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To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis (PM), and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) isolates in Chinese children. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information, laboratory data, and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country. Results Among the 160 children with PM, there were 103 males and 57 females. The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years, with 109 cases (68.1%) aged 3 months to under 3 years. SP strains were isolated from 95 cases (59.4%) in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases (35.6%) in blood cultures. The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic nextgeneration sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87) and 27% (21/78), respectively. Fiftyfive cases (34.4%) had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis, 113 cases (70.6%) had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci, and 18 cases (11.3%) had underlying diseases. The most common clinical symptoms were fever (147 cases, 91.9%), followed by lethargy (98 cases, 61.3%) and vomiting (61 cases, 38.1%). Sixty-nine cases (43.1%) experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization, with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication [43 cases (26.9%)], followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases (15.0%), brain abscess in 23 cases (14.4%), and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases (5.0%). Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old, with rates of 91% (39/43) and 83% (20/24), respectively. SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin (100%, 75/75), linezolid (100%, 56/56), and meropenem (100%, 6/6). High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin (81%, 22/27), moxifloxacin (82%, 14/17), rifampicin (96%, 25/26), and chloramphenicol (91%, 21/23). However, low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin (16%, 11/68) and clindamycin (6%, 1/17), and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin (100%, 31/31). The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160) and 66.2% (106/160), respectively, while 18 cases (11.3%) had adverse outcomes. Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years. Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old. Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM, and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications. Nonculture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates. Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases. SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin, linezolid, meropenem, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, rifampicin, and chloramphenicol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Overgrowth diamond refers to the product of thick CVD synthetic diamond layer grown on a natural diamond with the whole appearance. Since overgrown diamonds contain information on the nitrogen impurities of natural diamonds, traditional synthetic diamond screening methods and testing procedures are no longer applicable to the detection of overgrown diamonds. OBJECTIVE To gemologically test an overgrowth diamond sample in order to investigate the full identification features and to propose the optimum detection strategy. METHODS Minspecting, screening instruments testing, UV-Vis/FTIR/PL spectra examinations, as well as fluorescence and phosphorescence observation under deep UV excitation are carried out. RESULTS The sample cannot be identified by traditional microscopic observation, diamond instrument screening, and infrared spectra measurement. The sample has a distinct boundary that is separated by different luminescence under DiamondViewTM. The upper layer displays red fluorescence and greenish blue phosphorescence, while the lower layer shows deep blue fluorescence and no phosphorescence. Infrared spectroscopic analysis shows that the upper layer is type Ⅱa and the lower layer is type Ⅰa diamond. The UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra confirmed the coexistence of N3 centers and a high level of[Si-V]- defects in the diamond. CONCLUSIONS It was confirmed that the lower part of the sample is natural and the upper part of the sample is CVD synthetic layer with a thickness around 740μm. The first overgrowth diamond reported domestically was compared to the same type of samples reported abroad. The existence of a boundary are missing and the thickness of the CVD layer increased significantly in this sample. The innovative application of the multidirectional luminescence imaging and spectroscopic analyses is the key to laboratory testing of overgrowth diamond.

Surface tension is one of the important physical and chemical parameters of the solid surface, which is closely related to temperature and properties of the phases between the boundaries. Based on the Young function, the contact angle measurement method to calculate the solid surface tension has been widely used in surface science and engineering Comparing to other solid materials with inhomogeneous surface, most gemstones have a smooth surface, making it easy to measure the contact angle. In this study, the contact angle of 15 different types of natural and synthetic gemstones including diamond, moissanite, CZ, tourmaline, topaz, jade, amber. And some coated gemstones and fissure filled gemstones have been measured and compared using a dynamic contact angle testing device (FTA200). It was found that the differences in the contact angle for different types of natural and synthetic gemstones are suitable to be used in gemstone identification. For example, contact angle value of diamond and CZ is 56.68° and 37.79°, respectively. Furthermore, the contact angle values between the gemstone and gems with coating process have significant differences, such as the contact angle value of amber is 92.49°, while coated amber is 66.49°. Due to the limitations of the droplet size control restricted by experimental conditions, the contact angle of the fissure-filled gemstones cannot be measured accurately. Herein, this method is not suitable to identify gemstones with artificial fillings. Research shows that contact angle and surface tension values can be used as the basis of supplementary identification of gem species, especially for coated gems. Compared with the conventional gem identification methods (e.g. Infrared Spectrum, the refractive index measurement), contact angle measurement method has higher measuring accuracy, simple operation without destroying the sample, and conforms to the basic principles of gemstone nondestructive identification, especially for high refractive index gem. Contact angle measurement can solve the detection problems for surface-coated gems and related surface property.

