Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease. Low vitamin D levels have been reported to be a risk factor for MS, and genetic variances could be implicated. The ...aim of this study was to evaluate the association of MS with rs10766197 polymorphism of CYP2R1 gene and rs10877012 polymorphism of CYP27B1 gene. The second aim was to analyse whether these polymorphisms are associated with the severity of the progression of MS. Material and Methods. In a case-control study, we included 116 MS patients and 226 controls, all of whom were Mexican Mestizo. MS was diagnosed by McDonald criteria (2017). A complete neurological evaluation was performed to evaluate the severity of disease progression. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH) vitamin D levels were measured by ELISA. Single nucleotide polymorphisms rs10766197 of CYP2R1 gene and rs10877012 SNP of CYP27B1 gene were genotyped by real-time PCR. Results. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels were lower in MS patients than in controls (p=0.009). No differences were observed between serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels of MS patients with severe progression compared to low progression (p=0.88). A higher frequency of the A allele of CYP2R1 rs10766197 was observed between MS patients and controls (p=0.05). No differences were observed in the frequency of T allele of CYP27B1 rs10877012 (p=0.65). In subanalysis, patients with GA+AA genotypes of CYP2R1 rs10766197 had an increased risk of MS compared to controls (p=0.03). No increased risk was observed in GT+TT genotypes of CYP27B1 rs10877012 (p=0.63). No differences were observed in allele frequencies of either polymorphism between patients with severe vs. low disease progression. Conclusion. Lower serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels were observed in MS patients than in controls, although these levels were not associated with disease progression. Carriers of GA+AA genotypes of CYP2R1 rs10766197 had an increased risk of MS. None of these polymorphisms was associated with severe progression of MS.
Cold sintering of complex-shaped ceramic materials Marín-Cortés, Sonia; Biesuz, Mattia; Bhandari, Subhadip ...
Journal of the European Ceramic Society,
December 2024, 2024-12-00, Letnik:
44, Številka:
16
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The present work explores for the first time the production of ceramic bodies with complex shape through the cold sintering process. Inspired by previous works on spark plasma sintering, a spacer ...accessory was designed to act as a removable mold. This proof-of-concept was tested with four different ceramic systems: biogenic hydroxyapatite, zinc oxide, diatomaceous earth and construction/demolition waste materials. In all cases, the density is comparable to that obtained by cold sintering of simpler disks. Moreover, the microstructure of the complex-shaped materials is substantially homogeneous in the entire component. Some distortions can be detected when comparing the spacer and sample shape, their control and modeling being a key challenge for future works.
Nowadays, the circular economy of construction materials is a challenge that can offer great benefits in environmental, social and economic aspects. This work provides a set of practical data and ...interpretations for eleven common inorganic building materials as well as basis for their adequate characterization for the purpose of their valuation as secondary raw materials. The studied materials were divided in three main groups: ceramic (i.e., solid and hollow red bricks, porcelain and extruded stoneware tiles, red and white wall tiles and sanitary ware), gypsum-based (i. e., plaster and plasterboard) and cement-based (i.e., mortar and concrete) materials. This work pursues to stablish the main differences between inorganic construction materials to provide a reliable, complete, and convenient information to be used in scientific or industrial appliances, compiling valuable information, with special emphasis on spectroscopic characterization. In addition, Raman spectroscopy allows an advantageous characterization, successfully demonstrating the identification through chemometric models of ternary mixtures of construction materials. One target application for this analysis is the classification and separation of demolition waste materials for their further recycling, contributing this way to the circular economy and thus, the sustainable development of the society.
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•Experimental characterisation of masonry building materials has been compiled.•XRF, XRD, FTIR, UV-NIR and Raman techniques are used for materials characterization.•Assistance for the correct identification using Raman spectroscopy is detailed.•A chemometric model has been built and tested in a problem sample of ternary mixture of materials.
•CDWs are underrated as raw material because limitation on sorting.•CDWs homogenization by milling is an effective strategy for their valorization.•Homogenized CDWs are suitable to enter in the ...ceramic tile manufacturing process.•Raman and SWIR spectroscopies have been used to build quantification methods using chemometric.
