Elaboración de propuesta de snacks liofilizados a partir de frutas autóctonas colombianas.

Una de las tendencias mundiales en alimentación es el interés acentuado de los consumidores por alimentos que además de su valor nutritivo aporten beneficios a las funciones fisiológicas y prevengan enfermedades. Esta situación ha generado programas de gobierno que buscan resolver el problema de la obesidad o exceso de peso de su población mediante la promoción del consumo por parte de su población infantil de alimentos sanos que reemplacen los tradicionales pasa bocas saborizados ricos en grasas, carbohidratos y aditivos por snack de alto contenido nutricional. Como alternativa se ha impulsado el consumo de frutas ya que son una fuente natural de nutrientes, agua, carbohidratos y proteínas; además, contienen sustancias inactivas tales como fibra, vitaminas y antioxidantes que pueden ofrecer beneficios para la salud como el control de los radicales libres que dañan proteínas, el ADN y los lípidos. Su alto contenido de agua genera problemas como una vida útil reducida, principalmente por el crecimiento de microorganismos que las deterioran rápidamente. Los snacks de fruta dentro de los que se enumeran las barras de fruta, frutas deshidratadas y cueros de fruta entre otras, son productos de fácil consumo y conservan gran parte del valor nutricional de la fruta fresca (en términos de energía, minerales, antioxidantes y fibra). Estos productos pueden ser preparados a partir de una amplia variedad de frutas. (Aristizábal, 2015). En el siguiente trabajo se propone la formulación y la aplicación del proceso innovador como lo es la Liofilización en el diseño de un nuevo producto como el Desarrollo de snack con alto valor nutricional mediante la incorporación de frutas autóctonas colombianas liofilizadas, mediante la identificación de materias primas y nuevos componentes, proceso y método de conservación. Esta propuesta involucra tecnologías emergentes, buscando satisfacer necesidades detectadas de consumidores potenciales, mediante la aplicación de la estrategia Food Design.One of the global trends in food is the accentuated interest of consumers for food that, in addition to its nutritional value, provides benefits to physiological functions and prevents diseases. This situation has generated government programs that seek to solve the problem of obesity or excess weight of its population by promoting the consumption by its child population of healthy foods that replace the traditional flavored mouths rich in fat, carbohydrates and additives by snack of high nutritional content. As an alternative, the consumption of fruits has been promoted since they are a natural source of nutrients, water, carbohydrates and proteins; In addition, they contain inactive substances such as fiber, vitamins and antioxidants that can offer health benefits such as the control of free radicals that damage proteins, DNA and lipids. Its high water content generates problems such as a reduced lifespan, mainly due to the growth of microorganisms that deteriorate them quickly. Fruit snacks that include fruit bars, dehydrated fruits and fruit leathers, among others, are easy-to-eat products and retain much of the nutritional value of fresh fruit (in terms of energy, minerals, antioxidants and fiber). These products can be prepared from a wide variety of fruits. (Aristizábal, 2015). The following work proposes the formulation and application of the innovative process such as Lyophilization in the design of a new product such as the Development of snack with high nutritional value by incorporating freeze-dried Colombian native fruits, through the identification of raw materials and new components, process and conservation method. This proposal involves emerging technologies, seeking to meet the needs of potential consumers, through the application of the Food Design strategy

Targeted recovery of metals from Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) using chloride brines and ultrasound

Recovery of elemental copper, bismuth, tellurium, antimony and tin from Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) is vital to recover the high content of critical metals and potential risk of environmental pollution as a result of incorrect disposal of TEGs and to enable the circular economy. In this work, aqueous choline chloride and calcium chloride hexahydrate brines were characterised and used in combination with copper(II) as an oxidising agent to leach copper and tin from TEGs. This permitted the Bi2-xSbxTe3 legs to readily separated from the ceramic substrates by filtration. It was shown that at low chloride content, surface passivation and solubility of the oxidised species was the limiting factor towards oxidation, whereas solvent viscosity (mass transport) was the limiting factor at high chloride content. The copper(II) species formed in the different brines were determined via UV-vis spectroscopy. The redox potentials of the oxidising species were found to be significantly altered by choline chloride content, but not so much by calcium chloride hexahydrate content, suggesting variation in chloride activity within the different brines. The developed approach has been shown to be a viable and scalable method to recover high value critical metals from e-waste containing TEGs

B-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Autophagyc Cell Death by the Use of Manganese Doped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and PhotoDynamic Therapy

