The role of riboflavin in decolourisation of Congo red and bioelectricity production using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Shewanella oneidensis</Emphasis>-MR1 under MFC and non-MFC conditions

Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria can exchange electrons extracellularly and hold great promise for their use in simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity production. This study investigated the role of riboflavin, an electron carrier, in the decolourisation of Congo red in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 as a model organism. The contribution of the membrane-bound protein MtrC to the decolourisation process was also investigated. Within the range of riboflavin concentrations tested, 20 µM was found to be the best with >95% of the dye (initial concentration 200 mg/L) decolourised in MFCs within 50 h compared to 90% in the case where no riboflavin was added. The corresponding maximum power density was 45 mW/m². There was no significant difference in the overall decolourisation efficiencies of Shewanela oneidensis MR-1 ΔMtrC mutants compared to the wild type. However, in terms of power production the mutant produced more power (P_max 76 mW/m²) compared to the wild type (P_max 46 mW/m²) which was attributed to higher levels of riboflavin secreted in solution. Decolourisation efficiencies in non-MFC systems (anaerobic bottles) were similar to those under MFC systems indicating that electricity generation in MFCs does not impair dye decolourisation efficiencies. The results suggest that riboflavin enhances both decolourisation of dyes and simultaneous electricity production in MFCs.     

Agronomic Evaluation of Camelina (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Camelina sativa</Emphasis> L. Crantz) Cultivars for Biodiesel Feedstock

Recent interest in renewable energy sources and the need to diversify cropping systems have triggered research interest in camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz). Camelina is well adapted to the temperate dryland climates and can be used as an energy crop. But information on agronomic evaluation of camelina cultivars for biodiesel feedstock are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate six spring camelina cultivars (cv. Blaine Creek, Calena, Ligena, Pronghorn, Shoshone, and Suneson) on seed yield, oil concentration, and oil yield. The study was carried out from 2013 to 2015 at three locations (Havre, Moccasin, and Pendroy, MT). Over locations and years, mean seed yield differences among cultivars were significant (P < 0.05). The mean seed yield for cultivars ranging from 1295 kg ha^?1 (Suneson) to 1420 kg ha^?1 (Ligena). Ligena and Calena showed a combination of good seed yield performance and stability across environments. Environmental means for seed yield differences were substantial compared with cultivar means. The location Havre produced 45 and 32% more mean seed yield than Pendroy and Moccasin, respectively. There was no significant difference among cultivars in oil concentration and oil yield. The absence of variations in oil concentration and oil yield differences among these cultivars could indicate the need for further research to improve these qualities essential for biodiesel.     

Electro-plasmonic Modal Power Shifting in Metal/Insulator/Semiconductor Structure Tailored as a CMOS-compatible Plasmonic Waveguide

Plasmonics - In this paper, we have proposed a new npn-type design of a CMOS-compatible metal/semiconductor/insulator/metal (MSIM) plasmonic structure, to be used as a different geometry to...     

Oral magnesium administration prevents vascular complications in STZ-diabetic rats

