Electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid in the presence of halides at boron doped diamond electrode

Aim of this work is to discuss the electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid (OA), analyzing the influence of NaCl and NaBr. Experiments were carried out at boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes, in alkaline media. BDD electrodes have a poor superficial adsorptivity so their great stability toward oxidation allows the reaction to take place with reactants and intermediates in a non-adsorbed state. The process is significantly accelerated by the presence of a halogen salt in solution; interestingly, the mediated process does not depend on applied current density. Based on the results, bromide was selected as a suitable mediator during OA oxidation at BDD. Br- primarily acts in the volume of the solution, with the formation of strong oxidants; while Cl- action has shown lower improvements in the OA oxidation rate at BDD respect to the results reported using Pt electrode. Finally, the parameters of removal efficiency and energy consumption for the electrochemical incineration of OA were calculated. O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a oxidação eletroquímica do ácido oxálico (AO), analisando a influência do NaCl e NaBr. Experimentos foram realizados em eletrodos de diamante dopados com boro (DDB), em meio alcalino. Eletrodos DDB têm uma baixa adsortividade superficial, portanto sua grande estabilidade frente à oxidação permite que a reação ocorra com reagentes e intermediários não adsorvidos. O processo é significativamente acelerado pela presença de sal de halogênio na solução; curiosamente, o processo mediado não depende da densidade de corrente aplicada. Com base nos resultados, o brometo foi selecionado como um mediador apropriado durante a oxidação de AO em DDB. Br- age primeiramente no volume da solução, com a formação de oxidantes fortes, enquanto a ação do Cl- mostrou melhoras mais baixas na oxidação do AO em BDD, com relação aos resultados relatados usando eletrodo de Pt. Finalmente, os parâmetros de eficiência de remoção e consumo de energia para a incineração eletroquímica de AO foram calculados

Influencia de la densidad de la masa adulta y el tratamiento del suelo sobre la regeneración del pino laricio (Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. Salzmannii) en España

Satisfactory results relating to the natural regeneration of the Spanish black pine (Pinus nigra Arn ssp. salzmannii) is generally difficult to achieve. The natural regeneration of this pine was studied comparing two types of soil treatment and various overstory densities in six experimental forests. These studies were conducted from 1999 to 2002 and seed rain and germination, as well as seedling survival were observed in a number of specific plots: Brushing, scalping and control plots. In addition various overstory densities were used (measured as base area (square m/ha). Soil and air temperature together with soil moisture were continuously recorded throughout this summer period. The results showed that seed germination was higher in plots using the scalping technique, as opposed to the brushed or controlled plots. The best seedling survival percentage was found in scalped plots together with a larger basal area. It was also found that seedling survival was lower during the first year than during the second one. The results have practical implications for management of Spanish black pine forests as well as valuable information which could improve the conditions for regeneration.Generalmente es difícil conseguir una regeneración natural satisfactoria del pino laricio (Pinus nigra Arn ssp. salzmannii). Esta ha sido estudiada en dos tipos de tratamiento del suelo y bajo diferentes rangos de densidad de masa en seis montes de la Provincia de Cuenca. Entre 1999 y 2000 se ha seguido la lluvia de semillas, germinación y supervivencia de plántulas en las parcelas en las que se realizaron los tratamientos de suelo y bajo diferentes rangos de densidad de masa adulta, medida como área basimétrica (m cuadrados/ha). La temperatura del suelo y aire y la humedad del suelo han sido registradas durante el verano y para las dos primeras épocas de crecimiento de las plántulas. En las zonas decapadas la germinación fue superior a la encontrada en las zonas desbrozadas o testigo. El mejor porcentaje de supervivencia se calculó para las zonas decapadas en combinación con el mayor nivel de área basimétrica medido. La mortalidad de plántulas fue superior durante el primer periodo de crecimiento. Los resultados tienen implicaciones prácticas especialmente en lo relativo a una gestión forestal que mejore las condiciones para la regeneración natural de los bosques de pino laricio

RNA-seq analysis of the Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 Transcripitome shows similarites in the activation patterns of symbiotic genes in the presence of apigenin and salt.

