A review and p-curve analysis of research on the menstrual cycle correlates of consumer preferences and economic decisions.

A number of studies have been claimed to show that ovarian hormones, whose levels fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, affect consumer preferences and financial decisions. The present article aims to critically analyze the literature examining associations between the phases of the menstrual cycle (peri-ovulatory vs. non-ovulatory) with particular consumer preferences (especially regarding clothing choices) and economic decisions (especially in regards to economic games and risk-taking). A search for studies was conducted in Web of Science and Scopus between 2004 and 2022, by combining keywords of the menstrual cycle, consumer preferences, and economic decisions. Once articles were selected, we identified the main findings, the characteristics of the population, and the methods for determining the phases of the cycle. We performed a p-curve analysis on previously reported statistically significant effects. These analyses find evidence for associations between peri-ovulatory status and specific consumer preferences, most strongly for appearance-enhancing products. They yield no compelling evidence for associations between peri-ovulatory status and financial decisions and risk-taking. We offer provisional conclusions and call for additional studies that possess sufficient statistical power to detect true meaningful effects, especially in the domain of financial decisions.

Ambient Particulate Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in 652 Cities.

BACKGROUND: The systematic evaluation of the results of time-series studies of air pollution is challenged by differences in model specification and publication bias. METHODS: We evaluated the associations of inhalable particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 µm or less (PM10) and fine PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) with daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality across multiple countries or regions. Daily data on mortality and air pollution were collected from 652 cities in 24 countries or regions. We used overdispersed generalized additive models with random-effects meta-analysis to investigate the associations. Two-pollutant models were fitted to test the robustness of the associations. Concentration-response curves from each city were pooled to allow global estimates to be derived. RESULTS: On average, an increase of 10 µg per cubic meter in the 2-day moving average of PM10 concentration, which represents the average over the current and previous day, was associated with increases of 0.44% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39 to 0.50) in daily all-cause mortality, 0.36% (95% CI, 0.30 to 0.43) in daily cardiovascular mortality, and 0.47% (95% CI, 0.35 to 0.58) in daily respiratory mortality. The corresponding increases in daily mortality for the same change in PM2.5 concentration were 0.68% (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.77), 0.55% (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.66), and 0.74% (95% CI, 0.53 to 0.95). These associations remained significant after adjustment for gaseous pollutants. Associations were stronger in locations with lower annual mean PM concentrations and higher annual mean temperatures. The pooled concentration-response curves showed a consistent increase in daily mortality with increasing PM concentration, with steeper slopes at lower PM concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show independent associations between short-term exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 and daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in more than 600 cities across the globe. These data reinforce the evidence of a link between mortality and PM concentration established in regional and local studies. (Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and others.).

Family still matters: Human social motivation across 42 countries during a global pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic social changes for many people, including separation from friends and coworkers, enforced close contact with family, and reductions in mobility. Here we assess the extent to which people's evolutionarily-relevant basic motivations and goals-fundamental social motives such as Affiliation and Kin Care-might have been affected. To address this question, we gathered data on fundamental social motives in 42 countries (N = 15,915) across two waves, including 19 countries (N = 10,907) for which data were gathered both before and during the pandemic (pre-pandemic wave: 32 countries, N = 8998; 3302 male, 5585 female; M age  = 24.43, SD = 7.91; mid-pandemic wave: 29 countries, N = 6917; 2249 male, 4218 female; M age  = 28.59, SD = 11.31). Samples include data collected online (e.g., Prolific, MTurk), at universities, and via community sampling. We found that Disease Avoidance motivation was substantially higher during the pandemic, and that most of the other fundamental social motives showed small, yet significant, differences across waves. Most sensibly, concern with caring for one's children was higher during the pandemic, and concerns with Mate Seeking and Status were lower. Earlier findings showing the prioritization of family motives over mating motives (and even over Disease Avoidance motives) were replicated during the pandemic. Finally, well-being remained positively associated with family-related motives and negatively associated with mating motives during the pandemic, as in the pre-pandemic samples. Our results provide further evidence for the robust primacy of family-related motivations even during this unique disruption of social life.

Short term exposure to ambient air pollutants and cardiovascular emergency department visits in Mexico city.

Available data on the acute cardiovascular effect of ambient air pollution (AAP) in Latin America is limited considering that over 80% of its 1 billion inhabitants live in urban settlements with poor air quality. The study aim was to evaluate the association between Cardiovascular Emergency Department Visits (CEDVs) and AAP in Mexico City from 2016 to 2019 using generalized additive models with distributed lags to examine the percentage change of CEDVs and a backward approach of time-series model to calculate attributable fractions. A total of 48,891 CEDVs were recorded in a period of 1019 days. We estimated a significant percentage increase for each 10 µg/m3 of PM10 at Lag0-5 (2.8%, 95%CI 0.6-5.0), PM2.5 at Lag0-6 (3.7%, 95%CI 0.1-7.6), O3 at Lag0-5 (1.1%, 95%CI 0.2-2.0), NO2 at Lag0-4 (2.5%, 95%CI 0.3-4.7) and for each 1 mg/m3 of CO at Lag0 (6.6%, 95%CI 0.3-13.2). Overall, 10.3% of CEDVs in Mexico City may be related to PM10 exposure, 9.5% to PM2.5, 10.3% to O3, 11% to NO2 and 5.7% to CO. AAP significantly increase cardiovascular morbidity impacting on emergency medical services.

Asociación entre mortalidad por Covid-19 y contaminación atmosférica en ciudades mexicanas.

Objetivo. Analizar la asociación entre la exposición crónica a contaminantes atmosféricos y la tasa de mortalidad por Covid-19 en ciudades mexicanas. Material y métodos. Estudio ecológico en 25 ciudades mexicanas utilizando el reporte de casos diarios de muertes por Covid-19 (febrero a junio 2020) y datos validados de contaminantes atmosféricos, considerando concentraciones promedio en cada ciudad en el último año. Se utilizaron modelos de regresión Poisson, con modelos aditivos generalizados y variables de ajuste. Resultados. Se encontró un incremento significativo de 3.5% (IC95% 2.3-4.7) en la tasa de mortalidad por Covid-19 por incremento de 1µg/m3 de NO2. La asociación con PM2.5 fue no significativa, con un incremento de 1.8% por cada µg/ m3. Conclusiones. Los resultados sugieren una asociación entre la mortalidad por Covid-19 y la exposición a NO2. Esta primera aproximación del riesgo asociado con la contami-nación del aire requiere de análisis más precisos, pero es consistente con estudios de otras regiones.

[Association between Covid-19 mortality and atmospheric pollution in Mexican cities]. / Asociación entre mortalidad por Covid-19 y contaminación atmosférica en ciudades mexicanas.

Objective. To analyze the relationship between chronic exposures to air pollution with Covid-19 death rate in Mexican cities. Materials and methods. Ecological study in 25 Mexican cities using the report of daily Covid-19 deaths (from February to June 2020) and validated data of air pollutants, considering average concentrations in each city for the last year. Poisson regression models using generalized additive models with adjustment variables (GAM) were used. Results. A significant increase of 3.5% (95% CI 2.3-4.7) was found in Covid-19 death rate for each 1µg/m3 in annual concentration of NO2. The association with PM2.5 was not significant, with an increase of 1.8% for each 1µg/m3. Conclusions. Results suggest an association between Covid-19 mortality and chronic exposure to NO2. This first approximation of the risk associated with air pollution requires a more precise analysis, but is consistent with what was observed in other studies.

Evolutionary and developmental considerations of the diet and gut morphology in ceratophryid tadpoles (Anura).

