Human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Portugal, summer 2015

A case of West Nile virus (WNV) infection was reported in the Algarve region, Portugal, in the first week of September 2015. WNV is known to circulate in Portugal, with occasional reports in horses and birds (2004 to 2011) and very sporadically human cases (in 2004 and in 2010). Here we present the clinical and laboratory aspects related to the first human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease reported in Portugal

Different isolation approaches lead to diverse glycosylated extracellular vesicle populations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of small secreted particles involved in inter-cellular communication and mediating a broad spectrum of biological functions. EVs cargo iscomposed of a large repertoire of molecules, including glycoconjugates. Herein, we report the firststudy on the impact of the isolation strategy on the EV populations’glycosylation profile. The use ofdifferent state-of-the-art protocols, namely differential ultracentrifugation (UC), total exosome isola-tion (TEI), OptiPrepTMdensity gradient (ODG) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) resulted in EVpopulations displaying different sets of glycoconjugates. The EV populations obtained by UC, ODGand SEC methods displayed similar protein and glycan profiles, whereas TEI methodology isolated themost distinct EV population. In addition, ODG and SEC isolation protocols provided an enhanced EVglycoproteins detection. Remarkably, proteins displaying the tumour-associated glycan sialyl-Tn(STn) were identified as packaged cargo into EVs independently of the isolation methodology. STncarrying EV samples isolated by UC, ODG and SEC presented a considerable set of cancer-relatedproteins that were not detected in EVs isolated by TEI. Our work demonstrates the impact of usingdifferent isolation methodologies in the populations of EVs that are obtained, with consequences inthe glycosylation profile of the isolated population. Furthermore, our results highlight the importanceof selecting adequate EV isolation protocols and cell culture conditions to determine the structuraland functional complexity of the EV glycoconjugates.This work was funded by FEDER funds through theOperational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016585; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028489) and NationalFunds through the Foundation for Science and Technology(FCT), under the projects: PTDC/BBB-EBI/0567/2014 (toCAR), PTDC/MED-ONC/28489/2017 (to AM) and UID/BIM/04293/2013; and the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Programme(NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 PartnershipAgreement, through the European Regional DevelopmentFund (ERDF). DF acknowledges the FCT PhD Programmesand Programa Operacional Potencial Humano (POPH), speci-fically the Biotech Health Programme (Doctoral Programme onCellular and Molecular Biotechnology Applied to HealthSciences), with the reference PD/0016/2012 funded by FCTand the grant SFRH/BD/110636/2015 from FCT, POPH andFSE (Fundo Social Europeu); MB acknowledges the EuropeanUnion’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmeunder the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No.748880; and JP acknowledges FCT (SFRH/BD/137319/2018).The authors acknowledge Rede Nacional de Espectrometria deMassa, ROTEIRO/0028/2013, ref. LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-022125, supported by COMPETE and North PortugalRegional Operational Programme (Norte2020), under thePORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through theEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF). SV acknowl-edges the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF107)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus spreading through medical devices used in nursing care: what can we learn from Portugal?

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chaos in Anisotropic Pre-Inflationary Universes

We study the dynamics of anisotropic Bianchi type-IX models with matter and cosmological constant. The models can be thought as describing the role of anisotropy in the early stages of inflation. The concurrence of the cosmological constant and anisotropy are sufficient to produce a chaotic dynamics in the gravitational degrees of freedom, connected to the presence of a critical point of saddle-center type in the phase space of the system. The invariant character of chaos is guaranteed by the topology of the cylinders emanating from unstable periodic orbits in the neighborhood of the saddle-center. We discuss a possible mechanism for amplification of specific wavelengths of inhomogeneous fluctuations in the models. A geometrical interpretation is given for Wald's inequality in terms of invariant tori and their destruction by increasing values of the cosmological constant.Comment: 14 pages, figures available under request. submitted to Physical Review

Initial experience with targeted axillary dissection after neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients

Background: Targeted axillary dissection (TAD) combines sentinel node biopsy (SNB) with the removal of the previously marked metastatic node. TAD is a promising concept for axillary restaging in node-positive breast cancer patients with pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). We aimed to evaluate TAD feasibility in this context. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in biopsy-confirmed cN1 patients. The removal of the clipped node (CN) was guided by intraoperative ultrasound. SNB used indocyanine green and patent blue V dye. If the CN or sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) had any metastatic foci, or the TAD procedure was unsuccessful, the patient underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Results: Thirty-seven patients were included. TAD and SNB identification rates were 97.3%. Every retrieved CN was also a SLN. At the individual level, SNB identification rate was 89.2% with indocyanine green and 85.5% with patent blue V dye. The CN identification rate was 81.1%, being higher when the CN was localized on the intraoperative ultrasound (84.4% vs 60.0%). Nodal pCR was achieved by 54.1% of our patients and was more frequent in HER2-positive and triple-negative tumors (p = 0.039). Nineteen patients were spared from ALND. Conclusion: TAD with intraoperative ultrasound-guided excision of the CN and SNB with indocyanine green and patent blue V dye is a feasible concept to identify patients without axillary residual disease after NAT, that can be spared from ALND, although the need for marking the biopsied node should be further investigated. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Breast Cancer Society

Integration of bow-tie plasmonic nano-antennas on tapered fibers

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPIn this article, a new and flexible approach to control the electric field enhancement of bow-tie nano-antennas by integrating them on the lateral of a tapered optical fiber is proposed. The device is driven by a Q-switched laser and the performance of a fabricated nano-antenna in a quartz slide is tested by a Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) experiment. A refractive index sensing experiment is also performed and a sensitivity of (240 +/- 30) nm/RIU is found in the 1.33-1.35 index range.25889868996FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2014/50632-6The Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD US Air Force FA2386-15-1-4084); Australian Research Council (ARC LP160100253); and Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (#2014/50632-6)

Chicken feather keratin peptides for the control of keratinocyte migration

FAO estimates that in 2030 the poultry meat production could reach 120 million tons, which is a challenge in terms of waste management. Feathers are mainly composed of keratin, an important biomaterial. Using feathers as a source of keratin will minimize the waste generated, while contributing to supply an important material for several industries, such as pharmaceutical and biomedical. The peptides were extracted from the feathers by microbial degradation. In this study, we evaluated the peptides effect on keratinocyte metabolic activity and migration. The influence of these peptides on non-activated and activated macrophages was also assessed. It was demonstrated that depending on the keratin peptide fraction in contact with keratinocytes, it is possible to modulate the migration rate of the keratinocytes. Peptide fraction with low molecular weight increases migration, while peptides with a high range of molecular sizes decreases it. Some peptide fractions induce the secretion of TNF- in non-activated macrophages and not on activated macrophages, demonstrating that these peptides should only be placed in contact with cells, in the context of an ongoing inflammatory process. This work is a step forward on the understanding of keratin peptides influence on keratinocytes and immune cells system cells, macrophages.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit. It was also was financed by the Portuguese Mass Spectrometry Network, integrated in the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Relevance (ROTEIRO/0028/2013; LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-022125) and the MAC 2014-2020-MAC/1.1b/042-INTERREG V A España-Portugal, “BIOTRANSFER 2: Transferencia de la investigación biotecnológica orientada a rentabilidad empresarial y movilización de flujos de negocio 2”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Should a Sentinel Node Biopsy Be Performed in Patients with High-Risk Breast Cancer?

A negative sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy spares many breast cancer patients the complications associated with lymph node irradiation or additional surgery. However, patients at high risk for nodal involvement based on clinical characteristics may remain at unacceptably high risk of axillary disease even after a negative SLN biopsy result. A Bayesian nomogram was designed to combine the probability of axillary disease prior to nodal biopsy with customized test characteristics for an SLN biopsy and provides the probability of axillary disease despite a negative SLN biopsy. Users may individualize the sensitivity of an SLN biopsy based on factors known to modify the sensitivity of the procedure. This tool may be useful in identifying patients who should have expanded upfront exploration of the axilla or comprehensive axillary irradiation

All-fiber broadband spectral acousto-optic modulation of a tubular-lattice hollow-core optical fiber

We demonstrate a broadband acousto-optic notch filter based on a tubular-lattice hollow-core fiber for the first time. The guided optical modes are modulated by acoustically induced dynamic long-period gratings along the fiber. The device is fabricated employing a short interaction length (7.7 cm) and low drive voltages (10 V). Modulated spectral bands with 20 nm half-width and maximum depths greater than 60 % are achieved. The resonant notch wavelength is tuned from 743 to 1355 nm (612 nm span) by changing the frequency of the electrical signal. The results indicate a broader tuning range compared to previous studies using standard and hollow-core fibers. It further reveals unique properties for reconfigurable spectral filters and fiber lasers, pointing to the fast switching and highly efficient modulation of all-fiber photonic devices