Biological Control and Plant Growth Promotion Properties of Volatile Organic Compound-Producing Antagonistic Trichoderma spp.

Trichoderma is environmentally vital due to their plant growth-promoting effects (such as enhancement of nutrients supply, suppression of plant pathogens, and promotion of plant defense). Biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are diverse chemical substances emitted by Trichoderma spp. The potential role of VOCs in biological control and plant growth promotion has recently been recognized. Here, the Trichoderma-VOCs' performance for plant growth promotion and suppression of plant pathogens are evaluated. We further investigated VOC emission profiles of T. harzianum using GC-MS. The Trichoderma-VOCs exhibited significant (p < 0.05) antifungal properties against all tested pathogenic fungi. T. atroviride-VOCs showed a decisive inhibition of Alternaria panax, Botrytis cinerea, Cylindrocarpon destructans, and Sclerotinia nivalis. The germinating seeds demonstrated growth enhancement in the presence of Trichoderma-VOCs emitted by different strains. Low levels of cyclopentasiloxane, decamethyl, cyclotetrasiloxane, and octamethyl were found in T. harzianum KNU1 strain whereas cyclopentasiloxane, decamethyl, cyclotetrasiloxane, and octamethyl showed higher emission levels as Si-containing compounds. The results reveal the potentiality of VOCs as a biocontrol resource against deleterious rhizosphere microorganisms and underline the importance of Trichoderma-VOCs emissions in regulating plant growth and development.

Role of intraretinal cysts in the prediction of postoperative closure and photoreceptor damages of the idiopathic full-thickness macular hole.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether it would be effective in predicting the results of the postoperative full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) closure when intraretinal cyst (IRC) is present. METHODS: Case-control study. Patients with idiopathic FTMH who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative spectral-domain optical coherence tomography was undertaken in all patients. The new parameter, macular hole closing factor (MHCF) was defined as the base diameter - (arm length + IRC height) by adding IRC to the existing parameter. After surgery, patients were classified and analyzed according to the type of hole closure and the damage of photoreceptor. RESULTS: Of the 35 patients, 28 (80.00%) had type 1 closure and seven (20.00%) had type 2 closure. There was a significant difference in postoperative BCVA (P < 0.01), base diameter (P = 0.037), arm length (P = 0.045), and IRC height (P = 0.011) between the two groups. In the type 1 closure, they were further divided into two subgroups according to photoreceptor damage, and it was confirmed that there were significant differences in postoperative BCVA (P = 0.045), hole height (P = 0.048), and IRC height (P = 0.046) in the two subgroups. As for the new parameters, a significant difference between the three groups was confirmed (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: IRC may help predict hole closure along with the known horizontal parameters. Therefore, the new parameter containing both two factors can help predict not only hole closure but also damage to photoreceptors that affects postoperative visual prognosis.

Anisocoria after scopolamine transdermal patch contamination: A case report.

RATIONALE: We report a case of anisocoria that occurred after contamination with a scopolamine transdermal patch, and introduce a diagnostic approach for anisocoria patients. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 35-year-old woman with no past ophthalmologic history presented to the ophthalmology department complaining of a dilated pupil in the right eye. Corrected visual acuities was 20/20 in both eyes, and the intraocular pressures were 20 and 18 mm Hg in the right and left eye, respectively. The anterior chambers in both eyes were unremarkable on slit-lamp examination. The pupil size was 5.0 mm in the right eye and 2.0 mm in the left eye, and the extraocular muscles of both eyes were intact. DIAGNOSIS: The patient neither did present with facial anhidrosis nor did she present with ptosis. Furthermore, as we did not observe dilatation lag in the smaller pupil, we applied 1% apraclonidine in the left eye in order to rule out Horner syndrome and did not observe dilatation of the pupil. We then applied 0.125% and 1% pilocarpine to exclude oculomotor nerve palsy; however, it could not be ruled out as constriction of pupil to 3.1 mm in the right eye was observed after applying 1% pilocarpine. Moreover, upon further investigation, we discovered that the patient had a scopolamine transdermal patch applied for 2 days prior to the clinic visit. INTERVENTIONS: Artificial tears were administered and the patient was observed and monitored. OUTCOMES: The pupil size in the right eye gradually decreased to 4.5 mm on the second day of observation and to 3.6 mm on the fourth day of observation. LESSONS: A detailed history of the use of medications such as scopolamine patches in patients with unilateral dilated pupils without vision loss is of utmost importance. We report the exclusion of important diseases using pilocarpine and apraclonidine hydrochloride. It was confirmed that improvement naturally occurs over time.

