El nuevo escenario de la Política Comercial chilena

This is a personal reflection; it does not necessarily represent the opinion of the OECD or its members, nor of the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile.Esta reflexión es personal no necesariamente refleja la opinión de la OCDE o sus miembros ni tampoco de la Subsecretaría de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile

Use of cinacalcet for the management of hyperparathyroidism in patients with different degrees of renal failure

Background: The effects of cinacalcet in persistent and/or hypercalcaemia-associated secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) have been described in patients on dialysis. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cinacalcet in SHPT not on dialysis and its effects on bone turnover markers. Methods: Non-randomised, longitudinal, observational, analytical study of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and SHPT (PTH> 80 pg/mL) as well as normo- or hypercalcaemia (≥8.5mg/dL), treated with cinacalcet. Results: Mean cinacalcet dose was 30mg/day in 66.7%. We studied 15 patients (10 women), aged 66.0±17.93years. The aetiology was unknown in 20% of cases. Sociodemographic variables and renal function parameters were recorded. We compared values at baseline as well as after 6 and 12 months. Calcium (10.3±0.55 vs. 9.4±1.04) and iPTH (392.4±317.65 vs. 141.8±59.26) levels decreased. Increased levels of phosphorus (3.7±1.06 vs. 3.9±0.85) and ß-CTX (884.2±797.22 vs. 1053.6±999.00) were detected, although there were no significant changes in GFR, urinary calcium or other bone markers. Two patients withdrew from the study (gastrointestinal intolerance and parathyroidectomy, respectively). Conclusions: Cinacalcet at low doses is effective in the management of SHPT in CKD patients who are not on dialysis. Its use reduces iPTH and calcaemia, without causing serious side effects or significant changes in renal function. Keywords: Bone turnover markers; Calcio; Calcium; Chronic kidney disease; Cinacalcet; Enfermedad renal crónica; Fósforo; Hiperparatiroidismo secundario; Hormona paratiroidea; Marcadores de recambio óseo; Parathyroid hormone; Phosphorus; Secondary hyperparathyroidism

Treatment of Full-Thickness Acetabular Chondral Flaps during Hip Arthroscopy: Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate versus Microfracture

Background: The optimal treatment strategy for patients with full-thickness chondral flaps undergoing hip arthroscopy is controversial. Purpose: To compare functional outcomes of patients who underwent bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) application with those of patients who underwent microfracture. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This was a retrospective case series of prospectively collected data on patients who underwent arthroscopic acetabular labral repair by 1 surgeon between June 2014 and April 2020. The inclusion criteria for this study were age ≥18 years, preoperative radiographs of the pelvis, arthroscopic acetabular labral repair, exposed subchondral bone with overlying chondral flap seen at the time of hip arthroscopy, microfracture or BMAC to address this lesion, and completed patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) (International Hip Outcome Tool-33 [iHOT-33], Hip Outcome Score-Activities of Daily Living [HOS-ADL], Hip Outcome Score-Sports Subscale [HOS-Sport], modified Harris Hip Score [mHHS], and visual analog scale [VAS] for pain) at enrollment and 12-month follow-up. Clinical outcomes were assessed using PROM scores. Results: A total of 81 hips with full-thickness chondral flaps were included in this study: 50 treated with BMAC and 31 treated with microfracture. There were no significant differences between groups in age, sex, body mass index, tear size, radiographic osteoarthritis, or radiographic femoroacetabular impingement. In the BMAC cohort, all PROM scores improved significantly from preoperatively to follow-up: 41.7 to 75.6 for iHOT-33, 67.6 to 91.0 for HOS-ADL, 41.5 to 72.3 for HOS-Sport, 59.4 to 87.2 for mHHS, and 6.2 to 2.2 for VAS pain (P \u3c .001 for all). In the microfracture cohort, the score improvements were 48.0 to 65.1 for iHOT-33 (P = .001), 80.5 to 83.3 for HOS-ADL (P = .275), 59.2 to 62.4 for HOS-Sport (P = .568), 70.4 to 78.3 for mHHS (P = .028), and 4.9 to 3.6 for VAS pain (P = .036). Regarding clinically meaningful outcomes, 77.6% of the BMAC group and 50.0% of the microfracture group met the minimal clinically important difference for iHOT-33 at the 12-month follow-up (P = .013). Conclusion: Patients with full-thickness chondral flaps at the time of hip arthroscopy experienced greater improvements in functional outcome scores at the 12-month follow-up when treated with BMAC as opposed to microfracture

In Vivo and in vitro antitumor activity of tomatine in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: There is abundant ethnopharmacological evidence the uses of regarding Solanum species as antitumor and anticancer agents. Glycoalkaloids are among the molecules with antiproliferative activity reported in these species. Purpose: To evaluate the anticancer effect of the Solanum glycoalkaloid tomatine in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro (HepG2 cells) and in vivo models. Methods: The resazurin reduction assay was performed to detect the effect of tomatine on cell viability in human HepG2 cell lines. Programmed cell death was investigated by means of cellular apoptosis assays using Annexin V. The expression of cancer related proteins was detected by Western blotting (WB). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium were determined by 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate and Fluo-4, respectively. Intrahepatic HepG2 xenograft mouse model was used to elucidate the effect of tomatine on tumor growth in vivo. Results and Discussion: Tomatine reduced HepG2 cell viability and induced the early apoptosis phase of cell death, consistently with caspase-3, -7, Bcl-2 family, and P53 proteins activation. Furthermore, tomatine increased intracellular ROS and cytosolic Ca+2 levels. Moreover, the NSG mouse xenograft model showed that treating mice with tomatine inhibited HepG2 tumor growth. Conclusion: Tomatine inhibits in vitro and in vivo HCC tumorigenesis in part via modulation of p53, Ca+2, and ROS signalling. Thus, the results suggest the potential cancer therapeutic use of tomatine in HCC patients

