[Selective Adsorption of Au(â ¢) by Activated Carbon Supported Polythioamides and Adsorption Mechanism].

By using in-situ synthesis of polythioamide (PTA) on activated carbon (AC), a polythioamide-modified activated carbon-based adsorbent (AC-PTA) was successfully prepared and used to study the selective adsorption effect and mechanism of Au(Ⅲ) in wastewater. The results showed that AC-PTA exhibited excellent selective adsorption to Au(Ⅲ) in the coexisting solution of multiple metal ions in a wide pH range (<5.0). The adsorption effect for Au(Ⅲ) was the best at a pH of 2 and 3; the concentration of residue Au(Ⅲ) was less than 0.1 mg·L-1, whereas other metals were barely adsorbed. The selective adsorption process for Au(Ⅲ) conformed to the pseudo-second kinetic model (R2=0.9853), the thermodynamic process conformed to the Langmuir isotherm process (R2=0.9936), and adsorption capacity was up to 2018 mg·g-1. Such advantages were mainly attributed to the coordination interaction between the -C([FY=,1]S)NH- functional groups on the AC-PTA surface and Au(Ⅲ), the electrostatic adsorption between the positive AC-PTA and negative Au(Ⅲ) complex anions, and the direct reduction of Au(Ⅲ) by AC. The successful recovery of gold was finally realized by burning the adsorbed AC-PTA at 1000℃ for 4 hours under air conditions, and solid gold with a mass fraction higher than 90.0% was obtained. This study provided the possibility for selective adsorption and recovery of low concentration Au(Ⅲ) from actual wastewater.

Pathological significance of urinary complement activation in diabetic nephropathy: A full view from the development of the disease.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to obtain a full view of the changes of urinary complement activation products in the development of diabetic nephropathy and explore their possible significance in the disease process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 62 patients at different stages of diabetic nephropathy, 20 diabetes patients without nephropathy and 20 healthy persons were enrolled. Urinary complement activation products, including C3a, C5a and C5b-9, were measured, and their associations with the progression of the disease were analyzed. RESULTS: The urinary complement activation products increased markedly since the proteinuria stage, and were parallel with the progression of diabetic nephropathy. More severe renal tubular damage was observed in patients with higher levels of urinary complement activation products. The urinary complement activation products levels correlated closely with renal tubulointerstitial injury score and relative tubular interstitial volume. Multivariate regression analysis showed that elevated urinary complement activation products were independent risk factors for tubular injury in diabetic nephropathy patients. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary complement activation might have a role in renal tubular interstitial injury in patients with diabetic nephropathy, especially in patients at a later stage of the disease.

Lectin-induced renal local complement activation is involved in tubular interstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Complement has been suggested to be involved in diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the exact significance and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Data about renal local complement activation in DN patients is scarce. The purpose of the study was to clarify the significance and mechanism of renal local complement activation in DN. METHODS: Sixty-two biopsy-proven DN patients were recruited. Renal expression of C1Q, factor B, C5b-9, MBL and MBL-associated serine protease 1 (MASP1) were detected and associated with the kidney damage. RESULTS: C5b-9, MBL and MASP1 was found to increase with the progression of DN. Especially, the level of C5b-9, MBL and MASP1 in tubular interstitium was closely associated with the damage degree of tubular interstitium. In addition, MBL and MASP1 co-localized and their levels in tubular interstitium correlated with the levels of C5b-9 in tubules and tubular interstitium. CONCLUSION: Increased renal local complement activation was present in DN patients and might contribute to the kidney damage, especially tubular interstitial damage. MBL pathway might play an important role in renal tubular interstitial complement activation. Methods against complement activation or MBL pathway might be effective in reducing renal tubular interstitial damage in DN patients.

A Devonian tetrapod-like fish reveals substantial parallelism in stem tetrapod evolution.

