Investigating livestock management in the early Neolithic archaeological site of Cabecicos Negros (Almería, Spain) from the organic residue analysis in pottery.

This paper seeks to reconstruct the management of food resources in the early Neolithic site of Cabecicos Negros in southeastern Spain. For this purpose, we have studied 29 potsherds from Cabecicos Negros (Andalusia, Spain). Applying the methods of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry we were able to recompose the daily use of the sherds related to the consumption and storage of food products. Among the results obtained in this work, we were able to show new evidence of the exploitation of dairy products in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as provide information on the exploitation and management of the early domestic animals herds. To improve the archaeological results obtained, isotopic results were compared with a modern reference of 53 fat samples from the adipose tissue of domestic pigs and wild boars.

Safety of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies in patients with migraine during the COVID-19 pandemic: Present and future implications.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: CGRP, a neuropeptide involved in migraine pathophysiology, is also known to play a role in the respiratory system and in immunological conditions such as sepsis. We analyzed the impact of the use of CGRP antagonists in patients with migraine during the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. METHODS: This is a multicentre cross-sectional study. From May to November 2020, through a national survey distributed by the Spanish Society of Neurology, we collected data about the presence of COVID-19 symptoms including headache and their characteristics and severity in patients with migraine treated with anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAb), and compared them with patients with migraine not receiving this treatment. We also conducted a subanalysis of patients with COVID-19 symptoms. RESULTS: We recruited 300 patients with migraine: 51.7% (155/300) were taking anti-CGRP mAbs; 87.3% were women (262/300). Mean age (standard deviation) was 47.1 years (11.6). Forty-one patients (13.7%) met diagnostic criteria for COVID-19, with no statistically significant difference between patients with and without anti-CGRP mAb treatment (16.1% vs 11.0%, respectively; P=.320). Of the patients with COVID-19, 48.8% (20/41) visited the emergency department and 12.2% (5/41) were hospitalised. Likewise, no clinical differences were found between the groups of patients with and without anti-CGRP mAb treatment. CONCLUSION: Anti-CGRP mAbs may be safe in clinical practice, presenting no association with increased risk of COVID-19.

Safety of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies in patients with migraine during the COVID-19 pandemic: Present and future implications / Seguridad de los anticuerpos monoclonales anti-CGRP en pacientes con migraña durante la pandemia de COVID-19: implicaciones actuales y futuras

Background and objective: CGRP, a neuropeptide involved in migraine pathophysiology, is also known to play a role in the respiratory system and in immunological conditions such as sepsis. We analyzed the impact of the use of CGRP antagonists in patients with migraine during the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.MethodsThis is a multicentre cross-sectional study. From May to November 2020, through a national survey distributed by the Spanish Society of Neurology, we collected data about the presence of COVID-19 symptoms including headache and their characteristics and severity in patients with migraine treated with anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAb), and compared them with patients with migraine not receiving this treatment. We also conducted a subanalysis of patients with COVID-19 symptoms.ResultsWe recruited 300 patients with migraine: 51.7% (155/300) were taking anti-CGRP mAbs; 87.3% were women (262/300). Mean age (standard deviation) was 47.1 years (11.6). Forty-one patients (13.7%) met diagnostic criteria for COVID-19, with no statistically significant difference between patients with and without anti-CGRP mAb treatment (16.1% vs 11.0%, respectively; P = .320). Of the patients with COVID-19, 48.8% (20/41) visited the emergency department and 12.2% (5/41) were hospitalised. Likewise, no clinical differences were found between the groups of patients with and without anti-CGRP mAb treatment.ConclusionAnti-CGRP mAbs may be safe in clinical practice, presenting no association with increased risk of COVID-19. (AU)

Antecedentes y objetivo: El péptido relacionado con el gen de la calcitonina (CGRP, por sus siglas en inglés), es un neuropéptido involucrado en la fisiopatología de la migraña, que también es conocido por participar en la regulación del sistema respiratorio y en algunas enfermedades inmunológicas como la sepsis. Hemos analizado el impacto del uso de los antagonistas de CGRP en pacientes con migraña durante la pandemia de COVID-19, causada por el coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.MétodosEstudio transversal multicéntrico desarrollado entre mayo y noviembre de 2020, en el que la Sociedad Española de Neurología distribuyó a nivel nacional una encuesta de la que recogimos datos sobre la presencia, las características y la gravedad de síntomas de COVID-19, entre los que se encontraba la cefalea, en pacientes con migraña tratados con anticuerpos monoclonales (AcM) anti-CGRP, y los comparamos con los de pacientes con migraña que no recibían dicho tratamiento. También realizamos un subanálisis de los pacientes con síntomas de COVID-19.ResultadosIdentificamos 300 pacientes con migraña: 51,7% (155/300) recibían AcM anti-CGRP; el 87,3% eran mujeres (262/300) y la edad media (desviación estándar) de la muestra fue de 47,1 (11,6) años. Un total de 41 pacientes (13,7%) cumplían los criterios diagnósticos de COVID-19, sin diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los pacientes que recibían tratamiento con AcM anti-CGRP y los que no (16,1% y 11,0%, respectivamente; p = 0,320). De los pacientes con COVID-19, el 48,8% (20/41) acudieron a urgencias y el 12,2% (5/41) fueron hospitalizados. Igualmente, no se detectaron diferencias clínicas entre los pacientes que recibían dicho tratamiento y los que no.ConclusiónEl tratamiento con AcM anti-CGRP parece un recurso seguro en la práctica clínica, y no se asocia a un mayor riesgo de COVID-19. (AU)

