Fungal solid state fermentation on agro-industrial wastes for acid wastewater decolourization in a continuous flow packed-bed bioreactor

This study was aimed at developing a process of solid state fermentation (SSF) with the fungi Pleurotus ostreatus and Trametes versicolor on apple processing residues for wastewater decolorization. Both fungi were able to colonize apple residues without any addition of nutrients, material support or water. P. ostreatus produced the highest levels of laccases (up to 9 U g-1 of dry matter) and xylanases (up to 80 U g-1 of dry matter). A repeated batch decolorization experiment was set up with apple residues colonized by P. ostreatus, achieving 50% decolorization and 100% detoxification after 24 h, and, adding fresh wastewater every 24 h, a constant decolorization of 50% was measured for at least 1 month. A continuous decolorization experiment was set up by a packed-bed reactor based on colonized apple residues achieving a performance of 100 mg dye L-1 day-1 at a retention time of 50

The role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the elderly patient with acute myeloid leukaemia

Older adults with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), when compared to younger patients with the same disease, have a poor prognosis and represent a discrete population in terms of disease biology, treatment-related complications, and overall outcome. As a result, older patients require distinctive management approaches. For 85%-95% of older AML patients, any therapy ultimately will be purely palliative. No randomized trial has ever demonstrated that any amount of post-remission therapy in older AML patients provides better outcomes than no post-remission therapy. The only studies demonstrating that long-term Disease Free Survival (DFS) is possible in older AML patients have included remission induction and post-remission therapy. For these reasons alternative post-remission strategies, including autologous or allogeneic transplantation have been explored also in people over sixty considered fit for aggressive therapy. Up to now the data available from clinical trials suggest that the stem cell transplant procedure is promising, and can lead to long-term survival, but it is feasible only in a minority of fit elderly patients. The main limits of Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT) are represented by the low percentage of patients able to mobilize a sufficient amount of stem cells and by the still high relapse incidence after ASCT, especially in those with poor prognostic factors; for these patients the allogeneic transplant procedure, by using non myeloablative conditioning regimens, could offer a better chance of cure, thanks to the Graft versus Leukemia (GVL) effect, but there are no prospective trials showing the superiority of any transplant approach over conventional treatment in this subset of patients. Pacientes idosos com leucemia mielóide aguda (LMA), quando comparados com pacientes jovens com a mesma doença, apresentam prognóstico pobre e representam uma população particular em termos biológicos, complicações relacionadas ao tratamento e evolução clínica. Como resultado de tudo isto, o paciente idoso requer manuseio distinto. Para 85%-95% dos pacientes idosos a abordagem terapêutica será finalmente apenas paliativa. Nenhum estudo randomizado demonstrou qualquer vantagem de qualquer terapêutica na fase pós-remissão. Os únicos estudos que mostraram alguma vantagem em termos de sobrevida livre de doença em pacientes idosos portadores de LMA incluíram juntas as fases de indução e consolidação da remissão. Por estas razões, estratégias terapêuticas alternativas pós-remissão, incluindo transplante autólogo ou alogênico, têm sido exploradoras também em pacientes acima de 60 anos com boa performance status para as terapias de alta dose. Até agora, os dados disponíveis dos estudos clínicos sugerem que o procedimento usando célula-tronco é promissor e pode levar a sobrevida de longo prazo, porém factível apenas em uma minoria de pacientes idosos. Os principais limites para o transplante autólogo são representados pela baixa porcentagem de pacientes capazes de mobilizar suficiente quantidade de células-tronco e pela, ainda, alta incidência de recidiva após o transplante, principalmente em pacientes de fatores de mau prognóstico. Para o transplante alogênico, o uso de regimes de intensidade reduzida pode oferecer uma melhor oportunidade de cura graças ao efeito enxerto versus leucemia. Porém, não existem estudos clínicos comprovando a superioridade de qualquer modalidade de transplante em relação à terapia convencional

Comparative chemometric analysis of fluorescence and near infrared spectroscopies for authenticity confirmation and geographical origin of Argentinean extra virgin olive oils

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is widely used in gastronomy because of its healthy properties, and is a candidate to be adulterated with other vegetable oils to reduce costs. This work shows the results of applying near infrared (NIR) and fluorescence excitation–emission matrix spectroscopies, coupled to chemometric tools, to authenticate and validate the geographic origin of Argentinean EVOO samples. For each spectral data set, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to both first–order NIR and second–order fluorescence data, partial least squares–discriminant analysis (PLS1–DA) to NIR data, and the multidimensional version of the latter (NPLS–DA) to fluorescence data. The results of the study of sixty EVOO samples of known and unknown registered designation of origin (RDO), as well as artificial samples adulterated with other edible oils, showed that: (1) fluorescence spectroscopy was unable to determine the RDO of all EVOO samples, in contrast to NIR (100% classified correctly), and (2) fluorescence data provide only slightly better results than NIR spectroscopy to detect EVOO adulterations with other vegetable edible oils.Fil: Jiménez Carvelo, Ana M.. Universidad de Granada; EspañaFil: Lozano, Valeria Antonella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Olivieri, Alejandro Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentin

Commentary. Common criteria among States for storage and use of dried blood spot specimens after newborn screening

Biological samples collected in biobanks are a resource with significant research potential. The Italian Joint Group cNB - cNBBSV (National committee of Bioethics - National committee for Biosecurity, Biotechnologies and Life Sciences) published a document reporting recommendations on storage and use of dried blood spot (DBS) and on the development of a National Network of Regional Newborn Screening Repositories for collection of residual DBS. Several ethical questions (about consent, possible use of genetic information, unanticipated possible usages for research purposes) rise from residual newborn screening specimens collections. Moreover, legal and ethical controversies are accentuated by the conflicts between the interests of sample donors, biobank holders, researchers and the public. To overcome these difficulties the identification of a few criteria for storage and research usage of DBS is crucial

Molecular and functional characterization of human bone marrow adipocytes

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Not Just Arterial Damage: Increased Incidence of Venous Thromboembolic Events in Cardiovascular Patients With Elevated Plasma Levels of Apolipoprotein CIII

Background Apolipoprotein CIII (apo CIII ) is a crucial player in triglyceride-rich lipoprotein metabolism, but may also act pleiotropically, provoking inflammatory responses and stimulating coagulation. Elevated apo CIII plasma levels have been associated with increased activity of coagulation factors. Since these features of prothrombotic diathesis are linked with venous thromboembolism ( VTE ), we hypothesized that apo CIII plays a role in VTE . Methods and Results We recorded nonfatal VTE events in 1020 patients (age 63.3\ub111.4 years; 29.1% women) with or without coronary artery disease (79.1% with coronary artery disease and 20.9% without coronary artery disease) during a long follow-up. Complete plasma lipid and apolipoproteins were available for all patients. Forty-five patients (4.4%) experienced nonfatal VTE events during a median follow-up period of 144 months. Apo CIII plasma concentration at enrollment was higher in patients with VTE compared with patients without VTE (12.2 [95% CI, 11.10-13.5] mg/dL vs 10.6 [95% CI, 10.4-10.9] mg/dL, respectively; P=0.011). Patients with apo CIII levels above the median value (10.6 mg/dL) exhibited an increased risk of VTE (incidence rate, 6.0 [95% CI , 4.0-8.0] vs 1.8 [95% CI, 0.7-2.9] VTE events/1000 person-years; unadjusted hazard ratio [ HR ], 3.42 [95% CI , 1.73-6.75]; P<0.001). This association was confirmed after adjustment for sex, age, coronary artery disease diagnosis, body mass index, hypertension, and anticoagulant treatment at enrollment ( HR , 2.66; 95% CI , 1.31-5.37 [ P=0.007]), with inclusion of lipid parameters in the Cox model (HR, 3.74; 95% CI , 1.24-11.33 [ P=0.019]), and even with exclusion of patients who died at follow-up ( HR, 3.92; 95% CI , 1.68-9.14 [ P=0.002]) or patients taking anticoagulants ( HR , 3.39; 95% CI , 1.72-6.69 [ P<0.001]). Conclusions Our results suggest that high plasma apo CIII concentrations may predict an increased risk of VTE in patients with cardiovascular disease

Presurgical treatment of uterine myomas with the GnRH-antagonist relugolix in combination therapy: an observational study

To evaluate if a preoperative medical treatment with the GnRH-antagonist relugolix in combination therapy in a series of patients with abnormal uterine bleeding associated with uterine myomas may correct the anemia before scheduled surgery for myoma-associated AUB. Thirty-one patients scheduled for surgery underwent a pre-operative three-month course with a daily oral tablet of 40 mg relugolix, 1 mg estradiol, and 0.5 mg norethindrone acetate. Hemoglobin levels, uterine volumes, largest myoma diameter, and VAS score for dysmenorrhea, pelvic pressure and bleeding discomfort, and indication to surgery were evaluated at study enrollment and at the end of therapy. Mean hemoglobin levels increased by 25%, from 9.3 ± 1.1 to 11.6 ± 1.7 g/dL after three months (p < 0.001). Uterine volume decreased from 380.7 ± 273.4 mL to 281.7 ± 198.7 mL (p < 0.001), whereas the diameter of the largest myoma decreased from 6.4 ± 2.8 cm to 5.5 ± 2.2 cm (p < 0.001). Four patients (13%), initially planned for a laparotomy procedure, were converted to a minimally-access procedure, whereas in eight patients (26%) surgery was avoided after medical therapy. Dysmenorrhea score improved from 4.7 ± 3.2 to 0.6 ± 1.1 (p < 0.0001). Pelvic pressure score decreased from 5.9 ± 2.1 to 3.1 ± 2.3 (p < 0.0001), whereas bleeding discomfort decreased from 7.4 ± 3.0 to 0.4 ± 1.6 (p < 0.0001). Preoperative GnRH-antagonist therapy may enhance hemoglobin levels, decrease uterine and myoma size, and alleviate symptoms, potentially enabling safe surgical procedures