Beef Nutritional Characteristics, Fat Profile and Blood Metabolic Markers from Purebred Wagyu, Crossbred Wagyu and Crossbred European Steers Raised on a Fattening Farm in Spain.

A high intramuscular fat content characterizes Wagyu (WY) cattle breed. Our objective was to compare beef from WY, WY-by-Angus, or Wangus (WN) steers with European, Angus-by-Charolais-Limousine crossbred steers (ACL), considering metabolic biomarkers pre-slaughtering and nutritional characteristics, including health-related indexes of the lipid fraction. The fattening system with olein-rich diets and no exercise restriction included 82 steers, 24 WY, 29 WN, and 29 ACL. The slaughter ages and weights were (median and interquartile range) 38.4 mo.-old (34.9-40.3 mo.) and 840 kg (785-895 kg) for WY; for WN, 30.6 mo. (26.9-36.5 mo.) and 832 kg (802-875 kg), and for ACL steers, 20.3 mo.-old (19.0-22.7 mo.) and 780 kg (715-852 kg). Blood lipid-related metabolites, except for non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and low-density level cholesterol (LDL), were higher in WY and WN than in ACL, while glucose was lower in WY and WN. Leptin was higher in WN than in ACL. Pre-slaughtering values of plasma HDL underscored as a possible metabolic biomarker directly related to beef quality. The amino-acid content in beef did not differ among experimental groups, except for more crude protein in ACL. Compared to ACL, WY steers showed higher intramuscular fat in sirloin (51.5 vs. 21.9%) and entrecote (59.6 vs. 27.6%), more unsaturated fatty acids in entrecote (55.8 vs. 53.0%), and more oleic acid in sirloin (46 vs. 41.3%) and entrecote (47.5 vs. 43.3%). Compared to ACL entrecote, WY and WN showed better atherogenic (0.6 and 0.55 vs. 0.69), thrombogenicity (0.82 and 0.92 vs. 1.1), and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic index (1.9 and 2.1 vs. 1.7). Therefore, beef's nutritional characteristics depend on breed/crossbred, slaughtering age and cut, with WY and WN entrecote samples showing a healthier lipid fraction.

Fibrilación auricular en población mexicana: Diferencias en presentación, comorbilidades y factores de riesgo entre hombres y mujeres / Atrial fibrillation in Mexican population: Differences in presentation, comorbidities and risk factors between men and women

Resumen Objetivo: Conocer el comportamiento epidemiológico y asociaciones de la FA en población mexicana. Material y métodos: Analizamos 8,686 pacientes de 38 cardiólogos inscritos en REMECAR, divididos por edad y sexo. Comorbilidades estudiadas: obesidad, ERC, HTA, DM, dislipidemia, EVC, EPOC, hipotiroidismo, IC y CI. Programa: IBM SPSS. Resultados: FA en 498 pacientes (5.7%), mayor prevalencia en hombres (6.1 vs. 5.3%), mayor edad en mujeres (74.3 ± 12.1 vs. 70.5 ± 12.3 años, p < 0.0001). En mujeres menores de 60 años la FA se asoció con IC (p = 0.041), en hombres con ERC (p = 0.43), DM (p = 0.009), EVC (p = 0.001), hipotiroidismo (p = 0.001) e IC (p = 0.001). En mujeres mayores de 60 años se asoció con ERC (p = 0.001), dislipidemia (p = 0.001), EVC (p = 0.001), EPOC (p = 0.001) e IC (p = 0.001), en hombres con ERC (p = 0.002), EVC (p = 0.001), EPOC (p = 0.002), hipotiroidismo (p = 0.002), IC (p = 0.001) y CI (p = 0.033). En mujeres la FA se asoció con 1.13 veces mayor probabilidad de obesidad, 1.13 de HTA, 2.8 de ERC, 2.9 de EPOC, 4.3 de EVC y 6.5 de IC, en hombres la FA se asoció con 1.05 veces mas probabilidad de HTA, 1.4 de DM, 2.1 de ERC, 2.4 de EPOC, 3 de hipotiroidismo, 4.7 de EVC y 6 de IC. Conclusiones: La FA es una arritmia muy frecuente, con mayor prevalencia en pacientes que acuden a consulta de cardiología, en hombres y mayor edad de presentación en las mujeres. A mayor edad, mayor prevalencia de FA y de comorbilidades, la IC es la condición más frecuente con la que se asoció la FA.

