Left ventricular systolic function evaluated by strain echocardiography and relationship with mortality in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction is associated with poor outcomes, but traditional measurements of systolic function such as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) do not directly correlate with prognosis. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) utilizing speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) could be a better marker of intrinsic left ventricular (LV) function, reflecting myocardial deformation rather than displacement and volume changes. We sought to investigate the prognostic value of GLS in patients with sepsis and/or septic shock

The iridium double perovskite Sr2YIrO6 revisited: A combined structural and specific heat study

Recently, the iridate double perovskite Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ has attracted considerable attention due to the report of unexpected magnetism in this Ir$^{5+}$ (5d$^4$) material, in which according to the J$_{eff}$ model, a non-magnetic ground state is expected. However, in recent works on polycrystalline samples of the series Ba$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$YIrO$_6$ no indication of magnetic transitions have been found. We present a structural, magnetic and thermodynamic characterization of Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ single crystals, with emphasis on the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat. Here, we demonstrate the clue role of single crystal X-ray diffraction on the structural characterization of the Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ double perovskite crystals by reporting the detection of a $\sqrt{2}a \times \sqrt{2}a \times 1c$ supercell, where $a$, $b$ and $c$ are the unit cell dimensions of the reported monoclinic subcell. In agreement with the expected non-magnetic ground state of Ir$^{5+}$ (5d$^4$) in Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$, no magnetic transition is observed down to 430~mK. Moreover, our results suggest that the low temperature anomaly observed in the specific heat is not related to the onset of long-range magnetic order. Instead, it is identified as a Schottky anomaly caused by paramagnetic impurities present in the sample, of the order of $n \sim 0.5(2)$ \%. These impurities lead to non-negligible spin correlations, which nonetheless, are not associated with long-range magnetic ordering.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

Metodología para el diseño de enlaces satelitales

En este artículo se presenta una breve reseña que intenta guiar al lector en la teoría básica de una telecomunicación satelital, exponiendo sus conceptos principales, los parámetros más relevantes y las ecuaciones generales a partir de las cuales se puede describir el enlace de comunicación; además de algunas consideraciones relevantes para el cálculo de las características del enlace como la potencia irradiada, ubicación geográfica, el tipo de modulación, el BER, etc. Luego se desarrolla un ejemplo de diseño de un enlace de comunicación satelital entre dos puntos geográficos distantes con descripciones concisas y procedimientos específicos

Systematic review and literature appraisal on methodology of conducting and reporting critical-care echocardiography studies: a report from the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine PRICES expert panel

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: The echocardiography working group of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine recognized the need to provide structured guidance for future CCE research methodology and reporting based on a systematic appraisal of the current literature. Here is reported this systematic appraisal. Methods: We conducted a systematic review, registered on the Prospero database. A total of 43 items of common interest to all echocardiography studies were initially listed by the experts, and other “topic-specific” items were separated into five main categories of interest (left ventricular systolic function, LVSF n = 15, right ventricular function, RVF n = 18, left ventricular diastolic function, LVDF n = 15, fluid management, FM n = 7, and advanced echocardiography techniques, AET n = 17). We evaluated the percentage of items reported per study and the fraction of studies reporting a single item. Results: From January 2000 till December 2017 a total of 209 articles were included after systematic search and screening, 97 for LVSF, 48 for RVF, 51 for LVDF, 36 for FM and 24 for AET. Shock and ARDS were relatively common among LVSF articles (both around 15%) while ARDS comprised 25% of RVF articles. Transthoracic echocardiography was the main echocardiography mode, in 87% of the articles for AET topic, followed by 81% for FM, 78% for LVDF, 70% for LVSF and 63% for RVF. The percentage of items per study as well as the fraction of study reporting an item was low or very low, except for FM. As an illustration, the left ventricular size was only reported by 56% of studies in the LVSF topic, and half studies assessing RVF reported data on pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Conclusion: This analysis confirmed sub-optimal reporting of several items listed by an expert panel. The analysis will help the experts in the development of guidelines for CCE study design and reporting

Cáncer de cuello uterino: factores de riesgo y prevención

Cervical Cancer (CC) is one of the public health issues of greatest importance in the world, due to high rates of morbidity and mortality presented in recent years. This paper provides a review of cervical-uterine cancer and its relation to human papilloma virus (HPV),the lesions in the cervix are caused by this infectious agent, the risk factors associated with its presentation and the prevention measures. Finally, we discuss the importance of vaccines as a preventive of HPV infection and cytology as a screening test coupled with an adequate and timely treatment.El Cáncer de Cuello Uterino (CaCU) es uno de los problemas de salud pública de mayor importancia en el mundo debido a las altas tasas de morbi-mortalidad presentadas en los últimos años. En este documento se hace una revisión sobre el cáncer cervico-uterino y su relación con el Virus del Papiloma Humano (VPH), las lesiones producidas en el cérvix por este agente infeccioso, los factores de riesgo relacionados con su presentación y las medidas de prevención. Finalmente, se discute la importancia de las vacunas como método preventivo de la infección por VPH y de la citología como prueba de detección precoz aunada a un tratamiento adecuado y oportun

Detección de genes de toxinas pirogénicas y toxinas exfoliativas en aislamientos clínicos de Staphylococcus Aureus en Colombia

Staphylococcus aureus está asociado con graves enfermedades sistémicas causadas por superantígenos (toxinas pirogénicas y exfoliativas). 100 aislamientos clínicos de S. aureus se identificaron por método automatizado y PCR, la prevalencia de genes de superantígenos por PCR múltiple y las correlaciones mediante la prueba exacta de Fischer

Prototype Drop Tests of Cube and Cubipod Armor Units

In this paper, an experimental methodology is described to assess the structural strength of unreinforced concrete armor units (CAUs). The methodology is applied to measure the structural integrity under impact loads of the new Cubipod CAU compared with the conventional cube CAU. The casting systems and clamps are described for manufacturing and handling the 15-t conventional cubic block and 16-t Cubipod prototypes used for the drop tests. Two separate reinforced concrete platforms were used for overturning and for free-fall tests, respectively. Compared with conventional cubes of similar size and concrete strength, Cubipods withstand drops that are more than 50% higher. Two extreme free-fall tests confirmed the structural robustness of Cubipod armor units. Manufacturing cycle time, as well as storage and handling procedures, are similar for both Cubipods and conventional cubic blocks. © 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.The writers are grateful for the logistic support provided by the Port Authority of Alicante and the consortium TMS. Financial support was received from CDTI (CUBIPOD Project). The writers also thank Roman Goumy for his assistance during the prototype drop tests and Debra Westall for revising the manuscript.Medina, JR.; Gómez-Martín, ME.; Corredor-Molguero, A.; Torres-Samper, R.; Miñana, JV.; Fernández, E.; Menéndez, CF.... (2011). Prototype Drop Tests of Cube and Cubipod Armor Units. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering. 137(2):54-63. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000064S5463137