Insights of microorganisms role in rice and rapeseed wastes as potential sorbents for metal removal

Altres ajuts: acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICRice and rapeseed agricultural wastes, as nonliving biomass, are proposed for heavy metal remediation in polluted effluents (chromium, cadmium, copper and lead). The physicochemical characterization of these biomasses shows that the surface of both sorbents is negatively charged (zeta potential), the surface area of sorbents is 4.39 and 40.7 (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller), and the main functional groups are carboxylic and hydroxyl (attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy). The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the insights of microorganisms associated with these nonliving biomasses in the removal of heavy metals from synthetic aqueous solutions, adjusted at pH 4.0 (as the best acidic condition for the sorption process). The isolates (Bacillus genus in rice and Escherichia, Micrococcus and Staphylococcus genus in rapeseed) remove heavy metals from mentioned solutions, mainly in consortia, with contribution percentage over than 80% of total metals. In addition, when they are present in biomass, they provide an additional metal removal effect, especially in rapeseed biomass system and with multiple heavy metals aqueous solutions: i.e. Cr(III) removal, at 4 mmol/L, increases from 70 to 100%. This knowledge makes possible the use of the nonliving biomasses with no need for any special pretreatment against the microorganisms, prior to their use as metal sorbents that implies their good feasibility for application from an economical point of view

Intermittent inotropic support with levosimendan in advanced heart failure as destination therapy: The LEVO-D registry

Advanced heart failure; Inotropes; Palliative careInsuficiencia cardiaca avanzada; Inotropos; Cuidados paliativosInsuficiència cardíaca avançada; Inòtrops; Cures pal·liativesAim Patients with advanced heart failure (AHF) who are not candidates to advanced therapies have poor prognosis. Some trials have shown that intermittent levosimendan can reduce HF hospitalizations in AHF in the short term. In this real-life registry, we describe the patterns of use, safety and factors related to the response to intermittent levosimendan infusions in AHF patients not candidates to advanced therapies. Methods and results Multicentre retrospective study of patients diagnosed with advanced heart failure, not HT or LVAD candidates. Patients needed to be on the optimal medical therapy according to their treating physician. Patients with de novo heart failure or who underwent any procedure that could improve prognosis were not included in the registry. Four hundred three patients were included; 77.9% needed at least one admission the year before levosimendan was first administered because of heart failure. Death rate at 1 year was 26.8% and median survival was 24.7 [95% CI: 20.4–26.9] months, and 43.7% of patients fulfilled the criteria for being considered a responder lo levosimendan (no death, heart failure admission or unplanned HF visit at 1 year after first levosimendan administration). Compared with the year before there was a significant reduction in HF admissions (38.7% vs. 77.9%; P 12 g/dL (+1.5), amiodarone use (−1.5) HF visit 1 year before levosimendan (−1.5) and heart rate >70 b.p.m. (−2). Patients with a score less than −1 had a very low probability of response (21.5% free of death or HF event at 1 year) meanwhile those with a score over 1.5 had the better chance of response (68.4% free of death or HF event at 1 year). LEVO-D score performed well in the ROC analysis. Conclusion In this large real-life series of AHF patients treated with levosimendan as destination therapy, we show a significant decrease of heart failure events during the year after the first administration. The simple LEVO-D Score could be of help when deciding about futile therapy in this population

Analysis of Fine Motor Skills in Essential Tremor: Combining Neuroimaging and Handwriting Biomarkers for Early Management

