An expedited screening platform for the discovery of anti-ageing compounds in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Restraining or slowing ageing hallmarks at the cellular level have been proposed as a route to increased organismal lifespan and healthspan. Consequently, there is great interest in anti-ageing drug discovery. However, this currently requires laborious and lengthy longevity analysis. Here, we present a novel screening readout for the expedited discovery of compounds that restrain ageing of cell populations in vitro and enable extension of in vivo lifespan. METHODS: Using Illumina methylation arrays, we monitored DNA methylation changes accompanying long-term passaging of adult primary human cells in culture. This enabled us to develop, test, and validate the CellPopAge Clock, an epigenetic clock with underlying algorithm, unique among existing epigenetic clocks for its design to detect anti-ageing compounds in vitro. Additionally, we measured markers of senescence and performed longevity experiments in vivo in Drosophila, to further validate our approach to discover novel anti-ageing compounds. Finally, we bench mark our epigenetic clock with other available epigenetic clocks to consolidate its usefulness and specialisation for primary cells in culture. RESULTS: We developed a novel epigenetic clock, the CellPopAge Clock, to accurately monitor the age of a population of adult human primary cells. We find that the CellPopAge Clock can detect decelerated passage-based ageing of human primary cells treated with rapamycin or trametinib, well-established longevity drugs. We then utilise the CellPopAge Clock as a screening tool for the identification of compounds which decelerate ageing of cell populations, uncovering novel anti-ageing drugs, torin2 and dactolisib (BEZ-235). We demonstrate that delayed epigenetic ageing in human primary cells treated with anti-ageing compounds is accompanied by a reduction in senescence and ageing biomarkers. Finally, we extend our screening platform in vivo by taking advantage of a specially formulated holidic medium for increased drug bioavailability in Drosophila. We show that the novel anti-ageing drugs, torin2 and dactolisib (BEZ-235), increase longevity in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our method expands the scope of CpG methylation profiling to accurately and rapidly detecting anti-ageing potential of drugs using human cells in vitro, and in vivo, providing a novel accelerated discovery platform to test sought after anti-ageing compounds and geroprotectors.

Risk of agranulocytosis with metamizole in comparison with alternative medications based on health records in Spain.

PURPOSE: We aimed to estimate the absolute (incidence) and relative (hazard ratio; HR) risk of agranulocytosis associated with metamizole in comparison with non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). METHODS: A cohort study of new users of metamizole versus NSAIDs was performed with BIFAP (Pharmacoepidemiologic Research Database in Public Health Systems; Spain). Patients aged ≥ 2 years in 2005-2022 were followed up from the day after their first metamizole or NSAID dispensation till the end of the treatment period to identify patients hospitalized due to idiosyncratic agranulocytosis. Incidence rate (IR) and adjusted HR of agranulocytosis with metamizole versus NSAID were estimated assuming the onset date of agranulocytosis was the date of hospitalization sensitivity analysis or 7 days before (main analysis). In secondary analyses, we used (1) opioids-paracetamol as negative control and (2) any hospitalized neutropenia as outcome (assuming the onset was 7 days before). RESULTS: The cohorts included 444,972 new users of metamizole, 3,814,367 NSAID, and 3,129,221 opioids-paracetamol on continuous treatment during a median of 37-40 days. Overall, 26 hospitalized agranulocytosis occurred, 5 in the first week (and so removed in main analysis) and 21 thereafter. IR of agranulocytosis was 14.20 (N = 5 cases) and 8.52 (N = 3), 1.95 (N = 6) and 1.62 (N = 5), and 4.29 (N = 15) and 3.72 (N = 13)/107 person-weeks of continuous treatment using the date of hospitalization or 7 days before, respectively. Two, 0 and 2 of cases identified in both analyses had neoplasia in every cohort, respectively. HR of agranulocytosis associated with metamizole was 7.20 [95% CI: 1.92-26.99] and 4.40 [0.90-21.57] versus NSAID, and 3.31 [1.17-9.34] and 2.45 [0.68-8.83] versus opioid-paracetamol, respectively. HR of neutropenia with metamizole was 2.98 [1.57-5.65] versus NSAID. CONCLUSIONS: Agranulocytosis was very rare but more common (above 4 times more) with metamizole than other analgesics. The impact of the drug-induced agranulocytosis was less precise with metamizole than the comparators due to its lower use, which precluded to find statistical differences in main analysis. The increased risk of hospitalized neutropenias with metamizole supports the link with its severity although triggers unavailable during the follow-up (ex. cytotoxic medication) can not be discarded.

Predictive role of ITPA genetic variants in thiopurine-related myelotoxicity in Crohn's disease patients.

Thiopurines, an effective therapy for Crohn's disease (CD), often lead to adverse events (AEs). Gene polymorphisms affecting thiopurine metabolism may predict AEs. This retrospective study in CD patients (n = 114) with TPMT activity > 5 Units/Red Blood Cells analyzed TPMT (c.238 G > C, c.460 G > A, c.719 A > G), ITPA (c.94 C > A, IVS2 + 21 A > C), and NUDT15 (c.415 C > T) polymorphisms. All patients received azathioprine (median dose 2.2 mg/kg) with 41.2% experiencing AEs, mainly myelotoxicity (28.1%). No NUDT15 polymorphisms were found, 7% had TPMT, and 31.6% had ITPA polymorphisms. AEs led to therapy modifications in 41.2% of patients. Multivariate analysis identified advanced age (OR 1.046, p = 0.007) and ITPA IVS2 + 21 A > C (OR 3.622, p = 0.015) as independent predictors of AEs. IVS2 + 21 A > C was also associated with myelotoxicity (OR 2.863, p = 0.021). These findings suggest that ITPA IVS2 + 21 A > C polymorphism and advanced age predict AEs during thiopurine therapy for CD with intermediate-normal TPMT activity.

Impact of geometric and hemodynamic changes on a mechanobiological model of atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In this work, the analysis of the importance of hemodynamic updates on a mechanobiological model of atheroma plaque formation is proposed. METHODS: For that, we use an idealized and axisymmetric model of carotid artery. In addition, the behavior of endothelial cells depending on hemodynamical changes is analyzed too. A total of three computational simulations are carried out and their results are compared: an uncoupled model and two models that consider the opposite behavior of endothelial cells caused by hemodynamic changes. The model considers transient blood flow using the Navier-Stokes equation. Plasma flow across the endothelium is determined with Darcy's law and the Kedem-Katchalsky equations, considering the three-pore model, which is also employed for the flow of substances across the endothelium. The behavior of the considered substances in the arterial wall is modeled with convection-diffusion-reaction equations, and the arterial wall is modeled as a hyperelastic Yeoh's material. RESULTS: Significant variations are noted in both the morphology and stenosis ratio of the plaques when comparing the uncoupled model to the two models incorporating updates for geometry and hemodynamic stimuli. Besides, the phenomenon of double-stenosis is naturally reproduced in the models that consider both geometric and hemodynamical changes due to plaque growth, whereas it cannot be predicted in the uncoupled model. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that integrating the plaque growth model with geometric and hemodynamic settings is essential in determining the ultimate shape and dimensions of the carotid plaque.

Kinetic Study of Anaerobic Adhesive Curing on Copper and Iron Base Substrates.

Anaerobic adhesives (AAs) cure at room temperature in oxygen-deprived spaces between metal substrates. The curing process is significantly influenced by the type of metal ions present. This study investigates the curing kinetics of a high-strength AA on iron and copper substrates using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The activation energy and kinetic parameters were determined with different empiric models, revealing that curing on copper is faster and more complete compared to iron. The findings suggest that copper ions lower the activation energy required for curing, enhancing the adhesive's performance. This research addresses the gap in understanding how metal ions affect AA curing kinetics, offering valuable insights for optimizing adhesive formulations for industrial applications.

Thermal Stability, Durability, and Service Life Estimation of Woven Flax-Carbon Hybrid Polyamide Biocomposites.

Woven flax-carbon hybrid polyamide biocomposites offer a blend of carbon fibers' mechanical strength and flax's environmental advantages, potentially developing material applications. This study investigated their thermal behavior, degradation kinetics, and durability to water uptake and relative humidity exposure and compared them with pure flax and carbon composites with the same matrix. The hybrid composite exhibited intermediate water/moisture absorption levels between pure flax and carbon composites, with 7.2% water absorption and 3.5% moisture absorption. It also displayed comparable thermal degradation resistance to the carbon composite, effectively maintaining its weight up to 300 °C. Further analysis revealed that the hybrid composite exhibited a decomposition energy of 268 kJ/mol, slightly lower than the carbon composite's value of 288.5 kJ/mol, indicating similar thermal stability. Isothermal lifetime estimation, employing the activation energy (Ed) and degree of conversion facilitated by the Model Free Kinetics method, indicated a 41% higher service life of the hybrid laminate at room temperature compared to the carbon laminate. These insights are crucial for understanding the industrial applications of these materials without compromising durability.

Decomposition Kinetics and Lifetime Estimation of Thermoplastic Composite Materials Reinforced with rCFRP.

Because of the high demand for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials across all industries, the reuse and/or recycling of these materials (rCFRP) is necessary in order to meet the principles of the circular economy, including recycling and reuse. The objective of this study is to estimate the lifespan of thermoplastic matrix composite materials reinforced with waste materials (CFRP), which undergo only a mechanical cutting process. This estimation is carried out through the thermal decomposition of polymers, including polymer matrix composite materials, which is a complex process due to the numerous reactions involved. Some authors calculate these kinetic parameters using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as it is a quick method, and it allows the identification of gases released during decomposition, provided that the equipment is prepared for it. This study includes a comparison between polyamides 11 and 12, as well as between polyamide composite materials with carbon fiber (CF) and polyamides reinforced with CF/epoxy composite material. The latter is treated with plasma to improve adhesion with polyamides. The behavior of weight as a function of temperature was studied at speeds of 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, and 20 °C/min, finding stability of the polyamides up to a temperature of 400 °C, which was consistent with the analysis by mass spectroscopy, where gas evolution is evident after 400 °C. The estimation of the lifespan was carried out using two different methods including the Toop equation and the free kinetics model (MFK). The energy of the decomposition process was determined using the MFK model, which establishes the energy as a function of the degree of conversion. It is estimated that at 5% decomposition, mechanical properties are lost.

Genotyping Hepatitis B virus by Next-Generation Sequencing: Detection of Mixed Infections and Analysis of Sequence Conservation.

Our aim was to develop an accurate, highly sensitive method for HBV genotype determination and detection of genotype mixtures. We examined the preS and 5' end of the HBV X gene (5X) regions of the HBV genome using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The 1852 haplotypes obtained were subjected to genotyping via the Distance-Based discrimination method (DB Rule) using two sets of 95 reference sequences of genotypes A-H. In clinical samples from 125 patients, the main genotypes were A, D, F and H in Caucasian, B and C in Asian and A and E in Sub-Saharan patients. Genotype mixtures were identified in 28 (22.40%) cases, and potential intergenotypic recombination was observed in 29 (23.20%) cases. Furthermore, we evaluated sequence conservation among haplotypes classified into genotypes A, C, D, and E by computing the information content. The preS haplotypes exhibited limited shared conserved regions, whereas the 5X haplotypes revealed two groups of conserved regions across the genotypes assessed. In conclusion, we developed an NGS-based HBV genotyping method utilizing the DB Rule for genotype classification. We identified two regions conserved across different genotypes at 5X, offering promising targets for RNA interference-based antiviral therapies.

Meat-Borne-Parasite: A Nanopore-Based Meta-Barcoding Work-Flow for Parasitic Microbiodiversity Assessment in the Wild Fauna of French Guiana.

French Guiana, located in the Guiana Shield, is a natural reservoir for many zoonotic pathogens that are of considerable medical or veterinary importance. Until now, there has been limited data available on the description of parasites circulating in this area, especially on protozoan belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa; conversely, the neighbouring countries describe a high parasitic prevalence in animals and humans. Epidemiological surveillance is necessary, as new potentially virulent strains may emerge from these forest ecosystems, such as Amazonian toxoplasmosis. However, there is no standard tool for detecting protozoa in wildlife. In this study, we developed Meat-Borne-Parasite, a high-throughput meta-barcoding workflow for detecting Apicomplexa based on the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing platform using the 18S gene of 14 Apicomplexa positive samples collected in French Guiana. Sequencing reads were then analysed with MetONTIIME pipeline. Thanks to a scoring rule, we were able to classify 10 samples out of 14 as Apicomplexa positive and reveal the presence of co-carriages. The same samples were also sequenced with the Illumina platform for validation purposes. For samples identified as Apicomplexa positive by both platforms, a strong positive correlation at up to the genus level was reported. Overall, the presented workflow represents a reliable method for Apicomplexa detection, which may pave the way for more comprehensive biomonitoring of zoonotic pathogens.

Qualitative analysis of the factors associated with whistleblowing intentions among athletes from six European countries.

Although whistleblowing is thought to represent an effective mechanism for detecting and uncovering doping in sport, it has yet to become a widely adopted practice. Understanding the factors that encourage or discourage whistleblowing is of vital importance for the promotion of this practice and the development of pedagogical material to enhance the likelihood of whistleblowing. The current study employed a qualitative methodology to explore the personal and organisational factors that underpin intentions to blow the whistle or that may lead to engagement in whistleblowing behaviours in sport. Thirty-three competitive athletes across a range of sports took part in a semi-structured interview which sought to explore what they would do should they encounter a doping scenario. Content analysis revealed that whistleblowing is a dynamic process characterised by the interaction of a range of personal and organisational factors in determining the intention to report PED use. These factors included moral reasoning, a desire to keep the matter "in-house", perceived personal costs, institutional attitudes to doping, and social support. Analysis revealed a number of "intervening events", including a perceived lack of organisational protection (e.g., ethical leadership) within some sporting sub-cultures, which present an important obstacle to whistleblowing. The intention to report doping was underpinned by a "fairness-loyalty trade-off" which involved athletes choosing to adhere to either fairness norms (which relate to a sense that all people and groups are treated equally) or loyalty norms (which reflect preferential treatment towards an in-group) when deciding whether they would blow the whistle. The promotion of fairness norms that emphasise a group's collective interests might encourage athletes to view whistleblowing as a means of increasing group cohesiveness and effectiveness and thereby increase the likelihood of this practice.

Retrospective Analysis of Severe Dengue by Dengue Virus Serotypes in a Population with Social Security, Mexico 2023.

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for severe dengue manifestations have been attributed to various factors, including specific serotypes, sex, and age. Mexico has seen the re-emergence of DENV-3, which has not circulated in a decade. OBJECTIVE: To describe dengue serotypes by age, sex, and their association with disease severity in dengue-positive serum samples from epidemiological surveillance system units. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the frequency of dengue severity by sex, age, disease quarter, geographical location, and dengue virus serotypes. The study was conducted using laboratory samples from confirmed dengue cases through RT-qPCR from the epidemiological surveillance laboratory network of the Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico. Simple frequencies and proportions were calculated using the z-test for proportional differences between groups. Bivariate analysis with adjusted Chi2 was performed, and binary logistic regression models were constructed using the forward Wald method considering the model's predictive capacity. The measure of association was the odds ratio, with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance was set to an alpha level of <0.05. RESULTS: In 2023, 10,441 samples were processed for dengue RT-qPCR at the IMSS, with a predominance of serotype DENV-3 (64.4%). The samples were mostly from women (52.0%) and outpatient cases (63.3%). The distribution of dengue severity showed significant variations by age, with a lower proportion of severe cases in young children and a higher proportion in the 5- to 14-year-old group. Hospitalizations increased significantly with severity. Warm regions had more cases overall and severity. Cases were most frequent from July to September. While DENV-2 was associated with severity, DENV-4 was not. Binary regression identified higher risk in women, age extremes, and DENV-2, with an overall predictive model of 58.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Women, age groups at the extremes of life, and the DENV-2 serotype presented severe risk of dengue in a population with social security in Mexico during 2023.

Wear Behavior of Epoxy Resin Reinforced with Ceramic Nano- and Microparticles.

Cavitation erosion poses a significant challenge in fluid systems like hydraulic turbines and ship propellers due to pulsed pressure from collapsing vapor bubbles. To combat this, various materials and surface engineering methods are employed. In this study, nano and micro scale particles of silicon carbide (SiC) or boron carbide (B4C) were incorporated as reinforcement at 6% and 12% ratios, owing to their exceptional resistance to abrasive wear and high hardness. Microparticles were incorporated to assess the damage incurred during the tests in comparison to nanoparticles. Wear tests were conducted on both bulk samples and coated aluminum sheets with a 1mm of composite. Additionally, cavitation tests were performed on coated aluminum tips until stability of mass loss was achieved. The results indicated a distinct wear behavior between the coatings and the bulk samples. Overall, wear tended to be higher for the coated samples with nanocomposites than bulk, except for the nano-composite material containing 12% SiC and pure resin. With the coatings, higher percentages of nanometric particles correlated with increased wear. The coefficient of friction remained within the range of 0.4 to 0.5 for the coatings. Regarding the accumulated erosion in the cavitation tests for 100 min, it was observed that for all nanocomposite materials, it was lower than in pure resin. Particularly, the composite with 6% B4C was slightly lower than the rest. In addition, the erosion rate was also lower for the composites.

Towards a GDPR-compliant cloud architecture with data privacy controlled through sticky policies.

Data privacy is one of the biggest challenges facing system architects at the system design stage. Especially when certain laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), have to be complied with by cloud environments. In this article, we want to help cloud providers comply with the GDPR by proposing a GDPR-compliant cloud architecture. To do this, we use model-driven engineering techniques to design cloud architecture and analyze cloud interactions. In particular, we develop a complete framework, called MDCT, which includes a Unified Modeling Language profile that allows us to define specific cloud scenarios and profile validation to ensure that certain required properties are met. The validation process is implemented through the Object Constraint Language (OCL) rules, which allow us to describe the constraints in these models. To comply with many GDPR articles, the proposed cloud architecture considers data privacy and data tracking, enabling safe and secure data management and tracking in the context of the cloud. For this purpose, sticky policies associated with the data are incorporated to define permission for third parties to access the data and track instances of data access. As a result, a cloud architecture designed with MDCT contains a set of OCL rules to validate it as a GDPR-compliant cloud architecture. Our tool models key GDPR points such as user consent/withdrawal, the purpose of access, and data transparency and auditing, and considers data privacy and data tracking with the help of sticky policies.

The combined effect of family environment and parents' characteristics on the use of food to soothe children.

Parental feeding practices, such as the use of food to soothe, can be shaped by various factors, including the family environment and parents' psychological characteristics and capacities. To our knowledge, the combined effect of these factors has not been studied. Furthermore, parental feeding practices have mainly been studied in women, resulting in a gender gap in the research. This study aims to investigate the combined effect of family environment and parental characteristics on the likelihood of using food to soothe children, taking the gender of both parents into account. This cross-sectional study included a sample of 846 parents (36.3% men) of 1-year-old children from different regions of Spain. Participants completed an online survey that included questionnaires to measure whether parents used food to soothe children, the family environment, parents' characteristics, and their psychological capacities. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations between the variables. The final model showed that, within the family environment, higher levels of dyadic adjustment between couples (OR = 0.965; p = .026) were associated with a reduced likelihood of using food to soothe children, whereas the psychological characteristic of parental fatigue (OR = 1.053; p = .007) appeared to be associated with an increased likelihood. Also associated with an increased likelihood of this practice were higher parental sense of competence (OR = 1.028; p = .029) and the attention dimension of emotional intelligence (OR = 1.043; p = .007). Our study suggests that using food to soothe children may be influenced by factors at different levels, from the quality and adjustment of the couple's relationship to parental fatigue, self-competence, and emotional intelligence. For future research, it may be worthwhile contextualizing parental practices to gain a better understanding of children's behavior.

Invertebrados (Echinodermata, Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Cnidaria, Porifera) del Carbonífero de Sierra Santa Teresa, Sonora, México: Consideraciones paleoecológicas y paleogeográficas / Invertebrates (Echinodermata, Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Cnidaria, Porifera) from the Carboniferous of Sierra Santa Teresa, Sonora, Mexico: Paleoecological and paleogeographic considerations

Resumen Introducción: La Sierra Santa Teresa se encuentra a 20 km al sureste de Hermosillo en la región central del estado de Sonora, México. Los estratos sedimentarios corresponden principalmente a textura de piedra caliza, mudstone, wackestone y packstone del Paleozoico superior. La biota está representada por crinoideos de las morfoespecies Baryschyr anosus, Cyclocaudex insaturatus, Floricyclus angustimargo, Cyclocion distictus, Lamprosterigma erathense y Preptopremnum rugosum en asociación con algas, foraminíferos fusulínidos, esponjas coralinas (Chaetetes sp), corales solitarios (Lophophyllidium sp., Fomichevella sp.), briozoos fenestélidos (Archimedes stoyanowi) y braquiópodos (Antiquatonia sp.). Objetivo: El objetivo principal de este estudio es dar a conocer la composición biótica de la Sierra Santa Teresa y sus consideraciones paleoecológicas y paleogeográficas. Métodos: En este estudio se sintetiza la información sobre las principales taxas recolectadas en afloramientos del Carbonífero de la Sierra, Santa Teresa. Resultados: La distribución de la biota, y particularmente de las morfoespecies de crinoideos, permitió hacer correlaciones paleobiogeográficas con otras localidades del Misisípico-Pensilvánico de México y de distintas regiones de los Estados Unidos de América, principalmente en Texas, Colorado, Illinois y Oklahoma, que se encontraban ubicadas al suroeste del Cratón norteamericano. Conclusiones: Se considera que el paleoambiente inferido con base en los registros paleontológicos de la Sierra Santa Teresa se trataba de mares someros que permitieron el desarrollo de comunidades de crinoideos, así como otros invertebrados como esponjas coralinas, corales solitarios, briozoos fenestélidos y braquiópodos, con un rango estratigráfico del Misisípico Medio-Superior (Chesteriano) al Pensilvánico Medio (Desmoinesiano).

Abstract Introduction: The Sierra Santa Teresa is located 20 km southeast of Hermosillo in the central region of Sonora state, Mexico. The sedimentary strata mainly correspond to limestone, mudstone, wackestone and packstone texture, from the upper Paleozoic. The biota is represented by crinoids of the morphospecies Baryschyr anosus, Cyclocaudex insaturatus, Floricyclus angustimargo, Cyclocion distictus, Lamprosterigma erathense, Preptopremnum rugosum in association with algae, fusulinid foraminifera, coralline sponges (Chaetetes sp.), solitary corals (Lophophyllidium sp., Fomichevella sp.), fenestellid bryozoans (Archimedes stoyanowi), and brachiopods (Antiquatonia sp.). Objective: The principal aim of this study is to analyze the biotic composition in the Sierra Santa Teresa and its paleoecological and paleogeographical considerations. Methods: In this study we synthetize information about the principal taxa collected in outcrops of the Carboniferous of the Sierra, Santa Teresa. Results: The distribution of the biota, and particularly the crinoid morphospecies, allowed paleobiogeographical correlations to be made with other Mississippian-Pennsylvanian localities of Mexico and different regions of the United States of America in Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Oklahoma, which were located in the southwestern of the North American Craton. Conclusions: It is considered that the paleoenvironment inferred based on the paleontological records of the Sierra Santa Teresa were shallow seas that allowed the development of communities of crinoids, as well as other invertebrates such as coralline sponges, solitary corals, fenestellid bryozoans and brachiopods, with a range stratigraphic from the Middle-Upper Mississippian (Chesterian) to the Middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian).

Altered Plasma microRNA Signature in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Requiring Oxygen Support.

To discover potential micro(mi)RNA biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease progression, large-scale deep-sequencing analysis of small RNA expression was performed on plasma samples from 40 patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection (median 13.50 [IQR 9-24] days since symptoms initiation) and 21 healthy noninfected individuals. A total of 1218 different miRNAs were identified. When compared with healthy noninfected donors, SARS-CoV-2-infected patients showed significantly (fold change [FC] > 1.2 and adjusted p [padj] < 0.05) altered expression of 190 miRNAs. The top-10 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were miR-122-5p, let-7b-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-342-3p, miR-146b-5p, miR-629-5p, miR-24-3p, miR-12136, let-7a-5p, and miR-191-5p, which displayed FC and padj values ranging from 153 to 5 and 2.51 × 10-32 to 2.21 × 10-21, respectively, which unequivocally diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection. No differences in blood cell counts and biochemical plasma parameters, including interleukin 6, ferritin, and D-dimer, were observed between COVID-19 patients on high-flow oxygen therapy, low-flow oxygen therapy, or not requiring oxygen therapy. Notably, 31 significantly deregulated miRNAs were found, when patients on high- and low-flow oxygen therapy were compared. SARS-CoV-2 infection generates a specific miRNA signature in hospitalized patients. Specific miRNA profiles are associated with COVID-19 prognosis in patients requiring oxygen flow.

Degradation of Mechanical Properties of Flax/PLA Composites in Hygrothermal Aging Conditions.

The main advantage of green composites is their biodegradability, but this biodegradability can also be considered a drawback if the degradation appears during the service life of the component. Therefore, the study of the mechanical behavior of green composites after hygrothermal aging tests is necessary to analyze their degradation process. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the hygrothermal aging behavior and aging mechanism of flax-fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites. The fully biodegradable composites are manufactured by compression molding. In addition, the influence of atmospheric-pressure plasma treatment on the mechanical properties of the biocomposite is studied. Specimens are exposed to water vapor and 40 °C environmental conditions in a stove for up to 42 days. Several specimens of each type are taken out at regular intervals and tested to examine the water absorption, mechanical properties, and thermal characterization. The results show that the stiffness was significantly reduced after 24 h due to matrix degradation, while the strength was reduced only after three weeks.