Determining Factors for Fast Corneal Sensitivity Recovery After Pterygium Excision

Purpose: To establish determining factors for fast corneal sensitivity (CS) recovery after pterygium excision. Methods: Thirty-two eyes of 14 males and 18 females with primary nasal pterygium were recruited. Differences in CS (in the 4 quadrants and the center using a Cochet–Bonnet esthesiometer), pterygium corneal area (PCA), tear osmolarity, tear break-up time, Schirmer test, and ocular symptoms were analyzed before and 1 month after lesion excision. The relationship between CS recovery (difference between the 2 time points; CS1 – CS0) and the other features was assessed. Results: All the studied locations exhibited normal (6 cm) or near-normal mean CS at the 2 time points, except a tendency for moderate hypoesthesia in nasal CS0 (median 4.5; range: 1.5–6.0 cm). Point by point comparison revealed significant postoperative improvements in nasal location (P = 0.008; Wilcoxon signed-rank test) with normal values in 17 eyes (53%) and a median CS1 = 5.0 cm (2.5–5.5 cm) in 15 eyes with no complete recovery. No significant correlation was found between CS0 and the studied variables, and CS1 was only significantly correlated with PCA (rho: -0.441; P < 0.05). CS recovery also showed significant correlation with PCA (rho = -0.516; P < 0.01). Conclusions: CS recovery after pterygium excision showed important variability, and the only studied factor that seems to be determinant could be PCA. It would be advisable to operate when the lesion is relatively small, with lower surgical injury and faster and complete recovery, thus protecting ocular surface homeostasis.Postprint (author's final draft

Conformational and Disorder to Order Transitions in Proteins: Structure / Function Correlation in Apolipoproteins

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Nuevas aportaciones sedimentológicas y cronoestratigráficas sobre las Fms. Higueruelas y Villar del Arzobispo en Benagéber (NO de Valencia)

Peer reviewe

‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time

Trapping and binding of allochthonous grains by benthic microbial communities has been considered a fundamental process of microbialite accretion since its discovery in popular shallow-marine modern examples (Bahamas and Shark Bay). However, agglutinated textures are rare in fossil microbialites and, thus, the role of trapping and binding has been debated in the last four decades. Recently, renewed attention on this subject has produced new findings of fossil agglutinated microbialites (those mainly formed by ‘trapping and binding’ and analogous to modern examples), but they are still few and geologically recent (mainly post-Paleozoic) when compared to the 3.5 Gyr long record of microbialites. In order to better understand this discrepancy between modern and fossil examples, an extensive literature review is presented here, providing the first thorough database of agglutinated microbialites, which shows that all of them are formed in shallow-marine environments and most under tidal influence. In addition, a Lower Cretaceous example is described, including very diverse microbialites, each of them formed in a particular paleoenvironment. Some of these microbialites developed in grainy settings, but only those formed in marginal-marine tide-influenced environments accreted mainly by trapping and binding the surrounding grains, being analogous of modern agglutinated microbialites, and matching the environmental pattern observed in the literature database. The combination of the literature review with the case study allows to discuss the factors that control and enhance ‘trapping and binding’: a) occurrence of grains in the microbialite environment; b) frequent currents that mobilize the grains and supply them onto the microbialite surface; c) high concentration and diversity of electrolytes in the water to increase the adhesiveness of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the microbialite surface; and d) a CaCO3 saturation state not high enough to promote early and strong carbonate precipitation within EPS, which would eventually decrease its availability to adhere grains. Therefore, this review shows that the keys to solve the ‘trapping and binding’ debate may be environmental, because the conjuction of these hydrodynamic and hydrochemical parameters is preferentially achieved in shallow-marine settings and especially in those influenced by tides, at least since Mesozoic times. This explains the limited environmental and stratigraphic distribution of microbialites mainly formed by ‘trapping and binding’, and opens new ways to look, geologically and microbiologically, at this process, so often cited and yet so rare

Large-Size Star-Shaped Conjugated (Fused) Triphthalocyaninehexaazatriphenylene

Star-shaped triphthalocyaninehexaazatriphenylene 1 was synthesized via condensation between a new building block 1,2-diaminophthalocyanine and cyclohexanehexaone. Compound 1 represents the largest star-shaped phthalocyanine-fused hexaazatriphenylene reported so far. This largely expanded phthalocyanine shows good solubility and has a strong tendency to aggregate in both solution and on surface, indicating its potential as active component in organic electronic devices.This research was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Mineco) of Spain [CTQ2014-55798-R, CTQ2015-71936-REDT, CTQ2013-40480-R and “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2015-0496)], Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo 2012/010), the Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) and by ERC StG 2012-306826 e-GAMES. A. C. acknowledges the Materials Science PhD program of UAB.Peer reviewe

Emotional exhaustion in housewives and Alzheimer patients' caregivers: Its effects on chronic diseases, somatic symptoms and social dysfunction

Background: Emotional exhaustion causes adverse effects in those who suffer from it. Housewives are not excluded. Domestic and care chores, which are considered to be sources of stress, increase when taking on the role of caregiver for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. Objective: To analyse the influence of emotional exhaustion, somatic symptoms and social dysfunction, based on the activity they carry out. Methodology: Cross-sectional survey. 193 women participated, of which: housewives (HWs) (n = 97), and Alzheimer’s patient caregiver-housewives (CHWs) (n = 96). The evaluation tools were: sociodemographic/working data questionnaire (ad hoc), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Results: High rates of emotional exhaustion are observed, as well as an existing positive link between chronic diseases, somatic symptoms and social dysfunction. The structural model indicates that emotional exhaustion predicts the amount and extent of diseases, somatic symptoms and social dysfunction. The influence is higher in CHWs. Limitations: Sample procedure implemented at convenience; the variable of the grade of dependence of the Alzheimer’s patient caregiver was not included in the study. Conclusions: The domestic and care chores that HWs and CHWs carry out affect their health. Hence the need to develop psychoeducative programmes that are adapted to the particular needs of these women and focused on the different areas of their everyday live

Caring for Family Members With Alzheimer’s and Burnout Syndrome: Impairment of the Health of Housewives

Being a housewife may already be a psychosocial risk factor leading to chronic stress and burnout, and this may be aggravated when the housewife must also become the caregiver of a family member with Alzheimer’s. The burnout syndrome and how it can affect general health and the presence of emotional disorders were studied in housewives who were family caregivers of an Alzheimer’s patient. The sample selected was made up of 193 housewives, 96 of whom were also caregivers for a family member with Alzheimer’s. Sociodemographic measures used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory and The General Health Questionnaire. Burnout was found in a significant percentage of participants. Emotional exhaustion, effect on general health, and presence of emotional disorders were higher in caregivers. Emotional exhaustion, general health, and anxiety were more influential, while depersonalization affected the appearance of depressive symptoms more. Being a caregiver and emotional exhaustion appeared to be the best predictors of emotional disorders. It was confirmed that emotional exhaustion influenced appearance of anxiety and depression equally in both groups. In the case of caregivers, an exhaustion-illness spiral was produced. In this group, emotional exhaustion seemed to become more severe as a consequence of the presence of chronic illnesses, and possibly influence the number of hours spent on care and having children living at home. Future research should analyze in greater depth and in a larger sample, the role of these variables and widen the focus of attention to personal variables that could be acting as protective factors and could be subject to intervention. The discussion concludes with some actions that should be included in prevention programs for the groups studied

H2 oxidation versus organic substrate oxidation in non-heme iron mediated reactions with H2O2

Herein we show that species generated upon reaction of α-[Fe(CF3SO3)2(BPMCN)] (BPMCN = N,N′-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane) with H2O2 (putatively [FeV(O)(OH)(BPMCN)]) is able to efficiently oxidize H2 to H2O even in the presence of organic substrates, while species formed in the presence of acetic acid (putatively [FeV(O)(OAc)(BPMCN)]) prefer organic substrate oxidation over H2 activation. Mechanistic implications have been analysed with the aid of computational methodsThis work was supported by Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (CTQ2012-37420-C02-02 and 01) European Research Council (StG 239910), and Generalitat de Catalunya (2014 SGR 862 and ICREA Academia award to MC). J.Ll.-F. thanks the CELLEX foundation for the starting career program for financial suppor