Rhizobium tropici strain CIAT 899 establishes effective symbioses with several legume species, including Phaseolus vulgaris and Leucaena leucocephala. This bacterium synthesizes a large variety of nodulation factors in response to nod-gene inducing flavonoids and, surprisingly, also under salt stress conditions. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes in the presence of both inducer molecules, and analyze the promoter regions located upstream of these genes. Results obtained by RNA-seq analyses of CIAT 899 induced with apigenin, a nod gene-inducing flavonoid for this strain, or salt allowed the identification of 19 and 790 differentially expressed genes, respectively. Fifteen of these genes were up-regulated in both conditions and were involved in the synthesis of both Nod factors and indole-3-acetic acid. Transcription of these genes was presumably activated through binding of at least one of the five NodD proteins present in this strain to specific nod box promoter sequences when the bacterium was induced by both apigenin and salt. Finally, under saline conditions, many other transcriptional responses were detected, including an increase in the transcription of genes involved in trehalose catabolism, chemotaxis and protein secretion, as well as ribosomal genes, and a decrease in the transcription of genes involved in transmembrane transport. To our knowledge this is the first time that a transcriptomic study shows that salt stress induces the expression of nodulation genes in the absence of flavonoids. Thus, in the presence of both nodulation inducer molecules, apigenin and salt, R. tropici CIAT 899 up-regulated the same set of symbiotic genes. It could be possible that the increases in the transcription levels of several genes related to nodulation under saline conditions could represent a strategy to establish symbiosis under abiotic stressing conditions

Analysis of pharmaceuticals in wastewater of three hospitals in the city of Puebla, Mexico

[EN] Through their effluents, hospitals contribute to the occurrence of emerging micro-pollutants, such as pharmaceutical products, in the water. This work quantified the presence of nine pharmaceuticals in the wastewater of three private hospitals in Mexico with 66, 92 and 120 beds, respectively. The samples were characterized physicochemically and, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS / MS), the following average maximum concentrations were reported: acetaminophen(38740.11±33832.15 ng/L), naproxen (6321.42±11074.86 ng/L), ketorolac (1429.80±237.94 ng/L), ibuprofen (249.46±143.68 ng/L), ranitidine (149.60±303.70 ng/L), hydrocortisone (96.72±57.21 ng/L), dexamethasone (33.02±41.23 ng/L), esomeprazole (22.85±24.12 ng/L) and omeprazole (22.50±23.97 ng/L). In treated water, a reduction from 67 to 100% in hydrocortisone, naproxen, paracetamol and ranitidine levels was detected. The results obtained inform the presence of pharmaceuticals that had not been previously reported in Mexican hospital effluents and demonstrate the impact of treatment plants, contributing to the existing evidence to promote regulatory actions, technological innovation and monitoring.[ES] Mediante sus efluentes, los hospitales contribuyen a la ocurrencia de microcontaminantes emergentes como los fármacos, en el agua. Este trabajo cuantificó la presencia de nueve fármacos en las aguas residuales de tres hospitales privados de México con 66, 92 y 120 camas, respectivamente. Las muestras se caracterizaron fisicoquímicamente y, empleando cromatografía líquida de alta resolución acoplada a espectrometría de masas (UPLC-MS/MS), se reportaron las siguientes concentraciones máximas promedio: paracetamol (38740.11±33832.15 ng/L), naproxeno (6321.42±11074.86 ng/L), ketorolaco (1429.80±237.94 ng/L), ibuprofeno (249.46±143.68 ng/L), ranitidina (149.60±303.70 ng/L), hidrocortisona (96.72±57.21 ng/L), dexametasona (33.02±41.23 ng/L), esomeprazol (22.85±24.12 ng/L) y omeprazol (22.50±23.97 ng/L). En aguas tratadas se detectó una reducción del 67 al 100% en los niveles de hidrocortisona, naproxeno, paracetamol y ranitidina. Los resultados obtenidos informan la presencia de fármacos que no habían sido reportados previamente en efluentes hospitalarios mexicanos y demuestran el impacto de las plantas de tratamiento, contribuyendo a la evidencia existente para impulsar acciones de regulación, innovación tecnológica y monitoreo.Los autores agradecen al Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) de México por el apoyo para la realización de esta investigación dentro del marco del Proyecto No. PN 2016 - 3620. Esta investigación también fue parcialmente apoyada por la Vicerrectoría Académica de la UDLAP (proyecto de investigación interno 2019).Castro-Pastrana, L.; Cerro-López, M.; Toledo-Wall, M.; Gómez-Oliván, L.; Saldívar-Santiago, M. (2021). Análisis de fármacos en aguas residuales de tres hospitales de la ciudad de Puebla, México. Ingeniería del agua. 25(1):59-73. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.2021.13660OJS5973251Aedo, R. 2014. SINGREM, Sistema Nacional de Gestión de Residuos de Envases y Medicamentos A.C. Casos de éxito, XXIII Convención de la Industria Farmacéutica, CANIFARMA, Junio 26, Puerto Vallarta, México.Alder, A.C., Siegrist, H., Fent, K., Egli, T., Molnar, E., Poiger, T., Schaffner, C., Giger, W. 1997. The Fate of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater and Sludge Treatment: Significant Processes and Impact of Compound Properties. Chimia, 51, 922-928.Bedner, M., MacCrehan, W.A. 2006. Transformation of acetaminophen by chlorination produces the toxicants 1,4-benzoquinone and N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine. Environmental Science & Technology, 40(2), 516-22, https://doi.org/10.1021/es0509073Boix, C., Ibáñez, M., Zamora, T., Sancho, J.V., Niessen, W.M., Hernández, F. 2014. Identification of new omeprazole metabolites in wastewaters and surface waters. Science of the Total Environment, 468-469, 706-14, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.08.095Boix, C., Ibáñez, M., Bagnati, R., Zuccato, E., Sancho, J.V., Hernández, F., Castiglioni, S. 2016. High resolution mass spectrometry to investigate omeprazole and venlafaxine metabolites in wastewater. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 302, 332-340, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.09.05

MANEJO Y CONTROL DEL SÍNDROME DE ABSTINENCIA

Introduction.- Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a term used to denote a group of problems facing the newborn when he or she is no longer exposed to substances, drugs or narcotics. The dramatic increase in drug addiction in our population at the present time does not exclude women at the age of conception. A high number of women consume legal or illegal drugs during pregnancy and this is the cause of a public health problem that has great clinical, social and psychological repercussions for the newborn. It is estimated that one out of every 10 newborns may have been exposed to drugs during the intrauterine period. The abused drugs that the pregnant woman might consume are very varied as are its effects on the fetus and the neonate. NAS is going to become much more frequent (55-94% who are exposed to opiates or heroine). In this study we will concentrate on the NAS produced by opiate abstinence, given that more than 66% of children of women who depend on this type of drug show signs of NAS. The syndrome start date varied from shortly after birth, until two weeks of age. The signs appear about 72 hours after birth in most cases. The symptoms last from 8 to 16 weeks or more. Objectives.- Given its importance it is hoped that a standardized protocol might be established which could serve as a guide to nurses who work in Neonatology Units. Methodology (materials and methods).- A documented study has been carried out about NAS and the nursing process has been used as the instrument for executing protocol. The diagnostic protocol use nomenclature according to the (NANDA) North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. The nursing interventions are according to the NIC system (Nursing Interventions Classification) and the evaluation of results according to the NOC system (Nursing Outcomes Classification). The NOC system attempts to control the results after the various interventions in an immediate way and in the long term. Conclusions.- It is vitally important to use methodological instruments such as the nursing process (which should include diagnosis, interventions and results) for the elaboration and setting up of care protocols and for guaranteeing the quality and continuity of these protocols. Health education and the interaction between the nursing team and parents is very relevant in order to avoid possible hospital re-admittance and to achieve good quality care after hospital discharge.Objetivos: Dada su importancia, se pretende elaborar un protocolo estandarizado que sirva de guía a los enfermeros que trabajan en Unidades de Neonatología. Metodología (material y método): Se ha realizado un trabajo documental sobre el síndrome de abstinencia neonatal y se ha utilizado el proceso enfermero como instrumento para la realización del protocolo. Los Diagnósticos utilizados responden a la nomenclatura según la (NANDA)1 North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. Las intervenciones de enfermería están reflejadas según la clasificación (NIC)2 Nursing Interventions Classification y la evaluación de resultados según la clasificación (NOC)3 Nursing Outcomes Classification, que trata de controlar los resultados tras las distintas intervenciones de manera inmediata y a largo plazo. Diagnósticos (NANDA): Son la definición de los problemas detectados, desde el punto de vista de la patología serían problemas interdisciplinares (se afrontarían por el equipo multidisciplinar), u orientados a las respuestas humanas, problemas independientes (afrontados por el equipo de enfermería). Resultados esperados.- Son los objetivos que la enfermera pretende alcanzar. Vienen relacionados con el problema detectado y en cada caso se eligen los más adecuados según el criterio de la enfermera. Siguen la clasificación NOC Clasificación CRE (Clasificación de los Resultados de Enfermería). Intervenciones de enfermeria.- Están descritas en la clasificación NIC (Nursing Interventions Classification) Clasificación de Intervenciones de Enfermería (CIE) y precisan de una valoración continua de las mismas

The order parameter-entropy relation in some universal classes: experimental evidence

