Distance of the alveolar antral artery from the alveolar crest. Related factors and surgical considerations in sinus floor elevation

In a variable proportion of maxillary sinuses alveolar antral artery is located close to the residual ridge, increasing the chances for haemorrhagic complications during sinus floor elevation procedures. Retrospective observational study of CBCT explorations performed for implant-treatment planning. The upper first molar area was selected for this study. The relative uncertainty (standard deviation of the measurement divided by its mean and expressed as a percentage from 0% to 100%) was chosen for determining the observational errors. For modeling the chances of AAA detection, the generalized additive models (GAM) approach was chosen. A total of 240 maxillary sinuses were studied (46.25% males) whose median median age was 58 years old (IQR: 52-66). Univariate models showed that the chances for an AAA-alvelar crest distance ?15mm increase in wider sinuses with lower, subsinusally edentulous crests. When distance is considered as a continuous variable, the best mutivariate model showed an explained deviance of 67% and included AAA diameter, distance AAA-sinus floor, sinus width, and shape, height and width of the residual ridge. Thinner AAAs are found closer to the crest (within the ?15mm safe distance). Bearing in mind the inclusion criteria and the limitations of this investigation, it is concluded that there is a high proportion of maxillary sinuses where AAA describes a course close to the alveolar crest (?15mm), which was classically considered a safe distance for SFE. This position is related to the presence of atrophic crests (depressed ridge form) and wide maxillary sinuses where the distance of the vessel to the floor of the sinus is small. This information may permit a better surgical planning of SFE procedures

Graphene etching on SiC grains as a path to interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as other organic molecules appear among the most abundant observed species in interstellar space and are key molecules to understanding the prebiotic roots of life. However, their existence and abundance in space remain a puzzle. Here we present a new top-down route to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in large quantities in space. We show that aromatic species can be efficiently formed on the graphitized surface of the abundant silicon carbide stardust on exposure to atomic hydrogen under pressure and temperature conditions analogous to those of the interstellar medium. To this aim, we mimic the circumstellar environment using ultra-high vacuum chambers and investigate the SiC surface by in situ advanced characterization techniques combined with first-principles molecular dynamics calculations. These results suggest that top-down routes are crucial to astrochemistry to explain the abundance of organic species and to uncover the origin of unidentified infrared emission features from advanced observations. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

Tumoral and normal brain tissue extraction protocol for wide-scope screening of organic pollutants

Little is known about the presence of organic pollutants in human brain (and even less in brain tumors). In this regard, it is necessary to develop new analytical protocols capable of identify-ing a wide range of exogenous chemicals in this type of samples (by combining target, suspect and non-target strategies). These methodologies should be robust and simple. This is particularly challenging for solid samples, as reliable extraction and clean-up techniques should be combined to obtain an optimal result. Hence, the present study focuses on the development of an analytical methodology that allows the screening of a wide range of organic chemicals in brain and brain tumor samples. This protocol was based on a solid-liquid extraction based on bead beating, solid-phase extraction clean-up with multi-layer mixed-mode cartridges, reconstitution and LC -HRMS analysis. To evaluate the performance of the extraction methodology, a set of 66 chemicals (e.g., pharmaceuticals, biocides, or plasticizers, among others) with a wide range of physicochemical properties was employed. Quality control parameters (i.e., linear range, sensitivity, matrix effect (ME%), and recoveries (R%)) were calculated and satisfactory results were obtained for them (e.g., R% within 60-120% for 32 chemicals, or ME% higher than 50% (signal suppression) for 79% of the chemicals)

Effects of the ActiveHip+ mHealth intervention on the recovery of older adults with hip fracture and their family caregivers:a multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) systems are a promising alternative for rehabilitation of hip fracture, addressing constrained healthcare resources. Half of older adults fails to recover their pre-fracture routines, which imposes a burden on caregivers. We aimed to test the effectiveness of the 3-month ActiveHip + mHealth intervention on physical and psychological outcomes of older adults with hip fracture and their family caregivers. Methods: In a multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial conducted across 3 hospitals in Andalusia (Spain), patients older than 65 with a hip fracture, who were previously independent and lacked cognitive impairment were recruited alongside with their caregivers. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to the intervention group (ActiveHip+) or control (usual care) group. The intervention group underwent a 12-week health education and tele-rehabilitation programme through the ActiveHip + mHealth intervention. The primary outcome, physical performance, was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery at three time points: at hospital discharge (baseline), 3-month after surgery (post intervention) and 1-year after surgery follow-up. Primary analyses of primary outcomes and safety data followed an intention-to-treat approach. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04859309. Findings: Between June 1st, 2021 and June 30th, 2022 data from 105 patients and their caregivers were analysed. Patients engaged in the ActiveHip + mHealth intervention (mean 7.11 points, SE 0.33) showed higher physical performance compared with patients allocated in the control group (mean 5.71 points, SE 0.32) at 3 months after surgery (mean difference in change from baseline 1.40 points, SE 0.36; puncorrected = 0.00011). These benefits were not maintained at 1-year after surgery follow-up (mean difference in change from baseline 0.19 points, SE 0.47; puncorrected = 0.68). No adverse events, including falls and refractures, were reported during the tele-rehabilitation sessions. At 3-months, the intervention group had 2 falls, compared to 4 in the control group, with no observed refractures. At the 1-year follow-up, the intervention group experienced 7 falls and 1 refracture, while the control group had 13 falls and 2 refractures. Interpretation: This study suggests that the ActiveHip + mHealth intervention may be effective for recovering physical performance in older adults with hip fracture. Importantly, the implementation of ActiveHip + into daily clinical practice may be feasible and has already been adopted in 18 hospitals, mostly in Spain but also in Belgium and Portugal. Thus, ActiveHip + could offer a promising solution when rehabilitation resources are limited. However, its dependence on caregiver support and the exclusion of participants with cognitive impairment makes it necessary to be cautious about its applicability. In addition, the non-maintenance of the effectiveness at 1-year follow-up highlights the need of refinement the ActiveHip + intervention to promote long-lasting behavioural changes. Funding: EIT Health and the Ramón y Cajal 2021 Excellence Research Grant action from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.</p

