Research progress and application prospect of anaerobic biological phosphorus removal

Abstract

Anaerobic biological phosphorus removal has proposed a new direction for the removal of phosphorus from wastewater, and the discovery of phosphate reduction makes people have a more comprehensive understanding of microbial phosphorus cycling. Here, from the perspective of thermodynamics, the bioreduction reaction of phosphate was analyzed and its mechanism was discussed. The research progress of phosphate reduction and the application prospects of anaerobic biological phosphorus removal from wastewater were introduced, pointing out the situation and guiding the further research in this field.

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How to Optimize Cancer Treatment in Older Patients: An Overview of Available Geriatric Tools

Cancer is a disease of older people, but this age group has often been excluded from clinical trials of cancer, which leads to poor transportability of standardized treatments in older cancer patients. One of the main reasons for the exclusion is the heterogeneity of older people in several domains: social environment, comorbidities, dependency, functional status, nutritional status, cognition status, and mood status. Comprehensive geriatric assessment aims to assess this heterogeneity and has identified frequent health problems often unknown before therapeutic decisions, which allows for targeted geriatric interventions with or without follow-up and appropriate cancer treatment selection. Several tools and scores have been developed for a complementary approach. These tools have the following characteristics: they screen for vulnerability to select patients who may benefit from a comprehensive geriatric assessment; are predictive tools for survival, postoperative complications, or chemotherapy-related toxicity; are decisional algorithms for cancer treatment; or define a core set of geriatric data to be collected in clinical cancer trials. Here, we present an overview of the geriatric tools that were published in PubMed from 2000 to 2017, that could help in the therapeutic decision-making for older cancer patients.

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Accelerated Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Elderly Frail Bladder Cancer Patients Unfit for Surgery or Chemotherapy

Purpose/Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to report treatment outcomes of definitive image-guided accelerated hypofractionated radiation therapy for elderly patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer unsuitable for surgery or trimodality therapy. Materials and Methods: Patients with confirmed muscle-invasive or high-risk T1 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, stage T1-T4aN0M0, who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor were irradiated with 45 Gy in 15 fractions. Comorbidity was assessed by Charlson Comorbidity Index. Cystoscopy, cytology, and computerised tomography imaging were used to evaluate treatment outcomes. Results: Seventeen patients with a median age of 87 (range, 81 to 95) years and age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥3 were included. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor was incomplete in 65%. Radiation technique evolved from 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT, 47%) to volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT, 53%). Ninety-four percent completed radiotherapy, with a median time of 20 days. The median follow-up was 65.3 months. Complete local response at 3-month cystoscopy was 69%. Six patients developed a local recurrence (35%), and 2 patients developed distant metastases (11.7%). Overall survival at 1 year was 47% and 23% at 2 years. Cancer-specific survival at 1 and 2 years were 85% and 63%, respectively. Acute grade 3 gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicities were 6% and 24%, respectively. No grade 4 toxicity was documented. Diarrhea of any grade occurred in 35% of patients treated with 3D CRT, but in none of the patients treated with VMAT (P=0.002). Conclusions: Accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy alone provides good local control in elderly patients unfit for chemoradiotherapy. Contemporary radiation techniques such as VMAT were associated with reduced bowel toxicity compared with 3D CRT.

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MGMT Testing in Glioblastomas: Pitfalls and Opportunities

Gliomas, that do not respond to alkylating agent chemotherapy, can be made more sensitive to chemotherapy through promotor mediated epigenetic silencing of the MGMT gene. MGMT is one of the important markers in glioblastomas as it not only predicts response to therapy but may also be used as an independent prognostic marker. As such, MGMT is gaining increasing traction in diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic decision-making for these highly malignant gliomas. Although, MGMT promotor methylation status is becoming more commonly used in neuro-oncology; this test remains imperfect. Because of its increasing use in clinical practice and research, it is integral that we are aware of its pitfalls and complications. Currently, there are many ways to detect a patient's MGMT promotor methylation status, including: quantitative PCR, methylation-specific PCR, pyrosequencing, real time PCR with high resolution melt, and the infinitum methylation EPIC beadChip. The technical aspects, shortcomings, and optimal approach to interpreting the results of each method will be discussed. Furthermore, given that none of these methods have been prospectively validated, the challenge of equivocal cases will be discussed, and technical and logistic strategies for overcoming these challenges will be proposed. Finally, the difficulty in validating these methods, establishing standardized practice, and considerations of the cost of these competing methods will be explored.

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Challenging the Requirement to Treat the Contralateral Neck in Cases With >4 mm Tumor Thickness in Patients Receiving Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Tongue or Floor of Mouth

No abstract available

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Role of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Early Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Era of Lung Cancer Screening: A Systematic Review

With the obvious benefit from low dose computed tomography to reduce the lung cancer-specific mortality, lung cancer screening is on the rise. With the implementation of the screening programs, diagnosis of early stage lung cancer is expected to increase, and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) would account for 10% of screen-detected lung cancer. Apart from Concurrent chemoradiation (CRT), the present guidelines virtually do not support other options for radiation (RT). There is a paucity of data addressing the role of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) in SCLC and we conducted the current systematic review on this topic. We systematically searched literature using the electronic databases PubMed and Embase with no language, year or publication status restrictions. After removal of duplicate records, 3469 screened, 3446 excluded with reasons, 23 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 7 studies (8 reports) were included. Unsuitability for surgery or refusal for surgery was the most common reason for the use of SBRT in early stage SCLC in the included studies. Variable patterns of SBRT—chemotherapy (CT) sequencing including concurrent, pre-CT and post-CT and radiation doses were noted. Within the reported studies overall survival (OS) at 1 year, 2 year and 3 year varied from 63% to 87%, 37% to 72%, and 35% to 72%, respectively. Distant metastasis was the most common pattern of failure ranging from 38% to 53%. There was no increase in the reported grade III toxicity. SBRT could be a potential option in stage I SCLC with comparable outcomes with no added toxicity. Acknowledging the limitations and absence of high-quality data, presently cautious interpretation is warranted and further studies are needed to establish the role of SBRT in SCLC.

