Albedo and atmospheric constraints of dwarf planet Makemake from a stellar occultation.

Pluto and Eris are icy dwarf planets with nearly identical sizes, comparable densities and similar surface compositions as revealed by spectroscopic studies. Pluto possesses an atmosphere whereas Eris does not; the difference probably arises from their differing distances from the Sun, and explains their different albedos. Makemake is another icy dwarf planet with a spectrum similar to Eris and Pluto, and is currently at a distance to the Sun intermediate between the two. Although Makemake's size (1,420 ± 60 km) and albedo are roughly known, there has been no constraint on its density and there were expectations that it could have a Pluto-like atmosphere. Here we report the results from a stellar occultation by Makemake on 2011 April 23. Our preferred solution that fits the occultation chords corresponds to a body with projected axes of 1,430 ± 9 km (1σ) and 1,502 ± 45 km, implying a V-band geometric albedo p(V) = 0.77 ± 0.03. This albedo is larger than that of Pluto, but smaller than that of Eris. The disappearances and reappearances of the star were abrupt, showing that Makemake has no global Pluto-like atmosphere at an upper limit of 4-12 nanobar (1σ) for the surface pressure, although a localized atmosphere is possible. A density of 1.7 ± 0.3 g cm(-3) is inferred from the data.

Exploring the Capacity of Water Framework Directive Indices to Assess Ecosystem Services in Fluvial and Riparian Systems: Towards a Second Implementation Phase.

We explored the capacity of the biological and hydromorphological indices used in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) to assess ecosystem services by evaluating the ecological status of Spanish River Basins. This analysis relies on an exhaustive bibliography review which showed scientific evidence of the interlinkages between some ecosystem services and different hydromorphological and biological elements which have been used as indices in the WFD. Our findings indicate that, of a total of 38 ecosystem services analyzed, biological and hydromorphological indices can fully evaluate four ecosystem services. In addition, 18 ecosystem services can be partly evaluated by some of the analyzed indices, while 11 are not related with the indices. While Riparian Forest Quality was the index that was able to assess the largest number of ecosystem services (N = 12), the two indices of macrophytes offered very poor guarantees. Finally, biological indices related to diatoms and aquatic invertebrates and the Fluvial Habitat Index can be related with 7, 6, and 6 ecosystem services, respectively. Because the WFD indices currently used in Spain are not able to assess most of the ecosystem services analyzed, we suggest that there is potential to develop the second phase of the WFD implementation taking this approach into consideration. The incorporation of the ecosystem services approach into the WFD could provide the framework for assess the impacts of human activities on the quality of fluvial ecosystems and could give insights for water and watershed management in order to guarantee the delivery of multiple ecosystem services.

Estimation of the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in Spain: The Latent study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy for moderate to severe psoriasis can increase the risk of active tuberculosis in patients who have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of LTBI in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis being treated in dermatology clinics in Spain. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Non-interventional, cross-sectional, national epidemiological study conducted in Spain in 2011-2012. Patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis were included if they had undergone at least one tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or been evaluated with an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (QuantiFERON(®) TB Gold In-Tube) in the 2 years preceding the study. RESULTS: Data for 440 patients were valid for analysis. In total, 97.7% of the patients had undergone a TST, with a positive result in 23%. Of the 238 patients in whom the initial result was negative, 5% converted to positive on re-testing for a booster effect. IGRA results were available for 16.8%, 20.5% of them positive. Two of the patients with positive IGRA results had a negative TST. The prevalence of LTBI in the whole sample was 26.6%. The degree of concordance between the TST and the IGRA was moderate (κ=0.516; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of LTBI in this study was similar to previous estimates for Spain.

Estimation of the post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains using Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics.

An important demand exists in the field of forensic analysis to objectively determine the post-mortem interval (PMI) when human skeletal remains are discovered. It is widely known that bones undergo different chemical and physical processes after death, mainly due to their interaction with the environment in which they are found, although it is not known exactly what these processes consist of. Multiple techniques have been used so far to follow up these and other post-mortem changes and thus establish the time elapsed since the individual's death, but they present important drawbacks in terms of reliability and accuracy. The aim of this research was to propose an analytical methodology capable of determining the PMI by using non-destructive Raman spectroscopy measurements of human skeletal remains. The recorded Raman spectra provided valuable and potentially useful information from which a multivariate study was performed by means of orthogonal partial least squares regression (OPLSR) in order to correlate the PMI with the detected spectral modifications. A collection of 53 real human skeletal remains with known PMI (15 years ≤ PMI ≤ 87 years) was analysed and used for building and validating the OPLS model. The PMI of 10 out of 14 validation samples could be determined with an accuracy error of less than 30%, demonstrating the adequate predictive performance of the OPLS model even in spite of the large inter-individual variability it handled. This opens up the possibility of applying the OPLS model in combination with non-destructive techniques to the determination of the PMI of human skeletal remains that have been buried in conditions similar or equal to those of cemetery niches and in a geographic location with a Mediterranean climate, which is an important achievement for forensic medicine and anthropology.

OPLS multivariate regression of FTIR-ATR spectra of acrylic paints for age estimation in contemporary artworks.

In recent years the interest and demand for artworks has been increasing as they are an interesting commercial investment due to their growing value in the market. This explains the increasing number of counterfeits dealing with artworks that has led to the development of new methodologies for their characterization. The material characterization of these types of works can provide relevant information for both authentication and conservation/restoration. Thus, in this study multivariate chemometric methods were applied to FTIR-ATR spectroscopic data for artwork dating purposes. To that end, ageing prediction models were developed for Liquitex® and Hyplar® brands. Paint samples containing the green synthetic organic pigment (PG7), were exposed to artificial ageing and analysed with FTIR-ATR and Py-GC/MS for characterization and monitorization of the main components (binding medium, pigment and additives). Although the OPLS ageing models were mainly characterized by the modifications suffered by both the binder and the surfactants, a universal model could not be developed due to differences in the modification trends of the different brands. The applicability of the OPLS modelling for artwork dating purposes was tested in artworks provided by internationally recognized contemporary Basque artists. For Liquitex® a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between natural and accelerated ageing could be established, in which approximately 50 h of accelerated ageing under the applied conditions were equivalent to one natural year. This correlation might have possible applications in the dating of artworks for up to at least 22 years. Thus, the study demonstrates that FTIR-ATR combined with chemometrics is a potential method for artwork dating and a valuable source of information about the chemical processes involved in paint ageing, which can be of great help in the conservation and restoration steps.

Non-traumatic necrosis of bone (osteonecrosis) is associated with endothelial cell activation but not thrombophilia.

OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiology of non-traumatic osteonecrosis (ON) or avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head remains poorly understood. Some studies have suggested the contribution of underlying thrombophilia as a mechanism; however, no specific thrombophilic factor has been consistently found in association with the disease. We are presenting data suggesting a role for endothelial cell activation rather than thrombophilia in ON. METHODS: A prospective consecutive cohort of 49 patients with a diagnosis of ON. The disease was considered idiopathic in five and secondary in 44 patients. The investigation included a coagulation and thrombophilia profile, endothelial cell activation and non-specific inflammatory markers as well as a biochemical profile. Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test was obtained to assess correlation between endothelial cell markers and variables of inflammation. RESULTS: Patients with non-traumatic ON were not found to have a specific underlying thrombophilic factor compared with the general population. Out of 49 patients,19 had elevation of at least one endothelial cell markers. We found that activation of endothelial cell markers was independently correlated to ON but not correlated to the presence of inflammation (P = 1.0000). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that non-traumatic ON is not associated with a specific thrombophilic abnormality in those affected. This study demonstrates a potential association between regional endothelial dysfunction and ON. More studies are needed at a molecular level to further investigate the specific role of endothelium in the physiopathology of ON. A better understanding of the underlying mechanism could lead to potential preventive and therapeutic strategies of this devastating disease.

[Tolerability, safety, and efficacy of sodium phosphate preparation for colonoscopy: the role of age]. / Tolerancia, seguridad y eficacia de la preparación para colonoscopia con fosfato de sodio: el papel de la edad.

OBJECTIVES: To compare subjective tolerance and secondary adverse events to bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium phosphate (NaP) in adult patients and in those 65 or more years old. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective matched study, choosing 140 patients among all of those who underwent colonoscopy from March 2004 to May 2005. We investigated the presence of the next adverse events during bowel preparation: Fever, low digestive bleeding, abdominal pain, perianal pain, nausea, vomiting, thirst, somnolence, agitation, tremor and convulsions. We considered bad objective tolerance if the patient presented any one of these events. We also asked patients about subjective tolerance to preparation. RESULTS: Seventy patients prepared with PEG and seventy with NaP were included (69 women and 71 men, mean age 60.6 +/- 14.8 years). There was no relationship between subjective tolerance or the presence of adverse events and bowel cleansing with any of the products in general population or in elderly patients (p = 0.09 and p = 0.45 in the elderly). However, patients prepared with NaP showed more nausea than those who employed PEG (p < 0.009), overall women of 65 or more years old. There were no severe adverse events in patients prepared with NaP. Elderly showed better tolerance than younger patients, and women worst tolerance than men, irrespective of the lavage preparation employed. Patients prepared with PEG unfinished bowel cleansing more frequently than those with NaP. Cleanliness achieved with NaP was significantly better than that obtained with PEG. CONCLUSIONS: Bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy with NaP is as well tolerated, safe and effective as with PEG, even in elderly healthy patients, although it causes more nausea. Cleanliness with NaP is better than that achieved with PEG.

Description of patients excluded for Mohs surgery after pre-surgical evaluation: data from the Regesmohs Spanish registry. / Descripción de pacientes no aptos para ser sometidos a cirugía de Mohs tras valoración prequirúrgica: datos del registro español Regesmohs.

BACKGROUND: Regesmohs registry is a nationwide registry including patients evaluated for Mohs surgery in 17 Spanish centres since July 2013. Given that Mohs surgery is the therapy with best results for high risk basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and other skin tumours, we wanted to describe the reasons that lead to some patients being excluded from this therapy and the alternative treatments that they received. These data may be useful to avoid excluding patients for Mohs surgery use, to estimate the healthcare demand of these patients and the demand for Hedgehog inhibitors therapy in this group. OBJECTIVE: To describe patients excluded for Mohs surgery after pre-surgical assessment, and the treatments that they received. METHODS: Regesmohs includes all consecutive patients assessed for Mohs surgery in the participating centres, collecting data on patient characteristics, intervention, and short and long-term results. Patients excluded for Mohs surgery after pre-surgical evaluation were described. RESULTS: 3011 patients were included in Regesmohs from July 2013 to October 2016. In 85, Mohs surgery was not performed as they were considered inadequate candidates. 67 had BCC. Reasons for exclusion were: medical contraindication (27.1%, n=23) low-risk tumour in (18.8%, n=16) and giant tumour and bone invasion (15.3%, n=13). Only 1 patient (1.2%) showed lymph node involvement and no patients had visceral metastases. Of the 85 excluded patients, 29 (34.1%) were treated with conventional surgery, 24 (28.3%) with radiotherapy, 4 (4.7%) with inhibitors of the Hedgehog pathway (only indicated for BCC), and 2 (2.4%) received palliative care. We had no follow-up data on 14 patients (16.5%). CONCLUSION: Medical comorbidities were the most common reason for withholding Mohs surgery. Withholding therapy on the basis of distant extension is uncommon. Most excluded patients received simpler therapies: conventional surgery or radiotherapy, with hedgehog inhibitors being a new option.

Quantitative determination of dobutamine in newborn pig plasma samples by HPLC-MS/MS.

A novel gradient reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS-MS) was performed as a method for the determination of dobutamine hydrochloride (DOB) in newborn pig plasma samples. It was developed and validated after optimization of sample treatment and various chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions. Trimethoxydobutamine (TMD) was used as internal standard. Heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) and ethyl acetate were used for the treatment of plasma samples. The separation of dobutamine and internal standard was done using a Kinetex F5 (50×2.1mm, 2.6µm, 100Å) analytical column. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and HCOOH 0.01%. The column oven temperature was optimized at 40° C and the flow rate was 0.25mL/min. DOB and TMD were detected by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode in ESI+, using a cone voltage (CV) of 25V and a collision energy (CE) of 25eV. The weighted calibration curve (1/x2) was found to be linear over the concentration range of 1-100ng/mL (r2>0.999). The limit of quantification (LLOQ) of the method was 1ng/mL. The values of selectivity, carryover, LLOQ, linearity, accuracy, precision, matrix effect, stability and recovery obtained meet the acceptable range according to European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. The method was efficiently applied to quantify DOB in plasma samples from a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study in a disease model of newborn piglet.

Effect of coating on the environmental applications of zero valent iron nanoparticles: the lindane case.

Commercial stabilized slurry of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) as well as laboratory-synthesized polymer-stabilized NZVI nanoparticles were used for lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) degradation studies in aqueous solution. In the present study, polymer-stabilized iron nanoparticles were stabilized using polyethylene glycol (PEG, Mn ~400 and ~950-1050) and polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF, Mn ~650). To study the effectiveness of the different nanoparticles, a quantitative monitorization of lindane degradation by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and a qualitative measurement of generated volatile by-products by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by GC/MS were carried out. The obtained data were compared and contrasted with the results obtained in previous work. Results showed that the nanoparticles studied in this work possess superior dechlorination performance compared with previous observations. The freshly prepared Fe(0)-PEG400, Fe(0)-PEG1050 and Fe(0)-PTHF exhibited high reactivity during the dechlorination process of lindane in a very short time. The results obtained with the synthesized nanoparticles were similar to those obtained with commercial nanoparticles. However, in all cases reactivity decreased at reaction's late stage. Degradation of lindane by the studied nanoparticles removed 99.9% of the lindane initial concentration after 72h, except for Fe(0)-PTHF nanoparticles, for which the reaction stopped after 5min. In all cases, the reaction followed a second order kinetics. Finally, comparing the results from this study with our previous work, where different nature polymers were considered (Fe(0)-CMC, Fe(0)-PAA and Fe(0)-PAP), more gradual degradation profile of lindane was observed for Fe(0)-PAA and Fe(0)-CMC. It should be noted that in the present case, the reaction of lindane was speeded up with commercial and Fe(0)-PEG nanoparticles. Nevertheless, in the later case, the composition of by-products was affected by the presence of partially degraded intermediates. Taking into account the current technologies, the high removal rates obtained and the acceptable degradation times required, the proposed technology is suitable for its aimed purpose.

DATINK pilot study: an effective methodology for ballpoint pen ink dating in questioned documents.

Establishing the approximate age of an ink entry from a questioned document is often a complicated task and a controversial issue in forensic sciences. Among the existing approaches, the analysis of solvents in ballpoint inks may be a useful parameter for determining the age of ink on paper. In recent years, several ink dating methods have been proposed. These methods have been based on the analysis of common ink solvents using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) as the analytical platform. Despite these recent methods, several questions remain. The aim of this work was to develop an ink dating methodology (DATINK) for documents written by ballpoint pens based on the disappearance of volatile solvents from the ink entry. Multiple solid-phase microextraction (MHS-SPME) coupled to GC/MS was used to measure the solvents from ink entries made with four BIC(®) ballpoint pens. The ß parameter, the remaining fraction of the analyte in the system after one equilibration, corresponding to the successive extractions was considered for modelling a mathematical equation for later ink age dating. Preliminary tests of DATINK method showed that it was possible to detect the presence of ink solvents on documents up to the studied five years. The analyses of different real samples of known age were analyzed in terms of ß values, which provided a mean relative error of 21%. The proposed use of ß parameter for estimating the absolute age of ballpoint ink entries has shown promising results with a standard deviation of ß ranging from 0.002 to 0.004.

Early quantification of experimental myocardial infarction with technetium-99m glucoheptonate: scintigraphic and anatomic studies.

Recent advances in understanding of the pathophysiology of myocardial necrosis indicate the need for a noninvasive method that will allow detection and quantification of infarcts in the first few hours after the onset of infarction. Myocardial infarct scintigraphy using technetium-99m glucoheptonate is capable of detecting infarction in dogs and man within 4 to 6 hours of onset. Studies were performed in 45 dogs with acute myocardial infarction: 28 with with an anterior infarct, 5 with an inferior infarct, 6 with an anterior infarct studied after infusion of mannitol and 6 with ligation of the left anterior descending coronary coronary artery and reperfusion of the ischemic area. The dogs were given 20 m Ci of technetium-99m glucoheptonate 1 hour after coronary occlusion, subjected to imaging 5 to 9 hours later and then killed. The experiments revealed that (1) scintigraphic infarct size correlated with infarct weight for anterior (r = 0.85) and inferior (r = 0.88) infarcts; (2) technetium-99m glucoheptonate also concentrated in a rim of myocardium around the infarct that probably represented the ischemic zone; and (3) technetium-99m glucoheptonate uptake by infarcted myocardium could be greatly increased with mannitol and reperfusion.

cCD79a expression in a case of plasma cell leukemia.

In the present report we analyzed the immunophenotype of the neoplastic cells in a case of primary plasma cell leukemia (PCL). We performed simultaneous analysis of bone marrow and peripheral blood samples to investigate minor phenotypic variations that could explain the tendency of a population to leave medullary compartments. No major differences were observed between the two populations. The phenotype of the malignant clone was: CD38+, CD138+, CD19-, CD56+, CD117-, CD33+, CD44 , CD49e , cCD79a+ with positive cytoplasmic stain for kappa and IgG. Our findings expands the potential uses of cCD79a to cases of PCL with atypical morphology.

