Showing papers by "University of Buenos Aires published in 2020"
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23 Feb 2020
TL;DR: The ATLAS detector as installed in its experimental cavern at point 1 at CERN is described in this paper, where a brief overview of the expected performance of the detector when the Large Hadron Collider begins operation is also presented.
Abstract: The ATLAS detector as installed in its experimental cavern at point 1 at CERN is described in this paper. A brief overview of the expected performance of the detector when the Large Hadron Collider begins operation is also presented.
3,111 citations
TL;DR: The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO 2 , water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe, and is detailed in this paper.
Abstract: The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.
681 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a search for the electroweak production of charginos and sleptons decaying into final states with two electrons or muons is presented, based on 139.fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at
Abstract: A search for the electroweak production of charginos and sleptons decaying into final states with two electrons or muons is presented. The analysis is based on 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton–proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at $\sqrt{s}=13$ $\text {TeV}$. Three R-parity-conserving scenarios where the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle are considered: the production of chargino pairs with decays via either W bosons or sleptons, and the direct production of slepton pairs. The analysis is optimised for the first of these scenarios, but the results are also interpreted in the others. No significant deviations from the Standard Model expectations are observed and limits at 95% confidence level are set on the masses of relevant supersymmetric particles in each of the scenarios. For a massless lightest neutralino, masses up to 420 $\text {Ge}\text {V}$ are excluded for the production of the lightest-chargino pairs assuming W-boson-mediated decays and up to 1 $\text {TeV}$ for slepton-mediated decays, whereas for slepton-pair production masses up to 700 $\text {Ge}\text {V}$ are excluded assuming three generations of mass-degenerate sleptons.
272 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the first direct detection search for eV-to-GeV dark matter using a new 2-gram high resistivity Skipper-CCD from a dedicated fabrication batch that was optimized for dark-matter searches was presented.
Abstract: We present the first direct-detection search for eV-to-GeV dark matter using a new ~2-gram high-resistivity Skipper-CCD from a dedicated fabrication batch that was optimized for dark-matter searches. Using 24 days of data acquired in the MINOS cavern at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, we measure the lowest rates in silicon detectors of events containing one, two, three, or four electrons, and achieve world-leading sensitivity for a large range of sub-GeV dark matter masses. Data taken with different thicknesses of the detector shield suggest a correlation between the rate of high-energy tracks and the rate of single-electron events previously classified as "dark current." We detail key characteristics of the new Skipper-CCDs, which augur well for the planned construction of the ~100-gram SENSEI experiment at SNOLAB.
268 citations
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences1, Danish Meteorological Institute2, University of Copenhagen3, International Centre for Theoretical Physics4, University of New South Wales5, The Cyprus Institute6, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation7, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute8, University of Cape Town9, Boğaziçi University10, Chinese Academy of Sciences11, Sao Paulo State University12, Işık University13, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology14, University of São Paulo15, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales16, University of Buenos Aires17, University of Queensland18, National University of Malaysia19
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether meteorological droughts will become more frequent and severe during the twenty-first century and given projected global temperature rise, to what extent.
Abstract: Two questions motivated this study: 1) Will meteorological droughts become more frequent and severe during the twenty-first century? 2) Given the projected global temperature rise, to what ...
205 citations
Spanish National Research Council1, National Institute for Space Research2, University of Cantabria3, National Autonomous University of Mexico4, University of New South Wales5, Ikerbasque6, University of Aveiro7, ETH Zurich8, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation9, Met Office10, University of Oxford11, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change12, Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera13, Ateneo de Manila University14, University of Cape Town15, University of Buenos Aires16
TL;DR: An updated version of the reference regions for the analysis of new observed and simulated datasets (including CMIP6) which offer an opportunity for refinement due to the higher model resolution, and the generation of a new dataset with monthly temperature and precipitation spatially aggregated in the new regions.
