In this work, a SiO2-TiO2 coating, composed of different numbers of TiO2 and SiO2 layers, was fabricated by a spray-coating technique. The films were deposited onto ignimbrite rock and divided into ...two groups according to the number of SiO2 layers applied, 10 and 15 layers of SiO2 and 5 layers of TiO2 for each group. The morphology and chemical composition of the synthesized samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), which reveal the successful SiO2-TiO2 coating on ignimbrite. The photocatalytic activities of samples obtained were evaluated toward the decomposition of 3 ppm of methyl orange (MO). Finally, NOx gas degradation was studied. The obtained results evidenced that the SiO2 and TiO2 coating improved the photocatalytic activity of ignimbrite.
is a metastrongyloid nematode and the etiologic agent of angiostrongyliasis, a disease characterized by eosinophilic meningitis. This emerging zoonotic parasite has undergone great expansion, ...including in some regions of Europe and America. In the Canary Islands, the parasite was first discovered parasitizing
on the island of Tenerife in 2010. To date, the distribution of this parasite in the Canary Islands has been restricted to the northern zone and the main cities of Tenerife. Using molecular tools for the sentinel species present in the Canary Islands, this study confirmed the presence of the nematode on two other islands in the Canary Archipelago: La Gomera and Gran Canaria. Furthermore, this emerging parasite was detected, besides in the common definitive host
, in wild
and
and in four terrestrial gastropod species,
, and
, two of them endemic to La Gomera, for the first time, increasing the number of non-definitive host species. This study reinforces the expansion character of
and highlights the importance of knowledge about sentinel species for identifying new transmission locations that help prevent and control the transmission of the parasite and, thus, prevent public health problems.
The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Schoolchildren (PAQS) was developed for the national surveillance of physical activity (PA) in the adolescent school population of Peru, considering the ...guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The study aimed to design and confirm the reliability and validity of the Peruvian PAQS for 12 to 17 year-olds. The reliability and validity process involved 1576 adolescent schoolchildren (812 males and 764 females) between 12 and 17 years old belonging to three natural regions of Peru (coast, jungle and highlands). The results showed adequate test-retest reliability (mean daily PA time = .865; mean daily school activities PA time = .829; mean daily free time PA time = .841), except for mean daily PA time in transportation to and from school (.686), where reliability was very close to acceptable (≥ .70). In relation to content validity, optimal values of concordance (Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio = 1.00) and agreement (Fleiss Kappa Validity = .82 to 1.00) between judges were found. And in the concurrent, a very large significant relationship was found (PAQS and PACE in the last week r = .779, p-value = .000; PAQS and PACE in a usual week r = .749, p-value = .000. Reliability and validity results confirmed that the PAQS is suitable and acceptable for measuring PA of adolescent schoolchildren aged 12 to 17 years according to WHO guidelines.
El Cuestionario de Actividad Física para Escolares (CAFE) se desarrolló para la vigilancia nacional de la actividad física (AF) de la población escolar adolescente del Perú, considerando las directrices de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). El estudio tuvo como objetivo diseñar y confirmar la fiabilidad y validez del CAFE peruanos de 12 a 17 años. El proceso de fiabilidad y validez involucró 1576 escolares adolescentes (812 hombres y 764 mujeres) entre 12 y 17 años pertenecientes a tres regiones naturales del Perú (costa, selva y sierra). Los resultados mostraron una fiabilidad de test-retest adecuada (tiempo de AF diario promedio = .865; tiempo de AF en actividades del colegio diario promedio = .829; tiempo de AF en tiempo libre diario promedio = .841), excepto en el tiempo de AF en transporte para ir y retornar del colegio diario promedio (.686), donde se obtuvo una fiabilidad muy próxima al aceptable (≥ .70). En relación con la validez, en la de contenido, se encontraron valores óptimos de concordancia (Razón de Validez de Contenido de Lawshe = 1.00) y acuerdo (Validez de Kappa de Fleiss = .82 a 1.00) entre jueces. Y en la concurrente, se encontró una relación significativa muy grande (CAFE y PACE en la última semana r = .779, p-valor = .000; CAFE y PACE en una semana habitual r = .749, p-valor = .000. Los resultados de fiabilidad y validez confirmaron que el CAFE es adecuado y aceptable para medir la AF de escolares adolescentes de 12 a 17 años según las directrices de la OMS.
The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Schoolchildren (PAQS) was developed for the national surveillance of physical activity (PA) in the adolescent school population of Peru, considering the ...guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The study aimed to design and confirm the reliability and validity of the Peruvian PAQS for 12 to 17 year-olds. The reliability and validity process involved 1576 adolescent schoolchildren (812 males and 764 females) between 12 and 17 years old belonging to three natural regions of Peru (coast, jungle and highlands). The results showed adequate test-retest reliability (mean daily PA time = .865; mean daily school activities PA time = .829; mean daily free time PA time = .841), except for mean daily PA time in transportation to and from school (.686), where reliability was very close to acceptable (≥ .70). In relation to content validity, optimal values of concordance (Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio = 1.00) and agreement (Fleiss Kappa Validity = .82 to 1.00) between judges were found. And in the concurrent, a very large significant relationship was found (PAQS and PACE in the last week r = .779, p-value = .000; PAQS and PACE in a usual week r = .749, p-value = .000. Reliability and validity results confirmed that the PAQS is suitable and acceptable for measuring PA of adolescent schoolchildren aged 12 to 17 years according to WHO guidelines.
