Melting point depression effect with CO2 in high melting temperature cellulose dissolving ionic liquids. Modeling with group contribution equation of state

Producción CientíficaIonic liquids of the alkylmethylimidazolium chloride family are able to solubilize high amount of cellulose and other natural polymers and have very good characteristics for their processing. Nevertheless, they present important disadvantages related to their high melting points and viscosities. Dissolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) can reduce the melting point of these ionic liquids as well as other ones presenting the same problems. In this work, the effect of pressurized carbon dioxide on the melting point depression of some ionic liquids able to dissolve biopolymers was experimentally determined using the first melting point method. Five different ionic liquids were studied in contact with CO2 using a high-pressure visual cell, up to a pressure of 10 MPa. The ILs studied were four ionic liquids with chloride anion coupled with the cations: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, [C4mim]+, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, [C2mim]+, 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium, [Amim]+ and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium, [C2OHmim]+ and one ammonium-based cation choline [C5H14NO]+ combined with dihydrogen phosphate anion, [H2PO4]−. Melting point depression effect observed for these groups of ionic liquids were around 10 K for chloride ILs and went as high as 33.2 K for choline dihydrogen phosphate. To correlate the melting point depression of imidazolium chloride ILs, parameters for the Group Contribution Equation of State (GC-EoS) of Skjold-Jørgensen for the liquid phase plus a fugacity expression for solid phases was employed. Experimental data used for the parameterization includes literature data of binary vapor–liquid, liquid–liquid and solid–liquid equilibria, and activity coefficients at infinite dilution. Melting point depression was calculated with an average deviation of 1.7 K (0.5%) and a maximum deviation of 4.3 K (1.3%).Junta de Castilla y León VA295U14Marie Curie Program. Project DoHipMinisterio de Economía. Programa Ramon y Cajal, RyC RYC-2013-13976Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientí- ficas y Técnicas (CONICET)Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS)Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (MinCyT)Ministry (MINECO) Proyecto CTQ 2011-14825-E (Programa Explora

Efficient encapsulation of theranostic nanoparticles in cell-derived exosomes: leveraging the exosomal biogenesis pathway to obtain hollow gold nanoparticle-hybrids

Exosomes can be considered natural targeted delivery systems able to carry exogenous payloads, drugs or theranostic nanoparticles (NPs). This work aims to combine the therapeutic capabilities of hollow gold nanoparticles (HGNs) with the unique tumor targeting properties provided by exosomes. Here, we tested different methods to encapsulate HGNs (capable of absorbing light in the NIR region for selective thermal ablation) into murine melanoma cells derived exosomes (B16-F10-exos), including electroporation, passive loading by diffusion, thermal shock, sonication and saponin-assisted loading. These methods gave less than satisfactory results: although internalization of relatively large NPs into B16-F10-exos was achieved by almost all the physicochemical methods tested, only about 15% of the exosomes were loaded with NPs and several of those processes had a negative effect regarding the morphology and integrity of the loaded exosomes. In a different approach, B16-F10 cells were pre-incubated with PEGylated HGNs (PEG-HGNs) in an attempt to incorporate the NPs into the exosomal biogenesis pathway. The results were highly successful: exosomes recovered from the supernatant of the cell culture showed up to 50% of HGNs internalization. The obtained hybrid HGN-exosome vectors were characterized with a battery of techniques to make sure that internalization of HGNs did not affect exosome characteristics compared with other strategies. PEG-HGNs were released through the endosomal-exosome biogenesis pathway confirming that the isolated vesicles were exosomes

A comparative rheological study of amaranth, wheat and chickpea doughs

Legume flours due to their nutritional benefits (e.g., high levels of proteins, fiber, complex carbohydrates, micronutrients and vitamins) are ideal ingredients for improving the nutritional value of bread and bakery products. Although proteins has a major role in the quality breads, however, few studies related to the evaluation of doughs containing chickpea flour(or other legume flour) alone or blended with other ingredients have been published. This work performs a comparative study of the flow properties of three different flours: wheat, amaranth and chickpea, at two temperatures. The flow curves showed shear-thinning behaviour although amaranth flour presented the higher values of viscosity and wheat flour de lower values. The influence of the protein content in the three doughs was evaluated by means of step- up-stepdown tests and frequency sweeps (Fig. 1). Amaranth flour presented the higher elastic modulus and the wheat flour the lower. This can explain the compactation observed in gluten-free bread. The results of the flow studies are prone to the combination of cereal and legume flours in order to improve the taste and quality of gluten-free breads.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Tetradentate polyamines as efficient metallodrugs for Chagas disease treatment in murine model.

