Specific Immunotherapy Can Be A Useful Treatment in Seasonal Pollen Induced Esophagitis

[EN] Although pollen allergy is very common in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), it is doubtful that pollen is an etiological agent to consider. We selected 255 patients suffered from esophagitis with seasonal exacerbation, and performed a real life study on the efficacy of immunotherapy with the detected pollen and avoidance of food, if was also detected. Allergens involved in EoE were identified by prick, specific IgE and molecular analysis: component resolved diagnosis (CRD) by microarrays. Microscopic examination of esophageal biopsies of patients with EoE were made to verify the presence of callose (polysaccharide abundant in the polinic tubes during germination, but absent in animal tissues) in the esophagus. Endoscopy and biopsy were performed ever six months of treatment. Esophageal mucosal sections were analyzed by scanning electron microscope Immunotherapy guided by molecular analysis and biopsy study was useful to decide the treatment (avoidance or targeted immunotherapy). This treatment allowed us a more reasonable restriction of food in the diet and specific immunotherapy aimed at the suspected allergens responsible for the disease. After immunotherapy, 188 (74%) patients were discharged whit negative biopsy, no symptoms, no medication, without relapse. Specific molecular guided immunotherapy can be a useful treatment in seasonal pollen induced esophagitisS

Adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by natural, synthetic and modified clays

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of major scientific concern owing to their widespread presence in environmental compartments and their potential toxicological effects on humans and biota. In this study, the adsorption capacity of natural (montmorillonite (Mt)), synthetic (Na-Mica-4), and modified (with octadecylamine and octadecyltrimethylamine (ODA-Mt, ODA-Mica-4, and ODTMA-Mt and ODTMA-Mica-4)) clays were assessed and compared for the removal of 16 PAHs. Materials were synthesized and characterized by X-Ray diffraction, Zeta potential, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed its correct preparation and the incorporation of PAHs in the structure of the clays after the adsorption tests. The proposed materials were effective PAH adsorbents, with adsorption percentages close to 100%, in particular those using Mt. Mt and Na-Mica-4 presented a better adsorption capacity than their organofunctionalized derivatives, indicating that the adsorption of PAHs may occur both in the surface part and in the interlayer. The proposed adsorbents take the advantage of being a low cost and highly effective. They can be an interesting alternative for wastewater treatment and soil remediation to prevent PAH contamination.Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness CTM2017-82778-

LONG-REMI: An AI-based technological application to promote healthy mental longevity grounded in reminiscence therapy

Reminiscence therapy (RT) consists of thinking about one’s own experiences through the presentation of memory-facilitating stimuli, and it has as its fundamental axis the activation of emotions. An innovative way of offering RT involves the use of technology-assisted applications, which must also satisfy the needs of the user. This study aimed to develop an AI-based computer application that recreates RT in a personalized way, meeting the characteristics of RT guided by a therapist or a caregiver. The material guiding RT focuses on intangible cultural heritage. The application incorporates facial expression analysis and reinforcement learning techniques, with the aim of identifying the user’s emotions and, with them, guiding the computer system that emulates RT dynamically and in real time. A pilot study was carried out at five senior centers in Barcelona and Portugal. The results obtained are very positive, showing high user satisfaction. Moreover, the results indicate that the high frequency of positive emotions increased in the participants at the end of the intervention, while the low frequencies of negative emotions were maintained at the end of the intervention.This research was supported by the Fundación General CSIC (FGCSIC), the Programa para una Sociedad Longeva (0551_PSL_6_E POCTEP), and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

An Innovative Photoreactor, FluHelik, To Promote UVC/H2O2 Photochemical Reactions: Tertiary Treatment of an Urban Wastewater

This is the accepted manuscript of the following article: Espíndola et al. Science of the Total Environment, 2019, 667, 197-207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.335An innovative photoreactor, FluHelik, was used to promote the degradation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) by a photochemical UVC/H2O2 process. First, the system was optimized for the oxidation of a model antibiotic, oxytetracycline (OTC), using both ultrapure water (UPW) and a real urban wastewater (UWW) (collected after secondary treatment) as solution matrices. Following, the process was evaluated for the treatment of a UWW spiked with a mixture of OTC and 10 different pharmaceuticals established by the Swiss legislation at residual concentrations (∑CECs <660 μg L−1). The performance of the FluHelik reactor was analyzed both at lab and pre-pilot scale in multiple and single pass flow modes. The efficiency of the FluHelik photoreactor, at lab-scale, was evaluated at different operational conditions (H2O2 concentration, UVC lamp power (4, 6 and 11 W) and flow rate) and further compared with a conventional Jets photoreactor. Both photoreactors exhibited similar OTC removal efficiencies at the best conditions; however, the FluHelik reactor showed to be more efficient (1.3 times) in terms of mineralization when compared with the Jets reactor. Additionally, the efficiency of the UVC/H2O2 photochemical system using the FluHelik photoreactor in reducing the toxicity of the real effluent containing 11 pharmaceuticals was evaluated through zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo toxicity bioassays. FluHelik scale-up from laboratory to pre-pilot to promote UVC/H2O2 photochemical process proved to be feasibleThis work was financially supported by: Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM - UID/EQU/50020/2019 - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). V.J.P. Vilar acknowledges the FCT Investigator 2013 Programme (IF/00273/2013). J.C.A. Espíndola acknowledges CNPq (Brazil) for his scholarship (205781/2014-4). R. Montes, R. Rodil and J.B. Quintana acknowledge the financial support of Spanish "Agencia Estatal de Investigación" (ref. CTM2017-84763-C3-R-2) and Xunta de Galicia (ref. ED431C2017/36), both confounded by FEDER/ERDFS

Trasplante renal en pacientes con infección por virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH)

El pronóstico de la infección por VIH ha mejorado tras introducir el tratamiento antirretroviral de gran actividad (TARGA), no contraindicando actualmente el trasplante renal (TR). La nefropatía asociada al VIH (HIVAN) es la principal causa de enfermedad crónica terminal (ERCT) en pacientes VIH a nivel mundial. Los criterios de inclusión para TR de pacientes VIH son multidisciplinares: no infecciones oportunistas; CD4>200; carga viral indetectable. Material y métodos. Revisión de historias clínicas de 14 pacientes infectados por VIH receptores de un primera lo injerto renal (2001-2019),seleccionadossegúnrecomendacionesdelasguíasespañolasyamericanas.Lainmunosupresiónserealizósegúnlaprácticahabitualennuestropaís.TARGAseinicióinmediatamentetrasTR.Resultados.LaprincipalcausadeERCTfuelaglomerulonefritis(N=6;42,9%)seguidadeHIVAN(N=4;28,6%).El71,4%(N=10)seencontrabanenhemodiálisisprevioalTRysólo1pacientesetrasplantóensituacióndeprediálisis.Desdeelpuntodevistainmuno-virológico,lamedianadeCD4fue458células/μLytodoslospacientespresentabancargaviralindetectable.El92,9%(N=13)recibíaTARGApreTR.2pacientesprecisarontrasplantectomíaprecozyfueroneliminadosdelanálisisposterior.Conunamedianadeseguimientode61,0meses,el58,3%(7/12)delospacientespresentóunafunciónretrasadadelinjertoyel33,3%(4/12)rechazoagudo.Lamedianadecreatininaalos3mesesyenlaúltimafechadeseguimientofue1,3mg/dL(RIC0,8)y2,1(RIC7,1)respectivamente.Lasupervivenciadelinjertoydelpacientea1y3añosfuede75,0%y100%;y67,0%y89,0%,respectivamente.Conclusión.ElTResunaalternativaterapéuticasegurayefectivaenpacientesseleccionadosconVIH.TheprognosisofHIVinfectionhasimprovedwiththeintroductionofhighlyactiveantiretroviraltherapy(HAART),beingnolongeracontraindicationtotransplantation(KT).HIV-associatednephropathy(HIVAN)isthemostcommoncauseofend-stagerenaldisease(ESRD)amongHIV-infectedpatientsworldwide.TheconsensuscriteriafortheselectionofHIVpatientsfortransplantationaremultidisciplinary:noopportunisticinfections;CD4count>200;undetectableviralload.Materialandmethods.Reviewoftheclinicalchartsof14HIV-infected,recipientsofaprimaryrenalallograft(2001-2019).InclusioncriteriamettheAmericanandSpanishguidelinerecommendations.Immunosuppressiveprotocolfollowedroutinepracticeinourcountry.HAARTwasstartedduringimmediatepost-KT.Results.ThemainESRDetiologywasglomerulonephritis (6;42.9%)followedbyHIVAN(4;28.6%).RegardingrenalsubstitutivetreatmentpriortoKT,themajoritywereonhemodialysis(10;71.4%).InonepatientKTwaspre-emptive.MedianCD4countwas458cells/μLandallpatientspresentedundetectableviralload.13(92.9%)wereonHAARTpriortoKT.Twopatientsunderwentearlytransplantectomy,theremainingpatientswerefollowedforamedianof61.0months(3.7to106.2months).Delayedgraftfunctionandacuterejectionratewere58.3%(7/12)and33.3%(4/12)respectively.Mediancreatininelevelsat3monthsandatthelastfollow-upwere1.3mg/dL(IQR0.8)and2.1mg/dL(IQR7.1)respectively.Graftandpatientsurvivalat1and3yearswererespectively75.0%and100%;and67.0%and89%.Conclusions.KTcanbesafeandeffectiveinselectedHIV-infectedpatient

The Nutritional Components of Beer and Its Relationship with Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s Disease

The prevalence of degenerative diseases has risen in western countries. Growing evidence suggests that demenia and other cognition affectations are associated with ambient factors including specific nutrients, food ingredients or specific dietary patterns. Mediterranean diet adherence has been associated with various health benefits and decreased risk of many diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Beer, as part of this protective diet, contains compounds such as silicon and hops that could play a major role in preventing brain disorders. In this review, different topics regarding Mediterranean diet, beer and the consumption of their main compounds and their relation to neurological health have been addressed. Taking into account published results from our group and other studies, the hypothesis linking aluminum intoxication with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease and the potential role of regular beer has also been considered. Beer, in spite of its alcohol content, may have some health benefits; nonetheless, its consumption is not adequate for all subjects. Thus, this review analyzed some promising results of non-alcoholic beer on several mechanisms engaged in neurodegeneration such as inflammation, oxidation, and cholinesterase activity, and their contribution to the behavioral modifications induced by aluminum intoxication. The review ends by giving conclusions and suggesting future topics of research related to moderate beer consumption and/or the consumption of its major compounds as a potential instrument for protecting against neurodegenerative disease progression and the need to develop nutrigenetic and nutrigenomic studies in aged people and animal models

Cranial and extracranial giant cell arteritis do not exhibit differences in the IL6 -174 G/C gene polymorphism

Since interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pivotal proinflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of giant cell arteritis (GCA), we aimed to determine the potential association of the functional IL6 -174 G/C polymorphism with GCA as well as if the single base change variation at the promoter region in the human IL-6 gene may account for differences in the clinical spectrum of GCA between cranial and extracranial large vessel vasculitis (LVV)-GCA