Biological phosphate removal using a degradable carbon source produced by hydrothermal treatment of excess sludge

The possibility of reusing excess sludge treated by hydrothermal reaction for the purpose of improving the efficiency of the enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) process was investigated. Excess sludge from a fish-processing industry located in Japan was treated in high-temperature and high-pressure water, at a reaction temperature ranging from 200 to 400 degrees C, a pressure of 1.8 to 30MPa and a constant reaction time of 7 min. For the conditions tested, the results showed that when the reaction temperature was increased the content of readily biodegradable substrate in the total CODCr increased. In addition, the amount of some volatile fatty acids (VFAs) produced by the hydrothermal reaction increased as reaction temperature increased. From the phosphate release tests under anaerobic conditions, it was possible to demonstrate that not only the VFAs, but also the readily and slowly biodegradable substrates are used as potential carbon source by the phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs).231293

Delay of intracortical bone remodelling following a stress change: a theoretical and experimental study

BACKGROUND: A theoretical model and an experimental setup were specifically designed to identify and determine the delay of the cortical bone response (restricted to mineralization and demineralization) to a stress change. METHODS: The in vivo experiment considered two groups of rats: a running group and a control sedentary group. The running group rats were compelled to a running activity for 15 weeks, followed by a sedentary activity for 15 weeks. Bone density was derived from hardness measurements. The parameters of the remodelling theory, including the response delay and the remodelling rates, were determined from these experimental measurements. FINDINGS: Bone density increased significantly during the activity period, and decreased rapidly when rats returned to sedentary state. The identification of the model's parameters produced evolution curves that were within the limits of the standard deviation of the experimental data. The densification rate was lower than the resorption rate, and the densification delay was greater than bone resorption delay. INTERPRETATION: The delays determined with this macroscopic model are related to response delays due to biological internal processes in bone

Kinematics and Laxity of the Ankle Joint in Anatomic and Nonanatomic Anterior Talofibular Ligament Repair: A Biomechanical Cadaveric Study

足関節前距腓靭帯修復術における修復位置の違いが足関節のキネマティクスと制動性に及ぼす影響を検討した．解剖学的修復ではキネマティクス及び制動性は正常と差を認めなかった．非解剖学的修復ではキネマティクスは背屈時に内がえし方向，中間位で内旋方向への有意な変位を認め，制動性は底屈位で内旋の変位が有意に大きくなり，正常とは異なるキネマティクス及び制動性を示した

Detraining effects on the mechanical properties and morphology of rat tibiae

To study bone adaptation to detraining in growing rats, nine weeks-old immature female Wistar rats (n=110) were subjected to treadmill running programs (30 or 60 minutes-a-day) for up to 15 weeks, followed by unrestricted cage activities for the subsequent 15 weeks. The results revealed that (1) the cross-sectional area and mechanical properties of the midshaft bone significantly increased in response to running exercise, (2) its structural properties remained unchanged after the cessation of exercise, whereas the material properties returned to control level at a relatively early stage, (3) in the metaphysis, cortical bone area remained unchanged but trabecular bone area decreased in response to running exercise, (4) both areas slightly increased after the cessation of exercise, and (5) the changes in the mechanical properties and morphology of bone depended upon the repetition number and/or the duration of exercise, and were larger with longer duration of exercise

Adhesion and proliferation of skeletal muscle cells on single layer poly(lactic acid) ultra-thin films

An increasing interest in bio-hybrid systems and cell-material interactions is evident in the last years. This leads towards the development of new nano-structured devices and the assessment of their biocompatibility. In the present study, the development of free-standing single layer poly(lactic acid) (PLA) ultra-thin films is described, together with the analysis of topography and roughness properties. The biocompatibility of the PLA films has been tested in vitro, by seeding C2C12 skeletal muscle cells, and thus assessing cells shape, density and viability after 24, 48 and 72 h. The results show that free-standing flexible PLA nanofilms represent a good matrix for C2C12 cells adhesion, spreading and proliferation. Early differentiation into myotubes is also allowed. The biocompatibility of the novel ultra-thin films as substrates for cell growth promotes their application in the fields of regenerative medicine, muscle tissue engineering, drug delivery, and-in general-in the field of bio-hybrid devices

The Endogenous Th17 Response in NO<inf>2</inf>-Promoted Allergic Airway Disease Is Dispensable for Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Distinct from Th17 Adoptive Transfer

Severe, glucocorticoid-resistant asthma comprises 5-7% of patients with asthma. IL-17 is a biomarker of severe asthma, and the adoptive transfer of Th17 cells in mice is sufficient to induce glucocorticoid-resistant allergic airway disease. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an environmental toxin that correlates with asthma severity, exacerbation, and risk of adverse outcomes. Mice that are allergically sensitized to the antigen ovalbumin by exposure to NO2 exhibit a mixed Th2/Th17 adaptive immune response and eosinophil and neutrophil recruitment to the airway following antigen challenge, a phenotype reminiscent of severe clinical asthma. Because IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling is critical in the generation of the Th17 response in vivo, we hypothesized that the IL-1R/Th17 axis contributes to pulmonary inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in NO2-promoted allergic airway disease and manifests in glucocorticoid-resistant cytokine production. IL-17A neutralization at the time of antigen challenge or genetic deficiency in IL-1R resulted in decreased neutrophil recruitment to the airway following antigen challenge but did not protect against the development of AHR. Instead, IL-1R-/- mice developed exacerbated AHR compared to WT mice. Lung cells from NO2-allergically inflamed mice that were treated in vitro with dexamethasone (Dex) during antigen restimulation exhibited reduced Th17 cytokine production, whereas Th17 cytokine production by lung cells from recipient mice of in vitro Th17-polarized OTII T-cells was resistant to Dex. These results demonstrate that the IL-1R/Th17 axis does not contribute to AHR development in NO2-promoted allergic airway disease, that Th17 adoptive transfer does not necessarily reflect an endogenously-generated Th17 response, and that functions of Th17 responses are contingent on the experimental conditions in which they are generated. © 2013 Martin et al