Transport of testosterone and estrogen from dairy-farm waste lagoons to groundwater

Although concentrated animal feeding operations constantly generate physiologically active steroidal hormones, little is known of their environmental fate. Estrogen and testosterone concentrations in groundwater and their distribution in sediments below a dairy-farm wastewater lagoon were therefore determined and compared to a reference site located upgradient of the farm. Forward simulations of flow as well as estrogen and testosterone transport were conducted based on data from the sediment profile obtained during drilling of a monitoring well belowthe dairy-farm waste lagoon. Testosterone and estrogen were detected in sediments to depths of 45 and 32 m, respectively. Groundwater samples were directly impacted by the dairy farm, as evidenced by elevated concentrations of nitrate, chloride, testosterone, and estrogen as compared to the reference site. Modeling potential transport of hormones in the vadose zone via advection, dispersion, and sorption could not explain the depths at which estrogen and testosterone were found, suggesting that other transport mechanisms influence hormone transport under field conditions. These mechanisms may involve interactions between hormones and manure as well as preferential flow paths, leading to enhanced transport rates. These types of interactions should be further investigated to understand the processes regulating hormone transport in the subsurface environment and parametrized to forecast long-term fate and transport of steroidal hormones.     

Metabolic Syndrome: Updates on Pathophysiology and Management in 2021

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) forms a cluster of metabolic dysregulations including insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, central obesity, and hypertension. The pathogenesis of MetS encompasses multiple genetic and acquired entities that fall under the umbrella of insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation. If left untreated, MetS is significantly associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Given that CVDs constitute by far the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, it has become essential to investigate the role played by MetS in this context to reduce the heavy burden of the disease. As such, and while MetS relatively constitutes a novel clinical entity, the extent of research about the disease has been exponentially growing in the past few decades. However, many aspects of this clinical entity are still not completely understood, and many questions remain unanswered to date. In this review, we provide a historical background and highlight the epidemiology of MetS. We also discuss the current and latest knowledge about the histopathology and pathophysiology of the disease. Finally, we summarize the most recent updates about the management and the prevention of this clinical syndrome.     

D1 and D2 dopamine receptor mediation of amphetamine-induced acetylcholine release in nucleus accumbens

To assess the interaction of dopamine and acetylcholine systems in the rat nucleus accumbens in response to direct D-amphetamine administration, in vivo microdialysis measures of acetylcholine were used during reverse dialysis of amphetamine alone and in combination with D1 and D2 receptor antagonists SCH 23390 and sulpiride, respectively. During a 15-min exposure to amphetamine (50 microM) in the nucleus accumbens, acetylcholine increased to 33% above pre-infusion levels, became maximal at 15 min post-infusion (+41%) and gradually returned to baseline levels by 60 min post-amphetamine. Conversely, amphetamine (1 mM) administration caused a biphasic change in acetylcholine release with a trend toward a decrease (-14%) during exposure followed by a significant increase (+36%) at 30 min post-amphetamine that returned to baseline levels by 60 min after infusion. The increases observed during amphetamine (50 microM) exposure and during recovery from amphetamine (1 mM) were both blocked by co-administration with the D1 antagonist, SCH 23390 (10 microM), but not with the D2 antagonist, sulpiride (10 microM). Co-infusion of sulpiride eliminated the trend toward reduced acetylcholine release observed during 1 mM amphetamine whereas co-administration of SCH 23390 potentiated this decrease. A possible tonic D1 facilitation of nucleus accumbens acetylcholine release was indicated by the consistent reductions in acetylcholine release observed during infusion of SCH 23390. These results suggest that amphetamine administration in the nucleus accumbens induces a bidirectional change in acetylcholine release that is dependent on dose and opposing effects of nucleus accumbens D1 and D2 activation. In general, relatively low doses of amphetamine administered into the nucleus accumbens caused an increase in acetylcholine release that was dependent on dopamine D1 receptors whereas higher doses of amphetamine resulted in a D2-mediated decrease.     

