Grafting melons onto potential cucumis spp. rootstocks

Cucumís melo is an economically importar]t crop. Its culture is hampered by differen t types of soil stresses. Grafting melons onto different resistant cucurbits belonging to the genera, Cucurbíta, Lagenaría, Luffa, etc. have been successfully used to avoid these problems. However, me Ion quality has been nega.tively modified as a consequence of grafting. In general, variation in fruit shape, seed cavity and sugar content have been observed. The use of rootstocks more genetically c\oser to the melon scions could be useful to obtain fru i ts with better quality from melon grafted plantsPostprint (published version

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of IMP-producing Enterobacterales in Spain: Predominance of IMP-8 in Klebsiella pneumoniae and IMP-22 in Enterobacter roggenkampii

Objectives: Little is known about IMP-producing Enterobacterales (IMP-Ent) in Europe. We analyzed at genomic and phenotypic level IMP-Ent isolates circulating in Spain in a 9-year period. Materials and methods: IMP-Ent isolates submitted to our reference laboratory were included. Antibiotic susceptibility was performed using microdilution method (EUCAST), and IMP-carbapenemase activity was measured with carbapenemase inhibitors, the β-CARBA method, the modified Hodge test (MHT), and the modified carbapenemase inhibition method (mCIM). All isolates collected were sequenced for high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and resistome analysis. Results: Fifty IMP-Ent isolates, collected from 19 hospitals in 13 Spanish provinces, were detected: Klebsiella pneumoniae (IMP-Kpn) (24; 48%), Enterobacter roggenkampii (13; 26%), Enterobacter hormaechei (8, 16%), Klebsiella oxytoca (two; 4%), Enterobacter asburiae (one, 2%), Serratia marcescens (one; 2%) and Escherichia coli (one; 2%). All isolates were positive by the MHT and β-CARBA tests; 48 (96%) were mCIM positive; 12 (24%) and 26 (52%) displayed positive inhibition with dipicolinic (meropenem) and EDTA (ertapenem), respectively. Five IMP-carbapenemase types were identified: IMP-8 (22; 44%), IMP-22 (17; 34%), IMP-13 (7; 14%), IMP-28 (two; 4%), and IMP-15 (two; 4%), predominating IMP-8 in K. pneumoniae and IMP-22 in E. roggenkampii. IMP-28 was exclusively identified in K. oxytoca and IMP-15 in E. hormaechei. Predominant STs were ST405 (29.2%), ST15 (25%) and ST464 (20.8%) in IMP-Kpn; ST96 (100%) in E. roggenkampii and ST182 (62.5%) in E. hormachei. Colistin and amikacin were the most active non-carbapenem antibiotics against IMP-Ent. Conclusion: IMP-Ent isolates remain infrequent in Spain, although in recent years have been circulating causing nosocomial outbreaks, being IMP-8-producing K. pneumoniae and IMP-22-producing E. roggenkampii the most frequently detected in this study. Inhibition with EDTA or dipicolinic acid presented false negative results in some IMP-producing strains. Active microbiological and molecular surveillance is essential for a better comprehension and control of IMP-Ent dissemination.This research was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (numbers PI18CIII/00030 and PI21CIII/00039). This research was also supported by CIBER-Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CB21/13/00095 and CB21/13/000968), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Unión Europea – NextGenerationEU. This work was supported by Plan Nacional de I + D + i 2013–2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16CIII/0004/0002 and REIPI RD16/0016/0007) and co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund (EDRF), “A way to achieve Europe,” Operative program Intelligent Growth, 2014–2020.S