Abstract: . Several sets of reference regions have been proposed in the literature for the regional synthesis of observed and model-projected climate change information. A popular example is the set of reference regions introduced in the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Adaptation (SREX) based on a prior coarser selection and then slightly modified for the 5th Assessment Report of the IPCC. This set was developed for reporting sub-continental observed and projected changes over a reduced number (33) of climatologically consistent regions encompassing a representative number of grid boxes (the typical resolution of the 5th Climate Model Intercomparison Projection, CMIP5, climate models was around 2o). These regions have been used as the basis for several popular spatially aggregated datasets, such as the seasonal mean temperature and precipitation in IPCC regions for CMIP5. Here we present an updated version of the reference regions for the analysis of new observed and simulated datasets (including CMIP6) which offer an opportunity for refinement due to the higher model resolution (around 1o for CMIP6). As a result, the number of regions increased to 43 land plus 12 open ocean, better representing consistent regional climate features. The paper describes the rationale followed for the definition of the new regions and analyses their homogeneity. The regions are defined as polygons and are provided as coordinates and shapefile together with companion R and Python notebooks to illustrate their use in practical problems (trimming data, etc.). We also describe the generation of a new dataset with monthly temperature and precipitation spatially aggregated in the new regions, currently for CMIP5 (for backwards consistency) and CMIP6, to be extended to other datasets in the future (including observations). The use of these reference regions, dataset and code is illustrated through a worked example using scatter diagrams to offer guidance on the likely range of future climate change at the scale of reference regions. The regions, datasets and code (R and Python notebooks) are freely available at the ATLAS GitHub repository; https://github.com/SantanderMetGroup/ATLAS , doi: 10.5281/zenodo.3688072 (Iturbide et al., 2020).
192 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the trigger algorithms and selection were optimized to control the rates while retaining a high efficiency for physics analyses at the ATLAS experiment to cope with a fourfold increase of peak LHC luminosity from 2015 to 2018 (Run 2), and a similar increase in the number of interactions per beam-crossing to about 60.
Abstract: Electron and photon triggers covering transverse energies from 5 GeV to several TeV are essential for the ATLAS experiment to record signals for a wide variety of physics: from Standard Model processes to searches for new phenomena in both proton–proton and heavy-ion collisions. To cope with a fourfold increase of peak LHC luminosity from 2015 to 2018 (Run 2), to 2.1×1034cm-2s-1, and a similar increase in the number of interactions per beam-crossing to about 60, trigger algorithms and selections were optimised to control the rates while retaining a high efficiency for physics analyses. For proton–proton collisions, the single-electron trigger efficiency relative to a single-electron offline selection is at least 75% for an offline electron of 31 GeV, and rises to 96% at 60 GeV; the trigger efficiency of a 25 GeV leg of the primary diphoton trigger relative to a tight offline photon selection is more than 96% for an offline photon of 30 GeV. For heavy-ion collisions, the primary electron and photon trigger efficiencies relative to the corresponding standard offline selections are at least 84% and 95%, respectively, at 5 GeV above the corresponding trigger threshold.
180 citations
178 citations
TL;DR: A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector.
Abstract: A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. The search for heavy resonances is performed over the mass range 0.2-2.5 TeV for the τ^{+}τ^{-} decay with at least one τ-lepton decaying into final states with hadrons. The data are in good agreement with the background prediction of the standard model. In the M_{h}^{125} scenario of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, values of tanβ>8 and tanβ>21 are excluded at the 95% confidence level for neutral Higgs boson masses of 1.0 and 1.5 TeV, respectively, where tanβ is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets.
178 citations
Centre national de la recherche scientifique1, University of Buenos Aires2, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales3, University of Geneva4, Spanish National Research Council5, University of La Laguna6, European Space Research and Technology Centre7, University of Porto8, INAF9, German Aerospace Center10, University of São Paulo11, University of Cologne12, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris13, University of Oxford14
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported the discovery of two transiting exoplanets, CoRoT-25b and CoRoTs26b, both of which are in the Saturn mass-regime.
Abstract: We report the discovery of two transiting exoplanets, CoRoT-25b and CoRoT-26b, both of low density, one of which is in the Saturn mass-regime. For each star, ground-based complementary observations through optical photometry and radial velocity measurements secured the planetary nature of the transiting body and allowed us to fully characterize them. For CoRoT-25b we found a planetary mass of 0.27 similar to 0.04 M-Jup, a radius of 1.08(-0.10)(+0.3) R-Jup and hence a mean density of 0.15(-0.06)(+ 0.15) g cm(-3). The planet orbits an F9 mainsequence star in a 4.86-day period, that has a V magnitude of 15.0, solar metallicity, and an age of 4.5(-2.0) (+1.8)-Gyr. CoRoT-26b orbits a slightly evolved G5 star of 9.06 +/- 1.5-Gyr age in a 4.20-day period that has solar metallicity and a V magnitude of 15.8. With a mass of 0.52 +/- 0.05 MJup, a radius of 1.26(-0.07)(+0.13) R-Jup, and a mean density of 0.28(-0.07)(+0.09) g cm(-3), it belongs to the low-mass hot-Jupiter population. Planetary evolution models allowed us to estimate a core mass of a few tens of Earth mass for the two planets with heavy-element mass fractions of 0.52(-0.15)(+0.08) and 0.26(-0.08)(+0.05), respectively, assuming that a small fraction of the incoming flux is dissipated at the center of the planet. In addition, these models indicate that CoRoT-26b is anomalously large compared with what standard models could account for, indicating that dissipation from stellar heating could cause this size.
