Direct membrane filtration for wastewater treatment and resource recovery: A review.

Direct membrane filtration has shown great potential in wastewater treatment and resource recovery in terms of its superior treated water quality, efficient nutrient recovery, and sustainable operation, especially under some scenarios where biological treatment is not feasible. This paper aims to give a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art of direct membrane filtration processes (including pressure-driven, osmotic-driven, thermal-driven, and electrical-driven) in treating different types of wastewater for water reclamation and resource recovery. The factors influencing membrane performance and treatment efficiency in these direct membrane filtration processes are well illustrated, in which membrane fouling was identified as the main challenge.

Immunization prevents DDT buildup in mouse tissues.

DDT is used for pest control, causing health and environmental hazards in some parts of the world. The goal of this study was to assess whether immunization against a toxic compound could reduce the toxicant uptake of an organism, specifically to develop a DDT immunization that promotes the production of specific antibodies and assess whether it reduces DDT levels in the bodies of mice that are exposed to DDT by intake. BALB/c mice were immunized with DDT-keyhole limpet hemocyanine (DDT-KLH) conjugate (n=10) or unconjugated KLH (n=10), which was used as a control.

Novel self-epitopes derived from aggrecan, fibrillin, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 drive distinct autoreactive T-cell responses in juvenile idiopathic arthritis and in health.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterized by chronic joint inflammation. Knowing which antigens drive the autoreactive T-cell response in JIA is crucial for the understanding of disease pathogenesis and additionally may provide targets for antigen-specific immune therapy. In this study, we tested 9 self-peptides derived from joint-related autoantigens for T-cell recognition (T-cell proliferative responses and cytokine production) in 36 JIA patients and 15 healthy controls.

Induction of protective and specific antibodies against cocaine by intranasal immunisation using a glyceride adjuvant.

The goal of this study was to investigate an intranasal cocaine vaccine containing the mucosal adjuvant macrogol-6-glycerol capylocaprate (RhinoVax). Cocaine-KLH conjugate was prepared and administered in two formulations. Ten mice were immunised intranasally using RhinoVax as adjuvant and ten subcutaneously using aluminium hydroxide as an adjuvant.