The severity of COVID-19 upon hospital admission is associated with plasma omega-3 fatty acids.

Fatty acids are precursors of inflammatory oxylipins. In the context of COVID-19, an excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines is associated with disease severity. The objective was to investigate whether the baseline omega 3/omega 6 fatty acids ratio and the oxylipins were associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in unvaccinated patients with COVID-19, classified according to the severity of the disease during hospitalization. This Prospective population-based cohort study included 180 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The patients were classified into five groups according to the severity of their disease. Group 1 was the least severe and Group 5 was the most severe. Three specific types of fatty acids-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA)-as well as their enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxylipins were determined using chromatography coupled mass spectrometry. There was no difference in the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids between the groups (p = 0.276). However, the EPA/AA ratio was lower in Group 4 compared to Group 1 (p = 0.015). This finding was associated with an increase in both C-Reactive Protein (p < 0.001) and Interleukin-6 (p = 0.002). Furthermore, the concentration of F2-Isoprostanes was higher in Group 4 than in Group 1 (p = 0.009), while no significant changes were observed for other oxylipins among groups. Multivariate analysis did not present any standard of biomarkers, suggesting the high complexity of factors involved in the disease severity. Our hypothesis was confirmed in terms of EPA/AA ratio. A higher EPA/AA ratio upon hospital admission was found to be associated with lower concentration of C-Reactive Protein and Interleukin-6, leading to a better prognosis of hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients. Importantly, this beneficial outcome was achieved without any form of supplementation. The trial also provides important information that can be further applied to reduce the severity of infections associated with an uncontrolled synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines.Trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04449718 -01/06/2020. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04449718.

Influence of handling in corrals on the temperament of different breeds of beef cattle raised in Brazil.

The objective of the present study was to verify the effect of handling in corrals on the stress of beef cattle of Nelore, Caracu, and Guzerá breeds through the analysis of the relationship between behavioral traits, growth, and blood parameters. A total of 778 records of entry scores, chute scores, exit scores, flight speed, cortisol, glucose, lactate, live weight, and body condition scores were collected on steers and heifers of the three breeds, born between September and December. The animals came from the Advanced Beef Cattle Research Center of the Animal Science Institute. The variance analyses were performed using the GENMOD procedure. The PROC CORR estimated Spearman correlation coefficients for all traits studied, and the principal components analysis was performed according to the procedure PRINCOMP. Heifers had higher reactivity than steers, with higher behavioral scores and blood parameters. Overall, Caracu individuals demonstrated lower reactivity in comparison to Nelore and Guzerá. However, they presented high stress when they were restrained. The principal component analysis highlighted that behavioral traits and blood parameters were contrasted with growth traits; thus, this analysis can help selectors (livestock farmers) understand the importance of selecting less reactive animals and more easily choose the animals they want to select for breeding. Our results indicate that handling in corrals could be considered a stressful event for bovines. For this reason, measuring blood parameters and behavioral traits can compose necessary decision-making tools regarding changes and adequacies while handling events to reduce stress and consequently improve the herd's reactivity.

Some scientific studies have shown the negative effect of poor handling on the welfare and temperament of animals. Furthermore, there is evidence that more reactive cattle present the highest blood cortisol concentrations indicative of stress. In our study, the objective was to evaluate and quantify the temperament of animals from three different breeds of beef cattle in a stressful situation handled in the corrals. Differences in behavior between breeds and sexes were also analyzed. Through a statistical method, such as principal component analysis, we verified that exit and chute scores are better behavioral indicators of animal stress, allowing the development of sound management practices, especially when passing through the corrals.

Genetic parameters for behavioral and growth traits of Nellore cattle.

The growing concern of consumers with the welfare of production animals searches welfare in a production system extremely important; thus, the study of animal temperament is necessary to select less excitable temperament animals resulting in healthy development and fewer accidents. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for traits related to animal temperament and growth traits of Nellore cattle. In addition to exploring the genetic pattern of these traits through cluster and principal component analysis (PCA), to reveal possible groups of individuals that express less excitable temperament and greater growth. A total of 2,332 measurements from 1,245 male and female Nellore cattle born between 2008 and 2016 were utilized in the study. The (co)variance components were estimated by Bayesian inference using a two-trait animal model. The heritability for temperament score (TS), flight speed (FS), body condition score (BCS), live weight (LW), and hip height (HH) were 0.08, 0.12, 0.06, 0.13, and 0.48, respectively. The genetic correlation between the temperament indicator traits was strong and positive (0.78 ±â€…0.24). The TS and FS showed a favorable or null genetic correlation with LW, BCS, and HH. The third cluster included animals with low EBV for TS and FS and with high EBV for BCS, LW, and HH. In the PCA, the PC1 was what best evidenced the aim of this study; thus, our findings suggest that we could explore select animals based on cluster 3 and PC1 in breeding programs to select Nellore cattle with less excitable temperament and greater growth.

In our manuscript, we estimated the genetic parameters for indicator traits for animal temperament and growth traits in Nellore cattle, and we use the estimated breeding value of the evaluated animals in cluster analyses and principal component analyses to assess whether there are groups within the population that can be used as candidates for selection.

Age-associated B cells predict impaired humoral immunity after COVID-19 vaccination in patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade.

Age-associated B cells (ABC) accumulate with age and in individuals with different immunological disorders, including cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade and those with inborn errors of immunity. Here, we investigate whether ABCs from different conditions are similar and how they impact the longitudinal level of the COVID-19 vaccine response. Single-cell RNA sequencing indicates that ABCs with distinct aetiologies have common transcriptional profiles and can be categorised according to their expression of immune genes, such as the autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Furthermore, higher baseline ABC frequency correlates with decreased levels of antigen-specific memory B cells and reduced neutralising capacity against SARS-CoV-2. ABCs express high levels of the inhibitory FcγRIIB receptor and are distinctive in their ability to bind immune complexes, which could contribute to diminish vaccine responses either directly, or indirectly via enhanced clearance of immune complexed-antigen. Expansion of ABCs may, therefore, serve as a biomarker identifying individuals at risk of suboptimal responses to vaccination.

Signatures of natural selection in tree topology shape of serially sampled viral phylogenies.

Tree shape metrics can be computed fast for trees of any size, which makes them promising alternatives to intensive statistical methods and parameter-rich evolutionary models in the era of massive data availability. Previous studies have demonstrated their effectiveness in unveiling important parameters in viral evolutionary dynamics, although the impact of natural selection on the shape of tree topologies has not been thoroughly investigated. We carried out a forward-time and individual-based simulation to investigate whether tree shape metrics of several kinds could predict the selection regime employed to generate the data. To examine the impact of the genetic diversity of the founder viral population, simulations were run under two opposing starting configurations of the genetic diversity of the infecting viral population. We found that four evolutionary regimes, namely, negative, positive, and frequency-dependent selection, as well as neutral evolution, were successfully distinguished by tree topology shape metrics. Two metrics from the Laplacian spectral density profile (principal eigenvalue and peakedness) and the number of cherries were the most informative for indicating selection type. The genetic diversity of the founder population had an impact on differentiating evolutionary scenarios. Tree imbalance, which has been frequently associated with the action of natural selection on intrahost viral diversity, was also characteristic of neutrally evolving serially sampled data. Metrics calculated from empirical analysis of HIV datasets indicated that most tree topologies exhibited shapes closer to the frequency-dependent selection or neutral evolution regimes.

Major Global Coronary Artery Calcium Guidelines.

This review summarizes the framework behind global guidelines of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment, for applications in both the clinical setting and preventive therapy. By comparing similarities and differences in recommendations, this review identifies most notable common features for the application of CAC presented by different cardiovascular societies across the world. Guidelines included from North America are as follows: 1) the 2019 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease; and 2) the 2021 Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia for Prevention of Adult Cardiovascular Disease. The authors also included European guidelines: 1) the 2019 European Society for Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemias; and 2) the 2016 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Guidelines. In this comparison, the authors also discuss: 1) the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Guidelines on CAC; 2) the Chinese Society of Cardiology Guidelines; and 3) the Japanese Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases. Last, they include statements made by specialty societies including the National Lipid Association, Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Utilizing an in-depth review of clinical evidence, these guidelines emphasize the importance of CAC in the primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. International guidelines all empower a dynamic clinician-patient relationship and advocate for individualized discussions regarding disease management and pharmacotherapy treatment. Some differences in precise coronary artery calcium score intervals, risk cut points, treatment thresholds, and stratifiers of specific patient subgroups do exist. However, international guidelines employ more similarities than differences from both a clinical and functional perspective. Understanding the parallels among international coronary artery calcium guidelines is essential for clinicians to correctly adjudicate personalized statin and aspirin therapy and further medical management.

Unraveling the peripheral and local role of inflammatory cytokines in glioblastoma survival.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a life-threatening disease that presents high morbidity and mortality. The standardized treatment protocol results in a global survival of less than three years in the majority of cases. Immunotherapies have gained wide recognition in cancer treatment; however, GBM has an immunosuppressive microenvironment diminishing the possible effectiveness of this therapy. In this sense, investigating the inflammatory settings and the tumoral nature of GBM patients are an important goal to create an individual plan of treatment to improve overall survival rate and quality of life of these patients. Thirty-two patients who underwent surgical resection of GBM were included in this study. Tumor samples and 10 mL of peripheral blood were collected and immediately frozen. TNF-a, IL-1a and IL-4 were evaluated in the tumor and TNF-a, IL-1a and TGF-b in the plasma by Luminex assay. Immunohistochemistry analysis to determine immune celular profile was done, including immunohistochemistry for CD20, CD68 and CD3. Three cases were excluded. Tumor topography, tumor nature, and tumor volume reconstructions were accurately analyzed by T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and FLAIR magnetic resonance imaging. We found that GBM patients with below median peripheral levels of TNF-a and IL-1a had a decreased survival rate when compared to above median patients. On the other hand, patients with below median peripheral levels of TGF-b increased overall survival rate. Intratumoral IL-1a above median was associated with higher number of macrophages and fewer with B cells. Furthermore, plasmatic TNF-a levels were correlated with intratumoral TNF-a levels, suggesting that peripheral cytokines are related to the tumoral microenvironment. Even though tumor size has no difference regarding survival rate, we found a negative correlation between intratumoral IL-4 and tumor size, where larger tumors have less IL-4 expression. Nevertheless, the tumoral nature had a significant effect in overall survival rate, considering that infiltrative tumors showed decreased survival rate and intratumoral TNF-a. Moreover, expansive tumors revealed fewer macrophages and higher T cells. In multiple variation analyzes, we demonstrated that infiltrative tumors and below median peripheral IL-1a expression represent 3 times and 5 times hazard ratio, respectively, demonstrating a poor prognosis. Here we found that peripheral cytokines had a critical role as prognostic tools in a small cohort of GBM patients.

Three Adult Cases of STAT1 Gain-of-Function with Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis Treated with JAK Inhibitors.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to characterize clinical effects and biomarkers in three patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) caused by gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the STAT1 gene during treatment with Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. METHODS: Mass cytometry (CyTOF) was used to characterize mononuclear leukocyte populations and Olink assay to quantify 265 plasma proteins. Flow-cytometric Assay for Specific Cell-mediated Immune-response in Activated whole blood (FASCIA) was used to quantify the reactivity against Candida albicans. RESULTS: Overall, JAK inhibitors improved clinical symptoms of CMC, but caused side effects in two patients. Absolute numbers of neutrophils, T cells, B cells, and NK cells were sustained during baricitinib treatment. Detailed analysis of cellular subsets, using CyTOF, revealed increased expression of CD45, CD52, and CD99 in NK cells, reflecting a more functional phenotype. Conversely, monocytes and eosinophils downregulated CD16, consistent with reduced inflammation. Moreover, T and B cells showed increased expression of activation markers during treatment. In one patient with a remarkable clinical effect of baricitinib treatment, the immune response to C. albicans increased after 7 weeks of treatment. Alterations in plasma biomarkers involved downregulation of cellular markers CXCL10, annexin A1, granzyme B, granzyme H, and oncostatin M, whereas FGF21 was the only upregulated marker after 7 weeks. After 3 months, IFN-É£ and CXCL10 were downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical effect of JAK inhibitor treatment of CMC is promising. Several biological variables were altered during baricitinib treatment demonstrating that lymphocytes, NK cells, monocytes, and eosinophils were affected. In parallel, cellular reactivity against C. albicans was enhanced.

