Conclusions of the II International and IV Spanish Hydration Congress. Toledo, Spain, 2nd-4th December, 2015

Water is the major component of our organism representing about 60% of total body weight in adults and has to be obtained through the consumption of different foods and beverages as part of our diet. Water is an essential nutrient performing important functions, including transport of other nutrients, elimination of waste products, temperature regulation, lubrication and structural support. In this context, hydration through water has an essential role in health and wellness, which has been highly acknowledged in recent years among the health community experts such as nutritionists, dietitians, general practitioners, pharmacists, educators, as well as by physical activity and sport sciences experts and the general population

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Constraints on the Higgs boson width from off-shell production and decay to Z-boson pairs

Constraints are presented on the total width of the recently discovered Higgs boson, GH, using its relative on-shell and off-shell production and decay rates to a pair of Z bosons, where one Z boson decays to an electron or muon pair, and the other to an electron, muon, or neutrino pair. The analysis is based on the data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011 and 2012, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 5.1fb-1 at a center-of-mass energy vs=7 TeV and 19.7fb-1at vs=8 TeV. A simultaneous maximum likelihood fit to the measured kinematic distributions near the resonance peak and above the Z-boson pair production threshold leads to an upper limit on the Higgs boson width of GH<22 MeV at a 95% confidence level, which is 5.4 times the expected value in the standard model at the measured mass of mH=125.6 GeV

Cholesterol oxidation in traditional Mexican dried and deep fried food products

A number of animal and in vitro studies have demonstrated that cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) are the primary factor that triggers the atherosclerotic lesion. Furthermore, it has been recognized that several COPs have carcinogenic, cytotoxic and mutagenic effects. Although some works have reported the presence of COPs in a number of dried and deep-fried foods, other high-risk food products have not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to analyze the content of COPs of three widely consumed, typical Mexican food products: deep-fried pork rinds (chicharr\uf3n), dried beef (machaca) and sun-dried shrimp, which are subjected to severe thermal treatments and have relatively high cholesterol content. Lipids were extracted according to Folch\u2019s method, then subjected to cold saponification, purified by aminopropyl solid-phase extraction, silanized and analyzed by gas chromatography. The most abundant COPs found in all samples were 7&#61537;-hydroxycholesterol, 7&#61538;-hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol. The total amount of COPs varied from 45 to 57 mg/kg in chicharr\uf3n and machaca, whereas the sun-dried shrimp showed higher COPs content (131-254 mg/kg). The extent of cholesterol oxidation of chicharr\uf3n, machaca and sun-dried shrimp were 2.3%, 5.1% and 14.5%, respectively

Metabolic endotoxemia and saturated fat contribute to circulating NGAL concentrations in subjects with insulin resistance

Lipocalin-2 (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, NGAL) is an innate immune system protein that has been linked to insulin resistance and obesity, but the mechanisms behind these associations are poorly known. We hypothesized that endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) and fat intake were in the background of these associations.Design:We studied four cohorts: (1) a cross-sectional study in 194 subjects; (2) the changes in NGAL concentration induced by diet and weight loss in 36 obese women (with circadian rhythm in 8 of them); (3) the effects of acute fat intake on circulating NGAL concentration in 42 morbidly obese subjects; and (4) LPS-induced NGAL secretion ex vivo (whole blood and adipose tissue explants)

Do Chinese SOEs and Private Companies Differ in Their Foreign Location Strategies?

We empirically analyze the host-country determinants of Chinese outbound foreign direct investments (ODI) in the period from 2003 to 2008, using disaggregated data by country and sector and distinguishing between State-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately owned firms. Our results show that the pattern of Chinese ODI differs according to corporate ownership. Private firms are attracted by large markets and host-country strategic assets and are averse to economic and political risks when choosing investment locations abroad. Differently, state-owned enterprises follow the strategic needs of their home country and invest more in natural resource sectors, being largely indifferent to the political and economic conditions in the host countries

MAGIC discovery of Very High Energy Emission from the FSRQ PKS 1222+21

Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from the flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1222+21 (4C 21.35, z=0.432) was detected with the MAGIC Cherenkov telescopes during a short observation (~0.5 hr) performed on 2010 June 17. The MAGIC detection coincides with high energy MeV/GeV gamma-ray activity measured by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi satellite. The VHE spectrum measured by MAGIC extends from about 70 GeV up to at least 400 GeV and can be well described by a power law dN/dE \propto E^-Gamma with a photon index Gamma= 3.75+/-0.27stat +/-0.2syst. The averaged integral flux above 100 GeV is (4.56+/-0.46)x10^(-10) cm^-2 s^-1 (~1 Crab Nebula flux). The VHE flux measured by MAGIC varies significantly within the 30 min exposure implying a flux doubling time of about 10 min. The VHE and MeV/GeV spectra, corrected for the absorption by the extragalactic background light (EBL), can be described by a single power law with photon index 2.72+/-0.34 between 3 GeV and 400 GeV, and is consistent with emission belonging to a single component in the jet. The absence of a spectral cutoff constrains the gamma-ray emission region outside the Broad Line Region, which would otherwise absorb the VHE gamma-rays. Together with the detected fast variability, this challenges present emission models from jets in FSRQ. Moreover, the combined Fermi/LAT and MAGIC spectral data yield constraints on the density of the Extragalactic Background Light in the UV-optical to near-infrared range that are compatible with recent models.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figur

Discovery of VHE\u3b3-rays from the blazar 1ES\ua01215+303 with the MAGIC telescopes and simultaneous multi-wavelength observations

Context. We present the discovery of very high energy (VHE, E > 100GeV) gamma-ray emission from the BL Lac object 1ES 1215+303 by the MAGIC telescopes and simultaneous multi-wavelength data in a broad energy range from radio to gamma-rays. Aims. We study the VHE gamma-ray emission from 1ES 1215+303 and its relation to the emissions in other wavelengths. Methods. Triggered by an optical outburst, MAGIC observed the source in January-February 2011 for 20.3 hrs. The target was monitored in the optical R-band by the KVA telescope that also performed optical polarization measurements. We triggered target of opportunity observations with the Swift satellite and obtained simultaneous and quasi-simultaneous data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope and from the Mets\"ahovi radio telescope. We also present the analysis of older MAGIC data taken in 2010. Results. The MAGIC observations of 1ES 1215+303 carried out in January-February 2011 resulted in the first detection of the source at VHE with a statistical significance of 9.4 sigma. Simultaneously, the source was observed in a high optical and X-ray state. In 2010 the source was observed in a lower state in optical, X-ray, and VHE, while the GeV gamma-ray flux and the radio flux were comparable in 2010 and 2011. The spectral energy distribution obtained with the 2011 data can be modeled with a simple one zone SSC model, but it requires extreme values for the Doppler factor or the electron energy distribution.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted to A&