Cometabolic degradation of bisphenol A by pure culture of Ralstonia eutropha and metabolic pathway analysis.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic compound emitting to the environment mainly by polycarbonate production facilities. In this research, BPA with the initial concentrations in the range of 1-40 mg l-1 was degraded by Ralstonia eutropha. The bacteria were unable to use BPA as the sole carbon source. Therefore, resting and growing cells of phenol-adapted R. eutropha were used for cometabolic biodegradation of BPA with phenol at the concentration of 100 mg l-1. The optimum initial concentrations of BPA were 20 mg l-1 in both approaches of cometabolism. By using resting cells, BPA removal efficiency (RE) reached to 57%, however, RE decreased to 37% by growing cells in the presence of phenol. BPA-degrading activity was inhibited at BPA concentrations >20 mg l-1. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique was used to identify some metabolic intermediates generated during BPA degradation process as 1,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propanol, 4-(2-propanol)-phenol, 4-hydroxyacetophenone, 4-isopropenylphenol, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. Finally, metabolic pathways for BPA degradation were proposed in this study.

Effectiveness of Topical Nigella sativa Seed Oil in the Treatment of Cyclic Mastalgia: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Active, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Cyclic mastalgia is common in women and has no optimal therapy. Analgesic effects of Nigella sativa have been reported. Thus, the effect of a standardized N. sativa seed oil (600 mg applied to the site of pain bis in die for 2 months) on the 10-centimeter visual analog scale scores of pain severity in 52 women with cyclic mastalgia was compared to that of topical diclofenac (20 mg bis in die) (n = 51) and placebo (n = 53). There was no significant difference between the 1- and 2-month pain scores in the active treatment groups (p > 0.05). The pain scores of the active treatment groups did not differ significantly at 1 and 2 months (p > 0.05). The endpoint pain scores of the active treatment groups decreased significantly compared with the baseline (both p < 0.001). The pain scores of the active treatment groups at 1 and 2 months were significantly smaller than those of the placebo group (both p < 0.001). The pain scores of the placebo group at 1 and 2 months were not significantly different from the baseline (p > 0.05). No adverse effect was observed. In conclusion, topical N. sativa seed oil is safe, more effective than placebo, and has clinical effectiveness comparable to topical diclofenac in the treatment of cyclic mastalgia.