Microbial responses to the use of NaClO in sediment treatment

• Chlorine addition enhanced the release of TOC, TN from the sediment. • Chlorine has a long-term negative effect on microbial richness. • Usually enzymes lose activity, and expression of genes was downregulated. • Carbon degradation and nitrification might be strongly inhibited. Chlorine is often used in algal removal and deodorization of landscape waters, and occasionally used as an emergency treatment of heavily polluted sediments. However, the ecological impact of this practice has not been fully studied and recognized. In this study, NaClO at 0.1 mmol/g based on dry weight sediment was evenly mixed into the polluted sediment, and then the sediment was incubated for 150 days to evaluate its microbial effect. Results showed that NaClO addition enhanced the release of TOC, TN, Cr and Cu from the sediment. The microbial richness in the examined sediment decreased continuously, and the Chao1 index declined from 4241 to 2731, in 150 days. The microbial community composition was also changed. The abundance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased to 54.8% and 4.2% within 7 days compared to the control, and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) showed gram-negative bacteria and aerobic bacteria enriched after chlorination. The functional prediction with PICRUSt2 showed the functions of the microbial community underwent major adjustments, and the metabolic-related functions such as carbon metabolism, including pyruvate and methane metabolisms were significantly inhibited; besides, 15 out of 22 analyzed key enzymes involved in C cycling and 6 out of 12 key enzymes or genes involved in N cycling were strongly impacted, and the enzymes and genes involved in carbon degradation and denitrification showed remarkable downregulation. It can be concluded that chlorination posed a seriously adverse effect on microbial community structure and function. This study deepens the understanding of the ecological effects of applying chlorine for environmental remediation.     

Integration of microbial reductive dehalogenation with persulfate activation and oxidation (Bio-RD-PAO) for complete attenuation of organohalides

•Bio-RD-PAO can effectively and extensively remove organohalides. •Bio-RD alone effectively dehalogenate the highly-halogenated organohalides. •PAO alone is efficient in degrading the lowly-halogenated organohalides. •The impacts of PAO on organohalide-respiring microbial communities remain elusive. •Bio-RD-PAO provides a promising solution for remediation of organohalide pollution. Due to the toxicity of bioaccumulative organohalides to human beings and ecosystems, a variety of biotic and abiotic remediation methods have been developed to remove organohalides from contaminated environments. Bioremediation employing organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB)-mediated microbial reductive dehalogenation (Bio-RD) represents a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to attenuate highly-halogenated organohalides, specifically organohalides in soil, sediment and other anoxic environments. Nonetheless, many factors severely restrict the implications of OHRB-based bioremediation, including incomplete dehalogenation, low abundance of OHRB and consequent low dechlorination activity. Recently, the development of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) based on sulfate radicals (SO₄^·−) via the persulfate activation and oxidation (PAO) process has attracted tremendous research interest for the remediation of lowly-halogenated organohalides due to its following advantages, e.g., complete attenuation, high reactivity and no selectivity to organohalides. Therefore, integration of OHRB-mediated Bio-RD and subsequent PAO (Bio-RD-PAO) may provide a promising solution to the remediation of organohalides. In this review, we first provide an overview of current progress in Bio-RD and PAO and compare their limitations and advantages. We then critically discuss the integration of Bio-RD and PAO (Bio-RD-PAO) for complete attenuation of organohalides and its prospects for future remediation applications. Overall, Bio-RD-PAO opens up opportunities for complete attenuation and consequent effective in situ remediation of persistent organohalide pollution.     

Validation of Bacteroidales-based microbial source tracking markers for pig fecal pollution and their application in two rivers of North China

• Pig feces is the predominant excrement produced by animal husbandry in China. • The PF, Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan, and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan MST assays showed better performance. • The pig-specific MST assays can contribute to managing the pig fecal pollution. In China, pig feces is the predominant source of excrement produced by animal husbandry. Improper use or direct discharge of pig feces can result in contamination of natural water systems. Microbial source tracking (MST) technology can identify the sources of fecal pollution in environmental water, and contribute to the management of pig fecal pollution by local environmental protection agencies. However, the accuracy of such assays can be context-dependent, and they have not been comprehensively evaluated under Chinese conditions. We aimed to compare the performance of five previously reported pig-specific MST assays (PF, Pig-Bac1^SYBR, Pig-Bac2^SYBR, Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan, and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan, which are based on Bacteroidales 16S rRNA gene markers) and apply them in two rivers of North China. We collected a total of 173 fecal samples from pigs, cows, goats, chickens, humans, and horses across China. The PF assay optimized in this study showed outstanding qualitative performance and achieved 100% specificity and sensitivity. However, the two SYBR green qPCR assays (Pig-Bac1^SYBR and Pig-Bac2^SYBR) cross-reacted with most non-pig fecal samples. In contrast, both the Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assays gave 100% specificity and sensitivity. Of these, the Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assay showed higher reproducibility. Our results regarding the specificity of these pig-specific MST assays differ from those reported in Thailand, Japan, and America. Using the PF and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assays, a field test comparing the levels of pig fecal pollution in rivers near a pig farm before and after comprehensive environmental pollution governance indicated that pig fecal pollution was effectively controlled at this location.     

