Late Pliocene Cordilleran Ice Sheet development with warm northeast Pacific sea surface temperatures

The initiation and evolution of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet are relatively poorly constrained. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 341 recovered marine sediments at Site U1417 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Here we present alkenone-derived sea surface temperature (SST) analyses alongside ice-rafted debris (IRD), terrigenous, and marine organic matter inputs to the GOA through the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. The first IRD contribution from tidewater glaciers in southwest Alaska is recorded at 2.9 Ma, indicating that the Cordilleran Ice Sheet extent increased in the late Pliocene. A higher occurrence of IRD and higher sedimentation rates in the GOA during the early Pleistocene, at 2.5 Ma, occur in synchrony with SSTs warming on the order of 1 degrees C relative to the Pliocene. All records show a high degree of variability in the early Pleistocene, indicating highly efficient ocean-climate-ice interactions through warm SST-ocean evaporation-orographic precipitation-ice growth mechanisms. A climatic shift towards ocean circulation in the subarctic Pacific similar to the pattern observed during negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) conditions today occurs with the development of more extensive Cordilleran glaciation and may have played a role through increased moisture supply to the subarctic Pacific. The drop in atmospheric CO2 concentrations since 2.8 Ma is suggested as one of the main forcing mechanisms driving the Cordilleran glaciation

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a Bernard–Soulier syndrome patient carrying a W71R mutation in the GPIX gene

AbstractWe generated an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from a Bernard–Soulier Syndrome (BSS) patient carrying the mutation p.Trp71Arg in the GPIX locus (BSS1-PBMC-iPS4F4). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were reprogrammed using heat sensitive non-integrative Sendai viruses containing the reprogramming factors Oct3/4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC. Successful silencing of the exogenous reprogramming factors was checked by RT-PCR. Characterization of BSS1-PBMC-iPS4F4 included mutation analysis of GPIX locus, Short Tandem Repeats (STR) profiling, alkaline phosphatase enzymatic activity, analysis of conventional pluripotency-associated factors at mRNA and protein level and in vivo differentiation studies. BSS1-PBMC-iPS4F4 will provide a powerful tool to study BSS

El Grupo de Trabajo sobre Mujeres en Física de la Unión Internacional de Física Pura y Aplicada y su Impacto en Latinoamérica

La Unión Internacional de Física Pura y Aplicada (IUPAP por sus siglas en inglés) creó en 1999 el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Mujeres en Física y le otorgó la misión de relevar e informar la situación de las mujeres físicas y la de sugerir medidas para mejorar dicha situación. Una de las primeras tareas del grupo fue la conformación de grupos análogos en cada país miembro de la IUPAP encargados de abordar la problemática en su ámbito local. El trabajo y colaboración en red de estos grupos locales con la coordinación del Grupo de Trabajo de la IUPAP permitió avanzar notablemente tanto en el relevamiento como en el diseño e implementación de políticas destinadas a disminuir la brecha de género en la disciplina. El Grupo de Trabajo tuvo un gran impacto en Latinoamérica donde llevó a la conformación de redes y a la organización de diversos eventos de carácter regional. Presentamos acá una breve descripción de la historia y tareas del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Mujeres en Física de la IUPAP en general. Describimos luego algunas de las redes y actividades que tuvieron lugar en Latinoamérica derivadas de la existencia del grupo de trabajo creado por la IUPAP.Fil: Avila Bernal, Alba. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Barbosa, Marcia C.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Ceron Loayza, Maria Luisa. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; PerúFil: Meza Montes, Lilia. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; MéxicoFil: Ponce Dawson, Silvina Martha. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentin

Autologous fat transfer as prostate-rectal spacer: Technique description and early results

