This study evaluates the comprehensive valorization of the byproducts derived from the two-phase olive oil elaboration process i.e., olive washing water (OWW), olive oil washing water (OOWW), and ...olive mill solid waste (OMSW) in a closed-loop process. Initially, the microalga Raphidocelis subcapitata was grown using a mixture of OWW and OOWW as the culture medium, allowing phosphate, nitrate, sugars, and soluble chemical oxygen demand removal. In a second step, the microalgal biomass grown in the mixture of washing waters was used as a co-substrate together with OMSW for an anaerobic co-digestion process. The anaerobic co-digestion of the combination of 75% OMSW–25% R. subcapitata enhanced the methane yield by 7.0 and 64.5% compared to the anaerobic digestion of the OMSW and R. subcapitata individually. This schedule of operation allowed for integration of all of the byproducts generated from the two-phase olive oil elaboration process in a full valorization system and the establishment of a circular economy concept for the olive oil industry.
To reduce the impact on the environment and enhance the sustainability of resources, it is necessary to promote and strengthen the use of landrace cultivars that advocate regenerative agriculture. In ...this study, the growth and development as well as the anaerobic digestion (AD) of six different landrace cultivars, two commercial hybrids cultivars and a public genotype of Sorghum bicolor have been evaluated. The landrace cultivars, in general, presented greater heights, biomass yields and compactness shoots as well as similar or an improvement in grain production compare to the commercial varieties. The AD of the different sorghum straws was performed in batch mode at mesophilic temperature (35°C). The landrace cultivar Zahina (ZH) obtained the highest final methane yield (413 ± 79 NL CH4 kg−1 VS, volatile solids) but the landrace cultivars Zahina gigante (ZHG) and Trigomillo (TG) were the ones that obtained the highest methane per biomass production (13.7 and 12.7 NL CH4 shoot unit−1, respectively). By contrast, the commercial varieties were the ones that obtained the lowest methane yields. Two mathematical models, first‐order kinetics and the Transference Function model, were used to fit the experimental data with the aim of describing and simulating the anaerobic biodegradation of these S. bicolor straw varieties and obtaining the kinetic constants. Both models allowed for adequately fitting the experimental results of methane production with time. In particular, the fastest biomethanization occurred using the commercial variety PR88Y20 (PR88) (specific rate constant k = 0.148 ± 0.008 days−1), while the slowest one was obtained from Panizo (PAN) variety (k = 0.064 ± 0.005 days−1). In addition, the highest values of the maximum methane production rate, Rm, were attained for the varieties ZH and PR88, which were 87.1% and 71.3% higher than that achieved for the PAN variety, which exhibited the lowest value.
Landrace cultivars presented greater biomass, compactness and grain production. Zahina (landrace cultivar) obtained the highest final methane yield: 413 NL CH4 kg−1 VS. Zahina gigante and Trigomillo (landrace cultivars) achieved the highest methane per biomass production.
Lignocellulosic by-products from agricultural crops represent an important raw material for anaerobic digestion and clean renewable, which is a key component of the circular economy. Lignocellulose ...is recalcitrant to biodegradation and pretreatments are required to increase methane yield during anaerobic digestion. In this work, the efficacy of different physicochemical pretreatments was compared using corn stover biomass as substrate. Anaerobic digestion of untreated and pretreated corn stover was performed in batch mode at mesophilic temperature (38°C) and organic matter solubilization of pretreated substrates was also investigated. The highest organic matter solubilization occurred in autoclave pretreatment (soluble chemical oxygen demand = 5630 ± 42 mg O2 L−1). However, the highest methane yield was obtained using alkaline pretreatment (367 ± 35 mL CH4 g−1 VSadded). Alkaline pretreatment increased methane yield by 43.3% compared to untreated control (256 ± 15 mL CH4 g−1 VSadded). Two mathematical models (i.e. first-order kinetics and transfer function) were utilized to fit the experimental data with the aim of assessing anaerobic biodegradation and to obtain the kinetic constants in all cases studied. Both models adequately fit the experimental results. The kinetic constant, k, of the first-order model increased by 92.8% when stover was pretreated with sulphuric acid compared with control. The transfer function model revealed that the maximum methane production rate, Rm, was obtained for the sulphuric acid treatment, which was 63.5% higher compared to control.
