Search

To enrich the nutrients removal pathway and investigate the influence of carbon source on denitrifying phosphorus removal at low temperature (10 - 12 °C ), a lab - scale A²O reactor was employed to study the process of phosphorus release and denitrifying phosphorus removal with sodium acetate, sodium propionate and their compounds as carbon source. At hydraulic retention time of 8 h, sludge recirculation ratio and inner recirculation ratio of 50% and 150% -250%, the differences of specific phosphorus release rate and the subsequent phosphorus uptake efficiency with different carbon source were obviously. The specific phosphorus release rate and the phosphorus uptake rate was 6.3 and 2.8 mg ⋅ h-1 with sodium acetate as substrate. However, the specific phosphorus release rate of sodium propionate and the compounds was 3.44 and 5.56 mg ⋅ h-1 The phosphorus uptake rate was 2. 05 and 3.81 mg ⋅ h-1, respectively. On the other hand, the intracellular polymers synthesized by phosphorus accumulating organisms were varied with different carbon source. The content of PH2MV was improved by the sodium propionate which consequently increased the utilization efficiency of nitrate nitrogen by denitrification PAOs. The compounds of sodium acetate and sodium propionate were considered as the more suitable carbon source for denitrifying phosphorus removal of low temperature wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddies contribute approximately 7–17% to total global methane (CH 4) emissions and are considered an important source of human-induced climate change. However, the interactive effects of rice roots and soil microbes on CH 4 emissions in paddy fields are not clearly understood. We conducted two field experiments over three years. Soil CH 4 fluxes and cumulative CH 4 emissions, rice root traits, and microbial communities and activities in soil were measured using three mid-season japonica rice cultivars (Wuyujing 3, Zhendao 88, and Huaidao 5) that have the same growth durations and similar aboveground traits before heading. The CH 4 emissions during the mid-growing period (from panicle initiation to heading) contributed 39.0–49.7% of the total emissions during the entire growing season and differed significantly among the rice cultivars. The root morphological and physiological traits (i.e. root dry weight, root length, root oxidation activity, and root radial oxygen loss) were negatively correlated with CH 4 fluxes. Compared to the zero-N control, application rates of N fertilizer at 54 and 108 kg ha−1 increased root biomass of cultivar Zhendao 88 by 10.1% and 17.3%, respectively, leading to corresponding decreases in CH 4 emissions by 12.7% and 22.9%. The root exudates (malic acid, succinic acid, and citric acid) promoted the abundance and activity of methanotrophs, which was the primary factors underlying the low CH 4 emissions in the paddy fields. Our findings suggested that stronger root systems, higher oxygen delivered by roots available for methanotrophs and suitable root exudates interacted in the rhizosphere, established a favourable habitat for microbial populations, and reduced CH 4 emissions in paddy fields. Highlights • CH 4 emissions during the mid-growing period contribute mainly to the differences among rice cultivars. • Root traits, rather than aboveground traits, regulate CH 4 emissions. • Malic, succinic and citric acids promote CH 4 oxidation and reduce CH 4 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the relationship between dietary protein intake and body mass index( BMI) and waist circumference under the distribution of different quantile., Methods: The data of adult residents of 12 provinces from Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey in 2011 were used to analyze the relationship between protein intake and BMI and waist circumference by quantile regression analysis., Results: There were 11800 subjects in total, 5623( 47. 7%) were male, the average age was( 51. 5 ± 15. 1) years old, for female, 6177( 52. 3%) and( 51. 9 ± 15. 0) years old, respectively. The protein intake was( 1. 1 ± 0. 4) g/kg BW in men and( 1. 0 ± 0. 4) g/kg BW in women. Significant sex differences were found in waist circumference, energy, protein intake, carbohydrate intake, smoking, drinking and working status, activity and educational level( P < 0. 05), but there were no significant difference between male and female in age, BMI, fat intake and urban rural ratio. After sex-stratified, the result of the regression analysis showed that quantile regression coefficients adjusting for other confounders between protein intake and BMI and waist circumference both in male and female, and the parallelism test for regression coefficient at different quantile were statistically significant( P < 0. 05)., Conclusion: Under the distribution of different quantile, dietary protein intake is negatively correlated with BMI and waist circumference, and there is a descending trend, which means that protein intake has a greater impact on population with higher BMI and higher waist circumference.

