Preparation, thermoresponsive behavior, and preliminary biological study of functionalized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dopamine methacrylamide) copolymers with an organotin(IV) compound

Recent advances focused on smart polymers have demonstrated the numerous advantages regarding other structures because they can adapt the behavior depending on physicochemical properties. In this way, functionalized thermoresponsive polymers with organometallic complexes were profoundly analyzed. Consequently, novel catalytic systems or biomedical devices could be developed. This publication focuses on the facile preparation of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dopamine methacrylamide) copolymers functionalized with triphenyltin chloride by protonolysis through the -OH of catechol groups. The presence of hydrophobic organotin(IV) derivatives could modify the solubility, thermoresponsive behavior, and other properties regarding pure copolymers. Also, sensitive analysis of the microstructure could help to understand the changes associated with the lower critical solution temperature by rheology, UV-vis spectroscopy, and calorimetry. In addition, a preliminary biological study against MDA-MB-231 cancer cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed that the functionalized copolymers could be a potential platform to be explored in the future in the fight against cancer.The financial support obtained from the National Science Foundation of China (21574086), Shenzhen Fundamental Research Funds (No. KC2014ZDZJ0001A), Shenzhen Sci & Tech research grant (ZDSYS201507141105130) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Grant (2018M633119) are acknowledged. Also, these researchers would like to thank the former Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain (current Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain) for the grant RTI2018-094322-B-I00 and the Dirección General de Investigación e Innovación, Consejería de Educación e Investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid for the predoctoral grant PEJD-2017-PRE/BMD-3512 (I. M.-P.)

Pain perception according to manner of arteriovenous fistula cannulation in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Systematic review

Objetivo: Valorar la posible asociación entre la forma de punción de la fístula arteriovenosa y el dolor que siente el paciente por la inserción de la aguja. Metodología: Se ha seguido la declaración PRISMA para revisiones sistemáticas. Se han consultado 6 bases de datos; Medline, Scopus, Cuiden, CINAHL, SciELO, y Cochrane PLUS. Además, se realizó una búsqueda secundaría manual para detectar literatura gris no en-contrada en las bases de datos o mediantes las estra-tegias definidas. Criterios de inclusión; estudios de ni-vel de evidencia 1 en la escala Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, publicados en los últimos 10 años, idiomas español/inglés, y temática relacionada con las técnicas utilizadas en hemodiálisis para el abordaje de la fistula. Los artículos se evaluaron de forma crítica para detectar cualquier riesgo de sesgo mediante el ins-trumento CASPe y el manual Cochrane para Revisiones Sistemáticas de Intervenciones.Resultados: Se identificaron un total de 150 resulta-dos, seleccionándose finalmente 9 estudios. Los resulta-dos han sido muy heterogéneas, encontrándose resulta-dos para el dolor, tasas de infección, número de intentos de canalización, flujo sanguíneo, presión venosa, tiempo de hemostasia, seguridad, dilataciones aneurismáticas, estética del brazo portador de la fístula y calidad de vida del paciente.Aims: To assess the possible association between the manner of arteriovenous fistula cannulation and the patient pain related to the insertion of the needle for the hemodialysis session.Methodology: The PRISMA statement for systematic reviews has been followed. Six databases have been consulted: Medline, Scopus, Cuiden, CINAHL, SciELO, and Cochrane PLUS. In addition, a secondary manual search was performed to detect grey literature not found in databases or through defined strategies. Inclusion criteria: studies of level of evidence 1 on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network scale, published in the last 10 years, Spanish/English languages, and topics related to the techniques used to canalize the hemodialysis fistula. The articles were critically evaluated to detect any risk of bias using the CASPe instrument and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.Results: A total of 150 results were identified, 9 of which were finally selected. The results have been very heterogeneous, finding results for pain, infection rates number of attempts of channalization, blood flow, venous pressure, time of hemostasis, safety, aneurysmal dilations, esthetics of the fistula-carrying arm and quality of life of the patient.Conclusions: The evidence does not support the preferential use of the buttonhole technique over traditional channeling. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the methodological quality and a larger sample size to elucidate which technique gives better benefits with respect to pain, thus allowing to improve the quality of life of hemodialysis patients

