100 research outputs found

    Implementation of synthetic fast-ion loss detector and imaging heavy ion beam probe diagnostics in the 3D hybrid kinetic-MHD code MEGA

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    A synthetic fast-ion loss (FIL) detector and an imaging Heavy Ion Beam Probe (i-HIBP) have been implemented in the 3D hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic code MEGA. First synthetic measurements from these two diagnostics have been obtained for neutral beam injection-driven Alfvén Eigenmode (AE) simulated with MEGA. The synthetic FILs show a strong correlation with the AE amplitude. This correlation is observed in the phase-space, represented in coordinates (Pϕ, E), being toroidal canonical momentum and energy, respectively. FILs and the energy exchange diagrams of the confined population are connected with lines of constant E′, a linear combination of E and Pϕ. First i-HIBP synthetic signals also have been computed for the simulated AE, showing displacements in the strike line of the order of ∼1 mm, above the expected resolution in the i-HIBP scintillator of ∼100 μm.European Starting Grant (ERC) from project 3D-FIREFLUCSpanish Ministry of Science under Grant No. FPU19/02267EUROfusion Consortium grant agreement No 63305

    Gut Microbiota Cannot Compensate the Impact of (quasi) Aposymbiosis in Blattella germanica

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    The German cockroach Blattella germanica is a good model to study complex symbiotic relationships because the following two symbiotic systems coexist in a single individual: the endosymbiont Blattabacterium (living inside specialized cells called bacteriocytes) and the gut microbiota. Although the role of the endosymbiont has been fully elucidated, the function of the gut microbiota remains unclear. The study of the gut microbiota will benefit from the availability of insects deprived of Blattabacterium. Our goal is to determine the effect of the removal (or, at least, the reduction) of the endosymbiont population on the cockroach's fitness, in a normal gut microbiota community. For this purpose, we treated our cockroach population with rifampicin to decrease the amount of endosymbiont in the following generation. As the treatment also affects rifampicin-sensitive gut bacteria, we allowed it to recover for at least 20 days before sampling. We found that after this antibiotic treatment, the endosymbiont population remained extremely reduced and only the microbiota were able to recover, although it could not compensate for the endosymbiont role, and the host's fitness was drastically affected. This accomplished reduction, however, is not homogenous and requires further study to develop stable quasi-aposymbiotic cockroaches

    Analysis of the Relationship between Lifestyle and Coffee Consumption Habits, from the Myth Approach, in the Municipalities of Orizaba, Tehuipango, and Zongolica Veracruz.

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    Coffee consumption habits have evolved along with society for more than 300 years around the world. Social changes imply different lifestyles in each culture. Lifestyles influence the myths used by people in their consumption decisions. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between lifestyle and coffee consumption habits, from the perspective of myth, in the inhabitants of the Mexican municipalities of Orizaba, Tehuipango, and Zongolica. A survey was conducted with a sample of inhabitants of the three municipalities studied. The statistical analyzes applied were the central limit theorem, Pearson, and Chi-square. The results show that the variables Consumption habits-Lifestyle-Myth, are highly dependent on the level of perception of people. It is concluded that the coffee myth corresponds to the "family union" in the study municipalities. This myth is not characterized in the evolutionary stages contemplated in the "waves of coffee"

    Circulating carotenoids are associated with favorable lipid and fatty acid profiles in an older population at high cardiovascular risk

