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Pericytes (PC) are mural cells that surround endothelial cells in small blood vessels. PC have traditionally been credited with structural functions, being essential for vessel maturation and stabilization. However, an accumulating body of evidence suggests that PC also display immune properties. They can respond to a series of pro-inflammatory stimuli and are able to sense different types of danger due to their expression of functional pattern-recognition receptors, contributing to the onset of innate immune responses. In this context, PC not only secrete a variety of chemokines but also overexpress adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 involved in the control of immune cell trafficking across vessel walls. In addition to their role in innate immunity, PC are involved in adaptive immunity. It has been reported that interaction with PC anergizes T cells, which is attributed, at least in part, to the expression of PD-L1. As components of the tumor microenvironment, PC can also modulate the antitumor immune response. However, their role is complex, and further studies will be required to better understand the crosstalk of PC with immune cells in order to consider them as potential therapeutic targets. In any case, PC will be looked at with new eyes by immunologists from now on.

The costimulation of immune cells using first-generation anti-4-1BB monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has demonstrated anti-tumor activity in human trials. Further clinical development, however, is restricted by significant off-tumor toxicities associated with FcγR interactions. Here, we have designed an Fc-free tumor-targeted 4-1BB-agonistic trimerbody, 1D8 N/C EGa1, consisting of three anti-4-1BB single-chain variable fragments and three anti-EGFR single-domain antibodies positioned in an extended hexagonal conformation around the collagen XVIII homotrimerization domain. The1D8 N/C EGa1 trimerbody demonstrated high-avidity binding to 4-1BB and EGFR and a potent in vitro costimulatory capacity in the presence of EGFR. The trimerbody rapidly accumulates in EGFR-positive tumors and exhibits anti-tumor activity similar to IgG-based 4-1BB-agonistic mAbs. Importantly, treatment with 1D8 N/C EGa1 does not induce systemic inflammatory cytokine production or hepatotoxicity associated with IgG-based 4-1BB agonists. These results implicate FcγR interactions in the 4-1BB-agonist-associated immune abnormalities, and promote the use of the non-canonical antibody presented in this work for safe and effective costimulatory strategies in cancer immunotherapy. Cancer therapy using systemically administrated 4-1BB-targeting antibodies is often associated with severe toxicity due to the nonspecific activation of autoreactive T cells. Here, the authors have developed a trimeric antibody targeting both 4-1BB and EGFR, which activates T cells effectively and shows negligible cytotoxicity.

Background/Objectives: Endogenous oscillations reflect the spontaneous activity of brain networks involved in cognitive processes. In adults, endogenous activity across different bands correlates with, and can even predict, language and speech perception processing. However, it remains unclear how this activity develops in children with typical and atypical development. Methods: We investigated differences in resting-state EEG between preschoolers with developmental language disorder (DLD), their age-matched controls with typical language development (TLD), and a group of adults. Results: We observed significantly lower oscillatory power in adults than in children (p < 0.001 for all frequency bands), but no differences between the groups of children in power or hemispheric lateralisation, suggesting that oscillatory activity reflects differences in age, but not in language development. The only measure that differed between the children’s groups was theta/alpha band ratio (p = 0.004), which was significantly smaller in TLD than in DLD children, although this was an incidental finding. Behavioural results also did not fully align with previous research, as TLD children performed better in the filtered speech test (p = 0.01), but not in the speech-in-babble one, and behavioural test scores did not correlate with high-frequency oscillations, lateralisation indices, or band ratio measures. Conclusions: We discuss the suitability of these resting-state EEG measures to capture group-level differences between TLD/DLD preschoolers and the relevance of our findings for future studies investigating neural markers of typical and atypical language development.

[...]we believe that the greatest risk lies in that evidence obtained under high variable control may lead to models that do not reflect natural brain functioning. [...]this statement leaves considerable room for interpretation (Holleman et al., 2020). [...]it is important to emphasize that for an experiment to be ecologically valid, it is not necessary to recreate “real life” in the laboratory, but rather capture the necessary features for the conclusions of the experiment to be extrapolated to the phenomenon studied. The opportunity presented requires considering the fundamental characteristics of the phenomenon we want to study. Since these characteristics depend on each question, first we must identify the phenomenon and determine the essential elements of it. In practice, applying all these features would be a huge challenge, as it would be extremely difficult analyzing these results. [...]there is a tradeoff between the degree of ecological validity and the control over our variables.

Background: About 15 million people suffer a stroke each year, of which 10–15% occur in people under 50 years of age. The clinical management of neurological disorders depends on reliable diagnostic tools to identify impairments and aid in the early and accurate detection of disease. The objective of this study is to present a systematic review protocol for identifying the scientific evidence on the use of tele-assessment compared with in-person assessment delivery by physiotherapists for stroke patients. This protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (CRD42024613552). Methods: Original studies of any design in which physiotherapy tele-assessment using videoconferencing compared with face-to-face assessment for patients with stroke conditions will be included. The research will be carried out in PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database), and NICE. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Quality Appraisal Tool for studies of diagnostic Reliability (QAREL) and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS). Results: The screening, selection, and analysis process will be conducted by two independent researchers and reviewed by a third evaluator to resolve any potential disagreements. The feasibility of conducting a meta-analysis for quantitative data will be evaluated based on the homogeneity analysis of the selected studies. Conclusions: We hope that this systematic review protocol will provide scientific evidence for tele-assessment as a physiotherapeutic assessment strategy for stroke patients and that it will be available as a complementary tool to face-to-face physiotherapeutic assessments for specific situations.

We have recently described the response of human brain pericytes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4). However, Gram‐negative pathogen‐associated molecular patterns include not only LPS but also peptidoglycan (PGN). Given that the presence of co‐purified PGN in the LPS preparation previously used could not be ruled out, we decided to analyse the expression of the intracellular PGN receptors NOD1 and NOD2 in HBP and compare the responses to their cognate agonists and ultrapure LPS. Our findings show for the first time that NOD1 is expressed in pericytes, whereas NOD2 expression is barely detectable. The NOD1 agonist C12‐iE‐DAP induced IL6 and IL8 gene expression by pericytes as well as release of cytokines into culture supernatant. Moreover, we demonstrated the synergistic effects of NOD1 and TLR4 agonists on the induction of IL8. Using NOD1 silencing in HBP, we showed a requirement for C12‐iE‐DAP‐dependent signalling. Finally, we could discriminate NOD1 and TLR4 pathways in pericytes by pharmacological targeting of RIPK2, a kinase involved in NOD1 but not in TLR4 signalling cascade. p38 MAPK and NF‐κB appear to be downstream mediators in the NOD1 pathway. In summary, these results indicate that pericytes can sense Gram‐negative bacterial products by both NOD1 and TLR4 receptors, acting through distinct pathways. This provides new insight about how brain pericytes participate in the inflammatory response and may have implications for disease management.

This study investigated consumer perceptions of raw cashew nuts from two different private labels (private label A, PLA, and private label B, PLB), employing a combination of explicit (sensory analysis) and implicit (consumer neuroscience) methods. The objective was to analyse both conscious and unconscious responses to understand consumer preferences. Participants (n = 80) evaluated the samples, with electroencephalography (EEG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) as implicit methods, and hedonic scales, JAR scales, and the EsSense25 questionnaire used for explicit evaluations. The results revealed a clear preference for PLB, supported by higher global hedonic scores and a significant majority (65%) choosing PLB over PLA. EEG metrics calculated for participants’ valence, frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) for flavour indicated greater activity in the left frontal lobe for PLB, associated with positive emotions. Task engagement (TE) measurements revealed higher engagement with PLB during flavour evaluation. Penalty analysis identified that PLA was mainly penalised for a “too weak” aroma and flavour. The EsSense25 analysis showed that cashew consumption evoked predominantly positive emotions such as “pleasant”, “satisfied”, and “calm”. In conclusion, the combination of implicit and explicit methods provided a comprehensive understanding of consumer preferences, highlighting the value of both approaches and the importance of sensory attributes in driving the overall liking of raw cashews. The findings have implications for product optimisation, market segmentation, and the development of marketing strategies in the cashew industry.

