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•UV filters levels in beach waters of Gran Canaria Island have been monitored.•Highest levels were obtained for BP-3, BMDBM and OC UV filters.•First time that DHHB levels are reported ...in coastal waters.•Higher UV-filters levels were found in “semi-enclosed” beaches compared to open beaches.•A preliminary risk assessment approach was applied for BP-3, 4-MBC and EHMC.
Due to the growing concern about human health effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the use of UV filters has increased in recent decades. Unfortunately, some common UV filters are bioaccumulated in aquatic organisms and show a potential for estrogenic activity. The aim of the present study is to determine the presence of some UV filters in the coastal waters of six beaches around Gran Canaria Island as consequence of recreational seaside activities. Eight commonly used UV filters: benzophenone-3 (BP-3), octocrylene (OC), octyl-dimethyl-PABA (OD-PABA), ethylhexyl methoxy cinnamate (EHMC), homosalate (HMS), butyl methoxydibenzoyl methane (BMDBM), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) and diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (DHHB), were monitored and, with the exception of OD-PABA, all were detected in the samples collected. 99% of the samples showed some UV filters and concentration levels reached up to 3316.7ng/L for BP-3. Environmental risk assessment (ERA) approach showed risk quotients (RQ) higher than 10, which means that there is a significant potential for adverse effects, for 4-MBC and EHMC for those samples with highest levels of UV filters.
The response of many biomedical systems can be modelled using a linear combination of damped exponential functions. The approximation parameters, based on equally spaced samples, can be obtained ...using Prony's method and its variants (e.g. the matrix pencil method). This paper provides a tutorial on the main polynomial Prony and matrix pencil methods and their implementation in MATLAB and analyses how they perform with synthetic and multifocal visual-evoked potential (mfVEP) signals. This paper briefly describes the theoretical basis of four polynomial Prony approximation methods: classic, least squares (LS), total least squares (TLS) and matrix pencil method (MPM). In each of these cases, implementation uses general MATLAB functions. The features of the various options are tested by approximating a set of synthetic mathematical functions and evaluating filtering performance in the Prony domain when applied to mfVEP signals to improve diagnosis of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The code implemented does not achieve 100%-correct signal approximation and, of the methods tested, LS and MPM perform best. When filtering mfVEP records in the Prony domain, the value of the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve is 0.7055 compared with 0.6538 obtained with the usual filtering method used for this type of signal (discrete Fourier transform low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency of 35 Hz).
This paper reviews Prony's method in relation to signal filtering and approximation, provides the MATLAB code needed to implement the classic, LS, TLS and MPM methods, and tests their performance in biomedical signal filtering and function approximation. It emphasizes the importance of improving the computational methods used to implement the various methods described above.
We report how the presence of electron-beam-induced sulfur vacancies affects first-order Raman modes and correlate the effects with the evolution of the in situ transmission-electron microscopy ...two-terminal conductivity of monolayer MoS2 under electron irradiation. We observe a red-shift in the E′ Raman peak and a less pronounced blue-shift in the A′1 peak with increasing electron dose. Using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and selected-area electron diffraction, we show that irradiation causes partial removal of sulfur and correlate the dependence of the Raman peak shifts with S vacancy density (a few %). This allows us to quantitatively correlate the frequency shifts with vacancy concentration, as rationalized by first-principles density functional theory calculations. In situ device current measurements show an exponential decrease in channel current upon irradiation. Our analysis demonstrates that the observed frequency shifts are intrinsic properties of the defective systems and that Raman spectroscopy can be used as a quantitative diagnostic tool to characterize MoS2-based transport channels.
Titanium implant surface etching has proven an effective method to enhance cell attachment. Despite the frequent use of hydrofluoric (HF) acid, many questions remain unresolved, including the optimal ...etching time and its effect on surface and biological properties. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of HF acid etching time on Ti topography, surface chemistry, wettability, and cell adhesion. These data are useful to design improved acid treatment and obtain an improved cell response. The surface topography, chemistry, dynamic wetting, and cell adhesiveness of polished Ti surfaces were evaluated after treatment with HF acid solution for 0, 2; 3, 5, 7, or 10 min, revealing a time-dependent effect of HF acid on their topography, chemistry, and wetting. Roughness and wetting increased with longer etching time except at 10 min, when roughness increased but wetness decreased. Skewness became negative after etching and kurtosis tended to 3 with longer etching time. Highest cell adhesion was achieved after 5-7 min of etching time. Wetting and cell adhesion were reduced on the highly rough surfaces obtained after 10-min etching time.
•Maize responses to heat were monitored over three years under a wide range of temperatures.•Maize phenology was well captured with the simplified beta function.•Heat stress did not cause silking ...delay in relation to anthesis in the range of temperatures considered.•Maize yield is reduced under heat stress mainly via pollen viability and via a smaller effect of the female component.•Additional field experiments with a range of temperatures that assure optimum temperature being overpassed are needed.
Heat stress is a main threat to current and future global maize production. Adaptation of maize to future warmer conditions requires improving our understanding of crop responses to elevated temperatures. For this purpose, the same short-season (FAO 300) maize hybrid PR37N01 was grown over three years of field experiments on three contrasting Spanish locations in terms of temperature regime. The information complemented three years of greenhouse experiments with the same hybrid, applying heat treatments at various critical moments of the crop cycle. Crop phenology, growth, grain yield, and yield components were monitored. An optimized beta function improved the calculation of thermal time compared to the linear-cutoff estimator with base and optimum temperatures of 8 and 34°C, respectively. Our results showed that warmer temperatures accelerate development rate resulting in shorter vegetative and reproductive phases (ca. 30days for the whole cycle). Heat stress did not cause silking delay in relation to anthesis (extended anthesis-silking interval), at least in the range of temperatures (maximum temperature up to 42.9°C in the field and up to 52.5°C in the greenhouse) considered in this study. Our results indicated that maize grain yield is reduced under heat stress mainly via pollen viability that in turn determines kernel number, although a smaller but significant effect of the female component has been also detected.
We report that crystalline 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA), an organic solid, is highly amenable to host divalent metal ions, i.e., Mg2+ and Ca2+, in aqueous electrolytes, where ...the van der Waals structure is intrinsically superior in hosting charge-dense ions. We observe that the divalent nature of Mg2+ causes unique squeezing deformation of the electrode structure, where it contracts and expands in different crystallographic directions when hosting the inserted Mg-ions. This phenomenon is revealed experimentally by ex situ X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, and is investigated theoretically by first-principles calculations. Interestingly, hosting one Mg2+ ion requires the coordination from three PTCDA molecules in adjacent columns of stacked molecules, which rotates the columns, thus reducing the (011) spacing but increasing the (021) spacing. We demonstrate that a PTCDA Mg-ion electrode delivers a reversible capacity of 125 mA h g–1, which may include a minor contribution of hydronium storage, a good rate capability by retaining 75 mA h g–1 at 500 mA g–1 (or 3.7 C), and a stable cycle life. We also report Ca2+ storage in PTCDA, where a reversible capacity of over 80 mA h g–1 is delivered.
Retrospective data suggest better outcomes for patients with double hormonal receptor (oestrogen ER and progesterone receptor PgR)–positive (dHR+) early breast cancer, compared with single hormonal ...receptor–positive, sHR+, (ER+/PgR– or ER–/PgR+) disease. Here, we evaluate the classification according to intrinsic subtypes and clinical outcomes of sHR+ versus dHR+ in HER2-negative breast cancer patients enrolled in GEICAM/9906 study (NCT00129922).
Archival tumours were retrieved retrospectively for the analysis of ER, PgR and HER2 status and classified into intrinsic subtypes using the PAM50 gene expression assay. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were explored using a Cox proportional hazard analysis.
Data on intrinsic subtypes were available in 571 (50%) patients with ER+ and/or PR+, and HER2-negative primary tumours. The incidence of luminal A and luminal B subtypes were 52%/36% in dHR+ tumours (ER+/PgR+), and 15%/58% in ER+/PgR–tumours. ER–/PgR+ tumours were mainly luminal A (52%). Compared with ER+/PgR+ patients, DFS was similar in ER–/PgR+ (hazard ratio HR 1.15, 95% confidence interval CI 0.57–2.34, p = 0.70) but worse in ER+/PgR– patients (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.12–2.28, p < 0.01). Similar results were observed for OS (HR 1.50, p = 0.30 and HR 1.86, p < 0.01, respectively).
The ER+/PgR– group is characterised by higher proliferation and worse outcomes. In spite of the ER–/PgR+ subgroup resembles ER+/PgR+ disease in terms of molecular subtypes and outcomes, the small number of patients in this subgroup prevents from drawing any conclusions.
EudraCT: 2005-003108-12 (retrospectively registered 28/06/2005).
NCT00129922 (retrospectively registered 10/08/2005).
•Oestrogen and progesterone receptor (ER+/PgR)–breast cancers are mainly luminal B or HER-2 enriched.•The luminal A subtype is predominant in ER+/PgR+ and ER–/PgR+ breast cancers.•Absence of PgR expression provided higher risk of recurrence and decreased survival.
Background and Purpose
Immunomodulatory tetracyclines are well‐characterized drugs with a pharmacological potential beyond their antibiotic properties. Specifically, minocycline and doxycycline have ...shown beneficial effects in experimental colitis, although pro‐inflammatory actions have also been described in macrophages. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the mechanism behind their effect in acute intestinal inflammation.
Experimental Approach
A comparative pharmacological study was initially used to elucidate the most relevant actions of immunomodulatory tetracyclines: doxycycline, minocycline and tigecycline; other antibiotic or immunomodulatory drugs were assessed in bone marrow‐derived macrophages and in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐induced mouse colitis, where different barrier markers, inflammatory mediators, microRNAs, TLRs, and the gut microbiota composition were evaluated. The sequential immune events that mediate the intestinal anti‐inflammatory effect of minocycline in DSS‐colitis were then characterized.
Key Results
Novel immunomodulatory activity of tetracyclines was identifed; they potentiated the innate immune response and enhanced resolution of inflammation. This is also the first report describing the intestinal anti‐inflammatory effect of tigecycline. A minor therapeutic benefit seems to derive from their antibiotic properties. Conversely, immunomodulatory tetracyclines potentiated macrophage cytokine release in vitro, and while improving mucosal recovery in colitic mice, they up‐regulated Ccl2, miR‐142, miR‐375 and Tlr4. In particular, minocycline initially enhanced IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐22, GM‐CSF and IL‐4 colonic production and monocyte recruitment to the intestine, subsequently increasing Ly6C−MHCII+ macrophages, Tregs and type 2 intestinal immune responses.
Conclusions and Implications
Immunomodulatory tetracyclines potentiate protective immune pathways leading to mucosal healing and resolution, representing a promising drug reposition strategy for the treatment of intestinal inflammation.
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