Removal Total chromium in water using activated coal microwave radiation

Se estudió la remoción del cromo para validar el uso del carbón mineral activado mediante radiación de microondas, dicha técnica de activación fue usada anteriormente en la oxidación de nanotubos de carbono y carbón vegetal. Se buscó aplicar esta técnica en un carbón de origen mineral, procedente de las minas de carbón de la cuenca del Rio Santa – Ancash y mejorar las propiedades de remoción de dicho material, con lo que a largo plazo y a mayor investigación se lograría darle un uso aparte de la que actualmente es destinada. Las pruebas experimentales de activación resultaron exitosas, esto, reflejados en las cinéticas de remoción del cromo; los valores de capacidad de remoción determinadas en dichas cinéticas están entre el 34% para el carbón sin activar y el 41% para el carbón activado, la que indica que la capacidad de remoción depende mucho de la activación del material.Removal of chromium was studied to validate the use of activated carbon by microwave radiation. This activation technique was previously used in the oxidation of carbon nanotubes and charcoal. It was tried to apply this technique in a coal of mineral origin, coming from the coal mines of the Santa - Ancash river basin and to improve the properties of removal of this material, with which in the long term and to greater investigation would be possible to give a use Apart from the one that is currently destined. The experimental activation tests were successful, this reflected in the removal kinetics of chromium; the removal capacity values determined in said kinetics are between 34% for unconverted coal and 41% for activated charcoal, which indicates that the removal capacity is highly dependent on the activation of the material

Extracellular vesicles from Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected neutrophils induce maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells and activation of antigen-specific Th1 cells

Tuberculosis remains one of the leading public health problems in the world. The mechanisms that lead to the activation of the immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been extensively studied, with a focus on the role of cytokines as the main signals for immune cell communication. However, less is known about the role of other signals, such as extracellular vesicles, in the communication between immune cells, particularly during the activation of the adaptive immune response. In this study, we determined that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis contained several host proteins that are ectosome markers. In addition, we demonstrated that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis released after only 30 min of infection carried mycobacterial antigens and pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and we identified 15 mycobacterial proteins that were consistently found in high concentrations in extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis; these proteins contain epitopes for CD4 T-cell activation. We found that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis increased the expression of the costimulatory molecule CD80 and of the coinhibitory molecule PD-L1 on immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells. We also found that immature and mature dendritic cells treated with extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis were able to induce IFN-γ production by autologous M. tuberculosis antigen-specific CD4 T cells, indicating that these extracellular vesicles acted as antigen carriers and transferred mycobacterial proteins to the antigen-presenting cells. Our results provide evidence that extracellular vesicles released by human neutrophils infected with M. tuberculosis participate in the activation of the adaptive immune response against M. tuberculosis.This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT grant A1-S-16113 to IEG) and by Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). L.V.-F., E.S.P., M.G.-M., and D.B. were recipients of CONACYT fellowships. J.S.-L., R.C.-S., S.E.-P., and I.E.-G. are fellows of Comisión de Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas (COFAA)–IPN. J.S.-L., R.C.-S., S.E.-P., I.E.-G., and I.W.-B. are fellows of Estímulos al Desempeño de los Investigadores (EDI)–IPN

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Its Receptor Binding Domain Promote a Proinflammatory Activation Profile on Human Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells, and their function is essential to configure adaptative immunity and avoid excessive inflammation. DCs are predicted to play a crucial role in the clinical evolution of the infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV)-2. DCs interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, which mediates cell receptor binding and subsequent fusion of the viral particle with host cell, is a key step to induce effective immunity against this virus and in the S protein-based vaccination protocols. Here we evaluated human DCs in response to SARS-CoV-2 S protein, or to a fragment encompassing the receptor binding domain (RBD) challenge. Both proteins increased the expression of maturation markers, including MHC molecules and costimulatory receptors. DCs interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 S protein promotes activation of key signaling molecules involved in inflammation, including MAPK, AKT, STAT1, and NFκB, which correlates with the expression and secretion of distinctive proinflammatory cytokines. Differences in the expression of ACE2 along the differentiation of human monocytes to mature DCs and inter-donor were found. Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 S protein promotes inflammatory response and provides molecular links between individual variations and the degree of response against this virus

The Scribble Complex PDZ Proteins in Immune Cell Polarities

hScrib and hDlg belong to the PDZ family of proteins. Since the identification of these highly phylogenetically conserved scaffolds, an increasing amount of experiments has elucidated the roles of hScrib and hDlg in a variety of cell functions. Remarkably, their participation during the establishment of polarity in epithelial cells is well documented. Although the role of both proteins in the immune system is scantly known, it has become a growing field of investigation. Here, we summarize the interactions and functions of hScrib and hDlg1, which participate in diverse functions involving cell polarization in immune cells, and discuss their relevance in the immune cell biology. The fundamental role of hScrib and hDlg1 during the establishment of the immunological synapse, hence T cell activation, and the recently described role of hScrib in reactive oxygen species production in macrophages and of hDlg1 in cytokine production by dendritic cells highlight the importance of both proteins in immune cell biology. The expression of these proteins in other leukocytes can be anticipated and needs to be confirmed. Due to their multiple interaction domains, there is a wide range of possible interactions of hScrib and hDlg1 that remains to be explored in the immune system