Concurrence of novel mutations causing Gilbert's and Dubin-Johnson syndrome with poor clinical outcomes in a Han Chinese family.

Dual-hereditary jaundice (Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS) and Gilbert's syndrome (GS)) is a rare clinical entity resulting from defects of the ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 2 (ABCC2) and UDP glucuronosyltransferase family 1 member A1 (UGT1A1) genes with autosomal recessive inheritance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mutation profiles and characterize the phenotypes in a Han Chinese family with DJS and GS. Genetic screening for variants in the ABCC2 and UGT1A1, immunohistochemistry for expression of ABCC2, and histopathological examination were carried out. The proband and his brother had unconjugated and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia after birth. The proband's sister had only conjugated hyperbilirubinemia after birth. The proband developed into pleural effusions and ascites, pericardial thickening, intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary duct dilatation, and enlarged gallbladder at age 50. Hepatocellular carcinoma occurred in the proband's brother at age 46. Seven compound defects of the ABCC2 gene [c.2414delG, p.(Ile1489Gly), p.(Thr1490Pro), and p.(Ile1491Gln)] and the UGT1A1 gene (c.-3279T>G, p.(Gly71Arg), and p.(Pro451Leu)) were identified in family members. Accumulation of pigment in hepatocytes characteristic of that in DJS was present in the proband and his brother. Expression of ABCC2 protein was markedly diminished in the patient's liver. Our results show a different genetic profile of DJS and GS in a Han Chinese family, indicating a more complex pattern of dual-hereditary jaundice among different populations. The present study illuminates the underpinnings of DJS and GS and extends the mutation profiles and phenotypes of these two syndromes in dual-hereditary jaundice.

Occurrence of Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus in Cucurbit Plants in China.

In August 2022, melon (Cucumis melo), cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca) plants showed virus-like symptoms characteristic of geminiviruses (yellowish green, mosaic patterns and severe curling of leaves, short internodes, and stunting) in 10 greenhouses in Fengxian district and 20 greenhoues in Jiading district of Shanghai, China. Fifty symptomatic leaf samples were randomly collected: 28 from melon, 17 from cucumber, and 5 from luffa. To investigate the etiology of the observed disease, total DNA and RNA was extracted via a DNA extraction kit (Tiangen, Not: DP350) and TRIzol reagent (Sigma-Aldrich, Not: T9424), respectively. Healthy melon plants grown in a growth chamber served as negative control. The DNA and RNA samples were screened for the presence of geminiviruses, Cucurbit chlorotic yellow virus (CCYV), Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) and Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) through PCR or RT‒PCR with geminiviruses (Deng et al. 1994), CCYV, MYSV, CMV, ZYMV and CGMMV (Zeng et al. 2011, 2019) primers. The PCR results showed that 28 melon leaves and 17 cucumber leaves were positive for geminivirus and CCYV, respectively, 5 luffa samples were infected with only geminivirus, and virus was not detected from the healthy plants. These results indicate that these two viruses are widely distributed throughout cucurbit crops in Shanghai, China. All the geminiviruses sequences (approximately 510 bp) were quite similar to each other and were most similar (99.4%) to the Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) sequence (GenBank Accession No. OP356207) (Li et al. 2022). To confirm the presence of geminiviruses, the segments of DNA-A and DNA-B were amplified by PCR with 4 ToLCNDV-specific primer sets (Mizutani et al. 2011) and sequenced from 10 samples (4 melon, 4 cucumber and 2 luffa). Both DNA-A and DNA-B of the ToLCNDV sequences and features were deposited in GenBank under the accession numbers OQ190939-OQ190948 (DNA-A, 2739 nt) and OQ190949-OQ190958 (DNA-B, 2693 nt). BLASTn analysis of Shanghai isolates of ToLCNDV (DNA-A and DNA-B) showed that the sequences shared nucleotide identities ranged from 99.3% to 100% among them and with values of more than 99.4% nucleotide identity with ToLCNDV isolates from tomato in China (OP356207 and OP356208) (Li et al. 2022). To confirm the virus infection, we have successfully constructed an infectious clone for 0823-1 isolate in the binary plasmid and inoculated melon with and without an infectious clone. The melon plants inoculated with ToLCNDV 15 dpi showed the high accumulation of the virus and displayed symptoms similar to viruses in greenhouse. Based on the complete sequences, results of the molecular phylogenetic analysis (Fig. 2) and infectious clone, these geminiviruses were identified as ToLCNDV. ToLCNDV has been reported to occur and spread by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in many Asian countries (Sohrab et al. 2003; Sohrab et al. 2011; Aamir et al. 2020) and Europe (Juárez et al. 2014; Ruiz et al. 2015; Luigi et al. 2019). Large populations of whiteflies were also present in all our surveyed areas. However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of ToLCNDV in cucurbit plants in China. The presence of ToLCNDV and CCYV can cause severe losses in crop yields or even crop failure. In addition to TYLCV, ToLCNDV is another major geminivirus-induced disease threatening cucurbit and other vegetable production in China.