Potential relation of cardiovascular risk factors to disease activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients are known to have a higher prevalence of several comorbidities, including, among others, an increased risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the sum of traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors is related to disease characteristics, such as disease activity, in patients with axSpA. Methods: A cross-sectional study that encompassed 804 patients with axSpA was conducted. Patients were assessed for the presence of five traditional CV risk factors (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and smoking status), and disease activity measurements. A multivariable regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether the number of classic CV risk factors was independently associated with specific features of the disease, to include disease activity. Results: A multivariable analysis showed that Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-C reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP) activity score was significantly higher in patients with 1 [beta coefficient 0.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1-0.5), p = 0.001] and ?2 [beta coefficient 0.5 (95% CI 0.3-0.7), p = 0.000] CV risk factors compared with those without CV risk factors. Similarly, patients with 1 [OR 2.00 (95%CI 0.99-4.02), p = 0.053] and ?2 [OR 3.39 (95%CI 1.82-6.31), p = 0.000] CV risk factors had a higher odds ratio for the presence of high disease activity compared with the zero CV category. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) activity score was significantly associated with the number of CV risk factors, being higher in patients with more CV risk factors. These relationships showed a CV risk factor-dependent effect being beta coefficients and ORs higher for the effect of ?2 over 1 CV risk factor. Conclusion: Among patients with axSpA, as the number of traditional CV risk factors increased, disease activity similarly increases in an independent manner.Funding: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/ or publication of this article: This research was funded by a grant to MAG-G from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria grants PI06/0024, PI09/00748, PI12/00060, PI15/00525, PI18/00043) and the ISCIII RETICS programs (RD12/0009 and RD16/0012)

A genome-wide association study suggests the HLA Class II region as the major susceptibility locus for IgA vasculitis.

The genetic component of Immunoglobulin-A (IgA) vasculitis is still far to be elucidated. To increase the current knowledge on the genetic component of this vasculitis we performed the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) on this condition. 308 IgA vasculitis patients and 1,018 healthy controls from Spain were genotyped by Illumina HumanCore BeadChips. Imputation of GWAS data was performed using the 1000 Genomes Project Phase III dataset as reference panel. After quality control filters and GWAS imputation, 285 patients and 1,006 controls remained in the datasets and were included in further analysis. Additionally, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region was comprehensively studied by imputing classical alleles and polymorphic amino acid positions. A linkage disequilibrium block of polymorphisms located in the HLA class II region surpassed the genome-wide level of significance (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.46-0.68). Although no polymorphic amino acid positions were associated at the genome-wide level of significance, P-values of potential relevance were observed for the positions 13 and 11 of HLA-DRB1 (P = 6.67E-05, P = 1.88E-05, respectively). Outside the HLA, potential associations were detected, but none of them were close to the statistical significance. In conclusion, our study suggests that IgA vasculitis is an archetypal HLA class II disease

Genetic analyses of aplastic anemia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients with short telomeres, possible implication of DNA-repair genes

Background: Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures present at the terminal region of the chromosomes. Mutations in genes coding for proteins involved in telomere maintenance are causative of a number of disorders known as telomeropathies. The genetic origin of these diseases is heterogeneous and has not been determined for a significant proportion of patients. Methods: This article describes the genetic characterization of a cohort of patients. Telomere length was determined by Southern blot and quantitative PCR. Nucleotide variants were analyzed either by high-resolution melting analysis and Sanger sequencing of selected exons or by massive sequencing of a panel of genes. Results: Forty-seven patients with telomere length below the 10% of normal population, affected with three telomeropathies: dyskeratosis congenita (4), aplastic anemia (22) or pulmonary fibrosis (21) were analyzed. Eighteen of these patients presented known pathogenic or novel possibly pathogenic variants in the telomere-related genes TERT, TERC, RTEL1, CTC1 and ACD. In addition, the analyses of a panel of 188 genes related to haematological disorders indicated that a relevant proportion of the patients (up to 35%) presented rare variants in genes related to DNA repair or in genes coding for proteins involved in the resolution of complex DNA structures, that participate in telomere replication. Mutations in some of these genes are causative of several syndromes previously associated to telomere shortening

Imported malaria in Spain (2009-2016) : results from the +REDIVI Collaborative Network

