A single-view field filter device for rare tumor cell filtration and enumeration.

In this work, we demonstrate a single-view field filter (SVFF) device for the efficient filtration and enumeration of rare tumor cells in the blood. In our device, the track-etched membrane is integrated within a low-cost polymer-film microfluidic chip, and multiplex microfiltration chambers are designed. Our device permits the performing of multiple sample tests on a single membrane and the dynamical observation of the entire filtration process in a single field of view. To characterize the device performance, our device is first tested using tumor cells, and three different cell behaviors are observed during the filtration process. Finally, we successfully apply our device for the separation of rare tumor cells from the lysed blood samples at various flow rates. The recovery rates of 93.3, 87.6, and 84.1% can be respectively achieved at the throughputs of 50, 100, and 150 µL/min. Our single-view field filter (SVFF) device offers the advantages of label-free filtration, efficient enumeration, easy integration, and low cost, and holds the potential to be used as an efficient tool for the filtration and enumeration of rare cells.

In-line filtration reduced phlebitis associated with peripheral venous cannulation: Focus on cost-effectiveness and patients' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: In a previous trial, in-line filtration significantly prevented postoperative phlebitis associated with short peripheral venous cannulation. This study aims to describe the cost-effectiveness of in-line filtration in reducing phlebitis and examine patients' perception of in-hospital vascular access management with and without in-line filtration. METHODS: We analysed costs associated with in-line filtration: these data were prospectively recorded during the previous trial. Furthermore, we performed a follow-up for all the 268 patients enrolled in this trial. Among these, 213 patients responded and completed 6 months after hospital discharge questionnaires evaluating the perception of and satisfaction with the management of their vascular access. RESULTS: In-line filtration group required 95.60€ more than the no-filtration group (a mean of € 0.71/patient). In terms of satisfaction with the perioperative management of their short peripheral venous cannulation, 110 (82%) and 103 (76.9%) patients, respectively, for in-line filtration and control group, completed this survey. Within in-line filtration group, 97.3% of patients were satisfied/strongly satisfied; if compared with previous experiences on short peripheral venous cannulation, 11% of them recognised in-line filtration as a relevant causative factor in determining their satisfaction. Among patients within the control group, 93.2% were satisfied/strongly satisfied, although up to 30% of them had experienced postoperative phlebitis. At the qualitative interview, they recognised no difference than previous experiences on short peripheral venous cannulation, and mentioned postoperative phlebitis as a common event that 'normally occurs' during a hospital stay. CONCLUSION: In-line filtration is cost-effective in preventing postoperative phlebitis, and it seems to contribute to increasing patient satisfaction and reducing short peripheral venous cannulation-related discomfort.

Laterite as a low-cost adsorbent in a sustainable decentralized filtration system to remove arsenic from groundwater in Vietnam.

In the Red River Delta, Vietnam, arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a serious problem where more than seventeen million people are affected. Millions of people in this area are unable to access clean water from the existing centralized water treatment systems. They also cannot afford to buy expensive household water filters. Similar dangerous situations exist in many other countries and for this reason there is an urgent need to develop a cost-effective decentralized filtration system using new low-cost adsorbents for removing arsenic. In this study, seven locally available low-cost materials were tested for arsenic removal by conducting batch adsorption experiments. Of these materials, a natural laterite (48.7% Fe2O3 and 18.2% Al2O3) from Thach That (NLTT) was deemed the most suitable adsorbent based on arsenic removal performance, local availability, stability/low risk and cost (US$ 0.10/kg). Results demonstrated that the adsorption process was less dependent on the solution pH from 2.0 to 10. The coexisting anions competed with As(III) and As(V) in the order, phosphate > silicate > bicarbonate > sulphate > chloride. The adsorption process reached a fast equilibrium at approximately 120-360 min, depending on the initial arsenic concentrations. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of NLTT at 30 °C were 512 µg/g for As(III) and 580 µg/g for As(V), respectively. Thermodynamic study conducted at 10 °C, 30 °C, and 50 °C suggested that the adsorption process of As(III) and As(V) was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. A water filtration system packed with NLTT was tested in a childcare centre in the most disadvantaged community in Ha Nam province, Vietnam, to determine arsenic removal performance in an operation lasting six months. Findings showed that the system reduced total arsenic concentration in groundwater from 122 to 237 µg/L to below the Vietnam drinking water standard of 10 µg/L.

