On the interpretation of the atmospheric mechanism transporting the environmental trigger of Kawasaki disease

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552Recent advances on the environmental determinants of Kawasaki Disease have pointed to the important role of the atmospheric transport of a still unknown agent potentially triggering the disease. The hypothesis arose from an innovative methodology combining expertise in climate dynamics, the analysis of ocean and atmosphere data, the use of dispersion models and the search for biological agents in air samples. The approach offered a new perspective to reveal the identity of the potential trigger, but at the same time, it increased the level of complexity, which could potentially lead to the misinterpretation of the mechanisms. Some years after it was originally formulated, we here provide a brief clarification on the approach and limits of the methodology in order to prevent an eventual misuse of our research ideas and theory, so that further research can better focus on the knowledge gaps that still remain open

On the interpretation of the atmospheric mechanism transporting the environmental trigger of Kawasaki disease

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552Recent advances on the environmental determinants of Kawasaki Disease have pointed to the important role of the atmospheric transport of a still unknown agent potentially triggering the disease. The hypothesis arose from an innovative methodology combining expertise in climate dynamics, the analysis of ocean and atmosphere data, the use of dispersion models and the search for biological agents in air samples. The approach offered a new perspective to reveal the identity of the potential trigger, but at the same time, it increased the level of complexity, which could potentially lead to the misinterpretation of the mechanisms. Some years after it was originally formulated, we here provide a brief clarification on the approach and limits of the methodology in order to prevent an eventual misuse of our research ideas and theory, so that further research can better focus on the knowledge gaps that still remain open

the neglected indoor environment to be tackled in the scope of the One Health approach

Funding Information: H&TRC authors gratefully acknowledge the FCT/MCTES national support through the UIDB/05608/2020 , the UIDP/05608/2020 and the PhD Grant UI/BD/151431/2021 . This work was also supported by national funds through FCT/MCTES/FSE/UE , UI/BD/153746/2022 and CE3C unit UIDB/00329/2020 within the scope of a PhD Grant. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education under the program “Regional Initiative of Excellence” in 2019–2022 (Grant No. 008/RID/2018/19 ). Funding Information: All the authors acknowledge the scientific support from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in the scope of BioSkyNet workshop held by University of Essex (Ref: NE/V008293/1 ). Funding Information: ISGlobal authors acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and State Research Agency through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program ( CEX2018-000806-S ) and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program”. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The AuthorsMicrobial contamination in grocery shops (GS) should be evaluated since food commodities are commonly handled by workers and customers increasing the risk of food contamination and disease transmission. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial contamination in Portuguese and Spanish GS with a multi-approach protocol using passive (electrostatic dust cloths and surface swabs) sampling methods. The molecular detection of Aspergillus sections, mycotoxin analysis, screening of azole resistance as well as cytotoxicity measurement were conducted to better estimate the potential health risks of exposure and to identify possible relations between the risk factors studied. Fruits/vegetables sampling location was the one identified has being the most contaminated (bacteria and fungi) area in GS from both countries. Aspergillus section Fumigati and Fusarium species were observed in samples from Portuguese groceries with reduced susceptibilities to azoles commonly used in the clinical treatment of fungal infections. Fumonisin B2 was detected in Portuguese GS possible unveiling this emergent threat concerning occupational exposure and food safety. Overall, the results obtained raise concerns regarding human health and food safety and must be surveilled applying a One Health approach.publishersversionpublishe

Percutaneous or mini-invasive surgical radiofrequency re-ablation of atrial fibrillation: Impact on atrial function and echocardiographic predictors of short and long-term success.

Objectives The aim of this study was to compare percutaneous catheter ablation vs. minimally invasive surgical ablation, evaluating the impact of repeated ablation on atrial function, and evaluating predictors of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. Background When AF ablation fails, re-ablations are required in up to 40% of patients to treat recurrent arrhythmia; surgical ablation is more effective than catheter ablation. Methods Thirty-two patients with failed prior catheter ablation and referred for a second ablation (18 catheter and 14 surgical) were included in a descriptive observational study. Left atrial volumes, strain, and strain rate were measured with 2D speckle tracking echocardiography at baseline and 6 months after the procedures to assess left atrial functions. Patients received up to 1 year of clinical and Holter follow-up. Results At the 12-month follow-up, catheter ablation was effective in 56% and surgical ablation in 72% of patients (OR 2 (CI 0.45–8.84), p 0.36). Left atrial booster function was similar in all patients, but left atrial reservoir function was more impaired in those patients who underwent surgical ablation. Left atrial booster function was predictive of arrhythmia recurrence after both catheter and surgical ablation: late diastolic strain rate (LASRa) cut-off ≤ -0.89 s–1 (sensitivity 88%, specificity 70%, AUC 0.82) and ≤ -0.85 s–1 (sensitivity 60%, specificity 100%, AUC 0.82), respectively. Conclusion Surgical ablation has a more negative impact on LA reservoir function despite being slightly more effective in arrhythmia suppression. LA booster function is not significantly impaired by either procedure. LA booster function predicts arrhythmia elimination after a re-ablation (catheter or surgical)

