Identification of COVID-19 patients at risk of hospital admission and mortality: a European multicentre retrospective analysis of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin

Background: Mid-Regional pro-Adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is an inflammatory biomarker that improves the prognostic assessment of patients with sepsis, septic shock and organ failure. Previous studies of MR-proADM have primarily focussed on bacterial infections. A limited number of small and monocentric studies have examined MR-proADM as a prognostic factor in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, however there is need for multicenter validation. An evaluation of its utility in predicting need for hospitalisation in viral infections was also performed. Methods: An observational retrospective analysis of 1861 patients, with SARS-CoV-2 confirmed by RT-qPCR, from 10 hospitals across Europe was performed. Biomarkers, taken upon presentation to Emergency Departments (ED), clinical scores, patient demographics and outcomes were collected. Multiclass random forest classifier models were generated as well as calculation of area under the curve analysis. The primary endpoint was hospital admission with and without death. Results: Patients suitable for safe discharge from Emergency Departments could be identified through an MR-proADM value of ≤ 1.02 nmol/L in combination with a CRP (C-Reactive Protein) of ≤ 20.2 mg/L and age ≤ 64, or in combination with a SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score < 2 if MR-proADM was ≤ 0.83 nmol/L regardless of age. Those at an increased risk of mortality could be identified upon presentation to secondary care with an MR-proADM value of > 0.85 nmol/L, in combination with a SOFA score ≥ 2 and LDH > 720 U/L, or in combination with a CRP > 29.26 mg/L and age ≤ 64, when MR-proADM was > 1.02 nmol/L. Conclusions: This international study suggests that for patients presenting to the ED with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, MR-proADM in combination with age and CRP or with the patient’s SOFA score could identify patients at low risk where outpatient treatment may be safe

Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous inherited human disorder displaying a pleotropic phenotype. Many of the symptoms characterized in the human disease have been reproduced in animal models carrying deletions or knock-in mutations of genes causal for the disorder. Thinning of the cerebral cortex, enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles, and structural changes in cilia are among the pathologies documented in these animal models. Ciliopathy is of particular interest in light of recent studies that have implicated primary neuronal cilia (PNC) in neuronal signal transduction. In the present investigation, we tested the hypothesis that areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory formation would differentially exhibit PNC abnormalities in animals carrying a deletion of the Bbs4 gene (Bbs4-/-). Immunohistochemical localization of adenylyl cyclase-III (ACIII), a marker restricted to PNC, revealed dramatic alterations in PNC morphology and a statistically significant reduction in number of immunopositive cilia in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates. Western blot analysis confirmed the decrease of ACIII levels in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice, and electron microscopy demonstrated pathological alterations of PNC in the hippocampus and amygdala. Importantly, no neuronal loss was found within the subregions of amygdala and hippocampus sampled in Bbs4-/- mice and there were no statistically significant alterations of ACIII immunopositive cilia in other areas of the brain not known to contribute to the BBS phenotype. Considered with data documenting a role of cilia in signal transduction these findings support the conclusion that alterations in cilia structure or neurochemical phenotypes may contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in the Bbs4-/- mouse mode. © 2014 Agassandian et al

Quality and yield of the Cucumis sativus var. Jawell crop under two pest control systems in the Sonoran desert, Mexico

