Biodesulfurization of landfill biogas by a pilot-scale bioscrubber: Operational limits and microbial analysis.

Biogas serves as a crucial renewable energy vector to ensure a more sustainable energy future. However, the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) limits its application in various sectors, emphasizing the importance of effective H2S removal techniques for maximizing its potential. In the present study, the limits of a pilot-scale bioscrubber for biogas desulfurization was study in a real scenario. An increase in the superficial liquid velocity resulted in significant improvements in the H2S removal efficiency, increasing from 76 ± 8% (elimination capacity of 6.2 ± 0.5 gS-H2S m-3 h-1) to 97.7 ± 0.5% (elimination capacity of 8 ± 1 gS-H2S m-3 h-1) as the superficial liquid velocity increased from 50 ± 3 m h-1 to 200 ± 8 m h-1. A USL of 161.4 ± 0.5 m h-1 was able to achieve outlet H2S concentrations as low as 3 ± 1 ppmv (H2S removal efficiency of 97 ± 1%) for 7 days. High superficial liquid velocity favoured the aerobic H2S oxidation reducing the nitrate demand. The maximum EC reached throughout the operation was 50.8 ± 0.6 gS-H2S m-3 h-1 (H2S removal efficiency of 96 ± 1%) and a sulfur production of 60%. Studies in batch flocculation experiments showed sulfur removal rates up to 97.6 ± 0.9% with a cationic flocculant dose of 75 mg L-1. Microbial analysis revealed that the predominant genus with sulfo-oxidant capacity during periods of low H2S inlet load was Thioalkalispira-sulfurivermis (61-69%), while in periods of higher H2S inlet load, family Arcobacteraceae was the most prevalent (11%).

Carriage of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli: duration and risk factors.

Identification of risk factors influencing the duration of carriage of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) may be useful for infection control. The aim of this study is to estimate the impact of several factors collected for routine hospital surveillance on the duration of carriage of selected MDR-GNB. From January 2015 to July 2021, patients with at least two clinical/surveillance samples positive for MDR-GNB different from ESBL-producing E. coli or AmpC - exclusively producing Enterobacterales were assessed. Microorganisms, age, number of admissions, clinical or rectal sample, sex, and admission service were evaluated as risk factors. Multivariate analysis was performed by a Cox proportional hazard model. A total of 1981 episodes of colonization were included. Involved microorganisms were ESBL-Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) in 1057 cases (53.4%), other ESBL-non-E. coli Enterobacterales in 91 (4.6%), OXA-48-KP in 263 (13.3%), KPC-KP in 90 (4.5%), VIM-KP in 29 (1.5%), carbapenemase-producing non-KP Enterobacterales (CP-non-KP) in 124 (6.3%), and MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR-PAER) in 327 (16.5%). No differences in duration of colonization were observed among ESBL-KP (median colonization time 320 days), ESBL-non-E. coli Enterobacterales (226 days), OXA48-KP (305 days), and MDR-PAER (321 days). For each group, duration of colonization was significantly longer than that of KPC-KP (median colonization time 60 days), VIM-KP (138 days), and CP-non-KP (71 days). Male sex (HR = 0.88; 95% CI 0.78-0.99), detection in Hepatology-Gastroenterology (HR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.54-0.93), clinical sample (HR = 0.61; 95% CI 0.53-0.69), and > 2 admissions after first detection (HR = 0.47; 95% CI 0.42-0.52) were independent predictors of longer carriage, whereas VIM-KP (HR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.04-2.48), KPC-KP (HR = 1.85; 95% CI 1.49-2.3), and CP-non-KP (HR = 1.92; 95% CI 1.49-2.47) were associated with shorter colonization time. Duration of colonization was significantly longer for ESBL-KP, other ESBL-non-E. coli Enterobacterales, OXA-48-KP, and MDR-PAER. For these microorganisms, prolonging surveillance up to 2.5-3 years should be considered. Male sex, clinical sample, multiple readmissions, admission service, and type of microorganism are independent predictors of the duration of carriage.

The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Long COVID patients have experienced a decline in their quality of life due to, in part but not wholly, its negative emotional impact. Some of the most prevalent mental health symptoms presented by long COVID patients are anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. As such, the need has arisen to analyze the personal experiences of these patients to understand how they are managing their daily lives while dealing with the condition. The objective of this study is to increase understanding about the emotional well-being of people diagnosed with long COVID. METHODS: A qualitative design was created and carried out using 35 patients, with 17 participants being interviewed individually and 18 of them taking part in two focus groups. The participating patients were recruited in November and December 2021 from Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in the city of Zaragoza (Northern Spain) and from the Association of Long COVID Patients in Aragon. The study topics were emotional well-being, social support networks, and experience of discrimination. All an inductive thematic content analyses were performed iteratively using NVivo software. RESULTS: The Long COVID patients identified low levels of self-perceived well-being due to their persistent symptoms, as well as limitations in their daily lives that had been persistent for many months. Suicidal thoughts were also mentioned by several patients. They referred to anguish and anxiety about the future as well as a fear of reinfection or relapse and returning to work. Many of the participants reported that they have sought the help of a mental health professional. Most participants identified discriminatory situations in health care. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to continue researching the impact that Long COVID has had on mental health, as well as to provide Primary Health Care professionals with evidence that can guide the emotional treatment of these patients.

Characterization of mating type on aroma production and metabolic properties wild Kluyveromyces marxianus yeasts.

Kluyveromyces marxianus yeasts represent a valuable industry alternative due to their biotechnological potential to produce aromatic compounds. 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenylethylacetate are significant aromatic compounds widely used in food and cosmetics due to their pleasant odor. Natural obtention of these compounds increases their value, and because of this, bioprocesses such as de novo synthesis has become of great significance. However, the relationship between aromatic compound production and yeast's genetic diversity has yet to be studied. In the present study, the analysis of the genetic diversity in K. marxianus isolated from the natural fermentation of Agave duranguensis for Mezcal elaboration is presented. The results of strains in a haploid and diploid state added to the direct relationship between the mating type locus MAT with metabolic characteristics are studied. Growth rate, assimilate carbohydrates (glucose, lactose, and chicory inulin), and the production of aromatic compounds such as ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol, 2-phenylethyl butyrate and phenylethyl propionate and the diversity in terms of the output of 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenylethylacetate by de novo synthesis were determinate, obtaining maximum concentrations of 51.30 and 60.39 mg/L by ITD0049 and ITD 0136 yeasts respectively.

The use of microindentation for the study of bone properties in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher risk of fracture. In this study, we analysed the bone quality of premenopausal women with type 1 diabetes mellitus by microindentation. No differences in bone quality were identified between patients and healthy controls, suggesting that intensive insulin therapy can preserve bone health. PURPOSE: To compare the bone quality of women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and healthy controls, and to determine the relationship with bone mineral density (BMD). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 45 premenopausal women with T1DM and 21 healthy controls, matched according to age and BMI. Clinical parameters, BMD and bone tissue mechanical properties (assessed using the bone material strength index [BMSi]) were evaluated in each group using microindentation. In T1DM patients, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), the number of hypoglycaemic events and the status of chronic complications were also analysed. RESULTS: No differences in BMSi or BMD between T1DM patients and healthy controls were identified. In the T1DM patients, the mean HbA1c was 7.52% ± 1.00% and the mean time elapsed since diagnosis was 22.6 ± 12.2 years. Eight patients (17.7%) met the criteria for metabolic syndrome (MetS), and microvascular complications were present in 12 patients (26.7%). Neither the number of features of MetS present nor the presence of microangiopathy was found to be associated with BMSi. CONCLUSIONS: T1DM premenopausal patients showed bone tissue properties comparable to those shown by controls. Further larger-scale studies should be conducted to confirm these results.

Short communication: Performance, intestinal permeability, and metabolic profile of calves fed a milk replacer supplemented with glutamic acid.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of supplementing glutamic acid in milk replacers (MR) with respect to calf performance, intestinal permeability, and metabolism. Sixty Holstein male calves (3 ± 1.3 d old and 45 ± 5.9 kg body weight) were individually housed and fed a control MR without AA supplementation (24.8% crude protein and 19.1% fat, dry matter basis), or MR supplemented with 0.3% glutamic acid (25.1% crude protein and 20.3% fat, dry matter basis). Animals followed the same MR feeding program and were weaned at 56 d of the study. The amount of starter concentrate offered was restricted to limit the effect of concentrate intake on calf metabolism. Individual daily consumption and weekly body weight were measured, and 4 h after the morning feeding, blood samples were obtained at 14 and 35 d to determine general biochemical parameters and plasma AA concentrations. On d 10 of the study, we conducted an intestinal permeability test by including 21 g of lactulose and 4.2 g of d-mannitol as markers in the MR. We found no differences in calf performance or in intestinal permeability (measured as lactulose:mannitol ratio). Serum glucose concentration was greater in unsupplemented calves than in Glu-supplemented calves. At 14 d, the proportion of plasma Leu was greater in Glu-supplemented calves; the proportion of Ile tended to be greater in Glu-supplemented calves; and the proportion of Met tended to be greater in unsupplemented calves. We observed no other differences. Small changes occurred in AA metabolism when supplementing calf MR with 0.3% glutamic acid, without leading to improvements in calf performance or changes in intestinal permeability.

A combinatorial biomarker predicts pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant lapatinib and trastuzumab without chemotherapy in patients with HER2+ breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: HER2-positive (+) breast cancers, defined by HER2 overexpression and/or amplification, are often addicted to HER2 to maintain their malignant phenotype. Yet, some HER2+ tumors do not benefit from anti-HER2 therapy. We hypothesize that HER2 amplification levels and PI3K pathway activation are key determinants of response to HER2-targeted treatments without chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Baseline HER2+ tumors from patients treated with neoadjuvant lapatinib plus trastuzumab [with endocrine therapy for estrogen receptor (ER)+ tumors] in TBCRC006 (NCT00548184) were evaluated in a central laboratory for HER2 amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) (n = 56). HER2 copy number (CN) and FISH ratios, and PI3K pathway status, defined by PIK3CA mutations or PTEN levels by immunohistochemistry were available for 41 tumors. Results were correlated with pathologic complete response (pCR; no residual invasive tumor in breast). RESULTS: Thirteen of the 56 patients (23%) achieved pCR. None of the 11 patients with HER2 ratio <4 and/or CN <10 achieved pCR, whereas 13/45 patients (29%) with HER2 ratio ≥4 and/or CN ≥10 attained pCR (P = 0.0513). Of the 18 patients with tumors expressing high PTEN or wild-type (WT) PIK3CA (intact PI3K pathway), 7 (39%) achieved pCR, compared with 1/23 (4%) with PI3K pathway alterations (P = 0.0133). Seven of the 16 patients (44%) with HER2 ratio ≥4 and intact PI3K pathway achieved pCR, whereas only 1/25 (4%) patients not meeting these criteria achieved pCR (P = 0.0031). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there is a clinical subtype in breast cancer with high HER2 amplification and intact PI3K pathway that is especially sensitive to HER2-targeted therapies without chemotherapy. A combination of HER2 FISH ratio and PI3K pathway status warrants validation to identify patients who may be treated with HER2-targeted therapy without chemotherapy.

Discrepancy between bone density and bone material strength index in three siblings with Camurati-Engelmann disease.

Camurati-Engelmann (CE) is a very rare disease affecting one in every million persons worldwide. It is characterized by an enlargement of long bones. We aimed to assess bone characteristics in three siblings with different tools. Even if there was an excess of bone density, quality seemed to be deteriorated. INTRODUCTION: CE disease is a rare monogenic disorder affecting approximately one in every million persons worldwide. It is mainly characterized by a progressive hyperostosis of the periosteum and endosteum of the diaphysis of long bones. Limited data are available about bone characteristics in these patients. In three siblings with CE disease, we aimed to assess bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone score (TBS) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and material characteristics at tissue level using bone impact reference point indentation. METHODS: Clinical data were collected and a general laboratory workup was performed. At the lumbar spine and hip, BMD and TBS were measured using DXA imaging. Bone material strength index (BMSi) was measured by bone impact microindentation using an Osteoprobe instrument. RESULTS: All three cases had densitometric values consistent with high bone mass (sum of Z-score at the lumbar spine and hip > 4). Hip BMD was extremely high in all three siblings at both total hip and femoral neck, while at the lumbar spine, two of them had normal values but the third again had very high BMD. TBS values were in the normal range. In contrast, BMSi measurements were at low or very low levels, compared with normal controls. CONCLUSION: Despite strikingly increased BMD and normal microarchitecture, BMSi is affected in patients with CE. Microindentation could be an appropriate tool for assessing bone fragility in these patients. Bone disease in this group of patients requires further study to better understand the underlying regulatory mechanisms and their alterations.

Bone density, microarchitecture, and material strength in chronic kidney disease patients at the time of kidney transplantation.

Bone health is assessed by bone mineral density (BMD). Other techniques such as trabecular bone score and microindentation could improve the risk of fracture's estimation. Our chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients presented worse bone health (density, microarchitecture, mechanical properties) than controls. More than BMD should be done to evaluate patients at risk of fracture. INTRODUCTION: BMD measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is used to assess bone health in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Recently, trabecular bone score (TBS) and microindentation that can measure microarchitectural and mechanical properties of bone have demonstrated better correlation with fractures than DXA in different populations. We aimed to characterize bone health (BMD, TBS, and strength) and calcium/phosphate metabolism in a cohort of 53 ESRD patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KT) and 94 controls with normal renal function. METHODS: Laboratory workout, lumbar spine/hip BMD measurements (using DXA), lumbar spine TBS, and bone strength were carried out. The latter was assessed with an impact microindentation device, standardized as percentage of a reference value, and expressed as bone material strength index (BMSi) units. Multivariable linear regression was used to study differences between cases and controls adjusted by age, gender, and body mass index. RESULTS: Among cases, serum calcium was 9.6 ± 0.7 mg/dl, phosphorus 4.4 ± 1.2 mg/dl, and intact parathyroid hormone 214 pg/ml [102-390]. Fourteen patients (26.4%) had prevalent asymptomatic fractures in spinal X-ray. BMD was significantly lower among ESRD patients compared to controls: lumbar 0.966 ± 0.15 vs 0.982 ± 0.15 (adjusted p = 0.037), total hip 0.852 ± 0.15 vs 0.902 ± 0.13 (adjusted p < 0.001), and femoral neck 0.733 ± 0.15 vs 0.775 ± 0.12 (adjusted p < 0.001), as were TBS (1.20 [1.11-1.30] vs 1.31 [1.19-1.43] (adjusted p < 0.001)) and BMSi (79 [71.8-84.2] vs 82. [77.5-88.9] (adjusted p = 0.005)). CONCLUSIONS: ESRD patients undergoing transplant surgery have damaged bone health parameters (density, microarchitecture, and mechanical properties) despite acceptably controlled hyperparathyroidism. Detecting these abnormalities may assist in identifying patients at high risk of post-transplantation fractures.

Impact of cognitive impairment, depression, disease activity, and disease damage on quality of life in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: To define the relative role of cognitive impairment, depression, disease activity, and disease damage in the decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) frequently observed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. METHOD: We studied 101 Chilean female SLE patients and applied the 12-item Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) to assess HRQoL and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to assess cognitive function. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models included demographic and disease-related factors and cognitive function tests of sustained attention, memory, and executive function. RESULTS: All measures of HRQoL were lower in the 101 female SLE patients compared to the women from the Chilean general population. HRQoL was associated with the following factors: (i) depression symptoms, which were detrimental to all components of the physical and mental HRQoL scores; (ii) executive dysfunction (spatial planning), which was associated with lower scores on role limitations due to physical health problems and emotional problems, and general health perceptions; (iii) higher activity and organ damage were deleterious to role physical, bodily pain, and physical summary scores; and (iv) higher damage also impacted physical function. Impairments in sustained attention and memory did not decrease the HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the relevance of executive dysfunction to poor physical and mental health components of HRQoL in SLE together with depression, while disease activity and disease damage are associated with lower HRQoL physical components. The need for cognitive function evaluation and rehabilitation in SLE is indicated.

BackCLIP: a tool to identify common background presence in PAR-CLIP datasets.

MOTIVATION: PAR-CLIP, a CLIP-seq protocol, derives a transcriptome wide set of binding sites for RNA-binding proteins. Even though the protocol uses stringent washing to remove experimental noise, some of it remains. A recent study measured three sets of non-specific RNA backgrounds which are present in several PAR-CLIP datasets. However, a tool to identify the presence of common background in PAR-CLIP datasets is not yet available. RESULTS: We used the measured sets of non-specific RNA backgrounds to build a common background set. Each element from the common background set has a score that reflects its presence in several PAR-CLIP datasets. We present a tool that uses this score to identify the amount of common backgrounds present in a PAR-CLIP dataset, and we provide the user the option to use or remove it. We used the proposed strategy in 30 PAR-CLIP datasets from nine proteins. It is possible to identify the presence of common backgrounds in a dataset and identify differences in datasets for the same protein. This method is the first step in the process of completely removing such backgrounds. AVAILABILITY: The tool was implemented in python. The common background set and the supplementary data are available at https://github.com/phrh/BackCLIP. CONTACT: phreyes@gmail.com SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Surface Study of Lithium-Air Battery Oxygen Cathodes in Different Solvent-Electrolyte pairs.

