Beyond biomass production: Enhancing biodiversity while capturing carbon in short rotation coppice poplar plantations

Biodiversity is essential for the functioning of ecosystems and the provision of services. In recent years, the role of plantations in mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration has been highlighted. In the Mediterranean area, high-density poplar plantations in short-rotation with resprouting management (SRC) have been established for biomass purposes on mostly irrigated agricultural land, coexisting with rainfed and irrigated agricultural crops. This study aims to assess the contribution of these plantations to this type of agroforest ecosystem in terms of biodiversity. For this purpose, both flora and fauna diversity were evaluated both within and outside of the plantation. Additionally, the accumulated carbon in the biomass, as well as in the accompanying vegetation within the plantation, was assessed. Different indices were used to evaluate both the intrinsic diversity of the forest plantation and the degree of substitution and complementarity between the different communities of the landscape. Our findings reveal distinct biodiversity patterns in the land-use scenarios sampled. Specifically, we observed significantly higher flora-species richness in SRC plantations than in the adjacent agricultural land, whereas fauna richness showed a similar but slightly higher level in the forested area. A moderate level of complementarity between land uses was found for insects and mammals (around 45 %), contrasting with high complementarity for birds (87 %) and flora (90 %). This suggests substantial turnover and replacement among these ecological environments. Our results indicate that a second rotation (4 year) plantation could accumulate a total of 61.6 Mg C ha-1, and even though adventitious flora represents <2 % of the total carbon accumulated, its importance in providing ecosystem services is considerable. Hence, these findings evidence the fact that SRC poplar plantations can enhance biodiversity in Mediterranean agroforest ecosystems and actively contribute to various provisioning ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, reflecting a multi-objective approach that extends beyond biomass production.

Feasibility of a new model of care for allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients facilitated by eHealth: The MY-Medula pilot study

BACKGROUND

The use of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for the treatment of hematologic diseases is steadily increasing. However, allo-SCT has the downside of causing considerable treatment-related morbidity and mortality. Mobile technology applied to healthcare (mHealth) has proven to be a cost-effective strategy to improve care and offer new services to people with multimorbidity, but there are few data on its usefulness in allo-SCT recipients.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this report was to describe a new integrated healthcare model facilitated by an mHealth platform, named EMMASalud-MY-Medula, and to report the results of a le.

STUDY DESIGN

The MY-Medula platform development approach consisted of 4 phases. Firstly, patient and healthcare professional needs were identified and technological development and pre-testing tests were conducted (phases 1-3, January 2016-March 2021). Then, a non-randomized, prospective, observational, single-center pilot study was conducted (October 2021-January 2022) at the adult Stem Cell Transplant Unit of a tertiary university hospital.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight volunteer allo-SCT recipients were included in the pilot study. Fifty percent were outpatients in the first-year post-SCT and the remaining 50% were affected by steroid-dependent graft-versus-host disease (SR-GVHD). All patients used MY-Medula application during the two-month follow-up period with a median number of visits to the application of 143 (range 6-477). A total of 2067 self-monitoring records were made, and 205 text messages were received, most of them related to symptoms description (47%) and doubts about medication (21%). In 3.4% of the cases drug dose adjustments were performed by the pharmacist because of dosing errors or interactions. At the end of the study, a 6-question Likert-type questionnaire for patients and a 22-question test for healthcare professionals showed a high degree of satisfaction (95% and 100% respectively) with the new healthcare pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Re-engineering allo-SCT recipients follow-up into an integrated, multidisciplinary model of care facilitated by mHealth tools is feasible and has been associated with a high usability and degree of satisfaction by patients and healthcare professionals. A randomized trial aiming to determine the cost-effectiveness of MY-Medula-based follow-up post-SCT is currently enrolling participants.

Low-intensity continuous ultrasound to inhibit cancer cell migration

In recent years, it has been verified that collective cell migration is a fundamental step in tumor spreading and metastatic processes. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time how low-intensity ultrasound produces long-term inhibition of collective migration of epithelial cancer cells in wound healing processes. In particular, we show how pancreatic tumor cells, PANC-1, grown as monolayers in vitro respond to these waves at frequencies close to 1 MHz and low intensities (<100 mW cm^-2) for 48-72 h of culture after some minutes of a single ultrasound irradiation. This new strategy opens a new line of action to block the spread of malignant cells in cancer processes. Despite relevant spatial variations of the acoustic pressure amplitude induced in the assay, the cells behave as a whole, showing a collective dynamic response to acoustic performance. Experiments carried out with samples without previous starving showed remarkable effects of the LICUs from the first hours of culture, more prominent than those with experiments with monolayers subjected to fasting prior to the experiments. This new strategy to control cell migration demonstrating the effectiveness of LICUS on not starved cells opens a new line of action to study effects of in vivo ultrasonic actuation on tumor tissues with malignant cells. This is a proof-of-concept study to demonstrate the physical effects of ultrasound stimulation on tumor cell migration. An in-depth biological study of the effects of ultrasounds and underlying biological mechanisms is on-going but out of the scope of this article.

Three-dimensional numerical analysis as a tool for optimization of acoustophoretic separation in polymeric chips

Polymeric separators have been developed since 2010 to produce acoustophoretic separation of particles or cells in suspension with high efficiency. They rely on three-dimensional (3D) resonances of their whole structure actuated by ultrasounds. In this paper, a numerical 3D analysis is presented and validated as the only tool for optimization of these polymeric chips to perform efficient separation applications. In contrast to conventional acoustophoretic techniques based on the establishment of standing waves in the liquid phase of the channel (requiring rigid chip materials, such as silicon or glass), whole-structure resonances of the chip allow the use of materials that are acoustically soft and of low acoustic impedance, which is close to that of the liquid samples hosted. The resonance requirement is not restricted to the liquid phase in the polymeric chips, but it extends to the 3D whole structure, allowing any material. It provides significant advantages in the design and manufacture of our chips, allowing the use of low-cost materials and cheap manufacturing processes and even printing of devices. The extraordinary complexity of their multiple resonances requires theoretical approaches to optimize their acoustophoretic performance. Hence, the importance of 3D numerical analyses, which are capable of predicting the acoustic behavior of these chips, is to perform acoustophretica separation in suspensions.

[12th Post-ECTRIMS Meeting: review of the novelties from the 2019 ECTRIMS Congress (I)]

INTRODUCTION

Like every year, after the ECTRIMS Congress, renowned Spanish neurologists who are experts in multiple sclerosis presented the main novelties in research in this field at the Post-ECTRIMS Meeting.

AIM

To summarise the content presented at the 12th edition of the Post-ECTRIMS Meeting, which took place in September 2019 in Sevilla and is presented in two parts.

DEVELOPMENT

This first part addresses the latest studies on vitamin D deficiency and the discrepancies that currently exist regarding its treatment. The advances made in epigenetics allow us to present this approach as a possible biomarker of multiple sclerosis. An account is provided to explain the growing importance of imaging techniques to detect atrophy and other phenomena that occur during the disease, such as changes in iron concentration or remyelination processes, which allow us to further our understanding of the mechanisms of cortical pathology, and the dimensionality of neurodegeneration during its course. Findings related to immunological mechanisms and advances in potential antigen-specific therapies are discussed. The contribution presents the latest studies on the assessment of cognitive impairment and its rehabilitation, which are becoming increasingly important due to the high prevalence of these disorders and the absence of their systematic assessment in clinical practice. Finally, the unmet social and health needs of multiple sclerosis patients in our country are presented, with emphasis on the current deficits in the system of social protection.

Kleptomania as a neglected disorder in psychiatry

Kleptomania is an impulse control disorder characterized by the irresistible urge to steal not for monetary gain. Since its conceptualization, this categorical diagnosis has been conflated with common beliefs regarding the social class and gender such as the idea that women are intrinsically fragile and that people in the middle class were unlikely to commit theft. Also, its use has been controversial in the medical and forensic fields. This presentation will provide a historical excursus through the definitions of the syndrome and summarize the available pharmacological and psychotherapeutic options for its treatment. Currently, there is a lack of systematic studies regarding the clinical characteristics of kleptomania and its treatment options for practical standardized approaches.

Long-Term Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Culture in Microdroplets

We previously reported a new approach for micromanipulation and encapsulation of human stem cells using a droplet-based microfluidic device. This approach demonstrated the possibility of encapsulating and culturing difficult-to-preserve primary human hematopoietic stem cells using an engineered double-layered bead composed by an inner layer of alginate and an outer layer of Puramatrix. We also demonstrated the maintenance and expansion of Multiple Myeloma cells in this construction. Here, the presented microfluidic technique is applied to construct a 3D biomimetic model to recapitulate the human hematopoietic stem cell niche using double-layered hydrogel beads cultured in 10% FBS culture medium. In this model, the long-term maintenance of the number of cells and expansion of hHSCS encapsulated in the proposed structures was observed. Additionally, a phenotypic characterization of the human hematopoietic stem cells generated in the presented biomimetic model was performed in order to assess their long-term stemness maintenance. Results indicate that the ex vivo cultured human CD34+ cells from bone marrow were viable, maintained, and expanded over a time span of eight weeks. This novel long-term stem cell culture methodology could represent a novel breakthrough to improve Hematopoietic Progenitor cell Transplant (HPT) as well as a novel tool for further study of the biochemical and biophysical factors influencing stem cell behavior. This technology opens a myriad of new applications as a universal stem cell niche model potentially able to expand other types of cells.

Impact of patients' perception of COPD and treatment on adherence and health-related quality of life in real-world: Study in 53 community pharmacies

BACKGROUND

Patient adherence to treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is essential to optimize disease management. We aimed to assess the impact of patients' perception of their treatment and disease on adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in patients attending a community pharmacy, where usually subjects have a better condition than those in clinical settings.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of 318 patients with COPD in treatment with inhalers in the last 3 months from 53 community pharmacies. We assessed HRQL with St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Persistence was assessed from the three previous refills and adherence through the Test of Adherence to Inhalers test.

