Steel waste valorisation Steel Slag Waste Effect on Concrete Shrinkage

The concept of sustainability is becoming widespread every day in society, enterprises and institutions. Defining something as sustainable means that the relationship that it establishes with the environment does not represent an aggression or a threat to the latter neither when it is being utilized nor when it stops performing the function for which was designed. To make this happen we need a system in which the main priority is recycling. Everything mentioned above is related to what is called the “Circular Economy”. Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. However, the production of portland cement, an essential constituent of concrete, leads to the release of significant amounts of CO22. The global production of concrete represents more than 5% of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide every year, mainly from the production of cement. The replacement of cement by fly ash and other industrial waste, such as steel slags, is a good example of how resource conservation can be improved and contamination can be reduced. On the other hand, future trends are predicted to increase demand for steel worldwide. Mainly due to the expected improvement in the living standards and demands of underdeveloped populations. The steelmaking process produces a by-product called slag ranging from 10 to 15% per tonne of steel, where reuse is still reduced and much of it is deposited in a landfill. This study presents laboratory test results on the total and autogenous shrinkage of medium strength concrete with partial replacement of cement by slags. Two different slags were tested, namely ladle furnaces slags (LFS) and ground granulated blast furnace slags (GGBFS). The results show the concrete shrinkage behavior when 25% of substitution are used. These data are important to predict future behavior and show that for the substitution dosages used there are no significant divergences for the shrinkage.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Arsenic Exposure in Pregnancy Increases the Risk of Lower Respiratory Tract Infection and Diarrhea during Infancy in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported associations between prenatal arsenic exposure and increased risk of infant mortality. An increase in infectious diseases has been proposed as the underlying cause of these associations, but there is no epidemiologic research to support the hypothesis. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between arsenic exposure in pregnancy and morbidity during infancy. METHODS: This prospective population-based cohort study included 1,552 live-born infants of women enrolled during 2002-2004 in Matlab, Bangladesh. Arsenic exposure was assessed by the concentrations of metabolites of inorganic arsenic in maternal urine samples collected at gestational weeks 8 and 30. Information on symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and diarrhea in infants was collected by 7-day recalls at monthly home visits. RESULTS: In total, 115,850 person-days of observation were contributed by the infants during a 12-month follow-up period. The estimated risk of LRTI and severe LRTI increased by 69% [adjusted relative risk (RR) = 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.36-2.09)] and 54% (RR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.21-1.97), respectively, for infants of mothers with urinary arsenic concentrations in the highest quintile (average of arsenic concentrations measured in early and late gestation, 262-977 µg/L) relative to those with exposure in the lowest quintile (< 39 µg/L). The corresponding figure for diarrhea was 20% (RR = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01-1.43). CONCLUSIONS: Arsenic exposure during pregnancy was associated with increased morbidity in infectious diseases during infancy. Taken together with the previous evidence of adverse effects on health, the findings strongly emphasize the need to reduce arsenic exposure via drinking water

Vitamin D Status and Bone and Connective Tissue Turnover in Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) during Hibernation and the Active State

BACKGROUND: Extended physical inactivity causes disuse osteoporosis in humans. In contrast, brown bears (Ursus arctos) are highly immobilised for half of the year during hibernation without signs of bone loss and therefore may serve as a model for prevention of osteoporosis. AIM: To study 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25OHD) levels and bone turnover markers in brown bears during the hibernating state in winter and during the active state in summer. We measured vitamin D subtypes (D₂ and D₃), calcitropic hormones (parathyroid hormone [PTH], 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D [1,25(OH)₂D]) and bone turnover parameters (osteocalcin, ICTP, CTX-I), PTH, serum calcium and PIIINP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We drew blood from seven immobilised wild brown bears during hibernation in February and in the same bears while active in June. RESULTS: Serum 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol (25OHD₃) was significantly higher in the summer than in the winter (22.8±4.6 vs. 8.8±2.1 nmol/l, two tailed p-2p = 0.02), whereas 25-hydroxy-ergocalciferol (25OHD₂) was higher in winter (54.2±8.3 vs. 18.7±1.7 nmol/l, 2p<0.01). Total serum calcium and PTH levels did not differ between winter and summer. Activated 1,25(OH)₂D demonstrated a statistically insignificant trend towards higher summer levels. Osteocalcin levels were higher in summer than winter, whereas other markers of bone turnover (ICTP and CTX-I) were unchanged. Serum PIIINP, which is a marker of connective tissue and to some degree muscle turnover, was significantly higher during summer than during winter. CONCLUSIONS: Dramatic changes were documented in the vitamin D₃/D₂ ratio and in markers of bone and connective tissue turnover in brown bears between hibernation and the active state. Because hibernating brown bears do not develop disuse osteoporosis, despite extensive physical inactivity we suggest that they may serve as a model for the prevention of this disease

Bone mineral density and the subsequent risk of cancer in the NHANES I follow-up cohort

