Dissection of the antitumor mechanism of tetrandrine based on metabolite profiling and network pharmacology.

RATIONALE: Tetrandrine, the Q-marker in Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix, was proven to present an obvious antitumor effect. Until now, the metabolism and antitumor mechanism of tetrandrine have not been fully elucidated. METHODS: The metabolites of tetrandrine in rats were profiled using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The potential antitumor mechanism of tetrandrine in vivo was predicted using network pharmacology. RESULTS: A total of 30 metabolites were characterized in rats after ingestion of tetrandrine (10 mg/kg), including 0 in plasma, 7 in urine, 11 in feces, 9 in liver, 8 in spleen, 4 in lung, 5 in kidney, 5 in heart, and 4 in brain. This study was the first to show the metabolic processes demethylation, hydroxylation, and carbonylation in tetrandrine. The pharmacology network results showed that tetrandrine and its metabolites could regulate AKT1, TNF, MMP9, MMP2, PAK1, and so on by involving in proteoglycan tumor pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, tumor pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and Rap1 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The metabolism features of tetrandrine and its potential antitumor mechanism were summarized, providing data for further pharmacological validation.

[Effects of Wastewater Discharge on Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Microbial Community in a Coastal Area].

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important sources of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and microbial communities are key factors that affect the proliferation of ARGs. To reveal the effects of WWTPs effluent discharge on the ARGs and microbial community in a coastal area, the structure and distribution of ARGs, MGEs, and microbial community in Shangyu (SY) and Jiaxing (JX) effluent receiving areas (ERAs) and the offshore area of Hangzhou Bay (HB) were investigated via high-throughput quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that multidrug resistance genes were the most abundant ARGs across all the sampling sites. The diversity and abundance of ARGs and MGEs in the ERAs were much higher than those in the HB. Additionally, the diversities of the microbial community in the JX-ERA were higher than those in the SY-ERA and HB. PCoA showed that the distribution of ARGs, MGEs, and microbial communities in the ERAs and HB were significantly different, indicating that the long-term wastewater discharge could alter the distribution of ARGs, MGEs, and microbial communities in the coastal area. The co-occurrence pattern among ARGs, MGEs, and microbial communities revealed that 12 bacterial genera, such as Psychrobacter, Pseudomonas, Sulfitobacter, Pseudoalteromonas, and Bacillus, showed strong positive correlations with ARGs and MGEs. Most potential hosts carried multidrug and ß-lactamase resistance genes.

Investigation of the effects of high cervical spinal cord electrical stimulation on improving neurological dysfunction and its potential mechanism in rats with traumatic brain injury.

To explore the effects of high cervical spinal cord electrical stimulation (cSCS) on the recovery of neurological function and its possible mechanism in rats with traumatic brain injury (TBI). 72 rats were randomly divided into: (1) a sham group; (2) a traumatic brain injury (TBI) group; (3) a TBI+cSCS group; (4) a LY294002+TBI+cSCS group. The degree of neurological dysfunction was evaluated by modified Neurological severity score (mNSS). The pathological changes of the brain tissue in the injured area were observed by HE staining, and the apoptosis of neuron cells were observed by TUNEL staining. The expressions of BDNF and VEGFmRNA were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the expressions of p-AKT, AKT, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 proteins were detected by western blot. Compared with that of the TBI and LY294002+TBI+cSCS groups, the mNSS of the TBI+cSCS group were significantly lower on day 3 and 7 ( P <0.05). Compared with that in the TBI and LY294002+TBI+cSCS groups, the apoptosis of neuron cells in the TBI+cSCS group decreased significantly ( P < 0.05). Compared with the TBI and LY294002+TBI+cSCS group, the expression of Bcl-2 protein increased and the expressions of Bax and Caspase-3 proteins decreased in the TBI+cSCS group ( P < 0.05). Compared with that in the TBI and LY294002+TBI+cSCS groups, the intensity of p-Akt/Akt in the TBI+cSCS group increased ( P < 0.05). We found that cSCS had a protective effect on neuron cells after craniocerebral injury and could improve neurological dysfunction in rats, the mechanism of which might be that cSCS made the PI3K/Akt pathway more active after TBI.

[Wildfire smoke injection heights in China based on multi-angle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) observations]. / åŸºäºŽå¤šè§’åº¦æˆåƒå ‰è°±ä»ª(MISR)数据的中国野火烟羽喷射高度.

Smoke injection height is a key driving factor for plume transport, which determines the lifetime of smoke aerosol in the atmosphere, transport path and diffusion along with the wind, and impacts on atmospheric environment. In this study, raw data obtained from the latest multi-angle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) plume height project was extracted and analzyed. The variation of smoke injection heights of wildfire in China was investigated with statistical analysis methods. The effects of fire characteristics (combustion biomass type and fire radiative power) on the smoke injection height were explored. Meanwhile, the influence of smoke injection heights on the atmospheric environment was discussed based on the proportion of higher injection height plumes and the value of smoke aerosol optical depth (AOD). The results showed that smoke injection heights from wildfire ranged from 345 to 7719 m, with 57.1% of which ranging from 500 to 1000 m. Except for an abnormally high value of smoke injection height from a large grassland fire, the rest of smoke injection heights were lower than 3000 m. The biomass type for combustion was an important factor affecting smoke injection heights. The injection heights of the plume caused by forest fire were the highest and had the greatest variability. Smoke injection heights increased with the fire radiation power, but with obvious dispersion (R2=0.19). By setting a simple threshold, the proportion of higher injection plumes which might cause long-distance transportation of air pollutants in China was 10.5%. Combined with the analysis of smoke AOD, it was found that the average smoke injection height from cropland burning was the lowest, but their smoke caused the highest regional air pollution. In contrast, although forest fires could produce the highest smoke injection height, their smoke had a lower average value of AOD, which indicated a relatively weak impact of forest fires on regional air quality.

Hyperbaric oxygen via mediating SIRT1-induced deacetylation of HMGB1 improved cReperfusion inj/reperfusion injury.

Ischemic stroke leads to severe neurological dysfunction in adults. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) induces tolerance to cReperfusion inj/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Therefore, our aims were to investigate whether SIRT1 participates in regulatingin the neuro-protective effect of HBO in a cerebral I/R model and its mechanism. Mice N2a cells were used to construct an oxygen deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) model to simulate in vitro brain I/R injury and to evaluate the role of HBO in OGD/R stimulated cells. Cell proliferation was detected using MTT, and apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. ELISA was used to measure the concentration of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 related inflammatory factors. RT-qPCR and western blot assays were performed to test the expression of SIRT1. Immunoprecipitation was used to detect acetylation of HMGB1. Expression of SIRT1 was obviously reduced after OGD/R treatment in N2a cells, while SIRT1 was obviously enhanced in HBO treated cells. Moreover, knockdown of SIRT1 induced neuro-inflammation damage in cells and HBO effectively improved the inflammatory response in OGD/R treated cells by affecting SIRT1 levels. Furthermore, HBO induced the deacetylation of HMGB1 via regulating SIRT1. Interestingly, HBO via regulating the SIRT1-induced HMGB1 deacetylation and suppressing MMP-9 improved ischemic brain injury. HBO regulated ischemic brain injury via regulation of SIRT1-induced HMGB1 deacetylation, making it a potential treatment for ischemic brain injury treatment.

Adjuvant treatment with Angong Niuhuang pills in treating traumatic brain damage: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The Angong Niuhuang pill (ANP) has been widely used in the adjuvant treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the efficacy and adverse reactions of this drug are controversial. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ANP on patients with TBI by a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedicine Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), and Wangfang databases were systematically searched from their establishment until June 2020. RCTs of ANP treating TBI were enrolled. Odds risk (OR) was used to assess the total effective rate and safety and mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the quantitative data. Tthe included literature's quality was evaluated by RevMan 5.3. The sensitivity and publication bias was evaluated by Stata 16.0. RESULTS: Twelve studies were identified in this systematic review, including 1,568 participants. The metaanalysis results suggested that ANP combined with routine treatment obviously improved the postoperative GCS [MD =1.97, 95% CI (1.22, 2.72), P<0.01] and GOS [OR =2.28, 95% CI (1.60, 3.22), P<0.01] of patients with TBI. ANP also increased Mg2+ concentration and decreased pulmonary infection. In addition, ANP significantly reduced NSE, gastrointestinal bleeding, and liver and kidney function damage. CONCLUSIONS: Based on limited evidence, ANP adjuvant therapy may have a clinical benefit in improving the prognosis of patients with TBI and reducing the associated complications. At the same time, more studies with larger sample sizes and high quality are required to determine the safety and effectiveness of ANP adjuvant therapy.

[Distribution Characteristics of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Wastewater Treatment Plants].

