Ann Chim, 2001 Sep-Oct, 91(9-10), 587 - 94 Treatment options for tannery wastewater . I: Alkalinization with or without post-ozonation; Di Iaconi C et al.; This is the first of two papers each dealing with a specific technological option for replacing the Fenton's reagent with simpler processes for treating industrial wastewater . In particular, the paper reports the results of an investigation aimed to check, at lab scale, the effectiveness of a chemical process (i.e., alkalinisation with or without post-ozonation) for treating tannery wastewater whose residual COD, measured after conventional biological treatment, result still higher than the Italian COD Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) value (i.e., 160 mgO2/L) . The results have demonstrated that when the value of residual COD lies in the range 200 divided by 250 mgO2/L, a simple alkalinisation with NaOH, up to pH 12.5, allows to reach the MAC value with an alkali consumption equivalent to the acid consumption required by the Fenton treatment and with a chemical sludge production significantly lower, i.e . approximately 0.7 kg(dry)/m3 instead of approximately 1.5 kg(dry)/m3 . Conversely, when the value of the residual COD lies in a higher range (i.e . 300 divided by 350 mgO2/L), in order to reach the COD MAC value, alkalinisation (from pH 8 to pH 12.5) must be followed by an ozonation post-treatment . From the chemical stand point, the paper clearly demonstrates that analyzing only simple "gross parameters" (i.e., TSS, TOC, COD, BOD5 and EC20) it is possible to get useful information about the chemical properties of the organic pollutants occurring in tannery wastewater. Biomed Pharmacother, 2001 Nov, 55(9-10), 510 - 4 Minimally invasive surgery in breast cancer treatment; Singletary SE; As genetic and biological treatment modalities are developed that can be custom-designed for individual patients, the possibility that breast cancer can be managed as a chronic long-term disease becomes more real, and the requirement for minimally invasive surgical intervention used as part of a multidisciplinary treatment approach becomes more pressing . Rather than fearing that they will be replaced, surgeons should enthusiastically move into this dynamic phase in the development of new surgical techniques for the treatment of breast cancer . This article will discuss such techniques in three evolving areas: 1) management of the axilla after neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 2) sentinel node dissection; and 3) radiofrequency ablation of primary tumors of the breast. Environ Technol, 2001 Oct, 22(10), 1125 - 35 Biological treatment of oil field wastewater in a sequencing batch reactor; Freire DD et al.; This work reports the results of experiments carried out in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operated under 24 hour cycles, treating an effluent containing a mixture of oil field wastewater and sewage, in different percentages . The removal of phenols, ammonium and COD was monitored in several experimental runs, varying the dilution degree of the oilfield wastewater (10 to 45% v/v) . The volatile suspended solids (VSS) content in the reactor was also monitored and the protein (PTN) and polysaccharide (PS) contents of the suspended biomass were determined . The removal of ammonium and phenols did not vary significantly in the experimental runs, attaining average values of 95% and 65%, respectively . COD removal efficiencies in the range of 30 to 50% were attained in the experiments carried out with dilution percentages of 45 and 35% (v/v) respectively . An experiment carried out with a lower proportion of produced water (15% v/v), keeping the salinity level corresponding to a higher proportion of industrial effluent (45% v/v), led to an improvement in the COD removal, indicating that the recalcitrance of the organic compounds found in the effluent is the main cause ofthe moderate COD removal efficiencies attained in the SBR system . With regard to the composition of the microbial flocs, no significant variation was observed in the PS/PTN, PS/VSS and PTN/VSS ratios when the effluent composition changed (increased salinity and levels of organic material). Water Res, 2001 Dec, 35(18), 4417 - 25 Aerobic biological treatment of a pharmaceutical wastewater: effect of temperature on cod removal and bacterial community development; Lapara TM et al.; The effect of temperature was studied on the efficiency of soluble COD removal and bacterial community development during the aerobic biological treatment of a pharmaceutical wastewater . Using wastewater and bacterial inoculum obtained from the full-scale facility treating this wastewater, batch laboratory cultures were operated at 5 degrees C intervals from 30 degrees C to 70 C . Following four culture transfers to allow for bacterial acclimation, residual soluble COD levels were measured and bacterial community fingerprints were obtained by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments . Soluble COD removal efficiency declined as temperature increased from 30 degrees C (62%) to 60 degrees C (38%) . Biological treatment of this wastewater failed to occur at temperatures higher than 60 C . Gradual shifts in bacterial community structure were detected as temperature increased, including a concomitant reduction in the number of different bacterial populations . The impact of temperature on a two-stage biological treatment process was also compared . Better soluble COD removal was achieved when both reactors were operated at 30 degrees C compared to a system where the two stages were consecutively operated at 55 degrees C and 30 degrees C . These results indicate that operation of aerobic biological wastewater treatment reactors at elevated temperatures can have adverse effects on process performance. Ann Oncol, 2001, 12 Suppl 2, S111 - 4 Chemotherapy and biotherapy in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours; Oberg K; The medical treatment of neuroendocrine GEP tumours must be based on the growth properties of the tumour . Medical treatment includes chemotherapy, somatostatin analogues and alpha interferons . Chemotherapy has been particularly active in patients with high proliferating neuroendocrine tumours such as endocrine pancreatic tumours and lung carcinoids . Streptozotocin-based combinations including 5-flourouracil and doxorubicin have generated partial remissions in 40%-60% of the patients giving a median survival of about two years in patients with advanced disease . Cisplatinum plus etoposide have demonstrated significant antitumour effects in anaplastic endocrine pancreatic tumours and lung carcinoids . However, in low proliferating tumours such as classical midgut carcinoids the response rates with the same combinations of cytotoxic agents have only generated short lasting responses in less than 10% of patients . In these patients, biological treatment has been of benefit . Alpha interferon at doses of 3-9 million units three to seven times per week subcutaneously, has given biochemical response rates of 50% and significant tumour reduction in about 15% of patients with long duration, up to three years . Somatostatin analogues have been widely used in the treatment of neuroendocrine gut and pancreatic tumours . The currently available somatostatin analogues particularly bind somatostatin receptor 2 and 5 and with low affinity also receptor subtype 3 . Octreotide is registered in most countries for the treatment of patients with carcinoid syndrome and also VIP and glucagon producing tumours . Regular octreotide at standard doses of 100-300 microg/day gives symptomatic responses in a medium of 60% of patients and biochemical responses in up to 70% of patients . Significant tumour responses are rare, less than 5% . Long-acting formulations of somatostatin analogues have been of significant benefit for the patients with similar response rates as for regular formulations . The quality of life has been significantly improved by using the long-acting formulations. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2001, 36(10), 2011 - 26 Treatment of phosphoric acid plant wastewater using Fenton's reagent and coagulants; Nawghare P et al.; The results of treatability studies viz., Fenton reaction and physico-chemical (coagulation) treatment using lime, alum, Fe salts and polyaluminium chloride (PAC) performed on wastewater generated from a unit manufacturing technical grade phosphoric acid are reported . Due to low biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio and very low pH, this wastewater is not amenable for biological treatment . The treatability studies indicated that it is possible to remove 75-80% COD using Fenton's reagent at optimum doses of 1.0 g/L FeSO4 and 2 ml of 30% H2O2 . Simultaneously, significant quantities of suspended solids, phosphate and fluoride are also removed . Polyaluminium chloride is found to be more effective towards suspended solids (SS), COD, phosphate and fluoride removal, when compared to other coagulants used in the present study . Addition of an anionic polyelectrolyte (Magnafloc 156) to PAC improved the performance further . A treatment scheme that consists of neutralization (pH 4) + Fenton's reagent + neutralization (pH 7.5) + PAC/Magnafloc 156 is found to be effective in treating phosphoric acid plant wastewater to meet marine discharge standards. Biotechnol Prog, 2001 Nov-Dec, 17(6), 1084 - 92 Feasibility study of a compact process for biological treatment of highly soluble VOCs polluted gaseous effluent; Daubert I et al.; Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), representing a wide range of products mainly generated by industrial activity, are involved in air pollution . This study deals with a new biological treatment process of gaseous effluent combining a gas/liquid contactor called an "aero-ejector" and a membrane bioreactor . Combining these two innovative technologies enables a high elimination efficiency to be reached.We first focus on transfer phenomena characterization in a pilot installation on a laboratory scale, using a gaseous effluent polluted with a low ethanol concentration (7.1 x 10(-3) kg.m(-3)) . These experiments demonstrated the good transfer performances since 90% of the ethanol was absorbed in the liquid phase in one step . After this physical characterization, the biological aspect of the system was studied using the yeast Candida utilis as microorganism . During the experiment, no ethanol was measured in the fermentation broth nor in the outlet gas, confirming the efficiency of ethanol elimination by C . utilis . The experimental procedure emerging from the present study strongly validates the suitability of this process for ethanol removal from air. Expert Opin Biol Ther, 2001 Nov, 1(6), 1005 - 16 Biological treatment in acute myelogenous leukaemia: how should T-cell targeting immunotherapy be combined with intensive chemotherapy? Bruserud O, Wendelboe O. T-cell targeting immunotherapy is now considered as a possible strategy in the treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) . Clinical importance of antileukaemic T-cell reactivity after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is well established and the early experience from IL-2 therapy suggests that even autologous T-cells can mediate antileukaemic reactivity . The clinical experience also indicates that immunotherapy should begin when the leukaemia cell burden is minimal, and the detection of an operative cellular immune system, even in patients with chemotherapy-induced cytopenia, further suggests that it is possible to begin T-cell targeting therapy early after chemotherapy while patients are still cytopenic . However, adult patients in particular have a T-cell defect after chemotherapy that may last for several months . For this reason immunotherapy should probably be continued or repeated until a maximal effect is achieved when the patients no longer have a T-cell defect . This treatment approach may also be considered in combination with autologous SCT . T-cell targeting regimens should include, if possible, several therapeutic components . Firstly, native AML blasts can function as accessory cells during T-cell activation and in vivo therapy with T-cell growth factors (e.g., IL-2, IL-15) may then enhance antileukaemic reactivity or non-specific cytotoxicity against the AML cells; and secondly, a further enhancement of AML-specific reactivity may be achieved by vaccination with AML-specific peptides, immunisation with AML-blasts expressing a dendritic cell phenotype, or exposure to normal antigen-presenting cells (APC) pulsed with or expressing AML-specific peptide sequences. Scand J Rheumatol, 2001, 30(5), 249 - 54 Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the third millennium; Skapenko A et al.; Immense progress has been made in recent years in the management of patients with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) . This progress is largely owed to the advances in our understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of inflammation and autoimmunity and the substantially improved knowledge of molecular biology . In this editorial review, we delineate recent developments in the treatment of RA with a focus on biological therapeutics . we outline the concerns and open questions risen by the current studies and we portray future expectations based on the recent observations from those trials with biological treatment interventions. Environ Sci Technol, 2001 Nov 1, 35(21), 4390 - 3 Reduction of AOX in the bleach plant of a pulp mill; Barroca MJM et al.; The reconfiguration of an existing five-stage bleaching D0E1D1E2D2 sequence is proposed to ensure the minimal formation of organochlorine compounds, expressed as AOX, in the bleach plant of a kraft pulp mill processing Eucalyptus globulus wood . This reduction of the load of AOX in the effluents can be achieved without introducing new and expensive technologies in the bleaching process . In practice, this goal can be achieved by eliminating the washing step between the D0 and the E1 stages . With this strategy, the total AOX in the liquid effluent of the bleach plant can be reduced by almost 65% while maintaining a level of 90% ISO brightness of the pulp and even diminishing the degradation of its polysaccharides . With this process redesign, the total AOX discharge from the bleach plant can be decreased from 1.2 to 0.42 kg/t prior to any biological treatment . Furthermore, the proposed modified (D0E1)D1E2D2 sequence enables the reduction of the total flow rate of effluent to be treated and also the total consumption of water, which is quite critical in these types of plants . Moreover, with this strategy, one is able to move the first drum washer of a conventional bleaching sequence to the entrance of the bleach plant . This gives rise to a cleaner pulp and therefore to lower requirements of chlorine dioxide, which in turn will enable further reductions in the global AOX generation. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 44(5), 103 - 8 Degradation of olive mill wastewater by the combination of Fenton's reagent and ozonation processes with an aerobic biological treatment; Beltran-Heredia J et al.; Degradation of olive mill wastewater (OMW) by means of two chemical oxidation processes (Fenton's reagent and ozonation) and their consecutive treatments with aerobic microorganisms have been studied . Fenton's reagent treatment moderately reduces COD and to a greater extent the polyphenolic compounds . Ozonation contributed to low conversion of COD and moderate reduction of polyphenols . The aerobic biological treatments degrade to values higher than 70% and 90% for COD and polyphenolic compounds, respectively . A kinetic study has been carried out in each process, determining the representative kinetic parameters of each model. Adv Space Res, 2001, 27(9), 1563 - 70 Functional, regulatory and indicator features of microorganisms in man-made ecosystems; Somova LA et al.; Functional, regulatory and indicator features of microorganisms in development and functioning of the systems and sustaining stability of three man-made ecosystem types has been studied . 1) The functional (metabolic) feature was studied in aquatic ecosystems of biological treatment of sewage waters for the reducer component . 2) The regulatory feature of bacteria for plants (producer component) was studied in simple terrestrial systems "wheat plants-rhizospheric microorganisms-artificial soil" where the behavior of the system varied with activity of the microbial component . For example with atmospheric carbon dioxide content elevated microbes promote intensification of photosynthesis processes, without binding the carbon in the plant biomass . 3) The indicator feature for the humans (consumer component) was studied in Life Support Systems (LSS) . High sensitivity of human microflora to system conditions allowed its use as an indicator of the state of both system components and the entire ecosystem . Grant numbers: N99-04-96017, N15 . c 2001 . COSPAR . Published by Elsevier Science Ltd . All rights reserved. Environ Sci Technol, 2001 Oct 1, 35(19), 3981 - 7 Thermal oxidation kinetics and mechanism of sludge from a wastewater treatment plant; Tettamanti M et al.; The organic fraction of a sludge from a wastewater biological treatment plant is characterized by the total organic carbon, TOC, content, cyclohexane and toluene extractions, and thermal desorptions in nitrogen and air flow at different temperatures . The inorganic fraction is characterized by water extraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersion X-ray analysis . The thermal degradation rate of organic carbon is studied in batch experiments in air, in the 250-500 degrees C temperature range . The sample TOC is used to measure the decrease of reagent concentration with time . The TOC vs time data are well fitted by a generalized kinetic model, previously proposed for the MSWIs fly ash thermal degradation . The rate constants of the immediate carbon gasification, k2, and of the dissociative oxygen chemisorption, k1, followed by C(O) intermediate gasification, k3, together with activation and thermodynamic parameters are calculated . The rate determining step is the C(O) oxidation . The influence of desorbed or extracted organic compounds on kinetics and the role of the C(O) formation in explaining the reaction mechanism as well as the comparison with fly ash kinetics are discussed. Trends Biotechnol, 2001 Nov, 19(11), 457 - 62 Two-phase partitioning bioreactors: a new technology platform for destroying xenobiotics; Daugulis AJ; Toxic organic compounds (xenobiotics) pose serious environmental and health risks worldwide . Biological treatment of these materials is severely constrained by their toxic and inhibitory nature and great care is required with respect to the rate at which they are provided to cells . The use of a second, distinct, organic phase in a bioreactor has been shown to provide a virtually foolproof means of feeding substrate to cells because this process concept relies only on thermodynamic equilibrium and the cells' own rate of metabolism . This technology can be applied to stockpiled xenobiotics as well as contamination of air, water and soil environments. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop, 2001 Sep-Oct, 34(5), 421 - 8 {Sludge anaerobic treatment and its efficiency in reducing the viability of helminth eggs}; Paulino RC et al.; This study evaluates the prevalence and viability of helminth eggs and protozoan cysts in sludge obtained by anaerobic treatment in four treatment stations in Curitiba, Parana State, Brazil . The parasites observed were helminths: Ascaris sp (85%), Toxocara sp (5.5%), Trichuris sp (4.5%), Hymenolepis diminuta (3.7%), H . nana (1%) and Taenia sp (0.4%), protozoan: Isospora sp, Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Endolimax nana . In biological treatment based on the anaerobic digestion the effectiveness depends on the duration and temperature . The treatment showed efficiency for pathogen reduction of between 59.7 to 93% . However, the number of helminth eggs found in treatment stations was still high and new higher performance treatment is necessary for land application or for other objectives, seeking to reduce the risks for human and animal health. Chemosphere, 2001 Oct, 45(1), 11 - 20 Enhanced degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by biodegradation combined with a modified Fenton reaction; Nam K et al.; A study has been conducted to enhance degradation of a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by combining biodegradation with hydrogen peroxide oxidation in a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) soil . An active bacterial consortium enriched from the MGP surface soil (0-2 m) biodegraded more than 90% of PAHs including 2-, 3-, and 4-ring hydrocarbons in a model soil . The consortium was also able to transform about 50% of 4- and 5-ring hydrocarbons in the MGP soil . As a chemical oxidant, Fenton's reagent (H2O2 + Fe2+) was very efficient in the destruction of a mixture of PAHs (i.e., naphthalene (NAP), fluorene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHE), anthracene (ANT), pyrene (PYR), chrysene (CHR), and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)) in the model soil; noticeably, 84.5% and 96.7% of initial PYR and BaP were degraded, respectively . In the MGP soil, the same treatment destroyed more than 80% of 2- and 3-ring hydrocarbons and 20-40% of 4- and 5-ring compounds . However, the low pH requirement (pH 2-3) for optimum Fenton reaction made the process incompatible with biological treatment and posed potential hazards to the soil ecosystem where the reagent was used . In order to overcome such limitation, a modified Fenton-type reaction was performed at near neutral pH by using ferric ions and chelating agents such as catechol and gallic acid . By the combined treatment of the modified Fenton reaction and biodegradation, more than 98% of 2- or 3-ring hydrocarbons and between 70% and 85% of 4- or 5-ring compounds were degraded in the MGP soil, while maintaining its pH about 6-6.5. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 44(2-3), 219 - 26 Aerobic biological treatment of grease from urban wastewater treatment plants; Canler JP et al.; Biological grease treatment is rapidly expanding in France, with about sixty plants recorded in 1998 . They are designed at a volumetric loading of 2.5 kg COD/m3 of reactor per day . Several sites have been selected for their representativity and studied . Prior to detailed monitoring over a long period, preliminary investigations provided some information on the operation of these reactors . They showed that most of them are not optimized (low removal efficiency), but have limited operational constraints given their low load . This study enabled us to assess the quantity actually skimmed from the surface of the aerated grease separator in relation to the lipids in raw sewage, and to define the precautions to be taken for sampling and analysis of grease, before any data interpretation . A detailed measurement series was then implemented . It shows the considerable value of this process for the reduction of lipids and highlights the main operational parameters in order to obtain high performance while keeping low operating constraints. Water Res, 2001 Oct, 35(14), 3496 - 501 Abundance, biomass and viability of bacteria in wastewaters: impact of treatment in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands; Decamp O et al.; The aims of this project were to assess bacterial populations (abundance, biomass and viability) in the influents and effluents of four constructed wetlands, and to analyse the effect of such biological treatment on these bacterial characteristics . Using the BacLight probe it was possible to determine the total abundance, the proportion of intact vs . damaged cells, and the lengths, widths and biovolumes, of bacteria in each of the samples . The reduction in bacterial concentration was higher (67%) in the wetland used for secondary treatment than in those used for tertiary treatment (15-39%) . The proportion of damaged cells was higher in the influent (i.e . settled sewage) of the wetland used for secondary treatment (78%) than in the influents of those wetlands used for tertiary treatment (45-70%) . This suggested that the majority of bacteria in the settled sewage were dead or damaged, and that these were removed from the wastewaters more effectively than were undamaged cells during conventional secondary treatment (in this case, using rotating biological contactors or RBCs) . In each wetland, the proportion of damaged cells was higher in the influent than in the effluent, suggesting that, as with RBCs, damaged bacteria were removed more effectively within the wetland than undamaged bacteria . The majority of bacteria leaving the constructed wetlands used for tertiary treatment, and 50% of those leaving the secondary treatment wetland, were physically intact and therefore probably viable . Although there was a decrease in the abundance of total bacteria with treatment, bacterial biomass did not necessarily decrease with the treatment. Water Res, 2001 Oct, 35(14), 3429 - 35 Influence of a transverse flowrate on the oxygen transfer performance in heterogeneous aeration: case of hydro-ejectors; Fonade C et al.; This paper deals with the scaling of aeration devices, and more specifically hydro-ejectors, in the case of heterogeneous aeration . Because the transfer of oxygen only occurs in a very small part of the volume of the treatment basin, the transfer performance of the aerator depends on the device itself and on the surrounding flow characteristics . First experiments were achieved with a 10 L mechanically agitated reactor in order to operate at a known kLa and liquid flowrate Q . The results show that the oxygen transfer capacity of the reactor is used to a greater or lesser extent depending on the flowrate which passes through the bubbling region . When a hydro-ejector is concerned, the oxygen transfer occurs inside an aerated zone of about 2 m3; experiments carried out with an industrially scaled HE in a 120 m3 test basin allowed to estimate that the kLa in this zone is about 700-800 h(-1) . Applying a compartment model, it is then possible to determine the oxygen transfer capacity of the HE as a function of the transverse liquid flowrate . While this OC is 3 kg O2/h under the test basin conditions, it reaches up to 12 kg O2/h under industrial flow conditions . This value was obtained in the aerobic biological treatment of the washing waters of a sugar refinery where two 33,000 m3 basins aerated by 152 HE could degrade 35 t/d of COD. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2001, 36(7), 1245 - 55 Biological treatment of pulp mill wastewater using sequencing batch reactors; Dubeski CV et al.; Lab-scale sequencing batch reactors were used to treat chemithermomechanical pulping wastewater that had chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the range of 5,980-8,990 mg/L, and 2,240-3,190 mg/L, respectively . A cycle time of 24 hour, with a hydraulic retention time of 34.3 hours was used . With 1 hour of settling, COD and BOD reductions of 30-41% and 67-78% were observed . However, with a 4-hour settling, COD and BOD reductions of 53-62% and 88-94% were achieved, respectively . Most of the oxygen demand reductions occurred within the first 16 hours of aeration . Adjustment of pH did not result in significant improvement in COD removal . Resin acids and fatty acids concentrations in the CTMP wastewater were reduced in the SBR process; however, they were still not fully detoxified in the effluent. Adv Space Res, 1997, 20(10), 1805 - 13 Integrating biological treatment of crop residue into a hydroponic sweetpotato culture; Trotman AA et al.; Residual biomass from hydroponic culture of sweetpotato {Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.} was degraded using natural bacterial soil isolates . Sweetpotato was grown for 120 days in hydroponic culture with a nutrient solution comprised of a ratio of 80% modified half Hoagland solution to 20% filtered effluent from an aerobic starch hydrolysis bioreactor . The phytotoxicity of the effluent was assayed with Waldmann's Green' lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and the ratio selected after a 60-day bioassay using sweetpotato plants propagated vegetatively from cuttings . Controlled environment chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of filtrate from biological treatment of crop residue on growth and storage root production with plants grown in a modified half Hoagland solution . Incorporation of bioreactor effluent, reduced storage root yield of 'Georgia Jet' sweetpotato but the decrease was not statistically significant when compared with yield for plants cultured in a modified half Hoagland solution without filtrate . However, yield of 'TU-82-155' sweetpotato was significantly reduced when grown in a modified half Hoagland solution into which filtered effluent had been incorporated . Total biomass was significantly reduced for both sweetpotato cultivars when grown in bioreactor effluent . The leaf area and dry matter accumulation were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced for both cultivars when grown in solution culture containing 20% filtered effluent. Waste Manag Res, 1991 Oct, 9(5), 425 - 30 Processes for water reclamation; Dean RB; Water treatments fall into two broad classes; those that remove or destroy specific classes of pollutants, i.e . color, metal ions, hardness, sediment, bacteria, etc., and those that remove water from nearly all of the pollutants . The first class includes sedimentation, biological treatment by microbes, chemical precipitation, adsorption on active carbon or ion exchange resins, and disinfection . The second class includes distillation, freezing and reverse osmosis (RO) . The first class are the least expensive in terms of energy and have a long history of successful use on a large scale to reclaim water containing sewage . Most of the second group are energy intensive and have been used primarily on a moderate scale . All processes, except disinfection, leave a residual sludge or brine that contains a substantial quantity of water . Many of the problems of treating waste water for reuse on Earth stem from the fact that waste water carries pathogenic organisms from one location to another and may spread disease over long distances . In a closed group, such as in a Space Station, there are so many other routes for transfer of microorganisms, i.e . in the air, on surfaces, by hand-to-mouth, that undue emphasis on disinfection of water is inappropriate . Successful examples of water reuse on Earth are reviewed in terms of their possible application in space. Chemosphere, 2001 Sep, 44(8), 1737 - 47 Ecotoxicological and chemical evaluation of phenolic compounds in industrial effluents; Guerra R; The aim of this paper was to evaluate the ecotoxicological response of industrial effluents containing phenolic compounds . All complex effluents collected from a chemical plant and then after both a chemical-physical and biological treatment were characterised with chemical analysis, biodegradability tests and four ecotoxicological tests (Daphnia magna, Artemia salina, Brachionus plicatilis and Vibriofisheri with Microtox) . The evaluation of the chemical and ecotoxicological data was useful for predicting the effect of the raw effluent on the treatment plant and the impact of the final treated effluent on the receiving water . Besides the toxicity of the effluent from the chemical plants, the acute toxicity of its main components was also determined . The results of the tests and toxicity data from literature were transformed in Toxic Units (TUs) . Effluent toxicity was under- or over-estimated by calculating the sum of the TUs of the individual components, depending on which toxicity data and test organisms were used. Pharmacopsychiatry, 2001 Jul, 34(4), 142 - 6 Acceptance of pharmacotherapy for relapse prevention by chronic alcoholics; Wetterling T et al.; The willingness to take medication is a major prerequisite for compliance with biological treatment approaches in psychiatric disorders . The aim of this study was to investigate the willingness of alcoholics to improve relapse prevention using drug therapy, since there has been little information about the acceptance of such a medication as yet . 261 chronic alcoholics consecutively referred for detoxification completed a newly developed questionnaire containing items on drinking history, recent treatments, and beliefs about drug therapy for relapse prevention . In order to draw comparisons, 67 self-help group attendees and 29 alcoholics consulting an outpatient advice service were also recruited . 67.8% of the recently detoxified alcoholics were prepared to take medication for relapse prevention, if prescribed, while 60% the self-help group attendees refused drug therapy . There was no correlation between the acceptance of drug treatment and duration of dependence . Subjects willing to take a medication more often believed their alcoholism to be curable, and they reported a higher craving frequency . 55% of those willing to take a medication were willing to pay for the drugs, but in most cases, at a level lower than the equivalent of 5 beers . As drug therapy acceptance is a crucial part of compliance with, and success of medical relapse prevention, our results underscore the necessity of a thorough exploration into the health beliefs of the patient and joint development of a treatment rationale prior to prescription. Chemosphere, 2001 Aug, 44(5), 1103 - 8 Enzymatic treatment of sanitary landfill leachate; Zouboulis AI et al.; The objective of this investigation was to study the effectiveness of applying enzymes (bioaugmentation) for enhancement of biological treatability of leachates generated in a typical municipal solid waste sanitary landfill . The basic purpose of enzyme use is to enforce the biodecomposition of organic constituents, as well as to reduce nitrogen content . A laboratory-scale sequencing batch (bio)reactor (SBR) was used for the examination of enzymatic application . The effect of different operation strategies on the efficiency of this biological treatment process was studied to optimize performance, especially for the removal of nitrogen compounds and of biodegradable organic matter . It was found that the enzymatic process was able to remove organic matter effectively (expressed as BOD5 and COD) and nitrogen content, color and turbidity. J AOAC Int, 2001 Jul-Aug, 84(4), 1074 - 85 Determination of phenolic xenoestrogens in environmental samples by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection; Petrovic M et al.; A method is proposed for the determination of several phenolic xenoestrogens in aqueous and solid environmental samples . The method uses solid-phase extraction (preceded by ultrasonic solvent extraction for solid samples), reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation, and mass spectrometric detection using both atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and electrospray ionization . This method was developed to support several studies undertaken to obtain aquatic and sedimentary data for rivers and seashores in Spain that are likely to be contaminated by endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) as a consequence of wastewater discharge . Nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs), nonylphenoxy carboxylates (NPECs), nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP), and bisphenol A (BPA) were determined in various samples of surface water and sediment, collected at different locations upstream and downstream from outfalls of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) . Seawater and marine sediments were collected in different harbor areas in Spain . Additionally, WWTP influent and effluents were analyzed to monitor the occurrence and transformation of phenolic EDCs during physicochemical and biological treatment . Rather high concentrations of the compounds investigated were found in some samples . Concentrations of NP were < or = 590 microg/kg in sediments and < or = 15 microg/L in water samples . NPEOs and NPECs were found in water samples in concentrations < or = 41 and < or = 35 microg/L, respectively . In solid samples (river sediment), concentrations of NPEO were < or = 818 microg/kg and those of NP1EC were 95 microg/kg. Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Ke Za Zhi, 1998 Feb, 33(1), 38 - 41 {Experimental studies on antitumor activity of new recombinant human tumour necrosis factor in nude mice bearing nasopharyngeal carcinoma}; Dong W et al.; OBJECTIVE: Nude mice model bearing nasopharyngeal carcinoma were established using nasopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cell line (CNE-2) . METHODS: New recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (NrhTNF-alpha) and carboplatin were administered locally or systemically, single or in combination . The microstructural and ultra-micro-structural changes of carcinoma after administration of NrhTNF-alpha were observed under light and electron microscopes . RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 1 . After treatment, the tumor showed hemorrhage, necrosis, regression, the survival time was prolonged . 2 . Locally administered NrhTNF-alpha had more significant antitumor effect than intravenously administered of NrhTNF-alpha . 3 . There is a notable synergistic antitumor effect by the combination use of NrhTNF-alpha and carboplatin . 4 . Microscopy showed that cell changes mostly took place in plasma especially in mitochondria and endoplosmic reticula . The mitochondria were highly bloated . Besides, some nuclei were condensed and fragmented, resulted in cell death . These studies provide experimental basis for biological treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 44(1), 33 - 9 Implementation of EU discharge guidelines at IVAR's Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant of North Jaeren, Stavanger, Norway; Tornes O; Norway is a leading country on wastewater treatment comprising chemical precipitation processes . This is because Norwegian effluent standards to the North Sea have traditionally focused on phosphorus removal . In most cases, chemical treatment therefore has been considered to give lower investment and operating costs than biological treatment . Norwegian wastewater policy and management is based on the EU guidelines resulting from the EEA (European Economic Area) Agreement . According to the 1991 Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, this will in most cases require secondary treatment . However, primary treatment can be accepted for plants larger than 10,000 PT with effluents to less sensitive coastal areas, if no negative environmental impacts can be proved . The main objective of the Regional Water, Sewerage and Waste Company (IVAR) is to comply with the prevailing effluent limits at lowest possible cost . During the past four years, IVAR has therefore undertaken comprehensive optimising of the precipitation process including full-scale experiments with different coagulant dosing control systems and different types of coagulants . IVAR also accomplished a feasibility study of introducing biological treatment as an alternative to chemical treatment . Under the prevailing frame conditions of discharge requirements and sludge deposit costs, it is not economically feasible to change to organic coagulants or biological treatment . This conclusion might have to be altered resulting from the implementation of new EU regulations and increasing sludge deposit costs . This paper presents results from full-scale experiments, extracts from the feasibility study and a comparison of costs . Furthermore, the practical consequences of implementing the EU-guidelines are discussed. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 44(1), 129 - 35 What to do after nutrient removal? van der Graaf JH. In the Netherlands, interest in advanced treatment is increasing now that almost all wastewater treatment plants apply full biological treatment and nutrient removal . The resulting effluents have an excellent quality which can be improved further by applying advanced treatment processes like flocculating filtration, membrane filtration, UV or activated carbon, and others . The treated effluent can be re-used for various purposes, as process water, household water, urban water, for groundwater suppletion and drinking water . Nowadays many applications are investigated . In order to confirm the applicability pilot test investigations are done at various WWTPs . The results are promising; the cost estimations show increasing prospects . This will finally lead to the maturity of the advanced treatment . It will certainly contribute to a more sustainable water cycle. J Clin Psychiatry, 2001, 62 Suppl 17, 4 - 10 What is posttraumatic stress disorder? Shalev AY. Our understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased significantly over the last 2 decades . Although the cause of the condition is usually easy to determine in individual patients, the symptoms of PTSD are diverse and a mixture of psychological processes are involved . This article presents a broad overview of PTSD, including its definition according to DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria, and its clinical course with reference to its association with depression and other mental disorders . The article also briefly reviews the assessment of patients and considers physiologic features such as responses to startle stimuli that appear to be useful in diagnosing PTSD and in differentiating it from other anxiety disorders and depression . Finally, a brief overview of the treatment of PTSD is given, including psychological and biological treatment options. Environ Technol, 2001 Jun, 22(6), 697 - 704 Biological treatment of fishery washing water using Bacillus sphaericus coupled with production of spores that are toxic to mosquito larvae; Ariff AB et al.; Research was undertaken to investigate the treatment of fishery washing water using Bacillus sphaericus, and to recover the spores for subsequent use as bioinsecticide to control the population of mosquitoes . This treatment method could reduce pollution due to organic matter by decreasing the value of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) by about 85% and 92%, respectively . The maximum