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Objective: To compare the effectiveness of two topical medications to reduce the pain and size of recurrent minor aphthous ulcers. Setting: Ten Colombian Dental Faculties’ clinics. Design: A double-blind randomized multi-centre clinical study. Subjects: Ninety-six patients complaining of at least five acute aphthous ulcers were randomized to two intervention groups. Sample size was calculated using an alpha error of 0.05 and beta of 0.20 Materials and methods: Participants were randomly assigned to receive 5% amlexanox or a 0.05% clobetasol propionate magistral preparation. Observers at the participating institutions were previously trained to standardize clinical diagnosis and data recollection. Ulcer size and pain were measured on treatment days 0, 2 and 5. Results: No significant differences were found between the two groups studied in any of the studied variables at baseline. Both treatment medications significantly reduced pain magnitude and the index ulcer's size on days 2 and 5 compared with day 0 without adverse reactions (within groups differences). No statistical differences between groups of the study medications were found. Conclusion: The two treatments applied had similar effectiveness as they both relieved pain and reduced the size of recurrent aphthous ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is increasingly recognized as a major complication of transfusion therapy; it was the leading cause of transfusion-related fatalities in the United States in 2003. Most cases of TRALI that have been reported are in adult patients. We present two cases of TRALI that occurred in children and review the existing literature of paediatric TRALI. The paediatric TRALI case reports highlight two laboratory findings that can help in the diagnosis of TRALI: transient leucopenia and an elevated pulmonary oedema fluid/plasma protein ratio. These two simple diagnostic tests can help rule out other diagnoses and add confidence to the clinical diagnosis of TRALI. Finally, our first case also highlights the potential danger of directed maternal blood donations, which may increase the risk of paediatric TRALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have characterized gene dysfunction in a cellular model of spontaneous canine mammary cancer by investigating specific gene defects in SIRT2 and p53 genes for comparative studies among canine tumour-derived cell lines. These genes and their downstream targets are involved in regulating gene silencing, cell cycle progression and prevention of senescence and apoptosis. Canine SIR2 reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction amplicons were most homologous to human SIRT2 and revealed detectable transcripts in all cell lines. Canine SIRT2 contained non-conserved amino acid substitutions, representing mutations or allelic differences and interspecies differences. Sequence differences between individuals in p53 and SIRT2 were found in two cell lines including a stop codon in p53 and substitutions of conserved cysteine residues in the Zn2+-binding motif in SIRT2. Mutations in SIRT2 were coincident with expression of the p53 modulator, Wip1; a failure to activate p21/Cip1 and extended G2/M phase. A third cell line appeared to function normally in these two pathways and likely possesses other defects in proliferation-control genes. This data identify potentially important defects in pathways regulated by p53 and SIRT2 that modulate cell proliferation and integrate development, apoptosis and proliferative lifespan. These genes offer promising therapeutic targets, contributing to the transformed/immortalized phenotype in spontaneous canine mammary cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical presentation of visceral leishmaniasis shares similarities with other geographically specific infectious diseases associated with AIDS in terms of relapsing course and atypical presentation. However, visceral leishmaniasis has not, until now, been included in the AIDS case definition. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features and determinants for relapse and case-fatality of visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-infected patients from a Spanish Mediterranean area. A chart review was conducted in 16 hospitals in the autonomous communities of Valencia and Murcia (Spain). From 1988 to 2001, a total of 228 episodes of visceral leishmaniasis were diagnosed in 155 HIV-infected patients by the detection of amastigotes in bone marrow aspirates or in other tissue samples. Most patients had advanced HIV disease, with a median CD4+ lymphocyte cell count of 55 cells × 109 l, and 56% of them had a previous AIDS-indicator disease. The median duration of follow-up was 8.4 months. HIV-infected patients with visceral leishmaniasis presented with fever (76%), hepatomegaly (77%), splenomegaly (78%), and varying degrees of cytopenias. Leishmania was detected in atypical sites in 22 (14%) patients. A total of 37 (24%) patients had a relapse of visceral leishmaniasis. Female gender was a risk factor for relapse, whereas administration of secondary prophylaxis for visceral leishmaniasis and a completed therapy for visceral leishmaniasis were protective factors against relapse. A total of 86 (54%) patients died. Independent determinants for survival were CD4+ lymphocyte cell count, completed therapy for leishmania, and secondary prophylaxis for visceral leishmaniasis. The findings show that, in HIV-infected patients, visceral leishmaniasis occurs in late stages of HIV disease and often has a relapsing course. Secondary prophylaxis reduces the risk of relapse. Visceral leishmaniasis in the HIV-infected population should be included in the CDC clinical category C for the definition of AIDS in the same way that other geographically specific opportunistic infections are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quiet-time statistics is an approach to the analysis of fluctuation time series that, by measuring the duration of successive transport events and the quiet times between them, allows the extraction of information on the long-range correlations in the system. It provides information similar to that obtained from rescaled adjusted range (R/S) statistics. However, when the data are contaminated by extraneous oscillations, it is difficult to effectively use R/S statistics or standard quiet-time analysis. In this paper, quiet-time analysis is generalized so that time series contaminated by oscillations can be treated. This new technique is effective over a wide range of time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The prevalence rate of diabetes is probably higher in Hispanics than in Caucasians, although there is controversy about differences in the risk of diabetic retinopathy. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence rates of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in a population-based study of Hispanics aged > or = 40 years.Research Design and Methods: Proyecto VER is a random sample of Hispanic populations aged > or = 40 years in Arizona. A total of 4,774 individuals (71.6% of the eligible sample) completed the examinations. Diabetes was defined as self-report of a physician diagnosis or HbA(1c) value of > or = 7.0%. Diabetic retinopathy was assessed on stereo fundus photographs of fields 1, 2, and 4.Results: The prevalence rate of diabetes in the Hispanic community (individuals > or = 40 years of age) was 22%. The prevalence rate of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was 48%; 32% had moderate to severe nonproliferative and proliferative retinopathy. DR increased with increasing duration of diabetes and increasing level of HbA(1c). The prevalence rate of DR-like changes in the sample of individuals without diabetic retinopathy was 15% and was not associated with hypertension, systolic blood pressure, or diastolic blood pressure.Conclusions: The prevalence rate of diabetes in this population of Hispanics is high, almost twice that of Caucasians. The prevalence rate of DR is high but similar to reports in a Caucasian population. The prevalence rate of 9% moderate to severe retinopathy in the newly diagnosed group suggests that efforts to improve detection and treatment of diabetes in Hispanics may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the role of ciliated protozoa in the root zone method of wastewater treatment. Ciliate community structure in experimental subsurface flow wetlands; Indicators of water quality; Abundance and diversity of ciliates in reed beds.

The transport dynamics of impurities in the pedestal region of ITER plasmas is of crucial interest since this regulates the penetration of impurities from the edge into the core plasma, where an excessive accumulation of impurities can degrade their fusion performance. In the pedestal region of H-mode tokamak plasmas, anomalous transport is highly reduced and impurity transport is found to be well described by the neoclassical theory. Under these conditions, perturbations to the axisymmetric tokamak geometry can strongly affect both the radial electric field and particle transport. In this work, we describe the results of numerical studies performed to quantify the effects on the pedestal ambipolar electric field and radial particle fluxes of the non-axisymmetric fields, associated with both the intrinsic toroidal field ripple and extrinsic fields applied for ELM control, for ITER Q = 10 plasma conditions with emphasis on high Z impurity transport. It is found that the effect of the ITER toroidal field ripple on high Z impurity transport is negligible. On the contrary, extrinsic three-dimensional fields applied for ELM control cause a strong modification of the pedestal ambipolar electric (to less negative values) and the appearance of multi-valued solutions for the pedestal electric field, analogue to core stellarator transport significantly increasing the outward character of neoclassical pedestal transport for both the main plasma ions (D and T in ITER) and high Z impurities, suggesting a strong modification of the background plasma profiles. Finally, it is found that for the Z impurity, its quantitative evaluation has uncertainties (with important implications for the radial flow direction) associated with the high poloidal Mach number ~ 1, due to the high pedestal electric field and large ion mass, which renders the first order neoclassical theory questionable. Detailed ITER MHD 3D equilibria and a benchmark of SFINCS against NEO and NCLASS codes has also been obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in 2109 females inhabiting five cities of Colombia was determined. Of the 49.2% with an HPV infection, 59.8% were infected with more than one viral type. Species 7 (of the the genus Alphapapillomavirus) was associated with multiple infections. Analysis of the socio-demographic data revealed a statistically significant protective effect associated with the status of civil union (civil recognition of cohabitation without marriage), and indigenous ethnicity proved to be a risk factor for HPV infection. This is the first study comparing HPV infection among women from geographical regions of Colombia with different socio-cultural structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new fast method is proposed to solve Ampere's equation in toroidal domains. • The method uses a mixed spectral – difference discretization. • A fast solver is found using the block structure of the involved matrices and SVD decomposition techniques. • The solution magnetic field has a zero divergence up to machine precision. • A successful comparison with an integral method is carried out for the case of W7-X stellarator. A new method is proposed to solve Ampere's equation in an arbitrary toroidal domain in which all currents are known, given proper boundary conditions for the magnetic vector potential. The novelty of the approach lies in the application of singular value decomposition (SVD) techniques to tackle the difficulties caused by the kernel associated by the curl operator. This kernel originates physically due to the magnetic field gauge. To increase the efficiency of the solver, the problem is represented by means of a dual finite difference-spectral scheme in arbitrary generalized toroidal coordinates, which permits to take advantage of the block structure exhibited by the matrices that describe the discretized problem. The result is a fast and efficient solver, up to three times faster than the double-curl method in some cases, that provides an accurate solution of the differential form of Ampere law while guaranteeing a zero divergence of the resulting magnetic field down to machine precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To validate lead (Pb) nuclear cross sections, a series of integral experiments to measure lead void reactivity worth was conducted systematically in three fast neutron spectra with different fuel compositions on the Comet critical assembly of the National Criticality Experiments Research Center. Previous experiments in high-enriched uranium (HEU)/Pb and low-enriched uranium (LEU)/Pb systems had been performed in 2016 and 2017, respectively. A follow-on experiment in a plutonium (Pu)/Pb system has been completed. The Pu/Pb system was constructed using lead plates and weapons-grade Pu plates that had been used in the Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) of Argonne National Laboratory until the 1990s. Furthermore, the HEU/Pb system was reexamined on the Comet critical assembly with a newly installed device that can measure the compression of the stack, improving reproducibility. Using the lead void reactivity worth measured in these three cores with different fuel compositions, the latest nuclear data libraries, JENDL-4.0 and ENDF/B-VIII.0, were tested with the Monte Carlo calculation code MCNP® version 6.1. As a result, the calculations by ENDF/B-VIII.0 were confirmed to agree with lead void reactivity worth measured in all the cores. It was furthermore found that the calculations by JENDL-4.0 overestimate by more than 20% for the Pu/Pb core while being in good agreement for the HEU/Pb and LEU/Pb cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the main causes of mortality worldwide. Common therapy schemes are always based on chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or surgery. Among chemotherapeutics, vanadium compounds have recently emerged as non-platinum antitumor agents. In this sense, Metvan ([VIVO(Me2phen)2(SO4)]) was identified as one of the most promising vanadium anticancer complexes. In this work, the Metvan compound was encapsulated into well designed and developed nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) with the aim of improving its biopharmaceutical profile with regards to bioavailability, degradation, solubility and cell up-take. A quality by design approach was followed to find the optimal nanoparticle formulation for Metvan delivery. Results exhibited that the ideal formulation was obtained by using myristyl myristate as the lipid matrix and Pluronic F128 as the stabilizing agent with a mean nanoparticle size of 230.8 ± 3.1 nm and a mean surface charge of −7.9 ± 0.8 mV. The formulation showed an encapsulation efficiency of approximately 80% with a sustained drug release for more than 60 h. The kinetic release mechanism of Metvan from the nanoparticles fitted the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, indicating the Fickian diffusion of Metvan from the nanoparticles. On the other hand, the results showed that the nanoparticle-Metvan system is more effective to decrease cell viability on human osteosarcoma cells (MG-63) compared to the free drug, suggesting a possible different cell internalization mechanism and intracellular effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-fat diet consumption causes hypothalamic inflammation, dysregulating the leptin pathway, which, in turn, compromises the modulation of hypothalamic neuronal activities and predisposes obesity development. Intermittent fasting (IF) and exercise training (ET) have been demonstrated as efficient interventions to modulate hypothalamic inflammation and neuronal activity. However, no studies have evaluated whether combining these interventions could induce better results in reestablishing hypothalamic homeostasis disrupted by high-fat diet intake. The 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into 2 groups: sedentary mice fed a standard diet (CT), and sedentary mice fed a high-fat diet (HF). After 8 weeks of an HF diet, part of the HF group (now 16 weeks old) was randomly subjected to different interventions for 6 weeks: HF-IF = HF diet mice submitted to IF; HF-T = HF diet mice submitted to ET; HF-IFT = HF diet mice submitted to IF and ET. All interventions decreased the body weight gain induced by high-fat diet intake, associated with reduced calorie consumption in week 14. Only the HF-IFT group presented improved serum insulin, leptin, resistin, and Tnf-alpha levels concomitantly with decreased hypothalamic inflammation. The HF-IFT group also demonstrated increased Pomc mRNA expression associated with enhanced pSTAT3 expression in the hypothalamic arcuate and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei. Our data indicate that the beneficial effects of the combination of IF and ET on energy homeostasis are associated with increased leptin sensitivity in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, which is likely due to an improvement in hypothalamic inflammatory pathways in these nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the carbon doping of p-type gallium arsenide epitaxial layers. Deposition of the layer by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy system using solid arsenic and trimethylgallium; Dependence of carbon incorporation on hydrogen partial pressure; Effect of nitrogen gas introduction into the carrier gas on the growth rate.

