Lagochilascaris minor: Susceptibility and Resistance to Experimental Infection in Mice Is Independent of H-2a Haplotype and Correlates with the Immune Response in Immunized Animals

Recently, we demonstrated that C57BL/6 mice are more susceptible to experimental lagochilascariosis than BALB/c mice. To investigate the pattern of infection and the role of the genetic background on susceptibility to infection, we studied experimental lagochilascariosis in H-2a identical B10.A and A/J mice. Infected B10.A mice had a lower survival ratio and more severe lesions in the lungs than did A/J mice. Splenocytes of A/J mice immunized with the crude extract of the parasite showed increased proliferation and produced a higher level of interleukin 10 and interferon-γ in the presence of CE or concanavalin A when compared to B10.A mice. This suggests that resistance of A/J mice may be due to less severe lesions in lungs and other organs and a better immune response to parasite antigens. This paper provides evidence that major histocompatibility complex haplotype does not influence the survival to experimental infection with L. minor

Immobilization of Hazardous Wastes on One-Part Blast Furnace Slag-Based Geopolymers

: The immobilization of hazardous wastes in ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based materials has been widely studied and implemented. OPC-based materials have a high carbon footprint associated with their production and geopolymer materials are a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative. Therefore, this work aimed to immobilize two hazardous industrial wastes: copper wastewater sludge and phosphogypsum in one-part geopolymer materials. For that purpose, the precursor was partially substituted by these wastes (5, 10 and 20 wt.%) in the formulations. The geopolymer fresh and hardened state properties were evaluated, and the immobilisation of pollutants was determined through leaching tests. In phosphogypsum pastes (PG5, PG10 and PG20) it was observed that the compressive strength decreased with the increase in its amount, varying between 67 MPa and 19 MPa. In copper sludge pastes, the compressive strength of the specimens (CWS5 and CWS10) reached ~50 MPa. The mortars, MPG10 and MCWSs10, had compressive strengths of 13 MPa and 21 MPa, respectively. Leaching tests showed that pastes and mortars immobilise the hazardous species of the wastes, except for As from copper sludge, whose the best result was found in the compact paste (CWSs10) that leached 2 mg/kg of As. Results suggest that optimized compositions are suitable for the construction sectorThis research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), grant number PID2020-116461RB-C21 and Agencia de Innovación y Desarrollo de Andalucía (IDEA) grant number UHU-1255876. This work was done in the scope of the project CICECO- Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 & UIDP/50011/2020, co-financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC. This research was funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), grant number 2020.01135.CEECIND (R.M.N.) and SFRH/BD/144562/2019 (J.C.

Generalidades sobre o quadro clínico da Rinossinusite: uma revisão narrativa de literatura: Generalities about the clinical picture of Rhinosinusitis: a narrative literature reviewv

A rinossinusite é um processo inflamatório da mucosa dos seios paranasais e da cavidade nasal. O sistema nasossinusal é responsável pelo balanço adequado entre a fabricação e o clearence de muco nas cavidades paranasais. A fisiologia deste é de vital importância para a proteção das vias aéreas superiores. No advém, determinados fatores podem acarretar um desbalanço nesse complexo, consequentemente um processo inflamatório. Qualquer fator que altere a drenagem, seja por obstrução, maior produção ou espessamento do muco, como processo infecciosos ou alérgicos, haverá uma impactação de secreções e a facilitação de colonização bacteriana, dando início ao processo infeccioso. A identificação da inflamação do nariz e seios paranasais é basicamente clínica. A suspeição desta ocorre através da manifestação de dois ou mais sintomatologias. As quais são o bloqueio ou obstrução nasal, a descarga nasal, pressão ou dor facial e redução ou perda do olfato. De modo geral, é essencial à prevenção básica das rinossinusites agudas é barrar a infecção viral. O suporte inclui medidas gerais de higiene, alimentação e hidratação, imunização para o combate de vírus respiratórios , administração de fármacos para turbinar o sistema imune se necessário

Great Expectations: Principal Investigator and Trainee Perspectives on Hiring, Supervision, and Mentoring

A functioning mentor–trainee relationship is of high importance in academia. Discrepancies in expectations between principal investigators (PIs) and trainees are a source of misunderstandings and conflicts, endangering scientific progress and career advancement. In this pilot study, we sought to explore the expectations of PIs and trainees, providing consensus data from physician‐scientists and junior researchers who attended an educational workshop, entitled “The EASL/AASLD Masterclass,” in December 2017. Twenty‐three Masterclass attendees, comprising nine trainees (four Ph.D. candidates, five postdoctoral researchers) and 14 PIs, responded to an online survey. Both parties were asked to score 29 predefined statements of important expectations, enabling a comparative analysis for each statement between the groups. For the trainees, the success of the PI, either mirrored by successful mentoring or scientific work, as well as a clear road for academic development are of utmost importance. PIs did not prioritize these aspects, highlighting discrepancies of expectations. PIs prioritized trainee competence, reliability, and strong daily initiative/work ethic, qualities that were also recognized to be important by the trainee group but not to same degree as PIs. Conclusion:Discrepancies in expectations pose a preventable threat to the mentor–trainee relationship if considered and discussed beforehand. The discrepancy in the most common expectations between the two groups could have resulted from the fact that trainees prioritize outcomes of success while PIs focus on the necessary qualities leading to those outcomes

Pilot project on the implementation of SSD2 in the frame of the electronic transmission of harmonized data collection of analytical results to EFSA

EFS

Prototheca zopfii Colitis in Inherited CARD9 Deficiency.

Human protothecosis is a rare microalgae infection, and its dissemination typically occurs in immunocompromised individuals, but no specific immune defect has been reported. Here, we describe an 8-year-old daughter of a consanguineous union with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea for 3 months who was found to have pancolitis with numerous microalgae identified as Prototheca zopfii. In the absence of a known immunodeficiency, exome sequencing was performed, which uncovered a novel recessive frameshift mutation in CARD9 (p.V261fs). This report highlights that CARD9 deficiency should be investigated in patients with unexplained systemic/visceral protothecosis and suggests a new mechanistic insight into anti-Prototheca immunity

IL-21 is pivotal in determining age-dependent effectiveness of immune responses in a mouse model of human hepatitis B

HBV is a noncytopathic hepadnavirus and major human pathogen that causes immune-mediated acute and chronic hepatitis. The immune response to HBV antigens is age dependent: viral clearance occurs in most adults, while neonates and children usually develop chronic infection and liver disease. Here, we characterize an animal model for HBV infection that recapitulates the key differences in viral clearance between early life and adulthood and find that IL-21 may be part of an effective primary hepatic immune response to HBV. In our model, adult mice showed higher HBV-dependent IL-21 production in liver, compared with that of young mice. Conversely, absence of the IL-21 receptor in adult mice resulted in antigen persistence akin to that of young mice. In humans, levels of IL-21 transcripts were greatly increased in blood samples from acutely infected adults who clear the virus. These observations suggest a different model for the dichotomous, age-dependent outcome of HBV infection in humans, in which decreased IL-21 production in younger patients may hinder generation of crucial CD8+ T and B cell responses. These findings carry implications for therapeutic augmentation of immune responses to HBV and potentially other persistent liver viruses