Sodium lignosulfonate as an extracting agent of methylene blue dye using a polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration technique.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of sodium lignosulfonate (LS) as a dye adsorbent in the removal of methylene blue (MB) from water by polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration. Various parameters were evaluated, such as membrane molecular weight cut-off, pH, LS dose, MB concentration, applied pressure, and the effect of interfering ions. The results showed that the use of LS generated a significant increase in MB removal, reaching an elimination of up to 98.0 % with 50.0 mg LS and 100 mg L-1 MB. The maximum MB removal capacity was 21 g g-1 using the enrichment method. In addition, LS was reusable for up to four consecutive cycles of dye removal-elution. The removal test in a simulated liquid industrial waste from the textile industry was also effective, with a MB removal of 97.2 %. These findings indicate that LS is highly effective in removing high concentrations of MB dye, suggesting new prospects for its application in water treatment processes.

Assessment of CRISPRa-mediated gdnf overexpression in an In vitro Parkinson's disease model.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) presents a significant challenge in medical science, as current treatments are limited to symptom management and often carry significant side effects. Our study introduces an innovative approach to evaluate the effects of gdnf overexpression mediated by CRISPRa in an in vitro model of Parkinson's disease. The expression of gdnf can have neuroprotective effects, being related to the modulation of neuroinflammation and pathways associated with cell survival, differentiation, and growth. Methods: We have developed a targeted delivery system using a magnetite nanostructured vehicle for the efficient transport of genetic material. This system has resulted in a substantial increase, up to 200-fold) in gdnf expression in an In vitro model of Parkinson's disease using a mixed primary culture of astrocytes, neurons, and microglia. Results and Discussion: The delivery system exhibits significant endosomal escape of more than 56%, crucial for the effective delivery and activation of the genetic material within cells. The increased gdnf expression correlates with a notable reduction in MAO-B complex activity, reaching basal values of 14.8 µU/µg of protein, and a reduction in reactive oxygen species. Additionally, there is up to a 34.6% increase in cell viability in an In vitro Parkinson's disease model treated with the neurotoxin MPTP. Our study shows that increasing gdnf expression can remediate some of the cellular symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease in an in vitro model of the disease using a novel nanostructured delivery system.

Removal of Dyes by Polymer-Enhanced Ultrafiltration: An Overview.

The current problem of contamination caused by colored industrial effluents has led to the development of different techniques to remove these species from water. One of them, polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF), has been systematically studied in this mini review, in which research works from 1971 to date were found and analyzed. Dye retention rates of up to 99% were obtained in several cases. In addition, a brief discussion of different parameters, such as pH, interfering salts, type of polymer, dye concentration, and membrane type, and their influence in dye removal is presented. It was concluded from the above that these factors can be adapted depending on the pollutant to be remediated, in order to optimize the process. Finally, theoretical approaches have been used to understand the intermolecular interactions, and development of the studied technique. In this revision, it is possible to observe that molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, density functional theory calculations, and hybrid neural-genetic algorithms based on an evolutionary approach are the most usual approximations used for this purpose. Herein, there is a detailed discussion about what was carried out in order to contribute to the research development of this important science field.