Search results for "Acellular"
showing 10 items of 1986 documents
Sequential batch membrane bio-reactor for wastewater treatment: The effect of increased salinity
2016
In this work, a sequential batch membrane bioreactor pilot plant is investigated to analyze the effect of a gradual increase in salinity on carbon and nutrient removal, membrane fouling and biomass kinetic parameters. The salinity was increased by 2 g NaCl L-1 per week up to 10 g NaCl L-1. The total COD removal efficiency was quite high (93%) throughout the experiment. A gradual biomass acclimation to the salinity level was observed during the experiment, highlighting the good recovery capabilities of the system. Nitrification was also influenced by the increase in salinity, with a slight decrease in nitrification efficiency (the lowest value was obtained at 10 g NaCl L-1 due to lower nitri…
Treatment of Oily Wastewater with Membrane Bioreactor Systems
2017
The aim of the present work was to investigate the behavior of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for the treatment of oily wastewater. A bench scale MBR was fed with synthetic wastewater containing diesel fuel. Organic carbon, hydrocarbon and ammonium removal, kinetic constants, extracellular polymeric substances production, and membrane fouling rates were monitored. The MBR plant was operated for more than 200 days, and the results highlighted good carbon removal and nitrification, suggesting a sort of biomass adaptation to hydrocarbons. Membrane fouling analysis showed an increase in total resistance, likely due to hydrocarbons, which caused an irreversible fouling (pore blocking) mainly…
Fluorescent styrylpyrylium probes for the imaging of mitochondria in live cells
2021
Eight styrylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate salts have been synthesized and fully optically characterized by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence steady-state/time-resolved spectroscopies. The new dyes exhibit strong emission bands with yellow–orange colours, depending on the substituents present in the structure. Notably, the Stokes shift recorded for some of them exceeds 100 nm, a very valuable feature for biological imaging. Four of them have been assayed as biological imaging agents by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in the human hepatoma cell line Hep3B. It has been found that all the compounds efficiently stain intracellular structures which have been identified as mitochondria thr…
Electrical Coupling in Ensembles of Nonexcitable Cells: Modeling the Spatial Map of Single Cell Potentials
2015
We analyze the coupling of model nonexcitable (non-neural) cells assuming that the cell membrane potential is the basic individual property. We obtain this potential on the basis of the inward and outward rectifying voltage-gated channels characteristic of cell membranes. We concentrate on the electrical coupling of a cell ensemble rather than on the biochemical and mechanical characteristics of the individual cells, obtain the map of single cell potentials using simple assumptions, and suggest procedures to collectively modify this spatial map. The response of the cell ensemble to an external perturbation and the consequences of cell isolation, heterogeneity, and ensemble size are also ana…
Distinct effects of atypical 1,4-dihydropyridines on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-induced toxicity.
2006
Our previous data obtained from in vivo experiments demonstrated high neuroprotective effects of three novel atypical neuronal non-calcium antagonistic 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) derivatives cerebrocrast, glutapyrone and tauropyrone. The present studies were carried out in vitro to clarify, at least in part, their mechanism of action in primary culture of cerebellar granule cells by use of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) as a neurotoxic agent which causes dramatic oxidative stress. Cerebrocrast (highly lipophilic, with a classical two-ring structure) dose-dependently (0.01-10.0 microM, EC50 = 13 nM) reduced MPP+-induced cell death. At the same time, the calcium antagonist nimodipine (refe…
Two cases of adynamia episodica hereditaria: In vitro investigation of muscle cell membrane and contraction parameters
1983
Membrane potentials, current-voltage relationships, and contractile parameters were studied in intact muscle cell bundles obtained from two patients with adynamia episodica hereditaria. In a normal extracellular medium, the cell membranes had resting potentials of about -80 mV and their current-voltage relationships were not significantly different from control curves. In contrast to normal muscles the afflicted cells were paralyzed in a medium having 6-10 mmol/liter potassium. The mechanisms of paralysis in the two specimens were different from each other. Many fibers from one patient were spontaneously active even in normal solution. In high potassium solution spontaneous activity was inc…
The Biogenesis of Vacuoles: Insights from Microscopy
1997
Publisher Summary Vacuoles of plant cells were discovered with the early light microscope and, as meant by the etymology of the word, were subsequently defined as the cell space empty of cytoplasmic matter. As usual in experimental science, methodological and instrumental progress has delineated differently the present definitions of vacuoles, which largely depend on the tools and concepts used for their study. This chapter discusses the biogenesis of vacuoles. Biochemistry and physiology of the vacuole have been made possible by the isolation of intact vacuoles. A specific, although yet incomplete, set of soluble and membrane proteins with unique properties have been specifically ascribed …
Analysis of MSCs' secretome and EVs cargo: Evaluation of functions and applications
2022
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can exert different functions and can be used in several medical fields. In the last years, MSC properties have been attributed to their secreted factors such as soluble proteins, cytokines and growth factors. Moreover, a key role is played by the extracellular vesicles (EVs) which lead a heterogeneous cargo of proteins, lipids and small and long non-coding RNAs that interfere with the pathways of the recipient cells. Due to the safeness and easiness in obtaining the secretome, its use is becoming a turning point for the application in physiological and pathological fields. This review summarizes the most recent studies on the use of MSCs secretome, focusing on…
Performance of industrial scale hollow-fibre membranes in a submerged anaerobic MBR (HF-SAnMBR) system at mesophilic and psychrophilic conditions
2013
The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of temperature on the performance of industrial hollow-fibre (HF) membranes treating urban wastewater in a submerged anaerobic MBR system (SAnMBR). To this end, a demonstration plant with two commercial HF ultrafiltration membrane modules (PURON®, Koch Membrane Systems, PUR-PSH31) was operated at 20, 25 and 33 °C. The mixed liquor total solid (MLTS) level was a key factor affecting membrane permeability (K). K was higher under psychrophilic than mesophilic conditions when operating at similar transmembrane fluxes and MLTS, because the biomass activity of the psychrophilic mixed liquor was lower than the mesophilic mixed liquor. Thus, lower ext…
The cost of an action potential.
2000
Neuronal modules, or 'cell-assemblies', comprising millions of mutually interconnected cells have been postulated to form the basis of many functions of the brain, such as mood, sleep, hunger, vigilance, and more. Depending on the extent of the module, neurocommunication in cell-assemblies might exceed metabolic resources. A medium-size (10000 neurons) module would require at least 10 J per l of brain, based on a calculated cost of an isolated action potential (AP) of 10(11)-10(12) molecules of ATP per cm(2) of cell membrane, with an absolute minimum of 10(6) ATP at a node of Ranvier. The figure matches the cost of depolarizing the unmyelinated axon of the large monopolar cell in the blowfl…