Jak3 Is Involved in Dendritic Cell Maturation and CCR7-Dependent Migration

BACKGROUND: CCR7-mediated signalling is important for dendritic cell maturation and homing to the lymph nodes. We have previously demonstrated that Jak3 participates in the signalling pathway of CCR7 in T lymphocytes. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we used Jak3(-/-) mice to analyze the role of Jak3 in CCR7-mediated dendritic cells migration and function. First, we found no differences in the generation of DCs from Jak3(-/-) bone marrow progenitors, when compared to wild type cells. However, phenotypic analysis of the bone marrow derived DCs obtained from Jak3(-/-) mice showed reduced expression of co-stimulatory molecules compared to wild type (Jak3(+/+)). In addition, when we analyzed the migration of Jak3(-/-) and Jak3(+/+) mature DCs in response to CCL19 and CCL21 chemokines, we found that the absence of Jak3 results in impaired chemotactic responses both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, lymphocyte proliferation and contact hypersensitivity experiments showed that DC-mediated T lymphocyte activation is reduced in the absence of Jak3. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Altogether, our data provide strong evidence that Jak3 is important for DC maturation, migration and function, through a CCR7-mediated signalling pathway

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk–outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk–outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk–outcome associations. Methods We used the CRA framework developed for previous iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths, and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year, and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or groups of risks from 1990 to 2017. This study included 476 risk–outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence of causation. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from 46 749 randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We explored the relationship between development and risk exposure by modelling the relationship between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and risk-weighted exposure prevalence and estimated expected levels of exposure and risk-attributable burden by SDI. Finally, we explored temporal changes in risk-attributable DALYs by decomposing those changes into six main component drivers of change as follows: (1) population growth; (2) changes in population age structures; (3) changes in exposure to environmental and occupational risks; (4) changes in exposure to behavioural risks; (5) changes in exposure to metabolic risks; and (6) changes due to all other factors, approximated as the risk-deleted death and DALY rates, where the risk-deleted rate is the rate that would be observed had we reduced the exposure levels to the TMREL for all risk factors included in GBD 2017. Findings In 2017, 34·1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 33·3–35·0) deaths and 1·21 billion (1·14–1·28) DALYs were attributable to GBD risk factors. Globally, 61·0% (59·6–62·4) of deaths and 48·3% (46·3–50·2) of DALYs were attributed to the GBD 2017 risk factors. When ranked by risk-attributable DALYs, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) was the leading risk factor, accounting for 10·4 million (9·39–11·5) deaths and 218 million (198–237) DALYs, followed by smoking (7·10 million [6·83–7·37] deaths and 182 million [173–193] DALYs), high fasting plasma glucose (6·53 million [5·23–8·23] deaths and 171 million [144–201] DALYs), high body-mass index (BMI; 4·72 million [2·99–6·70] deaths and 148 million [98·6–202] DALYs), and short gestation for birthweight (1·43 million [1·36–1·51] deaths and 139 million [131–147] DALYs). In total, risk-attributable DALYs declined by 4·9% (3·3–6·5) between 2007 and 2017. In the absence of demographic changes (ie, population growth and ageing), changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs would have led to a 23·5% decline in DALYs during that period. Conversely, in the absence of changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs, demographic changes would have led to an 18·6% increase in DALYs during that period. The ratios of observed risk exposure levels to exposure levels expected based on SDI (O/E ratios) increased globally for unsafe drinking water and household air pollution between 1990 and 2017. This result suggests that development is occurring more rapidly than are changes in the underlying risk structure in a population. Conversely, nearly universal declines in O/E ratios for smoking and alcohol use indicate that, for a given SDI, exposure to these risks is declining. In 2017, the leading Level 4 risk factor for age-standardised DALY rates was high SBP in four super-regions: central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia; north Africa and Middle East; south Asia; and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania. The leading risk factor in the high-income super-region was smoking, in Latin America and Caribbean was high BMI, and in sub-Saharan Africa was unsafe sex. O/E ratios for unsafe sex in sub-Saharan Africa were notably high, and those for alcohol use in north Africa and the Middle East were notably low. Interpretation By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

Application of layered Nickel/Indium double hydroxide in the highly efficient removal of crystal violet dye from textile effluent

Worldwide freshwater demand will soon exceed supply if measures are not taken to mitigate inadequate wastewater treatment and its indiscriminate release into the environment. The textile industry is one of the largest consumers of freshwater and the third largest contributor to clean water pollution. Conventional treatment of textile effluent is inadequate and expensive. Adsorbent materials obtained from discarded solid waste precursors that contain high amounts of valuable metals can be an inexpensive way to obtain a highly efficient and low-cost wastewater treatment process. This study developed and explored a highly efficient adsorbent layered double hydroxide of Nickel and Indium (Ni/In-LDH) for the adsorption of widely used textile cationic dye, crystal violet (CV). The adsorbent material was synthesized by co-precipitation process of indium nitrate and nickel nitrate. The adsorbent material morphology and its adsorption capacity were investigated in different studies, such as the influence of pH, dosage, kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, ionic strength, adsorbent regeneration capacity, and interaction mechanisms of adsorption. Optimal operating conditions for Ni/In-LDH adsorption revealed maximum adsorption capacity Q max of 570.94 mg g−1 at starting pH 8 and 60°C, which maintained approximately 75 % of the initial adsorption capacity in three successive adsorption/regeneration cycles. The experimental data fitted Pseudo first order kinetic model (PFO) and the Liu isothermal adsorption model. Thermodynamic studies indicated a spontaneous endothermic adsorption process, and a mechanism of physisorption of CV onto Ni/In-LDH substrate. After FTIR analysis of CV loaded Ni-In/LDH, electrostatic, hydrogen bonding, and n-π bonding interactions were suggested as the interaction mechanisms of adsorption. The Ni/In-LDH demonstrated excellent performance in the removal of CV dye in aqueous solutions compared to other high performing adsorbents

Efficient removal of congo red dye using activated lychee peel biochar supported Ca-Cr layered double hydroxide

Congo red is a known carcinogenic and mutagenic dye, so its presence in bodies of water is dangerous. The present work aims to synthesize and characterize a layered double hydroxide (LDH)-biochar composite and evaluate its application in the adsorption of Congo red dye (CR). CaCr/LDH was anchored over lychee activated biochar through coprecipitation. The composite was characterized using scanning electronic mapping (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer SEM (EDS-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET). The effect of pH, adsorption kinetics, isotherms, ionic strength, and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated. The pH results show a stable adsorption capacity in a useful range of pH (pH 4-9). Adsorption kinetics fitted the Elovich model, suggesting a heterogeneous system. The maximum adsorption capacity value (qe) calculated was achieved by applying the Sips model, with 631.1 mg g-1 at 50 °C. Ionic strength experiments show that the capacity increased with increasing NaCl concentration, which is desirable for real use as other ions are commonly present in dye wastewater. π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding seems to be involved in the adsorption mechanisms. CaCr-LDH/lychee biochar has better structure stability over several adsorption-desorption cycles with anionic exchange regeneration (in comparison with thermal regeneration), wide operational pH and high adsorption capacity. Therefore, this new composite presents a very good potential for the adsorption of dye from waste- or ground- water

Development of Recycled Expanded Polystyrene Nanofibers Modified by Chitosan for the Removal of Lead(II) from Water

Water contamination by potentially toxic metals and the generation of polymeric wastes are major world concerns. Therefore, novel recycled expanded polystyrene nanofibers modified by chitosan were successfully developed by centrifugal spinning and applied as adsorbents on the removal of lead(II) from water. Expanded polystyrene was obtained from waste food packaging. Characterization of the nanofibers presented diameters of 806 nm and functional groups suitable for the adsorption of lead(II). Under the experimental conditions used, lead(II) adsorption was favored at pH 6, at a temperature of 303 K, presenting an adsorption capacity of 28.86 mg g−1 and a removal percentage of 61.19%. The pseudo-second-order model was the most suitable to describe the kinetic data. The equilibrium data could be fitted by the Aranovich–Donohue model. The maximum adsorption capacity under the experimental conditions used was 137.35 mg g−1. The thermodynamics parameters presented the adsorption as spontaneous, favorable, and endothermic. After four cycles of desorption and reuse, the nanofibers maintained 63.04% of their original adsorption capacity. The findings indicated that these recycled modified nanofibers present great potential as lead(II)- (as well as other similar metals) adsorbent, with significant environmental relevance due to the recycling of a waste polymer into a notable toxic metal adsorbent

Development of Recycled Expanded Polystyrene Nanofibers Modified by Chitosan for the Removal of Lead(II) from Water

Water contamination by potentially toxic metals and the generation of polymeric wastes are major world concerns. Therefore, novel recycled expanded polystyrene nanofibers modified by chitosan were successfully developed by centrifugal spinning and applied as adsorbents on the removal of lead(II) from water. Expanded polystyrene was obtained from waste food packaging. Characterization of the nanofibers presented diameters of 806 nm and functional groups suitable for the adsorption of lead(II). Under the experimental conditions used, lead(II) adsorption was favored at pH 6, at a temperature of 303 K, presenting an adsorption capacity of 28.86 mg g−1 and a removal percentage of 61.19%. The pseudo-second-order model was the most suitable to describe the kinetic data. The equilibrium data could be fitted by the Aranovich–Donohue model. The maximum adsorption capacity under the experimental conditions used was 137.35 mg g−1. The thermodynamics parameters presented the adsorption as spontaneous, favorable, and endothermic. After four cycles of desorption and reuse, the nanofibers maintained 63.04% of their original adsorption capacity. The findings indicated that these recycled modified nanofibers present great potential as lead(II)- (as well as other similar metals) adsorbent, with significant environmental relevance due to the recycling of a waste polymer into a notable toxic metal adsorbent