SummaryBackground and aimsEarly detection of dysphagia is crucial in stroke patients as a result of increased morbidity and mortality due to malnutrition and respiratory tract infections. The aim of ...this study was to identify possible predictors of the onset of dysphagia following stroke in order to be able to act precociously. MethodsObservational, prospective study in which a Volume-Viscosity Swallow Test (V-VST) was carried out in the first 72 h following admission to assess dysphagia in acute stroke patients with a previous result of <3 in the Eating Assessment Tool-10. Lesions were analysed by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance, using the ABC/2 formula to calculate their volume. Likewise, 3-month follow-up was carried out for the evaluation of the occurrence of respiratory tract infections and deaths. ResultsOut of 106 patients admitted for acute stroke, 60 (56.60%) presented dysphagia (44.40% showing alterations in the effectiveness of swallowing and 33.30% in its safety). The factors that were related to dysphagia were: older age (76.40 ± 11.50 vs 66.37 ± 13.85 years, p = 0.0001), stroke severity as measured on the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (6.81 ± 5.83 vs 3.38 ± 3.46, p = 0.001) and greater volume of the lesion (23.47 ± 47.15 vs 7.50 ± 14.53 ml, p = 0.042). The variables that were influenced by a greater lesion size were the presence of cough, oxygen desaturation and impaired labial seal. Dysphagia was not affected by the lateralization of the lesion or by the type of stroke (ischaemic/haemorrhagic). Despite the fact that 68.80% of the patients with a temporoparietal lesion presented dysphagia, no significant differences were observed regarding the location of the lesion in the regions studied. 27.3% of the patients with frontal lesions presented respiratory infections after discharge (p = 0.018), a condition which was also observed in 20.0% of patients with dysphagia (p = 0.044). Mortality during the 3-month follow-up period was 20.0% for patients with a positive V-VST (p = 0.005), due to respiratory infection in 66.6% of the cases (p = 0.0001). ConclusionsPost-stroke dysphagia was associated with the occurrence of respiratory tract infection and mortality. Our study also provides more information about how certain demographic and clinical factors, as well as neuroimaging patterns, influence dysphagia. This fact may help to identify at an early stage those patients with a greater risk of developing swallowing alterations.
Severe asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic: Clinical observations Haroun-Díaz, Elisa; Vázquez de la Torre, María; Ruano, Francisco Javier ...
The journal of allergy and clinical immunology in practice (Cambridge, MA),
09/2020, Letnik:
8, Številka:
8
Journal Article
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), transgenic mouse models have established links between abnormalities in the retina and those in the brain. APPNL-F/NL-F is a murine, humanized AD model that replicates ...several pathological features observed in patients with AD. Research has focused on obtaining quantitative parameters from optical coherence tomography (OCT) in AD. The aim of this study was to analyze, in a transversal case-control study using manual retinal segmentation via SD-OCT, the changes occurring in the retinal layers of the APPNL/F-NF/L AD model in comparison to C57BL/6J mice (WT) at 6, 9, 12, 15, 17, and 20 months of age. The analysis focused on retinal thickness in RNFL-GCL, IPL, INL, OPL, and ONL based on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) sectors. Both APPNL-F/NL-F-model and WT animals exhibited thickness changes at the time points studied. While WT showed significant changes in INL, OPL, and ONL, the AD model showed changes in all retinal layers analyzed. The APPNL-F/NL-F displayed significant thickness variations in the analyzed layers except for the IPL compared to related WT. These thickness changes closely resembled those found in humans during preclinical stages, as well as during mild and moderate AD stages, making this AD model behave more similarly to the disease in humans.
Aging is the main risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, which have become a global concern as the world population ages. These diseases and the aging process are exacerbated in ...Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS or progeria). Here, we evaluated the cardiometabolic disease in animal models of premature and normal aging with the aim of identifying alterations that are shared or specific to each condition. Despite differences in body composition and metabolic markers, prematurely and normally aging mice developed heart failure and similar cardiac electrical abnormalities. High‐throughput proteomics of the hearts of progeric and normally aged mice revealed altered protein oxidation and glycation, as well as dysregulated pathways regulating energy metabolism, proteostasis, gene expression, and cardiac muscle contraction. These results were corroborated in the hearts of progeric pigs, underscoring the translational potential of our findings, which could help in the design of strategies to prevent or slow age‐related cardiometabolic disease.
We have evaluated cardiac and metabolic disease in animal models of aging. Despite differences in body composition, progeric and normally aged mice developed heart failure and similar cardiac electrical alterations. High‐throughput proteomics of the hearts of these animals revealed dysregulation of energy metabolism, proteostasis, gene expression, and cardiac contraction pathways. These results were corroborated in progeric pigs, underscoring the translational potential of our findings.
Outcomes are poorer in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with BRAF V600E mutations than those without it, but the effect of these mutations on treatment response is unclear. This ...real-world study assessed the effects of antiangiogenic-based treatment and systemic inflammatory factors on outcomes in patients with BRAF V600-mutated mCRC.
This real-world, multicenter, retrospective, observational study included patients with BRAF V600-mutated mCRC treated in eight hospitals in Spain. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS); overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were also assessed. The effect of first- and second-line treatment type on OS, PFS, ORR, and DCR were evaluated, plus the impact of systemic inflammatory markers on these outcomes. A systemic inflammation score (SIS) of 1-3 was assigned based on one point each for platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ≥200, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥3, and serum albumin < 3.6 g/dL.
