Twenty-four-hour, weekly and annual patterns in serious falls of non-institutionalized independent Spanish seniors.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to explore clock hour, day-of-week, and month-of-year patterns of serious falls experienced by non-institutionalized Spanish seniors (age ≥65 years) in relation to associated conventional intrinsic and extrinsic factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Intake emergency department records from January 1 to December 31, 2013 of a tertiary hospital of southern Spain were abstracted for particulars of falls, including the time of occurrence, experienced specifically by non-institutionalized seniors. Chi-squares and Single and Multiple-Component Cosinor (time series) Analyses were applied to determine the statistical significance of observed 24-hour, 7-day, and annual variation. RESULTS: Falls were ~2.5-fold more numerous in older women than older men and ~7-fold more frequent between 12:00 and 14:00 hours than ~02:00 hours, respectively, the time spans corresponding to the absolute peak and trough of the 24-hour pattern in falls. The midday/early afternoon peak primarily represented incidents of women ≥75 years of age that occurred inside the home while walking, standing, or moving on stairs. A late evening less prominent excess of mostly inside-the-home incidents of women ≥75 years of age, largely due to fragility, slipping, stumbling, or tripping, was additionally detected. Cosinor Analysis substantiates statistical significance of the 24-hour patterning of falls of men and women (both p<0.001). Day-of-week differences, with prominent Thursday peak and Sunday minimum, were additionally detected, but only for falls of women occurring outside the home (Cosinor Analysis: p=0.007). Day-of-week discrepancy in female/male sex ratio (SR) of fallers was demonstrated, arising from day-of-week disparity in the SR of inside-the-home incidents, with ~4.5-fold more elderly women than elderly men falling Thursday than any other day of the week (p=0.005). Non-statistically significant month-of-year difference in falls, lowest in autumn and highest (~60% more) in winter, was observed and explained by prominent seasonal difference in incidents by elderly women. CONCLUSIONS: Serious falls of non-institutionalized independent seniors are characterized according to intrinsic and extrinsic factors by prominent 24-hour and 7-day patterning. These findings complement the understanding of the epidemiology of falls of the elderly and further inform fall prevention programs

Lubricity of paraffinic fuels additivated with conventional and non-conventional methyl esters

