Synthesis of Poly(β-hydroxybutyrate) in Simulated Microgravity: An Investigation of Aeration Profiles in Shake Flask and Bioreactor

The microbial strain Azotobacter vinelandii UWD was grown under conditions of simulated microgravity in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Bioreactor. Bacterial growth in simulated microgravity differed significantly from that observed in conventional shake flask experiments: Cells tended to grow in a cluster-like pattern and polymer production started immediately after exposing them to conditions of simulated microgravity, and no lag time was observed. It was imperative to differentiate between the effects derived from microgravity and those imposed by the altered oxygen supply in the bioreactor. Aeration conditions were studied in both reactor types and a gas supply profile was developed for the bioreactor. This supply profile allowed for similar amounts of dissolved oxygen in the bioreactor and the shake flask in the initial stage of the fermentation and, therefore, for an evaluation of the effects of microgravity on biopolyester-producing bacteria. Since the optical density that is conventionally used as a measure for the cell growth could not be used due to the cluster-like growth pattern of the cells, it was determined that bacterial growth behavior in the bioreactor can be monitored through glucose or oxygen consumption.     

Increased fetal nuchal translucency at 11–14 weeks

Nuchal translucency (NT) is the sonographic appearance of a subcutaneous collection of fluid behind the fetal neck. The measurement of fetal NT thickness at the 11–14-week scan has been combined with maternal age to provide an effective method of screening for trisomy 21; for an invasive testing rate of 5%, about 75% of trisomic pregnancies can be identified. When maternal serum free-β human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) at 11–14 weeks are also taken into account, the detection rate of chromosomal defects is about 90%. Increased NT can also identify a high proportion of other chromosomal abnormalities and is associated with major defects of the heart and great arteries, and a wide range of skeletal dysplasias and genetic syndromes. In monochorionic twins, discordancy for increased NT is an early marker of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). As with the introduction of any new technology into routine clinical practice, it is essential that those undertaking the 11–14-week scan are adequately trained and their results are subjected to rigorous audit. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassemia in Southern Punjab,Pakistan

Pakistan has a large population of more than 150 million people with an overall carrier frequency of approximately 5.6% for β-thalassemia. Punjab is the largest province of the country having more than 50% of the population. The state of β-thalassemia is alarming as consanguinity is very high (>81%) and the literacy rate is low in South Punjab. A thalassemia prevention program is the need of the hour in this part of Pakistan. In this study, we initiated awareness, screening, and characterization of the mutations causing β-thalassemia as well as a genetic counseling program mainly in the districts of Faisalabad and D.G. Khan to establish prenatal diagnosis, a facility previously unavailable in this region for disease prevention. A total of 248 unrelated transfusion-dependent children and the available members of their families were screened to characterize the mutations and identify the carriers. Genetic counseling was provided to these families and prenatal diagnosis offered. In the samples analyzed, 11 β-thalassemia mutations and three hemoglobin variants were detected mainly by using the Monoplex and Multiplex ARMS-PCR. First-trimester prenatal diagnosis was carried out through chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in seven pregnancies at risk. As a result of our campaign, 145 carrier couples planning to have more children gave their consent to have retrospective prenatal diagnosis in every pregnancy in future. A cooperative trend and a positive attitude toward the prevention of β-thalassemia were noticed in the families with affected children and in the general population. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

催化湿式氧化法降解水中的β-萘酚

采用催化湿式氧化法降解β-萘酚,制备了一系列MnOx/nano-TiO2催化剂,对其制备条件、反应条件及催化剂的稳定性进行了研究,同时对催化剂进行了X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)及程序升温还原(TPR)等表征.结果表明,Mn负载量过高时,高分散的MnO2和Mn2O3聚集形成相应的晶相,导致了β-萘酚COD去除率的降低;焙烧温度过高时,可能是因为形成较多活性较差的Mn2O3,MnO2和Mn2O3之间的电子传递作用被削弱,造成COD去除率的降低;催化剂使用6次后COD去除率略微降低可能是和对应的衍射峰峰强度下降有关.当Mn负载量(质量分数)为4%、焙烧温度为450℃时所制备的MnOx/nano-TiO2催化剂活性较好,其在反应温度为110℃、反应总压力为0.5 MPa的条件下催化β-萘酚降解时COD去除率可达96.4%.该催化剂重复使用6次后β-萘酚COD去除率仍可达92.4%.采用原子吸收光谱(AAS)分别测定50、80、110及150℃时反应后溶液中Mn的溶出量,均低于9.3 mg·L-1,催化剂稳定性较好.根据文献对β-萘酚的降解路径进行了推测.     

雌二醇在土壤/沉积物中的吸附特征及猪粪DOM对吸附的影响

天然类固醇雌激素如17β-雌二醇(E2)在极低质量浓度下(ng.L-1)即可干扰水生生物的生殖功能.为准确预测E2向水体迁移,通过摇床实验研究了E2在中国北方3种不同土壤/沉积物表面的吸附特征,同时探讨了猪粪及其堆肥可溶态有机质(DOM)对E2吸附的影响.结果发现,E2在土壤/沉积物表面吸附符合Freundlich等温吸附方程(R2>0.76),E2在河流沉积物、潮土、黑土皆表现为非线性,其中黑土吸附的非线性最强(n=0.74);吸附系数Kf介于26.2～57.5,并与有机质含量呈显著正相关(P<0.05).猪粪及其堆肥DOM显著抑制E2在土壤/沉积物表面的吸附,其中堆肥DOM的影响尤为显著.研究认为,有机质是土壤/沉积物中吸附E2的主要组分,共存猪粪DOM在较低浓度下可提高E2迁移性,增加E2向地表和地下水的迁移风险.     

