Studies of synthesis and permeabilities of special polymer membranes. LI. Active transport of halogen ions through chitosan membranes

Anion exchange membranes containing amino groups, insoluble in acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions, were prepared from chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol), and glutaraldehyde. Using the membrane in a diaphragm cell, one side being adjusted to be acidic and the other alkaline, it was possible to transport actively halogen ions through the membrane from the acidic side to the alkaline side against the concentration gradient between both sides of the membrane. The active transport of halogen ions through the membrane was significantly influenced by the pH difference and electric potential difference between both sides of the membrane.     

Studies on syntheses and permeabilities of special polymer membranes. 40. Formation conditions of finger-like cavities of cellulose nitrate membranes

The permeation characteristics for polymer aqueous solution and asymmetric structure of cellulose nitrate membranes, in particular the finger-like cavity in the back sponge layer of these membranes, were investigated by changing the preparation conditions of the membranes— the casting solvent, evaporation period, and gelation medium. The formation of the finger-like cavity was dependent on absorption of a water molecule into the casting mixture from the atmosphere during the solvent evaporation process and the exchange velocity between the casting solvent and the gelation medium. The mechanism and conditions for the formation of a finger-like cavity in cellulose nitrate membranes were discussed.     

A simple method for minimizing non-linear image contrast in spherical aberration-corrected HRTEM

A simple and practical method for minimizing non-linear image contrast in spherical aberration-corrected (C(S)-corrected) high-resolution transmission electron microscopy is presented. The effectiveness of the method is considered from the viewpoints of theoretical formulations and image simulations including second-order imaging effects. The method is one of the advantages of C(S)-correction and applied to high-resolution images down to 0.1 nm. The dynamical diffraction effect is carefully evaluated, which shows that the phase deviation of diffracted waves from pi/2 violates the present method in thicker crystals over approximately 10 nm.     

Effects of sulfated fucan,ascophyllan, from the brown Alga Ascophyllum nodosum on various cell lines: A comparative study on ascophyllan and fucoidan

The effects of fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides, ascophyllan and fucoidan, isolated from the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum, on the growth of various cell lines (MDCK, Vero, PtK₁, CHO, HeLa, and XC) were investigated. In a colony formation assay, ascophyllan and fucoidan showed potent cytotoxic effects on Vero and XC cells, while other cell lines were relatively resistant to these polysaccharides. Almost no significant effects of these polysaccharides were observed in the cell lines tested using the Alamar blue cytotoxicity assay over 48 h with varying initial cell densities (2500–20,000 cells/well) in growth medium. Interestingly, a significant growth promoting effect of ascophyllan on MDCK cells was observed, whereas treatment with fucoidan showed growth suppressive effects on this cell line under the same experimental conditions. These results suggest that ascophyllan is distinguishable from fucoidan in terms of their bioactivities. This is the first report of the growth promoting effects of a sulfated fucan on a mammalian cell line under normal growth conditions.     

环介导等温核酸扩增技术快速检测产毒亚历山大藻

DNA环介导等温扩增(LAMP)方法是一种新型的核酸扩增技术,该方法是在等温的条件下进行的,具有反应时间短、灵敏度高、特异性强的特点.本文以产麻痹性贝毒(PSP)的亚历山大藻为研究对象,采用简易法提取DNA模板,设计特异性LAMP引物,利用LAMP技术进行产毒藻种的快速检测,同时,着重对LAMP技术与PCR技术在检测微小亚历山大藻细胞的灵敏度方面做了比较.向LAMP终产物中加入SYBR Green I 染料后可直接用肉眼观察结果而不需要通过凝胶电泳来观察.结果表明,LAMP技术在恒温65℃,1h内就可以检测到产毒藻种;LAMP技术检测微小亚历山大藻的最低检测限为200个/ml,而PCR技术的最低检测限为1000个/ml,LAMP扩增方法比PCR扩增方法的程序简单、反应时间短、灵敏度高;LAMP技术不需要精密的温度循环装置,有恒温加热设备就可以满足检测条件,可用于野外检测.     

食源性普罗威登斯菌的分离鉴定和耐药性研究

本文研究了食源性普罗威登斯菌在肉类食品中的的分布,以及其耐药表型与I型整合子的携带状况。本文采集了市售猪肉、鸡肉和牛肉等肉类食品,对普罗威登斯菌进行分离与鉴定;采用纸片扩散法对已分离鉴定的普罗威登斯菌进行药敏实验;利用聚合酶链式反应技术筛选携带I型整合子的菌株。结果表明,85份样品中,有38份样品检出普罗威登斯菌,检出率达44.70%。38株普罗威登斯菌中,有44.74%的分离株是多重耐药菌株,最多耐6种抗生素。有两株普罗威登斯菌携带I型整合酶,一株拉氏普罗威登斯菌携带耐药基因盒。这是在国内肉类食品分离的普罗威登斯菌中首次发现I型整合子阳性菌株,表明食品中这种携带有多重耐药的菌株有可能通过食物链向人类传播,是对人类健康造成威胁的潜在危险因素。     

Effect of pulsed electric field on the secondary structure and thermal properties of soy protein isolate

Changes of structure and thermal stability of soy protein isolate after pulsed electric field treatment were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). When the applied pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment intensity was over 35 kV/cm, the amino acid side chain, anti-parallel β-sheets, β-turn as well as β-sheets in soy protein isolate (SPI) secondary structure were significantly changed, which suggested that PEF treatment might be a new processing method for SPI; the dipole moments of some bonds, such as C=O, C–O, and C–O–C were partially polarized, accompanying with complete denaturation of β-conglycinin and glycinin obtained from DSC. Furthermore, self-reassembly from β-turn to α-helix in SPI structure abruptly happened under intense PEF treatment condition, which suggested that the PEF treatment had induced change of the orientation of α-helix dipole moment to stabilize α-helix. This observation implies that PEF treatment technique may be a novel method for preparation of protein nanotube.     

Lactoperoxidase activity in milk is correlated with somatic cell count in dairy cows

Lactoperoxidase (LPO) is a milk protein with antimicrobial function. The present study was undertaken to examine the correlation between LPO activity and somatic cell count (SCC) in milk to use LPO activity as an indicator of mastitis. Composite milk of 36 cows and quarter milk of 3 cows were collected once per week from 0 to 300 d postpartum and twice per day for 1 wk, respectively. For the measurement of LPO activity, milk was mixed with tetramethylbenzidine solution and incubated at 37°C for 30 min, followed by the measurement of optical density. When only milk with low SCC (132 ± 12 × 10³ cells/mL) was used, a significant decrease in LPO activity was detected in primiparous cows from 0 to 4 mo postpartum. Lactoperoxidase activities of primiparous cows in mo 1, 2, and 3 postpartum were significantly higher than those in multiparous cows. When composite milk was divided based on LPO activity, the SCC was significantly higher in the groups with LPO activity >5 and from 3 to 3.9 U/mL in the second- and fourth-parity cows, respectively, compared with the group with LPO activity <2 U/mL. Extremely high SCC were found in the ≥fifth-parity cows, even in low-LPO activity groups. In the case of quarter milk, higher LPO activity was associated with increased SCC in all 3 cows. The percentage of quarter milk samples with high SCC (4,062 ± 415 × 10³ cells/mL) increased with an increase in the LPO activity. The percentage of quarter milk samples with high SCC was 50.0 to 100% in the milk with LPO activity ≥5 U/mL. These results indicate that the correlation of LPO activity to the SCC in bovine milk may point to the potential use of the former as an indicator of SCC.