Mixed-culture H2 fermentation performance and the relation between microbial community composition and hydraulic retention times for a fixed bed reactor fed with galactose/glucose mixtures.

This study examined the mesophilic continuous biohydrogen fermentation from galactose and glucose mixture with an initial substrate concentration of 15 g/L (galactose 12 g/L and glucose 3 g/L) as a resembling carbon source of pretreated red algal hydrolyzate. A fixed bed reactor was fed with the sugar mixture at various hydraulic retention times (HRTs) ranging 12 to 1.5 h. The maximum hydrogen production rate of 52.6 L/L-d was found at 2 h HRT, while the maximum hydrogen yield of 2.3±0.1 mol/mol hexoseadded, was achieved at 3 h HRT. Microbial communities and species distribution were analyzed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and the dominant bacterial population was found as Clostridia followed by Lactobacillus sp. Packing material retained higher 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of total bacteria and Clostridium butyricum fraction compared to fermentation liquor. The finding of the study has demonstrated that H2 production from galactose and glucose mixture could be a viable approach for hydrogen production.

Comparison of Hepatic Resection and Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Colorectal Liver Metastasis.

The liver is the major site of metastasis of primary colorectal cancer. Hepatic resection (HR) is considered the standard treatment for colorectal liver metastasis. In high-risk cases, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can be attempted as an alternative treatment. This study compared the clinical profiles and overall and disease-free survival rates of patients with colorectal liver metastasis undergoing HR and RFA. From 1995 to 2009, we retrospectively analyzed clinical experiences of 43 and 17 patients who had undergone HR and RFA for primary colorectal cancer, respectively. To compare outcomes, we investigated the 3-year overall and disease-free survival rates. The 3-year overall survival rates of patients treated with HR and RFA were 53.5 and 47.1 %, respectively (p = 0.285); the disease-free survival rates were 35.0 and 26.9 %, respectively (p = 0.211). In the HR and RFA groups, 30 (60.2 %) and 13 (76.5 %) patients developed recurrence, respectively (p = 0.604). In the HR group, 1 patient died from postoperative liver failure, and 9 (20.9 %) developed postoperative complications, including wound infection, biliary leakage, intra-abdominal abscess, and pneumonia. In the RFA group, 1 patient (5.9 %) required prolonged inpatient care because of a procedure-related liver abscess. Although HR should be considered the first option for colorectal liver metastasis, RFA can be regarded as a primary treatment modality depending on the patient's characteristics, especially when a patient refuses surgery or has comorbidities.

Differential gene expression by styrene in rat reproductive tissue.

Styrene is an important industrial chemical that is extensively used in the production of resins, rubbers and fiberglass-reinforced plastics. Exposing male rats to high doses of styrene may produce sperm abnormalities or infertility. To determine the mechanism underlying styrene-mediated toxicity in male reproductive organs, a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technology was employed using annealing control primers (ACPs) to identify the differentially expressed genes following styrene treatment in isolated testis of male rats. By using 120 ACPs, a total of 6 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of genes were differentially expressed in styrene-treated rats, as compared to untreated, which were cloned and sequenced. Of the genes analyzed, 5 genes (testis-specific expressed gene 101, protein kinase C, H+-ATPase isoform 2, peroxiredoxin 1, and aquaporin 9) were inducible and one gene expression (clusterin) was significantly suppressed by styrene. Regulation of each gene by styrene was confirmed by RT-PCR. It was shown that styrene decreased clusterin expression in a concentration-dependent manner and these effects occurred mainly in testis. Taken together, these results indicate that repression of clusterin gene expression by styrene may play an important role in styrene-mediated toxicities.

[A case of spontaneous biloma complicated with choledocholithiasis and chronic cholecystitis].

A biloma is an encapsulated bile collection outside the biliary tree. Most cases of biloma are caused by iatrogenic injury or trauma. Intrahepatic rupture of the biliary tree due to nontraumatic cause is a rare event. A 68- year-old man was admitted because of abdominal pain and fever. He had no past history of abdominal surgery, instrumentation or trauma. Computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) demonstrated a large subcapsular fluid collection in the right liver associated with choledocholithiasis and cholecystitis. Biloma was confirmed by sono-guided percutaneous needle aspiration and was drained through a pigtail catheter. After the successful treatment by percutaneous drainage and endoscopic sphincterotomy, the patient recovered. Here, we report an uncommon case of spontaneous biloma formation in association with choledocholithiasis with a review of literatures.