Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

La creación artística ante el paradigma ecológico

Facing the increasing adoption by today’s society of the ecologi- cal paradigm we wonder about the role of art and its value as a leader of the changes that are occurring. We understand ecology as a holistic term, integrating environ- mental responsibility with social and individual balance, and we consider that the capacity for critical and creative input featuring current artists are necessary tools to achieve a real change.It will not really occur, in our opinión, if there is no ecological in- tegrity in artistic practice, so that, in order to approach the real- ity of these practices we have begun a series of interviews with some artists in order to serve as a reference for rigorous studies. We have found a widespread environmental concern but a large disparity between the consistency of intentions to practice. We also have tested a possible model of survey.Ante la creciente asunción por parte de la sociedad actual del paradigma ecológico nos preguntamos por el papel del arte y su valor como líder de los cambios que en este sentido se están pro- duciendo.Entendemos la ecología de un modo holístico, integradora de la responsabilidad medioambiental con el equilibrio social e indivi- dual y consideramos la capacidad de crítica y de aporte creati- vo que ofrecen los artistas actuales son herramientas necesarias para conseguir el verdadero cambio.Pero éste no se producirá realmente si no hay una integridad eco- lógica en la práctica artística, por lo que, con el objeto de acer- carnos a la realidad de estas prácticas hemos iniciado una serie de entrevistas a determinados artistas, que puedan servirnos de referencia para estudios rigurosos. Hemos constatado una preocupación ecologista generalizada pero una gran disparidad en cuanto a la coherencia de las intenciones con la práctica; y he- mos puesto a prueba un posible modelo de sondeo

Artistic creation in the face of the ecological paradigm

Ante la creciente asunción por parte de la sociedad actual del paradigma ecológico nos preguntamos por el papel del arte y su valor como líder de los cambios que en este sentido se están produciendo. Entendemos la ecología de un modo holístico, integradora de la responsabilidad medioambiental con el equilibrio social e individual y consideramos la capacidad de crítica y de aporte creativo que ofrecen los artistas actuales son herramientas necesarias para conseguir el verdadero cambio. Pero éste no se producirá realmente si no hay una integridad ecológica en la práctica artística, por lo que, con el objeto de acercarnos a la realidad de estas prácticas hemos iniciado una serie de entrevistas a determinados artistas, que puedan servirnos de referencia para estudios rigurosos. Hemos constatado una preocupación ecologista generalizada pero una gran disparidad en cuanto a la coherencia de las intenciones con la práctica; y hemos puesto a prueba un posible modelo de sondeo.ABSTRACT: Facing the increasing adoption by today’s society of the ecological paradigm we wonder about the role of art and its value as a leader of the changes that are occurring. We understand ecology as a holistic term, integrating environmental responsibility with social and individual balance, and we consider that the capacity for critical and creative input featuring current artists are necessary tools to achieve a real change. It will not really occur, in our opinión, if there is no ecological integrity in artistic practice, so that, in order to approach the reality of these practices we have begun a series of interviews with some artists in order to serve as a reference for rigorous studies. We have found a widespread environmental concern but a large disparity between the consistency of intentions to practice. We also have tested a possible model of survey

Bicarbonate Hydrogenation Catalyzed by Iron: How the Choice of Solvent Can Reverse the Reaction

Here we report a mechanism study of the hydrogenation of bicarbonate by tetradentate phosphines iron-complexes. It is an extension of our recent study on the reverse reaction by the same type of complexes [<i>Chem.-Eur. J.</i> <b>2013</b>, <i>19</i>, 11869], with special emphasis herein on the effects of the choice of solvent. By using density functional theory we have located the most plausible mechanism and have found remarkable effects of the solvent on the reversibility of this reaction. We predict that the solvent used in experiment, MeOH, for the hydrogenation of bicarbonate to formate could be replaced to enhance the activity of the system. There is a direct correlation of the solubility of the base to favor or disfavor the hydrogenation of bicarbonate to formate

Soft X‑ray Spectroscopic Properties of Ruthenium Complex Catalyst under CO₂ Electrochemical Reduction Conditions: A First-Principles Study

Solar fuel production through photoelectrochemical reduction of CO₂ is a promising route to popularize the use of solar energy. However, the underlying mechanisms of these complex reactions are not yet fully resolved, hindering the rational design of novel photoelectrocatalysts. To shed light on this challenging problem, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) of a number of molecular systems have been calculated using first-principles theory. First, it was found that both XPS and NEXAFS display specific features that correlate with the complex charge state and the coordination number of Ru atom. Furthermore, through the analysis of C 1s and N 1s XPS and NEXAFS spectra of key intermediates, we have identified clear fingerprints for metal-hydride and Ru-CO₂ chemical bonding formation, two alternative pathways for catalytic CO₂ reduction. These results indicate that the understanding of the electrochemical properties of the electrocatalyst, as well as the reaction pathways, could be significantly advanced through <i>operando</i> X-ray spectroscopy experiments based on synchrotron radiation. We expect that these theoretical findings will be the basis of and motivate future experimental initiatives