Imported malaria is a frequent diagnosis in travellers and migrants. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with imported malaria within a Spanish collaborative network registering imported diseases (+REDIVI). In addition, the possible association between malaria and type of case, gender, age or area of exposure was explored. Cases of imported malaria were identified among all cases registered in the +REDIVI database during the period October 2009-October 2016. Demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics were analysed. In total, 11,816 cases of imported infectious diseases were registered in +REDIVI's database between October 2009 and October 2016. Immigrants seen for the first time after migration accounted for 60.2% of cases, 21.0% of patients were travellers, and 18.8% were travellers/immigrants visiting friends and relatives (VFRs). There were 850 cases of malaria (850/11,816, 7.2%). Malaria was significantly more frequent in men than in women (56.8% vs 43.2%) and in VFR-immigrants (52.6%) as compared to travellers (21.3%), immigrants (20.7%) and VFR-travellers (5.4%) (p < 0.001). Although this data was not available for most patients with malaria, only a minority (29/217, 13.4%) mentioned correct anti-malarial prophylaxis. Sub-Saharan Africa was found to be the most common region of acquisition of malaria. Most common reason for consultation after travel was a febrile syndrome although an important proportion of immigrants were asymptomatic and presented only for health screening (27.3%). Around 5% of travellers presented with severe malaria. The most prevalent species of Plasmodium diagnosed was Plasmodium falciparum (81.5%). Malaria due to Plasmodium ovale/Plasmodium vivax was frequent among travellers (17%) and nearly 5% of all malaria cases in immigrants were caused by Plasmodium malariae. Malaria was among the five most frequent diagnoses registered in +REDIVI's database. Some significant differences were found in the distribution of malaria according to gender, type of case, species. Among all malaria cases, the most frequent diagnosis was P. falciparum infection in VFR-immigrant men

Trends in the epidemiology of catheter-related bloodstream infections; towards a paradigm shift, Spain, 2007 to 2019

Altres ajuts: Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya ("Pla estratègic de recerca i innovació en salut (PERIS) 2019-2021"); Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital; Red Española de Investigación en Patología Infecciosa (REIPI).Background: Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) are frequent healthcare-associated infections and an important cause of death. Aim: To analyse changes in CRBSI epidemiology observed by the Infection Control Catalan Programme (VINCat). Methods: A cohort study including all hospital-acquired CRBSI episodes diagnosed at 55 hospitals (2007-2019) in Catalonia, Spain, was prospectively conducted. CRBSI incidence rates were adjusted per 1,000patientdays. To assess the CRBSI rate trend per year, negative binomial models were used, with the number of events as the dependent variable, and the year as the main independent variable. From each model, the annual rate of CRBSI diagnosed per 1,000patientdays and the incidence rate ratio (IRR) with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results: During the study, 9,290 CRBSI episodes were diagnosed (mean annual incidence rate:0.20episodes/1,000patientdays). Patients' median age was 64.1years; 36.6% (3,403/9,290) were female. In total, 73.7% (n=6,845) of CRBSI occurred in non-intensive care unit (ICU) wards, 62.7% (n=5,822) were related to central venous catheter (CVC), 24.1% (n=2,236) to peripheral venous catheters (PVC) and 13.3% (n=1,232) to peripherally-inserted central venous catheters (PICVC). Incidence rate fell over the study period (IRR:0.94;95%CI:0.93-0.96), especially in the ICU (IRR:0.88;95%CI:0.87-0.89). As a whole, while episodes of CVC CRBSI fell significantly (IRR:0.88;95%CI:0.87-0.91), peripherally-inserted catheter CRBSI (PVC and PICVC) rose, especially in medical wards (IRR PICVC:1.08;95%CI:1.05-1.11; IRR PVC: 1.03; 95% 1.00-1.05). Conclusions: Over the study, CRBSIs associated with CVC and diagnosed in ICUs decreased while episodes in conventional wards involving peripherally-inserted catheters increased. Hospitals should implement preventive measures in conventional wards

Author Correction to: SARS-CoV-2 interaction with Siglec-1 mediates trans-infection by dendritic cells