Vascular disease is one of the complicating features of diabetes mellitus. Magnesium deficiency has recently been proposed as a novel factor implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes complications. Several studies have indicated that hypertension in diabetic patients is an independent altered reaction of blood vessels to neurotransmitters and circulating hormones. Since magnesium has been proposed to decrease vascular sensitivity to vasoconstrictor agents, the present study was designed to determine whether chronic magnesium sulfate administration could prevent vascular complications of STZ-induced diabetes in rats. The animals were divided into six groups: two groups served as controls and received tap water for 8 weeks, while in the other four groups, made diabetic with a single IV injection of 40 mg/kg STZ, two groups treated with magnesium sulfate (10 g/L) added to the drinking water, and the other two groups received tap water only. After 8 weeks, in 3 groups (control, diabetic and Mg-treated), left common carotid artery was cannulated for continuous recording of blood pressure. All animals in these groups were decapitated and blood samples were drawn for glucose, Ca and Mg measurements. In the 3 remaining groups (again divided into control, diabetic and Mg-treated), the mesenteric vascular bed was perfused according to the McGregor method, and descending thoracic aortas were used for measurement of elasticity. In diabetic rats, plasma glucose was significantly increased and plasma magnesium was significantly decreased compared to controls and Mg-treated animals. Although plasma magnesium of Mg-treated animals increased significantly, it failed to reach to the magnesium level of the control group. Ca/Mg ratio was also increased compared to the control and Mg-treated animals. Mean arterial blood pressure in diabetics was significantly higher than control and Mg-treated rats. Similarly, there was a significant difference in mean arterial blood pressure of Mg-treated rats compared to control animals. Baseline perfusion pressure of diabetic group was significantly higher than control and Mg-treated groups with intact and denuded endothelium. Magnesium sulfate treatment decreased mean perfusion pressure of mesenteric vascular bed in intact and denuded endothelium in comparison with non-treated diabetic rats. There was a significant increase in passive tension in the aorta of diabetic rats compared to control and Mg-treated rats. However, there was no significant difference between Mg-treated and control rats. From the results of this study it may be concluded that magnesium could control STZ-induced diabetes and prevent its vascular complications.     

Production of swainsonine from Metarhizium anisopliaein stirred-tank and air-lift reactors

Growth of Metarhizium anisopliaein modified starch-casein medium produced 61, 50, and 58 mg swainsonine/l when cultured in shaken flasks, stirred-tank and air-lift reactors respectively. Over approximately 45 h, the maximum swain-sonine specific productivity was 0.47 mg/g.h in a stirred tank reactor and 0.32 mg/g.h in an air-lift reactor. After 120 h, increasing broth viscosity was encountered in the latter fermenter.     

Stem cell-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease with a focus on human endometrium-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Parkinson’s disease (PD) as an increasing clinical syndrome is a multifunctional impairment with systemic involvement. At present, therapeutic approaches such as l -3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine replacement therapy, dopaminergic agonist administration, and neurosurgical treatment intend to relieve PD symptoms which are palliative and incompetent in counteracting PD progression. These mentioned therapies have not been able to replace the lost cells and they could not effectively slow down the relentless neurodegenerative process. Till now, there is a lack of eligible treatment for PD, and stem cells therapy recently has been considered for PD treatment. In this review, we demonstrate how human stem cell technology especially human endometrium-derived stem cells have made advancement as a therapeutic source for PD compared with other treatments.     

The Anti-fibrotic Effects of Heat-Killed Akkermansia muciniphila MucT on Liver Fibrosis Markers and Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is a key phenomenon in development of liver fibrosis. Recently, Akkermansia muciniphila has been introduced as a...     

Efficient export of prefolded,disulfide‐bonded recombinant proteins to the periplasm by the Tat pathway in Escherichia coli CyDisCo strains

Numerous high‐value therapeutic proteins are produced in Escherichia coli and exported to the periplasm, as this approach simplifies downstream processing and enables disulfide bond formation. Most recombinant proteins are exported by the Sec pathway, which transports substrates across the plasma membrane in an unfolded state. The Tat system also exports proteins to the periplasm, but transports them in a folded state. This system has attracted interest because of its tendency to transport correctly folded proteins, but this trait renders it unable to export proteins containing disulfide bonds since these are normally acquired only in the periplasm; reduced substrates tend to be recognized as incorrectly folded and rejected. In this study we have used a series of novel strains (termed CyDisCo) which oxidise disulfide bonds in the cytoplasm, and we show that these cells efficiently export a range of disulfide‐containing proteins when a Tat signal peptide is attached. These test proteins include alkaline phosphatase (PhoA), a phytase containing four disulfide bonds (AppA), an antiinterleukin 1β scFv and human growth hormone. No export of PhoA or AppA is observed in wild‐type cells lacking the CyDisCo factors. The PhoA, AppA and scFv proteins were exported in an active form by Tat in the CyDisCo strain, and mass spectrometry showed that the vast majority of the scFv protein was disulfide‐bonded and correctly processed. The evidence indicates that this combination of Tat + CyDisCo offers a novel means of exporting active, correctly folded disulfide bonded proteins to the periplasm. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:281–290, 2014