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It is essential to consolidate knowledge on biological control agents (BCAs) for Drosophila suzukii , to identify gaps, evaluate the effectiveness of existing strategies, and guide future research toward sustainable pest management. The biological control of SWD has been explored through various BCAs, focusing on parasitoids, predators, and entomopathogens. We conducted a systematic review using Web of Science and Scopus (2012-2023) to investigate global research on BCAs of SWD. Our goal was to synthesize and categorize the current scientific production, addressing questions such as (1) publication numbers per BCA group and species, (2) key BCAs, (3) common methodologies (laboratory, field, greenhouse, or combined), (4) research scope, (5) effectiveness of BCAs, and (6) countries conducting research. We found 585 records, 184 of which were suitable for analysis. The most studied BCAs are parasitoids, comprising 64% of publications, with Trichopria drosophilae and Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae being the most researched, followed by Leptopilina japonica and Ganaspis kimorum . Entomopathogens and predators represent 26% and 7% of publications, respectively. Studies under controlled conditions predominate, and surveys, identifications, and characterization of natural enemies are the main research foci, followed by conservation biological control showing the highest effectiveness.

Purpose: Patients with refractory neurogenic bladder dysfunction may require urinary reconstruction due to severe incontinence, difficulty with catheterization, and to prevent upper urinary tract compromise. We evaluated long-term decisional regret and associated factors after urinary reconstruction in patients with spinal cord injury., Materials and Methods: We interviewed patients with spinal cord injuries who underwent bladder reconstruction surgery at least 10 years ago, administering validated surveys on bowel quality of life (QoL) and dysfunction, UTIs, and decisional regret. Daily bladder management and symptoms were assessed using the Neurogenic Bladder Symptom Score, a validated questionnaire consisting of 3 domains that examine incontinence, storage and voiding, and other health and QoL consequences of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. Demographics, injury characteristics, and surgical modality were collected through chart reviews. Decisional regret was compared among subgroups and correlated with patient-reported outcomes., Results: We evaluated 52 patients (41 men, 78.8%; mean age 54.9 ± 10 years) with average follow-up of 30 ± 8.6 years of postinjury and 21.9 ± 5.3 years of postsurgery. Reconstruction procedures mostly included bladder augmentation (n = 38, 73.1%) and augmentation with continent catheterizable stoma (n = 9, 17.3%). Most of the patients were of Hispanic origin (n = 41, 78.8%) with complete spinal cord injuries (n = 39, 76%). The median decision regret score was 7.5 (IQR: 0-25), indicating low regret among most participants. Bladder irrigation frequency ( P = .002) was associated with decision regret, while other patient and surgical factors (eg, demographics, UTI frequency, and surgery type) were not. Surgical regret was moderately correlated with diminished bowel-related QoL ( ρ = 0.333, P = .016) and increased Neurogenic Bladder Symptom Score ( ρ = 0.328, P = .018). The Incontinence ( ρ = 0.286, P = .040) and Consequences ( ρ = 0.299, P = .031) domains of this measure showed weak statistically significant correlations with regret, while the Storage and Voiding domain did not reach significance ( ρ = 0.245, P = .080)., Conclusions: Long-term follow-up suggests that lower urinary tract reconstruction with bowel interposition is a well-accepted and durable approach for managing refractory neurogenic bladder. Factors associated with decision regret, such as need for irrigation, should be incorporated in patient-centered decision-making.

Objective: To describe the inheritance pattern and clinical variability of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in a family with two affected siblings., Materials and Methods: Two sisters diagnosed at birth with bilateral PCG, whose father had bilateral PCG and mother had bilateral microphthalmus, were subjected to a familial genetic study and ophthalmologic follow-up including intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, and collection of biometric and cup-to-disc ratio data., Results: The inheritance pattern was autosomal recessive in compound heterozygosis. The sisters were found to be carriers of three pathogenic allele variants of the CYP1B1 gene: c.317C>A (p.Ala106Asp) and c.1345delG (p.Asp449MetfsTer8) in one patient (10 years) and c.1345delG (p.Asp449MetfsTer8) and c.202_209delCAGGCGGC (p.Gln68Serfs153Ter) in her older sister (12 years). Surgical histories included: three goniotomies and two Ahmed valves in each eye, and two trabeculectomies and a pupilloplasty in the right eye in the 10-year old; and one goniotomy, trabeculectomy and three Ahmed valves in each eye in the older sister. Currently, both sisters have a controlled intraocular pressure of 18-20 mmHg in both eyes. The father is blind in both eyes and carries two variants c.317C>A (p.Ala106Asp) and c.202_209delCAGGCGGC (p.Gln68Serfs153Ter) . The mother with a single variant c.1345delG (p.Asp440MetfsTer8) has a prosthetic right eye and microphthalmus left eye., Conclusions: The sisters were found to show two different allelic CYP1B1 variants (compound heterozygosis) with different repercussions on the clinical severity of PCG. These findings highlight the importance of genetic screening of affected families.

Background: Disparities exist throughout surgery. We aimed to assess for racial/ethnic disparities among outcomes in a large thoracic surgery patient population., Methods: We reviewed all thoracic surgery patients treated at our integrated health system from January 1, 2016-December 31, 2020. Post-operative outcomes including length of stay (LOS), 30-day return to the emergency department (30d-ED), 30-day readmission, 30- and 90-day outpatient appointments, and 30- and 90-day mortality were compared by race/ethnicity. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Our multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, surgery type, neighborhood deprivation index, insurance, and home region., Results: Of 2730 included patients, 59.4 % were non-Hispanic White, 15.0 % were Asian, 11.9 % were Hispanic, 9.6 % were Black, and 4.1 % were Other. Median (Q1-Q3) LOS (in hours) was shortest among non-Hispanic White (37.3 (29.2-76.1)) and Other (36.5 (29.3-75.4)) patients followed by Hispanic (46.8 (29.9-78.1)) patients with Asian (51.3 (30.7-81.9)) and Black (53.7 (30.6-101.6)) patients experiencing the longest LOS ( p  < 0.01). 30d-ED rates were highest among Hispanic patients (21.3 %), followed by Black (19.2 %), non-Hispanic White (18.1 %), Asian (13.4 %), and Other (8.0 %) patients (p < 0.01). On multivariable analysis, Hispanic ethnicity (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.43 (95 % CI 1.03-1.97)) and Medicaid insurance (OR 2.37 (95 % CI 1.48-3.81)) were associated with higher 30d-ED rates. No racial/ethnic disparities were found among other outcomes., Conclusions: Despite parity across multiple surgical outcomes, disparities remain related to patient encounters within our system. Health systems must track such disparities in addition to standard clinical outcomes., Key Message: While our large integrated health system has been able to demonstrate parity across many major surgical outcomes among our thoracic surgery patients, race/ethnicity disparities persist including in the number of post-operative return trips to the emergency department. Tracking outcome disparities to a granular level such as return visits to the emergency department and number of follow up appointments is critical as health systems strive to achieve equitable care., Competing Interests: None., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive species that causes serious damage to soft-skinned fruits. The use of plant-based biorational insecticides (plant extracts and essential oils) to control this pest has grown extensively. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the current status, trends, and perspectives of these studies, with a focus on the plant families and major compounds used as insecticides to control D. suzukii. The first article in this research field was published in 2015, and there has been exponential growth in subsequent years. Thirty-six botanical families were studied in these articles, with a prevalent interest in Myrtaceae and Lamiaceae plant species. The major constituents of these plant-based biorational molecules belong to monoterpenoids, followed by monoterpenes, benzene derivatives, and others. Geranial was the most frequent major constituent of these plant-based compounds. Our analysis revealed a few crucial consequences of the bias provided by the investigations using plant-based biorational insecticides for controlling D. suzukii. Firstly, there is a major focus on the pest species, with little or no attention paid to undesired effects on non-target beneficial organisms (e.g., pollinator bees, predators; parasitoids) and non-target pests. Secondly, the poor knowledge of how these plant-based biorational insecticides act on target and non-target organisms. Finally, there is a need to assess the efficacy of these substances under field conditions. Thus, attention is needed to address these gaps so that plant-based biorational insecticides can become a viable pest management tool for controlling D. suzukii., (© 2023. Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.)

Diatoms are a highly successful group of phytoplankton, well adapted also to oligotrophic environments and capable of handling nutrient fluctuations in the ocean, particularly nitrate. The presence of a large vacuole is an important trait contributing to their adaptive features. It confers diatoms the ability to accumulate and store nutrients, such as nitrate, when they are abundant outside and then to reallocate them into the cytosol to meet deficiencies, in a process called luxury uptake. The molecular mechanisms that regulate these nitrate fluxes are still not known in diatoms. In this work, we provide new insights into the function of Phaeodactylum tricornutum NPF1, a putative low-affinity nitrate transporter. To accomplish this, we generated overexpressing strains and CRISPR/Cas9 loss-of-function mutants. Microscopy observations confirmed predictions that PtNPF1 is localized on the vacuole membrane. Furthermore, functional characterizations performed on knock-out mutants revealed a transient growth delay phenotype linked to altered nitrate uptake. Together, these results allowed us to hypothesize that PtNPF1 is presumably involved in modulating intracellular nitrogen fluxes, managing intracellular nutrient availability. This ability might allow diatoms to fine-tune the assimilation, storage and reallocation of nitrate, conferring them a strong advantage in oligotrophic environments., (© 2023 The Authors New Phytologist © 2023 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Mercury (Hg) is a globally important pollutant that can negatively impact metabolic, endocrine and immune systems of marine biota. Seabirds are long-lived marine top predators and hence are at risk of bioaccumulating high Hg concentrations from their prey. Here, we measured blood total mercury (THg) concentrations and relationships with physiology and breeding parameters of breeding brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) (n = 49 individuals) at Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Mean blood THg concentrations were similar in males and females despite the differences in body size and breeding roles, but differed between study years. Immune markers (hematocrit, Immunoglobulin Y [IgY] and albumin) were negatively correlated with blood THg concentrations, which likely indicates a disruptive effect of Hg on immunity. Alanine aminotransferase (GPT) activity, reflecting liver dysfunction, was positively associated with blood THg. Additionally, triacylglycerol and albumin differed between our study years, but did not correlate with Hg levels, and so were more likely to reflect changes in diet and nutritional status rather than Hg contamination. Egg volume correlated negatively with blood THg concentrations. Our study provides new insights into the sublethal effects of Hg contamination on immunity, liver function and breeding parameters in seabirds. In this Antarctic species, exposure to sublethal Hg concentrations reflects the short-term risks which could make individuals more susceptible to environmental stressors, including ongoing climatic changes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bowel dysfunction remains a prominent priority in the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). However, our understanding of the factors that influence bowel-related quality of life (QoL) in this population remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of resilience, defined as an individual's capacity to cope with and adapt to adversity, as a predictor of bowel-related QoL among the patients with SCI. A cohort of adult patients with SCI who received bowel and bladder care at an outpatient clinic within a large rehabilitation hospital was identified through a prospectively collected database. Resilience was measured using the Spinal Cord Injury-Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Resilience Short Form, whereas bowel QoL was assessed using the Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Quality of Life (IBS-QoL) questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were employed to identify predictors of bowel-related QoL. The examined variables included age, gender, level and completeness of injury, time since injury, hand function, resilience, and the severity of bowel dysfunction as measured using the Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score (NBDS). A total of 73 patients participated in this study, with a mean age of 44.01 ± 13.43 years and comprising mostly men ( n  = 57, 78%). The results revealed a significant correlation between resilience scores and the total score of IBS-QoL ( ρ  = -0.47, p  < 0.0001). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that both resilience and the severity of bowel dysfunction were significant independent predictors of bowel-related QoL, with resilience demonstrating a stronger association. Overall, this study elucidates the importance of resilience in shaping patients' perceptions of their bowel health within the SCI population. In addition to the more expected determinants of bowel-related QoL, such as the severity of bowel dysfunction, resilience emerged as a notable factor. Accordingly, integrating interventions that enhance resilience within bowel rehabilitation programs may yield improvements in patients' perceived bowel health beyond the benefits achievable through bowel function enhancement alone.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains one of the most prevalent pathologies in the world and is among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, partially due to underdiagnosis. The use of clinical questionnaires to identify high-risk individuals to take them to further diagnostic procedures has emerged as a strategy to address this problem., Objective: To compare the performance of the COULD IT BE COPD, CDQ, COPD-PS, LFQ, and PUMA questionnaires for COPD diagnosis., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on subjects who underwent spirometry in the third-level center. Data were collected between January 2015 and March 2020. Bivariate analysis was performed between the study variables and the presence of COPD. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC-ROC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (LR+), and negative likelihood ratio (LR-) for each questionnaire were calculated. The AUC-ROCs were compared with the DeLong test, considering a p value <0.05 statistically significant., Results: 681 subjects met the inclusion criteria and were taken to the final analysis. The prevalence of COPD was 27.5% (187/681). The mean age of the subjects was 65.9 years (SD ± 11.79); 46.3% (315/681) were female, and 83.6% (569/681) reported respiratory symptoms. Statistically significant relationship was found for COPD diagnosis with male sex, older age, respiratory symptoms, and exposure to wood smoke ( p value <0.05). The AUC-ROCs of the questionnaires were between 0.581 and 0.681. The COULD IT BE COPD questionnaire had a lower discriminatory capacity AUC-ROC of 0.581, concerning the other scores (DeLong test, p  = 0.0002)., Conclusion: The CDQ, COPD-PS, LFQ, PUMA, and COULD IT BE COPD questionnaires have acceptable performance for the diagnosis of COPD together with low sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, its use must be complemented with other diagnostic tests or techniques such as pulmonary function tests., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Alirio R. Bastidas et al.)

