Nitrogen Removal Efficiency for Pharmaceutical Wastewater with a Single-Stage Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation Process

A single-stage anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) process with an integrated biofilm–activated sludge system was carried out in a laboratory-scale flow-through reactor (volume = 57.6 L) to treat pharmaceutical wastewater containing chlortetracycline. Partial nitrification was successfully achieved after 48 days of treatment with a nitrite accumulation of 70%. The activity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) decreased when the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of the influent was 3000 mg/L. When switching to the single-stage ANAMMOX operation, (T = 32–34 °C, DO = 0.4–0.8 mg/L, pH = 8.0–8.5), the total nitrogen (TN) removal loading rate and efficiency were 1.0 kg/m3/d and 75.2%, respectively, when the ammonium concentration of the influent was 287 ± 146 mg/L for 73 days. The findings of this study imply that single-stage ANAMMOX can achieve high nitrogen removal rates and effectively treat pharmaceutical wastewater with high concentrations of COD (1000 mg/L) and ammonium

Mitigation of antibiotic resistance in a pilot-scale system treating wastewater from high-speed railway trains

Wastewater from high-speed railway trains represents a mobile reservoir of microorganisms with antibiotic resistance. It harbors abundant and diverse antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study investigated the removal of ARB and ARGs in a pilot-scale reactor, which consisted of an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process, anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process, and ozone-based disinfection to treat 1\ua0m/day wastewater from an electric multiple unit high-speed train. Further, the high prevalence of two mobile genetic elements (intI1 and Tn916/615) and five ARGs (tetA, tetG, qnrA, qnrS, bla, and ermF) was investigated using quantitative PCR. Significant positive correlations between ARGs (tetA, bla, and qnrA) and intI1 were identified (R of 0.94, 0.85, and 0.70, respectively, P\ua

Pediatric colonoscopy in South China: a 12-year experience in a tertiary center.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate: 1) the demographics and clinical characteristics, 2) the findings, and 3) the safety and effectiveness in a cohort of Chinese pediatric patients undergoing colonoscopy. METHODS: The study participants were consecutive patients aged ≤14 years old that underwent their first colonoscopy in the endoscopy center at the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University between Jan. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2012. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic, and pathological findings were collected. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 322 patients, including 218 boys (67.7%) and 104 girls (32.3%). The median age was 8.0 years old and ranged from 9 months to 14 years old. Hematochezia (48.8%) and abdominal pain/discomfort (41.3%) were the most common presentations preceding pediatric colonoscopy. The caecal intubation success rate was 96.3%. No serious complications occurred during the procedures. A total of 227 patients (70.5%) received a positive diagnosis under endoscopy, including 138 patients with polyps and 53 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Among the patients with polyps, 71.0% were juvenile polyps. Comparisons between years 2001-2006 and 2007-2012 showed that the IBD detection rate increased significantly (4.6% vs. 22.4%, P<0.001), while the opposite occurred for the polyp detection rate (73.1% vs. 27.6%, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Colonoscopy in pediatric patients is a safe and effective procedure. Polyps are the primary finding during colonoscopy. In South China there has been an increase in pediatric patients diagnosed with IBD over the past decade. However, a large epidemiological study is needed to confirm our findings

Changes on the detection rates of polyp and IBD over time.

<p>The detection rates of polyp and IBD in pediatric patients were analyzed year by year and compared over time (2001–2012).</p

Management protocol for this study.

<p>Children aged ≤14 years old undertaking their first diagnostic colonoscopy at the endoscopy center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University between Jan. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2012 were enrolled in the study.</p

Comparisons of gender, age, and colonoscopic findings between the years 2001–2006 and 2007–2012.

<p>IQR^a: interquartile range; IBD^b: inflammatory bowel disease.</p