DNA Nunchucks: Nanoinstrumentation for Single-Molecule Measurement of Stiffness and Bending.

Bending of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) has important applications in biology and engineering, but measurement of DNA bend angles is notoriously difficult and rarely dynamic. Here we introduce a nanoscale instrument that makes dynamic measurement of the bend in short dsDNAs easy enough to be routine. The instrument works by embedding the ends of a dsDNA in stiff, fluorescently labeled DNA nanotubes, thereby mechanically magnifying their orientations. The DNA nanotubes are readily confined to a plane and imaged while freely diffusing. Single-molecule bend angles are rapidly and reliably extracted from the images by a neural network. We find that angular variance across a population increases with dsDNA length, as predicted by the worm-like chain model, although individual distributions can differ significantly from one another. For dsDNAs with phased A6-tracts, we measure an intrinsic bend of 17 ± 1° per A6-tract, consistent with other methods, and a length-dependent angular variance that indicates A6-tracts are (80 ± 30)% stiffer than generic dsDNA.

Reflectin Proteins Bind and Reorganize Synthetic Phospholipid Vesicles.

The reflectin proteins have been extensively studied for their role in reflectance in cephalopods. In the recently evolved Loliginid squids, these proteins and the structural color they regulate are dynamically tunable, enhancing their effectiveness for camouflage and communication. In these species, the reflectins are found in highest concentrations within the structurally tunable, membrane enclosed, periodically stacked lamellae of subcellular Bragg reflectors and in the intracellular vesicles of specialized skin cells known as iridocytes and leuocophores, respectively. To better understand the interactions between the reflectins and the membrane structures that encompass them, we analyzed the interactions of two purified reflectins with synthetic phospholipid membrane vesicles similar in composition to cellular membranes, using confocal fluorescence microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The purified recombinant reflectins were found to drive multivalent vesicle agglomeration in a ratio-dependent and saturable manner. Extensive proteolytic digestion terminated with PMSF of the reflectin A1-vesicle complexes triggered energetic membrane rearrangement, resulting in vesicle fusion, fission, and tubulation. This behavior contrasted markedly with that of vesicles complexed with reflectin C, from which PMSF-terminated proteolysis only released the original size vesicles. Clues to the basis for this difference, residing in significant differences between the structures of the two reflectins, led to the suggestion that specific reflectin-membrane interactions may play a role in the ontogenetic formation, long-term maintenance, and/or dynamic behavior of their biophotonically active host membrane nanostructures. Similar energetic remodeling has been associated with osmotic stress in other membrane systems, suggesting a path to reconstitution of the biophotonic system in vitro.

Prevalence of the different Axis I clinical subtypes in a sample of patients with orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders in the Andalusian Healthcare Service.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this paper is to analyze the prevalence of each of the different clinical subtypes of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a sample of patients with this pathology. In addition, a second objective was to analyze their distribution according to gender. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To this end, the results of 1603 patients who went to the Unit of Temporomandibular Disorders in the Córdoba Healthcare District because they suffered from this pathology were analyzed. In order to diagnose them, the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) were applied, analyzing the different Axis I subtypes (myopathy, discopathy and arthropathy) and obtaining the combined Axis I for each patient and the relation of all these variables according to gender. The null-hypothesis test confirmed the lack of connection between the gender variable and the different subtypes in the clinical analysis, and between the former and the combined Axis I of the RDC/TMD. RESULTS: The prevalence was high for the muscle disorders subtype in general, showing an 88.7% prevalence, while the presence of discopathies or arthropathies was much lower. Among discopathies, the most frequent ones were disc displacements with reduction, with 39.7% and 42.8% for the left and right temporomandibular joints (TMJ), respectively, while the prevalence of arthropathies was 26.3% for the right TMJ and 32.9% for the left TMJ. The bivariate analysis on the connection with gender reveals a p≥ 0.05 value for the muscle and arthralgia subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: The patients seen at the TMD Unit where mostly middle-aged women whose main clinical axis subtype was the muscle disorder subtype. For their part, both discopathies and arthropathies, although present, are much less prevalent.

The legitimacy of pain according to sufferers.

Pain is an unpleasant experience that we will all experience in some form over the course of our lives, with chronic pain affecting a significant proportion of the global population. Given these circumstances, this study investigates whether pain is a legitimated phenomenon and considers the processes involved in the creation of such a status. This is an exploratory investigation based on semi-structured interviews with people suffering from chronic pain as a consequence of physical, psychological, emotional, or social circumstances. Our principal objective is to explore the fundamental elements of legitimacy and the processes that bring it into being-i.e., to understand how it is socially constructed. The main finding, however, is that many sufferers of chronic physical, psychiatric/psychological, emotional and social pain perceive that their pain is not considered legitimate when no clear cause can be identified, when the pain prevents them from developing the norms imposed by social roles or when it inhibits them to make a productive contribution to the society in which they live. This is generally due to the disruptive aspect of pain and its impact on the social structure, specifically on productivity, which nowadays constitutes a key element in the legitimation of any social phenomenon.

Undermine Sufferers' Testimonies to Avoid Social Impacts of Pain.

Pain is a subjective experience that is mediated by the social structure and by the contextual aspects of people in pain. From the point of view of those affected, a sociological analysis has been carried out of why society doubts pain and the impact that the lack of credibility has on people in pain. Qualitative methodology is used. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews have been conducted with men and women in pain. Research has shown that pain produces discredit in all dimensions of individual's social life, from the most intimate to that related to healthcare and production. The lack of credibility takes the form of epistemic injustice, being a reaction produced from the social structure to avoid the impacts that pain could produce on the social system. Epistemic injustice affects anyone in pain, but the form it takes will be related to sufferer's circumstances. Studying this topic is important because it shows the rigidity of expert systems to deal with some old and new situations related to pain. It also shows the frequent lack of fit between the systems and the sufferers. Finally, the article shows that to deal unfairly with the testimony of people in pain has negative consequences on the treatment of pain. A better understanding of these issues could improve the sufferers' living conditions.

Dissatisfaction with residency: a discrepancy between preferences and expectations?

BACKGROUND: Medical residents play two roles that enter into conflict during their educational period: trainees and workers. This dual role can lead to dissatisfaction among residents that can affect both the quality of the services they provide to citizens and the proper functioning of the health services model itself. AIM: To analyse discrepancies between the preferences and expectations of first-year medical residents and whether these differences affect satisfaction with the residency. METHOD: A questionnaire was administered on-line to the entire population of first-year medical residents of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain) in 2008. We performed a means contrast test between the indicator discrepancy (difference between preferences and expectations during the residency as a training or a working period), overall satisfaction with the residency and their relationship to other expectations of medical residents. RESULTS: Respondents showing greater discrepancy have a more negative opinion about the residency. CONCLUSION: There is a gap between what residents prefer and what they expect from the residency, giving rise to dissatisfaction. This gap must be bridged to improve the quality of training received by these new physicians, their satisfaction and hence the delivery of health services to citizens.

Influence of sociodemographic factors upon pain intensity in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders seen in the primary care setting.

OBJECTIVE: A study is made of the influence of gender, educational level, marital status, income, social support, and perceived general and oral health upon pain intensity in a sample of patients with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJD) explored in primary care (AP). DESIGN: A review was made of 899 patients from Córdoba Healthcare District (Spain) referred to the primary care TMJD Unit by their primary care physician and/or dentist. Of these subjects, 151 failed to meet the inclusion criteria. The remaining 748 subjects were explored according to the corresponding research diagnostic criteria (RDC/TMJD). A bivariate analysis was made the association of pain intensity to the demographic and psychological characteristics of the patients, and to perceived general and oral health, followed by a multivariate linear regression analysis to explain pain intensity as a function of the rest of the variables. The SPSS version 19.0 statistical package was used. RESULTS: The patient age ranged from 18-86 years, with a mean of 45.8 years (± 15.8), and a female predominance of 5:1. The characteristic pain intensity (CPI) score was almost 15 points higher on average in women than in men (p<0.05). A lower educational level, and separation or divorce, were correlated to an increased intensity of pain. Social support, depression and general and oral health also explained part of pain intensity. The regression model established with these variables accounted for 13.3% of the variability of pain (R2 = 0.133). CONCLUSIONS: Women suffer more intense pain than men. Perceived health partially explains the variability of the CPI score. However, it is empirically seen that the variables gender, educational level and marital status exert an important and independent influence upon pain intensity.

[Male physicians and female physicians, different medical styles: different users' satisfaction?]. / Médicos y médicas, estilos asistenciales distintos: satisfacción diferente de los usuarios?

OBJECTIVE: To analyse differences in the satisfaction of health service users associated with the sex of the attending doctor. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data obtained from the Primary Care Services User Survey (2005), part of a project regarding user satisfaction with the Andalusian Public Health Services. A bivariate analysis was conducted, the two variables being doctors sex and user satisfaction, as was an ANOVA, taking as a dependent variable the indicator of general satisfaction and as independent variables the characteristics of the individual and that of the system, including physician sex. RESULTS: In the bivariate analysis a relation was confirmed between doctors sex and satisfaction with the components of the health service received. Nevertheless, this influence disappears in the analysis of dependence, which includes sociodemographic and system variables. CONCLUSION: Differences between practices by male and female doctors are confirmed, but not the differences in general satisfaction with the service received.

El cuerpo femenino: una visión general desde la filosofía tradicional a la gestación subrogada / The female body: an overview from traditional philosophy to surrogacy / O corpo feminino: um panorama desde a filosofia tradicional até a gestação por substituição

La llamada gestación subrogada es una práctica cada vez más difundida en varios países del mundo. Tras las apariencias de una supuesta libertad de las mujeres para disponer libremente de su cuerpo, se esconde la realidad de una explotación de las mujeres pertenecientes a los grupos social y geográficamente más vulnerables, que tiene todas las características de una forma moderna de esclavitud puesta al servicio de conspicuos intereses económicos. Las raíces de este fenómeno se encuentran en una tradición secular de desvalorización de la mujer y de su corporeidad que ha impregnado las más diversas culturas y que aún hoy continúa, de forma latente, a pesar del reconocimiento oficial de su igual dignidad a nivel legal.

So-called surrogacy is a widespread practice in several countries around the world. Behind the appearance of a supposed freedom to dispose of their bodies, lies the exploitation of women belonging to the most socially and geographically vulnerable groups, which has all the characteristics of a modern form of slavery in the service of economic interests. The roots of this phenomenon lie in a secular tradition of devaluation of women and their corporeality that has permeated the most diverse cultures and which, despite the official recognition of their equal dignity at the national legal level, continues latently to this day.

A chamada gravidez por substituição é uma prática cada vez mais difundida em vários países do mundo. Por trás das aparências de uma suposta liberdade das mulheres de disporem de seus corpos, esconde-se a realidade de exploração das mulheres pertencentes aos grupos sociais e geográficos mais vulneráveis, que tem todas as características de uma forma moderna de escravidão a serviço de interesses econômicos conspícuos. As raízes desse fenômeno estão em uma tradição secular de desvalorização da mulher e de sua corporeidade, que permeou as mais diversas culturas e que continua até hoje, de forma latente, apesar do reconhecimento oficial de sua igual dignidade no plano jurídico.

Social hierarchy of pain and its connection to the memory of previously suffered pain.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a perception conditioned both by the painful experience and by each society's collective imagination. The general objective of the project which this work forms part of it was to discover what citizens think about different aspects of this complex experience. More precisely, this paper's objective is to get to know which is the worst pain that can be suffered according to Spaniards and what determines that hierarchy, bearing in mind that this work has chosen a broad definition of pain, including pains of different origins, namely, physical, psychological, and emotional pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data from the CIS 3137 study "Social perceptions of pain" have been used, which is a survey module designed by the Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). A hierarchical multiple factor analysis has been performed, using the SPSS statistical analysis software, where the dependent variable is the citizen's opinion on which is the worst pain that can be suffered, recoded according to the origin of pain (physical, psychological, and emotional pain). Sociodemographic variables and variables linked to the experience of pain have been included as independent variables. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Although the most frequent pains among Spanish citizens are those of a physical origin, especially those linked to musculoskeletal problems and pains of an orofacial origin, when they are asked about the worst pain a person can suffer, they do not mention this type of pain, but those of an emotional origin. It has also been possible to confirm that the pain that citizens refer to when asked about the worst pain that can be suffered, and, therefore, the hierarchy of pain held by Spanish citizens as a group, is conditioned, although not determined, by the pain that has previously been suffered - by one's own experience of pain.

Enfoque terapéutico de la diabetes mellitus tipo 2 en la Atención Primaria ante situaciones especiales

Introducción: Existe la necesidad imperiosa de individualizar cada tratamiento de diabetes mellitus tipo 2 según situaciones especiales de cada paciente diagnosticado con la enfermedad. Objetivo: Describir el enfoque terapéutico de los pacientes con diabetes tipo 2. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y trasversal en 96 pacientes diagnosticados con diabetes mellitus tipo 2, pertenecientes al policlínico Camilo Torres Restrepo, en el periodo de enero- diciembre 2021. Se estudiaron variables como la edad, sexo, tipo de tratamiento, tratamiento individualizado, control metabólico y adherencia al tratamiento. Se utilizaron técnicas de estadística descriptiva como frecuencia absoluta y porcentaje para variables cualitativas así como medidas de tendencia central para variables cuantitativas. Resultados: Hubo un predominio de las edades más avanzadas (por encima de 60 años) con el 72,9 % de la casuística y del sexo femenino (58,3 %). El 97,0 % de los participantes recibieron tratamiento farmacológico y no farmacológico, el 21,8 % necesitó más de un fármaco. La metformina fue el fármaco más utilizado (37,5 %). El tratamiento de los pacientes diabéticos en situaciones especiales fue inadecuado, excepto en pacientes con sobrepeso y obesidad, los pacientes que tuvieron adherencia al tratamiento, lograron un mejor control metabólico de la enfermedad (48 %). Conclusiones: El enfoque terapéutico en los pacientes estudiados fue inadecuado. El tratamiento de diabetes mellitus tipo 2 debe ser individualizado, desde un fundamento integral de la condición basal de cada paciente, al tener en cuenta sus comorbilidades para lograr una integralidad en las acciones en el nivel primario de prevención.

Introduction: There is an urgent need to individualize each diabetes mellitus type 2 treatment according to the special situations of each patient diagnosed with the disease. Objective: To describe the therapeutic approach of patients with diabetes type 2. Methods : A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in 96 patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2, belonging to the Camilo Torres Restrepo polyclinic, in the period from January to December 2021. Variables such as age, sex, type of treatment, individualized treatment, metabolic control and adherence to treatment were studied. Descriptive statistical techniques were used, such as absolute frequency and percentage for qualitative variables, as well as measures of central tendency for quantitative variables. Results : There was a predominance of older ages (over 60 years) with 72.9 % of the casuistry and females (58.3 %). 97.0 % of the participants received pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, and 21.8% required more than one drug. Metformin was the most used drug (37.5 %). Treatment of diabetic patients in special situations was inadequate, except in overweight and obese patients, and patients who adhered to treatment achieved better metabolic control of the disease (48%). Conclusions : The therapeutic approach in the studied patients was inadequate. The treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 must be individualized, from a comprehensive basis of the baseline condition of each patient, taking into account their comorbidities to achieve comprehensive actions at the primary level of prevention.

Synthesis of Minerals with Iron Oxide and Hydroxide Contents as a Sorption Medium to Remove Arsenic from Water for Human Consumption.

Arsenic has been classified as a toxic and carcinogenic chemical element. It therefore presents a serious environmental problem in different regions of the country and the world. In the present work, two adsorbent media were developed and evaluated to remove arsenic from water in the Pájaro Verde mine shaft, Huautla, Tlaquiltenango, Morelos. The media were synthesized and characterized, obtaining a surface area of 43.04 m²·g(-1) for the goethite and 2.44 m²·g(-1) for silica sand coated with Fe(III). To conduct the sorption kinetics and isotherms, a 2³ factorial design was performed for each medium in order to obtain the optimal conditions for the factors of arsenic concentration, pH and mass of the adsorbent. The best results were obtained for goethite, with a removal efficiency of 98.61% (C0 of As(V) 0.360 mg·L(-1)), and an effluent concentration of 0.005 mg·L(-1), a value that complies with the modified Official Mexican Standard NOM-127-SSA1-1994 [1] and WHO guidelines (2004) [2]. The kinetic equation that best fit the experimental data was the pseudo-second-order, resulting in the highest values for the constants for synthetic goethite, with a rate constant sorption of 4.019·g·mg(-1)·min(-1). With respect to the sorption isotherms, both media were fitted to the Langmuir-II linear model with a sorption capacity (qm) of 0.4822 mg·g(-1) for goethite and 0.2494 mg·g(-1) for silica sand coated with Fe(III).

Heparin octasaccharide decoy liposomes inhibit replication of multiple viruses.

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a ubiquitous glycosaminoglycan that serves as a cellular attachment site for a number of significant human pathogens, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human parainfluenza virus 3 (hPIV3), and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Decoy receptors can target pathogens by binding to the receptor pocket on viral attachment proteins, acting as 'molecular sinks' and preventing the pathogen from binding to susceptible host cells. Decoy receptors functionalized with HS could bind to pathogens and prevent infection, so we generated decoy liposomes displaying HS-octasaccharide (HS-octa). These decoy liposomes significantly inhibited RSV, hPIV3, and HSV infectivity in vitro to a greater degree than the original HS-octa building block. The degree of inhibition correlated with the density of HS-octa displayed on the liposome surface. Decoy liposomes with HS-octa inhibited infection of viruses to a greater extent than either full-length heparin or HS-octa alone. Decoy liposomes were effective when added prior to infection or following the initial infection of cells in vitro. By targeting the well-conserved receptor-binding sites of HS-binding viruses, decoy liposomes functionalized with HS-octa are a promising therapeutic antiviral agent and illustrate the utility of the liposome delivery platform.

Médicos y médicas, estilos asistenciales distintos: ¿satisfacción diferente de los usuarios? / Male physicians and female physicians, different medical styles: different users' satisfaction?

OBJETIVO: Verificar la existencia de diferencias en la satisfacción de los usuarios de los servicios sanitarios, según sea que la atención se reciba de un médico hombre o mujer. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se utilizó la encuesta realizada a usuarios de atención primaria en 2005 que llevó a cabo el Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados, del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IESA/CSIC). Se efectuó un análisis bivariado entre el sexo del médico y las variables de satisfacción, y un análisis de varianza (ANOVA); se tomó como variable dependiente el indicador de satisfacción general y como variables independientes las características del individuo y del sistema, entre estas últimas el sexo del médico. RESULTADOS: En el análisis bivariado se constató la relación entre sexo del médico y la satisfacción con algunos de los elementos del servicio, si bien en el análisis de dependencia, que incluye variables sociodemográficas y del sistema, esta influencia desaparece. CONCLUSIÓN: Se confirmaron las diferencias en la práctica asistencial de hombres y mujeres médicos, pero no así las diferencias en la satisfacción general con el servicio recibido.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse differences in the satisfaction of health service users associated with the sex of the attending doctor. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data obtained from the Primary Care Services User Survey (2005), part of a project regarding user satisfaction with the Andalusian Public Health Services. A bivariate analysis was conducted, the two variables being doctors´ sex and user satisfaction, as was an ANOVA, taking as a dependent variable the indicator of general satisfaction and as independent variables the characteristics of the individual and that of the system, including physician sex. RESULTS: In the bivariate analysis a relation was confirmed between doctors´ sex and satisfaction with the components of the health service received. Nevertheless, this influence disappears in the analysis of dependence, which includes sociodemographic and system variables. CONCLUSION: Differences between practices by male and female doctors are confirmed, but not the differences in general satisfaction with the service received.