Naturally lignan-rich foods: a dietary tool for health promotion?

Dietary guidelines universally advise adherence to plant-based diets. Plant-based foods confer considerable health benefits, partly attributable to their abundant micronutrient (e.g., polyphenol) content. Interest in polyphenols is largely focused on the contribution of their antioxidant activity to the prevention of various disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Polyphenols are classified into groups, such as stilbenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans and others. Lignans, which possess a steroid-like chemical structure and are defined as phytoestrogens, are of particular interest to researchers. Traditionally, health benefits attributed to lignans have included a lowered risk of heart disease, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis and breast cancer. However, the intake of naturally lignan-rich foods varies with the type of diet. Consequently, based on the latest humans’ findings and gathered information on lignan-rich foods collected from Phenol Explorer database this review focuses on the potential health benefits attributable to the consumption of different diets containing naturally lignan-rich foods. Current evidence highlight the bioactive properties of lignans as human health-promoting molecules. Thus, dietary intake of lignan-rich foods could be a useful way to bolster the prevention of chronic illness, such as certain types of cancers and cardiovascular disease

Magnetic domains in SrFe12O19/Co hard/soft bilayers

ESRF (The european Synchrotron) User Meeting 2022, 7 - 9 February, 2022 . -- online meeting . -- https://www.esrf.fr/fr/home/events/conferences/2022/user-meeting-2022.html .-- Youtube access: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsWatK2_NAmyYnkC-bXhvT70wsYaTmojqThe nature of the magnetic coupling between a SrFe12O19 particle (hard phase) and a Co layer grown on top (soft phase) has been studied by means of photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) and spatially-resolved x-ray absorption (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at CIRCE, ALBA synchrotron (Spain). Our study reveals the soft metallic overlayer presents an in-plane magnetization despite the strong out-of-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the hard platelet. Thus, the two phases show completely uncorrelated magnetic domain patterns. Micromagnetic simulations seem to indicate the degree of exchange-coupling is low or null, although the conditions for rigid coupling are a priori well met

Real space observation of the magnetic coupling between a Co film and a barium hexaferrite film

RIVA ONLINE 2021 – IBERIAN VACUUM ONLINE MEETING. The Iberian Vacuum Conference, (Reunión Ibérica de Vacío, RIVA) is a joint meeting of the Portuguese Vacuum Society (SOPORVAC) and the Spanish Vacuum Society (ASEVA), 2021 RIVA will take place ON-LINE from 4-6th October 2021. .-https://aseva.es/conferences/riva-online/Barium ferrite (BaFe12O19, BFO) is a hexagonal ferrite with applications as permanent magnet in many different devices due to its high magnetocrystalline anisotropy, high coercive field and low cost. However, the moderate saturation magnetization of BFO means that the energy product is orders of magnitude smaller than the one that rare-earth-based magnetic materials offer. To overcome this limitation, a commonly proposed strategy to enhance the energy product is exchange-coupling the magnetically hard component (BFO) with a soft phase in order to improve the combined remanent magnetization without a high loss in coercivity. Nonetheless, the results obtained in other hard/soft systems (SFO/Co bilayers) have pointed out the difficulty to take advantage of this rigid coupling magnetic regime1. In this research, we focus on two steps to investigate the Co/BFO coupling in a bilayer system: first, we sought to obtain BFO films with an in- plane magnetic easy axis to avoid shape anisotropy competition, and second, we deposit Co on top of such a BFO film while monitoring both the BFO and Co magnetic domains

Insights onto the magnetic coupling at hexaferrite-based hard/soft bilayer systems

IBERTRIVA 2019 X Iberian Conference on Tribology – IBERTRIB, XI Iberian Vacuum Conference - RIVA, Seville, Spain,June 26-28Magnets are used in a variety of applications, such as generators, magnetic recording media, components in RF and microwave devices. However, many of these magnets contain s rare earths, critical elements whose extraction is environmentally harmful and that present price volatility risks. Their replacement by cheaper and more environmentally friendly materials is therefore sought. In our case, we have focused on magnetically hard strontium hexaferrite (SrFe 12O19, SFO) as the base for alternative permanent magnets (Figure 1a). The atomic arrangement of this ferrite results in a high magnetocrystalline anisotropy and a coercive field, however, its magnetization is moderate (1). It is well known that the coupling between a magnetically hard and soft material improved magnetization while avoiding a high cost in coercitivity loss (2). However, results have been disappointing so far as structural and geometrical limitations make it extremely challenging to fabricate. In this work, we aim at further understanding the magnetic coupling at hard -soft interfaces involving ferrites, for which we have deposited soft iron and cobalt metals on top of SrFe12O19 thin films with controlled easy-axis of magnetization. SFO thin films have been obtained by RF magnetron sputtering at 260W followed by a subsequent annealing in air of 850ºC. Their structure and composition was characterized by Raman spectroscospy (Figure 1b), Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM). We have grown the magnetically soft layer by molecular-beam epitaxy and we have analyzed the resulting bilayer system through photoemission electron microscopy, LEEM and vibrating-sample magnetometry. References [1] R.C. Pullar, Hexagonal ferrites: a review of the synthesis, properties and applications of hexaferrite ceramics, Progress in Materials Science 57 (2012), pp 1191¿1334. [2] Eric E. Fullerton, J. S. Jiang, M. Grimsditch, C. H. Sowers, and S. D. Bader, Exchange-spring behavior in epitaxial hard/soft magnetic bilayers, Phys. Rev. B 58 (1998) 1219

Decreased breadth of the antibody response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 after repeated vaccination

Introduction: The rapid development of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 has raised the need to compare the capacity of different vaccines in terms of developing a protective humoral response. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results in this area, highlighting the importance of further research to evaluate the efficacy of different vaccines. Methods: This study utilized a highly sensitive and reliable flow cytometry method to measure the titers of IgG1 isotype antibodies in the blood of healthy volunteers after receiving one or two doses of various vaccines administered in Spain. The method was also used to simultaneously measure the reactivity of antibodies to the S protein of the original Wuhan strain and variants B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.617.2 (Delta), and B.1.617.1 (Kappa). Results: Significant differences were observed in the titer of anti-S antibodies produced after a first dose of the vaccines ChAdOx1 nCov-19/AstraZeneca, mRNA-1273/Moderna, BNT162b2/Pfizer-BioNTech, and Ad26.COV.S/Janssen. Furthermore, a relative reduction in the reactivity of the sera with the Alpha, Delta, and Kappa variants, compared to the Wuhan strain, was observed after the second boosting immunization. Discussion: The findings of this study provide a comparison of different vaccines in terms of anti-S antibody generation and cast doubts on the convenience of repeated immunization with the same S protein sequence. The multiplexed capacity of the flow cytometry method utilized in this study allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of various vaccines in generating a protective humoral response. Future research could focus on the implications of these findings for the development of effective COVID-19 vaccination strategies.This work was funded by intramural grant CSIC-COVID19- 004: 202020E081 (to BA) and CSIC-COVID19-004: 202020E165 (to MF). LH has been supported by an FPI fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. IB has been supported by an H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 training network grant of the European Union (GA 721358)

Strontium hexaferrite platelets: a comprehensive soft X-ray absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopy study

IBERMÖSS-2019, Bilbao, 30-31 may 2019. --https://www.ehu.eus/es/web/ibermossmeetingStrontium ferrite (SFO, SrFe12O19) is a ferrite employed for permanent magnets due to its high magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Since its discovery in the mid-20th century, this hexagonal ferrite has become an increasingly important material both commercially and technologically, finding a variety of uses and applications. Its structure can be considered a sequence of alternating spinel (S) and rocksalt (R) blocks. All the iron cations are in the Fe3+ oxidation state and it has a ferrimagnetic configuration with five different cationic environments for the iron (three octahedral sites, a tetraedrical site and a bipiramidal site)[1,2]. We have studied the properties of SrFe 12O19 in the shape of platelets, up to several micrometers in width, and tens of nanometers thick, synthesized by a hydrothermal method. We have characterized the structural and magnetic properties of these platelets by Mössbauer spectroscopy, x-ray transmission microscopy (TMX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray circular magnetic dichroism (XMCD) and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM). To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that the x-ray absorption spectra at the Fe L 2,3 edges of this material in its pure form have been reported. The Mössbauer results recorded from these platelets both in the electron detection and transmission modes have helped to understand the iron magnetic moments determined by XMCD (Fig.1). The experimental results have been complemented with multiplet calculations aimed at reproducing the observed XAS and XMCD spectra at the Fe L 2,3 absorption edge, and by density functional theory (DFT) calculations to reproduce the oxygen K- absorption edge. Finally the domain pattern measured in remanence is in good agreement with micromagnetic simulations [3]

Therapeutic Effect of a Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 Inhibitor on Experimental Arthritis by Downregulating Inflammation and Th1 Response

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) synthesizes and transfers ADP ribose polymers to target proteins, and regulates DNA repair and genomic integrity maintenance. PARP-1 also plays a crucial role in the progression of the inflammatory response, and its inhibition confers protection in several models of inflammatory disorders. Here, we investigate the impact of a selective PARP-1 inhibitor in experimental arthritis. PARP-1 inhibition with 5-aminoisoquinolinone (AIQ) significantly reduces incidence and severity of established collagen-induced arthritis, completely abrogating joint swelling and destruction of cartilage and bone. The therapeutic effect of AIQ is associated with a striking reduction of the two deleterious components of the disease, i.e. the Th1-driven autoimmune and inflammatory responses. AIQ downregulates the production of various inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, decreases the antigen-specific Th1-cell expansion, and induces the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Our results provide evidence of the contribution of PARP-1 to the progression of arthritis and identify this protein as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Efecto de las infecciones encubiertas por virus de RNA sobre las interacciones con distintos niveles tróficos de la rosquilla verde, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

En los últimos años, el creciente interés por buscar nuevos agentes de control biológico y el fácil acceso a las tecnologías de secuenciación masiva ha facilitado el descubrimiento de un gran número de virus presentes en insectos. Muchos de estos virus infectan de forma encubierta sin causar síntomas evidentes. Spodoptera exigua iflavirus 1 (SeIV1) es un virus de ARN que causa infecciones encubiertas tanto en las poblaciones de laboratorio como en las de campo de la rosquilla verde, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Su abundancia en el campo sugiere que podría causar un efecto sobre la bioecología del insecto, ya sea de forma directa afectando a su fisiología o de forma indirecta a través de la interacción con otros niveles tróficos