BACKGROUD: Bone mineral density (BMD) is a marker of long-term estrogen exposure. BMD measurement has been used in this context to investigate the association of estrogen with breast cancer risk in three cohorts. In order to assess further BMD as a predictor of estrogen related cancer risk, the association of BMD with colorectal and corpus uteri cancer was investigated in the NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Study (NHEFS) cohort along with breast cancer and prostate cancer. METHODS: Participants were members of the NHEFS cohort who had BMD measurement in 1974–1975. Age, race, and BMI adjusted rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for incidence of cancers of the corpus uterus, breast, colorectum, prostate, and of osteoporosis and hip fracture related to baseline BMD. RESULTS: Data were available for 6046 individuals. One hundred cases of breast cancer, 94 prostate cancers, 115 colorectal cancers, 29 uterine cancers, 110 cases of hip fracture and 103 cases of osteoporosis were reported between 1974 and 1993. Hip fracture and osteoporosis were both significantly inversely associated with BMD. Uterine cancer was positively associated (p = 0.005, test for linear trend) and colorectal cancer negatively associated (p = 0.03) with BMD. No association was found between elevated BMD and incidence of breast cancer (p = 0.74) or prostate cancer (p = 0.37) in the overall cohort, although a weak association was seen between BMD and subsequent breast cancer incidence when BMD was measured in post-menopausal women (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The findings related to cancers of the uterus and colorectum as well as the weak association of BMD with breast cancer strengthen the use of BMD as a marker of estrogen exposure and cancer risk

Nutritional Status Has Marginal Influence on the Metabolism of Inorganic Arsenic in Pregnant Bangladeshi Women

BACKGROUND: The interindividual variation in metabolism of inorganic arsenic (iAs), involving methylation via one-carbon metabolism, has been well documented, but the reasons remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: In this population-based study we aimed to elucidate the effect of nutrition on As methylation among women in Matlab, Bangladesh, where people are chronically exposed to iAs via drinking water. METHODS: We studied effects of macronutrient status using body mass index (BMI) among 442 women in early pregnancy (gestational week 8), and effects of micronutrient status (plasma folate, vitamin B12, zinc, ferritin, and selenium) among 753 women at gestational week 14. Arsenic metabolites in urine were measured by HPLC combined with hydride generation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The median concentration of As in urine was 97 microg/L (range, 5-1,216 microg/L, adjusted by specific gravity). The average proportions of iAs, monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid in urine in gestational week 8 were 15%, 11%, and 74%, respectively. Thus, the women had efficient As methylation in spite of being poorly nourished (one-third had BMIs < 18.5 kg/m2) and having elevated As exposure, both of which are known to decrease As methylation. The metabolism of iAs was only marginally influenced by micronutrient status, probably because women, especially in pregnancy and with low folate intake, have an efficient betaine-mediated remethylation of homocysteine, which is essential for an efficient As methylation. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of the high As exposure and prevalent malnutrition, overall As methylation in women in early pregnancy was remarkably efficient. The As exposure level had the greatest impact on As methylation among the studied factors

The use of a P. falciparum specific coiled-coil domain to construct a self-assembling protein nanoparticle vaccine to prevent malaria.

The parasitic disease malaria remains a major global public health concern and no truly effective vaccine exists. One approach to the development of a malaria vaccine is to target the asexual blood stage that results in clinical symptoms. Most attempts have failed. New antigens such as P27A and P27 have emerged as potential new vaccine candidates. Multiple studies have demonstrated that antigens are more immunogenic and are better correlated with protection when presented on particulate delivery systems. One such particulate delivery system is the self-assembling protein nanoparticle (SAPN) that relies on coiled-coil domains of proteins to form stable nanoparticles. In the past we have used de novo designed amino acid domains to drive the formation of the coiled-coil scaffolds which present the antigenic epitopes on the particle surface. Here we use naturally occurring domains found in the tex1 protein to form the coiled-coil scaffolding of the nanoparticle. Thus, by engineering P27A and a new extended form of the coiled-coil domain P27 onto the N and C terminus of the SAPN protein monomer we have developed a particulate delivery system that effectively displays both antigens on a single particle that uses malaria tex1 sequences to form the nanoparticle scaffold. These particles are immunogenic in a murine model and induce immune responses similar to the ones observed in seropositive individuals in malaria endemic regions. We demonstrate that our P27/P27A-SAPNs induce an immune response akin to the one in seropositive individuals in Burkina Faso. Since P27 is highly conserved among different Plasmodium species, these novel SAPNs may even provide cross-protection between Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax the two major human malaria pathogens. As the SAPNs are also easy to manufacture and store they can be delivered to the population in need without complication thus providing a low cost malaria vaccine

Dissecting the Genetic Architecture of Host–Pathogen Specificity

International audienc

Reproductive and hormonal factors and mortality among women with colorectal cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

BACKGROUND: Although use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and some reproductive factors have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, relations between these factors and survival after CRC diagnosis are unclear. METHODS: Among 2053 post-menopausal women diagnosed with incident CRC in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, we calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to test associations between oral contraceptive (OC) use, menarche age, age at first birth, parity, menopausal age, and MHT use with all-cause and CRC-specific mortality. RESULTS: There were 759 deaths (332 CRC-related deaths) over a median follow-up of 7.7 years. We observed no statistically significant associations between OC use, menarche age, age at first birth, parity, menopausal age, and mortality. Compared with never MHT use, former use was not associated with mortality, but we found an inverse association among baseline current users, for both all-cause (HR=0.79, 95% CI 0.66–0.94) and CRC mortality (0.76, 0.59–0.99). CONCLUSION: Future studies should further focus on the mechanisms by which exogenous oestrogen exposure might affect tumour progression and CRC survival