Malignant hypertension is listed among the causes of secondary thrombotic microangiopathy, but pathogenic mutations in complement genes have been reported in patients with hypertension-induced ...thrombotic microangiopathy. Here we investigated the frequency and severity of hypertension in 55 patients with primary atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). A genetic analysis was performed in all patients, and funduscopic examination was performed in all the patients with Grades 2 and 3 hypertension. A cohort of 110 patients with malignant hypertension caused by diseases other than aHUS served as control. Thirty-six patients with aHUS presented Grade 2 or Grade 3 hypertension and funduscopic examination showed malignant hypertension in 19. Genetic abnormalities in complement were found in 19 patients (37% among patients with malignant hypertension). Plasmapheresis was performed in 46 patients and 26 received eculizumab. Renal and hematological responses were significantly lower after plasmapheresis (24%) than after eculizumab (81%). Renal survival was significantly higher in patients treated with eculizumab (85% at one, three and five years) compared to patients who did not receive this treatment (54%, 46% and 41%), respectively. Response to eculizumab was independent of hypertension severity and the presence of complement genetic abnormalities. Among patients with malignant hypertension caused by other diseases the prevalence of thrombotic microangiopathy was very low (5%). Thus, severe and malignant hypertension are common among patients with aHUS and eculizumab treatment leads to a higher renal survival when compared to plasmapheresis. However, thrombotic microangiopathy is uncommon among patients presenting with malignant hypertension caused by diseases other than aHUS.
Display omitted
Summary Background & aims Metabolic syndrome (MetS), in which a non-classic feature is an increase in systemic oxidative biomarkers, presents a high risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). ...Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is associated with a reduced risk of MetS. However, the effect of the MedDiet on biomarkers for oxidative damage has not been assessed in MetS individuals. We have investigated the effect of the MedDiet on systemic oxidative biomarkers in MetS individuals. Methods Randomized, controlled, parallel clinical trial in which 110 female with MetS, aged 55–80, were recruited into a large trial (PREDIMED Study) to test the efficacy of the traditional MedDiet on the primary prevention of CVD. Participants were assigned to a low-fat diet or two traditional MedDiets (MedDiet + virgin olive oil or MedDiet + nuts). Both MedDiet group participants received nutritional education and either free extra virgin olive oil for all the family (1 L/week), or free nuts (30 g/day). Diets were ad libitum . Changes in urine levels of F2-Isoprostane (F2-IP) and the DNA damage base 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) were evaluated at 1-year trial. Results After 1-year urinary F2-IP decreased in all groups, the decrease in MedDiet groups reaching a borderline significance versus that of the Control group. Urinary 8-oxo-dG was also reduced in all groups, with a higher decrease in both MedDiet groups versus the Control one ( P < 0.001). Conclusions MedDiet reduces oxidative damage to lipids and DNA in MetS individuals. Data from this study provide evidence to recommend the traditional MedDiet as a useful tool in the MetS management. Registered under Clinical Trials.gov Identifier no. NCT00123456.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer great flexibility in acquiring images in inaccessible study areas, which are then processed with stereo-matching techniques through Structure-from-Motion (SfM) ...algorithms. This procedure allows generating high spatial resolution 3D point clouds. The high accuracy of these 3D models allows the production of detailed snow depth distribution maps through the comparison of point clouds from different dates. In this way, UAVs allow monitoring of remote areas that were not achievable previously. The large number of works evaluating this novel technique has not, to date, conducted a systematic evaluation of concurrent snowpack observations with different UAV devices. Taking into account this, and also bearing in mind that potential users of this technique may be interested in exploiting ready-to-use commercial devices, we conducted an evaluation of the snow depth distribution maps with different commercial UAVs. During the 2018–19 snow season, two multi-rotors (Parrot Anafi and DJI Mavic Pro2) and one fixed-wing device (SenseFly eBee plus) were used on three different dates over a small test area (5 ha) within Izas Experimental Catchment in the Central Pyrenees. Simultaneously, snowpack distribution was retrieved with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS, RIEGL LPM-321) and was considered as ground truth. Three different georeferencing methods (Ground Control Points, ICP algorithm over snow-free areas and RTK-GPS positioning) were tested, showing equivalent performances under optimum illumination conditions. Additionally, for the three acquisition dates, both multi-rotors were flown at two distinct altitudes (50 and 75 m) to evaluate impact on the obtained snow depth maps. The evaluation with the TLS showed an equivalent performance of the two multi-rotors, with mean RMSE below 0.23 m and maximum volume deviations of less than 5%. Flying altitudes did not show significant differences in the obtained maps. These results were obtained under contrasted snow surface characteristics. This study reveals that under good illumination conditions and in relatively small areas, affordable commercial UAVs provide reliable estimations of snow distribution compared to more sophisticated and expensive close-range remote sensing techniques. Results obtained under overcast skies were poor, demonstrating that UAV observations require clear-sky conditions and acquisitions around noon to guarantee a homogenous illumination of the study area.
•Three georeferencing methods (GCP, ICP and RTK-GPS) were tested, showing equivalent results under good lighting conditions.•Flying altitudes did not show significant differences in the obtained maps.•Affordable commercial UAVs provide good estimations of snow distribution compared to other close-range remote sensing devices.
The aim of this work is to understand aerosol transfers to the snowpack in the Spanish Pyrenees (Southern Europe) by determining their episodic mass-loading and composition, and to retrieve their ...regional impacts regarding optical properties and modification of snow melting. Regular aerosol monitoring has been performed during three consecutive years. Complementarily, short campaigns have been carried out to collect dust-rich snow samples. Atmospheric samples have been chemically characterized in terms of elemental composition and, in some cases, regarding their mineralogy. Snow albedo has been determined in different seasons along the campaign, and temporal variations of snow-depth from different observatories have been related to concentration of impurities in the snow surface. Our results noticed that aerosol flux in the Central Pyrenees during cold seasons (from November to May, up to 12–13 g m−2 of insoluble particles overall accumulated) is much higher than the observed during the warm period (from June to October, typically around 2.1–3.3 g m−2). Such high values observed during cold seasons were driven by the impact of severe African dust episodes. In absence of such extreme episodes, aerosol loadings in cold and warm season appeared comparable. Our study reveals that mineral dust particles from North Africa are a major driver of the aerosol loading in the snowpack in the southern side of the Central Pyrenees. Field data revealed that the heterogeneous spatial distribution of impurities on the snow surface led to differences close to 0.2 on the measured snow albedo within very short distances. Such impacts have clear implications for modelling distributed energy balance of snow and predicting snow melting from mountain headwaters.
Display omitted
•The understanding of conformations of l-Serine at different pH conditions.•The Mid-IR, FarIR and Raman spectra are presented.•We perform DFT (B3LYP and M062X) calculations.•The low ...frequency region reveals important structural information.•The analysis of the aqueous solutions reveals the presence of three zwitterions, two cations and three anions.
The aim of this study is to understand the conformational preferences of l-Serine (C3H7NO3, 2-amino-3-hydroxypropanoic acid) at different pH conditions. A conformational study in aqueous solution of the dissociation equilibrium of the polar amino acid l-Serine, was carried out for this purpose. We recorded, at room temperature, the Mid-IR, FarIR and Raman spectra of l-Serine from the aqueous solutions at pH values 5.82 (zwitterionic species), 1.00 (protonated species) and 13.00 (deprotonated species). Both the study of the conformational landscape and the theoretical analysis of the vibrational features were done using DFT and ab initio calculations, i.e. B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p), M062X/6-31+G(d,p) and MP2/6-31+G(d,p) levels of theory. The presence of water was included with the IEF-PCM implicit hydration model. Concerning the zwitterion, analysis of the low frequency region (700–50cm−1) in the FT-Raman and FarIR spectra reveals important information for assignment of the most stable structures.
