Metabolomic analysis of dietary-restriction-induced attenuation of sarcopenia in prematurely aging DNA repair-deficient mice

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenia is characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, and is a major risk factor for disability and independence in the elderly. Effective medication is not available. Dietary restriction (DR) has been found to attenuate aging and aging-related diseases, including sarcopenia, but the mechanism of both DR and sarcopenia are incompletely understood.

METHODS

In this study, mice body weight, fore and all limb grip strength, and motor learning and coordination performance were first analysed to evaluate the DR effects on muscle functioning. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was utilized for the metabolomics study of the DR effects on sarcopenia in progeroid DNA repair-deficient Ercc1∆/- and Xpg-/- mice, to identify potential biomarkers for attenuation of sarcopenia.

RESULTS

Muscle mass was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased (13-20%) by DR; however, the muscle quality was improved with retained fore limbs and all limbs grip strength in Ercc1∆/- and Xpg-/- mice. The LC-MS results revealed that metabolites and pathways related to oxidative-stress, that is, GSSG/GSH (P < 0.01); inflammation, that is, 9-HODE, 11-HETE (P < 0.05), PGE2, PGD2, and TXB2 (P < 0.01); and muscle growth (PGF2α) (P < 0.01) and regeneration stimulation (PGE2) (P < 0.05) are significantly downregulated by DR. On the other hand, anti-inflammatory indicator and several related metabolites, that is, β-hydroxybutyrate (P < 0.01), 14,15-DiHETE (P < 0.0001), 8,9-EET, 12,13-DiHODE, and PGF1 (P < 0.05); consumption of sources of energy (i.e., muscle and liver glycogen); and energy production pathways, that is, glycolysis (glucose, glucose-6-P, fructose-6-P) (P < 0.01), tricarboxylic acid cycle (succinyl-CoA, malate) (P < 0.001), and gluconeogenesis-related metabolite, alanine (P < 0.01), are significantly upregulated by DR. The notably (P < 0.01) down-modulated muscle growth (PGF2α) and regeneration (PGE2) stimulation metabolite and the increased consumption of glycogen in muscle and liver may be related to the significantly (P < 0.01) lower body weight and muscle mass by DR. The downregulated oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory mediators, and upregulated anti-inflammatory metabolites resulted in a lower energy expenditure, which contributed to enhanced muscle quality together with upregulated energy production pathways by DR. The improved muscle quality may explain why grip strength is maintained and motor coordination and learning performance are improved by DR in Ercc1∆/- and Xpg-/- mice.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides fundamental supporting information on biomarkers and pathways related to the attenuation of sarcopenia, which might facilitate its diagnosis, prevention, and clinical therapy.

Stimulating bioelectric generation and recovery of toxic metals through benthic microbial fuel cell driven by local sago (Cycas revoluta) waste

Benthic microbial fuel cell (BMFC) is the most promising type of bioelectrochemical approach for producing electrons and protons from natural organic waste. In the present work, a single-chamber BMFC was used, containing sago (Cycas revoluta) waste as the organic feed for microorganisms. The local wastewater was supplemented with heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Cd2+, Cr3+, Ni2+, Co2+, Ag+, and Cu2+) and used as an inoculation source to evaluate the performance of BMFC against the toxic metal remediations. According to the experimental results, the maximum power density obtained was 42.55 mW/m2 within 25 days of the BMFC operation. The maximum remediation efficiency of the metal ion removal from the wastewater was found to be 99.30% (Ag+). The conductive pili-type bacteria species (Acinetobacter species, Leucobacter species, Bacillus species, Proteus species. and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were found in the present study during isolation and identification processes. This study's multiple parameter optimization revealed that pH 7 and room temperature is the best condition for optimal performance. Finally, this study included the mechanism, future recommendations, and concluding remarks.

An empirical analysis of the relationship among price, demand and CO2 emissions in the Spanish electricity market

C O 2 emissions play a crucial role in international politics. Countries enter into agreements to reduce the amount of pollution emitted into the atmosphere. Energy generation is one of the main contributors to pollution and is generally considered the main cause of climate change. Despite the interest in reducing C O 2 emissions, few studies have focused on investigating energy pricing technologies. This article analyzes the technologies used to meet the demand for electricity from 2016 to 2021. The analysis is based on data provided by the Spanish Electricity System regulator, using statistical and clustering techniques. The objective is to establish the relationship between the level of pollution of electricity generation technologies and the hourly price and demand. Overall, the results suggest that there are two distinct periods with respect to the technologies used in the studied years, with a trend toward the use of cleaner technologies and a decrease in power generation using fossil fuels. It is also surprising that in the years 2016 to 2018, the most polluting technologies offered the cheapest prices.

