BACKGROUND: During the natural history, the incidence HTLV-1 related diseases were 0.5% until 10% after decades of infection. Despite relative low lethality, previous study observed that HTLV-1 infection is associated with significantly increased mortality. For example, the incidence of ATLL and HAM/TSP, co-infections with HIV and HCV, parasitic co-infection with Strongyloides stercoralis may increase morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: Determine the mortality rate and its major variables as possible risk factors, analyzing the HTLV Clinic at Emilio Ribas Institute, a continuous open cohort of HTLV patients since 1997. METHODS: This cohort open cohort possesses new patients added at a rate of approximately 50 patients/year. There were 1100 HTLV-infected subjects identified by September 30th 2018. All clinical data including clinical and laboratory data, which have been updated on a regular basis over the last 22 years, were entered into a specific REDCap database. The Ethical Board of the IIER approved the protocol. RESULTS: Along 22 years of clinical care in the HTLV-out clinic, 727 HTLV-1-infected subjects and 248 HAM/TSP cases. Four-hundred sixty-eight patients of whom remaining under active follow up. The mean follow-up time of the cohort was 12 years. Twenty-seven patients died (median age of 51,5 years old). From this total, 13 was asymptomatic carriers and 14 HAM/TSP subjects, 12 of asymptomatic and seven HAM/TSP possess co-infected with HIV or/and HCV. Other seven presented HAM/TSP without co-infection, and all was female, and sepsis was the majority cases the majority of cases of sepsis were related to infection of the urinary tract (p=0.058) and to ulcers of decubitus (p=0.021), and it was associated with risk factors for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the mortality rate for HAM-TSP patients was six percent. The mean life expectancy in Brazil is about 78 years in 2018, twenty-two years higher than HAM/TSP patients without any other coinfection. This study highlights the possibility of higher death risk among HTLV-1-infected patients and HAM/TSP subjects in Brazil, and identified some risk factors for this outcome. Also, these patients may possess higher risk for morbidity, usually urinary tract infections and decubitus scars, which could increase risk for death.

Iberian ham, a traditional Spanish meat product, is renowned for its unique nutritional and sensory attributes, garnering widespread appreciation both domestically and internationally [1]. It is one of the most outstanding Spanish gastronomic treasures, with very special nutritional and sensory properties that make it highly appreciated throughout the world [2]. Recent trends indicate a notable surge in its consumption, a pattern projected to persist [3]. For an enhanced online shopping experience, understanding the specific characteristics and requirements of various consumer segments is crucial. This study aims to scrutinize national Iberian ham consumption patterns and, through survey methodologies, discern the preferences and needs of online consumers purchasing whole Iberian hams. The subsequent cluster analysis will empower suppliers with insights to pinpoint business prospects and craft segment-specific online marketing strategies.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a slowly progressive spinal cord disorder with no effective treatment. There is much of interest in developing potential biomarkers for predicting the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP disorder. This study used Illumina massive parallel sequencing (MPS) technology to assess the cellular global noncoding RNAome expression profile in HAM/TSP patients (n = 10), asymptomatic HTLV-1 infected carriers (ASP, n = 8), and a second group of healthy controls (n = 5). Using various bioinformatics tools, the sRNA MPS reads were aligned, annotated, and profiled. There were 251 known and 50 potential novel sRNAs among the 402 detected sRNAs in the HAM and ASP groups versus the HC group. Sixty-eight known sRNAs were found to be significantly different between the ASP and HAM groups. In HAM vs ASP subjects, 88 mature miRNAs were downregulated. Three of these miRs (hsa-miR-185-5p, 32-5p, and 192-5p) have the potential to be used as biomarkers for predicting the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP. The top seven deregulated miRS target genes were linked to a variety of biological processes and molecular functions. Relevant reactome pathways to our findings provide a rich source of data and an opportunity to further understand sRNA regulation and function in HTLV-1 pathophysiology.

Background: Diets based on meat products are not recommended in the case of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, some foods, as those containing high oleic acid and a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio show anti-inflammatory properties. The objective here is to test if some traditional cured meat products, as acorn-fed ham (high levels of oleic acid), may be useful for controlling inflammatory diseases as UC in animal models. Methods: 3 rat cohorts have been used: vegetable rat feed, control ham and acorn-fed ham (a traditional ham where high oleic acid concentration from acorns is storage in the muscle fat). UC was induced with DSS in drinking water ad libitum for one week. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and 16S rRNA from bacterial populations were analyzed in cecum samples. Colon samples were analyzed for histological parameters (inflammatory cell density, mucosa damages, myeloperoxidase). Results: In the acorn-fed ham cohort, a protective effect was observed with respect to UC disease activity index, inflammatory cells density, colon mucosa alterations, myeloperoxidase levels, blood total antioxidant capacity and lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, in comparison with feed cohort. Both ham diets caused a reduction in Firmicutes and an increase in Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria in comparison with rat feed diet. Also, acorn-fed ham diet induced changes in gut microbiota composition, with pronounced enrichments in anti-inflammatory bacterial genera such as Alistipes, Bacteroides, Blautia, Butyricimonas and Parabacteroides. Conclusions: In the acorn-fed ham cohort, as a result of the dietary intake of oleic acid and low intake of omega-6 fatty acids, a strong preventive effect against UC symptoms was observed, indicating a valuable effect of this traditional Mediterranean cured meat product.