Introducción: Existe una disminución de la Filtración Glomerular (FG) en adultos mayores y la práctica del ejercicio puede causar cambios en la función renal. Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de ...diferentes intensidades de ejercicio agudo sobre la filtración glomerular en adultos mayores. Método: 20 adultos mayores aparentemente sanos de 69,8 ± 4 años realizaron 3 pruebas de ejercicio físico: máxima y 2 sub-máximas (80% y 60%). Se colectaron muestras de sangre venosa para estimar la filtración glomerular por creatinina, antes y después del ejercicio. Resultados: Se observó una disminución significativa post-ejercicio en la filtración glomerular, estimada a partir de creatinina sérica en las pruebas máxima y sub-máxima a 80% (p < 0,05). Conclusión: El ejercicio físico agudo máximo y sub-máximo al 80% de intensidad en adultos mayores aparentemente sanos, provoca una disminución de la filtración glomerular.
A method for the analysis of serotonin (5-HT) and its precursors, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and l-tryptophan (TP) in chocolate samples by capillary liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (cLC–MS) ...has been developed. Optimum chromatographic conditions were established by using a personalized multifactorial experimental design. Finally the cLC separation was achieved through a mixture of acetonitrile and 5mM ammonium formate at pH 4 (3:97, v/v) as mobile phase in gradient elution, setting the injection volume at 10μL and using pure water as injection solvent for focusing purposes on the head of the capillary column. For extraction of targets in chocolate samples a new, fast and simple procedure based on the use of acidic extraction medium and sonication was developed. Working in selected ion mode (m/z 177 for 5-HT, m/z 205 for l-tryptophan and m/z 221 for 5-HTP) detection limits were between 0.01 and 0.11μgg−1 and linearity was in the concentration range of 0.5–25μgg−1. Recoveries higher than 76% with RSDs lower than 8% were obtained from spiked samples for all analytes, showing the effectiveness of the proposed method. Serotonin and its precursors were determined in 5 kinds of commonly consumed chocolates with different cocoa contents (70–100%). The highest serotonin content was found in chocolate with a cocoa content of 85% (2.93μgg−1). Regarding l-tryptophan, the highest content of this amino acid (13.27–13.34μgg−1) was found in chocolate samples with the lowest cocoa content (70–85%). 5-Hydroxytryptophan was not detected in any chocolate samples.
Background: In most low income countries there are twice as many cases of tuberculosis (TB) reported among men than among women, a difference commonly attributed to biological and epidemiological ...characteristics as well as socioeconomic and cultural barriers in access to health care. The World Health Organization has encouraged gender specific comparisons in TB rates to determine whether women with TB are less likely than men with TB to be diagnosed, reported, and treated. A study was undertaken to identify gender based differences in patients with pulmonary TB and to use this information to improve TB control efforts. Methods: Individuals with a cough for more than 2 weeks in southern Mexico were screened from March 1995 to April 2003. Clinical and mycobacteriological information (isolation, identification, drug susceptibility testing and IS6110 based genotyping, and spoligotyping) was collected from those with bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB. Patients were treated in accordance with official norms and followed to ascertain treatment outcome, retreatment, and vital status. Results: 623 patients with pulmonary TB were enrolled. The male:female incidence rate ratio for overall, reactivated, and recently transmitted disease was 1.58 (95% CI 1.34 to 1.86), 1.64 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.98), and 1.41 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.96), respectively. Men were more likely than women to default from treatment (adjusted OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.46 to 7.43), to be retreated (hazard ratio (HR) 3.15, 95% CI 1.38 to 7.22), and to die from TB (HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.99). Conclusions: Higher rates of transmitted and reactivated disease and poorer treatment outcomes among men are indicators of gender differentials in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary TB, and suggest specific strategies in endemic settings.
Introduction: Cervicouterine cancer (CC) is a health problem worldwide and is the fourth most common cancer in women, with a greater proportion of individuals affected by advanced stages of the ...disease in developing countries. Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the TruScreen™ opto-electronic device vs. conventional cytology in CC screenings. Methodology: This is a prospective observational study that included individuals who presented for the first time at the Dysplasia Clinic of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología from March 1 through April 30, 2016, and those referred due to abnormal conventional cytology. The patients were evaluated with the TruScreen™ device, conventional cytology, colposcopy and, if necessary, cervical biopsy. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics as well as the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the TruScreen™, using conventional cytology as the standard. Results: Thirty-two patients were included who met the inclusion criteria. The average age of the patients was 40 years (range, 23-61 years). For the diagnosis of high-grade intraepithelial lesions, the TruScreen™ device showed a 43% sensitivity, a 92% specificity, a PPV of 60%, and a NPV of 85%, whereas evaluation via cervical biopsy exhibited a 33% sensitivity, an 86% specificity, a 33% PPV, and an 86% NPV. The Kappa agreement index of the TruScreen™ with the colposcopies was 0.70. Conclusions: TruScreen™ demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity compared with conventional cytology, which had a high NPV.
