Harvesting electricity with Geobacter bremensis isolated from compost.

Electrochemically active (EA) biofilms were formed on metallic dimensionally stable anode-type electrode (DSA), embedded in garden compost and polarized at +0.50 V/SCE. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed that biofilms were heavily enriched in Deltaproteobacteria in comparison to control biofilms formed on non-polarized electrodes, which were preferentially composed of Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes.

Bacterial diversity of the cultivable fraction of a marine electroactive biofilm.

Stainless steel electrodes were cathodically polarized at -200 mV versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode in natural seawater in order to produce current. The current increased and stabilized at 0.5 A/m(2) in less than 10 days.

Nautella italica gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a marine electroactive biofilm.

Five isolates obtained from a marine electroactive biofilm grown on a stainless steel cathode were investigated by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Analyses of whole-cell fatty acid methyl esters and 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolates belonged to the Roseobacter lineage of the class Alphaproteobacteria. Both phenotypic and genotypic analyses demonstrated that the five new isolates constituted a single species that did not represent a recognized member of the Roseobacter lineage.

Bilateral osteonecrosis of the femoral head associated with pregnancy: four new cases and a review of the literature.

Osteonecrosis is thought to result from the temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bones. Without proper nutrition, the bone tissue dies, is resorbed, and collapses. If the process involves the bones in a joint, it often leads to collapse of the joint surface.

WITHDRAWN: Bacterial diversity of the cultivable fraction of a marine electroactive biofilm.

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Electrochemical checking of aerobic isolates from electrochemically active biofilms formed in compost.

Aims: To design a cyclic voltammetry (CV) procedure to check the electrochemical activity of bacterial isolates that may explain the electrochemical properties of biofilms formed in compost.

Methods And Results: Bacteria catalysing acetate oxidation in garden compost were able to form electrochemically active biofilms by transferring electrons to an electrode under chronoamperometry. They were recovered from the electrode surface and identification of the isolates using 16S rRNA sequencing showed that most of them were Gammaproteobacteria, mainly related to Enterobacter and Pseudomonas spp.

Ruegeria scottomollicae sp. nov., isolated from a marine electroactive biofilm.

Seventy isolates were obtained from a marine electroactive biofilm that was generated on a cathodically polarized stainless steel electrode (Genoa, Italy). The genetic diversity was investigated by means of BOX-PCR fingerprinting and two clusters of isolates with similar BOX-PCR profiles were delineated. Whole-cell fatty acid methyl ester analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the isolates belonged to the Roseobacter lineage of the class Alphaproteobacteria.

Alteromonas genovensis sp. nov., isolated from a marine electroactive biofilm and emended description of Alteromonas macleodii Baumann et al. 1972 (approved lists 1980).

Thirty-five isolates obtained from a marine electroactive biofilm grown on a stainless steel cathode (Genoa, Italy) were investigated by a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Whole-cell fatty acid methyl ester analysis indicated that the isolates belonged to the class Gammaproteobacteria and were closely related or belonging to the genus Alteromonas. Genomic fingerprinting using the BOX-PCR primer delineated five clusters of isolates with similar BOX-PCR fingerprints.

Neurologic injuries after total hip arthroplasty.

Neurologic injuries are a potentially devastating complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Review of the literature reveals that these injuries are uncommon. The reported incidence ranges from 0.

Removal of broken long gamma nail: a modified guide wires technique.

We report a simple alternative procedure, modified ball-tipped guide wires technique, to remove a broken long gamma nail at the level of lag screw hole which is detected during a removal procedure. The fragment retained in the medullary canal was successfully removed without complication.

Analysis of fae and fhcD genes in Mono Lake, California.

Genes for two enzymes of the tetrahydromethanopterin-linked C(1) transfer pathway (fae and fhcD) were detected in hypersaline, hyperalkaline Mono Lake (California), via PCR amplification and analysis. Low diversity for fae and fhcD was noted, in contrast to the diversity previously detected in a freshwater lake, Lake Washington (Washington).

Highly divergent genes for methanopterin-linked C1 transfer reactions in Lake Washington, assessed via metagenomic analysis and mRNA detection.

The origins and the evolutionary history of tetrahydromethanopterin-linked C1 transfer reactions that are part of two environmentally important biotransformations, methylotrophy and methanogenesis, are still not well understood. In previous studies, we have expanded the known phylogenetic diversity of these reactions by identifying genes highly diverging from the ones associated with cultivated Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, or Archaea (M. G.

Microbial diversity in production waters of a low-temperature biodegraded oil reservoir.

Microbial communities in two production waters of a low-temperature and low-salinity petroleum reservoir in Canada were examined using cultural and molecular approaches. The predominant cultivated microorganisms were homoacetogens but sulfate-reducers, acetoclastic methanogens and denitrifiers also gave significant counts. The dominant members of the culturable population were affiliated with the Firmicutes, the "Deltaproteobacteria", the "Epsilonproteobacteria", the Spirochaetes and the Euryarchaeota.

Fishing for biodiversity: novel methanopterin-linked C transfer genes deduced from the Sargasso Sea metagenome.

The recently generated database of microbial genes from an oligotrophic environment populated by a calculated 1800 major phylotypes (the Sargasso Sea metagenome-SSM) presents a great source for expanding local databases of genes indicative of a specific function. In this article we analyse the SSM for the presence of methanopterin-linked C1 transfer genes that are signature for methylotrophy. We conclude that more than 10 phylotypes possessing genes of interest are present in this environment.

Bacterial populations active in metabolism of C1 compounds in the sediment of Lake Washington, a freshwater lake.