Solitary vaginal paraganglioma with mature sacrococcygeal teratoma: a rare case report.

BACKGROUND: Vaginal paraganglioma are rare, atypical, solitary tumors which originate from the female genital tract. Sacrococcygeal teratoma are also rare neoplasms which derive from one (or more) primordial germ cell layers. Here we report a unique case of vaginal paraganglioma with sacrococcygeal teratoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old female experienced paroxysmal hypertension, palpitations and dizziness for almost six years. Enhanced CT and MRI highlighted two abnormal soft tissue lesions located in the left vaginal wall and coccyx anteriorly, and Iodine-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) demonstrated abnormal radioactive uptake in perineum area. Endocrine tests showed elevated plasma normetanephrine (NMN) and 24 h urine norepinephrine. There was a well-circumscribed soft tissue lesion of approximately 3.5 cm in the left lateral vaginal wall which could be palpated during bimanual examination, together with a 1.5 cm tumor in the posterior wall of the rectum. We completely resected the two lesions in stages with the support of a senior gynecologist and general surgeons. Postoperative histopathological examinations suggested the vaginal paraganglioma and mature sacrococcygeal teratoma. Targeted sanger sequencing for the 36 mostly common paraganglioma-related genes, with a depth of 1000x, revealed no mutations. Post-operatively, plasma NMN and 24 h urine norepinephrine returned to the normal range and her symptoms completely disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: We reported an extremely rare case and the successful treatment of functional vaginal paraganglioma coexisting with adult sacrococcygeal teratoma.

Effects of lead and zinc mining contamination on bacterial community diversity and enzyme activities of vicinal cropland.

In the process of mining activity, many kinds of heavy metals enter into soils with dust, causing serious contamination to the environment. In this study, six soils were sampled from cropland at different distances from a lead/zinc mine in Heilongjiang Province, China. The total contents of lead and zinc in the vicinal cropland exceeded the third level of environmental quality standard for soil in China, which indicated that soils in this area were moderately contaminated. Bacterial community diversity and population were greatly decreased when the concentrations of lead and zinc were beyond 1,500 and 995 mg kg(-1), respectively, as analyzed by plate counting and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The bands of DGGE patterns varied with the degree of contamination. The activities of soil urease, phosphatase, and dehydrogenase were negatively correlated with the concentrations of lead and zinc. The highest inhibitory effect of heavy metals on soil enzyme activities was observed in urease. It was noted that PCR-DGGE patterns combined with soil enzyme activity analysis can be indices for the soil quality assessment by heavy metal contamination.

[Pathological grading analysis of liver biopsies in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers of different age ranges].