RESULTS

Persistence was achieved by 78.6% of the patients and 58.5% had good adherence. Patients having a multidose DPI and those with MDI showed a 2.8-fold and 4.1-fold increased association, respectively, with intermediate/poor adherence in comparison with those having a single dose DPI. Those patients who did not have knowledge about COPD (aOR 2.106, p = 0.006) and those who thought that the inhaler effectiveness was fair/poor (aOR 2.361, p = 0.006) were more likely to have intermediate/poor adherence. Overall SGRQ score was significantly worse in patients with intermediate/poor adherence (p = 0.036) and in those who thought the inhaler's effectiveness was fair/poor (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The type of inhaler and patients' knowledge and perceptions of their disease and treatment were associated with good adherence and higher HRQL. Clinicians should promote shared-decision making in the choice of inhaler depending on patients' individual abilities and beliefs.

Influence of Hydrodynamics and Hematocrit on Ultrasound-Induced Blood Plasmapheresis

Acoustophoretic blood plasma separation is based on cell enrichment processes driven by acoustic radiation forces. The combined influence of hematocrit and hydrodynamics has not yet been quantified in the literature for these processes acoustically induced on blood. In this paper, we present an experimental study of blood samples exposed to ultrasonic standing waves at different hematocrit percentages and hydrodynamic conditions, in order to enlighten their individual influence on the acoustic response of the samples. The experiments were performed in a glass capillary (700 µm-square cross section) actuated by a piezoelectric ceramic at a frequency of 1.153 MHz, hosting 2D orthogonal half-wavelength resonances transverse to the channel length, with a single-pressure-node along its central axis. Different hematocrit percentages Hct = 2.25%, 4.50%, 9.00%, and 22.50%, were tested at eight flow rate conditions of Q = 0:80 µL/min. Cells were collected along the central axis driven by the acoustic radiation force, releasing plasma progressively free of cells. The study shows an optimal performance in a flow rate interval between 20 and 80 µL/min for low hematocrit percentages Hct ≤ 9.0%, which required very short times close to 10 s to achieve cell-free plasma in percentages over 90%. This study opens new lines for low-cost personalized blood diagnosis.

12th Post-ECTRIMS Meeting: review of the novelties from the 2019 ECTRIMS Congress (II)

INTRODUCTION

Like every year, after the ECTRIMS Congress, renowned Spanish neurologists who are experts in multiple sclerosis presented the main novelties in research in this field at the Post-ECTRIMS Meeting.

AIM

To summarise the content presented at the 12th edition of the Post-ECTRIMS Meeting, which took place in September 2019 in Sevilla and is presented in two parts.

DEVELOPMENT

In this second part, the most recent evidence on the use of disease-modifying treatments during pregnancy is presented. Details are provided concerning the results of phase 3 clinical trials conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two potential disease-modifying treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: ponesimod and ofatumumab. For the progressive forms, both available disease modifying treatments and others still in the research phase are reviewed. In the field of stem cell therapies, the article includes the results of the only clinical trial carried out to date comparing patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and those treated with disease-modifying therapies. There are no important developments as regards symptomatic treatments, although the European Academy of Neurology has published a guide on palliative care. The various sources of information that collect pharmacovigilance data in the post-marketing setting are reviewed.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients diagnosed in recent years tend to have less severe multiple sclerosis, probably due to the fact that it is diagnosed in its milder stages together with the steady increase in the number of treatments available.

Unraveling the effects on lithium-ion cathode performance by cation doping M-Li2CuO2 solid solution samples (M = Mn, Fe and Ni)

Cation doping is one of the most dynamic strategies to enhance the electrochemical properties of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, the maximum partial substitution capacity depends on the solubility of each metal ion, and so the formation of impurities is a very common consequence. Thus, the correlation between electrochemical performance and the doping effect is frequently unknown. In this study, the effect of the partial substitution of copper by manganese, iron or nickel in Li2CuO2 is evaluated, as well as the effect on the electrochemical performance of the modified Li2CuO2 samples as lithium ion battery cathode materials. XRD characterization confirmed single phase formation for all samples, and the incorporation of the transition metal in the Li2CuO2 structure was evaluated by XRD profile fitting, EPR and 7Li-NMR. The results showed modifications in intra- and inter-chain interactions, associated with the variations in the Cu-O-Cu bond angle and changes in magnetic order, due to the presence of the doping transition metal. Among all samples, only manganese partial substitution reveals a drastic improvement in the electrochemical stability during the charge/discharge processes even at potentials higher than 3.9 V. It was corroborated that the higher stability is attributed to (i) the increase in the superexchange interactions between the copper sites and manganese, directly modifying lithium diffusivity and electronic conductivity, both inferred from dynamic thermogravimetric analysis for CO2 sorption and conductivity tests, respectively and (ii) the lower propensity to enable O2 evolution during several charge cycles. These results are totally attributed to manganese cation partial substitution, which has a huge impact on the utilization of copper-based materials in real applications.

Confinement effect on the low temperature specific heat for ultrathin silicon nanowires: a first principles study

This work studied the phonon confinement effects at the low temperature specific heat of Si nanowires from first principles using density functional perturbation theory. The nanowires were modeled in the [0 0 1] direction for three different diameters, with the largest cross section being approximately 10 Å. The results indicate the specific heat can be described at low temperatures using a third-grade polynomial of the form c _v  =  λT  +  βT ²  +  γT³, where the coefficients of quadratic and cubic terms are almost nonexistent for small diameters. These terms begin to have relevance at larger diameters. Further analysis shows λ  >  β  >  γ, which shows the phonon confinement (λ) and surface atoms (β) become more important than the volumetric contribution (γ) for ultrathin nanowires at low temperatures.

Sewage sludge composting under semi-permeable film at full-scale: Evaluation of odour emissions and relationships between microbiological activities and physico-chemical variables

In the present study, physico-chemical characteristics, heavy metals content, odour emissions, microbial enumeration and enzymatic activities were analysed during industrial scale composting of sewage sludge partially pre-treated to evaluate the effect of a combined system of semi-permeable film and aeration on these parameters. The results related to physico-chemical parameters showed a decrease in total organic carbon (TOC), organic matter (OM), total carbon (TC) along the process. Volatile solids (VS) were also reduced, reaching 36% at 120 days, which is above the limit according to the current legislation. Similarly, metal content was found to be an important variable in the evolution of enzymatic activity, while lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) were the most influential. Moreover, heavy metals were found below the limit of type B compost quality or European class 2 at the end of the process, which is suitable for agriculture soil. The odorous impact generated during the hydrolytic stage was reduced to an average value of 4 ou_E/s. This suggests that, covered stage with the semi-permeable film, could be a viable solution to mitigate odour emissions. The highest temperature was reached at 10 days and it was favoured by semi-permeable film. Temperature promoted the presence of thermophilic bacteria and fungi and indicated an early biodegradation process mediated by microorganisms. Statistical analyses revealed a high correlation of physico-chemical variables with microbial activity. Thus, samples from the first 14 days were highly correlated with enzymatic activities such as β-glucosidase (Ac-βGlu), protease (Ac-Pr), and dehydrogenase (Ac-De), which have usually been involved in the hydrolysis of organic matter.

Revisiting Electrochemical Techniques to Characterize the Solid-State Diffusion Mechanism in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) have gained a worldwide position as energy storage devices due to their high energy density, power density and cycle life. Nevertheless, these performance parameters are yet insufficient for current and future demands diversifying their range of applications, and competitiveness against other power sources. In line with the materials science, the optimization of LiBs, first, requires an in-depth characterization and understanding of their determining steps regarding transport phenomena and electrode kinetics occurring within these devices. Experimental and theoretical studies have identified the solid-state diffusion of Li+into the composite cathode material as one of the transport mechanisms limiting the performance of LiBs, in particular at high charge and discharge rates (C-rates). Nowadays, there is however ambivalence to characterize this mass transport mechanism using the diffusion coefficient calculated either by electrochemical techniques orab initioquantum chemistry methods.  This contribution revisits conventional electrochemical methodologies employed in literature to estimate mass transport diffusivity of LiBs, in particular using LiFePO4in the cathode, and their suitability and reliability are comprehensively discussed. These experimental and theoretical methods include Galvanostatic and Potentiostatic Intermittent Titration Technique (GITT and PITT), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) andab initioquantum chemistry methods. On the one hand, experimental methods seem not to isolate the diffusion mechanism in the solid phase; thus, obtaining an unreliable apparent diffusion coefficient (ranging from 10–10to 10–16 cm2 s−1), which only serves as a criterion to discard among a set of LiBs. On the other hand, atomistic approaches based onab initio, density functional theory (DFT), cannot yet capture the complexity of the local environments involved at this scale; in consequence, these approaches have predicted inadequate diffusion coefficients for LiFePO4(ranging from 10–6to 10–7 cm2 s−1) which strongly differ from experimental values. This contribution, at long last, remarks the factors influencing diffusion mechanisms and addresses the uncertainties to characterize this transport mechanism in the cathode, stressing the needs to establish methods to determine the diffusion coefficient accurately, coupling electrochemical techniques,ab initiomethods, and engineering approaches based on modeling.

Effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs of abuse on retinal development

PURPOSE

To assess structural changes in the retina using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in children prenatally exposed to toxic substances.

METHODS

The study included a total of 49 infants, aged between 5 and 18years, exposed to toxic substances during pregnancy. Among the exposed children, 25 were exposed to tobacco, 20 were exposed to alcohol, and 4 children were exposed to other drugs of abuse. All children underwent a complete ophthalmology examination, including an OCT. The results were compared against a control group composed of 25 infants, age matched with controlled pregnancy, and not exposed to toxic substances.

RESULTS

Children prenatally exposed to toxic substances showed significantly thinner average retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) compared with control children (81.5 vs. 99.7μm; P<.005), as well as RNFL thinning in its four quadrants (superior RNFL: 97.5 vs. 127.5μm; P<.005; nasal RNFL: 61.5 vs. 72.3μm; P<.005; inferior RNFL: 99.8 vs. 128.6μm; P<.005, temporal RNFL: 58.3 vs. 68.2μm; P<.005). Exposed children also exhibited a thinner ganglion cell layer (72.9 vs. 85.9; P<.005). Greater RNFL thinning was observed in children exposed to drugs of abuse (RNFL thinner average=72), followed by children exposed to alcohol (RNFL thinner average=72.9), and finally the least affected were those children exposed to tobacco during pregnancy (RNFL=94.6).

CONCLUSION

Toxic substances during pregnancy interfere in retinal development. These results strengthen the evidence about the avoidance of any toxic substance during pregnancy.

Democratizing wildfire strategies. Do you realize what it means? Insights from a participatory process in the Montseny region (Catalonia, Spain)

Participatory planning networks made of government agencies, stakeholders, citizens and scientists are receiving attention as a potential pathway to build resilient landscapes in the face of increased wildfire impacts due to suppression policies and land-use and climate changes. A key challenge for these networks lies in incorporating local knowledge and social values about landscape into operational wildfire management strategies. As large wildfires overcome the suppression capacity of the fire departments, such strategies entail difficult decisions about intervention priorities among different regions, values and socioeconomic interests. Therefore there is increasing interest in developing tools that facilitate decision-making during emergencies. In this paper we present a method to democratize wildfire strategies by incorporating social values about landscape in both suppression and prevention planning. We do so by reporting and critically reflecting on the experience from a pilot participatory process conducted in a region of Catalonia (Spain). There, we built a network of researchers, practitioners and citizens across spatial and governance scales. We combined knowledge on expected wildfires, landscape co-valuation by relevant actors, and citizen participation sessions to design a wildfire strategy that minimized the loss of social values. Drawing on insights from political ecology and transformation science, we discuss what the attempt to democratize wildfire strategies entails in terms of power relationships and potential for social-ecological transformation. Based on our experience, we suggest a trade-off between current wildfire risk levels and democratic management in the fire-prone regions of many western countries. In turn, the political negotiation about the landscape effects of wildfire expert knowledge is shown as a potential transformation pathway towards lower risk landscapes that can re-define agency over landscape and foster community re-learning on fire. We conclude that democratizing wildfire strategies ultimately entails co-shaping the landscapes and societies of the future.

Lithium effect on the electronic properties of porous silicon for energy storage applications: a DFT study

Theoretical studies on the effect of Li on the electronic properties of porous silicon are still scarce; these studies could help us in the development of Li-ion batteries of this material which overcomes some limitations that bulk silicon has. In this work, the effect of interstitial and surface Li on the electronic properties of porous Si is studied using the first-principles density functional theory approach and the generalised gradient approximation. The pores are modeled by removing columns of atoms of an otherwise perfect Si crystal, dangling bonds of all surfaces are passivated with H atoms, and then Li is inserted on interstitial positions on the pore wall and compared with the replacement of H atoms with Li. The results show that the interstitial Li creates effects similar to n-type doping where the Fermi level is shifted towards the conduction band with band crossings of the said level thus acquiring metallic characteristics. The surface Li introduces trap-like states in the electronic band structures which increase as the number of Li atom increases with a tendency to become metallic. These results could be important for the application of porous Si nanostructures in Li-ion batteries technology.

Diode Laser Photocoagulation in Retinopathy of Prematurity

We used diode laser photocoagulation to treat 22 eyes of 12 patients with retinopathy of prematurity. Three infants were followed for at least six months and nine for at least one year. We treated 14 eyes with threshold disease and 8 eyes with prethreshold disease. The treatment was administered within 72 hours of diagnosis and topical anesthesia and sedation were used. No evidence of lesions of the anterior segment of preretinal or vitreous hemorrhages was found after the treatment. External inflammatory signs were neglibible. Systemic complications occurred only in three treatment sessions. Eight of the 14 eyes with threshold disease (57%) and all eight eyes with prethreshold disease had favorable outcomes. In total 73% with ROP had favorable outcomes. Treatment with the diode laser is easily performed, effective essentially in cases of prethreshold disease but in threshold disease too, with minimal ocular or systemic complications.

Morphometric Study of Wound Healing in a Model of Filtering Surgery with Mitomycin-C

Background

Failure of filtering surgery may be related to excessive wound healing in the surgical area. This effect diminishes with the use of antimetabolic agents. Mitomycin-C (MMC) has proved to be the most effective drug to reduce myofibroblastic proliferation in experimental in vivo and in vitro models. To our knowledge, the objective changes induced by mitomycin-C in the size of wound healing areas have not been investigated. Methods: Filtering surgery was performed on both eyes of 40 pigmented rabbits. Preoperatively one of the eyes received MMC (0.5 mg/ml), and the fellow eye received balance salt solution as placebo. Animals were killed on days 6, 15, 30 and 58. Microscopic healing areas were measured by digital procedures. The areas of target and fellow control eyes were compared by the Wilcoxon test.

Results

This study showed significant differences (p<0.05) between treated and untreated groups, the healing are a gradually becoming smaller.

Conclusions

Objective methods to quantify the microscopic effects of MMC can be useful to improve our knowledge about the action on this antimetabolite and to enable us to adjust more accurately the timing and dosage when applying the drug in glaucoma filtering surgery.

Electronic density distribution of Mn–N bonds by a tuning effect through partial replacement of Mn by Co or Ni in a sodium-rich hexacyanoferrate and its influence on the stability as a cathode for Na-ion batteries

This study evaluates the effect of equimolar substitution of manganese by cobalt or nickel in hexacyanoferrate open frameworks as electrode for Na-ion batteries.

Crop wild relative populations of Beta vulgaris allow direct mapping of agronomically important genes

Rapid identification of agronomically important genes is of pivotal interest for crop breeding. One source of such genes are crop wild relative (CWR) populations. Here we used a CWR population of <200 wild beets (B. vulgaris ssp. maritima), sampled in their natural habitat, to identify the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) resistance gene Rz2 with a modified version of mapping-by-sequencing (MBS). For that, we generated a draft genome sequence of the wild beet. Our results show the importance of preserving CWR in situ and demonstrate the great potential of CWR for rapid discovery of causal genes relevant for crop improvement. The candidate gene for Rz2 was identified by MBS and subsequently corroborated via RNA interference (RNAi). Rz2 encodes a CC-NB-LRR protein. Access to the DNA sequence of Rz2 opens the path to improvement of resistance towards rhizomania not only by marker-assisted breeding but also by genome editing.

Variation among wild relatives of crop plants can be used to identify genes underlying traits of agronomic importance. Here, the authors show that a modified mapping-by-sequencing approach can rapidly identify the genetic basis for viral resistance in sugar beet using wild beet populations in their natural habitat.

Consensus guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with pancreatic cancer in Spain

The management of patients with pancreatic cancer has advanced over the last few years. We convey a multidisciplinary group of experts in an attempt to stablish practical guidelines for the diagnoses, staging and management of these patients. This paper summarizes the main conclusions of the working group. Patients with suspected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma should be rapidly evaluated and referred to high-volume centers. Multidisciplinary supervision is critical for proper diagnoses, staging and to frame a treatment plan. Surgical resection together with chemotherapy offers the highest chance for cure in early stage disease. Patients with advanced disease should be classified in treatment groups to guide systemic treatment. New chemotherapeutic regimens have resulted in improved survival. Symptomatic management is critical in this disease. Enrollment in a clinical trial is, in general, recommended.

Needs of People with Schizophrenia/Psychosis and their Caregivers: A Large Scale Survey

For the first time in Spain, a large scale survey (5205 people) was carried out to establish the real needs of those directly affected by the illness. Patients and caregivers responded to a 9-question survey concerning dimensions: personal, social, medical treatment, psychotherapy and rehabilitation. For patients, the most important need (an average score of 3.5 on a scale of importance from 1 to 4) was to feel their emotional needs covered. The following average scores were also obtained: feel well physically (3.42), improve autonomy (3.41), have leisure activities (3.21) and work/study (3.1). A total of 42% of patients indicated having little or no freedom over their lives. Thirty-six percent indicated that medical treatment did not start soon enough, 35% that psychotherapy started too late and 13% saying they had received no psychotherapy at all. The help from professionals most valued was provide information about the illness (3.4), dedicating more time (3.4) investigating new treatments (3.3) paying attention to secondary effects (3.3) and incorporating the patient in decision making (3.3). Most patients reported a state of health “regular to good” but 10% indicated not being understood at all in their social environment since onset of illness and 25% being little understood. The anti-stigma initiative most valued was to increase investment in schizophrenia in health planning. Integral health planning should incorporate patient insights concerning basic needs and treatment preferences.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Face recognition impairment in small for gestational age and preterm children

BACKGROUND

Infants born prematurely or with low birth weight are at increased risk of visual perceptual impairment. Face recognition is a high-order visual ability important for social development, which has been rarely assessed in premature or low birth weight children.

AIMS

To evaluate the influence of prematurity and low birth weight on face recognition skills.

METHODS

Seventy-seven children were evaluated as part of a prospective cohort study. They were divided into premature and term birth cohorts. Children with a birth weight below the 10th centile were considered small for gestational age. All children underwent a full ophthalmologic assessment and evaluation of face recognition skills using the Facial Memory subtest from the Test of Memory and Learning.