Safety of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies in patients with migraine during the COVID-19 pandemic: Present and future implications.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: CGRP, a neuropeptide involved in migraine pathophysiology, is also known to play a role in the respiratory system and in immunological conditions such as sepsis. We analyzed the impact of the use of CGRP antagonists in patients with migraine during the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. METHODS: This is a multicentre cross-sectional study. From May to November 2020, through a national survey distributed by the Spanish Society of Neurology, we collected data about the presence of COVID-19 symptoms including headache and their characteristics and severity in patients with migraine treated with anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAb), and compared them with patients with migraine not receiving this treatment. We also conducted a subanalysis of patients with COVID-19 symptoms. RESULTS: We recruited 300 patients with migraine: 51.7% (155/300) were taking anti-CGRP mAbs; 87.3% were women (262/300). Mean age (standard deviation) was 47.1 years (11.6). Forty-one patients (13.7%) met diagnostic criteria for COVID-19, with no statistically significant difference between patients with and without anti-CGRP mAb treatment (16.1% vs 11.0%, respectively; P=.320). Of the patients with COVID-19, 48.8% (20/41) visited the emergency department and 12.2% (5/41) were hospitalised. Likewise, no clinical differences were found between the groups of patients with and without anti-CGRP mAb treatment. CONCLUSION: Anti-CGRP mAbs may be safe in clinical practice, presenting no association with increased risk of COVID-19.

Methylcellulose - a versatile printing material that enables biofabrication of tissue equivalents with high shape fidelity.

With the aid of biofabrication, cells can be spatially arranged in three dimensions, which offers the opportunity to guide tissue maturation in a better way compared to traditional tissue engineering approaches. A prominent technique allowing biofabrication of tissue equivalents is extrusion-based 3D (bio)printing, also called 3D (bio)plotting or robocasting, which comprises cells embedded in the biomaterial (bioink) during the fabrication process. First bioprinting studies introduced bioinks allowing either good cell viability or good shape fidelity. Concepts enabling printing of cell-laden constructs with high shape fidelity were developed only rarely. Recent studies showed the great potential of the polysaccharide methylcellulose (mc) as supportive biomaterial that can be utilized in various ways to enable biofabrication and especially extrusion-based bioprinting of bioinks. This minireview highlights the multiple applications of mc for biofabrication: it was successfully used as sacrificial ink to enable 3D shaping of cell sheets or biomaterial inks as well as as internal stabilizing component of various bioinks. Moreover, a brief overview about first bioprinted functional tissue equivalents is given, which have been fabricated by using mc. Based on these studies, future research should consider mc as an auxiliary material for bioinks and biofabricated constructs with high shape fidelity.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and idiopathic CD4+lymphocytopenia: a case report and review of reported cases.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a well recognized demyelinating neurological disorder caused by JC virus. Idiopathic CD4(+) lymphocytopenia (ICL) is a syndrome first described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a CD4(+) count <300 cells/mm(3) or a CD4(+) count that is <20% of the total T cell count on 2 occasions, with no evidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on testing, and absence of any defined immunodeficiency or therapy that depresses the levels of CD4(+) T cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third reported case of PML and ICL, and also the first reported case of the use of cidofovir to treat PML in a patient not infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Surface analysis of hydrogel contact lenses by ESCA.

We used electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) to examine the surface chemistry of polymacon, tefilcon, and bufilcon hydrogel contact lenses. Worn and unworn water-cleaned and surfactant-cleaned lenses were compared. The surface chemistry of unworn lenses, which were used as controls, consisted of approximately 70% carbon, 25% oxygen, and < 10% other elements (i.e., silicon, sulfur, sodium, nitrogen, and zinc). In general, surfactant cleaning removed silicon contamination, but left a residue containing sulfur and zinc. The increase in the nitrogen/carbon (N/C) ratio for worn bufilcon and polymacon lenses was significantly greater than the N/C ratio for unworn bufilcon and polymacon lenses. As a group the worn ionic lenses (bufilcon) showed a greater N/C ratio than the worn nonionic lenses (polymacon, tefilcon). The nitrogen that appears on all worn lenses probably represents adherent as well as adsorbed surface proteins. The highest N/C ratios were found on a pair of pathologically deposited lenses and on the lens with the longest wearing time (2 years). For the bufilcon and polymacon lenses, the differences observed in the ESCA data for the unworn and worn lenses suggest that contact lenses begin interacting with the tear film within 1 minute (the shortest wearing time in this study).

Relating the surface properties of intraocular lens materials to endothelial cell adhesion damage.

Relationships between corneal endothelial cell adhesion and intraocular lens (IOL) surface properties were studied to develop a lens surface with a lower potential to damage the corneal endothelium. The surfaces examined were poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and four types of plasma-deposited coatings on PMMA. These four films were prepared from perfluoropropane, ethylene oxide, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP). These "monomers" were chosen to produce surfaces with a range in surface chemistry and surface energy. Each type of coating was characterized by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and contact angle techniques. In addition, these surfaces were contacted with rabbit corneal endothelium over a force range of 4000-20,000 dynes. The extent of endothelial cell damage was measured. Over the force range investigated, each modified surface was found to induce a significantly different degree of cell adhesion than that caused by PMMA. The perfluoropropane plasma film induced a constant lower degree of adhesion damage than the PMMA for all forces of contact. Although the HEMA and NVP hydrogel surfaces also induced lower adhesion damage than PMMA, the cell loss associated with each did increase as a function of force. The ethylene oxide film caused a significant increase in cell loss compared to the PMMA-induced losses. Based upon the correlation between the surface analysis data and the cell-surface contacting results, we suggest that a "soft" high-energy surface or a "rigid" low-energy surface is favorable for reduced cell adhesion. Also, the results indicate that cell adhesion increases for materials with increased hydrocarbon enrichment and for materials with lower (ether bonding)/(ester and ketone linkages) ratios.