Direct dosage of reactivated carbon from waterworks into the activated sludge tank for removal of organic micropollutants

The thermal reactivation of granular activated carbon is a substantial ecological and economic benefit in the process of drinking water treatment. A significant amount of abraded carbon, which is similar to powdered activated carbon (PAC), is produced that can be brought to application at wastewater treatment plant level for the removal of micropollutants in a powdered activated carbon-activated sludge (PAC-AS) system. This excess carbon derived as a by-product from the reactivation process in a waterworks was applied directly into the activated sludge tank and has been elevated in this study by monitoring the removal efficiencies for benzotriazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac, metoprolol and sulfamethoxazole in the effluent of a semi-technical wastewater treatment plant of 39 m³. A simulation-derived sampling strategy was applied to optimize the recovery rates of the micropollutants. Flow-proportional, 72-hour composite sampling was considered best. The elimination rates obtained for a 10 g PAC·m^-3 dosage were 73% for benzotriazole, 59% for carbamazepine, 60% for diclofenac, 67% for metoprolol and 48% for sulfamethoxazole. The obtained results underline the importance of appropriate sampling strategies, which can be derived from hydraulic modeling.

Lunch habits of German children and adolescents: composition and dietary quality

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Data from the ongoing, open-cohort Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study were used to describe warm family lunch meals and the association of the lunch composition with total diet quality.

METHODS

2,095 three-day weighed dietary records, collected between 2004 and 2009, from a 4- to 18-year-old DONALD study subgroup were used.

RESULTS

Warm lunch (eating occasions between 11.30 a.m. and 2.29 p.m. including at least one course that is typically consumed warm) was eaten on 68.8% of all record days. Meat lunch (>50%) was predominant, followed by vegetarian (25%), fish (13%) and sweet lunch meals (3%). The prevalence of desserts at lunch was high and beverages were drunk at 80% of lunch meals. A meat lunch was associated with a higher protein (+1.4% energy intake, %E) and fat intake (+1.7%E) than a sweet lunch; also densities of vitamin A, folate and iron were higher. A dessert at lunch decreased protein intake slightly (-0.2%E), but increased carbohydrate (+0.7%E) and added sugar intake (+1.4%E) as well as density of calcium (+18 mg/MJ).

CONCLUSION

Our study proves the impact of lunch on daily dietary quality and yields valuable insights on the development of food and meal-based dietary guidelines.

Cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression in human breast cancer

Expression of the inducible isoform of the cyclooxygenase gene (PGHS-2, COX-2) which codes for the enzyme that catalyzes formation of prostaglandins, was detected in 13/13 human breast tumors of high grade but not in samples of normal breast tissue. There was a statistically significant linear association between COX-2 gene expression and high (>50%) tumor cell density (p<0.01), with COX-2 protein localized to tumor cells. These results indicate that COX-2 gene expression may be useful as a molecular biomarker for human breast tumors and may also predict sensitivity to treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Diet costs and energy density in the diet of German children and adolescents

This study examined the association between energy density (ED, g/kJ) and diet costs (\[euro]/day) in a sample of 494 German children and adolescents aged 4-18 years using 1100 3-day-weighed dietary records from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study (open cohort study) and retail food prices of 341 empirically selected recorded food items including special brands. ED was negatively associated with diet costs (β=-0.20 kJ/g, P<0.0007) with a non-linear term (β=0.01 kJ/g*kJ/g, P=0.0440). Diet costs increased with age (β=0.32 yr, P<0.0001) with a negative non-linear term (β=-0.01 yr*yr; P<0.0001). In conclusion, the inverse association between diet costs and ED was more pronounced in the older than in the younger age groups and in low-ED diets than in high-ED diets. Higher % diet costs of fruit/vegetables could be compensated by lower % diet costs of meat/sausage to lower ED without increasing diet costs.

Long-term process evaluation of a school-based programme for overweight prevention

BACKGROUND

The epidemic increase in childhood overweight demands effective and also feasible prevention programmes. A school-based environmental and educational intervention focusing on the promotion of water consumption was found to be effective for overweight prevention in children. Process evaluation and long-term surveillance are necessary to evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of the intervention programme in a school setting.

METHODS

Process evaluation was conducted during the intervention period (one school year) and a 19-month follow-up after the intervention trial on the prevention of overweight in 17 elementary schools. Data were collected through measuring the water flow of water fountains installed in schools, and questionnaires and interviews were administered to teachers and headmasters of intervention schools. Main outcomes were implementation of the intervention components, behavioural modification of the children concerning water consumption, and teacher and headmaster attitudes towards the intervention.

