Tuberculosis (TB) is a prevalent disease throughout the world. The extent of TB illness in childhood is not clear; recent data shows that 10-20% of the cases are found in children under 15 years old. ...In 2017, 1 million children developed the disease, of which 9% were co-infected with HIV.
A cross-sectional study that analyzed 48 children diagnosed with HIV-infection in Guadalajara, Mexico. The tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT) were performed and compared to diagnose latent TB infection (LTBI).
The average age was 9 years old (± 4), with an age range of 1-16 years; the 6-12-year-old group predominated with 50% of cases. 27 patients (56%) were male; 83% had received the BCG vaccination and 23% had a history of being contacts of TB cases. In the study, 40 patients (83%) were without immunosuppression; seven (15%) with moderate immunosuppression, and only one patient had severe immunodeficiency. Overall, 3 of the 48 children (6.2%) had a positive TST, while 8 out of 48 (16.6%) had a positive QFT. The concordance between the two tests was 89.6% (43/48) with Kappa = 0.5 (95% CI, 0.14-0.85).
The QFT test represents an opportunity in the diagnosis of LTBI, particularly in pediatric HIV- patients. This is the first study that compares the two tests (TST and QFT) in children with HIV-infection in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In this work, the adsorption and orientation on gold nanoparticles (AuNps) of a new family of cruciform systems consisting of thiophene rings and imino groups were studied. The structural ...modification and its influence on the adsorbate‐substrate interaction were evaluated by UV–Vis spectroscopy and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). The absence of SERS spectrum for (N,N′‐bis(4‐(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)‐2,5‐di (thiophene‐2‐yl)‐1,4‐diaminobenzene) CFF shows that the inclusion of a trifluoromethyl group (‐CF3) on the benzylidene fragment limits the interaction of the CFF system with the gold substrate, in contrast, to that obtained for (N, N′‐dibenzylidene‐2,5‐di (thiophene‐2‐yl) ‐1,4‐diaminobenzene) 2‐CF and (N, N′‐bis (4‐methoxybenzylidene) ‐2,5‐di (thiophene‐2yl) ‐1,4‐diaminobenzene) CMF, where the adsorption took place preferentially through the thiophene rings, resulting in partial quinoidization. On the other hand, the interaction for compound (N, N′‐bis (4‐methylenepyridinyl) ‐2,5‐di (thiophene‐2‐yl) ‐1,4‐diaminobenzene) CPy with the surface was conducted by means of the pyridinic fragments. The systematic modification of the bifunctional cruciform systems, with groups of different nature, makes it possible to rationalize the structural aspects that directly influence the adsorbate‐substrate interaction and molecular orientation on gold substrates. These structural parameters are the basis to the development of stable molecular assemblies, which can act as basic building blocks in the manufacture of molecular switches.
The adsorption and orientation of a new family of cruciform systems were evaluated by Surface Amplified Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). In this sense, the structural modifications allowed modulating the substrate‐adsorbate interaction center, affinity, and preferential orientation of the adsorbates with respect to the gold nanoparticles.
In this work, the adsorption of a type of cruciform system integrated by an anthracene central part and two side chains with a pyridine‐vinyl structure (DPAC) was studied on plasmonic nanoparticles ...of silver and gold. The adsorption was investigated by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, which reveals very valuable information about both the interaction mechanism and the molecular orientation. The highest Raman enhancement was measured on Ag nanostars due to the combination of gaps and tips in these nanostructures. The changes observed in the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectra indicate that the adsorption of DPAC on the metal is bifunctional in the case of Ag and Au nanoparticles. Considering that the Raman signals enhancement is several orders of magnitude higher in gaps in relation to regions out of these areas, it is estimated that the enhancement ability of DPAC in Ag nanostars is so high that it allows the detection of a concentration close to pM.
In this work, we study the adsorption of a type of cruciform system integrated by an anthracene central part and two side chains with a pyridine‐vinyl structure (DPAC) on plasmonic nanoparticles of silver and gold by SERS. The highest Raman enhancement was measured on Ag nanostars due to the combination of gaps and tips in these nanostructures. SERS spectra indicate that the adsorption of DPAC on the metal is bifunctional in the case of Ag and Au nanoparticles.
In this study, the behavior of carbon steel and galvanized steel in nontropical coastal marine environments was evaluated. Evaluation was carried out with specimens with dimensions of 10 cm × 10 cm × ...0.3 cm. These specimens were exposed to four testing stations (Iquique, Mejillones, Los Vilos, and San Vicente), where racks were installed both at ground level (ground), as well as in the upper zone of electrical transmission towers (tower). In each station, 24 specimens of A36 carbon steel and galvanized steel were placed (12 each). The corrosivity of the environment was measured using the ISO 9223, 9225, and 9226 standards. The specimens were evaluated on‐site, monthly, through visual inspection and photographic record. Once withdrawn, the corrosion rate was determined and the corrosion products were analyzed through Raman and Fourier‐transform infrared. The results show that, in all cases, the corrosion rate is greater in the tower than on the ground. However, even though the Los Vilos station is located farther from the sea (3,500 vs. ≈500 m), the corrosion rate of steel in the tower is the highest. This is caused by the generation of HCl from the transformation of lepidocrocite into goethite, in the presence of low chloride content, which acidifies the steel/corrosion product interface. In the case of galvanized steel, the corrosion rate is a function of the chloride content in the atmosphere, obtaining an excellent correlation between both parameters.