The asymptotic behaviour near phase transitions can be suitably characterized by the scaling of $\Delta s/Q^2$ with $\epsilon=1-T/T_c$, where $\Delta s$ is the excess entropy and $Q$ is the order parameter. As $\Delta s$ is obtained by integration of the experimental excess specific heat of the transition $\Delta c$, it displays little experimental noise so that the curve $\log(\Delta s/Q^2)$ versus $\log\epsilon$ is better constrained than, say, $\log\Delta c$ versus $\log\epsilon$. The behaviour of $\Delta s/Q^2$ for different universality classes is presented and compared. In all cases, it clearly deviates from being a constant. The determination of this function can then be an effective method to distinguish asymptotic critical behaviour. For comparison, experimental data for three very different systems, Rb2CoF4, Rb2ZnCl4 and SrTiO3, are analysed under this approach. In SrTiO3, the function $\Delta s/Q^2$ does not deviate within experimental resolution from a straight line so that, although Q can be fitted with a non mean-field exponent, the data can be explained by a classical Landau mean-field behaviour. In contrast, the behaviour of $\Delta s/Q^2$ for the antiferromagnetic transition in Rb2CoF4 and the normal-incommensurate phase transition in Rb2ZCl4 is fully consistent with the asymptotic critical behaviour of the universality class corresponding to each case. This analysis supports, therefore, the claim that incommensurate phase transitions in general, and the A$_2$BX$_4$ compounds in particular, in contrast with most structural phase transitions, have critical regions large enough to be observable.Comment: 13 pp. 9 ff. 2 tab. RevTeX. Submitted to J. Phys.: Cond. Matte

Preclinical characterization of antagomiR-218 as a potential treatment for myotonic dystrophy

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a rare neuromuscular disease caused by expansion of unstable CTG repeats in a non-coding region of the DMPK gene. CUG expansions in mutant DMPK transcripts sequester MBNL1 proteins in ribonuclear foci. Depletion of this protein is a primary contributor to disease symptoms such as muscle weakness and atrophy and myotonia, yet upregulation of endogenous MBNL1 levels may compensate for this sequestration. Having previously demonstrated that antisense oligonucleotides against miR-218 boost MBNL1 expression and rescue phenotypes in disease models, here we provide preclinical characterization of an antagomiR-218 molecule using the HSALR mouse model and patient-derived myotubes. In HSALR, antagomiR-218 reached 40-60 pM 2weeks after injection, rescued molecular and functional phenotypes in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and showed a good toxicity profile after a single subcutaneous administration. In muscle tissue, antagomiR rescued the normal subcellular distribution of Mbnl1 and did not alter the proportion of myonuclei containing CUG foci. In patient-derived cells, antagomiR-218 improved defective fusion and differentiation and rescued up to 34% of the gene expression alterations found in the transcriptome of patient cells. Importantly, miR-218 was found to be upregulated in DM1 muscle biopsies, pinpointing this microRNA (miRNA) as a relevant therapeutic target.This work was funded by research grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, including funds from FEDER, to M.P.-A. and B.L. (PI17/00352) and HR17-00268 (TATAMI project) from the “la Caixa” Banking Foundation to R.A. I.G.-M. was funded by the Precipita Project titled “Desarrollo de una terapia innovadora contra la distrofia miotónica,” E.C.-H. and J.M.F.-C. were supported by the post-doctoral fellowships APOSTD/2019/142 and APOSTD/2017/088 from the Fondo Social Europeo for science and investigation, while J.E.-E. was the recipient of a Santiago Grisolia fellowship (Grisolip2018/098) from the Generalidad Valenciana. Part of the equipment employed in this work has been funded by Generalitat Valenciana and co-financed with ERDF funds (OP ERDF of Comunitat Valenciana 2014-2020). Antibody MB1a (4A8) was provided by MDA Monoclonal Antibody Resource

Novel CTCF binding at a site in exon1A of BCL6 is associated with active histone marks and a transcriptionally active locus

BCL6 is a zinc-finger transcriptional repressor, which is highly expressed in germinal centre B-cells and is essential for germinal centre formation and T-dependent antibody responses. Constitutive BCL6 expression is sufficient to produce lymphomas in mice. Deregulated expression of BCL6 due to chromosomal rearrangements, mutations of a negative autoregulatory site in the BCL6 promoter region and aberrant post-translational modifications have been detected in a number of human lymphomas. Tight lineage and temporal regulation of BCL6 is, therefore, required for normal immunity, and abnormal regulation occurs in lymphomas. CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a multi-functional chromatin regulator, which has recently been shown to bind in a methylation-sensitive manner to sites within the BCL6 first intron. We demonstrate a novel CTCF-binding site in BCL6 exon1A within a potential CpG island, which is unmethylated both in cell lines and in primary lymphoma samples. CTCF binding, which was found in BCL6-expressing cell lines, correlated with the presence of histone variant H2A.Z and active histone marks, suggesting that CTCF induces chromatin modification at a transcriptionally active BCL6 locus. CTCF binding to exon1A was required to maintain BCL6 expression in germinal centre cells by avoiding BCL6-negative autoregulation. Silencing of CTCF in BCL6-expressing cells reduced BCL6 mRNA and protein expression, which is sufficient to induce B-cell terminal differentiation toward plasma cells. Moreover, lack of CTCF binding to exon1A shifts the BCL6 local chromatin from an active to a repressive state. This work demonstrates that, in contexts in which BCL6 is expressed, CTCF binding to BCL6 exon1A associates with epigenetic modifications indicative of transcriptionally open chromatin

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369