Optimal experimental design for cytogenetic dose-response calibration curves

Purpose: To introduce optimal experimental design techniques in the cytogenetic biological dosimetry practice. This includes the development of a new optimatility criterion for the calibration of radiation doses. Materials and Methods: The most typical optimal design criterion and the one developed in this research are introduced and applied in an example from the litera- ture. In another example from the literature, a simulation study has been performed to compare the standard error of the dose estimation using di erent experimental designs. An RStudio project and a GitHub project have been developed to repro- duce these results. Results: It is appreciated how the application of optimal experimental design tech- niques can reduce the standard error of biodosimetric dose estimations. Conclusions: Optimal experimental design techniques jointly with practitioners re- quirements may be applied. This practice would not involve an additional laboratory work

Applicability of wild mushrooms to monitor environmental contamination of europium in Leicester, England

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although the current levels of europium (Eu) in topsoils monitored across Leicestershire (UK) did not represent an oral/dermal toxic risk for the population, wild mushrooms were collected in the same areas to gain a better picture of its environmental distribution and risks. METHOD: 106 mushrooms were collected from Leicester city and Bradgate Park, and species were identified by DNA barcoding. Eu was monitored by ICP-MS in cleaned/dried/homogenised mushrooms [LoD=0.00056 µg/g dry weight (dw)] and in 850 topsoils collected in these areas. RESULTS: Eu concentrations were higher in mushrooms collected in urban areas, although without significance (median and ranges, in µg/g dw): 0.0016 (0.0004-0.2891) vs. 0.0013 (0.00036-0.0529), which might be attributed to fertilisers. However, levels of Eu varied between mushrooms collected across the four cardinal subareas in which the city was divided (p-value=7E-9), which might indicate differences in urbanisation, as Eu is used in flat screen displays and optical fibres. Although a correlation between the content of Eu in mushrooms and their respective topsoil/subareas was not found, a similar distribution was found. Thus, significantly higher median concentrations of Eu were found in the NE (0.0047, 0.8110) and lower in the NW (0.00087, 0.5960), in mushrooms and topsoils (all in µg/g dw and µg/g, respectively). Moreover, Eu significantly varied between the three main mushroom species collected (ranges, in µg/g dw; p-value=7E-15): Agaricus bitorquis (edible; 0.00079-0.00706), Panaeolus foenisecii (poisonous; 0.00104-0.17146) and Mycena citrinomarginata (unclassified; 0.00123-0.07117). Moreover, Eu was only detected in 54.5% of the A. bitorquis samples, although detected in all the other main species collected. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of Eu found were similar/lower than those reported in other major monitoring studies performed in other European countries, suggesting that the environmental presence of Eu would represent a minimal risk for Leicestershires population, including those individuals that pick up wild mushrooms for consumption

Aprovechamiento energético de residuos industriales de alta carga orgánica mediante codigestión anaerobia

El desarrollo de nueva y más estricta legislación en materia de tratamiento de residuos, hace necesaria la utilización y mejora de tecnologías no convencionales que eviten los problemas ambientales asociados a las técnicas de gestión tradicionales, tales como la deposición en vertedero. Los residuos agroindustriales presentan, en la mayoría de los casos, una elevada carga orgánica, provocando impactos ambientales. En el presente estudio se valora el aprovechamiento energético de los residuos de lactosuero, aguas glicerosas y lixiviado de vertedero, como cosustratos en el proceso de codigestión anaerobia, pudiendo ser esta, una alternativa de tratamiento, gestión y valorización de estos residuos y con el biogás producido, generar energía eléctrica, siendo otra fuente de energía renovable. El comportamiento de cada uno de los sustratos de trabajo han sido estudiados mediante ensayos de Biochemical Methane Potential, siendo una herramienta factible para el estudio de la biodegradabilidad o viabilidad del sustrato, adaptabilidad de los consorcios microbianos y la especialización de dichos consorcios a cada uno de los residuos de estudio en codigestión anaerobia. Se emplea el fango mixto como sustrato de referencia debido a su viabilidad en los procesos de digestión anaerobia.Plan Propio de la Universidad de Sevilla Proyecto: 2017/0000096

