Single-agent romidepsin induced complete and durable responses with manageable toxicity in patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL across all major PTCL subtypes, regardless of the number or type of prior therapies. Results led to US Food and Drug Administration approval of romidepsin in this indication.

Subsurface amendments of slow-release substrates (e.g., emulsified vegetable oil [EVO]) are thought to be a pragmatic alternative to using short-lived, labile substrates for sustained uranium bioimmobilization within contaminated groundwater systems. Spatial and temporal dynamics of subsurface microbial communities during EVO amendment are unknown and likely differ significantly from those of populations stimulated by soluble substrates, such as ethanol and acetate. In this study, a one-time EVO injection resulted in decreased groundwater U concentrations that remained below initial levels for approximately 4 months. Pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR of 16S rRNA from monitoring well samples revealed a rapid decline in groundwater bacterial community richness and diversity after EVO injection, concurrent with increased 16S rRNA copy levels, indicating the selection of a narrow group of taxa rather than a broad community stimulation. Members of the Firmicutes family Veillonellaceae dominated after injection and most likely catalyzed the initial oil decomposition. Sulfate-reducing bacteria from the genus Desulforegula, known for long-chain fatty acid oxidation to acetate, also dominated after EVO amendment. Acetate and H 2 production during EVO degradation appeared to stimulate NO 3 ؊ , Fe(III), U(VI), and SO 4 2؊ reduction by members of the Comamonadaceae, Geobacteriaceae, and Desulfobacterales. Methanogenic archaea flourished late to comprise over 25% of the total microbial community. Bacterial diversity rebounded after 9 months, although community compositions remained distinct from the preamendment conditions. These results demonstrated that a one-time EVO amendment served as an effective electron donor source for in situ U(VI) bioreduction and that subsurface EVO degradation and metal reduction were likely mediated by successive identifiable guilds of organisms.

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Iron-reducing enrichments were obtained from leachate ponds at the U.S. Borax Company in Boron, Calif. Based on partial small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequences (approximately 500 nucleotides), six isolates shared 98.9% nucleotide identity. As a representative, the isolate QYMF was selected for further analysis. QYMF could be grown with Fe(III)-citrate, Fe(III)-EDTA, Co(III)-EDTA, or Cr(VI) as electron acceptors, and yeast extract and lactate could serve as electron donors. Growth during iron reduction occurred over the pH range of 7.5 to 11.0 (optimum, pH 9.5), a sodium chloride range of 0 to 80 g/liter (optimum, 20 g/liter), and a temperature range of 4 to 45°C (optimum, approximately 35°C), and iron precipitates were formed. QYMF was a strict anaerobe that could be grown in the presence of borax, and the cells were straight rods that produced endospores. Sodium chloride and yeast extract stimulated growth. Phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA gene indicated that the bacterium was a low-G؉C gram-positive microorganism and had 96 and 92% nucleotide identity with Alkaliphilus transvaalensis and Alkaliphilus crotonatoxidans, respectively. The major phospholipid fatty acids were 14:1, 16:17c, and 16:0, which were different from those of other alkaliphiles but similar to those of reported iron-reducing bacteria. The results demonstrated that the isolate might represent a novel metal-reducing alkaliphilic species. The name Alkaliphilus metalliredigens sp. nov. is proposed. The isolation and activity of metal-reducing bacteria from borax-contaminated leachate ponds suggest that bioremediation of metal-contaminated alkaline environments may be feasible and have implications for alkaline anaerobic respiration.Bacterial metal reduction has widened the realm of lifesupporting biological reactions (29) and has been implicated as an important biochemical process on early Earth (20,36,39). The ability to reduce metals can be exploited for the bioreduction or immobilization of many toxic metals, including cobalt, chromium, uranium, and technetium (6). However, metal reduction in alkaline environments has not been well documented.Concentrated deposits of boron exist in some arid regions (e.g., Turkey and the United States) and are economically exploited for products including fiberglass, ceramics, glass, laundry bleaches, fire retardants, insecticides, and semiconductors (25, 42). Borax is a common detergent ingredient and is sometimes used as a mild disinfectant. The toxicity is low, but boron is not completely harmless. Boron can potentially affect reproductive organs of males and impair fetal development in pregnant females, as well as be phytotoxic (27,30). In addition, sodium perborate has been shown to be an in vitro mutagen (34).Metal-reducing bacteria can be isolated from a variety of habitats, and much work has focused on the metal-reducing bacteria Shewanella oneidensis (28) and Geobacter spp. (22). Sites contaminated with toxic metals can have drastically different environmental conditions, and the biological reduc...