Establishing a Reference Baseline for Midday Stem Water Potential in Olive and Its Use for Plant-Based Irrigation Management

Midday stem water potential (SWP) is rapidly becoming adopted as a standard tool for plant-based irrigation management in many woody perennial crops. A reference or “baseline” SWP has been used in some crops (almond, prune, grape, and walnut) to account for the climatic influence of air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on SWP under non-limiting soil moisture conditions. The baseline can be determined empirically for field trees maintained under such non-limiting conditions, but such conditions are difficult to achieve for an entire season. We present the results of an alternative survey-based approach, using a large set of SWP and VPD data collected over multiple years, from irrigation experiments in olive orchards located in multiple countries [Spain, United States (California), Italy, and Argentina]. The relation of SWP to midday VPD across the entire data set was consistent with an upper limit SWP which declined with VPD, with the upper limit being similar to that found in Prunus. A best fit linear regression estimate for this upper limit (baseline) was found by selecting the maximum R2 and minimum probability for various upper fractions of the SWP/VPD relation. In addition to being surprisingly similar to the Prunus baseline, the olive baseline was also similar (within 0.1 MPa) to a recently published mechanistic olive soil-plant-atmosphere-continuum (SPAC) model for “super high density” orchard systems. Despite similarities in the baseline, the overall physiological range of SWP exhibited by olive extends to about −8 MPa, compared to about −4 MPa for economically producing almond. This may indicate that, despite species differences in physiological responses to low water availability (drought), there may be convergent adaptations/acclimations across species to high levels of water availability. Similar to its use in other crops, the olive baseline will enable more accurate and reproducible plant-based irrigation management for both full and deficit irrigation practices, and we present tentative SWP guidelines for this purpose

Volatile composition of wines from cvs. Blanco lexítimo, Agudelo and Serradelo (Vitis vinifera) grown in Betanzos (NW Spain)

Wine aroma is formed by volatile compounds of different chemical natures and origins. Betanzos is the most northern viticole geographic area from Galicia (NW Spain). The aromatic profiles of wines produced from two white varieties (Blanco lexítimo and Agudelo) and one red variety (Serradelo) from Betanzos, harvested in 2006 and 2007, have been established by gas chromatography (GC/FID). A total of 35 varietal and fermentative aroma compounds were identified and quantified in free volatile form, which include terpenols, C13-norisoprenoids, alcohols, esters, volatile fatty acids and volatile phenols. To ascertain the compounds with major impact odours, the Odour Activity Value (OAV) was calculated. Twelve compounds showed concentrations above their perception threshold (OAV>1). The results obtained suggest that ethyl octanoate (apple), isoamyl acetate (banana), ethyl hexanoate (fruity) and β-damascenone (floral) were the most powerful odorants for the white wines Blanco lexítimo and Agudelo from Betanzos. Ethyl octanoate and β-damascenone (fruity and floral aroma respectively) were the most odorant for the red wine Serradelo.Xunta de Galicia (Spain)Adega Lorenzo Bescansa S.U.L

Quantification of inaccurate diagnosis of COPD in primary care medicine: An analysis of the COACH clinical audit