TRIAMF: A New Method for Delivery of Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein Complex to Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing of patient-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo followed by autologous transplantation of the edited HSPCs back to the patient can provide a potential cure for monogenic blood disorders such as ß-hemoglobinopathies. One challenge for this strategy is efficient delivery of the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, consisting of purified Cas9 protein and guide RNA, into HSPCs. Because ß-hemoglobinopathies are most prevalent in developing countries, it is desirable to have a reliable, efficient, easy-to-use and cost effective delivery method. With this goal in mind, we developed TRansmembrane Internalization Assisted by Membrane Filtration (TRIAMF), a new method to quickly and effectively deliver RNPs into HSPCs by passing a RNP and cell mixture through a filter membrane. We achieved robust gene editing in HSPCs using TRIAMF and demonstrated that the multilineage colony forming capacities and the competence for engraftment in immunocompromised mice of HSPCs were preserved post TRIAMF treatment. TRIAMF is a custom designed system using inexpensive components and has the capacity to process HSPCs at clinical scale.

Design of a novel filter paper based construct for rapid analysis of acetone.

The present work was focused to design a cheap, rapid, portable and easy to use filter paper based assay for the qualitative and quantitate analysis of acetone. Sodium alginate gel was loaded with the acetone specific optical signal probe, and subsequently coated onto filter paper surface to design portable colorimetric assays for acetone monitoring. The color of the paper sensor strip was observed to change from dark yellow to light yellowish in the presence of varying concentrations of acetone. Three different color analyzing models including RGB, HSV, and LAB were employed to probe the output optical signal, and their performance was compared in terms of better interpretation of the generated signal. The LAB model was found to provide better analytical figures of merit with a linear response for the acetone concentration ranging from 2.5 to 1500 ppm, and a limit of detection of 0.5 ppm. Furthermore, the specificity of the designed filter paper based sensor was demonstrated against different common interfering compounds. The results demonstrated the potential of our proposed filter paper based sensor as a novel tool for the analysis of acetone.

Effect of water-to-cement ratio and curing method on the strength, shrinkage and slump of the biosand filter concrete body.

The biosand filter is a household-level water treatment technology used globally in low-resource settings. As of December 2016, over 900,000 biosand filters had been implemented in 60 countries around the world. Local, decentralized production is one of the main advantages of this technology, but it also creates challenges, especially in regards to quality control. Using the current recommended proportions for the biosand filter concrete mix, slump was measured at water-to-cement ratios of 0.51, 0.64 and 0.76, with two replicates for each level. Twenty-eight-day strength was tested on four replicate cylinders, each at water-to-cement ratios of 0.51, 0.59, 0.67 and 0.76. Wet curing and dry curing were compared for 28-day strength and for their effect on shrinkage. Maximum strength occurred at water-to-cement ratios of 0.51-0.59, equivalent to 8-9.3 L water for a full-scale filter assuming saturated media, corresponding to a slump class of S1 (10-40 mm). Wet curing significantly improved strength of the concrete mix and reduced shrinkage. Quality control measures such as the slump test can significantly improve the quality within decentralized production of biosand filters, despite localized differences in production conditions.

A Technique for Thermal Desorption Analyses Suitable for Thermally-Labile, Volatile Compounds.

Many plant and insect interactions are governed by odors released by the plants or insects and there exists a continual need for new or improved methods to collect and identify these odors. Our group has for some time studied below-ground, plant-produced volatile signals affecting nematode and insect behavior. The research requires repeated sampling of volatiles of intact plant/soil systems in the laboratory as well as the field with the help of probes to minimize unwanted effects on the systems we are studying. After evaluating solid adsorbent filters with solvent extraction or solid phase micro extraction fiber sample collection, we found dynamic sampling of small air volumes on Tenax TA filters followed by thermal desorption sample introduction to be the most suitable analytical technique for our applications. Here we present the development and evaluation of a low-cost and relatively simple thermal desorption technique where a cold trap cooled with liquid carbon dioxide is added as an integral part of a splitless injector. Temperature gradient-based focusing and low thermal mass minimizes aerosol formation and eliminates the need for flash heating, resulting in low sample degradation comparable to solvent-based on-column injections. Additionally, since the presence of the cold trap does not affect normal splitless injections, on-the-fly switching between splitless and thermal desorption modes can be used for external standard quantification.

Cost effectiveness of phosphorus removal processes in municipal wastewater treatment.

