Bioremediation of colour of methyl violet and phenol from a dye-industry waste effluent using Pseudomonas spp. isolated from factory soil

Methyl violet, a basic dye, is manufactured using phenol and dimethylaniline as the raw materials. It is, therefore likely that the waste effluent arising from such units may contain the dye and unused chemicals. Since such pollutants may be toxic, their removal becomes necessary. The studies were therefore aimed at their bioremediation using microbial species.
Four species of Pseudomonas , namely Ps. alcaligenes, Ps. mendocina, Ps. putida biovar B and Ps. stutzeri , were isolated from cattle dung enrichments and the soil samples in the premises of the factory manufacturing methyl violet, nearby Pune.
All the four species of Pseudomonas were able to remove phenol and methyl violet with simultaneous reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and ammoniacal nitrogen from the waste effluent and the removal was found to be optimum at the original alkaline pH (range 7.45–10.6) of the waste effluent, at ambient temperature (28 ± 2°C under aerated culture condition, at inoculum density of 1.5 × 10⁸ cells ml⁻¹ of the waste effluent and incubation period of 24–48 h. Thus, Pseudomonas spp. isolated from the environment of the dye industry itself and thus naturally adapted could be used for bioremediation of these pollutants.     

Metabolic engineering of Synechococcus elongatus for photoautotrophic production of mannitol

With multiple applications in food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries as antioxidant or nonmetabolizable sweetener; the bioproduction of d -mannitol is gaining global attention, especially with photosynthetic organisms as hosts. Considering the sustainability prospects, the current work encompasses metabolic engineering of a widely used cyanobacterial strain, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, and two newly isolated fast-growing cyanobacterial strains; S. elongatus PCC 11801 and S. elongatus PCC 11802, for mannitol production. We engineered these strains with a two-step pathway by cloning genes for mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (mtlD) and mannitol-1-phosphatase (mlp), where the mtlD expression was under the control of different promoters from PCC 7942, namely, P_rbc225, P_cpcB300, P_cpcBm1, P_rbcLm17, and P_rbcLm15. The strains were tested under the “switch conditions,” where the growth conditions were switched after the first 3 days, thereby resulting in differential promoter activity. Among the engineered strains of PCC 11801 and PCC 11802, the strains possessing P_rbc225-mtlD module produced relatively high mannitol titers of 401 ± 18 mg/L and 537 ± 18 mg/L, respectively. The highest mannitol titer of 701 ± 15 mg/L (productivity 60 mg/L.d, yield 895 µM/OD₇₃₀) was exhibited by the engineered strain of PCC 7942 expressing P_cpcB300-mtlD module. It is by far the highest obtained mannitol yield from the engineered cyanobacteria.     

Hepatic polyamine metabolism in children with Reye's syndrome.

Acute mitochondrial insult has been suggested as a primary reason for the clinical, histopathological and biochemical abnormalities seen in Reye's syndrome. However, the etiology of mitochondrial dysfunction has not been identified. Polyamines have been known to alter the mitochondrial structure and function. Influenza infection may cause an increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity and thereby channel ornithine for polyamine biosynthesis, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction in Reye's syndrome. To test this hypothesis, the hepatic concentrations of polyamines, polyamine-metabolizing enzymes and urea cycle enzyme activities in Reye's syndrome patients were determined and compared with patients who died from illnesses other than Reye's syndrome. The hepatic concentration of putrescine, spermidine and spermine were increased in Reye's syndrome patients. The activity of ornithine decarboxylase was elevated but, due to the small number of samples, these values did not reach statistical significance. Ornithine carbamoyltransferase activity was decreased in the liver of Reye's syndrome patients. Our results suggest that increased synthesis of polyamines from ornithine may initiate mitochondrial injury in Reye's syndrome.     

Breast MRI in nonpalpable breast lesions: a randomized trial with diagnostic and therapeutic outcome – MONET – study

Background

In orthodontic treatment, anchorage control is a fundamental aspect. Usually conventional mechanism for orthodontic anchorage control can be either extraoral or intraoral that is headgear or intermaxillary elastics. Their use are combined with various side effects such as tipping of occlusal plane or undesirable movements of teeth. Especially in cases, where key-teeth are missing, conventional anchorage defined as tooth-borne anchorage will meet limitations. Therefore, the use of endosseous implants for anchorage purposes are increasingly used to achieve positional stability and maximum anchorage.

Methods/Design

The intended study is designed as a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT), comparing and contrasting the effect of early loading of palatal implant therapy versus implant loading after 12 weeks post implantation using the new ortho-implant type II anchor system device (Orthosystem Straumann, Basel, Switzerland). 124 participants, mainly adult males or females, whose diagnoses require temporary stationary implant-based anchorage treatment will be randomized 1:1 to one of two treatment groups: group 1 will receive a loading of implant standard therapy after a healing period of 12 week (gold standard), whereas group 2 will receive an early loading of orthodontic implants within 1 week after implant insertion. Participants will be at least followed for 12 months after implant placement. The primary endpoint is to investigate the behavior of early loaded palatal implants in order to find out if shorter healing periods might be justified to accelerate active orthodontic treatment. Secondary outcomes will focus e.g. on achievement of orthodontic treatment goals and quantity of direct implant-bone interface of removed bone specimens. As tertiary objective, a histologic and microtomography evaluation of all retrieved implants will be performed to obtain data on the performance of the SLA surface in human bone evaluation of all retrieved implants. Additionally, resonance frequency analysis (RFA, Osstell? mentor) will be used at different times for clinically monitoring the implant stability and for histological comparison in order to measure the reliability of the resonance frequency measuring device.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN97142521.     

Successful immunotherapy with matrix metalloproteinase-derived peptides in adjuvant arthritis depends on the timing of peptide administration

We have recently found that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are targets for T-cell and B-cell reactivity in experimental arthritis. In the present article, we investigate whether modulation of MMP-specific T-cell responses could influence the course of adjuvant arthritis (AA). Lewis rats were treated nasally with MMP peptides prior to or after AA induction. Administration of the MMP-10 or the MMP-16 peptide prior to AA induction reduced the arthritic symptoms. In contrast, administration of the MMP-10 peptide after AA induction aggravated the arthritic symptoms. The present study shows the possible usefulness of MMP peptides for immunotherapy. However, a clear understanding of proper timing of peptide administration is crucial for the development of such therapies.     

Clinicopathologic Predictors of Survival in Patients with Desmoplastic Melanoma

Background and Objectives

Desmoplastic melanoma is a unique subtype of melanoma which typically affects older patients who often have comorbidities that can adversely affect survival. We sought to identify melanoma-specific factors influencing survival in patients with desmoplastic melanoma.

Methods

Retrospective review from 1993 to 2011 identified 316 patients with primary desmoplastic melanoma. Clinicopathologic characteristics were correlated with nodal status and outcome.

Results

Fifty-five patients (17.4%) had nodal disease: 33 had a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy and 22 developed nodal recurrences (no sentinel lymph node biopsy or false-negative sentinel lymph node biopsy). Nodal disease occurred more often in younger patients and in cases with mixed compared with pure histology (26.7% vs. 14.6%); both of these variables significantly predicted nodal status on multivariable analysis (p<0.05). After a median follow-up of 5.3 years, recurrence developed in 87 patients (27.5%), and 111 deaths occurred. The cause of death was known in 79 cases, with 47 deaths (59.5%) being melanoma-related. On multivariable analysis, Breslow thickness, mitotic rate ≥1/mm² and nodal status significantly predicted melanoma-specific survival (p<0.05).

Conclusions

Nodal status predicts melanoma-specific survival in patients with desmoplastic melanoma. However, since patients with desmoplastic melanoma represent an older population, and a considerable proportion of deaths are not melanoma-related (40.5%), comorbidities should be carefully considered in making staging and treatment decisions in this population.     

Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses

Background

The risk of injuries is of major concern when keeping horses in groups and there is a need for a system to record external injuries in a standardised and simple way. The objective of this study, therefore, was to develop and validate a system for injury recording in horses and to test its reliability and feasibility under field conditions.

Methods

Injuries were classified into five categories according to severity. The scoring system was tested for intra- and inter-observer agreement as well as agreement with a 'golden standard' (diagnosis established by a veterinarian). The scoring was done by 43 agricultural students who classified 40 photographs presented to them twice in a random order, 10 days apart. Attribute agreement analysis was performed using Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Kendall's W), Kendall's correlation coefficient (Kendall's τ) and Fleiss' kappa. The system was also tested on a sample of 100 horses kept in groups where injury location was recorded as well.

Results

Intra-observer agreement showed Kendall's W ranging from 0.94 to 0.99 and 86% of observers had kappa values above 0.66 (substantial agreement). Inter-observer agreement had an overall Kendall's W of 0.91 and the mean kappa value was 0.59 (moderate). Agreement for all observers versus the 'golden standard' had Kendall's τ of 0.88 and the mean kappa value was 0.66 (substantial). The system was easy to use for trained persons under field conditions. Injuries of the more serious categories were not found in the field trial.

Conclusion

The proposed injury scoring system is easy to learn and use also for people without a veterinary education, it shows high reliability, and it is clinically useful. The injury scoring system could be a valuable tool in future clinical and epidemiological studies.

     

Diffusion is capable of translating anisotropic apoptosis initiation into a homogeneous execution of cell death

Background  

Apoptosis is an essential cell death process throughout the entire life span of all metazoans and its deregulation in humans has been implicated in many proliferative and degenerative diseases. Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilisation (MOMP) and activation of effector caspases are key processes during apoptosis signalling. MOMP can be subject to spatial coordination in human cancer cells, resulting in intracellular waves of cytochrome-c release. To investigate the consequences of these spatial anisotropies in mitochondrial permeabilisation on subsequent effector caspase activation, we devised a mathematical reaction-diffusion model building on a set of partial differential equations.