Cold Active Enzyme Booster Technology (EnBooT) for Biodegradation of P-Xylene

p-xylene is used as a solvent in medical technology, the leather, paint, and rubber industries. The principal pathway of human contact to p-xylene is via soil and groundwater contamination. Bioremediation offers potential advantages such as being cost-effective and environmentally friendly with lesser undue damage to environments. The main aim of this project is to find an enzyme mixture for biodegradation of p-xylene contaminated sites. In this regard, screening of indigenous bacteria, identification of involved enzymes, and biodegradation tests were carried out. The results showed that xylene monooxygenase (XMO) and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C2,3D) have a matching end product, they acted in symphony to degrade p-xylene. The mixture of these enzymes confirmed the complete degradation of p-xylene within 48 h in groundwater (initial concentration of 200 mg/L), 7 days in soil tests (initial concentration of 10,000 -12,000 mg/kg of soil) at 15°C, which is revolutionary for the industrial sector. In soil column tests, different concentrations of the enzyme mixture were used (1x, 5x, and 10x dilution). In this test, 92-94% p-xylene removal was achieved in the treated soil with a 5x diluted enzyme mixture (contained 10 U/mL of XMO and 20 U/mL of C2,3D). Our results showed that biodegradation is a scale-dependent phenomenon and the maximum degradation rate decreased from ~90% to 68% from the soil column to tank tests. It is due to limited access of enzymes to trapped p-xylene in soil pores, low dissolved oxygen, soil heterogeneity, and free phase contaminant. In addition, one of the major challenges in the practical and commercial application of these enzymes is their inherent instability. Our results showed that immobilization improved the stability of enzymes. For example, micro/nano biochar-chitosan matrices increased the stability of enzymes with more than 50% residual activity after 30 days at 4±1 ºC, while the free enzymes had less than 10% of its activity. Overall, this cold-active enzyme mixture can be applied for the biodegradation of all BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes). This study could set the guideline for the enzymatic bioremediation of mono-aromatic pollutants in contaminated soil and groundwater under cold conditions

Cold Active Enzyme Booster Technology (EnBooT) for Biodegradation of P-Xylene

p-xylene is used as a solvent in medical technology, the leather, paint, and rubber industries. The principal pathway of human contact to p-xylene is via soil and groundwater contamination. Bioremediation offers potential advantages such as being cost-effective and environmentally friendly with lesser undue damage to environments. The main aim of this project is to find an enzyme mixture for biodegradation of p-xylene contaminated sites. In this regard, screening of indigenous bacteria, identification of involved enzymes, and biodegradation tests were carried out. The results showed that xylene monooxygenase (XMO) and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C2,3D) have a matching end product, they acted in symphony to degrade p-xylene. The mixture of these enzymes confirmed the complete degradation of p-xylene within 48 h in groundwater (initial concentration of 200 mg/L), 7 days in soil tests (initial concentration of 10,000 -12,000 mg/kg of soil) at 15C, which is revolutionary for the industrial sector. In soil column tests, different concentrations of the enzyme mixture were used (1x, 5x, and 10x dilution). In this test, 92-94% p-xylene removal was achieved in the treated soil with a 5x diluted enzyme mixture (contained 10 U/mL of XMO and 20 U/mL of C2,3D). Our results showed that biodegradation is a scale-dependent phenomenon and the maximum degradation rate decreased from ~90% to 68% from the soil column to tank tests. It is due to limited access of enzymes to trapped p-xylene in soil pores, low dissolved oxygen, soil heterogeneity, and free phase contaminant. In addition, one of the major challenges in the practical and commercial application of these enzymes is their inherent instability. Our results showed that immobilization improved the stability of enzymes. For example, micro/nano biochar-chitosan matrices increased the stability of enzymes with more than 50% residual activity after 30 days at 41 C, while the free enzymes had less than 10% of its activity. Overall, this cold-active enzyme mixture can be applied for the biodegradation of all BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes). This study could set the guideline for the enzymatic bioremediation of mono-aromatic pollutants in contaminated soil and groundwater under cold conditions

Gene expression response of mutagenic breeding of Acidithiobacillus sp. FJ2 to different concentrations of uranium low grade ore