Meeting stringent phosphorus (P) discharge standards remains one of the major challenges for wastewater utilities due to increased economic burdens associated with advanced (i.e., secondary, tertiary) treatment processes. In a trade-off between higher treatment cost and enhanced P removal, it is critical for the treatment plants to be able to select the most appropriate technology. To this end, established/emerging high performing P removal/recovery technologies (e.g., Modified University of Cape Towne process, Bardenpho process, membrane bioreactors, IFAS-EBPR, struvite recovery, tertiary reactive media filtration) were identified and full-scale treatment plant designs were developed. Using advanced mathematical modeling techniques, six different treatment configurations were evaluated in terms of performance and cost effectiveness ($/lb of P removed). Results show that the unit cost for P removal in different treatment alternatives range from $42.22 to $60.88 per lb of P removed. The MUCT BNR + tertiary reactive media filtration proved to be one of the most cost effective configurations ($44.04/lb P removed) delivering an effluent with total P (TP) concentration of only 0.05 mg/L. Although struvite recovery resulted in significant reduction in biosolids P, the decrease in effluent TP was not sufficient to meet very stringent discharge standards.

Multi-Product Microalgae Biorefineries: From Concept Towards Reality.

Although microalgae are a promising biobased feedstock, industrial scale production is still far off. To enhance the economic viability of large-scale microalgae processes, all biomass components need to be valorized, requiring a multi-product biorefinery. However, this concept is still too expensive. Typically, downstream processing of industrial biotechnological bulk products accounts for 20-40% of the total production costs, while for a microalgae multi-product biorefinery the costs are substantially higher (50-60%). These costs are high due to the lack of appropriate and mild technologies to access the different product fractions such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. To reduce the costs, simplified processes need to be developed for the main unit operations including harvesting, cell disruption, extraction, and possibly fractionation.

Effectiveness of table top water pitcher filters to remove arsenic from drinking water.

Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a serious threat to the health of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In the United States ~3 million individuals drink well water that contains arsenic levels above the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10µg/L. Several technologies are available to remove arsenic from well water including anion exchange, adsorptive media and reverse osmosis. In addition, bottled water is an alternative to drinking well water contaminated with arsenic. However, there are several drawbacks associated with these approaches including relatively high cost and, in the case of bottled water, the generation of plastic waste. In this study, we tested the ability of five tabletop water pitcher filters to remove arsenic from drinking water. We report that only one tabletop water pitcher filter tested, ZeroWater®, reduced the arsenic concentration, both As3+ and As5+, from 1000µg/L to < 3µg/L, well below the MCL. Moreover, the amount of total dissolved solids or competing ions did not affect the ability of the ZeroWater® filter to remove arsenic below the MCL. Thus, the ZeroWater® pitcher filter is a cost effective and short-term solution to remove arsenic from drinking water and its use reduces plastic waste associated with bottled water.

Accuracy, precision, usability, and cost of portable silver test methods for ceramic filter factories.

Locally manufactured ceramic water filters are one effective household drinking water treatment technology. During manufacturing, silver nanoparticles or silver nitrate are applied to prevent microbiological growth within the filter and increase bacterial removal efficacy. Currently, there is no recommendation for manufacturers to test silver concentrations of application solutions or filtered water. We identified six commercially available silver test strips, kits, and meters, and evaluated them by: (1) measuring in quintuplicate six samples from 100 to 1,000 mg/L (application range) and six samples from 0.0 to 1.0 mg/L (effluent range) of silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate to determine accuracy and precision; (2) conducting volunteer testing to assess ease-of-use; and (3) comparing costs. We found no method accurately detected silver nanoparticles, and accuracy ranged from 4 to 91% measurement error for silver nitrate samples. Most methods were precise, but only one method could test both application and effluent concentration ranges of silver nitrate. Volunteers considered test strip methods easiest. The cost for 100 tests ranged from 36 to 1,600 USD. We found no currently available method accurately and precisely measured both silver types at reasonable cost and ease-of-use, thus these methods are not recommended to manufacturers. We recommend development of field-appropriate methods that accurately and precisely measure silver nanoparticle and silver nitrate concentrations.

Effectiveness and cost of reducing particle-related mortality with particle filtration.

This study evaluates the mortality-related benefits and costs of improvements in particle filtration in U.S. homes and commercial buildings based on models with empirical inputs. The models account for time spent in various environments as well as activity levels and associated breathing rates. The scenarios evaluated include improvements in filter efficiencies in both forced-air heating and cooling systems of homes and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems of workplaces as well as use of portable air cleaners in homes. The predicted reductions in mortality range from approximately 0.25 to 2.4 per 10 000 population. The largest reductions in mortality were from interventions with continuously operating portable air cleaners in homes because, given our scenarios, these portable air cleaners with HEPA filters most reduced particle exposures. For some interventions, predicted annual mortality-related economic benefits exceed $1000 per person. Economic benefits always exceed costs with benefit-to-cost ratios ranging from approximately 3.9 to 133. Restricting interventions to homes of the elderly further increases the mortality reductions per unit population and the benefit-to-cost ratios.

Health benefits and costs of filtration interventions that reduce indoor exposure to PM2.5 during wildfires.

Increases in hospital admissions and deaths are associated with increases in outdoor air particles during wildfires. This analysis estimates the health benefits expected if interventions had improved particle filtration in homes in Southern California during a 10-day period of wildfire smoke exposure. Economic benefits and intervention costs are also estimated. The six interventions implemented in all affected houses are projected to prevent 11% to 63% of the hospital admissions and 7% to 39% of the deaths attributable to wildfire particles. The fraction of the population with an admission attributable to wildfire smoke is small, thus, the costs of interventions in all homes far exceeds the economic benefits of reduced hospital admissions. However, the estimated economic value of the prevented deaths exceed or far exceed intervention costs for interventions that do not use portable air cleaners. For the interventions with portable air cleaner use, mortality-related economic benefits exceed intervention costs as long as the cost of the air cleaners, which have a multi-year life, are not attributed to the short wildfire period. Cost effectiveness is improved by intervening only in the homes of the elderly who experience most of the health effects of particles from wildfires.

Climate and Health Co-Benefits in Low-Income Countries: A Case Study of Carbon Financed Water Filters in Kenya and a Call for Independent Monitoring.

BACKGROUND: The recent global climate agreement in Paris aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development and establishes an international trading mechanism to meet this goal. Currently, carbon offset program implementers are allowed to collect their own monitoring data to determine the number of carbon credits to be awarded. OBJECTIVES: We summarize reasons for mandating independent monitoring of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. In support of our policy recommendations, we describe a case study of a program designed to earn carbon credits by distributing almost one million drinking water filters in rural Kenya to avert the use of fuel for boiling water. We compare results from an assessment conducted by our research team in the program area among households with pregnant women or caregivers in rural villages with low piped water access with the reported program monitoring data and discuss the implications. DISCUSSION: Our assessment in Kenya found lower levels of household water filter usage than the internal program monitoring reported estimates used to determine carbon credits; we found 19% (n = 4,041) of households reported filter usage 2-3 years after filter distribution compared to the program stated usage rate of 81% (n = 14,988) 2.7 years after filter distribution. Although carbon financing could be a financially sustainable approach to scale up water treatment and improve health in low-income settings, these results suggest program effectiveness will remain uncertain in the absence of requiring monitoring data be collected by third-party organizations. CONCLUSION: Independent monitoring should be a key requirement for carbon credit verification in future international carbon trading mechanisms to ensure programs achieve benefits in line with sustainable development goals. Citation: Pickering AJ, Arnold BF, Dentz HN, Colford JM Jr., Null C. 2017. Climate and health co-benefits in low-income countries: a case study of carbon financed water filters in Kenya and a call for independent monitoring. Environ Health Perspect 125:278-283; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP342.

A Quasi-Experimental Study Analyzing the Effectiveness of Portable High-Efficiency Particulate Absorption Filters in Preventing Infections in Hematology Patients during Construction.

OBJECTIVE: The increased risk of infection for patients caused by construction and renovation near hematology inpatient clinics is a major concern. The use of high-efficiency particulate absorption (HEPA) filters can reduce the risk of infection. However, there is no standard protocol indicating the use of HEPA filters for patients with hematological malignancies, except for those who have undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This quasi-experimental study was designed to measure the efficacy of HEPA filters in preventing infections during construction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Portable HEPA filters were placed in the rooms of patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies because of large-scale construction taking place near the hematology clinic. The rates of infection during the 6 months before and after the installation of the portable HEPA filters were compared. A total of 413 patients were treated during this 1-year period. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the antifungal prophylaxis and treatment regimens between the groups. The rates of infections, clinically documented infections, and invasive fungal infections decreased in all of the patients following the installation of the HEPA filters. When analyzed separately, the rates of invasive fungal infections were similar before and after the installation of HEPA filters in patients who had no neutropenia or long neutropenia duration. HEPA filters were significantly protective against infection when installed in the rooms of patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, patients who were undergoing consolidation treatment, and patients who were neutropenic for 1-14 days. CONCLUSION: Despite the advent of construction and the summer season, during which environmental Aspergillus contamination is more prevalent, no patient or patient subgroup experienced an increase in fungal infections following the installation of HEPA filters. The protective effect of HEPA filters against infection was more pronounced in patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, patients undergoing consolidation therapy, and patients with moderate neutropenia.

Benefit-cost analysis of commercially available activated carbon filters for indoor ozone removal in single-family homes.

This study involved the development of a model for evaluating the potential costs and benefits of ozone control by activated carbon filtration in single-family homes. The modeling effort included the prediction of indoor ozone with and without activated carbon filtration in the HVAC system. As one application, the model was used to predict benefit-to-cost ratios for single-family homes in 12 American cities in five different climate zones. Health benefits were evaluated using disability-adjusted life-years and included city-specific age demographics for each simulation. Costs of commercially available activated carbon filters included capital cost differences when compared to conventional HVAC filters of similar particle removal efficiency, energy penalties due to additional pressure drop, and regional utility rates. The average indoor ozone removal effectiveness ranged from 4 to 20% across the 12 target cities and was largely limited by HVAC system operation time. For the parameters selected in this study, the mean predicted benefit-to-cost ratios for 1-inch filters were >1.0 in 10 of the 12 cities. The benefits of residential activated carbon filters were greatest in cities with high seasonal ozone and HVAC usage, suggesting the importance of targeting such conditions for activated carbon filter applications.

Nanocarbon-based membrane filtration integrated with electric field driving for effective membrane fouling mitigation.

Membrane filtration provides an effective solution for removing pollutants from water but is limited by serious membrane fouling. In this work, an effective approach was used to mitigate membrane fouling by integrating membrane filtration with electropolarization using an electroconductive nanocarbon-based membrane. The electropolarized membrane (EM) by alternating square-wave potentials between +1.0 V and -1.0 V with a pulse width of 60 s exhibited a permeate flux 8.1 times as high as that without electropolarization for filtering feed water containing bacteria, which confirms the ability of the EM to achieve biofouling mitigation. Moreover, the permeate flux of EM was 1.5 times as high as that without electropolarization when filtrating natural organic matter (NOM) from water, and demonstrated good performance in organic fouling mitigation with EM. Furthermore, the EM was also effective for complex fouling mitigation in filtering water containing coexisting bacteria and NOM, and presented an increased flux rate 1.9 times as high as that without electropolarization. The superior fouling mitigation performance of EM was attributed to the synergistic effects of electrostatic repulsion, electrochemical oxidation and electrokinetic behaviors. This work opens an effective avenue for membrane fouling mitigation of water-treatment membrane filtration systems.

A non-invasive genomic diagnostic method for bladder cancer using size-based filtration and microchip electrophoresis.

Bladder cancer (BC) cells spontaneously exfoliated in the urine of patients with BC. Detection of exfoliated tumor cells has clinical significance in cancer therapy because it would enable earlier non-invasive screening, diagnosis, or prognosis of BC. In this research, a method for analyzing genetic abnormalities of BC cells collected from urine samples was developed. Target BC cells were isolated by filtration. To find conditions that achieve high cell recovery, we investigated the effects of filter type, concentration of fixative, and flow rate. Cells captured on the filter membrane were completely retrieved within 15s. Selected genes for genomic analysis, mutated genes (FGFR3, TERT and HRAS) and methylated genes (ALX4, RALL3, MT1A, and RUNX3) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subsequently, were identified by microchip electrophoresis (MCE). Analysis by MCE reduces the risk of contamination, sample consumption, and analysis time. Our developed approach is economical, effectively isolates cancer cells, and permits flexible molecular characterization, all of which make this approach a promising method for non-invasive BC detection.

Reducing the specific energy consumption of 1st-pass SWRO by application of high-flux membranes fed with high-pH, decarbonated seawater.

A new operational approach is presented, which has the potential to substantially cut down on the energy and cost demand associated with seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination, without changing the currently-installed infrastructure. The approach comprises acidification/decarbonation of the feed seawater followed by high-pH single RO pass using high-flux membranes. Since the limitation imposed by CaCO3(s) precipitation is overcome, the recovery ratio can be significantly increased. This work presents a new operational concept aimed at maximizing the benefits that can be obtained from new low-energy RO membranes available on the market. Results obtained from operating a pilot RO system revealed that following an acidification and decarbonation step, recovery ratio of 56% could be practically attained, along with effluent TDS and boron concentrations of 375 and 0.3 mg/l, respectively (feed water pH was adjusted to pH9.53 following the decarbonation step). The specific energy consumption (SEC) of this operation was calculated to be 5%-10% lower than the SEC typically associated with "conventional" SWRO operation. Two further scenarios were theoretically considered, under which the limiting operational parameter became Mg(OH)2(s) and BaSO4(s) precipitation. It was concluded that despite the fact that higher recovery ratios could be obtained, the high pressure required in these scenarios made them less appealing from both the SEC and cost standpoints. The normalized cost of the suggested approach was found to be ∼$0.07 ± 0.02/m(3) cheaper than the currently-practiced SWRO approach for obtaining product water characterized by TDS < 500 and B < 0.5 mg/l.