Improvement of Magnetic Saturation in Fe3O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ Nanocomposites Through the Manipulation of Eu3+ Activators.

Fe3O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ nanocomposites and Y2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Nanocomposites were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Nanocomposites exhibit superparamagnetic behavior that improves with Eu3+, resulting in increased magnetic saturation. In contrast to Y2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors, the Fe3O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ nanocomposites display a distinctive characteristic whereby the photoluminescence intensity increases with a reduced concentration of Eu3+. The requirement of increasing the thickness of the Y2O3:Eu3+ outer layer to achieve improved light emission can be circumvented by solely manipulating the concentration of activators, without compromising the magnetic saturation of the nanocomposites. The luminescent and magnetic characteristics of Fe3O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ nanocomposites can be readily optimized using straightforward synthesis parameters, making them promising candidates for potential applications in theranostic medicine.

Symptoms and pathophysiology of cluster headache. Approach to combined occipital and supraorbital neurostimulation.

Cluster headache (CH) is included under section 3 - Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TAC) of the International Headache Society (IHS) classification. It is one of the most frequent, painful and disabling primary headaches. Acute and preventive pharmacological treatments are often poorly tolerated and of limited effectiveness. Due to improved understanding of the pathophysiology of CH, neuromodulation devices are now considered safe and effective options for preventive and acute treatment of CH. In this paper, we review the information available to date, and present the case of a patient with disabling cluster headache highly resistant to medical treatment who underwent implantation of a peripheral nerve neurostimulation system to stimulate the supraorbital nerves (SON) and greater occipital nerve (GON) in our Pain Unit. We also review the diagnostic criteria for CH, the state of the knowledge on the pathophysiology of CH, and the role played by neuromodulation in treating this condition.

Clínica y fisiopatología de la cefalea en racimos. Acercamiento a la indicación de neuroestimulación combinada occipital y supraorbitaria / Symptoms and pathophysiology of cluster headache. Approach to combined occipital and supraorbital neurostimulation

La cefalea en racimos (CR) se encuadra dentro del apartado 3 de la clasificación de la Sociedad Internacional de Cefaleas (IHS), que es el reservado para las llamadas cefaleas trigémino autonómicas (CTA). Se trata de uno de los procesos de cefalea primaria más frecuentes, dolorosos e incapacitantes. Los tratamientos farmacológicos agudos y preventivos son, en muchos casos, mal tolerados y de efectividad limitada. Debido a la mejora en la comprensión de su fisiopatología de la CR, los dispositivos de neuromodulación se han posicionado como opciones seguras y eficaces de tratamiento preventivo y el tratamiento agudo de la CR. Haremos un recorrido sobre la información disponible hasta el momento y además, exponemos el caso de un paciente con CR incapacitante, muy resistente al tratamiento médico, tratado en nuestra Unidad del Dolor con el implante de un sistema de neuroestimulación de nervio periférico de nervios supraorbitario (SON) y nervio occipital mayor (GON). A continuación revisaremos los criterios diagnósticos que la definen la CR, lo datos que conocemos, a día de hoy, sobre su fisiopatología y la posición que ocupa actualmente la neuromodulación en el abordaje terapéutico de la misma. Con la descripción del caso clínico de un paciente tratado en nuestra Unidad del Dolor con una cefalea especialmente severa y resistente al tratamiento farmacológico.(AU)

Cluster headache (CH) is included under section 3 - Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TAC) of the International Headache Society (IHS) classification. It is one of the most frequent, painful and disabling primary headaches. Acute and preventive pharmacological treatments are often poorly tolerated and of limited effectiveness. Due to improved understanding of the pathophysiology of CH, neuromodulation devices are now considered safe and effective options for preventive and acute treatment of CH. In this paper, we review the information available to date, and present the case of a patient with disabling cluster headache highly resistant to medical treatment who underwent implantation of a peripheral nerve neurostimulation system to stimulate the supraorbital nerves (SON) and greater occipital nerve (GON) in our Pain Unit. We also review the diagnostic criteria for CH, the state of the knowledge on the pathophysiology of CH, and the role played by neuromodulation in treating this condition.(AU)

Comparison of ELISA using recombinant LipL32 and sonicated antigen of leptospira for detecting bovine leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is one of the most widely distributed zoonosis in the world. Bovine leptospirosis is a serious problem in bovine production, causing reproductive losses. The aim of this work was to compare recombinant LipL32 with sonicated antigen for detecting anti-Leptospira IgG antibodies in bovine serum using ELISA. The Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) is used as the gold standard. Sonicated antigen from cultures of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar copenhageni (strain M20) was used for the eELISA and rLipL32 for the rELISA. The performance of these assays was evaluated using serum samples from 166 bovines, 69 MAT positive and 97 MAT negative. At the optimal cut-off point recommended by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the sensitivity and specificity values were 98.6% and 97.9%, respectively, for eELISA, and 85.5% and 86.6% respectively, for rELISA. The value for the area under the ROC curve was 0.998 (0.994-1.0) (CI 95%) for eELISA and 0.929 (0.891-0.968) (CI 95%) for rELISA. The ROC curves for rLipL32 and sonicated antigen showed statistically significant differences (z = -3.826; p = 0.000). A three-way comparison showed statistically significant differences in the sensitivity and specificity of rELISA and eELISA. Our results showed that eELISA was more specific and sensitive than rELISA. The difference in performance (eELISA-rELISA) was 13.4% (4.03-23.28) (CI 95%) for sensitivity and 11.34 % (4.07-19.56) (CI 95%) for specificity. Our results show that the eELISA has a better diagnostic performance than rELISA for the detection of anti-Leptospira IgG antibodies in bovine serum.

Adaptación y validación preliminar argentina del cuestionario de evaluación del apego (CaMir) / Adaptació i validació preliminar argentina del qüestionari d'avaluació de l’aferrament (CaMir) / Preliminary Argentinean adaptation and validation of the bonding assessment questionnaire (CaMir)

El propósitode este estudio fue adaptar lingüísticamente y evaluar validez y fiabilidad del instrumento de evaluación demodelos individuales de relación del estilo de apego, CaMir (Cartes: Modèles Individuels de Relation), en unamuestra argentina de adolescentes y adultos. Se trabajó con una muestra de 549 sujetos de ambos sexos deentre 14 y 80 años. El análisis factorial exploratorio develó una estructura de cuatro factores y el análisis fac-torial confirmatorio corroboró la misma, así como los índices de fiabilidad de los factores. Se confirma que esun instrumento válido y confiable para evaluar los modelos individuales de relación en adolescentes y adultosargentinos. Finalmente, se señalan limitaciones y contribuciones.(AU)

The pur-pose of this study was to linguistically adapt and evaluate the validity and reliability of the individual modelsof attachment style relationship assessment instrument, CaMir (Cartes: Modèles Individuels de Relation), in anArgentinean sample of adolescents and adults. A sample of 549 subjects of both sexes aged between 14 and80 years was used. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure and the confirmatory factoranalysis corroborated it, as well as the reliability indices of the factors. It is confirmed that it is a valid and reliableinstrument to assess individual relationship patterns in Argentinean adolescents and adults. Finally, limitations andcontributions are pointed out.(AU)

El propòsitd'aquest estudi va ser adaptar lingüísticament i avaluar la validesa i la fiabilitat de l'instrument d'avaluació demodels individuals de relació de l'estil d'aferrament, CaMir (Cartes: Modèles Individuels de Relation), en una mos-tra argentina d'adolescents i adults. Es va treballar amb una mostra de 549 subjectes d'ambdós sexes d'entre14 i 80 anys. L'anàlisi factorial exploratòria va desvetllar una estructura de quatre factors i l'anàlisi factorial con-firmatori la va corroborar, així com els índexs de fiabilitat dels factors. Es confirma que és un instrument vàlidi fiable per avaluar els models individuals de relació en adolescents i adults argentins. Finalment, s'assenyalenlimitacions i contribucions.(AU)

Psychological and Structural Barriers to Immigrant Community Participation: The Experience of Peruvians in Santiago de Chile.

Community participation can be considered a pillar for the promotion of social justice and well-being for immigrants in new countries. Participation may be influenced by different forms of oppression which decrease opportunities for immigrants to be engaged. The present study explores the difficulties that Peruvian immigrants encountered and still encountering to participate in Santiago de Chile through in-depth qualitative interviews. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with Peruvian leaders of Ethnic Community Based Organizations (ECBOs) in Santiago de Chile. Interviews focused on the community engagement of Peruvians highlighting the difficulties they encountered when deciding whether to engage and throughout the process of carrying out their commitment, along with their perceptions when trying to engage their compatriots. The present study contributes to the literature in three aspects. First, it focused on the phenomenon of South-South migration. Secondly, it delved into the psychological and structural barriers that immigrants' experience, considering their disadvantaged conditions. Thirdly, it used Situational Analysis, along with the constructionist drift of Grounded Theory, which is widely used in critical, qualitative research, and is sensitive to producing situated knowledge. Coding and mapping analysis identified experiences related to historical trauma, transnational bonds, and dominant master narratives in both countries as well as challenges due to balancing time and priorities, surviving institutional deterrents, and inter-organizations competitiveness. Finally, transnational commitments, mechanisms of social disconnection, and under valuated rights that Peruvians may live in Chile were pointed out. These results intend to have practical implications for immigrants and for community psychologists.

Tamoxifen retinal toxicity. Monitoring by multimodal imaging study. / Toxicidad retiniana por tamoxifeno. Seguimiento mediante estudio por imagen multimodal.

INTRODUCTION: Tamoxifen is a non-steroidal anti-oestrogen that acts as an antagonist in breast tissue, neurosensory retina, and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The reported incidence of its ocular effects varies between 0.9% and 11%. METHODS: Case series. Multimodal image studies were used to evaluate three female patients who were receiving tamoxifen for breast cancer for the purpose of monitoring and determining whether there are changes after discontinuation of treatment. RESULTS: All three patients showed signs of crystalline retinopathy using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The follow-up using multimodal imaging studies allowed evaluating the progression of the changes, providing a prognostic assessment. The findings reported (visual acuity and multimodal imaging) confirmed the results of previous studies, indicating that, at a certain level of toxicity, the damage was irreversible.

Intralymphatic Histiocytosis: A Report of 2 Cases. / Histiocitosis intralinfática, a propósito de 2 casos.

Intralymphatic histiocytosis is a benign condition characterized by poorly defined erythematous plaques (sometimes forming a reticular pattern) as well as the presence of nodules and vesicles. Its etiology and pathogenesis appear to be related to chronic inflammation in the affected area, prior surgery, or systemic disease, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. We report on 2 new cases, both associated with joint surgery in the affected area and osteoarticular disease (primary synovial osteochondromatosis and rheumatoid arthritis). This is a chronic disease and there is no specific treatment. Different treatment options were chosen in the 2 cases described. A spectacular response to treatment with oral pentoxifylline and topical tacrolimus was observed in 1 of the patients.

Hair-follicle Transplant Into Chronic Ulcers: A New Graft Concept. / Trasplante de folículos pilosos en úlceras crónicas: un nuevo concepto de injerto.

Chronic venous leg ulcers are a major therapeutic challenge in clinical practice, and the search for new approaches to improve wound healing is essential. Many ulcers do not heal with traditional treatment using compression, debridement, and dressings. Skin-grafts variants, such as pinch grafts, punch grafts, split- or full-thickness skin grafts, and grafts derived from cells cultured in the laboratory, are among the most widely used options in ulcers that do not heal. In recent years, numerous studies have brought to our attention the important role of the hair follicle in the healing process of cutaneous wounds. Putting knowledge into practice, hair follicles from the scalp have been used in punch-type grafts transplanted to the base of chronic ulcers to stimulate healing. Results appear to be better than those with traditional hairless punch grafts, opening new lines of treatment for recalcitrant chronic venous ulcers.

Declining mortality due to severe sepsis and septic shock in Spanish intensive care units: A two-cohort study in 2005 and 2011.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the evolution of sepsis-related mortality in Spanish Intensive Care Units (ICUs) following introduction of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines and the relationship with sepsis process-of-care. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was carried out, with the inclusion of all consecutive patients presenting severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to 41 Spanish ICUs during two time periods: 2005 (Edusepsis study pre-intervention group) and 2011 (ABISS-Edusepsis study pre-intervention group). SCOPE: Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to Spanish ICUs. PATIENTS: All ICU admissions from the emergency department or wards and all ICU patients with a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock. A total of 1348 patients were included: 630 in the 2005 group and 718 in the 2011 group. INTERVENTION: None. PRIMARY ENDPOINTS: ICU mortality, 28-day mortality and Hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay and compliance with the resuscitation bundle. RESULTS: Compliance with the resuscitation bundle was significantly greater in the 2011 group (5.7% vs. 9.9%; p=0.005), and was associated to lower mortality (OR 0.602 [0.365-0.994]; p=0.048). The 2011 group had lower absolute in-hospital mortality (44.0% vs. 32.6%; p=0.01), 28-day mortality (36.5% vs. 23.0%; p=0.01), and adjusted mortality (OR 0.64 [0.49-0.83], p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality related to severe sepsis or septic shock in Spain decreased between two patient cohorts in 2005 and 2011, and was attributable to earliness and improvement in sepsis care.

[How far reaches earliness of optical coherence tomography in cognitive impairment]. / Hasta donde llega la precocidad de la tomografia de coherencia optica en el deterioro cognitivo?

