Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Largest HIV-1 CRF02_AG Outbreak in Spain: Evidence for Onward Transmissions

Background and Aim: The circulating recombinant form 02_AG (CRF02_AG) is the predominant clade among the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) non-Bs with a prevalence of 5.97% (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 5.41–6.57%) across Spain. Our aim was to estimate the levels of regional clustering for CRF02_AG and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the largest CRF02_AG subepidemic in Spain.Methods: We studied 396 CRF02_AG sequences obtained from HIV-1 diagnosed patients during 2000–2014 from 10 autonomous communities of Spain. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the 391 CRF02_AG sequences along with all globally sampled CRF02_AG sequences (N = 3,302) as references. Phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis was performed to the largest CRF02_AG monophyletic cluster by a Bayesian method in BEAST v1.8.0 and by reconstructing ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony in Mesquite v3.4, respectively.Results: The HIV-1 CRF02_AG prevalence differed across Spanish autonomous communities we sampled from (p < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 52.7% of the CRF02_AG sequences formed 56 monophyletic clusters, with a range of 2–79 sequences. The CRF02_AG regional dispersal differed across Spain (p = 0.003), as suggested by monophyletic clustering. For the largest monophyletic cluster (subepidemic) (N = 79), 49.4% of the clustered sequences originated from Madrid, while most sequences (51.9%) had been obtained from men having sex with men (MSM). Molecular clock analysis suggested that the origin (tMRCA) of the CRF02_AG subepidemic was in 2002 (median estimate; 95% Highest Posterior Density-HPD interval: 1999–2004). Additionally, we found significant clustering within the CRF02_AG subepidemic according to the ethnic origin.Conclusion: CRF02_AG has been introduced as a result of multiple introductions in Spain, following regional dispersal in several cases. We showed that CRF02_AG transmissions were mostly due to regional dispersal in Spain. The hot-spot for the largest CRF02_AG regional subepidemic in Spain was in Madrid associated with MSM transmission risk group. The existence of subepidemics suggest that several spillovers occurred from Madrid to other areas. CRF02_AG sequences from Hispanics were clustered in a separate subclade suggesting no linkage between the local and Hispanic subepidemics

Materiales porosos con morfología y porosidad controladas para aplicaciones energéticas y medioambientales

Tesis doctoral presentada en la Universidad de Oviedo, 2018.[EN] The preparation of porous carbon materials though novel methodologies was investigated in this thesis. It is important that porous carbons are obtained with controlled porosity and morphology, since the latter features will have a strong bearing on their performance in practical applications. One of the explored strategies was the use of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets as a morphology- and/or structure-directing agent. Thus, carbon xerogels were prepared through hydrothermal carbonization of glucose, where GO was seen to significantly change the typical morphology of hydrothermally carbonized glucose (micrometer-sized spheres), giving rise to xerogels with rough walls covered by a thin (nanometric) coating of hydrothermal carbon. These xerogels were activated with KOH to yield porous carbons with high surface areas and attractive performance when used as adsorbents for pollutants (dyes) from the aqueous phase or CO2 from the gas phase, as well as in their role as electrodes for supercapacitors. Hybrid materials made from nanoparticles of the metal-organic framework ZIF-8 and GO nanosheets were also prepared. The nanosheets were shown to act as lithographic templates that allowed the generation of uniform mesoporosity (~3.4 nm) in the corresponding carbons obtained by pyrolysis and KOH activation. These materials demonstrated an improved performance when used as electrodes in electrochemical charge storage, compared to their counterparts prepared in the absence of GO. Finally, carbon-nickel nanoparticle hybrids were prepared via pyrolysis from a MOFtype metal-organic precursor, which were tested as efficient catalysts for the reduction of nitroarenes.[ES] En esta Tesis se recoge la preparación de materiales de carbono porosos a través de metodologías novedosas. Es importante que estos materiales se obtengan con porosidad y morfología controladas, pues de ellas dependerán significativamente sus prestaciones en muchas aplicaciones. Una de las estrategias seguidas fue el uso de láminas de óxido de grafeno (GO) como agente director de la estructura y/o la morfología del material. De esta forma, se prepararon xerogeles de carbono mediante carbonización hidrotérmica de glucosa, donde el GO sirvió para modificar la morfología típica de la glucosa carbonizada hidrotérmicamente (esferas micrométricas), generando un xerogel de paredes corrugadas y recubiertas de carbón hidrotérmico de pocos nanómetros de espesor. Estos xerogeles fueron activados con KOH, dando lugar a materiales con elevadas áreas superficiales y comportamiento favorable tanto en el uso como adsorbente de contaminantes acuosos (colorantes) y de CO2 en fase gas, así como en sus prestaciones como electrodo en supercondensadores. También se prepararon híbridos de nanopartículas de ZIF-8 y láminas de GO en los cuales el GO actuó como una plantilla litográfica a escala nanométrica que permitió la generación de mesoporosidad uniforme (~3.4 nm) en los correspondientes carbones generados mediante pirólisis y activación con KOH. Estos materiales mostraron un comportamiento electroquímico de carga superior al del material equivalente preparado en ausencia de GO. Por último se prepararon materiales híbridos carbono-nanopartículas de níquel a partir de un precursor organometálico tipo MOF para su uso como catalizador eficiente en la reducción de nitroarenos.Peer reviewe

