Rabbits as animal models for anti-tick vaccine development : a global scenario

Studies evaluating candidate tick-derived proteins as anti-tick vaccines in natural hosts have been limited due to high costs. To overcome this problem, animal models are used in immunization tests. The aim of this article was to review the use of rabbits as an experimental model for the evaluation of tick-derived proteins as vaccines. A total of 57 tick proteins were tested for their immunogenic potential using rabbits as models for vaccination. The most commonly used rabbit breeds were New Zealand (73.8%), Japanese white (19%), Californians (4.8%) and Flemish lopeared (2.4%) rabbits. Anti-tick vaccines efficacy resulted in up to 99.9%. Haemaphysalis longicornis (17.9%) and Ornithodoros moubata (12.8%) were the most common tick models in vaccination trials. Experiments with rabbits have revealed that some proteins (CoAQP, OeAQP, OeAQP1, Bm86, GST-Hl, 64TRP, serpins and voraxin) can induce immune responses against various tick species. In addition, in some cases it was possible to determine that the vaccine efficacy in rabbits was similar to that of experiments performed on natural hosts (e.g., Bm86, IrFER2, RmFER2, serpins and serine protease inhibitor). In conclusion, results showed that prior to performing anti-tick vaccination trials using natural hosts, rabbits can be used as suitable experimental models for these studies

Dataset of the sperm proteome of stallions with different motility

This paper provides a detailed set of data on how the stal-lion sperm proteome differs among stallions with different sperm motilities, although within normal ranges. Findings distinguish proteins that may help to identify stallions of su-perior sperm motility. Sperm proteins were analyzed using a UHPLC/MS/MS system comprising of an Agilent 1290 in-finity series UHPLC coupled to an Agilent 6550 Q-TOF mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). These data can be used to disclose potential targets to iden-tify good sperm samples and to study specific pathways in-volved in the regulation of sperm motility. This data article is linked to the paper "Proteins involved in mitochondrial metabolic functions and fertilization predominate in stallions with better motility Journal of Proteomics 247:104335 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104335".(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Graffiti Identification System Using Low-Cost Sensors

This article introduces the possibility of studying graffiti using a colorimeter developed with Arduino hardware technology according to the Do It Yourself (DIY) philosophy. Through the obtained Red Green Blue (RGB) data it is intended to study and compare the information extracted from each of the graffiti present on different walls. The same color can be found in different parts of a single graffiti, but also in other graffiti that could a priori be of different authorship. Nevertheless, graffiti may be related, and it may be possible to group graffiti artists and "gangs" that work together. The methodology followed for the construction of the colorimeter and its real application in a practical case are described in four case studies. The case studies describe how graffiti were identified and recognized and they provide a comparison of the collected color samples. The results show the added value of the colorimeter in the graffiti recognition process, demonstrating its usefulness on a functional level. Finally, the contributions of this research are outlined, and an analysis is carried out of the changes to be made to the proposed method in the future, for improved graffiti color identification

Medición y evaluación de valores en contenidos audiovisuales desde un abordaje interdisciplinar

El siguiente estudio interdisciplinar realizado por LAICOM (Laboratorio de Análisis Instrumental de la Comunicación, UAB), parte de la revisión del concepto de calidad comunicativa y formula un inventario de 26 valores para el ámbito iberoamericano, seleccionados aplicando el análisis de contenido a tres documentos de gran consenso social: "Carta de Derechos Humanos" (1948), "Constitución Federal de Brasil" (1988) y "Constitución Española" (1978). Los valores se han definido en sus dimensiones social, humana y educativa. Finalmente, se propone y valida un protocolo basado en test de recepción, capaz de medir y comparar la carga de valores transmitida en cualquier proceso de comunicación. El protocolo ha sido experimentado y corregido aplicándolo a 2 grupos de 10 expertos que evaluaron 4 spots publicitarios, con los que, luego, se organizaron sendos grupos de discusión.This interdisciplinary research, carried out by LAICOM reviews the concept quality communication and designs a 26 values glossary within the ibero-American context. Values are selected by applying a content analysis to 3 documents of feat social consensus: the "Human Rights Act" (1948), the "Federal Brazilian Constitution" (1988), and the "Spanish Constitution (1978); and are defined in three dimensions: human, social and education. Finally, a protocol is proposed and validated by a test of reception, which serves to measure and compare the load of values transmitted by any process of communication. This protocol is tested and corrected through two focus groups of communication experts (10 each), who first had to evaluate 4 TV ads and second discuss about results collected