[EN] Fuel lubricity prevents wear between metallic parts in relative motion inside the injection system of combustion engines. Among diesel fuels, paraffinic (gas-to-liquid or hydrotreated oils) and biodiesel (methyl esters) fuels are emerging since some of them are renewable and, in the case of paraffinic fuels, present excellent properties that can be exploited in compression ignition engines. However, the lubricant properties of raw paraffinic fuels are poor. This work explores the potential of individual methyl esters, found in different biodiesel fuels derived from a wide variety of sources, as lubricity additives for paraffinic fuels. Blends at 1% and 2% ester content in a surrogate of paraffinic fuel were tested under the standardized high-frequency reciprocating rig test for lubricity determination. Results confirm the extremely poor lubricity of the surrogate and that the wear scar diameter measured (the higher this, the lower the fuel lubricity) can be significantly reduced with any of the tested esters just at 1% concentration. Higher ester concentration (2%) does not always improve the lubricity further. The number of double bonds in the ester was revealed very significant, but to boost the lubricity of the blend and fulfill the limits set in fuel quality standards, two or more polyunsaturated esters are necessary.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study has been carried out under the framework of project ENE2016-79641-R, financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness.Rodriguez-Fernandez, J.; Ramos, A.; Sanchez-Valdepeñas, J.; Serrano, J. (2019). Lubricity of paraffinic fuels additivated with conventional and non-conventional methyl esters. Advances in Mechanical Engineering. 11(9):1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1687814019877077S18119Hsieh, P. Y., & Bruno, T. J. (2015). A perspective on the origin of lubricity in petroleum distillate motor fuels. Fuel Processing Technology, 129, 52-60. doi:10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.08.012Anastopoulos, G., Kalligeros, S., Schinas, P., & Zannikos, F. (2013). Effect of dicarboxylic acid esters on the lubricity of aviation kerosene for use in CI engines. Friction, 1(3), 271-278. doi:10.1007/s40544-013-0025-zAnastopoulos, G., Kaligeros, S., Schinas, P., Zannikou, Y., Karonis, D., & Zannikos, F. (2017). The Impact of Fatty Acid Diisopropanolamides on Marine Gas Oil Lubricity. Lubricants, 5(3), 28. doi:10.3390/lubricants5030028Sajjad, H., Masjuki, H. H., Varman, M., Kalam, M. A., Arbab, M. I., Imtenan, S., & Rahman, S. M. A. (2014). Engine combustion, performance and emission characteristics of gas to liquid (GTL) fuels and its blends with diesel and bio-diesel. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 30, 961-986. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.11.039Lapuerta, M., Sánchez-Valdepeñas, J., & Sukjit, E. (2014). Effect of ambient humidity and hygroscopy on the lubricity of diesel fuels. Wear, 309(1-2), 200-207. doi:10.1016/j.wear.2013.11.017Sundus, F., Fazal, M. A., & Masjuki, H. H. (2017). Tribology with biodiesel: A study on enhancing biodiesel stability and its fuel properties. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 70, 399-412. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.217Chong, W. W. F., & Ng, J.-H. (2016). An atomic-scale approach for biodiesel boundary lubricity characterisation. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 113, 34-43. doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2016.03.029De Oliveira, J. J., de Farias, A. C. M., & Alves, S. M. (2017). Evaluation of the biodiesel fuels lubricity using vibration signals and multiresolution analysis. Tribology International, 109, 104-113. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2016.12.031Anastopoulos, G., Lois, E., Serdari, A., Zanikos, F., Stournas, S., & Kalligeros, S. (2001). Lubrication Properties of Low-Sulfur Diesel Fuels in the Presence of Specific Types of Fatty Acid Derivatives. Energy & Fuels, 15(1), 106-112. doi:10.1021/ef990232nGeller, D. P., & Goodrum, J. W. (2004). Effects of specific fatty acid methyl esters on diesel fuel lubricity. Fuel, 83(17-18), 2351-2356. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2004.06.004Greenspan, L. (1977). Humidity fixed points of binary saturated aqueous solutions. Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards Section A: Physics and Chemistry, 81A(1), 89. doi:10.6028/jres.081a.011Tavakoli, O., & Yoshida, H. (2006). Squid Oil and Fat Production from Squid Wastes Using Subcritical Water Hydrolysis:  Free Fatty Acids and Transesterification. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 45(16), 5675-5680. doi:10.1021/ie0513806Kacem, M., Sellami, M., Kammoun, W., Frikha, F., Miled, N., & Ben Rebah, F. (2011). Seasonal Variations in Proximate and Fatty Acid Composition of Viscera ofSardinella aurita, Sarpa salpa, andSepia officinalisfrom Tunisia. Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, 20(2), 233-246. doi:10.1080/10498850.2011.560365Üstün, G., Akova, A., & Dandik, L. (1996). Oil content and fatty acid composition of commercially important Turkish fish species. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 73(3), 389-391. doi:10.1007/bf02523436Noriega-Rodríguez, J. A., Ortega-García, J., Angulo-Guerrero, O., García, H. S., Medina-Juárez, L. A., & Gámez-Meza, N. (2009). Oil production from sardine (Sardinops sagax caerulea) Producción de aceite a partir de sardina (Sardinops sagax caerulea. CyTA - Journal of Food, 7(3), 173-179. doi:10.1080/19476330903010243Suseno, S., Hayati, S., & Izaki, A. (2014). Fatty Acid Composition of Some Potential Fish Oil from Production Centers in Indonesia. Oriental Journal of Chemistry, 30(3), 975-980. doi:10.13005/ojc/300308Volkman, J. K., Jeffrey, S. W., Nichols, P. D., Rogers, G. I., & Garland, C. D. (1989). Fatty acid and lipid composition of 10 species of microalgae used in mariculture. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 128(3), 219-240. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(89)90029-4Stansell, G. R., Gray, V. M., & Sym, S. D. (2011). Microalgal fatty acid composition: implications for biodiesel quality. Journal of Applied Phycology, 24(4), 791-801. doi:10.1007/s10811-011-9696-xLang, I., Hodac, L., Friedl, T., & Feussner, I. (2011). Fatty acid profiles and their distribution patterns in microalgae: a comprehensive analysis of more than 2000 strains from the SAG culture collection. BMC Plant Biology, 11(1), 124. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-11-124Furlan, V. J. M., Maus, V., Batista, I., & Bandarra, N. M. (2017). Production of docosahexaenoic acid by Aurantiochytrium sp. ATCC PRA-276. Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, 48(2), 359-365. doi:10.1016/j.bjm.2017.01.001Zi-zhe, C., De-po Yang, Sheng-qing, W., Yong, W., Reaney, M. J. T., Zhi-min, Z., … Wen-zhe, Y. (2017). Conversion of poultry manure to biodiesel, a practical method of producing fatty acid methyl esters via housefly (Musca domestica L.) larval lipid. Fuel, 210, 463-471. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2017.08.109Hussein, M., Pillai, V. V., Goddard, J. M., Park, H. G., Kothapalli, K. S., Ross, D. A., … Selvaraj, V. (2017). Sustainable production of housefly (Musca domestica) larvae as a protein-rich feed ingredient by utilizing cattle manure. PLOS ONE, 12(2), e0171708. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171708Dodos, G. S., Karonis, D., Zannikos, F., & Lois, E. (2015). Renewable fuels and lubricants from Lunaria annua L. Industrial Crops and Products, 75, 43-50. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.05.046Miwa, T. K. (1971). Jojoba oil wax esters and derived fatty acids and alcohols: Gas chromatographic analyses. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 48(6), 259-264. doi:10.1007/bf02638458Kleiman, R., & Spencer, G. F. (1982). Search for new industrial oils: XVI. Umbelliflorae-seed oils rich in petroselinic acid. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 59(1), 29-38. doi:10.1007/bf02670064Gill, S. S., Tsolakis, A., Dearn, K. D., & Rodríguez-Fernández, J. (2011). Combustion characteristics and emissions of Fischer–Tropsch diesel fuels in IC engines. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 37(4), 503-523. doi:10.1016/j.pecs.2010.09.001Rodríguez-Fernández, J., Lapuerta, M., & Sánchez-Valdepeñas, J. (2017). Regeneration of diesel particulate filters: Effect of renewable fuels. Renewable Energy, 104, 30-39. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2016.11.059Musavi, A., Cizmeci, M., Tekin, A., & Kayahan, M. (2008). Effects of hydrogenation parameters ontrans isomer formation, selectivity and melting properties of fat. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 110(3), 254-260. doi:10.1002/ejlt.200700118Sukjit, E., Herreros, J. M., Dearn, K. D., García-Contreras, R., & Tsolakis, A. (2012). The effect of the addition of individual methyl esters on the combustion and emissions of ethanol and butanol -diesel blends. Energy, 42(1), 364-374. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2012.03.041Knothe, G., & Steidley, K. R. (2005). Lubricity of Components of Biodiesel and Petrodiesel. The Origin of Biodiesel Lubricity†. Energy & Fuels, 19(3), 1192-1200. doi:10.1021/ef049684cLapuerta, M., Sánchez-Valdepeñas, J., Bolonio, D., & Sukjit, E. (2016). Effect of fatty acid composition of methyl and ethyl esters on the lubricity at different humidities. Fuel, 184, 202-210. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2016.07.019Pittman, J. K., Dean, A. P., & Osundeko, O. (2011). The potential of sustainable algal biofuel production using wastewater resources. Bioresource Technology, 102(1), 17-25. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2010.06.035Chamorro R. Lubricity of a paraffinic surrogated fuel blended with non-conventional methyl esters. Final Degree Project in Mechanical Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real, 2018 (in Spanish)

Glycoprotein Ib activation by thrombin stimulates the energy metabolism in human platelets

<div><p>Thrombin-induced platelet activation requires substantial amounts of ATP. However, the specific contribution of each ATP-generating pathway <i>i</i>.<i>e</i>., oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) versus glycolysis and the biochemical mechanisms involved in the thrombin-induced activation of energy metabolism remain unclear. Here we report an integral analysis on the role of both energy pathways in human platelets activated by several agonists, and the signal transducing mechanisms associated with such activation. We found that thrombin, Trap-6, arachidonic acid, collagen, A23187, epinephrine and ADP significantly increased glycolytic flux (3–38 times <i>vs</i>. non-activated platelets) whereas ristocetin was ineffective. OxPhos (33 times) and mitochondrial transmembrane potential (88%) were increased only by thrombin. OxPhos was the main source of ATP in thrombin-activated platelets, whereas in platelets activated by any of the other agonists, glycolysis was the principal ATP supplier. In order to establish the biochemical mechanisms involved in the thrombin-induced OxPhos activation in platelets, several signaling pathways associated with mitochondrial activation were analyzed. Wortmannin and LY294002 (PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitors), ristocetin and heparin (GPIb inhibitors) as well as resveratrol, ATP (calcium-release inhibitors) and PP1 (Tyr-phosphorylation inhibitor) prevented the thrombin-induced platelet activation. These results suggest that thrombin activates OxPhos and glycolysis through GPIb-dependent signaling involving PI3K and Akt activation, calcium mobilization and protein phosphorylation.</p></div

