Converting multiple hydrophobic aromatic plastic monomers into a single water-soluble substrate to increase bioavailability for the synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates by bacteria using batch, fed batch and continuous cultivation.

We demonstrate the proof of concept of increasing the bioavailability of carbon substrates, derived from plastic waste, for their conversion to the biodegradable polymer polyhydroxyalkanoate [PHA] by bacteria and test various approaches to PHA accumulation through batch, fed batch and continuous culture. Styrene, ethylbenzene, and toluene are produced from the pyrolysis of mixed plastic waste (Kaminsky, 2021; Miandad et al., 2017), but they are volatile and poorly soluble in water making them difficult to work with in aqueous fermentation systems.

Airlift bioreactor-based strategies for prolonged semi-continuous cultivation of edible Agaricomycetes.

Submerged cultivation of edible filamentous fungi (Agaricomycetes) in bioreactors enables maximum mass transfer of nutrients and has the potential to increase the volumetric productivity of fungal biomass compared to solid state cultivation. These aspects are paramount if one wants to increase the range of bioactives (e.g.

Training radiology residents to evaluate deep myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer patients on MRI: A learning curve study.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a four-month training program on radiology residents' diagnostic accuracy in assessing deep myometrial invasion (DMI) in endometrial cancer (EC) using MRI.

Method: Three radiology residents with limited EC MRI experience participated in the training program, which included conventional didactic sessions, case-centric workshops, and interactive classes. Utilizing a training dataset of 120 EC MRI scans, trainees independently assessed subsets of cases over five reading sessions.

Investigating Mass Transfer and Reaction Engineering Characteristics in a Membrane Biofilm Using H16.

Membrane biofilm reactors are a growing trend in wastewater treatment whereby gas-transfer membranes provide efficient bubbleless aeration. Recently, there has been a growing interest in using these bioreactors for industrial biotechnology using microorganisms that can metabolise gaseous substrates. Since gas fermentation is limited by the low solubilities of gaseous substrates in liquid media, it is critical to characterise mass transfer rates of gaseous substrates to enable the design of membrane biofilm reactors.

Effects of CPAP and FiO on respiratory effort and lung stress in early COVID-19 pneumonia: a randomized, crossover study.

Background: in COVID-19 acute respiratory failure, the effects of CPAP and FiO on respiratory effort and lung stress are unclear. We hypothesize that, in the compliant lungs of early Sars-CoV-2 pneumonia, the application of positive pressure through Helmet-CPAP may not decrease respiratory effort, and rather worsen lung stress and oxygenation when compared to higher FiO delivered via oxygen masks.

Methods: In this single-center (S.

Pseudomonas umsongensis GO16 as a platform for the in vivo synthesis of short and medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate blends.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biological polyesters, viewed as a replacement for petrochemical plastic. However, they suffer from suboptimal physical and mechanical properties. Here, it was shown that a metabolically versatile Pseudomonas umsongensis GO16 can synthesise a blend of short chain length (scl) and medium chain length (mcl)-PHA.

Could CT finding of gas in the sole mesenteric artery be a sign of a severe acute ischemia? Presentation of a rare fatal case and a literature review.

Contrast-enhanced abdominal CT is the gold standard for the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI). CT findings include several anomalies like bowel wall thickening, thinning, attenuation, decreased enhancement, dilated fluid-filled loops, pneumatosis, and portal venous gas. A rare case of gas found only in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is presented.

Impact of a COPD care bundle on hospital readmission rates.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide and contributes considerably to morbidity and health care costs. In October 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced financial penalties followed by bundled payments for care improvement initiatives in patients hospitalized with COPD.

Objectives: This study seeks to evaluate whether an evidence-based interprofessional COPD care bundle focused on inpatient, transitional, and outpatient care would reduce hospital readmission rates.

Decreasing Hospital Readmissions Utilizing an Evidence-Based COPD Care Bundle.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic condition that leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Management of COPD hospitalizations utilizing an evidence-based care bundle can provide consistent quality of care and may reduce readmissions.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study evaluated readmission rates in patients hospitalized with a COPD exacerbation.

The Impact of a Home Respiratory Therapist to Reduce 30-Day Readmission Rates for Exacerbation of COPD.

