Framework to improve biohydrogen generation with estrogen co-metabolism under complete suppression of nitrogen source.

The current work provides insights for improving the hydrogen output while degrading emerging contaminants using Rhodopseudomonas palustris. The changes in the growth rate of a microorganism due to different substrate inputs affects the hydrogen production due to metabolic route changes. The different ratios of glutamate and glycerol as nitrogen and carbon sources along with the presence of ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the photofermenter affected the flux of electrons being directed towards biosynthesis and biohydrogen generation. The combination of glutamate and glycerol in different ratios (Glu:Gly; 0, 0.20 and 0.54) along with estrogen showed no significant difference in the bacteriochlorophyll concentrations. The highest biomass concentration (0.013 h-1) was in ratio of 0.54 while maximum specific hydrogen production (1.9 ± 0.05 ml g-1 biomass h-1) was observed under complete suppression of nitrogen (0; without Glu; non-growing condition) with resultant improved estrogen degradation of about 78% in 168 h by R. palustris strain MDOC01.

A Retrospective Analysis of Three Focused Attention Meditation Techniques: Mantra, Breath, and External-Point Meditation.

Objective The goal of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three different meditation techniques (two internal focus techniques and one external focus technique) using a low-cost portable electroencephalography (EEG) device, namely, MUSE, for an objective comparison. Methods This is an IRB-approved retrospective study. All participants in the study were healthy adults. Each study participant (n = 34) was instructed to participate in three meditation sessions: mantra (internal), breath (internal), and external point. The MUSE brain-sensing headband (EEG) was used to document the "total time spent in the calm state" and the "total time spent in the calm or neutral state" (outcomes) in each three-minute session to conduct separate analyses for the meditation type. Separate generalized linear models (GLM) with unstructured covariance structures were used to examine the association between each outcome and the explanatory variable (meditation type). For all models, if there was a significant association between the outcome and the explanatory variable, pairwise comparisons were carried out using the Tukey-Kramer correction. Results The median time (in seconds) spent in the calm state while practicing mantra meditation was 131.5 (IQR: 94-168), while practicing breath meditation was 150 (IQR: 113-164), and while practicing external-point meditation was 100 (IQR: 62-126). Upon analysis, there was a significant association between the meditation type and the time spent in the calm state (p-value = 0.0006). Conclusion This is the first study comparing "internal" versus "external" meditation techniques using an objective measure. Our study shows the breath and mantra technique as superior to the external-point technique as regards time spent in the calm state. Additional research is needed using a combination of "EEG" and patient-reported surveys to compare various meditative practices. The findings from this study can help incorporate specific meditation practices in future mindfulness-based studies that are focused on healthcare settings and on impacting clinical outcomes, such as survival or disease outcomes.

Biodegradation of synthetic estrogen using bioelectrochemical system and degradation pathway analysis through Quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry.

Synthetic estrogenic compounds such as 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) are significant environmental contaminants. This research studied the biodegradation of EE2 utilizing the EE2 adapted cells isolated from a dairy farm waste site in suspension flask vis-a-vis Bioelectrochemical System (BES) and compared the power output in the BES with and without EE2 as a co-substrate. 78% removal of EE2 was observed in the BES as against 60% removal in suspension flasks. The maximum power density in the BES increased about 53% when EE2 is used as a co-substrate. The EE2 biodegradation studied using HPLC and Q-TOF methods, also proposes a hypothetical pathway for EE2 degradation by the newly isolated strain Rhodopseudomonas palustris MDOC01 and reports the significant metabolites like nicotinic acid and oxoproline being detected during bioelectrochemical treatment process of EE2. Study also suggests that Plasma peroxide treatment of anode material enhanced the overall performance in terms of biodegradation efficiency and power output.

Bioelectrochemical systems for environmental remediation of estrogens: A review and way forward.

Globally estrogenic pollutants are a cause of concern in wastewaters and water bodies because of their high endocrine disrupting activity leading to extremely negative impacts on humans and other organisms even at very low environmental concentrations. Bioremediation of estrogens has been studied extensively and one technology that has emerged with its promising capabilities is Bioelectrochemical Systems (BESs). Several studies in the past have investigated BESs applications for treatment of wastewaters containing toxic recalcitrant pollutants with a primary focus on improvement of performance of these systems for their deployment in real field applications. But the information is scattered and further the improvements are difficult to achieve for standalone BESs. This review critically examines the various existing treatment technologies for the effective estrogen degradation. The major focus of this paper is on the technological advancements for scaling up of these BESs for the real field applications along with their integration with the existing and conventional wastewater treatment systems. A detailed discussion on few selected microbial species having the unusual properties of heterotrophic nitrification and extraordinary stress response ability to toxic compounds and their degradation has been highlighted. Based on the in-depth study and analysis of BESs, microbes and possible benefits of various treatment methods for estrogen removal, we have proposed a sustainable Hybrid BES-centered treatment system for this purpose as a choice for wastewater treatment. We have also identified three pipeline tasks that reflect the vital parts of the life cycle of drugs and integrated treatment unit, as a way forward to foster bioeconomy along with an approach for sustainable wastewater treatment.

Schwannoma of the vagus nerve masquerading as a carotid body tumor.

A 45-year-old male presented with increasing hoarseness and swelling of his right neck over 5 months. He was noted to have right vocal cord paralysis and hemiatrophy of his tongue. He was found to have a schwannoma of the vagus nerve with compression of the right hypoglossal nerve. One month after his surgery, the patient's tongue mobility was improving, he was not aspirating, his voice was better and his right vocal cord remained abducted. A discussion of this case is followed by a review of the literature surrounding this rare disease and this unique presentation.