Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Guía de práctica clínica para la prevención, diagnóstico, tratamiento y rehabilitación de la falla cardiaca en población mayor de 18 años, clasificación B, C y D

La falla cardíaca es un síndrome clínico caracterizado por síntomas y signos típicos de insuficiencia cardíaca, adicional a la evidencia objetiva de una anomalía estructural o funcional del corazón. Guía completa 2016. Guía No. 53Población mayor de 18 añosN/

Processing concepts for the use of green leaves as raw materials for the food industry

Large-scale processing of leaves for food applications requires quick processing or stabilisation to avoid perishability, due to the high moisture content in this biomass. Leaf perishability is compounded by the seasonal availability of crops, like sugar beet plants, of which the leaves are regarded as a potential protein source. This study evaluates the resource efficiency of a hypothetical sugar beet leaf processing chain by comparing supply chain options. First, two options consider leaf processing with and without stabilising the leaves by freezing. Then, these two options are considered in a centralised and decentralised process configuration. The latter places leaf freezing and pressing at the farm and further processes occur at a central facility. Energy usage and exergy consumption were used to quantify the thermodynamic performance of the processing options. Freezing has negligible effect on the process-ability of the leaves in terms of protein content and protein yield. The overall resource efficiency of the process was dominated by the amount of leaf material effectively used, which stresses the importance of full use of all (side-)streams. This outcome also explains the limited additional energy requirements for freezing. Exergetic indicators were affected by variations on the dry matter content of the starting biomass, compared to a negligible effect of other parameters (equipment scale, efficiency or energy use). Transportation load and soil quality were also discussed for the centralised and decentralised configurations. On-farm processing of the leaves (decentralised chain) clearly reduces the transportation load due to the large difference in bulk densities of leaves (73 kg/m3) and leaf juice (1000 kg/m3). Additionally, decentralised scenarios enable direct returning of the leaf pulp to the soil and thereby improving soil quality (i.e. nutrient retention and fe rtility). Soil quality is required to fully assess the use of biomass that is currently regarded as waste, but that actually plays a role in soil fertility. Therefore, the preferred chain configuration would be a decentralised system where the leaves are directly pressed at the farm, the pulp is used to fertilise the soil, and the leaf juice is chilled transported to a centralised factory

Processing concepts for the use of green leaves as raw materials for the food industry

Large-scale processing of leaves for food applications requires quick processing or stabilisation to avoid perishability, due to the high moisture content in this biomass. Leaf perishability is compounded by the seasonal availability of crops, like sugar beet plants, of which the leaves are regarded as a potential protein source. This study evaluates the resource efficiency of a hypothetical sugar beet leaf processing chain by comparing supply chain options. First, two options consider leaf processing with and without stabilising the leaves by freezing. Then, these two options are considered in a centralised and decentralised process configuration. The latter places leaf freezing and pressing at the farm and further processes occur at a central facility. Energy usage and exergy consumption were used to quantify the thermodynamic performance of the processing options. Freezing has negligible effect on the process-ability of the leaves in terms of protein content and protein yield. The overall resource efficiency of the process was dominated by the amount of leaf material effectively used, which stresses the importance of full use of all (side-)streams. This outcome also explains the limited additional energy requirements for freezing. Exergetic indicators were affected by variations on the dry matter content of the starting biomass, compared to a negligible effect of other parameters (equipment scale, efficiency or energy use). Transportation load and soil quality were also discussed for the centralised and decentralised configurations. On-farm processing of the leaves (decentralised chain) clearly reduces the transportation load due to the large difference in bulk densities of leaves (73 kg/m3) and leaf juice (1000 kg/m3). Additionally, decentralised scenarios enable direct returning of the leaf pulp to the soil and thereby improving soil quality (i.e. nutrient retention and fe rtility). Soil quality is required to fully assess the use of biomass that is currently regarded as waste, but that actually plays a role in soil fertility. Therefore, the preferred chain configuration would be a decentralised system where the leaves are directly pressed at the farm, the pulp is used to fertilise the soil, and the leaf juice is chilled transported to a centralised factory

Interfacial properties and emulsification performance of thylakoid membrane fragments

Thylakoids membranes are sophisticated, dynamic structures found in plant leaves, composed of protein complexes in a dynamic lipid matrix. The interfacial absorption dynamics and viscoelasticity of thylakoid membranes fragments were measured to assess the properties of the interfacial layer and to elucidate an emulsifying mechanism that includes the role of thylakoid's composition and 3D structure. Thylakoid membranes were extracted from sugar beet leaves by a series of buffer washing, filtration and centrifugation. The extract containing the intact thylakoid membranes was suspended in water through high-pressure homogenisation, which disrupted the structure into membrane fragments. Thylakoid fragments showed surface and interfacial behaviour similar to soft particles or Pickering stabilizers with slow adsorption kinetics. After adsorption, an elastic and stable thin film was formed, indicating formation of new interactions between adjacent thylakoid fragments. In an emulsion, thylakoid fragments stabilised oil droplets against coalescence, despite droplet aggregation occurring already during emulsification. Droplet aggregation occurred by steric and electrostatic bridging, which in turn forms a 3D network where the oil droplets are immobilised, preventing further droplet coalescence or aggregation. It was concluded that both composition and structure of thylakoid fragments determine their emulsifying properties, conferring potential for encapsulation systems, where the search for natural materials is gaining more attention

The Daily Grind: A Rhizomatic Approach to Narratives of Managing Commuter Stress during Traffic Congestion in Metro Manila

Robust literature on commuter stress has shown the multiple impact of daily commuting in people\u27s lives. Framed within a rhizomatic approach to narratives, we analyzed stories of 11 working and 9 student Filipino commuters by looking at the ways they act on or reconstruct themselves to manage stress. In urban Metro Manila, our findings showed three narrative “stress entryways”: getting caught by the wave, seating privileges, and stuck in transit. Theoretical and practical implications of findings on commuter well-being (e.g., keeping emotions in, releasing tensions), technologies of the “fit” commuter, and enriching conversations in traffic psychology and urban living are discussed

Understanding differences in protein fractionation from conventional crops, and herbaceous and aquatic biomass - consequences for industrial use

Alternative protein sources are constantly explored to secure the future food and protein demand. Among these sources, biomasses originating from algae, seaweed or leaves receive lots of attention. However, when the yields and purities of protein extracted from these sources are compared to the corresponding data for protein crops such as soy, lupine and pulses, much lower yields are reported for alternative biomasses.Scope and approachIn this overview paper, we analyse whether this difference is due to lack of scientific insight and technology or that more fundamental reasons are behind the variations in the extraction behaviour. For this purpose, we prepared a description of herbaceous and aquatic biomasses (denoted as green biomass/sources) and their protein extraction practices, final products, and common trends and challenges. The discussion continues with a general comparison to protein crops and the implications for future research.Key Findings and ConclusionsOverviewing the state of the art, we tend to conclude that physiological and biochemical factors hinder efficient fractionation of green sources. Such factors include cell architecture and high interconnection between cell components; and biochemical differences, in particular the type of proteins present. These fundamental differences imply that green sources should be explored in a different manner, with higher emphasis on the interesting functional properties of enriched fractions and less on their purity. This approach is further encouraged by highlighting examples where the intricate structures found in green biomass can give rise to positive effects (e.g. health, food structure) when integrally applied in food products.<br/

Understanding differences in protein fractionation from conventional crops, and herbaceous and aquatic biomass - consequences for industrial use

Alternative protein sources are constantly explored to secure the future food and protein demand. Among these sources, biomasses originating from algae, seaweed or leaves receive lots of attention. However, when the yields and purities of protein extracted from these sources are compared to the corresponding data for protein crops such as soy, lupine and pulses, much lower yields are reported for alternative biomasses.Scope and approachIn this overview paper, we analyse whether this difference is due to lack of scientific insight and technology or that more fundamental reasons are behind the variations in the extraction behaviour. For this purpose, we prepared a description of herbaceous and aquatic biomasses (denoted as green biomass/sources) and their protein extraction practices, final products, and common trends and challenges. The discussion continues with a general comparison to protein crops and the implications for future research.Key Findings and ConclusionsOverviewing the state of the art, we tend to conclude that physiological and biochemical factors hinder efficient fractionation of green sources. Such factors include cell architecture and high interconnection between cell components; and biochemical differences, in particular the type of proteins present. These fundamental differences imply that green sources should be explored in a different manner, with higher emphasis on the interesting functional properties of enriched fractions and less on their purity. This approach is further encouraged by highlighting examples where the intricate structures found in green biomass can give rise to positive effects (e.g. health, food structure) when integrally applied in food products

Detection of &ldquo;Legbreaker&rdquo; Antipersonnel Landmines by Analysis of Aerial Thermographic Images of the Soil

An automatic detection methodology for &ldquo;legbreaker&rdquo; Antipersonnel Landmines (APL) was developed based on digital image processing techniques and pattern recognition, applied to thermal images acquired by means of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with a thermal camera. The images were acquired from the inspection of a natural terrain with sparse vegetation and under uncontrolled conditions, in which prototypes of &ldquo;legbreaker&rdquo; APL were buried at different depths. Remarkable results were obtained using a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) classifier, reaching a 97.1% success rate in detecting areas with the presence of these artifacts