Manganese Defective Clustering: Influence on the Spectroscopic Features of Ceria-Based Nanomaterials.

The influence of manganese modification on the spectroscopic features of manganese-doped CeO2 systems synthesized by the microwave-assisted hydrothermal route and their correlation with the presence of O defective structures were verified, focusing on their interaction with poisonous atmospheres. Raman and electron paramagnetic resonance studies confirmed the presence of defective clusters formed by dipoles and/or quadrupoles. The number of paramagnetic species was found to be inversely proportional to the doping concentration, resulting in an increase in the Mn2+ signal, likely due to the reduction of Mn3+ species after the interaction with CO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data showed the pure system with 33% of its cerium species in the Ce3+ configuration, with an abrupt decrease to 19%, after the first modification with Mn, suggesting that 14% of the Ce3+ species are donating one electron to the Mn2+ ions, thus becoming nonparamagnetic Ce4+ species. On the contrary, 58% of the manganese species remain in the Mn2+ configuration with five unpaired electrons, corroborating the paramagnetic feature of the samples seen in the electron paramagnetic resonance study.

Benign and Malignant Proliferative Fibro-osseous and Osseous Lesions of the Oral Cavity of Dogs.

Ossifying fibroma (OF) and fibrous dysplasia (FD) are benign, intraosseous, proliferative fibro-osseous lesions (PFOLs) characterized by replacement of normal bone by a fibrous matrix with various degrees of mineralization and ossification. Osteomas are benign tumors composed of mature, well-differentiated bone. Clinical, imaging, and histologic features of 15 initially diagnosed benign PFOLs and osteomas of the canine oral cavity were evaluated. Final diagnoses after reevaluation were as follows: OF (3 cases), FD (4 cases), low-grade osteosarcoma (LG-OSA) (3 cases), and osteoma (5 cases). Histology alone often did not result in a definitive diagnosis for PFOL. OF appeared as a well-circumscribed, radiopaque mass with some degree of bone lysis on imaging. Most lesions of FD showed soft tissue opacity with bone lysis and ill-defined margins. Low-grade OSA appeared as a lytic lesion with a mixed opacity and ill-defined margins. Osteomas were characterized by a mineralized, expansile, well-circumscribed lesion. Although histologic features of PFOLs were typically bland, the lesions diagnosed as LG-OSA had some features of malignancy (eg, bone invasion or a higher mitotic index). Treatment varied widely. Of the 10 dogs with benign PFOL or osteoma with known outcome (10/12), 9 showed either complete response (6/10) or stable disease (3/10) after treatment. Of the 2 dogs with LG-OSA with known outcome, 1 showed complete response after curative intent surgery, but 1 patient had recurrence after partial maxillectomy. Definitive diagnosis of mandibular/maxillary PFOL is challenging via histopathologic examination alone, and accurate diagnosis is best achieved through assimilation of clinical, imaging, and histopathologic features.

Economically viable bioprocess for inclusion of microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana in aquaculture feeds: Evaluation of antioxidant addition in preventing lipid oxidation during storage.

The rising prices of fishery derivatives limits their use in aquafeeds. Therefore, other alternatives are used to replace those ingredients. Among them, microalgae are of great interest both as an ingredient and as a potential stabilising agent against lipid oxidation. This study evaluates on the use of Nannochloropsis gaditana to prevent lipid oxidation in a set of 12 aquafeeds over 540 days of storage. Aquafeeds were formulated with/without 15 % N. gaditana combined with two antioxidants -butylhydroxytoluene (25-150 mg·kg-1) or vitamin E (500-3000 mg·kg-1). The effect of i) storage period, ii) presence of microalgae and iii) antioxidant addition on lipid oxidation was assessed. Results showed higher fatty acid degradation in diets lacking microalgae. The microalgae supplemented diets is enough for preserving feeds presenting the highest antioxidant effect at the end, without significant differences with the microalgae-supplemented feeds and those including antioxidants after 540 days of storage.

Clinical and histologic features of 26 canine peripheral giant cell granulomas (formerly giant cell epulis).

