22 results on '"Mellado E"'
Search Results
2. Desescalada desde antipseudomónicos en pacientes con bacteriemia por Enterobacterales: Ensayo aleatorizado SIMPLIFY. Resultados preliminares
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Cortés, LE López, primary, Mellado, E Moreno, additional, Delgado-Valverde, M, additional, Goikoetxea-Agirre, J, additional, Soria, LM López, additional, Rodríguez, MT Pérez, additional, Lamas, L Martínez, additional, Fariñas, C, additional, Puig, C Ruiz de Alegría, additional, Palacios, A Romero, additional, Rubio, MC Martínez, additional, Bejar, C Sáez, additional, Cuevas, C de las, additional, Aspas, A Martín, additional, Galán, F, additional, Yuste, JR, additional, Leiva-León, J, additional, Bou, G, additional, Beceiro, I Torres, additional, Calbo, E, additional, Xercavins-Valls, M, additional, Goenaga-Sánchez, MÁ, additional, Anza, DV, additional, Castón, JJ, additional, Recio, M, additional, Merino, E, additional, Rodríguez, JC, additional, Rosso-Fernández, C, additional, Retamar-Gentil, P, additional, and Baño, J Rodríguez, additional
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- 2023
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3. Effect of physical conditioning evaluated in the 6-minute walk in subjects recovered from COVID-19
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Salvatierra-Escobar, M, primary, Hernandez-Lopez, S, additional, Orea-Tejeda, A, additional, Gonzalez-Islas, D, additional, Galicia-Amor, S, additional, Trejo-Mellado, E, additional, Garcia-Hernandez, J, additional, Lopez-Vasquez, I, additional, Cornejo-Cornejo, L, additional, Marquez-Cordero, J, additional, Aguilar-Meza, J, additional, and Rios-Pereda, A, additional
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- 2022
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4. Prolonged stay and endothelial dysfunction in hospitalized patients with covid-19
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Marquez-Cordero, J, primary, Orea-Tejeda, A, additional, Gonzalez-Islas, D, additional, Cornejo-Cornejo, L, additional, Aguilar-Meza, J, additional, Rios-Pereda, A, additional, Lopez-Vazquez, I, additional, Salvatierra-Escobar, M, additional, Sanchez-Moreno, C, additional, Aztatzi-Aguilar, G, additional, Sierra-Vargas, M, additional, Debray-Garcia, Y, additional, Loaeza-Roman, A, additional, Galicia-Amor, S, additional, and Trejo-Mellado, E, additional
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- 2022
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5. Impact of endothelial function on the prognosis of COVID-19 patients
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Sanchez-Moreno, C, primary, Orea-Tejeda, A, additional, Gonzalez-Islas, D, additional, Lopez-Vazquez, I, additional, Salvatierra-Escobar, M, additional, Aguilar-Meza, J, additional, Cornejo-Cornejo, L, additional, Marquez-Cordero, J, additional, Rios-Pereda, A, additional, Hernandez-Urquieta, L, additional, Robles-Hernandez, R, additional, Galicia-Amor, S, additional, Trejo-Mellado, E, additional, Garcia-Hernandez, J C, additional, and Camacho-Mendoza, N, additional
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- 2022
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6. Dual RNA sequencing reveals dendritic cell reprogramming in response to typhoidal Salmonella invasion
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Aulicino, A, Antanaviciute, A, Frost, J, Sousa Geros, A, Mellado, E, Attar, M, Jagielowicz, M, Hublitz, P, Sinz, J, Preciado-Llanes, L, Napolitani, G, Bowden, R, Koohy, H, Drakesmith, AH, and Simmons, A
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Gene Expression Regulation ,QH301-705.5 ,Mutation ,Humans ,Salmonella enterica ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Dendritic Cells ,Biology (General) ,Cellular Reprogramming ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology - Abstract
Salmonella enterica represent a major disease burden worldwide. S. enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) is responsible for potentially life-threatening Typhoid fever affecting 10.9 million people annually. While non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars usually trigger self-limiting diarrhoea, invasive NTS bacteraemia is a growing public health challenge. Dendritic cells (DCs) are key professional antigen presenting cells of the human immune system. The ability of pathogenic bacteria to subvert DC functions and prevent T cell recognition contributes to their survival and dissemination within the host. Here, we adapted dual RNA-sequencing to define how different Salmonella pathovariants remodel their gene expression in tandem with that of infected DCs. We find DCs harness iron handling pathways to defend against invading Salmonellas, which S. Typhi is able to circumvent by mounting a robust response to nitrosative stress. In parallel, we uncover the alternative strategies invasive NTS employ to impair DC functions.
