Occurrence of persistent and mobile chemicals and other contaminants of emerging concern in Spanish and Portuguese wastewater treatment plants, transnational river basins and coastal water.

This work investigated, during one year, the occurrence and fate of 52 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in transnational river basins and coastal areas of the North of Portugal and Galicia (NW Spain) and the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging on these environments. The different CECs investigated included pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, among others, of which ca. 90 % would fulfill the persistence, mobility and toxicity criteria proposed by the German Environmental Agency. The results showed the ubiquitous presence of these CECs and an incomplete removal of over 60 % of them with current conventional WWTPs. These findings highlight the requirement of a prominent and coordinated upgrade of WWTP treatments in order to meet the future European Union regulations on urban wastewater treatment and surface water quality. In fact, even some compounds exhibiting high removals, such as caffeine or xylene sulfonate, were frequently detected in river and estuarine waters at the high ng L-1 level. Thus, our preliminary risk assessment study concluded that 18 of the CECs presented a potential risk for the environment, being caffeine, sulpiride, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), diclofenac, fipronil and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) the most concerning ones. Yet, additional toxicity data as well as a more robust information on persistence and mobility of CECs are necessary for better estimating the magnitude of the problem and improve risk assessment. As an example, in the case of the antidiabetic metformin, recent research has revealed toxicity for model fish species at concentration levels below those found in 40 % of the river water samples analyzed in this work.

Ivermectin compared with placebo in the clinical course in Mexican patients with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite the development and application of vaccines against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) around the world, the scientific community is still trying to find some therapies to avoid or ameliorate the fatal evolution of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since the publication of the potential use of ivermectin as a treatment against the disease, a pleiad of information about it has been published. However, the evidence is not strong or weak enough to conclude its usefulness in the clinical evolution of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. We evaluate the efficacy and safety of ivermectin in the treatment of Mexican patients with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 in a three-day administration in comparison to placebo. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in 66 adults with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 ratio to ivermectin plus acetaminophen or placebo plus acetaminophen. The primary endpoint was the proportion of subjects without a disease progression to severity according to COVID-19 guidelines by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since randomization to 14 days. RESULTS: None of the participants presented progression to a severe state in either group. Viral load was measured on Days 1, 5, and 14. No significant differences were observed in baseline or 14-day between groups (p = 0.720 and 0.362, respectively). However, on Day 5, a significant difference in viral load was observed between groups (p = 0.039). The frequency of symptoms was similar between groups, and no significant differences were observed. The most frequent symptom was cough. One severe adverse event associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed in the ivermectin group. CONCLUSIONS: At standard doses, ivermectin is not effective to prevent progression to a severe state or reducing symptoms in adults with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19. Trial registration The study was registered with ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT04407507) on May 29, 2020.

Screening of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Surface Water and Wastewater Effluents, Assisted by the Persistency-Mobility-Toxicity Criteria.

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are compounds of diverse origins that have not been deeply studied in the past which are now accruing growing environmental interest. The NOR-Water project aimed to identify the main CECs and their sources in the water environment of Northern Portugal-Galicia (located in northwest Spain) transnational region. To achieve these goals, a suspect screening analytical methodology based on the use of liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was applied to 29 sampling sites in two campaigns. These sampling sites included river and sea water, as well as treated wastewater. The screening was driven by a library of over 3500 compounds, which included 604 compounds prioritized from different relevant lists on the basis of the persistency, mobility, and toxicity criteria. Thus, a total of 343 chemicals could be tentatively identified in the analyzed samples. This list of 343 identified chemicals was submitted to the classification workflow used for prioritization and resulted in 153 chemicals tentatively classified as persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) and 23 as very persistent and very mobile (vMvP), pinpointing the relevance of these types of chemicals in the aqueous environment. Pharmaceuticals, such as the antidepressant venlafaxine or the antipsychotic sulpiride, and industrial chemicals, especially high production volume chemicals (HPVC) such as ε-caprolactam, were the groups of compounds that were detected at the highest frequencies.

