Plasma steroid concentrations reflect acute disease severity and normalise during recovery in people hospitalised with COVID-19

Objective: Endocrine systems are disrupted in acute illness, and symptoms reported following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are similar to those found with clinical hormone deficiencies. We hypothesised that people with severe acute COVID-19 and with post-COVID symptoms have glucocorticoid and sex hormone deficiencies. Design/Patients: Samples were obtained for analysis from two UK multicentre cohorts during hospitalisation with COVID-19 (International Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Consortium/World Health Organisation [WHO] Clinical Characterization Protocol for Severe Emerging Infections in the UK study), and at follow-up 5 months after hospitalisation (Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study). Measurements: Plasma steroids were quantified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Steroid concentrations were compared against disease severity (WHO ordinal scale) and validated symptom scores. Data are presented as geometric mean (SD). Results: In the acute cohort (n = 239, 66.5% male), plasma cortisol concentration increased with disease severity (cortisol 753.3 [1.6] vs. 429.2 [1.7] nmol/L in fatal vs. least severe, p < .001). In males, testosterone concentrations decreased with severity (testosterone 1.2 [2.2] vs. 6.9 [1.9] nmol/L in fatal vs. least severe, p < .001). In the follow-up cohort (n = 198, 62.1% male, 68.9% ongoing symptoms, 165 [121–192] days postdischarge), plasma cortisol concentrations (275.6 [1.5] nmol/L) did not differ with in-hospital severity, perception of recovery, or patient-reported symptoms. Male testosterone concentrations (12.6 [1.5] nmol/L) were not related to in-hospital severity, perception of recovery or symptom scores. Conclusions: Circulating glucocorticoids in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 reflect acute illness, with a marked rise in cortisol and fall in male testosterone. These findings are not observed 5 months from discharge. The lack of association between hormone concentrations and common post-COVID symptoms suggests steroid insufficiency does not play a causal role in this condition

Tumors of the Neurohypophysis: One Unit's Experience and Literature Review

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and understand the clinical behavior and radiologic correlates of tumors originating from the posterior pituitary gland. To review the management strategy for these rare tumors and add to the limited existing literature. METHODS: Retrospective review of 8 cases (5 pituicytomas, 2 spindle cell oncocytomas, and 1 granular cell tumor) managed at our institution between 2004 and 2019. The patients' clinical course, histologic features, and radiologic findings were reviewed. Their management and long-term follow-up is presented and compared with the literature. RESULTS: Long-term follow-up ranged from 1 to 9 years. There was 1 recurrence in a patient with spindle cell oncocytoma, and this was treated with radiotherapy. The endoscopically managed cases resulted in complete tumor excision with no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiologic data on primary tumors of the neurohypophysis is limited because of the rarity of these tumors. This study adds to the literature that these tumors behave as World Health Organization grade I tumors, although close follow-up is recommended as a few cases have shown recurrence. The endoscopic approach resulted in better gross total tumor resection rate in this series

El cuestionario TSQ para determinar estilos de enseñanza en docentes de Matemática: validación y resultados

Se aplicó el cuestionario TSQ (Teaching Styles Questionnaire) de la Dra. Carol Evans; en un estudio piloto y un estudio de campo con docentes de secundaria de instituciones costarricenses, con el fin de determinar los estilos de enseñanza de los cocentes. Los análisis incluyen validez y confiabilidad, análisis factorial y análisis descriptivos de variables. Entre los resultados se encontró una tendencia a estilos sociables, el docente de matemática ha dejado de ser estructurado para incorporar elementos que el mismo contexto le demanda, tales como las relaciones interpersonales y aspectos de la dimensión afectiva

Five object-based sound compositions

This text is a commentary on the nature of my principle artistic preoccupations over a period of research-creation spanning 2011 and 2013. The works discussed cover, each in their own way, various approaches to sound composition linked to physical objects. In effect, the object proves to be a fundamental element at the heart of discourse, which, though anchored in sound, is often multi-disciplinary. The object here is thus taken apart in its affective, conceptual, performative, visual, as well as sonic properties. The first part of this text illustrates the nature of the relationship between the physical object and the works submitted for this doctoral thesis. It focuses on the journey of the works: from their genesis in the artist’s collections of objects to their life on stage where the objects are used as visual elements in a performative context. The second part is dedicated to the conceptual and aesthetic content of the works, from which flow the principal elements of their discourse. Here, the relationships between the work, the concept and the sonic material are established, which together make up their aesthetic

Women between freedom and obligation. Daily mobility practices in Great Buenos Aires

En las últimas décadas, el suburbio de Buenos Aires se fue conformando como una yuxtaposición de islas periurbanas monofuncionales de baja densidad, que no conforman un tejido urbano compacto. Este proceso coloca la atención en la expansión de barrios cerrados y otros formatos de uso residencial; y también en usos comerciales y de empleo como los shoppings, hipermercados o parques industriales, tipologías monofuncionales relacionadas con una movilidad “auto intensiva”. Pero el suburbio mantiene otras islas, barrios precarios por la escasa dotación de equipamientos, funciones y servicios urbanos, incluyendo los de transporte. Este trabajo indaga en la movilidad cotidiana de mujeres que habitan en el conurbano precario, buscando poner en relación los diferentes factores que hacen a las desigualdades socio-espaciales, vinculados con la distribución territorial de usos del suelo, infraestructuras y servicios urbanos y de transporte, integrándolos en una dinámica de conjunto. Para ello estudia la movilidad cotidiana de mujeres en edad activa residentes en cuatro barrios del Partido de Moreno, ubicado en el oeste del Gran Buenos Aires, en la segunda corona de la conurbación. Las prácticas de viaje identifican sesgos de género asociados a las múltiples actividades que las mujeres realizan en su doble papel en la esfera pública y privada, bajo condiciones materiales que retroalimentan su vulnerabilidad. In the last decades, the suburb of Buenos Aires was shaping up as a juxtaposition of mono-functional low density areas which do not form a compact city. This process focus on the growth of gated communities, country clubs, farms, and other urban residential forms; and also in commercial and employment uses, such as shopping centers, supermarkets or industrial districts, all of them forms that share a mono-functional land use bias and a “car intensive” mobility. But the suburb maintains mono-functional areas also within the compact ciyt. They are not always low density or “car intensive” ones. They are neighbourhoods with poor equipment, functions and urban services, including transport. The inhabitants need travel to other neighborhoods to access goods, services and activities of the daily life. This work explores the daily mobility of women living in poor neighbourhoods, seeking to relate the different factors that make socio-spatial inequalities, both subjectives and materials ones, related to the distribution of land use, infrastructure and urban services and transport, and integrating them into a dynamic whole. It studies the mobility practices of women at working age living in Moreno, district located in the west of Buenos Aires, about 40 kilometers from the central city (Buenos Aires). Daily mobility is understood broadly, including daily and eventual trips to different motifs as part as daily life. Mobility practices identify gender biases associated with the many activities that women perform in their dual role in public and private sphere.

Aplicación del Ciclo de Deming para mejorar la Calidad de servicio en el área de soldadura de la empresa AM Servicios Generales E.I.R.L., Callao, 2018

El presente trabajo de investigación es de tipo cuantitativo, de diseño cuasi experimental, cuyo objetivo general fue determinar la manera de como la aplicación del ciclo de Deming mejoró la calidad de servicio a través de la implementación de un sistema cíclico de calidad apropiado que son: planificar, hacer, verificar y actuar en el área de soldadura de la empresa AM Servicios Generales E.I.R.L., Callao, 2018. Además, con el estadígrafo de Shapiro Wilk se pudo demostrar que el ciclo de Deming, mejora la calidad de servicio. Se recogió datos, que se procesaron en el programa Excel y (SPPS) aplicando la estadística descriptiva e inferencial. Obteniendo como resultado, mejora del cumplimiento de entrega a tiempo de un 61% a un 67 %, aumento un 6.50%. el nivel porcentual del cumplimiento de trabajo de 43.35%, y el post test obtuvo un 60.83%, se incrementó un 15.49%, nivel porcentual de trabajos ejecutados un 67.91%, y el post test un 77.50%, incrementándose un 9.59 %. el nivel porcentual de componentes inspeccionados obtuvo 63.58%, y el post test obtuvo 71.25%, incrementó así 7.67 %. En conclusión, la aplicación del ciclo de Deming mejora la calidad de servicio en la empresa AM servicios generales E.I.R.L., 2018

Implementación de la metodología six sigma para mejorar el nivel de servicio del despacho a domicilio desde el centro de distribución Saga Falabella, Lima- Perú, 2018

En esta tesis titulada “Implementación de la metodología six sigma para mejorar el nivel de servicio del despacho a domicilio desde el centro de distribución Saga Falabella, Lima- Perú, 2018”, hemos investigado diferentes teorías acerca de la herramienta del six sigma para así tener un buen manejo de esta herramienta y así poder eliminar y reducir lo que afecta el nivel de servicio de saga Falabella .el propósito de nuestra tesis es determinar como la herramienta del six sigma mejoro el nivel de servicio de la empresa saga Falabell

Prevention of color formation during the production of white sugar

Do promjene boje tijekom prerade šećerne repe dolazi se na dva načina: enzimski i neenzimski. Enzimsko posmeđivanje odvija se odmah nakon rezanja repe, pri čemu u kontakt dolaze enzim (polifenol-oksidaza), kisik iz zraka i supstrat (monofenoli ili orto-difenoli), pri čemu nastaju orto-kinoni, a kao krajnji proizvodi nastaju melanini. Neenzimskim putem nastaju tamno obojeni produkti, prije svega u Maillardovim reakcijama (reakcija reducirajućih šećera i amino spojeva) i reakcijama degradacije šećera katalizirane kiselinama ili lužinama i pri visokim temperaturama. Na boju soka, tijekom prerade šećerne repe, kao i boju samoga šećera, može se, manje ili više uspješno, utjecati primjenom različitih sredstava, a jedan je od najčešće korištenih sumporov dioksid. Cilj je ovoga rada utvrditi utjecaj dodatka sumporovog dioksida na sprječavanje promjene boje soka tijekom prerade šećerne repe, a time i na boju šećera te na udio navedenog spoja u šećeru kao i promjenu udjela tijekom skladištenja bijelog šećera. U tu svrhu, provedeno je praćenje promjene boje soka i šećera (otopina i kristal) ovisno o dodatku SO2 te udjelu SO2 u šećeru odmah nakon proizvodnje i nakon godine dana skladištenja šećera. U istraživanju su korištene standardne ICUMSA (eng. International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis) metode.The change in color during sugar beet processing comes in two ways: enzymatic and non-enzymatic. Enzymatic browning takes place immediately after cutting beet, wherein the enzyme (polyphenol oxidase), oxygen from the air and the substrate (monophenols or ortho-diphenols) come into contact, creating an ortho-quinones, and the final products formed melanin. Non-enzymatic browning generated dark colored products, primarily in the Maillard reactions (reactions of reducing sugars and amino compounds) and reactions of sugar degradation catalysed by acids or alkalis at high temperatures. On the color of juice during the processing of sugar beet, as well as on color of sugar, can be, more or less successfully influenced with application of different agents, where one of the most commonly used is sulfur dioxide. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the addition of sulfur dioxide to prevent color changes of juice during the sugar beet processing, and thus the color of the sugar, and the proportion of this compound in the sugar as well as the change in its ratio during storage of white sugar. For this purpose, the monitoring of color changes of juice and sugar (solution and crystal), depending on the addition of SO2, and SO2 proportion in the sugar immediately after manufacture and after one year of storage sugars, was conducted. In the study standard ICUMSA (eng. International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis) methods were used

