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We report the combined antibacterial/tissue regeneration responses to thermal burns promoted by functional chitosan/silver nanocomposites (CS/nAg) with ultralow silver content ...(0.018wt.%, 7–30nm). Our approach allows one to produce CS/nAg nanocomposites without silver nanoparticles (nAg) agglomeration, with bactericide potency higher than 1wt.% of nAg (ca. 10nm) content and, promoting the healing process in controlled thermal burns. CS/nAg films exhibit high antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa after 1.5h of incubation, demonstrating the bacterial penetration into hydrated films and their interaction with nAg. Additionally, exceptional healing of induced thermal burns was obtained by increasing myofibroblasts, collagen remodeling, and blood vessel neoformation. These factors are associated with epiderma regeneration after 7days of treatment with no nAg release. Our results corroborate the controlled synthesis of nAg embedded in CS matrix with combined antibacterial/biocompatibility properties aiming to produce functional nanocomposites with potential use in wound dressing and health care applications.
An AlCoCuCrFeNiTi high-entropy alloy (HEA) was prepared by mechanical alloying and sintering to study the effect of Ti addition to the widely studied AlCoCuCrFeNi system. The structural and ...microstructural characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The formation of four micrometric phases was detected: a Cu-rich phase with a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure, a body-centered cubic (bcc) solid solution with Cu-rich plate-like precipitates (fcc), an ordered bcc phase, and a tetragonal structure. The XRD patterns corroborate the presence of a mixture of bcc-, fcc-, and tetragonal-structured phases. The Vickers hardness of the alloy under study was more than twice that of the AlCoCuCrFeNi alloy. Nanoindentation tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical response of the individual phases to elucidate the relationship between chemical composition, crystal structure, and mechanical performance of the multiphase microstructure of the AlCoCuCrFeNiTi HEA.
Cuban immigrants constitute an important group in both the United States and Spain, with different behaviors toward organ donation having been described among the different Latin American ...nationalities. We analyzed the attitude toward organ donation among the Cuban populations in Cuba, Spain, and Florida. The study population was Cuban immigrants over 15 years of age residing in Cuba, Spain, and Florida, with samples randomly stratified by age and sex. A validated questionnaire on psychosocial aspects of organ donation (PCID‐DTO Rios) was used. Census was used as the sampling base in all 3 countries; however, additionally, in Spain and the United States (Florida), we sought the support of immigration support associations to determine the Cuban population without legal documentation. The questionnaire was completed anonymously and self‐administered. The completion rate of the study was 74% (4123/5574) among 424 surveyed in Spain, 1224 in Florida, and 2475 in Cuba. The attitude in favor of donating their own organs upon death was 60.6% of those surveyed in Spain, 37.6% in Florida, and 68.9% in Cuba, or 58% of the global sample. Multivariate analysis showed that country of residence was an independent factor associated with attitude toward organ donation (odds ratio, 1.929). Other factors associated with attitude were sex, educational level, performance of prosocial activities, knowledge of the brain death concept, religion, the couple’s opinion toward donation, fear of mutilation after donation, and attitude toward manipulation of the body after death. The attitude toward organ donation among Cubans in their country of origin and immigrants in Spain was similar, being significantly different from those who emigrate to Florida, where the attitude is much less favorable.
Electron microscopy of macromolecular structures is an approach that is in increasing demand in the field of structural biology. The automation of image acquisition has greatly increased the ...potential throughput of electron microscopy. Here, the focus is on the possibilities in Scipion to implement flexible and robust image‐processing workflows that allow the electron‐microscope operator and the user to monitor the quality of image acquisition, assessing very simple acquisition measures or obtaining a first estimate of the initial volume, or the data resolution and heterogeneity, without any need for programming skills. These workflows can implement intelligent automatic decisions and they can warn the user of possible acquisition failures. These concepts are illustrated by analysis of the well known 2.2 Å resolution β‐galactosidase data set.
The Scipion framework allows very flexible image‐processing workflows to be generated and employed at electron‐microscopy facilities, such that image acquisition can be monitored and possible problems detected, thereby enabling early decisions to be made on the fly. The streaming workflow can be very simple or extended, permitting the data resolution and heterogeneity to be estimated and adapted to the desire of the user and the microscope operator.
This study aims to identify factors associated with poor adherence to COPD treatment in patients receiving a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2-agonist ...(ICS/LABA), focusing on the importance of inhaler devices.
We conducted a retrospective and multicenter study based on a review of medical registries between 2007 and 2012 of COPD patients (n=1,263) treated with ICS/LABA FDC, whose medical devices were either dry powder inhalers (DPIs) or pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDI). Medication adherence included persistence outcomes through 18 months and medication possession ratios. Data on exacerbations, comorbidities, demographic characteristics, and health care resource utilization were also included as confounders of adherence.
The analyses revealed that COPD patients whose medication was delivered through a DPI were less likely to have medication adherence compared to patients with pMDI, after adjusting for confounding factors, especially active ingredients. Younger groups of patients were less likely to be adherent compared to the oldest group. Smoker men were less likely to be adherent compared to women and non-smokers. Comorbidities decreased the probability of treatment adherence. Those patients that visited their doctor once a month were more likely to adhere to their medication regimen; however, suboptimal adherence was more likely to occur among those patients who visited more than three times per month their doctor. We also found that worsening of COPD is negatively associated with adherence.
According to this study, inhaler devices influence patients' adherence to long-term COPD medication. We also found that DPIs delivering ICS/LABA FDC had a negative impact on adherence. Patients' clinic and socioeconomic characteristics were associated with adherence.
Actinobacteria are prokaryotes with a large biotechnological interest due to their ability to produce secondary metabolites, produced by two main biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs): polyketide ...synthase (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). Most studies on bioactive products have been carried out on actinobacteria isolated from soil, freshwater or marine habitats, while very few have been focused on halophilic actinobacteria isolated from extreme environments. In this study we have carried out a comparative genomic analysis of the actinobacterial genus
, which includes species isolated from soils, lake sediments, marine or hypersaline habitats. A total of 19 genome sequences of members of
were retrieved and analyzed. We compared the 16S rRNA gene-based phylogeny of this genus with evolutionary relationships inferred using a phylogenomic approach obtaining almost identical topologies between both strategies. This method allowed us to unequivocally assign strains into species and to identify some taxonomic relationships that need to be revised. Our study supports a recent speciation event occurring between
and
. Concerning the identification of BGCs, a total of 18 different types of BGCs were detected in the analyzed genomes of
, including PKS, NRPS and hybrid clusters which might be able to synthetize 40 different putative products. In comparison to other genera of the
, members of the genus
showed a high degree of novelty and diversity of BGCs.
We present the first report in our country of endoscopic fetal surgery in a patient with a twin pregnancy and twin reversal arteral perfusion (TRAP sequence). We performed fetoscopic ligation of the ...umbilical cord of an acardiac twin at 26 week's gestation.
An initial assessment of the gray cast irons production by injecting an inoculant with a conveying gas into a molten iron bath was evaluated at a laboratory scale. A numerical simulation was carried ...out to determine the hydrodynamic behavior between the inoculant particles injected into the molten iron. It was determined that an optimal interaction between the particles with the molten iron occurred at a lance depth of 7 cm and for the particle sizes fine (211 to 297 ?m) and medium (421 to 590 ?m), and the residence time was of 0.38 and 0.4 s, respectively. The melting time was calculated at 0.0008 and 0.003 s for the particle sizes fine and medium, respectively. After the injection, the FeSi of the inoculant melted quickly, releasing the elements of the inoculant which interacted with the molten iron and formed oxides and sulfides creating nucleating sites during solidification. The injection technique allowed obtaining a type-A graphite distribution for the fine and medium particle sizes. The number of eutectic cells increased when the inoculant particle size decreased despite of the low graphitisers elements and manganese contents used in the gray cast iron manufacturing.
Coralsnakes of the genus Micrurus are a diverse group of venomous snakes ranging from the southern United States to southern South America. Much uncertainty remains over the genus diversity, and ...understanding Micrurus systematics is of medical importance. In particular, the widespread Micrurus nigrocinctus spans from Mexico throughout Central America and into Colombia, with a number of described subspecies. This study provides new insights into the phylogenetic relationships within M. nigrocinctus by examining sequence data from a broad sampling of specimens from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The recovered phylogenetic relationships suggest that M. nigrocinctus is a species complex originating in the Pliocene and composed of at least three distinct species-level lineages. In addition, recovery of highly divergent clades supports the elevation of some currently recognized subspecies to the full species rank while others may require synonymization.
The 2016 election saw more Latino votes than the record voter turnout of the 2012 election. The essays in this volume provide a highly detailed analysis of the state and national impact Latino voters ...had in what will be remembered as one of the biggest surprises in presidential election history. Contrary to much commentary, Latino voters increased their participation rates in all states beyond the supposed peak levels that they attained in 2012. Moreover, they again displayed their overwhelming support of Democratic candidates and even improved their Democratic support in Florida. Nonetheless, their continued presence and participation in national elections was not sufficient to prevent the election of Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate who vilified Latinos and especially Latino immigrants. Each essay provides insights as to how these two competing realities coexist, while the conclusion addresses the implications of this coexistence for the future of Latinos in American politics.
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