Undetectable viral RNA in oocytes from SARS-CoV-2 positive women.

A central concern for the safe provision of ART during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the possibility of vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection through gametes and preimplantation embryos. Unfortunately, data on SARS-CoV-2 viral presence in oocytes of infected individuals are not available to date. We describe the case of two women who underwent controlled ovarian stimulation and tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 infection by PCR on the day of oocyte collection. The viral RNA for gene N was undetectable in all the oocytes analyzed from the two women.

Relationship between indoor ambient dose equivalent rates and the architectural style of standalone houses in locations with high naturally occurring radionuclide soil concentrations.

There have been numerous studies relating house construction materials with the indoor gamma dose rate mainly coming from natural radionuclide activities. The relationship between the outdoor gamma dose rate and the soil's naturally occurring radionuclide content is well documented. Few studies, however, have investigated the historical evolution of indoor gamma dose levels due to the principal materials used in house construction in geographical areas where outdoor natural radiation levels are significant. The present work was carried out in an area of Spain with high outdoor gamma dose levels (on average, 0.267 µSv h-1) due to the natural radioactive characteristics of its soils, considering a great variety of standalone houses built from the beginning of the 18th century until today with different styles, architectural techniques, and materials in their construction. The measured ambient dose equivalent rates in thgese houses decreased the more recent the date of their construction was. In conclusion, today's architectural style for housing, which uses materials of practically universal origin, not only attenuates part of the irradiation due to the composition of a location's soils but also contributes less to the indoor gamma dose rate due to the relatively low naturally occurring radionuclide concentration of modern building materials.

The birthweight toll of mining pollution: evidence from the most contaminated mine site in the Andean region.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of mining pollution on birthweight. DESIGN: A retrospective before-and-after study with an untreated comparison group. SETTING: La Oroya, a mining town in the Peruvian Andes, considered the most contaminated town in the Andean region. POPULATION: All pregnant women who delivered in the social security healthcare system in years 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. A total of 214 983 births records were used, 957 from La Oroya and 214 026 from the rest of the country. METHODS: A difference-in-difference estimation is used to assess the effect of mining pollution on birthweight before and after two business policy changes: a partial environmental improvement and a subsequent closure of smelter operations in La Oroya. Birthweight was compared with a group not affected by the environmental changes in La Oroya. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Birthweight in grams. RESULTS: A steep reduction in mining pollution due to the closure of smelter operations in La Oroya showed an increased birthweight of 71.6 g after controlling for socio-economic and medical characteristics. None of the environmental improvements prior to the closure had a statistically significant effect on birthweight. CONCLUSIONS: Mining pollution in La Oroya had a negative impact on birthweight. Partial environmental improvements were not enough to improve birthweight. Only after the closure of all mining and smelter operations in La Oroya was a significant gain in birthweight shown. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: The closure of the most contaminated mine site in the Andean region increased birthweight by 72 g.

Assessment of occupational exposure in a granite quarry and processing factory.

Workers in the granite industry face an occupational hazard: silicosis due to the crystalline silica present in inhalable dust. As granite can also present a variable, and occasionally significant, content of naturally occurring radionuclides, they may also face a radiological hazard. In order to assess the risk, a granite industry with a quarry and processing factory was selected to assess the occupational exposure. Three main potential pathways were observed: external irradiation, inhalation of granite dust, and radon exposure. The external dose rate was similar to that in a nearby farming area. A slight increment (0.016-0.076 mSv yr-1) was observed in the quarry and stockpile, due to quarry faces and granite blocks. The effective dose due to granite dust inhalation was 0.182 ± 0.009 mSv yr-1 in the worst case scenario (3 mg m-3 dust load in air and no use of filter masks). Thus, the mean value of the effective dose from these two pathways was 0.26 mSv yr-1, lower than the reference level of 1 mSv yr-1 for the general population. The annual mean value of radon concentration in the indoor air was 33 Bq m-3. However, during granite processing works the radon concentration can increase up to 216 Bq m-3, due to mechanical operations (sawing, polishing, sanding, etc). This radon concentration was below the 600 Bq m-3 reference level for action in working places. Therefore, workers in this granite factory face no significant additional radiological exposure, and no-one needs to be designated as occupationally exposed and subject to individual dosimetry.

