Catalytic Oxidation of Acetone over MnO-SiO Catalysts: An Effective Approach to Valorize Rice Husk Waste.

Rice husk, a byproduct of rice production, poses significant environmental challenges due to disposal issues, while the emission of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere further exacerbates these concerns. This study addresses both problems by exploring the potential of texturally enhanced SiO, derived from Uruguayan rice husk, as a catalytic support for manganese oxides in the combustion of volatile organic compounds. SiO was synthesized from rice husk ash using a sustainable, acid-free pretreatment method, yielding a notably high silica purity of 96.

Racial and ethnic diversity in academic nursing leadership: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background/purpose: To characterize the representation of racial and ethnic minoritized faculty in leadership positions at the top 50 National Institutes of Health-ranked academic nursing institutions.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study to characterize the racial/ethnic composition of academic leaders, including those in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions from September 2020 to December 2020.

Discussion: Among the 409 leaders, the sample was predominantly composed of females (86.

Teledermatology Evaluation and Feedback Systems: A Tool for Improving Care.

Chile is a country where teledermatology has been growing exponentially since the implementation of a single national asynchronous teledermatology platform for the public system in December 2018. To ensure the quality of care in teledermatology systems, it is crucial to evaluate the fulfillment of basic specifiers such as ICD-Diagnosis, therapeutic suggestions, and diagnostic suggestions, among others. This article aims to evaluate the teledermatology system of the Chilean public health service by analyzing 243 randomly extracted consultations, representative of the 20,716 electronic consultations performed during 2020.

Ultrasound-promoted synthesis of a copper-iron-based catalyst for the microwave-assisted acyloxylation of 1,4-dioxane and cyclohexene.

A copper-iron-based catalyst has been prepared by a low-temperature co-precipitation and sonication method. The use of high-energy ultrasound reduces the time required for the preparation process from one workweek to one day with respect to the catalysts obtained by conventional coprecipitation and thermal treatment methods. The resulting material has been characterized at compositional, textural, structural, and chemical levels by ICP-AES, BET, SEM-EDS, XRD, TEM, and FTIR among other techniques.

Evaluation of the Immune Response Induced by CoronaVac 28-Day Schedule Vaccination in a Healthy Population Group.

CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac Life Science is currently being used in several countries. In Chile, the effectiveness of preventing hospitalization is higher than 80% with a vaccination schedule. However, to date, there are no data about immune response induction or specific memory.

Immunomodulation of T Helper Cells by Tumor Microenvironment in Oral Cancer Is Associated With CCR8 Expression and Rapid Membrane Vitamin D Signaling Pathway.

The immune system plays a key role in the protective response against oral cancer; however, the tumor microenvironment (TME) impairs this anti-cancer response by modulating T helper (Th) responses and promoting an anti-inflammatory environment. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th2 effector cells (Teff) are associated with poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the main immunomodulatory mechanisms associated with the enrichment of these subsets in OSCC remain unknown.

Cemented Dual Mobility Cup for Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty in Elder Patients with High-Risk Instability.

Several studies have shown that double mobility (DM) cups reduce postoperative dislocations. Does the cemented dual mobility cup reduce dislocations in a specific cohort of elder patients with a high dislocation risk? Our hypothesis is that this implant is optimal for elder patients because it reduces early dislocation. We have retrospectively reviewed elder patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) with cemented double mobility cup between March 2009 and January 2018.

Temporal Resistome and Microbial Community Dynamics in an Intensive Aquaculture Facility with Prophylactic Antimicrobial Treatment.

Excessive use of antimicrobials in aquaculture is concerning, given possible environmental ramifications and the potential contribution to the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AR). In this study, we explored seasonal abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes and bacterial community composition in the water column of an intensive aquaculture pond stocked with Silver Carp () prophylactically treated with sulfamethoprim (25% sulfadiazine; 5% trimethoprim), relative to an adjacent unstocked reservoir. Bacterial community composition was monitored using high-throughput sequencing of 16S gene amplicons in eight sampling profiles to determine seasonal dynamics, representing principal stages in the fish fattening cycle.

Ultrathin Washcoat and Very Low Loading Monolithic Catalyst with Outstanding Activity and Stability in Dry Reforming of Methane.

A Ni/CeO/ZrO catalyst with improved redox properties has been washcoated onto a honeycomb cordierite monolith in the form of a nonconventional alumina-catalyst layer, just a few nanometers thick. In spite of the very low active phase loading, the monolith depicts outstanding performance in dry reforming of methane, both in terms of activity, with values reaching the thermodynamic limit already at 750 °C, even under extreme Weight Hourly Space Velocities (WHSV 115-346 L·g·h), as well as in terms of stability during prolonged Time on Stream (TOS 24-48 h).

Dendritic Cells Loaded with Heat Shock-Conditioned Ovarian Epithelial Carcinoma Cell Lysates Elicit T Cell-Dependent Antitumor Immune Responses .

Ovarian epithelial carcinoma (OEC) is the most frequent ovarian tumor, characterized by a high mortality in advanced stages where conventional therapies are not effective. Based on the role of the immune system in the progression of this disease, immunotherapy using checkpoint blockade has been considered as a therapeutic alternative. Nevertheless, its results do not match up to the positive results in entities like melanoma and other malignancies, suggesting the need to find other therapies to be used alone or in combination.

Use of Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages to Study Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection.

