Adsorption of impurities from nickel-plating baths using commercial sorbents to reduce wastewater discharges.

The presence of moderate concentrations of impurities in the nickel-plating baths generates failures on the coated pieces. This situation entails the necessity of replacing the electroplating bath, which implies the generation of large volumes of wastewater with metallic species and high quantity of sludge. For this reason, the adsorption of the principal impurities of nickel-plating baths of an industry was analyzed in this work. Particularly, the removal of Zn2+ was studied in more detail since the presence of this metal in the baths generates black spots on the coated pieces. Different commercial materials were used as adsorbents and Zn2+ adsorption studies were carried out using both standard solutions and industrial water from the nickel-plating baths. All the adsorption tests were performed in batch systems under constant agitation and the quantification of the impurities was made by ICP-MS analysis. The bone char (BC) was an efficient adsorbent for the removal of the principal impurities of nickel-plating baths. The use of molecular simulation tools helped to understand the preferences of the hydroxyapatite (the principal component of bone char) for different metallic ions present in the industrial waters. According to both the experimental adsorption and molecular simulation results, hydroxyl and phosphate groups of bone char are responsible of the adsorption of impurities of nickel-plating baths.

Abnormal cannabidiol ameliorates inflammation preserving pancreatic beta cells in mouse models of experimental type 1 diabetes and beta cell damage.

The atypical cannabinoid Abn-CBD improves the inflammatory status in preclinical models of several pathologies, including autoimmune diseases. However, its potential for modulating inflammation in autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D) is unknown. Herein we investigate whether Abn-CBD can modulate the inflammatory response during T1D onset using a mouse model of T1D (non-obese diabetic- (NOD)-mice) and of beta cell damage (streptozotocin (STZ)-injected mice). Six-week-old female NOD mice were treated with Abn-CBD (0.1-1 mg/kg) or vehicle during 12 weeks and then euthanized. Eight-to-ten-week-old male C57Bl6/J mice were pre-treated with Abn-CBD (1 mg/kg of body weight) or vehicle for 1 week, following STZ challenge, and euthanized 1 week later. Blood, pancreas, pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs) and T cells were collected and processed for analysis. Glycemia was also monitored. In NOD mice, treatment with Abn-CBD significantly reduced the severity of insulitis and reduced the pro-inflammatory profile of CD4+ T cells compared to vehicle. Concomitantly, Abn-CBD significantly reduced islet cell apoptosis and improved glucose tolerance. In STZ-injected mice, Abn-CBD decreased circulating proinflammatory cytokines and ameliorated islet inflammation reducing intra-islet phospho-NF-κB and TXNIP. Abn-CBD significantly reduced 2 folds intra-islet CD8+ T cells and reduced Th1/non-Th1 ratio in PLNs of STZ-injected mice. Islet cell apoptosis and intra-islet fibrosis were also significantly reduced in Abn-CBD pre-treated mice compared to vehicle. Altogether, Abn-CBD reduces circulating and intra-islet inflammation, preserving islets, thus delaying the progression of insulitis. Hence, Abn-CBD and related compounds emerge as new candidates to develop pharmacological strategies to treat the early stages of T1D.

[Cardiac abnormalities in osteogenesis imperfecta. Case-control echocardiographic study]. / Alteraciones cardiacas en la osteogénesis imperfecta. Estudio ecocardiográfico de casos y controles.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Osteogenesis imperfecta is a rare disease with abnormal synthesis of type 1 collagen that affects diverse extra-skeletal tissues. Aortic root dilatation and valvular dysfunction have been described. Our purpose was to evaluate the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta in comparison with an age and sex-matched control group of healthy people. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively studied 26 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta and compared them with 25 healthy people. All patients underwent a transthoracic standard M-mode, 2D and colour Doppler study. RESULTS: We did not find significant differences between both groups in the left ventricular diastolic and systolic function and the incidence of valvulopathies. The dimensions of the aortic root, left atrium and left ventricle when indexed by body surface area were significantly larger in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta compared with the control group, which was probably due to the reduced body surface of these patients. However there was a significant difference in the aortic root/telediastolic diameter of left ventricle ratio independent of the body surface, which was higher in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of valvular disease in osteogenesis imperfecta is similar to that of the normal population. However aortic root is larger in the former patients and is related to the left ventricular diastolic diameter.

The Atypical Cannabinoid Abn-CBD Reduces Inflammation and Protects Liver, Pancreas, and Adipose Tissue in a Mouse Model of Prediabetes and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background and Aims: The synthetic atypical cannabinoid Abn-CBD, a cannabidiol (CBD) derivative, has been recently shown to modulate the immune system in different organs, but its impact in obesity-related meta-inflammation remains unstudied. We investigated the effects of Abn-CBD on metabolic and inflammatory parameters utilizing a diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model of prediabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and Methods: Ten-week-old C57Bl/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 15 weeks, following a 2-week treatment of daily intraperitoneal injections with Abn-CBD or vehicle. At week 15 mice were obese, prediabetic and developed NAFLD. Body weight and glucose homeostasis were monitored. Mice were euthanized and blood, liver, adipose tissue and pancreas were collected and processed for metabolic and inflammatory analysis. Results: Body weight and triglycerides profiles in blood and liver were comparable between vehicle- and Abn-CBD-treated DIO mice. However, treatment with Abn-CBD reduced hyperinsulinemia and markers of systemic low-grade inflammation in plasma and fat, also promoting white adipose tissue browning. Pancreatic islets from Abn-CBD-treated mice showed lower apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress than vehicle-treated DIO mice, and beta cell proliferation was induced. Furthermore, Abn-CBD lowered hepatic fibrosis, inflammation and macrophage infiltration in the liver when compared to vehicle-treated DIO mice. Importantly, the balance between hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis was improved in Abn-CBD-treated compared to vehicle-treated DIO mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that Abn-CBD exerts beneficial immunomodulatory actions in the liver, pancreas and adipose tissue of DIO prediabetic mice with NAFLD, thus protecting tissues. Therefore, Abn-CBD and related compounds could represent novel pharmacological strategies for managing obesity-related metabolic disorders.

The cannabinoid ligand LH-21 reduces anxiety and improves glucose handling in diet-induced obese pre-diabetic mice.

LH-21 is a triazol derivative that has been described as a low-permeant neutral CB1 antagonist, though its pharmacology is still unclear. It has been associated with anti-obesity actions in obese rats. However, its role in preventing type 2 diabetes (T2D) onset have not been studied yet. Given CB1 receptors remain as potential pharmacological targets to fight against obesity and T2D, we wanted to explore the metabolic impact of this compound in an animal model of obesity and pre-diabetes as well as the lack of relevant actions in related central processes such as anxiety. C57BL/6J mice were rendered obese and pre-diabetic by feeding a high-fat diet for 15 weeks and then treated with LH-21 or vehicle for two weeks. Food intake, body weight and glucose handling were assessed, together with other relevant parameters. Behavioural performance was evaluated by the open field test and the elevated plus maze. LH-21 did not affect food intake nor body weight but it improved glucose handling, displaying tissue-specific beneficial actions. Unexpectedly, LH-21 induced anxiolysis and reverted obesity-induced anxiety, apparently through GPR55 receptor. These results suggest that LH-21 can be a new candidate to fight against diabetes onset. Indeed, this compound shows potential in counteracting obesity-related anxiety.

Validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting sulfonamides in feed resources.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to screen sulfadiazine and sulfamethazine residues in feeds has been developed and validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC criteria. Sulfonamides are easily extracted with a 95:5 acetonitrile/water mixture, obtaining recoveries between 80 and 100%. Accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, limit of detection (LOD), and detection capability (CCbeta) of the assay have been assessed during the validation process. LOD values in pig feed samples were 0.2 microg/g for sulfadiazine and 0.04 microg/g for sulfamethazine without any sample treatment other than extraction, dilution with the assay buffer, and filtering of the resulting solution. Furthermore, a new strategy for the determination of CCbeta in an ELISA screening method is proposed; this gave CCbeta values of 0.8 microg/g for sulfadiazine and 0.1 microg/g for sulfamethazine. Besides sulfadiazine and sulfamethazine, other sulfonamides can be detected with this immunoassay; this has been verified calculating their LOD values and cross-reactivities. Finally, real feed samples were analyzed with the ELISA methodology and a previously developed liquid chromatography (LC) method, and results confirmed the utility of this new immunoassay for screening purposes.