Parameters Effects Evaluation of Microbial Strengthening of Sandy Soils in Mixing Experiments Using Taguchi Methodology

The effects of experimental parameters including soil type, curing duration, inoculum size, and biomass and nutrients concentration on soil strengthening due to calcite precipitation by Sporosarcina pasteurii PTCC 1645 were investigated. The laboratory-scale mixing experiments on remolded samples were designed by the Taguchi method. Soil type proved to be the most incorporating factor, followed by curing time and nutrient concentration. The main effect and the interactions of the parameters were presented and the optimal conditions were obtained. This suggests the importance of local conditions including soil type on any future large-scale, in situ application.     

Epigallocatechin Gallate/Layered Double Hydroxide Nanohybrids: Preparation,Characterization, and In Vitro Anti-Tumor Study

In recent years, nanotechnology in merging with biotechnology has been employed in the area of cancer management to overcome the challenges of chemopreventive strategies in order to gain promising results. Since most biological processes occur in nano scale, nanoparticles can act as carriers of certain drugs or agents to deliver it to specific cells or targets. In this study, we intercalated Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG), the most abundant polyphenol in green tea, into Ca/Al-NO₃ Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles, and evaluated its efficacy compared to EGCG alone on PC3 cell line. The EGCG loaded LDH nanohybrids were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nanosizer analyses. The anticancer activity of the EGCG-loaded LDH was investigated in prostate cancer cell line (PC3) while the release behavior of EGCG from LDH was observed at pH 7.45 and 4.25. Besides enhancing of apoptotic activity of EGCG, the results showed that intercalation of EGCG into LDH can improve the anti- tumor activity of EGCG over 5-fold dose advantages in in-vitro system. Subsequently, the in-vitro release data showed that EGCG-loaded LDH had longer release duration compared to physical mixture, and the mechanism of diffusion through the particle was rate-limiting step. Acidic attack was responsible for faster release of EGCG molecules from LDH at pH of 4.25 compared to pH of 7.4. The results showed that Ca/Al-LDH nanoparticles could be considered as an effective inorganic host matrix for the delivery of EGCG to PC3 cells with controlled release properties.     

Techno-economical study of ethanol and biogas from spruce wood by NMMO-pretreatment and rapid fermentation and digestion

Given that N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) is a promising alternative for the pretreatment of lignocelluloses, a novel process for ethanol and biogas production from wood was developed. The solvent, NMMO, is concentrated by multistage evaporation, and the wood is pretreated with the concentrated NMMO. Thereafter, ethanol is produced by the non-isothermal simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (NSSF) method, which is a rapid and efficient process. The wastewater is treated by upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) digester for rapid production of biogas. The process was simulated by Aspen plus®. Using mechanical vapor recompression for evaporators in the pretreatment and multi-pressure distillation columns, the energy requirements for the process were minimized. The economical feasibility of the developed biorefinery for five different plant capacities was studied by Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator. The base case was designed to utilize 200,000 tons of spruce wood per year and required M€ 58.3 as the total capital investment, while the production cost of ethanol is calculated to be €/l 0.44.     

The role of integrin-linked kinase in liver wound healing

Liver wound healing is an integrated process in which hepatic stellate cells play a major role. We hypothesized that the cellextracellular signaling protein integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is important in transducing signals from the extracellular matrix to stellate cells and thus plays a critical role in stellate cell activation and fibrogenesis during liver injury. Liver injury and subsequent stellate cell activation led to a 3-fold increase in ILK expression and increased kinase activity. Overexpression of ILK in isolated stellate cells led to enhanced motility and adhesion as well as increases in smooth muscle alpha-actin and type I collagen mRNA expression. The effects of ILK on stellate cell phenotypes were phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent. Forced expression of ILK in vivo led to increases in type I collagen, smooth muscle alpha-actin, transforming growth factor-beta, and extra domain A (EDA) fibronectin mRNAs (by 3.2-, 3.5-, 2.5-, and 2.2-fold, respectively; n = 8, p < 0.05 for each versus the control), whereas inhibition of ILK in vivo led to significant reductions in these mRNAs. Morphometric analysis revealed that ILK overexpression led to a 31.4% increase in liver collagen content (n = 8, p < 0.05 versus the control); in contrast ILK knockdown in vivo led to a significant reduction in fibrogenesis. We conclude that ILK plays an important pathophysiological role in vivo in liver wound healing.     