CAPRIN1 haploinsufficiency causes a neurodevelopmental disorder with language impairment, ADHD and ASD.

We describe an autosomal dominant disorder associated with loss-of-function variants in the Cell cycle associated protein 1 (CAPRIN1; MIM*601178). CAPRIN1 encodes a ubiquitous protein that regulates the transport and translation of neuronal mRNAs critical for synaptic plasticity, as well as mRNAs encoding proteins important for cell proliferation and migration in multiple cell types. We identified 12 cases with loss-of-function CAPRIN1 variants, and a neurodevelopmental phenotype characterized by language impairment/speech delay (100%), intellectual disability (83%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (82%) and autism spectrum disorder (67%). Affected individuals also had respiratory problems (50%), limb/skeletal anomalies (50%), developmental delay (42%) feeding difficulties (33%), seizures (33%) and ophthalmologic problems (33%). In patient-derived lymphoblasts and fibroblasts, we showed a monoallelic expression of the wild-type allele, and a reduction of the transcript and protein compatible with a half dose. To further study pathogenic mechanisms, we generated sCAPRIN1+/- human induced pluripotent stem cells via CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis and differentiated them into neuronal progenitor cells and cortical neurons. CAPRIN1 loss caused reduced neuronal processes, overall disruption of the neuronal organization and an increased neuronal degeneration. We also observed an alteration of mRNA translation in CAPRIN1+/- neurons, compatible with its suggested function as translational inhibitor. CAPRIN1+/- neurons also showed an impaired calcium signalling and increased oxidative stress, two mechanisms that may directly affect neuronal networks development, maintenance and function. According to what was previously observed in the mouse model, measurements of activity in CAPRIN1+/- neurons via micro-electrode arrays indicated lower spike rates and bursts, with an overall reduced activity. In conclusion, we demonstrate that CAPRIN1 haploinsufficiency causes a novel autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder and identify morphological and functional alterations associated with this disorder in human neuronal models.

Epidemiology of distal radius fractures: a detailed survey on a large sample of patients in a suburban area.

BACKGROUND: Literature lacks data on correlations between epidemiology and clinical data of patients with distal radius fractures (DRFs). AIM: The aim of this study was to present a detailed epidemiologic survey of a large consecutive series of patient with DRFs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 827 consecutive patients (579 females, 248 men) who sustained a DRFs in the last 5 years. All fractures were radiographically evaluated. DRFs were classified according to Association of Osteosynthesis classification. Data on age, gender, side, period in which fracture occurred, and fracture mechanism were collected. Statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 60.23 [standard deviation (SD) 16.65] years, with the left side being most frequently involved (56.1%). The mean age of females at the time of fracture was significantly higher than that of males. The most frequent pattern of fracture was the complete articular fracture (64.3%), while the most represented fracture type was 2R3A2.2 (21.5%). Regarding the period in which the fracture occurred, 305 DRFs (37.5%) were observed in the warmer months and 272 (33.4%) in the colder months. Low-energy trauma occurring outside home was found to be the major cause of DRF throughout the year. In both genders, trauma mechanism 2 was more frequent (59.4% F; 31.9% M; p < 0.01). A bimodal distribution of fracture mechanisms was found in males when considering the patient's age with a high-energy mechanism of fracture (3 and 4), identified in 21% (n = 52) of males aged 18-45 years, and a low-energy mechanism (1 and 2) was observed in 39.9% (n = 99) of males aged > 45 years. A significant correlation between all trauma mechanisms (from 1 to 6) and different fracture patterns (complete, partial, and extraarticular) was found (p value < 0.001). The mean age of patients with extraarticular fractures (mean age 61.75 years; SD 18.18 years) was higher than that of those with complete (mean age 59.84 years; SD 15.67 years) and partial fractures (mean age 55.26 years; SD 18.31 years). Furthermore, considering different fracture patterns and patient age groups, a statistically significant difference was found (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DRFs have a higher prevalence in females, an increase in incidence with older age, and no seasonal predisposition. Low-energy trauma occurring at home is the main cause of fracture among younger males sustaining fractures after sports trauma; Complete articular is the most frequent fracture pattern, while 2R3A2.2 is most frequent fracture type. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; case series; descriptive epidemiology study.

Recent Findings in Azaphilone Pigments.

Filamentous fungi are known to biosynthesize an extraordinary range of azaphilones pigments with structural diversity and advantages over vegetal-derived colored natural products such agile and simple cultivation in the lab, acceptance of low-cost substrates, speed yield improvement, and ease of downstream processing. Modern genetic engineering allows industrial production, providing pigments with higher thermostability, water-solubility, and promising bioactivities combined with ecological functions. This review, covering the literature from 2020 onwards, focuses on the state-of-the-art of azaphilone dyes, the global market scenario, new compounds isolated in the period with respective biological activities, and biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, we discussed the innovations of azaphilone cultivation and extraction techniques, as well as in yield improvement and scale-up. Potential applications in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile industries were also explored.

Protective effect against gastric mucosa injury of a sulfated agaran from Acanthophora spicifera.

In this study, a polysaccharide from marine alga Acanthophora spicifera (PAs) was isolated and structurally characterized. Its protective potential against chemically-induced gastric mucosa injury was evaluated. The gel permeation chromatography experiments and spectroscopy spectrum showed that PAs is a sulfated polysaccharide with a high molecular mass (6.98 × 105g/mol) and degree of sulfation of 1.23, exhibiting structural characteristic typical of an agar-type polysaccharide. Experimental results demonstrated that PAs reduced the hemorrhagic gastric injury, in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, PAs reduced the intense gastric oxidative stress, measured by glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. PAs also prevented the reduction of mucus levels adhered to the gastric mucosa, promoted by the aggressive effect of ethanol. In summary, the sulfated polysaccharide from A. spicifera protected the gastric mucosa through the prevention of lipid peroxidation and enhanced the defense mechanisms of the gastric mucosa, suggesting as a promising functional food as gastroprotective agent.

Correlation between physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women from Colombia Caribbean.

Postmenopausal period disturbances are more frequently observed in women with unhealthy lifestyles, insufficient physical activity is related to increased cardiovascular risk (CVR). There is a lack of evidence-based information on physical activity in postmenopausal women and its relationship with CVR factors, including D vitamin serum levels. OBJECTIVE: To determine the physical activity level in postmenopausal women from the Colombia Caribbean and establish relationships between the physical activity and biochemical and anthropometric CVR factors. METHODS: A correlational descriptive study in which 183 postmenopausal women were linked for convenience sampling. Level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and their relationships with anthropometric variables, blood pressure, lipid profile, glycemic and serum vitamin D were evaluated. RESULTS: According to the physical activity, 82.5% of women were classified as inactive, 9.3% as insufficiently active and only 8.2% as physically active. Physical inactivity was significantly related to higher glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol serum levels (P < .05). The prevalence of the women with vitamin D levels less than 30 ng/mL were of 69.9%. The women physically active and with eutrophic nutritional condition had more high levels of vitamin D. CONCLUSIONS: 82.5% of the postmenopausal women evaluated were physically inactive and this condition was associated with higher serum levels of glycemic, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Serum vitamin D concentrations were higher in traffic and physically active women.

Challenges in estimating virus divergence times in short epidemic timescales with special reference to the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The estimation of evolutionary parameters provides essential information for designing public health policies. In short time intervals, however, nucleotide substitutions are ineffective to record all complexities of virus population dynamics. In this sense, the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic poses a challenge for evolutionary analysis. We used computer simulation to evolve populations in scenarios of varying temporal intervals to evaluate the impact of the age of an epidemic on estimates of time and geography. Before estimating virus timescales, the shape of tree topologies can be used as a proxy to assess the effectiveness of the virus phylogeny in providing accurate estimates of evolutionary parameters. In short timescales, estimates have larger uncertainty. We compared the predictions from simulations with empirical data. The tree shape of SARS-CoV-2 was closer to shorter timescales scenarios, which yielded parametric estimates with larger uncertainty, suggesting that estimates from these datasets should be evaluated cautiously. To increase the accuracy of the estimates of virus transmission times between populations, the uncertainties associated with the age estimates of both the crown and stem nodes should be communicated. We place the age of the common ancestor of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in late September 2019, corroborating an earlier emergence of the virus.

Assessment of somatic mutations in urine and plasma of Wilms tumor patients.

