The epidemiological surveillance of contact dermatitis is one of the objectives of the Spanish Registry of Research in Contact Dermatitis and Cutaneous Allergy. Knowing whether the prevalence of ...positive tests to the different allergens changes over time is important for this monitoring process.
To describe the various temporary trends in allergen positivity in the GEIDAC standard series from 2018 through December 31, 2022.
This was a multicenter, observational trial of consecutive patients analyzed via patch tests as part of the study of possible allergic contact dermatitises collected prospectively within the Spanish Registry of Research in Contact Dermatitis and Cutaneous Allergy. The data was analyzed using 2 statistical tests: one homogeneity test (to describe the changes seen over time) and one trend test (to see whether the changes described followed a linear trend).
A total of 11327 patients were included in the study. Overall, the allergens associated with a highest sensitization were nickel sulfate, methylisothiazolinone, cobalt chloride, methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone, and fragrance mix i. A statistically significant decrease was found in the percentage of methylisothiazolinone positive tests across the study years with an orderly trend.
Although various changes were seen in the sensitizations trends to several allergens of the standard testing, it became obvious that a high sensitization to nickel, methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone and fragrances mix i remained. Only a significant downward trend was seen for methylisothiazolinone.
El Registro Español de Investigación en Dermatitis de Contacto y Alergia Cutánea tiene entre sus objetivos la vigilancia epidemiológica de la dermatitis de contacto. Para ello es importante conocer si se producen alteraciones en el tiempo de las prevalencias de las positividades a los distintos alérgenos.
Describir las variaciones en las tendencias temporales en positividades a alérgenos en la serie estándar del GEIDAC en el periodo comprendido entre 2018 y el 31 de diciembre de 2022.
Estudio observacional multicéntrico de pacientes estudiados consecutivamente mediante pruebas epicutáneas dentro del estudio de un posible eczema alérgico de contacto recogidos de forma prospectiva en el seno del Registro Español de Investigación en Dermatitis de Contacto y Alergia Cutánea. Se analizaron los datos mediante 2 pruebas estadísticas: una de homogeneidad (para ver si hay cambios en los diferentes años) y otra de tendencia (para ver si los cambios siguen una tendencia lineal).
Se incluyeron un total de 11.327 pacientes en el periodo de estudio. Los alérgenos en los que de forma global se detectó una sensibilización mayor fueron sulfato de níquel, metilisotiazolinona, cloruro de cobalto, metilcloroisotiazolinona/metilisotiazolinona y mezcla de fragancias i. Se detectó una disminución estadísticamente significativa en el porcentaje de positividades de metilisotiazolinona a lo largo de años de estudio con una tendencia ordenada.
Si bien se pueden apreciar diferentes cambios en las tendencias a sensibilizaciones a varios de los alérgenos de la batería estándar, se observa que persiste una alta sensibilización al níquel, a la metilcloroisotiazolinona/metilisotiazolinona y a la mezcla de fragancias i. Solo se aprecia una tendencia a disminuir de forma significativa en el caso de la metilisotiazolinona.
For the first time, the operational feasibility of the solar photo-Fenton process at neutral pH in continuous flow has been tested for three consecutive days. The aim of the treatment was to remove ...of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) from wastewater treatment plant secondary effluents. To this end, a 5 cm-deep raceway pond reactor was run in continuous flow mode and the degradation of the CECs present in real secondary effluents was monitored at their natural concentrations. To keep dissolved iron at neutral pH, ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid (EDDS) was used to form the complex Fe(III):EDDS as an iron source for the photo-Fenton reactions. At pilot scale the effects of the Fe(III):EDDS molar ratio (1:1 and 1:2) and hydraulic residence time (HRT) (20 and 40 min) on CEC removal were studied. The best operating condition was 20 min of HRT, giving rise to a treatment capacity of 900 L m−2 d−1 with CEC removal percentages of around 60%. The reactant concentrations were 0.1 mM Fe(III):EDDS at a 1:1 M ratio and 0.88 mM H2O2. Under these operating conditions, the short-term stability of the process was also demonstrated, thus pointing out the potential of this solar technology as a tertiary treatment.
