Biobleaching of mechanical paper pulp using Streptomyces rutgersensis UTMC 2445 isolated from a lignocellulose-rich soil.

AIMS: The utilization of micro-organisms in pulp and paper industries has proved biobleaching technology as an environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional approach. In this paper, the effect of actinobacterial fermentation broth on pulp biobleaching has been investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Actinobacterial colonies were isolated from lignocellulose-rich soil samples and screened for xylanase production and bleaching activity. The most efficient isolate in bleaching activity showed 100% similarity to Streptomyces rutgersensis. Pulp treatment with 5-day fermentation broth of this strain showed up to 7% increase in brightness (30°C for 6 h, pH (5-7)) compared to untreated (control) pulp. Also, after 60 min biotreatment, significant reduction (12·5%) in consumption of bleaching chemicals was achieved to obtain final brightness of 55%. CONCLUSION: Actinobacterial fermentation broth can be considered as a rich source of effective biobleaching agents which may be considered as environmental friendly and cost-effective technique in comparison with traditional method. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our findings showed ability of S. rutgersensis UTMC 2445 in bleaching chemomechanical paper pulp. Also, two strains of Saccharothrix, a rare actinobacterium, with biobleaching activity were introduced. In the proposed method, there is no need to use purified enzymes, and biobleaching process can be done using the fermentation broth.

Ultrastructure Morphological Characterization of Different Passages of Rat Dental Follicle Stem Cells at In vitro Culture.

INTRODUCTION: Stem cells play important roles in tissue renewal and repair. Tissue-derived stem cells have been demonstrated for their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Expansion of primary stem cells isolated from tissues to a large quantity through in vitro culture is needed for application of the stem cells. However, it is known that tissue stem cells commonly reduce or lose their stemness properties during in vitro culture. In this study, we assessed ultrastructural changes of rat dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs) during in vitro culture. It is our attempt to explain the loss of stemness properties in cultured tissue-stem cells at the ultrastructural level. METHOD: DFSCs was isolated from first molars of Sprague Dawley rat pups and cultured in medium consisting of alpha-MEM plus 20% FBS. Cells were passaged at 1 to 3 ratio at 90% confluence, and collected at passages 3, 6, 7 and 9 for assessment of ultrastructure morphology by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Of the four passages (3, 6, 7, and 9) examined, dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) was abundant in Passage 3 but less so in Passages 6, 7, and 9. The dilated RER contained lipid in Passages 3, 7, and 9. The mono- and polyribosomes in Passages 3 and 6 were located between the mitochondria and the RER. Mono- and polyribosomes were abundant in Passage 7, although mainly monoribosomes were present in Passage 9. Membrane-bound glycogen granules were in vacuoles bulging off the cells in Passage 3. Some glycogen granules were grouped in the periphery of a stem cell in Passage 9. Nuclei shapes were irregular and mainly euchromatic in Passages 6, 7, and 9. The mitochondria were dark and scarce in Passage 9; irregular, small, and dark in Passage 7; and small and rounded in Passage 6, and they were spread in the cytoplasm away from the nucleus in Passage 3. Cell contacts were seen in Passages 6, 7, and 9. The ultrastructure morphology of the examined DFScs was not very different from the morphology criteria of the undifferentiated cells. Large vacuoles in Passage 3 were mainly at the periphery of the cell, with the small vacuoles in the cell center. Small vacuoles were scattered in the cell center of Passage 6 and the larger ones were observed at the cell's periphery. CONCLUSIONS: We observed the following ultrastructural changes: decreases of fine cell cytoplasmic processes, dilated cytoplasmic vacuoles, cytoplasmic pinocytotic vesicles, and nuclear heterochromatin with increasing cell passage number. Conversely, mean ratios of lipid globules, nuclear euchromatin, irregular nuclear shape, and cell contact between cells were increased with passage number. The observations may suggest an increase in committed cells among the population after long-term culture of DFSCs.

Livestock mortality and offtake in sheep and goat flocks of livestock owners making use of services offered by paravets in West Afghanistan.

