Identifying optimal groundwater remediation strategies through a simulation-based PROMETHEE-TOPSIS approach: An application to a naphthalene-contaminated site

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop a simulation-aided PROMETHEE-TOPSIS approach for the selection of the most desirable groundwater remediation strategies. The combination methods enables a careful evaluation of the identified remediation alternatives in which their strong and weak points can be detected and a ranking is provided which facilitates the final selection for the decision-maker. The capabilities and effectiveness of the developed method are illustrated through a case study on the remedial alternative selection for a naphthalene contaminated site in Anhui, China. Four attributes (i.e., total pumping rate, total cost, mean residual contaminant concentration and maximum excess life time cancer risk) for fifty remedial alternatives in each duration are considered and analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the weight of attributes importance. The results demonstrates that the developed method could help decision makers obtain the useful ranking information strategies that covering a variety of decision-relevant remediation options, which is beneficial for public health and environmental protection.     

Do innate killing mechanisms activated by inflammasomes have a role in treating melanoma?

Melanoma, as for many other cancers, undergoes a selection process during progression that limits many innate and adaptive tumor control mechanisms. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade overcomes one of the escape mechanisms but if the tumor is not eliminated other escape mechanisms evolve that require new approaches for tumor control. Some of the innate mechanisms that have evolved against infections with microorganisms and viruses are proving to be active against cancer cells but require better understanding of how they are activated and what inhibitory mechanisms may need to be targeted. This is particularly so for inflammasomes which have evolved against many different organisms and which recruit a number of cytotoxic mechanisms that remain poorly understood. Equally important is understanding of where these mechanisms will fit into existing treatment strategies and whether existing strategies already involve the innate killing mechanisms.     

A rapid enantioseparation system of capillary electrochromatography modified by electrostatic adsorption with transfersomes

Transfersomes were a special kind of nanomaterials with higher deformability and flexibility. A rapid method for coated-column preparation using anionic transfersomes as a coating material by electrostatic adsorption was developed. With carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin added in running buffer as the chiral selector, the capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation system based on the transfersomes-coated column modified by electrostatic adsorption was established for the first time. Propranolol and metoprolol acted as model drugs to evaluate the enantioseparation performance, these two basic drugs achieved baseline separation with satisfactory resolution and selection factor in this transfersomes-electrochromatography system but only partial separation in bare column system. In order to get the optimal separation condition, concentration of chiral selector, buffer pH, and applied voltage were systematically investigated. A rapid and efficient enantioseparation electrochromatography system was established and showed that transfersomes as the stationary phase could efficiently improve chiral separation effect.     

Brain tumors: Cancer stem-like cells interact with tumor microenvironment

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) with potential of self-renewal drive tumorigenesis. Brain tumor microenvironment (TME) has been identified as a critical regulator of malignancy progression. Many researchers are searching new ways to characterize tumors with the goal of predicting how they respond to treatment. Here, we describe the striking parallels between normal stem cells and CSCs. We review the microenvironmental aspects of brain tumors, in particular composition and vital roles of immune cells infiltrating glioma and medulloblastoma. By highlighting that CSCs cooperate with TME via various cellular communication approaches, we discuss the recent advances in therapeutic strategies targeting the components of TME. Identification of the complex and interconnected factors can facilitate the development of promising treatments for these deadly malignancies.