Effects of the ActiveHip+ mHealth intervention on the recovery of older adults with hip fracture and their family caregivers:a multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) systems are a promising alternative for rehabilitation of hip fracture, addressing constrained healthcare resources. Half of older adults fails to recover their pre-fracture routines, which imposes a burden on caregivers. We aimed to test the effectiveness of the 3-month ActiveHip + mHealth intervention on physical and psychological outcomes of older adults with hip fracture and their family caregivers. Methods: In a multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial conducted across 3 hospitals in Andalusia (Spain), patients older than 65 with a hip fracture, who were previously independent and lacked cognitive impairment were recruited alongside with their caregivers. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to the intervention group (ActiveHip+) or control (usual care) group. The intervention group underwent a 12-week health education and tele-rehabilitation programme through the ActiveHip + mHealth intervention. The primary outcome, physical performance, was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery at three time points: at hospital discharge (baseline), 3-month after surgery (post intervention) and 1-year after surgery follow-up. Primary analyses of primary outcomes and safety data followed an intention-to-treat approach. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04859309. Findings: Between June 1st, 2021 and June 30th, 2022 data from 105 patients and their caregivers were analysed. Patients engaged in the ActiveHip + mHealth intervention (mean 7.11 points, SE 0.33) showed higher physical performance compared with patients allocated in the control group (mean 5.71 points, SE 0.32) at 3 months after surgery (mean difference in change from baseline 1.40 points, SE 0.36; puncorrected = 0.00011). These benefits were not maintained at 1-year after surgery follow-up (mean difference in change from baseline 0.19 points, SE 0.47; puncorrected = 0.68). No adverse events, including falls and refractures, were reported during the tele-rehabilitation sessions. At 3-months, the intervention group had 2 falls, compared to 4 in the control group, with no observed refractures. At the 1-year follow-up, the intervention group experienced 7 falls and 1 refracture, while the control group had 13 falls and 2 refractures. Interpretation: This study suggests that the ActiveHip + mHealth intervention may be effective for recovering physical performance in older adults with hip fracture. Importantly, the implementation of ActiveHip + into daily clinical practice may be feasible and has already been adopted in 18 hospitals, mostly in Spain but also in Belgium and Portugal. Thus, ActiveHip + could offer a promising solution when rehabilitation resources are limited. However, its dependence on caregiver support and the exclusion of participants with cognitive impairment makes it necessary to be cautious about its applicability. In addition, the non-maintenance of the effectiveness at 1-year follow-up highlights the need of refinement the ActiveHip + intervention to promote long-lasting behavioural changes. Funding: EIT Health and the Ramón y Cajal 2021 Excellence Research Grant action from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.</p

Ciguatoxin Detection in Flesh and Liver of Relevant Fish Species from the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a ciguatoxin (CTX) hotspot with an established official monitoring for the detection of CTX in fish flesh from the authorised points of first sale. Fish caught by recreational fishermen are not officially tested and the consumption of toxic viscera or flesh could lead to ciguatera poisoning (CP). The objectives of this study were to determine the presence of CTX-like toxicity in relevant species from this archipelago, compare CTX levels in liver and flesh and examine possible factors involved in their toxicity. Sixty amberjack (Seriola spp.), 27 dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), 11 black moray eels (Muraena helena) and 11 common two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris) were analysed by cell-based assay (CBA) and Caribbean ciguatoxin-1 (C-CTX1) was detected by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in all these species. Most of the liver displayed higher CTX levels than flesh and even individuals without detectable CTX in flesh exhibited hepatic toxicity. Black moray eels stand out for the large difference between CTX concentration in both tissues. None of the specimens with non-toxic liver showed toxicity in flesh. This is the first evidence of the presence of C-CTX1 in the common two-banded seabream and the first report of toxicity comparison between liver and muscle from relevant fish species captured in the Canary Islands.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Atmospheric pressure gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (APGC-ToF-MS) for the determination of regulated and emerging contaminants in aqueous samples after stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE)

