Systemic Inflammation and the Breakdown of Intestinal Homeostasis Are Key Events in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Our aim was to investigate the subset distribution and function of circulating monocytes, proinflammatory cytokine levels, gut barrier damage, and bacterial translocation in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Thus, 56 SCI patients and 28 healthy donors were studied. The levels of circulating CD14^+highCD16⁻, CD14^+highCD16⁺, and CD14^+lowCD16⁺ monocytes, membrane TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9, phagocytic activity, ROS generation, and intracytoplasmic TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10 after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation were analyzed by polychromatic flow cytometry. Serum TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were measured by Luminex and LPS-binding protein (LBP), intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) and zonulin by ELISA. SCI patients had normal monocyte counts and subset distribution. CD14^+highCD16⁻ and CD14^+highCD16⁺ monocytes exhibited decreased TLR4, normal TLR2 and increased TLR9 expression. CD14^+highCD16⁻ monocytes had increased LPS-induced TNF-α but normal IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10 production. Monocytes exhibited defective phagocytosis but normal ROS production. Patients had enhanced serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels, normal IL-1 and IL-10 levels, and increased circulating LBP, I-FABP, and zonulin levels. Chronic SCI patients displayed impaired circulating monocyte function. These patients exhibited a systemic proinflammatory state characterized by enhanced serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels. These patients also had increased bacterial translocation and gut barrier damage.     

不同含量低污染水对人工湿地中细菌的影响研究

探究水平流人工湿地(HFCW)系统处理低污染水过程中,相同COD/ρ(TN)下不同碳氮含量对细菌群落结构的影响。结果表明,进水为较高碳氮含量的HFCW(HF1)和进水为较低碳氮含量的HFCW(HF2)对COD和TN的去除效率具有一定的差异,HF1和HF2对COD的去除效率分别为48.26%和28.89%,对TN的去除率分别为79.06%和81.87%。HF1中细菌的丰富度和多样性均高于HF2,HF1中富集的优势细菌为Chloroflexaceae、Comamonadaceae和Rhodocyclaceae,均具有异养反硝化功能,HF2中富集的优势细菌为Xanthomonadaceae和Rhodocyclaceae,其中Xanthomonadaceae具有自养反硝化功能。COD、NH4^+-N和NO3^--N对HF1中细菌群落的影响大于对HF2中细菌群落的影响,HF1中COD对细菌群落的影响大于NH4^+-N和NO3^--N。     

Nonhydrolyzable Heptose Bis- and Monophosphate Analogues Modulate Pro-inflammatory TIFA-NF-κB Signaling

d -Glycero-d -manno-heptose-1β,7-bisphosphate (HBP) and d -glycero-d -manno-heptose-1β-phosphate (H1P) are bacterial metabolites that were recently shown to stimulate inflammatory responses in host cells through the activation of the TIFA-dependent NF-κB pathway. To better understand structure-based activity in relation to this process, a family of nonhydrolyzable phosphonate analogues of HBP and H1P was synthesized. The inflammation modulation by which these molecules induce the TIFA-NF-κB signal axis was evaluated in vivo at a low-nanomolar concentration (6 nM) and compared to that of the natural metabolites. Our data showed that three phosphonate analogues had similar stimulatory activity to HBP, whereas two phosphonates antagonized HBP-induced TIFA-NF-κB signaling. These results open new horizons for the design of pro-inflammatory and innate immune modulators that could be used as vaccine adjuvant.     

Fatal Attraction: How Bacterial Adhesins Affect Host Signaling and What We Can Learn from Them

The ability of bacterial species to colonize and infect host organisms is critically dependent upon their capacity to adhere to cellular surfaces of the host. Adherence to cell surfaces is known to be essential for the activation and delivery of certain virulence factors, but can also directly affect host cell signaling to aid bacterial spread and survival. In this review we will discuss the recent advances in the field of bacterial adhesion, how we are beginning to unravel the effects adhesins have on host cell signaling, and how these changes aid the bacteria in terms of their survival and evasion of immune responses. Finally, we will highlight how the exploitation of bacterial adhesins may provide new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of a wide range of bacterial infections.     

稠油微生物开采技术现状及进展

综述了用微生物方法开采稠油的技术现状与进展，论题如下。①概述。②基本方法：异源微生物采油，包括微生物吞吐和微生物驱；本源微生物采油压大港孔店油田的实例。③主要机理，包括产表面活性剂，降解稠油中重质组分及其他。④技术研究，包括机理性、可行性及经济效益研究，列举了国内外6个实例。⑤现场应用，包括国外1个、国内6个实例。⑥该技术的优势及问题。参22。     

Estimation of bacterial production through the coupling of (methyl 3H) Thymidine incorporation and several parameters over a Microcystis aeruginosa bloom in a hypereutrophic reservoir

The coupling of the changes in bacterial quantitative and metabolic aspects during Microcystis aeruginosa bloom conditions together with several environmental parameters was studied in the hypereutrophic Villerest reservoir, France. Bacterial abundance varied from 5.20 to 21.28 × 10⁶ bacteria-mL^?1, while bacterial biomass ranged between 75 and 507 μg C mL^?1. These results confirmed the highly eutrophic status of the Villerest reservoir. The relative quantitative importance of attached bacteria increased as Microcystis proliferated. Methyl-³H incorporation and D-(U-¹⁴C) glucose uptake varied from 8.99 to 60.57 × 10⁶ cells-mL^?1, and 0.016 to 1.587 μg CL^?1 h^?1, respectively. Correlations between several abiotic and biotic parameters showed that phytoplankton regulated bacterial growth by releasing organic carbon which is directly uptaken by heterotrophic bacteria. In the hypolimnion, the sedimentation of decaying algae represented a substantial substrate for bacterial growth.     

The effects of induction conditions on production of a soluble antitumor sFv in Escherichia coli

CC49 is a second generation monoclonal antibody(mAb) with highaffinity to a pancarcinoma antigen, TAG-72. A single-chain Fv(sFv)ofCC49 may have a role in managing human carcinomas. Most reportedsFvs have been expressed as insoluble products that must besolubilized and renatured. Soluble sFv expression is advantageousas activity can be assayed directly from the periplasmic fraction.Also, gene-level immunoconjugates may not be amenable to refoldingprotocols. Using a vector that carries the tac promoter andomp A signal, we have examined the effects of four variableson the expression and accumulation of soluble CC49 sFv: (i)linker sequence joining VL and VH, (ii) isopropylthio-ß-D-galactosideconcentration for induction, (iii) temprature, and (iv) theaddition of nonmetabolizable sugars to the medium. We have beenable to demonstrate, using rapidly prepared periplasmic extracts,that the yield of soluble sFv improves by the addition of 0.4Msucrose to the medium and by inducing expression with a verylow concentration of IPTG (0.02–0.03 mM). Under theseinduction conditions periplasmic extracts demonstrate increasedexpression of the sFv, as shown by the larger amount of a 27kDa band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel, and an increased abilityto inhibit binding of the mAb CC49 to immobilized tumor extracts.     

An improved bacterial foraging algorithm for combined static/dynamic environmental economic dispatch

Economic dispatch is carried out at the energy control center to find out the optimal output of thermal generating units such that power balance criterion is met, unit operating limits are satisfied and the fuel cost is minimized. With growing environmental awareness and strict government regulations throughout the world, it has become essential to optimize not only the total fuel cost but also the harmful emissions, both, under static as well as dynamic conditions. The static environment economic dispatch finds the optimal output of generating units for a fixed load demand at a given time, while the dynamic environmental economic dispatch schedules the output of online generators with changing power demands over a certain time period (normally one day) so as to minimize these two conflicting objectives, simultaneously. In this paper, the price penalty factor approach is employed for simultaneous minimization of cost and emission. The generator ramp rate constraints, non-convex and discontinuous nature of cost function and the large number of generators in practical power plants, make this problem very difficult to solve. Here, a fuzzy ranking approach is employed to identify the solution which offers the best compromise between cost and emission objectives.     

细菌纤维素的功能化改性研究进展

细菌纤维素(BC)是微生物生长过程中产生的以葡萄糖为基本骨架的结构性碳水化合物,具有高纯度、高聚合度、高结晶度、高持水性、高抗张强度和良好的机械强度,在功能材料领域显示了巨大的应用潜力.综述了近年来BC合成菌种筛选的研究现状;分析了BC在透气、吸湿排汗、力学性能和染色与脱色性能调控方面的进展情况;重点总结了BC基材料在抗菌、防紫外线、防辐射、防静电、拒水拒油、导电和传感等功能化改性方面的研究进展;最后,指出BC大规模高效成模和成型技术、差异化高功能BC材料制备技术是未来的重点研发方向.     

细菌纤维素合成过程中的影响因素

研究了接种量、pH值、培养液深度、培养液表面积和发酵时间等因素对形成细菌纤维素膜的产量、厚度及比表面积的影响。结果表明:接种量在7%、初始pH值在5～6范围内细菌纤维素的产量最大;厚度主要取决于发酵时间和初始pH值;培养液表面积对单位面积细菌纤维素产量有比较大的影响;膜的比表面积与发酵时间的长短无关。