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

Estudio del proceso de oxidación del aceite de oliva virgen. Efecto individual y combinado de los antioxidantes naturales

Las aguas mineromedicinales se utilizan en balnearios de todo el mundo para tratar los síntomas de diversas afecciones crónicas, y entre ellas se encuentran las sulfuradas que se caracterizan por tener más de 1mg/l de azufre titulable (H2S ó SH-). Entre los controles exigidos para su uso, se realizan pruebas microbiológicas para la detección de microorganismos patógenos alóctonos, pero son escasos los estudios de la microbiota propia de estos manantiales, es decir, de los microorganismos que forman parte del ecosistema de las aguas; y en este caso, los relacionados con el ciclo del azufre, que pudieran influir en los efectos terapéuticos de estas aguas. Por ello se plantea analizar el tipo de microorganismos presentes en las aguas sulfuradas de balnearios, determinar cuáles están implicados en el ciclo del azufre y ver si existe una variación espacio-temporal en las comunidades presentes. Y, por otro lado, explorar los posibles efectos de las aguas mineromedicinales, mediante experimentos in vitro en fibroblastos embrionarios humanos de pulmón, analizando su efecto en la proliferación celular, la protección frente al estrés oxidativo y la inflamación. Se han estudiado las poblaciones bacterianas presentes en las aguas sulfuradas de seis balnearios españoles, utilizando recuentos en tres medios de cultivo distintos, y también mediante secuenciación masiva del gen ARNr 16S. Se han realizado tres muestreos en distintas épocas del año (primaveras de 2015 y 2016, y otoño de 2016) y en dos puntos distintos en cada balneario (agua de la bañera y del manantial). Para explorar sus posibles efectos, se han realizado varios experimentos de cultivo in vitro de fibroblastos humanos de pulmón en presencia del agua de tres de los seis manantiales. Concretamente se ha analizado la proliferación celular, la producción de especies reactivas de oxígeno y de nitrógeno (ROS-RNS), glutatión (GSH), la actividad superóxido dismutasa (SOD3) y la producción de citoquinas en presencia de las aguas. Se ha encontrado mayor cantidad de bacterias oxidadoras de compuestos reducidos del azufre, tanto con las técnicas de cultivo como en el análisis metagenómico. Mediante secuenciación masiva no se ha observado un núcleo de géneros comunes a los seis balnearios analizados, pero el 73.6% de los géneros identificados están relacionados con el ciclo del azufre, siendo el 95.2% de estos, bacterias oxidadoras del azufre. El filo predominante en el conjunto de las muestras ha sido Proteobacteria, con el 86.8% del total de lecturas, y a nivel de género, los tres predominantes fueron Arcobacter (12.76% del total de lecturas), Methyloversatilis (8.73%) y Thiofaba (8.55%). A nivel de género, se observaron diferencias estacionales especialmente entre las muestras de manantiales, así como variaciones espaciales entre los dos puntos de muestreo. Los experimentos in vitro en fibroblastos humanos de pulmón apoyan la idea de que las aguas mineromedicinales mejoran las estrategias de reparación tisular. Además, podrían tener un efecto antioxidante a través de dos vías: la prevención del daño oxidativo mediante el aumento de GSH endógeno, y promoviendo la liberación efectiva ROS- RNS al exterior celular. En concreto, se ha observado un aumento de la proliferación celular proporcional a la concentración de agua mineromedicinal utilizada, una disminución significativa de los niveles de ROS-RNS intracelular, un aumento de la proporción GSH/glutatión total y una rápida respuesta de la enzima SOD3, todo ello en relación al tratamiento control. Este trabajo ha explorado la posible relación entre la microbiota presente en las aguas sulfuradas de balnearios y los posibles efectos de estas aguas, abriendo nuevos enfoques en relación a la Ecología Microbiana y los mecanismos de acción de las de las aguas mineromedicinales

