尿液Tenascin-C测定在膀胱肿瘤患者筛查中的应用

目的:分析TN-C在可疑膀胱肿瘤患者尿液中的含量,探讨尿液TN-C含量与膀胱肿瘤及肿瘤分级之间的关系。方法:收集可疑膀胱肿瘤患者及健康志愿者尿液,离心后取上清液,用ELISA试剂盒测定其TN-C含量,并对数据进行统计学分析。结果:可疑膀胱肿瘤患者尿液中TNC含量显著高于健康志愿者;尿液TN-C含量作为初步诊断膀胱肿瘤的灵敏度和特异度分别是0.9635和0.9452;膀胱肿瘤患者,尿液TN-C含量与肿瘤分级呈正相关。结论:尿液TN-C含量可作为膀胱肿瘤患者初步诊断的一个参考因素,且与肿瘤分级呈正相关,但需排除炎症性疾病等。

Age Differences in Behavioral Responses of Male Giant Pandas to Chemosensory Stimulation

Chemical communication plays an important role in survival and reproductive success in mammalian species. In the present study, we examined the ontogenetic pattern of behavioral responses of male giant pandas （Ailuropoda melanoleuca ） to urine odors of conspecific individuals. Our data showed that exposure to the urine of adult females induced a significant increase in sniffing and environmental sniffing/licking behaviors, but a decrease in biting behavior, in males. Males of different ages displayed specific behaviors to female urine odors. Adult males spent more time licking than juvenile and sub-adult males. Further, sub-adult and adult males displayed high levels of environmental sniffing/licking, which was absent in the juvenile males. Juvenile males displayed scent rubbing behavior significantly more frequently than sub-adult and adult males, and also spent more time showing biting behavior than sub-adult males. Finally, juvenile and sub-aduh males showed no difference in response to female and male urine odors. Together, these data suggest that chemosensory cues from conspecific urines induce age-specific responses in male giant pandas.

The Value of the Measurement of Urinary Hyaluronic Acid Levels for the Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer

Objective To investigate the value of the measurement of urinary hyaluronic acid (HA) levels for the diagnosis of bladder cancer and the possibility of replacing ELISA-like assay with radioimmunoassay to detect the levels of urinary HA. Methods Using the ELISA-like assay and radioimmunoassay at the same time to measure the HA levels in the urine specimens from 49 bladder cancer patients, 12 benign bladder tumor patients, 30 other genitourinary disease patients and 20 normal controls. Results There is not much difference between the consequences of the urinary HA levels whether we used the ELISA-like assay or radioimmunoassay to detect every specimen (P>0.05). When we used the results with radioimmunoassay for analysis, we found the levels of urinary HA of bladder cancer patients were 2–4 times than those of the benign bladder tumor patients, other genitourinary disease patients or normal individuals (P<0.01); With 137.5 ngHA/mg protein (113.6±23.9 ng/mg) as a minimum cutoff limit, this assay had a good sensitivity (91.8%) and specificity (91.9%) for the diagnosis of bladder cancer. Its difference in sensitivity meant a lot when compared with urine cytology (48.9%,P<0.01). Conclusion The urinary HA assay is a simple, convenient, noninvasive credible and cheap method with satisfactory sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of bladder carcinoma; radioimmunoassay is also a good means to measure the urinary HA levels. Key words Bladder carcinoma - Hyaluronic acid - Urine

Study on Inactivated Vaccine in Oil Emulsion Against Newcastle Disease and Fowl Cholera IV——Field Test of Vaccine

[ Objective] The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effect of the inactivated vaccine in oil emulsion against Newcastle disease and Fowl cholera, and provide conditions for combined prevention and control of Newcastle disease and Fowl cholera. [ Method] The mixture of avian pasteurella multocida （type A） virulent strain 1502 and Newcastle disease virus attenuated strain La Sota was prepared into five batches of the inactivated vaccine in oil emulsion to use in the field test for assessing its safety and effects on immune protection of chicken, duck and goose. [ Result] The field safety test showed that there was no adverse reaction in the vaccinated chickens, ducks and geese. The field test of immune effect for chickens suggested that the titers of hemagglutination inhibition antibody for Nescastle disease virus （ ND-HI ） in 7 - 14 day- old chickens and 60 -90 day-old young chickens were 2 -3 log2 higher than the control group after being vaccinated for 3 weeks, which could last for more than 4 months. The protection rate against avian pasteurella multocida was over 75.0% and its immune effect could last for 6 months. The field test of immune effect for duck and goose indicated that the titers of ND-HI antibody were all higher than 4.2 log2 in vaccinated ducks and geese while lower than 2 log2 in the control group after being vaccinated for 3 weeks. The protection rate against avian pasteurella multocida in vaccinated ducks and geese was higher than 75.0% and 62.5% respectively. [ Conclusion] The binary vaccine is safe for poultry and has good immune effects.