A review of microbial fuel cell and its diversification in the development of green energy technology

The advancement of microbial fuel cell technology is rapidly growing, with extensive research and well-established methodologies for enhancing structural performance. This terminology attracts researchers to compare the MFC devices on a technological basis. The architectural and scientific successes of MFCs are only possible with the knowledge of engineering and technical fields. This involves the structure of MFCs, using substrates and architectural backbones regarding electrode advancement, separators and system parameter measures. Knowing about the MFCs facilitates the systematic knowledge of engineering and scientific principles. The current situation of rapid urbanization and industrial growth is demanding the augmented engineering goods and production which results in unsolicited burden on traditional wastewater treatment plants. Consequently, posing health hazards and disturbing aquatic veracity due to partial and untreated wastewater. Therefore, it's sensible to evaluate the performance of MFCs as an unconventional treatment method over conventional one to treat the wastewater. However, MFCs some benefits like power generation, stumpy carbon emission and wastewater treatment are the main reasons behind the implementation. Nonetheless, few challenges like low power generation, scaling up are still the major areas needs to be focused so as to make MFCs sustainable one. We have focused on few archetypes which majorities have been laboratory scale in operations. To ensure the efficiency MFCs are needed to integrate and compatible with conventional wastewater treatment schemes. This review intended to explore the diversification in architecture of MFCs, exploration of MFCs ingredients and to provide the foreseen platform for the researchers in one source, so as to establish the channel for scaling up the technology. Further, the present review show that the MFC with different polymer membranes and cathode and anode modification presents significant role for potential commercial applications after change the system form prototype to pilot scale.

A bibliometric review of grid parity, energy transition and electricity cost research for sustainable development

As the topic of sustainable development continues to prominence in global affairs, the case for renewable energy has never been stronger. To be regarded as a perfect alternative to conventional (non-renewable) energy sources in many climes, renewable energy, such as solar and wind, shows promise when considering concepts like grid parity. A significant number of studies have been devoted to understanding the concept. However, only a few studies have committed themselves to analysing the research activity carried out on it. This paper will present a bibliometric and empirical review of worldwide grid parity, energy transition, and electricity cost research. To situate the progress in this research area, a detailed search of Scopus was used to identify and situate research development in the field from 1965 until 2021. Using the data extracted from Scopus and VOSviewer for analysis, we explore different aspects of the publications, such as the volume, growth rate, and coverage of published documents, the most influential research papers and journals in this research area, and the most studied research themes in recent years. We also discuss Governmental policies in developed and developing economies that have accelerated the attainment of Grid parity in certain countries. Also, an empirical review of top-down, bottom-up, and artificial neural network approaches to evaluating grid parity was conducted. The study revealed a steady increase in the research articles focused on grid parity, energy transition, and electricity cost research from 2006. The geographic distribution of the publications shows that most of the publications on the subject originated from the USA, Germany, China, United Kingdom, and Spain, raking in 42.2% of the publications. Also, the top 7 authors with the highest document count from Scopus are from Finland, which coincidentally is one of the countries making significant progress in Grid parity attainment. Of the total document count from Scopus, only 0.02% are papers published from African Countries. Could this reluctance to publish research findings on energy transition be one of the reasons for the slow progression of sustainable energy for all in Africa? Therefore, it is imperative now more than ever for more research focusing on the attainment of grid parity, energy transition, and electricity costs for developing countries to be brought to the fore. This article provides a review of state-of-the-art research on the attainment of grid parity and energy transition with a focus on the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) models of renewable energy sources.

Comparative review on microbial electrochemical technologies for resource recovery from wastewater towards circular economy and carbon neutrality

Newly arising concepts such as the circular economy and carbon neutrality motivate resource recovery from wastewater. This paper reviews and discusses state-of-the-art microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), specifically microbial fuel cells (MFCs), microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) and microbial recycling cells (MRCs), which enable energy generation and nutrient recovery from wastewater. Mechanisms, key factors, applications, and limitations are compared and discussed. METs are effective in energy conversion, demonstrating advantages, drawbacks and future potential as specific scenarios. MECs and MRCs exhibited greater potential for simultaneous nutrient recovery, and MRCs offer the best scaling-up potential and efficient mineral recovery. Research on METs should be more concerned with lifespan of materials, secondary pollutants reduction and scaled-up benchmark systems. More up-scaled application cases are expected for cost structures comparison and life cycle assessment of METs. This review could direct the follow-up research, development and successful implementation of METs for resource recovery from wastewater.

