3-phenyllactic acid production by free-whole-cells of Lactobacillus crustorum in batch and continuous fermentation systems.

AIM: 3-Phenyllactic acid (3-PLA) has been widely used in food and material industries. Three Lactobacillus crustorum strains have shown greater 3-PLA production ability in our previous study. The objectives of this study were to further improve 3-PLA yields in batch and continuous fermentation systems using of free-whole-cells of the three L. crustorum strains. MATERIALS AND RESULTS: The fermentation conditions of free-whole-cells of the three L. crustorum strains for 3-PLA production were optimized. Among these strains, L. crustorum NWAFU 1078 showed excellent reusability and significantly (P < 0·05) greater 3-PLA production ability than the other strains after 10th recycle. The strain possesses three l-lactate dehydrogenase and three d-lactate dehydrogenase catalysing 3-PLA production from phenylpyruvic acid (PPA). Under the optimal conditions, the strain produced 15·2 mmol l-1 3-PLA (76% PPA conversion rate) in a batch fermentation system and 6·5 mmol l-1  h-1 3-PLA (55% PPA conversion rate) in a continuous fermentation system using a 0·6 dilution rate. CONCLUSIONS: Free-whole-cells of L. crustorum NWAFU 1078 showed excellent reusability and higher 3-PLA yields under optimal biotransformation conditions in both batch and continuous fermentation systems. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provides the possibility to use the free-whole-cells of L. crustorum NWAFU 1078 as a biocatalyst for effective production of 3-PLA.

Elevated PT, APPT and PT/INR possibly associated with doxycycline and cefoperazone co-administration: A case report.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Little is known regarding changes in blood coagulation parameters associated with tetracycline antibiotics. We report a possible case of elevated PT, APPT and PT/INR associated with doxycycline and cefoperazone co-administration. CASE SUMMARY: An 83-year-old Chinese male inpatient with severe pneumonia, chronic renal insufficiency and malnutrition experienced elevated PT, APPT and PT/INR which occurred within a few days of doxycycline added to his cefoperazone treatment and returned to normal after removal of it. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Very close monitoring of coagulation parameters might be advisable in those subjects when administering doxycycline and cefoperazone concomitantly.

[Wry nose and rhinolith: a case report].

This report described a case of the wry nose and rhinolith patients. A 25 years old female patient complained a sense of persistent left side of nasal congestion runny with 10 years. During the 10 years the symptom repeatedly occurrence, aggravated with peculiar smell of 1 months. A combined treatment including endoscopic sinus surgery with correction of the deviated nose and removal of nasal stone was performed in the patient.Three monthsafter operation, the patient recovered well, without recurrence, external nasal deformity, foreign bodies remain.

[Progress in the role of neurotrophin-3 and its receptors in the development of cochlear spiral ganglion in rats].

Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) attracted increasing attention about NTFs researches in recent years. But the mechanism of promoting the development of neurons and neurite extension is not clear. Recombinant human NT-3 or NT-3 gene is commonly used in the treatment of peripheral and central neurons system damage. When rats are born, the cochlear is not mature yet. It is a suitable experimental animal for studying the morphological and functional development of the peripheral auditory pathway. It was found that NT-3 could promote the survival, growth, division and extension of the cochlear neurons in rats. To make clear the role of NT-3 in the development of spiral ganglion in the rat cochlear will be of significance for the treatment of nervous hearing loss by NT-3 in the future.

Phthalate residue in goat milk-based infant formulas manufactured in China.

Phthalates adversely affect the male reproductive system in humans. Through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, we investigated the residual profile and levels of 15 phthalates in 90 goat milk-based infant formulas from 15 commercial brands of 10 dairy enterprises located in Shaanxi Province, China. In general, dibutyl phthalate was the most detected phthalate, followed by bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, and dimethyl phthalate; their geometric mean concentrations in the formulas were 38.1, 24.2, 16.6, and 8.7µg/kg, respectively. Other phthalates were not detected in the investigated samples. No significant differences were found in the phthalate levels among different stages of infant formulas, even though the samples were packaged in different types of containers. These findings demonstrate that goat milk-based infant formulas may represent the main source of exposure to phthalates in infants.

[Analysis on influencing factors of prognosis of patients with acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between risk factors and prognosis of acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning (AOPP). METHODS: The clinical data including APACHEⅡ, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, lactic acid of the 67 cases of acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning which respectively divided into survival group and death group by the outcome were collected. The independent influcing factors were got by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The analysis showed that APACHEⅡ, D-dimer、C-reactive protein and Procalcitonin were influencing factors to evaluate prognosis of AOPP (P<0.05) .Meanwhile, APACHEⅡ and CRP were the independent influencing factors to evaluate prognosis of AOPP (P<0.05). APACHEⅡ26was the optimum thresholds to acess the prognosis of AOPP and its Youden index was largest. CONCLUSION: APACHEⅡ and CRP played an important role in the assessment of prognosis on AOPP. When APACHEⅡwas more than 26, it suggested the patient of AOPP will have a bad prognosis.

A sensitive method for qualitative screening of bile salt hydrolase-active lactobacilli based on thin-layer chromatography.

A sensitive protocol based on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was developed to screen qualitatively bile salt hydrolase (BSH)-active lactobacilli. The sodium salts of glycocholic acid and taurocholic acid were used as substrates, and bacterial BSH activity was confirmed by detecting cholic acid as a product of the bile conjugates using a TLC assay with direct visual observation. Forty-five lactobacilli isolated from human fecal samples were tested for BSH activity by the TLC assay, a conventional plate assay, and a quantitative colorimetric assay. With the TLC and quantitative colorimetric assays, the same 24 BSH-positive strains were detected. No false-positive or false-negative results were detected by the TLC assay. However, only 20 BSH-positive strains were detected with the conventional plate assay. Compared with the conventional plate assay, the TLC assay is more sensitive for the detection of BSH activity of lactobacilli and, thus, more suitable for screening of BSH-active lactobacilli of human origin.

ZnO nanorods on in-situ synthesized ZnSe grains.

The ZnO nanorods grown on in-situ synthesized ZnSe grains through the chemical vapour deposition method are reported here for the first time. With a suitable growth condition, single crystal ZnO nanorods grow on the well-defined bounded facets of the random shape ZnSe grains using Zn and Se powders without any metal catalyst. The growth direction of ZnSe nanorods on a facet of a ZnSe grain is quite uniform. The synthesis mechanism of the ZnO nanorods on the ZnSe grains is proposed. The effects of the Se powder usage on the ZnO-ZnSe products and the photoluminescence of the products are investigated.