Performance of an ultra-compact biofilm reactor treating domestic and synthetic wastewaters.

The performance of an ultra-compact biofilm reactor (UCBR) treating domestic wastewater (DWW) collected from a local water reclamation plant; and gradually shifting to a mono-type carbon source synthetic wastewater (SWW) combined with DDW (CWW) and finally SWW; was investigated in this study. The total COD concentrations of influent DWW and CWW/SWW were 413.6 ± 80.

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+): game changer or just another quick fix?

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) provides financial compensation to land owners who avoid converting standing forests to other land uses. In this paper, we review the main opportunities and challenges for REDD+ implementation, including expectations for REDD+ to deliver on multiple environmental and societal cobenefits. We also highlight a recent case study, the Norway-Indonesia REDD+ agreement and discuss how it might be a harbinger of outcomes in other forest-rich nations seeking REDD+ funds.

Admission levels of soluble CD137 are increased in patients with acute pancreatitis and are associated with subsequent complications.

The progression of acute pancreatitis to necrotizing pancreatitis which often results in high morbidity and mortality is difficult to predict. Here we report that serum concentrations of sCD137 are increased in patients with acute pancreatitis. Admission levels and 10-day median sCD137 levels positively correlate with markers of biliary pancreatitis and the 10-day sCD137 median is significantly higher in metabolic than in alcoholic pancreatitis.

The use of molecular fluorescent markers to monitor absorption and distribution of xenobiotics in a silkworm model.

The fate of xenobiotics in living organisms is determined by their in vivo absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. A convenient and scalable animal model of these biological processes is thus highly beneficial in understanding the effects of xenobiotics. Here we present a silkworm model to investigate the molecular properties-directed absorption, distribution and excretion of fluorescent compounds as model xenobiotics through introducing the compounds into the silkworm's diet and monitoring the resulting color and fluorescence in the silkworm's body.

Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity.

Human-driven land-use changes increasingly threaten biodiversity, particularly in tropical forests where both species diversity and human pressures on natural environments are high. The rapid conversion of tropical forests for agriculture, timber production and other uses has generated vast, human-dominated landscapes with potentially dire consequences for tropical biodiversity. Today, few truly undisturbed tropical forests exist, whereas those degraded by repeated logging and fires, as well as secondary and plantation forests, are rapidly expanding.

Outcomes of long-term follow-up of patients with conservative management of asymptomatic renal calculi.

Objective: • To evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients undergoing observation of asymptomatic renal calculi.

Patients And Methods: • This is a retrospective review of 50 patients with 85 stones undergoing observation with annual imaging from January 2005 to December 2009. • The incidences of spontaneous stone passage, stone progression and intervention were evaluated and assessed for statistical difference according to initial size and location of stone.

7-(4-Fluoro-benzyl-amino)-2-phenyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-5-amine methanol disolvate.

The 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazine system in the title compound, C(17)H(14)FN(7)·2CH(3)OH, is essentially planar, with an r.m.s.

The role of RelA (p65) threonine 505 phosphorylation in the regulation of cell growth, survival, and migration.

The NF-κB family of transcription factors is a well-established regulator of the immune and inflammatory responses and also plays a key role in other cellular processes, including cell death, proliferation, and migration. Conserved residues in the trans-activation domain of RelA, which can be posttranslationally modified, regulate divergent NF-κB functions in response to different cellular stimuli. Using rela(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts reconstituted with RelA, we find that mutation of the threonine 505 (T505) phospho site to alanine has wide-ranging effects on NF-κB function.

Association of TCF4 gene polymorphisms with Fuchs' corneal dystrophy in the Chinese.

Purpose: To test the association between TCF4, a gene recently found to confer susceptibility to Fuchs' corneal dystrophy (FCD) in Caucasian populations, and Chinese patients with FCD.

Methods: Fifty-seven Chinese subjects with clinically diagnosed FCD and 121 normal control subjects were recruited. Genomic DNA was extracted and the 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within TCF4 were genotyped (Sequenom MassArray primer extension system; Sequenom, Inc.

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in an Allogeneic Cell Transplant Recipient with Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis and Antecedent RSV Pneumonitis.

We report a case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) following respiratory syncytial virus infection in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipient with chronic graft-versus-host disease. Delayed diagnosis of IPA resulted in the development of a pneumothorax, a rare consequence of fungal pneumonia. Respiratory virus infections are often harbingers of other infective organisms in HSCT recipients.

Student attitudes and educational support in caring for older people--a review of literature.

The ageing population is currently one of the main issues facing UK healthcare systems. Nurses of the future will be faced with the task of caring for this elderly population. Meanwhile, care standards and government policies have emphasized the need for preparing students to care for the older people.

Remotely sensed evidence of tropical peatland conversion to oil palm.

Rising global demands for food and biofuels are driving forest clearance in the tropics. Oil-palm expansion contributes to biodiversity declines and carbon emissions in Southeast Asia. However, the magnitudes of these impacts remain largely unquantified until now.

Prevalence of invasive fungal disease in hematological patients at a tertiary university hospital in Singapore.

Background: The use of newer azoles as prophylaxis in hematological patients undergoing stem cell transplantation or immunosuppressive chemotherapy has been shown to decrease the risk of developing invasive fungal disease (IFD). However, the cost-effectiveness of such a strategy is dependent on the local epidemiology of IFD. We conducted an audit of hematological patients with IFD in our institution in order to derive the prevalence and types of IFD that occur locally.

Adhesion, proliferation, and gene expression profile of human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured on bilayered polyelectrolyte coatings composed of glycosaminoglycans.

This study characterized human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) adhesion, proliferation, and gene expression on bilayered polyelectrolyte coatings composed of an outermost layer of glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronan, heparin, or chondroitin sulfate), with an underlying layer of poly-L-lysine or chitosan. The proportion of cells that adhered to the various polyelectrolyte coatings after 1 and 2 h incubations was quantified by the WST-8 assay. Interchanging poly-L-lysine with chitosan resulted in significant differences in cellular adhesion to the outermost glycosaminoglycan layer after 1 h, but these differences became insignificant after 2 h.

Fluoroquinolone prophylaxis against febrile neutropenia in areas with high fluoroquinolone resistance--an Asian perspective.

Febrile neutropenia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients receiving chemotherapy. Major prophylactic strategies include granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and antibiotics, the most widely used of which are fluoroquinolones. While fluoroquinolone prophylaxis has been shown to be effective in areas where fluoroquinolone resistance is low, this same efficacy has not been proven in areas where resistance is high, such as in Asia.

Missense mutations in the sodium borate cotransporter SLC4A11 cause late-onset Fuchs corneal dystrophy.

Homozygous mutations in the Borate Cotransporter SLC4A11 cause two early-onset corneal dystrophies: congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED) and Harboyan syndrome. More recently, four sporadic patients with late-onset Fuchs corneal dystrophy (FCD), a common age-related disorder, were also reported to harbor heterozygous mutations at this locus. We therefore tested the hypothesis that SLC4A11 contributes to FCD and asked whether mutations in SLC4A11 are responsible for familial cases of late-onset FCD.

Common and emerging fungal pulmonary infections.

Fungal pulmonary infections are becoming more prevalent as a consequence of the rising prevalence of immunocompromised patients. Besides ubiquitous opportunistic fungi such as Aspergillus spp and geographically delimited mycoses, fungi that were previously thought to be of uncertain pathogenicity, such as hyaline and dematiaceous molds, are increasingly being diagnosed as the causes of invasive disease in profoundly immunosuppressed hosts. Overall progress in the clinical management of fungal pulmonary infections has been slow compared with other areas of infectious diseases.

Prospective audit of febrile neutropenia management at a tertiary university hospital in Singapore.

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia (FN) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Oncology/Haematology units. We launched a new protocol for FN management that incorporates risk stratification at our institute from October 2008. An audit was performed concurrently to evaluate the protocol and to define the epidemiology of FN locally.