NiMoS/TiMg and NiWS/TiMg nanocatalysts were synthesized, characterized by various techniques and tested in the hydrodesulphurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT). TiMg mixed oxides containing 5, ...10 or 15 wt% of MgO were prepared by sol–gel and then used as catalyst supports. A constant atomic ratio of Ni/(Ni + M) = 0.5 was kept for all the catalysts (M = Mo or W). The catalysts were first prepared by sequential-wet impregnation. Then, after an ex-situ sulfidation process, they were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and physisorption of N
2
following the BET method. The presence of MgO in the NiMoS/TiMg and NiWS/TiMg catalysts resulted in an enhancement in the HDS activity of DBT. In addition, their HDS activities were higher than those observed in the NiMoS/Ti and NiWS/Ti catalysts. Furthermore, higher HDS activity was found for the NiMoS/TiMg compared with their NiWS/TiMg catalysts counterpart.
Graphical Abstract
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•Development of a straightforward tool to target surveillance of soft ticks.•We applied a knowledge-based approach to map climate suitability.•Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis was ...used to describe habitat suitability.•The geographic distribution was estimated by an ensemble of 160 models.•Suitable areas are the Mediterranean basin and warm semi-desert areas in Asia.
Ticks are economically and medically important ectoparasites due to the injuries inflicted through their bite, and their ability to transmit pathogens to humans, livestock, and wildlife. Whereas hard ticks have been intensively studied, little is known about soft ticks, even though they can also transmit pathogens, including African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) affecting domestic and wild suids or Borrelia bacteria causing tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) in humans. We thus developed a regional model to identify suitable spatial areas for a community of nine Ornithodoros tick species (O. erraticus, O. sonrai, O. alactagalis, O. nereensis, O. tholozani, O. papillipes, O. tartakovskyi, O. asperus, O. verrucosus), which may be of medical and veterinary importance in the Western Palearctic region. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis was used due to the relative scarcity of high-quality occurrence data. After an in-depth literature review on the ecological requirements of the selected tick community, five climate-related factors appeared critical for feeding activity and tick development: (i) a spring temperature exceeding 10°C to induce the end of winter soft tick quiescent period, (ii) a three-months summer temperature above 20°C to allow tick physiological activities, (iii) annual precipitation ranging from 60mm to 750mm and, in very arid areas, (iv) dry seasons interrupted by small rain showers to maintain minimum moisture inside their habitat along the year or (v) residual water provided by perennial rivers near habitats. We deliberately chose not to include biological factors such as host availability or vegetation patterns. A sensitivity analysis was done by performing multiple runs of the model altering the environmental variables, their suitability function, and their attributed weights. To validate the models, we used 355 occurrence data points, complemented by random points within sampled ecoregions. All models indicated suitable areas in the Mediterranean Basin and semi-desert areas in South-West and Central Asia. Most variability between models was observed along northern and southern edges of highly suitable areas. The predictions featured a relatively good accuracy with an average Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.779. These first models provide a useful tool for estimating the global distribution of Ornithodoros ticks and targeting their surveillance in the Western Palearctic region.
Seven non-linear growth models were compared in the Andalusian turkey, an endangered native breed. To this aim, turkeys were weekly weighted until they reached 35 weeks. The goodness-of-fit and ...flexibility criteria of Brody, Von Bertalanffy, Verhulst, Logistic, Gompertz, Richards, and Sinusoidal growth models were evaluated to quantify their ability to describe the biological growth curve. Goodness-of-fit criteria were assessed comparing the mean squared error (MSE) and adjusted determination coefficient (Pseudo-R
2
), while the flexibility criteria of Akaike (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC) were evaluated to quantify the explanatory and predictive ability of the models tested. Afterward, all criteria were considered in a combined index to determine the most efficient model to describe and predict growth patterns. The best-fitting model for males growth was Logistic (MSE: 250,349.87; Pseudo-R
2
: 0.97) which also reported the best explanatory and predictive properties (AIC: 18,949.25; BIC: 18,963.24), while best goodness-of-fit criteria, explanatory and predictive capacity in females were reported for the Richards model (MSE: 144,432.45; Pseudo-R
2
: 0.95; AIC: 17,529.83; BIC: 17,549.02, respectively). Von Bertalanffy and Richards models underestimated the weight at early age stages, contrary to Logistic and Verhulst models. The asymptotic weight was higher in males than in females at all evaluated models, being 11,085.37 g for Logistic and 5,706.38 g for Richards, respectively. In conclusion, a marked sexual dimorphism is evident, with females reaching maturity earlier than males. The higher inflection point in males may enable their relatively easier commercial standardisation than in turkey hens.
