50Hz magnetic field effect on the morphology of bacteria

A prospective study of patients with post treatment Lyme disease syndrome treated with modified VFEM energy

BACKGROUND

We previously demonstrated a possible therapeutic benefit of VFEM (variable frequency electromagnetic energy) technology for the treatment of Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) or Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD). As a result, we prospectively enrolled 10 patients, all having significant debility, to determine to what extent we could improve their quality of life. Eight patients completed the 10 treatments.

RESULTS

All eight patients had a significant improvement in quality of life within a 4-month time frame.

CONCLUSION

VFEM is a stand-alone modality that appears to demonstrate a significant improvement in quality of life in PTLDS or CLD with little or no risk or side effects of treatment.

A systematic review on cellular responses of Escherichia coli to nonthermal electromagnetic irradiation

Investigation of Escherichia coli under electromagnetic fields is of significance in human studies owing to its short doubling time and human-like DNA mechanisms. The present review aims to systematically evaluate the literature to conclude causality between 0 and 300 GHz electromagnetic fields and biological effects in E. coli. To that end, the OHAT methodology and risk of bias tool were employed. Exponentially growing cells exposed for over 30 min at temperatures up to3 7 ∘ C $3{7}^{\circ }\,{\rm{C}}$ with fluctuations below1 ∘ C ${1}^{\circ }\,{\rm{C}}$ were included from the Web-of-Knowledge, PubMed, or EMF-Portal databases. Out of 904 records identified, 25 articles satisfied the selection criteria, with four excluded during internal validation. These articles examined cell growth (11 studies), morphology (three studies), and gene regulation (11 studies). Most experiments (85%) in the included studies focused on the extremely low-frequency (ELF) range, with 60% specifically at 50 Hz. Changes in growth rate were observed in 74% of ELF experiments and 71% of radio frequency (RF) experiments. Additionally, 80% of ELF experiments showed morphology changes, while gene expression changes were seen in 33% (ELF) and 50% (RF) experiments. Due to the limited number of studies, especially in the intermediate frequency and RF ranges, establishing correlations between EMF exposure and biological effects on E. coli is not possible.

Effects of certain physical stresses on the composition of the membrane of bacteria implicated in food and environmental contamination

Bacterial membranes are implicated in the adaptation process of bacteria to numerous environmental conditions. In this context, our aim was to explain the consequences of a few physical stressor factors, like UV radiations and magnetic fields underlying the structural adaptation of cellular membranes to physical factors. The goal was also to review the state of the art about the link between membrane composition and bacterial resistance. According to comparative studies between ionizing γ-radiation, non-ionizing UVc radiations and Static Magnetic Field SMF, the response of some Gram negative bacteria appears to be generalized and was manifested by a membrane unsaturation, because of a production peak of unsaturated fatty acids. However, disturbances found inside the membrane, after UVB and Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) exposure were marked by a lower unsaturated fatty acids rate. This result is not concordant to disturbance seen after UVC treatment, even if the treatment is by UV radiation.

The use of the electromagnetic field in microbial process bioengineering

An electromagnetic field (EMF) has been shown to have various stimulatory or inhibitory effects on microorganisms. Over the years, growing interest in this topic led to numerous discoveries suggesting the potential applicability of EMF in biotechnological processes. Among these observations are stimulative effects of this physical influence resulting in intensified biomass production, modification of metabolic activity, or pigments secretion. In this review, we present the current state of the art and underline the main findings of the application of EMF in bioprocessing and their practical meaning in process engineering using examples selected from studies on bacteria, archaea, microscopic fungi and yeasts, viruses, and microalgae. All biological data are presented concerning the classification of EMF. Furthermore, we aimed to highlight missing parts of contemporary knowledge and indicate weak spots in the approaches found in the literature.

