Fungal and ciliate protozoa are the main rumen microbes associated with methane emissions in dairy cattle

14 Pág. Departamento de Mejora Genetica AnimalMitigating the effects of global warming has become the main challenge for humanity in recent decades. Livestock farming contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, with an important output of methane from enteric fermentation processes, mostly in ruminants. Because ruminal microbiota is directly involved in digestive fermentation processes and methane biosynthesis, understanding the ecological relationships between rumen microorganisms and their active metabolic pathways is essential for reducing emissions. This study analysed whole rumen metagenome using long reads and considering its compositional nature in order to disentangle the role of rumen microbes in methane emissions.This research was financed by RTA2015-00022-C03-02 (METALGEN) project from the National Plan of Research, Development and Innovation 2013–2020 and the Department of Economic Development and Competitiveness (Madrid, Spain). A.L.G. was funded by FPI-INIA grant with reference FPI-SGIT2016-06.Peer reviewe

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

Differential clinical characteristics and prognosis of intraventricular conduction defects in patients with chronic heart failure

Intraventricular conduction defects (IVCDs) can impair prognosis of heart failure (HF), but their specific impact is not well established. This study aimed to analyse the clinical profile and outcomes of HF patients with LBBB, right bundle branch block (RBBB), left anterior fascicular block (LAFB), and no IVCDs. Clinical variables and outcomes after a median follow-up of 21 months were analysed in 1762 patients with chronic HF and LBBB (n = 532), RBBB (n = 134), LAFB (n = 154), and no IVCDs (n = 942). LBBB was associated with more marked LV dilation, depressed LVEF, and mitral valve regurgitation. Patients with RBBB presented overt signs of congestive HF and depressed right ventricular motion. The LAFB group presented intermediate clinical characteristics, and patients with no IVCDs were more often women with less enlarged left ventricles and less depressed LVEF. Death occurred in 332 patients (interannual mortality = 10.8%): cardiovascular in 257, extravascular in 61, and of unknown origin in 14 patients. Cardiac death occurred in 230 (pump failure in 171 and sudden death in 59). An adjusted Cox model showed higher risk of cardiac death and pump failure death in the LBBB and RBBB than in the LAFB and the no IVCD groups. LBBB and RBBB are associated with different clinical profiles and both are independent predictors of increased risk of cardiac death in patients with HF. A more favourable prognosis was observed in patients with LAFB and in those free of IVCDs. Further research in HF patients with RBBB is warranted

Centrality evolution of the charged-particle pseudorapidity density over a broad pseudorapidity range in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76TeV

Peer reviewe

Cost-Effectiveness of a Whole-Body Vibration Program in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Study Protocol

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disorder, with patients exhibiting hyperglycemia in fasting and postprandial states. T2DM has several complications, including loss of sensation in more distal body parts. Good peripheral sensitivity is essential as this affects different parameters related to activities of daily living, such as leg strength and balance. The objectives of this project were to assess the effects of an 8-week whole-body vibration (WBV) training program on (1) vibration perception threshold (VPT), (2) balance, (3) strength, (4) lipidic profile, (5) health-related quality of life, (6) diabetic neuropathy, and (7) body composition in T2DM patients. Methods/Design: A double-blind, randomized controlled study, with WBV and placebo groups, was carried out. Both groups performed 8 weeks of intervention, with 3 sessions per week, completing a total of 24 sessions. There were two groups: the experimental group, i.e., the WBV group, who received WBV therapy; and the placebo group, who completed a simulated training program that was developed on a Galileo Fitness platform, connected to software displayed on a screen. The participant could see the parameters of the simulated vibration training (duration, amplitude, and frequency), but it was the software that controlled the speakers placed inside the vibration platform. Ninety patients with T2DM (56 males and 34 females) were recruited for the intervention. Participants were assigned equally to the WBV (n = 45) and placebo (n = 45) groups. Primary outcome measures were (1) HbA1c and (2) vibration threshold. Secondary measures were (1) health-related quality of life, (2) balance, (3) strength, (4) body composition, (5) blood pressure, (6) diabetic neuropathy, and (7) lipidic profile. Statistical analysis was carried out by treatment intention and protocol. Discussion: This project aimed to investigate the effects of WBV training on HbA1c, vibration threshold, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio in T2DM patients. In future, guidelines will be provided for the incorporation of the main obtained conclusions into the social-sanitary system and businesses

Rapid decrease in titer and breadth of neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved SVR

The main targets for neutralizing anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (HCV-nAbs) are the E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins. We have studied the characteristics of HCV-nAbs through a retrospective study involving 29 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with peg-IFNα + ribavirin anti-HCV therapy. Plasma samples at baseline and week 24 after SVR were used to perform neutralization assays against five JFH1-based HCV recombinant viruses coding for E1 and E2 from genotypes 1a (H77), 1b (J4), 2a (JFH1), 3a (S52) and 4a (ED43). At baseline, the majority of plasma samples neutralized 1a, 1b, 2a, and 4a, but not 3a, genotypes. Twenty-four weeks following SVR, most neutralizing titers declined substantially. Furthermore, titers against 3a and 2a were not detected in many patients. Plasma samples with high HCV-nAb titers neutralized all genotypes, and the highest titers at the starting point correlated with the highest titers at week 24 after SVR. In conclusion, high titers of broad-spectrum HCV-nAbs were detected in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals, however, those titers declined soon after SVR

First scientific observations with MEGARA at GTC

On June 25th 2017, the new intermediate-resolution optical IFU and MOS of the 10.4-m GTC had its first light. As part of the tests carried out to verify the performance of the instrument in its two modes (IFU and MOS) and 18 spectral setups (identical number of VPHs with resolutions R=6000-20000 from 0.36 to 1 micron) a number of astronomical objects were observed. These observations show that MEGARA@GTC is called to fill a niche of high-throughput, intermediateresolution IFU and MOS observations of extremely-faint narrow-lined objects. Lyman-α absorbers, star-forming dwarfs or even weak absorptions in stellar spectra in our Galaxy or in the Local Group can now be explored to a new level. Thus, the versatility of MEGARA in terms of observing modes and spectral resolution and coverage will allow GTC to go beyond current observational limits in either depth or precision for all these objects. The results to be presented in this talk clearly demonstrate the potential of MEGARA in this regard