Search

This paper analyzes the impact that different kinds of wildfires exert on population size of Spanish municipalities covering the 1986-2015 period, using recent developments in difference-in-differences estimation methods. The goal of the methodology is dealing with different wildfire events on several municipalities by considering as the initial time the first wildfire for all of them. Qualitative and quantitative effects are analyzed. Severity is measured as qualitative indicator by two ways. First, as major agricultural areas affected by dividing the sample in four quartiles according to the extension of the burned agricultural area. Second, as the highest proportion of total burned areas over total municipal area as measure of the rising closeness to the urban nuclei. The repetition of wildfires is used as a quantitative measurement by adding the number of all different wildfires officially recognized occurring during the studied period. The results show that higher severity and repetition lead to less population and a later possible recovery. There are around 260 less inhabitants on average after at least one severe wildfire (around 10-510 less residents with 95% confidence interval). This finding suggests that, as it is also the case of other types of shocks, the effects of wildfires on the urban structure are permanent when they are large enough. Policy implications include a better education and sensitization on the environmental care, not building in wildfire-prone areas and improved alert systems. A better human-nature symbiosis is needed (for instance, employing extensive animal farms for cleaning the grass) for preventing fires., 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 © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the prescriptions patterns, effectiveness, and safety of adding probiotics to Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, in Europe., Design: International, prospective, non-interventional registry of the clinical practice of the European gastroenterologists. Data were collected and quality reviewed until March 2021 at AEG-REDCap. The effectiveness was evaluated by modified intention-to-treat analysis, differentiating by geographic areas. Adverse events (AE) were categorized as mild, moderate, and severe., Results: Overall, 36,699 treatments were recorded, where 8,233 (22%) were prescribed with probiotics. Probiotics use was associated with higher effectiveness in the overall analysis (OR 1.631 [95% CI 1.456-1.828]), as well as in triple (1.702 [1.403-2.065]), quadruple (1.383 [0.996-1.920]), bismuth quadruple (1.248 [1.003-1.554] and sequential therapies (3.690 [2.686-5.069]). Lactobacillus genus was associated with a higher therapy effectiveness in Eastern Europe when triple (OR: 2.625 [CI 1.911, 3.606]) and bismuth quadruple (OR: 1.587 [CI 1.117, 2.254]) first-line therapies were prescribed. In Central Europe, the use of probiotics was associated with a decrease in both the overall incidence of AEs (0.656 [0.516, 0.888]) as well as severe AEs (0.312; [0.217, 0.449]). Bifidobacterium genus was associated with lower overall (OR: 0.725 [95% CI 0.592-0.888]) and severe (OR: 0.254 [0.185-0.347]) AEs; and Saccharomyces was associated with reduced overall (OR: 0.54 [CI 0.32-0.91]) and severe (OR 0.257 [CI 0.123-0.536]) AEs under quadruple-bismuth regimen., Conclusions: In Europe, the use of probiotics was associated with higher effectiveness and safety of H. pylori eradication therapy. Lactobacillus improved treatment effectiveness, while Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces were associated with a better safety profile., (Copyright © 2025 by The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Photocatalysis has emerged as a promising and environmentally sustainable solution to produce high-purity hydrogen through ethanol photoreforming. It is commonly accepted that adding co-catalysts, especially noble metals, significantly enhances the catalytic activity of semiconductors. However, the high cost of noble metals such as Pt may limit the real application of this emerging technology. Here we evaluate the possibility of reducing the noble metal loading by creating the appropriate interface between pre-formed semiconductor nanoparticles. Commercial titania (P25) was selected as the semiconductor due to its commercial availability, facilitating the straightforward validation and corroboration of our results. Pt was selected as co-catalyst because one of the most efficient photocatalysts for the ethanol photo-reforming is still based on the use of P25 in combination with Pt. We report that the creation of induced aggregates dramatically improves the total hydrogen produced when very low loadings (≤0.05 wt%) of Pt are used. We have developed a pioneering reactor designed for conducting photoluminescence studies under authentic operational conditions of nanoparticle suspensions in the liquid phase. This approach allows us to obtain the average photoluminescence emission from the P25 agglomerates what it would be impossible to obtain by using standard solid samples holders. Thanks to this equipment, we can conclude that this remarkable improvement of the activity is mainly due to creation of an interface that favors the charge transfer between the particles of the aggregates. According to this, the titania nanoparticles of the agglomerates act as an antenna to collect the photons of the sun-light and produce the photo-excited electrons that will be transferred to the platinum nanoparticles located in the same agglomeration. In contrast, raw P25 with low loadings of Pt would have a high number of titania nanoparticles without platinum, and therefore, inactive. This result would be especially relevant in the case of immobilized photocatalytic systems for real future photocatalytic reactors because the immobilization of the semiconductors would generate similar interactions to the one created by our method. Consequently, the initial semiconductor immobilization followed by the subsequent photo-deposition of the co-catalyst emerges as a promising approach for a substantial reduction of the co-catalyst content., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Juan Jose Delgado reports financial support was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation and Junta de Andalucia. Antonio Monzon reports financial support was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pru p 3, a member of the lipid transfer protein family, is considered a major allergen from peach as it often induces serious allergic reactions in peach-allergic individuals. The high resistance of Pru p 3 to processing treatments and to digestion or enzymatic hydrolysis is probably the cause of the severity of this fruit allergy. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of treatment with a large number of proteases from different origins (vegetal, animal and microbial) on the degradation and allergenicity of Pru p 3. To perform this study, Pru p 3 was previously isolated using cation exchange chromatography and ultrafiltration, and the purified protein was incubated with proteases under different conditions. The results showed that only two of the fifteen proteases assayed were able to efficiently degrade the protein at acidic pH, as determined by SDS-PAGE. These two commercial acid proteases, derived from Aspergillus niger , decreased by more than 95% the immunoreactivity of Pru p 3 by ELISA using specific rabbit IgG, giving peptides lower than 3.2 kDa as determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The hydrolysates obtained showed a greater than 70% decrease in reactivity of IgE compared to untreated Pru p 3 using three pools of sera from peach allergic individuals. Furthermore, when hydrolysates were tested by the prick test, in more than 90% of peach-allergic patients the average size of the wheal significantly decreased by between 72% and 85%. The results suggest that the acid protease from Aspergillus niger could be used to obtain novel hypoallergenic products more tolerable for peach-sensitive individuals.

Except for some surgical techniques, up to 1940 the clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease was determined by its own natural history: most medical interventions even worsened prognosis. The empyrical introduction of salazopyrine early in the 1940s, pioneered by Nanna Svartz in Sweden, was followed relatively soon by the incorporation of corticosteroids during the 1950s. However, it took both a long time to reach patients, and quality scientific evidence to better establish their indications built up very slowly.

Intestinal intraepithelial T lymphocytes (IEL) constitutively express high amounts of the cytotoxic proteases Granzymes (Gzm) A and B and are therefore thought to protect the intestinal epithelium against infection by killing infected epithelial cells. However, the role of IEL granzymes in a protective immune response has yet to be demonstrated. We show that GzmA and GzmB are required to protect mice against oral, but not intravenous, infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, consistent with an intestine-specific role. IEL-intrinsic granzymes mediate the protective effects by controlling intracellular bacterial growth and aiding in cell-intrinsic pyroptotic cell death of epithelial cells. Surprisingly, we found that both granzymes play non-redundant roles. GzmB -/- mice carried significantly lower burdens of Salmonella, as predominant GzmA-mediated cell death effectively reduced bacterial translocation across the intestinal barrier. Conversely, in GzmA -/- mice, GzmB-driven apoptosis favored luminal Salmonella growth by providing nutrients, while still reducing translocation across the epithelial barrier. Together, the concerted actions of both GzmA and GzmB balance cell death mechanisms at the intestinal epithelium to provide optimal control that Salmonella cannot subvert., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The six-minute walk test is a stress test that provides information about exercise tolerance in chronic diseases. The aim of the study was to develop reference equations with normal values for the test in healthy children aged 6-12 years in our paediatric reference population., Patients and Methods: The six-minute walk test was carried out in a sample of 236 healthy children, analyzing pre- and post-test variables, and we developed reference equations selecting variables that turned out to be significant (P < .05)., Results: The pre- and post-test values, respectively, were 97.82% (SD, 0.64) vs 97.82% (SD, 0.59) for oxygen saturation; 96.59 bpm (SD, 16.11) vs 131.89 bmp (SD, 22.64) for the heart rate; 0.52 (SD, 0.83) vs 3.01 (SD, 2.42) for the degree of dyspnea (Borg scale) and 0.68 (SD, 0.98) vs 2.95 (SD, 2.26) for the degree of lower extremities fatigue (Borg scale). The average distance walked was 668.03 m (SD, 87.36) (671.42 m in boys [SD, 92.2] vs 664.22 m in girls [SD, 81.81]). We fitted predictive equations that included the variables age, height and difference between baseline and final heart rate. We also generated percentile charts of the distance walked for height., Conclusions: Age, height, regular physical activity and obesity had an impact on test results. Obtaining reference values for the 6-min walk test in healthy children is necessary for its application in clinical practice., (Copyright © 2024 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: The landscape in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has changed with the advent of second-line treatments. However, the use of obeticholic acid (OCA) and fibrates in PBC-related cirrhosis is challenging. We assessed the impact of receiving a second-line therapy as a risk factor for decompensated cirrhosis in a real-world population with cirrhosis and PBC, and identify the predictive factors for decompensated cirrhosis in these patients., Approach and Results: Multicenter study enrolling 388 patients with PBC-cirrhosis from the Spanish ColHai registry. Biopsy (20%), ultrasound (59%), or transient elastography (21%) defined cirrhosis, and the presence of varices and splenomegaly defined clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH). Paris-II and PBC OCA international study of efficacy criteria determined the response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), fibrates (n=93), and OCA (n=104). The incidence of decompensated cirrhosis decreased for UDCA versus OCA or fibrates in the real-world population, but they were similar considering the propensity score-matched cohort (UDCA 3.77 vs. second-line therapy 4.5 100 persons-year, respectively), as patients on second-line therapy exhibited advanced liver disease. Consequently, GGT, albumin, platelets, clinically significant portal hypertension, and UDCA response were associated with a decompensating event. OCA response (achieved in 52% of patients) was associated with bilirubin (OR 0.21 [95% CI: 0.06-0.73]) and AST (OR 0.97 [95% CI: 0.95-0.99]), while fibrate response (achieved in 55% of patients) with AST [OR 0.96 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98]). In patients treated with OCA, drug response (sHR 0.23 [95% CI: 0.08-0.64]), diabetes (sHR 5.62 [95% CI: 2.02-15.68]), albumin (sHR 0.34 [95% CI: 0.13-0.89]), and platelets (sHR 0.99 [95% CI: 0.98-1.00]) were related to decompensation. In patients treated with fibrate, drug response (sHR 0.36 (95% CI: 0.14-0.95]), albumin (sHR 0.36 (95% CI: 0.16-0.81]), and clinically significant portal hypertension (sHR 3.70 (95% CI: 1.17-11.70]) were associated with decompensated cirrhosis., Conclusions: Advanced PBC, rather than OCA and fibrates, was found to be associated with decompensating events. Therefore, biochemical and clinical variables should be considered when making decisions about the management of these drugs. Moreover, a positive response to OCA and fibrates reduced the risk of decompensation., (Copyright © 2024 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Background and Objectives: Previous randomized controlled trials and longitudinal studies have indicated that ongoing antihypertensive use in late life reduces all-cause dementia risk, but the specific impact on Alzheimer dementia (AD) and non-AD risk remains unclear. This study investigates whether previous hypertension or antihypertensive use modifies AD or non-AD risk in late life and the ideal blood pressure (BP) for risk reduction in a diverse consortium of cohort studies., Methods: This individual participant data meta-analysis included community-based longitudinal studies of aging from a preexisting consortium. The main outcomes were risk of developing AD and non-AD. The main exposures were hypertension history/antihypertensive use and baseline systolic BP/diastolic BP. Mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess risk and natural splines were applied to model the relationship between BP and the dementia outcomes. The main model controlled for age, age 2 , sex, education, ethnoracial group, and study cohort. Supplementary analyses included a fully adjusted model, an analysis restricting to those with >5 years of follow-up and models that examined the moderating effect of age, sex, and ethnoracial group., Results: There were 31,250 participants from 14 nations in the analysis (41% male) with a mean baseline age of 72 (SD 7.5, range 60-110) years. Participants with untreated hypertension had a 36% (hazard ratio [HR] 1.36, 95% CI 1.01-1.83, p = 0.0406) and 42% (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.08-1.87, p = 0.0135) increased risk of AD compared with "healthy controls" and those with treated hypertension, respectively. Compared with "healthy controls" both those with treated (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.03-1.60, p = 0.0267) and untreated hypertension (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.19-2.40, p = 0.0032) had greater non-AD risk, but there was no difference between the treated and untreated groups. Baseline diastolic BP had a significant U-shaped relationship ( p = 0.0227) with non-AD risk in an analysis restricted to those with 5-year follow-up, but otherwise there was no significant relationship between baseline BP and either AD or non-AD risk., Discussion: Antihypertensive use was associated with decreased AD but not non-AD risk throughout late life. This suggests that treating hypertension throughout late life continues to be crucial in AD risk mitigation. A single measure of BP was not associated with AD risk, but DBP may have a U-shaped relationship with non-AD risk over longer periods in late life.

