Exenatide modulates visual cortex responses.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that metabolism affects brain physiology. Here, we examine the effect of GLP-1 on simple visual-evoked functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) responses in cortical areas. METHODS: Lean (n = 10) and nondiabetic obese (n = 10) subjects received exenatide (a GLP-1 agonist) or saline infusion, and fMRI responses to visual stimuli (food and nonfood images) were recorded. We analysed the effect of exenatide on fMRI signals across the cortical surface with special reference to the visual areas. We evaluated the effects of exenatide on the raw fMRI signal and on the fMRI signal change during visual stimulation (vs rest). RESULTS: In line with previous studies, we find that exenatide eliminates the preference for food (over nonfood) images present under saline infusion in high-level visual cortex (temporal pole). In addition, we find that exenatide (vs saline) also modulates the response of early visual areas, enhancing responses to both food and nonfood images in several extrastriate occipital areas, similarly in obese and lean participants. Unexpectedly, exenatide increased fMRI raw signals (signal intensity during rest periods without stimulation) in a large occipital region, which were negatively correlated to BMI. CONCLUSIONS: In both lean and obese individuals, exenatide affects neural processing in visual cortex, both in early visual areas and in higher order areas. This effect may contribute to the known effect of GLP1 analogues on food-related behaviour.

Characteristics of Familial Melanoma in Valencia, Spain, Based on the Presence of CDKN2A Mutations and MC1R Variants.

Melanoma results from a complex interplay between environmental factors and individual genetic susceptibility. Familial melanoma is attributable to predisposition genes with variable penetrance. The aim of this study was to identify differences between familial melanoma and sporadic cases in our population, based on the presence of CDKN2A mutations and MC1R variants. Comparing 107 patients with familial melanoma from 87 families (17% CDKN2A mutated) with 1,390 cases of sporadic melanomas, the former were younger and exhibited an increased prevalence of atypical naevi and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). CDKN2A mutation carriers presented more atypical naevi, multiple melanomas, and basal cell carcinoma, while non-carriers were more likely to have light-coloured hair, atypical naevi, and SCC. MC1R variants decreased the age at diagnosis in all groups and were associated with an increased prevalence of SCC, especially in patients with familial melanoma without CDKN2A mutations. These characteristics may help to establish prevention measures targeting patients with familial melanoma in the Mediterranean area.

Expression of hsp70, hsp100 and ubiquitin in Aloe barbadensis Miller under direct heat stress and under temperature acclimation conditions.

KEY MESSAGE : The study determined the tolerance of Aloe vera to high temperature, focusing on the expression of hsp70 , hsp100 and ubiquitin genes. These were highly expressed in plants acclimated at 35 °C prior to a heat shock of 45 °C. Aloe barbadensis Miller (Aloe vera), a CAM plant, was introduced into Chile in the semiarid IV and III Regions, which has summer diurnal temperature fluctuations of 25 to 40 °C and annual precipitation of 40 mm (dry years) to 170 mm (rainy years). The aim of this study was to investigate how Aloe vera responds to water and heat stress, focusing on the expression of heat shock genes (hsp70, hsp100) and ubiquitin, which not studied before in Aloe vera. The LT(50) of Aloe vera was determined as 53.2 °C. To study gene expression by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, primers were designed against conserved regions of these genes. Sequencing the cDNA fragments for hsp70 and ubiquitin showed a high identity, over 95 %, with the genes from cereals. The protein sequence of hsp70 deduced from the sequence of the cDNA encloses partial domains for binding ATP and the substrate. The protein sequence of ubiquitin deduced from the cDNA encloses a domain for interaction with the enzymes E2, UCH and CUE. The expression increased with temperature and water deficit. Hsp70 expression at 40-45 °C increased 50 % over the controls, while the expression increased by 150 % over the controls under a water deficit of 50 % FC. The expression of all three genes was also studied under 2 h of acclimation at 35 or 40 °C prior to a heat shock at 45 °C. Under these conditions, the plants showed greater expression of all genes than when they were subjected to direct heat stress.

Understanding the role of sorption and biodegradation in the removal of organic micropollutants by membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) with different biofilm thickness.

The role of sorption and biodegradation in a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) were investigated for the removal of 10 organic micropollutants (OMPs) including endocrine disruptors and pharmaceutical active compounds. The influence of the biofilm thickness on the mechanisms of removal was analyzed via kinetic test at three different stages. At all biofilm stages, biodegradation was demonstrated to dominate the removal of selected OMPs. Higher OMPs rates of removal via biodegradation (Kbiol) were achieved when biofilm increased its thickness from (stage T1) 0.26 mm, to (stage T2) 0.58 mm and (stage T3) 1.03 mm. At stage T1 of biofilm, heterotrophs contribute predominantly to OMPs degradation. Hydrophilic compounds removal (i.e., acetaminophen) continue to be driven by heterotrophic bacteria at the next stages of biofilm thickness. However, for medium hydrophobic neutral and charged OMPs, the combined action of heterotrophic and enriched nitrifying activity at stages T2 and T3 enhanced the overall removal. A degradation pathway based on heterotrophic activity for acetaminophen and combined action of nitrifiers-heterotrophs for estrone was proposed based on identified metabolites. Although biodegradation dominated the removal of most OMPs, sorption was also observed to be essential in the removal of biologically recalcitrant and lipophilic compounds like triclosan. Furthermore, sorption capacity of apolar compound was enhanced as the biofilm thickness grew and increased in EPS protein fraction. Microbial analysis confirmed the higher abundance of nitrifying and denitrifying activity at stage T3 of biofilm, which not only facilitated near complete ammonium removal but also enhanced degradation of OMPs.

Long-Lasting Olfactory Dysfunction in Hospital Workers Due to COVID-19: Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Most Affected Odorants.

Hospital workers have increased exposure risk of healthcare-associated infections due to the frontline nature of their work. Olfactory dysfunction is highly prevalent. The objectives for this investigation are to study the prevalence of long-lasting olfactory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection in hospital workers during the first pandemic wave, to identify clinical characteristics and associated symptomatology, and to analyze how many patients with COVID-19 infection had developed olfactory dysfunction during infection and maintained a reduced olfactory function for approximately 10 weeks after diagnosis. Between June and July of 2020, a cross-sectional study was carried out at the Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja San José and Santa Adela in Madrid, Spain. One hundred sixty-four participants were included, of which 110 were patient-facing healthcare staff and 54 were non-patient-facing healthcare staff. Participants were split into three groups, according to COVID-19 diagnosis and presence of COVID-19 related olfactory symptomatology. Participants were asked to complete a structured online questionnaire along with Sniffin' Stick Olfactory Test measurements. In this study, 88 participants were confirmed for COVID-19 infection, 59 of those participants also reported olfactory symptomatology. The prevalence of COVID-19 infection was 11.35%, and the prevalence for olfactory dysfunction was 67.05%. Olfactory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection leads to long-lasting olfactory loss. Objective assessment with Sniffin' Stick Olfactory Test points to odor identification as the most affected process. Lemon, liquorice, solvent, and rose are the odors that are worst recognized. Mint, banana, solvent, garlic, coffee, and pineapple, although they are identified, are perceived with less intensity. The findings of this study confirmed a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the hospital workers.

COVID-19 Mortality in Patients Aged 80 and over Residing in Nursing Homes-Six Pandemic Waves: OCTA-COVID Study.

During the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in Spain, 50% of deaths occurred in nursing homes, making it necessary for some hospitals to support these facilities with the care of infected patients. This study compares origin, characteristics, and mortality of patients admitted with COVID-19 during six pandemic waves in the Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja in Madrid. It is a retrospective observational study of patients ≥80 years old, admitted with an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a total of 546 patients included, whose final outcome was death or discharge. During the first wave, those from nursing homes had a higher risk of death than those from home; during the two successive waves, the risk was higher for those from home; and in the last two waves, the risk equalized and decreased exponentially in both groups. Men had 72% higher risk of death than women. For each year of age, the risk increased by 4% (p = 0.036). For each Charlson index point, the risk increased by 14% (p = 0.019). Individuals in nursing homes, despite being older with higher comorbidity, did not show a higher overall lethality. The mortality decreased progressively in each successive wave due to high vaccination rates and COVID-19 control measures in this population.

The impact of climate change on mosquito-borne diseases in Africa.

Despite being one of the continents with the least greenhouse gas emissions, no continent is being struck as severely by climate change (CC) as Africa. Mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) cause major human diseases in this continent. Current knowledge suggests that MBD range could expand dramatically in response to CC. This study aimed at assessing the relationship between CC and MBD in Africa. Methods For this purpose, a systematic peer review was carried out, considering all articles indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase and CENTRAL. Search terms referring to MBD, CC and environmental factors were screened in title, abstract and keywords.Results A total of twenty-nine studies were included, most of them on malaria (61%), being Anopheles spp. (61%) the most commonly analyzed vector, mainly in Eastern Africa (48%). Seventy-nine percent of these studies were based on predictive models. Seventy-two percent of the reviewed studies considered that CC impacts on MBD epidemiology. MBD prevalence will increase according to 69% of the studies while 17% predicted a decrease. MBD expansion throughout the continent was also predicted. Most studies showed a positive relationship between observed or predicted results and CC. However, there was a great heterogeneity in methodologies and a tendency to reductionism, not integrating other variables that interact with both the environment and MBD. In addition, most results have not yet been tested. A global health approach is desirable in this kind of research. Nevertheless, we cannot wait for science to approve something that needs to be addressed now to avoid greater effects in the future.

Imported dengue in Spain: a nationwide analysis with predictive time series analyses.

BACKGROUND: Of febrile illnesses in Europe, dengue is second only to malaria as a cause of travellers being hospitalized. Local transmission has been reported in several European countries, including Spain. This study assesses the evolution of dengue-related admissions in Spain in terms of time, geographical distribution and individuals' common characteristics; it also creates a predictive model to evaluate the risk of local transmission. METHODS: This is a retrospective study using the Hospital Discharge Records Database from 1997 to 2016. We calculated hospitalization rates and described clinical characteristics. Spatial distribution and temporal behaviour were also assessed, and a predictive time series model was created to estimate expected cases in the near future. Figures for resident foreign population, Spanish residents' trips to endemic regions and the expansion of Aedes albopictus were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 588 dengue-related admissions were recorded: 49.6% were women, and the mean age was 34.3 years. One person died (0.2%), 82% presented with mild-to-moderate dengue and 7-8% with severe dengue. We observed a trend of steady and consistent increase in incidence (P < 0.05), in parallel with the increase in trips to dengue-endemic regions. Most admissions occurred during the summer, showing significant seasonality with 3-year peaks. We also found important regional differences. According to the predictive time series analysis, a continuing increase in imported dengue incidence can be expected in the near future, which, in the worst case scenario (upper 95% confidence interval), would mean an increase of 65% by 2025. CONCLUSION: We present a nationwide study based on hospital, immigration, travel and entomological data. The constant increase in dengue-related hospitalizations, in combination with wider vector distribution, could imply a higher risk of autochthonous dengue transmission in the years to come. Strengthening the human and vector surveillance systems is a necessity, as are improvements in control measures, in the education of the general public and in fostering their collaboration in order to reduce the impact of imported dengue and to prevent the occurrence of autochthonous cases.

Removal and biotransformation pathway of antibiotic sulfamethoxazole from municipal wastewater treatment by anaerobic membrane bioreactor.

A lab-scale mesophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) was used to treat synthetic municipal wastewater with variable concentrations of antibiotic Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and bulk organics in this study. The removal and biotransformation pathway of SMX in the AnMBR were systematically investigated during a 170 d of operation under hydraulic retention time of 1 d. Average SMX removal was 97.1% under feed SMX of 10-1000 µg/L, decreasing to 91.6 and 88.0% under feed SMX of 10,000 and 100,000 µg/L due to the inhibition effects of high SMX loading rate on anaerobic microorganisms. SMX biotransformation followed pseudo-first order reaction kinetics based on SMX removal independent of feed SMX of 10-1000 µg/L during continuous operation and also in a batch test under initial SMX of 100,000 µg/L. According to the identified 7 transformation products (TPs) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the biotransformation pathway of SMX from municipal wastewater treatment via AnMBR was first proposed to consist of 2 primary routes: 1) Butylbenzenesulfonamide without antibiotic toxicity dominated under feed SMX of 10-100 µg/L; 2) Sulfanilamide with much lower antibiotic toxicity than SMX dominated under feed SMX of 1000-100000 µg/L, further transforming to secondary TPs (4-Aminothiophenol, Aniline, Acetylsulfanilamide) and tertiary TPs (4-Acetylaminothiophenol, Acetylaniline).

Discordance Between Central (Brain) and Pancreatic Action of Exenatide in Lean and Obese Subjects.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of exenatide on brain activity measured by functional (f)MRI and on insulin secretion in lean and obese normal-glucose-tolerant individuals. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The brain fMRI signal in response to high-calorie-content food pictures was measured with and without intravenous exenatide infusion in 10 lean and 10 obese healthy volunteers. Insulin secretion was measured with a two-step (+100 and +200 mg/dL) hyperglycemic clamp with exenatide and with saline infusion. RESULTS: The brain fMRI signal in response to food pictures in amygdala, insula, hippocampus, and frontal cortex was significantly greater in obese versus lean individuals. Intravenous exenatide significantly inhibited the fMRI signal in response to food pictures in obese individuals but did not affect the brain fMRI signal in lean subjects. Conversely, exenatide infusion caused an 18.5-fold increase in insulin secretion in lean individuals compared with an 8.8-fold increase in obese subjects. No significant correlation was observed between inhibition of the brain fMRI signal and increase in insulin secretion during exenatide infusion. CONCLUSIONS: Exenatide causes greater augmentation in insulin secretion in lean compared with obese individuals but inhibits the brain response to food pictures only in obese individuals.

Neural bases of food perception: coordinate-based meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies in multiple modalities.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the results of the three food-cue paradigms most commonly used for functional neuroimaging studies to determine: i) commonalities and differences in the neural response patterns by paradigm and ii) the relative robustness and reliability of responses to each paradigm. METHODS: Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using standardized stereotactic coordinates to report brain responses to food cues were identified using online databases. Studies were grouped by food-cue modality as: i) tastes (8 studies); ii) odors (8 studies); and, iii) images (11 studies). Activation likelihood estimation was used to identify statistically reliable regional responses within each stimulation paradigm. RESULTS: Brain response distributions were distinctly different for the three stimulation modalities, corresponding to known differences in location of the respective primary and associative cortices. Visual stimulation induced the most robust and extensive responses. The left anterior insula was the only brain region reliably responding to all three stimulus categories. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest visual food-cue paradigm as promising candidate for imaging studies addressing the neural substrate of therapeutic interventions.

Synthesis and characterization of silver(I) complex with mixed ligands saccharinate and 2-(2-pyridyl)bezimidazole / Síntesis y caracterización del complejo de plata(I) con ligandos mixtos sacarinato y 2-(2-piridil)bezimidazol / Síntese e caracterização do complexo de prata(I) com ligandos mistos sacarinato e 2-(2-piridil)benzimidazol

Abstract A new silver coordination compound [Ag(sac) (pbi)] was synthesized by reaction of silver(I) saccharinate with 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole (pbi) in 64% yield. The characterization was performed by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Visible, XPS, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. According to the results, silver is coordinating through three nitrogen atoms: one from saccharinate and the others from 2-(2-pyridyl) benzimidazole forming with this ligand a five-membered chelate ring.

Resumen Se sintetizó un nuevo compuesto de coordinación de plata, [Ag(sac)(pbi)], por reacción de sacarinato de plata(I) con 2-(2-piridil)bencimidazol (pbi) con un rendimiento de 64%. La caracterización se realizó por análisis elemental, espectroscopia IR, UV-Visible, XPS, 1H-RMN y 13C-RMN. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos la plata está coordinada a través de tres átomos de nitrógeno, uno del sacarinato y los dos restantes del 2-(2-piridil)-bencimidazol formando con este ligando un anillo quelato de cinco miembros.

Resumo O presente trabalho compreende a síntese de um novo composto de coordenação de prata, [Ag(sac)(pbi)], por reação de sacarinato de prata(I) com 2-(2-piridil)benzimidazol (pbi) com 64% de rendimento. A caracterização foi realizada por análise elementar, espectroscopia IV, UV-Visível, XPS, 1H-RMN e 13C-RMN. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a prata é coordenada através de três átomos de nitrogênio, um do sacarinato e os outros dois do 2-(2-piridil)benzimidazol que formam com este ligando um anel de quelato de cinco membros.