A method for the simultaneous determination of 18 pesticide residues in red wine was developed using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) with isotope dilution technique. The red wine samples were extracted with acetonitrile, and the extracts were cleaned up with dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) using the mixture of N-propyl ethylene diamine (PSA) and C18 powder as sorbent. The extracted components were separated on a BEH C18 column by gradient elution. The qualitative and quantitative analyses were operated under full scan/data dependent MS/MS (ddms2) and targeted selective ion monitoring (tSIM) by high resolution mass spectrometry, respectively. Carbendazim-D4, chlorpyrifos-D10, imidacloprid-D4, methoxyfenozide-D9, pyrimethanil-D5 and tebuconazole-D6 were used as the internal standards to reduce the matrix effects. The response of each pesticide showed a good linearity in the range of 0.5-50 microg/kg with the correlation coefficient more than 0.999. The limits of detection and quantification for the 18 pesticides in the spiked blank red wine were 0.5 microg/kg and 1.0 microg/kg, respectively. The recovery results with spiked blank red wine samples at the levels of 1 to 40 microg/kg were satisfactory with average recoveries of 85.4% - 117.9% and the RSDs of 0.5%-6.1%. The method was applied for the determination of the red wine real samples from the market. Carbendazim, imidacloprid, pyrimethanil, tebuconazole and triadimenol were detected in the samples. The results show that the method is suitable for the rapid screening and quantitative analysis of pesticide residues in red wine.

A new analytical method was developed for the determination of 30 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in animal-originated food, including pork, chicken, fish and shrimp. The combined purification by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) were established by optimizing different fraction collection times. The detection conditions can be achieved by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using selective ion monitoring (SIM). Isotopic internal standards were used for the quantitative determination of the 30 OCPs. The sample pretreatment procedure was based on acetonitrile extraction and combined purification of GPC and Florisil SPE cartridge. The experimental results showed that the linear ranges for 30 OCPs were 5.0 - 500.0 microg/L, the correlation coefficients were better than 0.996, and the method detection limits (MDLs) of the 30 OCPs were 0.2 - 2.7 microg/kg. The spiked recoveries at three levels of 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 microg/kg using pork, chicken, fish and shrimp samples as blank matrices were in the range of 55.0% - 119.1%, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were in the range of 0.4% - 15.0%. The method has the advantages of wide linear range, high sensitivity and efficient clean-up procedure, and consistent with the demand of pesticide routine analysis.

Objective: To understand and estimate the rate of co-infection between Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)., Methods: Based on the related literature regarding Chinese M. tuberculosis and HIV co-infection being published between 2000 and 2012 in PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Databases and the Chinese Science & Technology Journal Database (VIP), we extracted related information and applied the generic inverse variance model to estimate the following parameters as: co-infection rate, differences on gender, region and subgroups. We also used the STROBE Statement and observational quality evaluation standard to evaluate the quality of literature, and employed sensitivity analyses to evaluate the impact of research quality., Results: 39 papers were included in this Meta-analysis, which contained a total sample size of 168 286. The co-infection rate of HIV in TB patients was 0.86% (95%CI: 0.80% - 0.93%), when using the generic inverse variance model. According to subgroups analyses, at α = 0.05 level, men had a higher co-infection rate (1.53%) than women (0.54%) and areas with high infection rate of HIV/AIDS (0.91%) were more commonly seen than low infection rate areas of HIV/AIDS (0.71%) and with significant differences. The co-infection rate of M. tuberculosis in patients infected with HIV was 14.44% (95%CI: 13.62% - 15.30%). Data from subgroup analyses also showed that at the α = 0.05 level, the co-infection rates from hospital samples (28.64%) were higher than those from the population samples' (4.74%). The co-infection rate (15.79%) from the western region was higher than that in the Central and Eastern regions (13.88% and 6.47% respectively), with significant differences. After excluding the papers that only met a few items of the STRODE Statement, results of the Meta-analysis were very close to the original results., Conclusion: The co-infection rate of both M. tuberculosis and HIV was high in China. Therefore, it was crucial for people and related organizations to pay more attention to this problem of co-infection.