Aqueous humor cytokine levels through microarray analysis and a sub-analysis based on optical coherence tomography in wet age-related macular degeneration patients.

BACKGROUND: To identify disease-specific cytokine and growth factor profile differences in the aqueous humor between wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients and age-matched controls and to correlate their levels with the optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings. METHODS: Aqueous humors were obtained from 13 wet AMD eyes and 10 control eyes. Twenty cytokines and growth factors were measured using a RayBio antibody microarray technology in wet AMD and control eyes. RESULTS: The samples obtained from wet AMD patients exhibited a significantly increased expression of MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1ß, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Subretinal fluid (SRF) patients showed significantly lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1α and GM-CSF, than those without SRF. Pigment epithelial detachments (PED) patients showed lower levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as GM-CSF, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, than those without PED. Subretinal tissue (SRT) patients showed a higher level of IFN-γ than those without SRT. Compared with the controls, type 1 macular neovascularization (MNV) patients showed increased levels of MCP-1, MIP-1α, and MIP-1ß, but not VEGF (p = 0.083). However, type 2 MNV patients showed increased levels of MCP-1 and VEGF (p = 0.040 and p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Inflammatory cytokines varied according to the type of AMD- and OCT-based parameters. Our observation of low levels of VEGF in patients with type 1 MNV implies that the inhibition of VEGF alone appears to be insufficient treatment for these patients and that cytokines such as MCP-1, MIP-1α, and MIP-1ß should be modulated. And the presence of SRF in MNV may be associated with a positive prognosis because we found relatively low levels of proinflammatory cytokines.

Comparison of corneal endothelial cell changes after phacoemulsification between type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to compare the endothelial cell density (ECD) and morphology between diabetic mellitus (DM) and nondiabetic patients at 1 year after phacoemulsification in operated eyes and nonoperated eyes.Evaluation was performed in 28 patients (56 eyes) with type 2 diabetes and 37 patients (74 eyes) without diabetes who underwent 1-year interval cataract surgery. Using a noncontact specular microscope and Scheimpflug rotating camera, corneal parameters were analyzed before and 1 year after surgery. Subgroups analysis was performed based on a disease duration 10 years and HbA1c concentration 7% and Pearson correlation analysis was performed.The mean change in ECD at 1 year after surgery was 13.28% in the DM group and 11.40% in the control group. In the fellow nonoperated eyes, the mean change was 4.47% and 3.63% in the DM and control groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in postoperative ECD, coefficient of variance, hexagonality, and central corneal thickness between 2 groups. In the subgroup analysis, the long disease duration DM group (≥10 years) had a significantly greater ECD loss than the control and short disease duration DM groups (<10 years). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) showed a significant correlation with postoperative ECD change (r = -0.474, P = .011).The diabetic group with a longer disease duration showed significantly greater ECD decrease compared to the nondiabetic group and BUN correlated with ECD changes after phacoemulsification. Postoperative ECD loss may be high if the disease duration is long or if the BUN level is high.

Usefulness of the Components of Full-Field Electroretinography to Predict Postoperative Visual Outcomes in Patients With Epiretinal Membranes.

Purpose: To confirm the predictors of postoperative visual outcomes by performing full-field electroretinography (ffERG) before surgery in patients with epiretinal membranes (ERMs). Methods: Sixty-one eyes of patients with ERMs who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling were prospectively reviewed. Correlations between preoperative data (ffERG and optical coherence tomography) and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were investigated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to obtain cutoff values of the ffERG parameters predicting good visual outcome (final BCVA ≥ 20/30). Results: Postoperative BCVA was significantly correlated with the implicit time and amplitude of the b-wave in light-adapted (LA) 3.0 electroretinography (ERG), with the amplitude difference between N1 and P1 in the LA 30-Hz flicker ERG, and with the sum of the amplitudes of OS1, OS2, and OS3 in dark-adapted (DA) oscillatory potential (OP) ERG (P < 0.01). The area under the ROC curve to predict good visual outcome was statistically significant for the four parameters (0.787, 0.815, 0.757, and 0.792, respectively). Conclusions: The postoperative BCVA in patients with ERM was significantly correlated with the implicit time and amplitude of the b-wave in the LA 3.0 ERG, the amplitude difference between N1 and P1 in the LA 30-Hz flicker ERG, and the sum of the amplitudes of OS1, OS2, and OS3 in DA OP ERG of ffERG. It is thought that ffERG before surgery may help predict visual outcomes after surgery. Translational Relevance: It was confirmed that the degree of retinal function in the ERM can predict BCVA after treatment.