Purpose: Several attempts have been made to increase the distance between the prostate and the rectum through injection of different synthetic compounds, generating space between organs. To report an original technique to increase the distance between the rectum and the prostate, by autologous fat implantation into the rectoprostatic space, with the aim of providing physical dosimetry protection and rectal dose sparing.Methods: We prospectively evaluated twelve patients subjected to autologous fat implantation as recto-prostatic spacer subsequently receiving prostate either radical (n = 6), or salvage brachytherapy for local recurrence after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) (n = 6). Standard permanent prostate brachytherapy seed implantation was performed through transperineal approach and under transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and template guidance. Prescribed D90 dose for Iodine - 125 monotherapy was 140 - 160 Gy, reduced by 30% for rescue cases to obtain a Rectum V100 under 1 cc.Results: Lipo-transfer was completed in all 12 patients. Control CT scan at 1 month showed average distances of: 10.7 mm (range) (2.8 - 15.9 mm), 7.6 (1.8 - 11.6 mm) and 6.8 (4.2 - 8.3) mm at prostate base, middle and apex, respectively. Shortest separation distance observed was at apex and midline, while largest was observed the sides and at seminal vesicles level. Control CT at 3 months showed average distances of 9.6 mm (1.9 - 14.6 mm), 6.3 mm (1.8 - 10.2 mm) and 5.4 mm (3.8 - 7.2 mm) at prostate base, middle and apex, respectively. Most complications were minor.Conclusion: Autologous fat transfer is a feasible and simple procedure for experienced practitioners with low complication rates, which allows dose escalation to the prostate.

Credit risk in European banks: The bright side of the internal ratings based approach

This paper investigates the accuracy of internal rating based (IRB) models in measuring credit risk. We contribute to the growing debate on the current prudential regulatory framework by investigating the use of validated IRB models in promoting efficient risk management practices. Our empirical analysis is based on a novel panel data set of 177 Western European banks observed from 2008 to 2015, in the aftermath of the financial and economic crisis. We find that IRB banks were able to curb the increase in credit risk driven by the macroeconomic slowdown better than banks under the standardized approach. This suggests that the introduction of the internal ratings based approach by Basel II has promoted the adoption of stronger risk management practices among banks, as meant by the regulators

Métodos utilizados para quantificar a carga de trabalho de enfermagem em unidades de terapia intensiva: uma revisão da literatura