In the present study, we quantified the effect of livestock services provided through paravets (intermediate-level training in veterinary medicine) on mortality and offtake of small ruminants in Western Afghanistan for the years 2010, 2011 and 2013. We compared mortality in adult and in young stock, and offtake of young stock of 120 livestock owners that made use of the paravet services (Users) with 120 livestock owners who did not make use of these services (Non-users). Security issues in the districts under study influenced the choice of villages. Within villages, livestock owners were purposively selected based on their known use of the services, including the provision of biologicals such as anthelmintics and vaccines. In addition, we subdivided both categories into 'partial' and 'full' based on the intensity of use of biologicals. Paravets were not only trained on preventive and curative veterinary medicine, they were also trained in extension and trained on adhering to a cold-chain and applying quality biologicals. For Non-users there was the possibility to buy biologicals through a local market or bazaar. In Afghanistan, local markets have an extensive supply of vaccines, anthelmintics, and medicines from a variety of sources, often not handled appropriately and therefore of varying quality. The results indicated that livestock owners making partial or full use of the paravet services had statistically significant better animal health and production results. The mortalities in adult stock, expressed as Incidence Rate Ratios (IRRs), for the partial-Users and full-Users categories were estimated to be respectively 0.80 and 0.73 times the mortality observed in the partial Non-users', the reference category. A similar result was observed for young stock mortality with estimated IRRs of 0.81 and 0.77 for partial and full-Users category respectively. The offtake for partial- and full-Users category livestock owners were 1.24 and 1.21 times higher compared with the reference category. In conclusion, we demonstrated significant improvement of health and production parameters in small ruminants' flocks of owners making use of the services of the DCA-trained paravets, emphasizing the importance of this sustainable and effective system of private veterinary service delivery in Afghanistan.

Primary hyperoxaluria detected by bone marrow biopsy: case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary hyperoxaluria is a rare disease with an estimated prevalence of 1 to 3 cases per million. It is due to a hepatic enzyme deficiency responsible for an endogenous overproduction of oxalate. Oxalate crystals commonly deposit in the kidney and more rarely in bone marrow. The literature has reported, to the best of our knowledge, only two cases of hyperoxaluria diagnosed by bone marrow biopsy and our case is the only one that does not show radiological bone lesions. CASE PRESENTATION: A young 22 year old chronic hemodialysis patient with nephrocalcinosis. The patient had a personal and family history of recurrent kidney stones. He presented bone pain with worsening of his general state. On physical examination, no organomegaly was detected. Biological check-up showed only a normochromic and normocytic regenerative anemia resistant to treatment and a bone marrow biopsy was performed. It showed deposits of crystals of oxalate in the bone marrow surrounded by inflammatory reaction against foreign bodies. Given our context, no liver biopsy or genetic studies, which are gold standard of diagnosis testing, were done. The diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria was made based on morphological characteristics of crystals, his medical and family history, and the absence of any secondary cause of the condition. Since curative treatment is not available in our country, the patient only receives a palliative treatment. CONCLUSION: Primary hyperoxaluria is rarely evoked by the histological study of a bone marrow biopsy. The lack of the possibility of the only effective treatment in our context and the diagnosis, usually late, of this pathology are at the origin of the fatal evolution of the disease in almost all the cases.

[Profuse sarcoidosis associated with multiple cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas]. / Sarcoïdose profuse associée à des carcinomes épidermoïdes cutanés multiples.

BACKGROUND: The cutaneous signs of sarcoidosis are polymorphous and occasionally misleading. Herein, we report a rare case of profuse sarcoidosis involving various rare cutaneous signs specific to the disease associated with multiple cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A seventy-three-year-old man had been presenting dry ichthyosiform erythroderma for 2 years. The examination also revealed diffuse cutaneous atrophy with ulceration, superficial adenopathy and pseudotumoral hypodermic masses. Ophthalmological examination revealed conjunctival nodules. Biopsy samples for the various cutaneous lesions, salivary glands, conjunctival nodules, a hypodermic nodule and an adenopathy yielded similar images evocative of epithelioid granulomas and giant cells without caseous necrosis. Infectious causes were ruled out. Respiratory function tests showed a restrictive respiratory disorder. ACE levels were extremely high. Proteinuria was noted for 24-hour urine tests and renal punch biopsy showed an appearance of membrane-proliferative glomerulonephritis. Oral corticosteroids produced clinical and laboratory improvement. Furthermore, the patient was also presenting several invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in a setting of marked helioderma. DISCUSSION: Erythrodermic, ichthyosiform, atrophied, ulcerated and pseudotumoral forms of cutaneous sarcoidosis are very uncommon and their simultaneous appearance in the same patient is extremely rare. Further, the existence of numerous cutaneous carcinomas in this patient raises the question of an association between sarcoidosis and cancer, with fortuitous association appearing unlikely.

[Diffuse tenosenovial giant cell tumor of the wrist revealed by carpal tunnel syndrome: report of a case]. / Tumeur ténosynoviale à cellules géantes diffuse du poignet révélée par un syndrome du canal carpien: à propos d'un cas.

Giant cell tumour of tendon sheath is a benign proliferative lesion of synovial origin that may affect the joints, bursae and tendon sheaths. It is the second most common soft tissue tumor of the hand after ganglion cyst. The localised (nodular) form is the most common. However, the less-common diffuse-type giant cell tumour is usually located in the peri-articular soft tissue. The authors report the case of a giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath arising from the carpal tunnel of the wrist in a 42-year-old woman. The patient presented a mild carpal tunnel syndrome and a mid-palmar swelling. We present an unusual localization of giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath, causing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Interaction of the onset of spring and elevated atmospheric CO2 on ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) pollen production.

