Removal of an Azo Textile Dye from Wastewater by Cyclodextrin-Epichlorohydrin Polymers

Native cyclodextrins (CDs), α-, β- and γ-CDs, were employed to synthetise three different cyclodextrin-based polymers using epichlorohydrin (EPI) as a cross-linker. These polymers were applied as adsorbent material to remove an azo textile dye, Direct Blue 78 (DB78), from water. The formation of inclusion complexes between the alone CDs and DB78 molecules were first studied in aqueous solutions. Then, adsorption experiments of the dye were performed by means of cyclodextrin/epichlorohydrin (CD/EPI) polymers. The effects of various parameters, such as contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH and temperature, were examined to determine the better adsorption conditions. The equilibrium isotherms and the adsorption kinetics were also analysed using opportune mathematic models. The chemical-physical characteristics and the morphology of the adsorbent polymers were, respectively, observed by differential scanning calorimetry and field emission scanning electron microscope. The CD/EPI polymers showed a very good ability in the removal of DB78 from aqueous solution; indeed, the maximum efficiencies in the dye removal were found to be about 99% for β-CD/EPI polymer and about 97% for γ-CD/EPI polymer, at pH 6 and 25°C conditions. It is possible to assume that the good adsorbent aptitude of CD/EPI polymers is due to their double peculiarity to include the dye in the inner cavity of CDs and to adsorb the dye on their porous surfaces by physical interaction

Molecular interactions, characterization and photoactivity of Chlorophyll a/chitosan/2-HP-β-cyclodextrin composite films as functional and active surfaces for ROS production

Novel photosensitizing film based on the natural hybrid polymer Chitosan/2-hydroxy-propyl-β-Cyclodextrin (CH/CD) is synthesized introducing Chlorophyll a (CH/CD/Chla) as a photoactive agent for possible application in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT). The polymer absorbs visible light, in turn able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and, therefore it can be used as environmental friendly and biodegradable polymeric photosensitizer (PS). The modified film is characterized by means of different spectroscopic, calorimetric, diffraction techniques and microscopic imaging methods including time-resolved absorption spectroscopy. UV–Vis, FTIR-ATR and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses suggest that Chla shows a strong affinity toward Chitosan introducing interactions with amino groups present on the polymer chains. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique provides evidence for the population of the excited triplet state of Chla. Photogeneration of singlet oxygen is demonstrated by both direct detection by using infrared luminescence spectroscopy and chemical methods based on the use of suitable traps. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analyses confirm also the occurrence of structural changes both on the film surface and within the film layer induced by the insertion of the pigment. Moreover, X-ray Diffraction data (XRD) shows the existence of an amorphous phase for the chitosan films in all the compared conditions

Nanocellulose/Fullerene Hybrid Films Assembled at the Air/Water Interface as Promising Functional Materials for Photo-Electrocatalysis

Cellulose nanomaterials have been widely investigated in the last decade, unveiling attractive properties for emerging applications. The ability of sulfated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to guide the supramolecular organization of amphiphilic fullerene derivatives at the air/water interface has been recently highlighted. Here, we further investigated the assembly of Langmuir hybrid films that are based on the electrostatic interaction between cationic fulleropyrrolidines deposited at the air/water interface and anionic CNCs dispersed in the subphase, assessing the influence of additional negatively charged species that are dissolved in the water phase. By means of isotherm acquisition and spectroscopic measurements, we demonstrated that a tetra-sulfonated porphyrin, which was introduced in the subphase as anionic competitor, strongly inhibited the binding of CNCs to the floating fullerene layer. Nevertheless, despite the strong inhibition by anionic molecules, the mutual interaction between fulleropyrrolidines at the interface and the CNCs led to the assembly of robust hybrid films, which could be efficiently transferred onto solid substrates. Interestingly, ITO-electrodes that were modified with five-layer hybrid films exhibited enhanced electrical capacitance and produced anodic photocurrents at 0.4 V vs Ag/AgCl, whose intensity (230 nA/cm2) proved to be four times higher than the one that was observed with the sole fullerene derivative (60 nA/cm2)

