Olive Pomace Extract Contains Low Molecular Weight Peptides and Possesses ACE Inhibitory Activity.

The aim of the present study was to determine the ACE inhibitory activity of aqueous extracts of olive pomace and to understand whether they represent a good source of bioactive LMW peptides for nutritional and pharmacological applications. We produced a water extract from olive pomace (var. Picual) and obtained its low molecular weight (LMW) fraction (<3 kDa). The calculated yield of extraction was 100.2 ± 7.9 mg of LMW peptides per 100 g of olive pomace. The olive pomace LMW fraction possessed strong ACE inhibitory activity (IC50 = 3.57 ± 0.22 µg prot/mL). The LMW fraction (<3 kDa) was analysed by nanoscale liquid chromatography-Orbitrap coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and de novo sequencing. Thirty new peptides, containing between 7-17 amino acids and molecular masses ranging 778-1354 Da, were identified by the Peaks database algorithm using the available Olea europaea (cv. Farga) genome database. Ten new peptides were also identified by Peaks de novo sequencing. The protein sources of twelve peptides detected in the database by Peaks DB were identified by BLAST search. The ACE inhibitory activity of the identified peptides was predicted by BIOPEP software. We conclude that olive pomace possesses ACE inhibitory activity and contains low molecular weight peptides with (predicted) biological activity. Olive pomace may represent a good source of peptides for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. In our study, it has been shown that olive pomace possesses ACE inhibitory activity and contains low molecular weight peptides with (predicted) biological activity. Olive pomace may represent a good source of peptides for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. More research is needed in order to identify the in vivo effects of olive pomace bioactive peptides.

Designing user interfaces for content simplification aimed at people with cognitive impairments.

Cognitive accessibility aims to make content more accessible for people with cognitive impairments, such as the elderly and people with intellectual and learning disabilities. In this sense, it is possible to design an accessible user interface from a cognitive point of view. As a contribution, this article presents cognitive accessibility design patterns and their application in designing the Easier web system's user interface. The Easier web system provides a tool that assists in the understanding and readability of text content geared towards people with intellectual disabilities. It detects complex words and offers easier replacements and other resources such as a definition of the complex word. In addition to applying the design patterns, user tests with people with intellectual disabilities and older people have been carried out to evaluate the cognitive accessibility of the Easier system's interface. The results indicate that people with cognitive impairments know how to use the interfaces and have a satisfactory experience. In addition, a design proposal to provide a glossary mechanism to be used in web interfaces with simplified texts is presented and validated.

Predictors of burnout in female nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictors of burnout in female nurses during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also sought to evaluate the relationship between each of the variables studied (anxiety, depression, sociodemographic and COVID-19 variables) and the dimensions of the burnout. BACKGROUND: One of the groups of health care workers worst affected by the COVID-19 crisis has been women working as nursing staff, due to the high percentage they account for at a global level and their direct contact with infected patients. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study. METHODS: Four hundred forty-four Spanish female nurses from hospital and primary health care centres took part in the study. The data were obtained in 2020 by means of an online survey. RESULTS: Symptoms of depression are a common predictor variable to all the dimensions of burnout, whereas symptoms of anxiety predict emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Age and years of experience in the job predict depersonalization, whereas the probability of contracting the infection is a predictor variable of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. CONCLUSION: Predictor variables should be considered in the creation of prevention and intervention plans to reduce the levels of burnout in female nurses.

Early Transmission Dynamics, Spread, and Genomic Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 in Panama.

We report an epidemiologic analysis of 4,210 cases of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and genetic analysis of 313 new near-complete virus genomes in Panama during March 9-April 16, 2020. Although containment measures reduced R0 and Rt, they did not interrupt virus spread in the country.

Steam Reforming of Model Bio-Oil Aqueous Fraction Using Ni-(Cu, Co, Cr)/SBA-15 Catalysts.

Hydrogen obtained from biomass derivatives is considered a promising alternative to fossil fuels. The aim of this work is to test the viability of Ni-M/SBA-15 (M: Co, Cu, Cr) catalysts for the hydrogen production from bio-oil aqueous fraction reforming. Tests were performed in a fixed-bed reactor at 600 °C and atmospheric pressure. Firstly, the steam reforming (SR) of acetic acid, hydroxyacetone, furfural and phenol, as representative constituents of the bio-oil aqueous fraction, was carried out. Lower reactivity with increasing carbon number and decreasing steam-to-carbon ratio was observed. Coking rate during SR is a consequence of carbon number and aromaticity of the reactant, as well as the steam-to-carbon ratio. However, deactivation also depends on the graphitization degree of carbon filaments, higher in the case of coke formed from phenol. Then, the performance of the Ni-M/SBA-15 catalysts was studied in the reforming of a bio-oil aqueous fraction surrogate containing the four model compounds. Ni-Co/SBA-15 and Ni-Cr/SBA-15 samples were the most active because Co also catalyze the steam reforming reactions and Cr promotes the formation of very small Ni crystallites accounting for high conversion and the low coke deposition (~8 times lower than Ni/SBA-15) in the form of poorly condensed carbon filaments.

Visualization of internal in situ cell structure by atomic force microscopy.

Light and electron microscopy have been used to study cell structure for many years, but atomic force microscopy is a more recent technique used to analyze cells, mainly due to the absence of techniques to prepare the samples. Isolated molecules or organelles, whole cells, and to a lesser extent in situ cell structure have been observed by different atomic force microscopy imaging modes. Here, we review efforts intended to analyze in situ the cell structures using approaches involving imaging of the surface of semithin sections of samples embedded in resin and sections prepared with an ultramicrotome. The results of such studies are discussed in relation to their implications to analyze the fine structure of organelles at the nanoscale in situ at enhanced resolution compared to light microscopy.

Demographic and clinical characteristics of deaths associated with influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 in Central America and Dominican Republic 2009-2010.

BACKGROUND: The demographic characteristics of pandemic influenza decedents among middle and low-income tropical countries are poorly understood. We explored the demographics of persons who died with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection during 2009-2010, in seven countries in the American tropics. METHODS: We used hospital-based surveillance to identify laboratory-confirmed influenza deaths in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Dominican Republic. An influenza death was defined as a person who died within two weeks of a severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) defined as sudden onset of fever >38 °C, cough or sore-throat, and shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing requiring hospitalization, and who tested positive for influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus by real time polymerase chain reaction. We abstracted the demographic and clinical characteristics of the deceased from their medical records. RESULTS: During May 2009-June 2010, we identified 183 influenza deaths. Their median age was 32 years (IQR 18-46 years). One-hundred and one (55 %) were female of which 20 (20 %) were pregnant and 7 (7 %) were in postpartum. One-hundred and twelve decedents (61 %) had pre-existing medical conditions, (15 % had obesity, 13 % diabetes, 11 % asthma, 8 % metabolic disorders, 5 % chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 10 % neurological disorders). 65 % received oseltamivir but only 5 % received it within 48 h of symptoms onset. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic killed young adults, pregnant women and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Most sought care too late to fully benefit from oseltamivir. We recommend countries review antiviral treatment policies for people at high risk of developing complications.

Zika Virus-Infected Monocyte Exosomes Mediate Cell-to-Cell Viral Transmission.

Zika fever is a reemerging arthropod-borne viral disease; however, Zika virus (ZIKV) can be transmitted by other, non-vector means. Severe Zika fever is characterized by neurological disorders, autoimmunity, or congenital Zika syndrome. Monocytes are primary ZIKV targets in humans and, in response to infection, release extracellular vesicles like exosomes. Exosomes mediate intercellular communication and are involved in the virus's ability to circumvent the immune response, promoting pathological processes. This study aimed to evaluate the role of monocyte exosomes in cell-to-cell viral transmission. We isolated exosomes from ZIKV-infected monocytes (Mø exo ZIKV) by differential ultracentrifugation and identified them by nanoparticle tracking analysis; transmission electron microscopy; and CD63, CD81, TSG101, and Alix detection by cytofluorometry. Purified exosome isolates were obtained by uncoupling from paramagnetic beads or by treatment with UV radiation and RNase A. We found that Mø exo ZIKV carry viral RNA and E/NS1 proteins and that their interaction with naïve cells favors viral transmission, infection, and cell differentiation/activation. These data suggest that Mø exo ZIKV are an efficient alternative pathway for ZIKV infection. Knowledge of these mechanisms contributes to understanding the pathogenesis of severe disease and to the development of new vaccines and therapies.

A Promising Amphotericin B Derivative Induces Morphological Alterations, Mitochondrial Damage, and Oxidative Stress In Vitro and Prevents Mice from Death Produced by a Virulent Strain of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Chagas Disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affecting 6-8 million people, mainly in Latin America. The medical treatment is based on two compounds, benznidazole and nifurtimox, with limited effectiveness and that produce severe side effects; consequently, there is an urgent need to develop new, safe, and effective drugs. Amphotericin B is the most potent antimycotic known to date. A21 is a derivative of this compound with the property of binding to ergosterol present in cell membranes of some organisms. In the search for a new therapeutic drug against T. cruzi, the objective of this work was to study the in vitro and in vivo effects of A21 derivative on T. cruzi. Our results show that the A21 increased the reactive oxygen species and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, affecting the morphology, metabolism, and cell membrane permeability of T. cruzi in vitro. Even more important was finding that in an in vivo murine model of infection, A21 in combination with benznidazole was able to reduce blood parasitemia, diminish the immune inflammatory infiltrate in skeletal muscle and rescue all the mice from death due to a virulent T. cruzi strain.