BACKGROUND: Before metamorphosis, almost all anuran tadpoles are omnivores. Larval carnivory occurs in some species and, it is associated with distinctive morphotypes. Obligatory carnivorous tadpoles exhibit structural changes in the gastrointestinal tract compared to larvae that are predominately omnivores. The most distinctive feature of the anuran family Ceratophyridae (three genera) overall is the enormous gape of adults. This feature increases their ability to capture extremely large and active prey. The larvae of Ceratophyrid genera are remarkably distinct from each other and carnivory has diversified in a manner unseen in other anurans. The larvae of one genus, Lepidobatrachus, has a massive gape like the adult. Herein, we report on larval developmental variation, diet, gross morphology of the gastrointestinal tract, and histology of the cranial segment of the gut before, during and after metamorphosis in larval series for the following ceratophryid species: Chacophrys pierottii, Ceratophrys cranwelli, Lepidobatrachus laevis and Lepidobatrachus llanensis. RESULTS: We described patterns of larval development with variation in growth with consequence to the final size at the end of metamorphosis. These patterns seem to be influenced by food quantity/quality, and most predominant by animal protein. Prey items found in pre and post-metamorphic Lepidobatrachus spp. are similar. Tadpoles of Ceratophrys and Chacophrys (and other anurans) share a short cranial segment of the gut with an internal glandular, mucous secreting epithelium, a double coiled intestine and the sequence of metamorphic changes (tract is empty, the stomach differentiates and the intestine shortens abruptly). In contrast, Lepidobatrachus tadpoles have a true stomach that acquires thickness and increased glandular complexity through development. As larvae they have a short intestine without double coils, and the absence of intestine shortening during metamorphosis. CONCLUSIONS: The larval development of the gastrointestinal tract of Lepidobatrachus is unique compared with that of other free-living anuran larvae. An abrupt metamorphic transformation is missing and most of the adult structural features start to differentiate gradually at the beginning of larval stages.

[Mortality associated with fine and coarse suspended particles, in inhabitants of Monterrey Metropolitan Area]. / Mortalidad aguda asociada con partículas suspendidas finas y gruesas en habitantes de la Zona Metropolitana de Monterrey.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the mortality risk of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM2.5-10) particles in the Metropolitan Area of Mon-terrey (MAM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective ecological time-series analysis (2000-2014) was conducted using total and specific causes of mortality, and daily mean PM2.5 and PM2.5-10. Generalized additive distributed lag models controlling for trend, seasonality, day of the week, meteoro-logical conditions and gaseous pollutants. RESULTS: Mean (SD) PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 concentrations were 26.59 µg/m3(11.06 µg/m3) and 48.83 µg/m3 (21.15 µg/m3). An increase of 10 µg/m3 of PM2.5 (lag 0) was associated with 11.16% (95%CI:1.03-21.39) increased risk of respiratory mortality in children <=5 years old and 6.6% (95%CI 3.31-9.37) increased risk of pneumonia-influenza in adults >=65 years old. The risk of mortality associated with the concentration of coarse particles was lower. CONCLUSIONS: Positive and significant associations were observed between exposure to particulate matter and daily mortality in the MAM ́s population.

OBJETIVO: Estimar el riesgo de mortalidad asociado con la exposición a partículas finas (PM2.5) y gruesas (PM2.5-10) en la Zona Metropolitana de Monterrey (ZMM). MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio ecológico con análisis retrospectivo de series de tiempo (2004-2014) de mortalidad total y especí-fica diaria, y promedio de PM2.5 y PM2.5-10. Modelos aditivos generalizados Poisson con rezagos distribuidos ajustados por tendencia, estacionalidad, día de la semana, condiciones meteorológicas y contaminantes gaseosos. RESULTADOS: 83 (21.15) µg/m3. Cada 10 µg/m3 de aumento de PM2.5 (lag 0) incrementó el riesgo de mortalidad respiratoria en menores de cinco años 11.16% (IC95% 1.03-21.39) y de neumonía e influenza en mayores de 65 años 6.60% (IC95% 3.91-9.37). El riesgo de mortalidad asociado con las PM2.5-10 fue meno. CONCLUSIONES: Se observaron asociaciones positivas y significativas entre exposición a material particulado y la mortalidad diaria en población de la ZMM.

Revisión rápida de los efectos de la variación de la temperatura y la humedad en la morbilidad y mortalidad por Covid-19.

Objetivo. Resumir y analizar la evidencia de la asociación entre Covid-19 y factores climáticos. Material y métodos. Se utilizó la metodología de revisiones rápidas de Cochrane. Se buscaron artículos publicados del 1 de enero al 27 de abril de 2020 en una base de datos académica y preprints. Los títulos y resúmenes fueron revisados por dos investigadores y los textos completos por cinco investigadores. Resultados. De 354 artículos identificados, 26 cumplieron los criterios de elegibilidad establecidos. De éstos, 20 observaron una asociación inversa. Al evaluar su calidad, nueve calificaron con validez moderada, porque si bien ajustaron por covariables en el análisis, son estudios ecológicos. Conclusiones. A pesar de la homogeneidad de resultados, los factores climáticos explican un porcentaje pequeño de la variación de Covid-19. Son necesarios estudios con periodo de análisis más largo que capten tendencia y estacionalidad e incluyan factores de riesgo individuales.

Overview of New Treatments with Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer and a Proposal of a Combination Therapy.

According to data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths in 2018. More than 60% of the new annual cases in the world occur in Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America, with 70% of cancer deaths in these regions. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with 266,120 new cases in American women and an estimated 40,920 deaths for 2018. Approximately one in six women diagnosed with breast cancer will die in the coming years. Recently, novel therapeutic strategies have been implemented in the fight against breast cancer, including molecules able to block signaling pathways, an inhibitor of poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase (PARP), growth receptor blocker antibodies, or those that reactivate the immune system by inhibiting the activities of inhibitory receptors like cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death protein 1 (PD-1). However, novel targets include reactivating the Th1 immune response, changing tumor microenvironment, and co-activation of other components of the immune response such as natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells among others. In this article, we review advances in the treatment of breast cancer focused essentially on immunomodulatory drugs in targeted cancer therapy. Based on this knowledge, we formulate a proposal for the implementation of combined therapy using an extracorporeal immune response reactivation model and cytokines plus modulating antibodies for co-activation of the Th1- and natural killer cell (NK)-dependent immune response, either in situ or through autologous cell therapy. The implementation of "combination immunotherapy" is new hope in breast cancer treatment. Therefore, we consider the coordinated activation of each cell of the immune response that would probably produce better outcomes. Although more research is required, the results recently achieved by combination therapy suggest that for most, if not all, cancer patients, this tailored therapy may become a realistic approach in the near future.

Differences in responsiveness and sensitivity to exogenous disruptors of the thyroid gland in three anuran species.

Anuran larval development comprises tissues/organs/systems that are: exclusively of larvae, able to be remodelled, and those of postmetamorphic stages. Also, the anuran larval development is characterized by inter-related parameters: time, size and shape forming part of growth and differentiation. The anuran metamorphosis starts when growth and differentiation achieve a threshold that differs among species since it is regulated by a number of external (environmental) and internal (hormonal) processes. Here we explore the consequences of exogenous disruptors on the thyroid gland (e.g., methimazole and thyroxine as T4) of three species by immersing premetamorphic tadpoles in predetermined concentrations of the disruptors for short periods (10 or 16 days). The species were Pleurodema borellii, Leptodactylus chaquensis, and Dermatonotus muelleri, which all breed in small temporary ponds during the summer, but differ in their ecomorphology. The experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of these substances on larval development (based in Gosner larval stages), morphometric variation in body parameters (snout-vent and total length by larval stages), and thyroid gland histopathology at the end of the assays. In P. borelli and L. chaquensis, methimazole produces significant increment of size measurements (nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis, p < .05) during stages of digit differentiation and induced thyroid gland hypertrophy. In the three species, T4 exposure accelerated limb development and caused atrophy of thyroid gland. Prolonged T4 exposure in L. chaquensis and D. muelleri triggered metamorphic transformation in the gut and skull cartilages. Discussion about interspecific differences in responsiveness and sensitivity elucidates the importance of hormonal signals to morphological evolution.

Short-term effects of ambient temperature on non-external and cardiovascular mortality among older adults of metropolitan areas of Mexico.