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- 2022
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7. TREM1 regulates antifungal immune responses in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
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Bernal-Martínez, L, Gonçalves, SM, de Andres, B, Cunha, C, Gonzalez Jimenez, I, Lagrou, K, Mellado, E, Gaspar, ML, Maertens, JA, Carvalho, A, and Alcazar-Fuoli, L
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IMMUNE response ,PATTERN perception receptors ,ASPERGILLOSIS ,SINGLE nucleotide polymorphisms ,ASPERGILLUS fumigatus ,MYELOID cells ,PULMONARY aspergillosis - Abstract
Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are responsible for Aspergillus fumigatus recognition by innate immunity and its subsequent immune signaling. The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM1) is a recently characterized pro-inflammatory receptor constitutively expressed on the surface of neutrophils and macrophages. A soluble form (sTREM1) of this protein that can be detected in human body fluids has been identified. Here we investigated the role of TREM1 during invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). IPA patients displayed significantly higher levels of sTREM1 in bronchoalveolar lavages when compared to control patients. Functional analysis in TREM1 showed that the levels of sTREM1 and TREM1 pathway-related cytokines were influenced by single nucleotide polymorphisms in TREM1. In addition, we confirmed a role of TREM1 on antifungal host defense against A. fumigatus in a murine model of IPA. TREM1 deficiency increased susceptibility to infection in the immunosuppressed murine host. Deletion of TREM1 showed delayed innate and adaptive immune responses and impaired pro-inflammatory cytokine responses. The absence of TREM1 in primary macrophages attenuated the TLR signaling by altering the expression of both receptor and effector proteins that are critical to the response against A. fumigatus. In this study, and for the first time, we demonstrate the key role for the TREM1 receptor pathway during IPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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8. Foetal gluten immunogenic peptides during pregnancy: a new determinant on the coeliac exposome.
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Moreno ML, González-Rovira M, Martínez-Pancorbo C, Martín-Cameán M, Nájar-Moyano AM, Romero M, de la Hoz E, López-Beltrán C, Mellado E, Bartha JL, Brodin P, Rodríguez-Herrera A, Sainz-Bueno JA, and Sousa C
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- Humans, Female, Pregnancy, Adult, Amniotic Fluid chemistry, Amniotic Fluid metabolism, Exposome, Peptides, Immunoassay methods, Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide, Fetus, Celiac Disease immunology, Glutens
- Abstract
Background: The increasing incidence of coeliac disease is leading to a growing interest in active search for associated factors, even the intrauterine and early life. The exposome approach to disease encompasses a life course perspective from conception onwards has recently been highlighted. Knowledge of early exposure to gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) in utero could challenge the chronology of early prenatal tolerance or inflammation, rather than after the infant's solid diet after birth., Methods: We developed an accurate and specific immunoassay to detect GIP in amniotic fluid (AF) and studied their accumulates, excretion dynamics and foetal exposure resulting from AF swallowing. One hundred twenty-five pregnant women with different gluten diets and gestational ages were recruited., Results: GIP were detectable in AF from at least the 16th gestational week in gluten-consuming women. Although no significant differences in GIP levels were observed during gestation, amniotic GIP late pregnancy was not altered by maternal fasting, suggesting closed-loop entailing foetal swallowing of GIP-containing AF and subsequent excretion via the foetal kidneys., Conclusions: The study shows evidence, for the first time, of the foetal exposure to gluten immunogenic peptides and establishes a positive correlation with maternal gluten intake. The results obtained point to a novel physiological concept as they describe a plausible closed-loop circuit entailing foetal swallowing of GIP contained in AF and its subsequent excretion through the foetal kidneys. The study adds important new information to understanding the coeliac exposome., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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9. Correction: A Straightforward Access to New Families of Lipophilic Polyphenols by Using Lipolytic Bacteria.
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Sánchez-Barrionuevo L, González-Benjumea A, Escobar-Niño A, García MT, López Ó, Maya I, Fernández-Bolaños JG, Cánovas D, and Mellado E
- Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166561.]., (Copyright: © 2024 Sánchez-Barrionuevo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
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- 2024
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10. Distribution of Aspergillus species and prevalence of azole resistance in clinical and environmental samples from a Spanish hospital during a three-year study period.
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Lucio J, Alcazar-Fuoli L, Gil H, Cano-Pascual S, Hernandez-Egido S, Cuetara MS, and Mellado E
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- Humans, Azoles pharmacology, Antifungal Agents pharmacology, Antifungal Agents therapeutic use, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Drug Resistance, Fungal, Aspergillus fumigatus, Hospitals, Fungal Proteins genetics, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Aspergillosis microbiology, Aspergillus nidulans
- Abstract
Background: Surveillance studies are crucial for updating trends in Aspergillus species and antifungal susceptibility information., Objectives: Determine the Aspergillus species distribution and azole resistance prevalence during this 3-year prospective surveillance study in a Spanish hospital., Materials and Methods: Three hundred thirty-five Aspergillus spp. clinical and environmental isolates were collected during a 3-year study. All isolates were screened for azole resistance using an agar-based screening method and resistance was confirmed by EUCAST antifungal susceptibility testing. The azole resistance mechanism was confirmed by sequencing the cyp51A gene and its promoter. All Aspergillus fumigatus strains were genotyped using TRESPERG analysis., Results: Aspergillus fumigatus was the predominant species recovered with a total of 174 strains (51.94%). The rest of Aspergillus spp. were less frequent: Aspergillus niger (14.93%), Aspergillus terreus (9.55%), Aspergillus flavus (8.36%), Aspergillus nidulans (5.37%) and Aspergillus lentulus (3.28%), among other Aspergillus species (6.57%). TRESPERG analysis showed 99 different genotypes, with 72.73% of the strains being represented as a single genotype. Some genotypes were common among clinical and environmental A. fumigatus azole-susceptible strains, even when isolated months apart. We describe the occurrence of two azole-resistant A. fumigatus strains, one clinical and another environmental, that were genotypically different and did not share genotypes with any of the azole-susceptible strains., Conclusions: Aspergillus fumigatus strains showed a very diverse population although several genotypes were shared among clinical and environmental strains. The isolation of azole-resistant strains from both settings suggest that an efficient analysis of clinical and environmental sources must be done to detect azole resistance in A. fumigatus., (© 2024 The Authors. Mycoses published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)
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- 2024
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11. Efficacy and safety of a structured de-escalation from antipseudomonal β-lactams in bloodstream infections due to Enterobacterales (SIMPLIFY): an open-label, multicentre, randomised trial.
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López-Cortés LE, Delgado-Valverde M, Moreno-Mellado E, Goikoetxea Aguirre J, Guio Carrión L, Blanco Vidal MJ, López Soria LM, Pérez-Rodríguez MT, Martínez Lamas L, Arnaiz de Las Revillas F, Armiñanzas C, Ruiz de Alegría-Puig C, Jiménez Aguilar P, Del Carmen Martínez-Rubio M, Sáez-Bejar C, de Las Cuevas C, Martín-Aspas A, Galán F, Yuste JR, Leiva-León J, Bou G, Capón González P, Boix-Palop L, Xercavins-Valls M, Goenaga-Sánchez MÁ, Anza DV, Castón JJ, Rufián MR, Merino E, Rodríguez JC, Loeches B, Cuervo G, Guerra Laso JM, Plata A, Pérez Cortés S, López Mato P, Sierra Monzón JL, Rosso-Fernández C, Bravo-Ferrer JM, Retamar-Gentil P, and Rodríguez-Baño J
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- Humans, Anti-Bacterial Agents adverse effects, Ceftriaxone, Ertapenem, Treatment Outcome, beta-Lactams adverse effects, Bacteremia drug therapy
- Abstract
Background: De-escalation from broad-spectrum to narrow-spectrum antibiotics is considered an important measure to reduce the selective pressure of antibiotics, but a scarcity of adequate evidence is a barrier to its implementation. We aimed to determine whether de-escalation from an antipseudomonal β-lactam to a narrower-spectrum drug was non-inferior to continuing the antipseudomonal drug in patients with Enterobacterales bacteraemia., Methods: An open-label, pragmatic, randomised trial was performed in 21 Spanish hospitals. Patients with bacteraemia caused by Enterobacterales susceptible to one of the de-escalation options and treated empirically with an antipseudomonal β-lactam were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1; stratified by urinary source) to de-escalate to ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (urinary tract infections only), cefuroxime, cefotaxime or ceftriaxone, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, or ertapenem in that order according to susceptibility (de-escalation group), or to continue with the empiric antipseudomonal β-lactam (control group). Oral switching was allowed in both groups. The primary outcome was clinical cure 3-5 days after end of treatment in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population, formed of patients who received at least one dose of study drug. Safety was assessed in all participants. Non-inferiority was declared when the lower bound of the 95% CI of the absolute difference in cure rate was above the -10% non-inferiority margin. This trial is registered with EudraCT (2015-004219-19) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02795949) and is complete., Findings: 2030 patients were screened between Oct 5, 2016, and Jan 23, 2020, of whom 171 were randomly assigned to the de-escalation group and 173 to the control group. 164 (50%) patients in the de-escalation group and 167 (50%) in the control group were included in the mITT population. 