Although almost 200‐years‐old, several unknown aspects remain to be explored of colchicine, the unique available drug for acute flares of gout. In this article, we report density‐functional theory ...(DFT) studies of geometry, energy, and NMR; 1H‐, 13C‐, and 15N‐NMR chemical shifts and some spin‐spin coupling constants, including the complete analysis of the saturated part (ring B); the assignment of both enantiomers by NMR using a chiral solvating agent; solid‐state NMR experiments of the different forms of natural and racemic colchicine, and IR and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) studies of these same forms.
Permafrost is a relevant component of the Pyrenean high mountains, triggering a wide range of geomorphological cryogenic processes. Although in the past decades there has been an increase in frozen ...ground studies in the Pyrenees, there are no specific studies about rock wall permafrost, its presence, distribution, thermal regime, or historical evolution. This work combines measured rock surface temperatures (RSTs, from August 2013 to April 2016) along an elevation profile (four sites) on the north facing the rock wall of the Vignemale peak (3,298 m a.s.l., 42°46′16″N/0°08′33″W) and temperature modeling (CryoGRID2) to determine the presence of permafrost and to analyze its evolution since the mid‐20th century. Simulations are run with various RST forcings and bedrock properties to account for forcing data uncertainty and varying degrees of rock fracturing. Results reveal that warm permafrost may have existed down to 2,600 m a.s.l. until the early 1980s and that warm permafrost is currently found at ~2,800 m a.s.l. and up to 3,000 m a.s.l. Cold (<−2°C) permafrost may exist above 3,100–3,200 m a.s.l. Systematic investigations on rock wall permafrost must be conducted to refine those results in the Pyrenees. The elevation shift in warm permafrost suggests an imminent disappearance of permafrost in the Vignemale peak.
The focal and non-focal epilepsy is seen to be a chronic neurological brain disorder, which has affected ≈ 60 million people in the world. Hence, an early detection of the focal epileptic seizures ...can be carried out using the EEG signals, which act as a helpful tool for early diagnosis of epilepsy. Several EEG-based approaches have been proposed and developed to understand the underlying characteristics of the epileptic seizures. Despite the fact that the early results were positive, the proposed techniques cannot generate reproducible results and lack a statistical validation, which has led to doubts regarding the presence of the pre-ictal state. Various methodical and algorithmic studies have indicated that the transition to an ictal state is not a random process, and the build-up can lead to epileptic seizures. This study reviews many recently-proposed algorithms for detecting the focal epileptic seizures. Generally, the techniques developed for detecting the epileptic seizures were based on tensors, entropy, empirical mode decomposition, wavelet transform and dynamic analysis. The existing algorithms were compared and the need for implementing a practical and reliable new algorithm is highlighted. The research regarding the epileptic seizure detection research is more focused on the development of precise and non-invasive techniques for rapid and reliable diagnosis. Finally, the researchers noted that all the methods that were developed for epileptic seizure detection lacks standardization, which hinders the homogeneous comparison of the detector performance.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of certain single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cabazitaxel activity and toxicity in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate ...cancer (mCRPC).
56 SNPs in five genes (
,
,
,
and
) were genotyped in 67 mCRPC patients and their correlation with outcomes analyzed.
-rs151352 (hazard ratio: 0.52) and
-rs1341164 (hazard ratio: 0.53) were associated with better overall survival, and
-rs1058932 with biochemical progression (odds ratio: 6.60) in multivariate analysis.
-rs17327624 correlated with severe toxicity ≥grade 3 (odds ratio: 8.56) and
-rs11572093 with asthenia (odds ratio: 8.12).
Genetic variants in mCRPC patients could explain different outcomes with cabazitaxel. Nonetheless, the small sample size and the high number of SNPs analyzed mean that the results are only hypothesis-generating and require further validation.
PDF
