Biomedicina, Biotecnología y Salud Pública

Study of grapevine endophytes’ interaction with the host and their potential as biocontrol agents as sustainable alternative to agrochemicals

2026-11-05T05:05:29Z

Study of grapevine endophytes’ interaction with the host and their potential as biocontrol agents as sustainable alternative to agrochemicals Pizzi, Simona; Di Canito, Alessandra; Palencia Mulero, Elena; De Oliveira Nobre Bezerra, Carmen Cris; Ricciardi, Valentina; Maddalena, Giuliana; Maluleke, Evelyn; Carmine Foschino, Roberto; Toffolatti, Silvia Laura; Fracassetti, Daniela; De Lorenzis, Gabriella; Cordero Bueso, Gustavo Adolfo; Setati, Mathabatha Evodia; Vigentini, Ileana In sustainable vineyard management, biocontrol agents (BCAs) offer a promising alternative to chemical pesticides. This study focuses on characterizing endophytes isolated from grapevines in different regions of northern Italy for (i) their effectiveness against Botrytis cinerea through in vitro tests and (ii) their capability to survive in the presence of copper and other commercial fungicides with the final goal of investigating their possible future application for an integrated approach in vineyard. Aureobasidium pullulans strains ED203, ED206, ED217, and ED221 demonstrated significant antagonistic activity toward B. cinerea, while Bacillus velezensis ED163 showed the highest levels of pathogen inhibition. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis identified three distinct microbial clusters based on BCAs volatile profiles, highlighting the production of antifungal compounds such as alcohols, esters, and terpenes to counteract the pathogen growth. The investigated BCAs showed tolerance to high concentrations of copper (up to 100 mg/L) and the fungicide SWITCH (1 g/L), but they were sensitive to a standard oenological dose of sulfur dioxide (50 mg/L). Finally, in vivo tests on grapevine leaves confirmed the ability of B. velezensis and A. pullulans strains ED203 and ED221 candidates to effectively reduce the mycelium infection on plant tissue standing out as strong candidates for pest management. The interaction between BCAs with the host was confirmed through leaves cell culture use, highlighting the capability of the best candidate selected in the study to modulate plant response in presence of pathogen.

A matched case-control study on Escherichia coli factors contributing to sepsis and septic shock in bacteraemic patients

2026-10-31T05:03:04Z

A matched case-control study on Escherichia coli factors contributing to sepsis and septic shock in bacteraemic patients Maldonado, Natalia; López-Hernández, Inmacualda; Valik, John Karlsson; López Cortés, Luis Eduardo; Martínez Pérez-Crespo, Pedro María; Garcia-Montaner, Andrea; Alcalde-Rico, Manuel; Sousa Dominguez, Adrián; Jover Sáenz, Alfredo; Goikoetxea Aguirre, Ane Josune; Pulido Navazo, Ángeles; Buzon-Martin, Luis; Aller, Ana Isabel; Boix Palop, Lucía; del Arco Jiménez, Alfonso; Smithson Amat, Alejandro; Sánchez Calvo, Juan Manuel; Natera Kindelán, Clara; Reguera Iglesias, José María; Armiñanzas Castillo, Carlos; Galán Sánchez, Fátima; Bahamonde Carrasco, Alberto; Gea Lázaro, Isabel; Castello-Abietar, Cristian; Pérez Camacho, Inés; Marrodán Ciordia, Teresa; Becerril-Carral, Berta; Naucler, Pontus; Pascual-Hernandez, Álvaro; Rodríguez Baño, Jesús; López Hernández, Inmaculada; Retamar Gentil, Pilar; Pascual, Álvaro; Lanz García, Joaquín; León Jiménez, Eva; Corzo-Delgado, Juan Enrique; Pérez Rodríguez, María Teresa; Barcenilla Gaite, Fernando; Montejo Baranda, Miguel; Cuquet Pedragosa, Jordi; Labayru Echeverria, Cristina; Mantecon Vallejo, María Ángeles; Boix Palop, Lucía; Calbo Sebastian, Esther; Farinas Alvarez, María Del Carmen; Fernández Suárez, Jonathan; Arias Temprano, Marta; Canueto Quintero, Jesús; Reyes Bertos, Armando; Sánchez Porto, Antonio; Vinuesa García, David; Guzmán García, Marcos; Jiménez Aguilar, Patricia; Pasquau, Juan BackgroundOne third of patients with Escherichia coli bacteraemia develop a dysregulated inflammatory response (sepsis/septic shock). Our objective was to investigate whether specific microbiological determinants of E. coli are associated to presentation with sepsis/shock.MethodsA matched case-control study was performed; 101 case-patients with E. coli bacteraemia presenting with sepsis (SEPSIS-3 criteria) and 101 control-patients with E. coli bacteraemia without sepsis were matched by service, sex, age, Charlson index, acquisition and source of the bacteraemia and empirical treatment. Whole genome sequencing of E. coli isolates was performed (Illumina MiSeq Inc.). Sequence type, serotype, fimH type, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance genes, plasmid replicons pathogenicity islands and prophages were determined. A multivariate model was built for presentation with sepsis/septic shock using conditional logistic regression. The predictive capacity on the observed data was measured with the area under the ROC curve (AUROC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsHere we show that in the multivariate model (adjusted OR; 95% CI), the ST69 clone (7.53; 1.06-35.05) and pic gene (4.38; 1.53-12.54) are associated to presentation with sepsis/shock, while the genes papC (0.30; 0.12-0.74) and fdeC (0.18; 0.03-1.32) show a protective effect. The AUROC of this model is 0.81 (95% CI 0.74-0.87).ConclusionsWe identify E. coli bacterial factors associated with severe clinical presentation in patients with bacteraemia. Further studies would be needed to consider these factors as potential preventive or therapeutic targets.

Guía para la realización de movilidades internacionales en la Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales

2026-10-17T04:06:37Z

Guía para la realización de movilidades internacionales en la Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales Centeno Cuadros, Alejandro La Guía para la Realización de Movilidades Internacionales en la Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales de la Universidad de Cádiz es un documento orientativo que reúne las claves para gestionar programas como Erasmus+ KA131 en Europa, KA171 en países no asociados, e itinerarios Internacionales o de Prácticas. Su contenido establece un marco temporal que transcurre entre la apertura de solicitudes en noviembre y las adjudicaciones definitivas en marzo, explicando el baremo competitivo de selección. La guía detalla las ayudas económicas distribuidas por grupos de países e incentivos adicionales como el bono para la Alianza SEA-EU o las asignaciones por transporte sostenible e inclusión, abonadas en dos plazos. Por último, el texto articula el sistema de coordinación institucional y académica con el uso obligatorio del CAU, guiando al alumnado a través del Acuerdo Académico (Learning Agreement) en la plataforma UMOVE, la automatrícula en la UCA y el posterior reconocimiento de créditos tras la llegada del certificado de calificaciones oficial.

Calidad de vida, barreras sanitarias e informativas en personas con COVID persistente en España