concentration of spores (83.3 x 10(7) spores ml(-1)) using normal concentration of filtered fishery washing water was only about 27% lower than that obtained in fermentation using 0.25% (w/v) yeast extract . The larvicidal activity of the spores produced in fermentation using fishery washing water to Culex quinquefaciatus, as measured by LD50 after 48 h, was almost the same as the larvicidal activity of spores obtained from fermentation using yeast extract. Environ Technol, 2001 Jun, 22(6), 639 - 45 Variations of landfill leachate's properties in conjunction with the treatment process; Park S et al.; A study was done on the variations of water quality parameters, in conjunction with the processing steps, installed for the treatment of leachate from a sanitary landfill . The leachate was primarily subjected to biological treatment, composed of anaerobic digestion, aerobic treatment, and rotating biological contact in series . The effluent from the rotating biological contact process was further treated by combination of flocculation-sedimentation and adsorption processes . Finally, it was polished by the reverse osmosis process before discharge . The quality of raw leachate, of influents to and of effluents from the reverse osmosis process was assessed and compared . To determine size--dependent behavior of organic materials, analyses were also made for the fractionated samples through ultrafiltration . The overall treatment efficiency was about 98% for removal of organic materials . Most of the organic materials were in the low molecular weight range . In particular, about 95% of the biological oxygen demand was found to be exerted by the fraction of organic material of which cut -off molecular weight was less than 500 . The analysis of molecular weight distribution confirmed that the organic materials resistant to the removal by the treatment process were humic substances, of which cut off molecular weight was greater than 500 . The reverse osmosis process showed a high efficiency for removal of high molecular weight constituents . However, the final effluent showed an unexpectedly high oxygen demand. Waste Manag, 2001, 21(6), 563 - 8 Treatment of anti-osmotic drug based pharmaceutical effluent in an upflow anaerobic fluidized bed system; Saravanane R et al.; During the production of Cephradine (a main constituent of anti-osmotic drug) a large quantity of concentrated effluent was produced . The main polluting compounds in this effluent are osmotic drug, acetic acid and ammonia . The feasibility of using a fluidized bed reactor under anaerobic condition with bioaugmentation to treat anti-osmotic drug based pharmaceutical effluent was evaluated . The main objective of the study was to show that bioaugmentation could be used to promote biological treatment to applications where conventional operation might be difficult or unfavourable . The effluent with chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 14000-18000 mg/l was treated in a fluidized bed reactor with a hydraulic retention time of 3-12 h . The reactor was unable to maintain consistent removal in conventional mode of operation due to an inability to retain and grow biomass . The COD reduction (%) after inoculation from a sequencing batch reactor was related to influent concentration, mass of inoculum and hydraulic retention time characterized by calculating the initial food to microorganism ratio . The role of volatile fatty acid (VFA) as cosubstrate was assessed with respect to COD reduction (%) . Continuous COD reduction (%) attained a maximum value of 88.5% using bioaugmentation through periodic addition of acclimated cells every 2 days with 30-73.2 g of cells from an off-line enricher reactor. Environ Sci Technol, 2001 Jul 1, 35(13), 2849 - 53 Photoassisted electrochemical degradation of organic pollutants on a DSA type oxide electrode: process test for a phenol synthetic solution and its application for the E1 bleach Kraft mill effluent; Pelegrini RT et al.; In this paper, the performance of a photoassisted electrolysis process, for the degradation of organic pollutants, is investigated . Results obtained in this work have shown that the thermally prepared anode of titanium, coated with 70TiO2/30RuO2, exhibits photoactivity and may be used for the treatment of effluents . A synthetic phenol aqueous solution and a real paper mill industry effluent were treated . Kinetic analysis showed a synergetic effect of electrolysis and photocatalysis and degradation rates are an order of magnitude greater than the sum of the results reached by using both processes individually . Using a 125 W mercury bulb and 20 mA cm-2, the phenol concentration decayed 85% in 90 min and 70% reduction of TOC was obtained . In the application of the treatment process for the degradation of the E1 bleach Kraft mill effluent, total phenols were practically eliminated in a short period of processing time, and color, usually resistant to biological treatment, was reduced to 10% from its initial value measured in terms of absorbance . Reductions of AOX, COD, and BOD by 25%, 30%, and 35%, respectively, were also observed. Ugeskr Laeger, 2001 May 28, 163(22), 3056 - 9 {Placebo and superfluous actions in clinical practice}; Barfod TS et al.; There is a therapeutic potential in the doctor-patient relationship, in the diagnostic process, and in the symbolic elements of medical therapy . This unspecific effect seems, however, to be mainly caused by the doctor-patient relationship and the diagnostic process, and superfluous investigations and treatments should therefore not be initiated due to an unfounded idea about the potential of the so-called placebo effect . This article tries to identify the unspecific elements in therapy and their therapeutic potential . It is pointed out, that the outcome of a treatment is a sum of the effect of the relationship between the physician and the patient, plus the specific biological treatment effect, plus the incidental effect including the effect of the patients knowledge of being under treatment . The article asks for more research in the first and the last of these three components of therapy. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 43(11), 275 - 82 Enhancement of anaerobic treatability of olive oil mill effluents by addition of Ca(OH)2 and bentonite without intermediate solid/liquid separation; Beccari M et al.; Previous work on the anaerobic treatment of olive oil mill effluents (OME) have shown: (a) lipids, even if more easily degraded than phenols, were potentially capable of inhibiting methanogenesis more strongly; (b) a pretreatment based on addition of Ca(OH)2 and bentonite removed lipids almost quantitatively; (c) preliminary biotreatability tests performed on the pretreated OME showed high bioconversion into methane at very low dilutions ratios, especially when the mixture (OME, Ca(OH)2 and bentonite) was fed to the biological treatment without providing an intermediate phase separation . This paper was directed towards two main aims: (a) to optimize pretreatment: the best results in terms of methane production were obtained by addition of Ca(OH)2 up to pH 6.5 and of 10 g L-1 of bentonite; (b) to evaluate the enhancement of anaerobic treatability of OME pretreated under optimized conditions in a lab-scale continuous methanogenic reactor fed with the substrate without intermediate solid/liquid separation: very satisfactory performances were obtained (at an organic load of 8.2 kg COD m-3 d-1 and at a dilution ratio of 1:1.5 total COD removal was 91%, biogas production was 0.80 g CH4 (as COD)/g tot . COD, lipids removal was 98%, phenols removal was 63%) . The results confirm the double role played by bentonite (adsorption of the inhibiting substances and release of the adsorbed biodegradable matter in the methanogenic reactor). Can J Psychiatry, 2001 Jun, 46 Suppl 1, 63S - 76S Clinical guidelines for the treatment of depressive disorders . VI . Special populations; Thorpe L et al.; BACKGROUND: The Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments partnered to produce clinical guidelines for psychiatrists for the treatment of depressive disorders . METHODS: A standard guidelines development process was followed . Relevant literature was identified using a computerized Medline search supplemented by review of bibliographies . Operational criteria were used to rate the quality of scientific evidence, and the line of treatment recommendations included consensus clinical opinion . This section, "Special Populations," is 1 of 7 articles that were drafted and reviewed by clinicians . Revised drafts underwent national and international expert peer review . RESULTS: This section reports on the prevalence, course, and outcome of depression for specific populations . Psychological, pharmacologic, and other biological treatment options for these populations--children and adolescents, the elderly, women at times of increased risk within the reproductive cycle, and specific ethnocultural groups--are critically evaluated . CONCLUSIONS: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is prevalent across the lifespan . In general, clinical presentations are more similar than different across age, sex, and cultural divides . Although less evidence is available for the efficacy of treatments in these subpopulations than in mid-life patients, comparable rates of response for pharmacotherapies, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and, in some cases, evidence-based psychotherapies have been reported. AIHAJ, 2001 May-Jun, 62(3), 330 - 41 Emissions of chemical compounds and bioaerosols during the secondary treatment of paper mill effluents; Goyer N et al.; This study identified and quantified the main chemical compounds--the substances responsible for the disagreeable odors--and the bioaerosols emitted during the biological treatment of paper mill effluents . It also identified the characteristics of the process that effects the generation or diffusion of these substances . All treatment stages were evaluated . Measuring sites were located as closely as possible to the potential emission sources . Measurements were taken in the summer in 11 paper mills during a 2- to 3-day period in each mill . Chemical compounds were evaluated by direct-reading instruments; bioaerosols were sampled by impaction and counted . Sulfur compounds, emitted into the air when the effluent or the sludge is stirred, had the highest concentrations; their presence was attributable to such things as kraft-type paper pulp . Next in concentration were the carbon and nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and some organic acids, produced by the action of microorganisms . These acids are found mainly in the sludge environment . Terpenes, which come from wood, are present at various locations in paper mills . Odor perception thresholds for most of these substances are much lower than those established to protect the health of workers . Significant concentrations of total bacteria, total molds, and endotoxins were measured at several sites . Gram-negative bacteria were high at only one site, whereas the mold Aspergillus fumigatus was occasionally present at low concentration . No actinomycetes bacteria were detected . The highest concentrations were measured where there was water or dust aerosolization . Emissions are therefore controlled by controlling the operations that lead to the dispersion of water and particles into the air. Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2001 Mar, 22(2), 82 - 6 {Anaerobic biological treatment of Lincomycin production wastewater}; Yang J et al.; The high-strength Lincomycin production wastewater containing toxic and refractory substances treated by lab-scale mesophilic UASB reactor was described . When the reactor was operated in influent COD 8000-14,000 mg/L and HRT 10 h, the volumetric loading rate and COD removal rate could reach 20-35 kg/(m3.d) and 50%-55%, respectively . The granular sludge might be formatted by using a bit longer acclimation time, adjusting and maintaining fairly high surface hydraulic loading rate of 0.2-0.4 m3/(m2.h), influent COD of 2000-3000 mg/L and sludge loading rate of 0.2-0.5 kg/(kg.d) . The anaerobic kinetic constants of Vmax and Ks for the wastewater treatment were 1.3 d-1 and 8133 mg/L, respectively . The non-biodegradable substances accounted for about 30% of total COD, which was the important factor of relative low COD removal rate for the wastewater. Bioresour Technol, 2001 Aug, 79(1), 91 - 4 Improvement of the physical properties of reprocessed paper by using biological treatment with modified cellulase; Park J et al.; A primary need for waste paper reprocessing is to preserve optical properties and the physical strength of the paper fibers . In this study, modified cellulase with copolymer, polyethylene oxide (PEO) derivatives and maleic anhydride (MA) was applied to the reprocessing of mixed office waste (MOW) . Modified cellulase was prepared by a chemical reaction between amino groups of the cellulase and the MA functional groups of the copolymer . In MOW reprocessing, modified cellulase improved several physical properties of the paper including freeness, optical properties, and physical strength compared to the conventional process . Even though native cellulase improved the physical properties, paper treated with modified cellulase exhibited an increase in physical properties such as tensile strength and internal bond over those of unmodified cellulase . From these results, modified cellulase method is a new biological treatment that will save pulp resources, which are added to waste paper reprocessing to maintain the strength of paper. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 43(8), 107 - 13 Removal of hydrocarbons from petrochemical wastewater by dissolved air flotation; Galil NI et al.; The dissolved air flotation (DAF) method has an important role in the removal of hydrocarbons, as well as in the protection of the biological treatment, which usually follows the DAF . The aims of this study were to evaluate the removal efficiencies of suspended solids, general organic matter, hydrocarbons and phenols by DAF, as influenced by the flocculant type, aluminum sulfate (alum) or a cationic polyelectrolyte . Laboratory batch experiments included chemical flocculation followed by DAF, controlling the flocculant dose and the air to solids ratio . The characterization of the influent and effluent was based on general analysis of organic matter (COD), suspended solids, hydrocarbons and phenols . The influent to all experiments was supplied daily from the outlet of a full scale oil-water gravitational separation unit at a petrochemical complex in Haifa, Israel . The influent contained hydrocarbons in the range of 20 to 77 mg/L . Usually less than 10% were found in "free" form, 70 to 80% were emulsified and 10 to 20% were dissolved . The DAF process enabled us to reduce the general hydrocarbon content by 50 to 90% . The effluent was characterized by stable and uniform levels of suspended solids, and oil, almost without depending on the influent concentrations . The results indicate that the chemical flocculation followed by DAF removed efficiently the emulsified phase, which could be aggregated and separated to the surface . However, it was found that the process could also remove substantial amounts of dissolved organic matter . This mechanism could be explained by the hydrophobic characteristics of some of the substances, which could bind to the solid surfaces . It was found that aggregates created by the flocculation with the cationic polyelectrolite (C-577) could remove up to 40% from the dissolved hydrocarbon . Alum flocs also indicated removal of soluble materials, mainly phenols . The results obtained in this study indicated the possibility to improve the protection of the biological treatment process by preliminary removal of hydrophobic compounds, usually considered as either inhibitory or toxic . This removal can be based on sorption onto aggregates created by chemical flocculation, which can be efficiently removed by dissolved air flotation. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 2001 May, 25(4), 893 - 924 Anxiety/aggression--driven depression . A paradigm of functionalization and verticalization of psychiatric diagnosis; Van Praag HM; A new subtype of depression is proposed, named: anxiety/aggression-driven depression . The psychopathological, psychopharmacological and biochemical evidence on which this construct is based, is being discussed . Selective postsynaptic 5-HT1A agonists together with CRH and/or cortisol antagonists are hypothesized to be a specific biological treatment for this depression type, in conjunction with psychological interventions to raise the stressor-threshold and to increase coping skills . The development of this depression construct has been contingent on the introduction of two new diagnostic procedures, called functionalization and verticalization of psychiatric diagnosis . These procedures are explained and it is stressed that they are essential to psychiatric diagnosing, in order to put this process on a scientific footing. Water Sci Technol, 2000, 41(3), 275 - 82 Emission of greenhouse gases from anaerobic digestion processes: comparison with other municipal solid waste treatments; Baldasano JM et al.; This contribution analyzes the anaerobic digestion process and compares GHG emissions estimated for four different management processes for MSW (Municipal Solid Waste): biogasification, landfilling, composting and incineration . The comparison has been undertaken by considering in the estimation of the emissions the full cycle of MSW treatment, and not only the emissions derived from the fraction of MSW treated by each particular system . For instance, the fraction of MSW not submitted to biological treatment has to be incinerated or deposited in a landfill . The corresponding emissions of these processes have to be considered in the calculations of the final emissions. Water Sci Technol, 2000, 41(3), 189 - 94 Methods for increasing the biogas potential from the recalcitrant organic matter contained in manure; Angelidaki I et al.; The biogas potential of manure could be significantly increased by treatment of the recalcitrant organic matter (biofibers) contained in the manure . Several treatment methods were tested . Mechanical maceration resulted in an average increase of the biogas potential of approximately 17% as shown by the continuous stirred reactor experiment . In general the smaller the fibers the higher the biogas potential was . The best results showed an approximately 20% increase of the biogas potential with fibers smaller than 0.35 mm as measured by batch experiments . The increase was approximately 16% with fibers of size 2 mm . Chemical treatment of the fibers with bases such as NaOH, NH4OH or a combination of bases also resulted in an increased methane potential . However, combination of maceration and chemical treatment did not result in a further increase of the methane potential . There was not any significant difference of the biogas potential from fibers in the range 5-20 mm . Treatment of the fibers with hemicellulolytic or cellulolytic enzymes did not result in any significant increase of the methane potential . However, biological treatment of the fibers of the manure with the hemicellulose degrading bacterium B4 resulted in a significant increase of the biogas potential of manure . An increase of approximately 30% in methane potential was achieved compared to controls. Water Sci Technol, 2000, 41(3), 129 - 35 Fact-finding survey of actual garbage discharged from dormitory and its biological anaerobic-aerobic treatment; Imai T et al.; The objective of this study is to find a possibility of complete treatment of garbage and resource recovery (production of methane from available utility of carbon resource in garbage) by biological treatment process . As the first step, a fact-finding survey of actual garbage discharged from the dormitory of the Ube National College of Technology (equivalent to 300 population) was carried out . Second, the combined biological anaerobic-aerobic treatment, i.e . combination of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process and aerobic membrane bioreactor (AMB) process, was applied to the garbage treatment . The applicability and efficiency of this system were investigated in this study . The survey results showed that the composition and quantity of garbage from a student dormitory changed slightly during a week due to the change of the menu, however, they remained almost unchanged during the entire experimental period . The experimental results showed high biodegradability of the garbage, and demonstrated its suitability for methane production . The soluble nitrogen removal was high: over 97% . No excess sludge was wasted from the system . A high treatment efficiency of simultaneous organic carbon and nitrogen was obtained . The possibility of complete treatment of garbage with this process has been positively demonstrated by this study. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 43(3), 223 - 30 The effect of operating conditions on the performance of soil slurry-SBRs; Cassidy DP et al.; Biological treatment of a silty clay loam with aged diesel fuel contamination was conducted in 8 L Soil Slurry-Sequencing Batch Reactors (SS-SBRs) . The purpose was to monitor slurry conditions and evaluate reactor performance for varying solids concentration (5%, 25%, 40%, 50%), mixing speed (300 rpm, 700 rpm, 1200 rpm), retention time (8 d, 10 d, 20 d), and volume replaced per cycle (10%, 50%, 90%) . Diesel fuel was measured in slurry and in filtered aqueous samples . Oxygen uptake rate (OUR) was monitored . Aggregate size was measured with sieve analyses . Biosurfactant production was quantified with surface tension measurements . Increasing solids concentration and decreasing mixing speed resulted in increased aggregate size, which in turn increased effluent diesel fuel concentrations . Diesel fuel removal was unaffected by retention time and volume replaced per cycle . Biosurfactant production occurred with all operating strategies . Foam thickness was related to surfactant concentration and mixing speed . OUR, surfactant concentration, and foam thickness increased with increasing diesel fuel added per cycle. Ann Chim, 2001 Mar-Apr, 91(3-4), 203 - 10 Sequential electrochemical/biological treatment for the removal of 2,6-dichlorophenol from synthetic wastewater; Polcaro AM et al.; The paper examines the effect of chloride on the oxidation of 2,6-dichlorophenol (DCP) performed at TiO2/RuO2 DSA anodes, which are specific catalysts for chlorine evolution . The results indicate that chlorine/hypochlorite originating from chloride oxidation in certain favourable conditions reacts with the organic substrate at the diffusion layer near the anode, accelerating the mass transfer of the reactant towards the electrode surface . When the bulk concentration of organic substrate has become very low, the oxidising species can accumulate in the bulk solution where the accomplishment of the oxidation of residual reactant and of its intermediates takes place . Solutions which also contained glucose were electrolysed in order to verify the high level of selectivity of DCP oxidation with respect to a biodegradable substrate: glucose was found to be unchanged up to nearly complete elimination of DCP . The toxicity of the solution was sufficiently reduced to reach values compatible with the subsequent biological treatment. Water Sci Technol, 2001, 43(2), 321 - 6 Kinetics and toxicity of direct reaction between ozone and 1,2-dihydrobenzene in dilute aqueous solution; Zaror C et al.; The presence of toxic aromatic organic compounds in industrial wastewater affects the efficiency of conventional biological treatment . The oxidizing power of ozone represents an interesting pretreatment to reduce toxicity and increase biodegradability . At low pH, ozone is known to attack electron-rich structures by direct electrophilic reactions which open aromatic rings, and generate smaller oxidized compounds . This paper reports experimental results on kinetic and toxicity aspects of ozone direct reactions with 1,2-dihydrobenzene . This toxic compound is frequently found in cellulose bleaching effluents . Although the reaction pathway is rather complex, 4-carbon compounds, such as maleic acid, are readily formed during the first stage of ozonation . These 4-carbon compounds are further oxidized to form smaller molecules (mostly 2-carbon, such as oxalic acid) . The apparent kinetics of 1,2-dihydrobenzene follows a second order law, with a rate constant around 0.36 (dm3 mmol-1s-1), at pH 2 and 20 degrees C . Results show that the BOD:COD ratio increase five-fold as ozonation progresses . Furthermore, the mutagenicity of 1,2-dihydrobenzene totally disappears as the aromatic compound is destroyed by ozonation. AIDS Treat News, 1999 Sep 17, (No 327), 1 - 5 Biological treatment approaches, including Tat toxoid vaccine: interview with Robert Gallo, M.D . Interview by John S . James; Gallo R; AIDS: Dr . Robert C . Gallo, Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, is interviewed about the papers presented at the 1999 International Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology . According to Dr . Gallo, new biological approaches to the treatment of HIV are needed, and more drugs need to be developed . He cites targeting chemokine receptors as one approach to treatment . Another example is Tat toxoid vaccine, which may be used for both treatment and prevention . Mechanisms of prevention and treatment vaccines are presented . Other research being done on the treatment of HIV and AIDS is described briefly . Information on obtaining abstracts from the meeting and contact information are provided . Water Res, 2001 Jun, 35(8), 2087 - 91 Application of ferrous hydrogen peroxide for treatment of DSD-acid manufacturing process wastewater; Zhu W et al.; A pretreatment method for the biological treatment of wastewater from 4,4'-diaminostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DSD-acid) manufacturing processes, a refractory dye intermediate wastewater, based on combined ferrous hydrogen peroxide oxidation and coagulation-flocculation, was developed . When the wastewater was treated with ferrous hydrogen peroxide oxidation ({Fe2+} = 2.7 mmol/L, {H2O2} = 0.21 mol/L) after a flocculation using an organic flocculant TS-1 at a dosage of 3 g/L, the overall COD and color removals were 64 and 62%, respectively . BOD5/COD value of the effluent was 0.3 . Ferrous hydrogen peroxide oxidation treatment can reduce the solubility of organic molecules with sulfonic group and increase the efficiency of coagulation treatment . The COD and color removals were both more than 90% when FeCl3 was used as the coagulation (dosages of two-step coagulation were 0.031 and 0.012 mol/L respectively) after a ferrous hydrogen peroxide oxidation pretreatment at a H2O2 dosage of 0.06 mol/L. Water Res, 2001 Apr, 35(6), 1435 - 44 Partitioning of trace metals before and after biological removal of metals from sediments; Chartier M et al.; Metal removal by biological solubilization in three strongly contaminated sediments was carried out in a two-liter stirred bioreactor . Biological treatment yielded metal removal efficiencies in the range of 11-30%, 43-57%, 60-79%, 61-90%, 18-21%, 0-10% for Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni and Cr, respectively . The treated sediments were then rinsed with a NaCl solution (0.5 M), resulting in an increase by nearly 47% in Pb removal for the three sediments, while for other metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cr), the NaCl rinse did not seem to allow any significant increase in metal solubilization . A standard procedure of sequential selective extraction (SSE) was applied to the sediments before and after each treatment . With regard to Pb, Zn and Cd, the carbonate bound fractions (2/3 sediments) represented 18-42% of metals prior to treatment, while the iron and manganese oxides bound fraction constituted 39-60% of metals for the three sediments . Between 90 and 100% of Pb, Zn and Cd removed by the process came from the fractions bound to carbonates and from those bound to Fe and Mn oxides . The organic matter and sulfide bound fractions contained 65-72% of total Cu present before treatment and the process removed, on average, 63% Cu present in this fraction . In contrast, Ni and Cr were found mainly in the residual fractions (50-80%) . Finally, this biological treatment did not solubilize Cr appreciably, while removal of Ni mostly originated from the carbonate and Fe/Mn oxides fractions (70-80%). J Chromatogr A, 2001 Mar 9, 911(1), 135 - 41 Fast determination of phenols in contaminated soils; Baciocchi R et al.; An extraction method for the determination of phenols in contaminated soils, based on the application of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC-flame ionization detection analysis, was developed and tested . This method was developed using a natural soil spiked with phenol to a concentration level typical of an acute contamination event that can occur in an industrial site . The effects of the extraction parameters (pH, extraction time and salt concentration) on the extraction efficiency were studied and the method was then applied to determine the pollutant concentration at the beginning and during the biological treatment of a soil, contaminated with phenol and 3-chlorophenol, respectively . The SPME results were validated by comparison with those obtained with an US Environmental Protection Agency certified extraction method . The SPME method was also successfully applied to the determination of the adsorption behavior of 3-chlorophenol on a natural clay soil and was shown to be suitable for different matrices and phenolic compounds . Application of SPME technique results in a sharp reduction of the extraction times with negligible solvent consumption. Actas Esp Psiquiatr, 2000 Dec, 28(8), 1 - 4 {Neuroimaging and basic symptoms of schizophrenia}; Lopez-Ibor MI et al.; The complexity of the clinical picture of schizophrenia is an essential feature of the disease that has led to attempts at organizing the symptoms and clinical course into different subtypes or grouping them into symptom constellations . Variations in response to treatment, particularly biological treatment, justifies the effort of differentiation . Various authors have tried to define primary or fundamental symptoms, that are directly related with the underlying abnormality, and secondary symptoms, which involve adaptive or reactive mechanism . Similarly, first-order symptoms, pathognomic symptoms, and second-order symptoms have been described . A constant latent problem in psychopathology is to determine the degree in which first-order symptoms are primary. Environ Pollut, 2001, 111(2), 273 - 81 Comparison of two biological treatment processes using attached-growth biomass for sanitary landfill leachate treatment; Loukidou MX et al.; The objective of this investigation was to compare two biological systems using attached-growth biomass, for treatment of leachates generated in a typical municipal solid waste sanitary landfill . A moving-bed biofilm process, which is a relatively new type of biological treatment system, has been examined . It is based on the use of small, free-floating polymeric (polyurethane) elements, while biomass is being grown and attached as biofilm on the surface of these porous carriers . A granular activated carbon (GAC) moving-bed biofilm process was also tested . This method combines both physico-chemical and biological removal mechanisms for the removal of pollutants . The presence of GAC offers a suitable porous media, which is able to adsorb both organic matter and ammonia, as well as to provide an appropriate surface onto which biomass can be attached and grown . A laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used for the examination of both carriers . The effects of different operation strategies on the efficiency of these biological treatment processes were studied in order to optimize their performance, especially for the removal of nitrogen compounds and of biodegradable organic matter . It has been found that these processes were able to remove nitrogen content almost completely and simultaneously, the removal of organic matter (expressed as BOD5 and COD), color and turbidity were sufficiently achieved. Bioresour Technol, 2001 Feb, 76(3), 279 - 81 Bioaugmentation and treatment of cephalexin drug-based pharmaceutical effluent in an upflow anaerobic fluidized bed system; Saravanane R et al.; Cephalexin is a constituent of the cephalosporin group used for the treatment of bronchitis and other heart diseases due to its enhanced oral activity . The effluent from these industries contains a disintegrated form of the drug contributing high chemical oxygen demand (COD), volatile solids and organic solvent . A laboratory-scale study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a fluidized bed reactor operated under anaerobic condition with bioaugmentation to treat the cephalexin containing pharmaceutical factory effluent . The main objective of the study was to show that bioaugmentation could be used to promote biological treatment to applications where conventional operation might be difficult or unfavourable . The effluent, with COD of 12,000-15,000 mg/l, was diluted and studied in single and multiple inoculation experiments with hydraulic retention times of 3-12 h . The removal efficiency after inoculation from an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor was related to influent concentration, mass of inoculum and hydraulic retention time characterized by calculating the initial food to microorganism ratio . Continuous COD removal efficiency attained a maximum value of 88.5% using bioaugmentation through periodic addition of acclimated cells every 2 days with 30-73.2 g of cells from an off-line enricher-reactor. Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi, 2000 Nov, 37(11), 885 - 8 {Problems and strategies in the treatment of mental disorders in elderly patients with physical illness}; Wada H; There is a high prevalence of mental disorders in the community population of older adults, especially in medical treatment facilities . Therefore, clinicians who treat geriatric patients cannot neglect the psychiatric vulnerability of the elderly population . The fragility of psychological functioning of the elderly is caused not only by psychological contributors, such as various kinds of experiences of loss, but also by biological factors such as decreases in neurotransmitters and in the number of neurons . Another point geriatric clinicians should pay attention to is the powerful mind-body connection in the elderly . Recent psychoneuroimmunological research demonstrates that depression or other types of emotional stress damages the immune system, which can induce some physical diseases . This is especially true for the elderly, who have weakened cell-mediated immune function and are more susceptible to influence by the damaged immune function caused by such psychiatric dysfunction . Also, depression in the elderly can often lead to malnutrition or dehydration, which can induce various kinds of physical illness . On the other hand, physical illness in the elderly can induce depression, because of the psychological vulnerability of the elderly . Due to the strong mind-body connection in the elderly, the availability of psychiatric care is essential . When providing psychiatric care for the elderly, the clinician should attend to all symptoms, not minimizing the importance of biological treatment, while also trying to support the elderly patients psychologically through acceptance of their need for interdependency and respect for their narcissism. Biotechnol Annu Rev, 2000, 6, 163 - 96 Combined chemical-biological treatment of wastewater containing refractory pollutants; Jeworski M et al.; Biological processes are usually most efficient for degrading pollutants occurring in wastewater . Refractory and toxic compounds contained limit their applicability . In such cases combinations with chemical oxidation processes may improve the overall efficiency and efficacy . Most suitable oxidation processes for combination with biological treatment are wet air oxidation, ozonation, hydrogen peroxide treatment and other advanced oxidation processes . Most effective are OH-radicals produced in all these oxidation processes . Chemical oxidation produces intermediates with usually improved biodegradability . Process combinations may be serial or with recycling between chemical oxidation and biological treatment . Design criteria, control of combined processes and recent applications are reviewed. Cancer Control, 2000 Nov-Dec, 7(6), 539 - 47 Hemopoietic reserve in the older cancer patient: clinical and economic considerations; Balducci L et al.; BACKGROUND: Older individuals are at increased risk for myelosuppression, the most common complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy . Causes include reduction in hemopoietic stem cell reserve, increased prevalence of chronic diseases, and increased prevalence of anemia . Anemia is an independent risk factor for myelotoxicity, in part because it decreases the volume of distribution of anthracyclines, epipodophyllotoxins, and taxanes and increases the circulating concentration of free drugs . METHODS: The authors review the effects of aging on the hemopoietic system and the consequences of reduced hemopoietic reserve on the safety and cost of chemotherapy . RESULTS: While it is unclear whether the responsiveness of hemopoietic progenitors to physiologic amounts of growth factors is preserved in older individuals, pharmacological doses of these factors stimulate hemopoiesis and mitigate myelosuppression . It is recommended that patients aged 70 and older receiving combination chemotherapy of dose-intensity comparable to CHOP be routinely treated with myelopoietic growth factor . The hemoglobin levels of these patients should be maintained at approximately 12 g/dL with erythropoietin . This treatment may prevent costly complications such as neutropenic infections and functional dependence . CONCLUSIONS: Alternative approaches to the prevention of hemopoietic complications may include more conservative use of growth factors (later initiation of treatment and earlier termination), prophylactic antibiotics in patients at risk for prolonged neutropenia, and biological treatment . Dose-reduction of chemotherapy may lead to inferior outcomes and is not recommended for patients with good functional status. Expert Opin Investig Drugs, 2000 Jan, 9(1), 103 - 11 Anti-TNF agents in Crohn's disease; Van Assche G et al.; The current treatment of Crohn's disease is limited by a lack of long-term efficacy of corticosteroid therapy and the associated side effects . Biological treatment strategies aimed at neutralising immune responses, offer new opportunities for the management of chronic inflammatory disorders . In Crohn's disease, anti-TNF agents have taken the lead in development of immune-modulating drugs since TNF is known to be a pivotal cytokine in this illness . Different strategies have been explored aimed at inhibiting TNF but at present, the majority of clinical data have been obtained with monoclonal antihuman TNF antibodies . The chimeric anti-TNF IgG1 antibody infliximab (cA2, Remicade, Centocor) has been proven, in multiple clinical trials, to be an effective and well tolerated therapy for the management of acute Crohn's disease and recently this compound has obtained FDA and European Medicines Evaluation Agency approval . Although there are some concerns about immunogenicity of the anti-TNF antibody resulting in the formation of human antichimeric antibodies (HACA) as well as lymphoproliferative disorders, the clinical benefit in the treatment of refractory Crohn's disease is a major therapeutic breakthrough . Further studies will be needed to establish the role and optimal dosing scheme of anti-TNF antibodies in maintenance of remission, monitor safety in the long run and to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative anti-TNF agents such as the TNF receptor/Fc fusion protein etanercept (Enbrel, Immunex) and TNF synthesis inhibitor thalidomide. Biol Psychiatry, 2000 Oct 1, 48(7), 693 - 701 Basal plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate level: a possible predictor for response to electroconvulsive therapy in depressed psychotic inpatients; Maayan R et al.; BACKGROUND: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate derivative DHEAS are neuroactive steroids . In the brain, they interact with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(A)) receptors, which are involved in the regulation of anxiety and mood . The relevance of circulatory neurosteroids to psychiatric disorders and biological treatment is unknown . METHODS: Basal plasma levels of cortisol, DHEA, and DHEAS and the DHEAS-DHEA ratio were determined in 17 psychiatric inpatients before and after six electroconvulsive (ECT) therapy sessions, and all changes were statistically analyzed . For baseline values, 25 healthy individuals served as control subjects . Severity of depression and psychosis in the patients was measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, respectively . RESULTS: Both basal and post-ECT levels of cortisol, DHEA, and DHEAS were significantly higher in the patients than in the control subjects . DHEAS levels in responding patients were higher at completion of treatment than at baseline . Patients defined as ECT nonresponders (change in HDRS < 30% from before treatments) exhibited elevated basal DHEAS levels compared with ECT responders . CONCLUSIONS: Markedly elevated basal DHEAS levels (mean + 2 SD of control value) are associated with resistance to ECT and may serve as a potential predictive marker of nonresponsiveness to ECT in depressed patients. J Indian Med Assoc, 2000 May, 98(5), 237 - 41, 244, 249 Depression in women--issues in evaluation and management; Chandra PS et al.; Depression is probably the most common psychiatric disorder in women . Women are a vulnerable group of depression due to psychological, social and biological factors . Marital relationships, social support, roles and self esteem are factors that contribute to depression . In addition, several periods in women's life relating to the reproductive cycle are periods of increased vulnerability . Management of depression in women should consist of detailed assessment of all the above factors . Drug treatment of depression in women requires an in depth understanding of pharmacokinetics of the drugs used and possible drug interactions . Treatment of depression in women should integrate both psychosocial and biological treatment modalities. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2000 Oct, 10(5), 249 - 65 Biological treatment of joint cartilage damage; Tyyni A et al.; The structure and composition of articular cartilage provides unique mechanical properties which effectively dampen and distribute loads during weightbearing . Acute traumatic damage to the articular cartilage destroys the original structure and composition of the articular cartilage and impairs its function . Lesions in articular cartilage can cause patients severe disabling symptoms from the affected joint . These symptoms also run the risk of developing into degenerative osteoarthrosis with time . Unfortunately, articular cartilage does not have any real ability to heal itself after injury . Different treatment methods have been developed in an attempt to restore the function of the injured joint and to prevent further deterioration in the articular cartilage . Some of these methods have produced promising results in clinical studies, but further research is necessary to establish their efficacy and indications for treatment . Today, no controlled studies that compare these different methods are available. J Chromatogr A, 2000 Aug 11, 889(1-2), 221 - 9 Determination of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates in wastewater treatment plants and coastal waters by automated solid-phase extraction followed by capillary electrophoresis-UV detection and confirmation by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry; Riu J et al.; Linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LASs) were determined in wastewaters and coastal waters by solid-phase extraction, using two different sample preparation protocols depending on the sample treated, followed by capillary electrophoresis and ultraviolet detection (CE-UV) . The linear range of the proposed method varied from 3 to 53 and from 25 to 495 microg/l, depending on the compound, with a limit of detection of 1 microg/l when 250 ml of coastal water was preconcentrated . {M-H}- ions were used for CE-MS confirmation after quantification by CE-UV . CE-MS diagnostic ions were the same ones used in LC-electrospray (ESI) MS and corresponded to m/z 297, 311, 325 and 339 for C10, C11, C12 and C13 LASs, respectively . LASs were determined in wastewater samples of the influent and effluent of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), two of them using biological treatment with secondary settlement and receiving mainly domestic wastewaters whereas one of the plants was operated with physicochemical treatment and received mainly industrial wastewaters . LASs were also analyzed in two samples from coastal waters of the bay of Cadiz (Spain) receiving untreated domestic effluents . All samples were also analyzed by LC-ESI-MS and the results are compared with the CE-UV method developed in this work . The concentration levels of total LASs varied from 988 to 1309 microg/l in the influents of WWTPs, whereas in the effluents the concentrations varied from 136 to 197 microg/l . The levels of LASs in coastal wastewaters of the bay of Cadiz varied from 739 to 911 microg/l, indicating that the wastewaters discharged into the bay did not undergo any treatment at all. J Chromatogr A, 2000 Aug 11, 889(1-2), 155 - 76 Assessment of the pollutant elimination efficiency by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and -tandem mass spectrometry . Comparison of conventional and membrane-assisted biological wastewater treatment processes; Li HQ et al.; The elimination efficiency of advanced conventional biological wastewater treatment was compared to membrane-assisted biological wastewater treatment . The sum parameter analyses dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) or substance-specific analyses such as gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry, flow injection analysis (FIA-MS) and liquid chromatography (LC-MS) in combination with mass or tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) were applied to assess elimination of hardly eliminable compounds in both types of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) . Reduction of DOC and COD in wastewater treatment processes confirmed a favourable elimination efficiency . Substance-specific methods which were applied in addition permitted a qualitative and semi-quantitative assessment of elimination with a visual pattern recognition approach . In order to identify pollutants either the NIST library of electron impact mass spectra for unpolar compounds or the laboratory-made collision-induced dissociation spectra library for polar pollutants was used . To assess elimination efficiency FIA-MS in the selected ion monitoring mode (SIM) besides high selective substance-specific mass spectrometric techniques such as parent ion scans and neutral loss scans were used for quantification . Results proved that membrane-assisted treatment was more effective than advanced biological treatment . In both types of WWTPs predominantly unpolar pollutants were eliminated, while all effluents were dominated by polar compounds of anthropogenic and biogenic origin . These unpolar and polar compounds which had been identified as hardly eliminable are reported about . Quantitative results obtained by FIA-MS, LC-MS and MS-MS for the elimination of alkyl polyglycol ethers, nonylphenol ethoxylates and linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acids from wastewater are presented. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom, 2000 Sep 15, 14(17), 1612 - 1618 Determination of 2-substituted benzothiazoles of industrial use from water by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry; Reemtsma T; A method was developed for the analysis of 2-substituted benzothiazoles from wastewaters by reversed-phase liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) . While benzothiazole (BT), 2-amino- (ABT), 2-methyl-, 2-thiocyanomethylthio- and 2-methylthiobenzothiazole were separated with a methanol gradient acidified with formic acid and detected in the positive mode, 2-mercapto- and 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (OHBT) as well as benzothiazole-2-sulfonic acid (BTSA) were separated with the addition of ammonium acetate and detected in the negative ion mode . Detection limits range from 10 ng L(-1) for ABT to 200 ng L(-1) for OHBT after direct injection of 100 microL sample volumes, while BT requires 2.5 microg L(-1) . The method is, thus, suitable for direct analysis in wastewaters . Its application to tannery effluent samples revealed, that, besides a 90-95% elimination of total benzothiazoles, the concentration of OHBT and BTSA increased during the biological treatment . J Environ Sci Health B, 2000 May, 35(3), 379 - 98 Swine wastewater treatment in a two stage sequencing batch reactor using real-time control; Cheng N et al.; A laboratory scale two-stage sequencing batch reactor (TSSBR) was used to study the effectiveness of pH as a real-time control parameter in swine wastewater treatment . A Ringlace media was inserted into the A/O (Anoxic/Oxic) reactor for bacteria immobilization . The TSSBR was subjected to three levels of organic loading . The pH and ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) patterns obtained were consistent with distinct features, enabling the real-time control strategy to effectively set a flexible aeration time pending on influent concentration, hence resulting in flexible cycle time and HRT (Hydraulic Retention Time) for the system . The real-time process ensured a removal efficiency of over 99% and 95%, respectively, for ammonia and TOC (Total Organic Carbon) . For NO3(-)-N and PO4(-3), the run with influent TOC = 4,000 mg/L yielded the most efficient removal of 61% and 95%, respectively . Test results suggest that pH can be a viable tool for on-line real-time control of a biological treatment process. Psychiatr Pol, 1999 Jul-Aug, 33(4), 587 - 600 {Regional cerebral blood flow in depression}; Jaracz J; In the review article, the results of studies on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in major depression are presented . Most studies have reported global and regional deficits in cerebral blood flow in major depression as compared to healthy controls . Longitudinal studies show that after recovery from depression an increase of CBF has been observed . The influence of different biological treatment methods on rCBF is also discussed . Findings regarding lateral asymmetries of cerebral function in patients with major depression are inconclusive but the deficit of rCBF is often more pronounced in the left hemisphere . The nature of regional brain flow abnormalities in depression is unclear . Structural changes of the brain and biochemical abnormalities are under consideration. Encephale, 1999 Nov-Dec, 25(6), 638 - 44 {The concept of supersensitivity psychosis . The particular case of clozapine}; Llorca PM et al.; Neuroleptics are the main biological treatment for psychotic patients . The brutal withdrawal of a neuroleptic treatment may induce an important aggravation of the psychotic symptoms . A few of those relapses may occur very early after the interruption of treatment; they are often associated with a modification of the symptoms and an unfavorable evolution in the course of the illness . Using those clinical observations a few authors have developed the concept of supersensitivity psychosis to explain those kinds of relapses and to formulate hypothesis about tolerance and resistance to neuroleptics . They focus on the possible correlation between supersensitivity psychosis and tardive dyskinesia . We report three cases of a dramatic aggravation of the psychotic symptomatology following the withdrawal of clozapine in three schizophrenic patients resistant to classical neuroleptic treatment . According to the clinical data and to the physiopathological hypothesis, the concept of supersensitivity psychosis can have implications in the therapeutic management of resistant schizophrenic patients. Cas Lek Cesk, 1999 Oct 20, 138(18), 552 - 6 {Treatment of Crohn's disease}; Kocian J et al.; Dietetic treatment of Crohn's disease has the objective to calm down the gut either by a polymeric or elemental diet . In superacute conditions also total parenteral nutrition can be used . In the quiescent stage the patient must have an adequate energy intake and a low-residue (low-fibre) diet . As to medication, sulfasalazine which has some side-effects is abandoned and 5-ASA (5-aminosalicylic acid) preparations are used, either by the oral route or in enemas, while 4-ASA is little used in this country and is known as PAS . The administration of corticoids which also have side-effects will be abandoned in favour of so-called rapidly metabolized corticoids (Tixocortol pivalate, beclomethasone, budenoside and fluticasone) by the oral route and in enemas and foams . As antimicrobial treatment ciprofloxacine is used combined with metronidazole . As to immunosuppressive drugs azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, cyclosporin A, cyclophosphamide and methotrexate are tested . A hope for the future is so-called biological treatment (anticytokines, monoclonal antibodies against cytokines, against CD4+ TNF, interleukines IL-10 and 11, immunoglobulin; plasmapheresis is also tested) . Treatment must be individual and surgery as late as possible, only in case of complications, and should be very sparing, stenoses should be treated by plastic operations of strictures. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1999 Dec, 65(12), 5279 - 84 Removal of mercury from chloralkali electrolysis wastewater by a mercury-resistant Pseudomonas putida strain; von Canstein H et al.; A mercury-resistant bacterial strain which is able to reduce ionic mercury to metallic mercury was used to remediate in laboratory columns mercury-containing wastewater produced during electrolytic production of chlorine . Factory effluents from several chloralkali plants in Europe were analyzed, and these effluents contained total mercury concentrations between 1.6 and 7.6 mg/liter and high chloride concentrations (up to 25 g/liter) and had pH values which were either acidic (pH 2.4) or alkaline (pH 13.0) . A mercury-resistant bacterial strain, Pseudomonas putida Spi3, was isolated from polluted river sediments . Biofilms of P . putida Spi3 were grown on porous carrier material in laboratory column bioreactors . The bioreactors were continuously fed with sterile synthetic model wastewater or nonsterile, neutralized, aerated chloralkali wastewater . We found that sodium chloride concentrations up to 24 g/liter did not inhibit microbial mercury retention and that mercury concentrations up to 7 mg/liter could be treated with the bacterial biofilm with no loss of activity . When wastewater samples from three different chloralkali plants in Europe were used, levels of mercury retention efficiency between 90 and 98% were obtained . Thus, microbial mercury removal is a potential biological treatment for chloralkali electrolysis wastewater. Chemosphere, 1999 Nov, 39(12), 2107 - 15 Decolorization and biodegradability of photocatalytic treated azo dyes and wool textile wastewater; Hu C et al.; The photodegradation and biodegradability have been investigated for four non-biodegradable commercial azo dyes, Reactive YellowKD-3G, Reactive Red 15, Reactive Red 24, Cationic Blue X-GRL, an indicator . Methyl Orange, and one industrial wool textile wastewater, using TiO2 suspensions irradiated with a medium pressure mercury lamp . The color removal of dyes solution and dyeing wastewater reached to above 90% within 20-30 min . of photocatalytic treatment . Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was found to increase, while chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) decreased, so that the ratio of BOD5/COD of the wastewater increased from original zero up to 0.75 . The result implies that photocatalytic oxidation enhanced the biodegradability of the dye-containing wastewater and therefore relationship between decolorization and biodegradability exists . When the color disappeared completely, the wastewater biodegraded normally and could be discharged for further treatment . The experimental results demonstrate that it is possible to combine photocatalysis with conventional biological treatment for the remedy of wastewater containing generally non-biodegradable azo dyes. Ital J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 1999 Aug-Sep, 31(6), 519 - 20 Infliximab (Remicade), a new biological treatment for Crohn's disease; D'Haens GR; Tumour necrosis factor plays a pivotal role in Crohn's disease intestinal inflammation . Blocking this cytokine by means of the chimeric monoclonal antibody infliximab has led to a rapid reduction in mucosal inflammation . More than 65% of refractory Crohn's disease patients treated with infliximab showed a remarkable improvement in their symptoms, which was maintained by repeated infusions every 2 months up to 44 weeks . Patients with draining enterocutaneous fistulae also benefited from infliximab treatment, with more than 60% of fistulae healed after 3 infusions . Adverse events following infliximab infusions were mild and transient, occurring with the same frequency in infliximab and placebo-treated patients . In conclusion, infliximab appears to offer a promising novel therapeutic agent for refractory and fistulizing Crohn's disease . Long-term risks and benefits remain to be determined. FEMS Microbiol Ecol, 1999 Dec 1, 30(4), 301 - 311 Adaptation and population dynamics of Azotobacter vinelandii during aerobic biological treatment of olive-mill wastewater; Ehaliotis C et al.; Olive-mill wastewater (OMW) has a high organic and polyphenol content and is resistant to biodegradation . Its disposal leads to a major environmental pollution problem in the Mediterranean basin . The detoxification of OMW following inoculation with Azotobacter vinelandii (strain A) was performed for two successive 5-day-period cycles in an aerobic, biowheel-type reactor, under non-sterile conditions . The phytotoxicity of the processed product was reduced by over 90% at the end of both cycles . To exclusively monitor the A . vinelandii population in the reactor a most probable number-PCR approach was employed and applied daily to serial dilutions of total DNA extracted from reactor samples . PCR sensitivity was independent of the presence of OMW or non-target DNA . The A . vinelandii population dynamics were successfully monitored, showing an initial adaptation period, followed by a sharp population maximum on the fourth day of both cycles (1.6x10(8) and 9.6x10(7) cells ml(-1) respectively), after a major phytotoxicity decline . N(2) fixation rates were estimated using the acetylene reduction assay and reached a peak during the first 1-2 days of each cycle (36 and 29 nmol C(2)H(2) ml(-1) h(-1) respectively) . The data are consistent with an initial physiological adaptation phase, where the presence of phenolic compounds limits A . vinelandii growth but stimulates N(2) fixation, followed by a rapid growth phase as phytotoxicity declines. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1999 Nov, 65(11), 4957 - 66 Impacts of the reduction of nutrient levels on bacterial water quality in distribution systems; Volk CJ et al.; This study evaluated the impacts of reducing nutrient levels on bacterial water quality in drinking water . Two American Water System facilities (sites NJ102a and IN610) with histories of coliform problems were involved, and each water utility received two pilot distribution systems (annular reactors) . One reactor simulated the conventional treatment conditions (control), while the other reactor was used to assess the effect of biological filtration and subsequent reduced biodegradable organic matter levels on suspended (water column) and biofilm bacterial concentrations in the distribution systems . Biodegradable organic matter levels were reduced approximately by half after biological treatment . For site NJ102a, the geometric mean of the assimilable organic carbon concentrations was 217 microg/liter in the plant effluent and 91 microg/liter after biological filtration . For both sites, plant effluent biodegradable dissolved organic carbon levels averaged 0.45 mg/liter, versus 0.19 to 0.22 mg/liter following biological treatment . Biological treatment improved the stability of free chlorine residuals, while it had little effect on chloramine consumption patterns . High bacterial levels from the biological filters resulted in higher bacterial concentrations entering the test reactors than entering the control reactors . On average, biofilms in the model systems were reduced by 1 log unit (from 1.4 x 10(5) to 1.4 x 10(4) CFU/cm(2)) and 0.5-log unit (from 2.7 x 10(5) to 7.8 x 10(4) CFU/cm(2)) by biological treatment at sites NJ102a and IN610, respectively . Interestingly, it required several months of biological treatment before there was an observable impact on bacterial water quality in the system, suggesting that the effect of the treatment change was influenced by other factors (i.e., pipe conditions or disinfection, etc.). Biotechnol Prog, 1999 Oct 1, 15(5), 958 - 962 Stress Survival of a Genetically Engineered Pseudomonas in Soil Slurries: Cytochrome P-450cam-Catalyzed Dehalogenation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons; Rattan K et al.; Biological treatment of hazardous chemical wastes has potential as an effective, practical, and economically viable process in above the ground treatment systems that consist of both genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) and bioreactors with process control instruments to create ideal conditions for biodegradation . A strain of Pseudomonas putida coexpressing cytochrome P-450cam and luciferase (lux) that provides both the reductive detoxification potential of the hemoprotein and a mechanism for its reduction in the absence of "normal" P-450 redox partners was evaluated for its ability to survive and remain metabolically competent under nutrient stress in soil slurry microcosms . More than 74% of the cells of engineered Pseudomonas were culturable after 7 days of multiple nutrient (C,N,P) starvation . The diagnostic luminescence and carbon monoxide-difference spectra for the two engineered traits could be detected in a significant fraction of the surviving population . The GEM could be revived after repeated desiccation and starvation using Luria broth, benzoate, or citrate as nutrients . Soil slurries inoculated with the GEM transformed hexachloroethane (HCE) to tetrachloroethylene (tetraCE) 8-10-fold faster than uninoculated slurries . The GEM also transformed the insecticide, gamma-HCH (gamma-3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclhexene), to gamma-3,4,5,6-tetrachlorocyclohexene (gammatetraCH) in soil slurries under subatmospheric conditions . These results indicate that GEMs can be constructed with broad substrate range detoxification catalysts such as cytochrome P-450 for remediation. Environ Manage, 1999 Nov, 24(4), 517 - 528 Decontamination of Fly Ash and Used Lime from Municipal Waste Incinerator Using Thiobacillus ferrooxidans; Mercier G et al.; / The purification of incinerator gases produces large quantities of fly ash and used lime {a combination referred to as air pollution control residues (APCR)}, both of which contain elevated levels of metals . This paper describes biological solubilization assays utilizing Thiobacillus ferrooxidans to leach metals from APCR to render them nonhazardous . The multistage solubilization process involves an alkaline aqueous phase that removes some Pb . In the second phase, the APCR are acidified to pH 4 with H(2)SO(4), then inoculated with a bacterial culture that has been acclimated in the presence of 2% Fe (FeCl(3)) . Several rinses and decantings achieve removal of the leachable metals . The final step involves the addition of Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2) and an increase in the treatment pH prior to the final filtration . Viability of thiobacilli in APCR was poor . Despite this problem, the removal of Pb was 35.9%, 46.0%, and 68.7% (for APCR containing 1594, 3026, and 5038 mg Pb/kg, respectively), which demonstrates greater metal removal with increased APCR contamination . Zn removal varied from 68.2% (8273 mg Zn/kg APCR) to 79.5% (16,873 mg Zn/kg APCR), which was positively correlated to the level of residue contamination, whereas Cu was removed in the proportions of 26.9% (495 mg Cu/kg APCR) to 68.2% (465 mg Cu/kg APCR) . Cadmium removal appeared to be independent of the level of Cd in the APCR; Cd was removed to the greatest degree, with a variation of 92.0% (129 mg Cd/kg APCR) to 94.7% (267 mg Cd/kg APCR) . The treated APCR were tested using four different leachate tests . The APCR released 43 mg Pb/liter during contact with water, and 7.40 mg Cd/liter during TCLP {the toxicity characterization leaching procedure of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)} . After biological treatment, the leachate from TCLP was within the acceptance criteria of the US EPA, if the pH of the APCR was increased to pH 5 after the biological treatment . In the case of the Transport Canada leaching test, a betterment of the process is required in order to satisfy the stringent regulatory level of 0.5 mg Cd/liter (0.68 and 0.57 mg/liter).KEY WORDS: Thiobacilli; Metals removal; Fly ash; Incinerator; Hazardous waste.http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/00267/bibs/24n4p517.html</HEA Strahlenther Onkol, 1999 Jun, 175 Suppl 2, 12 - 4 Treatment planning for light ions: how to take into account relative biological effectiveness (RBE); Jakel O et al.; A new treatment planning program was developed for the heavy ion therapy facility at GSI, which is tailored to the special needs for an active beam delivery using a magnetic raster scanner . It also includes a biological model for the estimation of biological effective dose for carbon ions and realizes a fully biological treatment planning . Biological effective dose distributions and RBE maps can be displayed and assessed from the graphical user interface. Rev Prat, 1999 Apr 1, 49(7), 733 - 8 {Biological treatment of depression}; Colonna L; Pharmacotherapy remains the main medical means of treating depression, and constant progress during recent years has led to the present availability of many effective and well tolerated drugs . Some essential conditions should be present for optimum therapeutic efficacy . The appropriate indications should be precisely defined . The most active and best tolerated product should be chosen for each patient . The medical treatment should be associated with psychotherapy . Finally, the patient should be followed-up with regard to restoration of his relations with his family, social and professional groups . Much progress remains to be made . The most important are better knowledge of the mechanisms of action of antidepressants and of the pathophysiopsychological mechanisms of depression . Some rare cases of very severe depression, either unresponsive to medical treatment or when such treatment is contraindicated, still require the use of electroconvulsive therapy . Light therapy is used in seasonal affective disorder. J Appl Microbiol, 1999 Apr, 86(4), 723 - 9 Occurrence and levels of phages proposed as surrogate indicators of enteric viruses in different types of sludges; Lasobras J et al.; A method based on the treatment of sludge with beef extract recovered, with similar efficiency, the three groups of bacteriophages studied from different kinds of sludges . The three groups of bacteriophages were found in high numbers in the different sludge types, the highest value being that of somatic coliphages in primary sludge of a biological treatment plant (1.1 x 10(5) pfu g-1) and the lowest being that of Bacteroides fragilis phages (110 pfu g-1) in de-watered, anaerobically, mesophilically-digested sludge . All phages studied accumulated in the sludges . In primary and activated sludges, all three types accumulated similarly but in lime-treated sludge and de-watered, anaerobically, mesophilically-digested sludge, the relative proportion of F-specific bacteriophages decreased significantly with respect to somatic coliphages and bacteriophages infecting B . fragilis . All phages survived successfully in stored sludge, depending on the temperature, and again, F-specific bacteriophages survived less successfully than the others. Acta Medica (Hradec Kralove) Suppl, 1997, 40(2), 119 - 68 {Physical, chemical and biological aspects of treatment of pathological changes in hard dental tissues}; Novak L et al.; The methods of preparation of dental tissues, treatment of the dentine wound and filling materials, which replace the hard dental tissues, are discussed to evaluate their features in toward the requirements for biological harmlessness . Based on the literature data, their own clinical and practical experiences, the authors have found that none of the currently used preparation methods as well as supports or filling materials are fulfilling the biological treatment requirements . Therefore, it is necessary to be aware of this fact, and adjust the medical procedures in such a way to avoid the harmful effects or to suppress then as much as possible until the ideal preparation procedures and filling materials will be developed. Biotechnol Bioeng, 1999 May 20, 63(4), 431 - 41 Membrane process for biological treatment of contaminated gas streams; Ergas SJ et al.; A hollow fiber membrane bioreactor was investigated for control of air emissions of biodegradable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) . In the membrane bioreactor, gases containing VOCs pass through the lumen of microporous hydrophobic hollow fiber membranes . Soluble compounds diffuse through the membrane pores and partition into a VOC degrading biofilm . The hollow fiber membranes serve as a support for the microbial population and provide a large surface area for VOC and oxygen mass transfer . Experiments were performed to investiga