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Background: Although human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reservoir size is very stable under antiretroviral therapy (ART), individuals exposed to the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) (chronically coinfected and spontaneous clarifiers) show an increase in HIV reservoir size and in spliced viral RNA, which could indicate that the viral protein regulator Tat is being more actively synthesized and, thus, could lead to a higher yield of new HIV. However, it is still unknown whether the effect of HCV elimination with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) could modify the HIV reservoir and splicing. Methods: This longitudinal study (48 weeks' follow-up after sustained virological response) involves 22 HIV+-monoinfected individuals, 17 HIV+/HCV- spontaneous clarifiers, and 24 HIV+/HCV+ chronically infected subjects who eliminated HCV with DAAs (all of them aviremic, viral load < 50). Viral-spliced RNA transcripts and proviral DNA copies were quantified by qPCR. Paired samples were analyzed using a mixed generalized linear model. Results: A decrease in HIV proviral DNA was observed in HIV+/HCV- subjects, but no significant differences were found for the other study groups. An increased production of multiple spliced transcripts was found in HIV+ and HIV+/HCV+ individuals. Conclusions: We conclude that elimination of HCV by DAAs was unable to revert the consequences derived from chronic HCV infection for the reservoir size and viral splicing, which could indicate an increased risk of rapid HIV-reservoir reactivation. Moreover, spontaneous clarifiers showed a significant decrease in the HIV reservoir, likely due to an enhanced immune response in these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Rigid polyurethane-aerogel foams are produced using isocyanate-aerogel dispersions of different concentrations. • Rheology shows that for concentrations above 2.5 wt% of aerogel the dispersion is in a percolated gel-like state. • The addition of aerogel progressively slows down the viscosity build-up and curing of the foam. • Percolated dispersions show less drainage of the reactive polymer and, in turn, lower fraction of mass in the struts of the final foam. The incorporation of silica aerogel particles into the isocyanate used to prepare Rigid Polyurethane composite foams drastically modifies its rheological behaviour. The isocyanate changes from being a Newtonian fluid of constant viscosity (0.3 Pa s at 25 °C) to a non-linear power-law material with complex viscosity decreasing from 104 to 101 Pa s with a slope −1 versus frequency. The change in response is caused by the formation of a percolated network of particles at contents above 2.5 wt% of aerogel. Moreover, the addition of aerogel significantly slows down the modulus-build up kinetics and vitrification of the matrix by approximately 4.5 min with every 1 wt% of aerogel added. For the foam with 3.0 wt% of aerogel, the combination of high viscosity at early reaction times coupled with the slow modulus build-up impedes the drainage which leads to a decrease in the fraction of material in the struts of the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel set-up for monitoring the gas diffusion process in polymers has been developed. This set-up is based on performing neutron radiography and tomography of polymeric materials under high pressures of gas. Information about the absorption kinetics of supercritical CO 2 was obtained. Additionally, solubility, diffusivity, and macroscopic changes in the dimensions of the samples can be in-situ obtained through the developed measurement technique. This novel approach can be very helpful to analyze the diffusion kinetics in a wide range of polymers. [Display omitted] • In-situ visualization of gas diffusion process in polymers. • Neutron radiography and tomography of gas diffusion in polymers. • In situ dimensions evolution of polymers under gas pressure. • In situ solubility and diffusivity evolution of polymers under gas pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modulus build-up and relative density evolution during the reactive foaming of four standard polyurethane formulations was monitored in-situ by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) with a customised set-up in parallel plate geometry. The modulus increased from 0.01 MPa in the first minutes to over 1.2 MPa within 20 min. The set-up also enabled the recording of vitrification followed by curing times. These typically occur within 3 min of each other. The results of DMA are corroborated by measurements of the reaction kinetics with Infrared Spectroscopy. This goes to show that the modulus remains nearly unchanged during the stage of swiftest isocyanate conversion, while the point of gel conversion is accompanied by their increase. • DMA was applied to in-situ measure the modulus development of Rigid