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are regarded as the main source for antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). To explore the features regarding the distribution of ARGs in wastewater with complicated composition in treatment plants, wastewater samples from a chemical industry park that produced antibiotics were selected. qPCR was applied to detect the type and abundance of ARGs in the wastewater flows from the WWTPs. The results indicated that 16 types of ARGs were detected from the wastewater from the WWTPs, among which sulfonamide resistance genes and tetracycline resistance genes were the dominant ARGs that appeared in the wastewater. Additionally, intI 1 was detected and its abundance was correlated with that of sulfonamide resistance genes. This indicated that intI 1 may promote the migration and transformation of sulfonamide resistance genes. The pharmaceutical factories in the park mainly synthesize macrolide antibiotics. Because of the selective pressure, the absolute abundance of ermB in the wastewater was much higher than that in the other industrial wastewater. The total ARGs decreased by 1.16 log via traditional biological treatment process, and the total ARGs decreased by 2.46 log via the Fenton process. The results showed that the removal effects of deep treatment processes on ARGs were better than that of biological treatment in this wastewater treatment process. Highly abundant and movable ARGs already exist in the water body, and their release from WWTPs without effective treatment poses high risks to the environment.

Effects of Brain Temperature on the Outcome of Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Observational Study.

A prospective observational study collected temperature data from 51 patients in 11 neurosurgical centers and follow-up outcome information at 6 months in 49 patients. Brain temperature (Tbr) was measured directly by an intraventricular temperature sensor. Axillary temperature (Tax) and rectal temperature (Tre) were measured by electric thermometers. Tbr was 0.4 to 1.5°C higher than body temperature. Tre correlated well with the Tbr (coefficient: 0.7378; p < 0.05). Among all patients, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores on admission were significantly lower in the patients with post-operatively extreme peak temperature (Tpeak, < 37°C or >39°C in first 24 h) and major temperature variation (Tvari > 1°C in first 12 h; p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively). Among the patients with no temperature intervention, the extreme Tpeak group showed a lower Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) score at 6 months (p < 0.05) with lower GCS scores on admission (p < 0.01), compared with the moderate Tpeak group. Remarkably, the major Tvari group showed significantly lower GOS-E scores (p < 0.05) with the same GCS scores as the minor Tvari group. Thus, Tre is the better candidate to estimate Tbr. Spontaneously extreme Tpeak in TBI represents both more serious injury on admission and worse prognosis, and Tvari might be used as a novel prognostic parameter in TBI. Brain temperature is therefore one of the critical indicators evaluating injury severity, prognostication, and monitoring in the management of TBI. This prospective observational study has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ), and the registration number is NCT03068143.

[Removal and Influence of Ciprofloxacin in a Membrane Bioreactor].

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) was used to treat ciprofloxacin (CIP)-contaminated artificial wastewater. The pollutant removal performance and the microbial community structure of the MBR were studied at three different CIP dosages (0 mg·L-1, 5 mg·L-1, and 10 mg·L-1). The results showed that the sludge concentration in the reactor decreased and then levelled off as the dosage of CIP was increased from 0 mg·L-1 to 5 mg·L-1 and further to 10 mg·L-1. The mean removal of TOC and COD decreased from 98.40% and 97.80% to 84.20% and 94.10%, respectively, indicating that the CIP negatively influenced the organic removal but the effect was minor. In contrast, the ammonium removal was greatly influenced by the dosage of CIP. When the CIP dosage increased from 0 mg·L-1 to 5 mg·L-1 and further to 10 mg·L-1, the ammonium removal efficiency decreased from 96.91% to 84.14% and then to 77.80%, and the activity of Nitrosomonas, Alcaligenes, Nitrospira, and Nitrobacter were greatly inhibited. The CIP removal initially increased and then decreased. The mass balance revealed that the removal of CIP in the MBR was principally attributed to biodegradation and sludge adsorption, which accounted for 30.13% and 0.25%, respectively, at a CIP dosage of 5 mg·L-1 and 7.55% and 1.81% at a CIP dosage of 10 mg·L-1.

Influence of high altitude on the burning behaviour of typical combustibles and the related responses of smoke detectors in compartments.