Novel rhombus Co3O4-nanocapsule CuO heterohybrids for efficient photocatalytic water splitting and electrochemical energy storage applications

The most appealing and prominent approach for improving energy storage and conversion performance is the development of heterojunction interfaces with efficient and unique metal oxide nanostructures. Rhombus Co₃O₄, nanocapsule CuO, and their heterojunction composites were synthesized using a single-step hydrothermal process. The resulting heterojunction Co₃O₄-CuO nanocomposite outperformed the pristine Co₃O₄ and CuO nanostructures for the electrochemical supercapacitor and water splitting performances. The composite showed 2.4 and 1.3 times higher specific capacitance than the associated pristine CuO and Co₃O₄ nanostructures, while its capacitance was 395 F g^-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1. In addition, long-term GCD results with more than 90% stability and significant capacity retention at higher scan rates revealed the unaffected structures interfaced during the electrochemical reactions. The composite photoelectrode demonstrated more than 20% of photocurrent response with light illumination than the dark condition in water splitting. Co₃O₄-CuO heterostructured composite electrode showed a 0.16 mA/cm² photocurrent density, which is 3.2 and 1.7 times higher than the pristine CuO and Co₃O₄ electrodes, respectively. This performance was attributed to its unique structural composition, high reactive sites, strong ion diffusion, and fast electron accessibility. Electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques confirmed the properties of the electrodes as well as their morphological properties. Overall, the heterojunction interface with novel rhombus and capsule structured architectures showed good electrochemical performance, suggesting their energy storage and conversion applications.

Impact of innovation in renewable energy generation, transmission, or distribution-related technologies on carbon dioxide emission in the USA

Innovation in renewable energy generation, transmission, or distribution-related technologies (IREGT) is an effective way to deal with environmental pollution. Even though previous studies have focused on renewable energy generation in the USA, the impact of IREGT on carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂e) remains widely unexplored. Recognizing this gap, this study inspected the IREGT-CO₂e nexus in the USA, with international collaboration in green technology development (ICGTD), trade openness (TO), renewable energy consumption (REC), and gross domestic product per capita (GDPPC) as control variables from 1990Q1 to 2018Q4. The study applied the canonical cointegration regression (CCR), fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) method, and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) approach to assess the long-run association among variables. First, the findings validated the cointegration relationship among IREGT, ICGTD, TO, REC, GDPPC, and CO₂e. Second, the results indicated that the IREGT, REC, and ICGTD had benefited the USA in mitigating CO₂e. Third, GDPPC and TO were positively connected to CO₂e. Fourth, the Granger causality depicted that GDPPC, TO, and ICGTD Granger caused CO₂e in the USA, while IREGT and CO₂e had a bidirectional relationship. The study's findings encourage the government should devise policies to induce higher research institutions and private enterprises to engage in IREGT.

Application of rotten rice as a substrate for bacterial species to generate energy and the removal of toxic metals from wastewater through microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the efficient and sustainable approach for the removal of toxic metals and generate energy concurrently. This article highlighted the effective use of rotten rice as an organic source for bacterial species to generate electricity and decrease the metal concentrations from wastewater. The obtained results were corresponding to the unique MFCs operation where the 510 mV voltage was produced within 14-day operation with 1000 Ω external resistance. The maximum power density and current density were found to be 2.9 mW/m2 and 168.42 mA/m2 with 363.6 Ω internal resistance. Similarly, the maximum metal removal efficiency was found to be 82.2% (Cd), 95.71% (Pb), 96.13% (Cr), 89.50% (Ni), 89.82 (Co), 99.50% (Ag), and 99.88% (Cu). In the biological test, it was found that Lysinibacillus strains, Chryseobacterium strains, Escherichia strains, Bacillus strains are responsible for energy generation and metal removal. Furthermore, a multiparameter optimization revealed that MFCs are the best approach for a natural environment with no special requirements. Lastly, the working mechanism of MFCs and future recommendations are enclosed.