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide is responsible for climate changes that are having widespread effects on biological systems. One of the clearest changes is earlier onset of spring and lengthening of the growing season. We designed the present study to examine the interactive effects of timing of dormancy release of seeds with low and high atmospheric CO2 on biomass, reproduction, and phenology in ragweed plants (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.), which produce highly allergenic pollen. We released ragweed seeds from dormancy at three 15-day intervals and grew plants in climate-controlled glass-houses at either ambient or 700-ppm CO2 concentrations, placing open-top bags over influorescences to capture pollen. Measurements of plant height and weight; inflorescence number, weight, and length; and days to anthesis and anthesis date were made on each plant, and whole-plant pollen productivity was estimated from an allometric-based model. Timing and CO2 interacted to influence pollen production. At ambient CO2 levels, the earlier cohort acquired a greater biomass, a higher average weight per inflorescence, and a larger number of influorescences; flowered earlier; and had 54.8% greater pollen production than did the latest cohort. At high CO2 levels, plants showed greater biomass and reproductive effort compared with those in ambient CO2 but only for later cohorts. In the early cohort, pollen production was similar under ambient and high CO2, but in the middle and late cohorts, high CO2 increased pollen production by 32% and 55%, respectively, compared with ambient CO2 levels. Overall, ragweed pollen production can be expected to increase significantly under predicted future climate conditions.

Effects of CO2 elevation on canopy development in the stands of two co-occurring annuals.

Elevated CO2 may increase dry mass production of canopies directly through increasing net assimilation rate of leaves and also indirectly through increasing leaf area index (LAI). We studied the effects of CO2 elevation on canopy productivity and development in monospecific and mixed (1:1) stands of two co-occurring C3 annual species, Abutilon theophrasti, and Ambrosia artemisiifolia. The stands were established in the glasshouse with two CO2 levels (360 and 700 µl/l) under natural light conditions. The planting density was 100 per m2 and LAI increased up to 2.6 in 53 days of growth. Root competition was excluded by growing each plant in an individual pot. However, interference was apparent in the amount of photons absorbed by the plants and in photon absorption per unit leaf area. Greater photon absorption by Abutilon in the mixed stand was due to different canopy structures: Abutilon distributed leaves in the upper layers in the canopy while Ambrosia distributed leaves more to the lower layers. CO2 elevation did not affect the relative performance and light interception of the two species in mixed stands. Total aboveground dry mass was significantly increased with CO2 elevation, while no significant effects on leaf area development were observed. CO2 elevation increased dry mass production by 30-50%, which was mediated by 35-38% increase in the net assimilation rate (NAR) and 37-60% increase in the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, net assimilation rate per unit leaf nitrogen). Since there was a strong overall correlation between LAI and aboveground nitrogen and no significant difference was found in the regression of LAI against aboveground nitrogen between the two CO2 levels, we hypothesized that leaf area development was controlled by the amount of nitrogen taken up from the soil. This hypothesis suggests that the increased LAI with CO2 elevation observed by several authors might be due to increased uptake of nitrogen with increased root growth.

EFFECT OF THE PARENTAL NUTRIENT REGIME ON GROWTH OF THE PROGENY IN ABUTILON THEOPHRASTI (MALVACEAE).

Two genets of Abutilon theophrasti were clonally replicated and grown to maturity in a glasshouse at two levels of nutrient supply. The seeds produced were weighed and the resulting seedlings exposed to two nutrient levels during development. The progeny plants were harvested on three occasions, and leaf areas and dry weights of the different plant parts were determined. At the early stages of growth an increase in the maternal nutrient supply significantly increased seedling height, cotyledon area, and leaf areas, and seed weight had a significant effect on several traits. The maternal nutrient addition had no significant effect at a later stage of growth (35 d after sowing), but at 56 d after sowing it did affect offspring leaf areas and dry weights. Significant interaction terms indicate that the response to parental nutrient addition may depend both on genotype and on the nutrient status of the progeny. Different plant characters are differentially sensitive to maternal conditions and these may be expressed at different stages of development.

The role of CT in the management of pelvic arteriovenous malformations.

Four cases of pelvic arteriovenous malformations (AVM) were diagnosed and managed by CT, angiography, and embolotherapy. CT was used to determine the size, extent, and vascularity of each AVM and the involvement of adjacent organs. Thus CT was pivotal in the choice between surgical extirpation or embolotherapy. CT was also useful in monitoring patients following therapy.

Primary intestinal lymphangiectasia: clinical and CT findings.

We present two patients with biopsy proven primary intestinal lymphangiectasia in whom CT demonstrated diffuse nodular thickening of small bowel without adenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. One patient had extensive ascites. Although the CT findings are not specific to lymphangiectasia, they may allow one to suggest the diagnosis in the patient with protein losing enteropathy and help distinguish it from inflammatory bowel disease, lymphoma, celiac disease, or Whipple disease.