Novel insights into the intestinal immune regulatory effects of (2-Carboxyethyl) dimethylsulfonium Bromide (Br-DMPT) in on-growing grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella).

The present study evaluated the effects of (2-Carboxyethyl)dimethylsulfonium Bromide (Br-DMPT) supplementation on the intestinal immune function and potential mechanisms of on-growing grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) by feeding fish (initial weight 216.49 ± 0.29 g) five diets with gradational Br-DMPT (0-520 mg/kg diet) concentrations for 60 days and then infecting them with Aeromonas hydrophila for 14 days. Our results firstly indicated that compared with the control group, appropriate Br-DMPT supplementation increased the number of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and enteritis resistance, decreased the number of detrimental bacteria Aeromonas and E. coli, and relieved the intestinal histopathological symptoms of fish. In addition, compared with the control group, appropriate Br-DMPT supplementation (1) increased lysozyme (LZ) and acid phosphatase (ACP) activities, as well as complement 3 (C3), C4 and immunoglobulin M (IgM) content; (2) upregulated the mRNA levels of anti-microbial substance: liver expressed anti-microbial peptide (LEAP) -2A, LEAP-2B, hepcidin, ß-defensin-1 and Mucin2; (3) partially downregulated the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p40, IL-15, IL-17D, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interferon γ2 (IFN-γ2)] by inhibiting [IKKß/IκBα/(NF-κBp65 and c-Rel)] signalling; and (4) partially upregulated the mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines [IL-4/13A, IL-10, IL-11, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1] by activating [TOR/(S6K1 and 4E-BP)] signalling. The aforementioned results indicated that appropriate amount of Br-DMPT exerted a positive effect on the regulation of intestinal immune function in fish. Finally, based on enteritis morbidity, the IgM content and the lysozyme activity in the PI, the appropriate levels of Br-DMPT supplementation for on-growing grass carp were established as 295.43, 301.73 and 320.36 mg/kg diet, respectively.

Prevalence and Predictors of Hypertension in the Labor Force Population in China: Results from a Cross-sectional Survey in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of hypertension and identify its contributory factors in the labor force population in Karamay. A total of 2819 adults (55.9% male adults) were interviewed and examined. The overall crude prevalence of hypertension was 32.4%. Among 914 hypertensive patients, 34.8% were aware of their diagnosis, 22.1% received treatment, and 5.6% achieved blood pressure control. Hypertension was significantly correlated with age, overweight/obesity, central obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in both men and women. In addition, less education, alcohol consumption, and less walking were risk factors for men. Effective hypertension prevention and control programs are urgently needed to decrease the burden of hypertension in this region.

COD and Color Removal from Real Dyeing Wastewater by Ozonation.

Ozonation of real dye wastewater for removal of color and COD reduction covering a wide range in operating parameters forms the scope of the present work. The influence of parameters such as influent pH, ozone flow rate and initial effluent concentration on ozonation efficiency has been critically examined. It has been observed from the present investigation that a maximum of COD removal efficiency of 92.5% has been achieved under optimum operating conditions (pH=11; ozone flow rate: 6×10(-3) m(3)/minute). Further the biodegradability index of the dye effluent has increased from an initial value of 0.18 to 0.49 during ozonation indicating favorable adaptation of ozonation as a primer to the biochemical technique to enhance the efficiency of biochemical treatment.

Advanced treatment of sodium acetate in water by ozone oxidation.

Ozone oxidation is an advanced oxidation process for treatment of organic and inorganic wastewater. In this paper, sodium acetate (according to chemical oxygen demand [COD]) was selected as the model pollutant in water, and the degradation efficiencies and mechanism of sodium acetate in water by ozone oxidation were investigated. The results showed that the ozone oxidation was an effective treatment technology for advanced treatment of sodium acetate in water; the COD removal rate obtained the maximum value of 45.89% from sodium acetate solution when the pH value was 10.82, ozone concentration was 100 mg/L, reaction time was 30 minutes, and reaction temperature was 25 degrees C. The COD removal rate increased first and decreased subsequently with the bicarbonate (HCO3-) concentration from 0 to 200 mg/L, the largest decline being 20.35%. The COD removal rate declined by 25.38% with the carbonate (CO3(2-)) concentration from 0 to 200 mg/L; CO3(2-) has a more obvious scavenging effect to inhibit the formation of hydroxyl free radicals than HCO3-. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) could enhance the COD removal rate greatly; they could reach 77.35 and 96.53%, respectively, after a reaction time of 30 minutes, which was increased by 31.46 and 50.64%, respectively, compared with only ozone oxidation. It was proved that the main ozone oxidation product of sodium acetate was carbon dioxide (CO2), and the degradation of sodium acetate in the ozone oxidation process followed the mechanism of hydroxyl free radicals.

The synergistic effect of electrocoagulation coupled with E-peroxone process for shale gas fracturing flowback water treatment.

Electrocoagulation (EC) coupled with E-peroxone process (ECP) was a promising and cost-effective integrated technology for shale gas fracturing flowback water (SGFFW) treatment. In this study, the ECP process was comprehensively compared with two sequential processes (EC followed by E-peroxone (EC-E-peroxone) and E-peroxone followed by EC (E-peroxone-EC)) to elucidate the synergistic effect of this coupled process. In EC-E-peroxone process, COD decreased by 89.2%, while COD decreased by 82.5% for 180 min in E-peroxone-EC process. However, COD removal efficiency was 82.4% in ECP for only 90 min. Average current efficiency of the ECP process was 29.9%, which was twice than that of the sequential processes. The enhancement factor was calculated to be 1.63, demonstrating the substantial significant synergistic effects for ECP. Only low MW components could be observed for the EC-E-peroxone (average MW = 533 Da with PD ≈ 1) and ECP process (MW = 538 Da with PD ≈ 1). These results suggested that EC-E-peroxone and ECP process had much stronger oxidation ability, demonstrating the enhancement of OH production induced by the Al-based coagulants might be responsible for the significant enhancement of COD removal. These results indicated there could be a synergistic effect between EC and ozone in addition to EC and E-peroxone reactions. Compared to the two sequential processes, ECP was a high efficiency and space-saving electrochemical system with simultaneous coagulation and enhanced OH generation by the products of anode and the cathode.

[Circumcision affects glans penis vibration perception threshold].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of circumcision on the glans penis sensitivity by comparing the changes of the glans penis vibrotactile threshold between normal men and patients with simple redundant prepuce and among the patients before and after the operation. METHODS: The vibrotactile thresholds were measured at the forefinger and glans penis in 73 normal volunteer controls and 96 patients with simple redundant prepuce before and after circumcision by biological vibration measurement instrument, and the changes in the perception sensitivity of the body surface were analyzed. RESULTS: The G/F (glans/finger) indexes in the control and the test group were respectively 2.39 +/- 1.72 and 1.97 +/- 0.71, with no significant difference in between (P > 0.05). And those of the test group were 1.97 +/- 0.71, 2.64 +/- 1.38, 3.09 +/-1.46 and 2.97 +/- 1.20 respectively before and 1, 2 and 3 months after circumcision, with significant difference between pre- and post-operation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a statistic difference in the glans penis vibration perception threshold between normal men and patients with simple redundant prepuce. The glans penis perception sensitivity decreases after circumcision.