Effect Of Biological Treatment Research Articles

P264] Time resolved dose rate distributions in radiosurgery and their impact on biological effectiveness of treatment

Purpose To obtain time-resolved dose rate distributions (TR-DRD) in radiosurgery applications, and evaluate the impact of TR-DRD on the biological effectiveness of treatment. Methods Treatment plans of 74 acoustic schwannoma patients treated with Leksell Gamma Knife® C or PERFEXION™ were meta-analyzed. The 3D dose distribution within the Planning Target Volume (PTV) for each patient was obtained from the superposition of relevant data for each delivered GK-shot. Single shot dosimetry calculations were based on the nominal dose rate at the center of each shot and corresponding relative dose profile data. TR-DRD were estimated neglecting 60Co source decay during the irradiation of each shot. A formalism including frequently used radiobiological tools that accounts for the effect of dose rate and incorporates fast and slow components of repair, was developed on the basis of the Biologically Effective Dose (BED). Patient and plan characteristics as well as dose and dose rate indexes incorporating the TR-DRD were introduced and their correlation with the corresponding radiobiological parameters was examined using the Spearman rank test. Results The nominal mean dose rate at focus (NMDR-F) presented a high correlation with the percentage of the total dose delivered with dose rates lower than 1 Gy/min, TD 1 Gy / min , ( r = - 0.837 and p = 5.32 E - 20 ) and the percentage of the PTV volume receiving dose rates lower than 1 Gy/min from all shots, V 1 Gy / min ( TR-DRD ) ( r = - 0.830 and p = 6.43 E - 20 ). A statistically significant correlation was also found between the number of iso-centers used per PTV volume (Unit Isocenter, UI) and the V 1 Gy / min ( TR-DRD ) ( r = 0.268 and p = 0.021 ) as well as the percentage of the PTV volume receiving dose values lower than 15 Gy, V 15 Gy ( r = 0.543 and p = 5.90 E - 07 ). The Equivalent Uniform BED (EUBED) was significantly correlated with the UI ( r = - 0.4318 and p = 0.0001 ), the UI/NMDR-F ( r = - 0.3955 and p = 0.0005 ), the V 1 Gy / min ( TR-DRD ) ( r = - 0.3155 and p = 0.0062 ) and the V 15 Gy ( r = - 0.569 and p = 1.25 E - 07 ). Conclusion The observed correlation between the TR-DRD based parameters and the EUBED suggests that the former should be taken into account at the planning stage of radiosurgery, either directly or indirectly via plan characteristics readily evaluated in every day clinical routine (NMDR-F, UI) that are correlated with TR-DRD based dose and dose rate parameters.

Does the biological treatment or membrane separation reduce the antibiotic resistance genes from swine wastewater through a sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor treatment process

Swine wastes are the reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which can potentially spread from swine farms to the environment. This study establishes a sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor (SMBR) for ARG removal from swine wastewater, and analyzes the effect of biological treatment and membrane separation on the ARG removal at different solid retention times (SRTs). The SMBR removed 2.91 logs (copy number) of ARGs at a short SRT (12 days). Raising the SRT reduced the removal rates of the detected genes by the biological treatment. Under the relative long SRT (30 days), ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were maximized within the reactor and were well removed by membrane separation, with the average genes removal rate of 2.95 (copy number) and 1.18 logs (abundance). At the relatively low SRT, the biological treatment showed the dominant ARG removal effect, while the membrane separation took the advantages of ARG removal especially at the relatively long SRT. The ARG profile was related to the shift of the microbial community structure. The ARGs coexisted with the functional bacteria (ammonia oxidizing bacteria, nitrite oxidizing bacteria and denitrifiers), suggesting they are hosted by the functional bacteria.

Monitoring advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through plasma genotyping during systemic treatment: KRAS-mutated (m) cohort results.

e24074Background: Detecting genetic alterations in plasma has the potentiality to monitor biological effects of treatment without invasive procedures. The aim of the study is to validate the method...

Effects of Biologic Therapy on Cardiovascular Disease in Psoriasis

Purpose of Review The aim of this review is to summarize the literature on the effects of biologic treatment for psoriasis on the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) and adverse CV outcomes.

Effect of Biological Treatment under Water Stress Conditions on Maize (Zea mays L.)

A field experiment was conducted in Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia from 2014 and 2016 four seasons. In each year, the experiments have been implemented in order to study the effect of three levels of irrigation water (25% (no stress), 50% (moderate deficit), 75% (water deficit) of field capacity), and five concentrations of salicylic acid (0, 50, 100, 200, 300 ppm) evaluate the biological treatment by using salicylic acid in raising the possibility of corn on production in conditions of water stress and lack of irrigation water the results of the research show the possibility of using salicylic acid in raising the ability of corn to withstand the conditions of water stress and increase production salicylic acid spray reduced the number of days from planting to maturity the results also showed the possibility of using Salicylic acid in increasing the height of the plant to the normal limit as for the paper area, its rate has increased significantly in response to saline spray under water stress conditions the results indicated that the use of salicylic acid as a vital agent was used to increase the ability of corn to resist extreme conditions of water shortage.

Sustained Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, Dermatology Life Quality Index and EuroQol-5D response of biological treatment in psoriasis: 10 years of real-world data in the Swedish National Psoriasis Register.

Few studies have analysed the long-term effects of biological treatment in psoriasis. PsoReg, the Swedish national register for systemic psoriasis treatment, started in 2006 and now includes 10 years of real-world data on the effectiveness of biological treatment. To analyse the long-term real-world outcome data of patients who are biologically naïve with moderate-to-severe psoriasis after switching to biological treatment. An observational study of patients who are biologically naïve with at least one registration of outcome before switching to biological treatment while included in PsoReg and at least one follow-up visit. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) values were analysed at 3-5 months, 6-11 months and at least once after ≥ 1 year, up to 9 years after the switch to biological treatment. In total, 583 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 399, 395 and 373 patients had observed outcome data beyond 1 year on the PASI, DLQI and EQ-5D, respectively, and 164, 168 and 152, respectively, were observed in at least three time periods after the switch. Significant (P < 0·01) improvement in PASI, DLQI and EQ-5D scores was observed 3-5 months after the switch and sustained under the whole observation period. The mean PASI, DLQI and EQ-5D changed from 13·5 ± 9·1, 9·0 ± 8·1 and 0·74 ± 0·22, respectively, before the switch, to 4·0 ± 3·5, 3·7 ± 4·7 and 0·79 ± 0·21, respectively, 1-5 years after the switch. Biological treatment, as used in clinical practice, shows a stable long-term effectiveness in all the measured dimensions, PASI, DLQI and EQ-5D.

Biokompatibilnost nove generacije prekrivenih metalnih žučnih stentova u lečenju nepovratne holestaze maligne etiologije

Introduction: Overview of periprocedural and postprocedural (early and late) complication giving us access to determine the biological effects of treatment with covered versus uncovered metal stents in patients with irreversible jaundice malignant etiology. The Aim: The aim of study was to compare the clinical therapeutical effects of covered billiary stents versus uncovered billiary stents. Subjects and methods: We treated two groups of patients with irreversible cholestasis malignant etiology. In the first group of patients were used metal covering stents (MCS), while in the other group used metal uncovered stents (MNS). Results: We observed periprocedural complications, technical complications, and the early- to 30-day and late-to 6 months post-procedural complications such as parameters of biocompatibility of inserted endoprosthesis, i.e. biological effects on surrounding tissues. We found statistically high difference in the occurrence of bleeding and periprocedural complications in total of MNS group. In the category of early postprocedural complications, we found a statistically significant difference in the MNS groups for a hemobilia, post-stent cholangitis, stent occlusion, irritative symptoms and appetite loss, and also in the overall appearance of early postprocedural complications in MNS. In the category of late postprocedural complications statistically significant difference we found in the MNS reobstructive cholangitis, reobstruktive jaundice, irritative symptoms, loss of appetite and in full. The cause of stent dysfunction-obliteration, biliary encrustation, ingrowth, overgrowth and mucosal hyperplasia, tells us in favor of the biological effects of the insertion, point applied prosthesis and the final therapeutic effect achieved by them. Conclusions: According to our results, taking into account the parameters of biocompatibility under applicable definitions, authors can conclude that covered stents in contrast to the uncovered are meeting the criteria of almost ideal biological prostheses.

