Contrast Enhancement of Optical Coherence Tomography Images Using Branched Gold Nanoparticles

We propose the use of branched gold nanoparticles (B-GNPs) as a contrast agent for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Our results show that even when the central source of our OCT (1325 nm) is too far from the maximum peak of the plasmon resonance, branched nanoparticles scatter light very efficiently at this wavelength. B-GNPs were tested as a contrast agent in water and agarose-TiO2 tissue phantoms; the estimated increments in contrast were 9.19 dB and 15.07 dB for branched nanoparticles in water with concentrations of 2.2×109 NPs/mL and 6.6×109 NPs/mL, respectively, while for agarose-TiO2 tissue phantoms the estimated value was 3.17 dB. These results show the promising application of B-GNPs as a contrast agent for tissue imaging using OCT, not only for sources at 1325 nm but also at other central wavelengths located between 800 and 1000 nm

Colaboración en ciencia-tecnología entre España/Unión Europea y América Latina. Tendencias en biotecnología, ciencia de los alimentos y nanomateriales

A partir de un estudio de dos oleadas de las colaboraciones internacionales en patentes y artículos científicos entre instituciones de los países del Mercosur (más México y Chile) y países de la Unión Europea en los campos de biotecnología, ciencia de los alimentos y nanomateriales, ha sido posible identificar el rápido crecimiento de la colaboración en biotecnología, la emergencia del campo de nanomateriales en México y Brasil y el estancamiento de la colaboración en investigación en ciencias de los alimentos en ese período. México, Brasil y en menor medida Argentina, son los países líderes en esos campos, aunque Chile es un país activo en colaboraciones internacionales. A pesar que España es un importante actor en la estructura de colaboración, todavía no existe un patrón estable de colaboración entre Universidades e instituciones de investigación entre ambas partes.On the basis of a longitudinal study of international collaborations in patents and scientific articles between countries of Mercosur (plus Mexico and Chile) and countries from the European Union in the fields of biotechnology, food science and nanomaterials, it was possible to assess the fast growth of biotechnology, the emergence of nanomaterials in Mexico and Brazil and the stagnation of food science in the period. Mexico, Brazil and to a lesser degree Argentina are the leading countries, whereas Chile is relatively very active internationally as well. Although Spain is an important actor in the structure of collaboration, there is still not a stable institutional frame of collaboration among Universities and research institutes of both sides

Variation of bone mineral density induced by exercise in postmenopausal women

OBJETIVO: Evaluar la variación de la densidad mineral ósea (DMO) en columna lumbar (CL) y cuello femoral (CF).MÉTODO: 77 mujeres con osteopenia y menopausia, formaron cuatro grupos. Dos con ejercicio físico: uno tratamiento de estrógeno/Calcitonina (n=16), y otro ingesta de Calcio/Vitamina D (n=7). Dos sin ejercicio físico, uno tratamiento estrógeno/Calcitonina (n=27) y otro ingesta Calcio/Vitamina D (n=27). El ejercicio consistió en Fuerza Muscular (65% a 75% de 1RM) y multisaltos de baja a moderada intensidad. La DMO se midió mediante absorciometría. RESULTADOS: En ANOVA 2x2 se encontró homogeneidad (p<0,05) en la DMO tanto en CL y CF entre los tratamientos farmacológicos y nutricionales, heterogeneidad entre los grupos activos y sedentarios (CL p<0,05, CF p<0,01) y heterogeneidad en la interacción (p<0,01) de ambos tratamientos con el ejercicio físico. CONCLUSIONES: El ejercicio físico programado junto con los tratamientos habituales conduce a un mayor incremento de la DMO de en mujeres postmenopáusicasOBJECTIVE: Assess the variation of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in Lumbar Spine (LS) and Femoral Neck (FN). METHOD: 77 postmenopausal women with osteopenia. Four groups, two groups with exercise: one Estrogen/Calcitonin treatment (n=16), another supplement Calcium/Vitamin D (n=7); two groups without exercise, one Estrogen/Calcitonin treatment (n=27), and another supplement Calcium/Vitamin D (n=27). The exercise program consisted of resistance training (65% to 75% 1RM) and multi-jumps of low-to-moderate intensity. The BMD was evaluated by absorptiometry. RESULTS. ANOVA 2x2, homogeneity (p<0,05) in the BMD in both LS and FN between the pharmacological and nutritional treatments, and heterogeneity between the active and sedentary groups (LS p <0,05, FN p<0,01) as also in the interaction (p<0,01) of the pharmacological/nutritional treatments with the physical exercise were found. CONCLUSION. Physical exercise program with the usual treatments, lead to a greater increase in the BMD of LS and FN in postmenopausal wome

Characterising pre-service primary teachers’ discursive activity when defining

2021/FQM-226, Junta de Andalucía; PPIIV.4/2021/005, Universidad de Sevilla

The Dietary Intervention of Transgenic Low-Gliadin Wheat Bread in Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) Showed No Differences with Gluten Free Diet (GFD) but Provides Better Gut Microbiota Profile