The effect of altitude on typical combustible burning and related smoke detector response signals was investigated by comparison experiments at altitudes of 40 m and 3650 m based on EN54 standard tests. Point-type light scattering photoelectric smoke detectors and ionization smoke detectors were used for four kinds of EN54 fire tests, including two kinds of smouldering fires with wood (test fire no. 2 in EN54 standard or TF2) and cotton (TF3), and two kinds of flaming fires with polyurethane (TF4) and n-heptane (TF5). First, the influence of altitude or ambient pressure on mass loss for smouldering combustion (TF2 or TF3) was insignificant, while a significant decrease in the mass burning rate was found for flaming tests (TF4 and TF5) as reported in our previous studies. Second, for photoelectric smoke detectors in flaming fire tests, the effect of altitude was similar to that of the burning rate, whereas for the ionization smoke detectors, the response signal at high altitudes was shown to be 'enhanced' by the detection principle of the ionization chamber, leading to an even larger value than at normal altitude for smouldering conditions. Third, to provide a reference for smoke detector design in high-altitude areas, the differences between signal speed in rising and peak values at two locations are discussed. Also, relationship between ion chamber signals and smoke optical densities are presented by utilization of an ionization smoke detector and smoke concentration meter. Moreover, a hierarchical diagram is illustrated to provide a better understanding of the effects of altitude on combustible burning behaviour and the mechanisms of detector response.

The application of novel nano-thermal and imaging techniques for monitoring drug microstructure and distribution within PLGA microspheres.

Poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) based microspheres have been extensively used as controlled drug release systems. However, the burst effect has been a persistent issue associated with such systems, especially for those prepared by the double emulsion technique. An effective approach to preventing the burst effect and achieving a more ideal drug release profile is to improve the drug distribution within the polymeric matrix. Therefore, it is of great importance to establish a rapid and robust tool for screening and optimizing the drug distribution during pre-formulation. Transition Temperature Microscopy (TTM), a novel nano-thermal and imaging technique, is an extension of nano-thermal analysis (nano-TA) whereby a transition temperature is detected at a localized region of a sample and then designated a color based on a particular temperature/color palette, finally resulting in a coded map based on transition temperatures detected by carrying out a series of nanoTA measurements across the surface of the sample. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of applying the aforementioned technique combined with other thermal, imaging and structural techniques for monitoring the drug microstructure and spatial distribution within bovine serum albumin (BSA) loaded and nimodipine loaded PLGA microspheres, with a view to better predicting the in vitro drug release performance.

Morphology and concentration of smoke from fluorinated ethylene propylene wire insulation in microgravity under forced airflow.

The production of smoke particles from the jet bursting flame caused by overheating fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) wire insulations was investigated. Experiments examining the morphology and volume fraction of the fractal smoke particle aggregates with forced airflow were conducted in a 3.5s drop tower. Gravity level and forced flow were shown to have significant hydrodynamic effects on the pathlines and fractal aggregation of the smoke particles, thus the residence time-dependent flame shape, particle size and concentration have obvious changes. For cases in still air, compared with normal gravity, the jet flame in microgravity has a spherical shape, the mean primary particle and aggregate gyration radius are bigger due to longer residence time, but the fractal dimension maintains at about 1.79, similar to that in the normal gravity level; the calculated smoke volume fraction is also bigger. For cases with force flow in microgravity, the mean primary particle diameter, the mean aggregate gyration radius, and soot volume fraction all decrease with increasing forced flow due to decreasing residence time.

[A Comparative Study on Performance of an Intermittent Aeration SBR and a Traditional SBR for Treatment of Digested Piggery Wastewater].

An intermittently aerated sequencing batch reactor (IASBR) and a traditional sequencing batch reactor (SBR) were respectively used for treating digested piggery wastewater, and the pollutant removal performance was studied at different ratios of chemical oxygen demand (COD) to total nitrogen (TN) in the influent and different loading rates. The results showed that the pollutant removal rates in the IASBR were much higher than those in the SBR. Under influent COD/TN of about 2.2 and NH4+-N loading of (0.12±0.04) kg·(m3·d)-1, the removal rates of NH4+-N, TN and TOC in the IASBR were 97.2%±4.4%, 81.5%±7.5% and 88.5%±2.4%, respectively, higher than the corresponding rates of 78.3%±19.6%, 79.8%±4.9% and 86.6%±3.2% in the SBR. As the NH4+-N loading was increased to (0.18±0.02) kg·(m3·d)-1, the removal rates of NH4+-N, TN and TOC in the IASBR were slightly decreased to 92.4%±7.3%, 77.5%±5.3% and 86.4%±2.2%, but still higher than the corresponding values of 78.1%±15.4%, 61.8%±11.2% and 81.8%±5.6% in the SBR. As the NH4+-N loading was remained at (0.20±0.01) kg·(m3·d)-1, but the influent COD/TN ratio was increased to about 3.0, the pollutant removal rates in both IASBR and SBR were increased, compared to those at influent COD/TN ratio of 2.2.The removal rates of NH4+-N, TN and TOC in the IASBR were 99.6%±0.2%, 91.5%±2.9% and 92.0%±0.9%, respectively, higher than the corresponding rates of 90.2%±1.4%, 83.0%±1.9% and 90.2%±0.5% in the SBR. Based on the above, the IASBR was more efficient in TN and ammonium removal and more shocking load resistant, and therefore was more feasible than SBR for treating low COD/TN ratio wastewaters such as the digested piggery wastewater.

