Comparison of ultrasound-guided versus blind interventions for supraspinatus tendinopathy : A cadaveric study

Background. The treatment of supraspinatus tendinopathy remains a challenge for the health professional. This study aims to analyze the precision of needle interventions in lesions of the supraspinatus tendon when conducting them in an ultrasound-guided or non-ultrasound guided (blind) manner. Methods. Study on cadaver with infiltrations performed under ultrasound control or blind after randomization of the parts and participants. Twenty fresh cadaveric shoulders and 30 practitioners with experience using musculoskeletal ultrasound and doing needle interventions. Each practitioner performed 4 ultrasound-guided and 4 unguided punctures. This provided 240 punctures that were analyzed in 3 different anatomical cuts, thus providing a database of 720 measurements for statistical analysis. Results. Statistically significant differences were observed (p<0.0001) in the distance to the bullet point between the ultrasound-guided and the non-guided infiltrations. It was estimated that the unguided punctures were performed on average 10mm farther from the bullet point than the 'ultrasound-guided' punctures. The ultrasound-guided punctures demonstrated 95% precision while the unguided punctures had a precision rate of 12.5% (p <0.0001). Conclusion. Interventions of the supraspinatus tendon should be performed in an ultrasound-guided manner to facilitate administration of the treatment in the proper area

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles grafted with a light-responsive protein shell for highly cytotoxic antitumoral therapy

A novel phototriggered drug delivery nanocarrier, which exhibits very high tumor cytotoxicity against human tumoral cells, is presented. This device is based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles decorated with a biocompatible protein shell cleavable by light irradiation. The proteins that compose the protein shell (avidin, streptavidin and biotinylated transferrin) act as targeting and capping agents at the same time, avoiding the use of redundant systems. The light responsive behavior is provided by a biotinylated photocleavable cross-linker covalently grafted on the mesoporous surface, which suffers photocleavage by UV radiation (366 nm). Human tumoral cells incubated in the presence of a very low particle concentration enter into the apoptotic stage after a short irradiation time. Thus, the system described here could be applied to the treatment of exposed tumors that affect the skin, oesophagus, and stomach, among others, and are easily accessible for light irradiation

Exploration of the treatment of fish-canning industry effluents by aqueous-phase reforming using Pt/C catalysts

In the current work, an exploratory study on the application of catalytic aqueous phase reforming (APR) to the treatment of fish-canning wastewater was performed for the first time. Pt/C (3%, w) catalysts were supported on different commercial carbon supports (two activated carbons and a carbon black) and tested in the APR of tuna-cooking wastewater. The effect of the supports and the reaction systems (batch vs. semi-continuous) on the performance of the catalysts was tested. The stability of the catalysts upon 3 successive reuse cycles was checked. TOC and COD removal ranged within 45-60%, which was ascribed to adsorption on the supports, hydrothermal carbonization and APR. The percentage of valuable gases (H2 and alkanes) reached up to 18% of the gas production showing the potential of APR for the valorization and treatment of wastewater. The production of gases is affected by the high chloride, acetate and phosphate concentrations, which may provoke catalyst deactivation. The use of a catalyst with a basic support significantly increased the production of gases and the H2 percentage in the gas fraction. Gas production was higher in semi-continuous compared to batch operation, maybe because the withdrawn gas displaces the reaction towards the products. The percentage of alkanes in the gas phase decreased upon successive catalyst reuse cycles at the expense of H2, which is probably due to sintering of Pt nanoparticles with the corresponding decrease of the number of low-coordinated Pt sites promoting methanation reactionsThe authors greatly appreciate financial support from Spanish MINECO (CTQ2015-65491-R). A. S. Oliveira thanks the Spanish MINECO for a research grant (BES-2016-077244

An introduction to Graph Data Management

A graph database is a database where the data structures for the schema and/or instances are modeled as a (labeled)(directed) graph or generalizations of it, and where querying is expressed by graph-oriented operations and type constructors. In this article we present the basic notions of graph databases, give an historical overview of its main development, and study the main current systems that implement them

Influence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident on Spanish environmental radioactivity levels

This paper presents measurements of the effect of the atmospheric radioactive release from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station at three sites belonging to the Spanish environmental monitoring system. Measured values varied depending on the locations of the sites in Spain and their respective climatic characteristics. 134Cs, 136Cs, 137Cs, 131I, and 132Te activity concentrations in filter samples were studied and associated levels of 131I fallout were estimated from wet and dry deposition. Particulate aerosol activity concentrations ranges, in μBq/m3, were 1.63–3080 (131I), 2.8–690 (137Cs), 1.3–620 (134Cs) and 3.6–330 (132Te), while the associated 131I fallout was roughly estimated to be less than 20 Bq/m2, Gaseous 131I was also detected and the 131I-gaseous/131I-total ratio increased at the three stations from approximately 0.75 at the end of March to 0.85–0.9 during the first few days of April. Finally, the presence of 131I in some crucial parts of the food chain was also studied. 131I was detected in samples from goat's and cow's milk (maximum levels of 1.11 Bq/L) and in broadleaf plants (maximum level 1.42 Bq/kg).The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Nuclear Security Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear) within the framework of the Environmental Radiological Surveillance Program which operates in Spain under its control and responsibility.Peer reviewe

Opposite cannabis-cognition associations in psychotic patients depending on family history

The objective of this study is to investigate cognitive performance in a first-episode psychosis sample, when stratifying the interaction by cannabis use and familial or non-familial psychosis. Hierarchical-regression models were used to analyse this association in a sample of 268 first-episode psychosis patients and 237 controls. We found that cannabis use was associated with worse working memory, regardless of family history. However, cannabis use was clearly associated with worse cognitive performance in patients with no family history of psychosis, in cognitive domains including verbal memory, executive function and global cognitive index, whereas cannabis users with a family history of psychosis performed better in these domains. The main finding of the study is that there is an interaction between cannabis use and a family history of psychosis in the areas of verbal memory, executive function and global cognition: that is, cannabis use is associated with a better performance in patients with a family history of psychosis and a worse performance in those with no family history of psychosis. In order to confirm this hypothesis, future research should explore the actual expression of the endocannabinoid system in patients with and without a family history of psychosis

Neutrophil count is associated with reduced gray matter and enlarged ventricles in first-episode psychosis

Although there is recent evidence that cells from the peripheral immune system can gain access to the central nervous system in certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis, their role has not been assessed in psychosis. Here, we aimed to explore whether blood cell count was associated with brain volume and/or clinical symptomatology. A total of 218 participants (137 first-episode psychosis patients [FEP] and 81 healthy controls [HC]) were included in the study. For each participant, a T1 structural image was acquired, from which brain tissue volumes were calculated. We found that, in FEP, neutrophil count was associated with reduced gray matter (GM) volume (ß = -0.117, P &lt; .001) and increased cerebrospinal fluid volume (ß = 0.191, P = .007). No associations were observed in HC. GM reduction was generalized but more prominent in certain regions, notably the thalamus, the anterior insula, and the left Heschl''s gyrus, among many others. Neutrophil count was also associated with the total PANSS score (ß = 0.173, P = .038), including those items assessing hallucinations (ß = 0.182, P = .028) and avolition (ß = 0.197, P = .018). Several confounders, such as antipsychotic medication, body mass index, and smoking, were controlled for. Overall, the present study may represent the first indirect evidence of brain tissue loss associated with neutrophils in psychosis, and lends support to the hypothesis of a dysregulated immune system. Higher neutrophil count was also associated with more severe clinical symptomatology, which renders it a promising indicator of schizophrenia severity and could even give rise to new therapies

Impact of previous tobacco use with or without cannabis on first psychotic experiences in patients with first-episode psychosis

Objective: There is high prevalence of cigarette smoking in individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP) prior to psychosis onset. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of previous tobacco use with or without cannabis on first psychotic experiences in FEP and the impact of this use on age of onset of symptoms, including prodromes. Methods: Retrospective analyses from the naturalistic, longitudinal, multicentre, “Phenotype-Genotype and Environmental Interaction. Application of a Predictive Model in First Psychotic Episodes (PEPs)” Study. The authors analysed sociodemographic/clinical data of 284 FEP patients and 231 matched healthy controls, and evaluated first psychotic experiences of patients using the Symptom Onset in Schizophrenia Inventory. Results: FEP patients had significantly higher prevalence of tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine use than controls. The FEP group with tobacco use only prior to onset (N = 56) had more sleep disturbances (42.9% vs 18.8%, P = 0.003) and lower prevalence of negative symptoms, specifically social withdrawal (33.9% vs 58%, P = 0.007) than FEP with no substance use (N = 70), as well as lower prevalence of ideas of reference (80.4% vs 92.4%, P = 0.015), perceptual abnormalities (46.4% vs 67.4%, P = 0.006), hallucinations (55.4% vs 71.5%, P = 0.029), and disorganised thinking (41.1% vs 61.1%, P = 0.010) than FEP group with previous tobacco and cannabis use (N = 144). FEP patients with cannabis and tobacco use had lower age at first prodromal or psychotic symptom (mean = 23.73 years [SD = 5.09]) versus those with tobacco use only (mean = 26.21 [SD = 4.80]) (P = 0.011). Conclusions: The use of tobacco alone was not related to earlier age of onset of a first psychotic experience, but the clinical profile of FEP patients is different depending on previous tobacco use with or without cannabis. © 2021 The Author