Zeolite Synthesis under Insertion of Silica Rich Filtration Residues from Industrial Wastewater Reconditioning

Zeolite synthesis was studied using two silica rich filtration residues (FR 1 and FR 2) as Si-source and sodium aluminate in a direct synthesis at 60°C at strong alkaline conditions (8 M - 16 M NaOH). In addition to these one-pot syntheses, a two-step process was investigated. Here, an alkaline digestion of FR at 60°C was followed by gel precipitation with sodium aluminate and gel crystallization under usual conditions of 80°C - 90°C. The results show that the substitution of chemical reagent sodium silicate by a waste material like FR as Si-source is possible but requires fine tuning of the reaction conditions as zeolite crystallization is a process under kinetic control. The solubility behaviour and impurities of the inserted filtration residues strongly influenced the course of reaction. Thus zeolites like hydrosodalite or intermediate zeolite between cancrinite and sodalite, or zeolite NaA or Z-21 in cocrystallization with hydrosodalite could be observed in the one pot syntheses already in a short time interval between 1 - 4 h depending on the alkalinity. The two step process yield to zeolites NaA and NaX in very good quality. The reaction process of FR in both reaction methods was characterized by chemical analyses, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy. Surface area and water content of selected products were further characterized by the BET-method and by thermogravimetry. Summing up the results, we can show that zeolite formation from filtration residues is possible by several reaction procedures as model cases for a re-use of industrial waste materials. Beside the importance for environmental protection, the reactions are of interest for zeolite chemistry as the re-use of FR is possible under economically conditions of low energy consumption at 60°C and short reaction periods.DF

Host-specific symbiotic requirement of BdeAB, a RegR-controlled RND-type efflux system in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Multidrug efflux systems not only cause resistance against antibiotics and toxic compounds but also mediate successful host colonization by certain plant-associated bacteria. The genome of the nitrogen-fixing soybean symbiont Bradyrhizobium japonicum encodes 24 members of the family of resistance/nodulation/cell division (RND) multidrug efflux systems, of which BdeAB is genetically controlled by the RegSR two-component regulatory system. Phylogenetic analysis of the membrane components of these 24 RND-type transporters revealed that BdeB is more closely related to functionally characterized orthologs in other bacteria, including those associated with plants, than to any of the other 23 paralogs in B. japonicum. A mutant with a deletion of the bdeAB genes was more susceptible to inhibition by the aminoglycosides kanamycin and gentamicin than the wild type, and had a strongly decreased symbiotic nitrogen-fixation activity on soybean, but not on the alternative host plants mungbean and cowpea, and only very marginally on siratro. The host-specific role of a multidrug efflux pump is a novel feature in the rhizobia-legume symbioses. Consistent with the RegSR dependency of bdeAB, a B. japonicum regR mutant was found to have a greater sensitivity against the two tested antibiotics and a symbiotic defect that is most pronounced for soybea

Dissection of the Bradyrhizobium japonicum NifA+σ54 regulon, and identification of a ferredoxin gene ( fdxN ) for symbiotic nitrogen fixation

Hierarchically organized regulatory proteins form a complex network for expression control of symbiotic and accessory genes in the nitrogen-fixing soybean symbiont Bradyrhizobium japonicum. A genome-wide survey of regulatory interactions was made possible with the design of a custom-made gene chip. Here, we report the first use of the microarray in a comprehensive and complete characterization of the B. japonicum NifA+σ54 regulon which forms an important node in the entire network. Comparative transcript profiles of anaerobically grown wild-type, nifA, and rpoN 1/2 mutant cells were complemented with a position-specific frequency matrix-based search for NifA- and σ54-binding sites plus a simple operon definition. One of the newly identified NifA+σ54-dependent genes, fdxN, encodes a ferredoxin required for efficient symbiotic nitrogen fixation, which makes it a candidate for being a direct electron donor to nitrogenase. The fdxN gene has an unconventional, albeit functional σ54 promoter with the dinucleotide GA instead of the consensus GC motif at position −12. A GC-containing mutant promoter and the atypical GA-containing promoter of the wild type were disparately activated. Expression analyses were also carried out with two other NifA+σ54 targets (ectC; ahpC). Incidentally, the tiling-like design of the microarray has helped to arrive at completely revised annotations of the ectC- and ahpC-upstream DNA regions, which are now compatible with promoter locations. Taken together, the approaches used here led to a substantial expansion of the NifA+σ54 regulon size, culminating in a total of 65 genes for nitrogen fixation and diverse other processe

The On-Site Analysis of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will be one of the largest ground-based very high-energy gamma-ray observatories. The On-Site Analysis will be the first CTA scientific analysis of data acquired from the array of telescopes, in both northern and southern sites. The On-Site Analysis will have two pipelines: the Level-A pipeline (also known as Real-Time Analysis, RTA) and the level-B one. The RTA performs data quality monitoring and must be able to issue automated alerts on variable and transient astrophysical sources within 30 seconds from the last acquired Cherenkov event that contributes to the alert, with a sensitivity not worse than the one achieved by the final pipeline by more than a factor of 3. The Level-B Analysis has a better sensitivity (not be worse than the final one by a factor of 2) and the results should be available within 10 hours from the acquisition of the data: for this reason this analysis could be performed at the end of an observation or next morning. The latency (in particular for the RTA) and the sensitivity requirements are challenging because of the large data rate, a few GByte/s. The remote connection to the CTA candidate site with a rather limited network bandwidth makes the issue of the exported data size extremely critical and prevents any kind of processing in real-time of the data outside the site of the telescopes. For these reasons the analysis will be performed on-site with infrastructures co-located with the telescopes, with limited electrical power availability and with a reduced possibility of human intervention. This means, for example, that the on-site hardware infrastructure should have low-power consumption. A substantial effort towards the optimization of high-throughput computing service is envisioned to provide hardware and software solutions with high-throughput, low-power consumption at a low-cost.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at arXiv:1508.0589

Hormone Receptor Expression and Activity for Different Tumour Locations in Patients with Advanced and Recurrent Endometrial Carcinoma

Background: Response to hormonal therapy in advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer (EC) can be predicted by oestrogen and progesterone receptor immunohistochemical (ER/PR-IHC) expression, with response rates of 60% in PR-IHC &gt; 50% cases. ER/PR-IHC can vary by tumour location and is frequently lost with tumour progression. Therefore, we explored the relationship between ER/PR-IHC expression and tumour location in EC. Methods: Pre-treatment tumour biopsies from 6 different sites of 80 cases treated with hormonal therapy were analysed for ER/PR-IHC expression and classified into categories 0–10%, 10–50%, and &gt;50%. The ER pathway activity score (ERPAS) was determined based on mRNA levels of ER-related target genes, reflecting the actual activity of the ER receptor. Results: There was a trend towards lower PR-IHC (33% had PR &gt; 50%) and ERPAS (27% had ERPAS &gt; 15) in lymphogenic metastases compared to other locations (p = 0.074). Hematogenous and intra-abdominal metastases appeared to have high ER/PR-IHC and ERPAS (85% and 89% ER-IHC &gt; 50%; 64% and 78% PR-IHC &gt; 50%; 60% and 71% ERPAS &gt; 15, not significant). Tumour grade and previous radiotherapy did not affect ER/PR-IHC or ERPAS. Conclusions: A trend towards lower PR-IHC and ERPAS was observed in lymphogenic sites. Verification in larger cohorts is needed to confirm these findings, which may have implications for the use of hormonal therapy in the future.</p

Hormone Receptor Expression and Activity for Different Tumour Locations in Patients with Advanced and Recurrent Endometrial Carcinoma

Background: Response to hormonal therapy in advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer (EC) can be predicted by oestrogen and progesterone receptor immunohistochemical (ER/PR-IHC) expression, with response rates of 60% in PR-IHC &gt; 50% cases. ER/PR-IHC can vary by tumour location and is frequently lost with tumour progression. Therefore, we explored the relationship between ER/PR-IHC expression and tumour location in EC. Methods: Pre-treatment tumour biopsies from 6 different sites of 80 cases treated with hormonal therapy were analysed for ER/PR-IHC expression and classified into categories 0–10%, 10–50%, and &gt;50%. The ER pathway activity score (ERPAS) was determined based on mRNA levels of ER-related target genes, reflecting the actual activity of the ER receptor. Results: There was a trend towards lower PR-IHC (33% had PR &gt; 50%) and ERPAS (27% had ERPAS &gt; 15) in lymphogenic metastases compared to other locations (p = 0.074). Hematogenous and intra-abdominal metastases appeared to have high ER/PR-IHC and ERPAS (85% and 89% ER-IHC &gt; 50%; 64% and 78% PR-IHC &gt; 50%; 60% and 71% ERPAS &gt; 15, not significant). Tumour grade and previous radiotherapy did not affect ER/PR-IHC or ERPAS. Conclusions: A trend towards lower PR-IHC and ERPAS was observed in lymphogenic sites. Verification in larger cohorts is needed to confirm these findings, which may have implications for the use of hormonal therapy in the future.</p

a randomized, open, multicenter phase III trial of lenalidomide/dexamethasone versus lenalidomide/dexamethasone plus subsequent autologous stem cell transplantation and lenalidomide maintenance in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma

Background Despite novel therapeutic agents, most multiple myeloma (MM) patients eventually relapse. Two large phase III trials have shown significantly improved response rates (RR) of lenalidomide/dexamethasone compared with placebo/dexamethasone in relapsed MM (RMM) patients. These results have led to the approval of lenalidomide for RMM patients and lenalidomide/dexamethasone has since become a widely accepted second-line treatment. Furthermore, in RMM patients consolidation with high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation has been shown to significantly increase progression free survival (PFS) as compared to cyclophosphamide in a phase III trial. The randomized prospective ReLApsE trial is designed to evaluate PFS after lenalidomide/dexamethasone induction, high-dose chemotherapy consolidation plus autologous stem cell transplantation and lenalidomide maintenance compared with the well-established lenalidomide/dexamethasone regimen in RMM patients. Methods/Design ReLApsE is a randomized, open, multicenter phase III trial in a planned study population of 282 RMM patients. All patients receive three lenalidomide/dexamethasone cycles and - in absence of available stem cells from earlier harvesting - undergo peripheral blood stem cell mobilization and harvesting. Subsequently, patients in arm A continue on consecutive lenalidomide/dexamethasone cycles, patients in arm B undergo high dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation followed by lenalidomide maintenance until discontinuation criteria are met. Therapeutic response is evaluated after the 3rd (arm A + B) and the 5th lenalidomide/dexamethasone cycle (arm A) or 2 months after autologous stem cell transplantation (arm B) and every 3 months thereafter (arm A + B). After finishing the study treatment, patients are followed up for survival and subsequent myeloma therapies. The expected trial duration is 6.25 years from first patient in to last patient out. The primary endpoint is PFS, secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), RR, time to best response and the influence of early versus late salvage high dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation on OS. Discussion This phase III trial is designed to evaluate whether high dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation and lenalidomide maintenance after lenalidomide/dexamethasone induction improves PFS compared with the well-established continued lenalidomide/dexamethasone regimen in RMM patients. Trial registration: ISRCTN16345835 (date of registration 2010-08-24)

Long-term follow-up and treatment of congenital alveolar proteinosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and outcome of molecularly defined congenital pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) due to mutations in the GM-CSF receptor are not well known.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 2 1/2 years old girl was diagnosed as having alveolar proteinosis. Whole lung lavages were performed with a new catheter balloon technique, feasible in small sized airways. Because of some interstitial inflammation in the lung biopsy and to further improve the condition, empirical therapy with systemic steroids and azathioprin, and inhaled and subcutaneous GMCSF, were used. Based on clinical measures, total protein and lipid recovered by whole lung lavages, all these treatments were without benefit. Conversely, severe respiratory viral infections and an invasive aspergillosis with aspergilloma formation occurred. Recently the novel homozygous stop mutation p.Ser25X of the GMCSF receptor alpha chain was identified in the patient. This mutation leads to a lack of functional GMCSF receptor and a reduced response to GMCSF stimulation of CD11b expression of mononuclear cells of the patient. Subsequently a very intense treatment with monthly lavages was initiated, resulting for the first time in complete resolution of partial respiratory insufficiency and a significant improvement of the overall somato-psychosocial condition of the child.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The long term management from early childhood into young adolescence of severe alveolar proteinosis due to GMCSF receptor deficiency requires a dedicated specialized team to perform technically demanding whole lung lavages and cope with complications.</p

Associations of specific phobia and its subtypes with physical diseases: an adult community study.

Specific phobia is the most prevalent anxiety disorder in the community and is associated with substantial impairment. Comorbidity with physical diseases is assumed and has important implications for etiology, treatment, or prevention of the comorbid conditions. However, due to methodological issues data are limited and subtypes of specific phobia have not been investigated yet. We examined the association of specific phobia and its subtypes with physical diseases in a representative community sample with physician-diagnosed physical diseases and diagnostic criteria of specific phobia. Data of the German Mental Health Survey from 4181 subjects aged 18-65 years were used. Specific phobia was diagnosed using M-CIDI/DIA-X interview; physical diseases were assessed through a self-report questionnaire and a medical interview. Logistic regression analyses adjusted for sex were calculated. Specific phobia was associated with cardiac diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, arthritic conditions, migraine, and thyroid diseases (odds ratios between 1.49 and 2.53). Among the subtypes, different patterns of associations with physical diseases were established. The findings were partially replicated in the Swiss PsyCoLaus Study. Our analyses show that subjects with specific phobia have an increased probability for specific physical diseases. From these analyses etiological mechanisms of specific phobia and physical disease can be deduced. As subtypes differed in their patterns of associations with physical diseases, different etiological mechanisms may play a role. The findings are highly relevant for public health in terms of prevention and therapy of the comorbid conditions