According to preliminary data, seroconversion after mRNA SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination might be unsatisfactory in Kidney Transplant Recipients (KTRs). However, it is unknown if seronegative patients develop ...at least a cellular response that could offer a certain grade of protection against SARS‐CoV‐2. To answer this question, we prospectively studied 148 recipients of either kidney (133) or kidney‐pancreas (15) grafts with assessment of IgM/IgG spike (S) antibodies and ELISpot against the nucleocapside (N) and the S protein at baseline and 2 weeks after receiving the second dose of the mRNA‐1273 (Moderna) vaccine. At baseline, 31 patients (20.9%) had either IgM/IgG or ELISpot positivity and were considered to be SARS‐CoV‐2‐pre‐immunized, while 117 (79.1%) patients had no signs of either cellular or humoral response and were considered SARS‐CoV‐2‐naïve. After vaccination, naïve patients who developed either humoral or cellular response were finally 65.0%, of which 29.9% developed either IgG or IgM and 35.0% S‐ELISpot positivity. Factors associated with vaccine unresponsiveness were diabetes and treatment with antithymocytes globulins during the last year. Side effects were consistent with that of the pivotal trial and no DSAs developed after vaccination. In conclusion, mRNA‐1273 SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine elicits either cellular or humoral response in almost two thirds of KTRs.
Stable kidney or kidney‐pancreas transplant recipients exhibit lower than expected rates of cellular and humoral responses to the
European education policies have tended to cultivate linguistic hegemony and preserve cultural uniformity, which has made it difficult for schools to support different cultural backgrounds. This has ...contributed to the promotion of artificial monolingual interactions that reinforce linguistic decapitalisation processes. The aim of the review on which this article reports was to investigate the treatment and education of languages of origin in Europe. We present findings from a systematic review of scientific articles published during the period 2010–2020. The main findings indicate that language and nationality are equated in European discourses and that public policies are promoted accordingly. These articulations draw on models that alternate between assimilationism and multiculturalism. Both assimilationist and multiculturalist approaches are detrimental to the supposed objective: that of promoting multilingualism. Thus, it is urgent that a consensus be reached, and certain public policies and educational practices promoted which are respectful of linguistic diversity, since the future social cohesion of our multicultural societies depends on this.
Recent developments on the production of omega-3 fatty acid concentrates have been reviewed with an emphasis on the scientific articles published from 2000. At first, a description of the role of ...essential fatty acids in the organism and the influence of omega-3 fatty acids in human health is presented. An account of the review articles that have been published in previous years related to the production or isolation of omega-3 fatty acids is then provided. The publications that have appeared over the last 8
years have been reviewed under two groupings, one involving the production of omega-3 from fish, and the other involving the isolation from alternative sources. Fish is the major source of omega-3 fatty acids and the fish oil extraction processes have been considered firstly, then the fish oil refining processes are presented and finally the omega-3 concentration from fish oil. Some considerations on the stability of polyunsaturated fatty acids against hydrolysis and oxidation and the procedures to avoid it are also presented at the end of this review.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are being used quite extensively in the food industry to obtain omega-3 enriched food products.
Most of the commercial concentrates that can be found nowadays are the omega-3 ethyl ester derivatives. However, research is ongoing to obtain the more natural and better digestible triglyceride concentrates.
We present here a review of the most recent advances, regarding the production of omega-3 concentrates from the very first raw material that contains them from which they should be extracted to the omega-3 concentrates stabilization. In between, a good number of different technologies that are being industrially applied, or still under investigation, are reviewed. One of the technologies with high expectation is supercritical fluid technology, and it finds a relevant place in the review here presented.
Industries involved on innovation, require rapid overviews of the different possibilities open for production, and in that sense, this review is expected to be of interest.
The rapid expansion of Whole-Genome Sequencing has revolutionized the fields of clinical and food microbiology. However, its implementation as a routine laboratory technique remains challenging due ...to the growth of data at a faster rate than can be effectively analyzed and critical gaps in bioinformatics knowledge.
To address both issues, CamPype was developed as a new bioinformatics workflow for the genomics analysis of sequencing data of bacteria, especially Campylobacter, which is the main cause of gastroenteritis worldwide making a negative impact on the economy of the public health systems. CamPype allows fully customization of stages to run and tools to use, including read quality control filtering, read contamination, reads extension and assembly, bacterial typing, genome annotation, searching for antibiotic resistance genes, virulence genes and plasmids, pangenome construction and identification of nucleotide variants. All results are processed and resumed in an interactive HTML report for best data visualization and interpretation.