The study evaluated the symptoms, acceptance, and digestibility of bread made from transgenic low-gliadin wheat, in comparison with gluten free bread, in Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) patients, considering clinical/sensory parameters and gut microbiota composition. This study was performed in two phases of seven days each, comprising a basal phase with gluten free bread and an E82 phase with low-gliadin bread. Gastrointestinal clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire, and stool samples were collected for gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) determination and the extraction of gut microbial DNA. For the basal and E82 phases, seven and five patients, respectively, showed undetectable GIPs content. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene V1-V2 hypervariable regions were sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform and downstream analysis was done using a Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) pipeline. No significant differences in the GSRS questionnaires were observed between the two phases. However, we observed a significantly lower abundance of some gut genera Oscillospira, Dorea, Blautia, Bacteroides, Coprococcus, and Collinsella, and a significantly higher abundance of Roseburia and Faecalibacterium genera during the E82 phase compared with the basal phase. The consumption of low-gliadin bread E82 by NCGS subjects induced potentially positive changes in the gut microbiota composition, increasing the butyrate-producing bacteria and favoring a microbial profile that is suggested to have a key role in the maintenance or improvement of gut permeability.España, MINECO Projects AGL2013-48946-C3-1-R, AGL2013-48946-C and AGL2016-80566-

Development of Surface-Coated Polylactic Acid/Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PLA/PHA) Nanocomposites

This work reports on the design and development of nanocomposites based on a polymeric matrix containing biodegradable Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) coated with either Graphite NanoPlatelets (GNP) or silver nanoparticles (AgNP). Nanocomposites were obtained by mechanical mixing under mild conditions and low load contents (<0.10 wt %). This favours physical adhesion of the additives onto the polymer surface, while the polymeric bulk matrix remains unaffected. Nanocomposite characterisation was performed via optical and focused ion beam microscopy, proving these nanocomposites are selectively modified only on the surface, leaving bulk polymer unaffected. Processability of these materials was proven by the fabrication of samples via injection moulding and mechanical characterisation. Nanocomposites showed enhanced Young modulus and yield strength, as well as better thermal properties when compared with the unmodified polymer. In the case of AgNP coated nanocomposites, the surface was found to be optically active, as observed in the increase of the resolution of Raman spectra, acquired at least 10 times, proving these nanocomposites are promising candidates as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates

Synthesis and Characterisation of ASA-PEEK Composites for Fused Filament Fabrication

In this paper, a series of polymer composites made from acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) and poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) were manufactured. ASA acts as a polymer matrix while PEEK is loaded in the form of micro-particles that act as a reinforcing filler. The composites were compounded by single screw extrusion and then, different specimens were manufactured either via injection moulding (IM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF). Two different types of PEEK (commercial and reused) in different concentrations (3 and 6 wt.%) were tested and their influence in the mechanical, structural, and thermal properties were studied. It was observed that reused PEEK enhanced the stiffness and tensile strength and thermal stability of the composites both, for injected and printed specimens. This evidences the suitability of these composites as potential candidates as novel materials with enhanced properties following an approach of circular economy

DUDAS DE ENFERMERÍA EN EL MANEJO DE LA HISTORIA CLÍNICA. ASPECTOS JURÍDICOS

&nbsp; As part of the changes produced within the nursing profession, the registration of the activities carried out proves to be necessary for the management of quality care, keeping in mind the legal aspect and development of nursing training. According to Spanish Act 41/2002, clinical history is the array of documents related to the care process of every patient, including the identification of doctors and health professionals that have intervened in the care. Its objective is to facilitate sanitary care, paying attention to aspects such as training and research, evaluation of the quality of care, administration and medical-legal. &nbsp; The Spanish Act 41/2002 determines which documents are obligatory and should be present in the clinical history. Among these are the care planning sheets, the records of therapeutic work and vital signs. All these should be present in each one of the moments along with the correspondent identification of the people carrying out the action, as these imply legal responsibility, as long as law compliance is guaranteed. Therefore, nursing must understand and fulfill the regulation regarding the use of clinical history. &nbsp; Nursing records are the documental tool where all the information of nursing activity is collected regarding a specific patient, assessment, received treatment, and progression. Nursing records are an essential part of the clinical history and therefore, have similar functions; the main one being treatment, focused on providing maximum quality care, as well as the researcher-trainer, management and contribution to the development of our profession. Other objectives are legal because the records are the documented testimony of the professional actions upon the Court requirements. &nbsp;Dentro de los cambios producidos en la profesi&oacute;n enfermera, el registro de las actividades realizadas se revela como imprescindible para administrar unos cuidados de calidad, sin olvidar el punto de vista legal y el desarrollo de la formaci&oacute;n en Enfermer&iacute;a. Seg&uacute;n la Ley 41/2002, la Historia Cl&iacute;nica comprende el conjunto de documentos relativos a los procesos asistenciales de cada paciente, con la identificaci&oacute;n de los m&eacute;dicos y los profesionales sanitarios que han intervenido en ellos, y tiene como fin principal facilitar la asistencia sanitaria, sin obviar aspectos como la docencia e investigaci&oacute;n, la evaluaci&oacute;n calidad asistencial, la administrativa y la m&eacute;dico-legal.La Ley 41/2002 determina los documentos obligatorios que deben estar presentes en la Historia cl&iacute;nica. Entre ellos se encuentran las hojas de planificaci&oacute;n de los cuidados, el registro de las aplicaciones terap&eacute;uticas y el registro de las constantes. Todos ellos deben estar presentes en cada uno de los episodios con la correspondiente identificaci&oacute;n de la persona que lo realiza, pues implica responsabilidad jur&iacute;dica, en tanto en cuanto hay que garantizar el cumplimiento de la ley. Por ello enfermer&iacute;a debe conocer y cumplir lo legislado respecto al uso de la Historia cl&iacute;nica.Los registros de enfermer&iacute;a son el soporte documental donde queda recogida toda la informaci&oacute;n sobre la actividad enfermera referente a una persona concreta, valoraci&oacute;n, tratamiento recibido y su evoluci&oacute;n. Los Registros de Enfermer&iacute;a son parte fundamental de la Historia Cl&iacute;nica y como tal tienen funciones similares; la principal ser&iacute;a la asistencial, enfocada a prestar unos cuidados de la m&aacute;xima calidad, sin olvidar la docente-investigadora, de gesti&oacute;n y la contribuci&oacute;n al desarrollo de nuestraprofesi&oacute;n. Otras de sus finalidades es la jur&iacute;dico-legal, pues los registros constituyen el testimonio documental de los actos del profesional a requerimiento de los tribunale

Gold-decorated magnetic nanoparticles design for hyperthermia applications and as a potential platform for their surface-functionalization

The integration of noble metal and magnetic nanoparticles with controlled structures that can couple various specific effects to the different nanocomposite in multifunctional nanosystems have been found interesting in the field of medicine. In this work, we show synthesis route to prepare small Au nanoparticles of sizes = 3.9 ± 0.2 nm attached to Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle cores ( = 49.2 ± 3.5 nm) in aqueous medium for potential application as a nano-heater. Remarkably, the resulted Au decorated PEI-Fe 3 O 4 (Au@PEI-Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles are able to retain bulk magnetic moment M S = 82–84 Am 2 /kg Fe3O4 , with the Verwey transition observed at T V = 98 K. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity analysis of the nanosystem microglial BV2 cells showed high viability (>97.5%) to concentrate up to 100 µg/mL in comparison to the control samples. In vitro heating experiments on microglial BV2 cells under an ac magnetic field (H 0 = 23.87 kA/m; f = 571 kHz) yielded specific power absorption (SPA) values of SPA = 43 ± 3 and 49 ± 1 μW/cell for PEI-Fe 3 O 4 and Au@PEI-Fe 3 O 4 NPs, respectively. These similar intracellular SPA values imply that functionalization of the magnetic particles with Au did not change the heating efficiency, providing at the same time a more flexible platform for multifunctional functionalization.Fil: León Félix, L.. Universidade do Brasília; Brasil. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Sanz, B.. Nb Nanoscale Biomagnetics S.l.; EspañaFil: Sebastián, V.. Universidad de Zaragoza; España. Centro de Investigación en Red en Bioingeniería; EspañaFil: Torres Molina, Teobaldo Enrique. Universidad de Zaragoza; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Sousa, Marcelo Henrique. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Coaquira, J. A. H.. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Ibarra, M.R.. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Goya, Gerardo Fabian. Universidad de Zaragoza; Españ

Experimental observation of phase transitions of a deformed Dicke model using a reconfigurable, bi-parametric electronic platform

We experimentally study the infinite-size limit of the Dicke model of quantum optics with a parity-breaking deformation strength that couples the system to an external bosonic reservoir. We focus on the dynamical consequences of such symmetry-breaking, which makes the classical phase space asymmetric with non-equivalent energy wells. We present an experimental implementation of the classical version of the deformed Dicke model using a state-of-the-art bi-parametric electronic platform. Our platform constitutes a playground for studying representative phenomena of the deformed Dicke model in electrical circuits with the possibility of externally controlling parameters and initial conditions. In particular, we investigate the dynamics of the ground state, various phase transitions, and the asymmetry of the energy wells as a function of the coupling strength $\gamma$ and the deformation strength $\alpha$ in the resonant case. Additionally, to characterize the various behavior regimes, we present a two-dimensional phase diagram as a function of the two intrinsic system parameters. The onset of chaos is also analyzed experimentally. Our findings provide a clear connection between theoretical predictions and experimental observations, demonstrating the usefulness of our bi-parametric electronic setup