The Spanish SpaceWeather Service SeNMEs. A Case Study on the Sun-Earth Chain

Comunicación presentada en el Coimbra Solar Physics Meeting, 5-9 October 2015, Coimbra, PortugalThe Spanish Space Weather Service SeNMEs, www.senmes.es, is a portal created by the SRG-SW of the Universidad de Alcalá, Spain, to meet societal needs of near real-time space weather services. This webpage-portal is divided in different sections to fulfill users needs about space weather effects: radio blackouts, solar energetic particle events, geomagnetic storms and presence of geomagnetically induced currents. In less than one year of activity, this service has released a daily report concerning the solar current status and interplanetary medium, informing about the chances of a solar perturbation to hit the Earth’s environment. There are also two different forecasting tools for geomagnetic storms, and a daily ionospheric map. These tools allow us to nowcast a variety of solar eruptive events and forecast geomagnetic storms and their recovery, including a new local geomagnetic index, LDiñ, along with some specific new scaling. In this paper we also include a case study analysed by SeNMEs. Using different high resolution and cadence data from space-borne solar telescopes SDO, SOHO and GOES, along with ionospheric and geomagnetic data, we describe the Sun-Earth feature chain for the event.MINECO project AYA2013-47735PPeer reviewe

(Re)Conceptualizing decision-making tools in a risk governance framework for emerging technologies—the case of nanomaterials

The utility of decision-making tools for the risk governance of nanotechnology is at the core of this paper. Those working in nanotechnology risk management have been prolific in creating such tools, many derived from European FP7 and H2020-funded projects. What is less clear is how such tools might assist the overarching ambition of creating a fair system of risk governance. In this paper, we reflect upon the role that tools might and should play in any system of risk governance. With many tools designed for the risk governance of this emerging technology falling into disuse, this paper provides an overview of extant tools and addresses their potential shortcomings. We also posit the need for a data readiness tool. With the EUs NMP13 family of research consortia about to report to the Commission on ways forward in terms of risk governance of this domain, this is a timely intervention on an important element of any risk governance system

Study of Quasispecies Complexity and Liver Damage Progression after Liver Transplantation in Hepatitis C Virus Infected Patients

Fibrosis; Hepatitis C virus; Viral loadFibrosis; Virus de la hepatitis C; Carga viralFibrosi; Virus de l'hepatitis C; Càrrega viralCirrhosis derived from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still a common indication for liver transplantation (LT). Reinfection of the engrafted liver is universal in patients with detectable viral RNA at the time of transplant and causes fast progression of cirrhosis (within 5 years) in around one-third of these patients. To prevent damage to the liver graft, effective direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is required as soon as possible. However, because of post-LT clinical instability, it is difficult to determine the optimal time to start DAAs with a low risk of complications. Evaluate changes in quasispecies complexity following LT and seek a predictive index of fast liver damage progression to determine the timing of DAA initiation. HCV genomes isolated from pre-LT and 15-day post-LT serum samples of ten patients, who underwent orthotopic LT, were quantified and sequenced using a next-generation sequencing platform. Sequence alignments, phylogenetic trees, quasispecies complexity measures, biostatistics analyses, adjusted R2 values, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were carried out. Three different patterns of reinfection were observed (viral bottlenecking, conserved pre-LT population, and mixed populations), suggesting that bottlenecking or homogenization of the viral population is not a generalized effect after liver graft reinfection. None of the quasispecies complexity measures predicted the future degree of liver damage. Higher and more uniform viral load (VL) values were observed in all pre-LT samples, but values were more dispersed in post-LT samples. However, VL increased significantly from the pre-LT to 15-day post-LT samples in patients with advanced fibrosis at 1-year post-LT, suggesting that a VL increase on day 15 may be a predictor of fast liver fibrosis progression. HCV kinetics after LT differ between patients and are not fibrosis-dependent. Higher VL at day 15 post-LT versus pre-LT samples may predict fast liver fibrosis progression.This study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with grant numbers PI19/00533, PI19/00301, Clinical Trial Gov. Identifier: NCT01707849, and from Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial-CDTI of the Spanish Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness (MINECO) grant number, IDI-20200297. C.P. is supported by the Miguel Servet program of Instituto de Salud Carlos III, grant CP14/00121, cofinanced by the ERDF. Astellas Pharma Inc and Novartis Pharma also provided funding for the study, but these companies had had no role in the study design, data collection or analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Ultra Deep Sequencing of Circulating Cell-Free DNA as a Potential Tool for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Management