Whole-Blood Mitochondrial DNA Copies Are Associated With the Prognosis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome After Sepsis.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34557198/#:~:text=Resumen-,El%20s%C3%ADndrome%20de%20dificultad%20respiratoria%20aguda%20(SDRA)%20es%20un%20proceso,v%C3%ADnculos%20mec%C3%A1nicos%20de%20esta%20observaci%C3%B3n%20con%20la%20patogenia%20del%20SDRA.,-Palabras%20clave%3A%20SDR

Determinants of Kidney Failure in Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1:Findings of the European Hyperoxaluria Consortium

INTRODUCTION: Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) has a highly heterogeneous disease course. Apart from the c.508G&gt;A (p.Gly170Arg) AGXT variant, which imparts a relatively favorable outcome, little is known about determinants of kidney failure. Identifying these is crucial for disease management, especially in this era of new therapies. METHODS: In this retrospective study of 932 patients with PH1 included in the OxalEurope registry, we analyzed genotype-phenotype correlations as well as the impact of nephrocalcinosis, urolithiasis, and urinary oxalate and glycolate excretion on the development of kidney failure, using survival and mixed model analyses.RESULTS: The risk of developing kidney failure was the highest for 175 vitamin-B6 unresponsive ("null") homozygotes and lowest for 155 patients with c.508G&gt;A and c.454T&gt;A (p.Phe152Ile) variants, with a median age of onset of kidney failure of 7.8 and 31.8 years, respectively. Fifty patients with c.731T&gt;C (p.Ile244Thr) homozygote variants had better kidney survival than null homozygotes ( P = 0.003). Poor outcomes were found in patients with other potentially vitamin B6-responsive variants. Nephrocalcinosis increased the risk of kidney failure significantly (hazard ratio [HR] 3.17 [2.03-4.94], P &lt; 0.001). Urinary oxalate and glycolate measurements were available in 620 and 579 twenty-four-hour urine collections from 117 and 87 patients, respectively. Urinary oxalate excretion, unlike glycolate, was higher in patients who subsequently developed kidney failure ( P = 0.034). However, the 41% intraindividual variation of urinary oxalate resulted in wide confidence intervals. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, homozygosity for AGXT null variants and nephrocalcinosis were the strongest determinants for kidney failure in PH1. </p

Violent aggression predicted by multiple pre-adult environmental hits

Early exposure to negative environmental impact shapes individual behavior and potentially contributes to any mental disease. We reported previously that accumulated environmental risk markedly decreases age at schizophrenia onset. Follow-up of matched extreme group individuals (≤1 vs. ≥3 risks) unexpectedly revealed that high-risk subjects had >5 times greater probability of forensic hospitalization. In line with longstanding sociological theories, we hypothesized that risk accumulation before adulthood induces violent aggression and criminal conduct, independent of mental illness. We determined in 6 independent cohorts (4 schizophrenia and 2 general population samples) pre-adult risk exposure, comprising urbanicity, migration, physical and sexual abuse as primary, and cannabis or alcohol as secondary hits. All single hits by themselves were marginally associated with higher violent aggression. Most strikingly, however, their accumulation strongly predicted violent aggression (odds ratio 10.5). An epigenome-wide association scan to detect differential methylation of blood-derived DNA of selected extreme group individuals yielded overall negative results. Conversely, determination in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of histone-deacetylase1 mRNA as 'umbrella mediator' of epigenetic processes revealed an increase in the high-risk group, suggesting lasting epigenetic alterations. Together, we provide sound evidence of a disease-independent unfortunate relationship between well-defined pre-adult environmental hits and violent aggression, calling for more efficient prevention