Nickel removal from wastewater using electrocoagulation process with zinc electrodes under various operating conditions: performance investigation, mechanism exploration, and cost analysis.

Economically feasible approaches are needed for wastewater treatment. Electrocoagulation (EC) is an electrochemical treatment method that removes various pollutants from wastewater. It has grown in popularity over conventional treatment methods, especially in industrial wastewater, due to its high performance and the ability to remove toxic compounds. However, it is crucial to reduce the costs associated with EC for widespread implementation. It is also important to decrease nickel (Ni) concentrations in wastewater to prevent potential health and environmental problems. Therefore, this study investigates Ni removal from synthetic and real wastewater using electrocoagulation. Zinc, as a novel electrode, was used as the sacrificial anode. Several operating conditions were assessed, including current density, initial pH, electrolysis time, and spacing between electrodes. The maximum Ni removal efficiency, after 90 min, reached 99.9% at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 when the pH was 9.2 and the gap distance was 4 cm. The Ni removal rate reached 94.4% and 94.9% at a 2- and 6-cm spacing, respectively, after 90 min. Anode morphology, kinetic modeling, electrical energy consumption, and cost analysis were also investigated. The type of corrosion was uniform, which is easily predicted compared to pitting corrosion. The comparison between chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation was also reported. Experimental results indicated that the maximum Ni removal rates reached 99.89% after 90 min. The optimum spacing between electrodes was 4 cm, and the optimum current density was 10 mA/cm2. Additionally, the kinetic data were best represented through the second-order Lagergren model. The results demonstrated that the electrocoagulation performance was better than that of chemical coagulation for Ni removal. The maximum electrical energy consumption was 23.79 KWh/m3 for Ni removal.

Early outcome of anatomical lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: Surgery is the mainstay of early-stage lung cancer treatment. However, since life expectancy is constantly increasing, we wanted to investigate whether this principle also applies to elderly (≥70-year-old) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed a prospectively maintained database on anatomical lung resections at our institute. Patients were divided in two groups: <70 years and ≥70 years (elderly). Outcome indicators were postoperative cardiopulmonary complications rate and 30-day readmission rate. Baseline and surgical characteristics were compared by mean of t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi2 and Fisher exact tests. Propensity score matching was performed to account for differences between groups in the outcome's analysis. RESULTS: We selected 241 patients with lung cancer (2017-2021) who underwent anatomical lung resections. Median age was 70.5 (IQR: 64-76). 133 patients (54%) aged 70 and above. Patients and surgical characteristics (comorbidities, lung function, performance status, type and extension of lung resection and surgical approach) were similar among groups, except for atrial fibrillation (p=0.01) and previous cancer history (p<0.0001) which were more frequent in the elderly group. Non-elderly patients were more frequently active smokers (p<0.0001). Cardiopulmonary complications rate was 23%, 30-day readmission rate was 12.6%. We did not observe any significant difference in all the short-term outcome indicators between the elderly and the younger counterpart. Particularly, complications rate (p=0.91) and 30-day readmission (p=0.84) did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our series, short-term outcomes are not compromised in elderly patients. The evolution in surgical strategy and expertise contribute to offer surgical resection with curative intent for lung cancer to a large spectrum of patients.

Growth of Leucoagaricus gongylophorus Möller (Singer) and production of key enzymes in submerged and solid-state cultures with lignocellulosic substrates.

The aim of this study was to characterize the growth of the fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus LEU18496, isolated from the fungus garden of the nest of leaf cutter ants Atta mexicana. The fungus garden was cultivated in an artificial laboratory nest and the fungus further grown in submerged (SmC) and solid state (SSC) cultures with sugarcane bagasse, grass or model substrates containing CM-cellulose, xylan or lignin. The CO2 production rate with grass in SmC (Vmax 34.76 mg CO2 Lgas-1 day- 1) was almost four times than SSC (Vmax 9.49 mg CO2 Lgas-1 day- 1), while the production rate obtained in sugarcane bagasse in SmC (Vmax 16.02 mg CO2 Lgas-1 day- 1) was almost three times than that for SSC (Vmax 5.42 mg CO2 Lgas-1 day- 1). In addition, the fungus grew with defined carbon substrates mixtures in SmC, but at different rates, first xylan, followed by CM-cellulose and lignin. Endoglucanase and xylanase activities (U mgprotein-1) were detected in all cultures, the specific activity was higher in the fungus-garden, 5.2 and 1.8; followed by SSC-grass, 1.5 and 0.8, and SSC-bagasse, 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Laccase activity in the fungus-garden was 44.8 U L- 1 and 10.9 U L- 1 in the SSC-grass. The gongylidia structures observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy were ca. 40 µm and the hyphae width ca. 5 µm. The results show that L. gongylophorus from A. mexicana have promising applications for the treatment of plant residues to release fermentable sugars and the production of high value lignocellulolytic enzymes such as endoglucanase, xylanase or laccases.

Uniportal VATS for pectus excavatum: the Southern Switzerland experience.

OBJECTIVE: The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive approach used to treat the pectus excavatum. One to three curved metal bars are inserted behind the sternum in order to push it into a normal position. A bilateral thoracoscopy, with 3 or 4 incisions on each side, has been reported as a safe method to repair the chest. The aim of this observational cohort study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the modified uniportal thoracoscopic Nuss procedure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review on 248 consecutive patients treated in Southern Switzerland in the last 5 years for chest deformity was performed. Conservative treatment with vacuum bel or dinamic compression was performed in 235 cases. Thirteen patients with pectus excavatum were surgically treated with a modified single-incision thoracoscopic approach and introduction of a single retrosternal Nuss Bar. Demographics, clinical characteristics, surgical data and results were analyzed and discussed. RESULTS: The male/female ratio was 11/2, with mean age of 20.75 (±5.05) years. The Haller index was 3.65±0.5. The operative duration was 68. 2±13.3 min and hospitalization stay ranged from 2 to 10 days. There was no instance of intraoperative cardiac perforation or macrovascular injury. No pleural effusion or infection was reported. The overall complication rate after a postoperative follow-up of 24.6±3 months was 7.6%, without mortality, major bleeding, infectious complications, displacement or recurrence. Patients satisfaction and postoperative pain were also analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The modified single-incision thoracoscopic Nuss procedure is both safe and effective for pectus excavatum correction with non-recurrence after two years.

Gender inequality and gender-based poverty in Mexico.

The objective of a country's government is to increase the well-being of its population. For this reason, a precise measure of inequality and poverty contributes to better development of economic and public policies to reduce the former and latter, respectively. Therefore, in recent years, various indexes have been developed to measure and compare inequality and poverty. In the case of Mexico, the Gini and Theil indexes are used to measure both problems. However, they are criticized for the overvaluation that they generate on specific population segments. For a better measurement, this paper calculates and investigates the relationship between the Palma index (inequality) and the Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke index (poverty). In addition to reducing the overvaluation problem, the indexes mentioned allow us to perform an analysis by gender and employment type (salaried and self-employed). The main results do not diverge from those already found through traditional measures. In general, a high level of inequality exists. However, our paper contributes to the literature by identifying both problems by gender. Men present greater inequality than women, whereas women present greater poverty than men. Finally, a positive, albeit weak, correlation exists between both problems, which means that poverty can be combated by combating inequality.

Amelioration of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Diseases with Genome Editing in Transgenic Mice.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a hereditary liver disease caused by mutations in the SERPINA1 serine protease inhibitor gene. Most severe patients are homozygous for PiZ alleles (PiZZ; amino acid E324K), which lead to protein aggregates in hepatocytes and reduced circulating levels of AAT. The liver aggregates typically lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and the reduced circulating AAT levels can lead to emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. In this study, two CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing approaches were used to decrease liver aggregates and increase systemic AAT-M levels in the PiZ transgenic mouse. In the first approach, AAT expression in hepatocytes was reduced more than 98% following the systemic delivery of AAV8-CRISPR targeting exon 2 of hSERPINA1, leading to reduced aggregates in hepatocytes. In the second approach, a second adeno-associated virus, which provided the donor template to correct the Z mutation, was also administered. These treated mice had reduced AAT expression (> 98%) and a low level (5%) of wildtype AAT-M mRNA. Taken together, this study shows that CRISPR gene editing can efficiently reduce liver expression of AAT-Z and restore modest levels of wildtype AAT-M in a mouse model of AATD, raising the possibility of CRISPR gene editing therapeutic for AATD.

The accessible chromatin landscape of the human genome.

DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs) are markers of regulatory DNA and have underpinned the discovery of all classes of cis-regulatory elements including enhancers, promoters, insulators, silencers and locus control regions. Here we present the first extensive map of human DHSs identified through genome-wide profiling in 125 diverse cell and tissue types. We identify ∼2.9 million DHSs that encompass virtually all known experimentally validated cis-regulatory sequences and expose a vast trove of novel elements, most with highly cell-selective regulation. Annotating these elements using ENCODE data reveals novel relationships between chromatin accessibility, transcription, DNA methylation and regulatory factor occupancy patterns. We connect ∼580,000 distal DHSs with their target promoters, revealing systematic pairing of different classes of distal DHSs and specific promoter types. Patterning of chromatin accessibility at many regulatory regions is organized with dozens to hundreds of co-activated elements, and the transcellular DNase I sensitivity pattern at a given region can predict cell-type-specific functional behaviours. The DHS landscape shows signatures of recent functional evolutionary constraint. However, the DHS compartment in pluripotent and immortalized cells exhibits higher mutation rates than that in highly differentiated cells, exposing an unexpected link between chromatin accessibility, proliferative potential and patterns of human variation.

Dopaminergic modulation of the caudal photoreceptor in crayfish.

In our study we investigated the influence of dopamine (DA) on the caudal photoreceptor (CPR) in crayfish. Here we report the following: (a) the chromatographic determination of DA in the sixth abdominal ganglion (6th AG) shows a variation in the content during a 24-h cycle with the maximum value at dawn. (b) There are possibly dopaminergic neurons in the 6th AG with antityrosine hydroxylase antibodies. Immunopositive neurons (164) were located in the anterior and posterior regions of the 6th AG with the mean (± SE) diameter of their somata 23 ± 1 µm. In addition, there is immunopositive staining in axons, neuropilar fibers, and varicosities. (c) We also identified, using immunohistochemistry, 108 neurons in the sixth AG that contain dopamine D1-like receptors, with the mean (±SE) diameter of their somata 18 ± 1 µm. (d) We examined the exogenous action of DA on the electrical activity of the CPR in the isolated sixth AG by conventional extracellular-recording methods. This CPR displays spontaneous activity and phasic-tonic responses to light pulses. Topical application of dopamine to ganglia kept in the dark increased the spontaneous firing rate of the CPR, whereas the photoresponse of the CPR remained unchanged. The effect on the spontaneous activity is dose-dependent with an ED50 of 33 µM, and is blocked by the dopamine D1-like antagonist SCH23390. These observations suggested that the DA is playing the role of a neurotransmitter or a neuromodulator of the CPR in the 6th AG in both species of crayfish, Procambarus clarkii and Cherax quadricarinatus.

Role of the UL25 protein in herpes simplex virus DNA encapsidation.

The herpes simplex virus protein UL25 attaches to the external vertices of herpes simplex virus type 1 capsids and is required for the stable packaging of viral DNA. To define regions of the protein important for viral replication and capsid attachment, the 580-amino-acid UL25 open reading frame was disrupted by transposon mutagenesis. The UL25 mutants were assayed for complementation of a UL25 deletion virus, and in vitro-synthesized protein was tested for binding to UL25-deficient capsids. Of the 11 mutants analyzed, 4 did not complement growth of the UL25 deletion mutant, and analysis of these and additional mutants in the capsid-binding assay demonstrated that UL25 amino acids 1 to 50 were sufficient for capsid binding. Several UL25 mutations were transferred into recombinant viruses to analyze the effect of the mutations on UL25 capsid binding and on DNA cleavage and packaging. Studies of these mutants demonstrated that amino acids 1 to 50 of UL25 are essential for its stable interaction with capsids and that the C terminus is essential for DNA packaging and the production of infectious virus through its interactions with other viral packaging or tegument proteins. Analysis of viral DNA cleavage demonstrated that in the absence of a functional UL25 protein, aberrant cleavage takes place at the unique short end of the viral genome, resulting in truncated viral genomes that are not retained in capsids. Based on these observations, we propose a model where UL25 is required for the formation of DNA-containing capsids by acting to stabilize capsids that contain full-length viral genomes.

Molecular modeling and mutagenesis reveals a tetradentate binding site for Zn2+ in GABA(A) alphabeta receptors and provides a structural basis for the modulating effect of the gamma subunit.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA(A)-R) containing alpha1beta2gamma2 subunits are weakly inhibited by Zn2+, whereas receptors containing only the alpha1beta2 subunits are strongly inhibited. We built homology models of the ion pores of alpha1beta2 and alpha1beta2gamma2 GABA(A)-R using coordinates of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor as a template. Threading the GABA(A)-R beta2 sequence onto this template placed the 17' histidine and the 20' glutamate residues at adjacent locations in the mouth of the pore, such that a nearly ideal tetradentate site for Zn2+ was formed from two histidine and two glutamate residues between adjacent beta subunits in the alpha1beta2 GABA(A)-R. Following optimization with CHARMM, the distance between the alpha-carbons of the adjacent histidine residues was approximately 9.2 A, close to the ideal distance for a Zn2+ binding site. Loss of inhibition by Zn2+ in alpha1beta2gamma2 GABA(A)-R can be explained by the geometry of these residues in the arrangement alpha1beta2gamma2alpha1beta2, in which the nearest C-alpha-C-alpha distance between the histidine residues is 15.5 A, too far apart for an energetically optimal Zn2+ binding site. We then mutated the gamma subunit at the 17' and/or 20' positions. Zn2+ inhibition was not restored in alpha1beta2gamma2 (I282H) receptors. A novel finding is that the modeling shows the native 20' lysine in gamma2 can compete with Zn2+ for binding to the inserted 17' histidine. Sensitivity to Zn2+ was restored in the double mutant receptor, alpha1beta2gamma2 (I282H; K285E), in which the competition with lysine was removed and a more favorable Zn2+ binding site was formed.

Women's mental health in primary care. Depression, anxiety, somatization, eating disorders, and substance abuse.

Primary care physicians can improve the care of women patients by applying new concepts of women's physiology and psychosocial development. New developmental models that emphasize the importance of relationships in women's self-concept and well-being have led to effective psychotherapies for depression, eating disorders, anxiety and substance abuse. Many of these therapies can be offered in brief formats suitable to primary care settings. New biological treatments including the use of estrogen, thyroid hormone and bright light for depression and refeeding to increase metabolic rate in eating disorders also promise to expand the range of mental health problems that generalist physicians can treat successfully.