Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome, Endothelial Function and Markers of Endothelialization. Changes after CPAP

STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study tries to assess the endothelial function in vivo using flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and several biomarkers of endothelium formation/restoration and damage in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) syndrome at baseline and after three months with CPAP therapy. DESIGN: Observational study, before and after CPAP therapy. SETTING AND PATIENTS: We studied 30 patients with apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) >15/h that were compared with themselves after three months of CPAP therapy. FMD was assessed non-invasively in vivo using the Laser-Doppler flowmetry. Circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) and microparticles (MPs) were measured as markers of endothelial damage and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was determined as a marker of endothelial restoration process. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: After three month with CPAP, FMD significantly increased (1072.26 ± 483.21 vs. 1604.38 ± 915.69 PU, p< 0.005) cf-DNA and MPs significantly decreased (187.93 ± 115.81 vs. 121.28 ± 78.98 pg/ml, p<0.01, and 69.60 ± 62.60 vs. 39.82 ± 22.14 U/μL, p<0.05, respectively) and VEGF levels increased (585.02 ± 246.06 vs. 641.11 ± 212.69 pg/ml, p<0.05). These changes were higher in patients with more severe disease. There was a relationship between markers of damage (r = -0.53, p<0.005) but not between markers of damage and restoration, thus suggesting that both types of markers should be measured together. CONCLUSIONS: CPAP therapy improves FMD. This improvement may be related to an increase of endothelial restoration process and a decrease of endothelial damage

Three-dimensional airway volumes and most constricted areas in children

poster abstractObjective: The objectives of this retrospective study using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) were to determine if there are differences in the volume of various airway segments and the most constricted area (MCA) of children with different dentoskeletal patterns. Methods: The initial CBCTs of 83 orthodontic patients (30 Angle’s Class I; 26 Class II; and 27 Class III) were collected from a private orthodontic office. Following reliability studies, various parameters of the craniofacial complex, airway volume, and MCA were measured utilizing Dolphin 3D software. Comparisons among the three dental and the skeletal malocclusion classes were performed using one-way ANOVA and Fishers Protected Least Significant. Associations of the airway volumes and the MCA with other parameters were determined using correlation coefficients, accepting p < 0.05 as significant for all tests. Results: Maxillary right sinus volume was the only airway segment showing significant difference among different dental classes. Maxillary sinus volume also correlated moderately with anterior facial height and mandibular length. No significant differences were found between the MCA and different dentoskeletal classifications. Conclusions: The only significant difference in airway parameters among the dentoskeletal classes was that the dental Class II subjects had greater right sinus volume than the other classes. Shorter anterior facial height or mandibular length could be indicators for decreased airway volume in children. Funding: IUSD Graduate Research Committee, IUPUI Three-Dimensional Imaging of the Craniofacial Complex Center, Jarabak Endowed Professorshi

Evaluation of the agronomic performance of 'Syrah' and 'Tempranillo' when grafted on 12 rootstocks

Beyond pest resistance, rootstocks significantly influence the performance of grapevine varieties. However, the effect of the rootstock is strongly affected by its interaction with the environment, and it is therefore necessary to evaluate their influence in a particular terroir. With the aim of evaluating the influence of 12 rootstocks on the agronomic performance of 'Syrah' and 'Tempranillo', a trial was established in 2011 and 2012 in Miranda de Arga (Navarra, Spain), under the typical environmental conditions of the Ebro Valley. Growth and yield, as well as industrial and phenolic maturity parameters were analysed during four consecutive seasons (2015-2018). Most rootstocks showed a similar performance with both varieties, not always following the trends reported in bibliography, which highlights the relevance of studying rootstocks in different conditions. 3309 C was the rootstock conferring the highest vigour, whereas the lowest were provided by 420 A MGt and 'Fercal'. The implications on grape composition were much more diverse, and were partially conditioned by yield. Results were obtained during the four first harvests of the vineyard, and could therefore change to some extent as the vineyard reaches stability

Characterization of mammary neoplasia by electrical impedance spectroscopy: canine model

