Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Murine studies have identified blood proteins that influence brain aging, but translating these findings to humans remains challenging. We used an innovative approach to investigate whether genetically predicted blood levels of proteins linked to brain aging in animal models are associated with cognitive performance in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) [Figure 1].

Method: Through systematic review, we identified 13 circulating proteins with an aging/rejuvenating effect on the mouse brain.

First-line pembrolizumab in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and high PD-L1 expression: real-world data from a Spanish multicenter study.

Introduction: Pembrolizumab stands as a first-line option for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression (PD-L1 ≥50%). Several factors such as antibiotic exposure, low body mass index (BMI), certain metastatic location or poor performance status may influence outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis in a cohort of patients with advanced high PD-L1 expression NSCLC treated with first-line pembrolizumab in clinical practice.

The study protocol of a double-blind randomized controlled trial of EMDR and multifocal transcranial current stimulation (MtCS) as augmentation strategy in patients with fibromyalgia.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized, widespread chronic pain disorder affecting 2.7% of the general population. In recent years, different studies have observed a strong association between FM and psychological trauma.

Use of non-specific immunoglobulins in Catalonia in three third-level hospitals: a descriptive analysis of a hospital-prescribed medication registry.

Background: The increasing use of non-specific immunoglobulins (NSIGs) and their current shortage show a need for NSIGs' use prioritization. Data from a clinical perspective are necessary, mainly for pediatric patients.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the level of clinical evidence (LoE) of the indications that NSIGs are used for, the reasons for discontinuation, and the costs invested.

Conservation of structural brain connectivity in people with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. Structures affected in MS include the corpus callosum, connecting the hemispheres. Studies have shown that in mammalian brains, structural connectivity is organized according to a conservation principle, an inverse relationship between intra- and interhemispheric connectivity.

Environmental predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence in Catalonia (northwestern Mediterranean).

Numerous studies have explored whether and how the spread of the SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), responds to environmental conditions without reaching consistent answers. Sociodemographic factors, such as variable population density and mobility, as well as the lack of effective epidemiological monitoring, make it difficult to establish robust correlations. Here we carry out a regional cross-correlation study between nine atmospheric variables and an infection index ( ) estimated from standardized positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test cases.

Carvedilol vs. propranolol for the prevention of decompensation and mortality in patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Data on the effectiveness of classical non-selective beta-blockers (cNSBB, i.e., propranolol and nadolol) versus carvedilol in patients with cirrhosis are scarce.

Hollow fiber bioreactor allows sustained production of immortalized mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles.

Mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have been reported to hold great potential as cell-free therapies due to their low immunogenicity and minimal toxicity. However, the large doses of MSC-EVs that are required for their clinical application highlight the urgency of finding a large-scale system for MSC-EV manufacture. In this study, we aimed to set up a hollow fiber bioreactor system for the continuous homogenous production of functional and high-quality MSC-EVs.

Insights into genetic determinants of piglet survival during a PRRSV outbreak.

Breeding animals to produce more robust and disease-resistant pig populations becomes a complementary strategy to the more conventional methods of biosecurity and vaccination. The objective of this study was to explore the ability of a panel of genetic markers and immunity parameters to predict the survival rates during a natural PRRSV outbreak. Ten-week-old female Duroc pigs (n = 129), obtained from 61 sows and 20 boars, were naturally infected with a highly pathogenic PRRSV genotype 1 strain.

Automated age grading of female Culex pipiens by an optical sensor system coupled to a mosquito trap.

Background: The age distribution of a mosquito population is a major determinant of its vectorial capacity. To contribute to disease transmission, a competent mosquito vector, carrying a pathogen, must live longer than the extrinsic incubation period of that pathogen to enable transmission to a new host. As such, determining the age of female mosquitoes is of significant interest for vector-borne diseases surveillance and control programs.

Prognostic Factors in Severe Eosinophilic Asthma in a Pediatric Population: A Prospective Cohort Study in Spain.

: The objective of this study was to provide real-world data on prognostic factors in children with severe eosinophilic asthma and to assess biomarkers of outcome. : Fifty-nine children (aged 6-17 years) were included in a prospective cohort attended in a Severe Asthma Unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Badalona (Barcelona, Spain) and visited at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Study variables included asthma control using the Asthma Control Test (ACT), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV), exacerbation episodes, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and inflammatory biomarkers (blood tests, sputum cells, immunoallergic tests, and levels of cytokines and effector cells in blood and sputum).

Development of a Simple IFN-γ Release Whole Blood Assay for the Assessment of Specific Cellular Immunity in Dogs.

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a zoonotic disease caused by , where increased interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels are associated with controlling the infection and mild to moderate disease. Therefore, monitoring IFN-γ concentrations is essential for monitoring the immune responses in CanL. This study compared a faster, cost-effective IFN-γ release whole blood assay in tubes (WBA-T) with a standardized version (WBA-S) in 41 dogs at different states of infection.

Experimental recombining of repetitive motifs leads to large functional metallothioneins and demonstrates their modular evolvability potential.

Protein modularity is acknowledged for promoting the emergence of new protein variants via domain rearrangements. Metallothioneins (MTs) offer an excellent model system for experimentally examining the consequences of domain rearrangements due to the possibility to assess the functional properties of native and artificially created variants using spectroscopic methods and metal tolerance assays. In this study, we have investigated the functional properties of AbiMT4 from the snail Alinda biplicata (Gastropoda, Mollusca), a large MT comprising 10 putative β domains (β3β1), alongside four artificially designed variants differing in domain number, type, or order.

Synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy unveils the biomolecular response of healthy and tumour cell lines to neon minibeam radiation therapy.

Radioresistant tumours remain complex to manage with current radiotherapy (RT) techniques. Heavy ion beams were proposed for their treatment given their advantageous radiobiological properties. However, previous studies with patients resulted in serious adverse effects in the surrounding healthy tissues.

Targeting protein-protein interactions in drug discovery: Modulators approved or in clinical trials for cancer treatment.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) form complex cellular networks fundamental to many key biological processes, including signal transduction, cell proliferation and DNA repair. In consequence, their perturbation is often associated with many human diseases. Targeting PPIs offers a promising approach in drug discovery and ongoing advancements in this field hold the potential to provide highly specific therapies for a wide range of complex diseases.

Microglia as hunters or gatherers of brain synapses.

Over a decade ago, it was discovered that microglia, the brain's immune cells, engulf synaptic material in a process named microglial pruning. This term suggests that microglia actively sculpt brain circuits by tagging and phagocytosing unwanted synapses. However, live imaging studies have yet to demonstrate how microglial synapse elimination occurs.

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in exotic pets in Spain.

Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in different animal species raises concerns about the potential for animal reservoirs and transmission to humans. Here, we evaluate the exposure of exotic pet species to this virus throughout the early years of the pandemic (2020 - 2022) in southern Spain. A total of 180 exotic pets (126 domestic rabbits, 31 ferrets, and 23 rodents) were analyzed for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 using two different ELISAs.

Enhanced aerobic bioremediation of an aquifer heavily contaminated with a mixture of chlorobenzenes and hexachlorocyclohexanes at the Sardas landfill (Spain).

The groundwater at the Sardas landfill in Huesca, Spain, is contaminated with benzene, chlorobenzenes, and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers due to illegal waste dumping from a former lindane factory. In this study, microcosms using field-derived groundwater to evaluate in situ bioremediation were constructed. Anaerobic biostimulation with lactate successfully transformed α-, β-, δ-, and γ-HCH within two weeks, but failed to degrade benzene and less chlorinated benzenes, even with nutrient addition.

[Potential biases in epidemiological studies using respondent-driven sampling method: a comparison between its face-to-face and online application.].

In epidemiological and social studies on populations without a sampling frame or that are hard to reach, respondent-driven sampling (RDS), under certain assumptions, has the potential to produce asymptotically unbiased and efficient population estimates for these populations. While RDS is typically conducted face-to-face, the online version (WebRDS) has gained attention due to its potential advantages, although its disadvantages have also raised concern. The objective of this study was to contrast these two formats at the level of application and potential biases, where the online version offers improved speed and lower costs but raises concerns about potential biases due to a lack of face-to-face instructions regarding definition of the social network size and peer-recruiting process.

"Body farm time machine": Results from taphonomic study of burial and underwater contexts.

taphonomy and neotaphonomic monitoring have become two relevant tools in interpreting modifications, and most especially in forensic investigations. Research facilities, where human decomposition experiments are carried out under controlled situations, provide a better understanding of the tapho-forensic history of cadaveric remains under specific environments and in different situations or even climates. There are, however, limitations of time to monitoring, such as space for experimentation and ethics, that do not always allow to carry out these types of investigations.

Efficacy of esketamine nasal spray over quetiapine extended release over the short and long term: sensitivity analyses of ESCAPE-TRD, a randomised phase IIIb clinical trial.

Background: In patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD), the ESCAPE-TRD study showed esketamine nasal spray was superior to quetiapine extended release.

Aims: To determine the robustness of the ESCAPE-TRD results and confirm the superiority of esketamine nasal spray over quetiapine extended release.

Method: ESCAPE-TRD was a randomised, open-label, rater-blinded, active-controlled phase IIIb trial.