The association between stratospheric weak polar vortex events and cold air outbreaks

Previous studies have identified an association between near-surface temperature anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere and weak stratospheric polar westerlies. Large regions in northern Asia, Europe and North America have been found to cool in the mature and late stages of stratospheric weak vortex events. A substantial part of the temperature changes are associated with changes to the tropospheric Northern Annular Mode and North Atlantic Oscillation pressure patterns. The apparent coupling between the stratosphere and the troposphere may be of relevance for weather forecasting, but only if the temporal and spatial nature of the coupling is known. Here we show, using 51 winters of re-analysis data, that the tropospheric temperature development relative to stratospheric weak polar vortex events goes through a series of well-defined stages, including geographically distinct cold air outbreaks. At the inception of weak vortex events, a precursor signal in the form of a strong high-pressure anomaly is found over Northwest Europe. At the same time, long-lived and robust cold anomalies appear over Asia and Western Europe. A few weeks later, near the mature stage of weak vortex events, a shorter-lived cold anomaly emerges off the east coast of North America.The probability of cold air outbreaks in different phases of the weak vortex life cycle increases by 40-70 % in four key regions. This shows that the stratospheric polar vortex contains information that can be used to enhance forecasts of cold air outbreaks. 300-year pre-industrial control runs of 11 state-of-the-art coupled climate models corroborate our results.Comment: Submitted to Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society on 5 June May, 2009. Minor changes with respect to v1 and v

The Sam domain of the lipid phosphatase Ship2 adopts a common model to interact with Arap3-Sam and EphA2-Sam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sterile alpha motif (Sam) domains are small protein modules that can be involved in homotypic or heterotypic associations and exhibit different functions. Previous studies have demonstrated that the Sam domain of the lipid phosphatase Ship2 can hetero-dimerize with the Sam domain of the PI3K effector protein Arap3.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we determine the NMR solution structure of Arap3-Sam and implement a multidisciplinary approach consisting of NMR spectroscopy, ITC (Isothermal Titration Calorimetry), mutagenesis and molecular modeling studies to analyze the interaction between Ship2-Sam and Arap3-Sam. This work reveals that Arap3-Sam may associate with Ship2-Sam by adopting a binding mode common to other Sam domains. This binding mode is identical to what we have very recently observed for the association between Ship2-Sam and the Sam domain from the Ephrin A2 receptor.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our studies further clarify the structural features that are relevant for Sam-Sam interactions involving Ship2 and give additional hints that could be used for the identification of new molecules able to selectively inhibit Sam-Sam associations.</p

Management of Urinary Tract Infections: Problems and Possible Solutions

In clinically suspected urinary tract infections (UTIs), empirical antibiotic treatment is usually started long before the laboratory results of urine culture and antibiogram are available. Although molecular diagnostic approaches are being applied to the diagnosis of many infections, UTIs are generally diagnosed by traditional culture methods. Patient care could greatly benefit from the development of a rapid, accurate, inexpensive test that could be done at patient’s bedside, allowing the practitioner to plan targeted, more effective therapy. Such a test would potentially reduce incorrect or unnecessary use of antibacterial drugs and reduce the emergence of bacterial resistance. In response to this pressing and unmet clinical need, several methods have been developed in the last few years. Among these, the new point-of-care test (POCT) for detecting UTIs named Micro Biological Survey (MBS) UTI CHECK holds promise, as it allows semi-quantitative determination of bacterial load in urine leading to a fast detection of UTIs and to evaluation of bacterial antibiotic susceptibility. This new technology operates through a colorimetric survey performed in low-cost, ready-to-use, disposable vials, in which 1 ml of urine is inoculated without any preliminary treatment and requiring neither specialized personnel nor a specialized equipment

Patent: Dual Function Proteins for Treating Metabolic Disorders

The present invention relates to new proteins comprising fibroblast growth factor 2 1 (FGF21 ) and other metabolic regulators known to improve metabolic profiles in subjects to whom they are administered

Percepción de personas LGBTIQA+, sobre el trato por parte del personal de salud en atención primaria, en la Región Metropolitana, en el año 2022

Objetivo: Indagar sobre la percepción de personas entre 18 y 28 años de la comunidad LGBTIQA+, sobre el trato que reciben por parte del personal de salud en centros de atención primaria en la Región Metropolitana de Chile, el año 2022. Metodología: Investigación cualitativa, tipo estudio de caso, realizada a través de entrevistas semi estructuradas, con una muestra de 9 personas de la comunidad LGBTIQA+. Resultados: La incomodidad es la principal percepción que presenta el colectivo al momento de ingresar a un establecimiento de salud. Además, la falta de capacitación del personal de salud en cuanto al trato de las personas de la comunidad LGBTIQA+ en temáticas de salud mental, física, entre otros. Adicionalmente, se reporta que por lo general no se pregunta ni respeta el nombre social y/o pronombres de la persona en la atención de salud. Junto con esto, las personas participantes proponen aspectos de mejora de la atención en salud de la comunidad LGBTIQA+, basando la atención en salud en el respeto e incorporando talleres sobre uso de los pronombres, diversidad sexual, cómo evitar discriminaciones, entre otros. Discusión: Los hallazgos del estudio son concordantes con la literatura, donde se evidencia discriminación e incomodidad al momento de ser atendidos por el personal de salud, recibiendo un trato descortés e irrespetuoso por parte del personal de salud

