Small nuclear RNAs enhance protein-free RNA-programmable base conversion on mammalian coding transcripts.

Endogenous U small nuclear RNAs (U snRNAs) form RNA-protein complexes responsible for eukaryotic processing of pre-mRNA into mature mRNA. Previous studies have demonstrated the utility of guide-programmable U snRNAs in targeted exon inclusion and exclusion. We investigated whether snRNAs can also enhance conversion of RNA bases over state-of-the-art RNA targeting technologies in human cells. When compared to adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR)-recruiting circular RNAs, we find that guided A>I snRNAs consistently increase adenosine-to-inosine editing efficiency for genes with higher exon counts, perturb substantially fewer genes in the transcriptome, and localize more persistently to the nucleus where ADAR is expressed. A>I snRNAs can also edit pre-mRNA 3' splice sites to promote splicing changes. Finally, snRNA fusions to H/ACA box snoRNAs (U>Ψ snRNAs) increase targeted RNA pseudouridylation efficiency. Altogether, our results advance the protein-free RNA base conversion toolbox and enhance minimally invasive RNA targeting technologies to treat genetic diseases.

Hypoxia-induced CTCF promotes EMT in breast cancer.

Cancer cells experiencing hypoxic stress employ epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to undergo metastasis through rewiring of the chromatin landscape, epigenetics, and importantly, gene expression. Here, we showed that hypoxia modulates the epigenetic landscape on CTCF promoter and upregulates its expression. Hypoxia-driven epigenetic regulation, specifically DNA demethylation mediated by TET2, is a prerequisite for CTCF induction. Mechanistically, in hypoxic conditions, Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1α) binds to the unmethylated CTCF promoter, causing transcriptional upregulation. Further, we uncover the pivotal role of CTCF in promoting EMT as loss of CTCF abrogated invasiveness of hypoxic breast cancer cells. These findings highlight the functional contribution of HIF1α-CTCF axis in promoting EMT in hypoxic breast cancer cells. Lastly, CTCF expression is alleviated and the potential for EMT is diminished when the HIF1α binding is particularly disrupted through the dCas9-DNMT3A system-mediated maintenance of DNA methylation on the CTCF promoter. This axis may offer a unique therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Social media influenced self-application of cyanoacrylate for double chin reduction in an adolescent girl: an unusual case of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Introduction: Cyanoacrylate, used as a topical adhesive for wound closure in clinical settings, can result in poor cosmetic outcome on application to skin. Lack of formal medical or dermatological training among social media influencers poses risks of improper diagnosis, incorrect treatments, ineffective home remedies, and potential self-injury or long-term skin effects, especially among adolescents. Case presentation: The authors present a case of a young girl with a persistent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after using cyanoacrylate on her chin as a home remedy to reduce her double chin problem after learning from a video on social media. Biopsy findings were consistent with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in dermis. Clinical discussion: Application of cyanoacrylate over skin can result in allergic reactions, burn injuries, infections, itching, skin blistering, and aesthetic issues. Persistent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation can be a poor cosmetic outcome on application of cyanoacrylate over skin. Conclusion: Inadequate social media safety regulations require healthcare professionals to be aware of social trends among adolescents and to encourage them for open conversations and professional help-seeking during times of distress in this digital era.

Recent advances in copper chalcogenides for CO2 electroreduction.

Transforming CO2 through electrochemical methods into useful chemicals and energy sources may contribute to solutions for global energy and ecological challenges. Copper chalcogenides exhibit unique properties that make them potential catalysts for CO2 electroreduction. In this review, we provide an overview and comment on the latest advances made in the synthesis, characterization, and performance of copper chalcogenide materials for CO2 electroreduction, focusing on the work of the last five years. Strategies to boost their performance can be classified in three groups: (1) structural and compositional tuning, (2) leveraging on heterostructures and hybrid materials, and (3) optimizing size and morphology. Despite overall progress, concerns about selectivity and stability persist and require further investigation. This review outlines future directions for developing the next-generation of copper chalcogenide materials, emphasizing on rational design and advanced characterization techniques for efficient and selective CO2 electroreduction.