The O2/Li2O2 electrode reaction has been studied on low surface area Au electrodes in three solvent-electrolyte pairs (0.1 M LiPF6/DMSO, LiPF6/ACN, and LiBF4/ACN) using an electrochemical cell coupled to UHV XPS spectrometer, EQCM, AFM, and DEMS. The XPS spectra of the surfaces after treatment at selected electrode potentials for the O2 reduction and reoxidation of the surface show the presence of C and S from solvent decomposition and of F and P from electrolyte decomposition. Furthermore, Li 1s and O 1s peaks due to Li2O2 and decomposition products such as carbonate, organics, LiF, high oxidation sulfur, and phosphorus compounds were also observed. Using ACN instead of DMSO results in less solvent decomposition, whereas using LiBF4 results in less electrolyte decomposition. XPS, AFM, and EQCM show that O2 reduction products removal only takes place at very high overpotentials. In agreement with XPS which shows removal of carbonate surface species, DEMS confirms evolution of CO2 and consumption of O2 at 4.5 V, but LiF cannot be removed completely in a round trip of the Li-O2 battery cathode.

Hostile attributions in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia contribute to poor social functioning.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the profile of attributional style of a group of out-patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ), and a group of healthy controls - along with other social cognition domains - such as emotion recognition and theory of mind (ToM). METHOD: A total of 46 out-patients diagnosed with BD, 49 with SZ, and 50 healthy controls were assessed in attributional style (Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire), facial emotion recognition (FEIT, FEDT, ER-40), and ToM (Hinting Task). Symptomatology, clinical variables and global functioning were also collected. RESULTS: Both groups with SZ and BD showed hostile social cognitive biases, compared with the control group. Patients with BD also showed a capacity for emotional recognition similar to those with SZ and worse than control subjects. In contrast, patients with SZ showed poorer ToM. Subthreshold depressive symptoms and an attributional style toward hostility appeared as the factors with a strongest association to global functioning in BD. In SZ, PANSS score and a tendency to aggressiveness were the most relevant factors. CONCLUSION: Attributional style (along with other domains of social cognition) is altered in out-patients with BD and SZ. The presence of residual symptoms and a hostile social cognitive bias may contribute to the functional impairment of both groups.

A novel begomovirus isolated from sida contains putative cis- and trans-acting replication specificity determinants that have evolved independently in several geographical lineages.

A novel begomovirus isolated from a Sida rhombifolia plant collected in Sinaloa, Mexico, was characterized. The genomic components of sida mosaic Sinaloa virus (SiMSinV) shared highest sequence identity with DNA-A and DNA-B components of chino del tomate virus (CdTV), suggesting a vertical evolutionary relationship between these viruses. However, recombination analysis indicated that a short segment of SiMSinV DNA-A encompassing the plus-strand replication origin and the 5´-proximal 43 codons of the Rep gene was derived from tomato mottle Taino virus (ToMoTV). Accordingly, the putative cis- and trans-acting replication specificity determinants of SiMSinV were identical to those of ToMoTV but differed from those of CdTV. Modeling of the SiMSinV and CdTV Rep proteins revealed significant differences in the region comprising the small ß1/ß5 sheet element, where five putative DNA-binding specificity determinants (SPDs) of Rep (i.e., amino acid residues 5, 8, 10, 69 and 71) were previously identified. Computer-assisted searches of public databases led to identification of 33 begomoviruses from three continents encoding proteins with SPDs identical to those of the Rep encoded by SiMSinV. Sequence analysis of the replication origins demonstrated that all 33 begomoviruses harbor potential Rep-binding sites identical to those of SiMSinV. These data support the hypothesis that the Rep ß1/ß5 sheet region determines specificity of this protein for DNA replication origin sequences.

SnRK1/TOR/T6P: three musketeers guarding energy for root growth.

Sugars derived from photosynthesis, specifically sucrose, are the primary source of plant energy. Sucrose is produced in leaves and transported to the roots through the phloem, serving as a vital energy source. Environmental conditions can result in higher or lower photosynthesis, promoting anabolism or catabolism, respectively, thereby influencing the sucrose budget available for roots. Plants can adjust their root system to optimize the search for soil resources and to ensure the plant's adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. Recently, emerging research indicates that SNF1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE 1 (SnRK1), trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P), and TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR) collectively serve as fundamental regulators of root development, together forming a signaling module to interpret the nutritional status of the plant and translate this to growth adjustments in the below ground parts.