Adalimumab, etanercept and ustekinumab for treating plaque psoriasis in children and young people: systematic review and economic evaluation.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that predominantly affects the skin. Adalimumab (HUMIRA®, AbbVie, Maidenhead, UK), etanercept (Enbrel®, Pfizer, New York, NY, USA) and ustekinumab (STELARA®, Janssen Biotech, Inc., Titusville, NJ, USA) are the three biological treatments currently licensed for psoriasis in children. To determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of adalimumab, etanercept and ustekinumab within their respective licensed indications for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in children and young people. Searches of the literature and regulatory sources, contact with European psoriasis registries, company submissions and clinical study reports from manufacturers, and previous National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal documentation. Included studies were summarised and subjected to detailed critical appraisal. A network meta-analysis incorporating adult data was developed to connect the effectiveness data in children and young people and populate a de novo decision-analytic model. The model estimated the cost-effectiveness of adalimumab, etanercept and ustekinumab compared with each other and with either methotrexate or best supportive care (BSC), depending on the position of the intervention in the management pathway. Of the 2386 non-duplicate records identified, nine studies (one randomised controlled trial for each drug plus six observational studies) were included in the review of clinical effectiveness and safety. Etanercept and ustekinumab resulted in significantly greater improvements in psoriasis symptoms than placebo at 12 weeks' follow-up. The magnitude and persistence of the effects beyond 12 weeks is less certain. Adalimumab resulted in significantly greater improvements in psoriasis symptoms than methotrexate for some but not all measures at 16 weeks. Quality-of-life benefits were inconsistent across different measures. There was limited evidence of excess short-term adverse events; however, the possibility of rare events cannot be excluded. The majority of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for the use of biologics in children and young people exceeded NICE's usual threshold for cost-effectiveness and were reduced significantly only when combined assumptions that align with those made in the management of psoriasis in adults were adopted. The clinical evidence base for short- and long-term outcomes was limited in terms of total participant numbers, length of follow-up and the absence of young children. The paucity of clinical and economic evidence to inform the cost-effectiveness of biological treatments in children and young people imposed a number of strong assumptions and uncertainties. Health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) gains associated with treatment and the number of hospitalisations in children and young people are areas of considerable uncertainty. The findings suggest that biological treatments may not be cost-effective for the management of psoriasis in children and young people at a willingness-to-pay threshold of £30,000 per quality-adjusted life-year, unless a number of strong assumptions about HRQoL and the costs of BSC are combined. Registry data on biological treatments would help determine safety, patterns of treatment switching, impact on comorbidities and long-term withdrawal rates. Further research is also needed into the resource use and costs associated with BSC. Adequately powered randomised controlled trials (including comparisons against placebo) could substantially reduce the uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of biological treatments in biologic-experienced populations of children and young people, particularly in younger children. Such trials should establish the impact of biological therapies on HRQoL in this population, ideally by collecting direct estimates of EuroQol-5 Dimensions for Youth (EQ-5D-Y) utilities. This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42016039494. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

P3.02-006 Monitoring Genetic Alterations in Plasma during Anti-Cancer Treatment in Advanced NSCLC (MAGIC1-Validation Cohort: Preliminary Results)

No molecular markers are available so far to predict the efficacy of treatment and to monitor outcome in patients with EGFR-ALK-ROS1 wild-type advanced non-small cell lung cancer (wtNSCLC). Detection of genetic alterations in plasma may allow to follow biological effects of treatment without invasive procedures. Aim of this study (validation cohort) is to evaluate the detection rate and to monitor tumor-associated mutations in plasma during treatment in wtNSCLC.

Changes in Disease Behaviour and Location in Patients With Crohn's Disease After Seven Years of Follow-Up: A Danish Population-based Inception Cohort.

