Effect of mode of operation, substrate and final electron acceptor on single-chamber membraneless microbial fuel cell operating with a mixed community

Waste minimization and circular thinking are to be achieved in order to cope with the limited amount of resources of our planet. In this perspective, bio-electrochemical systems (BESs) can contribute to the global balance with their ability to extract chemical residual energy from wastewater and transform it directly into electrical current. BESs development has been limited by the cost connected to reactor design, in which membranes and cathode catalyst constituted a major drawback. In this paper we report the optimization process of a simple reactor without membranes or precious catalyst that produced 47.1 mW mâ2, which is more than what achieved with configurations including membranes, operating in similar conditions (glycerol as substrate and hydraulic retention times of 3 days). In opposition to what is usually reported for conventional divided microbial fuel cells (MFCs), we have found that in this kind of reactor fermenting substrates (mainly glycerol) can give higher current density than non-fermentable ones (acetate). Feeding modality and proper electrode orientation were confirmed to have a dramatic impact on power output. Finally, a possible niche for the exploitation of our single chamber membraneless MFC was pointed out to exist in bio-refinery industry

Onasemnogene abeparvovec in spinal muscular atrophy: predictors of efficacy and safety in naïve patients with spinal muscular atrophy and following switch from other therapiesResearch in context

Summary: Background: Efficacy and safety of onasemnogene abeparvovec (OA) for Spinal Muscular Atrophy infants under 7 months and <8.5 kg has been reported in clinical trials. This study examines efficacy and safety predictors in a wide age (22 days–72 months) and weight (3.2–17 kg) range, also including patients previously treated with other drugs. Methods: 46 patients were treated for 12 months between January 2020 and March 2022. Safety profile was also available for another 21 patients with at least 6 month follow-up after OA infusion. 19/67 were treatment naïve when treated with OA. Motor function was measured with the CHOP-INTEND. Findings: CHOP-INTEND changes varied among age groups. Baseline score and age at OA treatment best predicted changes. A mixed model post-hoc analysis showed that in patients treated before the age of 24 months the CHOP-INTEND changes were already significant 3 months after OA while in those treated after the age of 24 months the difference was only significant 12 months after OA. Adverse events occurred in 51/67. The risk for elevated transaminases serum levels was higher in older patients. This was also true for weight and for pre-treatment with nusinersen when analysed individually. A binomial negative regression analysis showed that only age at OA treatment had a significant effect on the risk of elevated transaminases. Interpretation: Our paper describes OA 12-month follow-up showing efficacy across various age and weight groups not targeted by clinical trials. The study identifies prognostic factors for safety and efficacy in treatment selection. Funding: None

Reclamo al CICR- commento all'art.9 TUB

Il reclamo al CICR resta apparentemente immutato come reclamo nazionale avverso i provvedimenti di vigilanza, mentre gli assetti dei poteri di vigilanza bancaria sono da tempo profondamente riconfigurati e incentrati sulla BCE. Nel nuovo sistema di vigilanza è previsto un diverso procediento di reclamo. Si affronta, quindi, principalmente il problema della convivenza dei due rimedi