An iron-air fuel cell system towards concurrent phosphorus removal and resource recovery in the form of vivianite and energy generation in wastewater treatment: A sustainable technology regarding phosphorus

Phosphorous (P) recovery from industrial wastewaters solves both P deficiency and P pollution problems. A sequencing batch iron-air fuel cell was set up to recover P from synthetic wastewater containing 0.6 g-P/L Na₂HPO₄. In the cell, ferrous iron goes into the liquor from iron-anode to precipitate soluble P and form vivianite. Electrons travel from iron-anode to air-cathode through external circuit thus to generate energy. During 3 months' continuous operation, the P removal efficiency stably achieved at around 97.6%, and the average output voltage of cell was 404 mV. After long time operation, performance degradation of iron-air fuel cell was observed due to the electrode passivation caused by the accumulation of P precipitate on the iron-anode surface. The precipitate layer on the iron-anode impeded, but it did not block the mass transfer of ferrous iron to the anode liquor. The cell still worked with 25% decrease of output voltage, 86% decrease of current density, 87% decrease of power density and 9 times increase of internal resistance. Further analyses by XRD, FITR and Mössbauer illustrated that vivianite was the main component in both precipitates on the iron-anode surface and at the bottom of anode chamber with respective content of 66% and 30%. Vivianite on the iron-anode surface was a preferable choice due to higher content for P recovery. The iron-air fuel cell system could be a feasible option for achieving the multiple goals of P pollution control, resource recovery as vivianite, and energy generation, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of wastewater treatment.

A Review of Graphene: Material Synthesis from Biomass Sources

Single-atom-thick graphene is a particularly interesting material in basic research and applications owing to its remarkable electronic, mechanical, chemical, thermal, and optical properties. This leads to its potential use in a multitude of applications for improved energy storage (capacitors, batteries, and fuel cells), energy generation, biomedical, sensors or even as an advanced membrane material for separations. This paper provided an overview of research in graphene, in the area of synthesis from various sources specially from biomass, advanced characterization techniques, properties, and application. Finally, some challenges and future perspectives of graphene are also discussed.

Experimental dataset on the effect of electron acceptors in energy generation from brewery wastewater via a microbial fuel cell

This research data set contains data related to experimental dataset on the effect of the electron acceptors in energy generation from brewery wastewater via a microbial fuel cell. The presented data gives information on the generation of electricity and waste minimization as various electron acceptors adopted in microbial fuel cells. Dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) system was assembled with aluminium mesh electrode as an anode and sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene membrane for proton exchange as a cathode at 500-2000 mg/L chemical oxygen demand (COD). A 0.4 and 0.6 M of Potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) and potassium cyanide K₃[Fe(CN)₆ were used anaerobically as a mediator for electron acceptor in the cathode chamber. Furher more, The pH, COD, total nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand, total phosphorous, total suspended solid and electrical conductivity for the raw brewery wastewater were measured. Inaddition, the voltage generated and the current density have been obtained for both (KMnO₄) and K₃[Fe(CN)₆ electron acceptors. Moreover, the COD removal efficiency, Columbic efficiency, voltage generation, current, and power density were measured.

Feather keratin derived sorbents for the treatment of wastewater produced during energy generation processes

Water dependency of energy generation systems including renewable energy resources pollute water. Efforts are being made to control energy-related water pollution. Here in, eight keratin derived biopolymers were developed to sequester the toxic trace elements from synthetic wastewater. Chemical modifications of biopolymers affect their physical and chemical characteristics, hence, enhance the sorption of contaminants from wastewaters. KBP-I (processed chicken feathers), KBP-II (acid modified), KBP-III & KBP-IV (modified with ionic liquids), KBP-V (amine modified), KBP-VI & KBP-VII (POSS modified) and KBP-VIII (sodium sulfite modified) were characterised for their surface morphology, structural integrity, functional group changes, crystallinity behaviour, surface area and pore size distribution using different analytical techniques. Developed biopolymers were then tested against synthetic wastewater spiked with nine transition and redox sensitive elements (100 μg L^-1 each). Among the eight biopolymers, KBP-I removed 87-93% of As and Cd, KBP-IV removed 80-85% of Cu and V^V, KBP-V removed 60-90% of Co, Ni and Zn, whereas KBP-VI removed 95% of Cr^VI. The developed keratin biopolymers show prospects to effectively treat the metals contaminated wastewater.

Transcriptome analysis reveals mechanism underlying the differential intestinal functionality of laying hens in the late phase and peak phase of production

Background

The compromised performance of laying hens in the late phase of production relative to the peak production was thought to be associated with the impairment of intestinal functionality, which plays essential roles in contributing to their overall health and production performance. In the present study, RNA sequencing was used to investigate differences in the expression profile of intestinal functionality-related genes and associated pathways between laying hens in the late phase and peak phase of production.

Results

A total of 104 upregulated genes with 190 downregulated genes were identified in the ileum (the distal small intestine) of laying hens in the late phase of production compared to those at peak production. These upregulated genes were found to be enriched in little KEGG pathway, however, the downregulated genes were enriched in the pathways of PPAR signaling pathway, oxidative phosphorylation and glutathione metabolism. Besides, these downregulated genes were mapped to several GO clusters in relation to lipid metabolism, electron transport of respiratory chain, and oxidation resistance. Similarly, there were lower activities of total superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, and reductions of total antioxidant capacity and ATP level, along with an elevation in malondialdehyde content in the ileum of laying hens in the late phase of production as compared with those at peak production.

Conclusions

The intestine of laying hens in the late phase of production were predominantly characterized by a disorder of lipid metabolism, concurrent with impairments of energy production and antioxidant property. This study uncovers the mechanism underlying differences between the intestinal functionality of laying hens in the late phase and peak phase of production, thereby providing potential targets for the genetic control or dietary modulation of intestinal hypofunction of laying hens in the late phase of production.

Evaluation of climate change adaptation in the energy generation sector in Colombia via a composite index - A monitoring tool for government policies and actions

The aim of the article is to evaluate the national adaptation to climate change in the energy generation sector in Colombia via a composite index. To build an index, a framework by stages is used, which includes the definition of the main concepts that supports the measurements; the selection of the relevant indicators using a subject matter experts; standardization of the indicators using a mathematic formula regarding the relationship between the variables that represent the adaptation to climate change; and establishment of the weights using an analytic hierarchical process of paired comparisons and the aggregation of indicators to obtain the following three sub-indexes: reactive adaptation, wherein the replacement of hydraulic energy by thermal energy is evaluated; anticipatory adaptation, which measures the gap between the generation of total energy and the demand of the national energy system; and planned adaptation, which considers indicators such as the sectoral plan for adapting to climate change, the law of alternative energies, and the generation of alternative energies as a percentage of generation capacity. By adding these sub-indices, the climate change adaptation index (CCAI) is obtained. The results of CCAI show that progress was made from a reactive adaptation scenario in which the system vulnerability was high to an anticipatory adaptation scenario wherein the vulnerability was average, indicating that the foundations for this sector to build a planned adaptation are currently being laid.

Lead-mediated inhibition of lysine acetylation and succinylation causes reproductive injury of the mouse testis during development

Lead (Pb), a widespread heavy metal, may induce serious diseases, particularly male reproductive injury. However, the mechanisms by which Pb induces testicular injury remain unclear. In this paper, we established a mouse model of Pb-induced testicular injury via an intraperitoneal injection of lead chloride at a concentration of 1.5 mg/kg body weight. We confirmed that Pb could induce a series of injuries, including a low litter size, smaller testes, more weak offspring, direct injury, and aberrant spermiogenesis. Our study demonstrated that Pb could inhibit lysine acetylation (Kac) and succinylation (Ksuc) via western blot (WB) and immunofluorescence (IF) analyses. We subsequently separated different germ cells that contained Pre-meiotic spermatogonia (SPG), meiotic spermatocyte (SPC), and round spermatid (RS) into the Pb-treated and control groups and verified that Pb inhibited Kac in SPC, RS, and particularly, during meiosis. Furthermore, our results regarding the inhibition of pyruvate kinase and mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I and II in the Pb-treated groups suggested that Pb may restrain key enzymes to block the TCA cycle and that the low TCA cycle activity could reduce the contents of two important metabolites, acetyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA, to inhibit Kac and Ksuc. Moreover, we examined the influences of the inhibition of Kac and Ksuc on spermiogenesis, which indicated that decreased Kac and Ksuc could impede the replacement of transition proteins in elongating sperm and disorder the distribution of germ cells in the seminiferous tubule. Our research provides novel insights into the mechanisms of Pb reproductive toxicity with respect to lysine acetylation and succinylation.