Abstract Objective: To know the epidemiological behavior and associations of AF in Mexican population. Material and methods: 8,686 patients from 38 cardiologists participating in REMECAR were analyzed. They were divided by gender and age, the comorbidities studied were obesity, chronic kidney disease (CKD), high blood pressure (HBP), diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypothyroidism, heart failure (HF) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Program used: IBM SPSS Statistic. Results: AF was diagnosed in 498 patients (5.7%), with higher prevalence in men (6.1% vs. 5.3%) and older age in women (74.3 ± 12.1 vs. 70.5 + -12.3 years, p<0.0001). In those under 60 years, AF was associated in women with HF, in men with CKD, DM, stroke, hypothyroidism and HF. In women older than 60 years, AF was associated with CKD, dyslipidemia, stroke, chronic COPD and HF, in men with CKD, stroke, COPD, hypothyroidism, HF and IHD. AF in women increase the probability 1.13 for obesity, 1.13 for HBP, 2.8 for CKD, 2.9 for COPD, 4.3 for stroke and 6.5 for HF, in men increase the probability 1.05 for HBP, 1.4 for DM, 2.1 for CKD, 2.4 for COPD, 3.0 for hypothyroidism, 4.7 for stroke and 6.0 for HF. Conclusions: AF is a very common arrhythmia, with a higher prevalence in patients attending the cardiology consultation, in men and with an older age of presentation in women. The older the age, the higher the prevalence of AF and comorbidities, HF is the most frequent condition associated with AF.

Maternal Supplementation with Polyphenols and Omega-3 Fatty Acids during Pregnancy: Prenatal Effects on Fetal Fatty Acid Composition in the Iberian Pig.

Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) is a major problem in pig production and different strategies, mainly maternal supplementation with different agents, are currently being studied. The combination of hydroxytyrosol and n3-PUFA seems to be a promising treatment to counteract IUGR, since the combination may help improve n3-PUFA composition and lower the inflammatory status of IUGR piglets. The aim of the present study is to determine the effects of a maternal supplementation, from day 35 to day 100 of pregnancy, with linseed oil and hydroxytyrosol on the fetal FA composition. The results showed higher n3 levels, including eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic FA in the offspring from treated gilts, which showed lower n6-PUFA/n3-PUFA (n6/n3) ratios. Saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were also affected by treatment, especially in the muscle and brain. Thus, a maternal supplementation with linseed oil and hydroxytyrosol affected the fetal FA tissue composition, which could have implications in pig production due to the improvement of the piglets' health status.

Comparison of Pure and Crossbred Japanese Black Steers in Growth Performance and Metabolic Features from Birth to Slaughter at a Spanish Fattening Farm.

Japanese Black (Wagyu) cattle produce high-quality beef. However, whether Wagyu steers can be profitably raised under conditions different than the traditional Japanese ones remains unclear. From 2018 to 2020, we raised 262 Wagyu purebred steers, 103 Wagyu-by-Angus (Wangus) crossbred steers, and 43 Angus-by-European (ACL) crossbred steers on a Spanish farm with high welfare standards and a locally sourced, high-olein diet. Factors and factors' interactions impacting steer growth were analyzed using generalized linear models. ACL steers grew faster than the other two groups, with Wangus showing intermediate fattening and muscle development. Average daily weight gains (kg/day) were 0.916 for Wagyu, 1.046 for Wangus, and 1.293 for ACL during the weaning to growing period, and 0.628 for Wagyu, 0.64 for Wangus, and 0.802 for ACL during the growing to fattening phase. ACL showed the lowest marbling rates. Wagyu and Wangus usually showed higher cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein than ACL. ACL calves may experience greater stress at weaning, as suggested by higher glucose, lactate, and ß-hydroxybutyrate than the other groups. The results suggest that Wagyu and Wangus steers showed adequate growth, health, and metabolic development in this type of production system, with Wagyu purebreds probably being more profitable than Wangus crossbreeds.

MOET Efficiency in a Spanish Herd of Japanese Black Heifers and Analysis of Environmental and Metabolic Determinants.

Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) systems have been intensively implemented in Japanese Black cattle in Japan and to create Japanese Black herds out of these areas. Environmental conditions influence MOET efficiency. Thus, we describe results of 137 in vivo, non-surgical embryo flushings performed between 2016-2020, in a full-blood Japanese Black herd kept in Spain and the possible effects of heat, year, bull, donor genetic value, and metabolic condition. Additionally, 687 embryo transfers were studied for conception rate (CR) and recipient related factors. A total of 71.3% of viable embryos (724/1015) were obtained (5.3 ± 4.34/flushing). Donor metabolites did not affect embryo production (p > 0.1), although metabolite differences were observed over the years, and by flushing order, probably related to the donor age. CR was not affected by embryo type (fresh vs. frozen), recipient breed, and whether suckling or not suckling (p > 0.1). CR decreased significantly with heat (44.3 vs. 49.2%; (p = 0.042)) and numerically increased with recipient parity and ET-number. Pregnant recipients showed significantly higher levels of cholesterol-related metabolites, glucose, and urea (p < 0.05). Therefore, adequate MOET efficiency can be achieved under these conditions, and heat stress should be strongly avoided during Japanese Black embryo transfers. Moreover, recipients' metabolites are important to achieve pregnancy, being probably related to better nutrient availability during pregnancy.

Mechanisms of platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome. / Mecanismos del síndrome de platipnea-ortodesoxia

Platypnea orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a clinical entity described in the middle of the last century. It is characterized by dyspnea and hypoxemia triggered by standing and relieved with recumbency. The diagnosis is predominately clinical. The degree of hypoxemia is variable; however, the diagnostic criteria include the decrease in arterial oxygen pressure more than 4 mmHg or oxygen saturation more than 5%. Even though many diseases cause this syndrome, there are only two responsible mechanisms, intracardiac, and intrapulmonary shunts. The coexistence of diverse structural and physiological abnormalities joined to gravitational forces that induce blood shunt after standing is crucial in each mechanism. The intracardiac mechanism is characterized by right to left blood shunt through atrial septal communications and, the right atrium pressure could be normal or increased. In addition, some patients have one or more coexistent aortic, spinal, or intracardiac alterations. The intrapulmonary mechanism is less frequent and is caused by parenchymal or vascular pathologies. Transthoracic echocardiogram is the first diagnostic modality; however, understanding the pathophysiology is the key for a rational diagnostic approach and subsequent diagnostic studies. Treatment is possible and effective in the majority of intracardiac mechanisms and some intrapulmonary. This review focuses on the pathophysiologic mechanisms of POS and their diagnostic workup.

El síndrome de platipnea ortodesoxia es una entidad clínica descrita a mediados del siglo pasado. Se caracteriza por disnea e hipoxemia que se desencadenan con la bipedestación y se alivia con el decúbito. El diagnóstico es predominantemente clínico. El grado de hipoxemia es variable; sin embargo, los criterios de diagnóstico incluyen disminución de la presión arterial de oxígeno de más de 4 mmHg o saturación de oxígeno de más de 5%. A pesar de que este síndrome es causado por gran cantidad de enfermedades, solo hay dos mecanismos responsables: los cortocircuitos intracardiacos e intrapulmonares. En cada mecanismo es crucial la coexistencia de diversas anomalías estructurales y fisiológicas que, unidas a las fuerzas gravitacionales, inducen un cortocircuito sanguíneo después de la bipedestación. En el mecanismo intracardiaco hay un cortocircuito sanguíneo de derecha a izquierda a través del del tabique interauricular y la presión auricular derecha puede ser normal o aumentada; además, algunos pacientes tienen una o más alteraciones aórticas, espinales, o intracardiacas coexistentes. El mecanismo intrapulmonar es menos frecuente y es causado por patologías parenquimatosas o vasculares. El ecocardiograma transtorácico es la primera modalidad de diagnóstico, sin embargo, comprender la fisiopatología es la clave para un enfoque de diagnóstico racional y estudios diagnósticos subsecuentes. El tratamiento es posible y eficaz en la gran mayoría de los mecanismos intracardiacos y en algunos intrapulmonares. Esta revisión se centra en los mecanismos fisiopatológicos del síndrome de platipnea ortodesoxia y su diagnóstico.

