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Data-driven solutions offer great promise for improving healthcare. However standard clinical neuroimaging data is subject to real-world imaging artefacts that can render the data unusable for computational research. T1 weighted structural MRI is used in research to obtain volumetric measurements from cortical and subcortical brain regions. However, clinical radiologists often prioritise T2 weighted or FLAIR scans for visual assessment. As such, T1 weighted scans are often acquired but may not be a priority. This can result in artefacts such as partial brain coverage being systematically present in memory clinic data.Here we present a neuroimaging pipeline to ameliorate such situations by filling the missing regions with synthetic data. We validate on artificially cropped scans from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), showing that our pipeline largely removes the artefact, improving volumetric biomarker accuracy while also retaining statistical differences between diagnostic groups. We demonstrate utility by achieving diagnostic classification performance comparable to uncorrupted data. This is an important contribution towards moving research from the lab into the real world.

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular fungi with a remarkable ability to infect a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Namely, Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most frequently microsporidia reported worldwide, and mainly associated with chronic diarrhea and wasting syndrome in AIDS patients. Microscopy and PCR-based detection techniques are effective for diagnosis and identification of species and genotypes; however, these methods should be standardized in each laboratory. In this study, we performed microscopy and nested PCR techniques with PCR product sequencing to detect E. bieneusi in human stool samples. These techniques, if applied together, might prove useful for diagnosis and future epidemiological studies of intestinal microsporidiosis in Argentina.

Copahue Thermal Center is characterized by the presence of mineromedicinal acidic waters with high temperatures, therapeutic peloids, and relevant consortia of extremophiles species, distributed in small natural pools which cannot be disinfected. The objective of this research was to investigate the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in Copahue’s waters and its remaining infective capacity. In a first assay, a decrease of more than 50% of the initially viral load compared to the initially inoculated positive sample was detected for all the water samples analyzed. After that, two of the Copahue springs, which are used as an immersion bath in closed environments without going through any disinfection treatment, was selected to determine the viral viability. VERO cell infections were performed, with no cytopathic effect detected, but a strikingly high resistance of the virus, detecting its genome by real time PCR, during the seven days of study under laboratory conditions. SARS-CoV-2 survival in acid media was reaffirmed, which is a peculiarity for a covered virus. A decrease in the detectable viral load of the positive sample was found as the infection time passed, becoming completely negative in the subsequent blind passages. More research is needed to further study the feasibility of SARS-CoV-2 in mineromedicinal waters, especially natural acidic waters that cannot disinfected, in order to expand information about the risk to populations that are exposed to them. Fil: Vela, María Lorena. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud y del Ambiente; Argentina. Fil: Vela, María Lorena. Organización Térmica Provincial de Neuquén. E.Pro.Te.N.; Argentina. Fil: Masachessi, Gisela. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina. Fil: Masachessi, Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Giaveno, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina. Fil: Giaveno, María Alejandra. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Roca Jalil, Maria Eugenia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina. Fil: Roca Jalil, Maria Eugenia. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Castro, Gonzalo. Ministerio de Salud de la Provincia de Córdoba. Departamento de Laboratorio Central; Argentina. Fil: Cachi, Ariana Mariela. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Aeronáutica y Espacial; Argentina. Fil: Cachi, Ariana Mariela. Universidad de la Defensa Nacional. Facultad de la Fuerza Aérea; Argentina. Fil: Marinzalda, María de los Ángeles. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Aeronáutica y Espacial; Argentina. Fil: Marinzalda, María de los Ángeles. Universidad de la Defensa Nacional. Facultad de la Fuerza Aérea; Argentina. Fil: Zugarramurdi, Ana. Organización Térmica Provincial de Neuquén E.Pro.Te.N; Argentina. Fil: Baschini, Miria. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina. Fil: Baschini, Miria. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.