El Cuestionario de Actividad Física para Escolares (CAFE) se desarrolló para la vigilancia nacional de la actividad física (AF) de la población escolar adolescente del Perú, considerando las ...directrices de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). El estudio tuvo como objetivo diseñar y confirmar la fiabilidad y validez del CAFE peruanos de 12 a 17 años. El proceso de fiabilidad y validez involucró 1576 escolares adolescentes (812 hombres y 764 mujeres) entre 12 y 17 años pertenecientes a tres regiones naturales del Perú (costa, selva y sierra). Los resultados mostraron una fiabilidad de test-retest adecuada (tiempo de AF diario promedio = .865; tiempo de AF en actividades del colegio diario promedio = .829; tiempo de AF en tiempo libre diario promedio = .841), excepto en el tiempo de AF en transporte para ir y retornar del colegio diario promedio (.686), donde se obtuvo una fiabilidad muy próxima al aceptable (≥ .70). En relación con la validez, en la de contenido, se encontraron valores óptimos de concordancia (Razón de Validez de Contenido de Lawshe = 1.00) y acuerdo (Validez de Kappa de Fleiss = .82 a 1.00) entre jueces. Y en la concurrente, se encontró una relación significativa muy grande (CAFE y PACE en la última semana r = .779, p-valor = .000; CAFE y PACE en una semana habitual r = .749, p-valor = .000. Los resultados de fiabilidad y validez confirmaron que el CAFE es adecuado y aceptable para medir la AF de escolares adolescentes de 12 a 17 años según las directrices de la OMS.
Palabras clave: actividad física; vigilancia; cuestionario; escolares adolescentes; Organización Mundial de la Salud.
Abstract. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Schoolchildren (PAQS) was developed for the national surveillance of physical activity (PA) in the adolescent school population of Peru, considering the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The study aimed to design and confirm the reliability and validity of the Peruvian PAQS for 12 to 17 year-olds. The reliability and validity process involved 1576 adolescent schoolchildren (812 males and 764 females) between 12 and 17 years old belonging to three natural regions of Peru (coast, jungle and highlands). The results showed adequate test-retest reliability (mean daily PA time = .865; mean daily school activities PA time = .829; mean daily free time PA time = .841), except for mean daily PA time in transportation to and from school (.686), where reliability was very close to acceptable (≥ .70). In relation to content validity, optimal values of concordance (Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio = 1.00) and agreement (Fleiss Kappa Validity = .82 to 1.00) between judges were found. And in the concurrent, a very large significant relationship was found (PAQS and PACE in the last week r = .779, p-value = .000; PAQS and PACE in a usual week r = .749, p-value = .000. Reliability and validity results confirmed that the PAQS is suitable and acceptable for measuring PA of adolescent schoolchildren aged 12 to 17 years according to WHO guidelines.
Keywords: physical activity; surveillance; questionnaire; adolescent schoolchildren; World Health Organization.
•Routine echocardiographic evaluation must be mandatory in patients with COVID-19 infection.•The presence of refractory hypoxemia and/or hypotension should raise the suspicion of right ventricle ...failure and must be evaluated with transthoracic echocardiogram.•In the clinical scenario of acute right ventricular failure, rising D-dimer and suspected pulmonary embolism, thrombolysis must be considered even without tomographic confirmation.
Severe forms of COVID-19 infection are associated with the need for invasive mechanical ventilation and thromboembolic complications; those can affect the cardiac function especially the right ventricle performance. Critical care echocardiography has rapidly evolved as the election technique in the evaluation of the critically ill patients. This technique has the advantage that it can be done at patient´s bedside and helps to provide the appropriate treatment and to monitoring maneuver's response. We present 4 patients with a confirmed COVID-19 infection who presented with sudden hemodynamic and / or respiratory deterioration, in which transthoracic echocardiogram showed acute right ventricular failure as the trigger for the event and helped to guide an early therapeutic intervention.
