Oxidative Stress in Cystic Fibrosis

Airway infection leads to progressive damage of the lungs in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Oxidative stress has been implicated as a causative factor in the aetiology of that process. Supplementation with antioxidant micronutrients (vitamin E, vitamin C, ß-carotene and selenium), docosahexaenoic acid or glutathione might therefore be helpful in maintaining an adequate redox balance. Current literature suggests a relationship between oxidative status and lung function. In this chapter we will summarize the main pathways of oxidative stress, focusing on results of new antioxidant treatments

Intermittent hypoxic training and cycling performance in triathletes

Los deportistas incorporan como complemento a su entrenamiento convencional, programas de entrenamiento en altitud para incrementar el rendimiento. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar los efectos sobre el umbral anaeróbico (Uan) producidos por un programa de entrenamiento en hipoxia intermitente (IHT) en triatletas. Participaron 18 triatletas divididos en un grupo de entrenamiento en hipoxia (GIHT: n=9; Edad: 26 ± 6.73 años; Talla 173.33 ± 5.94 cm; Peso: 66.38 ± 5.91 kg) y un grupo control (GC: n=9; Edad: 29.27 ± 6.84 años; Talla 174.89 ± 4.59 cm; Peso: 71.59 ± 6.81 Kg). Se aplicó un programa de IHT, complementario al entrenamiento habitual de 7 semanas al 15-14.5% de FiO2, 2 sesiones semanales de 60 minutos en cicloergómetro a la intensidad del Uan. Se llevó a cabo un test de umbrales lácticos previo y otro posterior al programa. El tratamiento propuesto produce un incremento en la potencia y el esfuerzo percibido en el Uan y disminuye la frecuencia cardiaca en el umbral aeróbico (Uae) y el UanAthletes include altitude training as a complement to their conventional training to improve performance. The aim of the study was to analyze the effects on anaerobic threshold (AT) produced by an IHT program in triathletes. 18 male trained triathletes were divided into intermittent hypoxic training group (GIHT: n=9; age: 26±6.73 years, height 173.33±5.94 cm, weight: 66.38±5.91 kg) and control group (GC: n=9; age: 29.27±6.84 years, height 174.89±4.59 cm, weight: 71.59±6.81 kg). The IHT program consisted of two 60-min sessions per week at intensities over the AT and atmospheric conditions between 14.5 and 15% FiO2. Before and after the program, cycling performance in a lactate thresholds test was determined. The treatment caused an improvement in the power output and perceived exertion in AT and enhanced cardiac performance in the aerobic threshold and AT

Técnica microquirúrgica de anastomosis vascular sin sutura en el trasplante experimental de órganos

Las anastomosis vasculares para e! trasplante de órganos en pequeños animales se realizan habitualmente por sutura manual ya sea continua o discontinua, aunque en los últimos años se ha difundido una técnica sin sutura consistente en la utilización de «cuffs». En e! presente trabajo se describe la técnica de! cuff que nuestro equipo utilizó para la realización de las anastomosis vasculares en e! trasplante experimental de órganos. El cuff consta de un tubo o cuerpo, que se prolonga por una pestaña, y su tamaño es diferente según el calibre del vaso que se pretende anastornosar. Entre las ventajas que ofrece su utilización respecto de la sutura manual, destacan su sencillo aprendizaje, bajo coste y el reducido tiempo en que se realizan las anastomosis, que siempre son estancas. Se concluye que esta técnica constituye una alternativa a las ya clásicas técnicas de sutura manual y no aumenta al porcentaje de complicaciones, permitiendo además supervivencias a largo plazo en los modelos experimentales que fueron estudiados.Vascular anastornoses in organ transplants of small anirnals are usually performed with a manual suture using interrupted or continuous stitcbes, although over the last few years a suturefree technique has been deueloped consisting of the use of cuffs. In this paper, the cuff technique which our team used to perform vascular anastomoses in experimental organ transplants, is described. The cuff is made up oi a tube or body wich has a prolongation or up, tbe size varying according to the calibre of the blood vessel to be anastomosed. The advantages of this method in cornparison with manual sutures, is the ease with which the tecbnique is learnt, its low cost, and the speed with which the anastomoses are carried out, all of which are watertight. In conclusion, this technique constitutes an alternative to the classical manual suture techniques without increasing the percentage of cornplications, and allowing long-term suruiual rates in the experimental models studied

Early assessment of cardiomyopathy in Duchenne patients by means of longitudinal strain echocardiography

Introduction: The diagnosis of Duchenne-linked cardiomyopathy may be challenging. Conventional echocardiographic measurements typically show deterioration beyond the second decade. Global longitudinal strain has been proposed as an earlier marker than left ventricular ejection fraction. Material and methods: A prospective, observational, cross-sectional, case-control study was carried out. Both Duchenne patients and control subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiogram in order to assess left ventricle function. Bayesian linear regression was the main tool for inference. Age effects were parameterised by means of a spline function because of its simplicity to characterise continuous variables and smooth contributions. The posterior distribution of the marginal age effects was used to assess the earliest age of deterioration of each marker. Results: Sixteen Duchenne patients and twenty-two healthy male subjects were enrolled. On overage, cardiac function measures were found for ejection fraction and longitudinal strain among different groups. Age effects on global longitudinal strain are more reliably found at ages of 6 and above, while ejection fraction starts to deteriorate at an older age. Progressive left ventricular dysfunction in Duchenne patients is one of the key issues and starts at an early age with subtle symptoms. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study provides supporting evidence that global longitudinal strain is an earlier marker of disease progression than ejection fraction in Duchenne patients

Trajectory of post-COVID brain fog, memory loss, and concentration loss in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors:the LONG-COVID-EXP multicenter study

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to apply Sankey plots and exponential bar plots for visualizing the trajectory of post-COVID brain fog, memory loss, and concentration loss in a cohort of previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.METHODS: A sample of 1,266 previously hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic were assessed at 8.4 (T1), 13.2 (T2), and 18.3 (T3) months after hospital discharge. They were asked about the presence of the following self-reported cognitive symptoms: brain fog (defined as self-perception of sluggish or fuzzy thinking), memory loss (defined as self-perception of unusual forgetfulness), and concentration loss (defined as self-perception of not being able to maintain attention). We asked about symptoms that individuals had not experienced previously, and they attributed them to the acute infection. Clinical and hospitalization data were collected from hospital medical records.RESULTS: The Sankey plots revealed that the prevalence of post-COVID brain fog was 8.37% (n = 106) at T1, 4.7% (n = 60) at T2, and 5.1% (n = 65) at T3, whereas the prevalence of post-COVID memory loss was 14.9% (n = 189) at T1, 11.4% (n = 145) at T2, and 12.12% (n = 154) at T3. Finally, the prevalence of post-COVID concentration loss decreased from 6.86% (n = 87) at T1, to 4.78% (n = 60) at T2, and to 2.63% (n = 33) at T3. The recovery exponential curves show a decreasing trend, indicating that these post-COVID cognitive symptoms recovered in the following years after discharge. The regression models did not reveal any medical record data associated with post-COVID brain fog, memory loss, or concentration loss in the long term.CONCLUSION: The use of Sankey plots shows a fluctuating evolution of post-COVID brain fog, memory loss, or concentration loss during the first years after the infection. In addition, exponential bar plots revealed a decrease in the prevalence of these symptoms during the first years after hospital discharge. No risk factors were identified in this cohort.</p

Estudio y restauración del sable en acero de Damasco de Mehemet Alí

The present manuscript is about study and restoration of a sabre, which belonged to Mehemet Ali. The work has been adopted a scientific and a historical approach. Scientific one has revealed the secrets of Damascus steel, so admired by the power of their swords as well as by the beauty of their beautiful markings, and damascene works. Techniques such as Optical Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), ICP Mass and Ultrasonic have been used in order to achieve this scientific research. Historical approach has carried out a work about the contribution of Mehemet Ali, especially to Egypt in the 18th and 19th centuries.El presente artículo trata sobre el estudio y restauración del sable perteneciente a Mehemet Alí. Este trabajo se ha realizado bajo dos enfoques diferentes: científico e histórico. El primero, en donde se han desvelado los secretos internos de este maravilloso y genuino acero de Damasco, tan admirado por el poder de sus espadas como por la belleza de las aguas y damasquinados presentes en las mismas. Para ello nos hemos ayudado de técnicas como la Microscopía Óptica, Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido (MEB), ICP Masas y Ultrasonidos. Bajo el segundo enfoque, se ha realizado un seguimiento histórico de Mehemet Alí, y su contribución al Egipto de los siglos XVIII y XIX

Desarrollo del derecho humano a un medio ambiente sano

Los motivos que impulsaron la presente investigación fue la carta emitida por el Comisariado Ejidal, quien nos expuso la problemática actual en la que se ven inmersos, como lo es la falta de aprovechamientos de recursos naturales y a su vez la falta de presupuesto para su cuidado y su preservación, lo cual trae como consecuencia diversos impactos ambientales.ITESO, A.C

Wall roughness induces asymptotic ultimate turbulence

Turbulence is omnipresent in Nature and technology, governing the transport of heat, mass, and momentum on multiple scales. For real-world applications of wall-bounded turbulence, the underlying surfaces are virtually always rough; yet characterizing and understanding the effects of wall roughness for turbulence remains a challenge, especially for rotating and thermally driven turbulence. By combining extensive experiments and numerical simulations, here, taking as example the paradigmatic Taylor-Couette system (the closed flow between two independently rotating coaxial cylinders), we show how wall roughness greatly enhances the overall transport properties and the corresponding scaling exponents. If only one of the walls is rough, we reveal that the bulk velocity is slaved to the rough side, due to the much stronger coupling to that wall by the detaching flow structures. If both walls are rough, the viscosity dependence is thoroughly eliminated in the boundary layers and we thus achieve asymptotic ultimate turbulence, i.e. the upper limit of transport, whose existence had been predicted by Robert Kraichnan in 1962 (Phys. Fluids {\bf 5}, 1374 (1962)) and in which the scalings laws can be extrapolated to arbitrarily large Reynolds numbers