Water scarcity is one of the major problems of the 21st century and one of the most sensitive environmental issues in the coming decades due to the uneven distribution of resources, treatment and ...climate change events. Wastewater reclamation is considered as an alternative source of fresh water in areas with problems of water availability or increased consumption.
The objective of this study is to use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to identify and quantify the main environmental contributors derived from the treatment of urban wastewater and water reclamation opportunities in Tarragona, Spain. The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) serves a population of about 150,000 inhabitants and has mechanical and biological treatment for the wastewater line and sludge processing. The primary data correspond to 2014, when 27,000 m3/d of wastewater from urban collectors and rainwater were treated. Two scenarios are considered after the conventional treatment in the WWTP: a) direct discharge into a natural water stream and b) introduction of the tertiary treatment to facilitate water reuse in the nearby industrial area.
This study showed that the tertiary treatment contributes significantly to the environmental impacts. The category with the highest value is the cumulative energy demand (5.44 MJ-Eq) due to the large amount of energy required for the advanced treatment stages needed for reuse.
The results showed also that in the case of the “water reuse” scenario the indicator water depletion (WD) is −4.39·10−1 m3 per m3 of wastewater treated in Tarragona as compared with 5.74·10−4 m3 in the case of “no reuse” option. From a comparison of these alternatives it may be observed that in the case of the reuse scenario the value is negative which means that there is a net saving of water from nature. This indicator represents a measurement in a life cycle perspective of the effect of wastewater reuse in Spain, the non-potable use of reclaimed water reducing the stress on fresh water supplies.
•Environmental impact comparison of two wastewater management solutions by LCA.•The non-reuse scenario showed lower impacts in all categories but water depletion.•Tertiary treatment application is recommended for net saving of water from nature.•The uncertainty analysis showed inconclusive results for two impact categories.
Bioorthogonal chemistry has become one of the main driving forces in current chemical biology, inspiring the search for novel biocompatible chemospecific reactions for the past decade. Alongside the ...well-established labeling strategies that originated the bioorthogonal paradigm, we have recently proposed the use of heterogeneous palladium chemistry and bioorthogonal Pd0-labile prodrugs to develop spatially targeted therapies. Herein, we report the generation of biologically inert precursors of cytotoxic gemcitabine by introducing Pd0-cleavable groups in positions that are mechanistically relevant for gemcitabine’s pharmacological activity. Cell viability studies in pancreatic cancer cells showed that carbamate functionalization of the 4-amino group of gemcitabine significantly reduced (>23-fold) the prodrugs’ cytotoxicity. The N-propargyloxycarbonyl (N-Poc) promoiety displayed the highest sensitivity to heterogeneous palladium catalysis under biocompatible conditions, with a reaction half-life of less than 6 h. Zebrafish studies with allyl, propargyl, and benzyl carbamate-protected rhodamines confirmed N-Poc as the most suitable masking group for implementing in vivo bioorthogonal organometallic chemistry.
CLEC5A and CD163L1: new markers of human macrophage pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory polarization in healthy and pathological tissues.
Macrophages (Mφ) can be differentiated and polarized in vitro from ...human CD14+ monocytes under the influence of GM‐CSF (GM‐Mφ) and M‐CSF (M‐Mφ). GM‐Mφs are proinflammatory and M‐Mφs have an anti‐inflammatory phenotype. We found selective expression of the lectin C‐type lectin domain family 5 member A (CLEC5A) transcripts in GM‐Mφs and the scavenger receptor CD163 molecule‐like 1 (CD163L1) in M‐Mφs by microarray assay. In vitro, CD163L1 expression was induced by IL‐10 and M‐CSF and CLEC5A by inflammatory cytokines and cell adherence. In secondary lymphoid organs, their respective expression was restricted to CD68+/CD163+ Mφs that preferentially produced either TNF (CLEC5A+) or IL‐10 (CD163L1+). Mφs from healthy liver and colon tissue were mostly CD163L1+, and CLEC5A+ cells were scarce. In contrast, CLEC5A+ Mφs were abundant in the intestinal lamina propria from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with higher numbers of CLEC5A+CD163L1+ found compared with those in secondary lymphoid organs. CLEC5A+ cells were CD14+CD209−CD11b+CD11c+TNF+IL‐10+, and single positive CD163L1+ cells were CD14−CD209+CD11b−CD11c−TNF−IL‐10+ in healthy donors and had lost the ability to produce IL‐10 and to express CD209 in those with IBD. In melanomas, CLEC5A+ tumor‐associated Mφs (TAMs) were not detected in 42% of the cases evaluated, but CD163L1+ TAMs were found in 100%. Similar to IBD, CD163L1+ TAMs expressed high levels of CD209 and produced significant amounts of IL‐10, and CLEC5A+ TAMs were CD14hi and produced enhanced levels of TNF in metastases. Overall, these results suggest that CD163L1 expression is associated with tissue‐resident Mφs with an anti‐inflammatory or anergic phenotype and that CLEC5A+ Mφs exhibit TNF‐producing ability and might display a proinflammatory effect.
While tumor genome sequencing has become widely available in clinical and research settings, the interpretation of tumor somatic variants remains an important bottleneck. Here we present the Cancer ...Genome Interpreter, a versatile platform that automates the interpretation of newly sequenced cancer genomes, annotating the potential of alterations detected in tumors to act as drivers and their possible effect on treatment response. The results are organized in different levels of evidence according to current knowledge, which we envision can support a broad range of oncology use cases. The resource is publicly available at http://www.cancergenomeinterpreter.org .
DNA fingerprinting is a technique for comparing DNA patterns that has applications in a wide variety of contexts. Several commercial and freely-available tools can be used to analyze DNA fingerprint ...gel images; however, commercial tools are expensive and usually difficult to use; and, free tools support the basic functionality for DNA fingerprint analysis, but lack some instrumental features to obtain accurate results.
In this paper, we present GelJ, a feather-weight, user-friendly, platform-independent, open-source and free tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. Some of the outstanding features of GelJ are mechanisms for accurate lane- and band-detection, several options for computing migration models, a number of band- and curve-based similarity methods, different techniques for generating dendrograms, comparison of banding patterns from different experiments, and database support.
GelJ is an easy to use tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. It combines the best characteristics of both free and commercial tools: GelJ is light and simple to use (as free programs), but it also includes the necessary features to obtain precise results (as commercial programs). In addition, GelJ incorporates new functionality that is not supported by any other tool.
The CCL2 chemokine mediates monocyte egress from bone marrow and recruitment into inflamed tissues through interaction with the CCR2 chemokine receptor, and its expression is upregulated by ...proinflammatory cytokines. Analysis of the gene expression profile in GM-CSF- and M-CSF-polarized macrophages revealed that a high CCL2 expression characterizes macrophages generated under the influence of M-CSF, whereas CCR2 is expressed only by GM-CSF-polarized macrophages. Analysis of the factors responsible for this differential expression identified activin A as a critical factor controlling the expression of the CCL2/CCR2 pair in macrophages, as activin A increased CCR2 expression but inhibited the acquisition of CCL2 expression by M-CSF-polarized macrophages. CCL2 and CCR2 were found to determine the extent of macrophage polarization because CCL2 enhances the LPS-induced production of IL-10, whereas CCL2 blockade leads to enhanced expression of M1 polarization-associated genes and cytokines, and diminished expression of M2-associated markers in human macrophages. Along the same line, Ccr2-deficient bone marrow-derived murine macrophages displayed an M1-skewed polarization profile at the transcriptomic level and exhibited a significantly higher expression of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) in response to LPS. Therefore, the CCL2-CCR2 axis regulates macrophage polarization by influencing the expression of functionally relevant and polarization-associated genes and downmodulating proinflammatory cytokine production.
Background and Aims
Increased alcohol consumption has been proposed as a potential consequence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. There has been little scrutiny of alcohol use ...behaviors resulting in hospital visits, which is essential to guide pandemic public policy. We aimed to determine whether COVID‐19 peak restrictions were associated with increased hospital visits for alcohol use or withdrawal. Secondary objectives were to describe differences based on age, sex and race, and to examine alcohol‐related complication incidence.
Design
Multi‐center, retrospective, pre–post study.
Setting
New York City health system with five participating hospitals.
Participants
Adult emergency department encounters for alcohol use, alcoholic gastritis or pancreatitis or hepatitis, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, withdrawal seizure or delirium tremens.
Measurements
Age, sex, race, site and encounter diagnosis. Encounters were compared between 2019 and 2020 for 1 March to 31 May.
Findings
There were 2790 alcohol‐related visits during the 2019 study period and 1793 in 2020, with a decrease in total hospital visits. Of 4583 alcohol‐related visits, median age was 47 years, with 22.3% females. In 2020 there was an increase in percentage of visits for alcohol withdrawal adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07–1.67 and withdrawal with complications (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.14–1.72), and a decline in percentage of hospital visits for alcohol use (aOR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.59–0.85) and use with complications (aOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.58–0.88). It is unknown whether use visit changes mirror declines in other chief complaints. The age groups 18–29 and 60–69 years were associated with increased visits for use and decreased visits for withdrawal, as were non‐white race groups. Sex was not associated with alcohol‐related visit changes despite male predominance.
