Unitary and binary remediations by plant and microorganism on refining oil-contaminated soil.

Refining oil contaminants are complex and cause serious harm to the environment. Remediation of refining oil-contaminated soil is challenging but has significant impact in China. Two plant species Agropyron fragile (Roth) P. Candargy and Avena sativa L. and one bacterium Bacillus tequilensis ZJ01 were used to investigate their efficiency in remediating the refining oil-polluted soil sampled from an oil field in northern China. The simulated experiments of remediations by A. fragile or A. sativa alone and A. fragile or A. sativa combined with B. tequilensis ZJ01 for 39 days and by B. tequilensis ZJ01 alone for 7 days were performed in the laboratory, with B. tequilensis ZJ01 added before or after the germination of seeds. Seed germination rates and morphological characteristics of the plants, along with the varieties of oil hydrocarbons in the soil, were recorded to reflect the remediation efficiency. The results showed that the contamination was weakened in all experimental groups. A. sativa was more sensitive to the pollutants than A. fragile, and A. fragile was much more resistant to the oil hydrocarbons, especially to aromatic hydrocarbons. Adding B. tequilensis ZJ01 before the germination of seeds could restrain the plant growth while adding after the germination of A. fragile seeds notably improved the remediation efficiency. The degradation rate of oil hydrocarbons by B. tequilensis ZJ01 alone was also considerable. Together, our results suggest that the unitary remediation by B. tequilensis ZJ01 and the binary remediation by A. fragile combined with B. tequilensis ZJ01 added after the germination of seeds are recommended for future in situ remediations.

Inhibitory effects of piceatannol on human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) in vitro.

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus, which results in the establishment of a latent infection that persists throughout the life of the host and can be reactivated when the immunity is low. Currently, there is no vaccine for hCMV infection, and the licensed antiviral drugs mainly target the viral enzymes and have obvious adverse reactions. Thus, it is important to search for compounds with anti-hCMV properties. The present study aimed to investigate the suppressive effects of piceatannol on hCMV Towne strain infection and the putative underlying mechanisms using human diploid fibroblast WI-38 cells. Piceatannol supplementation prevented the lytic changes induced by hCMV infection in WI-38 cells. Furthermore, piceatannol suppressed the expression of hCMV immediate-early (IE) and early (E) proteins as well as the replication of hCMV DNA in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, hCMV-induced cellular senescence was suppressed by piceatannol, as shown by a decline in the senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-Gal) activity and decreased production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). p16INK4a, a major senescence-associated molecule, was dramatically elevated by current hCMV infection that was attenuated by pre-incubation with piceatannol in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrated that piceatannol suppressed the hCMV infection via inhibition of the activation of p16INK4a and cellular senescence induced by hCMV. Together, these findings indicate piceatannol as a novel and potent anti-hCMV agent with the potential to be developed as an effective treatment for chronic hCMV infection.

Assessment of the major odor contributors and health risks of volatile compounds in three disposal technologies for municipal solid waste.

Gaseous emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal plants pose serious odor pollution and health risks. In this study, the emission of volatile organic compounds and carbon disulfide was compared in the main processing units of three disposal methods, i.e., landfilling, eco-mechanical biological treatment (EMBT) and anaerobic fermentation in a MSW disposal plant. Among the detected volatile compounds (VCs), the top ten odor compounds were methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, carbon disulfide, styrene, m-xylene, 4-ethyltoluene, ethylbenzene, 2-hexyl ketone and n-hexane in the MSW disposal plant. Sulfur compounds were the main source of odor at the majority of sampling sites, and aromatic compounds were the dominant odor substrates at the tipping unit and sorting system of EMBT, while 2-hexanone was the major odor substrate at the tipping unit (AT) and sorting system (AS) of anaerobic fermentation and the landfill working surface. At AS and AT, the lifetime cancer risk values for 1,2-dichloroethane and trichloroethylene exceeded the carcinogenic risk value (>1.0E-04), and the hazard index values of naphthalene, trichloroethylene and acrolein all exceeded the acceptable level (>1). Therefore, special attention should be paid to VC emissions from MSW disposal facilities, and protection measures should be adopted for on-site workers to minimize health risks.