•Cu-SBA15 catalysts are active in hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol.•The Cu-support interaction is higher for intermediate copper loading (15wt%).•Long term stability is improved in ...comparison with copper chromite.•Selectivity to furfuryl alcohol is higher at low reaction temperature.
Vapor phase furfural hydrogenation has been investigated over Cu supported on SBA-15 silica catalysts. These SBA-Cu catalysts, with variable Cu loadings (8, 15 and 20wt%), have been prepared by impregnation and characterized by N2 sorption, XRD, XPS, N2O decomposition and TEM techniques. Compared with copper chromite, SBA-Cu catalysts showed a better catalytic performance, reaching a furfural conversion of 54mol% and a selectivity to furfuryl alcohol of 95mol%, after 5h of time-on-stream at 170°C, with the 15wt% Cu catalyst. The studies of the used catalysts by CNH analysis and thermo-programmed oxidation (TPO) evidenced a lower amount of carbonaceous deposits on this used SBA-15Cu catalyst. Moreover, the study of the copper dispersion by XPS, before and after the catalytic test, revealed that this intermediate copper loading gives rise to the most stable copper particles. The evaluation of the effect of different reaction parameters, such as reaction temperature (170–270°C), catalyst loadings and furfural concentration and H2 flow, on the catalytic performance has demonstrated that higher conversion are attained at low reaction temperature, and, as expected, by using high catalyst weight and low furfural feed.
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•xPt/TNT catalysts were synthesized for the vapor phase impregnation methodology.•The catalysts showed uniformly dispersed Pt particles supported on titania nanotubes (TNT).•A strong ...metal-support interaction between Pt and TNT support hinder Pt nanoparticles to agglomerate into larger particles, even at high Pt loadings.•xPt/TNT materials show a high catalytic activity in naphthalene hydrogenation.
A range of Pt loadings (0.9–21.5 wt. %) on titania nanotubes (TNT) catalysts were prepared with a view to address metal-support interaction effects on Pt nanoparticles (size, dispersion, shape) and were prepared by a vapor-phase impregnation method using Pt(acac). The reduced catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, H2-TPD, CO adsorption FTIR and examined as catalysts in naphthalene hydrogenation. Pt nanoparticles have a very uniform size between 1.4–2.2 nm for Pt loadings 0.9–21.5 wt% as indicated by TEM, H2-TPD and CO-adsorption FTIR. A strong metal-support interaction between Pt and TNT support hinder Pt nanoparticles to agglomerate into larger particles, even at high Pt loadings. Both Pt edge sites and exposed surface total Pt sites are highest at 10.2 wt.% Pt loading and parallels naphthalene hydrogenation activity which peaks at this loading.
Low muscle mass is a common condition in the critically ill population and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic significance of ...low muscle mass using computed tomography (CT) scans in COVID-19 critically ill patients. A second objective was to determine the accuracy and agreement in low muscle mass identification using diverse markers compared to CT as the gold standard.
This was a prospective cohort study of COVID-19 critically ill patients. Skeletal muscle area at the third lumbar vertebra was measured. Clinical outcomes (intensive care unit ICU and hospital length of stay LOS, tracheostomy, days on mechanical ventilation MV, and in-hospital mortality) were assessed. Phase angle, estimated fat-free mass index, calf circumference, and mid-upper arm circumference were measured as surrogate markers of muscle mass.
Eighty-six patients were included (mean age ± SD: 48.6 ± 12.9; 74% males). Patients with low muscle mass (48%) had a higher rate of tracheostomy (50 vs 20%, p = 0.01), prolonged ICU (adjusted HR 0.53, 95%CI 0.30–0.92, p = 0.024) and hospital LOS (adjusted HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.29–0.86, p = 0.014). Bedside markers of muscle mass showed poor to fair agreement and accuracy compared to CT-assessed low muscle mass.
Low muscle mass at admission was associated with prolonged length of ICU and hospital stays. Further studies are needed to establish targeted nutritional interventions to halt and correct the catabolic impact of COVID-19 in critically ill patients, based on standardized and reliable measurements of body composition.
•Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles were prepared on functionalized carbon nanotubes.•A simple and competitive vapor-phase method was employed.•Carbonyl groups were assumed to be responsible for ...assisted decomposition of Pt-acac.•Pt particles were highly dispersed because carbonyl groups served as reaction sites.•Particles of 2.3nm in size were highly dispersed even the high loading (27wt%Pt).
Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles were prepared on functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) using a simple in situ vapor-phase method. The method consisted in two-step procedure in which an initial mixture of Pt precursor (Pt-acac) and f-MWCNTs was heated in a quartz tube reactor, first at 180°C and then at 400°C. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR–ATR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to follow the chemical and structural transformations of mixture components during heating steps. The functionalization of MWCNTs with HNO3/H2SO4 solution resulted in formation of surface carbonyl groups. The FTIR–ATR and XRD results indicated that individual Pt-acac withstood heating at 180°C, whereas it was dissociated when heated in contact with f-MWCNTs at the same temperature. Thus, the functional carbonyl groups were found to be responsible for assisted decomposition of Pt-acac at 180°C. Since carbonyl groups served as reaction sites for decomposition of Pt-acac, the resulting particles were highly and homogeneously dispersed on the surface of MWCNTs even the relatively high metallic loading of 27wt%. TEM observations revealed that crystalline Pt particles exhibit narrow size distribution with a mean size of 2.3nm.
RegulonDB (http://regulondb.ccg.unam.mx/) is the primary reference database of the best-known regulatory network of any free-living organism, that of Escherichia coli K-12. The major conceptual ...change since 3 years ago is an expanded biological context so that transcriptional regulation is now part of a unit that initiates with the signal and continues with the signal transduction to the core of regulation, modifying expression of the affected target genes responsible for the response. We call these genetic sensory response units, or Gensor Units. We have initiated their high-level curation, with graphic maps and superreactions with links to other databases. Additional connectivity uses expandable submaps. RegulonDB has summaries for every transcription factor (TF) and TF-binding sites with internal symmetry. Several DNA-binding motifs and their sizes have been redefined and relocated. In addition to data from the literature, we have incorporated our own information on transcription start sites (TSSs) and transcriptional units (TUs), obtained by using high-throughput whole-genome sequencing technologies. A new portable drawing tool for genomic features is also now available, as well as new ways to download the data, including web services, files for several relational database manager systems and text files including BioPAX format.
Summary
Background
Cutaneous reactions after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccines are poorly characterized.
Objective
To describe and classify cutaneous reactions ...after SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination.
Methods
A nationwide Spanish cross‐sectional study was conducted. We included patients with cutaneous reactions within 21 days of any dose of the approved vaccines at the time of the study. After a face‐to‐face visit with a dermatologist, information on cutaneous reactions was collected via an online professional survey and clinical photographs were sent by email. Investigators searched for consensus on clinical patterns and classification.
Results
From 16 February to 15 May 2021, we collected 405 reactions after vaccination with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer‐BioNTech; 40·2%), mRNA‐1273 (Moderna; 36·3%) and AZD1222 (AstraZeneca; 23·5%) vaccines. Mean patient age was 50·7 years and 80·2% were female. Cutaneous reactions were classified as injection site (‘COVID arm’, 32·1%), urticaria (14·6%), morbilliform (8·9%), papulovesicular (6·4%), pityriasis rosea‐like (4·9%) and purpuric (4%) reactions. Varicella zoster and herpes simplex virus reactivations accounted for 13·8% of reactions. The COVID arm was almost exclusive to women (95·4%). The most reported reactions in each vaccine group were COVID arm (mRNA‐1273, Moderna, 61·9%), varicella zoster virus reactivation (BNT162b2, Pfizer‐BioNTech, 17·2%) and urticaria (AZD1222, AstraZeneca, 21·1%). Most reactions to the mRNA‐1273 (Moderna) vaccine were described in women (90·5%). Eighty reactions (21%) were classified as severe/very severe and 81% required treatment.
Conclusions
Cutaneous reactions after SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination are heterogeneous. Most are mild‐to‐moderate and self‐limiting, although severe/very severe reactions are reported. Knowledge of these reactions during mass vaccination may help healthcare professionals and reassure patients.
What is already known about this topic?
In clinical trials, COVID‐19 vaccines were associated with cutaneous adverse events, especially local injection site reactions.
Previous descriptions of cutaneous reactions beyond the injection site were case reports or mostly reported by non‐dermatologists and lacked clinical images.
What does this study add?
We describe and classify a large, representative sample of patients with unexplained skin manifestations after COVID‐19 vaccination, using consensus to define associated morphological patterns.
We describe six morphological reaction patterns and herpesvirus reactivations, and their association with demographic factors and the medical record, and provide illustrations to allow for easy recognition.
Linked Comment: V. Bataille and S. Puig. Br J Dermatol 2022; 186:15.
Plain language summary available online
Whey, a primary byproduct of cheese production, is rich in organic content, largely due to its lactose concentration (45–60 g/L). Cheese production yields three types of residues: sweet whey (SW), ...acid whey, and ricotta whey (RW). Each has unique physicochemical properties that present challenges for small to medium-sized enterprises because of the expensive treatment required. One solution to this problem is fermenting these substrates to produce value-added products. This study aimed to assess the fermentation of the three RW types using
Kluyveromyces marxianus
ITD00262 for isoamyl acetate production, a compound that gives a banana-like aroma. Several factors were analyzed: cell growth, pH changes, lactose content reduction, ethanol production, and isoamyl acetate formation. Cell growth was consistent across all whey types. As for pH, there was a drop during the initial 48 h to roughly 4.3, after which it rose to near 7. In acid whey, 50.95 g/L of ethanol was produced by the 120-h mark. The peak isoamyl acetate concentration was observed at 24 h, registering 160 mg/L in YPL medium, while SW peaked at 124 mg/L at 72 h. Lastly, the highest lactose consumption was seen in SW, approximately 76% at 24 h, surpassing that of acid and ricotta whey, which fluctuated between 56 and 58%.
Graphical Abstract
The Crab Nebula is the brightest TeV gamma-ray source in the sky and has been used for the past 25 years as a reference source in TeV astronomy, for calibration and verification of new TeV ...instruments. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), completed in early 2015, has been used to observe the Crab Nebula at high significance across nearly the full spectrum of energies to which HAWC is sensitive. HAWC is unique for its wide field of view, nearly 2 sr at any instant, and its high-energy reach, up to 100 TeV. HAWC's sensitivity improves with the gamma-ray energy. Above ∼1 TeV the sensitivity is driven by the best background rejection and angular resolution ever achieved for a wide-field ground array. We present a time-integrated analysis of the Crab using 507 live days of HAWC data from 2014 November to 2016 June. The spectrum of the Crab is fit to a function of the form . The data is well fitted with values of = 2.63 0.03, β = 0.15 0.03, and when E0 is fixed at 7 TeV and the fit applies between 1 and 37 TeV. Study of the systematic errors in this HAWC measurement is discussed and estimated to be 50% in the photon flux between 1 and 37 TeV. Confirmation of the Crab flux serves to establish the HAWC instrument's sensitivity for surveys of the sky. The HAWC all-sky survey will be the deepest survey of the northern sky ever conducted in the multi-TeV band.
The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) gamma-ray observatory is a wide field of view observatory sensitive to 500 GeV-100 TeV gamma-rays and cosmic rays. It can also perform diverse indirect ...searches for dark matter annihilation and decay. Among the most promising targets for the indirect detection of dark matter are dwarf spheroidal galaxies. These objects are expected to have few astrophysical sources of gamma-rays but high dark matter content, making them ideal candidates for an indirect dark matter detection with gamma-rays. Here we present individual limits on the annihilation cross section and decay lifetime for 15 dwarf spheroidal galaxies within the field of view, as well as their combined limit. These are the first limits on the annihilation cross section and decay lifetime using data collected with HAWC. We also present the HAWC flux upper limits of the 15 dwarf spheroidal galaxies in half-decade energy bins.
Peripheral biomarkers that identify individuals at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) or predicting high amyloid beta (Aβ) brain burden would be highly valuable. To facilitate clinical ...trials of disease-modifying therapies, plasma concentrations of Aβ species are good candidates for peripheral AD biomarkers, but studies to date have generated conflicting results.
The Fundació ACE Healthy Brain Initiative (FACEHBI) study uses a convenience sample of 200 individuals diagnosed with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) at the Fundació ACE (Barcelona, Spain) who underwent amyloid florbetaben(
F) (FBB) positron emission tomography (PET) brain imaging. Baseline plasma samples from FACEHBI subjects (aged 65.9 ± 7.2 years) were analyzed using the ABtest (Araclon Biotech). This test directly determines the free plasma (FP) and total plasma (TP) levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptides. The association between Aβ40 and Aβ42 plasma levels and FBB-PET global standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) was determined using correlations and linear regression-based methods. The effect of the APOE genotype on plasma Aβ levels and FBB-PET was also assessed. Finally, various models including different combinations of demographics, genetics, and Aβ plasma levels were constructed using logistic regression and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analyses to evaluate their ability for discriminating which subjects presented brain amyloidosis.
FBB-PET global SUVR correlated weakly but significantly with Aβ42/40 plasma ratios. For TP42/40, this observation persisted after controlling for age and APOE ε4 allele carrier status (R
= 0.193, p = 1.01E-09). The ROC curve demonstrated that plasma Aβ measurements are not superior to APOE and age in combination in predicting brain amyloidosis. It is noteworthy that using a simple preselection tool (the TP42/40 ratio with an empirical cut-off value of 0.08) optimizes the sensitivity and reduces the number of individuals subjected to Aβ FBB-PET scanners to 52.8%. No significant dependency was observed between APOE genotype and plasma Aβ measurements (p value for interaction = 0.105).
Brain and plasma Aβ levels are partially correlated in individuals diagnosed with SCD. Aβ plasma measurements, particularly the TP42/40 ratio, could generate a new recruitment strategy independent of the APOE genotype that would improve identification of SCD subjects with brain amyloidosis and reduce the rate of screening failures in preclinical AD studies. Independent replication of these findings is warranted.
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