Solubilidad sólida del MgO en los silicatos cálcicos del clínker portland. Efecto del CaF2

The solid solubility of MgO in the calcium silicates of portland clinker has been determined by XRD and XDS. The influence that the presence of CaF2 has on said solubility has also been verified. The solid solution limit of MgO in C3S at 1275 ºC lies at about 1.0% wt, where the triclinic form II stabilizes. The presence of CaF2 does not alter the maximum value of the MgO solubilized in that silicate, although there does take place the stabilization of the triclinic polymorph II at lower MgO contents (between 0.3 - 0.6% wt). The maximum amount of solubilized MgO in βC2 at 1.050 ºC lies around 0.5% wt. This value does not change by the presence of CaF2.Se ha determinado por DRX y EDX la solubilidad sólida del MgO en los silicatos cálcicos del clínker portland. Se ha comprobado, así mismo la influencia que sobre dicha solubilidad tiene la presencia de CaF2. El límite de disolución sólida del MgO en el C3S a 1.275º C se sitúa alrededor del 1,0% en peso, estabilizándose la forma triclínica II. La presencia de CaF2 no altera el valor máximo de MgO solubilizado en este silicato, aunque si se produce la estabilización del polimorfo triclínico II a contenidos menores de MgO (entre 0,3 – 0,6% en peso). La cantidad máxima de MgO solubilizado en e/ βC2S a 1.050 ºC se sitúa en torno al 0,5% en peso. Este valor no se ve modificado por la presencia de CaF2

Hospitalization budget impact during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

To Mrs. Anne Murray for her support to translate the manuscript. This article is part of the doctoral thesis of Laura Álvarez as part of the Doctoral Program in Pharmacy, Granada University (Spain).Objectives: The aim was to determine the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Spain’s health budget. Methods: Budget impact analyses based on retrospective data from patients with suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) admitted to a Spanish hospital between February 26 and May 21, 2020. Direct medical costs from the perspective of the hospital were calculated. We analyzed diagnostic tests, drugs, medical and nursing care, and isolation ward and ICU stays for three cohorts: patients seen in the emergency room only, hospitalized patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and patients who tested negative. Results: The impact on the hospital’s budget for the 3 months was calculated at €15,633,180, 97.4% of which was related to health care and hospitalization. ICU stays accounted for 5.3% of the total costs. The mean cost per patient was €10,744. The main costs were staffing costs (10,131 to 11,357 €/patient for physicians and 10,274 to 11,215 €/patient for nurses). Scenario analysis showed that the range of hospital expenditure was between €14,693,256 and €16,524,924. The median impact of the pandemic on the Spanish health budget in the sensitivity analysis using bootstrapped individual data was €9357 million (interquartile range [IQR], 9071 to 9689) for the conservative scenario (113,588 hospital admissions and 11,664 ICU admissions) and €10,385 million (IQR, 110,030 to 10,758) for the worst-case scenario (including suspected cases). Conclusion: The impact of COVID-19 on the Spanish public health budget (12.3% of total public health expenditure) is greater than multiple sclerosis, cancer and diabetes cost

Cap Formation Induced by Concanavalin A in Pathogenic Free-living Amoebae

Morphological differences in cap formation were found when trophozoites of different free-living amoebae were treated with the lectin Concanavalin A, which resulted in a rapid redistribution of certain surface components to form small clusters and membrane-folded structures of diverse sizes. Acanthamoeba castellanii, Acanthamoba polyphaga and Naegleria lovaniensis exhibited characteristic caps, however, in A. castellanii this structure was larger and included several folds of the plasma membrane; furthermore, some of these caps had vacuoles containing a fi bro granular content. In contrast, the caps formed by A. polyphaga and N. lovaniensis lacked vacuoles. Regarding Naegleria fowleri, the trophozoites did not produce a defi ned cap, and only small patches of lectin-bound surface receptor complexes were observed at one pole of the cell body. In the free-living amoebae studied, it was not possible to correlate the shape and size of cap with pathogenicity

Endothelial damage, inflammation and immunity in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have an accelerated atherosclerosis, increased risk of thrombotic-ischemic complications, and excessive mortality rates when compared with the general population. There is also evidence of an endothelial damage in which the proinflammatory state, the enhanced oxidative stress, or the accumulation of toxins due to their reduced renal clearance in uremia play a role. Further, there is evidence that uremic endothelial cells are both involved in and victims of the activation of the innate immunity. Uremic endothelial cells produce danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPS), which by binding to specific pattern recognition receptors expressed in multiple cells, including endothelial cells, induce the expression of adhesion molecules, the production of proinflammatory cytokines and an enhanced production of reactive oxygen species in endothelial cells, which constitute a link between immunity and inflammation. The connection between endothelial damage, inflammation and defective immunity in uremia will be reviewed here

Endothelial damage, inflammation and immunity in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have an accelerated atherosclerosis, increased risk of thrombotic-ischemic complications, and excessive mortality rates when compared with the general population. There is also evidence of an endothelial damage in which the proinflammatory state, the enhanced oxidative stress, or the accumulation of toxins due to their reduced renal clearance in uremia play a role. Further, there is evidence that uremic endothelial cells are both involved in and victims of the activation of the innate immunity. Uremic endothelial cells produce danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPS), which by binding to specific pattern recognition receptors expressed in multiple cells, including endothelial cells, induce the expression of adhesion molecules, the production of proinflammatory cytokines and an enhanced production of reactive oxygen species in endothelial cells, which constitute a link between immunity and inflammation. The connection between endothelial damage, inflammation and defective immunity in uremia will be reviewed here

Subtly modulating glycogen synthase kinase 3 ß: Allosteric inhibitor development and their potential for the treatment of chronic diseases

