Impact of outdoor air pollution on severity and mortality in COVID-19 pneumonia.

The relationship between exposure to air pollution and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and other outcomes is poorly understood. Beyond age and comorbidity, risk factors for adverse outcomes including death have been poorly studied. The main objective of our study was to examine the relationship between exposure to outdoor air pollution and the risk of death in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia using individual-level data. The secondary objective was to investigate the impact of air pollutants on gas exchange and systemic inflammation in this disease. This cohort study included 1548 patients hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia between February and May 2020 in one of four hospitals. Local agencies supplied daily data on environmental air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2, NO and NOX) and meteorological conditions (temperature and humidity) in the year before hospital admission (from January 2019 to December 2019). Daily exposure to pollution and meteorological conditions by individual postcode of residence was estimated using geospatial Bayesian generalised additive models. The influence of air pollution on pneumonia severity was studied using generalised additive models which included: age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, hospital, average income, air temperature and humidity, and exposure to each pollutant. Additionally, generalised additive models were generated for exploring the effect of air pollution on C-reactive protein (CRP) level and SpO2/FiO2 at admission. According to our results, both risk of COVID-19 death and CRP level increased significantly with median exposure to PM10, NO2, NO and NOX, while higher exposure to NO2, NO and NOX was associated with lower SpO2/FiO2 ratios. In conclusion, after controlling for socioeconomic, demographic and health-related variables, we found evidence of a significant positive relationship between air pollution and mortality in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia. Additionally, inflammation (CRP) and gas exchange (SpO2/FiO2) in these patients were significantly related to exposure to air pollution.

Bioinspired gelatin/bioceramic composites loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) promote osteoporotic bone repair.

There are currently several commercialized products approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency based on the use of recombinant human BMP-2 for the treatment of non-unions long fractures and spinal fusion. However, the adverse effects recorded with the use of BMPs suggest the need for drug delivery carriers that allow reducing the required doses and improve their cost-effectiveness. Herein, we have developed a new osteoconductive scaffold that reduces the required doses of BMP-2 for promoting bone regeneration in an osteoporotic defect model. The composite is, in brief, a gelatin-based 3D scaffold reinforced with either calcium sulfate or hydroxyapatite as an inorganic osteoconductive biomaterial. To this end, the organic/inorganic composite systems showed high hydration capacity and good in vitro degradability. The incorporation of 7.5% (m/v) ceramic compounds resulted in scaffolds with stiffer Young modulus (179 and 75 kPa for CaSO4_7 and HA_7, respectively) than bare gelatin hydrogels (48 kPa). Studies with human bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) revealed that the 3D scaffolds promote cell adhesion and proliferation along with osteogenic differentiation capabilities. Specifically, downregulation of stemness (Nanog, Oct4) genes and upregulation of osteogenic markers (ALP, Col1a1, Fmod) by two fold were observed over 10 days under basal culture conditions. Promisingly, the sustained in vitro release of BMP-2 observed from the porous reinforced scaffolds allowed us to address the critical-sized osteoporotic mice calvarial defects with a relatively low growth factor doses (600 ng BMP-2/scaffold) compared to conventional doses at 2-15 micrograms. Overall, this study demonstrates the promising potential of osteoconductive gelatin/calcium bioceramics composites as osteogenic growth factors delivery carriers for bone-regeneration via ultra-low growth factor doses.

Antimicrobial assays of natural extracts and their inhibitory effect against Listeria innocua and fish spoilage bacteria, after incorporation into biopolymer edible films.

The antimicrobial activity of twelve natural extracts was tested against two fish spoilage bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Aeromonas hydrophila/caviae) and Listeria innocua, in order to assess their potential utilization in the preservation and safety of minimally processed fish products. After a screening of the active extracts by agar diffusion and vapour diffusion methods, oregano and thyme essential oils and citrus extract were selected. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the selected extracts was determined by disc diffusion method against target bacteria and at two temperatures: bacteria's optimal growth temperature (30 °C or 37 °C) and refrigeration temperature (4 °C). Due to its better solubility, lack of odour and greater inhibitory effect obtained against L. innocua at refrigerated temperature, citrus extract was selected and incorporated at 1% (v/v) into different biopolymer film forming solutions (gelatin, methyl cellulose and their blend 50:50 w/w). The antimicrobial activity of the developed films was then evaluated, just after preparation of the films and after one month of storage at 43±3% relative humidity and 24±3 °C. Regardless of the biopolymer matrix, all the developed films showed antimicrobial activity against the target bacteria. The most sensitive bacterium towards active films was L. innocua while P. fluorescens appeared as the most resistant one, in accordance with the previously performed antimicrobial tests for pure extracts. The differences in activity of the films between the tested two temperatures were not significant except for L. innocua, for which three times higher inhibition diameters were observed at refrigerated temperature. The inhibitory effectiveness of the films against the tested strains was maintained regardless of the biopolymer matrix for at least one month. Therefore, these edible films show potential for their future use in fresh fish fillets preservation.

[Vegetal foreign body in the airway: an unusual cause of hemoptysis in childhood. Clinical case]. / Cuerpo extraño vegetal en la vía aerea: una causa poco frecuente de hemoptisis en la niñez. Caso clínico.

Hemoptysis is an infrequent symptom in childhood and potentially life threatening. The most common causes in this age group are bronchiectasis secondary to cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular and pulmonary congenital anomalies and a miscellaneous group of causes including retained intrabronchial aspirated foreign bodies. We report a previously healthy 5-year-old girl with recurrent pneumonias associated with episodes of hemoptysis. She was admitted in our institution to investigate the persistence of hemoptysis. Based on clinical history, aspiration of a vegetal foreign body was postulated as the etiology and it was confirmed in the pathological examination after surgical exploration, with pulmonary lobe resection. The importance of a good history taking in pediatric hemoptysis is emphasized.