A Microbial Consortium for the Bioremediation of Sulfate-Rich Wastewater Originating from an Edible Oil Industry

Pascual Javier,Rodríguez Alejandro,Delgado Clara Elena,Rizo-Patróe;n Alejandra,Porcar Manuel,Vilanova Cristina 한국미생물·생명공학회 2022 한국미생물·생명공학회지 Vol.50 No.1

The effluents from industries processing vegetable oils are extremely rich in sulfates, often exceeding the maximum concentration allowed to release them to the environment. Biological sulfate reduction is a promising alternative for the removal of sulfates in this type of wastewater, which has other particularities such as an acidic pH. The ability to reduce sulfates has been widely described for a particular bacterial group (SRB: sulfate-reducing bacteria), although the reports describing its application for the treatment of sulfate-rich industrial wastewaters are scarce. In this work, we describe the use of a natural SRB-based consortium able to remove above 30% of sulfates in the wastewater from one of the largest edible oil industries in Peru. Metataxonomic analysis was used to analyse the interdependencies established between SRB and the native microbiota present in the wastewater samples, and the performance of the consortium was quantified for different sulfate concentrations in laboratory-scale reactors. Our results pave the way towards the use of this consortium as a low-cost, sustainable alternative for the treatment of larger volumes of wastewater coming from this type of industries.

Effectiveness of Thrombectomy in Stroke According to Baseline Prognostic Factors: Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Analysis of a Population- Based Registry

Salvatore Rudilosso,José Ríos,Alejandro Rodríguez,Meritxell Gomis,Víctor Vera,Manuel Gómez-Choco,Arturo Renú,Núria Matos,Laura Llull,Francisco Purroy,Sergio Amaro,Mikel Terceño,Víctor Obach,Joaquim Se 대한뇌졸중학회 2021 Journal of stroke Vol.23 No.3

Background and Purpose In real-world practice, the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is uncertain in stroke patients with very favorable or poor prognostic profiles at baseline. We studied the effectiveness of MT versus medical treatment stratifying by different baseline prognostic factors. Methods Retrospective analysis of 2,588 patients with an ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion nested in the population-based registry of stroke code activations in Catalonia from January 2017 to June 2019. The effect of MT on good functional outcome (modified Rankin Score ≤2) and survival at 3 months was studied using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis in three pre-defined baseline prognostic groups: poor (if pre-stroke disability, age >85 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] >25, time from onset >6 hours, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score <6, proximal vertebrobasilar occlusion, supratherapeutic international normalized ratio >3), good (if NIHSS <6 or distal occlusion, in the absence of poor prognostic factors), or reference (not meeting other groups’ criteria). Results Patients receiving MT (n=1,996, 77%) were younger, had less pre-stroke disability, and received systemic thrombolysis less frequently. These differences were balanced after the IPTW stratified by prognosis. MT was associated with good functional outcome in the reference (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0 to 4.4), and especially in the poor baseline prognostic stratum (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.6 to 5.9), but not in the good prognostic stratum. MT was associated with survival only in the poor prognostic stratum (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 2.0 to 3.3). Conclusions Despite their worse overall outcomes, the impact of thrombectomy over medical management was more substantial in patients with poorer baseline prognostic factors than patients with good prognostic factors.

Gold nanoparticles: uptake in human mast cells and effect on cell viability, inflammatory mediators, and proliferation

Gutiérrez-Calleja Ramón A.,Rodríguez-Cortés Octavio,Flores-Mejía Raúl,Muñoz-Diosdado Alejandro 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2021 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.17 No.4

Background Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have potential for a wide range of applications as therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Since they have a high probability of interacting with human immune cells, cytotoxicity studies must be conducted. The investigation of AuNP/immune cell interaction has mainly focused on macrophages and dendritic cells, along with some other cell lineages. Scarce information is available regarding the effect of AuNPs on mast cells, which are abundant in the skin, mucosa, and perivascular space. Objective To examine the uptake of AuNPs by HMC-1 human mast cells and the resulting effect on cell viability, pro-inflammatory mediators production, and proliferation. Results With AuNPs treatment, the viability of HMC-1 cells decreased slightly (never less than 95%) during the first 4 h, but no changes were detected in the proliferation rate at any time. Increasing concentrations of AuNPs produced greater cell granularity (uptake). CLSM images exhibited AuNPs clusters in the cell cytoplasm. TNF-α and ROS production was not stimulated by AuNPs treatment at any concentration/time. Conclusion Internalization of AuNPs into HMC-1 cells was demonstrated in an in vitro model, without showing cytotoxic effects or induction of pro-inflammatory mediators at any concentration tested. Background Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have potential for a wide range of applications as therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Since they have a high probability of interacting with human immune cells, cytotoxicity studies must be conducted. The investigation of AuNP/immune cell interaction has mainly focused on macrophages and dendritic cells, along with some other cell lineages. Scarce information is available regarding the effect of AuNPs on mast cells, which are abundant in the skin, mucosa, and perivascular space. Objective To examine the uptake of AuNPs by HMC-1 human mast cells and the resulting effect on cell viability, pro-inflammatory mediators production, and proliferation. Results With AuNPs treatment, the viability of HMC-1 cells decreased slightly (never less than 95%) during the first 4 h, but no changes were detected in the proliferation rate at any time. Increasing concentrations of AuNPs produced greater cell granularity (uptake). CLSM images exhibited AuNPs clusters in the cell cytoplasm. TNF-α and ROS production was not stimulated by AuNPs treatment at any concentration/time. Conclusion Internalization of AuNPs into HMC-1 cells was demonstrated in an in vitro model, without showing cytotoxic effects or induction of pro-inflammatory mediators at any concentration tested.

