Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Innovación del Diseño para el Desarrollo Social

Una labor de síntesis alrededor de la gran temática de este libro que surge a partir de una serie de reflexiones y propuestas encaminadas desde la innovación del diseño para el desarrollo social, refleja una invitación al lector para enunciar a partir de su lectura nuevas discusiones sobre el quehacer del diseño con una perspectiva de innovación para este tipo de desarrollo, es pues este texto una invitación a enunciar nuevos retos y diálogos partiendo de reconocer al desarrollo social como uno de los pilares fundamentales desde la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) como parte fundamental para garantizar el mejoramiento de la vida de las personas. Desde la disciplina del diseño y retomado como eje para su discusión se pretendería establecer una serie de reflexiones y acciones que permitan atender situaciones para grupos minoritarios y vulnerables, así como apoyar esfuerzos encaminados a mejorar la calidad de vida de los integrantes de grupos y sociedades establecidas y recuperar el patrimonio cultural como parte fundamental de las identidades culturales y por tanto de la historia de la humanidad.A lo largo de la historia, el diseño, en cualquiera de sus manifestaciones, ha estado presente en todos los ámbitos. Se ha convertido en una disciplina que evoluciona al ritmo de las sociedades, que se pone al servicio de las necesidades de mercado pero también de las que requieren un abordaje distinto, observadas desde una mirada que concierne a lo social, entendido éste como lo que se reproduce o se instaura en el colectivo, en el grupo, en las comunidades, en las sociedades como parte significativa de sus cotidianeidades. El Diseño desde esta perspectiva acompaña al ser humano produciendo una significación de los objetos como parte fundamental de sus vidas, que transforma una realidad deseada en una realidad concreta, de aquí la importancia de crear una conciencia social para la praxis laboral de esta disciplina. En este sentido el campo profesional, académico y de investigación del diseño debe ocuparse de crear, difundir y divulgar el quehacer de la misma, manifestando un equilibrio entre conciencia, racionalidad y la realidad. Desde el contexto planteado, la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, a través de su Facultad de Arquitectura y Diseño presenta en esta obra una serie de reflexiones en torno al papel que desempeña el diseño humanístico, científico y tecnológico desde un enfoque de vanguardia e innovación para el desarrollo social, como resultado de la experiencia vertida en el Coloquio Internacional de Diseño que organiza éste año este espacio académico, en donde cada una de las aportaciones refleja la experiencia de cada uno de sus participantes; con base en ello, el presente libro integrado por una compilación de trabajos ofrece descripciones, análisis y propuestas que contribuyen a la solución de problemas procurando un desarrollo social

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 9

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, volumen 9, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, que cuenta con el esfuerzo de investigadores de varios países del mundo, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico que consoliden la transformación del conocimiento en diferentes escenarios, tanto organizacionales como universitarios, para el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas del quehacer diario. La gestión del conocimiento es un camino para consolidar una plataforma en las empresas públicas o privadas, entidades educativas, organizaciones no gubernamentales, ya sea generando políticas para todas las jerarquías o un modelo de gestión para la administración, donde es fundamental articular el conocimiento, los trabajadores, directivos, el espacio de trabajo, hacia la creación de ambientes propicios para el desarrollo integral de las instituciones

Effet de l'adsorption de biomolécules sur les couches d'oxydes développées sur des matériaux métalliques utilisés dans les systèmes d'eau de refroidissement

This thesis was carried out in the frame of the BIOCOR ITN European project. Metallic materials commonly used in cooling systems of power plants may be affected by biocorrosion. The objective of this work was to study the influence of biomolecules adsorption on the electrochemical behaviour and the surface chemical composition of 70Cu-30Ni alloy, 304L stainless steel and titanium in seawater environments. The interactions between a model protein, the bovine serum albumin (BSA), and the surface of these materials were investigated. After, the influence of tightly bound (TB) and loosely bound (LB) extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the oxide layers was evaluated. For that purpose, electrochemical measurements (Ecorr vs time, polarization curves and EIS) were combined to surface analysis (XPS and ToF-SIMS). Comparing to the 70Cu-30Ni alloy in static artificial seawater (ASW) without biomolecules, for which a thick duplex oxide layer is shown, the presence of BSA, TB EPS and LB EPS leads to a mixed oxide layer with a lower thickness. A model is proposed to analyse impedance data obtained at Ecorr. The results show a slow-down of the anodic reaction in the presence of biomolecules with a corrosion inhibition effect by LB EPS, to a lesser extent by BSA and no detrimental effect with TB EPS. On the other hand, the effect of TB EPS and BSA on the passivation behaviour of Ti in ASW and of 304L stainless steel in chloride-free solution was studied. From EIS data, resistivity profiles within oxide films can be plotted. For both materials, oxide layers are more protective with BSA and less protective with TB EPS.Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre du projet européen BIOCOR ITN. Les matériaux métalliques habituellement utilisés dans les circuits de refroidissement de centrales électriques peuvent être affectés par la biocorrosion. L'objectif de ce travail était d'étudier l'influence de l'adsorption de biomolécules sur le comportement électrochimique et la composition chimique de surface de l'alliage 70Cu-30Ni, l'acier inoxydable 304L et le titane en milieu marin. Les interactions entre l'albumine de sérum bovin (BSA), et la surface de ces matériaux ont été étudiées. Ensuite, l'effet des substances polymériques extracellulaires (EPS) (étroitement liées -TB- et faiblement liées -LB- à la surface cellulaire) sur les couches d'oxydes a été évalué. Des mesures électrochimiques (Ecorr vs temps d'immersion, courbes de polarisation et EIS) ont été combinées à des analyses de surface (XPS et ToF-SIMS). En comparaison de l'alliage 70Cu-30Ni en eau de mer artificielle (ASW) statique sans biomolécules, pour lequel une couche duplex épaisse est montrée, la présence de biomolécules conduit à une couche mixte d'oxydes d'épaisseur plus faible. Un modèle est proposé pour analyser les données d'impédance obtenues à Ecorr. Un ralentissement de la réaction anodique par les biomolécules a été montré avec un effet d'inhibition de la corrosion par les LB EPS, dans une moindre mesure par la BSA et aucun effet néfaste en présence de TB EPS. L'effet des TB EPS et de la BSA sur la passivation du Ti dans ASW et de l'acier inoxydable 304L dans une solution sans chlorure a été étudié. Pour les deux matériaux, les couches d'oxydes sont plus protectrices avec la BSA et moins protectrices avec les TB EPS

