Effect of the compound bacterial agent on microbial community of the aerobic compost of food waste.

In our study, we used 16SrRNA and ITS to investigate the microbial community composition and the effect of compound bacterial agent on the microbial community composition in the aerobic composting process of food waste (FW). At the bacterial level, the main phyla of Group A (compost naturally) were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, and the main species were Pseudomonas_sp._GR7, Bacillus licheniformis and Pediococcus acidilactici. The main phyla of Group B (compost with compound bacterial agent) were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Streptophyta, and the main species were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Cronobacter sakazakii, Macrococcus caseolyticus, Enterococcus faecalis, Citrobacter freundii and Bacillus velezensis. It is worth noting that M. caseolyticus may be able to improve the effect of odour which is an important sensory index during aerobic composting. At the fungal level, the main phylum of both Groups A and B was Ascomycota, and the main species of Group A were Paecilomyces variotii, Byssochlamys spectabilis and Aspergillus fumigatus. The main species of Group B were Ogataea polymorpha and Millerozyma farinosa. Finally, the degradation rate of Group B was 81% that was about 15% higher than that of Group A, indicating that the compound bacterial agent could effectively improve the degradation rate and the composting process, while the low abundance of the compound bacterial agent in the composting process might be due to the small initial addition or the inhibition of other bacteria or fungi in the composting process.

Donor-derived marrow mesenchymal stromal cell co-transplantation following a haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation trail to treat severe aplastic anemia in children.

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) is associated with an increased risk of graft failure and severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) display potent immunosuppressive effects and can support normal hematopoiesis. In a multi-center trial, we co-transplanted culture-expanded donor-derived bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) into 35 children with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) undergoing haplo-HSCT. All 35 patients (100%) achieved hematopoietic reconstitution and showed sustained full donor chimerism. The median time for myeloid engraftment was 14 days (range 10-22 days), while that for platelet engraftment was 18 days (range 9-36 days). The incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD and chronic GVHD was 25.71 and 22.86%, respectively. The overall survival rate was 85.71% with a median of 22 months (range 3.5-37 months). The combined transplantation of haploidentical HSCs and BM-MSCs into children with SAA without an HLA-identical sibling donor is relatively safe and may represent an effective new therapy to improve survival rates and reduce the risk of graft failure.

[Effect of acidic oligosaccharides on P-selectin of pulmonary hypertensive rats induced by monocrotaline].

Objective: To observe the effects of acidic oligosaccharides (AOS) on P-selectin levels in the serum and the pulmonary arteries of pulmonary hypertensive rats induced by monocrotaline. Methods: Sixty healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (n=10), model group (n=10), Alprostadil group (n=10), low-dose AOS group (AOS-L, n=10), medium-dose AOS group (AOS-M, n=10) and high-dose AOS group (AOS-H, n=10). The rat model of pulmonary arterial hypertension was made by a single intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline(60 mg/kg). Five weeks after injection, pulmonary arterial (PA) acceleration time (PAT) and ejection time (ET) were measured by color Doppler ultrasound. Then, the Alprostadil group was treated by Alprostadil 5 µg·kg(-1)·d(-1)intraperitoneally. Acidic oligosaccharides was administered by intraperitoneal injection to rats in the AOS-L group(5 kg(-1)·d(-1)), AOS-M group (10 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1))and AOS-H group (20 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)). Control group and model group were given normal saline instead. At the end of experiments, the death rate was recorded and PAT/ET was measured. We calculated the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) of all rats sacrificed under anesthesia. Precision-cut lung slices were stained with HE for observation of the structure of middle and small arteries. The expression level of P-selectin in serum and pulmonary arterial tissues were detected by ELISA and Western blot respectively. Results: AOS significantly increased the level of PAT/ET (P<0.01), and attenuated RVHI (P<0.01). AOS significantly improved intima-media proliferation in small-to medium-sized pulmonary arteries, and attenuated perivascular inflammation. AOS and Alprostadil significantly down-regulated the protein expression of P-selectin in serum and pulmonary arteries (P<0.01). Conclusion: In this rat model of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension, AOS decreased the expressions of P-selectin in serum and pulmonary arteries in a dose-dependent manner.

Fabrication of Ag-Decorated CaTiO3 Nanoparticles and Their Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for Dye Degradation.

CaTiO3nanoparticles of 30-40 nm in size were synthesized via a polyacrylamide gel route. Ag nanoparticles with size of 8-16 nm were deposited onto CaTiO3particles by a photochemical reduction method to yield CaTiO3@Ag composites. The photocatalytic activity of prepared samples was evaluated by degrading methyl orange under ultraviolet irradiation. It is demonstrated that Ag-decorated CaTiO3 particles exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to bare CaTiO3 particles. After 60 min of photocatalysis, the degradation percentage of MO increases from 54% for bare CaTiO3particles to 72% for CaTiO3@Ag composites. This can be explained by the fact that photogenerated electrons are captured by Ag nanoparticles and photogenerated holes are therefore increasingly available to react with OH⁻/H2O to generate hydroxyl (·OH) radicals. ·OH radicals were detected by fluorimetry using terephthalic acid as a probe molecule, revealing an enhanced yield on the irradiated CaTiO3@Ag composites. In addition, it is found that the addition of ethanol, which acts as an ·OH scavenger, leads to a quenching of ·OH radicals and simultaneous decrease in the photocatalytic efficiency. This suggests that ·OH radicals are the dominant active species responsible for the dye degradation.

