High residual platelet reactivity during aspirin therapy in patients with non-st segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: Comparison between initial and late phases

Background: High platelet reactivity (HPR) during therapy with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is a poor prognostic factor in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The prevalence of HPR during ACS is greater than that reported in stable diseases. However, it is unclear whether this prevalence of HPR is a transient phenomenon or a characteristic of this high-risk population. Objective; The main objective is to compare the effects of ASA on platelet function in the initial and late phases of ACS in a single population. Secondary objectives are: correlation between the tests between themselves and the relationship between the tests and the variation of the inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6). Methods: Seventy patients with non-ST segment elevation (NSTE) ACS in use of 100-200 mg of ASA per day for at least 7 days were prospectively studied. Platelet function was assessed in the first 48 hours and subsequently after 3 months using four methods: VerifyNow (TM) (VFN), whole blood platelet aggregation (WBPA) with arachidonic acid (AA) and collagen as agonists, and platelet function analyzer (PFA). The level of statistical significance considered was < 0.05. Results: According to the more specific methods (WBPA with AA and VFN), the incidence of HPR was significantly higher in the early phase than in the late phase: WBPA with AA: 31% versus 13%, p = 0.015; VFN: 32% versus 16%, p = 0.049. The other methods tested, which were less specific for ASA, did not show significant differences between phases. The correlation between the methods was weak or moderate (r ranging from 0.3 to 0.5, p < 0.05), and there were no significant associations between HPR and inflammatory markers. Conclusion: The prevalence of HPR during AAS therapy, assessed by specific methods for cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1), is higher during the acute phase than in the late phase of NSTE ACS

Effect of low-level laser therapy (gaaias - λ660 Nm) on muscle function

Introduction: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is effective in preventing fatigue and in stimulating the microcirculation and cellular activity. In this study, we examined the effect of LLLT on injured tibial muscle in vivo by assessing muscle function during fatigue. Methods: Twenty-four male mice were used. Each mouse received an injection of sterile 0.9% saline solution (50 µL) in the right tibialis anterior muscle, after which the tendon of the muscle was exposed, connected to an isometric transducer and subjected to a resting tension of 1 g. A bipolar electrode was attached to the tibial nerve for electrical stimulation. The mice were randomly allocated to one of two groups: G1 (control: 3 h - n=8 and 9 h - n=5) and G2 (treated with GaAlAs laser, λ660 nm, 35 mW, 0.6 J, 17 s: 3 h - n=6 and 9 h - n=5). Results: In G1 mice, the amplitude of the tetanic contracture in response to induced fatigue remained unchanged during six consecutive tetani. The amplitude of the tetanic contractions in response to electrical stimulation (4-8 mV) was also unchanged. These results indicated muscle intactness in response to the load imposed by tetanus. In G2 mice, there was an increase in the amplitude of contraction after 3 h and 9 h when compared to G1 at 83% tetanus. Conclusion: These results indicate that exposure of muscle to LLLT enhanced the contractile force and increased the resistance to muscle fatigue without causing morphological damage to cellular structures. © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Engenharia Biomedica.Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is effective in preventing fatigue and in stimulating the microcirculation and cellular activity. In this study, we examined the effect of LLLT on injured tibial muscle in vivo by assessing muscle function during fatigue. Methods: Twenty-four male mice were used. Each mouse received an injection of sterile 0.9% saline solution (50 µL) in the right tibialis anterior muscle, after which the tendon of the muscle was exposed, connected to an isometric transducer and subjected to a resting tension of 1 g. A bipolar electrode was attached to the tibial nerve for electrical stimulation. The mice were randomly allocated to one of two groups: G1 (control: 3 h - n=8 and 9 h - n=5) and G2 (treated with GaAlAs laser, λ660 nm, 35 mW, 0.6 J, 17 s: 3 h - n=6 and 9 h - n=5). Results: In G1 mice, the amplitude of the tetanic contracture in response to induced fatigue remained unchanged during six consecutive tetani. The amplitude of the tetanic contractions in response to electrical stimulation (4-8 mV) was also unchanged. These results indicated muscle intactness in response to the load imposed by tetanus. In G2 mice, there was an increase in the amplitude of contraction after 3 h and 9 h when compared to G1 at 83% tetanus. Conclusion: These results indicate that exposure of muscle to LLLT enhanced the contractile force and increased the resistance to muscle fatigue without causing morphological damage to cellular structures31324124

Simultaneous analysis of free amino acids and biogenic amines in honey and wine samples using in loop orthophthalaldeyde derivatization procedure

This work presents a RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous quantification of free amino acids and biogenic amines in liquid food matrices and the results of the application to honey and wine samples obtained from different production processes and geographic origins. The developed methodology is based on a pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde carried out in the sample injection loop. The compounds were separated in a Nova-Pack RP-C18 column (150 mm × 3.9 mm, 4 μm) at 35 °C. The mobile phase used was a mixture of phase A: 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.3), methanol and tetrahydrofuran (91:8:1); and phase B: methanol and phosphate buffer (80:20), with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. Fluorescence detection was used at an excitation wavelength of 335 nm and an emission wavelength of 440 nm. The separation and quantification of 19 amino acids and 6 amines was carried out in a single run as their OPA/MCE derivatives elute within 80 min, ensuring a reproducible quantification. The method showed to be adequate for the purpose, with an average RSD of 2% for the different amino acids; detection limits varying between 0.71 mg/l (Asn) and 8.26 mg/l (Lys) and recovery rates between 63.0% (Cad) and 98.0% (Asp). The amino acids present at the highest concentration in honey and wine samples were phenylalanine and arginine, respectively. Only residual levels of biogenic amines were detected in the analysed samples

Reduction in Subtypes and Sizes of Myocardial Infarction With Ticagrelor in PEGASUS-TIMI 54

Background: Ticagrelor reduced cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke in patients with prior MI in PEGASUSTIMI 54 (Prevention of Cardiovascular Events [eg, Death From Heart or Vascular Disease, Heart Attack, or Stroke] in Patients With Prior Heart Attack Using Ticagrelor Compared to Placebo on a Background of Aspirin). MI can occur in diverse settings and with varying severity; therefore, understanding the types and sizes of MI events prevented is of clinical importance. Methods and Results: MIs were adjudicated by a blinded clinical events committee and categorized by subtype and fold elevation of peak cardiac troponin over the upper limit of normal. A total of 1042 MIs occurred in 898 of the 21 162 randomized patients over a median follow-up of 33 months. The majority of the MIs (76%) were spontaneous (Type 1), with demand MI (Type 2) and stent thrombosis (Type 4b) accounting for 13% and 9%, respectively; sudden death (Type 3), percutaneous coronary intervention–related (Type 4a) and coronary artery bypass graft–related (Type 5) each accounted for <1%. Half of MIs (520, 50%) had a peak troponin ≥10x upper limit of normal and 21% of MIs (220) had a peak troponin ≥1009 upper limit of normal. A total of 21% (224) were ST-segment–elevation MI STEMI. Overall ticagrelor reduced MI (4.47% versus 5.25%, hazard ratio 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.72–0.95, P=0.0055). The benefit was consistent among the subtypes, including a 31% reduction in MIs with a peak troponin ≥1009 upper limit of normal (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.53–0.92, P=0.0096) and a 40% reduction in ST-segment elevation MI (hazard ratio 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.46–0.78, P=0.0002). Conclusions: In stable outpatients with prior MI, the majority of recurrent MIs are spontaneous and associated with a high biomarker elevation. Ticagrelor reduces the MI consistently among subtypes and sizes including large MIs and ST-segment elevation MI

Relationship of Weather Types on the Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Rainfall, Runoff, and Sediment Yield in the Western Mediterranean Basin

Rainfall is the key factor to understand soil erosion processes, mechanisms, and rates. Most research was conducted to determine rainfall characteristics and their relationship with soil erosion (erosivity) but there is little information about how atmospheric patterns control soil losses, and this is important to enable sustainable environmental planning and risk prevention. We investigated the temporal and spatial variability of the relationships of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield with atmospheric patterns (weather types, WTs) in the western Mediterranean basin. For this purpose, we analyzed a large database of rainfall events collected between 1985 and 2015 in 46 experimental plots and catchments with the aim to: (i) evaluate seasonal differences in the contribution of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield produced by the WTs; and (ii) to analyze the seasonal efficiency of the different WTs (relation frequency and magnitude) related to rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield. The results indicate two different temporal patterns: the first weather type exhibits (during the cold period: autumn and winter) westerly flows that produce the highest rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield values throughout the territory; the second weather type exhibits easterly flows that predominate during the warm period (spring and summer) and it is located on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the cyclonic situations present high frequency throughout the whole year with a large influence extended around the western Mediterranean basin. Contrary, the anticyclonic situations, despite of its high frequency, do not contribute significantly to the total rainfall, runoff, and sediment (showing the lowest efficiency) because of atmospheric stability that currently characterize this atmospheric pattern. Our approach helps to better understand the relationship of WTs on the seasonal and spatial variability of rainfall, runoff and sediment yield with a regional scale based on the large dataset and number of soil erosion experimental stations.Spanish Government (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO) and FEDER Projects: CGL2014 52135-C3-3-R, ESP2017-89463-C3-3-R, CGL2014-59946-R, CGL2015-65569-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-2-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-1-R, CGL2016-78075-P, GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857, RECARE-FP7, CGL2017-83866-C3-1-R, and PCIN-2017-061/AEI. Dhais Peña-Angulo received a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral contract (FJCI-2017-33652 Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MEC). Ana Lucia acknowledge the "Brigitte-Schlieben-Lange-Programm". The “Geoenvironmental Processes and Global Change” (E02_17R) was financed by the Aragón Government and the European Social Fund. José Andrés López-Tarazón acknowledges the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia for supporting the Consolidated Research Group 2014 SGR 645 (RIUS- Fluvial Dynamics Research Group). Artemi Cerdà thank the funding of the OCDE TAD/CRP JA00088807. José Martínez-Fernandez acknowledges the project Unidad de Excelencia CLU-2018-04 co-funded by FEDER and Castilla y León Government. Ane Zabaleta is supported by the Hydro-Environmental Processes consolidated research group (IT1029-16, Basque Government). This paper has the benefit of the Lab and Field Data Pool created within the framework of the COST action CONNECTEUR (ES1306)

DRIADE: software para la gestión de datos de Inventarios Forestales

DRIADE es una aplicación informática, actualmente en fase de realización, orientada a la gestión y proceso de los datos obtenidos en inventarios forestales. Está dotada de una estructura de aplicaciones modular que permite abarcar todo el espectro de actividades relacionadas con los trabajos de inventario. En el momento presente, dispone del Módulo de Cálculo Silvícola, que permite definir las variables a muestrear, introducir las ecuaciones de cálculo necesarias para obtener las diferentes relaciones dasométricas y dendrométricas así como gestionar los procesos de cálculo en función de la estructura del inventario. Una estructura asociada en forma de base de datos permite almacenar, editar y recombinar los datos obtenidos, ya sea en campo o mediante los procesos de cálculo de DRIADE. Instrumento extremadamente flexible, presenta una base de más de 100 variables forestales predefinidas que el usuario puede escoger para definir el inventario a practicar. Dispone de una interface para importar/exportar datos en gran variedad de formatos y un editor de informes de salida imprimibles en papel

Bacterioplankton dynamics in the Mondego estuary (Portugal)

In this work, the density of bacterioplankton and environmental parameters were monitored over a 11 month period (July 1999-June 2000), and also during one tidal cycle (15 June 2000), at two sampling stations, in the estuary of River Mondego. These data were treated by multivariate analyses methods in order to identify the key factors that control the dynamics of the bacterioplankton in the estuary. Bacterial dynamics were dominated by temporal gradients (annual seasons and tide-related) and less by the spatial structure of the estuary. Three main metabolic groups of bacterioplankton--aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB)--involved in the cycling of organic matter, were present in the water column of the estuary. Their relative abundance depended on the particular physical, chemical and biological environment. The abundance of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, during the 11 month study, was modelled as a function of nitrate (the most important variable, with a negative effect), temperature, salinity and pH (with positive effects). SRB appeared to be limited to the water-sediment interface, where concentrations of sulphate and POM were greater. A competition between SRB and NRB for carbon has also been suggested.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VR3-4B6JTC7-8/1/1f5b2e8bcb56fdceb5fffe6f34b30e3