Ythdf2 regulates cardiac remodeling through its mRNA target transcripts.

m6A mRNA methylation controls cardiomyocyte function and increased overall m6A levels are a stereotyping finding in heart failure independent of the underlying etiology. However, it is largely unknown how the information is read by m6A reader proteins in heart failure. Here we show that the m6A reader protein Ythdf2 controls cardiac function and identified a novel mechanism how reader proteins control gene expression and cardiac function. Deletion of Ythdf2 in cardiomyocytes in vivo leads to mild cardiac hypertrophy, reduced heart function, and increased fibrosis during pressure overload as well as during aging. Similarly, in vitro the knockdown of Ythdf2 results in cardiomyocyte growth and remodeling. Mechanistically, we identified the eucaryotic elongation factor 2 as post-transcriptionally regulated by Ythdf2 using cell type specific Ribo-seq data. Our study expands our understanding on the regulatory functions of m6A methylation in cardiomyocytes and how cardiac function is controlled by the m6A reader protein Ythdf2.

Social environment as a modulator of immunosenescence.

Immune system aging, a process known as immunosenescence, involves a striking rearrangement affecting all immune cells, resulting in an increased rate of infections and a major incidence of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Nonetheless, differences in how individuals of the same chronological age carry out this immunosenescence establishment and thus the aging rate have been reported. In the context of neuroimmunoendocrine communication and its role in the response to stress situations, growing evidence suggests that social environments profoundly influence all physiological responses, especially those linked to immunity. Accordingly, negative contexts (loneliness in humans/social isolation in rodents) were associated with immune impairments and decreased lifespan. However, positive social environments have been correlated with adequate immunity and increased lifespan. Therefore, the social context in which an individual lives is proposed as a decisive modulator of the immunosenescence process and, consequently, of the rate of aging. In this review, the most important findings regarding how different social environments (negative and positive) modulate immunosenescence and therefore the aging rate, as well as the role of stress responses, hormesis, and resilience in these environments will be explained. Finally, several possible molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of negative and positive environments on immunosenescence will be suggested.

Protocol for assessing mortality reduction with the early use of noninvasive ventilation in prehospital emergency services: A multicentre, observational cohort study in Madrid, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) has become one of the most prevalent serious pathologies encountered in the emergency medical service (EMS). In hospital settings, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) therapy prevents complications from more aggressive treatments for that condition. However, the scarce evidence on the benefits of NIV in prehospital EMS (i.e., during transport to the hospital) is inconclusive. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the administration of NIV during prehospital EMS in cases of ARF reduces in-hospital mortality compared with starting NIV on arrival to in-patient EMS. METHODS: This is a multicentre, observational, prospective cohort study. We recruited a total of 317 patients from the Madrid region (Spain) who were prescribed NIV for their ARF using a nonprobabilistic consecutive sampling method. Analyses of the main outcome (in-hospital mortality) and secondary outcomes (length of hospital stay, readmissions, percentage of intensive care unit admissions, and cost-effectiveness) will include descriptive analyses of patients' characteristics, as well as bivariate and multivariate analyses and cost-effectiveness analysis. DISCUSSION: This study will provide data on NIV management in prehospital and in-patient EMS in patients with ARF. Results will contribute to the existing evidence on the benefits of NIV in the context of prehospital EMS while underlining the importance of a standardized formal training for physicians and nurses working in prehospital and in-patient EMSs. CONCLUSION: The VentilaMadrid study will provide valuable data on the clinical factors of patients receiving NIV in prehospital EMS. Further, were our hypothesis to be confirmed, our results would strongly suggest that the administration of NIV in prehospital EMS by medical and nursing profesionals formally trained in the technique reduces mortality and improves prognoses.

Cholinergic denervation in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cholinergic dysfunction appears to play a role in the cognitive impairment observed in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The occurrence of cholinergic dysfunction in the early stages of these conditions, however, has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate cholinergic function in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD), a disorder recognized to be an early stage of both Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. METHODS: A total of 21 patients with polysomnography-confirmed iRBD with no evidence of parkinsonism and cognitive impairment and 10 controls underwent positron emission tomography (PET) to assess brain acetylcholinesterase levels (11 C-donepezil PET) and nigrostriatal dopaminergic function (18 F-DOPA PET). Clinical examination included the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III, Mini Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. RESULTS: The 11 C-donepezil PET was successfully performed in 17 patients with iRBD and nine controls. Compared with controls, patients with iRBD showed a mean 7.65% reduction in neocortical 11 C-donepezil levels (P = 0.005). Bilateral superior temporal cortex, occipital cortex, cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed the most significant reductions at voxel level. CONCLUSION: Reduced neocortical 11 C-donepezil binding in our patients indicates cholinergic denervation and suggests that the projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert, which supplies cholinergic innervation to the neocortex, are dysfunctional in iRBD. Longitudinal studies will clarify if these changes are predictive of future cognitive impairment in these patients.

Equines as reservoirs of human fascioliasis: transmission capacity, epidemiology and pathogenicity in Fasciola hepatica-infected mules.

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by liver flukes transmitted by freshwater lymnaeid snails. Donkey and horse reservoir roles have been highlighted in human endemic areas. Liver fluke infection in mules has received very limited research. Their role in disease transmission, epidemiological importance and Fasciola hepatica pathogenicity are studied for the first time. Prevalence was 39.5% in 81 mules from Aconcagua, and 24.4% in 127 from Uspallata, in high-altitude areas of Mendoza province, Argentina. A mean amount of 101,242 eggs/mule/day is estimated. Lymnaeids from Uspallata proved to belong to ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) markers ITS-1 and ITS-2 combined haplotype 3C of Galba truncatula. These lymnaeids were experimentally susceptible to infection by egg miracidia from mules. Infectivity, number of cercariae/snail and shedding period fit the enhanced F. hepatica/G. truncatula transmission pattern at very high altitude. This indicates that the mule is able to maintain the F. hepatica cycle independently. Individual burdens of 20 and 97 flukes were found. Mule infection susceptibility is intermediate between donkey and horse, although closer to the latter. Anatomo-pathology and histopathology indicate that massive infection may cause mule death. Haematological value decreases of red blood cells, haemoglobin, leucocytes and lymphocytes indicate anaemia and strong immunosuppression. Strongly increased biochemical marker values indicate liver function alterations. The mule probably played a role in the past exchanges with Chile and Bolivia through Mendoza province. Evidence suggests that mules could contribute to the spread of both F. hepatica and G. truncatula to human fascioliasis-endemic areas in these countries.

Study of recovery and first recrystallisation kinetics in CGO Fe3%Si steels using misorientation-derived parameters (EBSD).

Many metallurgical processes produce characteristic dislocation accumulation, with heterogeneous spatial and orientation distributions and further development of microstructures after heat treatment. Recovery and recrystallisation behaviours are direct consequences of those uneven dislocation distributions. The Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique can be used for the characterisation of such microstructural features, including: Density of Geometrically Necessary Dislocations (GND), Kernel Average Misorientations (KAM), Grain Orientation Spread (GOS), Grain Average Misorientation (GAM), Grain Reference Orientation Deviation (GROD - Angle) and GOS/D, where D is an assumed characteristic grain length. Production of Fe3%Si alloys with a Goss texture, essential step in the manufacture of electrical transformers, requires several different processing stages, including the one called primary recrystallisation, a key process preceding abnormal grain growth. The structure of grains and different microstructural aspects of the recrystallisation stage will provide the conditions for development of the Goss orientation during abnormal grain growth. In the present work we use GOS, GAM, GROD, GOS/D, GND and KAM, calculated from EBSD scans performed on cold rolled Fe3%Si alloys subject to increasing heat treatment times, to characterise the kinetics of recovery and primary recrystallisation in an Fe3%Si alloy. Difficulties in the interpretation of these results may arise from the interactive competition between various microstructural features. Hardness measurements were also performed in order to validate recovery and recrystallisation evolution by classical methods. It was found that the global GOS (i.e. including grains of all orientations) shows changes which can be related to those observed in the hardness for high annealing temperatures but it is not sensitive to microstructure evolution occurring at low temperatures. Meanwhile, GND undergoes changes at all annealing temperatures and, remarkably, it responds to the recovery that GOS cannot detect at low temperatures. The GAM parameter seems to follow better the microhardness results. When grains belonging to different texture components are analysed, gamma fibre grains are the first to recrystallise and alpha fibre grains the last. LAY DESCRIPTION: Many metallurgical processes produce characteristic dislocation accumulation, with heterogeneous spatial and orientation distributions. Further development of such microstructures occurs with subsequent heat treatments. Recovery and recrystallisation behaviours are directly affected by consequences of those uneven dislocation distributions. The Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique can be used for the characterisation of such microstructural features using different magnitudes that describe locally or globally misorientations between various locations in the material. In search of the best parameters [among them: Density of Geometrically Necessary Dislocations (GND), Kernel Average Misorientations (KAM), Grain Orientation Spread (GOS), Grain Average Misorientation (GAM), Grain Reference Orientation Deviation (GROD - Angle) and GOS/D, where D is an assumed characteristic grain length], we characterised the kinetics of the recovery during the 1st recrystallisation in an Fe3%Si alloy. It was found that the global GOS (i.e. including grains of all orientations) shows changes that can be related to the advance of recrystallisation on the other hand, the GND (KAM, GAM etc.) parameter seems to better follow the progress of recovery phenomenon. When grains belonging to different texture components are analysed, gamma fibre grains are the first to recrystallise and alpha fibre grains the last.

Effectiveness of an intervention in multicomponent exercise in primary care to improve frailty parameters in patients over 70 years of age (MEFAP-project), a randomised clinical trial: rationale and study design.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity may reverse frailty in the elderly, but we encounter barriers to the implementation of exercise programs in this population. Our main aim is to evaluate the effect of a multicomponent physical activity program, versus regular medical practice, on reverting pre-frailty status among the elderly, 12 months post-intervention. METHODS: Randomized parallel group multicenter clinical trial located in primary care setting, among non-dependent and pre-frail patients > 70 years old, including 190 patients (95 intervention, 95 control group). INTERVENTION: Multicomponent physical activity program (MEFAP, for its acronym in Spanish) with twelve 1.5 h-weekly sessions comprised of: 1. Informative session; 2. Exercises for improving aerobic resistance, muscle strength, propioception-balance and flexibility; and 3. Handing out of at-home exercise chart (twice/week). Main variable: pre-frailty according to the Fried phenotype. Secondary variables: sociodemographic, clinical and functional variables; exercise program adherence, patient satisfaction with the program and quality of life. We will perform an intention-to-treat analysis by comparing the retrogression from pre-frailty (1 or 2 Fried criteria) to robust status (0 Fried criteria) by the end of the intervention, 6 months and 12 months post-intervention. The accumulated incidence in each group will be calculated, as well as the relative risk (RR) and the number needed to treat (NNT) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee Hospital la Paz. DISCUSSION: Within the context of regular clinical practice, our results will provide evidence regarding the effects of exercise interventions on frailty among pre-frail older adults, a key population given their significant potential for functional, physical, and mental health improvement. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03568084 . Registered 26 June 2018. Date of enrollment of the first participant to the trial: July 2nd 2018.

Premature aging in behavior and immune functions in tyrosine hydroxylase haploinsufficient female mice. A longitudinal study.

Aging is accompanied by impairment in the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems as well as in neuroimmunoendocrine communication. In this context, there is an age-related alteration of the physiological response to acute stress, which is modulated by catecholamine (CA), final products of the sympathetic-adreno-medullary axis. The involvement of CA in essential functions of the nervous system is consistent with the neuropsychological deficits found in mice with haploinsufficiency (hemizygous; HZ) of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) enzyme (TH-HZ). However, other possible alterations in regulatory systems have not been studied in these animals. The aim of the present work was to analyze whether adult TH-HZ female mice presented the impairment of behavioral traits and immunological responses that occurs with aging and whether they had affected their mean lifespan. ICR-CD1 female TH-HZ and wild type (WT) mice were used in a longitudinal study. Behavioral tests were performed on adult and old mice in order to evaluate their sensorimotor abilities and exploratory capacity, as well as anxiety-like behaviors. At the ages of 2 ±â€¯1, 4 ±â€¯1, 9 ±â€¯1, 13 ±â€¯1 and 20 ±â€¯1 months, peritoneal leukocytes were extracted and several immune functions were assessed (phagocytic capacity, Natural Killer (NK) cytotoxicity, and lymphoproliferative response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and concanavalin A (ConA)). In addition, several oxidative stress parameters (catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations as antioxidant compounds as well as xanthine oxidase activity, oxidized glutathione (GSSG) concentrations, and GSSG/GSH ratio as oxidants) were analyzed. As inflammatory stress parameters TNF-alpha and IL-10 concentrations, and TNF-alpha/IL-10 ratios as inflammatory/anti-inflammatory markers, were measured. Animals were maintained in standard conditions until their natural death. The results indicate that adult TH-HZ mice presented worse sensorimotor abilities and exploratory capacity than their WT littermates as well as greater anxiety-like behaviors. With regards to the immune system, adult TH-HZ animals exhibited lower values of phagocytic capacity, NK cytotoxicity, and lymphoproliferative response to LPS and ConA than WT mice. Moreover, immune cells of TH-HZ mice showed higher oxidative and inflammatory stress than those of WT animals. Although these differences between TH-HZ and WT, in general, decreased with aging, this premature immunosenescence and impairment of behavior of TH-HZ mice was accompanied by a shorter mean lifespan in comparison to WT counterparts. In conclusion, haploinsufficiency of th gene in female mice appears to provoke premature aging of the regulatory systems affecting mean lifespan.

White-gutted soldiers: simplification of the digestive tube for a non-particulate diet in higher Old World termites (Isoptera: Termitidae).

Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks pigmented particles in its gut and, instead, is fed worker saliva that imparts a whitish coloration to the abdomen. In order to investigate the occurrence of this trait more thoroughly, we surveyed a broad diversity of termite specimens and taxonomic descriptions from the Old World subfamilies Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Foraminitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, and Termitinae. We identified 38 genera that have this "white-gutted" soldier (WGS) trait. No termite soldiers from the New World were found to possess a WGS caste. Externally, the WGS is characterized by a uniformly pale abdomen, hyaline gut, and proportionally smaller body-to-head volume ratio compared with their "dark-gutted" soldier (DGS) counterparts found in most termitid genera. The WGS is a fully formed soldier that, unlike soldiers in other higher termite taxa, has a small, narrow, and decompartmentalized digestive tube that lacks particulate food contents. The presumed saliva-nourished WGS have various forms of simplified gut morphologies that have evolved at least six times within the higher termites.

Predominance of Clostridium difficile ribotypes 012, 027 and 046 in a university hospital in Chile, 2012.

In a 1-year survey at a university hospital we found that 20·6% (81/392) of patients with antibiotic associated diarrohea where positive for C. difficile. The most common PCR ribotypes were 012 (14·8%), 027 (12·3%), 046 (12·3%) and 014/020 (9·9). The incidence rate was 2·6 cases of C. difficile infection for every 1000 outpatients.

The influence of regular physical activity on lung function in paraplegic people.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVES: The main goal of this study was to examine the influence of regular physical activity (PA) on lung volumes and flows. SETTING: The study was conducted in the Vall d'Hebrón Hospital, Barcelona (Spain), and La Fe Hospital, Valencia (Spain). METHODS: Spirometric tests were performed to 67 paraplegics, and differences were established between the active group (AG) (n=37) that performed >60 min per week of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and 30 non-AG (NAG). Further, we established the relationship between the spirometric and PA variables and between being active and reaching the lower limit of normal (LLN) of the spirometric variables. RESULTS: AG had greater values than the NAG: FVC (P<0.01), FEV1 (P<0.01) and PEF (P<0.01). Moderate correlations between the MVPA and FVC (r=0.41, P<0.01) and the MVPA and FEV1 (r=0.39, P<0.01) were obtained. The relationship between being physically active and reaching the LLN was statistically significant for FEV1 (χ2=6.184, P<0.05) but not for FVC (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The performance of MVPA for a minimum of 60 min per week can have a beneficial effect, both on lung volumes and on expiratory flow, and led to an achievement of the LLN in FEV1.

Retracted: Micro-computed tomography evaluation of apical transportation and centring ability of Reciproc and WaveOne systems in severely curved root canals.

The following article from International Endodontic Journal, 'Micro-computed tomography evaluation of apical transportation and centring ability of Reciproc and WaveOne systems in severely curved root canals' by D. A. de Meireles, T. C. C. A. de Brito, A. A. F. Marques, A. D. B. Garrido, L. F. R. Garcia & E. C. Sponchiado Jr, published online on 5 February 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Prof. Paul Dummer, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to the use of techniques for crucial measurements in canal shaping and a lack of clarity regarding the measuring methodology. The use of inadequate measuring methodologies makes the findings of the paper invalid.

Synthesis and characterization of graphene: influence of synthesis variables.

The optimization of graphene growth on copper foils using an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition setup is reported. CH4 and H2 were used as precursor gases and Raman spectroscopy as the main graphene characterization technique. Different growth parameters, including temperature and reaction time, the molar ratio of CH4/H2 in the feed and total flow of gases during the reaction step, were studied in detail. It was shown that graphene growth was not homogeneous in the entire sample, multilayer graphene was present in most of the sample, however as the synthesis parameters were optimized, graphene gained better quality, obtaining bilayer graphene over most of the sheet in the final optimized sample. Homemade software was used to analyze the quality of the synthesised graphene, obtaining a more quality graphene according to the synthesis parameters optimized. An optimal bilayer graphene sample was prepared at the lowest growth time (10 min) and the highest synthesis temperature (1050 °C), using a CH4/H2 flow ratio and a total flow rate ratio of precursors of 7% and 60 Nml (CH4 + H4) per min respectively.

Ophthalmic wild olive (ACEBUCHE) oil nanoemulsions exert oculoprotective effects against oxidative stress induced by arterial hypertension.

Oxidative stress plays a key role in several systemic and ocular diseases, including hypertensive eye diseases. In this context, we previously showed that oral administration of wild olive (acebuche, ACE) oil from Olea europaea var. sylvestris can counteract ocular damage secondary to arterial hypertension by modulating excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Therefore, this work describes the development of an ACE oil-based formulation for ocular administration as a local therapy to counteract hypertension-related oxidative damage. Specifically, ACE oil nanoemulsions (NEs) were successfully produced and characterized, exhibiting appropriate features for ophthalmic administration, including a nanometer size (<200 nm), moderate negative ZP, adequate osmolality and pH, and colloidal stability in biorelevant fluids. Likewise, the NEs presented a shear thinning behavior, especially convenient for ocular instillation. In vivo evaluation was performed through either intravitreal injection or topical ophthalmic administration in mice with hypertension induced via administration of Nω-nitro-L-arginine-methyl-ester (L-NAME). Both routes of administration reduced hypertensive morphological alterations and demonstrated a noticeable antioxidant effect thanks to the reduction of the activity/expression of NADPH oxidase in cornea and retina. Thus, an ACE oil ophthalmic formulation represent a promising therapy for ocular pathologies associated with arterial hypertension.

[Relationship between frailty and functional status in lung transplant candidates]. / Relación entre la fragilidad y la capacidad funcional en los pacientes candidatos a trasplante de pulmón.

INTRODUCTION: Lung transplant (LT) is one of the therapeutic options for patients with terminal respiratory diseases. It is highly important to incorporate the functional status and frailty assessment into the selection process of candidates for LT. OBJECTIVES: Identify the prevalence of frailty in the LT waiting list. Study the relationship between frailty, functional status, Lung Allocation Score (LAS) and muscular dysfunction. METHODOLOGY: Descriptive transversal study of patients on the waiting list for LT. POPULATION: 74 patients with chronic respiratory diseases assessed by the lung transplant committee and accepted to be transplanted in a university hospital in Barcelona. The outcome variables were frailty status was evaluate for SPPB test, functional capacity was evaluate for the six-minute walking test (6MWT) and muscular dysfunction. The results were analyzed with the statistical package STATA 12. RESULTS: Sample of 48 men and 26 women, with a median age of 56.55 years (SD 10.87. The prevalence of frailty assessed with the SPPB was 33.8% (8.1% are in frailty and 25.7% are in a state of pre-frailty). There is a relationship between the SPPB, 6MWT and maximal inspiratory pressure, but not with others force values. There is a relationship between the risk of frailty (scores below 9 in SPPB) and the meters walked in 6 but not with the LAS. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of frailty in patients with terminal chronic respiratory diseases is high. Frailty is related with functional capacity, but not with LAS.

[Standardization of the quantification of iron concentration in the liver by magnetic resonance imaging]. / Estandarización de la cuantificación de la concentración de hierro en el hígado por resonancia magnética.

OBJECTIVE: To calibrate 1.5 tesla magnetic resonance scanners for the quantification of the concentration of iron in the liver. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed twenty-eight 1.5 tesla magnetic resonance scanners using a phantom with four tubes containing different concentrations of iron (III) chloride and one tube without iron. The phantom represented two typical patients: one with moderate iron overload and one with high iron overload. We measured the signal intensity ratio between each iron-containing tube and the tube without iron; then we calculated the theoretical levels of iron concentration in each scanner according to the model for the two levels of overload. We compared the results of each scanner with those of the reference scanner in which the model and the phantom had been designed, and we calculated the percentage of difference between the two scanners. RESULTS: The mean difference in the ratios compared to the reference center was 11% (0.3-39). The mean concentration of iron was 71 µmol Fe/g for moderate overload and 193 µmol Fe/g for high overload. The mean difference was 6% (1.2- 7%) and 3.4% (0-16%). respectively. In two scanners, we applied a correction factor so that the difference was below 25% in all cases. CONCLUSION: We calibrated twenty-eight 1.5 tesla scanners for the concentration of iron in the liver and achieved variability less than 25%.

Ecotoxicological risk assessment in soils contaminated by Pb and As 20 years after a mining spill.

This study evaluates the potential toxicity of the soils of the Guadiamar Green Corridor (GGC) affected by the Aznalcóllar mine spill (Andalusia, Spain), one of the most important mining accidents in Europe in recent decades. Twenty years after the accident, although the area is considered to be recovered, residual contamination in soils persists, and the bioavailability of some contaminants, such as As, is showing trends of increasing. Therefore, the potential residual toxicity in 84 soil samples was evaluated by bioassays with lettuce (Latuca sativa L.), earthworms (Eisenia andrei) and determining the microbial activity by basal respiration and metabolic quotient. The selected soils sampled along the GGC were divided into 4 types according to their physicochemical properties. In the closest part of the mine two soil types appear (SS1 and SS2), originally decarbonated and loamy, with a reduction in lettuce root elongation of 57% and 34% compared to the control, as well as a the highest metabolic quotient (23.9 and 18.1 ng CcO2 µg Cmicrob-1 h-1, respectively) with the highest risk of Pb and As toxicity. While, located in the middle and final part of the affected area of the spill (SS3 and SS4), soils presented alkaline pH, finer textures and the lowest metabolic quotient (<9.5 ng CcO2 µg Cmicrob-1 h-1). In addition, due to Pb and As exceeded the Guideline values established in the studied area, the human toxicity risk was determined according to US-EPA methodology. Although the total contents were higher than the Guidelines established, the obtained hazard quotients for both contaminants were less than one, so the risk for human health was discarded. However, monitoring over time of the toxicity risks of the GGC soils would be advisable, especially due to the existence of areas where residual contamination persist, and soil hazard quotient obtained for As in children was higher and close to unity.

Cytomegalovirus ileitis in an immunocompetent patient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus that belongs to the family of Herpesviridae. Infection can cause a serious disease in immunocompromised patients, but it can also affect immunocompetent patients, creating generally self limiting symptoms. However, in some cases it can be fatal. We present a case of CMV ileitis with serious clinical symptoms that led to an operation in an immunocompetent patient.

Social Environment Ameliorates Behavioral and Immune Impairments in Tyrosine Hydroxylase Haploinsufficient Female Mice.

The social environment can influence the functional capacity of nervous and immune systems, and consequently the state of health, especially in aged individuals. Adult female tyrosine hydroxylase haploinsufficient (TH-HZ) mice exhibit behavioral impairments, premature immunosenescence and oxidative- inflammatory stress. All these deteriorations are associated with a lower lifespan than wild type (WT) counterparts. The aim was to analyze whether the cohabitation with WT animals could revert or at least ameliorate the deterioration in the nervous and immune systems that female TH-HZ mice show at adult age. Female TH-HZ and WT mice at age of 3-4 weeks were divided into following groups: control TH-HZ (5 TH-HZ mice in the cage; TH-HZ100%), control WT (5 WT mice in the cage; WT100%), TH-HZ > 50% and WT < 50% (5 TH-HZ with 2 WT mice in each cage) as well as TH-HZ < 50% and WT > 50% (2 TH-HZ and 5 WT mice in each cage). At the age of 37-38 weeks, all mice were submitted to a battery of behavioral tests, evaluating sensorimotor abilities, exploratory capacities and anxiety-like behaviors. Subsequently, peritoneal leukocytes were extracted and several immune functions as well as oxidative and inflammatory stress parameters were analyzed. The results showed that the TH-HZ < 50% group had improved behavioral responses, especially anxiety-like behaviors, and the immunosenescence and oxidative stress of their peritoneal leukocytes were ameliorated. However, WT mice that cohabited with TH-HZ mice presented higher anxiety-like behaviors and deterioration in immune functions and in their inflammatory stress parameters. Thus, this social environment is capable of ameliorating the impairments associated with a haploinsufficiency of the th gene. Graphical Abstract.

SARS-CoV-2 immunochromatographic IgM/IgG rapid test in pregnancy: A false friend?

BACKGROUND: An increasing body of evidence has revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women could increase the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Careful monitoring of pregnancies with COVID-19 and measures to prevent neonatal infection are warranted. Therefore, rapid antibody tests have been suggested as an efficient screening tool during pregnancy. CASES: We analysed the clinical performance during pregnancy of a rapid, lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay for qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies. We performed a universal screening including 169 patients during their last trimester of pregnancy. We present a series of 14 patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 immunochromatographic assay rapid test result. Immunochromatographic assay results were always confirmed by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays for quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM+IgA antibodies as the gold standard. We observed a positive predictive value of 50% and a false positive rate of 50% in pregnant women, involving a significantly lower diagnostic performance than reported in non-pregnant patients. DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that although immunochromatographic assay rapid tests may be a fast and profitable screening tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection, they may have a high false positive rate and low positive predictive value in pregnant women. Therefore, immunochromatographic assay for qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies must be verified by other test in pregnant patients.