Atrial fibrillation in Mexican population: Differences in presentation, comorbidities and risk factors between men and women / Fibrilación auricular en población mexicana: Diferencias en presentación, comorbilidades y factores de riesgo entre hombres y mujeres

OBJECTIVE: To know the epidemiological behavior and associations of AF in Mexican population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 8,686 patients from 38 cardiologists participating in REMECAR were analyzed. They were divided by gender and age, the comorbidities studied were obesity, chronic kidney disease (CKD), high blood pressure (HBP), diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia,stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypothyroidism, heart failure (HF) and ischemicheart disease (IHD). Program used: IBM SPSS Statistic. RESULTS: AF was diagnosed in 498 patients (5.7%), with higher prevalence in men (6.1% vs. 5.3%) and older age in women (74.3 ± 12.1 vs. 70.5 + -12.3 years, p<0.0001). In those under 60 years, AF was associated in women with HF, in men with CKD, DM, stroke, hypothyroidism and HF. In women older than 60 years, AF was associated with CKD, dyslipidemia, stroke, chronic COPD and HF, in men with CKD, stroke, COPD, hypothyroidism, HF and IHD. AF in women increase the probability 1.13 for obesity, 1.13 for HBP, 2.8 for CKD, 2.9 for COPD, 4.3 for stroke and 6.5 for HF, in men increase the probability 1.05 for HBP, 1.4 for DM, 2.1 for CKD, 2.4 for COPD, 3.0 for hypothyroidism, 4.7 for stroke and 6.0 for HF. CONCLUSIONS: AF is a very common arrhythmia, with a higher prevalence in patients attending the cardiology consultation, in men and with an older age of presentation in women. The older the age, the higher the prevalence of AF and comorbidities, HF is the most frequent condition associated with AF.

OBJETIVO: Conocer el comportamiento epidemiológico y asociaciones de la FA en población mexicana. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Analizamos 8,686 pacientes de 38 cardiólogos inscritos en REMECAR, divididos por edad y sexo. Comorbilidades estudiadas: obesidad, ERC, HTA, DM, dislipidemia, EVC, EPOC, hipotiroidismo, IC y CI. Programa: IBM SPSS. RESULTADOS: FA en 498 pacientes (5.7%), mayor prevalencia en hombres (6.1 vs. 5.3%), mayor edad en mujeres (74.3 ± 12.1 vs. 70.5 ± 12.3 años,p < 0.0001). En mujeres menores de 60 años la FA se asoció con IC (p = 0.041), en hombres con ERC (p = 0.43), DM(p = 0.009), EVC (p = 0.001), hipotiroidismo (p = 0.001) e IC (p = 0.001). En mujeres mayores de 60 años se asoció conERC (p = 0.001), dislipidemia (p = 0.001), EVC (p = 0.001), EPOC (p = 0.001) e IC (p = 0.001), en hombres con ERC(p = 0.002), EVC (p = 0.001), EPOC (p = 0.002), hipotiroidismo (p = 0.002), IC (p = 0.001) y CI (p = 0.033). En mujeres la FA se asoció con 1.13 veces mayor probabilidad de obesidad, 1.13 de HTA, 2.8 de ERC, 2.9 de EPOC, 4.3de EVC y 6.5de IC, en hombres la FA se asoció con 1.05 veces mas probabilidad de HTA, 1.4 de DM, 2.1 de ERC, 2.4 de EPOC, 3 dehipotiroidismo, 4.7 de EVC y 6 de IC. CONCLUSIONES: La FA es una arritmia muy frecuente, con mayor prevalencia en pacientes que acuden a consulta de cardiología, en hombres y mayor edad de presentación en las mujeres. A mayor edad, mayor prevalencia de FA y de comorbilidades, la IC es la condición más frecuente con la que se asoció la FA.

Current behavior of sudden cardiac arrest and sudden death.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden death (SD) continue to be a global public health problem, although the true incidence is unknown, it is estimated that they are responsible for 30% of cardiac origin mortality and may represent 20% of total mortality in adults. Unfortunately, the majority of cases occur in the general population, at the out-of-hospital level, in homes and in people who were not known to have heart disease. Although the majority of SCA victims are considered to be of cardiac origin and more frequent ischemic, it is not possible to rule out other causes only with the clinical diagnosis. Autopsy, histological, and toxicological studies are necessary in all victims of SCA and SD to determine the precise cause of death; when these studies are carried out, causes of non-cardiac origin have been found in up to 40% of victims. The type of arrhythmia responsible for an episode of SCA and SD has changed over the years, now asystole and pulseless electrical activity are detected more frequently than ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. These and other aspects that we consider important in the current behavior of SCA and SD are analyzed in this article.

