Concentrations of Atmospheric Culturable Bioaerosols at Mountain and Seashore Sites.

Concentrations of atmospheric culturable bioaerosols at mountain and seashore sites were measured in field investigations by using a bio-culture sampler. The eastern Korean peninsula was selected for the measurements because of the short distance between the mountain site and the seashore site. Detectable concentrations of culturable fungal and bacterial bioaerosols (maximum 1065 CFU/m3) were quantitatively measured at the mountain and seashore sites. In addition, measurement of bioaerosols was conducted at an urban area as reference data. Significantly higher concentrations of bioaerosols were found at the mountain site. However, several fold smaller levels of bioaerosols were detected at the seashore site (t-test p-value < 0.05).

Paenibacillus gelatinilyticus sp. nov. a psychrotolerant bacterium isolated from a reclaimed soil and amended description of Paenibacillus shenyangensis.

A rod shaped, Gram-stain positive, non-motile, facultative anaerobic and gelatin hydrolysing bacterium, strain PG1(T), was isolated from reclaimed land soil in Kyehwa-do, Republic of Korea. Strain PG1(T) showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (97.4 and 96.5%, respectively) to Paenibacillus shenyangensis A9(T) and Paenibacillus hunanensis FeL05(T), and clustered closely with the members of the family Paenibacillaceae. DNA-DNA hybridization studies revealed a genomic relatedness of 47 ± 9% with P. shenyangensis A9(T). The predominant fatty acids of strain PG1(T) were identified to be anteiso-C(15:0) (46.7%) and C(16:0) (22.7%). Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified phospholipid were found to be the major polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was found to be 47.7 mol%. This polyphasic characterisation of the newly isolated strain PG1(T) justifies its description as representative of a novel species in the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus gelatinilyticus sp. nov., (type strain = PG1(T) = KCTC 33642(T) = JCM 30624(T)) is proposed.

Bioleaching characteristics, influencing factors of Cu solubilization and survival of Herbaspirillum sp. GW103 in Cu contaminated mine soil.

This study was aimed at assess the potential of diazotrophic bacteria, Herbaspirillum sp. GW103, for bioleaching of Cu in mine soil. The strain exhibited resistance to As (550mgL(-1)), Cu (350mgL(-1)), Zn (300mgL(-1)) and Pb (200mgL(-1)). The copper resistance was further confirmed by locating copA and copB genes. The survival of the isolate GW103 during bioleaching was analyzed using green fluorescent protein tagged GW103. Response surface methodology based Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the physical and chemical conditions for Cu bioleaching. Five significant variables (temperature, incubation time, CaCO3, coconut oil cake (COC), agitation rate) were selected for the optimization. Second-order polynomials were established to identify the relationship between Cu bioleaching and variables. The optimal conditions for maximum Cu bioleaching (66%) were 30°C, 60h of incubation with 1.75% of CaCO3 and 3% COC at 140rpm. The results of Cu sequential extraction studies indicated that the isolate GW103 leached Cu from ion-exchangeable, reducible, strong organic and residual fractions. Obtained results point out that the isolate GW103 could be used for bioleaching of Cu from mine soils.

Inhibition of corneal neovascularization by subconjunctival and topical bevacizumab and sunitinib in a rabbit model.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of subconjunctival injection and topical application of bevacizumab and sunitinib on experimentally induced corneal neovascularization (CNV). METHODS: CNV was induced by sutures in the right eyes of 36 rabbits. After suture removal, the rabbits were divided into 6 groups with 6 rabbits in each group. In groups 1, 2, and 3, the eyes received a subconjunctival injection of 0.1 mL of normal saline, 2.5 mg/0.1 mL of bevacizumab, and 0.25 mg/0.1 mL of sunitinib, respectively, immediately after suture removal. A booster injection of the same agent was repeated 1 week later in each group. In groups 4, 5, and 6, the eyes received topical applications of saline, bevacizumab (5 mg/mL), and sunitinib (0.5 mg/mL), respectively. These solutions were applied twice a day for 2 weeks, starting immediately after suture removal. CNV was analyzed through biomicroscopy and through histological examination using hematoxylin and eosin and CD31 immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: On day 14, the mean percentages of areas of CNV in sunitinib-treated eyes were smaller compared with saline-treated or bevacizumab-treated eyes in both the subconjunctival (P = 0.003 and 0.032, respectively) and topical groups (P < 0.001 in both). The topical administration of sunitinib was significantly more effective than the subconjunctival injection of the same drug at 1 week (P = 0.011). Upon histological examination of samples from the topical group, sunitinib-treated eyes showed lower vascularity than saline-treated and bevacizumab-treated eyes (P = 0.036 and 0.046, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that sunitinib is more effective than bevacizumab for the inhibition of CNV. Furthermore, topical administration of sunitinib yields better results than a subconjunctival injection of the same medication.