Effect of agricultural microplastic and mesoplastic in the vermicomposting process: Response of Eisenia fetida and quality of the vermicomposts obtained.

This work evaluates the effect of agricultural plastic waste (APW) in two particle sizes, microplastic and film debris, and subjected to a pre-treatment by exposure to UV-C, in the development of the vermicomposting process. Eisenia fetida health status and metabolic response and the vermicompost quality and enzymatic activity were determined. The environmental significant of this study is mainly related to how can affect plastic presence (depending on plastic type, size and/or if it is partially degraded) not only to this biological process of organic waste degradation, but also to the vermicompost characteristics, since these organic materials will be reintroduced in the environment as organic amendments and/or fertilizers in agriculture. The plastic presence induced a significant negative effect in survival and body weight of E. fetida with an average decrease of 10% and 15%, respectively, and differences on the characteristics of the vermicomposts obtained, mainly related with NPK content. Although the plastic proportion tested (1.25% f. w.) did not induce acute toxicity in worms, effects of oxidative stress were found. Thus, the exposure of E. fetida to AWP with smaller size or pre-treated with UV seemed to induce a biochemical response, but the mechanism of oxidative stress response did not seem to be dependent on the size or shape of plastic fragments or pre-treated plastic.

Challenges in modeling the Agility multileaf collimator in treatment planning systems and current needs for improvement.

BACKGROUND: The Agility multileaf collimator (MLC) mounted in Elekta linear accelerators features some unique design characteristics, such as large leaf thickness, eccentric curvature at the leaf tip, and defocused leaf sides ('tilting'). These characteristics offer several advantages but modeling them in treatment planning systems (TPSs) is challenging. PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to investigate the challenges faced when modeling the Agility in two commercial TPSs (Monaco and RayStation) and to explore how the implemented MLC models could be improved in the future. METHODS: Four linear accelerators equipped with the Agility, located at different centers, were used for the study. Three centers use the RayStation TPS and the other one uses Monaco. For comparison purposes, data from four Varian linear accelerators with the Millennium 120 MLC were also included. Average doses measured with asynchronous sweeping gap tests were used to characterize and compare the characteristics of the Millennium and the Agility MLCs and to assess the MLC model in the TPSs. The FOURL test included in the ExpressQA package, provided by Elekta, was also used to evaluate the tongue-and-groove with radiochromic films. Finally, raytracing was used to investigate the impact of the MLC geometry and to understand the results obtained for each MLC. RESULTS: The geometry of the Agility produces dosimetric effects associated with the rounded leaf end up to a distance 20 mm away from the leaf tip end measured at the isocenter plane. This affects the tongue-and-groove shadowing, which progressively increases along the distance to the tip end. The RayStation and Monaco TPSs did not account for this effect, which made trade-offs in the MLC parameters necessary and greatly varied the final MLC parameters used by different centers. Raytracing showed that these challenging leaf tip effects were directly related to the MLC geometry and that the characteristics mainly responsible for the large leaf tip effects of the Agility were its tilting design and its small source-to-collimator distance. CONCLUSIONS: The MLC models implemented in RayStation and Monaco could not accurately reproduce the leaf tip effects for the Agility. Therefore, trade-offs are needed and the optimal MLC parameters are dependent on the specific characteristics of treatment plans. Refining the MLC models for the Agility to better approximate the measured leaf tip and tongue-and-groove effects would extend the validity of the MLC model, reduce the variability in the MLC parameters used by the community, and facilitate the standardization of the MLC configuration process.

Biorecovery of olive mill wastewater sludge from evaporation ponds.

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) resulting from the olive oil extraction process is usually disposed of in evaporation ponds where it concentrates generating a sludge that pollutes the ponds nearby area. In this study, four bio-treatments were applied for the in-situ bioremediation and valorization of OMW sludge: Landfarming, phytoremediation, composting and vermicomposting. In all cases, the OMW sludge was added with organic residues (mushroom compost, rabbit manure, and chicken manure). The bio-treatments were carried out in duplicate, inoculated and non-inoculated, to determine the effect of a specialized fungal consortium (Aspergillus ochraceus H2 and Scedosporium apiospermum H16) on the efficacy of the bio-treatments. The evaluation of chemical parameters, toxicity, and functional microbial biodiversity revealed that the four techniques depleted the toxicity and favored the stimulation of functional microbiota. Landfarming and phytoremediation allowed the decontamination and improvement of soils. Composting and vermicomposting also offered high-quality products of agronomic interest. Inoculation improved the bioremediation effectiveness. Biological treatments are effective for the safe recovery of contaminated OMW sludge into high-quality services and products.