El paro cardíaco súbito (PCS) y la muerte súbita (MS) continúan siendo un problema de salud pública mundial; aunque su verdadera incidencia se desconoce, se calcula que producen el 30% de la mortalidad de origen cardíaco y pueden representar el 20% de la mortalidad total en los adultos. Desafortunadamente, la mayor parte de los casos se presenta en la población general, de forma extrahospitalaria, en los hogares y en personas que no se conocían portadoras de cardiopatía. Aunque se considera que la mayoría de las víctimas de PCS es de origen cardíaco, y que es más frecuente el isquémico, no es posible descartar otras causas sólo con el diagnóstico clínico. Son necesarios la necropsia y los estudios histológicos y toxicológicos en todas las víctimas de PCS y MS para determinar la causa precisa de la muerte; cuando estos estudios se efectúan se han encontrado causas de origen no cardíaco hasta en 40% de las personas. El tipo de arritmia causante de un episodio de PCS y MS ha cambiado a través de los años; ahora se detectan con mayor frecuencia asistolia y actividad eléctrica sin pulso (AESP) que la fibrilación ventricular (FV) o la taquicardia ventricular sin pulso (TVSP). Estos y otros aspectos de importancia en el comportamiento actual del PCS y la MS se analizan en este artículo.

Current behavior of sudden cardiac arrest and sudden death / Comportamiento actual del paro cardíaco súbito y muerte súbitos

Abstract Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden death (SD) continue to be a global public health problem, although the true incidence is unknown, it is estimated that they are responsible for 30% of cardiac origin mortality and may represent 20% of total mortality in adults. Unfortunately, the majority of cases occur in the general population, at the out-of-hospital level, in homes and in people who were not known to have heart disease. Although the majority of SCA victims are considered to be of cardiac origin and more frequent ischemic, it is not possible to rule out other causes only with the clinical diagnosis. Autopsy, histological, and toxicological studies are necessary in all victims of SCA and SD to determine the precise cause of death; when these studies are carried out, causes of non-cardiac origin have been found in up to 40% of victims. The type of arrhythmia responsible for an episode of SCA and SD has changed over the years, now asystole and pulseless electrical activity are detected more frequently than ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. These and other aspects that we consider important in the current behavior of SCA and SD are analyzed in this article.

Resumen El paro cardíaco súbito (PCS) y la muerte súbita (MS) continúan siendo un problema de salud pública mundial; aunque su verdadera incidencia se desconoce, se calcula que producen el 30% de la mortalidad de origen cardíaco y pueden representar el 20% de la mortalidad total en los adultos. Desafortunadamente, la mayor parte de los casos se presenta en la población general, de forma extrahospitalaria, en los hogares y en personas que no se conocían portadoras de cardiopatía. Aunque se considera que la mayoría de las víctimas de PCS es de origen cardíaco, y que es más frecuente el isquémico, no es posible descartar otras causas sólo con el diagnóstico clínico. Son necesarios la necropsia y los estudios histológicos y toxicológicos en todas las víctimas de PCS y MS para determinar la causa precisa de la muerte; cuando estos estudios se efectúan se han encontrado causas de origen no cardíaco hasta en 40% de las personas. El tipo de arritmia causante de un episodio de PCS y MS ha cambiado a través de los años; ahora se detectan con mayor frecuencia asistolia y actividad eléctrica sin pulso (AESP) que la fibrilación ventricular (FV) o la taquicardia ventricular sin pulso (TVSP). Estos y otros aspectos de importancia en el comportamiento actual del PCS y la MS se analizan en este artículo.

Current behavior of sudden cardiac arrest and sudden death.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden death (SD) continues to be a global public health problem, although the true incidence is unknown, it is estimated that they are responsible for 30% of cardiac origin mortality and may represent 20% of total mortality in adults. Unfortunately, the majority of cases occur in the general population, at the out-of-hospital level, in homes and in people who were not known to have heart disease. Although the majority of SCD victims are considered to be of cardiac origin and more frequent ischemic, it is not possible to rule out other causes only with the clinical diagnosis. Autopsy, histological and toxicological studies are necessary in all victims of SCA and SD to determine the precise cause of death; when these studies are carried out, causes of non-cardiac origin have been found in up to 40% of victims. The type of arrhythmia responsible for an episode of SCA and SD has changed over the years, now asystole and pulseless electrical activity (PEA) are detected more frequently than ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (pVT). These and other aspects that we consider important in the current behavior of SCA and SD are analyzed in this article.

