Molecular prenatal diagnosis: the impact of modern technologies

Originally prenatal diagnosis was confined to the diagnosis of metabolic disorders and depended on assaying enzyme levels in amniotic fluid. With the development of recombinant DNA technology, molecular diagnosis became possible for some genetic conditions late in the 1970s. Here we briefly review the history of molecular prenatal diagnostic testing, using Duchenne muscular dystrophy as an example, and describe how over the last 30 years we have moved from offering testing to a few affected individuals using techniques, such as Southern blotting to identify deletions, to more rapid and accurate PCR-based testing which identifies the precise change in dystrophin for a greater number of families. We discuss the potential for safer, earlier prenatal genetic diagnosis using cell free fetal DNA in maternal blood before concluding by speculating on how more recent techniques, such as next generation sequencing, might further impact on the potential for molecular prenatal testing. Progress is not without its challenges, and as cytogenetics and molecular genetics begin to unite into one, we foresee the main challenge will not be in identifying the genetic change, but rather in interpreting its significance, particularly in the prenatal setting where we frequently have no phenotype on which to base interpretation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

BOD_5样品分析中稀释倍数的确定探讨

首先正确估计出样品ＢＯＤ５浓度范围，并测定稀释水的溶解氧，然后根据稀释倍数公式计算出三个适当的稀释倍数，与其它方法相比，本方法省时、可靠、适用性强、能够确保ＢＯＤ５样品分析一次成功，在ＢＯＤ５样品分析中具有广泛的应用价值．     

植物修复及强化调控系统根际土壤微生物研究综述

根际土壤微生物是植物修复及其强化修复技术的重要组成部分,了解根际土壤微生物生态效应有助于深入探索修复机制,从而进一步提高修复效率.微生物生态效应反映土壤生态变化,对于有效评估强化调控生态风险具有重要意义.在总结污染土壤植物修复根际微生物生态效应研究的基础上,综述强化调控措施与根际土壤微生物可能存在的相互影响,并分析利用微生物分子生态学技术评估强化调控措施施用风险的可行性.     

Interspecific and intraspecific identification of Dendrobium based on the psbAtrnH intergenic region sequences and the 5S rRNA gene spacer sequences北大核心CSCD

This research aimed to investigate the interspecific and intraspecific identification of Dendrobium by using the multi-locus method so as to provide a molecular basis for Dendrobium identification through the combination of chloroplast psbA-trnH intergenic region sequences and ribosome 5S rRNA gene spacer sequences. PCR direct sequencing was applied to detect the chloroplast psbA-trnH intergenic region sequences as well as the ribosome 5S rRNA gene spacer sequences of 12 Dendrobium species, while the psbA-trnH intergenic region sequences of Dendrobium denneanum dq-2 variety and dq- 5line were cloned and sequenced for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyzing. The sequences were analyzed by the software Sequencher4.14, Bioedit7.0, MEGA5.2 and Dansp5.0; the interspecific and intraspecific Kimara-2-Parameter(K2P) distances were also calculated. The phylogenetic tree (using Neighbor joining method) was constructed with Bulbophyllum odoratissimum and Bletilla striata as outgroup. The results showed an average length of chloroplast psbA-trnH gene sequences in Dendrobium as 742.3 bp, with 72 variable sites, including 33 information sites; the average length of the ribosome 5S rRNA gene spacer sequences in Dendrobium was 336.4 bp, with 213 variable sites including 139 information sites. Using psbAtrnH intergenic region sequences in combination with ribosome 5S rRNA gene spacer sequences can not only identify D. denneanum, D. hancockil, D. thysiflorum, D. devonianum, D. moniliforme, D. chrysotoxum, D. officinale, D. heterocarpum and D. nobile, but also differentiate D. officinale from different geographical populations, and distinguish the dq-2 variety and dq 5line with SNP in the multi locus of D. denneanum.     

PBDEs的来源特征、环境分布及污染控制

多溴联苯醚(Polybrominated diphenyl ethers,PBDEs)生产应用、环境分布与生态风险之间的关系将如何影响我国的未来,具体涉及到工业、环境、健康、人类繁衍等的社会问题.由于PBDEs阻燃效率高,热稳定性好,价格便宜,作为添加剂被广泛应用在电子、电器、化工、交通、建材、纺织、石油等领域的阻燃产品中.PBDEs进入环境后迁移扩散并富集于沉积物和生物体内,进入人体后引起肝脏毒性、内分泌干扰、神经毒性和生育能力下降等而危害人类的健康.基于此,从生产应用、品种生产量、分子的物理化学特性以及毒性等的文献数据分析了PBDEs的来源特征与环境危害,分析这些性质对环境分布与污染控制的基础支持关系;从沉积物、水体、大气、水生生物、人体5个方面考察了PBDEs的环境本底浓度变化、分配关系、迁移规律、时间效应,分析了生产、应用与扩散的多因素影响关系,发现全球性PBDEs污染物蔓延的现象,沉积物是主要的归趋场所,室内空气中的浓度远高于室外,水中浓度较低,水生生物和人体均能富集PBDEs,通过饮食、母乳和呼吸摄入,可实现代际传播,污染的分布呈现介质与区域的不同特征;污染控制需要考虑点源技术与面源修复的联合,结合PBDEs的物理性质、分子结构及其化学特性,统计分析了微生物法、光化学降解法和零价铁还原法的原理及其有效性,根据PBDEs在产品中存在与分布的特点,提出收集-分离-富集-超临界催化还原和氧化毁毒的工艺,针对实际环境(以电子垃圾塑料和流域水体及沉积物为对象)中的PBDEs进行回收或处理,结合材料如催化剂的应用,从动力学和热力学方面提高PBDEs无害化的效率.最后,从生产管理、环境监测、风险评价、技术集成等方面提出了未来的努力方向.     

Hg0 removal from flue gas over different zeolites modified by FeCl3

The elemental mercury removal abilities of three different zeolites (NaA, NaX, HZSM-5) impregnated with iron (III) chloride were studied on alab-scale fixed-bed reactor. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) analy-ses were used to investigate the physicochemical properties. Results indicated that the pore structure and active chloride species on the surface of the samples are the key factors for physisorption and oxidation of Hg⁰, respectively. Relatively high surface area and micropore volume are beneficial to efficient mercury adsorption. The active Cl species generated on the surface of the samples were effective oxidants able to convert elemental mercury (Hg⁰) into oxidized mercury (Hg²⁺). The crystallization of NaCl due to the ion exchange effect during the impregnation of NaA and NaX reduced the number of active Cl species on the surface, and restricted the physisorption of Hg⁰. Therefore, the Hg⁰ removal efficiencies of the samples were inhibited. The TPD analysis revealed that the species of mercury on the surface of FeCl₃-HZSM-5 was mainly in the form of mercuric chloride(HgCl₂), while on FeCl₃-NaX and FeCl₃-NaA it was mainly mercuri coxide(HgO).     

Remarkable promotion effect of trace sulfation on OMS-2 nanorod catalysts for the catalytic combustion of ethanol

OMS-2 nanorod catalysts were synthesized by a hydrothermal redox reaction method using MnSO₄ (OMS-2-SO₄) and Mn(CH₃COO)₂ (OMS-2-AC) as precursors. SO₄^2 −-doped OMS-2-AC catalysts with different SO₄^2 − concentrations were prepared next by adding (NH₄)₂SO₄ solution into OMS-2-AC samples to investigate the effect of the anion SO₄^2 − on the OMS-2-AC catalyst. All catalysts were then tested for the catalytic oxidation of ethanol. The OMS-2-SO₄ catalyst synthesized demonstrated much better activity than OMS-2-AC. The SO₄^2 − doping greatly influenced the activity of the OMS-2-AC catalyst, with a dramatic promotion of activity for suitable concentration of SO₄^2 − (SO₄/catalyst = 0.5% W/W). The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), NH₃-TPD and H₂-TPR techniques. The results showed that the presence of a suitable amount of SO₄^2 − species in the OMS-2-AC catalyst could decrease the Mn–O bond strength and also enhance the lattice oxygen and acid site concentrations, which then effectively promoted the catalytic activity of OMS-2-AC toward ethanol oxidation. Thus it was confirmed that the better catalytic performance of OMS-2-SO₄ compared to OMS-2-AC is due to the presence of some residual SO₄^2 − species in OMS-2-SO₄ samples.