[Distribution, Sources, and Ecological Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments of Taihu Lake].

For the surface sediment samples of Taihu Lake in 2010, the eight physicochemical indices of pH, temperature, Eh, water content, porosity, grain size, total phosphorus, and Loss-on-ignition were measured and analyzed, along with the contents of nine heavy metals:Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Ba, Mn, Co, and V. The order of magnitudes of heavy metal content of surface sediments in Taihu Lake was:Mn>Ba>Zn>Cr>V>Ni>Pb>Cu>Co. This suggested that the contents of the nine heavy metals were beyond the background value, which had a close connection to the geology of the Taihu Lake Basin and were influenced by human activity to varying degrees.

[Influence of Hydraulic Retention Time on the Treatment of Polluted River Water by an Activated Carbon Rotating Biological Contactor].

The study combined activated carbon with a rotating biological contactor. The activated carbon adsorption experiments were conducted and the biofilm was formed by using the river water directly. The effects of different hydraulic retention times on the removal of NH-N, TP, and permanganate index and on the biofilm properties were investigated at the optimum rotational speed of the disc.

Toosendanin inhibits adipogenesis by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Toosendanin (TSN), a triterpenoid extracted from Melia toosendan, has been reported to possess anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-arthritic activities. However, its anti-adipogenic effect remains unknown. Here, we found that TSN dose-dependently attenuated lipid accumulation in preadipocytes 3T3-L1 as evidenced by Oil Red O staining.

Reversal of the Apoptotic Resistance of Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma towards TRAIL by Natural Product Toosendanin.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively triggers cancer cell death via its association with death receptors on the cell membrane, but exerts negligible side effects on normal cells. However, some non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients exhibited resistance to TRAIL treatment in clinical trials, and the mechanism varies. In this study, we described for the first time that toosendanin (TSN), a triterpenoid derivative used in Chinese medicine for pain management, could significantly sensitize human primary NSCLC cells or NSCLC cell lines to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo, while showing low toxicity against human primary cells or tissues.

[Enrichment and Characterization of A Denitrifying Bacteria Consortium from Lihe River's Sediment].

A denitrifying bacteria consortium was enriched from LiHe River's sediment, the dynamics of total nitrogen (TN), nitrate (NO3- -N), nitrite (NO2- -N), ammonium (NH4+ -N) and COD at different enrichment cultivation stages were studied, and the total volume, the releasing rates and the composition of gas released during the denitrification process were analyzed. The full-length 16S rDNA clone library was constructed, enclosing the diversity of the denitrifying bacteria consortium. The results showed, in the enrichment phase 4, under the load of TN 330 mg x L(-1), the best nitrogen removal effect was obtained, which the TN and NO3- -N removal rates reached 90.

Two Schiff-base fluorescent sensors for selective sensing of aluminum (III): Experimental and computational studies.

Two Schiff-base fluorescent sensors have been synthesized, which both can act as fluorescent probes for Al(3+), upon addition of Al(3+), they exhibit a large fluorescence enhancement which might be attributed to the formation of 1:1 ligand-Al complexes which inhibit photoinduced electron transfer (PET) progress, and that the proposed binding modes of the sensors and Al(3+) are identified by theoretical calculations.

[Clinical significance of oral fluconazole prophylaxis against invasive fungal infection in preterm neonates with peripherally inserted central catheters].

Objective: With the widespread application of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the incidence of invasive fungal infections increased significantly than ever. The present study aimed to explore the clinical significance of oral fluconazole in premature infants with gestational age ≤ 32 weeks and/or birth weight ≤ 1500 grams who had catheter insertions.

Method: This study enrolled 118 infants admitted between January 2006 and December 2007 who did not receive fluconazole prophylaxis (control group) and 106 infants admitted between January 2008 and June 2009 who received oral fluconazole prophylaxis (prophylaxis group).

[Epidemiological study of severe sepsis in a newborn intensive care unit].

Objectives: To determine the incidence and outcome of severe sepsis in Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and to characterize their demographics and infection pattern.

Methods: Characteristics of 243 newborns admitted to NICU from June 1st, 2006 to May 31st, 2007 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Analysis of data derived from 243 newborns admitted to NICU over an 1-year period with 48 (19.

Effects of lanthanum(III) on nitrogen metabolism of soybean seedlings under elevated UV-B radiation.

The hydroponic culture experiments of soybean bean seedlings were conducted to investigate the effect of lanthanum (La) on nitrogen metabolism under two different levels of elevated UV-B radiation (UV-B, 280-320 nm). The whole process of nitrogen metabolism involves uptake and transport of nitrate, nitrate assimilation, ammonium assimilation, amino acid biosynthesis, and protein synthesis. Compared with the control, UV-B radiation with the intensity of low level 0.