Laboratory Scale Bioremediation of Acid Mine Water Drainage from a Disused Tin Mine

Real acidic mine-water drainage was seeded with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to catalyse the removal of iron contained therein. The addition of At. ferrooxidans increased metal precipitation kinetics and decreased the water iron content by ~70%. Supplementing non-sterile mine water with a bacterial growth medium accelerated metal removal by indigenous micro-organisms both at the 500 ml shake-flask and 5 l bioreactor scale.     

Mechanistic simulation of batch acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation with in situ gas stripping using Aspen Plus™

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Process simulations of batch fermentations with in situ product separation traditionally decouple these interdependent steps by simulating a separate...     

Effect of Arginine on the Aggregation of Protein in Freeze-Dried Formulations Containing Sugars and Polyol: II. BSA Reconstitution and Aggregation

The current paper continues our study on the ability of l-arginine to prevent/reduce the aggregation of proteins that results from the various stresses during the lyophilisation and/or storage of lyophilized protein-based products. The first part of our study, i.e. formulation development, was devoted to the rational design and optimization of an l-arginine containing lyophilized formulation which can resist the natural tendency of l-arginine to absorb atmosphere moisture. Mannitol and trehalose were chosen among other excipients to be included in the protein-based formulation, as mannitol in a combination with l-arginine has been shown to reduce moisture sorption while trehalose provides a degree of lyoprotection. In the present study, a number of formulations, which comprised bovine serum albumin (BSA) with and without l-arginine, and with five different ratios of trehalose-to-mannitol (from 30:70 to 80:20) were lyophilised and assessed. The internal structures and the moisture sorption/retention of the lyophilized formulations were characterised. To study the effect of l-arginine on BSA solid-phase stability, the lyophilized powder was exposed to accelerated storage conditions (high moisture (75% RH) and temperature (22 or 45 °C)) for up to 24 h. The lyophilized BSA formulations were then reconstituted and solution-state protein aggregation assessed by turbidimetry at 360 nm and fluorescence spectroscopy using the thioflavin T assay. It was demonstrated that l-arginine can be used in protein-based freeze-dried formulations to significantly reduce the aggregation of protein during the manufacturing, storage and subsequent reconstitution. The results also revealed the importance of a sufficient amount of mannitol in the arginine-containing formulations.     

A review of anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste: effect of selected operational and environmental parameters on anaerobic biodegradability

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology - Slaughterhouse activities generate large volumes of biodegradable organic wastes such as animal faeces, blood, fat, animal trimmings, paunch...     

Characterisation of Crystalline-Amorphous Blends of Sucrose with Terahertz-Pulsed Spectroscopy: the Development of a Prediction Technique for Estimating the Degree of Crystallinity with Partial Least Squares Regression

The control of the amorphous and crystalline states of drugs and excipients is important in many instances of product formulation, manufacture, and packaging, such as the formulation of certain (freeze-dried) fast melt tablets. This study examines the use of terahertz-pulsed spectroscopy (TPS) coupled with two different data analytical methods as an off-line tool (in the first instance) for assessing the degree of crystallinity in a binary mixture of amorphous and polycrystalline sucrose. The terahertz spectrum of sucrose was recorded in the wave number range between 3 and 100 cm⁻¹ for both the pure crystalline form and for a mixture of the crystalline and amorphous (freeze-dried) form. The THz spectra of crystalline sucrose showed distinct absorption bands at ∼48, ∼55, and ∼60 cm⁻¹ while all these features were absent in the amorphous sucrose. Calibration models were constructed based on (1) peak area analysis and (2) partial least square regression analysis, with the latter giving the best LOD and LOQ of 0.76% and 2.3%, respectively. The potential for using THz spectroscopy, as a quantitative in-line tool for percent crystallinity in a range of complex systems such as conventional tablets and freeze-dried formulations, is suggested in this study.Key words: crystallinity, partial least squares, sugars, terahertz-pulsed spectroscopy     

Irisin supports integrin-mediated cell adhesion of lymphocytes

Irisin, a myokine released from skeletal muscle, has recently been found to act as a ligand for the integrins αVβ5, αVβ1, and α5β1 expressed on mesenchymal cells, thereby playing an important role in the metabolic remodeling of the bone, skeletal muscle and adipose tissues. Although the immune-modulatory effects of irisin in chronic inflammation have been documented, its interactions with lymphocytic integrins have yet to be elucidated. Here, we show that irisin supports the cell adhesion of human and mouse lymphocytes. Cell adhesion assays using a panel of inhibitory antibodies to integrins have shown that irisin-mediated lymphocyte adhesion involves multiple integrins including not only α4β1 and α5β1, but also leukocyte-specific αLβ2 and α4β7. Importantly, mouse lymphocytic TK-1 cells that lack the expression of β1 integrins have exhibited αLβ2- and α4β7-mediated cell adhesion to irisin. Irisin has also been demonstrated to bind to purified recombinant integrin αLβ2 and α4β7 proteins. Thus, irisin represents a novel ligand for integrin αLβ2 and α4β7, capable of supporting lymphocyte cell adhesion independently of β1 integrins. These results suggest that irisin may play an important role in regulating lymphocyte adhesion and migration in the inflamed vasculature.