Omicron Genetic and Clinical Peculiarities That May Overturn SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Literature Review

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a great threat to global public health. The original wild-type strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has genetically evolved, and several variants of concern (VOC) have emerged. On 26 November 2021, a new variant named Omicron (B.1.1.529) was designated as the fifth VOC, revealing that SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to go beyond the available therapies. The high number of mutations harboured on the spike protein make Omicron highly transmissible, less responsive to several of the currently used drugs, as well as potentially able to escape immune protection elicited by both vaccines and previous infection. We reviewed the latest publication and the most recent available literature on the Omicron variant, enlightening both reasons for concern and high hopes for new therapeutic strategies.     

Imbalances in TCA,Short Fatty Acids and One-Carbon Metabolisms as Important Features of Homeostatic Disruption Evidenced by a Multi-Omics Integrative Approach of LPS-Induced Chronic Inflammation in Male Wistar Rats

Chronic inflammation is an important risk factor in a broad variety of physical and mental disorders leading to highly prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, there is a need for a deeper understanding of this condition and its progression to the disease state. For this reason, it is important to define metabolic pathways and complementary biomarkers associated with homeostatic disruption in chronic inflammation. To achieve that, male Wistar rats were subjected to intraperitoneal and intermittent injections with saline solution or increasing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentrations (0.5, 5 and 7.5 mg/kg) thrice a week for 31 days. Biochemical and inflammatory parameters were measured at the end of the study. To assess the omics profile, GC-qTOF and UHPLC-qTOF were performed to evaluate plasma metabolome; ¹H-NMR was used to evaluate urine metabolome; additionally, shotgun metagenomics sequencing was carried out to characterize the cecum microbiome. The chronicity of inflammation in the study was evaluated by the monitoring of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) during the different weeks of the experimental process. At the end of the study, together with the increased levels of MCP-1, levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) along with 8-isoprostanes (an indicative of oxidative stress) were significantly increased (p-value < 0.05). The leading features implicated in the current model were tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates (i.e., alpha-ketoglutarate, aconitic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid and succinic acid); lipids such as specific cholesterol esters (ChoEs), lysophospholipids (LPCs) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs); and glycine, as well as N, N-dimethylglycine, which are related to one-carbon (1C) metabolism. These metabolites point towards mitochondrial metabolism through TCA cycle, β-oxidation of fatty acids and 1C metabolism as interconnected pathways that could reveal the metabolic effects of chronic inflammation induced by LPS administration. These results provide deeper knowledge concerning the impact of chronic inflammation on the disruption of metabolic homeostasis.     

Efficiency of phospholipid remodeling via acyl-CoA:lysophospholipid acyltransferases action is modified by acyl-CoAs

This study investigated the impact of different acyl-CoAs on remodeling efficiency of PC and PE via the action of acyl-CoA:lysophospholipid acyltransferases (LPLAT). Microsomal fractions from yeast ΔALE1 mutant transformed with an empty plasmid pYES2 or plasmid carrying AtLPCAT or ALE1 encoding genes were used in the experiments. In the preliminary assays, presence of 18:1-CoA in the reaction mixture increased remodeling efficiency of [¹⁴C]PC integrated with microsomal fraction of yeast overexpressing AtLPCAT compared to assays without exogenous acyl-CoA. In further experiments, the effect of five different acyl-CoAs (16:0-CoA, 18:0-CoA, 18:1-CoA, 18:2-CoA, and 18:3-CoA) on remodeling efficiency of yeast microsomal PC and PE via the action of three LPLATs (yeast SLC1 and ALE1 and Arabidopsis LPCAT2) were tested. It has been shown that acyl-CoAs used in the experiments had different effect on the remodeling intensity of PC and PE via action of the tested acyltransferases. Moreover, each acyl-CoA used had a different effect on the tested acyltransferases. Additionally, the assays with DTNB (inhibitor of the LPLAT backward reaction) showed that remodeling of PC and PE by LPLATs can also occur through reactions other than the backward reaction carried out by these enzymes, and that acyl-CoA present in the reaction mixture affected these processes.     

Introducing HyPeak: An international network on hydropeaking research,practice, and policy

An increase in the demand for renewable energy is driving hydropower development and its integration with variable renewable energy sources. When hydropower is produced flexibly from hydropower plants, it causes rapid and frequent artificial flow fluctuations in rivers, a phenomenon known as hydropeaking. Hydropeaking and associated hydrological alterations cause multiple impacts on riverine habitats with cascading effects on ecosystem functioning and structure. Given the significance of its ecological and socio-economic implications, mitigation of hydropeaking requires an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. An interdisciplinary network called HyPeak has been conceived to enrich international research initiatives and support hydropower planning and policy. HyPeak has been founded based on exchange and networking activities linking scientists from several countries where hydropeaking has been widespread for decades and numerous studies dedicated to the topic have been carried out. HyPeak aims to integrate members from other countries and continents in which hydropower production plays a relevant role, and grow to be a reference group that provides expert advice on the topic to policy-makers, as well as researchers, stakeholders, and practitioners in the field of hydropeaking.     

Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSPs): A Reliable Tool for Assessing the Selectivity of Pristine and Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites in the Presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Mixtures

Polymeric materials are widely employed for monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Compared to other sensitive materials, polymers can provide a certain degree of selectivity, based on their chemical affinity with organic solvents. The addition of conductive nanoparticles within the polymer layer is a common practice in recent years to improve the sensitivity of these materials. However, it is still unclear the effect that the nanoparticles have on the selectivity of the polymer membrane and vice versa. The current work proposes a methodology based on the Hansen solubility parameters, for assessing the selectivity of both pristine and hybrid polymer nanocomposites. The impedance response of thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films is compared to the response of hybrid polymer films, based on the addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). With the addition of just 1 wt.% of MWCNTs, fabricated sensors showcased a significant improvement in sensitivity, faster response times, as well as enhanced classification of non-polar analytes (>22% increase) compared to single PDMS layers. The methodology proposed in this work can be employed in the future to assess and predict the selectivity of polymers in single or array-based gas sensors, microfluidic channels, and other analytical devices for the purpose of VOCs discrimination.     

Hydropeaking impact assessment for Iberian cyprinids and leuciscids: An adaptation of the hydropeaking tool method

Hydropeaking negatively affects fish assemblages, but knowledge gaps still constrain our ability to rank and mitigate the impacts of different hydropower operation regimes at particular power plants. This is especially relevant for species and rivers for which the effects of hydropeaking are less investigated, such as the Iberian Cypriniformes and Mediterranean rivers. Recognizing the potential of the hydropeaking tool method (HT) developed for salmonids to systematically assess hydropeaking impacts, we adapted it for Iberian Cypriniformes. The general tool framework developed for the salmonids was kept for the Cypriniformes, with the combined use of factors describing the hydromorphological effects and factors related with fish vulnerability to assess hydropeaking impact. Effect and vulnerability factors were developed for Iberian cyprinids and leuciscids establishing preliminary thresholds for each indicator with three different levels of hydropeaking impact on the targeted taxa. The proposed factors and thresholds were critically reviewed and ranked by experts on Iberian Cypriniformes ecology and Mediterranean rivers functioning. Overall, the timing and distribution of peaking events were ranked higher by the experts in the effect factors, whereas the population size of barbel and smaller native Cypriniformes, as well as the degree of limitations in recruitment, were ranked higher in the vulnerability factors. Although there was some divergence in the expert opinions, a final set of effect and vulnerability factors was established, that retained most of the ones proposed for the salmonids, but included new ones, particularly for vulnerability. The present study provided a comprehensive, straightforward, and systematic assessment tool for evaluating hydropeaking impacts on Iberian Cypriniformes.