225 research outputs found

    One Health Approach: Invasive California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) as an Important Source of Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant Salmonella Clones on Gran Canaria Island

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    The increase in the reptile population has led to a rise in the number of zoonotic infections due to close contact with reptiles, with reptile-associated salmonellosis being particularly relevant. California kingsnake invasion not only threatens the endemic reptile population of the island of Gran Canaria (Spain) but also poses serious public health problems by spreading zoonotic pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the environment. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the occurrence, genetic diversity, and AMR among Salmonella spp. strains isolated from California kingsnakes in Gran Canaria Island (Spain). Of 73 invasive individuals captured, 20.5% carried Salmonella spp., belonging to different subspecies and serovars, with subsp. salamae as the most abundant. Pulsed-field electrophoresis showed high genetic diversity among subsp. salamae isolates, and among these, 73.3% showed resistance to at least one of the antimicrobials tested. In conclusion, the present study revealed the importance of wild invasive California kingsnakes as reservoirs of drug-resistant Salmonella spp. that could pose a direct threat to livestock and humans. Identification of drug-resistant Salmonella strains in wildlife provides valuable information on potential routes of transmission that involve risks to public and animal health.This study was supported by the project “POSTLIFE+ Lampropeltis para el control de la culebra real de California en Gran Canaria (LIFE10/NAT/ES/656)” financed by the Government of Canary Islands, Cabildo of Gran Canaria and Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU (IDOC 19/15, and INDI 20-21, INDI 22-34).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    The Raman Laser Spectrometer for the ExoMars Rover Mission to Mars

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    The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) on board the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars 2020 mission will provide precise identification of the mineral phases and the possibility to detect organics on the Red Planet. The RLS will work on the powdered samples prepared inside the Pasteur analytical suite and collected on the surface and subsurface by a drill system. Raman spectroscopy is a well-known analytical technique based on the inelastic scattering by matter of incident monochromatic light (the Raman effect) that has many applications in laboratory and industry, yet to be used in space applications. Raman spectrometers will be included in two Mars rovers scheduled to be launched in 2020. The Raman instrument for ExoMars 2020 consists of three main units: (1) a transmission spectrograph coupled to a CCD detector; (2) an electronics box, including the excitation laser that controls the instrument functions; and (3) an optical head with an autofocus mechanism illuminating and collecting the scattered light from the spot under investigation. The optical head is connected to the excitation laser and the spectrometer by optical fibers. The instrument also has two targets positioned inside the rover analytical laboratory for onboard Raman spectral calibration. The aim of this article was to present a detailed description of the RLS instrument, including its operation on Mars. To verify RLS operation before launch and to prepare science scenarios for the mission, a simulator of the sample analysis chain has been developed by the team. The results obtained are also discussed. Finally, the potential of the Raman instrument for use in field conditions is addressed. By using a ruggedized prototype, also developed by our team, a wide range of terrestrial analog sites across the world have been studied. These investigations allowed preparing a large collection of real, in situ spectra of samples from different geological processes and periods of Earth evolution. On this basis, we are working to develop models for interpreting analog processes on Mars during the mission. Key Words: Raman spectroscopy—ExoMars mission—Instruments and techniques—Planetary sciences—Mars mineralogy and geochemistry—Search for life on Mars. Astrobiology 17, 627–65

    The Caldera. No. 26

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    “La PALABRA tiene PODER”, más allá del lema que nos convocó en la décima versión del Concurso Inter colegiado de Oratoria, que en el marco de ULIBRO 2023, se llevó a cabo en NEOMUNDO, el 1 de septiembre pasado, esta frase es una profunda convicción que ha movido al Área de Lengua Castellana del Instituto Caldas, a propiciar y mantener este espacio en el que nuestros estudiantes son los protagonistas. Este año, al tratarse de una celebración especial, quisimos que el tema fundamental fuera el inmenso PODER que tiene la PALABRA; la palabra que construye, que transforma, que edifica, que fortalece, que acompaña, que “abriga”, a diario, al ser humano; en un mundo en el que se debe volver a entender y vivenciar, en el hogar, en la escuela, en la sociedad, el poder transformador de vocablos tan importantes como lo son: “Familia, Educación, Vida, Diversidad, Respeto, Literatura, Escritura, Creatividad, Lectura, Inclusión, Paz, Igualdad Social, Democracia, Ciudadanía y Diálogo”, la palabra cobró fuerza en las voces de nuestros educandos; de esta manera, analizar estos temas tiene que ver necesariamente con los “Futuros posibles”, que planteó la Gran Feria del Libro, ULIBRO, en su vigésima primera versión, para que sigamos trabajando por una sociedad mejor, razón de ser de todas las instituciones educativas del mundo entero.“The WORD has POWER”, beyond the motto that summoned us in the tenth version of the Intercollegiate Oratory Contest, which within the framework of ULIBRO 2023, was held in NEOMUNDO, last September 1, this phrase is a deep conviction that has moved the Spanish Language Area of ​​the Caldas Institute to promote and maintain this space in which our students are the protagonists. This year, as it is a special celebration, we wanted the fundamental theme to be the immense POWER that the WORD has; the word that builds, that transforms, that edifies, that strengthens, that accompanies, that “shelters”, daily, the human being; in a world in which we must understand and experience again, at home, at school, in society, the transformative power of words as important as: “Family, Education, Life, Diversity, Respect, Literature, Writing, Creativity, Reading, Inclusion, Peace, Social Equality, Democracy, Citizenship and Dialogue”, the word gained strength in the voices of our students; In this way, analyzing these issues necessarily has to do with the “Possible Futures”, which the Great Book Fair, ULIBRO, proposed in its twenty-first version, so that we continue working for a better society, the reason for being of all institutions. . educational institutions around the world.Modalidad Presencia

    CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

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    Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

    INNOVA Research Journal

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    la Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (Sede Loja) en conjunto con la Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco, desde agosto de 2015, vienen desarrollando actividades de cuidado del tapir de montaña (Tapirus pinchaque) y los hábitats en los que se desarrolla en Los Andes del sur de Ecuador, en ambientes de bosque nublado y páramos de la Reserva Biológica Tapichalaca y zonas colindantes. Para ello se propuso la realización del presente proyecto que busca establecer un sistema de monitoreo e investigación de esta especie bandera con fines ecoturísticos, así como también para apoyar la capacitación en educación ambiental; mediante un diagnóstico preliminar y la implementación de un sistema de investigación y monitoreo de los especímenes mediante cámaras trampa y observación directa, con el fin de generar datos poblacionales e imágenes de esta especie en su hábitat natural e identificar los sitios más idóneos para observar estos animales en actividades de ecoturismo; se busca además crear cartillas y cuentos didácticos que describan los principales aspectos ecológicos del tapir de montaña, sin descuidar el desarrollo de propuestas de conservación, acordes con los objetivos del milenio, las metas estratégicas de los gobiernos autónomos descentralizados parroquiales y provinciales locales y los Planes de Manejo de los Parques Nacionales Podocarpus y Yacuri

    Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

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    Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

    Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

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    Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe
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