Introduction: Nursing workload in intensive care units (ICUs) is related to efficiency and quality of care; however, there are no methods to quantify the nurses needed per shift in ICUs. Objective: To identify the most used tools to measure ICU nursing workload. Methods: An integrative literature review was performed using original articles in English, Spanish or Portuguese, published between 1991 and 2017 in the databases ScienceDirect, BVS, Scopus, and Embase. The search strategy was “nursing and workload and intensive critical or ICU and measure.” Duplicate articles or articles about intermediate care units were excluded. The quality of the articles was assessed using the Strobe checklist. Results: Thirty-six articles with a total of 19,036 patients were included; 50% (n=18) used NAS, 27.7% (n=10) used a combination of methods such as NAS, NEMS, TISS-28 or VACTE; 13.8% (n=5) used TISS-28, 5.6% (n=2) used video camera recording, and 2.7% (n=1) used NEMS to quantify the time spent by nurses in care. Discussion: There is currently no consensus on workload measurement methods in nursing. In this sense, more validation and comparison studies are needed to improve nursing care management in the ICUs. Conclusion: The most used tool to quantify workload in nursing is the Nursing Activities Score (NAS). Other tools identified were NEMS, TISS-28, and VACTE.  How to cite this article: Cáceres Rivera Diana Isabel, Ruiz Sandoval Jessica Paola, Cristancho Zambrano Luisa Yaneth, Pulido Montes Maria Andreina, López Romero Luis Alberto. Métodos empleados para cuantificar la carga de trabajo en Enfermería en las unidades de cuidados intensivos: Una revisión de la literatura. Revista Cuidarte. 2022;13(3):e2301. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.2301Introducción: La carga de trabajo de Enfermería en unidades de cuidado intensivo está relacionada con la eficiencia y calidad de la atención, sin embargo, no existen métodos para cuantificar las enfermeras necesarias por turno en UCI. Objetivo: Identificar las herramientas más utilizadas para medir la carga de trabajo de Enfermería en UCIs. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó una revisión de literatura tipo integradora, utilizando artículos originales en inglés, español o portugués, publicados entre 1991 hasta 2017 en las bases de datos: Science@direct, BVS, Socupus y Embase, empleando la estrategia de búsqueda: Nursing and workload and intensive critical or ICU unit and measure, se excluyeron artículos duplicados y/o desarrollados en UCIs de cuidado intermedio, la calidad de los artículos fue valorada usando la lista de chequeo Strobe. Resultados: Se incluyeron 36 artículos con un total de 19.036 pacientes; el 50% (n=18) empleo el NAS, 27.7%(n=10) utilizó una combinación de métodos como el NAS, NEMS, TISS-28 o el VACTE, el 13.8%(n=5) empleo el TISS-28, el 5.6%(n=2) empleo registro de cámaras de video y un 2.7%(n=1) empleo el NEMS para cuantificar el tiempo empleado por enfermería en el cuidado. Discusión: actualmente no existe un consenso sobre métodos de medición de carga de trabajo en enfermería, en este sentido, es necesario realizar más estudios de validación y comparación que permitan mejorar la gestión del cuidado de enfermería en UCI.  Conclusión: La herramienta más utilizada para cuantificar la carga de trabajo en enfermería es el Nursing Activities Score (NAS), otras herramientas identificadas fueron: NEMS, TISS-28 y VACTE. Cómo citar este artículo: Cáceres Rivera Diana Isabel, Ruiz Sandoval Jessica Paola, Cristancho Zambrano Luisa Yaneth, Pulido Montes Maria Andreina, López Romero Luis Alberto. Métodos empleados para cuantificar la carga de trabajo en Enfermería en las unidades de cuidados intensivos: Una revisión de la literatura. Revista Cuidarte. 2022;13(3):e2301. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.2301Introdução: A carga de trabalho de enfermagem em unidades de terapia intensiva está relacionada à eficiência e qualidade da assistência, entretanto, não existem métodos para quantificar  o número de enfermeiros necessários por turno na UTI. Objetivo: Identificar os instrumentos mais utilizados para mensurar a carga de trabalho de Enfermagem nas UTIs. Metodologia: Foi realizada uma revisão integrativa da literatura, utilizando artigos originais em inglês, espanhol ou português, publicados entre 1991 e 2017 nas bases de dados: Science@direct, BVS, Socupus e Embase, utilizando a estratégia de busca: Nursing and workload and intensivo critical ou unidade e medida de UTI, artigos duplicados e/ou desenvolvidos nas UTIs de cuidados intermediários foram excluídos, a qualidade dos artigos foi avaliada por meio do Strobe checklist. Resultados: foram incluídos 36 artigos com um total de 19.036 pacientes; 50% (n=18) utilizaram o NAS, 27,7%(n=10) utilizaram uma combinação de métodos como NAS, NEMS, TISS-28 ou VACTE, 13,8%(n=5) utilizaram o TISS-28, 5,6% (n=2) utilizaram registros de câmeras de vídeo e 2,7%(n=1) utilizaram o NEMS para quantificar o tempo gasto pela enfermagem no cuidado. Discussão: atualmente não há consenso sobre métodos de mensuração da carga de trabalho em enfermagem, nesse sentido, faz-se necessária a realização de mais estudos de validação e comparação para melhorar o gerenciamento do cuidado de enfermagem em UTI. Conclusão: O instrumento mais utilizado para quantificar a carga de trabalho de enfermagem é o Nursing Activities Score (NAS), outros instrumentos identificados foram: NEMS, TISS-28 e VACTE. Como citar este artigo: Cáceres Rivera Diana Isabel, Ruiz Sandoval Jessica Paola, Cristancho Zambrano Luisa Yaneth, Pulido Montes Maria Andreina, López Romero Luis Alberto. Métodos empleados para cuantificar la carga de trabajo en Enfermería en las unidades de cuidados intensivos: Una revisión de la literatura. Revista Cuidarte. 2022;13(3):e2301. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.230

