Recent advances in three typical configurations and applications of bioelectrochemical systems北大核心CSCD

As the world's freshwater resources and available energy are alarmingly decreasing, the bioelectrochemical system (BES) is a cutting-edge technology for the resolution of the resource and energy issue. Researchers have paid much attention to t he application of t he BES configuration. Based on t he brief i ntroduction of m icrobial f uel cell a nd m icrobial electrolytic cell structure, principles, and domestic and foreign research, the BES and its influencing factors are introduced, specifically including: microbial activity, electrode materials, and configuration. Three important aspects (i.e., the electrode chamber, the reaction chamber, and micro-sensor) are summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of single-electrode and multi-electrode chambers are compared, based on the microbial desalination cell. Microbial electrolysis desalination cell: Microbial electrolysis desalination and chemical-production cell have been discussed to introduce increasing reaction chamber configuration; this review focuses on the research of BES monitoring with regards to biochemical oxygen demand. The potential applications of the research progress are explored. The results show that the configuration of multi-chamber microbial fuel cell is complex and its efficiency is low, while the single chamber configuration is advantageous. The reaction chamber added is mainly aimed at desalination, and the study of the desalination pool still needs to be focused on optimizing the cation exchange membrane to maintain the anode pH balance and reduce the air cathode dissolved oxygen. Microbial electrode sensor can be applied in more areas, and its sensitivity and long-term stability need to be further improved. However, there is relatively less research on the abundance and activity of electricigen communities; the configurations and scopes of application of BES are still the research priority. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Electrochemical determination of anaerobic microbial decay coefficients

The biokinetics of attached and suspended bacteria are an essential component of activated sludge models, anaerobic digestion models and biofilm models. These parameters are often assumed or “confirmed” based on the goodness-of-fit of the bioprocess models. Using a microbial fuel cell with a baffled reactor chamber, the attached- and mixed-growth microbial decay coefficients were evaluated under anaerobic conditions. The capability for real-time voltage recording allows easy and accurate measurement of the anaerobic microbial decay coefficients (b_L, lysis-regrowth approach), which were determined to be 0.11 ± 0.01 and 0.15 ± 0.01 d⁻¹ for attached (to anode) and mixed (present in the anode chamber) growth microorganisms, respectively. The corresponding half-saturation constants using glucose as a substrate were 204 ± 10 and 123 ± 1 mg COD l⁻¹. Hence, like an oxygen uptake rate-based approach to measure the microbial kinetics under aerobic conditions, the electrochemical recording provides an attractive method to measure anaerobic microbial decay coefficients.     

Modulation of steroidogenesis by coastal waters and sewage effluents of Hong Kong, China, using the H295R assay

BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: The presence of a variety of pollutants in the aquatic environment that can potentially interfere with the production of sex steroid hormones in wildlife and humans has been of increasing concern. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of extracts from Hong Kong marine waters, and influents and effluents from wastewater treatment plants on steroidogenesis using the H295R cell bioassay. After exposing H295R cells to extracts of water, the expression of four steroidogenic genes and the production of three steroid hormones were measured. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Water samples were collected during the summer of 2005 from 24 coastal marine areas and from the influents and effluents of two major waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) in Hong Kong, China. Samples were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE). H295R cells were exposed for 48 h to dilutions of these extracts. Modulations of the expression of the steroidogenic genes CYP19, CYP17, 3betaHSD2, and CYP11beta2 were determined by measuring mRNA concentrations by real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR). Production of the hormones progesterone (P), estradiol (E2), and testosterone (T) was quantified using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS: Extracts from samples collected in two fish culture areas inhibited growth and proliferation of H295R cells at concentrations greater or equal to 10(5) L equivalents. The cells were exposed to the equivalent concentration of active substances in 10,000 L of water. Thus, to observe the same level of effect as observed in vitro on aquatic organisms would require a bioaccumulation factor of this same magnitude. None of the other 22 marine samples affected growth of the cells at any dilution tested. Twelve of the marine water samples completely inhibited the expression of CYP19 without affecting E2 production; inhibition of CYP17 expression was observed only in one of the samples while expression of CYP11beta2 was induced as much as five- and ninefold after exposure of cells to extracts from two locations. The expression of the progesterone gene 3betaHSD2 was not affected by any of the samples; only one sample induced approximately fourfold the production of E2. Although more than twofold inductions were observed for P and T production, none of these values were statistically significant to conclude effects on the production of these two hormones. While influents from WWTPs did not affect gene expression, an approximately 30% inhibition in the production of E2 and a 40% increase in P occurred for the exposure with influents from the Sha Tin and Stonecutters WWTPs, respectively. Effluents from WWTPs did not affect the production of any of the studied hormones, but a decrement in the expression of the aldosterone gene CYP11beta2 was observed for the Sha Tin WWTP exposure. No direct correlation could be established between gene expression and hormone production. DISCUSSION: Observed cytotoxicity in the two samples from fish culture areas suggest the presence of toxic compounds; chemical analysis is required for their full identification. Although effluents from WWTPs did not affect hormone production, other types of endocrine activity such as receptor-mediated effects cannot be ruled out. Interactions due to the complexity of the samples and alternative steroidogenic pathways might explain the lack of correlation between gene expression and hormone production results. CONCLUSIONS: Changes observed in gene expression and hormone production suggest the presence in Hong Kong coastal waters of pollutants with endocrine disruption potential and others of significant toxic effects. The aromatase and aldosterone genes seem to be the most affected by the exposures, while E2 and P are the hormones with more significant changes observed. Results also suggest effectiveness in the removing of compounds with endocrine activity by the WWTPs studied, as effluent samples did not significantly affect hormone production. The H295R cell showed to be a valuable toll in the battery required for the analysis of endocrine disrupting activities of complex environmental samples. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Due to the intrinsic complexity of environmental samples, a combination of analytical tools is required to realistically assess environmental conditions, especially in aquatic systems. In the evaluation of endocrine disrupting activities, the H295R cell bioassay should be used in combination with other genomic, biological, chemical, and hydrological tests to establish viable modes for endocrine disruption and identify compounds responsible for the observed effects.     

重金属Cr(Ⅵ)、Pb及Cu胁迫对双齿围沙蚕体腔细胞的DNA损伤

为探讨重金属Cr(Ⅵ)、Pb以及Cu对沙蚕体腔细胞DNA的毒性效应,以双齿围沙蚕为受试动物,重金属按不同剂量水平,Cr(Ⅵ):10、100和200 mg· L-1,Pb:5、50和100 mg·L-1,Cu:1、10和20 mg· L-1,分别胁迫沙蚕24 h,以不加任何重金属离子的海水为对照,采用单细胞凝胶电泳技术,检测其体腔细胞DNA损伤程度.结果表明,与空白对照组相比,3种重金属离子的各浓度组都能引起沙蚕体腔细胞DNA损伤,且3种重金属胁迫浓度与细胞DNA损伤程度之间存在显著的剂量-效应关系.双齿围沙蚕可以作为单细胞凝胶电泳的实验材料用于重金属所致环境污染的生物监测指示生物.     

三氯卡班可以影响肾小管上皮细胞的屏障功能

三氯卡班(TCC)是一种被广泛应用于个人护理用品中的广谱型亲脂性杀菌剂,已在多种环境介质和生物体中检出。因其潜在的环境蓄积、生物累积和生物毒性效应,日益受到学者们的关注。借助TCC对NRK-52E(大鼠肾小管上皮细胞)的毒性暴露实验,通过检测细胞活力、以及与跨膜电阻和紧密连接相关的连接黏附分子1(JAM~(-1),junctional adhesion molecule 1)的蛋白表达水平,研究了TCC潜在的肾脏毒性效应。结果显示,10μmol·L~(-1)TCC处理48 h时培养细胞呈现不规则的集落;10μmol·L~(-1)和20μmol·L~(-1)TCC处理NRK-52E 24 h、48 h和72 h后可以显著抑制细胞生长;3.57μmol·L~(-1)TCC(生长抑制的48 hIC20)处理NRK-52E 48 h可以显著抑制细胞间紧密连接蛋白JAM~(-1)的表达量,并降低跨膜电阻,影响肾脏的屏障功能。本研究的结果能够为进一步揭示TCC对动物的毒害机制、评估其对动物的健康风险提供数据支持。     

Quantum dots enhance Cu2+-induced hepatic L02 cells toxicity

As a new class of xenogenous nanoparticle,quantum dots (QDs) possess the potential to co-exist with Cu2+ in human liver.The combined toxicity is thus concerned.Considering QDs and Cu2+ are known ROS (reactive oxygen species) inducer,we investigated the combined oxidative stress and corresponding protective strategy using human hepatic L02 cells.The results demonstrated that the presence of a small amount of MPA-CdTe QDs (2 μg/mL) in a Cu2+ solution (2.5-20 μg/mL) resulted in a higher toxicity with up to 8-fold cell viability decrease,which was accompanied by cell morphology changes.The combined toxicity was then confirmed as ROS associated oxidative stress with up to 300% and 35% increase of the intracellular ROS level and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity,respectively.N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can also provide almost complete protection against the induced toxicity.Therefore,the ROS associated oxidant injury might be responsible for the QDs-Cu2+/Cu2+ induced toxicity and could be balanced through cytoprotective antioxidant enzyme GST.     

从废水中回收沼气能及氢能与电能

厌氧发酵制沼气、厌氧发酵制氢和微生物燃料电池技术是利用微生物在废水处理的同时回收能源的三种主要方式。文章结合相关研究现状,介绍了这三种技术的基本原理及其在废水处理领域的发展状况和展望,并对三种生物能源进行了比较。     

A comparison of different lysis buffers to assess allele dropout from single cells for preimplantation genetic diagnosis

Single cell polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) requires high efficiency and accuracy. Allele dropout (ADO), the random amplification failure of one of the two parental alleles, remains the most significant problem in PCR-based PGD testing since it can result in serious misdiagnosis for compound heterozygous or autosomal dominant conditions. A number of different strategies (including the use of lysis buffers to break down the cell and make the DNA accessible) have been employed to combat ADO with varying degrees of success, yet there is still no consensus among PGD centres over which lysis buffer should be used (ESHRE PGD Consortium, 1999 ). To address this issue, PCR amplification of three genes (CFTR, LAMA3 and PKP1) at different chromosomal loci was investigated. Single lymphocytes from individuals heterozygous for mutations within each of the three genes were collected and lysed in either alkaline lysis buffer (ALB) or proteinase K/SDS lysis buffer (PK). PCR amplification efficiencies were comparable between alkaline lysis and proteinase K lysis for PCR products spanning each of the three mutated loci (ΔF508 in CFTR 90% vs 88%; R650X in LAMA3 82% vs 78%; and Y71X in PKP1 91% vs 87%). While there was no appreciable difference between ADO rates between the two lysis buffers for the LAMA3 PCR product (25% vs 26%), there were significant differences in ADO rates between ALB and PK for the CFTR PCR product (0% vs 23%) and the PKP1 PCR product (8% vs 56%). Based on these results, we are currently using ALB in preference to PK/SDS buffer for the lysis of cells in clinical PGD. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis of the fragile X syndrome by use of linked polymorphic markers

Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of familial mental retardation. The most common mutation is expansion of a triplet (CGG)_n repeat in the 5′ untranslated region of the FMR1 gene on Xq27.3. The expansion is refractory to PCR due to preferential amplification of the smaller allele in heterozygous cells and the high GC content of the repeat and surrounding sequences. Direct detection of the normal parental alleles in preimplantation embryos has been used for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of this disorder. However, this approach is only suitable for approximately 63% of couples due to the heterozygosity of the repeat in the normal population. As an alternative we investigated the use of polymorphic markers flanking the mutation to track the normal and premutation carrying maternal chromosomes in preimplantation embryos. Using a panel of 11 polymorphisms, six (CA)_n repeats and five single nucleotide polymorphisms, diagnosis was developed for 90% of referred couples. Multiplex amplification of informative markers was tested in 300 single buccal cells from interested couples with efficiency and allele drop out (ADO) rates ranging from 69% to 96% and 6% to 18%, respectively. Use of this approach is accurate and applicable to a larger number of patients at risk of transmitting fragile X to their offspring. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

微囊藻毒素-RR对烟草细胞活力及营养生理的影响

采用0.1,1.0,10.0μg/mL的微囊藻毒素-RR(MC-RR)处理烟草BY-2悬浮细胞,测定了细胞活力、细胞内蛋白质含量、可溶性糖含量、硝态氮含量及总磷含量,并且检测了酸性磷酸酶(ACP)的活力变化情况.结果表明,中、高浓度毒素处理细胞2d后,细胞活力及蛋白质含量与对照相比均显著下降.高浓度MC-RR处理降低了胞内可溶性糖的含量,暴露2d后仅为对照的45.57%;低浓度MC-RR处理在后期增加了胞内可溶性糖含量.高浓度毒素处理细胞4d后,细胞内硝态氮含量显著低于对照;中、低浓度毒素处理细胞7d后降低了胞内硝态氮含量.3组毒素处理均降低了胞内总磷含量,到实验结束时,低、中、高浓度处理组的胞内磷含量分别为对照的74.98%、76.47%和84.00%.3组处理组ACP活力与对照相比呈现先降低后升高的趋势.