Biomarkers; cfDNA; Liquid biopsyBiomarcadores; cfDNA; Biopsia líquidaBiomarcadors; cfDNA; Biòpsia líquidaBackground: Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations have been described to be inversely correlated with prognosis in cancer. Mutations in HCC-associated driver genes in cfDNA have been reported, but their relation with patient’s outcome has not been described. Our aim was to elucidate whether mutations found in cfDNA could be representative from those present in HCC tissue, providing the rationale to use the cfDNA to monitor HCC. Methods: Tumoral tissue, paired nontumor adjacent tissue and blood samples were collected from 30 HCC patients undergoing curative therapies. Deep sequencing targeting HCC driver genes was performed. Results: Patients with more than 2 ng/µL of cfDNA at diagnosis had higher mortality (mean OS 24.6 vs. 31.87 months, p = 0.01) (AUC = 0.782). Subjects who died during follow-up, had a significantly higher number of mutated genes (p = 0.015) and number of mutations (p = 0.015) on cfDNA. Number of mutated genes (p = 0.001), detected mutations (p = 0.001) in cfDNA and ratio (number of mutations/cfDNA) (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with recurrence. However, patients with a ratio (number of mutations/cfDNA) above 6 (long-rank p = 0.0003) presented a higher risk of recurrence than those with a ratio under 6. Detection of more than four mutations in cfDNA correlated with higher risk of death (long-rank p = 0.042). Conclusions: In summary, cfDNA and detection of prevalent HCC mutations could have prognostic implications in early-stage HCC patientsThis research was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI18/00961) and (PI21/00714) to B.M. PI19/00301 by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Business, grant number IDI-20200297 to J.Q., E.V.-A. is a recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (FI18/00027)

The Spanish version of the reflective functioning questionnaire: Validity data in the general population and individuals with personality disorders

INTRODUCTION: Mentalization or reflective functioning (RF) is the capacity to interpret oneself or the others in terms of internal mental states. Its failures have been linked to several mental disorders and interventions improving RF have a therapeutic effect. Mentalizing capacity of the parents influences the children's attachment. The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8) is a widely used tool for the assessment of RF. No instrument is available to assess general RF in Spanish-speaking samples. The aim of this study is to develop a Spanish version of the RFQ-8 and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the general population and in individuals with personality disorders. METHODS: 602 non-clinical and 41 personality disordered participants completed a Spanish translation of the RFQ and a battery of self-reported questionnaires assessing several RF related constructs (alexithymia, perspective taking, identity diffusion and mindfulness), psychopathology (general and specific) and interpersonal problems. Temporal stability was tested in a non-clinical sub-sample of 113 participants. RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a one-factor structure in the Spanish version of the RFQ-8. RFQ-8 understood as a single scale was tested, with low scorings reflecting genuine mentalizing, and high scorings uncertainty. The questionnaire showed good internal consistence in both samples and moderate temporal stability in non-clinical sample. RFQ correlated significantly with identity diffusion, alexithymia, and general psychopathology in both samples; and with mindfulness, perspective taking, and interpersonal problems in clinical sample. Mean values of the scale were significantly higher in the clinical group. DISCUSSION: This study provides evidence that the Spanish version of the RFQ-8, understood as a single scale, has an adequate reliability and validity assessing failures in reflective functioning (i.e., hypomentalization) in general population and personality disorders

The Spanish version of the reflective functioning questionnaire: Validity data in the general population and individuals with personality disorders.

Introduction Mentalization or reflective functioning (RF) is the capacity to interpret oneself or the others in terms of internal mental states. Its failures have been linked to several mental disorders and interventions improving RF have a therapeutic effect. Mentalizing capacity of the parents influences the children’s attachment. The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8) is a widely used tool for the assessment of RF. No instrument is available to assess general RF in Spanish-speaking samples. The aim of this study is to develop a Spanish version of the RFQ-8 and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the general population and in individuals with personality disorders. Methods 602 non-clinical and 41 personality disordered participants completed a Spanish translation of the RFQ and a battery of self-reported questionnaires assessing several RF related constructs (alexithymia, perspective taking, identity diffusion and mindfulness), psychopathology (general and specific) and interpersonal problems. Temporal stability was tested in a non-clinical sub-sample of 113 participants. Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a one-factor structure in the Spanish version of the RFQ-8. RFQ-8 understood as a single scale was tested, with low scorings reflecting genuine mentalizing, and high scorings uncertainty. The questionnaire showed good internal consistence in both samples and moderate temporal stability in non-clinical sample. RFQ correlated significantly with identity diffusion, alexithymia, and general psychopathology in both samples; and with mindfulness, perspective taking, and interpersonal problems in clinical sample. Mean values of the scale were significantly higher in the clinical group. Discussion This study provides evidence that the Spanish version of the RFQ-8, understood as a single scale, has an adequate reliability and validity assessing failures in reflective functioning (i.e., hypomentalization) in general population and personality disorders.The study received a Health Strategic Action fund from the Carlos III Health Institute of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. ID PI16/02058. https://www.isciii.es/QueHacemos/Financiacion/solicitudes/Paginas/default.aspx No researcher have received money from the fund. This kind of public funds are managed by public institutes (in this case BIOEF) that ensure this money is only used for some of the material resources necessary to carry out the investigation. https://www.bioef.org/es/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonism markedly increases dopamine receptor-mediated stereotypies

The contribution of the endocannabinoid system to dopamine-mediated disorganized behavior in schizophrenia is discussed. We used a model of concurrent stimulation of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors to evaluate the role of this system in dopamine-mediated stereotypies measured in a hole-board test. Pretreatment with the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichloro-phenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (SR141716A; 1 mg/kg) potentiated stereotyped behavior induced by coadministration of the dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF 38393 (0.05, 0.1 and 1 mg/kg) and the dopamine D2 receptor agonist quinpirole (0.25 mg/kg). Thus, the endocannabinoid system acts as a brake for abnormal behavior associated with dopaminergic overactivation. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer Reviewe

A novel form of human disease with a protease-sensitive prion protein and heterozygosity methionine/valine at codon 129: Case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder in humans included in the group of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies or prion diseases. The vast majority of sCJD cases are molecularly classified according to the abnormal prion protein (PrP^Sc) conformations along with polymorphism of codon 129 of the PRNP gene. Recently, a novel human disease, termed "protease-sensitive prionopathy", has been described. This disease shows a distinct clinical and neuropathological phenotype and it is associated to an abnormal prion protein more sensitive to protease digestion.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 75-year-old-man who developed a clinical course and presented pathologic lesions compatible with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and biochemical findings reminiscent of "protease-sensitive prionopathy". Neuropathological examinations revealed spongiform change mainly affecting the cerebral cortex, putamen/globus pallidus and thalamus, accompanied by mild astrocytosis and microgliosis, with slight involvement of the cerebellum. Confluent vacuoles were absent. Diffuse synaptic PrP deposits in these regions were largely removed following proteinase treatment. PrP deposition, as revealed with 3F4 and 1E4 antibodies, was markedly sensitive to pre-treatment with proteinase K. Molecular analysis of PrP^Scshowed an abnormal prion protein more sensitive to proteinase K digestion, with a five-band pattern of 28, 24, 21, 19, and 16 kDa, and three aglycosylated isoforms of 19, 16 and 6 kDa. This PrP^Scwas estimated to be 80% susceptible to digestion while the pathogenic prion protein associated with classical forms of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were only 2% (type VV2) and 23% (type MM1) susceptible. No mutations in the PRNP gene were found and genotype for codon 129 was heterozygous methionine/valine.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A novel form of human disease with abnormal prion protein sensitive to protease and MV at codon 129 was described. Although clinical signs were compatible with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the molecular subtype with the abnormal prion protein isoforms showing enhanced protease sensitivity was reminiscent of the "protease-sensitive prionopathy". It remains to be established whether the differences found between the latter and this case are due to the polymorphism at codon 129. Different degrees of proteinase K susceptibility were easily determined with the chemical polymer detection system which could help to detect proteinase-susceptible pathologic prion protein in diseases other than the classical ones.</p

Pre-Operative Risk Factors Predict Post-Operative Respiratory Failure after Liver Transplantation

OBJECTIVE: Post-operative pulmonary complications significantly affect patient survival rates, but there is still no conclusive evidence regarding the effect of post-operative respiratory failure after liver transplantation on patient prognosis. This study aimed to predict the risk factors for post-operative respiratory failure (PRF) after liver transplantation and the impact on short-term survival rates. DESIGN: The retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in a twelve-bed adult surgical intensive care unit in northern Taiwan. The medical records of 147 liver transplant patients were reviewed from September 2002 to July 2007. Sixty-two experienced post-operative respiratory failure while the remaining 85 patients did not. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Gender, age, etiology, disease history, pre-operative ventilator use, molecular adsorbent re-circulating system (MARS) use, source of organ transplantation, model for end-stage liver disease score (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh score calculated immediately before surgery were assessed for the two groups. The length of the intensive care unit stay, admission duration, and mortality within 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year were also evaluated. Using a logistic regression model, post-operative respiratory failure correlated with diabetes mellitus prior to liver transplantation, pre-operative impaired renal function, pre-operative ventilator use, pre-operative MARS use and deceased donor source of organ transplantation (p<0.05). Once liver transplant patients developed PRF, their length of ICU stay and admission duration were prolonged, significantly increasing their mortality and morbidity (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The predictive pre-operative risk factors significantly influenced the occurrence of post-operative respiratory failure after liver transplantation