Bioremoval of Cyanide and Phenol from Industrial Wastewater: An Update

In nature, phenols and cyanides are produced by certain microbes and plants. Phenols are antioxidants found in almost all plants, and cyanides are important components of lima beans, almonds, and cassava. Their presence in small amounts may not upset the environment, but their large-scale production, wide applicability, and unrestricted release by the industries makes them widespread and important pollutants. Phenols and cyanides can be recovered/removed from wastewater streams using various physicochemical techniques practiced commercially. Lack of complete mineralization, cost-effectiveness, and release of secondary by-products are amongst a few of the major considerations that limit the installation of such processes. Biological removal of such pollutants from industrial waste has gained momentum in recent years, as they promise to surpass the major drawbacks laid by the physicochemical methods and can be practically carried out in all conditions. Presence of either cyanide or phenol is highly dangerous, and in the presence of both, the effect is compounded. The present review illustrates the various industries involved in the release of phenols, cyanides, or both; it summarizes the available technologies for their treatment and emphasizes recent advances and advantages of biological abatement of these pollutants.     

Continuous biosorption of cadmium by Moringa olefera in a packed column

The biosorption of Cd(II) by Moringa oleifera using a batch system and a continuous up flow mode in a fixed bed column was studied. Batch adsorption experiments were performed as a function of pH, biosorbent dose, contact time, volume of the solution, and initial metal concentration. The adsorption isotherms obtained fitted well into the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. The dynamic removal of cadmium by powdered seed of the Moringa oleifera was studied in a packed column. The effect of bed height (4 and 8 cm) and flow rate (2 and 5mL/min) on biosorption process was investigated and the experimental breakthrough curves were obtained. Results showed that by increasing the bed height and decreasing the flow rate, the breakthrough and exhaustion times increased. The break-through time was considered as a measure of the column performance. The maximum break-through time of 320 min was achieved at the operating condition of 2 mL/min influent flow rate and bed height of 8 cm.     

Myeloid related protein induces muscle derived inflammatory mediators in juvenile dermatomyositis

Introduction

The aetiopathogenesis of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) remains poorly understood. In particular the contribution of monocytes or macrophages, which are frequently observed to be an infiltrate within muscle tissue very early in the disease process, is unknown. We hypothesised that these cells secrete the pro-inflammatory myeloid related protein (MRP) 8/14 which may then contribute to muscle pathology in JDM.

Methods

In this study of 56 JDM patients, serum MRP8/14 levels were compared with clinical measures of disease activity. Muscle biopsies taken early in disease were assessed by immunohistochemistry to determine the frequency and identity of MRP-expressing cells. The effects of MRP stimulation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress on muscle were tested in vitro. Serum or supernatant levels of cytokines were analyzed by multiplex immunoassay.

Results

Serum MRP8/14 correlated with physician’s global assessment of disease activity in JDM (R = 0.65, p = 0.0003) and muscle strength/endurance, childhood myositis assessment score (CMAS, R = −0.55, p = 0.004). MRP8/14 was widely expressed by CD68+ macrophages in JDM muscle tissue. When cultured with human myoblasts, MRP8 led to the secretion of MCP-1 and IL-6, which was enhanced by ER stress. Both inflammatory mediators were detected in significantly higher levels in the serum of JDM patients compared to healthy controls.

Conclusions

This study is the first to identify serum MRP8/14 as a potential biomarker for disease activity in JDM. We propose that tissue infiltrating macrophages secreting MRP8/14 may contribute to myositis, by driving the local production of cytokines directly from muscle.     

Correction for Irrelevant Absorption in Multicomponent Spectrophotometric Assay of Riboflavin, Formylmethylflavin, and Degradation Products: Kinetic Applications

In the spectrophotometric assay of multicomponent systems involved in drug degradation studies, some minor or unknown degradation products may be present. These products may interfere in the assay and thus invalidate the results due to their absorption in the range of analytical wavelengths. This interference may be eliminated by the application of an appropriate correction procedure to obtain reliable data for kinetic treatment. The present study is based on the application of linear and non-linear irrelevant absorption corrections in the multicomponent spectrophotometric assay of riboflavin and formylmethylflavin during the photolysis and hydrolysis studies. The correction procedures take into account the interference caused by minor or unknown products and have shown considerable improvement in the assay data in terms of the molar balance. The treatment of the corrected data has led to more accurate kinetic results in degradation studies.     

Nature of KaiB-KaiC binding in the cyanobacterial circadian oscillator

In the cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus and Thermosynechococcus elongatus, the KaiA, KaiB and KaiC proteins in the presence of ATP generate a post-translational oscillator (PTO) that can be reconstituted in vitro. KaiC is the result of a gene duplication and resembles a double doughnut with N-terminal CI and C-terminal CII hexameric rings. Six ATPs are bound between subunits in both the CI and CII ring. CI harbors ATPase activity, and CII catalyzes phosphorylation and dephosphorylation at T432 and S431 with a ca. 24-h period. KaiA stimulates KaiC phosphorylation, and KaiB promotes KaiC subunit exchange and sequesters KaiA on the KaiB-KaiC interface in the final stage of the clock cycle. Studies of the PTO protein-protein interactions are convergent in terms of KaiA binding to CII but have led to two opposing models of the KaiB-KaiC interaction. Electron microscopy (EM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), together with native PAGE using full-length proteins and separate CI and CII rings, are consistent with binding of KaiB to CII. Conversely, NMR together with gel filtration chromatography and denatured PAGE using monomeric CI and CII domains support KaiB binding to CI. To resolve the existing controversy, we studied complexes between KaiB and gold-labeled, full-length KaiC with negative stain EM. The EM data clearly demonstrate that KaiB contacts the CII ring. Together with the outcomes of previous analyses, our work establishes that only CII participates in interactions with KaiA and KaiB as well as with the His kinase SasA involved in the clock output pathway.     

