Del arsénico al DDT: Plaguicidas, fascismo y la invisibilidad de los riesgos tóxicos en los primeros años de la España franquista (1939-1953)

This paper reviews the way in which Spanish agriculture climbed onto the pesticide treadmill. We claim that Fascist policies and expert advice assembled in the early 1940s accelerated the introduction of pesticides into Spanish agriculture and promoted the emergence of the Spanish pesticide industry in the times of autarky. Agricultural engineers were the key protagonists in this process, but other human and non-human actors also played a pivotal role: a new pest (the Colorado beetle), Francoist politicians, farmers, landowners and industry managers. Our focus is on the use of pesticides against the Colorado beetle (the main threat to the potato crop), and the transition from arsenical pesticides to DDT during the 1940s. We discuss how the politics of autarky offered new opportunities for developing agronomic programmes and the chemical industry and led to the creation of the Register of Pesticides in 1942. We also discuss the role of these regulations in concealing the risks of pesticides from farmers and food consumers. Arsenic pesticides became sources of slow poisoning and tools for social control while reinforcing the alliance of agricultural engineers and Fascist politicians in their autarkic and authoritarian projects. When DDT arrived in Spain, the agricultural engineers praised the low toxicity it had demonstrated (compared to lead arsenate) in its first uses in public health and in military campaigns in Italy. Indeed, the data concerning its potential dangers disappeared from view thanks in part to a large multimedia campaign launched to promote the introduction of the new organic pesticides in Spanish agriculture, which is described at the end of the paper.Este artículo revisa la forma en que la agricultura española entró en el círculo vicioso de los pesticidas. A principios de la década de 1940, la unión de políticas de inspiración fascista y el asesoramiento de expertos aceleraron la introducción de los pesticidas en la agricultura, y promovieron el surgimiento de la industria española de pesticidas durante los años de la autarquía franquista. Los protagonistas clave en este proceso fueron los ingenieros agrícolas, pero también otros actores humanos y no humanos jugaron un papel fundamental: una nueva plaga (la del escarabajo de la patata), políticos franquistas, agricultores, propietarios de tierras y empresarios de la industria. El trabajo se centra en el uso de pesticidas contra el escarabajo de la patata (la principal amenaza para el cultivo de patata) y la transición del uso de pesticidas arsenicales al DDT durante la década de 1940. La política de la autarquía ofreció nuevas oportunidades para desarrollar programas agronómicos y la industria química y condujo a la creación del Registro de plaguicidas en 1942. También se revisa el papel de estas regulaciones para ocultar los riesgos de los plaguicidas a agricultores y consumidores. Los pesticidas con arsénico se convirtieron en fuentes de envenenamiento lento y herramientas para el control social al tiempo que reforzaron la alianza de ingenieros agrícolas y políticos fascistas en sus proyectos autárquicos y autoritarios. Cuando el DDT llegó a España, los ingenieros agrícolas elogiaron la baja toxicidad que había demostrado (en comparación con el arseniato de plomo) en sus primeros usos en salud pública y en campañas militares en Italia. De hecho, los datos sobre sus peligros potenciales apenas tuvieron visibilidad, gracias en parte a una gran campaña multimedia lanzada para promover la introducción de los nuevos pesticidas orgánicos en la agricultura española, la cual se describe al final del artículo

Current Approach in the Management of Secondary Immunodeficiency in Patients with Hematological Malignancies: Spanish Expert Consensus Recommendations

A Delphi-based survey was designed to assess the opinions of clinical hematologists (n = 17) and clinical immunologists (n = 18) from across Spain on secondary immunodeficiencies (SID) in the management of oncohematological patients. There was 100% agreement on the need to have available guidelines for the management of immunodeficiency in hematological patients; to perform a baseline immunological evaluation in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma (MM), lymphoma and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients; and to quantify serum IgG, IgA and IgM levels when SID is suspected. More than 90% agreed on the need for active immunization against seasonal influenza and H1N1, pneumococcus and Haemophilus influenzae. There was a consensus on the monitoring of IgG levels every 3 months (83%) and the need to have available a clinical protocol for the use of IVIG in the management of SID (94%), to monitor trough IgG levels to determine the correct IVIG dose (86%) and to discontinue IVIG after the recovery of IgG levels after 12 months of follow-up (77%). The findings of the present survey may be useful recommendations for hematologists and immunologists to improve the management of SID in daily practice

Experimental verification of the boundary conditions in the success of the Brazilian test with loading arcs. An uncertainty approach using concrete disks

The present work analyses the reliability of the Brazilian test with loading arcs. A new testing set up has allowed to determine in an effective way the real load of the failure initiation as this moment was not always or correctly detected by the universal testing machine. The instrumentation used is a simple and low-cost method that allows to know the possible pressure distribution in the contact zone as well as the final contact angle. It has been observed that the success of the test depends mainly on the surface finish of the parts involved, their geometric tolerances and the symmetry of the applied load. These boundary conditions have a direct effect in the contact pressure distribution. The possible failure modes observed experimentally have been simulated with the finite element methods. For this, the contact boundary condition has been changed and the possible stress distribution in term of Griffith equivalent stress has been obtained. The numerical analysis allows to study the influence of the initial contact condition on the success of the test and agrees with the experimental results. Furthermore, an uncertainty analysis in the expression of the tensile strength confirms that, when the test is valid, a crack appears suddenly in the central area of the disk, as observed experimentally, so there is no need to determine if the starting point is in the centre. Additionally, it has been observed that the initial crack length depends on the type of pressure distribution in the contact zone. Finally, a series of recommendations are given in order to minimize both the variability of the final contact angle and the risk of premature failure of the Brazilian disk

Measurement and interpretation of Salmonella typhi Vi IgG antibodies for the assessment of adaptive immunity

Response to polysaccharide vaccination can be an invaluable tool for assessing functionality of the adaptive immune system. Measurement of antibodies raised in response to Pneumovax®23 is the current gold standard test, but there are significant challenges and constraints in both the measurement and interpretation of the response. An alternative polysaccharide vaccine approach (Salmonella typhi Vi capsule (ViCPS)) has been suggested. In the present article, we review current evidence for the measurement of ViCPS antibodies in the diagnosis of primary and secondary antibody deficiencies. In particular, we review emerging data suggesting their interpretation in combination with the response to Pneumovax®23 and comment upon the utility of these vaccines to assess humoral immune responses while receiving immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IGRT)

Trained Immunity-Based Vaccines: A New Paradigm for the Development of Broad-Spectrum Anti-infectious Formulations

Challenge with specific microbial stimuli induces long lasting epigenetic changes in innate immune cells that result in their enhanced response to a second challenge by the same or unrelated microbial insult, a process referred to as trained immunity. This opens a new avenue in vaccinology to develop Trained Immunity-based Vaccines (TIbV), defined as vaccine formulations that induce training in innate immune cells. Unlike conventional vaccines, which are aimed to elicit only specific responses to vaccine-related antigens, TIbV aim to stimulate broader responses. As trained immunity is generally triggered by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), TIbV should be formulated with microbial structures containing suitable PRR-ligands. The TIbV concept we describe here may be used for the development of vaccines focused to promote host resistance against a wide spectrum of pathogens. Under the umbrella of trained immunity, a broad protection can be achieved by: (i) increasing the nonspecific effector response of innate immune cells (e.g., monocyte/macrophages) to pathogens, (ii) harnessing the activation state of dendritic cells to enhance adaptive T cell responses to both specific and nonrelated (bystander) antigens. This capacity of TIbV to promote responses beyond their nominal antigens may be particularly useful when conventional vaccines are not available or when multiple coinfections and/or recurrent infections arise in susceptible individuals. As the set of PRR-ligands chosen is essential not only for stimulating trained immunity but also to drive adaptive immunity, the precise design of TIbV will improve with the knowledge on the functional relationship among the different PRRs. While the TIbV concept is emerging, a number of the current anti-infectious vaccines, immunostimulants, and even vaccine adjuvants may already fall in the TIbV category. This may apply to increase immunogenicity of novel vaccine design approaches based on small molecules, like those achieved by reverse vaccinology

Primary and Secondary Immunodeficiency Diseases in Oncohaematology: Warning Signs, Diagnosis, and Management

Antibodies deficiency; Autoimmunity; Hematologic neoplasmsDeficiència d'anticossos; Autoimmunitat; Neoplàsies hematològiquesDeficiencia de anticuerpos; Autoimmunidad; Neoplasias hematológicasBackground: Immunodeficiencies (ID), in particular primary immunodeficiencies (PID), are often associated with haematological manifestations, such as peripheral cytopenias or lymphoproliferative syndromes. Early diagnosis and management have significant prognostic implications. Secondary immunodeficiencies (SID) may also be induced by oncohaematological diseases and their treatments. Haematologists and oncologists must therefore be aware of the association between blood disorders and cancer and ID, and be prepared to offer their patients appropriate treatment without delay. Our aim was to define the warning signs of primary and secondary IDs in paediatric and adult patients with oncohaematological manifestations. Methods: A multidisciplinary group of six experts (2 haematologists, 2 immunologists, and 2 paediatricians specializing in ID) conducted a literature review and prepared a document based on agreements reached an in-person meeting. An external group of 44 IDs specialists from all over Spain assessed the document and were consulted regarding their level of agreement. Results: This document identifies the haematological and extra-haematological diseases that should prompt a suspicion of PIDs in adults and children, in both primary care and haematology and oncology departments. Cytopenia and certain lymphoproliferative disorders are key diagnostic pointers. The diagnosis must be based on a detailed clinical history, physical exploration, complete blood count and standard laboratory tests. The immunological and haematological tests included in the diagnostic process will depend on the care level. Patients who are candidates for immunoglobulin replacement therapy must be carefully selected, and treatment should be offered as soon as possible to avoid the development of complications. Finally, this document recommends procedures for monitoring these patients. Conclusions: This document combines scientific evidence with the opinion of a broad panel of experts, and emphasizes the importance of an early diagnosis and treatment to avoid complications. The resulting document is a useful tool for primary care physicians and specialists who see both adult and paediatric patients with oncohaematological diseases

Viscoelastic characterization of a thermoplastic elastomer processed through material extrusion

Objective. We aim to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of Polyether-Block-Amide (PEBA 90A), provide reference values for the parameters of a constitutive model for the simulation of mechanical behaviors, and paying attention to the influence of the manufacturing conditions. Methods. Uniaxial relaxation tests of filaments of PEBA were used to determine the values of the parameters of a Prony series for a Quasi-Linear Visco-Elastic (QLVE) model. Additional, fast cyclic loading tests were used to corroborate the adequacy of the model under different test criteria in a second test situation. Results. The QLVE model predicts the results of the relaxation tests very accurately. In addition, the behavior inferred from this model fits very well with the measurements of fast cyclic loading tests. The viscoelastic behavior of PEBA under small strain polymer fits very well to a six-parameter QLVE model.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Impact of printing orientation on inter and intra-layer bonds in 3D printed thermoplastic elastomers: a study using acoustic emission and tensile tests

The use of the Material Extrusion technique with Thermoplastic Elastomers is currently growing because of the large number of benefits of this family of materials. They are processable materials with high flexibility, which makes them very useful, for example, in biomedical applications that require flexible objects with complex geometries. This study aims to characterize a specific polymer, namely polyether-block-amide-based polymer (PEBA), by analyzing its anisotropic behavior in printed samples and investigating the mechanical properties based on different printing orientations. Three orientations (X, Y, and Z) were used to relate the printing orientation to the type of bonds formed in the samples: intra-layer bonds, inter-layer bonds, and the deposited filament. Tensile tests following ASTM D638 were conducted to measure sample rigidity, while Acoustic Emission, an advanced Non-Destructive Technique, was employed to examine the trend of the failure process. The presence of voids was also observed to assess printing quality, which is influenced by the printing orientation and alters the quality of bonds. The results revealed that samples printed horizontally exhibited higher Young’s Modulus values and fewer voids in the inner parts. Vertically printed samples displayed inferior mechanical properties and a greater number of voids. Consequently, the intra-layer yielded better bond formation and minimized voids. Acoustic Emission analysis corroborated these findings by demonstrating distinct energy distribution patterns among the different printing orientations. Hits were concentrated at maximum stresses, primarily observed in the vertically printed samples, which experienced macroscopic failure. Furthermore, this particular specimen exhibited a vertical asymptote near the maximum stress level. The analysis of the energy of Acoustic Emission hits demonstrated a reasonably good fit with the Gutenberg-Richter (GBR) law based on the printing direction.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraPostprint (published version