Evaluation of biocides in oilfield environments using fluorescent <i>in-situ</i> hybridization

Microbiologically influenced corrosion and souring of oilfield reservoirs are process frequently provoked by the sulphate-reducing bacteria. The most common method applied in the industry for preventing or controlling the deleterious effect caused by the presence of microorganisms is the addition of chemical agents (biocides) aimed at killing the microorganisms or inhibiting the microbial growth. Traditionally, biocide selection and testing are based on NACE standard TM0194 which implies the use of culturing for enumerating the bacteria surviving the treatment. To overcome culturing limitations, we used Fluorescent in-situ Hybridization to assist in the evaluation of biocides applied in water production treatment plants. Biocides were based on THPS (40% (B1); 75% (B2)) and 40% of a mixture (1/1, v/v) of THPS and benzalkonium chloride (B3) applied at two concentrations: 50 and 400 mg/L. The relation between the number of cells visualized with the fluorescent probes Eub338 and SRB385 (for eubacteria and SRB populations respectively) and the DAPI-stained cells (PR%) was used as an indication of the biocide efficiency. B1 and B3 gave a high PR% indicating that the chemical induced the metabolic cell activity. Only the highest B2 concentration showed effectiveness on eubacteria and SRB populations. Thus, through the application of FISH we were able to distinguish concentration effects of the THPS, discriminating sublethal from net inhibitory effects. The possibility of including FISH into the protocols for the control of the biocides in water treatment plants could improve the biocide selection and the adjustment of their concentration in order to maintain the water system with a low density of metabolically active cells. This would avoid the misuse of chemicals with their consequent economic and ecological impacts.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones IndustrialesCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología de Pintura

Evaluation of biocides in oilfield environments using fluorescent <i>in-situ</i> hybridization

Microbiologically influenced corrosion and souring of oilfield reservoirs are process frequently provoked by the sulphate-reducing bacteria. The most common method applied in the industry for preventing or controlling the deleterious effect caused by the presence of microorganisms is the addition of chemical agents (biocides) aimed at killing the microorganisms or inhibiting the microbial growth. Traditionally, biocide selection and testing are based on NACE standard TM0194 which implies the use of culturing for enumerating the bacteria surviving the treatment. To overcome culturing limitations, we used Fluorescent in-situ Hybridization to assist in the evaluation of biocides applied in water production treatment plants. Biocides were based on THPS (40% (B1); 75% (B2)) and 40% of a mixture (1/1, v/v) of THPS and benzalkonium chloride (B3) applied at two concentrations: 50 and 400 mg/L. The relation between the number of cells visualized with the fluorescent probes Eub338 and SRB385 (for eubacteria and SRB populations respectively) and the DAPI-stained cells (PR%) was used as an indication of the biocide efficiency. B1 and B3 gave a high PR% indicating that the chemical induced the metabolic cell activity. Only the highest B2 concentration showed effectiveness on eubacteria and SRB populations. Thus, through the application of FISH we were able to distinguish concentration effects of the THPS, discriminating sublethal from net inhibitory effects. The possibility of including FISH into the protocols for the control of the biocides in water treatment plants could improve the biocide selection and the adjustment of their concentration in order to maintain the water system with a low density of metabolically active cells. This would avoid the misuse of chemicals with their consequent economic and ecological impacts.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones IndustrialesCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnología de Pintura

Continuous infusion of low-dose 5-fluorouracil and radiation therapy for poor-prognosis squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Ten patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix metastatic to periaortic lymph nodes were treated with external-beam radiation therapy and synchronous infusion of intravenous 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy at doses of 350 mg/m2/day. The overall response rate was 90% with four complete responses (CR) and five partial responses (PR). The median duration of response was 11.8 months for CRs and 3.6 months for PRs. Toxicity was tolerable, with gastrointestinal symptoms and myelosuppression being noted most frequently. No patient experienced life-threatening toxicity. Median survival was 7.6 months, with only one patient being alive and free of disease at 2 years. In this pilot study we were unable to demonstrate a beneficial effect of continuous infusion of low doses of 5-FU chemotherapy concurrent with radiation therapy when compared to conventional radiotherapy in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30181/1/0000566.pd