148 (90%) patients in the de-escalation group and 148 (89%) in the control group had clinical cure (risk difference 1·6 percentage points, 95% CI -5·0 to 8·2). The number of adverse events reported was 219 in the de-escalation group and 175 in the control group, of these, 53 (24%) in the de-escalation group and 56 (32%) in the control group were considered severe. Seven (5%) of 164 patients in the de-escalation group and nine (6%) of 167 patients in the control group died during the 60-day follow-up. There were no treatment-related deaths., Interpretation: De-escalation from an antipseudomonal β-lactam in Enterobacterales bacteraemia following a predefined rule was non-inferior to continuing the empiric antipseudomonal drug. These results support de-escalation in this setting., Funding: Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2013-2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases; Spanish Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Platform, co-financed by the EU; European Development Regional Fund "A way to achieve Europe", Operative Program Intelligence Growth 2014-2020., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests LEL-C has served as a scientific adviser for Angelini; a speaker for Angelini, ViiV, Gilead, and Correvio; and a trainer for ViiV, outside the submitted work. LB-P reports fees from Pfizer and Tillotts Pharma Spain, outside the submitted work. PR-G has served as an adviser for Advanz and a speaker for Menarini, Shionogi, and Angelini. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2024
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12. Importance of the Aspergillus fumigatus Mismatch Repair Protein Msh6 in Antifungal Resistance Development.
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Lucio J, Gonzalez-Jimenez I, Roldan A, Amich J, Alcazar-Fuoli L, and Mellado E
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One of the systems responsible for the recognition and repair of mistakes occurring during cell replication is the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system. Two major protein complexes constitute the MMR pathway: MutS and MutL. Here, we investigated the possible relation of four A. fumigatus MMR genes ( msh 2, msh 6, pms 1, and mlh 1) with the development of azole resistance related to the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance. We examined the MMR gene variations in 163 Aspergillus fumigatus genomes. Our analysis showed that genes msh 2, pms 1, and mlh 1 have low genetic variability and do not seem to correlate with drug resistance. In contrast, there is a nonsynonymous mutation (G240A) in the msh 6 gene that is harbored by 42% of the strains, most of them also harboring the TR
34 /L98H azole resistance mechanism in cyp 51A. The msh 6 gene was deleted in the aku BKU80 A. fumigatus strain, and the ∆ msh 6 isolates were analyzed for fitness, azole susceptibility, and virulence capacity, showing no differences compared with the aku BKU80 parental strain. Wild-type msh 6 and Δ msh 6 strains were grown on high concentrations of azole and other non-azole fungicides used in crop protection. A 10- and 2-fold higher mutation frequency in genes that confer resistance to boscalid and benomyl, respectively, were observed in Δ msh 6 strains compared to the wild-type. This study suggests a link between Msh6 and fungicide resistance acquisition.- Published
- 2024
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13. Circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells may be a useful biomarker in the follow-up of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients after hospitalization.
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Jiménez-Cortegana C, Salamanca E, Palazón-Carrión N, Sánchez-Jiménez F, Pérez-Pérez A, Vilariño-García T, Fuentes S, Martín S, Jiménez M, Galván R, Rodríguez-Chacón C, Sánchez-Mora C, Moreno-Mellado E, Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez B, Álvarez N, Sosa A, Garnacho-Montero J, de la Cruz-Merino L, Rodríguez-Baño J, and Sánchez-Margalet V
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- Humans, Follow-Up Studies, SARS-CoV-2, Biomarkers, Hospitalization, Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, COVID-19
- Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection is the cause of the disease named COVID-19, a major public health challenge worldwide. Differences in the severity, complications and outcomes of the COVID-19 are intriguing and, patients with similar baseline clinical conditions may have very different evolution. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been previously found to be recruited by the SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be a marker of clinical evolution in these patients. We have studied 90 consecutive patients admitted in the hospital before the vaccination program started in the general population, to measure MDSCs and lymphocyte subpopulations at admission and one week after to assess the possible association with unfavorable outcomes (dead or Intensive Care Unit admission). We analyzed MDSCs and lymphocyte subpopulations by flow cytometry. In the 72 patients discharged from the hospital, there were significant decreases in the monocytic and total MDSC populations measured in peripheral blood after one week but, most importantly, the number of MDSCs (total and both monocytic and granulocytic subsets) were much higher in the 18 patients with unfavorable outcome. In conclusion, the number of circulating MDSCs may be a good marker of evolution in the follow-up of unvaccinated patients admitted in the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jiménez-Cortegana, Salamanca, Palazón-Carrión, Sánchez-Jiménez, Pérez-Pérez, Vilariño-García, Fuentes, Martín, Jiménez, Galván, Rodríguez-Chacón, Sánchez-Mora, Moreno-Mellado, Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Álvarez, Sosa, Garnacho-Montero, de la Cruz-Merino, Rodríguez-Baño and Sánchez-Margalet.)
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- 2023
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14. Performance evaluation and users' perception of courtyards role in indoor areas of mediterranean social housing.
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Diz-Mellado E, López-Cabeza VP, Rivera-Gómez C, and Galán-Marín C
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- Microclimate, Cities, Perception, Housing, Climate
- Abstract
Cities confront two critical challenges: general overheating and inefficient use of energy resources within their housing buildings, both adversely affecting urban citizens' daily lives. To mitigate these issues, passive techniques offer promising solutions on enhancing building comfort levels from a sustainable approach. Although this energy efficiency of air-conditioning systems in buildings in warm climates has been extensively analysed, the influence of the microclimate of transitional spaces attached to them on this performance has not yet been properly assessed. Investigating the potential benefits of the implementation of courtyards within Seville's social housing infrastructure for passive conditioning purposes is one way of reducing this research gap. Furthermore, the study also includes the subjective perception of users' thermal well-being around these spaces and their own social relationship related to their use. The work relies on detailed data analyses carried out using DesignBuilder software to quantify the benefit effectively accrued from courtyard utilization. Concurrently, user surveys conducted help determine perceived thermal comfort aiding better configuration management and passive design strategies of urban social housing. Findings from monitoring and simulation reveal that courtyards work faultlessly as a highly effective and efficient passive cooling system whilst promoting energy efficiency up to 20,5%. Surveys confirmed these findings with data revealing significant improvements in thermal comforts perception inside courtyards and within indoor spaces adjacent to the courtyards. This research provides novel insights into how architects and urban managers might integrate passive strategies into future designs for optimizing comfort levels in social housing using courtyards as one possible environmental measure for achieving sustainability targets., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2023
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15. Potential Implication of Azole Persistence in the Treatment Failure of Two Haematological Patients Infected with Aspergillus fumigatus .
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Peláez-García de la Rasilla T, Mato-López Á, Pablos-Puertas CE, González-Huerta AJ, Gómez-López A, Mellado E, and Amich J
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Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients receiving allogeneic haematopoieticcell transplantation. The deep immunosuppression and a variety of potential additional complications developed in these patients result in IA reaching mortality rates of around 50-60%. This mortality is even higher when the patients are infected with azole-resistant isolates, demonstrating that, despite the complexity of management, adequate azole treatment can have a beneficial effect. It is therefore paramount to understand the reasons why antifungal treatment of IA infections caused by azole-susceptible isolates is often unsuccessful. In this respect, there are already various factors known to be important for treatment efficacy, for instance the drug concentrations achieved in the blood, which are thus often monitored. We hypothesize that antifungal persistence may be another important factor to consider. In this study we present two case reports of haematological patients who developed proven IA and suffered treatment failure, despite having been infected with susceptible isolates, receiving correct antifungal treatment and reaching therapeutic levels of the azole. Microbiological analysis of the recovered infective isolates showed that the patients were infected with multiple strains, several of which were persisters to voriconazole and/or isavuconazole. Therefore, we propose that azole persistence may have contributed to therapeutic failure in these patients and that this phenomenon should be considered in future studies.
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- 2023
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16. Aspergillus fumigatus Can Display Persistence to the Fungicidal Drug Voriconazole.
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Scott J, Valero C, Mato-López Á, Donaldson IJ, Roldán A, Chown H, Van Rhijn N, Lobo-Vega R, Gago S, Furukawa T, Morogovsky A, Ben Ami R, Bowyer P, Osherov N, Fontaine T, Goldman GH, Mellado E, Bromley M, and Amich J
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Aspergillus fumigatus is a filamentous fungus that can infect the lungs of patients with immunosuppression and/or underlying lung diseases. The mortality associated with chronic and invasive aspergillosis infections remain very high, despite availability of antifungal treatments. In the last decade, there has been a worrisome emergence and spread of resistance to the first-line antifungals, the azoles. The mortality caused by resistant isolates is even higher, and patient management is complicated as the therapeutic options are reduced. Nevertheless, treatment failure is also common in patients infected with azole-susceptible isolates, which can be due to several non-mutually exclusive reasons, such as poor drug absorption. In addition, the phenomena of tolerance or persistence, where susceptible pathogens can survive the action of an antimicrobial for extended periods, have been associated with treatment failure in bacterial infections, and their occurrence in fungal infections already proposed. Here, we demonstrate that some isolates of A. fumigatus display persistence to voriconazole. A subpopulation of the persister isolates can survive for extended periods and even grow at low rates in the presence of supra-MIC of voriconazole and seemingly other azoles. Persistence cannot be eradicated with adjuvant drugs or antifungal combinations and seemed to reduce the efficacy of treatment for certain individuals in a Galleria mellonella model of infection. Furthermore, persistence implies a distinct transcriptional profile, demonstrating that it is an active response. We propose that azole persistence might be a relevant and underestimated factor that could influence the outcome of infection in human aspergillosis. IMPORTANCE The phenomena of antibacterial tolerance and persistence, where pathogenic microbes can survive for extended periods in the presence of cidal drug concentrations, have received significant attention in the last decade. Several mechanisms of action have been elucidated, and their relevance for treatment failure in bacterial infections demonstrated. In contrast, our knowledge of antifungal tolerance and, in particular, persistence is still very limited. In this study, we have characterized the response of the prominent fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus to the first-line therapy antifungal voriconazole. We comprehensively show that some isolates display persistence to this fungicidal antifungal and propose various potential mechanisms of action. In addition, using an alternative model of infection, we provide initial evidence to suggest that persistence may cause treatment failure in some individuals. Therefore, we propose that azole persistence is an important factor to consider and further investigate in A. fumigatus.
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- 2023
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17. A Highly Sensitive Method for the Detection of Hydrolyzed Gluten in Beer Samples Using LFIA.
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Segura V, Siglez MÁ, Ruiz-Carnicer Á, Martín-Cabrejas I, van der Hofstadt M, Mellado E, Comino I, and Sousa C
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Most gluten analysis methods have been developed to detect intact gluten, but they have shown limitations in certain foods and beverages in which gluten proteins are hydrolyzed. Methods based on G12/A1 moAbs detect the sequences of gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP), which are the main contributors to the immune response of celiac disease (CD). Immunogenic sequences with tandem epitopes for G12/A1 have been found in beers with <20 mg/kg gluten, which could be consumed by CD patients according to the Codex Alimentarius. Therefore, an accurate method for the estimation of the immunogenicity of a beer is to use two moAbs that can recognize celiac T cell epitopes comprising most of the immunogenic response. Here, a specific and sensitive method based on G12/A1 LFIA was developed to detect GIP in beers labeled gluten-free or with low gluten content, with an LOD of 0.5 mg/kg. A total of 107 beers were analyzed, of those 6.5% showed levels higher than 20 mg/kg gluten and 29% showed levels above the LOD. In addition, G12/A1 LFIA detected gluten in 15 more beer samples than competitive ELISA with another antibody. Despite their labeling, these beers contained GIP which may cause symptoms and/or intestinal damage in CD patients.
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- 2022
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18. Identification of an acetyl esterase in the supernatant of the environmental strain Bacillus sp. HR21-6.
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Sánchez-Barrionuevo L, Mateos J, Fernández-Puente P, Begines P, Fernández-Bolaños JG, Gutiérrez G, Cánovas D, and Mellado E
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- Amino Acid Sequence genetics, Escherichia coli, Esterases metabolism, Mutagenesis, Site-Directed, Substrate Specificity genetics, Acetylesterase chemistry, Acetylesterase genetics, Bacillus enzymology, Bacillus genetics, Bacterial Proteins chemistry, Bacterial Proteins genetics
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Bacillus sp. HR21-6 is capable of the chemo- and regioselective synthesis of lipophilic partially acetylated phenolic compounds derived from olive polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants important in the formulation of functional foods. In this work, an acetyl esterase was identified in the secretome of this strain by non-targeted proteomics, and classified in the GDSL family (superfamily SGNH). The recombinant protein was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli in the soluble form, and biochemically characterized. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed to understand the role of different amino acids that are conserved among GDSL superfamily of esterases. Mutation of Ser-10, Gly-45 or His-185 abolished the enzyme activity, while mutation of Asn-77 or Thr-184 altered the substrate specificity of the enzyme. This new enzyme is able to perform chemoselective conversions of olive phenolic compounds with great interest in the food industry, such as hydroxytyrosol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol, and oleuropein., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no competing interests associated with the manuscript., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
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- 2022
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19. Body composition and risk factors associated with sarcopenia in post-COVID patients after moderate or severe COVID-19 infections.
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González-Islas D, Sánchez-Moreno C, Orea-Tejeda A, Hernández-López S, Salgado-Fernández F, Keirns-Davis C, Galicia-Amor S, Trejo-Mellado E, Gochicoa-Rangel L, and Castorena-Maldonado A
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- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Body Composition, Cross-Sectional Studies, Hand Strength, Humans, Middle Aged, Obesity, Respiration, Artificial, Risk Factors, SARS-CoV-2, Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, COVID-19 complications, Sarcopenia epidemiology
- Abstract
Background: Post-COVID-19 syndrome is characterized by diverse symptoms and abnormalities that persist beyond 12 weeks from the onset of acute COVID-19. Severity disease has been associated with more musculoskeletal alterations such as muscle weakness, dyspnea, and distance walking. The aim was to evaluate the impact of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) on body composition and investigate risk factors associated with sarcopenia in post-COVID-19 patients three months after moderate or severe COVID-19 infections., Methods: Cross-sectional study. 530 patients with PCR-confirmed diagnoses of moderate to severe COVID-19, > 18 years old, oxygen saturation ≤ 93%, PaO
2 /FiO2 ratio < 300, who required hospitalization and were discharged were included. We excluded those who died before the follow-up visit, declined to participate, or could not be contacted., Results: The mean age was 53.79 ± 12.90 years. IMV subjects had lower phase angle and handgrip strength and higher impedance index, frequency of low muscle mass, and low muscle strength than those without IMV. The risk factors of sarcopenia were > 60 years of age, diabetes, obesity, IMV, and prolonged hospital stay. The multivariate model showed that age > 60 years (OR: 4.91, 95% CI: 2.26-10.63), obesity (OR: 3.73, 95% CI: 1.21-11.54), and interaction between prolonged length of hospital stay and IMV (OR: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.21-7.02) were related to a higher risk of sarcopenia., Conclusion: Obesity and the interaction between prolonged length of hospital stay and IMV are associated with a higher risk of sarcopenia at 3 months after severe or moderate COVID-19 infection., (© 2022. The Author(s).)- Published
- 2022
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20. COVID-19 Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CAPA): Hospital or Home Environment as a Source of Life-Threatening Aspergillus fumigatus Infection?
- Author
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Peláez-García de la Rasilla T, González-Jiménez I, Fernández-Arroyo A, Roldán A, Carretero-Ares JL, García-Clemente M, Telenti-Asensio M, García-Prieto E, Martínez-Suarez M, Vázquez-Valdés F, Melón-García S, Caminal-Montero L, Fernández-Simón I, Mellado E, and Sánchez-Núñez ML
- Abstract
Most cases of invasive aspergillosis are caused by Aspergillus fumigatus , whose conidia are ubiquitous in the environment. Additionally, in indoor environments, such as houses or hospitals, conidia are frequently detected too. Hospital-acquired aspergillosis is usually associated with airborne fungal contamination of the hospital air, especially after building construction events. A. fumigatus strain typing can fulfill many needs both in clinical settings and otherwise. The high incidence of aspergillosis in COVID patients from our hospital, made us wonder if they were hospital-acquired aspergillosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the hospital environment was the source of aspergillosis infection in CAPA patients, admitted to the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, during the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, or whether it was community-acquired aspergillosis before admission. During 2020, sixty-nine A. fumigatus strains were collected for this study: 59 were clinical isolates from 28 COVID-19 patients, and 10 strains were environmentally isolated from seven hospital rooms and intensive care units. A diagnosis of pulmonary aspergillosis was based on the ECCM/ISHAM criteria. Strains were genotyped by PCR amplification and sequencing of a panel of four hypervariable tandem repeats within exons of surface protein coding genes (TRESPERG). A total of seven genotypes among the 10 environmental strains and 28 genotypes among the 59 clinical strains were identified. Genotyping revealed that only one environmental A. fumigatus from UCI 5 (box 54) isolated in October (30 October 2020) and one A. fumigatus isolated from a COVID-19 patient admitted in Pneumology (Room 532-B) in November (24 November 2020) had the same genotype, but there was a significant difference in time and location. There was also no relationship in time and location between similar A. fumigatus genotypes of patients. The global A. fumigatus, environmental and clinical isolates, showed a wide diversity of genotypes. To our knowledge, this is the first study monitoring and genotyping A. fumigatus isolates obtained from hospital air and COVID-19 patients, admitted with aspergillosis, during one year. Our work shows that patients do not acquire A. fumigatus in the hospital. This proves that COVID-associated aspergillosis in our hospital is not a nosocomial infection, but supports the hypothesis of "community aspergillosis" acquisition outside the hospital, having the home environment (pandemic period at home) as the main suspected focus of infection.
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- 2022
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21. An expanded agar-based screening method for azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus.
- Author
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Lucio J, Gonzalez-Jimenez I, Garcia-Rubio R, Cuetara MS, and Mellado E
- Subjects
- Agar, Fungal Proteins genetics, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Voriconazole pharmacology, Antifungal Agents pharmacology, Aspergillus fumigatus drug effects, Aspergillus fumigatus genetics, Azoles pharmacology, Drug Resistance, Fungal drug effects
- Abstract
Antifungal susceptibility testing is an essential tool for guiding antifungal therapy. Reference methods are complex and usually only available in specialised laboratories. We have designed an expanded agar-based screening method for the detection of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus isolates. Normally, identification of resistance mechanisms is obtained only after sequencing the cyp51A gene and promoter. However, our screening method provides azole resistance detection and presumptive resistance mechanisms identification. A previous agar-based method consisting of four wells containing voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and a growth control, detected azole resistance to clinical azoles. Here, we have modified the concentrations of voriconazole and posaconazole to adapt to the updated EUCAST breakpoints against A. fumigatus. We have also expanded the method to include environmental azoles to assess azole resistance and the azole resistance mechanism involved. We used a collection of A. fumigatus including 54 azole-resistant isolates with Cyp51A modifications (G54, M220, G448S, TR
53 , TR34 /L98H, TR46 /Y121F/T289A, TR34 /L98H/S297T/F495I), and 50 azole susceptible isolates with wild-type Cyp51A. The screening method detects azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates when there is growth in any of the azole-containing wells after 48h. The growth pattern in the seven azoles tested helps determine the underlying azole resistance mechanism. This approach is designed for surveillance screening of A. fumigatus azole-resistant isolates and can be useful for the clinical management of patients prior to antifungal susceptibility testing confirmation., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)- Published
- 2022
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22. Sildenafil for treating patients with COVID-19 and perfusion mismatch: a pilot randomized trial.
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Santamarina MG, Beddings I, Lomakin FM, Boisier Riscal D, Gutiérrez Claveria M, Vidal Marambio J, Retamal Báez N, Pavez Novoa C, Reyes Allende C, Ferreira Perey P, Gutiérrez Torres M, Villalobos Mazza C, Vergara Sagredo C, Ahumada Bermejo S, Labarca Mellado E, Barthel Munchmeyer E, Marchant Ramos S, Volpacchio M, and Vega J
- Subjects
- Administration, Oral, Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Treatment Outcome, Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio, COVID-19 physiopathology, Sildenafil Citrate administration & dosage, Vasodilator Agents administration & dosage, COVID-19 Drug Treatment
- Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2 seems to affect the regulation of pulmonary perfusion. Hypoperfusion in areas of well-aerated lung parenchyma results in a ventilation-perfusion mismatch that can be characterized using subtraction computed tomography angiography (sCTA). This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of oral sildenafil in treating COVID-19 inpatients showing perfusion abnormalities in sCTA., Methods: Triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in Chile in a tertiary-care hospital able to provide on-site sCTA scans and ventilatory support when needed between August 2020 and March 2021. In total, 82 eligible adults were admitted to the ED with RT-PCR-confirmed or highly probable SARS-COV-2 infection and sCTA performed within 24 h of admission showing perfusion abnormalities in areas of well-aerated lung parenchyma; 42 were excluded and 40 participants were enrolled and randomized (1:1 ratio) once hospitalized. The active intervention group received sildenafil (25 mg orally three times a day for seven days), and the control group received identical placebo capsules in the same way. Primary outcomes were differences in oxygenation parameters measured daily during follow-up (PaO
2 /FiO2 ratio and A-a gradient). Secondary outcomes included admission to the ICU, requirement of non-invasive ventilation, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and mortality rates. Analysis was performed on an intention-to-treat basis., Results: Totally, 40 participants were enrolled (20 in the placebo group and 20 in the sildenafil group); 33 [82.5%] were male; and median age was 57 [IQR 41-68] years. No significant differences in mean PaO2 /FiO2 ratios and A-a gradients were found between groups (repeated-measures ANOVA p = 0.67 and p = 0.69). IMV was required in 4 patients who received placebo and none in the sildenafil arm (logrank p = 0.04). Patients in the sildenafil arm showed a significantly shorter median length of hospital stay than the placebo group (9 IQR 7-12 days vs. 12 IQR 9-21 days, p = 0.04)., Conclusions: No statistically significant differences were found in the oxygenation parameters. Sildenafil treatment could have a potential therapeutic role regarding the need for IMV in COVID-19 patients with specific perfusion patterns in sCTA. A large-scale study is needed to confirm these results., Trial Registration: Sildenafil for treating patients with COVID-19 and perfusion mismatch: a pilot randomized trial, NCT04489446, Registered 28 July 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04489446 ., (© 2022. The Author(s).)- Published
- 2022
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