[Advances and Prospect of Sampling Techniques and Analytical Methods for Trace Elements in the Ocean: Progress of Trace Element Platform Construction in Xiamen University].

Trace elements, which are important chemical components in the ocean, generally refer to those chemical elements with concentrations below 10 µmol·kg-1in seawater. Some trace elements, such as Fe and Zn, serve as essential micronutrients for marine organisms, which regulate marine primary productivity and are closely related to the biogeochemical cycle of carbon and nitrogen and therefore affect the global environment and climate change. In contrast, some elements, such as Pb, are anthropogenic pollutants largely released by human activities. In addition, some trace elements and their isotopes can be used as tracers for oceanographic processes and proxies for paleoceanography. However, the high saline matrix and extremely low trace element concentrations in seawater, as well as the contamination from research vessels, sampling equipment, and the surrounding environment during the process of sample collection, pretreatment, and analysis, have restricted researchers from obtaining reliable trace element data in the ocean for a long period of time. Nevertheless, high quality samples and accurate data are prerequisites for investigating the biogeochemical and environmental behavior of marine trace elements. This paper reviews the development of sampling techniques and analytical methods for trace elements in seawater, introduces the research history and platform construction activities in Xiamen University in this field, summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of various sampling and analytical techniques and methods, and presents the perspectives on future developments in the research on trace elements in the ocean.

Enhanced proliferation and activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with psoriasis vulgaris mediated by streptococcal antigen with bacterial DNA.

Streptococcal infection is believed to have an intimate relationship with psoriasis, although the pathogenic role of streptococcal DNA is not fully understood. To gain a clearer understanding of these dynamics, we investigated the effect of streptococcal DNA on lymphocyte proliferation and activation as well as cytokine secretion in psoriasis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from psoriatic patients had higher proliferative responses upon stimulation by streptococcal antigen (SA) when compared with those from healthy individuals. Strikingly, this enhanced proliferation of PBMCs was attenuated after administration of SA treated with DNase-I. In addition, CD69 expression levels on T cells, including skin-homing lymphocyte cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen positive T cells, and IFN-alpha secretion by PBMCs were also attenuated in patients after stimulation with SA without nucleic acid (non-nucleic acid SA, non-NASA) compared with stimulation with untreated SA. However, activation marker CD86 expression levels on B cells as well as the secretion of IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha following stimulation with SA or non-NASA were not significantly altered. Interestingly, the attenuated T-cell activation and IFN-alpha secretion in psoriatic patients could be reconstituted when stimulated by non-NASA combined with synthetic CpG-A, but not when combined with synthetic CpG-B. This study demonstrates the integral function of SA, particularly streptococcal DNA, in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.