Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist intron 2 variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism and respiratory failure in children with community-acquired pneumonia.

Objective: To determine whether the variable nucleotide tandem repeat polymorphism in intron 2 of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene is associated with lung injury in children with community-acquired pneumonia.

Design: A prospective cohort of children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia.

Setting: Two pediatric hospitals.

Optimization of the fermentation medium for alpha-galactosidase production from Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 using response surface methodology.

The optimization of fermentation medium for alpha-galactosidase production by Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 was investigated in shaker flask fermentation. A one-factor-at-a-time experiment was used to screen the preferable nutriment (carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and essential elements) for alpha-galactosidase production. A fractional factorial design was used to screen the main 5 factors, soybean meal, wheat bran, KH2PO4, FeSO4 x 7 H2O, and the medium initial pH, that affected the production of alpha-galactosidase.