Study of the frequency parameters of EEG influenced by zone-dependent local ELF-MF exposure on the human head

It has been reported that human subjects exposed to electromagnetic fields exhibit changes in human EEG signals at the frequency of stimulation. The aim of the present study was to expose different parts of the brain to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields locally and investigate EEG power spectrum alters at the frequency of stimulation. EEG relative power spectrum were evaluated at 3, 5, 10, 17, and 45 Hz frequencies at T4, T3, F3, Cz, and F4 points, respectively, when these points were exposed to magnetic fields with similar frequencies and 100 μT intensity. The paired t-test results showed that power value of EEG did not alter significantly at the frequency of stimulation (P<0.05). Further, significant changes in different EEG bands caused by locally exposing to ELF-MF in different points of brain were observed. The changes in the EEG bands were not limited necessarily to the exposure point.     

Influence of carbon sources on the viability and resuscitation of Acetobacter senegalensis during high-temperature gluconic acid fermentation

Much research has been conducted about different types of fermentation at high temperature, but only a few of them have studied cell viability changes during high-temperature fermentation. In this study, Acetobacter senegalensis, a thermo-tolerant strain, was used for gluconic acid production at 38 °C. The influences of different carbon sources and physicochemical conditions on cell viability and the resuscitation of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells formed during fermentation were studied. Based on the obtained results, A. senegalensis could oxidize 95 g l^− 1 glucose to gluconate at 38 °C (pH 5.5, yield 83%). However, despite the availability of carbon and nitrogen sources, the specific rates of glucose consumption (q_s) and gluconate production (q_p) reduced progressively. Interestingly, gradual q_s and q_p reduction coincided with gradual decrease in cellular dehydrogenase activity, cell envelope integrity, and cell culturability as well as with the formation of VBNC cells. Entry of cells into VBNC state during stationary phase partly stemmed from high fermentation temperature and long-term oxidation of glucose, because just about 48% of VBNC cells formed during stationary phase were resuscitated by supplementing the culture medium with an alternative favorite carbon source (low concentration of ethanol) and/or reducing incubation temperature to 30 °C. This indicates that ethanol, as a favorable carbon source, supports the repair of stressed cells. Since formation of VBNC cells is often inevitable during high-temperature fermentation, using an alternative carbon source together with changing physicochemical conditions may enable the resuscitation of VBNC cells and their use for several production cycles.

     

Effect of Zinc and Selenium Supplementation on Serum Testosterone and Plasma Lactate in Cyclist After an Exhaustive Exercise Bout

Zinc and selenium are essential minerals and have roles for more than 300 metabolic reactions in the body. The purpose of this study was to investigate how exhaustive exercise affects testosterone levels and plasma lactate in cyclists who were supplemented with oral zinc and selenium for 4?weeks. For this reason, 32 male road cyclists were selected equally to four groups: PL group, placebo; Zn group, zinc supplement (30?mg/day); Se group, selenium supplement (200?μg/day); and Zn-Se group, zinc-selenium supplement. After treatment, free, total testosterone, and lactate levels of subjects were determined before and after exhaustive exercise. Resting total, free testosterone, and lactate levels did not differ significantly between groups, and were increased by exercise (P?>?0.05). Serum total testosterone levels in Zn group were higher than in Se group after exercise (P??0.05). The results showed that 4-week simultaneous and separately zinc and selenium supplementation had no significant effect on resting testosterone and lactate levels of subjects who consume a zinc and selenium sufficient diet. It might be possible that the effect of zinc supplementation on free testosterone depends on exercise.     

Serum Arsenic and Lipid Peroxidation Levels in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies have shown that oxidative stress is one of the main underlying mechanisms of arsenic-induced cellular damage. The aim of this study was to assess the serum levels of arsenic and its relationship with lipid peroxidation in MS patients from Tabriz, as the third polluted city of Iran. The study population included 38 MS female patients and 38 age-matched healthy controls. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and arsenic levels were measured using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. The results showed that the arsenic (P?<?0.01) and MDA (P?=?0.03) levels were significantly higher in patients with MS than those in control. Moreover, serum levels of arsenic and MDA were positively correlated in MS patients. The elevated levels of serum arsenic might explain the increased oxidative stress in MS patients. We suggest that high arsenic levels in serum may lead to MS development, and therefore, exposure to this metal should be limited.