Abstract Jiangshui is a traditional fermented food in Northwest China with high nutritional value and special pharmacological effects. To study the microbial community structure and differences in the main metabolic pathways and metabolites in naturally fermented Jiangshui, the microbial diversity and nontargeted metabolomics analyses were performed on 18 samples of Jiangshui from three different production areas, namely, Tianshui, Gansu, Guyuan, Ningxia, and Ankang, Shaanxi. First, the microbial diversity was analyzed using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Lactobacillus was the dominant bacterial genus in the three regions, and the relative abundance of the samples in each region ranged from 72.69% to 99.95%. The dominant fungal genus was Dipodascus, with a relative abundance > 40%. Second, untargeted metabolomics was used to analyze the differences among metabolites in Jiangshui samples. Significant differences were found in 761 different metabolites detected in Jiangshui from the three different regions. Based on ESI+, 78 significantly different metabolites were screened using variable importance projection (VIP) value > 1, fold change (FC) < 1, and P-value < 0.05. Finally, based on joint analysis, the microbiome and metabolite groups of Jiangshui samples from the three different regions were evenly and closely clustered, and the microorganisms and metabolites were highly correlated. The results provide theoretical basis and reference for Jiangshui in other regions.

ABSTRACT For improving the expansibility of natural Ca-based bentonite (Ca-Bent), the Ca-Bent was modified with sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate(SDBS)-Na2CO3 complex agent by microwave semi-dry method. And the ratio of Na2CO3 to SDBS, microwave power, radiation time and initial temperature on the modification were studied. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and infra-red spectrum (IR) were carried out to characterize , which obtain microstructure of samples. The result showed that the optimized experimental parameters are obtained as follows: Na2CO3 to SDBS ratio 1:1, radiation time 2min, microwave power 600W and initial temperature 120K. Besides, under the optimization conditions, the modified bentonite has swelling volume of 68.5mL/g, cation exchange capacity of 56.2mmol/102g and yield point and plastic viscosity ratio of 1.67, respectively. A comparison of the single factor experiment and orthogonal experiment indicates that the SDBS and Na2CO3 have synergistic effect in the process of modification, especially, under the optimum microwave condition, Na2CO3 increased the anion activity of SDBS, which enhanced the hydrophilicity of modified bentonite. The experimental result show that the process improves the swelling volume of bentonite and the comprehensive performance. So, the modified bentonite was a perfect additive in water drilling mud.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine rates of mask-wearing, of respiratory infection and the factors associated with mask-wearing and of respiratory infection in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Beijing during the winter of 2007/2008. METHODS: We conducted a survey of 400 HCWs working in eight hospitals in Beijing by face to face interview using a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: We found that 280/400 (70.0%) of HCWs were compliant with mask-wearing while in contact with patients. Respiratory infection occurred in 238/400 (59.5%) subjects from November, 2007 through February, 2008. Respiratory infection was higher among females (odds ratio [OR], 2.00 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.16-3.49]) and staff working in larger hospitals (OR, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.092.72]), but was lower among subjects with seasonal influenza vaccination (OR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.280.76]), wearing medical masks (reference: cotton-yarn; OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.39-0.91]) or with good mask-wearing adherence (OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.37-0.98]). The risk of respiratory infection of HCWs working in low risk areas was similar to that of HCWs in high risk area. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that female HCWs and staffs working in larger hospitals are the focus of prevention and control of respiratory infection in Beijing hospitals. Mask-wearing and seasonal influenza vaccination are protective for respiratory infection in HCWs; the protective efficacy of medical masks is better than that of cotton yarn ones; respiratory infection of HCWs working in low risk areas should also be given attention.