Actividad antioxidante de residuos del aguacate Hass (Persea americana Mill. var Hass) sometidos a extracciones clásicas y a fluidos presurizados

El presente trabajo exploró la posibilidad de obtener extractos, a partir de semillas y epicarpio de aguacate Hass (Persea americana Mill. var. Hass), capaces de proteger la oleína de palma (OP) y la carne de res cruda (CR) de la oxidación lipídica; se empleó extracción soxhlet (E.Sox.) a presión reducida (Pred) usando tanto de forma directa como sucesiva hexano, acetato de etilo y etanol. En el caso de la oleína, con el extracto más activo se realizó un ensayo acelerado de oxidación durante 3 días, con una alta correlación frente al ensayo de oxidación convencional (Pearson≥0,93), por lo que éste se empleó en evaluaciones posteriores de actividad antioxidante (AA) sobre OP. Posteriormente se evaluó la AA del mejor extracto contra el correspondiente obtenido mediante E.Sox. a presión atmosférica (Patm, 560 mm Hg). Tanto para OP como para CR se encontró que la semilla fue más promisoria que el epicarpio sometidos a extracción soxhlet a presión reducida. Posteriormente esta biomasa fue sometida a extracción con fluidos supercríticos (EFSc) con cosolvente. El extracto que mejor protegió la OP contra la oxidación lipídica fue obtenido con CO2 a 100 MPa, 40°C con 3% de EtOH como co-solvente (extracto 5); para CR el mejor extracto fue obtenido mediante extracción soxhlet a presión reducida con AcOEt luego de desengrasar con hexano. Finalmente los extractos con mayor AA en cada matriz grasa fueron sometidos a fraccionamiento por cromatografía en columna, empleando Diaion HP-20 como fase estacionaria. La AA de los extractos fue similar a la de las fracciones, por lo que se recomienda no fraccionar los correspondientes extractos; al someter las fracciones más activas de los respectivos extractos a análisis por HPLC-MS, se determinó, de forma preliminar, la presencia de compuestos con fórmula condensada C16H35N, C27H41NO2, C20H34N2O6 y C25H34O4.Abstract. This paper explored the possibility of obtaining extracts from seeds and epicarp of Hass avocado (Persea americana Mill. var. Hass), they were able to protect palm olein (PO) and raw beef (CR) of lipid oxidation; soxhlet extraction (E.Sox.) was used under reduced pressure (Pred) using both, directly and successively hexane, ethyl acetate and ethanol. For olein, with the most active extract, accelerated oxidation for 3 days, with a high correlation with the conventional oxidation test (Pearson≥0,93) was carried out, so this test was used in subsequent evaluations of antioxidant activity (AA) on OP. Subsequently the AA from the best extract was evaluated against the corresponding obtained by E.Sox. at atmospheric pressure (Patm, 560 mm Hg). For OP and CR was found that the seed was more promising than the epicarp under soxhlet extraction at reduced pressure. Later this biomass was extracted with supercritical fluids (EFSC) with cosolvent. The best extract than protected olein against OP lipid oxidation was obtained with CO2 at 100 MPa, 40 ° C with 3% EtOH as co-solvent (extract 5); for CR the best extract was obtained by Soxhlet extraction with AcOEt at reduced pressure after the biomass was degreasing with hexane also at reduced repressure. Finally, the extracts with better AA in every fat matrix were subjected to fractionation by column chromatography using Diaion HP-20 as stationary phase. The AA for the extracts was similar to the fractions, so it’s recommended not divide the corresponding extracts; by subjecting the most active fractions of the respective extracts to HPLC-MS analysis was determined in a preliminary manner, the presence of compounds with condensed formula C16H35N, C27H41NO2, C20H34N2O6 y C25H34O4.Maestrí