An XAD-4 extract from a 5-year-old wine from Rioja (Spain) was analyzed by aroma extract dilution analysis. Most of the odorants were quantified by GC-MS. A second extract was fractionated in an HPLC ...system with a C-18 semipreparative column. Fifty fractions were recovered, their alcoholic degree and pH were further adjusted to those of the wine, and those fractions that showed strong odor characteristics were further re-extracted and analyzed by GC-O and GC-MS. Reconstitution experiments were carried out to confirm the role of the odorants detected in the fractions. Fifty-eight odorants were found in the Rioja wine, 52 of which could be identified. Methyl benzoate was found to be a wine aroma constituent for the first time. The most important odorants are 4-ethylguaiacol, (E)-whiskey lactone, 4-ethylphenol, β-damascenone, fusel alcohols, isovaleric and hexanoic acids, eugenol, fatty acid ethyl esters, and ethyl esters of isoacids, Furaneol, phenylacetic acid, and (E)-2-hexenal. Comparison among the three techniques shows good agreement and demonstrates that they are complementary. Keywords: Gas chromatography−olfactometry; aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA); odor activity value (OAV); HPLC fractionation; red wine; aroma; flavor
Cystacanths of the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma balaenae (Gmelin, 1790) were found encapsulated in the cephalothorax of the euphausiid Nyctiphanes couchii (Bell, 1853) from temperate waters in the NE ...Atlantic Ocean. Euphausiids were caught in locations outside the Ría de Vigo in Galicia, NW Spain, and prevalence of infection was up to 0.1%. The parasite was identified by morphological characters. Cystacanths were 8.09 ± 2.25 mm total length (mean ± SD) and had proboscises that consisted of 22 to 24 longitudinal rows of hooks, each of which had 8 or 9 hooks per row including 2 or 3 rootless ones in the proboscis base and 1 field of small hooks in the prebulbar part. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S rDNA and cytocrome c oxidase subunit I revealed a close relationship with other taxa of the family Polymorphidae (Meyer, 1931). The results extend northwards ot the known distribution of B. balaenae. Taxonomic affiliation of parasites and trophic ecology in the sampling area suggest that N. couchii is the intermediate host for B. balenae, and we suggest that the whales Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) and B. acutorostrata (Lacepède, 1804) are its definitive hosts. This life cycle is probably completed with or without paratenic hosts.
In the mesozooplanktonic community of the coastal upwelling system of the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain), the euphausiid Nyctiphanes couchii has been identified for the first time in temperate waters of the ...NE Atlantic as the intermediate host for cystacanths of Rhadinorhynchus sp. Parasites were identified using morphological characters described in 20 cystacanths. The hooks of the proboscis were arranged in 14 rows of 26 hooks each, while the hooks of the basal circle were only slightly erected and were longer than remaining spines. A maximum-likelihood estimation (ML) tree inferred from the 18S rRNA data set of Palaeacantocephala revealed that our specimens belong to a highly supported clade with Rhadinorhynchus sp., Pararhadinorhynchus sp. and Transvena annulospinosa. Nonetheless, our morphological and phylogenetic analyses suggested that the status of Rhadinorhynchus pristis should be re-examined. The prevalences of parasites were 0.0019% and 0.0001% for frontal and coastal summer communities, and 0.0068% and 0.0008% for coastal and oceanic autumn communities, respectively. The presence of these cystacanths in different mesozooplankton communities throughout the study suggests that the recruitment of parasites may be affected by the oceanography.
The TREX-DM experiment is conceived to look for low mass WIMPs by means of a gas time projection chamber equipped with novel micromegas readout planes at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory. The ...detector can hold 20 l of pressurized gas up to 10 bar, which corresponds to 0.30 kg of Ar, or alternatively, 0.16 kg of Ne. The micromegas will be read with a self-triggered acquisition, allowing for effective thresholds below 0.4 keV (electron equivalent). The preliminary background model, following a complete material screening program, points to levels of the order of 1-10 counts keV−1 kg−1 d−1 in the region of interest, making TREX-DM competitive. The status of the commissioning, description of the background model and the corresponding WIMP sensitivity will be presented here.
The most compelling candidates for Dark Matter to day are WIMPs and axions. The applicability of gasesous Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) with Micromesh Gas Structures (Micromegas) to the search of ...these particles is explored within this work. Both particles would produce an extremely low rate at very low energies in particle detectors. Micromegas detectors can provide both low background rates and low energy threshold, due to the high granularity, radiopurity and uniformity of the readout. Small (few cm wide) Micromegas detectors are used to image the axion-induced x-ray signal expected in the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) experiment. We show the background levels obtained in CAST and the prospects to further reduce them to the values required by the Internation Axion Observatory (IAXO). We also present TREX-DM, a scaled-up version of the Micromegas used in axion research, but this time dedicated to the low-mass WIMP detection. TREX-DM is a high-pressure Micromegas-based TPC designed to host a few hundreds of grams of light nuclei (argon or neon) with energy thresholds potentially at the level of 100 eV. The detector is described in detail, as well as the results of the commissioning and characterization phase on surface. Besides, the background model of TREX-DM is presented, along with the anticipated sensitivity of this search, which could go beyond current experimental limits.
To evaluate the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination via interferon (IFN)-based therapy on gene expression profiles related to the immune system in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.
We conducted ...a prospective study in 28 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients receiving IFN-based therapy at baseline (HIV/HCV-b) and week 24 after sustained virological response (HIV/HCV-f). Twenty-seven HIV-monoinfected patients (HIV-mono) were included as a control. RNA-seq analysis was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Genes with a fold-change (FC) ≥ 1.5 (in either direction) and false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.05 were identified as significantly differentially expressed (SDE).
