The Oxidative Potential of Airborne Particulate Matter Research Trends, Challenges, and Future Perspectives-Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis and Scoping Review.

This study is a comprehensive analysis of the oxidative potential (OP) of particulate matter (PM) and its environmental and health impacts. The researchers conducted a bibliometric analysis and scoping review, screening 569 articles and selecting 368 for further analysis. The study found that OP is an emerging field of study, with a notable increase in the number of publications in the 2010s compared to the early 2000s. The research is primarily published in eight journals and is concentrated in a few academic and university-based institutions. The study identified key research hotspots for OP-PM, emphasizing the importance of capacity building, interdisciplinary collaboration, understanding emission sources and atmospheric processes, and the impacts of PM and its OP. The study highlighted the need to consider the effects of climate change on OP-PM and the regulatory framework for PM research. The findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of PM and its consequences, including human exposure and its effects. It will also inform strategies for managing air quality and protecting public health. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the field of OP-PM research and highlights the need for continued research and collaboration to address the environmental and health impacts of PM.

Using artificial intelligence for exercise prescription in personalised health promotion: A critical evaluation of OpenAI's GPT-4 model.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare provides new possibilities for personalized health management. AI-based fitness applications are becoming more common, facilitating the opportunity for individualised exercise prescription. However, the use of AI carries the risk of inadequate expert supervision, and the efficacy and validity of such applications have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly in the context of diverse health conditions. The aim of the study was to critically assess the efficacy of exercise prescriptions generated by OpenAI's Generative Pre-Trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) model for five example patient profiles with diverse health conditions and fitness goals. Our focus was to assess the model's ability to generate exercise prescriptions based on a singular, initial interaction, akin to a typical user experience. The evaluation was conducted by leading experts in the field of exercise prescription. Five distinct scenarios were formulated, each representing a hypothetical individual with a specific health condition and fitness objective. Upon receiving details of each individual, the GPT-4 model was tasked with generating a 30-day exercise program. These AI-derived exercise programs were subsequently subjected to a thorough evaluation by experts in exercise prescription. The evaluation encompassed adherence to established principles of frequency, intensity, time, and exercise type; integration of perceived exertion levels; consideration for medication intake and the respective medical condition; and the extent of program individualization tailored to each hypothetical profile. The AI model could create general safety-conscious exercise programs for various scenarios. However, the AI-generated exercise prescriptions lacked precision in addressing individual health conditions and goals, often prioritizing excessive safety over the effectiveness of training. The AI-based approach aimed to ensure patient improvement through gradual increases in training load and intensity, but the model's potential to fine-tune its recommendations through ongoing interaction was not fully satisfying. AI technologies, in their current state, can serve as supplemental tools in exercise prescription, particularly in enhancing accessibility for individuals unable to access, often costly, professional advice. However, AI technologies are not yet recommended as a substitute for personalized, progressive, and health condition-specific prescriptions provided by healthcare and fitness professionals. Further research is needed to explore more interactive use of AI models and integration of real-time physiological feedback.

An overview of air pollution research in Chile: Bibliometric analysis and scoping review, challenger and future directions.

This study provides a comprehensive overview and bibliometric analysis of air pollution research in Chile from 1980 to 2022. The analysis reveals a significant increase in scientific production, a 9.2 annual growth rate, and an H-index of 60. The research spans 33 countries and is influenced by environmental sciences, meteorology, and atmospheric sciences journals. The top ten authors account for 33.49 % of all publications, with local institutions contributing more than 35 %. The University of Chile and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile are significant contributors. The most cited articles focus on health impacts and various pollutant sources, emphasizing air pollution as a critical public health concern. The study also emphasizes environmental science, meteorology, and atmospheric science, focusing on topics such as air pollution and health, pollutants, models, sources and chemistry, and social sciences. The findings are affirmed through rigorous discussion and review, providing a roadmap for future research, guiding decision-making processes, and expanding the knowledge frontier in the field.

Comparative Study of the Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Nutritional Practices Among International Elite and Sub-Elite Athletes: A Sample of 1420 Participants from 14 Countries.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have shown that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has had negative impacts on mental health and eating behaviors among the general population and athletes, few studies have examined the long-term effects on elite and sub-elite athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of COVID-19 lockdown on mental health and eating behaviors in elite versus sub-elite athletes two years into the pandemic. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted between March and April 2022, involving athletes from 14 countries, using a convenient non-probabilistic and snowball sampling method. A total of 1420 athletes (24.5 ± 7.9 years old, 569 elites, 35% women, and 851 sub-elites, 45% women) completed an online survey-based questionnaire. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic survey, information about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) for mental health assessment, and the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants (REAP-S) for assessing eating behavior. RESULTS: The results showed that compared to sub-elite athletes, elite athletes had lower scores on the DASS-21 (p = .001) and its subscales of depression (p = .003), anxiety (p = .007), and stress (p < .001), as well as a lower REAP-S score indicating lower diet quality (p = .013). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, two years into the pandemic, elite athletes were likelier to have better mental health profiles than sub-elite athletes but surprisingly had lower diet quality.

The effects of female age on blood-feeding, insemination, sperm storage, and fertility in the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mating induces behavioral and physiological changes in female insects-collectively referred to as the female post-mating response (PMR)-that facilitate the production of progeny. PMRs are elicited by transfer of male-derived seminal components during mating, but are altered by other factors, including adult age. Increased female age is often accompanied by declines in fertility. However, mating shortly after emergence also impacts fertility in the insect model Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we determined the age post-emergence when females of the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti can be inseminated and blood-feed. We next examined fecundity, fertility, and the storage of sperm in the female reproductive tract in "young" (30-41 hours-old) and "old" (2- and 3-week-old) females, finding that blood-feeding began at 14 hours, and mating at ∼24 hours post-emergence. Although young females consumed smaller blood quantities and stored fewer sperm, they were similarly fertile to 4-day-old controls. Old females, however, suffered significant declines in fecundity by 2 weeks of age. Our results show that female Ae. aegypti start to become sexually receptive 1 day after their emergence, but can ingest blood much sooner, suggesting that mating is not a prerequisite to blood-feeding, and that females can ingest an arbovirus infected blood-meal shortly after emergence.

wMel Wolbachia alters female post-mating behaviors and physiology in the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti.

Globally invasive Aedes aegypti disseminate numerous arboviruses that impact human health. One promising method to control Ae. aegypti populations is transinfection with Wolbachia pipientis, which naturally infects ~40-52% of insects but not Ae. aegypti. Transinfection of Ae. aegypti with the wMel Wolbachia strain induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), allows infected individuals to invade native populations, and inhibits transmission of medically relevant arboviruses by females. Female insects undergo post-mating physiological and behavioral changes-referred to as the female post-mating response (PMR)-required for optimal fertility. PMRs are typically elicited by male seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) transferred with sperm during mating but can be modified by other factors, including microbiome composition. Wolbachia has modest effects on Ae. aegypti fertility, but its influence on other PMRs is unknown. Here, we show that Wolbachia influences female fecundity, fertility, and re-mating incidence and significantly extends the longevity of virgin females. Using proteomic methods to examine the seminal proteome of infected males, we found that Wolbachia moderately affects SFP composition. However, we identified 125 paternally transferred Wolbachia proteins, but the CI factor proteins (Cifs) were not among them. Our findings indicate that Wolbachia infection of Ae. aegypti alters female PMRs, potentially influencing control programs that utilize Wolbachia-infected individuals.

Effects of home confinement on physical activity, nutrition, and sleep quality during the COVID-19 outbreak in amateur and elite athletes.

Introduction: Despite the progress in the management of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, it is necessary to continue exploring and explaining how this situation affected the athlete population around the world to improve their circumstances and reduce the negative impact of changes in their lifestyle conditions that were necessitated due to the pandemic. The aim of this study was to analyze the moderating influence of physical activity (PA) and dietary habits on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic experience on sleep quality in elite and amateur athletes. Materials and methods: A total of 1,420 elite (40.1%) and amateur (59.9%) athletes (41% women; 59% men) from 14 different countries participated in a cross-sectional design study. Data were collected using a battery of questionnaires that identified sociodemographic data, sleep quality index, PA levels, dietary habits, and the athletes' perception of their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Means and standard deviations were calculated for each variable. The analysis of variances and the correlation between variables were carried out with non-parametric statistics. A simple moderation effect was calculated to analyze the interaction between PA or dietary habits on the perception of the COVID-19 experience effect on sleep quality in elite and amateur athletes. Results: The PA level of elite athletes was higher than amateur athletes during COVID-19 (p < 0.001). However, the PA level of both categories of athletes was lower during COVID-19 than pre-COVID-19 (p < 0.01). In addition, amateurs had a higher diet quality than elite athletes during the pandemic (p = 0.014). The perception of the COVID-19 experience as controllable was significantly higher (p = 0.020) among elite athletes. In addition, two moderating effects had significant interactions. For amateur athletes, the PA level moderated the effect of controllable COVID-19 experience on sleep quality [F (3,777) = 3.05; p = 0.028], while for elite athletes, the same effect was moderated by dietary habits [F (3,506) = 4.47, p = 0.004]. Conclusion: Elite athletes had different lifestyle behaviors compared to amateurs during the COVID-19 lockdown. Furthermore, the relevance of maintaining high levels of PA for amateurs and good quality dietary habits by elite athletes was noted by the moderating effect that both variables had on the influence of the controllable experience during the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality.

A Simple Approach to Produce Tailor-Made Chitosans with Specific Degrees of Acetylation and Molecular Weights.

Chitin is a structural polysaccharide that is found in crustaceans, insects, fungi and some yeasts. Chitin deacetylation produces chitosan, a well-studied biopolymer with reported chemical and biological properties for diverse potential applications for drug delivery, metal ion absorption, scaffolds and tissue engineering. Most known properties of chitosan have been determined from samples obtained from a variety of sources and in different conditions, this is, from chitosans with a wide range of degrees of N-acetylation (DA) and molecular weight (MW). However, as for any copolymer, the physicochemical and mechanical characteristics of chitosan highly depend on their monomer composition (DA) and chain size (MW). This work presents a simple methodology to produce chitosans with specific and predictive DA and MW. Reaction with acetic anhydride proved to be an efficient method to control the acetylation of chitosan, DAs between 10.6% and 50.6% were reproducibly obtained. In addition to this, MWs of chitosan chains were reduced in a controlled manner in two ways, by ultrasound and by acidic hydrolysis at different temperatures, samples with MWs between 130 kDa and 1300 kDa were obtained. DAs were determined by 1H-NMR and MWs by gel permeation chromatography.

Spatial and temporal population dynamics of male and female Aedes albopictus at a local scale in Medellín, Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Diseases transmitted by invasive Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are public health issues in the tropics and subtropics. Understanding the ecology of mosquito vectors is essential for the development of effective disease mitigation programs and will allow for accurate predictions of vector occurrence and abundance. Studies that examine mosquito population dynamics are typically focused on female presence or total adult captures without discriminating the temporal and spatial distribution of both sexes. METHODS: We collected immature and adult mosquitoes bimonthly for 2 years (2018-2019) in the Medellín Botanical Garden. Collection sites differed in proximity to buildings and nearby vegetation, and were classified by their overhead vegetation cover. We used linear mixed models (LMMs) and Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) to assess the spatial distribution of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Using our Ae. albopictus captures exclusively, we assessed (1) the spatial and temporal distribution of males and females using SADIE and a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM), (2) the relationship between climatic variables/vegetation coverage and adult captures using GLMMs and LMMs, and (3) the correlation of male and female size in relation to climatic variables and vegetation coverage using LMMs. RESULTS: Spatial analysis showed that Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were distributed at different locations within the surveilled area. However, Ae. albopictus was the predominant species in the park during the study period. Adult Ae. albopictus captures were positively correlated with precipitation and relative humidity, and inversely correlated with temperature and wind speed. Moreover, we observed a spatial misalignment of Ae. albopictus males and females-the majority of males were located in the high vegetation coverage sites, while females were more evenly distributed. We observed significant associations of the size of our adult Ae. albopictus captures with precipitation, temperature, and wind speed for both sexes and found that overhead vegetation cover influenced male size, but observed no effect on female size. CONCLUSIONS: Our work elucidates the differential dynamics of Ae. albopictus males and females, which is pivotal to develop accurate surveillance and the successful establishment of vector control programs based on the disruption of insect reproduction.

