<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
  	    <title>Biomedical and Environmental Sciences</title>
    <link>/</link>
    <description><![CDATA[《Biomedical and Environmental Sciences》2017年第8期]]></description>
    <year><![CDATA[2017]]></year>
    <volume><![CDATA[30]]></volume>
    <issue><![CDATA[8]]></issue>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Simultaneous Detection of 13 Key Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens by Combination of Multiplex PCR and Capillary Electrophoresis</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/2e34ed50-1096-4570-bff0-12754efe5e2a</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Objective&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt;  Lower respiratory tract infections continue to pose a significant threat to human health. It is important to accurately and rapidly detect respiratory bacteria. To compensate for the limits of current respiratory bacteria detection methods, we developed a combination of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and capillary electrophoresis (MPCE) assay to detect thirteen bacterial pathogens responsible for lower respiratory tract infections, including &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella spp., Bordetella pertussis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Corynebacterium diphtheriae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;, and &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Streptococcus pyogenes&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Methods&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt;  Three multiplex PCR reactions were built, and the products were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis using the high-throughput DNA analyzer. The specificity of the MPCE assay was examined and the detection limit was evaluated using DNA samples from each bacterial strain and the simulative samples of each strain. This assay was further evaluated using 152 clinical specimens and compared with real-time PCR reactions. For this assay, three nested-multiplex-PCRs were used to detect these clinical specimens.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Results&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt;  The detection limits of the MPCE assay for the 13 pathogens were very low and ranged from 10&amp;lt;sup&amp;lt;-7&amp;lt;/sup&amp;lt; to 10&amp;lt;sup&amp;lt;-2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;lt; ng/μL. Furthermore, analysis of the 152 clinical specimens yielded a specificity ranging from 96.5%-100.0%, and a sensitivity of 100.0% for the 13 pathogens.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Conclusion&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt;  This study revealed that the MPCE assay is a rapid, reliable, and high-throughput method with high specificity and sensitivity. This assay has great potential in the molecular epidemiological survey of respiratory pathogens.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>549</startPage>
	      	<endPage>561</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Lu Xi JIANG, Hong Yu REN, Hai Jian ZHOU, Si Hong ZHAO, Bo Yan HOU, Jian Ping YAN, Tian QIN, Yu CHEN
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>A Five-year Surveillance of Carbapenemase-producing &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Klebsiella pneumoniae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; in a Pediatric Hospital in China Reveals Increased Predominance of NDM-1</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/14bf79ca-a3c5-440f-ae05-9aa4317b93c9</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Objective&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; To characterize carbapenem (CPM)-non-susceptible &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Klebsiella pneumoniae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; (&amp;lt;i&amp;lt;K. pneumoniae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;) and carbape-nemase produced by these strains isolated from Beijing Children&apos;s Hospital based on a five-year surveillance.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Methods&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; The Minimal Inhibition Concentration values for 15 antibiotics were assessed using the Phonix100 compact system. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing were used to detect genes encoding carbapenemases. WHONET 5.6 was finally used for resistance analysis.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Results&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; In total, 179 strains of CPM-non-susceptible &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;K. pneumoniae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; were isolated from January, 2010 to December, 2014. The rates of non-susceptible to imipenem and meropenem were 95.0% and 95.6%, respectively. In the 179 strains, 95 (53.1%) strains carried the &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;bla&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;lt;IMP&amp;lt;/sub&amp;lt; gene, and IMP-4 and IMP-8 were detected in 92 (96.8%) and 3 (3.2%) IMP-producing isolates, respectively. 65 (36.3%) strains carried the &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;bla&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;lt;NDM-1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;lt; gene. 6 (3.4%) strains carried the &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;bla&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;lt;KPC&amp;lt;/sub&amp;lt; gene, and KPC-2 were detected in 6 KPC-producing isolates. In addition, New Delhi-Metallo-1 (NDM-1) producing isolates increased from 7.1% to 63.0% in five years and IMP-4 producing isolates decreased from 75.0% to 28.3%.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Conclusion&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; High frequencies of multiple resistances to antibiotics were observed in the CPM-non-susceptible &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;K. pneumoniae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; strains isolated from Beijing Children&apos;s Hospital. The production of IMP-4 and NDM-1 metallo-β-lactamases appears to be an important mechanism for CPM-non-susceptible in &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;K. pneumoniae&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>562</startPage>
	      	<endPage>569</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Fang DONG, Jie LU, Yan WANG, Jin SHI, Jing Hui ZHEN, Ping CHU, Yang ZHEN, Shu Jing HAN, Yong Li GUO, Wen Qi SONG
