Effect of hydrothermal treatment on organic matter degradation, phytotoxicity, and microbial communities in model food waste composting.

Hydrothermal treatment (HTT) as a pretreatment method for compost raw material has multiple benefits such as enhanced solubility of organic material, improved bioaugmentation, and reduced biohazard by killing harmful microorganisms. In this study, we pretreated food waste via HTT at 180 °C for 30 min to investigate its effect on food waste composting. HTT generated 8.98 mg/g-dry solid (g-ds) of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 4.32 mg/g-ds furfural. These furan compounds were completely decomposed in the early stage of composting, subsequently the organic matter in the food waste started to be degraded. The HTT-pretreated experiment demonstrated less organic matter degradation during composting as well as lower compost phytotoxicity compared to the non-HTT-pretreated experiment, where the conversion of carbon was 25.2% and the germination index value was 55%. HTT probably denatured part of the organic matter and making it more difficult to decompose, thereby preventing the rapid release of high concentrations of phytotoxic compounds such as organic acids and ammonium ions during composting. High-throughput microbial community analysis revealed that only Firmicutes appeared in the HTT-pretreated experiment, however, other bacterial groups also appeared in the non-HTT-pretreated experiment. This was possibly influenced by furan compounds and the changes of easily degradable organic matter to hardly degradable. Bacillus and Lysinibacillus were dominant in both composting experiments during vigorous organic matter degradation, suggesting that these bacterial groups were the main contributors to food waste composting. This study suggests that HTT is advantageous for the pretreatment of easily degradable food waste, as compost with less phytotoxicity was produced.

The Therapeutic Role of Nanoparticle Shape in Traumatic Brain Injury : An in vitro Comparative Study

Objective@#: To perform a comparative analysis of therapeutic effects associated with two different shapes of ceria nanoparticles, ceria nanorods (Ceria NRs) and ceria nanospheres (Ceria NSs), in an in vitro model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). @*Methods@#: In vitro TBI was induced using six-well confluent plates by manually scratching with a sterile pipette tip in a 6×6-square grid. The cells were then incubated and classified into cells with scratch injury without nanoparticles and cells with scratch injury, which were treated separately with 1.16 mM of Ceria NSs and Ceria NRs. Antioxidant activities and anti-inflammatory effects were analyzed. @*Results@#: Ceria NRs and Ceria NSs significantly reduced the level of reactive oxygen species compared with the control group of SH-SY5Y cells treated with Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline. The mRNA expression of superoxide dismutases was also reduced in nanoparticle-treated SH-SY5Y cells, but apparently the degree of mRNA expression decrease was not dependent on the nanoparticle shape. Exposure to ceria nanoparticles also decreased the cyclooxygenase-2 expression, especially prominent in Ceria NR-treated group than that in Ceria NS-treated group. @*Conclusion@#: Ceria nanoparticles exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in TBI models in vitro. Ceria NRs had better antiinflammatory effect than Ceria NSs, but showed similar antioxidant activity.

A Rare Case of Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease in a Young Female Patient.

BACKGROUND Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare benign and usually local lymphadenopathy that typically occurs in young women. Patients with it usually have non-specific symptoms, such as fever in the afternoon, cervical lymphadenitis, and weight loss. Posterior cervical lymphadenopathy is the most common manifestation of KFD. The symptoms often last for a few weeks and then resolve spontaneously. The cause of KFD is unknown; however, it is considered to be related to some infectious agents, as well as several autoimmune diseases. Because of the non-specific symptoms and the rarity of KFD, the cervical lymphadenopathy associated with it can be misdiagnosed as coming from a more common condition. Making a correct diagnosis requires histology of the affected lymph nodes. CASE REPORT Here, we describe the case of a 25-year-old Vietnamese woman who presented with mild fever in the afternoons and enlarged cervical lymph nodes with no local sign of inflammation. She was initially believed to have tubercular lymphadenitis because of her symptoms and the high prevalence of tuberculosis in Vietnam. However, she had no respiratory symptoms and tested negative on QuantiFERON-TB Gold. Pathology from the patient's lymph node specimen showed an abnormal inflammatory reaction in the tissue. Her lesions were suspected to have been caused by KFD and she was treated successfully with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy. CONCLUSIONS KFD is a benign disease that manifests with common symptoms. The diagnosis is based on biopsy of a specimen and pathology results. No treatment is required in patients who have no symptoms. Patients with symptoms usually respond well to a short course of NSAID therapy.

A Case of Renal Inflammatory Pseudotumor Leading to Nephrectomy.

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) of the kidney is a rare benign disorder with unknown etiology. In IPT patients, some nonspecific symptoms might present, such as fever, hematuria, and back pain. As it can appear on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging as a hypovascular mass with surrounding fat stranding, IPT can be misdiagnosed as a primary tumor. Since the clinical symptoms, radiographic features, and preoperative findings can be inconsistent, it is imperative to confirm IPT based on histopathological assessment. In the present study, we describe a case of renal IPT in a 13-year-old girl. The patient was treated with nephrectomy of the right kidney since the preoperative diagnosis was renal carcinoma. Pathological examination revealed an IPT. This article emphasizes the importance of preoperative definitive diagnosis in avoiding unnecessary nephrectomy.