providing practical references for the bioremediation of contaminated soil.

Cuticular compounds inhibit cannibalism of early-instar spiderlings by pulli-carrying Pardosa pseudoannulata females.

Cannibalism is common in spiders. Wolf spider (Lycosidae) females, which exhibit extensive maternal care, have been reported to cannibalize less when they are carrying egg sacs and juveniles. In a laboratory experiment, we demonstrated that cannibalism of early-instar spiderlings (EIS) by a wolf spider (Pardosa pseudoannulata) mother was almost completely inhibited when she was carrying spiderlings. Compared with virgin and mated-females, mother spiders tolerated more and predated fewer spiderlings, including gregarious pulli and newly dispersed spiderlings (NDS). Cannibalism of EIS by females during their reproductive period exhibited a V-shaped pattern, with a gradual decrease from the egg sac-carrying to pulli-carrying (PC) stage, and a recovery from the PC stage to post-reproductive (PR) stage. Notably, there was 0 cannibalism at the PC stage. PC females exhibited no interest in pulli, while PR females were attracted to and predated pulli and NDS as they did their natural prey, Nilaparvata lugens. Interestingly, PC females captured and released NDS in a foraging assay, although attraction was observed from olfactometer measurements. PC mothers possessed a cuticular volatile profile that was closer to that of pulli and NDS than to that of PR females. Moreover, NDS cuticular extract provoked an electrophysiological response in legs of PC females. Therefore, cuticular compound-mediated chemical communication may be involved in inhibiting cannibalism of EIS by spider mothers, and especially in eliminating cannibalism by PC mothers. Future studies will aim to characterize the specific cuticular compounds and chemoreception mechanism in females, which will facilitate our understanding of intraspecific recognition and cannibalism in spiders.

Functional metagenomic and enrichment metatranscriptomic analysis of marine microbial activities within a marine oil spill area.

Microorganisms can degrade petroleum hydrocarbons, providing the advantages of low cost and few side effects towards ecosystems. Here, we evaluated the mechanisms of microbial degradation of marine petroleum hydrocarbon using metagenomics and metatranscriptomics approaches in order to provide new insight into microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon. Seawater samples were collected at a depth of ∼8 m from an area near a drilling platform in the Bohai Bay and metagenomic sequencing was used to evaluate the functional potential of these marine microbial communities. Metatranscriptomic sequencing, fluorescence in-situ hybridization experiments, and flow cytometry were also performed on the microbial communities of samples subjected to 12 different culture conditions. The data were also subjected to Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and co-transcription data visualization to evaluate co-transcription of gene functions. Metagenomic sequencing indicated the presence of numerous genes that were related to petroleum hydrocarbon metabolism. Further, the high co-transcription of genes in multiple pathways, indicated that groups of genes were synergistically transcribed to metabolize petroleum hydrocarbons. Metatranscriptomics also showed that microbial metabolism was highly active in the enrichments and that the transcription of a large number of prokaryotic replication and repair genes were significantly up-regulated including those encoding for the type VI secretion system (T6SS) protein, DNA polymerase I, thymidine phosphorylase, mevalonate kinase, and two-component systems. Concomitantly, the transcription of ribosomal genes involved in translation and photosynthetic genes involved in energy metabolism were down-regulated. Overall, oil and oxygen presence can increase the oil-degradation rates and related genes' transcription. Lot different metabolisms are co-regulated to exploit nutrients derived from the metabolism of petroleum hydrocarbons. Our analysis of metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and degradation data in this study show that a widespread gene spectrum involved in oil-degradation and the cooperation among genes is of great importance.

Preparation, characteristics, and antioxidant activities of carboxymethylated polysaccharides from blackcurrant fruits.

In the present study, the native polysaccharide (RNP) extracted from blackcurrant fruits was carboxymethylated. Physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activities in vitro of RNP and three carboxymethylated polysaccharides (CRNPs) were determined. GC analysis proved that RNP and CRNPs were composed of the same six monosaccharides (galacturonic acid, rhamnose, arabinose, mannose, glucose and galactose), but the molar ratios of monosaccharides were different. HPLC demonstrated that the molecular weights of CRNPs were improved. The assays of the antioxidant properties indicated that CRNPs possessed stronger scavenging activities on radicals (hydroxyl and superoxide radicals) and better anti-lipid peroxidation activities, as well as better protection effects on erythrocyte hemolyses in vitro compared with RNP. The activities of CRNPs were significantly enhanced with the increase of the degree of substitution (DS). These results proved that the carboxymethylation could effectively increase the antioxidant activities of the polysaccharide.

The complete chloroplast genome of Ligusticum jeholense (Umbelliferae, Ligusticum L.).

Ligusticum jeholense is an important medicinal plant. Chloroplast genome information is helpful for the development of molecular markers and the study of plant phylogeny. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of L. jeholense. The genome sequence is 148,493 bp in size (GenBank accession number MN652885), with 37.25% GC contents. There are 127 genes in the genome, including 83 known protein-coding genes (PCGs), 36 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 8 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). The maximum-likelihood method are used to construct phylogenetic tree of 32 species. These data will provide certain theoretical basis for plant genetics research.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the response of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration to vitamin D supplementation from RCTs from around the globe.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Optimal doses of vitamin D (VitD) supplement in different populations are unclear. We aim to evaluate the relationship between VitD supplementation and post-intervention serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration, to provide a recommended dosage of VitD for achieving an optimal 25(OH)D concentration for different populations. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Literature search was conducted in Embase, etc. Randomized controlled trials about VitD supplemental intakes and their effect on 25(OH)D concentration were enrolled. The effect on 25(OH)D concentration between different supplementation doses in each population group was compared by meta-analysis. Multivariate meta-regression model is utilized to establish reference intake dosage of VitD. RESULTS: A total of 136 articles were included about children (3-17 years), adults (18-64 years), postmenopausal women, the elderly ( >64 years), pregnant, or lactating women. Overall, intervention groups obtained higher 25(OH)D concentration than controls and there was obvious dose-response effect between intake dose and 25(OH)D concentration. Baseline 25(OH)D concentration and age were significant indicators for 25(OH)D concentration. To reach sufficient 25(OH)D concentration (75 nmol/L), the recommended VitD supplemental intakes was 1340 and 2250 IU/day for children and pregnant women, 2519 and 797 IU/day for European adults aged 18-64 and 65-85 years, 729, 2026, and 1229 IU/day for adults in North America, Asia and Middle East and Africa, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Regional- and age-specific recommended dosages of VitD supplements for population to achieve optimal 25(OH)D concentrations have been suggested.

Demonstration of color display metasurfaces via immersion lithography on a 12-inch silicon wafer.

The demonstration of a color display metasurface on a 12-inch silicon wafer with critical dimension (CD) below 100 nm by complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible technology is reported for the first time. The 193 nm ArF deep UV immersion lithography is leveraged instead of electron beam lithography (EBL) to pattern the metasurface, which greatly improves the efficiency while keeping a high resolution. The demonstrated metasurface successfully generates the resonant modes and reflects the lights at resonance wavelengths, giving its display in red, green, and blue (RGB) colors. The wafer-level uniformities of CD and reflection characteristic of the metasurface are measured and analyzed. The experimental data show that they are well controlled in the fabrication process. The work provides a promising route towards mass production of dielectric metasurfaces.

Sesquiterpenoids from the root of Panax Ginseng protect CCl4-induced acute liver injury by anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative capabilities in mice.

The oxidative stress and inflammatory response play an important role in carbon tetracholoride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury. In this work, sesquiterpenoids from the root of Panax Ginseng (SPG) were prepared, and then the hepatoprotective effects of SPG against CCl4-induced acute liver injury were investigated and the underlying mechanism was explored in mice. All mice were divided into four groups: the control, CCl4 and SPG (2.5 and 10 mg/kg, dissolved in soybean oil, i.g.) groups. All mice were given continuous administration for 7 days, and injected with CCl4 (0.1 mL/10 g body weight 0.2% CCl4 solution in soybean oil, i.p.) 1 h after the end of the administration except the control group. Mice were sacrificed 24 h post-CCl4 injection. The results indicated that SPG significantly reduced the increasement of serum AST and ALT levels induced by CCl4-treatment. And the histopathological analysis revealed that SPG treated mice had normal liver architecture and no necrosis. The decreased activities of SOD, GSH and CAT, and increased MDA level were inhibited by SPG treatment. At the same time, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly decreased by SPG treatment. SPG treatment also reduced the heptic protein expressions of NF-κB p65, COX-2, MAPK p38, ERK and JNK in the liver. These fingdings demonstrated that SPG exhibited strong hepatoprective effect on the CCl4-induced acute liver injury, which was related to anti-oxidantive and anti-inflammatory capabilities; and the anti-inflammatory effect of SPG might mediated by the NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways. Taken together, SPG might be a potential material for drug and functional food development against chemical hepatic injury.

