Decontamination of Diesel particles from air by using the Counterfog (R) system

The existence of particles with diameter under 10m in air is strongly correlated with respiratory diseases. These particles are profusely produced by heating systems, traffic, and Diesel engines creating a serious problem to modern cities. Natural mechanisms removing particles from the atmosphere are too slow to deal with the huge amount of particles daily released by human activity. The objective of this work is to measure the effectiveness of a new technology called Counterfog (R) to eliminate airborne particles. The results show that Counterfog (R) is able to wash out PM10, PM5, and PM2.5 Diesel-generated airborne particles quite efficiently.This work has been funded by the FP7-SEC-2012-1 program of the EU Commission under grant number 312804

Cigarette Smoking and Cognitive Function in Chinese Male Schizophrenia: A Case-Control study

Schizophrenic patients have higher smoking rates than the general population. Studies show that smoking may be a form of self-medication in an attempt to alleviate cognitive deficits in schizophrenic patients of European background. This study examined the relationships between smoking and cognitive deficits in Chinese schizophrenic patients, which have previously received little systemic study. We recruited 580 male chronic patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and 175 male control subjects who were matched on age and education. The subjects completed a detailed cigarette smoking questionnaire, the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Patients also were rated on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), the Simpson and Angus Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (SAES), and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). All five RBANS subscales except for the Visuospatial/Constructional index showed significantly lower cognitive performance for schizophrenics than normal controls. The schizophrenic smokers scored lower than the schizophrenic non-smokers on the RBANS total score and the Visuospatial/Constructional and Immediate Memory indices. Similarly, the control smokers scored lower than the control non-smokers on the RBANS total score and the Immediate Memory index . Also, the schizophrenic smokers consistently performed the poorest on the cognitive domains of the RBANS. Among the schizophrenic patients, smokers displayed significantly fewer negative symptoms than non-smokers. Using multivariate regression analysis the following variables were independently associated with the RBANS total score: years of education, PANSS negative symptom score, age at schizophrenia onset, and number of hospitalizations. Our results show that smoking is associated with significant cognitive impairment in both schizophrenic patients and normal controls, but the smokers with schizophrenia had a reduced level of negative symptoms, suggesting that the benefits of smoking for those with schizophrenia may be limited to certain aspects of a given clinical phenotype

4to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

Este volumen acoge la memoria académica de la Cuarta edición del Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2017, desarrollado entre el 29 de noviembre y el 1 de diciembre de 2017 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS) en su sede de Guayaquil. El Congreso ofreció un espacio para la presentación, difusión e intercambio de importantes investigaciones nacionales e internacionales ante la comunidad universitaria que se dio cita en el encuentro. El uso de herramientas tecnológicas para la gestión de los trabajos de investigación como la plataforma Open Conference Systems y la web de presentación del Congreso http://citis.blog.ups.edu.ec/, hicieron de CITIS 2017 un verdadero referente entre los congresos que se desarrollaron en el país. La preocupación de nuestra Universidad, de presentar espacios que ayuden a generar nuevos y mejores cambios en la dimensión humana y social de nuestro entorno, hace que se persiga en cada edición del evento la presentación de trabajos con calidad creciente en cuanto a su producción científica. Quienes estuvimos al frente de la organización, dejamos plasmado en estas memorias académicas el intenso y prolífico trabajo de los días de realización del Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad al alcance de todos y todas

El cultivo del paiche: biología, procesos productivos, tecnologías y estadísticas

Mucho se ha escrito acerca del paiche o pirarucú (Arapaima gigas), existiendo un amplio consenso al considerarla como la especie que sustentará el desarrollo de la acuicultura de exportación en los próximos años en la Amazonía peruana, debido a sus excelentes características zootécnicas: (i) calidad y rendimiento de carne, (ii) rápido crecimiento que permite, con una fase de pre cría, conseguir ejemplares entre 8 a 12 kilos por año, (iii) rusticidad y adaptabilidad al manipuleo y a bajas concentraciones de oxígeno disuelto en el agua, (iv) filete sin presencia de espinas, (v) piel y escamas que pueden ser utilizadas para la producción de cueros y artesanías, etc. Hoy se reportan valiosas experiencias que demuestran la viabilidad de la paichicultura, pues luego de un periodo de adaptación se reproduce naturalmente en estanques de tierra y pueden ser alimentados con dietas balanceadas, peces frescos o forraje de fácil crianza, permitiendo al paichicultor producir carne y alevinos con facilidad. Sirva como ejemplo lo que está ocurriendo en la carretera Iquitos-Nauta y Yurimaguas, en la región Loreto, donde existen empresas que están logrando producir entre 20 a 70 mil alevinos por año, lo que podría dar soporte a un importante programa de desarrollo de la crianza de Arapaima en esta parte de la Amazonía peruana. No obstante, siguen existiendo cuellos de botella para desarrollar la paichicultura en Loreto: i) el alto precio del alimento balanceado ofertado básicamente por empresas comercializadoras de Lima, ii) la falta de infraestructura y logística para el procesamiento post-cosecha (cadena de frío), iii) la falta de conectividad terrestre de Iquitos con el resto del país, iv) los costes de flete y, tal vez lo más importante, v) el reducido tamaño del mercado nacional para los productos hidrobiológicos amazónicos debido a la falta de difusión/promoción del consumo de peces amazónicos por parte del Estado. Este manual tiene el propósito de compilar y actualizar la información existente sobre la reproducción y crianza de esta valiosa especie, presentando modelos exitosos desarrollados por empresarios y el propio IIAP, incrementando, de este modo, el grado de conocimiento para el manejo de las distintas etapas de producción de la paichicultura. El presente manual es una guía que proporciona información actualizada sobre variados aspectos del manejo del paiche en acuicultura. Estamos seguros que la aplicación de los protocolos y tecnologías descritas en este documento constituyen herramientas importantes, que unidas a la experiencia del operador y a la asesoría de un profesional pesquero o acuícola, potenciarán el éxito de la paichicultura

A Pharmacovigilance study in first episode of psychosis: psychopharmacological interventions and safety profiles in the PEPs Project.

BACKGROUND: The characterization of the first episode of psychosis and how it should be treated are principal issues in actual research. Realistic, naturalistic studies are necessary to represent the entire population of first episode of psychosis attended in daily practice. METHODS: Sixteen participating centers from the PEPs project recruited 335 first episode of psychosis patients, aged 7 to 35 years. This article describes and discusses the psychopharmacological interventions and safety profiles at baseline and during a 60-day pharmacovigilance period. RESULTS: The majority of first episode of psychosis patients received a second-generation antipsychotic (96.3%), orally (95%), and in adjusted doses according to the product specifications (87.2%). A total of 24% were receiving an antipsychotic polytherapy pattern at baseline, frequently associated with lower or higher doses of antipsychotics than the recommended ones. Eight patients were taking clozapine, all in monotherapy. Males received higher doses of antipsychotic (P=.043). A total of 5.2% of the patients were being treated with long-acting injectable antipsychotics; 12.2% of the patients received anticholinergic drugs, 12.2% antidepressants, and 13.7% mood stabilizers, while almost 40% received benzodiazepines; and 35.52% reported at least one adverse drug reaction during the pharmacovigilance period, more frequently associated with higher antipsychotic doses and antipsychotic polytherapy (85.2% vs 45.5%, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the overall pharmacologic prescription for treating a first episode of psychosis in Spain follows the clinical practice guideline recommendations, and, together with security issues, support future research of determinate pharmacological strategies for the treatment of early phases of psychosis, such as the role of clozapine, long-acting injectable antipsychotics, antipsychotic combination, and the use of benzodiazepines.This study was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Ref. ISCIII 2009–2011: PI 080208). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, European Union, una manera de hacer Europa, by the Government of Catalonia, Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement (2014SGR441), and by Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de salud Mental (CIBERSAM). This work was developed (in part) at the Centro Esther Koplowitz (IDIBAPs, Barcelona)

Molecular analysis of the most prevalent mutations of the FANCA and FANCC genes in Brazilian patients with Fanconi anaemia

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a recessive autosomal disease determined by mutations in genes of at least eleven complementation groups, with distinct distributions in different populations. As far as we know, there are no reports regarding the molecular characterisation of the disease in unselected FA patients in Brazil. OBECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the most prevalent mutations of FANCA and FANCC genes in Brazilian patients with FA. METHODS: Genomic DNA obtained from 22 racially and ethnically diverse unrelated FA patients (mean age ± SD: 14.0 ± 7.8 years; 10 male, 12 female; 14 white, 8 black) was analysed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction site assays for identification of FANCA (delta3788-3790) and FANCC (delta322G, IVS4+4A -> T, W22X, L496R, R548X, Q13X, R185X, and L554P) gene mutations. RESULTS: Mutations in FANCA and FANCC genes were identified in 6 (27.3%) and 14 (63.6%) out of 22 patients, respectively. The disease could not be attributed to the tested mutations in the two remaining patients enrolled in the study (9.1%). The registry of the two most prevalent gene abnormalities (delta3788-3790 and IVS4 + 4 -> T) revealed that they were present in 18.2% and 15.9% of the FA alleles, respectively. Additional FANCC gene mutations were found in the study, with the following prevalence: delta322G (11.4%), W22X (9.1%), Q13X (2.3%), L554P (2.3%), and R548X (2.3%) of total FA alleles. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that mutations of FANCA and FANCC genes are the most prevalent mutations among FA patients in Brazil