The minimal user intervention of CamPype makes of this workflow an attractive resource for microbiology laboratories with no expertise in bioinformatics as a first line method for bacterial typing and epidemiological analyses, that would help to reduce the costs of disease outbreaks, or for comparative genomic analyses. CamPype is publicly available at https://github.com/JoseBarbero/CamPype .
El presente artículo tiene por objetivo analizar cómo las hijas de familias marroquíes residentes en Cataluña resignifican su identidad como jóvenes musulmanas y catalanas, a partir de mostrar su ...propia (re)construcción de la musulmaneidad. Ello debido a la tendencia a identificar a las personas “musulmanas” y “lo musulmán” como paradigma de “lo irreductible”, lo cual sustenta discursos y representaciones sociales monolíticas y estáticas que devienen en formas de discriminación y exclusión con mayor arraigo en Europa. En cuanto al diseño metodológico, la investigación se basa en un enfoque cualitativo que, desde los relatos de vida, permite identificar los significados subjetivos de prácticas sociales y experiencias vividas. Se ha partido de una muestra de mujeres jóvenes de la denominada “segunda generación” (nacidas en Cataluña o llegadas antes de los doce años); hijas de padres marroquíes, con experiencias asociativas y que estén cursando o hayan cursado estudios superiores, con el fin de mostrar la especificidad del papel que desempeña el nivel educativo en la configuración de la identidad religiosa. Los resultados muestran las estrategias que desarrollan las jóvenes para gestionar las tensiones dentro de sus familias y comunidades, producto de vivir en un contexto donde el islam es minoritario, lo cual presenta retos y dilemas a la hora de resignificar su religiosidad e identidad como mujeres musulmanas. En efecto, ello permite comprender que las segundas generaciones no siguen un modelo lineal de asimilación cultural; al contrario, refuerzan la autoimagen de “portadoras” de una religiosidad transformada que construyen en la cotidianidad. Precisamente, esto último otorga originalidad al artículo.
Ethanol and water extracts were prepared from defatted cranberry pomace by pressurized liquid extraction and tested in bacterial cultures of L. monocytogenes, B. thermospacta, P. putida, lactic acid ...bacteria (LAB), aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), and pork meat products. Anthocynanins (glucosides, galactosides and arabinosides of cyanidin and peonidins), phenolic compounds and organic acids (quinic, chlorogenic, malic and citric acids; procyanidin B3, myricetin and quercetin derivatives) were determined in the extracts. The extracts effectively inhibited the growth of tested bacteria at higher than 3.3% concentration. The effect of 2% ethanol extract additive on the inhibition of the same bacteria was also determined in non-inoculated and inoculated with bacteria pork slurry, pork burgers, and cooked ham. The results showed a significant growth inhibition of pathogenic L. monocytogenes and some other species in pork slurry, burgers and cooked ham with cranberry pomace ethanol extract as compared with the control samples. The extract also effectively inhibited the formation of oxidation indicator malondialdehyde in meat products. Slight impact of extract on some physico-chemical properties of meat products such as pH, metmyoglobin content was also observed, while it did not have significant influence on water activity. Extract addition imparted some color changes; however, it did not have negative effect on the overall sensory quality of burgers and cooked ham. High effectiveness of extract additive against pathogenic L. monocytogenes and some other tested bacteria in pork slurry, burgers and cooked ham during refrigerated storage for 16, 16 and 40 days, respectively, suggest that ethanol extract of defatted cranberry pomace may be a promising natural ingredient of meat products for increasing their microbiological safety and improving oxidative stability.
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•Cranberry pomace extracts effectivelly inhibited pathogenic/spoilage bacteria.•Ethanol extract improved oxidative stability of pork slurry, burgers and ham.•Ethanol extracts of cranberry pomace may increase shelf-life of meat products.•Ethanol had insignificant effect on other quality characteristics, except color.•Pomace extract did not have negative effects on sensory quality of products.
Purpose
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) associates with inflammatory and prothrombotic phenotypes, resulting in higher cardiovascular risk. Factor Xa displays functions beyond coagulation, exhibiting ...proinflammatory effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a direct FXa inhibitor protects from the endothelial dysfunction (ED) caused by uremia.
Methods
Macro (HUVEC) and microvascular (HMEC) endothelial cells (ECs) were exposed to serum from uremic patients or healthy donors, in absence and presence of apixaban (60 ng/ml). We evaluated changes in surface VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, intracellular eNOS, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and von Willebrand Factor (VWF) production by immunofluorescence, reactivity of the extracellular matrix (ECM) towards platelets, and intracellular signaling.