The passive buildings are significant to the energy conservation, emission reduction, and green upgrade of the construction industry. The capital plays a key role in promoting the development of passive buildings, but its active adoption of passive buildings is restricted by some factors. Based on the literature review and questionnaire survey, this article determines the fundamental factors leading the capital using the passive buildings actively, and establishes the Interpretation Structure Model (ISM) to analyze the relationship among various factors. The results show that there are five layers of hierarchical structure model of influence factors. The fundamental factors leading the capital using the passive buildings include effective incentive mechanism, mandatory policy, subsidies, investment payback period, and the change of economic environment. Finally, the development countermeasures are put forward from the perspectives of the government, the capital, and the consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation was made on the abundance and biomass of planktonic ciliates in the shelf of East China Sea in May (spring) and November (autumn), 2011. The abundance of the ciliates in spring and autumn was averagely (614±861) and (934±809) ind·L-1, and the biomass was averagely (1. 70±3. 91) and (0. 93±0. 99) μg C·L-1, respectively. The high abundance and biomass in spring were found in coastal and offshore areas, and those in autumn were in offshore only. In the two seasons, the ciliates tended to accumulate in the waters upper layer, and sometimes flocked in the bottom. In the spring, aloricate ciliate species were larger than those in the autumn. Tintinnids occupied (26. 9% ±34. 3)% and (44. 9% ±25. 2)% of the total ciliates abundance in spring and autumn, respectively. In taxonomy, 52 tintinnid species of 27 genera were identified. The most dominant species were Tintinnidium primitivum, Stenosemella oliva, and Tintinnopsis tubulosoides in spring, and Tintinnidium primitivum, Stenosemella parvicollis, and Tintinnopsis nana in autumn. The ciliates abundance showed significant positive correlations with water temperature and Chl a concentration, the tintinnids abundance showed significant negative correlation with water salinity, and the tintinnids community was significantly related to water temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Sadaovsk formula, the site monitoring data of rock mass induced by bench blasting and pre-splitting blasting in Taishan Nuclear Power Station was analyzed, and the results show that the K and a values of vibration velocity caused by pre-split blasting are larger than that of bench blasting within the scope of 20-200 m. Through dimensional analysis, the function relation between the vibration frequency and the charge weight per delay and distance from explosion was established. Furthermore, the rock vibration frequency of these two kinds of blasting was compared by means of regression analysis. The results show that the vibration frequency decreases with the increasing of charge weight per delay or distance from explosion. The rock vibration frequency of pre-splitting blasting is higher than bench blasting for the same explosion distance, and the gap becomes smaller with the increasing of maximum charge weight per delay. The attenuation with distance of vibration frequency of pre-splitting blasting is more rapid than bench blasting for the same maximum charge weight per delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bedding rock with intercalation for bench blasting model is made by limestone mine clay which embedded in precast cement mortar models. Blasting model test of bedding rock with intercalation were carried out under different blasting conditions. The test results show that the intercalation after blasting is divided into four regions: blasting cavity region, tightness region, affected region and undisturbed region. The blasting cavity region, tightness region, affected region constitute the lamination region. Tightness density increases first and then decreases with source distance, and finally reduces to the density before blasting. The lamination range of the model increases with the increase of intercaltion water content, source distance and explosive dosage. And the lamination range increases at first, and then decreases with the increase of intercalation thickness. The experiment which the explosive cartridge is located at different positions proved that different charge locations in the blast hole can reduce or overcome lamination effect of the bedding rock with intercalation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate preoperative comprehensive examinations of the IPSS-voiding to storage subscore ratio (IPSS-V/S), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP) and postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) in predicting the outcome of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for BPH., Methods: This retrospective study included 103 cases of BPH treated by TURP in Yixing People's Hospital from December 2018 to December 2019. The patients averaged 71.92 ± 7.73 years of age, with a mean prostate volume of (58.34 ± 15.59) ml, preoperative IPSS of 23.38 ± 3.36, voiding score of 14.38 ± 2.69, storage score of 9 (8－10), V/S ratio of 1.67 (1.43－1.88), Qmax of 7 (5－8) ml/s, IPP of 4 (0－5) mm, and PVR of (117.03 ± 20.51) ml. The TURP operations were completed by the same surgeon, with mean operation time of (83.65 ± 14.31) min and intraoperative blood loss of (55.32 ± 18.92) ml. The patients were followed up for 3 months after surgery for evaluation of the outcomes based on the IPSS and quality of life (QOL) scores., Results: The postoperative IPSS was significantly improved in all the patients compared with the baseline (5.36 ± 1.95 vs 23.38 ± 3.36, P < 0.05). Based on the criteria of IPSS < 7 and general satisfaction with QOL, satisfactory results were achieved in 71 (68.93%) of the patients (aged 71.04 ± 7.23 years, prostate volume: ［59.68 ± 15.79］ ml, IPSS: 23.87 ± 3.42, voiding score: 14.87 ± 2.34, storage score: 9 ［8－10］, V/S ratio: 1.67 ［1.47－1.86］, Qmax: 6 ［4－7］ ml/s, IPP: 5 ［0－6］ mm, PVR: 110.53 ± 17.69 ml, operation time ［85.37 ± 12.28］ min, intraoperative blood loss: ［58.08 ± 14.61］ ml), and unsatisfactory results in the other 32 (31.07%) (aged 76.91 ± 8.25 years, prostate volume: ［55.38 ± 14.73］ ml, IPSS: 22.53 ± 3.25, voiding score: 13.53 ± 3.21, storage score: 9 ［8－12］, V/S ratio: 1.36 ［1.03－1.95］, Qmax: 8 ［7－9］ ml/s, IPP: 0 ［0－5］ mm, PVR: ［129.61 ± 20.62］ ml, operation time: ［78.85 ± 10.04］ min, intraoperative blood loss: 48.76 ± 12.19 ml)., Conclusions: TURP yields better results in younger BPH patients, with baseline IPSS dominantly in urinary symptoms, greater IPP, lower PVR, and lower Qmax.

Chemical constituents were isolated and purified from the water extract of Artemisia annua by column chromatography of HP-20 macroporous resin, silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, HW-40, and semi-preparative RP-HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and spectral analyses. As a result, Fifteen compounds were isolated and identified as vitexnegheteroin M(1), sibricose A5(2), securoside A(3), citrusin D(4), annphenone(5), E-melilotoside(6), esculetin(7), scopoletin-7-O-β-D-glucoside(8), eleutheroside B&#95;1(9), chrysosplenol D(10), patuletin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(11), quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucoside(12), rutin(13), apigenin 6,8-di-C-β-D-glucopyranoside(14), isoschaftoside(15), among them, compounds 1-4 were identified from Artemisia for the first time. Additionally, the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the production of PGE&#95;2 in LPS-simulated RAW264.7 macrophages. The results showed that compounds 1, 2, 8, and 10-15 could reduce PGE&#95;2 levels, to a certain extent.

In order to analyze the expression of genes involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis pathway in Polygonatum cyrtonema tubers, it is very important to select internal reference genes that are stably expressed at different development stages and in response to abiotic stress. According to the previously established P. cyrtonema transcriptome database and reported internal reference genes in plant, this study systematically analyzed eight candidate internal reference genes including histone H2 A, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, ACTIN, β-tubulin, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme-E2-10, elongation factor 1-alpha isoform, 18 S rRNA and α-tubulin 4 for expression stability in P. cyrtonema tubers at different development stages and in response to methyl jasmonate(MeJA) stress by using Real time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR). Based on the statistical analysis of qPCR results by using GeNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper softwares, the expression of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme-E2-10 and elongation factor 1-alpha isoform are the most stable in P. cyrtonema tubes at different development stages and in response to MeJA stress. The two internal reference genes were further validated by analyzing the expression of 4 genes involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis pathways. In conclusion, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme-E2-10 and elongation factor 1-alpha isoform can be used as the most appropriate internal reference genes for qPCR analysis in P. cyrtonema. This study also provide a foundation for future investigate the molecular mechanism of steroidal saponin biosynthesis pathways in P. cyrtonema.

