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The use of ionising radiation (IR) for medical diagnosis and treatment procedures has had a major impact on the survival of paediatric patients. Although the benefits of these techniques lead to efficient health care, evaluation of potential associated long-term health effects is required. HARMONIC aims to better understand the increased risk of cancer and non-cancer effects after exposure to medical IR in children with cancer treated with modern external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) – radiation energy in MeV range – and in children with cardiac defects diagnosed and treated with cardiac fluoroscopy procedures (CFP) – radiation energy in keV range. The project investigates, among survivors of paediatric cancer, potential endocrine dysfunction, cardiovascular and neurovascular damage, health-related quality of life and second (and subsequent) primary cancer (SPC). The cardiac component builds a pooled cohort of approximately 90 000 paediatric patients who underwent CFP during childhood and adolescence to investigate cancer risk following exposure to IR and explore the potential effects of conditions predisposing to cancer. HARMONIC develops software tools to allow dose reconstruction in both EBRT and CFP to enable epidemiological investigations and future optimisation of treatments. With the creation of a biobank of blood and saliva samples, HARMONIC aims to provide a mechanistic understanding of radiation-induced adverse health effects and identify potential biomarkers that can predict these effects.

Additional support from ISGlobal’s Antoni Plasència and Josep M. Antó, Circulation of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant has led to a considerable increase in cases and also in hospitalisations (but not severe cases or deaths) in recent weeks in Catalonia, the rest of Spain and many other countries. Based on scientific evidence and the current epidemiological situation, the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Group for the Scientific Monitoring of COVID-19 (GCMSC) has conducted an analysis of the impact of the BA-5 subvariant in Catalonia and, with the support of the COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Committee (CCAC) attached to the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, has issued a series of recommendations for booster vaccination strategies.

Additional support from ISGlobal’s Antoni Plasència and Josep M. Antó, A variety of studies suggest that up to 10-15% of all patients with COVID-19 may present persistent symptomatology weeks or even months after the original infection. Given the accumulated burden of COVID-19 in Catalonia, Spain, we speculate that over 90,000 patients could have been or are currently affected by persistent symptoms or sequelae. The Multidisciplinary Collaborative Group for the Scientific Monitoring of COVID-19 (GCMSC) presents its third report where they propose a clear set of case definitions of Post-Acute COVID syndrome (PACS) and its sub-categories and recommend a comprehensive medical examination to characterise the clinical features and complications when assessing PACS.

Background Malaria diagnosis in many malaria-endemic countries relies mainly on the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The majority of commercial RDTs used in Africa detect the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2). pfhrp2/3 gene deletions can therefore lead to false-negative RDT results. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of PCR-confirmed, false-negative P. falciparum RDT results in Monrovia, Liberia. Methods PfHRP2-based RDT (Paracheck Pf®) and microscopy results from 1038 individuals with fever or history of fever (n = 951) and pregnant women at first antenatal care (ANC) visit (n = 87) enrolled in the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Hospital (Monrovia) from March to July 2019 were used to assess the frequency of false-negative RDT results. True–false negatives were confirmed by detecting the presence of P. falciparum DNA by quantitative PCR in samples from individuals with discrepant RDT and microscopy results. Samples that were positive by 18S rRNA qPCR but negative by PfHRP2-RDT were subjected to multiplex qPCR assay for detection of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3. Results One-hundred and eighty-six (19.6%) and 200 (21.0%) of the 951 febrile participants had a P. falciparum-positive result by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Positivity rate increased with age and the reporting of joint pain, chills and shivers, vomiting and weakness, and decreased with the presence of coughs and nausea. The positivity rate at first ANC visit was 5.7% (n = 5) and 8% (n = 7) by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Out of 207 Plasmodium infections detected by microscopy, 22 (11%) were negative by RDT. qPCR confirmed absence of P. falciparum DNA in the 16 RDT-negative but microscopy-positive samples which were available for molecular testing. Among the 14 samples that were positive by qPCR but negative by RDT and microscopy, 3 only amplified pfldh, and among these 3 all were positive for pfhrp2 and pfhrp3. Conclusion There is no qPCR-confirmed evidence of false-negative RDT results due to pfhrp2/pfhrp3 deletions in this study conducted in Monrovia (Liberia). This indicates that these deletions are not expected to affect the performance of PfHRP2-based RDTs for the diagnosis of malaria in Liberia. Nevertheless, active surveillance for the emergence of PfHRP2 deletions is required.

Background: Malaria diagnosis relies mainly on the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The majority of commercial RDTs used in Africa detect the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2). pfhrp2/3 gene deletions can therefore lead to false-negative RDT results. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of PCR-confirmed, false-negative P. falciparum RDT results in Monrovia, Liberia.Methods: We used PfHRP2-based RDT (Paracheck Pf®) and microscopy results from 1038 individuals with fever or history of fever (n=951) and pregnant women at first antenatal care (ANC) visit (n=87) enrolled in the Saint Joseph Catholic Hospital (Monrovia) from March to July 2019 to assess the frequency of false-negative RDT results. True false negatives were confirmed by detecting the presence of P. falciparum DNA by quantitative PCR in samples from individuals with discrepant RDT and microscopy resultsResults: One hundred and eighty-six (19.6%) and 200 (21.0%) of the 951 febrile participants had a P. falciparum positive result by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Positivity rate increased with age and the reporting of joint pain, chills and shivers, vomiting and weakness, and increased with the presence of coughs and nausea. The positivity rate at first ANC visit was 5.7% (n=5) and 8% (n=7) by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Out of 207 Plasmodium infections detected by microscopy, 22 (11%) were negative by RDT. qPCR confirmed absence of P. falciparum DNA in the sixteen RDT-negative but microscopy-positive samples which were available for molecular testing. Conclusion: There is no qPCR-confirmed evidence of false-negative RDT results due to pfhrp2/pfhrp3 deletions in this study conducted in Monrovia (Liberia). This indicates the appropriate performance of PfHRP2-based RDTs for the diagnosis of malaria in Liberia. Nevertheless, active surveillance for the emergence of PfHRP2 deletions is required.

Mexico is the center of domestication and a center for diversity of maize. Area planted with maize is the country’s largest agricultural land use, mostly planted by smallholder family farmers known as campesinos. Due to the large area they plant with saved seed from native varieties in a wide variety of environments across the country, maize evolution under domestication continues today at a very large scale and under a multiplicity of selection pressures. Campesinos have been considered mainly subsistence farmers. Here we show that subsistence production is insufficient for explaining the scale of the area they plant with maize and on which its contemporary evolution under domestication depends. Our hypothesis is that beyond supplying their own consumption needs, campesinos across Mexico collectively produce maize to respond to the demand of non-maize producing local consumers. Here we quantify the extent of subsistence versus surplus production among campesinos, showing that subsistence production cannot explain the scale of their maize cultivation. Then, we test statistically the association between the scale of maize cultivation and socioeconomic variables that link campesino production to the demand by other consumers and examine the implications of the results for the supply and conservation of native maize in the country. Our results suggest that maize trading linking campesinos to other consumers may be important and widespread. We conclude that there are important opportunities for maintaining maize evolution under domestication at large scale by strengthening local maize markets.

Emergency preparedness and response (EP&R) to radiological or nuclear accidents depends on many different stakeholder groups: nuclear and radiological regulators and authorities; institutions and ministries concerned by health, environment and consumption; first-line responders including the police, military, firefighters and health workers; as well as local authorities and nuclear industries. Stakeholders also include the general public, such as people living near NPPs8 or affected by previous nuclear or radiological accidents and incidents. Teachers and journalists, bloggers and other social media figures would play a key role in effective dissemination of knowledge and information. NGOs9 or civil associations/societies can also be involved in radiation monitoring and protection. The present study describes the role of different research institutions (such as CIEMAT10, UPM11 and ISGlobal12) and of the Spanish Society of Radiological Protection (SEPR) in bringing together the above-listed stakeholders in Spain to discuss EP&R and identify benefits and challenges of working together. Stakeholder opinions on EP&R, collected mainly in the framework of several European-funded projects, are provided. Remaining barriers and examples of good practices in radiation protection are discussed, as well as recommendations for improving nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness in Spain. The conclusions may be useful for other countries. Funded under H2020 EJP CONCERT_JTC2016, GA 662287, under FP7-EURATOM-FISSION, GA 269718, under FP7-EURATOM-FISSION, GA 323287 and under FP6-EURATOM-RADPROT, contract No. FI6R-CT- 2004-508843

Efficient priming of anti-tumor T cells requires the uptake and presentation of tumor antigens by immunogenic dendritic cells (DCs) and occurs mainly in lymph nodes draining the tumor (tdLNs). However, tumors expand and activate myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that inhibit CTL functions by several mechanisms. While the immune-suppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment is largely documented, it is not known whether similar immune-suppressive mechanisms operate in the tdLNs. In this study, we analyzed MDSC characteristics within tdLNs. We show that, in a metastasis-free context, MO-MDSCs are the dominant MDSC population within tdLNs, that they are highly suppressive and that tumor proximity enhances their recruitment to tdLN via a CCR2/CCL2-dependent pathway. Altogether our results uncover a mechanism by which tumors evade the immune system that involves MDSC-mediated recruitment to the tdLN and the inhibition of T-cell activation even before reaching the highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Experience suggests that current nuclear accident response planning in European countries mostly has a technical focus, with less attention paid to social, psychological and ethical issues. Information provided tends to be directed towards decisions made by experts, rather than for the support of affected populations. The SHAMISEN (Nuclear Emergency Situations - Improvement of Medical And Health Surveillance) consortium, composed of close to 50 experts from 10 countries, performed a critical review of current recommendations and experiences regarding dose assessment and reconstruction, evacuation decisions, long-term health surveillance programmes and epidemiological studies. The review included case studies and lessons drawn from the living conditions and health status of populations affected by the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, taking an integrative approach to health and well-being. Based on this work, SHAMISEN developed a series of comprehensive recommendations aimed at improving the preparedness, response, long-term surveillance and living conditions of populations affected by past or future radiation accidents, in a manner responding to their needs, while minimising unnecessary anxiety. The SHAMISEN project was supported by the EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community) programme of the European Commission in the framework of the OPERRA (Open Project for the European Radiation Research Area) project (FP7 grant agreement No. 604984). ISGlobal acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Programme (http://cerca.cat/en/). NMBU acknowledges the support of the Research Council of Norway, Grant No. 263856.

Additional file 1. Program of the GCLP Workshop.