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Identification of Adenosquamous Carcinoma as a Rare Aggressive HER2-negative Subgroup of Esophageal/Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

Background: Our purpose was to evaluate the prognostic impact of pathologically confirmed esophageal adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) and its association with HER2 status and clinicopathologic characteristics. Methods: Among 796 patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who underwent curative resection, surgical pathology reports were reviewed, and suspected ASC was confirmed utilizing p63 and CK5/6 immunostaining. HER2 status was determined using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cox models were used to assess the impact of ASC on disease-specific survival and overall survival. Results: Overall, 2.0% (16/796) of patients had esophageal ASC, mostly demonstrating a close intermingling of squamous and adenocarcinoma cells within the same tumor. The percentage of squamous versus adenocarcinoma cells in the primary was generally recapitulated in nodal metastases, and intrapatient internodal heterogeneity was uncommon. Patients with esophageal ASC were statistically significantly more likely to be female (vs. male), have normal (vs. excess) body mass index, and harbor HER2-negative (vs. positive) tumors, as compared with patients with adenocarcinoma only. No ASC tumor was HER2-positive as compared with 16% of adenocarcinoma only tumors (P=0.018). Compared with patients with adenocarcinoma only, those with ASC demonstrated profoundly worse disease-specific survival (5-year event-free rate, 34% vs. 6%; multivariate hazard ratio, 2.87 [95% confidence interval, 1.59-4.76]; P=0.0010) and overall survival (P=0.0027) that was independent of known prognostic factors and HER2 status. Conclusion: ASC identifies a rare aggressive HER2-negative subgroup of esophageal/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

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A Simplified Risk Stratification Method for Women With Stage I Endometrial Carcinoma

Objectives: Available risk stratification methods for women with endometrial carcinoma are controversially defined. We sought to develop a simplified and an individualized prognostic index for cancer recurrence in women with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I endometrial carcinoma, solely of endometrioid histology. Materials and Methods: We identified 976 women who underwent a hysterectomy and did not receive any adjuvant therapy. Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent predictors of recurrence. Prognostic groups were created based on the number of independent predictors of recurrence (0, 1, or 2 or 3 risk factors). These groups were then validated using a separate cohort of 611 women treated at another academic institution. The model's performance for predicting cancer recurrence was measured by the concordance probability estimate along with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Median follow-up was 65 months. The final recurrence model included 3 risk groups based on 3 independent predictors of recurrence (tumor grade 2 or 3, the presence of lymphovascular space invasion and stage IB). Five-year recurrence rates were 4%, 16%, and 44% for groups 0, 1, and 2 or 3, respectively. The performance of the model was very good with a concordance probability estimate of 0.72 and 0.80 for the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Conclusions: On the basis of 3 well-known prognostic factors, we have developed and externally validated a simplified prognostic model that accurately predicts cancer recurrence in women with stage I endometrial carcinoma. This simplified predictive tool may be helpful in estimating individualized risk of recurrence and guide counseling with regard to adjuvant treatment.

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Overall Survival of Men and Women With Breast Cancer According to Tumor Subtype: A Population-based Study

Objectives: To analyze differences in overall survival (OS) between male breast cancer (MBC) and female breast cancer (FBC) according to tumor subtype compared with other factors. Materials and Methods: We evaluated men and women with breast cancer between 2010 and 2013 with known hormone receptor (HR) status and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status reported to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Patient characteristics were compared between groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the effect of each variable on OS. Breast cancer–specific survival was a secondary endpoint. Results: We included 1187 MBC and 166,054 FBC. Median follow-up was 21 months (range, 1 to 48) for both groups. OS at 3 years for MBC and FBC was 85.6% and 90.4%, respectively (P=0.0002). MBC were more ductal, had higher grade, presented with more advanced stage and were often HR+/HER2− (each P

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Prospective Evaluation of Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Risk Index Score for Gynecologic Oncology Patients With Febrile Neutropenia

Background: The Multinational Association of Supportive Care of Cancer (MASCC) risk-index score has been validated as a stratification tool for febrile neutropenia (FN) risk in a heterogeneous group of cancer patients; recently, it has been deemed a suitable tool in gynecologic oncology patients in a retrospective study. This is a prospective multi-institutional study wherein we sought to validate MASCC score for stratifying FN morbidity in gynecologic oncology patients. Methods: IRB approval was obtained at 4 institutions for prospective data collection of gynecologic cancer patients admitted with FN from 3/1/2013 to 9/1/2014. Participating institutions have a policy of inpatient management of FN patients receiving chemotherapy. Deidentified data was compiled and processed at the leading institution. Results: In total, 31 patients met inclusion criteria. Most had advanced stage disease (67%). 100% of patients were receiving chemotherapy (57% for primary, 43% for recurrent disease). 55% had a positive culture. Median MASCC score was 21 (range, 10 to 26); 58% of patients were considered low risk. High risk patients more often had one (11% vs. 38%, P=0.09) or multiple (6% vs. 23%, P=0.28) severe complications, ICU admission (0% vs. 15%, P=0.17), and delay in next chemotherapy cycle (33% vs. 54%, P=0.25). No patients died from FN during the study period. Conclusions: This pilot data suggests that MASCC score may be a promising tool for determining suitability of outpatient management of FN in gynecologic oncology patients. Larger studies are warranted to achieve statistically significant results, which may enable us to effectively utilize this risk stratification tool for cost containment and avoidance of nosocomial infections.

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Contemporary Approaches to High-risk, Early-Stage Serous Endometrial Cancer: Clinical Equipoise Persists

No abstract available

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Factors Affecting Racial Disparities in End-of-Life Care Costs Among Lung Cancer Patients: A SEER-Medicare–based Study

Objectives: Racial disparities exist in end-of-life lung cancer care, which could potentially lead to considerable racial differences in end-of-life care costs. This study for the first time estimates the racial differences in end-of-life care costs among lung cancer patients, and identifies and quantifies factors that contribute the most to these differences using a statistical decomposition method. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of patients 66 years and older, diagnosed with stage I-IV lung cancer, who died on or before December 31, 2013, using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result-Medicare data from 1991 to 2013. Ordinary least square regression of logarithmically transformed cost was used to estimate racial differences in end-of-life care costs among lung cancer patients. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to identify and quantify factors that contributed the most to these differences. Results: Non-Hispanic blacks had 10% to 13% higher end-of-life care costs as compared with non-Hispanic whites. Geographic variations, baseline comorbidity indices and stage at diagnosis contributed the most to explaining the racial differences in costs, with geographic variation explaining most of the differences. However, the observed factors could only explain 25% to 32% of the racial differences in end-of-life care costs. Conclusions: Geographic differences in access to timely and appropriate care, and provider practice patterns, should be examined to understand the reasons behind geographic variations in racial disparity. Provider-level educational interventions to reduce small area practice variations and differential management of patients by race, as well as racially sensitive patient-level educational and navigational interventions might be critical in improving quality of care and reducing costs during end-of-life.

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A Phase Ib Study of the FGFR/VEGFR Inhibitor Dovitinib With Gemcitabine and Capecitabine in Advanced Solid Tumor and Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Objectives: Preclinical studies demonstrated antitumor activity of dovitinib in pancreatic cancer models. This phase Ib study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of dovitinib in combination with gemcitabine and capecitabine and to characterize the safety and pharmacokinetic profile in patients with advanced pancreatic and biliary tract cancers and solid malignancies. Materials and Methods: Patients received gemcitabine 1000 mg/m² intravenously on days 1 and 8, capecitabine 1300 mg/m² oral daily from day 1 to 14, and dovitinib oral daily 5 days on and 2 days off, every 21-day cycle. The standard 3+3 dose escalation design was utilized and the study expanded to treat an additional 20 advanced pancreatic and biliary tract cancers patients at MTD. Results: A total of 29 patients were enrolled. One patient experienced dose-limiting grade 3 colitis. Two patients developed clinically significant neuropathy after the first cycle requiring dose reduction. The MTD was not reached and dovitinib 300 mg was declared the recommended dose for expansion. The most frequent grade 2 or worse adverse events were fatigue (45%), neutropenia (41%), thrombocytopenia (34%), anemia (24%), nausea (24%), and palmer-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (21%). Partial responses were observed in 5 patients. Pharmacokinetic studies showed no drug-drug interaction between dovitinib, capecitabine and gemcitabine. Fibroblast growth factor 23 plasma level increased in 4 of 5 patients during the first cycle of treatment. Conclusions: Dovitinib 300 mg daily is the recommended dose when combined with gemcitabine and capecitabine, achieving clinically relevant plasma concentrations. The study combination demonstrated encouraging efficacy signals in advanced pancreatic cancer.