Highlights
Logistic was the best fitting model for males' growth and Richards for females.
Females reach maturity earlier than males with higher rates of maturity.
Andalusian turkey breed shows an intense sexual dimorphism.
A novel and simple method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of beta-lactam antibiotics (BLAs) (penicillin G, amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin V, oxacillin, cloxacillin, ...dicloxacillin and nafcillin) in wastewater. The method is based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) and high performance liquid chromatography with UV-diode array detection (UV-DAD). Two SPE cartridges have been compared for sample clean up and preconcentration: a reversed-phase silica-based cartridge (Bond Elut C
18, Varian Inc.) and a strong polymeric mixed mode anion exchanger (Oasis MAX, Waters). The penicillins have been separated using a LUNA™ C
18 (2) (150
mm
×
4.6
mm, 5
μm) HPLC column and gradient elution with mobile phases consisting of aqueous trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile. The analytical wavelength was set at 220
nm. Under optimised conditions it was possible to preconcentrate up to 1000
mL of Milli-Q water in the Oasis MAX cartridges with recoveries in the range 82–97% (R.S.D. 2–9%) for all the antibiotic tested, except amoxicillin (52%, R.S.D. 8%), and limits of detection in the range of 8–24
ng
L
−1. The matrix components in industrial and urban wastewater samples reduce the preconcentration efficiency in both sorbents, especially for the Bond Elut C
18. The use of the Oasis MAX allowed detection limits between 2.9–25.6, 2.5–12.4 and 2.2–12.7
μg
L
−1, when processing 250
mL of industrial, influent and effluent sewage treatment plant (STP) samples. Recoveries ranged between 46–91, 28–91 and 39–114% (industrial, influent and effluent STP, respectively) for samples spiked with all the antibiotics at 25 and 75
μg
L
−1 (
n
=
3 for each level).
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•A total of 95 papers systematically reviewed cool material as a mitigation strategy for urban heat island (UHI).•Based on the type of reflection and the spectral range, the analysis ...found 7 material technologies (UV–Vis-NIR).•Optical properties such as reflectance (ρ), absorptance (α), and emittance (ε) are key factors in cool materials design.•Technological setbacks constitute a key limitation to scale cool material technologies and low-cost alternatives.•DRC and super cool materials represent the most efficient innovations amongst current technologies.
The challenging urban expansion represents a pressing need to implement climate mitigation strategies for the urban heat island (UHI) effects and significant threats to the environmental quality, energy consumption, and human health. Thus, this manuscript systematically evaluates 95 relevant studies through a robust evidence-based analysis centered on the latest advances in cool materials, their potential, technological innovation, and global trends. The results showed studies in 21 countries, 81 cities, and 16 climate zones, of which the majority belong to Humid subtropical climates (Csa) including 29 % of studies, Oceanic climates (Cfb) with 15 %, and Mediterranean climates (Cfa) with 13 %. Spectrophotometry analysis is used in 48 % of the studies, while the most studied technologies are the Daytime Radiative Cooling (DRC); 22 %, followed by Thermochromics (TC); 19 %, Cool-Colored (CC); 17 %, Phase Change Materials (PCM); 17 %, Retroreflectives (RR); 11 %, Light-colored (LC); 5 % and Fluorescents (FL); 5 %. Finally, DRC reported the highest cooling power of up to 136 W/m2, however, the latest developments advocate for climate-dependent dynamic modulation techniques of Super Cool Materials (SCM) with Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling (PDRC) attributes and engineered spectral properties to dissipate urban heat to outer space in different meteorological conditions and wavelengths levels of the atmospheric window (8–13 μm).
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•A total of 88 plastic composites were classified into six categories based on their filler type.•Plastic composites present materials (wt%), analysis methods, standards and sample ...dimensions.•Thermophysical properties (ρ, λ, Cp, volumetric specific heat) were reviewed and shown by plastic composite.•Compressive, tensile and flexural strengths were the three mechanical properties explored by category.•Explored plastic composite features summarize thermal conductivity range values from 0.02 to 2.23 W/(m·K).
Plastic waste management represents a significant problem worldwide, but also, an opportunity for construction materials development. This manuscript explores plastic composite trends, emphasizing thermal and mechanical features. Data obtained from literature over 88 plastic composites were classified into six filler-based categories, 78% presented mechanical data, whereas only 40% provided thermal characterization. The explored features summarize thermal conductivity range values from 0.02 to 2.23 W/(m·K) and Compression Strength between 0.1 and 158 MPa within the recycled plastic composites repository with densities from 50 to 2100 kg/m3, similar to those considered conventionally a feasible possibility to reduce energy demand through low-energy architectural envelopes.
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