Verfahren zur Behandlung von Geothermalfluid- oder Formationswasserströmen durch kontinuierliche elektrochemische Abtrennung reduzierbarer Metall- und/ oder Metalloidionen aus dem Förderstrom

A method of treatment of geothermal fluid or formation water production streams prior to their energetic utilization or release into the environment by continuous electrochemical removal of radioactive, toxic and scale-forming reducible metal and/or semimetal and/or nonmetal ions from the production stream by means of an apparatus for electrolytic deposition comprising i) one or ii) more than one reaction space, each of which comprises a pressure- and/or temperature-resistant electrochemical deposition apparatus composed of an anode space with anode and anolyte and a cathode space with cathode, wherein, in the case of two or more reaction spaces, each reaction space is connected in parallel flow to further reaction spaces of identical design that are present, comprising the steps of: a) passing the production stream at a pressure of 1 to 100 bar and/or a temperature of 10 to 200°C through the cathode space of the electrochemical deposition apparatus, b) applying a controllable electrical current, c) i) stopping the production stream when the cathode is loaded or ii) diverting the production stream, d) regenerating the reaction space through which the material flows in steps a) and b) by removing the metals and/or semimetals and/or nonmetals deposited on the cathode material thereof, wherein the anode space and cathode space are each separated from one another by an anion or cation exchange membrane or a porous separator, wherein the anolyte is an aqueous solution of inorganic and/or organic oxidizable compounds having a redox potential below that of the redox system ClVCb, such that the formation of chlorine gas is suppressed, wherein the oxidizable compounds are anodically oxidized during the deposition, wherein the anolyte is conducted within a separate circuit and is regenerated when all oxidizable compounds have been oxidized, wherein the apparatus is connected into the production stream above ground or below ground

Characterization of the Fatigue Behaviour of Low Carbon Steels by Means of Temperature and Micromagnetic Measurements

Investigations on low carbon (non- and low-alloy) steels were conducted in form of load increase tests (LIT) and constant amplitude tests (CAT) to find the correlation among material behaviour, mechanical load, and the type of NDT method. With the help of preprogrammed load-free sequences, the thermal impact on magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) measurement can be avoided, so that the cyclic deformation properties of material responses can be interpreted more precisely. The results indicate differences between the change in temperature and the MBN-derived variable during LITs and CATs regarding the demonstration of the incubation stage and the cyclic hardening behaviour

Prognostic relevance of miRNA-155 methylation in anaplastic glioma

The outcome of patients with anaplastic gliomas varies considerably depending on single molecular markers, such as mutations of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes, as well as molecular classifications based on epigenetic or genetic profiles. Remarkably, 98% of the RNA within a cell is not translated into proteins. Of those, especially microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown not only to have a major influence on physiologic processes but also to be deregulated and prognostic in malignancies. To find novel survival markers and treatment options we performed unbiased DNA methylation screens that revealed 12 putative miRNA promoter regions with differential DNA methylation in anaplastic gliomas. Methylation of these candidate regions was validated in different independent patient cohorts revealing a set of miRNA promoter regions with prognostic relevance across data sets. Of those, miR-155 promoter methylation and miR-155 expression were negatively correlated and especially the methylation showed superior correlation with patient survival compared to established biomarkers. Functional examinations in malignant glioma cells further cemented the relevance of miR-155 for tumor cell viability with transient and stable modifications indicating an onco-miRNA activity. MiR-155 also conferred resistance towards alkylating temozolomide and radiotherapy as consequence of nuclear factor (NF)kappa B activation. Preconditioning glioma cells with an NF kappa B inhibitor reduced therapy resistance of miR-155 overexpressing cells. These cells resembled tumors with a low methylation of the miR-155 promoter and thus mir-155 or NF kappa B inhibition may provide treatment options with a special focus on patients with IDH wild type tumors

Somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (sst₂) is a potential prognostic marker and a therapeutic target in medulloblastoma

INTRODUCTION: Neuroectodermal tumors in general demonstrate high and dense expression of the somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (sst₂). It controls proliferation of both normal and neoplastic cells. sst₂ has thus been suggested as a therapeutic target and prognostic marker for certain malignancies. METHODS: To assess global expression patterns of sst 2 mRNA, we evaluated normal (n = 353) and tumor tissues (n = 340) derived from previously published gene expression profiling studies. These analyses demonstrated specific upregulation of sst 2 mRNA in medulloblastoma (p < 0.001). sst₂ protein was investigated by immunohistochemistry in two independent cohorts. RESULTS: Correlation of sst₂ protein expression with clinicopathological variables revealed significantly higher levels in medulloblastoma (p < 0.05) compared with CNS-PNET, ependymoma, or pilocytic astrocytoma. The non-SHH medulloblastoma subgroup tumors showed particularly high expression of sst₂, when compared to other tumors and normal tissues. Furthermore, we detected a significant survival benefit in children with tumors exhibiting high sst₂ expression (p = 0.02) in this screening set. A similar trend was observed in a validation cohort including 240 independent medulloblastoma samples. CONCLUSION: sst₂ is highly expressed in medulloblastoma and deserves further evaluation in the setting of prospective trials, given its potential utility as a prognostic marker and a therapeutic target

Focal genomic amplification at 19q13.42 comprises a powerful diagnostic marker for embryonal tumors with ependymoblastic rosettes

Ependymoblastoma (EBL) and embryonal tumor with abundant neuropil and true rosettes (ETANTR) are very aggressive embryonal neoplasms characterized by the presence of ependymoblastic multilayered rosettes typically occurring in children below 6 years of age. It has not been established whether these two tumors really comprise distinct entities. Earlier, using array-CGH, we identified a unique focal amplification at 19q13.42 in a case of ETANTR. In the present study, we investigated this locus by fluorescence in situ hybridization in 41 tumors, which had morphologically been diagnosed as EBL or ETANTR. Strikingly, FISH analysis revealed 19q13.42 amplifications in 37/40 samples (93%). Among tumors harboring the amplification, 19 samples were identified as ETANTR and 18 as EBL. The three remaining tumors showed a polysomy of chromosome 19. Analysis of recurrent/metastatic tumors (n = 7) showed that the proportion of nuclei carrying the amplification was increased (up to 80-100% of nuclei) in comparison to the corresponding primary tumors. In conclusion, we have identified a hallmark cytogenetic aberration occurring in virtually all embryonal brain tumors with ependymoblastic rosettes suggesting that ETANTR and EBL comprise a single biological entity. FISH analysis of the 19q13.42 locus is a very promising diagnostic tool to identify a subset of primitive neuroectodermal tumors with distinct morphology, biology, and clinical behavior