Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T cell) therapy has emerged as a prominent adoptive cell therapy and a therapeutic approach of great interest in the fight against cancer. This approach has shown notorious efficacy in refractory hematological neoplasm, which has bolstered its exploration in the field of solid cancers. However, successfully managing solid tumors presents considerable intrinsic challenges, which include the necessity of guiding the modified cells toward the tumoral region, assuring their penetration and survival in adverse microenvironments, and addressing the complexity of identifying the specific antigens for each type of cancer. This review focuses on outlining the challenges faced by CAR T cell therapy when used in the treatment of solid tumors, as well as presenting optimizations and emergent approaches directed at improving its efficacy in this particular context. From precise localization to the modulation of the tumoral microenvironment and the adaptation of antigen recognition strategies, diverse pathways will be examined to overcome the current limitations and buttress the therapeutic potential of CAR T cells in the fight against solid tumors.

Photoaging (PA) is considered a silent disease affecting millions of people globally and is defined as skin damage due to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun. Physiologically, the skin is in a state of renewal and synthesis of components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, exposure to UVR affects the production of the ECM, and the functioning and response of skin cells to UVR begins to change, thus expressing clinical and phenotypic characteristics of PA. The primary mechanisms involved in PA are direct damage to the DNA of skin cells, increases in oxidative stress, the activation of cell signaling pathways responsible for the loss of skin integrity, and cytotoxicity. The medical and scientific community has been researching new therapeutic tools that counteract PA, considering that the damage caused by UVR exceeds the antioxidant defense mechanisms of the skin. Thus, in recent years, certain nutraceuticals and phytochemicals have been found to exhibit potential antioxidant and photoprotective effects. Therefore, the main objective of this review is to elucidate the molecular bases of PA and the latest pharmaceutical industry findings on antioxidant treatment against the progression of PA.

Water is essential for life on Earth, playing fundamental roles in climate regulation, ecosystem maintenance, and domestic, agricultural, and industrial processes. A total of 70% of the planet is covered by water. However, only 2.5% is fresh water, and much of it is inaccessible. Groundwater is the main source of the planet’s available water resources. For that reason, groundwater is a critically important resource, and is increasingly vulnerable due to the climate crisis and contamination. These challenges threaten the availability of clean and safe water, necessitating an understanding of effective and sustainable management. This review presents an overview of the concepts of aquifers and groundwater. Also, it reflects on the importance of these resources in developing countries such as Colombia (South America). In addition, it considers the characteristics of mineral waters, their uses, and associated risks, as well as their exploration and control policies. Colombia is a country with immense water and biological wealth and is crucial to maintaining the climate and availability of global water resources. Nevertheless, managing Colombia’s aquifers is a challenge, as many have not yet been fully explored. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to study hydrogeochemistry through the application of advanced technologies to analyze the dynamics, distribution, and quality of groundwater, as well as its vulnerability to pollution and climate change. On the other hand, the consumption of mineral groundwater can have health benefits, such as positive cardiovascular and gastrointestinal effects. But geogenic, biogenic, or anthropogenic elements such as heavy metals and microplastics can pose a risk to human health. The need for proper management of water resources to prevent risks to human health and the environment is emphasized. Therefore, an integrated approach to water resource management will ensure conservation and sustainable use, secure a continuous supply of freshwater, and facilitate adaptation to climate change.

A simple, remote-sensed method of detection of traces of petroleum in soil combining artificial intelligence (AI) with mid-infrared (MIR) laser spectroscopy is presented. A portable MIR quantum cascade laser (QCL) was used as an excitation source, making the technique amenable to field applications. The MIR spectral region is more informative and useful than the near IR region for the detection of pollutants in soil. Remote sensing, coupled with a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm, was used to accurately identify the presence/absence of traces of petroleum in soil mixtures. Chemometrics tools such as principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and SVM demonstrated the effectiveness of rapidly differentiating between different soil types and detecting the presence of petroleum traces in different soil matrices such as sea sand, red soil, and brown soil. Comparisons between results of PLS-DA and SVM were based on sensitivity, selectivity, and areas under receiver-operator curves (ROC). An innovative statistical analysis method of calculating limits of detection (LOD) and limits of decision (LD) from fits of the probability of detection was developed. Results for QCL/PLS-DA models achieved LOD and LD of 0.2% and 0.01% for petroleum/soil, respectively. The superior performance of QCL/SVM models improved these values to 0.04% and 0.003%, respectively, providing better identification probability of soils contaminated with petroleum.

A laser-mediated methodology for standoff infrared detection of threat chemicals is described in this article. Laser-induced thermal emissions (LITE) from vibrationally excited residue of highly energetic material (HEM) deposited on substrates were detected remotely. Telescope-based Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy measurements were carried out on substrates containing small amounts of HEM at surface concentrations of 5–200 μg/cm². Target substrates of various thicknesses were heated remotely using a carbon dioxide laser, and their mid-infrared (mid-IR), thermally stimulated emission spectra were recorded after heating. The telescope was configured from reflective optical elements to minimize emission losses in the mid-IR frequencies. Spectral replicas were acquired at distances from 4 to 64 m using an FT-IR interferometer at 4 cm⁻¹ resolution. The laser power, laser exposure times, and acquisition time of the FT-IR interferometer were adjusted to improve the detection and identification of samples. The advantages of increasing the thermal emission were easily observed in the results. The signal intensities were proportional to the thickness of the coated surface (a function of the surface concentration) as well as the laser power and laser exposure time. The limits of detection obtained for the HEM studied were 140–21 μg/cm² at 4 m. Detection was achieved at 64 m for a surface concentration of 200 μg/cm².

Bacterial resistance is responsible for a wide variety of health problems, both in children and adults. The persistence of symptoms and infections are mainly treated with β-lactam antibiotics. The increasing resistance to those antibiotics by bacterial pathogens generated the emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), an actual public health problem. This is due to rapid mutations of bacteria when exposed to antibiotics. In this case, β-lactamases are enzymes used by bacteria to hydrolyze the beta-lactam rings present in the antibiotics. Therefore, it was necessary to explore novel molecules as potential β-lactamases inhibitors to find antibacterial compounds against infection caused by ESBLs. A computational methodology based on molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations was used to find new microalgae metabolites inhibitors of β-lactamase. Six 3D β-lactamase proteins were selected, and the molecular docking revealed that the metabolites belonging to the same structural families, such as phenylacridine (4-Ph), quercetin (Qn), and cryptophycin (Cryp), exhibit a better binding score and binding energy than commercial clinical medicine β-lactamase inhibitors, such as clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam. These results indicate that 4-Ph, Qn, and Cryp molecules, homologous from microalgae metabolites, could be used, likely as novel β-lactamase inhibitors or as structural templates for new in-silico pharmaceutical designs, with the possibility of combatting β-lactam resistance