Background: In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services limited payments to hospitals with high readmission rates for patients admitted with COPD exacerbation. Decreasing readmissions in this patient population improves patient health and decreases health care utilization of resources. We hypothesized a COPD disease management program delivered by a respiratory therapist (RT) in the patient's home may reduce readmission rates for COPD exacerbation.

Reasons why COVID-19 survivors should follow dietary World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) recommendations: from hyper-inflammation to cardiac dysfunctions.

The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) advise cancer survivors to follow their lifestyle recommendations for cancer prevention.  Recent research indicates that a proper diet could exerts beneficial metabolic and immune effects in humans through the involvement of several, not yet properly known, metabolic pathways. Here, we argue that following WCRF/AICR recommendations could be a strategy to prevent cardiovascular outcomes [fulminant myocarditis, heart failure, venous thromboembolism (VTE)] and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients during follow-up post COVID-19 infection.

Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation.

The success of oil-based plastics and the continued growth of production and utilisation can be attributed to their cost, durability, strength to weight ratio, and eight contributions to the ease of everyday life. However, their mainly single use, durability and recalcitrant nature have led to a substantial increase of plastics as a fraction of municipal solid waste. The need to substitute single use products that are not easy to collect has inspired a lot of research towards finding sustainable replacements for oil-based plastics.

Polyhydroxyphenylvalerate/polycaprolactone nanofibers improve the life-span and mechanoresponse of human IPSC-derived cortical neuronal cells.

The physico-chemical characteristics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) cause mechanical cues that could elicit responses in the survival rate of cortical neuronal cells. Efficient neurite outgrowth in vitro, is critical for successful cultivation of cortical neuronal cells and the potential for attempts at regeneration of the central nervous system (CNS) in vivo. Relatively soft and hydrophilic, microbially synthesized aromatic polyester, polyhydroxyphenylvalerate (PHPV) was blended 50:50 with the stiff and hydrophobic polycaprolactone (PCL) and electrospun in microfibers for use in a 3D (CellCrown™) configuration and in a 2D coverslip coated configuration.

Use of the WatchPAT to detect occult residual sleep-disordered breathing in patients on CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: To determine the accuracy of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) as measured by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines by simultaneously employing a home sleep apnea testing device (WatchPAT 200, Itamar Medical, Israel [WPAT]) in patients suspected of having residual sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).

Methods: Patients with new, recurrent, or worsening signs, symptoms, or comorbidities associated with obstructive sleep apnea underwent home sleep apnea testing using WPAT while simultaneously using CPAP at their usual prescribed settings. CPAP AHI and WPAT AHI, respiratory disturbance index, and oximetry readings were then compared.

Novel sodium alkyl-1,3-disulfates, anionic biosurfactants produced from microbial polyesters.

A sodium alkyl disulfate mixture (SADM) synthesised from microbially produced 3-hydroxy fatty acids methyl esters (HFAMEs), showed 13-fold surface tension decrease when compared with the reference surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Polyhydroxyalkanoates, accumulated by bacteria intracellularly when supplied with a mixture of fatty acids derived from hydrolysed rapeseed oil, were isolated, depolymerised and methylated to produce HFAMEs in very high yield (90%). A sequential chemical reduction and sulfation of the HFAMEs produced the sodium alkyl disulfates in high yields (>65%).

Use of a mannitol rich ensiled grass press juice (EGPJ) as a sole carbon source for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production through high cell density cultivation.

This study demonstrates the use of a mannitol rich ensiled grass press juice (EGPJ) as a renewable carbon substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production in shaking flask experiments and fed-batch stirred tank reactor cultivations. Fed-batch cultivations of Burkholderia sacchari IPT101 using EGPJ as sole carbon source produced 44.5 g/L CDW containing 33% polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in 36 h, while Pseudomonas chlororaphis IMD555 produced a CDW of 37 g/L containing 10% of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) in 34 h.

High cell density cultivation of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 using glucose without the need for oxygen enriched air supply.

High Cell Density (HCD) cultivation of bacteria is essential for the majority of industrial processes to achieve high volumetric productivity (g L(-1) h(-1) ) of a bioproduct of interest. This study developed a fed batch bioprocess using glucose as sole carbon and energy source for the HCD of the well described biocatalyst Pseudomonas putida KT2440 without the supply of oxygen enriched air. Growth kinetics data from batch fermentations were used for building a bioprocess model and designing feeding strategies.

Fed-batch strategies using butyrate for high cell density cultivation of Pseudomonas putida and its use as a biocatalyst.