EFSA Health Claims-Based Virgin Olive Oil Shelf-Life

The consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has been linked to various health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. EVOO contains triglycerides and unsaturated fatty acids, as well as minor compounds, such as polar phenols and tocopherols, which play a crucial nutritional and biological role. The composition of these minor compounds is affected by various factors that distinguish EVOOs from lower-quality olive oils. The European Parliament approved Regulation 1924/2006 that governs the use of health claims on food products based on EFSA reports. Currently, there are several authorized health claims related to unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and polyphenol content that can be used for commercial reasons on EVOO labels. Consumers can easily take enough grams of EVOO per day to receive the beneficial effects of the nutrient in question; nevertheless, the use of these health claims is subject to a required concentration of specific nutrients throughout the shelf life of olive oil. Few studies have examined the evolution of these compounds along the shelf life of EVOO to meet health claims. This work aims to evaluate the nutritional profile of several EVOOs with potential health claims and the evolution of related nutrients during storage in darkness at different temperatures. This study proposes an accelerated method to determine the end of the EVOO shelf life based on the loss of its nutraceutical capacity and the inability to comply with the stated health claims

Modelling Virgin Olive Oil Potential Shelf-Life from Antioxidants and Lipid Oxidation Progress

The development of effective shelf-life prediction models is extremely important for the olive oil industry. This research is the continuation of a previous accelerated shelf-life test at mild temperature (40–60 °C), applied in this case to evaluate the oxidation effect of temperature on minor components (phenols, tocopherol, pigments) to properly complete a shelf-life predictive model. The kinetic behaviour of phenolic compounds, α-tocopherol and pigments during storage of different virgin olive oil samples at different temperatures (25–60 °C) is reported. Hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and α-tocopherol fitted to pseudo-zero-order kinetics, whereas secoiridoid derivatives of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, o-diphenols and total phenols apparently followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The temperature-dependent kinetic of phenolic compounds and α-tocopherol were well described by the linear Arrhenius model. The apparent activation energy was calculated. Principal component analysis was used to transform the considered compositional and degradation variables into fewer uncorrelated principal components resulting in 4: “no oxidizable substrate”, “initial oxidation state and conditions”, “free simple phenols”, and “degradation rates”. In addition, multivariate linear regression was used to yield several modelling equations for shelf-life prediction, considering initial composition and experimental variables easily determined in accelerated storage

Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, ventilation management, and outcomes in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome: a pooled analysis of four observational studies

Background: Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, the practice of ventilation, and outcome in invasively ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain unexplored. In this analysis we aim to address these gaps using individual patient data of four large observational studies. Methods: In this pooled analysis we harmonised individual patient data from the ERICC, LUNG SAFE, PRoVENT, and PRoVENT-iMiC prospective observational studies, which were conducted from June, 2011, to December, 2018, in 534 ICUs in 54 countries. We used the 2016 World Bank classification to define two geoeconomic regions: middle-income countries (MICs) and high-income countries (HICs). ARDS was defined according to the Berlin criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patients in MICs versus HICs. The primary outcome was the use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for the first 3 days of mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were key ventilation parameters (tidal volume size, positive end-expiratory pressure, fraction of inspired oxygen, peak pressure, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and respiratory rate), patient characteristics, the risk for and actual development of acute respiratory distress syndrome after the first day of ventilation, duration of ventilation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality. Findings: Of the 7608 patients included in the original studies, this analysis included 3852 patients without ARDS, of whom 2345 were from MICs and 1507 were from HICs. Patients in MICs were younger, shorter and with a slightly lower body-mass index, more often had diabetes and active cancer, but less often chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure than patients from HICs. Sequential organ failure assessment scores were similar in MICs and HICs. Use of LTVV in MICs and HICs was comparable (42·4% vs 44·2%; absolute difference -1·69 [-9·58 to 6·11] p=0·67; data available in 3174 [82%] of 3852 patients). The median applied positive end expiratory pressure was lower in MICs than in HICs (5 [IQR 5-8] vs 6 [5-8] cm H2O; p=0·0011). ICU mortality was higher in MICs than in HICs (30·5% vs 19·9%; p=0·0004; adjusted effect 16·41% [95% CI 9·52-23·52]; p<0·0001) and was inversely associated with gross domestic product (adjusted odds ratio for a US$10 000 increase per capita 0·80 [95% CI 0·75-0·86]; p<0·0001). Interpretation: Despite similar disease severity and ventilation management, ICU mortality in patients without ARDS is higher in MICs than in HICs, with a strong association with country-level economic status