[Enhanced Pollutants Removal in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant with Multistage A/O Process].

Removal of conventional pollutants as well as genotoxicity was studied along a multistage A/O process, which was based on the monitoring data in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (MWWTP) of Yixing City. The results showed that the multistage A/O process removed (67.3±7.0)% of COD, (93.7±1.5)% of NH4+-N, (65.3±7.9)% of TN and (60.0±18.7)% of TP, respectively, which played a dominant role in the removal performance of the whole wastewater treatment process. The multistage A/O process showed significant ability to reduce alkanes, halogenated hydrocarbons and alcohols in the municipal wastewater, while it failed to remove the aromatic proteins which were the main fluorescent substances of this wastewater. Furthermore, the process removed 82.8% genotoxicity from its influent. Low organic load, single-phase influent and undesirable carbon source feeding pattern, which caused the downstream A/O stages being not fully utilized, were considered as the predominant reasons for the relatively low performance of the multistage A/O process. Multi-phase feeding and adjusting carbon source feeding pattern were thereby proposed. The results were considered to be helpful for improving the operational performance of the MWWTP and useful for performance evaluation of MWWTPs with similar process.

[Applicability of bisphenol A detection by a planar waveguide fluorescent biosensor].

As a kind of environmental endocrine disruptors, bisphenol A received a wide attention around the world. The planar waveguide fluorescent biosensor can rapidly and sensitively detect traceable bisphenol A in water samples. Under the optimized test conditions, the typical calibration curve for BPA determination by the biosensor showed a detection limit of (0.04 +/- 0.007) microg x L(-1) The linear response ranged from 0.16 microg x L(-1) to 22.40 microg x L(-1). The 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) was (1.67 +/- 0.47) microg x L(-1). By means of adding 0.5% EDTA to sample solutions could weaken the interference of water hardness. Under the optimal conditions, the recovery ratios for four kinds of real water samples were in the range of 88% to 111%, with R.S.D. less than 15%. The results indicate that this method features the potential in the practical detections of bisphenol A in real water samples.

[Performance of an Intermittent Aeration Membrane Bioreactor for Removal of Veterinary Antibiotics from Piggery Wastewater].

The removal performance of 11 veterinary antibiotics in piggery wastewater and their accumulation in the activated sludge were studied in an intermittent aeration membrane bioreactor (IAMBR) at different COD/TN ratios and organic loads. The results showed that both antibiotics and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were efficiently removed at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of no less than five days and COD/TN ratio of 2.1, the removal rate was (79.1 ± 0.7)% for total antibiotics and was (88.4 ± 1.4)% for COD. As HRT was shortened to three days, the removal rate of COD was little changed but the removal rate of total antibiotics was significantly decreased. As COD/TN decreased from 2.1 to 0.7, the removal rate of total antibiotics was little changed, but the COD removal rate was significantly decreased. Antibiotics of tetracycline and quinolone species kept accumulating in the sludge at long SRT, and the accumulation amount was decreased with shorter SRT. The concentration and composition of antibiotic in the sludge were influenced by the raw wastewater.

[2, 4, 6-Trichlorophenol Mineralization Promoted by Anaerobic Reductive Dechlorination of Acclimated Sludge and Extracellular Respiration Dechlorination Pathway].

