Failure analysis of Co–Cr hip resurfacing prosthesis during solidification

In this study a failure originated during solidification process into the femoral stem component of Hip Resurfacing prosthesis was investigated. Visual inspection, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and a commercial software simulation ProCAST were carried out in order to determine the cause and solution of this failure. The results exhibited hot tearing, shrinkage porosity and metal oxide films due to inadequate heat dissipation during solidification process, as a consequence of poor investment casting ceramic mold configuration. Also in this paper was improved the casting design solving this kind of defects

An oleuropein β-glucosidase from olive fruit is involved in determining the phenolic composition of virgin olive oil

Phenolic composition of virgin olive oil is determined by the enzymatic and/or chemical reactions that take place during olive fruit processing. Of these enzymes, β-glucosidase activity plays a relevant role in the transformation of the phenolic glycosides present in the olive fruit, generating different secoiridoid derivatives. The main goal of the present study was to characterize olive fruit β-glucosidase genes and enzymes responsible for the phenolic composition of virgin olive oil. To achieve that, we have isolated an olive β-glucosidase gene from cultivar Picual (OepGLU), expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and purified its corresponding recombinant enzyme. Western blot analysis showed that recombinant OepGLU protein is detected by an antibody raised against the purified native olive mesocarp β-glucosidase enzyme, and exhibits a deduced molecular mass of 65.0 kDa. The recombinant OepGLU enzyme showed activity on the major olive phenolic glycosides, with the highest levels with respect to oleuropein, followed by ligstroside and demethyloleuropein. In addition, expression analysis showed that olive GLU transcript level in olive fruit is spatially and temporally regulated in a cultivar-dependent manner. Furthermore, temperature, light and water regime regulate olive GLU gene expression in olive fruit mesocarp. All these data are consistent with the involvement of OepGLU enzyme in the formation of the major phenolic compounds present in virgin olive oil

Detection and characterization of staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant s. aureus in foods confiscated in EU borders

Producción CientíficaThe aim of the study was to evaluate the potential role of the illegal entry of food in UE in the Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) spread. We studied the prevalence and characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA isolated from foods of animal origin confiscated from passengers on flights from 45 non-EU countries from 2012 to 2015 by the Border Authorities at Bilbao International Airport (Spain) and Vienna International Airport (Austria), as well as foods from open markets close to EU land borders. Of 868 food samples tested (diverse meat samples including antelope, duck, guinea pig, pork, rodents, turkey, dairy products, and eggs), 136 (15.7%) were positive for S. aureus and 26 (3.0%) for MRSA. All MRSA strains were mecA-positive. The prevalence of S. aureus-positive dairy samples among food confiscated at Bilbao International Airport was 64.6%, and this airport also had the highest value (11.8%) for MRSA-positive samples. The predominant sequence type was ST5 (30.8%), followed by ST8, ST1649, ST1, and other lineages were found to a lesser extent (ST7, ST22, ST72, ST97, and ST398). Six isolates tested positive for luk-PVL genes (SCCmec IV subtypes IVc and IVe). Enterotoxin profiling revealed that 19 MRSA strains were enterotoxigenic, harboring one or more se genes. The MRSA isolates positive for luk-PVL genes were not enterotoxigenic, and none of the isolates tested positive for enterotoxin E. We found 14 resistance profiles, and more than 69% of the MRSA isolates were resistant to three or more types of antimicrobial agents. This finding reveals both the wide diversity of the antimicrobial resistance found in the strains and the capacity to resist not only to beta-lactam drugs. One MRSA strain showed unusual characteristics: it was oxacillin-susceptible, harbored SCCmec V, and was positive for sed, seg, and sej but negative for PVL virulence factors. This study shows the presence of enterotoxigenic HA-, CA-, and LA-MRSA in foods illegally entering the EU, and highlights illegal importation of food as route of enterotoxigenic MRSA spread. Uncontrolled entry of food stuffs into the EU can be a relevant neglected route of MRSA dissemination.Séptimo Programa Marco de la UE Proyecto PROMISE (proyecto n. 265877)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (AGL2016- 74882-C3-3

Pharmacological Opportunities for Prevention of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is a disorder that occurs during pregnancy, it has an estimated worldwide prevalence of 5–8%, being one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Currently, different diagnostic criteria exist, however, due to its complexity; the clinical presentation that makes up this syndrome could make its presence unclear. The pathophysiology of PE has been recently postulated and divided into three processes: inadequate uterine remodeling, placental dysfunction and maternal endothelial dysfunction. Despite the advances in the treatment of PE, the outcome of the medical interventions has failed to decrease the morbidity and mortality of this disease. The main reason might be the multifactorial origin of pathogenic processes that lead to the development of PE. That is why treatment is focused on the prevention of PE in patients that might present the risk before developing it late in pregnancy. The knowledge of the pathophysiological factors that trigger the processes that culminate in the presentation of PE, is key for prevention of this disease. However, the origin of these processes is poorly understood. It may be attributed to the ethical considerations that come with the study of these population of patients compared with the study of non-pregnant women

Clinical Trials in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is the leading cause of preterm birth by medical indication when associated with premature detachment of placenta normoinserta, and Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with high perinatal morbidity and mortality and long-term sequelae. The main problem of PE is threefold: the diagnostic difficulty, the complicated interrelationship of the pathophysiological processes, and the vulnerability of the maternal-fetal binomial to the therapeutic interventions. The approach for management with PE is preventing its late occurrence in pregnancy. The key to preventing PE is knowledge of the factors that trigger the pathophysiological processes that culminate in the presentation of PE. Understanding the developmental characteristics of the placenta in pregnancy at high risk for PE is essential for understanding the pathophysiology and developing strategies for prevention. When deciding that the population of study is a group of pregnant women, the first ethical criteria that need to be reviewed are those aimed at the protection of the fetus. There are no specific guidelines on how to assess fetal well-being during pregnancy routinely in the clinic, and this deficiency is shifted to clinical research with pregnant women

DETECCIÓN DE OVINOS PREÑADOS USANDO ALGORITMOS DE INTELIGENCIA Y VISIÓN ARTIFICIAL (SHEEP PREGNANCY DETECTION USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT AND ARTIFICIAL VISION ALGORITHMS)

El estado de preñez en ovejas es un suceso importante en la producción ovina que exige a los productores realizar cuidados oportunos como: atenciones sanitarias, vigilancia veterinaria y cambio de dieta alimenticia, con el objetivo de garantizar la obtención de una cría sana; por lo cual, detectar de manera temprana este estado es esencial para la toma de decisiones en la práctica pecuaria. Considerando que las formas tradicionales de detección de preñez son invasivas y afectan el bienestar animal, el presente trabajo propone la detección automática de patrones térmicos que permitan determinar si una oveja se encuentra o no preñada a través de imágenes termográficas capturadas de la zona ventral en diferentes etapas de gestación. La propuesta del algoritmo se dividió en dos partes esenciales: segmentación y detección. Se segmentaron los componentes caloríficos presentes en la imagen termográfica por intervalos de temperatura, haciendo uso del algoritmo supervisado de segmentación K-means. Por otra parte, la detección del espectro fetal, se llevó acabo con la implementación del algoritmo Haar-Cascade propuesto por Viola y Jones, entrenado con los conjuntos de imágenes obtenidas de la segmentación; un conjunto de 500 imágenes positivas que contienen la zona de interés, y un grupo de 1000 imágenes negativas donde se muestra la ausencia del feto. Con el método propuesto se obtuvo un porcentaje de asertividad del 80% en la detección automática de espectros térmicos fetales, incluso logrando una múltiple detección de la zona de interés, que permitirá incrementar el índice de asertividad en la etapa de identificación del feto.Palabras clave: Ovino, Preñez, imagen infrarroja, K-means, Haar-Cascade. AbstractThe state of pregnancy in sheep is an important event in ovine production that requires producers to take timely cares such as: health care, veterinary surveillance and change of diet, with the aim of guaranteeing a healthy breeding; therefore, early detection of this condition is essential for decision-making in livestock practice. Considering that the traditional forms of pregnancy detection are invasive and affect animal welfare, the present work proposes the automatic detection of thermal patterns that allow determining if a sheep is pregnant or not through thermographic images captured from the ventral area in different gestation stages. The algorithm proposal was divided into two essential parts: segmentation and detection. The calorific components present in the thermographic image were segmented by temperature intervals, making use of the supervised K-means segmentation algorithm. On the other hand, the detection of the fetal spectrum was carried out with the implementation of the Haar-Cascade algorithm proposed by Viola and Jones, trained with the sets of images obtained from the segmentation; a set of 500 positive images that contain the area of interest, and a group of 1000 negative images showing the absence of the fetus. With the proposed method, 80% of accuracy was obtained in the automatic detection of fetal thermal spectra, even achieving a multiple detection of the area of interest, which will allow to increase the accuracy index in fetus identification stage.Keywords: Ovine, Pregnancy, Infrared image, K-means, Haar-Cascade

Antitumor efficacy of silver nanoparticles reduced with β-D-glucose as neoadjuvant therapy to prevent tumor relapse in a mouse model of breast cancer

Introduction: Neoadjuvant therapy constitutes a valuable modality for diminishing tumor volume prior to surgical resection. Nonetheless, its application encounters limitations in the context of recurrent tumors, which manifest resistance to conventional treatments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have emerged as a promising alternative for cancer treatment owing to their cytotoxic effects.Methods: Cellular viability was assessed by Alamar blue assay in 4T1 breast cancer cell line. Silver biodistribution was detected by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer in an in vivo mice model. For neoadjuvant evaluation, mice were randomized and treated intratumoral with AgNPs-G or intraperitoneally with doxorubicin (DOX) as a control. Recurrence was determined after 170 days by counting lung metastatic nodules (dyed with Bouin solution) with histological confirmation by H&E. Masson’s stain, Ki67 immunohistochemistry, and a TUNEL assay were performed in lungs from treated mice.Results: AgNPs-G reduced 4T1 cell viability and in an ex vivo assay the AgNPs-G decreased the tumor cell viability. After intravenous administration of AgNPs-G were detected in different organs. After intratumor administration, AgNPs-G are retained. The AgNPs-G treatment significantly reduced tumor volume before its surgical resection. AgNPs-G reduced the development of lung metastatic nodules and the expression of Ki67. TUNEL assay indicated that AgNPs-G didn’t induce apoptosis.Conclusions: We concluded that intratumor administration of AgNPs-G reduced tumor volume before surgical resection, alongside a reduction in lung metastatic nodules, and Ki67 expression. These findings provide valuable insights into the AgNPs-G potential for intratumor and neoadjuvant cancer therapies. However, further research is needed to explore their full potential and optimize their use in clinical settings

Speciation of Arsenic in Exfoliated Urinary Bladder Epithelial Cells from Individuals Exposed to Arsenic in Drinking Water

BackgroundThe concentration of arsenic in urine has been used as a marker of exposure to inorganic As (iAs). Relative proportions of urinary metabolites of iAs have been identified as potential biomarkers of susceptibility to iAs toxicity. However, the adverse effects of iAs exposure are ultimately determined by the concentrations of iAs metabolites in target tissues.ObjectiveIn this study we examined the feasibility of analyzing As species in cells that originate in the urinary bladder, a target organ for As-induced cancer in humans.MethodsExfoliated bladder epithelial cells (BECs) were collected from urine of 21 residents of Zimapan, Mexico, who were exposed to iAs in drinking water. We determined concentrations of iAs, methyl-As (MAs), and dimethyl-As (DMAs) in urine using conventional hydride generation-cryotrapping-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-CT-AAS). We used an optimized HG-CT-AAS technique with detection limits of 12–17 pg As for analysis of As species in BECs.ResultsAll urine samples and 20 of 21 BEC samples contained detectable concentrations of iAs, MAs, and DMAs. Sums of concentrations of these As species in BECs ranged from 0.18 to 11.4 ng As/mg protein and in urine from 4.8 to 1,947 ng As/mL. We found no correlations between the concentrations or ratios of As species in BECs and in urine.ConclusionThese results suggest that urinary levels of iAs metabolites do not necessarily reflect levels of these metabolites in the bladder epithelium. Thus, analysis of As species in BECs may provide a more effective tool for risk assessment of bladder cancer and other urothelial diseases associated with exposures to iAs