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Outcomes and Characteristics of Patients Receiving Second-line Therapy for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Objectives: There is limited randomized data to guide second-line chemotherapy selection in advanced pancreatic cancer (APC). We aimed to characterize predictors and outcomes of second-line chemotherapy in patients with APC. Methods: We identified all patients with APC [locally advanced (LAPC) or metastatic (MPC)] who received ≥1 cycle of first-line chemotherapy between January 2012 and December 2015 across 6 cancer centers in British Columbia, Canada. Baseline characteristics and survival outcomes were summarized. Results: Of 676 patients with APC (31% LAPC, 69% MPC) who received ≥1 cycle of chemotherapy, 164 (24%) received second-line chemotherapy. These patients were younger, with lower ECOG and higher CA19-9 at presentation, compared with patients who did not receive second-line chemotherapy. There were no differences in rates of second-line chemotherapy between LAPC and MPC (28% vs. 23%; P=0.18). Only first-line FOLFIRINOX was associated with second-line chemotherapy. Median overall survival (OS) from second-line chemotherapy was longer with second-line gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel than fluoropyrimidine or gemcitabine (7.9 vs. 5.1 vs. 4.3 mo; P=0.008). On multivariable analysis, longer OS from second-line chemotherapy was associated with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel, lower ECOG, and LAPC. Conclusions: In this population-based cohort, first-line FOLFIRINOX was the strongest predictor of second-line chemotherapy. Duration of therapy remains short and novel treatments are urgently needed.

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An Evaluation of the Eighth Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging System for Retroperitoneal Sarcomas Using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB): Does Size Matter?

Objectives: Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are often large at diagnosis calling into question the seventh edition AJCC size classification of 15 cm). We evaluated the prognostic ability of the eighth edition using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods: Patients with RPS treated between 1998 and 2011 were identified from the NCDB; overall survival (OS) was compared. Results: Of the 6427 patients identified, 9% had tumors ≤5 cm (n=580), 19.4% 515 cm (n=3045). With the eighth edition, stage II patients (G2/3 ≤5 cm) have a similar OS to stage IIIA patients (G2/3 5 cm10 cm) show a decrease in OS. Tumor size as a continuous variable had a modest effect on survival (HR, 1.004; P=0.04). On multivariate analysis, higher T-stage was associated with decreased OS (T4 HR, 1.3; P

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Concurrent Radiation and Immunotherapy: Survey of Practice Patterns in the United States

Objective: The objective of this study was to report on US radiation oncologists' (ROs) practice patterns and perceptions of concurrent radiation (RT) and immunotherapy (IT) (CRI). Methods: A 22-question survey was emailed to radiation oncologists in February 2018. CRI was defined as RT completed within 1 week before initial IT infusion through 4 weeks after final IT infusion. Results: Of the 323 respondents from 45 states, 88% had experience treating a patient with CRI, including 51% private and 48% academic physicians. The most common reason for not offering CRI was concerns of increased toxicity (50%). Although 84% to 94% of respondents did not change RT dose, more ROs decreased dose when treating central structures (chest/abdomen/pelvis) versus noncentral structures (brain/head and neck/extremities): 13% to 15% versus 4% to 8%, P

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The Outcome of Patients With Localized Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma of the Lower Extremity Treated at Stanford University

Background: As a diagnosis of exclusion, Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS) has unclear clinical characteristics. The objective of this retrospective cohort study is to investigate which clinical and prognostic factors of primary lower-extremity UPS will determine failure. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 55 primary lower-extremity UPS cases treated at Stanford between 1998 and 2015. Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS) curves were calculated. Univariate Fisher's Exact Tests were used to examine relationships between disease recurrence, treatment, patient factors, tumor characteristics, and surgical margins. Results: 5-year DFS and OS rates were 60% (95% CI, 45%-72%) and 68% (95% CI, 53%-79%), respectively. The 5-year DFS rate for patients with positive margins was 33.3% (95% CI, 5%-68%) compared with 63% (95% CI, 47%-76%) for patients with negative margins. (Log-rank, P=0.03). The OS rate for those with disease recurrence was 42% % (95% CI, 16%-67%) compared with 76% (95% CI, 59%-87%) for patients who did not have disease recurrence (log-rank, P=0.021). Local failure occurred more frequently with omission of radiation therapy (Fisher's exact test, P=0.009). Conclusions: Positive surgical margins are an important prognostic factor for predicting relapse in UPS. Relapse of any kind led to worse OS. Radiation therapy improved local control of disease but had no statistically significant effect on DFS, highlighting the need for improved diagnostics to identify those at highest risk for hematogenous metastasis and for selection of patients for adjuvant systemic treatment.

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Cabergoline in the Management of Residual Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma: A Single-Center, Open-Label, 2-Year Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Complete tumor removal by transsphenoidal surgery is usually difficult for large nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). A validated medical treatment may be useful for their management. This study evaluates the clinical efficacy of the dopaminergic agonist cabergoline for residual NFPA. Design, Setting, and Participants: We conducted a randomized, parallel, open-label clinical trial that compared cabergoline with nonintervention in patients with residual NFPA after transsphenoidal surgery over 2 years. The primary outcome was clinical efficacy (tumor reduction). The secondary outcome was the relationship between tumor dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) expression and clinical responsiveness. Tumor measurements and clinical evaluations were performed every 6 months. Results: In total, 59 and 57 individuals were randomly assigned to the study and control groups, respectively. At the end of the study, residual tumor shrinkage, stabilization, and enlargement were observed in 28.8%, 66.1%, and 5.1% of patients, respectively, in the medical-therapy group and in 10.5%, 73.7%, and 15.8% of patients, respectively, in the control group (P=0.01). The progression-free survival rate was 23.2 and 20.8 months for the study and control groups, respectively (P=0.01). D2R was not associated with cabergoline responsiveness. No major side effects were related to cabergoline use. Conclusions: Cabergoline was an effective drug for treating residual NFPA, and its use was associated with a high rate of tumor shrinkage (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03271918).