尿毒净液对慢性肾功能衰竭大鼠肾功能及肾组织中Nephrin、MCP-1和PAI-1表达的影响

目的:观察尿毒净液(Urea Nitrogen Cleaning Fluid,UNCF)对慢性肾功能衰竭大鼠模型肾脏功能的作用及其对肾组织肾病蛋白(nephrin)、单核细胞趋化蛋白-1(MCP-1)和纤溶酶原激活物抑制剂-1(PAI-1)表达的影响。方法:应用5/6肾切除方法复制氮质血症大鼠模型,随机分为模型组、尿毒净液组,以假手术大鼠作为对照组,给药8周后检测各组大鼠血清尿素氮及24小时尿蛋白总量的水平,HE染色法观察肾小球组织形态学改变,免疫组化法、Western blot法及荧光定量PCR法检测各组大鼠肾组织中Nephrin、MCP-1和PAI-1蛋白及mRNA的分布表达。结果:尿毒净液16g/kg连续给药8周显著降低血BUN和尿蛋白,大鼠肾组织中PAI-1、MCP-1表达均显著低于模型组,Nephrin明显高于模型组。结论:尿毒净液能显著改善5/6肾切除大鼠的肾功能,延缓5/6肾切除大鼠慢性肾衰竭的进程,其机理与尿毒净液能抑制MCP-1和PAI-1的表达,同时又促进了Nephrin的表达相关。

Detection of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae from Urine with Ligase Chain Reaction

Objective: To evaluate the value of ligase chainreaction(LCR) in the diagnosis of diplococcusgonorrhoeae in urine. Methods: LCR detection of the urine for Neisseriagonorrhoeae and bacteria culture of discharge was per-formed simultaneously to 276 patients with urethritisor cervicitis seeking treatment in sex transmitted dis-eases (STDs) outpatient clinic. For specimens withdiscordant results, polymerase chain reaction wasconducted. The purpose was to detect the respectivesensitivity and specificity of bacteria culture and LCR. Results: 24 of 276(8.7%) patients had positive LCRresults and 21 of 276(7.6%) were positive for culture.5 specimens had discordant results from LCR andbacteria culture. The sensitivity and specificity of LCRin the diagnosis of gonorrhoeae were 92.3% and100% respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that LCR had ahigher sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis ofgonorrhoeae from urine.

Secretion of melatonin and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin urinary excretion in functional dyspepsia

To evaluate blood concentration of melatonin and urinary excretion of its metabolite, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin （6-OHMS）, in functional dyspepsia （FD）. METHODS： Ninety individuals were enrolled in the study： 30 in each study group： patients with postprandial distress syndrome （PDS）, epigastric pain syndrome （EPS）, and controls. Blood samples were drawn at 02：00 and 09：00 h and 24-h urine collection was performed. Serum melatonin and urinary 6-OHMS concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS： Serum melatonin concentration at night and in the morning was significantly （P 〈 0.001） higher inPDS patients [at 02：00 h-93.3 pg/mL, quartile range （QR）： 79.8-116.2; at 09.00 h-14.3 pg/mL, QR： 7.06-19.0] than in EPS （57.2 pg/mL, QR： 42.6-73.1, 8.1 pg/mL, QR： 4.2-9.3） and control patients （57.7 pg/mL, QR： 51.2-62.5; 8.1 pg/mL, QR： 5.4-10.3）. A similar relationship was observed for urinary 6-OHMS excretion. Patients with severe PDS symptoms had a higher melatonin concentration than these with moderate syndromes, whereas patients with severe EPS had a lower urinary 6-OHMS excretion than patients with moderate symptoms.CONCLUSION： Evaluation of melatonin serum concentrations and 24-h urinary 6-OHMS excretion are useful methods for differential diagnosis of various clinical forms of FD.