Clinical and histologic features of 26 cases of canine peripheral giant cell granuloma (formerly giant cell epulis) are reported. Two main histologic categories were evident: (1) "classic" peripheral giant cell granuloma, characterized by variable numbers of multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs) admixed with densely cellular mononuclear spindle-shaped cells in variable amounts of collagenous matrix, and (2) the "collision" peripheral giant cell granuloma, with features of both a peripheral giant cell granuloma and a fibromatous epulis of periodontal ligament origin. In the 16 dogs for which the outcome was known, 2 peripheral giant cell granulomas recurred after excision. No age or sex predilection was evident; however, lesions were more common in maxillary than in mandibular gingiva. In contrast to cats, peripheral giant cell granulomas in dogs behave like fibromatous epulides of periodontal ligament origin and seldom recur after excision. Positive staining with TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) of the MNGCs and a fraction of the mononuclear cell population is consistent with osteoclastic origin.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in severe mental illness: A timely diagnosis to advance the process of quitting smoking.

BACKGROUND: This study has two main objectives: to describe the prevalence of undetected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a clinical sample of smokers with severe mental illness (SMI), and to assess the value of the Tobacco Intensive Motivational Estimated Risk tool, which informs smokers of their respiratory risk and uses brief text messages to reinforce intervention. METHOD: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, and active-controlled clinical trial, with a 12-month follow-up. Outpatients with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder were randomized either to the experimental group-studied by spirometry and informed of their calculated lung age and degree of obstruction (if any)-or to the active control group, who followed the 5 A's intervention. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 160 patients (71.9% SZ), 78.1% of whom completed the 12-month follow-up. Of the patients who completed the spirometry test, 23.9% showed evidence of COPD (77.8% in moderate or severe stages). TIMER was associated with a significant reduction in tobacco use at week 12 and in the long term, 21.9% of patients reduced consumption and 14.6% at least halved it. At week 48, six patients (7.3%) allocated to the experimental group achieved the seven-day smoking abstinence confirmed by CO (primary outcome in terms of efficacy), compared to three (3.8%) in the control group. CONCLUSION: In this clinical pilot trial, one in four outpatients with an SMI who smoked had undiagnosed COPD. An intensive intervention tool favors the early detection of COPD and maintains its efficacy to quit smoking, compared with the standard 5 A's intervention.

The Effect of Different Oxygen Surface Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes on the Electrical Resistivity and Strain Sensing Function of Cement Pastes.

Different studies in the literature indicate the effectiveness of CNTs as reinforcing materials in cement-matrix composites due to their high mechanical strength. Nevertheless, their incorporation into cement presents some difficulties due to their tendency to agglomerate, yielding a non-homogeneous dispersion in the paste mix that results in a poor cement-CNTs interaction. This makes the surface modification of the CNTs by introducing functional groups on the surface necessary. In this study, three different treatments for incorporating polar oxygen functional groups onto the surface of carbon nanotubes have been carried out, with the objective of evaluating the influence of the type and oxidation degree on the mechanical and electrical properties and in strain-sensing function of cement pastes containing CNTs. One treatment is in liquid phase (surface oxidation with HNO3/H2SO4), the second is in gas phase (O3 treatment at 25 and 160 °C), and a third is a combination of gas-phase O3 treatment plus NaOH liquid phase. The electrical conductivity of cement pastes increased with O3- and O3-NaOH-treated CNTs with respect to non-treated ones. Furthermore, the oxygen functionalization treatments clearly improve the strain sensing performance of the CNT-cement pastes, particularly in terms of the accuracy of the linear correlation between the resistance and the stress, as well as the increase in the gage factor from 28 to 65. Additionally, the incorporation of either non-functionalized or functionalized CNTs did not produce any significant modification of the mechanical properties of CNTs. Therefore, the functionalization of CNTs favours the de-agglomeration of CNTs in the cement matrix and consequently, the electrical conductivity, without affecting the mechanical behaviour.

Anhydrobiosis quotient: a novel approach to evaluate stability in desiccated bacterial cells.