Introducción: La espectroscopia de impedancia eléctrica (EIE) es una técnica fácil de usar y de bajo costo que se puede utilizar para analizar tejidos biológicos en condiciones normales o patológicas. El objetivo de este trabajo fue caracterizar neoplasias de glándula mamaria benignas y malignas aplicando la técnica EIE en muestras extraídas de 45 caninos hembras (Canis lupus familiaris). Métodos: Se utilizó un medidor de impedancia eléctrica, Hioki 3532-50, para determinar los parámetros bioeléctricos: resistencia de la matriz extracelular (R), resistencia de la matriz intracelular (S), frecuencia característica (Fc) y capacitancia de membrana (Cm) en un rango de frecuencias entre 42 Hz y 5 MHz y se analizaron estadísticamente mediante la prueba no paramétrica U de Mann-Whitney (Wilcoxon) de dos colas. La precisión diagnóstica de la EIE se efectuó a través de curvas características de operación del receptor (COR) y tablas de doble entrada, con la histopatología como referencia. Resultados: Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre el tejido mamario sano y las neoplasias benignas para los parámetros R, Fc y Cm, p-value &amp;lt; 0,05. Entre tejido mamario sano y neoplasias mamarias malignas se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas para R y Fc con un p-value &amp;lt; 0,05. La comparación entre lesiones tumorales benignas y malignas no presentó diferencias estadísticamente significativas, p-value &amp;gt; 0,05, para ninguna de las variables incluidas en este estudio. Conclusiones: De los parámetros analizados por EIE, la resistencia de la matriz extracelular es la que mejor permite diferenciar entre tejidos mamarios normales y neoplásicos. La EIE es una herramienta diagnóstica potencial que puede ser utilizada en la detección de cáncer mamario, con una precisión diagnóstica cercana al 80%.Introduction: Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) it is an easy to use and low-cost technique that can be used to analyze biological tissues in normal or pathological condition. The goal of this work was to characterize benign and malign mammary gland neoplasms applying the EIS technique in 45 female dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Methods: An impedance meter Hioki 3532-50 was used to determine bioelectric parameters, extracellular matrix resistance (R), intracellular matrix resistance (S), characteristic frequency (Cf), and membrane capacitance (Mc), which were obtained in a 42 Hz and 5 MHz frequencies range. Were statistically analyzed with the non-parametric test of two-tailed MannWhitney (Wilcoxon). The diagnostic precision of the test was performed using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and two-way tables using histopathology results as reference. Results: Significant differences between healthy mammary tissue and benign neoplasms were found for variables R, Cf and Mc (p &amp;lt; 0.05). There were statistically major differences between the healthy mammary tissue and malign mammary tumors groups for R and Cf (p &amp;lt; 0.05). The comparison between malign and benign tumor lesions did not show a statistically significant difference, p-value &amp;gt; 0.05, for any of the variables included in this study. Conclusion: Among all parameters analyzed for EIS, the extracellular matrix resistance R is the one that best allows differentiating between healthy and neoplastic mammary tissues. EIS is a diagnostic tool that can be used for breast cancer detection with a diagnostic precision close to 80%

In vitro activities of natural products against oral Candida isolates from denture wearers

Background: Candida-associated denture stomatitis is a frequent infectious disease. Treatment of this oral condition is difficult because failures and recurrences are common. The aim of this study was to test the in vitro antifungal activity of pure constituents of essentials oils. -- Methods: Eight terpenic derivatives (carvacrol, farnesol, geraniol, linalool, menthol, menthone, terpinen-4-ol, and aterpineol), a phenylpropanoid (eugenol), a phenethyl alcohol (tyrosol) and fluconazole were evaluated against 38 Candida isolated from denture-wearers and 10 collection Candida strains by the CLSI M27-A3 broth microdilution method. -- Results: Almost all the tested compounds showed antifungal activity with MIC ranges of 0.03-0.25% for eugenol and linalool, 0.03-0.12% for geraniol, 0.06-0.5% for menthol, a-terpineol and terpinen-4-ol, 0.03-0.5% for carvacrol, and 0.06-4% for menthone. These compounds, with the exception of farnesol, menthone and tyrosol, showed important in vitro activities against the fluconazole-resistant and susceptible-dose dependent Candida isolates. -- Conclusions: Carvacrol, eugenol, geraniol, linalool and terpinen-4-ol were very active in vitro against oral Candida isolates. Their fungistatic and fungicidal activities might convert them into promising alternatives for the topic treatment of oral candidiasis and denture stomatitis.Funding: this work has been funded in part by projects GIC07 123-IT-222-07 (Departamento de Educacion, Universidades e Investigacion, Gobierno Vasco), S-PR09UN01 and S-PR10UN03 (Saiotek 2009 and 2010, Departamento de Industria, Comercio y Turismo, Gobierno Vasco)

Methylglyoxal Produced by Amyloid- Peptide-Induced Nitrotyrosination of Triosephosphate Isomerase Triggers Neuronal Death in Alzheimer’s Disease

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) aggregates induce nitro-oxidative stress, contributing to the characteristic neurodegeneration found in Alzheimer's disease (AD). One of the most strongly nitrotyrosinated proteins in AD is the triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) enzyme which regulates glycolytic flow, and its efficiency decreased when it is nitrotyrosinated. The main aims of this study were to analyze the impact of TPI nitrotyrosination on cell viability and to identify the mechanism behind this effect. In human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y), we evaluated the effects of Aβ42 oligomers on TPI nitrotyrosination. We found an increased production of methylglyoxal (MG), a toxic byproduct of the inefficient nitro-TPI function. The proapoptotic effects of Aβ42 oligomers, such as decreasing the protective Bcl2 and increasing the proapoptotic caspase-3 and Bax, were prevented with a MG chelator. Moreover, we used a double mutant TPI (Y165F and Y209F) to mimic nitrosative modifications due to Aβ action. Neuroblastoma cells transfected with the double mutant TPI consistently triggered MG production and a decrease in cell viability due to apoptotic mechanisms. Our data show for the first time that MG is playing a key role in the neuronal death induced by Aβ oligomers. This occurs because of TPI nitrotyrosination, which affects both tyrosines associated with the catalytic center

Vacunación del adulto en atención primaria: durante y después de pandemia

Immunization is one of the most important advances in medicine, achieving protection against numerous microorganisms that have put the health of the population at risk for centuries and is currently one of the main health prevention strategies; Recently, with the appearance of COVID-19, a before and after has been marked, since vaccination has regained visibility and importance after the pandemic. However, despite the available evidence, there is limited dissemination and promotion of vaccination in the adult, a situation that generates low coverage in this population. The current global context sets an urgent call to strengthen the implementation of vaccination plans and strategies not only in the pediatric population, but also in the adult population, so the objective of this narrative review is to synthesize the current recommendations for vaccination in the population. from Colombia and Latin America with a focus on primary care in the adult population. For this, a bibliographic search was carried out in the PubMed, Science direct, Redalyc, Scielo and academic Google databases; Including studies related to vaccination in adults in Colombia and Latin America, which allow to propose systematized vaccination strategies in primary care.La inmunización es uno de los avances más importantes de la medicina, logrando la protección contra numerosos microorganismos que han puesto en riesgo la salud de la población durante siglos y siendo en la actualidad una de las principales estrategias de prevención en salud; recientemente con la aparición del COVID-19 se ha marcado un antes y un después, pues a partir de la pandemia la vacunación recobró visibilidad e importancia, sin embargo, a pesar de la evidencia disponible, existe una limitada divulgación y promoción de la vacunación en el adulto, situación que genera una baja cobertura en esta población. El contexto global actual configura un llamado urgente a fortalecer la implementación de planes y estrategias de vacunación no sólo en la población pediátrica, sino también en la población adulta, por lo que el objetivo de esta revisión narrativa es sintetizar las recomendaciones actuales de vacunación en la población adulta de Colombia y América Latina con un enfoque en atención primaria en la población adulta. Para esto, se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos PubMed, Science direct, Redalyc, Scielo y Google académico; Incluyendo estudios relacionados con la vacunación en el adulto en Colombia y América Latina, los cuales permiten plantear estrategias sistematizadas de vacunación en atención primaria

Echocardiographic Changes with Positive Airway Pressure Therapy in Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome. Long-Term Pickwick Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Spanish Sleep Network.[Rationale] Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) has been associated with cardiac dysfunction. However, randomized trials assessing the impact of long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on cardiac structure and function assessed by echocardiography are lacking. Rationale: Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) has been associated with cardiac dysfunction. However, randomized trials assessing the impact of long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on cardiac structure and function assessed by echocardiography are lacking.[Objectives] In a prespecified secondary analysis of the largest multicenter randomized controlled trial of OHS (Pickwick Project; N = 221 patients with OHS and coexistent severe obstructive sleep apnea), we compared the effectiveness of three years of NIV and CPAP on structural and functional echocardiographic changes.[Methods] At baseline and annually during three sequential years, patients underwent transthoracic two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. Echocardiographers at each site were blinded to the treatment allocation. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed-effects model with a treatment group and repeated measures interaction to determine the differential effect between CPAP and NIV. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 196 patients were analyzed: 102 were treated with CPAP and 94 were treated with NIV. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure decreased from 40.5 ± 1.47 mm Hg at baseline to 35.3 ± 1.33 mm Hg at three years with CPAP, and from 41.5 ± 1.56 mm Hg to 35.5 ± 1.42 with NIV (P < 0.0001 for longitudinal intragroup changes for both treatment arms). However, there were no significant differences between groups. NIV and CPAP therapies similarly improved left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and reduced left atrial diameter. Both NIV and CPAP improved respiratory function and dyspnea.[Conclusions] In patients with OHS who have concomitant severe obstructive sleep apnea, long-term treatment with NIV and CPAP led to similar degrees of improvement in pulmonary hypertension and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

Stone Age Yersinia pestis genomes shed light on the early evolution, diversity, and ecology of plague

The bacterial pathogenYersinia pestisgave rise to devastating outbreaks throughouthuman history, and ancient DNA evidence has shown it afflicted human populations asfar back as the Neolithic.Y. pestisgenomes recovered from the Eurasian Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (LNBA) period have uncovered key evolutionary steps that led to itsemergence from aYersinia pseudotuberculosis-like progenitor; however, the number ofreconstructed LNBA genomes are too few to explore its diversity during this criticalperiod of development. Here, we present 17Y. pestisgenomes dating to 5,000 to 2,500y BP from a wide geographic expanse across Eurasia. This increased dataset enabled usto explore correlations between temporal, geographical, and genetic distance. Ourresults suggest a nonflea-adapted and potentially extinct single lineage that persistedover millennia without significant parallel diversification, accompanied by rapid dis-persal across continents throughout this period, a trend not observed in other pathogensfor which ancient genomes are available. A stepwise pattern of gene loss provides fur-ther clues on its early evolution and potential adaptation. We also discover the presenceof theflea-adapted form ofY. pestisin Bronze Age Iberia, previously only identified inin the Caucasus and the Volga regions, suggesting a much wider geographic spread ofthis form ofY. pestis. Together, these data reveal the dynamic nature of plague’s forma-tive years in terms of its early evolution and ecology