Multi-city studies assessing the association between acute exposure to temperature and mortality in Latin American are limited. To analyze the short-term effect of changes in temperature (increase and decrease) on daily non-external and cardiovascular mortality from 1998 to 2014, in people 65 years old and over living in 10 metropolitan areas of Mexico. Analyses were performed through Poisson regression models with distributed lag non-linear models. Statistical comparison of minimum mortality temperature (MMT) and city-specific cutoffs of 24-h temperature mean values (5th/95th and 1st/99th percentiles) were used to obtain the mortality relative Risk (RR) for cold/hot and extreme cold/extreme hot, respectively, for the same day and lags of 0-3, 0-7, and 0-21 days. A meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the estimates (RRpooled). Significant non-linear associations of temperature-mortality relation were found in U or inverted J shape. The best predictors of mortality associations with cold and heat were daily temperatures at lag 0-7 and lag 0-3, respectively. RRpooled of non-external causes was 6.3% (95%CI 2.7, 10.0) for cold and 10.2% (95%CI 4.4, 16.2) for hot temperatures. The RRpooled for cardiovascular mortality was 7.1% (95%CI 0.01, 14.7) for cold and 7.1% (95%CI 0.6, 14.0) for hot temperatures. Results suggest that, starting from the MMT, the changes in temperature are associated with an increased risk of non-external and specific causes of mortality in elderly people. Generally, heat effects on non-external and specific causes of mortality occur immediately, while cold effects occur within a few days and last longer.

Fractal anatomy of the hippocampal formation.

PURPOSE: We believed that the hippocampal complex is a fractal, and we try to demonstrate it. METHODS: We selected 12 magnetic resonance (MR) studies from healthy brains. Five women and 7 men without neurological or psychiatric disease were analyzed. The age range was 50-71 years old, with a mean 57.1 ± 7.6 years. Image series of MR were obtained through 3D SPGR in scanner GE Singa 3.0 T (general Electric, USA), matrix acquisition 512 Å-512 Å-120, field size 240 mm, voxel size 0.47 mm Å-0.47 mm Å-1.2 mm, repetition time of 13 ms and eco time of 5.6 ms. The MRI were imported in DICOM format in the OsiriXsoftware where they were contoured. Post processing was done with ImageJ software; Box Counting method for fractal analysis and we also used the Box Counting method of the BoneJ plugin. RESULTS: All of the hippocampus analyzed were a fractal. The fractal dimension analysis distribution of the measurements had a central tendency. The mean of hippocampal fractal dimension was 1.32635, the range was from 1.3373 to 1.5344. We found a short interval of variability in the hippocampal fractal number. CONCLUSIONS: The hippocampal complex is a fractal. The fractal analysis must be an objective measurement that can help us as a descriptive tool in hippocampal anatomy and maybe in a close future in the diagnosis of anatomical alterations.

Physiological response of alligator gar juveniles (Atractosteus spatula) exposed to sub-lethal doses of pollutants.

Alligator gar populations have declined because of overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. Over time, the exposure to different pollutants have affected these fishes as a consequence of their high trophic level, bottom-dwelling habits and long life span. In order to evaluate the physiological effects of pollutants on alligator gar, juveniles (6, 12 and 24 months) were exposed to sub-lethal doses of diazinon, ß-naphthoflavone (BNF) and 17 ß-estradiol (E2) by intraperitoneal injection. After 2 days of exposure, liver samples were taken to determine the activities of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase; alkaline and acid phosphatases (ALP and ACP); ethoxyresorufin o-deethylase (EROD); glutathione s-transferase (GST); superoxide dismutase (SOD), and vitellogenin (VTG) concentration. Two additional bioassays consisting on the exposure of compounds through water or food were performed and after 4 and 28 days, respectively, biomarkers were determined. All esterases were inhibited in organisms exposed to diazinon as well as in 6-months gar exposed to E2 and BNF. In contrast, ALP activity increased in gar exposed to diazinon and E2, while ACP activity did not show any variations. No EROD activity was registered after exposure to the different pollutants, despite being one of the most sensitive and common detoxification biomarkers used for fishes. GST activity reduction was detected when gar were exposed to E2 and BNF, while SOD activity increased after exposure to diazinon and E2. Finally, VTG levels were higher in animals exposed to E2 compared to other treatments. Overall, these results suggest that alligator gar juveniles have a low biotransformation metabolism and show that they are especially sensitive to those pollutants affecting the nervous system.

