Controlling effects of forest belts on non-point source pollution of agricultural lands in Taihu Lake area, China

Taihu Lake area is one of the most developed areas in agricultural production. Application of fertilizers and pesticides in large quantities greatly aggravate environmental pollution of this area, and water pollution has worsened to an unbearable condition. Two sampling farms (respectively 1 hm2) under rape-rice rotation and wheat-rice rotation were selected as studied ecosystem and a 5-yr-old Poplar forest and 8-yr-old Metasequoia forest were chosen in the selected areas. By collecting samples of Nitrogen, Phosphorus in water, crops and underground of forest, the transfer and loss of N and P (main water pollutants) in faming ecosystem were studied, and the effects of forest belts on non-point source pollution of agricultural lands was analyzed. The results indicated that the transfer and loss of N and P vary with means of rotation, types of crops and the amount of fertilizer application. Buffering forest belts betweens farmlands and ditches can effectively stop and purify such elements as N and P in soil runoffs, thus controlling non-point source pollution of agricultural lands. When the width ratio of farmland to forest belt is 100 to 40, 50.05% losing N, 29.37% losing P can be absorbed by forest under rape-rice rotation and 30.98% N, 86.73% P can be absorbed by forest under wheat-rice rotation. When the width ratio of farmland to forest belt is 150 to 40, 33.37% losing N, 19.58% losing P can be absorbed by the forest under rape-rice rotation, and under wheat-rice rotation 20.65% lost N and 57.82% lost P can be absorbed. There is only some purification effect when the width ration of farmland to forest belt is 200 to 40. Based on model of buffering forest belts, the width ratio of farmland to forest is determined between 100 to 40 and 150 to 40, because it not only can purify water, but also occupy less farmland. It is suggested that Poplars, with the characteristics of fast-growing and high value, are suitable to be planted as shelter-forest in Taihu Lake Watershed.

Gel Filtration Chromatography Combined with Bradford Method for Determination of Total Residual Protein in Ferment Antibiotics

Aim A novel method has been developed for evaluation of the levels of total residual protein in antibiotics produced by fermentation using gel filtration chromatography (GFC) combined with Bradford assay based on determination of residual protein in lincomycin hydrochloride. Methods The chromatographic conditions were SuperdexTM peptide column, 0.01 mol*L-1 phosphate buffer solution as mobile phase, and flow rate of 1 mL·min-1. Five hundred microliters of lincomycin hydrochloride solution (3 g of lincomycin hydrochloride dissolved in 10 mL of mobile phase) was injected into the chromatograph and the eluted solution was collected between 6 min and 14.5 min (protein eluted from column within this period), and the residual content of total protein in the eluted solution was assayed using Bradford assay method. Results The average recovery was more than 90% for bovine serum albumin, the calibration equation for the range of 0-12 μg·mL-1 of protein was y=-0.002 4x2+0.064 2x+0.002 9, r2=0.999 9, RSD=0.1%-0.9%, and the LOD and LOQ were 3 and 10 ng·mL-1 of protein, respectively. Conclusion The novel method for determining the residual protein in ferment antibio-tics is simple, rapid, and precise.

Peginterferon and ribavirin treatment for hepatitis C virus infection

Pegylated interferon α (IFNα) in combination with ribavirin is currently recommended as a standard-of-care treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This combination therapy has drastically improved the rate of sustained virological response, specifically in difficult-to-treat patients. Recently, individualized treatment, such as response-guided therapy, is being developed based on host-, HCV- and treatment-related factors. Furthermore, modified regimens with currently available medications, novel modified IFNα and ribavirin or combinations with specifically targeted antiviral therapy for HCV agents, are currently being investigated. The purpose of this review is to address some issues and epoch-making topics in the treatment of chronic HCV infection, and to discuss more optimal and highly individualized therapeutic strategies for HCV-infected patients.

Telaprevir/boceprevir era: From bench to bed and back

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects approximately 200 million people worldwide. Interferon-based therapies have dominated over the past two decades. However, the overall response rates remain suboptimal. Thanks to the tremendous effort from both academia and industry, two serine protease inhibitors telaprevir and boceprevir for treating chronic hepatitis C have finally reached the clinic. Although these compounds are only approved for combination use with interferon and ribavirin in genotype 1 HCV infected chronic patients, the management of HCV patients however is now evolving incredibly. Here, we overviewed a series of landmark studies, regarding the clinical development of telaprevir and boceprevir. We discussed the mechanism-of-action of telaprevir/boceprevir and their potential application in HCV-positive liver transplantation patients. We further emphasized some emerging concerns with perspective of further development in this field.

Role of Helicobacter pylorieradication in aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug users

Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including aspirin at any dosage and formulation represent well-established risk factors for the development of uncomplicated and complicated peptic ulcer disease accounting for the majority of such cases. Although the interaction between H pylori and NSAID/aspirin use in the same individuals was questioned in some epidemiological studies, it has now become widely accepted that they are at least independent risk factors for peptic ulcer disease. According to data from randomized intervention trials, naive NSAID users certainly benefit from testing for H pylori infection and, if positive,H pylori eradication therapy prior to the initiation of NSAID. A similar strategy is also suggested for naive aspirin users, although the efficacy of such an approach has not been evaluated yet. Strong data also support that chronic aspirin users with a recent ulcer complication should be tested for H pyloriinfection and, if positive, receive H pylori eradication therapy after ulcer healing, while they appear to benefit from additional long-term therapy with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI).A similar approach is often recommended to chronic aspirin users at a high risk of ulcer complication. H pylori eradication alone does not efficiently protect chronic NSAID users with a recent ulcer complication or those at a high-risk, who certainly should be treated with long-term PPI therapy, but H pylori eradication may be additionally offered even in this setting. In contrast, testing for H pylorior PPI therapy is not recommended for chronic NSAID/aspirin users with no ulcer complications or those at a low risk of complications.

Current treatment options and response rates in children with chronic hepatitis C

Vertical transmission has become the most common mode of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in children.The rate of perinatal transmission from an HCVinfected mother to her child ranges from 2% to 5% and the prevalence of HCV in children in developed countries ranges between 0.1% and 0.4%.Spontaneous viral clearance seems to be dependent on the genotype and has been reported between 2.4%-25%.For chronically infected patients,treatment with recombinant polyethylene glycol (PEG)-interferon α-2b and daily ribavirin has now been approved as standard treatment for children 2-17 years of age.In five large prospective studies,a total of 318 children and adolescents aged 3-17 years were treated either with subcutaneous PEG-interferon α-2b at a dose of 1-1.5 μg/kg or 60 μg/m2 once a week in combination with oral ribavirin (15 mg/kg per day) or PEG-interferon α-2a with ribavirin.Subjects with genotype 1 and 4 received the medication for 48 wk and individuals with genotype 2 and 3 mainly for 24 wk.Overall sustained viral response (SVR) was achieved in 193/318 (60.7%) of treated patients.Stratified for genotype;120/234 (51%) with genotype 1,68/73 (93%) with genotype 2/3,and 6/11 (55%) with genotype 4 showed SVR.Relapse rate was between 7.7% and 17%.Overall,treatment was well tolerated;how-ever,notable side effects were present in approximately 20%.According to recent experiences in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in children and adolescents,a combination of PEG-interferon α with ribavirin has been found to be well tolerated and highly efficacious,particularly in individuals with genotype 2/3.Thus,this treatment can be recommended as standard of care until more effective treatment options will become available for genotype 1 patients.

River Water Quality Model Based on Remote Sensing Information Methods——A Case Study of Lijing River in Guilin City

River water quality models based on remote sensing information models are superior to pure water quality models because they combine the inevitability and risk of geographical phenomena and can take complex geographical characteristics into account. A water quality model for forecasting COD has been established with remote sensing in- formation modeling methods by monitoring and analyzing water quantity and water quality of the Lijing River reach which flows through a complicated Karst mountain area. This model provides a good tool to predict water quality of complex rivers. It is validated by simulating contaminant concentrations of the study area. The results show that remote sensing information models are suitable for complex geography. It is not only a combined model of inevitability and risk of the geographical phenomena, but also a semi-theoretical and semi-empirical formula, providing a good tool to study organic contaminants in complicated rivers. The coefficients and indices obtained have limited value and the model is not suitable for all situations. Some improvements are required.

Efficacy of a therapeutic strategy for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection

AIM: To determine the efficacy of our therapeutic strategy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and to identify predictive factors for successful eradication. METHODS: From April 2006 to June 2010, we retrospectively assessed 2428 consecutive patients (1025 men, 1403 women; mean age 55 years, age range 18-92 years) with gastric histology positive for H. pylori infection referred to our unit for 13-C urea breath test(UBT), after first-line therapy with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) b.i.d. + amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. + clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. for 7 d. Patients who were still positive to UBT were recommended a second-line therapy (PPI b.i.d. + amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. + tinidazole 500 mg b.i.d. for 14 d). Third choice treatment was empirical with PPI b.i.d. + amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. + levofloxacin 250 mg b.i.d. for 14 d. RESULTS: Out of 614 patients, still H. pylori-positive after first-line therapy, only 326 and 19 patients respectively rechecked their H. pylori status by UBT after the suggested second and third-line regimens. "Per protocol" eradication rates for first, second and thirdline therapy were 74.7% (95% CI: 72.7%-76.4%), 85.3% (95% CI: 81.1%-89.1%) and 89.5% (95% CI: 74.9%-103%) respectively. The overall percentage of patients with H. pylori eradicated after two treatments was 97.8% (95% CI: 97.1%-98.4%), vs 99.9% (95% CI: 99.8%-100%) after three treatments. The study found that eradication therapy was most effective in patients with ulcer disease (P < 0.05, P = 0.028), especially in those with duodenal ulcer. Smoking habits did not significantly affect the eradication rate. CONCLUSION: First-line therapy with amoxicillin and clarithromycin produces an H. pylori eradication rate comparable or superior to other studies and secondline treatment can still be triple therapy with amoxicillin and tinidazole.

Water Quality and Loading of Pollutants from Shrimp Ponds during Harvesting

Shrimp aquaculture is an important source of revenue for the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. However, there were concerns on the impact of shrimp farming on the mangrove ecosystem due to the discharge of shrimp pond water to the surrounding environment and potential self-pollution through the intake of surrounding water for the shrimp ponds. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the water quality of the harvesting pond water and quantify the pollutants loadings. Samplings were conducted in three ponds and three channels near the pond outflow in a commercial shrimp farm during complete draining of water at harvest. Results indicated that TSS and Chl-a were high in both the ponds and channels. Total ammonia-nitrogen was the predominant form of the inorganic nitrogen and the mean values in both the ponds and channels were more than 1 mg/L which exceeded the maximum recommended for fish. Therefore, the water quality of the ponds and channel indicate that pond effluent should not be discharged directly into the surrounding environment but treated and nutrients recovered. Loads of total suspended solids, BODs, inorganic nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus and Chl-a of the effluent were quantified.

Factors Impacting Water Quality of a Small Stream in a Mountain Forest

Recent improvements to sewerage systems have meant that the relative contribution of point sources of pollution to the overall pollutant loads of streams has decreased markedly. Consequently, the potential increase in non-point source pollution means that it may be necessary to focus more on pollution loads from non-point sources in the future. This study examined pollution loads from non-point sources in streams flowing through forested areas. In addition, the relationship between runoff and pollution loads was also clarified. The small streams in the Tohoku University Botanical Gardens, in Sendai city, Japan, were sampled during a dry weather period and their water quality parameters were characterized. Chemical Oxygen Demand （COD） concentration increased with distance downstream, possibly because the soils in downstream areas contained high amounts of organic matter. Conversely, the concentration of nitrate nitrogen （NO3-N） decreased with distance downstream, probably because upstream soils were generally in an oxidized state while those further downstream were reduced. COD concentration increased with air temperature, while NO3-N levels decreased with an increase in air temperatures.

Research on compound plugging removal technology and its application in Xinmu oilfield of Jilin

Most fault-block reservoirs in Xinmu oilfield belong to heterogeneous sandstone in characters which has low permeability, and reservoir pollution is a common phenomenon in this area. Acidizing deplugging in oil wells has become one of the major measures to improve production efficiency in the field. A compound deplug- ging technology in high efficiency low corrosion is developed for this kind of low permeability sandstone reser- voir. On the basis of profoundly understanding of the reservoir＇s physical properties and sensitivity, along with comprehensive analysis of the cause for jams in oil wells, a series of experiments are carried out in order to in- vestigate the dissolution reaction among samples and deplugging inhibitor, sample dissolving speed, formation fluid compatibility, reduction of secondary pollution, etc. Considered reservoir condition in nearby wells the op- timized compositional deplugging liquid formula is selected for this reservoir. It is featured by reducing the de- plugging reaction speed, extending solution for processing radius, preventing secondary damage in dissolution processing, and removing plug pollution effectively. To implement this high efficiency low corrosion deplugging measure based on reservoir condition in the borehole and nearby wells, a relatively better result of deplugging and production increasing is achieved, which enriches the measures to increase production in Xinmu oilfield, and this method can be applied to other similar oiffields for the purpose of maintaining the crude oil production and providing assistant for increasing the production significantly.

Analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons in mangrove sediments of Red Sea of Yemen

A field work has been carried out to identify the occurrence of oil and oil products pollution in mangrove sediment from Red Sea of Yemen. The concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons is from 700ng/g at Kamaran Island station to 400 ng/g at Al-Hodiedah station, and the total organic carbon (TOC) in samples ranges from 0.07% at Dhubab station to 0.03% at Kamaran Island station. This pollution is as a result of localized oil pollution and/or heavy ship traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

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Infectivity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Naturally Regenerating,Unmanaged and Clear-Cut Beech Forests

Clear-cutting, a management practice applied to many beech forests in the North of Spain, modifies microclimate and, consequently, the composition of the understory plant community in the disturbed areas. The objectives of this study were to assess if changes in the understory vegetation caused by altered light microclimate after clear-cutting affect the infectivity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi （AMF） on herbaceous plant species in beech （Fagus sylvatica L.） forests naturally regenerating from clear-cutting and to test if the use of bioassays for studying the infectivity of native AMF could provide useful information to improve the management of clear-cut areas. Three nearby beech forests in northwest Navarra, Spain, a region in the northwest part of the Pyrenees, were selected： an unmanaged forest, a forest clear-cut in 1996, and another forest clear-cut in 2001. High stem density in the forest clear-cut in 1996 （44 000 trees ha-1） attenuated photosynthetic active radiation （PAR） and impaired the growth of herbaceous species within the ecosystem. The percentage of AMF colonization of plants in bioassays performed on soil samples collected from the forest clear-cut in 1996 was always lower than 10S. In the forest clear-cut in 2001, where soil was covered by perennial grasses, PAR was high and the infectivity of native AMF achieved minimum values in spring and autumn and a maximum value in summer. In contrast, the infectivity of native AMF in the unmanaged forest remained similar across the seasons. Our results demonstrated that changes in the composition of understory vegetation within beech forests strongly affected the infectivity of native AMF in clear-cut areas and suggested that the assessment of the infectivity of native AMF through bioassays could provide helpful information for planning either the removal of overstory when the tree density is so high that it impairs the correct development of herbaceous species or the plantation of new seedlings when high light intensity negatively affects the establishment of shade species.

Clinical Observation on Treatment of Infantile Diarrhea by Tuina and Medications

Objective： To observe the clinical effect of tuina plus medications on infantile diarrhea induced by rotavirus infection. Methods： After 55 cases of confirmed sick infants were divided into two groups by the order of their visits, 30 cases in the medication group were treated by intravenous infusion of Ribavirin and oral administration of Smecta; 25 cases in the tuina plus medication group were treated by the manual techniques of tonifying Pijing（脾经） and clarifying Dachangjing （大肠经）, rubbing the abdomen and kneading the navel clockwise, pushing Shangqijiegu （上七节骨）, kneading Guiwei （龟尾）, and pinching the skin of the spine, in combination with same medications used as in the medication group. Results： The total effective rate was 96% in the tuina plus medication group, P 〈 0.01, in comparison with the medication group. Conclusion： tuina has a good therapeutic effect in the treatment of infantile diarrhea induced by rotavirus infection and is importantly significant for shortening the course, enhancing the therapeutic effect and lowering down the medical cost.

Using contaminated tools fuels outbreaks of Banana Xanthomonas wilt： An optimal control study within plantations using Runge-Kutta fourth-order algorithms

Optimal control theory is applied to a system of ordinary differential equations modeling banana Xanthomonas wilt within plantations. The objective is to reduce the proportion of infected plants by use of controls representing two types of preventive methods： vector and contaminated tool prevention. The optimal controls are characterized in terms of the optimality system, which is solved analytically and numerically for several scenarios.