EASIER corpus: A lexical simplification resource for people with cognitive impairments.

Thanks to technologies such as the Internet and devices now available to people, we have increasingly greater access to larger quantities of information. However, people with ageing disabilities or intellectual disabilities, non-native speakers, and others have difficulties reading and understanding information. For this reason, it is essential to provide text simplification mechanisms when accessing information. Natural Language Processing methods can be applied to simplify textual content and improve understanding. These methods often use machine learning algorithms and models which require resources, such as corpora, to be trained and tested. This article presents the EASIER corpus, a resource that can be used to build lexical simplification methods to process Spanish domain-independent texts. The EASIER corpus is composed of 260 annotated documents with 8,155 words labelled as complex and 5,130 words with at least one proposed context-aware synonym associated. Expert linguists in easy-to-read and plain language guidelines have annotated the corpus based on their experience adapting texts for people with intellectual disabilities. Sixteen annotation guidelines that discriminate between complex and simple words have been defined to help other groups of experts to generate new annotations. Additionally, an inter-annotator agreement test was performed to validate the corpus, obtaining a Fleiss Kappa coefficient of 0.641. Furthermore, a qualitative evaluation was conducted with 45 users (including people with intellectual disabilities, elderly people, and a control audience). Complex word identification tasks achieved moderate results, but the synonyms proposed to replace complex words achieved almost perfect ratings. This resource has been integrated into the EASIER platform, a tool that helps people with cognitive impairments and intellectual disabilities to read and understand texts more easily.

Erythrose inhibits the progression to invasiveness and reverts drug resistance of cancer stem cells of glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent brain cancer and more lethal than other cancers. Characteristics of this cancer are its high drug resistance, high recurrence rate and invasiveness. Invasiveness in GBM is related to overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which are mediated by wnt/ß-catenin and induced by the activation of signaling pathways extracellularly activated by the cytokine neuroleukin (NLK) in cancer stem cells (CSC). Therefore, in this work we evaluated the effect of the tetrose saccharide, erythrose (Ery), a NLK inhibitor of invasiveness and drug sensitization in glioblastoma stem cells (GSC). GSC were obtained from parental U373 cell line by a CSC phenotype enrichment protocol based on microenvironmental stress conditions such as hypoxia, hipoglycemia, drug exposition and serum starvation. Enriched fraction of GSC overexpressed the typical markers of brain CSC: low CD133+ and high CD44; in addition, epithelial to mesenchyme transition (EMT) markers and MMPs were increased several times in GSC vs. U373 correlating with higher invasiveness, elongated and tubular mitochondrion and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance. IC50 of Ery was found at nM concentration and at 24 h induced a severe diminution of EMT markers, MMPs and invasiveness in GSC. Furthermore, the phosphorylation pattern of NLK after Ery exposition also was affected. In addition, when Ery was administered to GSC at subIC50, it was capable of reverting TMZ resistance at concentrations innocuous to non-tumor cancer cells. Moreover, Ery added daily induced the death of all GSC. Those findings indicated that the phytodrug Ery could be used as adjuvant therapy in GBM.

Mental Health, Burnout, and Resilience in Healthcare Professionals After the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: A Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine whether there are differences in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, levels of burnout and resilience in Spanish healthcare staff between the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and after it, depending on several demographic and work-related variables. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted in April 2020 (T0), and July 2020 (T1). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, levels of resilience, along with demographic and work-related variables in 443 workers were assessed. RESULTS: Symptoms and burnout were more pronounced at T0, whereas the levels of resilience were higher at T1. Being women, being young, holding a lower-level job, less years of experience, lower educational level, and/or working rotating shifts are associated with having more posttraumatic stress symptoms and burnout. CONCLUSION: These variables would be considered in similar situations.

Detection and quantification of S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plant organs by LC-ES/MS.

Glutathione (GSH) is one of the major, soluble, low molecular weight antioxidants, as well as the major non-protein thiol in plant cells. However, the relevance of this molecule could be even greater considering that it can react with nitric oxide (NO) to generate S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) which is considered to function as a mobile reservoir of NO bioactivity in plants. Although this NO-derived molecule has an increased physiological and phytopathological relevance in plants cells, its identification and quantification in plant tissues have not be reported so far. Using liquid chromatography-electrospray/mass spectrometry (LC-ES/MS), a method was set up to detect and quantify simultaneously GSNO as well reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH and GSSG, respectively) in different pepper plant organs including roots, stems and leaves, and in Arabidopsis leaves. The analysis of NO and GSNO reductase (GSNOR) activity in these pepper organs showed that the content of GSNO was directly related to the content of NO in each organ and oppositely related to the GSNOR activity. This approach opens up new analytical possibilities to understand the relevance of GSNO in plant cells under physiological and stress conditions.