Tracking 20 Years of Compound-to-Target Output from Literature and Patents

The statistics of drug development output and declining yield of approved medicines has been the subject of many recent reviews. However, assessing research productivity that feeds development is more difficult. Here we utilise an extensive database of structure-activity relationships extracted from papers and patents. We have used this database to analyse published compounds cumulatively linked to nearly 4000 protein target identifiers from multiple species over the last 20 years. The compound output increases up to 2005 followed by a decline that parallels a fall in pharmaceutical patenting. Counts of protein targets have plateaued but not fallen. We extended these results by exploring compounds and targets for one large pharmaceutical company. In addition, we examined collective time course data for six individual protease targets, including average molecular weight of the compounds. We also tracked the PubMed profile of these targets to detect signals related to changes in compound output. Our results show that research compound output had decreased 35% by 2012. The major causative factor is likely to be a contraction in the global research base due to mergers and acquisitions across the pharmaceutical industry. However, this does not rule out an increasing stringency of compound quality filtration and/or patenting cost control. The number of proteins mapped to compounds on a yearly basis shows less decline, indicating the cumulative published target capacity of global research is being sustained in the region of 300 proteins for large companies. The tracking of six individual targets shows uniquely detailed patterns not discernible from cumulative snapshots. These are interpretable in terms of events related to validation and de-risking of targets that produce detectable follow-on surges in patenting. Further analysis of the type we present here can provide unique insights into the process of drug discovery based on the data it actually generates.     

Bispidine-Amino Acid Conjugates Act as a Novel Scaffold for the Design of Antivirals That Block Japanese Encephalitis Virus Replication

Background

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a major cause of viral encephalitis in South and South-East Asia. Lack of antivirals and non-availability of affordable vaccines in these endemic areas are a major setback in combating JEV and other closely related viruses such as West Nile virus and dengue virus. Protein secondary structure mimetics are excellent candidates for inhibiting the protein-protein interactions and therefore serve as an attractive tool in drug development. We synthesized derivatives containing the backbone of naturally occurring lupin alkaloid, sparteine, which act as protein secondary structure mimetics and show that these compounds exhibit antiviral properties.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this study we have identified 3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane, commonly called bispidine, as a privileged scaffold to synthesize effective antiviral agents. We have synthesized derivatives of bispidine conjugated with amino acids and found that hydrophobic amino acid residues showed antiviral properties against JEV. We identified a tryptophan derivative, Bisp-W, which at 5 µM concentration inhibited JEV infection in neuroblastoma cells by more than 100-fold. Viral inhibition was at a stage post-entry and prior to viral protein translation possibly at viral RNA replication. We show that similar concentration of Bisp-W was capable of inhibiting viral infection of two other encephalitic viruses namely, West Nile virus and Chandipura virus.

Conclusions/Significance

We have demonstrated that the amino-acid conjugates of 3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane can serve as a molecular scaffold for development of potent antivirals against encephalitic viruses. Our findings will provide a novel platform to develop effective inhibitors of JEV and perhaps other RNA viruses causing encephalitis.     

Biomass Yield and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Drained Fen Peatland Cultivated with Reed Canary Grass under Different Harvest and Fertilizer Regimes

Reed canary grass (RCG, Phalaris arundinacea L.) is a suitable energy crop for cultivation in northern peatlands. However, the atmospheric impact of RCG cultivation as influenced by harvest frequency and fertilization is not clear. Here, we compared the biomass yield and greenhouse gas (GHG) balance for RCG cultivation in peatlands affected by cutting frequency and fertilizer managements. The managements included one-cut (OC) and two-cut (TC) systems that were either fertilized (TC-F) or unfertilized (TC-U) after the first cut in summer. Biomass yield of OC, TC-F and TC-U were 12, 16 and 11 Mg dry biomass per hectare per year, respectively. GHG fluxes of CO₂, N₂O and CH₄ were measured with closed chamber techniques in the period between first and second (final) harvest of the TC managements, i.e. from 15 June to 23 September 2011. In the GHG monitoring period of 100 days, all systems were net sources of CO₂ corresponding to 64?±?3, 217?±?15 and 50?±?23 g?CO₂-C?m^?2 (mean?±?standard error, n?=?3) from the OC, TC-F and TC-U systems, respectively. In the same period, emissions of N₂O from TC-F were ten times higher as compared to OC and TC-U. Emissions of CH₄ were negligible from all systems. The TC systems could not improve the GHG balance during cultivation (271, 663 and 210 g CO₂e-C?m^?2 emissions from the OC, TC-F and TC-U systems, respectively), but in a broader GHG life cycle perspective, the increased biomass yield by TC-F could replace more fossil fuel and offset at least some of the higher emissions from the system.