Enhancing visible-light photocatalysis via endohedral functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with organic dyes

The encapsulation of an organic dye, 10-phenylphenothiazine (PTH), in the inner cavity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as a breaking heterogenization strategy is presented. The PTH@oSWNT material was microscopically and spectroscopically characterized, showing intense photoemission when illuminated with visible light at the nanoscale. Thus, PTH@oSWNT was employed as a heterogeneous photocatalyst in single electron transfer dehalogenation reactions under visible light irradiation. The material showed an enhanced photocatalytic activity, achieving turnover numbers as high as 3200, with complete recyclability and stability for more than eight cycles. Computational calculations confirm that electronic communication between both partners is established because, upon illumination, an electron of the excited PTH is transferred from the πsystem of the molecule to the delocalized π-cloud of the SWNT, thus justifying the enhanced photocatalytic activityFinancial support was provided by the European Research Council (ERC-CoG, contract number: 647550), the Spanish Government (RTI2018-095038-B-I00, PID2019-110091GB-I00), and the “Comunidad de Madrid” and European Structural Funds (S2018/NMT-4367). M.B. wishes to thank the Spanish Government for a Juan de la Cierva contract (IJC2019-042157-I). A.M.-S. acknowledges support by the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid under grant 2016-T2/IND166

Tratamientos para la sialorrea en personas con Parálisis Cerebral: Una revisión

Objective: Discuss the benefits of treatment options for people with cerebral palsy (CP). Material and methods: The PubMed, Scielo, Cochrane Library, and LILACS databases were searched using the terms: 1. '' Sialorrhea treatment '' AND '' cerebral palsy '', 2. '' drooling treatment '' AND '' cerebral palsy ''. Inclusion criteria: Relevance to the topic, samples with at least ten people with CP, maximum 5 years of publication, English or Spanish language, full-text availability. Exclusion criteria: case reports, bibliographic reviews. Results:  A total of 93 articles were found, of which 36 were duplicates. Three authors read the abstract of the remaining 57 and, after applying the eligibility criteria, selected 25 (n = 848) for full-text reading. Of these: 7 studies showed results with botulinum toxin (botox), 5 with surgical interventions, 2 used functional chewing training, 1 study of muscle vibration, 1 of anticholinergic use, 1 of atropine, and 8 studies compared two or more treatments options. Only 3 studies had a sample with more than 100 individuals. Conclusion: The evidence is not conclusive to determine whether one treatment is more effective than another. However, making greater efforts to improve and adapt dental care in people with CP will allow less invasive and equally effective hypersalivation treatments.Objetivo: Analizar beneficios de opiones de para las personas con parálisis cerebral (PC).Material y métodos: A fecha de 04/09, se buscó en las bases de datos PubMed, Scielo, Cochrane Library y LILACS usando los términos: 1.''sialorrhea treatment'' AND ''cerebral palsy'', 2. ''drooling treatment'' AND ''cerebral palsy''. Criterios de inclusión: Pertinencia con el tema, muestras con al menos diez personas con PC, máximo 5 años de publicación, idioma inglés o español, disponibilidad de texto completo. Criterios de exclusión: reportes de caso, revisiones bibliográficas. Resultados: Se encontró un total de 93 artículos, de los cuáles 36 estaban repetidos. Tres autores leyeron el resumen de los 57 restantes y, aplicados los criterios de elegibilidad, escogieron 25 (n= 848) para su lectura de texto completo y uso en esta revisión. De ellos: 7 estudios mostraron resultados con intervenciones con toxina botulínica (botox), 5 con intervenciones quirúrgicas, 2 utilizaron entrenamiento masticatorio funcional, 1 estudio de vibración muscular, 1 de uso de anticolinérgicos, 1 de atropina, y 8 estudios compararon dos o más tratamientos. Solo 3 estudios tuvieron una muestra con más de cien individuos. Conclusión: La evidencia no es concluyente para determinar que un tratamiento es más efectivo que otro. No obstante, hacer mayores esfuerzos en la correcta adaptación a la atención en personas con PC va a permitir tratamientos menos invasivos e igualmente efectivos para la sialorrea.

Accuracy and Survival Outcomes after National Implementation of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Stage Endometrial Cancer

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABSentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has recently been accepted to evaluate nodal status in endometrial cancer at early stage, which is key to tailoring adjuvant treatments. Our aim was to evaluate the national implementation of SLN biopsy in terms of accuracy to detect nodal disease in a clinical setting and oncologic outcomes according to the volume of nodal disease. A total of 29 Spanish centers participated in this retrospective, multicenter registry including patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma at preoperative early stage who had undergone SLN biopsy between 2015 and 2021. Each center collected data regarding demographic, clinical, histologic, therapeutic, and survival characteristics. A total of 892 patients were enrolled. After the surgery, 12.9% were suprastaged to FIGO 2009 stages III-IV and 108 patients (12.1%) had nodal involvement: 54.6% macrometastasis, 22.2% micrometastases, and 23.1% isolated tumor cells (ITC). Sensitivity of SLN biopsy was 93.7% and false negative rate was 6.2%. After a median follow up of 1.81 years, overall surivial and disease-free survival were significantly lower in patients who had macrometastases when compared with patients with negative nodes, micrometastases or ITC. In our nationwide cohort we obtained high sensitivity of SLN biopsy to detect nodal disease. The oncologic outcomes of patients with negative nodes and low-volume disease were similar after tailoring adjuvant treatments. In total, 22% of patients with macrometastasis and 50% of patients with micrometastasis were at low risk of nodal metastasis according to their preoperative risk factors, revealing the importance of SLN biopsy in the surgical management of patients with early stage EC

Cervical Fluids Are a Source of Protein Biomarkers for Early, Non-Invasive Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis

Cervical sample; Endometrial cancer; ProteinMostra cervical; Càncer d'endometri; ProteïnaMuestra cervical; Cáncer de endometrio; ProteínaBackground: Abnormal uterine bleeding is the main symptom of endometrial cancer (EC), but it is highly nonspecific. This represents a huge burden for women’s health since all women presenting with bleeding will undergo sequential invasive tests, which are avoidable for 90–95% of those women who do not have EC. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of cervical samples collected with five different devices as a source of protein biomarkers to diagnose EC. We evaluated the protein quantity and the proteome composition of five cervical sampling methods. Results: Samples collected with a Rovers Cervex Brush® and the HC2 DNA collection device, Digene, were the most suitable samples for EC proteomic studies. Most proteins found in uterine fluids were also detected in both cervical samples. We then conducted a clinical retrospective study to assess the expression of 52 EC-related proteins in 41 patients (22 EC; 19 non-EC), using targeted proteomics. We identified SERPINH1, VIM, TAGLN, PPIA, CSE1L, and CTNNB1 as potential protein biomarkers to discriminate between EC and symptomatic non-EC women with abnormal uterine bleeding in cervical fluids (AUC > 0.8). Conclusions: This study opens an avenue for developing non-invasive protein-based EC diagnostic tests, which will improve the standard of care for gynecological patients.This research was funded by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) grant number PI17/02155, PI20/00644 to E.C. and S.C., and the IFI19/00029 to E.C.-d.l.-R.; from Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) grant number GCTRA1804MATI; and the INVES20051COLA to E.C.; the CIBERONC network grant number CB16/12/00328; and the ERA PerMed ERA-NET grant (PERME212443COLA funded by AECC and AEC21_2/00030 funded by ISCIII); and 2021 SGR 1157 by AGAUR. The present work has been also supported by a Televie grant 5/20/5—TLV/DD to G.D

Nerve-sparing versus non-nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy : surgical and long-term oncological outcomes

There are controversies regarding the long-term oncological safety of preservation of pelvic innervation during radical hysterectomy (RH). This study aimed to analyze the feasibility and safety of nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) for cervical cancer compared with non-NSRH following 17 years of experience in a tertiary cancer referral center. Between May 1999 and June 2016, all patients who underwent RH for cervical cancer were followed-up prospectively. Comparison analyses regarding surgical outcomes, complications, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were performed between patients treated with NSRH and non-NSRH. A total of 188 patients were included (113 non-NSRH and 75 NSRH). The median follow-up was 112 months. Estimated blood loss and hospital stay were all significantly lower in the NSRH group. Overall intraoperative complication rate (p = 0.02) and need for transfusion (p = 0.016) were lower in the NSRH group. There were no differences in the median operation time, OS, DFS, CSS, or recurrence rates between the NSRH and non-NSRH group. Our study provides a wide perspective on the developments of nerve-sparing procedures for the management of women with early-stage cervical cancer. Our results suggest that NSRH is a feasible and safe procedure, with reduced morbidity outcomes

BIITRADE

El presente trabajo de investigación fue desarrollado con la idea de brindar una alternativa accesible y económica a la creciente demanda de información de importación y exportación en Latinoamérica por parte de las Mypes. Es así como se crea la propuesta de Biitrade, que es una empresa de servicio digital que ofrece inicialmente la venta de información aduanera de manera digital a cuatro países de Latinoamérica, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador y Perú, a través de suscripciones que permitan suplir las necesidades de este creciente mercado. Las metodologías empleadas para desarrollar el plan de negocios fueron cualitativas y cuantitativas. En primera instancia se realizaron entrevistas a profundidad a microempresas peruanas de venta de productos variados, las cuales nos comentaron de la necesidad de obtener mercadería a un menor costo. La segunda metodología se apoya en los datos de crecimiento de las mypes las cuales demuestran que son las impulsoras de la economía en Latinoamérica. Biitrade tiene como objetivo principal brindar seguridad, veracidad en la información y asegurar la atención inmediata del cliente. De esta manera, se crea la satisfacción del cliente por el pago de suscripción. La propuesta de negocio necesitará una inversión inicial de S/ 51,344.00 la cual será financiada en un 70% por los accionistas y 30% a través de una entidad financiera. Con esta inversión se logra un VAN de S/ 919,061 con una TIR de 290.82 % y un payback dentro del octavo mes de iniciadas las operaciones, lo que demuestra el proyecto es rentable para los inversionistas.This research work was developed with the idea of ​​providing an accessible and economical alternative to the growing demand for import and export information in Latin America by MSEs. This is how Biitrade proposal is created, which is a digital service company that initially offers the sale of customs information digitally to four Latin American countries, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, through subscriptions that allow supplying the needs of this growing market. The methodologies used to develop the business plan were qualitative and quantitative. In the first instance, in-depth interviews were conducted with Peruvian micro-companies selling various products, which told us about the need to obtain merchandise at a lower cost. The second methodology is based on the growth data of the MSEs, which show that they are the drivers of the economy in Latin America. Biitrade's main objective is to provide security, truthfulness in information and to ensure immediate customer service. In this way, customer satisfaction is created for the subscription payment. The business proposal will require an initial investment of S / 51,344.00 which will be financed 70% by the shareholders and 30% through a financial entity. With this investment, a NPV of S / 919,061 is achieved with an IRR of 290.82% and a payback within the eighth month of starting operations, which shows the project is profitable for investors.Trabajo de investigació

Physical-Chemical Evaluation of Active Food Packaging Material Based on Thermoplastic Starch Loaded with Grape cane Extract

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the physicochemical and microbiological properties of active thermoplastic starch-based materials. The extract obtained from grape cane waste was used as a source of stilbene bioactive components to enhance the functional properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS). The biomaterials were prepared by the compression molding technique and subjected to mechanical, thermal, antioxidant, and microbiological tests. The results showed that the addition of grape cane extract up to 15 wt% (TPS/WE15) did not significantly influence the thermal stability of obtained biomaterials, whereas mechanical resistance decreased. On the other side, among all tested pathogens, thermoplastic starch based materials showed antifungal activity toward Botrytis cinerea and antimicrobial activity toward Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting potential application in food packaging as an active biomaterial layer

Role of the employment status and education of mothers in the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Mexican rural schoolchildren

<p><b>Background:</b> Intestinal parasitic infections are a public health problem in developing countries such as Mexico. As a result, two governmental programmes have been implemented: a) "National Deworming Campaign" and b) "Opportunities" aimed at maternal care. However, both programmes are developed separately and their impact is still unknown. We independently investigated whether a variety of socio-economic factors, including maternal education and employment levels, were associated with intestinal parasite infection in rural school children.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 rural communities in two Mexican states. The study sites and populations were selected on the basis of the following traits: a) presence of activities by the national administration of albendazole, b) high rates of intestinal parasitism, c) little access to medical examination, and d) a population having less than 2,500 inhabitants. A total of 507 schoolchildren (mean age 8.2 years) were recruited and 1,521 stool samples collected (3 per child). Socio-economic information was obtained by an oral questionnaire. Regression modelling was used to determine the association of socio-economic indicators and intestinal parasitism.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> More than half of the schoolchildren showed poliparasitism (52%) and protozoan infections (65%). The prevalence of helminth infections was higher in children from Oaxaca (53%) than in those from Sinaloa (33%) (p < 0.0001). Giardia duodenalis and Hymenolepis nana showed a high prevalence in both states. Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Entamoeba hystolitica/dispar showed low prevalence. Children from lower-income families and with unemployed and less educated mothers showed higher risk of intestinal parasitism (odds ratio (OR) 6.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6–22.6; OR 4.5, 95% CI 2.5–8.2; OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5–7.4 respectively). Defecation in open areas was also a high risk factor for infection (OR 2.4, 95% CI 2.0–3.0).</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> Intestinal parasitism remains an important public health problem in Sinaloa (north-western Mexico) and Oaxaca (south-eastern Mexico). Lower income, defecation in open areas, employment status and a lower education level of mothers were the significant factors related to these infections. We conclude that mothers should be involved in health initiatives to control intestinal parasitism in Mexico.</p&gt

