AbstractEspeletia from the Páramo de Presidente in northeastern Colombia is described. The species is named Espeletiapraesidentis after the name of the páramo, and it is dedicated to the President Juan Manuel Santos, for his persistent efforts in working for peace for Colombia. The new species is closely related to Espeletiadugandii, but differs in the shape and colour of the leaves and arrangements of the capitulescences. A large population was found, but its total extension is yet to be determine.A new species of  Espeletia Mutis ex Bonpl. species), not knowing the taxonomic endeavor he was going to begin. Thirty-four years later he published the classification of the subtribe Espeletiiane Cuatrec. (Asteraceae: Millerieae) , 17 subspecies, 22 varieties and 8 forms . It has Espeletiinae. In this work we follow the unified species concept , distributed from the páramos of Lara (Venezuela) to the páramos of Llanganates (Ecuador). Most of the species grow above the timberline, although some have been identified as pioneer species after disturbance and can grow in ecotones between the high-Andean forest and the páramos, in azonal páramos or in areas with secondary paramisation  and a dubious group (Aberrantes). However, molecular works have suggested the presence of two clades (one from Venezuela and one from Colombia-Ecuador), which includes other genera  spines, (2–)4–7 µm long on equator. Within the genus r genera .COL, ANDES and HECASA. Additional duplicates will be distributed to other Colombian herbaria. Micrographs were taken by the first author at the Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory of the National Museum of Natural History, in Washington DC. Lauren Merchant from Saint Louis University provided the illustrations, which were funded by the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution.The Páramo de Presidente is located 28 km south from Chitagá (Norte de Santander), and it is considered part of the Páramos de Almorzadero-Santurbán complex. It can be reached on the road from Chitagá to Cerrito. For decades this area has been considered unsafe, and the flora of this páramo has not been studied well yet. Material of the new species was collected during an expedition of the authors in 2009, in which they met with left-wing armed members. Duplicates were distributed to Taxon classificationPlantaeAsteralesAsteraceaeDiazgr. & L.R.Sánchezsp. nov.urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77159581-1-72°40.8828'W, 6°59.8362'N. 3 Oct. 2009, M. Diazgranados & L.R. Sánchez 3865 .COLOMBIA, Norte de Santander, Páramo de Presidente. En vía a Chitagá, llegando al páramo. En frailejonal-pajonal típico. Muy abundante. Caulirrósula. Alt. tot.: 0.8 m; alt. de la roseta: 0.4 m; inflorescencias: 2 maduras y 4 secas, con escapo desnudo, con 3–5 capítulos, cada uno de 2.1 cm de diámetro; hojas más angostas que otros individuos simpátricos. Alt. 3503 m, Espeletiadugandii, but more yellowish, with much linear and narrower leaf laminae, much longer peduncles, smaller capitula and ray flowers, and disc corolla lobes with more hairs.Caulescent rosette of yellowish-whitish appearance, with leaf laminae linear or linear-obovate, naked scapes with long peduncles and 3(–5) capitula, small in diameter, disc paleae oblong, oblanceolate or narrowly obtrullate, very short yellow ray flowers, and lobes of disc corollas with hairs. Similar to PageBreakCaulescent polycarpic rosette of yellowish-whitish appearance (not cinereous), 0.8–1.5 m tall (including capitulescences), growing in grassland of páramo proper. Excluding reproductive parts, rosette 40–60 cm in diameter, on stems 0–40 cm tall Fig. .Leaves firm, coriaceous, rigid, erect; laminae linear or linear-obovate, apex acute to subacute (60–80°), base sessile, slightly pseudopetiole, attenuate, (38–)39–42(–45) cm × (3.0–)3.5–3.6(–4.2) cm, length to width ratio (10–)11–12(–15):1 Figs , 5 B. InLeaf sheaths open, oblong to trapezoidal, coriaceous, 5–6 cm wide × 7–8 cm long; adaxially glabrescent, whitish, with 10–15 green anastomosing nerves; tawny abaxially, barbate, with hairs up to 15 mm long.PageBreakCapitulescences 5–15(–18) coetaneous, cymose, dichasial, axillary , erect, more than twice longer than the leaves, 100–120 cm long; indumentum abundant, villous, white. Scapes erect, firm, 80–100 cm long, 0.8–1.0 mm in diameter; naked, with no sterile bracts. Peduncles terete, 15–18 cm long, curving in the distal end, proximally with a free attachment. One pair of subtending bracts, linear, 8–10 cm long × 0.9–1.0 cm wide.Capitula 3(–5) radiate, subglobose, nodding, 2.0–3.0 cm in diameter (including ray flowers) Fig. . InvolucPageBreakRay flowers 80–90 in 2–3 series, yellow, ray corollas 3.5–4.5 mm long (excluding ovary). Ligules 3.0–3.5 mm long, elliptical or oblong, tridentate; tube hirsute, small, 0.2–0.4 mm in diameter and 0.5–1.0 mm long, yellow, the trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm long. Style 2.7–2.9 mm long × 0.14–0.2 mm in diameter, with stigmatic branches 1.0–1.5 mm long, without papillae in the distal portion. Cypselae oblong, triangular, 3.3–3.5 mm × 2.0–2.2 mm, glabrous, black. Ray paleae narrowly-ovate, 5.3–5.5 mm × long 2.0–2.1 mm wide, brownish, profusely villous.PageBreaklong, broadening in the distal portion, 0.20–0.25 mm wide, papillose, papillae to 0.15–0.2(–0.4) mm long.Discs 1.5–2.6 cm in diameter. Disc paleae oblong, oblanceolate or narrowly obtrullate, 5.0–5.4 mm long × 0.8–1.1 mm wide, brownish, glabrous becoming villous in the distal portion. Disc flowers 300–400; corolla 5.0–5.2 mm long (excluding anthers and fruit); corolla throat 3.5–3.7 mm long, 1–1.1 mm wide when open, 5-lobed, lobes 0.45–0.55 mm long, with hairs; tube 1.5–2.0 mm long × 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter, glabrous, with a few hairs; anthers dark yellow, sometimes exceeding the corolla, slightly translucid, approximately 1–2 mm long and 0.3 mm wide. Pollen yellow when fresh, tricolporate, 17.5–19.5 μm in equatorial diameter (not counting spines); spines 70–74 total, 14–16 equatorial spines, 3.9–4.5 μm long, erect. Style 5.5–7.0 mm long × 0.14–0.17 mm in diameter, with stigmatic branches 0.6–0.7 mm 2.Endemic to Colombia. This species has been found only in the Páramo de Presidente (part of the great Páramo de Almorzadero), at elevations of 3400–3600 m , or Critically Imperiled .Despite seeing a relatively large population, this páramo area is not under any sort of protection, and there are signs of grazing activity. Also, very close there are extensive potato plantations in areas that were covered by páramo vegetation in the past. This combination of elements suggests that the species is probably Espeletiinae (Carramboa). New species continue to appear as collectors reach previously unexplored páramos, whilst our taxonomic understanding of the group improves.The páramos of Santander and Norte de Santander (Colombia) are considered one of the three centres of radiation for the letiinae . ProbablEspeletia from those collections. Since then, no one has really visited the same places that these botanists explored, probably not even Cuatrecasas, who spent decades collecting the Espeletiinae in the páramos. Collectors of Espeletiinae know well that if they miss the slope or the mountain, they can totally miss the species they are looking for, because of the extreme local endemism of the group. As a consequence, In 1926–1927 two American botanists explored the vegetation of these mountains, Ellsworth Paine Killip (1890–1968) and Albert Charles Smith (1906–1999). Smith, who would became later the director of the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution, described years later 10 new species of Espeletiapraesidentis exemplifies the lack of collections throughout the páramos of the region, and the challenges taxonomists have to face when studying this group. Cuatrecasas’s collections were often limited to the accessibility of roads in those years (1940–1980), and he never found the topolocality where Killip and Smith collected species such as Espeletiaconglomerata and Espeletiacanescens. In the remarks for Espeletiacanescens of his treatment he said “Sometimes I have been inclined to consider Espeletiacanescens as a local, extreme variation of Espeletiaconglomerata. However, the scanty, authentic material of Espeletiacanescens shows features that can justify its specific status […] On my 1973 trip, I did not have the time to walk from La Baja all the way to the highest spots at the opposite north end of the Páramo del Romeral, where Killip probably collected the type specimens of Espeletiacanescens. Additional collections from the extreme section of the Páramo del Romeral may clarify the taxonomic status of Espeletiacanescens” . In the remarks for Espeletiaconglomerata he said “Espeletiaconglomerata as well as Espeletiacanescens were described with type specimens from Páramo del Romeral between “3800 and 4200” m of altitude. However, according to recent maps, this páramo generally does not exceed 3800 m […]. My own collections represent several minor variations, as well as the typical form” . In that moment Cuatrecasas was 70-year old, and clearly did not have time or possibilities to explored close areas were in recent years various new species have been discovered (e.g. Espeletiopsissanchezii S. Díaz & S. Obando PageBreakor Espeletiadiazii Diazgr. & L. R. Sánchez). With no other material than his own collections, he first described morphological variations of his specimens as varieties (Espeletiaconglomerata var. macroclada Cuatrec. and Espeletiaconglomerata var. pedunculata Cuatrec.). Later, he decided to change the status to hybrids, both within Espeletiaconglomerata × Espeletiabrassicoidea, and synonymised Espeletiabrassicoidea f. contracta Cuatrec. with Espeletiaconglomerata. Also, he never published Espeletiaconglomerata var. lanceolata Cuatrec. .Espeletiapraesidentis differs notably from the type of Espeletiaconglomerata , and from the hybrids described from Espeletiapraesidentis cannot be considered a local variation or hybrid of similar or neighboring species for two reasons: 1) there is a large population of several hundreds of individuals; and 2) there are remarkable morphological differences between Espeletiapraesidentis and the type collections of other species (as seen in Fig. Espeletiaconglomerata, and we recognize that hybrids can be easily spotted when sympatric species occur, but this clearly was not the case.Espeletia found in an area of 50 km of radius.The most complete key for the genus has been published by


Recent epidemiological studies have reported adverse health effects, including skin cancer, due to low concentrations of arsenic via drinking water. We conducted a study to assess whether low arsenic contaminated ground water affected health of the residents who consumed it. For precise biomonitoring results, the inorganic  and pentavalent arsenate (As V)) and organic forms (monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA)) of arsenic were separately quantified by combining high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy from urine samples. In conclusion, urinary As III, As V, MMA, and hair arsenic concentrations were significantly higher in residents who consumed arsenic contaminated ground water than control participants who consumed tap water. But, most health screening results did not show a statistically significant difference between exposed and control subjects. We presume that the elevated arsenic concentrations may not be sufficient to cause detectable health effects. Consumption of arsenic contaminated ground water could result in elevated urinary organic and inorganic arsenic concentrations. We recommend immediate discontinuation of ground water supply in this area for the safety of the residents. Arsenic is present in the form of inorganic arsenic and organic arsenic in ecological environments. The toxicity of arsenic is different according to the type, and inorganic arsenic is more toxic than organic arsenic, of these, trivalent arsenite is more toxic than pentavalent arsenate . InorganArsenic exposure via drinking water is a very important public health concern worldwide. The severity of the health effects of arsenic in drinking water is constantly being reevaluated by various government agencies. Hyperkeratosis, hyperpigmentation, and hypopigmentation  are reprFurthermore, various harmful health effects due to exposure to low concentrations of inorganic arsenic have been reported in many studies ,9,10,11.Therefore, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization, and the Food and Drug Administration have all lowed the international cut off for total arsenic concentration in drinking water from 50 µg/L to 10 µg/L ,15. In aAll local governments under the Korean system are required to conduct water quality tests annually according to the law. As a result of the water quality test, some area residents, including children, were found to have taken arsenic contaminated drinking water that exceeds the maximum allowable criteria (10 µg/L). Moreover, owing to poor knowledge of the toxicity of the arsenic, communities have excessive anxiety of arsenic toxicity health risks. It has been raised the need of a health impact assessment and an epidemiological study by local residents and non-governmental organization.The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate arsenic species concentration and the health effects that are associated with short-term (within one year) arsenic exposure via contaminated drinking water. The secondary aim was to establish prevention strategies for arsenic related diseases by determining the route of arsenic exposure, and to disseminate relevant scientific information within communities that have expressed anxiety towards the health effects of arsenic exposure.The overall survey follow according the passage of time is shown in n = 144). Residents of areas with similar (i) living conditions, (ii) age distribution, and (iii) population size as the exposure areas, wherein (iv) cooperation with residents would be smooth, and (v) water was supplied from a public water supply system and not from a temporary system were selected as control participants (n = 65).Among the water quality tests that were conducted on small-scale water supply systems in Korea , we used data for five facilities with arsenic concentrations exceeding the allowable threshold in our analysis. These five water treatment facilities supplied water to five villages and one elementary school. The residents and elementary school students who used the water from these facilities were enrolled  and 16 individuals staying in the villages for their business, participated in the health impact survey. Additionally, 45 children aged below 12 years attending the elementary schools in the exposure areas were surveyed in the same manner as the adult participants. The health impact assessment included a survey questionnaire and collection of blood, urine, and hair specimens. Blood specimens were collected into BD Vacutainer tubes, in which an anticoagulant was added; the tubes were placed on a roll mixer to prevent coagulation and then stored in a deep freezer at –80 °C until analysis. After the participants were instructed regarding the urine collection method to prevent contamination, spot urine specimens were collected, divided into several tubes, and stored in a deep freezer at –80 °C until analysis. Hair specimens were stored after being secured in hair specimen envelopes.The environmental impact assessment comprised water, soil, and crop analyses. In the target villages, water that was pumped out from the groundwater well was disinfected in a storage tank and distributed to each house. Drinking water samples were collected from the source well of each village. In general, two samples (before and after application of an arsenic filter) were collected from each groundwater well. The water sample was collected in a prewashed plastic sampling bottle after pumping approximately 40 L of water into the pipeline. The water samples were stored in an ice box until laboratory analysis. Surface soil (0−10 cm depth) was collected from farmland in the studied area with a prewashed hand auger and transferred to plastic bags. The soil samples were air-dried for five days and sieved with a 100-mesh sieve for acid digestion. Samples of crops such as rice, red pepper, and beans were collected from the same farmland area around the groundwater wells as the soil sample, and were washed with distilled water.Urine specimens were filtered using a 0.22 µm filter to remove impurities and appropriately diluted in distilled water. Speciation was carried out by using a phosphate buffer via a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system , on which a Hamilton PRP X-100 column was mounted. The inorganic form  and pentavalent arsenate (As V) and organic forms (monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA)) of arsenic were separately quantified by combining HPLC and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) . Calibration curves were constructed based on the standards including As III, As V, DMA, and MMA, and the accuracy of the analysis was confirmed using two types of standard reference material .Arsenic and metals  in water, soil, and rice were analyzed for environmental exposure assessment. The water samples were acidified with a few drops of nitric acid and analyzed via ICP-MS, which refers to American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation standard method (Part 3125) , and EnvAn EPA method (Method 3051)  was usedRice samples were polished and the edible portions of the other crops were freeze-dried. The dried samples were ground with a mortar, and approximately 0.5 g of the ground crop sample was digested using 9.5 mL of nitric acid in a microwave digestion equipment. The prepared sample solution was diluted with water and analyzed with ICP-MS.We conducted a health examination to evaluate the health effects of the arsenic exposure. The health examination test included complete blood cell count, liver function test, renal function test, chest radiography, and electrocardiogram as a diagnostic test. Tumor markers, such as alpha fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, cancer antigen 125, prostate specific antigen, and cytokeratin-19 fragments were used as tumor markers for liver, colon, pancreas, ovary, prostate, and lung respectively.After speciation, the distribution of arsenic concentrations in urine and hair were found to be skewed (skewness > 0). Hence, the geometric mean (GM) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) that were adjusted for general characteristics were computed. Arsenic concentration was compared between the adult exposure and control groups, and between the child exposure group and adult control group. In the exposed group, the creatinine level was not more than 300–3000 mg/L. In the control group, creatinine analysis was not performed. To compare the two groups, we used the value before creatinine correction. The GM (95% CI) for main source of drinking water was computed for the exposure group. Additionally, changes in arsenic concentration between the first and second assessments were examined. All of the statistical tests were conducted at a significance level of 5% using SAS .The protocol of this study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Dong-A university hospital (IRB No. 13-010). Written informed consents were provided by all of the participants.p < 0.001). Specifically, a significant difference was found in terms of As V (exposure group: 0.59 (0.37–0.91) µg/L; control group: 0.19 (0.11–0.32) µg/L; p < 0.001), but not As III (p = 0.239). The organic arsenic concentration was also higher in the exposure group than in the control group (exposure group: 63.54 (48.50–83.25) µg/L; control group: 42.53 (30.85–58.63) µg/L; p = 0.007). A significant between-group difference was found in terms of both DMA (exposure group: 58.88 (44.64–77.65) µg/L; control group: 39.68 (28.56–55.14) µg/L; p = 0.010); and, MMA (exposure group: 3.89 (2.86–5.29) µg/L, control group: 2.15 (1.49–3.10) µg/L; p = 0.001). The adjusted hair arsenic level of the exposure group was 0.19 (0.15–0.24) ppm, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (0.12 (0.09–0.15) ppm; p < 0.001). Urinary trivalent and pentavalent inorganic arsenic concentrations among adult residents were 1.04 µg/L and 0.59 µg/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those among control site residents . Moreover, the pentavalent arsenic concentration of the children in this region was 1.29 µg/L, which was significantly higher than that among control site residents (0.37 µg/L) (The GM (95% CI) of the urinary arsenic concentrations were compared after adjusting for demographic and lifestyle characteristics in addition to the geographic characteristics that distinguished the adult exposure and control groups. The results showed that the inorganic arsenic concentration was significantly higher in the exposure group (2.31 (1.62–3.31) µg/L) than in the control group (0.94 (0.61–1.44) µg/L, 37 µg/L) . Howeverp < 0.001). In contrast, the organic arsenic concentrations were significantly lower in the child exposure group than in the control group (exposure group: 40.19 (32.40–49.85) µg/L; p = 0.046). The arsenic concentration in hair was significantly higher in the child exposure group (0.15 (0.13–0.17) ppm) than in the control group (0.10 (0.09–0.11) ppm; p < 0.001)  of inorganic arsenic was 2.03 (1.75–2.37) µg/L in the child exposure group, which was significantly higher than the 1.18 (0.93–1.49) µg/L that was observed in the control group. Particularly, a marked difference was found in terms of As V (exposure group: 1.29 (1.16–1.44) µg/L; control group: 0.37 (0.29–0.47) µg/L; < 0.001) .p = 0.114). In particular, the concentration of As V was 0.71 (0.31–1.65) µg/L in contaminated groundwater, which was approximately three times higher than that in tap water (0.26 (0.08–0.80) µg/L) and showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). The concentration of As III in contaminated groundwater 1.79 (0.61–5.29) µg/L was more than twice that in tap water (0.75 (0.17–3.24) µg/L), but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.109). The adjusted concentration of organic arsenic in contaminated groundwater was 68.53 (44.93–104.52) µg/L, which was higher than that in tap water (43.85 (24.35–78.94) µg/L), but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.105). Likewise, the concentration of arsenic in hair did not show a statistically significant difference (p = 0.321).The adjusted GM (95% CI) of inorganic arsenic was higher in the adult exposure group that consumed contaminated groundwater, at 2.87 (1.62–5.10) µg/L, when compared to the group that consumed tap water, at 1.82 (0.84–3.95) µg/L, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.494). Particularly, the concentration of As III was 0.46 (0.28–0.77) µg/L in contaminated groundwater and 0.16 (0.06–0.41) µg/L in tap water, indicating that the concentration of the former was more than twice that of the latter, with borderline significance (p = 0.053). Organic arsenic concentration did not show a statistically significant difference between these groups (p = 0.424). Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference in the concentration of arsenic in hair (p = 0.484)  µg/L in those for whom the main source of drinking water was contaminated groundwater, which was somewhat higher than that in residents who consumed tap water, at 1.84 (1.46–2.32) µg/L, but without statistical significance (= 0.484) .The second collection of urinary specimens was performed approximately three months after the first health impact survey was conducted in the areas exposed to arsenic. Changes in concentration were examined .p < 0.001). Specifically, the concentration of As V decreased by 0.93 µg/L ± 0.90 µg/L and As III by 1.27 µg/L ± 1.59 µg/L, with both values demonstrating statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). Likewise, the concentration of organic arsenic decreased by 12.54 µg/L ± 69.97 µg/L (p = 0.127). In particular, the concentration of MMA decreased by 1.58 µg/L ± 3.73 µg/L, showing a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). The arsenic concentration decreased from the first assessment to the second in 98.7% of participants, with the exception of 1.4% in whom the inorganic arsenic concentration remained the same, and the mean decrease was 2.22 µg/L ± 1.89 µg/L.The number of individuals in the adult exposure group whose urinary arsenic level was analyzed in the first assessment was 97, and 74 of these participants were followed up in the second assessment. For all of the urinary arsenic species, including inorganic arsenic, the concentration was lower in the second assessment than that in the first. The concentration of inorganic arsenic decreased by 2.19 µg/L ± 1.90 µg/L, and it was below the limit of detection in most of the participants (p = 0.385). The concentration of inorganic arsenic reduced by 1.94 µg/L ± 1.21 µg/L, and was below the limit of detection in almost all of the participants (p < 0.001). Specifically, the concentration of As V decreased by 1.17 µg/L ± 0.65 µg/L and As III by 0.76 µg/L ± 1.01 µg/L, and the decrease was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The concentration of inorganic arsenic was confirmed to have decreased from the first assessment to the second in all participants.The number of individuals in the child exposure group whose urinary arsenic level was examined during the first assessment was 45, and all of them were followed up during the second assessment. The mean difference in organic arsenic concentration between the first and second assessment was 5.93 µg/L ± 45.29 µg/L, indicating a slight increase, but statistical significance was not achieved  level showed a statistically significant difference. However, systolic blood pressure and white blood cell count were higher in the control group, while carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level was higher in the exposure group. Nevertheless, most of the results fell within the normal range .The concentration of arsenic in the drinking water of the studied area was much higher than the Korean drinking water standard (0.010 mg/L) at 0.018–0.104 mg/L. The data obtained from the second screening showed a very similar range: 0.016–0.097 mg/L. However, the local government installed a drinking water filter for arsenic soon after they recognized the water contamination. Subsequently, the concentration of arsenic decreased to below 0.01 mg/L .The arsenic concentration in farmland soil ranged 5.27–16.37 mg/kg , which wThe present environmental impact assessment survey showed that the concentration of arsenic in the drinking water of the studied area ranged 18–104 µg/L, which was much higher than the Korean drinking water standard of 10 µg/L. The data obtained at the second screening stage showed a very similar trend: 16–97 µg/L. This indicates that water containing arsenic concentrations above the standard value has been supplied as drinking water for a few hundred local residents. Based on the geographic characteristic of the studied area, we presume that the contaminated water has been supplied for a few years after the small-scale water supply system has been installed; however, we do not have sufficient data to confirm this. Nonetheless, the local government installed a drinking water filter for arsenic soon after they recognized the water contamination. Subsequently, the concentration of arsenic related decreased to below 10 µg/L. The current study was initiated >2 months after the filter installation. Generally, arsenic toxicity is caused by the exposure to high levels of arsenic (>100 µg/L), and has shown a significant association with skin cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and non-carcinogenic effects ,21,22,23Brown et al.  suggesteOne of the limitations of this study was that we did not select a child control group. It was difficult to obtain control children who met the conditions to living condition, age distribution, and time and budget constraints. Although the adult control group was not satisfied as a case-control in comparison with the children exposure group, it was used as a reference to compare the concentration of inorganic arsenic that was exposed to contaminated water.Our community-based health survey showed that the urinary organic and inorganic arsenic concentrations among residents were significantly higher than those of control site residents; moreover, the consumption of contaminated drinking water was found to urinary arsenic concentration in residents. When considering that the current study was initiated >2 months after the installation of the filter by the local government, and that the half-life of inorganic arsenic in the body is approximately 2–4 days, the level of arsenic exposure among residents in the past was higher than that recorded in the present study .Recent reports have shown that exposure to low concentrations of arsenic could result in high blood pressure, obesity, high triglyceride, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, anemia, and bone damage ,34,35,36We evaluated the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects arsenic exposure; however, we did not find any carcinogenic or obvious clinical abnormalities among exposure residents when compared with the control subjects. In this study, we applied the tumor marker test to evaluate the carcinogenicity of arsenic, although it is a nonspecific test for cancer screening. We selected tumor marker liver, colon, pancreas, ovary, prostate, and lung that carcinogenicity may be associated with the inorganic arsenic exposure. As a result of analysis, one subject who exceeded the reference value in Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 was found, but there was no clinical relevance according to the exposure of arsenic through close examination. All of the subjects were within normal range and there was no statistically significant difference between the exposure and control group. In general, this clinical tumor marker test is more applicable to follow up cancer management than cancer screening. Therefore, it is considered to be worthy of a reference test rather than a detection of cancer development due to arsenic exposure.We presume that the elevated arsenic concentrations may not be sufficient to cause detectable health effects. Moreover, we analyzed these subjects for relatively short period. We also found that the consumption of arsenic contaminated groundwater could elevate urinary organic and inorganic arsenic concentrations. Therefore, the consumption of arsenic contaminated groundwater poses a health threat to the residents of the study area. We recommend immediate discontinuation of groundwater supply in this area for the safety of the residents. Nonetheless, urinary inorganic arsenic level was found to decrease dramatically overtime. This study has several limitations. First, it was difficult to accurately compare arsenic exposure concentrations before and after the introduction of the arsenic filtration system, since this study was conducted after the arsenic filtration systems were installed. Second, we did not perform the urinary creatinine normalization of arsenic in the comparison between exposed and control group. Nevertheless, the findings of this survey are important for policy making in Korea. This is the first epidemiological survey of arsenic contamination of drinking water in Korea. Moreover, this survey could bring about cooperation among community residents, non-governmental organization, and the local government without the support of government. We believe these findings could serve as important evidence for the management of exposure to arsenic-contaminated groundwater.


Calathea possess many leaf colors, and they are economically important because they are widely used as ornamentals for interior landscaping. Physiological performances and photosynthetic capacities of C. insignis and C. makoyana were investigated. The photosynthetic efficiencies of C. insignis and C. makoyana were significantly increased when the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) increased from 0 to 600 μmol photons·m−2·s−1 and became saturated with a further increase in the PPFD. The two Calathea species had lower values of both the light saturation point and maximal photosynthetic rate, which indicated that they are shade plants. No significant differences in predawn Fv/Fm values (close to 0.8) were observed between dark-green (DG) and light-green (LG) leaf sectors in all tested leaves. However, the effective quantum yield of photosystem II largely decreased as the PPFD increased. An increase in the apparent photosynthetic electron transport rate was observed in both species to a maximum at 600 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, following by a decrease to 1500 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. Compared to LG leaf extracts, DG leaf extracts contained higher levels of chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, Chls a + b, carotenoids (Cars), anthocyanins (Ants), flavonoids (Flas), and polyphenols (PPs) in all plants, except for the Ant, Fla and PP contents of C. insignis plants. Calathea insignis also contained significantly higher levels of total protein than did C. makoyana. The adjusted normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), red-green, and flavonol index (FlavI) were significantly correlated to leaf Chls a + b, Cars, Ants, and Flas in C. makoyana, respectively, and can be used as indicators to characterize the physiology of these plants.Plants of the genus  Calathea plants belong to the Marantaceae family, which is native to South America and is mainly distributed in tropical regions of Africa and Asia [Calathea insignis and C. makoyana are widely produced as ornamental foliage plants for interior landscaping due to their leaf patterns, colors, textures, and shapes [C. makoyana have lobed, dark-green (DG) regions extending from the mid vein, which sometimes merge with the DG margin [C. insignis leaves are narrow, tapering, stiffly erect foliage with wavy margins, and look yellowish-green with alternating lateral large and small oval patches, with DG markings on the upper surface and a dark, purplish-red lower surface [C. insignis is an important source of nutrition, as it is known for the high quality of starch in its tubers and roots [C. insignis and the residue after starch extraction can be used as a food source for animals or as raw material for the paper industry [C. insignis and C. makoyana are perennial evergreen, herbaceous plants with potential sources of secondary metabolite compounds, and are considered to be economically plants [C. insignis and C. makoyana would benefit field cultivation management.and Asia . It compd shapes . Leaves G margin . However surface . Moreovend roots  and it ind roots . The aerindustry . Both C.y plants ,6. HowevLight intensity is one of the major factors that affect the growth, leaf form, floral morphology, and biochemical characterization of plants, and is also associated with their photosynthesis efficiency of plants . At highCalathea insignis and C. makoyana has not yet been examined. It is noteworthy that C. insignis and C. makoyana have a variety of leaf colors, and the literature has pointed out that leaf pigments affect photosynthesis and stress tolerance [C. insignis and C. makoyana would aid the effective management of cultivation of those plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological performance and photosynthetic capacities of C. insignis and C. makoyana. In addition, Chl, anthocyanin (Ant), carotenoid (Car), polyphenol (PP), and total flavonoid (Fla) contents of these plants were also examined. Precise management of the photosynthetic capacity in response to the photosynthesis photon flux density (PPFD) can potentially be used to maximize the efficiency of the growth, development, and metabolic potential of Calathea plants grown in controlled environments for economic benefits.In the field, biochemical regulation of photosynthesis maintains a balance between rates of component processes and metabolite concentrations when exposed to environmental changes . One stuolerance . A betteC. insignis and C. makoyana in response to the PPFD. Photosynthetic rates of both C. insignis and C. makoyana were below 1.3 μmol·m−2·s−1 at 0–100 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, and increased from 1.3 to 3.0 μmol·m−2·s−1 when the PPFD was 200–600 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. However, the photosynthetic capacity became saturated with a further increase (600–1800 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD) in the PPFD. The photosynthetic light compensation points of C. insignis and C. makoyana were 100 and 50 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, respectively. The photosynthetic light saturation points of C. insignis and C. makoyana were 600 and 400 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, respectively. Thus, the photosynthetic capacity of C. makoyana was somewhat higher than that of C. insignis. By increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis, sun plants and sun leaves can efficiently use light energy, thus presenting higher light-saturation points and maximal photosynthetic rates. On the other hand, shade plants and shaded leaves tend to have contrasting behaviors [Calathea species presented lower values for both the light saturation point and maximal photosynthetic rate, they are probably shade plants.Environmental conditions are generally considered to be the main constraints to the growth, productivity, and distribution of plants. ehaviors ,27. BecaC. insignis and C. makoyana were measured at predawn and compared between the DG and LG leaf sectors. As shown in C. insignis and C. makoyana obtained in this study were close to 0.8, indicating that there was no long-term photoinhibition, and a light intensity of 600 μmol·m−2·s−1 was suitable for growth of these plants.Photosynthesis is biochemically regulated to maintain a balance between the rates of component processes and metabolite concentrations. Photoinhibition of photosynthesis is indicated by reduced quantum yields of photochemistry and ChlF, including both inhibition of PSII and higher thermal de-excitation of excited Chl . Moreove−2·s−1 PPFD). Thereafter, ΔF/Fm’ slowly decreased with an increasing PPFD. This study used the rapid light-curve program, where the actinic light intensity was measured for only 30 s at each luminosity. The transient decline in ∆F/Fm’ in the initial stage of light induction was mainly due to downregulation of PSII efficiency [Under high irradiance, the light reaction is able to absorb more photons than the carbon reaction can use. This excess absorbed energy can lead to reduced efficiency of PSs, especially PSII ,12. To aficiency ,34,35,36ficiency .−2·s−1 PPFD, the ETR of both Calathea species continued to increase as indicated by the light response curves, followed by a decrease. Maximum values of electron transport rate (ETR) were 12.7 and 10.6 μmol e−1·m−2·s−1 for DG and LG of C. insignis, and were 13.6 and 10.4 μmol e−1·m−2·s−1 for DG and LG of C. makoyana, respectively. In addition, these ETR values at 1500 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD were nearly 0 μmol e−1·m−2·s−1 for both DG and LG of C. insignis, respectively, and were around 2 μmol e−1·m−2·s−1 for DG and 0 μmol e−1·m−2·s−1 for LG of C. makoyana  of those relationships were 0.609 and 0.725, respectively, indicating significant correlations between the NDVI and total Chl in C. insignis and C. makoyana. The NDVI is a sensitive indicator of the canopy structure, green leaf area index, and Chl content [Various theoretical models based on leaf reflectance have been used to calculate a series of vegetation indices for monitoring plant growth ,42. Figu content , and it  content . This in content  and phot content ,47. TherCalathea plants, the relationship of the photosynthetic efficiency with pigment contents was analyzed by determining the reflectance index. C. insignis and C. makoyana leaves with respective R2 values of 0.009 and 0.783, slope values of 2141.2 and 2717.1. Reflectance indices respond to slight changes in Cars and also give accurate estimates of changes in the photosynthetic flux of evergreen canopies [Pigment conversion to their de-epoxidized (photoprotective) form changes leaf reflectance within a tight wave-band centered around 531 nm . At thiscanopies , since Ccanopies  and disscanopies .C. insignis and C. makoyana leaves with respective correlation values of 0.002 and 0.611, slope values of 1.7871 and −52.584. There were significant correlations of Ants with R/G, Cars with the PRI, and total Chl with the NDVI in C. makoyana, indicating that these reflectance indexes can be useful for non-destructive estimations of leaf Chl, Car, and Ant contents in C. makoyana. However, no correlations of Ants with R/G or Cars with the PRI in C. insignis were observed. This was because the color of adaxial parts were all purple, which affected the composition of the reflected spectrum and caused the low correlations.C. insignis and C. makoyana leaves, with respective R2 values of 0.658 and 0.430, slope values of 949.99 and 436.99. Flavonoids, synthesized in response to light density [C. insignis and C. makoyana. To ecophysiologically characterize a plant’s photosynthetic capacity, light-response curves and consequent cardinal points yield very interesting parameters. However, steady-state conditions, which are strictly required, can often not be achieved in nature. So, instantaneous light-response curves, with quick alterations in the PPFD but with the clear risk of encountering non-steady-state conditions, can be used as an alternative way to achieve insights into light-response characteristics of plants in the field. Our findings suggest that the NDVI, PRI, R/G, and FlavI are respectively reliable descriptors of leaf Chl, Car, Ant, and Fla contents in C. makoyana, and these indices can be used for ecophysiological research in C. makoyana. In addition, Flav and NDVI indices can be used as indicators to characterize the physiology of C. insignis plants. density ,54,55, a density ,57. In oC. insignis and C. makoyana plants were obtained from local shops in Taipei, Taiwan. Plants were 16–20 cm tall, were transplanted into 12.7 cm plastic pots (917 mL) containing commercial potting soil with a 4:1 (v/v) mixture of peat moss and perlite, and were placed in an environment-controlled greenhouse. Plants were evenly spaced to promote similar growth rates and sizes. Plants were watered twice each week, and an optimal amount of a compound fertilizer solution (20N-8.7P-16.6K water-soluble fertilizer at 0.5 g·L−1) was applied biweekly. Plants were grown for 1 month, and those with a uniform size were selected and randomly separated into 14 groups for subsequent experiments.For these experiments, 2 concentration of 400 μmol·mol−1, and a relative humidity of 80%. The PPFD was set from high to low levels . All measurements were taken before 11:00 a.m. to avoid the midday depression in photosynthesis. Values of CO2 exchange was recorded every 2 min, until the CO2 exchange was stable (about 10 min under each level of illumination). Portions of both DG and LG leaves of plant were measured together in the chamber.Photosynthetic light response curves were determined with a portable, open-flow gas exchange system connected to a leaf chamber and light emitting diode (LED) light source at 30 °C, a COThe potted plants were moved to the shade under a cottage before sunrise at 05:30–06:00, and then the ChlF parameters of dark-adapted leaves were measured at ambient temperature after adaptation to the dark for 20 min with a portable fluorometer  . The midg for 5 min. Supernatants were tested for the absorbance of Chl a and Chl b in acetone at 663.6 and 646.6 nm, respectively, with a U-2000 type spectrophotometer . Chl a and Chl b concentrations and Cars were calculated with the following equations:Contents of Chls and Cars in DG and LG leaves were determined using methods described by Porra et al. . In brieAnt contents of the extracts were measured based on the protocol of Mancinelli et al. . A mixtu−1) was mixed with 1 mL of 2% aluminum chloride. The mixture was stirred and allowed to sit for 15 min at room temperature, after which the absorbance was measured at 430 nm on a spectrophotometer. Quercetin was used as a reference standard, and the total Fla content was expressed as milligrams of quercetin equivalent (QE) per gram of DW (mg QE·g−1 DW).Total Flas in the extracts were determined by the method of Djeridane et al. . The met2CO3 were mixed into each sample of 100 µL and allowed to equilibrate for 2 min before adding 50% Folin-Ciocalteau reagent . The absorbance at 750 nm was measured at room temperature using a Varioskan Flash Multimode Reader . The standard curve for GA was used to calculate PP levels. Total phenolics were expressed as the mg GA equivalent (GAE)·g−1 DW. The standard curve equation was y = 0.4995x − 0.011, where R2 = 0.9944.The PP content was determined according to the method of Taga et al. . Brieflyg for 15 min at 4 °C, 0.1 mL of the supernatant was combined with 4.9 mL of a Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 solution (0.1 g·L−1). The soluble protein content was measured after 2 min at a 595-nm wavelength.The total protein content was determined using the method of Bradford . Samples750 − R705)/(R750 + R705 – 2 × R445), was used to assess the Chl content [531 − R570)/(R531 + R570), was used to assess xanthophyll cycle pigments [500–599/R600–699 was calculated to assess the Ant content [The Fla index (FlavI) was used to assess Fla contents, and was measured with a Plaquette Dualex Scientific™ instrument  . The spe content ; (2) thepigments ; and (3) content .p ≤ 0.05 was performed using SAS vers. 9 . The experiment was performed twice independently with a randomized design for the growth environment, sampling day, and physiological analyses.Data were determined in triplicate, and results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the least significant difference (LSD) test at Calathea species with a variety of leaf colors. Responses of the photosynthetic rate and ETR to light indicated that two tested Calathea species appear to be adapted to low light intensities. Relationships of reflectance indices with pigments and flavonoids were established and can be used for ecophysiological research in C. insignis and C. makoyana. This study provides a better understanding of the photosynthetic characteristics of C. insignis and C. makoyana to promote the effective management and cultivation of these plants.Yields and costs are the two most important criteria in agricultural production for which environmental factors should be optimized. In the present study, we investigated the effective and sufficient intensity for growing plants of two


LAMA 677 also reached a D-3-hydroxybutyrate (P(3HB)) content of 78.63% (dry biomass), which was 3.5 times higher than that of LAMA 685. In the assay of the production of P(3HB) from low-cost substrates (seawater and biodiesel waste glycerol), LAMA 677 reached a polymer content of 31.7%, while LAMA 685 reached 53.6%. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the selected marine strains have the potential to produce PHA, and seawater and waste glycerol may be alternative substrates for the production of this polymer.Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of biopolymers with numerous applications, but the high cost of production has prevented their use. To reduce this cost, there is a prospect for strains with a high PHA production and the ability to grow in low-cost by-products. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate marine bacteria capable of producing PHA. Using Nile red, 30 organisms among 155 were identified as PHA producers in the medium containing starch, and 27, 33, 22 and 10 strains were found to be positive in media supplemented with carboxymethyl cellulose, glycerol, glucose and Tween 80, respectively. Among the organisms studied, two isolates, LAMA 677 and LAMA 685, showed strong potential to produce PHA with the use of glycerol as the carbon source, and were selected for further studies. In the experiment used to characterize the growth kinetics, LAMA 677 presented a higher maximum specific growth rate (µmax = 0.087 h PHAs  are a class of polyesters produced by prokaryotic microorganisms that are accumulated inside cells as carbon and energy reserves ,2. TheseCupriavidus necator, Azohydromonas lata and Azotobacter vinelandii. However, the other organisms capable of using low-cost substrates, accumulating a high PHA content, presenting high productivity, producing copolymers from single carbon sources, and producing other PHA monomer compositions have high economic importance [Halomonas hydrothermalis, which was able to accumulate a polyhydroxybutyrate (P(3HB)) content of 75.8% when cultivated in residual glycerol as the only source of carbon [Halomonas spp. have been isolated and showed great potential for low-cost PHA production. Halomonas sp. TD01 grew rapidly to over 80 g/L cell dry weight (CDW) in a lab fermentor and accumulated a P(3HB) content of over 80% on a glucose–salt medium [H. campaniensis LS21 was able to grow in artificial seawater and kitchen-waste-like mixed substrates consisting of cellulose, proteins, fats, fatty acids and starch [There are bacteria known to be PHA producers, such as portance ,4,6,7. Aportance , the marf carbon . Two otht medium . H. campd starch .Halomonas TD01. Moreover, a study by Kawata and Aiba [Halomonas sp. KM-1 in unsterilized medium cultures. Additionally, seawater can be used as a source of minerals and low-cost nutrients for cultivation, according to a study conducted by Pandian et al. [Bacillus megaterium SRKP-3 (an organism isolated from the marine environment) from seawater, milk residues and rice bran. According to Yin et al. [There are low-cost ways to synthesize PHAs with the use of halophilic bacteria  whose saand Aiba  reportedn et al.  which iln et al. , due to Therefore, this study describes a search for marine bacteria for PHA production using low-cost substrates, as well as the growth, productivity, and PHA characteristics of the selected producers.In the present study, marine bacteria maintained in the culture collection of the Laboratory of Applied Microbiology (LAMA) of the University of Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI) were used. The bacteria were obtained through the South Atlantic MAR-ECO Patterns and Processes of the Ecosystems of The Southern Mid-Atlantic projects. The organisms were isolated from sediment and water samples collected between the surface and a depth of 5500 m from the Mid-South Atlantic ridge, the Rio Grande Rise and the Walvis Ridge.4·7H2O, 0.745 g of KCl, 1.47 g of CaCl2·2H2O, 6.05 g of Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (C4H11NO3), 6.65 g of NH4Cl, 0.062 g of K2HPO4·3H2O, and 0.026 g of FeSO4·7H2O. In order to evaluate the potential of the bacteria to produce PHA, all media (except the control) were supplemented with Nile red , using a stock solution (0.025% m/v in dimethyl sulfoxide). Methods using Nile red are fast and can detect PHA inside intact cells [p< 0.05), Dunn’s test was applied. Statistical analyses were performed using BioEstat  and Statistica  software.All isolates were evaluated based on their ability to synthesize PHAs according to the method described by Spiekermann et al. . Thus, tct cells ,19; howect cells . Organisct cells  and Reddct cells . In thisThe preculture was prepared by inoculating isolated bacterial colonies in Zobell Marine Broth 2216 (CM) or the MM supplemented with glycerol (5%), and cultivating  for 24–48 h. After growth, the preinoculum (10% v/v) was precipitated via centrifugation, and resuspended to assay the PHA production media. Then, the broth was divided into three aliquots (each 100 mL), and cultivated  to assay the PHA production. In the first evaluation round, the bacteria were cultured in a MM supplemented with one of the following carbon sources: (a) starch (2% w/v), (b) CMC (2% w/v), (c) glycerol (5% v/v), (d) glucose (5% w/v), or (e) Tween 80 (5% v/v). To evaluate the growth kinetics, cells were cultivated  for 143 h in a MM supplemented with glycerol (5% v/v). Periodically, samples were collected to determine the biomass using gravimetry.When evaluating the PHA synthesis from the low-cost carbon sources, different media formulations were used . For tho−1 of agar, and separately supplemented with the following carbon sources: starch (2% w/v), CMC (2% w/v), glycerol (5% v/v), glucose (5% v/v) and Tween 80 (5% v/v). After culturing, cells were resuspended in a saline solution, recovered, washed (with distilled water), lyophilized, weighed, and frozen for further analysis by GC .Assays were also conducted in semi-solid media. Organisms were inoculated (streak) and incubated  on the MM with 1.8 g·L2SO4/methanol (5:95) was added, along with 2 mL of chloroform and 250 μL of internal standard solution, which was composed of 20 mg of benzoic acid in 1 mL of methanol. Due to the reduced biomass in some assays, 1 mL of chloroform was added during methanolysis. The tubes were then heated (100 °C) in a dry block for 3 h with occasional stirring. After the reaction, the tubes were cooled to room temperature, 1 mL of distilled water was added, and the tubes were vortexed for 30 s and left for phase separation. The chloroform phase was transferred to chromatography vials for analysis. A Shimadzu gas chromatograph (model 17A) equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID) adjusted to 280 °C was used. The temperature program was set to an initial temperature of 50 °C for 2 min, then increased from 50 °C to 110 °C at a rate of 20 °C/min, and finally increased to 250 °C at a rate of 20 °C/min. The injector was maintained at 250 °C, and the oven was maintained at 120 °C. The column used was a VB-WAX (VICI) column, 30 m long, 0.25 mm in diameter, and with 0.25 mm film thickness. The volume injected was 1 μL, with the helium flow set at 1 mL/min, with a total run time of 12 min. The standard curve was made using P(3HB)  as an external standard, with a mass ranging from 0.005 to 0.020 g. The standards were submitted to the methanolysis process, as described previously for the bacterial samples.For PHA quantification, approximately 50 mg of freeze-dried cells were weighed and transferred to a screw-cap tube. Then, to extract the polymer and submit it to the methanolysis reaction to form monomers of methyl esters, 2 mL of HAmong the 155 isolates evaluated, 40.6% (63 isolates) presented fluorescence indicative of PHA production in at least one of the growth conditions tested. The results were distributed as follows: 19.4% (30 isolates) were active in one culture condition, 5.8% (9 isolates) were active in two mediums, 5.2% (8 isolates) were active in three mediums, 7.1% (11 isolates) were active in four mediums, 0.6% (1 isolate) was active in five mediums, 1.9% (3 isolates) were active in six mediums, and 0.6% (1 isolate) presented fluorescence in every medium tested . RegardiWhen considering the use of agro-industrial by-products as substrates to produce PHA, the great potential of some bacteria can be recognized, particularly the isolates LAMA 674, LAMA 677, LAMA 679 and M 199. The statistical analyses of the colony area and fluorescence on semi-solid media were not significantly different among organisms (data not shown). However, it was possible to identify the organisms with higher fluorescence and growth (area) in each medium, and these were selected for further evaluation. LAMA 679 and LAMA 732 growing in the AM medium were among the highest producers. On the other hand, LAMA 711 and LAMA 644 performed better in the AM medium supplemented with glucose, and LAMA 748 and LAMA 737 performed well in the MM with added starch. In the MM with CMC, LAMA 748 and LAMA 674 performed the best; in the MM with added glycerol, LAMA 685 and LAMA 677 were also sufficient. Finally, when cultivated in the MM with added Tween 80, LAMA 726 and M 199 presented the highest indices.According to the data provided by the MAR-ECO project, 49.7% of the isolates were obtained from water samples, and 50.3% were obtained from sediments. When considering the sea zonation defined by Hedgpeth , 76.6% o−1·h−1, reaching 1.41 ± 0.18 g·L−1 of biomass with 28.28% of a polymer identified by GC as P(3HB). Additionally, LAMA 685 presented better indices with a biomass of 2.03 ± 0.27 g·L−1 (32.79% P(3HB)) with 0.0098 g·L−1·h−1 productivity. A higher P(3HB) production was observed when the media was supplemented with glycerol as a carbon source. This condition was even better than when the media were supplemented with glucose, which is a readily assimilated source. For example, LAMA 685 accumulated 17% more biomass (2.03 g·L−1) and 3.4 times more P(3HB) (32.79%) when growing in glycerol compared to glucose as the carbon source. Similar results have been reported previously. Chien et al. [Escherichia coli cultures and reported PHA contents of up to 60% in relation to dry-weight PHA with the glycerol supply, and 38% when supplied with glucose as the carbon source. When evaluating different carbon sources, Mohandas et al. [−1 and 68% (w/w), respectively.Among the bacteria screened in the MM assay, those with higher intensities and colony areas were chosen to be evaluated for PHA production in liquid media. As shown in n et al.  evaluaten et al. , the orgn et al.  used recHalomonas boliviensis LC1, and obtained polymer yields ranging from 23.1% to 33.8% of biomass. Bertrand et al. [Pseudomonas pseudoflava supplied with xylose. Silva et al. [Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCIB 40045, a PHA content of 29.4% was obtained when residual frying oil was added to the culture. On the other hand, He et al. [Pseudomonas stutzeri 1317 in soybean oil.Due to the presence of insoluble substrates in some of the treatments tested, it was difficult to detect PHA production, as the biomass analyzed by GC consisted of both the microbial biomass and the residual substrate. Taking this into consideration, a new set of assays were carried out in a semi-solid medium, as an alternative to obtain cells free from the substrates. For instance, when using media supplemented with CMC, LAMA 674 and LAMA 748 produced PHA as 22.26% and 27.64% of biomass, respectively. Although the substrate used in this study was a source of carbon that is more easily assimilated by microorganisms compared to sources used in other studies, these results are comparable to a study by Van-Thuoc et al. . Van-Thud et al.  reporteda et al.  reporteda et al. , who usee et al.  achieved−1 of biomass, of which 22.74% was polymer, compared to the 28.28% of polymer produced in the previous liquid test. This fact can be explained by the longer cultivation time at this stage, allowing for the consumption of the polymer. Moreover, LAMA 685 in the same condition had a 78.63% yield of P(3HB) in the biomass. This value is higher than reported by Cavalheiro et al. [Cupriavidus necator DSM 545  under controlled conditions and high cellular concentrations, with a supply of pure glycerol. Mothes et al. [Cupriavidus necator JMP 134 at low cell concentrations using pure glycerol and obtained a 70% accumulation. When compared to other studies, the PHA content of LAMA 685 was similar. Zhu et al. [Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 17759 grown in a shaker using residual glycerol as the carbonic substrate. Kangsadan et al. [Cupriavidus necator ATCC 17699 with pure and residual glycerol and reached contents of 83.23% and 78.26%, respectively. Considering these results, the polymer content obtained in this experiment with LAMA 685 is relevant because it is comparable to that of the organisms used in the production of the polymer on a commercial scale.As the best productivity was obtained when using glycerol as the carbon source, this condition was further analyzed during bacterial growth. However, the biomass production was much lower than in the previous experiments. For example, LAMA 677 produced 0.16 g·Lo et al. , who reps et al.  culturedu et al.  reportedn et al.  cultivat−1 for LAMA 677 and μmax = 0.049 h−1 for LAMA 685. Piccoli et al. [−1. Rodrigues [−1 in glucose, apple cake and starch residues, respectively, in cultures of Cupriavidus necator DSM 545. Nascimento et al. [Burkholderia sacchari LFM 101 on glucose, sucrose and glycerol, but did not observe differences in the maximum specific growth rates obtained with glucose and sucrose (an average of 0.539 h−1). However, the highest PHA productivity (0.054 g·L−1·h−1) was seen with glucose at 35 °C.Compared to the literature, the maximum specific growth rates obtained in this study were lower, possibly because the medium culture used was poorer in nutrients than those employed in other studies. The values of maximum specific growth rates (μmax) obtained were μmax = 0.087 hi et al.  studied odrigues  reportedo et al.  cultured−1 biomass, with 64.28% P(3HB) content, and LAMA 685 produced 0.95 ± 0.06 g·L−1 biomass including 43.64% of the biopolymer. When the carbon source increased to 10%, the biomass of LAMA 677 decreased to 0.85 ± 0.05 g·L−1, corresponding to a 23.4% reduction in total biomass. In terms of the P(3HB) content, the numbers showed a small decrease when comparing the two concentrations of the carbon source (64.28% at 5% glycerol and 64.04% at 10% glycerol), corresponding to a reduction of 0.24% in the total biomass. The biomass produced by LAMA 685 in the 10% glycerol assay resulted in 0.36 ± 0.07 g·L−1, presenting a 62% reduction, and 28.08% P(3HB), presenting a reduction of 15.56%. The negative effect of increasing the concentration of pure glycerol on the growth of organisms has already been reported in other studies. Zhu et al. [Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 17759 and obtained lower biomass values in the assay of 9% pure glycerol (1.3 g·L−1) compared to the assay of 3% of the same carbon source, which yielded 2.8 g·L−1.An increase in the concentration of pure glycerol in the MM led to a reduction in the dry biomass as well as the PHA content in the cells, as seen in u et al.  culturedTo evaluate the production of P(3HB) from low-cost minerals and nutrients, a medium composed of seawater and pure glycerol (5%) was used. When comparing this condition to a treatment where the MM was used instead of seawater, a drastic reduction in growth was evident. For instance, the biomass production levels in LAMA 677 and LAMA 685 were approximately 90% and 70% lower, respectively, when using seawater. The seawater used in the medium culture was collected on the Brazilian continental shelf, where the currents have low nutrient concentrations, as reported by Yoneda . These l−1 and 31.7% for the LAMA 677 isolate, and 0.32 ± 0.01 g·L−1 and 53.6% for LAMA 685. When using the 10% residual glycerol culture media, LAMA 677 showed no growth, and LAMA 685 presented lower values in relation to the other treatment (5% glycerol). This result was also observed by Zhu et al. [Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 17759 cultures with residual glycerol in concentrations ranging from 3% to 9%. The authors reported that the increase in the carbon source concentration resulted in a gradual reduction of biomass and PHA content in the cells. Shrivastav et al. [Pannonibacter phragmitetus ERC8 isolate was found to be capable of producing PHA (0.43 g·L−1) from residual glycerol as the sole carbon source. The maximum PHA production was 1.36 g·L−1 when a low concentration (0.80%) of residual glycerol was applied [Bacillus megaterium. The study successfully produced 4.8 g·L−1 of P(3HB) using 2% (w/v) purified glycerol under controlled conditions. Similarly, Jincy et al. [−1) using 2% (v/v) residual glycerol by Bacillus firmus NII 0830. A study by Hermann-Krauss et al. [Haloferax mediterranei. This finding demonstrated that expensive carbon sources for archaic PHA production can be replaced with low residual glycerol phase surplus products from the biodiesel production process.A low-cost medium composed of seawater as a source of nutrients and minerals, and residual biodiesel glycerol as the carbon source was also tested as a medium for bacterial PHA production. In this case, the medium was supplied with two concentrations of the carbon source, 5% and 10%. The first assay resulted in a biomass and P(3HB) content of 0.06 ± 0.01 g·Lu et al.  in Burkh applied . Naranjo applied  demonstrng PHA 0. g·L−1 frCupriavidus necator. When analyzing the biomass and the growth of Burkholderia sacchari using glycerol as a carbon source, the strain properly synthesized P(3HB); however, the biopolymers obtained from both fermentations with glycerol showed low molecular masses.Conversely, in work carried out by Rodríguez-Contreras et al. , the aut−1, representing an increase of 0.28 g·L−1 or 25.2%, compared to the use of pure glycerol. LAMA 685 reached a value of 2.71 ± 0.96 g·L−1, with the biomass 2.85 times greater than that recorded in the test with pure glycerol. Thus, the best growth rates occurred when residual glycerol was added to the culture medium. It is possible that this result was obtained as a function of the nutrients contained in the carbon source, as Thompson and He [−1), potassium (216.7 mg·L−1), magnesium (0.4 to 126.7 mg·L−1), phosphorus (12.0 to 134.7 mg·L−1), sulfur (14.0 to 128.0 mg·L−1), and sodium (1.07 to 1.4 mg·L−1) when analyzing residual glycerol from several companies.The impurities present in the residual glycerol vary according to the raw material and the biodiesel production process, as seen from the characterizations. Onwudili and Williams  describen and He  found vaHalomonas sp. KM-1. The study reported the lowest PHA content in the medium with added biodiesel by-product, compared to purified glycerol. When Cupriavidus necator bacteria was cultured in pure and residual glycerol, Posada et al. [−1 of PHA in the purified substrate and 27.8 g·L−1 in the crude substrate. Kangsadan et al. [Escherichia coli. This fact can be explained by the influence of impurities in the residual glycerol on PHA synthesis.LAMA 677 had a lower biomass P(3HB) value of 11.34%  when grown in residual glycerol (5%) than when grown in a medium with pure glycerol. Other studies have also shown the negative effect of residual glycerol on the accumulation of PHA compared to pure glycerol when used in the same concentrations. This difference also occurred in a study by Kawata and Aiba , which ua et al.  measuredn et al.  reportedn et al.  reportedPandoraea sp. MA03 showed strong potential to produce P(3HB) from crude glycerol. Experiments were performed for a 10–50 g·L−1 carbon source, and the best values for P(3HB) production were shown in crude glycerol cultivations, compared to pure glycerol, with a polymer accumulation ranging from 49.0% to 63.6% cell dry weight. Based on the P(3HB) production parameters of the evaluated organisms, it is possible to conclude that LAMA 685 has a higher capacity to tolerate impurities in crude glycerol, even though lower growth rates occurred in the medium formulated with seawater and residual glycerol (10%), especially considering that LAMA 677 did not show any growth under the same conditions. Additionally, the cultivation of LAMA 685 in the MM with residual glycerol (5%) resulted in superior biomass, 1.76 g·L−1, when compared to the MM with pure glycerol (5%). Moreover, LAMA 677 showed an increase of 0.28 g·L−1 in total biomass when using residual glycerol, although the biomass results obtained from both organisms in the MM supplemented with 5% pure glycerol were similar. In addition, LAMA 685 was found to be very similar in P(3HB) content in the assays of the MM with 5% pure or residual glycerol, whereas LAMA 677 achieved a lower P(3HB) content in the residual glycerol cultivation.In a recent study by de Paula et al. , Pandora−1 in LAMA 677 and 0.17 g·L−1 in LAMA 685. When compared to the results of Pandian et al. [Bacillus megaterium SRKP-3 (isolated organism from the marine environment) in a medium formulated with low-value inputs including seawater, rice bran and dairy residues, the low PHA content is verified, as they obtained results ranging from 0.196 to 6.376 g·L−1 of PHA. However, in the study by Pandian et al. [The isolates cultured in low-cost media  expressed a P(3HB) content of 0.02 g·Ln et al. , who evan et al. , the culn et al. , the effn et al.  was compIt is possible to conclude that marine bacteria have great potential for PHA production. Specifically, the use of marine bacteria from the epipelagic zone, which are exposed to a myriad of substrates, increases the opportunity to accumulate the biopolymer as an energy reserve. This ability was verified in the laboratory when isolates were able to use various carbon sources simulating agro-industrial residues . Two isolates that were efficient in producing PHA in a high concentration from pure glycerol were further investigated. In addition, the potential of those selected bacteria to synthesize P(3HB) using seawater and residual glycerol from biodiesel as the culture media was revealed. These bacteria will be further characterized in order to optimize their production and evaluate their performance in other low-cost substrates, as well to conduct their molecular identification. These results open a new avenue to explore marine bacteria as efficient converters of by-products into biomass rich in PHA, thus reducing the production costs.


Background: It is well documented that individuals coping with adverse events report both negative outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms, as well as positive changes, described as posttraumatic growth. Positive changes are also reported in people who have recovered from substance abuse. It seems plausible from the literature that both of these types of positive changes have elements in common. To date, no published studies have examined positive outcomes among people who have recovered from addiction.Objectives: In this study, posttraumatic growth in individuals who were formerly addicted to alcohol or substances, termed ‘addiction-related growth,’ was examined. Addiction-related growth refers to the growth that an individual undergoes as a result of the addiction itself, and the recovery from the addiction. A successful recovery from addiction is associated with positive changes, particularly regarding spirituality and meaning-making, and the construct of addiction-related growth may explain why.Method: This cross-sectional study examined growth among 104 individuals who had recovered from addiction who were recruited from addiction treatment programmes, between February and July 2012. Questionnaires assessed demographics and substance abuse use and treatment, posttraumatic growth (PTGI); social support ; and help-seeking . Data was analysed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlations, and multiple regression.Results: Results indicated that addiction-related growth is a phenomenon that accurately captures the positive changes experienced as a result of an individual’s struggle with addiction and recovery. This growth was found to be associated with participation in 12-steps programmes, and to be predicted by levels of perceived social support.Conclusions: The results show that recovery from addiction is associated with addiction-related growth. These positive changes, along with the importance of communal social support, resemble the changes that take place as a result of processes described in 12-steps programmes. In addition, the struggle with recovery is in and of itself a daunting challenge  that are similar to those of people who experienced traumatic events Washton, .The current study attempts to further the knowledge in this area by way of examining PTG as well as two other factors that are related both to successful recovery and to PTG – social support and willingness to seek help , 11 women (11%), and four individuals (3.8%) who did not specify their gender. Twenty-six (25%) were married, 33 (31.7%) were single, 37(35.6%) were divorced, and three (2.9%) were widowed or separated. Subjects’ ages ranged from 21 to 62 years of age (mean age 40.2). All subjects were Israeli nationals, with 52.8% born in Israel; the remainder were immigrants, with 34.6% born in the former Soviet Union, 3.8% born in Europe or America, and 3.8% born in Asia and Africa.2.2.The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University and the Division of Research of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and was conducted between February and July 2012. The researcher (EH) contacted administrators at public health service addiction treatment centres throughout Israel, and received permission to carry out the study. Questionnaires were then distributed to participants in a group setting.2.3.Measures were administered either in Hebrew or Russian, depending on the participant’s first language. All questionnaires were translated into Hebrew and Russian, and back-translated.2.3.1.Information regarding gender, age, marital status, and birthplace was gathered. In addition, items covered substance use, addiction recovery, treatment, and level of involvement in Narcotics Anonymous/Alcoholics Anonymous (NA/AA). Substance abuse was assessed by asking participants which substances they had used that impacted them. Recovery was assessed by asking participants about time periods they considered themselves clean. Both these variables were assessed subjectively.2.3.1.1.This 30-item questionnaire consists of three parts: the individual’s recognition of the existence of a problem s/he cannot cope with alone; his/her willingness to share this problem with another person; his/her willingness to hand over some of the control of his/her life to someone else. Questions are scored on a 4-point score, 0 to 3. Cronbach’s alpha for the current study was 0.75.2.3.1.2.This 12-item questionnaire examines the perception of social support relating to three sources of support: family, friends, and significant others. Items are answered on a 7-point scale, 1 to 7. Cronbach’s alpha for the current study was 0.805.2.3.1.3.This is a 21-item questionnaire relating to the change experienced by a person since the time of the traumatic event, and is divided into five dimensions: (1) a recognition of new possibilities in life and changing priorities; (2) changing relationships with others; (3) attributing meaning to the personal strength of the body; (4) personal and spiritual development, and (5) a greater appreciation of life. Questions are answered on a 6-point scale, 1 to 6. Cronbach’s alpha for the current study was 0.92.2.4.Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software, version No. 21. Differences between groups were calculated using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Relationships between the study variables were calculated using Pearson correlations. The relative contribution of each variable to explain the variance of posttraumatic growth was calculated using a stepwise multiple regression.3.3.1.As can be seen in M = 99.88, SD = 17.57) was significantly correlated with frequency of NA/AA attendance , help-seeking, , and social support  but not length of abstinence.Correlations between study variables are shown in N = 50) with those who had not (N = 50). Participants in 12-steps programmes had been abstinent significantly longer, F = 7.70, p = .007, ηp 2 = .07; reported significantly higher social support, F = 7.005, p = .01, ηp 2 = .06; and showed higher PTG in the new possibilities subscale, F = 6.59, p = .01, ηp 2 = .07, and the spiritual change subscale, F = 11.85, p = .001, ηp 2 = .11.An analysis of variance compared those who had participated in a 12-steps programme (N = 20) were compared with those who had not served as a sponsor (N = 81) in regard to length of abstinence, PTG subscales, help-seeking, and social support. A one-way ANOVA showed that sponsors, as compared with those who had not taken on this role, had been abstinent significantly longer, F = 32.92, p = .00, ηp 2 = .25, and reported significantly higher levels of PTG in three subscales: personal strength, F = 4.1, p = .04, ηp 2 = .04; spiritual change, F = 6.29, p = .01, ηp 2 = .06; and appreciation of life, F = 7.94, p = .006, ηp 2 = .07.Participants who had served as a sponsor  = 4.9, p < .01; beta = 0.4, p < .01), no other variables were significant.To test the hypothesis that the total level of PTG was a function of frequency of NA/AA meeting attendance, 12-steps programme participation, acting as a sponsor, length of abstinence, help-seeking, and social support, a multiple regression analysis was performed. The results of the regression indicated that social support explained 21.8% of the variance in PTG (adj R2 = .218, 4.This study examined posttraumatic growth in treatment seeking patients who had been addicted to alcohol or substances. The results support the existence of addiction-related growth, replicating the findings of the one previous study that was conducted on this subject Washton, . AlthougThe path to recovery following addiction has been thoroughly studied and described, and successful recovery from addictions has been found to be associated with changes in priorities and increased self-awareness (McMillen, Howard, Nower, & Chung, This study showed that greater frequency of participation in self-help addiction-recovery programmes was significantly correlated with PTG levels. Participants in 12-steps programmes reported a more successful recovery – in terms of length of abstinence – as well as higher levels of spiritual growth and the ability to recognize and consider new possibilities in life. Acting as a sponsor was also related to greater length of abstinence, spiritual growth, personal strength, and appreciation of life. Taken together, these findings confirm the study hypotheses and demonstrate that greater participation in self-help programmes, with their emphasis on growth, is related to greater PTG.When an individual enters a self-help programme, s/he is by definition seeking help, and indeed help-seeking is seen as a key element – perhaps even the initial element – of these programmes. Seeking help indicates a readiness to accept assistance and a basic commitment to undergo change; by contrast, a reluctance to seek help is interpreted as a wish to deny the existence of a problem and a lack of motivation to change (Grella & Stein, The major finding of this study regards the relationship found between social support and posttraumatic growth: i.e. social support increases as PTG increases, and it is the only significant predictor of PTG. Social support for traumatized individuals, particularly from other individuals who have experienced similar traumatic events, is a key concept in PTG development, and there is clear evidence that it helps mitigate the negative effects of traumatic events (Andrews, Brewin, & Rose, As in the treatment of post-trauma victims, social support is also a key element in addiction treatment programmes. Individuals who are addicted come to understand that ‘loneliness is an enemy,’ and learn to give up the addictive substance in favour of intimacy, intimate interpersonal relationships, and trust Ronel, . Help giThis study has several limitations. The research tools used may not have been optimal: the willingness to seek help scale is long, and it was difficult for the participants to complete. Additional information regarding background variables were omitted. In addition, the sample was a convenience sample, and was made up of a large preponderance of individuals who took part in NA/AA programmes and came from public care settings. As both groups receive a great deal of social support, in comparison with others recovering from addiction, the results found here should be replicated among a more heterogeneous group.A third limitation is related to the reliability of research findings. Like many other studies on posttraumatic growth (Nishi, Matsuoka, & Kim, 5.This study indicates that although addiction, and recovery from addiction, are processes that are related to adversity, they can also result in positive psychological outcomes. Addiction-related growth as a concept allows for a better understanding of these positive changes, and how they are related to social support and treatment type. Finally, 12-steps programmes may yield positive results, due to their emphasis on social support.


Recently evidence for LPV in general anaesthesia has been accumulated, but it is not yet generally applied by anaesthesiologists in the operating room.The benefits of lung-protective ventilation (LPV) with a low tidal volume , limited plateau pressure  and used PEEP more frequently  for laparoscopic surgery than did those without such knowledge. Anaesthesiologists who were able to answer a question related to LPV correctly  applied a lower tidal volume in cases of laparoscopic surgery and obese patients. There was an increase in the number of patients receiving LPV (VT < 10 mL/kgIBW and PEEP ≥5 cm H2O) between 2004 and 2014 .Anaesthesiologists who had received training in LPV were more knowledgeable about this approach. Anaesthesiologists with knowledge of the concept behind LPV strategies applied a lower tidal volume (median (IQR [range]), 8.2 (8.0–9.2 [7.1–10.3]) vs. 9.2 (9.1–10.1 [7.6–10.1]) mL/kg; Our study suggests that the knowledge of LPV is directly related to its implementation, and can explain the increase in LPV use in general anaesthesia. Further studies should assess the impact of using intraoperative LPV on clinical outcomes and should determine the efficacy of education on intraoperative LPV implementation.The online version of this article (10.1186/s12871-018-0495-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. T) between 10 and 15 mL/kg of body weight, and without positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), to prevent atelectasis  – 60).Female patients: IBW (kg) = 45.5 + 2.3 (height [inches] – 60).T > 10 mL/kgIBW and/or PEEP < 5 cmH2O as non-LPV ). For intergroup comparisons, the chi-square test was used for categorical variables, and Student’s  studies –16. All p = 0.367; odds ratio [OR] = 2.32 ).Application of LPV during general anaesthesia varied in accordance with the cognizance of LPV among the anaesthesiologists. While 73 respondents answered that they knew about LPV, 8 did not; 1 of the fellows had not responded to this question. In a multiple-choice question, 63 respondents chose the correct answer and 19 chose the wrong answer. There was no significant difference in the percentage of correctness between the conceptual group and non-conceptual group  vs. 9.2 (9.1–10.1 [7.6–10.1]) mL/kg; (p = 0.033).Anaesthesiologists with knowledge of the concept of LPV  applied LPV more often during general anaesthesia than those without knowledge of LPV . The conceptual group used PEEP more often than the non-conceptual group in terms of the number of respondents who routinely applied PEEP during anaesthesia . The level of PEEP (median (interquartile range)) applied in laparoscopic surgery was 5.0  in both groups. In non-laparoscopic surgery cases, there was no significant difference between the conceptual and non-conceptual groups in terms of median VT/kgIBW, at 6.9 (6.3–7.6 [5.9–8.6]) vs. 6.8 (6.1–7.6 [6.0–7.6]) mL/kg (p = 0.533), or application of PEEP  vs. 8.3 (7.1–9.1 [6.4–9.1]) mL/kg (p = 0.571), or application of PEEP , and 5.0 , respectively (p = 0.219).The percentage of respondents who applied PEEP in laparoscopic surgery was also higher in the conceptual group than in the non-conceptual group; of the 73 respondents in the conceptual group, 69 responded that they applied PEEP during laparoscopic surgery, while only 5 of the 8 respondents in the non-conceptual group answered that they applied PEEP  vs. 9.6 (8.8–10.2 [8.2–12.1]) mL/kg (p <  0.001). In cases of obese patients, the median VT/kgIBW in the correct answer group was lower than that in the incorrect answer group, at 7.8 (7.6–8.3 [6.1–9.1]) vs. 8.8 (7.6–9.1 [6.4–12.1]) mL/kg (p = 0.014). However, in non-laparoscopic surgery cases, there was no significant difference between the correct answer and incorrect answer groups in terms of median VT/kgIBW, at 7.1 (6.3–7.5 [5.7–8.5]) vs. 6.7 (6.0–7.3 [6.0–8.2]) mL/kg (p = 0.109). The level of PEEP applied was comparable between the 2 groups for cases of laparoscopic surgery, non-laparoscopic surgery, and obese patients, at 5.0 , 5.0 , and 5.0 , respectively.Anaesthesiologists who chose the correct answer to a multiple-choice question (correct answer group) applied lower Vp = 0.027; OR = 4.39 ). Of the 62 respondents in the conceptual group, 60 responded that they applied PEEP in obese patients, while 14 of the 18 respondents in the incorrect answer group answered that they applied PEEP .The correct answer group included more respondents who routinely applied PEEP during anaesthesia than the incorrect answer group , open abdominal surgery (n = 224), head and neck surgery (n = 228), orthopaedic surgery (n = 58), urological surgery (n = 44), spine surgery (n = 69), and other surgeries (n = 112). The categories of patients in 2014 were as follows: laparoscopic surgery, (n = 132), open abdominal surgery (n = 70), head and neck surgery (n = 350), orthopaedic surgery, (n = 127), urological surgery (n = 46), spine surgery (n = 17), and other surgeries (n = 76).The patients were categorised according to the type of surgery. The categories of patients in 2004 were as follows: laparoscopic surgery (T < 10 mL/kgIBW and PEEP ≥5 cm H2O) between 2004 and 2014 .There was a significant increase in the number of patients receiving LPV . Similarly, the mean VT/kgIBW had reduced between 2004 and 2014 . In both 2004 and 2014, there was a significant correlation between VT and IBW (p <  0.01), with a stronger correlation in 2014   and no PEEP), intraoperative LPV strategies involving low VT (6–8 mL/kgIBW), high PEEP (> 5 cmH2O), and intermittent recruitment manoeuvres were associated with a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of postoperative atelectasis, lung infection, and acute lung injury [According to our retrospective study, even in 2014, the LPV strategy was not fully implemented in the operating room at our institution. However, application of LPV has definitely increased , 32. Recg injury , 33. BecThere is typically a delay in dissemination of knowledge from the time of discovery of new evidence to its implementation in clinical practice . The curT for ARDS is common and varies according to the type and experience of the caregiver. A survey-based study on low-VT ventilation in patients with ARDS reported lower perception of barriers and higher knowledge-test scores among fellows and attending physicians than among interns and residents [T strategy increases after feedback and education involving presentation of actual ventilation settings and discussion on potential reasons for not using low-VT [In fact, previous studies have reported that anaesthetic induction skills—including tracheal intubation and arterial and central line catheterisation—could be improved by gaining experience and education through workshops –40. Addiesidents . Previoug low-VT , 41, 42.g low-VT .T < 10 mL/kgIBW and PEEP ≥5 cmH2O) had significantly increased over a span of 10 years. These results correspond with those of earlier studies. In a 5-year retrospective study, Hess et al. reported a reduction in the percentage of patients receiving ventilation with VT > 10 mL/kgIBW and without PEEP during general anaesthesia [In our retrospective study, the percentage of cases involving intraoperative LPV (Vesthesia .T/kgIBW among obese patients (BMI > 30 kg/m2) had significantly reduced between 2004 and 2014, while the usage of PEEP in this subgroup had significantly increased. The results of regression analysis revealed a significant difference in the factors affecting VT settings between the 2 study periods. In 2004, VT was associated with laparoscopic surgery as well as sex, height, and weight; in contrast, in 2014, only sex, height, and weight were associated with VT. Prone position was not associated with VT.In the present study, the mean VT during laparoscopic surgery than during other open surgeries . A possible explanation for this trend is that the VT was inevitably set low for laparoscopic surgery, where the peak inspiratory pressure increases markedly [T between laparoscopic and open abdominal surgery . The knowledge of LPV has been accepted by anaesthesiologists, and the LPV strategy has been applied more frequently in open surgery. The variation in ventilator settings during open surgery seems to have reduced with the increase in number of and familiarity with laparoscopic surgeries over a span of 10 years [In 2004, anaesthesiologists tended to set lower Vmarkedly , 44. In 10 years . These tT < 10 mL/kgIBW and PEEP ≥5 cmH2O) in our study—although based on previous studies [The present study has some limitations. First, the questionnaires were given to predominantly junior anaesthesiologists, of which most would have trained in the era of LPV. The answers given to the questions and the actual practice may differ , in that studies , 25, 26 In summary, in a questionnaire survey, we found that anaesthesiologists with cognizance of LPV applied LPV more often during general anaesthesia than those without cognizance of LPV. This finding explains the results of our retrospective study, which demonstrated that adoption of LPV during general anaesthesia increased significantly over a period of 10 years. Further studies assessing the impact of intraoperative LPV on clinical outcome are required, and more research to determine the efficacy of intraoperative LPV education is needed.Additional file 1:Questionnaire for the setting up of intraoperative respiratory parameters. (DOCX 12 kb)


AbstractAcromegalomma, nomen novum, is introduced as a replacement name for the polychaete genus Megalomma Johansson, 1926 , preoccupied by Megalomma Westwood, 1842 . The historical background of the homonymy and a full list with 36 new combinations in the new genus are included, while two species are considered as species inquirenda. Megalomma  was established by BranchiommasensuBranchiommakoellikeri Claparède, 1869. However, the name Megalomma is preoccupied by Megalomma Westwood, 1842 , a well-established genus of tiger beetles from the Mascarene Islands. Megalomma Johansson, 1926 has no known available or potentially valid synonyms, for which reason, and in accordance with Article 60.3 of the The genus Megalomma was first used as a subgenus of Cicindela Linnaeus, 1758  by Cicindela  vigilans Westwood, 1842, and raised to the generic level the following year by M.fulgens W. Horn, 1892; M.janaki Moravec, 2007; M.oculatum ; M.pierreorum Deuve, 2000; and M.viridulum , which includes as a synonym the type species of the genus, M.vigilans .The name Megalomma was created by Hymenoptera (Insecta), to include three new species from Brazil: Megalommapolitum Smith, 1873, M.elegans Smith, 1873, and M.nigriceps Smith, 1873. Later Megalomma Westwood, 1842 and replaced it by the new name Megistommum Schulz, 1906.A second genus Megalomma was first used by BranchiommasensuDasychone introduced by Branchiomma for the same group, to include Amphitritebombyx Dalyell, 1853 . However, instead of synonymizing the junior Dasychone into Branchiomma, Branchiomma, with the following justification:In polychaetes, the name Quoi qu’il en soit, le nom deDasychonea pris place dans la science, et celui deBranchiommaest à peu près oublié. Je pense pourtant pouvoir ressusciter celui-ci, en tenant compte des scrupules de M. Sars, et sans proscrire le nom deDasychone. Dans son mémoire sur le genreBranchiomma, M. Kölliker décrit en outre de laDasychone Bombyx une autre espèce qu’il n’a étudiée que d’une manière très-cursive, il est vrai, dans le golfe de Naples, et qui est caractérisée par des yeux à l’extrémité des branchies. Cette espèce que j’ai retrouvée n’est point uneDasychone. Elle pourra rester dorénavant l’espèce-type du genreBranchiomma.Amphitritebombyx Dalyell, 1853 to Dasychone , as can be inferred by the fact that he wrote “GenreBranchiommaKoellkr. char. em.”  new subgenus , for Cicindella  vigilans Westwood, 1842.1842. Westwood (p. 203): Megalomma raised to generic level.1843. Lacordaire (p. 113): Branchiomma new genus , for Amphitritebombyx Dalyell, 1853 .1858. Kölliker (p. 537): Branchiomma redefined , for Branchiommakoellikeri Claparède, 1869. Amphitritebombyx Dalyell, 1853 assigned to Dasychone Sars, 1862.1869. Claparède (p. 162–163): Megalomma new genus , for Megalommapolitum Smith, 1873, M.elegans Smith, 1873, and M.nigriceps Smith, 1873.1873. Smith (p. 405): Megistommum new name , replacement name for Megalomma Smith, 1873.1906. Schulz (p. 200): Megalomma new genus , to include Branchiommasensu Claparède, 1869 .1926. Johansson (p. 10): Acromegalomma new name , replacement name for Megalomma Johansson, 1926.Present study. Acromegalomma new name a list of valid Megalomma species was compiled based on WoRMS  from the general geographic limits described by the authors. All geolocations were converted to decimal degrees.Each new combination is accompanied by the reference of the original description, synonymies, type locality of the species and remarks, when necessary. Type locality is based on the original description, except where indicated. Geolocations of type localities are derived from the original descriptions, being considered an “original geolocation” when the authors provided the coordinates, or “estimated geolocation”, when estimated using Google Earth , according to recommendation 60A of the The type species of the new genus is Branchiommakoellikeri Claparède, 1869 deposited at the Zoological Museum of Berlin (currently the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin), with the reference number ZMB 6387. B.koellikeri is desirable, it is out of the scope of the present work.Following his principle of basing observations and descriptions only on live organisms Édouard Claparède did not designate type material or deposit specimens in museums or collections . Howeveracro, meaning “tip end” or “extremity of a body”, mega, meaning “big” or “large”, and the suffix –omma, a noun meaning “eye”, and referring to the big compound eyes located on the radiolar subdistal region, typical of the genus.The name of the new genus is composed by combining the Greek terms for Neuter.Megalomma Johansson should be considered as “1926”. It was generally accepted as being “1927” until Tryckt den 5 november 1925” (“Printed the 5 November 1925”) and in the following line “PageBreakUppsala 1925. Almquist & Wiksells Boktryckeri-A.-B.” This date is also present in existing reprints of the paper. However, the bounded volume comprising the article provides the publication date as “Häfte 2 inneh. A N:o 6-12, [...] utkom den 5 juni 1926” . This booklet includes article 7A by Johansson, where the name Megalomma is introduced for polychaetes. Hence, the work was printed in 5 November 1925, but published only in the following year, on 5 June 1926.The publication date of the genus Acromegalomma, nomen novum is represented by 36 valid species, all of them new combinations.The genus Taxon classificationAnimaliaSabellidaSabellidaecomb. n.Sabellaacrophthalmos1.25°, 103.85°; estimated geolocation) or Philippines .Singapore comb. nov.Megalommaadriaticum40.65°, 17.95°; original geolocation).Brindisi, Italy, South Adriatic Sea comb. n.Branchiommabioculatum24.6181°, -83.0517°; original geolocation).West of Dry Tortugas, Straits of Florida comb. n.Megalommacarunculatasic]            Branchiommavigilans40.7°, 14.3°; estimated geolocation).Gulf of Naples, Mediterranean Sea , and later by A.aculeata specimens. A.aculeata collected in the region of Valencia to this species, but this record is very dubious, as not only was the worm not present but also the nature of the tube differed from that described by B.vigilans is known to exist  (see above), and has since remained a poorly known but valid taxon  was originally found as an epibiont of the sea mouseAphroditaaculeataLinnaeus, 1758, in the Mediterranean Sea, however, no new records of this association exist. [...] In the case ofM.vigilans, the description is poor, the type is lost and there are no additional records.Megalommavigilans is unusual, and there are no references of similar cases in the family Sabellidae. It is possible that the habitat is an artefact resulting from the collection process, and that the presence of the species on individuals of Aphroditaaculeata was the consequence of the rough treatment and mixing suffered by the biological material collected by grabs and trawls, or even during the processing of the samples. So, the presence of M.vigilans on A.aculeata could be a post-collection phenomenon, and not the natural habitat of the worm. It is difficult or even impossible to know if the records by M.vigilans is not as uncommon as it seems, but that for some reason it has not been collected or recognised. For the time being, M.vigilans is here considered as a species inquirenda.The described habitat of Taxon classificationAnimaliaSabellidaSabellidaeJohansson, 1927Megalommapacificasic]  [0.14°, 173.56°; estimated geolocation), and Tapeteuea (= Tabiteuea) Island, inside the lagoon , both at Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, Pacific Ocean.Syntypes collected at Aranuka Island, outside the coral reef (PageBreakMegalommapacificum Johansson, 1927 probably belongs to the genus Demonax Kinberg, 1867 (a name recently replaced by Parasabella Bush, 1905 due to homonymy; see Parasabella species list given by Parasabella has been implicitly accepted by subsequent authors (According to  authors .