Intracardiac Metastatic Sarcoma

Even though intracardiac sarcoma metastases are rare, they have been previously reported in the literature. We report the case of a 60-year-old man who had a synovial sarcoma with metastasis in the right ventricle. These findings were associated with the presence of a new cardiac murmur and severe thrombocytopenia. The treatment with systemic chemotherapy resulted in a normalization of the patient's hematologic profile and in a reduction of the intracardiac mass. The patient subsequently underwent intracardiac tumor resection

Psychoeducational strategies to support the adjustment processes of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and Third Culture Adults (ATCKs)

As more families continue to relocate to other countries due to professional opportunities, more children live abroad. These unique children are known as third culture kids (TCKs). These individuals are spending, or have spent, a significant number of developmental years outside their parent’s cultures(s). Due to their high mobility lifestyles, they experience a series of challenges, such as developing multiple senses of belonging or no sense of belonging. Hence, feelings of being misunderstood by their community are recurrent among them. Generally, TCKs attend international schools, specifically International Baccalaureate Programme (IBP) schools. TCKs have significant academic and socio-personal needs during periods of transition that should be identified by school personnel. Therefore, developing psychoeducational resources to support their adjustment processes is crucial

Evaluación de la citotoxicidad de una mezcla de ocho contaminantes a concentraciones de relevancia ambiental

The ubiquitous presence of pollutants and the accurate evaluation of their potential risks for environmental and human health is an area of major concern. We have simulated an in vitro scenario of long-term exposure to a mixture of eight pollutants at real environmental concentrations using mammalian Vero cells. Our results demonstrate that cellular proliferation rates were significantly altered, either by inhibition or stimulation, depending on the mixture composition and the exposure time. We encourage the urgency of reviewing safety levels for emerging contaminants accepted by regulatory agencies, considering that mixtures of pollutants represent a threat for environmental and human healthThis work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CTM2008-00311; CTM2012-31344

A combined electrochemical quartz-crystal microbalance probe beam deflection (EQCM-PBD) study of solvent and ion transfers at a poly[Ni(saltMe)]: modified elecrode during redox switching

The oxidative polymerization of the complex2,3-dimelhyl-N,N-bis( salicylidene)butane-2,3-diaminatonickel( n), [Ni(saltMe)], was monitored by the electrochemical quartz microbalance (EQCM) and crystal impedance techniques. Polymerisation efficiency was maintained throughout deposition of a film, which behaved rigidly, on the electrode

A Raman Study of Morphotropic Phase Boundary in PbZr1-xTixO3 at low temperatures

Raman spectra of PbZr1-xTixO3 ceramics with titanium concentration varying between 0.40 and 0.60 were measured at 7 K. By observing the concentration-frequency dependence of vibrational modes, we identified the boundaries among rhombohedral, monoclinic, and tetragonal ferroelectric phases. The analysis of the spectra was made in the view of theory group analysis making possible the assignment of some modes for the monoclinic phase.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Electrochemical behavior of a new precursor for the design of poly[Ni(salen)]-based modified electrodes

Wedescribe the potentiodynamic preparation and subsequent characterization of poly[Ni(3-MeOsaltMe)] films (surface concentration, 3 < ¡/nmol cm-2 < 350) in acetonitrile media. Coulometric and gravimetric (electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, EQCM) data allow one to monitor the deposition process and show that the resultant films are physically and chemically stable

Effects of amphetamine on development of oral candidiasis in rats

[Abstract] Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of amphetamine (0.4 mg/kg of body weight/day) on the development of oral candidiasis in Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were submitted to surgical hyposalivation in order to facilitate the establishment and persistence of Candida albicans infection. Treatment with drugs (placebo or amphetamine) was initiated 7 days before C. albicans inoculation and lasted until the end of the experiments, day 15 postinoculation. Establishment of C. albicans infection was evaluated by swabbing the inoculated oral cavity with a sterile cotton applicator on days 2 and 15 after inoculation, followed by plating on YEPD (yeast extract-peptone-dextrose) agar. Tissue injury was determined by the quantification of the number and type (normal or abnormal) of papillae on the dorsal tongue per microscopic field. A semiquan- titative scale was devised to assess the degree of colonization of the epithelium by fungal hyphae. Our results show that amphetamine exacerbates C. albicans infection of the tongues of rats. Significant increases in Candida counts, the percentage of the tongue’s surface covered with clinical lesions, the percentage of abnormal papillae, and the colonization of the epithelium by fungal hyphae were found in amphetamine-treated rats compared to those found in the rats injected with a placebo. The last two parameters increased in rats treated with the placebo compared to the parameters of the untreated control rats

Hypovitaminosis D and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents with severe obesity

Background/Objectives. Obesity is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and with Vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between 25(OH)D concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents with severe obesity. Subjects/Methods. A cross-sectional clinical assessment (body mass index, fat mass index, fat-free mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and blood pressure) and metabolic study (triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, calcium, phosphorous, calcidiol, and PTH) were carried out in 236 adolescents diagnosed with severe obesity (BMI z-score > 3.0, 99th percentile), aged 10.2–15.8 years. The criteria of the US Endocrine Society were used for the definition of Vitamin D status. Results. Subjects with Vitamin D deficiency had significantly elevated values (p < 0.05) for BMI z-score, waist circumference, waist z-score, body fat percentage, fat mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, and PTH than subjects with normal Vitamin D status. There was a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) of serum 25(OH)D levels with body fat percentage, FMI, systolic BP, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, and PTH. Conclusions. Low Vitamin D levels in adolescents with severe obesity were significantly associated with some cardiometabolic risk factors, including body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass index, high blood pressure, impaired lipid profile, and insulin resistance