Potential performance of environmental friendly application of ORC and Flash technology in geothermal power plants

The successful exploitation of geothermal energy for power production relies on to the availability of nearly zero emission and efficient technologies, able to provide flexible operation. It can be realized with the binary cycle technology. It consists of a closed power cycle coupled to a closed geothermal loop, whereby the closed power cycle is generally accomplished by means of an organic Rankine cycle (in a few cases the Kalina cycle has been adopted). The confinement of the geothermal fluid in a closed loop is an important advantage from the environmental point of view: possible pollutants contained in the geothermal fluid are not released into the ambient and are directly reinjected underground. Although a well-established technology in the frame of geothermal applications, the adoption of the binary cycle technology is at the moment typically confined to the exploitation of medium-low temperature liquid geothermal reservoirs, generally between 100-170°C. The important advantages of the binary cycle technology from the environmental point of view suggest nevertheless that it is worthwhile to investigate whether the application range could be extended to higher temperature reservoirs, and up to which extent. Moreover, the paper investigates the effect of an increasing CO2content in the geothermal fluid. The paper compares in a convenient high temperature range of the geothermal source the performance of a properly optimized geothermal ORC plant, with the performance of a modified flash plant, whereby the geothermal steam enters a turbine, and the CO2stream is separated, compressed and finally reinjected. An environmentally friendly working fluid, recently introduced in the market, is considered in the ORC optimization process. The performance comparison will involve the assessment of plant net power. As far as the calculations are concerned, the geothermal fluid is assumed to be a mixture of water and possibly CO2. The auxiliary power consumption is properly accounted for: beyond cooling auxiliaries, a submersible well pump for the ORC plant and a gas compressor for the reinjection of the non-condensable gases in the flash plant are considered

Efficient lysis of B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells by the plant-derived sesquiterpene alcohol \u3b1-bisabolol, a dual proapoptotic and antiautophagic agent

The sesquiterpene \u3b1-bisabolol (\u3b1-BSB) is a cytotoxic agent against acute leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia cells. Here the profile of \u3b1-BSB citotoxicity was evaluated ex vivo in primary mononuclear blood cells isolated from 45 untreated B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) patients. We studied the effects of \u3b1-BSB by flow cytometric and western blotting techniques with the following findings: (1) \u3b1-BSB was an effective proapoptotic agent against B-CLL cells (IC50 42 \ub1 15 \u3bcM). It was also active, but to a lesser extent, on normal residual B cells and monocytes (IC50 68 \ub1 34 and 74 \ub1 28 \u3bcM, respectively; p < 0.01), while T-cells, though not achieving IC50, were nevertheless decreased. (2) Lipid raft content positively correlated with \u3b1-BSB cell sensitivity, while neither the phenotype of B-CLL cells nor the disease clinical stage did affect the sensitivity to \u3b1-BSB. (3) Flow cytometry analysis evidenced the induction of pores in mitochondrial and lysosomal membrane after 3- to 5-hour exposure of B-CLL cells to \u3b1-BSB, leading to apoptosis; in contrast, western blotting analysis showed inhibition of the autophagic flux. Therefore, according to cellular selectivity, \u3b1-BSB is a cytotoxic agent preferentially active against leukemic cells, while its lower activity on normal B cells, monocytes and T cells may account for an additive anti-inflammatory effect targeting the leukemia-associated pro-inflammatory microenvironment. Consistent with the observed effects on intracellular processes, \u3b1-BSB should be regarded as a dual agent, both activating mitochondrial-based apoptosis and inhibiting autophagy by disrupting lysosomes

In reply to Sch\ue4fer et\ua0al: new evidence on the role of endothelin-1 axis as a potential therapeutic target in multiple myeloma

no abstract availabl

Elotuzumab plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: Extended 3-year follow-up of a multicenter, retrospective clinical experience with 319 cases outside of controlled clinical trials

The combination of elotuzumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (EloRd) enhanced the clinical benefit over Rd with a manageable toxicity profile in the ELOQUENT-2 trial, leading to its approval in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The present study is a 3-year follow-up update of a previously published Italian real-life RRMM cohort of patients treated with EloRd. This revised analysis entered 319 RRMM patients accrued in 41 Italian centers. After a median follow-up of 36&nbsp;months (range 6–55), 236 patients experienced disease progression or died. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 18.4 and 34&nbsp;months, respectively. The updated multivariate analyses showed a significant reduction of PFS and OS benefit magnitude only in cases with International Staging System stage III. Major adverse events included grade 3/4 neutropenia (18.5%), anemia (15.4%), lymphocytopenia (12.5%), and thrombocytopenia (10.7%), while infection rates and pneumonia were 33.9% and 18.9%, respectively. No new safety signals with longer follow-up have been observed. Of 319 patients, 245 (76.7%) reached at least a partial remission. A significantly lower response rate was found in patients previously exposed to lenalidomide. In conclusion, our study confirms that EloRd is a safe and effective regimen for RRMM patients, maintaining benefits across multiple unfavorable subgroups