Evaluation of stabilization status of the landfill layers by comparing long-term monitoring data of methane emission with FOD model estimate.

Long-term monitoring and treatment of landfill leachate (LFL) and landfill gas (LFG) is required until landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) is sufficiently stabilized and post-closure care can be terminated. Monitoring data of methane (CH4) emissions in LFG from a marine landfill over 30 years were compared with the IPCC first order decay (FOD) model estimates. The observed changes in CH4 showed a similar attenuation trend to the estimates, but the observed CH4 emissions were only about 30% of the estimate over 30 years; LFL is considered to be another pathway for organic carbon to be released to the environment, but the total organic carbon in discharged LFL was only about 0.2% of CH4 carbon in LFG emission over the same period. The increase in the CO2/CH4 ratio in LFG over time suggests that the discrepancy between estimated and observed emissions is due to methane oxidation in the overlying soil, in addition to the high coefficient values used in the FOD model. Total organic carbon (TOC) in LFL discharged as effluent reached a maximum value in the early stages of the landfill and gradually decreased, but only to about one-third of the maximum value after more than 30 years and a decrease in the amount of effluent. As incineration of MSW is expected to reduce organic carbon and nitrogen, the CH4 reduction effect of incineration of business and household waste and sewage sludge was investigated using FOD model estimates.

Exploring the threshold for the start of respiratory syncytial virus infection epidemic season using sentinel surveillance data in Japan.

Introduction: An unusual seasonality of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in Japan is observed in recent years after 2017, becoming challenging to prepare for: a seasonal shift from autumn-winter to summer-autumn in 2017-2019, no major epidemic in 2020, and an unusually high number of cases reported in 2021. Methods: To early detect the start-timing of epidemic season, we explored the reference threshold for the start-timing of the epidemic period based on the number of cases per sentinel (CPS, a widely used indicator in Japanese surveillance system), using a relative operating characteristic curve analysis (with the epidemic period defined by effective reproduction number). Results: The reference values of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Aichi Prefectures were 0.41, 0.39, 0.42, and 0.24, respectively. Discussion: The reference CPS value could be a valuable indicator for detecting the RSV epidemic and may contribute to the planned introduction of monoclonal antibody against RSV to prevent severe outcomes.

Seasonal shift in epidemics of respiratory syncytial virus infection in Japan.

In Japan, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection generally has occurred during autumn and winter. However, a possible change in the seasonal trend of RSV infection has been observed recently. The current study was conducted to determine whether the epidemic season of RSV infection in Japan has indeed changed significantly. We used expectation-based Poisson scan statistics to detect periods with high weekly reported RSV cases (epidemic cluster), and the epidemic clusters were detected between September and December in the 2012-2016 seasons while those were detected between July and October in the 2017-2019 seasons. Non-linear and linear ordinary least squares regression models were built to evaluate whether there is a difference in year trend in the epidemic seasonality, and the epidemic season was shifted to earlier in the year in 2017-2019 compared to that in 2012-2016. Although the reason for the shift is unclear, this information may help in clinical practice and public health.

Patient Preference for Aggressive Medication Therapies with Potentially Stronger Adverse Drug Reactions Revealed Using a Scenario-based Survey.

Some patients do not inform healthcare professionals of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) because they fear termination of aggressive medication therapies. Preferences for aggressive medication therapies may differ between patients and pharmacists. The goal of this study was to estimate whether pharmacists were able to accurately assess patient preference for aggressive medication therapies with potentially stronger ADRs. A cross-sectional study was conducted of hospitalized patients (35 to 74 years of age) receiving oral medications for a chronic disease or systemic chemotherapy at three hospitals in Japan. We estimated the extent of agreement between patient responses and pharmacist predictions using a scenario-based investigation (1) to examine the choice between an aggressive medication therapy and the standard therapy, and (2) to assess increased life expectancy as a result of aggressive medication therapy. The extent of agreement was estimated using the kappa statistic. Of 113 patients, 43 (38.1%) chose the aggressive medication therapy. Pharmacists correctly predicted the choice of 25 (58.1%) of these patients [kappa 0.32 (95% confidence interval 0.15-0.50)]. Of 111 patients, 42 (37.8%) expected one additional life expectancy year. However, pharmacists predicted that as many as 36 (85.7%) of these patients would require more years of added life expectancy before choosing an aggressive medication therapy [kappa 0.24 (0.08-0.40)]. Agreement between patients and pharmacists on the choice of aggressive medication therapy was generally poor. Pharmacists should make an effort to identify patients who might prefer more aggressive medication therapies with potentially stronger ADRs in order to minimize ADR risk.

Simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and potassium as magnesium potassium phosphate from synthetic sewage sludge effluent.

Bench-scale experiments were performed to investigate simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and potassium from synthetic sewage sludge effluent as crystals of magnesium potassium phosphate (MPP or struvite-(K), MgKPO4·6H2O). The optimal pH of MPP formation was 11.5. A phosphorus level of at least 3 mM and K:P molar ratio over 3 were necessary to form MPP, which showed higher content rate of phosphorus and potassium in precipitate. MPP crystallization was confirmed by analysing the precipitates using a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) apparatus and an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). Inhibition of MPP crystallization by iron and aluminium was confirmed by precipitation experiments and SEM-EDX analysis. Potassium ratio against magnesium in precipitate decreased for iron concentrations greater than over 0.2 mM and aluminium concentrations over 0.05 mM.

Effect of endurance for adverse drug reactions on the preference for aggressive treatments in cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy will sometimes conceal their discomfort, but an excessive endurance for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can lead to a poorer prognosis. The aim of this study was to clarify the association between ADR endurance and a preference of cancer patients for aggressive treatments. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken of inpatients under 75 years of age receiving injectable systemic chemotherapy or oral chronic medications at hospitals in Japan. Subjects were asked to respond to a validated questionnaire to assess the extent of their ADR endurance and whether they would choose a novel, more aggressive therapy if their life expectancy was estimated at 2 years. RESULTS: Study participants were separated into the chemotherapy group (n = 36) and the non-chemotherapy group (n = 78). In the chemotherapy group, patients who had moderate ADR endurance scores were more likely to choose the new therapy (0-33, 34-67, and 68-100 points: 0.0, 54.5, and 27.3 %; χ (2) test, p = 0.15). Additionally, every patient on long-term chemotherapy (≥3 years) had high ADR endurance scores but did not choose the new, riskier treatment. In the non-chemotherapy group, the proportion of those choosing the new therapy was linearly associated with higher ADR endurance scores (25.9, 38.2, and 64.7 %; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Cancer patients may prefer aggressive therapies, even when self-estimations of ADR endurance are not very high, especially if they have been receiving chemotherapy for a short period of time. These patients should be observed with great caution.

Effects of ageing on elution behaviour of nitrogenous compounds in disposed wastes from landfill sites.

Comparative studies of elution and cation exchange capacity (CEC) tests were applied to aged and fresh municipal and industrial solid wastes to examine the effects of ageing on the long-term elution behaviour of nitrogen on leachate in municipal and industrial solid waste landfill sites. Nitrogen in the leachate gradually eluted as organic nitrogen, but not upon transformation of organic nitrogen to elutable inorganic nitrogen compounds in the solid waste. Ammonium in the solid waste, retained similar to its interaction with clay minerals in soil, elutes when exposed to leachate by being replaced with highly concentrated cations or loses its positive charge in high pH in the leachate, which percolates down from the upper layer of the disposed waste. The quantity of ammonium adsorbed into the aged wastes through CEC measurement process by replacement with ammonium acetate was higher than that onto the fresh wastes. That difference in quantities can serve as an index of the ability of the solid waste to withhold ammonium in the leachate that percolates down the landfill layer. Those results demonstrate that ammonification of organic nitrogen in the waste is not the crucial step of the elution of nitrogenous compounds into leachate.

Suppression of phosphorus release from sediments using water clarifier sludge as capping material.

Water clarifier sludge was assessed as a capping material for preventing release of phosphorus from eutrophic pond sediments. Sediment incubation experiments were carried out over two months using five capping materials (sludge, sludge sintered respectively at 200, 400 and 600 degrees C, and sea sand) to evaluate the effect of sintering temperature. We also examined reduction in the nitrogen eluted from the sludge. Sludge, sludge sintered at 400 and 600 degrees C, and sea sand suppressed phosphorus release from sediments into the overlying water, whereas sludge and sludge sintered at 200 degrees C increased nitrogen release relative to that without capping. Sludge sintered at 600 degrees C was the most effective in reducing total nitrogen (TN) flux. Our experiments revealed that nitrogen and organic substances must be removed completely from sludge in order to avoid their release. The phosphate removal efficiency of sludge (including sintered sludge) was expressed in terms of Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The results showed that sludge sintered at 600 degrees C was suitable for use as a capping material since (1) its organic content (ignition loss) and TN were low (1.1% and 0.014 mg g(-1) dry, respectively), (2) its phosphorus adsorption capacity was 2.2 times higher than that ofunsintered sludge, and (3) it was effective in suppressing the diffusion of phosphorus and NH4+-N from sediments when used as a capping material.

Safer DNA extraction from plant tissues using sucrose buffer and glass fiber filter.

For some plant species, DNA extraction and downstream experiments are inhibited by various chemicals such as polysaccharides and polyphenols. This short communication proposed an organic-solvent free (except for ethanol) extraction method. This method consists of an initial washing step with STE buffer (0.25 M sucrose, 0.03 M Tris, 0.05 M EDTA), followed by DNA extraction using a piece of glass fiber filter. The advantages of this method are its safety and low cost. The purity of the DNA solution obtained using this method is not necessarily as high as that obtained using the STE/CTAB method, but it is sufficient for PCR experiments. These points were demonstrated empirically with two species, Japanese speedwell and common dandelion, for which DNA has proven difficult to amplify via PCR in past studies.

Isolation of aryl-phosphate ester-degrading bacterium from leachate of a sea-based waste disposal site.

An aryl-phosphate ester (APE)-degrading bacterium was isolated from the leachate of a sea-based waste disposal site. The isolated APE-degrading bacterial strain YS-57 grew well in a medium containing glucose and NaCl, and degraded two types of APE:tricresyl phosphate and triphenyl phosphate. The optimal temperature, pH, and NaCl concentration for the growth of strain YS-57 were 30 degrees C, 7.0, and 1.0%, respectively. Strain YS-57 grew at an APE concentration of 25 mg/l without being inhibited. APEs were degraded by the supernatant of the medium in which strain YS-57 was cultured, suggesting that the APE-degrading enzyme was released into the extracellular space in the logarithmic growth phase. The 16S rDNA sequence of strain YS-57 showed 95.6% similarity to that of Roseobacter gallaeciensis and the morphological properties were also comparable. Consequently, strain YS-57 was closely related to the genus Roseobacter.

A Preorganized Siderophore: Thermodynamic and Structural Characterization of Alcaligin and Bisucaberin, Microbial Macrocyclic Dihydroxamate Chelating Agents(1).

The iron coordination chemistry of two macrocyclic dihydroxamate siderophores, alcaligin (AG) and bisucaberin (BR), has been investigated thermodynamically and structurally. Alcaligin is a siderophore of freshwater bacteria as well as mammalian pathogens, including the bacterium that causes whooping cough in humans, while bisucaberin, a structural analogue of alcaligin, is produced by marine bacteria. Both alcaligin and bisucaberin form 1:1 ferric complexes (FeL(+)) in acidic conditions and 2:3 ferric complexes (Fe(2)L(3)) at and above neutral pH. The stability constants of these macrocyclic dihydroxamate siderophores differ significantly from that of rhodotorulic acid (RA), a linear dihydroxamate siderophore. Notably, K(FeL) of alcaligin is 32 times greater than that of rhodotorulic acid, while the subsequent stepwise formation constant for Fe(2)L(3) is 3 times less. The Fe(III) complexes of alcaligin are stereospecific; the absolute configuration of the Fe(2)L(3) complex (circular dichroism and X-ray structure) is Lambda. The structure of the Fe(2)L(3) alcaligin complex is a topological alternative to the triple-helicate structure of the rhodotorulic complex Fe(2)(RA)(3). The structures of the free ligand and the bisbidentate ligand in the FeL complex are essentially identical, indicating that alcaligin is highly preorganized for metal ion binding. This explains the difference in K(FeL) between alcaligin and rhodotorulic acid, as well as explaining the monobridged topology of the Fe(2)L(3) alcaligin complex. The protonation constants (log K(a1) and log K(a2)) are 9.42(5) and 8.61(1) for alcaligin and 9.49(2) and 8.76(3) for bisucaberin. The stepwise formation constants of the Fe(III) complexes (log K(ML) and log K(M)()2(L)()3) are 23.5(2) and 17.7(2) for alcaligin and 23.5(5) and 17.2(5) for bisucaberin. The overall formation constants (log beta(230)) of alcaligin and bisucaberin are 64.7(1) and 64.3(1). The solution chemistry of Fe(III) and alcaligin was further investigated at a lower ligand to metal ratio (1:1). At high pH, a novel 2:2 ferric bis-&mgr;-oxo-bridged complex of alcalagin forms (Fe(2)L(2)O(2)(2)(-)) with a log beta(22)(-)(4) of 16.7(2). This species exhibits behavior consistent with an iron bis-&mgr;-oxo complex, including antiferromagnetic coupling. Crystal data: Fe(2)(AG)(3).25H(2)O crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a =13.3374(4) Å, b = 16.1879(5) Å, c = 37.886(1) Å, V = 8179.7(4), Z = 4. For 5512 reflections with F(o)(2) > 3sigma(F(o)(2)) the final R (R(w)) = 0.053(0.068).