Hepatitis E Virus in the Iberian Peninsula: A Systematic Review

One of the most frequent causes of acute viral hepatitis is hepatitis E virus (HEV) causing 20 million infections worldwide each year and 44,000 deaths. Studies on HEV in the Iberian Peninsula have been increasing through time with HEV infection being identified in humans and animals. The aim of the present systematic review was to compile and evaluate all the published data on HEV from studies performed in humans, animals and environmental samples in the Iberian Peninsula. The electronic databases Mendeley, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were thoroughly searched, and research published up until February 01, 2023 were included. Resulting in a total of 151 eligible papers by full reading and application of PRISMA exclusion/inclusion criteria. Overall, the present review shows that several HEV genotypes, namely HEV-1, 3, 4, and 6 as well as Rocahepevirus, are circulating in humans, animals, and in the environment in the Iberian Peninsula. HEV-3 was the most common genotype circulating in humans in Portugal and Spain, as expected for developed countries, with HEV-1 only being detected in travelers and emigrants from HEV endemic regions. Spain is the biggest pork producer in Europe and given the high circulation of HEV in pigs, with HEV-3 being primarily associated to zoonotic transmission through consumption of swine meat and meat products, in our opinion, the introduction of an HEV surveillance system in swine and inclusion of HEV in diagnostic routines for acute and chronic human hepatitis would be important. Additionally, we propose that establishing a monitoring mechanism for HEV is crucial in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of this illness and the various strains present in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as their potential impact on public health.Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on)

Mejoras cognitivas y el problema de la inequidad: entre bioconservadurismo y bioliberalismo

The notion of cognitive enhancement refers to a group of procedures and technologies aiming at amplifying any capacity of an organism by increasing its internal systems of information processing. After clarifying the term, this article discusses an argument raised in the context of the worries about the potential social consequences of promotion and use of such technologies in society. For some, this process would exacerbate current social inequalities, open the possibility of considering their total prohibition. I call this the argument from inequality against cognitive enhancement. After explaining the dimensions of the debate, I reply to Veit’s1 liberal proposal that claims that cognitive enhancements would not increase social inequality, and that they should be fully embraced and promoted. Finally, I conclude by briefly sketching a moderate alternative that focuses on strict regulation rather than in prohibition.El término ‘mejora cognitiva’ refiere a un grupo de procedimientos y tecnologías que intentan amplificar cualquier capacidad de un organismo por medio del aumento de sus sistemas internos de procesamiento de información. Luego de clarificar el término, este artículo discute un argumento que nace de la preocupación acerca de las consecuencias sociales derivadas del uso masivo de mejoras cognitivas. Para algunos, el uso masivo de mejoras cognitivas exacerbaría la inequidad ya existente en la sociedad, lo que podría abrir la posibilidad de considerar la prohibición del uso de tales procedimientos y tecnologías. A esto le llamaré el argumento de la inequidad en contra de las mejoras cognitivas. Tras explicar las diversas aristas del debate, respondo a la propuesta liberal de Veit según la cuál las mejoras cognitivas no exacerbarían tales brechas y, por lo tanto, tales procedimientos deberían ser abiertamente promocionados y masificados. Finalmente, concluyo brevemente esbozando una alternativa moderada que redirecciona el argumento de la inequidad desde la prohibición a la regulación estricta

Specific increase of a mitochondrial RNA transcript in chronic ethanol-fed rats

AbstractAn in vitro transcription system utilizing isolated mitochondria has been used to study the effect of chronic ethanol consumption on liver mitochondrial DNA transcription. The results obtained showed an overall increase of RNA synthesis and a dramatic accumulation of a discrete polyadenylated RNA species. This effect is a consequence of the chronic ethanol consumption since these changes do not occur when isolated control mitochondria are incubated in the presence of ethanol

Vulvodynia: A disease commonly hidden in plain sight

Vulvodynia is a poorly recognized entity by clinicians – even by those who deal with female sexual health. While the study of vulvovaginal diseases, including pain disorders, is included in most residency programs in North America, it is acknowledged that clinical exposure may be insufficient. The scenario in the rest of the world is probably no better. Vulvodynia affects at least 6% of women (up to 20% in some series), and can be found at any age and in all ethnic groups. The disease is common and dramatically affects quality of life, beyond the obvious sexual aspect. The importance of investigating vulvar symptoms even in younger women is underlined by studies reporting that the prevalence of vulvodynia among adolescents is similar to that among adult women. The International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) defined vulvodynia as vulvar pain of at least 3?months'' duration, without clear identifiable cause, which may have potential associated factors– or, more simply, idiopathic vulvar pain. It was subdivided according to location (generalized, localized) and the need of a stimulus to elicit the symptoms (provoked, spontaneous, or mixed). In the terminology recommended in 2015 it was acknowledged that there are potential associated factors..