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Factors Associated With Head and Neck Cancer Hospitalization Cost and Length of Stay—A National Study

Objectives: The aim of the study was to estimate hospitalization cost, and factors associated with hospitalization costs and length of stay (LOS) of patients treated for head and neck cancer in the United States. Methods: Data on 71,440 weighted hospital admissions from the 2014 National Inpatient Sample with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer were examined. Multivariable linear regression models estimated factors associated with hospitalization costs, and negative binomial regression models were used to identify factors associated with hospital LOS. Factor variables included characteristics of the patient, clinical, and hospital characteristics. Results: The average hospitalization cost was US $18,371 and the average LOS was 6.6 days. LOS was significantly associated with admissions involving bacterial infection, major operating procedures, chemo procedure, and radiation procedure as well as admissions at medium or small bed size hospitals, and rural hospitals. Admissions among black patients, elective admissions, admissions involving bacterial infection, major operating procedures, chemo procedure, radiation procedure, and advance comorbidities were associated with increased hospitalization costs. In contrast, admissions at urban nonteaching or rural had increased hospitalization costs. Conclusions: Admissions that involve higher number of comorbidities, metastasis, bacterial infection, radiation, and chemo procedures had longer hospital stay and higher cost whereas admissions are rural hospitals had shorter hospital stay and lower cost. Understanding these factors associated with increased LOS and hospitalization cost will help efforts to decrease health care cost and improve quality of care.

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Recovery and utilization of collagen protein powder extracted from chromium leather scrap waste

Abstract

In this work, we investigate collagen protein powder (CPP) extracted from chromium leather scrap waste (CLSW). The composition and molecular weight distribution of CPP were determined by elemental analysis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), respectively. The microstructure and size distribution of CPP were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanometer analyzer instrument. Finally, CPP was treated with corn starch (CS), and the swelling behavior of the resulting CPP-CS blend was investigated in order to determine its range of applications. The experimental data showed that CPP contains 13 different amino-acids. CPP also displayed low mineral salt levels and a nitrogen content of 43.84%, indicating its potential use as an organic fertilizer. The molecular weight range of CPP is 6.5 to ~ 26.6 kDa. After the obtained CPP was blended with CS, the CPP-CS blend is endowed with optimal swelling properties and is able to overcome the solubility drawbacks of CPP alone. In addition, when the CPP was used as a natural fertilizer, the germination rate and height of kidney beans obviously increased.

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Arsenic, selenium, and metals in a commercial and vulnerable fish from southwestern Atlantic estuaries: distribution in water and tissues and public health risk assessment

Abstract

The anadromous catfish Genidens barbus is a vulnerable and economically important species from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Concentrations of As, Co, Fe, Se, and Zn were determined in water and muscle, gill, and liver of catfish from two southwestern Atlantic estuaries (Brazil and Argentina) and health risk via fish consumption was evaluated. High spatial variability was observed in the metals, As, and Se distribution for both estuaries. Considering all tissues, element concentrations (mg/kg, wet weight) were As = 0.41–23.50, Co = 0.01–2.9, Fe = 2.08–773, Se = 0.15–10.7, and Zn = 3.97–2808). Most of the trace elements tended to be higher in Brazil than in Argentina, except for Co, Fe, Se, and Zn in liver and Fe and Co in muscle and gill, respectively. Arsenic accumulation order was muscle > liver ≥ gill. Only As (muscle) was above the maximum recommended by international guidelines at both estuaries. The target hazard quotient ranged from 0.10 to 1.58, suggesting that people may experience significant health risks through catfish consumption. Supposing that the inorganic/toxic As ranged between 1 and 20% of the total, the recommended maximum intakes per capita bases were 6.1–95 and 8.4–138 kg/year (wet weight) for Brazil and Argentina, respectively. Carcinogenic risk for As intake was within the acceptable range but close to the recommended limit (> 10⁻⁴). These results highlights the importance of quantifying the As species in catfish muscle in order to generate more reliable risk estimates.

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Vertical flow wetlands and hybrid systems for the treatment of landfill leachate

Abstract

Landfill leachates contain a variety of toxic compounds, which makes them one of the most difficult types of wastewater to be treated. An alternative "green" technology for leachate treatment is the use of constructed wetlands (CWs). The aims of this study were to select macrophytes and substrates to be used in vertical flow wetlands (VFWs) and to evaluate the performance of hybrid systems composed by a VFW and a horizontal subsurface flow (HSSW) or a free water surface flow (FWSW) wetlands for the treatment of a high ammonium concentration landfill leachate. In microcosms scale experiments, Typha domingensis, Scirpus californicus, and Iris pseudacorus were studied to assess their tolerance to raw and diluted leachate. Substrate selection for VFWs was evaluated using different layers of light expanded clay aggregate (LECA), coarse sand, fine sand, and gravel. Contaminant removals were higher in planted than in unplanted wetlands. Plants did not tolerate the raw effluent but showed a positive effect on plant growth when exposed to the diluted leachate. T. domingensis and I. pseudacorus showed higher contaminant removal ability and tolerance to landfill leachate than S. californicus. VFW with LECA + coarse sand showed the best performance in removal efficiencies. Hybrid system composed by VFW-FWSW planted with T. domingensis presented the best performance for the treatment of landfill leachate with high concentrations of ammonium.

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Acute ecotoxicological effects of salicylic acid on the Polychaeta species Hediste diversicolor : evidences of low to moderate pro-oxidative effects

Abstract

Contamination of the aquatic environment by pharmaceutical drugs is an emerging issue in ecotoxicology. Aquatic organisms, in the presence of xenobiotics, tend to activate defensive mechanisms against toxic effects in order to mitigate and/or compensate for the toxic damages that frequently result from these interactions. Salicylic acid (SA) is a common drug, widely used in human medicine due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties, as well as its activity in terms of preventing platelet aggregation, among other clinical and cosmetic uses. It is commonly found in levels of the nanograms per liter to the micrograms per liter range in receiving waters, and its presence has been related to toxic effects in aquatic organisms, including oxidative stress. However, the number of studies that characterize the ecotoxicological profile of salicylates is still scarce and no studies have been published about the putative toxic effects of SA, especially in marine polychaetes. In order to determine the potential ecotoxicological effects caused by SA, individuals of the marine Polychaeta species Hediste diversicolor were exposed for 96 h to ecologically relevant concentrations of this compound, and several biochemical endpoints were evaluated, namely the activity of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), the phase II biotransformation isoenzymes glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), the cholinergic enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and the determination of lipoperoxidative damage (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay). The obtained results demonstrated that despite the pro-oxidative effects elicited by SA, exposure to realistic levels of this compound was not able to generate a state of oxidative stress, and the adaptive protective responses elicited by exposed individuals were effective enough to minimize and/or inhibit the damage potentially caused by overproduced reactive oxygen species.

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Acetate and sulphate as regulators of potential methane production in a tropical coastal lagoon

Abstract

Purpose

We evaluated the influence of acetate and sulphate addition on methanogenesis in sediment layers of cores of different carbon and sulphate concentrations from the littoral region colonized by Typha domingensis Pers. (area 1) and from the limnetic region (area 2) of a tropical coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sandbar. We hypothesized that area 1 presents a proportionally smaller potential methane production (PMP) on sulphate addition than area 2. We further hypothesized that acetate addition stimulates proportionally greater PMP in area 2 sediment layers than in area 1.

Materials and methods

The PMP rates were measured in sediment samples from three depths (0–2, 2–6, and 6–10 cm) in areas 1 and 2 for 89 days. The sediment incubations were prepared with additions of acetate (1 mM), sulphate (10 mM), and acetate plus sulphate (1 and 10 mM, respectively); the control treatment had no addition of acetate and/or sulphate. We also measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbohydrates, and sulphate in the interstitial water.

Results and discussion

PMP responded differently to acetate and sulphate addition. In general, PMP in area 2 was proportionally more stimulated by the addition of acetate and less inhibited by the addition of sulphate. In the 0–2-cm layer, the addition of acetate did not stimulate PMP in relation to the control in area 1, reaching a rate of 376.11 nmol CH₄ g⁻¹ day⁻¹. In area 2, PMP was 5-fold higher in relation to the control, reaching 5.4 nmol CH₄ g⁻¹ day⁻¹. Contrarily, in the 6–10-cm layer, sulphate addition inhibited PMP by 127.8-fold in relation to the control in area 1, reaching 0.6 nmol CH₄ g⁻¹ day⁻¹. In area 2, PMP decreased 3.2-fold in relation to the control, reaching a value of 3.7 nmol CH₄ g⁻¹ day⁻¹. These results agreed with the higher amounts of carbohydrates and lower amounts of sulphate in area 1 in the experiment beginning.

Conclusions

Acetate and sulphate are effective PMP regulators in the sediment of two areas of a tropical coastal lagoon. Acetate increased PMP more in area 2, due to the lower sediment carbon availability. In contrast, sulphate decreased PMP more in area 1, due to the lower sulphate availability. The metabolic responses of methanogens and sulphate-reducing bacteria to natural and anthropogenic changes in carbon and sulphate availability are important for understanding the functioning of continental aquatic ecosystems, especially in scenarios of global climate change.

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Nifuroxazide induces apoptosis, inhibits cell migration and invasion in osteosarcoma

Summary

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of bone and characterized by an appendicular primary tumor with a high rate of metastasis to the lungs. Unfortunately, there is no effective strategy to treat osteosarcoma in current clinical practice. In this study, the anticancer effects and potential mechanisms of nifuroxazide, an oral nitrofuran antibiotic, on two osteosarcoma cell lines were investigated. The results of the antiproliferative activity in vitro showed that nifuroxazide inhibited cell proliferation of UMR106 and MG63 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Interestingly, nifuroxazide showed low toxicity to non-tumor cells (HEK 293 T). In addition, ROS-mitochondrial mediated apoptosis was observed after treatment of nifuroxazide. Moreover, nifuroxazide could significantly inhibit osteosarcoma cells migration and invasion via p-Stat3, MMP-2 and MMP-9 mediated signaling pathway. Taken together, our results suggested that nifuroxazide could be a promising agent for osteosarcoma treatment by inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing cell apoptosis and impairing cell migration and invasion.

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Rhizosphere chemistry and above-ground elemental fractionation of nickel hyperaccumulator species from Weda Bay (Indonesia)

Abstract

Aim

The identification and use of hyperaccumulator plants in mining projects has been recognized as an important component of mine planning at several sites around the world. The objective of this research was to provide information on relevant plant tissue chemistry and an indicative assessment of the potential for phytomining at Weda Bay Nickel (WBN), Halmahera.

Methods

The first stage was the identification of native nickel hyperaccumulator plants. In total, 280 plant tissue samples from 10 nickel accumulator species and 46 matching rhizosphere soil samples were collected. Chemical analyses of plant tissue samples were performed and physico-chemical parameters of the rhizosphere soils were also measured.

Results

A total of three species were considered as metal crops: Rinorea aff. bengalensis (up to 22,200 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight at 2 m above ground level), Ficus trachypison (1060 mg kg⁻¹) and Trichospermum morotaiense (5180 mg kg⁻¹), but only R. aff. bengalensis has sufficiently high Ni concentrations in biomass to warrant field trials.

Conclusions

Utilising a successional planting strategy, F. trachypison and T. morotaiense could be used to facilitate site conditions, followed by the metal crop R. aff. bengalensis. Using this design, a nickel yield of 330 kg per hectare would be possible every 4 years. In addition to allowing the recovery of nickel, this approach could be an integrated mine site rehabilitation strategy to mitigate environmental impacts, improve soil quality and facilitate transition to other land-uses such as native forest.

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Biomonitoring chronic lead exposure among battery manufacturing workers in Tunisia

Abstract

The aim of the study was the biomonitoring of the chronic exposure to Pb by measuring its levels in blood, urine, and hair of battery workers. Blood lead (BPb), urinary lead (UPb), hair lead (HPb), and urinary δ-aminolevulinic acid (UALA) levels were determined for 52 workers in a battery plant and compared to those of 20 non-occupational exposed subjects (controls). BPb and UPb levels were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). HPb levels were measured by triple quadrupole ICP-MS and UALA levels were determined using cation exchanger column. The measured levels were significantly higher compared to the controls exceeding the OSHA cutoff values (p < 0.01). The GM mean levels of BPb, UPb, UALA, and HPb of workers were 715 μg L⁻¹, 331 μg L⁻¹, 16.3 mg g⁻¹, and 234 μg g⁻¹, respectively. The GM mean levels of BPb, UPb, UALA, and HPb of controls were 93.6 μg L⁻¹, 36.3 μg L⁻¹, 1.9 mg g⁻¹, and 1.8 μg g⁻¹, respectively. Significant correlations were observed between BPb and UALA (r = 0.630, p = 0.000), UPb and UALA (r = 0.566, p = 0.000), and between BPb and HPb (r = 0.466, p = 0.004). The significant correlation between BPb and HPb suggests the usefulness of hair for assessing occupational exposure particularly when the study area presents medium to high levels of Pb pollution. The association between Pb biomarkers and potential confounding factors revealed significant influence of the occupational factor over smoking and alcohol consumption. The results of this study urge for the reinforcement of the implemented engineering controls and safety measures in order to reduce exposure and to address the health issues related to Pb poisoning.

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The antitumor efficacy of monomeric disintegrin obtustatin in S-180 sarcoma mouse model

Summary

Obtustatin, isolated from the Levantine Viper snake venom (Macrovipera lebetina obtusa -MLO), is the shortest known monomeric disintegrin shown to specifically inhibit the binding of the α1β1 integrin to collagen IV. Its oncostatic effect is due to the inhibition of angiogenesis, likely through α1β1 integrin inhibition in endothelial cells. To explore the therapeutic potential of obtustatin, we studied its effect in S-180 sarcoma-bearing mice model in vivo as well as in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-D) in vitro, and tested anti-angiogenic activity in vivo using the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM assay). Our in vivo results show that obtustatin inhibits tumour growth by 33%. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increased after treatment with obtustatin, but the level of expression of caspase 8 did not change. In addition, our results demonstrate that obtustatin inhibits FGF2-induced angiogenesis in the CAM assay. Our in vitro results show that obtustatin does not exhibit cytotoxic activity in HMVEC-D cells in comparison to in vivo results. Thus, our findings disclose that obtustatin might be a potential candidate for the treatment of sarcoma in vivo with low toxicity.

