Membrane technology for the future treatment of paper mill effluents: chances and challenges of further system closure.

The pressure on the European paper industry to further close its water circuits has increased significantly during the past decade. Since the technologies of the past can no longer meet the requirements of the future, new water treatment methods have become necessary. A constant rise in the interest in membrane technology expressed by the European paper industry confirms that in the future this method will evolve into a key technology for continued water savings.

Comparison of the endocrine effects of treated wastewaters from different paper mills by use of an in-vitro test with modified yeast cells.

As opposed to effluents from chemical pulp production, very little is known about the endocrine potential of papermaking effluents. To evaluate the endocrine potential of biologically treated effluents from the main grades produced in Germany (fine, graphic and packaging papers), 16 samples were studied by means of the Recombinant Yeast Estrogen Assay (R-YEA). 10 samples were tested positive; seven of them were effluents from recovered paper processing mills.

Modulation of the immunophenotype of ovarian cancer cells by N,N-dimethylformamide and transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Exposure of HOC-7 ovarian adenocarcinoma cells to regulators of cell differentiation caused inducer-dependent alterations of the antigenic pattern of the cells. Immunocytochemistry revealed that N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) elevated the membrane staining for epidermal growth factor (EGF)-receptor and for desmoplakins I and II. DMF also stimulated cytoplasmic and surface labeling for CA 125 and the deposition of fibronectin into the extracellular matrix.

Different propensity for spontaneous differentiation of cell clones isolated from the human ovarian surface epithelial cell line HOC-7.

Limiting dilution culture of cell fractions obtained by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation was used to establish six different cell clones from HOC-7 ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (D1-D3, N1-N3). Clones D1-D3 revealed a phenotype similar to that seen in parental cells exposed to differentiation inducers such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, 0.8% [v/v]).

Comparative analysis of the effects of dimethyl sulfoxide and retinoic acid on the antigenic pattern of human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells.

HOC-7 malignant ovarian surface epithelial cells have been exposed to differentiation promoters like dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and retinoic acid (RA) and the resulting cell phenotypes were characterized immunologically. Immunocytochemistry revealed that DMSO caused elevation of membrane-associated staining for epidermal growth factor-receptor (EGF-R) and for desmoplakins I and II (DPI+II). DMSO also stimulated cytoplasmic and surface labelling for CA 125 and extracellular deposition of fibronectin (FN).