Decontamination of a polychlorinated biphenyls-contaminated soil by phytoremediation-assisted bioaugmentation.

A 70 day pot experiment was conducted for the cleaning-up of a PCBs-contaminated soil (104 mg kg(-1) soil DW) using bioaugmentation with Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 (LB400) assisted or not by the use of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). The total cultivable bacteria of the soil were higher with the presence of plants. Real-time PCR showed that LB400 (targeting 16S-23S rRNA ITS) survived with abundance related to total bacteria (targeting 16S rRNA) being higher with fescue (up to a factor of three).

Quantification of the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacers of Burkholderia xenovorans strain LB400 using real-time PCR in soil samples.

This study establishes a new real-time PCR assay (using SYBR Green™ detection) for the identification and the direct quantification of specific individual Burkholderia xenovorans strain LB400 from DNA samples of soil and sediment. Specific primers were designed to amplify a 190-bp fragment of the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS) from LB400. The specificity of primers was evaluated using 21 strains.

Intranasal verapamil in allergen-induced rhinitis.

Twenty-six pollen-allergic subjects participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the protective effect of the calcium antagonist, verapamil, on allergen-provoked nasal symptoms. Intranasal verapamil, 1 mg. had a weak protective effect in that "tickling score" was 22% lower (P less than 0.

Inhibition of histamine-induced nasal symptoms by the H1 antihistamine chlorpheniramine maleate: demonstration of topical effect.

To study whether a histamine H1 receptor antagonist inhibits allergic rhinitis symptoms by a peripheral or a central mode of action 21 normal volunteers were challenged with 500 micrograms histamine chloride in the right nasal cavity on four occasions after bilateral pretreatment with an H1 antihistamine spray and a placebo spray in various combinations. The H1 antihistamine (chlorpheniramine maleate, 0.5 mg) significantly inhibited histamine-induced tickling (P less than 0.