Assessing the Performance of Floating Biofilters for Oxidation of Methane from Dairy Effluent Ponds.

Mitigating methane (CH) emissions from New Zealand dairy effluent ponds using volcanic pumice soil biofilters has been found to be a promising technology. Because the soil column biofilter prototype previously used was cumbersome, here we assess the effectiveness of volcanic pumice soil-perlite biofilter media in a floating system to remove high concentrations of CH emitted from a dairy effluent pond and simultaneously in a laboratory setting. We measured the CH removal over a period of 11 mo and determined methanotroph population dynamics using molecular techniques to understand the role of methanotroph population abundance and diversity in CH removal.

Assessment of farm soil, biochar, compost and weathered pine mulch to mitigate methane emissions.

Previous studies have demonstrated the effective utility of volcanic pumice soil to mitigate both high and low levels of methane (CH) emissions through the activity of both γ-proteobacterial (type I) and α-proteobacterial (type II) aerobic methanotrophs. However, the limited availability of volcanic pumice soil necessitates the assessment of other farm soils and potentially suitable, economical and widely available biofilter materials. The potential biofilter materials, viz.

Acute profound thrombocytopenia secondary to local abciximab infusion.

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists are powerful antiplatelet agents that are typically used in percutaneous coronary intervention. All three GP IIb/IIIa agents currently approved for use in the United States cause thrombocytopenia as a rare side effect. Abciximab is unique to the class in that it is a modified monoclonal antibody to the GP IIb/IIIa receptor, a property that can lead to increased platelet destruction.

May-Thurner syndrome: a not so uncommon cause of a common condition.

May-Thurner syndrome is a rarely diagnosed condition in which patients develop iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis (DVT) due to an anatomical variant in which the right common iliac artery overlies and compresses the left common iliac vein against the lumbar spine. This variant has been shown to be present in over 20% of the population; however, it is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of DVT, particularly in patients with other risk factors. Systemic anticoagulation alone is insufficient treatment, and a more aggressive approach is necessary to prevent recurrent DVT.

Aging-induced alterations in gene transcripts and functional activity of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation complexes in the heart.

Aging is associated with progressive decline in energetic reserves compromising cardiac performance and tolerance to injury. Although deviations in mitochondrial functions have been documented in senescent heart, the molecular bases for the decline in energy metabolism are only partially understood. Here, high-throughput transcription profiles of genes coding for mitochondrial proteins in ventricles from adult (6-months) and aged (24-months) rats were compared using microarrays.