Use of next generation sequencing to study the feasibilty to apply monitored natural recovery in freshwater sediments affected by ancient human activity

Aquatic environments in industrialized countries were frequently exposed to numerous pollutants generated by various discharges from municipal, hospital and industrial wastewaters, agricultural! effluents and nonpoint source pollution (Rabodonirina et al., 2015). Aquatic sediments are repositories of this debris and act as sources and sinks for a wide variety of organic and inorganic pollutants (Perelo, 2010). Therefore, even if water quality improves, sediment contamination will remain a 'legacy of the past' (Fórstner etal., 2004). Hydrocarbons may enter the aquatic ecosystem either directly, by effluents or spills, or ¡indirectly by terrestrial runoff or atmospheric deposition. Their persistence in the environment depends mainly on their chemical and physical characteristics (Perelo, 2010). Whereas polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered to be the most toxic component of oils, recalcitrant aliphatics and other high-molecular weight petroleum hydrocarbons are the primary hydrocarbon fractions found in sediment (Pettigrove and Hoffmann, 2005); although the latter might not be directly toxic to aquatic organisms, they can alter the physical properties of sediments, coat and smother organisms, and contribute to organic enrichment of sediments (Anson et al., 2008). The assessment and management of contaminated sediments is inherently more complex than managing many relatively small and simple contaminated soil and groundwater sites (Reible, 2013). The three main objectives of sediment management strategies are to minimize contaminant risk to human health and the environment, to minimize associated with the remediation technique itself, like habitat destruction and/or modification and to minimize cost (Perelo, 2010). Three sediment management options are currently used, dredging, capping or monitored natural recovery (MNR), and due to the complexity and expensive of sediment remediation process, high technology solutions are not forthcoming. Environmental dredging creates challenges including identification of disposal facilities or the design and construction of confined disposal facilities, controlling resuspension, and minimizing post dredging residual contamination. Installation of sand caps has its own set of challenges. This technology if not designed and placed correctly can cause advective flow that might result in rapid breakthrough of contaminants depending on geo-chemistry and characteristics of the sediments. The monitored natural recovery (MNR) is a remedial approach that relies on natural physical, chemical, and biological processes to reduce ecological and human health risks. MNR is a non-invasive technology which, carefully planned, allows remediation of sediment sites and can result in risk reduction in comparison with dredging and capping. The aim of this work was to evaluate the application of MNR from a freshwater course affected by human activity using sediment biological parameters and next generation sequencing methods (NGS) as potential indicators of biological processes.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Mild-to-Moderate Kidney Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease: Observational and Mendelian Randomization Analyses

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular events. It is unknown, however, whether mild-to-moderate kidney dysfunction is causally related to coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. METHODS: Observational analyses were conducted using individual-level data from 4 population data sources (Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, EPIC-CVD [European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Cardiovascular Disease Study], Million Veteran Program, and UK Biobank), comprising 648 135 participants with no history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes at baseline, yielding 42 858 and 15 693 incident CHD and stroke events, respectively, during 6.8 million personyears of follow-up. Using a genetic risk score of 218 variants for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), we conducted Mendelian randomization analyses involving 413 718 participants (25917 CHD and 8622 strokes) in EPIC-CVD, Million Veteran Program, and UK Biobank. RESULTS: There were U-shaped observational associations of creatinine-based eGFR with CHD and stroke, with higher risk in participants with eG FR values 105 mL.min(-1).1.73 m(-2), compared with those with eG FR between 60 and 105 mL.min(-1).1.73 m(-2). Mendelian randomization analyses for CHD showed an association among participants with eGFR 105 mL.min(-1).1.73 m(-2). Results were not materially different after adjustment for factors associated with the eGFR genetic risk score, such as lipoprotein(a), triglycerides, hemoglobin Alc, and blood pressure. Mendelian randomization results for stroke were nonsignificant but broadly similar to those for CHD. CONCLUSIONS: In people without manifest cardiovascular disease or diabetes, mild-to-moderate kidney dysfunction is causally related to risk of CHD, highlighting the potential value of preventive approaches that preserve and modulate kidney function

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead