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The application of active dry yeast (ADY) in bioethanol production simplifies operation processes and reduces the risk of bacterial contamination. In the present study, we constructed a novel ADY strain with improved stress tolerance and ethanol fermentation performances under stressful conditions. The industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain ZTW1 showed excellent properties and thus subjected to a modified whole-genome shuffling (WGS) process to improve its ethanol titer, proliferation capability, and multiple stress tolerance for ADY production. The best-performing mutant, Z3-86, was obtained after three rounds of WGS, producing 4.4% more ethanol and retaining 2.15-fold higher viability than ZTW1 after drying. Proteomics and physiological analyses indicated that the altered expression patterns of genes involved in protein metabolism, plasma membrane composition, trehalose metabolism, and oxidative responses contribute to the trait improvement of Z3-86. This work not only successfully developed a novel S. cerevisiae mutant for application in commercial bioethanol production, but also enriched the current understanding of how WGS improves the complex traits of microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Objective: To explore the effects of allergic factores in eosinophilic nasal polyps., Method: Clinical characters of 67 eosinophilic nasal polyps patients and 26 lymphocyte nasal polyps patients were restrospeetively analyzed. Allergic factors, allergens and nasal anatomic variations were compared between two groups., Result: Allergic factors are proned to present in eosinophilic nasal polyps group compared with lymphocyte nasal polyps group; The positive rates of allergen skin test between eosinophilic nasal polyps group and lymphocyte nasal polyps group showed significant difference; Allergens in eosinophilic nasal polyps group are different from lymphocyte nasal polyps group; Nasal anatomic variations are different between two groups., Conclusion: Different pathogenesis maybe exist in different pathological type nasal polyps. Allergic factors are closely relative to eosinophilic nasal polyps and nasal anatomic variations play a more important role in the formation of lymhocyte nasal polyps.

Objective: To investigate the distribution of mast cells in nasal polyps., Method: Biopsy specimens from patients with nasal polyps (n = 20) and control patients (n = 8) were obtained and included in this study. The distribution of mast cells in nasal polyps and the expression of chemokines (CCL5, CCL11, CX3CL1, IL-8, IL-6) in the epithelial cells of normal nasal mucosa and nasal polyps was determined by immunohistochemistry., Result: Mast cells migrate to intraepithelial in nasal polyps and the expression of chemokines (CCL5, CCL11, CX3CL1, IL-8) was up regulated in the epithelial cells of nasal polyps compare to normal nasal mucosa., Conclusion: Our findings showed that mast cells migrate to intraepithelial in nasal polyps and the over expression of chemotaxins (CCL5, CCL11, CX3CL1, IL-8) may be response for mast cells' migration in nasal polyps. Mast cells might be associated with the development of nasal polyps.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of allergic rhinitis sensitized with mite, providing the evidence for the treatment plan of allergic rhinitis in Tianjin area., Method: The medical records of skin prick test results on 2390 allergic rhinitis patients from March 2009 to February 2012 were retrospectively studied. The data of mite sensitivity in gender, age, season, and regional differences were analyzed., Result: There was no significant difference of the positive rate of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae between male and female (P > 0. 05); The positive rate of dust mite decreased gradually with the growth of the age in the three groups of < 18,18-39,40-60 years old, but the positive rate of the patients over the age of 60 years old increased then. There were significant differences of positive rate to dust mite in different season (P < 0.05). The positive rate of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was the highest in the autumn (55.4%), and the lowest in winter (39.7%). The positive rate of Dermatophagoides farinae was the highest in winter (73.8%), and the lowest in spring (47.2%). There was no significant difference of the positive rate to dust mite between urban and suburb (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: There were some relationship of the positive rate of dust mite with age and season, but not gender and region among allergic rhinitis in tianjin.

