Pulmonary inflammation induced by office dust and the relation to 1 → 3-β-glucan using different extraction techniques

It is observed that 1?→?3-β-glucan, a major cell wall component of fungi, induces pulmonary inflammation. There is inconsistency in determining the correlation between the levels of glucan measured by current extraction methods and the respiratory inflammation observed in individuals or lab animals exposed to environmental dust samples. The glucan-specific limulus amebocyte lysate (G-LAL) method was used after extraction with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to analyze the glucan content of office dust samples collected from a water-damaged building. C3HeB/FeJ mice, an endotoxin-sensitive strain, were treated with different dust samples (2.5?mg?kg^?1 body weight) or saline (vehicle control) by pharyngeal aspiration. At 1?day after aspiration, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, and lung inflammation and injury were assessed by measuring: (1) neutrophil (PMN) infiltration, (2) inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL12-p70) levels, and (3) albumin and lactate dehydrogenase in recovered BAL fluid. Both DMSO and NaOH extraction increased the detection of glucan by approximately 20-fold compared to water extraction. However, only the DMSO extraction method showed a statistically significant positive correlation between 1?→?3-β-glucan and albumin levels, total numbers of BAL, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) cells recovered, levels of TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-6. In conclusion, 1?→?3-β-glucan is a potent inflammatory agent in dust samples and DMSO extraction for glucan analysis may prove useful in understanding the impact of environmental contamination by glucans on lung disease.     

D201树脂对双组分萘系化合物的吸附分离

用D201强碱性阴离子交换树脂自双组分水溶液中选择吸附分离1-氨基-2-萘酚-4-磺酸(1,2,4-酸)和2-萘酚,考察了溶液pH值、浓度、温度、树脂床高及流速等因素对吸附和分离系数的影响.结果表明,在pH 3—6时,树脂对1,2,4-酸有较高的吸附量及吸附选择性,利于1,2,4-酸与2-萘酚的选择性吸附分离.温度对吸附的影响较小,等温吸附规律符合Freundlich模型.动态吸附表明,至1,2,4-酸的泄漏点时,吸附流出液中几乎只含2-萘酚,1,2,4-酸被吸附于树脂上.随着树脂床层的增长或初始浓度和流速的减小,都使泄漏点推迟及分离系数提高.载酚酸的树脂柱可用15%质量比的NH4Cl和20%体积比的乙醇混合液定量洗脱1,2,4-酸.     

Effects of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin on pyrene and benzo[α]pyrene: bioavailability and degradation in sotil

Effect of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) on the bioavailability and biodegradation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pyrene (PYR) and benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) in spiked soils was investigated in 14-week incubation experiments. To evaluate the effect of HPCD in soils with a different matrix, humic substance (HS) was added into soil samples. A 6-h Tenax TA extraction method was used to evaluate pollutants bioavailability. The biodegraded and extracted fractions were compared to evaluate the impact of HPCD on PAHs biodegradation. Results indicated positive effects of HPCD on fast desorption behaviours of PAHs. The biodegraded fraction was consistent with that of the extracted for PYR. However, in terms of BaP, the results were contrary which suggests that biological factors may be limiting factors for BaP pollution remediation. HS weakened the HPCD solubilisation effect while accelerated the decay of PYR and BaP, also implying that bioavailability was not the sole factor limiting PAH biodegradation. In addition, analysis of microbial communities demonstrated that HPCD inhibited the growth of some soil bacteria while HS promoted the evolution of some soil microorganisms. A limited population of hydrocarbon degrader populations led to observing incomplete PAH biodegradation even in the presence of HPCD.     

Photo-Induced OH reactions of naphthalene and its oxidation products on SiO2

The photo-induced degradation of naphthalene, 1,4-naphthoquinone, 1-naphthol and 1-NO₂ naphthalene, adsorbed on silica gel, and with the addition of nitrogenous air pollutants e.g. NO₂ (as KNO₂) was investigated. Results indicate that compounds adsorbed onto a solid carrier are degraded when irradiated with UV light (λ > 290 nm) in the presence of nitrites. The key species initiating the naphthalene degradation is the OH-radical which is generated through the photolysis of NO₂. Reaction products identified were 2-formyl-cinnamaldehyde, 1,4-naphthoquinone, nitronaphthol, o-phthaldialdehyde, phthalide and nitronaphthalene. A mass balance between 40–50% was achieved. Under the same irradiation conditions, 1-NO₂ naphthalene is mainly degraded by direct photolysis while degradation of 1-naphthol and 1,4-naphthoquinone proceeds via the reaction with OH-radicals. Identified products were hydroxy-nitro-nitroso- and quinones compounds.     

Birth of healthy children after preimplantation diagnosis of β-thalassemia by whole-genome amplification

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) offers couples at risk for transmitting an inherited disorder the possibility to avoid the need to terminate affected pregnancies. PGD for monogenic diseases is most commonly accomplished by blastomere biopsy from cleavage-stage embryos, followed by PCR-based DNA analysis. However, the molecular heterogeneity of many monogenic diseases requires a diagnostic strategy capable of detecting a range of mutations and compound genotypes. With the above considerations, we developed an accurate and reliable strategy for analysis of β-globin gene mutations, applicable for PGD for the wide spectrum of β-thalassemia major mutations in the Chinese population. The strategy involves primer-extension preamplification (PEP), followed by nested PCR and reverse dot blot (RDB) for mutation detection since it facilitates simultaneous analysis of more than one mutation in a single cell. This report describes the application of the strategy in two clinical IVF/PGD cycles at risk for transmitting β-thalassemia major, which resulted in the first thalassemia-free children born after PGD in China. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of α, β, γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes in water by novel activated carbon fiber-solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography--mass spectrometry

A fast and simple method for determination of α, β,γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in water using activated carbon fibersolid phase microextraction(ACF-SPME) were studied. Results showed the performance of adsorption and desorption of three HCHs on ACF were excellent. A wide linear range from 10 to 100 μg/L and detection limits of the ng/L level were obtained using ACF-SPME with GC-MS in selected ion monitoring(SIM) acquisition mode. The proposed method was also successfully applied for determination of three HCHs in tap water. Compared to commercial fibers, ACF showed some advantages such as better resistance to solvents, higher thermal stability, longer lifetime and lower cost. The data demonstrated that GC-MS with ACF-SPME is well suitable for the analysis of HCHs in water.     

Variation in the levels of pregnancy- specific β-1-glycoprotein in maternal serum from chromosomally abnormal pregnancies

Human pregnancy-specific β-1-glycoprotein (SP1) was assayed retrospectively in stored maternal serum (MS) samples from 82 chromosomally abnormal pregnancies and 377 matched controls. The median MSSP1 concentration in 48 Down's syndrome pregnancies was significantly elevated at 1.17 multiples of the control median (MOM), and significantly reduced (0.5 MOM) in a group of eight cases of unbalanced translocations. There was no significant difference in median SP1 concentrations in cases of trisomy 18, trisomy 13, balanced translocations, or sex chromosome abnormalities. A comparison with human chorionic gonadotrophin results in the same series of samples indicates that SP1 is a less sensitive predictor of Down's syndrome pregnancies.     

β-Glucuronidase activity in mouse oocytes,mouse preimplantation embryos,and human gametes

A microfluorimetric assay was designed to monitor β-glucuronidase (β-gluc) activity during the early development of mouse embryos and was also applied to measure β-gluc activity in human sperm cells and single human oocytes. Mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos at different stages of development, failed fertilized human oocytes, and human sperm cells were collected, and β-gluc activity was analysed. In the mouse, β-gluc activity could be measured starting from the morula stage on in a pooled sample of 15 embryos and at blasto-cyst formation in one single embryo. β-Gluc activity was low in human sperm cells. The enzyme could be readily demonstrated in 87 per cent of non-fertilized human oocytes. Considerable variation in β-gluc activity was noticed between individual oocytes.     

Problems in prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassaemia by fetal blood analysis: β-chain variant comigrating with gamma chains

This report describes a couple at risk for β thalassaemia in which one spouse was heterozygous for classical high Hb A2 β-thalassaemia while the other had the compound heterozygous state for β⁺-thalassaemia and a β-chain variant. This variant comigrates on carboxymethyl-cellulose columns (CMC) with γ-chains, indicating that globin separation on CMC columns could not have been used for fetal diagnosis. The β-chain variant migrates separately from the other globin chains on HPLC and the respective abnormal haemoglobin can be separated by isoelectrofocusing. Oligonucleotide hybridization showed that both parents were carriers of the β⁺ IVS-1, nt 6 mutation. Prenatal diagnosis was successfully accomplished by oligo-nucleotide analysis on trophoblast DNA. This case indicates that an Antenatal Service should have alternative methods to CMC columns so as to carry out prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassaemia in uncommon cases.