TLR4, but Neither Dectin-1 nor Dectin-2, Participates in the Mollusk Hemocyanin-Induced Proinflammatory Effects in Antigen-Presenting Cells From Mammals

Funding This study was supported by CONICYT-CHILE FONDECYT Regular Grant 1151337 to MB. FONDAP 15130011 to SL. CONICYT-CHILE National Ph.D. Fellowships were awarded to JJ (CONICYT-PCHA/Doctorado Nacional/2013-21130683) and to JO-Q (CONICYT-PFCHA/Doctorado Nacional/2017-21171588). FS holds a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT), Chile. Funding was provided by the Wellcome Trust (102705, 097377), the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and the University of Aberdeen (MR/N006364/1) to GB. Acknowledgments We thank Dr. María Rosa Bono, Dr. Sergio Vargas, and Dr. Juan Carlos Aguillón from Universidad de Chile and Dr. Mónica Imarai from Universidad de Santiago, Chile for helpful comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Marine Carotenoids: Biological Functions and Commercial Applications

Carotenoids are the most common pigments in nature and are synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms and fungi. Carotenoids are considered key molecules for life. Light capture, photosynthesis photoprotection, excess light dissipation and quenching of singlet oxygen are among key biological functions of carotenoids relevant for life on earth. Biological properties of carotenoids allow for a wide range of commercial applications. Indeed, recent interest in the carotenoids has been mainly for their nutraceutical properties. A large number of scientific studies have confirmed the benefits of carotenoids to health and their use for this purpose is growing rapidly. In addition, carotenoids have traditionally been used in food and animal feed for their color properties. Carotenoids are also known to improve consumer perception of quality; an example is the addition of carotenoids to fish feed to impart color to farmed salmon

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

C‐type lectin receptors MR and DC‐SIGN are involved in recognition of hemocyanins, shaping their immunostimulatory effects on human dendritic cells

Hemocyanins are used as immunomodulators in clinical applications because they induce a strong Th1-biased cell-mediated immunity, which has beneficial effects. They are multiligand glycosylated molecules with abundant and complex mannose-rich structures. It remains unclear whether these structures influence hemocyanin-induced immunostimulatory processes in human APCs. We have previously shown that hemocyanin glycans from Concholepas concholepas (CCH), Fissurella latimarginata (FLH), and Megathura crenulata (KLH), participate in their immune recognition and immunogenicity in mice, interacting with murine C-type lectin receptors (CLRs). Here, we studied the interactions of these hemocyanins with two major mannose-binding CLRs on monocyte-derived human DCs: MR (mannose receptor) and DC-SIGN (DC-specific ICAM-3–grabbing nonintegrin). Diverse analyses showed that hemocyanins are internalized by a mannose-sensitive mechanism. This process was calcium dependent. Moreover, hemocyanins colocalized with MR and DC-SIGN, and were partly internalized through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The hemocyanin-mediated proinflammatory cytokine response was impaired when using deglycosylated FLH and KLH compared to CCH. We further showed that hemocyanins bind to human MR and DC-SIGN in a carbohydrate-dependent manner with affinity constants in the physiological concentration range. Overall, we showed that these three clinically valuable hemocyanins interact with human mannose-sensitive CLRs, initiating an immune response and promoting a Th1 cell-driving potential

Cyanobacteria in aquatic systems of the Americas

The Americas are one of the world's major natural freshwater reserves, characterized by diverse climatesand heterogeneous ecosystem types. In these sites, eutrophication and climate change are drivers for the loss of water quality, trigging the growth of potentially toxic planktonic cyanobacteria. Blooms of these organisms threaten the use of water for many different purposes, often resulting in negative local economic impactsin developing countries. Cyanobacteria are aheterogeneous group of organisms, and major evolutionary differences between taxonomic orders results in diverse physiological and morphological traits and environmental preferences. Studies with a large geographical perspective allow for comparisonsof cyanobacteria at different taxonomical levels and across ecoclimatic regions. In this study, we investigate the distribution of planktonic cyanobacteria in lakes around the Americas with a gradient of over 135 degrees of latitude, from Tierra del Fuego, 54°51'S (Argentina) to Ellesmere Island, 82°54'N (Canada). We performed a survey using unpublished and published data from 1300 lakes, including limnological and environmental variables, ecoregion information, phytoplankton and detailed datafor more than 150,000cyanobacterial populations, with researchers from 13 institutions and eightcountries.We present preliminary results seeking to identify the main patterns in latitudinal distribution of total cyanobacteria and their major taxonomicorders in relation to trophic state, morphometric and climatic variables. Our results will have important implications for the health of aquatic ecosystems and the human populations that rely on them.Fil: Bonilla, Sylvia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Aguilera, Anabella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Almanza, Viviana. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Haakonsson, Signe. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Sampaio da Silva, L.. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional; BrasilFil: Santos, J.. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional; BrasilFil: Izaguirre, Irina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: O' Farrel, Inés. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Santana, L.. Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ecologia; BrasilFil: Ferragut, C.. Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ecologia; BrasilFil: Becker, V.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; BrasilFil: Salazar, A.. Laboratorio de Calidad de Agua de Embalses; PerúFil: Hernandez, E.. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Palacios, H.. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Cano, M.. Laboratorio Calidad de Agua de AMSA; GuatemalaFil: Cremella, B.. University of Sherbrooke; CanadáFil: Pérez, M.. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Somma, A.. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Vincent, W.. Laval University; CanadáFil: Antoniades, D.. Laval University; CanadáFil: Aubriot, Luis. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; Uruguay11th International Conference of Toxic CyanobacteriaCracoviaPoloniaJagiellonian UniversityAdam Mickiewicz University in Pozna