To enrich the transcriptome data in rhizome of Polygonatum cyrtonema seedlings, identify candidate functional genes involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis and provide genetic resources for the research on anabolism pathway and regulatory mechanism of active components in P. cyrtonema, Illumina platform was applied to perform transcriptomic sequencing of rhizome of P. cyrtonema, followed by a series of bioinformatics analysis on RNA-seq data, including de novo assembly, annotation, classification and metabolic pathway analysis of the assembled unigene. Meanwhile, a deep analysis on the steroidal saponin biosynthesis in secondary metabolism pathway was performed. The results showed a total of 126 546 unigene were obtained by de novo transcriptome assembly, of which 47 226 were annotated. Of these, 16 499 unigene were mapped to 132 specific pathways, of which 2 768 were identified to be involved in 22 secondary metabolic pathways. One hundred and thirteen unigene were identified from the transcriptome database, which encoded 27 metabolic enzymes associated with steroidal saponin biosynthesis and shared similarity with 45 functional genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. In conclusion, a series of candidate functional genes, which might be involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis, were selected from the transcriptome database of P. cyrtonema rhizome. Further investigation of these candidate genes will provide insight into their actual functions in the steroidal saponin biosynthetic pathway in P. cyrtonema. In addition, this study also provide abunant reference data for transcriptome characterization of P. cyrtonema and has important significance for functional genomics of P. cyrtonema.

Objective: To study the value of body fat mass measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in predicting abnormal blood pressure and abnormal glucose metabolism in children., Methods: Stratified cluster sampling was used to select the students aged 6-16 years, and a questionnaire survey and physical examination were performed. The BIA apparatus was used to measure body fat mass. Body mass index (BMI), body fat mass index (FMI), and fat mass percentage (FMP) were calculated. Fasting blood glucose level were measured., Results: A total of 14 293 children were enrolled, among whom boys accounted for 49.89%. In boys and girls, the percentile values (P 60 , P 65 , P 70 , P 75 , P 80 , P 85 , P 90 , P 95 ) of FMI and FMP fitted by the LMS method were taken as the cut-off values. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the P 70 values with a better value in predicting abnormal blood pressure and blood glucose metabolism were selected as the cut-off values for excessive body fat. When FMI or FMP was controlled below P 70 , the incidence of abnormal blood pressure or abnormal glucose metabolism may be decreased in 8.25%-43.24% of the children., Conclusions: The evaluation of obesity based on FMI and FMP has a certain value in screening for hypertension and hyperglycemia in children, which can be further verified in the future prevention and treatment of obesity and related chronic diseases in children.

The heterotrophic-autotrophic reactor including two chambers, that is, the lower part of the heterotrophic zone and the upper part of the autotrophic zone, was used to remove highly concentrated perchlorate (ClO 4 - ) wastewater. The reduction characteristics of ClO 4 - and the effluent sulfur (SO 4 2- ) concentration were investigated using different influent ClO 4 - concentrations and C/Cl ratios. By adjusting the influent C/Cl ratio from 2 to 1, the reactor was started up successfully within 36 d. The microorganisms tolerated the high concentration of ClO 4 - (250-400 mg·L -1 ) and the ClO 4 - removal efficiency was higher than 95%. By adjusting the C/Cl ratio to 1.2, the ClO 4 - load in the autotrophic zone was reduced and the SO 4 2- concentration in the effluent was controlled below 250 mg·L -1 . The result show that tryptophan and tyrosine materials in soluble microbial products led to the TOC increase in the effluent of the autotrophic zone. The sludge yield was reduced because of heterotrophic and autotrophic processes. The alkalinity produced by the heterotrophic process was used as carbon source for the autotrophic process and to neutralize the acidity produced by the autotrophic process, representing the complementary function and avoiding the addition of alkalinity in the autotrophic process.

The aim of this study was to develop a simple, sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of syringaresinol, N-trans-feruloyltyramine, chelerythrine chloride, sinomenine, coptisine chloride, sanguinarine, chelidonine, magnolflorine, allocryptopine, protopine, farrerol, stylopine and dihydrosanguin-arine in Tong'an injection (TAI), which could be used for the quality control of TAI. The UPLC analysis was performed on Agilent Zorbax SB-Aq column (2.1 mm×150 mm,3.5 μm), with 0.1% formic acid solution (A) -acetonitrile (B) as the mobile phase for gradient elution (0.01-2 min, 5%B; 2-8 min, 5%-30%B; 8-11 min, 30%-95%B; 11-13 min, 95%B; 13-13.1 min, 95%-5%B; 13.1-14 min, 5%B). The flow rate was 0.5 mL•min⁻¹, and the column temperature was 25 ℃; multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was performed in electrospray ion source positive ion mode for quantitative determination. The calibration curves for the above thirteen compounds showed good linear relationship in corresponding mass concentration range (r>0.999 0). The average recovery rate of the compounds ranged from 95.70% to 104.8%, with RSD of less than 1.9%. The contents of thirteen active components in 10 batches of TAI were 0.021 2-0.029 0, 0.001 7-0.002 3, 0.000 9-0.001 3, 5.952-6.205 2, 0.195 4-0.240 5, 0.002 0-0.002 9, 0.693-0.798 2, 0.069 3-0.078 2, 0.089 29-0.102 9, 0.386 5-0.420 1, 0.014 3-0.015 9, 0.755 3-0.842 1, and 0.008 2-0.011 2 g•L⁻¹ respectively. Methodology validation proved that this method was simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate, which can be used to provide reference for the comprehensive evaluation of TAI quality. The determination results of 10 batches of TAI showed the content of each batch had no significant difference. The results may provide a basis for the quality control of TAI., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Sulfur/dolomite and pyrite/dolomite autotrophic denitrification reactors were applied to treat the secondary effluent of wastewater treatment plant to explore the removal effect, the changes of microbial community, and recovery time of reactors after starvation period. It was shown in the results that after 30 d non-water starvation endurance, the effluent concentrations of NO 3 - -N in sulfur/dolomite and pyrite/dolomite reactors increased from 1.78 mg·L -1 , 11.32 mg·L -1 to 27.87 mg·L -1 , 26.56 mg·L -1 respectively at the low temperature of 12-14℃. In addition, sulfur/dolomite and pyrite/dolomite reactors recovered within 5 d and 11 d since restarted and could maintain a good effect of nitrogen removal at low temperature. MiSeq high throughput sequencing results showed that the abundance and diversity of the bacterial communities in starvation period in both reactors were lower than those in recovery period. The dominating phylum was Proteobacteria in both reactors while the dominating class was β -Proteobacteria. Thiobacillus was identified as the main genus for denitrification in sulfur/dolomite reactor.

