Titanium Implant Modified With Zinc-Doped Carbon Dot Layer as an Innovative Coating for the Development of Local Drug Delivery System for Ciprofloxacin.

This study presents a new innovative drug delivery system for ciprofloxacin, which is based on the formation of a zinc-doped carbon dots layer on the surface of a titanium alloy (TiAl4V6). In the study, the effectiveness of the synthesis method of a zinc-doped carbon dots layer was determined. The distribution of the layer of carbon dots on the surface of the titanium alloy was investigated using the FT-IR mapping technique, which confirmed the efficiency of the synthesis.

Comparative analysis of bacterial populations in sulfonylurea-sensitive and -resistant weeds: insights into community composition and catabolic gene dynamics.

This study aimed to compare the impact of iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium and an iodosulfuron-based herbicidal ionic liquid (HIL) on the microbiomes constituting the epiphytes and endophytes of cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L.). The experiment involved biotypes of cornflower susceptible and resistant to acetolactate synthase inhibition, examining potential bacterial involvement in sulfonylurea herbicide detoxification.

Cations impact the biodegradation of iodosulfuron-methyl herbicidal ionic liquids by fungi.

In the framework of this study, six fungal isolates which demonstrated a high capability for biodegrading iodosulphuron-methyl sodium as well as herbicidal ionic liquids based on this herbicide were isolated from different soil samples. The isolates were identified based on the ITS region, whereas biodegradation residues were determined based on LC-MS/MS. Depending on the isolate, the half-lives values of the biodegraded herbicide or herbicidal ionic liquid ranged significantly from just 1.

Critical evaluation of the performance of rhamnolipids as surfactants for (phyto)extraction of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn from copper smelter-affected soil.

Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants produced by bacteria belonging to the Pseudomonas genus. They are discussed to complex heavy metal cations stronger than cations of Fe, Ca, Mg. It is therefore suggested to employ rhamnolipids in phytoextraction where their addition to soil should result in preferential complexation of heavy metals that can be taken up by plants, thus enabling rapid and ecological clean-up of contaminated soil.

Chitosan hydrogel modified with lanthanum as a drug delivery system for epigallocatechin gallate: Investigation of hydrogel - drug interaction by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy.

In the presented work, chitosan hydrogel modified with lanthanum was obtained for the first time. The hydrogel was used as a carrier in the controlled release of epigallocatechin gallate. The work proved the effectiveness of drug sorption by hydrogel and controlled release in simulated body fluids.

Basic principles for biosurfactant-assisted (bio)remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons - A critical evaluation of the performance of rhamnolipids.

Despite the fact that rhamnolipids are among the most studied biosurfactants, there are still several gaps which must be filled. The aim of this review is to emphasize and to indicate which issues should be taken into account in order to achieve efficient rhamnolipids-assisted biodegradation or phytoextraction of soils contaminated by heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons without harmful side effects. Four main topics have been elucidated in the review: effective concentration of rhamnolipids in soil, their potential phytotoxicity, susceptibility to biodegradation and interaction with soil microorganisms.

Physicomechanical and Antimicrobial Characteristics of Cement Composites with Selected Nano-Sized Oxides and Binary Oxide Systems.

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the durability of building materials, including those based on cementitious binders. Important aspects of durability include the increase of the strength of the cement matrix and enhancement of material resistance to external factors. The use of nanoadditives may be a way to meet these expectations.

Novel esterquat-based herbicidal ionic liquids incorporating MCPA and MCPP for simultaneous stimulation of maize growth and fighting cornflower.

Modern agricultural practices are often based on the use of mixtures of specific herbicides to achieve efficient crop protection. The major drawbacks of commercial herbicidal formulations include the necessity to incorporate toxic surfactants and high volatility of active substances. Transformation of herbicides into herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs) seems to be a promising alternative which allows to almost completely reduce volatility due to ionic interactions.

Herbicidal Ionic Liquids: A Promising Future for Old Herbicides? Review on Synthesis, Toxicity, Biodegradation, and Efficacy Studies.

The transformation of agrochemicals into herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs) has been suggested as a solution to problems associated with commercial forms of herbicides. The aim of this review was to summarize the latest progress in the field of HILs, including their synthesis as well as physicochemical and biological properties, and to address the areas that require further research in order to ensure their safe commercialization (e.g.

Biodegradation of Conventional and Emerging Pollutants.

The concerns associated with the contamination of the environment remain a topic of great importance and growing interest [...

Microbial Degradation of Hydrocarbons-Basic Principles for Bioremediation: A Review.

Crude oil-derived hydrocarbons constitute the largest group of environmental pollutants worldwide. The number of reports concerning their toxicity and emphasizing the ultimate need to remove them from marine and soil environments confirms the unceasing interest of scientists in this field. Among the various techniques used for clean-up actions, bioremediation seems to be the most acceptable and economically justified.

Gas-phase hydration of Mg complexes with deprotonated uracil, thymine, uridine, and thymidine.

The gas-phase hydration of Mg complexes with deprotonated uracil (U), thymine (T), uridine (U , uracil riboside), and thymidine (T , thymine deoxyriboside) was studied. The aim of the work was to analyze the hydration of product ions (eg, [2U-H+Mg] ) formed as a result of the collision induced dissociation of the respective parent ion (eg, [3U -H+Mg] ). The efficiency of gas-phase hydration of the ions [2U-H+Mg] and [2T-H+Mg] was similar.

How to accurately assess surfactant biodegradation-impact of sorption on the validity of results.

Surfactants not only are widely used in biotechnological processes but also constitute significant contaminants of the modern world. Among many reports, there is a shortage of works which summarize the issue of surfactant sorption to biomass in a way that would elucidate the biological factors for analysts and analytical factors for microbiologists. The main factor, which is not as obvious as one would expect, is associated with the susceptibility of analytical approaches to errors resulting from incorrect handling of biomass.

Hybrid electrochemical and biological treatment of herbicidal ionic liquids comprising the MCPA anion.

The present study was focused on the application of an electrochemical oxidation process combined with biodegradation for the removal of novel Herbicidal Ionic Liquids (HILs) -promising protection plant products which incorporate herbicidal anions and ammonium cations. The influence of carbon chain length (n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) in the dialkyldimethylammonium cations on electrochemical oxidation kinetics, degradation efficiency and biodegradation by activated sludge was investigated. It was established that the applied cation influenced the heterogeneous rate constant and diffusion coefficient of electrochemical oxidation.

Comparison of metalworking fluids biodegradation efficiency by autochthonous and environmental communities.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodegradation potential of microbiota isolated from different environmental niches towards different types of metalworking fluids (MWF). The first experimental stage was focused on the assessment of biochemical oxygen demand reduction efficiency of autochthonous and environmental microbial communities. Based on the obtained results, the following order describing the biodegradation potential of communities from the studied niches was established: petroleum contaminated soil > waste repository ≥ waste MWF tanks > pesticide-treated field > activated sludge > municipal sewage effluents.

Biodiversity of soil bacteria exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of phosphonium-based ionic liquids: Effects of toxicity and biodegradation.

Little is known about the effect of ionic liquids (ILs) on the structure of soil microbial communities and resulting biodiversity. Therefore, we studied the influence of six trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium ILs (with either bromide or various organic anions) at sublethal concentrations on the structure of microbial community present in an urban park soil in 100-day microcosm experiments. The biodiversity decreased in all samples (Shannon's index decreased from 1.

Isolation of rhamnolipids-producing cultures from faeces: Influence of interspecies communication on the yield of rhamnolipid congeners.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of bacterial cultures isolated from cattle, poultry or pig faeces and manure to produce rhamnolipids, as well as to investigate the influence of interspecies communication on possible quantitative differences in the production of rhamnolipid congeners. Initial screening methods (oil spreading, drop collapse, haemolytic activity and emulsification activity) showed that approximately 36% of the 51 isolated cultures exhibited the ability to produce biosurfactants. Subsequent studies using a selected culturable mixed culture (which included Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) revealed that only P.

Evaluating robustness of a diesel-degrading bacterial consortium isolated from contaminated soil.

It is not known whether diesel-degrading bacterial communities are structurally and functionally robust when exposed to different hydrocarbon types. Here, we exposed a diesel-degrading consortium to model either alkanes, cycloalkanes or aromatic hydrocarbons as carbon sources to study its structural resistance. The structural resistance was low, with changes in relative abundances of up to four orders of magnitude, depending on hydrocarbon type and bacterial taxon.

Betaine and Carnitine Derivatives as Herbicidal Ionic Liquids.

This study focused on the synthesis and subsequent characterization of herbicidal ionic liquids based on betaine and carnitine, two derivatives of amino acids, which were used as cations. Four commonly used herbicides (2,4-D, MCPA, MCPP and Dicamba) were used as anions in simple (single anion) and oligomeric (two anions) salts. The obtained salts were subjected to analyzes regarding physicochemical properties (density, viscosity, refractive index, thermal decomposition profiles and solubility) as well as evaluation of their herbicidal activity under greenhouse and field conditions, toxicity towards rats and biodegradability.

Different antibacterial activity of novel theophylline-based ionic liquids - Growth kinetic and cytotoxicity studies.

The aim of this study was to investigate novel theophylline-based ionic liquids and their cytotoxic effects towards model Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli, respectively). Growth kinetics, respiratory rates and dehydrogenase activities were studied in the presence of ionic liquids at concentrations ranging from 10 to 1000mg/L. Additionally, the influence of ionic liquids on bacterial cells associated with specific interactions based on the structure of cell wall was evaluated.

Comparative study on the biodegradability of morpholinium herbicidal ionic liquids.

This study focused on evaluating the toxicity as well as primary and ultimate biodegradability of morpholinium herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs), which incorporated MCPA, MCPP, 2,4-D or Dicamba anions. The studied HILs were also subjected to determination of surface active properties in order to assess their influence on toxicity and biodegradability. The study was carried out with microbiota isolated from different environmental niches: sediments from river channel, garden soil, drainage trench collecting agricultural runoff stream, agricultural soil and municipal waste repository.

Bioavailability of hydrocarbons to bacterial consortia during Triton X-100 mediated biodegradation in aqueous media.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of Triton X-100 on the biodegradation efficiency of hexadecane and phenanthrene carried out by two bacterial consortia. It was established that the tested consortia were not able to directly uptake compounds closed in micelles. It was observed that in micellar systems the nonionic synthetic surfactant was preferentially degraded (the degradation efficiency of Triton X-100 after 21 days was 70% of the initial concentration - 500 mg/l), followed by a lesser decomposition of hydrocarbon released from the micelles (30% for hexadecane and 20% for phenanthrene).

The influence of bioaugmentation and biosurfactant addition on bioremediation efficiency of diesel-oil contaminated soil: feasibility during field studies.

The study focused on assessing the influence of bioaugmentation and addition of rhamnolipids on diesel oil biodegradation efficiency during field studies. Initial laboratory studies (measurement of emitted CO2 and dehydrogenase activity) were carried out in order to select the consortium for bioaugmentation as well as to evaluate the most appropriate concentration of rhamnolipids. The selected consortium consisted of following bacterial taxa: Aeromonas hydrophila, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, Gordonia sp.

Biodegradation of Triton X-100 and its primary metabolites by a bacterial community isolated from activated sludge.

A set of studies was carried using a continuous flow biodegradation unit in order to isolate a microbial community capable of efficient and complete utilization of octylphenol ethoxylates from activated sludge. Increasing concentrations of Triton X-100 (in the range of 1-1000 mg/l) were applied over a time period of 35 days in order to select microorganisms, which exhibit high tolerance towards this surfactant. The fate of the surfactant and its primary degradation products was assessed by HPLC/MS.