Use of DNA technology in forensic dentistry

The established importance of Forensic Dentistry for human identification, mainly when there is little remaining material to perform such identification (e.g., in fires, explosions, decomposing bodies or skeletonized bodies), has led dentists working with forensic investigation to become more familiar with the new molecular biology techniques. The currently available DNA tests have high reliability and are accepted as legal proofs in courts. This article presents a literature review referring to the main studies on Forensic Dentistry that involve the use of DNA for human identification, and makes an overview of the evolution of this technology in the last years, highlighting the importance of molecular biology in forensic sciences

Ruxolitinib in refractory acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease : a multicenter survey study

Graft-versus-host disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. First-line treatment is based on the use of high doses of corticosteroids. Unfortunately, second-line treatment for both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, remains a challenge. Ruxolitinib has been shown as an effective and safe treatment option for these patients. Seventy-nine patients received ruxolitinib and were evaluated in this retrospective and multicenter study. Twenty-three patients received ruxolitinib for refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after a median of 3 (range 1-5) previous lines of therapy. Overall response rate was 69.5% (16/23) which was obtained after a median of 2 weeks of treatment, and 21.7% (5/23) reached complete remission. Fifty-six patients were evaluated for refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease. The median number of previous lines of therapy was 3 (range 1-10). Overall response rate was 57.1% (32/56) with 3.5% (2/56) obtaining complete remission after a median of 4 weeks. Tapering of corticosteroids was possible in both acute (17/23, 73%) and chronic graft-versus-host disease (32/56, 57.1%) groups. Overall survival was 47% (CI: 23-67%) at 6 months for patients with aGVHD (62 vs 28% in responders vs non-responders) and 81% (CI: 63-89%) at 1 year for patients with cGVHD (83 vs 76% in responders vs non-responders). Ruxolitinib in the real life setting is an effective and safe treatment option for GVHD, with an ORR of 69.5% and 57.1% for refractory acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, respectively, in heavily pretreated patients

Canagliflozin and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to 300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m 2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Groups

Background: Canagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, but effects on specific cardiovascular outcomes are uncertain, as are effects in people without previous cardiovascular disease (primary prevention). Methods: In CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation), 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned to canagliflozin or placebo on a background of optimized standard of care. Results: Primary prevention participants (n=2181, 49.6%) were younger (61 versus 65 years), were more often female (37% versus 31%), and had shorter duration of diabetes mellitus (15 years versus 16 years) compared with secondary prevention participants (n=2220, 50.4%). Canagliflozin reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events overall (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.67-0.95]; P=0.01), with consistent reductions in both the primary (HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.49-0.94]) and secondary (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.69-1.06]) prevention groups (P for interaction=0.25). Effects were also similar for the components of the composite including cardiovascular death (HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.61-1.00]), nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.59-1.10]), and nonfatal stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.56-1.15]). The risk of the primary composite renal outcome and the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure were also consistently reduced in both the primary and secondary prevention groups (P for interaction &gt;0.5 for each outcome). Conclusions: Canagliflozin significantly reduced major cardiovascular events and kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, including in participants who did not have previous cardiovascular disease

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

DEGRADACION DE COMPUESTOS ORGANO-SULFURADOS EN UNA FRACCION AROMATICA MEDIANTE CEPAS DE HONGOS Aspergillus Y Penicillium

Dos cepas identificadas como Aspergillus sp1 y Penicillium sp1 y un pool constituido por ambas cepas junto a otras cinco fueron utilizadas con el objeto de medir su capacidad biodegradativa sobre compuestos &oacute;rgano sulfurados presentes en la fracci&oacute;n arom&aacute;tica extra&iacute;da del crudo MFB-14, proveniente de la Faja Bituminosa del Orinoco. Los resultados obtenidos mediante la t&eacute;cnica de cromatograf&iacute;a de gases con detector especifico de azufre (FPD), permiten visualizar un patr&oacute;n caracter&iacute;stico de los compuestos benzotiofenos, dibenzotiofenos y de sus respectivos derivados alqu&iacute;licos con uno o dos grupos metilos El an&aacute;lisis por cromatograf&iacute;a de gases acoplado a espectrometr&iacute;a de masas (CG-EM), permiti&oacute; un estudio m&aacute;s detallado del patr&oacute;n de oxidaci&oacute;n en cada experimento. Para el caso de la cepa Aspergillus sp1 se observ&oacute; una mayor degradaci&oacute;n que para la cepa de Penicillium sp1 y del pool de cepas. En general en los tres experimentos realizados hay una remoci&oacute;n parcial y/o total de los compuestos dibenzotiofeno (DBT), metil dibenzotiofeno DBT (Me) 2DBT siendo el orden degradativo: &nbsp;&nbsp;DBT &gt; ME-DBT (1-Me-DBT &gt; 3,2-Me-DBT &gt; 4-Me-DBT) y, por &uacute;ltimo, la serie de compuestos (Me) 2DBT, comenzando por los is&oacute;meros (4.6) y (2.4) &gt; (2.6) y (3.6) &gt; (2.8) y (2.7) &gt; (1.3) y (3.4) dejando pr&aacute;cticamente intactos los is&oacute;meros (1.4), (1.6) y (1.7) (Me)2DBT, An&aacute;lisis por cromatograf&iacute;a i&oacute;nica a las soluciones acuosas indican que la degradaci&oacute;n de los compuestos &oacute;rgano sulfurados no produce cantidades significativas del ion sulfato (SO4=), adem&aacute;s no detectados compuestos bifenilos. Esto sugiere que la remoci&oacute;n de azufre en las mol&eacute;culas ocurre m&aacute;s por una v&iacute;a como la propuesta por Kodama y Col. (1973) que con la producci&oacute;n directa de sulfato corno lo propone Gallager y Col. (1994). Por otra parte, se evidenci&oacute; la acci&oacute;n diferencial de las dos cepas de hongos sobre los compuestos &oacute;rgano-sulfurados y la modificaci&oacute;n de sus patrones individuales debido a las interacciones entre ellas en el pool

90 Degree Hybrid Coupler

In this Major Qualifying Project we were tasked by our project sponsor, Skyworks Solutions Inc., to redesign a 90-hybrid coupler with the center frequency of 1.9GHz. The sponsor’s requirements for the new design were to increase the bandwidth and decrease the device area. Both of these requirements were met by developing a theoretical model and were then validated by simulations in Agilent’s ADS. Additionally Ansys’ HFSS was used to model the new design in a 3-D environment where the electric and magnetic radiation fields can be studied. This was a necessary step in order to develop a model accounting for interference originating from the device. The final design yielded a bandwidth increase of 150% with an area reduction of 63%