Biological Carriers Research Articles

Synergic Effect of Adsorption and Biodegradation by Microsphere Immobilizing Bacillus velezensis for Enhanced Removal Organics in Slaughter Wastewater

Bacterial cell immobilization offers considerable advantages over traditional biotreatment methods using free bacteria. Bacillus velezensis was underwented isolation and genetic identification as COD-degrading bacteria in slaughter wastewaterand immobilized on the surface of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microsphere with the adhesion to bio-carrier through direct physical adsorption. The removal CODMn rates of microsphere (PVA) immobilized cells were 16.99%, increased 9.38% from a 50% concentration of slaughter wastewater within 24 h at 37 °C, pH 7.0, and 120 rpm, which was about 2.2 times that of the free bacteria. A significant difference was found in two groups (p < 0.01 p value less than 0.01 means statistical significance), and the COD degradation rate of the microsphere immobilized Bacillus velezensis strain was higher than the control group (PVA: control vs 20.08: 10.81), with the processing time reaching 36 h (p < 0.05). Additionally, similar results were obtained from a 20% concentration of slaughter wastewater within 24 h and 36 h. Moreover, the starch and protein digestibility of the immobilized Bacillus velezensis strain was higher than that of the free bacteria (20.1%: 42.2% vs. 17.5%: 37.2%). These findings revealed that the PVA-bacteria system was a simple, green, and inexpensive process, as well as a promising method. The research goal is aimed to synergize the effects of adsorption and biodegradation, as it can enhance organic removal by immobilized Bacillus velezensis in slaughter wastewater. Moreover, it may be possible that more potential materials can be used as biological carriers for the immobilization of bacterial cells later, which is beneficial for the recycling of resources.

Role of Exosomal Non-coding RNAs in Gastric Cancer: Biological Functions and Potential Clinical Applications.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common fatal cancers worldwide. The communication between GC and other cells in the GC microenvironment directly affects GC progression. Recently, exosomes have been revealed as new players in intercellular communication. They play an important role in human health and diseases, including cancer, owing to their ability to carry various bioactive molecules, including non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). NcRNAs, including micro RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs, play a significant role in various pathophysiological processes, especially cancer. Increasing evidence has shown that exosomal ncRNAs are involved in the regulation of tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, immune regulation, and treatment resistance in GC. In addition, exosomal ncRNAs have promising potential as diagnostic and prognostic markers for GC. Considering the biocompatibility of exosomes, they can also be used as biological carriers for targeted therapy. This review summarizes the current research progress on exosomal ncRNAs in gastric cancer, focusing on their biological role in GC and their potential as new biomarkers for GC and therapeutics. Our review provides insight into the mechanisms involved in GC progression, which may provide a new point cut for the discovery of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies.

Targeted Mitochondrial Therapy With Over-Expressed MAVS Protein From Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A New Therapeutic Approach for COVID-19.

The SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has infected millions of people worldwide. The symptoms of this disease are primarily due to pulmonary involvement, uncontrolled tissue inflammation, and inadequate immune response against the invader virus. Impaired interferon (IFN) production is one of the leading causes of the immune system’s inability to control the replication of the SARS-CoV-2. Mitochondria play an essential role in developing and maintaining innate cellular immunity and IFN production. Mitochondrial function is impaired during cellular stress, affecting cell bioenergy and innate immune responses. The mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS), located in the outer membrane of mitochondria, is one of the key elements in engaging the innate immune system and interferon production. Transferring healthy mitochondria to the damaged cells by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a proposed option for regenerative medicine and a viable treatment approach to many diseases. In addition to mitochondrial transport, these cells can regulate inflammation, repair the damaged tissue, and control the pathogenesis of COVID-19. The immune regulatory nature of MSCs dramatically reduces the probability of an immune rejection. In order to induce an appropriate immune response against the SARS-CoV-2, we hypothesize to donate mitochondria to the host cells of the virus. We consider MSCs as an appropriate biological carrier for mitochondria. Besides, enhancing the expression of MAVS protein in MSCs and promoting the expression of SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein as a specific ligand for ACE2+ cells will improve IFN production and innate immune responses in a targeted manner.