173 citations
University of Alabama1, Cleveland Clinic2, Sultan Qaboos University3, European Society of Cardiology4, Oslo University Hospital5, Rush University6, University of British Columbia7, University of Milan8, University of Amsterdam9, Boston Children's Hospital10, Harvard University11, World Heart Federation12, National Heart Foundation of Australia13, Central European Institute of Technology14, University of Lisbon15, Ljubljana University Medical Centre16, Flinders University17, Federal University of São Paulo18, Ege University19, Osaka University20, Universidad de Oriente21, Pontifical Xavierian University22, University of Cape Town23, National Institutes of Health24, University of Basel25, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust26, Monash University27, Kanazawa University28, Copenhagen University Hospital29, University of Copenhagen30, University of Oslo31, University of Western Australia32, University of Wisconsin-Madison33, Apollo Hospitals34, Imperial College London35, University of São Paulo36, University of Buenos Aires37, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center38, Erasmus University Rotterdam39, University of Pennsylvania40, Sapienza University of Rome41, University of the Philippines42, Mater Dei Hospital43, University of Malta44, Hacettepe University45, The Chinese University of Hong Kong46, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara47, Queen Mary University of London48, Royal Perth Hospital49, Emory University50, Brigham and Women's Hospital51
TL;DR: The Global Call to Action on Familial Hypercholesterolemia thus represents individuals with FH, advocacy leaders, scientific experts, policy makers, and the original authors of the 1998 World Health Organization report.
Abstract: Importance: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an underdiagnosed and undertreated genetic disorder that leads to premature morbidity and mortality due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Familial hypercholesterolemia affects 1 in 200 to 250 people around the world of every race and ethnicity. The lack of general awareness of FH among the public and medical community has resulted in only 10% of the FH population being diagnosed and adequately treated. The World Health Organization recognized FH as a public health priority in 1998 during a consultation meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Health Organization report highlighted 11 recommendations to address FH worldwide, from diagnosis and treatment to family screening and education. Research since the 1998 report has increased understanding and awareness of FH, particularly in specialty areas, such as cardiology and lipidology. However, in the past 20 years, there has been little progress in implementing the 11 recommendations to prevent premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in an entire generation of families with FH. Observations: In 2018, the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation and the World Heart Federation convened the international FH community to update the 11 recommendations. Two meetings were held: one at the 2018 FH Foundation Global Summit and the other during the 2018 World Congress of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Health. Each meeting served as a platform for the FH community to examine the original recommendations, assess the gaps, and provide commentary on the revised recommendations. The Global Call to Action on Familial Hypercholesterolemia thus represents individuals with FH, advocacy leaders, scientific experts, policy makers, and the original authors of the 1998 World Health Organization report. Attendees from 40 countries brought perspectives on FH from low-, middle-, and high-income regions. Tables listing country-specific government support for FH care, existing country-specific and international FH scientific statements and guidelines, country-specific and international FH registries, and known FH advocacy organizations around the world were created. Conclusions and Relevance: By adopting the 9 updated public policy recommendations created for this document, covering awareness; advocacy; screening, testing, and diagnosis; treatment; family-based care; registries; research; and cost and value, individual countries have the opportunity to prevent atherosclerotic heart disease in their citizens carrying a gene associated with FH and, likely, all those with severe hypercholesterolemia as well.
15 May 2020
TL;DR: The literature search provided greater evidence that the thyroid gland and the entire hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis could be relevant targets of damage by SARS-CoV-2.
Abstract: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the pandemic of the new millennium. COVID-19 can cause both pulmonary and systemic inflammation, potentially determining multi-organ dysfunction. Data on the relationship between COVID-19 and thyroid have been emerging, and rapidly increasing since March 2020. The thyroid gland and the virus infection with its associated inflammatory-immune responses are known to be engaged in complex interplay. SARS-CoV-2 uses ACE2 combined with the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) as the key molecular complex to infect the host cells. Interestingly, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression levels are high in the thyroid gland and more than in the lungs. Our literature search provided greater evidence that the thyroid gland and the entire hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis could be relevant targets of damage by SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, COVID-19-related thyroid disorders include thyrotoxicosis, hypothyroidism, as well as nonthyroidal illness syndrome. Moreover, we noticed that treatment plans for thyroid cancer are considerably changing in the direction of more teleconsultations and less diagnostic and therapeutical procedures. The current review includes findings that could be changed soon by new results on the topic, considering the rapidity of worldwide research on COVID-19.