Sponge-like molecular cage for purification of fullerenes

Since fullerenes are available in macroscopic quantities from fullerene soot, large efforts have been geared toward designing efficient strategies to obtain highly pure fullerenes, which can be subsequently applied in multiple research fields. Here we present a supramolecular nanocage synthesized by metal-directed self-assembly, which encapsulates fullerenes of different sizes. Direct experimental evidence is provided for the 1:1 encapsulation of C 60, C 70, C 76, C 78 and C 84, and solid state structures for the host-guest adducts with C 60 and C 70 have been obtained using X-ray synchrotron radiation. Furthermore, we design a washing-based strategy to exclusively extract pure C 60 from a solid sample of cage charged with a mixture of fullerenes. These results showcase an attractive methodology to selectively extract C 60 from fullerene mixtures, providing a platform to design tuned cages for selective extraction of higher fullerenes. The solid-phase fullerene encapsulation and liberation represent a twist in host-guest chemistry for molecular nanocage structures

Immune-inflammatory and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis biomarkers are altered in patients with non-specific low back pain: A systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to investigate immune-inflammatory and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis biomarkers in individuals with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) compared to healthy control. The search was performed in five databases until 4 November 2021. Two reviewers independently conducted screenings, data extraction, risk of bias, and methodological quality assessment of 14 unique studies. All studies reported the source of the fluid analyzed: nine studies used serum, two used plasma, one used serum and plasma, and two studies used salivary cortisol. We found preliminary and limited evidence (only one study for each biomarker) of increased levels in growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), interleukin-23 (IL-23), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNF-R1) in NSLBP. Inconsistent and limited evidence was identified for interleukin-10 (IL-10). Although C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels appear to increase in NSLBP, only one study per each biomarker reported statistically significant differences. Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) showed no significant differences. Regarding cortisol, one study showed a significant increase and another a significant decrease. More robust evidence between GDF-15, IL-23, TGF-β, and sTNF-R1 with NSLBP is needed. Moreover, contrary to the findings reported in previous studies, when comparing results exclusively with healthy control, insufficient robust evidence for IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP was found in NSLBP. In addition, cortisol response (HPA-related biomarker) showed a dysregulated functioning in NSLBP, with incongruent evidence regarding its directionality. Therefore, our effort is to find adjusted evidence to conclude which immune-inflammatory and HPA axis biomarkers are altered in NSLBP and how much their levels are affected

Emerging risk factors and the dose-response relationship between physical activity and lone atrial fibrillation: a prospective case-control study

A history of a parts per thousand yen2000 h of vigorous endurance training, tall stature, abdominal obesity, and OSA are frequently encountered as risk factors in patients with Ln-AF. Fewer than 2000 total hours of high-intensity endurance training associates with reduced Ln-AF risk

Procediment d’extracció de taps de cerumen

Extracció de tap de cerumen; Rentat d'orella; Infermeria en atenció primàriaExtracción de tapón de cerumen; Lavado de oreja; Enfermería en atención primariaCerumen plug removal; Ear wash; Nursing primary careAquest document presenta com cal permeabilitzar el conducte auditiu garantint la realització correcta de la tècnica de rentat d'orella i s'adreça a tot professional sanitari que hagi de procedir a l'extracció d'un tap de cerumen

Seguretat alimentària en l’alimentació animal. Anàlisi d’agents antimicrobians en pinsos

