Latin American Clinical Practice Guidelines on the systemic treatment of psoriasis: SOLAPSO ­ Sociedad Latinoamericana de Psoriasis (Latin American Psoriasis Society)

This Clinical Practice Guideline on the systemic treatment of Psoriasis includes the recommendations elaborated by a panel of experts from the Latin American Psoriasis Society SOLAPSO, who assessed the quality of the available evidence using the GRADE system and the PICO process to guide the literature search. To answer each question, the experts discussed the results of randomized controlled trials, observational studies and metanalysis evaluating the interventions identified (non-biologics, biologics and phototherapy) in different populations of patients with moderate to severe plaque-psoriasis, which was summarized in Tables ad-hoc. The main end-points considered to assess efficacy were PASI 50, 75, 90 and 100, PGA 0-1 and significant improvement of healthrelated quality of life. Specific adverse events, either severe or leading to treatment interruption, were also evaluated. The 31 recommendations included in this CPG follow the structure proposed by GRADE: direction (for or against) and strength (strong or weak). The goal of this CPG is to improve the management of patients with psoriasis by recommending interventions of proved benefit and providing a reference standard for the treating physician. Adhering to the contents of this CPG does not guarantee therapeutic success. The final decision on the specific treatment is the responsibility of the physician based on the individual circumstances and considering the values, the preferences and the opinions of the patient or caregivers.

Deep subsurface sulfate reduction and methanogenesis in the Iberian Pyrite Belt revealed through geochemistry and molecular biomarkers.

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB, southwest of Spain), the largest known massive sulfide deposit, fuels a rich chemolithotrophic microbial community in the Río Tinto area. However, the geomicrobiology of its deep subsurface is still unexplored. Herein, we report on the geochemistry and prokaryotic diversity in the subsurface (down to a depth of 166 m) of the Iberian Pyritic belt using an array of geochemical and complementary molecular ecology techniques. Using an antibody microarray, we detected polymeric biomarkers (lipoteichoic acids and peptidoglycan) from Gram-positive bacteria throughout the borehole. DNA microarray hybridization confirmed the presence of members of methane oxidizers, sulfate-reducers, metal and sulfur oxidizers, and methanogenic Euryarchaeota. DNA sequences from denitrifying and hydrogenotrophic bacteria were also identified. FISH hybridization revealed live bacterial clusters associated with microniches on mineral surfaces. These results, together with measures of the geochemical parameters in the borehole, allowed us to create a preliminary scheme of the biogeochemical processes that could be operating in the deep subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, including microbial metabolisms such as sulfate reduction, methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation.

Self-assembled monolayers of peptide nucleic acids on gold surfaces: a spectroscopic study.

We have characterized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiol-derivatized peptide nucleic acid (PNA) chains adsorbed on gold surfaces by using reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. We have found that the molecular orientation of PNAs strongly depends on surface coverage. At low coverage, PNA chains lie flat on the surface, while at high coverage, PNA molecules realign their molecular axes with the surface normal and form SAMs without the need of co-immobilization of spacers or other adjuvant molecules. The change in the molecular orientation has been studied by infrared spectroscopy and it has been confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). PNA immobilization has been followed by analyzing the N(1s) XPS core-level peak. We show that the fine line shape of the N(1s) core-level peak at optimal concentration for biosensing is due to a chemical shift. A combination of the above-mentioned techniques allow us to affirm that the structure of the SAMs is stabilized by molecule-molecule interactions through noncomplementary adjacent nucleic bases.