Biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene by bacterial consortium isolated from mangrove sediment

Benzo[a]pyrene is a high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon highly recalcitrant in nature and thus harms the ecosystem and/or human health. Therefore, its removal from the marine environment is crucial. This research focuses on benzo[a]pyrene degradation by using enriched bacterial isolates in consortium under saline conditions. Bacterial isolates capable of using benzo[a]pyrene as sole source of carbon and energy were isolated from enriched mangrove sediment. These isolates were identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi, Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila, and Aeromonas salmonicida ss salmonicida. Isolated O. anthropi and S. acidaminiphila degraded 26% and 20%, respectively, of an initial benzo[a]pyrene concentration of 20 mg/L after 8 days of incubation in seawater (28 ppm of NaCl). Meanwhile, the bacterial consortium decomposed 41% of an initial 50 mg/L benzo[a]pyrene concentration after 8 days of incubation in seawater (28 ppm of NaCl). The degradation efficiency of benzo[a]pyrene increased to 54%, when phenanthrene was supplemented as a co-metabolic substrate. The order of biodegradation rate by temperature was 30°C > 25°C > 35°C. Our results suggest that co-metabolism by the consortium could be a promising biodegradation strategy for benzo[a]pyrene in seawater.

[Renal cell carcinomas in childhood]

BACKGROUND

Renal cell carcinoma is a rare childhood disease. However, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis in the detection of a renal mass.

OBJECTIVES

Incidence and mortality of renal cell carcinomas in childhood. Presentation of clinical symptoms, diagnostics, histology, therapy and course of the disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Evaluation of our own prospective data of a small patient population of 8 patients, as well as discussion of the current literature on this tumor entity.

RESULTS

The average follow-up period was 27 months. Preoperative staging studies showed no metastases. The histologically primary predominant subtype was papillary renal cell carcinoma. Tumor stage and lymph node status were the most important prognostic factors in our study.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal cell carcinoma in childhood is a rare disease whose treatment is challenging and should be performed in an interdisciplinary team. Typical clinical symptoms, as in adults, are absent. The partial nephrectomy should be, if practicable, the surgical treatment of choice. The most important risk factors for survival are tumor stage and lymph node status. Data on adjuvant target therapy for metastatic disease in childhood are lacking. Further prospective, multicenter studies are necessary to generate more information on the biology and course of this disease and to obtain adjuvant treatment options in locally advanced disease.

[Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of primary congenital glaucoma]

INTRODUCTION

Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) is a rare and sight threatening condition. Few large epidemiological studies are available in the literature concerning this condition. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children affected by PCG.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Children affected by PCG, from 1 day to 3 years old at the time of diagnosis were retrospectively included between 1999 and 2014. The analysis concerned the pregnancy, family history, initial referral, clinical presentation with description of the classic findings in this condition, mean age at first consultation, duration of follow-up and presence of a delay in treatment, defined as a delay of over one month from the appearance of clinical signs until diagnosis. Two groups were defined according to age at appearance of the clinical signs: "early" group prior to 2 months old and "late" group beyond 2 months up until 3 years old.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-one eyes of 71 children were included, with 49.3% girls (n=35 children) and 50.7% boys (n=36 children) for a male:female ratio of 1.02. The "early" group included 50 children i.e. 70.3% of the population; the "late" group 21 children or 29.7% of the population. A first-degree family history of congenital glaucoma existed in 28% of cases (n=19). The average age at first consultation was 13.1 months for the entire population, and the mean duration of follow-up was 56.6 months. Involvement was bilateral in 99.3% of cases (n=70 children) and the most frequent clinical sign was buphthalmos in 64.5% of eyes (n=91 eyes). Treatment was delayed in 35.3% of cases (n=25 children).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

This study is of particular relevance because it was performed over a long period and on a large population, considering the rare prevalence of the pathology, and has found epidemiological and clinical data comparable with those available in the literature for similar populations.

[Corneal neovascularisation treatments compared: Subconjunctival bevacizumab injections and/or photodynamic therapy]

PURPOSE

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of subconjunctival bevacizumab injections alone, photodynamic therapy alone and combined treatments for reduction of corneal neovascularization.

