The effect of bacteria on uranium sequestration stability by different forms of phosphorus.

Immobilisation of uranium (U (VI)) by direct precipitation of uranyl phosphate (U-P) exhibits a great potential application in the remediation of U (VI)-contaminated environments. However, phosphorus, vital element of bacteria's decomposition, absorption and transformationmay affect the stability of U (VI) with ageing time. The main purpose of this work is to study the effect of bacteria on uranium sequestration mechanism and stability by different forms of phosphorus in a water sedimentary system. The results showed that phosphate effectively enhanced the removal of U (VI), with 99.84%. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses imply that U (VI) and U (IV) co-exist on the surface of the samples. Combined with BCR results, it demonstrated that bacteria and phosphorus have a synergistic effect on the removal of U (VI), realising the immobilisation of U (VI) from a transferable phase to a stable phase. However, from a long-term perspective, the redissolution and release of uranium immobilisation of U (VI) by pure bacteria with ageing time are worthy of attention, especially in uranium mining environments rich in sensitive substances. This observation implies that the stability of the uranium may be impacted by the prevailing environmental conditions. The novel findings could provide theoretical evidence for U (VI) bio-immobilisation in U (VI)-contaminated environments.

Non-coding RNAs in renal cell carcinoma: Implications for drug resistance.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents a malignant tumor of the urinary system. Individuals with early-stage RCC could be cured by surgical treatment, but a considerable number of cases of advanced RCC progress to drug resistance. Recently, numerous reports have demonstrated that a variety of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) contribute to tumor occurrence and development. ncRNAs can act as oncogenic or tumor suppressor genes to regulate proliferation, migration, drug resistance and other processes in RCC cells through a variety of signaling pathways. Considering the lack of treatment options for advanced RCC after drug resistance, ncRNAs may be a good choice as biomarkers of drug resistance in RCC and targets to overcome drug resistance. In this review, we discussed the effects of ncRNAs on drug resistance in RCC and the great potential of ncRNAs as a biomarker of or a new therapeutic method in RCC.

Effects of an algicidal bacterium Pseudomonas mendocina on the growth and antioxidant system of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae.

Evident effect of an algicidal bacterium Pseudomonas mendocina on the growth and antioxidant system of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was detected in this experiment. Seven parameters including the chlorophyll a contents, Fv/Fm values, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malonaldehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), peroxide dismutase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were tested in the cyanobacterium A. flos-aquae cells after inoculation with the algicidal bacterium Pseudomonas mendocina DC10. It was shown from the experiment that the growth of the treated cyanobacterium A. flos-aquae was significantly restrained, which was expressed as great reductions in the chlorophyll a contents and Fv/Fm values. At the same time, the treated cyanobacterial cells exhibited an obvious increase in the production of ROS and MDA compared with the control. CAT and POD activities in the treated group kept at high level, however, they both reduced significantly on day 6. SOD activities in the treated A. flos-aquae showed obvious declines after inoculation, and great augmentations on day 3 and 4, thereafter, they kept in a declining tendency. The results showed the oxidative stresses induced by the bacterium could be a killing agent of the cyanobacterium A. flos-aquae cells.

Effects of sand burial on biomass, chlorophyll fluorescence and extracellular polysaccharides of man-made cyanobacterial crusts under experimental conditions.

Soil cyanobacterial crusts occur throughout the world, especially in the semiarid and arid regions. It always encounters sand burial, which is an important feature of mobile sand dunes. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the effects of sand burial on biomass, chlorophyll fluorescence and extracellular polysaccharides of man-made cyanobacterial crusts in six periods of time (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 d after burying) and at five depths (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 cm). The results indicated that with the increase of the burial time and burial depth extracellular polysaccharides content and Fv/Fm decreased correspondingly and there were no significant differences between 20 and 30 burial days under different burial depths. The degradation of chlorophyll a content appeared only at 20 and 30 burial days and there was also no significant difference between them under different burial depths. It was also observed a simultaneous decrease of the values of the Fv/Fm and the content of extracellular polysaccharides happened in the crusted cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus Gom. It may suggest that there exists a relationship between extracellular polysaccharides and recovery of the activity of photosystem II (PS II) after rehydration.