RESULTS

Eleven out of 17 intervention schools maintained the water fountains until 19-month follow-up. The mean water flow of the fountains decreased initially, but remained stable after the during the follow-up period. The implementation rate of the educational units by teachers varied between the units from 13% to 84%. Teachers graded the overall concept of the intervention as good, continuously during the intervention and follow-up period. The majority of teachers organized the water supply of the fountains on the class level during the intervention period but not during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The long-term process evaluation showed that the combined educational and environmental intervention has potential for sustained modifications in the beverage consumption habits of children. It also identified barriers and promoting factors of a sustainable and feasible implementation of the preventive programme in a school setting.

Providing human tissues for research: how to establish a program

The Cooperative Human Tissue Network is a group composed of cooperating academic institutions that supply human tissues to researchers studying a wide range of neoplastic and other diseases. The experience of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network in establishing methods of prospective tissue collection and in developing tumor banks is discussed to aid institutions in establishing tissue resources for their local investigators, who may wish to use human tissues in current or future research projects. The advantages to pathology departments and to associated medical institutions of establishing an organized tissue resource include ensuring proper institutional review board approval of research projects using human tissues, protecting diagnostic specimens, creating new opportunities for extramural research, increasing the speed of diagnostic specimen transport to surgical pathology, and providing educational and research opportunities for pathologists and pathology residents. Methods of tissue collection, processing, storage, data collection, and supply are outlined. Also, resources necessary to begin organized tissue collection, including personnel, space, equipment, and supplies, are discussed.

Use of polar solvents in chemoprevention of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colon cancer

To examine the effect of the polar solvents on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon cancer, 100 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to a control and three treatment groups. Treated animals received N-methylformamide (NMF), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), or methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) added to drinking water 1 week before carcinogen injections commenced and for the duration of the experiment. Primary tumors were detected by serial laparotomy under ether anesthesia performed at 2-month intervals and commencing after carcinogen injections had been completed. The average time to tumor onset was significantly delayed in rats receiving NMF and MSM (P = 0.0141 and 0.0398 respectively, Mantel-Haenszel test). In addition, fewer poorly differentiated tumors were noted in treatment groups. No weight loss or toxicity was observed. These findings demonstrate that the polar solvents significantly reduce the latent period to tumor onset in DMH-induced colon cancer and indicate the need to further investigate such compounds as chemopreventive agents.

Evidence of a peptide backbone contribution toward selective receptor recognition for leucine enkephalin thioamide analogs

The in vitro opioid activities of a series of leucine enkephalin analogs containing a thioamide linkage in place of the peptide bond at various positions of the backbone were determined in mu- and delta-receptor-selective bio- and binding-assays. Thioamide substitution in the 1-2 position resulted in an inactive compound, whereas the same modification in the 2-3 and 4-5 position produced potency enhancement. Most interestingly, the 2-3 modified analog showed a 3 to 5 times higher preference for delta- over mu-receptors than natural leucine enkephalin. These results suggest that subtle backbone modifications can have a profound effect on receptor affinity and selectivity of biologically active peptides.

The extent of primary melanoma excision. A re-evaluation--how wide is wide?

A retrospective review of 118 clinical Stage I melanoma patients, including the re-examination of histologic slides in 57 cases, was performed to define factors important to survival. The majority (76.7%) had excision margins of 30 mm or less (range = 6-85 mm, mean--29.3 mm). The adjusted 5-year survival was 77.3%. Local recurrences within 5 cm of the primary closure scar developed in 3.4%. The recurrences occurred in patients with satellitosis (1), unrecognized subclinical Stage II disease (1), or as the first evidence of disseminated Stage III disease (2). Margins less than 20 mm were associated with an increased risk of dying if the tumor diameter was more than 10 mm (p = 0.0105) or if the depth of invasion was more than 2.0 mm (p = 0.0491). Increasing the margin to 25 mm improved survival. However, no further protection was evident for margins over 30 mm. For smaller and shallower lesions, no optimal margin could be identified. It appears that a 30 mm margin is adequate for large and deep clinical Stage I melanomas, and mortality and local recurrences are due to factors other than the extent of excision.

The geometry of the thiopeptide unit

The structure of the modified dipeptide Z-Glyt-Gly-OBzl is reported with special emphasis on the linear and angular dimensions of the thiopeptide unit. It is shown that, except for the differences between the carbonyl and the thioacyl bond lengths, there are no significant differences between the oxopeptide and the thiopeptide unit.

Kaposi's sarcoma: endoscopic observations of gastric and colon involvement

Kaposi's sarcoma is a multisystem neoplastic disease in which skin manifestations are usually seen first. Visceral involvement is frequent and the gastrointestinal tract is the most common location. We report a patient with Kaposi's sarcoma in whom the typical violaceous skin lesions were the sarcoma in whom the typical violaceous skin lesions were the only overt clinical manifestations, but the patient had multiple macular angiodysplastic-like lesions on colonoscopy. In contrast to the uniform appearance of the colonic lesions, polypoid, volcano, and maculopapular lesions were seen in the stomach on endoscopy. This report provides probably the first endoscopic description of the colonic lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma and contrasts them with the typical upper gastrointestinal lesions. A thorough gastrointestinal survey should be performed in all patients with Kaposi's sarcoma to delineate involvement, since appropriate treatment will be dictated by the presence or absence of visceral involvement.

Carcinoma in a colon conduit urinary diversion

In recent years urinary diversion by means of the colon conduit has gained popularity because of the failure to exhibit reflux and the lower incidence of stomal stenosis. However, colon conduit diversion may be associated with adenocarcinoma, as is ureterosigmoidostomy. We report the first occurrence of adenocarcinoma in a colon conduit and, perhaps more important, in a colon conduit in which there had never been a fecal stream.

Ecology of bacterial communities in the schistosomiasis vector snailBiomphalaria glabrata

The internal colony-forming bacterial flora of the schistosome intermediate host snailBiomphalaria glabrata (Say) has been characterized in ca. 500 individual snails from Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, and St. Lucia, and from laboratory aquaria. Freshly captured wild snails harbor 2-40×10(6) CFU·g(-1), and healthy aquarium snails harbor 4-16×10(7) CFU·g(-1), whereas moribund individuals have 4-10 times as many bacteria as healthy individuals from the same habitats.Pseudomonas spp. are the most common predominant bacteria in normal snails, whereasAcinetobacter, Aeromonas, andMoraxella spp. predominate in moribund snails. External bacterial populations in water appear to have little effect on the composition and size of the flora in any snail. In addition to normal (healthy) and moribund snails, a third group of snails has been distinguished on the basis of internal bacterial density and predominating genera. These "high-density" snails may have undergone stresses and may harbor opportunistic pathogens. The microfloras of wild and laboratory-reared snails can be altered and stimulated to increase in density by crowding the snails or treating them with antibiotics.

X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome registry report

Immune deficiency, especially to the Epstein-Barr virus, and increased susceptibility to fatal infectious mononucleosis, acquired agammoglobulinemia, and lymphoma are the cardinal features of the X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome. Since the establishment of the XLP Registry in September, 1978, 59 affected males in seven unrelated kindreds were comprehensively studied. A spectrum of lymphoproliferative phenotypes was observed. Thirty-four patients (57%) died from infectious mononucleosis, eight (14%) had fatal infectious mononucleosis with lymphoma (immunoblastic sarcoma), nine (15%) had depressed immunity following EBV infection, and eight (14%) developed lymphoma. Several patients with XLP lacked EBV antibodies despite infection by EBV. The results of this study suggest that EBV can be an oncogenic agent in patients who are immune deficient with XLP.

Chronic and recurrent appendicitis

Acute appendicitis is a well known clinical entity, but many physicians are unwilling to accept appendicitis as a chronic or recurrent illness. Of 225 patients undergoing appendectomy, sixteen (7 per cent) had findings suggestive of chronic, recurrent, or subacute appendicitis. Four patients had chronic abdominal pain and histologic findings of chronic inflammation. Nine patients had previous episodes similar to that which resulted in appendectomy. All had acute suppurative appendicitis pathologically. Three patients had only one episode of abdominal pain, but had pathologic evidence of subacute inflammation. Because this study was retrospective, we suspect that the true incidence of recurrent appendicitis is significantly greater, as reported by others. Indications for operation must be strict, for unless there are specific signs and symptoms of appendiceal disease, appendectomy will often be of no benefit.

Atypical sweat duct hyperplasia accompanying keratoacanthoma

25 cases of atypical sweat duct proliferation in association with cutaneous tumors are described. 20 of these were keratoacanthomas. The compression of the duct either in its dermal or intraepidermal portion is considered to be the etiology. Similar changes are seen with decubitus ulcer and stasis dermatitis. Atypical sweat duct hyperplasia may be useful as an extra aid in the differentiation of keratoacanthoma from well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.