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Bio-removal of cadmium from aqueous solutions by filamentous fungi: Trichoderma spp. and Piriformospora indica

Abstract

Six strains of Trichoderma spp. and Piriformospora indica have been studied for cadmium tolerance and bioaccumulation capacities by the poisoned food technique. A quantitative assay for Trichoderma spp. and P. indica was conducted in broth cultures supplemented with different cadmium concentrations (0–500 mg/l). In addition, the growth pattern of P. indica was determined by growing the fungus in a solid medium amended with eight concentrations of cadmium (0–200 mg/l). Generally, an increasing cadmium gradient in the culture medium suppressed the ability of fungi for cadmium accumulation. However, a negative relation was observed between the biomass production of fungi and cadmium uptake (q: mg/g biomass). Results showed that Trichoderma spp., especially T. simmonsii [UTFC 10063], are tolerant to cadmium toxicity and have a high ability to cadmium bioaccumulation. The biomass production of T. simmonsii [UTFC 10063] was significantly stimulated and increased by 46.1% when cadmium concentration increased from 0 to 125 mg/l. Moreover, 91.7 and 31.2% of cadmium removal was observed at 10 and 500 mg/l of the cadmium concentration, respectively. P. indica, however, showed a lower tolerance and removal efficiency for cadmium as compared with Trichoderma spp. Therefore, Trichoderma spp., especially T. simmonsii [UTFC 10063], can be exploited as potent bio-removal agents in cadmium-polluted aqueous solutions.

Graphical abstract

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French court bans sale of controversial weedkiller

French court bans sale of controversial weedkiller

French court bans sale of controversial weedkiller, Published online: 24 January 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00259-x

Ruling prohibits sale of a glyphosate product to professionals, citing arguments that chemical is potentially carcinogenic.

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Drones unleashed against invasive rats in the Galápagos

Drones unleashed against invasive rats in the Galápagos

Drones unleashed against invasive rats in the Galápagos, Published online: 24 January 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00176-z

Tiny copters deliver poisoned bait to islands where rodents threaten native birds and plants.

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Postdoctoral mentorship key to career success

Postdoctoral mentorship key to career success

Postdoctoral mentorship key to career success , Published online: 24 January 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00262-2

Mentors can have a lasting influence, but it's important to carve your own niche.

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Doomsday Clock stalls at two minutes to midnight ― but global threats increase

Doomsday Clock stalls at two minutes to midnight ― but global threats increase

Doomsday Clock stalls at two minutes to midnight ― but global threats increase, Published online: 24 January 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00274-y

Increased tensions between nuclear powers and inaction on climate change are the "new abnormal", says the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

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Killer virus unleashed on a childhood eye cancer

Killer virus unleashed on a childhood eye cancer

Killer virus unleashed on a childhood eye cancer, Published online: 23 January 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00273-z

Scientists investigate an alternative to eye removal and chemotherapy.

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Arginase Inhibition Improves Endothelial Function in an Age-Dependent Manner in Healthy Elderly Humans

Rejuvenation Research, Ahead of Print.


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The Relationship Between Sleep Duration, Falls, and Muscle Mass: A Cohort Study in an Elderly Chinese Population

Rejuvenation Research, Ahead of Print.


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Chinese Scientist Who Created Gene-Edited Babies Lied and Skirted Regulations, Officials Say

Jiankui He, the Chinese scientist whose efforts produced the world's first gene-edited babies, did so through forgery and subterfuge, deliberately skirting the proper channels in the pursuit of personal fame, officials in China told Xinhua News (China's state-run press agency). A task force from the Health Commission of China in Guangdong Province conducted an investigation into He's activities, according to Reuters. In a preliminary report, authorities stated that He "intentionally dodged...

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Not All Insomnia Is The Same — In Fact, There May Be 5 Types

Rather than just considering sleep-related symptoms, a new study from the Netherlands branches out to look at personality traits and emotions, and finds there are five types of insomnia. The findings may pave the way for a better understanding of the causes of insomnia, as well as the development of more personalized treatments for the condition, the researchers said. [5 Surprising Sleep Discoveries] The study, conducted by researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Am...

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Interview: “The Planmeca Compact i5 is a future-proof, ecological and safe investment”

Dental Tribune International spoke with Kaisu Ilomäki, product manager for Planmeca's dental care units, about what exactly makes the Compact i5 an ideal solution for dental practices. Firstly, how is the Compact i5 designed to benefit patients? There are a number of ways in which it benefits patients. The automatic leg rest ensures that sitting down is as easy as sitting down on a normal chair, and further creates a feeling of equality between the patient and dentist during the initial com...

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Trevor Payne, Healthcare Environments

At the numerous hospitals in the UK and around the world, dedicated healthcare staff are focused on providing the highest level of critical care to patients when they need it the most. These hardworking men and women dedicate their lives to saving and improving those of others. Yet, despite this, if you asked a patient to use one word to describe an experience they had with a hospital, 'unpleasant' would probably be used a lot. Friendly faces and caring staff members can only take you s...

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Man Gave Himself Semen Injections to 'Treat' Back Pain. Unsurprisingly, It Didn't Work.

The 33-year-old told doctors that he had been giving himself monthly semen injections to "cure" his long-standing back pain, the report said. Needless to say, semen does not cure back pain. In this case, the man had initially sought medical care after he'd injured his back lifting a heavy object three days earlier. It wasn't until doctors gave the man a physical exam and noticed that his right forearm was red and swollen that the man admitted to regularly injecting himself with semen. [27 ...

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These Cold-Prevention Myths Won't Keep Your Kids Healthy This Winter (But Here's What Will)

Chances are, you've heard these words of advice before, likely from your parents when you were little. Indeed, a new poll, published yesterday (Jan. 21), shows that many parents have tried these strategies to keep their kids from getting sick — even though there's little evidence that they actually work. The poll, which was conducted in October 2018, surveyed more than 1,100 parents with children ages 5 to 12. It found that about 70 percent of parents tried to prevent their little ones fro...

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Jennifer Calzada, Creating Realistic Ambulance Simulation.

Tulane Medical School is built on a rich history. Many important advances in medicine over the last century were born in Tulane, thanks to distinguished alumni and faculty members like Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, Dr. George E. Burch, Dr. Louis J. Ignarro, and more. Tulane is the fifteenth oldest medical school in the United States, but that does not mean we are stuck in our ways as an organization, far from it. Probably the best example of this is the Tulane Center for Advanced Medical Simulat...

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Three-Photon Imaging Gives Unprecedented View Into Brain’s Visual Cortex

At MIT, this has led to the first ever look into the neural activity of the entire visual cortex of an awake mouse. The researchers were even able to view the neural activity in the subplate below the visual cortex, an area whose functionality is not well understood. "By optimizing the optical design and other features for parameters for making measurements in the live brain, we were able to actually make novel discoveries that were not possible before," said Mriganka Sur, one of the MIT s...

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Planet friendly diets are not only good for the environment, but also your health

Food production is a major contributor to climate change and it was recently estimated that the environmental pressures of food production could increase by up to 90% by 2050. The estimates are based on current population growth and increased consumption of Western diets high in red meats and processed foods, A study published last year reported that 20% of Americans accounted for almost half of total US diet-related greenhouse gas emissions. To scientifically assess the environmental i...

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Kepler Vision Technologies Monitors Elderly at Home: CES 2019

Enter cameras, computer vision, pattern recognition, and other powerful technologies, and you can have a system that can figure some basic information about what someone is doing. Kepler Vision Technologies, a company based in The Netherlands, is doing just that. It already has a rather robust system that can monitor multiple people at the same time and identify the pose they're in, body language, type of activity, including eating, drinking, walking, and smoking, and compare this against rec...

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Anti-Vaccine Movement Joins Ebola, Drug Resistance on List of Top Global Threats

The list, released this week, highlighted "10 of the many issues that will demand attention from WHO and health partners in 2019," the organization said in a statement. And the anti-vaccine movement, which the list refers to as "vaccine hesitancy," made the cut. Vaccines prevent 2 million to 3 million deaths a year globally. However, vaccine hesitancy — defined as delays in vaccination or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services — threatens to reverse progress b...

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Here's How 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria Feast on Your Flesh

The study focused on bacteria called group A Streptococcus, the most common cause of "flesh-eating" disease. The researchers found that the bacteria's survival is aided, in large part, by special proteins called transporters, which help feed the microbes in muscle tissue. The findings might one day lead to better ways to treat and prevent the often-deadly disease, the researchers said. "We now have a blueprint for what the organism uses to cause this devastating disease," said study senior...

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What Caused This Man's Sudden, Monthly Sweating Episodes?

But if you regularly started sweating heavily for no apparent reason — and on a monthly basis, for that matter — well, that might be a cause for concern. That's what happened to a 60-year-old man from Wisconsin who experienced profuse sweating episodes on a monthly basis for three years. Each month, the man would break into a heavy sweat for several minutes at a time over a 13-hour period, according to a new report of his case. [27 Oddest Medical Case Reports] At first, the cause of the...

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Tiny, Previously Undiscovered Capillaries May Exist Inside People's Bones

These tiny tunnels — spotted in lab mice and traces of it in one inquisitive researcher — may be vital for transporting immune cells out of bones, where they are made. In the study, researchers found hundreds of previously unknown capillaries — the tiniest blood vessels in the body — in the leg bones of mice. The discovery of something in mice, however, doesn't necessarily mean it exists in humans, and there can often be a long period between an animal discovery and confirmation of the fin...

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More Babies Are Being Born with Intestines Outside the Body. Is the Condition Linked to Mom's Opioid Use?

The report, published Jan. 17 by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looks at cases of gastroschisis, a birth defect in which a baby is born with his or her intestines outside the body, due to a hole in the abdominal wall. Surgery is required to place the intestines back in the body and to repair the hole, but even after this treatment, infants may have problems with digestion, eating and food absorption, according to the CDC. The cause of the condition is usually u...

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[ASAP] Engineering the Substrate Specificity of a Modular Polyketide Synthase for Installation of Consecutive Non-Natural Extender Units

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b10521

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[ASAP] Solid-State NMR and MD Study of the Structure of the Statherin Mutant SNa15 on Mineral Surfaces

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b10990

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[ASAP] Isolation of Transient Acyclic Germanium(I) Radicals Stabilized by Cyclic Alkyl(amino) Carbenes

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b13434

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[ASAP] Few-Nanometer-Sized a-CsPbI3 Quantum Dots Enabled by Strontium Substitution and Iodide Passivation for Efficient Red-Light Emitting Diodes

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b11447

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[ASAP] Formation of a Reactive, Alkyl Thiolate-Ligated FeIII-Superoxo Intermediate Derived from Dioxygen

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b12670

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[ASAP] Direct Observation of the Orientational Anisotropy of Buried Hydroxyl Groups inside Muscovite Mica

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b12483

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[ASAP] Fast Ion Transport Pathway Provided by Polyethylene Glycol Confined in Covalent Organic Frameworks

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b13551

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Killer virus unleashed on a childhood eye cancer

from A via a.sfakia on Inoreader https://go.nature.com/2UiOb8R

Sono-advanced Fenton-like degradation of aromatic amines in textile dyeing sludge: efficiency and mechanisms

Abstract

In this paper, a novel strategy integrating ultrasound (US) with a Fenton-like (zero-valent iron/EDTA/air, ZEA) process was proposed for the removal of the refractory and carcinogenic aromatic amines (AAs) in textile dyeing sludge for the first time. The operating condition was optimized as 1.08 W/cm³ ultrasonic density, 15 g/L ZVI, and 1.0 mM EDTA, which could reach degradation efficiencies of 51.79% in US, 72.88% in ZEA, and 92.40% in US/ZEA system after 90-min reaction. Quenching experiments showed that electron transfer reactions generated by the iron ligands in ZEA brought about various reactive oxidative species (ROS), in which Fe (IV), O₂˙⁻, and ˙OH dominated the degradation. US induced sludge disintegration by ultrasonic shear, proven by particle size decrease and supernatant organic matter upsurge, which helps ROS contact with those pollutants in the sludge cavities. Besides, US facilitated the iron redox cycle for oxygen activation by promoting the corrosion of ZVI and stripping considerable ferric ions from sludge iron oxides which were verified by SEM, XRF, and XPS.

Graphical abstract

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Influence of molecular classification in anaplastic glioma for determining outcome and future approach to management

Abstract

Introduction

Assess survival of patients with anaplastic glioma (AG) and the relationship to molecular subtype.

Methods

Patients with AG managed with IMRT between 2008 and 2014 were entered into a prospective database assessing relapse‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations were assessed prospectively from 2011, and subsequent testing of historical patients allowing categorisation under WHO 2016 classification as anaplastic astrocytoma IDH wild type (AAwt), anaplastic astrocytoma IDH mutated (AAmut), anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AOD) or other glial tumour (OTH). Kaplan‐Meier estimates of survival distribution were calculated for the primary endpoint of overall survival and Log‐rank test used to determine associated factors.

Results

One hundred and fifty‐six patients were included with median follow‐up for survivors of 4.7 years. Fifty‐six per cent were managed after initial diagnosis, whilst 18% received IMRT at second or later relapse. Seventy‐three per cent had temozolomide as part of initial therapy. A total of 118 or 75% of patients had IDH mutated glioma, of which 61 were AOD and 57 AAmut. There were 68 relapses and 52 deaths for a 6yrRFS of 51.2% and 6yrOS of 62.5%. AAwt was associated with worse survival (P < 0.001); and delay of RT until second or later relapse (P = 0.03). Within the 118 patients with IDH mutated tumours, 6yrOS for AOD and AAmut were 90.0% and 62.5%, respectively (P = 0.003). Also two or more craniotomies (P < 0.001), delayed RT (P = 0.006) and age <40 years (P = 0.022) were associated with worse survival on univariate analysis but only AAmut subtype and number of craniotomies on multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Within AG, molecular classification predicts for survival, and should influence current decision‐making.