Assessing photocatalytic power of g-C3N4 for solar fuel production: A first-principles study involving quasi-particle theory and dispersive forces.

First-principles quasi-particle theory has been employed to assess catalytic power of graphitic carbon nitride, g-C3N4, for solar fuel production. A comparative study between g-h-triazine and g-h-heptazine has been carried out taking also into account van der Waals dispersive forces. The band edge potentials have been calculated using a recently developed approach where quasi-particle effects are taken into account through the GW approximation. First, it was found that the description of ground state properties such as cohesive and surface formation energies requires the proper treatment of dispersive interaction. Furthermore, through the analysis of calculated band-edge potentials, it is shown that g-h-triazine has high reductive power reaching the potential to reduce CO2 to formic acid, coplanar g-h-heptazine displays the highest thermodynamics force toward H2O/O2 oxidation reaction, and corrugated g-h-heptazine exhibits a good capacity for both reactions. This rigorous theoretical study shows a route to further improve the catalytic performance of g-C3N4.

Effects of organic carbon source, chemical oxygen demand/N ratio and temperature on autotrophic nitrogen removal.

To assess the feasibility of the Anammox process as a cost-effective post-treatment step for anaerobic sewage treatment, the simultaneous effects of organic carbon source, chemical oxygen demand (COD)/N ratio, and temperature on autotrophic nitrogen removal was studied. In batch experiments, three operating conditions were evaluated at 14, 22 and 30 °C, and at COD/N ratios of 2 and 6. For each operating condition, containing 32 ± 2 mg NH4(+)-N/L and 25 ± 2 mg NO2(-)-N/L, three different substrate combinations were tested to simulate the presence of readily biodegradable and slowly biodegradable organic matter (RBCOD and SBCOD, respectively): (i) acetate (RBCOD); (ii) starch (SBCOD); and (iii) acetate + starch. The observed stoichiometric NO2(-)-N/NH4(+)-N conversion ratios were in the range of 1.19-1.43, and the single or simultaneous presence of acetate and starch did not affect the Anammox metabolism. High Anammox nitrogen removal was observed at 22 °C (77-84%) and 30 °C (73-79%), whereas there was no nitrogen removal at 14 °C; the Anammox activity was strongly influenced by temperature, in spite of the COD source and COD/N ratios applied. These results suggest that the Anammox process could be applied as a nitrogen removal post-treatment for anaerobic sewage systems in warm climates.

Satisfaction Level of New Mothers with Prenatal Care and the Healthcare Professionals Who Provide It.

INTRODUCTION: Prenatal care is a key strategy to reduce maternal mortality. The aims of this work were to ascertain the level of satisfaction of new mothers with their pregnancy monitoring and with the medical professionals who provided prenatal care. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted on 265 new mothers, 18-43 years of age, who had given birth at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital and the San Cecilio University Hospital in Granada (Spain) in April and May 2012. The data were collected with a questionnaire consisting of 28 items that elicited information from the subjects about their pregnancy, prenatal care activities, the healthcare professionals that provided the care, and those that they would like to monitor future pregnancies. There were also two open questions. The first was about the perceived needs of the participants and the second asked them to suggest ways that prenatal care could be improved. RESULTS: The majority of the subjects (59.6%) had given birth for the first time. The midwife was the healthcare professional who performed most of the monitoring activities and resolved their doubts and problems (32.74%), gave the subjects tranquility and security (37.86%) and listened to their worries (34.53%). The subjects' satisfaction with the healthcare professionals was generally high. This was particularly true of the midwife (90.75%). Half of the subjects surveyed said that they wanted the midwife, obstetrician and general practitioner to monitor their pregnancy. They also underlined the need for longer and more visits with the midwife as well as more consultations with the obstetrician and higher number of ultrasounds. CONCLUSIONS: The subjects were very satisfied with the work of the healthcare professionals that monitored their pregnancy, particularly with the midwife. However, they also highlighted expectations and needs that, if met, would increase their satisfaction.