El paro cardíaco súbito (PCS) y la muerte súbita (MS) continúan siendo un problema de salud pública mundial; aunque su verdadera incidencia se desconoce, se calcula que producen el 30% de la mortalidad de origen cardíaco y pueden representar el 20% de la mortalidad total en los adultos. Desafortunadamente, la mayor parte de los casos se presenta en la población general, de forma extrahospitalaria, en los hogares y en personas que no se conocían portadoras de cardiopatía. Aunque se considera que la mayoría de las víctimas de PCS es de origen cardíaco, y que es más frecuente el isquémico, no es posible descartar otras causas sólo con el diagnóstico clínico. Son necesarios la necropsia y los estudios histológicos y toxicológicos en todas las víctimas de PCS y MS para determinar la causa precisa de la muerte; cuando estos estudios se efectúan se han encontrado causas de origen no cardíaco hasta en 40% de las personas. El tipo de arritmia causante de un episodio de PCS y MS ha cambiado a través de los años; ahora se detectan con mayor frecuencia asistolia y actividad eléctrica sin pulso (AESP) que la fibrilación ventricular (FV) o la taquicardia ventricular sin pulso (TVSP). Estos y otros aspectos de importancia en el comportamiento actual del PCS y la MS se analizan en este artículo.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Obesity Effects on the Metabolomic Profile of a Leptin-Resistant Swine Model.

Identifying metabolite signatures associated with obesity and related diseases might represent a valuable preventive and therapeutic tool to predict subjects at risk, establish an accurate prognosis, and monitor treatment success. The current cross-sectional study is aimed to evaluate the metabolite profile of diet-induced obesity in a porcine model of leptin resistance. Six Iberian female pigs prone to develop obesity (OB) were ad libitum fed a fat-enriched diet (HFD) for 82 days. Five lean Iberian sows (CON) in a maintenance diet served as controls. At the end of the dietary treatments, all animals were sacrificed, and plasma, liver, and muscle samples were immediately collected for nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. In plasma, signals corresponding to betaine, glycerophosphocholine/phosphocholine, glycine, and glutamate were decreased; and the valine signal was increased in OB sows compared to controls. Similarly, the betaine signal was decreased in the liver. No differences were detected in muscle. The observed metabolite changes suggest alterations in branched chain amino-acid metabolism and the methionine-homocysteine cycle, which have been previously associated with obesity-related diseases and type 2 diabetes in human observational studies. The current study supports the utilization of the leptin resistant Iberian pig for further interventional research in the field.

Controlling the coherence of a diamond spin qubit through its strain environment.

The uncontrolled interaction of a quantum system with its environment is detrimental for quantum coherence. For quantum bits in the solid state, decoherence from thermal vibrations of the surrounding lattice can typically only be suppressed by lowering the temperature of operation. Here, we use a nano-electro-mechanical system to mitigate the effect of thermal phonons on a spin qubit - the silicon-vacancy colour centre in diamond - without changing the system temperature. By controlling the strain environment of the colour centre, we tune its electronic levels to probe, control, and eventually suppress the interaction of its spin with the thermal bath. Strain control provides both large tunability of the optical transitions and significantly improved spin coherence. Finally, our findings indicate the possibility to achieve strong coupling between the silicon-vacancy spin and single phonons, which can lead to the realisation of phonon-mediated quantum gates and nonlinear quantum phononics.

Feasibility Study of an Optical Caustic Plasmonic Light Scattering Sensor for Human Serum Anti-Dengue Protein E Antibody Detection.

Antibody detection and accurate diagnosis of tropical diseases is essential to help prevent the spread of disease. However, most detection methods lack cost-effectiveness and field portability, which are essential features for achieving diagnosis in a timely manner. To address this, 3D-printed oblate spheroid sample chambers were fabricated to measure green light scattering of gold nanoparticles using an optical caustic focus to detect antibodies. Scattering signals of 20-200 nm gold nanoparticles using a green laser were compared to green light emitting diode (LED) light source signals and to Mie theory. The change in signal from 60 to 120 nm decreased in the order of Mie Theory > optical caustic scattering > 90° scattering. These results suggested that conjugating 60 nm gold nanoparticles and using an optical caustic system to detect plasmonic light scattering, would result in a sensitive test for detecting human antibodies in serum. Therefore, we studied the light scattering response of conjugated gold nanoparticles exposed to different concentrations of anti-protein E antibody, and a feasibility study of 10 human serum samples using dot blot and a handheld optical caustic-based sensor device. The overall agreement between detection methods suggests that the new sensor concept shows promise to detect gold nanoparticle aggregation in a homogeneous assay. Further testing and protocol optimization is needed to draw conclusions on the positive and negative predictive values for this new testing system.

Scalable focused ion beam creation of nearly lifetime-limited single quantum emitters in diamond nanostructures.

The controlled creation of defect centre-nanocavity systems is one of the outstanding challenges for efficiently interfacing spin quantum memories with photons for photon-based entanglement operations in a quantum network. Here we demonstrate direct, maskless creation of atom-like single silicon vacancy (SiV) centres in diamond nanostructures via focused ion beam implantation with ∼32 nm lateral precision and <50 nm positioning accuracy relative to a nanocavity. We determine the Si+ ion to SiV centre conversion yield to be ∼2.5% and observe a 10-fold conversion yield increase by additional electron irradiation. Low-temperature spectroscopy reveals inhomogeneously broadened ensemble emission linewidths of ∼51 GHz and close to lifetime-limited single-emitter transition linewidths down to 126±13 MHz corresponding to ∼1.4 times the natural linewidth. This method for the targeted generation of nearly transform-limited quantum emitters should facilitate the development of scalable solid-state quantum information processors.

Left atrium function by 2D speckle tracking in aortic valve disease.

BACKGROUND: A paucity of data exists about left atrium (LA) function in aortic valve stenosis (AS) or regurgitation (AR). Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography allows the noninvasive study of LA functional disturbances in aortic valve disease and their impact in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: Consecutive patients with moderate or severe AS or AR were included. Left ventricle (LV) and LA speckle tracking strain quantification was performed. We included 42 patients with AS and 30 with AR. Differences were not found in LA volumes and strain in AS or AR. The LA volumetric derangements parallel the decrease in LA longitudinal strain. Maximum LA volume, minimum LA volume, and indexed LA volume were higher in severe valvular disease (SVD) than in moderate [23 cc (P=.018, IC95% : 4-41), 16 cc (P=.035, IC95% : 2-31), and 14 cc (P=.022, IC95% : 2-25), respectively], occurred in the same way with LA strain in the conduit (6.3%, P=.034, IC95% : 1-12) and reservoir (7.1%, P=.04, IC95% : 2-14) phases. In multivariable model, strain of reservoir phase was the variable mainly associated with PH; each decrease in one unit of strain of reservoir phase increased 6% the PH probability (OR: 1.06, P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that in patients with AS and AR, the LA has a similar behavior and that exist a close correlation between LA volumetric and functional parameters. The variable mainly associated with PH was LA strain of reservoir phase.

Normalized medical information visualization.

A new mark-up programming language is introduced in order to facilitate and improve the visualization of ISO/EN 13606 dual model-based normalized medical information. This is the first time that visualization of normalized medical information is addressed and the programming language is intended to be used by medical non-IT professionals.

Endoscopia, radiología digestiva superior convencional y doble contraste en el diagnóstico de patología del tracto digestivo superior / Conventional endoscopy barium and double contrast barium meel in diagnosis of upper got pathology

Se estudiaron 430 pacientes que consultaron por síntomas del tracto digestivo superior. A 296 se les precticó radiología digestiva superior convencional (RDSC) y a 134 doble contraste (DC). Comparando los dos grupos entre sí, y ambos con la endoscopia, y correlacionendo esta última con los resultados de biopsia, cirugía o autopsia, podemos concluir lo siguiente: no existe diferencia entre el uso de la RDSC y el DC en las enfermedades del tracto digestivo superior (p>0,05); la radiología, seguida de la endoscopia, aporta escasos elementos diagnósticos nuevos a los obtenidos por esta última; la radiología no es un requisito previo que complemente el examen endoscópico, cuando éste es realizado por un endoscopista bien entrenado. La endoscopia es fundamental en el diagnóstico de las enfermedades del esófago, estómago y duodeno (p<0,001). Finalmente, podemos decir que la escogencia de cualquiera de los dos procedimientos diagnóstico debe estar basada en múltiples consideraciones, incluyendo la exactitud diagnóstica, utilidad clínica, respuesta a los tratamientos indicados, existencia de examinadores debidamente entrenados, la inocuidad del estudio, los costos y la aceptación de éstos por parte de los interesados