Objective: To assess the effects of testicular sperm and epididymal sperm on the outcomes of ICSI for patients with obstructive azoospermia., Methods: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang Database up to December 2015 for published literature relevant to ICSI with testicular or epididymal sperm for obstructive azoospermia patients. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two reviewers independently conducted literature screening, data extraction and quality assessment of the included trials, followed by meta-analysis with the RevMan 5.3 software., Results: A total of 14 studies were identified, involving 1 278 patients and 1 553 ICSI cycles. ICSI with epididymal sperm exhibited a significantly higher fertilization rate than that with testicular sperm (RR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.05－1.11, P<0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed between the epididymal and testicular sperm groups in the rates of cleavage (RR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.99－1.10, P = 0.13), good-quality embryo (RR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.93－1.09,P = 0.85), implantation (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.75－1.73, P = 0.55), clinical pregnancy (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.98－1.31, P = 0.08), and miscarriage (RR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.53－1.39,P = 0.54)., Conclusions: ICSI with epididymal sperm yields a markedly higher fertilization rate than that with testicular sperm, but has no statistically significant differences from the latter in the rates of cleavage, good-quality embryo, implantation, clinical pregnancy, and miscarriage in the treatment of obstructive azoospermia.

Coking wastewater is a kind of highly toxic and refractory organic wastewater, and aerobic activated sludge, which is dominated by bacteria, determines the efficiency of coking wastewater treatment. However, the bacterial community structure of activated sludge from coking wastewater has rarely been reported. 454 sequencing technology was applied to investigate the structure and biodiversity of the bacterial community. The results of thermal cluster analysis and principal component analysis demonstrated the differences in biodiversities of different activated sludge bacterial communities. The bacterial communities were mainly composed of Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Candidatus Saccharibacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Thaumarchaeota, Ignavibacteriae, Verrucomicrobia and Unclassified bacteria. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum and its abundance was 36.00%-76.98%. The primary genera were Thiobacillus, Thauera, Comamonas, Caldimonas, Steroidobacter, Nitrosomonas, Phycisphaera and Gp4 . Most of these genera were related with aromatic hydrocarbon degradation, nitrification and denitrification processes. These results provide a theoretical basis for removal mechanism of pollutants in coking wastewater.

Thiocyanate (SCN - ) is one of the main sources of COD in coking wastewater, and SCN - removal efficiency of the aerobic unit impacts the requirement of discharging standard. Microbial population in the activated sludge plays an important role in SCN - removal of coking wastewater treatment. However, the community structure has rarely been reported. Using SCN - as the sole carbon and energy source, the removal of 100 mg·L -1 ,300 mg·L -1 and 600 mg·L -1 SCN - by activated sludge was studied and 454 sequencing technology was applied to investigate the biodiversity of SCN - -degrading bacteria. The results showed that 100-600 mg·L -1 SCN - could be effectively removed by acclimated activated sludge, the higher SCN - concentration, the higher removal efficiency, but the lower bacterial community diversity indices. The bacterial communities in initial and acclimated sludge samples were mainly composed of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Nitrospira, Firmicutes and Unclassified bacteria. Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were dominant phyla in the sludge. Thiobacillus was responsible for SCN - biodegradation in coking wastewater, and its abundance in three sludge samples was 3.07%, 8.63% and 0.27%, respectively. When the concentration of SCN - was less than 300 mg·L -1 , Thiobacillus was the main degrading bacteria. While at 600 mg·L -1 SCN - , low-abundance degrading bacteria might have synergistic degradation effect. These results have important significance for revealing SCN - removal mechanism in the coking wastewater treatment.

To study the metabolic transformation of pumiloside by rat intestinal flora in vitro and identify its metabolites. Pumiloside was incubated in the rat intestinal flora in vitro. HPLC was used to monitor the metabolic process, and HPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to identify the structures of biotransformation products. In vitro, pumiloside was easily metabolized by rat intestinal flora, and with the prolongation of metabolic time, pumiloside was transformed into several metabolites. Three metabolites were initially identified in this experiment. The study indicated that pumiloside could be extensively metabolized in the rat intestinal flora in vitro., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Objective: To establish the HPLC fingerprint of Taxus chinensis var. mairei collected from different parts during different seasons and provide scientific basis for its comprehensive utilization., Methods: Supercritical CO2 extraction was used to extract the effective fraction, HPLC method to establish the fingerprint and similarity evaluation software to analyze the fingerprint chromatogram., Results: 12 batches of Taxus chinensis var. mairei medicinal materials from different parts collected in different seasons were analyzed and HPLC fingerprint of Taxus chinensis var. mairei was established., Conclusion: The HPLC fingerprint can be used to evaluate the quality of Taxus chinensis var. mairei medicinal materials.

The quinone respiration process of Paracoccus versutus strain GW1 was characterized and the effects of the four redox mediators on the denitrification process were studied. The experiment results suggested that quinones were utilized by Paracoccus versutus strain GW1 as electron acceptors in the respiratory chain and reduced to hydroquinone. Batch experiments were carried out to investigate the biocatalyst effect of redox mediators as catalyst on the denitrification process at 35 degrees C. All four redox mediators tested were able to enhance the nitrate removal efficiency and the denitrification efficiency by 1.14-1.63 fold and 1.12-2.02 fold, respectively. The accelerating effect from high to low was AQDS > 1,5-AQDS > AQS > alpha-AQS. In the presence of redox mediators, the stabilized ORP values in the nitrate decomposition process were reduced by 33-75 mV. The pH variations in denitrification with redox mediators showed similar tendency to that of the conventional nitrate removal process. In the concentration range of 0-0.32 mmol x L(-1), AQDS had the best accelerating effect and a linear correlation was found for the denitrification rate K and the AQDS concentration cAQDS. This study indicated that the application of redox mediators significantly improved the denitrification process by enhancing the decomposition rate.

