Produced water treatment by advanced oxidation processes

Abstract Different Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) such as photocatalysis, Fenton-based processes and ozonation were studied to include one of these technologies within an integrated solution for produced water (PW) polishing. Synthetic PW was prepared adding toluene, xylene, naphthalene, phenol, acetic and malonic acids to a seawater matrix. Despite that in all AOPs studied in this work BTEX and naphthalene were removed, the efficiency (in terms of TOC removal) of each treatment varied largely. Among these techniques, photocatalysis was found to be the less effective for the treatment of PW, as TOC removals lower than 20% were obtained for the best scenario after 4 h treatment. In the contrary, best results were obtained by ozonation combined with H2O2, where all the organic components were removed, including a high percentage of acetic acid, which was not abated by the rest of the AOPs studied. The optimum conditions for ozonation were 4 g h−1 O3 and 1500 mg L−1 H2O2 at pH 10, where after 2 h a 74% of TOC removal was achieved and the acetic acid elimination was 78%. This condition enabled that ozonation process accounted for the lowest electric energy consumption per order of target compound destruction regarding total organic carbon (TOC)

Immunologic Storm Simulating Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Following Parvovirus B19 Infection

Background: The appearance of symptoms compatible with systemic autoimmune diseases has been described in relation to several viral infections like HIV, cytomegalovirus and especially PVB19, depending on the evolution of the immunological condition of the host and their age. We present a young immunocompetent male patient, with clinical manifestations simulating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with important activation of cytokines. Methods: For quantification of the different cytokines in plasma, a commercially available multiplex bead immunoassay, based on the Luminex platform (Cat # HSCYTO-60SK-08, Milliplex® MAP High Sensitivity, Millipore), was used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All samples were run in duplicate and the data (mean fluorescence intensity) were analyzed using a Luminex reader. The mean concentration was calculated using a standard curve. Results: The clinical evolution was favourable without the need for any specific treatment, showing complete recovery after two months. Whilst the symptoms and viral charge were disappearing, the anti-DNA continued to increase and we demonstrate important activation of IL-10, IL-6 and TNFα cytokines as a result of a hyperstimulating response by an immunocompetent hyperfunctional system, which persists after clinical improvement. We should emphasize the behaviour of two cytokines: IL-12p70 and IL-2, which showed opposite tendencies. Conclusions: Viral infections, especially PVB19, can produce or simulate several autoimmune diseases as a hyperstimulation response from an immunocompetent hyperfunctional system. Consequently, a persistent increase of autoantobodies and important activation of cytokines, even after clinical improvement and seroconversion, can be demonstrated

Insights into Growth Factors in Liver Carcinogenesis and Regeneration: An Ongoing Debate on Minimizing Cancer Recurrence after Liver Resection

This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (Project Grant RTI2018-095114-B-I00) Madrid, Spain; European Union (Fondos FEDER, "una manera de hacer Europa"); CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya; the Secretaria d' Universitats I Recerca del Departament d' Economia I Coneixement (Project Grant 2017_SGR_551) Barcelona, Spain, by the COST action Programs CA17103 (DARTER), CA17112 (PRO-EURO-DILI-NET), CA17121 (COMULIS) and CA17126 (TUMIEE), and by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT), Fondo Sectorial de Investigacion para la Educacion (Project grant 257743), Mexico. Marc Mico-Carnero is the recipient of a fellowship from FCT (Fundacio Catalana de Trasplantament), Spain.Hepatocellular carcinoma has become a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality throughout the world, and is of great concern. Currently used chemotherapeutic drugs in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma lead to severe side effects, thus underscoring the need for further research to develop novel and safer therapies. Liver resection in cancer patients is routinely performed. After partial resection, liver regeneration is a perfectly calibrated response apparently sensed by the body’s required liver function. This process hinges on the effect of several growth factors, among other molecules. However, dysregulation of growth factor signals also leads to growth signaling autonomy and tumor progression, so control of growth factor expression may prevent tumor progression. This review describes the role of some of the main growth factors whose dysregulation promotes liver tumor progression, and are also key in regenerating the remaining liver following resection. We herein summarize and discuss studies focused on partial hepatectomy and liver carcinogenesis, referring to hepatocyte growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, and epidermal growth factor, as well as their suitability as targets in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Finally, and given that drugs remain one of the mainstay treatment options in liver carcinogenesis, we have reviewed the current pharmacological approaches approved for clinical use or research targeting these factors.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades Madrid, Spain RTI2018-095114-B-I00European Union (Fondos FEDER, "una manera de hacer Europa")General ElectricSecretaria d' Universitats I Recerca del Departament d' Economia I Coneixement Barcelona, Spain 2017_SGR_551COST action Programs CA17103 CA17112 CA17121 CA17126Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT)Fondo Sectorial de Investigacion para la Educacion, Mexico 257743FCT (Fundacio Catalana de Trasplantament), Spai

