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Sonoelectrochemical oxidation (SEO) treatment is a competitive technology for the degradation of organic pollutants in water. The operation modes of ultrasound (continuous and pulse) not only affect the pollutant degradation efficiency but also the energy consumption of SEO. In this study, the influence of ultrasound modes on SEO degradation of Congo red (CR) and real wastewater – palm oil mill effluent (POME) were investigated. The SEO was operated in two modes: continuous ultrasound throughout the whole process and intermittent ultrasound at a cycle of 15 min of ultrasound and 5 min without ultrasound. It was found that the intermittent SEO gave a higher degree of degradation of CR at 95% as compared to continuous SEO and electrochemical oxidation (EO) at 85% and 64%, respectively. The improved performance could be attributed to the supply of ultrasound that minimized electrode passivation and promoted mass transfer and production of hydroxyl radicals. The intermittent supply of ultrasound diminished the interference of ultrasound on the electrochemical process. A similar observation was also observed where the highest COD reduction of POME was recorded by intermittent SEO at about 65%. In terms of energy consumption, degradation of CR by SEO only required half of the energy consumed by the analogous purely electrochemical process at 250–265 kWh/kg dye removed. Surprisingly, the energy consumption for SEO degradation of POME only reduced from 32.82 (electrochemical) to 25.91 and 30.78 kWh/kg COD removed for continuous and intermittent SEO, respectively. Such contrast in energy saving highlights the need for further study as the complex constituents of real effluents will result in different SEO treatment performance. Nonetheless, the capability of SEO in reducing the COD indicates its potential to be used as pre- or post-treatment for other advanced processes in POME handling.

Vγ9Vδ2 T cell-based anticancer immunotherapy has shown some promise in early-phase clinical trials but there is still large room for improvement. Using the extracellular domain of the human NKG2D, a stimulatory receptor expressed by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, we constructed NKG2D ligand-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). We adopted a non-viral CAR approach via mRNA electroporation to modify Vγ9Vδ2 T cells and demonstrated that, upon interaction with the NKG2D ligand-positive cancer cells, the CARs substantially enhanced the cytotoxic activity of the modified cells toward multiple cultured solid tumor cell lines, including those resistant to Zometa treatment. Repeated doses of the CAR-expressing cells resulted in tumor regression in mice with established tumors, extending median survival time by up to 132% as compared to the PBS control group. The findings suggest clinical potential for RNA CAR-modified Vγ9Vδ2 T cells to treat a wide variety of NKG2D ligand-expressing cancers.

Abstract Objectives The imaging features of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) overlap with physiological exercise-induced cardiac remodeling in active and otherwise healthy individuals. Distinguishing the two conditions is challenging. This study examined the diagnostic and prognostic roles of exercise stress imaging in asymptomatic patients with suspected DCM. Methods Exercise stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) was performed in 60 asymptomatic patients with suspected DCM (dilated left ventricle and/or impaired systolic function on CMR), who also underwent DNA sequencing for DCM-causing genetic variants. Confirmed DCM was defined as genotype- and phenotype-positive (G+P+). Another 100 healthy subjects were recruited to establish normal exercise capacities (peak exercise cardiac index; PeakCI). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, cardiac decompensation and ventricular arrhythmic events. Results No patients with confirmed G+P+ DCM had PeakCI exceeding the 35th percentile specific for age and sex. Applying this threshold in G-P+ patients, those with PeakCI below 35th percentile had characteristics similar to confirmed DCM while patients with higher PeakCI were younger, more active and higher longitudinal strain. Adverse cardiovascular events occurred only in patients with low exercise capacity (P = 0.004). Conclusions In individuals with suspected DCM, exercise stress CMR demonstrates diagnostic and prognostic potential in distinguishing between pathological DCM and physiological exercise-induced cardiac remodeling.