Recent studies have shown that mast cells are involved in pathophysiologic processes of chronic inflammation. However, little is known about the distribution of mast cells in nasal polyps, which is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airways. Biopsy specimens from patients with nasal polyps (n = 20) and control patients without nasal polyps (n = 8) were included in this study. The distribution of mast cells in nasal polyps was determined by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, we detected the expression of chemokines (CCL5, CCL11, CX3CL1, IL-8, IL-6) in the epithelial cells of normal nasal mucosa and nasal polyps. In addition, the expression of these chemokines was investigated by western bolting in airway epithelial cells line (A549 cells) under inflammatory condition. Mast cells migrated toward intraepithelium in nasal polyps and the expression of chemokines (CCL5, CCL11, CX3CL1, IL-8) was up-regulated in the epithelial cells of nasal polyps compared with normal nasal mucosa. The expression of chemokines was also up-regulated in A549 cells after Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treatment for 3 hr and 6 hr. Our findings showed that mast cells migrate toward intraepithelium in nasal polyps and the overexpression of chemokines (CCL5, CCL11, CX3CL1, IL-8) suggested that they might be responsible for mast cells migration. It implies that mast cell play potential roles in the development of nasal polyps., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To investigate the distribution of common allergens responsible for cases with allergic rhinitis in Tianjin district., Method: A total of 676 cases who are diagnosed with allergic rhinitis in Tianjin district, underwent a skin prick tests with 23 kinds of inhaling allergens and 20 kinds of ingestive ones. The samples were stratified on four age group. Then, an analysis was made to determine the distributive characteristics of allergens responsible for difference groups., Result: Among the surveyed local 676 cases with allergic rhinitis, higher positive rates was all inhaling group of allergens., Conclusion: It is concluded that the mostly responsible common allergens for attacks of allergic rhinitis among local cases in Tianjin district are mites, flowers pollen in inhaling group of allergens.

Objective: To establish reference values of acoustic rhinometry, rhinomanometry and rhinospirometer in healthy adults in Tianjin area, analyze the effects of age,sex and side on the value, investigate the correlation of the measure values, offer the diagnosis date for test nasal ventilation function in Tianjin area., Method: Four hundred and sixty-six healthy adults in Tianjin area were tested. A1 acoustic rhinometry was used to measure the minimum cross-sectional area (MCA), distance of the minimal cross-sectional area to the nostril (DCAN) and the nasal volume from 0-5 cm, 2-5 cm (V5, V2-5); At 150 Pa, 75 Pa and broms, NR6 Rhinomanometry was used to measure unilateral nasal inspiratory resistance (IR)and expiratory resistance (ER), bilateral nasal inspiratory and expiratory resistance (TIR and TER), and differences of the bilateral nasal resistance can be calculated; NV1 Rhinospirometer was used to measure unilateral inspiratory capacity (IC) and expiration capacity (EC), and the nasal partitioning ratio (NPR) can be calculated. Practical measure the distance of nostril to ahead of the inferior turbinate and compare with DCAN. Make the correlational analysis on different index of three exam., Result: Reference values of acoustic rhinometry: MCA was (0.45 +/- 0. 16) cm2 for male, (0.44 +/- 0.16) cm2 for female; V2-5 was (3.52 +/- 1.38) cm3 for male, (3.36 +/- 1.22) cm3 for female, V5 was (5.10 +/- 1.47) cm3 for male, (4.86 +/- 1.12) cm3 for female; DCAN have two distance, (2.22 +/- 0.398, 0.53 +/- 0.625) cm was for male, (2.10 +/- 0.37, 0.67 +/- 0.15) cm was for female. No significant gender, side and age differences were shown in MCA, V5, V2-5. Significant gender differences were shown in DCAN but no side and age differences. Reference values of rhinomanometry: Significant gender but no side and age differences were shown in IR, ER, TIR, TER. Reference values of rhinospirometer: IC was (2.06 +/- 1.10) L/20 s for male, (1.37 +/- 0.34) L/20 s for female, EC was (2.15 +/- 1.23) L/20 s for male (1.39 +/- 0.58) L/20 s for female. NPRi was 0.11 [0.05, 0.23],NPRe was 0.11 [0.05, 0.19]. Significant gender but no side and age differences were shown in IC and EC. No gender and age differences were shown in NPRi and NPRe. There was significant correlation found between MCA and IR/ER/IC/EC, IR and IC, ER and EC, Rlr and NPRi/ NPRe., Conclusion: Acoustic rhinometry,rhinomanometry and rhinospirometer can be useful reference values to evaluate nasal ventilation function, more value will be found if use the three together.