Metabolism of Atrazine in Liquid Cultures and Soil Microcosms by Nocardioides Strains Isolated from a Contaminated Nigerian Agricultural Soil

Atrazine-degrading microorganisms designated EAA-3 and EAA-4, belonging to the genus Nocardioides, were obtained from an agricultural soil in Nigeria. The degradation kinetics of the two strains revealed total disappearance of 25 mg l^?1 of atrazine in less than 72 h of incubation at the rate of 0.42 mg l^?1 h^?1 and 0.35 mg l^?1 h^?1, respectively. Screening for atrazine catabolic genes in these organisms revealed the presence of trzN, atzB, and atzC. Other genes, specifically atzA, atzD, and trzD, were not detected. Potential intermediates of atrazine catabolic route such as hydroxyatrazine, desethylatrazine, and desisopropylatrazine were utilized as sources of carbon and energy, while desisopropyl desethyl-2-hydroxyatrazine and desisopropyl-2-hydroxyatrazine were attacked but in the presence of glucose. A soil microcosm study showed that degradation was faster in microcosms contaminated with 13 mg of atrazine per g^?1 of soil compared with 480 mg g^?1 of soil. In the former, degradation was 10% higher in the inoculated soil than the non-inoculated control (natural attenuation) over the 28-day study period. Corresponding value obtained for the latter was nearly 70% higher. This study has demonstrated that the bacterial strains isolated enhanced atrazine degradation and the catabolic activities of these strains were not affected with increasing soil atrazine concentration.     

Contributions of Subsurface Cortical Modulations to Discrimination of Executed and Imagined Grasp Forces through Stereoelectroencephalography

Stereoelectroencephalographic (SEEG) depth electrodes have the potential to record neural activity from deep brain structures not easily reached with other intracranial recording technologies. SEEG electrodes were placed through deep cortical structures including central sulcus and insular cortex. In order to observe changes in frequency band modulation, participants performed force matching trials at three distinct force levels using two different grasp configurations: a power grasp and a lateral pinch. Signals from these deeper structures were found to contain information useful for distinguishing force from rest trials as well as different force levels in some participants. High frequency components along with alpha and beta bands recorded from electrodes located near the primary motor cortex wall of central sulcus and electrodes passing through sensory cortex were found to be the most useful for classification of force versus rest although one participant did have significant modulation in the insular cortex. This study electrophysiologically corroborates with previous imaging studies that show force-related modulation occurs inside of central sulcus and insular cortex. The results of this work suggest that depth electrodes could be useful tools for investigating the functions of deeper brain structures as well as showing that central sulcus and insular cortex may contain neural signals that could be used for control of a grasp force BMI.     

Biosorption of Lead from Industrial Wastewater Using Chrysophyllum albidum Seed Shell

The shell of the seed of Chrysophyllum albidum carbon was used to adsorb lead (Pb) from aqueous solution, the sorption process with respect to its equilibria and kinetics as well as the effects of pH, contact time, adsorbent mass, adsorbate concentration, and particle size on adsorption were also studied. The most effective pH range was found to be between 4.5 and 5 for the sorption of the metal ion. The first-order rate equation by Lagergren was tested on the kinetic data and the adsorption process followed first-order rate kinetics. Isotherm data were analyzed for possible agreement with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms; the Freundlich and Langmuir models for dynamics of metal ion uptake proposed in this work fitted the experimental data reasonably well. However, equilibrium sorption data were better represented by Langmuir model than Freundlich. The adsorption capacity calculated from Langmuir isotherm was 72.1 mg Pb (II) g^{- 1} at initial pH of 5.0 at 30°C for the particle size of 1.00 to 1.25 mm with the use of 2.0 g/100 ml adsorbent mass. The structural features of the adsorbent were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry; the presence of hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide, and phosphate groups confirms the potential mechanism adsorption of the adsorbent. This readily available adsorbent is efficient in the uptake of Pb (II) ion in aqueous solution, thus, it could be an excellent alternative for the removal of heavy metals and organic matter from water and wastewater.     

Honey--a novel antidiabetic agent

Diabetes mellitus remains a burden worldwide in spite of the availability of numerous antidiabetic drugs. Honey is a natural substance produced by bees from nectar. Several evidence-based health benefits have been ascribed to honey in the recent years. In this review article, we highlight findings which demonstrate the beneficial or potential effects of honey in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), on the gut microbiota, in the liver, in the pancreas and how these effects could improve glycemic control and metabolic derangements. In healthy subjects or patients with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus, various studies revealed that honey reduced blood glucose or was more tolerable than most common sugars or sweeteners. Pre-clinical studies provided more convincing evidence in support of honey as a potential antidiabetic agent than clinical studies did. The not-too-impressive clinical data could mainly be attributed to poor study designs or due to the fact that the clinical studies were preliminary. Based on the key constituents of honey, the possible mechanisms of action of antidiabetic effect of honey are proposed. The paper also highlights the potential impacts and future perspectives on the use of honey as an antidiabetic agent. It makes recommendations for further clinical studies on the potential antidiabetic effect of honey. This review provides insight on the potential use of honey, especially as a complementary agent, in the management of diabetes mellitus. Hence, it is very important to have well-designed, randomized controlled clinical trials that investigate the reproducibility (or otherwise) of these experimental data in diabetic human subjects.     

长江干流和汉江的鳡鱼繁殖习性及其胚胎发育

本文报道了1961—1966年、1976—1978年和1981年在长江干流和汉江对鳡鱼的繁殖习性、产卵场的分布、产卵场的环境条件、促使产卵的外界因素和产卵规模等方面的调查研究结果。比较系统地研究了鳡鱼鱼卵、鱼苗的胚胎发育,描述了各个发育阶段的形态特征。与长江中其他产漂流性卵鱼类(特别是青鱼、草鱼、鲢和鳙)的胚胎相比较,鳡鱼具有许多明显的特点。       

Clinical,radiological and computational studies on two novel GNPTG variants causing mucolipidosis III gamma phenotypes with varying severity

Molecular Biology Reports - Mucolipidosis III gamma (ML III γ) is a slowly progressive disorder that affects multiple parts of the body such as the skeleton, joints, and connective tissue...     

Outcomes of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment with Early Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Co-Infected Patients in Lesotho

Background

Although the importance of concurrent treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and HIV co-infection has been increasingly recognized, there have been few studies reporting outcomes of MDR-TB and HIV co-treatment. We report final outcomes of comprehensive, integrated MDR-TB and HIV treatment in Lesotho and examine factors associated with death or treatment failure.

Methods

We reviewed clinical charts of all adult patients who initiated MDR-TB treatment in Lesotho between January 2008 and September 2009. We calculated hazard ratios (HR) and used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to identify predictors of poor outcomes.

Results

Of 134 confirmed MDR-TB patients, 83 (62%) were cured or completed treatment, 46 (34%) died, 3 (2%) transferred, 1 (1%) defaulted, and 1 (1%) failed treatment. Treatment outcomes did not differ significantly by HIV status. Among the 94 (70%) patients with HIV co-infection, 53% were already on antiretroviral therapy (ART) before MDR-TB treatment initiation, and 43% started ART a median of 16 days after the start of the MDR-TB regimen. Among HIV co-infected patients who died, those who had not started ART before MDR-TB treatment had a shorter median time to death (80 days vs. 138 days, p = 0.065). In multivariable analysis, predictors of increased hazard of failure or death were low and severely low body mass index (HR 2.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27–5.93; HR 5.50, 95% CI 2.38–12.69), and a history of working in South Africa (HR 2.37, 95% CI 1.24–4.52).

Conclusions

Favorable outcomes can be achieved in co-infected patients using a community-based treatment model when both MDR-TB and HIV disease are treated concurrently and treatment is initiated promptly.     

Spawning areas and early development of long spiky-head carp (Luciobrama macrocephalus) in the Yangtze River and Pearl River, China

The spawning areas and early development of long spiky-head carp, Luciobrama macrocephalus (Lacépède), an endemic fish species in China, were investigated in the Yangtze River and Pearl River of central and southeastern China between 1961 and 1993. The potamodromous fish migrated upstream to spawn between May and July as the floodwater began to rise. The water-hardened eggs drifted down the river, and the embryos and larvae developed in the course of drifting. The spawning areas of the fish were widely found in the upper and middle main channels and large tributaries. Two large dams (Gezhouba dam and Danjiangkou dam) did not significantly impact on the reproduction of the fish. Fifty stages of the early development from one cell to the juvenile with fully formed fins were observed and characterized pictorially. The larvae of long spiky-head carp could be distinguished from the larvae of other co-occurring species by counting the number of somites and comparing the proportion of sizes of eye to otic capsule.     

Effects of Corn Steep Liquor on Growth Rate and Pyrene Degradation by Pseudomonas strains

The growth rates and pyrene degradation rates of Pseudomonas sp. LP1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP5 were increased in corn steep liquor (CSL) supplemented. On pyrene alone the highest specific growth rate of LP1 was 0.018 h⁻¹, while on CSL-supplemented pyrene MSM, the value was 0.026 h⁻1. For LP5 the highest growth rate on CSL-supplemented pyrene-MSM was 0.034 h⁻¹. Conversely, on pyrene alone the highest rate was 0.024 h⁻¹. CSL led to marked reduction in residual pyrene. In the case of Pseudomonas sp. LP1 values of residual pyrene were 58.54 and 45.47%, respectively, for the unsupplemented and supplemented broth cultures, showing a difference of 13.09%. For LP5 the corresponding values were 64.01 and 26.96%, respectively, showing a difference of 37.05%. The rate of pyrene utilization by LP1 were 0.08 and 0.11 mg l⁻¹ h⁻¹ on unsupplemented and supplemented media, respectively. The corresponding values for LP5 were 0.07 and 0.015 mg l⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. These results suggest that CSL, a cheap and readily available waste product, could be very useful in the bioremediation of environments contaminated with pyrene.