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Genotypic Characterization of Methicillin-resistant &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Staphylococcus aureus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; Isolated from Pigs and Retail Foods in China</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/c5709ef6-7df4-450b-9887-4b02a9d23541</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Objective&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; To investigate the genotypic diversity of Methicillin-resistant &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Staphylococcus aureus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; (MRSA) isolated from pigs and retail foods from different geographical areas in China and further to study the routes and rates of transmission of this pathogen from animals to food.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Methods&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; Seventy-one MRSA isolates were obtained from pigs and retail foods and then characterized by multi-locus sequencing typing (MLST), &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;spa&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; typing, multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Results&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; All isolated MRSA exhibited multi-drug resistance (MDR). Greater diversity was found in food-associated MRSA (7 STs, 8 &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;spa&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; types, and 10 MLVA patterns) compared to pig-associated MRSA (3 STs, 1 spa type, and 6 MLVA patterns). PFGE patterns were more diverse for pig-associated MRSA than those of food-associated isolates (40 &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;vs&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;. 11 pulse types). Among the pig-associated isolates, CC9-ST9-t899-MC2236 was the most prevalent clone (96.4%), and CC9-ST9-t437-MC621 (20.0%) was the predominant clone among the food-associated isolates. The CC9-ST9 isolates showed significantly higher antimicrobial resistance than other clones. Interestingly, CC398-ST398-t034 clone was identified from both pig-and food-associated isolates. Of note, some community-and hospital-associated MRSA strains (t030, t172, t1244, and t4549) were also identified as food-associated isolates.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Conclusion&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; CC9-ST9-t899-MC2236-MDR was the most predominant clone in pigs, but significant genetic diversity was observed in food-associated MRSA. Our results demonstrate the great need for improved surveillance of MRSA in livestock and food and effective prevention strategies to limit MDR-MRSA infections in China.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>570</startPage>
	      	<endPage>580</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Wei WANG, Feng LIU, Baloch ZULQARNAIN, Cun Shan ZHANG, Ke MA, Zi Xin PENG, Shao Fei YAN, Yu Jie HU, Xin GAN, Yin Ping DONG, Yao BAI, Feng Qin LI, Xiao Mei YAN, Ai Guo MA, Jin XU
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Protective Effect of Ozone against &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Hemiscorpius lepturus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; Envenomation in Mice</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/49c2c1c7-d0cc-42f8-9930-45b13f5b3c88</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Objective&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; Scorpion (&amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Hemiscorpius lepturus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;) stings are a public health concern in Iran, particularly in south and southwestern regions of Iran. The gold standard for the treatment of a scorpion sting is anti-venom therapy. However, immunotherapy can have serious side effects, such as anaphylactic shock (which can sometimes even lead to death). The aim of the current study was to demonstrate the protective effect of ozone against toxicity induced by Hemiscorpius lepturus (&amp;lt;i&amp;lt;H. lepturus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;) venom in mice.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Methods&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; Eight hours after the injection of ozone to the experimental design groups, the male mice were decapitated and mitochondria were isolated from five different tissues (liver, kidney, heart, brain, and spinal cord) using differential ultracentrifugation. Then, assessment of mitochondrial parameters including mitochondrial reactive oxidative species (ROS) production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ATP level, and the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria was performed.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Results&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; Our results showed that &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;H. lepturus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; venom-induced oxidative stress is related to ROS production and MMP collapse, which is correlated with cytochrome c release and ATP depletion, indicating the predisposition to the cell death signaling.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Conclusion&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; In general, ozone therapy in moderate dose can be considered as clinically effective for the treatment of &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;H. lepturus&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; sting as a protective and antioxidant agent.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>581</startPage>
	      	<endPage>590</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Naserzadeh Parvaneh, Shahi Farshad, Shahbazzadeh Delavar, Ghanei Mostafa, Ashtari Khadijeh, Panahi Yoones, Hosseini Mir-Jamal, Izadi Morteza
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Silica-induced Apoptosis in RAW264.7 Cells</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/8c75dfc6-16bc-4921-bdf3-9f0f898b9e55</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Objective&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; We investigated the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in silica-induced apoptosis in alveolar macrophages &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;in vitro&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Methods&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; RAW264.7 cells were incubated with 200 μg/mL silica for different time periods. Cell viability was assayed by the MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by DAPI staining, flow cytometry analysis, and Western blot analysis of caspase-3. Morphological changes in the endoplasmic reticulum were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression of ERS markers binding protein (BiP) and CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) was examined by Western blotting and real-time PCR. As an inhibitor of ERS, 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) was used in the experiments.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Results&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; Silica exposure induced nuclear condensation and caspase-3 expression in RAW264.7 cells. The number of apoptotic cells increased after silica exposure in a time-dependent manner. Silica treatment induced expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, the expression of BiP and CHOP increased in silica-stimulated cells. Furthermore, 4-PBA treatment inhibited silica-induced endoplasmic reticulum expansion and the expression of BiP and CHOP. Moreover, 4-PBA treatment attenuated nuclear condensation, reduced apoptotic cells, and downregulated caspase-3 expression in silica-stimulated cells.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;&amp;lt;sec&amp;lt;	 &amp;lt;b&amp;lt;Conclusion&amp;lt;/b&amp;lt; Silica-induced ERS is involved in the apoptosis of alveolar macrophages.&amp;lt;/sec&amp;lt;]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>591</startPage>