University of Hamburg1, University of Toulouse2, University of Miami3, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences4, National Institute for Space Research5, National Center for Atmospheric Research6, George Mason University7, Barcelona Supercomputing Center8, ETH Zurich9, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts10, Max Planck Society11, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration12, World Climate Research Programme13, Columbia University14, Met Office15, Japan Meteorological Agency16, University of Strathclyde17, University of Buenos Aires18, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach19, Colorado State University20, University of Pretoria21, M-Systems22, University of Reading23, University of California, San Diego24, International Centre for Theoretical Physics25, University of Mainz26, University of Leeds27, Scripps Institution of Oceanography28, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research29, Deutscher Wetterdienst30, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology31, Pusan National University32, Monash University33, University of Southampton34, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign35, Princeton University36, University of Graz37, Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral38, Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences39, Dalhousie University40, Hobart Corporation41
TL;DR: In this article, the authors surveyed the state of S2S and S2D prediction, ongoing research, and future needs, providing an ideal basis for synthesizing current and emerging developments in these areas that promise to enhance future operational services.
Abstract: Weather and climate variations on subseasonal to decadal time scales can have enormous social, economic, and environmental impacts, making skillful predictions on these time scales a valuable tool for decision-makers. As such, there is a growing interest in the scientific, operational, and applications communities in developing forecasts to improve our foreknowledge of extreme events. On subseasonal to seasonal (S2S) time scales, these include high-impact meteorological events such as tropical cyclones, extratropical storms, floods, droughts, and heat and cold waves. On seasonal to decadal (S2D) time scales, while the focus broadly remains similar (e.g., on precipitation, surface and upper-ocean temperatures, and their effects on the probabilities of high-impact meteorological events), understanding the roles of internal variability and externally forced variability such as anthropogenic warming in forecasts also becomes important. The S2S and S2D communities share common scientific and technical challenges. These include forecast initialization and ensemble generation; initialization shock and drift; understanding the onset of model systematic errors; bias correction, calibration, and forecast quality assessment; model resolution; atmosphere-ocean coupling; sources and expectations for predictability; and linking research, operational forecasting, and end-user needs. In September 2018 a coordinated pair of international conferences, framed by the above challenges, was organized jointly by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP). These conferences surveyed the state of S2S and S2D prediction, ongoing research, and future needs, providing an ideal basis for synthesizing current and emerging developments in these areas that promise to enhance future operational services. This article provides such a synthesis.
University of Granada1, University of Cambridge2, University of Málaga3, University of Leicester4, National University of Distance Education5, University of Geneva6, University of Buenos Aires7, University of Santiago de Compostela8, University of Jaén9, University of Concepción10, King Juan Carlos University11, University of Castilla–La Mancha12, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche13, Technical University of Madrid14, University of the Basque Country15, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences16, University of Minho17, University of North Georgia18, University of A Coruña19, University of Oviedo20, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena21
TL;DR: A review of recent works published in the latter field and the state the art are summarized in a comprehensive and self-contained way to provide a baseline framework for the international community in artificial intelligence.
Misericordia University1, University of Trieste2, Medical University of Vienna3, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki4, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli5, University of Zurich6, University of Catania7, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia8, University of Gothenburg9, Sheba Medical Center10, Lyon College11, University of Zagreb12, University of Buenos Aires13, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center14, Medical University of Graz15, University of Barcelona16, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital17, Medical University of Warsaw18, University of Queensland19
TL;DR: This expert consensus provides a set of standardized basic dermoscopic parameters to follow when evaluating inflammatory, infiltrative and infectious dermatoses and is likely to enhance the reproducibility and comparability of existing and future research findings.