Polymeric aluminum-iron (PAFC) was added at the end of aeration tank to enhance phosphorus removal, so that the phosphorus concentration in the effluent could meet the calss A standard in municipal sewage treatment plant pollutant discharge standard (GB 18918-2002). The characteristics of extracellular polymer substances (EPS) and bio-flocculation for the activated sludge in the A2/O system were analyzed in the experiment. The results showed that, the gross of EPS varied little with the increase in PAFC dosage, while, the ratio of albumen to polysaccharide declined from 3.30 to 2.30. When the PAFC dosage increased, the concentration of Al3+ in EPS increased during the whole anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic cycle. The flocs of activated sludge became larger after PAFC addition, Zeta potential of the effluent dropped significantly from - 15.83 mV to -21.20 mV and sludge yield increased. Therefore, bio-flocculation of the activated sludge in the A2/O system improved when a proper amount of PAFC was added, subsequently improve the water quality of the effluent.

Objective: To explore the correlation between Beijing genotype (Beijing family) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and drug resistance., Methods: A computer retrieval of Medline, Embase, SCI, EBSCO, CNKI, Weipu and Wanfang databases from 1990 to 2010 was conducted. A total of 525 articles exploring the relationship of Beijing genotype of MTB and drug resistance were found through literature search. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a Meta-subgroup analysis was conducted in Beijing genotype of MTB and drug resistance., Results: A total of 38 articles were selected, including 22 articles on isoniazid resistance, 24 articles on rifampin resistance, 19 articles on ethambutol resistance, 18 articles on ethambutol resistance, 26 articles on multi-drug resistance (MDR). Meta-subgroup analysis showed that in China, there was an association between Beijing genotype and resistance to rifampin, ethambutol and MDR: rifampin (OR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.13 - 2.31), ethambutol (OR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.16 - 2.40), MDR (OR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.20 - 2.68); in Russia, there was an association between Beijing genotype and resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and MDR: isoniazid (OR = 4.82, 95%CI: 3.19 - 7.29), rifampin (OR = 4.84, 95%CI: 3.84 - 6.10), ethambutol (OR = 3.32, 95%CI: 2.51 - 4.40), MDR (OR = 5.42, 95%CI: 3.36 - 8.74); in Vietnam, there was an association between Beijing genotype and resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and MDR: isoniazid (OR = 2.12, 95%CI: 1.55 - 2.91), rifampin (OR = 4.71, 95%CI: 3.01 - 7.36), ethambutol (OR = 3.78, 95%CI: 1.63 - 8.77), MDR (OR = 4.21, 95%CI: 1.58 - 11.18); in other countries, there was an association between Beijing genotype and resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and MDR: isoniazid (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.19 - 2.42), rifampin (OR = 2.48, 95%CI: 1.92 - 3.19), ethambutol (OR = 3.04, 95%CI: 2.13 - 4.33), MDR (OR = 2.36, 95%CI: 1.52 - 3.68)., Conclusion: Beijing genotype of MTB was positively associated with three kinds of first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol) and MDR, and the relationship intensity was different in different countries.

Objective: To study the genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) strains isolated from Jiangsu province and to explore the relationship between the 'Beijing family' and the drug resistance of M. tuberculosis., Methods: Two hundred and sixty M. tuberculosis strains were isolated from 30 drug surveillance sites in Jiangsu province. Susceptibility of the isolates to the first-line antituberculosis drugs (isoniazid, streptomycin, rifampicin and ethambutol) was tested by using the proportion method. Molecular typing of M. tuberculosis strains was determined by Spoligotyping and analyzed with BioNumerics software., Results: Based on Spoligotyping fingerprint, 260 strains showed 34 different genotypes, including 27 exclusive genotypes and 7 shared genotypes. These strains could be clustered into two groups: the Beijing family (80.4%, 209/260) and the Non-Beijing family (19.6%, 51/260). Data from logistic regression analysis revealed that infection by the Beijing family was related to an increased risk of multi-drug resistant M. tuberculosis, with the OR (95%CI) of 11.07 (1.45 - 84.50). Non-Beijing families including T1, T2, H3, H4, CAS, LAM, U and MANU2 families were also found. Among them, the CAS, LAM and MANU2 families were first reported in Jiangsu province., Conclusion: It was revealed that the marked gene polymorphisms did exist in M. tuberculosis strains. The Beijing family had been the predominant strain circulating in Jiangsu province, which might be related to multi-drug resistant M. tuberculosis strains.