Silicon is the basic material for electro-photonic detectors, so the studies of the laser induced damage of silicon are of great significance in laser detecting and military applications. The damage characters of silicon under high intensity nanosecond laser pulses were investigated in the present paper. The results show that laser plasma has thermal effect, shock effect and spectral radiation effect, etc. These comprehensive effects combined together determinate the damage characters. By thermal effects and shock effects of laser plasma, the material is being melt, vaporized, ionized and pushed out at the laser irradiated area. In this way, the pit can be formed and the cooled ejected effluents are radially distributed. The silicon was melt at the bottom of the pit and the temperature was modulated by the intensity of the incident laser, which interfered with scattering laser simultaneously. The periodic heat distribution generates the period stripes. N, O and Si characteristic spectrum in the laser plasma prove that the colored film is the mixture of SiOx:SiNy which were sprayed out from laser plasma under repetitive laser pulses.

Objective: To evaluate the association of serum leptin concentrations and polymorphisms of G1019A and A223G of leptin receptor gene (LEPR) with severe pre-eclampsia. MEHTODS: A case-control study was carried out in 207 patients with severe pre-eclampsia (SPE group) and 252 healthy pregnant women (control group) during the third trimester of pregnancy. The serum leptin was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The polymorphisms of LEPR gene G1019A and A223G were detected by polymerase chain reaction restriction-fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Miettinen's test was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI)., Results: (1) In severe pre-eclampsia group, serum leptin levels and rate of premature infant birth were significantly higher than that in normal pregnant women, and birth weight was lower than that in controls (P<0.01). (2) The frequencies of GA genotype and G allele for LEPR gene G1019A in SPE group (33.8% and 20.3%) were markedly higher than that in controls (19.8% and 15.1%) (P<0.01), and the carriers of GA genotype and G allele were more frequent in SPE group than in control group, resulting in an OR 2.04 (95%CI: 0.77-5.42) and 1.43 (95%CI: 1.02-2.01) to develop severe pre-eclampsia, compared with carriers of AA genotype and A allele. (3) AG genotype and A allele frequencies of LEPR gene A223G in SPE group (19.3% and 12.6%) were significantly lower than that in controls (34.5% and 19.2%) (P<0.01), resulting in an OR of 0.46 (95%CI: 0.30-0.71) and 0.60 (95%CI: 0.42-0.87) to develop severe pre-eclampsia, compared with subjects with GG genotype and G allele. (4) The "1019AA+223AG" genotype frequency was significantly lower in SPE group (6.8%) than in controls (24.6%) (P<0.01), resulting in an OR of 0.22 (95%CI: 0.12-0.39) to develop severe pr-eclampsia, while the "1019AA+223AG" was significantly higher in SPE group (22.2%) than in controls (11.9%) (P<0.05), resulting in an OR of 2.10 (95%CI: 0.78-3.45) to develop severe pre-eclampsia. (5) No significant differences were found in SBP, DBP, BMI and serum leptin levels in subjects with different genotypes in the two groups (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Elevated serum leptin level and LEPR gene G1019A and A223G polymorphisms might play a role in severe pre-eclampsia, while the level of serum leptin was not associated with genotypes of LEPR gene G1019A and A223G polymorphisms. The genotypes GA and "1019AA+223AG"of G1019A may be genetic susceptibility factors to severe pre-eclampsia.

Objective: To investigate the mutation frequency in 7 mutation hot-spots of deafness gene in southern Jiangsu province and verify the performance of the SNaPshot technology platform, designed for genetic screening of non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) in Chinese., Methods: One hundred and twenty-five NSHL patients were enrolled. Amplification of 235delC, 299-300delAT in GJB2 gene, IVS7-2A>G, 2168 A>G in SLC26A4 gene, and 1555A>G, 7445 A>G and 3243 A>G in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was performed using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. Afterwards, the sequence-specific probe interrogated each locus and labeled it at the 3' end using fluorescent dideoxynucleotide chemistry by the SNaPshot Multiplex Kit, the resulting products were then separated electrophoretically in ABI PRISM R 3130 Genetic Analyzer and analyzed in the presence of a fifth-dye-labeled size standard. Finally, the genotyping results were verified by direct sequencing or PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)., Results: (1) The total mutation frequency for the 7 mutation hot-spots was 53.6%. The mutation frequency of 235delC was 24.0%, 299-300delAT was 5.6% in the GJB2 gene, IVS7-2A>G was 15.2%, 2168A>G was 3.2% in the SLC26A4 gene. The mutation frequency of 1555A>G and 7445 A>G in mtDNA was 4.8% and 0.8% respectively. The mutation 3243 A>G was not detected. (2) The SNaPshot results were consistent with that from direct sequencing or PCR-RFLP, and the specificity and sensitivity of detection were 100%., Conclusion: (1) More than half of the patients with deafness in southern Jiangsu province carry the mutations of the seven hot-spots. (2) The genetic screening technology platform based on SNaPshot can detect 7 mutations in one reaction, and is efficient and suitable for clinical practice.

Objective: To detect 22q11 microdeletion in the children and fetuses affected by congenital heart defects., Method: MLPA P250 kit was used to detect 22q11 microdeletion in 100 cases of sporadic congenital heart defects including 40 fetuses and 60 patients diagnosed by ultrasound., Result: Two cases from the fetuses and 1 case from the patients were found to have 22q11 microdeletion., Conclusion: Three cases had 22q11 microdeletion in the congenital heart defects.

Four selected quinone redox mediators with similar structure were conducted to accelerate reactive brilliant red K-2BP decolorization, and the accelerating structure-activity of redox mediators on the decolorization was also studied. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the catalyst effect on the decolorization of reactive brilliant red K-2BP with temperature of 35 degrees C and under anaerobic conditions. The experiment results suggested that (1) four similar chemical structure redox mediators [1, 4, 5, 8-Tetrachloroanthraquinone (1,4,5,8-AQ), Anthraquinone (AQ), 1,8-Dichloroanthraquinone (1,8-AQ), 1,5-Dichloroanthraquinone (1,5-AQ)], all accelerated the decolorization rate of reactive brilliant red K-2BP and the reaction rate was enhanced 1.4-3 times; (2) the accelerating order was 1,8-AQ >1 ,5-AQ > AQ >1,4,5,8-AQ at the quinone mediator concentration of 4 mmol x L(-1) and reactive brilliant red K-2BP concentration of 300 mg x L(-1); (3) under the reactive brilliant red K-2BP concentration of 300 mg x L(-1), 1,8-AQ had best accelerating effect, and the relationship between decoloring rate constants and 1,8-AQ concentration; (4) and the mediator acclerating effects also related to substituent positioning effects and conjugated effects. The structure-activity mathematical model of redox mediators was put forward, which could improve water-insoluble redox mediators catalytic strengthening theory system.

Objective: To establish an assay for screening chromosome 22q11 microdeletion efficiently, and apply it for detecting del22q11 in patients with non-syndromic congenital heart defects (CHD)., Methods: Seventy nine patients with non-syndromic CHD and 84 normal controls were genotyped for 8 short tandem repeat (STR) markers located in 22q11 region, by using quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR)., Results: The average heterozygosity of the STR markers in patients and controls was 0.76 and 0.79, respectively. One patient with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) from the 79 CHD cases (1.3%) was found to have a deletion within chromosome 22q11.2, which was confirmed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA)., Conclusion: The QF-PCR assay developed in this study was a reliable and an efficient alterative approach to screen for 22q11 microdeletion in clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling.

Objective: To investigate the melatonin signaling transduction pathway in BMSCs from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients., Methods: Twenty-four volunteers aged 12 - 18 years were divided into two groups: AIS group was 15 and control group was 9. The human bone marrow anticoagulated by heparin was obtained from anterior superior iliac spine, and the BMSCs were isolated by density gradient centrifuge from the mononuclear cells, and then were cultivated and serial subcultivated in vitro. P3 cultures were analyzed by the flow cytometry to determine the surface antigens. P3 BMSCs were used to detect the melatonin signaling transduction pathway. The cellular cAMP was elevated using forskolin, and then the BMSCs were treated with melatonin to inhibit the cellular cAMP levels., Results: Mononuclear cells were cultivated and subcultivated to P3 culture in vitro, which were analyzed by the flow cytometry, and demonstrated that the expanded mononuclear cells expressed mesenchymal cell markers. The basal cAMP levels of the two groups were very low, after the stimulation of forskolin, cellular cAMP levels increased rapidly in all the patients, but after the stimulation of melatonin at physiological dose or even at pharmacological dose, there was no statistical difference of the inhibition of cAMP between AIS group and control (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Melatonin signaling transduction pathway may be normal in BMSCs from AIS patients.

Objective: To investigate the possible relationship between Runx2 and the low bone mass of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis(AIS) patients at the osteoblast level., Methods: Twenty eight AIS patients (mean age 14.9 years, mean Cobb angle 57.3 degrees ) in experimental group, including 2 male and 26 female, underwent posterior instrumentation between March and December 2008. They were divided into two groups. Patients in group A maintained normal bone mineral density (BMD). Patients in group B sustained osteopenia. Normal group, including 8 patients (2 males and 6 females) with a mean age of 15.3 years, were age-matched non-scoliosis adolescents who underwent spinal surgery. BMD of the lumbar spine and proximal femur was measured by using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in three groups. Small cancellous bone samples were harvested from the iliac crest during the operation. The chipped explants were cultured to obtained the osteoblasts. P2 generation osteoblasts were analyzed to confirm the cell phenotype. Expression of mRNA and protein of Runx2 were detected by using RT-PCR and Western blot in P2 generation osteoblasts from three groups., Results: The expression of Runx2 of osteoblasts had decreased obviously in group B compared with group A and group C (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between group A and group C (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The abnormal expression of Runx2 of osteoblasts may be responsible for the low bone mass in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.

The phosphorus adsorption and desorption effects of water-granulated slag (WGS) were studied. A simulated vertical flow constructed wetland system was constituted using WGS as the main matrix. The influences of hydraulic residence time (HRT) and pollution load on phosphorus removal were investigated. The contributions of phosphorus removal of different horizon layers in up-flow and down-flow matrixes were studied. The results showed that WGS was a kind of adaptive desorption material for wetland due to its high saturated phosphorus adsorptive capacity (3333 mg x kg(-1)). The content of soluble calcium of WGS is 0.084%, which provides a suitable pH (7.54) for microbes and plants growth in wetland. The HRT is in positive correlation with phosphorus removal rate. The phosphorus removal rates decrease 5.9%-4.7% and 2.4%-4.7% when HRT decreases from 1 d to 0.5 d and form 2 d to 1 d, respectively. The phosphorus removal rates exceed 85% at 1 d HRT in WGS wetland. That means the optimized HRT is 1 d, and extending HRT infinitely is not helpful to phosphorus removal. The pollution load is in negative correlation with phosphorus removal rate under the conditions of steady influx concentration. The phosphorus removal rates maintain 85% when the pollution load is from 12.2 g x (m2 x d)(-1) to 36.8 g x (m2 x d)(-1). When the pollution load increases to 48.9 g x (m2 x d)(-1), the phosphorus removal rate decreases to 65% . The phosphorus removal rate exceeds 82% when the pollution load is less than 36.8 g x (m2 x d)(-1). That means higher pollution load will cause the calcium and aluminum active points of phosphorus adsorption shielded, which exist both on matrix surface and in inner pores. The range of optimized pollution load is from 24.5 g x (m2 x d)(-1) to 36.8 g x (m2 x d)(-1). The graduation mode of WGS in top layer and conventional materials in lower layer is helpful to phosphorus removal in vertical flow wetland. The phosphorus adsorptive capacities in up-flow and down-flow unit are 0.17 mg x kg(-1) and 0.05 mg x kg(-1) respectively. The WGS can be changed freely when the saturated adsorption occurs, which will extend the wetland service life.

Objective: To analyze the pathogenic mutation of an X-linked ichthyosis (XLI) family, and identify the genetic diagnosis of three probable female carriers in this family. To evaluate the availability of different detect methods for steroid sulfatase (STS) gene mutation., Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from the family, including the proband, proband's mother, younger sister, and younger female cousin, and 10 males and 10 females as controls. Ordinary PCR was used to detect whether there was STS gene deletion in the male proband. Then, multiplex quantitative fluorescent PCR (QF-PCR) was used to detect the STS gene in the proband and his 3 female family members. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to authenticate the results of multiplex QF-PCR method., Results: No amplified product of the exons 1-10 of STS gene deletion was detected by ordinary PCR in the proband. The proband's mother was diagnosed as a carrier, but his sister and cousin were diagnosed as normal females by multiplex QF-PCR. FISH confirmed the results of multiplex QF-PCR., Conclusion: Both multiplex QF-PCR and FISH are effective to detect the complete deletion mutation of STS gene and identify the female carrier, and multiplex QF-PCR is more convenient and automatic compared with FISH.

Taking barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli), allelopathic rice (Oryza sativa) PI312777, and non-allelopathic rice Liaojing-9 as test materials, this paper studied the changes of microbial biomass C and of dehydrogenase, urease and invertase activities in soils under 1 : 1 rice-barnyard grass coexistence. The results showed that with the coexistence of barnyard grass, the microbial biomass C in rhizosphere soil of PI312777 was decreased by 50.52% (P < 0.01), while that in inter-row soil was increased. The microbial biomass C in rhizosphere soil of Liaojing-9 was also decreased by 38.99% (P < 0.01), but no significant difference was observed in inter-row soil. The dehydrogenase activity in rhizosphere soils of the two rice varieties were decreased by 20% or more (P < 0.05), but the urease and invertase activities in rhizosphere soil of PI312777 were significantly stimulated (P < 0.01). The invertase activity in rhizosphere soil of Liaojing-9 was inhibited by coexisting barnyard grass, but urease activity had less change. As a result, the allelopathic traits of rice variety led to a significant decrease of microbial biomass C and an increase of urease and invertase activities in rhizosphere soil under barnyard grass coexistence, implying that soil microbial biomass and enzymes might play essential roles in species interactions between rice and barnyard grass, and allelopathic rice had its advantage in resistance to barnyard grass.

Objective: To establish an effective way for rapid identification of Monascus strains based on DNA molecular marker., Method: A random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker named F421 in genomic DNA of Monascus F strain was observed during a comparison of DNA fingerprints derived from 10 cultivated strains of Monascus. F421 was cloned and sequenced. Comparing the sequence of F421 (GenBank accession number EF063107) with other relative sequences in the GenBank databases, no distinct comparability was found. A pair of sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers were designed based on the sequence of the cloned fragment and tested for the specific detection of Monascus F., Result: The results of polymerase chain reaction showed that only a 421bp segment of Monascus F strain was amplified compared with other 9 cultivated strains of Monascus. And the acquired SCAR marker of strain F could be used as a specific DNA fingerprint to identify Monascus strain F within one day., Conclusion: SCAR molecular marker technology is an effective new way to identify Monascus strains more rapidly. And also is an assistant tool to identify Monascus strains more accurately when disagreements come out using traditional classification. It could be applied widely to the protection of germ plasm resources, classification and identification distinguishing false strains of pharmaceutical fungi.

Experiments are carried out to study the effects and mechanisms of inorganic anions in water on the degradation of linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) in UV/H2 O2 process. The results show that UV/H2 O2 process could remove LAS effectively, and the rate of photodegradation follows first-order reaction kinetics model. Under the condition that H2 O2 concentration was 8 mg x L(-1) and a 14 W low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp irradiated samples, the first-order photodegradation rate constant of LAS in distilled water and tap water were 0.018 0 min(-1) and 0.012 2 min(-1) respectively. NO3-, Cl-, SO4(2-) and HCO3- have inhibitory action on LAS photodegradation. The higher inorganic anions concentration was, the stronger inhibitory action. When their concentrations were 5, 10 and 15 mmol x L(-1) respectively, their inhibitory action order was HCO3- > NO3- > Cl- > SO4(2-) all the time. It was anions synthetical effect that caused photodegradation rate constant of LAS in tap water lower than distilled water.

Objective: To study if the cost of stay in intensive care unit (ICU) could be reduced by educating intensivists with price of drugs used in ICU., Methods: A ten-bed ICU of a teaching hospital, with admittance of about 40 patients every month, was involved, and cost of stay was charged by computer system, and it could be calculated and checked by computer on line. Firstly, the knowledge of the prices of 100 drugs usually used in ICU among the 7 intensivists was investigated, then an education program of drug price was launched to train the 7 intensivists,and they were urged those the drugs with lower price instead of higher price treatment results .Finally, the cost of stay in ICU for 2 months before and after the education program was analyzed and their difference was compared., Results: The intensivists understood only the prices of 18% of drugs used in ICU. The cost of drugs was reduced by 8.6% during 2 months after education program (31.8%) compared with that before education program (40.4%), but there was no significant statistical difference (P>0.05). However, the cost of clinical examinations and check-up was lower after education than that before education (P<0.01). The total cost of stay in ICU was 5,688 yuan each day before education program and 5,267 yuan after education program. The total cost daily was reduced by 421 yuan, but with no significant statistical difference (P>0.05)., Conclusion: The price education program of drugs can reduce the expense of drug and total cost of stay in ICU.

Objective: To test 25# and 27# ultramicroporous expanded polytetrafluo-roethylene mitral valve (UPMV) under pulsatile flow condition in vitro., Methods: Six 25# and six 27#UPMV were tested using TH-1200 HV Prosthesis Pulsatile Flow Tester in vitro at the cycling rate of 70 cycle/min, with the systolic pressure maintained at about 16 kPa (120 mmHg), diastolic pressure at 10.7 kPa (80 mmHg), and the percentage of mean forward flow at 35%. The stimulant cardiac output was maintained at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 L/min, respectively, for the testing., Results: The mean pressure difference for the 25#UPMV under stimulant cardiac output of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 L/min was 2.488-/+0.378, 4.427-/+0.240, 5.460-/+0.449, 6.776-/+0.391 and 8.327-/+0.490 mmHg, and its effective valvular orifice was 1.430-/+0.333, 1.993-/+0.208, 2.260-/+0.477, 3.204-/+0.174 and 3.652-/+0.158 cm(2), respectively. The regurgitant fraction of the 25#UPMV under each stimulant cardiac output was (5.731-/+0.643) %, (5.431-/+0.312) %, (5.059-/+0.708) %, (3.545-/+0.097) % and (2.615-/+0.125) %, respectively. The mean pressure difference of the 27#UPMV under each stimulant cardiac output was 1.618-/+0.497, 3.448-/+0.440, 4.825-/+0.434, 5.494-/+0.446 and 7.482-/+0.455 mmHg, effective valvular orifice was 1.773-/+0.364, 2.113-/+0.305, 2.409-/+0.295, 3.326-/+0.417 and 4.522-/+0.445 cm(2), and regurgitant fraction was (5.357-/+0.509) %, (5.407-/+0.110) %, (4.999-/+0.182) %, (4.010-/+0.254) % and (2.584-/+0.114)%, respectively., Conclusion: The mean pressure difference, effective valvular orifice and regurgitant fraction of the UPMVs can measure up to the national criteria for artificial heart valve prosthesis of China.