Effect of Rosemary Essential Oil and Trichoderma koningiopsis VOCs on Pathogenic Fungi Responsible for Ginseng Root-rot Disease.

Rosemary essential oil was evaluated for antifungal potentiality against six major ginseng pathogens: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Sclerotinia nivalis, Cylindrocarpon destructans, Alternaria panax, Botrytis cinerea, and Fusarium oxysporum. The in vitro fungicidal effects of two commonly used fungicides, namely mancozeb and fenhexamid, and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of Trichoderma koningiopsis T-403 on the mycelial growth were investigated. The results showed that rosemary essential oil is active against all of the pathogenic strains of ginseng root rot, whereas rosemary oil displayed high ability to inhibit the Sclerotinia spp. growth. The highest sensitivity was S. nivalis, with complete inhibition of growth at 0.1% v/v of rosemary oil, followed by Alternaria panax, which exhibited 100% inhibition at 0.3% v/v of the oil. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of rosemary oil ranged from 0.1 % to 0.5 % (v/v). Chemical analysis using GC-MS showed the presence of thirty-two constituents within rosemary oil from R. officinals L. Camphore type is the most frequent sesquiterpene in rosemary oil composition. Mancozeb and fenhexamid showed their highest inhibition effect (45% and 30%, respectively) against A. panax. T. koningiopsis T-403 showed its highest inhibition effect (84%) against C. destructans isolate. This study may expedite the application of antifungal natural substances from rosemary and Trichoderma in the prevention and control of phytopathogenic strains in ginseng root infections.

Sixteen-and-a-half syndrome with metastatic pons tumor: A case report.

RATIONALE: One-and-a-half syndrome (OAAH) is characterized as the combination of ipsilateral horizontal gaze palsy and internuclear ophthalmoplegia. OAAH syndrome accompanied with 7th and 8th cranial nerve palsy is called 16-and-a-half syndrome. We aimed to report the case of 16-and-a-half syndrome with metastatic pons tumor. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 57-year-old male diagnosed with nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastasis occurring 15 months ago was referred to our clinic with the chief complaint of horizontal diplopia and right gaze palsy. DIAGNOSIS: According to the patient symptom, ocular examination, and radiographic findings, he was diagnosed as 16-and-a-half syndrome which was caused by brain tumor metastasis from NSCLC. INTERVENTIONS: We referred him to hemato-oncology department and he was treated with radiation and supportive therapy. OUTCOMES: Unfortunately, the patient passed away 1 month later without improvement of ophthalmoplegia. LESSONS: The clinical findings of our case indicate 16-and-a-half syndrome caused by brain tumor metastasis from NSCLC, which to our knowledge has not been previously reported. The case highlights a rare cause of OAAH spectrum disease and the importance of a systemic work-up including associated neurologic symptoms and brain imaging in patients with horizontal gaze palsy.

Rapid detection of heavy metal-induced toxicity in water using a fed-batch sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) bioreactor.

A fed-batch bioreactor based on sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) was tested for rapid detection of heavy metal-induced toxicity in water. For this evaluation, SOB were exposed to water contaminated by selenium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, cyanide, cadmium, and lead for 2 h and their inhibition rates were analyzed based on changes in electrical conductivity (EC). The results demonstrate that SOB were highly inhibited by selenium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and arsenic but not by cyanide, cadmium, and lead. The 2 h half maximum effective concentrations (EC50) of SOB for selenium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and arsenic were estimated to be 0.33, 0.89, 1.18, and 0.24 mg/L, respectively, which are comparable or lower than earlier reports in the literature. However, the EC50 or EC20 values of SOB for cyanide, cadmium, and lead were notably higher compared to findings from previous toxicity tests that employed other microorganisms. The findings from the current study suggest that the fed-batch SOB bioreactor is suitable for rapid detection of toxicity induced by selenium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and arsenic in water.