Summary
The diagnostic criteria for follicular lymphoma (FL) transformation vary among the largest series, which commonly exclude histologically‐documented transformation (HT) mandatorily. The aims ...of this retrospective observational multicentre study by the Spanish Grupo Español de Linfoma y Transplante Autólogo de Médula Ósea, which recruited 1734 patients (800 males/934 females; median age 59 years), diagnosed with FL grades 1–3A, were, (i) the cumulative incidence of HT (CI‐HT); (ii) risk factors associated with HT; and (iii) the role of treatment and response on survival following transformation (SFT). With a median follow‐up of 6·2 years, 106 patients developed HT. Ten‐year CI‐HT was 8%. Considering these 106 patients who developed HT, median time to transformation was 2·5 years. High‐risk FL International Prognostic Index Hazard ratio (HR) 2·6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1·5–4·5 and non‐response to first‐line therapy (HR 2·9, 95% CI: 1·3–6·8) were associated with HT. Seventy out of the 106 patients died (5‐year SFT, 26%). Response to HT first‐line therapy (HR 5·3, 95% CI: 2·4–12·0), autologous stem cell transplantation (HR 3·9, 95% CI: 1·5–10·1), and revised International Prognostic Index (HR 2·2, 95% CI: 1·1–4·2) were significantly associated with SFT. Response to treatment and HT were the variables most significantly associated with survival in the rituximab era. Better therapies are needed to improve response. Inclusion of HT in clinical trials with new agents is mandatory.
B cell haematological malignancies (HMs) have been described as the worst cancer type for concomitant COVID‐19 in terms of mortality, with rates up to 65%. This risk factor for COVID‐19 cannot only ...be explained by comorbidities and advanced age of patients, but aggravated by secondary immunodeficiency (SID). We aimed at evaluating the impact of COVID‐19 on 86 HM patients with concomitant SID from a single centre. Only 14 HM patients of 86 (16.28%) patients suffered COVID‐19, with mortality rate of 7%. When we considered patients according to B‐cell defect only or multiple immune defect overlap (B‐T‐cell/NK cells/complement), patients with immune defect overlap presented 5.30‐fold higher risk of COVID‐19 than only B cell defect (95% CI, 1.67–17.0) (p = 0.004). Seven (50%) patients were on active IgRT; while five (36%) had received prior mucosal vaccines for respiratory infections. Our results show that modelling SID in HM may contribute to better prediction of infectious risk and to prompt more targeted and timely preventive therapies.
Evidence is scant regarding the long-term humoral and cellular responses Q7 triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccines in cancer patients after repeated ...booster doses. The possibility of T-cell exhaustion following these booster doses in this population has not yet been fully studied and remains uncertain.
In this single-center prospective observational study, we explored the specific humoral and cellular response to S1 antigen in 36 patients with solid malignancies at baseline, and after the second and third doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine.
A dual behavior was observed: 24 (66.7%) patients showed partial specific IFN-γ response after the second dose that was further enhanced after the third dose; and 11 (30.5%) already showed an optimal response after the second dose and experienced a marked fall-off of specific IFN-γ production after the third (4 patients negativization), which might suggest T cell exhaustion due to repetitive priming to the same antigen. One (2.8%) patient had persistently negative responses after all three doses. Seroconversion occurred in all patients after the second dose. We then studied circulating exhausted CD8+ T-cells in 4 patients from each of the two response patterns, those with increase and those with decrease in cellular response after the third booster. The patients with decreased cellular response after the booster had a higher expression of PD1
CD8
and CD57
PD1
CD8
exhausted T cells compared with those with an increased cellular response both
and
. The proportion of PD1
CD8
and CD57
PD1
CD8
exhausted T cells inversely correlated with IFN-γ production.
