Evidence for chiral superconductivity on a silicon surface

Tin adatoms on a Si(111) substrate with a one-third monolayer coverage form a two-dimensional triangular lattice with one unpaired electron per site. These electrons order into an antiferromagnetic Mott-insulating state, but doping the Sn layer with holes creates a two-dimensional conductor that becomes superconducting at low temperatures. Although the pairing symmetry of the superconducting state is currently unknown, the combination of repulsive interactions and frustration inherent in the triangular adatom lattice opens up the possibility of a chiral order parameter. Here we study the superconducting state of Sn/Si(111) using scanning tunnelling microscopy, scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and quasiparticle interference imaging. We find evidence for a doping-dependent superconducting critical temperature with a fully gapped order parameter, the presence of time-reversal symmetry breaking and a strong enhancement in zero-bias conductance near the edges of the superconducting domains. Although each individual piece of evidence could have a more mundane interpretation, our combined results suggest the possibility that Sn/Si(111) is an unconventional chiral d-wave superconducto

The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk: An In-Depth Review of the PREDIMED

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. Diet is known to be important in the prevention of CVD. The PREDIMED trial tested a relatively low-fat diet versus a high-fat Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) for the primary prevention of CVD. The resulting reduction of the CV composite outcome resulted in a paradigm shift in CV nutrition. Though many dietary factors likely contributed to this effect, this review focuses on the influence of the MedDiet on endogenous antioxidant systems and the effect of dietary polyphenols. Subgroup analysis of the PREDIMED trial revealed increased endogenous antioxidant and decreased pro-oxidant activity in the MedDiet groups. Moreover, higher polyphenol intake was associated with lower incidence of the primary outcome, overall mortality, blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, onset of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity. This suggests that polyphenols likely contributed to the lower incidence of the primary event in the MedDiet groups. In this article, we summarize the potential benefits of polyphenols found in the MedDiet, specifically the PREDIMED cohort. We also discuss the need for further research to confirm and expand the findings of the PREDIMED in a non-Mediterranean population and to determine the exact mechanisms of action of polyphenols

The Activity of the Spanish Teratology Information Services (SITTE and SITE) during 2008

Otros Resultados: Actividad TraslacionalWe summarize the activity of the two Teratology Information Services: SITTE (for health professionals) and SITE (for the general population), during 2008. The total number of calls received in both services was 4,910 (943 from SITTE and 3,967 from SITE). This number has increased compared to previous year. The main users of the SITTE (gynecologists 54.96%) and the SITE (pregnant women 79.89%), have asked preponderantly about the use of drugs (70.22% of the SITTE and 37.49% of the SITE phone calls), during ongoing pregnancies at the moment they were calling (82.82% in the SITTE and 85.18% in the SITE). Additionally, we analyze the type of consulted factors and some characteristics of the users to orientate our work more effectively to the actual demand.N

Antipsychotics and pregnancy: a review of the literature and experience in the ECEMC

Teratología ClínicaThe antipsychotic drugs are medications about which a considerable number of telephone calls are received in our teratology information services (SITTE and SITE). We present a review of the literature about the use of this group of drugs during pregnancy. On the other hand, in order to assess the experience in the CIAC, we have studied the intake of antipsychotics in the ECEMC and the queries made on these medications to both teratology information services. Our results show that the intake of antipsychotics during pregnancy is low. However, the number of queries about this type of drugs is increasing, both in the SITTE and in the SITE, probably because of the concern they generate due to the lack of clear information about their use during pregnancy.N

Frequent loss of endothelin-3 (EDN3) expression due to epigenetic inactivation in human breast cancer

Introduction: Endothelin (EDN) signalling plays a crucial role in cell differentiation, proliferation and migration processes. There is compelling evidence that altered EDN signalling is involved in carcinogenesis by modulating cell survival and promoting invasiveness. To date, most reports have focused on the oncogenic potential of EDN1 and EDN2, both of which are overexpressed in various tumour entities. Here, we aimed at a first comprehensive analysis on EDN3 expression and its implication in human breast cancer. Methods: EDN3 mRNA expression was assessed by Northern blotting in normal human tissues (n = 9) as well as in matched pairs of normal and tumourous tissues from breast specimens (n = 50). EDN3 mRNA expression in breast cancer was further validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (n = 77). A tissue microarray was used to study EDN3 protein expression in breast carcinoma (n = 150) and normal breast epithelium (n = 44). EDN3 promoter methylation was analysed by methylation-specific PCR in breast cell lines (n = 6) before and after demethylating treatment, normal breast tissues (n = 17) and primary breast carcinomas (n = 128). EDN3 expression and methylation data were statistically correlated with clinical patient characteristics and patient outcome. Results: Loss of EDN3 mRNA expression in breast cancer, as initially detected by array-based expression profiling, could be confirmed by Northern blot analysis (> 2-fold loss in 96%) and real-time PCR (> 2-fold loss in 78%). Attenuated EDN3 expression in breast carcinoma was also evident at the protein level (45%) in association with adverse patient outcome in univariate (P = 0.022) and multivariate (hazard ratio 2.0; P = 0.025) analyses. Hypermethylation of the EDN3 promoter could be identified as the predominant mechanism leading to gene silencing. Reversion of the epigenetic lock by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and trichostatin A resulted in EDN3 mRNA reexpression in vitro. Furthermore, EDN3 promoter hypermethylation was detected in 70% of primary breast carcinomas with significant association to loss of EDN3 mRNA expression (P = 0.005), whilst normal matched breast tissues revealed no EDN3 promoter methylation. Conclusions EDN3 is a frequent target of epigenetic inactivation in human breast cancer, potentially contributing to imbalanced EDN signalling commonly found in this disease. The clinical implication supports the view that EDN3, in contrast to EDN1 and EDN2, may act as natural tumour suppressor in the human mammary gland

Wireless wearable wristband for continuous sweat pH monitoring

Several studies have shown that the determination of pH in sweat, which is one of the most accessible body fluids, can be an indicator of health and wellness, and even be used for potential disease diagnosis. On that basis, we present herein a wearable wristband for continuous and wireless monitoring of sweat pH with potential applications in the field of personal health assessment. The developed wristband consists of two main parts: a microfluidic cloth analytical device (μCAD) to collect continuously the sweat from skin with a color-based pH sensing area; and a readout and processing module with a digital color sensor to obtain the pH of sweat from the color changes in the μCAD. In addition, the readout module includes a low-power Bluetooth interface to transmit the measurements in real-time to a custom-designed smartphone application. To allow continuous operation, an absorbent pad was included in the design to retire and store thsweat from the sensing area through a passive pump path. It was found that the Hue parameter (H) in the HSV color space can be related to the sweat pH and fitted to a Boltzmann equation (R2 = 0.997). The range of use of the wristband device goes from 6 to 8, which includes the pH range of sweat, with a precision at different pH values from 3.6 to 6.0 %. Considering the typical human sweat rate, the absorbent pad allows continuous operation up to more than 1000 minutes

SELNET clinical practice guidelines for bone sarcoma

Bone sarcoma are infrequent diseases, representing < 0.2% of all adult neoplasms. A multidisciplinary management within reference centers for sarcoma, with discussion of the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies within an expert multidisciplinary tumour board, is essential for these patients, given its heterogeneity and low frequency. This approach leads to an improvement in patient's outcome, as demonstrated in several studies. The Sarcoma European Latin-American Network (SELNET), aims to improve clinical outcome in sarcoma care, with a special focus in Latin-American countries. These Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) have been developed and agreed by a multidisciplinary expert group (including medical and radiation oncologist, surgical oncologist, orthopaedic surgeons, radiologist, pathologist, molecular biologist and representatives of patients advocacy groups) of the SELNET consortium, and are conceived to provide the standard approach to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of bone sarcoma patients in the Latin-American context

The Rise and Fall of "Respectable" Spanish Liberalism, 1808-1923: An Explanatory Framework

The article focuses on the reasons behind both the consolidation of what I have termed “respectable” liberalism between the 1830s and the 1840s and its subsequent decline and fall between 1900 and 1923. In understanding both processes I study the links established between “respectable” liberals and propertied elites, the monarchy, and the Church. In the first phase these links served to consolidate the liberal polity. However, they also meant that many tenets of liberal ideology were compromised. Free elections were undermined by the operation of caciquismo, monarchs established a powerful position, and despite the Church hierarchy working with liberalism, the doctrine espoused by much of the Church was still shaped by the Counter-Reformation. Hence, “respectable” liberalism failed to achieve a popular social base. And the liberal order was increasingly denigrated as part of the corrupt “oligarchy” that ruled Spain. Worse still, between 1916 and 1923 the Church, monarch, and the propertied elite increasingly abandoned the liberal Monarchist Restoration. Hence when General Primo de Rivera launched his coup the rug was pulled from under the liberals’ feet and there was no one to cushion the fall