In anaerobic conditions, the acclimation of activated sludge was studied with sodium lactate as the electron donor and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol as the electron acceptor. Metabolic characteristics of dechlorination were the focus of this study. The result showed highly efficient dechlorination on 2, 4, 6-trichlorophenol that the conversion rate reached to 100% in 9 - 24 h when initial concentrations of sodium lactate and 2,4, 6-trichlorophenol were 20 mmol x L(-1) and 40 - 80 µmol x L(-1), respectively. The intermediate product 2,4-dichlorophenol was found in low concentration (< 4.22 µmol x L(-1)). And 4-chlorophenol and phenol were the main products. Ortho chlorophenol (2, 4, 6-trichlorophenol, 2, 4-dichlorophenol) can be converted rapidly by acclimated sludge, while the further conversion of 4-chlorophenol and phenol was limited. The residues of anaerobic metabolism were degraded by aerobic sludge, among which 4-chlorophenol (initial concentration of 33 mol x L(-1)) removal rate was up to 100% under aerobic conditions. The acclimated bacteria can rapidly transfer Fe(III) and humus (AQDS) into reductive Fe(II) and AQH2DS which indicated that the dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria was enriched in the acclimated sludge. The electron mediator [Fe(III) and AQDS] significantly accelerated the dechlorination rate. The acclimated sludge could perform extracellular respiration dechlorination with electron mediators.

[Method for Simultaneous Determination of 11 Veterinary Antibiotics in Piggery Wastewater and Sludge and Its Application in Biological Treatment].

In order to determine eleven commonly used veterinary antibiotics (including four tetracyclines, two sulfonamides, three quinolones and two macrolides) in piggery wastewater and activated sludge in the Yangtze River Delta region, the conditions of solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were optimized. The recovery rate and relative standard deviations of the method were confirmed as 73% - 105.2%, 3.1% - 10.2% for piggery wastewater (n = 3) and 57.4% - 104.6%, 1.9% - 10.9% (n = 3) respectively for the activated sludge. Removal of antibiotics was then studied in a membrane bioreactor. The results showed that antibiotics of both tetracycline and sulfonamide species took a large portion in the wastewater, while tetracycline species were the dominant in the sludge. Tetracycline species in the wastewater were removed by 85.2%, mainly through biodegradation (51.9%) and secondly by sludge adsorption (33.2%). By comparison, sulfonamide species was removed by 95.8%, almost all through biodegradation while little by sludge adsorption. Flask tests suggested that the accumulated antibiotics in the sludge give no significant influence on the microbial removal of organics and ammonium.

[Variation of pollutants along the height of two media BAF during advanced treatment of dyeing wastewater].

A pilot-scale process with the capacity of 15 t x d(-1) was applied for treatment of the secondary biological effluent from a dyeing industrial park wastewater treatment plant. We studied the variation of pollutants along the height of two media biological aerated filter (BAF), investigated the feasibility of the cheaper and lighter suspended media to substitute activated carbon. The results showed that while the influent average COD and color were 50.2 mg x L(-1) and 58 times, the effluent average COD and color of activated carbon and suspended media BAF were 35.0 mg x L(-1), 18 times and 44.3 mg x L(-1), 26 times, and both of the effluent met the first level A criteria specified in the Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (GB 18918-2002), while it met the first level A criteria at the height of 2 400 mm in suspended media BAF, higher than the height of 1 800 mm in activated carbon BAF. The removal variation of color, TN and ammonia along the height of suspended media BAF is similar to the activated carbon BAF, but with a low removal efficiency of COD, mainly related to its less biomass. Therefore, suspended media to substitute activated carbon is feasible to the wastewater treatment plant, but the size and material of the media still need to be optimized, and to enhance the biomass, the hybrid process of suspended media with activated carbon BAF may be used to reduce the cost if it is necessary.

[A study on the veterinary antibiotics contamination in groundwater of Jiaxing].

Liquid chromatography and tandem mass (LC-MS/MS) followed with solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for simultaneously determining four classes (tetracyclines, quinolones, macrolides and sulfonamides) of ten commonly used veterinary antibiotics in groundwater of Jiaxing city, an important pig breeding base in the Yangtze River Delta region. Samples were taken from 10 typical rural river sections and 21 main urban river sections. Results revealed severe pollution existed in the rural river environment. The total concentration of ten antibiotics was as high as 65.6-467.0 ng x L(-1), among which tetracyclines and sulfonamides respectively ranged in 40.8-253.0 ng x L(-1) and undetected (nd)- 165.0 ng x L(-1), macrolides and quinolones respectively ranged in 3.1-14.68 ng x L(-1) and nd-14.54 ng x L(-1). By comparison, the pollution level in urban rivers was much lower. The total concentration of ten antibiotics ranged in 20.1 ng x L(-1) to 61.2 ng x L(-1), among with tetracyclines varied from undetected to 44.0 ng x L(-1), while sulfonamides, macrolides and quinolones were respectively below 2.7 ng x L(-1), 6.3 ng x L(-1) and 21.6 ng x L(-1).