Crohn's disease [CD] is a progressive inflammatory bowel disease that can lead to complications such as strictures or penetrating disease, and ultimately surgery. Few population-based studies have investigated the predictors for disease progression and surgery in CD according to the Montreal classification. We aimed to identify clinical predictors associated with complicated CD in a Danish population-based inception cohort during the biologic era. All incident patients with CD in a well-defined Copenhagen area, between 2003 and 2004, were followed prospectively until 2011. Disease progression was defined as the development of bowel stricture [B2] or penetrating disease [B3] in patients initially diagnosed with non-stricturing/non-penetrating disease [B1]. Associations between disease progression and/or resection, and multiple covariates, were investigated by Cox regression analyses. In total, 213 CD patients were followed. A total of 177 [83%] patients had B1 at diagnosis. Patients who changed location had increased risk of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.12,8.52). Biologic treatment was associated with lower risk of change in location [HR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.7]. Colonic involvement [L2 or L3 vs L1] was associated with a lower risk of surgery (HR = 0.34/0.22, 95% CI: [0.13,0.86]/[0.08,0.60]). All CD patients who progressed in behaviour or changed location had an increased risk of surgery [p < 0.05]. This population-based inception cohort study demonstrates that changes in disease location or behaviour in patients with CD increase their risk of resection. Our findings highlight the protective effect of biologic treatment with regard to change in disease location, which might ultimately improve the disease course for CD patients.

Biologicals in the Treatment of Bronchial Asthma

Biologicals are a therapeutic option for patients with severe asthma. Difficult asthma in patients with untreated comorbidities or persistent trigger factors is much more common than severe refractory asthma. Optimized medical treatment, adherence to medication, elimination of trigger factors and treatment of comorbidities are essential before escalating the therapy with a biological. A careful phenotyping of patient with severe asthma is necessary because all available biological are only effective in certain phenotypes of the disease. For patients with severe allergic asthma an antibody against IgE (Omalizumab) is available. For patients with severe asthma and eosinophilic inflammation the Interleukin (IL)-5 Antibodies Mepolizumab and Reslizumab have recently been approved. The most prominent effect of biological treatment is the reduction of acute exacerbations in these patients. Further antibodies against IL-5 receptor (Benralizumab) or against the IL-4 receptor alpha chain (Dupilumab) are in advanced clinical development.

Microbial phylogeny determines transcriptional response of resistome to dynamic composting processes

BackgroundAnimal manure is a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that pose a potential health risk globally, especially for resistance to the antibiotics commonly used in livestock production (such as tetracycline, sulfonamide, and fluoroquinolone). Currently, the effects of biological treatment (composting) on the transcriptional response of manure ARGs and their microbial hosts are not well characterized. Composting is a dynamic process that consists of four distinct phases that are distinguished by the temperature resulting from microbial activity, namely the mesophilic, thermophilic, cooling, and maturing phases. In this study, changes of resistome expression were determined and related to active microbiome profiles during the dynamic composting process. This was achieved by integrating metagenomic and time series metatranscriptomic data for the evolving microbial community during composting.ResultsComposting noticeably reduced the aggregated expression level of the manure resistome, which primarily consisted of genes encoding for tetracycline, vancomycin, fluoroquinolone, beta-lactam, and aminoglycoside resistance, as well as efflux pumps. Furthermore, a varied transcriptional response of resistome to composting at the ARG levels was highlighted. The expression of tetracycline resistance genes (tetM-tetW-tetO-tetS) decreased during composting, where distinctive shifts in the four phases of composting were related to variations in antibiotic concentration. Composting had no effect on the expression of sulfonamide and fluoroquinolone resistance genes, which increased slightly during the thermophilic phase and then decreased to initial levels. As indigenous populations switched greatly throughout the dynamic composting, the core resistome persisted and their reservoir hosts’ composition was significantly correlated with dynamic active microbial phylogenetic structure. Hosts for sulfonamide and fuoroquinolone resistance genes changed notably in phylognetic structure and underwent an initial increase and then a decrease in abundance. By contrast, hosts for tetracycline resistance genes (tetM-tetW-tetO-tetS) exhibited a constant decline through time.ConclusionsThe transcriptional patterns of a core resistome over the course of composting were identified, and microbial phylogeny was the key determinant in defining the varied transcriptional response of resistome to this dynamic biological process. This research demonstrated the benefits of composting for manure treatment. It reduced the risk of emerging environmental contaminants such as tetracyclines, tetracycline resistance genes, and clinically relevant pathogens carrying ARGs, as well as RNA viruses and bacteriophages.

Biological hypotheses and biomarkers of bipolar disorder.

