A LCA (life cycle assessment) of the methanol production from sugarcane bagasse

Nowadays one of the most important environmental issues is the exponential increase of the greenhouse effect by the polluting action of the industrial and transport sectors. The production of biofuels is considered a viable alternative for the pollution mitigation but also to promote rural development. The work presents an analysis of the environmental impacts of the methanol production from sugarcane bagasse, taking into consideration the balance of the energy life cycle and its net environmental impacts, both are included in a LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach. The evaluation is done as a case study of a 100,000 t/y methanol plant, using sugarcane bagasse as raw material. The methanol is produced through the BTL (Biomass to Liquid) route. The results of the environmental impacts were compared to others LCA studies of biofuel and it was showed that there are significant differences of environmental performance among the existing biofuel production system, even for the same feedstock. The differences are dependent on many factors such as farming practices, technology of the biomass conversion. With relation to the result of output/input ratio, the methanol production from sugarcane bagasse showed to be a feasible alternative for the substitution of an amount of fossil methanol obtained from natural gas.     

Recommendations for toxicological investigations of drug-facilitated sexual assaults

The recent increase in reports of drug-facilitated sexual assaults has caused alarm in the general public and prompted forensic toxicologists from across North America to address the toxicological issues surrounding this matter. The authors have developed recommendations and guidelines to inform law enforcement, medical, and scientific personnel of the requirements for performing successful toxicological examinations in cases of drug-facilitated rape.     

Purification and crystallization of complexes modeling the active state of the fragile histidine triad protein

Fragile histidine triad protein (Fhit) is a diadenosine triphosphate (ApppA) hydrolase encoded at the human chromosome 3 fragile site which is frequently disrupted in tumors. Reintroduction of FHIT coding sequences to cancer cell lines with FHIT deletions suppressed the ability of these cell lines to form tumors in nude mice even when the reintroduced FHIT gene had been mutated to allow ApppA binding but not hydrolysis. Because this suggested that the tumor suppressor activity of Fhit protein depends on substrate-dependent signaling rather than ApppA catabolism, we prepared two crystalline forms of Fhit protein that are expected to model its biologically active, substrate-bound state. Wild-type and the His96Asn forms of Fhit were overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and crystallized in the presence and absence of ApppA and an ApppA analog. Single crystals obtained by vapor diffusion against ammonium sulfate diffracted X-rays to beyond 2.75 A resolution. High quality native synchrotron X-ray data were collected for an orthorhombic and a hexagonal crystal form.      

Anti-CD45 and anti-CD52 (Campath) monoclonal antibodies effectively eliminate systematically disseminated human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma B cells in Scid mice

Severe combined immunodeficient (Scid) mice inoculated with the human (t(14;18)-positive B cell lines DoHH2 and BEVA develop lethal systemically disseminated lymphoma (de Kroon et al., Leukemia 8:1385, and Blood 80 [suppl 1]:436). These models were used to study the therapeutic effect of rat-anti-human CD52 (Campath-1G) or CD45 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) on systemically disseminated tumor cells and on tumor cells present in solid tumor masses. Both mAbs were effective in inhibiting growth of systemically disseminated malignant cells. When treatment with anti-CD52 or anti-CD45 mAbs at a dose of 30 micrograms/mouse/d for 4 days was started 24 hours after intravenous inoculation of human DoHH2 or BEVA cells, a 3-log kill of tumor cells was observed as measured by prolonged survival. After treatment, surviving animals injected with high numbers of BEVA cells showed tumor masses in liver, kidney, and mesenteric lymph nodes. In contrast to nontreated animals, however, only low numbers of malignant cells were found in peripheral blood, and bone marrow was free of tumor cells. Similarly, after mAb treatment of mice inoculated subcutaneously (sc) with DoHH2 cells, no tumor cells could be found in the bone marrow, and few DoHH2 cells could be detected in the peripheral blood, spleen, liver, kidney, or lung. In contrast, tumor cells present in subcutaneous tumors and axillary lymph nodes were relatively unaffected by mAb therapy. The presence of rat immunoglobulin (Ig) could be demonstrated on surviving tumor cells. The presence of murine macrophages in areas in these tumors that were depleted of DoHH2 cells suggested that the mAb-mediated antitumor effect observed in the Scid mouse model is mediated by cellular mechanisms. Apparently these mechanisms were not sufficient to eliminate the fast-growing tumor cells present in the protected sites. Our results indicate that treatment with anti-CD52 or anti-CD45 mAbs potentially may be useful as adjuvant immunotherapy for systemically disseminated B cell lymphoma.     