[cat] La producció animal és una important activitat econòmica en tot el món, que té per objectiu satisfer la demanda d’aliments d’una població mundial en constant augment. En els sistemes de producció intensiva d’animals, l’ús de medicaments veterinaris ha esdevingut una pràctica habitual per tal de prevenir i controlar l’aparició de malalties, i mantenir així la viabilitat i l’eficiència de la indústria ramadera. Els agents antimicrobians, principalment agents antibacterians i antiparasitaris, són els medicaments veterinaris més emprats. Pel que fa a les vies d’administració, la pràctica més estesa és el tractament col•lectiu dels animals per via oral a través de pinsos medicamentosos, preparats a les fàbriques de pinsos per mitjà de premescles o a les mateixes granges per l’addició directa de pols orals als pinsos. Aquesta pràctica pot donar lloc a la contaminació de pinsos amb traces de medicaments als quals aquestes substàncies no estan destinades. El subministrament no intencionat de pinsos contaminats pot determinar la presència de residus d’agents antimicrobians en aliments d’origen animal destinats al consum humà (carn, llet, ous, etc.), els quals afavoreixen el problemàtic increment mundial de les resistències microbianes. Amb l’objectiu de preservar l’eficàcia dels agents antimicrobians, la Unió Europea implementa plans de vigilància i controls per tal de garantir que els pinsos que arriben al mercat són segurs i no representen cap risc per a la salut dels consumidors. En aquest context, la present tesi s’ha centrat en l’anàlisi d’agents antimicrobians en pinsos destinats a l’alimentació animal. En primer lloc, s’ha dut a terme una revisió de l’estat actual i les tendències emergents en aquest camp. Aquesta inclou una introducció general sobre la indústria dels pinsos i la problemàtica inevitable de la contaminació creuada, així com una revisió exhaustiva del marc legislatiu vigent i dels mètodes analítics establerts en els últims anys (període 2000-actualitat). Atesa l’escassetat de metodologies disponibles, s’han desenvolupat i validat tres mètodes per a l’anàlisi de baixes concentracions d’agents antimicrobians en pinsos: dos mètodes multiresidu, basats en la cromatografia de líquids amb detecció fluorimètrica, per a la determinació de 8 sulfamides i 6 fluoroquinolones, i un mètode multiclasse, basat en la cromatografia de líquids acoblada a l’espectrometria de masses en tàndem (MS/MS), que permet de manera simultània el cribratge, la confirmació i la quantificació de 50 agents antimicrobians pertanyents a 13 famílies diferents. En tots els casos, s’han estudiat les condicions òptimes per a l’extracció, la separació cromatogràfica i la detecció dels anàlits. Per a la separació cromatogràfica, s’ha comprovat que l’ús de columnes de partícules de nucli sòlid proporciona una major resolució i sensibilitat que les columnes convencionals de rebliment totalment porós. En la detecció per MS/MS, atesa la gran complexitat i variabilitat dels pinsos, s’ha observat un efecte matriu més o menys significatiu i variable en funció de l’anàlit, tant entre pinsos destinats a la mateixa com a diferents espècies animals. Els mètodes proposats són adequats per al seguiment de la qualitat dels pinsos i el control de la contaminació creuada, tant en laboratoris de control oficial com a les fàbriques de pinsos, garantint així la seguretat dels pinsos i, per tant, de la primera etapa de la cadena alimentària. Finalment, en els darrers anys, l'espectrometria de masses d'alta resolució ha esdevingut una tècnica emergent en els laboratoris d’anàlisi de rutina. En aquest camp, s'ha dissenyat un algoritme automatitzat (macro) basat en la correlació dels ions per a l’establiment de la relació entre ions precursor i ions producte detectats mitjançant un analitzador de masses Orbitrap. La major sensibilitat i selectivitat d’aquesta tècnica han resultat especialment beneficioses per a la detecció d’aquests ions en matrius complexes i/o presents a baixes concentracions.[eng] Livestock production is an important economic sector worldwide, aiming to satisfy the food demand of a growing global population. In intensive livestock production systems, the use of veterinary drugs has become a routine to prevent and control the outbreak of animal diseases and achieve the highest output at the lowest cost. Antimicrobial agents, including antibacterials and antiparasitics are, by far, the most widely administered group. Oral pharmaceutical forms applicable for mass treatment are the most common practice, either premixes for the preparation of medicated feed in feed mills, or oral powders to be blended with feeds at the farms. These management practices may result in cross-contamination of non-target feedingstuffs. The unawareness of feeding animals with contaminated feeds can lead to undesirable antimicrobial residues in animal food products (meat, milk, eggs, etc.), which are related with the increase of the selection of resistance bacterial strains. To safeguard public health, the European Union has implemented extensive regulatory monitoring programs in order to ensure that feeds reaching the market pose no risk for the consumers. In this context, the present thesis has focused on the analysis of antimicrobial agents in animal feeds. To begin with, a review on this subject was carried out. It includes a general introduction to the feed industry and the unavoidable problem of cross-contamination, followed by an overview of the current legal framework and the analytical methods employed in this field (from 2000 to the present date). Then, due to the lack of published methods available, three different methods for the analysis of low concentrations of 6 to up to 50 antimicrobials in animal feeds were developed. The proposed methods are based on liquid chromatography with fluorescence or tandem mass spectrometry detection and are suitable for controlling cross-contamination and for monitoring the quality of feeds, both in official control laboratories and feed mills, ensuring safety in the first stage of the food chain. Finally, high-resolution mass spectrometry is nowadays an emerging technique in routine laboratories. In this field, an automated algorithm (macro) for the correlation of precursor and product ions derived from a single-stage Orbitrap mass analyzer was developed

Estudio de mejora del lay-out del almacén de producto de acabados en Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning Products

Dins el pla d’actuació de la fàbrica Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning Products a Vacarisses (Barcelona) per implementar les 5S, junt al considerable augment de la producció i les exportacions, es precisen amb urgència millores al magatzem de productes acabats que permetin incrementar la seva capacitat, optimitzar els processos que s’hi duen a terme y millorar la seguretat del producte i dels treballadors. En aquest estudi s’ha realitzat un anàlisi de les necessitats del magatzem a partir de dades històriques i previstes de fabricacions, vendes i nivells d’inventari, mesura de temps i altres tècniques Lean per a la detecció d’àrees de millora (Kaizen, en la terminologia Lean) com el Mapa del Fluxe de Valor (VSM), l’Anàlisi Modal de Fallades i Efectes (AMFE) o Diagrames d’Spaghetti. A partir de les dades analitzades i de l’avaluació de diferents solucions d’emmagatzematge que permetin optimitzar la capacitat del magatzem, s’han proposat una sèrie de millores en aspectes d’infraestructura, de processos i de presa de decisions, amb la finalitat de reduir la necessitat d’emmagatzematge extern i augmentar l’eficiència dels processos amb la conseqüent reducció de costos, tot garantint la seguretat i l’ordre al magatzem. Entre les millores proposades es troben el muntatge de noves estanteries i la modificació de les existents per aprofitar millor l’alçada del magatzem; la redefinició de les zones de preparació d’expedicions a client i de transfers al magatzem extern per reduir els temps de càrrega dels camions i evitar errors en les càrregues; la redistribució del producte que s’emmagatzema a la fàbrica i el que es porta al magatzem extern per reduir el nombre de trasllats des de i cap a allà, així com els costos d’emmagatzematge, i la reorganització del producte dins del magatzem per reduir les distàncies des dels finals de línia i cap a les zones de preparació, entre d’altres.Dentro del plan de actuación de la fábrica de Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning Products en Vacarisses (Barcelona) para implementar las 5S, unido al considerable aumento de la producción y las exportaciones, se precisan con urgencia mejoras en el almacén de productos acabados que permitan incrementar la capacidad del mismo, optimizar los procesos que se llevan a cabo en él y mejorar la seguridad del producto y de los trabajadores. En este estudio se ha realizado un análisis de las necesidades del almacén a partir de los datos históricos y previstos de fabricaciones, ventas y niveles de inventario, mediciones de tiempos y otras técnicas Lean para la detección de áreas de mejora (Kaizen, en la terminología Lean) como el Mapa de Flujo de Valor (VSM), el Análisis Modal de Fallos y Efectos (AMFE) o Diagramas de Spaghetti. A partir de los datos analizados y de la evaluación de distintas soluciones de almacenaje que permitan optimizar la capacidad del almacén se han propuesto una serie de mejoras en aspectos de infraestructura, de procesos y de toma de decisiones, con el fin de reducir la necesidad de almacenaje externo y aumentar la eficiencia de los procesos con la consiguiente reducción de costes, y garantizando la seguridad y el orden en el almacén. Entre las mejoras propuestas se encuentran el montaje de nuevas estanterías y la modificación de las existentes para un mayor aprovechamiento en altura del espacio del almacén; la redefinición de las zonas de preparación de expediciones a cliente y de transfers al almacén externo para reducir el tiempo de carga de camiones y evitar errores en las cargas; la redistribución del producto que se almacena en la fábrica y el que se lleva a un almacén externo para reducir el número de transportes desde y hacia él, así como el coste de almacenaje, y la reorganización del producto dentro del almacén para reducir las distancias desde el final de línea y hacia las zonas de preparación, entre otras.The Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning Products manufacturing plant in Vacarisses, Barcelona, has recently applied an action plan for 5S implementation. There has also been a substantial increase in production and export rates. This two facts lead to an urgency of enhancing the finished goods warehouse capacity, an optimization of the processes that take place in it and improve the safety of its workers and the products stored. In this paper an analysis of the needs of the warehouse has been done on the basis of historical data and future production planning, sales forecast, inventory levels, time measurement and other Lean techniques for detecting improvement areas (Kaizen, in Lean terminology), such as the Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) or Spaghetti Charts. From data analysed and the evaluation of different storage solutions that allow to optimize the warehouse capacity, some improvements have been proposed in terms of infrastructure, processes and decision making, in order to reduce the external storage need and increase the efficiency of processes, with the consequent cost reduction, ensuring safety and tidiness inside the warehouse. Some of the suggested improvements are the building of new racks and the modification of racks already existing for the purpose of leverage the warehouse height; the redefinition of dispatch area to reduce the trucks loading time and avoid cargo errors; the redistribution of the products stored in the factory and in the external warehouse to reduce the number of daily transfers between each other as well as the storage cost, and the reorganization of products inside the warehouse to reduce distances from end-of-lines and to dispatch areas, among others