Simultaneous treatment with oil heat and densification on physical properties of Populus × canadensis wood

Samples of wood from Populus × canadensis (9,5 % moisture) were treated with olive oil at 195 °C simultaneously with 15 % or 30 % compression densification, and the results were compared with samples subjected to oil heat treatment without densification, and control samples. The density of the treated samples increased by 18 %, 43 % and 1,5 % respectively, and barely changed over the six subsequent months stored inside the laboratory room (at approximately 65 % RH, 20 °C).  This was due to the fact that the slight weight increment caused by the additional moisture content was offset by the increase in volume from the springback effect. When subjected to atmospheres with different relative humidities, the treated samples stabilised at the same time as the control samples, although the treated samples had a significantly lower moisture absorption than the control samples. It was also observed that the hygroscopic shrinkage in  oil heat densification treatment samples was approximately half those of the control samples. The initial densification was partially lost as a result of springback: approximately 3 % in the first springback at a relative humidity of 65 % RH, and an additional 4 % in the second springback to a relative humidity of 85 % RH. Once this latter relative humidity had been attained, no new losses in densification were observed. The ageing of the oil used in the treatment caused a slight loss of densification in the densest samples

A Common Variant in the MC1R Gene (p.V92M) is associated with Alzheimer's Disease Risk.

Despite the recent identification of some novel risk genes for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the genetic etiology of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) remains largely unknown. The inclusion of these novel risk genes to the risk attributable to the APOE gene accounts for roughly half of the total genetic variance in LOAD. The evidence indicates that undiscovered genetic factors may contribute to AD susceptibility. In the present study, we sequenced the MC1R gene in 525 Spanish LOAD patients and in 160 controls. We observed that a common MC1R variant p.V92M (rs2228479), not related to pigmentation traits, was present in 72 (14%) patients and 15 (9%) controls and confers increased risk of developing LOAD (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.08-3.64, p = 0.026), especially in those patients whose genetic risk could not be explained by APOE genotype. This association remains and even increased in the subset of 69 patients with typical AD cerebrospinal fluid profile (OR: 3.40 95% CI: 1.40-8.27, p = 0.007). We did not find an association between p.V92M and age of onset of AD. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the role of MC1R in brain cells through the different MC1R pathways

Correction to : The Small GTPase RAC1/CED-10 Is Essential in Maintaining Dopaminergic Neuron Function and Survival Against α-Synuclein-Induced Toxicity

With the author(s)' decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on March 2018 t

Sleep Disorders in Parkinsonian and Nonparkinsonian LRRK2 Mutation Carriers

Objective: In idiopathic Parkinson disease (IPD) sleep disorders are common and may antedate the onset of parkinsonism. Based on the clinical similarities between IPD and Parkinson disease associated with LRRK2 gene mutations (LRRK2-PD), we aimed to characterize sleep in parkinsonian and nonmanifesting LRRK2 mutation carriers (NMC). Methods: A comprehensive interview conducted by sleep specialists, validated sleep scales and questionnaires, and video-polysomnography followed by multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) assessed sleep in 18 LRRK2-PD (17 carrying G2019S and one R1441G mutations), 17 NMC (11 G2019S, three R1441G, three R1441C), 14 non-manifesting non-carriers (NMNC) and 19 unrelated IPD. Results: Sleep complaints were frequent in LRRK2-PD patients; 78% reported poor sleep quality, 33% sleep onset insomnia, 56% sleep fragmentation and 39% early awakening. Sleep onset insomnia correlated with depressive symptoms and poor sleep quality. In LRRK2-PD, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) was a complaint in 33% patients and short sleep latencies on the MSLT, which are indicative of objective EDS, were found in 71%. Sleep attacks occurred in three LRRK2-PD patients and a narcoleptic phenotype was not observed. REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) was diagnosed in three LRRK2-PD. EDS and RBD were always reported to start after the onset of parkinsonism in LRRK2-PD. In NMC, EDS was rarely reported and RBD was absent. When compared to IPD, sleep onset insomnia was more significantly frequent, EDS was similar, and RBD was less significantly frequent and less severe in LRRK2-PD. In NMC, RBD was not detected and sleep complaints were much less frequent than in LRRK2-PD. No differences were observed in sleep between NMC and NMNC. Conclusions: Sleep complaints are frequent in LRRK2-PDand show a pattern that when compared to IPD is characterized by more frequent sleep onset insomnia, similar EDS and less prominent RBD. Unlike in IPD, RBD and EDS seem to be not markers of the prodromal stage of LRRK2-PD

Modelling the spatial risk of malaria through probability distribution of Anopheles maculipennis s.l. and imported cases