OBJECTIVE: To study the best time of taking liver biopsy for chronic HBV carriers of age ranges and then guiding antiretroviral treatment. METHOD: The liver biopsy pathologic results of 292 cases of chronic HBV carriers were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College. The patients were divided into three groups according to ages. The differences between groups were compared by calculating the ratio of inflammation above G2 or fibrosis staging above S2. RESULT: The percentages of the chronic HBV carriers with liver histopathology inflammation graded above G2 or fibrosis staging above S2 were 26.5% (36/136) in 11 to 29 year-old group, 39.4% (37/94) in 30-39 year-old group and 58.1% (36/62) in 40-60 year-old group. Significant difference existed among groups in general (P less than 0.01). 39.4% (37/94) of chronic HBV carriers were found with inflammation graded above G2 or fibrosis staging above S2 in 30-39 year-old group, no statistically significant difference found between group 30-39 years old and group and 40-60 years old 58.1% (36/62) (P less than 0.01). 26.5% (36/136) of chronic HBV carriers under 30 years old were with inflammation graded above G2 or fibrosis staging above S2 as compared with the percentage of 46.8% (73/156) in the chronic HBV carriers over 30 years old group, and significant difference existed between the two groups (P less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: The best time choice of taking liver biopsy should be at the ages elder than or equal to 30.

Xanthomatous Hypophysitis: A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review.

Purpose: Xanthomatous hypophysitis (XHP) is an extremely rare form of primary hypophysitis for which there is a lack of clinical experience. A comprehensive understanding of its clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment is needed. Methods: Here, we report a case study and conduct a systematic review of XHP. Thirty-six cases were included, and their clinical manifestations, endocrine assessment, imaging features, treatment and follow-up data were collected and analyzed. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 39.1 years, and females were predominant (75.0%). The most common symptom was headache (68.6%), and 66.7% of female patients presented menstrual disorders. The most common pituitary dysfunction was growth hormone (GH) deficiency. More than half of patients exhibited central diabetes insipidus (CDI). The majority of patients had an imaging presentation of a cystic lesion with peripheral enhancement. Pituitary stalk thickening was observed in half of the patients. Total lesion resection was achieved in 57.1% of cases. The recurrence rate after partial resection and biopsy was significantly higher than that after total lesion resection (57.1% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.0147). The most common pituitary hormone abnormalities to resolve after surgery were hyperprolactinemia (100.0%) and GH deficiency (91.7%). The typical pathological feature was inflammatory infiltration of foamy histiocytes, which showed positivity for CD68. Conclusion: Diagnosis of XHP is difficult when relying on clinical symptoms and imaging features. Therefore, surgical histopathology is necessary. Based on the available evidence, total lesion resection is recommended for treatment. However, the long-term prognosis for this rare disease remains unclear.

Corrigendum: Xanthomatous Hypophysitis: A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.735655.].

The association of the heterogeneity of HBV reverse transcriptase quasispecies with antiviral efficacy after treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues for 10 years.

To assess the heterogeneity of HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) quasispecies during 10 years of antiviral therapy and their association with antiviral efficacy. Nineteen patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection receiving nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) were enrolled. Based on the antiviral efficacy after 1 year of treatment, 5 patients were grouped into an early virologic response (EVR) group, while 8 patients were grouped into a late virologic response (LVR) group. Furthermore, 6 CHB patients that had undergone antiviral treatment for 10 years were grouped into a virologic breakthrough (VBT) group. The HBV RT from each patient were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. The complexity of the RT gene in the EVR group was significantly higher than that in the LVR (P = 0.0393) and VBT groups (P = 0.0141). Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the average branch length of the EVR and LVR groups were significantly greater than that of VBT group (P < 0.001). The complexity (at the nucleotide level) of the RT quasispecies was negatively correlated with the corresponding HBV DNA load (P = 0.0163) at one year post-antiviral treatment. Moreover, both the LVR and VBT groups accumulated more deleterious mutations than the EVR group. After 1 year of NAs treatment, the increased HBV quasispecies complexity and evolutionary topologies, coupled with less deleterious mutations, are likely associated with a favorable efficacy during long-term antiviral treatment.

Long Noncoding RNA CCAT1 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Upregulate ITGA9 by Sponging MiR-296-3p in Melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is aggressive and lethal melanocytic neoplasm, and its incidence has increased worldwide in recent decades. Accumulating evidence has showed that various long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participated in occurrence of malignant tumors, including melanoma. The present study was designed to investigate function of lncRNA colon cancer-associated transcript-1 (CCAT1) in melanoma. METHODS: The expression levels of CCAT1, miR-296-3p and Integrin alpha9 (ITGA9) in melanoma tissues or cells were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The concentrations of glucose and lactate were measured for assessing glycolysis of melanoma cells. 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazol-3-ium bromide (MTT), flow cytometry, and transwell assays were conducted to assess proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of melanoma cells. Western blot assay was performed to measure the protein expression of ITGA9, hexokinase 2 (HK2), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins in melanoma tissues or cells. The relationship among CCAT1, miR-296-3p, and ITGA9 was predicted and confirmed by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, respectively. A xenograft experiment was established to assess the effect of CCAT1 knockdown in vivo. RESULTS: CCAT1 was effectively increased in melanoma tissues and cells compared with matched controls, and deficiency of CCAT1 impeded cell glycolysis, proliferation, migration while induced apoptosis, which were abrogated by knockdown of miR-296-3p in melanoma cells. In addition, our findings revealed that ITGA9 overexpression abolished miR-296-3p overexpression-induced effects on melanoma cells. Importantly, CCAT1 regulated ITGA9 expression by sponging miR-296-3p. The results of xenograft experiment suggested that CCAT1 silencing inhibited melanoma cell growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: LncRNA CCAT1 promoted ITGA9 expression by sponging miR-296-3p in melanoma.

Evaluation of Al30 polynuclear species in polyaluminum solutions as coagulant for water treatment.

Polyaluminum coagulant with a content of 76.8% of Al30 (PACAl30) was prepared. Its coagulation behaviors were compared with high Al13 content polyaluminum coagulant (PACAl13) and AlCl3. The species stability was studied using Al-Ferron method and 27Al NMR. The coagulation performances were investigated by studying the rate of flocs development, the turbidity removal efficiency and charge neutralization capacity under fixed pH conditions and uncontrolled pH conditions. The effect of pH on coagulation was also studied. The results show that PACAl30 are stable for using as coagulant. PACAl30 causes less pH depression than PACAl13. The charge neutralization capacity of PACAl30 is slightly lower than that of PACAl13 at pH6.8 and higher at pH 6.5. PACAl30 achieves the most effective turbidity removal in these three coagulants. And it acts effectively within a much broader dosage range and a wider pH range when compared with PACAl13. PACAl30 achieves the highest turbidity removal due to its strong flocs formation capacity. The results verify that Al30 is another highly active coagulation/flocculation species for turbidity removal.

Phosphate removal from aqueous solutions using raw and activated red mud and fly ash.

The effect of acidification and heat treatment of raw red mud (RM) and fly ash (FA) on the sorption of phosphate was studied in parallel experiments. The result shows that a higher efficiency of phosphate removal was acquired by the activated samples than by the raw ones. The sample prepared by using the RM stirred with 0.25 M HCl for 2h (RM0.25), as well as another sample prepared by heating the RM at 700 degrees C for 2h (RM700), registered the maximum removal of phosphate (99% removal of phosphate). This occurred when they were used in the phosphate sorption studies conducted at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C with the initial PO(4)(3-) concentration of 155 mg P/l. The FA samples treated in the same way described above can achieve 7.0 and 8.2 mg P/l phosphate removal for FA0.25 and FA700 respectively, corresponding to 45.2% and 52.9% removal. The activated materials performed higher phosphate removal over broader pH range compared with the raw ones. The influences of various factors, such as initial pH and initial phosphate concentration on the sorption capacity were also studied in batch equilibration technique. Solution pH significantly influenced the sorption. Each sample achieved the maximal removal of phosphate at pH 7.0. The amount of phosphate removal increased with the solute concentration. The Freundlich and Langmuir models were used to simulate the sorption equilibrium. The results indicate that the Langmuir model has a better correlation with the experimental data than the Freundlich model.

Performance of a novel vertical-flow settler: a comparative study.

By increasing particle concentration and G value (root-mean-square velocity gradient) to enhance flocculation, a novel vertical-flow settler was designed to increase sedimentation effectiveness, and to simultaneously improve operational stabilization. Due to the gradual decrease in upward flow-rate of raw water, a flocs blanket would form and suspend in the middle section of the settler, not at the bottom as in a conventional clarifier. Enough large flocs, resulted from flocculation or filtration, would continuously settle out of the flocs blanket, and simultaneously, the flocs in raw water or those forming above the blanket would ceaselessly enter the flocs blanket. As a result, the flocs concentration in the blanket could keep a dynamic balance. The hydrodynamic shear in the blanket was improved by flow separation, which was induced by the abrupt change in flow channel. Due to the floes blanket and improved hydrodynamic shear, flocculation would be enhanced, which was helpful for removing fine particles in raw water. A comparative study showed that the novel vertical-flow settler had a much better performance in the removal of the particles in raw water than a conventional one, when they treated kaolin suspensions of different concentrations (500, 100 and 50 mg/L, respectively) coagulated by polyaluminum chloride(PAC1) at the up-flow rates of I and 2 mm/s, respectively.

Shikonin induces apoptosis of HaCaT cells via the mitochondrial, Erk and Akt pathways.

Shikonin, which is a major ingredient of the traditional Chinese herb Lithospermum erythrorhizon, possesses various biological functions, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities. The present study aimed to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of shikonin on HaCaT cell apoptosis. Treatment with shikonin significantly inhibited the viability of HaCaT cells in a dose­ and time­dependent manner, and promoted cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis. In addition, shikonin treatment reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential and induced reactive oxygen species generation. The results of a western blot analysis demonstrated that shikonin significantly activated caspase 3 expression, downregulated B­cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl­2) expression, and upregulated Bcl­2­associated X protein and Bcl­2 homologous antagonist killer expression in a dose­dependent manner in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, shikonin decreased extracellular signal­regulated kinase (Erk) and Akt phosphorylation. These results indicated that shikonin may exert its anti­proliferative effects by inducing apoptosis via activation of the mitochondrial signaling pathway and inactivation of the Akt and Erk pathways in HaCaT cells. Therefore, the present study suggested that shikonin may have potential as a component of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of skin diseases.

XRCC3 T241M polymorphism and melanoma skin cancer risk: A meta-analysis.

Although the T241M polymorphism in the X-ray cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) gene has been implicated in the pathogenesis of melanoma, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to assess the association of XRCC3 T241M polymorphism with melanoma. Published literature from PubMed and Embase databases was retrieved. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. A total of six case-control studies containing 2,133 patients and 3,141 controls were enrolled into this meta-analysis. In a combined analysis, the results revealed no significant association between XRCC3 T241M polymorphism and melanoma risk in the overall population. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no significant associations between the XRCC3 T241M polymorphism and melanoma risk were identified in Caucasians. However, when the analyses were restricted to three larger studies (n>500 cases), a significant association was noted with melanoma (TT vs. MT: OR=1.20, 95% CI=1.04-1.38; dominant model: OR=0.86, 95% CI=0.75-0.98). In conclusion, the meta-analysis results suggest that the XRCC3 T241M polymorphism was associated with risk of melanoma. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

[Relationship between genetic lineage and pathotype of Pyricularia grisea in Yunnan Plateau].

Rice blast caused by Pyricularia grisea is the most destructive disease in Yunnan Plateau, China. In order to elucidate the relationship between genetic lineage and pathotype of P. grisea of Yunnan Plateau as well as the variability of the fungus at DNA level,the repetitive element-based PCR (rep-PCR) of Pot2, an element found in approximately 100 copies in the fungus genome,was exploited. Two hundred and thirty-six isolates of P. grisea collected from 15 main rice-growing counties of Yunnan Plateau were fingerprinted by using rep-PCR. A linkage graph of the rep-PCR fingerprints from 134 representative isolates was generated using an unweighted pair-grouped average program (UPGMA) of the STATISTICAL 5.0 software. The isolates were classified into 8 genetic lineages (G1 approximately G8) at the level of 1.75 genetic linkage distance, of which the G1, G2 and G4 were the dominant lineages. The isolates in a certain area generally belonged to one correspondent genetic lineage and the isolates from the same plot and host rice variety mostly shared one linkage group though different genetic lineages within one lesion. Furthermore, 29 isolates representing the eight genetic lineages were inoculated on 33 rice cultivars of Yunnan at the stage of 3 approximately 4 leaves in greenhouse. The isolates were divided into 6 pathotype groups (P1 approximately P6) according to its compatibility, which demonstrated that some isolates of one genetic lineage sharing two or three pathotype groups, alternatively, one or four pathotype groups. The isolates from each genetic lineage, however, may share one pathotype group such as P2. The preliminary results implicated that the relationship between genetic lineages and pathotype groups of P. grisea in Yunnan Plateau was complicated rather than simple. On the other hand,2 rice cultivars including HeXi 16 and JingGuo 92 were resistant to the 29 isolates but YunJing 20 and HeXi 30 both susceptible to all of them, which was helpful for deploying the blast-resistant genes in rice production of Yunnan Plateau. Therefore, the rice blast-resistance spectrum of the tentative new rice cultivars should be evaluated before its release considering the blast-resistant rice breeding and the practice of rice production in Yunnan Plateau.

Calcium water treatment residue reduces copper phytotoxicity in contaminated sandy soils.

Calcium water treatment residue (Ca-WTR), an industrial by-product, was found to be effective in decreasing Cu availability in contaminated soils and transport to the environment. In this study, a greenhouse study was conducted to test the ability of Ca-WTR to reduce the toxicity and uptake of Cu by ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as indicator crop plants in Cu-contaminated sandy soils. Eight weeks growing period was observed in Alfisol and Spodosol amended with different levels of Ca-WTR (5-100 g kg(-1) soil). Plant biomass yields increased with WTR application rates at the low levels (5-20 g kg(-1) for Alfisol, pH 5.45 and 5-50 g kg(-1) for Spodosol, pH 4.66), and decreased at the high levels (>20 g kg(-1) for Alfisol and >50 g kg(-1) for Spodosol). The maximum growth of ryegrass with Ca-WTR was 133% and 149% of the control (without Ca-WTR) for the original Alfisol and Spodosol (without spiked Cu), respectively, while the corresponding values for lettuce was 145% and 206%. Copper concentrations in ryegrass shoots decreased significantly with increasing Ca-WTR application rates. For lettuce, Cu concentration decreased only at high Ca-WTR rates (>50 g kg(-1)). In addition, ryegrass had a greater potential for Cu uptake and translocation than lettuce in both soils.

Kinetic analysis and modeling of daptomycin batch fermentation by Streptomyces roseosporus.

