Cervical Multifidus Stiffness Assessment in Individuals with and without Unilateral Chronic Neck Pain: An Inter-Examiner Reliability Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the inter-examiner reliability of shear wave elastography (SWE) for measuring cervical multifidus (CM) muscle stiffness in asymptomatic controls and patients with chronic neck pain. A longitudinal observational study was conducted to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a procedure. SWE images, following a detailed procedure previously tested, were acquired by two examiners (one novice and one experienced) to calculate the shear wave speed (SWS) and Young's modulus. The painful side was examined for the experimental cases while the side examined in the control group was selected randomly. Data analyses calculated the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), absolute errors between examiners, standard errors of measurement, and minimal detectable changes. A total of 125 participants were analyzed (n = 54 controls and n = 71 cases). The Young's modulus and SWS measurements obtained by both examiners were comparable within the asymptomatic group (both, p > 0.05) and the chronic neck pain group (both, p > 0.05). Nonetheless, a notable distinction was observed in the absolute error between examiners for shear wave speed measurements among patients with neck pain, where a significant difference was registered (p = 0.045), pointing to a sensitivity in measurement consistency affected by the presence of chronic neck pain. ICCs demonstrated moderate-to-good reliability across both groups, with ICC values for asymptomatic individuals reported as >0.8. Among the chronic neck pain patients, ICC values were slightly lower (>0.780). The study revealed moderate-to-good consistency, highlighting the practicality and generalizability of SWE.

Ansiedad y estrategias de afrontamiento en personas privadas de la libertad en Barranquilla, Colombia / Anxiety and coping strategies in persons deprived of liberty in Barranquilla, Colombia / Ansiedade e estratégias de enfrentamento em pessoas privadas de liberdade em Barranquilla, Colômbia

El presente estudio tuvo como propósito principal determinar la relación entre la ansiedad y las estrategias de afrontamiento empleadas por personas privadas de la libertad (PPL) en el EPMSC Establecimiento de Reclusión Especial Barranquilla-Cárcel del Bosque. Para ello se siguió una ruta de investigación cuantitativa, de diseño no experimental, transversal y de alcance correlacional. La muestra estuvo conformada por 98 PPL, en edades entre 19 y 73 años, a quienes se aplicaron los instrumentos Escala de Valoración de la Ansiedad de Hamilton y Escala de Estrategias de Afrontamiento de Coping Modificada. Los resultados señalan niveles moderados de ansiedad, siendo los PPL más jóvenes (19-27 años) los que presentan mayor ansiedad psíquica; las personas mayores de 50 años tienden más a buscar solución a los problemas. Se concluye que a mayores niveles de ansiedad mayor relación con la estrategia de afrontamiento reacción agresiva.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between anxiety and the coping strategies employed by persons deprived of liberty (PPL) in the EPMSC Establecimiento de Reclusión Especial Barranquilla-Cárcel del Bosque. For this purpose, a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional and correlational research route was followed. The sample consisted of 98 PPL, aged between 19 and 73 years, who were administered the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Modified Coping Strategies Scale of Coping Modified. The results indicate moderate levels of anxiety, with younger PPL (19-27 years old) showing higher levels of psychological anxiety; people over 50 years old tend more to seek solutions to problems. It is concluded that the higher the level of anxiety, the greater the relationship with the coping strategy aggressive reaction.

O principal objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a relação entre ansiedade e estratégias de enfrentamento usadas por pessoas privadas de liberdade (PPL) no EPMSC Establecimiento de Reclusión Especial Barranquilla-Cárcel del Bosque. Para isso, foi seguido um roteiro de pesquisa quantitativo, não experimental, transversal e correlacional. A amostra consistiu em 98 PPL, com idades entre 19 e 73 anos, que receberam a Escala de Avaliação de Ansiedade de Hamilton e a Escala de Estratégias de Enfrentamento Modificada de Enfrentamento Modificada. Os resultados indicam níveis moderados de ansiedade, sendo que as PPL mais jovens (19 a 27 anos) apresentam níveis mais altos de ansiedade psicológica; as pessoas com mais de 50 anos tendem a buscar mais soluções para os problemas. Conclui-se que quanto maior o nível de ansiedade, maior a relação com a estratégia de enfrentamento reação agressiva.

Effectiveness of interventions to improve adherence to antidepressant medication in patients with depressive disorders: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of two interventions of knowledge transfer and behavior modification to improve medication adherence in patients with depressive disorders. Methods: An open, multicenter, three-arm clinical trial with random allocation by cluster to usual care or to one of the two interventions. The intervention for psychiatrists (PsI) included an educational program based on a patient-centered care model. The intervention for patients and relatives (PtI) included a collaborative care program plus a reminder system that works using an already available medication reminder application. The primary outcome was patient adherence to antidepressant treatment assessed through the Sidorkiewicz Adherence Instrument. Secondary measures were depression severity, comorbid anxiety and health-related quality of life. Mixed regression models with repeated measures were used for data analysis. Results: Ten psychiatrists and 150 patients diagnosed with depressive disorder from eight Community Mental Health Units in the Canary Islands (Spain) were included. Compared with usual care, no differences in long-term adherence were observed in either group PsI or PtI. The PsI group had significantly improved depression symptoms (B = -0.39; 95%CI: -0.65, -0.12; p = 0.004) during the follow-up period. The PtI group presented improved depression symptoms (B = -0.63; 95%CI: -0.96, -0.30; p < 0.001) and mental quality of life (B = 0.08; 95%CI: 0.004, 0.15; p = 0.039) during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The assessed interventions to improve adherence in patients with depressive disorder were effective for depression symptoms and mental quality of life, even over the long term. However, no effect on antidepressant adherence was observed.

Evolution of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on heart transplant recipients: Decreasing risk, improving perspective.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Heart transplant recipients (HTr) have a higher probability of suffer from severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in comparison to general population, but their risk has changed over the course of the pandemic in relation to various factors. We conducted a prospective study including all HTr at risk of COVID-19 in a tertiary center between February 2020 and October 2022. The aim was to analyze how the prognosis (incidence of pneumonia and mortality) of COVID-19 in HTr has evolved over time, contextualizing variants, vaccination, and other treatments. RESULTS: Of 308 HTr included, 124 got the infection (39.2%). COVID and non-COVID HTr had similar baseline characteristics. COVID-19 patients with pneumonia had a poorer prognosis than those with less severe presentations, with a higher rate of hospitalization (93.3 vs. 14.1%, p < .001) and death (41.0 vs. 1.2%, p < .001). Multivariate analysis identified age ≥60 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-11.49, p = .027), and chronic kidney disease ≥3a (OR 4.95, 95% CI 1.39-17.54, p = .014) as predictors of pneumonia. Two-dose vaccination (OR 0.20, CI 95% 0.05-0.72, p = .02) and early remdesivir administration (OR 0.17, CI 0.03-0.90, p = .037) were protective factors. Over the course of the pandemic considering three periods in the follow-up (prevaccination February-December 2020, postvaccination January-December 2021, and post early remdesivir indication January-October 2022), we observed a reduction in pneumonia incidence from 62% to 19% (p < .001); and mortality (from 23% to 4%, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of COVID-19 in HTr has improved over time, likely due to vaccination and early administration of remdesivir.

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) health care provision may be a good indicator of the recovery of the health care system involved in OHCA care following the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a lack of data regarding outcomes capable of verifying this recovery. Objective: To determine whether return to spontaneous circulation, overall survival, and survival with good neurological outcome increased in patients with OHCA since the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control in 2022 compared with prepandemic and pandemic levels. Design, Setting, and Participants: This observational cohort study was conducted to examine health care response and survival with good neurological outcome at hospital discharge in patients treated following OHCA. A 3-month period, including the first wave of the pandemic (February 1 to April 30, 2020), was compared with 2 periods before (April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018) and after (January 1 to December 31, 2022) the pandemic. Data analysis was performed in July 2023. Emergency medical services (EMS) serving a population of more than 28 million inhabitants across 10 Spanish regions participated. Patients with OHCA were included if participating EMS initiated resuscitation or continued resuscitation initiated by a first responder. Exposure: The pandemic was considered to be under control following the official declaration that infection with SARS-CoV-2 was to be considered another acute respiratory infection. Main Outcome and Measures: The main outcomes were return of spontaneous circulation, overall survival, and survival at hospital discharge with good neurological outcome, expressed as unimpaired or minimally impaired cerebral performance. Results: A total of 14 732 patients (mean [SD] age, 64.2 [17.2] years; 10 451 [71.2%] male) were included, with 6372 OHCAs occurring during the prepandemic period, 1409 OHCAs during the pandemic period, and 6951 OHCAs during the postpandemic period. There was a higher incidence of OHCAs with a resuscitation attempt in the postpandemic period compared with the pandemic period (rate ratio, 4.93; 95% CI, 4.66-5.22; P < .001), with lower incidence of futile resuscitation for OHCAs (2.1 per 100 000 person-years vs 1.3 per 100 000 person-years; rate ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.71-0.92; P < .001). Recovery of spontaneous circulation at hospital admission increased from 20.5% in the pandemic period to 30.5% in the postpandemic period (relative risk [RR], 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.10; P < .001). In the same way, overall survival at discharge increased from 7.6% to 11.2% (RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.21-1.75; P < .001), with 6.6% of patients being discharged with good neurological status (Cerebral Performance Category Scale categories 1-2) in the pandemic period compared with 9.6% of patients in the postpandemic period (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.10; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, survival with good neurological outcome at hospital discharge following OHCA increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence and clinical profile of kidney disease in patients with chronic heart failure. Insights from the Spanish cardiorenal registry.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with combined heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been underrepresented in clinical trials. The prevalence of CKD in these patients and their clinical profile require constant evaluation. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of CKD, its clinical profile, and patterns of use of evidence-based medical therapies in HF across CKD stages in a contemporary cohort of ambulatory patients with HF. METHODS: From October 2021 to February 2022, the CARDIOREN registry included 1107 ambulatory HF patients from 13 HF clinics in Spain. RESULTS: The median age was 75 years, 63% were male, and 48% had heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). A total of 654 (59.1%) had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and 122 (11%) patients with eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 had a urine albumin-creatinin ratio ≥ 30 mg/g. The most important variables associated with lower eGFR were age (R2=61%) and furosemide dose (R2=21%). The proportion of patients receiving an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/ angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB), an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi), a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), or a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) progressively decreased with lower eGFR categories. Notably, 32% of the patients with HFrEF and an eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 received the combination of ACEI/ARB/ARNi+beta-blockers+MRA+SGLT2i. CONCLUSIONS: In this contemporary HF registry, 70% of patients had kidney disease. Although this population is less likely to receive evidence-based therapies, structured and specialized follow-up approaches within HF clinics may facilitate the adoption of these life-saving drugs.

Molecular Dynamic Simulations of Aqueous Micellar Organometallic Catalysis: Methane Functionalization as a Case Study.

Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations constitute a powerful tool that provides a 3D perspective of the dynamical behavior of chemical systems. Herein the first MD study of the dynamics of a catalytic organometallic system, in micellar media, is presented. The challenging methane catalytic functionalization into ethyl propionate through a silver-catalyzed process has been targeted as the case study. The intimate nature of the micelles formed with the surfactants sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and potassium perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) has been ascertained, as well as the relative distribution of the main actors in this transformation, namely methane, the diazo reagent and the silver catalyst, the latter in two different forms: the initial compound and a silver-carbene intermediate. Catalyst deactivation occurs with halide containing surfactants dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) and Triton X-100. Computed simulations allow explaining the experimental results, indicating that micelles behave differently regarding the degree of accumulation and the local distribution of the reactants and their effect in the molecular collisions leading to net reaction.

The effects of the chemical modification on immobilized lipase features are affected by the enzyme crowding in the support.

In this article, we have analyzed the interactions between enzyme crowding on a given support and its chemical modification (ethylenediamine modification via the carbodiimide route and picryl sulfonic (TNBS) modification of the primary amino groups) on the enzyme activity and stability. Lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) and lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) were immobilized on octyl-agarose beads at two very different enzyme loadings, one of them exceeding the capacity of the support, one well under this capacity. Chemical modifications of the highly loaded and lowly loaded biocatalysts gave very different results in terms of activity and stability, which could increase or decrease enzyme activity depending on the enzyme support loading. For example, both lowly loaded biocatalysts increased their activity after modification while the effect was the opposite for the highly loaded biocatalysts. Additionally, the modification with TNBS of highly loaded CALB biocatalyst increased its stability while decrease the activity.

Copper-Catalyzed Sulfimidation in Aqueous Media: a Fast, Chemoselective and Biomolecule-Compatible Reaction.

Performing transition metal-catalyzed reactions in cells and living systems has equipped scientists with a toolbox to study biological processes and release drugs on demand. Thus far, an impressive scope of reactions has been performed in these settings, but many are yet to be introduced. Nitrene transfer presents a rather unexplored new-to-nature reaction. The reaction products are frequently encountered motifs in pharmaceuticals, presenting opportunities for the controlled, intracellular synthesis of drugs. Hence, we explored the transition metal-catalyzed sulfimidation reaction in water for future in vivo application. Two Cu(I) complexes containing trispyrazolylborate ligands (Tpx ) were selected, and the catalytic system was evaluated with the aid of three fitness factors. The excellent nitrene transfer reactivity and high chemoselectivity of the catalysts, coupled with good biomolecule compatibility, successfully enabled the sulfimidation of thioethers in aqueous media. We envision that this copper-catalyzed sulfimidation reaction could be an interesting starting point to unlock the potential of nitrene transfer catalysis in vivo.

Patrones de presión arterial de 24 horas en pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca estable. Prevalencia y factores asociados / Twenty-four hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with stable heart failure. Prevalence and associated factors

Introducción y objetivos: La hipertensión arterial (HTA) está muy presente en la insuficiencia cardiaca (IC). Sin embargo, su prevalencia, su variación circadiana y la relación con los fenotipos de IC es poco conocida. Nuestro objetivo es describir esta prevalencia y sus patrones en la IC.Métodos: Estudio observacional y transversal sobre la IC crónica estable optimizada. Se obtuvo la presión arterial (PA) en consulta y monitorización ambulatoria durante 24 h. Se estimó la prevalencia de HTA, sus patrones diurnos (controlada, no controlada, de bata blanca y enmascarada) y nocturnos (dipper, nondipper y reverse dipper). Se analizaron factores asociados con patrones y fenotipos de IC.Resultados: Entre 2017 y 2021, se incluyó a 266 pacientes con una media de edad de 72±12 años; el 67% eran varones y el 46% tenían IC con FEVI reducida. El 83% tenía HTA: el 68% controlada, el 10% no controlada, el 10% de bata blanca y el 11% enmascarada. El 51% de los pacientes con PA elevada en consulta resultaron en HTA de bata blanca. El 14% de los pacientes con PA normal en consulta tenían HTA enmascarada. Las prevalencias de dipper, nondipper y reverse dipper fueron del 31, el 43 y el 26% respectivamente. La PA sistólica fue menor en la IC con FEVI reducida que en la IC con FEVI conservada (p <0,001).Conclusiones: La monitorización ambulatoria de la PA en IC identificó HTA de bata blanca en más de la mitad de los pacientes con PA elevada en consulta y un porcentaje relevante de HTA enmascarada. La distribución de patrones diurnos fue similar a la de la población sin IC descrita. Sin embargo, la mayoría tuvo un patrón nocturno patológico.(AU)

Introduction and objectives: Hypertension is highly common in heart failure (HF). However, there is limited information on its prevalence, circadian variation, and relationship with the various HF phenotypes. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of hypertension and its patterns in HF.Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study of patients with optimized stable chronic HF. The patients underwent blood pressure (BP) measurement in the office and 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. We estimated the prevalence of hypertension, and its diurnal (controlled, uncontrolled, white coat, and masked) and nocturnal (dipper, nondipper, and reverse dipper) patterns. We also analyzed the factors associated with the different patterns and HF phenotypes.Results: From 2017 to 2021, 266 patients were included in the study (mean age, 72±12 years, 67% male, 46% with reduced ejection fraction). Hypertension was present in 83%: controlled in 68%, uncontrolled in 10%, white coat in 10%, and masked in 11%. Among patients with high office BP, 51% had white coat hypertension. Among those with normal office BP, 14% had masked hypertension. The prevalence of dipper, nondipper, and reverse dipper patterns was 31%, 43%, and 26%, respectively. Systolic BP was lower in HF with reduced ejection fraction than in HF with preserved ejection fraction (P <.001).Conclusions: Ambulatory BP monitoring in HF identified white coat hypertension in more than half of patients with high office BP and masked hypertension in a relevant percentage of patients. The distribution of daytime patterns was similar to that of the population without HF in the literature, but most of the study patients had a pathological nocturnal pattern.(AU)

Shared decision making in patients with substance use disorders: A one-year follow-up study.

Patient-centered care in therapeutic processes has been associated with better clinical outcomes, however, it remains a poorly studied aspect in Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The study aimed to evaluate patient's preferences, perceived participation in treatment decisions and activation level; and how they predict retention, pharmacological adherence and substance use during one-year follow-up. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between independent variables, along with a wide number of sociodemographic and clinical covariates, and outcomes. Most patients prefer a shared or passive role when making decisions about their treatment, and showed concordance between their preferred and perceived roles. In the univariate models, perceiving more involvement than desired showed a higher likelihood of treatment discontinuation at 12 months, and substance use at 6 and 12 months. No significant associations were found between the remaining decisional variables or the degree of activation with the assessed outcomes. A majority of SUD patients prefer and perceive to be involved in the decision-making process about their treatment. Patients perceiving more involvement than desired might experience an excess of responsibility that could negatively influence treatment continuation and substance use. Limitations of the study preclude any definitive conclusion, and more research is needed to confirm these results.

D-SAV360: A Dataset of Gaze Scanpaths on 360° Ambisonic Videos.

Understanding human visual behavior within virtual reality environments is crucial to fully leverage their potential. While previous research has provided rich visual data from human observers, existing gaze datasets often suffer from the absence of multimodal stimuli. Moreover, no dataset has yet gathered eye gaze trajectories (i.e., scanpaths) for dynamic content with directional ambisonic sound, which is a critical aspect of sound perception by humans. To address this gap, we introduce D-SAV360, a dataset of 4,609 head and eye scanpaths for 360° videos with first-order ambisonics. This dataset enables a more comprehensive study of multimodal interaction on visual behavior in virtual reality environments. We analyze our collected scanpaths from a total of 87 participants viewing 85 different videos and show that various factors such as viewing mode, content type, and gender significantly impact eye movement statistics. We demonstrate the potential of D-SAV360 as a benchmarking resource for state-of-the-art attention prediction models and discuss its possible applications in further research. By providing a comprehensive dataset of eye movement data for dynamic, multimodal virtual environments, our work can facilitate future investigations of visual behavior and attention in virtual reality.

Micronuclei, Pesticides, and Element Mixtures in Mining Contexts: The Hormetic Effect of Selenium.

The contexts where there are mining and agriculture activities are potential sources of risk to human health due to contamination by chemical mixtures. These contexts are frequent in several Colombian regions. This study explored the potential association between the frequency of micronuclei and pesticides and elements in regions with ferronickel (Montelibano, Córdoba) and gold (Nechí, Antioquia) mining, and a closed native mercury mine (Aranzazu, Caldas), with an emphasis in the potential effect of selenium as a potential chelator. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 247 individuals. Sociodemographic, occupational, and toxicological variables were ascertained. Blood and urine samples were taken for pesticide analysis (5 organophosphates, 4 organochlorines, and 3 carbamates), 68 elements were quantified in hair, and micronuclei were quantified in lymphocytes. The mixtures of elements were grouped through principal component analysis. Prevalence ratios were estimated with robust variance Poisson regressions to explore associations. Interactions of selenium with toxic elements were explored. The highest concentrations of elements were in the active mines. The potentially most toxic chemical mixture was observed in the ferronickel mine. Pesticides were detected in a low proportion of participants (<2.5%), except paraoxon-methyl in blood (27.55%) in Montelibano and paraoxon-ethyl in blood (18.81%) in Aranzazu. The frequency of micronuclei was similar in the three mining contexts, with means between 4 to 7 (p = 0.1298). There was great heterogeneity in the exposure to pesticides and elements. The "hormetic effect" of selenium was described, in which, at low doses, it acts as a chelator in Montelibano and Aranzazu, and at high doses, it can enhance the toxic effects of other elements, maybe as in Nechí. Selenium can serve as a protective agent, but it requires adaptation to the available concentrations in each region to avoid its toxic effects.

Non-innocent Role of the Halide Ligand in the Copper-Catalyzed Olefin Aziridination Reaction.

In the context of copper-catalyzed nitrene transfer to olefins, many systems operate upon mixing a CuX salt (X = halide, OTf) and a polydentate N-based ligand, assuming that the X ligand is displaced from the coordination sphere toward a counterion position. Herein, we demonstrated that such general assumption should be in doubt since studies carried out with the well-defined copper(I) complexes (TTM)CuCl and [(TTM)Cu(NCMe)]PF6 (TTM = tris(triazolyl)methane ligand) demonstrate a dual behavior from a catalytic and mechanistic point of view that exclusively depends on the presence or absence of the chloride ligand bonded to the metal center. When coordinated, the turnover-limiting step corresponds to the formation of the carbon-nitrene bond, whereas in its absence, the highest barrier corresponds to the formation of the copper-nitrene intermediate.

Tricuspid regurgitation, right ventricular function, and renal congestion: a cardiorenal triangle.

There is a growing interest in the evaluation of tricuspid regurgitation due to its increasing prevalence and detrimental impact on clinical outcomes. Historically, it has been coined the "forgotten" defect in the field of valvular heart disease due to the lack of effective treatments to improve prognosis. However, the development of percutaneous treatment techniques has led to a new era in its management, with promising results and diminished complication risk. In spite of these advances, a comprehensive exploration of the pathophysiological mechanisms is essential to establish clear indications and optimal timing for medical and percutaneous intervention. This review will address the most important aspects related to the diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of tricuspid regurgitation from a cardiorenal perspective, with a special emphasis on the interaction between right ventricular dysfunction and the development of hepatorenal congestion.

Micronuclei frequency and exposure to chemical mixtures in three Colombian mining populations.

The Colombian mining industry has witnessed significant growth. Depending on the scale and mineral extracted, complex chemical mixtures are generated, impacting the health of occupationally exposed populations and communities near mining projects. Increasing evidence suggests that chromosomal instability (CIN) is an important link between the development of certain diseases and exposure to complex mixtures. To better understand the effects of exposure to complex mixtures we performed a biomonitoring study on 407 healthy individuals from four areas: three located in municipalities exploiting different-scale mining systems and a reference area with no mining activity. Large, medium, and small-scale mining systems were analyzed in Montelibano (Córdoba), artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) in Nechí (Antioquia), and a closed mining system in Aranzazu (Caldas). The reference area with no mining activity was established in Montería (Córdoba). ICP-MS measured multi-elemental exposure in hair, and CIN was evaluated using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus technique (MNBN). Exposure to mixtures of chemical elements was comparable in workers and residents of the mining areas but significantly higher compared to reference individuals. In Montelibano, increased MNBN frequencies were associated with combined exposure to Se, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Mg. This distinct pattern significantly differed from other areas. Specifically, in Nechí, Cr, Ni, Hg, Se, and Mg emerged as the primary contributors to elevated frequencies of MNBN. In contrast, a combination of Hg and Ni played a role in increasing MNBN in Aranzazu. Interestingly, Se consistently correlated with increased MNBN frequencies across all active mining areas. Chemical elements in Montelibano exhibit a broader range compared to other mining zones, reflecting the characteristics of the high-impact and large-scale mining in the area. This research provides valuable insights into the effects of exposure to chemical mixtures, underscoring the importance of employing this approach in the risk assessment of communities, especially those from residential areas.

Glutaraldehyde modification of lipases immobilized on octyl agarose beads: Roles of the support enzyme loading and chemical amination of the enzyme on the final enzyme features.

Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) and lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) have been immobilized on octyl agarose at low loading and at a loading exceeding the maximum support capacity. Then, the enzymes have been treated with glutaraldehyde and inactivated at pH 7.0 in Tris-HCl, sodium phosphate and HEPES, giving different stabilities. Stabilization (depending on the buffer) of the highly loaded biocatalysts was found, very likely as a consequence of the detected intermolecular crosslinkings. This did not occur for the lowly loaded biocatalysts. Next, the enzymes were chemically aminated and then treated with glutaraldehyde. In the case of TLL, the intramolecular crosslinkings (visible by the apparent reduction of the protein size) increased enzyme stability of the lowly loaded biocatalysts, an effect that was further increased for the highly loaded biocatalysts due to intermolecular crosslinkings. Using CALB, the intramolecular crosslinkings were less intense, and the stabilization was lower, even though the intermolecular crosslinkings were quite intense for the highly loaded biocatalyst. The stabilization detected depended on the inactivation buffer. The interactions between enzyme loading and inactivating buffer on the effects of the chemical modifications suggest that the modification and inactivation studies must be performed under the target biocatalysts and conditions.

A machine learning-based model for a dose point kernel calculation.

PURPOSE: Absorbed dose calculation by kernel convolution requires the prior determination of dose point kernels (DPK). This study reports on the design, implementation, and test of a multi-target regressor approach to generate the DPKs for monoenergetic sources and a model to obtain DPKs for beta emitters. METHODS: DPK for monoenergetic electron sources were calculated using the FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) code for many materials of clinical interest and initial energies ranging from 10 to 3000 keV. Regressor Chains (RC) with three different coefficients regularization/shrinkage models were used as base regressors. Electron monoenergetic scaled DPKs (sDPKs) were used to assess the corresponding sDPKs for beta emitters typically used in nuclear medicine, which were compared against reference published data. Finally, the beta emitters sDPK were applied to a patient-specific case calculating the Voxel Dose Kernel (VDK) for a hepatic radioembolization treatment with [Formula: see text]Y. RESULTS: The three trained machine learning models demonstrated a promising capacity to predict the sDPK for both monoenergetic emissions and beta emitters of clinical interest attaining differences lower than [Formula: see text] in the mean average percentage error (MAPE) as compared with previous studies. Furthermore, differences lower than [Formula: see text] were obtained for the absorbed dose in patient-specific dosimetry comparing against full stochastic MC calculations. CONCLUSION: An ML model was developed to assess dosimetry calculations in nuclear medicine. The implemented approach has shown the capacity to accurately predict the sDPK for monoenergetic beta sources in a wide range of energy in different materials. The ML model to calculate the sDPK for beta-emitting radionuclides allowed to obtain VDK useful to achieve reliable patient-specific absorbed dose distributions required short computation times.