Bioelectrochemical system for enhancing anaerobic digestion of pharmaceutical-containing domestic wastewater.

The unprecedented recent expansion in usage of paracetamol (AAP) has increased the need for suitable wastewater treatment technology. Furthermore, direct interspecies electron transfer promotion (DIET) offers simple and efficient approach for enhancing anaerobic digestion (AD). In this work, using AAP-containing domestic wastewater as feed, control AD reactor (RC) was operated, besides three DIET-promoted AD reactors (REV, RMC and REVMC, referring to electrical voltage "EV"-applied, nFe3O4-multiwall carbon nanotube (MCNT)-supplemented, and "EV applied + MCNT supplemented" reactor, respectively). Maximal treatable organic loading rates by RC, REV, RMC and REVMC were 3.9, 3.9, 7.8 and 15.6 g COD/L/d, corresponding to AAP loading rate of 26, 78, 156 and 312 µg/L/d, respectively. Methane production rate generated by RC, REV, RMC and REVMC reached 0.80 ± 0.01, 0.86 ± 0.04, 1.40 ± 0.07, and 3.01 ± 0.17 L/L/d, respectively. AAP expectedly followed hydroquinone degradation pathway, causing AD failure by acetate accumulation. However, this performance deterioration could be mitigated by DIET-promoted microbes with higher methanogenic activity and advanced electric conductivity. Economic evaluation revealed the favourability of MCNT addition over EV application, since payback periods for RC, REV, RMC and REVMC were 6.2, 7.7, 4.2 and 5.0 yr, respectively.

A panoramic view of technological landscape for bioethanol production from various generations of feedstocks.

Bioethanol is an appropriate alternate energy option due to its renewable, nontoxic, environmentally friendly, and carbon-neutral nature. Depending upon various feedstocks, bioethanol is classified in different various generations. First-generation ethanol created a food vs fuel problem, which was overcome by second-generation, third-generation and fourth-generation ethanol. The considerable availability of lignocellulosic biomass makes it a suitable feedstock, however, its recalcitrant nature is the main hurdle in converting it to bioethanol. The present study gives a comprehensive assessment of global biofuel policies and the current status of ethanol production. Feedstocks for first-generation (sugar and starch-based), second-generation (lignocellulosic biomass and energy crops), third-generation (algal-based) and fourth-generation (genetically modified algal biomass or crops) are discussed in detail. The study also assessed the process for ethanol production from various feedstocks, besides giving a holestic background knowledge on the bioconversion process, factors affecting bioethanol production, and various microorganisms involved in the fermentation process. Biotechnological tools also play a pivotal role in enhancing process efficiency and product yield. In adddition, most significant development in the field of genetic engineering and adaptive evolution are also highlighted.

Global biofuels policies on bioethanol production were presentedTechnological integrations of 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G bioethanol were discussedVarious factors affecting bioethanol production were mentionedTechno-economic analysis and LCA of bioethanol production are discussed.

Plant -microbe assisted emerging contaminants (ECs) removal and carbon cycling.

Continuous increase in the level of atmospheric CO2 and environmental contaminates has aggravated various threats resulting from environmental pollution and climate change. Research into plant -microbe interaction has been a central concern of ecology for over the year. However, despite the clear contribution of plant -microbe to the global carbon cycle, the role of plant -microbe interaction in carbon pools, fluxes and emerging contaminants (ECs) removal are still a poorly understood. The use of plant and microbes in ECs removal and carbon cycling is an attractive strategy because microbes operate as biocatalysts to remove contaminants and plant roots offer a rich niche for their growth and carbon cycling. However, bio-mitigation of CO2 and removal of ECs is still under research phase because of the CO2 capture and fixation efficiency is too low for industrial purposes and cutting-edge removal methods have not been created for such emerging contaminants.

Co3-xFexO4 inverse opals with tunable catalytic activity for high-performance overall water splitting.

