Experimental obstructive cholestasis: the wound-like inflammatory liver response

Obstructive cholestasis causes hepatic cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the development of liver disease are multiple and linked. We propose grouping these mechanisms according to the three phenotypes mainly expressed in the interstitial space in order to integrate them

The importance of atmospheric correction for airborne hyperspectral remote sensing of shallow waters: application to depth estimation

Accurate determination of water depth is indispensable in multiple aspects of civil engineering (dock construction, dikes, submarines outfalls, trench control, etc.). To determine the type of atmospheric correction most appropriate for the depth estimation, different accuracies are required. Accuracy in bathymetric information is highly dependent on the atmospheric correction made to the imagery. The reduction of effects such as glint and cross-track illumination in homogeneous shallow-water areas improves the results of the depth estimations. The aim of this work is to assess the best atmospheric correction method for the estimation of depth in shallow waters, considering that reflectance values cannot be greater than 1.5% because otherwise the background would not be seen. This paper addresses the use of hyperspectral imagery to quantitative bathymetric mapping and explores one of the most common problems when attempting to extract depth information in conditions of variable water types and bottom reflectances. The current work assesses the accuracy of some classical bathymetric algorithms (Polcyn? Lyzenga, Philpot, Benny?Dawson, Hamilton, principal component analysis) when four different atmospheric correction methods are applied and water depth is derived. No atmospheric correction is valid for all type of coastal waters, but in heterogeneous shallow water the model of atmospheric correction 6S offers good results

Effectiveness of the Ponseti method in the treatment of clubfoot: a systematic review

Clubfoot is a common congenital deformity of the lower limbs. It should be treated as soon as possible so that its correction is more easily achieved. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of the Ponseti method in the treatment of clubfoot. A bibliographic search was carried out in different databases, including PubMed and SciELO. Filters such as full text and randomized controlled trial were selected to find those articles that best matched our search. Among the results, we selected the ones that interested us, and the rest were discarded, either because they did not meet the requirements for our work or because they were repeated. In total, we collected 19 articles, but after using the critical evaluation instrument CASPe, 7 of them were eliminated, leaving us with a total of 12 articles for our systematic review. After analyzing the results obtained in the selected articles, we concluded that the Ponseti method is effective in the treatment of clubfoot, presenting a high success rate.Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Instrumento de evaluación del programa de democracia participativa Ágora infantil

En el presente documento se detalla los instrumentos construidos para la evaluación del programa de democracia participativa Ágora Infantil (AI). Esta política es analiza para conocer sus efectos psicosociales por un equipo interdisciplinar de la Universidad de Málaga y de la Universidad de Huelva tal y como figura en el contrato 8.07/5.38.4408. En el presente documento se detallan los instrumentos utilizados por el equipo de investigación, asegurando así su registro. Por lo tanto, el uso parcial o total de los mismo requeriría la cita de la correspondiente autoría

3D Hand Pose Estimation with Neural Networks

We propose the design of a real-time system to recognize and interprethand gestures. The acquisition devices are low cost 3D sensors. 3D hand pose will be segmented, characterized and track using growing neural gas (GNG) structure. The capacity of the system to obtain information with a high degree of freedom allows the encoding of many gestures and a very accurate motion capture. The use of hand pose models combined with motion information provide with GNG permits to deal with the problem of the hand motion representation. A natural interface applied to a virtual mirrorwriting system and to a system to estimate hand pose will be designed to demonstrate the validity of the system