Effective planning of health policies requires the availability of accurate data, representing the burden of disease and risks to the diverse components of society. In Argentina, health information comes from the national risk factors survey (NRFS), which characterises the distribution of different risk factors. However, the NRFS has never collected information from residents living in slums, despite slums representing 10% of the population. The objective of this survey was to characterise the prevalence of cardiovascular and other risk factors among the inhabitants of one of the largest slums in Buenos Aires (Villa 31) and compare it to data from the NRFS. This was a cross-sectional study. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 400 slum households, using the same data structure as the NRFS. The survey obtained information about economic aspects, reproductive health, addictions and risk factors. All participants had their blood pressure, weight and height measured. A total of 406 people were interviewed and their data were compared with data from 32,365 people in the NRFS. All comparisons were made on the basis of age group. A fair/poor self-perceived level of health (odds ratio [OR] 3.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.60–3.91), anxiety and moderate to severe depression (OR 5.44, 95% CI: 4.43–6.69), problem drinking (OR 10.01, 95% CI 8.08–12.40), self-reported hypertension (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01–1.57), overweight (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03–1.55) and obesity (OR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.38–2.15) were significantly higher in the slum population. In people aged 18–24 years, the prevalence of diabetes was triple the national average (OR 3.17, 95% CI: 1.26–7.98). For all evaluated conditions in this study, the inhabitants of the slum received significantly less treatment compared with participants from the NRFS. The prevalence of cardiovascular and other risk factors in the slum population has a different distribution to that reported in the NRFS. These data suggest the need to establish specific policies for slum populations. • Nearly 900 million people live in slums in the developing world. • Slums are poorly studied in relation to non-communicable diseases. • Prevalence of risk factors among slum dwellers and the general population is different. • The burden of obesity, diabetes and hypertension are higher in the slum population. • Dangerous use of alcohol, anxiety and depression among slum dwellers are also higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents a new stochastic diffusion process, in which the mean function is proportional to the density function of the Weibull distribution. This is considered a useful model for survival populations, reliability studies and life-testing experiments. The main features of the process are analysed, including the transition probability density function and conditional and non-conditional mean functions. The parameters of the process are estimated by maximum likelihood using discrete sampling. Newton-Raphson and simulated annealing numerical methods are proposed to solve the likelihood equations, and are compared using a simulation example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitrification is based on rapid freezing by direct exposure of sperm to liquid nitrogen (LN 2 ). This study evaluated the effect of non-permeable CPAs and equilibration temperature on stallion sperm quality after vitrification. In Experiment 1, different concentrations of sucrose (20, 50, 100 mM; mmol/L) and bovine serum albumin (BSA 1%, 5%, 10%) were compared including different temperatures for the equilibration (≈22 °C or 5 °C). Vitrification was performed dropping 30 μl sperm suspension directly into LN 2. In Experiment 2, conventional sperm freezing using 2.2% of glycerol in 0.5 ml straws, frozen in LN 2 vapours, was compared to the sucrose and BSA extenders (and its combination) producing the most desirable results. Sperm motility, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity were statistically compared between treatments. Vitrification after sperm cooling at 5 °C with sucrose 20 mM (S20) or BSA 1% (BSA1) resulted in the greatest values (mean ± SEM) for most of the sperm variables assessed. With use of the combination (S20 + BSA1/5 °C), there were greater values ( P <0.001) than freezing with glycerol for total (55.67 ± 2.99 vs 35.41 ± 2.96) and progressive sperm motility (38.32 ± 3.05 vs 14.42 ± 1.80), plasma membrane integrity (66.61 ± 2.69 vs 49.16 ± 2.60), intact-acrosomes (49.19 ± 2.60 vs 14.91 ± 1.57) and most of the kinetics assessed, respectively. In conclusion, stallion sperm can be vitrified after cooling at 5 °C using a combination of 20 mM sucrose and 1% BSA based extender and this is a promising alternative compared with conventional sperm freezing using glycerol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The pharmacokinetics (PK) of fluconazole and micafungin differ in neonates compared with children and adults. Dosing instructions in product labels appear to be inconsistent with the emerging scientific evidence. Limited information is available on the safety profile of these agents in neonates. Our objective was to study the population PK and safety of both drugs, randomly administered in neonates with suspected or confirmed systemic candidiasis. Methods: Neonates were randomized 1:1 to fluconazole (loading dose 25 mg kg–1; maintenance dose 12 mg kg–1 day–1 or 20 mg kg–1 day–1, respectively, for infants <30 weeks or ≥30 weeks’ corrected gestational age) or micafungin (loading dose 15 mg kg–1 day–1; maintenance dose 10 mg kg–1 day–1). PK samples were taken on treatment days 1 and 5. Population parameters were determined using NONMEM and Monte Carlo simulations performed to reach predefined targets. Clinical and laboratory data, and adverse events were collected up to 36 weeks’ corrected gestational age or hospital discharge. Results: Thirty‐six neonates were enrolled. The median (range) gestational age was 28.2 (24.1–40.1) and 26.8 (23.5–40.0) weeks for fluconazole and micafungin, respectively. Based on 163 PK samples, the median population clearance (l h–1 kg–1) and volume of distribution (l kg–1) for fluconazole were: 0.015 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.008, 0.039] and 0.913, and for micafungin were: 0.020 (95% CI 0.010, 0.023) and 0.354 (95% CI 0.225, 0.482), respectively. The loading dose was well tolerated. No adverse events associated with micafungin or fluconazole were reported. Conclusion: Based on Monte Carlo simulations, a loading dose for fluconazole and dosing higher than recommended for both drugs are required to increase the area under the plasma drug concentration–time curve target attainment rate in neonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large aluminium monolithic parts used in the aeronautic industry frequently show significant geometric distortions after the machining process. These distortions are the consequence of the initial residual stresses of the raw material as well as machining-induced residual stresses. Therefore, to minimise distortions, it is fundamental to understand the effect of the different parameters of the manufacturing process and define the optimum manufacturing strategy. This work studies the effect of initial residual stresses of aluminium plates and the residual stresses generated by the machining process on the final geometric distortions of the part. First, 7175-T7351 aluminium bars (40 mm wide × 38 mm thick × 400 mm long) were face milled at two different cutting conditions reducing the thickness to 6 mm. The distortions were measured in a coordinate measuring machine. The results revealed that the machining strategy significantly influenced the distortions, as a difference of 65% on distortions was found between the two cutting conditions. In addition, an FEM model to predict distortions was developed. This model considers initial residual stresses (measured by the contour method) and residual stresses induced by the machining process (measured by the hole drilling technique). Once the FEM model was validated, the study was extended to more complex geometries. These new studies revealed that final distortions are sensitive to machining-induced residual stresses. Furthermore, this finding indicates that it is possible to define machining conditions which generate desirable residual stress profiles to minimise part distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care utilization patterns for gender minority Medicare beneficiaries (those who are transgender or gender nonbinary people) are largely unknown. We identified gender minority beneficiaries using a diagnosis-code algorithm and compared them to a 5 percent random sample of non-gender minority beneficiaries from the period 2009-14 in terms of mental health and chronic diseases, use of preventive and mental health care, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits. Gender minority beneficiaries experienced more disability and mental illness. When we adjusted for age and mental health, we found that they used more mental health care. And when we adjusted for age and chronic conditions, we found that they were more likely to be hospitalized and to visit the ED. There were several small but significant differences in preventive care use. Findings were similar for disabled and older cohorts. These findings underscore the need to capture gender identity in health data to better address this population's health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes 120 years history of technology for cryoprotectant-free cryopreservation of human spermatozoa by direct plunging into liquid nitrogen (vitrification). It is presented an explanation why cryoprotectant-free vitrification for some human ejaculates is better than conventional freezing and vitrification with the presence of cryoprotectants. Special attention is given to the extremely high viability of viruses, bacteria and micoplasmas after cryoprotectant-free cryopreservation in culture medium and even in distilled water. This fact increases the potential risk of disease transmission through liquid nitrogen. It is concretized the concept 'asepticity' as obvious parameter for any medical assisted reproduction technology which includes the cooling of cells in liquid nitrogen. It is described the role of nonpermeable compounds of mediums for cryoprotectant-free vitrification: carbohydrates, proteins, lipoproteins, antioxidants. This review summarizes concerned data regarding two groups of different current technologies for cryoprotectant-free vitrification of human spermatozoa: with direct contact of spermatozoa with liquid nitrogen as well as with full isolation of these cells from liquid nitrogen (aseptic technologies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of a super-Earth orbiting at the inner edge of the habitable zone of the star GJ 625 based on the analysis of the radial-velocity (RV) time series from the HARPS-N spectrograph, consisting of 151 HARPS-N measurements taken over 3.5 yr. GJ 625 b is a planet with a minimum mass Msin i of 2.82 ± 0.51 M⊕ with an orbital period of 14.628 ± 0.013 days at a distance of 0.078 AU from its parent star. The host star is the quiet M2 V star GJ 625, located at 6.5 pc from the Sun. We find the presence of a second radial-velocity signal in the range 74-85 days that we relate to stellar rotation after analysing the time series of Ca II H&K and Hα spectroscopic indicators, the variations of the FWHM of the CCF, and the APT2 photometric light curves. We find no evidence linking the short-period radial-velocity signal to any activity proxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studied the impact of humic and fulvic acids on the removal kinetics of arsenic (V) by granular ferric hydroxide (GFH) and the adsorption capacity of arsenic (V) onto GFH at equilibrium. The Freundlich and DubininRadushkevich models describe the arsenic (V) adsorption behavior onto GFH reasonably well ( r 2 > 0.905 ). The removal kinetics were studied by fitting the experimental data to both first-order and second-order models. The lowest adsorption capacity was observed in the presence of fulvic acids (FA), and conversely, the adsorption capacity in the presence of humic acids (HA) was lower than that without humic substances (WHS). The removal kinetics of arsenic (V) were well defined for the second-order model, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.951 to 0.977. This study suggests that the presence of humic substances negatively impacts the removal of arsenic from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A selective tandem nucleophilic addition/cross-coupling reaction of alkynes using visible-light-promoted dual gold/photoredox catalysis is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The orbital obliquity of planets with respect to the rotational axis of their host stars is a relevant parameter for the characterization of the global architecture of planetary systems and a key observational constraint to discriminate between different scenarios proposed to explain the existence of close-in giant planets. Aims: In the framework of the GAPS project, we conduct an observational programme aimed at determinating the orbital obliquity of known transiting exoplanets. The targets are selected to probe the obliquity against a wide range of stellar and planetary physical parameters. Methods: We exploit high-precision radial velocity (RV) measurements, delivered by the HARPS-N spectrograph at the 3.6 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, to measure the Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect in RV time-series bracketing planet transits, and to refine the orbital parameters determinations with out-of-transit RV data. We also analyse new transit light curves obtained with several 1-2 m class telescopes to better constrain the physical fundamental parameters of the planets and parent stars. Results: We report here on new transit spectroscopic observations for three very massive close-in giant planets: WASP-43 b, HAT-P-20 b and Qatar-2 b (Mp = 2.00, 7.22, 2.62 MJ; a = 0.015, 0.036, 0.022 AU, respectively) orbiting dwarf K-type stars with effective temperature well below 5000 K (Teff = 4500 ± 100, 4595 ± 45, 4640 ± 65 K respectively). These are the coolest stars (except for WASP-80) for which the RM effect has been observed so far. We find λ = 3.5 ± 6.8 deg for WASP-43 b and λ = -8.0 ± 6.9 deg for HAT-P-20 b, while for Qatar-2, our faintest target, the RM effect is only marginally detected, though our best-fit value λ = 15 ± 20 deg is in agreement with a previous determination. In combination with stellar rotational periods derived photometrically, we estimate the true spin-orbit angle, finding that WASP-43 b is aligned while the orbit of HAT-P-20 b presents a small but significant obliquity (Ψ = 36-12+10 deg). By analyzing the CaII H&K chromospheric emission lines for HAT-P-20 and WASP-43, we find evidence for an enhanced level of stellar activity that is possibly induced by star-planet interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents Intracytoplasmic sperm injection ( ICSI) is an assisted reproduction tool with several applications. Its effectiveness in bovines is lower than that in other species, mainly because of difficulties in the decondensation of the sperm nucleus after injection, and the presence of the acrosome and the plasma membrane which remain intact in this procedure. In this study, we assessed the effect of lysolecithin ( LL) and Triton X-100 ( TX), in combination with glutathione ( GSH) as sperm pretreatments prior to ICSI. The GSH- LL and GSH- TX groups showed 0% of spermatozoa with intact membrane ( SYBR 14+/ PI), in comparison with the control (63.3%) and GSH (65.7%) groups. The proportions of spermatozoa with damaged acrosome membrane in the GSH- LL, GSH- TX, GSH and control groups were 46%, 35.9%, 10.5% and 7.5%, respectively. Sperm chromatin decondensation analysis showed that the groups incubated for 3 hr with GSH presented greater decondensation ( p < .05). Although fertilization was improved in all treatment groups evaluated, no differences were observed in the cleavage rate 72 hr after activation in the GSH (73.7%), GSH- LL (80.2%) and GSH- TX (77.8%) groups compared to the control (66.3%), neither in the blastocyst rate on day 8 (24.0%, 26.2%, 27.1% and 28.4% for the control, GSH, GSH- LL and GSH- TX groups, respectively). No differences were also observed in the total number of cells in all groups. In conclusion, although these sperm treatments promoted nuclear decondensation and induced plasma membrane disruption, these effects were not sufficient to improve bovine embryonic development after ICSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that dapagliflozin versus placebo as add-on to saxagliptin plus metformin resulted in greater reductions in glycated haemoglobin ( A1C), fasting plasma glucose ( FPG) and body weight ( BW) after 24 weeks of treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes ( T2D). Here we report results after 52 weeks of treatment. Patients stabilized on open-label metformin and saxagliptin 5 mg/day for 8-16 weeks were randomized to placebo or dapagliflozin 10 mg/day plus open-label saxagliptin plus metformin for 52 weeks. Changes from baseline to week 52 were greater with dapagliflozin versus placebo in A1C (−0.74% vs. 0.07%), FPG (−27 vs. 10 mg/ dL) and BW (−2.1 vs. −0.4 kg). More patients achieved A1C <7% with dapagliflozin (29.4%) versus placebo (12.6%). Adverse events were similar with dapagliflozin (66%) and placebo (71%), and hypoglycaemia was rare (≤2%). Genital infections occurred more often with dapagliflozin (6%) than with placebo (1%); frequency of urinary tract infections was similar between the two groups (9% vs. 10%). Triple therapy with dapagliflozin add-on to saxagliptin plus metformin is a durable, effective and well-tolerated intervention for the treatment of T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-symmetric configurations have a better neoclassical confinement compared to that of standard stellarators. The reduction of the neoclassical viscosity along the direction of quasi-symmetry should facilitate the self-generation of zonal flows and, consequently, the mitigation of turbulent fluctuations and the ensuing radial transport. Therefore, it is expected that quasi-symmetries should also result in better confinement properties regarding radial turbulent transport. In this paper we show that, at least for quasi-poloidal configurations, the influence of quasi-symmetry on radial transport exceeds the expected reduction of fluctuation levels and associated effective transport coefficients, and that the intimate nature of transport itself is affected. In particular, radial turbulent transport becomes increasingly subdiffusive as the degree of quasi-symmetry becomes larger. This behavior is somewhat reminiscent of what has been previously reported in tokamaks with strong radially sheared zonal flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acids are important in male reproductive function because they are associated with membrane fluidity, acrosome reaction, sperm motility and viability, but limited information exists about the fatty acid profile of ram semen. Our aim was to determine the fatty acid composition in ram spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Sixty ejaculates were obtained from three ram (20 ejaculates/ram) using artificial vagina. Ram spermatozoa ( RS) and seminal plasma ( SP) were separated using centrifugation, and the fatty acids were analysed by gas chromatography. Total lipids obtained in ram spermatozoa were 1.8% and 1.6% in seminal plasma. Saturated fatty acid ( SFA) was proportionally major in SP (66.6%) that RS (49.9%). The highest proportions of SFA corresponded to C4:0 ( RS = 16.3% and SP = 28.8%) and C16:0 ( RS = 16.3% and PS = 20%). The most important unsaturated fatty acid ( UFA) was docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA), 44.9% in RS and 31.5% in SP. The profile of fatty acid and their proportions showed differences between spermatozoa and seminal plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive inheritance disease. It is due to mutations or deletions in the survival of motor neuron gene (SMN1) located at locus 5q12-5q.13.3, in this same region another gene is located which corresponds to SMN2 , patients retain at least one copy of the gene SMN2. Both genes code for the SMN motor neuron survival protein. It has been observed that there is an association between the number of copies of SMN2 and the phenotype of SMA. Assessment of muscular, respiratory and cardiological function and the number of copies of the SMN2 gene in patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Patients with clinical diagnosis, EMG and genetic diagnosis by PCR and MLPA of SMA. Upper and lower Brook, Hammersmith and motor function for neuromuscular diseases (MFM) scales, respiratory and cardiological assessment were applied. The number of copies of SMN2 was determined through the MLPA method in peripheral blood of the patients, as well as in some patients the SMN protein through the Elisa method in polymorphonuclear cells. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's r Correlation were done. 38 patients 14.5 years old (3-36), 19 F, 19 M, 28.9% walked, evolution time 8.6 years, 9 patients were type II and 26 type III, 3 type IV. Functional assessment scales (MFM) total 47.2%, D1 17.7%, D2 62.51% D3 64.3%, Hammersmith 16.7, Upper Brook 2.4, lower Brook 6.4. Restrictive pattern 36.8%, 10.5% mild cardiac alterations. The number of copies that was observed in the patients was 1 in 2.6%, 2 in 18.4%, 3 in 60.5%, and 4 in 7.8%, 10.5% without determined number of copies (only PCR). Determination of SMN protein (only 14 were performed). There was a correlation between time of evolution and the MFM and Hammersmith scale. And also between time of evolution and the amount of SMN protein in the patients in which it was done. The phenotype-genotype relationship was observed in our patients, although most of the patients were type III; However, in 4 patients the clinical type did not correspond to the number of copies. The restrictive pattern was identified in type II patients with a greater evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the conference paper "Mild ventriculomegaly in the second trimester US scan and MRI: three rare diagnoses," by L. C. Bussamra and colleagues is presented.

Melilotus albus is a naturalized legume in Argentina and is recognized as a species with great potential to be used as forage source. Coumarin derivates are found in significant amounts in this species. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of materials with different coumarin content on: a) morphological traits associated with plant vigour and b) leaf feeding of Colias lesbia. The results show that coumarin content would not be associated with morphological differences between materials. Materials with high levels of coumarin had a deterrent effect on leaf feeding. Furthemore, leaves of all materials of M. albus were rejected when they were offered together with leaves of alfalfa. The information generated in this study will be useful to design a breeding program to reduce the coumarin content without decreasing pest tolerance in M. albus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antecedentes Las pruebas de revisiones sistemáticas de estudios observacionales indican que la terapia hormonal puede tener efectos beneficiosos al reducir la incidencia de eventos de enfermedades cardiovasculares en mujeres posmenopáusicas; sin embargo, los resultados de los ensayos controlados aleatorios (ECA) han tenido resultados mixtos. Esta es una versión actualizada de una revisión Cochrane publicada por primera vez en 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. XO-2 is the first confirmed wide stellar binary system where the almost twin components XO-2N and XO-2S have planets, and it is a peculiar laboratory in which to investigate the diversity of planetary systems. This stimulated a detailed characterization study of the stellar and planetary components based on new observations. Methods. We collected high-resolution spectra with the HARPS-N spectrograph and multi-band light curves. Spectral analysis led to an accurate determination of the stellar atmospheric parameters and characterization of the stellar activity, and high-precision radial velocities of XO-2N were measured. We collected 14 transit light curves of XO-2Nb used to improve the transit parameters. Photometry provided accurate magnitude differences between the stars and a measure of their rotation periods. Results. The iron abundance of XO-2N was found to be +0.054 dex greater, within more than 3σ, than that of XO-2S. The existence of a long-term variation in the radial velocities of XO-2N is confirmed, and we detected a turnover with respect to previous measurements. We suggest the presence of a second massive companion in an outer orbit or the stellar activity cycle as possible causes of the observed acceleration. The latter explanation seems more plausible with the present dataset. We obtained an accurate value of the projected spin-orbit angle for the XO-2N system (λ = 7° ± 11°), and estimated the real 3D spin-orbit angle ( ψ = 27+12-27 degrees). We measured the XO-2 rotation periods, and found a value of P = 41.6 ± 1.1 days in the case of XO-2N, in excellent agreement with the predictions. The period of XO-2S appears shorter, with an ambiguity between 26 and 34.5 days that we cannot solve with the present dataset alone. The analysis of the stellar activity shows that XO-2N appears to be more active than the companion, perhaps because we sampled different phases of their activity cycle, or because of an interaction between XO-2N and its hot Jupiter that we could not confirm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of untreated and tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) surface-treated TiO2nanoparticles when included as filler in poly(ethylene terephthalate) on its compatibility, non-isothermal crystallization behavior, viscoelastic transitions and cold crystallization has been studied. The effectiveness of the surface treatment has been studied using infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of the untreated and surface-treated nanofiller content in the polymer, added by an extrusion process, on the non-isothermal crystallization has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The influence on the viscoelastic transitions and cold crystallization of PET nanocomposites has been studied through thermomechanical analysis (TMA). The surface treatment and the concentration of nanofiller influence the non-isothermal crystallization behavior, the viscoelastic transitions and the cold crystallization of the PET nanocomposites, enables us to evaluate the compatibility and the level of dispersion/aggregation of the nanofiller in the poly(ethylene terephthalate). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ground-state spins and magnetic moments are sensitive to the nuclear wave function, thus they are powerful probes to study the nuclear structure of isotopes far from stability. Purpose: Extend our knowledge about the evolution of the ½+ and 3/2+ states for K isotopes beyond the N = 28 shell gap. Method: High-resolution collinear laser spectroscopy on bunched atomic beams. Results: From measured hyperfine structure spectra of K isotopes, nuclear spins, and magnetic moments of the ground states were obtained for isotopes from N = 19 up to N = 32. In order to draw conclusions about the composition of the wave functions and the occupation of the levels, the experimental data were compared to shell-model calculations using SDPF-NR and SDPF-U effective interactions. In addition, a detailed discussion about the evolution of the gap between proton 1d3/2 and 2s1/2 in the shell model and ab initio framework is also presented. Conclusions: The dominant component of the wave function for the odd-A isotopes up to 45K is a π1d3/2-1 hole. For 47,49K, the main component originates from a π2s1/2-1 hole configuration and it inverts back to the π1d3/2-1 in 51K. For all even-A isotopes, the dominant configuration arises from a π1d3/2-1 hole coupled to a neutron in the v1f7/2 or v2p3/2 orbitals. Only for 48K, a significant amount of mixing with π2s1/2-1⊗v(pf) is observed leading to a Iπ = 1- ground state. For 50K, the ground-state spin-parity is 0- with leading configuration π1d3/2-1⊗v2p3/2-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A marked difference in the nuclear charge radius was observed between the Iπ=3+ ground state and the Iπ=0+ isomer of K38 and is qualitatively explained using an intuitive picture of proton-neutron pairing. In a high-precision measurement of the isomer shift using bunched-beam collinear laser spectroscopy at CERN-ISOLDE, a change in the mean-square charge radius of 〈rc²〉(38Km)-〈rc²〉(38Kg)=0.100(6) fm² was obtained. This is an order of magnitude more accurate than the result of a previous indirect measurement from which it was concluded that both long-lived states in K38 have similar charge radii. Our observation leads to a substantially different understanding since the difference in charge radius is, moreover, opposite in sign to previously reported theoretical predictions. It is demonstrated that the observed isomer shift can be reproduced by large-scale shell-model calculations including proton and neutron excitations across the N,Z=20 shell gaps, confirming the significance of cross-shell correlations in the region of 40Ca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Twisting loop technique for anterior mitral cords shortening and evolution" by I. Moriones, J. L. Fernandez, R. Sanchez, L. Jimenez, R. Sadaba and F. Gomez is presented.