Desarrollo de un metodo de manufactura de injertos de polvo de hueso por moldeo

Se presentan los resultados de las pruebas de flexión, dureza (Shore A), impacto y absorción de agua realizadas a un primer modelo de mezcla biocompatible que cumpla con las cuatro propiedades mínimas que debe tener un biomaterial para ser usado como injerto óseo: osteoconducción, osteoinducción, osteogénesis y soporte estructural. Tal mezcla consiste de una matriz polimérica y un refuerzo de polvos de hueso liofilizado. Con base en los resultados obtenidos de cada prueba, se logró la inyección de piezas normalizadas útiles en implantología ósea, que muestran la viabilidad de fabricar objetos de relleno óseo a partir de mezclas de este tipo

Desarrollo de un metodo de manufactura de injertos de polvo de hueso por moldeo

Se presentan los resultados de las pruebas de flexión, dureza (Shore A), impacto y absorción de agua realizadas a un primer modelo de mezcla biocompatible que cumpla con las cuatro propiedades mínimas que debe tener un biomaterial para ser usado como injerto óseo: osteoconducción, osteoinducción, osteogénesis y soporte estructural. Tal mezcla consiste de una matriz polimérica y un refuerzo de polvos de hueso liofilizado. Con base en los resultados obtenidos de cada prueba, se logró la inyección de piezas normalizadas útiles en implantología ósea, que muestran la viabilidad de fabricar objetos de relleno óseo a partir de mezclas de este tipo

Prevention of falls and fractures in old people by administration of calcium and vitamin d. randomized clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are many studies that associate vitamin D serum levels in older persons with muscle strength, physical performance and risk of fractures and falls. However, current evidence is insufficient to make a general recommendation for administrating calcium and vitamin D to older persons. The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of calcium and vitamin D supplementation in improving musculoskeletal function and decreasing the number of falls in person aged over 65 years.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Phase III, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of already marketed drugs in a new indication. It will be performed at Primary Care doctor visits at several Healthcare Centers in different Spanish Health Areas. A total of 704 non-institutionalized subjects aged 65 years or older will be studied (sample size calculated for a statistical power of 80%, alpha error 0.05, annual incidence of falls 30% and expected reduction of 30% to 20% and expected loss to follow up of 20%). The test drug containing 800 IU of vitamin D and 1000 mg of calcium will be administered daily. The control group will receive a placebo. The subjects will be followed up over two years. The primary variable will be the incidence of spontaneous falls. The secondary variables will include: consequences of the falls (fractures, need for hospitalization), change in calcidiol plasma levels and other analytical determinations (transaminases, PTH, calcium/phosphorous, albumin, creatinine, etc.), change in bone mass by densitometry, change in muscle strength in the dominant hand and change in musculoskeletal strength, risk factors for falls, treatment compliance, adverse effects and socio-demographic data.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The following principles have been considered in the development of this Project: the product data are sufficient to ensure that the risks assumed by the study participants are acceptable, the study objectives will probably provide further knowledge on the problem studied and the available information justifies the performance of the study and its possible risk for the participants.</p> <p>If calcium and vitamin D supplementation is effective in the prevention of falls and fractures in the elderly population, a recommendation may be issued with the aim of preventing some of the consequences of falls that affect quality of life and the ensuing personal, health and social costs.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01452243">NCT01452243</a></p> <p>Clinical trial authorized by the Spanish Medicines Agency: EudraCT number 2006-001643-63.</p

Aplicación de la espectroscopía del infrarrojo cercano – NIRS – para determinar el valor nutritivo de variedades de alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) y trébol rojo (Trifolium pratense L)

