PSN: Portfolio Social Network

In this paper we present a web-based information system which is a portfolio social network (PSN) that provides solutions to recruiters and job seekers. The proposed system enables users to create portfolios so that he/she can add his specializations with piece of code, if any, specifically for software engineers, which is accessible online. The unique feature of the system is to enable the recruiters to quickly view the prominent skills of the users. A comparative analysis of the proposed system with the state of the art systems is presented. The comparative study reveals that the proposed system has advanced functionalities

The use and adherence of oral anticoagulants in Primary Health Care in Catalunya, Spain: A real-world data cohort study

Objective: We aimed to describe sociodemographic, comorbidities, co-medication and risk of thromboembolic events and bleeding in patients with NVAF initiating oral anticoagulants (OAC) for stroke prevention, and to estimate adherence and persistence to OAC. Setting: Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), Catalunya, Spain. Participants: All NVAF adult patients initiating OAC for stroke prevention in August 2013-December 2015. Methods: Population-based cohort study. Persistence was measured in patients initiating OAC in August 2013-December 2014. Data source: SIDIAP, which captures electronic health records from PHC in the (ICS), covering approximately 5.8 million people. Results: 51,690 NVAF patients initiated OAC; 47,197 (91.3%) were naive to OAC and 32,404 (62.7%) initiated acenocoumarol. Mean age was 72.8 years (SD 12.3) and 49.4% were women. Platelet-aggregation inhibitors were taken by 9105 (17.6%) of the patients. Persistence and adherence were estimated up to the end of follow-up. For 22,075 patients, persistence was higher among the non-naive patients [n = 258 (61.7%)] than among the naive [n = 11,502 (53.1%)]. Adherence was estimated for patients initiating DOAC and it was similar in naive and non-naive patients. Among the naive to DOAC treatment, those starting rivaroxaban showed a highest proportion [(n = 360 (80.1%)] of good adherence at implementation (MPR > 80%) while patients starting dabigatran were less adherent [n=203 (47.8%)]. Conclusions: Acenocoumarol was the most frequently prescribed OAC as first therapy in NVAF patients. Non-naive to DOAC showed better persistence than naive. Rivaroxaban showed higher proportion of adherent patients during the implementation phase than apixaban and dabigatran the lowest. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U

Transcription of toll-like receptors 2, 3, 4 and 9, FoxP3 and Th17 cytokines in a susceptible experimental model of canine Leishmania infantum infection

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is a chronic zoonotic systemic disease resulting from complex interactions between protozoa and the canine immune system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential components of the innate immune system and facilitate the early detection of many infections. However, the role of TLRs in CanL remains unknown and information describing TLR transcription during infection is extremely scarce. The aim of this research project was to investigate the impact of L. infantum infection on canine TLR transcription using a susceptible model. The objectives of this study were to evaluate transcription of TLRs 2, 3, 4 and 9 by means of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in skin, spleen, lymph node and liver in the presence or absence of experimental L. infantum infection in Beagle dogs. These findings were compared with clinical and serological data, parasite densities in infected tissues and transcription of IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3 in different tissues in non-infected dogs (n = 10), and at six months (n = 24) and 15 months (n = 7) post infection. Results revealed significant down regulation of transcription with disease progression in lymph node samples for TLR3, TLR4, TLR9, IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3. In spleen samples, significant down regulation of transcription was seen in TLR4 and IL-22 when both infected groups were compared with controls. In liver samples, down regulation of transcription was evident with disease progression for IL-22. In the skin, upregulation was seen only for TLR9 and FoxP3 in the early stages of infection. Subtle changes or down regulation in TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and FoxP3 are indicative of the silent establishment of infection that Leishmania is renowned for. These observations provide new insights about TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and Foxp3 in the liver, spleen, lymph node and skin in CanL and highlight possible markers of disease susceptibility in this model

Head-to-Head Comparison of Three Vaccination Strategies Based on DNA and Raw Insect-Derived Recombinant Proteins against Leishmania

Parasitic diseases plague billions of people among the poorest, killing millions annually, and causing additional millions of disability-adjusted life years lost. Leishmaniases affect more than 12 million people, with over 350 million people at risk. There is an urgent need for efficacious and cheap vaccines and treatments against visceral leishmaniasis (VL), its most severe form. Several vaccination strategies have been proposed but to date no head-to-head comparison was undertaken to assess which is the best in a clinical model of the disease. We simultaneously assayed three vaccination strategies against VL in the hamster model, using KMPII, TRYP, LACK, and PAPLE22 vaccine candidate antigens. Four groups of hamsters were immunized using the following approaches: 1) raw extracts of baculovirus-infected Trichoplusia ni larvae expressing individually one of the four recombinant proteins (PROT); 2) naked pVAX1 plasmids carrying the four genes individually (DNA); 3) a heterologous prime-boost (HPB) strategy involving DNA followed by PROT (DNA-PROT); and 4) a Control including empty pVAX1 plasmid followed by raw extract of wild-type baculovirus-infected T. ni larvae. Hamsters were challenged with L. infantum promastigotes and maintained for 20 weeks. While PROT vaccine was not protective, DNA vaccination achieved protection in spleen. Only DNA-PROT vaccination induced significant NO production by macrophages, accompanied by a significant parasitological protection in spleen and blood. Thus, the DNA-PROT strategy elicits strong immune responses and high parasitological protection in the clinical model of VL, better than its corresponding naked DNA or protein versions. Furthermore, we show that naked DNA coupled with raw recombinant proteins produced in insect larvae biofactories -the cheapest way of producing DNA-PROT vaccines-is a practical and cost-effective way for potential "off the shelf" supplying vaccines at very low prices for the protection against leishmaniases, and possibly against other parasitic diseases affecting the poorest of the poor.Spanish GovernmentSpanish Government [AGL2008-00748, AGL2010-16678-GAN]Generalitat de Catalunya [2005 FI 01116]Generalitat de Cataluny

