Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020

[EN] Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3,4,5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant’s success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes.S

Ahora / Ara

La cinquena edició del microrelatari per l’eradicació de la violència contra les dones de l’Institut Universitari d’Estudis Feministes i de Gènere «Purificación Escribano» de la Universitat Jaume I vol ser una declaració d’esperança. Aquest és el moment en el qual les dones (i els homes) hem de fer un pas endavant i eliminar la violència sistèmica contra les dones. Ara és el moment de denunciar el masclisme i els micromasclismes començant a construir una societat més igualitària. Cadascun dels relats del llibre és una denúncia i una declaració que ens encamina cap a un món millor

Diccionario bilingüe (EN-ES) del proceso de elaboración del whisky español-inglés con equivalentes en catalán

Recopilación terminológica bilingüe inglés-español con equivalencias al catalán sobre el proceso de elaboración del whisky

Cell wall-derived mixed-linked β-1,3/1,4-glucans trigger immune responses and disease resistance in plants

Pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) is activated in plants upon recognition by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of damage- and microbe-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs and MAMPs) derived from plants or microorganisms, respectively. To understand better the plant mechanisms involved in the perception of carbohydrate-based structures recognized as DAMPs/MAMPs, we have studied the ability of mixed-linked β-1,3/1,4-glucans (MLGs), present in some plant and microbial cell walls, to trigger immune responses and disease resistance in plants. A range of MLG structures were tested for their capacity to induce PTI hallmarks, such as cytoplasmic Ca2+ elevations, reactive oxygen species production, phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and gene transcriptional reprogramming. These analyses revealed that MLG oligosaccharides are perceived by Arabidopsis thaliana and identified a trisaccharide, β-d-cellobiosyl-(1,3)-β-d-glucose (MLG43), as the smallest MLG structure triggering strong PTI responses. These MLG43-mediated PTI responses are partially dependent on LysM PRRs CERK1, LYK4 and LYK5, as they were weaker in cerk1 and lyk4 lyk5 mutants than in wild-type plants. Cross-elicitation experiments between MLG43 and the carbohydrate MAMP chitohexaose [β-1,4-d-(GlcNAc)6 ], which is also perceived by these LysM PRRs, indicated that the mechanism of MLG43 recognition could differ from that of chitohexaose, which is fully impaired in cerk1 and lyk4 lyk5 plants. MLG43 treatment confers enhanced disease resistance in A. thaliana to the oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis and in tomato and pepper to different bacterial and fungal pathogens. Our data support the classification of MLGs as a group of carbohydrate-based molecular patterns that are perceived by plants and trigger immune responses and disease resistance

Unexpected complexity in the molecular diagnosis of spastic paraplegia 11

Cis-Regulatory Elements; Genetic diagnosis, Spastic paraplegiaElementos reguladores Cis; Diagnóstico genético, Paraplejia espásticaElements reguladors Cis; Diagnòstic genètic, Paraplegia espàsticaBackground: Spastic paraplegia 11 (SPG11) is the most prevalent form of autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia, resulting from biallelic pathogenic variants in the SPG11 gene (MIM *610844). Methods: The proband is a 36- year- old female referred for genetic evaluation due to cognitive dysfunction, gait impairment, and corpus callosum atrophy (brain MRI was normal at 25- years- old). Diagnostic approaches included CGH array, next- generation sequencing, and whole transcriptome sequencing. Results: CGH array revealed a 180 kb deletion located upstream of SPG11. Sequencing of SPG11 uncovered two rare single nucleotide variants: the novel variant c.3143C>T in exon 17 (in cis with the deletion), and the previously reported pathogenic variant c.6409C>T in exon 34 (in trans). Whole transcriptome sequencing revealed that the variant c.3143C>T caused exon 17 skipping. Conclusion: We report a novel sequence variant in the SPG11 gene resulting in exon 17 skipping, which, along with a nonsense variant, causes Spastic Paraplegia 11 in our proband. In addition, a deletion upstream of SPG11 was identified in the patient, whose implication in the phenotype remains uncertain. Nonetheless the deletion apparently affects cis- regulatory elements of the gene, suggesting a potential new pathogenic mechanism underlying the disease in a subset of undiagnosed patients. Our findings further support the hypothesis that the origin of thin corpus callosum in patients with SPG11 is of progressive nature.Antecedentes: La paraplejia espástica 11 (SPG11) es la forma más prevalente de paraplejia espástica hereditaria autosómica recesiva, resultado de variantes patogénicas bialélicas en el gen SPG11 (MIM *610844). Métodos: El probando es una mujer de 36 años remitida para evaluación genética debido a disfunción cognitiva, alteración de la marcha y atrofia del cuerpo calloso (la RM cerebral era normal a los 25 años). Los enfoques diagnósticos incluyeron array de CGH, secuenciación de nueva generación y secuenciación del transcriptoma completo. Resultados: El array CGH reveló una deleción de 180 kb localizada aguas arriba de SPG11. La secuenciación de SPG11 descubrió dos variantes raras de un solo nucleótido: la nueva variante c.3143C>T en el exón 17 (en cis con la deleción), y la variante patogénica previamente descrita c.6409C>T en el exón 34 (en trans). La secuenciación del transcriptoma completo reveló que la variante c.3143C>T causaba la omisión del exón 17. Conclusiones: Informamos de una nueva variante de secuencia en el gen SPG11 que resulta en la omisión del exón 17, que, junto con una variante sin sentido, causa la Paraplejía Espástica 11 en nuestro probando. Además, se identificó una deleción aguas arriba de SPG11 en el paciente, cuya implicación en el fenotipo sigue siendo incierta. No obstante, la deleción parece afectar a elementos reguladores cis del gen, lo que sugiere un posible nuevo mecanismo patogénico subyacente a la enfermedad en un subconjunto de pacientes no diagnosticados. Nuestros hallazgos apoyan aún más la hipótesis de que el origen de la delgadez del cuerpo calloso en pacientes con SPG11 es de progresiónAntecedents: la paraplegia espàstica 11 (SPG11) és la forma més freqüent de paraplegia espàstica hereditària autosòmica recessiva, resultant de variants patògenes bial·lèliques en el gen SPG11 (MIM *610844). Mètodes: La provada és una dona de 36 anys derivada per a una avaluació genètica per disfunció cognitiva, deteriorament de la marxa i atròfia del cos callós (la RM cerebral era normal als 25 anys). Els enfocaments de diagnòstic van incloure la matriu de CGH, la seqüenciació de nova generació i la seqüenciació del transcriptoma sencer. Resultats: la matriu CGH va revelar una supressió de 180 kb situada aigües amunt de SPG11. La seqüenciació de SPG11 va descobrir dues variants de nucleòtids únics rares: la nova variant c.3143C>T a l'exó 17 (en cis amb la supressió) i la variant patògena c.6409C>T prèviament informada a l'exó 34 (en trans). La seqüenciació sencera del transcriptoma va revelar que la variant c.3143C>T va provocar el salt de l'exó 17. Conclusió: informem d'una nova variant de seqüència en el gen SPG11 que provoca un salt de l'exó 17, que, juntament amb una variant sense sentit, provoca la paraplegia espàstica 11 al nostre proband. A més, es va identificar una supressió aigües amunt de SPG11 en el pacient, la implicació del qual en el fenotip segueix sent incerta. No obstant això, aparentment, la supressió afecta els elements reguladors cis del gen, cosa que suggereix un potencial nou mecanisme patogènic subjacent a la malaltia en un subconjunt de pacients no diagnosticats. Els nostres resultats recolzen encara més la hipòtesi que l'origen del cos callós prim en pacients amb SPG11 és de naturalesa progressiva

HTLV-1 infection among Latin American pregnant women living in Spain

Objectives Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) antenatal screening is not mandatory in Spain. Surveys conducted decades ago reported HTLV-1 seroprevalence rates of 0.2% among foreign pregnant women in Spain. The migrant flow to Spain from HTLV-1 endemic regions in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa has increased during the last decade. Currently, 25% of pregnant women in Spain are foreigners. Methods From January 2021 to October 2023 a cross-sectional study was carried out in all consecutive pregnant women attended at eleven Spanish clinics. A commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used for screening of serum HTLV-1/2 antibodies. Reactive samples were confirmed by immunoblot. Results A total of 9813 pregnant women with a median age of 34 years-old were examined. Native Spaniards were 6977 (76.5%). Of 2147 foreigners (23.5%), 903566 (9.9%) were Latin Americans, 416 (4.5%) North Africans, 293 (3.2%) from Romania, and 196 (2.1%) from sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 47 samples were EIA reactive but only five were confirmed as HTLV-1 positive using immunoblot. Infected women came from Paraguay, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Peru. All but one were primigravida, with ages ranging from 20 to 33 years-old. One was HIV-1 positive, and another was infected with Chlamydia trachomatis. Conclusion The overall seroprevalence for HTLV-1 among pregnant women in Spain is 0.05% but rises ten-fold (0.55%) among Latin Americans. This rate is higher than in surveys conducted decades ago. Our results support that anti-HTLV testing should be part of antenatal screening in Spain in pregnant women coming from Latin America, as it is already done with Chagas disease