Fungal Bioweathering of Mimetite and a General Geomycological Model for Lead Apatite Mineral Biotransformations.

Fungi play important roles in biogeochemical processes such as organic matter decomposition, bioweathering of minerals and rocks, and metal transformations and therefore influence elemental cycles for essential and potentially toxic elements, e.g., P, S, Pb, and As.

Transformation of vanadinite [Pb5 (VO4 )3 Cl] by fungi.

Saprotrophic fungi were investigated for their bioweathering effects on the vanadium- and lead-containing insoluble apatite group mineral, vanadinite [Pb5 (VO4 )3 Cl]. Despite the insolubility of vanadinite, fungi exerted both biochemical and biophysical effects on the mineral including etching, penetration and formation of new biominerals. Lead oxalate was precipitated by Aspergillus niger during bioleaching of natural and synthetic vanadinite.

Studies on the kinetics of killing and the proposed mechanism of action of microemulsions against fungi.

Microemulsions are physically stable oil/water clear dispersions, spontaneously formed and thermodynamically stable. They are composed in most cases of water, oil, surfactant and cosurfactant. Microemulsions are stable, self-preserving antimicrobial agents in their own right.

Failure of centrosome migration causes a loss of motile cilia in talpid(3) mutants.

Background: Loss of function mutations in the centrosomal protein TALPID3 (KIAA0586) cause a failure of primary cilia formation in animal models and are associated with defective Hedgehog signalling. It is unclear, however, if TALPID3 is required only for primary cilia formation or if it is essential for all ciliogenesis, including that of motile cilia in multiciliate cells.

Results: FOXJ1, a key regulator of multiciliate cell fate, is expressed in the dorsal neuroectoderm of the chicken forebrain and hindbrain at stage 20HH, in areas that will give rise to choroid plexuses in both wt and talpid(3) embryos.

Iatrogenic subfoveal diamond particle after macular hole repair surgery.

Purpose: To discuss surgical options and visual outcome when faced with a diamond intraoperative foreign body during macular hole surgery.

Methods: Case study of an iatrogenic in-the-macular-hole diamond particle noted during macular hole surgery. No attempt to retrieve the diamond from the macular hole was made during surgery.

The impact and mode of action of phenolic compounds extracted from brown seaweed on mixed anaerobic microbial cultures.

Aims: This study discusses the effect of phenolic compounds extracted from brown seaweed (phlorotannins) on mixed microbial cultures found in anaerobic systems.

Methods And Results: Assays were conducted with phloroglucinol as the nonpolymerized form of phlorotannin and with phlorotannins extracted from the brown seaweed Laminaria digitata. Electron micrographs revealed that phlorotannins induce significant extra- and intracellular effects upon cells, with the disruption of cell membranes observed with most micro-organisms.

Structural analysis of anaerobic granules in a phase separated reactor by electron microscopy.

This paper discusses the microbial community structure of anaerobic granules and the effect of phase separation in anaerobic reactor on the characteristics of granules. Electron micrographs revealed that the core of anaerobic granular sludge consists predominantly of Methanosaeta-like cells, a key microorganism in granulation process. Granules in the methanogenic dominant zone of the reactor were stable and densely packed with smooth regular surface.

The suppression of galactose metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes causes changes in cell surface molecular architecture and cell morphology.

The cell surface of the epimastigote form of Trypanosoma cruzi is covered by glycoconjugates rich in galactose. The parasite cannot take up galactose through its hexose transporter, suggesting that the epimerisation of UDP-glucose to UDP-galactose may be the parasite's only route to this sugar. The T.

Nodulation of Mimosa spp. by the beta-proteobacterium Ralstonia taiwanensis.

Several beta-proteobacteria have been isolated from legume root nodules and some of these are thought to be capable of nodulating and fixing N2. However, in no case has there been detailed studies confirming that they are the active symbionts. Here, Ralstonia taiwanensis LMG19424, which was originally isolated from Mimosa pudica nodules, was transformed to carry the green fluorescent protein (gfp) reporter gene before being used to inoculate axenically-grown seedlings of M.

Microemulsions are highly effective anti-biofilm agents.

Aims: The demonstration of the antibiofilm effects of pharmaceutical microemulsions.

Methods And Results: Microemulsions were prepared as physically stable oil/water systems. Previous work by this group has shown that microemulsions are highly effective antimembrane agents that result in rapid losses of viability in planktonic populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

Microemulsions are membrane-active, antimicrobial, self-preserving systems.

Microemulsions are physically stable oil/water systems that have potential use as delivery systems for many pharmaceuticals which are normally of limited use due to their hydrophobicity, toxicity or inability to access the site of action. It has been suggested that microemulsions are self-preserving antimicrobials in their own right, although there is little evidence to support this. In this experiment, microemulsions of various compositions were formulated and tested for their stability and antimicrobial action.

Solubilisation of some naturally occurring metal-bearing minerals, limescale and lead phosphate by Aspergillus niger.

The ability of the soil fungus Aspergillus niger to tolerate and solubilise seven naturally occurring metal-bearing minerals, limescale and lead phosphate was investigated. A. niger was able to solubilise four of the test insoluble compounds when incorporated into solid medium: cuprite (CuO2), galena (PbS), rhodochrosite (Mn(CO3)x) and limescale (CaCO3).

Silver tolerance and accumulation in yeasts.

Debaryomyces hansenii (NCYC 459 and strain 75-21), Candida albicans (3153A), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (X2180-1B), Rhodotorula rubra (NCYC 797) and Aureobasidium pullulans (IMI 45533 and ATCC 42371) were grown on solid medium supplemented with varying concentrations of AgNO3. Although Ag+ is highly toxic towards yeasts, growth on solid media was still possible at Ag concentrations of 1-2 mM. Further subculture on higher Ag concentrations (up to 5 mM) resulted in elevated tolerance.