Early protein intake influences neonatal brain measurements in preterms: an observational study

Introduction: To limit extrauterine growth restriction, recent guidelines on nutrition of preterm neonates recommended high protein intake since the first day of life (DOL). The impact of this nutritional strategy on the brain is still controversial. We aimed to evaluate the effects of protein intake on early cerebral growth in very low birth weight newborns. Materials and Methods: We performed serial cranial ultrasound (cUS) scans at 3-7 DOL and at 28 DOL in very low birth weight newborns consecutively observed in the neonatal intensive care unit. We analyzed the relation between protein intake and cerebral measurements at 28 DOL performed by cUS. Results: We enrolled 100 newborns (gestational age 29 ± 2 weeks, birth weight 1,274 ± 363 g). A significant (p &lt; 0.05) positive correlation between enteral protein intake and biparietal diameter (r = 0.490**), occipital-frontal diameter (r = 0.608**), corpus callosum (length r = 0.293*, genu r = 0.301*), caudate head (right r = 0.528**, left r = 0.364**), and cerebellum (transverse diameter r = 0.440**, vermis height r = 0.356**, vermis width r = 0.377**) was observed at 28 DOL. Conversely, we found a significant negative correlation of protein intake given by parenteral nutrition (PN) with biparietal diameter (r = -0.524**), occipital-frontal diameter (r = -0.568**), body of corpus callosum (r = -0.276*), caudate head (right r = -0.613**, left r = -0.444**), and cerebellum (transverse diameter r = -0.403**, vermis height r = -0.274*, vermis width r = -0.462**) at 28 DOL. Multivariate regression analysis showed that measurements of occipital-frontal diameter, caudate head, and cerebellar vermis at 28 DOL depend positively on protein enteral intake (r = 0.402*, r = 0.305*, and r = 0.271*) and negatively by protein parenteral intake (r = -0.278*, r = -0.488*, and r = -0.342*). Conclusion: Brain development in neonatal life depends on early protein intake. High protein intake affects cerebral structures' measurements of preterm newborn when administered by PN. Positive impact on brain development encourages the administration of recommended protein intake mainly by enteral nutrition

A new point-of-care test for the rapid antimicrobial susceptibility assessment of uropathogens.

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is considered a major issue worldwide. This condition may account for treatment failure of urinary tract infections, which are among the most common infections both in community and healthcare settings. Therapy against uropathogens is generally administered empirically, possibly leading to unsuccessful therapy, recurrence and development of antibiotic resistance. The reduction in analytical time to obtain antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results could play a key role in reducing the cost of healthcare, providing information about antibiotic efficacy and thus preventing from either exploiting new and expensive antibiotics unnecessarily or using obsolete and ineffective ones. A more rational choice among treatment options would hence lead to more effective treatment and faster resolution. In this paper we evaluated the performance of a new Point Of Care Test (POCT) for the rapid prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility in urine samples performed without the need of a laboratory or specialized technicians. 349 patients were enrolled in two open-label, monocentric, non-interventional clinical trials in partnership with an Emergency Medicine ward and the Day Hospital of two large healthcare facilities in Rome. Antibiogram was carried out on 97 patients. Results from analysis of urine samples with the POCT were compared with those from routine AST performed on culture-positive samples, displaying high accuracy (&gt;90%) for all tested antimicrobial drugs and yielding reliable results in less than 12 hours from urine collection thus reducing analytical and management costs

Intervención de Enfermería: Diversidad Sexual.

Introducción: La diversidad sexual se entiende como todas las posibilidades que tienen las personas de asumir, expresar y vivir la sexualidad, así como de asumir expresiones, orientaciones, identidades sexuales y de género. A lo largo de la vida, la historia se ha basado en un discurso heteronormativo que ha generado fuertes desconocimientos en la población que repercuten de manera significativa en el trato hacia la comunidad LGBTQI+. Objetivo: Psicoeducar a la población sobre la diversidad sexual. Metodología: Se realizó una psicoeducación vía zoom a personas de diferentes edades basándose en el modelo dialogante de Jane Vella, con diferentes actividades como presentación expositiva, verdadero/falso, storytelling, entre otros, con el fin de que los invitados participen y resuelvan sus dudas. Resultado: De un total de 7 participantes, el 100% participó de las actividades y al evaluar los conocimientos adquiridos al final de la psicoeducación a través de Kahoot, se obtuvo un 77,14% de respuestas correctas y en el verdadero/falso se obtuvo un 100%. Discusión: los participantes lograron entender de mejor manera los diferentes conceptos relacionados a la diversidad sexual. El desconocimiento de estos lleva a que se generen ambientes de discriminación, ignorancia y agresión por lo que es importante seguir creando espacios de educación para disminuir las tasas de discriminación hacia la comunidad. Conclusión: basándose en los resultados, se puede concluir que los participantes integraron correctamente los conocimientos y se fueron de la sesión sabiendo más de los conceptos y de la manera de tratar con la diversidad sexual