Macrophages are critical cells in the innate immune response to microorganisms sensed in the tissues. During infections, the interaction between pathogens and macrophages leads to a macrophage response that includes cytokine production, antigen processing and presentation in the context of MHC molecules, expression of T cell costimulatory molecules and recruitment of innate defense effectors, which results in clearance of infection. However, Neisseria gonorrhoeae can suppress the protective immune response at this level, avoiding its detection and elimination.

Are the primary characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastics responsible for toxicity and ad/absorption in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum?

Nowadays, the occurrence of a large volume of plastic litter in oceanic and coastal zones has increased concern about its impacts on marine organisms. The degradation of plastic polymers leads to the formation of smaller fragments at both micro and nano scale (<5 mm and <1 μm respectively). Nanoplastics (NPs), due to their smaller size and high specific surface area can establish colloidal interactions with marine microalgae, therefore potential toxicity can be led.

Comparative Metagenomics and Network Analyses Provide Novel Insights Into the Scope and Distribution of β-Lactamase Homologs in the Environment.

The β-lactams are the largest group of clinically applied antibiotics, and resistance to these is primarily associated with β-lactamases. There is increasing understanding that these enzymes are ubiquitous in natural environments and henceforth, elucidating the global diversity, distribution, and mobility of β-lactamase-encoding genes is crucial for holistically understanding resistance to these antibiotics. In this study, we screened 232 shotgun metagenomes from ten different environments against a custom-designed β-lactamase database, and subsequently analyzed β-lactamase homologs with a suite of bioinformatic platforms including cluster and network analyses.

Lead removal from aqueous solution by means of integral natural clays honeycomb monoliths.

Different natural Moroccan clays were used as adsorbents for the removal of lead from aqueous solution. The study was performed not only employing the starting clays in the form of powder but also after their extrusion as honeycomb monoliths, this representing the major novelty of this work respect to the current state-of-art. The experiments were done in batch conditions with continuous stirring and using a recirculated flow, respectively.

Cytotoxicity of CeO nanoparticles using in vitro assay with Mytilus galloprovincialis hemocytes: Relevance of zeta potential, shape and biocorona formation.

Over the last decades, the growth in nanotechnology has provoked an increase in the number of its applications and consumer products that incorporate nanomaterials in their formulation. Metal nanoparticles are released to the marine environment and they can interact with cells by colloids forces establish a nano-bio interface. This interface can be compatible or generate bioadverse effects to cells.

Synthesis methods influence characteristics, behaviour and toxicity of bare CuO NPs compared to bulk CuO and ionic Cu after in vitro exposure of Ruditapes philippinarum hemocytes.

Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly investigated, developed and produced for a wide range of industrial and consumer products. Notwithstanding their promising novel applications, concern has been raised that their increased use and disposal could consequently increase their release into marine systems and potentially affect species within. To date the understanding of factors and mechanisms of CuO (nano-) toxicity to marine invertebrates is still limited.

[Impact on social networks after announcement of a case of Hansen's disease in an immigrant in Chile].

Background: Hansen's disease (HD) is a curable disease of low transmissibility which doesn't need social segregation or public notice. The announcement of a HD case in an immigrant by a governmental medical employee allowed to evaluate its impact within social networks (SN) in Chile, a country without endemic cases.

Aim: To measure the impact and tone of mentions within SN after the announcement of an imported case.

Toxicity of TiO, in nanoparticle or bulk form to freshwater and marine microalgae under visible light and UV-A radiation.

Use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) has become a part of our daily life and the high environmental concentrations predicted to accumulate in aquatic ecosystems are cause for concern. Although TiO has only limited reactivity, at the nanoscale level its physico-chemical properties and toxicity are different compared with bulk material. Phytoplankton is a key trophic level in fresh and marine ecosystems, and the toxicity provoked by these nanoparticles can affect the structure and functioning of ecosystems.

Direct and indirect effects of silver nanoparticles on freshwater and marine microalgae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Phaeodactylum tricornutum).

The last decade has seen a considerable increase in the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are found in many every-day consumer products including textiles, plastics, cosmetics, household sprays and paints. The release of those AgNPs into aquatic environments could be causing ecological damage. In this study we assess the toxicity of AgNPs of different sizes to two species of microalgae, from freshwater and marine environment (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Phaeodactylum tricornutum respectively).

Homoagglomeration and heteroagglomeration of TiO, in nanoparticle and bulk form, onto freshwater and marine microalgae.

TiO nanoparticles (TiO NPs) are employed in many products (paints, personal care products, especially sunscreens, plastics, paper, water potabilization and food products) and are then released into the environment from these products. These nanoparticles present potential risk to freshwater and marine microalgae. The primary toxicity mechanism is adsorption between NPs and microalgae (heteroagglomeration); however, studies of interactions of this kind are scarce.

CeO NPs, toxic or protective to phytoplankton? Charge of nanoparticles and cell wall as factors which cause changes in cell complexity.

CeO nanoparticles (CeO NPs) are well-known for their catalytic properties and antioxidant potential. Recent uses in therapy are based on the Ce ions released by CeO NPs. Reactions involving redox cycles between Ce and Ce oxidation stage seem to promote scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus protecting cells from oxygen damage.

High Throughput Analysis of Integron Gene Cassettes in Wastewater Environments.

Integrons are extensively targeted as a proxy for anthropogenic impact in the environment. We developed a novel high-throughput amplicon sequencing pipeline that enables characterization of thousands of integron gene cassette-associated reads, and applied it to acquire a comprehensive overview of gene cassette composition in effluents from wastewater treatment facilities across Europe. Between 38 100 and 172 995 reads per-sample were generated and functionally characterized by screening against nr, SEED, ARDB and β-lactamase databases.