Diferencias en la función tiroidea de los pequeños para la edad gestacional y los de peso adecuado. ¿Es normal la función tiroidea de los recién nacidos pequeños para la edad gestacional? / Differences in thyroid function between small for gestational age and those with appropriate weight for gestational age. Is thyroid function normal in small for gestational age newborns?

Introducción: Múltiples estudios concluyen que los niños pequeños para la edad gestacional (PEG) tienen un número mayor de comorbilidades, así como un perfil hormonal diferente respecto a los niños con un peso adecuado para la edad gestacional (PAEG). Las hormonas tiroideas juegan un papel importante en el crecimiento y en el desarrollo neurocognitivo. La función tiroidea en los niños PEG es, hoy en día, incierta.Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio es comparar la función tiroidea de los niños PEG durante los 2 primeros años de vida con publicaciones sobre función tiroidea en otros grupos de lactantes (PAEG y prematuros) que utilicen la misma metodología.Métodos: Se obtuvo una cohorte de 38 niños PEG, en los cuales se midieron los valores de TSH en sangre en distintos momentos del desarrollo del niño PEG. Los resultados se compararon con una población de niños PAEG de Zaragoza y una población de niños prematuros de Barcelona mediante pruebas de comparación de medias de contraste bilateral.Resultados: Se ha observado una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p<0,05) entre los niños PEG de nuestro estudio y los niños PAEG mayores de 6 meses, no así entre los PEG del estudio y la población de prematuros.Conclusiones: Los niños PEG tienen valores de TSH superiores respecto a los niños PAEG mayores de 6 meses. Por lo tanto, parece razonable establecer un cribado y un protocolo de seguimiento en los PEG de mayor riesgo. (AU)

Introduction: Several studies conclude that small for gestational age (SGA) children have a higher number of comorbidities, as well as a different hormonal profile compared to those with appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA). Thyroid hormones play an important role in growth and neurocognitive development. Thyroid function in SGA children is still not completely known.Objectives: To compare the thyroid function of SGA children during the first 2 years of life with that in publications on thyroid function in other groups of infants, such as AGA and premature children, using the same methodology.Methods: A cohort of 38 SGA children was obtained, in which the TSH values in blood were measured at different points in the development of the SGA child. The results were compared with a population of AGA children from Zaragoza and a population of premature children from Barcelona by comparing the means using a 2-tailed test.Results: A statistically significant difference (P<.05) was observed between the SGA children in our study and the AGA children older than 6 months, but not between the SGA children of the study and the population of premature infants.Conclusions: SGA children have higher TSH values compared to AGA children older than 6 months. Therefore, it seems reasonable to establish a screening and a follow-up protocol in those SGA with high risk to develop thyroid dysfunction. (AU)

Differences in thyroid function between small for gestational age and those with appropriate weight for gestational age. Is thyroid function normal in small for gestational age newborns?

INTRODUCTION: Several studies conclude that small for gestational age (SGA) children have a higher number of comorbidities, as well as a different hormonal profile compared to those with appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA). Thyroid hormones play an important role in growth and neurocognitive development. Thyroid function in SGA children is still not completely known. OBJECTIVES: To compare the thyroid function of SGA children during the first 2 years of life with that in publications on thyroid function in other groups of infants, such as AGA and premature children, using the same methodology. METHODS: A cohort of 38 SGA children was obtained, in which the thyrotropin (TSH) values in blood were measured at different points in the development of the SGA child. The results were compared with a population of AGA children from Zaragoza and a population of premature children from Barcelona by comparing the means using a 2-tailed test. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between the SGA children in our study and the AGA children older than 6 months, but not between the SGA children of the study and the population of premature infants. CONCLUSIONS: SGA children have higher TSH values compared to AGA children older than 6 months. Therefore, it seems reasonable to establish a screening and a follow-up protocol in those SGA with high risk to develop thyroid dysfunction.

[Differences in thyroid function between small for gestational age and those with appropriate weight for gestational age. Is thyroid function normal in small for gestational age newborns?] / Diferencias en la función tiroidea de los pequeños para la edad gestacional y los de peso adecuado. ¿Es normal la función tiroidea de los recién nacidos pequeños para la edad gestacional?

INTRODUCTION: Several studies conclude that small for gestational age (SGA) children have a higher number of comorbidities, as well as a different hormonal profile compared to those with appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA). Thyroid hormones play an important role in growth and neurocognitive development. Thyroid function in SGA children is still not completely known. OBJECTIVES: To compare the thyroid function of SGA children during the first 2 years of life with that in publications on thyroid function in other groups of infants, such as AGA and premature children, using the same methodology. METHODS: A cohort of 38 SGA children was obtained, in which the TSH values in blood were measured at different points in the development of the SGA child. The results were compared with a population of AGA children from Zaragoza and a population of premature children from Barcelona by comparing the means using a 2-tailed test. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference (P<.05) was observed between the SGA children in our study and the AGA children older than 6 months, but not between the SGA children of the study and the population of premature infants. CONCLUSIONS: SGA children have higher TSH values compared to AGA children older than 6 months. Therefore, it seems reasonable to establish a screening and a follow-up protocol in those SGA with high risk to develop thyroid dysfunction.

Aislamiento e identificación de Pseudomonas sp. y Aeromonas sp. en aguas de piscinas públicas de Bogotá - Colombia / Isolation and identification of Pseudomonas sp. and Aeromonas sp. In public swimming pool waters of Bogotá - Colombia

Resumen Objetivo. Analizar la calidad del agua de piscinas públicas de Bogotá mediante el recuento de Pseudomonas sp. y Aeromonas sp. Método. Se tomaron 48 muestras de agua de 8 piscinas públicas, durante 3 meses. Se realizó el método de filtración por membrana para el recuento de estos dos géneros bacterianos. Resultados. El 100% de las piscinas analizadas presentan recuentos de Pseudomonas sp. por encima de lo contemplado en la Resolución 1618 de 2010 (Colombia) y 63% de las piscinas presentaron recuentos de Aeromonas sp.

Abstract Objective. To determine the quality of the water of public swimming pools of Bogota by means of the count of Pseudomonas sp. and Aeromonas sp. Method. It took 48 water samples from eight public pools, for 3 months, was performed by membrane filtration method for the enumeration of these two bacterial genera. Results. The results show that 100% of the tested pools present counts of Pseudomonas sp. above that provided for in the Resolution 1618 and 63% of the pools had counts of Aeromonas sp.

Dialysis for acute kidney injury associated with influenza a (H1N1) infection.

In June 2009, the World Health Organization declared a novel influenza A, S-OIV (H1N1), pandemic. We observed 44 consecutive patients during the "first wave" of the pandemic. 70.5% of them showed co-morbidities (hypertension, obesity, chronic respiratory diseases, chronic renal disease, diabetes, pregnancy). Serious cases were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), particularly those with severe acute respiratory failure. Some of them developed acute kidney injury (AKI) and required renal replacement therapy (RRT). The average time between admission to the ICU and initiation of RRT was 3.16 ± 2.6 days. At initiation of RRT, most patients required mechanical ventilation. No relationship was found with creatinine-kinase levels. Seventy-five percent of the cases were observed during a 3-week period and mortality, related to respiratory failure, doubling of alanine amino transferase and use of inotropics was 81.8%. In conclusion, the H1N1-infected patients who developed RRT-requiring AKI, in the context of multi-organ failure, showed a high mortality rate. Thus, it is mandatory that elaborate strategies aimed at anticipating potential renal complications associated to future pandemics are implemented.

Evolución de pacientes con diálisis aguda asociada a infección por Influenza A (H1N1) pandémica en 2009 / Evolution of patients with acute dialysis associated to Influenza A pandemic infection (H1N1) in 2009

En junio de 2009 la OMS declaró la pandemia por un nuevo virus de la Influenza A, S-OIV (H1N1). Casos severos fueron hospitalizados en UTI con falla respiratoria aguda. Alguno de estos casos desarrollaron injuria renal aguda y requirieron terapias de reemplazo renal (TRR). Durante el período de mayor incidencia observamos 44 casos consecutivos. 70,5% de estos presentaron comorbilidades (hipertensión, obesidad, enfermedades respiratorias crónicas, enfermedad renal crónica, diabetes, embarazo, otras). El tiempo promedio desde el ingreso a UTI y el comienzo de la TRR fue 3.16 +- 2.6 días. Al inicio de la TRR la mayoría de los pacientes presentaban SOFA score > - 10, presentando fallas cardiovascular y respiratoria. No hubo correlación con los niveles de CK. El 75% de los casos se observaron en un período de tres semanas de pandemia y un porcentaje alto presentaban aumento de enzimas hepáticas, necesidad de inotrópicos, ventilación mecánica y la mortalidad fue superior al 80%. En resumen, los pacientes infectados con S-OIV (H1N1) que requirieron TRR en contexto de falla multiparenquimatosa, presentaron una alta tasa de mortalidad. La experiencia dejada puede ayudarnos a desarrollar estrategias para anticipar potenciales complicaciones renales en futuras pandemias.

Damaged hair retrieval with ceramide-rich liposomes.

Lipids from human hair consist mainly of cholesterol esters, free fatty acids, cholesterol, ceramides, and cholesterol sulfate. They are structured as lipid bilayers in the cell membrane complex (CMC) and make a large contribution to diffusion, cell cohesion, and mechanical strength. The loss of these lipids could impair the integrity of the hair, leading to deterioration in its tensile properties. Internal wool lipids (IWL) resemble those of the membranes of other keratinic tissues such as human hair or stratum corneum. The application of IWL structured as liposomes on pretreated hair samples has been demonstrated to restore the natural properties of the fibers. This study seeks to apply IWL liposomes to untreated hair fibers and to hair fibers subjected to chemical treatment. Differences in the lipidic composition of all chemically treated hairs were found with respect to the untreated ones. Lipid recovery of damaged hair due to the application of IWL liposomes was corroborated by lipid analysis of the hair. A high resistance to break of hair samples post-treated with IWL liposomes was observed. An increase in hydrogen bonds and electrostatic forces and an improvement in the cohesion between matrix and filaments were detected, probably because of some lipid recovery.

Application of internal wool lipids to hair.

PURPOSE: Hair lipids can contribute to physicochemical phenomena such as diffusion, cell cohesion and mechanical strength, although lipids occur at much lower levels (1-6% dry weight) than proteins (>90%).Hair lipids can be diminished by hair washing and submission to chemical treatments. Studies have shown that internal wool lipids (IWL) resemble those membranes of other keratinic tissues such as human hair or stratum corneum. RESULTS: In this work, the IWL, in the form of liposomes or from an emulsion system, were applied to untreated hair fibres and also treated hair fibres. The results showed that application of IWL to pretreated hair samples lead to an improvement in mechanical strength properties of the fibres when the IWL were applied structured as liposomes. Differential scanning calorimetry studies demonstrated that the application of IWL to pretreated hair sample led to a slight increase in the crystalline material of the fibres. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy studies showed that application of IWL liposomes to damaged hair fibres lead to an improvement of the cuticle scale, demonstrating the importance of the use of a delivery vehicle with a bilayer structure similar to the one present in the hair fibre to restore the natural properties of the fibre.

Influence of water in the lamellar rearrangement of internal wool lipids.

Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was applied to a new lipid model arrangement, which was achieved by concentrating or diluting internal wool lipid liposome suspensions in varying water concentrations. The influence of the water content in the lamellar structure of the internal wool lipids is compared with the lamellar structure of phosphatidylcholine bilayers present in the membranes of the living cells. The high increase in the lamellar distances with the water content indicates that large amounts of water can be retained in the lipid wool membrane in contrast to the case of phosphatidylcholine liposomes. A transition temperature between 40 and 50 degrees C tends to eliminate the ordered lamellar structure when more than 60% of water is present in the bilayer structure. This could account for the increase in the permeability of the wool fibres when these are soaked in water at temperatures exceeding 40 degrees C.