Effects of N source and nitrification pretreatment on growth of Arthrospira platensis in human urine

Culture ofArthrospiraplatensis （Spirulinaplatens） in human urine was investigated to get valuable biomass. NO3-N was the proper N source, in comparison with other N source, including urea, NH4-N and NO2-N. As a result, aerobic nitrification of human urine was performed, with above 93.6% nitrification percentage finally achieved with total-N （TN） load of 46.52 mg/（L.d）, in which Arthrospira platensis was successfully grown. The main compositions of the obtained biomass are close to those in Zarrouk medium. Thus, it is possible to culture Arthrospiraplatensis in nitrified human urine for food production within bioregenerative life support systems （BLSSs）.

Enantioselective assay of S(+)- and R(-)-propafenone in human urine by using RP-HPLC with pre-column chiral derivatization

The enantioselective assay for S(+)- and R(-)-propafenone (PPF) in human urine that developed in this work involves extraction of propafenone from human urine and using S(+)-propafenone as internal standard, chiral derivatization with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-b-D-glucopranosyl isothiocyanate, and quantitation by an RP-HPLC system with UV detection (l=220 nm). A baseline separation of propafenone enantiomers was achieved on a 5-mm reverse phase ODS column, with a mixture of methanol:water:glacial acetic acid (25:12:0.02,v/v) as mobile phase. There was good linear relationship from 24.9 ng/ml to 1875.0 ng/ml for both of enantiomers. The regression equations of the standard curves based on CS-PPF (or CR-PPF ) versus ratio of AS-PPF/AS (or AR-PPF/AS ) were y=0.0032x-0.081, (r=0.999) for S-PPF and y=0.0033x+0.0039, (r=0.998) for R-PPF, respectively. The method抯 limit of detection was 12.5 ng/ml for both enantiomers, and the method抯 limit of quantitation was 28.20.52 ng/ml for S-PPF, 30.40.53 ng/ml for R-PPF (RSD<8%, n=5). The analytical method yielded average recovery of 98.9% and 100.4% for S-PPF and R-PPF, respectively. The relative standard deviation was no more than 6.11% and 6.22% for S-PPF and R-PPF, respectively. The method enabled study of metabolism of S(+)- and R(-)-propafenone in human urine. The results from 7 volunteers administered 150 mg racemic propafenone indicated that propafenone enantiomers undergo stereoselective metabolism and that in the human body, S(+)-propafenone is metabolized more extensively than R(-)- propafenone.

Hepatorenal syndrome

Hepatorenal syndrome(HRS) is defined as a functional renal failure in patients with liver disease with portal hypertension and it constitutes the climax of systemic circulatory changes associated with portal hypertension.This term refers to a precisely specified syndrome featuring in particular morphologically intact kidneys,where regulatory mechanisms have minimised glomerular filtration and maximised tubular resorption and urine concentration,which ultimately results in uraemia.The syndrome occurs almost exclusively in patients with ascites.Type 1 HRS develops as a consequence of a severe reduction of effective circulating volume due to both an extreme splanchnic arterial vasodilatation and a reduction of cardiac output.Type 2 HRS is characterised by a stable or slowly progressive renal failure so that its main clinical consequence is not acute renal failure,but refractory ascites,and its impact on prognosis is less negative.Liver transplantation is the most appropriate therapeutic method,nevertheless,only a few patients can receive it.The most suitable "bridge treatments" or treatment for patients ineligible for a liver transplant include terlipressin plus albumin.Terlipressin is at an initial dose of 0.5-1 mg every 4 h by intravenous bolus to 3 mg every 4 h in cases when there is no response.Renal function recovery can be achieved in less than 50% of patients and a considerable decrease in renal function may reoccur even in patients who have been responding to therapy over the short term.Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt plays only a marginal role in the treatment of HRS.

Development and evaluation of immunoassay for zeranol in bovine urine

A high affinity polyclonal antibody-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was developed for the quantification of zeranol in bovine urine. On the basis of urine matrix studies, the optimized dilution factors producing insignificant matrix interference were selected as 1：5 in pretreatment. In the improved ELISA, the linear response range was between 0.02 and 1 μg/ml, and the detection limit was 0.02 μg/ml for the assay. The overall recoveries and the coefficients of variation （CVs） were in the range of 82%-127% and 3.5%-8.8%, respectively. Thirty-six bovine urine samples spiked with zeranol （ranging from 0.2 to 10 μg/ml） were detected by the ELISA and liquid chromatography （LC） method, and good correlations were obtained between the two methods （R^2=0.9643）. We conclude that this improved ELISA is suitable tool for a mass zeranol screening and can be an altemative for the conventional LC method for zeranol in bovine urine.

A highly sensitive SPE-liquid/liquid extraction-RPLC analytical method for the determination of 6β-hydroxycortisol and cortisol in cancer patients' urine

A highly sensitive SPE-liquid/liquid extraction RPLC method has been developed for the analysis of 6β-hydroxycortisol and cortisol in the urine of cancer patients. Methods： After SPE column purification and liquid-liquid extraction, the sample test solutions were analyzed with RPLC using a C18 analytical column. This improved analytical method has been validated for linearity, accuracy （recovery from urine）, repeatability （within-day and between-day precision）, specificity, sensitivity, and stability. This SPE-liquid/liquid extraction-RPLC is rapid, simple, accurate and reproducible. The technique is particularly useful for monitoring the CYP3A activity of cancer patients in clinical settings. The results are expressed as the ratio of 6β-hydroxycortisol to cortisol. Results： The CYP3A activity from a total of 153 samples was measured using this improved method. Considerable variation in the CYP3A activity of different cancer patients has been documented. Thus, personalized medical treatment based on the individual metabolic enzyme activity level is necessary. Conclusion： This new analytical method facilitates such individualized medical treatments.

Diagnosis and therapy of ascites in liver cirrhosis

Ascites is one of the major complications of liver cirrhosis and is associated with a poor prognosis. It is important to distinguish noncirrhotic from cirrhotic causes of ascites to guide therapy in patients with noncirrhotic ascites. Mild to moderate ascites is treated by salt restriction and diuretic therapy. The diuretic of choice is spironolactone. A combination treatment with furosemide might be necessary in patients who do not respond to spironolactone alone. Tense ascites is treated by paracentesis, followed by albumin infusion and diuretic therapy. Treatment options for refractory ascites include repeated paracentesis and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement in patients with a preserved liver function. Potential complications of ascites are spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) and hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). SBP is diagnosed by an ascitic neutrophil count > 250 cells/mm3 and is treated with antibiotics. Patients who survive a first episode of SBP or with a low protein concentration in the ascitic fluid require an antibiotic prophylaxis. The prognosis of untreated HRS type 1 is grave. Treatment consists of a combination of terlipressin and albumin. Hemodialysis might serve in selected patients as a bridging therapy to liver transplantation. Liver transplantation should be considered in all patients with ascites and liver cirrhosis.

Urinary Profiles of Soy Isoflavone Metabolites in Women,Female Piglets and Female Rats Consuming Soy Diet

Objective: To investigate the urinary soy isoflavone metabolites from women, female piglets and rats fed with diet containing soy protein. Methods: Urinary samples from human and animals were collected after soy diet consumption. Identification for soy isoflavone metabolites in urine samples was processed using an Agilent Bruker LC Esquire ion trap system. Quantification of aglycone and conjugated soy isoflavone metabolites were also analyzed using a method published previously. Results: Identification studies showed that aglycones and conjugates of soy isoflavone metabolites were found in women and porcine samples. Interestingly, glucuronide conjugate of equol, besides glucuronide conjugates of genistein and daidzein, were found in rat urine. Glucuronide conjugate of equol was the major metabolite found in rat urine. A quantitative study showed that conjugated forms of isoflavones were more than 90% in woman urine, were between 80.5% and 84.5% in female porcine urine, and were less than 50% in female rat urine. Conclusion: Equol is the major metabolite found in female rat urine, but it is not found in woman or female porcine urine. Urinary profiles show that porcine model is more appropriate for mimicking human soy diet consuming studies.

