Search

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the association between body shape index (ABSI) and arterial stiffness in healthy subjects using data from the EVasCu study. In addition, a meta-analysis was performed to compare the association between ABSI and central, peripheral and systemic arterial stiffness in the general population. Methods: The EVasCu study included 390 healthy subjects. ABSI was calculated from waist circumference, body mass index and height, and arterial stiffness was assessed with aortic pulse wave velocity (a-PWv) and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). A meta-analysis of previous studies, including data from the EVasCu study, was performed to obtain pooled estimates of correlation coefficients (r) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association between ABSI and central, peripheral and systemic arterial stiffness. In addition, pooled OR estimates and their 95% CIs were calculated. Results: In the EVasCu study, the correlation coefficient estimate was 0.458 (p< 0.01) for the association of a-PWv and ABSI and 0.408 (p< 0.01) for the association of CAVI and ABSI. In the meta-analysis, the pooled correlation coefficient estimate was 0.22 (95% CIs: 0.16, 0.28) for central arterial stiffness and ABSI, 0.21 (95% CIs: 0.14, 0.28) for peripheral arterial stiffness and ABSI, and 0.28 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.3) for systemic arterial stiffness and ABSI. When pooled ORs were calculated, the pooled OR estimate was 2.12 (95% CIs: 1.68, 2.56) for central arterial stiffness and ABSI, 2.21 (95% CIs: 1.81, 2.60) for peripheral arterial stiffness and ABSI, and 2.99 (95% CIs: 2.14, 3.85) for systemic arterial stiffness and ABSI. Conclusion: Based on both the results obtained in the EVasCu study and the meta-analysis, there is a positive association between ABSI and arterial stiffness, both in healthy subjects and in participants with comorbidities. For each unit of cm/kg/m²/m increase in ABSI, the risk of arterial stiffness increased by 112% for central arterial stiffness, 121% for peripheral arterial stiffness, and 199% for systemic arterial stiffness. However, further research is needed in this field of knowledge.

Virtually transparent photocatalytic multilayer films composed of TiO2nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes were built on model surfaces using layer-by-layer assembly and investigated as photocatalytic nanoporous coatings. Formic acid (HCOOH) and Escherichia coliwere used as models for the degradation of gaseous pollutants and for studying antibacterial properties. Positively charged TiO2nanoparticles were coassembled with negatively charged poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (NaPSS) which leads to highly transparent nanoscale coatings in which the content of TiO2particles is controlled mainly by the number of deposition cycles and the enhanced translucency with respect to titania powders is likely due to the presence of the polyelectrolytes in the interstitial space between the particles. Build-up and structural properties of the films were determined by ellipsometry, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D, with dissipation monitoring), and UV–vis spectrophotometry in transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Complementary photophysical and activity tests of (PSS/TiO2)nmultilayer films were performed in the gas-phase under UV-A light and revealed a peculiar dependence on the number of layer pairs (LPs), corresponding to a clear deviation from the usual observations in photocatalysis with increasing TiO2amounts. Most notably, a single LP film showed a strongly enhanced HCOOH mineralization and outperformed films with a higher number of LPs, with respect to the quantity of TiO2catalyst present in the films. It is believed that the high quantum yield (8.1%) of a coating consisting of a single TiO2layer which is 6–7 times higher than that of a 6–10 LP film could be due to the optimum accessibility of the TiO2crystallites toward both HCOOH and water molecules. In thicker films, while no detrimental light screening was observed with increasing the number of LPs, diffusion phenomena could cap the efficiency of the access of the pollutant and water to the catalytic surface. Unlike for HCOOH mineralization, three PSS/TiO2LPs were required for observing a maximum antibacterial activity of the nanocomposite coatings. This is likely due to the fact that micrometer-sized E. colibacteria do not enter into the interstitial space between the TiO2particles and require a different surface morphology with respect to the number of active contact points for optimum degradation.

The spectrum of COVID-19 infection includes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), although the histological basis for these disorders has not been thoroughly explored. Post-mortem pulmonary and bone marrow biopsies were performed in 33 patients. Samples were studied with a combination of morphological and immunohistochemical techniques. Bone marrow studies were also performed in three living patients. Bone marrow post-mortem studies showed striking lesions of histiocytic hyperplasia with hemophagocytosis (HHH) in most (16/17) cases. This was also observed in three alive patients, where it mimicked the changes observed in hemophagocytic histiocytosis. Pulmonary changes included a combination of diffuse alveolar damage with fibrinous microthrombi predominantly involving small vessels, in particular the alveolar capillary. These findings were associated with the analytical and clinical symptoms, which helps us understand the respiratory insufficiency and reveal the histological substrate for the macrophage activation syndrome-like exhibited by these patients. Our results confirm that COVID-19 infection triggers a systemic immune-inflammatory disease and allow specific therapies to be proposed.

The spectrum of COVID-19 infection includes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), although the histological basis for these disorders has not been thoroughly explored. Post-mortem pulmonary and bone marrow biopsies were performed in 33 patients. Samples were studied with a combination of morphological and immunohistochemical techniques. Bone marrow studies were also performed in three living patients. Bone marrow post-mortem studies showed striking lesions of histiocytic hyperplasia with hemophagocytosis (HHH) in most (16/17) cases. This was also observed in three alive patients, where it mimicked the changes observed in hemophagocytic histiocytosis. Pulmonary changes included a combination of diffuse alveolar damage with fibrinous microthrombi predominantly involving small vessels, in particular the alveolar capillary. These findings were associated with the analytical and clinical symptoms, which helps us understand the respiratory insufficiency and reveal the histological substrate for the macrophage activation syndrome-like exhibited by these patients. Our results confirm that COVID-19 infection triggers a systemic immune-inflammatory disease and allow specific therapies to be proposed.

Evaluar el impacto de las 2 regulaciones de medidas sanitarias frente al tabaquismo de 2006 (ley parcial) y 2011(ley integral), sobre las hospitalizaciones por enfermedades cardiovasculares en la población adulta española.

Estudiar la validez de la función SCORE original de bajo riesgo sin y con colesterol unido a lipoproteínas de alta densidad y SCORE calibrada en población española.

Single-molecule experimental techniques and theoretical approaches reveal that important aspects of virus biology can be understood in biomechanical terms at the nanoscale. A detailed knowledge of the relationship in virus capsids between small structural changes caused by single-point mutations and changes in mechanical properties may provide further physics-based insights into virus function; it may also facilitate the engineering of viral nanoparticles with improved mechanical behavior. Here, we used the minute virus of mice to undertake a systematic experimental study on the contribution to capsid stiffness of amino acid side chains at interprotein interfaces and the specific noncovalent interactions they establish. Selected side chains were individually truncated by introducing point mutations to alanine, and the effects on local and global capsid stiffness were determined using atomic force microscopy. The results revealed that, in the natural virus capsid, multiple, mostly hydrophobic, side chains buried along the interfaces between subunits preserve a comparatively low stiffness of most (S2 and S3) regions. Virtually no point mutation tested substantially reduced stiffness, whereas most mutations increased stiffness of the S2/S3 regions. This stiffening was invariably associated with reduced virus yields during cell infection. The experimental evidence suggests that a comparatively low stiffness at S3/S2 capsid regions may have been biologically selected because it facilitates capsid assembly, increasing infectious virus yields. This study demonstrated also that knowledge of individual amino acid side chains and biological pressures that determine the physical behavior of a protein nanoparticle may be used for engineering its mechanical properties.

We describe the proof of concept of a portable testing setup for the detection of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a common component in improvised explosive devices. The system allows for field testing and generation of real-time results to test for TATP vapor traces in air by simply using circulation of the air samples through the sensing mechanism under the air conditioning system of an ordinary room. In this way, the controlled trapping of the analyte in the chemical sensor gives reliable results at extremely low concentrations of TATP in air under real-life conditions, suitable for daily use in luggage storage for airlines or a locker room for a major sporting event. The reported fluorescent methodology is very sensitive and selective, allowing for the trapping of triacetone triperoxide in the chemical sensor to give reliable results at very low concentrations in air under ambient conditions, by comparing the fluorescence of the material before and after exposition to TATP traces in air.

Se analiza la relación entre incidencia de neumotórax espontáneo idiopático (NEI) y presión atmosférica (PA).

La carga de enfermedad coronaria atribuible a los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en España ha sido extrapolada tradicionalmente de otras poblaciones. Este estudio pretende estimar el riesgo coronario atribuible al tabaquismo, la hipercolesterolemia, la hipertensión, la diabetes y el sobrepeso, utilizando datos procedentes de poblaciones Españolas.

Abstract:The purpose of the study was to evaluate tumoral response with goserelin, a long‐acting LH‐RH analog in heavily pretreated premenopausal patients (pts) with advanced breast cancer. In a multicenter study, from January 1993 to May 1994, 35 evaluable patients, mean age 39.7 years, with measurable tumor, life expectancy above 3 months, without hormonal treatment or chemotherapy in the previous 30 days, received a minimum of 2 subcutaneous administrations of goserelin, a synthetic agonist analog, as a 28‐day depot. Response was assessed according to Union Internationale Contre Cancer (UICC) criteria. Complete response was obtained in 2 pts. (6%); partial response in 13 pts. (37%), overall response in 43%. Mean complete response duration was 6.5 months (mos.), partial response 6.07 mos. Stable pts. were 6 (20%) for 13 weeks. Progression was registered in 14 pts. (30%). Pain was registered in 11 pts. (36%); in 7 pts. (23.3%), pain disappeared within 3 months. Best results were observed in bone and soft tissue. The average goserelin administration was 27.7 weeks. Minimal to moderate side effects such as hot flashes and vasomotor symptoms were reported in 9 pts. (30%). Bone pain increased in 1 pt. Goserelin was effective in heavily pretreated premenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer, independent of hormonal receptor status, previous chemotherapy, and possibly, of ovarian suppression degree. Its association with tamoxifen is to be studied and results should be further determined using a wider sample.

Currently, in the rural communities of northeastern Mexico, where the Huasteca Zone is located, there is a great diversity of materials and construction systems with which users have built their homes due to improvisation caused by the lack of resources to have adequate housing and lack of planning of it. It is common to find houses based on materials from each region as houses whose main inputs are already completely industrialized, in addition to a large number of houses in which the user made substitutions of materials by mixing elements of each system previously described. This document deals with an analysis of construction costs of three construction systems present in Huasteca: a house built on vernacular materials in the state of Veracruz, a house with industrialized inputs existing in the state of Tamaulipas, selected for their construction system and surface area among 120 sampled homes, and finally a housing prototype, developed by the author, whose construction system takes elements of the two systems listed previously, getting a sustainable project, to subsequently make comparisons of the unit construction cost of the three systems. It is alos calculated its depreciation due to their energy consumption, through a proposed energy consumption factor. After analyzing the budgets of each house, including the material, labor and tools necessary for its elaboration, it was determined that housing based on local materials is the most economical of the three, the unit cost of industrialized input housing is more than three times higher than the local materials housing, and the unit cost of the housing prototype described in this document represents less than twice of the local materials housing. Regarding their energy consumption, the best case is the vernacular house with the lower value.