(C) 2013 Elsevier

Inc. All rights reserved.”
“BACKGROUND: Bioaccessibility is often the limiting factor for the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soils. The present study explores the potential of amending canola oil, an economically and ecologically attractive soil additive, for the enhancement of bioaccessibility and, in consequence, biodegradation of PAH in historically contaminated, bioaccessibility limited soils.

RESULTS: The amendment of canola oil (1% and 5%, w/w) to contaminated soils increased the bioaccessibility and the subsequent biodegradation of PAH Pfizer Licensed Compound Library nmr with up to four rings. Residual concentrations of pyrene and fluoranthene in oil-treated soils were 38-53% lower compared to the unamended tests. The continuous removal of bioaccessible PAH with a passive sampling system confirmed that oil amendment indeed increased bioaccessibility, leading to a lower non-accessible PAH fraction. Canola oil amendment did, by contrast, not increase the bioaccessibility of high molecular weight PAH, likely due to their strong binding

to soil organic carbon compounds.

CONCLUSION: Canola oil can be used efficiently in low concentrations to render PAH up to four rings accessible for biodegradation in historically contaminated soils. Contaminants remaining in soil after treatment may pose a significantly p38 MAPK activity lowered environmental risk, as is indicated by the lack of mobilisation by a solubilising agent such as canola oil. (C) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry”
“Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have been the most common cause of nosocomial infections in Japan, but their genetic characteristics related to bloodstream infections have not been well studied. The aim of this study was to

investigate a comprehensive molecular characterization of MRSA blood isolates during the historical 18-year HDAC inhibitors list study period between 1987 and 2004 in a tertiary care university hospital. A total of 137 MRSA isolates recovered from the blood of inpatients at Fukuoka University Hospital were analyzed. Clinical information and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were reviewed, and staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec), accessory gene regulator (agr), and a battery of bacterial genes were tested by PCR-based assays. The relatedness of these isolates was determined by the repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Although low numbers of agr type III/SCCmec type IV isolates circulated between 1987 and 1992, agr type II/SCCmec type II isolates started circulating in 1993 and were responsible for the increased MRSA isolates until 2004. The rep-PCR and PFGE identified 104 epidemic and 33 sporadic isolates. Among the 104 epidemic isolates, six major rep-PCR/PFGE types were identified, which occupied 67.3% of epidemic isolates.