A series of tetraamine-based compounds was prepared, and their trypanocidal effects against Trypanosoma cruzi and cytotoxicity were determined through the determination of IC50 values. In vivo assays were performed in mice, where parasitaemia levels were quantified by fresh blood examination and the assignment of a cure was determined by polymerase chain reaction and reactivation of blood parasitaemia levels after immunosuppression. The mechanisms of action were elucidated at metabolic and ultra-structural levels, by 1H NMR, Fe-SOD inhibition and TEM studies. The high-selectivity indexes observed in vitro were the basis of promoting one of the tested compounds to in vivo assays. Compound 6 induced a remarkable decrease in the reactivation of parasitaemia after immunosuppression and curative rates of 33%. The experiments allowed us to select compound 6 as a promising candidate for treating Chagas disease, but a further high-level study should be considered to obtain an improved efficiency

Antiretroviral therapy duration and immunometabolic state determine efficacy of ex vivo dendritic cell-based treatment restoring functional HIV-specific CD8+ T cells in people living with HIV.

Dysfunction of CD8+ T cells in people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has restricted the efficacy of dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapies against HIV-1. Heterogeneous immune exhaustion and metabolic states of CD8+ T cells might differentially associate with dysfunction. However, specific parameters associated to functional restoration of CD8+ T cells after DC treatment have not been investigated. We studied association of restoration of functional HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses after stimulation with Gag-adjuvant-primed DC with ART duration, exhaustion, metabolic and memory cell subsets profiles. HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses from a larger proportion of PLWH on long-term ART (more than 10 years; LT-ARTp) improved polyfunctionality and capacity to eliminate autologous p24+ infected CD4+ T cells in vitro. In contrast, functional improvement of CD8+ T cells from PLWH on short-term ART (less than a decade; ST-ARTp) after DC treatment was limited. This was associated with lower frequencies of central memory CD8+ T cells, increased co-expression of PD1 and TIGIT and reduced mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis induction upon TCR activation. In contrast, CD8+ T cells from LT-ARTp showed increased frequencies of TIM3+ PD1- cells and preserved induction of glycolysis. Treatment of dysfunctional CD8+ T cells from ST-ARTp with combined anti-PD1 and anti-TIGIT antibodies plus a glycolysis promoting drug restored their ability to eliminate infected CD4+ T cells. Together, our study identifies specific immunometabolic parameters for different PLWH subgroups potentially useful for future personalized DC-based HIV-1 vaccines. NIH (R21AI140930), MINECO/FEDER RETOS (RTI2018-097485-A-I00) and CIBERINF grants.NIH (R21AI140930), MINECO/FEDER RETOS (RTI2018-097485-A-I00) and CIBERINF grants. We would like to thank the NIH AIDS Reagent Pro- gram, Division of AIDS, NIAID, NIH for providing HIV-1 PTE Gag Peptide Pool from NIAID, DAIDS (cat #11057) for the study. We would also like to thank Alvaro Serrano Navarro, for his help on adapting the lin- ear mixed model previously described by Martin- C ofreces N. et al83 to our data. Graphical schematic rep- resentations were created with BioRender.com. EMG was supported by the NIH R21 program (R21AI140930), the Ramón y Cajal Program (RYC2018- 024374-I), the MINECO/FEDER RETOS program (RTI2018-097485-A-I00), by Comunidad de Madrid Talento Program (2017-T1/BMD-5396) and by Gilead becas de investigaci on (GLD19/00168). EMG and IDS are supported by Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBERINF) de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CB21/ 13/00107). MCM was supported by NIH R21 program (R21AI140930), “La Caixa Banking Foundation (H20- 00218) and Gilead becas de investigaci on (GLD19/ 00168). MJB is supported by the Miguel Servet program funded by the Spanish Health Institute Carlos III (CP17/00179), the MINECO/FEDER RETOS program (RTI2018-101082-B-100), and Fundació La Marat o TV3 (201805-10FMTV3). EMG and MJB are both funded by “La Caixa Banking Foundation (H20-00218) and by REDINCOV grant from Fundació La Marat o TV3. FSM was supported by SAF2017-82886-R and PDI-2020- 120412RB-I00 grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci on, and HR17-00016 grant from “La Caixa Banking Foundation. HF was funded by PI21/01583 grant from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III. MJC was supported by PID2019- 104406RB-I00 from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. ISC was funded by the CM21/00157 Rio- Hortega grant. IT was supported by grant for the pro- motion of research studies master-UAM 2021.S

Silica-gelatin hybrid sol-gel coatings: A proteomic study with biocompatibility implications

Osseointegration, including the foreign body reaction to biomaterials, is an immune‐modulated, multifactorial, and complex healing process in which various cells and mediators are involved. The buildup of the osseointegration process is immunological and inflammation‐driven, often triggered by the adsorption of proteins on the surfaces of the biomaterials and complement activation. New strategies for improving osseointegration use coatings as vehicles for osteogenic biomolecules delivery from implants. Natural polymers, such as gelatin, can mimic Collagen I and enhance the biocompatibility of a material. In this experimental study, two different base sol–gel formulations and their combination with gelatin were applied as coatings on sandblasted, acid‐etched titanium substrates, and their biological potential as osteogenic biomaterials was tested. We examined the proteins adsorbed onto each surface and their in vitro and in vivo effects. In vitro results showed an improvement in cell proliferation and mineralization in gelatin‐containing samples. In vivo testing showed the presence of a looser connective tissue layer in those coatings with substantially more complement activation proteins adsorbed, especially those containing gelatin. Vitronectin and FETUA, proteins associated with mineralization process, were significantly more adsorbed in gelatin coatings

