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Resumen: Objetivo: Establecer un decálogo de competencias en autocuidado para guiar la educación durante los programas de rehabilitación cardiaca (RC) en pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca con fracción de eyección preservada (IC-FEp), mediante un consenso multidisciplinario. Diseño: Estudio e-Delphi en tres rondas a partir de un cuestionario inicial de 23 competencias basado en las principales recomendaciones de las guías de RC y autocuidado. Emplazamiento: Enmarcado bajo la ética de un ensayo clínico aleatorizado desarrollado en el Hospital Regional de Málaga. La encuesta se diseñó y difundió como un cuestionario en línea. Participantes: El panel de expertos integró dos pacientes con IC-FEp, y 13 profesionales de medicina interna (n = 3), cardiología (n = 2), fisioterapia (n = 3), enfermería (n = 3) y terapia ocupacional (n = 2). Método: El análisis de resultados incluyó el índice de validez de contenido (IVC), porcentaje de acuerdo (PA%), concordancia mediante kappa de Fleiss (k) y alpha de Krippendorff (α). Resultados: Tras la tercera ronda, se identificaron 20 competencias en autocuidado agrupadas en 12 dominios, con consenso suficiente para su inclusión en el decálogo. Conclusiones: El decálogo de competencias en autocuidado generado a partir del consenso multidisciplinar proporciona una guía para la educación en pacientes con IC-FEp, abordando de manera sistemática y adaptada a los pacientes los contenidos educativos en la práctica clínica habitual de los programas de RC. Abstract: Objectives: To develop a decalogue of self-care competencies to manage educational intervention during Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) programs in Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) patients through multidisciplinary consensus. Design: 3-round e-Delphi study using an initial questionnaire of 23 competencies based on the main recommendations of the CR and self-care guidelines. Site: It was framed under the ethics of a randomised clinical trial developed at the Regional Hospital of Malaga. The survey was designed and disseminated as an online questionnaire. Participants: The expert panel comprised two patients with HFpEF and 13 healthcare professionals from Internal Medicine (n = 3), Cardiology (n = 2), Physiotherapy (n = 3), Nursing (n = 3) and Occupational Therapy (n = 2). Method: The analysis of results included the content validity index, the percentage of agreement, and the concordance using Fleiss Kappa and Krippendorff's alpha. Results: After the third round, 20 self-care competencies were identified, grouped into 12 domains, with sufficient consensus for their inclusion in the decalogue. Conclusions: The decalogue of self-care competencies generated from the multidisciplinary consensus guides education in patients with HFpEF, systematically addressing educational content tailored to patients for clinical practice in CR programs.

Summary: Background: Neuroimaging studies often quantify tau burden in standardized brain regions to assess Alzheimer disease (AD) progression. However, this method ignores another key biological process in which tau spreads to additional brain regions. We have developed a metric for calculating the extent tau pathology has spread throughout the brain and evaluate the relationship between this metric and tau burden across early stages of AD. Methods: 445 cross-sectional participants (aged ≥ 50) who had MRI, amyloid PET, tau PET, and clinical testing were separated into disease-stage groups based on amyloid positivity and cognitive status (older cognitively normal control, preclinical AD, and symptomatic AD). Tau burden and tau spatial spread were calculated for all participants. Findings: We found both tau metrics significantly elevated across increasing disease stages (p

Mycotoxins are natural metabolites produced by species of filamentous fungi belonging mainly to the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Alternaria, which can grow in various crops and foodstuffs. The South American climate is diverse, varying from tropical, temperate, and arid to cold, ideal for the growth of different types of fungi and mycotoxin production. This mini review aimed to describe the natural occurrence of mycotoxin in food in South America from 2018 to 2023, identifying research gaps and challenges in an era of climate change. We analyzed 53 studies, 21 from Brazil. Most of the mycotoxins analyzed in South America were the traditional and regulated mycotoxins, with variable occurrences depending on the region, climatic conditions, and methodology used. Emerging and modified mycotoxins have only been studied in Argentina and Brazil, where some studies have shown high occurrences. Given this, it is essential to strengthen food safety laboratories and surveillance capabilities and establish early warning systems. It is also essential to continue working to raise awareness of mycotoxins as a public health issue and to study and prevent the impact of climate change on soil microbial population, the new prevalence of fungi, and the profile of toxigenic species. An effective connection and collaboration between disciplines and sectors in different countries is needed to meet this research challenge.

