Two lab-scale expanded granular sludge bed reactors were operated using granular sludge and river sediments as seed sludge respectively, through gradually lowering down the inner pH values, acid-tolerant methanogenic granular sludge with good methanogenic activity were acquired and formed. Two EGSB reactors could be operated steadily under the condition of pH 5.8～6.2, and their volumetric loading rates were about 5.5～7.5 kg COD/(m3/d), the COD removal efficiencies were about 90%. The granular sludges taken from two reactors could maintain relatively higher methanogenic activity under low pH, and the relative activities of the granular could be 51.78% and 55.6% of the value with the condition of pH 7.0 when pH was 5.5. Studies on the diameter distribution, settling velocities, concentrations of different metal elements and microbiological characteristics of these acid-tolerant granular sludges were also conducted.

Thrombin is the most important factor in hemostasis. In recent years, it has been found that thrombin is a potent mitogen capable of inducing cellular functions. Therefore, it is proved to be of importance in promoting the growth, metastasis and angiogenesis of cancer. Anticoagulant therapy not only reduce the characteristic hypercoagulability of cancer, but also inhibits growth and metastasis of cancer, and alters the fundamental biology of cancer. In this paper thrombin and its receptor, relationship of thrombin and its receptor with cancer growth, metastasis and angiogenesis, the mechanisms of thrombin influence on cancer angiogenesis, as well as application prospects on anti-angiogenesis and anti-coagulation therapy were reviewed.
Angiogenesis Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Antithrombins ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; blood supply ; drug therapy ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Receptors, Thrombin ; physiology ; Thrombin ; physiology

Objective To investigate whether fasting obestatin level is different in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes, and to explore the association between obestatin and lipid metabolism. Methods Eighty-four subjects without known diabetes were divided into three groups: normal glucose tolerance(NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes (DM) Plasma obestatin levels were measured with a radioimmunoassay. The relationship between fasting obestatin levels and metabolic parameters was also analyzed. Results Fasting obestatin levels were lower in DM group [(2.82±0.78)ng/ml] and IGT group [(3.25±0.29)ng/ml] than in NGT group[(3.55±0.57) ng/ml, P＜0.01]. Triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels gradually increased among the three groups (P＜0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed fasting obestatin level was independently associated with waist-to-hip ratio, triglyeride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. The regression equation was obestatin=6.953-3.412×W/H-0.175×TG-0.123×LDL-C. Conclusions The decreased obestatin may be associated with IGR and T2DM, and obestatin level may be associated with lipid metabolism.

Prostate cancer is one of the common malignant tumors of male urogenital system, and the incidence of prostate cancer in China has increased significantly in the past decade. At present, endocrine therapy based on androgen blockade is the main method of clinical treatment except radical surgery and radiotherapy/chemotherapy for prostate cancer. However, the clinical benefit can only be obtained in the early stage of treatment, and nearly 90% of patients will develop to the castration resistance, and among them, nearly 90% of patients will have bone metastasis. The quality of life decreases sharply with the progression of disease for patients. In addition to the androgen signal pathway, studies have shown that many other oncogenic signal pathways have involved in the development of castration resistance, including classic cancer signaling pathways, immune and inflammatory signaling pathways, etc. Understanding the mechanism of androgen independent signal pathway in the formation of castration resistance will help to understand the off-target effect of androgen blocking therapy and introduce new treatment targets or strategies to get rid of the "no drug available" dilemma for clinical treatment of castration resistance.

Objective:To observe the influence of radiofrequency catheter ablation of the fat pad at the right pulmonary vein- atria junction(RPV fat pad)on Bezold-Jarisch reflex(BJR)induced by veratridine in canine.Methods:Ten mongrel dogs were anesthetized and their chest were opened through a right thoracotomy to expose the RPV fat pad.Veratridine was injected into the left ventricle at bolus doses of 10?g/kg through a catheter to induce BJR.The sinus cycle length(SCL),systolic arterial pressure(SAP),diastolic arterial pressure(DAP),mean arterial pressure(MAP),left ventricle systolic pressure(LVSP), left ventricle diastolic pressure(LVDP)and mean left ventricle pressure(MLVP)were measured under the baseline and after ablation of the RPV fat pad;the changes of the above parameters(?SCL,?SAP,?DAP,?MAP,?LVSP,?LVDP,and?MLVP)were calculated.Then the same dose of veratridine was injected under the pad after ablation and the changes of the a- bove parameters were observed.Results:BJR was successfully induced in the 8 animals;the animals has prolonged sinus cycle length(SCL)and decreased MAP and MLVP.After ablation,the prolongation of SCL after injection of veratridine was markedly reduced([229.2?92.3]ms vs[39.3?14.1]ms,P

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of platelet activating factor [PAC]-1, CD62P and TPP hi severe sepsis. Method Patients with severe sepsis who were admitted into the EICU of Subei People's Hospital from April 2007 to March 2008 were included. Patients with severe sepsis (Group Ⅲ)were treated according to the treatment guidelines for severe sepsis, and were divided, according to their clinical records, into those who survived and those who died within 28 days of admission. Patients admitted during the same period with symptoms of infection but without severe sepsis were included as the General Infected Group (Group Ⅱ). A Control Group (Group Ⅰ) comprised patients who visited the hospital over the same period for physical examination or the healthy volunteers. The group members were all included randomly, and the gender and sex of patients in all three groups were similar. Patients with acute brain infarction, acute coronary syndrome,serious diabetes, hyperlipidemia, malignant tumor, leukemia, primary liver, renal and hematopoietic system dis-eases,long-term bedridden patients, pregnant women, and patients taking hormone treatment or hranunosuppres-sants were excluded from the study. Morning venous blood was collected and ELISA and Flow Cytometry performed on the fwst day of admission for Groups Ⅰ- and Ⅱ, and on the first, third and fifth day after admission for Group Ⅲ, to determine the TpP,PAC-1 and CD62P respectively; and the Marshall score was determined. Data were ana-lyzed by SPSS 12.0 software. For continuous variables, comparisons among groups were analyzed by ANOVA.Levene's and LSD test were applied to assess homogeneity. Bivariate test is applied to Correlation Analysis. P<0.05 was regarded as a statistically significant difference. Results There were a total of 20 patients each in GroupⅠ-and GroupⅡ, and 30 in Group Ⅲ; of these, 19 were classed as survivors and 11 died during the 28-day peri-od. On the first day of admission, there were no significant differences in PAC-1, CD62P or TpP expression between Groups Ⅰ- and Ⅱ(P>0.05); however, Group Ⅲ was significantly different compared with both Group Ⅰ and Group Ⅱ (both:P<0.05). The expression of PAC-1, CD62P and TpP tended to decline in the survivor group,and became normal with the treatment process, while the expression of PAC-1 ,CD62P and TpP in the patients who died remained high, and even increased significantly over time. On the first day, the expression of CD62P and TpP in the patients who survived and in those who died was not significantly different (P>0.05); on the third day,however, a significant difference appeared with values of (2.89±1.48) % vs. (5.04±2.57) % (P<0.01) for CD62P, and (5.24±2.22) mg/L vs. (9.20±1.93) mg/L (P<0.01) for TpP. The expression of PAC-1 was significantly different between the two subgroups on the first day, with values of (3.15±0.42)% vs. (5.30±.48)% (P<0.01). The Marshall score of the two groups showed similar changes. Correlation analysis showed that PAC-1, CD62P and TpP were significantly correlated with the Marshall score. Conclusions Platelet activation and microthrombosis existing in the early stage of severe sepsis work together in the early hypercoagulable state.They both play important roles in disease development and progression. The dynamic detection of CD62P and TpP is beneficial to the diagnosis and prognosis of severe sepsis.PAC-1 appears to hold a risk stratification effect, as pa-tients with high expression of PAC-1 in the early stage show poor prognosis. Therefore, PAC-1 could be used as a marker of severe sepsis and poor prognsis.

Aged ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Large Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Histiocytic Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hodgkin Disease ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Melanoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

Objectives To evaluate accurately hepatocyte injury degree of severe hepatitis patients by quantifying plasma DNA of severe hepatitis patients and study its clinical application in diagnosis of severe hepatitis comparing with ALT.Methods Six milliliters of peripheral blood samples were collected from 185 patients with hepatitis B which are divided into four groups, severe hepatitis with 30 cases, acute hepatitis with 20 cases, chronic B hepatitis with 90 cases, and liver cirrhosis with 45 cases. 100 healthy controls were enrolled. Circulating DNA was extracted from plasma by the BILATEST virus DNA/RNA extraction kit and quantified with a novel duplex real-time PCR assay, respectively.Results Plasma DNA levels of hepatitis B patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (104.2 ng/ml vs. 23.4 ng/ml (median),P=0.0000).A significant difference of plasma DNA concentration was found between severe hepatitis and acute hepatitis (P=0.0018), and chronic B hepatitis (P=0.0000), and liver cirrhosis (P=0.0000).The median value of serum ALT of hepatitis B patients was 107.5 U/L, much higher than that of the healthy controls (24.1 U/L,P=0.0000).The levels of serum ALT were significantly different between severe hepatitis and acute hepatitis (P=0.0024), while there was no remarkable difference between severe hepatitis and chronic B hepatitis (P=0.0600), liver cirrhosis (P=1.0000). Moreover, for distinguishing severe hepatitis from liver cirrhosis and chronic B hepatitis, the plasma DNA assay was notably superior to ALT by the analysis of receive operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC, 0.95 vs. 0.51,P=0.0000; 0.86 vs. 0.34,P=0.0000).Conclusion The results by measuring plasma DNA of hepatitis B patients with the novel duplex real-time quantitative PCR showed that plasma DNA may be considered as a robust predictive marker for accurately evaluating hepatocyte injury degree of severe hepatitis patients.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Yanggan Yishui Granule (YGYSG) on collagen protein I, III, and IV, as well as fibronection (EN) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and to explore its possible renal protective mechanisms.

METHODSFourty SHR were randomly divided into four groups, i.e., the model group, the Benazepril group, the low dose YGYSG group, and the high dose YGYSG group, 10 in each group. A normal control group was set up with recruited Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. After 6 weeks of treatment, the expression of collagen protein I, III, and IV, as well as FN in the 5.1 image analysis system.

RESULTSIn the WKY-control group, there was only a small amount of brown particles in the mesenchymal region, the glomerular basement membrane, or the mesangial region. The expression of collagen I, Ill, and IV, as well as EN significantly increased more in the model group than in the normal control group (P < 0.01). After treatment, the expression of collagen I, III, and IV, as well as FN significantly decreased in each treated group, showing statistical difference when compared with the model group (P < 0.01). Besides, decresed expression of collagen I, III, and IV was shown in the low dose YGYSG group and the Benazepril group (P > 0.05). The expression of collagen I, III, and IV could be further reduced in the high dose YGYSG group, showing statistical difference when compared with the Benazepril group and the low dose YGYSG group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONYGYSG might play an important role in the renal protective effect through reducing the synthesis of renal collagen I, III, and IV, as well as FN, increasing the degradation of renal collagen I, III, and IV, as well as FN, thereby reducing excessive deposition of renal extracellular matrix (ECM).

Animals ; Collagen ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fibronectins ; metabolism ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY

With the continuous development of science and technology,environmental pollution has become increasingly severe,which makes environmental monitoring crucial.In recent years,electrochemical sensing strategy has attracted wide attention due to its advantages such as low cost,easy operation and fast detection speed.However,the detection performance still faces many challenges such as low sensitivity,high limit of detection and poor selectivity.Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)is a kind of ordered network porous crystal formed by the coordination bond of organic ligands and metal ions/ion clusters,which can be used to prepare high-performance electrode materials for construction of electrochemical sensors because of their characteristics of large specific surface area,adjustable pore size and diverse structure.However,the poor conductivity and stability of MOFs result in poor electrochemical detection performance,which seriously limits their extensive applications in the field of electrochemistry.Combining MOFs with other functional materials can not only overcome the inherent defects of MOFs but also have the superior properties of both MOFs and functional materials,and the synergistic effect between MOFs and functional materials is conducive to improving the detection performance.Therefore,MOFs composites have been widely used in the electrochemical detection of environmental pollutants.This paper reviewed the applications progress of electrochemical sensors based on MOFs composites(MOFs combine with carbon materials,conductive polymers,metal nanoparticles or MOFs)in detection of environmental pollutants(Pesticides,heavy metal ions,phenolic compounds and nitrites)in the past five years.The prospects and challenges of electrochemical sensors based on MOFs composites for detection of environmental pollutants were also discussed.