The fossils assigned to the tetrapod stem group document the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates from lobe-finned fishes. During the past 18 years the phylogenetic structure of this stem group has remained remarkably stable, even when accommodating new discoveries such as the earliest known stem tetrapod Tungsenia and the elpistostegid (fish-tetrapod intermediate) Tiktaalik. Here we present a large lobe-finned fish from the Late Devonian period of China that disrupts this stability. It combines characteristics of rhizodont fishes (supposedly a basal branch in the stem group, distant from tetrapods) with derived elpistostegid-like and tetrapod-like characters. This mélange of characters may reflect either detailed convergence between rhizodonts and elpistostegids plus tetrapods, under a phylogenetic scenario deduced from Bayesian inference analysis, or a previously unrecognized close relationship between these groups, as supported by maximum parsimony analysis. In either case, the overall result reveals a substantial increase in homoplasy in the tetrapod stem group. It also suggests that ecological diversity and biogeographical provinciality in the tetrapod stem group have been underestimated.

[Changes of pathologic feature and microtubulin associated protein 2 in nervous system of hens with organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy induced by 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl phenylphosphonate].

OBJECTIVE: To develop the organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN) hen model with 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl phenylphosphonate (TOCP), and observe the change of pathology and investigate the alterations of microtubulin associated protein 2 (MAP2). METHODS: 48 adult hens were randomly divided into four groups, including three experimental groups and control group (n = 12 each group). The hens in three experimental groups were treated with TOCP by gavage at single dosages of 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg respectively while the control hens received an equivalent volume of corn oil by gavage. All hens were sacrificed after 21 days of treatment. Half hens in each group were dissected for HE examination and myelin straining of brain, spinal cord and sciatic nerve while brains of another half hens were dissected for the determination of MAP2 by western blotting. RESULTS: The delayed neurotoxicity symptoms of hens both in 500 and 750 mg/kg groups were consistently observed. The pathological changes of brain, spinal cord and sciatic nerve in 500 and 750 mg/kg groups showed nerve cells difference necrosis, increased cytoplasm basophilia, microglia proliferation, mono-nuclear and lymphocyte infiltration, myelin sheath extensive up to part of them disaggregation deletion. Compared with the control group, at 500 and 750 mg/kg respectively the increase of MAP2 was 25% and 23% (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The histopathologic changes of OPIDN caused by TOCP have dose-response relationship. The changes of MAP2 in nervous system may contribute to the occurrence and development of TOCP induced delayed neurotoxicity.

[Clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics,diagnosis and treatment of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach. METHODS: Clinical data of 13 hepatoid adenocarcinomas of the stomach, collected from 201 cases of gastric cancer, were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 201 gastric carcinomas, there were 13 AFP-producing adenocarcinomas of the stomach, the positive rate was 6.5%. Morphologically, the tumor cells formed glandular, medullary and linear structures. Of the 13 hepatoid adenocarcinomas of the stomach, 10 cases were in gastric antrum and 10 cases were poorly differentiated. The metastasis rates of liver and lymph node in hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach were higher than those in non-hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach. The treatment of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach depended mainly on radical resection, and adjuvant chemotherapy was needed.The prognosis of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach was poor. CONCLUSION: Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach has its own special tumor biological behavior and poor prognosis. Special attention should be paid to this disease.

[Effect of HuperzineA on neurophathologic change of mouse exposed by isocarbophos and phoxim].

OBJECTIVE: In order to assessment the Huperzine A (HupA) on CNS of mice exposed by phoxim and isocarbophos. METHODS: One group was given tween-80 or peanut oil as control. One group was given phoxim or isocarbophos alone as phoxim or isocarbophos group. The other group was given HupA 2h before phoxim or isocarbophos exposure as HupA protective group. Twenty-four hours after exposure, the whole body perfusion in situ technique was performed for tissue fixation. The whole brain was removed and adjacent coronal sections was obtained. The sections of brain were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and toluidine blue. Under optic microscope images were collected and analysed. RESULTS: The extensive lesions including cortex oedema, pyramidal cell oedema, and nissal body numbers reduced were observed in phoxim or isocarbophos group. The animals of HupA protective group were observed cortex oedema, pyramidal cell oedema, but the lesional degree was lighter obviously than phoxim or isocarbophos group. CONCLUSION: It was suggested that the HupA could have the protective effect of neuropathologic changes exposed by phoxim and isocarbophos.