HIV/HCV-b showed six SDE genes compared to HIV-mono group, but no significantly enriched pathways were observed. For HIV/HCV-f vs. HIV/HCV-b, we found 58 SDE genes, 34 upregulated and 24 downregulated in the HIV/HCV-f group. Of these, the most overexpressed were CXCL2, PDCD6IP, ATP5B, IGSF9, RAB26, and CSRNP1, and the most downregulated were IFI44 and IFI44L. These 58 SDE genes revealed two significantly enriched pathways (FDR < 0.05), one linked to Epstein-Barr virus infection and another related to p53 signaling. For HIV/HCV-f vs. HIV-mono group, we found 44 SDE genes that revealed 31 enriched pathways (FDR < 0.05) related to inflammation, cancer/cell cycle alteration, viral and bacterial infection, and comorbidities associated with HIV/HCV-coinfection. Five genes were overrepresented in most pathways (JUN, NFKBIA, PIK3R2, CDC42, and STAT3).
HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who eradicated hepatitis C with IFN-based therapy showed profound gene expression changes after achieving sustained virological response. The altered pathways were related to inflammation and liver-related complications, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, underscoring the need for active surveillance for these patients.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In this paper we report an investigation of the utility of coprological analysis as an alternative technique to study parasite specificity whenever host sampling is problematic; acanthocephalans from ...marine mammals were used as a model. A total of 252 scats from the South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, and rectal faeces from 43 franciscanas, Pontoporia blainvillei, from Buenos Aires Province, were examined for acanthocephalans. Specimens of two species, i.e. Corynosoma australe and C. cetaceum, were collected from both host species. In sea lions, 78 out of 145 (37.9%) females of C. australe were gravid and the sex ratio was strongly female-biased. However, none of the 168 females of C. cetaceum collected was gravid and the sex ratio was not female-biased. Conversely, in franciscanas, 14 out of 17 (82.4%) females of C. cetaceum were gravid, but none of 139 females of C. australe was, and the sex ratio of C. cetaceum, but not that of C. australe, was female-biased. In putative non-hosts, the size of worms was similar to that from specimens collected from prey. Results suggest that both acanthocephalans contact sea lions and franciscanas regularly. However, C. australe and C. cetaceum cannot apparently reproduce, nor even grow, in franciscanas and sea lions, respectively. Coprological analysis may represent a useful supplementary method to investigate parasite specificity, particularly when host carcasses are difficult to obtain.
Abstract
Background
Little is known about the effects of eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) on bone mineral density (BMD) and biomarkers of bone remodeling in human immunodeficiency virus ...(HIV)/HCV-coinfected patients.
Methods
We prospectively assessed standardized BMD (sBMD) at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, World Health Organization BMD categories at both sites, and plasma concentrations of soluble receptor activator of NF-κβ ligand (sRANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) at baseline (the date of initiation of anti-HCV therapy) and at 96 weeks.
Results
A total of 238 patients were included. The median age was 49.5 years, 76.5% were males, 48.3% had cirrhosis, 98.3% were on antiretroviral therapy, median CD4+ cell count was 527 cells/μL, and 86.6% had HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL. The prevalence of osteoporosis at baseline at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) was 17.6% and 7.2%, respectively. Anti-HCV therapy comprised pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) plus 1 direct-acting antiviral in 53.4%, peg-IFN/RBV in 34.5%, and sofosbuvir/RBV in 12.2%. A total of 145 (60.9%) patients achieved sustained virologic response (SVR). No significant effect of SVR was observed on sBMD for the interaction between time and SVR either in the LS (P = .801) or the FN (P = .911). Likewise, no significant effect of SVR was observed in plasma levels of sRANKL (P = .205), OPG (P = .249), or sRANKL/OPG ratio (P = .123) for the interaction between time and SVR. No significant correlation was found between fibrosis by transient elastography, and LS and FN sBMD, at baseline and week 96.
Conclusions
SVR was not associated with significant changes in BMD nor biomarkers of bone remodeling in HIV/HCV-coinfected persons.
Whale lice (Cyamidae) are ectoparasitic amphipods exclusive to cetaceans. Data on their epidemiology usually come from species infecting baleen whales, which are large, slow‐moving hosts. In this ...study, we provide data on infection parameters, population structure and microhabitat selection in a whale louse exclusive to delphinids, Syncyamus aequus, with the aim of comparing them with those from cyamid species from large whales. A total of 176 striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba stranded along the Mediterranean coast of Spain during 1980–2016 were examined. The prevalence of S. aequus was 27.3% (95% CI: 20.9–34.3), and populations were sparse, with a mean number of whale lice per infected host of just 4.5 (3.4–6.7). The parasites were found on the head, with a clearly nested pattern, with the blowhole being the most frequently occupied site, followed by the mouth corner and eyes. Single‐male or single‐female populations were found on as much as 39.6% of infected dolphins. The sex ratio did not significantly depart from 1:1. Females were significantly larger than males and exhibited low fecundity (<10 eggs). The sex or the age class of the dolphins did not significantly affect the abundance or population structure of S. aequus. The patterns here obtained are in sharp contrast with those reported for whale lice infecting large whales. The small, streamlined body of dolphins creates strong current flows that would restrict the amount of suitable microhabitats and the body size of their associated cyamids. This would limit population growth, which in turn would lower the chances of host‐to‐host transmission upon body contacts, as well as male competition for the access to females.
We studied the infection parameters, population structure and microhabitat selection of the whale louse Syncyamus aequus, exclusive to delphinids. The data were obtained from stranded striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, from the Western Mediterranean. The small, streamlined bodies of dolphins create strong current flows that would restrict the amount of suitable microhabitats for the parasite and might impose constraints on their size and population growth. This, in turn, could influence key aspects such as sex ratio, reproductive potential or sexual dimorphism in S. aequus.
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