The development of earth-abundant and high-performance bifunctional catalysts for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline electrolytes is required to efficiently produce hydrogen by electrochemical water splitting, but remains a challenge. We have fabricated mesoporous cobalt iron oxide inverse opals (m-CFO IO) with different mole ratios of cobalt and iron by a wet chemical method using polystyrene beads as a hard template, followed by calcination in air. The performance of the m-CFO IO as OER and HER electrocatalysts was investigated. The as-prepared catalyst with equal concentrations of Fe and Co exhibits remarkable OER and HER performances with low overpotentials of 261 and 157 mV to attain 10 mA cm-2 and small Tafel slopes of 63 and 56 mV dec-1, respectively. An alkaline water electrolyzer with a two-electrode configuration achieves 10 mA cm-2 at 1.55 V with excellent long-term stability, outperforming the combination of noble metal IrO2 and Pt/C benchmark catalysts. The superior catalytic performance is ascribed to the synergistic effects of particle size, crystallinity, oxygen efficiency, a large number of active sites, and the large specific surface area of the porous inverse opal structure.

Microbial electrosynthesis of acetate from CO2 in three-chamber cells with gas diffusion biocathode under moderate saline conditions.

The industrial adoption of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is hindered by high overpotentials deriving from low electrolyte conductivity and inefficient cell designs. In this study, a mixed microbial consortium originating from an anaerobic digester operated under saline conditions (∼13 g L-1 NaCl) was adapted for acetate production from bicarbonate in galvanostatic (0.25 mA cm-2) H-type cells at 5, 10, 15, or 20 g L-1 NaCl concentration. The acetogenic communities were successfully enriched only at 5 and 10 g L-1 NaCl, revealing an inhibitory threshold of about 6 g L-1 Na+. The enriched planktonic communities were then used as inoculum for 3D printed, three-chamber cells equipped with a gas diffusion biocathode. The cells were fed with CO2 gas and operated galvanostatically (0.25 or 1.00 mA cm-2). The highest production rate of 55.4 g m-2 d-1 (0.89 g L-1 d-1), with 82.4% Coulombic efficiency, was obtained at 5 g L-1 NaCl concentration and 1 mA cm-2 applied current, achieving an average acetate production of 44.7 kg MWh-1. Scanning electron microscopy and 16S rRNA sequencing analysis confirmed the formation of a cathodic biofilm dominated by Acetobacterium sp. Finally, three 3D printed cells were hydraulically connected in series to simulate an MES stack, achieving three-fold production rates than with the single cell at 0.25 mA cm-2. This confirms that three-chamber MES cells are an efficient and scalable technology for CO2 bio-electro recycling to acetate and that moderate saline conditions (5 g L-1 NaCl) can help reduce their power demand while preserving the activity of acetogens.

Impact of greywater on germination and physiological responses of Triticum aestivum L. HD 2967 in soil amended with poultry biochar.

ABSTRACTChemical fertilizers boost crop production; however, their continued use decreases soil fertility in the long run. Nutrient recycling by the beneficiation of poultry manure into biochar and application as a soil amendment is a long-term solution for plant nutrition. The effect of poultry manure, poultry biochar and crop irrigation with 50% and 100% greywater (GW) was assessed on soil properties and growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. HD-2967) on the 7th and 14th day of sowing. This resulted in greater nutrients (OC, OM, C:N have values of 3.51%, 6.58%, and 16.52, respectively) in soil on the 14th day after sowing irrigated with 100% GW for soil and 10 g biochar amendments than manure. The germination and growth were boosted to 100% on day 6 after seed sowing soil and 5 g biochar. The maximum number of leaflets (4), rootlets (7) and shoot length (26.58 cm) was obtained for soil and 10 g biochar amendments with 100% GW on the 14th day of sowing. The significance of the work is that greywater and poultry biochar has been used for the irrigation of wheat as a step towards the management of both solid and liquid waste. Biochar being a potential adsorbent reduces the pollutant load of greywater while increasing the nutritive value of soil substratum and influencing plant growth. The findings could offer crucial knowledge for creating agronomic procedures to repurpose the nutrients in poultry manure and biochar to grow crops by adding value to waste and meeting the goal of bioeconomic sustainability.

Epigenetic Regulation During Hypoxia and Its Implications in Cancer.

Hypoxia is defined as a cellular stress condition caused by a decrease in oxygen below physiologically normal levels. Cells in the core of a rapidly growing solid tumor are faced with the challenge of inadequate supply of oxygen through the blood, owing to improper vasculature inside the tumor. This hypoxic microenvironment inside the tumor initiates a gene expression program that alters numerous signaling pathways, allowing the cancer cell to eventually evade adverse conditions and attain a more aggressive phenotype. A multitude of studies covering diverse aspects of gene regulation has tried to uncover the mechanisms involved in hypoxia-induced tumorigenesis. The role of epigenetics in executing widespread and dynamic changes in gene expression under hypoxia has been gaining an increasing amount of support in recent years. This chapter discusses, in detail, various epigenetic mechanisms driving the cellular response to hypoxia in cancer.

A meta-analysis of acetogenic and methanogenic microbiomes in microbial electrosynthesis.

A meta-analysis approach was used, to study the microbiomes of biofilms and planktonic communities underpinning microbial electrosynthesis (MES) cells. High-throughput DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons has been increasingly applied to understand MES systems. In this meta-analysis of 22 studies, we find that acetogenic and methanogenic MES cells share 80% of a cathodic core microbiome, and that different inoculum pre-treatments strongly affect community composition. Oxygen scavengers were more abundant in planktonic communities, and several key organisms were associated with operating parameters and good cell performance. We suggest Desulfovibrio sp. play a role in initiating early biofilm development and shaping microbial communities by catalysing H2 production, to sustain either Acetobacterium sp. or Methanobacterium sp. Microbial community assembly became more stochastic over time, causing diversification of the biofilm (cathodic) community in acetogenic cells and leading to re-establishment of methanogens, despite inoculum pre-treatments. This suggests that repeated interventions may be required to suppress methanogenesis.

Sulphonated graphene catalyst incorporation with sludge enhanced the microbial activities for biomethanization of crude rice straw.

Biomethanization of crude rice straw (RS) was enhanced by a coupled effectiveness of sulphonated graphene (SGR) with sludge rich anaerobes (SRA). A reduction of 19.2 ± 1.32% for cellulose, 40.8 ± 3.7% for hemicellulose and 30.8 ± 2.4% for lignin was achieved with addition of SRA after fermentation of 60 days. The abundance of hydrolytic microbes in SRA i.e. Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria caused RS structure liquefaction and dissolution. The reduction of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin boosted to 92.3 ± 1.5, 84.9 ± 3.5 and 97.0 ± 1.8% respectively with SGR catalyst addition of 100 mg/gVS. Reducing sugars, phenols and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were subsequently utilized by bacteria and archaea species of Methanosphaera, Methanocella, Candidatus Methanoregula, Methanolinea and Methanosaeta. The biogas yield was 92 ± 3.1 mL/gRS and methane content amounted to 68 ± 4.6% % at SGR catalyst of 80 mg/gVS. These findings show the potential of using SRA/SGR to improve the RS fermentation with a novel application for biogas productivity.

Unraveling the metabolic shift in anaerobic digestion pathways associated with the alteration of onion skin waste concentration.

Onion skin waste (OSW) is common waste in developing countries, which can cause severe environmental pollution when not properly treated. Value-added products can be chemically extracted from OSW; however, that process is not economically feasible. Alternatively, dry anaerobic digestion (DAD) of OSW is a promising approach for both energy recovery and environment protection. The main hurdles during DAD of OSW can be the hydrolysis and acidification. In batch tests, sludge digestate (SD) rich with methanogens was co-digested with different fractions of OSW for enhancing hydrolysis and raising biogas productivity. The cumulative biogas production (CBP) was 36.6 ± 0.3 mL for sole DAD of SD (100% SD) and increased up to 281.9 ± 14.1 mL for (50% SD: 50% OSW) batch. Self-delignification of OSW took place by SD addition, where the lignin removal reached 75.3 ± 10.5% for (85% SD: 15% OSW) batch. Increasing the fraction of OSW (45% SD: 55% OSW) reduced the delignification by a value of 68.8%, where initial lignin concentration was 9.48 ± 1.6% in dry weight. Lignin breaking down resulted a high fraction of phenolic compounds (345.6 ± 58.8 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight) in the fermentation medium, causing CBP drop (219.0 ± 28.5 mL). The presence of elements (K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, S and P) in OSW improved the enzymatic activity, facilitated phenolic compounds degradation, shifted the metabolism towards acetate fermentation pathway, and raised biogas productivity. Acidogenesis was less affected by phenolic compounds than methanogenesis, causing higher H2 contents and lower CH4 contents, at batches with high share of OSW.

Engineering Aspects for the Design of a Bicarbonate Zero-Gap Flow Electrolyzer for the Conversion of CO2 to Formate.

CO2 electrolyzers require gaseous CO2 or saturated CO2 solutions to achieve high energy efficiency (EE) in flow reactors. However, CO2 capture and delivery to electrolyzers are in most cases responsible for the inefficiency of the technology. Recently, bicarbonate zero-gap flow electrolyzers have proven to convert CO2 directly from bicarbonate solutions, thus mimicking a CO2 capture medium, obtaining high Faradaic efficiency (FE) and partial current density (CD) toward carbon products. However, since bicarbonate electrolyzers use a bipolar membrane (BPM) as a separator, the cell voltage (VCell) is high, and the system becomes less efficient compared to analogous CO2 electrolyzers. Due to the role of the bicarbonate both as a carbon donor and proton donor (in contrast to gas-fed CO2 electrolyzers), optimization by using know-how from conventional gas-fed CO2 electrolyzers is not valid. In this study, we have investigated how different engineering aspects, widely studied for upscaling gas-fed CO2 electrolyzers, influence the performance of bicarbonate zero-gap flow electrolyzers when converting CO2 to formate. The temperature, flow rate, and concentration of the electrolyte are evaluated in terms of FE, productivity, VCell, and EE in a broad range of current densities (10-400 mA cm-2). A CD of 50 mA cm-2, room temperature, high flow rate (5 mL cm-2) of the electrolyte, and high carbon load (KHCO3 3 M) are proposed as potentially optimal parameters to benchmark a design to achieve the highest EE (27% is obtained this way), one of the most important criteria when upscaling and evaluating carbon capture and conversion technologies. On the other hand, at high CD (>300 mA cm-2), low flow rate (0.5 mL cm-2) has the highest interest for downstream processing (>40 g L-1 formate is obtained this way) at the cost of a low EE (<10%).

Lignocellulosic Biomass Valorization for Bioethanol Production: a Circular Bioeconomy Approach.

Lignocellulosic biomass generated from different sectors (agriculture, forestry, industrial) act as biorefinery precursor for production of second-generation (2G) bioethanol and other biochemicals. The integration of various conversion techniques on a single platform under biorefinery approach for production of biofuel and industrially important chemicals from LCB is gaining interest worldwide. The waste generated on utilization of bio-resources is almost negligible or zero in a biorefinery along with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, which supports the circular bioeconomy concept. The economic viability of a lignocellulosic biorefinery depends upon the efficient utilization of three major components of LCB-cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The heterogeneous structure and recalcitrant nature of LCB is main obstacle in its valorization into bioethanol and other value-added products. The success of bioconversion process depends upon methods used during pre-treatment, hydrolysis and fermentation processes. The cost involved in each step of the bioconversion process affects the viability of cellulosic ethanol. The lignocellulose biorefinery has ample scope, but much-focused research is required to fully utilize major parts of lignocellulosic biomass with zero wastage. The present review entails lignocellulosic biomass valorization for ethanol production, along with different steps involved in its production. Various value-added products produced from LCB components were also discussed. Recent technological advances and significant challenges in bioethanol production are also highlighted in addition to future perspectives.

Bioelectricity generation from human urine and simultaneous nutrient recovery: Role of Microbial Fuel Cells.

Urine is a 'valuable waste' that can be exploited to generate bioelectricity and recover key nutrients for producing NPK-rich biofertilizers. In recent times, improved and innovative waste management technologies have emerged to manage the rapidly increasing environmental pollution and to accomplish the goal of sustainable development. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have attracted the attention of environmentalists worldwide to treat human urine and produce power through bioelectrochemical reactions in presence of electroactive bacteria growing on the anode. The bacteria break down the complex organic matter present in urine into simpler compounds and release the electrons which flow through an external circuit generating current at the cathode. Many other useful products are harvested at the end of the process. So, in this review, an attempt has been made to synthesize the information on MFCs fuelled with urine to generate bioelectricity and recover value-added resources (nutrients), and their modifications to enhance productivity. Moreover, configuration and mode of system operation, and factors enhancing the performance of MFCs have been also presented.

Microbial electrochemical approaches of carbon dioxide utilization for biogas upgrading.

Microbial electrochemical approach is an emerging technology for biogas upgrading through carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction and biomethane (or value-added products) production. There is limited literature critically reviewing the latest scientific developments on the bioelectrochemical system (BES) based biogas upgrading technologies, including CO2 reduction efficiency, methane (CH4) yields, reactor operating conditions, and electrode materials tested in the BES reactor. This review analyzes the reported performance and identifies crucial parameters considered for future optimization, which is currently missing. Further, the performances of BES approach of biogas upgrading under various operating settings in particular fed-batch, continuous mode in connection to the microbial dynamics and cathode materials have been thoroughly scrutinized and discussed. Additionally, other versatile application options associated with BES based biogas upgrading, such as resource recovery, are presented. Three-dimensional electrode materials have shown superior performance in supplying the electrons for the reduction of CO2 to CH4. Most of the studies on the biogas upgrading process conclude hydrogen (H2) mediated electron transfer mechanism in BES biogas upgrading.

Live diatoms as potential biocatalyst in a microbial fuel cell for harvesting continuous diafuel, carotenoids and bioelectricity.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) with live diatoms (Nitzschia palea) displacing bacteria in the anodic chamber generated electrical potential. Unlike other microalgae, diatoms fix 25% of atmospheric CO2, thus releasing O2. They perform photolysis of water by photosynthesis in the plastid during light photoperiod and cellular respiration in the mitochondria during dark, producing electrons and protons, respectively. The electrogenic property of diatom was explored and evaluated by comparing the potential changes with reference fuel cell without diatoms and that operated with diatoms in the anodic chamber. Such photosynthetic diatom microbial fuel cell (PDMFC) employed f/2 media rich in nitrates, phosphates, metasilicates, trace metals and vitamins as the anolyte and potassium permanganate as catholyte enhanced the output voltage by 3rd day. The maximum power density for PDMFC was 12.62 mWm-2 and coulombic efficiency of 22.95%. Besides this, the fixed diatom cells at anode showed about 64.28% increase in lipid production on 15th day compared to that on 1st day along with the increment in formation of complex fatty acid methyl esters and carotenoids during its operation. Hence, diatoms can be envisaged to substitute bacteria in the anodic chamber of MFC to simultaneously produce bioelectricity and other valuable compounds. Further their silica nanoporous architecture serve as good absorbents for heavy metal removal found in many wastewaters.

A critical review on microbe-electrode interactions towards heavy metal ion detection using microbial fuel cell technology.

Implicit interaction of electroactive microbes with solid electrodes is an interesting phenomenon in nature, which supported development of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), especially the microbial fuel cell (MFCs) for valorization of low-value waste streams into bioelectricity. Intriguingly, the metabolism of interacted microbes with electrode is affected by the microenvironment at electrodes, which influences the current response. For instance, when heavy metal ions (HMIs) are imposed in the medium, the current production decreases due to their intrinsic toxic effect. This event provides an immense opportunity to utilize MFC as a sensor to selectively detect HMIs in the environment, which has been explored vastly in recent decade. In this review, we have concisely discussed the microbial interaction with electrodes and mechanism of detection of HMIs using an MFC. Recent advancement in sensing elements and their application is elaborated with a future perspective section for follow-up research and development in this field.