Background: The concept of Quality of Work Life (QWL) has been built multidimensionally through social reproduction; it is impacted by the perceptions of each individual and by the relationship between workers and the work environment. Objective: to analyze the Work Process and QWL of assisting nurses in public health. Methods: Research in a critical paradigm, descriptive, exploratory with a qualitative approach. The population corresponds to Nurses who work in care work. Semi-structured guiding questions were applied and were analyzed with content analysis. Results: seven participants declared female; all Chilean; seven are young adults; six singles; only one has children, and one has a person dependent on her care; six are heads of household, and five receive help with housework. All have a nursing degree, five have a diploma, but none have a postgraduate. Work Process has three subcategories: work object, instrument, organization, and work conditions; the QWL category has six subcategories: definition and perception of QWL, QWL potentiating factors, QWL exhausting factors, QWL improvement strategies, the emotional burden associated with QWL, and Health problems. Conclusions: In this way, the lifestyle built by the assistance in the health area has repercussions on the quality of life and health in general.

Little research has been done on occupational health ramifications of informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling work, which is increasingly common in low- and middle-income countries, and very little is known about this in high-income countries. Our study evaluated informal and formal e-waste recycling workers in Chile, which was recently recognized as a high-income country. In 2017 we recruited 78 informal recycling workers from two cities, and 15 formal e-waste recycling workers from one recycling facility. Participants completed a questionnaire and health assessment regarding their involvement in, and potential impacts of, e-waste recycling, among other measures. Participants were primarily male, middle-aged, married with children, and had worked in e-waste recycling for an average of 12 years. Participants generally reported good health status, and chronic disease prevalence was similar to the national prevalence. Workers commonly reported exposures to several occupational stressors, including mental health stressors and noise, as well as insufficient income. Occupational injuries were common and use of safety equipment was low. No significant differences were found between informal and formal workers. Informal e-waste workers in Chile face occupational health challenges. The extent to which these issues impact the health of informal Chilean e-waste workers is unclear and warrants further research.

Access to medicines is one of the essential problems in Public Health of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines access to medicines as the possibility of "having continuously accessible and affordable medicines in public or private health facilities that are within a kilometer of the place of residence." Access to medicines, as defined by the WHO, is not fully guaranteed in many LMICs and even in many regions of high-resource countries. The WHO identifies several factors as determinants of limitations in the access to medicines: rational selection, affordable prices, sustainable financing, and reliable health services. The action on these factors makes it possible to improve universal access to medicines with consequent improvement in Public Health. Adequate access to antibiotics and vaccination will avoid a large part of the deaths caused by infectious diseases in the LMICs. However, the emergence of resistance and the difficulties in vaccination campaigns due to socio-political or cultural problems make it challenging to fight many easily treatable infectious diseases. The use and abuse of antibiotics are inevitably associated with the appearance of resistances that make them ineffective. Thus, whereas limited access to antibiotics raises mortality rates from infectious diseases, generalized open access to them ends up eliminating their clinical value. Moreover, the contraction of research in this field for many years has reduced the success in discovering new drugs. Additionally, local market regulations, inadequate selection, inaccessible prices, especially for those of second and third-generation, inefficient health systems, and difficulties of administration and control of prescription compliance, especially in the case of combined therapies, are additional obstacles to universal access to antibiotics. In order to simultaneously improve access to antibiotics and keep resistances under control, it is necessary to develop training and education activities at different social levels (from patients to various Health Care Providers) to complement the national or supranational strategic plans.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus forced many individuals to confront their mortality and worry about losing loved ones also because social distancing policies often made it impossible to say goodbye. Those not directly experiencing loss were inundated with information about COVID-19-related deaths through various media, leading to vicarious grief. This study aims to explore the long-term effects of direct and vicarious mourning on people's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 171 adults (65% female) aged 19 to 66 years (mean age = 25.8, SD = 8.57) voluntarily participated in an online survey assessing self-reported psychological measures of complicated grief, anxiety, stress, depression, dispositional neuroticism, and situational anxiety using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. MANOVA tests revealed that individuals experiencing direct mourning had extremely severe scores for anxiety, stress, and fear of COVID-19, while those without personal losses had moderate scores. Participants reporting high media exposure had higher scores for depression and stress. In line with Terror Management Theory, the study supported that people during the COVID-19 pandemic engaged more in proximal defenses than distal ones, taking health-protective measures, experiencing increased anxiety levels toward SARS-CoV-2 infection, and feeling more distressed. Additionally, vicarious mourning was more strongly associated with depression due to emotional empathy with others. The discussion also addresses the strengths and limitations of the study.

Uterine Tumor Resembling Ovarian Sex Cord Stromal Tumor (UTROSCT) is a rare uterine mesenchymal neoplasm, which resembles ovarian sex cord tumors of the ovary. Although, in general, UTROSCT exhibits benign behavior with a favorable prognosis, this neoplasm is nonetheless classified as being of an uncertain ma-lignant potential, given its low rate of recurrence and the fact that it rarely pro-duces metastases (lymph nodes, epiploic appendix, omentum, small bowel, subcutaneous, lungs). Its histogenesis too is uncertain. Typically, UTROSCT oc-curs in peri-menopausal or menopausal women but can sometimes be observed in young women. Usually, this neoplasm can be found in the uterine corpus as a nodular intramural lesion, less frequently submucosal, subserosal or poly-poid/intracavitary. UTROSCT can cause abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, enlarged uterus, mass sensation, but sometimes it is found purely by chance. This neo-plasm can be considered polyphenotypic on morphological, immunohistochem-ical, and genetic analyses. Generally, on microscopic examination, UTROSCT shows a predominant pattern of the cords, nests, and trabeculae typical of sex cord tumors of the ovary while, immunohistochemically, it is characterized by a co-expression of epithelial, smooth muscle, and sex cord markers. The aim of this review is to report clinical and pathological data and genetic alterations to estab-lish its impact on the prognosis and management of patients affected by this rare entity.

Objective: Despite increasing interest in understanding factors influencing awareness, knowledge, and acceptability of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine among Latino parents to date, limited information is available specific to Latino fathers living in the United States. Methods: This descriptive qualitative study explored Latino fathers’ awareness, knowledge, and acceptability of the HPV vaccine for their adolescent children. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a hybrid method of thematic analysis that incorporated deductive and inductive approaches. Results: Nineteen, majority foreign-born Latino fathers (63.2%; n = 12) fathers of male and female adolescents participated in the study. Four main themes and two subthemes emerged from the analyses. Results found fathers’ low awareness and knowledge of HPV and the HPV vaccine. Results also identified fathers’ positive attitude toward vaccines in general. Moreover, results revealed fathers’ trust in healthcare providers. This trust translated into an increased willingness to vaccinate their children against HPV if recommended by their child’s primary healthcare provider. Conclusion: Findings indicate the need for increased efforts to raise awareness and knowledge among Latino fathers of HPV and the HPV vaccine. In addition, findings underscore the critical role of healthcare providers’ recommendation of the HPV vaccine. Given the limited research focused on Latino fathers, this study’s findings are valuable in building a knowledge foundation needed for developing future studies and interventions to promote the HPV vaccine by targeting Latino fathers living in the United States. Future research should quantify Latino fathers' awareness, knowledge, and acceptability of the HPV vaccine for their children, and preferences for educational interventions to promote HPV vaccination.

Mesothelin is a protein that is expressed in the mesothelial cell lining in the pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium. The gene of mesothelin encodes a precursor protein that is processed to yield mesothelin, which is attached to the cell membrane by a glycophosphatidylinositol linkage and a shred fragment named the megakaryocytic-potentiating factor. The biological functions of this substance in normal cells are still unknown. Experimental studies on knockout mice suggest that this substance does not play an important role in development and reproduction. In contrast, it has been observed that mesothelin is produced in abnormal amounts in several malignant neoplasms, such as mesotheliomas and pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Given that mesothelin is overexpressed in many solid tumours and has antigenic properties, this molecule could be considered a tumour marker or an antigenic target for many malignancies. Many molecular studies also have demonstrated that mesothelin is overexpressed in serous ovarian carcinomas and may bind to ovarian cancer antigen Ca-125, favouring the spread of the tumour in the abdominal cavity. 3 Here, we discuss the current knowledge of mesothelin and focus on its role in clinical and pathological diagnoses as well as its impact on the prognosis in serous ovarian carcinomas. We also briefly discuss the latest progress of mesothelin-targeting therapies for this aggressive and lethal neoplasm.

Roller milling of sorghum and quinoa seeds into flour fractions (course, middle, and fine) was investigated, chemically analysed and applied in the baking of gluten-free sourdough bread. Gap settings were adjusted to 0, 5, 8 and 10 for quinoa and 3, 5, and 7 for sorghum. The fine fractions reached values of up to about 41% (gap 8) for quinoa and around 20% for sorghum (gap 5). SEM pictographs illustrated clear separation of each fraction with chemical analysis showing high contents of protein, TDF (total dietary fibre) and IDF (insoluble dietary fibre) in the course fraction. Up to 77% starch content was obtained in the fine fraction with significant amounts of SDF (soluble dietary fibre) which has good health benefits. Increasing the dough moisture up to 90% helped in decreasing the bread crumb firmness, while low Avrami parameters and RVA pasting behaviour indicated slow bread staling rate for both sourdough breads.

This study analyzes the academic performance of students from an official school in Bogotá (Colombia) who had asymmetric access to Information and Communication Technologies during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Classical Linear Regression Model is employed using data from a survey of a representative group of students in the year 2020. Results show technological gaps between students that are associated with asymmetric academic performance against students with limited or null access to the Internet and electronic devices. Results also show that, among students with permanent access to the Internet, women have better scores compared to men’s scores, which implies that women can achieve better academic results than men in virtual education. It is also noted that the sole access to an electronic device does not guarantee good academic achievements if there is no full access to the Internet, and if ICT-use skills have not been developed.

The indole-3-pyruvic acid pathway is the major route for auxin biosynthesis in higher plants. Tryptophan aminotransferases (TAA1/TAR) and members of the YUCCA family of flavin-containing monooxygenases catalyze the conversion of L-tryptophan via indole-3-pyruvic acid into indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). It has been described that locally produced jasmonic acid (JA) in response to mechanical wounding, triggers de novo-formation of IAA through the induction of two YUCCA genes, YUC8 and YUC9. Here, we report the direct involvement of a small number of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors of the MYC family in this process. We show that the JA-mediated regulation of YUC8 and YUC9 gene expression depends on the abundance of MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4. In support of this observation, seedlings of myc knockout mutants displayed a strongly reduced response to JA-mediated IAA formation. In addition, transactivation assays provided experimental evidence for the binding of the MYC transcription factors to a particular tandem G-box motif abundant in the promoter regions of YUC8 and YUC9, but not in those of the other YUCCA genes. Moreover, we clearly demonstrate that YUC8ox and YUC9ox overexpressing plants show less damage after spider mite infestation, thereby underlining a role of auxin in plant responses toward biotic stress cues.

Cumulus parameterization schemes model the subgrid-scale effects of moist convection, affecting the prognostic of cloud formation, rainfall, energy levels reaching the surface, and air quality. Working with a spatial resolution of 1 km, we studied the influence of cumulus parameterization schemes coded in the Weather Research & Forecasting with Chemistry Version 3.2 (WRF-Chem 3.2) for atmospheric modeling in Cuenca, an Andean city of Southern Ecuador (2500 masl), during September 2014. For assessing the performance, we used meteorological records from the urban area and stations located mainly over the Cordillera, with heights above 3000 masl, and air quality records from the urban area. Firstly, we did not use any cumulus parameterization (0 No Cumulus). Then we considered four schemes: 1 Kain-Fritsch, 2 Betts-Miller-Janjic, 3 Grell-Devenyi, and 4 Grell-3 Ensemble. On average, the 0 No Cumulus option was better for modeling meteorological variables over the urban area, capturing 66.5% of records and being the best for precipitation (77.8%). However, 1 Kaint-Fritsch was better for temperature (78.7%) and 3 Grell-Devenyi for wind speed (77.0%) and wind direction (37.9%). All the options provided acceptable and comparable performances for modeling short-term and long-term air quality variables. The results suggested that using no cumulus scheme could be beneficial for holistically modeling meteorological and air quality variables in the urban area. However, all the options, including deactivating the cumulus scheme, overestimated the total amount of precipitation over the Cordillera, implying that its modeling needs to be improved, particularly for studies on water supply and hydrological management. New WRF-Chem versions and microphysics parameterization, the other component directly related to cloud and rainfall processes, must be assessed.

Cyberaggression is an important problem today; it can affect adolescents in different ways. Therefore, reliable and valid measures are necessary to better study the phenomenon. The aim of the present study was to generate validity and reliability evidence for a Spanish-language cyberaggression scale in a population of adolescents from northwestern Mexico. The results of this study contribute to the research and focus on cyberaggression in adolescents in Mexico. The measure in this article differs from other measures by detecting the different roles, including the bystander, contributing to the state of knowledge about cyberaggression, ratifying the presence of this actor that has not been sufficiently explored in the cyber context.

Background: Very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) is associated with improvement of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. We aimed to evaluate the effects of VLCKD in patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) as adjunctive therapy to treatment for primary disease. Methods: We evaluated clinical, hormonal and metabolic parameters in 15 patients with CD and 15 controls at baseline and after 1 week and 3 weeks of VLCKD and further 2 weeks of low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (LCKD). Results: After 5 weeks of diet a significant decrease in BMI (p=0.002), waist circumference (WC) (p=0.024), systolic (p=0.015) and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.005), ACTH (p=0.026), cortisone (p=0.025), total (p=0.006) and LDL cholesterol (p=0.017), triglycerides (p=0.016), alkaline phosphatase (p=0.008) and a significant increase in HDL cholesterol (p=0.017), vitamin D (p=0.015) and oral disposition index (Dio)(p=0.004) was observed in CD. A significant decrease in BMI (p=0.003), WC (p=0.002), systolic (p=0.025) and diastolic (p=0.007) blood pressure and total cholesterol (p=0.026) and increase in HDL cholesterol (p=0.001) and DIo (p<0.001) was observed in controls. Conclusions: The current study confirms that ketogenic diet is effective in improving metabolic disorders and shows that a nutritional approach may be combined with conventional CD therapy in order to improve metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities.

Keywords: Cocoa value chain; Fair trade; Chocolate; Sustainable development; SDGs

This document makes a comprehensive analysis of the inequality of the water market in Chile, measured by the Gini coefficient method. The situation of water rights in Chile is of particular interest because it is a completely privatized system, where rights are traded in the market and therefore water is presented as a commodity. This privatization of water in Chile occurred as part of the process of neoliberalization since the 1981 Water Code. The results of this study indicate that both the concentration and the inequality in the distribution of water rights is very high. It proposes a profound revision of applying a mercantile logic to a scarce basic resource for life such as water and exploring the importance of its role as a national good for public use.

In recent years the yield of fruits and vegetables have been decreasing in Colombia, threatening national food security. Analysis of crop production data may lead to identifying cropping systems that have shown better adaptability to changes in climatic and non-climatic factors associated with agricultural production. The open database AGRONET keeps data of the agricultural activities conducted in Colombia, allowing to find the information organized by crops, regions and years; each row of the database registers farm information in Colombia. Aiming to identify resilient crops systems, agricultural data of fruits and vegetables were analyzed. First, trends in crop production were studied by year and locations, detecting the regions and crops with highest yields in the period from 2006 until 2020. Then, mixed linear regression and principal components analysis were applied to elucidate the relation between non-climatic factors and crop yield. In Colombia, vegetable production was more efficient than fruits, observing yields of 10.23 and 13.33 t ha^-1, respectively. On the other hand, the Colombian central region showed high yields for vegetables, while for fruits this was exhibited in northern and eastern locations. In the present study, yield variation responded to changes in the location of crop systems, while years had no effect on vegetable production. Furthermore, the price of the agricultural product and the cost of fertilizers were associated with the yield of the analyzed crops systems. In Colombia, carrot, cabbage, tomato papaya and pineapple are resilient crops whose yield increases especially by the regions where they are cultivated.

Due to pollution and environmental deterioration, man needed to find other alternatives as energy sources, including biomass. (1) Background: The present research was conducted to evaluate the sugarcane cutting residue; this type of biomass has no use and can be burned to obtain energy. (2) Methods: Through the elaboration of pellets and, in turn, reduce the environmental impact of flora and fauna in crops, for the characterization, the raw material was subjected for the first time to physical treatment such as cleaning, drying, grinding, and sieving so that have the optimal characteristics to be used in the pelleting stage. Then a proximal analysis was conducted based on the ASTM -3172-89 Standard and the determination of the calorific value using the ASTM D-240 Standard. Likewise, the pellets were analyzed in their final stage. This method analyzes the parameters of moisture content, volatile material, ashes, and fixed carbon. (3) Results: It was obtained as a result that for the raw material, the % H=3.543, %MV=86.53, %Cz=6.939, %Cf= 2.987 and Pc= 15.702 KJ/Kg; and for the elaboration of the pellets it was carried out using the mixing proportion, 53% SAR with 47% binder, this was determined using the proximal analysis and the determination of the calorific value, from which the results of % H=5,768 were obtained., %MV=82.313, %Cz=6.376, %Cf= 5.543 and Pc= 15.635 KJ/Kg. (4) Conclusions: In other words, sugarcane cutting residues meet the physicochemical properties to be used as raw material in producing solid biofuel.

The management of waste cooking oil (WCO) often poses significant challenges. Improper disposal of WCO results in negative environmental impacts and economic losses. However, from a circular economy perspective, WCO can be recycled and used as a sustainable feedstock for numerous industrial products, replacing virgin vegetable oils. This approach enables the recovery of resources while simultaneously addressing the problem of WCO disposal. By employing a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach, the study assesses three alternative recycling pathways for WCO used as a feedstock in the production of A1) biodiesel, A2) biolubricant, and A3) biosurfactant. The aim is to identify the optimal alternative, taking into account environmental, economic, and technical factors. The procedure involved a team of chemical engineers working in the WCO recycling sector who were selected as decision-makers. The 'priority scale' combined with the Paired Comparison Technique was employed as a weighting method to evaluate the selected criteria. The results revealed that the decision-makers considered environmental sustainability as the most crucial evaluation criterion, followed by the economic criterion. In contrast, the aspect of process management was deemed less significant. Among the compared alternatives, utilizing WCO as a feedstock for biosurfactant production was assessed as the optimal WCO recycling solution. This alternative not only demonstrated the lowest coefficient variation but was also deemed the most favourable option. Biolubricant production was determined to be the second-best alternative. The adopted MCDA approach proved to be a reliable and effective tool, enabling the clear identification of the preferred WCO recycling alternative among those assessed. This was achieved through the utilization of the decision-makers' expertise and knowledge.

Undisturbed ground temperature (UGT), thermal conductivity (TC) and heat capacity (HC) are essential parameters for the design of borehole heat exchanger (BHE) and borehole thermal energy storage systems. However, field methods to assess the thermal state and properties of the sub-surface are costly and time consuming. Moreover, HC is often not evaluated but arbitrarily selected from literature considering the geological materials intercepted by boreholes. Therefore, this work aims at proposing a field heat tracing method to infer the thermal diffusivity (TD) and HC with assumption of natural transient heat conduction in the subsurface. Empirical equations were developed to reproduce a UGT profile measured along a BHE. Experimental coefficients are found with a non-linear least square solver optimization and used to calculate the damping depth and TD. Subsequently, the TD is used to evaluate HC considering TC obtained from a thermal response test (TRT). Results from this proposed heat tracing method were verified and validated against a set of TRT results and oscillatory TRT analysis using a field dual probe concept to infer HC. The example here described highlights the advantages and novelty of this fast and simple field method relying only on a single UGT profile measured before a TRT.

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are distributed and transferred among the four major environmental compartments (air, water, soil, and biota) and have been already found in humans, making crucial to develop remediation technologies to tackle this kind pollution. Photocatalysis can be used to eliminate MPs present in contaminated wastewater effluents before their discharge into waterbodies. In this work, several green TiO2-based semiconductors were prepared using the extrapallial fluid (EPF) of Mytilus edulis sea water mussels as doping precursor. The semiconductors were then used as films or powders to photocatalytically degrade polystyrene (PS) NPs and MPs and polyethylene (PE) MPs. It was found that the obtention of green TiO2-based semiconductors with good characteristics for photocatalytic purposes (anatase crystalline phase, presence of porosity, activity in visible light and high surface area) seems not enough to achieve high degradation efficiency. The operational conditions of the reaction system should be also taken into account. For instance, the convenience of using semiconductors in the form of films can be overcome by their limited exposed surface area or the null adsorption of the semiconductor in the MPs particles. Additionally, crystallinity of the semiconductor can be a more determinant factor to take into account when performing photocatalysis of MPs.

The Self-determination theory and The Vallerand's Hierarchical Model has been studied with different types of social factors that can bring different consequences. The purpose of this work was if responsibility and social climate could predict the social and prosocial behaviors and vio-lence. For this, 429 students (M = 11.46, SD = 1.92) participated in this study answering a ques-tionnaire with five variables: school climate, responsibility, motivation, satisfaction of psycholog-ical needs, prosocial and antisocial behaviors and violence. The main results saw that the most part of variables were correlated positive and directly except with antisocial behaviors and vio-lence. On the other hand, prediction model (X2 = 584.145 (98); RMSEA = 0.104 [90% CI = 0.096, 0.112]; TLI = 0.849; CFI = 0.894) showed that responsibility and school climate can predict psy-chological basic needs and these needs, can improve the autonomous motivation and finally have positive consequences improving prosocial behaviors and reducing antisocial behaviors and vio-lence. In conclusion, school climate and responsibility can improve positive consequences to the classroom, specifically, prosocial behaviors and reducing violence and antisocial behaviors.

Starting from the environmental issues related to global warming, climate change and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, this review paper describes how CO₂ recycling can represent a challenging strategy suitable to explore new concepts and opportunities for catalytic and industrial development. In this view, the production of dimethyl ether (DME) from catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ appears as a viable technology, able to meet also the ever-increasing need for alternative environmentally-friendly fuels and energy carriers. Basic considerations on thermodynamic aspects controlling DME production from CO₂ are presented, then summarizing the main catalytic systems developed in such a field. Special attention is paid on the role assumed during last years by zeolite-based systems, either in the methanol-to-DME dehydration step or in the one-pot CO₂-to-DME hydrogenation. On the whole, the productivity of DME results significantly to be dependent on several catalyst features, linked not only to the metal-oxide phase responsible for CO₂ activation/hydrogenation, but also to specific properties of the zeolites (i.e., topology, porosity, surface area, acidity, interaction with active metals, distributions of metal particles, …) influencing activity and stability of hybridized bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts.

The length of time it takes to experimentally make one-sided choppers, as found in the fossil record, bears a linear relationship to the knapping process of fabricating them. In addition, this temporal frame appears to be related to human heart rates measured as beats per minute, which act as a physiological metronome. We achieved these observations assuming that any paleolithic one-sided chopper has the information needed to estimate quantitatively the number of strikes on it. The experimental data allow us to establish the total timing needed for the standard fabricating of any one-sided chopper. We discuss issues derived from these experimental results, showing the evolution of human neurological abilities from 2.4 million years ago to the Modern period through the duration of time needed for making one chopper to that needed to play a 19th-century music score on a piano. Given that the neuronal and physiological distance between both actions differs by a factor of 6, we propose the concept of “technome” to measure human evolution by using methodological homogeneous metrics applied to these two human technologic objects, the chopper and the piano.

Clean production of renewable fuels is a great challenge of our scientific community. Iridium complexes have demonstrated a superior catalytic activity in the water oxidation (WO) reaction, which is a crucial step in water splitting process. Herein we have used a defective zirconium MOF with UiO-66 structure as support of a highly active Ir complex based on EDTA with formula [Ir(HEDTA)Cl]Na. The defects are induced by the partial substitution of tereftalic acid with smaller formiate groups. Anchoring of the complex occurs through a post-synthetic exchange of formiate anions, coordinated at the zirconium clusters of the MOF, with the free carboxylate group of the [Ir(HEDTA)Cl]-complex. The modified material was tested as heterogenous catalyst for the WO reaction by using Cerium Ammonium Nitrate as sacrificial agent. Although TOF and TON values are comparable to those of other iridium heterogenized catalysts, the MOF exhibits iridium leaching not limited at the first catalytic run, as usually observed, suggesting a lack of stability of the hybrid system under strong oxidative conditions.

Animal welfare assessment protocols are important for identifying welfare problems in conservation programs. This study aimed to develop a baseline welfare protocol for the assessment of welfare in huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in conservation centers. This protocol is based on the Welfare Quality® (WQ) framework for cattle, considering the available literature on the behaviours, ecology, conservation plans, captive management of this species, and welfare assessment protocols for other ungulate species. As a result, the protocol was specifically developed for huemuls and included four principles, 12 criteria, and 23 animal- and resource-based indicators. The 12 criteria of the WQ protocol were reduced to nine, and three new criteria were added because they were both feasible and essential for welfare assessment in captive huemuls. This protocol is mainly intended to identify welfare problems in endangered species in the context of conservation centers (reproduction, rescue, rehabilitation, or treatment centers). Thus, aggregation of different measures to obtain a global score has not been proposed. However, a scoring system that assigns a value on a 0-2 scale (0= No welfare concern; 1= welfare concern; 2= urgent welfare concern) is proposed for each category. Although further research is still needed to fully validate the protocol, this is the first development of a completed protocol for huemul welfare assessment.

The multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens belonging to the Candida haemulonii complex and the phylogenetically related species Candida auris are well-known for causing infections that are difficult to treat due to their multidrug-resistance profile. C. auris is even more worrisome due to its ability to cause outbreaks in healthcare settings. These emerging yeasts produce a wide range of virulence factors that facilitate the development of the infectious process. In recent years, the aggregative phenotype has been receiving attention, as it is mainly associated with defects in cellular division and its possible involvement in helping the fungus to escape from host immune responses. In this study, we initially investigated the aggregation ability of 18 clinical isolates belonging to the C. haemulonii species complex and C. auris. Subsequently, we evaluated the effects of physicochemical factors on the fungal aggregation competence. The results demonstrated that cell aggregation was a typically time-dependent event, in which almost all studied fungal isolates exhibited high aggregation after 2 h of incubation at 37°C. The aggregation was not impacted by pH, temperature, -mercaptoethanol (a protein-denaturing agent) and EDTA (a chelator agent). Conversely, proteinase K, trypsin and sodium dodecyl sulfate significantly diminished the aggregation. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the aggregation ability in these opportunistic yeast pathogens is time-dependent, and surface proteins and hydrophobic interactions seem to mediate cell aggregation, since the presence of proteases and anionic detergent affected the aggregation ability. However, further studies are necessary to better elucidate this phenomenon.

The resistance of Candida spp to fluconazole is a serious problem; Therefore, it must be investigated to expand the understanding of the phenomenon with a view to its clinical applicability. The aim was to evaluate the expression of ERG3, ERG11, CDR1, and SNQ2 genes involving computational analysis. Relative expression was quantified by RT-qPCR. Metrics were obtained by molecular docking and through Fisher's discriminant functions, a predictive classification against susceptibility to fluconazole was performed. The expression of ERG3, CDR1, and SNQ2 genes was higher in resistant strains than in dose-dependent sensitive strains. The gene with the highest expression in strains exposed to fluconazole was CDR1 and, in both resistant and dose-dependent sensitive strains exposed to fluconazole, the ERG11 gene had lower expression. The molecular docking model generated lower median fluconazole-ERG11 contacts than the median fluconazole-ERG3, -CDR1, and -SNQ2 contacts. The predicted classification through the multivariate model for fluconazole sensitivity obtained an accuracy of 73.5%. Resistant strains had a significant expression of CDR1, SNQ2 and ERG3 genes, compared to a comparatively low expression of ERG11. Molecular analysis identified a low affinity between fluconazole and its drug target, which may explain a lower intrinsic susceptibility of the fungus.

(1) E-governance is defined as the application of electronic means in the interaction between government and citizens and government and business, as well as in internal government operations to simplify and improve democratic, governmental, and business aspects of governance. Thus, e-governance is built from a paradigmatic dimension such as e-democracy (relationship between government and citizens) and an operational one such as e-government. The objective was to design and validate an instrument to measure e-governance based on three factors: a) e-administration, b) e-services, and c) e-democracy; (2) Methods: Based on the level of importance given to each factor (sample of 2042 Latin American citizens), as well as the relationships between them, an analysis of the importance of each factor is carried out; (3) Results: After the confirmatory analysis, the definitive instrument with which e-governance can be measured by other researchers and future research is obtained, considering the three selection factors, namely: e-administration, e-services and e-democracy; (4) Conclusions: This research contributes to political science through the design and validation of an instrument consisting of 39 items that can be used to measure e-governance according to the dimensions proposed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of inactivating Salmonella enteritidis in fresh chicken breast by irradiation using a combination of short-wave UV (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 J / cm2) and a natural antimicrobial such as caffeine (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 nM/g) as alternative proposals to conventional techniques to reduce pathogens in food. The temperatures used were from 2 to 22°C. The most suitable models were double Weibull in 60% of cases with an adjustment of R2 0.9903-0.9553 and Weibull + cola, in 46.67%, with an adjustment of R2 of 0.9998-0.9981. Noting that the most effective combination in the reduction of Salmonella was 12 J/cm2 of UV light and 15 nM/g of caffeine, with a reduction of 6 CFU/g and an inactivation rate of 0.72. The synergistic effect was observed by increasing caffeine and UV light. Furthermore, the physic-chemical characteristics of the food matrix were not affected by the combination of both technologies. Therefore, these results suggest that this combination can be used in the food industry to effectively inactivate Salmonella enteritidis, without deteriorating product quality.

The procedures for the extraction and separation of lipids and nutraceutics from microalgae using classic solvents have been used many times. However, these production methods usually require expensive and toxic solvents. Based on our studies involving the use of eco-sustainable methodologies and alternative solvents, we select ethanol (EtOH) and cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) for extracting bio-oil and lipids from algae. Different percentage of EtOH in CPME favors the production of an oil rich of SFA useful to production biofuel or rich of compounds bioactive. The proposed method for obtain a rich extract of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids from dry algal biomass is disclosed is eco-friendly and allows a good extraction yield. The method is compared both in extracted oil percentage yield and in extracted fatty acids selectivity to extraction by supercritical carbon dioxide.

Transitional waters are fragile ecosystems with high ecological values, representing the breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species. They deserve particular concern for protection, undergoing numerous threats from anthropogenic nature. The present review aims to analyze the recent literature on Aphanius fasciatus, nowadays considered one of the most strictly estuarine-dependent fish species, and as such affected by the degradation of lagoon habitats, and to discuss its suitability as sentinel species of the quality of transitional water environments. The analysis and discussion highlight the potential applicability of the molecular, cellular, and physiological responses of this species as diagnostic tools for detecting the subtle effects induced by environmental pollution on the biota in transitional water environments. Moreover, the suitability of the responses of this species is suggested in the wider framework of the One Health Perspective which considers human and animal health and the environmental state highly interconnected, sharing common aspects. To date, omics technologies show very great potential in reacquiring novel knowledge on the responses of the organisms to environmental changes and to the alterations of the environmental health status. Therefore, considering the relevant potential of this species as sentinel species, many efforts are needed in the next future to improve the quantity and quality of the -omics tools that refer to A. fasciatus.

This review summarizes the use of CRISPR system in yeasts, identifying advantages and disadvantages of its applications. 39 articles were evaluated including 12 articles that discussed the advantages of new CRISPR systems that improved the initial system, and another 27 were evaluated, among these: three were applications in Cryptococcus neoformans, four in candida sp., three in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, nine in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, four in Yarrowia lipolytica, and four in industrially important yeasts such as Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces pastorianus. It was concluded that the CRISPR system is one of the most versatile genetic editing systems available nowadays. It can be applied in different organisms for several effects including gene knock-outs, performing point mutations, gene expression, or even applying multiple edition operations in several genes. However, we recognize that numerous studies lack a control group of the mutated strains, which leaves many questions unanswered. For instance, the extent and precision of this techniques, it also represents a risk to biosecurity standards. Therefore, this review shows the compilation of CRISPR system information, which could be used to generate different alternatives in the industry and clinical fields.

Euschistus heros (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is one of the main pests of soybean. Egg parasitoids such as Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) can be highly effective in attacking E. heros eggs, preventing the establishment at levels of economic damage. This study evaluated two re-lease methods of T. podisi in soybean. The treatments compared results from release of T. podisi adults fed with honey in cardboard capsules and the release of pupae in bulk. Four aerial releas-es per area were carried out via drone (7,500 females/ha) distributed at 10 points. The population density of E. heros, productivity and reproductive aspects of soybean were evaluated. Total pop-ulation of E. heros was lower in adult release treatment and male population was lower with pupae release. Thousand grain weight had higher values in fed adults treatments compared to release of pupae and control. Number of damage grains was lower in both release treatments compared with the control area. Therefore, the use of biological control with inundative release of T. podisi, regardless of the release method, is recommended within IPM programs, supporting production parameters and benefiting the sustainability of the agroecosystem.

Background - Mandibular flexion (MF) is a complex biomechanical phenomenon, which involves a deformation of the mandible, due mainly to the contraction of the masticatory muscles, and can have numerous clinical effects. The main aim of the current systematic review is to highlight the different factors that can increase MF, to help clinicians, identify patients to whom they should pay more attention. As a secondary outcome, we wanted to analyze the preventive measures and suitable techniques to be adopted to minimize the negative effects of this phenomenon on oral fixed rehabilitations. Methods - The review, which was carried out in accordance with the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) flowchart, was recorded in the “International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews” (PROSPERO). As research questions, “Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes” (PICO) questions were employed. Using the ROBINS-I technique, the risk of bias in non-randomized clinical studies was evaluated. Results - The initial electronic search identified over 1300 potential articles, of which 54 studies were included in this systematic review. Information regarding the relationship between MF and individual factors, mandibular movements, impression-taking and fixed rehabilitations were obtained. Conclusions – The studies included in this systematic review showed that MF is greater during protrusive movements, in the posterior areas of the lower jaw, and in patients with brachial facial type, greater jaw length, small gonial angle and less density, length and bone surface of the symphysis. The biomechanical effects of mandibular flexion on fixed restorations are debated. Prospective clinical and radiological observational studies should be conducted to evaluate the potential short-, medium- and long-term consequences of MF.

Background: Coffee is the second most popular drink in the worldwide, and it has different components with antioxidant and antitumor properties. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between coffee consumption and the incidence and mortality of stomach cancer in the main consuming countries. Methods: An observational study was performed. Dataset of coffee consumption was obtained from WorldAtlas, and incidence and mortality rates from GLOBOCAN database. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated. All statistical analysis were performed using STATA software. Results: A total of 25 countries were included in the study. There was a significant linear correlation between coffee consumption kg per person per year and an estimated age-adjusted incidence (r=0.5984, p=0.0016) and mortality (r=0.5877, p=0.0020). Conclusion: Coffee consumption could potentially have beneficial effects on incidence and mortality by stomach cancer.

Late type II endoleak (T2EL) arising from internal iliac artery (IIA) network may occur after endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of aortoiliac aneurysm and may require embolization if sac enlargement is demonstrated. When direct antegrade access to ipsilateral IIA is not achievable due to previous vessel coverage and/or embolization, access to the nidus can be challenging. We report a case of T2EL originating from IIA network causing iliac sac enlargement in a patient previously treated by EVAR for artoiliac aneurysm with IIA embolization and coverage, in which embolization of the nidus was performed through a percutaneous sheathless access to ip-silateral superior gluteal artery (SGA). A literature review dealing with all cases of percutaneous direct SGA access for retrograde embolization of T2EL arising from IIA after previous EVAR is also reported. The research was conducted on Pubmed database using keywords “superior glu-teal artery access,” “transgluteal embolization” and “retrograde embolization for type II endo-leak”. Related articles and references were screened for suitable articles.

OBJETIVES: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of collapse of the health system created great difficulties. We will demonstrate that Intermediate Respiratory Care Units (IRCU) provide adequate management of patients with non-invasive respiratory support, which is particularly important in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. METHODS: A prospective observational study of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU of a tertiary hospital. Sociodemographic data, comorbidities, pharmacological, respiratory support, laboratory and blood gas variables were collected. The overall cost of the unit was subsequently analyzed. RESULTS: 991 patients were admitted, 56 to the IRCU (of the 81 a critical care unit). Mean age was 65 years (SD 12.8), Barthel Index 75 (SD 8.3), Charlson 3.1 (SD 2.2), HTN 27%, COPD 89% and obesity 24%. Significant relationship (p <0.05) with higher mortality of the following: fever greater than or equal to 39oC [OR 5.6; 95% CI (1.2-2.7); p = 0.020], protocolized pharmacological treatment [OR 0.3; 95% CI (0.1-0.9); p = 0.023] and IOI [OR 3.7; 95% CI (1.1-12.3); p = 0.025]. NIMV showed less of a negative impact [OR 1.8; 95% CI (0.4-8.4); p = 0.423] than IOI. The total cost of the IRCUs amounted to €66,233. The cost per day of stay in the IRCU was €164 per patient. The total cost avoided was €214,865. CONCLUSION: The pandemic has highlighted the importance of IRCUs in facilitating the management of a high patient volume. The treatment carried out in IRCUs is effective and efficient, reducing both admissions to and stays in the ICU.

Urbanization has impacted biodiversity and ecosystems at a global scale. At the same time, it has been recognized as a driver of the gap between humans and nature. The lack of direct contact with nature can deteriorate several aspects of human wellbeing, and change knowledge and attitudes of people towards the environment. However, this phenomenon is still poorly understood in Megacities outside developed countries. Here, we explore the relationship between ecological knowledge and self-reported wellbeing in an important urban park in Santiago, Chile. We conducted semi-structured surveys to park users to explore their notions, preferences, ecological knowledge of plants and birds and self-reported wellbeing. Citizens associated urban parks mainly with “nature”, and particularly with the presence of trees and plants. Trees were recognized as the most relevant elements of urban parks, in turn, birds were ranked as the less relevant. Regarding ecological knowledge, respondents correctly identified an average of 2.01 plants and 2.44 birds out of a total of 10 for each taxon, and exotic species were more likely to be recognized. Park users also reported high scores for self-reported wellbeing. Interestingly, variance of self-reported wellbeing scores tended to increase at low levels of ecological knowledge of trees, but no significant relationship was detected with knowledge of birds, nor native species. These results suggest that parks can positively contribute to bring people closer to nature. Ecological knowledge was related to self-reported wellbeing. Improving ecological knowledge can be critical to restore the relationship between humans and nature in megacities.

The use of interleaving material with viscoelastic properties is one of the most effective solutions to improve the damping capacity of CFRP laminates. Improving composite damping without threatening mechanical performance is challenging and the use of nanomaterials should lead to the target. In this paper, the effect of a nanostructured interlayer based on Graphite Nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the damping capacity and fracture toughness of CFRP laminates has been investigated. High-content GNP/Epoxy (70wt/30wt) coating was sprayed on the surface of CF/Epoxy prepregs at two different areal weight (10 and 40 g/m2) and incorporated at the middle-plane of a CFRP laminate. The effect of the GNP areal weight on viscoelastic and the mechanical behaviour of the laminates was investigated. Coupons with low-areal weight GNP interlayer showed a 25% increase in damping capacity with a trivial reduction of the elastic modulus. Moreover, a reduction in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and fracture toughness (both mode I and mode II) was observed in the composites with GNPs interlayer. GNPs alignment and degree of compaction reached during process were found as key parameters on material performances. By increasing the areal weight a mitigation on the mechanical performances drop was achieved (-15%).

Renewable energy technologies (RET) are critical to the sustainable development of modern societies. Hong Kong has set up a RET theme park so as to fulfill the needs of and impart knowledge on RET through entertainment and educational activities. Such understanding aids in formulating appropriate future park designs and neuromarketing strategies to maximize the attractiveness of the park. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate potential visitors’ preferences with regard to cartoon characters in the RET theme park, especially for student groups to meet the “edutainment” theme of the park. A total of 400 people have participated in this study. Findings indicate that Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck show a high degree of likeness of presence in the RET theme park.

Background: Myeloid sarcoma (MS), also known as granulocytic sarcoma or chloroma, is a rare disease entity characterized by the emergence of an extramedullary tumour which may be antecedent, coexisting or manifest secondarily to an ongoing malignancy of lymphoid origin. Owing to its low prevalence, scientific reports addressing this matter comprise mainly retrospective studies with a limited number of participants, rather low-quality research and only few case reports. Despite MS’s rarity, the need for enhancing diagnostic tools and refinement of therapeutic regimens is broadly recognised among physicians. Case summary: In this case series, we present the clinical histories of two patients diagnosed with MS. The former (Case 1) exhibited MS of the sternum alongside chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), while in case of the latter (Case 2) MS was the initial manifestation of a current acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Regardless of treatment institution comprising chemotherapy (CHTH) and radiotherapy (RT), the patient afflicted by CML did eventually pass due to cardiorespiratory insufficiency secondary to an infection, whereas the second one is in clinical remission up to this date, that is 16 months since MS had been diagnosed. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of previously reported cases was conducted which involves MS in patients with AML and CML. Conclusion: The objective of this report is to emphasize the heterogeneity among the clinical manifestations of MS, to underline the relevance of histopathological and molecular diagnostic tools in opting for the appropriate therapy and that, in spite of it occurring rather uncommonly, physicians should think of MS in presence of pathological masses in patients under risk of hematological malignancies.

The core components of regenerative medicine are stem cells with high self-renewal and tissue regeneration potentials. Adult stem cells can be obtained from many organs and tissues. NANOG, SOX2 and OCT4 represent the core regulatory network that suppresses differentiation-associated genes, maintaining the pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells. The roles of NANOG in maintaining self-renewal and undifferentiated status of adult stem cells are still not perfectly established. In this study we define the effects of downregulation of NANOG in maintaining self-renewal and undifferentiated state in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from subcutaneous adipose tissue (hASCs). hASCs were expanded and transfected in vitro with short hairpin Lentivirus targeting NANOG. Gene suppressions were achieved at both transcript and proteome levels. The effect of NANOG knockdown on proliferation after 10 passages and on the cell cycle was evaluated by proliferation assay, colony forming unit (CFU), qRT-PCR and cell cycle analysis by flow-cytometry. Moreover, NANOG involvement in differentiation ability was evaluated. We report that downregulation of NANOG revealed a decrease in the proliferation and differentiation rate, inducing cell cycle arrest by increasing p27/CDKN1B (Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B) and p21/CDKN1A(Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A) through p53 and regulate DLK1/PREF1. Furthermore, NANOG induced downregulation of DNMT1, a major DNA methyltransferase responsible for maintaining methylation status during DNA replication probably involved in cell cycle regulation. Our study confirms that NANOG regulates the complex transcription network of plasticity of the cells, inducing cell cycle arrest and reducing differentiation potential.

During the last decades, the production systems have developed different strategies to increase their competitiveness in the global market. In a manufacturing and services systems, Lean Manufacturing has been consolidated through the correct implementation of its tools. The present paper presents a case study developed in a Food Packer company where a Simulation Model was considered as an alternative to reduce the waste time generated by the poor distribution of operations and transportation areas for a product within the factory. As a matter of fact, the company has detected problems on the layout distribution that prevents to fulfill the market demand. In addition, the principal aim was to create a simulation model to test different hypothetical scenarios and alternative designs for the layout distribution without modifying its facilities. Moreover, the implemented methodology was based on classical models of simulation projects and a compendium of the manufacturing systems optimization by simulation process used during the last ten years. Also, a mathematic model supported by the Promodel ® simulation software was developed considering the company characteristics; along with the model development, it was possible to compare the production system performance from the percentage of used locations, the percentage of resources utilization, the number of finished products, and the level of Work in Process (WIP). Finally, the verification and validation stages were performed before running the scenarios in the real production area. The results generated by the implementation of the project represent an increase of 68% in the production capacity and a reduction of 5% in the WIP. In addition, both outcomes are associated with the resources management, which were reassigned to other production areas.

A canine population’s immune resistance to canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus (CPV), and infectious hepatitis virus (CAV-1) was evaluated. In this study, a total of 112 sera were analyzed. Animals were considered as vaccinated if, in the last two years, they had re-ceived at least one dose of a vaccine that provides joint protection against CDV, CPV, and CAV-1. Animals that had never received any dose of these vaccines were designated as non-vaccinated. CDV, CPV, and CAV-1 antibodies were detected via a modified solid-phase enzyme-linked im-munosorbent assay (ELISA), which detects IgG antibody levels in sera and provides semi-quantitative results in less than 30 min. In total, 41.1% of the dogs had been vaccinated, and 58.9% of dogs were designated as non-vaccinated. Overall, 90.2%, 92.0%, and 78.6% of the tested dogs had positive results for the presence of IgG antibodies against CPV, CDV, and CAV-1, re-spectively. CPV antibodies were present in 93.5% (43/46) of the vaccinated and 87.9% (58/66) of the non-vaccinated dogs, while CDV antibodies were present in 95.5% (63/66) of the vaccinated and 87.0% (40/46) of the non-vaccinated dogs. Finally, CAV-1 antibodies were present in 84.8% (56/66) of the vaccinated and of 69.6% (32/46) the non-vaccinated dogs.

While the number of publications on wine and health is steadily increasing, ranging from molecular level to epidemiological studies, often with contradictory results, little attention has been given to an holistic approach. In this review some unusual concepts are considered, such as phytocomplex, vehicle and the Matrix effect. As an example, three mono/polyphenols present in wine, Tyrosol, Hydroxytyrosol and Resveratrol, have been selected and the consequences of respecting, disregarding or ignoring the Matrix effect are shown. Underestimation of the wine Matrix effect could lead to deceiving results, as in the case of de-alcoholized wine or wine-compound-based nutritional supplements,or in emphasizing a single component toxic activity, in this case alcohol, ignoring the specific protective action at molecular level of other compounds (polyphenols) present in the same Matrix. The dark side of Matrix effect is also discussed. It is suggested that specificity of wine should be always taken in consideration by public health Authorities.

The effect of COVID-19 confinement regulations on air quality in the northwestern Alps is here assessed based on measurements at five valley sites in different environmental contexts. Surface concentrations of nitrogen oxides, ozone, particle matter, together with size, chemical, and optical (light absorption) aerosol properties, complemented by observations along the vertical column are considered. The 2020 concentration anomalies relative to previous years’ average are compared with the output of a machine learning algorithm accounting for weather effects and a chemical transport model, their difference being within 10–20 %. Even in the relatively pristine environment of the Alps, the «lockdown effect» is well discernible, both in the early confinement phase and in late 2020, especially in NOx concentrations (NO decreasing by >80 % and NO2 by >50 %). While ozone shows little variation, secondary aerosols increase due to enhanced transport from the neighbouring Po basin and coarse particles decrease due to missing resuspension by traffic and, in the city, to the shutdown of a steel mill. The NO2 vertical column density decreases by >20 %, whereas the aerosol profile is mainly influenced by large-scale dynamics, except a shallow layer about 500 m thick possibly sensitive to curtailed surface emissions.

Premenstrual syndrome is characterized by pain and symptoms affecting the women´s quality of life. We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an oral fixed dose combination containing naproxen 220 mg + paracetamol 300 mg + pamabrom 25 mg tablet (Analgen Fem®) during the routine clinical practice. A prospective, open-label, multicenter, observational post-marketing study was conducted from December 2017 to December 2019 including 270 women older than 18 years. Primary endpoint was the proportion of adverse events, meanwhile the pain intensity, premenstrual syndrome symptoms, and patient proportion with a pain score reduction by at least 50% were secondary endpoints. The mean age of population was 28.9 ± 8.8 years. Among the 270 women, 8 (3%) experienced 10 adverse events. These were headache (5/8), gastritis (2/8) dyspepsia (1/8), diarrhea (1/8) and nausea (1/8). The investigator discontinued the study medication in 3/8 patients because of adverse events. The median of differences between the pain intensity at baseline and at last observation (-4.5, 95%CI; -5, -4) demonstrated that naproxen 220 mg + paracetamol 300 mg + pamabrom 25 mg fixed dose combination reduced pain intensity (p<0.001). In addition, the proportion of patients with pain reduction by at least 50% at the end of the treatment was 70.7%. The study demonstrated that this drug represents a safe and tolerated treatment, reducing pain intensity and premenstrual symptoms.

The objective of this work was to analyze the potential of Rhizophora mangle as a bioindicator of seven heavy metals, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Cd, in the mangrove sediments of the Navachiste lagoon complex (NAV). The concentration of trace metals (TM) in sediments and tis-sues (leaf, stembark, and root of R. mangle) were determined by digestion with nitric acid (HNO3), whereas the metal absorbance was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with an air-acetylene flame. The enrichment factor, the bioavailable fraction, the seasonal varia-tion of heavy metal concentrations and their correlation with those determined in R. mangle tissues were assessed. Metal concentrations found in sediments were as following: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cr>Ni>Cu>Cd, and for tissues: Mn>Fe>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd, and regarding the roots, the findings were as following: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd. The highest trace metal concentra-tions were correlated with silt, clay, and organic matter in sediments with basic pH. The highest salinities were found adjacent to R. mangle trees. Of all the trace metals analyzed, there was only a positive linear regression between the bioavailability of Mn in the sediment with the concen-tration of Mn in leaf tissue consistently throughout the year. The Cu bioavailability in the sedi-ment showed similar positive linear regressions except for winter, where it did not show this pattern. These results suggest that the concentrations of Mn and Cu in the R. mangle leaf could be a potential bioindicator of environmental exposure to anthropogenic sources of contamination by these trace metals in sediments

Child and adolescent sexual abuse (CSA) is an international public health problem. Despite the importance of the CSA, there is no consensus definition, and the lack of consensus is related to difficulties in conducting prevalence studies, as well as research in other areas. To establish a consensual definition, legal aspects such as the age of sexual consent and the difference in age or power between victim and aggressor, aspects related to sexual freedom and sexual indemnity must be considered. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to analyze the age of sexual consent in the legal systems of Spanish-speaking countries and to examine whether the Romeo and Juliet clause is established. To achieve the proposed aims, we employed the legal interpretation method, and we analyzed the current Criminal Codes of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. From the results, it is found that the age of sexual consent varies between countries, establishing valid sexual consent between 13 and 18 years. In addition, only six countries have the Romeo and Juliet clause that protects sexual freedom in adolescents. Finally, we discussed the lack of consensus on the age of sexual consent and the limitations presented by the Romeo and Juliet clause.

Recently the polyvalent bacteriophage FP01, isolated from wastewater in Valparaiso, Chile, was described to have lytic activity across species against Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovars. Due to it polyvalent nature the bacteriophage FP01 could have potential application in food and agri-industry. Also, fundamental aspects of polyvalent bacteriophage biology are not well known. In this study we sequenced and describe the complete genome of the polyvalent phage FP01 (MH745368) using the nanopore technology. The bacteriophage FP01 genome has a 44,900 bp, double-stranded DNA with an average G+C content of 49.41% and 90 coding sequences (CDSs). We found that the phage FP01 critically depends on host factors for replication and transcription. Also, it has a critical lysogenic repressor pseudogene. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the phage FP01 is closely related to phages lambda and P22. These results suggest that the phage FP01 could be a lytic variant of a lysogenic phage or acquired genes from lysogenic phages during host infection.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a potentially curative treatment modality, frequently applied in patients suffering from haematological malignancies. In the last two decades, there have been multiple randomised controlled trials (RCTs), review articles, and meta-analyses addressing the efficacy of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (r-ATG) as a graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. Nevertheless, only a few aimed to compare the effectiveness of different r-ATG formulations. We performed a systematic literature review of articles published since 2017 to this day utilising PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and MEDLINE, with the main endpoints being prophylaxis of acute GvHD (aGvHD) and chronic GvHD (cGvHD). We subjected to scrutiny a total of 5 studies, of which 4 compared the differences between Thymoglobulin (ATG-T) and Grafalon (ATG-G), and 1 discussed the impact of ATG-T dose. Overall cGvHD, aGvHD grades II-IV, TRM, OS, NRM, LFS, relapse, overall infections, and EBV reactivation do not seem to be affected by the type of utilised rATG. However, data on aGvHD grades III-IV, GRFS, moderate-severe cGvHD, and CMV reactivation is conflicting. Through our research, we sought to summarise the most recent findings concerning r-ATGs in allo-HCT, and provide insight into the differences between the targets and origin of various ATG formulations.

The major auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), is associated with a plethora of growth and developmental processes including embryo development, expansion growth, cambial activity, and the induction of lateral root growth. Accumulation of the auxin precursor indole-3-acetamide (IAM) induces stress related processes by stimulating abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis. How IAM signaling is controlled is, at present, unclear. Here, we characterize an ami1/rooty double mutant, that we initially generated to study the metabolic and phenotypic consequences of a genetic blockade of the indole glucosinolate and IAM pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our mass spectrometric analyses of the mutant revealed that the combination of the two mutations is not sufficient to fully prevent the conversion of IAM to IAA. The detected strong accumulation of IAM was, however, recognized to substantially impair seed development. We further show by genome-wide expression studies that the double mutant is broadly affected in its translational capacity, and that a small number of cell proliferation and plant growth regulating transcriptional circuits are repressed by the high IAM content in the seed. In accordance with the previously described growth reduction in response to elevated IAM levels, our data support the hypothesis that IAM is a growth repressing counterpart to IAA.

Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe insulin resistance, resulting in early-onset diabetes mellitus. We are reporting the first case of Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome in a Paraguayan patient. The patient is a 5-year-old girl who presented with hypertrichosis, acanthosis nigricans, and nephrocalcinosis. Genetic testing by NGS revealed two pathogenic variants in exons 2 and 18 of the INSR gene; c.332G&gt;T (p. Gly111Val) and c.3485C&gt;T (p. Ala1162Val), in combined heterozygosis. The novel INSR c. 332G&gt;T variant leads to the substitution of glycine to valine at position 111 in the protein, and multiple in silico software predicted it as pathogenic. The c. 3485C&gt;T variant leads to the substitution of alanine to valine at position 1162 in the protein previously described for insulin resistance and Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome. The management of Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome is particularly challenging in children, and the use of metformin is often limited by its side effects. The patient was managed with nutritional measures due to the early age of onset. This report expands the knowledge of Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome to the Paraguayan population and adds a novel pathogenic variant to the existing literature.

Coronaviruses are highly transmissible and pathogenic viruses for humans and animals. The vast quantity of information collected about SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic helped to unveil details on the mechanisms behind the infection, which are still largely elusive. Recent research demonstrated that different class I/II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles might define an individual susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 spreading, contributing to the differences in the distribution of the infection through different populations; additional studies suggested that the homolog of the HLA in cats, the Feline Leukocyte Antigen (FLA), plays a pivotal role in the transmission of viruses. With these premises, this study aimed to exploit a bioinformatic approach for the prediction of the transmissibility potential of two distinct Feline Coronaviruses (FCoVs) in domestic cats (Feline enteric Coronavirus, FeCV and Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus, FIPV) using SARS-CoV-2 as the reference model. We performed an epitope mapping of nonapeptides deriving from SARS-CoV-2, FeCV and FIPV glycoproteins and predicted their affinities for different alleles included in the three main loci in class I FLAs (E, H and K). The predicted complexes with the most promising affinities were then subjected to molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to provide insights into the stability and binding energies in the cleft. Results showed the FLA proteins encoded by alleles in FLA-I H (H*00501 and H*00401) and E (E*01001 and E*07001) loci are largely responsive to several epitopes deriving from replicase and spike proteins of the analyzed coronaviruses. The analysis of the most affine epitope sequences resulting from the prediction can stimulate the development of anti-FCoV immunomodulatory strategies based on peptide drugs.

In the present study, Electrocoagulated Metal Hydroxide Sludge (EMHS) was analyzed as adsorbent material to remove both fluoride ion (F-) and arsenic V (As(V)) from aqueous effluents. This material was generated during an electrocoagulation process using Aluminum anode. It was characterized by using specific surface areas and the surface morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Adsorbent fixed-beds are generally studied to remove different class of contaminants. EMHS was evaluated using a continuous flow rate column test with an experimental design. The effect of initial concentration of F- (2.5–10 mg L⁻¹) and the Empty Bed Contact Time (EBCT (0.4–0.8 min)) was studied following a central composite design methodology. The experimented parameters had a significant influence on saturation time, breakthrough volume, and breakthrough time. A response surface analysis was a tool for analyzing the adsorption study, showing interactions that are complicated to identify by others methods. The results, here reported, revealed that EMHS is an efficient and promising adsorbent material in order to remove F- and As(V) from water contaminated by these pollutants.

As Solar Photovoltaics in buildings reaches maturity, grid integration and economic yield are topics of greater interest. The traditional design of photovoltaic installations has considered the optimal orientation of photovoltaic modules to be that which yields the maximum annual energy production. The influence of the consumption patterns and the hourly-variable electricity prices implies that this traditional optimal design might not be the most profitable. Using a full-year dataset for a residential installation, alternative installations using canopies and modules attached to the façades are simulated. Simulating the energy balances for different annual consumptions, it is found that the canopy and façade installations offer better self-consumption of the PV produced energy, reflected in a 9% higher self-consumption degree using modules on façades and a 5% using canopies. The economic evaluation under the new electricity tariffs in Spain shows a better profit for PV self-consumption, reducing by more than 2 years the time of return on investment. The analysis of different alternatives for an industrial PV has allowed us to identify several benefits for these orientations, such as an increase in annual energy production of up to 59% over the optimal-producing orientation, that are confirmed after several months of operation.

Light alloys machining is a widely implemented process that have usually used in presence of cutting fluids to reduce the wear impact and increase tool life. However, current environmental protection policies require their elimination in order to improve process sustainability. This fact forces to work under aggressive cutting conditions, producing adhesion wear that affects the integrity of the part surface. This study describes cutting tool wear mechanisms in machining of UNS A92024 samples under dry cutting conditions. EDS analysis showed the different composition of the adhered layers, while roughness was also positively affected by the change of the cutting geometry produced in the tool.

Leishmaniases are zoonotic vector-borne diseases caused by a wide variety of Leishmania species with complex transmission cycles involving different reservoirs, potential new hosts and vectors. Similarly, to other eukaryotes, Leishmania use released extracellular vesicles (LEVs) to play important initial interactions that are crucial to modulate the subsequent systemic immune response on the establishment of infection in humans and other important hosts like dogs. Recent studies in endemic areas of Brazil concluded that canine infections were predominantly due to L. amazonensis and not restricted to L. infantum (syn. Leishmania chagasi). Under these premises, the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis needs to be improved, including the identification of current etiological agent, the clinical differential diagnosis and the histopathologic features. In this way, the dual aim of that study is to register collected observations for the diagnosis of natural canine infections and to insert in vitro results in the field of LEVs that still research gaps to be filled to understand the mechanisms and biological aspects involving the parasite-host interactions. Therefore, the future studies of Parasitology research for both of these fields are very important for the interventions for the prevention, control, elimination and eradication worldwide.

With the renewed interest for lunar surface exploration, the European Space Agency envisions to stimulate the creation of lunar communications and navigation services (LCNS) to enable, among others, autonomous navigation capabilities for lunar rovers. As the number of satellites foreseen in such a service is much smaller compared to Earth based global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), different complementary technologies are pursued to improve the attainable navigation accuracy for lunar rovers. One way to improve the position accuracy provided by the LCNS satellites is to constrain the vertical position using a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM). This article presents the results of a variance covariance analysis of an extended Kalman filter (EKF) implementation in which the LCNS ranging measurements are used together with DEM from the LRO LOLA instrument. Assuming a realistic orbit determination and time synchronization (ODTS) accuracy of the LCNS satellites, the usage of a navigation grade IMU and an oven controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO), a 3-sigma position accuracy of less than 10 meters can be obtained. Furthermore, the availability is substantially improved as the DEM aided solution enables a position solution in case of only 3 visible satellites.

Abstract: This work is part of the interest of solving the problems of water contamination with last generation pollutants, for which a novel and in an aqueous medium FeBTC material incorporated with magnetite nanoparticles was proposed. That material was synthesized by in situ solvothermal method, the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were added during the Fe-BTC MOF synthesis and used in the drug’s adsorption. The materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, and N2-physisorption at 77 K. Fe3O4-FeBTC material showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 357.1 mg g−1 for diclofenac sodium, 70.9 mg g−1 for naproxen sodium, and 122.9 mg g−1 for Ibuprofen. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model can describe the adsorption process, and the thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption of the three drugs was a feasible, spontaneous, and exothermic process. The incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles in the FeBTC considerably increased the adsorption capacity of pristine FeBTC. Also, hybridization of the FeBTC with magnetite nanoparticles reinforced the most vulnerable part of the MOF, increasing its thermal and aqueous media stability. The electrostatic interaction, H-bonding, and interactions in the open-metal sites played a vital role in drug adsorption. The competition of sites in the multicomponent mixture's adsorption showed selective adsorption at diclofenac sodium and naproxen sodium.

Interferons (IFNs) are cytokines involved in the immune response that act on innate and adaptive immunity. These proteins are natural cell-signaling glycoproteins expressed in response to viral infections, tumors, and biological inducers and constitute the first line of defense of vertebrates against infectious agents. They have been marketed for more than 30 years with considerable impact on the global therapeutic protein market thanks to their diversity in terms of biological activities. They have been used as single agents or with combination treatment regimens, demonstrating promising clinical results, resulting in 22 different formulations approved by regulatory agencies. The 163 clinical trials with currently active IFNs reinforce their importance as therapeutics for human health. However, their application has presented difficulties due to the molecules’ size, sensitivity to degradation, and rapid elimination from the bloodstream. For some years now, work has been underway to obtain new drug delivery systems to provide adequate therapeutic concentrations for these cytokines, decrease their toxicity and prolong their half-life in the circulation. Although different research groups have presented various formulations that encapsulate IFNs, to date, there is no formulation approved for use in humans. The current review exhibits an updated summary of all encapsulation forms presented in the scientific literature for these cytokines IFNα, IFNß, and IFNγ, from the year 1996 to the year 2021, considering parameters such as: encapsulating matrix, route of administration, and encapsulation.

Leishmania parasites are a group of kinetoplastid pathogens that cause a variety of clinical forms while maintaining cell communication by secreting extracellular vesicles. Emerging technologies have been adapted for the studies of Leishmania-host-cell interactions to enable broad scale analysis of parasite extracellular vesicles. Leishmania extracellular vesicles (LEVS) are naturally released spheroidal nanoparticles of polydispersed suspensions surrounded by a lipid layer of membrane. Although LEVs have increasingly gained in importance, much is still unexplained, including bioavailability and function in the complex molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis. Considering the importance of LEVs in the parasite-host interaction and in the parasite-parasite relationships emerged during evolution, the current review aims at giving an overview of Leishmania summarizing knowledge and formulating guidelines for LEVs research. In the end, we report, direct methods for specific isolation of LEVs from promastigotes and amastigotes culture supernatant suitable for a range of different downstream applications increasing the compatibility and reproducibility to establish optimal and comparable isolation conditions and full LEVs characterization, and crucial immunomodulatory events triggered by this important group of parasites.

Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CFS-1R) is a myeloid receptor with a crucial role in monocyte survival and differentiation. Its overexpression is associated with aggressive tumor characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment and poor prognosis. CSF-1R ligands, IL-34 and M-CSF, are produced by many cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), suggesting a key role for the receptor in the crosstalk between tumor, immune and stromal cells in the TME. Recently, CSF-1R expression was reported at the cell membrane of cancer cell from different solid tumors, capturing the interest of various research group interested in investigating the role of this receptor in non-myeloid cells. This review summarizes current data available on the expression and activity of CSF-1R in different tumor types. Notably, CSF-1R+ cancer cells have been shown to produce CSF-1R ligands, indicating that CSF-1R signaling is positively regulated in autocrine manner in cancer cells. Recent research demonstrated that CSF-1R signaling enhances cell transformation by supporting tumor cell proliferation, invasion, stemness and drug resistance. In addition, this review covers recent therapeutic strategies, including monoclonal antibodies and small molecule inhibitors, targeting the CSF-1R and designed to block the pro-oncogenic role of CSF-1R in cancer cell.

The need to recycle carbon fibre reinforced composite polymers (CFRP) has grown significantly to reduce the environmental impact generated by their production. To meet this need, thermoreversible epoxy matrices have been developed in recent years. This study investigates the performance of an epoxy vitrimer made by introducing a metal catalyst (Zn2+) and its carbon fibre composites focusing on the healing capability of the system. The dynamic crosslinking networks endow vitrimers with interesting rheological behaviour, the capability of the formulated resin (AV-5) has been assessed by creep tests. The analysis showed increased molecular mobility above a topology freezing temperature (Tv). However, the reinforcement phase inhibits the flow capability reducing the flow. The fracture behaviour of CFRP made with the vitrimeric resin has been investigated by Mode I and Mode II tests and compared with the conventional system. The repairability of the vitrimeric CFRP has been investigated by attempting to recover the delaminated samples, which yielded unsatisfactory results. Moreover, the healing efficiency of the modified epoxy composites has been assessed by using the vitrimer as an adhesive layer. The joints were able to recover about 84% of the lap shear strength of the pristine system.

Named herein “CytroCell”, the cellulosic material obtained via hydrodynamic cavitation of citrus processing waste in water is cellulose of low crystallinity, high porosity, good water holding capacity and good dispersibility in water. These properties, here demonstrated for the first time for lemon and grapefruit CytroCell, open the route to mass scale production of a useful functional material from a cheap and abundant biowaste. The process, indeed, does not require any pre-treatment of the raw material, and does not use acid, alkali, chemical oxidants or enzymes.