From Academia to Industry: Criteria for Upscaling Ionic Liquid-Based Thermo-Electrochemical Cells for Large-Scale Applications

Thermo-electrochemical cells (or thermocells) represent a promising technology to convert waste heat energy into electrical energy, generating power with minimal material consumption and a limited carbon footprint. Recently, the adoption of ionic liquids has pushed both the operational temperature range and the power output of thermocells. This research discusses the design challenges and the key performance limitations that need to be addressed to deploy the thermocells in real-world applications. For this purpose, a unique up-scaled design of a thermocell is proposed, in which the materials are selected according to the techno-economic standpoint. Specifically, the electrolyte is composed of EMI-TFSI ionic liquid supplemented by [Co(ppy)]3+/2+ redox couples characterized by a positive Seebeck coefficient (1.5 mV/K), while the electrodes consist of carbon-based materials characterized by a high surface area. Such electrodes, adopted to increase the rate of the electrode reactions, lead to a thermoelectric performance one order of magnitude greater than the Pt electrode-based counterpart. However, the practical applications of thermocells are still limited by the low power density and low voltage that can be generated

Ion specific tuning of nanoparticle dispersion in an ionic liquid: A structural, thermoelectric and thermo-diffusive investigation

Dispersions of charged maghemite nanoparticles (NPs) in EAN (ethylammonium nitrate), a reference Ionic Liquid (IL), are here studied using a number of static and dynamical experimental techniques; Small Angle Scattering (SAS) of X-rays and of neutrons, dynamical light scattering and forced Rayleigh scattering. Particular insight is provided regarding the importance of tuning the ionic species present at the NP/IL interface; In this work we compare the effect of Li+, Na+ or Rb+ ions. The nature of these species has here a clear influence on the short-range spatial organization of the ions at the interface and thus on the colloidal stability of the dispersions, governing both the NP/NP and NP/IL interactions, which are here both evaluated. The overall NP/NP interaction is either attractive or repulsive. It is characterized by determining, thanks to the SAS techniques, the second virial coefficient A2, which is found independent of temperature. The NP/IL interaction is featured by the dynamical effective charge ξoeff of the NPs and by their entropy of transfer SˆNP (or equivalently their heat of transport QˆNP) determined here thanks to thermoelectric and thermodiffusive measurements. For repulsive systems, an activated process rules here the temperature dependence of these two latter quantities

Ion specific tuning of nanoparticle dispersion in an ionic liquid: A structural, thermoelectric and thermo-diffusive investigation

International audienceDispersions of charged maghemite nanoparticles (NPs) in EAN (ethylammonium nitrate) a reference Ionic Liquid (IL), are here studied using a number of static and dynamical experimental techniques; Small Angle Scattering..

Closing the Sex-Based Differences in Stroke Care: Insights from a Large Telestroke Network on Treatment and Postacute Management

Background: The evolution of ischemic stroke is different accordin'g to sex and is one of the main causes of death in women. Previous studies have shown that women are less likely to receive acute treatment, and stroke center type is an important predictor of door-to-needle times. We investigated whether women are attended in a similar way to men in the telestroke network with specialized stroke physicians. Methods: A prospective registry of ischemic strokes recorded in the centralized Andalusian telestroke network was analyzed, focusing on sex differences. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, neuroimaging data, treatment intervals, follow-up visits, and clinical outcomes were collected. Results: A total of 3009 suspected stroke patients were attended to in the telestroke network from 2019 to 2023, of which 42.74% were women. Women were older (p < 0.001) and less independent upon arrival (p = 0.006) than men. There was no difference in the treatment received or in the treatment time intervals between the groups. Importantly, there was no difference in modified Rankin scale scores at 3 months between sexes. At 3 months post-stroke follow-up, women had fewer imaging tests (p = 0.018) and fewer outpatient visits (p < 0.001) than men. Conclusions: No significant difference between men and women has been found in the acute treatment of stroke in a large telestroke network. However, the same is not true for the follow-up and management of patients after the acute phase. This fact supports that strict adherence to protocols and specialization of care lead to equal care that avoids sex differences in stroke treatment and functional outcomes