Evaluation of P22 ELISA for the Detection of Mycobacterium bovis-Specific Antibody in the Oral Fluid of Goats

The ante-mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in ruminants is based mainly on the intradermal tuberculin test and the IFN-γ assay. Antibody (Ab)-based tests have emerged as potential tools for the detection of TB infected animals using serum, plasma, or even milk samples. Oral fluids have also been evaluated as alternative samples with which to detect specific Abs against Mycobacterium bovis in pigs or wild boars, but not in ruminants. The objective of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the performance of an in house-ELISA for TB diagnosis (P22 ELISA) in goats as an experimental model for the diagnosis of TB using oral fluid samples. Oral fluid samples from 64 goats from a TB-infected herd (n = 197) and all the animals from a TB-free herd (n = 113) were analyzed using the P22 ELISA. The estimated sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) were 34.4% (95% CI: 22.4-45.6) and 100% (95% CI: 97.4-100), respectively. The optimal cut-off point was set at 100% according to the ROC analysis. Those animals with a higher level of Abs in their oral fluid attained a higher lesion score (p = 0.018). In fact, when taking into account only the setting of the animals with severe lesions (n = 16), the ELISA showed a Se of 75% (95% CI: 53.7-96.2). Results of the present study suggest that the P22 ELISA is highly specific but has a limited value detecting infected animals in oral fluid samples. Nevertheless, its performance is significantly higher in the presence of severe lesions.This study was funded by the Herramientas para alcanzar la erradicación de la tuberculosis caprina (GoaTBfree) project (PID2019-105155RB-C31) and the Spanish Government's Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. JO was supported by an FPU (Formación de Profesorado Universitario) contract-fellowship provided by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (FPU18/05197).S

Oral vaccination with heat inactivated Mycobacterium bovis activates the complement system to protect against tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a pandemic affecting billions of people worldwide, thus stressing the need for new vaccines. Defining the correlates of vaccine protection is essential to achieve this goal. In this study, we used the wild boar model for mycobacterial infection and TB to characterize the protective mechanisms elicited by a new heat inactivated Mycobacterium bovis vaccine (IV). Oral vaccination with the IV resulted in significantly lower culture and lesion scores, particularly in the thorax, suggesting that the IV might provide a novel vaccine for TB control with special impact on the prevention of pulmonary disease, which is one of the limitations of current vaccines. Oral vaccination with the IV induced an adaptive antibody response and activation of the innate immune response including the complement component C3 and inflammasome. Mycobacterial DNA/RNA was not involved in inflammasome activation but increased C3 production by a still unknown mechanism. The results also suggested a protective mechanism mediated by the activation of IFN-γ producing CD8+ T cells by MHC I antigen presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in response to vaccination with the IV, without a clear role for Th1 CD4+ T cells. These results support a role for DCs in triggering the immune response to the IV through a mechanism similar to the phagocyte response to PAMPs with a central role for C3 in protection against mycobacterial infection. Higher C3 levels may allow increased opsonophagocytosis and effective bacterial clearance, while interfering with CR3-mediated opsonic and nonopsonic phagocytosis of mycobacteria, a process that could be enhanced by specific antibodies against mycobacterial proteins induced by vaccination with the IV. These results suggest that the IV acts through novel mechanisms to protect against TB in wild boar.This research was supported by Plan Nacional I+D+I AGL2011-30041 from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Spain and FEDER. This is also a contribution to EU FP7 grant WildTBvac and the EU FP7 ANTIGONE project number 278976. R.C. Galindo was funded by MEC, Spain. B. Beltrán-Beck was supported by MINECO grant BES-2009-017401.Peer Reviewe

Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Determinants of Adherence to Current Dietary Recommendations and Diet Quality in Middle-Aged Spanish Premenopausal Women

Background: A healthy diet when approaching menopause could prevent some of the symptoms associated with the climacteric. Few studies examine adherence to current healthy dietary recommendations in middle-aged premenopausal women. Our objective was to analyze the diet quality and the adherence to the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) dietary recommendations in middle-aged Spanish premenopausal women, and to identify the associated sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on 1251 premenopausal women, aged 39-50, who attended to Madrid City Council Medical Diagnostic Center. Women completed an epidemiological and a food frequency questionnaire. Degree of adherence to the SENC recommendations was estimated with a score that evaluated null (0 points) and full (1 point) adherence of each specific recommendation. Associations were explored using an ordinal logistic multivariable regression model. Results: Regarding food groups, the worst adherence was found for sweets, red/processed meat, olive oil and eggs. Most of the participants exceeded the recommended caloric intake from proteins and fats, and practically all of them showed vitamin D intake deficiency. The overall score ranged from 2 to 12 (out of 15), with a median of 6.0 (interquartile range: 5.0-7.0). Former smokers (OR: 1.38; 95%CI: 1.08-1.78), as well as those with higher educational level (ORSSecondary:1.68; 95%CI: 0.97-2.93, ORUniversity:1.82; 95%IC: 1.05-3.14), with two or more children (OR: 1.31; 95%IC: 1.00-1.72), with higher caloric intake (OR>2188.2kcal/day: 8.22; 95%CI: 6.19-10.92) and with greater physical activity (OR≥21METS-h/week: 1.29; 95%CI: 0.95-1.76) showed greater adherence. Conclusions: Almost two-thirds of middle-aged premenopausal participants showed low or moderate compliance with SENC recommendations. Education, smoking, parity, and physical activity were associated with the degree of adherence to these recommendations.This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health (EC11–273) and by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI15CIII/0029). The article presents independent research.S

Hypothermia Due to an Ascending Impairment of Shivering in Hyperacute Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in the Lewis Rat

Severe hypothermia and an ascending impairment of shivering are previously undescribed clinical signs in hyperacute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the Lewis rat. These occurred in hyperacute EAE induced by inoculation with guinea pig spinal cord homogenate and heat-killed Bordetella pertussis. Hypothermia was first detected on day 6-7 post-inoculation, within 12-24 h of the onset of neurological signs, and became more severe as the disease progressed. Rectal temperatures less than or equal to 30 degrees C were common at ambient temperatures of 19-22 degrees C. Shivering was assessed by palpation and by cold tremor electromyography. Shivering was absent in the tail by day 6-7 post-inoculation. The impairment then progressed to affect the hindlimbs, thorax and occasionally the forelimbs. Shivering was absent in hindlimbs with only mild or moderate weakness. Histological studies revealed perivascular inflammation with polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells, oedema, fibrin deposition, haemorrhage, primary demyelination and axonal degeneration in the spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia and spinal roots. The brainstem was also involved but the cerebral hemispheres, including the hypothalamus, were spared. The close relationship between the severity of hypothermia and the extent of shivering impairment indicates that reduced shivering is an important cause of hypothermia in hyperacute EAE. It is concluded that this impairment of shivering is due not to hypothalamic damage but to lesions elsewhere in the central and peripheral nervous systems

Chronic flavanol-rich cocoa powder supplementation reduces body fat mass in endurance athletes by modifying the follistatin/ myostatin ratio and leptin levels

Flavonols-rich cocoa has positive effects on lipid metabolism and might enhance the performance of athletes through an improvement in their body composition. To test this hypothesis a placebo-controlled intervention study in training endurance athletes who received 5 g of cocoa daily (425 mg of flavan-3-ols) for 10 weeks was performed. Dietary intake, body composition, exercise performance and plasma levels of follistatin, myostatin and leptin were measured. Cocoa intake significantly reduced body fat percentage (p = 0.020), specifically in the trunk (p = 0.022), visceral area (p = 0.034) and lower limbs (p = 0.004). The reduction in body fat mass was accompanied by an increase in plasma follistatin and a decrease in leptin, while myostatin levels remained unchanged. The intake of cocoa reduced the percentage of body fat of athletes, without any impact on athletes' performance. The change in fat body composition did not improve athletes' performance

The morphometric acclimation to depth explains the long-term resilience of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa in a shallow tidal lagoon

Cadiz Bay is a shallow mesotidal lagoon with extensive populations of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa at intertidal and shallow subtidal elevations. This work aims to understand the mechanisms behind the resilience of this species to gradual sea level rise by studying its acclimation capacity to depth along the shallow littoral, and therefore, to gradual variations in the light environment. To address this objective, these populations have been monitored seasonally over a 10 year period, representing the longest seasonal database available in the literature for this species. The monitoring included populations at 0.4, -0.08 and -0.5 m LAT. The results show that C. nodosa has a strong seasonality for demographic and shoot dynamic properties - with longer shoots and larger growth in summer (high temperature) than in winter (low temperature), but also some losses. Moreover, shoots have different leaf morphometry depending on depth, with small and dense shoots in the intertidal areas (0.4 m) and sparse large shoots in the subtidal ones (-0.08 and 0.5 m). These differences in morphometry and shoot dynamic properties, combined with the differences in shoot density, explain the lack of differences in meadow production balance (i.e. meadow growth - meadow losses) between the intertidal (0.4 m) and the deepest population (-0.5 m), supporting the long term resilience of Cymodocea nodosa in Cadiz Bay. This study contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms behind seagrass stability and resilience, which is particularly important towards predicting the effects of climate change on these key coastal ecosystems, and also highlights the value of continuous long-term monitoring efforts to evaluate seagrass trajectories

SÍFILIS NA GESTAÇÃO - BARREIRAS NA ASSISTÊNCIA PRÉ-NATAL PARA A PREVENÇÃO DA TRANSMISSÃO VERTICAL

In order to respond to the problem of this research, the objective was to identify the barriers in prenatal care for the prevention of vertical transmission of syphilis during pregnancy. This study is an integrative literature review, descriptive in nature and with a qualitative approach, with research carried out in the MEDLINE, LILACS and BDENF databases, which included complete works, in Portuguese and English, available electronically and free of charge, published in the period from 2016 to 2021 and which addressed the proposed theme. Works that did not address the subject of interest or did not answer the guiding question were excluded, as well as duplicated publications in more than one database. The study consisted of the analysis of 9 publications. The findings showed that the barriers in prenatal care for the prevention of CS were addressed in a diverse way in the literature. Thus, it is of great importance to highlight that despite the pregnant woman performing prenatal care correctly, there are still many flaws during this care, which generates negative impacts for both the pregnant woman and the newborn. It is concluded that the management of gestational syphilis has been performed incorrectly, through late diagnosis and, consequently, the non-performance of the treatment in the appropriate period, as well as the non-adherence to the therapeutic regimen by both the pregnant woman and her partnerPara dar respuesta a la problemática de esta investigación, el objetivo fue identificar las barreras en la atención prenatal para la prevención de la transmisión vertical de la sífilis durante el embarazo. Este estudio es una revisión integradora de la literatura, de carácter descriptivo y con enfoque cualitativo, con investigación realizada en las bases de datos MEDLINE, LILACS y BDENF, que incluyó trabajos completos, en portugués e inglés, disponibles electrónicamente y de forma gratuita, publicados en el período de 2016 a 2021 y que abordó el tema propuesto. Se excluyeron los trabajos que no abordaran el tema de interés o no respondieran a la pregunta orientadora, así como las publicaciones duplicadas en más de una base de datos. El estudio consistió en el análisis de 9 publicaciones. Los hallazgos mostraron que las barreras en la atención prenatal para la prevención del SC se abordaron de manera diversa en la literatura. Por ello, es de gran importancia resaltar que a pesar de que la gestante realiza correctamente la atención prenatal, aún existen muchas fallas durante esta atención, lo que genera impactos negativos tanto para la gestante como para el recién nacido. Se concluye que el manejo de la sífilis gestacional se ha realizado de manera incorrecta, a través del diagnóstico tardío y, en consecuencia, la no realización del tratamiento en el período adecuado, así como la no adherencia al régimen terapéutico tanto por parte de la gestante como de la gestante. Su compañero.  Com o intuito de responder à problemática desta pesquisa, objetivou-se identificar as barreiras na assistência pré-natal para a prevenção da transmissão vertical da sífilis na gestação. Esse estudo trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura, de natureza descritiva e de abordagem qualitativa, com as pesquisas realizadas nos bancos de dados da MEDLINE, LILACS e BDENF, em que  foram incluídos  trabalhos  completos,  nos idiomas  português e  inglês,  disponíveis eletronicamente  e de forma  gratuita, publicados  no  período  de  2016 a  2021 e que  abordavam a temática  proposta. Excluiu-se trabalhos que não abordavam o assunto de interesse ou não respondessem à questão norteadora, além de publicações duplicadas em mais de uma base de dados. O estudo foi composto pela análise de 9 publicações. Os achados mostraram que as barreiras na assistência pré-natal para a prevenção da SC foram abordadas de forma diversificada pela literatura. Com isso, é de grande relevância destacar que apesar da gestante realizar o pré-natal corretamente, ainda existe muitas falhas durante essa assistência, o que gera impactos negativos tanto para a gestante quanto para o neonato. Conclui-se que o manejo da sífilis gestacional tem sido realizado de forma incorreta, por meio do diagnóstico tardio e, consequentemente, a não realização do tratamento no período adequado, como também a não adesão ao esquema terapêutico tanto pela gestante quanto pelo seu parceir

