MOPREDAS_century database and precipitation trends in mainland Spain, 1916–2020

Due to its geographical location in the western Mediterranean region, the Iberian Peninsula involves a challenge for current climatic conditions and future projections. In this study we analysed monthly precipitation trends over mainland Spain from 1916 to 2020 by using the new MOPREDAS_century database. This database combines information from the Spanish Meteorological Agency's archives, as well as data retrieved from Annual Summaries between 1916 and 1950. A combination of both sources produced the largest amount of original information ever collected and researched in mainland Spain between 1916 and 2020

Molecular Characteristics of Extraintestinal Pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), and Multidrug Resistant E. coli Isolated from Healthy Dogs in Spain. Whole Genome Sequencing of Canine ST372 Isolates and Comparison with Human Isolates Causing Extraintestinal Infections

Under a one health perspective and the worldwide antimicrobial resistance concern, we investigated extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC), uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), and multidrug resistant (MDR) E. coli from 197 isolates recovered from healthy dogs in Spain between 2013 and 2017. A total of 91 (46.2%) isolates were molecularly classified as ExPEC and/or UPEC, including 50 clones, among which (i) four clones were dominant (B2-CH14-180-ST127, B2-CH52-14-ST141, B2-CH103-9-ST372 and F-CH4-58-ST648) and (ii) 15 had been identified among isolates causing extraintestinal infections in Spanish and French humans in 2015 and 2016. A total of 28 (14.2%) isolates were classified as MDR, associated with B1, D, and E phylogroups, and included 24 clones, of which eight had also been identified among the human clinical isolates. We selected 23 ST372 strains, 21 from healthy dogs, and two from human clinical isolates for whole genome sequencing and built an SNP-tree with these 23 genomes and 174 genomes (128 from canine strains and 46 from human strains) obtained from public databases. These 197 genomes were segregated into six clusters. Cluster 1 comprised 74.6% of the strain genomes, mostly composed of canine strain genomes (p < 0.00001). Clusters 4 and 6 also included canine strain genomes, while clusters 2, 3, and 5 were significantly associated with human strain genomes. Finding several common clones and clone-related serotypes in dogs and humans suggests a potentially bidirectional clone transfer that argues for the one health perspective

High Energy Cosmic Rays from Neutrinos

We discuss recent models in which neutrinos, which are assumed to have mass in the eV range, originate the highest energy cosmic rays by interaction with the enhanced density in the galactic halo of the relic cosmic neutrino background. We make an analytical calculation of the required neutrino fluxes to show that the parameter space for these models is constrained by horizontal air shower searches and by the total number of background neutrinos, so that only models which have fairly unnatural halo sizes and enhanced densities are allowed.Comment: 14 pages, 3 ps figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

A brainstem to hypothalamic arcuate nucleus GABAergic circuit drives feeding

Open Access via the Elsevier Open Access Agreement. We gratefully acknowledge Dr F. Naneix for advice on optogenetics and editorial advice, and staff within the University of Aberdeen Medical Research Facility and the Microscopy Facility for their technical assistance. This work was supported by the ERC (MSCA-IF-NeuroEE-660219) to PBM, Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (204815/Z/16/Z) to PBM and LKH, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/V010557/1) to JAG and (BB/V016849/1) to LKH and SS. GKCD is funded by a BBSRC CASE 4-year PhD studentship, co-funded by Novo Nordisk. GSHY is funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00014/1).Peer reviewe

Prediction of adverse neonatal outcome at admission for early-onset preeclampsia with severe features