Effect of Static Magnetic Field on Monascus ruber M7 Based on Transcriptome Analysis

The effects of a static magnetic field (SMF) on Monascus ruber M7 (M. ruber M7) cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates under SMF treatment at different intensities (5, 10, and 30 mT) were investigated in this paper. The results revealed that, compared with the control (CK, no SMF treatment), the SMF at all tested intensities did not significantly influence the morphological characteristics of M. ruber M7, while the intracellular and extracellular Monascus pigments (MPs) and extracellular citrinin (CIT) of M. ruber M7 were increased at 10 and 30 mT SMF but there was no impact on the MPs and CIT at 5 mT SMF. The transcriptome data of M. ruber M7 cultured at 30 mT SMF on PDA for 3 and 7 d showed that the SMF could increase the transcriptional levels of some relative genes with the primary metabolism, including the carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism, especially in the early growing period (3 d). SMF could also affect the transcriptional levels of the related genes to the biosynthetic pathways of MPs, CIT, and ergosterol, and improve the transcription of the relative genes in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway of M. ruber M7. These findings provide insights into a comprehensive understanding of the effects of SMF on filamentous fungi.

Enhancement of the denitrification performance of an activated sludge using an electromagnetic field in batch mode

The influence of electromagnetic fields on bacterial denitrification has been tested on synthetic media with sludges from wastewater treatment stations, in batch mode. The effects of the intensity of the magnetic induction ratio B (mT), reaction volume and initial biomass concentration on the kinetics of the denitrification process were studied. Magnetic field had both an optimal stimulating effect on the activity of the denitrifying flora for B (mT)/mgx values of the order of 0.212, and an inhibitory effect for the values beyond the latter.Sludges underwent multiple exposure cycles to magnetic fields. It was shown that, after three exposure cycles, denitrification kinetics went from 6.5 to 12.7 mg N-NO^-₃.L^-1.h^-1 which corresponds to a 2.7 fold improvement. The improved performance persists even after the cessation of the magnetic field. Observation of the sludge by the environmentalelectron microscope shows that the microbial population forming the starting sludge; changed following exposure to the magnetic field. The action of the; electromagnetic field on the microbial populations in denitrification resulted in the modification of the diversity of the flora that is initially present, favoring the development of Proteo bacteria, particularly the Betaproteo bacteria subclass, which results in improved denitrification.

A review and perspective of recent research in biological treatment applied in removal of chlorinated volatile organic compounds from waste air

Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (Cl-VOCs) waste air is a kind of typical recalcitrant organic compounds, which poses a great threat to the ecological environment and human health. At present, the biotechnology is considered as a potential strategy for the Cl-VOCs removal due to the advantages of low energy consumption and less possibility of secondary pollution. This work summarizes the recent researches on strains, bioreactors and technology integration. The dominant pure strains for biodegradation of Cl-VOCs are first outlined with a special focus on the co-metabolism of multi-components. It then summarizes two bioreactors (optimized airlift reactor (ALR) and two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB)) and strategy (addition of surfactant) for improvement of biotrickling filter (BTF), which are benefit to achieve the mass transfer enhancement in the removal of hydrophobic Cl-VOCs from waste air. After that, the integration technologies, such as magnetic field (MF)-BTF, non-thermal plasma (NTP)/ultraviolet light (UV)-BTF, and microbial electrolytic cells (MEC), are elucidated, which provide opportunities for complete mineralization of Cl-VOCs in a more efficient, energy-saving and economical way. Finally, current challenges and a perspective of future research on biotechnology for Cl-VOCs removal are thoroughly discussed.

Alterations of bacterial dielectric characteristics due to pulsed magnetic field exposure

The effect of exposure to 0·1 Hz–0·1 kHz pulsed magnetic fields on models of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells was investigated. The possible alterations in the electrical characteristics of dead and alive bacteria cells were monitored by using dielectric spectroscopy. The dielectric dispersions of cells were obtained over the range 42 Hz–8 MHz by measuring their dielectric permittivity and conductivity. The acquired results indicated exposure enhancement and inhibition effects on both bacterial models in different frequency windows. The spectroscopy results for all bacterial cells indicated two sizeable dispersions in low- and high-frequency ranges (so-called α- and β-dispersions) due to different polarization mechanisms. Remarkable variations in the dielectric relaxations were observed due to exposure as a result of possible alterations in the counterion clouds and ionic membrane permeability, plasma and cell wall charge residues. In conclusion, both bacterial models demonstrated considerable response to exposure, resulting in a significant electrochange in the cell membrane/wall structure. Moreover, by performing dielectric spectroscopy, it is possible to distinguish between normal and abnormal cells. It is worth mentioning that the observed results can be achieved when using resonance frequencies outside the range used in the study.