A mathematically based fed-batch bioprocess demonstrated the suitability of using a relatively cheap and renewable substrate (butyric acid) for Pseudomonas putida CA-3 high cell density cultivation. Butyric acid fine-tuned addition is critical to extend the fermentation run and avoid oxygen consumption while maximising the biomass volumetric productivity. A conservative submaximal growth rate (μ of 0.

Conversion of grass biomass into fermentable sugars and its utilization for medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) production by Pseudomonas strains.

This study investigated the potential of grass biomass as a feedstock for mcl-PHA production. Pretreatments (2% NaOH at 120°C or hot water at 120°C) of perennial ryegrass were employed alone or in combination with sodium chlorite/acetic acid (SC/AA) delignification to evaluate the enzymatic digestibility and subsequent utilization of resultant sugars by Pseudomonas strains. NaOH pretreated sample had better digestibility than raw and hot water treated samples and this hydrolysate supported good growth of all tested strains with limited mcl-PHA (6-17% of cell dry mass (CDM)) accumulation.

Medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) production from volatile fatty acids derived from the anaerobic digestion of grass.

A two step biological process for the conversion of grass biomass to the biodegradable polymer medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) was achieved through the use of anaerobic and aerobic microbial processes. Anaerobic digestion (mixed culture) of ensiled grass was achieved with a recirculated leach bed bioreactor resulting in the production of a leachate, containing 15.3 g/l of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) ranging from acetic to valeric acid with butyric acid predominating (12.

Massilia umbonata sp. nov., able to accumulate poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, isolated from a sewage sludge compost-soil microcosm.

A bacterial strain, designated strain LP01(T), was isolated from a laboratory-scale microcosm packed with a mixture of soil and sewage sludge compost designed to study the evolution of microbial biodiversity over time. The bacterial strain was selected for its potential ability to store polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as intracellular granules. The cells were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-endospore-forming motile rods.

Prevalence of Nitrosomonas cluster 7 populations in the ammonia-oxidizing community of a submerged membrane bioreactor treating urban wastewater under different operation conditions.

A pilot-scale ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor (MBR) was used for the aerobic treatment of urban wastewater in four experimental stages influenced by seasonal temperature and different sets of operation conditions. The structure of the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) community was profiled by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE), based on the amplification and separation of partial ammonia-monoxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that temperature, hydraulic retention time and percentage of ammonia removal had a significant effect on the fingerprints of AOB communities.

Efficient removal of pollutants from olive washing wastewater in bubble-column bioreactor by Trametes versicolor.

The white-rot fungi Panus tigrinus, Funalia trogii and Trametes versicolor have been tested in shake flasks for the reduction of olive washing wastewater (OWW) pollutants and production of oxidases on OWW-based media. P. tigrinus was rejected for its scarce performance.

Biological treatment of two-phase olive mill wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo): polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production by Azotobacter strains.

Azotobacter chroococcum H23 (CECT 4435), Azotobacter vinelandii UWD, and Azotobacter vinelandii (ATCC 12837), members of the family Pseudomonadaceae, were used to evaluate their capacity to grow and accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using two-phase olive mill wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo) diluted at different concentrations as the sole carbon source. The PHAs amounts (g/l) increased clearly when the TPOMW samples were previously digested under anaerobic conditions. The MNR analysis demonstrated that the bacterial strains formed only homopolymers containing beta-hydroxybutyrate, either when grown in diluted TPOMW medium or diluted anaerobically digested TPOMW medium.

Auto- and heterotrophic acidophilic bacteria enhance the bioremediation efficiency of sediments contaminated by heavy metals.

This study deals with bioremediation treatments of dredged sediments contaminated by heavy metals based on the bioaugmentation of different bacterial strains. The efficiency of the following bacterial consortia was compared: (i) acidophilic chemoautotrophic, Fe/S-oxidising bacteria, (ii) acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria able to reduce Fe/Mn fraction, co-respiring oxygen and ferric iron and (iii) the chemoautotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria reported above, pooled together, as it was hypothesised that the two strains could cooperate through a mutual substrate supply. The effect of the bioremediation treatment based on the bioaugmentation of Fe/S-oxidising strains alone was similar to the one based only on Fe-reducing bacteria, and resulted in heavy-metal extraction yields typically ranging from 40% to 50%.