Text mining methods for the characterisation of suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

Traditional research methods have shown low predictive value for suicidal risk assessments and limitations to be applied in clinical practice. The authors sought to evaluate natural language processing as a new tool for assessing self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and emotions related. We used MEmind project to assess 2838 psychiatric outpatients. Anonymous unstructured responses to the open-ended question "how are you feeling today?" were collected according to their emotional state. Natural language processing was used to process the patients' writings. The texts were automatically represented (corpus) and analyzed to determine their emotional content and degree of suicidal risk. Authors compared the patients' texts with a question used to assess lack of desire to live, as a suicidal risk assessment tool. Corpus consists of 5,489 short free-text documents containing 12,256 tokenized or unique words. The natural language processing showed an ROC-AUC score of 0.9638 when compared with the responses to lack of a desire to live question. Natural language processing shows encouraging results for classifying subjects according to their desire not to live as a measure of suicidal risk using patients' free texts. It is also easily applicable to clinical practice and facilitates real-time communication with patients, allowing better intervention strategies to be designed.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of three products of epoetin alfa as single subcutaneous dose in healthy volunteers.

Hemax® is an epoetin alfa product developed by Biosidus S.A. in Argentina at the end of the 1980s and has been present in that market since 1991. The initial presentation was a lyophilized powder containing albumin as stabilizer, to best adapt to environmental conditions in developing countries; more recently, a prefilled syringe, albumin-free presentation was developed, since this presentation has become the preferred standard in many markets. The primary objective was to compare the pharmacokinetic profile of different formulations of epoetin alfa after a single subcutaneous administration to healthy volunteers of 40 000 IU of Eprex/Erypo® and Hemax® PFS. This clinical trial was conceived following an open-label, randomized, three-way three-period cross-over balanced, and sequential design. The study was conducted on 24 healthy volunteers. To analyze similarity between Hemax® PFS and the innovator product, Eprex®, area under the curve (AUC) and Cmax of both products have been compared. The 90% CI lower limit for the geometric mean ratios was higher than 80% for any comparisons, and the 90% CI upper limit for these geometric ratios was below 125% for all the comparisons made, thus demonstrating equivalence between both products. The comparison between Hemax® PFS and Eprex® resulted in similar 90% CI for Cmax , AUC(0-120 h) and AUC(0-inf) ratios, all of them within the 80-125% interval, with a power above 95% for each ratio. These findings suggest biosimilar patterns for absorption velocity (with Tmax close to 15 h), absorption extent, and elimination (with an elimination half-life close to 25-30 h for each formulation).

Efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a biosimilar recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (Folitime®) vs. Gonal-f® in women undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF: A randomized, multicenter, evaluator-blinded, non-inferiority study.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a biosimilar recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (Folitime®) with Gonal-f® in women undergoing ovarian stimulation for in-vitro fertilization. METHODS: This randomized (1:1), multicenter, assessor-blinded, non-inferiority, parallel-group, controlled study conducted at four infertility clinics in Argentina included infertile normogonadotropic women with ages below 39 years, with menstrual cycles of 25/35 days and a body mass index of 18-32 kg/m2 undergoing assisted reproductive technology therapy. During a 5-day fixed-dose phase, the women received 225 IU/day of Folitime® (n=49) or Gonal-f® (n=44), followed by a dose-adaptation phase up to a maximum of 450 IU/day. The non-inferiority margin for oocyte retrieval was estimated at -4 oocytes (one-sided test). Immunogenicity was investigated on days 9 and 84, following the start of treatment. RESULTS: The mean number of oocytes retrieved was 12.6 (SD 7.4) in the Folitime® group and 13.4 (SD 6.9) in the Gonal-f® group (per protocol analysis, 95% confidence interval = -3.82; 2.33), within the non-inferiority margin. Pregnancy rate at week 10 was 24.4% among subjects treated with Folitime® and 19.5% for subjects treated with Gonal-f®. One serious adverse drug reaction-late mild ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome and deep venous thrombosis in the left deep jugular vein-occurred in a subject treated with Folitime®. None of the subjects developed antibodies against the study drugs. There were no unexpected safety findings. CONCLUSIONS: Folitime® is non-inferior to Gonal-f®, with no differences in the safety profile and has been approved as a biosimilar in Argentina.

Comprehensive Analysis of Steel Slag as Aggregate for Road Construction: Experimental Testing and Environmental Impact Assessment.

Blast Oxygen Furnace (BOF) slag represents one of the largest waste fractions from steelmaking. Therefore, slag valorisation technologies are of high importance regarding the use of slag as a secondary resource, both in the steel sector and in other sectors, such as the construction or cement industries. The main issue regarding the use of BOF slag is its volumetric instability in the presence of water; this hampers its use in sectors and requires a stabilisation pre-treatment. These treatments are also cost-inefficient and cause other environmental issues. This paper analyses the use of untreated BOF slag from a technical and environmental point of view, suggesting it as an alternative to natural aggregates in road surface layers and asphalt pavements. A comprehensive analysis of the requirements to be met by raw materials used in asphalt mixes was performed, and a pilot test was carried out with two different mixtures: one mix with limestone as coarse aggregate and another with 15% BOF slag. Furthermore, the global warming impacts derived from each mix with different aggregates were measured by Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and a transport sensitivity analysis was also performed. The results show how the utilization of BOF slag as coarse aggregate in road construction improves the technical performance of asphalt mixtures (Marshall Quotient 4.9 vs. 6.6). Moreover, the introduction of BOF slag into the asphalt mix as a coarse aggregate, instead of limestone, causes a carbon emissions reduction rate of more than 14%.

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of Biosimilar Etanercept (Enerceptan) Versus Its Original Form in Combination With Methotrexate in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized, Multicenter, Evaluator-Blinded, Noninferiority Study.

BACKGROUND: Enerceptan (EtaBS) has been developed as a proposed biosimilar of etanercept. METHODS: This randomized, multicenter, evaluator-blinded, noninferiority study conducted in Argentina included adults with active, moderate, and severe rheumatoid arthritis with inadequate response to methotrexate. Subjects were randomly assigned to 32 weeks treatment with EtaBS (n = 99) or etanercept (n = 51) at a weekly 50-mg dose administered subcutaneously. Patients were categorized according to prior use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and concomitant use of steroids. The primary efficacy endpoint was ACR20 response rate at week 32. Safety, immunogenicity, and steady-state concentration of both drugs were evaluated. The noninferiority margin for ACR20 was estimated at 12%. RESULTS: In the per-protocol population, 85 subjects (92.4%) treated with EtaBS and 44 subjects (93.6%) treated with etanercept achieved ACR20 (difference, -1.2%; 95% confidence interval, -10.1% to 7.6%). Frequent adverse drug reactions occurred in 34.3% and 38% of subjects treated with EtaBS and etanercept, respectively. The most common reaction was upper respiratory tract infection. Six and 3 serious adverse events occurred in 4 and 3 subjects treated with EtaBS and etanercept, respectively. Injection site reactions occurred in 67.7% and 66.0% of subjects treated with EtaBS and etanercept, respectively. Two subjects treated with EtaBS and 1 subject treated with etanercept developed antibodies by week 32. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy outcomes for EtaBS were noninferior to original etanercept in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis with inadequate response to methotrexate. Safety and immunogenicity results were comparable between the two. This study is a major step toward improving access to biologics in Latin America.

Unravelling the Photocatalytic Behavior of All-Inorganic Mixed Halide Perovskites: The Role of Surface Chemical States.

Within the most mesmerizing materials in the world of optoelectronics, mixed halide perovskites (MHPs) have been distinguished because of the tunability of their optoelectronic properties, balancing both the light-harvesting efficiency and the charge extraction into highly efficient solar devices. This feature has drawn the attention of analogous hot topics as photocatalysis for carrying out more efficiently the degradation of organic compounds. However, the photo-oxidation ability of perovskite depends not only on its excellent light-harvesting properties but also on the surface chemical environment provided during its synthesis. Accordingly, we studied the role of surface chemical states of MHP-based nanocrystals (NCs) synthesized by hot-injection (H-I) and anion-exchange (A-E) approaches on their photocatalytic (PC) activity for the oxidation of ß-naphthol as a model system. We concluded that iodide vacancies are the main surface chemical states that facilitate the formation of superoxide ions, O2●-, which are responsible for the PC activity in A-E-MHP. Conversely, the PC performance of H-I-MHP is related to the appropriate balance between band gap and a highly oxidizing valence band. This work offers new insights on the surface properties of MHP related to their catalytic activity in photochemical applications.

Estudio del equllibrio líquido-líquido de benceo + (hexano, heptano y ciclohexxano) con el líquido iónico 1-etil-3-metilimidazolio etilsulfato a 308,15 k / Study f liquid-lliquid equilibriim 0f benzene + (hexaxe, heptme a/d cyclohexaxe) with the iomc liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidaz0liim ethylsulfate at 308.15 k / Estudo do eqilíbbrio líquidolíquido de benzeno + (hexano, heptano e ciclo-hhexano) com o líquido iônico 1-etil-3-metilimidazolio etilsulfato a 38,,15 k

Se determinó el equilibrio líquido-líquido (ELL) de los sistemas ternarios benceno + (hexano, heptano y ciclohexano) con el líquido iónico 1-etil-3-metilimidazolio etilsulfato (EMIM-EtSO4) a 308,15 K; la selectividad (S) y el coeficiente de distribución (β) se calcularon desde los datos experimentales que se utilizaron para determinar la capacidad del líquido iónico como solvente para la separación del aromático desde sus mezclas con hidrocarburos alifáticos. La región de inmiscibilidad aumentó en el siguiente orden: ciclohexano < hexano < heptano. La consistencia de los datos experimentales del ELL es evaluado usando la ecuación de Othmer-Tobias. La composición de las fases en equilibrio se correlacionó con los modelos para coeficientes de actividad NRTL y Uniquac.

The equilibrium liquid-liquid (ELL) of ternary systems benzene + (hexane, heptane and cyclohexane) with the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate (EMIM-EtS0(4)) at 308.15 K, selectivity (S) and the distribution coefficient (β) are calculated from experimental data. The ability of ionic liquid as solvent for separation of the aromatic from their mixtures with ali-phatic hydrocarbons is analyzed. The region of immiscibility increased in the following order: cyclohexane < hexane < heptane. The consistency of the experimental data of ELL is evaluated using the equation of Othmer-Tobias. The composition of the phases in equilibrium is correlated with the models for the activity coeffcient NRTL and UNIQUAC.

O equilíbrio líquido-líquido (ELL) de los sistemas ternários benzeno + (hexa-no, heptano e ciclo-hexano) com o líquido iônico 1-etil-3-metilimidazólio etilsulfato (EMIM-EtS0(4)) com 308,15 K, seletividade (S) e o coeficiente de distribuição (β) são calculados a partir dos dados experimentais. Ela determina a capacidade de líquido iônico como solvente para a separação de aromático a partir de suas misturas com hidrocar-bonetos alifáticos. A região de imiscibilidade aumentou na seguinte ordem: ciclo-hexano < hexano < heptano. A consistência dos dados experimentais de ELL é avaliada usando a equação de Othmer-Tobias. A composição das fases de equilíbrio foi correlacionada com os modelos para coeficientes atividade NRTL e Uniquac.

índices de refrccción, densidades y propiedadesderivadas de mezclas binarias dde solventes hidroxílicos con líquidos iónicos (1-etil-3-metilimidazolio etilsulfato y 1-metil-3-metilimidazolio metilsulfato) de 298,15 a 318,15 k / Refractive indcees, density and derivative properties of binar mixtures hydrooxylic solvents with ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate and 1-methyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate) from 298.15 k to 318.15 k / índices de rfraçção, densidade e suas propriedades derivadas de misturas binárias de solventes hidroxílicos com líquido iônico (etilsulfato 1-etil-3-metilimidazólio e metilsulfato 1-metil-3-metilimidazólio) de 298,15 k ao 318,15 k

Se midieron densidades e índices de refracción de mezclas binarias de agua, metanol y etanol con 1-Etil-3-metilimidazolio Etilsulfato (EMIM-EtSO4) y de etanol con 1-Metil-3-metilimidazolio Metilsulfato (MMIM-MeSO4) en el rango de temperatura de (298,15, 308,15 y 318,15) K. Se calcularon los volúmenes de exceso molar (V M E) y la desviación del índice de refracción (d n ), que se ajustaron a una ecuación polinomial de Redlich-Kister de orden cuatro.

Densities and refractive indices of binary mixtures of water, methanol and ethanol with 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Ethylsulfate (EMIM-EtSO4) and ethanol with 1-Methyl-3-methylimidazolium Methylsulfate (MMIM-MeSO4) in the temperature range (298.15, 308.15 and 318.15) K were measured. The excess of molar volumes (V M E) and the deviation of the refractive index (d n ), were fitted to an order fourth polynomial equation of Redlich-Kister.

Determinam-se densidades e índices de refração de misturas binárias de água, metanol e etanol com 1-Etil-3-metilimidazólio Etilsulfato (EMIM-EtSO4) e de etanol com 1-Metil-3-metilimidazólio Metilsulfato (MMIM-MeSO4) no intervalo de temperatura (298,15, 308,15 e 318,15) K. Se calcularam os volumes de excesso molar (V M E) eo desvio do índice de refração (d n ), ajustados áuma equação polinomial de Redlich-Kisterde ordem quatro.

Long-term effects of growth hormone on infarct size and left ventricular function in sheep with coronary artery occlusion.

The effects of growth hormone (GH) on infarct size and left ventricular (LV) function in experimental acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been controversial. Moreover, little, if any, information exists regarding long-term evaluation of therapeutic doses of GH in large mammalian models of AMI. We therefore aimed to assess the effect of therapeutic doses of GH over 3.5 months on infarct size and heart function in sheep with AMI. After coronary artery ligation, sheep received subcutaneous human GH 8 IU/d (n = 8) or vehicle (n = 8) over 100 days. Infarct area was similar in GH (16.9% +/- 3% of LV area) and placebo (16.5% +/- 3.7%, P = not significant) sheep. At 3 days of treatment onset, but not at later times, GH sheep had higher LV shortening fraction (30.7% +/- 3.5% vs. 24.8% +/- 6.1%, P < 0.04), systolic anterior wall thickness (10.1 +/- 0.8 vs. 8.6 +/- 1.2 mm, P < 0.02), and cardiac index (3.8 +/- 0.6 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.7 L x min x m, P < 0.01). This evolution of function parameters paralleled that of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 levels, which differed significantly only during the first week, suggesting a direct effect of GH on LV contractility. These results may suggest the usefulness of therapeutic doses of GH at the early phases of AMI but do not support maintaining the treatment for longer time.

Bioequivalence of two subcutaneous pharmaceutical products of interferon beta la.

Blastoferon, in the following referred to as the test product, is a pharmaceutical product of interferon beta la (CAS 220581-49-7) currently marketed as a biosimilar to the innovator Interferon beta la product (referred to as the reference product). Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamIcs assays are critically relevant to demonstrate similarity between biopharmaceuticals. The aims of the present study were to investigate the bioavailability (BA) of the test product (either absolute or relative to the innovator product) and to compare the extent of increase of neopterin concentration following administration of either product. Two studies were performed: initially, an absolute BA assay with i.v. and s.c. injection of test product to 12 healthy subjects. Second, a formal relative BA study with s.c. injections of 88 microg of both products to 24 healthy volunteers. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiling were drawn at different intervals after injection. Interferon beta (IFNB) concentrations were determined by ELISA. In the absolute BA study, a single s.c. dose of 44 microg of the test product resulted in a median bioavailable fraction of 29%, a median T(max) of 4 h (4-6) and a C(max) of 3.69 (3.27-4.41) IU x ml(-1). In the relative BA study, values for the test product were: median T(max) of 3 h (2-18), C(max) of 5.39 (4.99-6.31) IU x ml(-1), AUC (0-72) of 142.86 (134.16-190.15) IU x h x ml(-1) and AUC(0-infinity) of 190.95 (174.23-303.13) IU x h x ml(-1). The corresponding values for the innovator product were: T(max) of 3 h (1-24), C(max) of 4.44 (4.12-5.40) IU x ml(-1), AUC(0-72) of 128.77 (121.18-170.92) IU x h x ml(-1) and AUC(0-affinity) of 192.61 (183.04-286.46) IU x h x ml(-1). The AUC(0-72) ratio was 111% (CI 90%: 106-116), the AUC(0-affinity) was 99% (CI 90%: 92-107) and the C(max) ratio was 121% (CI 90%: 112-131). IFNB1a increased neopterin levels in both studies. Both products induced side-effects commonly reported for IFN with no serious adverse events. This study presents pharmacokinetics parameters of the test product and demonstrates similar bioavailability of IFNB1a for both pharmaceutical products.