Objective: To evaluate the value of 64-slice helical CT in screening of coronary artery heart disease among apparently healthy people and to explore the specific operation thereof., Methods: Toshiba Aquilino 64-slice helical CT machine was used to scan the scope from the tracheal carina to cardio-diaphragmatic plain among 286 apparently healthy persons aged 40 approximately 78, 188 males and 98 females, with at least one risk factor of coronary artery heart disease, after the contrast Iopamidol was injected. The data thus obtained underwent after-finishing screen are with the techniques of volume reconstruction, multiplanar reconstruction, curve planar reconstruction, and 3-D reconstruction so as to demonstrate the abnormalities of coronary artery. Twenty-eight persons with positive findings further underwent coronary angiography. Their results of coronary angiography were compared with those of the results of 64-slice helical CT., Results: 239 of the 1523 branches of coronary artery in the 286 persons were diagnosed as with stenosis of different degrees, 138 being less than by 50%, 62 being by 50% approximately 70%, and 23 being by more than 70%. Twelve of the 28 persons who underwent angiography received coronary stent., Conclusion: As a minimally invasive examination, 64-slice helical CT is valuable in early detection of asymptomatic coronary heart disease.

Objective: To study the durability of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene artificial heart valve (ePTFE AHV)., Methods: Six ePTFE AHVs were tested for 400 million times against accelerated fatigue using TH-2200 artificial heart valve exosomatic accelerated fatigue instrument. Hydromechanical parameters of fore-and-aft accelerated fatigue test of the 6 AHVs were obtained by TH-1200 artificial heart valve exosomatic pulsatile stream instrument., Results and Conclusion: The mean gradient pressure spanning the valve and the effective orific area of ePTFE AHVs did not undergo significant changes after fore-and-aft the fatigue test, but the regurgitation volume and regurgitation rate of ePTFE AHVs were reduced after the accelerated fatigue test, suggesting good durability of ePTFE AHV.

Objective: To explore the relationship of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene-675 4G/5G and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphisms to recurrent early spontaneous abortion(RESA)., Methods: One hundred and twenty-seven currently non-pregnant women with at least 3 unexplained spontaneous abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy (patient group). Normal control group consisted of 117 currently non-pregnant women with at least 1 pregnancy and without a history of prematurity, miscarriage, stillbirth, eclampsia and other pregnancy complications. The genotypes of PAI-1 gene and MTHFR gene were assessed by polymerase chain reaction-restrictive fragment length polymorphism., Results: The frequencies of 4G/4G genotype and 4G allele of PAI-1 were higher in patient group (45.7% and 66.1%) than in normal controls (17.1% and 46.6%) (P < 0.01). The PAI-1 4G/4G genotype was significantly associated with RESA (OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 2.23 - 10.35). Besides, MTHFR gene T/T genotype and T allele frequencies were increased in RESA patients (43.3% and 66.5%) versus normal controls (21.4% and 52.6%) (P < 0.01). The patients carrying T/T genotype had a high risk of early spontaneous abortion (OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.40 - 7.30). In additionìthe presence of the PAI-1 gene 4G/4G genotype together with the T/T genotype of the MTHFR gene was found to be a risk factor (OR = 6.20, 95% CI: 2.62 - 14.67) for RESA greater than the 4G/4G genotype or the T/T genotype alone., Conclusion: The above findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms of PAI-1 4G/5G and MTHFR C677T were associated with RESA. They may have synergetic impact and present gene dosage effect on the susceptibility to the development of early spontaneous abortion.

Objective: To study the characters of the treatment of perioperative period in fractures with diabetes mellitus (DM) and the effect of diabetes on the treatment of them., Methods: To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 97 fracture patients with DM (DM group) who accepted operation. Compare the difference of the average hospitalized length, medical cost and the incidence of postoperative complications with the controls., Results: (1) Insulin dosage was less in postoperative period (0.5 +/- 0.2) U.d(-1).kg(-1) than steady period (0.7 +/- 0.2) U.d(-1).kg(-1) and operative period (0.7 +/- 0.3) U.d(-1).kg(-1), the difference is significant (P < 0.05); (2) There were more complications in DM group than that in the control group before operation. The fractured patients with DM could receive operation after preoperative treatment and improving micro-circulation; (3) Compared with control group, DM group had longer preoperative preparation period of in-hospital duration, and higher in-hospital medical costs; (4) There were no significant difference between DM group and control group (P > 0.05) in postoperative complications and wound healing., Conclusions: Fractured patients with DM should take effective methods to treat complications of DM and do adequate preparation for the operation. Rational treatment of preoperative complications is very important for preventing postoperative one and guarantee operation successful. But the longer of hospitalized length is, the higher of in-hospital medical costs are.

Objective: To study in vivo calcification and biomechanics of the ultra-microporous expanded polytetrafluo- roethylene (UePTFE) in rabbits in comparison with glutaral-treated bovine pericardium (BP), so as to assess the potential of UePTFE as a material for cardiac valve prosthesis., Methods: Factorial analysis was adopted in the experiment. UePTFE and glutaral-treated BP of appropriate sizes were embedded beneath skin of young New Zealand rabbits, and at 0, 1, 3 and 6 months following the implantation, the materials were measured for the content of calcium and biomechanics properties., Results: Lower level of calcification of the UePTFE occurred after the implantation, as compared with BP, and the biomechanics indices of the former UePTFE were obviously suprior to those of the latter., Conclusion: UePTFE is a better material than BP for cardiac valve prosthesis.