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    © 2022 Marhuenda-Muñoz, Domínguez-López, Langohr, Tresserra Rimbau, Martínez González, Salas-Salvadó, Corella, Zomeño, Martínez, Alonso-Gómez, Wärnberg, Vioque, Romaguera, López-Miranda, Estruch, Tinahones, Lapetra, Serra-Majem, Bueno-Cavanillas, Tur, MartínSánchez, Pintó, Delgado-Rodríguez, Matía-Martín, Vidal, Vázquez, Daimiel, Ros, Toledo, Fernández de la Puente Cervera, Barragán, Fitó, Tojal-Sierra, Gómez-Gracia, Zazo, Morey, García-Ríos, Casas, GómezPérez, Santos-Lozano, Vázquez-Ruiz, Atzeni, Asensio, Gili-Riu, Bullon, Moreno-Rodriguez, Lecea, Babio, Peñas Lopez, Gómez Melis and Lamuela-Raventós. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).Carotenoid intake has been reported to be associated with improved cardiovascular health, but there is little information on actual plasma concentrations of these compounds as biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk. The objective was to investigate the association between circulating plasma carotenoids and different cardiometabolic risk factors and the plasma fatty acid profile. This is a cross-sectional evaluation of baseline data conducted in a subcohort (106 women and 124 men) of an ongoing multi-factorial lifestyle trial for primary cardiovascular prevention. Plasma concentrations of carotenoids were quantified by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The associations between carotenoid concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed using regression models adapted for interval-censored variables. Carotenoid concentrations were cross-sectionally inversely associated with serum triglyceride concentrations [-2.79 mg/dl (95% CI: -4.25, -1.34) and -5.15 mg/dl (95% CI: -7.38, -2.93), p-values = 0.0002 and <0.00001 in women and men, respectively], lower levels of plasma saturated fatty acids [-0.09% (95% CI: -0.14, -0.03) and -0.15 % (95% CI: -0.23, -0.08), p-values = 0.001 and 0.0001 in women and men, respectively], and higher levels of plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids [(0.12 % (95% CI: -0.01, 0.25) and 0.39 % (95% CI: 0.19, 0.59), p-values = 0.065 and 0.0001 in women and men, respectively] in the whole population. Plasma carotenoid concentrations were also associated with higher plasma HDL-cholesterol in women [0.47 mg/dl (95% CI: 0.23, 0.72), p-value: 0.0002], and lower fasting plasma glucose in men [-1.35 mg/dl (95% CI: -2.12, -0.59), p-value: 0.001].Peer ReviewedArticle signat per 51 autors/es: María Marhuenda-Muñoz, Inés Domínguez-López, Klaus Langohr, Anna Tresserra-Rimbau, Miguel Ángel Martínez González1,4, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Dolores Corella, María Dolores Zomeño, J. Alfredo Martínez, Angel M. Alonso-Gómez, Julia Wärnberg, Jesús Vioque, Dora Romaguera, José López-Miranda, Ramón Estruch, Francisco J. Tinahones, José Lapetra, Ll. Serra-Majem, Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas, Josep A. Tur, Vicente Martín-Sánchez, Xavier Pintó, Miguel Delgado-Rodríguez, Pilar Matía-Martín, Josep Vidal, Clotilde Vázquez, Lidia Daimiel, Emilio Ros, Estefanía Toledo, María Fernández de la Puente Cervera, Rocío Barragán, Montse Fitó, Lucas Tojal-Sierra, Enrique Gómez-Gracia, Juan Manuel Zazo, Marga Morey, Antonio García-Ríos, Rosa Casas, Ana M. Gómez-Pérez, José Manuel Santos-Lozano, Zenaida Vázquez-Ruiz, Alessandro Atzeni, Eva M. Asensio, M. Mar Gili-Riu, Vanessa Bullon, Anai Moreno-Rodriguez, Oscar Lecea, Nancy Babio, Francesca Peñas Lopez, Guadalupe Gómez Melis and Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós.Postprint (published version

    The Impact of Culturing the Organ Preservation Fluid on Solid Organ Transplantation: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study

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    Background. We analyzed the prevalence, etiology, and risk factors of culture-positive preservation fluid and their impact on the management of solid organ transplant recipients. Methods. From July 2015 to March 2017, 622 episodes of adult solid organ transplants at 7 university hospitals in Spain were prospectively included in the study. Results. The prevalence of culture-positive preservation fluid was 62.5% (389/622). Nevertheless, in only 25.2% (98/389) of the cases were the isolates considered ?high risk? for pathogenicity. After applying a multivariate regression analysis, advanced donor age was the main associated factor for having culture-positive preservation fluid for high-risk microorganisms. Preemptive antibiotic therapy was given to 19.8% (77/389) of the cases. The incidence rate of preservation fluid?related infection was 1.3% (5 recipients); none of these patients had received preemptive therapy. Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients with high-risk culture-positive preservation fluid receiving preemptive antibiotic therapy presented both a lower cumulative incidence of infection and a lower rate of acute rejection and graft loss compared with those who did not have high-risk culture-positive preservation fluid. After adjusting for age, sex, type of transplant, and prior graft rejection, preemptive antibiotic therapy remained a significant protective factor for 90-day infection. Conclusions. The routine culture of preservation fluid may be considered a tool that provides information about the contamination of the transplanted organ. Preemptive therapy for SOT recipients with high-risk culture-positive preservation fluid may be useful to avoid preservation fluid?related infections and improve the outcomes of infection, graft loss, and graft rejection in transplant patients

    Human Endometrial CD98 Is Essential for Blastocyst Adhesion

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    BACKGROUND: Understanding the molecular basis of embryonic implantation is of great clinical and biological relevance. Little is currently known about the adhesion receptors that determine endometrial receptivity for embryonic implantation in humans. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using two human endometrial cell lines characterized by low and high receptivity, we identified the membrane receptor CD98 as a novel molecule selectively and significantly associated with the receptive phenotype. In human endometrial samples, CD98 was the only molecule studied whose expression was restricted to the implantation window in human endometrial tissue. CD98 expression was restricted to the apical surface and included in tetraspanin-enriched microdomains of primary endometrial epithelial cells, as demonstrated by the biochemical association between CD98 and tetraspanin CD9. CD98 expression was induced in vitro by treatment of primary endometrial epithelial cells with human chorionic gonadotropin, 17-β-estradiol, LIF or EGF. Endometrial overexpression of CD98 or tetraspanin CD9 greatly enhanced mouse blastocyst adhesion, while their siRNA-mediated depletion reduced the blastocyst adhesion rate. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that CD98, a component of tetraspanin-enriched microdomains, appears to be an important determinant of human endometrial receptivity during the implantation window
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