The status of contamination by chemical pollutants on large filter feeding sharks is still largely unknown. This study investigated for the first time the presence of legacy, emerging contaminants ...and trace elements in multiple tissues of basking sharks. In general, skin showed higher concentration of legacy and emerging contaminants probably due to pollutants being adsorbed onto the dermal denticles of the skin rather than accumulated in the tissue itself. Contaminants measured in both subcutaneous tissue and muscles appeared to strongly correlate with each other, indicating that the former might be a good proxy of muscle contamination in basking sharks. Considering the migratory nature of this species, longevity and feeding ecology, this species represents the perfect candidate to act as early warning bioindicator of regional contamination. In this context, non-lethal subcutaneous biopsies could allow the early detection of any temporal variation in the bioaccumulation of pollutants in the Mediterranean Sea.
•Trace elements, PCBs, DDT and PFAS were quantified in basking sharks.•The DDE/DDT ratio suggests that residues derive from old input in the Mediterranean.•A predominance of odd-chain length (PFTrDA and PFUnA) was found.•Correlations between pollutant levels in subcutaneous tissue and muscles were found.•Subcutaneous tissue is a good proxy of muscle levels for PFAS, PCBs and few elements.
Symmetry permeates nature and is fundamental to all laws of physics. One example is parity (mirror) symmetry, which implies that flipping left and right does not change the laws of physics. Laws for ...electromagnetism, gravity and the subatomic strong force respect parity symmetry, but the subatomic weak force does not. Historically, parity violation in electron scattering has been important in establishing (and now testing) the standard model of particle physics. One particular set of quantities accessible through measurements of parity-violating electron scattering are the effective weak couplings C2q, sensitive to the quarks' chirality preference when participating in the weak force, which have been measured directly only once in the past 40 years. Here we report a measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in electron-quark scattering, which yields a determination of 2C2u - C2d (where u and d denote up and down quarks, respectively) with a precision increased by a factor of five relative to the earlier result. These results provide evidence with greater than 95 per cent confidence that the C2q couplings are non-zero, as predicted by the electroweak theory. They lead to constraints on new parity-violating interactions beyond the standard model, particularly those due to quark chirality. Whereas contemporary particle physics research is focused on high-energy colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider, our results provide specific chirality information on electroweak theory that is difficult to obtain at high energies. Our measurement is relatively free of ambiguity in its interpretation, and opens the door to even more precise measurements in the future.
The superoxide dismutase (SOD) is the principal antioxidant defense system in the body that is activated by a reactive oxygen species. Some variants of the SOD2 gene have been associated with cancer. ...The rs4880 variant was determined by PCR real-time and the rs5746136 variant by PCR-RFLP in healthy subjects and in breast cancer (BC) patients. The rs4880 and rs5746136 variants were associated with BC susceptibility when BC patients and the control group were compared for the CT, TT, CTCC, and the T alleles (p < 0.05). The CT genotype of the rs4880 variant showed significant statistical differences in patients and controls aged ≤ 45 years old, and with hormonal consumption (p < 0.05). The rs4880 variant was associated with BC patients with CTTT genotype and obesity, the presence of DM2-SAH, and a non-chemotherapy response (p < 0.05). Additionally, the rs5746136 variant was associated with susceptibility to BC with Ki-67 (≥20%), luminal A type BC, and a chemotherapy partial response (p < 0.05) in BC patients who carry TT, TC, and CTTT genotypes, respectively. The haplotype T/T (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.20−3.26, p = 0.005) was observed to be a risk factor for BC. The rs4880 and rs5746136 variants in the SOD2 gene were associated with BC susceptibility.
BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) accounted for a significant proportion of COVID-19 infections worldwide. Retrospective seroprevalence surveys are often used to screen for unidentified previous ...infection with SARS-CoV-2. However, the rate of humoral response in HCWs affected by COVID-19 is not well-defined.
AimsTo assess the specific IgG humoral response in symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-infected HCWs and identify potential factors associated with humoral response.
MethodsWe prospectively recruited 204 HCWs with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 humoral response. Serum-IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were analysed using two commercially available serological assays. A logistic regression was performed to identify independent factors associated with positive IgG serology test.
ResultsOverall, the SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity rate was 77%. This seropositivity rate was higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic COVID-19 infection (83% versus 57%; P < 0.001) and in older HCWs.. The seropositivity rate did not diminish with time. In logistic regression, only a history of COVID-19 symptoms and age were identified as independent factors associated with the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies.
ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies are found significantly more frequently in symptomatic and in older HCWs. The fact that not all COVID-19 HCWs develop detectable IgG is vital for the interpretation of COVID-19 seroprevalence surveys.
Downregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is commonly observed in cancers and promotes tumorigenesis suggesting that miRNAs may function as tumor suppressors. However, the mechanism through which miRNAs ...are regulated in cancer, and the connection between oncogenes and miRNA biogenesis remain poorly understood. The TP53 tumor-suppressor gene is mutated in half of human cancers resulting in an oncogene with gain-of-function activities. Here we demonstrate that mutant p53 (mutp53) oncoproteins modulate the biogenesis of a subset of miRNAs in cancer cells inhibiting their post-transcriptional maturation. Interestingly, among these miRNAs several are also downregulated in human tumors. By confocal, co-immunoprecipitation and RNA-chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments, we show that endogenous mutp53 binds and sequesters RNA helicases p72/82 from the microprocessor complex, interfering with Drosha-pri-miRNAs association. In agreement with this, the overexpression of p72 leads to an increase of mature miRNAs levels. Moreover, functional experiments demonstrate the oncosuppressive role of mutp53-dependent miRNAs (miR-517a, -519a, -218, -105). Our study highlights a previously undescribed mechanism by which mutp53 interferes with Drosha-p72/82 association leading, at least in part, to miRNA deregulation observed in cancer.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic led to overuse of antimicrobials, which increased concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance.
To measure the impact of a ...multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) pneumonia panel on empirical antibiotic treatment for patients with critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with suspected bacterial respiratory superinfection.
This descriptive, prospective study was undertaken in a 36-bed intensive care unit from June 2020 to July 2021. Patients with severe COVID-19 who were ventilated and under suspicion of bacterial respiratory superinfection were included in the study. The intervention was a semi-quantitative multiplex PCR alongside concurrent standard cultures. When PCR panel results were expected to be obtained within 3 h of sampling, empirical antibiotic treatment was not administered while awaiting the results. Otherwise, empirical treatment was initiated. Patients classified as ‘avoided empirical treatment’ avoided 48–72 h of empirical antibiotic therapy. For those patients who received empirical treatment, the PCR panel results were used to decide whether treatment should be escalated, de-escalated, maintained or stopped. Positive and negative predictive values, and ‘avoided empirical treatment’ were calculated. Medical conduct and panel results were analysed for patients who received empirical treatment.
Eighty-two patients (71% male, 29% female) were included in this study. The mean age was 57.5 years, and the mean APACHE II score was 16. Ninety PCR panels were performed, and the negative and positive predictive values were 99.9% and 66.7%, respectively. Empirical treatment was avoided in 61% of episodes. Of those patients who were receiving antibiotics when the PCR panel was performed, treatment was de-escalated in 71%, escalated in 14%, stopped in 9% and maintained in 6%. A diagnosis of bacterial respiratory superinfection was ruled out in 19% of cases.
PCR panels prevented the initiation of empirical antibiotic treatment in two-thirds of patients, and led to de-escalation in more than two-thirds of those who had started empirical antibiotic treatment. The high negative predictive value of the PCR panel allowed the diagnosis of bacterial respiratory superinfection to be ruled out. This tool represents a significant contribution to diagnostic stewardship in order to avoid the unnecessary use of antibiotics.
We present new data on the Bjorken sum Γ‾1p−n(Q2) at 4-momentum transfer 0.021≤Q2≤0.496 GeV2. The data were obtained in two experiments performed at Jefferson Lab: EG4 on polarized protons and ...deuterons, and E97110 on polarized 3He from which neutron data were extracted. The data cover the domain where chiral effective field theory (χEFT), the leading effective theory of the Strong Force at large distances, is expected to be applicable. We find that our data and the predictions from χEFT are only in marginal agreement. This is somewhat surprising as the contribution from the Δ(1232) resonance is suppressed in this observable, which should make it more reliably predicted by χEFT than quantities in which the Δ contribution is important. The data are also compared to a number of phenomenological models with various degrees of agreement.
Determinants of liana abundance on several canopy tree species and the impact of liana abundance on host tree growth were studied in a subtropical Atlantic Forest in northeastern Argentina. Six ...permanent 1
ha plots were located in a native forest stand. In three of those plots all lianas were cut and allowed to decompose
in situ, while the other three plots were used as a control treatment. Liana richness, abundance and climbing mechanisms were studied in seventeen 20
m
×
20
m subplots inside the 1
ha control plots. A total of 841 liana stems larger than 1
cm diameter were registered in the 0.68
ha sample area, representing 47 species. Lianas belonging to the Bignoniaceae and Fabaceae families were the most abundant, corresponding to 49.4 and 16.6% of all individuals, respectively. The most common climbing mechanism observed was coiling tendrils, representing the 61.1% of all individuals. Lianas scrambling and twining were represented by 19.6 and 15.6% of the individuals, respectively. The number of lianas climbing a tree was inversely correlated with host tree trunk length. Bark characteristics also played a role on the degree of liana infestation. Some tree species hosted several lianas and the larger the diameter of the largest liana in a host tree the greater was the number of climbing lianas. Facilitation was hypothesized to explain this pattern meaning that many lianas used other lianas climbing a tree for reaching the upper canopy. Tree stem diameter growth was more than 100% lower in two out of the four species studied for liana-laden than for liana-free trees. Results lend support to the hypothesis that cutting of lianas from selected host trees can be used as a forest management technique to enhance tree growth and decrease the length of cutting cycles in native forest stands.
An
n
n
Λ
, which consists of two neutrons and a Lambda hyperon, is a multi-baryon system with no charge. Studying the
n
n
Λ
state would provide information about the
Λ
n
interaction which has not ...been directly measured by a scattering experiment. The experiment (E12-17-003) was performed in order to search for the
n
n
Λ
state at Jefferson Lab. The
n
n
Λ
is expected to be produced by the
(
e
,
e
′
K
+
)
reaction, which has sensitivity to both bound and resonance states if the natural width of the
n
n
Λ
is narrow enough to be observed as a peak. The experiment used gas targets of hydrogen and tritium for mass calibration and the
n
n
Λ
production, respectively. The mass calibration with
H
(
e
,
e
′
K
+
)
Λ
/
Σ
0
reactions gave the mass resolution of the
Λ
and
Σ
0
each 3.5
MeV
/
c
2
FWHM, for the elementary reaction. A spectrum of
3
H
(
e
,
e
′
K
+
)
X
was obtained, and a simple model with a
Λ
n
final state interaction was applied to reproduce the spectrum.
A method to calibrate measurement instruments through the fulfillment of physical laws is described. This method is particularly well suited to determine and/or improve magnetic spectrometer optics ...databases as well as to establish the best resolution achievable with them. This method was applied to obtain the best resolution achievable in the excitation and binding energy spectra of several hypernuclei produced in the experiment E94-107 performed at JLab, allowing us to obtain sub-MeV resolutions.
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