Palaeoecological data indicates land-use changes across Europe linked to spatial heterogeneity in mortality during the Black Death pandemic.

The Black Death (1347-1352 CE) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe's population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic's causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, 'big data palaeoecology', which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death's mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion of the population, upwards of half, died within a few years in the 21 historical regions we studied. While we can confirm that the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, we found that it had negligible or no impact in others. These inter-regional differences in the Black Death's mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic, societal and climatic factors that mediated the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the historical ecology of plague, should be a focus of future research on historical pandemics.

First modern human settlement recorded in the Iberian hinterland occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions.

As the south-westernmost region of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula stands as a key area for understanding the process of modern human dispersal into Eurasia. However, the precise timing, ecological setting and cultural context of this process remains controversial concerning its spatiotemporal distribution within the different regions of the peninsula. While traditional models assumed that the whole Iberian hinterland was avoided by modern humans due to ecological factors until the retreat of the Last Glacial Maximum, recent research has demonstrated that hunter-gatherers entered the Iberian interior at least during Solutrean times. We provide a multi-proxy geoarchaeological, chronometric and paleoecological study on human-environment interactions based on the key site of Peña Capón (Guadalajara, Spain). Results show (1) that this site hosts the oldest modern human presence recorded to date in central Iberia, associated to pre-Solutrean cultural traditions around 26,000 years ago, and (2) that this presence occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate that this area of the Iberian hinterland was recurrently occupied regardless of climate and environmental variability, thus challenging the widely accepted hypothesis that ecological risk hampered the human settlement of the Iberian interior highlands since the first arrival of modern humans to Southwest Europe.

Chronic toxicity and long-term outcome in intraoperative electron radiotherapy as boost followed by whole-breast irradiation.

PURPOSE: The administration of a dose boost to the tumor bed after breast-conserving surgery has proven to reduce local recurrence. Intra-operative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) offers an alternative method to deliver a boost with several advantages, such as direct visualization of the tumor bed, less inter- and intrafraction motion and a reduction in the number of medical appointments. The objective of our study is to assess chronic toxicity and long-term outcome for our patients after IOERT boost. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-six patients treated at our institution between July 2013 and June 2020 with IOERT boost during Breast-Conserving Surgery and consecutive whole breast irradiation were prospectively analyzed. A 10-12 Gy boost was prescribed to 42 patients and 4 patients received a 20 Gy boost. An analysis for overall survival, local relapse and distant progression was performed. Acute and chronic toxicity was assessed by CTCAE 4.0. RESULTS: The median age was 64.5 years (40-90). The median follow-up was 62 months (4-86). We had no local recurrences but 2 patients (4.3%) presented a distant recurrence. Mean pathological tumor size was 16 mm (6-52). 84.8% (39) of the patients had invasive ductal carcinoma. 52.2% (24) presented histological grade II. 52.2% (24) were Luminal A like, 21.7% (10) Luminal B like, 13% (6) HER2 positive, 13% (6) triple negative. No Grade 3-4 chronic toxicity was observed. Grade 1-2 fibrosis was evidenced in 13% (6) of the patients, 4.3% (2) patients presented fat necrosis, 6.5% (3) presented seroma, 4.3% (2) had localized pain, 2.2% (1) presented localized hematoma and 2.2% (1) presented localized edema. CONCLUSIONS: IOERT boost in breast cancer treatment during BCS is a safe option with low chronic toxicity. The recurrence rates are comparable to published data and emphasize that IOERT as boost is an effective treatment.

Olive mill wastewater-evaporation ponds long term stored: Integrated assessment of in situ bioremediation strategies based on composting and vermicomposting.

During the last two decades, the method most widely used to manage olive mill wastewater (OMW) derived from olive oil production has been its disposal in evaporation ponds. Long-term storage of OMW leads to the accumulation of toxic sediments (OMWS) rich in recalcitrant compounds with phytotoxic and antimicrobial properties, which limit their use for agronomic purpose. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two in situ bioremediation strategies (composting and a combination of composting followed by vermicomposting) to remove the potential toxicity of the sediments derived from long-term stored OMW. The results obtained showed that the composting method assisted with the earthworms enhanced the depletion of phenolic compounds and OMWS ecotoxicity more than composting, especially during the maturation stage. Moreover, vermicomposting was more effective in the reduction of the OMWS salinity. However, a pre-composting process to the OMWS is necessary prior to vermicomposting to provide the suitable conditions for earthworms survival and activity. Furthermore, the final compost showed a phytostimulating effect. Therefore, these in situ bioremediation strategies can be considered potential tools for decontamination and recovery of long-term stored OMWS in evaporation ponds, which currently poses an unsolved environmental problem.

Does Enzymatic Debridement Allow Us To Perform Conservative Treatment On Clinically Deep Hand Burns? A Retrospective Review.

The hands are one of the main locations of burns. In deep second-degree and third-degree burns, the gold standard of treatment is surgical debridement and subsequent coverage, which can result in suboptimal aesthetic and functional results. The aim of our study is to assess whether treatment by initial enzymatic debridement (NexoBrid®) of deep second-degree and third-degree burns prevents the need for surgery. We carried out a retrospective study of 53 hands with deep burns treated in our centre from May 2015 to December 2016. Two experts evaluated the initial photographs of the burns and classified them as surgical or nonsurgical (interobserver kappa index = 0.83). These assessments were compared with the actual need for surgery on each hand. Sixteen of the 32 (50%) hands that the experts considered surgical spontaneously epithelialized. Four of the 17 hands (23.5%) that were not considered surgical required a split-thickness skin graft for healing. Enzymatic debridement helps to preserve viable tissue, which reduces the number and extension of surgical interventions, thus favouring better results.

Les mains sont une des principales localisations de brûlures. Dans les brûlures du 2e degré profond et du 3e degré, le traitement de référence est l'excision chirurgicale suivie d'un geste de couverture, et donne des résultats fonctionnels ou esthétiques pas toujours parfaits. Le but de notre étude est d'évaluer si le débridement enzymatique (NexoBrid®) des brûlures du 2e degré profond et du 3e degré permet d'éviter les gestes chirurgicaux. Nous avons mené une étude rétrospective sur 53 mains présentant des brûlures profondes traitées dans notre centre entre mai 2004 et décembre 2016. Deux experts ont évalué les photographies initiales et classé les brûlures en « chirurgicales ¼ ou « non chirurgicales ¼ (coefficient Kappa inter-opérateur = 0,83). Ces évaluations ont été comparées à la nécessité réelle de prise en charge chirurgicale pour chacune des mains. 16 des 32 mains (50%) que les experts avaient jugées « chirurgicales ¼ ont cicatrisé spontanément. 4 des 17 mains (23,5%) qui ont été considérée comme « non chirurgicales ¼ ont nécessité une greffe de peau mince pour obtenir la cicatrisation. Le débridement enzymatique permet de conserver les tissus viables, ce qui diminue le nombre et l'importance des gestes chirurgicaux, et donc favorise l'obtention de meilleurs résultats.

Surgical treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma in pediatric patients: report of 3 cases. / Tratamiento quirúrgico del aspergiloma pulmonar en pacientes pediátricos. A propósito de tres casos.

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience in the surgical management of pulmonary aspergilloma (PA) and review surgery's role in PA treatment in pediatric patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive study of patients diagnosed with PA undergoing surgical resection from 2017 to 2019 was carried out. A review of pediatric studies mentioning "aspergilloma", "surgical", and "treatment" was performed. RESULTS: During the study period, 3 patients with single PA aged 18 months old, 3 years old, and 13 years old underwent surgery. All of them had leukemia and little or no response to aspergilloma medical treatment. In all patients, the procedure was initiated using the thoracoscopic route, but conversion into thoracotomy was required in two cases. In all three cases, pulmonary segmentectomy was carried out with complete PA removal, without severe intraoperative or postoperative complications. No pulmonary recurrence was observed after 30-, 34-, and 16-month follow-up, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PA surgical resection is a feasible alternative in pediatric patients with a poor antifungal treatment response or related complications.

OBJETIVOS: El objetivo de este trabajo es describir la experiencia de nuestro centro en el manejo quirúrgico del aspergiloma pulmonar (AP) y la realización de una revisión sobre el papel de la cirugía en el tratamiento del AP en el niño. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Estudio descriptivo de los pacientes diagnosticados e intervenidos mediante resección del AP desde el 2017 hasta el 2019. Se realizó una revisión con los términos "aspergilloma", "surgical", "treatment", descartando los estudios no referidos a pacientes pediátricos. RESULTADOS: Durante el periodo de estudio se intervinieron 3 pacientes con AP único, de 18 meses, 3 y 13 años de edad respectivamente, los 3 afectos de leucemia y con poca o nula respuesta al tratamiento médico habitual del aspergiloma. En todos los pacientes se inició la intervención por vía toracoscópica, siendo necesaria la conversión a toracotomía en 2 casos. En los tres casos se realizó segmentectomía pulmonar con exéresis completa del AP, sin complicaciones intraoperatorias ni postoperatorias graves. No se observaron recidivas pulmonares tras un seguimiento de 30, 34 y 16 meses respectivamente. CONCLUSIONES: La resección quirúrgica del AP, se presenta como una alternativa factible en pacientes pediátricos con pobre respuesta a tratamiento antifúngico o con complicaciones derivadas de este.

Stacked volume holographic gratings for extending the operational wavelength range in LED and solar applications.

A novel stacking procedure is presented for volume phase holographic gratings (VPHGs) recorded in photopolymer material using Corning Willow Glass as a flexible substrate in order to achieve broader angular and spectral selectivity in a diffractive device with high efficiency for solar and LED applications. For the first time to our knowledge, we have shown a device designed for use with a white LED that has the same input and output angles and high efficiency when illuminated by different wavelengths. In this paper, two VPHGs were designed, experimentally recorded, and tested when illuminated at normal incidence. The experimental approach is based on stacking two individual gratings in which the spatial frequency and slant have been tailored to the target wavelength and using real-time on-Bragg monitoring of the gratings in order to control the recorded refractive index modulation, thereby optimizing each grating efficiency for its design wavelength. Lamination of the two gratings together was enabled by using a flexible glass substrate (Corning Willow Glass). Recording conditions were studied in order to minimize the change in diffraction efficiency and peak diffraction angle during lamination and bleaching. The final fabricated stacked device was illuminated by a white light source, and its output was spectrally analyzed. Compared to a single grating, the stacked device demonstrated a twofold increase in angular and wavelength range. The angular and wavelength selectivity curves are in good agreement with the theoretical prediction for this design. This approach could be used to fabricate stacked lenses for white light LED or solar applications.

Ovarian transposition as a minimally invasive fertility preservation technique: ten years of experience in a pediatric center. / La transposición ovárica como técnica de preservación de la fertilidad en edad pediátrica: 10 años de experiencia en un centro de tercer nivel.

INTRODUCTION: Ovarian transposition is a surgical procedure allowing gonadal mobilization from a radiation spotlight to a safer, radiation therapy-free place in patients receiving abdominal or pelvic radiation therapy. And these patients can be managed using minimally invasive surgery. Although some authors have reported good results in fertility preservation with this technique, there are no long-term studies in the pediatric population. We present our results with this procedure in our oncological patients from the last decade. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective review of medical reports of patients who underwent laparoscopic ovarian transposition in our pediatric oncological surgery unit from 2008 to 2018. The technique varied depending on age, irradiation zone, and concomitant oncological resections. RESULTS: A total of 21 ovarian transpositions were successfully performed in 13 patients. Eight were bilateral, four were left and only one was right. An ovarian cortex cryopreservation was simultaneously carried out in all patients. Eleven procedures were completed laparoscopically, and the suspensory ovarian ligament was divided in sixteen cases. The Fallopian tube was divided in one case, and a simple ovarian transposition was conducted in five cases. Mean hospital stay was 2.4 days, and no complications in the immediate postoperative period were noted. CONCLUSION: Ovarian transposition is a feasible, safe technique. These patients require an extended follow-up to assess ovarian function after oncological treatment.

INTRODUCCION: La transposición ovárica es una técnica quirúrgica que permite alejar los ovarios de la zona de irradiación en pacientes que van a recibir radioterapia abdominal o pélvica. Se han descrito buenas tasas de conservación de función. Sin embargo, no existen estudios en pacientes pediátricos. Presentamos nuestra serie de pacientes intervenidas en nuestro centro. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Estudio retrospectivo de pacientes a las que se le realizó transposición ovárica en nuestra unidad de cirugía oncológica pediátrica entre los años 2008 y 2018. La técnica empleada dependió de la edad, la zona de la irradiación y de la asociación o no con la cirugía del tumor primario. RESULTADOS: Durante el periodo de estudio se realizaron un total de 21 transposiciones ováricas en 13 pacientes (8 bilaterales, 4 izquierdas y 1 derecha). En todos los casos se realizó criopreservación de corteza ovárica dentro del programa de preservación de fertilidad. Once de las 13 intervenciones fueron por laparoscopia, seccionándose el ligamento tubo-ovárico en 16 unidades y en 5 se realizó transposición ovárica simple. La estancia hospitalaria media fue de 2,4 días sin registrarse ninguna complicación en el postoperatorio. Actualmente 9 pacientes continúan seguimiento en sus unidades de oncología pediátrica de referencia, sin haberse notificado ninguna complicación. CONCLUSION: La transposición ovárica es una técnica segura y reproducible. Estas pacientes requieren un seguimiento prolongado para conocer el estado de los ovarios tras el tratamiento oncológico.

Risk of Dependency: A Challenge for Health and Social Care Planning-Observational Stroke Cohort.

BACKGROUND: After a stroke, families require the coordinated assistance of health and social care. Currently there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation and assessment tools to identify discharge needs, and there is separate management of health and social resources, and access to these services is variable between regions. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to assess the factors associated with risk of dependency after stroke and propose a suitable instrument for identifying patients at higher risk. METHODS: This was a 2-year prospective and community study of a stroke cohort. The primary outcome was recognized dependency. The potential predictors were considered in a multivariate regression and area under curve (AUC) to evaluate its discriminative capacity. RESULTS: Overall, 233 stroke survivors were recruited, 49.8% of whom were women, and the average age was 78.1 ± 11.6 years. The total rate of dependency was 31.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.1-37.7) cases/100 person-years. The independent factors associated with dependency outcome were age >80 years (hazard ratio [HR] 2.03, 95% CI 1.32-3.12, P = .001), Pfeiffer score ≥4 (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.25-1.2.66, P = .002), Barthel score <60 (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.21-2.66, P = .003), and Charlson score ≥3 (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02-2.16, P = .039). The AUC was 0.84 (95% CI 0.79-0.89; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Stroke has serious effects on the dependency outcomes. The patient's age, cognitive or physical impairment, and comorbidities as measured on the Pfeiffer score, Barthel Index, and Charlson score identified people at high risk and may ease the integrated role of social and health services.

Extensively drug-resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa outbreak in a burn unit: management and solutions.

Infections are still the main cause of mortality in burn patients. Multidrug resistant bacteria can cause outbreaks in critical care and burn units. We describe an outbreak of infection by extensively drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Burn Unit of a University Hospital in Barcelona (Spain) between April and July 2016. A descriptive study of all cases, a bacterial colonization screening of all admitted patients and a microbiological environmental study were performed in order to detect a possible common focus. Contact isolation and cohortization of healthcare workers of all infected or colonized patients were applied. Environmental control measures were instituted for possible sources of infection. The outbreak was caused by a strain of P. aeruginosa only sensitive to colistin. Ten patients were infected or colonized and two of them died. The same strain was detected in several taps and drains in different rooms of the Unit. After applying control measures, changing faucets and drains, carrying out thermal disinfection of the hot water installation of the unit, disinfecting the rooms with ultraviolet radiation and placing antibacterial filtration devices in all the taps among other measures, an effective control of the outbreak was achieved.

Les infections sont toujours une cause majeure de mortalité chez les brûlés. Des épidémies à bactéries multirésistantes (BMR) dans les CTB sont régulièrement rapportées. Nous décrivons une épidémie due à Pseudomonas æruginosa BMR, sensible uniquement à la colimycine, survenue dans le CTB d'un hôpital universitaire de Barcelone entre avril et juillet 2016. Elle a touché 10 patients dont 2 sont morts. Une étude de chaque cas, un dépistage chez tous les entrants et une étude environnementale ont été réalisées, afin de trouver d'éventuelles similitudes. Un isolement contact et un cohorting ont été mis en place. Des mesures de contrôle de l'environnement ont été implémentées. La souche incriminée a été retrouvée dans plusieurs robinets et siphons du service. Cette épidémie a été résolue après, outre les mesures précitées, changement des robinets et des siphons (avec mise en place d'ultrafiltres sur les robinets), choc thermique du réseau d'adduction d'eau, désinfection terminale UV des chambres.

Foot Eczema in a Skin Allergy Unit: Retrospective Study of 13 Years. / Eczema en los pies en una consulta de alergia cutánea: estudio retrospectivo de 13 años.

INTRODUCTION: Foot eczema is a common complaint encountered by skin allergists. OBJECTIVE: To study a series of patients with foot eczema who underwent patch testing and describe their demographic profile, diagnoses, and the main allergens involved. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study of all patients tested with the standard Spanish patch test series at a dermatology department over a period of 13 years (2004-2016). We studied patch test results and definitive diagnoses by comparing different subgroups of patients with foot eczema. RESULTS: Of the 3,265 patients included in the study, 308 (9.4%) had foot eczema, 176 (57.9%) had foot eczema only and 132 (42.1%) had concomitant foot and hand eczema. Positive patch test results were more common in patients with foot eczema only (positivity rate of 61.5% vs. 53.4% for foot and hand eczema). In the subgroup of patients with concomitant foot and hand involvement, patients aged under 18 years had a lower rate of positive results (51.3% vs. 64.6% for patients >18 years). Potassium dichromate was the most common allergen with current relevance in all subgroups. The main diagnosis in patients with foot involvement only was allergic contact dermatitis (49.1%). In the subgroup of patients with concomitant hand and foot eczema, the main diagnoses were psoriasis in adults (33.6%) and atopic dermatitis in patients aged under 18 years (60.0%). CONCLUSION: Patch tests are a very useful diagnostic tool for patients with foot eczema with or without concomitant hand involvement.

Tree-ring reconstruction of snow avalanche activity: Does avalanche path selection matter?

In the current context of anthropogenic global warming, one of the purposes of dendrogeomorphic analyses is to provide long and continuous chronologies of mass movements, so as to detect potential trends or shift related to increasing temperatures. However, on documented slopes, the comparison between historical archives and tree-ring records suggests that dendrogeomorphic reconstructions systematically underestimate the natural activity of the process under investigation. In the specific case of snow avalanches, underestimation generally amounts to 50% and the main causes generally given for this difference are related to the magnitude of past events. In this study, we hypothesize that the morphometric characteristics of avalanche paths and their forest cover could have significant impacts on the length and reliability of tree-ring reconstructions. In order to test this hypothesis, we selected four adjacent, albeit differently structured, avalanche paths from the Queyras massif (French Alps), with the aim to compare their potential for a continuous reconstruction of past avalanche activity. On the most active avalanche paths characterized by high-altitude release areas (covered only by shrubby vegetation), tree-ring reconstructions do not exceed one century in length, with recurrence intervals of high magnitude events >25 years. By contrast, on forested couloirs where lower slopes and forest coverage up to the release areas limits the intensity of events, the frequency of reconstructed snow avalanches is 2.5 times higher, the reconstructions span longer periods and the convergence rate with historical archives attest to the reliability of the dendrogeomorphic approach. These results suggest that a careful selection of couloirs is essential and that priority should be given to forested sites as (i) they allow for exhaustive and (ii) reliable reconstructions over (iii) long periods of time.

SURVEILLANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DOSE RATE WITH THE COVARIANCE MATRIX.

The objective of this study is the operational verification of an environmental dose rate monitoring network composed by several sensors. The verification of the study has been tested on the CIEMAT's Radiological Network, establishing a records quality assurance of the detectors using the covariance matrix and the eigenvalues. The technique has revealed an underlying records malfunction, which have not been appreciated by applying conventional surveillance. In this sense, the malfunction has economic and security consequences, which can be minimized with an alternative methodology, which guarantees the radiological protection of a local area according to the Regulatory Agency.

Evaluation of the McLintock syringe as a cause of non-specific reactions in the intradermal tuberculin test used for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.

The objective of this study was to elucidate whether the use of the McLintock syringe, used to inject tuberculin in cattle in several countries and based on an intradermal inoculation by needle, may, in itself, cause skin reactions that can be interpreted as positive reactions regardless of the real tuberculosis (TB) infection status of the animals. Forty-four cattle from an officially TB-free (OTF) herd were selected for the experiment. Each animal received four inoculations [one with sterile phosphate buffer saline (PBS) with 10% of glycerol and three with bovine purified protein derivative (PPD), as performed during the single intradermal tuberculin (SIT) test], two on each side of the neck (n = 176 inoculations). Three different McLintock syringes (n = 132 inoculations, PBS and bovine PPD) and one Dermojet syringe (n = 44 inoculations, PBS) were used to carry out the inoculations. No positive reactions (increase in skin-fold thickness > 3 mm) in response to the bovine PPD or PBS inoculations were observed regardless of the syringe used. No significant differences (p > 0.05) in the skin fold thickness increase (in mm) were observed between inoculation sites. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in the skin fold thickness were observed when PPD was injected in comparison to the PBS but no differences between McLintock and Dermojet were detected when PBS was injected. The McLintock syringe did not cause reactions per se that could be misunderstood as positive in TB-free cattle demonstrating that it is not a significant factor associated with the previously reported imperfect specificity of the SIT test.

Uncommon burn complication: skin nocardiosis.

Skin nocardiosis is an uncommon form of cutaneous infection caused by Nocardia. More than 100 different species have been isolated and they mainly inhabit soil and water. Cutaneous affection can be divided into primary and secondary forms. Cell culture is the most used diagnosis method and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole the antibiotic treatment.We present a patient diagnosed with skin nocardiosis whose way of inoculation has not been described in the literature. However in future this kind of infection will probably increase due to the increasing interest in phytotherapy. Physicians should be aware of clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment.

La nocardiose cutanée est une infection inhabituelle à Nocardia, dont il a été recensé plus de 100 espèces, d'habitat tellurique et hydrique. Les nocardioses cutanées peuvent être primaires ou secondaires. L'identification se fait en culture et le traitement classique est triméthoprime- sulfaméthoxazole. Nous présentons un cas de nocardiose cutanée secondaire d'origine inhabituelle. Ce type d'infection va probablement devenir plus fréquent en raison de l'intérêt croissant pour la phytothérapie si bien que les médecins devraient être avertis de ses manifestations clinique, du diagnostic et du traitement.

[Minimally invasive surgery of neural tumors in childhood]. / Cirugía mínimamente invasiva en tumores de estirpe neural en la infancia.

PURPOUSE: The aim of the paper is to describe the experience in our center with the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) of neural tumors in childhood. METHODS: Descriptive and retrospective study of patients diagnosed with neural neoplasia (neuroblastoma and neuroganglioma) on whom MIS technique surgery has been performed between October 2012 and December 2017. The inclusion criteria were patients with a neural tumor diagnosis who, at the time of the intervention, did not have imaging-defined risk factors (IDRFs). Patients with a different diagnosis than neural tumor or with IDRFs were excluded from the study. RESULTS: The study comprises 19 cases (6 female and 13 male) with a median age of 47 months. According to the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Staging System (INRGSS) classification, nine cases were in L1 stage, six in L2, two in M and two in MS. Laparoscopy was used in 14 patients (12 adrenal and 2 abdominal tumors) and thoracoscopy was used in the other 5. In 4 of the 19 cases (21%), conversion to open surgery was needed due to fibrosis in 2 cases and vascular structures entrapment in another 2 (3 in laparoscopy and 1 in thoracoscopy). There were no surgical complications, achieving complete resection in all cases. Three cases showed postsurgical adverse effects grade I and II, according to Clavien-Dindo classification. After a median of 27 months of follow up, two patients showed disease progression without local recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, MIS are useful techniques in the surgical exeresis of non-disseminated neural tumors without IDRFs.

OBJETIVOS: El objetivo de este trabajo es describir la experiencia de nuestro centro en el tratamiento de tumores de estirpe neural mediante técnicas de Cirugía Mínimamente Invasiva (CMI). MATERIAL Y METODOS: Estudio retrospectivo y descriptivo de pacientes intervenidos en nuestro hospital mediante técnicas de CMI y diagnóstico de tumor de estirpe neural, entre octubre de 2012 y diciembre de 2017. Los criterios de inclusión fueron pacientes con diagnóstico de tumor neural que en el momento de la intervención no presentaban factores de riesgo por imagen (IDRFs). Se excluyeron aquellos pacientes con diagnóstico distinto al de tumor neural y con IDRFs en el momento de la cirugía. RESULTADOS: Se incluyen 19 casos (6 niñas y 13 niños) con una mediana de edad de 47 meses. Según la clasificación International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Staging System (INRGSS) fueron diagnosticados 9 casos en estadio L1, 6 en estadio L2, 2 en M y 2 en estadio MS. Por laparoscopia se intervinieron 14 pacientes (12 tumores suprarrenales y 2 abdominales extradrenales) y 5 por toracoscopia. No existieron complicaciones intraoperatorias, consiguiéndose la exéresis completa en todos los casos. Tres casos presentaron efectos adversos postoperatorios, de grados I y II según la clasificación de Clavien-Dindo. En 4 de 19 pacientes fue necesaria la conversión a cirugía abierta (3 por laparoscopia y 1 por toracoscopia) debido a adherencias a estructuras vasculares o fibrosis. Tras una mediana de seguimiento de 27 meses, 2 pacientes presentaron progresión de su enfermedad sin recidiva local. CONCLUSIONES: En conclusión, la CMI es una herramienta útil para la exéresis de tumores de estirpe neural sin IDRFs.

Valorization of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) pruning biomass by co-composting with urban and agri-food sludge.

In the Mediterranean countries, there is an increasing production of date palm wastes (Phoenix dactylifera L.), not only due to the raising production of date palm fruits, but also derived from the maintenance of urban and peri-urban green areas, especially in those affected by red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus). The management of this increasing volume of green wastes usually concludes with a controlled disposal that implies an important loss of resources, in terms of organic matter, nutrients and energy. In addition, the rise of wastewater generation and the incentive of the wastewater treatment processes have derived in an increase of the amount of the sludge produced, which makes difficult its management. This work studies the feasibility of co-composting palm wastes with sludge from the urban and agri-food sectors as alternative treatment to manage these organic waste streams and to obtain added-value compost. For this, four mixtures (P1, P2, P3 and P4) were prepared using as main component palm leave waste (PL) mixed with different types of sludge. In the piles P1, P2 and P3, sewage sludge (SS) was used as co-composting agent, while agri-food sludge (AS) was used in P4. Throughout composting, the thermal profile of the composting piles was assessed, as were physical, chemical, physico-chemical and maturity parameters. In addition, the changes in water-soluble organic matter were assessed using chemical analytical methods and the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. The results obtained showed the viability of the co-composting process to obtain end-products with adequate maturity degree and physical characteristics for their potential use as substrates, except for the salt contents that can limit their use in some agricultural sectors.