Arsenic in Water Resources of the Southern Pampa Plains, Argentina

Confronted with the need for accessible sources of good quality water and in view of the fact that the threat to public health posed by arsenic occurs mainly through the ingestion of contaminated drinking water, the presence and distribution of arsenic was evaluated in the southern Pampa Plains of Bahía Blanca district in Argentina. The findings show variable concentrations of arsenic in a complex distribution pattern. Complementary information is provided on the behavior of the groundwater resource and its salinity in terms of dissolved ions. Groundwater is the most severely affected, 97% of the samples exceeding the guideline value for arsenic in drinking water as recommended by the WHO (Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, 2004). and showing maximum concentrations of up to 0.30 mg/L. Informing those responsible for preventive medicine and alerting the community at large will facilitate measures to mitigate exposure and ensure the safety of drinking water

Concentraciones de flúor y otros elementos, en aguas del sur de la llanura pampeana, Argentina

Se investigaron los niveles de F y su relación con As, B y V en el agua, en un área (2300-km2) donde se identificaron casos de fluorosis dental, esquelética y presencia de As en muestras de cabello y orina en la población rural. El F superó el valor guía en 86% de las aguas freáticas y un 65 % de las superficiales con máximos de 12.7 mg/l y 6.5 mg/l respectivamente. F correlacionó con As (r=0.75), B (r= 0.57) y V (r =0.53) en las aguas subterráneas. En las aguas superficiales también se asoció con As (r=0.65) hallándose regresiones lineales con B (r=0.88) y V (r=0.81). Todos los análisis resultaron altamente significativos (p<0.01). El F elevado se corresponde con concentraciones no aceptables de otros oligoelementos, acrecentando el riesgo derivado de la ingestión de aguas afectadas por extensos períodos de tiempo. No se halló una regresión lineal entre F y As.F levels and their relationship with As, B and V in the water in an area (2,300-km2) where dental and skeletal fluorosis and presence of As in hair and urine samples of the rural population were detected. F exceeds the guide value in 86% of phreatic waters and in 65% of surface waters up to maximum levels of 12.7 mg/l and 6.5 mg/l respectively. F was significantly correlated (p&lt; 0.01) with As (r = 0.75), B (r = 0.57) and V (r = 0.53) in groundwaters, it was also associated with As (r= 0.65) in surface waters showing a linear regression with B (r=0.88) and V (r=0.81) (p&lt; 0.01). High F associated with an excess of other trace elements enhances the risk for human health after consumption for long periods. A linear regression between F and As was not found.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

Simultaneous quantification of human herpesvirus 8 DNA by real time PCR in different tissues of HIV infected cuban patients with Kaposi's sarcoma

In Cuba, previous reports have shown an increase of epidemic KS, reaching a total of 120 cases by the end of 2007, despite the use of HAART. To evaluate and compare the role of human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) viral loads in different compartments of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (AIDS-KS) patients real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the genome copy number of HHV-8 in plasma, saliva, tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 49 AIDS-KS patients. Overall, 98% of AIDS-KS patients harbored detectable HHV-8. HHV-8 could be detected in 91.6% of KS tissue lesions showing the highest viral load (median log = 3.14 copies/100 ng DNA) followed by saliva and PBMC which were positive in 78%, and 69.2%; respectively. In contrast, HHV-8 was detected in only 37% of plasma samples, which also showed lower viral loads. Men who had sex with men (MSM) were more likely to have three-times higher HHV-8 genome copies in KS lesions when compared with tissues from heterosexuals individuals (OR 3; 95% CI 1.1 to 12.5). These results emphasize the systemic nature of HHV-8-infection and demonstrate the possible role of saliva in HHV-8 transmission among MSM

Young adults' interaction with online news and advertising

This research aims to portray the way young adult people interact with news and how their consumption is affected by advertising and personal data sharing. "Digital News Report Spain 2018", a questionnaire on the consumption of digital media undertaken by a national panel of 2,023 Internet users, is used as a main source. Among the users mentioned, there were 293 young people from 25 to 34 years old who belong to the Millennial generation. Data from this report was completed with a qualitative study in which two focus groups were held, featuring people of that age frame residing in Navarre. The paper concludes that young adult people are generally interested in news, which they access mainly via mobile devices. Their interest grows when the content affects them directly, but also if they empathize with the topic. On the other hand, their familiar background and social routines shape the way they receive information. Young adult people still make use of traditional media, although they consider it ideologically biased. Advertising is something annoying, although they generally have little knowledge and even less intention to use ad-blockers. Finally, their review of the personalized services is negative, but they tend to give away personal data to media if this facilitates their news access.Esta investigación tiene como objetivo caracterizar cómo interactúan los jóvenes adultos con las noticias, en qué medida su consumo se ve condicionado por la presencia de publicidad y si se preocupan por la cesión de datos personales. Para ello, se toma como punto de partida el «Digital News Report Spain 2018», informe elaborado a partir de un cuestionario sobre consumo de medios digitales a un panel nacional de 2.023 internautas; de ellos, 293 son jóvenes de 25-34 años, que pertenecen a la generación «millennials». Estos datos se completaron con un estudio cualitativo, realizando dos grupos de discusión con personas de esa franja de edad residentes en la Comunidad Foral de Navarra. Entre las conclusiones de la investigación se señala que los jóvenes adultos se interesan por las noticias, a las que acceden de manera prioritaria por dispositivos móviles. Este interés es mayor cuando el contenido les afecta directamente o si empatizan con la temática de la noticia. Por otra parte, el entorno familiar y las rutinas sociales condicionan su manera de informarse. Siguen accediendo a medios tradicionales, aunque los consideran ideologizados. La publicidad la perciben como molesta, si bien no hay conocimiento ni un uso generalizado de bloqueadores. Finalmente, valoran negativamente los servicios de personalización actuales, aunque ceden algunos datos personales a los medios si le facilita el acceso a la información

Young adults' interaction with online news and advertising

This research aims to portray the way young adult people interact with news and how their consumption is affected by advertising and personal data sharing. "Digital News Report Spain 2018", a questionnaire on the consumption of digital media undertaken by a national panel of 2,023 Internet users, is used as a main source. Among the users mentioned, there were 293 young people from 25 to 34 years old who belong to the Millennial generation. Data from this report was completed with a qualitative study in which two focus groups were held, featuring people of that age frame residing in Navarre. The paper concludes that young adult people are generally interested in news, which they access mainly via mobile devices. Their interest grows when the content affects them directly, but also if they empathize with the topic. On the other hand, their familiar background and social routines shape the way they receive information. Young adult people still make use of traditional media, although they consider it ideologically biased. Advertising is something annoying, although they generally have little knowledge and even less intention to use ad-blockers. Finally, their review of the personalized services is negative, but they tend to give away personal data to media if this facilitates their news access.Esta investigación tiene como objetivo caracterizar cómo interactúan los jóvenes adultos con las noticias, en qué medida su consumo se ve condicionado por la presencia de publicidad y si se preocupan por la cesión de datos personales. Para ello, se toma como punto de partida el «Digital News Report Spain 2018», informe elaborado a partir de un cuestionario sobre consumo de medios digitales a un panel nacional de 2.023 internautas; de ellos, 293 son jóvenes de 25-34 años, que pertenecen a la generación «millennials». Estos datos se completaron con un estudio cualitativo, realizando dos grupos de discusión con personas de esa franja de edad residentes en la Comunidad Foral de Navarra. Entre las conclusiones de la investigación se señala que los jóvenes adultos se interesan por las noticias, a las que acceden de manera prioritaria por dispositivos móviles. Este interés es mayor cuando el contenido les afecta directamente o si empatizan con la temática de la noticia. Por otra parte, el entorno familiar y las rutinas sociales condicionan su manera de informarse. Siguen accediendo a medios tradicionales, aunque los consideran ideologizados. La publicidad la perciben como molesta, si bien no hay conocimiento ni un uso generalizado de bloqueadores. Finalmente, valoran negativamente los servicios de personalización actuales, aunque ceden algunos datos personales a los medios si le facilita el acceso a la información

Evaluation of endothelial function and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with HIV infection

The aim of this study was to analyse the association between human immunodefciency virus (HIV) related clinical and analytical parameters and the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis as well as endothelial dysfunction. This was a prospective cohort study of HIV-positive patients who underwent intima media thickness (IMT) determination and coronary artery calcium scoring to determine subclinical atherosclerosis. To detect endothelial dysfunction, the breath holding index, fow-mediated dilation and the concentration of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were measured. Patients with an IMT? 0.9 mm had an average of 559.3 ± 283.34 CD4/?l, and those with an IMT< 0.9 mm had an average of 715.4 ± 389.92 CD4/?l (p= 0.04). Patients with a low calcium score had a signifcantly higher average CD4 cell value and lower zenith viral load (VL) than those with a higher score (707.7 ± 377.5 CD4/?l vs 477.23 ± 235.7 CD4/?l (p= 0.01) and 7 ×?¬104 ± 5 ×?¬104 copies/ml vs 23.4 × 104 ± 19 × 104 copies/ml (p= 0.02)). The number of early EPCs in patients with a CD4 nadir< 350/ µl was lower than that in those with a CD4 nadir? 350 (p= 0.03). In HIV-positive patients, low CD4 cell levels and high VL were associated with risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis. HIV patients with CD4 cell nadir < 350/µl may have fewer early EPCs

The OCCASO survey: presentation and radial velocities of 12 Milky Way open clusters

Open clusters (OCs) are crucial for studying the formation and evolution of the Galactic disc. However, the lack of a large number of OCs analysed homogeneously hampers the investigations about chemical patterns and the existence of Galactocentric radial and vertical gradients, or an age-metallicity relation. To overcome this, we have designed the Open Cluster Chemical Abundances from Spanish Observatories (OCCASO) survey. We aim to provide homogeneous radial velocities, physical parameters and individual chemical abundances of six or more red clump stars for a sample of 25 old and intermediate-age OCs visible from the Northern hemisphere. To do so, we use high-resolution spectroscopic facilities (R >= 62 000) available at Spanish observatories. We present the motivation, design and current status of the survey, together with the first data release of radial velocities for 77 stars in 12 OCs, which represents about 50 per cent of the survey. We include clusters never studied with high-resolution spectroscopy before (NGC 1907, NGC 6991, NGC 7762), and clusters in common with other large spectroscopic surveys like the Gaia-ESO Survey (NGC 6705) and Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (NGC 2682 and NGC 6819). We perform internal comparisons between instruments to evaluate and correct internal systematics of the results, and compare our radial velocities with previous determinations in the literature, when available. Finally, radial velocities for each cluster are used to perform a preliminary kinematic study in relation with the Galactic disc

Co-ocurrencia de uranio, vanadio y molibdeno en acuíferos chaco-pampeanos (Argentina) : Fuentes, movilidad y procesos de concentración en diversas cuencas

Concentraciones anómalas de uranio (U), vanadio (V) y molibdeno (Mo), asociadas con arsénico en aguas subterráneas de la Llanura Chaco-Pampeana generan toxicidad que limitan su utilización e ingesta. Se muestran resúmenes estadísticos para las cuencas del río Salí y de Burruyacú (Tucumán), la llanura centro-norte de Santa Fe, las llanuras sudoriental de Córdoba, norte de La Pampa y sudeste de Buenos Aires.En acuíferos someros de la cuenca del río Salí, los máximos de U, V y Mo son, respectivamente: 125, 300 y 727 μgL-1; (medianas: 14,2, 77,3 y 10,9 μgL-1, respectivamente). En sedimentos (mg kg-1): 12,4, 99,0 y <2, respectivamente (medianas: 3,88, 85,0 y <2, respectivamente).Estas concentraciones están relacionadas con disolución de vidrio volcánico, lixiviación de sedimentos loésicos, sorción sobre superficie de óxidos y oxi-hidróxidos de Al, Fe y Mn, y desorción a valores de pH más altos, con formación de iones complejos estables, con alta movilidad.Anomalous concentrations of uranium (U), vanadium (V) and molybdenum (Mo), associated to ar senic (As) in groundwater from the Chaco-Pampean Plain causes toxicity, therefore utilization and consumption must be restricted. Statistical summaries from the Salí river and Burruyacú basins (Tucumán), the northern-central plain of Santa Fe, and the southeastern plains of Córdoba, northern La Pampa and southeastern Buenos Aires were shown. In shallow aquifers from the Salí river basin maxima concentrations of U, V and Mo are respectively: 125 μgL-1, 300 μgL-1, 727 μgL-1 (medians: 14.2, 77.3 and 10.9 μgL-1 respectively). In sediments (mg kg-1): 12.4, 99.0 and &lt;2 (medians: 3.88, 85.0 and &lt;2). Such concentrations are related to the volcanic-glass dissolution and leaching of loess-like sediments, sorption onto surface from Al-, Fe- and Mn oxides and oxihydroxides, and desorption at higher pH values and formation of stable complex-ions with high mobility.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

Assessing the risk of cardiovascular events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors

Funding Information: This article is part of the CLARIFY project, supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement number 875160. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Torrente, Blanco, Franco, Garitaonaindia, Calvo, Collazo-Lorduy, Gutiérrez, Sánchez, González-del-Alba, Hernández, Méndez, Cantos, Núñez, Sousa and Provencio.Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment. However, despite their excellent therapeutic effect, these medications typically result in a broad spectrum of toxicity reactions. Immune-related cardiotoxicity is uncommon but can be potentially fatal, and its true incidence is underestimated in clinical trials. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence and identify risk factors for developing a cardiac event in patients treated with ICIs. Methods: We conducted a single-institution retrospective study, including patients treated with ICIs in our center. The main outcomes were cardiac events (CE) and cardiovascular death. Results: A total of 378 patients were analyzed. The incidence of CE was 16.7%, during a median follow-up of 50.5 months. The multivariable analysis showed that age, a history of arrhythmia or ischemic heart disease, and prior immune-related adverse events were significantly associated with CE. Conclusion: CE during ICI treatment are more common than currently appreciated. A complete initial cardiovascular evaluation is recommended, especially in high-risk patients, being necessary a multidisciplinary approach of a specialized cardio-oncology team.publishersversionpublishe

OCCASO - II. Physical parameters and Fe abundances of red clump stars in 18 open clusters

Open clusters have long been used to study the chemodynamical evolution of the Galactic disc. This requires a homogeneously analysed sample covering a wide range of ages and distances. In this paper, we present the Open Clusters Chemical Abundances from Spanish Observatories (OCCASO) second data release. This comprises a sample of high-resolution (R > 65 000) and high signal-to-noise spectra of 115 red clump stars in 18 open clusters. We derive atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g, ξ), and [Fe/H] abundances using two analysis techniques: equivalent widths and spectral synthesis. A detailed comparison and a critical review of the results of the two methods are made. Both methods are carefully tested between them, with the Gaia FGK benchmark stars, and with an extensive sample of literature values. We perform a membership study using radial velocities and the resulting abundances. Finally, we compare our results with a chemodynamical model of the Milky Way thin disc concluding that the oldest open clusters are consistent with the models only when dynamical effects are taken into account