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Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) puncture to obtain intrathoracic lymph node samples combined with Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) detection for the diagnosis of intrathoracic lymph node tuberculosis. Methods: From March 2018 to June 2021, 106 patients [55 males and 51 females, age (45.1±18.6) years] with suspected intrathoracic lymph node tuberculosis and EBUS-TBNA were collected in Zhejiang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, including 64 patients with subsequent diagnosis of intrathoracic lymph node tuberculosis and 42 patients without tuberculosis. Xpert test and traditional etiology test were performed on the patients' intrathoracic lymph node puncture specimens. The positive results of different detection methods and different methods were analyzed, and the influencing factors of Xpert independent detection positive were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The sensitivity of Xpert was 65.6% (95% CI : 52.7%-77.1%), the specificity was 97.6% (95% CI : 87.4%-99.9%), the positive predictive value was 97.7% (95% CI : 85.7%-99.7%), the negative predictive value was 65.1% (95% CI : 57.0%-72.4%). The positive rate of Xpert alone (65.6%, 42/64) was not significantly different from that of MGIT960, histopathology and Xpert combined detection (70.3%, 45/64) ( P <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the location of the diseased lymph nodes in the mediastinum ( OR =5.84, 95% CI : 1.112-30.704, P =0.037), necrosis in the lymph nodes ( OR =6.32, 95% CI : 1.460-27.384, P =0.014), and the axial depth of the lymph nodes≥17 mm ( OR =6.61, 95% CI : 1.408-30.969, P =0.017) were the promoting factors for the positive Xpert test. Conclusions: EBUS-TBNA combined with Xpert detection has a high clinical diagnostic value for intrathoracic lymph node tuberculosis. When the number of puncture samples is small, Xpert detection can be preferred. The positive rate of Xpert detection can be improved by selecting lymph nodes with mediastinal lesions, lymph nodes necrosis, and axial lymph nodes depth≥17 mm for puncture.

Objective: To explore the characteristics of adverse drug reactions during the 24-week therapy with delamanid-containing regimen for patients with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR/RR-PTB). Methods: The prospective multicenter study was conducted from June 2020 to June 2023. A total of 608 eligible patients with MDR/RR-PTB were enrolled in 26 tuberculosis medical institutions in China including 364 males and 79 females, aged 39.6(19.0-68.0) years. Patients were treated with chemotherapy regimens containing delamanid. Patients were closely supervised during treatment of medication, and all adverse reactions occurring during treatment were monitored and recorded. The clinical characteristics of adverse reactions were evaluated by descriptive analysis. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the related factors of QTcF interval prolongation (QT corrected with Fridericia's formula). Results: Of the 608 patients enrolled in this study, 325 patients (53.5%) reported 710 adverse events within 24 weeks of treatment. The top 6 most common complications were hematological abnormalities (143 patients, 23.5%), QT prolongation (114 patients, 18.8%), liver toxicity (85 patients, 14.0%), gastrointestinal reaction (41 patients, 6.7%), peripheral neuropathy (25 patients, 4.1%) and mental disorders (21 patients, 3.5%). The prolongation of QT interval mostly occurred in the 12th week after the first dose of medication. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 21 patients (3.5%). There were 7 patients (1.2%) with mental disorders, including 2 patients (0.3%) with severe mental disorders. Conclusions: The safety of dalamanid-based regimen in the staged treatment of MDR/RR-PTB patients was generally good, and the incidence of adverse reactions was similar to that reported in foreign studies. This study found that the incidence of QT interval prolongation in Chinese patients was higher than that reported overseas, suggesting that the monitoring of electrocardiogram should be strengthened when using drugs containing delamanid that may cause QT interval prolongation.

Aims: Isoniazid (INH) has been used as a first-line drug to treat tuberculosis (TB) for more than 50 years. However, large interindividual variability was found in its pharmacokinetics, and effects of nonadherence to INH treatment and corresponding remedy regime remain unclear. This study aimed to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model of INH in Chinese patients with TB to provide model-informed precision dosing and explore appropriate remedial dosing regimens for nonadherent patients., Methods: In total, 1012 INH observations from 736 TB patients were included. A nonlinear mixed-effects modelling was used to analyse the PPK of INH. Using Monte Carlo simulations to determine optimal dosage regimens and design remedial dosing regimens., Results: A 2-compartmental model, including first-order absorption and elimination with allometric scaling, was found to best describe the PK characteristics of INH. A mixture model was used to characterize dual rates of INH elimination. Estimates of apparent clearance in fast and slow eliminators were 28.0 and 11.2 L/h, respectively. The proportion of fast eliminators in the population was estimated to be 40.5%. Monte Carlo simulations determined optimal dosage regimens for slow and fast eliminators with different body weight. For remedial dosing regimens, the missed dose should be taken as soon as possible when the delay does not exceed 12 h, and an additional dose is not needed. delay for an INH dose exceeds 12 h, the patient only needs to take the next single dose normally., Conclusion: PPK modelling and simulation provide valid evidence on the precision dosing and remedial dosing regimen of INH., (© 2024 British Pharmacological Society.)

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are one of the most important sources and sinks for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, limited studies have evaluated short-term temporal variability of PFAS in WWTPs, particularly for their intra-day variations. For this purpose, a time-composite sampling campaign was carried out at a WWTP influent from South China for 1 week. Five out of ten PFAS were found in the influent, i.e., perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). PFOA was the most domain PFAS whereas PFOS was detected occasionally, which might be associated with the prohibition of PFOS use in China. For the first time, we observed significant intra-day fluctuations in mass fluxes for PFOS. Different from a morning peak of pharmaceuticals reported previously, PFOS mass loads fluctuated sharply at noon and night on the weekdays. Furthermore, the mass fluxes of PFOA on the weekend were significantly elevated. For the other PFAS detected, no significant diurnal variations in mass loads were identified. Correlation analysis indicated that domestic activities (e.g., home cleaning) are likely to be the major source of these perfluorocarboxylic acids especially PFOA. In addition, flow fluxes had little effects on these PFAS mass load. These results can aid in future sampling campaigns and optimizing removal strategies for PFAS in wastewater., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Melamine has received increasing public attention as a persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) substance. To better assess environmental exposure and risks of melamine and related triazines (cyromazine, ammeline, and atrazine), a new passive sampling method based on the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique has been developed and validated in this study. The studied triazines were adsorbed quickly and strongly by the selected mixed cation exchange (MCX) binding gels. This MCX-DGT can linearly accumulate these chemicals over at least 5 days, with neither significant individual influence from pH (6-8), ionic strength (0.01-0.5 M) or dissolved organic matter (0-10 M), or interaction effects. Field applications in Southern China showed that DGT performed well in both sewage treatment plant (STP) and river samples. Melamine was found to be the dominant triazine with the concentrations at μg·L -1 in the STP and receiving river. Surprisingly, much higher concentration of melanine was found in the STP effluent than influent, and appeared to be some of the highest concentrations reported in STPs worldwide to date. Comparable melamine and atrazine concentraions in the STP effluent and receiving river suggested other sources to the river. The MCX-DGT sampler developed here was demonstrated to be reliable and robust for measuring the triazines in waters, and is promising as an in situ tool in understanding the occurrence, sources, and fate of the emerging PMT substances in aquatic environment., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: World Health Organization recommends countries introducing new drug and short treatment regimen for drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) should develop and implement a system for active pharmacovigilance that allows for detection, reporting and management of adverse events. The aim of the study is to evaluate the frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs) of bedaquiline-containing regimen in a cohort of Chinese patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR)/extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB based on active drug safety monitoring (aDSM) system of New Drug Introduction and Protection Program (NDIP)., Methods: AEs were prospectively collected with demographic, bacteriological, radiological and clinical data from 54 sites throughout China at patient enrollment and during treatment between February, 2018 and December, 2019. This is an interim analysis including patients who are still on treatment and those that have completed treatment. A descriptive analysis was performed on the patients evaluated in the cohort., Results: By December 31, 2019, a total of 1162 patients received bedaquiline-containing anti-TB treatment. Overall, 1563 AEs were reported, 66.9% were classified as minor (Grade 1-2) and 33.1% as serious (Grade 3-5). The median duration of bedaquiline treatment was 167.0 [interquartile range (IQR): 75-169] days. 86 (7.4%) patients received 36-week prolonged treatment with bedaquiline. The incidence of AEs and serious AEs was 47.1% and 7.8%, respectively. The most frequently reported AEs were QT prolongation (24.7%) and hepatotoxicity (16.4%). There were 14 (1.2%) AEs leading to death. Out of patients with available corrected QT interval by Fridericia's formula (QTcF) data, 3.1% (32/1044) experienced a post-baseline QTcF ≥ 500 ms, and 15.7% (132/839) had at least one change of QTcF ≥ 60 ms from baseline. 49 (4.2%) patients had QT prolonged AEs leading to bedaquiline withdrawal. One hundred and ninety patients reported 361 AEs with hepatotoxicity ranking the second with high occurrence. Thirty-four patients reported 43 AEs of hepatic injury referred to bedaquiline, much lower than that referred to protionamide, pyrazinamide and para-aminosalicylic acid individually., Conclusions: Bedaquiline was generally well-tolerated with few safety concerns in this clinical patient population without any new safety signal identified. The mortality rate was generally low. These data inform significant positive effect to support the WHO recent recommendations for the wide use of bedaquiline.

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are known to be toxic to humans, and elevated concentrations have been documented in food crops worldwide. However, little is known regarding their uptake, translocation, and distribution in wheat plants during plant development. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the spatial distribution and dynamics of As and Cd in two wheat cultivars (cv. JN12 and JM85; the latter is a low grain Cd accumulator) at different developmental stages. Root concentrations of As decreased by 84%, and those of Cd by 67%, from tillering to maturity. In contrast, As concentrations in the stems increased 3.1-fold. A significant decrease in root As accumulation was observed at the mature stage, whereas root Cd accumulation decreased largely at the elongation stage. The concentrations of Cd in all leaves and As in new leaves increased as plant growth advanced. However, As concentrations in old leaves decreased significantly from grain filling to maturity. In both cultivars, the upward transfer toward younger parts of shoots was greater in the case of Cd than of As. The remobilization of As and Cd from stems and roots differed between the two cultivars. Arsenic concentrations in rachis, glumes, and grain in JM85 were significantly higher than those in JN12, whereas As concentrations in roots and stems did not differ between the cultivars. Grain Cd was significantly higher in JN12 than in JM85, but Cd concentrations in rachis and glumes were similar between the cultivars. The difference in grain Cd concentration between the two cultivars depended on root and stem Cd remobilization and redistribution from rachis to glumes and grain; in contrast, accumulation of As in grain was influenced by As remobilization from the leaves and stem to the spike., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the previous studies, we have found that arsenic (As) accumulation in roots of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings were significantly different among different wheat cultivars, and As(V) tolerant wheat cultivars have much higher capacities of root As accumulation. However, the reason for the difference remains unclear. Four wheat cultivars with high (MM45 and FM8) or low (QF1 and HM29) levels of arsenic (As) accumulation were selected to investigate the relationship between root As(V) uptake kinetics and root As accumulation. MM45 and HM29 were also used to examine As(V) reduction ability and non-protein thiol (cysteine [Cys], glutathione [GSH], and phytochelatins [PCs]) concentrations in wheat seedlings. MM45 had the lowest Michaelis-Menten constant (K m ) and maximum influx rate (V max ). No difference in the K m values was found among the three other cultivars. No difference in As(V) reduction capacity was observed between MM45 and HM29. GSH and PC 2 were significantly induced by 10 μM As(V) in roots of wheat seedlings, particularly in MM45. Synthesis of GSH and PCs was completely suppressed in the presence of l-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase. BSO markedly decreased the As tolerance of wheat seedlings and decreased the accumulation of As in roots, but increased As accumulation in shoots. No significant difference in As concentrations was found between MM45 and HM29 under the BSO treatment. GSH and PCs are the reason why As accumulation and As(V) tolerance differ in roots of different wheat cultivars., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the difference in arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and phosphorus (P) uptake, accumulation, and translocation among 12 wheat cultivars and their relationships with each other in soil "naturally" contaminated with both As and Cd. As, Cd, and P concentrations in wheat grain, straw, and root differed significantly (p<0.05) among the 12 wheat cultivars. The grain As concentration was not correlated with straw and root As, or the total As content in plants, but was significantly (p<0.05) correlated with As translocation factors (TFs), i.e., TFs(Grain/Root) and TFs(Grain/Straw). The grain Cd concentration was positively correlated with the total Cd content and TFs(Grain/Straw). The grain P concentration was positively correlated with straw and root P. Both As and Cd concentrations in wheat grains were correlated with P in wheat straw and grain. Compared with As, Cd was more easily transported to the wheat grain, and the rachis played a key role in ensuring this difference. A significant positive correlation was observed between root As and Cd, but no significant relationship was detected between grain As and Cd concentrations. The lack of a relationship between grain As and Cd suggests the possibility of selecting cultivars in which little As and Cd accumulation occurs in the wheat grain., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the temporally-modulated Fourier transform spectroscopy, the translational moving mirror is difficult to drive accurately, causing tilt and shear problems. While, a rotational moving mirror can solve these problems. A rotary Fourier transform spectrometer is recommanded in this paper. Its principle is analyzed and the optical path difference is deduced. Also, the constrains for engineering realization are presented. This spectrometer consists of one beamsplitter, two fixed mirrors, one rotating parallel mirror pair, a collimating lens, a collecting lens, and one detector. From it's principle, this spectrometer show a simple structure, and it is assembled and adjustmented easily because the two split light are interfered with each other after reflected through the same plane mirror; By calculating the expression of it's optical path difference, the spectrometer is easy to realize large optical path difference, meaning high spectral resolution; Through analyzing it's engineering design constraints and computer simulation, it is known that the spectrometer should get the high resolution sample by high-speed spinning motor, so it is easy to achieve precise motion control, good stability, fast measurement speed.

Numerous studies have evaluated the association between FokI polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and tuberculosis risk. However, the specific association remains controversial. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between the VDR gene FokI polymorphism and tuberculosis. Published studies from the PubMed and Embase databases were retrieved. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effect models. Overall, a significant association was found between FokI polymorphism and tuberculosis risk when all studies were pooled (ff vs FF: OR = 1.36, 95%CI = 1.11-1.66; ff vs Ff: OR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.14-1.67; dominant model: OR = 0.73, 95%CI = 0.61-0.88). In subgroup analysis by race, a significant association between FokI polymorphism and tuberculosis risk was observed in Asians (ff vs FF: OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.02-2.85; ff vs Ff: OR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.40-2.47; dominant model: OR = 0.55, 95%CI = 0.42-0.72), and no significant association was observed among Caucasians and Africans. In conclusion, the FokI polymorphism in the VDR gene may be related to an increased risk of tuberculosis in Asians. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm these conclusions.

Fifty-seven wheat cultivars were used to investigate the differences in arsenic (As) accumulation, efflux and translocation among wheat cultivars and their relationship with arsenate (As(V)) tolerance under hydroponic condition. The relationship between wheat root As accumulation, As(V) uptake, arsenite (As(III)) efflux and As(V) tolerance of 14 wheat cultivars were also investigated. The results showed there were significant (p<0.001) differences in As(V) tolerance, As accumulation and translocation among 57 wheat cultivars. Arsenate tolerance of wheat seedlings was positively correlated with As(V) uptake (p<0.05), root As concentration (p<0.001), but negatively correlated (p<0.05) with TFs and relative As(III) efflux. No significant correlation between As(III) efflux and As(V) tolerance was found (p=0.442). 56-83% of total As taken up by roots was extruded to nutrient solution. Root As concentration was positively correlated with As(V) uptake (not significant, p=0.100), negatively correlated (p<0.001) with relative As(III) efflux, whereas not significantly correlated (p=0.773) with As(III) efflux. The results indicated that As(V) tolerant wheat cultivars have much higher capacity of root As accumulation. Arsenic detoxification in root cells is important for wheat seedlings under As(V) exposure., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Field studies were conducted to investigate arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) contamination in agricultural soils and wheat crops at two areas in Huaibei, China. Area A is in the proximity of Shuoli coal mine. In area B, three coal mines and a coal cleaning plant were distributed. The potential health risk of As, Cu, and Zn exposure to the local inhabitants through consumption of wheat grains was also estimated. The results showed that significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations of As, Cu, and Zn were found in soils collected from area B than in those from area A. Arsenic concentrations in wheat sampled from area A were negatively correlated with the distance from the coal mine (p<0.001). Concentrations of Cu and Zn in wheat seedlings and grains collected from area B were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in those collected from area A, with the exception of Zn in wheat seedlings. Concentrations of Cu and Zn in most wheat grain samples were above the permissible limits of Cu and Zn in edible plants set by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization. The hazard index of aggregate risk through consumption of wheat grains was 2.3-2.4 for rural inhabitants and 1.4-1.5 for urban inhabitants. The average intake of inorganic As for rural inhabitants in Huaibei was above 10 μg day(-1). These findings indicated that the inhabitants around the coal mine are experiencing a significant potential health risk due to the consumption of locally grown wheat.

In the title homochiral mononuclear compound, [Zn(NO(3))(2)(C(6)H(12)N(4)O(2))(2)], the Zn(II) atom is located on a twofold rotation axis and coordinated by two N atoms from two ligands and two O atoms from two NO(3) (-) anions, adopting a distorted tetra-hedral coordination geometry. The compound is enanti-omerically pure and corresponds to the S diastereoisomer, with the optical activity originating from the chiral ligand. In the crystal, mol-ecules are connected into three-dimensional supra-molecular networks through O-H⋯O, O-H⋯N and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

To study the effects of growing rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaves under the treatment of the short-term elevated CO(2) during the period of sink-source transition, several physiological processes such as dynamic changes in photosynthesis, photosynthate accumulation, enzyme activities (sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and sucrose synthase (SS)), and their specific gene (sps1 and RSus1) expressions in both mature and developing leaf were measured. Rice seedlings with fully expanded sixth leaf (marked as the source leaf, L6) were kept in elevated (700 micromol/mol) and ambient (350 mol/L) CO(2) until the 7th leaf (marked as the sink leaf, L7) fully expanded. The results demonstrated that elevated CO(2) significantly increased the rate of leaf elongation and biomass accumulation of L7 during the treatment without affecting the growth of L6. However, in both developing and mature leaves, net photosynthetic assimilation rate (A), all kinds of photosynthate contents such as starch, sucrose and hexose, activities of SPS and SS and transcript levels of sps1 and RSus1 were significantly increased under elevated CO(2) condition. Results suggested that the elevated CO(2) had facilitated photosynthate assimilation, and increased photosynthate supplies from the source leaf to the sink leaf, which accelerated the growth and sink-source transition in new developing sink leaves. The mechanisms of SPS regulation by the elevated CO(2) was also discussed.

The worldwide human exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), particularly in developing countries, remains to be a serious public health concern. Although AFB1 is best known as a hepatocarcinogen, epidemiological studies have shown a positive association between human lung cancer occurrence and inhalation exposure to AFB1. Cytochrome P450 (CYP)-catalyzed metabolic activation is required for AFB1 to exert its carcinogenicity. Previous studies have identified CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 as the major enzymes for AFB1 activation in human liver. However, the key CYP enzymes in human lung that can efficiently activate AFB1 in situ are unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that CYP2A13, an enzyme predominantly expressed in human respiratory tract, has a significant activity in metabolizing AFB1 to its carcinogenic/toxic AFB1-8,9-epoxide and AFM1-8,9-epoxide at both low (15 microM) and high (150 microM) substrate concentrations. Under the same conditions, there was no detectable AFB1 epoxide formation by CYP2A6, which was also reported to be involved in the metabolic activation of AFB1. Consistent with the activity data, there was an approximately 800-fold difference in LC50 values of AFB1 (48-hr treatment) between Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing CYP2A13 and CYP2A6 (50 nM versus 39 microM). We further demonstrate that amino acid residues Ala117 and His372 in CYP2A13 protein are important for AFB1 epoxidation and its related cytotoxicity. Our results suggest that CYP2A13-catalyzed metabolic activation in situ may play a critical role in human lung carcinogenesis related to inhalation exposure to AFB1.

Apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) is an important apolipoprotein in plasma and is known to have various physiological functions suitable for pharmaceutical applications. Human blood has been the only source of this protein for research and large-scale applications. To obtain large amounts of ApoAI a Pichia pastoris expression system was first used to obtain a high level of expression of secreted, recombinant protein. The human gene encoding ApoAI was inserted into the secretion vector pPIC9K and used to transform P. pastoris GS115. AP16, a high expression transformant with high G418 resistance, was obtained. After induction with methanol, the expression level of rhApoAI (recombinant human ApoAI) was 160 mg/L in a 14L fermentor. RhApoAI was purified by cold acetone precipitation followed by Q-Sepharose Fast Flow ion exchange column chromatography with 60% recovery. The N-terminal amino acid sequence and molecular weight (mass spec.) of rhApoAI are identical to native human ApoAI. Purified rhApoAI has specific binding activity with liver cells SMC7721 and binding can be inhibited by native human ApoAI.

FACE (free air carbon dioxide enrichment) technology may provide a means by which the environment around growing plants can be modified to realistically simulate the concentration of atmospheric CO2 in the future. The plant growth and its yield of plant species can be enhanced under FACE. Identification of genomic regions influencing the response of yield and its components to elevated CO2 will be useful for understanding the genetics of active response to changed CO2 environment and developing higher yield cultivars, which will be adapted to future enriched atmospheric CO2 environment. A mapping population of 65 indica (IR24) chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) in japonica (Asominori) background and their parents were used to detect QTLs for yield and its components, e. g. number of fertile tillers per plant (FT), 1000-grain weight (TGW), number of grains per panicle (GP) and grain yield per plant (GY) under FACE (200 micromol CO2/mol above current levels) and current CO2 concentration (Ambient, about 370 micromol CO2/mol) in the field experiment. The results showed that, GY, GP and FT of two parents under FACE were significant greater than that under Ambient. The transgressive segregation of the four traits was observed in the CSSLs population under both FACE and Ambient. A total of 20 QTLs for the four traits were detected on chromosome 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 12 with LOD (Log10-likelihood ratio) of QTLs ranging from 2.5 to 5.7. Three QTLs were detected under both FACE and Ambient. However,other QTLs were detected only under one level of CO2, which indicated that these loci were sensitive to CO2 concentration. Additionally, two QTLs qFT12 and qGP4 were found for the QTL x Environment (QE) interaction effects. It is suggested that there is a high possibility to improve the yield of rice under elevated CO2 through marker-assisted selection.

Aim: To prepare liposomes of nosiheptide and study its ability to inhibit hepatitis B virus HBsAg and HBeAg secreted., Methods: Liposomes of nosiheptide was prepared by sodium deoxycholate dialysis and sonication. Nosheptide was determined by HPLC and partical size was determined by using laser light scattering instrument. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine the morphology of liposomes. Its actions to inhibit hepatitis B virus HBsAg and HBeAg secreted was studied by a HBV-transfectted cell line (HepG2 2. 2. 15 )., Results: Encapsulation efficiency of liposomes by chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) was higher than that by dioxane. With the increase of the ratio of nosiheptide: PC (W/W), the encapsulation efficiency of liposomes decreased with the increase of ratio of sodium deoxycholate: PC, the liposomes partical size decreased. The liposomes kept stable at -20 degrees C after 2 years. The drug concentrations of liposomes that inhibit HBsAg secreted by (46.9 +/- 2. 6) %, (55.4 +/- 1.2) %, (65 +/- 3) % and HBeAg secreted by (15.1 +/- 2.3) %, (36.2 +/- 1.7) %, (36.8 +/- 2.5) % were 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 microg x mL(-1), respectively., Conclusion: Liposomes of nosheptide can be prepared by sodium deoxycholate dialysis and sonication, which ability to inhibit hepatitis B virus HBsAg and HBeAg secreted is better than nosheptide.

A chiral stationary phase was prepared by coating cellulose-tris(3, 5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) onto aminopropylated silica gel. A series of enantiomeric acidic biphenyl drugs were directly resolved on the chiral stationary phase (CSP) by normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A hexane-2-propanol eluting system containing 1% of trifluoroacetic acid was used as mobile phase. Efficient optical resolution of the acidic biphenyl drugs has been attained. The factors that influence chiral discrimination such as structural characeristic of the samples and mobile phase were investigated. An interaction model between the stationary phase and the samples was discussed. The results showed that efficient optical resolution of racemic carboxylic acids could be attained by normal-phase HPLC on CSP using a hexane-2-propanol eluting system containing 1% of trifluoroacetic acid.