Production of biogas from different organic materials is a most interesting source of renewable energy.The biomethane potential (BMP) of these materials has to be determined to get insight in design parameters for anaerobic digesters. Although several norms and guidelines for BMP tests exist, inter-laboratory tests regularly show high variability of BMPs for the same substrate. A workshop was held in June 2015, in Leysin, Switzerland, with over 40 attendees from 30 laboratories around the world, to agree on common solutions to the conundrum of inconsistent BMP test results. This paper presents the consensus of the intense roundtable discussions and cross-comparison of methodologies used in respective laboratories. Compulsory elements for the validation of BMP results were defined. They include the minimal number of replicates, the request to carry out blank and positive control assays, a criterion for the test duration, details on BMP calculation, and last but not least criteria for rejection of the BMP tests. Finally, recommendations on items that strongly influence the outcome of BMP tests such as inoculum characteristics, substrate preparation, test setup, and data analysis are presented to increase the probability of obtaining validated and reproducible results.

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To explore whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a unique microdialysis or microcannula sampling technique was used in mice transfected with a mutant Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene from humans with familial ALS, mice transfected with the normal human SOD1 gene, and normal mice. We demonstrate for the first time that the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and the hydroxyl radical ((.)OH) are significantly higher, and the level of the superoxide anion (O(2)(.-)) is significantly lower in ALS mutant mice than in controls, supporting by in vivo evidence the hypothesis that the mutant enzyme catalyzes (.)OH formation by the sequence: O(2)(.-) --> H(2)O(2) --> (.)OH. This removes doubts regarding the relevance of elevated ROS in FALS raised by in vitro experiments. The levels of oxidation products are also significantly higher in the mutant mice than in controls, consistent with some previous reports. Only the superoxide concentration differs between two controls among all the measurements. Our findings correlate in vivo a gene mutation to both elevated H(2)O(2) and (.)OH and increased oxidation of cellular constituents. The elevated H(2)O(2) in mutant mice indicates impairment of its detoxification pathways, perhaps by changed interactions between SOD1 and H(2)O(2) detoxification enzymes.-Liu, D., Wen, J., Liu, J., Li, L. The roles of free radicals in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: reactive oxygen species and elevated oxidation of protein, DNA, and membrane phospholipids.

Nephrotoxicity severely limits the use of the anticancer drug cisplatin. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contribute to cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. We developed novel orally active epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) analogs and investigated their prophylactic effect in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was manifested by increases in blood urea nitrogen, plasma creatinine, urinary N-acetyl-β-(d)-glucosaminidase activity, kidney injury molecule 1, and histopathology. EET analogs (10 mg/kg/d) attenuated cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by reducing these renal injury markers by 40-80% along with a 50-70% reduction in renal tubular cast formation. This attenuated renal injury is associated with reduced oxidative stress, inflammation, and ER stress evident from reduction in related biomarkers and in the renal expression of genes involved in these pathways. Moreover, we demonstrated that the attenuated nephrotoxicity correlated with decreased apoptosis that is associated with 50-90% reduction in Bcl-2 protein family mediated proapoptotic signaling, reduced renal caspase-12 expression, and a 50% reduction in renal caspase-3 activity. We further demonstrated in vitro that the protective activity of EET analogs does not compromise the anticancer effects of cisplatin. Collectively, our data provide evidence that EET analogs attenuate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, ER stress, and apoptosis without affecting the chemotherapeutic effects of cisplatin.