OBJECTIVETo develop a resin composite incorporated with nano-antibacterial inorganic filler containing long-chain alkyl quaternary ammonium salt, and to measure its effect on human dental plaque microcosm biofilm.

METHODSA novel nano-antibacterial inorganic filler containing long-chain alkyl quaternary ammonium salt was synthesized according to methods introduced in previous research. Samples of the novel nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers were modified by a coupling agent and then added into resin composite at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% mass fractions; 0% composite was used as control. A flexural test was used to measure resin composite mechanical properties. Results showed that a dental plaque microcosm biofilm model with human saliva as inoculum was formed. Colony-forming unit (CFU) counts, lactic acid production, and live/dead assay of biofilm on the resin composite were calculated to test the effect of the resin composite on human dental plaque microcosm biofilm.

RESULTSThe incorporation of nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers with as much as 15% concentration into the resin composite showed no adverse effect on the mechanical properties of the resin composite (P > 0.05). Resin composite containing 5% or more nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers significantly inhibited the metabolic activity of dental plaque microcosm biofilm, suggesting its strong antibacterial potency (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThis novel resin composite exhibited a strong antibacterial property upon the addition of up to 5% nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers, thereby leading to effective caries inhibition in dental application.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; Composite Resins ; chemistry ; Dental Caries ; prevention & control ; Dental Plaque ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; pharmacology ; Saliva

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of nitrogen forms on nitrogen metabolism and main chemical composition of Pinellia ternate.

METHODThrough the soilless cultivation experiment and based at the same nitrogen level and different NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratios, nitrate reductase (NR) activity, glutamine synthetase (GS) activity, the content of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen in different parts of P. ternate were determined. The contents of total alkaloid, free total organic acids and guanosine in the tuber were determined. The yield of bulbil and tuber was calculated.

RESULTThe test results showed that, with the NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratio increasing, the activity of nitrate reductase decreased, the content of nitrate nitrogen in the leaves, petioles and tuber increasing initially, then decreased, and the content of nitrate nitrogen in the root decreased. Meanwhile, with the NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratio increasing, the activity of glutamine synthetase in the leaves, petioles and root increased, the activity of glutamine synthetase in the tuber increasing initially, then decreased. The contents of ammonium nitrogen in the leaves, tuber and root increased initially, then decreased, and the contents of ammonium nitrogen in the petioles increased with the NH4(+)(-N/NO3(-)-N ratio increasing. The yield of bulbil and tuber were the highest at the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 75: 25. The content of total alkaloid and guanosine in the tuber were the highest at the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 0: 100, and the contents were 0.245% and 0.0197% respectively. With the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 50: 50, the content of free total organic acids was the highest, it reached 0.7%, however, the content of free total organic acids was the lowest at the NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 0: 100.

CONCLUSIONNitrogen fertilization significant influences the nitrogen metabolism, the yield and main chemical composition of P. ternate.

Fertilizers ; analysis ; Nitrates ; analysis ; Nitrogen ; metabolism ; Pinellia ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; analysis

The goal of treatment of metabolic syndrome is the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular events. A series of novel tetrahydrocoptisine quaternary ammonium compounds were prepared to evaluate their action of hypoglycemia and hypolipidemia for finding the therapeutic agents of metabolic syndrome. Starting from the coptisine hydrochloride (2), fifteen target compounds were synthesized by reduction and substitution of the 7-N position. All of the target compounds were characterized by 1H NMR and HR-MS. Their hypoglycemic activities were evaluated in HepG2 cell and hypolipidemic activities of compounds with better hypoglycemic activity were tested further in vivo. Results indicated that compounds 5, 7, 8 and 9 exhibited better hypoglycemic activities in vitro and compounds 5 and 8 exhibited good hypolipidemic activities in high-fat-diet (HFD) induced hyperlipidemia mice and (or) hamsters. However, the activity is not as good as simvastatin.
Animals ; Berberine Alkaloids ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Mesocricetus ; Mice ; Molecular Structure ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Triglycerides ; blood

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan (HACC) in purifying aqueous extracts of Zhisou Dingchuan oral solution.

METHODModified quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan was used to flocculate aqueous extracts of Zhisou dingchuan oral solution, with turbidity degree and the retention rate of ephedrine and glycyrrhizin as indicators, to detect the influences of flocculant dosage, suspension temperature, mixing speed and time on flocculation effect. The optimum process conditions were found through orthogonal experimental design.

RESULTThe optimum process conditions: the flocculation temperature 30 degrees C, HACC's dosage 0.4 g x L(-1), the fast mixing speed 500 r x min(-1) and its time 1 min, the slow mixing speed 50 r x min(-1) and it time 2.4 10 min. Under the conditions, the retention rate of ephedrine was 97.6%, the turbidity degree was 1.1 NTU and 2.8 NTU after 30 days.

CONCLUSIONHACC can be used to purify aqueous extracts of Zhisou Dingchuan oral solution.

Chitosan ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Flocculation ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; chemistry ; Solutions ; chemistry

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process is a high-rate nitrogen removal technology that has been applied in sludge dewatering effluents treatment with nitrogen removal rate as high as 9.5 kg/(m x d). However, due to the slow growth rate of the autotrophic Anammox bacteria and the susceptivity to environmental conditions, the start-up of Anammox process is very long; the operation is unstable; and the nitrogen removal from organic-containing and/or toxicant-containing ammonium-rich wastewaters using Anammox process becomes difficult. Thus, the application of this high-rate process is significantly limited. In this paper, a newly-developed Anammox process with sequential biocatalyst (Anammox biomass) addition was established based on the procedure in fermentation engineering. We introduced the Anammox process with sequential biocatalyst addition on start-up, stable operation and the treatment of organic-containing and toxicant-containing ammonium-rich wastewaters. Results show that supplementing high-activity Anammox biomass into reactors will increase the amount of as well as the ratio of Anammox bacteria. Thus, the innovative Anammox process with sequential biocatalyst addition not only accelerates the start-up course, but also enhances the stability of Anammox process. Furthermore, it overcomes the drawbacks of wastewaters containing high organic content and toxic substances. Therefore, the application of Anammox process may be further enlarged.
Bacteria, Anaerobic ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Biocatalysis ; Biomass ; Bioreactors ; microbiology ; Enzymes ; chemistry ; Nitrogen ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; methods

OBJECTIVEThe effects of different nitrogen forms on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Prunella vulgaris were observed.

METHODWater culture experiments were carried out to observe the effects of NH4+: NO3- ratios(100:0, 75: 25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100 in mmol x L(-1)) on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of P. vulgaris.

RESULTThe leaf area, fresh biomass and P(n) of these cultivars increased with the increasing of NH4(+) -N: NO3(-) -N ratios, and they were found to be the highest in 25: 75 NH4(+) -N: NO3)-) -N. However, they decreased with the increasing NH4(+) -N: NO3(-) -N ratio further. P. vulgaris had a minimum leaf area, biomass, chlorophyll content and P(n) in pure ammonium group. The biggest chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were found in the ratios of NH4(+) -N to NO3(-) -N of 50: 50.

CONCLUSIONThe results indicated that properly increasing nitrate proportion could promote the growth and photosynthesis of P. vulgaris.

Biomass ; Chlorophyll ; Nitrogen ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Photosynthesis ; drug effects ; Plant Leaves ; drug effects ; Prunella ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; chemistry ; metabolism