2026-10-01T04:02:20Z

Calidad de vida, barreras sanitarias e informativas en personas con COVID persistente en España Ortega Martín, María Esther Introducción y antecedentes: La COVID persistente es un síndrome multisistémico con síntomas como fatiga, disnea y deterioro cognitivo que persisten más de tres meses tras la infección. Esta tesis investiga la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) en personas afectadas en España estructurada en tres fases con los siguientes objetivos: 1) explorar experiencias, barreras sanitarias e informativas y su impacto en la CVRS; 2) desarrollar la escala LC‑6D‑QoL con evidencias de validez de contenido; 3) identificar perfiles sintomáticos y de CVRS y examinar los factores asociados. Metodología: Se empleó un diseño secuencial mixto. La primera fase incluyó 23 entrevistas semiestructuradas analizadas mediante análisis temático. En la segunda fase se realizó un estudio Delphi con 37 personas expertas para desarrollar la escala LC-6D-QoL (consenso ≥75%). Finalmente, la tercera fase consistió en una encuesta online a 363 personas con COVID persistente. Resultados: La CVRS mostró afectación en cinco dimensiones principales (física, mental, social, económico‑laboral y funcionamiento diario) junto con barreras como diagnósticos erróneos, atención fragmentada y listas de espera de hasta nueve meses. El 60,9 % recurría a foros de pacientes ante la escasa información oficial. El proceso Delphi alcanzó niveles de consenso superiores al 80 % y permitió desarrollar una escala de 16 ítems y seis dimensiones, con dominios como disautonomía (92,3 %). Se obtuvieron dos perfiles sintomáticos (baja carga, 36,6 %; alta carga multisistémica, 63,4 %) y tres niveles de CVRS (alto 13,2 %, medio 34,2 %, bajo 52,6 %). La alta carga sintomática multiplicó por 17 la probabilidad de baja CVRS (OR=17,27; p<0,001). Las personas laboralmente activas mostraron peor CVRS que quienes estaban de baja o incapacidad. Las principales barreras fueron la falta de derivación médica (52,6 %) y las listas de espera (43,3 %). Conclusiones: La carga sintomática multisistémica se asoció de forma clara con un mayor deterioro de la CVRS. Las barreras asistenciales e informativas se vincularon a una peor calidad de vida, y la situación laboral también mostró influencia sobre la CVRS. La escala LC‑6D‑QoL, con evidencias de validez de contenido, cubre dominios omitidos por otros instrumentos, aunque necesita validación psicométrica completa. Los hallazgos reflejan la necesidad de una atención sanitaria más coordinada, mejor acceso a rehabilitación y políticas de protección laboral adaptadas.; Introduction and background: Long COVID is a multisystemic syndrome characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, and cognitive impairment that persist for more than three months after infection. This thesis investigates health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people with Long COVID in Spain across three phases, with the following objectives: (1) exploring lived experiences, healthcare and information barriers, and their impact on HRQoL; (2) developing the LC‑6D‑QoL scale with content validity evidence; and (3) identifying symptom and HRQoL (Health-Related Quality of Life) profiles and examining their associated factors. Methodology: A sequential mixed-methods design was employed. The first phase included 23 semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis. In the second phase, a Delphi study involving 37 experts was conducted to develop the LC-6D-QoL scale (consensus threshold ≥75%). Finally, the third phase consisted of an online survey involving 363 people with Long COVID. Results: HRQoL was affected across five main dimensions (physical, mental, social, economic/occupational, and daily functioning), together with barriers such as misdiagnosis, fragmented care, and waiting lists of up to nine months. A total of 60.9% of participants turned to patient forums given the scarcity of official information. The Delphi process achieved consensus levels above 80% and enabled the development of a 16-item, six-dimension scale, including domains such as dysautonomia (92.3% agreement). Two symptom profiles (low burden, 36.6%; high multisystemic burden, 63.4%) and three HRQoL levels were identified (high 13.2%, medium 34.2%, low 52.6%). High symptom burden increased the likelihood of low HRQoL by more than 17-fold (OR=17.27; p<0.001). People who remained occupationally active reported worse HRQoL than those on sick leave or disability benefits. The main barriers were lack of medical referral (52.6%) and waiting lists (43.3%). Conclusions: Multisystemic symptom burden was clearly associated with greater HRQoL deterioration. Healthcare and information barriers were linked to poorer quality of life, and employment status also appeared to influence HRQoL. The LC-6D-QoL scale, supported by content validity evidence, covers domains overlooked by other instruments, although full psychometric validation is still required. The findings highlight the need for more coordinated healthcare, improved access to rehabilitation, and tailored employment protection policies.