The aim of this study was to determine the applicability of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the nutritional assessment of two important forage species in the country: alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L). For this, 75 samples of alfalfa varieties (SW 8210, WL 625HQ) and 75 of red clover varieties (Quiñequeli, Kendland) obtained from the paddocks of the IVITA El Mantaro Experimental Station, Junín region, Peru were used. Proximal analysis was performed determining the content of crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF), total ash (TA) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF), and the spectrum was captured using NIRS equipment. The calibration and validation models were developed to estimate the predictive capacity using Partial Least Squares (PLS), and the accuracy and precision statistics used were the Correlation Coefficient (R), Determination Coefficient (R2), Root Mean Square Error of Calibration (RMSEC), Root Mean Square of Prediction Error (RMSEP), Ratio of Range to Error (RER) and Residual Predictive Deviation (RPD). The mathematical models obtained showed that the NIRS technique has a good predictive capacity for the nutritional components of CP, TA and NDF (R2: 0.97, 0.99, 0.94; RPD: 2.00, 2.17 and 2.00, respectively) for varieties of alfalfa and red clover.El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la aplicabilidad de la espectroscopía del infrarrojo cercano (NIRS) para la valoración nutritiva de dos especies forrajeras de importancia en el país: alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) y trébol rojo (Trifolium pratense L). Se utilizaron 75 muestras de variedades de alfalfa (SW 8210, WL 625HQ) y 75 de variedades de trébol rojo (Quiñequeli, Kendland) obtenidas de los campos de la Estación Experimental IVITA El Mantaro, región Junín, Perú. Se realizó el análisis proximal determinando el contenido de proteína cruda (PC), extracto etéreo (EE), fibra cruda (FC), cenizas totales (CZ) y fibra detergente neutra (FDN) y se hizo la captura del espectro mediante un equipo NIRS. Se elaboraron los modelos de calibración y validación para estimar la capacidad predictiva mediante Cuadrados Mínimos Parciales (PLS), siendo los estadísticos de exactitud y precisión usados el Coeficiente de Correlación (R), Coeficiente de Determinación (R2), Raíz Cuadrada Media del Error de Calibración (RMSEC), Raíz Cuadrada Media del Error de Predicción (RMSEP), Proporción del Rango con el Error (RER) y Desviación Residual Predictiva (RPD). Los modelos matemáticos obtenidos muestran que la técnica NIRS posee una capacidad de predicción buena de los componentes nutricionales de PC, CZ y FDN (R2:0.97, 0.99, 0.94; RPD: 2.00, 2.17 y 2.00, respectivamente) para variedades de alfalfa y trébol rojo

The VVV Templates Project. Towards an Automated Classification of VVV Light-Curves. I. Building a database of stellar variability in the near-infrared

Context. The Vista Variables in the V\'ia L\'actea (VVV) ESO Public Survey is a variability survey of the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the disk carried out from 2010 on ESO Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). VVV will eventually deliver a deep near-IR atlas with photometry and positions in five passbands (ZYJHK_S) and a catalogue of 1-10 million variable point sources - mostly unknown - which require classifications. Aims. The main goal of the VVV Templates Project, that we introduce in this work, is to develop and test the machine-learning algorithms for the automated classification of the VVV light-curves. As VVV is the first massive, multi-epoch survey of stellar variability in the near-infrared, the template light-curves that are required for training the classification algorithms are not available. In the first paper of the series we describe the construction of this comprehensive database of infrared stellar variability. Methods. First we performed a systematic search in the literature and public data archives, second, we coordinated a worldwide observational campaign, and third we exploited the VVV variability database itself on (optically) well-known stars to gather high-quality infrared light-curves of several hundreds of variable stars. Results. We have now collected a significant (and still increasing) number of infrared template light-curves. This database will be used as a training-set for the machine-learning algorithms that will automatically classify the light-curves produced by VVV. The results of such an automated classification will be covered in forthcoming papers of the series.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in A&A. Most of the data are now accessible through http://www.vvvtemplates.org

Eco-epidemiological analysis of rickettsial seropositivity in rural areas of Colombia: A multilevel approach

ABSTARCT: Rickettsiosis is a re-emergent infectious disease without epidemiological surveillance in Colombia. This disease is generally undiagnosed and several deadly outbreaks have been reported in the country in the last decade. The aim of this study is to analyze the eco-epidemiological aspects of rickettsial seropositivity in rural areas of Colombia where outbreaks of the disease were previously reported. A cross-sectional study, which included 597 people living in 246 households from nine hamlets in two municipalities of Colombia, was conducted from November 2015 to January 2016. The survey was conducted to collect sociodemographic and household characteristics (exposure) data. Blood samples were collected to determine the rickettsial seropositivity in humans, horses and dogs (IFA, cut-off = 1/128). In addition, infections by rickettsiae were detected in ticks from humans and animals by real-time PCR targeting gltA and ompA genes. Data was analyzed by weighted multilevel clog-log regression model using three levels (person, household and hamlets) and rickettsial seropositivity in humans was the main outcome. Overall prevalence of rickettsial seropositivity in humans was 25.62% (95%CI 22.11-29.12). Age in years (PR = 1.01 95%CI 1.01-1.02) and male sex (PR = 1.65 95%CI 1.43-1.90) were risk markers for rickettsial seropositivity. Working outdoors (PR = 1.20 95%CI 1.02-1.41), deforestation and forest fragmentation for agriculture use (PR = 1.75 95%CI 1.51-2.02), opossum in peridomiciliary area (PR = 1.56 95%CI 1.37-1.79) and a high proportion of seropositive domestic animals in the home (PR20-40% vs 40% vs <20% = 3.14 95%CI 2.43-4.04) were associated with rickettsial seropositivity in humans. This study showed the presence of Rickettsia antibodies in human populations and domestic animals. In addition, different species of rickettsiae were detected in ticks collected from humans and animals. Our results highlighted the role of domestic animals as sentinels of rickettsial infection to identify areas at risk of transmission, and the importance of preventive measures aimed at curtailing deforestation and the fragmentation of forests as a way of reducing the risk of transmission of emergent and re-emergent pathogens

K2-280b -- a low density warm sub-Saturn around a mildly evolved star

We present an independent discovery and detailed characterisation of K2-280b, a transiting low density warm sub-Saturn in a 19.9-day moderately eccentric orbit (e = 0.35_{-0.04}^{+0.05}) from K2 campaign 7. A joint analysis of high precision HARPS, HARPS-N, and FIES radial velocity measurements and K2 photometric data indicates that K2-280b has a radius of R_b = 7.50 +/- 0.44 R_Earth and a mass of M_b = 37.1 +/- 5.6 M_Earth, yielding a mean density of 0.48_{-0.10}^{+0.13} g/cm^3. The host star is a mildly evolved G7 star with an effective temperature of T_{eff} = 5500 +/- 100 K, a surface gravity of log(g) = 4.21 +/- 0.05 (cgs), and an iron abundance of [Fe/H] = 0.33 +/- 0.08 dex, and with an inferred mass of M_star = 1.03 +/- 0.03 M_sun and a radius of R_star = 1.28 +/- 0.07 R_sun. We discuss the importance of K2-280b for testing formation scenarios of sub-Saturn planets and the current sample of this intriguing group of planets that are absent in the Solar System

Putative psychosis genes in the prefrontal cortex: combined analysis of gene expression microarrays

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent studies have shown similarities between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in phenotypes and in genotypes, and those studies have contributed to an ongoing re-evaluation of the traditional dichotomy between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder with psychotic features may be closely related to schizophrenia and therefore, psychosis may be an alternative phenotype compared to the traditional diagnosis categories.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a cross-study analysis of 7 gene expression microarrays that include both psychosis and non-psychosis subjects. These studies include over 400 microarray samples (163 individual subjects) on 3 different Affymetrix microarray platforms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that 110 transcripts are differentially regulated (p < 0.001) in psychosis after adjusting for confounding variables with a multiple regression model. Using a quantitative PCR, we validated a set of genes such as up-regulated metallothioneins (MT1E, MT1F, MT1H, MT1K, MT1X, MT2A and MT3) and down-regulated neuropeptides (SST, TAC1 and NPY) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of psychosis patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrates the advantages of cross-study analysis in detecting consensus changes in gene expression across multiple microarray studies. Differential gene expression between individuals with and without psychosis suggests that psychosis may be a useful phenotypic variable to complement the traditional diagnosis categories.</p