Our preliminary data show that the two-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimen was beneficial in all cancer patients of our study. An additional booster seems to be beneficial in suboptimal vaccine seroconverters, in contrast to maximal responders that might develop exhaustion. Our data should be interpreted with caution given the small sample size and highlight the urgent need to validate our results in other independent and larger cohorts. Altogether, our data support the relevance of immunological functional studies to personalize preventive and treatment decisions in cancer patients.
CART therapy has produced a paradigm shift in the treatment of relapsing FL patients. Strategies to optimize disease surveillance after these therapies are increasingly necessary. This study explores ...the potential value of ctDNA monitoring with an innovative signature of personalized trackable mutations.
Eleven FL patients treated with anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy were included. One did not respond and was excluded. Genomic profiling was performed before starting lymphodepleting chemotherapy to identify somatic mutations suitable for LiqBio-MRD monitoring. The dynamics of the baseline mutations (4.5 per patient) were further analyzed on 59 cfDNA follow-up samples. PET/CT examinations were performed on days +90, +180, +365, and every six months until disease progression or death.
After a median follow-up of 36 months, all patients achieved a CR as the best response. Two patients progressed. The most frequently mutated genes were CREBBP, KMT2D and EP300. Simultaneous analysis of ctDNA and PET/CT was available for 18 time-points. When PET/CT was positive, two out of four ctDNA samples were LiqBio-MRD negative. These two negative samples corresponded to women with a unique mesenteric mass in two evaluations and never relapsed. Meanwhile, 14 PET/CT negative images were mutation-free based on our LiqBio-MRD analysis (100%). None of the patients had a negative LiqBio-MRD test by day +7. Interestingly, all durably responding patients had undetectable ctDNA at or around three months after infusion. Two patients presented discordant results by PET/CT and ctDNA levels. No progression was confirmed in these cases. All the progressing patients were LiqBio-MRD positive before progression.
This is a proof-of-principle for using ctDNA to monitor response to CAR T-cell therapy in FL. Our results confirm that a non-invasive liquid biopsy MRD analysis may correlate with response and could be used to monitor response. Harmonized definitions of ctDNA molecular response and pinpointing the optimal timing for assessing ctDNA responses are necessary for this setting. If using ctDNA analysis, we suggest restricting follow-up PET/CT in CR patients to a clinical suspicion of relapse, to avoid false-positive results.
This article presents an exploration of conversational chatbots designed to alleviate loneliness among older adults. In addition to technical evaluation, it delves into effective communication ...between these systems and this demographic group, considering linguistic nuances, communicative preferences, and specific emotional needs. The intrinsic importance of chatbots as innovative solutions in combating loneliness is highlighted, emphasizing their ability to be understanding and empathetic allies, contributing to emotional well-being and socialization. The article explores how improved emotional well-being can positively impact the health and quality of life of older adults. The methodology, rooted in triangulation between a literature review and qualitative research through interviews and focus groups with older adults, provides a comprehensive insight into the findings. Ethical, technical, and design considerations such as privacy, autonomy, technology adaptation, and usability are also addressed. The article concludes with practical recommendations for developing user-friendly interfaces that encourage the active participation of older adults in chatbots. This holistic approach not only analyzes the technical effectiveness of chatbots in mitigating loneliness in older adults but delves into human, ethical, and practical aspects, enriching the understanding and implementation of these agents for social and emotional support.
This review aims to obtain the relationships between characteristics of the facilities and the quality of life of older adult residents, and to obtain the direction in which new studies should be ...addressed as well as their application to healthcare policies. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Multiple databases have been used: Scopus, Web of Science, Wiley online library, PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and Emerald, from January 1, 2011 to July 1, 2023. Ten studies from 1,037 articles were included. Evidence exists on the positive relationships between quality of life and hours of management, care, activities, and qualified staff, and in general, the characteristics included in the categories of space management, supporting facilities and building services. In contrast charitable and for-profit facilities, Medicaid status, resident acuity, deficiencies, chain affiliation, size, hours of practical nurses, turnover, and financial resources (except occupancy rate) have a negative impact on quality of life or their dimensions.
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