MIXER: a Machine-learning method to detect genomic Imbalances exploiting X chromosome exome reads

Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) is rapidly becoming a first-tier test, thanks to declining costs and automatic clinical pipelines. However, while identification of small variants follows standardized workflows, there is no agreement on methods for detection of Copy Number Variants (CNVs). A plethora of WES-based CNV callers have been developed, each showing good performance towards only a limited range of CNV classes/sizes. As clinical CNVs extend from large rearrangements to single genes, more versatile approaches are needed to be of enhanced diagnostic use

Adsorption Properties of β- and Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrins Cross-Linked with Epichlorohydrin in Aqueous Solution. A Sustainable Recycling Strategy in Textile Dyeing Process

β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) were used to prepare insoluble polymers using epichlorohydrin as a cross-linking agent and the azo dye Direct Red 83:1 was used as target adsorbate. The preliminary study related to adsorbent dosage, pH, agitation or dye concentration allowed us to select the best conditions to carry out the rest of experiments. The kinetics was evaluated by Elovich, pseudo first order, pseudo second order, and intra-particle diffusion models. The results indicated that the pseudo second order model presented the best fit to the experimental data, indicating that chemisorption is controlling the process. The results were also evaluated by Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin isotherms. According to the determination coefficient (R2), Freunlich gave the best results, which indicates that the adsorption process is happening on heterogeneous surfaces. One interesting parameter obtained from Langmuir isotherm is qmax (maximum adsorption capacity). This value was six times higher when a β-CDs-EPI polymer was employed. The cross-linked polymers were fully characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Also, morphology and particle size distribution were both assessed. Under optimized conditions, the β-CDs-EPI polymer seems to be a useful device for removing Direct Red 83:1 (close 90%), from aqueous solutions and industrial effluents. Complementarily, non-adsorbed dye was photolyzed by a pulsed light driven advanced oxidation process. The proposed methodology is environmental and economically advantageous, considering the point of view of a sustainable recycling economy in the textile dyeing process.Ciencias Ambientale

Management of pregnancy in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: maternal disease course, gestational and neonatal outcomes and use of medications in the prospectiveItalian P-RHEUM.it study

Objectives To investigate pregnancy outcomes in women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) in the Italian prospective cohort study P-RHEUM.it. Methods Pregnant women with different ARD were enrolled for up to 20 gestational weeks in 29 Rheumatology Centres for 5 years (2018-2023). Maternal and infant information were collected in a web-based database. Results We analysed 866 pregnancies in 851 patients (systemic lupus erythematosus was the most represented disease, 19.6%). Maternal disease flares were observed in 135 (15.6%) pregnancies. 53 (6.1%) pregnancies were induced by assisted reproduction techniques, 61 (7%) ended in miscarriage and 11 (1.3%) underwent elective termination. Obstetrical complications occurred in 261 (30.1%) pregnancies, including 2.3% pre-eclampsia. Two cases of congenital heart block were observed out of 157 pregnancies (1.3%) with anti-Ro/SSA. Regarding treatments, 244 (28.2%) pregnancies were treated with glucocorticoids, 388 (44.8%) with hydroxychloroquine, 85 (9.8%) with conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and 122 (14.1%) with biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Live births were 794 (91.7%), mostly at term (84.9%); four perinatal deaths (0.5%) occurred. Among 790 newborns, 31 (3.9%) were small-for-gestational-age and 169 (21.4%) had perinatal complications. Exclusive maternal breast feeding was received by 404 (46.7%) neonates. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was compiled by 414 women (52.4%); 89 (21.5%) scored positive for emotional distress. Conclusions Multiple factors including preconception counselling and treat-to-target with pregnancy-compatible medications may have contributed to mitigate disease-related risk factors, yielding limited disease flares, good pregnancy outcomes and frequency of complications which were similar to the Italian general obstetric population. Disease-specific issues need to be further addressed to plan preventative measures