The Relationship between Depressive Symptoms, Quality of Life and miRNAs 8 Years after Bariatric Surgery

Altres ajuts: Universidad de Málaga, UMA20-FEDERJA-144; Junta de Andalucia, PI-0194-2017, C-0028-2018, RC-005-2020, DOC_00288 and DOC_01095Background: There are conflicting results on whether weight loss after bariatric surgery (BS) might be associated with quality of life (QoL)/depressive symptomatology. We aim to determine whether BS outcomes are associated with QoL/depressive symptomatology in studied patients at the 8-year follow-up after BS, as well as their relationship with different serum proteins and miRNAs. Methods: A total of 53 patients with class III obesity who underwent BS, and then classified into "good responders" and "non-responders" depending on the percentage of excess weight lost (%EWL) 8 years after BS (%EWL ≥ 50% and %EWL < 50%, respectively), were included. Basal serum miRNAs and different proteins were analysed, and patients completed tests to evaluate QoL/depressive symptomatology at 8 years after BS. Results: The good responders group showed higher scores on SF-36 scales of physical functioning, role functioning-physical, role functioning-emotional, body pain and global general health compared with the non-responders. The expression of hsa-miR-101-3p, hsa-miR-15a-5p, hsa-miR-29c-3p, hsa-miR-144-3p and hsa-miR-19b-3p were lower in non-responders. Hsa-miR-19b-3p was the variable associated with the response to BS in a logistic regression model. Conclusions: The mental health of patients after BS is limited by the success of the intervention. In addition, the expression of basal serum miRNAs related to depression/anxiety could predict the success of BS

Antibacterial and antifungal properties of dendronized silver and gold nanoparticles with cationic carbosilane dendrons

Water soluble silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) capped with cationic carbosilane dendrons have been synthesized by direct reaction in water of dendrons, silver precursor and a reducing agent. These nanoparticles have been characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), elemental analysis, and zeta potential (ZP). The antibacterial and antifungal properties of the cationic dendrons and dendronized AgNPs and AuNPs with these dendrons have been evaluated against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial -including resistant strains- and yeast strains, respectively. The results stand out for the activity of AgNPs covered with first generation dendron compared with this free dendron and corresponding dendronized AuNPs.Ministerio de Economía y Empres

Differences in areal bone mineral density between metabolically healthy and unhealthy overweight/obese children: the role of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness

“This manuscript was published by SPRINGERNATURE in Pediatric Research on June 2020, available at: doi: 10.1038/s41390-019-0708-x.”OBJECTIVES: To examine whether areal bone mineral density (aBMD) differs between metabolically healthy (MHO) and unhealthy (MUO) overweight/obese children and to examine the role of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in this association. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was developed in 188 overweight/obese children (10.4 ± 1.2 years) from the ActiveBrains and EFIGRO studies. Participants were classified as MHO or MUO based on Jolliffe and Janssen’s metabolic syndrome cut-off points for triglycerides, glucose, high-density cholesterol and blood pressure. MVPA and CRF were assessed by accelerometry and the 20-m shuttle run test, respectively. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: In model 1 (adjusted for sex, years from peak high velocity, stature and lean mass), MHO children had significantly higher aBMD in total body less head (Cohen’s d effect size, ES = 0.34), trunk (ES = 0.43) and pelvis (ES = 0.33) than MUO children. These differences were attenuated once MVPA was added to model 1 (model 2), and most of them disappeared once CRF was added to the model 1 (model 3). CONCLUSIONS: This novel research shows that MHO children have greater aBMD than their MUO peers. Furthermore, both MVPA and more importantly CRF seem to partially explain these findings.The authors thank the staff and participants of the ActiveBrains and EFIGRO studies for their important contributions. This study has been partially funded by the University of Granada, UGR Research and Knowledge Transfer Fund (PPIT) 2016, Excellence Actions Programme: Units of Scientific Excellence; Scientific Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), and by the Regional Government of Andalusia, Regional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Enterprises and University and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR. The ActiveBrains study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Reference DEP2013-47540, DEP2016-79512-R, and DEP2017-91544-EXP). The EFIGRO study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health, “Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (PI13/01335), “Fondos Estructurales de la Unión Europea (FEDER), Una manera de hacer Europa,” and by the University of the Basque Country (GIU14/21). L.G.-M. is supported by “La Caixa” Foundation within the Junior Leader fellowship programme (ID 100010434); M.M. is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU14/03329) and EST17/00210; L.A. is supported by the Education Department of the Government of the Basque Country (PRE_2016_1_0057, PRE_2017_2_0224 and PRE_2018_2_0057); J.M.-G. and J.H.M. are supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU14/06837 and FPU15/02645, respectively)