Production of technical grade phosphoric acid from incinerator sewage sludge ash (ISSA)

The recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge ash samples obtained from 7 operating sludge incinerators in the UK using a sulfuric acid washing procedure to produce a technical grade phosphoric acid product has been investigated. The influences of reaction time, sulfuric acid concentration, liquid to solid ratio and source of ISSA on P recovery have been examined. The optimised conditions were the minimum stoichiometric acid requirement, a reaction time of 120 min and a liquid to solid ratio of 20. Under these conditions, average recoveries of between 72% and 91% of total phosphorus were obtained. Product filtrate was purified by passing through a cation exchange column, concentrated to 80% H(3)PO(4) and compared with technical grade H(3)PO(4) specifications. The economics of phosphate recovery by this method are briefly discussed.

EU landfill waste acceptance criteria and EU Hazardous Waste Directive compliance testing of incinerated sewage sludge ash

A hazardous waste assessment has been completed on ash samples obtained from seven sewage sludge incinerators operating in the UK, using the methods recommended in the EU Hazardous Waste Directive. Using these methods, the assumed speciation of zinc (Zn) ultimately determines if the samples are hazardous due to ecotoxicity hazard. Leaching test results showed that two of the seven sewage sludge ash samples would require disposal in a hazardous waste landfill because they exceed EU landfill waste acceptance criteria for stabilised non-reactive hazardous waste cells for soluble selenium (Se). Because Zn cannot be proven to exist predominantly as a phosphate or oxide in the ashes, it is recommended they be considered as non-hazardous waste. However leaching test results demonstrate that these ashes cannot be considered as inert waste, and this has significant implications for the management, disposal and re-use of sewage sludge ash.

Molecular basis of invasion in breast cancer

Cancer cell invasion involves the breaching of tissue barriers by cancer cells, and the subsequent infiltration of these cells throughout the surrounding tissue. In breast cancer, invasion at the molecular level requires the coordinated efforts of numerous processes within the cancer cell and its surroundings. Accumulation of genetic changes which impair the regulation of cell growth and death is generally accepted to initiate cancer. Loss of cell-adhesion molecules, resulting in a loss in tissue architecture, in parallel with matrix remodelling may also confer a motile or migratory advantage to breast cancer cells. The tumour microenvironment may further influence the behaviour of these cancer cells through expression of cytokines, growth factors, and proteases promoting chemotaxis and invasion. This review will attempt to summarise recent work on these fundamental processes influencing or facilitating breast cancer cell invasion. (Part of a Multi-author Review).

SH2B1beta adaptor is a key enhancer of RET tyrosine kinase signaling

The RET gene encodes two main isoforms of a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) implicated in various human diseases. Activating germ-line point mutations are responsible for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2-associated medullary thyroid carcinomas, inactivating germ-line mutations for Hirschsprung's disease, while somatic rearrangements (RET/PTCs) are specific to papillary thyroid carcinomas. SH2B1beta, a member of the SH2B adaptors family, and binding partner for several RTKs, has been recently described to interact with proto-RET. Here, we show that both RET isoforms and its oncogenic derivatives bind to SH2B1beta through the SRC homology 2 (SH2) domain and a kinase activity-dependent mechanism. As a result, RET phosphorylates SH2B1beta, which in turn enhances its autophosphorylation, kinase activity, and downstream signaling. RET tyrosine residues 905 and 981 are important determinants for functional binding of the adaptor, as removal of both autophosphorylation sites displaces its recruitment. Binding of SH2B1beta appears to protect RET from dephosphorylation by protein tyrosine phosphatases, and might represent a likely mechanism contributing to its upregulation. Thus, overexpression of SH2B1beta, by enhancing phosphorylation/activation of RET transducers, potentiates the cellular differentiation and the neoplastic transformation thereby induced, and counteracts the action of RET inhibitors. Overall, our results identify SH2B1beta as a key enhancer of RET physiologic and pathologic activities.

Determination of individual long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters in heart and skeletal muscle

A method has been developed for determination of individual long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters from heart and skeletal muscle using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The esters were extracted from freeze-clamped tissue of pig and rat hearts and rat skeletal muscle for analysis on a radially compressed C18 5mu reverse-phase column. Nine peaks in the extract with carbon chain lengths from C12 to C20 that subsequently disappeared on alkaline hydrolysis were identified. The major acyl-CoA peaks were 14:1, 18:2, 16:0 and 18:1 and additionally in rat heart 18:0. Total long-chain acyl-CoA esters obtained by summation of the individual molecular species was 11.34 +/- 1.48 nmol/g wet wt. pig heart; 14.51 +/- 2.11 nmol/g wet wt. in rat heart, and 4.35 +/- 0.71 nmol/g wet wt. in rat skeletal muscle. These values were approximately 132% of those obtained using a separate procedure that measured total CoA by HPLC after alkaline hydrolysis of the esters. The described method demonstrates the quantitation of individual acyl-CoA species in muscle tissue. Therefore, it has a number of advantages in that it permits information to be obtained on the individual molecular species under various nutritional and metabolic conditions.

Adaptive changes in individual acyl-CoA esters from hamster BAT during cold acclimation

Long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters (LCFACoAE) were extracted from freeze-clamped powdered brown adipose tissue (BAT) obtained from thermoneutral control and cold-acclimated hamsters and the CoA esters individually separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. LCFACoAE of carbon chain length C12 to C20 were identified by increasing column retention time in the following order: C12:0, C14:1, C14:0, C16:1, C18:2, C16:0, C18:1, C18:0, and C20:4. The mean total LCFACoAE concentrations were 235 +/- 40 nmol/g protein for the control hamsters and 648 +/- 105 nmol/g protein for the 22-day cold-acclimated hamsters. A rapid fourfold increase in the levels of C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1 occurred within hours after initiation of the cold temperature, whereas the concentrations of the other six LCFACoAE either increased only slightly or remained unchanged. Almost 50% of the total LCFACoAE in the BAT of cold-acclimated hamsters was made up of C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1. These results, which demonstrate some dynamic changes in adipose tissue LCFACoAE, are consistent with their proposed role in the initiation and maintenance of BAT thermogenesis.