The effect of spent bleaching earth ageing process on its physicochemical and microbial composition and its potential use as a source of fatty acids and triterpenes

This study was aimed at investigating the physicochemical and microbiological changes that took place during the ageing process of spent bleaching earth in the presence of autochthonous microorganisms. Research material included fresh spent bleaching earth (SBE₀) and the same material after 3 years of storage at the constant temperature of 20 °C, without aeration and moistening (SBE₃). Changes in the chemical composition of analysed waste material were observed during its ageing process point to a spontaneous bioconversion of fat substance towards formation and/or release of free saturated fatty acids C16:0 and C18:0 (14.3 g 100 g^?1 D.M.), triterpenes (8.48 g 100 g^?1 D.M.), cholesterol (3.29 g 100 g^?1 D.M.), small quantities of carbohydrates and esters (0.80 g 100 g^?1 D.M.). This process was accompanied by other changes in physicochemical parameters of the waste material, such as colour, odour and viscosity, decrease in fat content from 28.27 to 24.6 % and that of soluble forms of metals (Mo, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr and Mn), ranging from 25 to 75 %, and an increase in pH, from 3.85 to 4.2. At the same time, changes in the microbial consortium were observed.     

Report: New guidelines for characterization of municipal solid waste: the Portuguese case

This report proposes a new set of guidelines for the characterization of municipal solid waste. It is based on an analysis of reference methodologies, used internationally, and a case study of Valorsul (a company that handles recovery and treatment of solid waste in the North Lisbon Metropolitan Area). In particular, the suggested guidelines present a new definition of the waste to be analysed, change the sampling unit and establish statistical standards for the results obtained. In these new guidelines, the sampling level is the waste collection vehicle and contamination and moisture are taken into consideration. Finally, focus is on the quality of the resulting data, which is essential for comparability of data between countries. These new guidelines may also be applicable outside Portugal because the methodology includes, besides municipal mixed waste, separately collected fractions of municipal waste. They are a response to the need for information concerning Portugal (e.g. Eurostat or OECD inquiries) and follow European Union municipal solid waste management policies (e.g. packaging waste recovery and recycling targets and the reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfill).     

Porcine Blood and Liver as Sporadic Sources of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in the Production Chain of Offal-Derived Foodstuffs in Poland

Food and Environmental Virology - Pig’s blood and liver are valuable edible slaughter by-products which are also the major ingredients of offal-derived foodstuffs. The aim of the study was an...     

Classification of the Substances on the Basis of the Acute-Toxic-Class Method (ATC)

The acute-toxic-class method (ATC) is an alternative to the classical LD₅₀ test. Four substances were tested with an ATC testing procedure. The results were compared with LD₅₀ data obtained from the literature. Great importance was attached to the observations of toxic signs following administration. The results of this study have shown that the ATC method allows allocation to toxicity classes in the same manner as on the basis of the classical LD₅₀ tests. The ATC method uses fewer animals and yields the same information on toxic signs. Introducing the ATC method into the quality system allows estimating the acute oral toxicity of chemicals according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD; OECD, 1992, 1996).     

Circadian Rhythm of Heart Rate,Urinary Cortisol Excretion,and Sleep in Civil Air Traffic Controllers

The examination of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) from the Warsaw Airport (Poland) included 24-hr ECG monitoring. The participants were 10 civil ATCs, 9 males and 1 woman. The study was carried out on a group of 19 ATCs during their duty periods, 14 of them working 12-hr shifts and 5 performing 24-hr duties. The participants collected urine every 4 hrs, and Cortisol concentration was determined. Further, the survey included the quality and duration of sleep, and subjective fatigue in the 62 participants.

In ATCs, shift work modifies natural rhythms of the circulatory system and decreases the ability for intensified mental work at night. In consequence ATCs experience frequent sleep disorders.     

Seasonal Occurrence of Human Enteric Viruses in River Water Samples Collected from Rural Areas of South-East Poland

The study was carried out in 2007, and its main aim was 1 year monitoring of surface water of the River Wieprz in Poland for the presence of human adenoviruses group F and noroviruses (NoVs). In total, 60 water samples were collected from four sampling sites situated along the river. The viruses were concentrated from water samples using glass wool, followed by elution with a glycine buffer containing skimmed milk powder. Subsequently, the viral nucleic acids were extracted and purified from water concentrates using a NucliSENS^® kit and a QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit^®. The presence of viral nucleic acids was confirmed by applying traditional PCR-based methods with incorporated internal amplification controls. Human pathogenic viruses were detected in 35% of analysed water samples. Adenoviruses were detected in 28.3% of analysed samples, and were present at all seasons of the year. 11.6% of the samples were positive for NoVs; they were present only during summer, in contrast to conventional findings. Molecular identification of norovirus strains revealed that they belong to genogroup I and II.     

Glutathione S-transferase gene polymorphism,cigarette smoking and DNA damage

Several factors such as smoking habits, diet, occupational, and environmental exposure to chemical carcinogens influence the overall level of DNA damage. In 69 healthy adult volunteers’ polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase (GST), an enzyme which participates in the metabolism of a broad range of carcinogens and endogenous compounds were determined. The level of DNA damage was assessed by comet assay and classified according to GSTT1/M1 genotype and smoking habits. GSTM1 null genotype was recognized in 48% of studied subjects and GSTT1 null genotype in only two cases (3%). In subjects carrying GSTT1/M1 alleles a significantly lower degree of DNA damage, determined as % DNA in the comet's tail, than in null individuals was noted. However, the results obtained did not indicate that in studied subjects an elevated endogenous level of DNA damage may be significantly related to smoking habits.     

Mitigation of glyphosate-based herbicide toxicity in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings by ascorbic acid

Abstract

The toxicity of glyphosate at 3.6?mg L^?1 to maize seedlings raised from un-treated seeds and the effectiveness of seed pretreatment by soaking in 0.25?mmol L^?1 ascorbic acid (AsA) solution for mitigation of toxicity were evaluated in hydroponic culture. Glyphosate dramatically reduced the growth of roots and photosynthetic pigments in the leaves but increased protein content in the leaves. Superoxide dismutase activity and AsA concentration in the roots were increased, and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) activity was unaffected. Pretreatment with AsA improved the dry mass of the roots and shoots, increased the protein content in roots and leaves, and significantly decreased the activity of GPOX in roots. The positive effect of AsA treatment was not associated with more efficient functioning of the antioxidative system.     

Culturomics and metagenomics: In understanding of environmental resistome

State of the art of culturomics and metagenomics to study resistome was presented. The combination of culturomics and metagenomics approaches was proposed. The research directions of antibiotic resistance study has been suggested. Pharmaceutical residues, mainly antibiotics, have been called “emerging contaminants” in the environment because of their increasing frequency of detection in aquatic and terrestrial systems and their sublethal ecological effects. Most of them are undiscovered. Both human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, are introduced into the environment via many different routes, including discharges from municipal wastewater treatment plants and land application of animal manure and biosolids to fertilize croplands. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the widespread problem of antibiotic resistance, modern and scientific approaches have been developed to gain knowledge of the entire antibiotic-resistant microbiota of various ecosystems, which is called the resistome. In this review, two omics methods, i.e. culturomics, a new approach, and metagenomics, used to study antibiotic resistance in environmental samples, are described. Moreover, we discuss how both omics methods have become core scientific tools to characterize microbiomes or resistomes, study natural communities and discover new microbes and new antibiotic resistance genes from environments. The combination of the method for get better outcome of both culturomics and metagenomics will significantly advance our understanding of the role of microbes and their specific properties in the environment.