Optimisation of mortar with Mg-Al-Hydrotalcite as sustainable management strategy lead waste

This study analyses how a Mg-Al-Hydrotalcite with carbonate in the interlayer influences the hydration of mortar allowing the management of lead waste (solid or liquid) in a cement-based material. First, the compatibility of hydrotalcite with the cementitious matrix was studied through heat of hydration, workability, consistency, compressive strength and mineralogical phase formation. The changes produced by the incorporation of hydrotalcite were not drastic and the compatibility with the cement was verified. Lead was added in oxide and nitrate form to mortar with or without hydrotalcite and the same properties were evaluated, including a leaching test. The incorporation of lead delayed the hydration, this effect being increased by the hydrotalcite, which happened in the first instants of hydration. The addition of hydrotalcite counteracted the negative effect of lead in compressive strength values. The interaction between the hydrotalcite and the lead waste was favoured by the formation of plumbites under the pH conditions of cement hydration. Consequently, this interaction would seem to be superficial. The lead leaching decreased to values included in the “Non-Hazardous” limit of the environmental classification, very close to “Inert”. All mortars were produced by two mixing procedures to establish differences. When hydrotalcite was included, the compressive strength was higher in the second procedure and lead leaching showed better behaviour in the first procedure. This research expands the possibilities of the management of solid and liquid waste contaminated with lead by using a Mg-Al-Hydrotalcite in cement-based matrices

Spanish National Hip Fracture Registry (RNFC) : First-year results and comparison with other registries and prospective multi-centric studies from Spain

Fundamentos: El Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera (RNFC) es un registro español multicéntrico, prospectivo y continuo, que comenzó en 2017. El objetivo de este artículo fue presentar los datos del primer informe anual y compararlos con los registros autonómicos y los estudios multicéntricos realizados recientemente en España. Métodos: Se incluyeron las personas de 75 años o más atendidas con el diagnóstico de fractura de cadera por fragilidad en alguno de los hospitales participantes en el RNFC, entre enero y octubre de 2017. En el análisis estadístico se utilizó la media y desviación estándar o mediana y rangos intercuartílicos para las variables numéricas y los porcentajes para las variables categóricas. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo global de la casuística y se comparó con los datos disponibles de los estudios previos mencionados. Resultados: Se registraron 7.208 personas de 54 hospitales, con una edad media de 86,7 años (DE 5,6). El 75,4% fueron mujeres y el 36,4% presentaron deterioro cognitivo previo. La demora quirúrgica media fue de 75,7 horas (DE 63,6) y la estancia media fue de 10,9 días (DE 6,7). De las personas que vivían en un domicilio antes de la fractura (75,4%), menos de la mitad (37,0%) volvieron a él tras el alta hospitalaria. Al mes, había fallecido el 7,1%. La comparación con los otros estudios mostró algunas diferencias importantes, sobre todo en la ubicación previa, en el porcentaje de pacientes institucionalizados de novo (7,7-29,4%) y en el porcentaje con tratamiento antiosteoporótico al alta (14,5-36,7%). Conclusiones: El RNFC es la mayor base de datos prospectiva que aporta datos sobre el perfil de los pacientes hospitalizados por fractura de cadera en España. La comparación con otros estudios recientes muestra algunas diferencias importantes.OBJECTIVE: The Spanish National Hip Fracture Registry (Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera or RNFC) is a Spanish, prospective, multi- centric registry, commenced in 2017. The goal of this paper is to present the data from the first annual report and to compare them with autonomic registries and recent prospective multi-centric studies performed in Spain. METHODS: We included persons 75 years or older treated for fragility hip fractures in any of the centers participating in the RNFC between January and October 2017. The descriptive statistics of each variable used the mean (and standard deviation) or the median (and interquartile ranges) for the ordinal variables and the percentage for the categoric variables. A descriptive analysis of the casemix was performed and compared with available data from the aforementioned studies. RESULTS: The RNFC included 7.208 patients from 54 hospitals, with a mean age of 86.7 (SD 5.6) years; 75.4% were women, and 36.4% showed cognitive decline. Mean surgical delay was 75.7 (SD 63.6) hours, and length of stay averaged 10.9 (SD 6.7) days. Of the patients who lived at home (75.4%), less than half (37.0%) returned home at discharge. One-month mortality was 7.1%. Comparison with other studies showed important differences, especially regarding patients newly sent to nursing homes (7.7-29.4%) and with antiosteoporotic treatment at discharge (14.5-36.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The RNFC is the largest prospective database to date that offers data regarding the characteristics of patients hospitalized for hip fractures in Spain. Comparison with recent studies showed some important differences

Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera (RNFC): Resultados del primer año y comparación con otros registros y estudios multicéntricos españoles

Background: The Spanish National Hip Fracture Registry (Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera or RNFC) is a Spanish, prospective, multi- centric registry, commenced in 2017. The goal of this paper is to present the data from the first annual report and to compare them with autonomic registries and recent prospective multi-centric studies performed in Spain. Methods: We included persons 75 years of age or older treated for fragility hip fractures in any of the centers participating in the RNFC between January and October 2017. The descriptive statistics of each variable used the mean (and standard deviation) or the median (and interquartile ranges) for the ordinal variables and the percentage for the categoric variables. A descriptive analysis of the casemix was performed and compared with available data from the aforementioned studies. Results: The RNFC included 7.208 patients from 54 hospitals, with a mean age of 86.7 (SD 5.6) years; 75.4% were women, and 36.4% showed cognitive decline. Mean surgical delay was 75.7 (SD 63.6) hours, and length of stay averaged 10.9 (SD 6.7) days. Of the patients who lived at home (75.4%), less than half (37.0%) returned home at discharge. One-month mortality was 7.1%. Comparison with other studies showed important differences, especially regarding patients newly sent to nursing homes (7.7-29.4%) and with antiosteoporotic treatment at discharge (14.5-36.7%). Conclusions: The RNFC is the largest prospective database to date that offers data regarding the characteristics of patients hospitalized for hip fractures in Spain. Comparison with recent studies showed some important differencesFundamentos: El Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera (RNFC) es un registro español multicéntrico, prospectivo y continuo, que comenzó en 2017. El objetivo de este artículo fue presentar los datos del primer informe anual y compararlos con los registros autonómicos y los estudios multicéntricos realizados recientemente en España. Métodos: Se incluyeron las personas de 75 años o más atendidas con el diagnóstico de fractura de cadera por fragilidad en alguno de los hospitales participantes en el RNFC, entre enero y octubre de 2017. En el análisis estadístico se utilizó la media y desviación estándar o mediana y rangos intercuartílicos para las variables numéricas y los porcentajes para las variables categóricas. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo global de la casuística y se comparó con los datos disponibles de los estudios previos mencionados. Resultados: Se registraron 7.208 personas de 54 hospitales, con una edad media de 86,7 años (DE 5,6). El 75,4% fueron mujeres y el 36,4% presentaron deterioro cognitivo previo. La demora quirúrgica media fue de 75,7 horas (DE 63,6) y la estancia media fue de 10,9 días (DE 6,7). De las personas que vivían en un domicilio antes de la fractura (75,4%), menos de la mitad (37,0%) volvieron a él tras el alta hospitalaria. Al mes, había fallecido el 7,1%. La comparación con los otros estudios mostró algunas diferencias importantes, sobre todo en la ubicación previa, en el porcentaje de pacientes institucionalizados de novo (7,7-29,4%) y en el porcentaje con tratamiento antiosteoporótico al alta (14,5-36,7%). Conclusiones: El RNFC es la mayor base de datos prospectiva que aporta datos sobre el perfil de los pacientes hospitalizados por fractura de cadera en España. La comparación con otros estudios recientes muestra algunas diferencias importantesThe RNFC has been financed through donations by AMGEN SA, UCB Pharma, Abbott Laboratories and FAES Farma, as well as a Research Grant from the Fundación Mutua Madrileña (AP169672018)

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

A facility and community-based assessment of scabies in rural Malawi.

Background Scabies is a neglected tropical disease of the skin, causing severe itching, stigmatizing skin lesions and systemic complications. Since 2015, the DerMalawi project provide an integrated skin diseases clinics and Tele-dermatology care in Malawi. Clinic based data suggested a progressive increase in scabies cases observed. To better identify and treat individuals with scabies in the region, we shifted from a clinic-based model to a community based outreach programme. Methodology/principal findings From May 2015, DerMalawi project provide integrated skin diseases and Tele-dermatological care in the Nkhotakota and Salima health districts in Malawi. Demographic and clinical data of all patients personally attended are recorded. Due to a progressive increase in the number of cases of scabies the project shifted to a community-based outreach programme. For the community outreach activities, we conducted three visits between 2018 to 2019 and undertook screening in schools and villages of Alinafe Hospital catchment area. Treatment was offered for all the cases and school or household contacts. Scabies increased from 2.9% to 39.2% of all cases seen by the DerMalawi project at clinics between 2015 to 2018. During the community-based activities approximately 50% of the population was assessed in each of three visits. The prevalence of scabies was similar in the first two rounds, 15.4% (2392) at the first visit and 17.2% at the second visit. The prevalence of scabies appeared to be lower (2.4%) at the third visit. The prevalence of impetigo appeared unchanged and was 6.7% at the first visit and 5.2% at the final visit. Conclusions/significance Prevalence of scabies in our setting was very high suggesting that scabies is a major public health problem in parts of Malawi. Further work is required to more accurately assess the burden of disease and develop appropriate public health strategies for its control

GEODIVULGAR: Geología y Sociedad

Fac. de Ciencias GeológicasFALSEsubmitte

Geodivulgar: Geología y Sociedad

Con el lema “Geología para todos” el proyecto Geodivulgar: Geología y Sociedad apuesta por la divulgación de la Geología a todo tipo de público, incidiendo en la importancia de realizar simultáneamente una acción de integración social entre estudiantes y profesores de centros universitarios, de enseñanza infantil, primaria, de educación especial y un acercamiento con público con diversidad funcional

Estudio del metabolismo óseo en pacientes con hidradenitis supurativa

Antecedentes La hidradenitis supurativa (HS) es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica y recurrente que afecta principalmente a la unidad pilosebácea. Está bien establecido el impacto negativo que ejerce la inflamación sistémica, mantenida en el tiempo, sobre el hueso, habiéndose demostrado previamente que existe una alteración sobre el metabolismo óseo en otras enfermedades inflamatorias. Objetivos Nuestro objetivo principal fue analizar si la HS, en tanto que enfermedad inflamatoria crónica, puede tener un impacto negativo sobre el metabolismo óseo. Para ello se midieron los niveles de hormonas calciotropas, los marcadores de remodelado óseo (propéptido del colágeno tipo 1 [PINP] Y telopéptido-C-terminal [CTX]), los valores de la densidad mineral ósea (DMO) areal y volumétrica y el trabecular bone score (TBS) en un grupo de pacientes con HS y se comparó con los resultados de un grupo control. Además, se exploró la posible asociación entre estos parámetros y la gravedad de la HS. Sujetos y Métodos Se llevo a cabo un estudio de casos y controles en el que se compararon un grupo de 81 pacientes con HS y otro con 79 individuos sanos, emparejados por edad y sexo. El estudio fue realizado en el Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla entre mayo de 2014 y junio de 2019. Se analizaron las variables demográficas y antropométricas de ambos grupos. En los pacientes con HS, la gravedad de la enfermedad se evaluó mediante la escala de Hurley, la graduación HS-PGA (Physician’s global assessement) y el sistema de puntuación IHS4 (International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System). Se realizó también una analítica general de sangre y se estudiaron asimismo los niveles de hormonas calciotropas y de marcadores de remodelado óseo. Además, se valoró la DMO y la arquitectura trabecular ósea mediante DMO areal y volumétrica y TBS. Resultados Los niveles de vitamina D fueron significativamente menores en los pacientes con HS, presentado un 62% una deficiencia de esta vitamina. Los niveles de PINP estaban elevados y los de CTX disminuidos entre los casos. El análisis multivariable, ajustado por los principales factores de confusión mostró una DMO areal menor en la cadera total en los pacientes con HS que en los controles. Respecto a la DMO volumétrica, se objetivó una disminución estadísticamente significativa de los valores densitométricos a nivel trabecular en los pacientes con HS, no alcanzándose significación estadística en la medición cortical ni integral. Los valores de TBS ajustados fueron menores en los pacientes con HS respecto al grupo control, con un porcentaje mayor de casos con datos compatibles con arquitectura degradada o parcialmente degradada. No se observó correlación entre los valores de vitamina D, los marcadores de remodelado óseo, la DMO y el TBS, con la gravedad de la HS. Conclusiones Nuestros resultados demuestran que la presencia de HS se asocia a una alteración del metabolismo mineral óseo, que es independiente del síndrome metabólico asociado a la enfermedad. Dicha perturbación se manifiesta tanto a nivel cuantitativo (DMO en cadera total), como a nivel cualitativo o microarquitectural (TBS) y probablemente esté en relación con el estado proinflamatorio que conlleva la HS. Por lo tanto, se podría considerarse la realización de un estudio de metabolismo óseo en los pacientes con HS, especialmente si presentan otros factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de osteoporosis o fracturas por fragilidad.Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory cutaneous disease that mainly affects the pilosebaceous unit. The deleterious effect of chronic, systemic inflammation on bone is well established. Previous studies have shown that patients with other inflammatory disorders present an impairment in bone metabolism. Objectives Our main objective was to analyze whether HS, as a chronic inflammatory disease, exerts a detrimental effect on bone metabolism. We measured calciotropic hormone levels, bone remodeling markers (collagen propeptide type 1 [PINP] and C-terminal telopeptide [CTX]), areal and volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) values, and trabecular bone score (TBS) in a patient group with HS and compared the results to those of a control group. In addition, the possible association between these parameters and the severity of HS was investigated. Subjects and Methods A case-control study was conducted, in which a group of 81 patients with HS was compared to a group of 79 healthy individuals, matched for age and sex. The study was carried out in Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital from May 2014 to June 2019. The demographic and anthropometric variables of both groups were analyzed. In patients with HS, disease severity was assessed using the Hurley scale, the HS-PGA (Physician's global assessment) grading and the IHS4 (International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System). A general blood test was also conducted, and the levels of calciotropic hormones and bone remodeling markers were analyzed. Additionally, bone mineral density (BMD) and bone trabecular architecture were evaluated using areal and volumetric BMD and TBS. Results Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients with HS, with 62% of them being vitamin D deficient. The levels of PINP were elevated, while the levels of CTX were decreased among the cases. Regarding volumetric BMD, there was a statistically significant decrease in trabecular bone in patients with HS, while no statistical significance was observed in the cortical or integral measurements. Adjusted TBS values were lower in the HS patient group compared to the control group. Moreover, a higher proportion of cases showed data consistent with degraded or partially degraded bone architecture. The severity of HS did not show any correlation with vitamin D values, bone remodeling markers, BMD, or TBS. Conclusions Our findings indicate that HS is associated with a disturbance in bone mineral metabolism that is not related to the metabolic syndrome associated with the condition. This disturbance is manifested both at a quantitative level (total hip BMD) and at a qualitative or microarchitectural level (TBS) and is probably related to the proinflammatory state associated with HS. Thus, a bone metabolism evaluation may be warranted in patients with HS, particularly if they have additional risk factors for osteoporosis or fragility fractures

The Effect of TiO2 Doped Photocatalytic Nano-Additives on the Hydration and Microstructure of Portland and High Alumina Cements

Mortars with two different binders (Portland cement (PC) and high alumina cement (HAC)) were modified upon the bulk incorporation of nano-structured photocatalytic additives (bare TiO2, and TiO2 doped with either iron (Fe-TiO2) or vanadium (V-TiO2)). Plastic and hardened state properties of these mortars were assessed in order to study the influence of these nano-additives. Water demand was increased, slightly by bare TiO2 and Fe-TiO2, and strongly by V-TiO2, in agreement with the reduction of the particle size and the tendency to agglomerate. Isothermal calorimetry showed that hydration of the cementitious matrices was accelerated due to additional nucleation sites offered by the nano-additives. TiO2 and doped TiO2 did not show pozzolanic reactivity in the binding systems. Changes in the pore size distribution, mainly the filler effect of the nano-additives, accounted for the increase in compressive strengths measured for HAC mortars. A complex microstructure was seen in calcium aluminate cement mortars, strongly dependent on the curing conditions. Fe-TiO2 was found to be homogeneously distributed whereas the tendency of V-TiO2 to agglomerate was evidenced by elemental distribution maps. Water absorption capacity was not affected by the nano-additive incorporation in HAC mortars, which is a favourable feature for the application of these mortars

Development of Photocatalytic Coatings for Building Materials with Bi₂O₃-ZnO Nanoparticles

The aim of this study was to develop versatile coatings that can protect the stone surfaces of Architectural Heritage. Two different 3D media, namely superhydrophobic (SPHB) and hydro-oleophobic (OHB), were utilized as host matrices for nanostructured photocatalysts (Bi2O3-ZnO 8/92). These photocatalysts were sensitive to visible light to enhance their efficiency when exposed to sunlight. To prevent the nanophotocatalyst from clumping together in the 3D media, non-ionic dispersant additives (Tween20, TritonX-100, and Brij35) were incorporated. The optimized suspensions were then applied to various substrates such as sandstone, limestone, and granite. The effectiveness of the coatings was assessed by evaluating the hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, and photocatalytic activity of the coated substrates. The Bi2O3-ZnO photocatalyst exhibited higher activity in the SPHB medium compared to the OHB medium. To simulate real-life conditions, the coated substrates were subjected to accelerated weathering tests to predict their durability. Despite a significant reduction in their thickness, the coatings demonstrated sustained hydrophobic efficiency and self-cleaning capability after the accelerated ageing tests