Essential tremor (ET) is a highly prevalent neurological disorder characterized by action-induced tremors involving the hand, voice, head, and/or face. Importantly, hand tremor is present in nearly all forms of ET, resulting in impaired fine motor skills and diminished quality of life. To advance early diagnostic approaches for ET, automated handwriting tasks and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer an opportunity to develop early essential clinical biomarkers. In this study, we present a novel approach for the early clinical diagnosis and monitoring of ET based on integrating handwriting and neuroimaging analysis. We demonstrate how the analysis of fine motor skills, as measured by an automated Archimedes’ spiral task, is correlated with neuroimaging biomarkers for ET. Together, we present a novel modeling approach that can serve as a complementary and promising support tool for the clinical diagnosis of ET and a large range of tremors.This work was supported in part by the Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, the University of Cambridge, PPG 17/51 and GIU 092/19, the Basque government (Saiotek SA-2010/00028, ELEKIN, Engineering and Society and Bioengineering Research Groups, GIC18/136, and ELKARTEK 18/99, 20/81), ‘‘Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación’’ (SAF201677758R), FEDER funds, DomusVi Foundation (FP18/76), and the government of Gipuzkoa (HELENA, SABRINA, DG18/14-23, DG19/29, DG20/25 projects). This work is also based upon the work from COST Actions CA18106 and CA15225, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)

Modelling barrier beaches under storms with XBEACH: The case of the Trabucador bar

Postprint (updated version

Porcine Digestible Peptides (PDP) in Weanling Diets Regulates the Expression of Genes Involved in Gut Barrier Function, Immune Response and Nutrient Transport in Nursery Pigs

CRAG 10.3390/ani10122368This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of porcine digestible peptides (PDP), spray-dried plasma (SDP), or a combination of both, on growth performance and the expression of genes related to intestinal function of weaned pigs. A total of 180 piglets (trial 1) and 198 piglets (trial 2) were used to evaluate the partial substitution of soybean ingredients with 2% SDP or 2% PDP (trial 1), and with 3% SDP or the combination of 1% SDP and 2% PDP (SDP-PDP; trial 2) during the pre-starter period (0-14 days). The gene expression of 56 genes was quantified in a qPCR platform in jejunum and ileum samples obtained from piglets 14 d after weaning (trial 2). Piglets fed SDP, PDP and SDP-PDP had a higher body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) than the soybean control on day 14 (p < 0.05). In addition, the combination of SDP and PDP upregulated ten genes in jejunum samples (p < 0.05) related to intestinal function. More research is needed to confirm that gene expression upregulation by PDP in combination with SDP has an impact on intestinal function and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms

Espondilitis piógenas del adulto. Análisis de 15 casos

La espondilitis piógena es una entidad clínica poco frecuente que últimamente ha experimentado un considerable aumento, relacionado con la adicción a drogas por vía parenteral. Se presentan 15 casos tratados en el período entre 1981-1988. La etiología más frecuente fue el estafilococo dorado (53%), seguida de gérmenes gramnegativos (47%). Es de destacar la presencia de factores predisponentes en un 47% de pacientes. El cuadro clínico consistió en una raquialgia acompañada de fiebre en el 73% de los casos. La radiología era normal en las etapas iniciales, pero no la gammagrafía con Ga y Te. El tratamiento fue inicialmente conservador, estando indicada la cirugía cuando se presentaron alteraciones neurológicas, abscesos paravertabrales o imposibilidad diagnóstica. En la serie presentada, 4 de los J5 pacientes fueron sometidos a tratamiento quirúrgic

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine: Brussels, Belgium. 15-18 March 2016.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Porcine Digestible Peptides (PDP) in Weanling Diets Regulates the Expression of Genes Involved in Gut Barrier Function, Immune Response and Nutrient Transport in Nursery Pigs

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of porcine digestible peptides (PDP), spray-dried plasma (SDP), or a combination of both, on growth performance and the expression of genes related to intestinal function of weaned pigs. A total of 180 piglets (trial 1) and 198 piglets (trial 2) were used to evaluate the partial substitution of soybean ingredients with 2% SDP or 2% PDP (trial 1), and with 3% SDP or the combination of 1% SDP and 2% PDP (SDP-PDP; trial 2) during the pre-starter period (0-14 days). The gene expression of 56 genes was quantified in a qPCR platform in jejunum and ileum samples obtained from piglets 14 d after weaning (trial 2). Piglets fed SDP, PDP and SDP-PDP had a higher body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) than the soybean control on day 14 (p < 0.05). In addition, the combination of SDP and PDP upregulated ten genes in jejunum samples (p < 0.05) related to intestinal function. More research is needed to confirm that gene expression upregulation by PDP in combination with SDP has an impact on intestinal function and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms