Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis in association with solitary median maxillary central incisor: unique radiologic features

AbstractSolitary median maxillary central incisor (SMMCI) coexists in 34%-65% of patients initially diagnosed with congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis. SMMCI, a genetic syndrome, warrants consideration for further screening because of its high prevalence of other diagnostic possibilities—specifically central defects, like nasal obstruction and hypothalamo-pituitary axis abnormalities. We report on a presentation of SMMCI with congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis which highlights the unique radiologic features and notes the relationship between these two central associated findings in the literature

Patrones que caracterizan la relación orquídea-forofito en la Reserva de la Biosfera "Sierra del Rosario"

The little information about the epiphytes, their own dependence to the forest habitat where they live, together to the management problems have led greatly to the threat of extinction for some epiphyte species, particularly for orchids because of the excessive extractions with the aim of lucre and the habitat losses of their hosts. So the main patterns were determined which characterized the relationships host-orchid in transition zone of the Biosphere Reserve of the Sierra of the Rosario" in this research. The inventory was done through the rectangular parcel methods where a sampling line was settled down from the base to the summit, according to this 36 parcels of 10 x 50 m (500 m2) were determined in a systematic way in the west sector, taking into account the base, middle and summit sections and the four cardinal points (North, South, East and West) and the accessibility of each sampled places. The curve area-species was used for the sampling validation where the accumulated number of new species by parcel was taking into consideration. Besides, other variable groups were also analyzed such as: host zones, host classification and their abundance, bark host type, tree species higher than 2 m and the orchid location according to the host.La insuficiente información acerca de las epífitas, las particularidades de su dependencia dentro del hábitat forestal donde viven, unido a los problemas de manejo, han conducido en gran medida a las amenazas de extinción para algunas especies, particularmente las orquídeas, debido a las excesivas extracciones con fines de lucro y a las pérdidas de hábitats donde tienen lugar su hospedero. En este estudio se determinó los principales patrones que caracterizan la relación orquídea-forofito en la Reserva de la Biosfera "Sierra del Rosario". El inventario se realizó a través de la metodología de parcelas rectangulares, por lo que se estableció una línea de inventario de la base a la cima, a partir de ahí se levantaron un total de 36 parcelas de 10 x 50 m (500 m2) de forma sistemática en el sector oeste, teniendo en cuenta las secciones base, media y cima, los cuatro puntos cardinales (Norte, Sur, Este y Oeste) y la accesibilidad de cada uno de los sitios muestreados. Para la validación del muestreo se utilizó la Curva Área-Especie donde se tuvo en consideración el número acumulado de nuevas especies por parcela. Se tuvo en cuenta un grupo de variables tales como: zonación forofítica, clasificación del forofito y su abundancia, tipo de corteza del forofito, especies arbóreas mayores de 2 m de altura y la exposición de la orquídea con respecto al forofito

Tensile properties and failure behavior of chopped and continuous carbon fiber composites produced by additive manufacturing

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) is rapidly expanding in many industries mostly because of the flexibility to manufacture complex geometries. Recently, a family of technologies that produce fiber reinforced components has been introduced, widening the options available to designers. AM fiber reinforced composites are characterized by the fact that process related parameters such as the amount of reinforcement fiber, or printing architecture, significantly affect the tensile properties of final parts. To find optimal structures using new AM technologies, guidelines for the design of 3D printed composite parts are needed. This paper presents an evaluation of the effects that different geometric parameters have on the tensile properties of 3D printed composites manufactured by fused filament fabrication (FFF) out of continuous and chopped carbon fiber reinforcement. Parameters such as infill density and infill patterns of chopped composite material, as well as fiber volume fraction and printing architecture of continuous fiber reinforcement (CFR) composites are varied. The effect of the location of the initial deposit point of reinforcement fibers on the tensile properties of the test specimens is studied. Also, the effect that the fiber deposition pattern has on tensile performance is quantified. Considering the geometric parameters that were studied, a variation of the Rule of Mixtures (ROM) that provides a way to estimate the elastic modulus of a 3D printed composite is proposed. Findings may be used by designers to define the best construction parameters for 3D printed composite parts

Piperidine Azasugars Bearing Lipophilic Chains: Stereoselective Synthesis and Biological Activity as Inhibitors of Glucocerebrosidase (GCase)

We report a straightforward synthetic strategy for the preparation of trihydroxypiperidine azasugars decorated with lipophilic chains at both the nitrogen and the adjacent carbon as potential inhibitors of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GCase), which is involved in Gaucher disease. The procedure relies on the preparation of C-erythrosyl N-alkylated nitrones 10 through reaction of aldehyde 8 and primary amines 13 followed by oxidation of the imines formed in situ with the methyltrioxorhenium catalyst and urea hydrogen peroxide. The addition of octylMgBr to nitrone 10e provided access to both epimeric hydroxylamines 21 and 22 with opposite configuration at the newly created stereocenter in a stereodivergent and completely stereoselective way, depending on the absence or presence of BF3·Et2O. Final reductive amination and acetonide deprotection provided compounds 14 and 15 from low-cost d-mannose in remarkable 43 and 32% overall yields, respectively, over eight steps. The C-2 R-configured bis-alkylated trihydroxypiperidine 15 was the best ligand for GCase (IC50 = 15 μM), in agreement with MD simulations that allowed us to identify the chair conformation corresponding to the best binding affinity.MINECO (CTQ2016- 77270-R) and (PID2019-104090RB-100

Síntesis asimétrica de compuestos de interés biológico

En este trabajo fin de grado se ha llevado a cabo la síntesis de ácidos β-aminofosfónicos protegidos utilizando como reacción clave la adición de litiometilfosfonatos a nitronas cíclicas polisustituidas. Como sustratos de dicha reacción se escogieron diversas nitronas con diferentes sustituciones y estereoquímicas en los sustituyentes. La preparación de dichas nitronas cíclicas se llevó a cabo a partir de derivados comerciales de fuentes naturales. Posteriormente, se estudió la reacción de adición y se elaboraron los correspondientes aductos para obtener los ácidos β-aminofosfónicos protegidos

Increasing efficiency and reducing bias in the sampling of seed-dispersal interactions based on mist-netted birds

Efficient and unbiased sampling of ecological interactions is essential to our understanding of the functions they mediate. Seed dispersal by frugivorous birds is a key mutualism for plant regeneration and community dynamics. Mist-netting is one of the most widely used methods to sample avian seed dispersal through the identification of seeds in droppings of captured birds kept inside cloth bags. However, birds may drop seeds on the ground before being extracted from the net, leading to a fraction of missing information due to ineffective sampling. Worryingly, this fraction could be unevenly distributed across bird and plant species, leading to sampling biases. Here, we assess the effectiveness of using a 1-m wide mesh below mist nets to sample seeds dropped by entangled birds. We used data from birds mist-netted during one-year-round. We sampled nearly 50% of interaction events and 75% of dispersed seeds on the mesh band below the mist nets (i.e. lost information without this optimization). The proportion of seeds sampled on the mesh bands was not evenly distributed among bird species but strongly related to bird size, ranging from 57–63% in warblers to 84–94% in thrushes. Moreover, the proportion of seeds sampled on the mesh was negatively related to seed size, although this relationship was weaker. We also evaluated accumulation curves of species and pairwise interactions with increasing sampling effort, both with and without using the mesh bands. The number of seed species sampled increased by 21% when using the mesh bands and the number of pairwise interactions by 36%. Our findings provide strong evidence on how inefficient and biased traditional mist-netting can be for sampling community-wide seed–dispersal interactions. We thus urge the use of mesh bands in future studies to increase sampling effectiveness and avoid biases, which will ultimately improve our understanding of the seed dispersal function

Cross-Cultural Validation of Quebec User Satisfaction with Assistive Technology 2.0 for Spanish Population (QUEST-2.0 ES)

[Abstract] Background: Assistive technologies (ATs) are resources to promote the independence and participation of people with a disability. The use of standardized tools, based on outcome measures, is essential for guaranteeing high-quality rates. The Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with AT-2.0 (QUEST) is a scale to assess the satisfaction of people using any AT. Objectives: To translate and culturally validate the QUEST-2.0 for the Spanish population (QUEST 2.0-ES). Methods: A validation cross-design and descriptive study. The test-retest reliability, validity, and internal consistency of QUEST 2.0-ES were studied. It was divided into two phases: Sample 1 was formed by 26 persons; in sample 2, 30 persons participated. The conditions included neurological conditions, amputations, rare diseases, and deafness. Results: Thirty-five men and 21 women participated in total. The majority of AT used were those for mobility. QUEST 2.0-ES analysis showed internal consistency values between the test (α = 0.87) and retest versions (α = 0.89). The internal consistency was high for AT (test, α = 0.83; retest, α = 0.87) and Service (test, α = 0.80; retest, α = 0.80). The temporal reliability (1-2 weeks) for test-retest was 0.88. Conclusion: QUEST 2.0-ES showed good psychometric properties in terms of validity and test-retest reliability, and it is a good tool to assess the user's satisfaction with ATs and services.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España); PID2019-104323RB-C3

TNF-α and IL-10 downregulation and marked oxidative stress in Neuromyelitis Optica

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuromyelitis optica is a central nervous system demyelinating and inflammatory syndrome. The objective of this study is to identify cytokines related to the cellular immune response as well as blood brain barrier integrity and oxidative stress.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a molecular characterization of cellular immune response and oxidative stress in serum from relapsing-NMO (R-NMO) patients and established the correlations between the clinical measurements and molecular parameters using the Bayesian approach.</p> <p>Serum samples from 11 patients with R-NMO diagnosed according to Wingerchuk criteria and matched in terms of age, gender and ethnicity with the healthy controls were analyzed. The levels of TNF-<it>α</it>, IFN-<it>γ</it>, IL-10, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and oxidative stress markers: malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products, peroxidation potential, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and total hydroperoxides were measured.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found almost undetectable levels of TNF-<it>α</it>, a decreased production of IL-10 and a significant up-regulation of every oxidative stress biomarker studied. The insufficient production of TNF-<it>α </it>and IL-10 in R-NMO patients, which are two important players of T cell mediated immunoregulation, suggest an effector – regulator imbalance. The overproduction of oxygen reactive species as a consequence of the chronic inflammatory milieu is reflected on the excess of oxidative damage mediators detected. Furthermore, Multidimensional Scaling and a Bayesian linear regression model revealed a significant linear dependence between Expanded Disability Status Scale Kurtzke and TIMP-1; pointing to a possible predictive or prognostic value of this clinical-molecular relationship.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that there is a breakdown in immunoregulatory mechanisms and noteworthy pro-oxidant environment contributing to NMO pathogenesis.</p