Relationship between fibre orientation and tensile strength of natural collagen membranes for heart valve leaflets

Heart valve prostheses are used to replace native heart valves which that are damaged because of congenital diseases or due to ageing. Biological prostheses made of bovine pericardium are similar to native valves and do not require any anticoagulation treatment, but are less durable than mechanical prostheses and usually fail by tearing. Researches are oriented in improving the resistance and durability of biological heart valve prostheses in order to increase their life expectancy. To understand the mechanical behaviour of bovine pericardium and relate it to its microstructure (mainly collagen fibres concentration and orientation) uniaxial tensile tests have been performed on a model material made of collagen fibres. Small Angle Light Scattering (SALS) has been also used to characterize the microstructure without damaging the material. Results with the model material allowed us to obtain the orientation of the fibres, relating the microstructure to mechanical performanc

Microwave-assisted synthesis of carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles for their use as electrocatalysts in the oxygen reduction reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction

Pt nanoparticles were incorporated on carbon black (Vulcan XC-72R) and an activated carbon (F400) using a fast and efficient microwave method. For the preparation, a Pt solution was contacted with the corresponding carbon sample and heated up to 110°C in a microwave oven using an optimised heating rate. TEM images revealed that the carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles had a small average particle size and high dispersion. These Pt-based electrocatalysts showed both high electrocatalytic activity and selectivity towards the 4-electron pathway for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid and alkaline media. In addition, they presented excellent stability and resistance to CO poisoning. Moreover, the as-prepared electrocatalysts exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic behaviour for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). It should be highlighted that, even though our Pt-based electrocatalysts have much lower loadings than that of the commercial Pt/C sample (used as reference), the electroactive surface areas of as-prepared electrocatalysts were higher compared to the reference electrocatalyst. Such small and well-dispersed Pt NPs with an enhanced electroactive surface area and strong interaction with the carbon support, led to an improvement of the current density normalised by Pt loading (A gPt−1).The authors would like to thank PID2019-105923RB-I00 and PID2021-123079OB-I00 projects project funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”, the Generalitat Valenciana (GRISOLIA/2020/114) and CONACYT project SEP-CB-2014-01-237118 and FORDECYT-2018-8-297525 for their financial support

Diseño de una escala predictiva de mortalidad en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica

Introducción: La predicción de mortalidad en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica, mediante escalas o índices pronósticos presenta limitaciones reales. Objetivo: Diseñar una escala predictiva de mortalidad en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, analítico, longitudinal prospectivo en 169 pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica desde el 1 de enero de 2022 al 31 de diciembre de 2022. La investigación se desarrolló en 2 etapas: Durante los primeros 6 meses del año se analizaron las variables de estudio para el diseño de la escala predictiva. En los próximos 6 meses, los pacientes fueron seguidos para identificar la ocurrencia o no de la variable dependiente mortalidad. Se determinó la capacidad discriminatoria de la escala predictiva y se evaluaron curvas de supervivencia. Resultados: Las variables que conformaron la escala predictiva fueron edad > 65 años, enfermedad cardiovascular, albúmina 390 mmol/L. El poder discriminatorio para predecir mortalidad fue bueno, índice C: 0,856 (IC 95 %: 0,783-0,929; p< 0,001). Los pacientes con valores menores a 4 puntos presentaron media de supervivencia de 149,438 ± 7,296 días. En cambio, los que tenían valores superiores presentaron media de supervivencia de 93,128 ± 8,545 días. Conclusiones: La escala predictiva contribuyó a la estratificación del riesgo de mortalidad de los pacientes. Las variables incluidas son de fácil determinación e interpretación por lo que es un modelo útil en la toma de decisiones médicas en el ámbito clínico actual

Análisis genómico de dos cepas de K. pneumoniae ST11 resistentes a colistina portadoras de blaNDM-5 en una plataforma genética asociada a los integrones complejos de clase 1, con fenotipo de extrema resistencia a antibióticos

La metalo-β-lactamasa de Nueva Delhi (NDM) otorga resistencia a la mayoría de los antibióticos β-lactámicos, y generalmente se encuentra en aislamientos que poseen otros genes de resistencia (GRA) a otras familias de antibióticos. Estos aislamientos multidroga resistentes o con extrema resistencia, causan una variedad de infecciones asociadas con altas tasas de mortalidad en el ambiente hospitalario. Aunque el alelo NDM-1 es el más prevalente, otras variantes están aumentando su frecuencia en todo el mundo. En nuestro país se reportó recientemente el primer aislamiento clínico de Escherichia coli, Ec265, productora de NDM-5 y RmtB en América Latina. En nuestro estudio, se identificaron ambos genes blaNDM-5, y rmtB en dos cepas de Klebsiella pneumoniae aisladas de una mujer de 83 años en el año 2018. El primer aislamiento correspondió aun hisopado rectal que se tomó el primer día de ingreso al hospital dentro del programa de vigilancia. Se aisló la cepa H30pKpn productora de metalo-β-lactamasa y, en consecuencia, se instalaron las precauciones de contacto. Al cuarto día de hospitalización inició con fiebre, tos productiva y disnea. En este episodio se aisló de una muestra respiratoria la cepa HA31Kpn, también productora de metalo-β-lactamasa. HA30pKpn y HA31Kpn fueron resistentes a β-lactámicos (incluidos carbapenémicos y cefalosporinas de tercera y cuarta generación), gentamicina, amicacina, sulfametoxazol, trimetoprima, cloranfenicol, colistina (mutación R256G en gen pmrB) y ciprofloxacina. La paciente fue tratada con altas dosis de tigeciclina y fosfomicina. Evolucionó con descompensación aguda y coma hiperglucémico hiperosmolar y fallece a los 10 días de internación. Ambas cepas fueron secuenciadas por la tecnología MySeq Illumina. El ensamblado y posterior análisis por Bioinformática reveló que ambas cepas pertenecían al secuenciotipo (ST) 11. Además, al analizar los genomas por ResFinder y CARD, encontramos que ambas cepas compartían 17 genes de resistencia a antibióticos aac(6')-Ib-cr, aadA2, aph(3')-Ia, blaCTX-M-15, blaNDM-5, blaOXA-1, blaSHV-182, catB3, dfrA12, mph(A), oqxA, oqxB, qacE, qnrS1, rmtB, sul1, con 100% de identidad a GRA ya descriptos, y el gen fosA que correspondería a un nuevo alelo. La cepa HA30pKpn poseía además el GRA aph(3')-III. Considerando los resultados genotípicos y fenotipos, ambas cepas solo serían sensibles genéticamente a tigecilina, ya que el gen fosA, aunque presente en ambas cepas, no evidenció resistencia a nivel fenotípico. Ambas cepas poseían al replicón Col440I, y al igual que Ec265, compartían los replicones IncFIB y IncFII. También se realizaron ensayos de conjugación.La epidemiología mundial de K. pneumoniae productora de carbapenemasas muestra que diferentes linajes circulan en diferentes regiones geográficas, siendo el ST258 predominante en Europa y EE. UU., y el ST11 más frecuente en Asia oriental, y recientemente fue descripto también en Brasil y en nuestro pais. Aunque en general estos ST están asociados a la diseminación de la carbapenemasa blaKPC-2, nuestros resultados indican la emergencia del ST11 diseminando blaNDM-5, blaCTX-M-15, y rmtB en una misma cepa, con capacidad de colonizar y luego infectar a pacientes en nuestro país.Fil: Masso, Mariana Guillermina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: García Allende, Natalia. Hospital Alemán; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Verónica Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Campos, Josefina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Fox, Barbara. Hospital Aleman; ArgentinaFil: Carrera Paez, Laura Camila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Canigia, Liliana. Hospital Alemán; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga, María Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Centron, Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaXIX Jornadas Argentinas de MicrobiologíaArgentinaAsociacion Argentina de Microbiologi

Illness perceptions of COVID-19 in Europe: Predictors, impacts and temporal evolution

Objective: Illness perceptions (IP) are important predictors of emotional and behavioral responses in many diseases. The current study aims to investigate the COVID-19-related IP throughout Europe. The specific goals are to understand the temporal development, identify predictors (within demographics and contact with COVID-19) and examine the impacts of IP on perceived stress and preventive behaviors. Methods: This was a time-series-cross-section study of 7, 032 participants from 16 European countries using multilevel modeling from April to June 2020. IP were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Temporal patterns were observed considering the date of participation and the date recoded to account the epidemiological evolution of each country. The outcomes considered were perceived stress and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Results: There were significant trends, over time, for several IP, suggesting a small decrease in negativity in the perception of COVID-19 in the community. Age, gender, and education level related to some, but not all, IP. Considering the self-regulation model, perceptions consistently predicted general stress and were less consistently related to preventive behaviors. Country showed no effect in the predictive model, suggesting that national differences may have little relevance for IP, in this context. Conclusion: The present study provides a comprehensive picture of COVID-19 IP in Europe in an early stage of the pandemic. The results shed light on the process of IP formation with implications for health-related outcomes and their evolution. © Copyright © 2021 Dias Neto, Nunes da Silva, Roberto, Lubenko, Constantinou, Nicolaou, Lamnisos, Papacostas, Höfer, Presti, Squatrito, Vasiliou, McHugh, Monestès, Baban, Alvarez-Galvez, Paez-Blarrina, Montesinos, Valdivia-Salas, Ori, Lappalainen, Kleszcz, Gloster, Karekla and Kassianos

Illness Perceptions of COVID-19 in Europe: Predictors, Impacts and Temporal Evolution

Objective: Illness perceptions (IP) are important predictors of emotional and behavioral responses in many diseases. The current study aims to investigate the COVID-19-related IP throughout Europe. The specific goals are to understand the temporal development, identify predictors (within demographics and contact with COVID-19) and examine the impacts of IP on perceived stress and preventive behaviors. Methods: This was a time-series-cross-section study of 7,032 participants from 16 European countries using multilevel modeling from April to June 2020. IP were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Temporal patterns were observed considering the date of participation and the date recoded to account the epidemiological evolution of each country. The outcomes considered were perceived stress and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Results: There were significant trends, over time, for several IP, suggesting a small decrease in negativity in the perception of COVID-19 in the community. Age, gender, and education level related to some, but not all, IP. Considering the self-regulation model, perceptions consistently predicted general stress and were less consistently related to preventive behaviors. Country showed no effect in the predictive model, suggesting that national differences may have little relevance for IP, in this context. Conclusion: The present study provides a comprehensive picture of COVID-19 IP in Europe in an early stage of the pandemic. The results shed light on the process of IP formation with implications for health-related outcomes and their evolution

Oncogenic Transformation by Inhibitor-Sensitive and -Resistant EGFR Mutants

BACKGROUND: Somatic mutations in the kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase gene EGFR are common in lung adenocarcinoma. The presence of mutations correlates with tumor sensitivity to the EGFR inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib, but the transforming potential of specific mutations and their relationship to drug sensitivity have not been described. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here, we demonstrate that EGFR active site mutants are oncogenic. Mutant EGFR can transform both fibroblasts and lung epithelial cells in the absence of exogenous epidermal growth factor, as evidenced by anchorage-independent growth, focus formation, and tumor formation in immunocompromised mice. Transformation is associated with constitutive autophosphorylation of EGFR, Shc phosphorylation, and STAT pathway activation. Whereas transformation by most EGFR mutants confers on cells sensitivity to erlotinib and gefitinib, transformation by an exon 20 insertion makes cells resistant to these inhibitors but more sensitive to the irreversible inhibitor CL-387,785. CONCLUSION: Oncogenic transformation of cells by different EGFR mutants causes differential sensitivity to gefitinib and erlotinib. Treatment of lung cancers harboring EGFR exon 20 insertions may therefore require the development of alternative kinase inhibition strategies

Mental Health Status of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak An International Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive health crisis that has exerted enormous physical and psychological pressure. Mental healthcare for healthcare workers (HCWs) should receive serious consideration. This study served to determine the mental-health outcomes of 1,556 HCWs from 45 countries who participated in the COVID-19 IMPACT project, and to examine the predictors of the outcomes during the first pandemic wave. Methods: Outcomes assessed were self-reported perceived stress, depression symptom, and sleep changes. The predictors examined included sociodemographic factors and perceived social support. Results: The results demonstrated that half of the HCWs had moderate levels of perceived stress and symptoms of depression. Half of the HCWs (n = 800, 51.4%) had similar sleeping patterns since the pandemic started, and one in four slept more or slept less. HCWs reported less perceived stress and depression symptoms and higher levels of perceived social support than the general population who participated in the same project. Predictors associated with higher perceived stress and symptoms of depression among HCWs included female sex, not having children, living with parents, lower educational level, and lower social support. Discussion: The need for establishing ways to mitigate mental-health risks and adjusting psychological interventions and support for HCWs seems to be significant as the pandemic continues

To Help or Not to Help? Prosocial Behavior, Its Association With Well-Being, and Predictors of Prosocial Behavior During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic

Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation awarded to ATG (PP00P1_ 163716/1 and PP00P1_190082). The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors (EH and ATG) but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Haller, Lubenko, Presti, Squatrito, Constantinou, Nicolaou, Papacostas, Aydın, Chong, Chien, Cheng, Ruiz, García-Martín, Obando-Posada, Segura-Vargas, Vasiliou, McHugh, Höfer, Baban, Dias Neto, da Silva, Monestès, Alvarez-Galvez, Paez-Blarrina, Montesinos, Valdivia-Salas, Ori, Kleszcz, Lappalainen, Ivanović, Gosar, Dionne, Merwin, Karekla, Kassianos and Gloster.The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic fundamentally disrupted humans’ social life and behavior. Public health measures may have inadvertently impacted how people care for each other. This study investigated prosocial behavior, its association well-being, and predictors of prosocial behavior during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and sought to understand whether region-specific differences exist. Participants (N = 9,496) from eight regions clustering multiple countries around the world responded to a cross-sectional online-survey investigating the psychological consequences of the first upsurge of lockdowns in spring 2020. Prosocial behavior was reported to occur frequently. Multiple regression analyses showed that prosocial behavior was associated with better well-being consistently across regions. With regard to predictors of prosocial behavior, high levels of perceived social support were most strongly associated with prosocial behavior, followed by high levels of perceived stress, positive affect and psychological flexibility. Sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of prosocial behavior were similar across regions.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and K-RAS status in two cohorts of squamous cell carcinomas

With the availability of effective anti-EGFR therapies for various solid malignancies, such as non-cell small lung cancer, colorectal cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, the knowledge of EGFR and K-RAS status becomes clinically important. The aim of this study was to analyse EGFR expression, EGFR gene copy number and EGFR and K-RAS mutations in two cohorts of squamous cell carcinomas, specifically anal canal and tonsil carcinomas.Journal ArticleMulticenter StudyResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe