Treatment of Interface Fluid Syndrome after Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis with Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in Three Patients with Corneal Endothelial Dysfunction

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) has become a first-line treatment in corneal endothelial diseases owing to its exceptional clinical outcomes and low complication rates. Thanks to its refractive predictability and the ability to reshape the superficial cornea, DMEK is now also considered for managing cases with endothelial decompensation following previous refractive procedures. This article reviews the clinical outcomes of DMEK in three patients with Interface Fluid Syndrome (IFS), a complication of laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in which endothelial failure can play a major role

Patio del cole, ¿qué puedo hacer por ti? Buscando la respuesta en la ciencia

En los últimos tiempos se ha revalorizado el patio de los colegios como un espacio educativo más en el que niños y niñas de diferentes edades pueden aprender al aire libre, en contacto con el entorno y aprendiendo de este. Además, se ha demostrado que, desde bien pequeños, niños y niñas muestran una curiosidad natural por conocer el mundo que los rodea, entrando en contacto con diferentes fenómenos científicos en su exploración de la realidad. Este trabajo estudia la posibilidad de utilizar el patio del recreo para desarrollar el aprendizaje científico del alumnado de Educación Infantil. Para ello se ha analizado el uso que se hace del espacio exterior de un centro educativo. Este análisis ha servido como base para el diseño, puesta en marcha y evaluación de un espacio de ciencias de libre elección al aire libre encaminado a desarrollar la competencia científica del alumnado en esta etapa. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que se ha conseguido mejorar la competencia científica del alumnado a la vez que se ha conseguido trabajar las “3 Es”: experiencia, explicitación y evolución de ideas. Sin embargo, para aprovechar las posibilidades que estos espacios nos ofrecen, se requiere, entre otros factores, de una reflexión sobre cuál debería ser el rol docente en los tiempos de recreo.<br /

Synthesis of BN-Polyarenes by a Mild Borylative Cyclization Cascade

Reaction of BCl3 with suitably substituted o-alkynylanilines promotes a cascade reaction in which BN-polycyclic compounds are obtained via the formation of two new cycles and three new bonds in a single operational step. The reaction is highly efficient and takes place at room temperature, providing a very mild and straightforward strategy for the preparation of BN-aromatic compounds, which can be further transformed into a variety of BN-PAHs with different polycyclic cores and substituents.Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciónInstituto de Salud Carlos II

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Oral Supplementation with a Highly-Concentrated Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Triglyceride in Patients with Keratoconus: A Randomized Controlled Preliminary Study

A prospective, randomized, single-center preliminary study was performed in patients with keratoconus stages I-III (Amsler-Krumeich), who received a high rich docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (1000 mg/day) supplement for 3 months versus untreated patients. One eye per patient was evaluated. Thirty-four patients were recruited (75% men, mean age 31 years), with 15 randomized to the control group and 19 to the DHA-treated group. Corneal topography variables and plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammatory status were evaluated. A panel of fatty acids in blood samples was also assessed. There were significant between-group differences in the astigmatism axis, asphericity coefficient, and intraocular pressure in favor of the DHA group. Additionally, between-group significant differences in total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), free glutathione (GSH) and GSH/GSSG ratio, as well as reduced values of inflammatory markers, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) were found. These preliminary findings support the usefulness of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of DHA supplementation for targeting underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of keratoconus. Prolonged duration of DHA supplementation may be needed to detect more noticeable clinical changes in corneal topography

In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of the Combination of Polypurine Reverse Hoogsteen Hairpins against HER-2 and Trastuzumab in Breast Cancer Cells

Therapeutic oligonucleotides are powerful tools for the inhibition of potential targets involved in cancer. We describe the effect of two Polypurine Reverse Hoogsteen (PPRH) hairpins directed against the ERBB2 gene, which is overexpressed in positive HER-2 breast tumors. The inhibition of their target was analyzed by cell viability and at the mRNA and protein levels. The combination of these specific PPRHs with trastuzumab was also explored in breast cancer cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo. PPRHs designed against two intronic sequences of the ERBB2 gene decreased the viability of SKBR-3 and MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cells. The decrease in cell viability was associated with a reduction in ERBB2 mRNA and protein levels. In combination with trastuzumab, PPRHs showed a synergic effect in vitro and reduced tumor growth in vivo. These results represent the preclinical proof of concept of PPRHs as a therapeutic tool for breast cance