B-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-CLL) usually follows an adverse, relentless clinical course by slowly developing drug resistance to fludarabine and other chemotherapeutic agents, as well as by acquiring new different genetic abnormalities. As B-CLL cells spontaneously produce high amounts of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) having an altered redox state in relation to that of normal B lymphocytes, we decided to probe different metal Zinc nanoparticles (ZnNPs) and quantify the levels of Singlet Oxigen (SO) to see if variations of its intracellular concentrations could execute and accelerate deadly programs in leukemic cells rather than in normal B lymphocytes, when applied with Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). In this way, we developed and tested a variety of metal ZnNPs of which one made of 0.5% Manganese Doped Zinc Oxide (ZnO:Mn) was finally selected for further testing as it had the best fludarabine resistant B-CLL cells in vitro killing activity, specially when combined with PDT. An interesting and rapidly dying process of B-CLL cells, known as autophagy, was always seen under Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM) when incubated with these 0.5% Mn doped ZnO NPs. This phenomenon correlated well with those intracellular increases of SO when PDT was administered, and measured by a novel method first described by us. As this therapy seems to be very specific to fludarabine resistant B-CLL cells, producing almost no damage to normal lymphocytes, it could surely contribute in the near future as a new innovative targeted strategy to be delivered in the clinical setting for the definitive benefit of these bad prognostic patients.Fil: Peña Luengas, Sandra. Universidad de Puerto Rico; Puerto RicoFil: Marin, Gustavo Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Cátedra de Farmacología; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez Nieto, Felipe Jorge. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche; ArgentinaFil: Dreon, Marcos Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Roque, Gustavo. Secretaria de Gobierno de Salud. Instituto Nacional Central Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez, Luis. Universidad de Puerto Rico; Puerto RicoFil: Sanchez, Francisco Homero. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Tarditti, Adrian. Secretaria de Gobierno de Salud. Instituto Nacional Central Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante; ArgentinaFil: Schinella, Guillermo Raúl. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Cátedra de Farmacología; ArgentinaFil: Pistaccio, Luis. Secretaria de Gobierno de Salud. Instituto Nacional Central Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante; ArgentinaFil: Goya, Rodolfo Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Tau, Jose María. Secretaria de Gobierno de Salud. Instituto Nacional Central Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante; ArgentinaFil: Ichim, Thomas. Medistem; Estados UnidosFil: Riordan, Neil. Medistem; Estados UnidosFil: Rivera Montalvo, Luis. Universidad de Puerto Rico; Puerto RicoFil: Mansilla, Eduardo. Secretaria de Gobierno de Salud. Instituto Nacional Central Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante; Argentin

Chronic Oral Anticoagulation Therapy and Prognosis of Patients Admitted to Hospital for COVID-19: Insights from the HOPE COVID-19 Registry

BackgroundMost evidence regarding anticoagulation and COVID-19 refers to the hospitalization setting, but the role of oral anticoagulation (OAC) before hospital admission has not been well explored. We compared clinical outcomes and short-term prognosis between patients with and without prior OAC therapy who were hospitalized for COVID-19.MethodsAnalysis of the whole cohort of the HOPE COVID-19 Registry which included patients discharged (deceased or alive) after hospital admission for COVID-19 in 9 countries. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint. Study outcomes were compared after adjusting variables using propensity score matching (PSM) analyses.Results7698 patients were suitable for the present analysis (675 (8.8%) on OAC at admission: 427 (5.6%) on VKAs and 248 (3.2%) on DOACs). After PSM, 1276 patients were analyzed (638 with OAC; 638 without OAC), without significant differences regarding the risk of thromboembolic events (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.59-2.08). The risk of clinically relevant bleeding (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.92-4.83), as well as the risk of mortality (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.01-1.47; log-rank p value = 0.041), was significantly increased in previous OAC users. Amongst patients on prior OAC only, there were no differences in the risk of clinically relevant bleeding, thromboembolic events, or mortality when comparing previous VKA or DOAC users, after PSM.ConclusionHospitalized COVID-19 patients on prior OAC therapy had a higher risk of mortality and worse clinical outcomes compared to patients without prior OAC therapy, even after adjusting for comorbidities using a PSM. There were no differences in clinical outcomes in patients previously taking VKAs or DOACs. This trial is registered with NCT04334291/EUPAS34399

Recovery of Selected Rare Earths from Bauxite Residue by Dry Digestion with Multi-stage Circulation of Leach liquor

The combination of HCl-based dry digestion of bauxite residue and multi-stage circulation of the leach liquor was studied. The proposed processing technology allows to achieve a high selectivity for rare-earth elements with a limited co-dissolution of silica (< 5 wt%). The scandium concentration increased from 7 mg L-1 in stage 1 to 19 mg L-1 in stage 5, while the concentration of yttrium, lanthanum and neodymium increased from an average value of 7 mg L-1 in stage 1 to an average of 18 mg L-1 in stage 5, more than twice the concentration observed for single-stage leaching after dry digestion, and four times higher than the concentration achieved by a conventional direct acid leaching method. The water consumption was reduced by 60% in comparison to the conventional direct acid leaching method.status: publishe