Zinc Ions Affect Siderophore Production by Fungi Isolated from the Panax ginseng Rhizosphere.

Although siderophore compounds are mainly biosynthesized as a response to iron deficiency in the environment, they also bind with other metals. A few studies have been conducted on the impact of heavy metals on the siderophore-mediated iron uptake by microbiome. Here, we investigated siderophore production by a variety of rhizosphere fungi under different concentrations of Zn²âº ion. These strains were specifically isolated from the rhizosphere of Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng). The siderophore production of isolated fungi was investigated with chrome azurol S (CAS) assay liquid media amended with different concentrations of Zn²âº (50 to 250 µg/ml). The percentage of siderophore units was quantified using the ultra-violet (UV) irradiation method. The results indicated that high concentrations of Zn²âº ion increase the production of siderophore in iron-limited cultures. Maximum siderophore production by the fungal strains was detected at Zn²âº ion concentration of 150 µg/ml except for Mortierella sp., which had the highest siderophore production at 200 µg/ml. One potent siderophore-producing strain (Penicillium sp. JJHO) was strongly influenced by the presence of Zn²âº ions and showed high identity to P. commune (100% using 18S-rRNA sequencing). The purified siderophores of the Penicillium sp. JJHO strain were chemically identified using UV, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS) spectra.

One-year survivor of adult alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the maxillary sinus with orbital extension: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Rhabdomyosarcoma is uncommon in adults. Adult and maxillary rhabomyosarcoma with direct orbital extension has been rarely reported. To our knowledge, there is no reported case about adult patient with alveolar maxillary rhabdomyosarcoma and orbital extension survived 1 year with intact ocular function. CASE PRESENTATION: A 21-year-old female presented with protrusion of the right eye and an obstructed nasal passage for the past month. Her symptoms were not relieved by oral antibiotic or irrigation. She was referred to our clinic. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a large homogenous well-enhanced mass with surrounding bony erosion and remodeling. The mass extended to the ipsilateral nasal cavity and orbit. Endoscopic biopsy of the nasal cavity confirmed alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The maxillary mass was excised using the Caldwell-Luc approach, and the orbital mass was excised using a transconjuctival and transcaruncular approach. A systemic work-up confirmed ipsilateral lymph node metastasis. The patient received 6 cycles of chemotherapy with vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide, as well as 5120 cGy radiotherapy. Her ocular function was intact 1 year after treatment, and magnetic resonance imaging showed complete regression of the tumor. CONCLUSION: Rhabdomyosarcoma, which is usually an aggressive malignancy, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a rapidly growing orbital mass. Aggressive treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, can increase local remission rates and improve the prognosis.

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Improved Salinity Tolerance of Lactuca sativa and Raphanus sativus.

Salinity stress is an important environmental problem that adversely affects crop production by reducing plant growth. The impacts of rhizobacterial strains to alleviate salinity stress on the germination of Lactuca sativa and Raphanus sativus seeds were assessed using different concentrations of NaCl. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains were also examined to improve the early germination of Chinese cabbage seeds under normal conditions. Lactobacillus sp. and P. putida inoculation showed higher radicle lengths compared with non-inoculated radish (Raphanus sativus) seeds. LAP mix inoculation increased the radicle length of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedlings by 2.0 and 0.5 cm at salinity stress of 50 and 100 mM NaCl concentration, respectively. Inoculation by Azotobacter chroococcum significantly increased the plumule and radicle lengths of germinated seeds compared with non-inoculated control. A. chroococcum increased the radicle length relative to the uninoculated seeds by 4.0, 1.0, and 1.5 cm at 50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl concentration, respectively. LAP mix inoculation significantly improved the radicle length in germinated radish seeds by 7.5, 1.3, 1.2, and 0.6 cm under salinity stress of 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM NaCl concentration, respectively. These results of this study showed that PGPR could be helpful to mitigate the salinity stress of different plants at the time of germination.

Development of an LCD-Based Visual Field System.

BACKGROUND: The present study investigated the diagnostic effectiveness of an LCD-based visual field testing system (LVF) in comparison with the standard automated perimetry Humphrey Field Analyzer II-750i (HFA). METHODS: A randomized controlled crossover study was conducted with 202 normal and 128 glaucomatous eyes using both LVF and HFA. The visual field testing systems were compared in terms of mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of MD and PSD differentiating the normal and glaucomatous eyes. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between MD measurements from LVF and those from HFA for normal eyes (r = 0.342) and glaucomatous eyes (r = 0.796); slightly higher significant correlations were identified between PSD measurements from LVF and those from HFA for normal eyes (r = 0.363) and glaucomatous eyes (r = 0.828). Furthermore, high AUCs of MD were found as 0.786 for LVF and 0.868 for HFA and AUCs of PSD as 0.913 for LVF and 0.932 for HFA. CONCLUSION: The comparison results of the present study support the competence of LVF compared with HFA in visual field testing for early detection of glaucoma.

Potential of siderophore production by bacteria isolated from heavy metal: polluted and rhizosphere soils.

Recently, heavy metals have been shown to have a stimulating effect on siderophore biosynthesis in various bacteria. In addition, several studies have found that siderophore production is greater in bacteria isolated from soil near plant roots. The aim of this study was to compare the production of siderophores by bacterial strains isolated from heavy metal-contaminated and uncontaminated soils. Chrome azurol sulphonate was used to detect siderophore secretion by several bacterial strains isolated from heavy metal-contaminated and rhizosphere-uncontaminated soils with both a qualitative disc diffusion method and a quantitative ultraviolet spectrophotometric method. Siderophore production by rhizosphere bacteria was significantly greater than by bacteria isolated from contaminated soil. The Pearson's correlation test indicated a positive correlation between the amount of siderophore produced by bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere using the quantitative and qualitative detection methods and the amount of heavy metal in the soil. However, a significant negative correlation was observed between the amount of siderophore produced by bacteria isolated from heavy metal-contaminated soil and the amount of heavy metal (r value of -0.775, P < 0.001).

Nitrification and denitrification using biofilters packed with sulfur and limestone at a pilot-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant.

A pilot-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant composed of a fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) system with sulfur-limestone autotrophic denitrification (SLAD) was operated for a year and the influence of different operational factors was investigated. Nitrification efficiency was found to be above 91% at temperatures above 25 degrees C even at short hydraulic residence times (HRTs), but declined to 51 +/- 2% when the temperature dropped to 22 +/- 3 degrees C. The minimum HRT (HRT(min)) to achieve nitrification efficiency > 90% was found to be 12 h at temperatures above 25 degrees C. Denitrification efficiencies were found to be 89% and 79% at a nitrate loading of 0.36 kg NO3(-)-N m(-3) d(-1) and at 0.18 kg NO3(-)-N m(-3) d(-1), respectively. The minimum empty bed residence time (EBRT) to achieve denitrification efficiency above 80% without methanol addition was 3 h at a nitrate loading rate of 0.27-0.38 kg NO3(-)-N m(-3) d(-1). The amount of nitrate removed as a function of the sulfate formed was found to be 0.188 g NO3(-)-N/g SO4(2-). The nitrate load removed by the biofilter as a function of the alkalinity consumed was found to be very close to the theoretical stoichiometric value. The application of the pilot plant was proven to be feasible and the performance of the SLAD system, especially with respect to the minimum EBRT to achieve denitrification efficiency above 80%, the maximum denitrification rate and performance at temperatures below 10 degrees C. To achieve a nitrification efficiency above 90% in the IFAS system, temperature changes and the minimum HRT were found to be the most influential operational parameters.

Potential capacity of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in the biosorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+.

In this study Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were used as inexpensive and efficient biosorbents for Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous metal solutions. The effects of various physicochemical factors on Pb(II) and Cd(II) biosorption by B. bassiana and M. anisopliae were studied. The optimum pH for Cd(II) and Pb(II) biosorption by two fungal species was achieved at pH 6.0 for Pb(II) and 5.0 Cd(II) at a constant time of 30 min. The nature of fungal biomass and metal ion interactions was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared. The maximum adsorption capacities (q(max)) calculated from Langmuir isotherms for Pb(II), and Cd(II) uptake by B. bassiana were 83.33±0.85, and 46.27±0.12 mg/g, respectively. However, the q(max) obtained for Pb(II) uptake by M. anisopliae was 66.66±0.28 mg/g, and 44.22±0.13 mg/g for Cd(II). B. bassiana showed higher adsorption capacity compared to M. anisopliae. The data obtained imply the potential role of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions.

Isolation and characterization of Acidithiobacillus caldus from a sulfur-oxidizing bacterial biosensor and its role in detection of toxic chemicals.

A novel toxicity detection methodology based on sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) has been developed for the rapid and reliable detection of toxic chemicals in water. The methodology exploits the ability of SOB to oxidize sulfur particles in the presence of oxygen to produce sulfuric acid. The reaction results in an increase in electrical conductivity (EC) and a decrease in pH. The assay is based on the inhibition of SOB in the presence of toxic chemicals by measuring changes in EC and pH. We found that SOB biosensor can detect toxic chemicals, such as heavy metals and CN-, in the 5-2000ppb range. One bacterium was isolated from an SOB biosensor and the 16S rRNA gene of the bacterial strain has 99% and 96% sequence similarity to Acidithiobacillus sp. ORCS6 and Acidithiobacillus caldus DSM 8584, respectively. The isolate was identified as A. caldus SMK. The SOB biosensor is ideally suited for monitoring toxic chemicals in water having the advantages of high sensitivity and quick detection.

Accelerated metolachlor degradation in soil by zerovalent iron and compost amendments.

Soil incubation and germination tests were conducted to assess zerovalent iron (ZVI), organic compost, moisture and their combinations on metolachlor degradation in soil. The ZVI alone degraded 91% of metolachlor in soil within 40 days following bi-phasic kinetics. Organic amendment alone facilitated metolachlor degradation in soil up to 60% after 40 days depending on the amendment rate. However, the combination of ZVI with compost amendment at 30 ton ha(-1) and 30% moisture content accelerated metolachlor degradation to 90% after 3 days and 98% after 40 days. The half life (t (1/2)) of metolachlor degradation with ZVI, compost at 30 ton ha(-1), and 30% moisture was about 1 day, which was faster than ZVI treatment alone and 98% faster than controls. Germination and growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L. Scop.) were severely inhibited in unamended metolachlor-contaminated soils but when these soils were amended with ZVI, germination and growth was comparable to controls (metolachlor free soil). Metolachlor degradation was greatest when ZVI, compost and moisture were used together, suggesting that these treatments will maximize in situ remediation of metolachlor-contaminated soils in the field.

Amelioration of streptozotocin-induced diabetes by Agrocybe chaxingu polysaccharide.

The aim of this study was to investigate the preventive effect of Agrocybe chaxingu polysaccharide on streptozocin (STZ)-induced pancreatic beta-cells destruction. Agrocybe chaxingu polysaccharide markedly reduced nitric oxide (NO) production and iNOS expression levels in RINm5F cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, Agrocybe chaxingu polysaccharide significantly inhibited iNOS expression and blood glucose levels in STZ-induced diabetic mice. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that it enhanced pancreatic beta-cells resistance to destruction by STZ. These results suggest that Agrocybe chaxingu polysaccharide may have value as a therapeutic agent against diabetes mellitus.

Biosorptive capacity of Cd(II) and Cu(II) by lyophilized cells of Pseudomonas stutzeri.

The biosorptive capacity of Cd(II) and Cu(II) by lyophilized cells of Pseudomonas stutzeri was investigated based on Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and biosorption kinetics were analyzed using first order kinetic with different initial metal concentrations. Biosorptive capacity for Cd(II) and Cu(II) decreased with an increment of metal concentration, reaching 43.5 and 36.2 mg/g at the initial concentration of 300 mg/L. Biosorption capacity for both metal ions was increased with increasing pH. The optimum pH for biosorption rate of Cu(II) and Cd(II) was pH 5; above pH 5.0 the metal cations came to be precipitated. The experimental data showed a better fit with the Langmuir model over the Freundlich model for both metal ions throughout the range of initial concentrations. The maximum sorptive capacity (q max) obtained from the Langmuir equation for Cd(II) and Cu(II) were 47.86 (r(2)=0.99) and 33.16 (r(2)=0.99), respectively. The bacterial cells have more affinity to adsorb cadmium than copper. The first order kinetic was well fitted to the experimental data for initial concentrations from 30 to 100 mg/L during reaction times of 250 min. These results suggest that biosorption of Cu(II) and Cd(II) by lyophilized cells of P. stutzeri is a potential metal removal strategy.