Reference Intervals of Thyroid Function Tests Assessed by Immunoassay and Mass Spectrometry in Healthy Pregnant Women Living in Catalonia

Background: Recent guidelines recommend establishing a local reference interval (RI) for thyroid function. We aimed to establish trimester-specific RIs for thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) in a cohort of healthy pregnant women in Catalonia (Spain). Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted with 332 healthy pregnant women, from the first trimester (1T) to delivery. TSH was measured using an Architect ® immunoassay (Abbott) and FT4 by two immunoassays, Architect ® (Abbott) and Cobas ® (Roche), in the three trimesters. FT4 was also measured by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) in the 1T. Results: TSH (µUI/mL) increased throughout pregnancy (1T: 0.03-3.78; 2T: 0.51-3.53; 3T: 0.50-4.32; p < 0.0001) and FT4 (pmol/L) progressively decreased (Architect ® 1T: 10.42-15.96; 2T: 8.37-12.74; 3T: 8.24-12.49; p < 0.0001; and Cobas ® : 1T: 11.46-19.05; 2T: 9.65-14.67; 3T: 8.88-14.54; p < 0.0067). The FT4 RI during 1T determined LC/MS/MS was 8.75-18.27. Despite the 1T FT4 results measured by LC/MS/MS and with the two immunoassays being significantly correlated, the results obtained by the three methods were found to be non-interchangeable. Conclusions: We established trimester-specific RIs for TSH and for FT4 with immunoassays in our population. We also validated the 1T FT4 using LC/MS/MS to confirm the results of FT4 lower than the 2.5th percentile or higher than the 97.5th percentile

Material docente con un enfoque práctico dirigido a la caracterización de compuestos inorgánicos

Se han elaborado una coleccón de ejercicios utilizando las técnicas de caracterizacion de materiales inorgánicos Además se incluyen un tutorial en el que se dirige al estudiante como es la manera de identificar las bandas caracteristicas de los compuestos, y tambien hay conocimientos generales de EDS. Los ejercicios propuestos tambien se presentan resueltos paso a paso para que se puedan seguir de manera sencilla su desarrollo

Calcifediol is superior to cholecalciferol in improving vitamin D status in postmenopausal women: a randomized trial

Vitamin D has shown to play a role in multiple diseases due to its skeletal and extraskeletal actions. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency has become a worldwide health issue. Few supplementation guidelines mention calcifediol treatment, despite being the direct precursor of calcitriol and the biomarker of vitamin D status. This 1-year, phase III-IV, double-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter clinical trial assessed the efficacy and safety of calcifediol 0.266 mg soft capsules in vitamin D-deficient postmenopausal women, compared to cholecalciferol. Results reported here are from a prespecified interim analysis, for the evaluation of the study's primary endpoint: the percentage of patients with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels above 30 ng/ml after 4 months. A total of 303 patients were enrolled, of whom 298 were included in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Patients with baseline levels of serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/ml were randomized 1:1:1 to calcifediol 0.266 mg/month for 12 months, calcifediol 0.266 mg/month for 4 months followed by placebo for 8 months, and cholecalciferol 25,000 IU/month for 12 months. At month 4, 35.0% of postmenopausal women treated with calcifediol and 8.2% of those treated with cholecalciferol reached serum 25(OH)D levels above 30 ng/ml (p < 0.0001). The most remarkable difference between both drugs in terms of mean change in serum 25(OH)D levels was observed after the first month of treatment (mean ± standard deviation change = 9.7 ± 6.7 and 5.1 ± 3.5 ng/ml in patients treated with calcifediol and cholecalciferol, respectively). No relevant treatment-related safety issues were reported in any of the groups studied. These results thus confirm that calcifediol is effective, faster, and more potent than cholecalciferol in raising serum 25(OH)D levels and is a valuable option for the treatment of vitamin D deficiency