Host virus and pneumococcus-specific immune responses in high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and chronic lymphocytic leukemia: implications for disease progression

[EN]Patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) display a high incidence of infections due to an associated immunodeficiency that includes hypogammaglobulinemia. A higher risk of infections has also been recently reported for high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, while no information is available in low-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. Here, we evaluated the status of the humoral immune system in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n=58), as well as in low- (n=71) and high- (n=29) count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis versus healthy donors (n=91). Total free plasma immunoglobulin titers and specific levels of antibodies against cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, influenza and S.pneumoniae were measured by nephelometry and ELISA-based techniques, respectively. Overall, our results show that both CLL and high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis patients, but not low-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis subjects, present with relatively high levels of antibodies specific for the latent viruses investigated, associated with progressively lower levels of S.pneumoniae-specific immunoglobulins

Desarrollo de herramientas para el aprendizaje interactivo y experimental del Electromagnetismo en el aula

Depto. de Física de MaterialesFac. de Ciencias FísicasFALSEsubmitte

El fenómeno del dopaje desde la perspectiva de las ciencias sociales. V.2

El volumen recoge una selección de las comunicaciones presentadas al 5º Congreso Internacional "Deporte, Dopaje y Sociedad", organizado conjuntamente por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid y por la Agencia Española de Protección de la Salud en el Deporte (AEPSAD)

IL-6 serum levels predict severity and response to tocilizumab in COVID-19: An observational study

Background: Patients with coronavirus disaese 2019 (COVID-19) can develop a cytokine release syndrome that eventually leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Because IL-6 is a relevant cytokine in acute respiratory distress syndrome, the blockade of its receptor with tocilizumab (TCZ) could reduce mortality and/or morbidity in severe COVID-19. Objective: We sought to determine whether baseline IL-6 serum levels can predict the need for IMV and the response to TCZ. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed in hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Clinical information and laboratory findings, including IL-6 levels, were collected approximately 3 and 9 days after admission to be matched with preadministration and postadministration of TCZ. Multivariable logistic and linear regressions and survival analysis were performed depending on outcomes: need for IMV, evolution of arterial oxygen tension/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio, or mortality. Results: One hundred forty-six patients were studied, predominantly males (66%); median age was 63 years. Forty-four patients (30%) required IMV, and 58 patients (40%) received treatment with TCZ. IL-6 levels greater than 30 pg/mL was the best predictor for IMV (odds ratio, 7.1; P < .001). Early administration of TCZ was associated with improvement in oxygenation (arterial oxygen tension/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio) in patients with high IL-6 (P = .048). Patients with high IL-6 not treated with TCZ showed high mortality (hazard ratio, 4.6; P = .003), as well as those with low IL-6 treated with TCZ (hazard ratio, 3.6; P = .016). No relevant serious adverse events were observed in TCZ-treated patients. Conclusions: Baseline IL-6 greater than 30 pg/mL predicts IMV requirement in patients with COVID-19 and contributes to establish an adequate indication for TCZ administrationThis study was funded by Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant nos. RD16/0011/0012 and PI18/ 0371 to I.G.A., grant no. PI19/00549 to A.A., and grant no. SAF2017-82886-R to F.S.-M.) and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The study was also funded by ‘‘La Caixa Banking Foundation’’ (grant no. HR17-00016 to F.S.-M.) and ‘‘Fondos Supera COVID19’’ by Banco de Santander and CRUE. None of these sponsors have had any role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publicatio

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Variación estacional del estado fisiológico de una dehesa de alcornoque en el suroeste de España (Hinojos, Huelva)

La evolucion estacional del estado fisiologico de un alcornocal viene determinada por diferentes factores ecologicos, y afecta a las pautas de crecimiento de la especie. En este estudio se han medido el potencial hidrico, fotosintesis, transpiracion y fluorescencia de la clorofila de hojas en cuatro alcornoques durante un ano. Existen dos periodos criticos, el primero el final del periodo seco donde el potencial desciende de .3MPa y la fotosintesis a 0.781 micro mol CO2 m-2.s-1 y otro, que se situa en periodo de cambio de la hoja, entre los meses de marzo y mayo, en el que, a pesar de haber una buena disponibilidad de agua en el suelo, la fotosintesis es escasa (3.96 micro mol CO2 m-2.s-1) porque no se ha completado la formacion de las nuevas hojas

Highly Bi-doped electrodeposited Cu nanowires for spintronics applications

Bi-doped Cu alloys are promising materials in the field of Spintronics due to the possibility of having efficient charge to spin conversion via spin Hall effect. To explore this effect, in particular at the nanoscale, it is essential to have a growth method that allows the control of crystal quality, cluster formation and microstructure. In this paper, we demonstrate that electrochemical deposition is a suitable method for the synthesis of these nanomaterials. We report the growth, by template assisted electrodeposition, of high quality, homogeneous nanowires of a diluted alloy of Bi dispersed into a Cu matrix, in which Bi concentration can be easily varied by tuning electrolyte composition. Structural analysis shows that Bi does not cluster but incorporate into the Cu matrix. The short-range order is nevertheless affected by the deposition potential. Cu is basically metallic, and Cu–Cu nearest-neighbor distances are those of bulk Cu, so Bi enters into the Cu structure substitutionally. Using low overpotential, we demonstrate the possibility of growing single crystal nanowires.This work has been partially funded by MAT2017-87072-C4-2-P and RTI2018-097895-B-C43 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MINECO-FEDER). We acknowledge The European Synchrotron (ESRF), MINECO and CSIC for provision of synchrotron radiation facilities, BM25-SpLine staff for the technical support beyond their duties and the financial support for the beamline (PIE-2010-OE-013-200014). We thank the CAI de Difracción de Rayos X, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, for XRD measurements. Electron microscopy observations were carried out at the Centro Nacional de Microscopía Electrónica node of the ICTS-ELECMI. A.S. acknowledges financial support from Comunidad de Madrid for an Atracción de Talento Investigador Contract (2017-t2/IND5395).Peer reviewe