Aims:
To evaluate the association of estimated cardiovascular (CV) risk and subclinical atherosclerosis with radiographic structural damage in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
Methods:
...Cross-sectional study including 114 patients axSpA from the SpA registry of Córdoba (CASTRO) and 132 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Disease activity and the presence of traditional CV risk factors were recorded. The presence of atherosclerotic plaques and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) were evaluated through carotid ultrasound and the SCORE index was calculated. Radiographic damage was measured though modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS). The association between mSASSS and SCORE was tested using generalized linear models (GLM), and an age-adjusted cluster analysis was performed to identify different phenotypes dependent on the subclinical CV risk.
Results:
Increased traditional CV risk factors, SCORE, and the presence of carotid plaques were found in axSpA patients compared with HCs. The presence of atherosclerotic plaques and SCORE were associated with radiographic structural damage. The GLM showed that the total mSASSS was associated independently with the SCORE β coefficient 0.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10–0.38 adjusted for disease duration, age, tobacco, C-reactive protein, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) intake. Hard cluster analysis identified two phenotypes of patients. Patients from cluster 1, characterized by the presence of plaques and increased cIMT, had a higher prevalence of CV risk factors and SCORE, and more structural damage than cluster two patients.
Conclusion:
Radiographic structural damage is associated closely with increased estimated CV risk: higher SCORE levels in axSpA patients were found to be associated independently with mSASSS after adjusting for age, disease duration, CRP, tobacco and NSAID intake.
Radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory form of arthritis in which tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a potent inducer of inflammatory response and a key regulator of ...innate immunity and of Th1 immune responses, plays a central role. NETosis is a mechanism of innate immune defense that is involved in diverse rheumatology diseases. Nevertheless, spontaneous NETosis generation in r-axSpA, its association to disease pathogenesis, and the NETosis involvement on anti-TNF-α therapy's effects has never been explored.
Thirty r-axSpA patients and 32 healthy donors (HDs) were evaluated. Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, mediators of signal-transduction cascade required for NETosis induction and cell-free NETosis-derived products were quantified. An additional cohort of 15 r-axSpA patients treated with infliximab (IFX) for six months were further analyzed. In vitro studies were designed to assess the effects of IFX in NETosis generation and the inflammatory profile triggered.
Compared to HDs, neutrophils from r-axSpA patients displayed augmented spontaneous NET formation, elevated expression of NET-associated signaling components, nuclear peptidylarginine deiminase 4 translocation and increased citrullinated histone H3. Furthermore, patients exhibited altered circulating levels of cell-free NETosis-derived products (DNA, nucleosomes and elastase). Additional studies revealed that cell-free NETosis-derived products could be suitable biomarkers for distinguish r-axSpA patients from HDs. Correlation studies showed association between cell-free NETosis-derived products and clinical inflammatory parameters. Besides, nucleosomes displayed potential as a biomarker for discriminate patients according to disease activity. IFX therapy promoted a reduction in both NETosis generation and disease activity in r-axSpA patients. Mechanistic in vitro studies further unveiled the relevance of IFX in reducing NET release and normalizing the augmented inflammatory activities promoted by NETs in mononuclear cells.
This study reveals that NETosis is enhanced in r-axSpA patients and identifies the NETosis-derived products as potential disease activity biomarkers. In addition, the data suggests the potential role of NET generation analysis for assessment of therapeutic effectiveness in r-axSpA.
The queen conch Aliger gigas (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most important fishery resources in the Caribbean. However, due to its biological characteristics and high commercial demand, its ...populations have been overexploited. In Mexico, the Chinchorro Bank is the only site where extraction of this resource is allowed through catch quotas; however, due to its drastic population decline and fishing pressure, in 2012, a five-year temporary ban was established and ended in 2017. This study describes and compares the artisanal fishing of the queen conch for the last catch season in 2011 prior to the ban and the second catch season after the ban ended in 2018. A total of 15 fishing sites were registered, and it was found that fishermen visited the central zone of the Chinchorro Bank more frequently than the northern or southern zones, probably due to the proximity and availability of the resource. An increase in the CPUE was observed from 5.09 to 8.0 kg of meat conch/fisherman per hour between fishing seasons, likely a result of the queen conch recovering during the five-year ban. Using shell length (SL) and lip thickness (LT) from a total of 4882 organisms, a decrease in the mean size and size structure of the queen conch was observed between fishing seasons, probably due to the overharvesting of adult conchs throughout the years, affecting the population structure at Chinchorro Bank. However, a significant increase in lip thickness was observed, which may be due to earlier maturation of the conchs. An increase in surveillance as well as integrated management between stakeholders (fishermen, consumers, authorities, among others) is recommended to guarantee the conservation of the queen conch population.
•The Artisanal fishery of Aliger gigas at Chinchorro Bank was described.•There is a decrease in granted quotas of the queen conch during 1990–2020.•A decrease in the mean SL conch was observed after the ban.•Lip thickness should be use to establish the minimum catch size.
Previous studies have reported an association between a more pro-inflammatory diet profile and various chronic metabolic diseases. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was used to assess the ...inflammatory potential of nutrients and foods in the context of a dietary pattern. We prospectively examined the association between the DII and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD: myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death) in the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) study including 7216 high-risk participants. The DII was computed based on a validated 137-item food frequency questionnaire. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals of CVD risk were computed across quartiles of the DII where the lowest (most anti-inflammatory) quartile is the referent. Risk increased across the quartiles (i.e., with increasing inflammatory potential): HR(quartile2) = 1.42 (95%CI = 0.97-2.09); HR(quartile3) = 1.85 (1.27-2.71); and HR(quartile4) = 1.73 (1.15-2.60). When fit as continuous the multiple-adjusted hazard ratio for each additional standard deviation of the DII was 1.22 (1.06-1.40). Our results provide direct prospective evidence that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular clinical events.
SUMMARY
Objective: To study the local and systemic levels of the tumour necrosis factor-α in patients with active uveitis and to determine the implication of TNF-α in rheumatological uveitis and to ...observe if this relationship is more significant in the B27 positive patients.
Patients and methods: Patients were selected on the basis of a diagnosis of uveitis of any aetiology. Data from 23 patients were stratified into two categories according to the presence or absence of systemic rheumatic disease. The first group comprised nine patients with rheumatic disease; the second group contained 14 patients without rheumatic disease. The patients were also sub-classified into those who were HLA-B27 positive (14 patients) and those who were not. TNF-α levels in serum and aqueous humour from a group of 16 patients with uncomplicated cataracts were analysed as a control group.
Results: In the control group (n = 16) the serum TNF-α concentration was 13.1 ± 2.9pg/ml and the aqueous humour concentration of TNF-α was 0.56 ± 1.53 pg/ml. In uveitis patients (n = 23) the serum TNF-α concentration was 35.35 ± 26.77 pg/ml and the aqueous humour concentration of TNF-α was 15.1 ± 1.70 pg/ml (p < 0.01). In HLA-B27 positive patients (n = 9) the serum TNF-α concentration was 45.56 ± 34.17 pg/ml and the aqueous humour concentration of TNF-α was 15.89 ± 0.93 pg/ml. In HLA-B27 negative patients (n = 14) the serum TNF-α concentration was 28.79 ± 19.38 pg/ml and aqueous humour concentration of TNF-α was 14.57 ± 1.91 pg/ml (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: The concentration of TNF-α in aqueous humour in patients who are HLA-B27 positive is significantly greater than in those who are B27 negative. No significant differences in the concentrations of TNF-α in serum or aqueous humour in patients with or without rheumatic diseases were detected. TNF-α is a cytokine that may participate actively in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis.
Abstract
Boards of directors play an important role in one of the biggest challenges facing companies today: environmental sustainability. While research has mainly focused on the individual and ...isolated impacts of board composition characteristics on environmental sustainability, we aim to provide an understanding of what combinations of these characteristics result in its high/low levels and why. Using a fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis of a Spanish company's sample over the period 2014–2019, we find that the characteristics of board composition could be complemented or substituted among them, having a similar impact on environmental sustainability performance. We also find that large boards, with a high presence of women and a low presence of family members, led to high environmental sustainability while having no dedicated sustainability committee and a lack of independence with no family presence yielded a low one. Finally, we draw four strategies for the design of the board composition.
Boards of directors play important roles when responding to one of the biggest challenges for companies today: environmental sustainability. Research has mainly been focused on the separate impacts ...of board structure, composition, and processes on corporate environmental performance. Understanding how these three dimensions of the board, which help to successfully fulfill the board roles, interact in complementary or substitutive ways is crucial for improving companies' environmental performance. Using a fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis on a sample of 86 European‐listed companies in greenhouse gas (GHG)‐intensive sectors, our study shows that board dimensions and the attributes that shape them have complementary or substitutable effects on corporate environmental performance. Specifically, we identified four board archetypes that arise from different configurations promoting environmental performance. Finally, we considered CEO‐Board interaction, showing that both longer and shorter CEO tenures together with certain combinations of board attributes could be linked to higher environmental performance.
Currently, the National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy (SNMPE) states that in recent years the production of gold in Peru has reduced, since in 2016 there was a production of 153 MT, ...compared to 2005 with a production of 208 MT. Until 2018, a production decrease of 5.4% was established and in 2017 a decrease of 11.3%. Currently there is a need to develop research on gold extraction processes in low recovery minerals with traditionally used processes, due to the complex structure of gold that prevents their extraction. It is necessary to evaluate new processes that are environmentally friendly and that are sustainable in the environmental and economic aspects. In the present work, the applicability of leaching with NaCl and KNO3 in acid medium in a sulphurous gold mineral was evaluated, through the process of leaching with oxidizing salts, which allows to process hydrometallurgy the various forms of gold minerals present in nature. The sample is composed in percentages by Quartz 24%, Carbonates Dolomite 22%, Calcite 6%, Arsenopyrite 19%, Pyrite 5%, Galena 4% and clays associated with traces of Native Au-Electrum, which were interfering with the process of leaching of the sample. A pretreatment by gravimetric concentration was carried out using the Falcón equipment, with the aim of releasing the encapsulated gold and eliminating the interfering agents, facilitating the leaching action of the oxidizing salts. When testing the concentrations of the oxidizing salts, it was found that for the concentrations of 86.86 g/l of NaCl, 21.96 g/l of KNO3 and 125.93 g/l of H2SO4, a maximum recovery of 26.62% gold was obtained. Based on the results from the factorial design, an increase in gold extraction performance was observed; obtaining a maximum recovery of 29.31% of the gold; in the process it was determined that dissolved gold is affected by the presence of clays, producing the "Preg-robbing" effect of the valuable metal and consequently decreasing the recovery of gold after 8 leaching hours. According to the results, it is concluded that the leaching process with oxidizing salts in acidic medium for the type of mineral used, is mainly affected by the presence of coarse gold and electrum associated with clays, establishingconditions of degree of release according to the granulometry in the gold leaching process.
Currently, textile dyeing companies determine their market according to the raw materials processed, which are based on 100% cotton fibers, these fibers are directed to an exclusive market and ...therefore these companies establish criteria of high quality standards in each of its processes, dyeing being one of the most demanding due to its fastness parameters and color specifications, these characteristics establish the competitiveness of expanding a product portfolio with the incursion of 100% fiber-based clothing polyester and with cotton blends.Some studies suggest the implementation of the dyeing process of these fibers, allowing the organization to have new production alternatives, dyeing processes for polyester and cotton are carried out with heat treatment between 60 °C and 130 °C respectively, with the use of dispersed and chemical dyes; as in the dyeing of Polyester-Cotton that are made in bathrooms established in each stage. Color and solidity tests are performed according to quality parameters, with light and wash fastness controls. Within these dyeing conditions it is essential to determine the thermal gradients to be applied, whose variable must be controlled to optimize the dyeing of polyester fibers and mixtures.The present study evaluates the pre-treatments and the temperature gradient behavior stage in the dyeing process of polyester fibers, taking into account the dyeing curve, in which only the temperature gradient varies. Mathis-ALT-B equipment is used for the dyeing process, for thermal gradient conditions of 135 °C with gradients of 0.3-4.0 °C/min, rotation speed 40-70 RPM, and as colorants were used Novacron, Terail and Liandisperse for cotton and polyester fibers respectively. The results show that the use of dispersants and anti-breakage agents work to prevent failures and improve the corresponding colors, but a high gradient increases the migration of the dye and breaks in the fibers, but in low gradients (2 ° C/min ) The quality of diffusion and dyeing is better and, therefore, prevents reprocessing in the dyeing stage.
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