Tissue distribution and excretion of ^(125)I-lidamycin in mice and rats

AIM: To investigate the tissue distribution, urinary and fecal excretions of 125I-lidamycin (125I-C-1027) in mice and its biliary excretion in rats. METHODS:The total radioactivity assay (RA method) and the radioactivity assay after precipitation with 200 mL/L trichloroacetic add (TCA-RA method) were used to dete-rmine the tissue distribution,and the urinary and fecal excretions of 125I-C-1027 in mice and its biliary excretion in rats. RESULTS:Tissue concentrations reached the peak at the fifth minute after administration of 125I-C-1027 to mice. The highest concentration was in kidney, and the lowest in brain at all test-time points. The organs of the concentrations of 125I-C-1027 from high to low were kidney, lung, liver, stomach, spleen, uterus, ovary, intestine, muscle, heart, testis, fat, and brain in mice. The accumulative excretion amounts of 0-24 h, and 0-96 h after administration of 125I-C-1027 were 68.36 and 71.64% in urine, and 2.60 and 3.21% in feces of mice, respectively, and the accumulative excretion amount of 0-24 h was 3.57% in bile in rats. CONCLUSION: Our results reflect the characteristics of the tissue distribution, urinary and fecal excretions of 125I-C-1027 in mice and the biliary excretion of 125I-C-1027 and its metabolites in rats, and indicate that 125I-C-1027 and its metabolites are mainly distributed in kidney, and excreted in urine.

Evaluation of urine ELISA test for detecting Helicobacter pylori infection in Taiwan: A prospective study

AIM： To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of a new ELISA （URINELISA） test for detecting Helicobacter pylori （H pylorl） antibody in the urine of Taiwan Residents population. METHODS： In this prospective study, 317 consecutive dyspeptic patients （171 men, 146 women; mean age, 51.0 years） were included. They underwent gastroendoscopy for evaluation. Invasive tests, including culture, histology, and rapid urease test （RUT）, and non-invasive ^13C-urea breath test were preformed. At the same time, urine specimens were collected for URINELISA. The status of H pylori infection was considered as positive when either culture was positive, or when two of the other, RUT, histology or 13C-UBT, were positive. RESULTS： The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of URINELISA are 91.7% （211/230）, 90.8% （79/87）, 96.3% （211/219）, and 80.6% （79/98） respectively. CONCLUSION： This URINELISA test is reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-use. The high diagnostic accuracy warrants the use of URINELISA as a first-line screening tool for diagnosis of Hpyloriinfection in untreated patients.

Exercise-induced albuminuria and circadian blood pressure abnormalities in type 2 diabetes

AIMTo investigate the relationship between circadian vari-ations in blood pressure （BP） and albuminuria at rest, and during exercise in non-hypertensive type 2 diabetes （T2D） patients.METHODSWe conducted a cross-sectional study in well controlled T2D patients, non-hypertensive, without clinical pro-teinuria and normal creatinine clearance. In each parti-cipant, we recorded the BP using ambulatory bloodTankeu AT et al . Exercise-induced albuminuria and BP in T2DMpressure monitoring （ABPM） for 24-h, and albuminuria at rest and after a standardized treadmill exercise.RESULTSWe enrolled 27 type 2 patients with a median age of 52; and a mean duration of diabetes and HbA1c of 3.6 ± 0.8 years and 6.3% ± 0.5% respectively. Using a 24-h ABPM, we recorded a mean diurnal systolic blood pressure （SBP） of 128 ± 17 mmHg vs nocturnal of 123 ± 19 mmHg （ P = 0.004）, and mean diurnal diastolic blood pressure （DBP） of 83 ± 11 mmHg vs nocturnal 78 ± 14 mmHg （ P = 0.002）. There was a signifcant difference between albuminuria at rest [median = 23 mg, interquartile range （IQR） = 10-51] and after exercise （median = 35 mg, IQR = 23-80, P 〈 0.001）. Patients with exercise induced albuminuria had an increase in nocturnal BP values on all three components （128 mmHg vs 110 mmHg, P = 0.03 for SBP; 83 mmHg vs 66 mmHg, P = 0.04; 106 vs 83, P = 0.02 for mean arterial pressure）, as well as albuminuric patients at rest. Moreover, exercise induced albuminuria detect a less increase in nocturnal DBP （83 vs 86, P = 0.03） than resting albuminuria.CONCLUSIONExercise induced albuminuria is associated with anincrease in nocturnal BP values in T2D patients.

Warm ischemia time and elevated serum uric acid are associated with metabolic syndrome after liver transplantation with donation after cardiac death

AIM To describe the prevalence of posttransplant metabolic syndrome(PTMS) after donation after cardiac death(DCD) liver transplantation(LT) and the pre-and postoperative risk factors.METHODS One hundred and forty-seven subjects who underwent DCD LT from January 2012 to February 2016 were enrolled in this study. The demographics and the clinical characteristics of pre-and post-transplantation were collected for both recipients and donors. PTMS was defined according to the 2004 Adult Treatment Panel-Ⅲ criteria. All subjects were followed monthly for the initial 6 mo after discharge, and then, every 3 mo for 2 years. The subjects were followed every 6 mo or as required after 2 years post-LT.RESULTS The prevalence of PTMS after DCD donor orthotopic LT was 20/147(13.6%). Recipient's body mass index(P = 0.024), warm ischemia time(WIT)(P = 0.045), and posttransplant hyperuricemia(P = 0.001) were significantly associated with PTMS. The change in serum uric acid levels in PTMS patients was significantly higher than that in non-PTMS patients(P < 0.001). After the 1 s t mo, the level of serum uric acid of PTMS patients rose continually over a period, while it was unaltered in non-PTMS patients. After transplantation, the level of serum uric acid in PTMS patients was not associated with renal function.CONCLUSION PTMS could occur at early stage after DCD LT with growing morbidity with the passage of time. WIT and post-LT hyperuricemia are associated with the prevalence of PTMS. An increased serum uric acid level is highly associated with PTMS and could act as a serum marker in this disease.

Biotransformation of aesculin by human gut bacteria and identification of its metabolites in rat urine

AIM： To observe the biotransformation process of a Chinese compound, aesculin, by human gut bacteria, and to identify its metabolites in rat urine.METHODS： Representative human gut bacteria were collected from 20 healthy volunteers, and then utilized in vitro to biotransform aesculin under anaerobic conditions. At 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 48 and 72 h postincubation, 10 mL of culture medium was collected. Metabolites of aesculin were extracted 3 × from rat urine with methanol and analyzed by HPLC. For in vivo metabolite analysis, aesculetin （100 mg/kg） was administered to rats via stomach gavage, rat urine was collected from 6 to 48 h post-administration, and metabolite analysis was performed by LC/ESI-MS and MS/MS in the positive and negative modes.RESULTS： Human gut bacteria could completely convert aesculin into aesculetin in vitro. The biotransformation process occurred from 8 to 24 h post-incubation, with its highest activity was seen from 8 to 12 h. The in vitro process was much slower than the in vivo process. In contrast to the in vitro model, six aesculetin metabolites were identified in rat urine, including 6-hydroxy-7-glucocoumarin（M1）, 6-hydroxy-7-sulf-coumarin （M2）, 6, 7-digluco-coumarin （M3）, 6-glc-7-gluco-coumarin （M4）, 6-O-methyl-7-gluco-coumarin （MS） and 6-O-methyl-7- sulf-coumarin （M6）. Of which, M2 and M6 were novel metabolites.CONCLUSION： Aesculin can be transferred into aesculetin by human gut bacteria and is further modified by the host in vivo. The diverse metabolites of aesculin may explain its pleiotropic pharmaceutical effects.

Urea Preparation by Oxidative Carbonylation of Ammonia

Effective one-stage method of urea preparation by catalytic oxidative carbonylation of ammonia in liquid phase is developed. The method allows to prepare urea with productivity of-530 g/（L·h） in sufficiently mild conditions （total pressure -30 bar, 45 ℃）. The process is characterized by high selectivity （near 100%） i.e. byproducts separation is not needed. Almost all CO is consumed during the process, this substantially diminishes the waste-gas purification costs and raises the process environmental characteristics; the only byproduct is water.