Patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) have an adverse outcome after relapse. Bendamustine has demonstrated a good efficacy and toxicity profile in previously reported trials. In this study, we ...present a retrospective analysis of the Spanish experience in relapsed/refractory MCL treated with bendamustine in combination or alone with the objective of knowing the efficacy and toxicity profile of this treatment in our current clinical practice. Fifty eight patients were registered: 67 % male with median age of 71 years, and 2 is the median number of previous lines. The most frequent bendamustine regimen was bendamustine plus rituximab (83 %). The median number of cycles was 5 (range 1–8). The overall response rate was 84 % with 53 % of complete response/unconfirmed complete response (CR/uCR). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 16 months (95 % confidence interval (CI) 13.3–18.8), and for patients who achieved CR/uCR, it was 33 months (95 % CI 11.1–54.2). Median overall survival (OS) was 30 months (95 % CI 25.6–34.9). For PFS, only blastoid histology and not achieving CR after bendamustine had a significant negative impact on the univariate and multivariate analyses (
p
< 0.05). Nevertheless, for OS, only an elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) had negative impact on both, univariate and multivariate analyses (
p
< 0.05). Only one case of treatment-related mortality in a 79-year-old patient with very bad performance status was reported. In 280 cycles, 12 (4 %) hospitalizations for febrile neutropenia were reported. In our population, bendamustine has been a good salvage treatment with a favorable toxicity profile in a non selected and heavily pretreated population of patients with MCL.
Forty-eight air-filter samples (PM
10
) were analysed to identify the concentration level of partially leached metals (PLMs; As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and V) from Puebla City, México. ...Samples were collected during 2008 from four monitoring sites: (1) Tecnológico (TEC), (2) Ninfas (NIN), (3) Hermanos Serdán (HS) and (4) Agua Santa (AS). The results indicate that in TEC, As (avg. 424 ng m
−3
), V (avg. 19.2 ng m
−3
), Fe (avg. 1,202 ng m
−3
), Cu (avg. 86.6 ng m
−3
), Cr (41.9 ng m
−3
) and Ni (18.6 ng m
−3
) are on the higher side than other populated regions around the world. The enrichment of PLMs is due to the industrial complexes generating huge dust particles involving various operations. The results are supported by the correlation of metals (Mn, Cd and Co) with Fe indicating its anthropogenic origin and likewise, As with Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Pb and V. The separate cluster of As, Fe and Mn clearly signifies that it is due to continuous eruption of fumaroles from the active volcano Popocatépetl in the region.
In this work, the carbothermic reduction of iron- and zinc-bearing products is studied through in situ microwave heating, dielectric properties monitoring, and mass spectrometry up to high ...temperatures (1000 °C). The results are correlated to the information provided by conventional analysis techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). This combination allows a detailed study of seven different process stages with an accurate determination of the reaction temperatures, providing new evidence about the particular conditions of this microwave-driven reduction process. The presented results suggest that molecular vibrations imposed by the microwave field are presumably the reason for reactions taking place at lower temperatures than those observed in the conventional process. This work also explores the influence of other parameters, such as the apparent density or the amount of carbonaceous material, on the resulting dielectric properties, providing useful information for the development of a potential microwave industrial application in the metallurgy field.
A protein concentrate (PC) was obtained from Grouper fish skin and it was used to prepare films with different amounts of sorbitol and glycerol as plasticizers. The best performing films regarding ...resistance were then modified with various concentrations of CaCl2, CaSO4 (calcium salts), and glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) with the purpose of improving their mechanical and barrier properties. These films were characterized by determining their mechanical properties and permeability to water vapor and oxygen. Formulations with 5% (w/v) protein and 75% sorbitol and 4% (w/v) protein with a mixture of 15% glycerol and 15% sorbitol produced adequate films. Calcium salts and GDL increased the tensile fracture stress but reduced the fracture strain and decreased water vapor permeability compared with control films. The films prepared represent an attractive alternative for being used as food packaging materials.
A set of forty-one surface sediment samples were collected in River Pánuco and its adjoining lagoon areas in NE Mexico to identify the enrichment pattern of trace elements. The samples were analyzed ...for sediment texture, carbonates, organic carbon and acid leachable trace elements (ALTEs) using autoclave method Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, Cd, V, Be, Ba, Sr, As. Geochemical results of Fe, Cr, Ni, Co, V and Sr in zone 1 indicate that erosion in the upland region (Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains) is very high. The above feature is supported by the supremacy of finer sediments (82.12 %), carbonates (44.67 %) and organic carbon (10.74 %), which are brought down from the drainage basin. The overall average concentration of ALTEs Mn (607 μg g⁻¹), Cu (28.29 μg g⁻¹), Ni (16.56 μg g⁻¹), Pb (46.11 μg g⁻¹), Cd (1.81 μg g⁻¹) and Zn (92.18 μg g⁻¹) indicates higher values than the lowest effect level (LEL) and effects range low (ERL) of environmental indicators. The results suggest that they are due to the increase in oil refineries, metal based industries, shipping activities and the effluent input which could enter the biological cycle and might create human health problems.
Non-typhi Salmonella serovars found in Mexican zoo animals Silva-Hidalgo, G.; Ortiz-Navarrete, V.F.; Alpuche-Aranda, C.M. ...
Research in veterinary science,
December 2012, 2012-Dec, 2012-12-00, 20121201, Letnik:
93, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The aim of the present study was to determine the bacteriological prevalence of subclinical non-typhi Salmonella infections in zoo animals and to determine the most frequently isolated serovars of ...the bacteria. A total of 267 samples were analyzed, including fecal samples from zoo animals and rodents, insects (Musca domestica and Periplaneta americana) and samples of the zoo animal’s food. Salmonella was detected in 11.6% of the samples analyzed. Characterization of the isolates was performed with serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The following serovars were isolated: S. San Diego, S. Oranienburg, S. Weltevreden, S. Braenderup, S. Derby, S. 6,7, H:en x:- and S. 3,10, H:r:-. The isolates showed seven pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns with a Jaccard coefficient ⩾0.75 indicating a possible common origin. The prevalence of asymptomatic infections caused by Salmonella spp. in zoo animals was high. These findings demonstrate the diversity of Salmonella serovars in several captive wild animal species.
Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, V, and Zn in particulate matter (PM)
10
ambient air samples were determined for the urban zone of Tampico, Mexico every 6 days during 2004. A Wedding ...and Associates PM
10
high-volume sampler was used to collect the particles on quartz and glass fiber filters. A Thermo Jarrel Ash inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) was used to identify and quantify metals in PM
10
according to the USEPA-IO 3.1 method. A scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) was used to analyze the elemental composition, size, and morphology of atmospheric particles. Principal component factor analysis (PCFA) was used to study the sources of PM
10
and metals. PM
10
and Pb concentrations in Tampico did not exceed the Mexican standard value of 120 and 1.5 μg m
−3
in 24 h, respectively. PM
10
concentrations ranged from 12 to 47 μg m
−3
. The results for Cd, Cr, and Cu are associated to the presence of an industrial source near the sampling site. V and Zn and likely Pb and Ni are related to a refinery. Fe and Ti are associated to natural sources, whereas Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn are associated to the storage and transportation of minerals near the sampling zone. Mn is associated to a ferromanganese manufacturing industry and to the refinery. The SEM-EDS micrographs show porous spherical particles rich in V and Ni and smooth spherical particles rich in C and O.
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•A novel material selection has been carried for BIPV module power enhancement.•The novel encapsulant design allows an excellent light management.•A power increase of 8.66 W has been ...reached in real size PV modules.•Accelerated aging test is overcome by the new material combination.•The novel material selection design does not imply any machinery investment.
Nowadays, the photovoltaic technology level development makes it the best option for its building integration as energy supplier. Nevertheless, its aesthetic appearance plays a relevant role because architect requirements go beyond the simple installation of solar devices on terraces. In order to fulfill their requirements, the typical white backsheet uses to be replaced by a black one. This simple change leads to a huge PV module performance reduction. In this work, it has been demonstrated that a suitable material selection allows to fabricate photovoltaic modules with a high architectonic integration, but without power reduction with respect to the most commercial solar devices. The former consists in the replacement of the typical glass front cover and the white backsheet by an antireflective glass and a black backsheet respectively. All the study has been developed on real size photovoltaic modules fabricated in an automatic line. The obtained results determine that those modules where black backsheets are used, suffer a power reduction equal to 8.66 W per fabricated module. Nevertheless, when in addition of the black backsheet an antireflective coating glass is implemented, the resulted PV modules present a more aesthetic presence without a detrimental of their power performance when they are compared to the standard PV modules. Additionally, the fabricated solar devices using the proposed configuration successfully overcome the most common aging tests.
The Spanish and Portuguese-Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (GHEP-ISFG) has organized a second collaborative exercise on a simulated case of Disaster Victim ...Identification (DVI), with the participation of eighteen laboratories. The exercise focused on the analysis of a simulated plane crash case of medium-size resulting in 66 victims with varying degrees of fragmentation of the bodies (with commingled remains). As an additional difficulty, this second exercise included 21 related victims belonging to 6 families among the 66 missings to be identified. A total number of 228 post-mortem samples were represented with aSTR and mtDNA profiles, with a proportion of partial aSTR profiles simulating charred remains. To perform the exercise, participants were provided with aSTR and mtDNA data of 51 reference pedigrees —some of which deficient—including 128 donors for identification purposes. The exercise consisted firstly in the comparison of the post-mortem genetic profiles in order to re-associate fragmented remains to the same individual and secondly in the identification of the re-associated remains by comparing aSTR and mtDNA profiles with reference pedigrees using pre-established thresholds to report a positive identification. Regarding the results of the post-mortem samples re-associations, only a small number of discrepancies among participants were detected, all of which were from just a few labs. However, in the identification process by kinship analysis with family references, there were more discrepancies in comparison to the correct results. The identification results of single victims yielded fewer problems than the identification of multiple related victims within the same family groups. Several reasons for the discrepant results were detected: a) the identity/non-identity hypotheses were sometimes wrongly expressed in the likelihood ratio calculations, b) some laboratories failed to use all family references to report the DNA match, c) In families with several related victims, some laboratories firstly identified some victims and then unnecessarily used their genetic information to identify the remaining victims within the family, d) some laboratories did not correctly use “prior odds” values for the Bayesian treatment of the episode for both post-mortem/post-mortem re-associations as well as the ante-mortem/post-mortem comparisons to evaluate the probability of identity. For some of the above reasons, certain laboratories failed to identify some victims. This simulated “DNA-led” identification exercise may help forensic genetic laboratories to gain experience and expertize for DVI or MPI in using genetic data and comparing their own results with the ones in this collaborative exercise.
•The GHEP-ISFG has designed a second “DNA-led” DVI exercise in a simulated air crash.•This exercise can be useful for testing DVI using the data and results provided.•The exercise is focused on direct matching and kinship analysis in a Bayesian framework.•This exercise sheds light on problems that a laboratory can face in DVI scenarios.
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