The role of public loans in financing business R&D through the economic cycle.

Should governments increase their efforts in R&D public funding during recession periods? The objective of the present study is to compare the effect of public aid to business R&D on technological inputs and outputs through the economic cycle. We contribute to this literature by examining the effect of one specific instrument of direct public support: selective loans for firms' R&D projects. For the analysis, we consider Spanish firms supported through this kind of instrument for the periods 2002-2005 and 2010-2012. Our results suggest that the hypothesis of full crowding out of private R&D is rejected in both cycle periods, expansion and recession: public support has positive effects on the resources devoted to R&D activities. However, the effect of public support on some technological outputs depends on the cycle phase: firms supported by selective loans during the crisis are more likely to obtain product innovations.

Occupational Stress in Spanish Police Officers: Validating the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire.

The Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (hereinafter, ERIQ) has been largely used worldwide to assess job stress, but it has not yet been applied in Spanish police. The objective of this study was to examine the construct validity and the internal consistency of the ERIQ in police officers. A cross-sectional study was carried out, using a nonprobability sampling (quota). A total of 217 Spanish police officers participated, 192 men (88.47%) and 25 women (11.53%). The mean age was 41 years (SD = 7.51). These police officers completed the ERIQ together with some other questionnaires (DECORE-21, MBI, GHQ and STAI) in order to provide evidence for validity based on the relationships to other constructs. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and a matrix of correlations with the rest of constructs was created. The results showed an appropriate fit to the original model consisting of three scales. In addition, the scales of the ERIQ presented the expected relationship with the other constructs. The ERIQ is a valid instrument for assessing occupational stress in Spanish police officers and can improve the interventions in this professional group.

Perception of Health, Resilience, and Engagement in Spanish Police Officers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the police force was one of the institutions that was most exposed to possible infections, in addition to suffering stressful situations that affect health. This study aims to independently assess the relationship between demographic, work, and COVID-19 variables, and resilience, engagement, and the perception of health, as well as to evaluate which variables are more important when predicting health perceptions. METHOD: 640 Spanish police officers were evaluated through a cross-sectional design and online survey. RESULTS: The perception of the lack of personal protective equipment, believing that it is easy to become infected with COVID-19, or working as a police officer were associated with low levels of engagement and resilience and a worse perception of health. More years of experience in the police force was associated with worse health and lower levels of engagement and resilience. Engagement and resilience would be protective variables of health. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to promote practices related to engagement and resilience in the police force. The discussion emphasizes that more experienced police officers demonstrate less engagement and resilience.

Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Levels of Resilience and Burnout in Spanish Health Personnel during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The number of health workers infected with COVID-19 in Spain is one of the highest in the world. The aim of this study is to analyse posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Associations between burnout, resilience, demographic, work and COVID-19 variables are analysed. Cross-sectional data on 1422 health workers were analysed. A total of 56.6% of health workers present symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, 58.6% anxiety disorder, 46% depressive disorder and 41.1% feel emotionally drained. The profile of a health worker with greater posttraumatic stress symptoms would be a person who works in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, in a hospital, is a woman, is concerned that a person he/she lives with may be infected, and thinks that he/she is very likely to be infected. The risk variables for anxiety and depression would be a person that is a woman, working 12- or 24-h shifts, and being worried that a family member could be infected. High scores on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization are risk factors for mental health, with resilience and personal fulfilment being protective variables. Data are provided to improve preventive measures for occupational health workers.

Participation of Extracellular Vesicles from Zika-Virus-Infected Mosquito Cells in the Modification of Naïve Cells' Behavior by Mediating Cell-to-Cell Transmission of Viral Elements.

To date, no safe vaccine or antivirals for Zika virus (ZIKV) infection have been found. The pathogenesis of severe Zika, where host and viral factors participate, remains unclear. For the control of Zika, it is important to understand how ZIKV interacts with different host cells. Knowledge of the targeted cellular pathways which allow ZIKV to productively replicate and/or establish prolonged viral persistence contributes to novel vaccines and therapies. Monocytes and endothelial vascular cells are the main ZIKV targets. During the infection process, cells are capable of releasing extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are mediators of intercellular communication. We found that mosquito EVs released from ZIKV-infected (C6/36) cells carry viral RNA and ZIKV-E protein and are able to infect and activate naïve mosquito and mammalian cells. ZIKV C6/36 EVs promote the differentiation of naïve monocytes and induce a pro-inflammatory state with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) mRNA expression. ZIKV C6/36 EVs participate in endothelial vascular cell damage by inducing coagulation (TF) and inflammation (PAR-1) receptors at the endothelial surface of the cell membranes and promote a pro-inflammatory state with increased endothelial permeability. These data suggest that ZIKV C6/36 EVs may contribute to the pathogenesis of ZIKV infection in human hosts.