Holothuria tubulosa as a bioindicator to analyse metal pollution on the coast of Alicante (Spain)

Metal pollution is a major concern worldwide. The concentration of several metals in marine sediments from Alicante, Spain (Western Mediterranean): Cabo de la Huerta, Albufereta, San Gabriel and Cabo de Santa Pola has been studied, being areas with contrasted metal stress due to anthropogenic pressures, and their bioaccumulation in different tissues of Holothuria tubulosa (body wall, guts and intestine). The metals with more different levels among samples were Fe, Al, V, Mn, Pb, Ga, As, Cr, Zn and B. The body wall was the tissue that showed a significantly different signature of metal levels compared to the other body parts and the sediment. The guts, followed by the intestines, were the tissues with greatest bioaccumulation. The standard guidelines for safety limits (US EPA) for As, Cr, Pb and Zn are in the range “non-polluted”. In all the areas, the quality guidelines for Effect Level, Probable Effect Level, Effect Range Low and Effect Range Medium for As, Cr, Pb and Zn are much lower than those established, indicating no biologically adverse effects resulting from exposure to these metals. Regarding the potential ecological risk, for all metals it is <40 with low risk in all zones. The metals studied present a negative Igeo (area not contaminated). Arsenic in Albufereta and strontium in all the areas studied are the only ones that present a level 2 (uncontaminated to moderately contaminated). The Enrichment Factor (EF), with Fe as the normalising element, had a level 1–3 (minor enrichment), with the exception of Pb, B, As and Sr. Despite the concentrations in sediments being lower compared with other parts of the world, the Biota-Sediment Assimilation Factor from the body wall was higher at As (9.2) and B (7.3). It is necessary to highlight the high levels of As in the body wall (17 to 23 mg/kg of dry material), this is surprising, and it seems to be a general trend throughout the world.The authors wish to thank the Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) for the financial help of the Project CIAICO/2021. This study was partially financed by the University of Alicante’s Chemical Engineering Department, Marine Sciences & Applied Biology Department and University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences (IUACA)

Influence of the Temperature on the Liquid–Liquid–Solid Equilibria of the Water + Ethanol + 1-Undecanol Ternary System

Liquid–liquid (L–L), solid–liquid (S–L), and solid–liquid–liquid (S–L–L) equilibrium data for the water–ethanol–1-undecanol ternary system have been determined experimentally at (275.15, 278.15, 281.15, 288.15, and 298.15) K and atmospheric pressure. Different shapes of the equilibrium diagrams have been observed depending on the temperature. A region with three phases (S–L–L) is present in the temperature range between (275.15 and 281.15) K. Above 288.15 K, only a L–L region is observed.We thank the University of Alicante (Spain) for the financial support

Experimental study of the LL, VL and VLL equilibria of water + 1-butanol + 2-octanol at 101.3 kPa

Equilibrium data for the water + 1-butanol + 2-octanol system is determined in this work. Liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) data are obtained at 303.15 K and 313.15 K, with a view to investigating the influence of temperature. Vapour-liquid-liquid equilibrium (VLLE) and vapour-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data of the same system are also determined at 101.3 kPa, by means of a modified Fisher Labodest recirculating still that is coupled to an ultrasonic probe. Additionally, the heterogeneous binary azeotrope of the pair water + 2-octanol is determined. Correlation parameters are obtained from the experimental results for use in the universal quasichemical (UNIQUAC) and non-random two-liquid (NRTL) thermodynamic models in CHEMCAD 7. The UNIQUAC, NRTL and original universal functional group activity coefficient (UNIFAC) models are then, in turn, used to predict the LLE and VLLE data from these correlation parameters.The authors wish to thank the Conselleria d'Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport (Generalitat Valenciana) of Spain for the financial support of project AICO/2015/052

Forced precipitation experiments for study of the electromagnetic treatment of water

The objective of this research is to know the effect of the electromagnetic equipment TK3K to prevention of incrustations in pipes. A method of forced precipitation of calcium carbonate, mixing solutions of Ca(NO3)2 and Na2CO3 with tap water, shows differences in the temporal evolution of turbidity, absorbance and in the final size of the particles formed, which makes it possible to distinguish between treated and untreated water. The latter present higher values ​​of parameters analyzed than the treated ones. A longer treatment time does not produce different results, while an increase in temperature causes a greater decrease. Since there is no immediate technique on the market to verify the effect of electromagnetic treatment, this method, with temperature control, is simple and fast.This study was carried out thanks to the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana (FEDEGENT/2018/005) and the company ECOTÉCNICA ENERGY SYSTEMS S.L

HCT116 cells deficient in p21Waf1 are hypersensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and adriamycin through a mechanism unrelated to p21 and dependent on p53

El pdf del artículo es la versión de autor.-- et al.p21Waf1 (p21) was described as a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, but other p21 activities have subsequently been described, including its ability to inhibit apoptosis in some models. Comparative work on the human colon cancer isogenic cell lines HCT116 and HCT116p21-/- led to the proposal that p21 protects colon cancer cells against apoptosis by genotoxic drugs. We asked whether p21 also protected from cell death induced by non-genotoxic drugs, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We found that p21-deficient cells were dramatically more sensitive towards imatinib and gefitinib than parental cells. Interestingly, HCT116p21-/- also showed higher basal activity of protein kinases as c-Abl, c-Src, and Akt. We generated HCT116p21-/- sublines with inducible p21 expression and found that p21 did not rescue the hypersensitivity to imatinib. Moreover, down-regulation of p21 by enforced c-Myc expression or by p21 siRNA did not sensitize parental HCT116 cells. We found that, in HCT116p21-/- cells, p53 showed higher stability, higher transcriptional activity and phosphorylation in serines associated with p53 activity. Furthermore, silencing of p53 with siRNA and inactivation of p53 with a dominant negative mutant rescued the hypersensitive response to kinases inhibitors, 5-fluorouracil and adriamycin in HCT116p21-/- cells. Consistently, HCT116p53-/- cells are more resistant to imatinib than parental cells, suggesting that imatinib activity is partly dependent on p53 in colon cancer cells. We conclude that high p53 activity, rather than p21 deficiency, is the mechanism responsible for hypersensitivity to drugs of HCT116p21-/- cells. Therefore the role of p21 on apoptosis of HCT116 colon cancer cells should be re-evaluated. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.N.F. is funded by a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) and from the University of Cantabria. Work at the laboratory of J.L. is funded by MEC grants SAF2005-00461 and Spanish Ministry of Health and Consume (MSC) grant ISCIII-RETIC-RD06/0020. M.D.D. is funded by MSC grant FIS04-1083, and J.M.P. is funded by grants from Fundación de Investigación Médica Mutua Madrileña and MEC grant SAF2006-00371.Peer Reviewe

Antiapoptotic proteins Bcl2 and BclX do not protect chronic myeloid leukemia cells from imatinib-mediated growth arrest

Imatinib (Glivec, Gleevec, STI571), a Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitor, is the most used drug in chronic myeloid leukemia. Imatinib induces apoptosis in a number of CML-derived cell lines, including K562. However, in order to achieve hematological remissions it is required chronic treatment with the drug, a fact inconsistent with a cytotoxic mechanism of imatinib in vivo. In this work we have analysed the effects of imatinib on the proliferation and apoptosis of K562-derived cell lines with constitutive expression of the anti-apoptotic genes Bcl2 and BclX. We found that imatinib-mediated apoptosis was completely abrogated in both Bcl2- and BclX-cell lines. However, imatinib inhibited proliferation, although growth rate was higher than in parental K562. We conclude that, besides its apoptotic effect, imatinib acts through an apoptosis-independent mechanism to arrest cell growth.The work was supported by grant PM98-0109 and SAF2002-04193 from Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology to J.L.Peer Reviewe

Heme oxygenase-1 regulates the progression of K/BxN serum transfer arthritis

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is induced in many cell types as a defense mechanism against stress. We have investigated the possible role of endogenous HO-1 in the effector phase of arthritis using the K/BxN serum transfer model of arthritis in HO-1 heterozygous and homozygous knock-out mice. Methodology/Principal Findings. Arthritis was induced in C57/Black-6 xFVB (HO-1+/+, HO-1+/− and HO-1−/−) mice by intraperitoneal injection of 150 µl serum from arthritic K/BxN mice at days 0 and 2. Blood was collected and animals were sacrificed at day 10. Histological analysis was performed in ankle sections. The levels of inflammatory mediators were measured in serum and paw homogenates by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or Multiplex technology. The incidence of arthritis was higher in HO-1+/− and HO-1−/− groups compared with HO-1+/+. The inflammatory response was aggravated in HO-1+/− mice as shown by arthritic score and the migration of inflammatory cells that could be related to the enhancement of CXCL-1 production. In addition, the HO-1+/− group showed proteoglycan depletion significantly higher than HO-1+/+ mice. Serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 were increased in arthritic HO-1−/− mice, whereas vascular endothelial growth factor and some cytokines such as interferon-γ showed a reduction compared to HO-1+/+ or HO-1+/− mice. In addition, down-regulated gene expression of ferritin, glutathione S-reductase A1 and superoxide dismutase-2 was observed in the livers of arthritic HO-1+/− animals

Analysis of Calcium Carbonate Scales in Water Distribution Systems and Influence of the Electromagnetic Treatment

The formation of calcium carbonate scale in pipes and devices in water supply networks poses serious problems. Electromagnetic treatment (EMT) is a technology that can prevent the formation of these scales without the need to add chemical reagents, reducing maintenance costs in the installations. In this work, the types of crystals commonly found in water distribution systems are studied, with emphasis on the different techniques that allow their characterization (TGA, XRD, SEM), and the effects that EMT produces on their morphology. Laboratory trials have been carried out with synthetic water prepared from a calcium carbonate solution to study the crystals obtained at different temperatures, with and without EMT. High temperatures cause the production of aragonite instead of the stable form (calcite), as was observed in the samples from the heater resistors. In contrast, in the samples taken in lower temperature zones, a majority presence of calcite was observed. These results have been corroborated with a laboratory-scale evaporation trial, obtaining an increase in the aragonite/calcite ratio with increasing temperature and with the treatment applied, generating crystalline phases that exceed 70% aragonite (needle shape). It is highlighted that the EMT limits the reversion of aragonite to calcite and decreases the formation of scale.This research was funded by the Generalitat Valenciana (FEDEGENT/2018/005)

Study of the phase equilibrium of the water + 2-propanol + 1-undecanol ternary system between 275.15 K and 288.15 K. Comparison with the water + ethanol + 1-undecanol system

This paper reports the measurements of liquid + liquid, solid + liquid and solid + liquid + liquid equilibrium data of the water + 2-propanol + 1-undecanol ternary system at temperatures from 275.15 to 288.15 K. The three isothermal phase diagrams show different regions depending on temperature. At 288.15 K a liquid + liquid region is observed, however, below this temperature, solid phases appear. The experimental data have been compared with the ternary water + ethanol + 1-undecanol system at the same temperatures; some differences arise in the shapes of the different regions. Finally, by means of the distribution and selectivity coefficients, the capability of the 1-undecanol as an extractant agent in alcohol dewatering has been analyzed.Financial support from Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) for the AICO/2015/052 project are gratefully acknowledged

Myc Inhibits p27-Induced Erythroid Differentiation of Leukemia Cells by Repressing Erythroid Master Genes without Reversing p27-Mediated Cell Cycle Arrest

Inhibition of differentiation has been proposed as an important mechanism for Myc-induced tumorigenesis, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. We have established a genetically defined differentiation model in human leukemia K562 cells by conditional expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p27 (inducible by Zn2+) and Myc (activatable by 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen). Induction of p27 resulted in erythroid differentiation, accompanied by Cdk inhibition and G1 arrest. Interestingly, activation of Myc inhibited p27-mediated erythroid differentiation without affecting p27-mediated proliferation arrest. Microarray-based gene expression indicated that, in the presence of p27, Myc blocked the upregulation of several erythroid-cell-specific genes, including NFE2, JUNB, and GATA1 (transcription factors with a pivotal role in erythropoiesis). Moreover, Myc also blocked the upregulation of Mad1, a transcriptional antagonist of Myc that is able to induce erythroid differentiation. Cotransfection experiments demonstrated that Myc-mediated inhibition of differentiation is partly dependent on the repression of Mad1 and GATA1. In conclusion, this model demonstrates that Myc-mediated inhibition of differentiation depends on the regulation of a specific gene program, whereas it is independent of p27-mediated cell cycle arrest. Our results support the hypothesis that differentiation inhibition is an important Myc tumorigenic mechanism that is independent of cell proliferation. Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.This study was supported by grants CICYT SAF05-00461 from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC), ISCIII-RETIC RD06/0020 from the Spanish Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, API-17-05 from the Fundación Marques de Valdecilla (to J.L), and FIS04/1083 (to M.D.D). J.C.A., G.B., and N.F. were supported by fellowships from the MEC, and V.T. was supported by a Lady Tata Memorial Trust award.Peer Reviewe