Bioremediation of Hexanoic Acid and Phenanthrene in Oil Sands Tailings by the Microbial Consortium BioTiger™.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and naphthenic acids (NAs) are toxic contaminants of environmental concern found in process water and mature fine tailings, or tailings, from the oil sands industry. BioTiger™, a patented microbial consortium of twelve natural environmental isolates, was found to cometabolically biodegrade the NA hexanoic acid and the PAH phenanthrene in the presence of tailings. Hexanoamide was found to be produced and consumed during cometabolism of hexanoic acid.

Amplicon Sequencing Reveals Microbiological Signatures in Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Basins.

Water quality is an important determinant for the structural integrity of alloy cladded fuels and assemblies during long-term wet storage. Detailed characterization of a water filled storage basin for spent nuclear reactor fuel was performed following the formation and proliferation of an amorphous white flocculent. White precipitant was sampled throughout the storage basin for chemical and spectroscopic characterization, and environmental DNA was extracted for 454 pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene diversity.

Discovery of Bioactive Metabolites in Biofuel Microalgae That Offer Protection against Predatory Bacteria.

Microalgae could become an important resource for addressing increasing global demand for food, energy, and commodities while helping to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gasses. Even though Chlorophytes are generally regarded safe for human consumption, there is still much we do not understand about the metabolic and biochemical potential of microscopic algae. The aim of this study was to evaluate biofuel candidate strains of Chlorella and Scenedesmus for the potential to produce bioactive metabolites when grown under nutrient depletion regimes intended to stimulate production of triacylglycerides.

Environmental impact of ongoing sources of metal contamination on remediated sediments.

A challenge to all remedial approaches for contaminated sediments is the continued influx of contaminants from uncontrolled sources following remediation. We investigated the effects of ongoing contamination in mesocosms employing sediments remediated by different types of active and passive caps and in-situ treatment. Our hypothesis was that the sequestering agents used in active caps and in situ treatment will bind elements (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, selenium, and zinc) from ongoing sources thereby reducing their bioavailability and protecting underlying remediated sediments from recontamination.

Gamma radiation interacts with melanin to alter its oxidation-reduction potential and results in electric current production.

The presence of melanin pigments in organisms is implicated in radioprotection and in some cases, enhanced growth in the presence of high levels of ionizing radiation. An understanding of this phenomenon will be useful in the design of radioprotective materials. However, the protective mechanism of microbial melanin in ionizing radiation fields has not yet been elucidated.

Proteomic and physiological responses of Kineococcus radiotolerans to copper.

Copper is a highly reactive, toxic metal; consequently, transport of this metal within the cell is tightly regulated. Intriguingly, the actinobacterium Kineococcus radiotolerans has been shown to not only accumulate soluble copper to high levels within the cytoplasm, but the phenotype also correlated with enhanced cell growth during chronic exposure to ionizing radiation. This study offers a first glimpse into the physiological and proteomic responses of K.

Stimulatory and inhibitory effects of organohalides on the dehalogenating activities of PCB-dechlorinating bacterium o-17.

Bacterium o-17, a microorganism capable of the ortho dechlorination of 2,3,5,6-polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), is a member of a sediment-free, nonmethanogenic mixed culture. The culture was examined for the ability to dechlorinate 26 PCB congeners, 12 chlorobenzenes (CBZs), and 6 chlorinated ethenes (CEs). Eight of the PCBs and 4 of the CBZs were dechlorinated including single-flanked ortho PCB chlorines, but double-flanked chlorines of PCBs and CBZs were preferentially dechlorinated.

Reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene to trans-dichloroethene and cis-dichloroethene by PCB-dechlorinating bacterium DF-1.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated ethenes (CEs) are known to pollute sediment, soil, and groundwater. The anaerobic dechlorination of these compounds is an integral part of their biodegradation in polluted environments. We report for the first time the dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) by bacterium DF-1.

Short-term administration of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate reduces hepatic steatosis and protects against warm hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in steatotic mice.

Hepatic steatosis increases the extent of cellular injury incurred during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major flavonoid component of green tea (camellia sinensis) is a potent antioxidant that inhibits fatty acid synthase (FAS) in vitro. We investigated the effects of EGCG on hepatic steatosis and markers of cellular damage at baseline and after I/R injury in ob/ob mice.

Dechlorination of chlorobenzenes by a culture containing bacterium DF-1, a PCB dechlorinating microorganism.

Polychlorinated benzenes were reductively dechlorinated by an enrichment culture containing the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dechlorinating bacterium DF-1. The culture dechlorinated hexachlorobenzene (hexa-CB) --> pentachlorobenzene (penta-CB) --> 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene (1,2,3,5-CB) --> 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene (1,3,5-CB) and did not dechlorinate other tetrachlorobenzenes or any trichlorobenzenes. This restricted series of reactions is the most predominant and frequently reported pathway for the dechlorination of hexa-CB and penta-CB by enrichment cultures inoculated with either freshwater or estuarine sediments.

Phase 1/2 placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-escalating trial of myocardial vascular endothelial growth factor 2 gene transfer by catheter delivery in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.

Background: This phase 1/2 study investigated the safety of percutaneous catheter-based gene transfer of naked plasmid DNA encoding for vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (phVEGF2) to left ventricular (LV) myocardium in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalating study of inoperable patients with class III or IV angina.

Methods And Results: A steerable deflectable 8F catheter with a 27-gauge needle at its distal tip was advanced percutaneously to the endocardial surface of the LV in 19 patients (age, 61+/-2 years) with chronic myocardial ischemia who were not candidates for conventional revascularization. Patients were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive 6 injections (total volume, 6.