Competitive Recovery-Stress and Mood States in Mexican Youth Athletes.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring recovery-stress balance in sport is becoming more relevant to prevent training maladaptation and reach the optimal performance for each athlete. The use of questionnaires that identify the athlete's recovery-stress state have much acceptance in sports due to reliability and useful, furthermore for its low cost. Identifying possible differences between sport modalities and sex is important to determine specific needs and possible intervention ways to keep a recovery-stress balance. The aim was to analyze the differences in the recovery-stress state and mood states by sex and sport type during the competitive phase in young Mexican athletes. As a secondary objective, the psychometric properties of the Mexican version of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport) were analyzed. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried on with 461 athletes (61% women and 39% men), 17.95 (±1.2) years old, from six sports disciplines. The RESTQ-Sport and Profile of Mood States (POMS) were applied in a single moment. Differences by sex and sports modality were analyzed. RESTQ-Sport's confirmatory factor analysis was performed after the stress and recovery theoretical structure of two stress (general and sport) and two recovery (general and sport) dimensions, and last, the concurrent validation with the POMS was carried on. RESULTS: Significant differences by sex were found in the General Recovery and Sport Stress dimensions of the RESTQ-Sport as well as Vigor factor of the POMS, being higher for men; furthermore, both the Sport Recovery dimension of RESTQ-Sport and Cholera and the Fatigue and Depression factors from POMS also had differences by sport type, showing a less recovery and high stress for individual sport athletes. Goodness-of-fit indexes of the model for the RESTQ-Sport were acceptable. Pearson's correlation between questionnaires was moderate (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The recovery-stress state shows differences in the function of sex and sport modality. More special attention is suggested for women and individual sport athletes. The higher punctuation for men compared with women in sport stress dimension did not negatively affect the recovery-stress balance for male athletes. Finally, the Mexican context adaptation of the RESTQ-Sport provides a psychometric instrument suitable to assess the recovery-stress balance in Mexican athletes.

Crystal structure of bis-(µ2-tetra-bromo-phthalato-κ(2) O (1):O (2))bis[aqua(N,N,N',N'-tetra-methyl-ethane-1,2-di-amine-κ(2) N,N')copper(II)].

In the title complex, [Cu2(C8Br4O4)2(C6H16N2)2(H2O)2], the Cu(II) cation is chelated by a tetra-methyl-ethane-1,2-di-amine ligand and coordinated by a water mol-ecule as well as bridged by two tetra-bromo-phthalate anions in a distorted O3N2 trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. The two symmetry-related tetra-bromo-phthalate anions bridge the two Cu(II) cations, forming a centrosymmetric dinuclear complex in which the Cu⋯Cu separation is 5.054 (2) Å. Intra-molecular classic O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds occur in the dinuclear mol-ecule. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯Br and C-H⋯O inter-actions into supra-molecular chains propagating along the b-axis direction.

[Current status of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and continuous glucose monitoring systems in the Community of Madrid]. / Estado actual de los sistemas de infusión subcutánea continua de insulina y monitorización continua de glucosa en la Comunidad de Madrid.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the available information about continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems in the public health care system of the Community of Madrid. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey consisting of 31 items was sent to the 28 endocrinology department of the Madrid public hospitals. Items focused on CSII and CGM and included patients' registrations, as well as data regarding healthcare, administrative, and logistic aspects. Responses from a total of 20 hospitals where these procedures are used were received from March 2013 to May 2014. Data about pediatric patients were obtained from adult endocrinology departments, except for two hospitals which directly reported the information. RESULTS: A total of 1256 CSII pumps were recorded in the Madrid region, of which 1089 were used by adults, and the remaining 167 by pediatric patients. During 2013, 151 new CSII systems were implanted (12% of the total), while 14 pumps were withdrawn. Availability of human resources (medical assistance) and the number of staff practitioners experienced in management of these systems widely varied between hospitals. Eighty-five percent of hospitals used retrospective CGM systems, and 40% routinely placed them before starting an insulin pump. Thirteen hospitals (65%) used long-term, real-time CGM systems in selected cases (a total of 67 patients). CONCLUSIONS: Use of these technologies in diabetes is unequal between public health care hospitals in Madrid, and is still significantly lower as compared to other countries with similar incomes. However, there appears to be a trend to an increase in their use.

[Risk factors of vascular complications in lower limbs in diabetic patients]. / Factores de riesgo de complicaciones vasculares en extremidades inferiores en los pacientes con diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk factors of complications in lower limbs in diabetic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 270 patients with diabetes followed in Hospital la Paz from 2000 to 2008.We measured the ankle-brachial index (ABI), toe-brachial index (TBII), and toe blood pressure (BP). We defined vascular complications in lower limbs. We compared some epidemiological and clinical variables between patients with and without a vascular event. We analyzed which variables have an independent association with the later appearance of a vascular event with Cox regression model. RESULTS: The mean value of ITB, IDB and toe blood pressure were significantly lower in patients who had a vascular event compared to those who had not presented it (ITB mean 0.92±0.30 vs 0.78±0.46, P=.007; IDB mean 0.86±4.40 vs 0.42±0.22, P=.001; PA mean 72.08±30.62 vs 56.25±29.51, P=.014).The association of vascular event and biomechanical abnormalities (P=.022), active and old ulcers (P=.000), and insensivity (P=.023) were significantly. In the Cox regression model the toe brachial index (HR 0.05; IC:0.00-0.52; P=.013), the active (HR 3.26; IC:1.37-7.79; P=.008) and old ulcers (HR 5.55; IC:1.85-16.59; P=.002). and the biomechanical abnormalities (HR 4.92; IC:1.13-18.75; P=.019) had an independent value. CONCLUSIONS: Toe brachial index, biomechanical abnormalities and ulcers have an independent value to predict the later appearance of vascular events. In addition, they are independent of the age, type of diabetes and others diabetic complications.

Assessing glycaemic variability with continuous glucose monitoring system before and after continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in people with Type 1 diabetes.

We evaluated glycaemic variability with continuous glucose monitoring system in 31 people with Type 1 diabetes mellitus using multiple daily injections initially and after switching to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. There was a significant improvement in HbA1c, mean glucose, standard deviation of mean glucose and in hyperglycaemic excursions with CSII.

[Antipituitary antibodies in patients with suspected autoimmune hypophysitis]. / Anticuerpos antihipófisis en pacientes con sospecha de hipofisitis autoimmune.

INTRODUCTION: Definitive diagnosis of autoimmune hypophysitis (AH) is histological. However, a presumptive diagnosis can be made through clinical, biochemical and imaging data. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to review the presence of antipituitary antibodies (APA) and antithyroid antibodies (ATA) in patients with suspected AH in order to determinate the utility of APA in the diagnosis of AH. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 36 patients divided into seven groups according to the data suggesting AH (isolated corticotropin deficiency, other idiopathic pituitary deficiencies, idiopathic hyperprolactinemia, empty sella, sellar mass with thickened stalk, proven histological hypophysitis) or because of previous autoimmune endocrine diseases. Twenty-four controls without endocrinological disease were also included. In all subjects, APA were determined by immunofluorescence over primate pituitary gland and ATA by an agglutination technique. RESULTS: None of the controls and only 9 patients, all of them women, were APA-positive. Of the 9 APA-positive patients, 43% belonged to the group of patients with isolated ACTH deficiency. In 8 patients, APA were determined again during the follow-up; 6 remained APA-negative, but one patient became APA-positive and another became APA-negative. ATA were positive in 12 patients, 22.2% of whom were also APA-positive, and in one control. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of APA positivity among the study patients was low. These antibodies were found only in women, mostly with isolated corticotropin deficiency. APA and ATA coexisted in only 22% of the patients studied.

[Peripheral arterial disease in diabetic patients: utility of the toe-brachial index]. / Arteriopatía periférica en el paciente diabético: utilidad del índice dedo-brazo.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of peripheral neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy and arterial wall calcification on the concordance of ankle-brachial index (ABI) and toe-brachial index (TBI) in diabetic patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We evaluated in 221 diabetic patients (73.8% type 2; 66.6% male) the presence of: peripheral arterial disease, peripheral neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy and arterial wall calcification. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) difference between ABI and TBI in our population was 0.33 (0.25). Patients with arterial wall calcification had a higher mean difference between ABI and TBI than patients without arterial wall calcification -0.87 (0.39) vs 0.30 (0.21) (p < 0.005)-. Mean difference between ABI and TBI was similar for patients with and without autonomic neuropathy -0.36 (0.26) vs 0.30 (0.24) (p = 0.057)- and for patients with and without peripheral neuropathy -0.34 (0.28) vs 0.31 (0.21) (p = 0.423)-. Among all patients there was a significant linear association (r = 0.506; p < 0.001) between ABI and TBI. For patients with arterial wall calcification there was no correlation between both indices (r = -0.070; p = 0,857). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that in diabetic patients, TBI is the method of choice to evaluate lower limb perfusion in the presence of overt arterial wall calcification.

Cardiopatía y embarazo estenosis mitral severa y embarazo: presentación de caso / Cardiopathy and complex pregnancy of eisenmenger and pregnancy upon maturity

Presenta una revisión de los cambios hemodinámicos del embarazo, se revisan algunos aspectos de importancia sobre la estenosis mitral durante la gestación y se presenta el caso de una mujer gran multípara sin hijos vivos portadora de una estenosis mitral severa y un cuadro de hipertensión arterial esencial grave. La paciente termina su embarazo tempranamente, aborto diferido y es reparada su valvulopatía mitral en forma exitosa.