Yogurt supplemented with probiotics can protect the healthy elderly from respiratory infections: A randomized controlled open-label trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether yogurt supplemented with a probiotic strain could protect middle-aged and elderly people from acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) using a randomized, blank-controlled, parallel-group design. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and five volunteers aged ≥45 years were randomly divided into two groups. The subjects in the intervention group were orally administered 300 mL/d of yogurt supplemented with a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus paracasei N1115 (N1115), 3.6×107 CFU/mL for 12 weeks, while those in the control group retained their normal diet without any probiotic supplementation. The primary outcome was the incidence of URTI, and changes in serum protein, immunoglobulins, and the profiles of the T-lymphocyte subsets (total T-cells [CD3+], T-helper cells [CD4+], and T-cytotoxic-suppressor cells [CD8+]) during the intervention were the secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the number of persons diagnosed with an acute URTI and the number of URTI events significantly decreased in the intervention group (P=0.038, P=0.030, respectively). The risk of URTI in the intervention group was evaluated as 55% of that in the control group (relative risk =0.55, 95% CI: 0.307-0.969). The change in the percentage of CD3+ cells in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (P=0.038). However, no significant differences were observed in the total protein, albumin, globulin, and prealbumin levels in both groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The study suggested that yogurt with selected probiotic strains such as N1115 may reduce the risk of acute upper tract infections in the elderly. The enhancement of the T-cell-mediated natural immune defense might be one of the important underlying mechanisms for probiotics to express their anti-infective effects.

[Microbial Population Dynamics During Sludge Granulation in a Simultaneous Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal System].

In this study, domestic sewage was utilized to cultivate aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in a simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal (SNPR) system. The bacterial population dynamics during the aerobic sludge granulation were investigated to reveal the granulation mechanisms using Illumina MiSeq PE300 high-throughput sequencing. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were used to investigate shifts in the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). After cultivation for 100 d, the AGS was compact and demonstrated good SNPR performance. During the AGS formation process, extracellular polysaccharides obviously increased, while extracellular proteins kept relatively stable. The abundance of AOA significantly decreased during the formation of AGS process, while the abundance of PAOs increased. The bacterial diversity increased at first and then decreased during the formation of AGS. The bacterial community changed dramatically during aerobic sludge granulation. Persistent operational taxonomic units (OTUs) accounted for 92.70% of the total sequences. Proteobacteria (31.07%-53.67%), Bacteroidetes (6.70%-16.50%) and Chloroflexi (7.84%-13.36%) were the dominant phyla. Candidatus competibacter was obviously enriched in the AGS formation process (increased from 0.11% in the seed sludge to 35.33% in the AGS) and may play an important role in the formation of AGS.

Immunization with a 22-kDa outer membrane protein elicits protective immunity to multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

A. baumannii infections are becoming more and more serious health issues with rapid emerging of multidrug and extremely drug resistant strains, and therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of nonantibiotic-based intervention strategies. This study aimed at identifying whether an outer membrane protein with molecular weight of about 22 kDa (Omp22) holds the potentials to be an efficient vaccine candidate and combat A. baumannii infection. Omp22 which has a molecule length of 217 amino acids kept more than 95% conservation in totally 851 reported A. baumannii strains. Recombinant Omp22 efficiently elicited high titers of specific IgG in mice. Both active and passive immunizations of Omp22 increased the survival rates of mice, suppressed the bacterial burdens in the organs and peripheral blood, and reduced the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Opsonophagocytosis assays showed in vitro that Omp22 antiserum had highly efficient bactericidal activities on clonally distinct clinical A. baumannii isolates, which were partly complements-dependent and opsonophagocytic killing effects. Additionally, administration with as high as 500 µg of Omp22 didn't cause obvious pathological changes in mice. In conclusion, Omp22 is a novel conserved and probably safe antigen for developing effective vaccines or antisera to control A. baumannii infections.

A Method of Effectively Improved α-Mangostin Bioavailability.

α-Mangostin, a major xanthone isolated from the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects. Its absolute bioavailability is low, with minimal oral absorption. In this article, a soft capsule, with vegetable oil as the dispersion matrix, was prepared to improve the bioavailability of α-mangostin. Its pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution were determined in rats. An HPLC assay was established to determine the concentration of α-mangostin in biological samples. The validated method was used successfully to support pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies of α-mangostin in rats after intravenous (i.v.) and oral administration. The pharmacokinetic study found the absolute bioavailabilities of low, medium and high doses were 61.1, 51.5 and 42.5 %, respectively, indicating that the absolute bioavailability was effectively improved.

[Research on quality changes in ginseng stems and leaves before and after frost].

