Conversion of lignocellulose biomass to bioenergy through nanobiotechnology

The growing global demand for energy, particularly petroleum-based fuels, has stimulated a long-term quest for an optimal source of sustainable energy. This barrier is removed by lignocellulosic biomass, which is an economical, easily accessible, and renewable fuel source that fits sustainability standards. However, large-scale use of most of the techniques results in significant handling costs and decontamination of the inhibitors released. Taken together, these limits increase the efficacy of present solutions and create a need for the development of a novel, environmentally sustainable, productive, and cost-effective technology for lignocellulose biomass conversion. In this context, the use of nanotechnology in the treatment of lignocellulose biomass to bioenergy exchange has gained significant attention and has been extensively researched in recent years. This review discussed how nanotechnology can be used to turn biomass into energy. It gives new ideas and tools for developing new industries, which will help the economy, grow in the long run. This careful examination will also shed light on some of the minor details surrounding the different ways of biomass conversion previously explored by other experts

MVA-CoV2-S vaccine candidate confers full protection from SARS-CoV-2 brain infection and damage in susceptible transgenic mice

The protective efficacy of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the brain is yet unclear. Here, in the susceptible transgenic K18-hACE2 mouse model of severe COVID-19 disease, we report a detailed spatiotemporal description of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication in different areas of the brain. Remarkably, SARS-CoV-2 brain replication occurs primarily in neurons, producing important neuropathological alterations such as neuronal loss, incipient signs of neuroinflammation, and vascular damage in SARS-CoV-2 infected mice. Notably, one or two doses of a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein (MVA-CoV2-S) conferred full protection against SARS-CoV-2 cerebral infection, preventing virus replication in all areas of the brain and its associated damage. This protection was maintained even after SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. To our knowledge, this is the first study of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate showing 100% efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 brain infection and damage, reinforcing the use of MVA-CoV2-S as a promising vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, worth to move forward into clinical trials.The authors thank the Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA)-Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA-CSIC) (Valdeolmos, Madrid, Spain) for the BSL-3 facilities. SARS-CoV-2 MAD6 virus isolate was kindly provided by José M. Honrubia and Dr. Luis Enjuanes (CNB-CSIC, Madrid, Spain). We also thank to Dr. Konstantin L. Levitsky for excellent technical assistance with the confocal acquisition. We thank the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) for continuous support. This research was supported by MCIN/Spanish Research Agency (AEI)/ 10.13039/501100011033 grants: PID2019-105995RB-I00 (J.T.-A. and J.V.), PID2020- 114481RB-I00 (J.G.-A. and M.E.), and PID2019-106410RB-I00 (J.L.-B.). Moreover, this research work was also funded by Red TerCel ISCIII, RD16/0011/0025 (J.T.-A.); Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía Grant, PECOVID-0078-2020 (R.R.-L. and J.V.); Fondo COVID-19 grant COV20/00151 [Spanish Health Ministry, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)], Fondo Supera COVID-19 (Crue Universidades-Banco Santander) grant and CSIC grant 202120E079 (J.G.-A.); and CSIC grant 2020E84, La CaixaImpulse grant CF01-00008, Ferrovial and MAPFRE donations (M.E.). Additionally, we have also funding from the European Commission-NextGenerationEU, through CSIC's Global Health Platform (PTI Salud Global) (J.G.-A. and M.E.) and the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant PRJ201502629) (J.L.-B.).N

Full protection from SARS-CoV-2 brain infection and damage in susceptible transgenic mice conferred by MVA-CoV2-S vaccine candidate

Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been shown to be safe and effective but their protective efficacy against infection in the brain is yet unclear. Here, in the susceptible transgenic K18-hACE2 mouse model of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we report a spatiotemporal description of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication through the brain. SARS-CoV-2 brain replication occurs primarily in neurons, leading to neuronal loss, signs of glial activation and vascular damage in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. One or two doses of a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein (MVA-CoV2-S) conferred full protection against SARS-CoV-2 cerebral infection, preventing virus replication in all areas of the brain and its associated damage. This protection was maintained even after SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. These findings further support the use of MVA-CoV2-S as a promising vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19.We thank the CSIC and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for continuous support. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation/Spanish Research Agency/10.13039/501100011033 grant nos. PID2019-105995RB-I00 (J.J.T.-A. and J.V.), PID2020-114481RB-I00 (J.G.-A. and M.E.), RTI2018-096629-B-I00 (A.P.) and PID2019-106410RB-I00 (J.L.-B.). Moreover, this research was also funded by Red TerCel ISCIII (no. RD16/0011/0025 to J.J.T.-A.), Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad US-1380891 (to J.J.T.-A. and J.V.), Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía grant no. PECOVID-0078-2020 (to R.R.-L. and J.V.), Consejería de Educación y Deporte, Junta de Andalucía grant no. PY20_01312 (to A.P.), Fondo COVID-19 grant no. COV20/00151 (Spanish Health Ministry, Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Fondo Supera COVID-19 (Crue Universidades-Banco Santander) grant and CSIC grant no. 202120E079 (J.G.-A.), CSIC grant no. 2020E84, La CaixaImpulse grant no. CF01-00008 and Ferrovial and MAPFRE donations (to M.E.). Additionally, we received funding from the European Commission-NextGenerationEU, through the CSIC’s Global Health Platform (PTI Salud Global) (to J.G.-A. and M.E.) and the European Research Council (ERC Advanced grant no. PRJ201502629) (to J.L.-B.). J.G.-A. and M.E. also acknowledge financial support from the Spanish State Research Agency (no. AEI/10.13039/501100011033) through the ‘Severo Ochoa’ Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (nos. SEV-2013-0347 and SEV-2017-0712). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

Participación de la mitocondria en la biología de los progenitores neurales y la sensibilidad al oxígeno en los quimiorreceptores arteriales

Las mitocondrias son orgánulos que asumen tareas muy diversas y de gran relevancia para la célula eucariota y la homeostasis del organismo (biosíntesis de ATP, apoptosis y señalización celular, entre otros procesos). Esta Tesis Doctoral se centra en el estudio de la participación de la mitocondria en la biología de los progenitores neurales y en la regulación de la respiración por el oxígeno mediada por los quimiorreceptores arteriales. Estos dos temas son centrales a las líneas de investigación de nuestro grupo durante los últimos 25 años. El rol del metabolismo mitocondrial en la neurogénesis y la gliogénesis es un tema de interés creciente. En este trabajo, se ha profundizado en el papel de la cadena de transporte de electrones y la fosforilación oxidativa en la homeostasis de las células troncales neurales, analizando cómo la disfunción del complejo mitocondrial I afecta al desarrollo del sistema nervioso. Para tal fin se ha generado un modelo de ratón knockout sin complejo mitocondrial I en las células de la glía radial. En este modelo, la supervivencia de las células troncales neurales no parece verse afectada gravemente, mientras que el desarrollo del encéfalo dorsal, y la proliferación y diferenciación in vitro de las células troncales y los progenitores neurales están drásticamente alterados, señalando la necesidad del complejo mitocondrial I para estos procesos. Por otra parte, se ha avanzado en el análisis experimental de los mecanismos mediados por el cuerpo carotídeo que subyacen al control de la respiración por el oxígeno. La generación y caracterización de un modelo de ratón knockout para el complejo mitocondrial III en las células catecolaminérgicas ha permitido comprobar la validez del modelo de “señalización de mitocondria a membrana” propuesto por nuestro grupo, en el que la integridad de la cadena de transporte de electrones es fundamental para la sensibilidad aguda a oxígeno de las células quimiorreceptoras del cuerpo carotídeo. La interrupción del flujo de electrones a nivel del complejo mitocondrial III en las células glómicas inhibe selectivamente su capacidad de responder a la hipoxemia y conduce a la abolición de la respuesta ventilatoria hipóxica. Sorprendentemente, la supervivencia de las células quimiosensoras del cuerpo carotídeo no se ve comprometida por la disfunción del complejo mitocondrial III, demostrando que estas células presentan una relevante plasticidad metabólica que le permite adaptarse a un cambio disruptivo en su metabolismo

Mitochondrial Complex I Function Is Essential for Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Proliferation and Differentiation

Neurogenesis in developing and adult mammalian brain is a tightly regulated process that relies on neural stem cell (NSC) activity. There is increasing evidence that mitochondrial metabolism affects NSC homeostasis and differentiation but the precise role of mitochondrial function in the neurogenic process requires further investigation. Here, we have analyzed how mitochondrial complex I (MCI) dysfunction affects NSC viability, proliferation and differentiation, as well as survival of the neural progeny. We have generated a conditional knockout model (hGFAP-NDUFS2 mice) in which expression of the NDUFS2 protein, essential for MCI function, is suppressed in cells expressing the Cre recombinase under the human glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter, active in mouse radial glial cells (RGCs) and in neural stem cells (NSCs) that reside in adult neurogenic niches. In this model we observed that survival of central NSC population does not appear to be severely affected by MCI dysfunction. However, perinatal brain development was markedly inhibited and Ndufs2 knockout mice died before the tenth postnatal day. In addition, in vitro studies of subventricular zone NSCs showed that active neural progenitors require a functional MCI to produce ATP and to proliferate. In vitro differentiation of neural precursors into neurons and oligodendrocytes was also profoundly affected. These data indicate the need of a correct MCI function and oxidative phosphorylation for glia-like NSC proliferation, differentiation and subsequent oligodendrocyte or neuronal maturation.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (SAF2012-39343 and SAF2016-74990-R), and the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant PRJ201502629). DC-R received a predoctoral fellowship (FPU program) from the Spanish Government.Peer reviewe