Background: Inaccurate diagnosis in COPD is a current problem with relevant consequences in terms of inefficient health care, which has not been thoroughly studied in primary care medicine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the degree of inaccurate diagnosis in Primary Care in Spain and study the determinants associated with it. Methods: The Community Assessment of COPD Health Care (COACH) study is a national, observational, randomized, non-interventional, national clinical audit aimed at evaluating clinical practice for patients with COPD in primary care medicine in Spain. For the present analysis, a correct diagnosis was evaluated based on previous exposure and airway obstruction with and without the presence of symptoms. The association of patient-level and center-level variables with inaccurate diagnosis was studied using multivariate multilevel binomial logistic regression models. Results: During the study 4,307 cases from 63 centers were audited. The rate of inaccurate diagnosis was 82.4% (inter-regional range from 76.8% to 90.2%). Patient-related interventions associated with inaccurate diagnosis were related to active smoking, lung function evaluation, and specific therapeutic interventions. Center-level variables related to the availability of certain complementary tests and different aspects of the resources available were also associated with an inaccurate diagnosis. Conclusions: The prevalence data for the inaccurate diagnosis of COPD in primary care medicine in Spain establishes a point of reference in the clinical management of COPD. The descriptors of the variables associated with this inaccurate diagnosis can be used to identify cases and centers in which inaccurate diagnosis is occurring considerably, thus allowing for improvement

Neutralizing antibodies against the preactive form of respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein offer unique possibilities for clinical intervention

Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is the most important viral agent of pediatric respiratory infections worldwide. The only specific treatment available today is a humanized monoclonal antibody (Palivizumab) directed against the F glycoprotein, administered prophylactically to children at very high risk of severe hRSV infections. Palivizumab, as most anti-F antibodies so far described, recognizes an epitope that is shared by the two conformations in which hRSV_F can fold, the metastable prefusion form and the highly stable postfusion conformation. We now describe a unique class of antibodies specific for the prefusion form of this protein that account for most of the neutralizing activity of either a rabbit serum raised against a vaccinia virus recombinant expressing hRSV_F or a human Ig preparation (Respigam), which was used for prophylaxis before Palivizumab. These antibodies therefore offer unique possibilities for immune intervention against hRSV, and their production should be assessed in trials of hRSV vaccines

Electronic health records and patient registries in medical oncology departments in Spain

We aimed to evaluate the current situation of electronic health records (EHRs) and patient registries in the oncology departments of hospitals in Spain. This was a cross-sectional study conducted from December 2018 to September 2019. The survey was designed ad hoc by the Outcomes Evaluation and Clinical Practice Section of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and was distributed to all head of medical oncology department members of SEOM. We invited 148 heads of oncology departments, and 81 (54.7%) questionnaires were completed, with representation from all 17 Spanish autonomous communities. Seventy-seven (95%) of the respondents had EHRs implemented at their hospitals; of them, over 80% considered EHRs to have a positive impact on work organization and clinical practice, and 73% considered that EHRs improve the quality of patient care. In contrast, 27 (35.1%) of these respondents felt that EHRs worsened the physician-patient relationship and conveyed an additional workload (n = 29; 37.6%). Several drawbacks in the implementation of EHRs were identified, including the limited inclusion of information on both outpatients and inpatients, information recorded in free text data fields, and the availability of specific informed consent. Forty-six (56.7%) respondents had patient registries where they recorded information from all patients seen in the department. Our study indicates that EHRs are almost universally implemented in the hospitals surveyed and are considered to have a positive impact on work organization and clinical practice. However, EHRs currently have several drawbacks that limit their use for investigational purposes. Not applicable The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12094-021-02614-9

Wax worm saliva and the enzymes therein are the key to polyethylene degradation by Galleria mellonella

Plastic degradation by biological systems with re-utilization of the by-products could be a future solution to the global threat of plastic waste accumulation. Here, we report that the saliva of Galleria mellonella larvae (wax worms) is capable of oxidizing and depolymerizing polyethylene (PE), one of the most produced and sturdy polyolefin-derived plastics. This effect is achieved after a few hours’ exposure at room temperature under physiological conditions (neutral pH). The wax worm saliva can overcome the bottleneck step in PE biodegradation, namely the initial oxidation step. Within the saliva, we identify two enzymes, belonging to the phenol oxidase family, that can reproduce the same effect. To the best of our knowledge, these enzymes are the first animal enzymes with this capability, opening the way to potential solutions for plastic waste management through bio-recycling/up-cycling