Abstract: Background Over the last few years, several articles on dermoscopy of non-neoplastic dermatoses have been published, yet there is poor consistency in the terminology among different studies. Objectives We aimed to standardize the dermoscopic terminology and identify basic parameters to evaluate in non-neoplastic dermatoses through an expert consensus. Methods The modified Delphi method was followed, with two phases: (i) identification of a list of possible items based on a systematic literature review and (ii) selection of parameters by a panel of experts through a three-step iterative procedure (blinded e-mail interaction in rounds 1 and 3 and a face-to-face meeting in round 2). Initial panellists were recruited via e-mail from all over the world based on their expertise on dermoscopy of non-neoplastic dermatoses. Results Twenty-four international experts took part in all rounds of the consensus and 13 further international participants were also involved in round 2. Five standardized basic parameters were identified: (i) vessels (including morphology and distribution); (ii) scales (including colour and distribution); (iii) follicular findings; (iv) 'other structures' (including colour and morphology); and (v) 'specific clues'. For each of them, possible variables were selected, with a total of 31 different subitems reaching agreement at the end of the consensus (all of the 29 proposed initially plus two more added in the course of the consensus procedure). Conclusions This expert consensus provides a set of standardized basic dermoscopic parameters to follow when evaluating inflammatory, infiltrative and infectious dermatoses. This tool, if adopted by clinicians and researchers in this field, is likely to enhance the reproducibility and comparability of existing and future research findings and uniformly expand the universal knowledge on dermoscopy in general dermatology.
Fudan University1, Nanyang Technological University2, Carlos III Health Institute3, Harvard University4, University of Illinois at Chicago5, Aarhus University6, University of Paris7, University of Dundee8, Stony Brook University9, Cleveland Clinic10, Seoul National University11, National University of Ireland, Galway12, University of Buenos Aires13, Cornell University14, University of Washington15, University of Louisville16, Michigan State University17, University of Barcelona18, Northeast Ohio Medical University19, Autonomous University of Barcelona20, American University of Beirut21, Southern University of Science and Technology22, Mayo Clinic23, Yale University24, University of Amsterdam25, Oregon Health & Science University26, Rutgers University27, Sungkyunkwan University28, University of Southern California29, Beaumont Hospital30, University of Jena31, Catholic University of Korea32, Medical University of South Carolina33, Mount Auburn Hospital34, University of California, San Diego35, Nanjing Medical University36, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven37, Qingdao University38, Tongji University39, Boston University40
TL;DR: The International Task Force addressed questions related to pharmacotherapy in patients with COVID-19 and the post-hospital care of survivors, yielding several consensus suggestions.
Abstract: Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2. Consensus suggestions can standardise care, thereby improving outcomes and facilitating future research. Methods An International Task Force was composed and agreement regarding courses of action was measured using the Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations and Evidence (CORE) process. 70% agreement was necessary to make a consensus suggestion. Results The Task Force made consensus suggestions to treat patients with acute COVID-19 pneumonia with remdesivir and dexamethasone but suggested against hydroxychloroquine except in the context of a clinical trial; these are revisions of prior suggestions resulting from the interim publication of several randomised trials. It also suggested that COVID-19 patients with a venous thromboembolic event be treated with therapeutic anticoagulant therapy for 3 months. The Task Force was unable to reach sufficient agreement to yield consensus suggestions for the post-hospital care of COVID-19 survivors. The Task Force fell one vote shy of suggesting routine screening for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusions The Task Force addressed questions related to pharmacotherapy in patients with COVID-19 and the post-hospital care of survivors, yielding several consensus suggestions. Management options for which there is insufficient agreement to formulate a suggestion represent research priorities.
TL;DR: This is the first comprehensive study showing that the liver tissue of NAFLD patients contains a diverse repertoire of bacterial DNA, which may explain differences in theNAFLD pathogenic mechanisms as well as physiological functions of the host.
Abstract: Objective We aimed to characterise the liver tissue bacterial metataxonomic signature in two independent cohorts of patients with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) diagnosis, as differences in the host phenotypic features—from moderate to severe obesity—may be associated with significant changes in the microbial DNA profile. Design and methods Liver tissue samples from 116 individuals, comprising of 47 NAFLD overweight or moderately obese patients, 50 NAFLD morbidly obese patients elected for bariatric surgery and 19 controls, were analysed using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results Liver bacterial DNA profile significantly differs between morbidly obese and non-morbidly obese patients with NAFLD. Bacteroidetes (p=1.8e-18) and Firmicutes (p=0.0044) were over-represented in morbidly obese patients and Proteobacteria (p=5.2e-10)—specifically Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, and Deinococcus-Thermus (p=0.00012)—were over-represented in the non-morbidly obese cohort. Cohort-specific analysis of liver microbial DNA signatures shows patterns linked to obesity. The imbalance in Proteobacteria (Alpha or Gamma) among non-morbidly obese patients, and Peptostreptococcaceae, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria and Gamma Proteobacteria DNA among morbidly obese patients was associated with histological severity. Decreased amounts of bacterial DNA from the Lachnospiraceae family were associated with more severe histological features. Proteobacteria DNA was consistently associated with lobular and portal inflammation scores. Microbial DNA composition corresponded to predicted functional differences. Conclusion This is the first comprehensive study showing that the liver tissue of NAFLD patients contains a diverse repertoire of bacterial DNA (up to 2.5×104 read counts). The liver metataxonomic signature may explain differences in the NAFLD pathogenic mechanisms as well as physiological functions of the host.
University of KwaZulu-Natal1, University of California, San Diego2, Cornell University3, University of California, Davis4, University of Catania5, National Skin Centre6, Apollo Hospitals7, Hamad Medical Corporation8, Pennsylvania State University9, University of Buenos Aires10, Thomas Jefferson University11, University of Tübingen12, Leiden University13, University of Western Ontario14
TL;DR: The ROSacea COnsensus (ROSCO) 2017 recommendations further support this transition to a phenotyping approach in rosacea, allowing individual patient management according to presenting features instead of categorization by predefined subtypes.
Abstract: Author(s): Schaller, M; Almeida, LMC; Bewley, A; Cribier, B; Del Rosso, J; Dlova, NC; Gallo, RL; Granstein, RD; Kautz, G; Mannis, MJ; Micali, G; Oon, HH; Rajagopalan, M; Steinhoff, M; Tanghetti, E; Thiboutot, D; Troielli, P; Webster, G; Zierhut, M; van Zuuren, EJ; Tan, J | Abstract: BackgroundA transition from a subtyping to a phenotyping approach in rosacea is underway, allowing individual patient management according to presenting features instead of categorization by predefined subtypes. The ROSacea COnsensus (ROSCO) 2017 recommendations further support this transition and align with guidance from other working groups.ObjectivesTo update and extend previous global ROSCO recommendations in line with the latest research and continue supporting uptake of the phenotype approach in rosacea through clinical tool development.MethodsNineteen dermatologists and two ophthalmologists used a modified Delphi approach to reach consensus on statements pertaining to critical aspects of rosacea diagnosis, classification and management. Voting was electronic and blinded.ResultsDelphi statements on which the panel achieved consensus of ≥ 75% voting 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' are presented. The panel recommends discussing disease burden with patients during consultations, using four questions to assist conversations. The primary treatment objective should be achievement of complete clearance, owing to previously established clinical benefits for patients. Cutaneous and ocular features are defined. Treatments have been reassessed in line with recent evidence and the prior treatment algorithm updated. Combination therapy is recommended to benefit patients with multiple features. Ongoing monitoring and dialogue should take place between physician and patients, covering defined factors to maximize outcomes. A prototype clinical tool (Rosacea Tracker) and patient case studies have been developed from consensus statements.ConclusionsThe current survey updates previous recommendations as a basis for local guideline development and provides clinical tools to facilitate a phenotype approach in practice and improve rosacea patient management. What's already known about this topic? A transition to a phenotype approach in rosacea is underway and is being recommended by multiple working groups. New research has become available since the previous ROSCO consensus, necessitating an update and extension of recommendations. What does this study add? We offer updated global recommendations for clinical practice that account for recent research, to continue supporting the transition to a phenotype approach in rosacea. We present prototype clinical tools to facilitate use of the phenotype approach in practice and improve management of patients with rosacea.
TL;DR: A search for narrowly resonant new physics using a machine-learning anomaly detection procedure that does not rely on signal simulations for developing the analysis selection and results are complementary to the dedicated searches for the case that B and C are standard model bosons.
Abstract: This Letter describes a search for narrowly resonant new physics using a machine-learning anomaly detection procedure that does not rely on signal simulations for developing the analysis selection. Weakly supervised learning is used to train classifiers directly on data to enhance potential signals. The targeted topology is dijet events and the features used for machine learning are the masses of the two jets. The resulting analysis is essentially a three-dimensional search A→BC, for m_{A}∼O(TeV), m_{B},m_{C}∼O(100 GeV) and B, C are reconstructed as large-radius jets, without paying a penalty associated with a large trials factor in the scan of the masses of the two jets. The full run 2 sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp collision dataset of 139 fb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is used for the search. There is no significant evidence of a localized excess in the dijet invariant mass spectrum between 1.8 and 8.2 TeV. Cross-section limits for narrow-width A, B, and C particles vary with m_{A}, m_{B}, and m_{C}. For example, when m_{A}=3 TeV and m_{B}≳200 GeV, a production cross section between 1 and 5 fb is excluded at 95% confidence level, depending on m_{C}. For certain masses, these limits are up to 10 times more sensitive than those obtained by the inclusive dijet search. These results are complementary to the dedicated searches for the case that B and C are standard model bosons.