Effectiveness of epoxy coating modified with yttrium oxide loaded with imidazole on the corrosion protection of steel

The search for highly effective corrosion protection solutions to avoid degradation of the metallic parts is enabling the development of polymeric organic coatings. Of particular relevance, polymeric nanocomposite coatings, modified with corrosion inhibitors, have been developed to provide enhanced surface protection. In this work, yttrium oxide nanoparticles loaded with corrosion inhibitor (Imidazole), used as additives in the formulation of epoxy for coated on the steel substrate. The loading of Y2O3 with imidazole was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. UV-Vis analysis demonstrated the pH-sensitive behavior of the imidazole that helps in self-release when necessary. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the coated samples revealed that the coating modified with Y2O3/IMD provides better corrosion protection compared to coatings containing only Y2O3 . XPS analysis validated the presence of an imidazole protective film on the steel substrate that enhanced the corrosion resistance of the coated samples.The research funding was provided by the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation, Grant Number NPRP11S-1226-170132. The additional funding for the project was also provided under the project UIDB/00100/2020 and UIDP/00100/2020.Scopu

El nuevo escenario de la Política Comercial chilena

This is a personal reflection; it does not necessarily represent the opinion of the OECD or its members, nor of the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile.Esta reflexión es personal no necesariamente refleja la opinión de la OCDE o sus miembros ni tampoco de la Subsecretaría de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile

El nuevo escenario de la Política Comercial chilena

This is a personal reflection; it does not necessarily represent the opinion of the OECD or its members, nor of the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile.Esta reflexión es personal no necesariamente refleja la opinión de la OCDE o sus miembros ni tampoco de la Subsecretaría de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile

Methanol Electro-Oxidation in Alkaline Medium by Ni Based Binary and Ternary Catalysts: Effect of Iron (Fe) on the Catalyst Performance

Pt free methanol electro oxidation catalysts with stable response are of interest to reduce the overall cost of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Here, nickel based bi and tri metallic catalysts have been prepared on multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) support by incipient wetness impregnation method. Methanol oxidation performance was investigated in 1 M KOH by cyclic-voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). The results of electrochemical tests showed that among all the catalysts tested, catalyst sample, CAT-3 exhibited the highest current density of 125.5 mA/cm2 and have stable electrochemical response, which is very promising. These catalysts have been characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray-(EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction XRD and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to study the structural and morphological properties. Characterization results revealed small and uniform particle size distribution and better homogeneity in CAT-3. It was also observed that addition of 'Fe' in tri metallic catalyst lowers the Cu contents in the catalysts and in the contrary lowers the electro-catalytic performance. All the catalyst found to be quite stable and CAT-3 gave the highest oxidative current response, which is attributed to higher Cu contents.Authors would like to acknowledge the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) through the Science and Technology Unit at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) for funding this work through project no. 10ENE1374-04, as part of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan. Support of CAM, Qatar University is also acknowledged for this work.Scopu

Preparation and performance evaluation of speek/polyaniline composite membrane for direct methanol fuel cell

Polymer composites comprising sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and 10 to 50 wt% of Poly(trimellitic anhydride chloride-co-4,4'-methylenedianiline) (PTCMA) were prepared by solution casting. The effects of PTCMA concentrations on morphological, thermal and transport properties (water uptake, methanol permeability, ion exchange capacity and proton conductivity) were investigated. A morphological analysis revealed an homogenous dense microstructure for all the composites. Also, transport property tests revealed that the water uptake, methanol permeability and ion exchange capacity were enhanced by the addition of PTCMA whereas proton conductivity deteriorated. As shown by a thermogravimetric analysis, the difference between the thermal properties of the pure SPEEK and the composites was insignificant. Overall, the composites were observed to display a better global performance in terms of transport properties than pure SPEEK.Authors would like to thank the National Science, Technology and Innovation Program (NSTIP) of KACST for funding this research under project number 10-ENE1374-04. Also, authors extend their appreciation to Center for Integrative Petroleum Research, Center of Excellence in Renewable Energy, and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia for their support.Scopu

Precious metal free Ni/Cu/Mo trimetallic nanocomposite supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes as highly efficient and durable anode-catalyst for alkaline direct methanol fuel cells

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) proved to be an auspicious choice in the applications of portable power electronics and energy transportation, apart from their high cost catalysts materials. To this end, we have developed precious metal free low-cost active anode materials for DMFCs. Three metals composite (Ni, Cu, and Mo) based electrocatalyst on a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) support were prepared. The sequential wetness impregnation at different temperatures method combined with a freeze-drying procedure was used to dope the metals nanoparticles on the carbon nanotube. Their compositions and textures were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) detector, elemental mapping, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The electrochemical behavior of the prepared electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation was investigated in alkaline media. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements indicate that the catalyst containing 80% of Ni, 10% of Cu and 10% of Mo shows a better electrocatalytic activity than those of other composites in present work. Also the incorporated co-catalysts (Mo and Cu) contribute significantly to the electrocatalytic activity along with Ni via Ni?Cu and Ni?Mo interfaces. The effect of scan rate and methanol concentration was also studied to evaluate the adsorption and oxidation of methanol molecules on the surface of catalyst. The chronoamperometry (CA) was used to evaluate the stability and durability of the as-synthesized Ni/Cu/Mo@MWCNTs catalyst. ? 2018 Elsevier B.V.This work has been financially supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) through the Science Technology Unit at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia through Project No. 10-ENE-1374 as part of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (NSTIP). Appendix