Display omitted
•Fe(III)-EDDS was used to run continuous solar photo-Fenton process at neutral pH.•CEC removal in the range of 50–60% is achieved with low reactant concentration.•Treatment capacity of 900 L m2 d−1 in a 5 cm deep RPR at 20 min of HRT.•The process stability is not affected when the radiation reaches up to 20 W m−2
Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of rare neurogenetic disorders frequently associated with iron accumulation in the basal nuclei of the brain characterized by ...progressive spasticity, dystonia, muscle rigidity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and retinal degeneration or optic nerve atrophy. Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is one of the most widespread NBIA subtypes. It is caused by mutations in the gene of pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) that result in dysfunction in PANK2 enzyme activity, with consequent deficiency of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis, as well as low levels of essential metabolic intermediates such as 4'-phosphopantetheine, a necessary cofactor for essential cytosolic and mitochondrial proteins. In this manuscript, we examined the therapeutic effectiveness of pantothenate, panthetine, antioxidants (vitamin E and omega 3) and mitochondrial function boosting supplements (L-carnitine and thiamine) in mutant PANK2 cells with residual expression levels. Commercial supplements, pantothenate, pantethine, vitamin E, omega 3, carnitine and thiamine were able to eliminate iron accumulation, increase PANK2, mtACP, and NFS1 expression levels and improve pathological alterations in mutant cells with residual PANK2 expression levels. Our results suggest that several commercial compounds are indeed able to significantly correct the mutant phenotype in cellular models of PKAN. These compounds alone or in combinations are of common use in clinical practice and may be useful for the treatment of PKAN patients with residual enzyme expression levels.
Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) disorders are a group of neurodegenerative diseases that have in common the accumulation of iron in the basal nuclei of the brain which are ...essential components of the extrapyramidal system. Frequent symptoms are progressive spasticity, dystonia, muscle rigidity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and retinal degeneration or optic nerve atrophy. One of the most prevalent subtypes of NBIA is Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN). It is caused by pathogenic variants in the gene of pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) which encodes the enzyme responsible for the first reaction on the coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis pathway. Thus, deficient PANK2 activity induces CoA deficiency as well as low expression levels of 4'-phosphopantetheinyl proteins which are essential for mitochondrial metabolism.
This study is aimed at evaluating the role of alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) in reversing the pathological alterations in fibroblasts and induced neurons derived from PKAN patients. Iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation, transcript and protein expression levels of PANK2, mitochondrial ACP (mtACP), 4''-phosphopantetheinyl and lipoylated proteins, as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and Complex I activity were examined.
Treatment with α-LA was able to correct all pathological alterations in responsive mutant fibroblasts with residual PANK2 enzyme expression. However, α-LA had no effect on mutant fibroblasts with truncated/incomplete protein expression. The positive effect of α-LA in particular pathogenic variants was also confirmed in induced neurons derived from mutant fibroblasts.
Our results suggest that α-LA treatment can increase the expression levels of PANK2 and reverse the mutant phenotype in PANK2 responsive pathogenic variants. The existence of residual enzyme expression in some affected individuals raises the possibility of treatment using high dose of α-LA.
We have investigated the origin of swine breeds through the joint analysis of mitochondrial, microsatellite, and Y-chromosome polymorphisms in a sample of pigs and wild boars with a worldwide ...distribution. Genetic differentiation between pigs and wild boars was remarkably weak, likely as a consequence of a sustained gene flow between both populations. The analysis of nuclear markers evidenced the existence of a close genetic relationship between Near Eastern and European wild boars making it difficult to infer their relative contributions to the gene pool of modern European breeds. Moreover, we have shown that European and Far Eastern pig populations have contributed maternal and paternal lineages to the foundation of African and South American breeds. Although West African pigs from Nigeria and Benin exclusively harbored European alleles, Far Eastern and European genetic signatures of similar intensity were detected in swine breeds from Eastern Africa. This region seems to have been a major point of entry of livestock species in the African continent as a result of the Indian Ocean trade. Finally, South American creole breeds had essentially a European ancestry although Asian Y-chromosome and mitochondrial haplotypes were found in a few Nicaraguan pigs. The existence of Spanish and Portuguese commercial routes linking Asia with America might have favored the introduction of Far Eastern breeds into this continent.
Under stable atmospheric conditions the brightness of the urban sky varies throughout the night following the time course of the anthropogenic emissions of light. Different types of artificial light ...sources (e.g. streetlights, residential, and vehicle lights) have specific time signatures, and this feature makes it possible to estimate the amount of brightness contributed by each of them. Our approach is based on transforming the time representation of the zenithal night sky brightness into a modal expansion in terms of the time signatures of the different sources of light. The modal coefficients, and hence the absolute and relative contributions of each type of source, can be estimated by means of a linear least squares fit. A practical method for determining the time signatures of different contributing sources is also described, based on wide-field time-lapse photometry of the urban nightscape. Our preliminary results suggest that, besides the dominant streetlight contribution, artificial light leaking out of the windows of residential buildings may account for a significant share of the time-varying part of the zenithal night sky brightness at the measurement locations, whilst the contribution of the vehicle lights seems to be significantly smaller.
Display omitted
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptidic molecules produced by most living creatures. They help unicellular organisms to successfully compete for nutrients with other ...organisms sharing their biological niche, while AMPs form part of the immune system of multicellular creatures. Thus, these molecules represent biological weapons that have evolved over millions of years as a result of an escalating arms race for survival among living organisms. All AMPs share common features, such as a small size, with cationic and hydrophobic sequences within a linear or cyclic structure. AMPs can inhibit or kill bacteria at micromolar concentrations, often by non-specific mechanisms; hence the appearance of resistance to these antimicrobials is rare. Moreover, AMPs can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including insidious microbes such as Acinetobacter baumannii and the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This review gives a detailed insight into a selection of the most prominent and interesting AMPs with antibacterial activity. In the near future AMPs, due to their properties and despite their ancient origin, should represent a novel alternative to antibiotics in the struggle to control pathogenic microorganisms and maintain the current human life expectancy.