Assessing Cocaine Use Patterns in the Brazilian Capital by Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

This is the postprint (accepted manuscript) version of the article published by Taylor & Francis in the International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry on December, 10th 2018. Available on-line: http://www.tandfonline.com//10.1080/03067319.2018.1554743The levels of cocaine (COC) and its metabolites benzoylecgonine (BE) and cocaethylene (COE) in wastewater samples from Brasilia, Brazil, were determined using liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The former metabolite was used to estimate cocaine consumption using a country-tuned correction factor that considers BE excretion rates for different routes of administration as well as the fraction of crack users in Brazil. A day-to-day analysis during a week indicates higher cocaine use in weekends with peaks on Sunday in both southern (7385 ± 121 mg day−1 1000 inhab−1) and northern (3566 ± 171 mg day−1 1000 inhab−1) areas of Brasilia. A significant high cocaine use was also observed in the Carnival Day of 2018 (6229 ± 219 mg day−1 1000 inhab−1). COE/BE ratios were used to assess COC and alcohol co-consumption since COE is produced during the co-consumption of both substances. Higher ratios were also observed during the weekend. However, higher ratios on Saturdays rather than Sundays may be explained by the decrease of BE excretion during the co-consumption with alcohol, which may lead to an underestimation of the cocaine use estimates on Saturdays, as well as by different patterns of co-consumption by powder and crack users, where the latter usually drink lower amounts of alcohol. Our data suggest that only 3% of cocaine was seized by the local Technical Police during the studyThis work was supported by the Federal District Research Foundation under Grant [193.000.916/ 2015]; the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación under Grant [CTM2017-84763-C3-2-R]; the Galician Council of Culture, Education and Universities under Grants [ED431C2017/36]; IGM postdoctoral contract, Plan Galego I2C-Modalidade B, ED481D 2017/003; and FEDER/ERDFS

Profiling cocaine residues and pyrolytic products in wastewater by mixed‐mode liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: González‐Mariño, I, Estévez‐Danta, A, Rodil, R, et al. Profiling cocaine residues and pyrolytic products in wastewater by mixed‐mode liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Drug Test Anal. 2019; 11: 1018– 1027, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.2590. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsThis work provides a new analytical method for the determination of cocaine, its metabolites benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene, the pyrolytic products anhydroecgonine and anhydroecgonine methyl ester, and the pharmaceutical levamisole in wastewater. Samples were solid‐phase extracted and extracts analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using, for the first time in the illicit drug field, a stationary phase that combines reversed‐phase and weak cation‐exchange functionalities. The overall method performance was satisfactory, with limits of detection below 1 ng/L, relative standard deviations below 21%, and percentages of recovery between 93% and 121%. Analysis of 24‐hour composite raw wastewater samples collected in Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and Brasilia (Brazil) highlighted benzoylecgonine as the compound showing the highest population‐normalized mass loads (300–1000 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). In Brasilia, cocaine and levamisole loads underwent an upsurge on Sunday, indicating a high consumption, and likely a direct disposal, of cocaine powder on this day. Conversely, the pyrolytic product resulting from the smoke of crack, anhydroecgonine methyl ester, and its metabolite anhydroecgonine were relatively stable over the four days, agreeing with a non‐recreational‐associated use of crackThis work was financially supported by Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia (ED431C2017/36 and IGM postdoctoral contract, Plan Galego I2C‐Modalidade B, ED481D 2017/003), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (project no. CTM2017‐84763‐C3‐2‐R), the Federal District Research Foundation (project no. 193.000.916/2015), and FEDER/ERDFS

Conflicto de límites con Chile y operaciones militares de las Fuerzas Armadas argentinas en 1978 : Experiencias de la artillería de campaña en el «Operativo Soberanía»

