Factors associated with increased survival after surgical resection of glioblastoma in octogenarians.

Elderly patients with glioblastoma represent a clinical challenge for neurosurgeons and oncologists. The data available on outcomes of patients greater than 80 undergoing resection is limited. In this study, factors linked to increased survival in patients over the age of 80 were analyzed. A retrospective chart review of all patients over the age of 80 with a new diagnosis of glioblastoma and who underwent surgical resection with intent for maximal resection were examined. Patients who had only stereotactic biopsies were excluded. Immunohistochemical expression of oncogenic drivers (p53, EGFR, IDH-1) and a marker of cell proliferation (Ki-67 index) performed upon routine neuropathological examination were recorded. Stepwise logistic regression and Kaplan Meier survival curves were plotted to determine correlations to overall survival. Fifty-eight patients fit inclusion criteria with a mean age of 83 (range 80-93 years). The overall median survival was 4.2 months. There was a statistically significant correlation between Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and overall survival (P < 0.05). There was a significantly longer survival among patients undergoing either radiation alone or radiation and chemotherapy compared to those who underwent no postoperative adjuvant therapy (p < 0.05). There was also an association between overall survival and lack of p53 expression (p < 0.001) and lack of EGFR expression (p <0.05). In this very elderly population, overall survival advantage was conferred to those with higher preoperative KPS, postoperative adjuvant therapy, and lack of protein expression of EGFR and p53. These findings may be useful in clinical decision analysis for management of patients with glioblastoma who are octogenarians, and also validate the critical role of EGFR and p53 expression in oncogenesis, particularly with advancing age

The Baltic prawn Palaemon adspersus Rathke, 1837 (Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae): first record, possible establishment, and illustrated key of the subfamily Palaemoninae in northwest Atlantic waters

This study documents the introduction of the European Baltic prawn, Palaemon adspersus Rathke, 1837 to the coastal waters of northeastern North America, specifically the west coast of Newfoundland and the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Species identification was verified using morphological and genetic criteria. In September 2011, the first specimens of P. adspersus were collected in Gulf of St. Lawrence waters near Stephenville Crossing, Newfoundland, Canada. In 2012, additional P. adspersus specimens were collected in this area and at St. Andrew’s, located further south in western Newfoundland and in 2013 several egg-bearing females were collected further north in York Harbour. Accidental transport by ballast water of ships seems the likely vector for transport of Baltic prawn to the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Northern Europe or the Caspian Sea. It is possible that this shrimp has a wider presence in Atlantic Canadian waters but, due to its close resemblance to native shrimp species, it may have been previously misidentified, as occurred with specimens collected from the Magdalen Islands. We further expect that other species of the genus Palaemon, including P. elegans Rathke, 1837 from the Baltic Sea or northeastern United States, and P. macrodactylus Rathbun, 1902 from the northeastern United States, may invade the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We provide an illustrated key for the identification of these exotic Palaemon species and to differentiate them from native members of the subfamily Palaemoninae.Funding for this project was provided by the Government of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans and AGL2011-23689 grant from the Spanish government (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad). Financial support to EGO was provided by a Marie Curie fellowship with European funds.Peer reviewe

Club Convergence of Sectoral CO2 Emissions in the European Union.

An understanding of the evolution of sectoral CO2 emissions for all EU countries in recent decades would clearly be useful for political authorities when designing future environmental policies. This paper investigates the process of convergence in sectoral per capita CO2 emissions, with a focus on the energy sector. The concept of club convergence is used to analyse emissions in 28 EU countries from 1971 to 2012, with special attention paid to the energy subsectors (power generation and heating, manufactures and construction, transportation, and other minor fuel combustion). We find that core European countries (France, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK) are included in the best performing clubs, no matter the sector or subsector, whereas among Central and Eastern European Countries, a few diverge from the average towards higher emissions. Relative convergence among a large number of EU members would, therefore, support the relevance of both the EU abatement policy and international agreements in this process

Exteriorized interiors, three case studies in brazilian architecture: Mendes da Rocha, Lina Bo Bardi and Isay Weinfeld

El presente artículo expone tres estudios de caso, en los que espacios interiores de diferentes usos han sido proyectados con la intención de generar una concepción espacial basada en lo urbano. Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Lina Bo Bardi e Isay Weinfeld consiguen, con sus propuestas, exteriorizar espacios interiores. Detrás de los distintos recursos arquitectónicos utilizados, existe un discurso que busca impregnar el recinto interior de referencias con temas vinculados a la dimensión urbana. Para realizar con éxito tales operaciones, es necesario modificar el concepto de uso y el entendimiento de lo que puede ser una vivienda, una tienda o un teatro. Con ello, se consigue deshacer los límites canónicos entre espacio público y arquitectura, creando una relación simbiótica que beneficia a ambas partes y al concepto de ciudad como espacio de encuentro. La arquitectura se convierte en la herramienta capaz de propiciar la vida comunitaria, desdibujando los límites entre lo privado y lo público, y desarticulando la privatización del espacio.This article presents three case studies in which interior spaces with different uses have been planned with the intention of generating an urban spatial conception. Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Lina Bo Bardi and Isay Weinfeld achieve the exteriorization of interior spaces in their designs. Behind the different architectural resources used, there is a discourse that seeks to impregnate the interior space with references to urban-linked themes. To successfully carry out such operations, it is necessary to modify the concept of use and understanding of what can be a dwelling, a store or a theater. This is achieved by undoing the canonical boundaries between public space and architecture, creating a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties and the concept of cities as meeting spaces. Architecture becomes the tool capable of fostering community life, blurring the boundaries between that which is private and public, and disarticulating the privatization of space