	      	<endPage>600</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Yong Bin HU, Xia WU, Xiao Feng QIN, Lei WANG, Pin Hua PAN
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Two Cases of Multi-antibiotic Resistant &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter spp&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;.Infections of Infants in China</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/720c1f26-58a7-471c-abed-ea23bf84d0cb</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[Infections by &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; spp. are hazardous to infants since they can lead to neonatal meningitis, bacteremia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; spp. are frequently resistant to β-lactam derivatives, macrolides, and aminoglycosides. In addition, multi-resistant strains have also been detected. In China, the isolation rate of &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; spp. from commercial powdered infant formula (PIF) or follow-up formula (FUF) is relatively high. Nevertheless, clinical cases of &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; infection have been ignored to date. Here we describe two cases of &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; infection detected at the Wuhan Women and Children Medical Care Center Hospital (Wuhan City, China). We provide the genomic analysis of the isolates and the antibiotic-resistance profiles of the two strains. The &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; strains identified in this study were not susceptible to third-generation cephalosporins, aminoglycoside, and/or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Whole genome sequencing revealed various genes known to encode antibiotic resistance. Future studies are needed to determine whether the genes predicted in this study are functional. As with &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Enterobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; spp., the antibiotic resistance of &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; is a serious issue that requires more attention.]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>601</startPage>
	      	<endPage>605</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Jing Hua CUI, Bo YU, Yun XIANG, Zhen ZHANG, Ting ZHANG, Ying Chun ZENG, Zhi Gang CUI, Xi Xiang HUO
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Examine the Correlation between Heat Shock Protein IbpA and Heat Tolerance in &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/e49f240d-1d1c-43b9-a971-0fe42f145a5e</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[We used a proteomic approach to identify IbpA in &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;Cronobacter sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; (&amp;lt;i&amp;lt;C&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;. &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;sakazaki&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt;), which is related to heat tolerance in this strain. The abundance of IbpA in &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;C. sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; strains strongly increased after heat shock. &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;C. sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; CMCC 45402 &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;ibpA&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; deletion mutants were successfully constructed. The &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;C. sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; CMCC 45402 Δ&amp;lt;i&amp;lt;ibpA&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; and wild-type strains could not be distinguished based on colony morphology on LB agar plates or biochemical assays. The growth of the &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;C. sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; CMCC 45402 Δ&amp;lt;i&amp;lt;ibpA&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; mutant in heat shock conditions was indistinguishable from that of the isogenic wild-type, but showed greater heat resistance than &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;E. coli&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; O157:H7 strain CMCC 44828. This study suggests that the absence of a single &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;ibpA&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; gene has no obvious effect on the phenotype or heat resistance of the strain &amp;lt;i&amp;lt;C. sakazakii&amp;lt;/i&amp;lt; CMCC 45402.]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>606</startPage>
	      	<endPage>610</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Zhi Jing ZHAO, Bin WANG, Jing YUAN, Hao Yu LIANG, Si Guo DONG, Ming ZENG
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Bitter Melon Powder Protects against Obesity-associated Fatty Liver Disease by Improving Colonic Microenvironment in Rats with High-fat Diet-induced Obesity</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/ad376904-d526-4b39-9528-afd49dd4aa72</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[This study explored how bitter melon powder (BMP) alters the colonic microenvironment during the development of obesity-associated fatty liver in rats. We observed that BMP effectively inhibited the body weight gain and lipid accumulation in the liver, ameliorated glucose intolerance, and increased the colon weight after an 8-week treatment compared to that in the high-fat diet (HFD) group. BMP significantly decreased fecal water toxicity towards HT-29 cells, as revealed by the cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay results, and the mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in colon mucosa. Additionally, gut permeability in the BMP group was restored to normal levels. Finally, BMP alleviated the inflammatory state of the rat colon mucosa and liver tissues as well as the systemic inflammation.]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>611</startPage>
	      	<endPage>615</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Juan BAI, Ying ZHU, Ying DONG
	      	</author>
	    </item>
    	    <item>
	       	<title>Research Progress in Occupational Health Risk Assessment Methods in China</title>
	      	<link>//article/id/cb98b062-32f9-47d8-833f-c162948bcdc9</link>
	     	<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
	      	<volume>30</volume>
	      	<issue>8</issue>
	      	<startPage>616</startPage>
	      	<endPage>622</endPage>
	      	<author>
				Li Fang ZHOU, Fang TIAN, Hua ZOU, Wei Ming YUAN, Mo HAO, Mei Bian ZHANG
	      	</author>
	    </item>
      </channel>
</rss>