Biofilm colonization and succession in a full-scale partial nitritation-anammox moving bed biofilm reactor.

BACKGROUND: Partial nitritation-anammox (PNA) is a biological nitrogen removal process commonly used in wastewater treatment plants for the treatment of warm and nitrogen-rich sludge liquor from anaerobic digestion, often referred to as sidestream wastewater. In these systems, biofilms are frequently used to retain biomass with aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anammox bacteria, which together convert ammonium to nitrogen gas. Little is known about how these biofilm communities develop, and whether knowledge about the assembly of biofilms in natural communities can be applied to PNA biofilms. RESULTS: We followed the start-up of a full-scale PNA moving bed biofilm reactor for 175 days using shotgun metagenomics. Environmental filtering likely restricted initial biofilm colonization, resulting in low phylogenetic diversity, with the initial microbial community comprised mainly of Proteobacteria. Facilitative priority effects allowed further biofilm colonization, with the growth of initial aerobic colonizers promoting the arrival and growth of anaerobic taxa like methanogens and anammox bacteria. Among the early colonizers were known 'oligotrophic' ammonia oxidizers including comammox Nitrospira and Nitrosomonas cluster 6a AOB. Increasing the nitrogen load in the bioreactor allowed colonization by 'copiotrophic' Nitrosomonas cluster 7 AOB and resulted in the exclusion of the initial ammonia- and nitrite oxidizers. CONCLUSIONS: We show that complex dynamic processes occur in PNA microbial communities before a stable bioreactor process is achieved. The results of this study not only contribute to our knowledge about biofilm assembly and PNA bioreactor start-up but could also help guide strategies for the successful implementation of PNA bioreactors. Video Abstract.

Role of Elevated Serum TGF-ß1 and the Common Promoter TGFB1-509C/T Polymorphism in the Development and Progression of Primary Glial Tumors and Brain Metastases.

Background and Objectives: The role of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-ß1) has been widely studied in the context of carcinogenesis. It has been involved in the pathogenesis of primary brain tumors or brain metastases due to its pleiotropic effects on immune regulation and tissue homeostasis. In line with recent findings, the aim of the current study was to examine the role of circulating TGF-ß1 and the -509C/T functional polymorphism (rs1800469) in the TGFB1 gene promoter in the susceptibility and progression of primary brain tumors and brain metastases among patients from the Bulgarian population. Materials and Methods: Cases with a confirmed diagnosis were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay (PCR-RFLP). Serum TGF-ß1 levels were determined by ELISA. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the expression of TGF-ß1 and the TGF-ß1 receptor-type II was conducted. Results: We observed that TGF-ß1 serum levels correlate with the genotype and are sex-related. TGF-ß1 serum levels were significantly elevated in patients compared to controls. Additionally, the T/T-genotype determined higher circulating levels of the cytokine. The same genotype determined the shorter median survival after surgery for the patients. The immunohistochemical analysis revealed a statistical tendency: cases expressing TGF-ß1 in the cytoplasm had elevated levels of the cytokine in the serum compared to the negative cases. Conclusions: Overall, our results indicate a negative effect of the T-allele on the predisposition and prognosis of brain malignancies, and the genetically determined higher TGF-ß1 serum levels might contribute to the worse prognosis and metastatic capacity of brain malignancies.

Dancing With Health: Quality of Life and Physical Improvements From an EU Collaborative Dance Programme With Women Following Breast Cancer Treatment.

Background: Women's health has received renewed attention in the last few years including health rehabilitation options for women affected by breast cancer. Dancing has often been regarded as one attractive option for supporting women's well-being and health, but research with women recovering from breast cancer is still in its infancy. Dancing with Health is multi-site pilot study that aimed to evaluate a dance programme for women in recovery from breast cancer across five European countries. Methods: A standardized 32 h dance protocol introduced a range of Latin American dances presented within a sports and exercise framework with influences from dance movement therapy. Fifty-four women (M age 53.51; SD 7.99) participated in the study who had a breast cancer diagnosis <3 years, chemotherapy >6 weeks, no indication of metastasis, or scheduled surgery/chemotherapy/radiation treatment for the duration of the intervention. Primary outcome data was collected for anthropometric and fitness measures next to cancer-related quality of life. T-tests and Wilcoxon signed ranked tests were used to establish differences pre and post intervention. Cohen's d was also calculated to determine the effect size of the intervention. Results: Statistically significant changes were found for: (i) weight, right and left forearm circumference and hip; (ii) 6 min walking, right and left handgrip, sit-to-stand and sit-and-reach; (iii) the EORTC-QLQ C30 summary score as well as the subscales of emotional and social functioning and symptoms. In all cases the direction of change was positive, while Cohen's d calculated showed that the effect of the intervention for these parameters ranged from intermediate to large. Conclusion: Changes on the above anthropometric, fitness and quality of life measures suggest that the intervention was of value to the participating women recovering from breast cancer. Results also advocate collaborative efforts across countries to further research.

Start-up of a full-scale partial nitritation-anammox MBBR without inoculum at Klagshamn WWTP.

Partial nitritation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (PNA) is a useful process for the treatment of nitrogen-rich centrate from the dewatering of anaerobically digested sludge. A one-stage PNA moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was started up without inoculum at Klagshamn wastewater treatment plant, southern Sweden. The reactor was designed to treat up to 200 kgN d-1, and heated dilution water was used during start-up. The nitrogen removal was >80% after 111 days of operation, and the nitrogen removal rate reached 1.8 gN m-2 d1 at 35 °C. The start-up period of the reactor was comparable to that of inoculated full-scale systems. The operating conditions of the system were found to be important, and online control of the free ammonia concentration played a crucial role. Ex situ batch activity tests were performed to evaluate process performance.

Partition Coefficients and Diffusion Lengths of 222Rn in Some Polymers at Different Temperatures.

In this work, the partition coefficients K and diffusion lengths L D of radon in some polymers are experimentally determined for several temperatures in the range T = 5-31 °C. Some of the obtained values are compared to published data available for the given temperatures. It is shown that the temperature dependencies of the partition coefficients K ( T ) , the diffusion lengths L D ( T ) , and the permeabilities P ( T ) could be described analytically for the studied temperature range 5-31 °C. This allows estimation of these quantities in the given temperature range and quantitative description of the transport of radon in the studied polymers.

Testing and Calibration of CDs as Radon Detectors at Highly Variable Radon Concentrations and Temperatures.

The application of the compact disk (CD) method for radon measurements at mines, caves and other workplaces needs testing under highly variable exposure conditions. We present the results from a blind comparison of CDs exposed in the Laboratory of Natural Radiation (Saelices el Chico, Spain). During the exposure the temperature varied from 6.5 to 24.9 °C (average 12.6 °C) and the 222Rn activity concentrations varied from <10 Bq m-3 to 147 kBq m-3. Good correspondence was observed between the integrated 222Rn activity concentration determined by the reference instruments in the laboratory (122,500 ± 6100 kBq h m-3) and that assessed by analysis of the CDs at a depth 80 µm beneath the front surface (118,000 ± 12,000 kBq h m-3) and at a depth of 120 µm (106,000 ± 12,000 kBq h m-3). The theoretical modeling of the CD response under variable temperature and radon concentration suggested that the small bias is probably due to the time variation of the calibration factor because of the time variations of the temperature.

Development of a training program for the ultrasound screening of placenta accreta spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a training program using a systematic protocol on ultrasound signs of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). METHODS: Intra- and inter-observer variability rates and sensitivity were tested, before and after additional training, by two research fellows with a prior basic training in obstetric ultrasound using digitally recorded second-trimester ultrasound images from cases of anterior placenta previa with and without PAS. RESULTS: Fifty-two cases of anterior placenta previa with PAS (n=26) and without PAS (n=26) were included in the study. The highest level of inter-observer agreement for ultrasound signs was found for the absence of placental bulge and/or focal exophytic mass on gray-scale imaging and the absence of subplacental hypervascularity, bridging vessels and lacunar feeder vessels on color Doppler imaging. The level of inter-observer agreement increased from 39% before training to 40% after training; the numbers agreed as PAS by both trainees increased from four to 20. No cases were classified as inconclusive after training. There was a significant (P<0.001) change in sensitivity for both trainees after training. CONCLUSION: Additional training in detecting the ultrasound signs associated with PAS using a standardized protocol improves the diagnostic accuracy of operators with only a basic obstetric ultrasound training.

Energy-efficient reconstructions and indoor radon: the impact assessed by CDs/DVDs.

Recent modelling suggests that the expense of energy-efficient building reconstructions can be the enhanced indoor radon levels and the related adverse health impact. Here we show that a couple of home-stored CDs/DVDs can be used to check by direct measurements whether a significant change in radon level occurred in the past after building reconstruction. Radon is continuously absorbed in the polycarbonate material of CDs/DVDs and its average concentration can be determined by etching alpha tracks at a certain depth in the disk. With two disks, one bought before and one after the reconstruction, a change in radon concentration can be detected retrospectively. Within a pilot study of 20 rooms in 16 buildings that underwent energy-efficient interventions years in the past, we observed significant increase in radon concentration (at 95% confidence level) in 35% of the cases, and no case with significant decrease. Direct indication of a radon problem emerged after some of the energy-efficient building interventions was observed. The CD/DVD based approach provides a tool for assessment of the effect of different energy-efficient reconstruction approaches on indoor radon in very short terms and could be useful for finding radon-safe energy-efficient options.