Search

The influence of wastewater (WW) composition and the bioaggregates types (floccular vs. aerobic granular sludge - AGS) on the content, physical-chemical, hydrogel and rheological properties of Alginate-Like Exopolymers (ALE) was studied. Results showed that ALE are a complex mixture of proteins, humic acids and polysaccharides. Overall, rather similar ALE content and composition was observed for the different types of sludge. Only the AGS fed with acetate and propionate yielded significantly larger amount of ALE (261 ± 33 mg VS ALE /g VS sludge , +49%) and of uronic sugars in ALE (254 ± 32 mg glucuronic acid /g VS ALE , +62%) than bioaggregates fed with no/very little volatile fatty acids. Mannuronic acids are involved in the cohesion of the hydrogels. ALE hydrogels elasticity changed significantly with the type/origin of the bioaggregates. ALE hydrogels elasticity from AGS was always higher than from flocs when fed with real WW. Hence, different types of sludge impact the properties of the recovered ALE., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a microbial biofilm self-aggregation, which is effective for nutrient and pollutant removal, through the development of dense microbial layers bound together with extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). However, long start-up times and granule disintegration are still challenges ahead. An array of external additives, including ion chelating agents, sludge-based enhancers, and magnetic influence have been tested to overcome these barriers. The application of such additives may promote enhanced EPS production, neutralization of charges on the bacterial surface, acts as a core-induced agent, or as a bridge to connect EPSs and cell surfaces. Although additives may improve the granule formation without reducing treatment efficiencies, there are still environmental concerns due to the fate and toxicity of discharged excess sludge. This mini-review identifies an array of external additives and their mechanisms to improve granulation properties, and proposes discussion about the technical and economic viability of these additives. KEY POINTS: • Additives reduce granulation time and repair granule disintegration. • Biopolymer-based additives fulfill technical and environmental requirements. • Sludge-based additives are cheap and in line with the resource recovery concept. • The need for environmental-friendly additives for aerobic granular sludge process. • External additives affect granular biomass size distribution.

Alginate-like exopolymers (ALE) are present in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of biological sludge such as aerobic granular sludge (AGS). The recovery of ALE from excess sludge produced by wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is a relevant approach for the recovery of valuable products of industrial interest. However, little is known about dynamics of ALE content in sludge and associated factors. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the dynamics of EPS and ALE in terms of content, some chemical properties and influencing environmental factors along granulation in a sequencing batch reactor treating municipal wastewater. Results indicated that the EPS content was not correlated with the development of AGS, while the ALE content was higher, more stable and steadily increased after granulation achievement. Overall, 236 ± 27 mg VS ALE /g VS sludge was recovered from AGS and 187 ± 94 mg VS ALE /g VS sludge from flocs. However, the lower ALE content in flocs may be compensated by the higher sludge production rate in activated sludge systems. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that ALE content positively correlates with the nutrient and organic substrate conversion, and with the fraction of large AGS. Microbial analyses indicated that a stable microbial community composition was associated with a higher and more stable ALE content. ALE recovered from both flocs and AGS was endowed with hydrogel property, and no clear difference in their elemental composition and functional groups was observed. Therefore, our study provides insights about quantitative and qualitative aspects of ALE which are helpful for the improvement of waste biological sludge valorization., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A comparison of two controlled ethanol-blended fuel releases under monitored natural attenuation (MNA) versus nitrate biostimulation (NB) illustrates the potential benefits of augmenting the electron acceptor pool with nitrate to accelerate ethanol removal and thus mitigate its inhibitory effects on BTEX biodegradation. Groundwater concentrations of ethanol and BTEX were measured 2 m downgradient of the source zones. In both field experiments, initial source-zone BTEX concentrations represented less than 5% of the dissolved total organic carbon (TOC) associated with the release, and measurable BTEX degradation occurred only after the ethanol fraction in the multicomponent substrate mixture decreased sharply. However, ethanol removal was faster in the nitrate amended plot (1.4 years) than under natural attenuation conditions (3.0 years), which led to faster BTEX degradation. This reflects, in part, that an abundant substrate (ethanol) can dilute the metabolic flux of target pollutants (BTEX) whose biodegradation rate eventually increases with its relative abundance after ethanol is preferentially consumed. The fate and transport of ethanol and benzene were accurately simulated in both releases using RT3D with our general substrate interaction module (GSIM) that considers metabolic flux dilution. Since source zone benzene concentrations are relatively low compared to those of ethanol (or its degradation byproduct, acetate), our simulations imply that the initial focus of cleanup efforts (after free-product recovery) should be to stimulate the degradation of ethanol (e.g., by nitrate addition) to decrease its fraction in the mixture and speed up BTEX biodegradation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A suggestive locus on chromosome 8 could be shown to be associated with familial high factor VIII (FVIII) levels in venous thromboembolism. The ADAMDEC 1 gene is a candidate expressing an ectodomain sheddase. However, the ectodomain of the clearance receptor for FVIII, the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), is subject to proteolysis by metalloproteases like ADAMDEC1. Other LRP-interacting proteins are lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and t-PA. For an association study, 165 thrombotic patients with high FVIII levels (from the MAISTHRO, i.e. Main-Isar-thrombosis register) were included. All patients with known causes for high FVIII levels had been previously excluded. The patients were compared with 214 healthy blood donors. Polymorphisms with usually a minor allele frequency >5%, i.e. 24 SNPs and two insertion/deletion polymorphisms of LPL gene, eight SNPs of the t-PA gene, and five SNPs of the ADAMDEC1 gene, were analyzed. Haplotype differences were calculated using PHASE. A new polymorphism in intron 7 of the t-PA gene with a minor allele frequency of 2.2% was identified. Analysis of each SNP by the Cochrane-Armitage trend test did not show any significant association between genotype and disease status. Interestingly, the ADAMDEC1 haplotype (rs12674766, rs10087305, rs2291577, rs2291578, rs3765124) differed between cases and controls (p = 0.04). In particular, the TGTGG haplotype showed a difference. In conclusion, the ADAMDEC 1 haplotype may indicate an underlying mechanism for high FVIII levels. The only moderate linkage disequilibrium may be due to a possible causal polymorphism in distant introns or the promoter region against a polygenic background.

Platelet function is sensitive to alterations in cholesterol metabolism, and hypercholesterolemia is associated with enhanced platelet reagibility. Atherogenic low-density lipoproteins (LDL), in particular oxidized LDL, activate src-kinase-family-dependent signalling. In contrast, antiatherogenic high-density lipoproteins(HDL) inhibit platelet aggregation and target the phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C (PI-PLC) pathway. Sphingosine 1-phosphate is a major HDL component and may be crucial for downstream reactions of collagen-induced glycoprotein VI signalling and phosphoinositide 3-kinase. The ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) regulates cell membrane phospholipid and cholesterol homeostasis and their release to lipid-poor apolipoprotein AI to generate prebeta-HDL precursor particles. ABCA1 also interacts with modulators of vesicular trafficking and number and impaired release of dense bodies from platelets. The ABCA1-NH2-terminus-associated Syntaxin-13, a SNARE complex protein, interacts with syntaxin 13-interacting protein (pallidin) whose deficiency leads to impaired platelet granule release from the dense granule Adapter Protein-3 (AP-3)-related pathway. Interestingly, the cholesterol transporter ABCG1 in addition to ABCA1 is another constituent of the AP-3 pathway, and disorders of lysosome-related organelles such as the Hermansky-Pudlack syndrome complex, Chediak-Higashi syndrome and the ceroid lipofuscinoses provide new opportunities to understand AP-3 pathway-related disorders and the irrelation to membrane phospholipid processing. ABCA1 mutations are involved in dysregulated vesicular trafficking from the trans golgi compartment to the plasma membrane, and ABCA1 R1925Q was shown to contribute to Scott syndrome, a phospholipid-processing disorder of missing surface exposure of phosphatidlyserine. The P2Y12 receptor triggers dense granule secretion by downstream effectors including the G-protein-coupled inward rectifier K+ channel-4 (GIRK-4), and we found the sister geneGIRK-3 associated with the ABCA1 protein in macrophages. It is concluded that the presence of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in the AP-3 pathway will have major impact for membrane phospholipid processing and HDL metabolism and their relation to disorders of lysosome-related organelles.

High factor VIII (FVIII) levels are known to be a risk factor for deep venous thrombosis, but the mechanisms responsible for high FVIII levels remain unclear. Here, a new phenotype "FVIII level residuum" (FVIII-R) was defined in order to eliminate the impact of common determinants on FVIII levels. We studied 13 families of patients with thrombosis and reproducibly high FVIII levels of unknown origin. Since familial clustering was evident, we looked for a possible genetic basis. A genome scan was performed with 402 evenly spaced microsatellite markers. A quantitative linkage analysis using variance component methods showed suggestive evidence for linkage of FVIII-R with a locus on chromosome 8 (logarithm of odds [LOD] = 2.1). In addition, we performed parametric exploratory linkage analysis of dichotomized FVIII-R, taking a parent-of-origin effect into account. Single-trait-locus MOD-score analysis showed suggestive evidence for linkage under an imprinting model at chromosomes 5 and 11. Furthermore, a 2-trait-locus analysis under a multiplicative model for the loci of chromosomes 5 and 11 yielded a remarkable LOD of 4.44. It confirmed the finding of paternal imprinting, obtained by single-trait-locus analysis, at both loci. Our results suggest that high FVIII levels in venous thromboembolism represent a complex trait caused by several genetic factors.

Theoretically, von Willebrand factor (VWF) should be capable of binding all factor VIII (FVIII), but an unbound FVIII (uFVIII) plasma fraction remains. In patients' status post deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), an altered uFVIII fraction and high FVIII levels might be indicative of dysfunctional FVIII regulation. Out of 928 consecutive DVT patients, 321 were found to have high FVIII levels. After excluding 183 patients with known causes for high FVIII levels, plasma samples with unexplainably high FVIII levels were available from 84 patients. To capture the FVIII-VWF-complex, superparamagnetic polystyrene beads with covalently attached streptavidin were coated with biotinylated anti-rabbit Ig and incubated with rabbit anti-human VWF-Ig. Slowly thawed plasma samples were added to cooled beads, which were then separated by a magnetic particle concentrator. The uFVIII fraction was calculated by dividing the FVIII activity in the supernatant of the FVIII-VWF-complex-free sample by the FVIII activity in the supernatant of the control sample. Additionally, the VWF residuum in the supernatant was determined. Compared to age- and sex-matched blood donors, thrombosis patients showed a significantly higher plasma FVIII/VWF ratio (median: 1.3 vs. 1.0, p<0.001). uFVIII fraction data were adjusted for VWF residuum. After forward stepwise logistic regression, uFVIII had an odds ratio of 0.48 (95% CI 0.34-0.65), i.e. the uFVIII fraction was reduced in thrombosis patients. Analysis of covariance confirmed these results: In thrombosis patients, the estimated mean of the uFVIII fraction was significantly lower (6.34% vs. 7.58%, p<0.001). In conclusion, thrombosis patients with high FVIII levels showed a higher FVIII/VWF ratio, similar to mice with defective FVIII clearance. The clearly reduced uFVIII fraction lends further support to the hypothesis of a modified FVIII clearance.

Mutations such as factor V Leiden G1691A (FVL), prothrombin G20210A (FIIM), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) 844ins68 and endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) 4031ins23 are risk factors for thromboembolism. To assess the role of these mutations in young adults with cerebral ischemia of otherwise undetermined etiology, 93 patients younger than 50 years old with thromboembolic strokes or transient ischemic attacks were studied. One hundred and eighty-six healthy age-matched and sex-matched blood donors served as controls. The FVL mutation was detected in 15/93 patients and 13/186 controls. After adjustment for smoking, arterial hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, the association of the FVL mutation with cerebral ischemia [odds ratio (OR), 3.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.38-7.39] remained significant. One of 93 patients and 6/186 controls were carriers of FIIM (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.04-2.75). We detected the MTHFR TT677 genotype in 9/93 patients and 26/186 controls (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.30-1.47), a CBS 844ins68 mutation in 12/93 patients and 19/186 controls (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.60-2.81), and an EPCR 4031ins23 mutation in 1/93 patients and in no control individual (P = 0.33). In conclusion, in younger adults the FVL mutation is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease. FIIM, the MTHFR TT677 genotype and the CBS 844ins68 mutation did not contribute to the risk in this group of patients. The EPCR 4031ins23 mutation is very rare, its possible role needs further investigation.

Hypercoagulability is observed in patients with inherited thrombophilia, e.g. factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation. Pregnancy represents a hypercoagulable state as well. This study addresses the effects of the FVL mutation on haemostatic activation during pregnancy as indicated by prothrombin fragments (F1+2). 233 pregnant women with no history of venous thromboembolism were studied. Additionally, two patient groups (25 pregnant FVL carriers and 36 pregnant women without thrombophilic diathesis) in whom low molecular weight heparin (dalteparin) was used prophylactically against rethrombosis were investigated. None of the women developed clinical signs of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy or after delivery. Untreated women exhibited substantial hypercoagulability. F1+2 levels were similar in FVL carriers and non-carriers (difference n. s.). After sufficient adjustment for anti-factor Xa activity (> or =0.15; < or =0.4 U/mL), heparinized women without any thrombophilic diathesis had significantly lower levels of F1+2 than untreated pregnant women. This was evident only in the first and second trimenon (p <0.001). F1+2 levels in heparinized FVL carriers were quite similar to the levels observed in untreated pregnant women, however. In conclusion, our data support the thesis that in comparison to asymptomatic patients, thrombin generation is exaggerated in symptomatic FVL carriers. Coagulation activation during pregnancy can be reduced by dalteparin.

High levels of factor VIII (FVIII) but not von Willebrand factor (vWF) are known to increase the risk for venous thromboembolism. Whether high FVIII levels originate from hereditary defects or from acquired conditions remains unanswered. The objective of our study was to investigate whether there is evidence for familial clustering of elevated FVIII levels in families in which >/=1 member has been affected by a thromboembolic event and had reproducibly high FVIII levels. We investigated FVIII levels in 361 patients with previous venous thromboembolism. FVIII levels were measured by a chromogenic assay; the cutoff value was defined as the 98th percentile of FVIII plasma levels of 266 blood donors. vWF levels were determined by an enzyme immunoassay. After exclusion of known causes of FVIII elevation, such as the acute thrombotic event itself; inflammation; malignancy; liver, renal, or vascular disease; surgery; or pregnancy, we included 17 patients with unexplained, reproducibly high FVIII levels. The investigation was also extended to these patients' relatives. Multiple regressive analysis of blood donors and asymptomatic family members showed that the affiliation with a family in which 1 member suffered from venous thromboembolism and had reproducibly high FVIII levels is the second most important predictor for FVIII levels. Familial clustering was analyzed by the Houwing-Duistermaat familial aggregation test. After adjustment for the influence of age, sex, blood group, and vWF, FVIII levels were significantly (P:=0.038) clustered within families. In conclusion, FVIII levels seem to be familially determined in families in which a member showed high FVIII levels after previous venous thromboembolism.

The cumulative thrombotic risk of Factor V (FV) Leiden and oral contraceptives (OC) recommends screening for the mutation. Assuming that a family history of thrombosis increases the patient's likelihood of bearing FV Leiden, a selective rather than universal screening would be performed. We studied the utility of a family history of thrombosis for screening of FV Leiden before prescription of OC and, furthermore, the utility of screening even if oral contraception is favoured. 101 patients who had their first and single thromboembolic event while using OC were interviewed. 609 women without any history of thromboembolism recruited by gynecologists completed a standard questionnaire. 101 of these women, age-matched and currently using OC, were selected for a case-control study. Regarding patients with previous thromboembolism, a family history in a first-degree relative had a positive predictive value (PPV) of only 14% for FV Leiden. A PPV of 12% was calculated by investigating the 609 thrombosis-free women. Inherited FV Leiden (odds ratio = 4.9) and acquired risk factors (odds ratio = 10.1) were both found to be the most prominent, but independent additional risks. Nevertheless, FV Leiden carriers, both heterozygotes and homozygotes, did not suffer earlier from thromboembolism than patients without the mutation. In conclusion, family history is an unreliable criterion to detect FV Leiden carriers. Screening for factor V Leiden can be worthwhile even if the advantages of oral contraception are higher assessed than the thrombotic risk. Affected women knowing about their additional risk could contribute to the prevention of thrombosis in risk situations.

We report on a 27-year-old healthy female with transient hyperphosphatasaemia of adulthood (it is the eighth case ever recorded). A maximum alkaline phosphatase activity of 1950 U/l, 11-fold the upper reference limit, was measured. The activity normalized within 11 weeks. Electrophoresis revealed the typical pattern for alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes observed in transient hyperphosphatasaemia of infancy: a fast-migrating liver isoenzyme and a bone isoenzyme. Contrary to the findings in transient hyperphosphatasaemia of infancy the liver isoenzyme did not precipitate with wheat-germ lectin whereas the bone isoenzyme partially bound to lectin. Biochemical features of transient hyperphosphatasaemia in an adult may be different from those in infancy. Recognition of an atypical pattern could help avoid unnecessary extensive investigations.

The relationship between two cellular prognostic parameters of multiple myeloma, the plasma cell labeling index (LI%) and bone marrow histology was studied. The LI% as the percentage of monoclonal plasma cells in the S-phase was measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation using the anti-bromodeoxyuridine antibody BU-1. The histologic classification was based on six plasma cell types that allow prognostic grading as the Marschalko, small cell, cleaved, polymorphous, asynchronous, and blastic types. The biopsies also were used for estimating the degree of infiltration. Beta 2-microglobulin (IMx assay, Abbott, North Chicago, IL), the most significant serum parameter for myeloma also was measured for comparison. Bone marrow specimens and sera were obtained from 50 myeloma patients. Fourteen patients with smoldering myeloma were characterized by well-differentiated Marschalko or small cell type cells, a low LI% and a low beta 2-microglobulin concentration. Considering all myeloma patients, plasma cell type and degree of infiltration showed a significant correlation with LI% and beta 2-microglobulin concentration. Patients with plasma cells that were not mature cells of the Marschalko or small cell type revealed a high LI% or high beta 2-microglobulin level in 16 of 19 cases. However, a high LI% or high beta 2-microglobulin level could be detected in only 8 of 31 patients with plasma cells of the Marschalko or small cell type. Three of 21 stage I patients did not show the typical finding of a low LI%, low beta 2-microglobulin level, and a favorable grade. Stage II patients were not uniformly characterized by LI%, beta 2-microglobulin and plasma cell morphology. The percentage of nucleolated plasma cells was not associated with the LI%. Bone marrow histology, LI%, and beta 2-microglobulin concentration appear to be supplementary prognostic factors. If LI% and beta 2-microglobulin levels are not measured, a higher risk could be overlooked in cases with mature plasma cells.

Hoffmann-La Roche has introduced a fully automated COBAS CORE EIA for the measurement of prostate specific antigen (PSA). A regular and an ultrasensitive version of the assay are available. Both versions of the COBAS CORE PSA EIA were compared with the established IMx PSA assay from Abbott. Sera from 98 apparently healthy males, 224 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia, 17 patients with prostatitis and 111 patients with prostate cancer were determined using the COBAS CORE PSA EIA in comparison with the IMx PSA assay. The sera were drawn before treatment. Sera from 26 patients were also monitored through follow-up testing. The COBAS CORE analyser allows rapid analysis of large series of samples. Intra-assay imprecision (CV) was between 1.7% and 4.9% (IMx PSA: between 2.4% and 2.7%). The coefficient of variation for inter-assay imprecision was between 3.4% and 6.5% (IMx PSA: between 3.2% and 3.3%). The analytical detection limit was determined as 0.2 microgram/l for the regular COBAS CORE PSA EIA and 0.05 microgram/l for the ultrasensitive version. A biological detection limit of 0.1 microgram/l was determined for the ultrasensitive version. Results obtained using the COBAS CORE PSA EIA and IMx PSA assays were in excellent correlation: coefficient of correlation r = 0.99 and slope = 0.92, using prostate-specific antigen values from the complete study. Only in the measuring range below 10 micrograms/l did the coefficients of correlation vary between 0.82 and 0.93.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Objectives: The new ACS prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay was methodologically and clinically compared with the established Tandem-E PSA assay. We intended to find a possible advantage in primary diagnosis and monitoring the recurrence of prostate cancer due to the additional better recognition of the free PSA form by the ACS PSA assay., Methods: sera of 51 healthy men, 127 patients with hyperplasia, and 82 untreated patients with prostate cancer were analyzed by means of the Tandem-E PSA assay (Hybritech) and the ACS PSA assay (Ciba Corning). Follow-up was done on 12 cancer patients with recurrences., Results: Both assays correlated very well (r = .98 for all studied men or hyperplasia patients or cancer patients). However, both assays did not yield comparable values: The ACS assay was characterized by nearly doubled values compared with the Tandem-E assay. At 95% specificity versus patients with benign hyperplasia, cutoff values were obtained as follows: 28.8 ng/mL for the ACS PSA assay and 15.2 ng/mL for the Tandem-E assay. At 95% specificity versus hyperplasia patients, we calculated sensitivities of 60% (ACS PSA) and 63% (Tandem-E PSA). Our longitudinal study revealed more prominent slopes for the ACS assay in patients with recurrent cancer disease. However, using either the ACS assay or the Tandem-E assay, the PSA increase started at the same time. In 1 patient, the increasing ACS PSA accelerated 3 months earlier than the increasing Tandem-E PSA did., Conclusions: The ACS assay has obviously higher PSA levels. The clinician is not familiar with such high PSA levels. The specificity-sensitivity profile nonetheless remains unchanged. If the PSA concentration is measured by the ACS assay, patients who relapse will reveal a more rapid PSA increase. Then, recurrent cancer disease may be detected earlier in some cases.

Aims: The labelling index as defined by the percentage of bone marrow plasma cells doubling their DNA in the S phase is a useful prognostic factor in multiple myeloma. The aim of this study was to examine the specificity and sensitivity of a new flow cytometric method for measuring the labelling index., Methods: Bone marrow specimens from five patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and 61 patients with multiple myeloma were investigated. The labelling index (LI%) was determined by means of a microscopic and flow cytometric method using the antibromodeoxyuridine antibody BU-1. Serum thymidine kinase, another index of proliferation, was measured by radioimmunoassay., Results: Good comparability (r = 0.83) and nearly equal imprecision (CV < 20%) were found with microscopic and flow cytometric methods of LI% measurement. However, 1000 or more cells had to be counted by microscopy around the cutoff value to avoid an unacceptable imprecision. Plasma cells with increased S phase (LI% > 1%) were characterised by their reduced light chain fluorescence intensity ratio between plasma cells and nonspecifically stained cells (7.9 v 14.8, p < 0.002), that is, by their generally lowered cytoplasmic immunoglobulin content. There was a moderate correlation between thymidine kinase and labelling index (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). At 100% specificity, myelomas with proliferating plasma cells were more sensitively detected by the labelling index than by serum thymidine kinase (55% v 32% sensitivity)., Conclusions: The labelling index represents a more specific and sensitive proliferation marker than serum thymidine kinase. Flow cytometry does not result in greater precision.