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Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tickborne zoonotic disease causing severe illness, considered by the World Health Organization to be 1 of the 7 highest-priority epidemic-prone diseases. CCHF is considered [...]

Image, graphical abstract • COVID-19 asymptomatic patients could become an important cause of virus spread. • A high proportion (42%) of close contacts of COVID-19 patients were infected with SARS-CoV-2. • The average of contacts infected with SARS-CoV-2 by index COVID-19 case was 4.3. • The mean of time of SARS-CoV-2 positive test was 18.9 days. • 82.4% of contacts infected with SARS-CoV-2 had less than 2 or had no respiratory symptoms. To determine the percentage of positivity of close contacts of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients to depict the importance of asymptomatic infections in the patient-to-patient transmission of COVID-19. One hundred subjects were included. Nineteen index COVID-19 cases and 81 traced close contacts were screened for coronavirus 2 of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Immunoglobulin M and G against SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated by rapid test. Thirty-four (42%) contacts in the study were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Twenty-three (67.6%) manifested less than 2 respiratory symptoms, and 5 (14.7%) remained asymptomatic. The average of positive contacts by index COVID-19 case (R 0) was 4.3 and the mean of time of positive COVID-19 test at sampling time was 18.9 days. Positive antibody test against SARS-CoV-2 was observed in 16% of the participants. The proportion of close contacts of COVID-19 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (42%) and with less than 2 or with no respiratory symptoms (82.4%) was high in the study population. A low proportion of COVID-19 patients had a positive test for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The screening for SARS-CoV-2 in close contacts of COVID-19 positive patients should be encouraged to avoid spreading the infection and the expansion of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this article is to determine the effect of public spending on intergenerational socioeconomic mobility (Ml) in Argentina. Also analyzes their impact on the mobility gap observed between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds family. The identification strategy used is to exploit the temporal variability of public spending. The results suggest that public spending increases Ml. This effect is higher when spending categories most directly related to the human capital of ch ildren and adolescents are increased. But the magnitudes of the estimated effects are modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this article is to determine the effect of public spending on intergenerational socioeconomic mobility (MI) in Argentina. Also analyzes their impact on the mobility gap observed between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds family. The identification strategy used is to exploit the temporal variability of public spending. The results suggest that public spending increases MI. This effect is higher when spending categories most directly related to the human capital of children and adolescents are increased. But the magnitudes of the estimated effects are modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) juice possesses compounds with antioxidant activity, which can be protected by different biopolymers used in the microencapsulation. Therefore, the effects of cell wall material including maltodextrin (MD), Arabic gum (GA) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) were evaluated on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of encapsulated blackberries using a spray-drying technique. Anthocyanin concentration, polymeric colour, total polyphenols, radical scavenging activity of the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhydrazil radical, reducing power and the stability at different storage conditions were evaluated. GA and MD conferred a similar protection to the antioxidant compounds when the microcapsules were stored at low water activities (aw < 0.515) in contrast to at a high moisture content (aw > 0.902), whereas WPC presented a high protection. Therefore, the selection of the best wall material for blackberry juice encapsulation depends of the conditions of storage of the powder. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of natural extracts on the formation of acrylamide in fried potatoes. The aqueous extracts used were obtained from wild oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp) and green tea (Camellia sinensis), which presented a high percentage of free radical inhibition (DPPH) (48–99%) and content of total phenolic compounds (205–547 μg EAG/μg of d.w.). Potatoes were submerged in the antioxidant extracts at a concentration of 1 g/L for 1 min, before being fried and their acrylamide concentration quantified by GC–MS. The extracts from green tea, cinnamon and oregano reduced the acrylamide level by 62%, 39% and 17%, respectively. The potatoes submerged in cinnamon and bougainvillea extracts showed differences in the color parameters compared to the control potatoes (P < 0.05); however, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in the texture and the peroxide values. The sensorial evaluation showed that the acceptance of the potatoes was not affected by the treatment applied. Thus, we can conclude that pre-treating potatoes with antioxidants before frying produces beneficial effects such as a reduction in acrylamide content, without any significant changes in their physicochemical, sensorial and textural properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Phlebotomus perniciosus is the main vector in the western Mediterranean area of the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of canine and human visceral leishmaniases. Infected dogs serve as a reservoir of the disease, and therefore measuring the exposure of dogs to sand fly bites is important for estimating the risk of L. infantum transmission. In bitten hosts, sand fly saliva elicits a specific antibody response that reflects the intensity of sand fly exposure. As screening of specific anti-saliva antibodies is limited by the availability of salivary gland homogenates, utilization of recombinant salivary proteins is a promising alternative. In this manuscript we show for the first time the use of recombinant salivary proteins as a functional tool for detecting P. perniciosus bites in dogs. Methodology/Principal Findings: The reactivity of six bacterially-expressed recombinant salivary proteins of P. perniciosus, yellow-related protein rSP03B, apyrases rSP01B and rSP01, antigen 5-related rSP07, ParSP25-like protein rSP08 and D7-related protein rSP04, were tested with sera of mice and dogs experimentally bitten by this sand fly using immunoblots and ELISA. In the immunoblots, both mice and canine sera gave positive reactions with yellow-related protein, both apyrases and ParSP25-like protein. A similar reaction for recombinant salivary proteins was observed by ELISA, with the reactivity of yellow-related protein and apyrases significantly correlated with the antibody response of mice and dogs against the whole salivary gland homogenate. Conclusions/Significance: Three recombinant salivary antigens of P. perniciosus, yellow-related protein rSP03B and the apyrases rSP01B and rSP01, were identified as the best candidates for evaluating the exposure of mice and dogs to P. perniciosus bites. Utilization of these proteins, or their combination, would be beneficial for screening canine sera in endemic areas of visceral leishmaniases for vector exposure and for estimating the risk of L. infantum transmission in dogs. Author Summary: The protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum is a causative agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis, an important and potentially fatal human disease. The main reservoir hosts of this Leishmania species are dogs, and the only proven vectors are phlebotominae sand flies, Phlebotomus perniciosus being considered the major vector in the western Mediterranean area. During feeding on the host, sand flies spit saliva into the host skin; hosts develop a specific antibody response directed against sand fly salivary proteins and levels of these antibodies reflect the intensity of sand fly exposure. As the availability of salivary gland homogenate is limited, recombinant salivary proteins have been suggested as antigens suitable for measuring specific antibody levels. In the present work, we expressed six of the most-antigenic salivary proteins, and studied the mice and canine humoral immune responses to these recombinant proteins. We demonstrated that three proteins, a yellow-related protein and two apyrases, are suitable antigens for measuring anti-P. perniciosus antibody levels and estimating the host exposure to this sand fly species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phlebotomus perniciosus is the main vector in the western Mediterranean area of the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of canine and human visceral leishmaniases. Infected dogs serve as a reservoir of the disease, and therefore measuring the exposure of dogs to sand fly bites is important for estimating the risk of L. infantum transmission. In bitten hosts, sand fly saliva elicits a specific antibody response that reflects the intensity of sand fly exposure. As screening of specific anti-saliva antibodies is limited by the availability of salivary gland homogenates, utilization of recombinant salivary proteins is a promising alternative. In this manuscript we show for the first time the use of recombinant salivary proteins as a functional tool for detecting P. perniciosus bites in dogs. Methodology/Principal Findings: The reactivity of six bacterially-expressed recombinant salivary proteins of P. perniciosus, yellow-related protein rSP03B, apyrases rSP01B and rSP01, antigen 5-related rSP07, ParSP25-like protein rSP08 and D7-related protein rSP04, were tested with sera of mice and dogs experimentally bitten by this sand fly using immunoblots and ELISA. In the immunoblots, both mice and canine sera gave positive reactions with yellow-related protein, both apyrases and ParSP25-like protein. A similar reaction for recombinant salivary proteins was observed by ELISA, with the reactivity of yellow-related protein and apyrases significantly correlated with the antibody response of mice and dogs against the whole salivary gland homogenate. Conclusions/Significance: Three recombinant salivary antigens of P. perniciosus, yellow-related protein rSP03B and the apyrases rSP01B and rSP01, were identified as the best candidates for evaluating the exposure of mice and dogs to P. perniciosus bites. Utilization of these proteins, or their combination, would be beneficial for screening canine sera in endemic areas of visceral leishmaniases for vector exposure and for estimating the risk of L. infantum transmission in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child care surfaces are vehicles for disease-causing organisms. Disinfectant procedures prevent microbial dispersion. This study reports the effectiveness of CITRUS Farm Edition® (CFE), Clorox® GreenWorks™ (CGW) and Clorox® Anywhere® (CA) against Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus inoculated (1 ml of 9Log10 CFU/ml) on a high chair and ball toy. Disinfectants were sprayed and bacteria recovered from surfaces by sponge method. Exposing an inoculated high chair to CA resulted in the highest reduction of S. aureus (3.92 Log10) and S. Typhimurium (3.22 Log10). CGW reduced S. aureus and S. Typhimurium by 2.84 and 2.12 Log10 from the inoculated high chair, while the inoculated ball toy showed a 2.50 and 1.80 Log10 reduction, respectively. CFE showed the lowest reduction with 1.42 and 1.53 Log10 of S. aureus and S. Typhimurium from the inoculated ball toy. CA was the best disinfectant no matter which bacteria or surface was analyzed. Emphasis on the effectiveness of disinfectant products is needed to be included in child care center infection control programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of spray drying powders must be considered for the design of equipment. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) microcapsules were spray dried by using the following as wall materials: whey protein concentrate (WPC), a blend of whey protein concentrate–maltodextrins (WPC-MD) and gum arabic (GA). These were prepared and their physical properties were studied. The bulk density, packed density, particle density, compressibility and color of the microcapsules were evaluated in a range of water activities from 0.108 to 0.898. No significant differences in the physical properties were found when WPC was used as a wall material in the microcapsules stored at the whole range of water activities tested. Maltodextrins conferred changes in some of the physical properties of the microcapsules (WPC-MD) upon storage at high water activities. GA microcapsules showed drastic changes in all physical properties studied at water activities above 0.628. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This work shows the best conditions for storing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) microcapsules elaborated with different wall materials, which have been reported to have a high potential as a food additive because of the nutraceutical properties of CLA. This research should reveal the behavior of water activity during storage on physical properties, and make it possible to predict what characteristics need to be added to a food, besides being important for the design of equipment, packing and transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) microcapsules were prepared using whey protein concentrate (WPC) as wall material and added to milk, yogurt and butter. Paired comparison tests indicated that detection thresholds were 100, 200 and 300 of CLA (mg per 100g) for milk, yogurt and butter, respectively. Aftertaste, rancid, acid and nutty flavor were the main descriptors defined for the dairy products analyzed. The preference was 30%, 40% and 60% for milk, yogurt and butter, respectively, supplemented with 100mg of microencapsulated CLA. Consumer acceptability scores (n=100) were higher (p<0.05) for butter samples compared with milk or yogurt samples. No significant differences (p<0.05) in consumer hedonic test were found between control and butter with 200mg CLA per 100g added. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to quantify the amount of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium transferred from volunteers' hands (bare or gloved) to green bell peppers and vice versa; and to assess the effectiveness of hand hygiene techniques. The highest and lowest percentages of bacterial transfer were achieve from green bell peppers to gloved hands (46.56%) and from bare hands to green bell peppers (0.21%), respectively. The highest and lowest Log10 reductions of S. Typhimurium were achieved by the combination of hand washing and alcohol-based gel (4.38 Log10) and iodine solution (2.08 Log10), respectively. This study provides important information concerning the transfer's efficiency of S. Typhimurium from hands to fresh produce and from fresh produce to hands. The study also showed that gloved hands, could be a mean of transfer of S. Typhimurium between green peppers and hands, and the best hand hygiene technique was the combination of hand washing and alcohol-based gel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population structure of Phlebotomus ariasi , a proven vector of Leishmania infantum in the Mediterranean area, is still poorly understood. Previously, only two microsatellite loci had been developed to study the population genetics of this species. Herein we use these loci and determined fourteen novel microsatellite loci, useful for the characterization of P. ariasi populations. These loci were tested on three populations of P. ariasi , two from France and one from Portugal. In addition, the usefulness of these markers was also evaluated on seven other sandfly species. We show, that for P. ariasi , 15 of the 16 loci selected were polymorphic, with a mean of 4.25 alleles and an observed heterozygosity of 0.299. Within the P. ariasi population of France, 11 loci were polymorphic, with an average of 2.44 alleles and an observed heterozygosity of 0.2177. The fixation index was moderate among the French populations but high between French and Portuguese populations. In addition, eight loci were also found to be amplifiable in six other Phlebotomus species. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this new set of microsatellite loci for population structure and molecular ecology studies of P. ariasi at various spatial scales, but also of other sandfly species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cysteine proteinase B of Leishmania parasites is an important virulence factor. In this study we have expressed, isolated and characterized for the first time a recombinant CPB from Leishmania braziliensis, the causative agent of mucocutaneous leishmaniosis. The mature region of the recombinant CPB shares a high percentage identity with its Leishmania mexicana CPB2.8 (rCPB2.8ΔCTE) counterpart (76.36%) and has identical amino acid residues at the S1, catalytic triad and subsites. Nevertheless, when the kinetics of substrate hydrolysis was measured using a combinatorial library of internally quenched fluorescent peptides based upon the lead sequence Abz-KLRSSKQ-EDDnp, significant differences were obtained. These results suggest that the differences in substrate utilization observed between the L. mexicana and L. braziliensis CPs must be related to amino acid modifications outside the core of the active site cleft. Moreover, a potent inhibitor with Pro at P1 and high affinity for L. braziliensis recombinant CPB showed less affinity to L. mexicana CPB 2.8, which preferred Phe, Leu, and Asn at the same position. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, the mature domains of type I (CPB) and type II (CPA) cysteine proteinases (CPs) of Leishmania infantum were expressed and their immunogenic properties defined using sera from active and recovered cases of human visceral leishmaniasis and sera from infected dogs. Immunoblotting and ELISA analysis indicated that a freeze/thaw extract of parasite antigens showed similar and intensive recognition in both active cases of human and dog sera but lower recognition in recovered human individuals. The total IgG of actively infected human sera was higher than in recovered cases when rCPs were used as antigen. In contrast to dog sera, both active and recovered human cases have higher recognition toward rCPB than rCPA. Furthermore, the asymptomatic dogs in contrast to the symptomatic cases exhibited specific lymphocyte proliferation to both crude antigens and rCPs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]