[Aortitis: report of three cases]. / Aortitis, causas infrecuentes en Reumatología: presentación de casos.

Aortitis is a nonspecific term that describes an inflammation of the aortic wall caused by inflammatory, infectious, paraneoplastic and idiopathic diseases. The symptoms are variable and nonspecific; therefore a high level of clinical suspicion is required to diagnose it. It is often an incidental finding while looking for other diagnoses and it is confirmed mainly through imaging studies. We report three cases of aortitis: A 29-year-old woman presenting with alopecia, oral and nasal ulcers and positive antinuclear antibodies. A CAT scan showed a segmental thickening of thoracic aorta, with dilated and stenotic areas. She was successfully treated with steroids, hydroxychloroquine, cyclophosphamide and azathioprine. A 41-year-old male presenting with dorsal pain and cough. The CAT scan showed an extra-intimal thickening of the descending aorta and stenosis of the celiac artery. The final diagnosis was a polyangiitis and was treated with steroids, cyclophosphamide and azathioprine. A 28-year-old woman presenting with pain in the left upper abdomen. Imaging studies showed a thickening of the aortic arch and subclavian artery. The final diagnosis was sarcoidosis and the patient was treated with prednisone.

The Vertebrobasilar Trunk and Its Anatomical Variants: A Microsurgical Anatomical Study.

BACKGROUND: The trunk of the basilar artery has not been included in microanatomy studies. Anatomical variants of the perforant branches of the vertebrobasilar trunk and their relationship with neural structures are very important in surgical approaches. Surgical dissection for the treatment of vascular lesions requires a perfect knowledge of the microsurgical anatomy. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive analysis of 50 brains, which were fixed with formalin at 10% for 2 weeks, and the arterial system was injected with colored latex. After microsurgical dissection, it was divided into three segments: the lower portion went from the anterior spinal artery to the anteroinferior cerebellar artery, the middle segment was raised from the upper limit of the lower portion to the origin of the superior cerebellar artery, and the upper segment ranged from the previous portion until the origin of the posterior cerebral artery. RESULTS: The basilar artery had an average length of 30 mm. The average diameter at its junction with the vertebral arteries was 4.05 mm. The average middle segment was 3.4 mm in diameter and 15.2 mm in length. The diameter of the upper segment was 4.2 mm, and its average length was 3.6 mm. The average number of bulbar arteries was three, and their average diameter was 0. 66 mm. The number of caudal perforator arteries were five on average, with a diameter of 0.32 mm. We found three rare cases of anatomical variants in the vertebra-basilar junction. CONCLUSIONS: The basilar artery emits penetrating branches in its lower, middle, and upper portions. The origin of penetrating branches was single or divided after forming a trunk. However, we observed long branches from perforant arteries.

Latex vascular injection as method for enhanced neurosurgical training and skills.

Background: Tridimensional medical knowledge of human anatomy is a key step in the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, especially in surgical fields. Training simulation before real surgical procedures is necessary to develop clinical competences and to minimize surgical complications. Methods: Latex injection of vascular system in brain and in head-neck segment is made after washing out of the vascular system and fixation of the specimen before and after latex injection. Results: Using this latex injection technique, the vascular system of 90% of brains and 80% of head-neck segments are well-perfused. Latex-injected vessels maintain real appearance compared to silicone, and more flexible vessels compared to resins. Besides, latex makes possible a better perfusion of small vessels. Conclusions: Latex vascular injection technique of the brain and head-neck segment is a simulation model for neurosurgical training based on real experiencing to improve surgical skills and surgical results.

Novel electro-fenton approach for regeneration of activated carbon.