Prediction and evaluation of biomass obtained from citrus trees pruning

The aim of this work was to evaluate the amount of residual biomass obtained from citrus tree plantations. This amount is influenced by the variety and aim of the pruning. The trials show that the amount of pruned biomass can be considered similar in the varieties Naveline and Washington Navel, giving an average 4.73 kg per tree and 2.68 tons per hectare. The Valencia Late produced about 48% more than the other evaluated varieties. The amount of residual biomass per tree obtained in formation pruning was about 49% lower than the trees in full production, giving 4.7 tons of dry biomass per hectare. Furthermore, the amount of pruned biomass from mandarin varieties studied show that they can be classified two groups. Varieties Clemenvilla and Owall form the first homogeneous group with bigger amount of residues with average 9.6 kg per tree and 6.9 tons per hectare, while the second homogeneous group included by the rest of varieties, with 3.8 kg per tree and 2.9 tons per hectare. Factors, such as age or growing space per tree increase the wood residues production to 66% and 53.3%, respectively, in mandarin trees. Regression equations have been modeled to predict the available biomass per tree and per hectare from dendrometic characteristics of the trees. The coefficients of determination have been acceptable. The drying process of pruned materials has been depicted. The density and gross power heat have been measured. The information offered by these equations is of vital importance to estimate the amount of biomass that is generated in a given area, and for implementing GIS maps. In addition, logistic algorithms can be applied

On solving the unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem: active microrheology as a case study

Modern computational platforms are characterized by the heterogeneity of their processing elements. Additionally, there are many algorithms which can be structured as a set of procedures or tasks with different computational cost. Balancing the computational load among the available processing elements is one of the main keys for the optimal exploitation of such heterogeneous platforms. When the processing time of any procedure executed on any of the available processing elements is known, this workload-balancing problem can be modeled as the well-known scheduling on unrelated parallel machines problem. Solving this type of problems is a big challenge due to the high heterogeneity on both, the tasks and the machines. In this paper, the balancing problem has been formally defined as a global optimization problem which minimizes the makespan (parallel runtime) and a heuristic based on a Genetic Algorithm, called Genetic Scheduler (GenS), has been developed to solve it. In order to analyze the behavior of GenS for several heterogeneous clusters, an example taken from the field of statistical mechanics has been considered as a case study: an active microrheology model. Given this type of problem and a heterogeneous cluster, we seek to minimize the total runtime to extend and analyze in depth the case of study. In such context, a task consists of the simulation of a tracer particle pulled into a cubic box with smaller bath particles. The computational load depends on the total number of the bath particles. Moreover, GenS has been compared to other dynamic and static scheduling approaches. The experimental results of such a comparison show that GenS outperforms the rest of the tested alternatives achieving a better distribution of the computational workload on a heterogeneous cluster. So, the scheduling strategy developed in this paper is of potential interest for any application which requires the execution of many tasks of different duration (a priori known) on a heterogeneous cluster

The Preclinical discovery and development of opicapone for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease

Introduction: Opicapone (OPC) is a well-established catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) associated with L-DOPA / L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor (DDI) therapy allowing for prolonged activity due to a more continuous supply of L-DOPA in the brain. Thus, OPC decreases fluctuation in L-DOPA plasma levels and favours more constant central dopaminergic receptor stimulation, thus improving PD symptomatology. Areas covered: This review evaluates the preclinical development, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and safety profile of OPC. Data were extracted from published preclinical and clinical studies published on PUBMED and SCOPUS (Search period: 2000-2019). Clinical and post-marketing data were also evaluated. Expert opinion: OPC is a third generation COMT inhibitor with a novel structure. It has an efficacy and tolerability superior to its predecessors, tolcapone (TOL) and entacapone (ENT). It also provides a safe and simplified drug regimen that allows neurologists to individually adjust the existing daily administration of L-DOPA. OPC is indicated as an adjunctive therapy to L-DOPA/DDI in patients with PD and end-of-dose motor fluctuations who cannot be stabilised on those combinations. Abbreviations: 3-OMD, 3-O-methyldopa; 6-OHDA, 6-hydroxydopamine; BG, basal ganglia; COMT, Catechol-O-methyltransferase; DDI, decarboxylase inhibitors; ENT, Entacapone; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; MPTP, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; OPC, Opicapone; PD, Parkinson's disease; TOL, Tolcapone; GDNF, Glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor; NTN, neurturin; ICV, Intracerebroventricular; PDUFA, Prescription Drug User Fees Act; EMA, European Medicine Administration; AE, Adverse event BG, Basal ganglia. QD, once a day

Algunos principios de diseño de espacios de ciencias de libre elección monotemáticos

Los espacios de ciencias de libre elección son afamados en las aulas de Educación Infantil debido a que pueden generar situaciones estimulantes que promueven aprendizajes científicos. En general, estos espacios abordan diversos temas de ciencias que se distribuyen en diferentes propuestas, de manera que en cada una de ellas se trate un tema. En este trabajo, en cambio, se presenta el diseño de cuatro espacios de ciencias de libre elección con la particularidad de que son monotemáticos, es decir, todas las propuestas que constituyen el espacio tratan un único tópico científico. Siguiendo el ciclo marcado por la Investigación Basada en el Diseño, tras su puesta en marcha en aulas de diferentes cursos de Educación Infantil y el análisis de las situaciones de aprendizaje provocadas, se establece una rúbrica de evaluación y algunos principios de diseño de estos espacios teniendo en cuenta el contexto, las preguntas que plantean las propuestas y la elección didáctica de los materiales

Influence of the carbon support on the PtSn anodic catalyst for the electrochemical reforming of ethanol

Several anodic catalysts based on Pt–Sn (3:1 mass ratio) and 20% total metal loading were prepared on different carbonaceous supports (functionalized and non-functionalized low-density nanofibers, graphite oxide, expanded graphite, graphene flakes and β-SiC), to identify an alternative for the traditional Carbon Vulcan XC-72 support for the electrochemical reforming of ethanol. Of the materials tested, Pt–Sn supported on non-functionalized low-density nanofibers (CNF LS) showed the highest electro-catalytic activity vs. the traditional support. This result was attributed to the combination of different properties such as high surface area and dispersion of the Pt–Sn nanoparticles, high electrochemical active surface area and high basicity. This anodic catalyst was chosen for the development of a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) and tested for the electrochemical reforming of ethanol. A high activity was obtained (120 mA cm−2 at 1.4 V and 80 °C) for hydrogen production. In addition, the stability of the system and its subsequent regeneration were studied in view of its practical application.Se prepararon varios catalizadores anódicos basados en Pt-Sn (relación de masas 3:1) y con una carga total del 20% de metal sobre diferentes soportes carbonosos (nanofibras de baja densidad funcionalizadas y no funcionalizadas, óxido de grafito, grafito expandido, escamas de grafeno y β-SiC), para identificar una alternativa al soporte tradicional Carbon Vulcan XC-72 para el reformado electroquímico del etanol. De los materiales ensayados, el Pt-Sn soportado sobre nanofibras de baja densidad no funcionalizadas (CNF LS) mostró la mayor actividad electrocatalítica frente al soporte tradicional. Este resultado se atribuyó a la combinación de diferentes propiedades, como la elevada superficie y dispersión de las nanopartículas de Pt-Sn, la elevada superficie electroquímicamente activa y la alta basicidad. Este catalizador anódico se eligió para el desarrollo de un conjunto de electrodos de membrana (MEA) y se probó para el reformado electroquímico del etanol. Se obtuvo una elevada actividad (120 mA cm-2 a 1,4 V y 80 °C) para la producción de hidrógeno. Además, se estudió la estabilidad del sistema y su posterior regeneración con vistas a su aplicación práctica