<Learning objective: Routine echocardiographic evaluation must be mandatory in patients with COVID-19 infection. The presence of refractory hypoxemia and/or hypotension should raise the suspicion of right ventricle failure and must be evaluated with transthoracic echocardiogram. In the clinical scenario of acute right ventricular failure, rising D-dimer and suspected pulmonary embolism, thrombolysis must be considered even without tomographic confirmation.>
Lung parasitosis in cats can be asymptomatic or produce a variety of symptoms ranging from mild to severe and potentially life-threatening. In Europe, lungworms have been studied mainly in domestic ...cats and European wildcats. However, studies on cats in Spain are scarce, especially in the Canary Islands, where Aelurostrongylus abstrusus has been the only lungworm species documented to date in feral cats. The present study was conducted in order to provide new epidemiological data on lungworm infections in feral cats in the Canary Archipelago. More than half of the cats analyzed in this study presented pulmonary nematodes, identifying a total of four metastrongylid species, namely A. abstrusus, Troglostrongylus brevior, Oslerus rostratus and Angiostrongylus chabaudi. Veterinary practitioners should consider these parasites as possible causes of respiratory pathologies in cats in the Canary Islands. In addition, control measures should be carried out to prevent the transmission of these respiratory parasites. Lungworms are a major cause of feline respiratory disease, frequently underdiagnosed due to its presentation of symptoms being similar to that of other feline respiratory pathologies. Epidemiological data about these nematodes are scarce in the Canary Islands (Spain). Given the veterinary importance of these parasites, the aim of the present study was to improve the current epidemiological knowledge of the lungworm species that could be affecting feral cats in this archipelago. A total of 29 feral cats from La Gomera were analyzed. The respiratory tract of each animal was inspected and the nematodes obtained were identified by morphological keys and molecular techniques. Metastrongylids were detected to be widely distributed throughout the island with a prevalence of 55.2% (16/29). The species Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Troglostrongylus brevior, Oslerus rostratus and Angiostrongylus chabaudi were identified. Also, coinfections with A. chabaudi and O. rostratus were detected in two animals. The present study shows a high diversity of lungworms in feral cats in La Gomera, with the first report of A. chabaudi and T. brevior for the Canary Archipelago and the first citation of A. chabaudi in cats for Spain. The wide distribution and high prevalence found in this study indicate a high risk of exposure to pulmonary infections in cats.
Ferulic acid (FA) is a phytochemical with various bioactive properties. It has recently been proposed that due to its phytogenic action it can be used as an alternative growth promoter additive to ...synthetic compounds. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the growth performance, carcass traits, fiber characterization and skeletal muscle gene expression on hair-lambs supplemented with two doses of FA. Thirty-two male lambs (n = 8 per treatment) were individually housed during a 32 d feeding trial to evaluate the effect of FA (300 and 600 mg d-1) or zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH; 6 mg d-1) on growth performance, and then slaughtered to evaluate the effects on carcass traits, and muscle fibers morphometry from Longissimus thoracis (LT) and mRNA abundance of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR), MHC-I, MHC-IIX and IGF-I genes. FA increased final weight and average daily gain with respect to non-supplemented animals (p < 0.05). The ZH supplementation increased LT muscle area, with respect to FA doses and control (p < 0.05). Cross-sectional area (CSA) of oxidative fibers was larger with FA doses and ZH (p < 0.05). Feeding ZH increased mRNA abundance for β2-AR compared to FA and control (p < 0.05), and expression of MHC-I was affected by FA doses and ZH (p < 0.05). Overall, FA supplementation of male hair lambs enhanced productive variables due to skeletal muscle hypertrophy caused by MHC-I up-regulation. Results suggest that FA has the potential like a growth promoter in lambs.
The rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is the world's leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis in humans. It is an emerging zoonotic parasite endemic to Asia and the Pacific Islands that has ...spread to all continents except Antarctica. In the Canary Islands, its presence was first detected in 2010 on the island of Tenerife. Numerous studies demonstrated the high capacity of A. cantonensis to colonize new areas, especially its ability to parasitize a wide range of animals. Due to the similarity of the ecosystems that we can find between the islands that make up the Canary Archipelago and the great diversity of species of both vertebrates and terrestrial gastropods, the objective of this study was to analyze several species as possible hosts of A. cantonensis on other islands in the Canary Islands, with the use of molecular tools. The present study confirmed the presence of A. cantonensis in two mammalian species, Mus musculus and Felis catus, and in four terrestrial gastropod species, Limacus flavus, Milax gagates, Insulivitrina emmersoni, and Insulivitrina oromii. The presence of A. cantonensis implies a possible risk to humans and other animals, which justifies the need for control measures to control the possible risk of infection and, thus, prevent public health and veterinary problems. Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a metastrongyloid nematode and the etiologic agent of angiostrongyliasis, a disease characterized by eosinophilic meningitis. This emerging zoonotic parasite has undergone great expansion, including in some regions of Europe and America. In the Canary Islands, the parasite was first discovered parasitizing Rattus rattus on the island of Tenerife in 2010. To date, the distribution of this parasite in the Canary Islands has been restricted to the northern zone and the main cities of Tenerife. Using molecular tools for the sentinel species present in the Canary Islands, this study confirmed the presence of the nematode on two other islands in the Canary Archipelago: La Gomera and Gran Canaria. Furthermore, this emerging parasite was detected, besides in the common definitive host R. rattus, in wild Mus musculus and Felis catus and in four terrestrial gastropod species, Limacus flavus, Milax gagates, Insulivitrina emmersoni, and Insulivitrina oromii, two of them endemic to La Gomera, for the first time, increasing the number of non-definitive host species. This study reinforces the expansion character of A. cantonensis and highlights the importance of knowledge about sentinel species for identifying new transmission locations that help prevent and control the transmission of the parasite and, thus, prevent public health problems.