An electro-Fenton-based method was used to promote the regeneration of granular activated carbon (GAC) previously adsorbed with toluene. Electrochemical regeneration experiments were carried out using a standard laboratory electrochemical cell with carbon paste electrodes and a batch electrochemical reactor. For each system, a comparison was made using FeSO4 as a precursor salt in solution (homogeneous system) and an Fe-loaded ion-exchange resin (Purolite C-100, heterogeneous system), both in combination with electrogenerated H2O2 at the GAC cathode. In the two cases, high regeneration efficiencies were obtained in the presence of iron using appropriate conditions of applied potential and adsorption-polarization time. Consecutive loading and regeneration cycles of GAC were performed in the reactor without great loss of the adsorption properties, only reducing the regeneration efficiency by 1% per cycle during 10 cycles of treatment. Considering that, in the proposed resin-containing process, the use of Fe salts is avoided and that GAC cathodic polarization results in efficient cleaning and regeneration of the adsorbent material, this novel electro-Fenton approach could constitute an excellent alternative for regenerating activated carbon when compared to conventional methods.

Photocatalytic Activity and Self-Cleaning Effect of Coating Mortars with TiO2 Added: Practical Cases in Warm Sub-Humid Climates.

In this study, the photocatalytic activity of coating mortars with synthetized and commercial TiO2 nanoparticles added has been evaluated at 2, 3 and 5% by weight of cement by calculating the degradation efficiency of methyl orange and red wine dyes exposed to both visible-light and UV radiation; also, the self-cleaning effect of coatings exposed to weather conditions (warm sub-humid climate) was assessed. TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via the sol-gel method to a low synthesis temperature and characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results show synthesized TiO2 particles in anatase phase with a crystallite size of 14.69 nm, and hemispherical particles with sizes of submicron order. The addition percentage with the best performance in the coating mortars was 3%, with both commercial and synthesized TiO2; however, coating mortars with synthesized TiO2 exhibited the highest degradation efficiency for both dyes when they were exposed to visible light, while mortars with commercial TiO2 exhibited the highest degradation efficiency when exposed to UV radiation. In addition, in coating mortars with synthesized TiO2, the self-cleaning effect was evident from the beginning of exposure to weather, reaching the largest dye-free surface at the end of exposure. The compressive strength increased significantly in mortars with TiO2 addition.

Seno cavernoso: anatomía, histología y terminología.

BACKGROUND: Although the cavernous sinus (CS) has been studied since 1695, its anatomy and name are still under discussion. METHOD: Anatomy and histology of 40 CS from human cadavers were studied, included both from a newborn specimen. RESULTS: Two walls limit the CS, an inferior medial one composed only of the dura's outer layer and a superior lateral one consisting of both dura's layers. Sinusoidal veins pass through the lateral wall of the CS as a transition between venous tributaries and the CS. An endothelial layer covers the inner surface of the CS and the outer surface of the internal carotid artery. The space within the CS shows trabeculae, which are rarer in adults compared to the newborn. The loss of trabeculae in the CS may be a natural process along with life. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the CS is a real sinus, and the term "cavernous sinus" is appropriately applied.

ANTECEDENTES: Si bien el seno cavernoso (SC) ha sido estudiado desde 1695, su anatomía y nombre aún están bajo discusión. MÉTODOS: Se estudiaron la anatomía y la histología de 40 SC de cadáveres humanos, incluyendo los dos de un recién nacido. RESULTADOS: El SC está limitado por dos paredes, una inferomedial compuesta solo por la capa más externa de la duramadre y otra superolateral compuesta por ambas capas de la duramadre. Hay venas sinusoidales que atraviesan la pared lateral del SC formando una transición entre venas tributarias y el SC. Una capa endotelial recubre la superficie interna del SC y la superficie externa de la arteria carótida interna. El espacio dentro del SC presenta trabéculas, las cuales son escasas en el adulto en comparación con el recién nacido. La pérdida de trabéculas en el SC puede ser un proceso natural a lo largo de la vida. CONCLUSIONES: En conclusión, el SC es un verdadero seno, por lo que el término «seno cavernoso¼ se aplica de forma correcta.