Development of a novel and highly efficient method of isolating bacteriophages from water.

Bacteriophages are widely used to the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria and the improvement of food safety through bacterial lysis. However, the limited investigations on bacteriophage restrict their further application. In this study, a novel and highly efficient method was developed for isolating bacteriophage from water based on the electropositive silica gel particles (ESPs) method. To optimize the ESPs method, we evaluated the eluent type, flow rate, pH, temperature, and inoculation concentration of bacteriophage using bacteriophage f2. The quantitative detection reported that the recovery of the ESPs method reached over 90%. The qualitative detection demonstrated that the ESPs method effectively isolated 70% of extremely low-concentration bacteriophage (100 PFU/100L). Based on the host bacteria composed of 33 standard strains and 10 isolated strains, the bacteriophages in 18 water samples collected from the three sites in the Tianjin Haihe River Basin were isolated by the ESPs and traditional methods. Results showed that the ESPs method was significantly superior to the traditional method. The ESPs method isolated 32 strains of bacteriophage, whereas the traditional method isolated 15 strains. The sample isolation efficiency and bacteriophage isolation efficiency of the ESPs method were 3.28 and 2.13 times higher than those of the traditional method. The developed ESPs method was characterized by high isolation efficiency, efficient handling of large water sample size and low requirement on water quality.

Social Capital and Quality of Life Among People Living With HIV/AIDS in Southeast China.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 261 people living with HIV (PLWH) in Southeast China. A social capital questionnaire was used to measure social capital dimensions (trust, social connection, and social participation). A Chinese version of the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) was used to assess Quality of Life (QoL); Physical Health Summary Scores (PHS) and Mental Health Summary Scores (MHS) were calculated. Multiple regression assessed whether social capital and its dimensions were associated with PHS and MHS. After controlling for sociodemographics and HIV-related factors, lower PHS scores were found among participants with low overall social capital (P < .01) and low trust (P < .001). Lower MHS scores were found among participants with low overall social capital (P < .001), low trust (P < .001) and low social connection (P < .01). Our findings identify potential intervention targets to improve QoL among PLWH in Southeast China, including the promotion of social capital.

[Investigation on health workforce in county anti-schistosomiasis institutions of Jiangxi Province, 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To understand and assess changes of health workforce in county anti-schistosomiasis institutions of Jiangxi Province, so as to provide the evidence for improving the health workforce construction. METHODS: The status of health workforce of county anti-schistosomiasis institutions was surveyed with self-designed questionnaire, and the results were compared with the baseline survey results in 2007. RESULTS: The total number of employees was 1 384 in 2010 with the decrease of 71 persons compared with that in 2007. The average number of people per institution was 40.71, with the decrease of 0.86 per institution, compared with that of 2007. Compared with 2007, the employees with bachelor degree increased by 6.17%, those with college degree increased by 6.8%, and the attending rate of training and further study also increased. CONCLUSIONS: The health workforce has improved in county anti-schistosomiasis institutions of Jiangxi Province. The professional workers should be trained continually to improve their diathesis.

[Effects of rare earth compounds on human peripheral mononuclear cell telomerase and apoptosis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of rare earth exposure on human telomerase and apoptosis of human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMNs). METHODS: Rare earth mine lot in Xunwu county, the biggest ion absorptive rare earth mine lot of China, was selected as the study site. Another village of Xunwu county, with comparable geological structure and social environment was selected as the control site. Thirty healthy adults were randomly selected from the study site as exposure group and another 30 healthy adults randomly selected from the control site as control group. The blood content of 15 rare earth elements, including La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y, were determined by inductive coupled plasma-source mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The total contents of rare earth elements in the blood were calculated. The TRAP and FCM assays were carried out to analyse the telomerase and apoptosis of human PBMNCs respectively. RESULTS: In the exposure group, the concentration of La, Ce, Dy and Y were significantly higher (P<0.001), and Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd and Yb were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total content of rare earth in the blood of exposure group showed significant difference compared with control group (P<0.001). Telomerase activity in PBMNs of the exposure group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); there were 11 adults in the exposure group (30 adults) and 5 adults in control group (30 adults) showed positive telomerase activity. The average age of the exposure group was (38.69 +/- 8.02) years-old, while the control group was (40.45 +/- 9.02) years-old (P >0.05). It was found that there was a significant relationship between telomerase activity and the total content of rare earth elements (P <0.01). 3. The proportion of apoptosis was not different between the two groups (P >0.05), but the cells in the S-phase and G2-M phase were increased (P <0.01) in the exposed group. CONCLUSION: The telomerase activity of PBMNs in the rare earth elements exposed group was higher than that of the control group, and there is no effect on apoptotic rate of PBMNs, but may promote the diploid DNA replication, and increase the percentage of G2/M and S phase cells.

[A case-control study on risk factors for advanced schistosomiasis japonica].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate risk factors for the development of advanced schistosomiasis. METHODS: The case-control study was designed with a match of 1:1 and 1:2. Healthy persons and chronic schistosomiasis patients were used as control. Each group was composed of 213 cases. Items investigated included: history of schistosomiasis and treatment, exposure to the contaminated water, social-economical condition and nutritional status, other concomitant diseases. Cellular and humoral immunity, HBVMs and ABO blood groups were also detected. Statistical analysis was performed by 1:1 and 1:2 matched single and stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis with SAS software. RESULTS: By stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis, it was revealed that number of schistosomiasis examination (OR = 1.168-1.311), interval from first infection to last treatment(OR = 1.142), interval from first infection to this investigation (OR = 1.089), HBsAg+ (OR = 4.683-10.759), HBcAb+ (OR = 2.873), HBsAg+ + HBeAb+ + HBcAb+ (OR = 7.64) were risk factors of developing advanced schistosomiasis. The average living space and cellular immunity were lower in advanced schistosomiasis patients than others. No association was found between advanced schistosomiasis and ABO blood groups. CONCLUSION: The development of advanced schistosomiasis is associated with repeated infections, and delayed or incomplete treatment. Combined infection with hepatitis B, poor socio-economic conditions and impaired cellular immunity may increase the pathogenetic risk of schistosomiasis.

A study of the relationship between trace element Mo and gastric cancer.

AIM:To study the relationship between trace element Mo and gastric cancer.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Soil samples were collected according to its type in different areas of Jiangxi Province; available molybdenum content in soil was measured by catalytic polarography and rank correlation method was used to analyse correlation between the mean of soil available molybdenum and mortality rate of gastric cancer in each county and city in Jiangxi Province. Gastric cancer cases were selected from the authors' hospital, occiput hair was collected to measure its molybdenum content with an atomic absorption spectrograph and controls were selected from the same hospital for comparison. Gastric cancer cases were selected from three hospitals at the same time, blood samples were taken on an empty stomach and serum molybdenum contents were measured with the atomic absorption spectrograph, and controls were selected from the same hospitals. Blind method was used in the whole course (chemical analysts did not know the source and nature of samples).RESULTS: A negative correlation existed between soil available molybdenum content and mortality rate of gastric cancer (r = -0.285, P < 0.05); hair molybdenum contents of gastric cancer cases were lower than those of healthy controls (0.308&mgr;g/g plus minus 0.673&mgr;g/g and 0.707&mgr;g/g plus minus 0.561&mgr;g/g respectively, P < 0.01); serum molybdenum contents of patients were also lower than those of healthy controls (21.84&mgr;g/L plus minus 7.49&mgr;g/L and 25.38&mgr;g/L plus minus 8.58&mgr;g/L respectively,P< 0.05).CONCLUSION: Deficiency of molybdenum may be one of the risk factors in gastric cancer.