Bioremediation and Leaching Potential of Pentachlorophenol (PCP) in Biodiesel Versus Diesel Carriers

Biodiesel is believed to be more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based diesel when used as a carrier for impregnating wood products with pentachlorophenol (PCP) for decay protection. A 6-mo study was conducted to evaluate bioremediation of PCP in biodiesel vs diesel in soil. Different percentages of biodiesel, diesel, and PCP were mixed with clean soil from a forested site and tested. Samples were taken bimonthly and analyzed for oil and grease, PCP concentration, and microbial enumeration. Soil moisture content was adjusted twice weekly if needed. In addition, toxicity and toxicity characteristic leaching potential were measured at Days 0 and 180. Results showed that with an increase in percentage of biodiesel, there was an increase in degradation of diesel and diesel-amended PCP. The greatest decrease of PCP concentration and toxicity occurred in biodiesel alone by Day 180. Results also showed a significant decrease with time in oil and grease concentration, PCP concentration, and toxicity among different treatments. Based on this study, it appears that the cometabolic effect of biodiesel on micro-organisms could accelerate degradation of PCP in treated wood after disposal

Food insecurity status and its contributing factors in slums’ dwellers of southwest Iran, 2021: a cross-sectional study

Background: One major factor causing food insecurity is believed to be poverty. Approximately 20 million Iranians live in slums with a vulnerable socioeconomic context. The outbreak of COVID-19, on top of the economic sanctions against Iran, has increased this vulnerability and made its inhabitants prone to food insecurity. The current study investigates food insecurity and its associated socioeconomic factors among slum residents of Shiraz, southwest Iran. Methods: Random cluster sampling was used to select the participants in this cross-sectional study. The heads of the households completed the validated Household Food Insecurity Access Scale questionnaire to assess food insecurity. Univariate analysis was utilized to calculate the unadjusted associations between the study variables. Moreover, a multiple logistic regression model was employed to determine the adjusted association of each independent variable with the food insecurity risk. Results: Among the 1227 households, the prevalence of food insecurity was 87.20%, with 53.87% experiencing moderate and 33.33% experiencing severe food insecurity. A significant relationship was observed between socioeconomic status and food insecurity, indicating that people with low socioeconomic status are more prone to food insecurity (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The current study revealed that food insecurity is highly prevalent in slum areas of southwest Iran. The socioeconomic status of households was the most important determinant of food insecurity among them. Noticeably, the coincidence of the COVID-19 pandemic with the economic crisis in Iran has amplified the poverty and food insecurity cycle. Hence, the government should consider equity-based interventions to reduce poverty and its related outcomes on food security. Furthermore, NGOs, charities, and governmental organizations should focus on local community-oriented programs to make basic food baskets available for the most vulnerable households

When is a GIST not a GIST? A case report of synchronous metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor and fibromatosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A number of non-malignant diseases that share similar morphological features as gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) have been reported. Co-existence of GIST with these other diseases is rarely recognized or reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a 62 year-old man with long-term stable control of metastatic GIST with systemic therapy, presented with an apparent intra-abdominal progression but not supported by imaging with positron emission tomography. Subsequent resection of the intra-abdominal tumor identified a non-malignant fibroid.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Differentiating localized progression of GIST from other diseases has important prognostic and therapeutic implications. The potential for co-existence of non-malignant soft tissue neoplasm should always be considered.</p

Using nearly full-genome HIV sequence data improves phylogeny reconstruction in a simulated epidemic:Length of HIV sequence data and phylogeny reconstruction

HIV molecular epidemiology studies analyse viral pol gene sequences due to their availability, but whole genome sequencing allows to use other genes. We aimed to determine what gene(s) provide(s) the best approximation to the real phylogeny by analysing a simulated epidemic (created as part of the PANGEA_HIV project) with a known transmission tree. We sub-sampled a simulated dataset of 4662 sequences into different combinations of genes (gag-pol-env, gag-pol, gag, pol, env and partial pol) and sampling depths (100%, 60%, 20% and 5%), generating 100 replicates for each case. We built maximum-likelihood trees for each combination using RAxML (GTR + Γ), and compared their topologies to the corresponding true tree’s using CompareTree. The accuracy of the trees was significantly proportional to the length of the sequences used, with the gag-pol-env datasets showing the best performance and gag and partial pol sequences showing the worst. The lowest sampling depths (20% and 5%) greatly reduced the accuracy of tree reconstruction and showed high variability among replicates, especially when using the shortest gene datasets. In conclusion, using longer sequences derived from nearly whole genomes will improve the reliability of phylogenetic reconstruction. With low sample coverage, results can be highly variable, particularly when based on short sequences

The Negative Sense RNA Hantavirus – A Threat to the Modern World

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne zoonotic pathogenic viruses that produce two major clinical syndromes in humans: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). These are negative sense RNA viruses. Each hantavirus type has a single predominant natural reservoir and is transmitted through aerosolized rodent excreta or rodent bites. Case fatality rates for HFRS can reach up to 15% and for HPS can exceed 40%. Very recently, the occurrence of hantavirus has been seen in China in March, 2020. This review summarizes the current knowledge on virology, epidemiology, clinical manifestation, laboratory diagnostics, treatment, and prevention of hantaviruses and hantaviral infections