Modulation of Host Immunity by Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Virulence Factors: A Synergic Inhibition of Both Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.The Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (hRSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) and high rates of hospitalizations in children and in the elderly worldwide. Symptoms of hRSV infection include bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The lung pathology observed during hRSV infection is due in part to an exacerbated host immune response, characterized by immune cell infiltration to the lungs. HRSV is an enveloped virus, a member of the Pneumoviridae family, with a non-segmented genome and negative polarity-single RNA that contains 10 genes encoding for 11 proteins. These include the Fusion protein (F), the Glycoprotein (G), and the Small Hydrophobic (SH) protein, which are located on the virus surface. In addition, the Nucleoprotein (N), Phosphoprotein (P) large polymerase protein (L) part of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex, the M2-1 protein as a transcription elongation factor, the M2-2 protein as a regulator of viral transcription and (M) protein all of which locate inside the virion. Apart from the structural proteins, the hRSV genome encodes for the non-structural 1 and 2 proteins (NS1 and NS2). HRSV has developed different strategies to evade the host immunity by means of the function of some of these proteins that work as virulence factors to improve the infection in the lung tissue. Also, hRSV NS-1 and NS-2 proteins have been shown to inhibit the activation of the type I interferon response. Furthermore, the hRSV nucleoprotein has been shown to inhibit the immunological synapsis between the dendritic cells and T cells during infection, resulting in an inefficient T cell activation. Here, we discuss the hRSV virulence factors and the host immunological features raised during infection with this virus.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00367/ful

The “tragic” story of the conquest in books and printed papers of men of letters in the independent provinces of New Granada, 1811-1821

Este artículo estudia las producciones literarias de los hombres de letras en las provincias independientes de la Nueva Granada entre 1811-1821. Se muestra cómo durante ese período, al tiempo que se producían los procesos de emancipación y posteriormente la fundación de la República, esos actores sociales (sacerdotes, impresores, abogados y gentes de letras) empezaron a participar de manera crítica en la vieja discusión y polémica sobre la presencia de España en América desde el siglo XVI. Ello dio como resultado la aparición de varias versiones sobre el pasado y de la escritura de la historia referida a la conquista del territorio americano en la que se destacaban “los trescientos años de vejaciones”, la “opresión”, la “tiranía” y las “conductas inocuas de los españoles”. Escritura que respondía al compromiso asumido por los letrados de justificar la independencia y más tarde la República de Colombia. Lo que ponía así en evidencia la relación siempre existente de las narrativas y usos del pasado con los contextos políticos de una sociedad.This article studies the literary productions of the men of letters in the independent provinces of New Granada between 1811-1821. The aim is to show how these social actors (priests, printers, lawyers and literary people) began to participate critically in the old discussion during that period, at the same time as the emancipation processes and later the founding of the Republic. And controversy about the presence of Spain in America since the sixteenth century. This resulted in the appearance of several versions on the past and the writing of the history referred to the conquest of the American territory in which “the three hundred years of vexations”, “oppression”, “tyranny” and “Innocuous conduct of the Spaniards.” Writing that responded to the commitment assumed by lawyers to justify independence and later the Republic of Colombia. This made evident the ever-existing relationship of the narratives and uses of the past with the political contexts of a society

Solution-Based Assembly of Conjugated Polymers into Nanofibers for Organic Electronics

Solution-based crystallization of conjugated polymers offers a scalable and attractive route to develop hierarchical structures for electronic devices. The introduction of well-defined nucleation sites into metastable solutions provides a way to regulate the crystallization behavior, and therefore the morphology of the material. A crystallization method for generating metastable solutions of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was established. These metastable solutions allow P3HT to selectively crystallize into nanofibers (NFs) on graphene-coated surfaces. It was found that the crystallization kinetics is faster with increasing P3HT molecular weight and concentration. Through in situ atomic force microscopy, it was confirmed that NFs grow vertically in a face-on chain orientation (i.e., the π orbitals parallel to the substrate normal) from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and graphene. Moreover, the P3HT crystal structure observed on the surface of graphene was identified to be the same one formed by solution crystallization. However, as confirmed by X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy the crystals transitioned from face-on to edge-on orientation (i.e., the π orbitals perpendicular to the substrate normal) as the film grew thicker. As determined by X-ray scattering. the initial face-on conformation was partially preserved by embedding the P3HT structures in an indene C60 bisadduct matrix when compared to pristine P3HT films. The resulting organic field effect transistors had hole mobilities (μ = 20 x 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1) two orders of magnitude higher than the devices fabricated from spin casted P3HT (μ = 0.9 x 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1). The solution-processable fabrication of electrodes and semiconductors is potentially scalable and amenable to roll-to-roll manufacturing

Aerobic fitness impacts sympathoadrenal axis responses to concurrent challenges

The combination of mental and physical challenges can elicit exacerbated cardiorespiratory (CR) and catecholamine responses above that of a single challenge alone. Purpose This study examined the effects of a combination of acute mental challenges and physical stress on cardiorespiratory and catecholamine responses. Method Eight below-average fitness (LF VO2max = 36.58 +/- 3.36 ml(-1) kg(-1) min(-1)) and eight above-average fitness (HF VO2max = 51.18 +/- 2.09 ml(-1) kg(-1) min(-1)) participants completed an exercise-alone condition (EAC) session consisting of moderate-intensity cycling at 60% VO2max for 37 min, and a dual-challenge condition (DCC) that included concurrent participation in mental challenges while cycling. Result The DCC resulted in increases in perceived workload, CR, epinephrine, and norepinephrine responses overall. HF participants had greater absolute CR and catecholamine responses compared to LF participants and quicker HR recovery after the dual challenge. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that cardiorespiratory fitness does impact the effect of concurrent stressors on CR and catecholamine responses

Hazmat Storage Near NYC Waterways Endangers Communities

New York City has 520 miles of shoreline--that’s more than Miami and Los Angeles combined. These waterfronts are home to some of the city’s most polluted sites because major part of it is zoned for industrial use. Dozens of industrial plants in this area store toxic chemicals in flood zones: substances that are hazardous to our health, like Benzene, which is used in rocket fuel, toluene, a paint thinner, and lead a neurotoxin. In a flood, these chemicals can easily get caught up in moving waters and pollute entire neighborhoods. That’s exactly what happened when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012. In an attempt to avoid these types of incidents, Congress passed a law called the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act back in the 1980s. Its authors designed the law to help businesses keep their toxic substances tightly sealed and protected from rising waters, with the help of civilian oversight. The New York City News Service’s Brett Dahlberg and Nicole Acevedo found the city has a funny definition of “right to know” and has been falling short of the promises it made after Sandy to secure those chemicals and minimize industrial pollution near waterways. The link to the project: https://medium.com/@nicole.acevedo/five-years-after-sandy-hazmat-storage-near-nyc-waterways-endangers-communities-dfab72df7ad