Excess sludge reduction by biological way: from experimental experience to a real full scale application.

The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of a biological process applied in the sludge line and based on the alternation of oxic and anoxic phases, to minimize the waste sludge production. After some tests in pilot scale, the process was applied in a real municipal wastewater treatment plant of 35,000 PE trying out one setting of working experimental conditions. A rate of the recycle flow was conditioned in a treatment basin, maintaining an HRT of 10 days. The control device operated for the 50% of time in the ORP range between -400 and -200 mV, and for the 50% in the ORP range between -200 and +50 mV. The mass balance defined an actual observed growth yield equal to 0.09 kgTVSkgCODr(-1), and the heterotrophic yield values, assessed by batch tests, seemed to be a suitable marker for the sludge reduction and for the energy uncoupling.

Toxocariasis/cysticercosis seroprevalence in a long-term rural settlement, São Paulo, Brazil.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara and Taenia solium and risk factors for infection with these parasites were explored in a long-term rural settlement in São Paulo state, Brazil. An ELISA for the detection of anti-Toxocara IgG and IgE and anti-T. solium cysticerci was standardized using Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES) obtained from the cultured second-stage larvae of T. canis and by vesicular fluid antigen from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci (VF). For cysticercosis, the reactive ELISA samples were assayed by Western blot using 18 kDa and 14 kDa proteins purified from VF. Out of 182 subjects, 25 (13.7%) presented anti-Toxocara IgG and a positive correlation between total IgE and the reactive index of specific anti-TES IgE (P=0.0265) was found amongst the subjects found seropositive for anti-Toxocara IgG. In these individuals 38.0% showed ocular manifestations. The frequency of anti-T. solium cysticerci confirmed by Western blot was 0.6%. Seropositivity for Toxocara was correlated with low educational levels and the owning of dogs. Embryonated eggs of Toxocara spp. were found in 43.3% of the analysed areas.

Genetics of chemical carcinogenesis--II. Papilloma induction and malignant conversion in susceptible (Car-s) and resistant (Car-R) lines of mice produced by bidirectional selective breeding and in their (Car-S X Car-R) F1 hybrids.

Susceptible (Car-S) and resistant (Car-R) lines of mice separated by 10 consecutive generations of bidirectional selective breeding present a very large difference in responsiveness to two-stage skin carcinogenesis. Car-S mice initiated with 0.5 micrograms 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) and promoted with 0.25 micrograms 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) for 77 days showed a papilloma incidence of 88% and a tumour multiplicity of 3.2 +/- 0.4 (mean +/- SE), with a tumour induction rate of 0.415. Car-R mice initiated with larger DMBA and TPA doses (50 micrograms and 20 micrograms respectively) and promoted for 111 days gave a comparable papilloma response: incidence 65%, tumour multiplicity 3.2 +/- 0.6 and tumour induction rate 0.288. The difference in papilloma response between the two lines is due to the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. In order to overcome the genetic effect with environmental factors and induce in Car-R a papilloma response comparable to that of Car-S, the DMBA dose had to be increased up to 100 times, that of TPA 40 times and the promotion time augmented by 44%. Papilloma to carcinoma conversion 112 days after the end of promotion depends on the DMBA and TPA doses applied. The number of carcinomas induced in Car-S mice and in (Car-S X Car-R) F1 hybrids was larger than that induced in Car-R mice, but the ratio of carcinoma conversion was lower, therefore a larger proportion of the small number of papillomas induced in the Car-R mice progressed to malignancy. The dominance effect measured in (Car-S X Car-R) F1 hybrids demonstrated that the susceptibility to papilloma induction was an incomplete dominant character (d/a = 0.38), whereas for carcinoma conversion the resistance was incompletely dominant (d/a = -0.49).