Ribosomal RNA gene operon copy number, a functional trait indicating the hydrocarbon degradation level of bacterial communities.

The lack of universal indicators for predicting microbial biodegradation potential and assessing remediation effects limits the generalization of bioremediation. The community-level ribosomal RNA gene operon (rrn) copy number, an important functional trait, has the potential to serve as a key indicator of the bioremediation of organic pollutants. A meta-analysis based on 1275 samples from 26 hydrocarbon-related studies revealed a positive relationship between the microbial hydrocarbon biodegradation level and the community-level rrn copy number in soil, seawater and culture. Subsequently, a microcosm experiment was performed to decipher the community-level rrn copy number response mechanism during total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) biodegradation. The treatment combining straw with resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) exhibited the highest community-level rrn copy number and the most effective biodegradation compared with other treatments, and the initial TPH content (20,000 mg kg-1) was reduced by 67.67% after 77 days of incubation. TPH biodegradation rate was positively correlated with the average community-level rrn copy number (p = 0.001, R2 = 0.5781). Both meta and community analyses showed that rrn copy number may reflect the potential of hydrocarbon degradation and microbial dormancy. Our findings provide insight into the applicability of the community-level rrn copy number to assess bacterial biodegradation for pollution remediation.

Selenium in the liver facilitates the biodilution of mercury in the muscle of Planiliza haematocheilus in the Jiaozhou Bay, China.

There are increasing evidences that the biodilution effect can significantly reduce the biomagnification of mercury (Hg) in fish. The significant antagonism of selenium (Se) -Hg may have a potential diluting effect on Hg in fish; however, there is still lack of knowledge on such effect. To reveal the Se-Hg interaction and its role in controlling the biodilution effect of Hg, we investigated levels of Hg and Se in the muscle and liver of redlip mullet from Jiaozhou Bay, China, an urbanized semi-enclosed bay highly impacted by human activities. In general, Hg levels in fish muscle were significantly negatively correlated to the levels of Se in the liver and fish size for fish with a size of < 200 mm, indicating that the antagonistic effect of Se on Hg increased with fish growth. This relationship was not significant for fish with a size of > 200 mm, possibly because the normal metabolism of Hg in muscle was hindered by homeostatic regulation or physiological activities such as gonadal development in vivo. Furthermore, the molar ratio of Se in the liver/Hg in the muscle was significantly increasing with Se/Hg in the liver, suggesting that the liver may be the key organ involved in Se-Hg antagonism. Moreover, both ratios continued to decrease with increasing fish size, implying that the antagonistic effect weakens with fish growth. These results indicate that Hg sequestration by liver may be a key mechanism of Se-Hg antagonism in fish and function as a driver for the biodilution effect of Hg, especially at a size of < 200 mm. These findings are further supported by the established linear model of Se-Hg antagonism at different developmental stages.

Specific Recognition of Uranyl Ion Employing a Functionalized Nanochannel Platform for Dealing with Radioactive Contamination.

Radioactive contamination is a highly concerning global environmental issue along with the development of the nuclear industry. On account of sophisticated operations and high cost of instrument detection methods, numerous efforts have been focused on rapid and simple detection of pollution elements and uranium is the most common one. It is an enormous challenge to push the limit of determination as low as possible while carrying out ultrasensitive detection. Here, we report an intelligent platform based on functionalized solid nanochannels to monitor ultratrace uranyl ions. The platform has a detection limit of 1 fM, which is far below the value that traditional instrumental methods can reach. What is more, the system also exhibits uranyl removal property. The mesenchymal stem cells cultivated in media containing uranyl can achieve excellent viability in the presence of the membranes. This work provides a new choice for handling global radioactive contamination of water.

On Research Progress of Western and Chinese Medicine Treatment on Pre-Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Pre-rheumatoid arthritis is the inevitable phase before the actual onset of rheumatoid arthritis and has the crucial clinical significance of early controlling and preventing disease progression. Full understanding, from both Western medicine (WM) and Chinese medicine (CM), could offer new ideas for decision making in clinical and mechanism research. This paper reviews the novel studies of WM and CM to discuss the advantages and potential mechanisms working behind.

Tanshinone IIA inhibits glucose metabolism leading to apoptosis in cervical cancer.

Cancer requires aerobic glycolysis to supply the energy required for proliferation. Existing evidence has revealed that blocking glycolysis results in apoptosis of cancer cells. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) is a diterpenoid naphthoquinone found in traditional Chinese medicine, Danshen (Salvia sp.). Tan IIA exhibits potential anticancer activity. However, its effect on cell viability of human cervical cancer cells and its mechanism are unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Tan IIA on proliferation and glucose metabolism in cervical cancer cells. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay, apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry and glucose uptake, lactate production, and adenosine triphosphate content were measured to assess glucose metabolism. The expression of apoptosis­associated proteins was detected by western blotting and the antitumor activity of Tan IIA in vivo was evaluated in cervical carcinoma­bearing mice. The results revealed Tan IIA treatment resulted in a considerable reduction in the viability of SiHa cells. Tan IIA decreased the expression of HPV oncogenes E6 and E7, induced apoptosis and also decreased glycolysis by suppressing the activity of the intracellular AKT/mTOR and HIF­1α. In vivo, treatment with Tan IIA resulted in a 72.7% reduction in tumor volume. The present study highlights the potential therapeutic value of Tan IIA, which functions by inducing apoptosis and may be associated with inhibition of glycolysis.

Induction of reactive oxygen species and the potential role of NADPH oxidase in hyperhydricity of garlic plantlets in vitro.

Hyperhydricity is a physiological disorder associated with oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in plants is initiated by various enzymatic sources, including plasma membrane-localized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases, cell wall-bound peroxidase (POD), and apoplastic polyamine oxidase (PAO). The origin of the oxidative burst associated with hyperhydricity remains unknown. To investigate the role of NADPH oxidases, POD, and PAO in ROS production and hyperhydricity, exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and inhibitors of each ROS-producing enzyme were applied to explore the mechanism of oxidative stress induction in garlic plantlets in vitro. A concentration of 1.5 mM H2O2 increased endogenous ROS production and hyperhydricity occurrence and enhanced the activities of NADPH oxidases, POD, and PAO. During the entire treatment period, NADPH oxidase activity increased continuously, whereas POD and PAO activities exhibited a transient increase and subsequently declined. Histochemical and cytochemical visualization demonstrated that specific inhibitors of each enzyme effectively suppressed ROS accumulation. Moreover, superoxide anion generation, H2O2 content, and hyperhydric shoot frequency in H2O2-stressed plantlets decreased significantly. The NADPH oxidase inhibitor was the most effective at suppressing superoxide anion production. The results suggested that NADPH oxidases, POD, and PAO were responsible for endogenous ROS induction. NADPH oxidase activation might play a pivotal role in the oxidative burst in garlic plantlets in vitro during hyperhydricity.

A Bioinspired Multifunctional Heterogeneous Membrane with Ultrahigh Ionic Rectification and Highly Efficient Selective Ionic Gating.

A bioinspired multifunctional heterogeneous membrane composed of a block copolymer (PS-b-P4VP) membrane and a porous anodic alumina membrane is fabricated. The ionic rectification is so strong that the maximum ratio is ≈489, and the chemical actuation of the anion or cation gate from the "OFF" to the "ON" state promotes a 98.5% increase in the channel conductance.

Chinese medicinal herbs for measles.

BACKGROUND: Measles is an infectious disease caused by the Morbillivirus. Chinese physicians believe that medicinal herbs are effective in alleviating symptoms and preventing complications. Chinese herbal medicines are dispensed according to the particular symptoms. This is the second update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2006. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and possible adverse effects of Chinese medicinal herbs for measles. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (CENTRAL Issue 1, 2011) which contains the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE (1966 to March week 5, 2011), EMBASE (1980 to April 2011), Web of Science (2005 to 30 April 2011), AMED (1985 to 30 April 2011), Chinese Biomedical Database (1976 to 30 June 2011), VIP Information (1989 to 30 June 2011), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1976 to 30 June 2011), Chinese Journals full-article database (1994 to 30 June 2011) and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials for ongoing trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of Chinese medicinal herbs in patients with measles (without complications). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors (SC, TW) independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We telephone interviewed the trial authors for missing information regarding participant allocation. Some trials allocated participants according to the sequence they were admitted to the trials, that is to say, by using a pseudo-random allocation method. None of the trials concealed the allocation or used blinding methods. MAIN RESULTS: We did not identify any suitable trials for inclusion. In this updated review we identified 80 trials which claimed to use random allocation. We contacted 32 trial authors by telephone and learned that the allocation methods used were not randomised. We excluded 34 studies because the participants experienced complications such as pneumonia. We excluded 10 trials because of non-random allocation and complications experienced by the participants. We were unable to contact the remaining four trials' authors, so they require further assessment and have been allocated to the 'Studies awaiting classification' section. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no RCT evidence for or against Chinese medicinal herbs as a treatment for measles. We hope high-quality, robust RCTs in this field will be conducted in the future.

[Adverse drug reactions or adverse events of Chaihu Injection: a systematic review].

BACKGROUND: Chaihu Injection (CI), which is widely used in treatment of febrile diseases, is an aqueous solution of Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri Chinensis) or Nanchaihu (Radix Bupleuri Scorzonerifolii) prepared by steam distillation. OBJECTIVE: This study aims at finding out the possible causes for adverse drug reaction or adverse event (ADR/AE) caused by CI and assessing its safety based on existing evidence. SEARCH STRATEGY: Manual search was not conducted. Electronic search was conducted by two authors in China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) database and Chongqing VIP database (VIP). The search ended in June 30th, 2009. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies of ADR/AE induced by CI were collected comprehensively without considering language of literature and outcome indicators. Search results were not limited by patient's age, gender, race, primary disease, etc. Interventions were using CI alone or CI combined with other drugs (Chinese herbal medicine decoction or other drugs containing Chaihu were excluded). DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors conducted data extraction independently. Microsoft Excel software was used to develop data extraction forms. Because of heterogeneity of the studies, only a descriptive analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Totally 83 studies with 203 cases were included in this review. Without the yield data and total amount of using, we cannot tell the incidence of ADR/AE induced by CI as well as assess the risk and safety of CI. The constituent ratio of severe cases was higher in children and old people than in other age groups. For most intramuscular cases, ADR/AE happened in 30 min after injection (constituent ratio of cumulative incidence in 30 min was 93.8%); for intravenously guttae patients, 4 cases of ADR/AE happened in the process of infusion; for first users, constituent ratio of cumulative incidence in 30 min and constituent ratio of cumulative incidence of severe cases in 30 min were higher than cases who had used CI before. Most ADRs/AEs were caused by incorrect use of CI, such as excessive doses (5 cases), intravenously guttae administration (6 cases), and violating incompatibility rules (7 cases). The incidence ratios of ADR and AE for severe and mild cases were 1.7:1 and 1.1:1, respectively; the ratios of the three relevant levels described as definitely related, most probably related and possibly related in the two types (severe and mild) of cases were 25:14:5 and 44:9:16, respectively. CONCLUSION: Present evidence with low level shows that incorrect use is the main cause of ADR/AE of CI. Whether CI is proper for children and old people still needs further research. Training for correct use of CI is necessary for medical workers. Much improvement in reporting ADR/AE based on "Recommendations for Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions and Adverse Events of Traditional Chinese Medicine" is in need.

Assessment of the safety of Qin Kai Ling injection: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Qin Kai Ling (QKL) injection, which is based upon the traditional Chinese medicine formulation 'An Gong Niu Huang Wan', is widely used in treatment of many diseases. This review aims to assess the safety of QKL. METHODS: We searched Chinese databases CNKI and VIP for articles published between January 1987 and April 2009. RESULTS: A total of 1486 cases were included in this review. We were unable to determine the frequency of ADR/AE induced by QKL due to the lack of complete production and market information. We estimate, based on the limited data, that the risk of ADR/AE from QKL use should be low. We found some ADR/AE may have been induced by incorrect use of QKL, such as use in infants, or use with incompatible drugs, and some places may not suite for use of QKL, for example, four of seven patients died in private clinics or patient's home. We unable to distinguish whether incidents were ADRs or AEs because the poor reports. CONCLUSION: Current evidence, while weak, indicates that QKL carries a low risk of ADR/AE, and some adverse events that do occur may be ascribed to improper use of the drug. Reporting of ADR/AEs needs to be greatly improved, and should follow the 'Recommendations for reporting traditional Chinese medicine adverse drug reaction".