Conclusions
In New York City during the initial COVID‐19 peak (1 March to 31 May 2020), hospital visits for alcohol withdrawal increased while those for alcohol use decreased.
•Biodiesel production from wet sludge is more cost-effective than from dry sludge.•The required biodiesel selling price was estimated at 1232 $/t.•The price is lower than current cost of fossil ...diesel and biodiesel from microalgae.•Municipal primary sludge is a plentiful and cost-competitive biodiesel feedstock.•Improvement in lipid extraction and biodiesel purification can even lower the price.
Municipal wastewater sludge is a promising lipid feedstock for biodiesel production, but the need to eliminate the high water content before lipid extraction is the main limitation for scaling up. This study evaluates the economic feasibility of biodiesel production directly from liquid primary sludge based on experimental data at laboratory scale. Computational tools were used for the modelling of the process scale-up and the different configurations of lipid extraction to optimise this step, as it is the most expensive. The operational variables with a major influence in the cost were the extraction time and the amount of solvent. The optimised extraction process had a break-even price of biodiesel of 1232 $/t, being economically competitive with the current cost of fossil diesel. The proposed biodiesel production process from waste sludge eliminates the expensive step of sludge drying, lowering the biodiesel price.
Objectives
To examine the effect of an emergency department (ED)‐based transitional care nurse (TCN) on hospital use.
Design
Prospective observational cohort.
Setting
Three U.S. (NY, IL, NJ) EDs from ...January 1, 2013, to June 30, 2015.
Participants
Individuals aged 65 and older in the ED (N = 57,287).
Intervention
The intervention was first TCN contact. Controls never saw a TCN during the study period.
Measurements
We examined sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with TCN use and outcomes. The primary outcome was inpatient admission during the index ED visit (admission on Day 0). Secondary outcomes included cumulative 30‐day admission (any admission on Days 0–30) and 72‐hour ED revisits.
Results
A TCN saw 5,930 (10%) individuals, 42% of whom were admitted. After accounting for observed selection bias using entropy balance, results showed that when compared to controls, TCN contact was associated with lower risk of admission (site 1: −9.9% risk of inpatient admission, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −12.3% to −7.5%; site 2: −16.5%, 95% CI = −18.7% to −14.2%; site 3: −4.7%, 95% CI = −7.5% to −2.0%). Participants with TCN contact had greater risk of a 72‐hour ED revisit at two sites (site 1: 1.5%, 95% CI = 0.7–2.3%; site 2: 1.4%, 95% CI = 0.7–2.1%). Risk of any admission within 30 days of the index ED visit also remained lower for TCN patients at both these sites (site 1: −7.8%, 95% CI = −10.3% to −5.3%; site 2: −13.8%, 95% CI = −16.1% to −11.6%).
Conclusion
Targeted evaluation by geriatric ED transitions of care staff may be an effective delivery innovation to reduce risk of inpatient admission.
The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria functions as a permeability barrier that protects these bacteria against harmful compounds in the environment. Most nutrients pass the outer membrane by ...passive diffusion via pore-forming proteins known as porins. However, diffusion can only satisfy the growth requirements if the extracellular concentration of the nutrients is high. In the vertebrate host, the sequestration of essential nutrient metals is an important defense mechanism that limits the growth of invading pathogens, a process known as "nutritional immunity." The acquisition of scarce nutrients from the environment is mediated by receptors in the outer membrane in an energy-requiring process. Most characterized receptors are involved in the acquisition of iron. In this study, we characterized a hitherto unknown receptor from Neisseria meningitidis, a causative agent of sepsis and meningitis. Expression of this receptor, designated CbpA, is induced when the bacteria are grown under zinc limitation. We demonstrate that CbpA functions as a receptor for calprotectin, a protein that is massively produced by neutrophils and other cells and that has been shown to limit bacterial growth by chelating Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions. Expression of CbpA enables N. meningitidis to survive and propagate in the presence of calprotectin and to use calprotectin as a zinc source. Besides CbpA, also the TonB protein, which couples energy of the proton gradient across the inner membrane to receptor-mediated transport across the outer membrane, is required for the process. CbpA was found to be expressed in all N. meningitidis strains examined, consistent with a vital role for the protein when the bacteria reside in the host. Together, our results demonstrate that N. meningitidis is able to subvert an important defense mechanism of the human host and to utilize calprotectin to promote its growth.
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