AIM: The major objective of this study was the development of a methodology to quantify the anhydrobiotic ability of bacteria and its application to evaluate the stability of desiccated bacterial cells using the biocontrol agent Tsukamurella paurometabola C-924 as a model of anhydrobiote. METHODS AND RESULTS: Tsukamurella paurometabola C-924 was desiccated by spray-drying. Samples of desiccated cells were stored at several temperatures and viability and residual moisture were measured at different intervals of time. The term anhydrobiosis quotient (epsilon) was defined, and a scale of anhydrobiotic ability for classifying micro-organisms in terms of tolerance to desiccation was established (1 < or = epsilon < or = 15). The anhydrobiosis quotient was used to evaluate the stability of the anhydrobiotic cells. As a main result, changes in the anhydrobiosis quotient at several temperatures were fitted using a reparameterized Weibull model, which was found to be robust for the prediction of the stability at 4 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: A novel methodology was developed to evaluate the desiccated state in bacteria. The anhydrobiosis quotient allows the quantitative estimation of the anhydrobiotic ability, and the mathematical model developed allows the prediction of the desiccated state of bacterial populations. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The new methodology could be applied in studying the anhydrobiosis state of bacterial populations as a predictive tool for industrial and environmental microbiology.

[Reticulocyte haemoglobin content in the diagnosis of iron deficiency]. / Contenido de hemoglobina reticulocitaria para el diagnóstico de la ferropenia.

INTRODUCTION: The detection of iron deficiency is essential in order to start early treatment to prevent long-term systemic complications of iron deficiency anaemia. Reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr) has been shown to be a helpful indicator for detecting iron deficiency before the development of anaemia. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of CHr in the assessment of iron deficiency with or without anaemia and to determine the cut-off value with the best diagnostic yield. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on an urban population of both sexes aged 6 months to 14 years. The study protocol included a questionnaire and taking a venous blood sample for a complete blood cell count with CHr and biochemical indicators of iron status. RESULTS: Samples were obtained for 237 children. A CHr cut-off value of 25 pg had an overall sensitivity of 90.7% and specificity of 80.1% for the diagnosis of iron deficiency with or without anaemia. The value of CHr was below 25 pg in the diagnostic groups with iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia, and above this value in the diagnostic groups with non-iron deficient anaemia or normal. CONCLUSIONS: CHr is a useful hematological marker to identify iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia in childhood. A CHr value of 25 pg showed the best performance to identify iron deficiency with or without anaemia.

[Review of haematology and biochemistry parameters to identify iron deficiency]. / Revisión de los parámetros hematológicos y bioquímicos para identificar la ferropenia.

INTRODUCTION: There has been a continuous improvement in the methods to detect iron deficiency, a common condition in children, in the last decades or so, but it is still difficult to establish which parameters should be included in a diagnostic panel for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of commonly used haematological and biochemical markers, as well as the reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr) in the diagnosis of iron deficiency with or without anaemia. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on an urban population of both sexes aged 6 months to 14 years. A complete blood cell count with CHr was obtained. Biochemical markers of iron metabolism, transferrin saturation, serum iron, ferritin and total iron binding capacity were also measured. RESULTS: Samples were obtained for 237 children. A multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis identified CHr and iron serum as the only parameters independently associated to iron deficiency (P<0.05). CHr was the strongest predictor of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the measurement of CHr may be a reliable method to assess deficiencies in tissue iron supply. CHr together with a complete blood count may provide an alternative to the traditional biochemical panel for the diagnosis of iron deficiency in children.

Analysis of minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy with 24-hour hospital stay for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. / Análisis del tratamiento del prolapso de órganos pélvicos mediante colposacropexia mínimamente invasiva con 24horas de ingreso.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to analyze the impact (in terms of safety and saving of hospital costs) of the implementation of a new protocol for the correction of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy (MISC) with 24-hour hospital stay. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective observational study of the first 78 MISC procedures performed consecutively. 46 procedures (59%) were performed with 24-hour hospital stay, and 32 (41%) required more than 24hours. The postoperative complications were determined for each group: visits to the Emergency Department, reoperations, and the average cost per procedure regarding hospital stay and ER visits. The cost model was established according to the data of the Analytical Accounting System of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation Hospital and of the Official State Gazette of Madrid. RESULTS: There were no differences regarding intraoperative or postoperative complications between both groups. The number of visits to the Emergency Department, reinterventions or hospital re-admissions was lower in the 24-hour hospital stay group, without reaching statistical significance. The implementation of the MISC protocol with 24-hour hospital stay represented a saving of 607.91€ per procedure in hospital costs. CONCLUSIONS: Correction of the POP with MISC with a 24-hour hospital discharge policy was feasible and safe in at least 59% of the patients, with similar complications, visits to the Emergency Department or hospital readmission rates.