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 ß (GSK-3ß) is a central target in several unmet diseases. To increase the specificity of GSK-3ß inhibitors in chronic treatments, we developed small molecules allowing subtle modulation of GSK-3ß activity. Design synthesis, structure¿activity relationships, and binding mode of quinoline-3-carbohydrazide derivatives as allosteric modulators of GSK-3ß are presented here. Furthermore, we show how allosteric binders may overcome the ß-catenin side effects associated with strong GSK-3ß inhibition. The therapeutic potential of some of these modulators has been tested in human samples from patients with congenital myotonic dystrophy type 1 (CDM1) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients. We found that compound 53 improves delayed myogenesis in CDM1 myoblasts, while compounds 1 and 53 have neuroprotective properties in SMA-derived cells. These findings suggest that the allosteric modulators of GSK-3ß may be used for future development of drugs for DM1, SMA, and other chronic diseases where GSK-3ß inhibition exhibits therapeutic effects.This work was financially supported by MINECO (grant no. SAF2012-37979-C03-01 and SAF2016-76693-R to A.M. and IJCI-2014-20767 to V.P.). CCHMC funds L.T. A.M. and C.G. are members of the CIB Intramural Program “Molecular Machines for Better Life” (MACBET).Peer Reviewe

The avoidance of G-CSF and the addition of prophylactic corticosteroids after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma patients appeal for the at-home setting to reduce readmission for neutropenic fever

Background Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains the standard of care for young multiple myeloma (MM) patients; indeed, at-home ASCT has been positioned as an appropriate therapeutic strategy. However, despite the use of prophylactic antibiotics, neutropenic fever (NF) and hospital readmissions continue to pose as the most important limitations in the outpatient setting. It is possible that the febrile episodes may have a non-infectious etiology, and engraftment syndrome could play a more significant role. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of both G-CSF withdrawal and the addition of primary prophylaxis with corticosteroids after ASCT. Methods Between January 2002 and August 2018, 111 MM patients conditioned with melphalan were managed at-home beginning +1 day after ASCT. Three groups were established: Group A (n = 33) received standard G-CSF post-ASCT; group B (n = 32) avoided G-CSF post-ASCT; group C (n = 46) avoided G-CSF yet added corticosteroid prophylaxis post-ASCT. Results The incidence of NF among the groups was reduced (64%, 44%, and 24%; P2 (OR 6.1; P = 0.002) and G-CSF avoidance plus corticosteroids (OR 0.1; P60 years (OR 14.6; P = 0.04) and G-CSF avoidance plus corticosteroids (OR 0.07; P = 0.05). Conclusions G-CSF avoidance and corticosteroid prophylaxis post ASCT minimize the incidence of NF in MM patients undergoing at-home ASCT. This approach should be explored in a prospective randomized clinical trial

Surface Coat Differences between Invasive Entamoeba histolytica and Non-Invasive Entamoeba dispar

Using ultrastructural cytochemical techniques we have found differences in the distribution of surface coat components between the invasive protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica and the non-invasive Entamoeba dispar. Carbohydrate-containing components and anionic sites in the cell surface of both species were detected by staining with ruthenium red and cationized ferritin, respectively. Ruthenium red staining revealed a thicker surface coat in E. histolytica trophozoites, whereas trophozoites of E. dispar showed a higher concentration of cationized ferritin particles on its surface. Mannose or glucose residues were found at the plasma membrane of both parasites treated with Concanavalin A (Con A)-peroxidase; the surface reaction product was more evident in E. dispar, compared with E. histolytica. Con A rapidly produced surface caps in E. histolytica trophozoites, whereas E. dispar showed a much less efficient mobilization of surface Con A receptors. Agglutination with Con A produced much larger clumps in E. histolytica in comparison with E. dispar. In turn, biotinylation assays revealed striking differences in the composition of surface membrane proteins in both amebic species. Overall, these results further emphasize the phenotypic differences between these two common parasites of the human intestinal tract, once considered to be the same protozoan

Formación de taumasita en morteros hidráulicos mediante la deposición de SO2 atmosférico

Sulphation of mortars and concretes is a function of diverse environmental factors (SO2 aerosol, temperature, etc) as well as some material characteristics. One of the phases that could be formed as consequence of the sulphation of the hydraulic binder is thaumasite. In this paper different hydraulic mortars have been exposed to laboratory exposure chambers in order to reproduce thaumasite formation due to atmospheric SO2. Under the laboratory exposure conditions, thaumasite was formed in hydraulic lime mortars, and mortars elaborated with ordinary Portland cement as well as mineralized white portland cement. However, thaumasite was not formed in mortars made of lime and pozzolan. The first product formed as a result of the SO2-mortar interaction was gypsum. Gypsum reacted with calcite and C-S-H gel, present in the samples, giving place to thaumasite. Low temperature promotes thaumasite formation.La sulfatación de morteros y hormigones depende de las condiciones ambientales (SO2 aerosol, temperatura, etc.), así como de las características del material. Una de las fases que se puede formar como consecuencia de la sulfatación de los ligantes hidráulicos es la taumasita. En este trabajo se han expuesto diferentes morteros hidráulicos en cámaras de laboratorio con el fin de reproducir la formación de taumasita por efecto del SO2 atmosférico. Bajo las condiciones de laboratorio se formó taumasita en los morteros de cal hidráulica y en los morteros fabricados con cemento portland y cemento blanco mineralizado. Sin embargo, cuando el ligante utilizado en los morteros fue cal y puzolana, no se formó taumasita. El yeso fue el primer producto formado en la interacción entre los morteros y el SO2. A continuación, este yeso reaccionó con la calcita y el gel C-S-H dando lugar a la formación de taumasita. Las bajas temperaturas favorecieron la formación de taumasita