A novel porous nylon biocarrier for immobilized bacteria.

A highly porous nylon biocarrier was developed to support immobilized bacteria in bioreactors used to treat liquid wastes. Porosity analyses and scanning electron microscopy showed microbial colonization of accessible pores typically in the range of 100 to 1,200 (mu)m, with some as large as 3.9 mm. A bench-scale packed-bed reactor achieved a p-nitrophenol (PNP) removal rate of 5.95 kg of PNP m(sup-3) day(sup-1) for wastes containing 1,200 mg of PNP liter(sup-1). Complete mixing of the biocarrier bed to remove excess surface biomass was routinely achieved with simple air injection. These porous polymer biocarriers are promising as microbial supports in liquid-waste treatment and bioremediation applications.

Inhibition of sialidases from viral, bacterial and mammalian sources by analogues of 2-deoxy-2,3-didehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid modified at the C-4 position.

The inhibition of sialidase activity from influenza viruses A and B, parainfluenza 2 virus, Vibrio cholerae, Arthrobacter ureafaciens, Clostridium perfringens, and sheep liver by a range of 2-deoxy-2,3-didehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid analogues modified at the C-4 position has been studied. All substitutions tested resulted in a decrease in the degree of inhibition of the bacterial and mammalian sialidases. For sialidases from influenza viruses A and B, on the other hand, most of the substitutions tested either had no significant effect on binding or, in the case of the basic amino and guanidino substituents, resulted in significantly stronger inhibition. The results for parainfluenza 2 virus sialidase were mostly intermediate, in that inhibition was neither significantly increased nor decreased by most of the modifications. We conclude that only the influenza A and B sialidase active sites possess acid groups correctly positioned to participate in charge-charge interactions in the region of C-4 of bound substrate, and that the C-4 binding pockets of the bacterial and mammalian sialidases examined are considerably smaller than is observed for either the influenza virus or parainfluenza virus sialidases.

Syndactylism in podiatric surgery.

The syndactylism procedure is an excellent surgical choice for the correction of an iatrogenically induced flail toe. Stability of the involved digit may be achieved and the return to normal shoegear may be possible. In the patient with a long-standing painful heloma molle between the fourth and fifth toes, a syndactylism combined with head resection of the fifth proximal phalanx may be considered the procedure of choice. This procedure most effectively eliminates the fibrotic tissue while maintaining fourth and fifth toe stability. With the modifications in the skin incision suggested above, a cosmetically aesthetic result may be achieved. Adherence to meticulous technique and good patient postoperative compliance help to insure good results.

Deep vein thrombosis: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a dangerous complication that may present after elective foot surgery. Because of the frequency with which DVT occurs in the elderly patient, as well as in the podiatric surgical population, the podiatrist should be acquainted with this entity. A review of the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and the role of podiatry in the management of DVT is discussed in this paper.