The present study is to investigate the quality changes of ginseng stems and leaves before and after frost. The contents changes of ginsenoside, free amino acid, and total phenolic compounds, as well as DPPH radical scavenging effect before and after frost were measured. The content of 9 ginsenoside monomer in ginseng stems was decreased except for Rg, and Re after frost, but in ginseng leaves was all decreased. The total content of amino acids was decreased in ginseng stems after frost, while increased in ginseng leaves. The content of phenolic compounds in ginseng stems and leaves were both decreased after frost while the ability of DPPH radical scavenging was improved. The factor of frost has great impact on the quality of ginseng stems and leaves.

[Bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils by cold-adapted microorganisms: research advance].

Cold-adapted microorganisms such as psychrotrophs and psychrophiles widely exist in the soils of sub-Arctic, Arctic, Antarctic, alpine, and high mountains, being the important microbial resources for the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons at low temperature. Using the unique advantage of cold-adapted microorganisms to the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils in low temperature region has become a research hotspot. This paper summarized the category and cold-adaptation mechanisms of the microorganisms able to degrade petroleum hydrocarbon at low temperature, biodegradation characteristics and mechanisms of different petroleum fractions under the action of cold-adapted microorganisms, bio-stimulation techniques for improving biodegradation efficiency, e. g., inoculating petroleum-degrading microorganisms and adding nutrients or bio-surfactants, and the present status of applying molecular biotechnology in this research field, aimed to provide references to the development of bioremediation techniques for petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura in childhood: treatment and prognosis. Analysis of 425 cases over a 5-year period.

The objective of this study was to identify the most effective treatment by evaluating the different therapies used to treat mild, moderate, and severe Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) patients. We performed a retrospective study of children discharged with a diagnosis of HSP. The study group consisted of 425 children divided into mild, moderate, and severe condition groups. Different therapeutic protocols of hydrocortisone sodium succinate (HCSS) therapy, methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy, and MP combination with tripterygium glycoside (TG) therapy were used to treat the different groups. The evaluation of curative effect was performed. After 4 weeks, all patients with no obvious recovery were treated by strengthening the different treatment intervention. The remission time of skin, joint, and gastrointestinal manifestations was evaluated, and the results of the follow-up were analyzed (remission time of proteinuria, relapse, and side effects of therapy). After 4 weeks, in the mild group, the difference of the curative effect between HCSS and MP therapy was not statistically significant. Moderate HSP patients were more likely to respond to MP therapy than HCSS therapy (P < 0.05). Severe HSP patients were more likely to respond to MP combination with TG than single MP therapy (P < 0.05). At last follow-up, they all had normal urinalysis. In the moderate HSP group, the mean duration of proteinuria was shorter in the MP pulse therapy group than in the HCSS therapy group (P < 0.05). In the mild group, the mean duration of purpura was shorter in HCSS therapy group than in the MP pulse therapy group (P < 0.05). At last follow-up, 99 patients had recurrences of purpura and/or proteinuria and 41 patients had liver functional impairment and/or hypertension. The relapse and side effects were all satisfactorily controlled, and the rates of relapse and side effects did not differ between groups with different therapies (P > 0.05). Our study has demonstrated a superior effect for HCSS therapy in patients with mild HSP disease, for MP therapy in patients with moderate disease, and for MP combined with TG therapy in patients with severe disease. MP therapy administered initially reduces the duration of urinary protein abnormality. The therapeutic protocols did not increase the risk of relapse and were safe.

The development of a method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of petroleum hydrocarbon components using thin-layer chromatography with flame ionization detection.

An analytical scheme to determine groups of petroleum hydrocarbon compounds in crude oil was developed and used for the qualitative and quantitative characterization of crude oil samples from the Shengli oilfield, the second largest oilfield in China. Crude oil samples were fractionated and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography with flame ionization detection (TLC-FID). Relative standard deviation (RSD) values for retention time, peak height and half peak width were less than 5.2% for all classes of compounds, based on nine independent replicates. The crude oil light fraction was further analyzed by GC-MS and the majority of identified compounds were methyl- or hydro-derivatives of long-chain hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds. The external standard method used in the present study can lower detection limits of petroleum hydrocarbon compound classes to 20.0 mg L(-1), and the crude oil concentration in the range of 30 and 35,000 mg L(-1) has a high linear correlation (r(2)>0.97, P<0.05) with peak area. A comparison between elution chromatography (EC) and TLC-FID regarding the recovery of petroleum hydrocarbon compounds was carried out with aged crude oil contaminated soils of 50, 80, 200 and 300 mg g(-1). The tested TLC-FID method showed a 10% higher recovery for total extractable materials than the reference EC method. The calibration factor was fraction-dependent and varied with the recovery rate of TLC/EC. Regarding the tested extraction procedures, accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) had a higher extraction efficiency for crude oil contaminated soils than Soxhlet and ultrasonic extractions.