[Advances on nanoparticles-tagged visual test strips for the rapid detection of pesticides].

The residue of the pesticides affects seriously the quality and safety of traditional Chinese medicine. Pesticide residue has caused ever-growing attention of people at home and abroad. Rapid detection techniques used for rapid screening of pesticide residues have expanded in a fast progress. As one of the fast development methods of rapid detection, visualization test strip based on nanoparticle has received much concern in recent years. This article focused on the classification of detection test strips and key factors on the fabrication of nanoparticle-based visualization test strips used in small molecule pesticides. Moreover, a wide application of nanoparticles-tagged test strips on pesticide residue was reviewed including single residue detection, multi residue detection, as well as quantitative analysis. Finally, the future application of visual test strip for detecting of pesticide residues in traditional Chinese medicine was forecasted, intending to provide the reference for rapid detection techniques on pesticide residues screening in herbal medicine industry.

[Abnormal semen liquefaction and seminal plasma lipoprotein (a)].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of seminal plasma lipoprotein (a) in abnormal semen liquefaction and its clinical significance. METHODS: According to The WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, we conducted semen routine analyses of 101 patients with abnormal semen liquefaction and 26 normal healthy controls. We added chymotrypsin to the semen for 30 minutes of incubation at 37 degrees C. When there were filaments, we centrifuged the semen and obtained the upper seminal plasma to determine the level of lipoprotein (a). RESULTS: The level of lipoprotein (a) was significantly higher in the 101 patients ([526.2 +/- 243.5] mg/L) than in the 26 normal controls ([296.9 +/- 105.2] mg/L) (P < 0.01) . CONCLUSION: Lipoprotein (a) can inhibit fibrin dissolution, and delayed fibrin dissolution in semen liquefaction may be related to the increased level of seminal plasma lipoprotein (a). The seminal plasma lipoprotein (a) level should be taken into account in the clinical diagnosis of male infertility caused by abnormal semen liquefaction.

[Study on the biotransformation of sulfate and ammonia in anaerobic conditions].

The anaerobic biological transformation characteristics of sulfate and ammonia were investigated in the upflow anaerobic biofilm reactor under inorganic nutrition condition by controlling different hydraulic retention time, NH4(+)-N and SO4(2-)-S ratio and HCO3- concentration in the influent. The results showed that NH4+ and SO4(2-) were synchronously removed. The maximum NH4(+) -N and SO4(2-) -S removal rate was 47.6 mg x (L x d)(-1) and 16.9 mg x (L x d)(-1), respectively, and the highest stable removal efficiency was more than 80% and 43%. Obviously NO3(-) -N generated in the reaction and the maximum NO3(-) -N concentration was 77.6 mg x L(-1) in the effluent. Throughout the process S2- was not detected, but there was elemental sulfur generated attached to the surface of the biological sludge. During the whole process, different control conditions led to different n(NH4(+) -N) and n(SO4(2-) -S) conversion ratios, which showed that anaerobic biological NH4(+) and SO4(2-) transformation was not a simple serial reaction, more complex reactions and conversion pathways occurred in the reactor.

[Characteristics of sulfate reduction-ammonia oxidation reaction].

The sulfate reduction-ammonia oxidation reaction with ANAMMOX sludge at autotrophic condition was implemented. It was found that the pH level decreased during the reaction. Elemental sulfur and nitrogen gas were the final products, while NO3(-) -N was the intermediate product during the sulfate reduction-ammonia oxidation reaction. The conversion ratio of NH4(+) -N/SO4(2-) -S decreased with the decrease in n(N)/n(S) (molar ratio) of raw water. n(N)/n(S) of raw water had little effect on the ammonia conversion ratio. Lower n(N)/n(S) could improve the SO4(2-)-S conversion ratio, but with more NH4(+) -N oxidized into NO3(-) -N, resulting in decreased n(TN)/n(TS) removal ratio. This indicates that the sulfate reduction-ammonia oxidation reaction is not an elementary reaction. Ammonia can be oxidized into NO2(-) -N or NO3(-) -N by sulfate. Shortening the reaction time would be conducive to nitrogen losses, because the reaction of NO3(-) -N production is the rate-limiting step.

Apomorphine-induced turning behavior in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats is increased by histidine and decreased by histidine decarboxylase, histamine H1 and H2 receptor antagonists, and an H3 receptor agonist.

The role of histamine and its receptors in basal ganglia neurocircuitry was assessed in apomorphine-induced turning behavior. Rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra pars compacta and medial forebrain bundle were administered histaminergic agents, and apomorphine-induced turning behavior was tested on Days 7 and 14 post-lesion. Compared with saline-treated rats, histidine (500 mg/kg, i.p.), a precursor of histamine, increased turning behavior (p<0.05), while alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (alpha-FMH, 25 microg, i.c.v.), an irreversible inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase, decreased turning behavior (p<0.05) but only on Day 14 post-lesion. Both the histamine H(1) receptor antagonist pyrilamine (10 and 50 microg, i.c.v.) and the H(2) receptor antagonist cimetidine (10 and 50 microg, i.c.v.) significantly decreased turning behavior on Days 7 and 14 post-lesion. The histamine H(3) receptor agonist immepip (10 microg, i.c.v.) decreased turning behavior (p<0.05) on Day 14 post-lesion. The present findings indicate the complex interactions of histamine on basal ganglia function.

Involvement of brain endogenous histamine in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats.

Previous studies have suggested that brain histamine is involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the role of endogenous histamine in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compact (SNpc) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate this issue by changing the brain histamine levels by giving histaminergic agents, and administrating histamine receptor antagonists in the PD animal model, i.e. the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat. In saline-treated animals, 6-OHDA infusion produced a progressive increase in apomorphine-induced turning rate and a loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in the SNpc. Histaminergic agents were given prior and daily for 1, 7 or 14 days after 6-OHDA infusion. Histidine (500 mg/kg, i.p.), a precursor of histamine, increased the turning rate (27% on day 7 and 26% on day 14, respectively; P<0.05) and also the loss of TH-ir neurons, but only on day 1 and 7 (67% vs 47% and 90.4% vs 74% loss, respectively; P<0.05). In contrast, alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (alpha-FMH, 25 microg, i.c.v.), an irreversible inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase (HDC), significantly decreased the turning rate (25% on day 7 and 26% on day 14, respectively; P<0.05) and prevented the loss of TH-ir neurons, also only on day 1 and day 7 (28% vs 47% and 58% vs 74% loss, respectively; P<0.05). In addition, the histamine H(1) receptor antagonist pyrilamine (5 microg, i.c.v.), but not the H(2) receptor antagonist cimetidine (5 microg, i.c.v.), also decreased the turning rate (38% on day 7 and 21% on day 14, respectively; P<0.05) and prevented the loss of TH-ir neurons on day 1 and day 7 (38% vs 51% and 60% vs 78% loss, respectively; P<0.05). On day 14 after 6-OHDA lesion, there were no significant differences in the number of TH-ir neurons among all the different treatment groups. Taken together, these findings indicate that endogenous histamine may accelerate the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons via its H(1) receptor, while attenuation of histamine transmission may play a protective role on it in the early stage of development of 6-OHDA lesioned PD rats.