219-227Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (At. f) is a bacterium involved in the bioleaching process. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Acidithiobacillus sp. FJ2 induced with diethyl sulfate (DES) as mutagen on the bioleaching of low grade uranium ore. The comparison was carried out within 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50% uranium ore pulp densities in the bioleaching system. The impact of the induction of Acidithiobacillus sp. FJ2 was determined by Eh and pH values, concentrations of Fe2+ and uranium extraction rates at 24 h intervals. The results showed that DES with 0.8% may lead to an obvious change on bacteria leading to improvement of bioleaching capability in 5, 10, 15% pulp densities. However, the bioleaching activity of the original bacteria was more efficient than DES-induced bacteria at 25 and 50% pulp densities. The gene expression results in 0.8% DES treated bacteria indicated that the bacteria attempt to adjust in the bioleaching systems (with different pulp densities) through decreased cyc2 and increased rus, cyc1 and coxB levels. These results suggest that uranium may induce oxidative stress in the wild and treated strains in the high pulp density, while the bacteria tried to survive and gain more energy from the iron oxidation. However, when the amount of uranium increased, the mutants couldn’t cope up woth the enhanced stress in 25 and 50% pulp densities. It may be due to inhibitory effect of uranium toxicity on adaptive processes which may change the trends

Gene expression response of mutagenic breeding of Acidithiobacillus sp. FJ2 to different concentrations of uranium low grade ore

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (At. f) is a bacterium involved in the bioleaching process. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Acidithiobacillus sp. FJ2 induced with diethyl sulfate (DES) as mutagen on the bioleaching of low grade uranium ore. The comparison was carried out within 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50% uranium ore pulp densities in the bioleaching system. The impact of the induction of Acidithiobacillus sp. FJ2 was determined by Eh and pH values, concentrations of Fe2+ and uranium extraction rates at 24 h intervals. The results showed that DES with 0.8% may lead to an obvious change on bacteria leading to improvement of bioleaching capability in 5, 10, 15% pulp densities. However, the bioleaching activity of the original bacteria was more efficient than DES-induced bacteria at 25 and 50% pulp densities. The gene expression results in 0.8% DES treated bacteria indicated that the bacteria attempt to adjust in the bioleaching systems (with different pulp densities) through decreased cyc2 and increased rus, cyc1 and coxB levels. These results suggest that uranium may induce oxidative stress in the wild and treated strains in the high pulp density, while the bacteria tried to survive and gain more energy from the iron oxidation. However, when the amount of uranium increased, the mutants couldn’t cope up woth the enhanced stress in 25 and 50% pulp densities. It may be due to inhibitory effect of uranium toxicity on adaptive processes which may change the trends

Neuromicrobiology, an emerging neurometabolic facet of the gut microbiome?

The concept of the gut microbiome is emerging as a metabolic interactome influenced by diet, xenobiotics, genetics, and other environmental factors that affect the host’s absorption of nutrients, metabolism, and immune system. Beyond nutrient digestion and production, the gut microbiome also functions as personalized polypharmacy, where bioactive metabolites that our microbes excrete or conjugate may reach systemic circulation and impact all organs, including the brain. Appreciable evidence shows that gut microbiota produce diverse neuroactive metabolites, particularly neurotransmitters (and their precursors), stimulating the local nervous system (i.e., enteric and vagus nerves) and affecting brain function and cognition. Several studies have demonstrated correlations between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system sparking an exciting new research field, neuromicrobiology. Microbiome-targeted interventions are seen as promising adjunctive treatments (pre-, pro-, post-, and synbiotics), but the mechanisms underlying host-microbiome interactions have yet to be established, thus preventing informed evidence-based therapeutic applications. In this paper, we review the current state of knowledge for each of the major classes of microbial neuroactive metabolites, emphasizing their biological effects on the microbiome, gut environment, and brain. Also, we discuss the biosynthesis, absorption, and transport of gut microbiota-derived neuroactive metabolites to the brain and their implication in mental disorders

A Pyridyltriazol Functionalized Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework for Selective and Highly Efficient Adsorption of Palladium

[EN] This work reports the synthesis of pyridyltriazol-functionalized UiO-66 (UiO stands for University of Oslo), namely, UiO-66-Pyta, from UiO-66-NH2 through three postsynthetic modification (PSM) steps. The good performance of the material derives from the observation that partial formylation (similar to 21% of -NHCHO groups) of H2BDC-NH2 by DMF, as persistent impurity, takes place during the synthesis of the UiO-66-NH2. Thus, to enhance material performance, first, the as-synthesized UiO-66-NH2 was deformylated to give pure UiO-66-NH2. Subsequently, the pure UiO-66-NH2 was converted to UiO-66-N-3 with a nearly complete conversion (similar to 95%). Finally, the azide-alkyne[3+2]-cycloaddition reaction of 2-ethynylpyridine with the UiO-66-N-3 gave the UiO-66-Pyta. The porous MOF was then applied for the solid-phase extraction of palladium ions from an aqueous medium. Affecting parameters on extraction efficiency of Pd(II) ions were also investigated and optimized. Interestingly, UiO-66-Pyta exhibited selective and superior adsorption capacity for Pd(II) with a maximum sorption capacity of 294.1 mg.g(-1) at acidic pH (4.5). The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 1.9 mu g L-1. The estimated intra- and interday precisions are 3.6 and 1.7%, respectively. Moreover, the adsorbent was regenerated and reused for five cycles without any significant change in the capacity and repeatability. The adsorption mechanism was described based on various techniques such as FT-IR, PXRD, SEM/EDS, ICP-AES, and XPS analyses as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Notably, as a case study, the obtained UiO-66-Pyta after palladium adsorption, UiO-66-Pyta-Pd, was used as an efficient catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction.Authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work from the Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Also, financial support by the University of Zabol is gratefully acknowledged (grant nos. 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Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

Biofeedback therapy combined with diet to treating ODS (Anismus): 2 years outcome

Object: The advantages of biofeedback therapy along with diet in patients with constipation are among the issues discussed nowadays. The aim of this study was to evaluate 2 years outcome of biofeedback therapy along with diet in patients with obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS) (Anismus). Methodology: The focus of this prospective study is a group of 129 patients with ODS constipation, who were referred to two tertiary-care referral academic centers from 2013 to 2016. Patients received biofeedback therapy combined with appropriate diet in cases group and received diet in controls group. Good response was defined as a subject with at least 50 percent improvement from before to after biofeedback therapy on a Cleveland Clinic Florida Constipation Scoring System (CCF). Factors associated with better outcome were analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Results: Out of the 129 patients, 112 patients (86.8%) were female. The mean age of patients was 42.44 ± 15.05 years. The mean CCF score of the patients before and after biofeedback therapy was 12.41 ± 4.39 and 6.00 ± 3.28 respectively in case group (p-value < 0.001). In addition, the mean CCF score of the patients before and after diet therapy was 12.82 ± 4.85 and 9.43 ± 3.79 respectively in control group (p-value < 0.001). While CCF score in both case and control groups reduced significantly after therapy, the rate of this reduction was higher in case group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that biofeedback therapy combined with diet will improve patients outcome in ODS constipation. Prospective clinical trials with larger sample sizes are recommend allowing for causal correlations. Resumo: Objetivo: As vantagens da terapia por biofeedback, juntamente com a dieta, em pacientes com constipação se situam entre os tópicos atualmente em discussão. O objetvo desse estudo foi avaliar os resultados, após 2 anos, da terapia por biofeedback associada à dieta em pacientes com síndrome da defecação obstruída (SDO) (Anismus). Metodologia: O enfoque desse estudo prospectivo é um grupo de 129 pacientes com constipação por SDO, encaminhados a dois centros acadêmicos de referência para atendimento terciário entre os anos de 2013 e 2016. Os pacientes receberam terapia por biofeedback em combinação com dieta apropriada no grupo de estudo (casos), e apenas dieta no grupo de controle. Boa resposta foi deinida como o paciente com pelo menos 50% de melhora desde antes até após a terapia por biofeedback, com o uso de um Sistema de Pontuação para Constipação do Centro Médico Cleveland Clinic Florida (CCF). Os fatores associados a melhor desfecho foram analisados com o uso do programa SPSS 20. Resultados: Dos 129 pacientes, 112 (86,8%) eram mulheres. A média de idade dos pacientes era de 4244 ± 15,05 years. O escore CCF médio dos pacientes antes e depois da terapia por biofeedback foi 12,41 ± 4,39 e 6,00 ± 3,28 respectivamente no grupo de casos (P < 0,001). Além disso, o escore CCF médio dos pacientes antes e depois da dietoterapia foi 12,82 ± 4,85 e 9,43 ± 3,79 respectivamente no grupo de controle (P < 0,001). Embora o escore CCF tanto no grupo de casos como no grupo de controle tenha apresentado redução significativa após a terapia, o grau dessa redução foi mais elevado no grupo de casos (P < 0,001). Conclusão: Nossos achados sugerem que a terapia por biofeedback em combinação com a dieta melhora o resultado para os pacientes apresentando constipação por SDO. Recomendamos a realização de estudos clínicos prospectivos com amostras mais expressivas, que permitam o estabelecimento de correlações causais. Keywords: Obstructed defecation syndrome, Anismus, Biofeedback therapy, Diet, Palavras-chave: Síndrome da defecação obstruída, Anismus, Terapia por biofeedback, Diet