Protein oxidation in muscle foods: a comprehensive review

Muscle foods and their products are a fundamental part of the human diet. The high protein content found in muscle foods, as well as the high content of essential amino acids, provides an appropriate composition to complete the nutritional requirements of humans. However, due to their special composition, they are susceptible to oxidative degradation. In this sense, proteins are highly susceptible to oxidative reactions. However, in contrast to lipid oxidation, which has been studied in depth for decades, protein oxidation of muscle foods has been investigated much less. Moreover, these reactions have an important influence on the quality of muscle foods, from physico-chemical, techno-functional, and nutritional perspectives. In this regard, the loss of essential nutrients, the impairment of texture, water-holding capacity, color and flavor, and the formation of toxic substances are some of the direct consequences of protein oxidation. The loss of quality for muscle foods results in consumer rejection and substantial levels of economic losses, and thus the control of oxidative processes is of vital importance for the food industry. Nonetheless, the complexity of the reactions involved in protein oxidation and the many different factors that influence these reactions make the mechanisms of protein oxidation difficult to fully understand. Therefore, the present manuscript reviews the fundamental mechanisms of protein oxidation, the most important oxidative reactions, the main factors that influence protein oxidation, and the currently available analytical methods to quantify compounds derived from protein oxidation reactions. Finally, the main effects of protein oxidation on the quality of muscle foods, both from physico-chemical and nutritional points of view, are also discussed.The authors thank GAIN (Axencia Galega de Innovación) for supporting this review (grant number IN607A2019/01). Some authors (R.D., M.P., P.E.S.M., and J.M.L.) are members of the HealthyMeat network, funded by CYTED (ref. 119RT0568). The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891); by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the program EXCELENCIA-ED431F 2020/12; and the pre-doctoral grants of P. Garcia-Oliveira (ED481A-2019/295) and M. Carpena (ED481A 2021/313). The authors are grateful to the Ibero-American Program on Science and Technology (CYTED—AQUA-CIBUS, P317RT0003) and to the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 888003 UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019). The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Bio Based Industries Consortium. The project SYSTEMIC Knowledge hub on Nutrition and Food Security has received funding from national research funding parties in Belgium (FWO), France (INRA), Germany (BLE), Italy (MIPAAF), Latvia (IZM), Norway (RCN), Portugal (FCT), and Spain (AEI) in a joint action of JPI HDHL, JPI-OCEANS, and FACCE-JPI launched in 2019 under the ERA-NET ERA-HDHL (n 696295).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Teriflunomide and Epstein–Barr virus in a Spanish multiple sclerosis cohort: in vivo antiviral activity and clinical response

BackgroundEpstein–Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) have been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Teriflunomide is an oral disease-modifying therapy approved for treatment of relapsing forms of MS. In the preclinical Theiler’s murine encephalitis virus model of MS, the drug demonstrated an increased rate of viral clearance versus the vehicle placebo. Furthermore, teriflunomide inhibits lytic EBV infection in vitro.Objective1. To evaluate the humoral response against EBV and HHV-6 prior to teriflunomide treatment and 6 months later. 2. To correlate the variation in the humoral response against EBV and HHV-6 with the clinical and radiological response after 24 months of treatment with teriflunomide. 3. To analyze the utility of different demographic, clinical, radiological, and environmental data to identify early biomarkers of response to teriflunomide.MethodsA total of 101 MS patients (62 women; mean age: 43.4 years) with one serum prior to teriflunomide onset and another serum sample 6 months later were recruited. A total of 80 had been treated for at least 24 months, 13 had stopped teriflunomide before 24 months, and 8 were currently under teriflunomide therapy but with less than 24 months of follow-up. We analyzed the levels of the viral antibodies titers abovementioned in serum samples with ELISA commercial kits, and the levels of serum neurofilament light chain (Nf-L).ResultsAntiviral antibody titers decreased for EBNA-1 IgG (74.3%), VCA IgG (69%), HHV-6 IgG (60.4%), and HHV-6 IgM (73.3%) after 6 months of teriflunomide. VCA IgG titers at baseline correlated with Nf-L levels measured at the same time (r = 0.221; p = 0.028) and 6 months later (r = 0.240; p = 0.017). We found that higher EBNA-1 titers (p = 0.001) and a higher age (p = 0.04) at baseline were associated with NEDA-3 conditions. Thus, 77.8% of patients with EBNA-1 >23.0 AU and >42.8 years (P50 values) were NEDA-3.ConclusionTreatment with teriflunomide was associated with a reduction of the levels of IgG antibody titers against EBV and HHV-6. Furthermore, higher EBNA-1 IgG titers prior to teriflunomide initiation were associated with a better clinical response

Dependence on plasma shape and plasma fueling for small ELM regimes in TCV and ASDEX Upgrade