Unidirectional transport of superparamagnetic beads and biological cells along oval magnetic elements

Precise movement control is a key feature for the use of superparamagnetic microbeads in medical and biological lab-on-chip applications. We demonstrate the unidirectional transport of magnetic and biological carriers along a chain of oval shaped magnetic thin film elements by in-plane rotating magnetic fields, enabling controllable manipulation and separation schemes. The same fundamental unidirectional movement is realized independent of the sense of magnetic field rotation and orientation of the magnetic pathway. The flowless directional transport of magnetically labeled rat embryonic fibroblasts is presented, validating the applicability of the structures for biological purposes. The lined up ferromagnetic structures are a critical building block for the construction of flexible pathways for biological lab-on-a-chip applications.

Extracellular Vesicles and Their Current Role in Cancer Immunotherapy.

Simple SummaryIn recent years, immunotherapy has shown great advancement, becoming a powerful tool to combat cancer. In this context, the use of biologically derived vesicles has also acquired importance for cancer immunotherapy. Extracellular vesicles are thus proposed to transport molecules able to trigger an immune response and thus fight cancer cells. As a particular immunotherapeutic approach, a new technique also consists in the exploitation of extracellular vesicles as new cancer vaccines. The present review provides basic notions on cancer immunotherapy and describes several clinical trials in which therapeutic anticancer vaccines are tested. In particular, the potential of extracellular vesicles-based therapeutic vaccines in the treatment of cancer patients is highlighted, even with advanced stage-cancer. A focus on the clinical studies, already completed or still in progress, is offered and a systematic collection and reorganization of the present literature on this topic is proposed to the reader.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural particles formed by the lipid bilayer and released from almost all cell types to the extracellular environment both under physiological conditions and in presence of a disease. EVs are involved in many biological processes including intercellular communication, acting as natural carriers in the transfer of various biomolecules such as DNA, various RNA types, proteins and different phospholipids. Thanks to their transfer and targeting abilities, they can be employed in drug and gene delivery and have been proposed for the treatment of different diseases, including cancer. Recently, the use of EVs as biological carriers has also been extended to cancer immunotherapy. This new technique of cancer treatment involves the use of EVs to transport molecules capable of triggering an immune response to damage cancer cells. Several studies have analyzed the possibility of using EVs in new cancer vaccines, which represent a particular form of immunotherapy. In the literature there are only few publications that systematically group and collectively discuss these studies. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to illustrate and give a partial reorganization to what has been produced in the literature so far. We provide basic notions on cancer immunotherapy and describe some clinical trials in which therapeutic cancer vaccines are tested. We thus focus attention on the potential of EV-based therapeutic vaccines in the treatment of cancer patients, overviewing the clinically relevant trials, completed or still in progress, which open up new perspectives in the fight against cancer.

Water treatment of polluted rivers in cities based on biological filter technology

As one of the black and odorous water treatment bioremediation technologies, the biological filter has been widely used due to its high efficiency, low cost and no secondary pollution. It has achieved certain effects when repairing black and odorous water bodies in some areas of my country. In this paper, two sets of multi-media biological filters were designed and the carrier was modified to strengthen the performance of the carrier and effectively remove the chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved organic matter (DOM) and other pollutants in the black and odorous water. In this paper, the biological carriers on the market were modified The method studied the Biofilter 1 system based on the modified biological carrier and the Biofilter 2 system based on the unmodified carrier on the market under different hydraulic loading rate (HLR) conditions. Next, the removal effect of conventional pollutants (COD, TOC, TN, NH 4 ), and the influence on the composition and structural characteristics of DOM are analyzed, and the removal mechanism of pollutants is analyzed. By comparing the operating effects of BF1 and BF2, it is found that with the increase of HLR, the pollutant removal rate of the two systems both increased first and then decreased. The removal effect of BF1 was better than that of BF2, and the impact load resistance of the modified carrier in the BF1 system was stronger than that of the unmodified BF2 system. • Two sets of multi-media biological filters are designed in this paper. • We study the removal effect of conventional pollutants by biological filter technology. • We study the influence on the composition of DOM by biological filter technology.

A self-prepared graphene oxide/sodium alginate aerogel as biological carrier to improve the performance of a heterotrophic nitrifier

