Direct specific isotopic analysis of compounds released by pyrolysis (Py-CSIA): Novel applications in paleoenvironmental studies

Poster J.03 presentado en el The 40th International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography and 13th GCxGC Symposium May 29-June 03, (2016) Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, Riva del Garda, Italyisotopic analysis (Py-CSIA) and analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) opens new windows of information and is particularly useful to study solid materials that are not soluble and therefore not amenable by conventional GC/MS techniques. Py-CSIA is a rather novel hyphenated technique that combines the chromatographic separation of compounds released by pyrolysis (Py-GC) with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). The technique allows the measurement of stable isotope proportions i.e., δ13C, δ15N and δ2H, δ18O in specific compounds released by pyrolysis. The sample preparation is minimized and a molecular fingerprinting of the material is achieved.N

Phylogenetic Analysis of isolates from new cases of HBV infection in Southern Italy.

The level of endemicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in Italy is low and genotype D infections predominant. New HBV strains may however be introduced as a result of movements of people from regions of high endemicity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether strains from new cases of acute hepatitis B detected in southern Italy were due to endemic or new HBV strains. We studied 34 isolates from patients with acute hepatitis B infection, and 35 from chronic hepatitis B patients. A phylogenetic analysis of preS/S region was done by comparing the sequences from the acute and chronic cases with references sequences. The study showed that 44% of strain from acute hepatitis B patients were of genotype A, 53% of genotype D, and 3% of genotype E. The molecular analysis of isolates from acute hepatitis B patients from Sicily showed a change in the local epidemiology of this infection, with an increase in HBV/A infections and a clustering effect for HBV D2, possibly correlated to immigration. The introduction of new genotypes , could have an effect on HBV-correlated diseases due to the different association between genotype, liver disease and response to antiviral therapy

Effect of Ph and vegetation cover in soil organic matter structure at a high-mountain ecosystem (Sierra Nevada National Park, Granada, Spain)

Poster nº 8246 en EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020During the last decade, soil organic matter dynamics and its determining factors have received increased attention, mainly due to the evident implication of these parameters in climate change understanding, predictions and possible management. High-mountain soil could be considered as hotspot of climate change dynamic since its high carbon accumulation and low organic matter degradation rates could be seriously altered by slight changes in temperature and rainfall regimes associated to climate change effects. In the particular case of Sierra Nevada National Park, this threat could be even stronger due to its Southern character, although its elevated biodiversity could shed some light on how could we predict and manage climate change in the future. In this study, a quantitative and qualitative organic matter characterization was performed and soil microbial activity measured to evaluate the implication of pH and vegetation in soil organic matter dynamics. The sampling areas were selected according to vegetation and soil pH; with distinct soil pH (area A with pH7) and vegetation (high-mountain shrubs and pine reforested area). Soil samples were collected under the influence of several plant species representatives of each vegetation series. Six samples were finally obtained (five replicates each); three were collected in area A under Juniperus communis ssp. Nana (ENE), Genista versicolor (PIO) and Pinus sylvestris (PSI) and other three were collected in area B under Juniperus Sabina (SAB), Astragalus nevadensis (AST) and Pinus sylvestris (PCA). Qualitative and quantitative analyses of soil organic matter were made to establish a possible relationship with microbial activity estimated by respiration rate (alkali trap) and fungi-to-bacteria ratio using a plate count method. Soil easily oxidizable organic carbon content was determined by the Walkley-Black method (SOC %) and organic matter amount was estimated by weight loss on ignition (LOI %). Analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) was used to analyse in detail the soil organic carbon composition. Our results showed that the microbial and therefore the dynamics of organic matter is influenced by both, soil pH and soil of organic matter. So that the pH in acidic media prevail as a determining factor of microbial growth over soil organic matter composition conditioned by vegetation.Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades (MICIU) for INTERCARBON project (CGL2016-78937-R). N.T. Jiménez-Morillo and L. San Emeterio also thanks MICIU for funding FPI research grants (BES-2013-062573 and Ref. BES-2017-07968). Mrs Desiré Monis is acknowledged for technical assistance

