Study of the near infrared spectroscopy response to thiabendazole levels lower than the maximum residue limit on intact orange

[SPA] En la unión europea, todos los alimentos están sujetos a un límite máximo de residuos de plaguicidas (lmr) para evitar riesgos sobre la salud. El tiabendazol es un fungicida comúnmente aplicado en centrales hortofrutícolas, fijando un lmr de 5ppm en naranjas. En el presente trabajo, se estudió la viabilidad de aplicación de la espectroscopia de infrarrojo cercano (NIRS), obteniendo predicciones de tiabendazol sobre naranja intacta sobre niveles inferiores al LMR (0,2-3,9ppm). El colectivo experimental lo constituían naranjas lavadas con aplicación de tiabendazol en el agua de lavado, y naranjas a las que además se les aplicaron ceras. Se emplearon 3 estrategias para adquirir la información espectral: seis espectros obtenidos sobre puntos ecuatoriales, dos espectros obtenidos sobre la región de la base (extremo distal), y ocho espectros, suma de los anteriores. En el desarrollo de los modelos se emplearon regresiones múltiples PLS, utilizando 112 muestras con espectros del ecuador, e idénticos valores con la suma de la base y ecuador, descendiendo a 77 muestras, con los espectros de la base. Asimismo, se ensayaron combinaciones de tratamientos de derivadas y corrección de radiación dispersa sobre la señal espectroscópica. Según los resultados, los espectros del extremo distal (base) no fueron adecuados para predecir los niveles de tiabendazol planteados. En cambio, los modelos obtenidos con espectros del ecuador, o suma del ecuador y base, fueron válidos y similares. Los errores en calibración fueron ETC=0,3-0,36ppm, obteniendo un R2=0,83-0,79 respectivamente. La validación externa obtuvo unos valores de ETP=0,33-0,36ppm, y R2=0,85-0,73. De este modo, la tecnología NIRS permite cuantificar con buena precisión niveles de tiabendazol inferiores al LMR sobre naranja intacta. [ENG] In the European Union all food is subject to Maximun Residue Limit (MRL) to avoid health risks. Thiabendazole is a fungicide commonly applied in horticultural preparation centre, with a MRL of 5ppm in oranges. In the present study, the viability of near infrared spectroscopy has been studied, obtaining predictions of thiabendazole on intact oranges of lower levels of MRL (0,2-3,9ppm). The first experimental group of oranges was washed in water containing thiabendazole. The second group, were also treated with waxes. In order to obtain spectral information, three strategies were used: six spectra were obtained at equatorial points, two spectra were obtained on the base regions (distal extreme), and eight spectra, sum of the previous. There were used Modified Partial Least Squared Regressions (MPLSR) to develop the models, using 112 samples with the equatorial spectra, and identical values with the sum of the base region and equator, descending to 77 samples, with the base region spectra. Likewise, derivative treatment combinations and scatter corrections were practiced on the spectroscopy signal. It was concluded that the spectra on the base region were not adequate to predict the thiabendazole levels evaluated. On the other hand, that ones obtained with spectra on the equator, or sum of equator and base were high-quality. Calibration errors were SEC=0,3- 0,36ppm with R2=0,85-0,73 respectively. So that, NIRS technology is an accurate tool to quantify the thiabendazole levels lower than MRL on intact orange.Este trabajo ha sido financiado con los fondos del proyecto INIA, RTA 2005-00043-00-00

Ultrasonic monitoring of iberian fat crystallization during cold storage

[EN] The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of ultrasonic measurements to characterize the crystallization process and to assess the textural changes of Iberian fat and Iberian ham during cold storage. The ultrasonic velocity was measured in two types of Iberian fats (Montanera and Cebo) during cold storage (0, 2, 5, 7 and 10 ºC) and in vacuum packaged Iberian ham stored at 6ºC for 120 days. The fatty acid profile, thermal behaviour and textural properties of fat were determined. The ultrasonic velocity and textural measurements showed a two step increase during cold storage, which was related with the separate crystallization of two fractions of triglycerides. It was observed that the harder the fat, the higher the ultrasonic velocity. Likewise, Cebo fat resulted harder than Montanera due to a higher content of saturated triglycerides. The ultrasonic velocity in Iberian ham showed an average increase of 55 m/s after 120 days of cold storage due to fat crystallization. Thus, non-destructive ultrasonic technique could be a reliable method to follow the crystallization of fats and to monitor the changes in the textural properties of Iberian ham during cold storage.Corona Jimenez, E.; García Pérez, JV.; Santacatalina Bonet, JV.; Peña Cerveró, R.; Benedito Fort, JJ. (2012). Ultrasonic monitoring of iberian fat crystallization during cold storage. IOP: Materials Science and Engineering. 42:9-12. doi:10.1088/1757-899X/42/1/012035S91242Niñoles, L., Clemente, G., Ventanas, S., & Benedito, J. (2007). Quality assessment of Iberian pigs through backfat ultrasound characterization and fatty acid composition. Meat Science, 76(1), 102-111. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2006.10.018Santacatalina, J. V., Garcia-Perez, J. V., & Benedito, E. C., J. (2011). Ultrasonic monitoring of lard crystallization during storage. Food Research International, 44(1), 146-155. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2010.10.048Himawan, C., Starov, V. M., & Stapley, A. G. F. (2006). Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of fat crystallization. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 122(1-3), 3-33. doi:10.1016/j.cis.2006.06.01

Jaw biodynamic data for 24 patients with chronic unilateral temporomandibular disorder

This study assessed 24 adult patients, suffering from severe chronic unilateral pain diagnosed as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder (TMD). The full dentate patients had normal occlusion and had never received an occlusal therapy, i.e., were with natural dental evolution/maturation. The following functional and dynamic factors were assessed: (1) chewing function; (2) TMJ remodeling or the condylar path (CP); and (3) lateral jaw motion or lateral guidance (LG). CPs were assessed using conventional axiography, and LG was assessed by K7 jaw tracking. Seventeen (71%) of the 24 (100%) patients consistently showed a habitual chewing side. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) of the CP angles was 47.90 (9.24) degrees. The mean (SD) of the LG angles was 42.95 (11.78) degrees. Data collection emerged from the conception of a new TMD paradigm where the affected side could be the habitual chewing side, the side with flatter lateral jaw motion or the side with an increased CP angle. These data may lead to improved diagnosis, therapy plans and evolution in TMD patients

Isolation of Neisseria meningitidis strains with increase of penicillin minimal inhibitory concentrations

We report the isolation and characterization of ten strains showing an increase in the minimal inhibitory concentrations to penicillin (MICs > 0·1 μg/ml), and describe the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological features. The susceptibility of 3432 meningococcal strains isolated from patients in the recent epidemic wave (1978–86) in Spain, to several antimicrobial agents used in the treatment and chemoprophylaxis of meningococcal infection has been tested. Most were resistant to sulphadiazine but sensitive to other antibiotics. The possible existence of a new pattern of behaviour of meningococcal to penicillin is discussed

Thermal neutron background at Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC)

The thermal neutron background at Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC) has been determined using several He proportional counter detectors. Bare and Cd shielded counters were used in a series of long measurements. Pulse shape discrimination techniques were applied to discriminate between neutron and gamma signals as well as other intrinsic contributions. Montecarlo simulations allowed us to estimate the sensitivity of the detectors and calculate values for the background flux of thermal neutrons inside Hall-A of LSC. The obtained value is (3.5±0.8)×10 n/cms, and is within an order of magnitude compared to similar facilities.This work was supported partially by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and its Plan Nacional de I+D+i de Física de Partículas projects: FPA2016-76765-P and FPA2018-096717-B-C21. The authors want to acknowledge the help provided by the staff at LSC in the preparation and support for this work

Treatment of spent pickling baths coming from hot dip galvanizing by means of an electrochemical membrane reactor

The performance of a one (OCR) and a two-compartment electrochemical reactor in the presence of a cation-exchange membrane (CEM) for the zinc recovery present in the spent pickling baths is analyzed in this paper under galvanostatic control. These solutions, which mainly contain ZnCl2 and FeCl2 in aqueous HCl media, come from the hot dip galvanizing industry. The effect of the applied current, the dilution factor of the baths and the presence or absence of initial cathodic zinc is also studied. For the 1:50 diluted spent bath, OCR experiments initially present higher values of the figures of merit than those obtained in the presence of the CEM since zinc is close to the cathode from the first electrolysis instants. However, at long electrolysis times, OCR presents zinc redissolution for all the current values tested due to the chlorine and iron presence close to the zinc deposits. In addition, the iron codeposition phenomenon is also observed in the OCR experiments when pH values are close to 2. On the other hand, CEM experiments become very similar to the OCR experiments at long time values since the CEM under these experimental conditions prevents zinc redissolution phenomenon and also iron codeposition. When the 1:50 diluted bath is concentred to 1:10, OCR experiments present the same tendency as that observed for the 1:50 dilution factor but the effect of zinc redissolution is increased due to the greater amount of chlorine generated in the anode. Under these experimental conditions, iron deposition has also been observed in the presence of the cation-exchange membrane as the rate of zinc deposition is greater than that of zinc transport through the membrane, and the zinc/iron ratio in the cathodic compartment is not high enough to prevent iron codeposition. In both cases, the pH values when iron codeposits with zinc are close to 2 and the zinc/iron ratio is below 0.6. The presence of initial zinc in the cathodic compartment of the electrochemical reactor enhances the reactor performance since it allows the zinc–iron separation in one single step and avoids the zinc redissolution phenomenon.The authors want to express their gratitude to the Generalitat Valenciana for a postgraduate grant (GV/2010/029) and to the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad for financing the project number CTQ2012-37450-C02-01/PPQ.Carrillo Abad, J.; García Gabaldón, M.; Pérez Herranz, V. (2014). Treatment of spent pickling baths coming from hot dip galvanizing by means of an electrochemical membrane reactor. Desalination. 343:38-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2013.11.040S384734

Multiple approaches at admission based on lung ultrasound and biomarkers improves risk identification in COVID-19 patients

Background: Risk stratification of COVID-19 patients is fundamental to improving prognosis and selecting the right treatment. We hypothesized that a combination of lung ultrasound (LUZ-score), biomarkers (sST2), and clinical models (PANDEMYC score) could be useful to improve risk stratification. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study designed to analyze the prognostic value of lung ultrasound, sST2, and PANDEMYC score in COVID-19 patients. The primary endpoint was in-hospital death and/or admission to the intensive care unit. The total length of hospital stay, increase of oxygen flow, or escalated medical treatment during the first 72 h were secondary endpoints. Results: a total of 144 patients were included; the mean age was 57.5 ± 12.78 years. The median PANDEMYC score was 243 (52), the median LUZ-score was 21 (10), and the median sST2 was 53.1 ng/mL (30.9). Soluble ST2 showed the best predictive capacity for the primary endpoint (AUC = 0.764 (0.658–0.871); p = 0.001), towards the PANDEMYC score (AUC = 0.762 (0.655–0.870); p = 0.001) and LUZ-score (AUC = 0.749 (0.596–0.901); p = 0.002). Taken together, these three tools significantly improved the risk capacity (AUC = 0.840 (0.727–0.953); p = 0.001). Conclusions: The PANDEMYC score, lung ultrasound, and sST2 concentrations upon admission for COVID-19 are independent predictors of intra-hospital death and/or the need for admission to the ICU for mechanical ventilation. The combination of these predictive tools improves the predictive power compared to each one separately. The use of decision trees, based on multivariate models, could be useful in clinical practice. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/)

A new L-dwarf member of the moderately metal-poor triple system HD 221356

We report on the discovery of a fourth component in the HD 221356 star system, previously known to be formed by an F8V, slightly metal-poor primary ([Fe/H]=-0.26), and a distant M8V+L3V pair. In our ongoing common proper motion search based on VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and 2MASS catalogues, we have detected a faint (J=13.76+/-0.04 mag) co-moving companion of the F8 star located at angular separation of 12.13+/-0.18 arcsec (position angle of 221.8+/-1.7), corresponding to a projected distance of ~312 AU at 26 pc. Near-infrared spectroscopy of the new companion, covering the 1.5-2.4 micron wavelength range with a resolving power of R~600, indicates an L1+/-1 spectral type. Using evolutionary models the mass of the new companion is estimated at ~0.08 solar masses, which places the object close to the stellar-substellar borderline. This multiple system provides an interesting example of objects with masses slightly above and below the hydrogen burning mass limit. The low mass companions of HD 221356 have slightly bluer colours than field dwarfs with similar spectral type, which is likely a consequence of the sub-solar metallicity of the system.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Mental impact of Covid-19 among Spanish healthcare workers. A large longitudinal survey

Aims: Longitudinal data on the mental health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in healthcare workers is limited. We estimated prevalence, incidence and persistence of probable mental disorders in a cohort of Spanish healthcare workers (Covid-19 waves 1 and 2) -and identified associated risk factors. Methods: 8996 healthcare workers evaluated on 5 May-7 September 2020 (baseline) were invited to a second web-based survey (October-December 2020). Major depressive disorder (PHQ-8 ≥ 10), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD-7 ≥ 10), panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL-5 ≥ 7), and alcohol use disorder (CAGE-AID ≥ 2) were assessed. Distal (pre-pandemic) and proximal (pandemic) risk factors were included. We estimated the incidence of probable mental disorders (among those without disorders at baseline) and persistence (among those with disorders at baseline). Logistic regression of individual-level [odds ratios (OR)] and population-level (population attributable risk proportions) associations were estimated, adjusting by all distal risk factors, health care centre and time of baseline interview. Results: 4809 healthcare workers participated at four months follow-up (cooperation rate = 65.7%; mean = 120 days s.d. = 22 days from baseline assessment). Follow-up prevalence of any disorder was 41.5%, (v. 45.4% at baseline, p < 0.001); incidence, 19.7% (s.e. = 1.6) and persistence, 67.7% (s.e. = 2.3). Proximal factors showing significant bivariate-adjusted associations with incidence included: work-related factors [prioritising Covid-19 patients (OR = 1.62)], stress factors [personal health-related stress (OR = 1.61)], interpersonal stress (OR = 1.53) and financial factors [significant income loss (OR = 1.37)]. Risk factors associated with persistence were largely similar. Conclusions: Our study indicates that the prevalence of probable mental disorders among Spanish healthcare workers during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was similarly high to that after the first wave. This was in good part due to the persistence of mental disorders detected at the baseline, but with a relevant incidence of about 1 in 5 of HCWs without mental disorders during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Health-related factors, work-related factors and interpersonal stress are important risks of persistence of mental disorders and of incidence of mental disorders. Adequately addressing these factors might have prevented a considerable amount of mental health impact of the pandemic among this vulnerable population. Addressing health-related stress, work-related factors and interpersonal stress might reduce the prevalence of these disorders substantially. Study registration number: NCT04556565.Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/ FEDER (J. A., grant number COV20/00711); Project “PI17/00521”, funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by the European Union, PERIS, Health Dpt, Generaliat de Catalunya (I. A., grant number SLT017/20/000009); ISCIII-FSE+, Miguel Servet (P. M., grant number CP21/00078); ISCIII-FSE, Sara Borrell (P. M., grant number CD18/00049), Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR452). Additional partial funding was received from the Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León (SACYL) (J. M. P. T., grant number GRS COVID 32/A/20).S

Tracking progress towards equitable child survival in a Nicaraguan community: neonatal mortality challenges to meet the MDG 4

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nicaragua has made progress in the reduction of the under-five mortality since 1980s. Data for the national trends indicate that this poor Central American country is on track to reach the Millennium Development Goal-4 by 2015. Despite this progress, neonatal mortality has not showed same progress. The aim of this study is to analyse trends and social differentials in neonatal and under-five mortality in a Nicaraguan community from 1970 to 2005.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two linked community-based reproductive surveys in 1993 and 2002 followed by a health and demographic surveillance system providing information on all births and child deaths in urban and rural areas of León municipality, Nicaragua. A total of 49 972 live births were registered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A rapid reduction in under-five mortality was observed during the late 1970s (from 103 deaths/1000 live births) and the 1980s, followed by a gradual decline to the level of 23 deaths/1000 live births in 2005. This community is on track for the Millennium Development Goal 4 for improved child survival. However, neonatal mortality increased lately in spite of a good coverage of skilled assistance at delivery. After some years in the 1990s with a very small gap in neonatal survival between children of mothers of different educational levels this divide is increasing.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>After the reduction of high under-five mortality that coincided with improved equity in survival in this Nicaraguan community, the current challenge is the neonatal mortality where questions of an equitable perinatal care of good quality must be addressed.</p