Trophoblast-like cells sorted from peripheral maternal blood using flow cytometry: A multiparametric study involving transmission electron microscopy and fetal dna amplification

Three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against trophoblast (GB17, GB21, and GB25) and flow cytometry were used to sort trophoblast-like cells (TLCs) from peripheral blood of pregnant women. Sorted TLCs were processed for electron microscopy and fetal DNA amplification of the Y-specific sequences from mothers carrying male fetuses. At the ultra-structural level, most of the nucleated cells had the morphology of leucocytes, suggesting maternal contaminants, and we did not find the characteristic features of the free inter-villous trophoblast cells. Nevertheless, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed an amplification of Y-specific sequences in two out of three samples of sorted TLCs. These results suggest that besides the maternal leucocytes, sufficient trophoblast nucleated fetal cells can be obtained using cell enrichment by sorting. This sensitive method holds promise for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal sex and if sufficient Y(positive) nuclei are found, for the diagnosis of selected numerical chromosome abnormalities.     

土壤胡敏素对铜离子的吸附作用及其机理研究

以暗棕壤为供试土壤,研究了不同溶液pH值、离子强度、接触时间、反应温度和初始铜离子(Cu~(2+))浓度条件下,胡敏素对Cu~(2+)的吸附作用;利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X-射线能量色散谱(EDS)、傅立叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)和X-射线光电子能谱(XPS),对胡敏素/胡敏素-Cu~(2+)复合物的表面形貌、元素分布和官能团组成进行了分析;应用延展X-射线吸收精细结构谱(EXAFS),对吸附态Cu~(2+)的局域配位结构进行了表征.结果表明:胡敏素对Cu~(2+)的吸附量随pH值、接触时间、反应温度和Cu~(2+)浓度的增加而增加,但随离子强度的增加而下降;吸附动力学符合准二级动力学方程,而吸附等温线用Langmuir方程的拟合效果较好;吸附过程需要能量,是自发、吸热和自由度增加的缔合反应;吸附Cu~(2+)之后,胡敏素表面产生了团聚现象,表面羧基、羟基、吡啶氮和N—O基团参与了Cu~(2+)的吸附作用,同时吸附态Cu~(2+)是以内层配位形式与胡敏素表面的O/N和C原子结合.     

Nanoencapsulation of hexavalent chromium with nanoscale zero-valent iron: High resolution chemical mapping of the passivation layer

Solid phase reactions of Cr(Ⅵ) with Fe(0) were investigated with spherical-aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy(Cs-STEM) integrated with X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy(XEDS). Near-atomic resolution elemental mappings of Cr(Ⅵ)–Fe(0) reactions were acquired. Experimental results show that rate and extent of Cr(Ⅵ) encapsulation are strongly dependent on the initial concentration of Cr(Ⅵ) in solution. Low Cr loading in nZⅥ(1.0 wt%) promotes the electrochemical oxidation and continuous corrosion of n ZⅥ while high Cr loading(1.0 wt%) can quickly shut down the Cr uptake. With the progress of iron oxidation and dissolution, elements of Cr and O counter-diffuse into the nanoparticles and accumulate in the core region at low levels of Cr(Ⅵ)(e.g., 10 mg/L). Whereas the reacted n ZⅥ is quickly coated with a newly-formed layer of 2–4 nm in the presence of concentrated Cr(Ⅵ)(e.g., 100 mg/L). The passivation structure is stable over a wide range of pH unless pH is low enough to dissolve the passivation layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) depth profiling reconfirms that the composition of the newly-formed surface layer consists of Fe(Ⅲ)–Cr(Ⅲ)(oxy)hydroxides with Cr(Ⅵ) adsorbed on the outside surface. The insoluble and insulating Fe(Ⅲ)–Cr(Ⅲ)(oxy)hydroxide layer can completely cover the n ZⅥ surface above the critical Cr loading and shield the electron transfer. Thus, the fast passivation of nZⅥ in high Cr(Ⅵ) solution is detrimental to the performance of nZⅥ for Cr(Ⅵ) treatment and remediation.     

Successful DNA-based prenatal exclusion of juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis

A family with two siblings, 10 and 8 years old, both with clinical and ultrastructural evidence of juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis is described. The family was found to be informative for the restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) detected by the probes pCJ52–95Ml (locus D16S148) and pCJ52-94Tl (locus D16S159) flanking the juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis locus, CLN3. The parents were both heterozygous using these probes, while their two children with juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis were both homozygous. Chorionic villi analysis showed that the fetus was heterozygous and had inherited the one allele of the mother which was not found in the two siblings. This suggested that the fetus had derived one healthy allele from the mother, the risk for a double crossing-over being less than 1 per cent. Electron microscopy showed no fingerprint inclusions in chorionic villi. The child was investigated at 6 months of age and found to be healthy, as new fingerprint inclusions were found at electron microscopy and no vacuolated lymphocytes were found in the blood smear. Due to the risk of heterogeneity, both DNA-based analysis and electron microscopy on chorionic villi are recommended for prenatal examination for juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.     

贵州赤水宝元-元厚地区油气遥感信息分析

本文通过对赤水宝元－元厚地区地质背景的分析，研究影响油气遥感无价值信息的主要因素，确定排除油气遥感无价值信息的基本原则，从而决定油气遥感有用信息，并作出地质解释，说明油气遥感直接勘探是一种快速、经济、有效的方法。     

Stability analysis of alkaline nitrobenzene-containing wastewater by a catalyzed Fe-Cu treatment process

Iron and copper bimetallic system (catalyzed Fe-Cu process) is a promising technology for alkaline nitrobenzene-containing wastewater treatment. However, little is currently known about the changes of treatment efficiency with time going. This research investigated the long-term performance of the catalyzed Fe-Cu process to reduce nitrobenzene (NB) in alkaline wastewater. In addition, the changes of the metal surfaces morphologies and matters before and after the reaction were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The results showed that the surface properties of copper almost remained unchanged after weeks of operation, which spelled its strong chemical stability and resistance to poisoning. Moreover, the results indicated that there were two reasons for the treatment efficiency decreasing with time. One was the gradual iron element consumption due to corrosion. The other was iron reactivity weakened due to the precipitates accumulation on the surfaces that were mainly Fe₃O₄ and FeCO. __________ Translated from Environmental Pollution & Control, 2006, 28(10): 783–785 [译自: 环境污染与防治]     

Nanocatalyzed biodiesel synthesis from the oily contents of Marine brown alga Dictyota dichotoma

This research article demonstrates biodiesel synthesis through the methanolysis of the oily contents (4.02 ± 0.27% w/w on dried basis) of Dictyota dichotoma collected from the coast of Hawksbay, Pakistan. The metal oxides (CaO, MgO, ZnO, and TiO₂) used as nanocatalysts were refluxed (5% K₂SO₄), calcinated (850 °C) and characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) which produced 93.2% w/w FAME (biodiesel) at relatively mild condition (5% catalyst, 65 °C, 3 h, 18:1 molar ratio) using CaO. Whereas, MgO, ZnO, and TiO₂ produced 92.4%, 72.5%, and 31.8% w/w FAME, respectively at elevated condition (225 °C). Thus, CaO was considered to be the best catalyst among the others. This tri-phase reaction require continuous fast mixing and the yield depends on the reaction parameters like catalyst amount, temperature, reaction time and molar ratio (methanol: oil). The reusability of these heterogeneous catalysts simplified the purification step, reduced the waste generation and make the final product technically and economically viable.     

乌鲁木齐冬季雾天可吸入颗粒物透射电子显微镜研究

利用透射电子显微镜(TEM)对乌鲁木齐冬季雾天采集的可吸入颗粒物(PM_2.5、PM_2.5~10)的形貌特征和集聚状态进行分析。将乌鲁木齐大气可吸入颗粒物分为烟尘集合体、飞灰、矿物颗粒、硫酸盐和有机颗粒等5种单颗粒类型,并讨论了其来源。TEM分析表明,PM_2.5中烟尘集合体占14%,飞灰占7.4%,矿物颗粒占24%,硫酸盐占16.7%,有机颗粒占20.4%;PM_2.5~10 中烟尘集合体没有观察到,飞灰占4.9%,矿物颗粒占26.8%,硫酸盐占12.2%,有机颗粒占58.5%。     

聚丙烯纤维组合填料在CAST水处理工艺中的运用

西南某市小型污水处理厂目前日处理能力为2万t.d-1,进水主要为生活污水(70%)和抗生素制药废水(30%)。由于各种原因,处理效果一直很差,尤其是CODcr、NH4-N两项指标很难达到国家排放标准要求。后经过一系列实验研究分析,发现向反应池中投加聚丙烯纤维(组合填料)对处理水质起到了很好的改善作用。     

Use of reporter-gene based bacteria to quantify phenanthrene biodegradation and toxicity in soil

A phenanthrene-degrading bacterium, Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA505 was used to construct two fluorescence-based reporter strains. Strain D harboring gfp gene was constructed to generate green fluorescence when the strain started to biodegrade phenanthrene. Strain S possessing gef gene was designed to die once phenanthrene biodegradation was initiated and thus to lose green fluorescence when visualized by a live/dead cell staining. Confocal laser scanning microscopic observation followed by image analysis demonstrates that the fluorescence intensity generated by strain D increased and the intensity by strain S decreased linearly at the phenanthrene concentration of up to 200 mg/L. Such quantitative increase and decrease of fluorescence intensity in strain D (i.e., from 1 to 11.90 ± 0.72) and strain S (from 1 to 0.40 ± 0.07) were also evident in the presence of Ottawa sand spiked with the phenanthrene up to 1000 mg/kg. The potential use of the reporter strains in quantitatively determining biodegradable or toxic phenanthrene was discussed.