Prenatal diagnosis of minute 5p- deletion: a cytogenetic problem in detection.

An unbalanced translocation, 46,XX,der(5)t(5;11) (p15;q25)mat was ascertained by prenatal diagnosis. The mother previously had a liveborn child with cri du chat syndrome. The subtlety of the chromosome rearrangement in this case illustrates the need for the most detailed cytogenetic investigations in cri du chat cases when deletion or translocation are not immediately obvious.

Influence of ethanol on gastric absorption and metabolism of albendazole and mebendazole.

The effect of ethanol administration on gastric absorption in rats of two benzimidazole derivatives has been studied. The ethanol administration was carried out as both acute (5%, 10% and 15% w/v of ethanol in the perfusion solution), and chronic (15, 30 and 120 days) forms. Two benzimidazole derivatives were used: albendazole (ABZ) and mebendazole (MBZ). The administration of ethanol did not affect the kinetic mechanism of the absorption process (simple diffusion) but the absorption rate decreased in all treatments except in 5% acute ethanol, presumably due to the improved solubility of the drugs. Plasma, bile and liver levels after gastric perfusion suggest a possible interference of ethanol metabolism with drug hepatic metabolism.

Aortic stenosis in hypoplastic right heart syndrome, associated with interstitial deletion of chromosome 2.

This report describes a rare case of moderate to severe valvular aortic stenosis in the setting of severe tricuspid stenosis, pulmonary atresia with intact interventricular septum and right ventricular dependent coronary circulation. We discuss the clinical, hemodynamic, echocardiographic and angiocardiographic findings on this rare case and comment on accompanied malformations, with its possible association observed to the interstitial deletion of band q22 or q24 of the long arm of chromosome 2.

Intestinal absorption of acidic beta-lactam antibiotics: contribution of ionized and un-ionized forms.

The effect of the pH of dissolutions of weakly acidic beta-lactam antibiotics on their intestinal absorption has been studied by quantification of the contribution of the ionized and un-ionized antibiotic forms to the whole absorptive process. In vivo recirculation in both sexes of adult Wistar rats was performed with buffer solutions at different pH values and samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Influence of two dietary fibers in the oral bioavailability and other pharmacokinetic parameters of ethinyloestradiol.

Dietary fibers are widely used in hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic, slimming diets. It is probable that their ingestion coincides with the oral administration of drugs and a modification of their pharmacokinetics can appear. In the present study, the influence of two soluble fibers (guar gum and psyllium) was evaluated on the pharmacokinetics of ethinyloestradiol (EE) when they were administered together to female rabbits via the oral route. Three groups of rabbits were used. All animals received 1 mg/kg of EE; this compound was administered alone in the control group and with 3.5 g of guar gum or psyllium in the other two groups. When guar gum was administered, there was a decrease in the extent of EE absorbed, but no change was observed in the rate of absorption. When psyllium was administered, the extent of EE absorbed increased slightly and the rate of absorption was slower.

Variations in host defence mechanisms and blastogenesis in chickens and mice after rifamycin treatments.

The immunobiological effect of rifamycins on different experimental models has been comparatively studied in chickens and mice using cyclophosphamide as a reference immunosuppressive agent. "In vivo" treatments with rifampicin and rifamycin SV diminished interferon levels in chickens and mice up to two hours after virus challenge. Mitogen induced blastogenesis was significantly depressed by either "in vivo" (5-50 mg/kg) or "in vitro" (5-20 micrograms/ml) drug treatments, although the activation of B lymphocytes was more easily inhibited than that of T lymphocytes. Primary anti-SRBC immune responses suffered a similar immune suppressive action by rifamycin treatments "in vivo". In every case, cyclophosphamide (10-20 micrograms/ml "in vitro" and 25 mg/kg "in vivo") proved to be the most active immunosuppressant. On the other hand, a remarkable parallelism in the effect of rifamycins in chickens and mice was observed in all the experimental systems used.

[Reversible dementias, do they exist?]. / Demencias curables, ¿existen realmente?

Due to the increase of the life expectancy the prevalence of the patients with dementia in the services of Internal Medicine is very high (30% in the patients with more of 80 years old). The incidence of the potentially reversible dementias is very different in the publications consulted (10-30%). The objective of these study is to know the real incidence of these dementias and which is the best diagnostic protocol to optimize the resources. The conclusions obtained in the bibliographical review it is that the effect of this type of dementias is minor that the mentioned (1.5-3%).