PQBP1 Is a Proximal Sensor of the cGAS-Dependent Innate Response to HIV-1.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in the immune response to viral infection through the facilitation of cell-intrinsic antiviral activity and the activation of adaptive immunity. HIV-1 infection of DCs triggers an IRF3-dependent innate immune response, which requires the activity of cyclic GAMP synthase (cGAS). We report the results of a targeted RNAi screen utilizing primary human monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs) to identify immune regulators that directly interface with HIV-1-encoded features to initiate this innate response. Polyglutamine binding protein 1 (PQBP1) emerged as a strong candidate through this analysis. We found that PQBP1 directly binds to reverse-transcribed HIV-1 DNA and interacts with cGAS to initiate an IRF3-dependent innate response. MDDCs derived from Renpenning syndrome patients, who harbor mutations in the PQBP1 locus, possess a severely attenuated innate immune response to HIV-1 challenge, underscoring the role of PQBP1 as a proximal innate sensor of a HIV-1 infection.

Role of pH-sensing receptors in colitis.

Low pH in the gut is associated with severe inflammation, fibrosis, and colorectal cancer (CRC) and is a hallmark of active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Subsequently, pH-sensing mechanisms are of interest for the understanding of IBD pathophysiology. Tissue hypoxia and acidosis-two contributing factors to disease pathophysiology-are linked to IBD, and understanding their interplay is highly relevant for the development of new therapeutic options. One member of the proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, GPR65 (T-cell death-associated gene 8, TDAG8), was identified as a susceptibility gene for IBD in a large genome-wide association study. In response to acidic extracellular pH, GPR65 induces an anti-inflammatory response, whereas the two other proton-sensing receptors, GPR4 and GPR68 (ovarian cancer G protein-coupled receptor 1, OGR1), mediate pro-inflammatory responses. Here, we review the current knowledge on the role of these proton-sensing receptors in IBD and IBD-associated fibrosis and cancer, as well as colitis-associated cancer (CAC). We also describe emerging small molecule modulators of these receptors as therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of IBD.

Neuroplasticity in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder, affecting millions of people and rapidly increasing over the last decades. Even though there is no intervention yet to stop the neurodegenerative pathology, many efficient treatment methods are available, including for patients with advanced PD. Neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the human brain to adapt both to external changes and internal insults and pathological processes. In this paper we examine the current knowledge and concepts concerning changes at network level, cellular level and molecular level as parts of the neuroplastic response to protein aggregation pathology, synapse loss and neuronal loss in PD. We analyse the beneficial, compensatory effects, such as augmentation of nigral neurons efficacy, as well as negative, maladaptive effects, such as levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Effects of physical activity and different treatments on neuroplasticity are considered and the opportunity of biomarkers identification and use is discussed.

Effectiveness and safety of levodopa-entacapone-carbidopa infusion in Parkinson disease: A real-world data study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Levodopa-entacapone-carbidopa intestinal gel (LECIG) infusion is a recently developed device-aided therapy for advanced Parkinson disease (PD) patients. The aim of this study was to report real-world evidence about the effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of LECIG in PD patients. METHODS: A multicenter observational retrospective study of the first patients who initiated LECIG in Spain was performed. All neurologists with an experience of at least two patients treated until 30 March 2024 were invited to participate. Data about effectiveness and safety from the medical records (V0, pre-LECIG; V1, initiation of LECIG; V2, post-LECIG follow-up) with a total of 246 variables were collected. RESULTS: Seventy-three PD patients (61.6% males, 70.1 ± 9.1 years old) from 21 Spanish centers with a mean disease duration of 14.4 ± 6.3 years (range = 5-31) were included. Twenty-six patients (35.6%) were switched directly from levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel. The mean exposure to LECIG was 177.3 ± 110.5 days (range = 7-476). The mean daily OFF time decreased from 5.2 ± 3 (pre-LECIG) to 1.9 ± 1.8 (post-LECIG; n = 66, p < 0.0001). Global improvement was observed in >85% of the patients. No significant change was detected in the levodopa equivalent daily dose from V0 to V2. Only 7% received 24-h infusion, and 24.7% required more than one cartridge per day at V2. Thirty-four patients (46.6%) had at least one adverse event related to LECIG and/or the device system. Five patients (6.8%) discontinued LECIG. CONCLUSIONS: LECIG was safe and effective in advanced PD patients.