A phase II study of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

The optimal management of unresectable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in older patients has not been defined to date. The present phase II study was planned to evaluate the activity and safety of platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients received two cycles of paclitaxel (175 mg/m) and carboplatin (area under the curve: 5) day 1, every 3 weeks. Chemoradiotherapy (thoracic radiation therapy) was initiated on day 42 and consisted of 1.8 Gy daily, five times per week over 5 weeks (45.0 Gy target dose) followed by 10 2.0 Gy daily fractions. Concomitant chemotherapy was weekly paclitaxel 50 mg/mq followed by weekly carboplatin at an area under the curve of 2. The eligibility for patients: age 70 or older and histologically documented untreated non-small-cell lung cancer, locally advanced, unresectable, stage III A N2 bulky or III B. Thirty consecutive patients were enrolled onto the study. The median age was 73 (range 70-76). According to the intention-to-treat analysis, 1 month after the end of combined chemoradiotherapy, we observed complete and partial responses in one and 19 of the 30 patients, respectively, for an overall response rate of 66% (95% confidence interval, 45-76%). Median progression-free survival was 8.7 months (95% confidence interval, 3.4-37.8) and median survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval, 4.2-52.1). During the treatment, 12 patients (40.0%) experienced grade 3-4 neutropenia, two patients neutropenic fever, and three patients grade 3 anaemia and grade 3 thrombocytopenia, respectively. Grade 3 oesophagitis, during concomitant radiotherapy, was observed in six patients (20.0%). No treatment-related mortality was reported. The investigated sequential approach including induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy appears safe and seems a reasonable chance for the treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in the elderly population

The effect of weaning age on the reproductive performance of Nellore cows raised in native and jaraguá pastures

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o de testar três idades de desmama, em regime exclusivo de pasto, na tentativa de diminuir o intervalo entre partos (IEP') das matrizes. O experimento, conduzido no período de julho de 1977 a julho de 1982, envolveu dois grupos de 51 vacas Nelore: um, em pastagem de Jaraguá, e outro, em campo nativo; seus bezerros foram desmamados aos três, cinco e sete meses de idade. A média geral do IEP foi estimada em 422 ± 5 dias. A análise de variância evidenciou efeitos significativos (P < 0,05) do ano do parto, tipo de pasto, ordem de parição, época de fecundação e idade da desmama sobre os IEPs. O IEP observado no campo nativo (434 dias) foi mais elevado que no do Jaraguá (411 dias). Não se observaram diferenças de IEP de vacas da segunda até a sétima ordem de parição. O aumento do IEP a partir da sétima ordem deve estar associado à queda nas condições corporais das vacas, em decorrência da idade. As diferenças de IEP em função da época de fecundação são discutidas, levando-se em consideração as épocas de parição correspondentes. O IEP mais curto (393 dias) foi observado em vacas paridas entre setembro e dezembro. O IEP correspondente à desmama de sete meses (448 dias) foi mais elevado (P < 0,05) que os da desmama de cinco meses (414 dias) e de três meses de idade (406 dias). Vacas destes dois últimos grupos apresentaram, em relação às demais, oscilações mais favoráveis de peso pré-parto, o que propiciou menor período de serviço.The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of three different weaning ages on the calving intervals (CI) of Nellore cows. It was carried out from July 1977 through July 1982 and envolved two groups of 51 cows, one in a Jaraguá pasture (Hyparrhenia rufa) and the other in a native pasture. The calves in each herd were weaned at three, five and seven months of age. The CI estimated overall mean was 422 ± 5 days. Year of parturition, pasture, parturition order, season of conception and weaning age had significant (P < 0.05) effects on Cl. The CI was higher in native (434 days) than in Jaraguá pasture (411 days). There were no differences among CI of cows from 2nd through 7th parturition order. The increased CI up to 7th parturition order was associated with poor body conditions of older cows. The effects of season of conception on calving intervals were discussed based on the related season of parturition. The shortest CI (393 days) was observed on cows calving from September through December. The CI of cows that weaned calves with seven months of age (448 days) was longer than those whose calves were weaned at five (414 days) and three months (406 days)- This result probably is associated with more favorable pre-partum weight gain variations

