Aerogeles basados en quitosano para la remediación de efluentes textiles

Aerogels are porous materials that have very low density and can be used in various technological applications, among which the adsorption of contaminants from wastewater stands out. In this work, chitosan-based aerogels were obtained from the lyophilization of hydrogels cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. These materials were characterized by measuring their density, porosity, swelling degree and stability in different solvents and point of zero charge. Moreover, to test the behavior of the obtained materials as contaminant adsorbents, kinetic tests were carried out using Congo Red anionic dye. The experimental data from those tests were satisfactorily fitted with pseudo-second order model. It was found that the properties and adsorption capacities of the samples depended on their composition. More stable materials with better adsorption performance were obtained using higher contents of chitosan or glutaraldehyde. Los aerogeles son materiales porosos de muy baja densidad que pueden ser utilizados en diversas aplicaciones de interés tecnológico, entre ellas se destaca la adsorción de contaminantes presentes en medio acuoso. En este trabajo se obtuvieron aerogeles basados en quitosano a partir de la liofilización de hidrogeles entrecruzados con glutaraldehído. Estos materiales fueron caracterizados a partir de su densidad, porosidad, grado de hinchamiento y estabilidad en diferentes solventes y el punto de carga cero. Además, para probar el comportamiento de los materiales como adsorbentes de contaminantes, se realizaron ensayos de cinética de adsorción utilizando el colorante aniónico Rojo Congo. Los datos experimentales de estos ensayos se ajustaron satisfactoriamente mediante el modelo de pseudo-segundo orden. Las propiedades y la capacidad de adsorción de las muestras resultaron dependientes de la composición de las mismas. Se obtuvieron materiales más estables y con mejor desempeño en adsorción al aumentar el contenido de quitosano o de glutaraldehído

The effect of bacteriochlorophyll derivative WST-D and near infrared light on the molecular and fibrillar architecture of the corneal stroma

A cross-linking technique involving application of Bacteriochlorophyll Derivative WST-11 mixed with dextran (WST-D) to the epithelium-debrided cornea and illumination with Near Infrared (NIR), has been identified as a promising therapy for stiffening pathologically weakened corneas. To investigate its effect on corneal collagen architecture, x-ray scattering and electron microscopy data were collected from paired WST-D/NIR treated and untreated rabbit corneas. The treated eye received 2.5 mg/mL WST-D and was illuminated by a NIR diode laser (755 nm, 10 mW/cm2). An increase in corneal thickness (caused by corneal oedema) occurred at 1-day post-treatment but resolved in the majority of cases within 4 days. The epithelium was fully healed after 6–8 days. X-ray scattering revealed no difference in average collagen interfibrillar spacing, fibril diameter, D-periodicity or intermolecular spacing between treated and untreated specimens. Similarly, electron microscopy images of the anterior and posterior stroma in healed WST-D/NIR corneas and untreated controls revealed no obvious differences in collagen organisation or fibril diameter. As the size and organisation of stromal collagen is closely associated with the optical properties of the cornea, the absence of any large-scale changes following treatment confirms the potential of WST-D/NIR therapy as a means of safely stiffening the cornea

Jute/polypropylene composites: Effect of enzymatic modification on thermo-mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties

In this study, a high-performance composite was prepared from jute fabrics and polypropylene (PP). In order to improve the compatibility of the polar fibers and the non-polar matrix, alkyl gallates with different hydrophobic groups were enzymatically grafted onto jute fabric by laccase to increase the surface hydrophobicity of the fiber. The grafting products were characterized by FTIR. The results of contact angle and wetting time showed that the hydrophobicity of the jute fabrics was improved after the surface modification. The effect of the enzymatic graft modification on the properties of the jute/PP composites was evaluated. Results showed that after the modification, tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of composites improved, and water absorption and thickness swelling clearly decreased. However, tensile properties drastically decreased after a long period of water immersion. The thermal behavior of the composites was evaluated by TGA/DTG. The fiber-matrix morphology in the modified jute/PP composites was confirmed by SEM analysis of the tensile fractured specimens.This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51173071), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-12-0883), the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT1135) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (JUSRP51312B, JUSRP51505)

Molecular Effects of Doxycycline Treatment on Pterygium as Revealed by Massive Transcriptome Sequencing

Pterygium is a lesion of the eye surface which involves cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, fibrosis, and extracellular matrix remodelling. Surgery is the only approved method to treat this disorder, but high recurrence rates are common. Recently, it has been shown in a mouse model that treatment with doxycycline resulted in reduction of the pterygium lesions. Here we study the mechanism(s) of action by which doxycycline achieves these results, using massive sequencing techniques. Surgically removed pterygia from 10 consecutive patients were set in short term culture and exposed to 0 (control), 50, 200, and 500 µg/ml doxycycline for 24 h, their mRNA was purified, reverse transcribed and sequenced through Illumina’s massive sequencing protocols. Acquired data were subjected to quantile normalization and analyzed using cytoscape plugin software to explore the pathways involved. False discovery rate (FDR) methods were used to identify 332 genes which modified their expression in a dose-dependent manner upon exposure to doxycycline. The more represented cellular pathways included all mitochondrial genes, the endoplasmic reticulum stress response, integrins and extracellular matrix components, and growth factors. A high correlation was obtained when comparing ultrasequencing data with qRT-PCR and ELISA results