Effective strategies for anode surface modification for power harvesting and industrial wastewater treatment using microbial fuel cells

This study investigates three different strategies for anode surface treatment by doping superficial nitrogen groups on the anode surfaces of carbon cloth (CC) and carbon paper (CP). The chosen anodes were hydrothermally treated in the presence of an ammonia solution (AST), a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid (AHT), and solid urea (UT) at 180 °C for 3 h. The utilized characterization techniques confirmed doping of nitrogen on the anode surfaces and a decrease in the oxygen-bonded carbon content. Furthermore, the results showed that the power and current densities were significantly affected by the surface modification techniques. Interestingly, the AST strategy achieved the highest power density of 159.3 mW^-2 and 91.6 mWm^-2, which revealed an increase in power of 115% and 56.8% for CC-AST and CP-AST, respectively. Additionally, the maximum coulombic efficiencies were 63.9% and 27.5% for the CC-AST and CP-AST anodes, respectively. Overall, these results highlight the significance of anode surface modification for enhancing MFC performance to generate electricity and treat actual wastewater.

Morphological and biochemical changes in Azadirachta indica from coal combustion fly ash dumping site from a thermal power plant in Delhi, India

The foliar and biochemical traits of Azadirachta indica A. Juss from fly ash (FA) dumping site in Badarpur thermal power plant (BTPP) New Delhi, India was studied. Three different experimental sites were selected at different distances from the thermal power plant. Ambient suspended particulate matter (SPM) and plant responses such as leaf pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids), total chlorophyll, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal index (SI), stomatal conductance (SC), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration [CO2]i, net photosynthetic rate (NPR), nitrogen, nitrate, nitrate reductase activity, proline, protein, reducing sugar and sulphur content were measured. Considerable reduction in pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids), and total chlorophyll was observed at fly ash dumping site. Fly ash stress revealed the inhibitory effect on Nitrate reductase activity (NRA), Nitrate, soluble protein, and reducing sugar content, whereas stimulatory effect was found for the stomatal index, nitrogen, proline, antioxidants and sulphur content in the leaves. Under fly ash stress, stomatal conductance was low, leading to declining in photosynthetic rate and increase in the internal CO2 concentration of leaf. Single leaf area (SLA), leaf length and leaf width also showed a declining trend from control to the polluted site. Antioxidant enzymes increased in leaves reflecting stress and extenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Incorporation of triphenylphosphonium functionality improves the inhibitory properties of phenothiazine derivatives in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult to treat disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The need for improved therapies is required to kill different M. tuberculosis populations present during infection and to kill drug resistant strains. Protein complexes associated with energy generation, required for the survival of all M. tuberculosis populations, have shown promise as targets for novel therapies (e.g., phenothiazines that target type II NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-2) in the electron transport chain). However, the low efficacy of these compounds and their off-target effects has made the development of phenothiazines as a therapeutic agent for TB limited. This study reports that a series of alkyltriphenylphosphonium (alkylTPP) cations, a known intracellular delivery functionality, improves the localization and effective concentration of phenothiazines at the mycobacterial membrane. AlkylTPP cations were shown to accumulate at biological membranes in a range of bacteria and lipophilicity was revealed as an important feature of the structure-function relationship. Incorporation of the alkylTPP cationic function significantly increased the concentration and potency of a series of phenothiazine derivatives at the mycobacterial membrane (the site of NDH-2), where the lead compound 3a showed inhibition of M. tuberculosis growth at 0.5μg/mL. Compound 3a was shown to act in a similar manner to that previously published for other active phenothiazines by targeting energetic processes (i.e., NADH oxidation and oxygen consumption), occurring in the mycobacterial membrane. This shows the enormous potential of alkylTPP cations to improve the delivery and therefore efficacy of bioactive agents targeting oxidative phosphorylation in the mycobacterial membrane.

Forward osmosis for application in wastewater treatment: a review

Research in the field of Forward Osmosis (FO) membrane technology has grown significantly over the last 10 years, but its application in the scope of wastewater treatment has been slower. Drinking water is becoming an increasingly marginal resource. Substituting drinking water for alternate water sources, specifically for use in industrial processes, may alleviate the global water stress. FO has the potential to sustainably treat wastewater sources and produce high quality water. FO relies on the osmotic pressure difference across the membrane to extract clean water from the feed, however the FO step is still mostly perceived as a "pre-treatment" process. To prompt FO-wastewater feasibility, the focus lies with new membrane developments, draw solutions to enhance wastewater treatment and energy recovery, and operating conditions. Optimisation of these parameters are essential to mitigate fouling, decrease concentration polarisation and increase FO performance; issues all closely related to one another. This review attempts to define the steps still required for FO to reach full-scale potential in wastewater treatment and water reclamation by discussing current novelties, bottlenecks and future perspectives of FO technology in the wastewater sector.