Peak provoked craving after smoking cessation

Peak provoked craving (PPC) is an alternative approach to cue-induced craving that focuses on the highest craving level experienced during the exposure to drug-related cues. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of abstinence on PPC in smokers and to determine whether PPC is altered by continuous abstinence. Results showed reductions on PPC levels only 24 hours after achieving abstinence and craving levels remain significantly lower after 7 days of abstinence

Determination study of contaminants of emerging concern at trace levels in agricultural soil. A pilot study

In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a quick, easy, and robust extraction method for the simultaneous determination of 30 organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) including some transformation products in soil samples. Three different extraction methods based on an ultrasonic cylindrical probe (UAE), a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), and a QuEChERS method were compared. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for identification and quantification of the target analytes. A modified QuEChERS method showed the best results in terms of extractability and accuracy. The extraction procedure developed provided adequate extraction performances (70% of the target analytes were recovered within a 70–99% range), with good repeatability and reproducibility (variations below 20%) and great sensitivity (LOQ < 0.1 ng/g in most cases). No matrix effects were observed for 70% of the compounds. Finally, the analytical methodology was applied in a pilot study where agricultural soil was irrigated with reclaimed water spiked with the contaminants under study. Of the 25 CECs added in irrigation water, a total of 13 pesticides and 5 pharmaceutical products were detected at concentration ranges from 0.1 to 1.2 ng/g (d.w) and from 0.1 to 2.0 ng/g (d.w), respectivel

Long-term effects on the agroecosystem of using reclaimed water on commercial crops

The use of reclaimed water for crop irrigation has been proposed as a suitable alternative for farmers in the coastal areas of Mediterranean countries, which suffer from greater water scarcity. In this work we study the impact on the water-soil-plant continuum of using reclaimed water for commercial crops irrigated over a long period, as well as the human risks associated with consuming the vegetables produced. Forty-four CECs were identified in the reclaimed water used for crop irrigation. Of these, twenty-four CECs were identified in the irrigated soil samples analysed. Tramadol, ofloxacin, tonalide, gemfibrozil, atenolol, caffeine, and cetirizine were the pharmaceuticals detected at the highest levels in the water samples (between 11 and 44 μg/L). The CECs with the highest average soil concentrations were tramadol (14.6 μg/kg), followed by cetirizine (13.2 μg/kg) and clarithromycin (12.7 μg/kg). In the irrigated vegetable samples analysed over the study period, carbamazepine, lidocaine, and caffeine were only detected at levels from 0.1 to 1.7 μg/kg. The CEC accumulation rate detected in the edible parts of the vegetables permanently irrigated with reclaimed water was very low (~1 %), whereas it was 33 % in the soils. The results revealed that consuming fruits harvested from plants irrigated for a long period with reclaimed water does not represent a risk to human health, opening the door to a circular economy of water. Nevertheless, for crop irrigation, future studies need to be conducted over longer periods and in other matrices to provide more scientific data on the safety of using reclaimed water

Serum micrornas as tool to predict early response to benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma

Severe eosinophilic asthma poses a serious health and economic problem, so new therapy approaches have been developed to control it, including biological drugs such as benralizumab, which is a monoclonal antibody that binds to IL-5 receptor alpha subunit and depletes peripheral blood eosinophils rapidly. Biomarkers that predict the response to this drug are needed so that microRNAs (miRNAs) can be useful tools. This study was performed with fifteen severe eosinophilic asthmatic patients treated with benralizumab, and serum miRNAs were evaluated before and after treatment by semi-quantitative PCR (qPCR). Patients showed a clinical improvement after benralizumab administration. Additionally, deregulation of miR-1246, miR-5100 and miR-338-3p was observed in severe asthmatic patients after eight weeks of therapy, and a correlation was found between miR-1246 and eosinophil counts, including a number of exacerbations per year in these severe asthmatics. In silico pathway analysis revealed that these three miRNAs are regulators of the MAPK signaling pathway, regulating target genes implicated in asthma such as NFKB2, NFATC3, DUSP1, DUSP2, DUSP5 and DUSP16. In this study, we observed an altered expression of miR-1246, miR-5100 and miR-338-3p after eight weeks of benralizumab administration, which could be used as early response markers.This manuscript was funded by Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria–FIS and FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) [PI15/00803, PI18/00044, and FI16/00036], CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Merck Health Foundation funds, and Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RTC-2017-6501-1

Benralizumab reduces blood basophil percentage and activation in vitro without eliciting degranulation

PI21/0089

Statistical analysis plan for the multicenter, open, randomized controlled clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous tirofiban vs aspirin in acute ischemic stroke due to tandem lesion, undergoing recanalization therapy by endovascular treatment (ATILA trial)

© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.[Rationale] In-stent reocclusion after endovascular therapy has a negative impact on outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to tandem lesions (TL). Optimal antiplatelet therapy approach in these patients to avoid in-stent reocclusion is yet to be elucidated.[Aims] To assess efficacy and safety of intravenous tirofiban versus intravenous aspirin in patients undergoing MT plus carotid stenting in the setting of AIS due to TL.[Sample size estimates] Two hundred forty patients will be enrolled, 120 in every treatment arm.[Methods and design] A multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled (aspirin group), assessor-blinded clinical trial will be conducted. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria will be randomized at MT onset to the experimental or control group (1:1). Intravenous aspirin will be administered at a 500-mg single dose and tirofiban at a 500-mcg bolus followed by a 200-mcg/h infusion during the first 24 h. All patients will be followed for up to 3 months.[Study outcomes] Primary efficacy outcome will be the proportion of patients with carotid in-stent thrombosis within the first 24 h after MT. Primary safety outcome will be the rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.[Discussion] This will be the first clinical trial to assess the best antiplatelet therapy to avoid in-stent thrombosis after MT in patients with TL.[Trial registration] The trial is registered as NCT05225961. February, 7th, 2022.This project was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI21/01322 and co-funded by the European Union. The Spanish Clinical Research Network (SCReNCode: 21.033) also contributed to the study. The ITRIBiS project (Improving Translational Research Potential at the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville) has the registration number REGPOT-2013-1. M. Medina-Rodríguez was granted a Rio Hortega contract (CM21/00096). The project was included in the Cooperative Cerebrovascular Disease Research Network (INVICTUS) (RD16/0019/0015).Peer reviewe

CARB-ES-19 Multicenter Study of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli From All Spanish Provinces Reveals Interregional Spread of High-Risk Clones Such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

ObjectivesCARB-ES-19 is a comprehensive, multicenter, nationwide study integrating whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CP-Kpn) and E. coli (CP-Eco) to determine their incidence, geographical distribution, phylogeny, and resistance mechanisms in Spain.MethodsIn total, 71 hospitals, representing all 50 Spanish provinces, collected the first 10 isolates per hospital (February to May 2019); CPE isolates were first identified according to EUCAST (meropenem MIC &gt; 0.12 mg/L with immunochromatography, colorimetric tests, carbapenem inactivation, or carbapenem hydrolysis with MALDI-TOF). Prevalence and incidence were calculated according to population denominators. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the microdilution method (EUCAST). All 403 isolates collected were sequenced for high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and resistome analysis.ResultsIn total, 377 (93.5%) CP-Kpn and 26 (6.5%) CP-Eco isolates were collected from 62 (87.3%) hospitals in 46 (92%) provinces. CP-Kpn was more prevalent in the blood (5.8%, 50/853) than in the urine (1.4%, 201/14,464). The cumulative incidence for both CP-Kpn and CP-Eco was 0.05 per 100 admitted patients. The main carbapenemase genes identified in CP-Kpn were blaOXA–48 (263/377), blaKPC–3 (62/377), blaVIM–1 (28/377), and blaNDM–1 (12/377). All isolates were susceptible to at least two antibiotics. Interregional dissemination of eight high-risk CP-Kpn clones was detected, mainly ST307/OXA-48 (16.4%), ST11/OXA-48 (16.4%), and ST512-ST258/KPC (13.8%). ST512/KPC and ST15/OXA-48 were the most frequent bacteremia-causative clones. The average number of acquired resistance genes was higher in CP-Kpn (7.9) than in CP-Eco (5.5).ConclusionThis study serves as a first step toward WGS integration in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in Spain. We detected important epidemiological changes, including increased CP-Kpn and CP-Eco prevalence and incidence compared to previous studies, wide interregional dissemination, and increased dissemination of high-risk clones, such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

With flowers to La Atkins

Photobook, Flowers, Gardens, Vegetables, Plants, World Photobook Day, International Photobook Day, 2021Anna Atkins nos regaló un fotolibro de algas, maravillosamente azules, que son como flores del mundo subacuático. Este año, para celebrar el Día Internacional del Fotolibro 2021, os proponemos hacer un fotolibro colectivo que será como un ramo de flores para Anna. Se trata de hacer fotos a flores, hierbas, plantas, hierbajos, suculentas, cactus... Las fotos nos van a permitir poner en el ramo lo que más nos guste sin preocuparnos de los problemas que nos daría una pieza floral fresca. Podéis sacar la foto a una flor o planta viva, vuestra o de un jardín público o del campo Podéis fotografiar algo de un herbario o una flor prensada que guardabais dentro de un libro Podéis fotografiar una foto de una flor Podéis sacarle una foto a una flor de plástico Podéis fotografiar un dibujo o una pintura (con motivos florales o vegetales, claro) Podéis fotografiar una planta carnívora (en ayunas o haciendo la digestión) Podéis fotografiar flores del mal o del "buenri" Siempre que sea vegetal y/o floral entrará en este libro ramo para Anna. ¡Queremos tanto a Anna! Vamos a mandarle flores como para una boda, como para un fiestón, como para una diva de la ópera que no conoce las alergias y le cabe de todo en el camerino, como para la primavera que está comenzando en el Cono Sur. Organizan: Biblioteca de la Facultad de Bellas Artes de la UCM Photobook Club MadridFac. de Bellas Artesunpu

Naturaleza a través de la botánica y la zoología en la literatura renacentista española: La Celestina.

[EN]The botanical and zoological references that appear in La Celestina are analysed and cuantified to provide and insight of the knowledgeabout plants and animals included in a literary work of the Rennaisance, in this case one of the most important...[ES]En este trabajo se analizan y cuantifican las referencias botánicas y zológicas que aparecen en La Celestina como ejemplo de los conocimientos sobre plantas y animales que incorpora una obra de la literatura renacentista española. Dado el oficio de la protagonista, el interés del uso de muchas...Peer reviewe