Anti-inflammatory activity of

The anti-inflammatory activity of the chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Wigandia urens and Acalypha alopecuroides were investigated on carrageenan-induced paw edema at doses of 400 mg/kg. The three extracts of W. urens, and the aqueous extract of A. alopecuroides caused significantinhibition of the edema (58.1±6.5% and 63.5±5.4%, respectively). Indomethacin was used as positive control (8 mg/kg), and inhibited edema by 66.3±5.2%. The methanol extract of W. urens and the aqueous extract of A. alopecuroides, at doses of 200 mg/kg, inhibited pellet implantation-induced granuloma formation by 69.4±6.5 and 70.6±6.6%, respectively. These levels of inhibition are higher than those exhibited by naproxen at doses of 50 mg/kg (46.1±7.1%). Both extracts showed activity on adjuvantinduced arthritis in rats, with the best effect being observed after 96 h (82.2±4.6 and 80.6±7.3%, respectively)

Are Steroids Still Useful in Immunosuppressed Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease? A Retrospective, Population-Based Study

Background: Effectiveness of corticosteroids in immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been completely elucidated. Aims: To assess the effectiveness and examine the long-term follow-up of systemic or low-bioavailability oral steroid treatment for moderate flare-ups in patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Methods: Immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from our population-data registry were analyzed. For statistical analysis, the chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used as appropriate. Results: A total of 392 patients with IBD and a median of 82 (range, 6–271) months of immunosuppressive (IMM) treatment were identified. The mean follow-up was 87 months (range, 6–239 months). A total of 89 patients (23%) needed at least one steroid course during their follow-up. Average time from IMM to steroid treatment was 26 (range, 6–207) months. In patients with CD, fibrostenotic (B2) and fistulizing (B3) behaviors [p = 0.005; odds ratio (OR): 2.284] were risk factors for using steroids after IMM treatment. In patients with UC, no statistically significant variables were identified. Of the 89 patients who received one first steroid course, 49 (55%) stepped up to biological treatment or surgery after a median of 13 months (range, 0–178), 19 (21%) were treated with repeated steroid courses, and 31 (35%) required no further treatment. Patients with CD had a higher risk (p = 0.007; OR: 3.529) of receiving biological treatment or surgery than patients with UC. The longer the patients with UC (more months) spent using steroids, the greater the risk of requiring treatment with biological drugs or surgery (p = 0.009). Conclusion: A total of 23% of the immunosuppressed patients with IBD received at least one course of steroid treatment. In patients under immunosuppression treated with at least a course of steroids, CD patients were more likely stepped up to biologics and/or surgery than UC patients. In patients with CD, B2/B3 behavior pattern were significant risk factors. After one course of steroids only 35% of immunosuppressed IBD patients remained in remission without needing treatment scalation. © Copyright © 2021 Sicilia, Arias, Hontoria, García, Badia and Gomollón

Management of wet age-related macular degeneration in Spain: challenges for treat and extend implementation in routine clinical practice

Age-related macular degeneration; Ophthalmology services; Anti-VEGFDegeneración macular relacionada con la edad; Servicios de oftalmología; Anti-VEGFDegeneració macular relacionada amb l’edat; Serveis d’oftalmologia; Anti-VEGFPurpose. To ascertain wet AMD (wAMD) management patterns in Spain. Methods. A two-round Delphi study conducted through a questionnaire-based survey designed from literature review and validated by an independent Steering Committee. Results. Forty-nine retina specialists experienced in wAMD participated by answering the two-round study questionnaire. Retina specialists are the main responsible for wAMD diagnosis and monitoring, including visits and associated procedures, with a median time per visit of 15 minutes. Standard treatment strategies are based on anti-VEGF administration, including standard loading dose administration followed by maintenance with aflibercept or ranibizumab (81% of patients). Although treat and extend (T&E) dosing strategy is considered as optimal for wAMD management (78% of the panelists), the main routine healthcare limitations (i.e., visits overload, reduced staff, short visit time, coordination issues, lack of facilities) conduct to self-defined “flexible” strategies, based on T&E and pro-re-nata (PRN) protocols. Conclusion. Proactive treatment patterns (T&E) are the preferred ones by the retina specialists in Spain. However, their proper implementation is difficult due to healthcare resource limitations, as well as organisation and logistic issues. The use of anti-VEGF agents with longer duration of action could facilitate the use of strict T&E approaches according to routine clinical practices

Modelos termodinámicos y petrología experimental: el caso de la fusión anhidra del gneis «Ollo de Sapo»

During the last years, a couple of softwares to model the behaviour of a rock under P-T-X changes using thermodynamic databases have been developed. The result of this model is a pseudosection or projection in the P-T plane of a phase diagram of a system at a fixed composition, this is, a phase diagram section. Although its utility has been well demonstrated, a comparison between theoretical and experimental data is advisable to see the degree of approximation of the theoretical model to the reality but also to consider the kinetic effects in experiments. In this paper, theoretical and experimental results of the melting of the Ollo de Sapo Gneiss are compared.En los últimos años se han desarrollado distintos softwares que usan bases de datos termodinámicos cuya función es la de modelizar el comportamiento de una roca con el cambio de P, T, X, etc. El producto de ese modelo es una pseudosección o proyección en el plano P-T del diagrama de fases de un sistema para una composición fija, es decir, una sección de un diagrama de fases. Aunque su utilidad está bien demostrada, conviene comparar los resultados teóricos con los experimentales para ver el grado de aproximación del modelo teórico con la realidad pero también para ponderar los efectos cinéticos en los experimentos. En esta comunicación se compararán los resultados teóricos y experimentales de la fusión de una de las facies más características del gneis del Ollo de Sapo

Tolerancia al alcohol en ratas sometidas a diferentes períodos de consumo agudo y crónico de etanol

The development of tolerance to the effects of ethanol is not uniform and may vary according to the actual and previous pattern of consumption. In this experiment we assessed body temperature and the recovery of two reflexes after a high dose of ethanol in rats submitted to chronic and acute ethanol consumption. Animals were previously submitted to chronic or acute alcohol consumption from postnatal day 21 until postnatal days 56 and 84. On the testing days, the animals received a single dose of 25% ethanol (5 g/kg, i.p.) or the same amount of saline solution. The results showed that animals were affected in the day 56 to a greater extent than in the day 84 by chronic heavy consumption of ethanol solution. With moderate and acute ethanol consumption, the 56-day-old animals developed greater tolerance. However, tolerance was not developed for the motor-impairing effects, since all groups required a long time to recover reflexesEl desarrollo de tolerancia a los efectos del alcohol no es uniforme, y suele variar según el patrón de consumo previo y actual. En este trabajo se evaluó la temperatura corporal y el tiempo de recuperación de dos reflejos tras el consumo crónico y agudo de elevadas dosis de etanol. Previamente, los animales bebieron alcohol de forma crónica o aguda desde los 21 hasta los 56 y 84 días de edad. Durante los días de evaluación, los animales recibieron una única dosis de etanol al 25% (5 g/kg, i.p.), o la misma cantidad de solución salina. Los resultados mostraron una mayor afectación a los 56 días de consumo crónico elevado de etanol respecto a los 84 días. Con un consumo moderado o agudo de etanol, los animales de 56 días desarrollaron una mayor tolerancia. Sin embargo, esta tolerancia no se observó en cuanto a los déficits motores, dado que todos los grupos necesitaron un largo período de tiempo para recuperar los reflejosThis work was supported by grants PR78/02-10972 (Complutense University), MCYT BSO 2001-2757 (Ministry of Science and Technology, Spain) and PR-01-GE-2 (Principado de Asturias, Spain

Nuclear Physics in the Era of Quantum Computing and Quantum Machine Learning

In this paper, the application of quantum simulations and quantum machine learning to solve low-energy nuclear physics problems is explored. The use of quantum computing to deal with nuclear physics problems is, in general, in its infancy and, in particular, the use of quantum machine learning in the realm of nuclear physics at low energy is almost nonexistent. We present here three specific examples where the use of quantum computing and quantum machine learning provides, or could provide in the future, a possible computational advantage: i) the determination of the phase/shape in schematic nuclear models, ii) the calculation of the ground state energy of a nuclear shell model-type Hamiltonian and iii) the identification of particles or the determination of trajectories in nuclear physics experiments.Comment: Submitted to the special issue "Quantum Machine Learning" of the journal Advanced Quantum Technologie

Phase diagram for a Cubic Consistent-Q Interacting Boson Model Hamiltonian: signs of triaxiality

An extension of the Consistent-Q formalism for the Interacting Boson Model that includes the cubic QxQxQ term is proposed. The potential energy surface for the cubic quadrupole interaction is explicitly calculated within the coherent state formalism using the complete chi-dependent expression for the quadrupole operator. The Q-cubic term is found to depend on the asymmetry deformation parameter gamma as a linear combination of cos(3gamma) and cos^2(3\gamma) terms, thereby allowing for triaxiality. The phase diagram of the model in the large N limit is explored, it is described the order of the phase transition surfaces that define the phase diagram, and moreover, the possible nuclear equilibrium shapes are established. It is found that, contrary to expectations, there is only a very tiny region of triaxiality in the model, and that the transition from prolate to oblate shapes is so fast that, in most cases, the onset of triaxiality might go unnoticed.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figure

High Salinity Effects on the Components of Relative Growth Rate in Rhodes Grass

Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth), is widely cultivated in the semiarid tropics and favored for its salt tolerance. Nevertheless, productivity decreases significantly under saline conditions, especially in tetraploid cultivars. The purpose of this work was to explore, in tetraploid cultivar Boma, the physiological causes for the observed salt-associated growth reduction. The effects of high salinity (200 mM NaCl) on the components of relative growth rate were analyzed in greenhouse experiments. An early reduction in leaf area expansion was observed, which later resulted in decreased dry matter accumulation. Plant leafiness was reduced by effects both on dry matter allocation to photosynthetic organs and, more significantly, on leaf surface expansion. This caused reductions in the number of tillers, and afterwards, stolons. Photosynthetic production was altered later than leaf area expansion, indicating, as has been seen in other species, that the main effect of salinity was a limitation of leaf growth

A hybrid tgfu/se volleyball teaching unit for enhancing motivation in physical education: A mixed-method approach

Grounded in self-determination theory, this pre-experimental study analyzed the effects of a hybrid teaching games for understanding/sport education (TGfU/SE) volleyball teaching unit on students’ motivational outcomes, using a mixed-method approach. It also examined whether the intervention was equally effective for boys and girls. Participants were 53 secondary school students (Mage = 15.50, SDage = 0.57) who were taught through a hybrid TGfU/SE unit. The structure of this unit was designed according to the characteristics of SE model, while learning tasks were designed by using the pedagogical principles of TGfU model. Both self-reported validated questionnaires and focus groups were used before and after intervention to assess students’ motivational responses. After the hybrid TGfU/SE unit, both quantitative and qualitative findings showed improvements in students’ perceptions of need-support from the physical education (PE) teacher, basic psychological needs satisfaction, novelty, and variety satisfaction, as well as intrinsic motivation compared to baseline values. Although the hybrid TGfU/SE unit was effective in both genders, a large effect size was found for girls. Despite the existence of social and cultural stereotypes in team sports such as volleyball in favor of boys, results highlight the importance of developing hybrid TGfU/SE units to improve students’ motivational outcomes, especially in girls