Almacenamiento de H2 en fibras de carbono activadas y xerogeles obtenidos por carbonización hidrotérmica

En este trabajo se estudia la capacidad tanto de fibras de carbón preparadas a partir de aramidas, como de xerogeles grafeno-glucosa sintetizados vía carbonización hidrotérmica para el almacenamiento de H2. También se evalúa la posibilidad de aumentar la capacidad de adsorción de H2 de estos materiales mediante el dopaje de los mismos con metales catalizadores, como el níquel, en la búsqueda de favorecer el proceso adsortivo-disociativo conocido por spillover. Los resultados obtenidos para las fibras de carbono se encuentra dentro de los valores esperados cuando se comparan con otros materiales carbonosos de porosidades similares. Por su parte, los xerogeles presentan capacidades de adsorción mayores a las esperadas teniendo en cuenta su porosidad. En cuanto al dopaje con Ni, si bien se produce un aumento en la cantidad de H2 adsorbido en términos relativos, este aumento no compensa el incremento en peso de la muestra por la carga de meta

Materiales de carbono porosos con morfología y porosidad controladas para aplicaciones energéticas y medioambientales

En esta tesis se recoge la preparación de materiales de carbono porosos a través de metodologías novedosas. Es importante que estos materiales se obtengan con porosidad y morfología controladas, pues de ellas dependerán significativamente sus prestaciones en muchas aplicaciones. Una de las estrategias seguidas fue el uso de láminas de óxido de grafeno (GO) como agente director de la estructura y/o la morfología del material. De esta forma, se prepararon xerogeles de carbono mediante carbonización hidrotérmica de glucosa, donde el GO sirvió para modificar la morfología típica de la glucosa carbonizada hidrotérmicamente (esferas micrométricas), generando un xerogel de paredes corrugadas y recubiertas de carbón hidrotérmico de pocos nanómetros de espesor. Estos xerogeles fueron activados con KOH, dando lugar a materiales con elevadas áreas superficiales y comportamiento favorable tanto en el uso como adsorbente de contaminantes acuosos (colorantes) y de CO2 en fase gas, así como en sus prestaciones como electrodo en supercondensadores. También se prepararon híbridos de nanopartículas de ZIF-8 y láminas de GO en los cuales el GO actuó como una plantilla litográfica a escala nanométrica que permitió la generación de mesoporosidad uniforme (~3.4 nm) en los correspondientes carbones generados mediante pirólisis y activación con KOH. Estos materiales mostraron un comportamiento electroquímico de carga superior al del material equivalente preparado en ausencia de GO. Por último se prepararon materiales híbridos carbono-nanopartículas de níquel a partir de un precursor organometálico tipo MOF para su uso como catalizador eficiente en la reducción de nitroarenos

Efficient Nickel-Based Catalysts Derived from a Metal-Organic Framework for Nitroarene Reduction

Financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) throughout the project MAT2015-69844-R is gratefully acknowledged

Nickel nanoparticle/carbon catalysts derived from a novel aqueous-synthesized metal-organic framework for nitroarene reduction

Carbon-supported, non-noble metal-based catalysts derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are attractive alternatives to noble metal-based systems, but typical syntheses of the starting MOFs are not desirable from an environmental and practical perspective (e.g., they rely on non-innocuous organic solvents and long reaction times). Here, we report the preparation of a Ni-based MOF in aqueous medium, at moderate temperature (95 °C) and in a short reaction time (<30 min), which was used as a sacrificial template to access a family of Ni nanoparticle/carbon hybrids that were then tested as catalysts in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The MOF-derived hybrids exhibited a mesoporous texture, with specific surface areas between 250 and 450 m2 g−1 depending on the carbonization temperature applied to the MOF, as well as high Ni contents (between 36 and 57 wt%). Notwithstanding the latter, the metal was homogeneously distributed throughout the carbon matrix in the hybrid and was quite resistant to extensive agglomeration and sintering, even at temperatures as high as 1000 °C. With increasing carbonization temperature, the Ni component was seen to go through different crystal phases, i.e., Ni3C phase Ni hexagonal close-packed phase Ni face-centered cubic phase. The results of the catalytic tests suggested the former and latter phases to be the most active towards the reduction of 4-NP, with catalytic activity values as high as 0.039 mol4-NP molNi−1 min−1.Funding by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through project MAT2015-69844-R and by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and ERDF through project RTI2018-100832-B-I00 is gratefully acknowledged. Partial funding by Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (PCTI) 2013–2017 del Principado de Asturias and the ERDF through project IDI/2018/000233 is also acknowledged.Peer reviewe

Effect of nanostructure on the supercapacitor performance of activated carbon xerogels obtained from hydrothermally carbonized glucose-graphene oxide hybrids

Activated carbon xerogels with a cellular morphology were obtained from hydrothermally carbonized glucose-graphene oxide (GO) hybrids and tested as supercapacitor electrodes. The effect of the chemical activation (using KOH) on the nanometer-scale morphology, local structure, porous texture and surface chemistry of the resulting carbon materials was investigated and correlated with their electrochemical behaviour. The electrochemical performance of the activated xerogels was studied in a three-electrode cell using 1 M H2SO4 as the electrolyte. The results underlined the relevant role played by the xerogel nanomorphology; more specifically, xerogels with cellular structures exhibiting well-connected, continuous and very thin (∼5–15 nm) carbon walls (prepared with lower amounts of activating agent) favored ionic diffusion and electronic conduction compared to materials with broken, thicker walls (obtained from higher amounts of activating agent). The effect of nanomorphology and local structure was also made apparent when the xerogels were used as actual supercapacitor electrodes. Particularly, a symmetric capacitor assembled from a carbon xerogel with very thin walls and relatively high graphitic character delivered a much higher specific capacitance than that of a commercial activated carbon (223 vs 153 F g−1 at 100 mA g−1) as well as a significantly improved retention of capacitance at high current densities.This work was financed by QREN, ON2, FCT and FEDER (Project NORTE-07-0124- FEDER-000015 and NORTE-07-0162-FEDER-000050), and co-financed by FCT and FEDER through COMPETE 2020 (Project UID/EQU/50020/2013 - POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006984). Partial funding of this work by the Spanish MINECO and the European Regional Development Fund (projects MAT2015-69844-R and MAT2012- 34011) is also gratefully acknowledged.Peer reviewe

Evolution over Time of Ventilatory Management and Outcome of Patients with Neurologic Disease∗

OBJECTIVES: To describe the changes in ventilator management over time in patients with neurologic disease at ICU admission and to estimate factors associated with 28-day hospital mortality. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of three prospective, observational, multicenter studies. SETTING: Cohort studies conducted in 2004, 2010, and 2016. PATIENTS: Adult patients who received mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among the 20,929 patients enrolled, we included 4,152 (20%) mechanically ventilated patients due to different neurologic diseases. Hemorrhagic stroke and brain trauma were the most common pathologies associated with the need for mechanical ventilation. Although volume-cycled ventilation remained the preferred ventilation mode, there was a significant (p &lt; 0.001) increment in the use of pressure support ventilation. The proportion of patients receiving a protective lung ventilation strategy was increased over time: 47% in 2004, 63% in 2010, and 65% in 2016 (p &lt; 0.001), as well as the duration of protective ventilation strategies: 406 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2004, 523 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2010, and 585 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2016 (p &lt; 0.001). There were no differences in the length of stay in the ICU, mortality in the ICU, and mortality in hospital from 2004 to 2016. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were age greater than 75 years, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II greater than 50, the occurrence of organ dysfunction within first 48 hours after brain injury, and specific neurologic diseases such as hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, and brain trauma. CONCLUSIONS: More lung-protective ventilatory strategies have been implemented over years in neurologic patients with no effect on pulmonary complications or on survival. We found several prognostic factors on mortality such as advanced age, the severity of the disease, organ dysfunctions, and the etiology of neurologic disease