MMPI–2 typology of pregnant drug-dependent women in treatment.

The present study examined the validity of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI–2) typology for pregnant drug-dependent women. A 3-cluster solution based on 7 MMPI–2 clinical scales emerged as the best model and was replicated across split-half samples and different primary substance-use diagnoses and treatment modalities. The 3 subtypes identified included Type I (n?=?40, 24%) with no clinical elevation, Type II (n?=?72, 42%) with elevated psychopathic deviate scale, and Type III (n?=?58, 34%) with elevations on all 7 scales. Analyses with interview and self-report measures showed good concurrent validity. Type II had higher retention than Type I and Type III across methadone and medication-free treatments, showing some predictive validity. An a priori method for classifying new cases on the basis of the proposed typology was developed and validated. Study findings support MMPI–2's use with pregnant drug-dependent women for assessment and possibly treatment planning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Platelet–Neutrophil Association in NETs-Rich Areas in the Retrieved AIS Patient Thrombi

Histological structure of thrombi is a strong determinant of the outcome of vascular recanalization therapy, the only treatment option for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. A total of 21 AIS patients from this study after undergoing non-enhanced CT scan and multimodal MRI were treated with mechanical stent-based and manual aspiration thrombectomy, and thromboembolic retrieved from a cerebral artery. Complementary histopathological and imaging analyses were performed to understand their composition with a specific focus on fibrin, von Willebrand factor, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Though distinct RBC-rich and platelet-rich areas were found, AIS patient thrombi were overwhelmingly platelet-rich, with 90% of thrombi containing <40% total RBC-rich contents (1.5 to 37%). Structurally, RBC-rich areas were simple, consisting of tightly packed RBCs in thin fibrin meshwork with sparsely populated nucleated cells and lacked any substantial von Willebrand factor (VWF). Platelet-rich areas were structurally more complex with thick fibrin meshwork associated with VWF. Plenty of leukocytes populated the platelet-rich areas, particularly in the periphery and border areas between platelet-rich and RBC-rich areas. Platelet-rich areas showed abundant activated neutrophils (myeloperoxidase⁺ and neutrophil-elastase⁺) containing citrullinated histone-decorated DNA. Citrullinated histone-decorated DNA also accumulated extracellularly, pointing to NETosis by the activated neutrophils. Notably, NETs-containing areas showed strong reactivity to VWF, platelets, and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), signifying a close interplay between these components.     

Circulating MicroRNA Profiling Identifies Distinct MicroRNA Signatures in Acute Ischemic Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack Patients

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) refers to a momentary neurologic deficit caused by focal cerebral, spinal or retinal ischemic insult. TIA is associated with a high risk of impending acute ischemic stroke (AIS), a neurologic dysfunction characterized by focal cerebral, spinal or retinal infarction. Understanding the differences in molecular pathways in AIS and TIA has merit for deciphering the underlying cause for neuronal deficits with long-term effects and high risks of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we performed comprehensive investigations into the circulating microRNA (miRNA) profiles of AIS (n = 191) and TIA (n = 61) patients. We performed RNA-Seq on serum samples collected within 24 hrs of clinical diagnosis and randomly divided the study populations into discovery and validation cohorts. We identified a panel of 11 differentially regulated miRNAs at FDR < 0.05. Hsa-miR-548c-5p, -20a-5p, -18a-5p, -484, -652-3p, -486-3p, -24-3p, -181a-5p and -222-3p were upregulated, while hsa-miR-500a-3p and -206 were downregulated in AIS patients compared to TIA patients. We also probed the previously validated gene targets of our identified miRNA panel to highlight the molecular pathways affected in AIS. Moreover, we developed a multivariate classifier with potential utilization as a discriminative biomarker for AIS and TIA patients. The underlying molecular pathways in AIS compared to TIA may be explored further in functional studies for therapeutic targeting in clinical translation.     

Utilization of Pistia stratiotes (aquatic weed) for fermentative biohydrogen: Electron-equivalent balance,stoichiometry, and cost estimation

This study investigated the utilization of Pistia stratiotes for biohydrogen production via a dark-fermentation process. The aquatic plant was subjected to acid-hydrolysis using H₂SO₄: 3.0% (v/v) for 40 min, resulting in sugar yield: 122.2 ± 5.2 mg/g. The optimum culture pH was 5.5, achieving hydrogen yield (HY): 2.46 ± 0.14 mol-H₂/mol-glucose (3.51 ± 0.20 mg-H₂/g-dry weight) at fermentation time 8 h, temperature 25 °C, and substrate-to-biomass (S/X) ratio 1.0 g-COD/g-VSS. The organic mass balance (92–96%) and electron-equivalent balance (92–98%) indicated the reliability of fermentation data. The dominant species included Planctomycetales, Verrucomicrobiales, Clostridiaceae, and Gammaproteobacteria. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the abundance of hydrogen-producing bacteria such as Bacillus, Clostridium, and Enterobacter. The hydrogenase gene expression provided the highest activity at pH: 5.5 with a cell number 2.53 × 10⁴ copies/ng-DNA compared to pH: 4.5 (6.95 × 10³ copies/ng-DNA) and pH: 8.5 (7.77 × 10³ copies/ng-DNA). The total cost of the fermentation system including the amortization cost of investment and operating cost was 0.08 $/kg-dry weight (22.8 $/kg-H₂ produced).     

Optimization and Partial Purification of Bacteriocins from Enterococcus spp. Indigenous to Pakistan

This study was conducted to optimize bacteriocin producing enterococcal strains isolated from indigenous fermented dairy products of Pakistan. Isolates IJ-06, IJ-21, and IJ-31 were identified as Enterococcus faecium and IJ-11 was identified as Enterococcus faecalis. All of these enterococcal isolates were catalase, gelatinase negative, and non-hemolytic on sterile sheep blood. Bacteriocin production trials confirmed E. faecium IJ-06, IJ- 21, and IJ- 31 as the potential producer of bacteriocin showing antimicrobial activity in cell-free supernatant (CFS). E. faecalis IJ-11 displayed activity after partial purification. Optimization of culture conditions for the production of bacteriocin by the selected strains showed that maximum production was achieved at 35–37°C with 1% inoculum after 16 h of incubation and at pH 7–8. The molecular mass of the partially purified enterocins falls in the range of 4.5–4.7 kDa. These enterocins were close to class IIa of bacteriocins and were highly active against Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus and other closely related strains.     

VOLUME REDUCTION AND BIOLOGICAL STABILIZATION OF SLUDGE IN SMALL SEWAGE PLANTS BY SOLAR DRYING

High investments, high dumping costs and high electrical energy consumption turn waste water treatment in small sewage plants an expensive process. Therefore, the University of Hohenheim and the company Thermo-System have developed a fully automatic low temperature solar drying plant allowing further stabilization and volume reduction of sewage sludge by continuous mixing and aerating. To test the potential of the technology, the drying process was investigated in a commercially operated municipal sewage treatment plant with aerobic sludge digestion. During experiments, the changes of the dry solids concentration and the volatile solids, the climatic conditions and the energy consumption were constantly measured and documented. It was found, that the sludge could be dried from a dry solids concentration of 3 to 93% w/w in 64 (flocculated) or 83 days (non-flocculated). At the same time, the volatile solids content was reduced from 65 to 34% w/w, respectively. The electrical energy consumption was only 22 to 28 kWh per ton of evaporated water, compared to 70 to 110 kWh required for conventional drying processes. The thermal energy for evaporation was fully covered by solar energy.     

Microbiological studies of an anaerobic baffled reactor: microbial community characterisation and deactivation of health-related indicator bacteria.

This WRC funded project has studied the appropriateness of the ABR (anaerobic baffled reactor) for on-site primary sanitation in low-income communities. A 3,000 L pilot reactor was located at the Kingsburgh wastewater treatment plant south of Durban, South Africa. Feed to the reactor was raw domestic wastewater containing a significant proportion of particulate organic matter. The compartments of the ABR were routinely monitored for pH, COD, and gas production, among other physical-chemical determinants. The microbial population in each compartment was analysed by fluorescent in situ hybridisation, using general oligonucleotide probes for eubacteria and archeae and a suite of 10 genera or family specific probes. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted on the sludge fraction of each compartment. Mixed fractions from each compartment were also analysed for health-related indicator bacteria (total coliforms and E. coli). Results indicated that methanogenesis was not occurring to the expected extent in the latter compartments, and that this was probably due to a hydraulic load limitation. This contrasted with earlier studies on industrial effluent, for which the organic load was exclusively in soluble form. Inactivation of health-related indicator bacteria was less than 1 log, indicating the need for an additional post-treatment of the effluent to protect community health.     

Dual role of microalgae: Phycoremediation of domestic wastewater and biomass production for sustainable biofuels production

Global threats of fuel shortages in the near future and climate change due to green-house gas emissions are posing serious challenges and hence and it is imperative to explore means for sustainable ways of averting the consequences. The dual application of microalgae for phycoremediation and biomass production for sustainable biofuels production is a feasible option. The use of high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) for nutrient removal has been in existence for some decades though the technology has not been fully harnessed for wastewater treatment. Therefore this paper discusses current knowledge regarding wastewater treatment using HRAPs and microalgal biomass production techniques using wastewater streams. The biomass harvesting methods and lipid extraction protocols are discussed in detail. Finally the paper discusses biodiesel production via transesterification of the lipids and other biofuels such as biomethane and bioethanol which are described using the biorefinery approach.