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Trichosporon fermentans biomass flocculation from soybean oil refinery wastewater using bioflocculant produced from Paecilomyces sp. M2-1

Abstract

The soybean oil refinery (SOR) wastewater contains a high concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and lipid, so the direct emissions of SOR wastewater will result in environmental pollution and waste of resources. Oleaginous yeast Trichosporon fermentans can consume organic materials in SOR wastewater to synthesize microbial oil, which achieves the purpose of SOR wastewater resource utilization. The effective harvesting technology of oleaginous yeasts can improve the utilization efficiency. In this study, Paecilomyces sp. M2-1 with high flocculating activity was isolated. The flocculants produced by M2-1 (MBF2-1) include 75% (w/w) polysaccharides, rely on cations, and display the flocculation percentage of above 77% in the range of pH 2–11. Especially under alkaline conditions, the flocculation percentage can be kept above 97%. The results of scanning electron microscope observation and zeta potential measurements suggested that the bridging, net trapping, and sweeping were the main flocculation mechanism of MBF2-1. MBF2-1 could flocculate T. fermentans that was used to reduce the organic matter in SOR wastewater and to produce microbial oil. Under the optimum conditions, the flocculation percentage of MBF2-1 against T. fermentans from SOR wastewater can reach 95%. Fatty acid content percent in microbial oil from T. fermentans was not almost affected by flocculation of MBF2-1. Moreover, MBF2-1 can further remove 55% and 53% of COD and oil content in the fermented SOR wastewater, respectively. The properties and high flocculating percentage displayed by MBF2-1 indicated its potential application prospect in oleaginous yeast harvest and food industry wastewater treatment.

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A hydrated crystalline calcium carbonate phase: Calcium carbonate hemihydrate

As one of the most abundant materials in the world, calcium carbonate, CaCO₃, is the main constituent of the skeletons and shells of various marine organisms. It is used in the cement industry and plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle and formation of sedimentary rocks. For more than a century, only three polymorphs of pure CaCO₃—calcite, aragonite, and vaterite—were known to exist at ambient conditions, as well as two hydrated crystal phases, monohydrocalcite (CaCO₃·1H₂O) and ikaite (CaCO₃·6H₂O). While investigating the role of magnesium ions in crystallization pathways of amorphous calcium carbonate, we unexpectedly discovered an unknown crystalline phase, hemihydrate CaCO₃·1/2H₂O, with monoclinic structure. This discovery may have important implications in biomineralization, geology, and industrial processes based on hydration of CaCO₃.

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Licensing interleukin-9 production

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News at a glance

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A myeloid cell atlas of neuroinflammation

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U.S. defenses look to thwart missiles early

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Turning on the clock

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Government report blasts creator of CRISPR twins

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Characterizing mutagenic effects of recombination through a sequence-level genetic map

Genetic diversity arises from recombination and de novo mutation (DNM). Using a combination of microarray genotype and whole-genome sequence data on parent-child pairs, we identified 4,531,535 crossover recombinations and 200,435 DNMs. The resulting genetic map has a resolution of 682 base pairs. Crossovers exhibit a mutagenic effect, with overrepresentation of DNMs within 1 kilobase of crossovers in males and females. In females, a higher mutation rate is observed up to 40 kilobases from crossovers, particularly for complex crossovers, which increase with maternal age. We identified 35 loci associated with the recombination rate or the location of crossovers, demonstrating extensive genetic control of meiotic recombination, and our results highlight genes linked to the formation of the synaptonemal complex as determinants of crossovers.

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Growth of legal pot farms drives smog worries

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Attack from the front

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Bolsonaro's first moves have Brazilian scientists worried

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Minor veins are key to photosynthesis

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Massive fish die-off sparks outcry in Australia

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Bad metallic transport in a cold atom Fermi-Hubbard system

Strong interactions in many-body quantum systems complicate the interpretation of charge transport in such materials. To shed light on this problem, we study transport in a clean quantum system: ultracold lithium-6 in a two-dimensional optical lattice, a testing ground for strong interaction physics in the Fermi-Hubbard model. We determine the diffusion constant by measuring the relaxation of an imposed density modulation and modeling its decay hydrodynamically. The diffusion constant is converted to a resistivity by using the Nernst-Einstein relation. That resistivity exhibits a linear temperature dependence and shows no evidence of saturation, two characteristic signatures of a bad metal. The techniques we developed in this study may be applied to measurements of other transport quantities, including the optical conductivity and thermopower.

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Scientific societies worry about threat from Plan S

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Distinct molecular programs regulate synapse specificity in cortical inhibitory circuits

How neuronal connections are established and organized into functional networks determines brain function. In the mammalian cerebral cortex, different classes of GABAergic interneurons exhibit specific connectivity patterns that underlie their ability to shape temporal dynamics and information processing. Much progress has been made toward parsing interneuron diversity, yet the molecular mechanisms by which interneuron-specific connectivity motifs emerge remain unclear. In this study, we investigated transcriptional dynamics in different classes of interneurons during the formation of cortical inhibitory circuits in mouse. We found that whether interneurons form synapses on the dendrites, soma, or axon initial segment of pyramidal cells is determined by synaptic molecules that are expressed in a subtype-specific manner. Thus, cell-specific molecular programs that unfold during early postnatal development underlie the connectivity patterns of cortical interneurons.

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Light skin may be legacy of Native American ancestors

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Erratum for the Report "PI3K pathway regulates ER-dependent transcription in breast cancer through the epigenetic regulator KMT2D" by E. Toska, H. U. Osmanbeyoglu, P. Castel, C. Chan, R. C. Hendrickson, M. Elkabets, M. N. Dickler, M. Scaltriti, C. S. Leslie, S. A. Armstrong, J. Baselga

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Bearing witness

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Flexibility in gas absorption

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Short-term exposure to tricyclic antidepressants delays righting time in marine and freshwater snails with evidence for low-dose stimulation of righting speed by imipramine

Abstract

Active pharmaceutical ingredients such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are contaminants of emerging concern which are commonly detected in wastewater effluent and which can disrupt the behavior of non-target organisms. In aquatic snails, the righting response is a critical behavior that has been shown to be inhibited by exposure to SSRI-type antidepressants. We exposed marine and freshwater snails to three tricyclic antidepressants (clomipramine, amitriptyline, and imipramine) for 1 h and measured righting response time. In the marine mud snail (Ilyanassa obsoleta), all three TCAs significantly increased righting time at concentrations as low as 156 μg/L. Similarly, in the freshwater snail Leptoxis carinata, all three TCAs increased righting time at concentrations as low as 263 μg/L. However, exposure to imipramine from 15.8 to 316 μg/L resulted in significantly faster righting time. Such low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition are characteristics of a hormetic response. We discuss the possible physiological mechanism of action of TCAs and other antidepressants on snail behavior, and the occurrence of non-monotonic, hormetic dose responses to human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment.

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Future Oncology; +22 new citations

22 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

Future Oncology

These pubmed results were generated on 2019/01/24

PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

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Doomsday Clock stalls at two minutes to midnight ― but global threats increase

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[ASAP] Observation of Acetylcholinesterase in Stress-Induced Depression Phenotypes by Two-Photon Fluorescence Imaging in the Mouse Brain

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b11414

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[ASAP] Sequential Functionalization of -C–H and -C–O Bonds of Phenols

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b13403

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