Assessment of environmental radiological impact in former metallic mines in Extremadura (Spain): A case study.

Metal mining in the Extremadura region was very important in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, due to different reasons the great majority of mines ceased operations, leading to plenty of abandoned mining sites, most of them with on-site waste dumps. Although metal extraction is not radioactive per se, it is considered a NORM activity. In this study, three former mining sites, in which Pb-V-Zn-Ag, Pb-Ag, and Pb-Zn were extracted, were selected to assess the radiological impact on the population and the environment. The external γ exposure was estimated by determining the effective dose and elaborating isodose maps of the sites. The presence of the mining sites increased up to 0.41 mSv/y the effective dose over the surrounding background, which is below the reference value of 1 mSv/y. In only one mining site, the uranium and radium activity concentration of waste dumps were higher than the surrounding soil. The soil to plant (wild grass) transfer factors were similar to other reported values without the influence of NORM activities. So, no enhanced transfer of radionuclides was observed. The radiological impact on the environment was assessed by the risk to non-human biota using the tiered approach developed in ERICA Tool. The sum of the risk quotients of all considered radionuclides in the most conservative Tier 1 was below 1. Total dose rates for several terrestrial Reference Animal and Plants (RAPs) were estimated using Tier 3, obtaining values below 40 µGy/h. Therefore, the impact on non-human biota can be considered as negligible.

Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield Skyrme model and nuclear binding energies.

We use the classical Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) soliton solutions of the BPS Skyrme model together with corrections from the collective coordinate quantization of spin and isospin, the electrostatic Coulomb energies, and a small explicit breaking of the isospin symmetry-accounting for the proton-neutron mass difference-to calculate nuclear binding energies. We find that the resulting binding energies are already in excellent agreement with their physical values for heavier nuclei, demonstrating thereby that the BPS Skyrme model is a distinguished starting point for a detailed quantitative investigation of nuclear and low-energy strong interaction physics.

Continuously evaluating performance in deceased donation: the Spanish quality assurance program.

The Spanish Quality Assurance Program applied to the process of donation after brain death entails an internal stage consisting of a continuous clinical chart review of deaths in critical care units (CCUs) performed by transplant coordinators and periodical external audits to selected centers. This paper describes the methodology and provides the most relevant results of this program, with information analyzed from 206,345 CCU deaths. According to the internal audit, 2.3% of hospital deaths and 12.4% of CCU deaths in Spain yield potential donors (clinical criteria consistent with brain death). Out of the potential donors, 54.6% become actual donors, 26% are lost due to medical unsuitability, 13.3% due to refusals to donation, 3.1% due to maintenance problems and 3% due to other reasons. Although the national pool of potential donors after brain death has progressively decreased from 65.2 per million population (pmp) in 2001 to 49 pmp in 2010, the number of actual donors after brain death has remained at about 30 pmp. External audits reveal that the number of actual donors could be 21.6% higher if all potential donors were identified and preventable losses avoided. We encourage other countries to develop similar comprehensive approaches to deceased donation performance.

Altered cellular membrane fluidity levels and lipid peroxidation during experimental pancreas transplantation.

Although the pathogenesis of ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury is based on complex mechanisms, free radicals play a central role. We evaluated membrane fluidity and lipid peroxidation during pancreas transplantation (PT) performed in 12 pigs (six donors and six recipients). Fluidity was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxyalkenals (4-HDA) concentrations were used as an index of lipid oxidation. Pancreatic tissues were collected as follows: (A) donor, immediately before vascular clamping; (B) graft, following perfusion lavage with University of Wisconsin preservation fluid; (C) graft, after 16 h of cold ischemia; and (D) recipient, 30 min vascular postreperfusion. Fluidity and MDA and 4-HDA concentrations were similar in cases A, B, and C. However, there was significant membrane rigidity and increased lipid peroxidation after reperfusion (D). These findings suggest that reperfusion exaggerates oxidative damage and may account for the rigidity in the membranes of allografts during PT.