Within the EUROfusion MST1 Work Package, a series of experiments has been conducted on AUG and TCV devices to disentangle the role of plasma fueling and plasma shape for the onset of small ELM regimes. On both devices, small ELM regimes with high confinement are achieved if and only if two conditions are fulfilled at the same time. Firstly, the plasma density at the separatrix must be large enough (ne,sep/nG ∼ 0.3), leading to a pressure profile flattening at the separatrix, which stabilizes type-I ELMs. Secondly, the magnetic configuration has to be close to a Double Null (DN), leading to a reduction of the magnetic shear in the extreme vicinity of the separatrix. As a consequence, its stabilizing effect on ballooning modes is weakened.EURATOM 63305

Influence of dietary fiber upon in vitro microbial cecal fermentation in mexican hairless and mexican cuino pigs

The objective of the present study was to evaluate and compare the in vitro cecal fermentation (by the gas production technique), in Mexican hairless pig (MHP) and Mexican cuino pig (MCP), adding cellulose or starch as substrates (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg/g DM). 12 pigs were slaughtered (BW= 104±0.5 kg), six of each genotype were collected from the cecal contents and there was a pool for every two pigs in each genotype, and thereafter, for each substrate (cellulose or starch) in its different concentration, three flasks were incubated with inoculum for each pool and made three series of incubation. The experimental design use the effect of genotype, substrate and concentration of the substrate added on the variables of in vitro fermentation. The averages of the data were compared by Tukey's method. In vitro gas production was higher (P<0.05) (mL/g DM) for MHP (206.8) vs MCP (180.2). The degradation fractional rate rhythm (b, 0.094 and c, -0.0127) and lag time (1.79) of the MHP was higher than MCP (b, 0.074; c -0.102) and lag time (1.26); with the addition of carbohydrates as substrates, in vitro gas production of potato starch was higher (P<0.05) than cellulose (238.3 vs 148.7 mL/g DM); the fractions b, c and lag time, there were differences (P<0.05) between substrates. The increasing addition of cellulose or starch had a lineal effect (P<0.05) with the gas production, level cero mg (133.46) to 400 mg of substrate (263.16 mL/g DM). MHP had a higher cecal fermentation than MCP, being higher the gas production at 9 and 12 h, there was higher gas production (cecal fermentation) when added starch as substrate

Finding immunological differences to help diagnosis and early treatment of Kawasaki Disease and MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children)

Resumen del trabajo presentado en el 43 Congreso De La Sociedad Española de Inmunología, celebrado en León (España) del 22 al 24 de septiembre de 2022.The recent COVID-19 pandemic was first thought to spare children from health deprivation caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2. However, soon a new syndrome resembling Kawasaki Disease (KD) was reported: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). The aim of this study is to provide new biomarkers for both diseases in order to facilitate diagnosis and reduce the time-lapse until treatment is provided – which will reduce the risk of developing severe cardiovascular complications. An extensive immune system characterization by flow cytometry and serum protein characterization by a multiplex technology (Olink) was performed from fresh blood samples of patients with acute MIS-C (n=19) and KD (n=10). For protein characterization we also analysed recovery samples for these groups (n=19 and n=8, respectively). Besides the already described lymphopenia in MIS-C, we found additional significant immune differences in both groups. Although lymphocyte numbers (cells/ml) were lower in MIS-C, percentages of activated T-CD4+ and T-CD8+ cells were higher compared to KD. Moreover, when comparing activated T cells in MIS-C and KD individually, regulatory T cells (Treg) showed the highest levels. These data suggest a stronger response of T cells in MIS-C, and higher Treg activity in both groups, which could reflect the response to the excessive inflammation. Ratios previously described in other inflammatory conditions were evaluated: MIS-C showed higher neutrophil/lymphocyte and Th17/Treg ratios than KD, suggesting higher inflammatory conditions in this group. In addition, monocyte and dendritic cells (DCs) numbers were decreased in MIS-C relative to KD. Parallel to these inflammatory cellular profiles, we identified increased levels of inflammatory cytokines in plasma of patients during the acute phase of the disease compared to recovery samples. Moreover, IL-6, which is one of the main cytokines involved in cytokine storm in adult COVID-19, was higher in MIS-C suggesting, again, stronger inflammatory conditions in this pathology compared to KD