Objective: To explore the relationship between tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (TIC) of the fimbria and pelvic high-grade serous carcinoma., Methods: All 34 cases of pelvic high-grade serous carcinoma with clear fimbria were evaluated from January 2009 to June 2010, including ovarian carcinoma (n = 26), tubal carcinoma (n = 7) and peritoneal carcinoma (n = 1). Among of these ovarian carcinomas, 12 cases were surface deposits and the other 14 cases within ovarian parenchyma. All 42 cases of non high-grade serous carcinoma in this period including 13 endometrioid ovary carcinomas, 11 clear cell ovary carcinomas, 11 mucinous ovary carcinomas, 6 low-grade serous ovary carcinomas, 1 low-grade serous tubal carcinoma, were also collected as a reference. The presence of tubal intraepithelial carcinomas was assessed. Based on the presence of TIC, high-grade serous ovary carcinomas were divided into TIC positive(+) and TIC negative(-) groups, and the clinical and pathological features of them were also evaluated., Results: Fifteen cases (44%) were identified TIC in 34 high-grade pelvic serous carcinomas, and all of them were in the fimbria only, while none of TIC was found in control cases. There were significant difference between the two groups (χ(2) = 23.086, P = 0.000). Eleven cases (42%) were identified TIC in all 26 high-grade ovarian serous carcinomas, in which 8 cases with unilateral ovary carcinomas were associated with ipsilateral TIC, 2 cases with bilateral ovary carcinomas associated with unilateral TIC and one case with bilateral ovary carcinoma was associated with bilateral TIC. Four TIC (4/7) were identified in 7 cases with high-grade tubal serous carcinomas, and there was no presence of TIC in the 1 high-grade serous peritoneal carcinoma. Of all 26 high-grade ovarian serous carcinomas, 6/11 cases were surface deposits, and 5/11 were parenchyma tumors in TIC(+) group while 6/15 cases were surface deposits and 9/15 were parenchyma tumors in TIC(-) group, in which there were correlated in distribution of TIC between the two groups (P > 0.05). The average diameter of ovarian cancer were 6.9 and 6.5 cm between the two groups with no significant differences (t = 0.409, P = 0.690)., Conclusion: TIC is specific to high-grade serous carcinomas and maybe have something to do with the pathogenesis of pelvic serous carcinomas.

Objective: To study the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype, differential diagnosis and prognosis of uterine epithelioid trophoblastic tumor(ETT)., Methods: From 2000 to 2007, 5 ETTs cases were diagnosed in the affiliated Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. The pathologic characteristics and immunophenotype of the tumors were analyzed by histological examination and immunohistochemistry of CK18, p63, inhibin-alpha, HCG, HPL, PLAP and Ki-67. The clinical prognostic factors were evaluated based on a following-up data with a period of 11 - 50 months., Results: The overall prevalence of ETT was 0.48% among all the gestational trophoblastic diseases patients received in the same period. Five ETT patients were in the reproductive ages with a median of 33 years. Histologically, the tumor showed an invasive, nodular growth consisting of uniform mononuclear trophoblastic cells. There were zones of hyaline material in the tumour nests. Necrosis was commonly seen with a characteristic geographic pattern. Immunohistochemically, all cases displayed a diffuse CK18 and p63 positivity, to be either positive focally or negative for HCG, HPL and PLAP staining. Inhibin-alpha staining was positive or negative either in the 5 cases. Two patients died of the tumour relapse: one died after 1 year with the tumor having a high mitotic activity (averagely 15 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields), and the other died of lung metastasis 2 years after the diagnosis., Conclusions: ETT is a rare trophoblastic disease with distinct clinicopathological features and immunostaining patterns. A high mitotic index and lung metastasis are indicators for an unfavorable prognosis.

Objective: To evaluate the application of different variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) locus in genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tuberculosis) strains isolated from eight provinces in China, and to find the suitable locus-set of VNTR for epidemical strains in China., Methods: All 140 M.tuberculosis strains were randomly selected from 2800 M.tuberculosis strains isolated from eight provinces in China, 27 VNTR loci were used for typing all isolates. Discriminatory power (Hunter-Gaston Index, HGI) of every locus and different locus-set were analyzed by BioNumerics software. Meanwhile, Spoligotyping was used to identify Beijing family and non-Beijing family. Then the HGI of different locus-sets in two families was also evaluated., Results: All 140 isolates were clustered into Beijing kindred (112 strains, 80%) and non-Beijing kindred (28 strains, 20%) by Spoligotyping. The discriminatory power of Spoligotyping in 140 isolates was 0.4589. Every locus showed different polymorphism and HGI were from 0 to 0.809. The number of VNTR loci with HGI higher than 0.5 in all strains, Beijing family and non-Beijing family was 8, 7 and 14 respectively. 27 loci were combined into four groups which included 8, 12, 15 and 24 VNTR loci respectively. Four locus-sets showed different polymorphism, HGI of eight-locus, 12-locus, 15-locus, and 24-locus set in 140 strains was 0.9991, 0.9882, 0.9980 and 0.9986, and their discriminatory power were calculated in Beijing kindred (HGI: 0.9987, 0.9318, 0.9969 and 0.9975) and non-Beijing kindred (HGI: 1, 0.9894, 1 and 1)., Conclusion: Different VNTR locus and locus-set showed different discriminatory power in the selected M.tuberculosis strains isolated from China. Eight-locus set can be used in molecular epidemiological study of M.tuberculosis in China after standardization.

Objective: To investigate the expression features of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), glutathione S transferase-pi (GST-pi) and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins like p53, survivin and bcl-2 in lymph node metastases of gastrointestinal carcinomas., Methods: The expression of P-gp, GST-pi, p53, survivin and bcl-2 were determined by using immunohistochemistry technique in surgical specimens of primary tumor (PT) and lymph node metastases (LNMs) from 54 gastrointestinal cancer patients with metastasis of lymph nodes. The expression difference of 5 multi-drug resistance (MDR)-related factors between LNMs and PT were compared., Results: Significant difference was found in the expression of P-gp and GST-pi between the two groups (both P < 0.05), and expression of p53 and bcl-2 showed positive correlation between LNMs and PT (r = 0.7248, 0.5524; both P < 0.05), respectively. In LNMs, P-gp expression was positively correlated with GST-pi (r = 0.4062, P < 0.05) and survivin (r = 0.6169, P < 0.05), and also GST-pi expression was related positively with survivin (r = 0.4027, P < 0.05). Statistically positive correlations were noted between bcl-2 and P-gp (r = 0.3986, P < 0.05), bcl-2 and survivin (r = 0.2937, P < 0.05), as well as GST-pi and survivin (r = 0.4481, P < 0.01) in PT. Only a positive correlation between GST-pi and survivin expression was simultaneously shown in both LNMs and PT., Conclusions: There is significant heterogeneity of MDR-related factors expression in LNMs of gastrointestinal carcinomas. Effective adjuvant chemotherapy after operation should target on the metastatic loci of the disease.

Objective: To investigate the expression of the long isoform leptin receptor (OB-R(L)) and the shortest membrane bound variant (OB-R(S)) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the obese and normal individuals (6.08 ng/ml or 31.21 ng/ml)., Methods: Mononuclear cells were obtained from 30 obese individuals (BMI > 25 kg/m2) and 20 normal individuals (BMI < 23 kg/m2). RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of OB-R(S) and OB-R(L). The level of serum leptin was measured with immunoradiometric assay., Results: OB-R(S) was expressed in all individuals, and OB-R(L) was expressed in 38 individuals. OB-R(L) was not expressed in the 12 obese individuals with the BMI > 39 kg/m2. The expression level of OB-R(S) was 4 times higher than that of OB-R(L). There was no significant difference in the expression of either isoforms between men and women. The relative expression of both OB-R(S) and OB-R(L) isoforms was significantly lower and the serum leptin level was significantly higher in the obese individuals (6.08 ng/ml or 31.21 ng/ml). The leptin receptor expression levels were significantly negatively correlated with BMI and serum leptin level., Conclusion: Both OB-R(S) and OB-R(L) are expressed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal and the medium obese subjects with a consistent predominance of OB-R(S). There is no significant difference in the expression of OB-R(S) and OB-R(L) between men and women. Compared with normal individuals, the expression of OB-R(S) and OB-R(L) in human mononuclear cells is lower.