Malaria remains one of the most important infectious diseases globally due to its high incidence and mortality rates. The influx of infected cases from endemic to non-endemic malaria regions like Europe has resulted in a public health concern over sporadic local outbreaks. This is facilitated by the continued presence of competent Anopheles vectors in non-endemic countries. We modelled the potential distribution of the main malaria vector across Spain using the ensemble of eight modelling techniques based on environmental parameters and the Anopheles maculipennis s.l. presence/absence data collected from 2000 to 2020. We then combined this map with the number of imported malaria cases in each municipality to detect the geographic hot spots with a higher risk of local malaria transmission. The malaria vector occurred preferentially in irrigated lands characterized by warm climate conditions and moderate annual precipitation. Some areas surrounding irrigated lands in northern Spain (e.g. Zaragoza, Logroño), mainland areas (e.g. Madrid, Toledo) and in the South (e.g. Huelva), presented a significant likelihood of A. maculipennis s.l. occurrence, with a large overlap with the presence of imported cases of malaria. While the risk of malaria re-emergence in Spain is low, it is not evenly distributed throughout the country. The four recorded local cases of mosquito-borne transmission occurred in areas with a high overlap of imported cases and mosquito presence. Integrating mosquito distribution with human incidence cases provides an effective tool for the quantification of large-scale geographic variation in transmission risk and pinpointing priority areas for targeted surveillance and prevention

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

26th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS*2017): Part 3 - Meeting Abstracts - Antwerp, Belgium. 15–20 July 2017

This work was produced as part of the activities of FAPESP Research,\ud Disseminations and Innovation Center for Neuromathematics (grant\ud 2013/07699-0, S. Paulo Research Foundation). NLK is supported by a\ud FAPESP postdoctoral fellowship (grant 2016/03855-5). ACR is partially\ud supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

Computationally driven rational design of substrate promiscuity on serine ester hydrolases

Enzymes with a broad substrate specificity are of great interest both at the basic and applied level. Understanding the main parameters that make an enzyme substrate ambiguous could be thus important not only for their selection from the ever-increasing amount of sequencing data but also for engineering a more substrate promiscuous variant. This issue, which remains unresolved, was herein investigated by targeting a serine ester hydrolase (EH102), which exhibits a narrow substrate spectrum, being only capable of hydrolyzing 16 out of 96 esters tested. By using a modeling approach, we demonstrated that one can rationalize active site parameters defining substrate promiscuity, and that based on them the substrate specificity can be significantly altered. This was accomplished by designing two variants, EH102DM2 and EH102TM2, that hydrolyze 51 and 63 esters, respectively, while maintaining similar or higher turnover rates compared to the original enzyme. We hypothesized that the parameters identified here (the volume, size, exposure, enclosure, hydrophobicity, and hydrophilicity of the active site cavity and its tightness) can serve in the future to expand the substrate spectra of esterases and thus expand their use in biotechnology and synthetic chemistry.This work was funded by grant ‘INMARE’ from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 (grant agreement no. 634486), grants PCIN-2017-078 (within the Marine Biotechnology ERA-NET), and BIO2017-85522-R and PID2019-106370RB-I00 grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and European Union (EU). This work has also been supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FPU19/00608).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Pollution Processes in Bahía Blanca Estuarine Environment

Natural systems dynamics, relationships and equlibrium can be significally affected due to human interventions which alter (either eventually or structurally) their activities imbalance. Each environment has its own characteristics which determine the response against these changes. Main human processes generating the strongest effects on coastal marine systems are: non adequate use of soils (including unplanned urbanization), untreated domestic or industrial sewage discharge, harbour activities and incorrect solid waste disposal. Simultaneous occurrence of these processes can generate different kind of impacts on natural systems, and their magnitudes will depend not only on phenomena intensity but also response ability of the considered environment.  Bahía Blanca estuary, at the southern Buenos Aires Province Atlantic littoral, is an excellent study case, because it is a large transitional environment with a great human activity within its inner area, including most of the above mentioned processes. This environment has been particularly studied since ‘70s decades, including its water physico-chemical parameters, associated biological processes and pollutants occurrence. These studies allow to characterize the potential effects on the system, as well as to recognize its response ability. The present chapter includes a brief overview on the occurrence, levels and distribution trends of the main pollutants determined within Bahía Blanca estuary (i.e. heavy metals, hydrocarbons) in both the abiotic and the biological compartments. The identified trends are analyzed within an historical viewpoint, which allows pointing out evolutive processes on the estuarine environmental quality. This information is largely useful to make concrete monitoring and management programs within this estuary.Fil: Marcovecchio, Jorge Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Botté, Sandra Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Delucchi, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Arias, Andres Hugo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Severini, Melisa Daiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: de Marco, Silvia Graciela. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Tombesi, Norma Beatriz. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Andrade, Santiago. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Ferrer, Laura Daniela. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Freije, Rubén Hugo. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentin

A Common Variant in the MC1R Gene (p.V92M) is associated with Alzheimer's Disease Risk.

Despite the recent identification of some novel risk genes for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the genetic etiology of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) remains largely unknown. The inclusion of these novel risk genes to the risk attributable to the APOE gene accounts for roughly half of the total genetic variance in LOAD. The evidence indicates that undiscovered genetic factors may contribute to AD susceptibility. In the present study, we sequenced the MC1R gene in 525 Spanish LOAD patients and in 160 controls. We observed that a common MC1R variant p.V92M (rs2228479), not related to pigmentation traits, was present in 72 (14%) patients and 15 (9%) controls and confers increased risk of developing LOAD (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.08-3.64, p = 0.026), especially in those patients whose genetic risk could not be explained by APOE genotype. This association remains and even increased in the subset of 69 patients with typical AD cerebrospinal fluid profile (OR: 3.40 95% CI: 1.40-8.27, p = 0.007). We did not find an association between p.V92M and age of onset of AD. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the role of MC1R in brain cells through the different MC1R pathways