Gunshot Wounds to the Brain—A Civilian Experience

A study involving 79 patients who were considered for surgical treatment for craniocerebral gunshot injuries between 1972 and 1978 was carried out to develop criteria for radiographic assessment and surgical operation, as well as to improve operative techniques and preoperative planning. The study focused on differences between military and civilian injuries, as well as criteria for gross prediction of outcome.Of note in the overall perspective of the series were (1) the predominance of low-velocity missiles, (2) the high rate of self-inflicted injuries (34 percent), (3) the overall mortality of 23 percent with the rate for persons older than 60 being approximately 70 percent, (4) the correlation between preoperative patient assessment and mortality, (5) complications predominated by cerebrospinal fluid fistulas (10 percent), (6) the value of computerized axial tomographic (CAT) scanning in patient assessment and operative strategy and (7) the ultimate employability rate in survivors (78 percent).An historical review of the development of management principles based on operative experience in the military sector as well as other recent civilian literature also deserves consideration.     

Regulation of lysine biosynthesis in Brevibacterium flavum

L-lysine synthesis pathway enzyme activities: β-aspartate kinase (EC.2.7.2.4), diaminopimelate decarboxylase (EC.4.1.1.20) for two L-lysine producing strains Brevibacterium flavum 22LD and RC-115 were studied. It has been found that β-aspartate kinase and diaminopimelate decarboxylase in the Br. flavum RC-115 are less sensitive to feed-back inhibition by lysine and threonine. It is supposed that desensitized β-aspartate kinase in the Br. flavum RC-115 can be determined by genetical changes of the regulatory properties of the β-aspartate kinase. Auxotrophity in the locus of homoserine dehydrogenase was tested and no homoserine dehydrogenase (EC.1.1.1.3) activity was found in either strain. The combination of these both types of mutation supplemented by the lack of catabolic repression in the RC-115 strain makes it an active lysine producer in the medium with high carbohydrates content.     

Morphology and antifungal action of the genus Trichoderma cultivated in geometrically dissimilar bioreactors

Trichodermin, a microbial biofungicide obtained by the cultivation of the genus Trichoderma in geometrically dissimilar bioreactors, was investigated both in production and the application in food plants at different stages of growth. The growth of the producer was considerably better in the counterflow mixing system (CFMS) in comparison with the turbine mixing system (STMS). Morphological changes of the strain were studied during batch fermentation at different mixing regimes. The characteristic dynamics of the morphology were better when using CFMS. The biofungicide trichodermin produced by CFMS showed a somewhat higher activity for barley and sugar beet.     

Biosynthesis of polyribonucleotide phosphorylase and polyribonucleotides by E. Coli

The biochemical functions of Polyribonucleotide phosphorylase (PNP-ase; EC 2.7.7.8) has been studied The present work was aimed at studying the interrelation between PNP-ase biosynthesis and RNA content of E. coli cells under various conditions of bacterial growth, obtaining the biomass of E. coli with high PNP-ase activity as well as to study the possibility of secondary cultivation of E. coli cells for obtaining polyribonucleotides from nucleoside-5′-diphosphates The spcific PNP-ase activity increases at secondary cultivation, when the medium contains ribonucleoside-5′-diphosphates. Besides one may observe an extracellular polycondensation of nucleoside-5′-diphosphates It may be presumed that the PNP-ase is a multifunctional enzyme whose biological role may be confined to regulating the energetic processes connected with the metabolism of glucose, nucleosidephosphates and orthophosphate in the cells of E. coli.     

Solid substrate fermentation of wheat straw to fungal protein

Steam-treated wheat straw at a 70% (w/w) moisture level was subjected to solid substrate fermentation (SSF) with Trichoderma reesei (Riga, USSR) or a mixed culture of T. reesei and Endomycopsis fibuliger (R-574) in fermentation equipment of various design: some with mixing, some with stationary layers, including a mixedlayer 1.5-m(3) pilot plant scale fermenter. The best protein productivity was obtained in stationary layer fermenters with a product containing 13% protein. The main limitations of lignocellulose SSF, such as hindrance of fungal growth, limiting accessibility and availability of substrate, and difficulty in moisture and heat control, were analyzed. The technological parameters of SSF, submerged fermentation, and alternate lignocellulose conversion processes were compared. The SSF had lower overall efficiency but higher product concentration per reaction volume than other conversion schemes.     

The western and eastern roots of the Saami--the story of genetic "outliers" told by mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomes

The Saami are regarded as extreme genetic outliers among European populations. In this study, a high-resolution phylogenetic analysis of Saami genetic heritage was undertaken in a comprehensive context, through use of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and paternally inherited Y-chromosomal variation. DNA variants present in the Saami were compared with those found in Europe and Siberia, through use of both new and previously published data from 445 Saami and 17,096 western Eurasian and Siberian mtDNA samples, as well as 127 Saami and 2,840 western Eurasian and Siberian Y-chromosome samples. It was shown that the “Saami motif” variant of mtDNA haplogroup U5b is present in a large area outside Scandinavia. A detailed phylogeographic analysis of one of the predominant Saami mtDNA haplogroups, U5b1b, which also includes the lineages of the “Saami motif,” was undertaken in 31 populations. The results indicate that the origin of U5b1b, as for the other predominant Saami haplogroup, V, is most likely in western, rather than eastern, Europe. Furthermore, an additional haplogroup (H1) spread among the Saami was virtually absent in 781 Samoyed and Ob-Ugric Siberians but was present in western and central European populations. The Y-chromosomal variety in the Saami is also consistent with their European ancestry. It suggests that the large genetic separation of the Saami from other Europeans is best explained by assuming that the Saami are descendants of a narrow, distinctive subset of Europeans. In particular, no evidence of a significant directional gene flow from extant aboriginal Siberian populations into the haploid gene pools of the Saami was found.     

Analysis of the S. pombe Meiotic Proteome Reveals a Switch from Anabolic to Catabolic Processes and Extensive Post-transcriptional Regulation

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Sugar Beet Juice Fermentation by Zymomonas mobilis Attached to Stainless Steel Wire Spheres

The fermentation of sugar beet juice as well as juice syrup medium by Zymomonas mobilis inoculum attached to stainless steel wire spheres was investigated. A semi‐synthetic sucrose medium enriched with mineral salts and yeast extract was used as the control. It was established that raw sugar beet juice ensured good Zymomonas mobilis culture growth and slightly decreased ethanol synthesis applying both flame‐burned and TiCl₄‐treated wire spheres as carriers (Q_x = 0.05—0.06 g/l × h; Q_eth = 1.02—1.22 g/l × h). High ethanol yield was also observed in juice medium (Y = 0.45‐0.46 g/g), however, levan synthesis with this medium decreased. The application of juice syrup brought about less growth effect and ethanol synthesis as compared to juice medium. The use of semi‐synthetic sucrose medium resulted in high levan production (Q_lev = 0.6—0.7 g/l × h), however, reduced ethanol production by 40%. In conclusion, sugar beet juice or syrup is recommendable for the preparation of Zymomonas mobilis inoculum. The levan production stage has to be realized using an optimized semi‐synthetic sucrose medium. The installed wire spheres filled with inocula provided the possibility for a repeated batch fermentation process, which could be recommended for both juice and semi‐synthetic sucrose medium fermentation.     

Cultivation of Zymomonas mobilis 113 S at Different Mixing Regimes and their Influence on the Levan Formation

The Zymomonas mobilis 113 S strain was cultivated in a bioreactor with a working volume of 1.4 l at different stirring regimes in a 15% initial sucrose medium. The levan obtained in the fermentation process was analyzed by gel filtration. Because the sucrose/biomass ratio in the fermentation broth decreased to below 300 g/g, the insufficient concentration of sucrose might have decreased the concentration of levan. Besides the growth characteristics of the population, the mixing intensity and flow structure were also found to influence the molecular mass of levan. At 600 rpm, the microorganisms produced levan with a molecular mass lower than at 300 rpm. The stirring of a fermentation broth with levan without cells at 300 rpm and 900 rpm showed changes in the molecular mass approximately at 20 kD and 5 kD. The size of eddies in the fermenter was supposed to determine the size of a levan molecule. Because the size of the eddy may be compared with that of a levan molecule, it explains the decline in the molecular mass of levan.     

Acid-mechanical,alkaline and enzymatic treatment of agricultural wastes to obtain substrate for microbiological conversion

The present paper deals with almost wasteless technologies of pretreatment and obtaining of sugars and biomass from straw and potato tops. Several variants ensure a 1 t of straw per hour productivity using original auger reactors 290 and 150 mm in diameter. The authors have studied the submerged and solid state cultivation of various microorganisms applying the obtained substrates.