Effect of temperature and dispersant (COREXIT EC 9500A) on aerobic biodegradation of benzene in a coastal salt marsh sediment.

The coastal ecosystem in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has been seriously impacted by the 2010 BP oil spill. Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of temperature and addition of the dispersant on biodegradation of benzene, as a representative of petroleum hydrocarbon, in a coastal salt marsh sediment under aerobic conditions. The results show that benzene biodegradation was approximately 6 time faster under aerobic conditions (Eh > +300 mV) than under anaerobic iron-reduction conditions (+14 mV < Eh < +162 mV).

Identification of human papillomavirus as a preventive strategy for cervical cancer in asymptomatic women in the Peruvian Andes.

Objective: To detect the most prevalent human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in cervical smear samples of asymptomatic Peruvian women by analyzing the correlation between Papanicolaou (PAP)-stained cervical tests and PCR-sequencing.

Methods: A total of 254 women attending routine gynecological examinations were included in this study. The samples were analyzed by PAP technique and examined under a microscope by a pathologist and classified by the Bethesda system.