Application and Evaluation of Novel Chromatographic Techniques to Detect and Quantitate 108 Pesticides and Metabolites in Muscle Samples From Wild Birds of Prey.

The application and evaluation of highly efficient chromatographic techniques with tandem mass spectrometry for the detection and quantitation of 108 pesticides and metabolites, some considered persistent organic pollutants, was performed in muscle samples obtained from 25 birds of prey belonging to the families Accipitridae, Falconidae, and Strigidae presented dead in 2013 to Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat, in Madrid, Spain. Pesticides with prohibited use were detected at high concentrations in the muscle samples analyzed. Based on its high sensitivity to detect pesticides in muscle, the described chromatographic techniques with tandem mass spectrometry should be considered an alternative testing methodology to those commonly used for routine application in ecotoxicological forensic research.

Platelet-rich plasma-derived scaffolds increase the benefit of delayed mesenchymal stromal cell therapy after severe traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Cell therapy using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) offers new perspectives in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of platelet-rich plasma scaffolds (PRPS) as support of MSCs in a delayed phase after severe TBI in rats. METHODS: TBI was produced by weight-drop impact to the right cerebral hemisphere. Two months after TBI, four experimental groups were established; saline, PRPS, MSCs in saline, or MSCs in PRPS was transplanted into the area of brain lesion through a small hole. All groups were evaluated in the course of the following 12 months after therapy and the animals were then humanely killed. RESULTS: Our results showed that a greater functional improvement was obtained after the administration of MSCs in PRPS compared with the other experimental groups. DISCUSSION: PRPS enhanced the benefit of cell therapy with MSCs to treat chronic brain damage in rats that suffered a severe TBI. The present findings suggest that the use of intralesional MSCs supported in PRPS may be a strategy of tissue engineering for patients with established neurological severe dysfunction after a TBI.

CART-a chemical annotation retrieval toolkit.

MOTIVATION: Data on bioactivities of drug-like chemicals are rapidly accumulating in public repositories, creating new opportunities for research in computational systems pharmacology. However, integrative analysis of these data sets is difficult due to prevailing ambiguity between chemical names and identifiers and a lack of cross-references between databases. RESULTS: To address this challenge, we have developed CART, a Chemical Annotation Retrieval Toolkit. As a key functionality, it matches an input list of chemical names into a comprehensive reference space to assign unambiguous chemical identifiers. In this unified space, bioactivity annotations can be easily retrieved from databases covering a wide variety of chemical effects on biological systems. Subsequently, CART can determine annotations enriched in the input set of chemicals and display these in tabular format and interactive network visualizations, thereby facilitating integrative analysis of chemical bioactivity data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: CART is available as a Galaxy web service (cart.embl.de). Source code and an easy-to-install command line tool can also be obtained from the web site. CONTACT: bork@embl.de SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in ischemic stroke trials. A systematic review.

Cerebrovascular accidents, also known as strokes, are the leading cause of permanent disability in society, presenting significant socioeconomic and healthcare costs. They can be caused by ischemic factors or hemorrhages, with ischemic strokes being the most common among the population. Therapies for patients suffering from this condition are limited and primarily focus on acute-phase treatment. In recent years, there has been an increase in cellular therapies, employing Stem Cells to mitigate or eliminate the consequences arising from this disease. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) hold substantial therapeutic potential in Nervous System pathologies due to their low antigenicity and capacity to differentiate into various human tissues, such as adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic tissues. This study conducts a literature review using the "clinical trials" and "Pubmed" database, summarizing all ongoing clinical trials for ischemic strokes that utilize MSCs as treatment.

The Correlation of Sleep Disturbance and Location of Glioma Tumors: A Narrative Review.

Sleep disturbance can occur when sleep centers of the brain, regions that are responsible for coordinating and generating healthy amounts of sleep, are disrupted by glioma growth or surgical resection. Several disorders cause disruptions to the average duration, quality, or patterns of sleep, resulting in sleep disturbance. It is unknown whether specific sleep disorders can be reliably correlated with glioma growth, but there are sufficient numbers of case reports to suggest that a connection is possible. In this manuscript, these case reports and retrospective chart reviews are considered in the context of the current primary literature on sleep disturbance and glioma diagnosis to identify a new and useful connection which warrants further systematic and scientific examination in preclinical animal models. Confirmation of the relationship between disruption of the sleep centers in the brain and glioma location could have significant implications for diagnostics, treatment, monitoring of metastasis/recurrence, and end-of-life considerations.

Validity and Absolute Reliability of the Cobb Angle in Idiopathic Scoliosis with TraumaMeter Software.

The Cobb angle value is a critical parameter for evaluating adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. This study aimed to evaluate a software's validity and absolute reliability to determine the Cobb angle in AIS digital X-rays, with two different degrees of experienced observers. Four experts and four novice evaluators measured 35 scoliotic curves with the software on three separate occasions, one month apart. The observers re-measured the same radiographic studies on three separate occasions three months later but on conventional X-ray films. The differences between the mean bias errors (MBE) within the experience groups were statistically significant between the experts (software) and novices (manual) (p < 0.001) and between the novices (software) and novices (manual) (p = 0.005). When measured with the software, the intra-group error in the expert group was MBE = 1.71 ± 0.61° and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC (2,1)) = 0.986, and in the novice group, MBE = 1.9 ± 0.67° and ICC (2,1) = 0.97. There was almost a perfect concordance among the two measurement methods, ICC (2,1) = 0.998 and minimum detectable change (MCD95) < 0.4°. Control of the intrinsic error sources enabled obtaining inter- and intra-observer MDC95 < 0.5° in the two experience groups and with the two measurement methods. The computer-aided software TraumaMeter increases the validity and reliability of Cobb angle measurements concerning manual measurement.

Validity and reliability of a computer-assisted system method to measure axial vertebral rotation.

Background: Axial vertebral rotation and Cobb's angle are essential parameters for analysing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. This study's scope evaluates the validity and absolute reliability of application software based on a new mathematical equation to determine the axial vertebral rotation in digital X-rays according to Raimondi's method in evaluators with different degrees of experience. Methods: Twelve independent evaluators with different experience levels measured 33 scoliotic curves in 21 X-rays with the software on three separate occasions, separated one month. Using the same methodology, the observers re-measured the same radiographic studies three months later but on X-ray films and in a conventional way. Results: Both methods show good validity and reliability, and the intraclass correlation coefficients are almost perfect. According to our results, the software increases 1.7 times the validity and 1.9 times the absolute reliability of axial vertebral rotation on digital X-rays according to Raimondi's method, compared to the conventional manual measurement. Conclusions: The intra-group and inter-group agreement of the measurements with the software shows equal or minor variations than with the manual method, among the different measurement sessions and in the three experience groups. There is almost perfect agreement between the two measurement methods, so the equation and the software may be helpful to increase the accuracy in the axial vertebral rotation assessment.

An evaluation method for determination of non-polar pesticide residues in animal fat samples by using dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up and GC-MS.

A rapid and easy method has been proposed, optimized and evaluated for quantitative determination at trace level of a representative group of non-polar pesticides in fat samples. The method includes n-hexane-saturated acetonitrile extraction, fat precipitation by cooling pre clean-up followed by dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) based on QuEChERS procedure clean-up. Determination was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Efficiency of the d-SPE clean-up step was evaluated by comparison with fat oxidation treatment and gel permeation chromatography. Different combinations of d-SPE extraction reagents and sample amounts were tested in order to minimize matrix co-extractives and interferences. Best recoveries were obtained with 1200 mg of MgSO(4), 400 mg of end-capped C(18), 400 mg of PSA and 1 g of sample amount. SIM method, matrix effect, precision, and accuracy were evaluated with spiked pork fat samples for 38 representative pesticides. Results of this study showed that this technique is applicable in routine analysis for its application into monitoring programs. It simplifies time-consuming clean-up steps and allows a satisfactory long-term chromatographic performance.

Restorative Justice Education from Intrajudicial Criminal Mediation Associated Factors.

The restorative justice (RJ) paradigm requires coherence among legal, justice, and educational systems to promote a culture of restorative dialogue with victims of violence and to reintegrate aggressors into the community. The objective of this study, from an evolutionary social perspective, was to examine criminal mediation files in the archives of the Murcia Intrajudicial Criminal Mediation Service (UMIM), Spain, to see which variables are associated with which types of violence and understand the contents and adoption of agreements. In this study the sociodemographic, procedural, and interpersonal variables of 216 people who used criminal mediation were analysed. The results showed statistically significant differences concerning age, the procedural moment of referral, and the participants' relationship. The main conclusions are that the youngest group had a more significant number of encounters with physical violence; most agreements occurred in the initial phase of a judicial procedure; and the majority of agreements had moral content regardless of the age of the parties involved. These factors are of interest to the establishment of judicial and educational restorative models.

Profiles of Maladjustment and Interpersonal Risk Factors in Adolescents.

The individual's adaptation problems can lead to risky behaviors such as drug use. This study aimed to analyze the existence of different adaptation profiles (personal, school, and social) in adolescents. Thus, the study aimed to analyze the existence of significant differences in interpersonal risk factors depending on the degree of adaptation. The study participants were 1,201 students of Compulsory Secondary Education (M = 14.43, SD = 1.43), and 50.6% were girls. The TAMAI Test (multifactorial adaptation self-evaluation test) and the FRIDA questionnaire (Interpersonal Risk Factors for Drug Use in Adolescence) were used. A latent class analysis (LCA) revealed three different types of adaptation: maladjusted group, at-risk group, and adjusted group. The results showed the existence of significant differences between the different adaptation profiles based on interpersonal risk factors. The data obtained will help school and mental health plans to prevent misbehaving or risky behaviors.

Cellular transplants in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: an observational study.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Cytotherapy is a promising option for neurodegenerative disease treatment. Because of the fatal prognosis and imperative need for effective treatment, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients request this therapy before its effectiveness has been verified. The increase in clinics offering cytotherapies but providing little scientific information has prompted considerable medical tourism. We present an observational study of Spanish ALS patients receiving cytotherapy, analyzing the experiences arising from the treatment (TX) and considering two progression markers, FVC and ALSFRS-R. METHODS: Twelve ALS patients with a mean age of 48.6 years (SD 12.8) received cytotherapy 26.9 months (SD 15.8) after clinical onset. ALSFRS-R and FVC at TX were 32.3 (SD 6.8) and 63.4% (SD 15.3), respectively. TX involved transplants of olfactory ensheathing cells in three patients, and autologous mesenchymal stromal cells in the remainder. RESULTS: One patient died 33 months post-TX after surviving for 49 months. Five required mechanical non-invasive home ventilation 7.4 months post-TX. Two required invasive ventilation 13 months post-TX. Five patients needed gastrostomy feeding 23.3 months post-TX. Survival between clinical onset and the study end date was 50 months (SD 17.2). No significant adverse events or changes in the decline of FVC and ALSFRS-R compared with the disease's natural history were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest that these therapies do not halt the course of the disease. Cytotherapy cannot yet be considered a curative treatment for ALS.

Relationship between anxiety level of patients and their satisfaction with different aspects of healthcare.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the possible association between the anxiety level of patients and their satisfaction with different aspects of healthcare. METHOD: This analytical cross-sectional study included 301 patients undergoing scheduled trauma surgery from October 2004 to May 2005 at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada (Spain). They completed a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire before their discharge and, at 15 days after discharge, they responded to an ad hoc questionnaire comprising three items (satisfaction with information received, privacy and comfort of the setting, and friendliness of healthcare professionals), and were scored on an interviewer-administered Zung anxiety scale. Descriptive analysis and unadjusted logistic regression were performed for each factor, followed by multivariate logistic regression to model the association between satisfaction and anxiety with study of confounding variables. RESULTS: For each higher point in the Zung test, patients had a 4% higher risk of feeling dissatisfied with the information received, an 8% higher risk of dissatisfaction with the hospital setting and a 6% higher risk of dissatisfaction with the friendliness of healthcare personnel. CONCLUSION: A higher anxiety level in the patient was associated with greater dissatisfaction with the three healthcare aspects studied.

[Evaluation of a health care programme with nursing tutor in a hospital traumatological facility in a hospital, Granada, Spain, 2004]. / Evaluación de un programa de atención sanitaria con enfermera tutora en cirugía de traumatologia en un hospital de Granada, 2004.

BACKGROUND: The current trend in patient care is towards a more humanized and higher-quality healthcare. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the results of implementing a programme of healthcare with a reference nurse who welcomes the patient at hospital admission, visits regularly during hospital stay, and resolves doubts and problems. METHODS: Quasi-experimental study (149 cases and 454 non-tutored controls) in patients admitted for scheduled trauma surgery at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Granada. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered at admission. At 15 days after discharge, patients were administered with an interviewer-administered Zung score and an ad hoc questionnaire on satisfaction with different healthcare aspects during hospital stay and understanding of information received. Bivariate analyses and linear and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with a study of confounding variables. RESULTS: For the outcome variable anxiety level non-tutored patients had a B coefficient of 2.64 (p<0,01) in the multivariate linear regression analysis controlling for the other variables in the final model: sex, presence of informal career, professional activity, days of hospital stay and understanding of health information. For the outcome variable inadequate understanding information non-tutored patients showed an odds ratio of 3.48 in the multivariate analysis controlling for educational level and presence of informal career. Satisfaction with he friendliness of health care personnel and with the hospital setting did not significantly difference, although the percentage of dissatisfied patients was higher in the non-tutored group: 15% vs 11% (p= 0.34) and 18% vs 12 % (p= 0.11) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The implemented continued care programme proved effective for these patients, increasing their understanding of information received and reducing anxiety levels.

Association of General and Abdominal Obesity With Hypertension, Dyslipidemia and Prediabetes in the PREDAPS Study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Some anthropometric measurements show a greater capacity than others to identify the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. This study estimated the magnitude of the association of different anthropometric indicators of obesity with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and prediabetes (altered fasting plasma glucose and/or glycosylated hemoglobin). METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of information collected from 2022 participants in the PREDAPS study (baseline phase). General obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 30kg/m2 and abdominal obesity was defined with 2 criteria: a) waist circumference (WC) ≥ 102cm in men/WC ≥ 88cm in women, and b) waist-height ratio (WHtR) ≥ 0.55. The magnitude of the association was estimated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Hypertension showed the strongest association with general obesity in women (OR, 3.01; 95%CI, 2.24-4.04) and with abdominal obesity based on the WHtR criterion in men (OR, 3.65; 95%CI, 2.66-5.01). Hypertriglyceridemia and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed the strongest association with abdominal obesity based on the WHtR criterion in women (OR, 2.49; 95%CI, 1.68-3.67 and OR, 2.70; 95%CI, 1.89-3.86) and with general obesity in men (OR, 2.06; 95%CI, 1.56-2.73 and OR, 1.68; 95%CI, 1.21-2.33). Prediabetes showed the strongest association with abdominal obesity based on the WHtR criterion in women (OR, 2.48; 95%CI, 1.85-3.33) and with abdominal obesity based on the WC criterion in men (OR, 2.33; 95%CI, 1.75-3.08). CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity indicators showed the strongest association with the presence of prediabetes. The association of anthropometric indicators with hypertension and dyslipidemia showed heterogeneous results.

Determination of 40 currently used pesticides in airborne particulate matter (PM 10) by microwave-assisted extraction and gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

A confirmatory and sensitive procedure has been developed for the determination of 40 currently used pesticides (CUPs) in airborne particulate matter (PM 10) at trace level. The proposed method includes extraction of PM 10-bound pesticides by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) followed by a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) clean-up and determination by GC-MS/MS. The injection mode and the main parameters in MS/MS were optimized. The matrix effect was also evaluated. Recoveries ranged from 70 to 120% except for pyrimethanil and pirimicarb. The limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 1.32 to 39.47 pg m(-3), when air volumes of 760 m(3) were collected. The method was applied to 38 samples collected from a rural station belonging to the atmospheric monitoring network of the Regional Valencia Government (Spain) during April-June 2010. Eighteen out of 40 pesticides investigated were found in at least one sample (bifenthrin, chlorothalonil, chlorpyriphos-e, chlorpyriphos-m, clorpropham, diazinon, dicofol, diphenylamine, fipronil, fludioxonil, folpet, malathion, metalaxyl, penconazole, quinoxyfen, triadimefon, trifluralin, and vinclozoline), with concentrations ranging from 1.32 to 625.80 pg m(-3).

Acercamiento histórico al proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje en las Ciencias Médicas / Historical approach to the teaching and learning process in the medical sciences

Se analiza la trayectoria histórica del surgimiento del proceso enseñanza aprendizaje de las ciencias médicas en Cuba desde la etapa colonial, hasta el período revolucionario. Se abordan aspectos que permiten conocer la creación de los primeros centros a nivel internacional y la labor de personalidades relevantes de esta evolución histórica, la influencia de su pensamiento filosófico, pedagógico y revolucionario en el surgimiento y desarrollo de la educación médica en relación con el contexto histórico cultural de cada etapa. Se reseña la obra de algunas figuras significativas en el desarrollo de la educación universal que marcaron ideas renovadoras en el plano de la pedagogía las cuales conservan vigencia. Se concluye en el período revolucionario con los avances jamás logrados en etapas anteriores que han dado un importante cambio en los planes y programas de estudio para la formación de un profesional acorde a las exigencias actuales

This paper analyzed the history of the emergence of the teaching/learning process in the medical sciences in Cuba from the colonial times to the revolutionary period. It addressed some aspects that allow us to know the creation of the first international centers, the work of distinguished figures in this historical evolution, the influence of their philosophical, pedagogic and revolutionary thinking on the emergence and the development of higher medical education according to the historical and cultural contexts of each phase. It also reviewed the work carried out by some significant personalities in the development of universal education, whose reinvigorated ideas in the field of pedagogy are still valid. It concluded in the revolutionary period with advances that were never achieved in previous stages and that have substantially changed the curricula and syllabi for the formation of a professional that can be on par with the current demands

Efectividad de dos aparatos ortopédicos funcionales en el tratamiento preventivo e interceptivo de las maloclusiones, en pacientes del área de odontología infantil y ortodoncia de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de El Salvador / Effectiveness of two functional orthopedic devices in the preventive and interceptive treatment of malocclusions in patients in the area of children's dentistry and orthodontics of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of El Salvador

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo primordial verificar la efectividad o no de dos Aparatos Ortopédicos Funcionales: Pistas Planas Indirectas Clase I y Simões Network 2 para el tratamiento preventivo e interceptivo de las maloclusiones. Para su realización se plantean los siguientes objetivos: medir si las relaciones sagitales y transversales de los arcos dentarios se mantienen o han sido modificadas tanto en los análisis clínicos como en modelos, comprobar los cambios esperados en los arcos dentarios y funcionales óseos a través de una radiografía cefalométrica de control. Esta investigación se realizó desde mayo hasta agosto de 2006, en la Clínica de Odontología Infantil y Ortodoncia de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de El Salvador, con una población de 12 niños en dentición mixta, atendidos durante los ciclo I y II 2005, los cuales se evalúan a través de 4 Guías de Observación por cada niño, cuyos resultados se analizan por medio de la interpretación de cuadros estadísticos de frecuencias y gráficos de barras verticales, en los cuales se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: El Aparato Pistas Planas Indirectas Clase I cumplió con los principios y características de un Aparato Ortopédico Funcional en un 100%, mientras que el Simões Network 2 cumplió con un 75%. Por lo tanto se concluye que el éxito se considera total para las Pistas Planas Indirectas Clase I y parcial para el Simões Network 2, pues a pesar del porcentaje de funcionabilidad quedan algunos parámetros en las diferentes guías en los que no tuvieron ninguna modificación significativa.

The main objective of this research is to verify the effectiveness or not of two Functional Orthopedic Devices: Indirect Flat Tracks Class I and Simões Network 2 for the preventive and interceptive treatment of malocclusions. To carry it out, the following objectives are proposed: to measure whether the sagittal and transverse relationships of the dental arches are maintained or have been modified both in clinical analyzes and in models, to verify the expected changes in the dental arches and bone functional arches through a control cephalometric radiograph. This research was carried out from May to August 2006, at the Children's Dentistry and Orthodontics Clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of El Salvador, with a population of 12 children with mixed dentition, treated during cycles I and II 2005, which are evaluated through 4 Observation Guides for each child, whose results are analyzed through the interpretation of statistical tables of frequencies and vertical bar graphs, in which the following results were obtained: The Apparatus Indirect Flat Tracks Class I complied with the principles and characteristics of a Functional Orthopedic Appliance in 100%, while Simões Network 2 complied with 75%. Therefore, it is concluded that the success is considered total for the Class I Indirect Flat Tracks and partial for the Simões Network 2, because despite the percentage of functionality there are some parameters in the different guides in which they did not have any significant modification.