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The protection of the neonate against pathogens depends largely on the antibodies transferred placentally from the mother; for this reason, maternal vaccination against emerging viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, is of vital importance. Knowing some of the immunogenic factors that could alter the placental transfer of antibodies could aid in understanding the immune response and neonatal protection after maternal vaccination. In this study, we analyzed the efficiency of the placental transfer of binding and neutralizing antibodies, as well as some factors that could alter the passive immune response, such as the trimester of gestation at the time of immunization, the number of doses received by the mother and the type of vaccine. Binding IgG antibodies were detected by ELISA, and the detection of neutralizing antibodies was carried out using flow cytometry. Our results show efficient transfer rates (>1), which are higher when maternal vaccination occurs during the third trimester of gestation. Antibodies are detectable in mothers and their neonates after 12 months of maternal immunization, suggesting than the vaccination against COVID-19 before and during pregnancy in the Mexican population induces a lasting neutralizing response in mothers and their newborns.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in schools are essential to reduce infectious disease transmission, including that of COVID-19. This study aimed to establish a baseline of WASH services in six public elementary schools in Guatemala, with a focus on hand hygiene. We used the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report indicators to assess the WASH infrastructure at each school. We collected water samples from easily accessible water points (pilas, or bathroom sinks) at each school to test for the presence of total coliforms and E. coli . In-depth interviews were carried out with teachers to understand hand hygiene practices and systems at school. Results indicate that all schools had water available at the time of the survey. All water samples at four schools tested positive for total coliforms and at one school, positive for E. coli . All schools had sanitation facilities, but services were limited. Only 43% of handwashing stations at schools had soap available. No school had disability-inclusive WASH services. Financial constraints and a lack of appropriate WASH infrastructure were the main barriers reported by teachers to meet hand hygiene needs at school. Appropriate access to WASH infrastructure and supplies could increase hand hygiene practices and improve learning conditions for students.

The influence of the lateral size and the content of graphene oxide (GO) flakes in specific oxygenate functional groups on the anti-biofouling properties and performance of thin-film composite membrane (TFC) was studied. Three different multidimensional GO samples were prepared with small (500-1200 nm), medium (1200-2300 nm), and large (2300-3600 nm) size distribution, and with different degrees of oxidation (GO3 > GO2 > GO1), varying the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide amount during GO synthesis. GO1 sheets' length have a heterogeneous size distribution containing all size groups, whilst GO2 is contained in a medium-size group, and GO3 is totally contained within a small-size group. Moreover, GO oxygenate groups were controlled. GO2 and GO3 have hydroxyl and epoxy groups at the basal plane of their sheets. Meanwhile, GO1 presented only hydroxyl groups. GO sheets were incorporated into the polyamide (PA) layer of the TFC membrane during the interfacial polymerization reaction. The incorporation of GO1 produced a modified membrane with excellent bactericidal properties and anti-adhesion capacity, as well as superior desalination performance with high water flow (133% as compared with the unmodified membrane). For GO2 and GO3, despite the significant anti-biofouling effect, a detrimental impact on desalination performance was observed. The high content of large sheets in GO2 and small sheet stacking in GO3 produced an unfavorable impact on the water flow. Therefore, the synergistic effect due to the presence of large- and small-sized GO sheets and high content of OH-functional groups (GO1) made it possible to balance the performance of the membrane.

The aim of this study is to explore the expression of osteopontin (OPN) and its relationship with prognostic factors and survival in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). A tissue microarray was performed for immunohistochemical evaluation. Contingency tables were analyzed for trends; chi-square test was used to determine differences between groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards-regression analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of prognostic factors on survival. Expression of OPN was observed in 28%. It was different in non-germinal center DLBCL (P=0.04). The mean overall survival (OS) was lower in patients with positive OPN expression (19.762; CI 95% 14.269-25.255) it was not significant (P=0.123). It is not possible to establish a clear relationship between the expression by immunohistochemistry of osteopontin and a poor prognosis but it would be important to complement the analysis with other techniques as PCR or NGS that allow us to assess the influence of the isoforms and post-translational modifications of OPN on the biological behavior of DLBCL. Our findings indicate that OPN expression could be associated with a more aggressive variant of lymphoma: non-germinal center DLBCL., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: the authors declare no conflict of interest., (©Copyright: the Author(s), 2019.)

While there is a progressive ageing of the population, we are witnessing a rapid development of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although for most of society this technology is within reach, there are population segments for whom access is limited, especially adults who are considered of old age. Due to the relevance that the relationship between ICTs and older adults acquires in today's society, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of the scientific literature in order to understand the knowledge structure of this field. In this research, a comparative bibliometric analysis of 172 documents published in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases was carried out until 2018 and is complemented by a co-citation analysis. The results show that this subject is incipient and is in its exponential growth stage, with two thirds of the production concentrated in the 2012-2018 period. Four out of five authors are transient with a single authorship and the collaboration level is high. The most productive country is Germany followed by the United States and Australia.