Tumor DNA has been detected in body fluids of cancer patients. Somatic tumor mutations are being used as biomarkers in body fluids to monitor chemotherapy response as a minimally invasive tool. In this study, we evaluated the potential of tracking somatic mutations in free DNA of plasma and urine collected from Wilms tumor (WT) patients for monitoring treatment response. Wilms tumor is a pediatric renal tumor resulting from cell differentiation errors during nephrogenesis. Its mutational repertoire is not completely defined. Thus, for identifying somatic mutations from tumor tissue DNA, we screened matched tumor/leukocyte DNAs using either a panel containing 16 WT-associated genes or whole-exome sequencing (WES). The identified somatic tumor mutations were tracked in urine and plasma DNA collected before, during and after treatment. At least one somatic mutation was identified in five out of six WT tissue samples analyzed. Somatic mutations were detected in body fluids before treatment in all five patients (three patients in urine, three in plasma, and one in both body fluids). In all patients, a decrease of the variant allele fraction of somatic mutations was observed in body fluids during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Interestingly, the persistence of somatic mutations in body fluids was in accordance with clinical parameters. For one patient who progressed to death, it persisted in high levels in serial body fluid samples during treatment. For three patients without disease progression, somatic mutations were not consistently detected in samples throughout monitoring. For one patient with bilateral disease, a somatic mutation was detected at low levels with no support of clinical manifestation. Our results demonstrated the potential of tracking somatic mutations in urine and plasma DNA as a minimally invasive tool for monitoring WT patients. Additional investigation is needed to check the clinical value of insistent somatic mutations in body fluids.

Molecular characterization of Brucella ovis in Argentina.

Brucellosis in rams is caused by Brucella ovis or Brucella melitensis and it is considered one of the most important infectious diseases of males in sheep-raising countries. Molecular characterization of Brucella spp. achieved by multi-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) is a powerful tool to genotype Brucella spp. However, data regarding B. ovis genotyping is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the molecular diversity of B. ovis field-strains in Argentina. A total of 115 isolates of B. ovis from Argentina and Uruguay were genotyped using MLVA-16 and analyzed altogether with 14 publicly available B. ovis genotypes from Brazil. The Discriminatory Power (D) was 0.996 for MLVA-16 and 0.0998 for MLVA-8 and MLVA-11. Analysis of MLVA-16 revealed 100 different genotypes, all of them novel, including 90 unique ones. There was no correlation between geographical distribution and genotype and results showed a higher diversity within provinces than between provinces. Clustering analysis of the strains from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil revealed that the 129 isolates were grouped into two clades. Whole Genome Sequencing analysis of the 19 B. ovis genomes available in public databases, and including some of the Argentinian strains used in this study, revealed clustering of the Argentinian isolates and closer relationship with B. ovis from New Zealand and Australia. This work adds new data to the poorly understood distribution map of genotypes regionally and worldwide for B. ovis and it constitutes the largest study of B. ovis molecular genotyping until now.

Caffeine removal using Elaeis guineensis activated carbon: adsorption and RSM studies.

The palm (Elaeis guineensis), known as dendê, is an important oleaginous Brazilian plant with a high performance of oil production. In this work, a 23 full experimental design was performed and the response surface method (RSM) was used to indicate the optimum parameter of caffeine adsorption on Elaeis guineensis endocarp activated carbon, since the endocarp is the main by-product from dendê oil production. It was set the adsorbent point of zero charge (pHpzc), and the material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The RSM results indicate removal efficiency (%) at the optimal conditions, 0.20 g of adsorbent, and caffeine initial concentration of 20 mg/L, and acidic medium was about 95%. Based on ANOVA and F test (Fcalculated > Fstandard), the mathematical/statistical model obtained fits well to the experimental data. The overall kinetic studies showed time was achieved after 5 h and caffeine adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order model suggesting chemisorption is a predominant mechanism. Redlich-Peterson and Sips models best represented the experimental data (0.967 < R2 < 0.993). Thermodynamic revealed that caffeine adsorption was spontaneous at all temperatures studied, exothermic, and probably with changes in the adsorbate-adsorbent complex during the process. The tests conducted in different water matrixes corroborate the suitability of this adsorbent to be used in caffeine removal even in a complex solution.