Numerical model of a planar jet wiping system for continuous strip lines

Celia Miguel-González,Manuel García-Díaz,Bruno Pereiras,Miguel Vigil,Alejandro Rodríguez de Castro 대한기계학회 2021 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.35 No.7

The present study focuses on the numerical modelling of gas-jet wiping process. Many processes involving liquids are necessary during steel manufacturing, such as cooling, lubrication or cleaning. Satisfactory processes for removing the liquid are critical for the quality of the product obtained as well as for avoiding a product rejection in strip lines such as tandem mills and tinning lines. One the most widespread drying technology used is based on planar air-knives or nozzle rows which wipe the liquid out from the steel strip by creating an aerodynamic barrier. The objective of this paper is to analyze the performance of a simple air knife based on an inclined planar jet that is commonly used in many commercial or in-house built devices. A CFD model developed by using commercial software ANSYS FLUENT® was built in order to evaluate the wiping system depending on the type of feeding: central and lateral.

Effect of sterilization on 3-point dynamic response to in vitro bending of an Mg implant

Luis Humberto Campos Becerra,Marco Antonio Loudovic Hernández Rodríguez,Raúl Lesso Arroyo,Hugo Esquivel Solís,Alejandro Torres Castro 한국생체재료학회 2021 생체재료학회지 Vol.25 No.2

Background: The aim of the study is to characterize a biomedical magnesium alloy and highlighting the loss of mechanical integrity due to the sterilization method. Ideally, when using these alloys is to delay the onset of degradation so that the implant can support body loads and avoid toxicological effects due to the release of metal ions into the body. Methods: Standardized procedures according to ASTM F-1264 and ISO-10993-5 were used, respecting detailed methodological controls to ensure accuracy and reproducibility of the results, this testing methodology is carried out in accordance with the monographs of the Pharmacopoeia for the approval of medical devices and obtaining a health registration. An intramedullary implant (IIM) manufactured in magnesium (Mg) WE43 can support loads of the body in the initial period of bone consolidation without compromising the integrity of the fractured area. A system with these characteristics would improve morbidity and health costs by avoiding secondary surgical interventions. Results: As a property, the fatigue resistance of Mg in aggressive environments such as the body environment undergoes progressive degradation, however, the autoclave sterilization method drastically affects fatigue resistance, as demonstrated in tests carried out under in vitro conditions. Coupled with this phenomenon, the relatively poor biocompatibility of Mg WE43 alloys has limited applications where they can be used due to low acceptance rates from agencies such as the FDA. However, Mg alloy with elements such as yttrium and rare earth elements (REEs) have been shown to delay biodegradation depending on the method of sterilization and the physiological solution used. With different sterilization techniques, it may be possible to keep toxicological effects to a minimum while still ensuring a balance between the integrity of fractured bone and implant degradation time. Therefore, the evaluation of fatigue resistance of WE43 specimens sterilized and tested in immersion conditions (enriched Hank’s solution) and according to ASTM F-1264, along with the morphological, crystallinity, and biocompatibility characterization of the WE43 alloy allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical and biological properties of WE43. Conclusions: These results will support decision-making to generate a change in the current perspective of biomaterials utilized in medical devices (MDs), to be considered by manufacturers and health regulatory agencies. An implant manufactured in WE43 alloy can be used as an intramedullary implant, considering keeping elements such as yttrium-REEs below as specified in its designation and with the help of a coating that allows increasing the life of the implant in vivo.

Synthesis and Preliminary Evaluation of Selected 2-Aryl-5(6)-nitro- 1H-benzimidazole Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Aurelio Romero-Castro,Ismael León-Rivera,Laura Citlalli Ávila-Rojas,Gabriel Navarrete-Vázquez,Alejandro Nieto-Rodríguez 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.2

In this study we report the synthesis and preliminary evaluation of a series of six 2-aryl-5(6)-nitro-1H-benzimidazole derivatives (1-6) as potential anticancer agents. Cytotoxicity was evaluated against seven human neoplastic cell lines using the MTT assay. Compound 6 [2-(4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl)-5(6)-nitro-1H-benzimidazole] was the most active of the series, showing an IC_50 of 28 nM against the A549 cell line. This compound displayed a selective in vitro cytotoxic activity index (>700) in non neoplastic HACAT cells (IC_50 = 22.2 μM). Compounds 3 and 6 induce arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle, and compounds 1-6 induce apoptosis in the K562 cell line. Compound 6 induces poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition activity as a potential mechanism of action. These results suggest that compound 6 could be a potent anticancer agent. Compound 3 displayed the best inhibitory activity against PARP with an IC_50 value of 0.05 μM, compared to the activity shown by the positive control 3-aminobenzamide (IC_50 = 28.5 μM).