El Tratado de Límites establecido por la Argentina y Chile en 1881 no consiguió resolver los diferendos que estos países mantenían por la delimitación de sus fronteras. Desde entonces uno de los conflictos pendientes era aquel producido en torno a la definición de la soberanía sobre las islas australes Picton, Nueva y Lennox (localizadas en la desembocadura del canal de Beagle), el cual escaló hacia fines de 1978 a tal punto que desplegaron sus fuerzas armadas con el objeto de empeñar sus instrumentos militares como medio de resolución de dicho conflicto. A lo largo del siglo XX también se había procurado dirimir esas disputas por la vía diplomática. El último frustrado intento se impulsó en 1970, cuando recurrieron al arbitraje del Reino Unido, una potencia con intereses geopolíticos en la región que disponía de un enclave colonial desde 1833 en las Malvinas y otras islas del Atlántico Sur y reclamaba un sector en el continente antártico superpuesto con los de Argentina y Chile.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Depletion of thiols leads to redox deregulation, production of 4-hydroxinonenal and sperm senescence: a possible role for GSH regulation in spermatozoa

[EN] We hypothesized that thiols and particularly glutathione (GSH) are essential for the regulation of stallion sperm functionality. To test this hypothesis, we initially investigated the relationship between sperm function and GSH content, revealing highly significant correlations between GSH, sperm viability, motility, and velocity parameters (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the deleterious effects of GSH depletion using menadione and 1,3 dimethoxy 1,4, naphtoquinone (DMNQ) were able to be prevented by the addition of cysteine, but no other antioxidant. Pre-incubation with cysteine prevented menadione and DMNQ induced damage to sperm membranes after 1 h (P < 0.001; P < 0.05) and after 3 h of incubation (P < 0.001, P < 0.05). Pre-incubation with cysteine ameliorated both the menadione- and DMNQ-induced increase in 4-hydroxynonenal (P < 0.001). As cysteine is a precursor of GSH, we hypothesized that stallion spermatozoa are able to synthesize this tripeptide using exogenous cysteine. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the presence of two enzymes required to synthesize GSH (GSH and GCLC) and using western blotting and immunocytochemistry we detected both enzymes in stallion spermatozoa. The inhibition of GCLC reduced the recovery of GSH by addition of cysteine after depletion, suggesting that stallion spermatozoa may use exogenous cysteine to regulate GSH. Other findings supporting this hypothesis were changes in sperm functionality after BSO treatment and changes in GSH and GSSG validated using HPLC-MS, showing that BSO prevented the increase in GSH in the presence of cysteine, although important stallion to stallion variability occurred and suggested differences in expression of glutamate cysteine ligase. Mean concentration of GSH in stallion spermatozoa was 8.2 ± 2.1 μM/109 spermatozoa, well above the nanomolar ranges per billion spermatozoa reported for other mammals.SIThe authors received financial support for this study from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad-FEDER, Madrid, Spain, grants AGL2013-43211-R, AGL2017-83149-R Junta de Extremadura-FEDER (European Regional Development Fund) (GR 18008 and IB16030). PMM is supported by a pre-doctoral grant from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Madrid Spain FPU13/03991. COF is supported by a post-doctoral grant from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad “Juan de la Cierva” IJCI-2014-21671, JMO-R holds a PhD grant from Valhondo Calaaf Foundation, Cáceres Spain

Relationship between the rs333 Polymorphism in the CC Chemokine Receptor Type Five (CCR5) Gene and Immunological Disorders: Data from a Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), periodontitis and Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) are multifactorial diseases, one of the factors in the course of these diseases is the rs333 polymorphism in the CC chemokine receptor type five (CCR5) gene. However, the results remain contradictory. Therefore, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis evaluating the relation between this polymorphism and the aforementioned conditions. Material and Methods: A search in the literature was performed in diverse scientific and medical databases for studies published before June 22, 2020. The data were extracted from the studies and the statistical evaluation was performed by the calculations of statistical heterogeneity (I²), Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% of Confidence Intervals (CI) and publication bias. The values of P&lt;0.05 were considered as significant for all calculations. Results: 19 articles with 21 case/control studies in 4,304 case patients and 3,492 controls were included. The meta-analysis showed a non-significant association among the rs333 polymorphism and IBD (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.91-1.20, P = 0.51), periodontitis (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.64-1.17, P = 0.34) or SLE (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.56-1.80, P = 1.00) under the allelic model or for any other performed calculation. There were no obvious publication bias in the analyses. Conclusion: In conclusion, this current meta-analysis evidenced the non-significant relation among the rs333 polymorphism and the risk of IBD, periodontitis or SLE. Further studies are required to validate our data