Daily effects of air pollutants and pollen types on asthma and COPD hospital emergency visits in the industrial and Mediterranean Spanish city of Cartagena.

BACKGROUND: Associations found in time-series studies on hospital emergency room (ER) visits due to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with single air pollutants show some lack of consistency. The respiratory effects of aeroallergens in the air pollution mix are not well established. Non-linear relationships of different airborne pollen types with certain respiratory diseases have also been described. We aim to study the short-term effects of major air pollutants and aeroallergen pollen on asthma and COPD hospital ER visits in the industrial and Mediterranean Spanish city of Cartagena during 1995-1998. METHODS: The association of asthma and COPD to ER visits with mean levels of sulphur and nitrogen dioxides (SO(2) and NO(2)), total suspended particles (TSP), ozone (O(3)), and the main allergenic airborne pollen types were analysed using Poisson regression with Generalised Additive Models, taking into account delayed effects and adjusting for long-term trends, seasonality, weather conditions, holidays and flu notifications. RESULTS: Multipollutant models showed a similar relative risk (RR) increase (in %), of around 5% in asthma and COPD ER visits per 10 µg/m(3) SO(2) increments. The risk of an ER visit for the same NO(2) increment was 2.6% for asthma and 3.3% for COPD. Visits to the ER due to asthma showed a positive increase with both Urticaceae and Poaceae levels, but did not substantially modify the previous percentages. CONCLUSIONS: Air levels of SO(2) and NO(2) were associated with a substantial increased risk in ER visits due to asthma and COPD. The inclusion of Poaceae and Urticaceae pollen did not alter that association.

Enhancement of natural radionuclides in the surroundings of the four largest coal-fired power plants in Spain.

The production of electricity in coal-fired power plants (CFPP) is considered a NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) activity because the coals they burn can present relatively high contents of the naturally occurring radionuclides. In this study, the main radiological impact pathways into the surrounding environments of the four largest coal-fired power plants in Spain were analyzed. These pathways are, first, atmospheric evacuations and wind resuspension and, second, effluent evacuations to nearby rivers or directly to the sea. The atmospheric releases of radionuclides were evaluated by the analyses of soil profiles in the vicinities of the CFPPs. No significant enhancement of radionuclides in the surface soil was observed at the points of maximum deposition of combustion gases, located from 4.3 to 13 km away depending on the considered CFPP. However, an increase of (40)K, (226)Ra, and (232)Th in the surface soils was observed in the first kilometre from the chimney for two CFPPs. This suggested that these radionuclides were released in particulate form. There was also a net influence of the climate in which the CFPPs were located. This was observed in the two CFPPs that were in dry environments, while no increase was observed in the other two, located in more humid environments. The liquid effluents released usually presented an enhancement of dissolved chemical species regarding the initial intake water. Enrichments of the (234,238)U and (226)Ra contents in the water used in the plants' routine procedures were observed, and of (210)Po in the wastewater of just one of the plants. In any case, this enhancement was below the parametric value for the Total Indicative Dose for the hypothetical human consumption of the released waters. As a consequence of these releases of radionuclides, local products destined for human consumption produced in the vicinity of the facilities might incorporate natural radionuclides by these pathways, finding no significant enhancement of the natural radionuclide contents due to the CFPPs.

Novel cytochrome P450 genes, CYP6EB1 and CYP6EC1, are over-expressed in acrinathrin-resistant Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Control of Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is a serious problem for agriculture all over the world because of the limited range of insecticides that are available. Insecticide resistance in F. occidentalis has been reported for all major insecticide groups. Our previous studies showed that cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification is a major mechanism responsible for insecticide resistance in this pest. Degenerate polymerase chain reaction was used to identify P450 genes that might be involved in acrinathrin resistance, in a laboratory population of F. occidentalis. Associated sequences were classified as belonging to the CYP4 and CYP6 families. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that two genes, CYP6EB1 and CYP6EC1, were over-expressed in adults and L2 larvae of the resistant population, when compared with the susceptible population, suggesting their possible involvement in resistance to acrinathrin.

Can stable elements (Cs and Sr) be used as proxies for the estimation of radionuclide soil-plant transfer factors?

Transfer parameters are key inputs for modeling radionuclide transfer in the environment and estimating risk to humans and wildlife. However, there are no data for many radionuclide-foodstuff/wildlife species combinations. The use of parameters derived from stable element data when data for radionuclides are lacking is increasingly common. But, do radionuclides and stable elements behave in a sufficiently similar way in the environment? To answer this question, at least for soil to plant transfer, sampling was conducted in four different countries (England, Kazakhstan, Spain and Ukraine) affected by different anthropogenic radionuclide source terms (in chronological order: global fallout, Semipalatinsk Test Site, the 1957 Windscale accident and the 1986 Chernobyl accident) together with a bibliographical review. Soil to grass transfer parameters (ratio between dry matter concentrations in plant and soil), Fv, for 137Cs and 90Sr were significantly higher than those for stable elements, suggesting that the use of the latter could lead to underestimating radionuclide concentrations in plant samples Transfer parameters for 137Cs and stable Cs were linearly correlated, with a slope of 1.54. No such correlation was observed for 90Sr and stable Sr, the mean value of the 90Sr:Sr ratio was 35 ranging (0.33-126); few data were available for the Sr comparison. The use of radionuclide transfer parameters, whenever possible, is recommended over derivation from stable element concentrations. However, we acknowledge that for many radionuclides there will be few or no radionuclide data from environmental studies. From analyses of the data collated there is evidence of a decreasing trend in the Fv(137Cs)/Fv(Cs) ratio with time from the Chernobyl accident.

Secondary structure determination by FTIR of an archaeal ubiquitin-like polypeptide from Natrialba magadii.

The ubiquitin protein belongs to the ß-grasp fold family, characterized by four or five ß-sheets with a single α-helical middle region. Ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls) are structural homologues with low sequence identity to ubiquitin and are widespread among both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. We previously demonstrated by bioinformatics that P400, a polypeptide from the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natrialba magadii, has structural homology with both ubiquitin and Ubls. This work examines the secondary structure of P400 by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). After expression in Escherichia coli, recombinant P400 (rP400) was separated by PAGE and eluted pure from zinc-imidazole reversely stained gels. The requirement of high salt concentration of this polypeptide to be folded was corroborated by intrinsic fluorescence spectrum. Our results show that fluorescence spectra of rP400 in 1.5 M KCl buffer shifts and decreases after thermal denaturation as well as after chemical treatment. rP400 was lyophilized and rehydrated in buffer containing 1.5 M KCl before both immunochemical and FTIR tests were performed. It was found that rP400 reacts with anti-ubiquitin antibody after rehydration in the presence of high salt concentrations. On the other hand, like ubiquitin and Ubls, the amide I' band for rP400 shows 10% more of its sequence to be involved in ß-sheet structures than in α-helix. These findings suggest that P400 is a structural homologue of the ubiquitin family proteins.

Effect of recombinant growth hormone on leptin, adiponectin, resistin, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and ghrelin levels in growth hormone-deficient children.

