Detection of both the normal and mutant alleles in single cells of individuals heterozygous for the sickle cell mutation—prelude to preimplantation diagnosis

As a preliminary step to preimplantation diagnosis of sickle cell disease in unfertilized eggs or 8-cell embryos of heterozygous parents, we established quality control for detection of the mutant and normal alleles of the beta-haemoglobin gene using single buccal cells. Efficient polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a 680 base pair sequence of the beta-globin gene spanning the site of the sickle cell mutation was obtained for 79 per cent of single heterozygous cells. In 71 per cent of cases, both alleles were detected. With this current efficiency, we predict that a clinical preimplantation diagnosis at the 8-cell embryo stage could be carried out safely and reliably for a couple at risk of transmitting sickle cell disease to their children.     

Erythroid-specific antibodies enhance detection of fetal nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood

Fetal nucleated erythrocytes (NRBC) in maternal blood are a non-invasive source of fetal DNA for prenatal genetic screening. We compared the effectiveness of three monoclonal antibodies for the separation of fetal cells from maternal blood by flow sorting. Mononuclear blood cells from 49 healthy pregnant women were incubated with antibody to CD 71, CD 36, and/or glycophorin A (GPA), employed singly or in combination with each other. These monoclonal antibodies recognize surface antigens on haematopoietic precursor cells. Successful isolation of fetal cells was defined as detection of Y chromosomal sequences in maternal blood from women carrying male fetuses, with absence of Y sequences when female fetuses were carried. Thus, gender prediction accuracy was used as a measure of fetal cell separation. Using anti-CD 71 to isolate fetal cells, gender prediction was 57 per cent correct; with anti-CD 36, it was 88 per cent correct. Anti-GPA, an erythrocyte-specific antigen, used alone or in combination with anti-CD 71 or 36, improved gender prediction to 100 per cent. We conclude that antibody to GPA improves the retrieval of fetal NRBC from maternal blood, permitting genetic analysis by the polymerase chain reaction.     

Insights into the mechanism of the deterioration of mainstream partial nitritation/anammox under low residual ammonium

Residual ammonium is a critical parameter affecting the stability of mainstream partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, mainstream PN/A was established and operated with progressively decreasing residual ammonium. PN/A deteriorated as the residual ammonium decreased to below 5 mg/L, and this was paralleled by a significant loss in anammox activity in situ and an increasing nitrite oxidation rate. Further analysis revealed that the low-ammonium condition directly decreased anammox activity in situ via two distinct mechanisms. First, anammox bacteria were located in the inner layer of the granular sludge, and thus were disadvantageous when competing for ammonium with ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the outer layer. Second, the complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) was enriched at low residual ammonium concentrations because of its high ammonium affinity. Both AOB and comammox presented kinetic advantages over anammox bacteria. At high residual ammonium concentrations, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were effectively suppressed, even when their maximum activity was high due to competition for nitrite with anammox bacteria. At low residual ammonium concentrations, the decrease in anammox activity in situ led to an increase in nitrite availability for nitrite oxidation, facilitating the activation of NOB despite the dissolved oxygen limitation (0.15–0.35 mg/L) for NOB persisting throughout the operation. Therefore, the deterioration of mainstream PN/A at low residual ammonium was primarily triggered by a decline in anammox activity in situ. This study provides novel insights into the optimized design of mainstream PN/As in engineering applications.     

Chorionic villus culture for prenatal diagnosis of chromosome defects: Reduction of the long-term cultivation time

We report in detail two series of chorionic villus cultivation for prenatal chromosomal diagnosis. Chorionic villi were sampled from both first- and second-trimester pregnancies. One hundred cultures were treated with trypsin–EDTA for 2 h and collagenase overnight, (method A) and 100 were treated with trypsin–EDTA for 1 h and collagenase for 2 h (method B). Using short-term enzymatic digestion, the cultivation time was reduced from 14 days to 6 days. Sufficient amounts of metaphases of good quality were present in 93 per cent of primary cultures harvested in situ, whereas enough metaphases of sufficiently good quality were in most cases present only after subcultivation of the cultures using method A. The decrease in cultivation time obtained is probably due to a higher yield of viable cells in monocellular suspension, an increased attachment efficiency, and a more rapid attachment of single cells (within 24 h).     

江宁开发区污水处理厂二期调试运行

江宁开发区污水处理厂建设规模为4万m^3／d，分两期建成，采用氧化沟处理工艺，污泥处理采用不经消化的带式脱水工艺。在此主要叙述了各工艺构筑物的设备配置、功能、设计参数及二期工程的试运行情况。     

呼和浩特市生活垃圾处理现状及综合治理探讨

本文就呼和浩特市生活垃圾处理处置现状提出了存在的问题，并就国内目前垃圾处置方法进行分析比对，找出适合呼和浩特市生活垃圾处理最佳方法一综合处置法，最后就实现生活垃圾综合处置提出几点建议。其目的是供决策部门作参考。     

磺酰脲类除草剂的残留分析

磺酰脲类除草剂是一类新型超高效除草剂，大约包括２Ｖ化合物，已被广泛用于禾谷作物防除阔叶杂草以及某些禾本科杂草，该类除草剂在环境中的残留浓度〈１μｇ．ｋｇ＾－１水平。常规的分析方法包括生物鉴定，酶免疫分析，气相色谱法和高效液相色谱法（ＨＰＬＣ）、ＨＰＬＣ／ＭＳ联用后，可以准确测定复杂环境样中磺酰脲类除草剂的痕量残留。     

In vitro characteristics of human fetal cells obtained from chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis

In vitro characteristics of human fetal cells have been investigated after chorionic villus sampling at the first trimester and amniocentesis at the second trimester of pregnancy. Light microscopy revealed heterogeneous morphology of cell types in both the chorionic villus culture and the amniotic fluid cultures. Based on the experiments performed, chorionic villus cells are more sensitive to pronase, trypsin, and versene during subculture and have a higher DNA content per single cell and release more [¹²⁵I]-Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin into culture medium than those found in amniotic fluid cells. The practical applications of this study are discussed.     

锅炉烟气脱硫技术发展综述

在调查研究的基础上，论述国内外烟道气脱硫技术的发展与前景，提出开发生产适合我国国情的烟气脱硫技术势在必行。还简要介绍了最为普遍的石灰／石灰石法脱硫基本原理。     

关于促进我国循环经济法制建设的思考

循环经济作为一种有效平衡经济增长,社会发展和环境保护三者关系的全新经济模式,在我国的发展已是大势所趋.而这一系统工程建立的基础是相关法律法规的建立.目前,许多发达国家已经以立法的方法来保障循环型社会的建立和发展.加快我国循环经济法制建设需要对循环经济的内涵,发达国家的循环经济立法,我国循环经济法制建设的实践及其存在的问题进行系统研究,根据我国的实际情况,得出对中国的循环经济立法具有针对性的建议,在依法治国的当今中国,以法律形式对循环经济加以肯定和规范具有重要意义.