Preeclampsia remains the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Consequently, research has focused on validating tools to predict maternal outcomes regarding clinical and biochemical features from the maternal compartment. However, preeclampsia also leads to neonatal complications due to placental insufficiency and prematurity, being the early-onset type associated with the poorest outcome. Hence, it is imperative to study whether these existing tools can predict adverse neonatal outcome.To assess the predictive value for adverse neonatal outcome of Doppler ultrasound, angiogenic factors and multi-parametric risk-score models in women with early-onset severe preeclampsia.This is a prospective cohort study of consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated by early-onset (developed before 34 week's gestation) severe preeclampsia.63 women with early-onset severe preeclampsia, 18 (28.6%) presented an adverse neonatal outcome. Placental growth factor (PlGF) showed the best discrimination between neonatal outcomes among angiogenic factors. PREP-L score is a multi-parametric risk-score for the prediction of complications in early-onset preeclampsia which includes maternal characteristics and clinical and analytical data obtained at admission. Good predictive values for the prediction of neonatal complications were found with the combination of PREP-L score with advanced Doppler (AUC ROC 0.9 95% CI 0.82-0.98]) and with PlGF levels (AUC ROC 0.91 [95% CI 0.84-0.98]).The combination of maternal risk scoring (PREP-L score) with angiogenic factors or fetal Doppler ultrasound at the time of diagnosis of early-onset preeclampsia with severe features performs well in predicting adverse neonatal outcome.Copyright © 2023 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Studying the dosage-dependent influence of hydrophobic alkoxysilane/siloxane admixtures on the performance of repair micromortars

Cracks sealing in deteriorated concrete often requires the use of repair mortars of compatible composition, good adhesion to the substrate and free of shrinkage. Even where repair mortars properly bond to the substrate, that interface affords a preferred pathway for water ingress. Hydrophobic repair micromortars designed to seal cracks via injection might be one way to solve that problem. This article analyses the effect of adding three hydrophobic products (generic labelled as UCA-TP) comprising silica oligomers, n-octylamine (a surfactant) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in different proportions (10 wt% of PDMS :UCA-TP10, 28 wt% of PDMS: UCA-TP28 and 56 wt% of PDMS: UCA-TP56) to a fresh repair micromortar. The incorporation of UCA-TP products hastened the early hydration kinetics of repair micromortars, and, at the same time, after 7 days of hydration, declined the total heat released (the higher is the content of UCA-TP product and its proportion of PDMS the lower is the heat of hydration. The inclusion of the hydrophobic products substantially modified the repair micomortar wetting and water transport properties, by inducing a hydrophobic behavior (contact angle >100 degrees) and decreasing water absorption by >60%. Although adding those products to the repair micromortars increased porosity and lowered mechanical performance, 28 d compressive strength was consistently >50 MPa, a value that compared well to the original substrate. Simulated cracks were very effectively sealed by the repair micromortars

High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risk of micronutrient inadequacy in children: The SENDO project

Due to its rising prevalence, which parallels that of ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption, inadequate micronutrient intake in childhood is a public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the association between UPF consumption and inadequate intake of 20 micronutrients in a sample of children from the Mediterranean area. Cross-sectional information from participants in the “Seguimiento del Niño para un Desarrollo Óptimo” (SENDO) project 2015–2021 was used. Dietary information was gathered with a previously validated 147-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and the NOVA system was used to classify food items. Children were classifed by tertiles of energy intake from UPF. Twenty micronutrients were evaluated, and inadequate intake was defned using the estimated average requirement as a cutof. Crude and multivariable adjusted OR (95% CI) for the inadequacy of≥3 micronutrients associated with UPF consumption were calculated ftting hierarchical models to take into account intra-cluster correlation between siblings. Analyses were adjusted for individual and family confounders. This study included 806 participants (51% boys) with a mean age of 5 years old (SD: 0.90) and an average energy intake from UPF of 37.64% (SD: 9.59). An inverse association between UPF consumption and the intake of 15 out of the 20 micronutrients evaluated was found (p<0.01). After the adjustment for individual and family confounders, compared with children in the frst tertile of UPF consumption, those in the third tertile showed higher odds of inadequate intake of≥3 micronutrients (OR 2.57; 95%CI [1.51–4.40]). Conclusion: High UPF consumption is associated with increased odds of inadequate intake of micronutrients in childhood