Thermotropic behavior of ceramides and their isolation from wool.

The composition of internal wool lipids (IWL) resembles that of lipids present in other keratinic tissues such as human hair or the stratum corneum. Advances in the isolation of ceramides from wool and in the characterization of their thermotropic properties could facilitate their application in human skin care treatments. IWL are solvents extracted from wool fibers. Ceramide isolation is carried out by medium-pressure liquid chromatography. The different fractions obtained were analyzed quantitatively by thin layer chromatography coupled to an automated flame ionization detector and by high-performance thin layer chromatography using a densitometric detector. Two important fractions were isolated: one was a mixture of different ceramides and the other was exclusively made of ceramide 2 (nonhydroxy acid sphingosine [NS]). The thermotropic behavior of IWL and their isolated fractions were studied by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and by attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) methodologies. The transition temperature (Tm) obtained was compared with the results of the IWL extract, stratum corneum lipids, and the values found in the bibliography for isolated ceramides. The Tm obtained for IWL (48 degrees C) was lower than that achieved for SCL (65 degrees C). This discrepancy could be due to the different ceramide pattern and to the larger amounts of free fatty acids present in the IWL extract. Although the isolated ceramides had higher Tm values, they resembled the values reported in the bibliography. The suitability of the fraction composed exclusively of ceramide 2 [NS] for skin applications was confirmed by ATR-FTIR and DSC.

Microfiltración apical de tres cementos selladores a base de hidróxido de calcio: Apexit, CRCS y Sealapex / Apical microleakage of three calcium hidroxide-based sealers: Apexit, CRCS and Sealapex

El propósito de este estudio fue evaluar la microfiltración apical de tres cementos selladores a base de hidróxido de calcio: Sealapex, Apexit y CRCS, usando el método electroquímico. Se utilizaron 30 raíces de dientes unirradiculares humanos; las coronas anatómicas fueron removidas, dejando 16 mm de longitud radicular y una preparación crown down fue realizada con limas tipo K Flex y se irrigó con hipoclorito de sodio al 5.25 por ciento. Las raíces fueron divididas al azar en tres grupos de 10 dientes, cada uno de los cuales se obturó con la técnica de condensación lateral usando uno de los tres cementos selladores: grupo 1 Sealapex, grupo C CRCS y grupo 3 Apexit. Posteriormente se desobturaron con fresa Peeso Nº2 hasta dejar 5 mm de remanente de gutapercha. Después, los especímenes fueron colocados en cloruro de sodio al 1 por ciento a 37ºC y una humedad relativa del 100 por ciento durante 30 días. La microfiltración se midió a los 15 y 30 días. El análisis estadístico Kruskal Wallis y Mann Whitney mostró diferencias significativas en el grado de microfiltración de los tres cementos a los 15 y 30 días, dando mejores resultados el Apexit, seguido de Sealapex y por último el CRCS

Manual guía para facilitadores del programa "Construyendo una Esperanza" prevención VIH-SIDA

Contiene: I. Área psicosocial; II. Adolescencia y sexualidad; III. VIH/SIDA y solidaridad; IV. Área biológica; V. Área espiritual

El ixtle (hilo de maguey) como material de sutura quirúrgica / Surgical suture material from ixtle (maguey thread)

La presente investigación muestra un nuevo material de sutura: el ixtle (hilo obtenido de la penca del maguey), tomándose como referencia: bajo costo, rsistencia, durabilidad, reacción a cuerpo extraño. Se trabajo en 4 grupos en el término de un año con un total de 20 perros mestizos aplicando el Ixtle desde piel hasta vísceras abdominales, obteniéndose resultados que se ajustaron en un 100% a las referencias arriba mencionadas y sobre todo, si se toma, si se toma en cuenta que el empleo del mencionado material se efectuó en condiciones totalmente sépticas, ello nos permite concluir que la tecnificación del Ixtle originará resultados aún mejores que los obtenidos en la actualidad con cualquier otro material de sutura