Evaluation of a Legionella urinary antigen enzyme immunoassay for rapid detection of Legionella pneumophila in water samples.

Despite advances in medium formulations and pretreatment techniques, recovery of Legionella from water samples can still be quite low, difficult and time consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of a Legionella urinary antigen enzyme immunoassay (Bartels ELISA, Trinity Biotech, Ireland) for the detection of Legionella in water samples. Reference ATCC Legionella strains were used to spike water samples to a final concentration of 10(4)-10(5)cfu/ml. The lower detection limit of the test for all Legionella pneumophila serogroups was assessed by serial dilutions of spiked water samples. Legionella antigen was detected in all filtered samples except for those spiked with L. bozemanii and L. longbeachae. The lower detection limit for soluble L. pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen was 780cfu/ml. Bartels ELISA could be a useful method for antigen detection in water samples when a high recovery of L. pneumophila is suspected. The test could be used as a rapid screening method for the detection of Legionella in a large number of samples. However, the low sensitivity of the test requires to keep on performing conventional culture for isolation and for further studies on isolated bacteria.

Social exclusion of the adolescent with overweight: study of sociocentric social networks in the classroom.

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have shown the social consequences of suffering overweight, with social exclusion or isolation as some of the most important. In order to study the social patterns among adolescents, we have set as objectives to analyse the position of the individual within their network from a sociocentric perspective, comparing the relational pattern of the adolescents suffering from overweight with those who are normal weight. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using logistic regression and social network analysis. We analysed the contact patterns of 235 adolescents in 11 social networks, classifying contact into three levels of intensity: minimum, intermediate and maximum (friendship). The WHO reference was used for the variable of overweight. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight was 30.2% (25.5% overweight and 4.7% obesity). An analysis of the relational patterns of individuals with overweight showed that at the minimum contact level, they established fewer relationships and less closeness (odds ratio [OR]: 2.32; confidence interval [CI] 95%: 1.17-4.66; p-value: 0.016). This effect was more marked in female adolescents. At intermediate contact level, they had few relationships and low prestige (OR: 3.29; CI: 95%; 1.03-10.51; p-value: 0.045, OR: 3.18; CI: 95%; 1.00-10.04; p-value: 0.049, respectively). At maximum contact level (friendship), female adolescents related little with other adolescents (OR: 3.78; CI: 95%; 1.07-13.32; p-value: 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with overweight take up peripheral positions within their social network, choosing by themselves not to establish contact with others. Social network analysis is crucial to detect adolescents with overweight at risk of exclusion and help alleviate psychological and social deficits.

Feline Respiratory Extramedullary Plasmacytoma with Lymph Node Metastasis and Intrahistiocytic Amyloid.

A 14-year-old domestic longhaired cat presented with a 2-year history of nasal discharge and a recent onset of inappetence and submandibular lymphadenopathy. The cat was humanely destroyed after developing severe respiratory distress. Necropsy examination revealed thickened nasal turbinates and soft palate, and friable red-tan material within the frontal sinus, nasal cavity and nasopharynx. The lungs contained multifocal irregular friable tan nodules. Multiple lymph nodes were enlarged, friable and red-tan in colour. Histopathology revealed a mature type extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) within the frontal sinus, nasal cavity, soft palate, larynx, trachea, lungs and multiple lymph nodes. The lymph nodes and larynx also contained marked granulomatous inflammation with extensive intrahistiocytic (and lesser amounts of extracellular) lambda light chain amyloid, confirmed by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Neoplastic cells expressed CD79a and MUM1. This is the first report of an infiltrative EMP of the feline respiratory tract with lymph node metastasis and predominantly intrahistiocytic amyloid.