Detecting Repetitions and Periodicities in Proteins by Tiling the Structural Space

The notion of energy landscapes provides conceptual tools for understanding the complexities of protein folding and function. Energy landscape theory indicates that it is much easier to find sequences that satisfy the “Principle of Minimal Frustration” when the folded structure is symmetric (Wolynes, P. G. Symmetry and the Energy Landscapes of Biomolecules. <i>Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.</i> <b>1996</b>, <i>93</i>, 14249–14255). Similarly, repeats and structural mosaics may be fundamentally related to landscapes with multiple embedded funnels. Here we present analytical tools to detect and compare structural repetitions in protein molecules. By an exhaustive analysis of the distribution of structural repeats using a robust metric, we define those portions of a protein molecule that best describe the overall structure as a tessellation of basic units. The patterns produced by such tessellations provide intuitive representations of the repeating regions and their association toward higher order arrangements. We find that some protein architectures can be described as nearly periodic, while in others clear separations between repetitions exist. Since the method is independent of amino acid sequence information, we can identify structural units that can be encoded by a variety of distinct amino acid sequences

Huge Photoresistance in Transparent and Conductive Indium Titanium Oxide Films Prepared by Electron Beam–Physical Vapor Deposition

Transparent and conductive indium titanium oxide (ITiO) films have been obtained by electron beam physical vapour deposition with Ti content from 5 at % up to 28 at %. X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques have been used to identify the local environment of Ti ions. Even at the lowest concentrations Ti is not incorporated into the In₂O₃ structure but forms clusters of a Ti–In mixed oxide that present a distorted rutile TiO₂ short-range order. The optical transmittance of the annealed samples reaches 95 % and no significant variation of the gap energy (around 3.7 eV) is observed with Ti content. The electronic conductivity under light irradiation is studied evidencing a huge photo-resistance in the samples with Ti content above 22 at % reaching more than two orders of magnitude for the 26 at % Ti under illumination with few μW/cm² at 365 nm. Hall and conductivity results are analyzed using a model that takes into account both electron and hole carriers as well as the conductivity enhancement by carrier photogeneration. The electron carrier density decreases with Ti content while its mobility increases up to values of 1000 cm²/(V s). Oxygen annealed ITiO films obtained by this technique with Ti content below 10 at % have properties adequate as transparent semiconductors and those with Ti content higher than 22 at % have exceptional photoresistive properties relevant for numerous applications

Design of Open-Source Medical Devices for Improved Usability and Risk Minimization

Safe performance is essential for any medical technology and its assurance a requirement for reaching market and, hence, making societal impacts. Consequently, a wide set of methodologies, techniques and international standards propose strategies for detecting and minimizing design, manufacturing and operational risks and deal with the analysis and assessment of potential use errors and malfunctions during the operation of healthcare technologies. Open-source medical devices (OSMDs) are typically designed in a collaborative way, involving truly international and multicultural development teams and following development life cycles, through which the information is shared, and also manipulated and updated, within large communities of “makers”. Besides, OSMDs are sometimes manufactured and delivered through still unconventional supply chains. As compared with traditional in-house developments, open-source approaches bring new uncertainties to the process and related potential hazards, if systematic methods for promoting usability and minimizing risks are not adequately shared in the open-source community, applied and documented. At the same time, the openness of information throughout the whole development process should, ideally, promote design peer-review and failure detection at earlier stages, if the design principles for OSMDs and their special features are correctly considered. In consequence, this chapter is prepared with the intention of summarizing the more relevant techniques and standards for usability promotion and risk minimization in biomedical engineering (BME) tasks linked to healthcare technology development. In addition, the final purpose is presenting an innovative and straightforward – user-friendly – methodology for developing intrinsically safe medical technologies, based on internationally accepted techniques and standards, and directly transferable to open-source medical devices. To illustrate the described methods and techniques, several case studies for electromedical devices, invasive devices, standalone software and protecting splints, among others, are presented, which serve to give proof of the flexibility and scalability of this method. Some key aspects linked to applying these methods to projects emerging from open-innovation schemes and delivered as open-source medical devices and technologies are discussed

On the Electronic Structure of Cu Chlorophyllin and Its Breakdown Products: A Carbon K‑Edge X‑ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study

Using near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, the carbon backbone of sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC), a widely used chlorophyll derivative, and its breakdown products are analyzed to elucidate their electronic structure and physicochemical properties. Using various sample preparation methods and complementary spectroscopic methods (including UV/Vis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), a comprehensive insight into the SCC breakdown process is presented. The experimental results are supported by density functional theory calculations, allowing a detailed assignment of characteristic NEXAFS features to specific C bonds. SCC can be seen as a model system for the large group of porphyrins; thus, this work provides a novel and detailed description of the electronic structure of the carbon backbone of those molecules and their breakdown products. The achieved results also promise prospective optical pump/X-ray probe investigations of dynamic processes in chlorophyll-containing photosynthetic complexes to be analyzed more precisely