Early murine immune responses from endotracheal exposures to biotechnology-related Bacillus strains

An immunology-based in vivo screening regime was used to assess the potential pathogenicity of biotechnology-related microbes. Strains of Bacillus cereus (Bc), Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and Bt commercial products (CPs) were tested. Balb/c mice were endotracheally instilled with purified spores, diluted CP, or vegetative cells (VC) (live or dead). Exposed mice were evaluated for changes in behavioral and physical symptoms, bacterial clearance, pulmonary granulocytes, and pulmonary and circulatory pyrogenic cytokines (interleukins (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α), as well as acute phase biomarkers (fibrinogen and serum amyloid A). Except for some differences in clearance rates, no marked effects were observed in mice exposed to any spore at 10⁶ or 10⁷ colony forming units (cfu). In contrast, live Bc or Bt VCs (10⁵ or 10⁶?cfu) produced shock-like symptoms (lethargy, hunched appearance, ruffled fur, and respiratory distress), and 11–200-fold elevations in pyrogenic cytokines at 2-h post-exposure. In the study, 4-h effects included increased lethargy, ocular discharge, and 1.5–4-fold rise in circulatory acute phase markers, but no indications of recovery. Bs VC did not produce any changes in symptoms or biomarkers. After 2 or 4?h of exposure to dead VC, increases of only plasma IL-1β and TNF-α (4.6- and 12.4-fold, respectively) were observed. These findings demonstrate that purified spores produced no marked effects in mice compared to that of metabolically active bacteria. This early screening regime was successful in distinguishing the pathogenicity of the different Bacillus species, and might be useful for assessing the relative hazard potential of other biotechnology-related candidate strains.     

Climate change, urban air problems and transport policy in the European Union

This paper surveys some recent studies on conventional air pollution and climate change in the transport sector in Europe. Fuel efficiency standards, car emission standards and transport pricing instruments are analysed from an economic perspective taking into account environmental and economic efficiency objectives. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cultured human-cell-based bioassay for environmental risk management

Among bioassays for evaluating various impacts of chemicalson humans and ecosystems, those based on culturedmammalian-cells can best predict acute lethal toxicity to humans. Weexpect them to be employed in the future in environmentalrisk management alongside mutagenicity tests and endocrine-disrupting activity tests. We recently developed adisposable bioassay device that immobilizes humanhepatocarcinoma cells in a small micropipette tip. Thisenables very quick (within 2 h) evaluation of acute lethaltoxicity to humans. For bioassay-based environmentalmanagement, 2 promising approaches have been demonstrated bythe US-EPA: toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) andtoxicity reduction evaluation (TRE). The Japanese Ministryof Environment has been supporting a multi-center validationproject, aimed at assembling a bioassay database. To makefull use of these resources, we present a numerical modelthat describes contribution of individual chemical toobserved toxicity. This will allow the selection of the mosteffective countermeasure to reduce the toxicity. Bioassay-based environmental risk management works retrospectively,whereas impact assessment using substance flow models andtoxicity databases works prospective. We expect that these 2approaches will exchange information, act complementarily,and work effectively in keeping our environment healthy inthe 21st century.     