Polyurethane foams during foaming. • Employing a customised fixture density evolution was monitored simultaneously during the DMA experiments. • The modulus build-up profiles recorded with DMA were corroborated by measurements of the reaction kinetics. • Vitrification times can be inferred from the temporal evolution of the Loss modulus of the foams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The latent viral reservoir formed by HIV-1, mainly in CD4 + T cells, is responsible for the failure of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to achieve a complete elimination of the virus in infected individuals. We previously determined that CD4 + T cells from individuals with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) on treatment with dasatinib are resistant to HIV-1 infection ex vivo. The main mechanism for this antiviral effect is the preservation of SAMHD1 activity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of dasatinib on the viral reservoir of HIV-infected individuals with CML who were on simultaneous treatment with ART and dasatinib. Due to the low estimated incidence of HIV-1 infection and CML (1:65,000), three male individuals were recruited in Spain and Germany. These individuals had been on treatment with standard ART and dasatinib for median 1.3 years (IQR 1.3–5.3 years). Reservoir size and composition in PBMCs from these individuals was analyzed in comparison with HIV-infected individuals on triple ART regimen and undetectable viremia. The frequency of latently infected cells was reduced more than 5-fold in these individuals. The reactivation of proviruses from these cells was reduced more than 4-fold and, upon activation, SAMHD1 phosphorylation was reduced 40-fold. Plasma levels of the homeostatic cytokine IL-7 and CD4 effector subpopulations TEM and TEMRA in peripheral blood were also reduced. Therefore, treatment of HIV-infected individuals with dasatinib as adjuvant of ART could disturb the reservoir reactivation and reseeding, which might have a beneficial impact to reduce its size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Low thermal conductivity foams prepared from recycled panel glass have been produced. • The mechanisms of heat transfer through glass foams of varying density and microstructure are evaluated. • A new model accounting for the scattering of radiation in foams with bimodal cellular structures is proposed. • The contribution of each heat transfer mechanism and the thermal conductivity of glass foams at different temperatures are predicted by the model. • The model is validated using experimental measurements and the deviation is below 2%. Glass foams are highly sustainable materials with enormous potential to replace traditional thermal insulators. Current research on glass foams is focused on improving thermal insulation by reducing density, but this is somehow a limited approach. Selecting the best approach to reduce thermal conductivity relies on establishing a detailed knowledge on the heat transfer mechanisms playing the most significant role. We have studied the mechanisms of heat transfer in a set of cathode-ray-tube (CRT) panel glass foams. The influence of relative density, cellular structure, gas composition, glass distribution between cell walls and struts, and radiation on heat transfer is addressed. From a detailed characterisation and state-of-the-art models, we have created a new analytical model adapted to the peculiarities of the foams under analysis. Additionally, the thermal conductivity for varying temperature conditions has been predicted. The obtained results point out to a significant contribution of the heat transfer by radiation for foams with porosities higher than 0.96. The predicted values of thermal conductivity indicate the existence of a plateau region at high porosities. Temperature is proven to shift the contributions of heat transfer, increasing the weight of radiation and gas conduction. The predictions of the new analytical model have been contrasted with experimental measurements of the thermal conductivity at different densities and temperatures obtaining differences below 2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rigid polyurethane foams with different contents of aerogel are prepared. • Cell nucleation is enhanced by the presence of aerogel particles. • Degeneration mechanisms – as observed in-situ – are induced by the presence of particles larger than a few microns. • Low contents of aerogel boost polymerization reaction preventing coalescence and drainage. Water blown rigid polyurethane (RPU) composite foams were produced using different concentrations of nanoporous silica aerogel micrometric powder (0.5, 1 and 3 wt%). The effect of these particles on the foaming kinetics was analysed from a physical and chemical viewpoint. On the physical side, the foaming process was studied by in-situ X-ray radioscopy. The inclusion of aerogel particles in the system delays the foam expansion and enhances the nucleation of cells. However, high amounts of these particles (3 wt%) lead to intense cell coalesce during foam evolution. On the chemical side, the reaction kinetics was investigated by in-situ FTIR spectroscopy and reaction temperature measurements. The addition of low contents of aerogel (below 3 wt%) reduces the conversion of isocyanate while favouring the generation of urethane groups, which explains the higher density of the foams with low aerogel contents. However, the foam with high contents of aerogel (3 wt%) does not change the reaction balance in comparison to the reference. Therefore, this foam presents similar expansion and density to those of the unfilled foam (Reference). Furthermore, higher reaction temperatures were reached by the reference foam during the foaming process, and higher dissipation speeds of these temperatures were detected for the foams containing aerogel with respect to those of the reference foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coinfection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) influences HIV reservoir size. However, it is unknown whether this coinfection also induces a higher provirus transcription. Viral transcription is promoted by synergy between cellular factors such as NF-κB and the viral regulator Tat. The impact of HCV coinfection on HIV provirus transcription was analyzed in resting (r)CD4 T+ cells (CD3+CD4+CD25-CD69-HLADR-) and rCD4 T cells-depleted PBMCs (rCD4 T- PBMCs) from a multicenter cross-sectional study of 115 cART-treated HIV patients: 42 HIV+/HCV+ coinfected individuals (HIV+/HCV+), 34 HIV+ patients with HCV spontaneous clearance (HIV+/HCV−) and 39 HIV patients (HIV+). Viral transcription was assessed in total RNA through the quantification of unspliced, single spliced, and multiple spliced viral mRNAs by qPCR. Linear correlations between viral reservoir size and viral splicing were determined. A 3-fold increase of multiple spliced transcripts in rCD4 T+ cells of HIV+/HCV+ patients was found compared to HIV+ individuals (p < 0.05). As Tat is synthesized by multiple splicing, the levels of Tat were also quantified in these patients. Significant differences in single and multiple spliced transcripts were also observed in rCD4 T- PBMCs. Levels of multiple spliced mRNAs were increased in rCD4 T+ cells isolated from HIV+/HCV+ subjects, which could indicate a higher Tat activity in these cells despite their resting state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Polyols functionalized with GO (GO-f) and filled with GO (GO-d) are used. • The foaming of RPU foams with GO-f or GO-d is followed by X-Ray radioscopy. • The cellular structure of RPU foams are improved by incorporation of GO-f. • GO-f offers better results than GO-d. Fillers can be dispersed in polyurethane (PU) components to produce PU foams with improved properties by different methods. Herein, graphene oxide (GO) is chemically linked to polyol chains in order to suppress fillers agglomeration. Then the foaming behaviour of rigid polyurethane (RPU) foams from polyols functionalized with GO (GO-f) is compared with the one of RPU foams containing GO dispersed in the polyol (GO-d) by high shear mixing. Relative density, cell size, and cell nucleation density of the RPU foam nanocomposites are monitored during the foaming process by using X-ray radioscopy. The results obtained demonstrate that the use of polyol functionalized with GO-f offers a high improvement of the cellular structure and also makes the results more reproducible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a global health problem. Previously, the prevalence of NS5A resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) to elbasvir, a new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) against the NS5A viral protein was assessed by our group before its introduction into clinical use in Spain. However, the origin, epidemic history, transmission dynamics, diversity and baseline RASs to NS5A direct-acting agents of HCV-GT1a in Spain remain unknown. A nationwide cross-sectional survey of individuals chronically-infected with HCV-G1a and DAAs-naïve was performed. HCV population sequencing, phylogenetic analysis and Bayesian methods were used. GT1a clade II was more prevalent than clade I (82.3% vs. 17.7%; P < 0.001) and older (estimated origin in 1912 vs. 1952). Clade II epidemic is currently declining whereas clade I epidemic has reached equilibrium. A total of 58 single RASs were identified, which account for the moderate level (10%) of baseline resistance observed. When considering the regional data, marked differences were observed, with thirteen regions showing an intermediate level (5–15%) and one a high level (20%) of resistance. Current HCV-GT1a epidemic in Spain is driven by clade I which seem to have different dissemination routes relative to clade II. A moderate level of baseline RASs to NS5A-DAAs with marked