A review of canine babesiosis: The European perspective

Canine babesiosis is a significant tick-borne disease caused by various species of the protozoan genus Babesia. Although it occurs worldwide, data relating to European infections have now been collected for many years. These data have boosted the publication record and increased our working knowledge of these protozoan parasites. Both the large and small forms of Babesia species (B. canis, B. vogeli, B. gibsoni, and B. microti-like isolates also referred to as "B. vulpes" and "Theileria annae") infect dogs in Europe, and their geographical distribution, transmission, clinical signs, treatment, and prognosis vary widely for each species. The goal of this review is to provide veterinary practitioners with practical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of babesiosis in European dogs. Our hope is that these guidelines will answer the most frequently asked questions posed by veterinary practitioners

Guideline for veterinary practitioners on canine ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in Europe

Canine ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are important tick-borne diseases with a worldwide distribution. Information has been continuously collected on these infections in Europe, and publications have increased in recent years. Prevalence rates are high for Ehrlichia and Anaplasma spp. infections in dogs from different European countries. The goal of this article was to provide a practical guideline for veterinary practitioners on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in dogs from Europe. This guideline is intended to answer the most common questions on these diseases from a practical point of view

Implementation of an Artificial Neural Network on the Test Barcelona Workstation As a Predictive Model for the Classification of Normal, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease Subjects Using the Neuronorma Battery

Objective: To develop and implement an online Artificial Neural Network (ANN) that provides the probability of a subject having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: Different ANNs were trained using a sample of 350 controls (CONT), 75 MCI and 93 AD subjects. The ANN structure chosen was the following: (1) an input layer of 33 cognitive variables from the Neuronorma battery plus two sociodemographic variables, age and education. This layer was reduced to a 15 features input vector using Multiple Discriminant Analysis method, (2) one hidden layer with 8 neurons, and (3) three output neurons corresponding to the 3 expected cognitive states. This ANN was defined in a previous study [28]. The ANN was implemented on the web site www.test-barcelona.com (Test Barcelona Workstation) [9]. Results: When comparing CONT, MCI and AD participants, the best ANN correctly classifies up to 94,87% of the study participants. Conclusions: The online implemented ANN, delivers the probabilities (%) of belonging to the CONT, MCI and AD groups of a subject assessed using the 35 characteristics (variables) of the Neuronorma profile. This tool is a good complement for the interpretation of cognitive profiles. This technology improves clinical decision making. Keywords: Artificial Neural Network, Probability, Alzheimer disease, Test Barcelona Workstation

Twelve years of daily weather descriptions in North America in the eighteenth century (Mexico City, 1775-86)

© 2019 American Meteorological Society. The authors are very grateful to Ana Gavilán and César Paradinas for their help with the transcription of the FZO weather diary. Carlos Ordóñez reviewed the language. This work was supported by the research projects IMDROFLOOD financed by the Water Works 2014 cofunded call of the European Commission and INDECIS, which is part of ERA4CS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate by the European Union (Grant 690462). Marina Peña-Gallardo was granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), and Ahmed El Kenawy was supported by a postdoctoral Juan de la Cierva contract by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). F. Domínguez-Castro, M. C. Gallego, J. M. Vaquero, R. García Herrera, M. Peña-Gallardo, A. El Kenawy, and S. M. Vicente-SerranoDepto. de Física de la Tierra y AstrofísicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEUnión Europea. H2020Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)JPI Climate by the European Unionpu

Explainable Exploration of the Interplay between HRV Features and EEG Local Connectivity Patterns in Dyslexia.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measure of the variation in time between successive heartbeats, reflecting the influence of the au- tonomic nervous system on the heart. It can provide insights into the bal- ance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. The relation- ship between autonomic nervous system function, specifically parasym- pathetic activity, and certain learning disorders, including dyslexia, is currently under study. In this paper, we propose the use of explain- able techniques to explore the relationships between HRV markers and local functional brain activity, estimated by cross-frequency coupling (CFC) from electroencephalography (EEG) signals recorded while audi- tory stimuli were applied to 7-year-old children. We analyze EEG data to examine the phase-to-phase brainwave coupling and use machine learn- ing tools such as XGBoost and Shapley values to reveal brain regions that most contribute to different HRV features, with a focus on parasympa- thetic activity. Our findings suggest that HRV features related to stress can explain differential activations in the auditory cortex (Brodmann areas 39 and 40) during auditory stimulation in dyslexic children

Search of dark-matter axions in the microwave frequency range with full-wave modal techniques

