Floquet Engineering of a Diatomic Molecule through a Bichromatic Radiation Field.

We report on a theoretical study of a Cs2 molecule illuminated by two lasers and show how this can result in novel quantum dynamics. We reveal that these interactions facilitate the bypass of the non-crossing rule, forming light-induced conical intersections and modifiable avoided crossings. Our findings show how laser field orientation and strength, along with initial phase differences, can control molecular-state transitions, especially on the micromotion scale. We also extensively discuss how the interaction of radiation with matter gives rise to the emergence of potential energy surfaces of hybrids of radiation and molecular states. This research advances a technique for manipulating photoassociation processes in Cs2 molecules, offering potential new avenues in quantum control.

Entangled States Induced by Electron-Phonon Interaction in Two-Dimensional Materials.

We report on the effects of electron-phonon interaction in materials such as graphene, showing that it enables the formation of a gap bridged by unique edge states. These states exhibit a distinctive locking among propagation direction, valley, and phonon mode, allowing for the generation of electron-phonon entangled states whose parts can be easily split. We discuss the effect of the chiral atomic motion in the zone boundary phonons leading to this effect. Our findings shed light on how to harness these unconventional states in quantum research.

Antimicrobial Activity of Plasma Rich in Platelets (PRP) on the Ocular Microbiota of Healthy Horses from Minas Gerais: In Vitro Study.

In equine ophthalmology, ulcerative keratitis is among the most common conditions and, in general, arises as a consequence of some trauma suffered. Secondarily, subsequent contamination by pathogenic or resident bacteria of the horse's ocular microbiota may have undesirable consequences. Under physiological conditions, the normal microbiota coexists with the immune status of the host, serving as a barrier, ensuring the health of the ocular surface, and inhibiting the proliferation of pathogens. However, in the imbalance of immune barriers, the normal microbiota can become pathogenic and lead to infection, acting as an opportunistic agent. The present study aims to demonstrate the antimicrobial effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), its time of action, and its correlation with the concentration of its same components in vitro on Staphylococcus sciuri, a bacterium with high prevalence in the normal ocular microbiota of horses in the municipality of Minas Gerais. For the preparation of the PRP, eight adult Quarter Horse (QH) horses were used. The individual PRP was prepared by the double centrifugation protocol, and then, the PRPs were added to a pool, followed by testing their interaction in culture with Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth at different dilutions against five strains collected from different animals. After 3, 6, 12, and 18 hours, the colony formation units (CFU) count on a 5% horse blood agar plate was evaluated for each time point. Our study showed that Staphylococcus sciuri, the resident microorganism of the ocular conjunctival microbiota of horses, is more susceptible when compared to the standard strain "American Type Culture Collection" (ATCC-29213) Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogenic microorganism, which was used for the validation of our study. The antibacterial effect shown in this study was bacteriostatic for up to 6 hours. The most concentrated PRP dilutions, 1 : 1 and 1 : 2, were also most effective, suggesting that the antibacterial effect is volume dependent.

X-Chromosome Association Study in Latin American Cohorts Identifies New Loci in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Sex differences in Parkinson's disease (PD) risk are well-known. However, the role of sex chromosomes in the development and progression of PD is still unclear. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to perform the first X-chromosome-wide association study for PD risk in a Latin American cohort. METHODS: We used data from three admixed cohorts: (1) Latin American Research consortium on the Genetics of Parkinson's Disease (n = 1504) as discover cohort, and (2) Latino cohort from International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium (n = 155) and (3) Bambui Aging cohort (n = 1442) as replication cohorts. We also developed an X-chromosome framework specifically designed for admixed populations. RESULTS: We identified eight linkage disequilibrium regions associated with PD. We replicated one of these regions (top variant rs525496; discovery odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.60 [0.478-0.77], P = 3.13 × 10-5 replication odds ratio: 0.60 [0.37-0.98], P = 0.04). rs5525496 is associated with multiple expression quantitative trait loci in brain and non-brain tissues, including RAB9B, H2BFM, TSMB15B, and GLRA4, but colocalization analysis suggests that rs5525496 may not mediate risk by expression of these genes. We also replicated a previous X-chromosome-wide association study finding (rs28602900), showing that this variant is associated with PD in non-European populations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reinforce the importance of including X-chromosome and diverse populations in genetic studies. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Sleep quality and predictors of optimal sleep in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: data from a recent-onset cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders are part of the symptomatology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and are related to disease characteristics and comorbidities. The study describes sleep quality among RA patients and identifies predictors of optimal sleep. METHODS: Patients whose data were analysed were identified from the recent-onset RA cohort initiated in 2004. In 2010, the Medical Outcome Study Sleep Scale (MOS-SS) was incorporated into the patients' assessments. Up to December 2019, the cohort comprised 187 patients with at least one MOS-SS application (in 78 patients at cohort entry) and six months of outcomes behaviour (cumulative) previous to the MOS-SS application: DAS28-ESR, pain-VAS, fatigue, HAQ-DI, SF-36, treatment (corticosteroids, DMARDs/patient and adherence), Charlson score, and major depressive episodes. A trained data abstractor retrospectively reviewed their charts. Multiple logistic regression analysis estimated odds ratios (95% confidence interval) to define baseline and cumulative variables predictive of optimal sleep (dichotomised variable derived from the quantity of sleep dimension of the MOS-SS). RESULTS: At the first MOS-SS application, patients were primarily middle-aged women with short disease duration and low disease activity. They scored higher on the "snoring" and "sleep non-adequacy" MOS-SS dimensions. There were 96 patients (51.3%) with optimal sleep. Lower baseline BMI, better baseline fatigue score, longer follow-up at the clinic, and better SF-36 physical summary score were predictors of optimal sleep (mental summary score also remained in the model when switched to the physical summary score). CONCLUSIONS: Optimal sleep is achieved by half of the RA patients and predicted by BMI, patient-reported outcomes, and follow-up.

Metadherin Regulates Inflammatory Breast Cancer Invasion and Metastasis.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is one of the most lethal subtypes of breast cancer (BC), accounting for approximately 1-5% of all cases of BC. Challenges in IBC include accurate and early diagnosis and the development of effective targeted therapies. Our previous studies identified the overexpression of metadherin (MTDH) in the plasma membrane of IBC cells, further confirmed in patient tissues. MTDH has been found to play a role in signaling pathways related to cancer. However, its mechanism of action in the progression of IBC remains unknown. To evaluate the function of MTDH, SUM-149 and SUM-190 IBC cells were edited with CRISPR/Cas9 vectors for in vitro characterization studies and used in mouse IBC xenografts. Our results demonstrate that the absence of MTDH significantly reduces IBC cell migration, proliferation, tumor spheroid formation, and the expression of NF-κB and STAT3 signaling molecules, which are crucial oncogenic pathways in IBC. Furthermore, IBC xenografts showed significant differences in tumor growth patterns, and lung tissue revealed epithelial-like cells in 43% of wild-type (WT) compared to 29% of CRISPR xenografts. Our study emphasizes the role of MTDH as a potential therapeutic target for the progression of IBC.

X-Chromosome Association Study in Latin American Cohorts Identifies New Loci in Parkinson Disease.

Sex differences in Parkinson Disease (PD) risk are well-known. However, it is still unclear the role of sex chromosomes in the development and progression of PD. We performed the first X-chromosome Wide Association Study (XWAS) for PD risk in Latin American individuals. We used data from three admixed cohorts: (i) Latin American Research consortium on the GEnetics of Parkinson's Disease (n=1,504) as discover cohort and (ii) Latino cohort from International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium (n = 155) and (iii) Bambui Aging cohort (n= 1,442) as replication cohorts. After developing a X-chromosome framework specifically designed for admixed populations, we identified eight linkage disequilibrium regions associated with PD. We fully replicated one of these regions (top variant rs525496; discovery OR [95%CI]: 0.60 [0.478 - 0.77], p = 3.13 × 10 -5 ; replication OR: 0.60 [0.37-0.98], p = 0.04). rs525496 is an expression quantitative trait loci for several genes expressed in brain tissues, including RAB9B, H2BFM, TSMB15B and GLRA4 . We also replicated a previous XWAS finding (rs28602900), showing that this variant is associated with PD in non-European populations. Our results reinforce the importance of including X-chromosome and diverse populations in genetic studies.

Bile duct injury, experience from 3 years in a tertiary referral center.

OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this research is to determinate the epidemiological characteristics and the experience in the management of patients with the diagnosis of bile duct injury, referred to the Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, in the gastrointestinal surgery service and its comparison with the statistics reported worldwide. METHOD: It is a retrospective, observational, descriptive study. The data analysis was performed with the IBM SPSS 26 software platform. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were applied. The Fisher's exact test was used for categorical variables. Statistical significance is accepted if p < 0.05. RESULTS: 70 patients were included, between the period of January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019. According to the Strasberg-Bismuth system, the distribution was: type A 15.7%, B 1.4%, C 0, D 7.1%, E1 1.4%, E2 21.4%, E3 32.9%, E4 18.6%, E5 1.4%. Management was predominantly surgical (78.3%). Two deaths were reported with a mortality of 2.9%, the registered morbidity was 37.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The referral to a specialized center for proper management is the key to a satisfactory recovery in this type of patients. Establishing protocols for prompt care will help reduce morbidity and mortality.

OBJETIVO: Conocer las características epidemiológicas y la experiencia en el manejo de pacientes con diagnóstico de lesión de vía biliar referidos a la Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, al servicio de gastrocirugía, y su comparación con la estadística mundial. MÉTODO: Estudio retrospectivo, observacional y descriptivo. El análisis de los datos se realizó con la plataforma de software IBM SPSS 26. Se aplicaron medidas de tendencia central y dispersión. La prueba exacta de Fisher se utilizó para variables categóricas. La significancia estadística se estableció como p < 0.05. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 70 pacientes entre el 1 de enero de 2017 y el 31 de diciembre de 2019. Según el sistema de Strasberg-Bismuth, la distribución por tipos fue: A 15.7%, B 1.4%, C 0%, D 7.1%, E1 1.4%, E2 21.4%, E3 32.9%, E4 18.6% y E5 1.4%. El manejo fue predominantemente quirúrgico (78.3%). Se reportaron dos decesos, con una mortalidad del 2.9%, así como una morbilidad del 37.1%. CONCLUSIONES: El envío a un centro especializado es esencial para el adecuado manejo en sus diferentes modalidades, así como para su recuperación satisfactoria. Establecer protocolos para la pronta atención reducirá la morbimortalidad en estos pacientes.

Copropagating Edge States Produced by the Interaction between Electrons and Chiral Phonons in Two-Dimensional Materials.

Unlike the chirality of electrons, the intrinsic chirality of phonons has only surfaced in recent years. Here, we report on the effects of the interaction between electrons and chiral phonons in two-dimensional materials by using a nonperturbative solution. We show that chiral phonons introduce inelastic Umklapp processes resulting in copropagating edge states that coexist with a continuum. Transport simulations further reveal the robustness of the edge states. Our results hint on the possibility of having a metal embedded with hybrid electron-phonon states of matter.

Spin-Polarized Tunable Photocurrents.

Harnessing the unique features of topological materials for the development of a new generation of topological based devices is a challenge of paramount importance. Using Floquet scattering theory combined with atomistic models we study the interplay among laser illumination, spin, and topology in a two-dimensional material with spin-orbit coupling. Starting from a topological phase, we show how laser illumination can selectively disrupt the topological edge states depending on their spin. This is manifested by the generation of pure spin photocurrents and spin-polarized charge photocurrents under linearly and circularly polarized laser illumination, respectively. Our results open a path for the generation and control of spin-polarized photocurrents.

Robotic-assisted salvage supraglottic laryngectomy.

Traditional open surgery has historically been the standard approach to treating many head and neck conditions. The introduction of the first robot into the surgical world in 1985 has been a keystone in the development of minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a minimally invasive technique used for the treatment of head and neck pathologies, including benign and malignant lesions. When performed in select patients, TORS offers low post-operative morbidity, along with very few functional and cosmetic compromises. Herein, we present the first TORS supraglottic partial laryngectomy performed in Puerto Rico or in any region in Latin America. A 68-year-old male who had previously undergone radiation therapy presented with hoarseness and weight loss. A suspension microlaryngoscopy showed a lesion of the left false vocal cord; a biopsy was performed. The patient was diagnosed with a supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma (T2N0M0); the tumor was completely excised using TORS. No post-operative complications occurred.

Non-perturbative effects of laser illumination on the electrical properties of graphene nanoribbons.

Floquet theory combined with a realistic description of the electronic structure of illuminated graphene and graphene nanoribbons is developed to assess the emergent non-adiabatic and non-perturbative effects on the electronic properties. Here we introduce an efficient computational scheme and illustrate its use by applying it to graphene nanoribbons in the presence of both linear and circular polarization. The interplay between confinement due to the finite sample size and laser-induced transitions is shown to lead to sharp features in the average conductance and density of states. Particular emphasis is given to the emergence of the bulk limit response.

Charge transport in carbon nanotubes: quantum effects of electron-phonon coupling.

This review deals with the role of electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling in quantum transport of carbon nanotubes. First, the case of low-energy phonons and weak localization phenomena is addressed, followed by a summary of inelastic scattering lengths within the Fermi golden rule. A second part outlines the contribution of high-energy optic phonon modes, and discusses the applicability limits of semi-classical transport theory. The computational methodologies used to deepen the phonon-induced dephasing or inelastic transmission range from the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and Kubo framework to a novel many-body treatment of e-ph interaction.

Inelastic quantum transport and peierls-like mechanism in carbon nanotubes.

We report on a theoretical study of inelastic quantum transport in (3m,0) carbon nanotubes. By using a many-body description of the electron-phonon interaction in Fock space, a novel mechanism involving optical phonon emission (absorption) is shown to induce an unprecedented energy-gap opening at half the phonon energy, variant Planck's over 2piomega0/2, above (below) the charge neutrality point. This mechanism, which is prevented by Pauli blocking at low bias voltages, is activated at bias voltages on the order of variant Planck's over 2piomega0.

Diagnóstico de la situación de salud en el Municipio Ciego de Avila al cierre de 1983 / Diagnosis of health condition in Ciego de Avila Municipality at the end of 1983

Se resalta la significación del diagnóstico de la situación de la salud en la fundamentación científica de la planificación sanitaria. Se presentan las principales características economicosociales y fisicogeográficas del municipio Ciego de Avila. Se realiza una breve descripción de la red de servicios de salud y un análisis somero de la situación de la morbilidad en el territorio. Se enfatizan las posibles relaciones de los factores apuntados en relación con el proceso salud-enfermedad, especialmente en su repercusión sobre la morbilidad, así como lo posible acción condicionante de los mismos sobre la gestión en salud. Se presentan varios índices que resumen el nivel de salud alcanzado por la población del municipio

Diagnóstico de la situación de salud en el Municipio Ciego de Avila al cierre de 1983 / Diagnosis of health condition in Ciego de Avila Municipality at the end of 1983

Se resalta la significación del diagnóstico de la situación de la salud en la fundamentación científica de la planificación sanitaria. Se presentan las principales características economicosociales y fisicogeográficas del municipio Ciego de Avila. Se realiza una breve descripción de la red de servicios de salud y un análisis somero de la situación de la morbilidad en el territorio. Se enfatizan las posibles relaciones de los factores apuntados en relación con el proceso salud-enfermedad, especialmente en su repercusión sobre la morbilidad, así como lo posible acción condicionante de los mismos sobre la gestión en salud. Se presentan varios índices que resumen el nivel de salud alcanzado por la población del municipio (AU)