Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2024-01-15"
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- IgG Antibody responses to Epstein-Barr Virus in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Their effective potential for disease diagnosis and pathological antigenic mimicryPublication . Fonseca, André; Szysz, Mateusz; Ly, Hoang Thien; Cordeiro, Clara; Sepúlveda, NunoThe diagnosis and pathology of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) remain under debate. However, there is a growing body of evidence for an autoimmune component in ME/CFS caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and other viral infections. Materials and Methods: In this work, we analyzed a large public dataset on the IgG antibodies to 3054 EBV peptides to understand whether these immune responses could help diagnose patients and trigger pathological autoimmunity; we used healthy controls (HCs) as a comparator cohort. Subsequently, we aimed at predicting the disease status of the study participants using a super learner algorithm targeting an accuracy of 85% when splitting data into train and test datasets. Results: When we compared the data of all ME/CFS patients or the data of a subgroup of those patients with non-infectious or unknown disease triggers to the data of the HC, we could not find an antibody-based classifier that would meet the desired accuracy in the test dataset. However, we could identify a 26-antibody classifier that could distinguish ME/CFS patients with an infectious disease trigger from the HCs with 100% and 90% accuracies in the train and test sets, respectively. We finally performed a bioinformatic analysis of the EBV peptides associated with these 26 antibodies. We found no correlation between the importance metric of the selected antibodies in the classifier and the maximal sequence homology between human proteins and each EBV peptide recognized by these antibodies. Conclusions: In conclusion, these 26 antibodies against EBV have an effective potential for disease diagnosis in a subset of patients. However, the peptides associated with these antibodies are less likely to induce autoimmune B-cell responses that could explain the pathogenesis of ME/CFS.
- Nature-based solution for Lambda-Cyhalothrin removal in Ria Formosa contaminated sediment: A mesocosm studyPublication . Azanda, Hornam; Chícharo, Luís; Said, Olfa BenNature-based solutions (NBS) harness natural tools for effective contaminant removal via organism-based processes like phytoremediation. However, in highly contaminated environments, phytoremediation effectiveness may be limited due to pollutant interactions. Microbe-assisted phytoremediation (rhizoremediation) offers a promising alternative for removing pollutants in challenging contaminated settings. The objective of the present project was to evaluate the biodegradation of Lambda-cyhalothrin (LC) of a Ria Formosa salt marsh plant (Spartina maritima) through biodegradation mesocosms of plant, and sediments experiments following the inoculation of contaminated sediments with a LC - degrading rhizospheric bacteria. Experimental setups encompassed various treatments, including phytoremediation, bioaugmentation, and rhizoremediation and different control conditions. Results from the study highlighted substantial LC degradation across all three treatments, indicating a reduction of 30% for Phytoremediation (Phyto), 27% for Combined Phytoremediation and Bioaugmentation (Phyt + BioA), and 22% for Bioaugmentation (BioA) after a 7-day duration. The utilization of Spartina maritima in phytoremediation demonstrated effectiveness in LC degradation within Ria Formosa sediment. Moreover, the combination of Spartina maritima with its rhizospheric bacterial consortium (rhizoremediation) also proved to be an efficient approach for LC degradation and has the potential to facilitate the degradation of the pesticide under highly stressed environment conditions. Future research endeavors should focus on further exploring the potential of these bioremediation techniques under varied environmental conditions and differing contamination levels. This comprehensive exploration will offer invaluable insights into the optimization and applicability of these strategies for LC degradation in diverse ecological contexts.
- Polyarthritis due to metastatic calcinosis in a patient with new WT1 gene mutation resolution after renal transplantationPublication . Martins, F. Rajão; Gonçalves, Francisco; Guedes, A.; Sequeira, G.; Ribeiro, C.Metastatic calcinosis is an uncommon condition characterized by diffuse soft tissue calcification, which may occur with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), typically in those undergoing kidney replacement therapy (1, 2). Deposits usually appear around large joints such as the elbow, hip, and shoulder. Periarticular deposits may lead to arthralgia, reduced joint mobility, and neurovascular symptoms. Sustained elevation of serum phosphate levels is the main contributor in CKD patients.