Correction to: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-021-00794-6; http://hdl.handle.net/10261/257710In the version of this correspondence initially published, one of the SARS-CoV-2 variants used in Fig. 1B, which was originally described in the article as the SARS-CoV-2 variant ‘B.1.1.248.2 Gamma’, is actually the ‘P.2 Zeta’ SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest. The GISAID accession ID EPI_ISL_1831696 provided is correct, but it belongs to the Zeta variant. The results and conclusions are not affected by this unintentional inaccuracy.Peer reviewe

Siglec-1 on dendritic cells mediates SARS-CoV-2 trans-infection of target cells while on macrophages triggers proinflammatory responses

COVID-19 pandemic is not yet under control by vaccination, and effective antivirals are critical for preparedness. Here we report that macrophages and dendritic cells, key antigen presenting myeloid cells (APCs), are largely resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection. APCs effectively captured viruses within cellular compartments that lead to antigen degradation. Macrophages sense SARS-CoV-2 and released higher levels of cytokines, including those related to cytokine storm in severe COVID-19. The sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin 1 (Siglec-1/CD169) present on APCs, which interacts with sialylated gangliosides on membranes of retroviruses or filoviruses, also binds SARS-CoV-2 via GM1. Blockage of Siglec-1 receptors by monoclonal antibodies reduces SARS-CoV-2 uptake and transfer to susceptible target cells. APCs expressing Siglec-1 and carrying SARS-CoV-2 are found in pulmonary tissues of non-human primates. Single cell analysis reveals the in vivo induction of cytokines in those macrophages. Targeting Siglec-1 could offer cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2 and other enveloped viruses that exploit APCs for viral dissemination, including those yet to come in future outbreaks.The research of CBIG consortium (constituted by IRTA-CReSA, BSC, & IrsiCaixa) is supported by Grifols pharmaceutical. The authors also acknowledge the crowdfunding initiative #Yomecorono (https://www.yomecorono.com). J.M-P. is supported by grant PID2019-109870RB-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and in part also by Grifols. CR lab is funded by RTI2018-094445-B100 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). The authors also acknowledge the crowdfunding initiative #Yomecorono (https://www.yomecorono.com). The NHP study was primarily supported by YNPRC Coronavirus Pilot Research Project Program grant to M.Pa. under award P51 OD11132, Emergent Venture Fast grant program to MPa under awards #2206 and #2144, and William and Lula Pitts Foundation (to MPa).N

Multicentre, randomised, single-blind, parallel group trial to compare the effectiveness of a Holter for Parkinson's symptoms against other clinical monitoring methods: study protocol

Introduction In recent years, multiple studies have aimed to develop and validate portable technological devices capable of monitoring the motor complications of Parkinson's disease patients (Parkinson's Holter). The effectiveness of these monitoring devices for improving clinical control is not known. Methods and analysis This is a single-blind, cluster-randomised controlled clinical trial. Neurologists from Spanish health centres will be randomly assigned to one of three study arms (1:1:1): (a) therapeutic adjustment using information from a Parkinson?s Holter that will be worn by their patients for 7 days, (b) therapeutic adjustment using information from a diary of motor fluctuations that will be completed by their patients for 7 days and (c) therapeutic adjustment using clinical information collected during consultation. It is expected that 162 consecutive patients will be included over a period of 6 months. The primary outcome is the efficiency of the Parkinson?s Holter compared with traditional clinical practice in terms of Off time reduction with respect to the baseline (recorded through a diary of motor fluctuations, which will be completed by all patients). As secondary outcomes, changes in variables related to other motor complications (dyskinesia and freezing of gait), quality of life, autonomy in activities of daily living, adherence to the monitoring system and number of doctor?patient contacts will be analysed. The noninferiority of the Parkinson's Holter against the diary of motor fluctuations in terms of Off time reduction will be studied as the exploratory objective. Ethics and dissemination approval for this study has been obtained from the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge Ethics Committee. The results of this study will inform the practical utility of the objective information provided by a Parkinson's Holter and, therefore, the convenience of adopting this technology in clinical practice and in future clinical trials. We expect public dissemination of the results in 2022.Funding This work is supported by AbbVie S.L.U, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III [DTS17/00195] and the European Fund for Regional Development, 'A way to make Europe'