Investigation of exopolysaccharide formation and its impact on anaerobic succinate production with Vibrio natriegens.

Vibrio natriegens is an emerging host for biotechnology due to its high growth and substrate consumption rates. In industrial processes typically fed-batch processes are applied to obtain high space-time yields. In this study, we established an aerobic glucose-limited fed-batch fermentation with the wild type (wt) of V. natriegens which yielded biomass concentrations of up to 28.4 gX L-1 . However, we observed that the viscosity of the culture broth increased by a factor of 800 at the end of the cultivation due to the formation of 157 ± 20 mg exopolysaccharides (EPS) L-1 . Analysis of the genomic repertoire revealed several genes and gene clusters associated with EPS formation. Deletion of the transcriptional regulator cpsR in V. natriegens wt did not reduce EPS formation, however, it resulted in a constantly low viscosity of the culture broth and altered the carbohydrate content of the EPS. A mutant lacking the cps cluster secreted two-fold less EPS compared to the wt accompanied by an overall low viscosity and a changed EPS composition. When we cultivated the succinate producer V. natriegens Δlldh Δdldh Δpfl Δald Δdns::pycCg (Succ1) under anaerobic conditions on glucose, we also observed an increased viscosity at the end of the cultivation. Deletion of cpsR and the cps cluster in V. natriegens Succ1 reduced the viscosity five- to six-fold which remained at the same level observed at the start of the cultivation. V. natriegens Succ1 ΔcpsR and V. natriegens Succ1 Δcps achieved final succinate concentrations of 51 and 46 g L-1 with a volumetric productivity of 8.5 and 7.7 gSuc L-1 h-1 , respectively. Both strains showed a product yield of about 1.4 molSuc molGlc -1 , which is 27% higher compared with that of V. natriegens Succ1 and corresponds to 81% of the theoretical maximum.

A Carbene-Extended ATRA Reaction.

Atom-transfer radical addition (ATRA) reactions have gained a strong foothold in organic synthesis by virtue of their operational simplicity, synthetic versatility, and perfect atom economy. A rich chemical space can be accessed through clever combinations of the simple starting materials. Many variations of this general motif have been reported. However, the vast majority involve the addition of an organic halide across a C=C double bond, resulting in the formation of 1,2-bifunctional products. This report introduces a significant expansion of this general reactivity concept to give 1,3-bifunctional adducts through the combination of 1,1-ATRA to a carbenoid and 1,2-ATRA to an alkyne. Both processes operate under mild conditions (RT, 5 h) with the same commercial catalyst (CoBr2 , dppbz).

Synthesis and photophysical properties of imine borane adducts towards vapochromic materials.

A series of alkynyl aryl conjugated aldehydes and imines were prepared and their adducts with various Lewis acidic boranes have been studied via NMR, absorption, and luminescence spectroscopies in solution. The imine-B(C6F5)3 adduct showed remarkable solution stability, and was then trialled in vapochromism experiments using simple impregnated paper strips to examine the fluorescence responses.

Evaluation of postoperative fever and leukocytosis in patients after total hip and knee arthroplasty.

Fever and leukocytosis are common after joint arthroplasty, often resulting in additional studies. This study was conducted to determine the incidence of fever and leukocytosis after joint arthroplasty and the use of tests. We retrospectively reviewed records (n = 426) of patients who underwent knee or hip arthroplasty between February 2006 and April 2008 to determine the incidence of fever and leukocytosis, tests, and results. Sixty-four had fever, and 247 had postoperative leukocytosis. Sixty additional tests were performed; 6 (10%) of 60 tests were clinically relevant. After joint arthroplasty, more than half of patients developed leukocytosis, and nearly 15% developed fever. Diagnostic testing should be based on physical examination or symptomatic findings and not solely on laboratory values or vital signs, decreasing the patient discomfort and potentially lower costs.