High level expression of bioactive recombinant human growth hormone in the milk of a cloned transgenic cow.

Transgenic farm animals have been proposed as an alternative to current bioreactors for large scale production of biopharmaceuticals. However, the efficiency of both methods in the production of the same protein has not yet been established. Here we report the production of recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) in the milk of a cloned transgenic cow at levels of up to 5 g l(-1). The hormone is identical to that currently produced by expression in E. coli. In addition, the hematological and somatometric parameters of the cloned transgenic cow are within the normal range for the breed and it is fertile and capable of producing normal offspring. These results demonstrate that transgenic cattle can be used as a cost-effective alternative for the production of this hormone.

Activity coefficients of NaCl in trehalose-water and maltose-water mixtures at 298.15 K.

The ionic mean activity coefficients of NaCl in trehalose-water and maltose-water mixtures have been experimentally determined at 298.15 K from emf measurements by electrochemical cell containing ion selective electrodes (ISE): Na-ISE/NaCl (m), sugar (Y%), H(2)O (100-Y%)/Cl-ISE. The electrolyte molality (m) ranged between 0.01 and 3 mol kg(-1), approximately, and the weight percent (Y%) of sugar in the mixture of solvents between 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%. The system is considered as an electrolyte in a mixture of solvents and the data have been analysed by using the Debye-Hückel and Pitzer equations. The results obtained with both equations are in quite agreement with each other. The variation of the fit parameter from both equations were studied relative to the change in the dielectric properties of the mixture of solvents. Standard free energy of transference were comparatively discussed in terms of ion-solvent, ion-ion interactions and the hydration of both the electrolyte and the sugar.

Tumores de la nasofaringe en la infancia / Nasopharyngeal tumors in childhood

Los tumores de la nasofaringe son poco frecuentes en la infancia. Su forma clínica de presentación característica y la posibilidad de realizar un diagnóstico temprano e indicar el tratamiento oportuno, permitiría modificar favorablemente la evolución y el pronóstico de estos pacientes. Se reporta una serie de 4 niños con tumores de la nasofaringe (2 linfoepiteliomas y 2 neuroblastomas) atendidos en el Hospital Infantil Docente ôPedro Borrás Astorgaö. Todos los pacientes mostraron en algún momento de su evolución obstrucción nasal unilateral y epistaxis. El 50 (por ciento) de los casos comenzó su enfermedad presentando cefaleas y uno de ellos lo hizo con compromiso de pares craneales (VII, VI, IV, VI). La radioterapia representa la modalidad de tratamiento más útil y la resonancia magnética nuclear resulta de gran valor para el diagnóstico inicial, así como para la identificación de la recidiva tumoral

Enfisema lobar congénito: presentación de 3 casos y revisión de la afección / Congenital lobar emphysema: report of 3 cases and review of the affection

Se realiza una revisión bibliográfica sobre enfisema lobal congénito (ELC). Se presentan 3 pacientes que mostraban esta malformación pulmonar diagnosticada en nuestro centro. Se hace el diagnóstico de una forma casual en la paciente 1, pues estaba asintomática. Se considera como un hallazgo radiográfico el ELC. Se corrobora en los pacientes 2 y 3, operados, el diagnóstico clínico-radiográfico con el anatomopatológico. A pesar de lo característico del cuadro clínico-radiográfico no se diagnosticó de inicio la entidad, por lo que se considera debe tenerse presente la posibilidad del diagnóstico de ELC en todo lactante de menos de 6 meses que presente dificultad respiratoria importante

Meningoencefalitis viral: estudio clínico de 1 052 pacientes / Viral meningoencephalitis: clinical study of 1 052 patients

Se revisaron 1 052 historias clínicas de pacientes egresados del Hospital Infantil Docente "Pedro Borrás Astorga" con el diagnóstico de meningoencefalitis viral no urleana, en el periodo comprendido de octubre de 1985 a marzo de 1986, a los que se les realizó un seguimiento periódico en consulta externa durane 1 año. Se analizaron comparativamente los egresados por meses en el semestre, la edad, sexo, estado nutricional, antecedentes patológicos personales, tiempo que medió desde el inicio de la enfermedada su ingreso, síntomas y signos de su comienzo, impresión diagnóstica conque fueron ingresados, evolución y complicacione

Fallecidos por meningoencefalitis viral en una casuística de 1052 casos / Deaths for viral meningoencephalitis in a 1052 cases load

Se revisaron 1 052 historias clínicas de pacientes egresados del hospital infantil docente "Pedro Borrás Astorga" con el diagnóstico de meningoencefalitis viral no urleana, en el periodo comprendido del 1 de octubre de 1985 al 31 de marzo de 1986. En este estudio se analizaron especialmente las historias clínicas de los 3 fallecidos mediante los datos de mayor interés como: edad, sexo, color de la piel, estadía, impresión diagnóstica al ingreso, motivo del ingreso, historia de la enfermedad, exámenes físico y complementarios y especialmente los resultados anatomopatológicos. Se llegan a conclusiones

Dermatoglifos: una ayuda diagnóstica en las convulsiones febriles / Dermatoglyphics: a diagnostic oid in febrile convulsions

Se realizan dermatoglifos en las palmas y los dedos por el método de papel y tinta a 64 pacientes diagnosticados como convulsivantes febriles, subdivididos en 25 convulsivantes febriles simples y 39 convulsivantes febriles con lesiones estáticas del sistema nervioso central. Se comparan los resultados con los patrones de la población sana y se encuentran diferencias significativas con el subgrupo de convulsivantes febriles simples. Se plantea el valor del dermatoglifo en el diagnóstico de la convulsión febril simple y la hipótesis del posible origen poligénico de ésta

Estudio clínico de 79 pacientes con convulsiones febriles / Clinical study of 79 patients with febrile convulsions

Se realiza un estudio de 79 pacientes que en un período de 12 meses ingresaron en el Servicio de Neuropediatría de nuestro hospital, con el diagnóstico de su primera convulsión febril. A todos ellos se les realizó una encuesta confeccionada a esos efectos que incluía antecedentes familiares y personales, examen físico y resultados de investigaciones realizadas. Con estos elementos se les clasificó en 2 sub-grupos: convulsiones febriles simples o por fiebre y convulsiones con fiebre, cuya separación tiene valor en cuanto al diagnóstico, pronóstico y tratamiento. Se analizan las diferencias segín la edad en los 2 subgrupos de convulsiones febriles. Se destaca la significación que tiene la edad de comienzo de las convulsiones para el pronóstico de la enfermedad y las posibilidades de convulsiones recurrentes. Se determina el tipo de convulsión más frecuente, la relación entre el tiempo de comienzo del cuadro febril y el comienzo de la convulsión, las enfermedades causantes de este cuadro febril más frecuentemente halladas, el antecedente familiar de convulsiones febriles y de epilepsia, así como los antecedentes perinatales del paciente. Entre otras conclusiones que se emiten, se enfatiza la importancia de la punción lumbar como la prueba de mayor ayuda diagnóstica diferencial con la meningoencefalitis