Background & Aims: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, originating in the first decades of life. A better understanding of their early determinants would allow for better prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of nutritional and activity-related characteristics during adolescence on young adult cardiovascular risk factors., Methods: The Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study included adolescents (aged 12.5-17.5 years) in 10 European centres. Four centres designed a nested cohort including 236 participants who were reassessed as young adults (21-32 years). Food consumption was evaluated by dietary recalls, physical activity by accelerometers, physical fitness using physical tests and nutritional knowledge by questionnaires. Cardiovascular health was assessed by Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) Study risk scores and its components. Factors associated with cardiovascular risk were identified using a multivariable regression model., Results: Higher Diet Quality Index (DQI, P = 0.012) and nutritional knowledge (P = 0.015) were significantly associated with lower modified PDAY risk scores. Ultra-processed foods were associated with a lower non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol (P = 0.003), whereas DQI (P = 0.014) and Planetary Health Diet Index (P = 0.016) were associated with a higher HDL cholesterol. Higher DQI was also related to a lower body mass index (BMI, P = 0.006). In addition, cardiorespiratory fitness was related to a lower BMI (P = 0.004)., Conclusions: Nutritional knowledge, diet quality and adherence to a sustainable diet in adolescence decrease cardiovascular risk in adulthood, whereas ultra-processed food consumption increases risk. These factors appear as targeted prevention tools for promoting a healthier adolescent lifestyle to decrease long-term cardiovascular risk., Clinical Trial Registry Number: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02899416., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Pr. Frédéric Gottrand has received consulting fees from Nestlé. The remaining authors do not have any conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Imogolite nanotubes (INTs) are predicted as a unique 1D material with spatial separation of conduction and valence band edges but their large band gaps have inhibited their use as photocatalysts. The first step toward using these NTs in photocatalysis and exploiting the polarization-promoted charge separation across their walls is to reduce their band gap. Here, the modification of double-walled aluminogermanate INTs by incorporation of titanium into the NT walls is explored. The precursor ratio x = [Ti]/([Ge]+[Ti]) is modulated between 0 and 1. Structural and optical properties are determined at different scales and the photocatalytic performance is evaluated for H 2 production. Although the incorporation of Ti atoms into the structure remains limited, the optimal condition is found around x = 0.4 for which the resulting NTs reveal a remarkable hydrogen production of ≈1500 µmol g -1 after 5 h for a noble metal-free photocatalyst, a 65-fold increase relative to a commercial TiO 2 -P25. This is correlated to a lowering of the recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers for the most active structures. These results confirm the theoretical predictions regarding the potential of modified INTs as photoactive nanoreactors and pave the way for investigating and exploiting their polarization properties for energy applications., (© 2023 The Authors. Small Methods published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The present study empirically investigates how school-based bullying victimization affects students' learning outcomes, taking into consideration international and gender perspectives. The main objective of the present research is to provide a better understanding of the consequences of bullying victimization in the learning process of adolescents. We estimate a statistical function that empirically establishes the relationship between the students' outcomes in mathematics, reading, and science (output) and a wide set of explanatory variables (educational factors), one of which is that of being bullied. The present study uses a large sample of 612,004 students between 15 and 16 years old, attending 21,903 schools in 79 countries. The data come from the 2018 round of the Programme for International Student Assessment. The results indicate that bullying victimization is associated with decreases in academic achievement in mathematics, reading, and science. In addition, no relevant differences by gender are observed in reading and science but, other factors being equal, bullied males score less than bullied females in mathematics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Targeted Next Generation Sequencing (tNGS) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) are increasingly used for genotypic drug susceptibility testing (gDST) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thirty-two multi-drugs resistant and 40 drug susceptible isolates from Madagascar were tested with Deeplex® Myc-TB and WGS using the Mykrobe analysis pipeline. Sixty-four of 72 (89 %) yielded concordant categorical gDST results for drugs tested by both assays. Mykrobe didn't detect pncA K96T, pncA Q141P, pncA H51P, pncA H82R, rrs C517T and rpsL K43R mutations, which were identified as minority variants in corresponding isolates by tNGS. One discrepancy (rrs C517T) was associated with insufficient sequencing depth on WGS. Deeplex® Myc-TB didn't detect inhA G-154A which isn't covered by the assay's amplification targets. Despite those targets being included in the Deeplex® Myc-TB assay, a pncA T47A and a deletion in gid were not identified in one isolate respectively. The evaluated WGS and tNGS gDST assays show high but imperfect concordance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Philip Supply reports a relationship with GenoScreen that includes: consulting or advisory. If there are other authors, they 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 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Wellbeing is determined by happiness and both positive and negative affects. These constructs are, in turn, related to emotional intelligence and play an important role in individual behaviour. This study examined the relationship between happiness, emotional intelligence, and positive and negative affects in a sample of 344 (121 men 35.17 % and 223 women 64.83 %) trainee teachers, with an average age of 22.36 years. Happiness and affects yielded lower values, which may be related to the age of the participants. All variables under study were found to be correlated, which suggests that they are measuring the same construct: subjective wellbeing. Network analysis indicated that the self-regulation of emotions was the axial factor in the relationship. Finally, it was found that only the factor of emotional intelligence that measures the self-regulation of emotion and affects (both positive and negative) can be used to predict happiness. The present investigation reveals that more research is needed that takes more variables into consideration to describe the effect of these variables on personal wellbeing. The study offers empirical support to models that argue for a relationship between happiness, emotional intelligence, and affects, and emphasises the need to work on future teachers during their training to address their psychological wellbeing., 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 © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Computational models can help clinicians plan surgeries by accounting for factors such as mechanical imbalances or testing different surgical techniques beforehand. Different levels of modeling complexity are found in the literature, and it is still not clear what aspects should be included to obtain accurate results in finite-element (FE) corneal models. This work presents a methodology to narrow down minimal requirements of modeling features to report clinical data for a refractive intervention such as PRK., Methods: A pipeline to create FE models of a refractive surgery is presented: It tests different geometries, boundary conditions, loading, and mesh size on the optomechanical simulation output. The mechanical model for the corneal tissue accounts for the collagen fiber distribution in human corneas. Both mechanical and optical outcome are analyzed for the different models. Finally, the methodology is applied to five patient-specific models to ensure accuracy., Results: To simulate the postsurgical corneal optomechanics, our results suggest that the most precise outcome is obtained with patient-specific models with a 100 µm mesh size, sliding boundary condition at the limbus, and intraocular pressure enforced as a distributed load., Conclusions: A methodology for laser surgery simulation has been developed that is able to reproduce the optical target of the laser intervention while also analyzing the mechanical outcome., Translational Relevance: The lack of standardization in modeling refractive interventions leads to different simulation strategies, making difficult to compare them against other publications. This work establishes the standardization guidelines to be followed when performing optomechanical simulations of refractive interventions.

Incorporating detailed muscle architecture aspects into computational models can enable researchers to gain deeper insights into the complexity of muscle function, movement, and performance. In this study, we employed histological, multiphoton image processing, and finite element method techniques to characterise the mechanical dependency on the architectural behaviour of supraspinatus and infraspinatus mouse muscles. While mechanical tests revealed a stiffer passive behaviour in the supraspinatus muscle, the collagen content was found to be two times higher in the infraspinatus. This effect was unveiled by analysing the alignment of fibres during muscle stretch with the 3D models and the parameters obtained in the fitting. Therefore, a strong dependence of muscle behaviour, both active and passive, was found on fibre orientation rather than collagen content., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jorge Grasa reports financial support was provided by University of Zaragoza. Jorge Grasa reports a relationship with Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation that includes: funding grants. Ana Perez-Ruiz reports a relationship with Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation that includes: funding grants. If there are other authors, they 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 © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The SERPINA1 gene encodes the protein Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT1). Possible imbalances between the concentrations of proteases and antiproteases (AAT1) can lead to the development of serious pulmonary and extrapulmonary pathologies. In this work we study the importance of this possible imbalance in patients with COVID-19., Objectives: To correlate the severity of the symptoms of SARS-COV-2 infection with the AAT1 concentrations at diagnosis of the disease., Methods: An observational, prospective, cross-sectional, non-interventional, analytical study was carried out where 181 cases with COVID-19 admitted to the "Lozano Blesa" University Clinical Hospital of Zaragoza were selected. The concentration of AAT1 was studied in all of them and this was correlated with the clinical aspects and biochemical parameters at hospital admission., Results: 141 cases corresponded to patients with severe COVID and 40 patients with mild COVID. AAT1 levels were positively correlated with the days of hospitalization, severity, C-Reactive Protein, ferritin, admission to Intensive Care, and death, and presented a negative correlation with the number of lymphocytes/mm3. AAT1 concentrations higher than 237.5 mg/dL allowed the patient to be classified as "severe" (S72%; E78%) and 311.5 mg/dL were associated with the risk of admission to Intensive Care or Exitus (S67%; E79%)., Conclusions: Levels of the SERPINA1 gene expression product, AAT1, correlate with the severity of COVID-19 patients at diagnosis of the disease, being useful as a prognostic biomarker., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.)

This study explores the influence of mental health and structural determinants of health on motivational readiness for health behaviour change in 1462 Spanish primary healthcare users. Chi-square test and structural equation modelling were performed. Results showed that depression and anxiety were negatively associated with being in the action stages of motivational readiness for a healthy diet and physical activity. This association was statistically significant only for motivational readiness for a healthy diet and depression ( β = - 0 . 076 ; p = 0 . 046 ). Furthermore, women and workers were more likely to be in the action stages of motivational readiness for a healthy diet while older adults and adults with higher health-related quality of life were more likely to be in the action stages of motivational readiness for physical activity. The present study suggests that structural (being older, being a woman and being employed) and intermediary (suffering from depression and higher health-related quality of life) determinants of health influence motivational readiness for health behaviour changes., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction and Objectives: Posttransplant outcomes among recipients with a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) remain controversial., Methods: Retrospective analysis of a nationwide registry of first-time recipients undergoing isolated heart transplant between 1984 and 2021. One-year and 5-year mortality in recipients with HCM and RCM were compared with those with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)., Results: We included 3703 patients (3112 DCM; 331 HCM; 260 RCM) with a median follow-up of 5.0 [3.1-5.0] years. Compared with DCM, the adjusted 1-year mortality risk was: HCM: HR, 1.38; 95%CI, 1.07-1.78; P=.01, RCM: HR, 1.48; 95%CI, 1.14-1.93; P=.003. The adjusted 5-year mortality risk was: HCM: HR, 1.17; 95%CI, 0.93-1.47; P=.18; RCM: HR, 1.52; 95%CI, 1.22-1.89; P<.001. Over the last 20 years, the RCM group showed significant improvement in 1-year survival (adjusted R 2 =0.95) and 5-year survival (R 2 =0.88); the HCM group showed enhanced the 5-year survival (R 2 =0.59), but the 1-year survival remained stable (R 2 =0.16)., Conclusions: Both RCM and HCM were linked to a less favorable early posttransplant prognosis compared with DCM. However, at the 5-year mark, this unfavorable difference was evident only for RCM. Notably, a substantial temporal enhancement in both early and late mortality was observed for RCM, while for HCM, this improvement was mainly evident in late mortality., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases oxidative stress and decreases antioxidant capacity in newborns. Uncontrolled oxidative stress plays a role in fetal development disorders and in adverse perinatal outcomes. In order to identify molecular pathways involved in low fetal growth, epigenetic modifications in newborns of smoking and non-smoking mothers were examined. Low birth weight newborns of mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day during the first trimester of pregnancy and normal birth weight newborns of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy were included in the study. DNA was extracted from umbilical cord blood of term newborns. 125 differentially methylated regions were identified by MeDIP-Seq. Functional analysis revealed several pathways, such as ferroptosis, that were enriched in differentially methylated genes after prenatal smoke exposure. GPX4 and PCBP1 were found to be hypermethylated and associated with low fetal growth. These epigenetic modifications in ferroptosis pathway genes in newborns of smoking mothers can potentially contribute to intrauterine growth restriction through the induction of cell death via lipid peroxidation of cell membranes. The identification of epigenetic modifications in the ferroptosis pathway sheds light on the potential mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of low birth weight in infants born to smoking mothers., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jose Ignacio Labarta reports financial support was provided by Gobierno de Aragón. If there are other authors, they 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 © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recently, there has been a growing interest in emotional wellbeing, even from the early stages of education. In order to work wellbeing among the students it is essential to analyze the wellbeing of the teachers who are teaching and working with the children. This study examines psychological wellbeing in early childhood (0-6 years) and primary school teachers (6-12 years). The study comprised 236 early childhood and primary school teachers - 76 men (32.2%) and 160 women (67.8%) - with ages ranging from 25 to 61 years (average 37.69 years - s.d.= 2.47). The study examined psychological wellbeing (happiness, eudemonic wellbeing, self-esteem, and life satisfaction) and several sociodemographic variables (gender, age, years in the job, type of contract, and educational stage). Participants answered an ad-hoc sociodemographic questionnaire and subjective happiness, eudemonic wellbeing, self-esteem, and life satisfaction standard questionnaires. Early childhood schoolteachers yielded higher wellbeing-related scores. All the wellbeing-related variables were found to be correlated with one another, except for happiness and self-esteem. Teachers working in different educational stages were found to yield significantly different wellbeing-related scores. For the first time, network analysis revealed differences in the associations of the variables under study among Early Childhood Education and Primary Education teachers. Thus, while happiness and satisfaction with life were found to be correlated in both groups, stronger correlations between self-esteem and eudaimonic wellbeing were found in early childhood education teachers, while in primary education teachers the correlation was with satisfaction with life, which indicates that early childhood teachers present greater spiritual and existential understanding, leading to eudaimonic wellbeing. These differences between educational stages are considered greatly significant. It was concluded that more research is needed, ideally with broader and longitudinal studies, to understand and describe the relationship between personal and even structural variables and wellbeing., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Mitochondrial carrier homologs 1 (MTCH1) and 2 (MTCH2) are orphan members of the mitochondrial transporter family SLC25. Human MTCH1 is also known as presenilin 1-associated protein, PSAP. MTCH2 is a receptor for tBid and is related to lipid metabolism. Both proteins have been recently described as protein insertases of the outer mitochondrial membrane. We have depleted Mtch in Drosophila and show here that mutant flies are unable to complete development, showing an excess of apoptosis during pupation; this observation was confirmed by RNAi in Schneider cells. These findings are contrary to what has been described in humans. We discuss the implications in view of recent reports concerning the function of these proteins., (© 2023 The Authors. FEBS Open Bio published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

