Biotechnological Journal of Environmental Microbiology
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Summer 2022

In this research, the results of the Human Genome Project (HGP) and the possible ethical problems it may cause were evaluated through concrete examples. In the study, it has been tried to reveal in detail how the social rights and freedoms, ethics, social norms and values of the individual will be affected and where the borders will begin and end in the event of the potential risks that HGP carries. Discussions have been made on the problem that the individual can be instrumentalized and turned into a commodity as a result of genetic interventions, and unfortunately, it has been determined that genetic interventions are in a structure that can lead to an intervention in the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual. The aim of this study is to show the usage areas of the human genome project and to examine the results of this project in terms of the ethical consequences of the techniques and applications used.

Azolla Filiculoides fern was utilized as a natural adsorbent to develop a magnetic solid phase extraction method for the preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of chlorpyrifos pesticide, which is a primary environmental concern. In this study, the magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) method using magnetite-modified azolla nanocomposites (azolla@Fe3O4 NCs) was developed to preconcentrate trace amounts of chlorpyrifos pesticide prior to UV-Vis spectroscopy. The structural characteristics of the synthesized nanocomposites (NCs) were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) methods. In the proposed MSPE method, after optimizing the adsorption/desorption variables in MSPE and obtaining the optimum level of each variable (adsorption step: Vsample = 50 mL, contact time = 15 min, solution pH = 3, adsorbent mass = 0.05 g, ionic strength = 0.01 mol L-1; desorption step: eluent type and volume = ethanol (2 mL) for 10 min), the desorbed ethanolic solution was spectrophotometrically investigated in the UV-Vis region. The results confirm the developed MSPE method can be used for the preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of chlorpyrifos in the aqueous samples.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the main cause of nosocomial infections, and is resistant to most antibiotics, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of different stress conditions on growth, the protein profile, and biochemical characteristics of this bacterium. The cells of P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 in the logarithmic phase were exposed to different stress factors such as sucrose concentration, ethanol, acid, osmotic pressure, and CoCl2. Following each stress condition, the growth and the survival of bacterial cells were determined. Microscopic observation showed morphological changes in different stress conditions. P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 tolerated up to pH 3, 55% (V/V) ethanol, and CoCl2 up to 7% (W/V), and beyond these amounts, the bacterium lost its ability to survive. Maximum tolerance to sucrose was about 35% (W/V). The results showed that different stress conditions could not effect on the main biochemical characteristics of P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Scanning electron microscopy of the cells exposed to different stress conditions showed wide changes in the morphology of cells. In addition, upon treating to different stresses significant changes were observed in the protein profile of P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 according to SDS-PAGE analysis. It can be concluded that severe environmental stresses have great effects on the growth pattern, phenotypic characteristics, and protein profile of P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. If the stresses induced all at once, they will cause the death, but if they are affected slowly and for longer period, most bacteria will be able to repair the damaged parts, and the growth of will resume.

Research on the hazardous waste of paint sludge is mostly focused on recovering the sludge and pollution control with methods such as solidification. This research aimed to study the comparison of biological removal of zinc from paint sludge using a native Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans PTCC 1692. Samples of water-based paint sludge were collected under aseptic conditions. Isolation of endogenous strains was performed in Bushnell-Haas (BH) medium from paint sludge, and A. thiooxidans PTCC 1692 was cultured in the medium 119. Optimization of the process parameters for the biological removal of zinc was performed using the design of the experimental (DOE) method for both organisms. The results showed that A. thiooxidans is capable of biological removal of zinc with a higher pulp density and with a more extended bioleaching period. The results of the chemical analysis show the removal of zinc metal by 57.76% compared to P. aeruginosa by 36.39%, and, the removal of other metals such as Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cd were observed in the residual sludge from the process. Energy Disperse X-Ray Analysis (EDX) showed the more favorable effect of this bacterium in reducing heavy metals.

Pimpinella saxifraga L. is a genus of aromatic plants native to northern Iran. Some of its medicinal benefits are already known. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Pimpinella saxifraga L. plant extract on some environmental isolates of Enterococcus faecalis and the HeLa cell line. After collecting the plant and drying it, methanolic and aqueous extracts were prepared. Since phenolic compounds have multiple effects, the number of phenolic compounds in the methanolic extract was measured by the Folin-ciocalteu method. Antibacterial activity against E. faecalis was first measured by disk diffusion, and then MIC and MBC were measured by the Microdilution method. Finally, the anti-proliferative activity of plant extracts on the cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) was investigated using the MTT method. The volume of phenolic compounds in the methanolic extract was 968.33 mg/ml. The investigation of the antimicrobial effect showed that the methanolic extract has significant effects against E. faecalis. The MIC and MBC of this extract were 25 and 100 mg/ml, respectively, and the growth of the cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) was inhibited by about 13% by using MIC concentration. The results of the experiments demonstrated that the methanolic extract of P. saxifraga L. has an inhibitory effect on the growth and proliferation of Enterococcus faecalis and the HeLa cell line.

We have known that microplastics (MPs) in the ocean are carriers of microbial dominated assemblages and rapidly are colonized by microbes when released into ocean. However, the role of microbial interactions with microplastics in marine ecosystems has been investigated in detail recently. The presence of microplastics in the marine environment has been raising global attention. Microparticles transport biofilm communities that are distinct from the surrounding environment. Although plastic-colonizing microorganisms are important for the fate of MPs in different ecosystems but its influence on the fate of microplastics is largely unknown. In this review, we focused on the establishment of plastic-specific biofilms (plastisphere); enrichment of pathogenic bacteria coupled to a vector function of microplastics; and the microbial degradation of microplastics in the marine environment. In addition providing a better understanding of plastisphere and biofilm expansion in marine environment, and discuss plastic biodegradation. Also, identification of potentially pathogenic “hitchhikers” in the plastisphere considered.