Dynamical Disorder and Self-Correlation in the Characterization of Nonlinear Systems. Application to Deterministic Chaos.

A new methodology to characterize nonlinear systems is described. It is based on the measurement over the time series of two quantities: the "Dynamical order" and the "Self-correlation". The averaged "Scalar" and "Perpendicular" products are introduced to measure these quantities. While this approach can be applied to general nonlinear systems, the aim of this work is to focus on the characterization and modeling of chaotic systems. In order to illustrate the method, applications to a two-dimensional chaotic system and the modeling of real telephony traffic series are presented. Three important aspects are discussed: the use of the averaged "Scalar" product as supplement of the "Lyapunov exponent", the use of the averaged "Perpendicular" product as a refinement of the "Mutual information" and the reduction of m-dimensional systems to the study of only one dimension. This new conceptual framework introduces a perspective to characterize real and theoretical processes with a unifying method, irrespective of the system classification

Normal limits of home measured spatial gait parameters of the elderly population and their association with health variables

Gait studies in the elderly population have been always conducted in gait labs or spacious clinical facilities, which influence gait parameters, and also implies that the participants have to be able to move to these facilities. Indoors gait characteristics of the elderly population have been very little studied. In this study, we aim to define the normal limits of the spatial gait parameters of the elderly, when walking at home, and to analyze relationship existing between the spatial gait parameters to other health variables. For such purpose, we conducted a transversal study on a probabilistic sample of 431 Spanish community-dwelling older, in which the spatial gait parameters were recorded by using an ink footprints method. We found that the mean stride length indoors was 88.47 cm (SD:26.05 cm; mean CI95%:85.52-91.41 cm), and the mean step width was 10.34 cm (SD:4.37 cm; mean CI95%:9.84-10.83 cm). Stride length was shorter in women and the oldest group, and was significantly influenced by the strength, balance, and physical activity. Stride width was larger in the oldest group and mainly affected by balance. A composite parameter including width and normalized stride length was independent from sex, and strongly differentiated between age groups. This parameter was affected by strength

CD5L, Macrophage Apoptosis Inhibitor, Was Identified in Epicardial Fat-Secretome and Regulated by Isoproterenol From Patients With Heart Failure

Objectives: Neurohormonal dysfunction, which can regulate epicardial fat activity, is one of the main promoters of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure (HF). Our aim was to study the epicardial fat mediators for AF in patients with HF and its catecholaminergic regulation. Methods: We have included 29 patients with HF who underwent cardiac surgery and were followed up for 5 years. Released proteins by epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) after isoproterenol treatment were identified by nano-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and triple time-of-flight (TOF) analysis. Common and differential identified proteins in groups of patients with AF before and after surgery were determined by the FunRich tool. Plasma and epicardial fat biopsy proteins were quantified by western blot. Results: Our results identified 17 common released proteins by EAT, after isoproterenol treatment, from HF patients who suffered AF or developed new-onset AF during follow-up. Mostly, they were involved on inflammatory response and extracellular matrix. One of them was CD5L, a macrophage apoptosis inhibitor. Its secretion by isoproterenol treatment was validated on western blot. The CD5L levels on epicardial fat were also higher in the group of male patients who present or develop AF (0.44 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.18 +/- 0.15; p < 0.016). However, there were no differences regarding plasma levels. Conclusion: Our results suggest the role of epicardial fat CD5L as a mediator of AF and its possible paracrine effect by catecholaminergic activity