Removal of cadmium and lead from aqueous solution by Enterococcus faecium strains.

Foods may be contaminated with heavy metals, which, even in small quantities, possess detrimental effects on human health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the uptake of cadmium or lead from an aqueous medium frequently found in foods, by 2 Enterococcus faecium strains (E. faecium EF031 and E. faecium M74). Also, the effects of the bacterial viability, incubation (contact) time, and pH on the binding capacities and binding stability were assessed. The results showed that both of the strains efficiently removed cadmium and lead. While EF031 removed 77.3% to 98.1% of cadmium and 66.9% to 98.9% of lead, M74 removed 53.5% to 91% of cadmium and 42.9% to 93.1% of lead throughout a 48 h incubation period at pH 5. It was found that, at 1 h, EF031 and M74 strains removed cadmium and lead, which was more than 60% of total removed cadmium and lead throughout the whole incubation period of 48 h. It suggests that the uptake of cadmium and lead by EF031 and M74 strains is a rapid process. The binding of both heavy metals increased with increasing pH of an aqueous medium and was the highest at pH 5. Also, the complexes formed between both heavy metals and bacterial cells were found to be stable. These findings indicate that E. faecium strains used in the study are able to bind the 2 heavy metals and may be used in the production of fermented functional foods, which will be healthy via its detoxification properties.

Molecular diversity of methanotrophs in Transbaikal soda lake sediments and identification of potentially active populations by stable isotope probing.

Soda lakes are an environment with an unusually high pH and often high salinity. To identify the active methanotrophs in the Soda lake sediments, sediment slurries were incubated with a 10% (v/v) (13)CH(4) headspace and the (13)C-labelled DNA was subsequently extracted from these sediments following CsCl density gradient centrifugation. This DNA was then used as a template for PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes and genes encoding PmoA and MmoX of methane monooxygenase, key enzymes in the methane oxidation pathway. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes, PmoA and MmoX identified that strains of Methylomicrobium, Methylobacter, Methylomonas and 'Methylothermus' had assimilated the (13)CH(4). Phylogenetic analysis of PmoA sequences amplified from DNA extracted from Soda lake sediments before Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) treatment showed that a much wider diversity of both type I and type II methanotroph sequences are present in this alkaline environment. The majority of methanotroph sequences detected in the (13)C-DNA studies were from type I methanotrophs, with 50% of 16S rRNA clones and 100% of pmoA clones from both Lake Suduntuiskii Torom and Lake Gorbunka suggesting that the type I methanotrophs are probably responsible for the majority of methane oxidation in this environment.

The aging male reproductive system.

The frequency of sexual activity declines dramatically with age, but this cannot be attributed, with any degree of certainty, to the rather modest hormonal and spermatogenic changes observed with advancing age. Despite the development of intrinsic age-related defects at all levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, reproductive capacity is maintained in most healthy elderly men.

Diabetic foot: strategies to prevent and treat common problems.

Neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, limited joint mobility, and reduced resistance to infection all play a role in the development of foot pathology in diabetic patients. Once established, ulcerations and infections may provoke an irreversible cascade of events, culminating in limb loss. The best cure, therefore, is prevention. Working as a team, the primary care physician and the podiatrist can prevent problems before they occur and manage problems when they do happen. Shoes for the diabetic with neuropathy should have laces or a strap, a soft wide toe-box, and ample plantar soft tissue supplementation. When ulcers do occur, the mainstays of management are weight dispersion, debridement of devitalized tissue, and use of antibiotics where appropriate.