[Performance Recoverability of Denitrifying Granular Sludge Under the Stressing Effect of Nanoscale Zero-valent Iron].

To explore the potential stressing effect of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) on denitrifying granular sludge (DGS), the evolution of DGS denitrifying performance under different C/N ratios was investigated in this study, by carrying out batch tests of eight successive periods with the nZVI shock-loading. The results showed that the specific denitrification rate of µ value decreased when the nZVI dosage was higher than 5 mg · L⁻¹. Meanwhile, a positive correlation between the inhibition ratio (IR) of µ value and substrate C/N ratios or nZVI dosage was observed. When the nZVI dosage reached 100 mg · L⁻¹, both extracellular protein and polysaccharides concentrations decreased obviously. It would be beneficial to promote the recovery of DGS denitrifying activity and reduce the COD demanding to remove unit mass of nitrate, by increasing external carbon source with C/N ratios of higher than 4. On the basis of Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms, when higher C/N ratio was provided, stronger bioadsorption of nZVI would be achieved. During the recovery period, a significant improvement of DCS denitrifying performance under the high C/N ratio was expected, due to the continuous washout of total iron in sludge phase (Qe), while the µ value would reach or approach the one of the control group when Qe was lower than 0.4 mg · g⁻¹.

[Association of fibrinogen B beta -1420G/A, -993C/T and -854G/A gene polymorphism with coronary heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the frequency of FGB gene -1420G/A, -993C/T and -854G/A polymorphisms, and their association with plasma fibrinogen levels in patients with coronary heart disease and in health adults. METHODS: The FGB gene -1420G/A, -993C/T and -854G/A polymorphisms were analyzed with restriction fragment length polymorphisms, polymerase chain reaction with allele-specific primer and nucleotide sequencing methods. Plasma fibrinogen levels were determined by turbidimetry. RESULTS: The frequencies of -1420A were 0.33 in patients with coronary heart disease and 0.26 in health adults. The frequencies of -1420A in coronary heart disease were apparently higher than that in health adults. There were no difference in frequencies of other two alleles. The logistic study suggested -1420G/A polymorphism was associated with coronary heart disease. There are significantly difference in plasma fibrinogen levels in two groups. Plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly increased in patients with coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION: This study suggests -1420G/A polymorphism may be associated with occurrence of coronary heart disease.

[Changes and clinical significance of serum soluble Apo-1/Fas in pancreatic cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To detect changes of serum soluble Apo-1/Fas (sApo-1/Fas) in pancreatic cancer patients and to investigate its clinical value in assessing the effect of chemotherapy. METHODS: The serum level of sApo-1/Fas in 30 normal control subjects and 58 pancreatic cancer patients were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the sApo-1/Fas level of 48 pancreatic cancer patients, before and after chemotherapy was compared. RESULTS: Compared with the level of the control group, the level of serum soluble Apo-1/Fas was significantly correlated with clinical stage but not with age, sex or pathologic type of pancreatic cancer. It was elevated gradually from stage II to IV (P < 0.01). However, it would obviously decrease in pancreatic cancer patients after chemotherapy (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The serum soluble Apo-1/Fas may be involved in the development of pancreatic cancer, and it may be used as one parameter to assess the disease status and prognosis of pancreatic cancer patient.

[A related analysis for alpha, beta fibrinogen gene haplotypes and nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the ischemic stroke in Hainan Han population].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of that the polymorphisms and haplotypes of Taq I site in beta fibrinogen gene and the single nucleotide sites -455 G/A, -249 C/T, -148 C/T, +1689T/G, Bsm A I G/C, 448 G/A, Bcl I G/A, Hinf I A/C in beta-fibrinogen gene are linked up with the ischemic stroke(IS). METHODS: Turbidmetric assay was used to measure the plasma fibrinogen level of one hundred and sixty cases with ischemic stroke and one hundred and thirty healthy individuals from Hainanese Han population. The polymorphisms and genotypes were characterized by PCR-RFLP. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and statistical differences of allelic, genotype and haplotype frequencies were obtained by Chi-square test. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium was calculated and haplotypes of nine or four polymorphisms were estimated by the EH + program. RESULTS: There were highly significant differences in genotype frequencies and allelic frequencies of the polymorphisms -455 G/A, -148 C/T, 448 G/A, which happened between the IS group and control subjects (P< 0.01). However, the significant differences of the allelic frequencies in the other six polymorphisms were not found between the IS group and the control (P> 0.05). The odds ratio(OR) with the rare alleles of A -455, T -148 and A 448 is 2.46, 2.30 and 2.08 (95% confidence interval 1.153%-3.924%, 1.429%-3.694% and 1.298%-3.329%) respectively. No definite haplotype block was found by linkage disequilibrium analysis in the control group and the IS group. Association of haplotypes constructed from the nine polymorphisms with IS was not found. Among the haplotypes constructed from four polymorphisms including -455 G/A, -148 C/T, 448 G/A alleles, haplotype differences were found between the control group and the IS group. Haplotypes with G -455, C -148, G448 alleles appeared more frequently in control group(P< or = 0.01), whereas haplotypes with A -455, T -148, A 448 occurred more frequently in the IS group(P< 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of multi-allele and haplotype analysis indicated that the polymorphisms -455 G/A, -148 C/T, 448 G/A in beta fibrinogen gene were the possible risk factors associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke in Hainan Han population.

[Nine polymorphisms of fibrinogen gene and their association with plasma fibrinogen levels in Hainan Han population].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the allelic frequencies of polymorphisms of alpha Taq I and beta Bcl I, Hinf I A/C, 448 G/A, beta BsmA I G/C, +1689T/G, -148C/T, -249C/T, -455G/A in Hainan Han population and their association with plasma fibrinogen level. METHODS: Turbidmetric assay was used to measure plasma fibrinogen level of two hundred and thirty-eight healthy individuals. The genotypes were characterized by PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis. The relationships between the genotypes and plasma fibrinogen levels were analyzed by t test and ANOVA. RESULTS: The frequencies of the rare alleles of alpha Taq I and beta Bcl I, Hinf I A/C, 448 G/A, beta BsmA I G/C, +1689T/G, -148C/T, -249C/T, -455G/A polymorphisms were 0.445, 0.239, 0.134, 0.235, 0.273, 0.241, 0.265, 0.441, 0.254 respectively. In the general population, the plasma fibrinogen level is significantly higher in the groups of genotypes -455GA and AA, -148CT and TT, alpha Taq I T1T1 than in the group of wild types(P=0.004, 0.015 and 0.043 respectively). In the men, plasma fibrinogen level is significantly higher in the groups of genotypes -455GA and AA, -148CT and TT, alpha Taq I T1T1, alpha Taq I T1T2 than in the group of wild types(P=0.001, 0.023, 0.003 and 0.032 respectively). In the women, no significant genotype association with plasma fibrinogen level was detected. CONCLUSION: There was linkage disequilibrium between the fibrinogen gene loci. The beta -455G/A beta 448G/A, alpha Fg Taq I polymorphisms were associated with the difference in plasma fibrinogen in men. A(-455), T(-148) and alpha Taq I T1 alleles were associated with higher fibrinogen levels.

[Clinical value of serum soluble Apo-1/Fas for predicting biological behaviors and prognosis of gastric carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Literatures reported that the soluble Apo-1/Fas(sApo-1/Fas) levels in serum of patients with malignant carcinoma were higher than that in normal control subject, but there were fewer studies was seldom to detect the level of sApo-1/Fas in patients with malignancy carcinoma and effect of chemotherapy; the subject is to detect the level of sApo-1/Fas in patients with gastric carcinoma and effect of chemotherapy on it, and to investigate its clinical value. METHODS: Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA) was available to detect the level of sApo-1/Fas in 42 case of patients with gastric carcinoma before and after chemotherapy, as compared with 30 case of normal control subject. RESULTS: Levels of sApo-1/Fas were elevated in all subgroups of patients with gastric carcinoma as compared to the controls (P < 0.01), sApo-1/Fas was correlated with clinical stage and histological grade, and not with sex, age; the sApo-1/Fas level in stage IV was higher in comparison with stage III and II (P < 0.05-0.01), and in stage III it was higher than in stage II (P < 0.05); being lower in the well differentiated and moderately differentiated than the poorly differentiated(P < 0.05-0.01), that the sApo-1/Fas levels were remarkably reduced in complete remission or partial remission patients(P < 0.01) after chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: sApo-1/Fas may play closely reflect growth and regulation in gastric carcinoma, it may be a predictor for biological behaviors and prognosis of gastric carcinoma; sApo-1/Fas may be a new target in treating gastric carcinoma.

[Effect of beta-Fibrinogen-455 Gene Polymorphism on Plasma Fibrinogen Levels in Patients with Ischemic Stroke]

In large prospective studies, plasma fibrinogen levels have been shown to be an independent risk factor of vascular disease, including ischemic stroke. Elevated plasma fibrinogen in an individual could be due to the presence of predisposing genetic and/or environmental factors, such as smoking. Of the polymorphisms studies to date, the beta-fibrinogen-455 (beta-Fg-455) G-->A substitution in the 5' flanking region is associated with the most consistent difference in plasma fibrinogen levels in both case-control studies and in selected groups of healthy individuals. In order to further elucidate the role of the beta-Fg-455 G-->A substitution in determining fibrinogen levels and susceptibility to ischemic stroke in case-control population, including 104 individuals with verified ischemic stroke and 156 healthy individuals. Turbidimetriy assays were used to measure plasma fibrinogen levels of all samples. The beta-Fg-455 G-->A mutation was identified by the polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme digestion of the amplified DNA with HaeIII. The plasma fibrinogen level in patients with ischemic stroke [(3.51 +/- 1.09) g/L] was significantly higher than that in the control [(3.08 +/- 0.71) g/L] (P < 0.01). The A-allele is associated with elevated fibrinogen levels in both patients and controls. The plasma fibrinogen levels in controls with A-allele in elder people were higher than in younger people (P < 0.05). Those with A allele in males of ischemic stroke had significantly higher plasma fibrinogen levels in smokers than in non-smokers and ex-smokers (P < 0.05), but it was not significantly difference in subjects of GG genotype (P > 0.05). Our data demonstrates an association of the beta-Fg promoter A-455 allele with higher fibrinogen levels in the general population, and suggests that the A-allele may be a susceptible predictor of ischemic stroke, particularly in aging and smoking.