This work presents the development, optimization and validation of a multi-residue method for the simultaneous determination of 102 contaminants, including fragrances, UV filters, repellents, endocrine disruptors, biocides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and several types of pesticides in aqueous matrices. Water samples were processed using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) after the optimization of several parameters: agitation time, ionic strength, presence of organic modifiers, pH, and volume of the derivatizing agent. Target compounds were extracted from the bars by liquid desorption (LD). Separation, identification and quantification of analytes were carried out by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to time-of-flight (ToF-MS) mass spectrometry. A new ionization source, atmospheric pressure gas chromatography (APGC), was tested. The optimized protocol showed acceptable recovery percentages (50–100%) and limits of detection below 1 ng L−1 for most of the compounds. Occurrence of 21 out of 102 analytes was confirmed in several environmental aquatic matrices, including seawater, sewage effluent, river water and groundwater. Non-target compounds such as organophosphorus flame retardants were also identified in real samples by accurate mass measurement of their molecular ions using GC-APGC–ToF-MS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that this technique has been applied for the analysis of contaminants in aquatic systems. By employing lower energy than the more widely used electron impact ionization (EI), AGPC provides significant advantages over EI for those substances very susceptible to high fragmentation (e.g., fragrances, pyrethroids)

Antioxidant and neuroprotective actions of IGF-II against glucocorticoid-induced toxicity in dopaminergic neurons.

The neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects 1–3% of the population aged over 65. A wide range of pathways and mechanisms are involved in its pathogenesis, such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and neuronal glucocorticoid-induced toxicity, which ultimately produce a progressive loss of nigral dopamine neurons. Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) has shown antioxidant and neuroprotective effects in some neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, our aim was to study IGF-II protective effects against oxidative damage on a cellular combined model of PD and mild to moderate stress, based on corticosterone (CORT), an endocrine response marker to stress, and the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). The dopaminergic neuronal cell line SN4741 (RRID:CVCL_S466) derived from mouse substantia nigra were exposed to 200 μM MPP+, 0.5 μM CORT or both, with or without 25 ng/mL IGF-II, for 2.5 or 6 h. Cell viability, oxidative stress parameters, mitochondrial and dopamine markers and intracellular signaling pathways were evaluated. The administration of MPP+ or CORT individually led to cell damage compared to control situations, whereas the combination of both drugs produced very considerable toxic synergistic effect. IGF-II counteracts the mitochondrial-oxidative damage, protecting dopaminergic neurons from death and neurodegeneration. IGF-II maintained the tyrosine hydroxylase expression and promotes nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 antioxidant response in a glucocorticoid receptor-dependent pathway, preventing oxidative cell damage and maintaining mitochondrial function. This work revealed the potential neuroprotective role of IGF-II to protect nigral dopamine neurons against mitochondrial-oxidative damage induced by CORT and MPP+ was demonstrated. Thus, IGF-II is a potential therapeutic tool for prevention and treatment of PD patients suffering mild to moderate emotional stress.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

IGF-II treatment prevents the oxidative damage derived by MPP+/MPTP administration in a cellular and animal model of Parkinson’s disease.

El factor de crecimiento de la insulina-II (IGF-II) ha mostrado efectos antioxidantes y neuroprotectores en algunos trastornos neurodegenerativos, como es la Enfermedad de Parkinson (EP). Analizamos el efecto de IGF-II y la implicación de la esfingosina kinasa (SPHK), en la citoarquitectura/función mitocondrial tras provocar daño oxidativo con la administración de la neurotoxina MPTP y su metabolito activo. La línea celular SN4741 se trató con MPP+ solo/en presencia de IGF-II (2 h). Los tratamientos fueron reemplazados por medio/IGF-II (2h), respectivamente. Se estudió: morfología (microscopía electrónica, EM), tasa de consumo de oxígeno (OCR) y muerte celular (LDH). MPTP/probenecid(p) por vía parenteral (35d) indujo un daño progresivo en la vía nigroestriatal dopaminérgica (DA-NSP) de los animales. En los días 36-44, se inyectó vehículo. El grupo control recibió vehículo siguiendo el mismo régimen de administración (1-44d). Otro grupo se trató con IGF-II una vez inducido el daño por MPTP (22-44 días). Para investigar el papel de IGF-II en la alteración conductual inducida por MPTP/p, se evaluó el rendimiento motor. Se realizó inmunotinción para marcadores dopaminérgicos y astrogliosis. Las células tratadas con MPP+ mostraron menos mitocondrias (EM) y con pérdida parcial/total de crestas, alteraciones de membrana y forma hinchada. IGF-II mantuvo el número de mitocondrias con morfología similar al control. La disminución de OCR tras la administración de MPP+ (30%) se recuperó con IGF-II. SPHK está implicada en este mecanismo, como indica su inhibición (MPP++IGF-II+MPA-08 6 veces > LDH vs MPP++IGF-II). En animales, IGF-II recuperó el efecto de MPTP sobre los marcadores DA-NSP y sobre el rendimiento motor. IGF-II contrarresta el aumento del estrés oxidativo y la disfunción mitocondrial inducida por la neurotoxina, el deterioro conductual y la degeneración de DA-NSP. SPHK estaría involucrada en este mecanismo.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech