Proteasome-dependent degradation of histone H1 subtypes is mediated by its C-terminal domain.

Histone H1 is involved in chromatin compaction and dynamics. In human cells, the H1 complement is formed by different amounts of somatic H1 subtypes, H1.0-H1.5 and H1X. The amount of each variant depends on the cell type, the cell cycle phase, and the time of development and can be altered in disease. However, the mechanisms regulating H1 protein levels have not been described. We have analyzed the contribution of the proteasome to the degradation of H1 subtypes in human cells using two different inhibitors: MG132 and bortezomib. H1 subtypes accumulate upon treatment with both drugs, indicating that the proteasome is involved in the regulation of H1 protein levels. Proteasome inhibition caused a global increase in cytoplasmatic H1, with slight changes in the composition of H1 bound to chromatin and chromatin accessibility and no alterations in the nucleosome repeat length. The analysis of the proteasome degradation pathway showed that H1 degradation is ubiquitin-independent. The whole protein and its C-terminal domain can be degraded directly by the 20S proteasome in vitro. Partial depletion of PA28γ revealed that this regulatory subunit contributes to H1 degradation within the cell. Our study shows that histone H1 protein levels are under tight regulation to prevent its accumulation in the nucleus. We revealed a new regulatory mechanism for histone H1 degradation, where the C-terminal disordered domain is responsible for its targeting and degradation by the 20S proteasome, a process enhanced by the regulatory subunit PA28γ.

Salud mental asociada a la pandemia de COVID-19 en estudiantes de fisioterapia de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México / Mental health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in physiotherapy students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico

Antecedentes y objetivo: A nivel mundial la pandemia por el COVID-19 ha interrumpido el aprendizaje de más de mil millones de estudiantes, quienes reportan alteraciones en la salud mental, niveles altos de estrés académico y carga de trabajo. En la Licenciatura en Fisioterapia de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 331 estudiantes dejaron de asistir a clases presenciales indispensables para su formación académica y, tras un año de confinamiento, se desconoce el impacto psicológico y académico en esta población. El objetivo fue evaluar la salud mental, carga de trabajo y estrés académico de los estudiantes e identificar la asociación entre variables. Materiales y métodos: Se aplicó el Cuestionario de Salud Emocional por la Pandemia de COVID-19 - Fisioterapia, la escala de carga de trabajo UNIPSICO Battery y el Cuestionario de estrés estudiantil COVID-19. Se incluyeron los alumnos inscritos entre el primer y cuarto año de la Licenciatura en Fisioterapia de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México mayores de 18 años que contestaron la encuesta vía online y otorgaron su consentimiento informado. Resultados: El 62,7% de los estudiantes reportaron ansiedad, el 61,8% reportaron depresión, el 51,0% indicaron una percepción moderada del estrés académico y el 42,2% percibieron una carga de trabajo alta. La ansiedad y depresión tuvieron una asociación estadísticamente significativa con el estrés académico y carga de trabajo (p<0,05). Conclusiones: El estudio evidencia los efectos psicológicos y académicos derivados de la pandemia del COVID-19 en estudiantes de fisioterapia, que amerita medidas de intervención fisioterapéuticas y académicas que mitiguen los efectos del confinamiento.(AU)

Background and objective: Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the learning of over a billion students, who report mental health disorders, high levels of academic stress, and workload. In the bachelor's degree in physical therapy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, 331 students stopped attending essential face-to-face classes for their academic training, and after a year of confinement, the psychological and academic impact on this population is unknown. The objective was to evaluate the mental health, workload, and academic stress of students in the bachelor's degree and identify the association between variables. Materials and methods: The Emotional Health Questionnaire for the COVID-19 pandemic – physical therapy was applied, including the UNIPSICO battery workload scale and the COVID-19 student stress questionnaire. Students enrolled between the first and fourth year of the Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico over 18 years old who completed the survey online and provided informed consent were included. Results: 62.7% of students reported anxiety, 61.8% reported depression, 51.0% indicated a moderate perception of academic stress, and 42.2% perceived a high workload. Anxiety and depression had a statistically significant association with academic stress and workload (P<.05). Conclusions: The study demonstrates the psychological and academic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical therapy students, which warrants physiotherapeutic and academic intervention measures to mitigate the effects of confinement.(AU)

Implementing a coronary CT angiography protocol based on the body mass index: Radiation dose reduction, image quality, and diagnostic performance.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relation between the coronary calcium score and the posterior choice of kilovoltage according to radiologists' criteria in a standard coronary CT angiography protocol to rule out coronary disease. To quantify the reduction in ionizing radiation after linking kilovoltage to patients' body mass index in a low-dose protocol with iterative model reconstruction. To evaluate the image quality and diagnostic performance of the low-dose protocol. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We compared anthropometric characteristics, calcium score, kilovoltage levels, size-specific dose estimates (SSDE), and the dose-length product (DLP) between a group of 50 patients who were prospectively recruited to undergo coronary CT angiography with a low-dose protocol and a historical group of 50 patients who underwent coronary CT angiography with the standard protocol. We correlated these parameters, the number of coronary segments that could not be evaluated with and without temporal padding, the attenuation, and the signal-to-noise ratio in the ascending aorta in the low-dose protocol with excellent imaging quality according to a semiquantitative scale. To calculate the diagnostic performance per patient, we used 24-month clinical follow-up including all tests as the gold standard. RESULTS: In the standard protocol, the presence of coronary calcium correlated with the selection of high kilovoltage (p = 0.02); this correlation was not found in the low-dose protocol (p = 0.47). Median values of SSDE and DLP were significantly (p < 0.001) lower and less dispersed in the low-dose protocol [9.22 mGy (IQR 7.84-12.1 mGy) vs. 26.5 mGy (IQR 21.3-36.3 mGy) in the standard protocol] and [97 mGy cm (IQR 78-134 mGy cm) vs. 253 mGy cm (IQR 216-404 mGy cm) in the standard protocol], respectively. The overall quality of the images obtained with the low-dose protocol was considered good or excellent in 96% of the studies. The parameters associated with image quality in a multivariable model (C statistic = 0.792) were heart rate (estimated coefficient, -0,12 [95% confidence interval: -0.2, -0.04]; p < 0.01) and the SSDE (estimated coefficient, -0,26 [95% confidence interval: -0.51, -0.01]; p < 0.05). The CAD-RADS modifier for a not fully evaluable or diagnostic study was used on two occasions (4%); the final measures for the diagnosis of coronary disease were sensitivity 100%, specificity 94%, and efficacy 94%. CONCLUSIONS: In the standard protocol, the radiologist selects higher kilovoltage for CT angiography studies for patients whose previous calcium score indicates the presence of coronary calcium. In the low-dose protocol, linking kilovoltage with body mass index enables the dose of radiation to be reduced by 65% while obtaining excellent or good image quality in 96% of studies and excellent diagnostic performance.

Cognitive decline in adult-onset temporal lobe epilepsy: Insights from aetiology.

PURPOSE: To identify patients with adult-onset temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) at risk of developing cognitive decline. Detecting which patients, aetiologies, or factors are most closely related with memory decline would allow us to identify patients that would eventually benefit from more specific treatment. METHODS: Single centre, retrospective analysis of a prospectively followed-up cohort study, including all patients with the diagnosis of adult-onset TLE during 2013, with a minimum follow-up of five years. Memory and cognitive decline were analysed at 5 years and at last follow-up. RESULTS: Of 89 initially selected patients, 71 were included. After 5 years, 11/71 (15.5%) patients suffered cognitive decline, of which 1/71 (4%) developed dementia. At last follow-up (range 65-596 m) a total of 34/71 (47.8%) patients were diagnosed with cognitive decline, specifically either memory decline or dementia. Cognitive decline at 5 years was related to: 1. Age at onset: 62.65 years (SD 9.04) in the group with cognitive decline vs 50.33 y. (SD 13.02 in the group without cognitive decline; p=0.004); 2. Onset as status epilepticus (3/6 in patients with memory decline vs 8/65 in patients without cognitive decline; p=0.04); 3. Immune aetiology: 42% compared with unknown (10%) and structural (10%) aetiologies; p=0.036; 4. Hippocampal sclerosis on MRI: 5/11 patients with cognitive decline vs 9/51 patients without cognitive decline; p=0.035. Cognitive decline was not related to seizure frequency, sex, or age (p=0.78; p=0.40; p=0.95, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Older age at epilepsy onset, onset as status epilepticus, immune aetiology, and hippocampal sclerosis are risk factors for developing cognitive decline in patients with adult-onset temporal lobe epilepsy.

Implantación de un protocolo de angio-TC coronaria basado en el índice de masa corporal: reducción de dosis, calidad de imagen y rendimiento diagnóstico / Implementing a coronary CT angiography protocol based on the body mass index: radiation dose reduction, image quality, and diagnostic performance

Objetivos: Valorar la relación entre el score de calcio coronario y la elección posterior del kilovoltaje según el criterio del radiólogo en un protocolo estándar (PE) de angio-TC coronaria (aTCC) para descartar enfermedad coronaria. Cuantificar la reducción de la radiación ionizante después de vincular el kilovoltaje al índice de masa corporal en un protocolo de baja dosis (PBD) con reconstrucción iterativa de modelado. Valorar la calidad de imagen y el rendimiento diagnóstico del PBD. Material y método: Las características antropométricas, el score de calcio, los niveles de kilovoltaje y los valores de dosis estimada específica para el tamaño (SSDE) y del producto dosis-longitud fueron comparados entre un grupo de 50 pacientes con PBD reclutados prospectivamente y una cohorte histórica adquirida con el PE. Estos parámetros, el número de segmentos coronarios no valorables sin y con tolerancia de fase, la atenuación y la relación señal-ruido en la aorta ascendente en el PBD fueron correlacionados con una calidad de imagen de nivel excelente según una escala semicuantitativa. El rendimiento diagnóstico por paciente fue calculado usando la revaloración clínica a los 24 meses como el método diagnóstico de referencia, incluyendo las pruebas derivadas. Resultados: En el PE existía una relación entre la presencia de calcio coronario y la elección de kilovoltajes altos (p=0,02), que desaparecía en el PBD (p=0,47). Los valores de SSDE y de DLP en el PBD fueron significativamente inferiores y presentaron menor dispersión que en el PE (9,22 mGy [RIQ 7,84-12,1 mGy] y 97 mGy*cm [RIQ 78-134 mGy*cm] contra 26,5 mGy [RIQ 21,3-36,3 mGy] y 253 mGy*cm [RIQ 216-404 mGy*cm]; p <0,001 para las comparaciones de las medianas y de las dispersiones entre ambos grupos)...(AU)

Objectives: To evaluate the relation between the coronary calcium score and the posterior choice of kilovoltage according to radiologists’ criteria in a standard coronary CT angiography protocol to rule out coronary disease. To quantify the reduction in ionizing radiation after linking kilovoltage to patients’ body mass index in a low-dose protocol with iterative model reconstruction. To evaluate the image quality and diagnostic performance of the low-dose protocol. Material and methods: We compared anthropometric characteristics, calcium score, kilovoltage levels, size-specific dose estimates (SSDE), and the dose-length product (DLP) between a group of 50 patients who were prospectively recruited to undergo coronary CT angiography with a low-dose protocol and a historical group of 50 patients who underwent coronary CT angiography with the standard protocol. We correlated these parameters, the number of coronary segments that could not be evaluated with and without temporal padding, the attenuation, and the signal-to-noise ratio in the ascending aorta in the low-dose protocol with excellent imaging quality according to a semiquantitative scale. To calculate the diagnostic performance per patient, we used 24-month clinical follow-up including all tests as the gold standard. Results: In the standard protocol, the presence of coronary calcium correlated with the selection of high kilovoltage (P=0.02); this correlation was not found in the low-dose protocol (P=0.47). Median values of SSDE and DLP were significantly (P<0.001) lower and less dispersed in the low-dose protocol [9.22 mGy (IQR 7.84-12.1 mGy) vs. 26.5 mGy (IQR 21.3-36.3 mGy) in the standard protocol] and [97mGy*cm (IQR 78-134mGy*cm) vs. 253mGy*cm (IQR 216-404mGy*cm) in the standard protocol], respectively...(AU)

Optical fiber pH sensor based on a multimode interference device with polymer overlay.

An optical fiber pH sensor based on a multimode interference structure is presented. The sensitive element is a piece of no-core fiber (NCF) coated with a mixture of polyallylamine hydrochloride and polyacrylic acid by a modified layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly method. It is experimentally shown that by reducing the diameter of the NCF by chemical etching, the sensitivity is increased from -0.31n m/p H to -2n m/p H. The sensor exhibits a high linear response of 0.997 over a pH range from 5 to 11.3 with a rapid response time lower than 1 s.

COPD treatment - a conceptual review based on critical endpoints.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the main causes of death and disability worldwide. Many treatment options are now available, but criteria for choosing inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids have been under discussion. New trials have highlighted the role of patient`s characteristics, such as eosinophil count and exacerbation history, in selecting the most effective personalised treatment option. METHODS: In this conceptual review, an in-depth rationale is developed with an integrative approach to COPD treatment, gathering data from the main clinical trials performed so far and that may provide support for actual GOLD 2023 recommendations. RESULTS: According to the patient's characteristics and profile, different treatment options, including mono, dual and triple therapies, are presented in a diagram matrix, comparing their efficacy in terms of reduction of exacerbations and mortality risk. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Eosinophil counts and past exacerbation profile may play equally relevant roles to predict the individual risk and the potential response to inhaled corticosteroids. Thus, a comprehensive approach considering these two predictors is needed to aid clinicians decide preventative actions and choice of a first-line or step-up treatment.

Acute Kidney Injury in Critical Care COVID-19 Patients on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: The Potential Preventive Role of Dexamethasone

Abstract Background: A high incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in critical care units and those undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The introduction of dexamethasone (DXM) as treatment for severe COVID-19 has improved mortality, but its effects in other organs remain under study. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between DXM and AKI in COVID-19. Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated the incidence of AKI in critically ill COVID-19 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, and the association of DXM treatment with the incidence, severity, and outcomes of AKI. The association between DXM treatment and AKI was evaluated by multivariable logistic regression. The association of the combination of DXM treatment and AKI on mortality was evaluated by Cox-regression analysis. Results: We included 552 patients. AKI was diagnosed in 311 (56%), of which 196 (63%) corresponded to severe (stage 2 or 3) AKI, and 46 (14.8%) received kidney replacement therapy. Two hundred and sixty-seven (48%) patients were treated with DXM. This treatment was associated to lower incidence of AKI (Odds Radio 0.34, 95% Confidence intervals [CI] 0.22-0.52, p < 0.001) after adjusting for age, body mass index, laboratory parameters, SOFA score, and vasopressor use. DXM treatment significantly reduced mortality in patients with severe AKI (HR 0.63, 95%CI 0.41-0.96, p = 0.032). Conclusions: The incidence of AKI is high in COVID-19 patients under IMV. DXM treatment is associated with a lower incidence of AKI and a lower mortality in the group with severe AKI.

An Entropy-Based Condition Monitoring Strategy for the Detection and Classification of Wear Levels in Gearboxes.

Gears are reliable and robust elements that are found in any power transmission system. However, gears are prone to present incipient faults, such as wear, since they are constantly subjected to contact forces. Due to gears playing a key role in many industrial processes, it is important to develop condition monitoring strategies that ensure the proper functioning of the related power transmission system and the overall components. In this regard, the data on entropy provide relevant information that allow us to identify and quantify the effect of different wear levels in gears. Therefore, in this work, we proposed the use of seven entropy-related features to perform the identification of different wear severities in a gearbox. The novelty of this proposal lies in the use of the entropy features to carry out a high-performance characterization of the available vibration signals that are acquired from experimental tests. The novelty of this proposal lies in the fusion of three different techniques: entropy features, linear discriminant analysis, and artificial neural networks to obtain a machine learning approach for improving the detection of different wear severities in gears compared to other reported methodologies. This situation is achieved due to the high-performance characterization of the available vibration signals that are acquired from experimental tests. Additionally, the entropy features are subjected to a feature space transformation by means of linear discriminant analysis to obtain a 2D representation and, finally, the set of features extracted by linear discriminant analysis are used as inputs of a neural network-based classifier to determine the severity of wear that is present in the gears. The proposed methodology is validated and compared with a conventional statistical approach to show the improvement in the classification.

Characteristics and outcomes of a Hispanic lupus nephritis cohort from Mexico.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical presentation and outcomes of LN in a Hispanic cohort from Mexico. METHODS: We studied 440 subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus and biopsy-proven LN followed for >36 months. We obtained demographic, clinical, laboratory, histopathological and treatment variables. All outcomes were analysed by survival analysis and included response to therapy, renal relapses, progression of kidney disease (decline in eGFR ≥ 30%, doubling of serum creatinine, end-stage kidney disease) and patient survival. RESULTS: The median age of the study cohort was 29 years (IQR 23-37) and 96% were female. The median eGFR at inclusion was 81 mL/min/1.73m2 (IQR 48-118) and 24 h-uPCR was 3.4 g/g (IQR 1.9-5.6). Mixed class LN (III/IV+V) was the most frequently observed (69%). Over a median follow-up of 79 months, complete response rates were 22.3%, 40.5% and 51.6%, at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. Renal relapse rates were 32.3% and 50.6% at 3 and 5 years. By 3 and 5 years, 20.7% and 31.4% had decline in eGFR ≥30%, 14.4% and 22.5% doubled their serum creatinine, and 9.1% and 17.7% progressed to ESKD. The factors associated with loss of kidney function were age, eGFR at presentation, the histologic chronicity index in the kidney biopsy, and the type of response to therapy. Patient survival was 98.2% and 97.1% at 3 and 5 years. CONCLUSION: Although the response to treatment and patient survival in this Latin American cohort is comparable to that observed in other regions, there is still a high rate of renal relapses and progression to decline in kidney function.

The first-year course of urine MCP-1 and its association with response to treatment and long-term kidney prognosis in lupus nephritis.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to assess the course of uMCP-1 and its association with response to therapy and long-term kidney function in a prospective cohort of adults who received a kidney biopsy for suspicion of active lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: Subjects were segregated into a histologically active LN group and a histologically chronic LN group. Both groups were followed for > = 36 months and urine were collected at flare, 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. The association between the course of uMCP-1, response to treatment, and progression to 30% loss of the eGFR was evaluated by linear mixed models for repeated measures. RESULTS: A kidney biopsy was performed on 125 subjects. In 114, the report was consistent with histologically active LN; in 11, with histologically chronic LN. Urine MCP-1 levels were significantly higher in the active LN than in the chronic LN group. Urine MCP-1 levels correlated with the histological findings of cellular crescents, endocapillary hypercellularity, interstitial inflammation, glomerular sclerosis, interstitial fibrosis, and tubular atrophy. The mean estimates of uMCP-1 at flare were higher in the non-response group than in the complete response group, and decreased in the complete/partial response groups by the third month, while they remained elevated in the non-response group. The mean estimates for uMCP-1 were higher at LN flare and remained elevated in patients who progressed to loss of 30% of the eGFR, while they decreased in patients with stable kidney function. CONCLUSION: The first-year course of uMCP-1 is associated with response to therapy and kidney survival in LN. Key Points •Urine MCP-1 levels differentiate histologically-active lupus nephritis from histologically-chronic lupus nephritis •Urine MCP-1 levels decrease by 3 months of therapy in subjects with a favorable response whose kidney function remains stable long-term •Urine MCP-1 levels remain elevated during the first year of therapy in subjects the will later lose kidney function.

Integrative analysis in toxicological assessment of the insecticide Malathion in Allium cepa L. system / Análise integrativa na avaliação toxicológica do inseticida Malation no sistema Allium cepa L

Abstract For many centuries human populations have been suffering and trying to fight with disease-bearing mosquitoes. Emerging and reemerging diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya affect billions of people around the world and recently has been appealing to control with chemical pesticides. Malathion (MT) is one of the main pesticides used against mosquitoes, the vectors of these diseases. This study aimed to assess cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of the malathion for the bioindicator Allium cepa L. using a multivariate and integrative approach. Moreover, an appendix table was compiled with all available literature of insecticides assessed by the Allium cepa system to support our discussion. Exposures during 48h to 0.5 mg mL-1 and 1.0 mg mL-1 MT were compared to the negative control (distilled water) and positive control (MMS solution at 10 mg L-1). The presence of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei frequency, and mitotic index abnormalities was evaluated. Anaphase bridges were the alterations with higher incidence and presented a significantly elevated rate in the concentration of 0.5 mg mL-1, including when compared to the positive control. The integrative discriminant analysis summarizes that MT in assessed concentrations presented effects like the positive control, corroborating its potential of toxicity to DNA. Therefore, it is concluded that MT in its pure composition and in realistic concentrations used, has genotoxic potential in the biological assessment of A. cepa cells. The multivariate integrative analysis was fundamental to show a whole response of all data, providing a global view of the effect of MT on DNA.

Resumo Por muitos séculos, as populações humanas sofrem e tentam combater os mosquitos transmissores de doenças. Doenças emergentes e reemergentes como Dengue, Zika e Chikungunya afetam bilhões de pessoas em todo o mundo e, recentemente, vem apelando ao controle com pesticidas químicos. O Malation (MT) é um dos principais pesticidas usados ​​contra mosquitos, vetores dessas doenças. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a citotoxicidade e a mutagenicidade do MT para o bioindicador Allium cepa L. usando uma abordagem multivariada e integrativa. Além disso, uma tabela suplementar foi compilada com toda a literatura disponível de inseticidas avaliada pelo sistema Allium cepa para apoiar nossa discussão. Exposições ao MT durante 48h a 0,5 mg mL-1 e 1,0 mg mL-1 foram comparadas a um controle negativo (água destilada) e um controle positivo (10 mg L-1 de MMS). Foram avaliadas a presença de aberrações cromossômicas, frequência de micronúcleos e anormalidades no índice mitótico. As pontes anafásicas foram as alterações com maior incidência e apresentaram uma taxa significativamente elevada na concentração de 0,5 mg mL-1, inclusive quando comparadas ao controle positivo. A análise discriminante integrativa resume que o MT nas concentrações avaliadas apresentou efeitos semelhantes ao controle positivo, corroborando seu potencial de toxicidade para o DNA. Portanto, conclui-se que o MT, em sua composição pura e nas concentrações realistas utilizadas, possui potencial genotóxico na avaliação biológica de células de A. cepa. A análise integrativa multivariada foi fundamental para mostrar uma resposta completa de todos os dados, fornecendo uma visão global do efeito da MT no DNA.

Integrative analysis in toxicological assessment of the insecticide Malathion in Allium cepa L system / Análise integrativa na avaliação toxicológica do inseticida Malation no sistema Allium cepa L

For many centuries human populations have been suffering and trying to fight with disease-bearing mosquitoes. Emerging and reemerging diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya affect billions of people around the world and recently has been appealing to control with chemical pesticides. Malathion (MT) is one of the main pesticides used against mosquitoes, the vectors of these diseases. This study aimed to assess cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of the malathion for the bioindicator Allium cepa L. using a multivariate and integrative approach. Moreover, an appendix table was compiled with all available literature of insecticides assessed by the Allium cepa system to support our discussion. Exposures during 48h to 0.5 mg mL-¹ and 1.0 mg mL-¹ MT were compared to the negative control (distilled water) and positive control (MMS solution at 10 mg L-¹). The presence of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei frequency, and mitotic index abnormalities was evaluated. Anaphase bridges were the alterations with higher incidence and presented a significantly elevated rate in the concentration of 0.5 mg mL-¹, including when compared to the positive control. The integrative discriminant analysis summarizes that MT in assessed concentrations presented effects like the positive control, corroborating its potential of toxicity to DNA. Therefore, it is concluded that MT in its pure composition and in realistic concentrations used, has genotoxic potential in the biological assessment of A. cepa cells. The multivariate integrative analysis was fundamental to show a whole response of all data, providing a global view of the effect of MT on DNA.

Por muitos séculos, as populações humanas sofrem e tentam combater os mosquitos transmissores de doenças. Doenças emergentes e reemergentes como Dengue, Zika e Chikungunya afetam bilhões de pessoas em todo o mundo e, recentemente, vem apelando ao controle com pesticidas químicos. O Malation (MT) é um dos principais pesticidas usados contra mosquitos, vetores dessas doenças. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a citotoxicidade e a mutagenicidade do MT para o bioindicador Allium cepa L. usando uma abordagem multivariada e integrativa. Além disso, uma tabela suplementar foi compilada com toda a literatura disponível de inseticidas avaliada pelo sistema Allium cepa para apoiar nossa discussão. Exposições ao MT durante 48h a 0,5 mg mL-¹ e 1,0 mg mL-¹ foram comparadas a um controle negativo (água destilada) e um controle positivo (10 mg L-¹ de MMS). Foram avaliadas a presença de aberrações cromossômicas, frequência de micronúcleos e anormalidades no índice mitótico. As pontes anafásicas foram as alterações com maior incidência e apresentaram uma taxa significativamente elevada na concentração de 0,5 mg mL-¹, inclusive quando comparadas ao controle positivo. A análise discriminante integrativa resume que o MT nas concentrações avaliadas apresentou efeitos semelhantes ao controle positivo, corroborando seu potencial de toxicidade para o DNA. Portanto, conclui-se que o MT, em sua composição pura e nas concentrações realistas utilizadas, possui potencial genotóxico na avaliação biológica de células de A. cepa. A análise integrativa multivariada foi fundamental para mostrar uma resposta completa de todos os dados, fornecendo uma visão global do efeito da MT no DNA.

Integrative analysis in toxicological assessment of the insecticide Malathion in Allium cepa L. system

Abstract For many centuries human populations have been suffering and trying to fight with disease-bearing mosquitoes. Emerging and reemerging diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya affect billions of people around the world and recently has been appealing to control with chemical pesticides. Malathion (MT) is one of the main pesticides used against mosquitoes, the vectors of these diseases. This study aimed to assess cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of the malathion for the bioindicator Allium cepa L. using a multivariate and integrative approach. Moreover, an appendix table was compiled with all available literature of insecticides assessed by the Allium cepa system to support our discussion. Exposures during 48h to 0.5 mg mL-1 and 1.0 mg mL-1 MT were compared to the negative control (distilled water) and positive control (MMS solution at 10 mg L-1). The presence of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei frequency, and mitotic index abnormalities was evaluated. Anaphase bridges were the alterations with higher incidence and presented a significantly elevated rate in the concentration of 0.5 mg mL-1, including when compared to the positive control. The integrative discriminant analysis summarizes that MT in assessed concentrations presented effects like the positive control, corroborating its potential of toxicity to DNA. Therefore, it is concluded that MT in its pure composition and in realistic concentrations used, has genotoxic potential in the biological assessment of A. cepa cells. The multivariate integrative analysis was fundamental to show a whole response of all data, providing a global view of the effect of MT on DNA.

Resumo Por muitos séculos, as populações humanas sofrem e tentam combater os mosquitos transmissores de doenças. Doenças emergentes e reemergentes como Dengue, Zika e Chikungunya afetam bilhões de pessoas em todo o mundo e, recentemente, vem apelando ao controle com pesticidas químicos. O Malation (MT) é um dos principais pesticidas usados contra mosquitos, vetores dessas doenças. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a citotoxicidade e a mutagenicidade do MT para o bioindicador Allium cepa L. usando uma abordagem multivariada e integrativa. Além disso, uma tabela suplementar foi compilada com toda a literatura disponível de inseticidas avaliada pelo sistema Allium cepa para apoiar nossa discussão. Exposições ao MT durante 48h a 0,5 mg mL-1 e 1,0 mg mL-1 foram comparadas a um controle negativo (água destilada) e um controle positivo (10 mg L-1 de MMS). Foram avaliadas a presença de aberrações cromossômicas, frequência de micronúcleos e anormalidades no índice mitótico. As pontes anafásicas foram as alterações com maior incidência e apresentaram uma taxa significativamente elevada na concentração de 0,5 mg mL-1, inclusive quando comparadas ao controle positivo. A análise discriminante integrativa resume que o MT nas concentrações avaliadas apresentou efeitos semelhantes ao controle positivo, corroborando seu potencial de toxicidade para o DNA. Portanto, conclui-se que o MT, em sua composição pura e nas concentrações realistas utilizadas, possui potencial genotóxico na avaliação biológica de células de A. cepa. A análise integrativa multivariada foi fundamental para mostrar uma resposta completa de todos os dados, fornecendo uma visão global do efeito da MT no DNA.

Histamine elimination by a coupling reaction of fungal amine oxidase and bacterial aldehyde oxidase†.

Histamine (HIST) and other biogenic amines found in fish and fishery products accumulated by the action of bacterial amino acid decarboxylase cannot be decomposed and eliminated by heating or other chemical methods. A simple method for HIST elimination is proposed by a coupling reaction of the fungal amine oxidase (FAO) and bacterial aldehyde oxidase (ALOX) of acetic acid bacteria. As a model reaction, FAO oxidized benzylamine to benzaldehyde, which in turn was oxidized spontaneously to benzoic acid with ALOX. Likely, in HIST elimination, FAO coupled well with ALOX to produce imidazole 4-acetic acid from HIST with an apparent yield of 100%. Imidazole 4-acetaldehyde was not detected in the reaction mixture. In the absence of ALOX, the coupling reaction was incomplete given a number of unidentified substances in the reaction mixture. The proposed coupling enzymatic method may be highly effective to eliminate toxic amines from fish and fishery products.

Automatic Classification of Rotor Faults in Soft-Started Induction Motors, Based on Persistence Spectrum and Convolutional Neural Network Applied to Stray-Flux Signals.

Due to their robustness, versatility and performance, induction motors (IMs) have been widely used in many industrial applications. Despite their characteristics, these machines are not immune to failures. In this sense, breakage of the rotor bars (BRB) is a common fault, which is mainly related to the high currents flowing along those bars during start-up. In order to reduce the stresses that could lead to the appearance of these faults, the use of soft starters is becoming usual. However, these devices introduce additional components in the current and flux signals, affecting the evolution of the fault-related patterns and so making the fault diagnosis process more difficult. This paper proposes a new method to automatically classify the rotor health state in IMs driven by soft starters. The proposed method relies on obtaining the Persistence Spectrum (PS) of the start-up stray-flux signals. To obtain a proper dataset, Data Augmentation Techniques (DAT) are applied, adding Gaussian noise to the original signals. Then, these PS images are used to train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), in order to automatically classify the rotor health state, depending on the severity of the fault, namely: healthy motor, one broken bar and two broken bars. This method has been validated by means of a test bench consisting of a 1.1 kW IM driven by four different soft starters coupled to a DC motor. The results confirm the reliability of the proposed method, obtaining a classification rate of 100.00% when analyzing each model separately and 99.89% when all the models are analyzed at a time.

Acute Kidney Injury in Critical Care COVID-19 Patients on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: The Potential Preventive Role of Dexamethasone.

Background: A high incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in critical care units and those undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The introduction of dexamethasone (DXM) as treatment for severe COVID-19 has improved mortality, but its effects in other organs remain under study. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between DXM and AKI in COVID-19. Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated the incidence of AKI in critically ill COVID-19 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, and the association of DXM treatment with the incidence, severity, and outcomes of AKI. The association between DXM treatment and AKI was evaluated by multivariable logistic regression. The association of the combination of DXM treatment and AKI on mortality was evaluated by Cox-regression analysis. Results: We included 552 patients. AKI was diagnosed in 311 (56%), of which 196 (63%) corresponded to severe (stage 2 or 3) AKI, and 46 (14.8%) received kidney replacement therapy. Two hundred and sixty-seven (48%) patients were treated with DXM. This treatment was associated to lower incidence of AKI (Odds Radio 0.34, 95% Confidence intervals [CI] 0.22-0.52, p < 0.001) after adjusting for age, body mass index, laboratory parameters, SOFA score, and vasopressor use. DXM treatment significantly reduced mortality in patients with severe AKI (HR 0.63, 95%CI 0.41-0.96, p = 0.032). Conclusions: The incidence of AKI is high in COVID-19 patients under IMV. DXM treatment is associated with a lower incidence of AKI and a lower mortality in the group with severe AKI.

Power Quality Disturbance Tracking Based on a Proprietary FPGA Sensor with GPS Synchronization.

The study of power quality (PQ) has gained relevance over the years due to the increase in non-linear loads connected to the grid. Therefore, it is important to study the propagation of power quality disturbances (PQDs) to determine the propagation points in the grid, and their source of generation. Some papers in the state of the art perform the analysis of punctual measurements of a limited number of PQDs, some of them using high-cost commercial equipment. The proposed method is based upon a developed proprietary system, composed of a data logger FPGA with GPS, that allows the performance of synchronized measurements merged with the full parameterized PQD model, allowing the detection and tracking of disturbances propagating through the grid using wavelet transform (WT), fast Fourier transform (FFT), Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT), genetic algorithms (GAs), and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Measurements have been performed in an industrial installation, detecting the propagation of three PQDs: impulsive transients propagated at two locations in the grid, voltage fluctuation, and harmonic content propagated to all the locations. The results obtained show that the low-cost system and the developed methodology allow the detection of several PQDs, and track their propagation within a grid with 100% accuracy.

Integrative analysis in toxicological assessment of the insecticide Malathion in Allium cepa L. system.

For many centuries human populations have been suffering and trying to fight with disease-bearing mosquitoes. Emerging and reemerging diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya affect billions of people around the world and recently has been appealing to control with chemical pesticides. Malathion (MT) is one of the main pesticides used against mosquitoes, the vectors of these diseases. This study aimed to assess cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of the malathion for the bioindicator Allium cepa L. using a multivariate and integrative approach. Moreover, an appendix table was compiled with all available literature of insecticides assessed by the Allium cepa system to support our discussion. Exposures during 48h to 0.5 mg mL-1 and 1.0 mg mL-1 MT were compared to the negative control (distilled water) and positive control (MMS solution at 10 mg L-1). The presence of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei frequency, and mitotic index abnormalities was evaluated. Anaphase bridges were the alterations with higher incidence and presented a significantly elevated rate in the concentration of 0.5 mg mL-1, including when compared to the positive control. The integrative discriminant analysis summarizes that MT in assessed concentrations presented effects like the positive control, corroborating its potential of toxicity to DNA. Therefore, it is concluded that MT in its pure composition and in realistic concentrations used, has genotoxic potential in the biological assessment of A. cepa cells. The multivariate integrative analysis was fundamental to show a whole response of all data, providing a global view of the effect of MT on DNA.

Recommendations for pulmonary function laboratories in the COVID-19 era / Recomendaciones para el laboratorio de función pulmonar en la era COVID-19

Abstract The airborne spread is the main route of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus, including he SARS CoV-2 virus causing the disease known as COVID-19. The implicit risk of aerosolization of SARS CoV-2 infective microdroplets while carrying out respiratory function tests has caused a significant limitation of activity in most Pulmonary Function Laboratories since the beginning of the pandemic. This document aims to update the recommendations for the management of Pulmonary Function Laboratories in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak in Argentina. New recommendations include ways to carry out pulmonary function testing during the context of a high and low community viral spread phase, the evaluation of post-COVID-19 patients, as well as several aspects of biosafety for patients and operators. Measures consist of promoting air circulation in the environment, the use of antimicrobial filters, the protection of airways and mucous membranes, and hand washing.

Resumen La diseminación aerógena del virus SARS CoV-2 es la principal forma de transmisión interhumana de este coronavirus causante de la enfermedad conocida como COVID-19. El riesgo implícito de la aerosolización de microgotas infectantes del SARS CoV-2 durante la ejecución de las pruebas funcionales respiratorias ha provocado una importante limitación de la actividad en la mayoría de los laboratorios de función pul monar desde el inicio de la pandemia. Este documento tiene por objetivo actualizar las recomendaciones para el manejo del laboratorio de función pulmonar en el contexto de la epidemia COVID-19 en Argentina. Se incorporan nuevas recomendaciones para realizar pruebas funcionales respiratorias en el contexto de una fase alta y baja de circulación viral comunitaria, para pacientes post COVID-19, así como para la bio seguridad de pacientes y operadores. Las medidas incluyen la ventilación del ambiente, el uso de filtros antimicrobianos, la protección de vía área y mucosas y el lavado de manos.