The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 as a recall response susceptible to immune imprinting: A prospective cohort study.

Unlabelled: The antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 does not follow the immunoglobulin isotype pattern of primary responses, conflicting with the current interpretation of COVID-19.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 191 SARS-CoV-2 infection cases and 44 controls from the second wave of COVID-19. The study stratified patients by severity and analyzed the trajectories of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and multiple immune variables.

Cofactors facilitate bona fide prion misfolding in vitro but are not necessary for the infectivity of recombinant murine prions.

Prion diseases, particularly sporadic cases, pose a challenge due to their complex nature and heterogeneity. The underlying mechanism of the spontaneous conversion from PrPC to PrPSc, the hallmark of prion diseases, remains elusive. To shed light on this process and the involvement of cofactors, we have developed an in vitro system that faithfully mimics spontaneous prion misfolding using minimal components.

Detection of clinically relevant variants in the gene below 10% allelic frequency: A multicenter study by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL.

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the reliability of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect variants ≤10% allelic frequency (low-VAF) is debated. We tested the ability to detect 23 such variants in 41 different laboratories using their NGS method of choice. The sensitivity was 85.

3D-printed patient-specific instrumentation and the freehand technique in high-tibial osteotomy: A prospective cohort-comparative study in an outpatient setting.

Purpose: Tibial valgus osteotomy has shown to be a successful and cost-effective procedure. The advent of image processing and three-dimensional (3D) printing is an interesting tool for achieving more accurate and reproducible results. The aim of our study was to compare the accuracy of the conventional technique and the use of customized guides in the correction of tibial deformities in tibial varus patients, the surgical and clinical benefits, and the impact of treatment in the outpatient setting.

Assessing readability of explanations and reliability of answers by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in non-traumatic spinal cord injury education.

Purpose: Our study aimed to: i) Assess the readability of textbook explanations using established indexes; ii) Compare these with GPT-4's default explanations, ensuring similar word counts for direct comparisons; iii) Evaluate GPT-4's adaptability by simplifying high-complexity explanations; iv) Determine the reliability of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in providing accurate answers.

Material And Methods: We utilized a textbook designed for ABPMR certification.

Central nervous system vascular complications associated with the acute form of steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis.

This retrospective study aims to describe the vascular events in the central nervous system (CNS) associated with the acute form of steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), to compare the clinical features of dogs with and without such complications and to potentially identify predisposing factors for these events. Dogs with a presumptive diagnosis of SRMA visited between 2018 and 2023 with full medical records that underwent neurological examination, blood testing, cervical computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were included. Thirty-three dogs were included and divided in two groups.

Nasal microbial diversity is associated with survival in piglets infected by a highly virulent PRRSV-1 strain.

Background: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a major threat to swine industry worldwide, especially virulent variants arising during the last years, such as Spanish PRRSV-1 Rosalia strain. The role of the nasal microbiota in respiratory viral infections is still to be unveiled but may be promisingly related with the health status of the animals and thus, their susceptibility. The goal of this project was to study the nasal microbiota composition of piglets during a highly virulent PRRSV-1 outbreak comparing animals that died due to the infection with animals that survived it.

Pig nasal and rectal microbiotas are involved in the antibody response to Glaesserella parasuis.

Vaccination stands as one of the most sustainable and promising strategies to control infectious diseases in animal production. Nevertheless, the causes for antibody response variation among individuals are poorly understood. The animal microbiota has been shown to be involved in the correct development and function of the host immunity, including the antibody response.

Artificial cell-free system for the sustainable production of acetoin from bioethanol.

The present work introduces and validates an artificial cell free system for the synthesis of acetoin from ethanol, representing a greener alternative to conventional chemical synthesis. The one pot multi-enzymatic system, which employs pyruvate decarboxylase from Zymobacter palmae (ZpPDC), alcohol dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScADH), and NADH oxidase from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpNOX), achieves nearly 100 % substrate conversion and reaction yield within 6 h under optimal conditions (pH 7.5, enzyme activities: ZpPDC 100 U·mL, ScADH 50 U·mL, SpNOX 127 U·mL, and 1 mM NAD).

Improving timing resolution of BGO for TOF-PET: a comparative analysis with and without deep learning.

Background: The renewed interest in BGO scintillators for TOF-PET is driven by the improved Cherenkov photon detection with new blue-sensitive SiPMs. However, the slower scintillation light from BGO causes significant time walk with leading edge discrimination (LED), which degrades the coincidence time resolution (CTR). To address this, a time walk correction (TWC) can be done by using the rise time measured with a second threshold.

Mild acute biliary pancreatitis: still a surgical disease. A post-hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study.

Background: The current standard of care for mild acute biliary pancreatitis (MABP) involves early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ELC) to reduce the risk of recurrence. The MANCTRA-1 project revealed a knowledge-to-action gap and higher recurrence rates in patients admitted to medical wards, attributable to fewer ELCs being performed. The project estimated a 35% to 70% probability of narrowing this gap by 2025.

Robotic hiatus hernia surgery: learning curve and lessons learned.

New procedures like the robotic approach require proficiency to ensure patient safety and satisfactory functional results. Hiatal hernia surgery serves as a suitable training procedure for upper gastrointestinal tract surgeons transitioning to the robotic approach. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of implementing the robotic approach in hiatal hernia surgery at a tertiary hospital and to assess the associated learning curve.

Pregnancy entails a U-shaped trajectory in human brain structure linked to hormones and maternal attachment.

Growing evidence places the gestational period as a unique moment of heightened neuroplasticity in adult life. In this longitudinal study spanning pre, during, and post pregnancy, we unveil a U-shaped trajectory in gray matter (GM) volume, which dips in late pregnancy and partially recovers during postpartum. These changes are most prominent in brain regions associated with the Default Mode and Frontoparietal Network.

The Human Microglia Atlas (HuMicA) unravels changes in disease-associated microglia subsets across neurodegenerative conditions.

Dysregulated microglia activation, leading to neuroinflammation, is crucial in neurodegenerative disease development and progression. We constructed an atlas of human brain immune cells by integrating nineteen single-nucleus RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq datasets from multiple neurodegenerative conditions, comprising 241 samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Lewy body diseases, COVID-19, and healthy controls. The integrated Human Microglia Atlas (HuMicA) included 90,716 nuclei/cells and revealed nine populations distributed across all conditions.

HEBE: A novel chimeric chronokine for ameliorating memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid-β and Tau protein depositions, with treatments focusing on single proteins have shown limited success due to the complexity of pathways involved. This study explored the potential of chronokines -proteins that modulate aging-related processes- as an alternative therapeutic approach. Specifically, we focused on a novel pleiotropic chimeric protein named HEBE, combining s-KL, sTREM2 and TIMP2, guided by bioinformatic analyses to ensure the preservation of each protein's conformation, crucial for their functions.

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treatment of multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder - recommendations from ECTRIMS and the EBMT.

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is a treatment option for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that are refractory to disease-modifying therapy (DMT). AHSCT after failure of high-efficacy DMT in aggressive forms of relapsing-remitting MS is a generally accepted indication, yet the optimal placement of this approach in the treatment sequence is not universally agreed upon. Uncertainties also remain with respect to other indications, such as in rapidly evolving, severe, treatment-naive MS, progressive MS, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mHealth adoption: Identification of the main barriers through an international comparative analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic greatly challenged health systems worldwide. The adoption and application of mHealth technology emerged as a critical response. However, the permanent implementation and use of such technology faces several barriers, which vary by each country's innovation level and specific health policies.

Clinical and imaging spectrum of non-congenital dominant ACTN2 myopathy.

Background: Alpha-actinin-2, a protein with high expression in cardiac and skeletal muscle, is located in the Z-disc and plays a key role in sarcomere stability. Mutations in ACTN2 have been associated with both hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy and, more recently, with skeletal myopathy.

Methods: Genetic, clinical, and muscle imaging data were collected from 37 patients with an autosomal dominant ACTN2 myopathy belonging to 11 families from Spain and Belgium.

Legacies from early-season hot drought: how growth cessation alters tree water dynamics and modifies stress responses in Scots pine.

Tree responses to drought are well studied, but the interacting effects of drought timing on growth, water use, and stress legacy are less understood. We investigated how a widespread conifer, Scots pine, responded to hot droughts early or late in the growing season, or to both. We measured sap flux, stem growth, needle elongation, and leaf water potential (Ψ) to assess the impacts of stress timing on drought resilience in Scots pine saplings.

Safety Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials.

Graphene is the first 2D atomic crystal, and its isolation heralded a new era in materials science with the emergence of several other atomically thin materials displaying multifunctional properties. The safety assessment of new materials is often something of an afterthought, but in the case of graphene, the initial isolation and characterization of the material was soon followed by the assessment of its potential impact on living systems. The Graphene Flagship project addressed the health and environmental aspects of graphene and other 2D materials, providing an instructive lesson in interdisciplinarity - from materials science to biology.

Scoring of swine lung images: a comparison between a computer vision system and human evaluators.

Cranioventral pulmonary consolidation (CVPC) is a common lesion observed in the lungs of slaughtered pigs, often associated with Mycoplasma (M.) hyopneumoniae infection. There is a need to implement simple, fast, and valid CVPC scoring methods.

Diversity of Aspergillus section Nigri species from vineyards with different agro-climatic conditions in Catalonia, Spain.

A few Aspergillus section Nigri species are involved in the ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in grapes worldwide, and its occurrence is determined by the agro-climatic conditions of each region. The aim of this study was to examine the diversity of black aspergilli isolated from grapes, soil, and air from vineyards with different agro-climatic conditions. A total of four vineyards located in Catalonia were studied.

Monitoring of Selected Swine Viral Diseases in Peruvian Amazon Peccaries.

Peccaries (collared peccary-CP-and white-lipped peccary-WLP) are an essential source of protein and income for rural communities in the Amazon region. Since 1980s, researchers in the Amazon have reported recurrent local disappearances of WLP populations. Although such disappearances impact the species conservation and the food security of rural societies, no studies have drawn consistent conclusions about the causes of these population collapses.

Seronegativity of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) against Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum is consistent with eco-epidemiological and environmental features in Mediterranean mountainous areas.

Knowledge of pathogen epidemiological dynamics and habitat ecological features is essential for wildlife population and health monitoring and management. Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are two broadly distributed multi-host parasites that affect both wild and domestic animals and, in the case of T. gondii, cause zoonosis.