Abstract: Objective: Compare in cucumber cultivation a commercial pest control program vs a biological pest control program evaluating quality and production parameters. Design/methodology/approach: The study was carried out in glass greenhouses classified as high technology, under a cooling system consisting of wet walls and extractors, heating that works by irradiation, automated irrigation. Two treatments were evaluated: biological control of pests in area A and the second, a commercial control program in area B, both in Persian cucumber (Cucumis sativus) of the Jawell variety. Each area of 160 m², in separate areas. One plant was considered as an experimental unit, the total of experimental units were 41, 600 plants for each area, 80 grooves were considered within each area with a length of 100 meters with 52 pillows of coconut fiber, whose pillows contain five cubes of rockwool with a plant two heads each cube, giving a total of 10 plants per pillow and 520 plants per groove. The average planting density was 3.42 plants / m². The biological control program consisted of releasing the mite (Amblyseius swirskii) for the control of thrips; the release of the wasp (Aphidius colemani) for aphid control; mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) and (Amblyseius californicus) for the control of red spider mites and the application of the entomopathogenic nematode (Steinernema fetiae). The commercial-chemical control was in accordance with COFEPRIS (2019). The chemical products Actara (Thiametoxam), Beleaf (Flonicamid), Confidor 350 sc (Imidacloprid), Plenum 50 gs (Pymetrozine) and Talstar 100 CE (Biphentrine) were applied to control aphids. Tracer (Spinosad), Exalt (Spinetoram) and Beleaf (Flonicamid) for thrips control. Agirmec (Abamectina) and Talstar (Bifentrina) for the control of red spider, and finally Trigard (Cyromazina) for the control of fungus gnat larvae. The evaluated variables were fruit quality, total production and incidence of pests. A completely randomized experimental design was applied. To analyze the total number of boxes produced, the statistical T-Student test was used for normal data between two independent samples and the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the variables weight quality and weight loss with the data obtained, with a level of significance of P³0.05 to determine differences. A correlation (r) was made between the incidence of thrips (Thrips tabaci) and the incidence of the biological control Amblyseius swirskii, to compare the biological control (A) and the commercial control (B). Results: The results show that the production method using a biological pest control system was just as efficient as the chemical control program, in variables such as fruit weight, number of quality cucumber boxes obtained and incidence of pests. and its biological control. Limitations on study/implications: It is important to carry out further studies under open-air conditions where biotic and abiotic factors are different and in other regions, in addition to testing other registered biological products. Findings/conclusions: Biological and chemical control are complementary, an integrated control would help to slowly adapt a company for a subsequent application of only biological pest control, facilitating regularization and certification procedures involving the use of chemicals. In this biological control program, a more continuous and distributed release of A. swirskii is proposed during the weeks of cultivation, which will maintain more uniform and constant populations, this to avoid development of high populations of thrips and allow better control of this plague. It is necessary to evaluate both control programs during the spring-summer season to be able to compare the efficiency of these for each season and annually.Objective: To compare a commercial pest control program vs a biological pest control program in cucumber (Cucumis sativus var. Jawell) cultivation, evaluating quality and production standards.Design/methodology/approach: The study was carried out in high-tech glass greenhouses, under a cooling system with damp walls and extractors, heating by irradiation, and automated irrigation. Two treatments were evaluated: biologicalpest control in area A and a commercial control program in area B, both in Persian cucumber (Cucumis sativus) of the Jawell variety; each area of 160 m2, separately, and 41,600 plants for each area. For biological control, the mite (Amblyseiusswirskii) was released for the control of thrips; the wasp (Aphidius colemani) was released for aphid control; the mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) and (Amblyseius californicus) for red spider control and application of the entomopathogenicnematode (Steinernema fetiae). The chemical control was in accordance with COFEPRIS (2019). The variables werefruit quality total production and incidence of pests in a completely randomized experimental design, and the t-student statistical test and Mann-Whitney test were done for the variables weight quality and loss (P?0.05). A correlation was made between the incidence of thrips (Thrips tabaci) and the incidence of biological control.Results: The biological control method was just as efficient as the chemical control method, in variables such as fruit weight, number of boxes obtained of quality cucumber, and incidence of pests and their biological control.Study limitations/implications: It is important to perform more studies under field conditions where biotic and abiotic factors are different and in other regions, in addition to testing other registered biological products.Findings/conclusions: Biological and chemical control are complementary, an integrated control would help to slowly adapt a company for a subsequent application of biological control, easing regularization and certification procedures thatinvolve the use of chemicals. A more continuous release of A. swirskii is proposed and distributed during the cultivation weeks

Candelilla Wax Extracted by Traditional Method and an Ecofriendly Process: Assessment of Its Chemical, Structural and Thermal Properties

A comparative study was carried out on the chemical, structural and thermal properties of candelilla wax from four wax-producing communities in Mexico, which was obtained by two extraction processes, the conventional one using sulfuric acid (SA) and an eco-friendly alternative process using citric acid (CA) as the extracting agent. The waxes were analyzed by basic chemistry (acidity, saponification, ester indexes, and others), color, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman micro-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and hardness and brittleness measurements. The waxes obtained by the environmentally friendly process showed differences in their physicochemical properties when compared to waxes from the conventional process. In addition, they showed some improvements, such as lighter shades and harder waxes, suggesting that the new environmentally friendly process is a viable option

Developmental disruptions underlying brain abnormalities in ciliopathies

Primary cilia are essential conveyors of signals underlying major cell functions. Cerebral cortical progenitors and neurons have a primary cilium. The significance of cilia function for brain development and function is evident in the plethora of developmental brain disorders associated with human ciliopathies. Nevertheless, the role of primary cilia function in corticogenesis remains largely unknown. Here we delineate the functions of primary cilia in the construction of cerebral cortex and their relevance to ciliopathies, using an shRNA library targeting ciliopathy genes known to cause brain disorders, but whose roles in brain development are unclear. We used the library to query how ciliopathy genes affect distinct stages of mouse cortical development, in particular neural progenitor development, neuronal migration, neuronal differentiation and early neuronal connectivity. Our results define the developmental functions of ciliopathy genes and delineate disrupted developmental events that are integrally related to the emergence of brain abnormalities in ciliopathies