Monitoring wastewater for the traces of viruses allows effective surveillance of entire communities, including symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals, providing information on whether a specific pathogen is circulating in a population. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, 261 wastewater samples from six communities of the province of Córdoba, Argentina were analyzed. From mid-May 2020 to the end of August 2021, raw sewage samples were collected from the central network pipe that enters into the Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) in Córdoba city and five communities in the Punilla Valley. SARS-CoV-2 was concentrated by using the polyethylene glycol-6000 precipitation method. Viral genomes were extracted from concentrated samples, and N- and E-SARS-CoV-2 genes were detected by using real time RT-PCR. Wastewater samples that resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2 genome detection were subjected to viral variants of concern (VOCs) identification by real time RT-PCR. Overall, just by using the identification of the N gene or E gene, the rates of viral genome detection were 43.4% (86/198) and 51.5% (102/198) respectively, and by using both methodologies (positivity criterion: detection of N and / or E gene), the detection rate was 71.2% (141/198). Thereby, the optimal strategy to study the SARS-CoV-2 genome in wastewater would be the use of the combined detection of both genes. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater reflected their circulation in the community, showing no VOCs detection in the first COVID-19 wave and their co-circulation with Gamma, Alpha and Delta VOCs during 2021. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) described the introduction, permanence and/or the co-circulation of viral variants in the community. In geographical areas with a stable population, SARS-CoV-2 WBE could be used as an early warning sign of new COVID-19 cases, whereas in localities with a low number of inhabitants and high tourist influx, WBE may only be useful to reflect the circulation of the virus in the community. Overall, the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater can become a silent sentinel of the trend of viral circulation in the community, providing supplementary information for clinical surveillance to support public health measures.

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and interest (VOI) present mutations in reference to the original virus, being more transmissible. We implemented a rapid strategy for the screening of SARS-CoV-2 VOC/VOIs using real time RT-PCR and performed monitoring and surveillance of the variants in our region.Methodsconsecutive real-time RT-PCRs for detection of the relevant mutations/deletions present in the Spike protein in VOC/VOIs (TaqMan™ SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Panel, Applied Biosystems) were implemented. An algorithm was established and 3941 SARS-CoV-2 RNA samples (CtsResultsthe strategy of choice included a first screening of 3 mutations (N501Y, E484K, L452R) followed by the detection of other mutations/deletions based on the results. The analyses of the samples showed introductions of VOCs Alpha and Gamma in February and March 2021, respectively. Since then, Alpha presented a low to moderate circulation (1.7% of the SARS-CoV-2 currently detected). Gamma showed an exponential increase, with a peak of detection in July (72%), until reaching a current frequency of 41.1%. VOC Delta was first detected in July in travellers and currently represents 35% of detections in the community. VOI Lambda presented a gradual increase, showing a current frequency of 29%.Conclusionswe report a useful tool for VOC/VOI detection, innovative for Argentina, capable to quickly and cost-effectively monitor currently recognized variants. It was key in the early detection of Delta, being able to implement measures to delay its dissemination.

Molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants was performed on a total of 2,406 samples from the capital city and nine provinces of Argentina, during 30 epidemiological weeks (EW) that covered the end of the first wave and the beginning of the ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country (EW 44/2020 to EW 20/2021). The surveillance strategy was mainly based on Sanger sequencing of a Spike coding region that allows the simultaneous identification of signature mutations associated with worldwide circulating variants. In addition, whole SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were obtained from 456 samples. The main variants found were Gamma, Lambda and Alpha, and to a lesser extent, Zeta and Epsilon. Whereas Gamma dominated in different regions of the country, both Gamma and Lambda prevailed in the most populated area, the metropolitan region of Buenos Aires (MABA), although showing a heterogeneous distribution along this region. This cost-effective surveillance protocol allowed for a rapid response in a limited access to resources scenario, added information on the expansion of the Lambda variant in South America and contributed to the implementation of public health measures to control the disease spread in Argentina.

L’Inspection Panel della Banca Mondiale è stato il primo meccanismo indipendente (IAM) finalizzato a ricevere denunce da parte di persone che lamentavano un danno derivante dalla potenziale mancanza di sostegno alle politiche e alle procedure delle istituzioni finanziarie internazionali. Dal 1993 il Panel ha trattato denunce riguardanti i progetti della Banca Mondiale su richiesta delle comunità interessate e ha contribuito a porre rimedio ai relativi danni. L’articolo descrive dettagliatamente questi risultati, con particolare riguardo all’ “apprendimento istituzionale”, soffermandosi inoltre sulla collana Emerging Lessons Series del Panel stesso, una serie di pubblicazioni recenti che riassumono le esperienze derivanti da casi relativi a: reinsediamento involontario, popolazioni indigene, valutazione ambientale, consultazione e divulgazione. L’articolo si conclude con una discussione dei recenti miglioramenti apportati all’attività del Panel, sottolineando il suo ruolo nel promuovere comportamenti responsabili attraverso le procedure operative adottate e il successivo “apprendimento istituzionale”.

La Ermita de San Telmo, en Jerez de la Frontera (España), fue construida entre los siglos XVI y XVII por una cofradía religiosa de carácter gremial, concretamente, de los pescadores y barqueros del entorno del río Guadalete y la Bahía de Cádiz. Tras la intervención arqueológica realizada en el año 2015 durante las labores de restauración y rehabilitación de la Ermita, se pudo localizar el acceso a una cripta con un total de 21 nichos que contenían toda una serie de reducciones esqueléticas, en su mayor parte de individuos subadultos. La cripta fue abierta a mediados del siglo XX y los nichos alterados en su mayoría, por lo que nos encontramos con los mismos en un estado de conservación moderado. Concluida la excavación arqueológica de la misma, se ha realizado el estudio de los restos óseos, incluyendo la identificación anatómica, poniendo especial atención en el estudio del perfil demográfico básico y estudio paleopatológico de los restos, habiéndose observado en fragmentos de cráneo cribra orbitalia, datos que serán cruzados con los archivos existentes y que nos permitirán conocer con mayor exactitud la población infantil de los siglos XVI y XVII en la ciudad de Jerez de la Frontera.

Purpose Chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity is one of the main complications during and after cancer treatment. While echocardiography is the most used technique in clinical practice to evaluate left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, a multimodal approach is preferred for the early detection of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. In this paper, an image processing tool allowing the qualitative and quantitative analysis of myocardial metabolic activity by [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT) images, acquired routinely during and after cancer treatment, is presented. Methods The methodology is based on cardiac single photon emission computed tomography image processing protocols used in clinical practice. LV polar maps are created, and quantitative regional values are calculated. The tool was validated in a study group of 24 patients with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HL and NHL, respectively) treated with anthracyclines. Staging, interim and end-of-treatment [18F]FDG PET/CT images were acquired and the presented tool was used to extract the quantitative metrics of LV metabolic activity. Results Results show an overall increase of metabolic activity in the interim PET image acquired while on treatment compared to staging PET, which then decreased in the end-of-treatment scan. Positive correlation coefficients between staging and interim scans, and negative correlation coefficients between interim and end-of-treatment scans also support this finding. Metabolic changes occur predominantly in the septal region. Conclusion The proposed methodology and presented software solution provides the capability to assess quantitatively myocardial metabolism acquired by routine [18F]FDG PET/CT scanning during cancer treatment for evaluating anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. The [18F]FDG PET/CT septal-lateral uptake ratio is proposed as a new quantitative measure of myocardial metabolism. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11548-021-02508-9

