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The emergence and continued geographic expansion of arboviruses and the growing number of infected people have highlighted the need to develop and improve multiplex methods for rapid and specific detection of pathogens. Sequencing technologies are promising tools that can help in the laboratory diagnosis of conditions that share common symptoms, such as pathologies caused by emerging arboviruses. In this study, we integrated nanopore sequencing and the advantages of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to develop a multiplex RT-PCR protocol for the detection of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and several orthoflaviviruses (such as dengue (Orthoflavivirus dengue), Zika (Orthoflavivirus zikaense), yellow fever (Orthoflavivirus flavi), and West Nile (Orthoflavivirus nilense) viruses) in a single reaction, which provides data for sequence-based differentiation of arbovirus lineages.

Ferrous ammonium phosphate (FAP) is an iron salt that has been developed for the fortification of food matrices sensitive to color and flavor changes. The objective of the study was to measure iron absorption from FAP in young children and compare it to a previous evaluation of FAP in young women. A double-blind randomized crossover study with two parallel arms was used to evaluate the iron absorption from FAP added to reconstituted milk powder in comparison to that from ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) and ferric pyrophosphate (FePP). Iron absorption was measured in 39 children aged 3- to 6-years-old using erythrocyte incorporation of stable Fe isotopes (57Fe, 58Fe). The geometric mean iron absorption in iron replete children from FAP, FeSO4 and FePP from milk was 8.3%, 7.6% and 2.1%, respectively. Iron absorption from FAP and FeSO4 fortified milk was not significantly different (p = 0.199); however, it was significantly higher than from FePP fortified milk (p < 0.001). Iron bioavailability from FAP and FePP relative to FeSO4 (relative bioavailability (RBV)) was 110% and 33%, respectively. The RBV of FAP (110%) in iron replete children was higher than previously reported RBV (71%) in mainly iron deficient women. The difference in iron status between the children and women in the respective studies may explain the different RBV values and is discussed.

Vascular Dementia (VaD) is a pathogenetically heterogeneous neuropsychiatric syndrome, mainly characterized by cognitive impairment. Among dementias, it is second by incidence after Alzheimer's Dementia (AD). VaD biomolecular bases have been poorly characterized, but vascular-linked factors affecting the CNS and its functions are generally hypothesized to perform a major role, together with cardiovascular and immunological factors. MiRNAs, which perform critically important biomolecular roles within cell networks, are also found in biological fluids as circulating miRNAs (cmiRNAs). We hypothesized that differentially expressed (DE) cmiRNAs in plasma from VaD patients could be applied to diagnose VaD through liquid biopsies; these profiles also could allow to start investigating VaD molecular bases. By exploiting TaqMan Low Density Arrays and single TaqMan assays, miR-10b*, miR29a-3p and miR-130b-3p were discovered and validated as significantly downregulated DE cmiRNAs in VaD patients compared to unaffected controls (NCs). These miRNAs also were found to be significantly downregulated in a matched cohort of AD patients, but miR-130b-3p levels were lower in AD than in VaD. A negative correlation was detected between miR-29a and miR-130b expression and cognitive impairment in VaD and AD, respectively. ROC curves demonstrated that decreased plasma levels of miR-10b*, miR29a-3p and miR-130b-3p allow to discriminate VaD and AD patients from NCs. Furthermore, the concurrent downregulation of both miR-10b* and miR-130b-3p in VaD showed an AUC of 0.789 (p>0.0001) with 75% of sensitivity and 72% of specificity, while an AUC of 0.789 (p>0.0001) with 92% of sensitivity and 81% of specificity was found for both in AD. The miRNAs profiles reported in this paper pave the way to translational applications to molecular VaD diagnosis, but they also should allow to further investigate on its molecular bases.

Este artigo analisa as formas peculiares pelas quais, durante o século XX, os professores primários brasileiros buscaram eleger representantes para cargos eletivos. A intenção de fazer ouvir os seus reclamos em âmbito estatal pela via política choca-se frontalmente com uma forte e generalizada recusa da “vinculação política” das associações docentes. Esse paradoxo foi solucionado por meio de práticas e discursos com relação à profissão que permitem compreender o habitus professoral. São analisados os casos de três associações de professores primários: o Centro do Professorado Paulista de São Paulo, a Sociedade Unificadora dos Professores Primários da Bahia e o Centro do Professorado Primário de Pernambuco. Os conceitos estruturantes da análise são de Chartier (representação) e de Bourdieu (campos sociais). Abstract This text aims to analyze the peculiar strategies that were used during the XXth. Century by teachers’ associations to elect representants to the Legislative Assembly. The intention to take vindications to the State by political ways collided with the strong rejection of politics from teachers associations. This paradox was solved by practices and discourses about the profession that allow us to understand the nature of teachers’ habitus. We analyze the cases of three elementary teachers associations: the Centro do Professorado Paulista from São Paulo, the Sociedade Unificadora dos Professores Primários from Bahia and the Centro do Professorado Primário from Pernambuco. The concepts that structure this text are from Chartier (representation) and Bourdieu (social fields theory). Keywords Teachers Associations; Teacher’s Professionalization; Elementary School; Political Representation; XXth. Century

The glycemic index (GI), is a classification of food based on the blood glucose response to a food relative to a standard glucose solution and has been proposed as a therapeutic principle for diabetes mellitus. The objective of the study is to determine the GI of some commonly consumed carbohydrate foods in the Philippines. Forty foods categorized into biscuits/bakery/rice products, noodles, starchy roots/tubers, nuts/beans, fruits/dried fruit, vegetables, sugar/syrup and the standard glucose drink were used in the study. Foods were fed in 10 apparently healthy humans. The control and test foods were fed in random order on separate occasions after an overnight fast. Blood samples were collected and read for glucose in a Clinical Chemistry Analyzer. Biscuits/bakery/rice products were considered high GI (⩾70) foods except for biscuit fortified with dietary fibre and mammon. Except for sotanghon considered medium GI (56–69), all noodles were classified as low GI foods (⩽55) similarly with starchy root crops, nuts and beans, vegetables, and coconut sap sugar/syrup. The GI of foods studied ranged from low to high. Dietary fibre/complex carbohydrates, form of food and starch structures are important determinants of low GI foods.

Fruit and vegetable byproducts, such as peels, rinds, and seeds, have been the focus of functional food research in recent years. Byproducts of jackfruit, such as seeds, are functional foods/ingredients. However, studies on the nutritional and physicochemical properties of jackfruit seeds and their safe consumption are limited. Thus, this study aimed to determine the nutritional and physicochemical properties of raw, roasted, and boiled jackfruit seeds as well as how these seeds can be safely consumed. Nutrient composition, total dietary fiber composition, fermentability, resistant starch content, antinutrients, heavy metals, and microbial load of jackfruit seeds were determined using AOAC standard methods. Jackfruit seeds are a good source of protein (9.9-10.2 g/100 g), ash (3.3-3.8 g/100 g), carbohydrates (21.45-82.15 g/100 g), dietary fiber (12.11-13.83 g/100 g), resistant starch (19.9-25.6 g/100 g), and amylose (20.61-23.03 g/100 g). Phytic acid, tannic acid, and heavy metal contents as well as microbial load of raw and thermally processed jackfruit seeds were within acceptable limits; however, the microbial load in raw seeds was above the acceptable limit. The starchy structure of processed jackfruit seed expands its granules and exhibits an increased surface area, thereby leading to better digestion. In conclusion, processed jackfruit seeds can serve as a potential functional food or ingredient. Consumers and food industry professionals should be aware of the beneficial effects of jackfruit byproducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the vertical price transmission of banana in the domestic market of the Philippines. Banana, as one of the governments’ priority crops under the Department of Agriculture’s ‘High-value Crops Development Program’, has given priority to sustainability and global competitiveness. However, the domestic banana market consists of several marketing channels. Such complex characteristics of marketing channels can negatively affect market efficiency. In addition to such issues within a banana market, there are other issues that arise outside the market that can also affect market efficiency. This study considered both internal and external factors affecting market efficiency and analysed the price transmission of upstream and downstream banana markets in the Philippines. The nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model is used to estimate asymmetric relationships among vertical banana markets. Following the NARDL model, the Granger causality test is applied to determine the direction between market prices. Results showed that the price dispersion and response depend on varieties of banana such as Lakatan and Saba, and market levels from farmgate, wholesale and retail. Lakatan banana is less inefficient than Saba banana in the Philippine domestic market. Based on the findings of the study, it is suggested that banana market stakeholders need to develop different strategies depending on the banana variety in order to improve the efficiency of the domestic banana market. To improve the complex distribution structure, the government needs to design medium- and long-term projects.

Abstract Nowadays, secondary raw materials (SRM) obtained from plant matrices are of great interest for circular economy, suitable for sustainable measures to reduce environmental impact. This work focused on the extraction, characterization and quantification of compounds obtained from leaves and fruits of the Sicilian sumac, Rhus coriaria L. and their application as natural dyes on textile fibres. Extractions were performed with Extractor Naviglio®, maceration and ultrasound assisted methods and food-grade solvents (aqueous and hydroalcoholic) to evaluate the yields for dye compounds. The presence of colouring molecules was evaluated by UV–Vis spectrophotometer, and the extracts selected for colouring were quantified and characterized by LC–MS. The results showed that Extractor Naviglio® achieved the best extraction yield, and the ethanol–water mixture extracts had a higher amount of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and a higher content of total colouring compounds (TCC). These extracts were selected for subsequent applications as dyes for linen, cotton and wool. The chemical profile of selected extracts was rich in compounds such as gallotannin and anthocyanin class. Fibre dyeing was verified by recording CIELAB colouring coordinates. The results suggest that the dyes obtained from R. coriaria can be of great interest for artisanal and industrial processes, in accordance with environmental sustainability.

This article describes a career ladder program for paraeducators in which collaborative efforts of a university, community college, and consortium of school districts addresses the need for preparing teachers of English-language learners. Thirty paraeducators of minority background were supported through the California Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. This article focuses on (a) the program goals, (b) participant recruitment and retention, (c) participant cohort, and (d) program support. The program was built on the concept of a community of learners in which the participants obtained a B.A. degree and a California Multiple Subject (elementary) Bilingual Culture Language Acquisition Development/Culture Language Acquisition Development Credential. This program provided teachers from an underrepresented group to meet the need for credentialed teachers of English learners as well as to diversify the teaching force.

ObjectiveThis study aims to provide rapid and up-to-date evidence on the effectiveness of Health at Every Size (HAES) interventions compared to controls or other conventional approaches in individuals with overweight or obesity, with the goal of developing more effective and body-diverse respectful strategies.MethodsA review of literature was carried out using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and SciELO. Research articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Extracted data included study characteristics (design, setting, population demographics, sample size, intervention characteristics, study duration, and follow-up period) and health-related outcomes.ResultsThe search yielded 324 articles, of which 20 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The majority of studies focused on lifestyle improvement, particularly in nutrition, body image, and relationships with food, utilizing a HAES approach. Additionally, other studies examined outcomes such as general well-being, body weight, body composition, cardiovascular risk, and changes in physical activity. Long-term results were particularly noted in studies incorporating physical activity interventions.ConclusionHAES interventions appear to be a feasible strategy for promoting overall health and wellness, regardless of body size or shape. However, further evaluation is needed to assess the sustainability of these changes and their long-term impact, as current evidence suggest a they may not be maintained over time.

Environmental justice and sustainability have both become major concerns for water resource management, particularly with recent federal emphasis on environmental justice under the Biden administration in the United States. Texas, like many U.S. states, lags behind the federal government in this emphasis. While many localities have made progress in some respects—for example, some major Texas municipalities have included equity and sustainability metrics in their recent climate action plans—others have not. This has left a patchwork of persistent water management and availability issues that are exacerbated by extreme weather and worsening impacts of climate change. We provide a review of many of Texas’s water equity and sustainability challenges, both now and in a more extreme climate future. These include water access, affordability, contamination, flooding, drought, and aging infrastructure. For example, many Texas counties rank highest in the nation for flood risk, including coastal counties with high populations of disadvantaged communities and counties containing populations that live in persistent poverty in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Additionally, approximately 44,000 Texans, or about 0.4% of the state population, lack access to complete plumbing facilities in their homes. The costs of water infrastructure leaks (estimated at about 51 gallons of water per day statewide) are shared across customers of all income levels, though they place a disproportionate burden on low-income customers. We then assess existing statewide and local policy and planning efforts and gaps in addressing these concerns in Texas. We focus particularly on the role of efforts to incorporate community voice—the ideas, concerns, needs, and expertise of impacted community members, dismantle causes of injustice, and improve equity in spending. If communities are not intentional with future development, new water infrastructure could continue to perpetuate existing harms. Thus, we provide a research agenda and recommendations for addressing some of the policy and planning gaps and persistent environmental justice issues. We aim to help water managers and policy makers identify and dismantle sources of inequity, particularly through including community voice.

One third of all emerging infectious diseases are vector-borne, with no licensed antiviral therapies available against any vector-borne viruses. Zika virus and Usutu virus are two emerging flaviviruses transmitted primarily by mosquitoes. These viruses modulate different host pathways, including the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Here, we report the effect on ZIKV and USUV replication of two AKT inhibitors, Miransertib (ARQ-092, allosteric inhibitor) and Capivasertib (AZD5363, competitive inhibitor) in different mammalian and mosquito cell lines. Miransertib showed a stronger inhibitory effect against ZIKV and USUV than Capivasertib in mammalian cells, while Capivasertib showed a stronger effect in mosquito cells. These findings indicate that AKT plays a conserved role in flavivirus infection, in both the vertebrate host and invertebrate vector. Nevertheless, the specific function of AKT may vary depending on the host species. These findings indicate that AKT may be playing a conserved role in flavivirus infection in both, the vertebrate host and the invertebrate vector. However, the specific function of AKT may vary depending on the host species. A better understanding of virus-host interactions is therefore required to develop new treatments to prevent human disease and new approaches to control transmission by insect vectors.

Patients with radically resected stage II and III NSCLC are exposed to a high risk of disease recurrence. Thus, adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is routinely offered to this patient population, although it results in an absolute increase in 5-year survival rate of only 4%. This modest improvement in survival rate makes it challenging to communicate to our patients about the decision to be treated with adjuvant chemotherapy or not. Nowadays, the decision to administer adjuvant chemotherapy or not in resected NSCLC is almost never completely shared with patients because its role is very difficult to explain. The risk–benefit ratio becomes clearly unfavourable in elderly and unfit patients. Recently, the phase III ADAURA trial demonstrated a clinically significant disease-free survival and overall survival benefit with adjuvant osimertinib (with or without adjuvant chemotherapy) versus a placebo in EGFR-mutated stage IB-IIIA resected NSCLC. In this patient population, the decision to administer chemotherapy or not is much more challenging given the great benefit offered by osimertinib alone. Thus, it is time now to improve our communication tools to explain the role of adjuvant chemotherapy to our patients, especially in the EGFR-mutated population, in order to undertake real shared decision making in a clinical context in which the opportunity to administer toxic chemotherapy is debatable and subjective.

ObjectiveDiabetes mellitus is a growing disease with severe complications. Various scores predict the risk of developing this pathology. The amount of muscle mass is associated with insulin resistance, yet there is no established evidence linking muscle mass with diabetes risk. This work aims to study that relationship.Research methods and proceduresThis cross-sectional study included 1,388 employees. The FINDRISC score was used to assess type 2 diabetes risk, and bioimpedance was used for body composition analysis. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass adjusted by body mass index (ASM/BMI) was analyzed. Sociodemographic, clinical and anthropometric measures were evaluated, logistic regression models with sex stratification were conducted and ROC curves were calculated to determine the ability of ASM/BMI index to predict T2D risk.ResultsIt was observed that patients with higher ASM/BMI had a lower FINDRISC score in both men and women (p

Agriculture faces great challenges to overcome global warming and improve system sustainability, requiring access to novel genetic diversity. So far, wild populations and local landraces remain poorly explored. This is notably the case for the two diploid species, Brassica oleracea L. (CC, 2n=2x=18) and B. rapa L. (AA, 2n=2x=20). In order to explore the genetic diversity in both species, we have collected populations in their centre of origin, the Mediterranean basin, on a large contrasting climatic and soil gradient from northern Europe to southern sub-Saharan regions. In these areas, we also collected 14 populations belonging to five B. oleracea closely related species. Our objective was to ensure the absence of species misidentification at the seedling stage among the populations collected and to describe thereafter their origins. We combined flow cytometry, sequencing of a species-specific chloroplast genomic region, as well as cytogenetic analyses in case of unexpected results for taxonomic verification. Out of the 112 B. oleracea and 154 B. rapa populations collected, 103 and 146, respectively, presented a good germination rate and eighteen populations were misidentified. The most frequent mistake was the confusion of these diploid species with B. napus. Additionally for B. rapa, two autotetraploid populations were observed. Habitats of the collected and confirmed wild populations and landraces are described in this study. The unique plant material described here will serve to investigate the genomic regions involved in adaptation to climate and microbiota within the framework of the H2020 Prima project ‘BrasExplor’.

Abstract Background Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary syndrome. Previously, we published the largest cohort of FH mutation carriers in Spain and observed a highly recurrent missense heterozygous variant, FH(NM_000143.4):c.1118A > G p.(Asn373Ser), in 104 individuals from 31 apparently unrelated families. Here, we aimed to establish its founder effect and characterize the associated clinical phenotype. Results Haplotype analysis confirmed that families shared a common haplotype (32/38 markers) spanning 0.61–0.82 Mb, indicating this recurrent variant was inherited from a founder ancestor. Cutaneous and uterine leiomyomatosis were diagnosed in 64.6% (64/99) and 98% (50/51) of patients, respectively, and renal cell cancer was present in 10.4% (10/96). The pathogenic FH_c.1118A > G variant is a Spanish founder mutation that originated 12–26 generations ago. We estimate that the variant may have appeared between 1370 and 1720. Individuals carrying this founder mutation had similar frequency of renal cell cancer and a higher frequency of renal cysts and leiomyomas than those in other cohorts of this syndrome. Conclusions In the Spanish province of Alicante there is a high prevalence of HLRCC because of the founder mutation FH c.1118A > G; p.(Asn373Ser). The characterization of founder mutations provides accurate and specific information regarding their penetrance and expressivity. In individuals with suspected HLRCC from the province of Alicante, genetic testing by direct analysis of the founder FH c.1118A > G; p.(Asn373Ser) mutation may be a faster and more efficient diagnostic tool compared with complete gene sequencing.

Abstract Background Mediterranean Diet (MD) has many health benefits, particularly in reducing cardiovascular risk (CVR). However, it is still little known if there are any sex differences in following this nutritional pattern and, thus, the potential sex-related repercussions on CVR in obesity. The study aimed to characterize sex-related adherence to MD and its association with CVR factors in subjects with obesity. Methods A total of 968 females (33.81 ± 11.06 years; BMI 34.14 ± 7.43 kg/m2) and 680 males (aged 34.77 ± 11.31years; BMI 33.77 ± 8.13 kg/m2) were included in a cross-sectional observational study. Lifestyle habits, anthropometric parameters, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and adherence to MD were evaluated. Results Females had significantly higher adherence to MD and lower hs-CRP levels than males (p

The aim of this investigation is to determine whether the methanolic extracts of Sargassum wightii can protect rats against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction. Four different groups of rats (6 rats in each group) were taken; where group 1 comprised of normal untreated rats, group 2 was injected with Isoproterenol (synthetic catecholamine), group 3 was considered as standard and hence, was injected with Isoproterenol + Simvastatin and group 4 was treated with Isoproterenol + Sargassum wightii's extract. Cardioprotective effects of Sargassum wightii was observed via the changes in the lipid profile, cardio marker enzymes and through histopathological studies. Rats treated with the extract of S. wightii showed a significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, serum triglycerides and increase in HDL- cholesterol level indicating an undamaged myocardial membrane. Likewise, low enzyme activity in Sargassum wightii treated rats clearly indicated the cardioprotective effects of Sargassum wightii. Histopathological studies were also done to observe the changes on the rats at the tissue level and no pathological changes were observed in Sargassum wightii treated rats. Hence, methanolic extract of Sargassum wightii is evidenced to possess cardioprotective activity against myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]