Clinical application of serum tumor abnormal protein in prostate cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To explore the clinical value of tumor abnormal protein (TAP) in the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of prostate cancer. METHODS: This study enrolled a total of 265 patients who underwent prostate biopsy procedures from December 2017. TAP levels were assayed in their blood samples using a validated TAP testing kit. Comprehensive pathological assessments, including Gleason scores, TNM staging, and AJCC prognosis stages, were conducted on prostate cancer patients. Further analysis was carried out to examine the correlation between TAP expression levels and various clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A significantly elevated TAP concentration was discerned in prostate cancer patients relative to those with benign prostate hyperplasia. Moreover, a significantly elevated TAP expression was detected in prostate cancer patients with high Gleason score (≥ 8) and advanced stages (III and IV), as compared to those with Gleason scores of 6 and 7 and lower stages (I and II). When diagnosing prostate cancer in gray area of PSA, TAP demonstrated superior diagnostic capabilities over PSA alone, with higher diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy than fPSA/tPSA ratio. Additionally, post-surgical or hormonal treatment, there was a marked reduction in TAP expression level among prostate cancer patients. CONCLUSION: The assessment of TAP presents itself as a promising tool for early diagnosis and holds potential for sensitivity in monitoring treatment reponse in prostate cancer patients.

Bacterial community radial-spatial distribution in biofilms along pipe wall in chlorinated drinking water distribution system of East China.

Biofilms in the pipe wall may lead to water quality deterioration and biological instability in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs). In this study, bacterial community radial-spatial distribution in biofilms along the pipe wall in a chlorinated DWDS of East China was investigated. Three pipes of large diameter (300, 600, and 600 mm) were sampled in this DWDS, including a ductile cast iron pipe (DCIP) with pipe age of 11 years and two gray cast iron pipes (GCIP) with pipe ages of 17 and 19 years, and biofilms in the upper, middle, and lower parts of each pipe wall were collected. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and culture-based method were used to quantify bacteria. 454 pyrosequencing was used for bacterial community analysis. The results showed that the biofilm density and total solid (TS) and volatile solid (VS) contents increased gradually from the top to the bottom along the pipe wall. Microorganisms were concentrated in the upper and lower parts of the pipe wall, together accounting for more than 80 % of the total biomass in the biofilms. The bacterial communities in biofilms were significantly different in different areas of the pipe wall and had no strong interaction. Compared with the upper and lower parts of the pipe wall, the bacterial community in the middle of the pipe wall was distributed evenly and had the highest diversity. The 16S rRNA genes of various possible pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica, were detected in the biofilms, and the abundances of these possible pathogens were highest in the middle of the pipe wall among three areas. The detachment of the biofilms is the main reason for the deterioration of the water quality in DWDSs. The results of this study suggest that the biofilms in the middle of the pipe wall have highly potential risk for drinking water safety, which provides new ideas for the study of the microbial ecology in DWDS.

Pyrosequencing analysis of bacterial communities in biofilms from different pipe materials in a city drinking water distribution system of East China.

Biofilms in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) could cause several types of problems, such as the deterioration of water quality, corrosion of pipe walls, and potential proliferation of opportunistic pathogens. In this study, ten biofilm samples from different pipe materials, including ductile cast iron pipe (DCIP), gray cast iron pipe (GCIP), galvanized steel pipe (GSP), stainless steel clad pipe (SSCP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), were collected from an actual DWDS to investigate the effect of pipe material on bacterial community. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and culture-based method were used to quantify bacteria. 454 pyrosequencing was used for bacterial community analysis. The results showed that the numbers of total bacteria and culturable heterotrophic bacteria from iron pipes were higher than that in PVC, while the numbers of Shigella and vibrios were low in biofilms from iron pipes. Bacterial community analysis showed that Hyphomicrobium or Desulfovibrio were the predominant microorganism in iron pipes, whereas Sphingomonas or Pseudomonas were dominant in other types of pipe. This study revealed differences in bacterial communities in biofilms among different pipe materials, and the results were useful for pipeline material selection in DWDSs.

Efficient removal of dyes in water using chitosan microsphere supported cobalt (II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine with H2O2.

A new efficient catalyst, CoTSPc@chitosan, was developed by immobilizing water soluble cobalt (II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine onto adsorbent chitosan microspheres covalently for the heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of C. I. Acid Red 73 with H(2)O(2). The result indicated that the COD removal and discoloration of C. I. Acid Red 73 made 55 and 95% respectively in the presence of CoTSPc@chitosan with H(2)O(2) in 4h. In addition, CoTSPc@chitosan-H(2)O(2) system could proceed efficiently in a relatively wide pH range and remain high catalytic activity after 6 reuse cycles. Furthermore, the adsorption study of CoTSPc@chitosan confirmed that chitosan was an outstanding support which contributed a lot to the removal reaction. In conclusion, the combination of adsorption process and catalytic oxidation made the CoTSPc@chitosan-H(2)O(2) system achieve a simple, efficiently and environmentally friendly water treatment.