Association of MicroRNA Expression and Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels with Clinical and Radiological Findings in Multiple Sclerosis.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for many diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a biomarker that can detect axonal damage in different neurological diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of the expression profile of pre-selected miRNAs and NfL levels with clinical and radiological variables in MS patients. We conducted a 1-year longitudinal prospective study in MS patients with different clinical forms. We measured clinical disability using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetry baseline, and cognitive functioning using the processing speed test (PST) at baseline and 1 year later. Selected serum miRNAs and serum NfL (sNfL) levels were quantified. Seventy-three patients were recruited. MiR-126.3p correlated with EDSS and cognitive status at baseline and miR-126.3p and miR-9p correlated with cognitive deterioration at 1 year. Correlations with regional brain volumes were observed between miR-126.3p and the cortical gray matter, cerebellum, putamen, and pallidum; miR-146a.5p with the cerebellum and pallidum; miR-29b.3p with white matter and the pallidum; miR-138.5p with the pallidum; and miR-9.5p with the thalamus. sNfL was correlated with miR-9.5p. miR-146a.5p was also associated with the MS phenotype. These data justify future studies to further explore the utility of miRNAs (mirR-126.3p, miR-146.5p, and miR.9-5p) and sNfL levels as biomarkers of MS.

Homocysteine, vitamin B metabolites, dopamine-substituting compounds, and symptomatology in Parkinson's disease: clinical and therapeutic considerations.

Emerging studies suggest a correlation between elevated plasma homocysteine (hcy) levels and the risk of atherosclerosis, vascular disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD). This narrative review delves into the intricate relationships between Hcy, vitamin B metabolites, dopamine-substituting compounds, and various symptoms of PD. Patients undergoing a long-term L-dopa/dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDI) regimen, especially without a concurrent catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitor or methyl group-donating vitamin supplementation, such as vitamins B6 and B12, exhibit an elevation in Hcy and a decline in vitamin B metabolites. These altered concentrations appear to be associated with heightened risks of developing non-motor symptoms, including peripheral neuropathy and cognitive disturbances. The review underscores the impact of levodopa metabolism via COMT on homocysteine levels. In light of these findings, we advocate for the supplementation of methyl group-donating vitamins, notably B6 and B12, in patients undergoing a high-dose L-dopa/DDI regimen, particularly those treated with L-dopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) infusion.

OGR1 (GPR68) and TDAG8 (GPR65) Have Antagonistic Effects in Models of Colonic Inflammation.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPRs), including pro-inflammatory ovarian cancer GPR1 (OGR1/GPR68) and anti-inflammatory T cell death-associated gene 8 (TDAG8/GPR65), are involved in pH sensing and linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). OGR1 and TDAG8 show opposite effects. To determine which effect is predominant or physiologically more relevant, we deleted both receptors in models of intestinal inflammation. Combined Ogr1 and Tdag8 deficiency was assessed in spontaneous and acute murine colitis models. Disease severity was assessed using clinical scores. Colon samples were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and flow cytometry (FACS). In acute colitis, Ogr1-deficient mice showed significantly decreased clinical scores compared with wildtype (WT) mice, while Tdag8-deficient mice and double knockout (KO) mice presented similar scores to WT. In Il-10-spontaneous colitis, Ogr1-deficient mice presented significantly decreased, and Tdag8-deficient mice had increased inflammation. In the Il10-/- × Ogr1-/- × Tdag8-/- triple KO mice, inflammation was significantly decreased compared with Tdag8-/-. Absence of Ogr1 reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines in Tdag8-deficient mice. Tdag8-/- had significantly more IFNγ+ T-lymphocytes and IL-23 T-helper cells in the colon compared with WT. The absence of OGR1 significantly alleviates the intestinal damage mediated by the lack of functional TDAG8. Both OGR1 and TDAG8 represent potential new targets for therapeutic intervention.

Systemic Jak1 activation provokes hepatic inflammation and imbalanced FGF23 production and cleavage.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a main regulator of mineral homeostasis. Low and high circulating FGF23 levels are associated with bone, renal, cardiovascular diseases, and increased mortality. Understanding the factors and signaling pathways affecting FGF23 levels is crucial for the management of these diseases and their complications. Here, we show that activation of the Jak1/Stat3 signaling pathway leads to inflammation in liver and to an increase in hepatic FGF23 synthesis, a key hormone in mineral metabolism. This increased synthesis leads to massive C-terminal FGF23 circulating levels, the inactive C-terminal fragment, and increased intact FGF23 levels, the active form, resulting in imbalanced production and cleavage. Liver inflammation does not lead to activation of the calcineurin-NFAT pathway, and no signs of systemic inflammation could be observed. Despite the increase of active intact FGF23, excessive C-terminal FGF23 levels block the phosphaturic activity of FGF23. Therefore, kidney function and renal αKlotho expression are normal and no activation of the MAPK pathway was detected. In addition, activation of the Jak1/Stat3 signaling pathway leads to high calcitriol levels and low parathyroid hormone production. Thus, JAK1 is a central regulator of mineral homeostasis. Moreover, this study also shows that in order to assess the impact of high FGF23 levels on disease and kidney function, the source and the balance in FGF23 production and cleavage are critical.

Clinical and structural brain correlates of hypomimia in early-stage Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Reduced facial expression of emotions is a very frequent symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and has been considered part of the motor features of the disease. However, the neural correlates of hypomimia and the relationship between hypomimia and other non-motor symptoms of PD are poorly understood. METHODS: The clinical and structural brain correlates of hypomimia were studied. For this purpose, cross-sectional data from the COPPADIS study database were used. Age, disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS-III), severity of apathy and depression and global cognitive status were collected. At the imaging level, analyses based on gray matter volume and cortical thickness were used. RESULTS: After controlling for multiple confounding variables such as age or disease duration, the severity of hypomimia was shown to be indissociable from the UPDRS-III speech and bradykinesia items and was significantly related to the severity of apathy (ß = 0.595; p < 0.0001). At the level of neural correlates, hypomimia was related to motor regions brodmann area 8 (BA 8) and to multiple fronto-temporo-parietal regions involved in the decoding, recognition and production of facial expression of emotions. CONCLUSION: Reduced facial expressivity in PD is related to the severity of symptoms of apathy and is mediated by the dysfunction of brain systems involved in motor control and in the recognition, integration and expression of emotions. Therefore, hypomimia in PD may be conceptualized not exclusively as a motor symptom but as a consequence of a multidimensional deficit leading to a symptom where motor and non-motor aspects converge.

Development of BRD4 inhibitors as anti-inflammatory agents and antidotes for arsenicals.

Arsenicals belong to the class of chemical warfare agents known as vesicants, which are highly reactive, toxic and cause robust inflammatory response. Cutaneous exposure to arsenicals causes a wide range of systemic organ damage, beginning with cutaneous injuries, and later manifest multi-organ damage and death. Thus, the development of suitable antidotes that can effectively block injury following exposure to these agents is of great importance. Bromodomain 4 (BRD4), a member of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) family, plays crucial role in regulating transcription of inflammatory, proliferation and cell cycle genes. In this context, the development of potent small molecule inhibitors of BRD4 could serve as potential antidotes for arsenicals. Herein, we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of compounds.

pH-Sensing G Protein-Coupled Receptor OGR1 (GPR68) Expression and Activation Increases in Intestinal Inflammation and Fibrosis.

Local extracellular acidification occurs at sites of inflammation. Proton-sensing ovarian cancer G-protein-coupled receptor 1 (OGR1, also known as GPR68) responds to decreases in extracellular pH. Our previous studies show a role for OGR1 in the pathogenesis of mucosal inflammation, suggesting a link between tissue pH and immune responses. Additionally, pH-dependent signalling is associated with the progression of intestinal fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate OGR1 expression and OGR1-mediated signalling in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our results show that OGR1 expression significantly increased in patients with IBD compared to non-IBD patients, as demonstrated by qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Paired samples from non-inflamed and inflamed intestinal areas of IBD patients showed stronger OGR1 IHC staining in inflamed mucosal segments compared to non-inflamed mucosa. IHC of human surgical samples revealed OGR1 expression in macrophages, granulocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. OGR1-dependent inositol phosphate (IP) production was significantly increased in CD14+ monocytes from IBD patients compared to healthy subjects. Primary human and murine fibroblasts exhibited OGR1-dependent IP formation, RhoA activation, F-actin, and stress fibre formation upon an acidic pH shift. OGR1 expression and signalling increases with IBD disease activity, suggesting an active role of OGR1 in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Effect of Process Parameters on the Graphite Expansion Produced by a Green Modification of the Hummers Method.

Adsorption stand out among other standard techniques used for water treatment because of its remarkable simplicity, easy operation, and high removal capability. Expanded graphite has been selected as a promising agent for oil spill adsorption, but its production involves the generation of corrosive remnants and massive amounts of contaminated washing waters. Although the advantageous use of the H2O2-H2SO4 mixture was described in 1978, reported works using this method are scarce. This work deals with the urgent necessity for the development of alternative chemical routes decreasing their environmental impact (based on green chemistry concepts), presenting a process for expanded graphite production using only two intercalation chemicals, reducing the consumption of sulfuric acid to only 10% and avoiding the use of strong oxidant salts (both environmentally detrimental). Three process parameters were evaluated: milling effect, peroxide concentration, and microwave expansion. Some remarkable results were obtained following this route: high specific volumes elevated oil adsorption rate exhibiting a high oil-water selectivity and rapid adsorption. Furthermore, the recycling capability was checked using up to six adsorption cycles. Results showed that milling time reduces the specimen's expansion rate and oil adsorption capacity due to poor intercalant insertion and generation of small particle sizes.

Consensus guidelines for botulinum toxin therapy: general algorithms and dosing tables for dystonia and spasticity.

Botulinum toxin (BT) therapy is a complex and highly individualised therapy defined by treatment algorithms and injection schemes describing its target muscles and their dosing. Various consensus guidelines have tried to standardise and to improve BT therapy. We wanted to update and improve consensus guidelines by: (1) Acknowledging recent advances of treatment algorithms. (2) Basing dosing tables on statistical analyses of real-life treatment data of 1831 BT injections in 36 different target muscles in 420 dystonia patients and 1593 BT injections in 31 different target muscles in 240 spasticity patients. (3) Providing more detailed dosing data including typical doses, dose variabilities, and dosing limits. (4) Including total doses and target muscle selections for typical clinical entities thus adapting dosing to different aetiologies and pathophysiologies. (5) In addition, providing a brief and concise review of the clinical entity treated together with general principles of its BT therapy. For this, we collaborated with IAB-Interdisciplinary Working Group for Movement Disorders which invited an international panel of experts for the support.

Mutational spectrum of GNAL, THAP1 and TOR1A genes in isolated dystonia: study in a population from Spain and systematic literature review.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of TOR1A, GNAL and THAP1 variants as the cause of dystonia in a cohort of Spanish patients with isolated dystonia and in the literature. METHODS: A population of 2028 subjects (including 1053 patients with different subtypes of isolated dystonia and 975 healthy controls) from southern and central Spain was included. The genes TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL were screened using a combination of high-resolution melting analysis and direct DNA resequencing. In addition, an extensive literature search to identify original articles (published before 10 August 2020) reporting mutations in TOR1A, THAP1 or GNAL associated to dystonia was performed. RESULTS: Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL were identified in 0.48%, 0.57% and 0.29% of our patients, respectively. Five patients carried the variation p.Glu303del in TOR1A. A very rare variant in GNAL (p.Ser238Asn) was found as a putative risk factor for dystonia. In the literature, variations in TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL accounted for about 6%, 1.8% and 1.1% of published dystonia patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is a different genetic contribution to dystonia of these three genes in our patients (about 1.3% of patients) and in the literature (about 3.6% of patients), probably due the high proportion of adult-onset cases in our cohort. As regards age at onset, site of dystonia onset, and final distribution, in our population there is a clear differentiation between DYT-TOR1A and DYT-GNAL, with DYT-THAP1 likely to be an intermediate phenotype.

In vitro and in vivo biological performance of hydroxyapatite from fish waste.

The aim of this study was to evaluate biocompatibility of hydroxyapatite (HAP) from fish waste using in vitro and in vivo assays. Fish samples (whitemouth croaker - Micropogonias furnieri) from the biowaste was used as HAP source. Pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were used in vitro study. In addition, bone defects were artificially created in rat calvaria and filled with HAP in vivo. The results demonstrated that HAP reduced cytotoxicity in pre-osteoblast cells after 3 and 6 days following HAP exposure. DNA concentration was lower in the HAP group after 6 days. Quantitative RT-PCR did not show any significant differences (p > 0.05) between groups. In vivo study revealed that bone defects filled with HAP pointed out moderate chronic inflammatory cells with slight proliferation of blood vessels after 7 and 15 days. Chronic inflammatory infiltrate was absent after 30 days of HAP exposure. There was also a decrease in the amount of biomaterial, being followed by newly formed bone tissue. All experimental groups also demonstrated strong RUNX-2 immoexpression in the granulation tissue as well as in cells in close contact with biomaterial. The number of osteoblasts inside the defect area was lower in the HAP group when compared to control group after 7 days post-implantation. Similarly, the osteoblast surface as well as the percentage of bone surface was higher in control group when compared with HAP group after 7 days post-implantation. Taken together, HAP from fish waste is a promising possibility that should be explored more carefully by tissue-engineering or biotechnology.

Photoablative cosmetic iridoplasty: effective, safe, and predictable-eye color change in 1176 eyes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate photoablative cosmetic iridoplasty (PCI), and its efficacy, safety, predictability, and satisfaction with the 532 nm Crystal Q-switched Nd: Yag laser, with 3-4 ns pulses, for depigmentation of the anterior epithelium of the iris in cases of heterochromia, nevus, or cosmetic indications (eye color change). DESIGN: Prospective clinical study on efficacy, safety, predictability, and satisfaction. METHOD: The selection of patients was carried out in healthy individuals, over 18 years of age, with iris heterochromia (congenital-7% or acquired, secondary to topical medication-1%, trauma-0.5% or surgery-0.25%), nevus-0.25% and cosmetic cases-91%. Data were collected independently by assistant optometrists and classified in database. Excel statistical program was used to perform a general descriptive study, calculation of correlation factors, and statistical significance analysis between quantitative variables (Student T Test). PCI was performed in 1176 eyes of 588 patients. The procedures were planned in 2-3 phases of 4 consecutive sessions spaced 4-6 months apart. The IRÎZ® (Eyecos®) scanner was used to evaluate the cases, with photography, optical coherence tomography, and pneumotonography modules, along with the following software programs: Predictor®, Simulator® 3D, Analyzer® and Planner® (Eyecos®). RESULTS: This study began in 2012, so far 9 years of follow-up, to compare and choose the most suitable among 4 types of lasers to perform cosmetic iridoplasty. Finally, after 5 years, the Crystal Q-switched Nd: Yag at double frequency (532 nm) with 3-4 ns pulses demonstrated the highest efficacy, safety and predictability, so since early 2017 only this equipment has been used. Significant differences were found after 5-year follow-up between 1064, 532, 577 and 532/3-4 ns p = 0.09172, 0.06377 and 0.10183. From 9 January 2017 to 28 February 2020, 1176 eyes have been treated in 588 patients, with a mean age of 33.7 years (SD = 9.68 years, range = 18-70 years). 46.2% were male, and 53.7% were female. The efficacy, as quantified with the Analyzer® comparison software, was nearly 87-95%. There were no significant differences in corrected vision (9 years total follow-up p = 0.78235; last 4 years FU p = 0.99999) and ocular pressure (9 years total FU p = 0.68251; last 4 years FU p = 0.63204) before and after the procedure. The only notable complications (25%) were delayed and brief iritis, which were self-limited with routine topical treatment. The predictability was 80-90%. In the lightest-colored eyes, turquoise blue colors were obtained as a rule, in varying brightness; and in the darkest ones, gray blue tones of varying lightness. The patients' subjective satisfaction at the end of treatment was 95%. CONCLUSION: After 9 years of uninterrupted follow-up, PCI has demonstrated a high effectiveness to selectively depigment superficial melanin of iris, with a high predictability and patient satisfaction, without remarkable long-term complications. Only for a week, appropriate pre- and postoperative medication was necessary to guarantee the absence of discomfort, thus confirming security. PCI is effective, safe, and predictable for the treatment of pigmentary disorders in the iris and for the elective cosmetic indications in eye color change.

Development of novel small molecules for the treatment of ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare and progressive neurodegenerative disease with unknown etiology. It is caused by the degeneration of motor neurons responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. It has been reported that mutations in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) 1 gene can lead to ALS. SOD1 abnormalities have been identified in both familial, as well as sporadic ALS cases. SOD2 is a highly inducible SOD that works in conjunction with SOD1. SOD2 can be induced through activation of NF-κBs. We previously reported that the novel small molecule, SRI-22818, increases NF-κB expression and activation and SOD2 levels in vitro and has activity in vivo in the SOD1-G93A reference model of ALS. We report herein the synthesis and biological evaluation of SRI-22818 analogs.

Evaluation of the Use of Compressed Sensing in Data Harvesting for Vehicular Sensor Networks.

We propose a new harvesting approach for Vehicular Sensor Networks based on compressed sensing (CS) technology called Compressed Sensing-based Vehicular Data Harvesting (CS-VDH). This compression technology allows for the reduction of the information volume that nodes must send back to the fusion center and also an accurate recovery of the original data, even in absence of several original measurements. Our proposed method, thanks to a proper design of a delay function, orders the transmission of these measurements, being the nodes farther from the fusion center, the ones starting this transmission. This way, intermediate nodes are more likely to introduce their measurements in a packet traversing the network and to apply the CS technology. This way the contribution is twofold, adding different measurements to traversing packets, we reduce the total overload of the network, and also reducing the size of the packets thanks to the applied compression technology. We evaluate our solution by using ns-2 simulations in a realistic vehicular environment generated by SUMO, a well-known traffic simulator tool in the Vehicular Network domain. Our simulations show that CS-VDH outperforms Delay-Bounded Vehicular Data Gathering (DB-VDG), a well-known protocol for data gathering in vehicular sensor networks which considers a specific delay bound. We also evaluated the proper design of our delay function, as well as the accuracy in the reconstruction of the original data. Regarding this latter topic, our experiments proved that our proposed solution can recover sampled data with little error while still reducing the amount of information traveling through the vehicular network.

Enhancing Extensive and Remote LoRa Deployments through MEC-Powered Drone Gateways.

The distribution of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in remote areas and the need for network resilience in such deployments is increasingly important in smart spaces covering scenarios, such as agriculture, forest, coast preservation, and connectivity survival against disasters. Although Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies, like LoRa, support high connectivity ranges, communication paths can suffer from obstruction due to orography or buildings, and large areas are still difficult to cover with wired gateways, due to the lack of network or power infrastructure. The proposal presented herein proposes to mount LPWAN gateways in drones in order to generate airborne network segments providing enhanced connectivity to sensor nodes wherever needed. Our LoRa-drone gateways can be used either to collect data and then report them to the back-office directly, or store-carry-and-forward data until a proper communication link with the infrastructure network is available. The proposed architecture relies on Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) capabilities to host a virtualization platform on-board the drone, aiming at providing an intermediate processing layer that runs Virtualized Networking Functions (VNF). This way, both preprocessing or intelligent analytics can be locally performed, saving communications and memory resources. The contribution includes a system architecture that has been successfully validated through experimentation with a real test-bed and comprehensively evaluated through computer simulation. The results show significant communication improvements employing LoRa-drone gateways when compared to traditional fixed LoRa deployments in terms of link availability and covered areas, especially in vast monitored extensions, or at points with difficult access, such as rugged zones.