Various environmental, food security and population health problems seem to be related to intensive agriculture production worldwide. This type of food production system impacted the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats; high usage rates of agrochemicals and natural resources had affected soil composition, human health, and nutritional plant quality in rural areas. Intercropping agroecological systems that respect agrobiodiversity could significantly benefit ecosystems, human health, and food security by modifying the nutritional profile and the content of some health-promoting bioactive compounds of the species cultivated in this system. Research on intercropping strategies focuses on the benefits they can offer to ecosystems and less on nutrient plant composition, leaving information scattered when this theme should be more studied due to the critical impact it could provide for human nutrition. Therefore, this review aims to collect viable details on the investigation status of nutrients and bioactive compounds profile in intercropping systems by verifying different regions of the world with unique mixed crops using plant species, along with the criteria for combining them, as well as the nutrients and bioactive compounds analyzed to show what intercropping systems can contribute to food availability and quality.

Using the sustainable livelihoods analytical framework, adaptability of cattle raising to multiple stressors (e.g. climate change and market conditions) in the dry tropics of Chiapas, Mexico was evaluated. Three case studies located in the Frailesca region of Chiapas were analyzed: (I) peasant cattle raising in a rural village in the Frailesca Valley; (II) peasant cattle raising in a rural village in a natural protected area in the Frailesca Highlands; and (III) holistic cattle raising by farmers with private land ownership in the Frailesca Valley. Adaptability was evaluated using an index on a scale of one to a hundred; average values were: case I = 20.9 ± 1.4; case II = 32.1 ± 1.8; and case III = 63.6 ± 3.5. In order to increase farms adaptability and reduce the vulnerability of cattle raising families, there is a need to modify public policy to take into account the conditions of the most vulnerable farmers (cases I and II). Given the economic, environmental, and social context of Mexico´s dry tropics, establishing ecological or organic cattle raising and silvopastoral systems may reduce the vulnerability of farm families and increase their level of adaptability of their farms to multiple stressors.

Abstract Thyroid diseases have a complex and multifactorial aetiology. Despite the numerous studies on the signals referable to the malignant transition, still remain elusive the molecular mechanisms concerning the role of oxidative stress. Based on its strong oxidative power, H2O2 could be responsible for the high level of oxidative DNA damage observed in cancerous thyroid tissue and hyper-activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and PI3K/Akt, that mediate ErbB signaling. Increased levels of 8-oxoG DNA adducts have been detected in the early stages of thyroid cancer. These DNA lesions are efficiently recognized and removed by the base excision repair (BER) pathway initiated by 8-oxoG glycosylase1 (OGG1). This study investigated the relationship between the EGFR and OGG1-BER pathways and their mutual regulation following oxidative stress stimulus by H2O2 in human thyrocytes. We clarified the modulation of ErbB receptors and their downstream pathways (PI3K / Akt and MAPK / ERK) under oxidative stress (from H2O2) at the level of gene and protein expression, according to the mechanism defined in a non-pathological cell system, Nthy-ori 3-1. Later, on the basis of the obtained results of gene expression cluster analysis in normal cells, we assessed the dysregulation of the relationships in a model of papillary thyroid cancer with RET/TPC rearrangement (TPC-1). Our observations demonstrated that a H2O2 stress may induce a physiological cross-regulation between ErbB and OGG1-BER pathways in normal thyroid cells (while this is dysregulated in the TPC-1 cells. Gene expression data also delineated that MUTYH gene could play a physiological role in cross-talk between ErbB and BER pathways and this function is instead lost in cancer cells. Overall our data about OGG1 protein expression suggest that the alternative splicing mechanisms may lead to different protein isoforms, physiologically regulated in response to ErbB modulation, and that these could be dysregulated in the progression of thyroid malignancies with RET/TPC rearrangement.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia caused by both immune-mediated platelet destruction and impaired platelet production in the bone mar-row, in the absence of any other identifiable cause of low platelets count. ITP in adult patients is a disease that frequently relapses and/or becomes refractory to multiple treatments during its course, with only a small minority of adult patients attaining a sustained complete remission off-therapy. Treatment of refrac-tory ITP can be challenging, due to the unlikeliness of attaining complete response over time. On the other hand, isolated thrombocytopenia may be due to a misdiagnosed clonal myeloid disorder, such as myelodys-plastic syndrome (MDS) or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), thus mimicking ITP. We here per-form a narrative review on the association between ITP and MDS/CMML and the possibility of overlap and misdiagnosis between these conditions, while we report also the case a patient treated for a severe re-fractory thrombocytopenia which bone marrow examination led to suspect an overlap of MDS and ITP. Our clinical case describes ITP which is refractory to glucocorticoids, high-dose immunoglobulins, Rituxi-mab, splenectomy, thrombopoietin receptor agonists and Fostamatinib, that ultimately attained a short-lived response to a hypometylating agent that was initiated due to bone marrow examination that aroused the suspect of MDS.

This study scrutinizes the complexities of designing and exploring the potential energy surface (PES) of systems containing more than twenty atoms with planar tetracoordinate carbons (ptCs). To tackle this issue, we utilized an established design rule to design a Naphtho [1,2-b:4,3-b′:5,6-b′′:8,7-b′′′]tetrathiophene derivative computationally. This process began with substituting S atoms with CH– units, then replacing three sequential protons with two Si2+ units in the resultant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon polyanion. Despite not representing the global minimum, the newly designed Si8C22 system with four ptCs provided valuable insights into strategic design and PES exploration. Our results underscore the importance of employing adequate methodologies to confirm the stability of newly designed molecular structures containing planar hypercoordinate carbons.

Despite notable advancements in immunotherapy in the past decades, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains a promising, potentially curative treatment modality. Only a limited number of studies has performed a direct comparison of two prevalent rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (r-ATG) formulations — specifically, Thymoglobuline (ATG-T, formerly Genzyme) and Grafalon (ATG-G, formerly Fresenius). The primary objective of our retrospective analysis was to compare the outcomes of adult patients undergoing matched or mismatched unrelated donor (MUD/MMUD) allo-HCT, with a graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis based on either ATG-T or ATG-G. A total of 87 patients undergone allo-HCT between 2012 and 2022 were included. We observed no significant differences between ATG-T and ATG-G concerning the occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD), regardless of its severity. Conversely, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) occurred less frequently in the ATG-T group compared to ATG-G (7.5% vs. 38.3%, p=0.001). Patients treated with ATG-T manifested a higher incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivations (70% vs. 31.9%, p&lt;0.001), with a shorter time between transplant and CMV (&lt;61 days, 77.8% vs. 33.3%, p=0.008) and a higher median CMV copy number (1000 vs. 0, p=0.004). Notably, despite a higher occurrence of CMV reactivations in the ATG-T cohort, most patients were asymptomatic compared to ATG-G (85.7% vs. 43.8%, p=0.005). Finally, we observed no significant differences in terms of 5-year overall survival (OS) and 3-year probability of relapse while comparing ATG-T and ATG-G (32.0% vs 40.3%, p=0.423; 63.9% vs 55.7%, p=0.438, respectively).

Most crops are fertilized with high amounts of nitrogen, and have an alarmingly low utiliza-tion efficiency. For this reason, the coordination between the fertilizer contribution and the ni-trogen requirements of the crop is very important. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the nitrogen use efficiency, and create new NUE indices that can determine and calculate the final destination of the assimilated nitrogen, for the formation and development of green bean plant organs, fertilized with molybdenum nanofertilizer applied foliarly and combined with soil fertilization of ammonium nitrate. The plants were grown in a greenhouse covered with anti-aphid mesh and irrigated with nutrient solution. Three sources of foliar Molybdenum (Nano fertilizer, Molybdenum Chelate and Sodium Molybdate) were applied in four doses of 0, 5, 10 and 20 ppm Mo, complemented with edaphic fertilization of NH4NO3 (0, 3, 6 and 12 mM of N). As results, the NUE indices showed that with the application of the nanofertilizer, the total biomass production increased 41.65% more than with the application of the chelate, and 36.84% more than with the application of molybdate. Finally, it is con-cluded that the use of NUE indices is an important approach that evaluates the fate of nitro-gen and accurately estimates plant yield.

Monitoring and maintenance of cracked structures are generally done using structural integrity assessments. The plastic zone (PZ) crack path (CP) criteria state that a crack grows in the direction when the radius of the plastic zone ahead of the crack tip reaches a minimum value. The PZ can be evaluated using Stress intensity factors (SIF). The SIFs under mixed-mode loading were extracted from literature from three samples: two SENT samples made from polycarbonate and one modified C(T) sample made from low-carbon steel. In addition, the CP angle was evaluated for the W and R-criteria. It was found that both can predict the CP for lateral cracks in both tested materials and monotonic and cyclic load when the mode-mixity does not change considerably from one crack length to the next one or goes beyond 0.2. Moreover, the R-criterion exhibited an error as high as 1.7%, whereas the W-criterion showed a 6% error on the last crack length for the low carbon steel sample under cyclic load, which had a 100% increase in mode-mixity. Finally, the applicability of LEFM is checked, while the CP is sought by finding the size of the PZ.

With a data revolution underway for some time, there is an increasing demand for formal privacy protection mechanisms that are not so destructive. Hereof microaggregation is a popular high-utility approach designed to satisfy the popular k-anonymity criteria while applying low distortion to data. However, standard performance metrics are commonly based on mean square error, which will hardly capture the utility degradation related to a specific application domain of data. In this work, we evaluate the performance of k-anonymous microaggregation in terms of the loss in classification accuracy of the machine learned models built from perturbed data. Systematic experimentation is carried out on four microaggregation algorithms that are tested over four data sets. The empirical utility of the resulting microaggregated data is assessed using the learning algorithm that obtains the highest accuracy from original data. Validation tests are performed on a test set of non perturbed data. The results confirm k-anonymous microaggregation as a high-utility privacy mechanism in this context and distortion based on mean squared error as a poor predictor of practical utility. Finally, we corroborate the beneficial effects for empirical utility of exploiting the statistical properties of data when constructing privacy preserving algorithms.

Dental implants provide a predictable treatment option for partial and complete edentulism via the placement of fixed permanent artificial root to support prosthetic dental crowns. Despite the high survival rates, long-term implant failures are still reported leading to implant removal and additional financial and health burdens. While extrinsic factors that improve survival rate of implants have been well explored, the impact of genetic factors on this matter is poorly understood. A systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted to determine whether genetic factors contribute to increase the risk of dental implant failure. A comprehensive search for peer-reviewed articles on dental implants and genetics was performed using various literature database libraries. The study design was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, and the obtained records were registered in PROSPERO database. According to the exclusion/inclusion criteria, 11 studies were eligible for this study out of 808 articles. The meta-analysis of the combined association studies of DNA variations and dental implants did not indicate an increase risk for implant failure due to DNA variations in IL-1B, IL-10 and TNF-α. This study emphasizes the need for larger randomized controlled clinical trails to inform clinicians and patients about the role of genetic factors on dental implant survival and success rate in healthy and compromised patients.

Microfluidic systems offer precise control over physiological, biochemical, and mechanical stimuli in cell culture, allowing in vitro emulation of tissue or tumor microenvironments. This study aims to advance our understanding of tumor biology and contribute to personalized therapy development. Overcoming challenges in cell culture, including cell density and microfluidic device properties, is essential for this purpose. We designed a microfluidic system to facilitate the interaction of diverse cell lineages, incorporating human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBEC5i), glioblastoma multiforme cells (U87MG), and astrocytes (ScienceCells 1800). Post-fabrication, we assessed the system's functionality and systematically evaluated cell inoculation conditions. Photographic acquisitions comprehensively captured cell culture and their interactions. The device successfully enabled assessment of cellular proliferation, invasion, and migration, supporting the growth of monolayers and tumor organoids. Importantly, each channel demonstrated independence in study processes while allowing cellular intercommunication, both physically and biochemically. In conclusion, the functional microfluidic device facilitated the study of cell migration, tumor invasion, and organoid growth, faithfully replicating biological features observed in a tumor microenvironment. This research contributes to advancing our understanding of tumor biology for the development of personalized therapies.

Background: Community pharmacies have unparalleled potential to increase access to pre-exposure prophylaxis medications (PrEP) for HIV prevention; however, only 17 out of 50 states in the United States have statewide authority for pharmacists to provide PrEP at community pharmacies. Few studies have reported on how pharmacists overcome the legislative barrier and provide PrEP services in restrictive pharmacy prescription states. The objective of this article is to identify the existing primary literature describing pharmacist PrEP service in the community in states with restrictive prescription authority. Methods: A systemic literature review was conducted to identify primary literature that involved community pharmacy service and PrEP conducted in states that do not have expanded pharmacist prescriptive authority between 2000 and 2024. Results: Ten publications were identified describing nine studies, including four interview and survey studies, three intervention reports, and two ongoing clinical trials. None of these studies have a control group. Most pharmacists provide PrEP service in the community through a collaborative practice agreement with a primary care provider. Conclusions: Future clinical studies with randomized controlled designs are required to test novel strategies in the education and implementation of pharmacy-led PrEP services in a community pharmacy setting to increase PrEP access.