Precise measurements of the total concentration of atmospheric CO2 and 13CO2/12CO2 isotopic ratio using a lead-salt laser diode spectrometer

We have developed a tunable diode laser spectrometer, called SIMCO (spectrometer for isotopic measurements of CO(2)), for determining the concentrations of (12)CO(2) and (13)CO(2) in atmospheric air, from which the total concentration of CO(2) and the isotopic composition (expressed in delta units) delta(13)CO(2) are calculated. The two concentrations are measured using a pair of lines around 2290.1 cm(-1), by fitting a line profile model, taking into account the confinement narrowing effect to achieve a better accuracy. Using the Allan variance, we have demonstrated (for an integration time of 25 s) a precision of 0.1 ppmv for the total CO(2) concentration and of 0.3[per thousand] for delta(13)CO(2). The performances on atmospheric air have been tested during a 3 days campaign by comparing the SIMCO instrument with a gas chromatograph (GC) for the measurement of the total CO(2) concentration and with an isotopic ratio mass spectrometer (MS) for the isotopic composition. The CO(2) concentration measurements of SIMCO are in very good agreement with the GC data with a mean difference of Delta(CO(2))=0.16+/-1.20 ppmv for a comparison period of 45 h and the linearity of the concentration between the two instruments is also very good (slope of correlation: 0.9996+/-0.0003) over the range between 380 and 415 ppmv. For delta(13)CO(2), the comparison with the MS data shows a larger mean difference of Delta(delta(13)CO(2))=(-1.9+/-1.2)[per thousand], which could be partly related to small residual fluctuations of the overall SIMCO instrument response.     

Oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis: a cause of dysphagia in a 10-year-old boy

We report a 10-year-old boy who presented with a piece of chicken stuck in his throat. He had similar episodes in the past that resolved spontaneously. The foreign body was removed and oesophagoscopy revealed no abnormality. Post-operative barium swallow showed oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis.     

Ozone therapy of diffuse peritonitis in the early postoperative period

The functional status of the oxidative-antioxidative system was studied in 72 patients after vast cancer operations. Traditional surgical treatment and its combination with intraoperative irradiation were shown to lead to tense antioxidative defense and to suppressed T-cell immunity and to call for antioxidative and immunomodulating therapy. High intraoperative blood loss complicated by hemorrhagic shock injured the oxidative-antioxidative system greatly. The magnitude of this damage correlated with the rate of prehypoxia. Addition of the potent antioxidant Ceruloplasmin to the drug regimen normalized a recovery period, helped to correct posthypoxic multiorgan insufficiency, to recover oxidative-antioxidative balance, and to decrease the incidence of pyoinflammatory complications. Patients with endogenous intoxication showed activated lipid peroxidation, decreased functional activity of antioxidative defense components and of T-cell immunity in homeostasis. The use of Ceruloplasmin and Laprot had pronounced antiinflammatory and detoxifying effects on the patient's body and activated its antioxidative defense.     

Growth and characterization of gold catalyzed SiGe nanowires and alternative metal-catalyzed Si nanowires

The growth of semiconductor (SC) nanowires (NW) by CVD using Au-catalyzed VLS process has been widely studied over the past few years. Among others SC, it is possible to grow pure Si or SiGe NW thanks to these techniques. Nevertheless, Au could deteriorate the electric properties of SC and the use of other metal catalysts will be mandatory if NW are to be designed for innovating electronic. First, this article's focus will be on SiGe NW's growth using Au catalyst. The authors managed to grow SiGe NW between 350 and 400°C. Ge concentration (x) in Si1-xGex NW has been successfully varied by modifying the gas flow ratio: R = GeH4/(SiH4 + GeH4). Characterization (by Raman spectroscopy and XRD) revealed concentrations varying from 0.2 to 0.46 on NW grown at 375°C, with R varying from 0.05 to 0.15. Second, the results of Si NW growths by CVD using alternatives catalysts such as platinum-, palladium- and nickel-silicides are presented. This study, carried out on a LPCVD furnace, aimed at defining Si NW growth conditions when using such catalysts. Since the growth temperatures investigated are lower than the eutectic temperatures of these Si-metal alloys, VSS growth is expected and observed. Different temperatures and HCl flow rates have been tested with the aim of minimizing 2D growth which induces an important tapering of the NW. Finally, mechanical characterization of single NW has been carried out using an AFM method developed at the LTM. It consists in measuring the deflection of an AFM tip while performing approach-retract curves at various positions along the length of a cantilevered NW. This approach allows the measurement of as-grown single NW's Young modulus and spring constant, and alleviates uncertainties inherent in single point measurement.     

A new test for cleaning efficiency assessment of cleaners for hard surfaces

A new test was developed to assess the efficiency of no-wiping hard-surface cleaning. The test allows cleaner comparisons according to their ability to remove greasy soils. The chosen approach minimizes the mechanical forces applied while cleaning so that the interactions between a detergent solution and the soil to be removed can be characterized. For this, immersion cleaning was chosen, with coated stainless steel as substrate and pigmented oils as the model soil. Several parameters were studied in defined ranges using the Experimental Design method and systematic comparisons. The test shows high reliability on degreasing assessments and is there-fore especially suited to optimization of nonionic surfactant mixes. The originality of the test lies in the possibility of keeping a visual trace of the cleaned substrate appearance by imprinting it on a piece of paper. The validation of the test leads to corroboration of several practical observations. Temperature and agitation play a major role in cleaning efficiency. Detergent solution concentration is a more relevant parameter than pH. Sodium carbonate is shown to have a higher buffering effect than pentahydrated sodium metasilicate. The test is easy to set up, highly sensitive, and can be adapted to solve the problems encountered by formulators of detergent cleaners, such as screening the best ethoxylated fatty alcohol mix for better degreasing properties.     

Direct-writing of PbS nanoparticles inside transparent porous silica monoliths using pulsed femtosecond laser irradiation

Pulsed femtosecond laser irradiation at low repetition rate, without any annealing, has been used to localize the growth of PbS nanoparticles, for the first time, inside a transparent porous silica matrix prepared by a sol-gel route. Before the irradiation, the porous silica host has been soaked within a solution containing PbS precursors. The effect of the incident laser power on the particle size was studied. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the PbS crystallites inside the irradiated areas and to estimate the average particle size. The localized laser irradiation led to PbS crystallite size ranging between 4 and 8 nm, depending on the incident femtosecond laser power. The optical properties of the obtained PbS-silica nanocomposites have been investigated using absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Finally, the stability of PbS nanoparticles embedded inside the host matrices has been followed as a function of time, and it has been shown that this stability depends on the nanoparticle mean size.     

Efficient Immobilization of Yeast Transketolase on Layered Double Hydroxides and Application for Ketose Synthesis

Transketolase (TK) from S. cerevisiae was successfully immobilized on layered double hydroxides (LDH) using simple, affordable and efficient adsorption and coprecipitation based immobilization procedures. Optimization of the preparation was performed using zinc aluminium nitrate (Zn₂Al‐NO₃) and magnesium aluminium nitrate (Mg₂Al‐NO₃) LDH as immobilization supports, and the protein‐to‐LDH weight ratio (Q) was varied. The highest immobilization yields (98–99%) and highest relative specific activities (4.2–4.4 U⋅mg⁻¹ for the immobilized enzyme compared to 4.5 U⋅mg⁻¹ for the free enzyme) were both achieved when using a protein‐to‐LDH weight ratio (Q) of 0.38. Efficient lyophilization of the LDH‐TK bionanocomposites thus synthesized was proven to allow easy use and storage of the supported TK with no significant loss of activity over a three‐month period. The kinetic parameters of the LDH‐TK enzyme were comparable to those of the free TK. The LDH‐TK enzyme was finally tested for the synthesis of L ‐erythrulose starting from hydroxypyruvate lithium salt (Li‐HPA) and glycolaldehyde (GA) as substrates. L ‐erythrulose was characterized and obtained with an isolated yield of 56% similar to that obtained with free TK. The reusability of the LDH‐TK biohybrid material was then investigated, and we found no loss of enzymatic activity over six cycles.