The behavior of carbon steel and galvanized steel was evaluated in nontropical coastal marine environments, in four testing stations installed in electrical transmission towers, both at the ground level and in the upper zone of the tower. The results show the effect of height on the corrosion rate of both materials, being higher in the tower than on the ground.
Atmospheric corrosion of copper, exposed on a tropical island in the South-Central Pacific Ocean, was reported and compared with those of a very similar study at the same site conducted 20 years ...earlier. The new measurements—taken over three years of exposure, from 2010 to 2013—quantified corrosion by mass loss, characterized corrosion products by X-ray diffraction (DRX) and Raman techniques, observed the attack morphology by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and evaluated the patina resistance using electrochemical techniques. The results showed a copper corrosivity category of C4, and the main copper patina compound, cuprite, was porous, nonhomogeneous, and thin. Electrochemical measurements showed cuprite layer growth as a function of the exposure time, and the morphology did not favor corrosion protection. Finally, when comparing the results to those of a study 22 years previous, the copper corrosion rates increased only slightly, even with increased contaminants associated with growing local populations and continuous tourism on the island.
Nowadays, antimicrobial resistance is a serious concern associated with the reduced efficacy of traditional antibiotics and an increased health burden worldwide. In response to this challenge, the ...scientific community is developing a new generation of antibacterial molecules. Contributing to this effort, and inspired by the resveratrol structure, five new resveratrol-dimers (9a−9e) and one resveratrol-monomer (10a) were synthetized using 2,5-dibromo-1,4-diaminobenzene (8) as the core compound for Schiff base bridge conformation. These compounds were evaluated in vitro against pathogenic clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus sp., and Listeria monocytogenes. Antibacterial activity measurements of resveratrol-Schiff base derivatives (9a−9e) and their precursors (4−8) showed high selectivity against Listeria monocytogenes, being 2.5 and 13.7 times more potent than chloramphenicol, while resveratrol showed an EC50 > 320 µg/mL on the same model. Moreover, a prospective mechanism of action for these compounds against L. monocytogenes strains was proposed using molecular docking analysis, finding a plausible inhibition of internalin C (InlC), a surface protein relevant in bacteria−host interaction. These results would allow for the future development of new molecules for listeriosis treatment based on compound 8.
A new methodology to analyze two-component molecular tagging velocimetry image pairs is presented. Velocity measurements with high spatial resolution are achieved by determining grid displacements at ...the intersections as well as along the grid lines using a multivariate adaptive regression splines parameterization along the segments connecting adjacent grid intersections. The methodology can detect the orientation of the grid, contains redundant steps for increased reliability, and handles cases where parts of the grid are missing, indicating potential for automation. Initial demonstration of the algorithm's performance was illustrated using synthetic data sets derived from Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations and compared to Hough-transform and cross-correlation methodologies. Besides providing comparable results in terms of precision and accuracy to previously reported methodologies, the analysis of images by the proposed methodology results in significantly increased spatial resolution of the flow displacement determinations along the grid lines with comparable precision and accuracy. This methodology's ability to handle different grid orientations without modifications was assessed using synthetic datasets with grids formed by sets of parallel lines at 90, 45, and 30 degrees from the vertical axis. Comparable results in terms of precision and accuracy were obtained across grid orientations, with all uncertainties below 0.1 pixel for images with signal-to-noise levels exceeding 5, and within 0.5 pixel for the noisiest image sets.
Display omitted
•The adsorbate–substrate interaction is conducted through the pyridine rings.•The change in aggregation mechanisms of the gold nanoparticles depends of the modifies in molecular ...structure.•Interaction of the pyridinic ring with the surface induce a large reorganization of charge.
In this work, was studied the adsorption and orientation of three dipyridinic derivatives 9,10-bis-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)anthracene (DPAC), 1,4-bis-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)naphthalene (DPNA-T) and 2,6-bis-((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)naphthalene (DPNA-L) on gold nanoparticles, using Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Systematic modification in the shapes of the bifunctional systems (Cross-shape, T-shape and Linear-shape) shows changes significant in the preferential orientation of these analytes on the nanostructured gold surface. Additional data from UV–vis measurements and TEM images are in agreement with the Reaction Limited Colloid Aggregation (RLCA) mechanisms for DPAC and DPNA-T and Diffusion Limited Colloid Aggregation (DLCA) mechanisms for DPNA-L, showing that for the same analyte concentration, the aggregation mechanism depends on the molecular shape. These results allow us to rationalize the fundamental aspects involved in the development of devices based on plasmonic resonance with potential applications in the field of molecular electronics.