Results
ECs exposed to uremic serum triggered dysregulation of all the parameters. Presence of apixaban resulted in decreased expression of VCAM-1 (178 ± 14 to 89 ± 2% on HMEC and 324 ± 71 to 142 ± 25% on HUVEC) and ICAM-1 (388 ± 60 to 111 ± 10% on HMEC and 148 ± 9% to 90 ± 7% on HUVEC); increased eNOS (72 ± 8% to 95 ± 10% on HMEC); normalization of ROS levels (173 ± 21 to 114 ± 13% on HMEC and 165 ± 14 to 127 ± 7% on HUVEC); lower production of VWF (168 ± 14 to 92 ± 4% on HMEC and 151 ± 22 to 99 ± 11% on HUVEC); and decreased platelet adhesion onto ECM (134 ± 22 to 93 ± 23% on HMEC and 161 ± 14 to 117 ± 7% on HUVEC). Apixaban inhibited p38MAPK and p42/44 activation in HUVEC (139 ± 15 to 48 ± 15% and 411 ± 66 to 177 ± 57%, respectively) (
p
< 0.05 vs control for all parameters).
Conclusion
Anti-FXa strategies, such as apixaban, prevented ED caused by the uremic milieu, exhibiting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and modulating the reactivity of the ECM.
The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in food-producing animals has provoked a great concern in the presence of MRSA in associated foodstuff. In this study, we have ...assessed for the first time the presence of MRSA in food confiscated from non-EU flights. We performed a search for MRSA among 195 food samples confiscated from passengers on flights from twenty-one non-EU countries in 2012 and 2013. One hundred and seventeen meat samples of diverse animal origin (including antelope, beef, chicken, duck, guinea pig, pork, rodents, and turkey), 75 dairy products (74 cheeses and 1 butter) and 3 eggs were analyzed. All S. aureus were studied by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. MRSA isolates were further characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), SCCmec typing, and tested for the presence of Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) virulence factors. Overall, 66 food samples were positive for S. aureus (33.9%). Six S. aureus strains were MRSA (9.1%), all of them in flights from Bolivia (and 5 from the same passenger). Among methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) (60 out of 66S. aureus strains), 44.1% were resistant to penicillin, 10.2% to tetracycline, 8.5% were resistant to aminoglycosides (amikacin and tobramycin) and 3.4% exhibited the M phenotype. MRSA isolates were sensitive to all non-β-lactam antibiotics tested. SmaI-PFGE analysis provided 40 genotypes among the S. aureus isolates (three genotypes among the six MRSA). Five MRSA isolates belonged to ST8 and harboured SCCmec type IVc as well as PVL genes. One isolate belonged to ST1649, harboured SCCmec type IVc and tested negative for the presence of the PVL genes. In conclusion, in this study, we report for the first time the presence of CA-MRSA in food confiscated from non-EU flights: ST8/ST1649-MRSA-IV. These results confirm the illegal entrance of food as a neglected route of transmission as well as the dissemination of successful CA-MRSA lineages among countries via illegal foods. As a result, illegally imported food could play a role in the prevalence and evolution of MRSA clones in the community.
•195 confiscated foods from non-EU countries in 2012 and 2013 were tested for MRSA.•66 samples were positive for S. aureus (33.9%), and 6S. aureus strains were MRSA.•A significant number of strains (23.1%) were resistant to two or more antibiotics.•We report for the first time the presence of CA-MRSA in illegally imported foods: ST8/ST1649-MRSA-IV.•These results confirm the illegal entrance of food as a neglected route of MRSA transmission.
This study provides an in-depth understanding of the structural and contextual factors that foster or hinder the educational pathways and employment opportunities of young refugees and asylum-seekers ...in Catalonia (Spain), and how their expectations and aspirations vary and change before and after forced migration. The authors implemented a multimodal ethnographic methodology that explore, the potential of photography, to analyze how these young people, belonging to differentiated social locations – class, ethnicity, status, gender, and/or sexual orientation – have been exposed to similar systems of oppression. These systems function at their mutual intersection within a general matrix of domination. The vulnerability of asylum-seeker status is the main obstacle to social integration. However, these young people stand out for their great capacity for resilience and a strong desire to advance in education as a proactive response that helps them resist new “structural and contextual oppression” in the host society.
Antibody-mediated rejection is the leading cause of kidney graft dysfunction. The process of diagnosing it requires the performance of an invasive biopsy and subsequent histological examination. ...Early and sensitive biomarkers of graft damage and alloimmunity are needed to identify graft injury and eventually limit the need for a kidney biopsy. Moreover, other scenarios such as delayed graft function or interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy face the same problem. In recent years, interest has grown around extracellular vesicles, specifically exosomes actively secreted by immune cells, which are intercellular communicators and have shown biological significance. This review presents their potential as biomarkers in kidney transplantation and alloimmunity.
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