In order to enhance the resistance of microorganisms to toxic substance and adverse environment, graphene oxide/sodium alginate (GO/SA) aerogel was synthesized and used as adsorption material to immobilize heterotrophic nitrifier consortium FG-06. The aerogel showed the lamellar and network structure with a lot of oxygen-containing functional groups. Consortium FG-06 could be adsorbed and grow on the aerogel surface which was referred as GO/SA/FG-06. The NH4+-N adsorption capacity by the aerogel was very low, therefore, the NH4+-N removal in the degradation experiments should be attributed to the nitrification. GO/SA/FG-06 exhibited the better performance of the growth and pollutants removal than the suspend one. At 15 °C, 30 °C and 40 °C, the NH4+-N removal efficiencies by suspended FG-06 were 34.38 %, 90.20 % and 69.25 % in 24 h, respectively, which were increased to 83.4 %, 97.9 % and 97.6 % by GO/SA/FG-06. For the coking wastewater, the phenol degradation efficiency was 99.05 % by GO/SA/FG-06 at 72 h, whereas it was 86.98 % by suspended one at 96 h. Moreover, the final removal efficiencies of NH4+-N and COD were increased from 65.7 % and 81.21%–87.03% and 88.31 %, respectively, when FG-06 was immobilized. Therefore, the GO/SA aerogel was an ideal immobilization material.

Interaction mechanism between resveratrol and ovalbumin based on fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamic simulation

Proteins act as excellent biological carriers for resveratrol (RES) delivery. However, the interaction between RES and proteins remains unclear. In this work, ovalbumin (OVA) was selected as a protein model based on fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation to investigate the interaction mechanism between RES and OVA. Fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with the Stern–Volmer equation verified the static fluorescence quenching types of RES and OVA. The static quenching binding affinity is 1.41 × 104 L/mol. The number of stoichiometric binding values with approximately 1.0 indicates that one RES molecule could bind to only one OVA molecule. The simultaneous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of the interaction between RES and OVA demonstrated the altered conformation and microenvironment of OVA. The microenvironment formed by tryptophan or tyrosine residues increased polarity and weakened hydrophobicity. Through MD simulation techniques, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions promoted RES–OVA complexation. MD results showed that RES likely interacted with OVA residues ALA-326, GLN-325, SER-165, GLN-162, LEU-161, LYS-290, TYR-291, and LEU-293. RES and OVA formed a more stable complex because of various forces. Therefore, studying the interaction of RES and OVA helps expand the potential applications of OVA as a RES delivery system.

Assessment of Reduction in Sewage Sludge Using Fluidized Bed Biological Carrier

Assessment of Reduction in Sewage Sludge Using Fluidized Bed Biological Carrier

Ultrasensitive fluorescence immunosensor based on mesoporous silica and magnetic nanoparticles: Capture and release strategy

Herein we designed a novel, highly sensitive, simple and amplified fluorescence immunosensing strategy for hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBV surface antigen) (HBsAg) as a model based on the construction of a sandwich type probe. The operation mechanism of this immunosensing strategy is implemented by capturing and then stimulation-based-releasing of entrapped dye in the fluorescent capsules. The proposed probe is made by the Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle (Fe3O4 MNP) as a probe collector site and the Rhodamine B loaded-mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN-Rh.B) as a fluorescent mesoporous capsule and signal amplifier site. Such a methodology is benefited, from the advantages of the high ability of MSNs to be used as a scaffold for efficient dye encapsulation and the magnetic nanoparticles as efficient biological carriers. Under optimal conditions, the fluorescence signal (The fluorescence of solutions was measured using a quartz fluorescence cell (PMT voltage:720, Ex wavelegth:540, Em wavelength:568, All measurements were carried out at room temperature) increased with the increment of HBsAg concentration in the linear dynamic range of 6.1 ag/ml to 0.012 ng/ml with a detection limit (LOD) of 5.7 ag/ml. The relative standard deviation, measured between the resulting fluorescence peaks was obtained by 6.0%.

Green Biosynthesized Selenium Nanoparticles by Cinnamon Extract and Their Antimicrobial Activity and Application as Edible Coatings with Nano-Chitosan

Bioactive nanocomposites were constructed, containing chitosan (Cht), extracted from shrimps’ wastes, and transformed into nanoparticles (NPs) using ionic-gelation. Selenium NPs (Se-NPs) were phytosynthesized using cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) bark extract (CIE), characterized and evaluated with Cht-NPs as antimicrobial composites against bacterial food-borne pathogens “Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes” and as potential edible coating (EC) basements. The CIE-phytosynthesized Se-NPs had well-distributed and spherical shapes with 23.2 nm mean diameter. The CIE, CIE/Se-NPs, and innovative CIE/Se/Cht-NP composites exhibited distinguished antibacterial actions toward the entire screened pathogens; CIE/Se/Cht-NP composite was significantly the most potent. The formulated ECs from CIE/Se/Cht-NP nanocomposites had matching antibacterial manner, which was strengthened with CIE/Se-NP percentage increments. Scanning micrographs indicated the attachment of CIE/Se-NPs to bacterial cells to cause their complete lysis and death after 10 h of exposure. CIE/Se/Cht-NP composites are proposed as effectual control agents toward food-borne pathogens using efficient biological carriers and eco-friendly phytosynthesis protocol.

Green Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Gallium aparine Green Part Extract and Anti-skin Cancer Activity.

Background: Galium aparine has a long history of use as an alternative medicine and is still used widely bymodern herbalists. It is a fabulous diuretic that is often taken to treat skin problems. It treats many problemssuch as seborrhoea, eczema, psoriasis. It also acts as a great detoxifying agent in life-threatening ailmentslike cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in light skinned populations around the world.Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the anticancer efficacy of greensynthesised silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) of Gallium aparine extract.Method: The green part of the plant G.aparne extracted with ethanol 70%, then divided into four fractionsto prepare stable AgNPs .Results: Several tests were performed to examine the extracts and AgNPs, including SEM,FTIR and UVVS. Scanning electron microscope(SEM)micrographs showed that the diameters range of AgNPs formedwere from 35-110 nm.Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) shows that there were two functional groups, thearomatic (C=C) and hydroxyl (– OH), groups may be involve in the fabrication of AgNPs. UV-VS showsthat there were a peaks at 298,448, 534, 606, 648, for nanoscale petroleum ether extract. These peaks maybeindicate the synthesis of AgNPs. Different concentrations (6.225 - 400 µg/ml), of petroleum ether extractand its green AgNPswere tested as anti-skin cancer, the nanoparticles had appositive effect against cancer,the IC50 for the petroleum ether extract was 730.2 and 116.5 of normal cell line (WRL 68) and cancer cellline (A375), respectively,while the IC50 for the AgNPs of Gallium aparine extract was 294.4 and 77.03ofnormal cell line (WRL 68) and cancer cell line (A375)respectively.Discussion: This indicates that the G. aparine extract is a good biological carrier for synthesizing silvernanoparticles which has potential for various biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.Conclusion: AgNPs have been successfully synthesized using G . aparian extract, The nanoparticles haveshown good anticancer activity towards human skin cancer cells.

Removal of Suspended Solids Using Pumice Stone in Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge Process

Wastewater treatment plants operators prefer to make adjustments because they are more cost effective, to use the existing tank instead of building new ones. In this case an imported materials would be used as bio-loads to increase biomass and thus maintain efficiency as the next organic loading increases.In the present study, a local substance "pumice stone" was used as a biological carrier in the aeration tank, and the experiments were carried out in five stages: without biological carriers, filling ratio of 4%,10%,20%, and25% with pumice stone, the maximum organic loading at each stage (1.1884, 1.2144, 1.9432, 2.7768, 3.3141)g BOD /l.d respectively.Other experiments were carried out to determine the best filling ratio, the SS removal ratio was (67.57%, 69.5%,79.44%,89.61%,and 99.2%) when the filling ratio with pumice stone was (0, 4, 10, 20, and 25)% respectively, at organic loading 2 ± 0.0528 g BOD /l.d, so the best filling ratio of pumice stone was 25% . In this case an imported materials would be used as bio-loads to increase biomass and thus maintain efficiency as the next organic loading increases. In this research, a local substance "pumice stone" was used as a biological carrier in the aeration tank, and the experiments were carried out in five stages: without biological carriers, filling ratio of 4%,10%,20%, and25% with pumice stone, The maximum organic loading at each stage (1.1884, 1.2144, 1.9432, 2.7768, 3.3141)g BOD /l.d respectively. The SS removal ratio was when we operatio without biological carriers and with pumice stone with a filling ratio of 4% (82.86 % and 84.96 %) respectively, at organic loading 1.15 ± 0.0384 g BOD / d, the SS removal ratio when using pumice stone with a filling ratio of 4% and 10% was (80.36%, 91.59%) respectively, at organic loading 1.25 ± 0.024 g BOD /l.d The SS removal ratio when using pumice stone with a filling ratio of 10% and 20% was (79.44%, 91.23%) respectively, at organic loading 2 ± 0.0528 g BOD /l.d , and The SS removal ratio when using pumice stone with a filling ratio of 20% and 25% was (80.45 %, 92.28%) respectively, at organic loading 2.85 ± 0.0624 g BOD /l.d ,which means there is improvement in yield using pumice stone with filling ratio 4%,10%,20 and 25% by 2.1% ,11.23%,11.79% and 11.83%, respectively.

Chronicles of Nanoerythrosomes: An Erythrocyte-Based Biomimetic Smart Drug Delivery System as a Therapeutic and Diagnostic Tool in Cancer Therapy.

Recently, drug delivery using natural biological carriers has emerged as one of the most widely investigated topics of research. Erythrocytes, or red blood cells, can act as potential carriers for a wide variety of drugs, including anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory, along with various proteins, peptides, enzymes, and other macromolecules. The red blood cell-based nanocarrier systems, also called nanoerythrosomes, are nanovesicles poised with extraordinary features such as long blood circulation times, the ability to escape immune system, the ability to release the drug gradually, the protection of drugs from various endogenous factors, targeted and specified delivery of drugs, as well as possessing both therapeutic and diagnostic applications in various fields of biomedical sciences. Their journey over the last two decades is escalating with fast pace, ranging from in vivo to preclinical and clinical studies by encapsulating a number of drugs into these carriers. Being biomimetic nanoparticles, they have enhanced the stability profile of drugs and their excellent site-specific targeting ability makes them potential carrier systems in the diagnosis and therapy of wide variety of tumors including gliomas, lung cancers, breast cancers, colon cancers, gastric cancers, and other solid tumors. This review focuses on the most recent advancements in the field of nanoerythrosomes, as an excellent and promising nanoplatform for the novel drug delivery of various drugs particularly antineoplastic drugs along with their potential as a promising diagnostic tool for the identification of different tumors.

Simultaneous removal of nitrate and diethyl phthalate using a novel sponge–based biocarrier combined modified walnut shell biochar with Fe3O4 in the immobilized bioreactor

A novel biological carrier combining sponge and modified walnut shell biochar with Fe3O4 (MWSB@Fe3O4) was fabricated to achieve simultaneous removal of nitrate and diethyl phthalate (DEP). The optimal reaction conditions of the immobilized bioreactor were: carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 1.5, Fe2+ concentration of 20 mg L−1, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h. Under the optimal conditions and DEP concentration of 800 μg L−1, the highest removal efficiency of DEP and nitrate in the immobilized bioreactor with the novel biological carrier were 67.87% and 83.97% (68.43 μg L−1 h−1 and 1.71 mg L−1 h−1), respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the novel biological carrier in this study carried more bio–sediments which is closely related to the denitrification efficiency. The gas chromatography (GC) data showed that the nitrogen production of the immobilized bioreactor (99.85%) was higher than that of another experimental group (97.84%). Fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) indicated the immobilized bioreactor emerged more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which was related to favourable biological stability under the DEP environment. Moreover, according to high–throughput sequencing data, the Zoogloea sp. L2 responsible for iron–reduction and denitrification was the main strain in this immobilized bioreactor.

Feasibility and comparative analysis of cadmium biosorption by living scenedesmus obliquus FACHB-12 biofilms

Microalgal biofilm has been recognized as a cost-effective biorsorbent for heavy metal and a promising method for microalgae-water separation. In this study, living suspended Scenedesmus obliquus FACHB-12 (isolated from southern China) and its biofilm with different carriers were investigated to remove cadmium from aqueous solution. S. obliquus FACHB-12 biofilm with luffa sponge carrier showed highest cadmium removal efficiency at 92.7% compared to biofilm with K3 carrier (75.3%) and significantly higher than suspended S. obliquus FACHB-12 (61.8%) in 2 h experiment with initial Cd2+ concentration at 3.0 mg/L at pH = 6.0 with 0.8 g/L of biomass under room temperature. S. obliquus FACHB-12 biofilm with K3 and luffa sponge carrier also demonstrated higher tolerance towards increased Cd2+ concentration with highest biosorption efficiency at 85.1% and 90.35% respectively under 20 mg/L of Cd2+, while suspended S. obliquus FACHB-12 biosorption efficiency achieved 81.4% under 10 mg/L of Cd2+ and started to decline over increased cadmium concentration. The adsorption kinetics for all experimental groups followed the pseudo-second-order adsorption model, with biosorption equilibrium favored in Langmuir isotherm. The maximum biosorption capacity estimated by Langmuir isotherm reached 133.14 mg/g biomass in S. obliquus FACHB-12 biofilm with luffa sponge carrier, followed by 78.76 mg/g with K3 carrier, and 60.03 mg/g with suspended S. obliquus FACHB-12. Results suggest an efficient, inexpensive microalgal biofilm with biological carrier system could enhance high cadmium removal for advanced wastewater treatment and provide a cost-effective method for microalgae harvesting process.

Bacteriophages as Therapeutic and Diagnostic Vehicles in Cancer.