Association of metreleptin treatment and dietary intervention with neurological outcomes in Celia's encephalopathy

Celia’s encephalopathy (progressive encephalopathy with/without lipodystrophy, PELD) is a recessive neurodegenerative disease that is fatal in childhood. It is caused by a c.985C>T variant in the BSCL2/seipin gene that results in an aberrant seipin protein. We evaluated neurological development before and during treatment with human recombinant leptin (metreleptin) plus a dietary intervention rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the only living patient. A 7 years and 10 months old girl affected by PELD was treated at age 3 years with metreleptin, adding at age 6 omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. Her mental age was evaluated using the Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test (BDI), and brain PET/MRI was performed before treatment and at age 5, 6.5, and 7.5 years. At age 7.5 years, the girl remains alive and leads a normal life for her mental age of 30 months, which increased by 4 months over the last 18 months according to BDI. PET images showed improved glucose uptake in the thalami, cerebellum, and brainstem. This patient showed a clear slowdown in neurological regression during leptin replacement plus a high PUFA diet. The aberrant BSCL2 transcript was overexpressed in SH-SY5Y cells and was treated with docosahexaenoic acid (200 µM) plus leptin (0.001 mg/ml) for 24 h. The relative expression of aberrant BSCL2 transcript was measured by qPCR. In vitro studies showed significant reduction (32%) in aberrant transcript expression. This therapeutic approach should be further studied in this devastating disease.This work was supported by the Fundación Mutua Madrileña and by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the European Regional Development Fund, FEDER (PI13/00314).S

Effects of Gut Metabolites and Microbiota in Healthy and Marginal Livers Submitted to Surgery

We thank Toffa (Language Advisory Service, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain) for revising the English textMicrobiota is defined as the collection of microorganisms within the gastrointestinal ecosystem. These microbes are strongly implicated in the stimulation of immune responses. An unbalanced microbiota, termed dysbiosis, is related to the development of several liver diseases. The bidirectional relationship between the gut, its microbiota and the liver is referred to as the gut–liver axis. The translocation of bacterial products from the intestine to the liver induces inflammation in different cell types such as Kupffer cells, and a fibrotic response in hepatic stellate cells, resulting in deleterious effects on hepatocytes. Moreover, ischemia-reperfusion injury, a consequence of liver surgery, alters the microbiota profile, affecting inflammation, the immune response and even liver regeneration. Microbiota also seems to play an important role in post-operative outcomes (i.e., liver transplantation or liver resection). Nonetheless, studies to determine changes in the gut microbial populations produced during and after surgery, and affecting liver function and regeneration are scarce. In the present review we analyze and discuss the preclinical and clinical studies reported in the literature focused on the evaluation of alterations in microbiota and its products as well as their effects on post-operative outcomes in hepatic surgery.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (MCIU) Madrid, Spain RTI2018-095114-B-I00European Union (Fondos Feder, "Una manera de hacer Europa")CERCA Program/Generalitat de CatalunyaSecretaria d'Universitats i Recerca Barcelona, Spain 2017SGR-551COST action Programs CA17103 CA1712

Role of FGF15 in Hepatic Surgery in the Presence of Tumorigenesis: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

This research was supported by the "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (MCIU)" (RTI2018-095114-B-I00) Madrid, Spain, by the European Union (Fondos Feder, "Una manera de hacer Europa"), by "CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya", and by the "Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca" (2017SGR-551) Barcelona, Spain, and by the COST action Programs CA17103 (DARTER), CA17121 (COMULIS), CA17112 (PROEURO-DILI-NETWORK) and CA17126 (TUMIEE). Marc Mico-Carnero is a recipient of a fellowship from "Fundacio Catalana de trasplantament" (FCT).The pro-tumorigenic activity of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19 (FGF15 in its rodent orthologue) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as the unsolved problem that ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury supposes in liver surgeries, are well known. However, it has been shown that FGF15 administration protects against liver damage and regenerative failure in liver transplantation (LT) from brain-dead donors without tumor signals, providing a benefit in avoiding IR injury. The protection provided by FGF15/19 is due to its anti-apoptotic and pro-regenerative properties, which make this molecule a potentially beneficial or harmful factor, depending on the disease. In the present review, we describe the preclinical models currently available to understand the signaling pathways responsible for the apparent controversial effects of FGF15/19 in the liver (to repair a damaged liver or to promote tumorigenesis). As well, we study the potential pharmacological use that has the activation or inhibition of FGF15/19 pathways depending on the disease to be treated. We also discuss whether FGF15/19 non-pro-tumorigenic variants, which have been developed for the treatment of liver diseases, might be promising approaches in the surgery of hepatic resections and LT using healthy livers and livers from extended-criteria donors."Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (MCIU)", Madrid, Spain RTI2018-095114-B-I00European Union (Fondos Feder, "Una manera de hacer Europa")CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya"Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca", Barcelona, Spain 2017SGR-551European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) CA17103 CA17121 CA17112 CA17126"Fundacio Catalana de trasplantament" (FCT

Application of solar-based oxidation to the management of empty pesticide container rinse water in Bolivia

Background: The management of empty pesticide containers (EPC) in Bolivia has been recently promoted as a control strategy for dispersed pollution in surface and underground water bodies, as well as in soil. It comprises the rinsing and proper disposal or reuse of clean EPC. However, the rinsing transfers the hazard to water, which must be properly treated before being discharged. Methods: In this study, solar photo-Fenton at low Fe2+ doses were tested at pilot plant scale in Cochabamba (Bolivia) for the removal of pesticides dimethoate and atrazine in their commercial form, spiked in river water. Results: The results demonstrated that solar photo-Fenton ([H2O2]0 = 200 mg L-1) with Fe2+ concentrations between 0.5 and 1.5 mg L-1 is an effective method to remove dimethoate and atrazine, at an initial concentration of 10 mg L-1 each. Efficiency increased when increasing Fe2+ doses, achieving a removal over 99% of both pesticides after a solar irradiation period of 60 minutes (corresponding to an accumulated energy of 4.96 kJ L-1). Conclusions: The presence of high concentrations of natural components of river water, mainly organic and inorganic carbon species, would have contributed to hydroxyl radical scavenging, explaining, together with the low iron dose applied, the high energy (irradiation time) and high hydrogen peroxide concentration required to produce pesticide depletion. Additionally, the relatively low oxidant consumption and mineralization observed leave room for process optimization regarding oxidant and catalyst doses and warrant further studies on its coupling with biological or other posttreatments for the removal of transformation products. Open Peer Review Reviewer Status AWAITING PEER REVIEW Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. Open Research Europe Pag

New Insights Into the Role of Autophagy in Liver Surgery in the Setting of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Diseases

Visceral obesity is an important component of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of diseases that also includes diabetes and insulin resistance. A combination of these metabolic disorders damages liver function, which manifests as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a common cause of abnormal liver function, and numerous studies have established the enormously deleterious role of hepatic steatosis in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury that inevitably occurs in both liver resection and transplantation. Thus, steatotic livers exhibit a higher frequency of post-surgical complications after hepatectomy, and using liver grafts from donors with NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of post-surgical morbidity and mortality in the recipient. Diabetes, another MetS-related metabolic disorder, also worsens hepatic I/R injury, and similar to NAFLD, diabetes is associated with a poor prognosis after liver surgery. Due to the large increase in the prevalence of MetS, NAFLD, and diabetes, their association is frequent in the population and therefore, in patients requiring liver resection and in potential liver graft donors. This scenario requires advancement in therapies to improve postoperative results in patients suffering from metabolic diseases and undergoing liver surgery; and in this sense, the bases for designing therapeutic strategies are in-depth knowledge about the molecular signaling pathways underlying the effects of MetS-related diseases and I/R injury on liver tissue. A common denominator in all these diseases is autophagy. In fact, in the context of obesity, autophagy is profoundly diminished in hepatocytes and alters mitochondrial functions in the liver. In insulin resistance conditions, there is a suppression of autophagy in the liver, which is associated with the accumulation of lipids, being this is a risk factor for NAFLD. Also, oxidative stress occurring in hepatic I/R injury promotes autophagy. The present review aims to shed some light on the role of autophagy in livers undergoing surgery and also suffering from metabolic diseases, which may lead to the discovery of effective therapeutic targets that could be translated from laboratory to clinical practice, to improve postoperative results of liver surgeries when performed in the presence of one or more metabolic diseases.This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Project Grant RTI2018-095114-B-I00) Madrid, Spain; European Union (Fondos FEDER, “una manera de hacer Europa”); CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya; the Secretaria d’ Universitats I Recerca del Departament d’ Economia I Coneixement (Project Grant 2017_SGR_551) Barcelona, Spain, by the COST action Programs CA17103 (DARTER), CA17112 (PRO-EURO-DILI-NET), CA17121 (COMULIS), and CA17126 (TUMIEE), and by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Fondo Sectorial de Investigación para la Educación (Project grant 257743), México. MM-C is the recipient of a fellowship from FCT (Fundació Catalana de trasplantament), Spain.Ye