Citizen scientists study beach litter along 12,000 km of the East Pacific coast: A baseline for the International Plastic Treaty.

Anthropogenic Marine Litter (AML) accumulating on beaches causes damage to coastal ecosystems and high costs to local communities. Volunteers sampled AML on 130 beaches along the central and southern East Pacific coasts, with AML densities ranging from 0.46 to 2.26 items m-2 in the different countries. AML composition was dominated by plastics and cigarette butts, the latter especially in Mexico and Chile. The accumulation of AML in the upper zones of the beaches and substantial proportions of cigarette butts, glass and metal pointed mainly to local sources. Statistical modelling of litter sources on continental beaches revealed that tourism, access and related infrastructure (e.g. parking lots) best explained AML densities, while plastic densities were also influenced by the distance from river mouths and national Gross Domestic Product. Large-scale monitoring can be a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of public policies that should primarily focus on land sources.

Involvement of trained immunity during autoimmune responses.

Recently, it has been described that innate immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells can develop a non-specific immune response induced by different stimuli, including lipopolysaccharides, Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein. This non-specific immune response has been named "trained immunity," whose mechanism is essential for host defense and vaccine response, promoting better infection control. However, limited information about trained immunity in other non-infectious diseases, such as autoimmune illness, has been reported. The complexity of autoimmune pathology arises from dysfunctions in the innate and adaptive immune systems, triggering different clinical outcomes depending on the disease. Nevertheless, T and B cell function dysregulation is the most common characteristic associated with autoimmunity by promoting the escape from central and peripheral tolerance. Despite the importance of adaptative immunity to autoimmune diseases, the innate immune system also plays a prominent and understudied role in these pathologies. Accordingly, epigenetic and metabolic changes associated with innate immune cells that undergo a trained process are possible new therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases. Even so, trained immunity can be beneficial or harmful in autoimmune diseases depending on several factors associated with the stimuli. Here, we reviewed the role of trained immunity over the innate immune system and the possible role of these changes in common autoimmune diseases, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Type 1 Diabetes.

Neurotrophin Signaling Impairment by Viral Infections in the Central Nervous System.

Neurotrophins, such as nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), NT-4, and NT-5, are proteins involved in several important functions of the central nervous system. The activation of the signaling pathways of these neurotrophins, or even by their immature form, pro-neurotrophins, starts with their recognition by cellular receptors, such as tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) and 75 kD NT receptors (p75NTR). The Trk receptor is considered to have a high affinity for attachment to specific neurotrophins, while the p75NTR receptor has less affinity for attachment with neurotrophins. The correct functioning of these signaling pathways contributes to proper brain development, neuronal survival, and synaptic plasticity. Unbalanced levels of neurotrophins and pro-neurotrophins have been associated with neurological disorders, illustrating the importance of these molecules in the central nervous system. Furthermore, reports have indicated that viruses can alter the normal levels of neurotrophins by interfering with their signaling pathways. This work discusses the importance of neurotrophins in the central nervous system, their signaling pathways, and how viruses can affect them.

The Causes and Long-Term Consequences of Viral Encephalitis.

Reports regarding brain inflammation, known as encephalitis, have shown an increasing frequency during the past years. Encephalitis is a relevant concern to public health due to its high morbidity and mortality. Infectious or autoimmune diseases are the most common cause of encephalitis. The clinical symptoms of this pathology can vary depending on the brain zone affected, with mild ones such as fever, headache, confusion, and stiff neck, or severe ones, such as seizures, weakness, hallucinations, and coma, among others. Encephalitis can affect individuals of all ages, but it is frequently observed in pediatric and elderly populations, and the most common causes are viral infections. Several viral agents have been described to induce encephalitis, such as arboviruses, rhabdoviruses, enteroviruses, herpesviruses, retroviruses, orthomyxoviruses, orthopneumovirus, and coronaviruses, among others. Once a neurotropic virus reaches the brain parenchyma, the resident cells such as neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, can be infected, promoting the secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules and the subsequent immune cell infiltration that leads to brain damage. After resolving the viral infection, the local immune response can remain active, contributing to long-term neuropsychiatric disorders, neurocognitive impairment, and degenerative diseases. In this article, we will discuss how viruses can reach the brain, the impact of viral encephalitis on brain function, and we will focus especially on the neurocognitive sequelae reported even after viral clearance.

Modulation of Adaptive Immunity and Viral Infections by Ion Channels.

Most cellular functions require of ion homeostasis and ion movement. Among others, ion channels play a crucial role in controlling the homeostasis of anions and cations concentration between the extracellular and intracellular compartments. Calcium (Ca2+) is one of the most relevant ions involved in regulating critical functions of immune cells, allowing the appropriate development of immune cell responses against pathogens and tumor cells. Due to the importance of Ca2+ in inducing the immune response, some viruses have evolved mechanisms to modulate intracellular Ca2+ concentrations and the mobilization of this cation through Ca2+ channels to increase their infectivity and to evade the immune system using different mechanisms. For instance, some viral infections require the influx of Ca2+ through ionic channels as a first step to enter the cell, as well as their replication and budding. Moreover, through the expression of viral proteins on the surface of infected cells, Ca2+ channels function can be altered, enhancing the pathogen evasion of the adaptive immune response. In this article, we review those ion channels and ion transporters that are essential for the function of immune cells. Specifically, cation channels and Ca2+ channels in the context of viral infections and their contribution to the modulation of adaptive immune responses.