Epigenetic Immune Remodeling of Mesothelioma Cells: A New Strategy to Improve the Efficacy of Immunotherapy

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive malignancy with a severe progno- sis, and with a long-standing need for more effective therapeutic approaches. However, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors is becoming an increasingly effective strategy for MPM pa- tients. In this scenario, epigenetic modifications may negatively regulate the interplay between immune and malignant cells within the tumor microenvironment, thus contributing to the highly immunosuppressive contexture of MPM that may limit the efficacy of immunotherapy. Aiming to further improve prospectively the clinical efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches in MPM, we investigated the immunomodulatory potential of different classes of epigenetic drugs (i.e., DNA hypomethylating agent (DHA) guadecitabine, histone deacetylase inhibitors VPA and SAHA, or EZH2 inhibitors EPZ-6438) in epithelioid, biphasic, and sarcomatoid MPM cell lines, by cytofluo- rimetric and real-time PCR analyses. We also characterized the effects of the DHA, guadecitabine, on the gene expression profiles (GEP) of the investigated MPM cell lines by the nCounter platform. Among investigated drugs, exposure of MPM cells to guadecitabine, either alone or in combination with VPA, SAHA and EPZ-6438 demonstrated to be the main driver of the induction/upregulation of immune molecules functionally crucial in host-tumor interaction (i.e., HLA class I, ICAM-1 and cancer testis antigens) in all three MPM subtypes investigated. Additionally, GEP demonstrated that treatment with guadecitabine led to the activation of genes involved in several immune-related func- tional classes mainly in the sarcomatoid subtype. Furthermore, among investigated MPM subtypes, DHA-induced CDH1 expression that contributes to restoring the epithelial phenotype was highest in sarcomatoid cells. Altogether, our results contribute to providing the rationale to develop new epigenetically-based immunotherapeutic approaches for MPM patients, potentially tailored to the specific histologic subtypes

Eco-balancing of materials recovered from construction and demolition (C&D) waste

In recent years, in Italy, a large quantity of construction and demolition (C&D) waste has been generated: in the year 2004 a production of about 46,0 Mt of C&D waste has been estimated. After a mechanical treatment, such waste can be recovered and recycled as secondary raw material, determining economic and environmental benefits, by reducing landfilling, transportation and primary resources consumption. To date, the recycling rate of C&D waste in Italy is very low-about 10%-compared with the recycling rate of most of European countries, due to the large availability of natural resources. This study is aimed to carry out an analysis of C&D waste flow from a representative area in Italy, considering both the amount properly disposed or recycled, both the amount illegally dumped on the territory or in the containers for municipal solid waste. Furthermore, the eco-balancing as a particular procedure of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, has been applied to in order to optimize C&D waste recycling and material recovered, considering the environmental impact connected to different C&D waste management schemes. Data obtained from the eco-balancing allow to quantify the environmental performance, to estimate the costs of each scheme considered, and finally to evaluate the best C&D waste management. © 2011 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved

ECO-PACK. Studio e confronto del profilo ambientale di tre imballaggi per CD/DVD, secondo le norme ISO 14040-14044: due realizzati dal Nuovo SCatolificio Valtenna Srl e uno da un competitor

Rapporto finale dello studio di LCA di tre differenti imballaggi per CD/DVD per l'ottimizzazione e il redesign ambientale del prodotto

ECO-PACK. Studio e confronto del profilo ambientale di tre imballaggi per CD/DVD prodotti da Nuovo Scatolificio Valtenna Srl secondo le norme ISO 14040-14044

Il documento contiene l'analisi ambientale di tre imballaggi per CD/DVD e lo sviluppo progettuale di un nuovo pack totalmente biodegradabile e compostabile sviluppato secondo criteri di eco-design

Scenari di miglioramento delle prestazioni ambientali di imballaggi per CD/DVD tramite metodologia LCA

Il capitolo illustra i principali risultati di uno studio comparativo delle prestazioni ambientali del ciclo produttivo di tre tipologie di imballaggio per il confezionamento, la distribuzione e la custodia di due CD/DVD e di un piccolo manuale. Lo studio si è occupato di effettuare l'analisi comparativa con la metodologia LCA per le tre tipologie di imballaggio: Pack A, prodotto dall'azienda Valtenna (commissionaria dello studio), Pack B, monomaterico, Pack C, prodotto concorrente; è stato simulato anche uno scenario intermedio di miglioramento del Pack A con sostituzione di un solo componente. I risultati, raccolti in questo capitolo, mostrano un evidente vantaggio ambientale del prototipo Pack B e anche del Pack A migliorato rispetto al Pack C del concorrente o all'originale Pack A

End-of-life automotive lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in Brazil: Prediction of flows and revenues by 2030

The fleet of electric vehicles has increased worldwide, pushed by the necessity of building a low-carbon economy. In Brazil, the number of new electric cars registered per year is also increasing, especially after the promulgation of the Program Route 2030. Collection rates and management criteria for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (EOL LIBs) in the country are still not defined. Therefore, in this paper, we aimed to assess how big the market of electric cars (EC) will be in Brazil in 2030 and to investigate how different management patterns can affect the flows of electrodes active materials in the country. Simulations were conducted using Matlab, considering three different scenarios of penetration of EC in the total fleet of cars in 2030: 1%, 4% and 10%, while three management strategies were analyzed for the year of 2030 using Material Flow Analysis. According to the model, the number of new electric cars entering the Brazilian market in 2030 can surpass 1,800,000 units, resulting in a demand of Li, Co, Ni, Mn and graphite of up to 8,700, 15,000, 46,000, 15,000 and 92,000 tonnes, respectively. The number of EOL LIBs in the same year may overcome 340 thousand. The amount of material available for recycling depends on the management strategy adopted. In any case, revenues from recycling LIBs electrode active materials result mainly from Co and Ni recovery (88–93%). In view of increasing circularity of materials and expected technological development, the adoption of repurposing and remanufacturing is recommended

Valorization of resources from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries: A review

The increase in the number of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) on the market in the last decades, boosted by the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, has led to high extraction and use rates of raw materials. LIBs contain scarce materials, mostly in concentrations higher than in natural ores. Nonetheless, large scale recycling processes of LIBs focus mainly on valuable materials (e.g., Ni and Co). Graphite from anodes is currently not reclaimed. In addition, LIB recycling facilities use energy and resource-intensive technologies based on pyro- and hydrometallurgy. Accordingly, recycling routes need to be improved to guarantee lower environmental impacts and more efficient recovery rates. In this context, this study examines the functioning of LIBs, their composition, main benefits and drawbacks related to the technology, and existing recycling processes for value recovery from LIBs. New approaches for resource valorization from LIBs are described, including biohydrometallurgy, resynthesis of electrodes, and production of metal-organic frameworks and graphene-based materials from cathodes and anodes. Fragilities and potentialities to manage end-of-life batteries are also discussed. Most studies found in the literature focus on LiCoO2 cathodes and the most innovative investigations targeting automotive batteries are still limited to the lab-scale phase. In the future, the economic aspects and environmental impacts of these technologies require further assessment

CIRCULAR ECONOMY POLICIES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND BRAZIL: A COMPARISON

Circular Economy (CE) has become a hot topic among researchers and regulators in recent years. In this sense, this survey aimed to assess research patterns in the field and to investigate the implemented regulations in Europe and in Brazil. The survey showed that from 2000 to 2019, 65% of publications about CE came from Europe, with a sharp increase after the publication of the CE package. In America, Brazil was in second place, after the USA. Comparing the policies from Brazil and European Union regarding CE, many common initiatives were found, but major differences are also highlighted, as the aspects of the open dumps and waste pickers in Brazil. In the Brazilian case, well-structured policies are in force, but a lack of commitment to the defined targets is observed, while in Europe there is more seriousness towards meeting the imposed targets

Critical issues hindering a widespread construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling practice in EU countries and actions to undertake. The stakeholder’s perspective

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) reuse and recycling represents a key point to enhance resource efficiency in construction sector and to reduce the huge volumes of extracted materials, energy consumption and waste production, which make this sector the largest resource consuming and waste producing one. Even if several alternatives for raw materials substitution have been widely investigated from a technical and economic point, several critical issues hinder a wide substitution rate of virgin raw materials with CDW valorised streams slowing down the circular economy transition. The aim of this research was to individuate and discuss these issues hindering a widespread CDW recycling practice in order to individuate actions to undertake, that can support policies and action plans. The investigation was conducted through desk research and a survey, through the administration of questionnaires and more focused guided interviews. Difficulties and barriers have been analysed and suggestions to improve waste recycling and reuse have been proposed. The state of implementation of policies, actions and best practices such as Green Public Procurement (GPP); b) End of Waste (EoW) criteria; c) pre-demolition audit; d) selective demolition; e) landfill tax; f) tax on raw material extraction; g) traceability system; h) take-back centres, have been examined and discussed. Finally, ideas and suggestions aimed at directing the correct implementation of policies, initiatives and action plans, starting from the successful experiences of some countries that could be effectively transferred in other ones and, trying to take advantage of the difficulties encountered in the implementation process, have been proposed