Definición empírica de la relación agua / cemento efectiva en morteros con árido reciclado en función de la absorción

The use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition wastes for the manufacture of mortars and concretes is a subject of great interest from the point of view of sustainable construction since it can reduce the exploitation of quarries replacing natural aggregate by recycled aggregate and it can reduce the volume of wastes in landfills. In order to study the influence of recycled aggregate on concrete and mortar strength, the effective water/cement ratio must be the same in concretes or mortars compared. The effective water/cement ratio is defined as the amount of water available to react with the cement of the mixture. Discrepancies among authors arise in the definition of how much is the amount of available water, which depends on the absorption and moisture of the aggregates at the time of the batch. Therefore, in this research, an experimental study is developed empirically to find the amount of water which reacts with the cement mortar in various mixtures with different ratios of recycled aggregate depending on the absorption of the aggregates. Subsequently, the relations between the amount of water which doesn’t react with the cement and aggregate absorption of each of the mixtures were analyzed. Finally, a definition of the effective water/cement ratio depending on absorption is proposed, based on the empirical study developed.La utilización de áridos reciclados procedentes de construcción y demolición, para la fabricación de morteros y hormigones es un tema de gran interés desde el punto de vista de la construcción sostenible puesto que, además de disminuir la explotación de las canteras al sustituir el árido natural por árido reciclado, también se reduce el volumen de residuos depositados en vertederos. Para poder estudiar la influencia que tiene el uso de árido reciclado en la resistencia de los hormigones y morteros, es necesario que la relación agua/cemento efectiva sea a misma en todas las mezclas comparadas, La relación agua/cemento efectiva se define como la cantidad de agua disponible que reacciona con el cemento de la mezcla. Las discrepancias entre autores surgen en la definición de cuál es esa “cantidad de agua disponible”, La cantidad de agua disponible que reacciona con el cemento depende de la absorción de los áridos Por ello, en esta investigación, se desarrolla un estudio experimental para hallar de forma empírica la cantidad de agua que reacciona con el cemento en varias mezclas de mortero con distintos porcentajes de sustitución de árido reciclado, en función de la absorción de los áridos. Posteriormente se analiza qué relaciones existen entre la cantidad de agua que no reacciona con el cemento y el agua total de absorción de los áridos de cada una de las mezclas. Finalmente se propone una definición de la relación agua/cemento efectiva en función de la absorción basada en este estudio empírico

Bottle aging and storage of wines: a review

Wine is perhaps the most ancient and popular alcoholic beverage worldwide. Winemaking practices involve careful vineyard management alongside controlled alcoholic fermentation and potential aging of the wine in barrels. Afterwards, the wine is placed in bottles and stored or distributed in retail. Yet, it is considered that wine achieves its optimum properties after a certain storage time in the bottle. The main outcome of bottle storage is a decrease of astringency and bitterness, improvement of aroma and a lighter and more stable color. This is due to a series of complex chemical changes of its components revolving around the minimized and controlled passage of oxygen into the bottle. For this matter, antioxidants like sulfur oxide are added to avoid excessive oxidation and consequent degradation of the wine. In the same sense, bottles must be closed with appropriate stoppers and stored in adequate, stable conditions, as the wine may develop unappealing color, aromas and flavors otherwise. In this review, features of bottle aging, relevance of stoppers, involved chemical reactions and storage conditions affecting wine quality will be addressed.The research leading to these results was funded by FEDER under the program Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal (POPTEC) 2014-2020 ref. 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E and ref. 0181_NANOEATERS_ 01_E; to Xunta de Galicia supporting with the Axudas Conecta Peme the IN852A 2018/58 NeuroFood Project and the program EXCELENCIA-ED431F 2020/12; to Ibero-American Program on Science and Technology (CYTED—AQUA-CIBUS, P317RT0003) and by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 888003 UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBIJTI-2019), the JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Bio Based Industries Consortium. The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ramón & Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891); by Xunta de Galicia and University of Vigo supporting the post-doctoral grant of M. Fraga-Corral (ED481B-2019/096).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estradiol regulates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis via hypothalamic AMPK

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Network-wide abnormalities explain memory variability in hippocampal amnesia

Patients with hippocampal amnesia play a central role in memory neuroscience but the neural underpinnings of amnesia are hotly debated. We hypothesized that focal hippocampal damage is associated with changes across the extended hippocampal system and that these, rather than hippocampal atrophy per se, would explain variability in memory between patients. We assessed this hypothesis in a uniquely large cohort of patients (n = 38) after autoimmune limbic encephalitis, a syndrome associated with focal structural hippocampal pathology. These patients showed impaired recall, recognition and maintenance of new information, and remote autobiographical amnesia. Besides hippocampal atrophy, we observed correlatively reduced thalamic and entorhinal cortical volume, resting-state inter-hippocampal connectivity and activity in posteromedial cortex. Associations of hippocampal volume with recall, recognition, and remote memory were fully mediated by wider network abnormalities, and were only direct in forgetting. Network abnormalities may explain the variability across studies of amnesia and speak to debates in memory neuroscience