Active members of the bacterial community in the sediment of Lake Washington, with special emphasis on C1 utilizers, were identified by employing two complementary culture-independent approaches: reverse transcription of environmental mRNA and 16S rRNA combined with PCR (RT-PCR) and stable-isotope probing (SIP) of DNA with the 13C-labeled C1 substrates methanol, methylamine, formaldehyde, and formate. Analysis of RT-PCR-amplified fragments of 16S rRNA-encoding genes revealed that gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs belonging to Methylobacter and Methylomonas dominate the active methylotroph population, while only one other known methylotrophic lineage, Methylophilaceae, was detected via this approach. Analysis of RT-PCR-amplified functional genes, pmoA and fae, allowed detection of alphaproteobacterial (Methylosinus) and gammaproteobacterial (Methylobacter, Methylomonas, and Methylomicrobium) methanotrophs, methylotrophs of the genus Methylobacterium, and yet-unidentified proteobacteria.

Development and application of polymerase chain reaction primers based on fhcD for environmental detection of methanopterin-linked C1-metabolism in bacteria.

In this work we describe development and testing of a novel pair of environmental primers targeting fhcD, a conserved gene in the H4MTP-linked C1-transfer pathway, and demonstrate that these primers enable confident detection of a broad variety of fhcD genes originating from phylogenetically diverse bacteria. The new primer pair was employed to analyse fhcD diversity in Lake Washington sediment, uncovering the presence of 40 fhcD phylotypes. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the phylotypes identified were affiliated with alpha-, beta- and gamma-proteobacteria, and Planctomycetes, while a number of sequences formed deep branches suggesting the presence of unknown groups of microorganisms.

Cultivated anaerobic acidophilic/acidotolerant thermophiles from terrestrial and deep-sea hydrothermal habitats.

Metabolic and phylogenetic diversity of cultivated anaerobic microorganisms from acidic continental hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents was studied by molecular and microbiological methods. Anaerobic organotrophic enrichment cultures growing at pH 3.5-4.

A 15- to 25- year follow-up study of primary Charnley low-friction arthroplasty: a single surgeon series.

Long term outcome studies are essential to determine the effectiveness and durability of a procedure. We report our 15 to 25 year clinical and radiographic follow-up with the Charnley low-friction hip arthroplasty. Four hundred and forty-seven primary Charnley hip arthroplasties were performed by a single surgeon.

Diversity of Bacteria and Archaea associated with a carbonate-rich metalliferous sediment sample from the Rainbow vent field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Two sediment cores were collected in an inactive area of the deep-sea hydrothermal vent field Rainbow (36 degrees N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge). Metals and carbonates were abundant throughout the cores; calcite (CaCO3) was found throughout the cores while dolomite [CaMg(CO3)2] and siderite (FeCO3) were only found in deeper layers. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, we examined the bacterial and archaeal diversity in a sediment layer that contained the three carbonates.

Diversity of functional genes of methanogens, methanotrophs and sulfate reducers in deep-sea hydrothermal environments.

To contribute to the identification of methanogens, methanotrophs and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in microbial communities from the 13 degrees N (East Pacific Rise) and Rainbow (Mid-Atlantic Ridge) hydrothermal vent fields, we investigated the diversity of mcrA, pmoA and dsrAB genes sequences. Clone libraries were obtained using DNA isolated from fragments of diffuse vents, sediment and in situ samplers. The clones were categorized by restriction fragment length polymorphism, and representatives of each group were sequenced.

New developments in ochronosis: review of the literature.

Ochronosis commonly affects all connective tissue. Recognition of changes secondary to the deposition of ochronotic pigments has increased with advances in diagnostic technology, allowing both improved imaging and early biochemical and genetics-based diagnosis of alkaptonuria, the cause of ochronosis. Successful symptomatic treatment of ochronotic arthropathy with joint replacement has been documented, and a new pharmacotherapeutic agent, nitisinone, is currently under investigation for both prevention and treatment of ochronosis.

Design of 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for detecting cultured and uncultured archaeal lineages in high-temperature environments.

In order to facilitate the evaluation of archaeal community diversity and distribution in high-temperature environments, 14 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes were designed. Adequate hybridization and wash conditions of the probes encompassing most known hyperthermophilic Archaea, members of the orders Thermococcales, Desulfurococcales and Sulfolobales, of the families Methanocaldococcaceae, Pyrodictiaceae and Thermoproteaceae, of the genera Archaeoglobus, Methanopyrus and Ignicoccus, and of the as yet uncultured lineages Korarchaeota, Crenarchaeota marine group I, deep-sea hydrothermal vent euryarchaeotic group 2 (DHVE 2), and deep-sea hydrothermal vent euryarchaeotic group 8 (DHVE 8) were determined by dot-blot hybridization from target and non-target reference organisms and environmental clones. The oligonucleotide probes were also used to evaluate the archaeal community composition in nine deep-sea hydrothermal vent samples.

Deferribacter abyssi sp. nov., an anaerobic thermophile from deep-sea hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Two strains of thermophilic, anaerobic, chemolithoautotrophic bacteria, designated JR(T) and DR, were isolated from hydrothermal samples collected on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from the Rainbow (36 degrees 16' N, 33 degrees 54' W) and Menez Gwen (37 degrees 50' N, 31 degrees 50' W) vent fields, respectively. Cells of both isolates were short, straight- to vibrio-shaped, motile rods with one polar flagellum, and were Gram-negative and non-sporulating. Strain JR(T) was characterized in detail.

Influence of demographic and technical variables on the incidence of osteolysis in Charnley primary low-friction hip arthroplasty.

The influence of demographic and technical variables on the incidence of osteolysis in Charnley primary low-friction arthroplasty was investigated. Demographic variables included age, gender, diagnosis, and Charnley joint class. Technical variables included the design of acetabular and femoral components, subchondral plate retention versus removal, and cementing techniques.