Prior studies have identified various determinants of differential immune responses to COVID-19. This study focused on the Ig-G anti-RBD marker, analyzing its potential correlations with sex, vaccine type, body fat percentage, metabolic risk, perceived stress, and previous COVID-19 exposure. In this study, data (available in S1 Data) were obtained from 108 participants from the ESFUERSO cohort, who completed questionnaires detailing their COVID-19 experiences and stress levels assessed through the SISCO scale. IgG anti-RBD concentrations were quantified using an ELISA assay developed by UNAM. Multiple regression analysis was employed to control for covariates, including sex, age, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), and perceived stress. This sample comprised young individuals (average age of 21.4 years), primarily consisting of females (70%), with a substantial proportion reporting a family history of diabetes, hypertension, or obesity. Most students had received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, and 91% displayed a positive anti-RBD response. A noteworthy finding was the interaction between body fat percentage and sex. In males, increased adiposity was associated with decreased Ig-G anti-RBD concentration; in females, the response increased. Importantly, this pattern remained consistent regardless of the vaccine received. No significant associations were observed for dietary habits or perceived stress variables. This research reports the impact of sex and body fat percentage on the immune response through Ig-G anti-RBD levels to COVID-19 vaccines. The implications of these findings offer a foundation for educational initiatives and the formulation of preventive policies aimed at mitigating health disparities.

IntroductionA small percentage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are caused by genetic mutations with autosomal dominant inheritance. We report a family with a novel variant in PSEN1.MethodsWe performed clinical and genetic evaluation of 93 related individuals from a Colombian admixed population. 31 individuals had whole-genome sequencing.ResultsGenetic analysis revealed a missense variant in PSEN1 (NM_000021.3: c.1247T>C p.Ile416Thr), which originated on an African haplotype and segregated with AD logarithm of the odds score of 6. Their clinical phenotype is similar to sporadic AD except for earlier age at onset: the mean age at onset for mild cognitive impairment was 47.6 years (standard deviation 5.83) and for dementia 51.6 years (standard deviation 5.03).DiscussionIle416Thr is a novel pathogenic variant that causes AD in the sixth decade of life. The history of the region that included slave importation and admixtures within a confined geographic locale represents a "mini-population bottleneck" and subsequent emergence of a rare dominant mutation.

Esta investigación busca contribuir al conocimiento de las características de las interacciones mediadas por tecnologías entre adultos y niños en el contexto del Aislamiento Social, Preventivo y Obligatorio (ASPO) en Argentina, durante la pandemia provocada por COVID-19. En concreto, se propone estudiar si los contextos de interacción con tecnologías dan lugar a la producción narrativa infantil, qué características presentan las intervenciones de los adultos en relación con la construcción del relato y qué intervenciones adultas responden a las condiciones de la comunicación mediada por tecnologías. Con este propósito, se analizó un corpus de videograbaciones en el hogar que registra situaciones naturales en las que niños de entre 2 y 6 años utilizan dispositivos tecnológicos (Rosemberg et al., 2021). Los resultados evidencian que las situaciones que involucran el empleo de tecnologías representan oportunidades para la producción narrativa por parte de los niños. Además, coinciden con antecedentes que subrayan la relevancia que posee la participación contingente del adulto durante las interacciones con tecnologías para promover el desarrollo del lenguaje infantil. Específicamente, se destacan las estrategias discursivas de los adultos que apuntan a andamiar el desarrollo del relato infantil (reestructuran, expanden y reconceptualizan las emisiones infantiles, alientan a los niños a seguir narrando mediante comentarios evaluativos) y a sostener la interacción virtual (reparan fallas técnicas). Así, representa uno de los pocos estudios de nuestra región que brinda evidencia sobre la producción narrativa infantil mediada por tecnologías en el período de aislamiento por COVID-19 en Argentina, un contexto novedoso y desafiante.

Epidemiological projections point to acquisition of ever-expanding multidrug resistance (MDR) by Escherichia coli, a commensal of the digestive tract and a source of urinary tract pathogens. Bioinformatics analyses of a large collection of E. coli genomes from EnteroBase, enriched in clinical isolates of worldwide origins, suggest the Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1)-toxin encoding gene, cnf1, is preferentially distributed in four common sequence types (ST) encompassing the pandemic E. coli MDR lineage ST131. This lineage is responsible for a majority of extraintestinal infections that escape first-line antibiotic treatment, with known enhanced capacities to colonize the gastrointestinal tract. Statistical projections based on this dataset point to a global expansion of cnf1-positive multidrug-resistant ST131 strains from subclade H30Rx/C2, accounting for a rising prevalence of cnf1-positive strains in ST131. Despite the absence of phylogeographical signals, cnf1-positive isolates segregated into clusters in the ST131-H30Rx/C2 phylogeny, sharing a similar profile of virulence factors and the same cnf1 allele. The suggested dominant expansion of cnf1-positive strains in ST131-H30Rx/C2 led us to uncover the competitive advantage conferred by cnf1 for gut colonization to the clinical strain EC131GY ST131-H30Rx/C2 versus cnf1-deleted isogenic strain. Complementation experiments showed that colon tissue invasion was compromised in the absence of deamidase activity on Rho GTPases by CNF1. Hence, gut colonization factor function of cnf1 was confirmed for another clinical strain ST131-H30Rx/C2. In addition, functional analysis of the cnf1-positive clinical strain EC131GY ST131-H30Rx/C2 and a cnf1-deleted isogenic strain showed no detectable impact of the CNF1 gene on bacterial fitness and inflammation during the acute phase of bladder monoinfection. Together these data argue for an absence of role of CNF1 in virulence during UTI, while enhancing gut colonization capacities of ST131-H30Rx/C2 and suggested expansion of cnf1-positive MDR isolates in subclade ST131-H30Rx/C2.

Energy storage is vital for a future where energy generation transitions from a fossil fuels-based one to an energy system that relies heavily on clean energy sources such as photovoltaic (PV) solar energy. To foster this transition, engineers and practitioners must have open-access models of PV systems coupled with battery storage systems (BESS). These models are fundamental to quantifying their economic and technical merits during the design phase. This paper contributes in this direction by carefully describing a model that accurately represents the power directions and energy dealings between the PV modules, the battery pack, and the loads. Moreover, the general model can be implemented using two different PV generation methods, the Gaussian model and the meteorological data-based model (MDB). We found that the MDB model is more appropriate for short-term analysis compared to the Gaussian model, while for long-term studies, the Gaussian model is closer to measured data. Moreover, the proposed model can reproduce two different energy management strategies: peak-shaving and maximizing self-consumption, allowing them to be used during PV–BESS sizing stages. Furthermore, the results obtained by the simulation are closed when compared to a real grid-tied PV–BESS, demonstrating the model’s validity.

The present study analyzes metaphorical expressions related to hysterectomy in a diverse corpus comprising scientific texts, Reddit forums, and patient-authored articles and blogs. The research aims to understand how hysterectomy is discursively constructed and experienced by women. The corpus reveals a range of metaphors from clinical descriptions to personal and creative expressions. The analysis shows that metaphors not only reflect but also influence women’s perceptions of their bodies and the procedure. The study identifies metaphors including the uterus as a ‘tenant’ or ‘kidnapper,’ and the procedure as an ‘eviction’ or a ‘robbery’, highlighting the emotional and psychological aspects of hysterectomy. Limitations include the corpus size, lack of metadata to establish more correlations, and its Western-centric perspective, suggesting the need for more inclusive research. The study contributes to the discourse on women’s health, emphasizing the role of language in shaping medical experiences. It underscores the need for understanding metaphorical language to improve communication and support for women undergoing hysterectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) are a new asset for Primary Frequency Regulation (PFR), an ancillary service for improving the grid stability. The system operators determine the implementation and remuneration of PFR. However, assessing the revenue stream is not enough to define the business case, as also the components’ lifetime has to be estimated. Previous studies of lifetime estimation for BESSs performing PFR considered only the electrochemical storage, disregarding the power electronics (PE). Nonetheless, researchers have shown the importance of estimating PE wear due to the operation when applied in renewable energy generation and microgrids. This paper presents a lifetime analysis of BESSs providing PFR considering IGBT modules, electrolytic capacitors and electrochemical storage degradation. The lifetime information is used to estimate BESS's Net-Present-Value (NPV), evaluating the benefits of deploying PE-based BESS in the European grid. A comparison between different countries, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K., is performed, considering the PFR implementation and remuneration differences. The analysis shows that the BESS management strategy can extend its lifetime and that the component that exhibits the shortest lifetime is the electrochemical storage. The PE components are subject to low wear due to the low power utilization and, therefore, small thermal swings while performing PFR. In conclusion, the provision of PFR by means of BESS has been found to be profitable in all three countries. However, in the Netherlands, the potential NPV has been estimated to be 47% and 76% higher than in Germany and the U.K., respectively.

Zn alloys have lately captivated the attention of the scientific community as possible materials for cardiovascular applications, showing a corrosion behavior and mechanical properties in between of those of Mg and Fe alloys. To better understand the different aspects of the interaction of Zn with body fluids, the basic corrosion pattern and the degradation products’ formation were investigated considering the effect of CO2 amount in the atmosphere and different pseudo-physiological media; that is Hanks’ balanced salt (HSS), Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline (PSS) and physiological saline solution (NSS), through a 14-day static immersion study. A mixed degradation layer mainly composed of ZnO with Zn3(PO4)2·4H2O and Zn(CO3)2 precipitates was found on surfaces immersed in both HSS and PSS, independently of the atmosphere, while a ZnO/ZnCl2 layer was found on the surface immersed in NSS, which also revealed the higher corrosion rate due to the effect of Cl− ions. Samples tested under a CO2-rich atmosphere showed a more compact passivating layer, higher dimensions crystals and less cavities when tested in HSS, PSS and NSS, respectively.

Renewable energy power plants and transport and heating electrification projects are being deployed to enable the replacement of fossil fuels as the primary energy source. This transition encourages distributed generation but makes the grid more weather-dependent, thus reducing its inertia. Simultaneously, electrical network operators face voltage, frequency, and stability challenges at the distribution level. Networks were not designed to manage the stochasticity of renewable energy sources or the congestion caused by the new transport and heating demands. Such challenges are commonly addressed through infrastructure reinforcements. This review studies how energy storage systems with different carriers can provide a collaborative solution involving prosumers as ancillary services providers at the distribution level. We focused on the European urban context; thus, we analyzed renewable energy sources, batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen fuel cells, thermal energy storage, and electric vehicles. A thorough review of successful implementations proved that including storage in one or more carriers benefits the distribution system operators and the prosumers, from both technical and economic perspectives. We propose a correlation between individual energy storage technologies and the ancillary services they can provide based on their responses to specific grid requirements. Therefore, distribution system operators can address network issues together with the prosumers. Nevertheless, attractive regulatory frameworks and business models are required to motivate prosumers to use their assets to support the grid. Further work is recommended to describe the joint operation of multiple storage technologies as multicarrier systems, focusing on the coupling of electrical and thermal energy storage. Additionally, how ancillary services affect the energy storage system’s aging should be studied.

Recent developments in the electricity sector encourage a high penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). In addition, European policies are pushing for mass deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Due to their non-controllable characteristics, these loads have brought new challenges in distribution networks, resulting in increased difficulty for Distribution System Operators (DSOs) to guarantee a safe and reliable operation of the grid. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) are promising solutions for mitigating the impact of the new loads and RES. In this paper, different aspects of the BESS's integration in distribution grids are reviewed. At first, the physical layer will be considered, focusing on the main battery technologies commercially available and on the power electronics converter. Secondly, the different functionalities that a grid-connected BESS can provide will be investigated, and then its sizing, location and control in distribution network will be discussed. In addition, an overview of actual BESSs installations is given. All in all, this paper aims at providing a comprehensive view of BESSs integration in distribution grids, highlighting the main focus, challenges, and research gaps for each one of these aspects.

Contamination problems by heavy metals and specifically by hexavalent chromium generated by different production processes impact aquifers worldwide and require effective remediation methods for their control. The exploration of microorganisms in saline environments with the capacity to bio reduce hexavalent chromium (????6+) to trivalent chromium (????3+), allows an alternative to the use of biotechnological processes, reducing its toxicity. In the present study, marine microorganisms were isolated from water and sediments, adapted to high concentrations of hexavalent chromium, from 300ppm to 1000ppm with bio reductive potential in wastewater. Bio reduction bioassays were carried out in selective liquid and solid culture media, to which potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) was added. Morphological and biochemical identification was carried out with API, preserving colonies. Spectrophotometric validation was developed to evaluate (???? 6+), verifying the bio reduction efficiency in laboratory bioassays with King broth and 300 ppm of potassium dichromate. The different broths were evaluated for enrichment, being the nutritive broth and King the best, showing high turbidity and growth in a short time. Among bacteria isolated from water and sediment, the latter showed rapid growth from 18 to 24 h. Gram positive and negative bacilli (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus brevis, Bacillus megaterium, Escherichia coli and Citrobacter kosseri) were found at 500/1000 ppm and biochemically characterized. Bio reduction percentages greater than 91% were obtained at 96 h, in concentrations of 300ppm of hexavalent chromium. Thanks to the selective isolation, tolerance and resistance to hexavalent chromium, these microorganisms proved to be bio reductive of this metal. Therefore, the use of these microorganisms on a full scale can be considered as a result for wastewater treatment where hexavalent chromium is used. Likewise, the use of microorganisms used in the bio reduction process is an alternative to Environmental Microbial Biotechnology that will bring benefits by reducing contamination.

In recent years, increasing interest has been placed in the development of Zn alloys for absorbable biomedical applications. It has been demonstrated that these alloys are potential candidates for endovascular applications. In the present work, a novel Zn-12.5Ag-1Mg alloy was investigated as a potential biomedical absorbable material. As a reference, the exhibited biocompatible properties are compared with those of pure Zn and a Zn-1Mg alloy. All the alloys investigated in this work were cast in a water-cooled Cu-mold (chill casting). Subsequently, the alloys were solution-treated and then extruded. The microstructural evolution at each stage of the alloy processing was resolved by analytical means including optical, scanning, transmission microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. By these means, the various phases belonging to this alloy system were disclosed. In addition, determinations of both corrosion and mechanical properties were carried out in the proposed Zn-12.5Ag-1Mg alloy. In particular, an excellent combination of strength and ductility was found, which is attributed to grain refinement as well as the precipitation of a uniform distribution of refined phases (i.e., AgZn solid solution, ε-AgZn3, and Ag0.15MgZn1.85 intermetallics). All the precipitated intermetallics were embedded in a η-Zn matrix. As for the corrosion degradation in the physiological NaCl solution in the as-extruded condition, the experimental outcome indicates that the Zn-12.5Ag-1Mg alloy exhibits degradation rates far superior to currently reported ones for Zn-based alloys intended for absorbable biomedical applications.

Background: Photosensitizers (PS), like porphyrins and phthalocyanines (PC) are excitable by light to generate cytotoxic singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species in the presence of atmospheric O2. Photodynamic inactivation of Leishmania by this means renders them non-viable, but preserves their effective use as vaccines. Leishmania can be photo-inactivated after PS-sensitization by loading via their endocytic uptake of PC or endogenous induction of transgenic mutants with delta-aminolevulinate (ALA) to accumulate cytosolic uroporphyrin I (URO). Here, PS-sensitization and photo-inactivation of Leishmaniaamazonensis was further examined in vitro and in vivo for vaccination against cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL).Methods and Results:Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes were photodynamically inactivated in vitro by PC-loading followed by exposure to red light (1–2 J/cm2) or ALA-induction of uroporphyrinogenic transfectants to accumulate cytosolic URO followed by longwave UV exposure. When applied individually, both strategies of photodynamic inactivation were found to significantly, albeit incompletely abolish the MTT reduction activities of the promastigotes, their uptake by mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages in vitro and their infectivity to mouse ear dermis in vivo. Inactivation of Leishmania to completion by using a combination of both strategies was thus used for the sake of safety as whole-cell vaccines for immunization of BALB/c mice. Different cutaneous sites were assessed for the efficacy of such photodynamic vaccination in vivo. Each site was inoculated first with in vitro doubly PS-sensitized promastigotes and then spot-illuminated with white light (50 J/cm2) for their photo-inactivation in situ. Only in ear dermis parasites were photo-inactivated beyond detection. Mice were thus immunized once in the ear and challenged 3 weeks later at the tail base with virulent L. amazonensis. Prophylaxis was noted in mice photodynamically vaccinated with doubly photo-inactivated parasites, as indicated by a significant delay in the onset of lesion development and a substantial decrease in the parasite loads.Conclusion: Leishmania doubly PS-sensitized and in situ photo-inactivated as described proved to be safe and effective when used for one-time immunization of ear dermis, as indicated by its significant protection of the inherently very susceptible BALB/c mice against CL.

Español En el presente estudio se analizan situaciones de alfabetización entre díadas de niños de 12 años, que asistían a la escuela primaria y niños de 5 años de jardín de infantes generadas en el marco del programa de niños tutores en alfabetización “De niño a niño” (Rosemberg y Alam, 2009) orientado a promover el aprendizaje de la lectura y la escritura de niños, quienes viven en poblaciones urbano marginadas de Argentina. El análisis se focaliza en las secuencias de intercambio en las que los niños mayores (tutores) explican palabras poco familiares a los niños pequeños (aprendices) durante distintos tipos de actividades: lectura de cuentos y actividades focalizadas en el sistema de escritura y el vocabulario. Durante el año escolar, se llevaron a cabo 7 sesiones y las sesiones de 8 díadas fueron filmadas y transcriptas. Se identificaron 89 secuencias donde el tutor explicaba una palabra al aprendiz. Para el análisis, se elaboró una categorización que da cuenta de la estructura conversacional de las secuencias de explicación -modalidad monologal o dialogal- y del tipo de información empleada -estrategias que recurren a aspectos semánticos y de contextualización. A fin de comparar cómo se despliegan estas secuencias en cada tipo de actividad, se emplearon pruebas estadísticas no paramétricas. Los resultados mostraron una preeminencia de la modalidad monologal y un mayor empleo de estrategias que recurren a aspectos semánticos en las situaciones de lectura. En las otras actividades de alfabetización, prevaleció la modalidad dialogal y el empleo de estrategias de contextualización. English This study analyzes literacy situations between dyads of 12-year-olds attending primary school and 5-year-old kindergarten children generated in the framework of the “De niño a niño” program (Rosemberg & Alam, 2009). The goal of this program is to promote reading and writing learning among children living in urban-marginalized populations in Argentina. The analysis focuses on the interventions used by older children (tutors) to explain unfamiliar words to younger children (apprentices) in the context of different types of activities: reading stories and activities focused on the writing system and vocabulary. During the school year, 7 sessions were held. The tutoring sessions of 8 dyads were videotaped and transcribed. Eighty-nine exchanges in which a tutor explained a word to the apprentice were identified. For the analysis, a categorization was elaborated focusing on the conversational structure of the explanation sequence modality - monologal or dialogal - and the type of information used for the explanation -strategies that resort to semantic and contextual aspects. In order to compare how these sequences were deployed in each type of activity, nonparametric statistical tests were used. The results showed a pre-eminence of the monologal modality and a greater use of strategies that resort to semantic aspects in reading situations. In the other literacy activities, the dialogal modality and the use of contextual aspects prevailed.

Abstract Background Two Leishmania major ribosomal proteins L3 (LmL3) and L5 (LmL5) have been described as protective molecules against cutaneous leishmaniasis due to infection with L. major and Leishmania braziliensis in BALB/c mice when immunized with a Th1 adjuvant (non-methylated CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides; CpG-ODN). In the present study we analyzed the cross-protective efficacy of an LmL3-LmL5-CpG ODN combined vaccine against infection with Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi (syn. Leishmania infantum) the etiologic agents of different clinical forms of human leishmaniasis in South America. Methods The combined vaccine was administered subcutaneously to BALB/c mice. After immunization the cellular and humoral responses elicited were analyzed. Mice were independently challenged with L. amazonensis and L. chagasi. The size of the cutaneous lesions caused by the infection with the first species, the parasite loads and the immune response in both infection models were analyzed nine weeks after challenge. Results Mice vaccinated with the combined vaccine showed a Th1-like response against LmL3 and LmL5. Vaccinated mice were able to delay lesion development due to L. amazonensis infection and to control parasite loads in the site of infection. A reduction of the parasite burden in the lymph nodes draining the site of infection and in the liver and spleen was observed in the vaccinated mice after a subcutaneous infection with L. chagasi. In both models of infection, protection was correlated to parasite antigen-specific production of IFN-γ and down-regulation of parasite-mediated IL-4 and IL-10 responses. Conclusions The data presented here demonstrate the potential use of L. major L3 and L5 recombinant ribosomal proteins for the development of vaccines against various Leishmania species.

Given the complementary nature of photovoltaic (PV) generation and energy storage, the combination of a solar panel and a battery pack in one single device is proposed. To realize this concept, the PV Battery-Integrated Module (PBIM), it is fundamental to analyze the system architecture and energy management. This paper focuses on selecting a suitable architecture among the different options, while also indicating the control strategy that the converters must follow to ensure appropriate performance. Also, several modes of operation for the complete system are introduced to implement energy management. For the selected DC architecture, two case studies, viz. off-grid and peak-shaving for a grid-tied system, were employed to characterize the response of the model demonstrating its utility to perform maximum power-point tracking, excess solar power curtailment, and battery charging and discharging. The proposed control and system architecture prove to be feasible for a PV battery-integrated device such as PBIM.