METHODS

This study was conducted as a prospective case series. A total of seven eyes of 7 patients with corneal neovascularization caused by ocular surface disorders including fungal infectious keratitis and penetrating keratoplasty were included in the study. Patients were randomized into the three following groups: patients in group A received a single subconjunctival injection of 10mg (0.4mL) of bevacizumab, patients in group B were treated with photodynamic therapy with verteporfin (6mg/m(2)) to the neovascularized area and those in group C received a subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab and photodynamic therapy 7 days later. Morphological changes in neovascularization were evaluated over 6 months using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and digital corneal photography. A computer-assisted semi-automatic analysis of the area of corneal neovascularization was performed with Image J software.

RESULTS

Recession of corneal vessels was observed in all eyes at 1 month post-treatment. The neovascularized surface area in all groups combined showed a decrease in the first month after treatment and this decrease continued up to the 6th month. The surface area of corneal neovascularization decreased by 34.05±8.28% in group A (subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab), by 42.06±28.36% in group B (photodynamic therapy with verteporfin) and by 51.67±18.93% in group C (combined subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab and photodynamic therapy). A combined treatment consisting of a subconjunctival injection followed by a PDT session 7 days later might be more effective for the treatment of corneal neovascularisation. No serious local or systemic adverse events were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our medium-term results suggest that combined subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab and photodynamic therapy with verteporfin might be used safely and effectively to reduce corneal neovascularization surface. This combined therapy may show a tendency toward greater efficacy than the individual monotherapies. Controlled prospective randomized multicentric trials with a larger sample size are necessary to assess long-term efficacy and to confirm these results.

[Long-term efficacy of Fadenoperation associated to conventional surgery in the treatment of esotropia with distance-near incomitance: About 55 cases]

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the short-, medium- and long-term efficacy of posterior fixation sutures with conventional surgery in controlling strabismus in the case of esotropia with distance-near incomitance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective study of consecutive patients with partially accommodative and non-accommodative esotropia associated with distance-near incomitance who underwent posterior fixation sutures along with conventional surgery. The preoperative and postoperative distance and near deviation measurements and the distance-near incomitance were evaluated at 1, 6 and 12 years. Surgical success was defined as a postoperative distance angle and a distance-near incomitance less than 10 prism diopters (PD).

RESULTS

In total, 55 patients were included. Preoperatively, the mean distance deviation, near deviation and distance-near incomitance were 15.9 (± 3.4), 29.7 (± 5.8) and 13.8 (± 3.1) PD, respectively. Postoperatively, the mean distance deviation was 1.6 (± 0.8) PD (P < 0.001) at 1 year, 2.8 (± 1.6) PD (P< 0.005) at 6 years and 5.6 (± 2.4) PD (P < 0.05) at 12 years. The mean near deviation was 7.8 (± 2.3) PD (P < 0.001) at 1 year, 10.5 (± 3.7) PD (P < 0.005) at 6 years and 15.2 (± 4.4) PD (P < 0.05) at 12 years. The mean distance-near incomitance was 5.2 (± 1.8) PD (P < 0.01) at 1 year, 7.7 (± 2.8) PD (P < 0.05) at 6 years and 9.6 (± 3.2) PD (P > 0.05) at 12 years. The success rate was 91, 78 and 58% at 1, 6 and 12 years, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Distance-near incomitance is a source of amblyopia. It needs to be corrected while treating an esotropia. This study seems to confirm the short- and medium-term efficacy of posterior fixation sutures along with conventional surgery in the treatment of this problem. It also seems to show progressive, albeit partial, loss of its long-term efficacy.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation in acute promyelocytic leukaemia and its impact on the induction failure: a single centre study

Life-threatening coagulopathy associated with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been the defining clinical characteristic and is an important risk factor for fatal haemorrhage and early death. Pathogenesis of coagulopathy in APL is complex and mainly includes disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The study was done to see the status of DIC and its impact on the outcome of APL in our setting. Among the total 60 patients, induction mortality rate was 30% and remission rate was 70%. The main cause of induction mortality was bleeding that accounts for 66.7% of mortality. DIC was present among 32 out of 60 patients (53.33%). Induction mortality has significant relationship to DIC as the induction mortality rate is 47% in patients with DIC and 11% in patient without DIC (P value 0.0009). Induction motality rate in low, intermediate and high risk group is 6.70%, 24% and 58% respectively (p value < 0.0001). Finally, risk group subclassification revealed presence of DIC in high risk group has the highest early mortality rate.