Objective: To identify the differentially expressed proteins or peptides and potential biomarkers of tumorigenesis for colorectal cancers., Methods: Immobilized pH gradient two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to separate and obtain the differentially expressed protein spots between colorectal cancers and matched normal mucosa. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to characterize these proteins. Selected candidate proteins were further studied by Western blot, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining., Results: Thirty-five protein spots showed marked expression changes (more than 5-fold) in colorectal carcinoma compared to normal mucosa. Fifteen proteins were up regulated and 20 were down regulated. Fourteen of these proteins were identified by tandem mass spectrometry, among which secretagogin (SCGN) was down-regulated and glucose-related protein (GRP) 78 was up-regulated in the tumors. The SCGN down-regulation was further supported by Western blot and RT-PCR analyses. Immunohistochemistry revealed that SCGN was strongly expressed in neuroendocrine cells of the colonic crypts and 53 of 54 (98%) neuroendocrine tumors. At protein level, although GRP78 was up regulated in colorectal carcinoma, there was no difference in the mRNA expression level between the tumor and paired normal mucosa., Conclusions: The 2-DE combined with MS is a powerful tool for screening potential tumor biomarkers. The differentially expressed candidate proteins identified by 2-DE may be of significance in understanding the tumorigenesis of the colon cancer. SCGN is a potential biomarker for neuroendocrinal differentiation. GRP78 up-regulation in colorectal carcinomas may be related to its post-translational modification.

We established a colonic adenoma-normal mucosa suppressive subtraction hybridization (SSH) library in 1999. In this study, we wanted to explore the expression profile of all candidate genes in this library. We developed an EST pipeline which contained two in-house software packages, nucleic acid analytical software and GetUni. The nucleic acid analytical software, an integrator of the universal bioinformatics tools including phred, phd2fasta, cross&#95;match, repeatmasker and blast2.0, can blast sequences of differential clones with the downloaded non-redundant nucleotide (NR) database. GetUni can cluster these NR sequences into Unigene via matching with the downloaded Homo Sapiens UniGene database. Sixty-two candidate genes in A-N library were obtained via the high throughput automatic gene expression bioinformatics pipeline. Gene Ontology online analysis revealed that ribosome genes and immunity-regulating genes were the two most common categories in the KEGG or Biocarta Pathway. We also detected the expression of 2 genes with highest hits, Reg4 and FAM46A, by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Both genes were up-regulated in 10 or 9 out of 10 adenomas in comparison with the paired normal mucosa, respectively. The candidate genes in A-N library would be of great significance in disclosing the molecular mechanism underlying in colonic adenoma initiation and progression.

Objective: To describe the fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) features of various salivary gland lesions and to analyze the respective diagnostic value and pitfalls., Methods: 113 FNAC specimens of salivary gland lesions were reviewed and correlated with clinical and histopathologic findings., Results: The FNAC diagnostic failure (2); non-neoplastic lesions (12); benign neoplasm (82) and malignant neoplasm (17). Cytologically, the distinction between cellular pleomorphic adenoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma and basal cell adenoma could be difficult due to their overlapping morphologic features. The cytologic patterns of primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid were indistinguishable from those of metastatic nasopharyngeal undifferentiated carcinoma. The ultimate distinction relied on clinical correlation. The three inaccurately diagnosed cases of FNAC are, as follows: reactive lymphoid hyperplasia of lymph node mistaken as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma diagnosed as "scanty atypical cells present" and primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma mistaken as benign lymphoepithelial lesion. On the basis of FNAC, 97.4% (110 /113) were correctly depicted as benign (95/96; 99.0%) or malignant (15/17; 88.2%). Furthermore, 90.3% (102 /113) (specificity = 91.9%; 102/111) were accurately diagnosed, including 91.7% (88/96) benign lesions (specificity = 92.6% ; 88/95) and 82.4% (14/17) malignant tumors (specificity = 87.5%; 14/16)., Conclusions: FNAC is reliable in distinguishing benign and malignant salivary gland lesions. A specific cytologic diagnosis is often possible. On the other hand, due to the pitfalls in cytologic diagnosis of certain salivary gland tumors, tissue biopsy for histologic examination may be necessary.

Background: The treatment of hypoparathyroidism (HPT) is still a difficult clinical problem, which necessitates a new therapy. Gene therapy of HPT has been valuable, but how to improve the gene transfer efficiency and expression stability is a problem. This study was designed to optimize the gene therapy of HPT with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) recombined with the parathyroid hormone (PTH) gene., Methods: The human PTH gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from pcDNA3.1-PTH vectors and inserted into murine stem cell virus (MSCV) vectors with double enzyme digestion (EcoRI and XhoI). The recombinant vectors were transfected into PA317 packaging cell lines by the lipofectin method and screened by G418 selective medium. The condensed recombinant retroviruses were extracted and used to infect HSCs, which were injected into mice suffering from HPT. The change of symptoms and serum levels of PTH and calcium in each group of mice were investigated., Results: The human PTH gene was inserted into MSCV vectors successfully and the titres were up to 2 x 10(7) colony forming unit (CFU)/ml in condensed retroviral solution. The secretion of PTH reached 15 ng.10(-6).cell(-1) per 48 hours. The wild type viruses were not detected via PCR amplification, so they were safe for use. The mice suffering from HPT recovered quickly and the serum levels of calcium and PTH remained normal for about three months after the HSCs recombined with PTH were injected into them. The therapeutic effect of this method was better than simple recombinant retroviruses injection., Conclusions: The recombinant retroviral vectors MSCV-PTH and the high-titre condensed retroviral solution recombined with the PTH gene are obtained. The recombinant retroviral solution could infect HSCs at a high rate of efficiency. The infected HSCs could cure HPT in mice. This method has provided theoretical evidence for the clinical gene therapy of HPT.

Under the condition of keeping the influent COD: TN: TP = 100:5:1, submerged MBR has an excellent treatment performance for COD and NH4+ -N, and the removals for COD and NH4+ -N are both beyond 90% under steady state, in addition, MBR has a strong adaptation ability for shock organics loading rate. When the organic loading rate was increased from 0.27g/(g x d) to 0.54g/(g x d) suddenly, there was no big fluctuation for COD in effluent. According to the results of GC/MS, the remaining organics in effluent was mainly alkyl hydrocarbon, and the membrane modules played a main role in stabling permeation quality. When the sludge in MBR was at the multiplication stage, the system has a removal of about 40% for TN because of biosynthesis and simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification, in addition, a certain removal for TP was also observed. When the sludge was at the steady stage, the removal for TN decreased to about 30% due to simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification, whereas, the removal efficiency for TP was very little, and sometimes even below zero.

Objective: To study the cloning and expression of flagellin gene from Chinese Borrelia burgdorferi, PD91 strain and to evaluate the feasibility of using recombinant protein as diagnostic antigen when comparing the gene sequence with flagellin gene from North American Borrelia burgdorferi B31., Methods: The piece of genes coding flagellin from Chinese Borrelia burgdorferi PD91 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was obtained, and constructed recombinant plasmid, before transformed into E. coli BL21 strain, and induced. The recombinant plasmid was identified with enzyme cutoff and gene sequence comparison. Efficient expression strain was selected and the expression product was analyzed with sodium amplified polymorphic-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western-blot method., Results: The recombinant protein (r-flagellin) expressed in host bacteria was successful. By means of western-blot assay, the immunological response showed the same antigenicity between r-flagellin and PD91 flagellin. The piece of genes coding flagellin of PD91 was 1011 bp, but when comparing with that of North American Borrelia burgdorferi it showed 94.70% homology. Homology between the sequence of amino acid of the r-flagellin and that of B31 flagellin was 95.85%., Conclusion: Flagellin gene of Borrelia garinii of Chinese Lyme disease spirochete was successfully cloned and expressed for the first time. It was proved that the immunoreactivity of r-flagellin was the same as the natural flagellin.

To establish a fast, simple and solid method of studying microsatellite instability (MSI) in gastric cancer, a panel of 12 microsatellite sites, D1S548, D1S552, D5S346, TP53, IGF II R(G)(8), IGF II R(CT)(5), TGFbetaR II(GT)(3), TGFbetaR II(A)(10), hMSH3(A)(8), hMSH6(G)(8), BAX(G)(8) and Bat26, were detected by denatured polyacrymide gel electrophoresis-silver stain in 28 gastric cancers. Bat26 was also analyzed by denatured high performance liquid chromatograph (DHPLC) at 50 degrees in the DNASep Cartridge. Two MSI-H (7.14%) and 15 MSI-L cancers (53.6%) were identified in 28 gastric cancers. Bat26 was positive only in 2 MSI-H cancers. The alterations of Bat26 and MSI-H status were coincident (P<0.01). The two Bat26+ cancers were also confirmed by DHPLC. Results obtained from DHPLC and gel electrophoresis were completely consistent. Thus, DHPLC analysis of Bat26 site may be a favorable method of detecting MSI-H status in gastric cancer, and be of clinical importance.