Evolution of nanomedicine is the re-design of synthetic and biological carriers to implement novel theranostic platforms. In recent years, bacteriophage research favors this process, which has opened up new roads in drug and gene delivery studies. By displaying antibodies, peptides, or proteins on the surface of different bacteriophages through the phage display technique, it is now possible to unravel specific molecular determinants of both cancer cells and tumor-associated microenvironmental molecules. Downstream applications are manifold, with peptides being employed most of the times to functionalize drug carriers and improve their therapeutic index. Bacteriophages themselves were proven, in this scenario, to be good carriers for imaging molecules and therapeutics as well. Moreover, manipulation of their genetic material to stably vehiculate suicide genes within cancer cells substantially changed perspectives in gene therapy. In this review, we provide examples of how amenable phages can be used as anticancer agents, especially because their systemic administration is possible. We also provide some insights into how their immunogenic profile can be modulated and exploited in immuno-oncology for vaccine production.

Using Aspergillus niger whole-cell biocatalyst mycelial aerobic granular sludge to treat pharmaceutical wastewater containing β-lactam antibiotics

Pharmaceutical wastewater is usually complex and highly toxic, mostly containing antibiotics. The conventional activated sludge technology is unsatisfactory in the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater owing to the impact of antibiotic toxicity. In this study, a novel whole-cell biocatalyst that can accelerate the degradation of antibiotics was developed by displaying β-lactamase on the cell surface of Aspergillus niger. The biocatalyst showed high enzyme activity (6.53 ± 1.62 U/g dry weight) and stable performance. Cefamezin (80.45%), amoxicillin, and ampicillin were completely degraded by the biocatalyst A. niger-Bla within 1 h owing to the effect of β-lactamase on the β-lactam ring. A. niger mycelial pellets were used as biological carriers to construct aerobic granular sludge (AGS), which was used to treat actual pharmaceutical wastewater containing β-lactam antibiotics. The A. niger-Bla system significantly improves the removal of antibiotics (>60%) and the overall performance of the reactor. The modified A. niger-Bla AGS reduces the impact of antibiotics and maintain the richness and diversity of AGS microbial community, thus improving the system’s overall performance and maintaining the stability of AGS. This technology provides a novel idea to treat pharmaceutical wastewater containing antibiotics.

Improvement of water quality using a circulation device equipped with oxidation carriers and light emitting diodes in eutrophic pond mesocosms

To enhance water quality in eutrophic urban ponds, the effects of a portable water circulation device, equipped with biological oxidation carriers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), on dissolved oxygen (DO), water transparency, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and plankton community in laboratory and field mesocosms were examined. In the laboratory, water quality was monitored in vessels containing water and mud collected from an urban pond, which were subjected to different treatments (control, device without LEDs, and device with LEDs) for 28 days. In the treatments using the device (with and without LEDs), DO increased by aeration, whereas TP decreased by mitigation of mud anoxia. Reductions in TN and the presence of phyto- and zooplankton were observed in those treatments with LEDs, in which periphyton growth was stimulated in the carriers. Under field conditions, water quality of the pond was monitored for 40 days in enclosures. Clear increases in DO and transparency and reductions in TN, TP, and COD were detected in the treatments using the device. Reductions in cyanobacteria and increases in diatoms, green algae, and zooplankton were observed in the treatments with LEDs. Thus, the circulation device effectively improved oxygen condition of the bottom and nutrient flux between sediment and overlying water. In addition, these results suggest that the COD removal and growth of diatoms and green algae by LEDs in carriers play roles on developing periphyton at the bottom and suitable phytoplankton community in the water column.

Green Technology Kills Nasty Fleas: Scientists are Getting Closer to Manufacturing New Forms of Highly Contagious Microbial Biopesticides to Exterminate Nasty Pests

The biology and genetic engineering experts are getting closer to the technological advancements for creating a safe and clean planet for our family. Biopesticides are extremely safer than chemical pesticides. Yearly, hundreds types of different humankind diseases getting transmitted to the other people through insect bites. A new form of biopesticide engineering shall be different from the other well known methods since this particular method mainly focuses on the mass widespread of the killer virus. Fleas are biological carriers of bacteria and viruses. And they attack the planet's population, the nature, and plants. These pests get seek, transmit the disease to a lot of other pests, and then die. Application of biopesticides at garbage sites, jungles, around populous and potential areas, and around the fleas living environment shall help the humanity to get rid of fleas bites and therefore a variety of dangerous diseases.