The literature has consistently found that victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are reluctant to make their situation visible and report it to the police. Whether victims perceive and define IPV behaviors as reportable is key to understanding in which cases the police are seen as potential providers of help or whether other potential sources of help (family, friends, professionals, etc.) are preferred. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the influence of perceived reportability of IPV on women's selection of the police as a source of help compared to not seeking help or selecting other sources of help. Structural equation modeling was applied to data from 479 female participants drawn from a nationally representative sample of 1,112 male and female Chilean adolescents and young adults conducted by the National Youth Institute of Chile. The results showed that perceived reportability was a significant predictor of choosing the police as a source of help compared to other informal sources of help, such as family and friends. However, perceived reportability did not affect help-seeking choices between the police and other formal help sources (psychologists, public services). Participants' IPV victimization and attitudes toward IPV also played a specific role in selecting the police as a source of help. These findings highlight the complexity of the visibility of women's IPV victimization to the police and the need to examine its explanatory mechanisms., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors of this article declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024, Colegio Oficial de la Psicología de Madrid.)

Introduction: The diagnosis of Duchenne-linked cardiomyopathy may be challenging. Conventional echocardiographic measurements typically show deterioration beyond the second decade. Global longitudinal strain has been proposed as an earlier marker than left ventricular ejection fraction., Material and Methods: A prospective, observational, cross-sectional, case-control study was carried out. Both Duchenne patients and control subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiogram in order to assess left ventricle function. Bayesian linear regression was the main tool for inference. Age effects were parameterised by means of a spline function because of its simplicity to characterise continuous variables and smooth contributions. The posterior distribution of the marginal age effects was used to assess the earliest age of deterioration of each marker., Results: Sixteen Duchenne patients and twenty-two healthy male subjects were enrolled. On overage, cardiac function measures were found for ejection fraction and longitudinal strain among different groups. Age effects on global longitudinal strain are more reliably found at ages of 6 and above, while ejection fraction starts to deteriorate at an older age. Progressive left ventricular dysfunction in Duchenne patients is one of the key issues and starts at an early age with subtle symptoms., Conclusion: This cross-sectional study provides supporting evidence that global longitudinal strain is an earlier marker of disease progression than ejection fraction in Duchenne patients.

Too little is known about areia de escrever, i.e., blotting sands, the intriguing particles sprinkled on freshly written scripts to accelerate the drying time of the ink. Blotting sands constitute a valuable but underestimated historical source. This work investigated the blotting sands used on the account books of the religious houses scattered across continental Portugal and Madeira Island (16th-19th centuries). The sands were mainly composed of different minerals, predominately black sands, but in a few cases, minerals were found mixed with gums, paper cocoons or bone shavings. The combined use of SEM-EDS, µ-Raman and FT-IR techniques uncovered the materials' chemical or mineralogical composition and morphology. This approach, allied with image analysis and statistics complemented with multivariate analysis, allowed us to look for trends between the samples and hypothesise about their provenance. Heavy minerals, such as ilmenite, hematite and almandine, were identified as major components, together with other silicates (e.g. quartz). Samples were dominated by medium-sized grains with shape features indicating texturally mature sediments resulting from a medium-to-long sedimentary transport. Due to shorter geological transport distances, Madeira Island was the exception, with more angular grains. This work allowed us to uncover blotting sands, value them as historical sources, and establish a roadmap for their use in Portugal, aiming to pave the way towards a more global context in Europe., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Family Climate for Road Safety Scale (FCRSS; Taubman - Ben-Ari & Katz - Ben-Ami, 2013) is a comprehensive measure originally developed in Israel to assess parent-children relations in the specific context of driving. The scale consists of seven dimensions: Modelling, Feedback, Communication, Monitoring, Messages, Limits, and Non-commitment to Safety. While the original FCRSS examines the young drivers' perception across the seven domains, a version applicable to parents has also been developed by the same authors. The current study investigates the validity and reliability of the FCRSS-Spain for both parents and young drivers. A total of 377 parents (199 fathers and 178 mothers) and 243 of their children (143 daughters and 100 sons) responded to the FCRSS-Spain versions and provided sociodemographic data. In addition, the young drivers completed the Spanish version of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI-Spain). Results from exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) indicate that six out of the seven FCRSS domains were replicable among Spanish drivers. The Messages dimension did not emerge as a consistent factor in the FCRSS for either parents or young drivers. All six factors demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (ordinal alpha coefficients exceeding 0.70), except for Non-commitment to safety. Significant differences were found between mothers and fathers in various FCRSS dimensions in the predicted direction, whereas no significant differences in FCRSS scores were found between young men and young women. As expected, associations were found between parents' scores in various FCRSS dimensions and the reckless, angry, dissociative, anxious, and careful driving styles reported by the young drivers, as well as between young drivers' FCRSS scores and their self-reported reckless, angry, dissociative, anxious, and careful driving styles., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health burden, causing more than 10 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths each year. Currently, the only approved TB vaccine in use in humans, is the one hundred years old vaccine, BCG, an attenuated vaccine derived from an isolate of Mycobacterium bovis that causes TB in cattle. BCG shows a variable efficacy in preventing pulmonary forms of the disease in humans, so new vaccines are needed to help stop TB transmission. Among the 15 diverse TB vaccine candidates in clinical trials, MTBVAC is the only one based on rational attenuation of a human clinical isolate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which contains the largest number of antigens of the TB vaccine candidates in the pipeline. MTBVAC was designed and constructed as a response to the need to confer a better TB protection in terms of pulmonary disease prevention in newborns, adolescents, and adults. This review aims to provide an overview of the preclinical and clinical development of MTBVAC to the present. We will focus on the clinical development of MTBVAC, and we will compare it with other TB vaccine candidates currently in Phase 3 efficacy trials., (Copyright © 2023 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Life expectancy has increased considerably in the last decades, clearing the way for preventive medicine. The ingestion of healthy foods or ingredients to improve health is gaining attention and edible flowers entail a promising source of bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to study the anti-ageing and anti-obesity properties of an extract obtained from an edible flower Viola x wittrockiana though in vitro and in vivo methodologies with Caenorhabditis elegans as a model. The capacity to inhibit the enzymes α-glucosidase and lipase as well as to prevent advance glycation end-product (AGE) formation was tested in vitro . Caenorhabditis elegans was used as an obesity in vivo model to assess the effects of the extract on fat accumulation, development, progeny and health span. Viola flowers showed lower IC 50 values in the α-glucosidase assay than the reference drug acarbose and exerted a higher inhibition of AGE formation than the reference substance aminoguanidine; the extract also showed pancreatic lipase inhibiting properties. Moreover, the extract lowered fat storage of C. elegans in a dose-dependent manner, up to 90.37% at the highest tested dose, and improved health span biomarkers such as lipofuscin accumulation and progeny availability. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the anti-obesogenic and anti-ageing activity of Viola x wittrockiana flowers and their potential use as functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Background: APOE gene encoded a multifunctional protein in lipid metabolism, also associated with inflammatory markers. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex metabolic disease related to increased blood glucose, triglycerides and VLDL and associated with different dyslipidaemias. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the APOE genotype could determining the risk of developing T2D in a large cohort of workers., Material and Methods: Data from the Aragon Workers Health Study (AWHS) (n=4895) were used to investigate the relationship between glycemic levels and APOE genotype. All patients in the AWHS cohort had their blood drawn after an overnight fast and laboratory tests were performed on the same day as the blood drawn. Dietary and physical assessment was assessed by face-to-face interview. APOE genotype was determined by the Sanger sequencing method., Results: The relationship between APOE genotype and glycemic profile showed that glucose, Hb1Ac, insulin and HOMA levels did not seem to be associated with the APOE genotype (p=0.563, p=0.605, p=0.333 and p=0.276, respectively). In addition, the T2D prevalence did not show an association with the APOE genotype (p=0.354). Along the same lines, blood glucose levels and T2D prevalence did not show association with the APOE allele. Shift work had some effect on the glycaemic profile, showing that night shift workers have significantly lower levels of glucose, insulin and HOMA (p<0.001). However, the APOE genotype did not show difference in the concentration of glycaemic parameters adjusting by sex, age and BMI, work shift and dietary parameters., Conclusion: Glycemic profile and T2D prevalence did not show any significant association with the APOE genotype. Besides, individuals, who worked in non-rotating night shift showed significantly lower glycemic levels, while workers in the morning-afternoon-night shift showed significantly higher values., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Lindane production is very ineffective since, for each ton of lindane obtained, between 6 and 10 tons of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers and other toxic compounds are produced. Due to the disposal of these residues, contaminated zones still exist, and many dumpsites are close to rivers and water reservoirs. The current study examines the consequences of irrigating pea, maize, and alfalfa, with water containing different HCH concentrations on the accumulation of HCH in plant material and soils. The experiments were conducted on pots under controlled conditions using drinking water (as reference) and water with several HCH concentrations: 0.5 μg L -1 (the maximum threshold allowed for human consumption), 2.5 μg L -1 , 5 μg L -1 , and 20 μg L -1 . Results showed that both surface and overhead irrigation with these HCH concentrations did not cause any toxicity effects on the considered crops. However, under overhead irrigation with HCH concentrations higher than 5 μgL -1 HCH is absorbed by maize leaves and its concentration in plant biomass surpassed the EU maximum residue level of 10 μg kg -1 . In the case of fodder maize, an HCH concentration of 0.84 μg L -1 in irrigation water produced an HCH concentration in plant above 20 μg kg -1 dry matter, the upper threshold established in the Spanish legislation, that limits the use for animal feeding. In the case of alfalfa, HCH was detected in treatments with the highest HCH concentration (13 μg L -1 ) under surface irrigation, but concentration was below the EU maximum residue level. In conclusion, in overhead irrigated systems, water with HCH concentrations below 5 μg L -1 does not produce HCH accumulation in pea and maize grain above the maximum residue levels; however, for fodder maize, the HCH concentration in irrigation water should be controlled to avoid HCH accumulation in plants above the limit for animal feeding., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Problems of behaviour, communication, and social interaction associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders can overwhelm parents. Disturbances in parents' psychological well-being (anxiety, depression) affect adherence to treatment, making it less effective. There is a need to investigate how to increase psychological wellbeing in parents of children with autism., Method: An 8-week brief training programme using the Mindfulness Parenting (MP) intervention was applied to fourteen parents (6 couples and two mothers). Participants were assigned to one of two groups, both groups received the same treatment but at two different time points. Measures of anxiety (SCAARED), parental stress (PSI-4), autism severity level (AIM) and mindfulness awareness (FFMQ), were assessed., Results: Analysis indicates that MP training increased mindfulness awareness, increasing non-judgment and reactivity, and consequently, reduced anxiety (parental, general, social), improving parent-child interaction. This improvement did not influence parents' perception of the severity of the disorder., Conclusions: The small number of participants precludes generalisation of the results. More clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the usefulness of including these programmes in early intervention services, as well as profiles of parents who may potentially benefit from it.

Background: apo (apolipoprotein) E has crucial role in lipid metabolism. The genetic variation in APOE gene is associated with monogenic disorders and contributes to polygenic hypercholesterolemia and to interindividual variability in cholesterol. APOE rare variants may be involved in the phenotype of genetic hyperlipidemias., Methods: Exon 4 of APOE were sequenced in all consecutive unrelated subjects with primary hyperlipidemia from a Lipid Unit (n=3667) and 822 random subjects from the Aragon Workers Health Study. Binding affinity of VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) to LDL receptor of pathogenic predicted apoE variants was analyzed in vitro. Lipoprotein particle number, size, and composition were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance., Results: In addition to common polymorphisms giving rise to APOE2 and APOE4, 14 gene variants were found in exon 4 of APOE in 65 subjects. p.(Leu167del) in 8 patients with isolated hypercholesterolemia and in 8 patients with combined hyperlipidemia. Subjects with p.(Arg121Trp), p.(Gly145Asp), p.(Arg154Ser), p.(Arg163Cys), p.(Arg165Trp), and p.(Arg168His) variants met dysbetalipoproteinemia lipid criteria and were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance. VLDL affinity for the LDL receptor of p.(Arg163Cys) and p.(Arg165Trp) heterozygous carriers had intermedium affinity between APOE2/2 and APOE3/3. p.(Gly145Asp) and p.(Pro220Leu) variants had higher affinity than APOE3/3., Conclusions: APOE genetic variation contributes to the development of combined hyperlipidemia, usually dysbetalipoproteinemia, and familial hypercholesterolemia. The lipid phenotype in heterozygous for dysbetalipoproteinemia-associated mutations is milder than the homozygous APOE2/2-associated phenotype. Subjects with dysbetalipoproteinemia and absence of APOE2/2 are good candidates for the study of pathogenic variants in APOE . However, more investigation is required to elucidate the significance of rarer variants of apoE., Competing Interests: Disclosures None.

Our knowledge on the genetic diversity of the human genome is exponentially growing. However, our capacity to establish genotype-phenotype correlations on a large scale requires a combination of detailed experimental and computational work. This is a remarkable task in human proteins which are typically multifunctional and structurally complex. In addition, mutations often prevent the determination of mutant high-resolution structures by X-ray crystallography. We have characterized here the effects of five mutations in the active site of the disease-associated NQO1 protein, which are found either in cancer cell lines or in massive exome sequencing analysis in human population. Using a combination of H/D exchange, rapid-flow enzyme kinetics, binding energetics and conformational stability, we show that mutations in both sets may cause counterintuitive functional effects that are explained well by their effects on local stability regarding different functional features. Importantly, mutations predicted to be highly deleterious (even those affecting the same protein residue) may cause mild to catastrophic effects on protein function. These functional effects are not well explained by current predictive bioinformatic tools and evolutionary models that account for site conservation and physicochemical changes upon mutation. Our study also reinforces the notion that naturally occurring mutations not identified as disease-associated can be highly deleterious. Our approach, combining protein biophysics and structural biology tools, is readily accessible to broadly increase our understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations and to improve predictive computational tools aimed at distinguishing disease-prone against neutral missense variants in the human genome., (© 2022 The Authors. The FEBS Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

Introduction: The treatment of intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly remains challenging for orthopedic surgeons, due to aging, comorbidities, and poor bone quality. The Heracles straight blade has proven a lower rate of cut-out and femoral head displacement in biomechanical studies; however, there are currently no published clinical studies using this nail., Purpose: To analyze the clinical and radiological results of the Heracles nail with the straight cephalic Heracles blade as a device to treat osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures of the proximal femur., Methods: A total of 136 patients with trochanteric hip fractures were operated on by the same surgeon, using the Heracles nail with a straight cephalic blade. However, only 86 patients completed the 1-year follow-up both clinically and radiologically. According to the Association of Osteosynthesis classification, 38 patients (44.1%) had 31-A1, 36 patients (41.6%) had 31-A2, and 12 patients (14.1%) had 31-A3. Functional outcomes were assessed according to the Katz and Barthel scores, finding that 58% of patients recovered their original functional level, According to Barthel score, a mean loss of 11.8 points was found., Results: The mean hospital stay was 8.22 days (mean preoperative stay of 2.71 days). The mean tip-apex distance was 15.2 mm. During the follow-up, 6 complications (6.96%) were detected: 4 cut-out, 1 cut-in, and 1 nail breakage. According to the Katz score, 58% of the patients recovered their previous functional status and 20.58% needed an additional walking aid. The mean loss in the Barthel score was 11.8 points., Conclusion: The Heracles nail using a cephalic straight blade has proven to be a valid treatment of trochanteric fractures, due to the functional recovery of the patients and low level of complications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We have read and understood your journal's policies, and we believe that neither the manuscript nor the study violates any of these. There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sperm orientation mechanisms, such as chemotaxis, are essential for the sperm to reach the oocyte and fertilize it. Melatonin is secreted by the cumulus cells and is also present in the follicular fluid in mammals. The presence of membrane receptors for melatonin in ram spermatozoa, and its proven involvement in the sperm functionality, may suggest a possible role in the guided movement towards the oocyte. Hence, the objective of the present work is to study the in vitro potential chemotactic action of melatonin on ram spermatozoa, analysing the influence of the season (breeding and non-breeding) and the sperm capacitation state. The first experimental approach consisted in the inclusion of melatonin in the upper layer of a swim-up selection method. During the non-breeding season, the presence of melatonin at 100 pM and 1 μM concentrations significantly increased the cell recovery rate, and induced changes in the sperm location of the MT 2 melatonin receptor, compared with the standard swim-up. Moreover, the selected sperm population with 100 pM melatonin presented a higher percentage of capacitated spermatozoa. The greater recovery rate obtained with melatonin could be due to the stimulation of sperm movement in random directions, i.e., a chemokinetic effect, or due to a guided movement (chemotaxis) towards the gradient of the melatonin. To elucidate this issue, together with the study of the influence of the sperm capacitation status, we performed a second experimental approach which consisted in the use of chemotaxis chambers and an open-source software (Open-CASA) that analyses the sperm trajectories towards the hormone gradient and calculates a chemotaxis index (SL index). There was a significant difference between the SL index in the presence of 1 μM melatonin and the control without hormone. This effect was only observed in capacitated spermatozoa with cAMP-elevating agents (Cap-CK samples) obtained during the non-breeding season. These results would point to an in vitro chemotactic effect of melatonin on ram spermatozoa, although chemokinesis cannot be ruled out. Nonetheless, the inclusion of this hormone in the swim-up procedure could enhance the sperm recovery rate., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Memristors are expected to be one of the key building blocks for the development of new bio-inspired nanoelectronics. Memristive effects in transition metal oxides are usually linked to the electromigration at the nanoscale of charged oxygen vacancies (OV). In this paper we address, for Pt/TiO x /TaO y /Pt devices, the exchange of OV between the device and the environment upon the application of electrical stress. From a combination of experiments and theoretical simulations we determine that both TiO x and TaO y layers oxidize, via environmental oxygen uptake, during the electroforming process. Once the memristive effect is stabilized (post-forming behavior) our results suggest that oxygen exchange with the environment is suppressed and the OV dynamics that drives the memristive behavior is restricted to an internal electromigration between TiO x and TaO y layers. Our work provides relevant information for the design of reliable binary oxide memristive devices., (© 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Background: The usual inverse correlation between thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroid hormone disappears in syndromes of central resistance to thyroid hormone, where both are high. TSH and thyroid hormone are also simultaneously high when there is an elevation of the set point of the thyroid regulation axis. This can be estimated with indices, such as the Parametric Thyroid Feedback Quantile-based Index (PTFQI), which was designed for the general population. The PTFQI is positively associated with diabetes prevalence, but association with other pathologies has not been yet explored. The aim of this project was to explore the potential relationship of the PTFQI with metabolic and cardiovascular disease in a sample of ambulatory adult patients from Spain. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the patients who underwent thyroid hormones measurement (6434 measurements from September to November 2018 in a central laboratory in Spain). We retrospectively reviewed clinical records of a subgroup of adults aged >18 years with normal TSH and free thyroxine (fT4) belonging to groups that represent extreme PTFQI ( n  = 661). Individuals with known conditions interfering the thyroid axis were excluded (remaining n  = 296). Logistic and linear regression models adjusted for age and sex were used to calculate odds ratio (OR) of diseases and differences of clinical parameters, and 95% confidence intervals [CI]. Results: Across levels with higher PTFQI, there was an increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (High vs. Low PTFQI OR: 2.88 [CI: 1.14-7.86], p -Trend = 0.02), ischemic heart disease (16.4% vs. 0%, unadjusted Haldane-Anscombe corrected OR: 23.90 [CI: 1.36-21.48], adjusted p -Trend = 0.04), atrial fibrillation (OR: 8.13 [CI: 1.33-158.20], p -Trend = 0.05), and hypertension (OR: 3.19 [CI: 1.14-9.94], p -Trend = 0.05). While the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was similarly associated with TSH and fT4, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension were more strongly associated with the differences in fT4 values. Conclusions: Type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension may be associated with a higher central regulation set point for thyroid hormone. These findings should be confirmed in other populations.