Genome shuffling of Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis YF11 for improving nisin Z production and comparative analysis.

Nisin has been widely used in the food industry as a safe and natural preservative to increase the shelf time of many foods. In this study, genome shuffling was applied to improve nisin Z production of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis YF11 (YF11) via recursive protoplast fusion. Ultraviolet irradiation and diethyl sulfate mutagenesis were used to generate parental strains for genome shuffling. After 4 rounds of genome shuffling, the best-performing strain F44 was obtained, which showed dramatic improvements in tolerance to both glucose (ranging from 8 to 15% (wt/vol) and nisin (ranging from 5,000 to 14,000 IU/mL). Fed-batch fermentation showed that the nisin titer of F44 was up to 4,023 IU/mL, which was 2.4 times that of the starting strain YF11. Field emission scanning electron microscope micrographs of YF11 and F44 revealed the apparent differences in cell morphology. Whereas YF11 displayed long and thin cell morphology, F44 cells were short and thick and with a raised surface in the middle of the cell. With the increasing glucose and nisin content in the medium, cells of both YF11 and F44 tended to become shrunken; however, alterations in YF11 cells were more pronounced than those of F44 cells, especially when cultured in tolerance medium containing both nisin and glucose. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis demonstrated that the structure of nisin from YF11 and F44 was the same. Expression profiling of nisin synthesis related genes by real-time quantitative PCR showed that the transcription level of nisin structural gene nisZ and immunity gene nisI of F44 was 48 and 130% higher than that of the starting strain YF11, respectively. These results could provide valuable insights into the molecular basis underlying the nisin overproduction mechanism in L. lactis, thus facilitating the future construction of industrial strains for nisin production.

An analysis model of torque dependence of critical current in a Bi2223/Ag composite concentric cylinder.

In this paper, a model of torque dependence of critical current in a Bi2223/Ag composite concentric cylinder is analyzed. Based on the hypothesis of planar section and elastic linear strengthening constitutive theory, the relation between torque and shear strain is firstly obtained. Then a linear weakening relation between critical current density and shear strain are put forward. Finally the effects of the applied torque together with the mechanical properties of superconducting core on the degradation behavior of critical current are calculated and discussed. The results and conclusions should be helpful to the application of superconducting materials subjected to elastic-plastic torsional deformation.

Oestrogen receptor function at classical and alternative response elements.

The oestrogen receptor (ER), bound to classical response elements (EREs) in the promoter of target genes, activates transcription by recruiting coactivator proteins. We will describe structural studies that show that oestrogens allow the formation of a hydrophobic cleft on the surface of the ER that serves as a docking site for coactivators. Anti-oestrogens displace part of the receptor, which then occludes the site, blocking coactivator access. In addition to activating at classical EREs, the ER activates transcription at alternative elements such as AP-1 sites. These bind the Jun/Fos proteins but not ER. Interestingly both oestrogen and tamoxifen activate transcription at AP-1 sites. We propose a mechanism whereby oestrogen and anti-oestrogen allow ER to activate transcription from alternative response elements. ER binds to the coactivators, CBP and GRIP1, that have been recruited by Jun/Fos and through this contact 'triggers' these coactivators into full activity. In this circumstance the ER is part of the coactivator complex for Jun/Fos.

Effects of the acid-tolerant engineered bacterial strain Megasphaera elsdenii H6F32 on ruminal pH and the lactic acid concentration of simulated rumen acidosis in vitro.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the acid-tolerant engineered bacterial strain Megasphaera elsdenii H6F32 (M. elsdenii H6F32) on ruminal pH and the lactic acid concentrations in simulated rumen acidosis conditions in vitro. A mixed culture of ruminal bacteria, buffer, and primarily degradable substrates was inoculated with equal numbers of M. elsdenii H6 or M. elsdenii H6F32. The pH and lactic acid concentrations in the mixed culture were determined at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 h of incubation. Acid-tolerant M. elsdenii H6F32 reduced the accumulation of lactic acid and increased the pH value. These results indicate that acid-tolerant M. elsdenii H6F32 could be a potential candidate for preventing rumen acidosis.

CT of nodular hyperplasia of the liver in non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

During follow-up of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a 60-year-old man, multiple hepatic small lesions were incidentally found by sonography. Dynamic CT disclosed enhancing masses in both the right and left lobes and faint arterioportal shunting in the left lobe of the liver. These findings were confirmed by angiography. Portal hypertension was, however, not present. Exploratory laparotomy revealed nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver. The nontumorous liver was normal.