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) contains secondary metabolites with antioxidant and bactericide activity; however, the study of the peel in the endemic varieties of Mexico has not been deepened. The polyphenols extraction of peel pomegranate endemic to the state of Michoacan, Mexico could be used in the formlulation of healthy food due contains antioxidant compounds or could be used like drugs due contains antibactericide compunds.In this work 3 varieties of pomegranate were analyzed; Wonderful, Apaseo and Tecozautla harvested in 2017 and 2018, carrying out a physicochemical characterization to establish the ripening, application of an experimental design of response surface for drying the peel and extracting polyphenols using two solvents (acetone and ethanol) by the Soxhlet method. As a result, the pomegranates were in the correct ripening, in the drying an optimal point of operation was found without affecting the metabolites (36 h at 55 °C) and in the extraction, the bactericide and antioxidant activity was evaluated observing that in the ketone extracts the best results were obtained in the Apaseo variety being; ABTS•+ technique of 150.78 ET mM/g, DPPH• 109.8 ET mM/g and 11.82 EAG mg/g in dry extract. For the bactericide activity measured by inhibition halos in S. aureus and E. coli it was had; 20.03 mm and 14.05 mm respectively for the Apaseo variety, which is why it is convenient to extract polyphenols under this method in peel of Mexican pomegranate varieties.

Nature-based solutions offer a sustainable alternative to labor and chemical intensive engineered treatment of metal-impaired waste streams. Shallow, unit process open water (UPOW) constructed wetlands represent a novel design where benthic photosynthetic microbial mats (biomat) coexist with sedimentary organic matter and inorganic (mineral) phases, creating an environment for multiple-phase interactions with soluble metals. To query the interplay of dissolved metals with inorganic and organic fractions, biomat was harvested from two distinct systems: the demonstration-scale UPOW within the Prado constructed wetlands complex ("Prado biomat", 88 % inorganic) and a smaller pilot-scale system ("Mines Park (MP) biomat", 48 % inorganic). Both biomats accumulated detectable background concentrations of metals of toxicological concern (Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni) by assimilation from waters that did not exceed regulatory thresholds for these metals. Augmentation in laboratory microcosms with a mixture of these metals at ecotoxicologically relevant concentrations revealed a further capacity for metal removal (83-100 %). Experimental concentrations encapsulated the upper range of surface waters in the metal-impaired Tambo watershed in Peru, where a passive treatment technology such as this could be applied. Sequential extractions demonstrated that metal removal by mineral fractions is more important in Prado than MP biomat, possibly due to a higher proportion and mass of iron and other minerals from Prado-derived materials. Geochemical modeling using PHREEQC suggests that in addition to sorption/surface complexation of metals to mineral phases (modeled as iron (oxyhydr)oxides), diatom and bacterial functional groups (carboxyl, phosphoryl, and silanol) also play an important role in soluble metal removal. By comparing sequestered metal phases across these biomats with differing inorganic content, we propose that sorption/surface complexation and incorporation/assimilation of both inorganic and organic constituents of the biomat play a dominant role in metal removal potential by UPOW wetlands. This knowledge could be applied to passively treat metal impaired waters in analogous and remote regions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Expanding and providing access to early detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through testing community-based strategies among socially vulnerable communities (SVC) are critical to reducing health disparities. The Epidemiological Intelligence Community Network (EpI-Net) community-based intervention sought to increase coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) testing uptake and prevention practices among SVC in Puerto Rico (PR). We evaluated EpI-Net's community leaders' capacity-building component by assessing pre-post COVID-19 public health workshops' tests' score changes and satisfaction among trained community leaders., Methods: A total of 24 community leaders from SVC in PR have completed four community workshops. Pre- and post-assessments were completed as part of the health promotors training program to evaluate participants' tests score changes and satisfaction outcomes., Results: Preliminary results showed: (1) high intervention retention levels of community leaders (85.7% acceptance rate); (2) change in post-test scores for community engagement strategies (p = 0.012); (3) change in post-test educational scores in COVID-19 prevention practices (p = 0.014); and (4) a change in scores in public health emergency management strategies (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The overall workshop satisfaction was 99.6%. Community leaders have shown the importance of community capacity building as a key component for intervention feasibility and impact., Trial Registration: Our study was retrospectively registered under the ClinicalTrial.gov ID NCT04910542., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Shallow, unit process open water wetlands harbor a benthic microbial mat capable of removing nutrients, pathogens, and pharmaceuticals at rates that rival or exceed those of more traditional systems. A deeper understanding of the treatment capabilities of this non-vegetated, nature-based system is currently hampered by experimentation limited to demonstration-scale field systems and static lab-based microcosms that integrate field-derived materials. This limits fundamental mechanistic knowledge, extrapolation to contaminants and concentrations not present at current field sites, operational optimization, and integration into holistic water treatment trains. Hence, we have developed stable, scalable, and tunable laboratory reactor analogs that offer the capability to manipulate variables such as influent rates, aqueous geochemistry, light duration, and light intensity gradations within a controlled laboratory environment. The design is composed of an experimentally adaptable set of parallel flow-through reactors and controls that can contain field-harvested photosynthetic microbial mats ("biomat") and could be adapted for analogous photosynthetically active sediments or microbial mats. The reactor system is contained within a framed laboratory cart that integrates programable LED photosynthetic spectrum lights. Peristaltic pumps are used to introduce specified growth media, environmentally derived, or synthetic waters at a constant rate, while a gravity-fed drain on the opposite end allows steady-state or temporally variable effluent to be monitored, collected, and analyzed. The design allows for dynamic customization based on experimental needs without confounding environmental pressures and can be easily adapted to study analogous aquatic, photosynthetically driven systems, particularly where biological processes are contained within benthos. The diel cycles of pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) are used as geochemical benchmarks for the interplay of photosynthetic and heterotrophic respiration and likeness to field systems. Unlike static microcosms, this flow-through system remains viable (based on pH and DO fluctuations) and has at present been maintained for more than a year with original field-based materials.•Lab-scale flow-through reactors enable controlled and accessible exploration of shallow, open water constructed wetland function and applications.•The footprint and operating parameters minimize resources and hazardous waste while allowing for hypothesis-driven experiments.•A parallel negative control reactor quantifies and minimizes experimental artifacts., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Introduction: Understanding patient and caregiver experience is key to providing person-centered care. The palliative care approach includes holistic assessment and whole-person care at the end of life, that also involves the patient's family and loved ones. The aim of this study was to describe the way that family caregivers experienced patients' deaths during their loved ones' last hospital admission, comparing inpatient palliative care (PCU) and non-palliative care (Non-PCU) units., Methods: A qualitative case study approach was implemented. Family caregivers of terminally ill patients admitted to the Infanta Elena Hospital (Madrid, Spain) between 2016 and 2018 were included using purposeful sampling. Eligible caregivers were first-degree relatives or spouses present during the patient's last hospital admission. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and researchers' field notes. Semi-structured interviews with a question guide were used. A thematic inductive analysis was performed. The group of caregivers of patients admitted to the PCU unit and the group of caregivers of patients admitted to Non-PCU were analyzed separately, through a matrix., Results: In total 24 caregivers (12 from the PCU and 12 from Non-PCU units) were included. Two main themes were identified: caregivers' perception of scientific and technical appropriateness of care, and perception of person-centred care. Scientific appropriateness of care was subdivided into two categories: diagnostic tests and treatment, and symptom control. Perception of person-centred care was subdivided as: communication, emotional support, and facilitating the farewell process. Caregivers of patients admitted to a PCU unit described their experience of end-of-life care as positive, while their Non-PCU unit counterparts described largely negative experiences., Conclusions: PCU provides a person-centered approach to care at the end of life, optimizing treatment for patients with advanced disease, ensuring effective communication, establishing a satisfactory professional relationship with both patients and their loved ones, and facilitating the farewell process for family caregivers.

Mitochondria are the major organelles of energy production; however, active mitochondria can decline their energetic role and show a dysfunctional status. Mitochondrial dysfunction was induced by high non-physiological level of L-galactone-1,4-lactone (L-GalL), the precursor of ascorbate (AsA), in plant mitochondria. The dysfunction induced by L-GalL was associated with the fault in the mitochondrial electron partition and reactive oxygen species (ROS) over-production. Using mitochondria from RNAi-plant lines harbouring silenced L-galactone-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (L-GalLDH) activity, it was demonstrated that such dysfunction is dependent on this enzyme activity. The capacity of alternative respiration was strongly decreased by L-GalL, probably mediated by redox-inactivation of the alternative oxidase (AOX) enzyme. Although, alternative respiration was shown to be the key factor that helps support AsA synthesis in dysfunctional mitochondria. Experiments with respiratory inhibitors showed that ROS formation and mitochondrial dysfunction were more associated with the decline in the activities of COX (cytochrome oxidase) and particularly AOX than with the lower activities of respiratory complexes I and III. The application of high L-GalL concentrations induced proteomic changes that indicated alterations in proteins related to oxidative stress and energetic status. However, supra-optimal L-GalL concentration was not deleterious for plants. Instead, the L-GalLDH activity could be positive. Indeed, it was found that wild type plants performed better growth than L-GalLDH-RNAi plants in response to high non-physiological L-GalL concentrations., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Mercury is a pervasive environmental contaminant that can negatively impact seabirds. Here, we measure total mercury (THg) concentrations in red blood cells (RBCs) from breeding brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) (n = 49) at Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. The aims of this study were to: (i) analyse RBCs THg concentrations in relation to sex, year and stable isotope values of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N); and (ii) examine correlations between THg, body condition and breeding success. RBC THg concentrations were positively correlated with δ 15 N, which is a proxy of trophic position, and hence likely reflects the biomagnification process. Levels of Hg contamination differed between our study years, which is likely related to changes in diet and distribution. RBC THg concentrations were not related to body condition or breeding success, suggesting that Hg contamination is currently not a major conservation concern for this population., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

To explore the role of the interictal and ictal SPECT to identity functional neuroimaging biomarkers for SUDEP risk stratification in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy (DRFE). Twenty-nine interictal-ictal Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans were obtained from nine DRFE patients. A methodology for the relative quantification of cerebral blood flow of 74 cortical and sub-cortical structures was employed. The optimal number of clusters (K) was estimated using a modified v-fold cross-validation for the use of K means algorithm. The two regions of interest (ROIs) that represent the hypoperfused and hyperperfused areas were identified. To select the structures related to the SUDEP-7 inventory score, a data mining method that computes an automatic feature selection was used. During the interictal and ictal state, the hyperperfused ROIs in the largest part of patients were the bilateral rectus gyrus, putamen as well as globus pallidus ipsilateral to the seizure onset zone. The hypoperfused ROIs included the red nucleus, substantia nigra, medulla, and entorhinal area. The findings indicated that the nearly invariability in the perfusion pattern during the interictal to ictal transition observed in the ipsi-lateral putamen F = 12.60, p = 0.03, entorhinal area F = 25.80, p = 0.01, and temporal middle gyrus F = 12.60, p = 0.03 is a potential biomarker of SUDEP risk. The results presented in this paper allowed identifying hypo- and hyperperfused brain regions during the ictal and interictal state potentially related to SUDEP risk stratification.

Purpose: To measure the in vitro flow properties of the PRESERFLO implant for comparison with the theoretical resistance to flow., Methods: The PRESERFLO was designed to control the flow of aqueous humor according to the Hagen-Poiseuille (HP) equation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to analyze the ultrastructure, and flow measurements were carried out using a gravity-flow setup., Results: SEM images of the PRESERFLO showed luminal diameters of 67.73 × 65.95 µm and 63.66 × 70.54 µm. The total diameter was 337.2 µm, and the wall was 154 µm wide. The theoretical calculation of the resistance to flow (R) for an aqueous humor (AH) viscosity of 0.7185 centipoises (cP) was 1.3 mm Hg/(µL/min). Hence, assuming a constant AH flow of 2 µL/min, the pressure differential across the device (ΔP) was estimated to be 2.6 mm Hg. The gravity-flow experiment allowed us to measure the experimental resistance to flow, which was RE = 1.301 mm Hg/(µL/min), in agreement with the theoretical resistance to flow R given by the HP equation., Conclusions: The experimental and theoretical flow testing showed that the pressure drop across this device would not be large enough to avoid hypotony unless the resistance to outflow of the sub-Tenon space was sufficient to control the intraocular pressure in the early postoperative period., Translational Relevance: The fluid properties of glaucoma subconjunctival drainage devices determine their specific bleb-forming capacity and ability to avoid hypotony and therefore their safety and efficacy profile.

Introduction: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 is poorly understood and remains controversial., Methods: We evaluated a large cohort of patients with COVID-19-related hypoxemic respiratory failure at the temporary COVID-19 hospital in Mexico City. The primary outcome was the success rate of HFNC to prevent the progression to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). We also evaluated the risk factors associated with HFNC success or failure., Results: HFNC use effectively prevented IMV in 71.4% of patients [270 of 378 patients; 95% confidence interval (CI) 66.6-75.8%]. Factors that were significantly different at admission included age, the presence of hypertension, and the Charlson comorbidity index. Predictors of therapy failure (adjusted hazard ratio, 95% CI) included the comorbidity-age-lymphocyte count-lactate dehydrogenase (CALL) score at admission (1.27, 1.09-1.47; p  < 0.01), Rox index at 1 hour (0.82, 0.7-0.96; p  = 0.02), and no prior steroid treatment (0.34, 95% CI 0.19-0.62; p  < 0.0001). Patients with HFNC success rarely required admission to the intensive care unit and had shorter lengths of hospital stay [19/270 (7.0%) and 15.0 (interquartile range, 11-20) days, respectively] than those who required IMV [104/108 (96.3%) and 26.5 (20-36) days, respectively]., Conclusion: Treating patients with HFNC at admission led to improvement in respiratory parameters in many patients with COVID-19., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: The Carlos Slim Foundation funded this study. APC, ESL, MGN, RRVV, HHB, LMJ, MAA, LERG, LMC, RVB, RVAW, BSO, and MLRC are full-time employees of the Temporary COVID-19 Hospital. HGR, JLG, LAMJ, and RTC are full-time employees of the Carlos Slim Foundation in Mexico. The authors declare no other conflicts of interest or outside funding from any other organizations., (© The Author(s), 2021.)

Introduction: In response to the evolution of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the admission protocol for the temporary COVID-19 hospital in Mexico City has been updated to hospitalize patients preemptively with an oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) of >90%., Methods: This prospective, observational, single-center study compared the progression and outcomes of patients who were preemptively hospitalized versus those who were hospitalized based on an SpO 2 ⩽90%. We recorded patient demographics, clinical characteristics, COVID-19 symptoms, and oxygen requirement at admission. We calculated the risk of disease progression and the benefit of preemptive hospitalization, stratified by CALL Score: age, lymphocyte count, and lactate dehydrogenase (<8 and ⩾8) at admission., Results: Preemptive hospitalization significantly reduced the requirement for oxygen therapy (odds ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.31-0.66), admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (0.37, 0.23-0.60), requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (0.40, 0.25-0.64), and mortality (0.22, 0.10-0.50). Stratification by CALL score at admission showed that the benefit of preemptive hospitalization remained significant for patients requiring oxygen therapy (0.51, 0.31-0.83), admission to the ICU (0.48, 0.27-0.86), and IMV (0.51, 0.28-0.92). Mortality risk remained significantly reduced (0.19, 0.07-0.48)., Conclusion: Preemptive hospitalization reduced the rate of disease progression and may be beneficial for improving COVID-19 patient outcomes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: The Carlos Slim Foundation funded this study. The funding source was involved in the design of the study, analysis, interpretation of data, and in writing the manuscript. The authors HGR, JLG, RSM, LAMJ, and RTC are employees of the Carlos Slim Foundation in Mexico. RRVV, RVB, LMJ, MAA, STB, RVAW, ESL, MDNO, AGR, LMBR, PEC, LERG, ACS, JBM, AGR, APC, HHB, LVA, and RARL are employed full-time by the temporary COVID-19 hospital. The authors declare no other outside funding from any other organizations and declare no further conflicts., (© The Author(s), 2021.)

Since the approval of immune checkpoint anti-programmed cell death protein 1 antibodies (pembrolizumab and nivolumab) and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (ipilimumab) in combination or monotherapy, significant advances have been made in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The nonspecific immune stimulation resulting from these drugs can case a wide range of side effects in many organs including the nervous system, named immune-related adverse events. Few immune-related encephalitis associated with these antibodies have been described in the literature. It is a rare complication (<1% of the total of immune-related adverse events) but it can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated on time. We describe 3 cases of patients with melanoma, which were treated with a combination of ipilimumab-nivolumab (case 1), ipilimumab monotherapy (case 2), and nivolumab monotherapy (case 3), who developed an encephalitis which was related to immune checkpoint therapy., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate EEG-derived functional connectivity (FC) patterns associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: A sample of 15 patients without cognitive impairment (PD-WCI), 15 with MCI (PD-MCI), and 26 healthy subjects were studied. The EEG was performed in the waking functional state with eyes closed, for the functional analysis it was used the synchronization likelihood (SL) and graph theory (GT)., Results: PD-MCI patients showed decreased FC in frequencies alpha, in posterior regions, and delta with a generalized distribution. Patients, compared to the healthy people, presented a decrease in segregation (lower clustering coefficient in alpha p = 0.003 in PD-MCI patients) and increased integration (shorter mean path length in delta (p = 0.004) and theta (p = 0.002) in PD-MCI patients). There were no significant differences in the network topology between the parkinsonian groups. In PD-MCI patients, executive dysfunction correlated positively with global connectivity in beta (r = 0.47) and negatively with the mean path length at beta (r = -0.45); alterations in working memory were negatively correlated with the mean path length at beta r = -0.45., Conclusions: PD patients present alterations in the FC in all frequencies, those with MCI show less connectivity in the alpha and delta frequencies. The neural networks of the patients show a random topology, with a similar organization between patients with and without MCI. In PD-MCI patients, alterations in executive function and working memory are related to beta integration.

