Associations of plasma SMOC1 and soluble IL6RA levels with the progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Despite the central role attributed to neuroinflammation in the etiology and pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the direct link between levels of inflammatory mediators in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compartments, as well as their potential implications for AD diagnosis and progression, remains inconclusive. Moreover, there is debate on whether inflammation has a protective or detrimental effect on disease onset and progression. Indeed, distinct immunological mechanisms may govern protective and damaging effects at early and late stages, respectively.

The best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) method as a tool to estimate the lifetime risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in high-risk individuals with no known pathogenic germline variants.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world. The number of diagnosed cases and the mortality rate are almost equal as the majority of patients present with advanced disease at diagnosis. Between 4 and 10% of pancreatic cancer cases have an apparent hereditary background, known as hereditary pancreatic cancer (HPC) and familial pancreatic cancer (FPC), when the genetic basis is unknown.

The Spanish Familial Pancreatic Cancer Registry (PANGENFAM): a decade follow-up of individuals at high-risk for pancreatic cancer.

The Spanish Familial Pancreatic Cancer Registry (PANGENFAM) was established in 2009 and aims to characterize the genotype and phenotype of familial pancreatic cancer (FPC). Furthermore, an early detection screening program for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is provided to healthy high-risk individuals from FPC and hereditary pancreatic cancer families (first-degree relatives). This article describes our experience over the last 10 years in high-risk screening.

Microevolution, reinfection and highly complex genomic diversity in patients with sequential isolates of Mycobacterium abscessus.

Mycobacterium abscessus is an opportunistic, extensively drug-resistant non-tuberculous mycobacterium. Few genomic studies consider its diversity in persistent infections. Our aim was to characterize microevolution/reinfection events in persistent infections.

Impact of CT-measured sarcopenic obesity on postoperative outcomes following colon cancer surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of sarcopenic obesity on anastomotic leak following elective colon resection for non-metastatic colon cancer. Secondary outcomes included overall morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay.

Methods: This retrospective observational study, conducted at a colorectal surgery referral centre, spanned from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2020.

Mechanical Alloying as a Way to Produce Metastable Single-Phase High-Entropy Alloys beyond the Stability Criteria.

Various stability criteria developed for high-entropy alloys are applied to compositions produced by mechanical alloying. While they agree with the annealed samples, these criteria fail to describe the as-milled metastable systems, highlighting the ability of mechanical alloying to overcome the limitations imposed by these criteria. The criteria are based on atomic size (Ω ≥ 1.

A whole-cell hypersensitive biosensor for beta-lactams based on the AmpR-AmpC regulatory circuit from the Antarctic Pseudomonas sp. IB20.

Detecting antibiotic residues is vital to minimize their impact. Yet, existing methods are complex and costly. Biosensors offer an alternative.

Pyeloureteral Anastomosis as a Reconstructive Technique for Post-Renal Transplant Ureteral Stenosis.

Objective: Ureteral stenosis in renal transplant patients is a frequent urological complication that involves significant morbidity and may compromise graft function. Despite the common use of minimally invasive techniques, surgery continues to be the definitive treatment for ureteral stenosis, and pyeloureteral anastomosis is an infrequent but effective technique in the management of this pathology and has been described as a safe treatment with a low percentage of complications.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients in whom surgical intervention via pyeloureteral anastomosis was carried out in our center in the last 12 years.

Selective Pressure by Rifampicin Modulates Mutation Rates and Evolutionary Trajectories of Mycobacterial Genomes.

Resistance to the frontline antibiotic rifampicin constitutes a challenge to the treatment and control of tuberculosis. Here, we analyzed the mutational landscape of Mycobacterium smegmatis during long-term evolution with increasing concentrations of rifampicin, using a mutation accumulation assay combined with whole-genome sequencing. Antibiotic treatment enhanced the acquisition of mutations, doubling the genome-wide mutation rate of the wild-type cells.

Structural, Vibrational, and Magnetic Characterization of Orthoferrite LaFeO Ceramic Prepared by Reaction Flash Sintering.

LaFeO perovskite ceramics have been prepared via reaction flash technique using FeO and LaO as precursors. The obtained pellets have been investigated using several techniques. The formation of LaFeO has been clearly confirmed by X-ray diffraction.

Optimization of the Equine-Sperm Freeze Test in Purebred Spanish Horses by Incorporating Colloidal Centrifugation.

The Purebred Spanish Horse, according to our clinical experience, is characterized by having a high number of stallions that do not meet the international commercial recommendations for equine-sperm cryopreservation. This means that artificial insemination with frozen semen from these stallions is less widespread than in other breeds. In this study, we investigated if the incorporation of single-layer colloidal centrifugation prior to cryopreservation in clinical conditions could increase the number of ejaculates of Purebred Spanish stallions suitable for this processing, observing the influence of centrifugation and freezing extender protocol on post-thawed sperm motility.

Sigma-1 receptor modulation fine-tunes K1.5 channels and impacts pulmonary vascular function.

K1.5 channels are key players in the regulation of vascular tone and atrial excitability and their impairment is associated with cardiovascular diseases including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Unfortunately, pharmacological strategies to improve K1.

Green recovery packages for a post-Covid-19 world: A lesson from the collapse of Spanish wind farms in the past financial crisis.

Governments are implementing massive stimulus fiscal packages to mitigate the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus disease. If policymakers want to stimulate the economy through renewable energy investments, policies must focus on financing as the key priority. This is the lesson we draw from the Spanish wind farms in the past financial crisis.

Impact of Sarcopenic Obesity on Long-Term Cancer Outcomes and Postoperative Complications After Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer.

Background: The prevalence of sarcopenia in gastric cancer (GC), although varying among the reported studies, is around 60%. In the last few years, it has been recognised that sarcopenia can also occur not only in patients with weight loss and low body weight, but also in patients with normal or increased body mass index. Therefore, the term sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a new definition that further expands the implications of altered body composition.

Noncanonical Mismatch Repair Protein NucS Modulates the Emergence of Antibiotic Resistance in Mycobacterium abscessus.

NucS/EndoMS-dependent noncanonical mismatch repair (MMR) ensures the stability of genomic DNA in mycobacteria and acts as a guardian of the genome by preventing the accumulation of point mutations. In order to address whether the inactivation of noncanonical MMR could increase the acquisition of drug resistance by mutation, a Δ strain was constructed and explored in the emerging pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus. Deletion of resulted in a mutator phenotype with increased acquisition of resistance to macrolides and aminoglycosides, the two main groups of antimycobacterial agents for M.

The Use of Ultrasound Imaging for Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background:  The aim of this study was to analyze the different applications of ultrasound (US) in upper extremity lymphedema (UEL) after breast cancer.

Methods:  A systematic review of the literature was performed in line with the PRISMA statement using MEDLINE/PubMed databases from January 1970 to December 2021. Articles describing the application of US in patients with UEL after breast cancer were included.

Life expectancy after surgical aortic valve replacement for low-gradient aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction.

Introduction And Objectives: Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) can modify the natural history of severe aortic stenosis (SAS). However, compared with the general population, these patients have a loss of life expectancy. The life expectancy of patients who undergo SAVR due to low-gradient SAS with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is unknown.

Understanding of Crucial Factors for Improving the Energy Density of Lithium-Sulfur Pouch Cells.

Rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are the most promising next-generation energy storage system owing to their high energy density and low cost. Despite the increasing number of publications on the Li-S technology, the number of studies on real prototype cells is rather low. Furthermore, novel concepts developed using small lab cells cannot simply be transferred to high-energy cell prototypes due to the fundamental differences.

Inactivation of a New Potassium Channel Increases Rifampicin Resistance and Induces Collateral Sensitivity to Hydrophilic Antibiotics in .

Rifampicin is a critical first-line antibiotic for treating mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis, one of the most serious infectious diseases worldwide. Rifampicin resistance in mycobacteria is mainly caused by mutations in the gene; however, some rifampicin-resistant strains showed no mutations. Therefore, alternative mechanisms must explain this resistance in mycobacteria.

Cross Talk between α7 and α3β4 Nicotinic Receptors Prevents Their Desensitization in Human Chromaffin Cells.

The physical interaction and functional cross talk among the different subtypes of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed in the various tissues is unknown. Here, we have investigated this issue between the only two nAChRs subtypes expressed, the α7 and α3β4 subtypes, in a human native neuroendocrine cell (the chromaffin cell) using electrophysiological patch-clamp, fluorescence, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques. Our data show that α7 and α3β4 receptor subtypes require their mutual and maximal efficacy of activation to increase their expression, to avoid their desensitization, and therefore, to increase their activity.

Effect of RecA inactivation and detoxification systems on the evolution of ciprofloxacin resistance in Escherichia coli.

Background: Suppression of SOS response and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through detoxification system suppression enhance the activity of fluoroquinolones.

Objectives: To evaluate the role of both systems in the evolution of resistance to ciprofloxacin in an isogenic model of Escherichia coli.

Methods: Single-gene deletion mutants of E.

AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Foils as Thin Anodes for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries.

In recent decades, rechargeable Mg batteries (RMBs) technologies have attracted much attention because the use of thin Mg foil anodes may enable development of high-energy-density batteries. One of the most critical challenges for RMBs is finding suitable electrolyte solutions that enable efficient and reversible Mg cells operation. Most RMB studies concentrate on the development of novel electrolyte systems, while only few studies have focused on the practical feasibility of using pure metallic Mg as the anode material.