Seismic effects in archaeological sites: Archaeoseismological cataloguing and quantification

The analysis of the damage caused by seismic events in archaeological sites provides significant information about ancient and historic earthquakes that can improve seismic hazard analysis. In this paper a methodological analysis to quantify the deformation of structural damage recorded in archaeological sites is proposed. This methodology focuses on the establishment of the seismic/non-seismic origin of the observed damage and consists of three phases: (a) identification and inventory of damage; (b) quantification of deformation; and (c) incorporation of the results to seismic catalogues. The first phase is the inventory and mapping of the damage according with the classification of archaeological effects of earthquakes (EAEs). The second phase is to quantify the deformation of damage by setting different parameters such as the direction of maximum horizontal strain (ey). This analysis is performed at different levels: for each of the recorded EAEs, for all the records of a particular category of EAEs, and finally for the complete archaeological site including all the categories of EAEs. The homogeneity of the results (damage orientation) allows us to establish the seismic origin of deformations. This methodology has been developed in the Roman site of Baelo Claudia (Cádiz, Spain) and has been applied to different historical earthquakes in the Iberian Peninsula. To calibrate the method, analyses on oriented damage were carried out immediately after the recent instrumental earthquakes of Lorca 2011 (5.1 Mw, Spain) and Emilia Romagna 2012 (5.9 Mw; Italy).The analysis of the damage caused by seismic events in archaeological sites provides significant information about ancient and historic earthquakes that can improve seismic hazard analysis. In this paper a methodological analysis to quantify the deformation of structural damage recorded in archaeological sites is proposed. This methodology focuses on the establishment of the seismic / non-seismic origin of the observed damage and consists of three phases: (a) identification and inventory of damage; (b) quantification of deformation; and (c) incorporation of the results to seismic catalogues. The first phase is the inventory and mapping of the damage according with the classification of archaeological effects of earthquakes (EAEs). The second phase is to quantify the deformation of damage by setting different parameters such as the direction of maximum horizontal strain (ey). This analysis is performed at different levels: for each of the recorded EAEs, for all the records of a particular category of EAEs, and finally for the complete archaeological site including all the categories of EAEs. The homogeneity of the results (damage orientation) allows us to establish the seismic origin of deformations. This methodology has been developed in the Roman site of Baelo Claudia (Cádiz, Spain) and has been applied to different historical earthquakes in the Iberian Peninsula. To calibrate the method, analyses on oriented damage were carried out immediately after the recent instrumental earthquakes of Lorca 2011 (5.1 Mw, Spain) and Emilia Romagna 2012 (5.9 Mw; Italy).Este trabajo ha sido financiado por los proyectos CGL2015-67169-P (QTECTSPAIN, USAL) y CATESI-07 (IGME). Es una contribución al INQUA TERPRO Project 1299 y a los grupos de trabajo QTECT-AEQUA y GQMAEQU

Effect of chitosan membrane surface modification via plasma induced polymerization on the adhesion of osteoblast-like cells

The surface of solvent cast chitosan membranes was modified using a two-step procedure. Oxygen plasma treatment was used at the first activation step followed by vinyl monomer graft polymerization. Two monomers were used in order to compare the influence of different functional groups on cell adhesion and proliferation; acrylic acid (AA) was used to introduce carboxyl groups and vinyl sulfonic acid (VSA) was used as a source of sulfonic groups. The surface chemistry/energy changes were characterized by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), and contact angle measurements. Additionally, alterations in the surface morphology were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XPS analyses confirmed the polymer grafting on the surface; an S2s peak appears in the VSA survey spectrum and an O–CLO peak emerges in the C1s high resolution spectrum after AA grafting. Moreover, contact angle measurements showed an increment in the values of the surface energy polar and Lewis base components for all treated samples, confirming the introduction of additional polar groups by the modification processes. FTIR-ATR spectra showed no significant difference between treated and original materials. These results confirmed that only the very top (a few angstroms) surface layer, but not the bulk of the material, was modified. The effect of modification on the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast-like cells was studied on a preliminary basis. Direct contact tests were performed using a human osteosarcoma cell line (SaOs-2). Cell morphology (optical microscopy and SEM) and cell viability (MTS test) were evaluated for untreated and surface modified membranes. The results revealed that both plasma treatment, and the presence of sulfonic groups on the surface of chitosan membranes, improve SaOs-2 adhesion and proliferation when compared to untreated or AA-grafted membranes. This effect was strongly related to the polar and Lewis basic components of the total surface energy

A study of the far infrared Spectrum of N -Acetyl-D-Glucosamine using THz-TDS, FTIR, and semiempirical quantum chemistry methods

The far infrared spectrum of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine has been studied by combining THz-TDS and FTIR characterization techniques with theoretical studies based on semiempirical quantum chemistry methods. A strong spectral peak at 60 cm-1 has been identified, which constitutes the main signature of the material in the terahertz band. Calculated molecular vibrations are in good qualitative and semiquantitative agreement with both the THz-TDS and FTIR experiments. In comparison to previous DFT-based studies, the semiempirical approach chosen herein, suitable for parallel multi-core and GPU acceleration, allows for a full study using periodic boundary conditions and no further approximations within a constrained computing time

Fungal diversity, woody debris, and wood decomposition in managed and unmanaged Patagonian Nothofagus pumilio forests

Fungal diversity, woody debris, and wood decomposition were assessed in Nothofagus pumilio forests with and without forest management (controls) in Argentina, and were related with the forest structure and microclimate. We established a wood decomposition assay to determine mass loss of branches and twigs in two decay classes (1, incipient and 2, intermediate decay stage), and used generalized linear mixed-effects models to evaluate whether fungal diversity and mass loss differed between treatments (managed forests and controls). We found no differences in richness nor in abundance between treatments, and their community composition was similar. However, Botryobasidium vagum, Phanerochaete velutina, and Sistotrema brinkmanii were more abundant in managed forests, and Amyloathelia aspera was more abundant in controls. Branches in the intermediate decay stage showed greater mass loss in managed forests than in controls, but mass loss of the other debris types did not differ between treatments. The volume of coarse woody debris was greater in managed forests than in controls, and had a positive effect on fungal richness. Our results indicate that N. pumilio forest management did not generate evident changes in fungal diversity, or in wood decomposition after 20 years of the forest management. However, the higher mass loss of branches in the intermediate decay stage observed in managed forests suggests that there were some factors operating in those forests in the past which may have accelerated decomposition. This highlights the need for studies evaluating changes in canopy cover, microclimate, and fungal community, including potential key species, in the short term and the long term after forest management.Fil: Gallo, Ana Laura. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Silva, Patricia Valeria. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: López Bernal, P.. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Moretto, Alicia Susana. Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Greslebin, Alina Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica; Argentin

Surface phosphorylation of chitosan significantly improves osteoblast cell viability, attachment and proliferation

Chitosan biocompatibility is often associated with the structural similarities with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Although all of the GAGs are built from repeating disaccharide units and some of them contain N-glucosamine (the main hexosamine in the chitosan backbone), all of them also contain negatively charged functional groups. These charged units are believed to have a crucial role for the formation of proteoglycans and hence for key biochemical processes/signaling related to cell functionality and survival. Lack of these groups in chitosan structure could be the reason for the previously observed poor cell adhesion to this material. Herein, we report that plasma induced grafting of negatively charged phosphonic groups can induce remarkably distinguishable cell response and significantly improve the adhesion, proliferation and viability of osteoblast cells. The proposed plasma induced polymerization is a very simple and versatile method and can be easily adapted to other materials and different negatively charged units.The authors acknowledge funding from EU Marie Curie Actions, Alea Jacta Est (MEST-CT-2004-008104) and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)(SFRH/BPD/34545/2007). This work was carried out under the scope of the European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283)

Loss of antibunching

We describe some of the main external mechanisms that lead to a loss of antibunching, i.e., that spoil the character of a given quantum light to deliver its photons separated from each other. Namely, we consider contamination by noise, a time jitter in the photon detection, and the effect of frequency filtering (or detection with finite bandwidth). The formalism to describe time jitter is derived and connected to the already existing one for frequency filtering. The emission from a two-level system under both incoherent and coherent driving is taken as a particular case of special interest. The coherent case is further separated into its vanishing- (Heitler) and high- (Mollow) driving regimes. We provide analytical solutions which, in the case of filtering, reveal an unsuspected structure in the transitions from perfect antibunching to thermal (incoherent case) or uncorrelated (coherent case) emission. The experimental observations of these basic and fundamental transitions would provide additional compelling evidence of the correctness and importance of the theory of frequency-resolved photon correlation