Background: The classification for HD was developed by Goligher in 1980 and does not contemplate important aspects of this disease, which limits its use in guiding treatment. The aim of this study if to apply in clinical practice the new classification for hemorrhoids named BPRST (bleeding, prolapse, reduction, skin tags, thrombosis), to compare it with the original classification proposed by Goligher and to propose an algorithm for treatment., Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study conducted at the University of São Paulo's teaching hospital and Hospital 9 de Julho . Patients with HD treated from March 2011 to July 2013 were included. Patients were classified according to BPRST and Goligher classifications and treated according to personal experience and most updated guidelines. The association between both classifications and the treatment adopted was compared and an algorithm for treatment was developed., Results: 229 patients were included in this study and 28 patients were lost due to follow-up. According to Goligher, 29, 61, 85 and 26 were classified as grades I, II, III and IV, respectively. According to the BPRST, 23 were classified as stage I, 95 as stage II and 83 as stage III. Six patients classified as Goligher I were reclassified as BPRST stage III and required conventional hemorrhoidectomy, either due to thrombosis (n = 4) or intolerable skin tags (n = 2). The BPRST classification was more closely associated with the type of treatment employed and had few outliers than Goligher (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: There are limitations to the use of Goligher's classification in clinical practice. The novel BPRST classification includes important aspects of HD that should be considered when deciding the best treatment option. Our algorithm for treatment contemplates the most commonly used techniques and can help to guide the treatment of this complex disease., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IJS Publishing Group Ltd.)

During the last decades plastic pollution has become a common issue in marine environments. Studies on seabirds have focused on species that ingest plastics mistaken for prey or indirectly through their preferred prey or, on how foraging strategy influences this behaviour. We evaluated plastic ingestion in relation to the proximity of nests to areas with different anthropogenic pressure, breeding status and breeding stage. We analyzed regurgitated pellets (n = 1001) from a seabird, the Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi) at Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Plastics were found in 9% of pellets, only in breeders from an area with high antropogenic activity. The prevalence of plastic increased during the brooding of chicks stage, when skuas expand their feeding niche. Our results support previous work which demonstrated that seabirds with wider feeding niche show higher loads of plastics. Altogether, this provides insights into the dynamics of plastic transfer within the environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interests exists between the authors of this work., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The Mexican Society of Pediatric Endocrinology developed a clinical practice guide for the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty. This document presents recommendations related to the diagnosis of secondary causes of central PP. The detailed description of the methodology for the development of this guide and the grading system, as well as the synthesis of the evidence on which it is based can be consulted in this same supplement., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

Three systematic reviews were conducted to formulate the recommendations on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with precocious puberty: interventions for the treatment of precocious puberty that included the outcomes of final or near-final height, mental health, metabolic health, health bone, or blockade success; comparative observational studies evaluating long-term outcomes in subjects with a history of precocious puberty; and diagnostic test accuracy studies for puberty., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

The Mexican Society of Pediatric Endocrinology developed a clinical practice guide for the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty. This document presents recommendations related to the complementary interventions for the treatment of precocious puberty besides puberty blockade. The detailed description of the methodology for the development of this guide and the grading system, as well as the synthesis of the evidence on which it is based, can be consulted in this same supplement., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

The Mexican Society of Pediatric Endocrinology developed a clinical practice guide for the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty. This document presents recommendations related to the interventions for the inhibition of central precocious puberty. The detailed description of the methodology for the development of this guide and the grading system, as well as the synthesis of the evidence on which it is based can be consulted in this same supplement., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

The Mexican Society of Pediatric Endocrinology developed a clinical practice guide for the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty. This document presents recommendations related to the diagnosis of precocious puberty. The detailed description of the methodology for the development of this guide and the grading system, as well as the synthesis of the evidence on which it is based can be accessed in this same supplement., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

Background: The Mexican Society of Pediatric Endocrinology presents recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty (PP), a condition defined as the development of sexual characteristics due to an increase in pituitary gonadotropin secretion before 8 or 9 years of age in girls and boys, respectively., Methods: Three systematic reviews were conducted: controlled clinical trials on interventions for PP treatment, diagnostic tests, and observational studies on the long-term effects of PP. The quality evaluation and data extraction from the studies were conducted by two independent reviewers. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine systems were used for grading the quality of evidence for recommendations on intervention and diagnosis, respectively. Recommendations were submitted to a consensus by a Delphi method and were validated by another 143 certified pediatric endocrinologists through an online questionnaire., Results: The group generated 12 recommendations on the diagnosis of PP, seven on the diagnosis of secondary causes of PP, eight on interventions for inhibition of puberty, five on other interventions for PP treatment, and 14 for the monitoring and follow-up of these patients. The online questionnaires submitted to certified pediatric endocrinologists showed more than 90% of approval for each one of the recommendations., Conclusions: Although a high degree of consensus for the recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of PP among pediatric endocrinologists was achieved, most of these recommendations showed a low level of evidence., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

The Mexican Society of Pediatric Endocrinology developed a clinical practice guide for the diagnosis and treatment of precocious puberty. This document presents recommendations related to the monitorization of the treatment and follow-up of patients with central precocious puberty. The detailed description of the methodology for the development of this guide and the grading system, as well as the synthesis of the evidence on which it is based, can be consulted in this same supplement., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in Figure 2, where the color code of the text boxes is reversed. Figure 2-amended shows the correct color association between the text boxes and the different areas in the map: Navarra, neighbouring communities and other Spanish communities.

Nonconvulsive epileptic seizures (NCSz) and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) are two neurological entities associated with increment in morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. In a previous work, we introduced a method which accurately detected NCSz in EEG data (referred here as 'Batch method'). However, this approach was less effective when the EEG features identified at the beginning of the recording changed over time. Such pattern drift is an issue that causes failures of automated seizure detection methods. This paper presents a support vector machine (SVM)-based incremental learning method for NCSz detection that for the first time addresses the seizure evolution in EEG records from patients with epileptic disorders and from ICU having NCSz. To implement the incremental learning SVM, three methodologies are tested. These approaches differ in the way they reduce the set of potentially available support vectors that are used to build the decision function of the classifier. To evaluate the suitability of the three incremental learning approaches proposed here for NCSz detection, first, a comparative study between the three methods is performed. Secondly, the incremental learning approach with the best performance is compared with the Batch method and three other batch methods from the literature. From this comparison, the incremental learning method based on maximum relevance minimum redundancy (MRMR&#95;IL) obtained the best results. MRMR&#95;IL method proved to be an effective tool for NCSz detection in a real-time setting, achieving sensitivity and accuracy values above 99%., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Previous studies have already highlighted the correlation between Sporisorium scitamineum pathogenicity and sugarcane polyamine accumulation. It was shown that high infectivity correlates with an increase in the amount of spermidine, spermine and cadaverine conjugated to phenols in the sensitive cultivars whereas resistant plants mainly produce free putrescine. However, these previous studies did not clarify the role of these polyamides in the disorders caused to the plant. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to clarify the effect of polyamines on the development of smut disease. In this paper, commercial polyamines were firstly assayed on smut teliospores germination. Secondly, effects were correlated to changes in endogenous polyamines after contact with defense sugarcane glycoproteins. Low concentrations of spermidine significantly activated teliospore germination, while putrescine had no activating effect on germination. Interestingly, it was observed that the diamine caused nuclear decondensation and breakage of the teliospore cell wall whereas the treatment of teliospores with spermidine did not induce nuclear decondensation or cell wall breakdown. Moreover, the number of polymerized microtubules increased in the presence of 7.5 mM spermidine but it decreased with putrescine which indicates that polyamines effects on Sporisorium scitamineum teliospore germination could be mediated through microtubules interaction. An increased production of polyamines in smut teliospores has been related to sugarcane resistance to the disease. Teliospores incubation with high molecular mass glycoproteins (HMMG) from the uninoculated resistant variety of sugarcane, Mayari 55-14, caused an increase of the insoluble fraction of putrescine, spermidine and spermine inside the teliospore cells. Moreover, the level of the soluble fraction of spermidine (S fraction) increased inside teliospores and the excess was released to the medium. The HMMG glycoproteins purified from Mayarí 55-14 plants previously inoculated with the pathogen significantly increased the levels of both retained and secreted soluble putrescine and spermidine. Polyamines levels did not increase in teliospores after incubation with HMMG produced by non resistant variety Barbados 42231 which could be related to the incapacity of these plants to defend themselves against smut disease. Thus, a hypothesis about the role of polyamines in sugarcane-smut interaction is explained.

Ascorbic acid (AA) is a major redox buffer in plant cells. The role of ethylene in the redox signaling pathways that influence photosynthesis and growth was explored in two independent AA deficient Arabidopsis thaliana mutants (vtc2-1 and vtc2-4). Both mutants, which are defective in the AA biosynthesis gene GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase, produce higher amounts of ethylene than wt plants. In contrast to the wt, the inhibition of ethylene signaling increased leaf conductance, photosynthesis and dry weight in both vtc2 mutant lines. The AA-deficient mutants showed altered expression of genes encoding proteins involved in the synthesis/responses to phytohormones that control growth, particularly auxin, cytokinins, abscisic acid, brassinosterioids, ethylene and salicylic acid. These results demonstrate that AA deficiency modifies hormone signaling in plants, redox-ethylene interactions providing a regulatory node controlling shoot biomass accumulation., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of patients with persistent delirium (PD) at three months after hospital discharge., Methodology: Longitudinal descriptive study to assess the prevalence and characteristics of in-patients aged 65 years and older in the Clinica Universitaria Bolivariana who met DSM-5 criteria for delirium at admission, at discharge, and at a 3-month follow up assessment. Socio-demographic features were determined, and CGI-S and DRS-R98 scales used., Results: A total of 30 patients were evaluated between April and October 2013, but 6 did not fulfil the inclusion criteria. The study included 24 patients, with 9 (37.5%) dying during hospitalisation. Of the 15 surviving patients, five (20.8% of the total sample) had their delirium resolved at discharge, and ten (41.6% of the sample) continued with symptoms. These established the PD group, of whom five of them (20.8%) had full PD, and the other five (20.8%) sub-syndromal PD (SSPD). At the final assessment, only two patients (8.3%) continued with full PD, and another two (8.3%) with SSPD. Among the PD group, 30% had a full delirium at admission (prevalence), and 70% developed full delirium during hospitalization (incidence)., Conclusions: A significant number of patients did not recover from delirium at leaving hospital, and remained symptomatic three months after discharge. The study findings suggest a course of gradual improvement of delirium, with a persistence of symptoms over time in 40% of the patients, which would have implications for the clinical practice., (Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

In a recent study, several new derivatives of antimycin A (AMA) were produced by means of a novel transacylation reaction, and these were shown to mediate selective toxicity toward cultured A549 human lung epithelial adenocarcinoma cells, as compared with WI-38 normal human lung fibroblasts. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether the analogues all expressed their cytotoxicity by the same mechanism. This was done by studying the effects of the compounds in several types of cell lines. In comparison with 2- O -methylantimycin, which acts at the locus of Bcl-2, none of the new derivatives exhibited a difference in cytotoxicity toward cells expressing different levels of Bcl-2. In cell lines that over- or underexpress estrogen or Her2 receptors, AMA analogue 2 exhibited Her2 receptor dependency at low concentration. Three compounds ( 1, 4 , and 6 ) exhibited concentration-dependent increases in reactive oxygen species, with 6 being especially potent. Compounds 5 and 6 diminished mitochondrial membrane potential more potently than AMA, and 1 also displayed enhanced activity relative to 2 - 4 . Interestingly, only 1 and AMA displayed strong inhibition of the respiratory chain, as measured by monitoring NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) oxidase. Because four of the analogues have positively charged substituents, two of these ( 4 and 6 ) were studied to see whether the observed effects were due to much higher level of accumulation within the mitochondria. Their presence in the mitochondria was not dramatically enhanced. Neither of the two presently characterized mechanisms of cell killing by AMA can fully account for the observed results., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) is a relatively new therapeutic approach that has shown beneficial effects in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). One question to be answered is how enduring its neuromodulatory effect could be. Twenty-four patients with ASD (mean age: 12.2 years) received 20 sessions of NIBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC). They were randomized into two groups with two (G1) or three (G2) clinical evaluations before NIBS. Both groups had a complete follow-up at six months after the intervention, with the aim of determining the short-term outcome using the total score on the Autism Behavior Checklist, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist, and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) was used in ASD patients aged <11 years, and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for 11-13-year-olds. Observation points were at one, three, and six months after completing all the sessions of NIBS. A significant reduction in the total score on the three clinical scales was observed and maintained during the first six months after treatment, with a slight and non-significant tendency to increase the scores in the last evaluation. Twenty sessions of NIBS over the L-DLPFC improves autistic symptoms in ASD children, with a lasting effect of six months., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

First-principles total-energy calculations were performed to investigate the structural and electronic properties of thymine (T) adsorption on pristine and Al-doped two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (2D-hBN) surfaces. Periodic density functional theory, as developed in the PWscf code of the quantum espresso package, was applied. The pseudopotential theory was used to deal with electron-ion interactions. The generalized gradient approximation was applied to treat the exchange-correlation energies. Van der Waals interactions were incorporated in the calculations. Considering T as an elongated molecule and the interactions through one oxygen atom of the molecule ring, two geometries were explored in pristine and Al-doped systems: in (1) the ring side O interacts with B, and (2) the O at the molecule end interacting with the B. The pristine case yields (4 × 4-a), (5 × 5-b) and (6 × 6-b) as the ground states, , while the doped system shows (4 × 4-a), (5 × 5-a) and (6 × 6-a) as the ground states. Calculations of the adsorption energies indicate chemisorption. Doping enhances the surface reactivity, inducing larger binding energies. The total density of states (DOS) was calculated and interpreted with the aid of the projected DOS. Below the Fermi energy, the DOS graphs indicate that p orbitals make the largest contributions. Above the Fermi level, the DOS is formed mainly by -s and H-s orbitals. The DOS graphs indicate that the structures have non-semiconductor behavior.

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a complex disease with severe functional repercussions; therefore it merits treatment which goes beyond drugs., Theme Development: It requires an approach that considers a diathesis-stress process that includes rehabilitation, psychotherapeutic strategies for persistent cognitive, negative and psychotic symptoms, psychoeducation of patient and communities, community adaptation strategies, such as the introduction to the work force, and the community model, such as a change in the asylum paradigm., Discussion: It is necessary to establish private and public initiatives for the integrated care of schizophrenia in the country, advocating the well-being of those with the disease., Conclusions: The integrated management of schizophrenic patients requires a global view of the patient and his/her disease, and its development is essential., (Copyright © 2015 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a complex disease for which pharmacological management is an insufficient therapeutic measure to ensure adaptation to the community and restoring the quality of life of the patient, with a multidimensional management and community interventions being necessary., Methodology: Case report., Results: This case report illustrates a multidisciplinary treatment response, based on a community care model for mental health from Envigado, Colombia., Discussion: The management of schizophrenia requires multimodal interventions that include community screening, psychoeducation of individuals, their families and society, addressing different areas of operation that allow adaptation of the subject to his social environment., Conclusions: A integrated intervention that can be provided on a Community scale, with the implementation of policies that allow it to be applied., (Copyright © 2015 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

This study was a two-armed parallel group design aimed at testing real world effectiveness of a music therapy (MT) intervention for children with severe neurological disorders. The control group received only the standard neurorestoration program and the experimental group received an additional MT "Auditory Attention plus Communication protocol" just before the usual occupational and speech therapy. Multivariate Item Response Theory (MIRT) identified a neuropsychological status-latent variable manifested in all children and which exhibited highly significant changes only in the experimental group. Changes in brain plasticity also occurred in the experimental group, as evidenced using a Mismatch Event Related paradigm which revealed significant post intervention positive responses in the latency range between 308 and 400 ms in frontal regions. LORETA EEG source analysis identified prefrontal and midcingulate regions as differentially activated by the MT in the experimental group. Taken together, our results showing improved attention and communication as well as changes in brain plasticity in children with severe neurological impairments, confirm the importance of MT for the rehabilitation of patients across a wide range of dysfunctions.

We propose a vibrotactile interface in the form of a belt for guiding blind walkers. This interface enables blind walkers to receive haptic directional instructions along complex paths without negatively impacting users' ability to listen and/or perceive the environment the way some auditory directional instructions do. The belt interface was evaluated in a controlled study with 10 blind individuals and compared to the audio guidance. The experiments were videotaped and the participants' behaviors and comments were content analyzed. Completion times and deviations from ideal paths were also collected and statistically analyzed. By triangulating the quantitative and qualitative data, we found that the belt resulted in closer path following to the expense of speed. In general, the participants were positive about the use of vibrotactile belt to provide directional guidance.

Plant steroid hormones brassinosteroids (BRs) and the gaseous hormone ethylene (ET) alter the ascorbic acid-glutathione (AA-GSH) levels in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants. The interaction of these hormones in regulating antioxidant metabolism is however unknown. The combined use of genetics (BR-mutants) and chemical application (BR/ET-related chemicals) shows that BRs and ET signalling pathways interact, to regulate leaf AA content and synthesis. BR-deficient (d(x)) leaves display low total AA but BR-accumulating (35S:D) leaves show normal total AA content. Leaves with either BR levels lower or higher than wild type plants showed a higher oxidised AA redox state. The activity of L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (L-GalLDH), the mitochondrial enzyme that catalyses the last step in AA synthesis is lower in d(x) and higher in 35S:D plants. BR-deficient mutants show higher ET production but it is restored to normal levels when BR content is increased in 35S:D plants. Suppression of ET signalling using 1-methylcyclopropene in d(x) and 35S:D plants restored leaf AA content and L-GalLDH activity, to the values observed in wild type. The suppression of ET action in d(x) and 35S:D leaves leads to the respective decreasing and increasing respiration, indicating an opposite response compared to AA synthesis. This inverse relationship is lacking in ET suppressed d(x) plants in response to external BRs. The modifications in the in vivo activity of L-GalLDH activity do not correlate with changes in the level of the enzyme. Taken together, these data suggest that ET suppresses and BRs promote AA synthesis and accumulation., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)