Urocanic acid isomers in patients with basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous malignant melanoma

Urocanic acid (UCA) is a major chromophore for ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the skin. On UV exposure, the naturally occurring trans-isomer converts to the cis-isomer in a dose-dependent manner. Accumulating evidence indicates that cis-UCA acts as an initiator of the UV-induced suppression of certain skin immune functions. This immunomodulation is recognized as an important factor in the development of skin cancer. In this study, pigmentation and UCA isomers were measured in 29 patients with previous basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 23 patients with previous cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM), and 32 healthy controls. Measurements were performed on UV-exposed (forehead, upper back) and UV non-exposed (buttock) skin. No significant differences in pigmentation percentage, total UCA concentration, relative (%) or absolute (nmol/cm2) cis-UCA concentration were observed between the groups in any of the body sites studied. The net production of cis-UCA after irradiation with a single test UV dose was evaluated. The relative production of cis-UCA following irradiation was significantly higher in both cancer groups when compared with the control group, while no significant difference was found between the BCC and the MM patients.     

Mineralized bone loss at different sites in dialysis patients: implications for prevention

To characterize the magnitude and location of mineralized bone loss, 40 patients (20 men, 20 women, 29 white, 11 black) with clinically significant renal osteodystrophy who could be unambiguously classified based on histologic criteria as having osteitis fibrosa (OF; 20 cases) or osteomalacia (OM; 20 cases) were studied; they had been on maintenance hemodialysis for 4.6 +/- 3.0 yr. One hundred forty-two healthy women of similar age and ethnic composition served as control subjects. In all subjects, the proportions of mineralized bone, osteoid, and porosity (nonbone soft tissue) were measured separately in cortical and cancellous bone tissue, from intact full-thickness biopsies of the ilium, representative of the axial skeleton. The results were related to the volumes of cortical and cancellous bone tissue separately and to the volume of the entire biopsy core. Approximately three-quarters of the patients had measurements in the appendicular skeleton by single photon absorptiometry of the radius and morphometry of the metacarpal. Disease effects did not differ significantly between ethnic groups. Mineralized cortical bone volume (per unit of core volume) was reduced by approximately 45% in both patient groups. Mineralized cancellous bone volume was significantly increased by 36% in the patients with OF and nonsignificantly reduced by 9% in the patients with OM; however, the reduction in the latter patients was significant in relation to tissue volume. The combined total deficit for both types of iliac bone was approximately 20% in the patients with OF and approximately 40% in the patients with OM. Significant reductions in appendicular cortical bone were demonstrated in both patient groups at both measurement sites. Regardless of the current histologic classification, the major structural abnormality in the skeleton is generalized thinning of cortical bone due to increased net endocortical resorption, the most characteristic effect on bone of hyperparathyroidism. Protection of the skeleton from the adverse consequences of renal failure will require therapeutic intervention in patients with no symptoms of either renal or bone disease.     

Monocrotaline pyrrole induces apoptosis in pulmonary artery endothelial cells

Eosinophilic myocarditis followed by fibrosis of the cardiac muscle was observed in addition to peripheral blood eosinophilia in CBA/J mice infected with Toxocara canis. The infected mice were used as an experimental model of eosinophilic endomyocarditis associated with hypereosinophilic syndrome. Effects of in vivo treatment with MoAbs to adhesion molecules on eosinophilic myocarditis were examined using this experimental model. Expressions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) on endothelial cells of capillaries in myocardium were increased 1 and 2 weeks after infection. Infiltration of very late antigen (VLA)-4+ and/or CD11a+ cells into the cardiac muscles was also observed 1 and 2 weeks after infection. Infiltration of eosinophils into the heart was significantly suppressed by anti-CD18 MoAb and anti-VLA-4 MoAb, and focal fibrosis of the cardiac muscle was also significantly suppressed by combined administration of anti-CD18 and anti-ICAM-1 MoAbs. These results indicate that adhesion molecules may play important roles in eosinophilic myocarditis, and that blockade of interaction between adhesion molecules and their ligands may help to control it.