Exosome-like vesicles in uterine aspirates : a comparison of ultracentrifugation-based isolation protocols

Altres ajuts: This work was supported by the "Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional" FEDER (RTC-2014-3110-1), the AECC (Grupos Estables de Investigacion 2011 - AECC- GCB 110333 REVE), the Fundació La Marató TV3 (2/C/2013).Altres ajuts: MSCBS/RD12-0036-0035Uterine aspirates are used in the diagnostic process of endometrial disorders, yet further applications could emerge if its complex milieu was simplified. Exosome-like vesicles isolated from uterine aspirates could become an attractive source of biomarkers, but there is a need to standardize isolation protocols. The objective of the study was to determine whether exosome-like vesicles exist in the fluid fraction of uterine aspirates and to compare protocols for their isolation, characterization, and analysis. We collected uterine aspirates from 39 pre-menopausal women suffering from benign gynecological diseases. The fluid fraction of 27 of those aspirates were pooled and split into equal volumes to evaluate three differential centrifugation-based procedures: (1) a standard protocol, (2) a filtration protocol, and (3) a sucrose cushion protocol. Characterization of isolated vesicles was assessed by electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis and immunoblot. Specifically for RNA material, we evaluate the effect of sonication and RNase A treatment at different steps of the protocol. We finally confirmed the efficiency of the selected methods in non-pooled samples. All protocols were useful to isolate exosome-like vesicles. However, the Standard procedure was the best performing protocol to isolate exosome-like vesicles from uterine aspirates: nanoparticle tracking analysis revealed a higher concentration of vesicles with a mode of 135 ± 5 nm, and immunoblot showed a higher expression of exosome-related markers (CD9, CD63, and CD81) thus verifying an enrichment in this type of vesicles. RNA contained in exosome-like vesicles was successfully extracted with no sonication treatment and exogenous nucleic acids digestion with RNaseA, allowing the analysis of the specific inner cargo by Real-Time qPCR. We confirmed the existence of exosome-like vesicles in the fluid fraction of uterine aspirates. They were successfully isolated by differential centrifugation giving sufficient proteomic and transcriptomic material for further analyses. The Standard protocol was the best performing procedure since the other two tested protocols did not ameliorate neither yield nor purity of exosome-like vesicles. This study contributes to establishing the basis for future comparative studies to foster the field of biomarker research in gynecology. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-016-0935-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Metabolomic and lipidomic profiling identifies the role of the RNA editing pathway in endometrial carcinogenesis

Endometrial cancer (EC) remains the most common malignancy of the genital tract among women in developed countries. Although much research has been performed at genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic level, there is still a significant gap in the metabolomic studies of EC. In order to gain insights into altered metabolic pathways in the onset and progression of EC carcinogenesis, we used high resolution mass spectrometry to characterize the metabolomic and lipidomic profile of 39 human EC and 17 healthy endometrial tissue samples. Several pathways including lipids, Kynurenine pathway, endocannabinoids signaling pathway and the RNA editing pathway were found to be dysregulated in EC. The dysregulation of the RNA editing pathway was further investigated in an independent set of 183 human EC tissues and matched controls, using orthogonal approaches. We found that ADAR2 is overexpressed in EC and that the increase in expression positively correlates with the aggressiveness of the tumor. Furthermore, silencing of ADAR2 in three EC cell lines resulted in a decreased proliferation rate, increased apoptosis, and reduced migration capabilities in vitro. Taken together, our results suggest that ADAR2 functions as an oncogene in endometrial carcinogenesis and could be a potential target for improving EC treatment strategies.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health (RD12/0036/0035), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivy (PI14/02043), the AECC (Grupos Estables de Investigacion 2011 - AECC- GCB 110333 REVE), the Fundació La Marató TV3 (2/C/2013), the CIRIT Generalitat de Catalunya (2014 SGR 1330) and the European Commission, 7th Framework Program, IRSES (PROTBIOFLUID –269285) – Belgium. Te Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (IJCI-2015-25000) granted Dr. Colás and and the AGAUR Generalitat de Catalunya (2015FI_B00703) granted Tatiana Altadill. Te authors would like to acknowledge the Proteomics and Metabolomics Shared Resource partially supported by Cancer Center Support Grant NIH/NCI grant P30-CA051008. Te Institut de Salud Carlos III (FIS (PI13/01701)) also supported this project. Tissue samples were obtained with the support of “Xarxa Catalana de Bancs de Tumors” and “Plataforma de Biobancos” ISCIII (PT13/0010/0014)