THE EFFECT OF MAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE ON MEDIUM TO PROTEASE PRODUCTION BY Bacillus sp

This research was purposed to understand the effect of 0.2mT magnetic field exposure treatment for 10 minutes toward medium components to the production of protease in Bacillus sp. That magnetic field exposure treatment was given to 8 medium components namely Milk, Yeast, NaCl, KH2PO4, MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4,Agar and Aquadest. Data from Qualitative Proteolytic Activity test on Bacillus sp. indicated that in all treatment, the bacteria were able to produce the enzyme. The highest Proteolytic Index (IP) from all those treatments came from the magnetically exposed KH2PO4 which was 7.17 at the 10th incubation hour. Treatment of exposure to magnetic fields is also given to the liquid medium. Quantitative data of enzyme activity showed that the best incubation time of protease production by Bacillus sp. is the 24th incubation hours with result of 0.031 U/ml. Exposure of 0.2 mT magnetic field for 10 minutes to the NaCl component in Mendel's fluid medium yielded the highest protease activity of 0.067 U/ml.

Viability and membrane lipid composition under a 57mT static magnetic field in Salmonella Hadar

The aim of this work is to demonstrate the effects of a static magnetic field (SMF) with an induction 12 equal to 57mT on the viability and membrane lipid composition of Salmonella Hadar. Results showed an increase in the viability of exposed bacteria compared to controls after 9h of exposure. Analysis with gas chromatography of total lipids (TLs) and different fractions of phospholipids: phosphatidylglycerols (PGs), phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and cardiolipins (CLs), separated by thin layer chromatography revealed changes in fatty acid levels during exposure. For TLs, the unsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids ratio (UFAs/SFAs) had significantly increased after 9 h of exposure. The variation of this ratio seems to be essentially due to the increase of the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids with 18 carbons, in particular C_18:1. The analyses of fatty acid composition carried out on the scale of each fraction of phospholipids showed that CLs contributed significantly to the increase of the proportion of the unsaturated fatty acids between 6 and 9h of exposure thanks to their unsaturated chains with 18 carbons (especially C_18:2). CLs appear to be the main phospholipid involved in the adaptation of S. Hadar membranes to the SMF.

Exposure to an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field only slightly modifies the proteome of Chromobacterium violaceumATCC 12472

Several studies of the physiological responses of different organisms exposed to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) have been described. In this work, we report the minimal effects of in situ exposure to ELF-EMF on the global protein expression of Chromobacterium violaceum using a gel-based proteomic approach. The protein expression profile was only slightly altered, with five differentially expressed proteins detected in the exposed cultures; two of these proteins (DNA-binding stress protein, Dps, and alcohol dehydrogenase) were identified by MS/MS. The enhanced expression of Dps possibly helped to prevent physical damage to DNA. Although small, the changes in protein expression observed here were probably beneficial in helping the bacteria to adapt to the stress generated by the electromagnetic field.

Effects of a static magnetic field on phenol degradation effectiveness and Rhodococcus erythropolis growth and respiration in a fed-batch reactor

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of short-term repeated exposure to a static magnetic field (induction 370 mT) on the Rhodococcus erythropolis cells. Specifically, it was ascertained the magnetic field's potential to influence degradation of a phenol substrate, cell growth and respiration activity (oxygen consumption) during substrate biodegradation. The experiment took place over 3 days, with R. erythropolis exposed to the magnetic field for the first day. During the experiment, different recirculation rates between the reactor and the magnetic contactor has been tested. Use of the magnetic field at higher recirculation rates (residence time in contactor was less than 7 min) stimulated substrate (phenol) oxidation by around 34%; which, in turn, promoted R. erythropolis growth by around 28% by shortening the lag- and exponential-phases and increasing bacterial respiration activity by around 10%.

Effects of rotating magnetic field exposure on the functional parameters of different species of bacteria

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the rotating magnetic field (RMF) on the growth, cell metabolic activity and biofilm formation by S. aureus, E. coli, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, S. mutans, C. sakazakii, K. oxytoca and S. xylosus. Bacteria were exposed to the RMF (RMF magnetic induction B = 25-34 mT, RMF frequency f = 5-50 Hz, time of exposure t = 60 min, temperature of incubation 37 °C). The persistence of the effect of exposure (B = 34 mT, f = 50 Hz, t = 60 min) on bacteria after further incubation (t = 300 min) was also studied. The work showed that exposure to RMF stimulated the investigated parameters of S. aureus, E. coli, S. marcescens, S. mutans, C. sakazakii, K. oxytoca and S. xylosus, however inhibited cell metabolic activity and biofilm formation by A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa. The results obtained in this study proved, that the RMF, depending on its magnetic induction and frequency can modulate functional parameters of different species of bacteria.

Synergistic effect of static magnetic field and HA-Fe3O4 magnetic composites on viability of S. aureus and E. coli bacteria

In addressing the issue of prosthetic infection, this work demonstrated the synergistic effect of the application of static magnetic field (SMF) and ferrimagnetic substrate properties on the bactericidal property in vitro. This aspect was studied using hydroxyapatite (HA)-xFe3 O4 (x=10, 20, and 40 wt.%) substrates, which have different saturation magnetization properties. During bacteria culture experiments, 100 mT SMF was applied to growth medium (with HA-xFe3 O4 substrate) in vitro for 30, 120, and 240 min. A combination of MTT assay, membrane rupture assays, live/dead assay, and fluorescence microscopic analysis showed that the bactericidal effect of SMF increases with the exposure duration as well as increasing Fe3 O4 content in biomaterial substrates. Importantly, the synergistic bactericidal effect was found to be independent of bacterial cell type, as similar qualitative trend is measured with both gram negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains. The reduction in E. coli viability was 83% higher on HA-40 Wt % Fe3 O4 composite after 4 h exposure to SMF as compared to nonexposed control. Interestingly, any statistically significant difference in ROS was not observed in bacterial growth medium after magnetic field exposure, indicating the absence of ROS enhancement due to magnetic field. Overall, this study illustrates significant role being played by magnetic substrate compositions towards bactericidal property than by magnetic field exposure alone.

Effects of ELF magnetic field in combination with Iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) on cellular growth and surface morphology of Escherichia coli (E. coli)

This study investigated the effects of extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field with/without iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) on bacterial growth and morphology. The ELF exposures were carried out using a pair of Helmholtz coil-based ELF exposure system which was designed to generate 50 Hz sinusoidal magnetic field. The field was approximately uniform throughout the axis of the coil pair. The samples which were treated or non-treated with different concentrations FeCl3 were exposed to 50 Hz, 2 millitesla (mT) magnetic field for 24 h. ELF effect on viability was assessed in terms of viable colony counts (in colony-forming unit per milliliter) with the standard plate count technique. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the magnetic field effect on surface morphology of Escherichia coli. No significant results were seen in terms of cell viability between ELF and sham-exposed bacterial strains. Similarly, FeCl3 treatment did not change cell viability of E. coli samples. However, we observed some morphological changes on E. coli cell surfaces. Pore formations and membrane destruction were seen on the surface of 24 h ELF field-exposed cells. We concluded that ELF magnetic field exposure at 2 mT does not affect cell viability; however, it may affect bacterial surface morphology.

Influence of Magnetic Field on Aqueous NaCl Solutions: A Foundational Research on the Desalination Method Based on the Rotating Electromagnetic Effect

In order to investigate whether magnetic field can improve the seawater desalination efficiency, the influence of magnetic field on the aqueous solutions of NaCl is studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results show that, under the influence of magnetic field, the hydration number of Cl- ions increases and the mobility of hydrated Cl- ions is weakened, while the mean size of water clusters decreases and the mobility of water molecules is enhanced. These may lead to higher salt rejection and water flux by the usage of magnetic field in our novel desalination method based on rotating electromagnetic effect.

Effects of static magnetic fields on growth and membrane lipid composition of Salmonella typhimurium wild-type and dam mutant strains

This study was carried out to explore the adaptive mechanisms of S. typhimurium particularly, the implication of the Dam methyltransferase in the remodelling of membrane lipid composition to overcome magnetic field stress. With this aim, we focused our analyses on the increase in viable numbers and membrane lipid modifications of S. typhimurium wild-type and dam mutant cells exposed for 10h to static magnetic fields (SMF; 200 mT). For the wild-type strain, exposure to SMF induced a significant decrease (p<0.05) of CFU at 6h, followed by an increase between 8 and 10h. Growth of the dam mutant was significantly affected (p<0.05) after 6h and no recovery was observed until 10h, highlighting a different behavior of SMF stressed wild-type and dam mutant strains. SMF significantly affected the phospholipid proportions in the two strains. The most affected were those of the acidic phospholipids, cardiolipins (CL). In the dam strain the phospholipid response to SMF followed a globally similar trend as in the wild-type with however lower effects, leading mainly to an unusual accumulation of CL. This would in part explain the different behavior of the wild-type and the dam strain. Results showed a significant increase of membrane cyclic fatty acids Cyc17 and Cyc19 in the wild-type strain but only the Cyc17 in the dam strain and a meaningful increase of the total unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) to total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) ratios of the exposed cells compared to controls from 3 to 9h (p<0.05) for both strains. The net increase of the total UFAs to total SFAs ratios seemed to result mainly from the increase of (C18:1) proportion (p<0.05) and to a lower extent from that of (C16:1) (p<0.05). These modifications of cyclic and unsaturated fatty acid proportions constitute an adaptive response to SMF stress in S. typhimurium wild-type and dam mutants to maintain an optimum level of membrane fluidity under SMF.

Evaluations of the Effects of Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Growth and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

We aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (2 mT; 50 Hz) on the growth rate and antibiotic sensitivity of E. coli ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. The electromagnetic field treatment significantly influenced the growth rate of both strains when incubated in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of kanamycin (1 μg/mL) and amikacin (0.5 μg/mL), respectively. In particular, at 4, 6, and 8 h of incubation the number of cells was significantly decreased in bacteria exposed to electromagnetic field when compared with the control. Additionally, at 24 h of incubation, the percentage of cells increased (P. aeruginosa∼42%; E. coli∼5%) in treated groups with respect to control groups suggesting a progressive adaptive response. By contrast, no remarkable differences were found in the antibiotic susceptibility and on the growth rate of both bacteria comparing exposed groups with control groups.

Extremely-low frequency magnetic field effects on sulfate reducing bacteria viability

50 Hz magnetic fields effects on Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) viability were studied by colony forming units (CFU) counting. We found a 15% decrease of CFU number after magnetic field exposure (B=7.1 mT, f=50 Hz, t=24 min) compared to the control samples. These results are in good agreement with our previous work on other bacterial strains. The magnetic field effects on SRB are relatively large for small magnetic fields. The data correlations have been subjected to a simple physical chemical analysis, yielding surprisingly large estimates for the characteristic magnetic reaction susceptibility, even when the entire bacterium is assumed to be the direct target of interaction of the magnetic ac fields for the exposures in the time range from 3-24  min.

The effect of electromagnetic field on antimicrobial activity of lime oil

The antimicrobial activity of lime oil was significantly enhanced against Staphylococcus epidermidis in a pulsed electromagnetic field. These findings support other workers who found that electromagnetic fields augment antimicrobial activity.