RESULTS

Premature infants scored worse on immediate face recognition compared to term infants. However, after adjusting for birth weight, prematurity was not associated with worse outcomes. Independent of gestational age, outcomes of low birth weight children were worse than those of appropriate birth weight children, for immediate face recognition (odds ratio [OR], 5.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-21.74) and for face memory (OR, 4.48; 95% CI, 1.14-16.95).

CONCLUSIONS

Being born small for gestational age is associated with suboptimal face recognition skills, even in children without major neurodevelopmental problems.

Pharmacokinetics and excretion of 14C-Plitidepsin in patients with advanced cancer

Plitidepsin (Aplidin®) is a marine-derived anticancer compound currently investigated in phase III clinical trials. This article describes the distribution, metabolism and excretion of this novel agent and it mainly aims to identify the major routes of elimination. Six subjects were enrolled in a mass balance study during which radiolabelled plitidepsin was administered as a 3-h intravenous infusion. Blood samples were taken and urine and faeces were collected. Total radioactivity (TRA) analysis using Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) was done to determine the amount of radioactivity excreted from the body and plitidepsin concentrations in whole blood, plasma and urine were determined by validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays. In total, a mean of 77.4% of the administered radioactivity was excreted over a time period of 20 days, of which 71.3% was recovered in faeces and 6.1% was found in urine. The majority excreted in urine was accounted for by unchanged plitidepsin, with only 1.5% of the total administered dose explained by metabolites in urine. Faeces, on the other hand contained low levels of parent compound, which means that most of the TRA excreted in faeces was accounted for by metabolites. TRA levels were 3.7 times higher in whole blood compared to plasma. Plitidepsin was widely distributed and plasma clearance was low. This study shows that red blood cells are a major distribution compartment and that the biliary route is the main route of total radioactivity excretion.

Effect of prematurity and low birth weight in visual abilities and school performance

BACKGROUND

Prematurity and low birth weight are known risk factors for cognitive and developmental impairments, and school failure. Visual perceptual and visual motor skills seem to be among the most affected cognitive domains in these children.

AIMS

To assess the influence of prematurity and low birth weight in visual cognitive skills and school performance.

METHODS

We performed a prospective cohort study, which included 80 boys and girls in an age range from 5 to 13. Subjects were grouped by gestational age at birth (preterm, <37 weeks; term, 37-42 weeks) and birth weight (small for gestational age (SGA), <10th centile; appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA), ≥10th centile). Each child underwent full ophthalmologic assessment and standardized testing of visual cognitive abilities (Test of Visual Perceptual Skills and Test of Visual Analysis Skills). Parents completed a questionnaire on school performance in children.

RESULTS

Figure-ground skill and visual motor integration were significantly decreased in the preterm birth group, compared with term control subjects (figure-ground: 45.7 vs 66.5, p=0.012; visual motor integration, TVAS: (9.9 vs 11.8, p=0.018), while outcomes of visual memory (29.0 vs 47.7, p=0.012), form constancy (33.3 vs 52.8, p=0.019), figure-ground (37.4 vs 65.6, p=0.001), and visual closure (43.7 vs 62.6 p=0.016) testing were lower in the SGA (vs AGA) group. Visual cognitive difficulties corresponded with worse performance in mathematics (r=0.414, p=0.004) and reading (r=0.343, p=0.018).

CONCLUSION

Specific patterns of visual perceptual and visual motor deficits are displayed by children born preterm or SGA, which hinder mathematics and reading performance.

Reduction of CO2 diffuse emissions from the traditional ceramic industry by the addition of Si-Al raw material

The fabrication of ceramics can produce the emission of several gases, denominated exhaust gases, and also vapours resulting from firing processes, which usually contain metals and toxic substances affecting the environment and the health of workers. Especially harmful are the diffuse emissions of CO2, fluorine, chlorine and sulphur from the ceramics industry, which, in highly industrialized areas, can suppose an important emission focus of dangerous effects. Concerning CO2, factories that use carbonate-rich raw materials (>30% carbonates) can emit high concentrations of CO2 to the atmosphere. Thus, carbonate reduction or substitution with other raw materials would reduce the emissions. In this contribution, we propose the addition of Al-shales to the carbonated ceramic materials (marls) for CO2 emission reduction, also improving the quality of the products. The employed shales are inexpensive materials of large reserves in SW-Spain. The ceramic bodies prepared with the addition of selected Al-shale to marls in variable proportions resulted in a 40%-65% CO2 emission reduction. In addition, this research underlines at the same time that the use of a low-price raw material can also contribute to obtaining products with higher added value.

Mid-term oncologic outcome of a novel approach for locally advanced colon cancer with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery

PURPOSE

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is being actively tested as an emerging alternative for the treatment of locally advanced colon cancer (LACC) patients, resembling its use in other gastrointestinal tumors. This study assesses the mid-term oncologic outcome of LACC patients treated with oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidines-based preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery.

METHODS AND PATIENTS

Patients with radiologically resectable LACC treated with neoadjuvant therapy between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Radiological, metabolic, and pathological tumor response was assessed. Both postoperative complications, relapse-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) were studied.

RESULTS

Sixty-five LACC patients who received treatment were included. Planned treatment was completed by 93.8 % of patients. All patients underwent surgery without delay. The median time between the start of chemotherapy and surgery was 71 days (65-82). No progressive disease was observed during preoperative treatment. A statistically significant tumor volume reduction of 62.5 % was achieved by CT scan (39.8-79.8) (p < 0.001). It was also observed a median reduction of 40.5 % (24.2-63.7 %) (p < 0.005) of SUV_max (Standard Uptake Value) by PET-CT scan. Complete pathologic response was achieved in 4.6 % of patients. Postoperative complications were observed in 15.4 % of patients, with no cases of mortality. After a median follow-up of 40.1 months, (p ₂₅-p ₇₅: 27.3-57.8) 3-5 year actuarial RFS was 88.9-85.6 %, respectively. Five-year actuarial OS was 95.3 %.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative chemotherapy in LACC patients is safe and able to induce major tumor regression. Survival times are encouraging, and further research seems warranted.

Comparison of the detection of periodontal pathogens in bacteraemia after tooth brushing by culture and molecular techniques

Background

The prevalence and amounts of periodontal pathogens detected in bacteraemia samples after tooth brushing-induced by means of four diagnostic technique, three based on culture and one in a molecular-based technique, have been compared in this study.

Material and Methods

Blood samples were collected from thirty-six subjects with different periodontal status (17 were healthy, 10 with gingivitis and 9 with periodontitis) at baseline and 2 minutes after tooth brushing. Each sample was analyzed by three culture-based methods [direct anaerobic culturing (DAC), hemo-culture (BACTEC), and lysis-centrifugation (LC)] and one molecular-based technique [quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)]. With culture any bacterial isolate was detected and quantified, while with qPCR only Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans were detected and quantified. Descriptive analyses, ANOVA and Chi-squared tests, were performed.

Results

Neither BACTEC nor qPCR detected any type of bacteria in the blood samples. Only LC (2.7%) and DAC (8.3%) detected bacteraemia, although not in the same patients. Fusobacterium nucleatum was the most frequently detected bacterial species.

Conclusions

The disparity in the results when the same samples were analyzed with four different microbiological detection methods highlights the need for a proper validation of the methodology to detect periodontal pathogens in bacteraemia samples, mainly when the presence of periodontal pathogens in blood samples after tooth brushing was very seldom.

Key words:Bacteraemia, periodontitis, culture, PCR, tooth brushing.

Molecular identification of black-pigmented bacteria from subgingival samples of cats suffering from periodontal disease

OBJECTIVES

To characterise the black-pigmented bacterial species found in the subgingival samples of cats with periodontal disease using molecular-based microbiological techniques.

METHODS

Sixty-five subgingival samples obtained from 50 cats with periodontal disease were analysed by polymerase chain reaction amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes.

RESULTS

Among the 65 subgingival samples, eight phylogenetic profiles were obtained, of which the most prevalent species were: Porphyromonas gulae (40%), P. gingivalis/P. gulae (36 · 9%), P. gulae/Porphyromonas sp. UQD 406 (9 · 2%), Odoribacter denticanis (6 · 2%), P. gulae/Porphyromonas sp. UQD 348 (1 · 5%) and P. circumdentaria (1 · 5%). When compared with the species resulting from biochemical diagnosis, the identification of P. gulae was congruent in 70% of the cases, while colonies identified as P. intermedia-like corresponded in 80% of cases to P. gulae.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The use of molecular-based microbiological diagnostic techniques resulted in a predominance of Porphyromonas spp. in the subgingival plaque of cats suffering from periodontal disease. Further characterisation of these bacteria identified P. gulae, O. denticanis and P. circumdentaria. The more frequently detected phylogenetic profiles corresponded to P. gingivalis and P. gulae.

Time to culture conversion in smokers with pulmonary tuberculosis

Background and objective. It has been reported that tobacco smoking slows the sterilisation of sputum culture in pulmonary tuberculosis, but the factors that could delay culture conversion in patients who smoke are not known. Our aim is to identify the factors influencing sputum culture conversion in smokers with pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods. Ninety-nine patients with a smoking history and diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis were analysed retrospectively. The relationship between sputum culture status at the second month and the following variables: age, gender, pack-years index, comorbid diseases, number acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in sputum smear examination, radiological findings (cavitary, extensive or limited disease), drug susceptibility pattern and initial treatment, was analysed. The Student t-test, chi-square test and logistic regression model with forward stepwise conditional methods were used for statistical analysis. A p value of &lt;0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results. Twenty six patients (26.2%): 18 males (22.2%) and 8 females (44%) were sputum culture positive at the end of the second month of treatment. In univariate analysis, culture conversion time was significantly associated with female gender and extensive disease, but in a logistic regression analysis was only correlated with female gender (OR=5.63 95% CI 1.21-20.64-p=0.02). Conclusion. In current smokers with pulmonary tuberculosis, the ‘time to culture’ conversion relates only to the female gender.