Fecal source tracking by antibiotic resistance analysis on a watershed exhibiting low resistance

The ongoing development of microbial source tracking has made it possible to identify contamination sources with varying accuracy, depending on the method used. The purpose of this study was to test the efficiency of the antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) method under low resistance by tracking the fecal sources at Turkey Creek, Oklahoma exhibiting this condition. The resistance patterns of 772 water-isolates, tested with nine antibiotics, were analyzed by discriminant analysis (DA) utilizing a five-source library containing 2250 isolates. The library passed various representativeness tests; however, two of the pulled-sample tests suggested insufficient sampling. The resubstitution test of the library individual sources showed significant isolate misclassification with an average rate of correct classification (ARCC) of 58%. These misclassifications were explained by low antibiotic resistance (Wilcoxon test P < 0.0001). Seasonal DA of stream E. coli isolates for the pooled sources human/livestock/deer indicated that in fall, the human source dominated (P < 0.0001) at a rate of 56%, and that human and livestock respective contributions in winter (35 and 39%), spring (43 and 40%), and summer (37 and 35%) were similar. Deer scored lower (17–28%) than human and livestock at every season. The DA was revised using results from a misclassification analysis to provide a perspective of the effect caused by low antibiotic resistance and a more realistic determination of the fecal source rates at Turkey Creek. The revision increased livestock rates by 13–14% (0.04 ≤ P ≤ 0.06), and decreased human and deer by 6–7%. Negative misclassification into livestock was significant (0.04 ≤ P ≤ 0.06). Low antibiotic resistance showed the greatest effect in this category.     

玉兰油细胞的发育及其与器官结构发育的关系

利用石蜡切片法及半薄切片法对玉兰茎、叶、花和种子中油细胞的发育进行了研究,结果表明：在所研究的各器官中油细胞以相同的方式发生。油细胞原始细胞因其细胞质染色较深、细胞核大明显及液泡化程度低而易与周围组织细胞分辨,以后,原始细胞逐渐液泡化,最终形成一个中央大液泡,其细胞质及细胞核呈一薄层,当油细胞成熟时,其细胞质和细胞核解体,而大液泡充满整个油细胞腔,成为储油的囊,在一些油细胞中,可观察到怀形构造,但     

The role of lipids in fermentative propionate production from the co-fermentation of lipid and food waste

● Lipid can promote PA production on a target from food waste. ● PA productivity reached 6.23 g/(L∙d) from co-fermentation of lipid and food waste. ● Lipid promoted the hydrolysis and utilization of protein in food waste. ● Prevotella , Veillonella and norank _f _Propioni bacteriaceae were enriched. ● Main pathway of PA production was the succinate pathway. Food waste (FW) is a promising renewable low-cost biomass substrate for enhancing the economic feasibility of fermentative propionate production. Although lipids, a common component of food waste, can be used as a carbon source to enhance the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during co-fermentation, few studies have evaluated the potential for directional propionate production from the co-fermentation of lipids and FW. In this study, co-fermentation experiments were conducted using different combinations of lipids and FW for VFA production. The contributions of lipids and FW to propionate production, hydrolysis of substrates, and microbial composition during co-fermentation were evaluated. The results revealed that lipids shifted the fermentation type of FW from butyric to propionic acid fermentation. Based on the estimated propionate production kinetic parameters, the maximum propionate productivity increased significantly with an increase in lipid content, reaching 6.23 g propionate/(L∙d) at a lipid content of 50%. Propionate-producing bacteria Prevotella, Veillonella, and norank_f_Propionibacteriaceae were enriched in the presence of lipids, and the succinate pathway was identified as a prominent fermentation route for propionate production. Moreover, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional annotation revealed that the expression of functional genes associated with amino acid metabolism was enhanced by the presence of lipids. Collectively, these findings will contribute to gaining a better understanding of targeted propionate production from FW.     

Oxidative and genotoxic effects of bisphenol A on primary gill cell culture of Lake Van Fish (Alburnus tarichi Güldenstädt, 1814)

Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey. The lake limits lifespan due to its high pH and brackish water. For this reason, only a single species of fish (Van Fish) is living in the lake that has been adapted to these conditions. In the present study, we investigated the total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), malondialdehyde (MDA) level and DNA damage effect of bisphenol A (BPA) (10^?7, 10^?6 and 10^?5?M) on primary gill cell culture of Van Fish for 24 and 48?h of incubation periods. TAS levels were not changed when compared to those of the control group, but TOS levels were decreased in both 24 and 48?h. The MDA level increased only at the highest concentration (10^?5) at the end of 12 and 24?h (p?.05). DNA damage increased only at the 10^?5?M concentration after 48?h. At the end of the experiment, BPA exposure caused lipid peroxidation and genotoxic effect. These results indicate that high levels of BPA exposure induced oxidative stress and DNA damage by time- and concentration-dependent fashion in the gill cell culture of Van Fish. Gill cell culture is a useful model for the rapid identification of the harmful effects of chemicals in the aquatic environment.