Benchmarking scientific performance by decomposing leadership of Cuban and Latin American institutions in Public Health

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Scientometrics. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1831-z”.Comparative benchmarking with bibliometric indicators can be an aid in decision-making with regard to research management. This study aims to characterize scientific performance in a domain (Public Health) by the institutions of a country (Cuba), taking as reference world output and regional output (other Latin American centers) during the period 2003–2012. A new approach is used here to assess to what extent the leadership of a specific institution can change its citation impact. Cuba was found to have a high level of specialization and scientific leadership that does not match the low international visibility of Cuban institutions. This leading output appears mainly in non-collaborative papers, in national journals; publication in English is very scarce and the rate of international collaboration is very low. The Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kouri stands out, alone, as a national reference. Meanwhile, at the regional level, Latin American institutions deserving mention for their high autonomy in normalized citation would include Universidad de Buenos Aires (ARG), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (BRA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientı´ficas y Te´cnicas (ARG), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (BRA) and the Centro de Pesquisas Rene Rachou (BRA). We identify a crucial aspect that can give rise to misinterpretations of data: a high share of leadership cannot be considered positive for institutions when it is mainly associated with a high proportion of non-collaborative papers and a very low level of performance. Because leadership might be questionable in some cases, we propose future studies to ensure a better interpretation of findings.This work was made possible through financing by the scholarship funds for international mobility between Andalusian and IberoAmerican Universities and the SCImago GroupPeer reviewe

Detection of early Alzheimer's disease in MCI patients by the combination of MMSE and an episodic memory test

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous clinical entity that comprises the prodromal phase of Alzheimer's disease (Pr-AD). New biomarkers are useful in detecting Pr-AD, but they are not universally available. We aimed to investigate baseline clinical and neuropsychological variables that might predict progression from MCI to AD dementia. METHODS: All patients underwent a complete clinical and neuropsychological evaluation at baseline and every 6 months during a two-year follow-up period, with 54 out of 109 MCI patients progressing to dementia (50 of them progressed to AD dementia), and 55 remaining as stable MCI (S-MCI). RESULTS: A combination of MMSE and California Verbal Learning Test Long Delayed Total Recall (CVLT-LDTR) constituted the best predictive model: subjects scoring above 26/30 on MMSE and 4/16 on CVLT-LDTR had a negative predictive value of 93.93% at 2 years, whereas those subjects scoring below both of these cut-off scores had a positive predictive value of 80.95%. CONCLUSIONS: Pr-AD might be distinguished from S-MCI at baseline using the combination of MMSE and CVLT-LDTR. These two neuropsychological predictors are relatively brief and may be readily completed in non-specialist clinical settings

Neonatal retroauricular cellulitis as an indicator of group B streptococcal bacteremia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The relation between cellulitis and Group B streptococcus infection in newborns and small infants was first reported during the early 1980s and named cellulitis-adenitis syndrome. We report a case of a neonate with cellulitis-adenitis syndrome in an unusual location (retroauricular).</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 21-day-old Caucasian female infant was brought to the emergency department with fever, irritability and a decreased appetite. Physical examination revealed erythema and painful, mild swelling in the right retroauricular region. The blood count and C-reactive protein level were normal. She was treated with ceftriaxone. The fever and irritability were resolved after 24 hours, and the cellulitis was clearly reduced after two days of hospitalization. Blood culture yielded Group B streptococcus.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A thorough evaluation must be done, and lumbar punctures for infants with cellulitis must be considered. We emphasize the lack of data about acute phase reactants to predict bacteremia and meningitis and to adjust the duration of parenteral antibiotic therapy to address this syndrome.</p

The HY5-PIF regulatory module coordinates light and temperature control of photosynthetic gene transcription

The ability to interpret daily and seasonal alterations in light and temperature signals is essential for plant survival. This is particularly important during seedling establishment when the phytochrome photoreceptors activate photosynthetic pigment production for photoautotrophic growth. Phytochromes accomplish this partly through the suppression of phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs), negative regulators of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis. While the bZIP transcription factor long hypocotyl 5 (HY5), a potent PIF antagonist, promotes photosynthetic pigment accumulation in response to light. Here we demonstrate that by directly targeting a common promoter cis-element (G-box), HY5 and PIFs form a dynamic activation-suppression transcriptional module responsive to light and temperature cues. This antagonistic regulatory module provides a simple, direct mechanism through which environmental change can redirect transcriptional control of genes required for photosynthesis and photoprotection. In the regulation of photopigment biosynthesis genes, HY5 and PIFs do not operate alone, but with the circadian clock. However, sudden changes in light or temperature conditions can trigger changes in HY5 and PIFs abundance that adjust the expression of common target genes to optimise photosynthetic performance and growth

Progression characteristics of the European Friedreich's Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS): a 4-year cohort study

BACKGROUND: The European Friedreich's Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS) investigates the natural history of Friedreich's ataxia. We aimed to assess progression characteristics and to identify patient groups with differential progression rates based on longitudinal 4-year data to inform upcoming clinical trials in Friedreich's ataxia. METHODS: EFACTS is a prospective, observational cohort study based on an ongoing and open-ended registry. Patients with genetically confirmed Friedreich's ataxia were seen annually at 11 clinical centres in seven European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK). Data from baseline to 4-year follow-up were included in the current analysis. Our primary endpoints were the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the activities of daily living (ADL). Linear mixed-effect models were used to analyse annual disease progression for the entire cohort and subgroups defined by age of onset and ambulatory abilities. Power calculations were done for potential trial designs. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02069509. FINDINGS: Between Sept 15, 2010, and Nov 20, 2018, of 914 individuals assessed for eligibility, 602 patients were included. Of these, 552 (92%) patients contributed data with at least one follow-up visit. Annual progression rate for SARA was 0·82 points (SE 0·05) in the overall cohort, and higher in patients who were ambulatory (1·12 [0·07]) than non-ambulatory (0·50 [0·07]). ADL worsened by 0·93 (SE 0·05) points per year in the entire cohort, with similar progression rates in patients who were ambulatory (0·94 [0·07]) and non-ambulatory (0·91 [0·08]). Although both SARA and ADL showed slightly greater worsening in patients with typical onset (symptom onset at ≤24 years) than those with late onset (symptom onset ≥25 years), differences in progression slopes were not significant. For a 2-year parallel-group trial, 230 (115 per group) patients would be required to detect a 50% reduction in SARA progression at 80% power: 118 (59 per group) if only individuals who are ambulatory are included. With ADL as the primary outcome, 190 (95 per group) patients with Friedreich's ataxia would be needed, and fewer patients would be required if only individuals with early-onset are included. INTERPRETATION: Our findings for stage-dependent progression rates have important implications for clinicians and researchers, as they provide reliable outcome measures to monitor disease progression, and enable tailored sample size calculation to guide upcoming clinical trial designs in Friedreich's ataxia. FUNDING: European Commission, Voyager Therapeutics, and EuroAtaxia

Prediction of the disease course in Friedreich ataxia

We explored whether disease severity of Friedreich ataxia can be predicted using data from clinical examinations. From the database of the European Friedreich Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS) data from up to five examinations of 602 patients with genetically confirmed FRDA was included. Clinical instruments and important symptoms of FRDA were identified as targets for prediction, while variables such as genetics, age of disease onset and first symptom of the disease were used as predictors. We used modelling techniques including generalised linear models, support-vector-machines and decision trees. The scale for rating and assessment of ataxia (SARA) and the activities of daily living (ADL) could be predicted with predictive errors quantified by root-mean-squared-errors (RMSE) of 6.49 and 5.83, respectively. Also, we were able to achieve reasonable performance for loss of ambulation (ROC-AUC score of 0.83). However, predictions for the SCA functional assessment (SCAFI) and presence of cardiological symptoms were difficult. In conclusion, we demonstrate that some clinical features of FRDA can be predicted with reasonable error; being a first step towards future clinical applications of predictive modelling. In contrast, targets where predictions were difficult raise the question whether there are yet unknown variables driving the clinical phenotype of FRDA