Axions, originally proposed to solve the strong Charge-Parity problem of Quantum Chromo-Dynamics theory, emerge now as leading candidates of dark matter. In fact, the search of dark-matter axions in the microwave frequency range has been developed by different research groups during the last twenty years. In this demanding scenario, several microwave passive components (haloscopes) have been designed and fabricated for such axions detection based on the use of cavities and multi-cavities. From an electromagnetic point of view, comercial software (ANSFT HFSS, CST MICROWAVE STUDIO, etc ) has been employed for the design of different kind of haloscopes. In this work we propose to use the BI-RME 3D method (Boundary Integral – Resonant Mode Expansion) as an alternative to analyze the axion-photon coupling existing within an haloscope. This full-wave modal technique has provided interesting wide-band results for the design of new haloscopes

Efficacy and Safety of New B Cell-Targeted Biologic Agent for the Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: B cells are central to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of new B cell-targeted drug therapies for SLE. Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and reference lists of relevant articles published from inception to 2022 were selected from PubMed, Scopus andWeb of Science databases. Random effects meta-analyses were performed to estimate an overall effect size for the risk of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) with belimumab and tabalumab treatment. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic and meta-regression. Funnel asymmetry was evaluated using Egger’s test. Results: This study included 13 RCTs, of which three showed high risk of bias. Egger’s test showed no asymmetry. The risk of SAEs and AEs was lower in the treatment group with belimumab treatment. The risk of AEs for tabalumab treatment was lower in the treatment group and lower for SAEs. Conclusion: Belimumab and tabalumab therapies are effective and safe in the treatment of SLE, although tabalumab does not show sufficient statistical power. Advances in understanding the underlying mechanisms of SLE will be directed towards correlating clinical manifestations with specific pathogenic pathways and the development of precision medicine

The cold-sensing ion channel TRPM8 regulates central and peripheral clockwork and the circadian oscillations of body temperature

[Abstract] Aim: Physiological functions in mammals show circadian oscillations, synchronized by daily cycles of light and temperature. Central and peripheral clocks participate in this regulation. Since the ion channel TRPM8 is a critical cold sensor, we investigated its role in circadian function. Methods: We used TRPM8 reporter mouse lines and TRPM8-deficient mice. mRNA levels were determined by in situ hybridization or RT-qPCR and protein levels by immunofluorescence. A telemetry system was used to measure core body temperature (Tc). Results: TRPM8 is expressed in the retina, specifically in cholinergic amacrine interneurons and in a subset of melanopsin-positive ganglion cells which project to the central pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. TRPM8-positive fibres were also found innervating choroid and ciliary body vasculature, with a putative function in intraocular temperature, as shown in TRPM8-deficient mice. Interestingly, Trpm8-/- animals displayed increased expression of the clock gene Per2 and vasopressin (AVP) in the SCN, suggesting a regulatory role of TRPM8 on the central oscillator. Since SCN AVP neurons control body temperature, we studied Tc in driven and free-running conditions. TRPM8-deficiency increased the amplitude of Tc oscillations and, under dim constant light, induced a greater phase delay and instability of Tc rhythmicity. Finally, TRPM8-positive fibres innervate peripheral organs, like liver and white adipose tissue. Notably, Trpm8-/- mice displayed a dysregulated expression of Per2 mRNA in these metabolic tissues. Conclusion: Our findings support a function of TRPM8 as a temperature sensor involved in the regulation of central and peripheral clocks and the circadian control of Tc.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España); RT2018-099995-B100Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España); AEI/10.13039/501100011033Generalitat Valenciana; PROMETEO/2021/031Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital (España); BES-2011-04706

A replication study confirms the association of TNFSF4 (OX40L) polymorphisms with systemic sclerosis in a large European cohort

<p><b>Objectives</b> The aim of this study was to confirm the influence of TNFSF4 polymorphisms on systemic sclerosis (SSc) susceptibility and phenotypic features.</p> <p><b>Methods</b> A total of 8 European populations of Caucasian ancestry were included, comprising 3014 patients with SSc and 3125 healthy controls. Four genetic variants of TNFSF4 gene promoter (rs1234314, rs844644, rs844648 and rs12039904) were selected as genetic markers.</p> <p><b>Results</b> A pooled analysis revealed the association of rs1234314 and rs12039904 polymorphisms with SSc (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.31; OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.29, respectively). Significant association of the four tested variants with patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) was revealed (rs1234314 OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38; rs844644 OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99; rs844648 OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.20 and rs12039904 OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.33). Association of rs1234314, rs844648 and rs12039904 minor alleles with patients positive for anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) remained significant (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.37; OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.25; OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.38, respectively). Haplotype analysis confirmed a protective haplotype associated with SSc, lcSSc and ACA positive subgroups (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.96; OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.96; OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.97, respectively) and revealed a new risk haplotype associated with the same groups of patients (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26; OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.35; OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.42, respectively).</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b> The data confirm the influence of TNFSF4 polymorphisms in SSc genetic susceptibility, especially in subsets of patients positive for lcSSc and ACA.</p&gt