El artículo presenta las reflexiones sobre la formación en Trabajo Social realizadas por docentes, estudiantes y egresados del programa de Trabajo Social de la Corporación Universitaria Rafael Núñez, campus Cartagena y Barranquilla, a la luz del proceso desarrollado por la Comisión de Actualización de Criterios de Formación en Trabajo Social del Consejo Nacional para la Educación en Trabajo Social (Conets) y en el marco de la construcción participativa local, regional y nacional de lineamientos para la formación profesional, desarrollada entre 2020 a 2022. Se presentan para ello los antecedentes históricos y gremiales del Conets, los referentes conceptuales y las tendencias en Latinoamérica que sustentan la pluralidad en la formación profesional, el proceso de elaboración de lineamientos curriculares para la formación en Trabajo Social en Colombia y la metodología desarrollada en la Corporación Universitaria Rafael Núñez. Además, se abordan los aportes referidos al proceso de formación a partir del planteamiento de tres preguntas orientadoras de acuerdo con los temas centrales apropiados en la formación profesional, su pertinencia en relación con el contexto actual, la profesión y la formación en Trabajo Social, además de otras temáticas conexas. The article presents the reflections on Social Work training carried out by teachers, students and graduates of the Social Work program of the Corporación Universitaria Rafael Núñez, Cartagena and Barranquilla campus, in the process developed by the Commission for Training Update Criteria in Social Work of the National Council for Education in Social Work (conets) and in the framework of the participatory construction at the local, regional, and national level of guidelines for professional training developed between 2020 to 2022. To do so is presented the historical and union background of the conets, the conceptual references and trends in Latin America that support plurality in professional training, the process of developing curricular guidelines for training in Social Work in Colombia and the methodology developed at the Corporación Universitaria Rafael Núñez.  Also, we engage the contributions referred to the training process based on the formulation of three guiding questions aligned with: the appropriate central topics in professional training, its relevance in relation to the actual context, and the profession and training in Social Work besides other relevant topics. O artigo apresenta as reflexões sobre a formação em Serviço Social realizada por professores, alunos e graduados do programa de Serviço Social da Corporaçión Universitária Rafael Núñez, campus Cartagena e Barranquilla, no processo desenvolvido pela Comissão de Atualização de Critérios de Formação em Serviço Social da Conselho Nacional de Educação em Serviço Social (conets, pela sigla em espanhol), no âmbito da construção participativa a nível local, regional e nacional de diretrizes para a formação profissional desenvolvidas entre 2020 a 2022 Para tanto, serão considerados os antecedentes históricos e sindicais do conets , as referências conceituais e tendências do Serviço Social latino-americano que sustentam a pluralidade na formação profissional, o processo de desenvolvimento de diretrizes curriculares para a formação em Serviço Social na Colômbia e a metodologia desenvolvida na Corporação Universitária Rafael Núñez. Além disso, as contribuições referidas ao processo formativo a partir da formulação de três questões norteadoras a partir dos temas centrais apropriados na formação profissional, a relevância dos temas abordados em relação ao contexto atual, o profissão e formação em Serviço Social e demais temas desenvolvidos na formação em Serviço Social.

A unique phenotype of S. aureus called S. aureus small-colony variants (SA-SCVs) are a consequential contributor to multiple infectious processes. SA-SCVs are distinguishable from wild-type S. aureus (WT-SA) by their small size, slowed growth rate, and altered biochemical reactions; these changes make SA-SCV more difficult to detect from clinical specimens using routine diagnostics. While the clinical environment of chronic wound infections has the potential to stimulate the production of SA-SCVs, studies investigating detection of SA-SCVs in chronic wounds have not been previously conducted. Chronic wound specimens found to harbor S. aureus via qPCR screening, and screened for recent aminoglycoside treatment and/or co-infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were collected from a specialty wound care clinic in April 2019. In-house enrichment methods alongside culture-dependent and independent diagnostics were utilized to recover and identify SA-SCVs from these chronic wounds. Our investigation determined difficulties in recovering and identifying SA-SCVs during routine diagnostic procedures, and the potential clinical impact of wounds harboring SA-SCVs related to antimicrobial susceptibility.

This review summarizes research data on SARS-CoV-2 in water environments. A literature survey was conducted using the electronic databases Science Direct, Scopus, and Springer. This complete research included and discussed relevant studies that involve the (1) introduction, (2) definition and features of coronavirus, (2.1) structure and classification, (3) effects on public health, (4) transmission, (5) detection methods, (6) impact of COVID-19 on the water sector (drinking water, cycle water, surface water, wastewater), (6.5) wastewater treatment, and (7) future trends. The results show contamination of clean water sources, and community drinking water is vulnerable. Additionally, there is evidence that sputum, feces, and urine contain SARS-CoV-2, which can maintain its viability in sewage and the urban-rural water cycle to move towards seawater or freshwater; thus, the risk associated with contracting COVID-19 from contact with untreated water or inadequately treated wastewater is high. Moreover, viral loads have been detected in surface water, although the risk is lower for countries that efficiently treat their wastewater. Further investigation is immediately required to determine the persistence and mobility of SARS-CoV-2 in polluted water and sewage as well as the possible potential of disease transmission via drinking water. Conventional wastewater treatment systems have been shown to be effective in removing the virus, which plays an important role in pandemic control. Monitoring of this virus in water is extremely important as it can provide information on the prevalence and distribution of the COVID-19 pandemic in different communities as well as possible infection dynamics to prevent future outbreaks.