catena-Poly[copper(I)-bis­[μ-3-(1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridine]-copper(I)-di-μ-iodido]

The title polymeric compound, [Cu2I2(C8H7N3)2]n [C8H7N3 = 3-(1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridine (HIPy), where HIPy comes from the in situ deca­rboxylation of 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarb­oxy­lic acid (H3PyIDC)], was obtained under solvo­thermal conditions. Each CuI cation is in a distorted tetra­hedral coordination environment defined by two iodide anions and two nitro­gen atoms from two individual HIPy ligands. Two CuI atoms are connected by two HIPy ligands to form a dimer and these dimers are further bridged through the iodide atoms, leading to a chain structure extending parallel to [100]. Moreover, inter­molecular N—H⋯I hydrogen bonds and weak π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid⋯centroid distances of 3.809 (4) Å, an inter­planar separation of 3.345 (3) Å and a ring slippage of 1.822 Å] between pyridyl rings link the chains into a two-dimensional supra­molecular network in the ac plane

Poly[[diaqua­bis(μ2-isonicotinato-κ2 N:O)bis­(μ3-isonicotinato-κ3 N:O:O′)neodymium(III)disilver(I)] nitrate monohydrate]

In the title complex, {[Ag2Nd(C6H4NO2)4(H2O)2]NO3·H2O}n, the NdIII ion is coordinated by eight O atoms from six isonicotinate ligands and two water mol­ecules in a distorted square anti­prismatic geometry. Each AgI ion is coordinated by two N atoms from two different isonicotinate ligands. The crystal structure exhibits a two-dimensional heterometallic polymeric layer. O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the coordinated and uncoordinated water mol­ecules and intra­layer π–π inter­actions between the pyridine rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.571 (2) and 3.569 (2) Å] are observed. Each layer inter­acts with two neighboring ones via Ag⋯O(H2O) contacts and inter­layer π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.479 (3) to 3.530 (3) Å], leading to a three-dimensional supra­molecular network

Dichlorido(4,5-diaza­fluoren-9-one-κ2 N,N′)palladium(II)

The structure of the title compound, [PdCl2(C11H6N2O)], shows a nearly square-planar geometry for the PdII atom within a Cl2N2 donor set

Research on the Effect of Non-Thermal Plasma on the Sterilization of Craft Beer

The craft beer was continuously sterilized by the non-thermal plasma reactor, and its sterilization and quality were evaluated. The total count of aerobic plate, yeast and Escherichia coli were used as microbial indexes, the effects of plasma sterilization and pasteurization on the bactericidal effect of craft beer were studied. Meanwhile, the beer color, foam hold and pH were evaluated to obtain the optimum sterilization condition with the response surface. The results showed that, compared with pasteurization, the sterilization rate after plasma treatment was almost the same, but the chroma, brightness and bubble retention were better, which was closer to the original beer. The total number of colonies and Escherichia coli were almost completely killed, and the number of yeast was reduced by 97.5% with the 40 kV plasma treatment voltage, 10 s and 60 mL/min gas flow rate. According to the analysis of Design Expert software, the sterilization effect and brightness were the best when the voltage, plasma treatment times and gas flow were 40 kV, 10 s and 60 mL/min, respectively. The predicted values were consistent with the measured values. The influence of each factors were voltage > time > gas flow rate

Retrospective analysis of nosocomial infections in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in China during 2003 and 2007

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nosocomial infections are a major threat to patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Limited data exist on the epidemiology of ICU-acquired infections in China. This retrospective study was carried out to determine the current status of nosocomial infection in China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective review of nococomial infections in the ICU of a tertiary hospital in East China between 2003 and 2007 was performed. Nosocomial infections were defined according to the definitions of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall patient nosocomial infection rate, the incidence density rate of nosocomial infections, the excess length of stay, and distribution of nosocomial infection sites were determined. Then, pathogen and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were further investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 1980 patients admitted over the period of time, the overall patient nosocomial infection rate was 26.8% or 51.0 per 1000 patient days., Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) accounted for most of the infections (68.4%), followed by urinary tract infections (UTI, 15.9%), bloodstream (BSI, 5.9%), and gastrointestinal tract (GI, 2.5%) infections. There was no significant change in LRTI, UTI and BSI infection rates during the 5 years. However, GI rate was significantly decreased from 5.5% in 2003 to 0.4% in 2007. In addition, <it>A. baumannii, C. albicans </it>and <it>S. epidermidis </it>were the most frequent pathogens isolated in patients with LRTIs, UTIs and BSIs, respectively. The rates of isolates resistant to commonly used antibiotics ranged from 24.0% to 93.1%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There was a high and relatively stable rate of nosocomial infections in the ICU of a tertiary hospital in China through year 2003–2007, with some differences in the distribution of the infection sites, and pathogen and antibiotic susceptibility profiles from those reported from the Western countries. Guidelines for surveillance and prevention of nosocomial infections must be implemented in order to reduce the rate.</p

A heterozygous moth genome provides insights into herbivory and detoxification

How an insect evolves to become a successful herbivore is of profound biological and practical importance. Herbivores are often adapted to feed on a specific group of evolutionarily and biochemically related host plants1, but the genetic and molecular bases for adaptation to plant defense compounds remain poorly understood2. We report the first whole-genome sequence of a basal lepidopteran species, Plutella xylostella, which contains 18,071 protein-coding and 1,412 unique genes with an expansion of gene families associated with perception and the detoxification of plant defense compounds. A recent expansion of retrotransposons near detoxification-related genes and a wider system used in the metabolism of plant defense compounds are shown to also be involved in the development of insecticide resistance. This work shows the genetic and molecular bases for the evolutionary success of this worldwide herbivore and offers wider insights into insect adaptation to plant feeding, as well as opening avenues for more sustainable pest management.Minsheng You … Simon W Baxter … et al

Joint analysis of three genome-wide association studies of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese populations

We conducted a joint (pooled) analysis of three genome-wide association studies (GWAS) 1-3 of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in ethnic Chinese (5,337 ESCC cases and 5,787 controls) with 9,654 ESCC cases and 10,058 controls for follow-up. In a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, study, and two eigenvectors, two new loci achieved genome-wide significance, marked by rs7447927 at 5q31.2 (per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 0.85, 95% CI 0.82-0.88; P=7.72x10−20) and rs1642764 at 17p13.1 (per-allele OR= 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91; P=3.10x10−13). rs7447927 is a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TMEM173 and rs1642764 is an intronic SNP in ATP1B2, near TP53. Furthermore, a locus in the HLA class II region at 6p21.32 (rs35597309) achieved genome-wide significance in the two populations at highest risk for ESSC (OR=1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.46; P=1.99x10−10). Our joint analysis identified new ESCC susceptibility loci overall as well as a new locus unique to the ESCC high risk Taihang Mountain region