Diversity, identity and influence of other breeds in the development of Creole populations of domestic animals

Creole breeds of the various livestock species mainly derive from animals imported to America from the Iberian Peninsula, starting in the early years of discovery and colonization. Creoles have undergone a long period of selective adaptation to a very diverse set of environmental conditions in the American continent, and over the last two centuries some Creole populations have been admixed with breeds originating from other European countries and India. In spite of the various threats undergone, some Creole populations are still maintained nowadays, especially in marginal regions, but they need to be better known, in order to recognize their identity and establish conservation programs. In this paper, we review the results published over the last five years by various Consortia established under the framework of the CONBIAND network, with the goal of studying the genetic diversity, structure and breed relationships in Creole breeds. In all species, Creole breeds reveal high levels of genetic diversity and clear signatures of their Iberian origin, even though many breeds also show signs of genetic erosion, due to either accumulated inbreeding or admixture with exotic breeds. The research conducted until now demonstrates that the vast majority of Creoles still maintain their own identity, even though they are seldom recognized and protected. These results can be used as a basis for recognition, conservation and genetic improvement of Creoles, which are the result of more than 500 years of selective adaptation

The Eighth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Data from SDSS-III

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) started a new phase in August 2008, with new instrumentation and new surveys focused on Galactic structure and chemical evolution, measurements of the baryon oscillation feature in the clustering of galaxies and the quasar Ly alpha forest, and a radial velocity search for planets around ~8000 stars. This paper describes the first data release of SDSS-III (and the eighth counting from the beginning of the SDSS). The release includes five-band imaging of roughly 5200 deg^2 in the Southern Galactic Cap, bringing the total footprint of the SDSS imaging to 14,555 deg^2, or over a third of the Celestial Sphere. All the imaging data have been reprocessed with an improved sky-subtraction algorithm and a final, self-consistent photometric recalibration and flat-field determination. This release also includes all data from the second phase of the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Evolution (SEGUE-2), consisting of spectroscopy of approximately 118,000 stars at both high and low Galactic latitudes. All the more than half a million stellar spectra obtained with the SDSS spectrograph have been reprocessed through an improved stellar parameters pipeline, which has better determination of metallicity for high metallicity stars.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Supplements, in press (minor updates from submitted version

Daptomycin plus Fosfomycin versus Daptomycin Alone for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus 2 aureus Bacteremia and Endocarditis. A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background We aimed to determine whether daptomycin plus fosfomycin provides higher treatment success than daptomycin alone for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and endocarditis. Methods A randomized (1:1) phase 3 superiority, open-label, and parallel group clinical trial of adult inpatients with MRSA bacteremia was conducted at 18 Spanish hospitals. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg/kg of daptomycin intravenously daily plus 2 g of fosfomycin intravenously every 6 hours, or 10 mg/kg of daptomycin intravenously daily. Primary endpoint was treatment success 6 weeks after the end of therapy. Results Of 167 patients randomized, 155 completed the trial and were assessed for the primary endpoint. Treatment success at 6 weeks after the end of therapy was achieved in 40 of 74 patients who received daptomycin plus fosfomycin and in 34 of 81 patients who were given daptomycin alone (54.1% vs 42.0%; relative risk, 1.29 [95% confidence interval, .93-1.8]; P = .135). At 6 weeks, daptomycin plus fosfomycin was associated with lower microbiologic failure (0 vs 9 patients; P = .003) and lower complicated bacteremia (16.2% vs 32.1%; P = .022). Adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 13 of 74 patients (17.6%) receiving daptomycin plus fosfomycin, and in 4 of 81 patients (4.9%) receiving daptomycin alone (P = .018). Conclusions Daptomycin plus fosfomycin provided 12% higher rate of treatment success than daptomycin alone, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. This antibiotic combination prevented microbiological failure and complicated bacteremia, but it was more often associated with adverse events