两种实验设计研究DES和EV对MCF-7细胞增殖的联合作用

研究了己烯雌酚(DES)和戊酸雌二醇(EV)对MCF-7细胞增殖的单一毒性和等浓度配比下的联合毒性作用,用相加指数法进行了联合毒性作用类型的判断,同时进行了联合毒性作用的3×3析因实验设计研究结果作为对比.结果表明,EV的24、48和72 h对MCF-7细胞增殖率的EC50值分别为6.02、0.40和0.33 nmol·L-1,DES的24、48和72 h的EC50值分别为5.90、6.98和2.90 nmol·L-1,等浓度配比下其联合毒性的EC50值分别为2.33、0.71和0.39 nmol·L-1,用相加指数判断其联合作用类型,在24 h显示为协同作用,其它两个时间段显示为拮抗效应,但从数值上可以发现协同和拮抗效应均不强,接近相加的联合效应类型.析因实验结果显示24、48和72 h这3个染毒时间段均显示了相加作用类型.析因实验与等浓度配比下获得的联合毒作用类型基本一致,但析因实验设计更为简捷方便,同时避免了由于计算EC50值产生的偏差对联合效应类型的影响.     

β-环糊精强化微生物修复石油烃污染土壤的试验研究

石油烃污染物的生物可利用性是土壤微生物修复的限制因素,为了提高污染物的生物可利用性和降解效率,引入环境友好的β-环糊精作为污染物增溶剂,并与表面活性剂十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)作对比。结果表明,当β-环糊精的投加浓度为其在水中饱和溶解度的90%、SDS的投加浓度为其临界胶束浓度时,β-环糊精和SDS对土壤中石油烃污染物的增溶效果达到最大,分别为84.42%和89.63%。虽然两者都具有相近的增溶效果,但SDS具有一定的生物毒性,抑制了微生物的生长及其对石油烃污染物的降解,而β-环糊精可以促进微生物生长并有效提高微生物对污染物的去除效率。投加β-环糊精的微生物修复组在15 d内的降解率达到19.5%,比单独微生物修复组的降解率提高了70%以上。     

Poly[β-(1→4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose] based zero valent nickel nanocomposite for efficient reduction of nitrate in water

Chemical reduction of nitrate using metal nanoparticles has received increasing interest due to over-dependence on groundwater and consequence health hazard of the nitrate ion. One major drawback of this technique is the agglomeration of nanoparticles leading to the formation of large flocs. A low cost biopolymeric material, poly [β-(1 → 4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose] (β-PADG) obtained from deacetylated chitin was used as stabilizer to synthesize zero valent nickel (ZVNi) nanoparticles. The β-PADG-ZVNi nanocomposite was characterized using infra red (IR), UV-Vis spectrophotometric techniques and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The morphology of the composite showed that β-PADG stabilized-ZVNi nanoparticles were present as discrete particles. The mean particle size was estimated to be (7.76 ± 2.98) nm and surface area of 87.10 m²/g. The stabilized-ZVNi nanoparticles exhibited markedly greater reactivity for reduction of nitrate in water with 100% conversion within 2 hr contact owing to less agglomeration. Varying the β-PADG-to-ZVNi ratio and the ZVNi-to-nitrate molar ratio generally led to a faster nitrate reduction. About 3.4-fold difference in the specific reaction rate constant suggests that the application of the β-PADG-stabilizer not only increased the specific surface area of the resultant nanoparticles, but also greatly enhanced the surface reactivity of the nanoparticles per unit area.     

白腐菌锰过氧化物酶对2,2’,4,4’-四溴联苯醚的降解

多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)是一类在环境中普遍存在的全球性有机污染物,对这类污染物环境行为的研究虽然已有较多报道,但是微生物降解方面尤其是针对单一胞外酶降解的研究还比较少。文章以白腐菌模式菌种Phanerochaete chrysosporium为对象,研究其分泌的胞外酶锰过氧化物酶(MnP)对环境中最常检测到的2,2’,4,4’-四溴联苯醚(BDE47)的好氧降解,考察不同β-环糊精浓度对该酶降解BDE47的影响,并初步探讨了胞内细胞色素P450的作用。结果表明,MnP能有效降解BDE47,在培养15 d后,扣除空白损失,降解率达到70%左右。低浓度和高浓度的环糊精对MnP降解BDE47无显著性影响。胞内细胞色素P450对BDE47的降解没有明显贡献。     

草甘膦对青鳉鱼卵黄蛋白原的诱导及其潜在分子机理

为了研究草甘膦潜在的雌激素效应,将1~3d的雌雄青鳉幼鱼暴露于不同浓度 (0.2, 2, 20, 200, 2000μg/L)的草甘膦5周,发现雌雄鱼肝脏卵黄蛋白原(VTG I)基因表达分别在0.2, 2, 20μg/L浓度(雌鱼)和2, 20, 200μg/L浓度(雄鱼)下受到显著诱导,但在高浓度下(雌鱼,200μg/L和2000μg/L;雄鱼,2000μg/L)恢复到正常水平.草甘膦诱导雌激素效应的机理存在雌雄差异:雌鱼中雌激素效应主要由于草甘膦诱导了脑部FSH和性腺CYP19A基因,从而增加了雌激素合成能力.雄鱼中主要由于草甘膦抑制肝脏中雌激素代谢酶 (CYP1A、CYP1B和CYP3A)而显示雌激素效应.