The Potential Electrospinnability and Filtration Capabilities of Pea- Protein Isolate/Polyvinyl Alcohol Air Filter Nanofabrics: A Systematic Review

Given the pervasiveness of air pollution with varying components and the shortcomings of conventional air filter mats, multifunctional air filters are becoming increasingly important. This has led to the development of air filter nanofabrics comprising bio-based components (such as chitin and proteins) and polymers (such as polyvinyl alcohol and pullulan). Electrospun air filter nanofabrics containing pea protein isolate (PPI) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have yet to be developed to the researchers’ knowledge. In this study, the potential electrospinnability and filtration capabilities of PPI and PVA were assessed and elaborated via a systematic review. Since PPI’s globular morphology lacks molecular entanglement, PVA, an auxiliary spinning polymer with protein binding capabilities, is needed to aid PPI. Combining the two has successfully produced electrospun homogenous nanofabrics. Additionally, the nanofabrics likely possess physical and chemical filtration capabilities due to desirable material properties and powerful intermolecular interactions. Thus, PPI/PVA nanofabrics show great potential for multifunctional air filtration applications

PRIMER ACERCAMIENTO A LOS RESTOS ARQUEOLÓGICOS DEL BALNEARIO ROMANO

Se expone el estado de la cuestión en el estudio del termalismo de la Región de Murcia con particular atención a la época romana. Se centra el tema en la investigación del balneario de Fortuna y en las nuevas perspectivas que para el tema ha ofrecido el descubrimiento de una parte interesante del yacimiento romano del lugar cuyas excavaciones se describen: se trata de un edificio de considerable entidad cuya estructura todavía apenas queda especificada, pero que se espera aclarar con el avance de las investigaciones arqueológicas. Se plantean los nuevos horizontes que este descubrimiento crea para la interpretación del conjunto epigráfico de la Cueva Negra, cuyos tituli picti adquieren consistencia y se sitúan en una nueva dimensión intelectual al ponerlos en relación con la vida del balneario

PRIMER ACERCAMIENTO A LOS RESTOS ARQUEOLÓGICOS DEL BALNEARIO ROMANO

The situation of the research on thermalism in the Region of Murcia, with particular attention paid to the Roman period, are set forth in this article. The exposition centers on the research carried out in the baths of Fortuna and on the new perspectives opened by the discovery, in the Roman part of the site, of a large building which structure only dates partly determined. The authors explain the new horizon which this discovery offers towards the interpretation of the epigraphical collection found in the Cueva Negra, whose tituli picti acquire consistency and they are situated in a new intelectual dimension when they are related to the livelihood of the Roman Baths.Se expone el estado de la cuestión en el estudio del termalismo de la Región de Murcia con particular atención a la época romana. Se centra el tema en la investigación del balneario de Fortuna y en las nuevas perspectivas que para el tema ha ofrecido el descubrimiento de una parte interesante del yacimiento romano del lugar cuyas excavaciones se describen: se trata de un edificio de considerable entidad cuya estructura todavía apenas queda especificada, pero que se espera aclarar con el avance de las investigaciones arqueológicas. Se plantean los nuevos horizontes que este descubrimiento crea para la interpretación del conjunto epigráfico de la Cueva Negra, cuyos tituli picti adquieren consistencia y se sitúan en una nueva dimensión intelectual al ponerlos en relación con la vida del balneario

IFNAR1-Signalling Obstructs ICOS-mediated Humoral Immunity during Non-lethal Blood-Stage Plasmodium Infection

Funding: This work was funded by a Career Development Fellowship (1028634) and a project grant (GRNT1028641) awarded to AHa by the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC). IS was supported by The University of Queensland Centennial and IPRS Scholarships. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Association of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiometabolic risk factors with early atherosclerosis in an adult population in Southern Italy

Aim. The prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases was investigated in an adult population of the city of Cittanova, Southern Italy. Methods. The study was conducted among 992 randomly selected adults aged 18-75 years, between April 2009 and January 2011. Results. Prevalence rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MS) were 24.8%, 41.5%, 27.1%, and 34.4%, respectively. For the components of MS, prevalence of central obesity was 47.4%, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) 34.7%; hypertension 53.7%, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol 34.2%, and hypertriglyceridemia 27.2%. Conclusions. Hypertension, central obesity, IFG, low HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, MS, and increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) were significantly associated with NAFLD after adjustment for age and sex. With additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI), IMT and MS (depending on the prevalence ratio that was investigated), the positive association between the NAFLD and increased IMT lost statistical significance, while that with body mass index (BMI) and MS remained significant

Transcriptional profiling and immunophenotyping show sustained activation of blood monocyte in subpatent Plasmodium falciparum infection

Objectives Malaria, caused by Plasmodium infection, remains a major global health problem. Monocytes are integral to the immune response, yet their transcriptional and functional responses in primary Plasmodium falciparum infection and in clinical malaria are poorly understood. Methods The transcriptional and functional profiles of monocytes were examined in controlled human malaria infection with P. falciparum blood stages and in children and adults with acute malaria. Monocyte gene expression and functional phenotypes were examined by RNA sequencing and flow cytometry at peak infection and compared to pre‐infection or at convalescence in acute malaria. Results In subpatent primary infection, the monocyte transcriptional profile was dominated by an interferon (IFN) molecular signature. Pathways enriched included type I IFN signalling, innate immune response and cytokine‐mediated signalling. Monocytes increased TNF and IL‐12 production upon in vitro toll‐like receptor stimulation and increased IL‐10 production upon in vitro parasite restimulation. Longitudinal phenotypic analyses revealed sustained significant changes in the composition of monocytes following infection, with increased CD14+CD16− and decreased CD14−CD16+ subsets. In acute malaria, monocyte CD64/FcγRI expression was significantly increased in children and adults, while HLA‐DR remained stable. Although children and adults showed a similar pattern of differentially expressed genes, the number and magnitude of gene expression change were greater in children. Conclusions Monocyte activation during subpatent malaria is driven by an IFN molecular signature with robust activation of genes enriched in pathogen detection, phagocytosis, antimicrobial activity and antigen presentation. The greater magnitude of transcriptional changes in children with acute malaria suggests monocyte phenotypes may change with age or exposure

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells appear inactive during sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection, yet retain their ability to respond to TLR stimulation

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are activators of innate and adaptive immune responses that express HLA-DR, toll-like receptor (TLR) 7, TLR9 and produce type I interferons. The role of human pDC in malaria remains poorly characterised. pDC activation and cytokine production were assessed in 59 malaria-naive volunteers during experimental infection with 150 or 1,800 P. falciparum-parasitized red blood cells. Using RNA sequencing, longitudinal changes in pDC gene expression were examined in five adults before and at peak-infection. pDC responsiveness to TLR7 and TLR9 stimulation was assessed in-vitro. Circulating pDC remained transcriptionally stable with gene expression altered for 8 genes (FDR < 0.07). There was no upregulation of co-stimulatory molecules CD86, CD80, CD40, and reduced surface expression of HLA-DR and CD123 (IL-3R-α). pDC loss from the circulation was associated with active caspase-3, suggesting pDC apoptosis during primary infection. pDC remained responsive to TLR stimulation, producing IFN-α and upregulating HLA-DR, CD86, CD123 at peak-infection. In clinical malaria, pDC retained HLA-DR but reduced CD123 expression compared to convalescence. These data demonstrate pDC retain function during a first blood-stage P. falciparum exposure despite sub-microscopic parasitaemia downregulating HLA-DR. The lack of evident pDC activation in both early infection and malaria suggests little response of circulating pDC to infection

A study of the TNF/LTA/LTB locus and susceptibility to severe malaria in highland papuan children and adults

Background: Severe malaria (SM) syndromes caused by Plasmodium falciparum infection result in major morbidity and mortality each year. However, only a fraction of P. falciparum infections develop into SM, implicating host genetic factors as important determinants of disease outcome. Previous studies indicate that tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin alpha (LT alpha) may be important for the development of cerebral malaria (CM) and other SM syndromes

CD8+ T Cells and IFN-γ Mediate the Time-Dependent Accumulation of Infected Red Blood Cells in Deep Organs during Experimental Cerebral Malaria

Background: Infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) in susceptible mice induces a syndrome called experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) with severe pathologies occurring in various mouse organs. Immune mediators such as T cells or cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ECM. Red blood cells infected with PbA parasites have been shown to accumulate in the brain and other tissues during infection. This accumulation is thought to be involved in PbA–induced pathologies, which mechanisms are poorly understood. Methods and Findings: Using transgenic PbA parasites expressing the luciferase protein, we have assessed by real-time in vivo imaging the dynamic and temporal contribution of different immune factors in infected red blood cell (IRBC) accumulation and distribution in different organs during PbA infection. Using deficient mice or depleting antibodies, we observed that CD8 + T cells and IFN-c drive the rapid increase in total parasite biomass and accumulation of IRBC in the brain and in different organs 6–12 days post-infection, at a time when mice develop ECM. Other cells types like CD4 + T cells, monocytes or neutrophils or cytokines such as IL-12 and TNF-a did not influence the early increase of total parasite biomass and IRBC accumulation in different organs. Conclusions: CD8 + T cells and IFN-c are the major immune mediators controlling the time-dependent accumulation of P. berghei-infected red blood cells in tissues