•A simple and sensitive method to analyse edible oils by ICPMS has been developed.•Single-step sample solubilisation with tetramethylammonium hydroxide was proposed.•A high efficiency sample ...introduction system with an O2 auxiliary line was used.•The recommended procedure avoids plasma instability and carbon deposit on the cones.•PCA allowed clustering the type of oils according to the content of trace metals.
Trace metals have negative effects on the oxidative stability of edible oils and they are important because of possibility for oils characterisation. A single-step procedure for trace elemental analysis of edible oils is presented. To this aim, a solubilisation with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) was assayed prior to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection. Small amounts of TMAH were used, resulting in high elemental concentrations. This method was applied to edible oils commercially available in Argentine. Elements present in small amounts (Cu, Ge, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Sr, Ti, and V) were determined in olive, corn, almond and sunflower oils. The limits of detection were between 0.004μgg−1 for Mn and Sr, and 0.32μgg−1 for Sb. Principal components analysis was used to correlate the content of trace metals with the type of oils. The two first principal components retained 91.6% of the variability of the system. This is a relatively simple and safe procedure, and could be an attractive alternative for quality control, traceability and routine analysis of edible oils.
Approximately 13.8% and 6.1% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients require hospitalization and sometimes intensive care unit (ICU) admission, respectively. There is no biomarker to predict ...which of these patients will develop an aggressive stage that we could improve their quality of life and healthcare management. Our main goal is to include new markers for the classification of COVID-19 patients.
Two tubes of peripheral blood were collected from a total of 66 (n = 34 mild and n = 32 severe) samples (mean age 52 years). Cytometry analysis was performed using a 15-parameter panel included in the Maxpar
Human Monocyte/Macrophage Phenotyping Panel Kit. Cytometry by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CyTOF) panel was performed in combination with genetic analysis using TaqMan
probes for
(rs2285666),
(rs469390), and
(rs2070788) variants. GemStone™ and OMIQ software were used for cytometry analysis.
The frequency of CD163
/CD206
population of transitional monocytes (T-Mo) was decreased in the mild group compared to that of the severe one, while T-Mo CD163
/CD206
were increased in the mild group compared to that of the severe one. In addition, we also found differences in CD11b expression in CD14
monocytes in the severe group, with decreased levels in the female group (p = 0.0412). When comparing mild and severe disease, we also found that CD45
p = 0.014; odds ratio (OR) = 0.286, 95% CI 0.104-0.787 and CD14
/CD33
(p = 0.014; OR = 0.286, 95% CI 0.104-0.787) monocytes were the best options as biomarkers to discriminate between these patient groups. CD33 was also indicated as a good biomarker for patient stratification by the analysis of GemStone™ software. Among genetic markers, we found that G carriers of
(rs2070788) have an increased risk (p = 0.02; OR = 3.37, 95% CI 1.18-9.60) of severe COVID-19 compared to those with A/A genotype. This strength is further increased when combined with CD45
, T-Mo CD163
/CD206
, and C14
/CD33
.
Here, we report the interesting role of
, CD45
, CD163/CD206, and CD33 in COVID-19 aggressiveness. This strength is reinforced for aggressiveness biomarkers when
and CD45
,
and CD163/CD206, and
and CD14
/CD33
are combined.
This paper presents an active inference based simulation study of visual foraging. The goal of the simulation is to show the effect of the acquisition of culturally patterned attention styles on ...cognitive task performance, under active inference. We show how cultural artefacts like antique vase decorations drive cognitive functions such as perception, action and learning, as well as task performance in a simple visual discrimination task. We thus describe a new active inference based research pipeline that future work may employ to inquire on deep guiding principles determining the manner in which material culture drives human thought, by building and rebuilding our patterns of attention.
The management and screening of prostate cancer (PC) is still the main problem in clinical practice. In this study, we investigated the role of aggressiveness genetic markers for PC stratification. ...We analyzed 201 plasma samples from PC patients and controls by digital PCR. For selection and validation, 26 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, 12 fresh tissues, and 24 plasma samples were characterized by RNA-Seq, immunochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and extracellular-vesicles analyses. We identified three novel non-invasive biomarkers; all with an increased expression pattern in patients (
:
= 0.002,
:
≤ 0.0001 and
:
= 0.005).
presents the most informative AUC (area under the curve) (0.735). Combination of
,
, and
increases the discriminatory power between patients and controls and between different more and less aggressive stages (AUC = 0.761,
≤ 0.0001). However, although a sensitivity of 97.47% in
and a specificity of 90.32% in
was reached, the detection signal level could be variable in some analyses owing to tumor heterogeneity. This is the first time that the role of S100A4 and
has been described in PC aggressiveness. Moreover, the combination of
,
, and
has never been described as a non-invasive biomarker for PC screening and aggressiveness.
Marine debris is currently a significant source of environmental and economic problems. Floating litter can be employed by marine organisms as a surface to attach to and use as spreading vector. ...Human activities are promoting the expansion of potentially harmful species into novel ecosystems, endangering autochthonous communities. In this project, more than 1,000 litter items were collected and classified from five beaches eastwards the port of Gijon, in Asturias, Spain. Next generation sequencing was employed to study biofouling communities attached to items of different materials. A dominance of DNA from Florideophyceae, Dinophyceae and Arthropoda was found, and four non-indigenous species (NIS) were identified. Results showed a clear preference of Florideophyceae and Bryozoa to attach on textile surfaces versus plastic ones. Considering that these taxa contain several highly invasive species described to date, these data emphasize the potential of textile marine debris as a vector for dispersal of NIS. Moreover, the closest beaches to the port contained a more similar biota profile than the farther ones, confirming that both plastic and textile marine litter can be vectors for species dispersal from ports.
The state of Michoacán in central Mexico supplies nearly 50% of the global avocado trade in a region known as the Michoacan Avocado Belt or Avocadoland. Fire has been a component associated with ...regional land-use change processes. We documented fire regime attributes for the period 2000–2017, discussed the use of fire related to the expansion of avocado orchards, and evaluated the role of atmospheric variables and human infrastructure. There was a mean of 276 fires covering 3287 ha of forest per year. Over 80% of the burned area was covered by pine and pine–oak forests, with a strong correlation of ignitions with the distance to urban settlements, roads, agricultural plots, and avocado orchards. There is a median fire return interval of 2–3 years, and the distance to avocado orchards and main roads was highly correlated with fire recurrence. Final users of the international marketing of this fruit may be unaware of the fire-related land-use changes, namely, the damage to biodiversity, forest health, and water bodies, as well as to producers’ well-being, behind the great demand for avocados. The present conditions of insecurity and social conflict must be addressed to guarantee, among other things, the conservation of these diverse forests.
An efficient two‐step synthesis of structurally and functionally diverse thiophenol‐ and (cyclo)alkyl‐derived malonic acid half thioesters (MAHTs) and phenol‐derived malonic acid half oxyesters ...(MAHOs) has been achieved using cheap, readily available and easily handled starting materials. The synthesis of the MAHTs and MAHOs (the majority of which have not been previously reported) is readily scalable to afford gram quantities of product. In a hydrogen→deuterium exchange, an interesting stereoelectronic effect was observed when different aryl groups were incorporated. Significant changes in the rates of hydrogen→deuterium exchange and levels of isotope incorporation were observed. By way of example, using 2Hmethanol and 4‐bromophenol‐derived MAHO afforded only 14 % 2H‐incorporation (9 min, k=31) whereas the corresponding 4‐bromothiophenol‐derived MAHT afforded 97 % 2H‐incorporation (9 min, k=208). In a benchmark procedure and comprehensive DFT study, 54 ester and thioester configurations and conformations were characterized. In the MAHT series, a sulfur‐containing molecular orbital provides a path for increased delocalisation of electron density into the enol that is unavailable in MAHOs. This facilitates keto–enol tautomerisation and consequently enhances the rate and percentage of hydrogen→deuterium exchange.
Easy esters: Three comprehensive studies on the synthesis (from “off the shelf” starting materials and a solvent‐free protocol), reactivity (2H‐exchange) and conformational properties of aryl (thio)ester‐derived malonic acid half oxy‐and thioesters (MAHOs and MAHTs) are reported. The synthetically valuable ease of enolisation of the MAHTs is accounted for by the computationally established presence of an additional frontier orbital unique to the MAHT series which provides enhanced π‐delocalisation between the sulfur and the enol.
The effect of methamphetamine on the host response to an opportunistic pathogen has not been extensively described. Methamphetamine is a major public health and safety problem in the United States. ...Chronic methamphetamine abuse is associated with a 2-fold higher risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection and, possibly, additional infections. Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus that is endemic in the Midwest of the United States and that causes respiratory and systemic disease, particularly in individuals with impaired immunity. We showed that methamphetamine abrogates normal macrophage function, resulting in an inability to control histoplasmosis. Methamphetamine decreased phagocytosis and killing of yeast by primary macrophages by alkalization of the phagosome. Furthermore, mice that received methamphetamine prior to H. capsulatum infection were immunologically impaired, with increased fungal burden, increased pulmonary inflammation, and decreased survival. Immunosuppression by methamphetamine may be associated with deregulation of cytokines in the lungs of infected mice, aberrant processing of H. capsulatum within macrophages, and immobilization of MAC-1 receptors on the surface of macrophages that are involved in phagocytosis. Additionally, methamphetamine inhibits T cell proliferation and alters antibody production, which are important components of adaptive immunity. With use of a murine model of histoplasmosis, this study establishes that methamphetamine may alter the immune system of the host and enhance fungal pathogenesis.
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