In this study, Streptomyces roseosporus was subjected to helium-neon (He-Ne) laser (632.8 nm) irradiation to improve the production ability of extracellular antibiotic daptomycin. Under the optimum irradiation dosage of 18 mW for 22 min, a stable positive mutant strain S. roseosporus LC-54 was obtained. The maximum A21978C (daptomycin is a semisynthetic antimicrobial substance derived from the A21978C complex) yield of this mutant strain was 296 mg/l, which was 146% higher than that of the wild strain. The mutant strain grew more quickly and utilized carbohydrate sources more efficiently than the wild strain. The batch culture kinetics was investigated in a 7 l bioreactor. The logistic equation for growth, the Luedeking-Piret equation for daptomycin production, and Luedeking-Piret-like equations for carbon substrate consumption were established. This model appeared to provide a reasonable description for each parameter during the growth phase and fitted fairly well with the experiment data.

Immobilization of copper in contaminated sandy soils using calcium water treatment residue.

Chemical remediation has attracted increasing attention for heavy metal contaminated soils because of its relatively low cost and high efficiency. In this study laboratory incubation and column leaching experiments were conducted to understand the mechanisms of copper (Cu) immobilization by calcium water treatment residue (Ca-WTR) and to estimate the optimal rate for remediating Cu-contaminated soils. The results showed that Ca-WTR amendment significantly raised soil pH and decreased water soluble and exchangeable Cu by 62-90% in the contaminated soils. Most of the bioavailable Cu was converted into more stable Cu fractions, i.e. oxides-bound and residual Cu. The cumulative amount of Cu in the leachate after 10 leaching events was reduced by 80% and 73%, respectively for the two tested soils at the Ca-WTR rate of 20 g kg(-1) for Alfisol and 100 g kg(-1) for Spodosol. These results indicate that Ca-WTR is effective in raising soil pH and converting labile Cu to more stable forms in the contaminated soils. A pH value of 6.5 was found to be critical for lowering Cu availability in the soils. Based on this criterion and pH response curve to Ca-WTR application, the optimal rates of Ca-WTR can be estimated for different Cu-contaminated soils.

Modified Si-Miao-San extract inhibits the release of inflammatory mediators from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse macrophages.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Modified Si-Miao-San (mSMS) is a prescription modified from Si-Miao-San which is an ancient Chinese prescription used to treat various ailments. AIM OF THE STUDY: Modified Si-Miao-San (mSMS) has been used for the treatment of infectious and inflammatory disorders in the clinic. This study was aimed to investigate its anti-inflammatory activity and underlying mechanism at cellular and molecular levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We stimulated RAW264.7 cells with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and observed effects of mSMS on the release of inflammatory mediators such as: tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), NO, and relative gene expressions. Meanwhile, we also investigated the modulation of mSMS in inflammatory signal transduction mediated through extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that mSMS significantly inhibited the excessive production of NO, TNF-alpha and IL-6 and the over expression of relative genes in LPS-stimulated macrophages. In addition, mSMS suppressed LPS-induced ERK1/2-phosphorylation and inhibited the activation of NF-kappaB by attenuation of I kappaB-alpha degradation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of mSMS might result from the inhibition of inflammatory mediators, such as NO, TNF-alpha and IL-6, via suppression of ERK and NF-kappaB dependent pathways.

[Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate from drinking water by porous titanium loaded Pd-Cu cathode].

We investigated performances as well as influencing factors of electrocatalytic denitrification of a porous titanium loaded Pd-Cu (4:1) cathode, from drinking water. Up to 96.9% of NO3(-)-N may be reduced to N2 with electrocatalytic activity as 16.69 mg/ (g x h). The Nitrate reduction presented an apparent first order reaction at lower nitrate concentration, while a zero order reaction at higher nitrate concentration. Little nitrate reduction was observed when cell voltage (or current) was lower than 1.5 V (or 5 mA); the side reaction of ammonium production became noticeable if the cell voltage (or current) was higher than 4.2 V (or 30 mA). Both the activity and the selectivity were good at a neutral pH; at acidic pH, the activity increased while the selectivity decreased. Mass transfer in solution was found little effect on the reactions in the tests. Other anions such as ClO4-, HCO3-, Cl- did somewhat harms to NO3(-)-N removal with sequence of ClO4- < HCO3- < Cl-.