A Targeted and Adjuvanted Nanocarrier Lowers the Effective Dose of Liposomal Amphotericin B and Enhances Adaptive Immunity in Murine Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Background: Amphotericin B (AmB), the most effective drug against leishmaniasis, has serious toxicity. As Leishmania species are obligate intracellular parasites of antigen presenting cells (APC), an immunopotentiating APC-specific AmB nanocarrier would be ideally suited to reduce the drug dosage and regimen requirements in leishmaniasis treatment. Here, we report a nanocarrier that results in effective treatment shortening of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a mouse model, while also enhancing L. major specific T-cell immune responses in the infected host. Methods: We used a Pan-DR-binding epitope (PADRE)-derivatized-dendrimer (PDD), complexed with liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) in an L. major mouse model and analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of low-dose PDD/ LAmB vs full dose LAmB. Results: PDD was shown to escort LAmB to APCs in vivo, enhanced the drug efficacy by 83% and drug APC targeting by 10-fold and significantly reduced parasite burden and toxicity. Fortuitously, the PDD immunopotentiating effect significantly enhanced parasite-specific T-cell responses in immunocompetent infected mice. Conclusions: PDD reduced the effective dose and toxicity of LAmB and resulted in elicitation of strong parasite specific T-cell responses. A reduced effective therapeutic dose was achieved by selective LAmB delivery to APC, bypassing bystander cells, reducing toxicity and inducing antiparasite immunity

Changes in Liver Lipidomic Profile in G2019S- LRRK2 Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease

15 páginas, 4 figurasThe identification of Parkinson's disease (PD) biomarkers has become a main goal for the diagnosis of this neurodegenerative disorder. PD has not only been intrinsically related to neurological problems, but also to a series of alterations in peripheral metabolism. The purpose of this study was to identify metabolic changes in the liver in mouse models of PD with the scope of finding new peripheral biomarkers for PD diagnosis. To achieve this goal, we used mass spectrometry technology to determine the complete metabolomic profile of liver and striatal tissue samples from WT mice, 6-hydroxydopamine-treated mice (idiopathic model) and mice affected by the G2019S-LRRK2 mutation in LRRK2/PARK8 gene (genetic model). This analysis revealed that the metabolism of carbohydrates, nucleotides and nucleosides was similarly altered in the liver from the two PD mouse models. However, long-chain fatty acids, phosphatidylcholine and other related lipid metabolites were only altered in hepatocytes from G2019S-LRRK2 mice. In summary, these results reveal specific differences, mainly in lipid metabolism, between idiopathic and genetic PD models in peripheral tissues and open up new possibilities to better understand the etiology of this neurological disorder.This research was supported by “Instituto de Salud Carlos III”, “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” (PI15/0034), “CIBERNED-ISCIII” (CB06/05/0041 and 2015/03), and partially supported by “European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)” from the European Union. J.M.B.-S.P. is funded by “Ramon y Cajal Program” (RYC-2018-025099-I) and supported by Spain’s Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2019-108827RA-I00). Y.C.N. and L.M.G. are funded by Community of Madrid (CT5/21/PEJ-2020-TL/BMD-17685 and CT36/22-41-UCM-INV respectively). S.M.S.Y.-D. was supported by CIBERNED-ISCIII. P.M.-C. is funded by the MINECO Spanish Ministry (FPI grant, PRE2020-092668). M.N.-S. was funded by “Ramon y Cajal Program” (RYC-2016-20883). E.U.-C. and S.C.-C. were supported by an FPU predoctoral fellowship (FPU16/00684) and FPU19/04435), respectively, from “Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte”. M.P-B was funded by a University of Extremadura fellowship. E.A-C was supported by a Grant (IB18048) from Junta de Extremadura, Spain. J.M.F. received research support from the “Instituto de Salud Carlos III”; “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” (PI15/0034) and CIBERNED-ISCIII (CB06/05/0041 and 2015/03). A.P.-C. was supported by MINECO (SAF2014-52940-R and SAF2017-85199-P). J.P.-T. received funding from CIBERNED-ISCIII (CB06/05/1123 and 2015/03). G.K. is supported by the Ligue contre le Cancer (équipe labellisée); Agence National de la Recherche (ANR)—Projets blancs; ANR under the frame of E-Rare-2, the ERANet for Research on Rare Diseases; AMMICa US/CNRS UMS3655; Association pour la recherche sur le cancer (ARC); Association “Le Cancer du Sein, Parlons-en!”; Cancéropôle Ile de-France; Chancelerie des universités de Paris (Legs Poix), Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM); a donation by Elior; European Research Area Network on Cardiovascular Diseases (ERA-CVD, MINOTAUR); Gustave Roussy Odyssea, the European Union Horizon 2020 Project Oncobiome; Fondation Carrefour; High-end Foreign Expert Program in China (GDW20171100085), Institut National du Cancer (INCa); Inserm (HTE); Institut Universitaire de France; LeDucq Foundation; the LabEx Immuno-Oncology (ANR-18-IDEX-0001); the RHU Torino Lumière; the Seerave Foundation; the SIRIC Stratified Oncology Cell DNA Repair and Tumor Immune Elimination (SOCRATE); and the SIRIC Cancer Research and Personalized Medicine (CARPEM).Peer reviewe