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the world today. Increasingly greater efforts are being made to be able to detect cognitive impairment in earlier stages, and diagnostic entities such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective memory complaints (SMC) are appearing. The number of biomarkers studied with the aim of reaching this goal continues to rise, and include optical coherence tomography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study conducted employed optical coherence tomography to measure the macular thickness and the retinal nerve fibre layer in patients diagnosed with AD (n = 36), in patients with MCI (n = 33), in individuals with SMC (n = 24) and in control subjects (n = 45). RESULTS: Statistically significant differences have been found in terms of the macular thickness among all the groups studied (SMC: 261.8 ± 25.88 µm; MCI: 259.19 ± 22.582 µm; mild AD: 258.53 ± 14.804 µm; moderate AD: 249.32 ± 18.467 µm) and control subjects (271.96 ± 15.57 µm). The same occurs as regards the retinal nerve fibre layer and the difference is statistically significant compared with the control group (94.51 ± 9.203 µm) of all the groups (SMC: 90.44 ± 9.059 µm; MCI: 89.4 ± 10.421 µm; mild AD: 87.12 ± 10.279 µm; moderate AD: 82.25 ± 10.636 µm). CONCLUSION: Optical coherence tomography could be a future biomarker and support tool to facilitate the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment and AD.

TITLE: Hasta donde llega la precocidad de la tomografia de coherencia optica en el deterioro cognitivo?Introduccion. La enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) es la primera causa de demencia mundial. Cada vez son mas los esfuerzos para lograr una deteccion temprana del deterioro cognitivo y surgen en el panorama cientifico entidades diagnosticas como el deterioro cognitivo leve (DCL) y las quejas subjetivas de memoria (QSM). Debido a ello, aparecen numerosos biomarcadores estudiados para conseguir dicho objetivo, entre ellos la tomografia de coherencia optica. Sujetos y metodos. Se ha realizado un estudio que utiliza la tomografia de coherencia optica para medir el grosor macular y la capa de fibras nerviosas de la retina en pacientes diagnosticados de EA (n = 36), pacientes con DCL (n = 33), en individuos con QSM (n = 24) y en sujetos control (n = 45). Resultados. Se han encontrado diferencias estadisticamente significativas en cuanto al grosor macular entre todos los grupos estudiados (QSM: 261,8 ± 25,88 µm; DCL: 259,19 ± 22,582 µm; EA leve: 258,53 ± 14,804 µm; EA moderada: 249,32 ± 18,467 µm) y sujetos control (271,96 ± 15,57 µm). Respecto a la capa de fibras nerviosas de la retina, ocurre de igual manera, y la diferencia es estadisticamente significativa frente al grupo control (94,51 ± 9,203 µm) de todos los grupos (QSM: 90,44 ± 9,059 µm; DCL: 89,4 ± 10,421 µm; EA leve: 87,12 ± 10,279 µm; EA moderada: 82,25 ± 10,636 µm). Conclusion. La tomografia de coherencia optica podria situarse como un futuro biomarcador y una herramienta de apoyo para facilitar el diagnostico precoz del deterioro cognitivo y de la EA.

A PCR procedure for the detection of Giardia intestinalis cysts and Escherichia coli in lettuce.

Giardia intestinalis is a pathogen associated with foodborne outbreaks and Escherichia coli is commonly used as a marker of faecal contamination. Implementation of routine identification methods of G. intestinalis is difficult for the analysis of vegetables and the microbiological detection of E. coli requires several days. This study proposes a PCR-based assay for the detection of E. coli and G. intestinalis cysts using crude DNA isolated from artificially contaminated lettuce. The G. intestinalis and E. coli PCR assays targeted the ß-giardin and uidA genes, respectively, and were 100% specific. Forty lettuces from local markets were analysed by both PCR and light microscopy and no cysts were detected, the calculated detection limit was 20 cysts per gram of lettuce; however, by PCR, E. coli was detected in eight of ten randomly selected samples of lettuce. These data highlight the need to validate procedures for routine quality assurance. These PCR-based assays can be employed as alternative methods for the detection of G. intestinalis and E. coli and have the potential to allow for the automation and simultaneous detection of protozoa and bacterial pathogens in multiple samples. Significance and impact of the study: There are few studies for Giardia intestinalis detection in food because methods for its identification are difficult for routine implementation. Here, we developed a PCR-based method as an alternative to the direct observation of cysts in lettuce by light microscopy. Additionally, Escherichia coli was detected by PCR and the sanitary quality of lettuce was evaluated using molecular and standard microbiological methods. Using PCR, the detection probability of Giardia cysts inoculated onto samples of lettuce was improved compared to light microscopy, with the advantage of easy automation. These methods may be employed to perform timely and affordable detection of foodborne pathogens.