T Tailings Management TAILENGperspectiveon tailings engineering Tailings education and research in the industry by Jorge Macedo, Christopher Bareither, Jonathan Bray, Scott Olson, Tatyana Alexieva, Gonzalo Castro, Antonio da Fonseca, Terry Eldridge, David Frost, Christopher Hatton, Steven Kramer, Georgia Lysay, Kimberly Morrison, Bryan Watts. his article sharestheTAilings and IndustriaL waste ENGineering Center (TAILENG) perspective on the current state and needs for education and research in the tailings industry. TAILENG is a U.S.- based research center formed via a partnership of faculty at four leading universities: Georgia Tech, Colorado State University, University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Figure 1 showstheTAILENG SteeringCommittee. TAILENG also includes on its organization world-class experts from academia, consulting industry, and visionary miningcompaniesthrough its advisory board and regular members. More information about TAILENG can be found at: http://taileng.ce.gatech.edu/. TheTAILENG SteeringCommittee conducted several meetings with the members ofthe Advisory Board in 2020. The focus of these meetings was to discuss current challenges and potential future needsfor the education of tailings engineers and the role of research in the tailings industry. These meetings have delineated the TAILENG perspective on education and research in the tailings industry,whichisdescribed below.

Additional file 1. Genotype count of studied polymorphisms among gastric cancer cases and controls.

Additional file 3. Multiple sequence alignment of NOD1 from different species.

Additional file 6. Distribution of Principal Component 1 and Principal Component 2 among gastric cancer cases and controls.

Additional file 5. Description of the 17 SNPs analyzed in this study.

Additional file 4. Analysis of the consequences of p.E266K on NOD1 protein.

Background Service-learning experiences, informed by the realities of poverty and marginalization, are important for the education of future health professionals in order to commit them to tackling health inequalities and working with underserved populations. At the Caritas Medical Centre for undocumented migrants and homeless in Rome, students obtain an educational experience of service. The aim of this study is to try to measure the long-term impact of this experience on the professional and life choices of the student participants. Methods A questionnaire was designed and distributed by email to all 19–29 years old participants in the experience. Responses were collected and analysed in a quantitative descriptive way and in a qualitative way using the knowledge, skills and attitudes model. Results One hundred and seven students responded from the total 763 questionnaires distributed. Ninety-five percent of participants expressed a very high overall satisfaction, 93% declared that the experience influenced his/her future personal choices, and 84% found that the experience influenced their professional choices. Results were arranged into 6 categories of comments: knowledge about the realities of migration, poverty, and marginalization; relational skills; collaborative skills; attitudes towards migrants, poor people and others; Attitudes towards future professions; Attitudes towards life. A final category was listed with self-reflective questions related to the experience. Conclusion This research shows the importance of service-learning experiences made during academic studies from young students of medicine and other faculties. Developing a relationship with marginalized and homeless people, within a voluntary service setting, can influence the future professional and personal choices of students. Universities should recognize the value of such experiences and establish partnerships with non-profit organizations to allow future health professionals to confront health inequities and commit themselves to their reduction.

La historia de Al Andalus bebe de muchas fuentes a la hora de escribirse, y la arqueología es una de las principales gracias a que en los últimos años ha habido una renovación en la que la multidisciplinariedad puede considerarse como la gran novedad dentro de la misma. Y este libro es un buen ejemplo de la misma, en la que se resumen, a lo largo de sus trabajos, cada uno en su campo de estudio, la renovación que hemos estado comentando con anterioridad en esta introducción, y más concretame...

BACKGROUND: Treatments for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication include the use of antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor. Antibiotic resistance is a major concern for two drugs: levofloxacin and clarithromycin. The aim was to determine the prevalence of levofloxacin resistance (LevoR) and clarithromycin resistance (ClaR) in an urban population in Santiago, Chile. METHODS: Gastric mucosa biopsies were obtained for DNA isolation from 143 H. pylori-positive individuals aged 18 – 80 years. Direct sequencing of the quinolone-resistance determining region (QRDR) of the gyrA gene was used to determine LevoR. ClaR was determined using restriction-fragment length polymorphism or 5’exonuclease assay. RESULTS: The prevalences of LevoR and ClaR were 29% and 27%, respectively. LevoR was higher in women than in men (39% versus 13%, P50 years) had a higher probability to carry LevoR strains as compared to men. The prevalence of dual LevoR and ClaR was 12.6% CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ClaR and LevoR is high in Santiago, according to International guidelines that recommend avoiding schemes with antibiotic resistance >15%. Our findings provide evidence to re-evaluate current therapies and guide empirical first- and second-line eradication treatments in Chile.

Background Helicobacter pylori is detected by pathogen recognition receptors including toll-like receptors (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors, eliciting an innate immune response against this bacteria. The aim of this study was to assess if polymorphisms of TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, NOD1 and NOD2 genes are associated with gastric cancer, in particular in individuals infected with H. pylori. Results A case-control study of 297 gastric cancer patients and 300 controls was performed to assess the association of 17 polymorphisms. Analyses performed under the allele model did not find association with gastric cancer. However, NOD1 rs2075820 (p.E266K) showed association with intestinal-type gastric cancer among H. pylori infected subjects (OR = 2.69, 95% CI 1.41–5.13, p = 0.0026). The association was not statistically significant in diffuse-type gastric cancer cases (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 0.63–2.52, p = 0.51). When the analyses were performed in patients carrying H. pylori strains harboring the cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI), we noticed significant association with NOD1 rs2075820 (OR = 4.90, 95% CI 1.80–3.36, p = 0.0019), in particular for intestinal-type gastric cancer cases (OR = 7.16, 95% CI 2.40–21.33, p = 4.1 × 10− 4) but not among diffuse-type gastric cancer cases (OR = 3.39, 95% CI 1.13–0.10, p = 0.03). Conclusions NOD1 rs2075820 increases the risk of intestinal-type gastric cancer among individuals infected with H. pylori, particularly in those harboring the cagPAI.

Genetic variants are considered risk factors for gastric cancer. To date, 61 polymorphisms have been identified as associated with this disease. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association of some of those polymorphisms with GC in Chile. We performed a case-control study including 310 gastric cancer cases and 311 controls to assess the association of 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped by Global Screening Array (GSA). Three polymorphisms was significantly associated: PSCA rs2294008 (allele model, OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.17–1.88, P = 1.08 × 10–3), IL-4 rs2243250 (allele model, OR = 1.28, 95%CI 1.01–1.62, P = 0.04), and MUC1 rs4072037 (allele model, OR = 0.78, 95%CI 0.61–0.99, P = 0.04).PSCA rs2294008, IL-4 rs2243250 and MUC1 rs4072037 are associated with gastric cancer in Chile. It suggests that those polymorphisms could be used as biomarkers to assess the genetic risk for this cancer outside of the previously studied populations, not only for East Asians and Caucasians populations.

In some areas of Argentina endemic for human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), tropical spastic paraparesis is frequent in subjects who lack antibodies against the virus; however, the relevance of this seronegative status in the country has not been investigated. In neighboring countries, HTLV-1 seronegative status has been described in patients with different diseases; however, data regarding features of seronegative HTLV-1 carriers are scarce. We investigated the seronegative status in 124 relatives of 28 HTLV-1 infected subjects from an endemic area in Northwest Argentina. Blood samples and clinical/epidemiological data were collected. Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection was diagnosed by serology and long terminal repeat (LTR) sequence, env and tax gene detection. IgG anti-Tax HTLV-1 antibody, tax gene sequence, and DNA proviral load were also evaluated. Seventy-five percent of the 124 relatives were negative for HTLV-1/2 antibodies; 35.5% were also negative by molecular assays and 64.5% were negative for HTLV-1 LTR and env sequences, but positive for two sequences of HTLV-1 tax gene. Also, 35.7% of these subjects had IgG anti-Tax antibodies. The seronegative HTLV-1 status was significantly associated with male gender, youth, and sensory symptoms/autonomic nervous system dysfunction. High rates of seronegative symptomatic and asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers in Argentina are described. The evidence highlights that HTLV-1 prevalence may be underestimated worldwide. Larger cohort studies are required to assess disease outcome in these seronegative subjects. Also, the findings emphasize the limitations of ongoing screening assays for diagnosis and blood safety. Therefore, algorithms for HTLV-1 diagnosis should include not only serological but also molecular assays. Fil: Gallego, Sandra Veronica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología Dr. J. M. Vanella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Frutos, Maria Celia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología Dr. J. M. Vanella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Blanco, Sebastian. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología Dr. J. M. Vanella; Argentina Fil: Castro, Gonzalo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología Dr. J. M. Vanella; Argentina Fil: Balangero, Marcos Cesar. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología Dr. J. M. Vanella; Argentina Fil: Panigo, David Elías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Matemáticas; Argentina Fil: Mangeaud, Arnaldo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Matemáticas; Argentina Fil: Remondegui, Carlos. Hospital San Roque. Servicio de Infectología y Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina Fil: Rocha, Anderson Santos. Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas. Departamento de Microbiología. Laboratorio de Virología Básica y Aplicada; Brasil. Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group; Brasil Fil: Franco, Gabriela Melo. Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas. Departamento de Microbiología. Laboratorio de Virología Básica y Aplicada; Brasil. Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group; Brasil Fil: Martins, Marina Lobato. Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group; Brasil Fil: Barbosa Stancioli, Edel Figueiredo. Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas. Departamento de Microbiología. Laboratorio de Virología Básica y Aplicada; Brasil. Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group; Brasil Fil: Nates, Silvia Viviana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología Dr. J. M. Vanella; Argentina

BACKGROUND/AIM Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program has been linked as a driver of metastatic dissemination by conferring migratory and invasive capacity to cancer cells. Gastric cancer (GC) patients with tumors expressing altered levels of EMT markers have low survival. This study aimed to assess if polymorphisms of CDH1, TWIST1, SNAIL2, ZEB1 and ZEB2 genes are associated with survival in GC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 153 individuals with diagnosis of GC were recruited in Santiago, Chile. All patients were genotyped using Infinium Global Screening Array (GSA). Twenty Tag SNPs of the studied genes were retrieved. RESULTS Three SNPs were associated with survival: rs2526614 (TWIST1) (genotype CA + AA, adjusted HR=0.58, 95%CI=0.37-0.93), rs6953766 (TWIST1) (genotype GG, crude HR=2.02, 95%CI=1.06-3.82, adjusted HR=2.14, 95%CI=1.07-4.25), and rs431073 (ZEB1) (genotype AC + CC, crude HR=1.62, 95%CI=1.01-2.59, adjusted HR=1.96, 95%CI=1.18-3.25). CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study proposing a role of these SNPs in cancer prognosis. Their use as prognostic markers of GC survival warrants further investigation.

Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB) are considered prime candidates for stationary energy storage due to their unique capability to decouple power and energy. With the aim of making electrochemical water desalination more energy efficient when scaling up the technology, potential benefits from repurposing a commercial VRFB stack as a Capacitive Deionization (CDI) module were studied. Accordingly, a 5-cell CDI Stack equipped with 1250 cm2 electrodes was assembled by revamping a 5kWh-VRFB. Electrosorption experiments showed a great versatility with a maximum salt adsorption capacity of 14.2 mg g-1 and an average salt adsorption rate of 0.321 mg g-1min-1. Furthermore, a long-term test performed over 100 cycles validated the robustness of the system by achieving salt concentration reductions of 10-12 mM at a constant production rate of 4 L h-1m-2. Moreover, adapting a VRFB stack specifically designed for energy optimization allowed a substantial reduction of energy consumption of 75% (from 0.84 kWh m-3 to 0.21 kWh m-3) by effectively recovering the energy employed in the desalination step. These results demonstrated the successful transition from VRFB to CDI showcasing the relevance of the Water-Energy Nexus and opening the path for exploring a second life of exhausted VRFB stacks.