Background:Malignant pleural effusion (MPE),a frequent complication of advanced malignancies. This pilot study characterized and compared the immune landscapes of breast carcinoma (BC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) primary tumors(PTs) and their corresponding MPEs and tested the incorporation of multiplexed image technology for the study of malignant fluids. Methods: We studied the immune contexture of 6 BC and 5 LADC PT samples and their MPEs using 3 multiplex immunofluorescence panels. We explored associations between sample characteristics and pleural effusion–free survival. Results: Although we found 3 out of 11 PTs PD-L1 positive more than 1% by malignant cells, no MPE samples reached positive expression by malignant cells. In addition, CD3+ T cells and CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells predominated (median percentages for MPEs vs. PTs: 45.5% vs. 40.7% and 4.7% vs. 6.6%, respectively). In the BC samples, CD68+ macrophages predominated (median percentages for MPEs vs. PTs:61% vs. 57.1%). Generally, CD3+CD8+FOXP3+ T cells in PTs and the distances from the malignant cells to CD3+CD8+Ki67+ and CD3+PD-1+ T cells were correlated in the first event of MPE after diagnosis. Conclusions: The immune cell phenotypes in the MPEs and PTs were similar within each cancer type but were different for LADC vs. BC.MPE analysis could be used as a substitute for PT analysis, but an expanded study on this topic is essential.

During the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, several environmental factors have influenced the activities and the protection policy measures. This has had a major effect on climate change and global environmental catastrophe. In many countries, the strategy of closing various activities such as tourism, industrial production, stopped normal life, transportation, among others. This closure has a positive impact on the environment. However, the massive use of masks and personal protection could significantly increase pollution worldwide. The impact on the environment needs to be calculated to have information for public health actions. In this study, we present a first overview of the potential impacts of COVID-19 on some environmental matrices in Bogota, Colombia.

Can the type of implant rehabilitation influence peri-implant bone loss in case of full-arch mandibular prosthesis? The purpose of the study was to assess, by orthopantomograms (OPG), bone loss around implants in different types of implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitations and evaluate potential risk factors associated with the number and location of implants that may have an association with bone defect. A radiographic study was conducted on 22317 OPGs in the time range from 2010 to 2024. All OPGs with implant-supported prosthetic mandibular rehabilitations were included in the study. A total of 155 OPGs were evaluated, with peri-implant bone loss identified in 64 (41.3%). Distal implants (furthest from the center) across various positioning patterns were most susceptible to bone loss, with positions 3.6 and 4.6 demonstrating the most frequent occurrences (25 and 26 cases, respectively). χ² test revealed significant associations between both implant positioning pattern (p &lt; 0.001) and number of implants (p &lt; 0.001) with peri-implant bone loss. Also by updating the sample of OPGs, increased susceptibility to bone resorption was found for implants placed distal to the mental foramen compared to mesial ones in full-arch implant-supported fixed prostheses. Prospective clinical studies will then be useful to investigate this finding further.

A 52-y/o asymptomatic male with history of hypertension, was referred to our Heart Failure Clinic due to report of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, TTE with an increased end-diastolic thick-ness (basal inferoseptal of 23 mm, and basal anteroseptal of 21 mm). CMR demonstrated late gadolinium enhancement at the septum, anterior, inferolateral, and inferior walls with a mid-myocardial distribution, T1 mapping which reported an average T1 of 929 ms. A next-generation sequencing panel was requested. Results demonstrated hemizygosis, in the ga-lactosidase alpha gene, consistent with Fabry Disease. The replacement of the enzyme was start-ed. Extended familial genetic counseling and testing were done.

In the Emergency Department (ED), pain is one of the symptoms that is most frequently reported, making it one of the most significant issues for the emergency physician, but is frequently under treated. Intravenous (IV), oral (PO), and intramuscular (IM) delivery are the standard methods for administering acute pain relief. Firstly, we compared the safety and efficacy of IN analgesia to other conventional routes of analgesia to assess if IN analgesia may be an alternative for the management of acute pain in ED. Secondary, we analyzed the incidence and severity of adverse events (AEs) and rescue analgesia required. We performed a systematic review-based keywords in Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Controlled Trials Register finding only twenty randomized Clinical trials eligible in the timeline 1992-2022. A total of 2098 patients were analyzed and compared to intravenous analgesia showing no statistical difference in adverse effects. In addition, intranasal analgesia also has a rapid onset and quick absorption. Fentanyl and ketamine are two intranasal drugs that appear promising and may be taken simply and safely while providing effective pain relief. IN is simple to administer, non-invasive, rapid onset and quick absorption; it might be a viable choice in a variety of situations to reduce patient suffering or delays in pain management. Analgesia needs to be tailored to each patient's features and type of pain: IN Fentanyl and Ketamine look promising and may be administered easily and safely while providing effective pain relief.

Eotaxin-3 is a key chemokine with a relevant role in eosinophilic esophagitis, a rare chronic immune/antigen-mediated inflammatory disorder. Eotaxin-3 is a potent activator of eosinophil emergence and migration, which may lead to allergic airway inflammation. We investigated by bioinformatics tools the protein structure and the possible effects of the known variations reported in public databases. Following a procedure already established, we created a 3D model of the whole protein and modelled the structure of 105 protein variants due to known point mutations. The effects of the amino acid substitution at the level of impact on protein structure, stability, and possibly function, were detected by the bioinformatics procedure and described in detail. A web application was implemented to browse the results of the analysis and visualize the 3D models, with the opportunity of downloading the models and analyze by the own software. Among 105 amino acid substitutions investigated, the study evidenced in 44 cases at least one change in any of the investigated structural parameters. Other 6 variations are also relevant, although a structural effect is not detected by our analysis, because they substituted amino acids highly conserved, which suggests a possible function role. All these variations should be the object of particular attention, as they may induce loss of functionality in the protein.

Honey is a natural product that, thanks to its composition, particularly the high sugar content, is highly appreciated as an energy nourishment. In addition to sugars, it contains many other substances (carbohydrates, free amino acids, enzymatic proteins, organic acids, polyphenols) from which the therapeutic properties of honey arise: hydrating and osmotic activity, antimicrobial action, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power. The present work aims to deepen the activity of skin protection exerted by honey, as a synergic result of its multiple therapeutic effects.Moreover, the study want to find possible correlations between biological properties and chemical-physical traits of honey. To carry out this research, five varieties of citrus honey, one of acacia honey, one of chestnut honey and, finally, one of multifloral honey were used. The honeys were first characterized by chemical-physical analysis (determination of water content, sugars, amino acids, polyphenols) and then subjected to qualitative melissopalynological analysis. Tests were also carried out to evaluate both their antioxidant power and the effect on collagenase, an enzyme involved in the degradation of collagen present in the extracellular matrix and, therefore, in the processes of skin aging. Finally, they were used in in vitro experiments to assess their action in stimulating cell viability and proliferation on human keratinocytes.

Immune response stimulation may be an adjuvant to antimicrobial treatment. Here, we evaluated the impact of immune response modification by lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) combined with imipenem or ceftazidime in murine models of peritoneal sepsis (PS) and pneumonia by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Imipenem and ceftazidime-susceptible strain (Pa39), and imipenem and ceftazidime-resistant strain (Pa238) were used. Ceftazidime pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters were determined. Therapeutic efficacy, and TNF-α and IL-10 levels were determined in murine models of PS and pneumonia by Pa39 and Pa238 treated with LPC, imipenem or ceftazidime, alone or in combination. In PS model, LPC+ceftazidime reduced spleen and lungs Pa238 concentrations (-3.45 and -3.56 log10 CFU/g; P<0.05) than ceftazidime monotherapy, while LPC+imipenem maintained the imipenem efficacy (-1.66 and -1.45 log10 CFU/g; P>0.05). In pneumonia model, LPC+ceftazidime or LPC+imipenem reduced lungs Pa238 concentrations (-2.37 log10 CFU/g, P=0.1, or -1.35 log10 CFU/g, P=0.75). For Pa39 no statistically significant difference has been observed in PS and pneumonia models between combined therapy and monotherapy. Moreover, LPC+imipenem and LPC+ceftazidime decreased and increased significantly TNF-α and IL-10 levels, respectively, in comparison with untreated controls and monotherapies. These results demonstrate the impact of immune response modification by LPC plus antibiotics on the prognosis of infections by ceftazidime-resistant P. aeruginosa.

OBJETIVE: This study analyses the views of four groups of healthcare professionals who may play a role in the management of suicidal behaviour. The goal was to identify key factors for suicide prevention in different areas of the healthcare system. METHODOLOGY: Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups made up of different healthcare professionals who participated in the identification, management and prevention of suicidal behaviour. Professionals included were primary care physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists and emergency physicians. RESULTS: ‘Suicide’ was amongst the most relevant terms that came up in discussions most of the times it appeared associated with words such as ‘risk’, ‘danger’ or ‘harm’. In the analysis by categories, the four groups of professionals agreed that interventions in at-risk behaviours are first in importance. Prevention was the second main concern with greater significance among psychiatrists. DISCUSSION: Primary care professionals claim for more time to address patients at risk for suicide and an easier access to and communication with the mental health network. Emergency care professionals have a lack of awareness of their role in the detection of risk for suicide in patients who seek attention at emergency care facilities for reasons of general somatic issues. Mental health care professionals are in high demand in case of self-harm but they would like to receive specific training in dealing with g suicidal behaviour.

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary science covering matters involving nanoscale level that is being developed for a great variety of applications. Nanomedicine is one of these attractive and challenging uses focused on the employment of nanomaterials in medical applications such as drug delivery. However, the uses of these nanometric systems requires specific parameters to establish the possible advantages and disadvantages in specific applications. This review presents the fundamental factors of nanoparticles and it´s microenvironment that must be considered to make an appropriate design for medical applications: (i) Interactions between nanoparticles and their biological environment, (ii) the interaction mechanisms, (iii) and the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles. On the other hand, the repercussions of the control, alteration and modification of these parameters in the final applications. Additionally, we here briefly report the implications of nanoparticles in nanomedicine and provide perspectives for some particular applications which still are challenged

Thermal camouflage is a highly sought-after technology to increase the survivability of military equipment against infrared (IR) detectors. Recently, two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have shown low IR emissivity, widely tunable opto-electronic properties and compatibility with stealth-applications. Among them, graphene and graphene-like materials are the most attractive 2D materials used for thermal camouflage applications. In particular, in multilayer graphene (MLG) charge density can be effectively tuned through sufficiently intense electric fields or through electrolytic gating. Therefore, MLG optical properties, like infrared emissivity and absorbance, can be controlled in a wide range by voltage bias. The large emissivity modulation achievable with this material makes it suitable in the design of thermal dynamic camouflage devices. Generally, the emissivity modulation in the multilayered graphene medium is governed by an intercalation process of non-volatile ionic liquids under a voltage bias. The electrically-driven reduction of emissivity leads to a decrease in the apparent temperature of the surface, which can match that of the background enabling thermal camouflaging. Since this property is common to other graphene-based materials, here we present a review specifically focused on the recent advances in the field of the thermal camouflage properties of graphene in the form of composite film and aerogel structures. A summary of the current understanding of the working principle of thermal camouflage materials, current limitations, and future opportunities is presented and discussed.

In the aerospace sector, structural and non-structural components are usually subjected to a wide range of environmental conditions. Although lightweight, the use of composite parts for these applications is restricted, due to their poor performance in severe environmental conditions. Specifically, moisture can seriously damage the materials' performance, reducing their mechan-ical, thermal, electrical, and physical properties as well as the service time. A strategy to improve the materials’ resistance in humid environments is the use of protective lightweight barrier coatings to reduce the diffusion of gases and/or liquids in composites. Nanolamellar nanocom-posite characterized by the high in-plane orientation of nanoplatelets effectively works as barrier structures by generating tortuous paths for molecule diffusion. In this work, the effectiveness of protection against water uptake of nanocomposites reinforced with Graphite NanoPlatelets (GNPs) at high filler content (70, 80 and 90%wt) for Kevlar sandwich panels of a nacelle engine of an ATR42 aircraft has been investigated. Moisture uptake and Ground Air Ground (GAG) tests were carried out in an environmental chamber to reproduce temperature and relative humidity profiles representative of a real-scale application for a regional aircraft composite part. The high filler content of the graphene films ensures a high level of tortuosity by delaying and reducing moisture absorption by –71% compared to the unprotected panel, showing good barrier properties.

Energy homeostasis is crucial for cell fate since all cellular activities are strongly dependent on the balance between catabolic and anabolic pathways. In particular, metabolic and energetic modulation has been reported in cancer cells long time ago, but have been neglected for a long time. Instead, during the past 20 years a recovery of the study of cancer metabolism has led to better consider metabolic alterations in tumors. Cancer cells must adapt their metabolism to meet the energetic and biosynthetic demands that accompany rapid growth of the primary tumor and colonization of distinct metastatic sites. They are largely dependent on aerobic glycolysis for their energy production and also are associated with increased fatty acid synthesis and increased rates of glutamine utilization. Emerging evidence has shown that therapeutic resistance to cancer treatment may arise due to deregulation in glucose metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and glutamine utilization. Cancer cells exhibit a series of metabolic alterations induced by mutations leading to gain-of-function of oncogenes and loss-of-function of tumor suppressor genes that include increased glucose consumption, reduced mitochondrial respiration, increased reactive oxygen species generation and cell death resistance, all of which responsible for cancer progression. Cholesterol metabolism is also altered in cancer cells and supports uncontrolled cell growth. In this context, we review the roles of PPARs transcription factors, master regulators of cellular energetic metabolism, in the control and deregulation of energetic homeostasis observed in cancer. We highlight the different contribution of the different PPAR isotypes in different cancers and the differential control of their transcription in the different cancer cells.

the main objective was to determine the association between sleep hygiene and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Chilean schoolchildren from rural public schools in southern Chile. Non-experimental, analytical, cross-sectional study. A total of 265 students (56.6% women, mean age 13.5±1.8) from a rural community in southern Chile were recruited. Sleep habits were evaluated with the Life Habits and Adolescence Questionnaire, section 6: Sleep and Rest; and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed with the KIDMED Mediterranean Diet Adherence Questionnaire. Main results indicated that 52.8% of schoolchildren need to improve adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 16.6% have a low-quality Mediterranean diet. A high percentage of schoolchildren have behaviors related to poor sleep hygiene (going to bed late (46%), waking up tired and wanting to continue sleeping (63.8% and having problems falling asleep (42.6%). schoolchildren who got up after 8:30 a.m., those who fell asleep after 12:00 a.m., those who woke up tired and those who had trouble falling asleep had a lower level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet compared to schoolchildren who got up earlier 8:30 a.m., fell asleep before 12:00 a.m., did not wake up tired, and those who did not find it difficult to fall asleep, respectively. In conclusion, having poor sleep hygiene is associated with less adherence to the Mediterranean diet in schoolchildren from rural public schools in southern Chile. It is important to monitor these variables in schoolchildren, as well as to promote healthy lifestyle habits within the educational community.

Cable-Driven Parallel Robots (CDPRs) are a special kind of parallel manipulator which use cables to control the position and orientation of the mobile platform or end-effector. The usage of cables instead of rigid links offer some advantages over their conventional rigid counterparts. As cables can only pull, but not push, the number of cables (n) required to command the end-effector is always n+1. This configuration is known as fully-constrained and it is the most extended configuration for CDPRs. Although CDPRs have many advantages, such as their ability to cover large working areas, one of their main problems is that their working area (workspace) is limited in comparison to its frame area (planar case), or frame volume (spatial case), due to the minimum and maximum allowed tensions. Depending of these tensions values the workspace can be notoriously decreased. In order to tackle this problem, lots of works focus on solving kinematics or dynamics problems for cable sagging, i.e., they take into account sagging when modelling the robot kinematic and include these poses inside the usable robot workspace. Taking into account phenomenons like this increases the mathematical complexity of the problem, and much more complex techniques are required. On the other hand, the lack of workspace problem can be tackled by adding active or passive elements to the robot design. In this sense, this paper proposes two mechanical modifications: to add passive carriages to the robot frame and to use a single cable loop to command the end-effector position and orientation. This work presents the kinematic, static and dynamic models of the novel design and shows the gain of workspace for a planar case while taking into account different parameters of the robot.

Introduction:Few robust studies have analyzed association between cognitive tests and the marital status of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) group with ADNI dataset. To test the hypothesis that Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test (RAVLT) cognition performance with marital status is associated with greater odds of MCI group than either RAVLT independently, we used TADPOLE data to evaluate cross-sectional associations between RAVLT performance in immediate response, learning, forgetting, and perception of forgetting with marital status and MCI. Methods: Subjects with MCI and Normal Cognition were included. Logistic regression models indicate associations between four RAVLT subgroups (low and high performance of immediate response, immediate response with learning, performance of immediate response with learning and forgetting, performance of immediate response with learning, forgetting and perception of forgetting) and MCI group. Models adjust for age, sex, race, marital status, ethnicity, education, APOE4 genotype, hippocampus, whole-brain, ventricles and ICV. Results: The sample (n=6560) had a mean age of 77 / 67 years, 44% were female, 58% in MCI group. Only all RAVLT subgroups test with age 61 to 70(OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.15-0.45), age 71 or older(OR 0.07, 95% CI,0.04-0.12), race:black/african american(OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.03-0.52)race:more than one(OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.24), marital status:never married(OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.12-0.34). Conclusion: Studies are needed to evaluate other cognitive test with missing data within TADPOLE dataset as modifiable risk factor for MCI.

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to follow a waxing and waning course, often according to environmental stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-existing OCD symptoms were reported to increase and to change from checking to washing behaviors, while new-onset symptoms were predominantly of the hoarding type. In the present study, we followed the evolution of OCD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and insight of illness in forty-six OCD patients throughout the pandemic. Clinical measures were collected at four different time points before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Within-subject comparisons were used to compare clinical scale scores across time, and correlations were examined between patients' baseline characteristics and changes in clinical scores. We found that all clinical measures increased during the first Italian lockdown, with respect to the pre-pandemic values. Anxiety decreased during the temporary elimination of restriction provisions, whereas severity of OCD symptoms and insight returned to pre-pandemic values during the second mandatory lockdown. These results were observed only in two sub-groups of patients: those taking benzodiazepines and those with shorter illness duration. Our findings suggest the need of additional clinical attention to these specific sub-groups of OCD patients in case of particularly distressing circumstances, while pointing to a possible adaptive role of their OCD symptoms when the environment requires a higher care of hygiene and extraordinary supply of essential resources.

We investigated the biomechanical behaviour of different fixations of the tibial posterior malleolus (TPM), simulating distinct situations of involvement of the tibiotalar articular surface (TTAS) through a finite element model (FEM). A 3D computer-aided design model of the left ankle was obtained. The materials used were divided according to their characteristics into ductile and non-ductile, and all materials were assumed to be linear elastic, isotropic, and homogenous. Three different fracture lines of the TPM were defined, with sagittal angles of 10º, 25º, and 45º. For biomechanical comparison, different constructions using a trans-syndesmotic screw (TSS) only (Group T), a one-third tubular plate only with (Group PT) and without (Group PS) a TSS, and a locked compression plate with (Group LCPT) and without (Group LCPS) a TSS were tested. FEM was used to simulate the boundary conditions of vertical loading. Load application regions were selected in the direction of the 700N Z axis, 90% on the tibia and 10% on the fibula. Data on the displacement and stress in the FEM were collected, including the total principal maximum (MaxT) and total principal minimum (MinT) for non-ductile materials, total displacement (desT), localized displacement at the fragment (desL), localized displacement at syndesmosis (desS), and Von Mises equivalent stress for ductile materials. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and multiple comparison LSD tests were used. For TPM fractures with a sagittal angles 10º and 25º, desL in the PT and LCP groups was significantly lower, as well as Von Mises stress in Group LCPT in 10º, and PT and LCPT groups in 25º. TPM fractures with a sagittal angle of 45º, desL in the LCP group and Von Mises stress in Group LCPS and LCPT was significantly lower. We found that any TPM fracture may indicate instability of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, even when the fragment is small. Our study showed that in fragments involving 10% of the TTAS, the use of a TSS is sufficient, but when the involvement is greater than 25% of the TTAS, either non-locked or locked plate must be used to buttress the TPM. In posterior fragments affecting 45% or more of the TTAS, the use of a locking plate is recommended.

Background: The implementation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has brought a significant improvement in the prognosis for CML patients and a decrease in the number of patients requiring allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Nevertheless, the impact of TKIs on allo-HCT outcomes have not been thoroughly explored. Objectives: The main endpoint of our research was to assess the impact of prior TKI treatment on acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD). Methods: In our retrospective analysis we included 240 patients treated between 1993 and 2013, and divided them into 3 groups according to the therapy administered prior to matched related or matched unrelated donor allo-HCT (imatinib group n=41, dasatinib/nilotinib group n=28, TKI naïve group n=171). Results: Both the cumulative incidence of aGvHD (p=0.044) and cGvHD (p&lt;0.001) in individuals receiving second generation TKIs (2G-TKIs) prior to allo-HCT compared to patients receiving no TKIs or imatinib (IMA) (40.7% vs 61.4% vs 70.7%, p=0.044; 25.0% vs 76.4% vs 51.2%, p&lt;0.001, respectively). In case of the 2G-TKI cohort, the number of low-grade aGvHD and cGvHD was significantly lower compared to the IMA and TKI-naïve groups (p=0.018, p=0.004; p&lt;0.001 versus TKI-naïve, respectively). In terms of 3-year overall survival (OS) there were no important variations between TKI-naïve, IMA and 2G-TKI (55% vs 49.9% vs 69.6%, p=0.740). Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that TKI treatment prior to allo-HCT may have protective impact on immune-mediated outcomes.

To reduce environmental impacts from sodium silicate synthesis it was suggested the use of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) as a source of silicon dioxide and sodium carbonate using the ceramic method. Although the production of sodium silicate is carried out on a large scale, it should be noted that its process requires temperatures above 1000 °C or the use of highly corrosive agents such as sodium hydroxide and chlorine gas used to neutralize the remaining sodium hydroxide. In the present work, the synthesis temperatures were reduced to 800 °C with a reaction time of 3 hours by pressing equimolar mixtures of previously purified SCBA and sodium carbonate, then heat treatment was carried out under the indicated conditions. The resulting materials were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Among the crystalline phases, calcium disodium silicate was identified, in addition to sodium silicate, so it was inferred that the other components of the ash can interfere with the synthesis of silicate. Therefore, to obtain the highest composition of sodium silicate, a leaching treatment of the SCBA is required.

Background. It is unclear whether the use of clinical prediction rules is sufficient to rule out infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) without an echocardiogram evaluation, either transthoracic (TTE) and/or transesophageal (TEE). Our primary purpose was to test the usefulness of PREDICT, POSITIVE and VIRSTA scores to rule out IE without echocardiography. Our secondary purpose was to evaluate whether not performing an echocardiogram evaluation is associated with higher mortality. Methods. We conducted a unicentric retrospective cohort including all patients with a first SAB episode from January 2015 to December 2020. IE was defined according to modified Duke criteria. We predefined threshold cut-off points to consider that IE was ruled out by means of the mentioned scores. To assess 30-day mortality, we used a multivariable regression model considering performing an echocardiogram as covariate. Results. Out of 404 patients, IE was diagnosed in 50 (12.4%). Prevalence of IE within patients with negative PREDICT, POSITIVE and VIRSTA scores was: 3.6% (95% CI 0.1-6.9%), 4.9% (95% CI 2.2-7.7%), and 2.2% (95% CI 0.2-4.3%), respectively. Patients with negative VIRSTA and negative TTE had an IE prevalence of 0.9% (95% CI 0-2.8%). Performing an echocardiogram was independently associated with lower 30-day mortality (OR 0.24 95%CI 0.10-0.54, p=0.001). Conclusion. PREDICT and POSITIVE scores were not sufficient to rule out IE without TEE. In patients with negative VIRSTA score, it was doubtful if IE could be discarded with a negative TTE. Not performing an echocardiogram was associated with worse outcomes, which might be related to presence of occult IE. Further studies are needed to assess the usefulness of clinical prediction rules in avoiding echocardiographic evaluation in SAB patients.

Bicuspid aortic valve(BAV) is a common congenital heart defect often associated with ascending aorta dilation. Current guidelines suggest surgical intervention for diameters ≥45mm in conjunction with surgical aortic valve replacement(SAVR). However, the optimal management of ascending aortas measuring 40-44mm remains controversial. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the evolution of aortic diameter in patients with BAV and ascending aorta diameters between 40 and 44 mm undergoing AVR, assessing whether a conservative approach is justified. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study, analyzing 88 BAV patients who underwent SAVR between January 2012 and December 2018. Patients were divided into two groups based on preoperative ascending aorta diameters: &lt;40 mm (Group 1, n=15) and ≥40 and &lt;45 mm (Group 2, n=11). Follow-up of at least 5 years included aortic dilation rates, survival, and reoperation rates. Results: No significant differences were observed in aortic dilation between the two groups during follow-up, with overall annual dilation rates of 0.2±0.07mm/year. Survival rates were 86.3% for Group 1 and 81.9% for Group 2, with no reoperations required in either group. Conclusions: Patients with BAV and ascending aorta diameters of 40-44 mm do not require prophylactic aortic replacement during AVR, provided they undergo regular follow-up. These findings support current guidelines advocating conservative management for ascending aorta diameters in this range. However, in younger patients or those nearing the 45 mm threshold, surgical replacement may still be considered to preempt future complications.

Natural products have a significant role in the development of new drugs, being relevant the pentacyclic triterpenes extracted from Olea europaea. Anticancer effect of uvaol, a natural triterpene, has been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to understand the anticancer mechanism of uvaol in HepG2 cell line. Cytotoxicity results showed a selectivity effect of uvaol with higher influence in HepG2 than WRL68 cells used as control. Uvaol presented anti-migratory capacity in HepG2, supported by the morphological changes and higher HSP-60 expression. This compound also induced arrest in G0/G1 phase and an increase in apoptosis rate. These results are supported by decreased Bcl-2 expression and down-regulation of AKT/PI3K signaling pathway. A reduction in reactive oxygen species levels in HepG2 cells was observed. Altogether, results showed anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect of uvaol on hepatocellular carcinoma, constituting an interesting challenge in the development of new treatments against this type of cancer.