Soil contamination by Toxocara spp. eggs in a University in Mexico City

The contamination levels of Toxocara spp. eggs in soil samples from a university campus in Mexico City were evaluated and analysed according to garden size, and were related with the percentage of Toxocara spp. eggs and its viability according to the soil characteristics. A total of 1458 soil samples collected in 15 gardens (six large and nine small) were analysed by sedimentation-flotation with zinc sulphate solution on at 33%. Contamination was low (12.9%), and egg viability was high (65.5%). The size of the garden had no influence on the presence and viability of Toxocara spp. eggs. Contamination was negatively correlated with the percentage of vegetation (r = 0. 61, P < 0.01) and the viability was negatively associated with the percentage of clay in the soil samples (r = 0.51, P < 0.04). The size of the garden did not influence the presence and viability of Toxocara spp. eggs

Diseño de pavimento rígido adicionando cenizas de cáscara de arroz al concreto f´c 280 kg/cm2, calle San Juan, Asentamiento Humano Santa Teresita, Sullana 2023

La finalidad primordial de este estudio es probar la repercusión de agregar CCA en las características y el diseño de pavimento rígido del concreto f’c = 280 kg/cm2 de la calle San Juan del AA. HH Santa Teresita, Sullana 2023; la investigación se clasifica de naturaleza aplicada, es cuantitativo, es cuasi experimental, de carácter explicativo. Los 120 testigos de concreto compondrán la población, 108 probetas serán la muestra, muestreo no aleatorio, se usaron las guías de observación, empleando normas técnicas peruanas para el registro de laboratorio, formatos emitidos por la MTC. Como resultados tenemos que el porcentaje favorable del 2% de CCA elevó la resistencia a compresión alcanzando el 11.86%, en relación a la resistencia del C.P a 28 días de 371 kg/cm2 y respecto a resistencia a flexión aumentó en un 10.00 % a 28 días, respecto a la resistencia del C.P de 50 kg/cm2, Asimismo se concluye que el asentamiento del concreto va disminuyendo debido al incremento de CCA, como también se determina que el porcentaje favorable fue el de 2% de CCA aumentando el soporte a compresión y flexión en relación al C.P

A refined quasi-static method for precise determination of piezoelectric coefficient of nanostructured standard and inclined thin films

Piezoelectric materials are key components for applications including non-destructive testing, medical imaging, energy harvesting, ultrasonic sensors, and actuators. Among different materials exhibiting piezoelectricity, crystalline thin films are proposed as alternative candidates to replace ceramics due to their high integrability in micro-/nano-scale devices and compatibility with non-conventional flexible/wearable substrates. To measure the piezoelectric response, Berlincourt (BC) quasi-static method is proposed as one of the simplest, however for thin films this method has not yet been explored in sufficient detail. This paper reports the effects of measuring BC parameters on the resulting piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of sputter deposited ZnO with the shape of standard and inclined nanostructured thin films. Results provide comprehensive, reliable and repeatable information about true piezoelectric coefficient of thin films (6.0 ± 0.1 pC N−1 for standard; 24 ± 1 pC N−1 for inclined films) by selecting optimized parameters in BC measurements, including dynamic force (0.45 Npp), static force (1 N) and frequency (110 Hz), utilizing the protocol here named Method 2 for clamping the film, and measuring after the stage of high variability has passed (t &gt;1200 s). Additionally, this modified BC has allowed the indirect estimation of stress accumulated in the ZnO lattice during measurements, offering a reliable and repeatable method for the determination of true d33 in crystalline thin films

Case report: Alternative approach for management of refractory volume overload in heart failure: usefulness of venous leg compression

BackgroundManagement of patients with refractory congestion, is one of the most important challenges in the field of heart failure (HF). Diuretic therapy remains the most widely used therapy to achieve euvolemia. However, some patients experience fluid overload despite the use of high-dose diuretics and new strategies to overcome diuretic resistance are needed.Case SummaryWe report an 85 years-old male patient admitted for decompensated HF with persistent tissue fluid overload (peripheral edema) for more than two weeks despite high dose of intravenous furosemide with the combination of other diuretics. At this point, we performed leg venous compression using elastic bandages for three days. After 72 h, edema disappeared, and additional weight loss was achieved (1 kg/day). No side effects were observed and the patient was discharged home euvolemic.ConclusionVenous leg compression may be an alternative therapy in patients with persistent tissue fluid overload resistant to diuretics

Impact of Advanced Age on the Incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Stable Coronary Artery Disease in a Real-World Setting in Spain

Coronary artery disease; Type 2 diabetes mellitusArteriopatía coronaria; Diabetes mellitus tipo 2Arteriopatia coronària; Diabetis mellitus tipus 2Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD) without myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke are at high risk for major cardiovascular events (MACEs). We aimed to provide real-world data on age-related clinical characteristics, treatment management, and incidence of major cardiovascular outcomes in T2DM-CAD patients in Spain from 2014 to 2018. We used EHRead® technology, which is based on natural language processing and machine learning, to extract unstructured clinical information from electronic health records (EHRs) from 12 hospitals. Of the 4072 included patients, 30.9% were younger than 65 years (66.3% male), 34.2% were aged 65–75 years (66.4% male), and 34.8% were older than 75 years (54.3% male). These older patients were more likely to have hypertension (OR 2.85), angina (OR 1.64), heart valve disease (OR 2.13), or peripheral vascular disease (OR 2.38) than those aged <65 years (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). In general, they were also more likely to receive pharmacological and interventional treatments. Moreover, these patients had a significantly higher risk of MACEs (HR 1.29; p = 0.003) and ischemic stroke (HR 2.39; p < 0.001). In summary, patients with T2DM-CAD in routine clinical practice tend to be older, have more comorbidities, are more heavily treated, and have a higher risk of developing MACE than is commonly assumed from clinical trial data.This study was funded and sponsored by the Spanish Society of Cardiology

Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Coronary Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Identification of Associated Factors Using Electronic Health Records and Natural Language Processing

Diabetes mellitus; Natural language processing; Risk factorsDiabetis mellitus; Processament del llenguatge natural; Factors de riscDiabetes mellitus; Procesamiento del lenguaje natural; Factores de riesgoPatients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD) are at high risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). This is a multicenter, retrospective, and observational study performed in Spain aimed to characterize these patients in a real-world setting. Unstructured data from the Electronic Health Records were extracted by EHRead®, a technology based on Natural Language Processing and machine learning. The association between new MACE and the variables of interest were investigated by univariable and multivariable analyses. From a source population of 2,184,662 patients, we identified 4072 adults diagnosed with T2DM and CAD (62.2% male, mean age 70 ± 11). The main comorbidities observed included arterial hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity, with metformin and statins being the treatments most frequently prescribed. MACE development was associated with multivessel (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 2.49) and single coronary vessel disease (HR = 1.71), transient ischemic attack (HR = 2.01), heart failure (HR = 1.32), insulin treatment (HR = 1.40), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (HR = 2.27), whilst statins (HR = 0.73) were associated with a lower risk of MACE occurrence. In conclusion, we found six risk factors associated with the development of MACE which were related with cardiovascular diseases and T2DM severity, and treatment with statins was identified as a protective factor for new MACE in this study.This study was funded by AstraZeneca Spain (Externally Sponsored Scientific Research, ESR-18-13815) and sponsored by the Spanish Society of Cardiology

Band gap engineering of Pb1-xCdxSe thin films providing mid-IR photoluminescent based light emitting diodes for use in non-dispersive infrared gas sensors

This work describes band-gap engineering of PbCdSe thin films for their use as light emitters in methane gas sensors. Pb 0.9 Cd 0.1 Se thin films were synthesized by pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. Optical characterisation of films demonstrated successful emission of light at 3.32 μm. Post-sensitization (PS) - in highly reactive oxygen and iodine environment - was also analysed. Design of Experiments (DoE) was used to optimize photoluminescence (PL) of PbCdSe films as a function of PS conditions. The studies demonstrated a high influence of PS temperature on PL properties. The thickness of the films was also demonstrated to have a significant effect on the enhancement of PL. The analysis of the morphology revealed that recrystallisation of the material was key for the emission of light, probing its applicability as mid-IR light source in non-dispersive IR gas sensors

Assessment of medical management in Coronary Type 2 Diabetic patients with previous percutaneous coronary intervention in Spain: A retrospective analysis of electronic health records using Natural Language Processing

Coronary heart disease; Type 2 diabetes; Electronic medical recordsEnfermedad coronaria; Diabetes tipo 2; Registros médicos electrónicosMalaltia coronària; Diabetis tipus 2; Registres mèdics electrònicsIntroduction and objectives Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) previously revascularized with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are at high risk of recurrent ischemic events. We aimed to provide real-world insights into the clinical characteristics and management of this clinical population, excluding patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, using Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. Methods This is a multicenter, retrospective study based on the secondary use of 2014–2018 real-world data captured in the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of 1,579 patients (0.72% of the T2D population analyzed; n = 217,632 patients) from 12 representative hospitals in Spain. To access the unstructured clinical information in EHRs, we used the EHRead® technology, based on NLP and machine learning. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were considered: MI, ischemic stroke, urgent coronary revascularization, and hospitalization due to unstable angina. The association between MACE rates and the variables included in this study was evaluated following univariate and multivariate approaches. Results Most patients were male (72.13%), with a mean age of 70.5±10 years. Regarding T2D, most patients were non-insulin-dependent T2D (61.75%) with high prevalence of comorbidities. The median (Q1-Q3) duration of follow-up was 1.2 (0.3–4.5) years. Overall, 35.66% of patients suffered from at least one MACE during follow up. Using a Cox Proportional Hazards regression model analysis, several independent factors were associated with MACE during follow up: CAD duration (p < 0.001), COPD/Asthma (p = 0.021), heart valve disease (p = 0.031), multivessel disease (p = 0.005), insulin treatment (p < 0.001), statins treatment (p < 0.001), and clopidogrel treatment (p = 0.039). Conclusions Our results showed high rates of MACE in a large real-world series of PCI-revascularized patients with T2D and CAD with no history of MI or stroke. These data represent a potential opportunity to improve the clinical management of these patients.This study was funded by AstraZeneca Spain and sponsored by the Spanish Society of Cardiology

Study of amorphous dielectric optical coatings deposited by plasma ion assisted electron beam evaporation for gravitational wave detectors

Coating thermal noise (CTN) in amorphous coatings is a drawback hindering their application in precision experiments such as gravitational wave detectors (GWDs). Mirrors for GWDs are Bragg’s reflectors consisting of a bilayer-based stack of high- and low-refractive-index materials showing high reflectivity and low CTN. In this paper, we report the characterization of morphological, structural, optical, and mechanical properties of high-index materials such as scandium sesquioxide and hafnium dioxide and a low-index material such as magnesium fluoride deposited by plasma ion-assisted electron beam evaporation. We also evaluate their properties under different annealing treatments and discuss their potential for GWDs