Of 72 patients, data from 64 were analyzed. After a median of 69.1 months, median OS was 11.9 months and median first-line PFS was 4.4 months. First-line treatment was triplet chemotherapy-antiangiogenic (12.5%), doublet chemotherapy-antiangiogenic (47.2%), doublet chemotherapy-anti-EGFR (11.1%), or doublet chemotherapy (18.1%). Although first-line treatment showed no significant effect on OS, antiangiogenic-based regimens were associated with prolonged median PFS versus non-antiangiogenic regimens. Negative predictors of survival with antiangiogenic-based treatment were NLR, serum albumin, and SIS 1-3, but not PLR. Patients with SIS 1-3 showed significantly prolonged PFS with antiangiogenic-based treatment versus non-antiangiogenic-based treatment, while those with SIS=0 showed no PFS benefit.
Antiangiogenic-based regimens, SIS, NLR, and albumin were predictors of survival in patients with mCRC, while SIS, NLR and serum albumin may predict response to antiangiogenic-based chemotherapy.
GIT-BRAF-2017-01.
At the end of 2019, the world was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in dire repercussions of unimaginable proportions. From the beginning, the international scientific community ...employed several strategies to tackle the spread of this disease. Most notably, these consisted of the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and the discovery of antiviral agents through the repositioning of already known drugs with methods such as de novo design. Previously, methylthiomorphic compounds, designed by our group as antihypertensive agents, have been shown to display an affinity with the ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme) receptor, a key mechanism required for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) entry into target cells. Therefore, the objective of this work consists of evaluating, in silico, the inhibitory activity of these compounds between the ACE2 receptor and the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Supported by the advances of different research groups on the structure of the coronavirus spike and the interaction of the latter with its receptor, ACE2, we carried out a computational study that examined the effect of in-house designed compounds on the inhibition of said interaction. Our results indicate that the polyphenol LQM322 is one of the candidates that should be considered as a possible anti-COVID-19 agent.
Ferric chloride solutions are used as coagulants or flocculants in water treatment operations for human consumption. This treatment produces large amounts of clay-type solids formed mainly of ...montmorillonite with iron oxides and humic substances. This ferric sludge can be used as an efficient catalyst for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by total oxidation. This waste isolated in the purification process has been activated by calcinations in air, characterized by several physicochemical techniques and employed as a catalyst for the removal by total oxidation of representative VOCs: toluene, propane and mixtures of toluene/propane with or without water. This ferric sludge has shown a catalytic activity one order of magnitude higher than that of a commercial iron oxide. This high activity has been related to the composition of the sludge (as it contains active metal oxides such as oxides of iron and manganese) and to the porous structure (leading to a reasonably high surface area). Moreover, it can be also used as a support for platinum, showing comparable (or even higher) catalytic activity than a similar platinum catalyst supported on conventional γ-alumina. This work presents a double environmental perspective since the material employed as a catalyst is a waste sludge and the catalytic reaction studied deals about the elimination of pollutants.
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•Sludge from the purification of water is useful as catalyst and support.•Sludge activates representative VOCs at moderate temperatures and is stable.•Pt supported on the sludge is highly active and stable for VOC total oxidation.•Pt/sludge presents higher reactivity than Pt/alumina.
A Nb‐containing siliceous porous clay heterostructure (PCH) with Nb contents from 0 to 30 wt %) was prepared from a bentonite and used as support in the preparation of supported NiO catalysts with ...NiO loading from 15 to 80 wt %. Supports and NiO‐containing catalysts were characterised by several physicochemical techniques and tested in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane. The characterisation studies on Nb‐containing supports showed the presence of well‐anchored Nb5+ species without the formation of Nb2O5 crystals. High dispersion of nickel oxide with low crystallinity was observed for the Nb‐containing PCH supports. In addition, when NiO is supported on these Nb‐containing porous clays, it is more effective in the ODH of ethane (ethylene selectivity of ca. 90 %) than NiO supported on the corresponding Nb‐free siliceous PCH or on Nb2O5 (ethylene selectivities of ca. 30 and 60 %, respectively). Factors such as the NiO–Nb5+ interaction, the NiO particle size and the properties of surface Nin+ species were shown to determine the catalytic performance.
Pillared support: NiO supported on a Nb‐containing porous clay heterostructure (PCH) shows outstanding catalytic properties in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ca. 90 % selectivity to ethylene). Controlling the chemical nature of Nb5+ species on the PCH is the key factor to achieve an effective NiO–support interaction.
As current levels of antimicrobial resistance are alarming, the World Health Organization urged the development of new antimicrobials to fight infections produced by multidrug resistant bacteria. ...Antibiotics impose severe selective pressure for the development of resistance, and currently bacteria resistant to all of them exist. In this review, we discuss the release and development of new antibacterial drugs and their properties as well as the current advances in the development of alternative approaches to combat bacterial infections, including the repurposing of drugs, anti-virulence therapies, the use of photosensitizers, phage therapy, and immunotherapies, with an emphasis on what is currently known about the possible development of bacterial resistance against them.
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