differences among regions was observed. Close surveillance of response to treatment with DAAs will be important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) hijack the host exosomal machinery as an additional mechanism of infection and evasion of the immune system, modifying the small RNA (smRNA) cargo during infection. We characterized the surface epitopes of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from plasma HIV/HCV-coinfected patients and their smRNA cargo profile, by comparing different isolation procedures. Six EVs isolation procedures were compared: ultracentrifugation, and five different polyethylene glycol-based methods (commercial, combined with a column purification step and two custom); and two RNA commercial kits (phenol and non-phenol based) were used. High-throughput sequencing of smRNAs was performed. Exosomal surface epitopes were analyzed by the MACSPlex Exosome Kit. Four miRNAs displayed differences among protocols (hsa-miR-205-5p and hsa-let-7a/b/f-5p). The selection of RNA isolation kit impacted on the detection of miRNAs and other smRNAs, where the phenol-based RNA isolation kit performed acceptably. EVs surface was enriched with HLA-DR/DP/DQ, CD81, and CD8. There were three liver-specific miRNAs overexpressed (let-7a-5p, miR-21-5p and hsa-miR-122-5p), thus, EVs cargo might reflect liver disease evolution. Other smRNAs such as piwi-interacting RNAs were also detected for the first time. Custom polyethylene glycol precipitation-based methods combined with an RNA phenol-based kit yielded the higher number of smRNAs for EVs isolated from plasma HIV/HCV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the sociodemographic, clinical, and health care variables included in the interconsultation reports (PIC) that bring adult patients over a period of 15 days, collected consecutively in the months of March through June 2015 from three mental health centers in Madrid (Colmenar Viejo CSM, Villaverde CSM, and Vallecas Villa CSM). The statistical analysis of data, including analysis of descriptive variables and dichotomous variables, shows the following results: two thirds of referrals are transfers to psychiatry and one third are transfers to clinical psychology; mean time in the waiting list is 74 days for clinical psychology consultation and 38 days for psychiatry consultation; preferential referrals are 31%, with 28 days of mean time in waiting list, being mostly intended for psychiatry; main referred pathologies are anxiety and adaptive and depressive disorders; 46.7% of patients transferred to mental health were already taking some psychiatric medication; clinical psychology referrals involve significantly younge and less medicated patients, significantly less preferential, and with fewer diagnostic and pharmacologic specifications in the PIC than psychiatry referrals. These results are consistent with previous studies, although we have not found other studies that include more than one mental health center, or analyze qualitative information contained in the inter-consultation reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-specific consequences after HCV eradication are unexplored. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the immune response against viral infections. However, few have highlighted miRNA role in sex-biased disease or therapy response. We aim to assess gender differences reflected in the miRNA expression of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieve sustained virological response (SVR) with direct acting antivirals (DAAs). We conducted a prospective study of miRNA expression in PBMCs from 28 chronic HIV/HCV-coinfected patients (HIV/HCV) at baseline and after achieving SVR with DAAs. Sixteen HIV-monoinfected patients (HIV) and 36 healthy controls (HC) were used as controls. Identification of significant differentially expressed (SDE) miRNAs was performed with generalized linear model and mixed GLMs. We also explored putative dysregulated biological pathways. At baseline , the HIV/HCV patients showed differences in the miRNA profile concerning the HIV group (165 and 102 SDE miRNAs for males and females, respectively). Gender-stratified analysis of HIV/HCV group at baseline versus at SVR achievement showed higher differences in males (80 SDE miRNAs) than in females (55 SDE miRNAs). After SVR, HIV/HCV group showed similar values to HIV individuals, especially in females (1 SDE miRNA). However, ten miRNAs in males remained dysregulated, which were mainly involved in cancer, fatty acid, and inflammatory pathways. Taken together, our results show gender-biased dysregulation in the miRNA expression profile of PBMCs after HCV eradication with DAAs. These differences were normalized in females, while miRNA profile and their target-related pathways in males lack of normalization, which may be related to a high-risk of developing liver-related complications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]