TL;DR: Robust arsenate sequestration occurred generating As-safe water (As <0.01 mg/L), despite the presence of competing ions, and stoichiometric precipitation of iron-arsenate complexes triggered by iron dissolution was established.
TL;DR: It was showed that COVID‐19 affected patients’ present liver biochemistry abnormalities, including elevation of aminotransferases, gamma‐glutamyl transferase, and alkaline phosphatase 1, and several possible clinical scenarios in the setting of liver diseases have been postulated.
Abstract: Zhang et al. showed that COVID‐19 affected patients’ present liver biochemistry abnormalities, including elevation of aminotransferases, gamma‐glutamyl transferase, and alkaline phosphatase 1. Hence, several possible clinical scenarios in the setting of liver diseases have been postulated. First, patients with chronic liver disease may be more vulnerable to the severe clinical consequences of COVID‐19, including oxygen desaturation and hypoxemia due to severe pneumonia or the cytokine storm 1;2. Second, liver biochemistry abnormalities are the consequence of drug toxicity.
TL;DR: A genome-wide significant association of 31 new loci with the risk of AD is reported, with the involvement of gene sets related to amyloid and Tau, but also microglia, in which increased gene expression corresponds to more significant AD risk.
Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a severe and incurable neurodegenerative disease, and the failure to find effective treatments suggests that the underlying pathology remains poorly understood. Due to its strong heritability, deciphering the genetic landscape of AD and related dementia (ADD) is a unique opportunity to advance our knowledge. We completed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (39,106 clinically AD-diagnosed cases, 46,828 proxy-ADD cases and 401,577 controls) with the most promising signals followed-up in 25,392 independent AD cases and 276,086 controls. We report 75 risk loci for ADD, including 42 novel ones. Pathway-enrichment analyses confirm the involvement of amyloid/Tau pathways, highlight the role of microglia and its potential interaction with APP metabolism. Numerous genes exhibited differential expression or splicing in AD-related conditions and gene prioritization implies EGFR signaling and TNF-α pathway through LUBAC complex. We also generated a novel polygenic risk score strongly associated with the risk of future dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. In conclusion, by more than doubling the number of loci associated with ADD risk, our study offers new insights into the pathophysiological processes underlying AD and offers additional therapeutic entry-points and tools for translational genomics.
National Institute on Drug Abuse1, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre2, Harvard University3, University of Otago4, University of Queensland5, Pompeu Fabra University6, University of São Paulo7, Universidade Nova de Lisboa8, University College Hospital, Ibadan9, Shanghai Jiao Tong University10, St George's Hospital11, EHESP12, University of Ibadan13, The Chinese University of Hong Kong14, Mental Health Services15, Park Centre for Mental Health16, University of Michigan17, University of Buenos Aires18, Utrecht University19, Dordt College20, Center for Excellence in Education21
TL;DR: Prevalence of alcohol use and AUD is high overall, with large variation worldwide, and the WMH surveys corroborate the wide geographic consistency of a number of well-documented clinical and epidemiological findings and patterns.
TL;DR: Smart materials as controlled drug release vehicles for tissue engineering are described, highlighting their potential for the delivery of precise quantities of drugs at specific locations and times promoting the controlled repair or remodeling of tissues.
Abstract: Smart or stimuli-responsive materials are an emerging class of materials used for tissue engineering and drug delivery A variety of stimuli (including temperature, pH, redox-state, light, and magnet fields) are being investigated for their potential to change a material’s properties, interactions, structure, and/or dimensions The specificity of stimuli response, and ability to respond to endogenous cues inherently present in living systems provide possibilities to develop novel tissue engineering and drug delivery strategies (for example materials composed of stimuli responsive polymers that self-assemble or undergo phase transitions or morphology transformations) Herein, smart materials as controlled drug release vehicles for tissue engineering are described, highlighting their potential for the delivery of precise quantities of drugs at specific locations and times promoting the controlled repair or remodeling of tissues
TL;DR: The authors make the case for the election of telmisartan as such alternative on the basis of its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and present an open‐label randomized phase II clinical trial for the evaluation of tel Misartan in COVID‐19 patients ( NCT04355936 ).
Abstract: In late 2019, a new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan Province, China, causing lung complications similar to those produced by the SARS coronavirus in the 2002-2003 epidemic. This new disease was named COVID-19 and the causative virus SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the airway and binds, by means of the S protein on its surface to the membrane protein ACE2 in type 2 alveolar cells. The S protein-ACE2 complex is internalized by endocytosis leading to a partial decrease or total loss of the enzymatic function ACE2 in the alveolar cells and in turn increasing the tissue concentration of pro-inflammatory angiotensin II by decreasing its degradation and reducing the concentration of its physiological antagonist angiotensin 1-7. High levels of angiotensin II on the lung interstitium can promote apoptosis initiating an inflammatory process with release of proinflammatory cytokines, establishing a self-powered cascade, leading eventually to ARDS. Recently, Gurwitz proposed the tentative use of agents such as losartan and telmisartan as alternative options for treating COVID-19 patients prior to development of ARDS. In this commentary article, the authors make the case for the election of telmisartan as such alternative on the basis of its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and present an open-label randomized phase II clinical trial for the evaluation of telmisartan in COVID-19 patients (NCT04355936).
TL;DR: In this article, a straightforward synthetic approach to incorporate a hydrogen-bonding motif as part of a fully bio-based benzoxazine monomer (NAR-fa) is developed, leading to the first latent catalyst-containing thermosetting resin derived from natural renewable resources.
TL;DR: The overall assessment by estimating random effects shows that the use of ACEIs/ARBs is not associated with higher risk of in-hospital-death and/or severe illness among hypertensive patients with COVID-19 infection and an overall protective effect of RAAS inhibitors/blockers is shown.
TL;DR: The power of these low-resolution techniques to improve the understanding of the self-assembly of peptides and proteins and translate this fundamental knowledge in biomedical research or food applications is shown.
Abstract: The self-assembly of proteins is an essential process for a variety of cellular functions including cell respiration, mobility and division. On the other hand, protein or peptide misfolding and aggregation is related to the development of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, among other aggregopathies. As a consequence, significant research efforts are directed towards the understanding of this process. In this review, we are focused on the use of UV-Visible Absorption Spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Circular Dichroism to evaluate the self-organization of proteins and peptides in solution. These spectroscopic techniques are commonly available in most chemistry and biochemistry research laboratories, and together they are a powerful approach for initial as well as routine evaluation of protein and peptide self-assembly and aggregation under different environmental stimulus. Furthermore, these spectroscopic techniques are even suitable for studying complex systems like those in the food industry or pharmaceutical formulations, providing an overall idea of the folding, self-assembly, and aggregation processes, which is challenging to obtain with high-resolution methods. Here, we compiled and discussed selected examples, together with our results and those that helped us better to understand the process of protein and peptide aggregation. We put particular emphasis on the basic description of the methods as well as on the experimental considerations needed to obtain meaningful information, to help those who are just getting into this exciting area of research. Moreover, this review is particularly useful to those out of the field who would like to improve reproducibility in their cellular and biomedical experiments, especially while working with peptide and protein systems as an external stimulus. Our final aim is to show the power of these low-resolution techniques to improve our understanding of the self-assembly of peptides and proteins and translate this fundamental knowledge in biomedical research or food applications.
TL;DR: Sulfotransferase ST2a is identified as a link between light perception and growth increase through inactivation of jasmonates and represents a direct molecular link between photoreceptors and hormone signalling in plants.
Abstract: Growth responses to competition1 and defence responses to the attack of consumer organisms2 are two classic examples of adaptive phenotypic plasticity in plants. However, the mechanistic and functional links between these responses are not well understood. Jasmonates, a family of lipid-derived signals, are potent growth inhibitors and central regulators of plant immunity to herbivores and pathogens3,4, with both roles being evolutionarily conserved from bryophytes5 to angiosperms6. When shade-intolerant plants perceive the proximity of competitors using the photoreceptor phytochrome B, they activate the shade-avoidance syndrome and downregulate jasmonate responses7. Despite the central implications of this light-mediated change in the growth/defence balance for plant adaptation and crop yield8,9, the mechanisms by which photoreceptors relay light cues to the jasmonate signalling pathway remain poorly understood10. Here, we identify a sulfotransferase (ST2a) that is strongly upregulated by plant proximity perceived by phytochrome B via the phytochrome B–phytochrome interacting factor signalling module. By catalysing the formation of a sulfated jasmonate derivative, ST2a acts to reduce the pool of precursors of active forms of jasmonates and represents a direct molecular link between photoreceptors and hormone signalling in plants. The metabolic step defined by this enzyme provides a molecular mechanism for prioritizing shade avoidance over defence under intense plant competition. Arabidopsis plants try to escape shade or competitor proximity by growing faster. The authors identify sulfotransferase ST2a as a link between light perception and growth increase through inactivation of jasmonates.