The most common mood disorders are major depressive disorders and bipolar disorders (BD). The pathophysiology of BD is complex, multifactorial, and not fully understood. Creation of new hypotheses in the field gives impetus for studies and for finding new biomarkers for BD. Conversely, new biomarkers facilitate not only diagnosis of a disorder and monitoring of biological effects of treatment, but also formulation of new hypotheses about the causes and pathophysiology of the BD. BD is characterized by multiple associations between disturbed brain development, neuroplasticity, and chronobiology, caused by: genetic and environmental factors; defects in apoptotic, immune-inflammatory, neurotransmitter, neurotrophin, and calcium-signaling pathways; oxidative and nitrosative stress; cellular bioenergetics; and membrane or vesicular transport. Current biological hypotheses of BD are summarized, including related pathophysiological processes and key biomarkers, which have been associated with changes in genetics, systems of neurotransmitter and neurotrophic factors, neuroinflammation, autoimmunity, cytokines, stress axis activity, chronobiology, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunctions. Here we also discuss the therapeutic hypotheses and mechanisms of the switch between depressive and manic state.

Sodium bisulfite pyrosequencing revealed that developmental exposure to environmental contaminant mixtures does not affect DNA methylation of DNA repeats in Sprague-Dawley rats

ABSTRACTHypomethylation of DNA repeats has been linked to diseases and cancer predisposition. Human studies suggest that higher blood concentrations of environmental contaminants (EC) correlate with levels of hypomethylation of DNA repeats in blood. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of in utero and/or lactational exposure to EC on the methylation of DNA repeats (LINE-1 and identifier element) in Sprague-Dawley rat pups at birth, at postnatal day (PND) 21, and in adulthood (PND78–86). From gestation day 0 to PND20, dams were exposed to a mixture “M” of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), pesticides, and methylmercury (MeHg), at 0.5 or 1 mg/kg/d (0.5M and M). At birth, some control (C) and M litters were cross-fostered to create the following in utero/postnatal exposure groups: C/C, M/C, C/M, M/M. Additional dams received 1.8 ng/kg/d of a mixture of aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists (non-ortho-PCB, PC-dibenzodioxins, and PC-dibenzofurans) without or with 0.5M (0.5MAhR). Measurements of EC residue levels confirmed differences in their accumulation across treatments, age, and tissues. Although induction of hepatic detoxification enzyme activities (cytochrome P-450) demonstrated biological effects of treatments, the assessment of methylation in DNA repeats by sodium bisulfite pyrosequencing of liver, spleen, and thymus samples revealed no marked treatment-related effects but significant tissue- and age-related methylation differences. Further studies are required to determine whether absence of significant observable treatment effects on methylation of DNA repeats in the rat relate to tissue, strain, or species differences.

Effect of biological Treatment of Barley Straw with Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on some productive performance of growing lambs.

ABSTRACTThis study was conducted at the farm of Ruminants Research Station, Office of AgriculturalResearch, Ministry of Agriculture, Abu Ghraib – Baghdad. The experiment continued for 56 days,in addition to 14 days as preliminary period from 11/10/2015 until 06/12/2016 to study the effect oftreating barley straw with baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on some productiveperformance of growing lambs. Ten Awassi lambs used in this experiment with average initial weightof 38±0.50 kg and age 8-9 months. Lambs divided randomly into two equal groups and kept inseparate individual pens. Lambs fed individually on a unified concentrate diet (2.5% of body weight),while, roughages offered ad libitum. Each group fed on roughages (barley straw), as follows:1. The first group fed untreated barley straw plus concentrate mixture and operated as control2. The second group fed barley straw treated with baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at rate0.5% (5 kg / tones).Animals weighed every two weeks before morning feeding. The digestibility experimentperformed in the seventh week. Rumen liquor collected at fifth week of the experiment at three times(before feeding, after three and six hours from feeding). Results showed different effects amongtreatments. The yeast not significantly affected the feed intake, average daily gain (15 – 28 d), invivo digestibility, and rumen fermentation (pH and NH3-N). Moreover, there was significant decrease(P <0.05) in daily weight gain during 29 - 42 d with baker’s yeast compared with control (107.14and 160.71g/d, respectively), while a significant increase (P <0.05) found in daily weight gain in the(1 – 14 d and 43 – 56 d) with baker’s yeast (103.57 and 178.57 g/d, respectively) compared withcontrol (48.33 and 142.86 g/d, respectively). We conclude that treatment with baker’s yeast notimproved feed conversion ratio, feed intake, intake of different nutrients, weight gains, digestibilityand rumen fermentation (pH and NH3-N concentration).

Effect of Biological Treatment of Barley Straw with Baker's Yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) on Some Productive Performance of Growing Lambs

ABSTRACTThis study was conducted at the farm of Ruminants Research Station, Office of AgriculturalResearch, Ministry of Agriculture, Abu Ghraib – Baghdad. The experiment continued for 56 days,in addition to 14 days as preliminary period from 11/10/2015 until 06/12/2016 to study the effect oftreating barley straw with baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on some productiveperformance of growing lambs. Ten Awassi lambs used in this experiment with average initial weightof 38±0.50 kg and age 8-9 months. Lambs divided randomly into two equal groups and kept inseparate individual pens. Lambs fed individually on a unified concentrate diet (2.5% of body weight),while, roughages offered ad libitum. Each group fed on roughages (barley straw), as follows:1. The first group fed untreated barley straw plus concentrate mixture and operated as control2. The second group fed barley straw treated with baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at rate0.5% (5 kg / tones).Animals weighed every two weeks before morning feeding. The digestibility experimentperformed in the seventh week. Rumen liquor collected at fifth week of the experiment at three times(before feeding, after three and six hours from feeding). Results showed different effects amongtreatments. The yeast not significantly affected the feed intake, average daily gain (15 – 28 d), invivo digestibility, and rumen fermentation (pH and NH3-N). Moreover, there was significant decrease(P <0.05) in daily weight gain during 29 - 42 d with baker’s yeast compared with control (107.14and 160.71g/d, respectively), while a significant increase (P <0.05) found in daily weight gain in the(1 – 14 d and 43 – 56 d) with baker’s yeast (103.57 and 178.57 g/d, respectively) compared withcontrol (48.33 and 142.86 g/d, respectively). We conclude that treatment with baker’s yeast notimproved feed conversion ratio, feed intake, intake of different nutrients, weight gains, digestibilityand rumen fermentation (pH and NH3-N concentration).

Ultrasonographic Changes at 12 Weeks of Anti-TNF Drugs Predict 1-year Sonographic Response and Clinical Outcome in Crohn's Disease: A Multicenter Study.

The objective was to assess the long-term effect of biological treatment on transmural lesions of Crohn's disease evaluated with ultrasound, including contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Fifty-one patients with active Crohn's disease were included in a prospective multicenter longitudinal study. All patients underwent a clinical assessment and sonographic examination at baseline, 12 weeks after treatment initiation, and after 1-year of treatment. Patients were clinically followed at least 2 years from inclusion until the end of the study. Ultrasonographic evaluation included bowel wall thickness, color Doppler grade, parietal enhancement, and presence of transmural complications or stenosis. Sonographic changes after treatment were classified as normalization, improvement, or lack of response. Improvement at 52 weeks was more frequent in patients with improvement at final of induction (12 weeks) compared with patients who did not improve (85% versus 28%; P < 0.0001). One-year sonographic evolution correlated with clinical response; 28 of the 29 (96.5%) patients with sonographic improvement at 52 weeks showed clinical remission or response. Patients without sonographic improvement at 52 weeks of treatment were more likely to have a change or intensification in medication or surgery (13/20, 65%) during the next year of follow-up than patients with improvement on the sonography (3/28, 11%). Stricturing behavior was the only sonographic feature associated to a negative predictive value of response (P = 0.0001). Sonographic response after 12 weeks of therapy is more pronounced and predicts 1-year sonographic response. Sonographic response at 1-year examination correlates with 1-year clinical response and is a predictor of further treatment's efficacy, 1-year or longer period of follow-up.

EFFECT OF BIOLOGICAL TREATMENTS TO IMPROVEMENT ON IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY FOR RICE STRAW

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of biological treatments to improvement on the in vitro digestibility disappearance for rice straw. The parameter used in this study includes; gas-production, IVDMD, IVMOD and pH value. The experiment was divided into seven treatments: 1st treatment: considered as control group was used 3g from straw only. 2nd treatment: Fibrolytic enzymes group 0.3g with 3g from straw. 3rd treatment: Fibrolytic enzymes group 0.4g with 3g from straw. 4th treatment: Saccharomyces cerevisie group 0.3g with 3g from straw. 5th treatment: Saccharomyces cerevisie group 0.4g with 3g from straw. 6thtreatment: The mix group between fibrolytic enzymes group 0.3g and Saccharomyces cerevisie group 0.3g with 3g from straw. 7thtreatment: The mix group between fibrolytic enzymes group 0.4g and Saccharomyces cerevisie group 0.4g with 3g from straw. The results showed a significant increase (P<0.05) of 6th group in gas production as compared with 3rd group at the beginning of the experiment. Also the 3rd group showed a significant increase (P<0.05) in gas production as compared with 5th group after 10 hrs. from the period of incubation. It has been observed that there was a significant increase (P <0.05) in the 3rd group in gas produced as compared with 4th and 5th group after 12 hrs from the period of incubation. The result also showed a significant effect (P <0.05) in the 2nd and 6th groups in the gas production as compared with 5th group after 24 hrs the period of incubation. It has been observed after 48 hrs the period of incubation, there was a significant effect (P<0.05) in gas produced in all treated groups as compared with 5th group. It has been noticed from the experiment that there was result a significant increase (P<0.05) in 5th, 6th groups of pH value as compared with 2nd and 4th groups. The results showed a significant effect (P<0.05) in the 3rd group in IVDMD as compared with 6th group, Similarly, there showed a significant effect (P<0.05) in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th groups in the IVDMD as compared with 4th group. There was also a significant effect (P<0.05) in the 3rd in IVMOD value than that with 6th group. It has been shown that there was a significant effect (P <0.05) in the 6th group of IVMOD value as compared with 2nd, 4th and 7th groups. Finally it has observed that there was a significant effect (P <0.05) in the control group (1st), 5th and 7th groups in IVMOD value as compared with 4th group. It was concluded from this study that addition of fibrolytic enzymes and a combination of fibrolytic enzymes and saccharomyces cerevisie could improve digestibility of rice straw in vitro.

Improvement in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biofuel substrate by a combined thermochemical and fungal pretreatment

Pretreatment is a critical step in the enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic substrate to sugars. A unique pretreatment sequence involving thermochemical treatment (steam explosion) followed by biological treatment (fungal exposure) was evaluated for Pinus radiata as a biofuel substrate. The effect of biological treatment using the white rot Trametes versicolor was investigated on control (sapwood blocks) and steam-exploded wood (SEW) for changes in the profile of fungal enzyme activity and lignocellulose composition. The results indicated that compared to blocks, Trametes versicolor expressed more lignocellulose-degrading enzymes when grown on SEW for 6 and 12 weeks. After fungal exposure, the biomass was mixed with a commercial enzyme cocktail for enzymatic hydrolysis. The maximum conversion of biomass to sugars was obtained for Trametes versicolor-treated SEW, with a yield of 4.80 g of glucose l−1, which is greater compared to that obtained from non-fungal-treated SEW (3.80 g of glucose l−1) and Trametes versicolor-treated sapwood blocks (0.80 g of glucose l−1). Examination by microscopy suggests relative increase in the porosity of SEW after fungal treatment, and compositional analysis indicates reduction in lignin content. Both these factors are likely to contribute to the improved hydrolysis of SEW.

Total petroleum hydrocarbon degradation by hybrid electrobiochemical reactor in oilfield produced water

The crude oil drilling and extraction operations are aimed to maximize the production may be counterbalanced by the huge production of contaminated produced water (PW). PW is conventionally treated through different physical, chemical, and biological technologies. The efficiency of suggested hybrid electrobiochemical (EBC) methods for the simultaneous removal of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and sulfate from PW generated by petroleum industry is studied. Also, the factors that affect the stability of PW quality are investigated. The results indicated that the effect of biological treatment is very important to keep control of the electrochemical by-products and more TPH removal in the EBC system. The maximum TPH and sulfate removal efficiency was achieved 75% and 25.3%, respectively when the detention time was about 5.1min and the energy consumption was 32.6mA/cm2. However, a slight increasing in total bacterial count was observed when the EBC compact unit worked at a flow rate of average 20L/h. Pseudo steady state was achieved after 30min of current application in the solution. Also, the results of the study indicate that when the current intensity was increased above optimum level, no significant results occurred due to the release of gases.