Objective To investigate an automated pretreatment technology for detecting levels of free silica in workplace dust. Methods An fully automated pretreatment workstation for detecting free silica levels in workplace dust was developed by integrating graphite-controlled digestion temperature, online-controlled dilution of digestion solutions, and filtration endpoint recognition based on monitoring technology, combined with multi-channel synchronous measurements. Results The fully automatic pretreatment workstation was used to digest and filter 14 standard samples of free silica produced by three institutions, and then detected by pyrophosphate method. The result range of high-, medium-, and low-level free silica standard samples detection was 66.5%-84.8%, 40.0%-44.5%, and 2.1%-24.8%, respectively. The mean relative standard deviations were 3.9%, 1.4% and 1.5%. Conclusion The fully automated pretreatment workstation produced results that met relevant requirements. It can effectively replace the manual digestion and filtration steps of the pyrophosphate method to measure free silica levels in workplace dust and enable rapid detection of free silica in dust samples.

Objective:To investigate the detection status and genotypes distribution characteristics of norovirus(NoV)in environmental sewage from three monitoring points in Fujian province, and to explore the significance of its application to NoV monitoring.Methods:Sewage samples were collected monthly at 5 sampling sites in representative monitoring cities, enriched and concentrated. Partial gene fragments of norovirus VP1 were amplified by reverse transcription-semi nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-snPCR), TA cloned and sequenced. Genotypes were identified based on the sequencing.Results:A total of 56 sewage samples were collected from July 2022 to June 2023. The detection rates of GⅠ and GⅡ were 89.29% (50/56) and 94.64% (53/56), respectively. A total of 7 NoV GⅠ genotypes and 13 GⅡgenotypes were identified. GⅠ.1, GⅠ.4, GⅡ.4 and GⅡ.17 were the dominant genotypes. NoV genotypes detected in different sampling sites were not exactly the same. The detection rate of NoV was low from August to November 2022, and the prevalence of the dominant genotypes was different in different seasons. GⅠ.1 and GⅡ.4 were highly prevalent from August to November 2022, but were replaced by GⅠ.4 and GⅡ.17 from December 2022 to June 2023, respectively. More NoV genotypes were detected in January-June 2023, comparing to the July-December 2022. The dominant genotype GII.17, has multiple clades and new variants have been discovered that are different from the 2014/2015 circulating strains.Conclusions:The detection rates of NoV in environmental sewage were very high, and genotypes were diverse. Environmental sewage surveillance could be an important complementary method for NoV cases surveillance.

Water eutrophication poses great threats to protection of water environment. Microbial remediation of water eutrophication has shown high efficiency, low consumption and no secondary pollution, thus becoming an important approach for ecological remediation. In recent years, researches on denitrifying phosphate accumulating organisms and their application in wastewater treatment processes have received increasing attention. Different from the traditional nitrogen and phosphorus removal process conducted by denitrifying bacteria and phosphate accumulating organisms, the denitrifying phosphate accumulating organisms can simultaneously remove nitrogen and phosphorus under alternated anaerobic and anoxic/aerobic conditions. It is worth noting that microorganisms capable of simultaneously removing nitrogen and phosphorus absolutely under aerobic conditions have been reported in recent years, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This review summarizes the species and characteristics of denitrifying phosphate accumulating organisms and the microorganisms capable of performing simultaneous nitrification-denitrification and phosphorous removal. Moreover, this review analyzes the relationship between nitrogen removal and phosphorus removal and the underlying mechanisms, discusses the challenges of denitrifying phosphorus removal, and prospects future research directions, with the aim to facilitate process improvement of denitrifying phosphate accumulating organisms.
Phosphorus ; Phosphates ; Wastewater ; Denitrification ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; Nitrogen ; Bioreactors/microbiology* ; Nitrification ; Sewage

Objective To investigate the association between the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D locus polymor-phism and migraine susceptibility .Methods The case control studies on the relation between ACE I/D gene polymorphism and mi-graine susceptibility published in the databases of PubMed and EMBAE were retrieved .The relationship between ACE 1/D poly-morphism and migraine was evaluated through the effect size (OR) and 95% confidence interval(CI) by fixed-effects model or ran-dom-effect models .Meanwhile the subgroup analysis of ethnicity and migraine types was performed .Results In meta analysis ,the homozygote model(DD vs .Ⅱ:OR= 1 .21 ,95% CI:1 .02-1 .44 ,P=0 .03 ;I2 =47% ) and dominant model all indicated that the ACE I/D polymorphism was positively correlated with the susceptibility of all migraine .The heterozygote model (DI vs .Ⅱ:OR=1 .35 , 95% CI:1 .06-1 .72 ,P=0 .02 ;I2 =10% ) and dominant model (DD+DI vs .Ⅱ:OR=1 .37 ,95% CI:1 .09 -1 .73 ,P=0 .00 ;I2 =40% ) indicated that ACE I/D polymorphism significantly increased the susceptibility of migraine with aura .Conclusion The ACE I/D locus polymorphism is correlated with migraine susceptibility ,its D allele is a risk factor of migraine ,which especially increases the susceptibility of migraine with aura .

Objective To investigate the influencing factors of ankylosing spondylitis(AS)patients’life quality and medical coping styles.Method Two hundred patients visiting at the outpatient department of our hospital took part in the assessment on AS life quality and medical coping styles to look into the living quality of AS patients and its medical coping methods and influencing factors.Results The total score on life quality was(66.82±5.57),among whose dimensions the psychological function was scored the lowest by(10.65±4.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the scores on confrontation of coping styles were positively related with the dimension of social function in life quality(r=0.18,r=0.13,P<0.05),the scores on the avoidance of coping style were positively related to the dimension of physiological function in the life quality(r=0.12,r=0.14,P<0.05),the scores on yielding in coping styles was negatively correlated to physiological function of the life quality(r=-0.20,P<0.05).Regression analysis results showed that the AS patients’life quality was impacted by the course of the disease,coping styles and modes for paying medical expenses(P<0.05).Conclusions The AS patients’life quality is low and it is related to their coping style,the course of the disease and modes for paying medical expenses.Medical personnel should implement targeted interventions to guide patients into taking correct medical coping styles according to the specific condition of patients,in order to improve their quality of life.

Objective To investigate the role of cluster of differentiation (CD) 36 in the formation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice. Methods Twenty speciifc pathogen free healthy male C57BL/6J mice [8 weeks old, average weight:(18.8±2.3)g] were randomly divided into NAFLD group and control group according to the random number table method with 10 mice in each group. Mice in NAFLD group was fed with high-fat diet for 10 weeks, while mice in control group was fed with normal diet for 10 weeks. The mice were sacriifced after the processing, and samples of cardiac blood and liver tissue were collected. The levels of serum alanine transaminase (ALT), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG), levels of TC and TG in liver tissue, pathological changes of liver tissue, expression of CD36 protein and content of its messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in liver tissue of 2 groups were observed. Experimental data of 2 groups were compared using t test. Results The level of serum ALT was (49±6)U/L in NAFLD group and (45±7)U/L in control group, where no signiifcant difference was obsersed (t=1.70, P>0.05). The levels of serum TC and TG were (4.42±0.09), (0.45±0.04) mmol/L in NAFLD group and (2.42±0.05), (0.32±0.03)mmol/L in control group respectively. The levels of serum TC and TG in NAFLD group were signiifcantly higher than those in control group (t=21.90, 8.22;P<0.05). The levels of TC and TG in liver tissue were (1.18±0.09), (1.75±0.08)mmol/L in NAFLD group and (0.55±0.06), (1.28±0.06)mmol/L in control group respectively. The levels of TC and TG in liver tissue in NAFLD group were signiifcantly higher than those in control group (t=18.42, 14.86; P<0.05). Obviously fatty degeneration and ballooning degeneration were observed in hepatocytes of NAFLD group, while hepatocytes were normal in morphology and size in control group. The expression of CD36 protein in liver tissue in NAFLD group was signiifcantly stronger than that in control group. The content of CD36 mRNA in liver tissue was 2.75±0.26 in NAFLD group and 1.00±0.08 in control group. The content of CD36 mRNA in liver tissue in NAFLD group was significantly higher than that in control group (t=21.16, P<0.05). Conclusions CD36 may play a role in the formation of NAFLD in mice. To decrease its expression can be a new target for the prophylaxis and treatment of NAFLD.

Potassium metabolism in young adult men exercising in the heat for six consecutive days and the effect of potassium deficiency in mice and rats induced by low potassium diet during heat exposure were observed. Increased potassium loss in sweat and lower potassium intake resulted in negative potassium balance. Individuals with a negative potassium balance had lower se- rum potassium levels and higher body temperature after exercise. Potassium deficient mice accomplished less work done (2.372 vs 4.253 Kg.M) but exih-ibited a markedly greater rate of heat gain (1.36 vs 0.87℃/Kg.M) as compared to the controls. The survival rate and cellular energy metabolism also decreasedThese observations suggest that prevention from potassium deficiency must be emphasized during prolonged physical activity under hot environments. According to the linear regression equations between potassium intake and balance, it is proposed that the potassium requirements in mild and medium physical activity in the heat are 40 and 60 mEq/day respectively, and the allowance of potassium in the latter may be 70-80 mEq/day.