Estrategias de Marketing Digital como medio de comunicación e impulso de las ventas

El propósito de este estudio es conocer las estrategias de Marketing Digital que mejoren la comunicación y el impulso de las ventas, tomando como referencia la guía de plan de Marketing Digital (Vicuña J, 2018) . La metodología aplicada es cualitativa y cuantitativa, se realizaron entrevistas a un profesional en Marketing Digital y encuestas a la muestra de la población. Se evidencio que el 91% de las usuarias utilizan las redes sociales, para buscar información y comunicarse el 46% utiliza el medio Google y el 31% la red social Facebook. Con los resultados de la investigación y el aporte del experto, se pretende que el plan de estrategias de Marketing Digital pueda mejorar la comunicación utilizando los medios que tienen más interacción.The purpose of this study is to know the strategies of digital marketing that improve communication and the impulse of sales, taking as reference the guide of Digital Marketing plan of (Vicuña J, 2018). The methodology applied is qualitative and quantitative, interviews were conducted with a professional in Digital Marketing and surveys of the population sample. It was evidenced that 91% of users use social networks, to search for information and communicate 46% use the Google medium and 31% use the social network Facebook. With the results of the research and the contribution of the expert, it is intended that the Digital Marketing strategy plan can improve communication using the means that have more interactio

Oxygen regulation of breathing is abolished in mitochondrial complex III-deficient arterial chemoreceptors.

Acute oxygen (O2) sensing is essential for adaptation of organisms to hypoxic environments or medical conditions with restricted exchange of gases in the lung. The main acute O2-sensing organ is the carotid body (CB), which contains neurosecretory chemoreceptor (glomus) cells innervated by sensory fibers whose activation by hypoxia elicits hyperventilation and increased cardiac output. Glomus cells have mitochondria with specialized metabolic and electron transport chain (ETC) properties. Reduced mitochondrial complex (MC) IV activity by hypoxia leads to production of signaling molecules (NADH and reactive O2 species) in MCI and MCIII that modulate membrane ion channel activity. We studied mice with conditional genetic ablation of MCIII that disrupts the ETC in the CB and other catecholaminergic tissues. Glomus cells survived MCIII dysfunction but showed selective abolition of responsiveness to hypoxia (increased [Ca2+] and transmitter release) with normal responses to other stimuli. Mitochondrial hypoxic NADH and reactive O2 species signals were also suppressed. MCIII-deficient mice exhibited strong inhibition of the hypoxic ventilatory response and altered acclimatization to sustained hypoxia. These data indicate that a functional ETC, with coupling between MCI and MCIV, is required for acute O2 sensing. O2 regulation of breathing results from the integrated action of mitochondrial ETC complexes in arterial chemoreceptors

High Fat Diet-Induced Skeletal Muscle Wasting Is Decreased by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Administration: Implications on Oxidative Stress, Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway Activation, and Myonuclear Apoptosis

Obesity can lead to skeletal muscle atrophy, a pathological condition characterized by the loss of strength and muscle mass. A feature of muscle atrophy is a decrease of myofibrillar proteins as a result of ubiquitin proteasome pathway overactivation, as evidenced by increased expression of the muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases atrogin-1 and MuRF-1. Additionally, other mechanisms are related to muscle wasting, including oxidative stress, myonuclear apoptosis, and autophagy. Stem cells are an emerging therapy in the treatment of chronic diseases such as high fat diet-induced obesity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a population of self-renewable and undifferentiated cells present in the bone marrow and other mesenchymal tissues of adult individuals. The present study is the first to analyze the effects of systemic MSC administration on high fat diet-induced skeletal muscle atrophy in the tibialis anterior of mice. Treatment with MSCs reduced losses of muscle strength and mass, decreases of fiber diameter and myosin heavy chain protein levels, and fiber type transitions. Underlying these antiatrophic effects, MSC administration also decreased ubiquitin proteasome pathway activation, oxidative stress, and myonuclear apoptosis. These results are the first to indicate that systemically administered MSCs could prevent muscle wasting associated with high fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes