Biochemical characterization of some cyanobacterial strains from salt marshes of the Venice Lagoon.

Abstract Three different strains of filamentous cyanobacteria, Tychonema, Limnothrix, and Pseudoanabaena, were selected among the fastest growing taxa collected in the salt marshes of Venice Lagoon and were grown in laboratory for growth rate determination and biochemical characterization of chlorophylla,total proteins, total carbohydrates, and exopolysaccharides.Experiments were carried out both in liquid medium and two different substrates: artificial plant protection fabric and ground indigenous shells. Cyanobacterial behavior was recorded to better understand colonization of natural and new artificial marshes

Reduction in cardiovascular risk by sodium-bicarbonated mineral water in moderately hypercholesterolemic young adults.

Effects of drinking a sodium bicarbonated mineral water on cardiovascular risk in young men and women with moderate cardiovascular risk were studied. Eighteen young volunteers, total cholesterol levels >5.2 mmol/L without any disease participated. The study consisted in two 8-week intervention periods. Subjects consumed, as a supplement of their usual diet, 1 L/d of a control low mineral water followed by 1 L/d of the bicarbonated mineral water (mmol/L: sodium, 48; bicarbonate, 35; and chloride, 17). Determinations were performed at the end of the control water period and weeks 4 and 8 of the bicarbonated water period. Body weight, BMI, blood pressure, dietary intake, total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, Apo A-I, Apo B, triacylgycerols, glucose, insulin, adiponectin, high sensitivity-C reactive protein (hs-CRP), soluble adhesion molecules (sICAM and sVCAM), sodium and chloride urinary excretion, and urine pH were measured. Dietary intake, body weight and BMI showed no significant variations. Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly after 4 weeks of bicarbonated water consumption without significant differences between the weeks 4 and 8. Significant reductions were observed after bicarbonated water consumption of total cholesterol (by 6.3%, p=0.012), LDL-cholesterol (by 10% p=0.001), total/HDL-cholesterol (p=0.004), LDL/HDL-cholesterol (p=0.001), and Apo B (p=0.017). Serum triacylglycerols, Apo A-I, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and hs-CRP levels did not change. Serum glucose values tended to decrease during the bicarbonated water intervention (p=0.056) but insulin levels did not vary. This sodium bicarbonated mineral water improves lipid profile in moderately hypercholesterolemic young men and women and could therefore be applied in dietary interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk

Störungen des Betriebs geothermischer Anlagen durch mikrobielle Stoffwechselprozesse und Erfolg von Gegenmaßnahmen

In the context of geothermal systems, biofilms can influence mineral formation and material resistance against corrosion. In three geothermal plants with different salinity and temperature, organisms of the sulfur cycle have contributed to process failures. On the cold side of a heat store, the increased diversity and abundance of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) revealed their participation in corrosion processes and their contribution to a decline in injection efficiency. In all plants, a temporary ingress of oxygen or nitrate led to an increased abundance of sulfur oxidizing bacteria (SOB) that might have accelerated corrosion. In addition, the increase in SOB abundance led to filter clogging in a cold store. Based on their role in microbial-induced corrosion (MIC), changes in the abundance of SOB and SRB may indicate the cause of failure. Measures to control microbial growth, mineral deposits and corrosion, such as temporary increases in temperature, acidification, and addition of hydrogen peroxide (H_2O_2) and nitrate, were evaluated.In geothermischen Anlagen können Biofilme die Mineralbildung und die Injektivität von Bohrungen sowie die Materialbeständigkeit beeinträchtigen. In drei bezüglich Temperatur und Salinität sehr unterschiedlichen Anlagen waren Organismen des Schwefelkreislaufs an Betriebsstörungen beteiligt: Die erhöhte Abundanz von Sulfat-reduzierenden Bakterien (SRB) auf der kalten Seite eines Wärmespeichers wies auf deren Beteiligung an der Korrosion und der Abnahme der Injektivität hin. In allen Anlagen führte der Zutritt von Sauerstoff bzw. der Eintrag von Nitrat zu einer temporären Zunahme Schwefel-oxidierender Bakterien (SOB) und hat vermutlich Korrosionsprozesse beschleunigt. Außerdem hatte in einem Kältespeicher die temporäre Zunahme der SOB ein Filterclogging zur Folge. Aufgrund ihrer entscheidenden Rolle bei mikrobiell induzierter Korrosion (MIC) weisen Änderungen in der Abundanz von SOB und SRB auf die Ursachen mikrobiell bedingter Störungen hin. Zur Beseitigung der Störungen wurden temporäre Erhöhungen der Temperatur, Säuerungen sowie die Zugabe von Wasserstoffperoxid (H2O2) oder Nitrat in den Anlagen getestet und aus mikrobiologischer Sicht bewertet