Diversity, Activity, and Abundance of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Saline and Hypersaline Soda Lakes

Soda lakes are naturally occurring highly alkaline and saline environments. Although the sulfur cycle is one of the most active element cycles in these lakes, little is known about the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). In this study we investigated the diversity, activity, and abundance of SRB in sediment samples and enrichment cultures from a range of (hyper)saline soda lakes of the Kulunda Steppe in southeastern Siberia in Russia. For this purpose, a polyphasic approach was used, including denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of dsr gene fragments, sulfate reduction rate measurements, serial dilutions, and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Comparative sequence analysis revealed the presence of several novel clusters of SRB, mostly affiliated with members of the order Desulfovibrionales and family Desulfobacteraceae. We detected sulfate reducers and observed substantial sulfate reducing rates (between 12 and 423 μmol/dm(3) day(−1)) for most lakes, even at a salinity of 475 g/liter. Enrichments were obtained at salt saturating conditions (4 M Na(+)), using H(2) or volatile fatty acids as electron donors, and an extremely halophilic SRB, strain ASO3-1, was isolated. Furthermore, a high dsr gene copy number of 10(8) cells per ml was detected in a hypersaline lake by qPCR. Our results indicate the presence of diverse and active SRB communities in these extreme ecosystems

Dose-finding and pharmacokinetic study of cisplatin, gemcitabine, and SU5416 in patients with solid tumors

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility and pharmacokinetics of the combination cisplatin, gemcitabine, and SU5416. Patients and Methods: Patients received cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) on day 1, gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8, repeated every 3 weeks, and SU5416 (85 and 145 mg/m(2)) intravenously twice weekly. Pharmacokinetics of all three agents, side effects, and antitumor response were investigated in patients with solid tumors amenable to therapy with cisplatin/gemcitabine. Results: In the first cohort of three patients entered at the 85 mg/m(2) dose, no dose-limiting toxicities were observed. In the next cohort (145 mg/m(2)), three patients developed a thromboembolic event. After entry was restricted to patients with low thromboembolic risk, three additional patients enrolled at 145 mg/m(2) developed a thromboembolic event. The dose was then reduced to 85 mg/m(2) in all patients still on the study, and three additional patients were entered on this dose level. In 19 treated patients, eight patients developed nine thromboembolic events (three transient ischemic attacks, two cerebrovascular accidents, and four deep venous thromboses). The most common toxicities observed were those previously reported for SU5416 alone (headache and phlebitis) and for this chemotherapy regimen (nausea, thrombocytopenia, and leucopenia). No significant pharmacologic interaction among the three drugs was observed. Response rates were similar to those expected in the patient population selected for this study. Analysis of variables of the coagulation cascade and of vessel wall activation was performed in three patients and showed significant increases in thrombin generation and endothelial cell perturbation in a treatment cycle-dependent manner. Conclusion: The incidence of thromboembolic events, possibly related to the particular regimen tested in this study, discourages further investigation of this regime

Biomarkers for In Situ Detection of Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing (Anammox) Bacteria

The existence of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) was hypothesized based on nutrient profiles and thermodynamic calculations (5, 31, 44). It was first discovered about 1 decade ago (25) in a pilot plant treating wastewater from a yeast-producing company in Delft, The Netherlands. The anammox reaction is the oxidation of ammonium under anoxic conditions with nitrite as the electron acceptor and dinitrogen gas as the product. Hydroxylamine and hydrazine were identified as important intermediates (51). Due to their very low growth rates (doubling time in enrichments is at best 11 days) the cultivation of the anammox bacteria proved to be tedious and required very efficient biomass retention (41, 43). A physical purification of anammox organisms from enrichment cultures was achieved with percoll density centrifugation (42). The purified cells performed the anammox reaction after activation by hydrazine. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the discovered anammox organism branched deep in the Planctomycetes phylum (Fig. 1A and B, [42]) and was named “Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans” (19)

Sexual functioning and relationship satisfaction of partners of breast cancer survivors who receive internet-based sex therapy

As part of a larger, randomized controlled trial, we evaluated longitudinally the sexual functioning and relationship satisfaction of 69 partners of breast cancer (BC) survivors who received Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for sexual dysfunction. The findings suggest that Internetbased CBT positively affects the partners’ immediate post-CBT and longerterm overall sexual satisfaction, sexual intimacy, and sexual relationship satisfaction. No sustained changes in other areas of sexual functioning were observed. Our CBT program was focused primarily on the sexual health of the BC survivors. We recommend that future programs include more psychoeducational and behavioral elements targeted at the partners