Display omitted
•Improved bioactivity by silica hybrid materials for dental applications.•Use of proteomics to characterize the potential of biomaterials.•Correlation between Osteoimmunology and ...Bioactivity.
There is an ever-increasing need to develop dental implants with ideal characteristics to achieve specific and desired biological response in the scope of improve the healing process post-implantation. Following that premise, enhancing and optimizing titanium implants through superficial treatments, like silica sol-gel hybrid coatings, are regarded as a route of future research in this area. These coatings change the physicochemical properties of the implant, ultimately affecting its biological characteristics. Sandblasted acid-etched titanium (SAE-Ti) and a silica hybrid sol-gel coating (35M35G30T) applied onto the Ti substrate were examined. The results of in vitro and in vivo tests and the analysis of the protein layer adsorbed to each surface were compared and discussed.
In vitro analysis with MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells, showed that the sol-gel coating raised the osteogenic activity potential of the implants (the expression of osteogenic markers, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and IL-6 mRNAs, increased). In the in vivo experiments using as model rabbit tibiae, both types of surfaces promoted osseointegration. However, the coated implants demonstrated a clear increase in the inflammatory activity in comparison with SAE-Ti. Mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis showed differences in the composition of protein layers formed on the two tested surfaces. Large quantities of apolipoproteins were found attached predominantly to SAE-Ti. The 35M35G30T coating adsorbed a significant quantity of complement proteins, which might be related to the material intrinsic bioactivity, following an associated, natural and controlled immune response.
The correlation between the proteomic data and the in vitro and in vivo outcomes is discussed on this experimental work.
Background
Ultraviolet B (UVB) causes photoaging of the skin, the appearance of wrinkles, spots, and alteration of the skin barrier. The main cells in the most superficial layer of the skin are the ...keratinocytes; these cells play an important role in protecting this organ.
Objective
The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates from kafirin to inhibit UVB‐induced responses in human keratinocytes cells (HaCaT).
Methods
Kafirin hydrolysates were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis with alcalase. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), in the HaCaT cell line in the presence of UVB and the effects of the hydrolysates against the UVB‐induced response were evaluated. Furthermore, the peptides that were generated by hydrolysis were identified in silico using the BIOPEP database.
Results
Two protein sequences were identified (α‐kafirin and the precursor protein of α‐kafirin), in the kafirin extract. A degree of hydrolysis of 18.8% was obtained by hydrolyzing the kafirin extract with alcalase. The kafirin hydrolysates avoided the decrease in endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, CAT, and GPx reducing the oxidative stress generated by UVB. Using the BIOPEP‐UWM database, we found 102 peptide sequences, and it has shown that the peptides have a large amount of hydrophobic amino acids such as proline, alanine, and glutamine, and amino acids with high antioxidant capacity.
Conclusion
These results suggest that the kafirin hydrolysates can be used as antioxidant agents to ameliorate UVB‐induced skin keratinocytes cells' response in vitro, providing an alternative against UVB‐induced photoaging.
► Pomegranate co-products can be an important ingredient for food industry. ► Extracts obtained from fruits and vegetables can be used as functional ingredients because they provide numerous health ...benefits. ► Pomegranate bagasse powder co-products have potential applications in products requiring hydration, viscosity development, and freshness preservation.
The aim of this work was to determine the chemical, physico-chemical and functional properties of pomegranate juice extraction bagasses, which were obtained in two different ways: (i) direct extraction that involved arils and peel (WFB) and (ii) only from arils (AB). The proximate composition analysis showed higher protein, fat and ash content in AB samples (p<0.05) than WFB. However total dietary fibre, insoluble dietary fibre and soluble dietary fibre content is higher in WFB samples (50.3, 30.4 and 19.9g/100gd.w. respectively) than AB samples (45.6, 29.0 and 16.6g/100gd.w.). AB showed a pH of 4.40 while WFB showed a pH of 4.5. AB and WFB exhibited a water holding capacity of 4.5 and 4.9gwater/gd.w. respectively while the oil holding capacity was 5.9goil/gd.w. for AB sample and 5.9goil/gd.w. for WFB. Pomegranate bagasses powder co-products may be considered a potential functional ingredient in food products.
![[Translated article] Four-y...](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/0001-7310_1578-2190_1695-4734/small "[Translated article] Four-year Epidemiological Surveillance of the Spanish Registry of Research in Contact Dermatitis and Cutaneous Allergy: Current Situation and Trends")
PDF