Construction and demolition wastes (CDW) face low recycling rates due to the absence of reliable and industrially feasible quantification method for valorization. This study explores quantifying mixed construction materials through their homogenization, a novel proposal, and chemometric modeling. The problem materials were homogenized in known proportions for the acquisition of a statistical number of chemical data. Short-wave infrared and Raman spectroscopy (applied here for the first time) provided data for two independent models. Principal Component Analysis and Improved Kernel Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis were employed for model construction. These models were successfully applied to a real CDW sample from a Spanish management plant, yielding comparable results. This cost-effective methodology allows the quantification of stony aggregates within CDW, enhancing their recycling potential in the ceramic sector. Addressing the scarcity of reliable CDW quantification procedures, this approach and the use of Raman technique hold promise for advancing CDW valorization and sustainability.
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We determined effective temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities for a sample of 343 M dwarfs observed with CARMENES, the double-channel, high-resolution spectrograph installed at the 3.5 m ...telescope at Calar Alto Observatory. We employed S
TE
P
AR
S
YN
, a Bayesian spectral synthesis implementation particularly designed to infer the stellar atmospheric parameters of late-type stars following a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. We made use of the BT-Settl model atmospheres and the radiative transfer code
turbospectrum
to compute a grid of synthetic spectra around 75 magnetically insensitive Fe
I
and Ti
I
lines plus the TiO
γ
and
ϵ
bands. To avoid any potential degeneracy in the parameter space, we imposed Bayesian priors on
T
eff
and log
g
based on the comprehensive, multi-band photometric data available for the sample. We find that this methodology is suitable down to M7.0 V, where refractory metals such as Ti are expected to condense in the stellar photospheres. The derived
T
eff
, log
g
, and Fe/H range from 3000 to 4200 K, 4.5 to 5.3 dex, and −0.7 to 0.2 dex, respectively. Although our
T
eff
scale is in good agreement with the literature, we report large discrepancies in the Fe/H scales, which might arise from the different methodologies and sets of lines considered. However, our Fe/H is in agreement with the metallicity distribution of FGK-type stars in the solar neighbourhood and correlates well with the kinematic membership of the targets in the Galactic populations. Lastly, excellent agreement in
T
eff
is found for M dwarfs with interferometric angular diameter measurements, as well as in the Fe/H between the components in the wide physical FGK+M and M+M systems included in our sample.
Background
Pregnancy in SLE continues to be a challenge. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and chemerin are predictors of preeclampsia in the general population; however, their role as ...predictors of maternal-fetal complications in pregnant SLE patients has not been analyzed.
Objective
To investigate the prognostic value of NLR and serum chemerin, to predict maternal-fetal complications in pregnant SLE patients, and compare both biomarkers among three study groups.
Methods
Design: Analytical cross-sectional study of cases and controls with the following study groups: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), preeclampsia, and healthy. NLR and chemerin serum were determined between 20 and 25 weeks of gestation. Patients were evaluated every 4–6 weeks until pregnancy resolution. Maternal and fetal outcomes were registered. We employed Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to validate prognostic values.
Results
Seventy pregnant patients were included: 20 with SLE, 20 with preeclampsia, and 30 healthy pregnant women; NLR values were 4 (2.3–5.6) in SLE, 6 (4.6–9.2) in preeclampsia, and 2.8 (2.1–2.9) in the group of healthy women (p = .0001). Chemerin levels were: 26 (15.3–56.2) in SLE, 96 (37.3–146.2) in preeclampsia, and 24.6 ng/mL (15.3–47.4) in the healthy group (p = .007) Maternal complications were observed in 11 (55%), 20 (100%), and 8 (26%) per group, respectively. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequent complication in all pregnant women, followed by hypertensive disorders. Fetal complications were registered in 12 (60%), 16 (80%), and 2 (6.7%), respectively. Congenital malformations and prematurity were the most frequent fetal complications. NLR had good diagnostic accuracy in predicting maternal-fetal complications (AUROC 0.715) p = .015, CI 95% 0.56–0.86, cut-off point level: 2.9, sensitivity 61%, specificity 78%, positive predictive value (PPV) 65%, negative predictive value (NPV) 75%. Regarding chemerin, a cut-off point level >43 ng/mL had a sensitivity of 75%, specificity of 72% AUROC 0.75, p = .001, CI 95% 0.61–0.89, PPV 51.7% NPV 87.8%, meaning that 51.7% of patients with chemerin levels >43 ng/mL have or will have preeclampsia.
Conclusion
The NLR may help predict maternal-fetal complications in SLE pregnancy, constituting a marker of subclinical inflammation. Chemerin levels may be associated with preeclampsia. These biomarkers could improve the care of SLE patients with timely intervention of potential complications during pregnancy.
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