Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Mpox Patients Attending an STD Clinic in Lisbon

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Monkeypox—an Emerging Zoonotic Disease and a Global Threat)Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which marked the year of 2022 with a global outbreak. While previously considered to be a zoonosis of almost exclusive animal-to-human transmission, the current outbreak has been attributed to human-to-human transmission, particularly sexual transmission. As a new sexually transmissible disease, we studied the epidemiological and clinical features, as well as the concomitant occurrence of other sexually transmissible diseases, treatment approach, and outcome of our 291 patients, in the current outbreak. We found a total of 169 concomitant sexually transmissible infections of bacterial and viral origins, corresponding to 107 patients. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was the most common agent, particularly in the anal location. With this work, we emphasize the need for a thorough epidemiological and medical history, as well as a concomitant complete laboratorial screening for other STIs in patients with confirmed or suspected mpox.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hairy black holes in theories with massive gravitons

This is a brief survey of the known black hole solutions in the theories of ghost-free bigravity and massive gravity. Various black holes exist in these theories, in particular those supporting a massive graviton hair. However, it seems that solutions which could be astrophysically relevant are the same as in General Relativity, or very close to them. Therefore, the no-hair conjecture essentially applies, and so it would be hard to detect the graviton mass by observing black holes.Comment: References added. 20 pages, 3 figures, based on the talk given at the 7-th Aegean Summer School "Beyond Einstein's theory of gravity", September 201

Lorentz-violating Chern-Simons action under high temperature in massless QED

Lorentz and CPT violating QED with massless fermions at finite temperature is studied. We show that there is no ambiguity in the induced coefficient of the Chern-Simons-like term that defines the so-called Carroll-Field-Jackiw model at high temperature. We also show that this system constitutes an example where the breaking of CPT and Lorentz symmetries is more severe at high temperature than in the zero temperature case thus precluding any naive expectations of Lorentz symmetry restoration.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, final version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Favorabilidade Climática Para A Ferrugem Do Eucalipto No Estado Do Paraná

The culture of eucalyptus in the state of Paraná, Brazil, provides raw materials for the production of cellulose, coal, treated wood and lumber. Among the major fungal diseases, rust caused by Puccinia psidii can be pointed out as the most important one. Several forms to control this disease can be cited, especially the planting of resistant clones in areas of climatic conditions less favorable to the occurrence of this disease. The choice for areas of low climatic risks can be made by means of climate zoning. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a climate favorability zoning for Eucalyptus rust, in Paraná State, Brazil, based on temperature and leaf wetness duration for urediniospore germination and infection by P. psidii. These data were applied in models to produce monthly maps of the disease distribution, according to the favorability to the disease occurrence: ‘highly favorable’, ‘favorable’, ‘scarcely favorable’ and ‘unfavorable’. The generated maps were validated by means of comparison with points of natural rust occurrence in Paraná State. It was concluded that spring and summer were the seasons most favorable to the disease, whereas winter was the least favorable season. The central region of the state, in the zone of transition between the tropical climate of the North and the temperate climate of the South, is more favorable to the occurrence of rust, and the South and the North regions are less favorable for different reasons, due to the low temperature and humidity, respectively. © 2016, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). All rights reserved.421244

Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy from recurrence times

Observing how long a dynamical system takes to return to some state is one of the most simple ways to model and quantify its dynamics from data series. This work proposes two formulas to estimate the KS entropy and a lower bound of it, a sort of Shannon's entropy per unit of time, from the recurrence times of chaotic systems. One formula provides the KS entropy and is more theoretically oriented since one has to measure also the low probable very long returns. The other provides a lower bound for the KS entropy and is more experimentally oriented since one has to measure only the high probable short returns. These formulas are a consequence of the fact that the series of returns do contain the same information of the trajectory that generated it. That suggests that recurrence times might be valuable when making models of complex systems

Digestible lysine effects on gene expression by Japanese quails in the pre-laying phase

This study aimed to determine the effects of digestible lysine levels in the diets of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on performance, blood parameters and the expression of insulin-like growth factor I, and growth hormone receptor (GHR), apolipoprotein A-I (APOA-I), acetyl-CoA-carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) genes. A total of 288 seven-day-old female Japanese quails were randomly assigned to one of three diets that contained 0.8%, 1.10%, or 1.40% digestible lysine. The birds were slaughtered at 42 days old, and relative gene expression was evaluated in the liver by qRT-PCR using the 2-ΔCT method. Lysine supplementation had no effect on weight gain and feed conversion. Abdominal fat was lower in birds supplemented with 0.8% digestible lysine than those supplemented with 1.10% and 1.40%. Increased total cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated in quails that received supplementation of 1.10% digestible lysine compared with the other diets. High density lipoproteins were decreased in birds that received 0.8% digestible lysine. Quails fed with 1.40% digestible lysine had greater expression of GHR and APOA-I than quails fed diets with 0.8 and 1.10% (P <0.05). The greatest expressions of ACC and FAS were observed in the liver of quails fed with 0.8% digestible lysine. The current results suggest that lysine supplementation in the pre-laying phase allows birds to deposit muscle mass to reach the optimal conformation and body fatness that provides an energetic reserve for the productive phase by modulating the expression of genes related to growth and lipid metabolism. Keywords: Coturnix coturnix japonica, growth, growth hormone, lipid synthesis, lipid metabolis

Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Extraradical Mycelium Promotes Si and Mn Subcellular Redistribution in Wheat Grown under Mn Toxicity

Abstract: Manganese (Mn) and aluminum (Al) toxicities are serious edaphic limitations to crop production in acidic soils. Excess Mn can be countered using a stress-adapted soil microbiota that establish symbiotic relationships with native plants. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with Lolium rigidum L. develop extraradical mycelia (ERM) that quickly colonize wheat and lead to greater shoot growth by promoting stress-evading mechanisms that are not yet completely explained. In the present study, wheat growth was assessed after 3 weeks on disturbed and undisturbed (intact ERM) acidic soil where the native non-mycotrophic Silene gallica L. or strongly mycotrophic L. rigidum were previously developed. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms responsible for increased growth were analyzed by assessing wheat leaf chlorophyll content, photosystem II quantum yield and performance index, enzymatic activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and contents and subcellular localization of Mn, Mg, Si and K. The soil from native plants had a beneficial effect on shoot weight and chlorophyll levels. The highest benefits were obtained for wheat grown in soil with intact ERM associated with L. rigidum. In this condition, where earlier mycorrhization was favored, the Mn content decreased, alongside the content of Si, while the Mg/Mn ratio increased. Mn was redirected to the apoplast, while Si was redirected to the symplast. The activity of APX, GPX and SOD increased, probably due to increased metabolic growth (higher shoot weight and chlorophyll content). Understanding the mechanisms induced by native AMF responsible for increasing wheat performance can contribute to the establishment of sustainable approaches for crop production in acidic soils with Mn toxicity. The use of native plant AMF developers can improve the sustainable use of natural resources in the scope of greener agricultural practice

Sliding blocks with random friction and absorbing random walks

With the purpose of explaining recent experimental findings, we study the distribution $A(\lambda)$ of distances $\lambda$ traversed by a block that slides on an inclined plane and stops due to friction. A simple model in which the friction coefficient $\mu$ is a random function of position is considered. The problem of finding $A(\lambda)$ is equivalent to a First-Passage-Time problem for a one-dimensional random walk with nonzero drift, whose exact solution is well-known. From the exact solution of this problem we conclude that: a) for inclination angles $\theta$ less than \theta_c=\tan(\av{\mu}) the average traversed distance \av{\lambda} is finite, and diverges when $\theta \to \theta_c^{-}$ as \av{\lambda} \sim (\theta_c-\theta)^{-1}; b) at the critical angle a power-law distribution of slidings is obtained: $A(\lambda) \sim \lambda^{-3/2}$. Our analytical results are confirmed by numerical simulation, and are in partial agreement with the reported experimental results. We discuss the possible reasons for the remaining discrepancies.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Wheat Shoot Al, Fe, Mn and Zn Levels Are Influenced by Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Extraradical Mycelium Associated to Ornithopus compressus in Acidic Soils

In the present study, the levels of Al, Fe, Mn and Zn in wheat shoots were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Wheat was grown in an acidic soil with toxic levels of Mn and with intact or disrupted extraradical mycelium (ERM) as the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculum source, resulting from the previous growth of O. compressus. In the presence of an intact ERM, toxic Mn levels were reduced, and the concentrations of Al, Fe and Zn decreased 2.3, 1.5 and 2.3-fold, respectively. Disruption of ERM, that leads to a later and slower AM colonization, induced higher wheat shoot Mn and Zn levels (55% and 28%, respectively), but not Al and Fe. Under Mn toxicity, the colonization of wheat by intact ERM of AMF associated with O. compressus in an acidic soil appears to influence the uptake of Al, Fe and Zn, and positively influence plant growth

Vitamin E-analog Trolox prevents endoplasmic reticulum stress in frozen-thawed ovarian tissue of capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella)

Ovarian fragments were exposed to 0.5 M sucrose and 1 M ethylene glycol (freezing solution; FS) with or without selenium or Trolox. Histological and ultrastructural analyses showed that the percentages of normal follicles in control tissue and in tissue after exposure to FS+50 μM Trolox were similar. Trolox prevented endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-related vacuolization, which is commonly observed in oocytes and stromal tissue after exposure to FS. From the evaluated stress markers, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) was up-regulated in ovarian tissue exposed to FS+10 ng/ml selenium. Ovarian fragments were subsequently frozenthawed in the presence of FS with or without 50 μM Trolox, followed by in vitro culture (IVC). Antioxidant capacity in ovarian fragments decreased after freeze-thawing in Troloxfree FS compared with FS+50 μMTrolox. Although freezing itself minimized the percentage of viable follicles in each solution, Trolox supplementation resulted in higher rates of viable follicles (67 %), even after IVC (61 %). Furthermore, stress markers SOD1 and ERp29 were up-regulated in ovarian tissue frozen-thawed in Trolox-free medium. Relative mRNA expression of growth factors markers was evaluated after freeze-thawing followed by IVC. BMP4, BMP5, CTGF, GDF9 and KL were down-regulated independently of the presence of Trolox in FS but down-regulation was less pronounced in the presence of Trolox. Thus, medium supplementation with 50 μMTrolox prevents ER stress and, consequently, protects ovarian tissue from ER-derived cytoplasmic vacuolization. ERp29 but not ERp60, appears to be a key marker linking stress caused by freezing-thawing and cell vacuolization.http://link.springer.com/journal/441hb201