Biodegradation of indole by a newly isolated Cupriavidus sp. SHE

Indole, a typical nitrogen heterocyclic aromatic pollutant, is extensively spread in industrial wastewater. Microbial degradation has been proven to be a feasible approach to remove indole, whereas the microbial resources are fairly limited. A bacterial strain designated as SHE was isolated and found to be an efficient indole degrader. It was identified as Cupriavidus sp. according to 16 SrRNA gene analysis. Strain SHE could utilize indole as the sole carbon source and almost completely degrade 100 mg/L of indole within 24 hr. It still harbored relatively high indole degradation capacity within p H 4–9 and temperature 25°C–35°C. Experiments also showed that some heavy metals such as Mn2＋, Pb2＋and Co2＋did not pose severe inhibition on indole degradation. Based on high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrum analysis, isatin was identified as a minor intermediate during the process of indole biodegradation. A major yellow product with m/z 265.0605（C15H8N2O3） was generated and accumulated, suggesting a novel indole conversion pathway existed. Genome analysis of strain SHE indicated that there existed a rich set of oxidoreductases, which might be the key reason for the efficient degradation of indole. The robust degradation ability of strain SHE makes it a promising candidate for the treatment of indole containing wastewater.

Assessment of alternated cooling and heating treatment by US combined CEUS in the VX2 rabbit liver tumor model

Inoperable liver tumors are often treated by thermal ablation that destroys the tumor in situ and spares the adjacent hepatic tissue.Thermal–physical treatment has many advantages,but treatment by freezing or heating alone has some limitations.By taking the advantages and disadvantages of cryosurgery and thermotherapy into consideration,a new thermal technique that combines cryosurgery and radio frequency ablation has been proposed,thereby overcoming the disadvantages of each treatment strategy and improving therapeutic outcomes.This new approach remains to be systematically studied in the liver;therefore,this study was performed to estimate survival after alternated cooling and heating ablation therapy in a VX2 rabbit liver tumor model.Sixteen days after VX2 carcinoma implantation into the rabbit liver,tumors were treated with alternated cooling and heating ablation therapy.Rabbits were monitored for 6 months after treatment and assessed with ultrasound(US)and computed tomography at 1,7,14,and 30 days posttreatment.Untreated tumor-bearing animals served as the control group.Our results show that alternate freezing and heating ablation therapy resulted in a good recovery of VX2 rabbits.Compared with the control group,treated rabbits lived significantly longer(P\0.05),with 70%of treated animals surviving to 196 days posttreatment without metastasis or recurrence,while none of the controls did so.There was no local recurrence in the treatment group.All rabbits in the control group developed metastasis,while metastasis was only observed in 30% of treated rabbits.These results suggest that alternate cooling and heating ablation therapy can prolong the survival time of rabbits with VX2 liver tumors and is an effective method for tumor therapy.Furthermore,we also showed in this model that contrast enhanced US is a valid follow-up approach to assess treatment effectiveness.