Eight stimulating rams, and twelve stimulated rams, were used to determine whether a similar endocrine response to the introduction of sexually active males in spring in a flock of ewes is observed in a flock of rams. The stimulating rams (n = 4) were induced into a sexually active state by exposure to 2 months of long days (16 h light/d) (15 December-15 February). At the end of the long-day period, rams were returned to the natural photoperiod. Control-stimulating rams (n = 4) were kept under the natural photoperiod. On April 20, stimulated rams were divided into 2 groups, and joined with activated (ACT; n = 6) or control stimulating rams (C; n = 6). On the day of ram introduction, stimulated rams were blood sampled for 8 h at 20-min intervals, from 4 h before to 4 h after ram introduction, and next day from 24 to 28 h after ram introduction, and analyzed for plasma LH concentrations, and 10, 20 and 30 days after ram introduction to measure plasma testosterone levels. Mean (±SEM) plasma LH concentrations (ng/ml) of stimulated rams were similar during the 4 h before stimulating-ram introduction (ACT: 0.59 ± 0.03; C: 0.53 ± 0.04; P > 0.05). The introduction of the photoperiod-treated stimulating rams increased LH concentrations of stimulated rams during the 4 h after their introduction (1.14 ± 0.37) compared with the C group (0.51 ± 0.03; P < 0.05), especially during the first hour (ACT: 0.93 ± 0.16; C: 0.49 ± 0.03; P < 0.05), and during the blood sampling period 24-28 h after ram introduction (0.75 ± 0.07 vs. 0.58 ± 0.04; P < 0.05). Before the introduction of stimulating rams, the LH pulse frequencies and amplitudes did not differ between groups; however, LH pulsatility was higher at 4 h (0.58 ± 0.11 pulses/h; P < 0.05), and had trend to be higher 24 h (0.50 ± 0.06) (P = 0.10) after the introduction of the photoperiod-treated stimulating rams compared with the control-stimulating rams (0.29 ± 0.08 and 0.29 ± 0.10, respectively). As for LH pulses, there was an effect of group (P < 0.05) on LH amplitude, which presented a trend to be higher in ACT rams 4 h after ram introduction (1.68 ± 0.30; P < 0.10) and higher 24 h (1.07 ± 0.08; P < 0.05) after ram introduction, compared with LH amplitudes of C rams (0.71 ± 0.06 and 0.82 ± 0.07, respectively). Plasma testosterone concentrations of rams exposed to photoperiod-treated activated rams were higher than those of rams exposed to control-stimulating rams, at 4 h, 20 and 30 days after ram introduction (P < 0.05). In conclusion, sexually active rams in spring are able to stimulate LH and testosterone secretion of other rams in sexual rest, a phenomenon we called "ram-to-ram effect"., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

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.

Background: PCSK9 (Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) regulates LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) metabolism by targeting LDLr (LDL receptor) for lysosomal degradation. PCSK9 gain-of-function variants cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia by reducing LDLr levels, the D374Y variant being the most severe, while loss-of-function variants are associated with low LDL-C levels. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function activities have also been attributed to variants occurring in the PCSK9 signal peptide. Among them, L11 is a very rare PCSK9 variant that seems to increase LDL-C values in a moderate way causing mild hypercholesterolemia., Methods: Using molecular biology and biophysics methodologies, activities of L8 and L11 variants, both located in the leucine repetition stretch of the signal peptide, have been extensively characterized in vitro., Results: L8 variant is not associated with increased LDLr activity, whereas L11 activity is increased by ≈20% compared with wt PCSK9. The results suggest that the L11 variant reduces LDLr levels intracellularly by a process resulting from impaired cleavage of the signal peptide. This would lead to less efficient LDLr transport to the cell membrane and promote LDLr intracellular degradation., Conclusions: Deletion of a leucine in the signal peptide in L8 variant does not affect PCSK9 activity, whereas the leucine duplication in the L11 variant enhances LDLr intracellular degradation. These findings highlight the importance of deep in vitro characterization of PCSK9 genetic variants to determine pathogenicity and improve clinical diagnosis and therapy of inherited familial hypercholesterolemia disease.

Nowadays people use screens, such as mobile phones, television, or tablets, more often during mealtimes, which may have an effect on intake. This review aims to analyze the effect of screen use, during food consumption, on intake. A systematic review was carried out, based on those protocols established by PRISMA. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases were consulted. Experimental studies, published between 2010 and 2021, that recorded individual intake while using screens such as television, cell phones, or tablets, were selected. A total of 7181 relevant articles were obtained, which were then assessed in accordance with predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 35 studies were included in the complete review: 22 compared different kinds of television content (e.g., adverts), five which compared television versus the absence of screens, four which compared television versus video games, two which compared the use of simultaneous screens, and two studies which included cell phones. A total of 27 studies reported consumption increases related to the presence of advertisements and food signals on screens. No significant differences in intake were reported in the eight studies that reported design or sample size limitations, or lack of control of certain variables. It is thus concluded that screen use during food consumption may increase intake. Education is necessary to regulate the habit of consuming food in the presence of screens. Also, the creation of policies that regulate advertising and food cues on screens are justified and must be accompanied by strategies to monitor compliance. As a limitation, further evidence is necessary in order to determine the effect of mobile phone and tablet use while eating. This protocol was registered via PROSPERO, ID: CRD42020211797., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally and has led to extremely high mortality rates. In addition to infecting humans, this virus also has infected animals. Experimental studies and natural infections showed that dogs have a low susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas domesticated cats and other animals in the family Felidae, such as lions, tigers, snow leopards, and cougars, have a high susceptibility to viral infections. In addition, wild white-tailed deer, gorillas, and otters have been found to be infected by SARS-CoV-2. Furry farm animals, such as minks, have a high susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The virus appears to spread among minks and generate several new mutations, resulting in increased viral virulence. Furthermore, livestock animals, such as cattle, sheep, and pigs, were found to have low susceptibility to the virus, whereas chicken, ducks, turkeys, quail, and geese did not show susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This knowledge can provide insights for the development of SARS-CoV-2 mitigation strategies in animals and humans. Therefore, this review focuses on experimental (both replication and transmission) in vitro, ex vivo , and in vivo studies of SARS-CoV-2 infections in pets and in wild and farm animals, and to provide details on the mechanism associated with natural infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Mastutik, et al.)