BACKGROUND: Treatment with GH promotes linear growth and decreases body fat in patients with isolated GH deficiency (GHD). However, few studies have analyzed how GH replacement modifies ghrelin levels and the adipokine profile and the relationship of these modifications with the metabolic changes. AIMS: To analyze the eventual differences between serum levels of leptin, leptin soluble receptor (sOBR), resistin, adiponectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), total (TG) and acylated ghrelin (AG) and lipid and glycemic profiles in children with GHD, as well as to determine the effect of GH replacement on these parameters during the first year of therapy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty pre-pubertal (Tanner stage I) GHD children and 30 matched controls were enrolled. Children with GHD were studied before and after 6 and 12 months of GH treatment. Weight, height, BMI, fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profile and serum levels of adipokines and ghrelin were studied at every visit. Adi - pokines, insulin and ghrelin levels were determined by using commercial radio- and enzymoimmunoassays. RESULTS: At baseline children with GHD had significantly higher sOBR (p<0.01) and adiponectin (p<0.01) levels than controls. Treatment with GH resulted in a decline in leptin (p<0.05) and TG (p<0.001) levels, an increase of homeostasis model assessment index and restored IGF-I levels (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that GH replacement has a negative effect on leptin levels and may also produce a slight unfavorable effect on carbohydrate metabolism. In addition, the changes observed in the adipokine profile appear to be independent of body mass index.

Modification of natural radionuclide uptake by wheat using a NORM by-product as soil amendment.

Drinking Water Treatment Plants (DWTPs) can be optimised for removal of natural radionuclides, thus meeting EU legislation. Removed radionuclides (234,238U, 226Ra and 210Po) go into sludges. What would happen if these sludges were used in agriculture? Wheat plantlets were cultivated in original and sludge-amended soils under laboratory controlled conditions. Soil-to plant transfer was significantly increased in factors ranging 1.2-3.7, 2.0-5.6, and 1.6-2.4 for 234,238U, 226Ra and 210Po, respectively. The additional input was preferentially accumulated in roots.

Comparison of the Effects of Endotracheal Intubation of Wistar Rats Using the Conventional Technique vs. a New Modified Technique Using a 3D Mouth-Piece.

AIMS: Endotracheal intubation in rats is challenging due to the difficult anatomical characteristics of the airway. The success rate at first attempt is low and airway damage is a common complication. We aimed to compare and evaluate the conventional intubation method with a modified procedure using an inclined plate, headlamp (700-Lumen), and 3D mouth-piece designed with a 20° curvature. Both techniques were conducted by laboratory personnel with and without previous experience in airway management of laboratory rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, we used 36 Wistar rats of both genders. Three groups of laboratory personnel (anesthesiologists, medical students, and laboratory technicians) performed both endotracheal intubation techniques, i.e., blind intubation at supine position and endotracheal intubation at 70° supine position with a 3D mouth-piece and direct illumination of the glottis. RESULTS: The modified technique had a significantly higher success rate and shorter procedure duration. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the procedure duration between personnel with and without previous training in airway management. CONCLUSION: Previous knowledge and experience in airway management are required when performing conventional endotracheal intubation; moreover, its success rate is low. Contrastingly, using proper instruments and the 3D mouth-piece facilitated easier and quicker airway management regardless of previous experience.

Detection of new mutations conferring resistance to linezolid in glycopeptide-intermediate susceptibility Staphylococcus hominis subspecies hominis circulating in an intensive care unit.

Glycopeptides and linezolid are the most widely used antibiotics to treat infections by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. We report the presence of various isolates of methicillin-resistant S. hominis subsp. hominis with resistance to linezolid and reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides. We studied ten blood culture isolates of S. hominis subsp. hominis from nine patients admitted to our hospital. Etest was used to study susceptibility to antibiotics commonly prescribed against staphylococci. Domain V region of the 23S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced to detect possible mutations that confer resistance to linezolid. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for the clonality study of isolates. All isolates were resistant to oxacillin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, and linezolid, and susceptible to tigecycline and daptomycin. Nine of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin, and showed heterogeneous resistance to glycopeptides. C2190T, G2603T, and G2474T mutations were detected in domain V of the 23S rRNA gene. PFGE showed the presence of two different clones. This report alerts to the possible appearance of clinical strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococci with intermediate resistance to glycopeptides, resistance to linezolid, and multiple resistance to other second-line antibiotics.