Association of breast and gut microbiota dysbiosis and the risk of breast cancer: a case-control clinical study

We would like to thank M Luisa Puertas-Martin and Isabel Manzano-Jimenez, nurses at the Unit of Mammary Pathology, General Surgery Service, San Cecilio University Hospital (Granada), without whose enthusiasm the enrolment of participants in Granada would still be stalled. We are indebted to all the women taking part in the study.The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03885648, 03/25/2019. Retrospectively registered.Background Breast cancer ranks first in women, and is the second cause of death in this gender. In addition to genetics, the environment contributes to the development of the disease, although the factors involved are not well known. Among the latter is the influence of microorganisms and, therefore, attention is recently being paid to the mammary microbiota. We hypothesize that the risk of breast cancer could be associated with the composition and functionality of the mammary/gut microbiota, and that exposure to environmental contaminants (endocrine disruptors, EDCs) might contribute to alter these microbiota. Methods We describe a case-control clinical study that will be performed in women between 25 and 70 years of age. Cases will be women diagnosed and surgically intervened of breast cancer (stages I and II). Women with antecedents of cancer or advanced tumor stage (metastasis), or who have received antibiotic treatment within a period of 3 months prior to recruitment, or any neoadjuvant therapy, will be excluded. Controls will be women surgically intervened of breast augmentation or reduction. Women with oncological, gynecological or endocrine history, and those who have received antibiotic treatment within a period of 3 months prior to recruitment will also be excluded. Blood, urine, breast tissue and stool samples will be collected. Data regarding anthropometric, sociodemographic, reproductive history, tumor features and dietary habits will be gathered. Metabolomic studies will be carried out in stool and breast tissue samples. Metagenomic studies will also be performed in stool and breast tissue samples to ascertain the viral, fungal, bacterial and archaea populations of the microbiota. Quantitation of estrogens, estrogen metabolites and EDCs in samples of serum, urine and breast tissue will also be performed. Discussion: This is the first time that the contribution of bacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi together with their alteration by environmental contaminants to the risk of breast cancer will be evaluated in the same study. Results obtained could contribute to elucidate risk factors, improve the prognosis, as well as to propose novel intervention studies in this disease.This work is funded by grants PI-0538-2017 (Junta de Andalucía, Spain, to LF) and Biomedical Research Networking Center-CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) of the Institute of Health Carlos III -supported by European Regional Development Fund/FEDER (FIS-PI16/01812) (to MFF)

Optimization of Pathogenicity Tests for Selection of Native Isolates of Entomopathogenic Fungi Isolated from Citrusgrowing Areas of México on Adults ofDiaphorina citriKuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae)

Huanglonbing (HLB), es considerado una de las más letales enfermedades de los cítricos alrededor del mundo, y ha alcanzado las principales áreas de producción de limón Mexicano (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) en la costa del pacifico de México. Los productores han iniciado el uso de insecticidas para controlar las poblaciones del psílido asiático de los cítricos, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), el vector del patógeno ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ asociado con el HLB. Actualmente los costos de los insecticidas y los efectos secundarios de su uso son las principales preocupaciones, ya que podrían perjudicar la estrategia de manejo contra el vector; y por lo tanto, alternativas ecológicas y económicamente viables a los insecticidas convencionales serian necesarias a corto plazo. Por tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la patogenicidad de 27 aislados nativos y 3 cepas de hongos entomopatógenos para determinar su potencial como agentes de control biológico sobre Diaphorina citri usando 2 diferentes métodos de bioensayo. Los bioensayos fueron realizados bajo condiciones de laboratorio (26 ± 2 °C, 60 ± 5% H.R y 16:8 h L:O) mediante la exposición de insectos adultos a una concentración de 1 × 108 conidios por mililitro utilizando 2 diferentes métodos de aplicación, es decir, por asperjado de esporas en las plántulas de cítricos y por asperjado directo a los psílidos adultos. Los resultados mostraron que para el asperjado directo a los adultos los aislados HIB-24 (B. bassiana) y HIB-32 (I. fumosorosea) mostraron el mayor porcentaje de mortalidad (60.66%). Respecto al asperjado de plántulas el aislado HIB-19 (I. fumosorosea) mostró el mayor porcentaje de mortalidad (62.02%). Los resultados de este estudio demuestran el potencial para el uso de hongos entomopatógenos en el manejo de D. citri en México. ABSTRACT Huanglongbing (HLB), considered one of the most lethal diseases of citrus worldwide, has reached the main areas of Mexican lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) fruit production on the Pacific coast of México. Growers have initiated intensive use of insecticides in order to control populations of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), the vector of the pathogen, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ associated with huanglongbing. Presently, costs of insecticides and the side effects of their use are major concerns, because they could impair the management strategy against the vector; and thus, ecologically and economically viable alternatives to conventional insecticides are required in the short term. Therefore the goal of this study was to evaluate the pathogenicity of 27 native isolates and 3 strains of entomopathogenic fungi and determine their potential as biological control agents of D. citri by using 2 different bioassay methods. Bioassays were performed under laboratory conditions (26 ± 2 °C, 60 ± 5% RH and 16:8 h L:D) by exposing adult insects to a concentration of 1 × 108 conidia per milliliter using 2 different application methods, i.e., spraying the spores onto the citrus seedlings and spraying the spores directly onto the adult psyllids. The results showed that by direct spraying the adults, HIB-24 (B. bassiana) and HIB-32 (I. fumosorosea) isolates showed the highest mortality (60.66%). Regarding spraying of the seedlings, HIB-19 (I. fumosorosea) showed the highest percentage of mortality (62.02%). The results from this study demonstrate potential for using entomopathogenic fungi in the management of D. citri in México

Novel process for the production of 3Y-TZP ceramics: comparison between ageing in artificial saliva and accelerated ageing

The degradation of tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (3Y-TZP) ceramics prepared by a novel film growth technique, and by sintering at 1400 °C, was evaluated for one year using two processes: (i) degradation under oral conditions in artificial saliva (37 °C and pH 6.8) and (ii) accelerated degradation by autoclaving at 134 °C at 0.2 MPa of pressure. X-ray diffraction analysis of 3Y-TZP ceramics sintered at 1400 °C showed a phase transformation (tetragonal to monoclinic) in 3Y-TZP ceramics after the fifth month in artificial saliva. After 12 months in artificial saliva, there was ∼11% of monoclinic phase present in 3Y-TZP ceramics, but only ∼2% of monoclinic phase in samples that were subjected to accelerated degradation for 5 h. No correlation was found between the level of ageing during accelerated degradation and degradation in artificial saliva. There was no degradation of 3Y-TZP ceramics prepared by a novel film growth technique, independently of the degradation method used, which suggests that this material could be used for dental prosthetics

Changes in nutrient contents in peel, pulp, and seed of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) in relation to organic mulching on the Andalusian tropical coast (Spain)

7 páginas.- 4 figruas. 5 tablas.- 32 referencias.- Supplementary material related to this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.109120Cherimoya, a tropical fruit from South America whose commercial demand is increasing for both its exceptional flavor and high nutritional content, is expanding in cultivation to subtropical areas such as the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia (Spain). In this paper, we analyze cherimoyas (peel, pulp, and seed) grown in Almunecar (Granada, Spain) during the years 2013, 2015, and 2016 from trees applied with different pruning wastes (avocado, cherimoya, mango, and garden). The cherimoya fruits had high contents in most of the macronutrients, especially K, Ca, and micronutrients such as Fe and Zn. The Na, P, K and Ca concentrations were related to the plant mulch that released nutrients to the soil and led to a variation in soil-nutrient bioavailability by decreasing the soil pH. The seed was the part of the cherimoya that registered the least nutritional change due to annual weather differences and the highest positive effects of mulching in terms of increased nutrient availability after mulching.Authors appreciate the financial support of this work by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CGL-2013-46665-R) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).Peer reviewe

Detection and characterization of TiO2_2 nanomaterials in sludge from wastewater treatment plants of Chihuahua State, Mexico

TiO$_2$ nanoparticles (TiO$_2$-NPs) have a wide range of industrial applications (paintings, sunscreens, food and cosmetics) and is one of the most intensively used nanomaterials worldwide. Leaching from commercial products TiO$_2$-NPs are predicted to significantly accumulate in wastewater sludges, which are then often used as soil amendment. In this work, sludge samples from four wastewater treatment plants of the Chihuahua State in Mexico were obtained during spring and summer (2017). A comprehensive characterization study was performed by X-ray based (laboratory and synchrotron) techniques and electron microscopy. Ti was detected in all sludge samples (1810–2760 mg/kg) mainly as TiO$_2$ particles ranging from 40 nm up to hundreds of nm. MicroXANES data was analyzed by principal component analysis and linear combination fitting enabling the identification of three predominant Ti species: anatase, rutile and ilmenite. Micro-XANES from the smaller Ti particles was predominantly anatase (68% + 32% rutile), suggesting these TiO$_2$-NPs originate from paintings and cosmetics. TEM imaging confirmed the presence of nanoscale Ti with smooth surface morphologies resembling engineered TiO$_2$-NPs. The size and crystalline phase of TiO$_2$-NPs in the sludge from this region suggest increased reactivity and potential toxicity to agro-systems. Further studies should be dedicated to evaluating this

Transforming the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP) in Catalonia to the OMOP Common Data Model and Its Use for COVID-19 Research

Berta Raventós,1,2,* Sergio Fernández-Bertolín,1,* María Aragón,1 Erica A Voss,3– 5 Clair Blacketer,3– 5 Leonardo Méndez-Boo,6 Martina Recalde,1 Elena Roel,1,2 Andrea Pistillo,1,7 Carlen Reyes,1 Sebastiaan van Sandijk,8 Lars Halvorsen,9 Peter R Rijnbeek,4,5 Edward Burn,1,10 Talita Duarte-Salles1,4 1Fundació Institut Universitari per a la recerca a l’Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Barcelona, Spain; 2Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain; 3Janssen Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA; 4Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 5OHDSI Collaborators, Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI), New York, NY, USA; 6Sistemes d’Informació dels Serveis d’Atenció Primària (SISAP), Institut Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain; 7Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; 8Odysseus Data Services s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic; 9edenceHealth NV, Kontich, Belgium; 10Centre for Statistics in Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Talita Duarte-Salles, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la recerca a l’Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Gran Via Corts Catalanes, 587 àtic, Barcelona, 08007, Spain, Tel +34935824342, Email [email protected]: The primary aim of this work was to convert the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP) from Catalonia, Spain, to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM). Our second aim was to provide a descriptive analysis of COVID-19-related outcomes among the general population.Patients and Methods: We mapped patient-level data from SIDIAP to the OMOP CDM and we performed more than 3,400 data quality checks to assess its readiness for research. We established a general population cohort as of the 1st March 2020 and identified outpatient COVID-19 diagnoses or tested positive for, hospitalised with, admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with, died with, or vaccinated against COVID-19 up to 30th June 2022.Results: After verifying the high quality of the transformed dataset, we included 5,870,274 individuals in the general population cohort. Of those, 604,472 had either an outpatient COVID-19 diagnosis or positive test result, 58,991 had a hospitalisation, 5,642 had an ICU admission, and 11,233 died with COVID-19. A total of 4,584,515 received a COVID-19 vaccine. People who were hospitalised or died were more commonly older, male, and with more comorbidities. Those admitted to ICU with COVID-19 were generally younger and more often male than those hospitalised and those who died.Conclusion: We successfully transformed SIDIAP to the OMOP CDM. From this dataset, a general population cohort of 5.9 million individuals was identified and their COVID-19-related outcomes over time were described. The transformed SIDIAP database is a valuable resource that can enable distributed network research in COVID-19 and beyond.Keywords: electronic health records, medical ontologies, secondary data use, common data model, OMO