Behaviour of Silica during Metal Recovery from Bauxite Residue by Acidic Leaching

Bauxite residue represents an interesting source for not only major elements such as aluminium, iron and titanium, but also for rare earths (REEs), while the residue after metal recovery can be used for low-carbon building materials and cementitious binders. Several methods based on direct acidic leaching for recovering metals from bauxite residue have been reported. The co-dissolution of iron represents a significant drawback for REEs recovery upon silica polymerization. The behaviour of silica has been studied during acidic leaching with concentrated mineral acid (H2SO4). The extraction of aluminium, iron and titanium is limited due to an insufficient amount of acidic solution for leaching caused by the polymerization of silica. Kinetic studies have demonstrated that at constant temperatures, silica dissolution increases with increasing acid concentration, but it decreases when the temperature is increased and the acid concentration is reduced. This is due to an enhancement in the solubility of monomeric silicic acid formed during acidic leaching. The control mechanisms of silica dissolution have been described according to the shrinking core model by a chemical reaction stage, i.e. silica polymerization, followed by a diffusion stage, because of the silica gel adsorbed on the surface of the particles that limits the metal extraction.status: publishe

Extraction of rare earths from bauxite residue (red mud) by dry digestion

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd In this work, the extraction of selected rare earth elements from bauxite residue by dry digestion method followed by water leaching was investigated. Kinetic studies performed with HCl and H2SO4 demonstrated that, at ambient temperatures, silica dissolution increases with increasing acid concentration, which leads to the formation of silica gel. Dissolution of silica is limited to less than 5 wt% by applying a two-step process: dry digestion of bauxite residue with HCl or H2SO4, followed by water leaching. The extraction of aluminium was low because of the low solubility of aluminosilicate compounds. The extraction of iron and titanium increased with increasing acid concentrations. High extraction of the rare-earth elements (REEs) were achieved with the HCl-based dry digestion method, but the concentration in the leachate was limited to approximately 6–8 mg L−1. About 40 wt% of scandium was recovered with a high co-dissolution of iron, due to the occurrence of scandium(III) ions in the lattice matrix of iron(III) oxide. Dry digestion method with multi-stage circulation of the acid leaching solution significantly increased the REEs concentration up to 20 mg L−1, while achieving an acid consumption of 788 g of HCl per kilogram of bauxite residue, and a significant reduction of water consumption (60%) relative to the single-stage acidic leaching method. The low water consumption allows to increase the filtration efficiency of the leach liquor due to the avoidance of silica gel formation.status: publishe

Neutralisation of bauxite residue by carbon dioxide prior to acidic leaching for metal recovery

© 2017 The present work considers the neutralisation of bauxite residue (red mud) with CO2 as a potential technology for reducing the acid consumption in the acidic leaching step for metal recovery. The pH of bauxite residue was reduced during neutralisation by the transformation of hydroxide ions to (hydrogen) carbonate ions. Neutralisation at high CO2 partial pressures and high temperatures reduces the alkalinity of the bauxite residue, but it leads to the stabilisation of silicate compounds such as cancrinite and grossular. After acidic leaching of the neutralised product with sulfuric acid, a decrease by 20% in the dissolution yield of Al, Fe, and Ti was observed, due to an insufficient amount of acid devoted to leaching as the transformation of calcite into bassanite and the high concentration of silicate compounds consumed part of the acid. Sc recovery by leaching of the highly neutralised bauxite residue was about 35 wt%, which depends on Fe and Ti recovery. A positive correlation between La/Nd with Sc indicates that the recovery of La/Nd indirectly depends on the extraction of Fe/Ti, as Sc is chemically associated to these major metals.status: publishe

Recovery of rare earths from bauxite residue slag by high-pressure acid leaching

The recovery of rare-earth elements from an alumina and silica rich slag produced during the smelting reduction process of bauxite residue was studied. The slag was leached with sulfuric acid at different concentrations (1-3 N H2SO4) in a titanium autoclave at a liquid-to-solid ratio of 10:1 and different temperatures (100-180 °C). The dissolution of rare-earth elements increased with increasing acid concentration, but it decreased with increasing temperatures. About 95 wt% of the scandium could be extracted with 3 N H2SO4 at 100 °C, while about 87 wt% yttrium was extracted under the same conditions. Neodymium and lanthanum yields were about 45-60 wt%. Temperatures above 100 °C lead to a high selectivity of scandium over the other rare earths (i.e. yttrium, neodymium and lanthanum).status: publishe