Cost analysis of surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse by laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy or transvaginal mesh. / Análisis de costes del tratamiento del prolapso de órganos pélvicos mediante colposacropexia laparoscópica o malla transvaginal.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to compare direct costs of repairing pelvic organ prolapse by laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LS) against vaginal mesh (VM). Our hypothesis is the correction of pelvic organ prolapse by LS has a similar cost per procedure compared to VM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We made a retrospective comparative analysis of medium cost per procedure of first 69 consecutive LS versus first 69 consecutive VM surgeries. We calculate direct cost for each procedure: structural outlays, personal, operating room occupation, hospital stay, perishable or inventory material and prosthetic material. Medium cost per procedure were calculated for each group, with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: LS group has a higher cost related to a longer length of surgery, higher operating room occupation and anesthesia; VM group has a higher cost due to longer hospital stay and more expensive prosthetic material. Globally, LS has a lower medium cost per procedure in comparison to VM (5,985.7 €±1,550.8 € vs. 6,534.3 €±1,015.5 €), although it did not achieve statistical signification. CONCLUSIONS: In our midst, pelvic organ prolapse surgical correction by LS has at least similar cost per procedure compared to VM.

Antibacterial effect of sevoflurane and isoflurane.

OBJECTIVE: Multidrug resistant bacteria are increasing worldwide and therapeutic options are limited. Some anaesthetics have shown antibacterial activity before. In this study, we have investigated the antibacterial effect of the halogenated anaesthetic agents sevoflurane and isoflurane against a range of resistant pathogens. METHODS: Two experiments were conducted. In the first, bacterial suspensions of both ATCC and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were exposed to liquid sevoflurane and isoflurane during 15, 30 and 60 minutes. In the second experiment clinical resistant strains of E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, S. aureus, and Enterococcus faecium were studied. Previously inoculated agar plates were irrigated with the halogenated anaesthetic agents and these were left to evaporate before the plates were incubated. In both experiments colony forming units were counted in resultant plates. RESULTS: In the first experiment, isoflurane showed faster and higher antimicrobial effect than sevoflurane against all the strains studied. Gram-negative organisms were more susceptible. In the second experiment, E. faecium was found to be resistant to both halogenated agents; only isoflurane showed statistically significant activity against the rest of the strains studied. CONCLUSIONS: Both halogenated agents, but particularly isoflurane, showed in vitro antibacterial activity against pathogens resistant to conventional antibiotics. Further investigation is required to determine whether or not they also exhibit this property in vivo. This might then allow these agents to be considered as rescue treatment against multidrug resistant pathogens, including a topical use in infected wounds.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) as a possible biomarker in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the Western world, and a major cause of this disease is atherosclerosis. Research has demonstrated that pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) plays a role in cardiovascular disease, as evidenced by the association between PAPP-A and severity of heart damage. AIM: The aim of this work was to investigate the correlation between PAPP-A concentrations in coronary and peripheral blood and certain clinicopathological factors and antioxidant enzyme activities in patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease. METHODS: For 65 patients, arterial blood was obtained by puncturing the femoral or radial artery, and coronary blood was obtained via percutaneous coronary intervention. PAPP-A, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), and superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD-2) levels were measured using spectrometric methods. RESULTS: Coronary PAPP-A levels were slightly higher than peripheral PAPP-A levels (81.25 ± 2.34 and 62 ± 3 ng/mL, respectively, P < 0.0001); these levels were correlated with each other (r = 0.6629, P < 0.001) but not with clinicopathological factors (P > 0.05). Coronary PAPP-A levels were significantly elevated among patients at risk for cardiovascular disease (P < 0.05). Antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly higher in coronary samples than in peripheral samples from subjects with ischemic cardiopathy secondary to atherosclerosis (P < 0.001). Neither coronary nor peripheral PAPP-A levels were correlated with antioxidant enzyme activities in patients with cardiopathy secondary to atherosclerosis (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PAPP-A levels could be used as biomarkers to identify patients at risk of coronary artery disease.

Usefulness of pneumococcal antigen detection in pleural fluid samples by immunochromatographic assay for diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia.

This study investigated the utility of an immunochromatographic test (ICT) for the detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens in pleural fluid. Antigen was detected in 15 of 19 (79%) patients with pneumococcal pneumonia. The ICT was always negative in patients with non-pneumococcal pneumonia, but was positive in three cases with a non-infectious aetiology. In patients with pneumonia for which no pathogen was identified, antigen was detected in one of 24 pleural fluids tested. The ICT can be a valuable tool for the management of pneumonia because it can detect pneumococcal antigen in pleural effusion samples.