LESÕES CUTÂNEAS EM RECÉM-NASCIDOS SOB CUIDADOS INTENSIVOS: REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an appropriate therapeutic environment for the treatment of newborns in serious condition, which has the latest technology and diversified equipment, in addition to highly trained and specific professionals for the care of newborns. The objective is to analyze and describe the scientific evidence on the risk factors for the development of cutaneous and care to maintain the integrity of the newborn's skin in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). An integrative literature review was carried out, with a descriptive nature and a qualitative approach. The data search was performed through the Virtual Health Library (VHL), and its databases: BDENF, MEDLINE, LILACS and IBECS. Complete works were included, available in full, that addressed the theme: skin integrity, with an emphasis on care and practices adopted in the NICU, including risk factors and incidence of injuries, in addition to studies that were sampled by preterm NB and the term, published from 2016 to 2021, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Works that did not present relevant theoretical foundations on the subject were excluded, as well as publications with duplicity. Through the studies, it can be concluded that several factors are associated with the appearance of skin lesions, and prematurity should be highlighted as one of the main points, considering that premature NBs have more sensitive skin, making them more susceptible to the onset of most.La Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales (UCIN) es un entorno terapéutico adecuado para el tratamiento de recién nacidos en estado grave, que cuenta con tecnología de punta y equipamiento diversificado, además de profesionales altamente capacitados y protocolos específicos para la atención del recién nacido. El objetivo es analizar y describir la evidencia científica sobre los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de lesiones cutáneas y cuidados para mantener la integridad de la piel del recién nacido en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales (UCIN). Se realizó una revisión integradora de la literatura, con carácter descriptivo y enfoque cualitativo. La búsqueda de datos se realizó a través de la Biblioteca Virtual en Salud (BVS) y sus respectivas bases de datos: BDENF, MEDLINE, LILACS e IBECS. Se incluyeron trabajos completos, disponibles en su totalidad, que abordaron el tema: integridad de la piel, con énfasis en los cuidados y prácticas adoptadas en la UCIN, incluyendo factores de riesgo e incidencia de lesiones, así como estudios cuya muestra estuvo constituida por RN prematuros y posteriores, publicado de 2016 a 2021, en portugués, inglés y español. Se excluyeron trabajos que no presentaran fundamentos teóricos relevantes sobre el tema, así como publicaciones con duplicidad. A través de los estudios se puede concluir que varios factores se asocian con la aparición de lesiones cutáneas, destacándose la prematuridad como uno de los principales, considerando que los RN prematuros tienen piel más sensible, siendo más susceptibles a la aparición de lesiones.A Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTIN) é um ambiente terapêutico apropriado para o tratamento do RN em estado grave, que conta com tecnologia de ponta e equipamentos diversificados, além de profissionais altamente capacitados e protocolos específicos para a assistência ao RN. Objetiva-se analisar e descrever as evidências científicas sobre os fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de lesões cutâneas e os cuidados para manutenção da integridade da pele do recém-nascido em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTIN). Foi realizada uma revisão integrativa da literatura, de natureza descritiva e abordagem qualitativa. A busca de dados foi realizada por meio da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), e suas respectivas bases de dados: BDENF, MEDLINE, LILACS e IBECS. Foram incluídos trabalhos completos, disponíveis na íntegra, que abordassem o tema: integridade da pele, com ênfase em cuidados e práticas adotadas na UTI neonatal, incluindo fatores de risco e incidência de lesões, além de estudos cuja amostra foi composta por RN pré-termo e a termo, publicados no período de 2016 a 2021, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol. Excluiu-se trabalhos que não apresentavam fundamentação teórica relevante sobre a temática, além de publicações com duplicidade. Por meio dos estudos, pode-se concluir que diversos fatores estão associados ao aparecimento das lesões cutâneas, devendo-se destacar a prematuridade como um dos principais pontos, tendo em vista que RN prematuro possui uma pele mais sensível, estando mais suscetível ao aparecimento de lesões

Oral vaccination with heat inactivated Mycobacterium bovis activates the complement system to protect against tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a pandemic affecting billions of people worldwide, thus stressing the need for new vaccines. Defining the correlates of vaccine protection is essential to achieve this goal. In this study, we used the wild boar model for mycobacterial infection and TB to characterize the protective mechanisms elicited by a new heat inactivated Mycobacterium bovis vaccine (IV). Oral vaccination with the IV resulted in significantly lower culture and lesion scores, particularly in the thorax, suggesting that the IV might provide a novel vaccine for TB control with special impact on the prevention of pulmonary disease, which is one of the limitations of current vaccines. Oral vaccination with the IV induced an adaptive antibody response and activation of the innate immune response including the complement component C3 and inflammasome. Mycobacterial DNA/RNA was not involved in inflammasome activation but increased C3 production by a still unknown mechanism. The results also suggested a protective mechanism mediated by the activation of IFN-γ producing CD8+ T cells by MHC I antigen presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in response to vaccination with the IV, without a clear role for Th1 CD4+ T cells. These results support a role for DCs in triggering the immune response to the IV through a mechanism similar to the phagocyte response to PAMPs with a central role for C3 in protection against mycobacterial infection. Higher C3 levels may allow increased opsonophagocytosis and effective bacterial clearance, while interfering with CR3-mediated opsonic and nonopsonic phagocytosis of mycobacteria, a process that could be enhanced by specific antibodies against mycobacterial proteins induced by vaccination with the IV. These results suggest that the IV acts through novel mechanisms to protect against TB in wild boar

Examining the immune signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and the impact on neurodevelopment: Protocol of the SIGNATURE longitudinal study.

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a valuable opportunity to carry out cohort studies that allow us to advance our knowledge on pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric diseases. One of these opportunities is the study of the relationships between inflammation, brain development and an increased risk of suffering neuropsychiatric disorders. Based on the hypothesis that neuroinflammation during early stages of life is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and confers a greater risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders, we propose a cohort study of SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant women and their newborns. The main objective of SIGNATURE project is to explore how the presence of prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and other non-infectious stressors generates an abnormal inflammatory activity in the newborn. The cohort of women during the COVID-19 pandemic will be psychological and biological monitored during their pregnancy, delivery, childbirth and postpartum. The biological information of the umbilical cord (foetus blood) and peripheral blood from the mother will be obtained after childbirth. These samples and the clinical characterisation of the cohort of mothers and newborns, are tremendously valuable at this time. This is a protocol report and no analyses have been conducted yet, being currently at, our study is in the recruitment process step. At the time of this publication, we have identified 1,060 SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers and all have already given birth. From the total of identified mothers, we have recruited 537 SARS-COV-2 infected women and all of them have completed the mental health assessment during pregnancy. We have collected biological samples from 119 mothers and babies. Additionally, we have recruited 390 non-infected pregnant women