In order to select better seeding sludge and promote start-up of Anammox reactors, we studied the start-up performances of three Anammox-EGSB bioreactors inoculated with anaerobic methanogenic sludge (AMS) (R1), Fresh Anammox sludge (FAS) (R2) and stored Anammox sludge (SAS) (R3), respectively. Results showed that these three seeding sludges could start up Anammox-EGSB bioreactors successfully, but the start-up progresses showed different characteristics. The start-up course of R1 could be divided into three phases including autolysis phase (15 d), lag phase (54 d) and activity elevation phase (40 d). However, the start-up courses of R2 and R3 only included lag phase (2 d and 12 d, respectively) and activity elevation phase (15 d and 57 d, respectively). Besides, the performance of R3 was better than that of R1, but worse than that of R2. Furthermore, bathing the Anammox sludge in the effluent of bioreactors was a convenient and effective way to keep the activity of the Anammox sludge. The ammonia removal efficiency, percentage of denitrification and the stoichiometric ratios of NH4(+)-Nr/NO2(-)-Nr and NO3(-)-Np/NH4(+)-Nr could serve as indicators to monitor the start-up of Anammox bioreactors.
Bacteria, Anaerobic ; metabolism ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Bioreactors ; microbiology ; Nitrogen ; metabolism ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; metabolism ; Sewage ; chemistry ; Water Pollutants, Chemical ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To compare effects of three different methods for mtDNA extraction from common sarcosaphagous insects including cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method, sodium dodecyl sulfate-potassium acetate (SDS-KAc) method and sodium dodecyl sulfate-proteinase K (SDS-PK) method. METHODS: Seventy-two insects from four species [Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1784), Eusilpha bicolor (Fairmaire, 1896), Paraeutrichopus pecoudi (Mateu, 1954), Vespa velutina (Lepeletier, 1836)] were collected from the corpses of the rabbits in Changsha district. The total DNA of above samples was extracted by CTAB, SDS-Kac and SDS-PK methods. The purity and concentration of DNA were examined by protein-nucleic acid spectrophotometry, and mtDNA were amplified by specific primers and PCR products were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. Then PCR products were sequenced and subsequently up-loaded to GenBank. RESULTS: mtDNA was successfully extracted with three methods from most of the samples. The SDS-PK method was better in DNA purity compared to other methods and the CTAB method was superior in extracting DNA from old samples, while SDS-KAc method showed no significant difference for extraction effects of different samples. CONCLUSION The most appropriate method should be chosen depending on different situations. SDS-PK method is expected to obtain high-quality DNA, while CTAB method is preferred in extracting obsolete samples. SDS-KAc method is low cost and can be used in various kinds of preliminary experiments.
Animals ; Coleoptera/genetics* ; DNA Primers ; DNA, Mitochondrial/isolation & purification* ; Diptera/genetics* ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Entomology ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Gene Amplification ; Insecta/genetics* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds/chemistry* ; Rabbits ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate/chemistry*

Sodium cellulose sulfate (NaCS)/Ploy-dimethyl-dially-ammonium-chloride (PDMDAAC) microcapsules were used as a novel pseudo "Cell Factory" to immobilize mixed bacteria for hydrogen production under anaerobic conditions. Compared to free cells, the hydrogen production was increased more than 30% with NaCS/PDMDAAC microcapsules as the pseudo "Cell Factory". The biomass was increased from 1.5 g/L in free cell culture to 3.2 g/L in the pseudo "Cell Factory". This pseudo "Cell Factory" system showed the excellent stability during 15 repeated-batches. The hydrogen yield maintained 1.73-1.81 mol H2/mol glucose. The fermentation cycle was shortened from 48 h to 24 h, resulting in an increase of 198.6% in the hydrogen production rate. There were high percentage of butyric acid and acetic acid in the culture broth, which meant that the pseudo "Cell Factory" established in the present work could be used for the multi-product system.
Bacteria ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism ; Capsules ; Cells, Immobilized ; metabolism ; Cellulose ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Fermentation ; Hydrogen ; metabolism ; Polyethylenes ; chemistry ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; chemistry

In order to study the important factors involved in cationic liposome-mediated gene transfer, Lipofectamine 2000 or DOTAP was evaluated using three types of cells (Hep-2, MCF-7 and SW-480) in vitro transfection efficiencies. Different properties of the two reagents were analyzed and compared by DNA arrearage assay and MTT assay. Both Lipofectamine 2000 and DOTAP had strong capability to combine with DNA; Lipofectamine 2000 can get higher transfection efficiency of the three cells by using GFP as report gene, meanwhile, DOTAP can also get higher transfection efficiency against Hep-2 cell. However, DOTAP showed lower transfection efficiency against MCF-7 and SW-480 cell. On the other hand, the cytotoxicity assay showed that over 85% cell viability of MCF-7 cell could be achieved both by Lipofectamine 2000 and DOTAP under the optimal transfection condition. Relatively speaking, Lipofectamine 2000 has very high transfection efficiency in a broad range of cell lines, but because of the special selectivity of cell type on liposome, DOTAP also has a broad application prospect.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; DNA ; genetics ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Gene Transfer Techniques ; Genes, Reporter ; Genetic Vectors ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipids ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Transfection