Inhomogeneous cortical synchronization and partial epileptic seizures

Objective: Interictal synchronization clusters have recently been described in several publications using diverse techniques, including neurophysiological recordings and fMRI, in patients suffering from epilepsy. However, little is known about the role of these hypersynchronous areas during seizures. In this work, we report an analysis of synchronization clusters jointly with several network measures during seizure activity; we then discuss our findings in the context of prior literature.Methods: Subdural activity was recorded by electrocorticography (with 60 electrodesplaced at temporal and parietal lobe locations) in a patient with temporal lobe epilepsywith partial seizures with and without secondary generalization (SG). Both interictal andictal activities (during four seizures) were investigated and characterized using local synchronization and complex network methodology. The modularity, density of links, average clustering coefficient, and average path lengthswere calculated to obtain information about the dynamics of the global network. Functional connectivity changes during the seizures were compared with the time evolution of highly synchronized areas.Results: Our findings reveal temporal changes in local synchronization areas during seizuresand a tight relationship between the cortical locations of these areas and the patterns oftheir evolution over time. Seizure evolution and SG appear to be driven by two differentunderlying mechanisms.Fil: Vega Zelaya, Lorena. Hospital Universitario la Princesa; EspañaFil: Pastor, Jesús Eduardo. Hospital Universitario la Princesa; EspañaFil: García de Sola, Rafael. Hospital Universitario la Princesa; EspañaFil: Ortega, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; Argentin

Análisis de las relaciones entre los criterios del modelo de excelencia EFQM mediante modelos de ecuaciones estructurales

Revisión de los distintos modelos de excelencia para comprobar si los resultados de este estudio son aplicables a algún otro criterio además del EFQM. Mediante una consulta a organizaciones a nivel mundial sobre calidad total, se procede a un análisis de las distintas relaciones existentes entre los criterios del modelo de excelencia EFQM para buscar un nuevo modelo que obtenga unos mejores resultados para estas relaciones. Para ello se emplean modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Finalemnte se obtiene un nuevo modelo con unas relaciones entre los criterios más sólidas además de ser predictivo, lo que implica la posibilidad de anticiparse a los cambios que se producen al actuar sobre alguno de estos criterios. De igual forma resulta que este estudio es aplicable al modelo iberoamericano debido a sus grandes similitudes con el modelo EFQM

An investigation on RCCI combustion in a heavy duty diesel engine using in-cylinder blending of diesel and gasoline fuels

An experimental and numerical study has been carried out to understand mixing and auto-ignition processes in RCCI combustion conditions, using gasoline and diesel as low and high reactivity fuels, respectively. Three parametrical studies have been developed using a heavy duty compression ignition engine equipped with a direct injector and a port fuel injector, to be able to vary the in-cylinder fuel blending ratio. Besides, a detailed analysis in terms of air/fuel mixing process has also been performed by means of a 1-D spray model. It is found that combustion starts with the auto-ignition of the diesel injection and the air and gasoline entrained. Then, the temperature and pressure raise starts the flame propagation across the lean diesel and gasoline zones of the combustion chamber. As the Diesel/Gasoline fuel ratio is reduced, the ignition delay increases extending the mixing time and the first combustion stage gets lowered while the second one is enhanced. The advance of the diesel injection timing enlarges the mentioned effects over the combustion process. With respect to conventional neat diesel combustion, a slight reduction in terms of NOx and a very important reduction in terms of soot were achieved with the RCCI combustion.The authors would like to thank VOLVO Group Trucks Technology for supporting this research.Benajes Calvo, JV.; Molina Alcaide, SA.; García Martínez, A.; Belarte Mañes, E.; Vanvolsem, M. (2014). An investigation on RCCI combustion in a heavy duty diesel engine using in-cylinder blending of diesel and gasoline fuels. Applied Thermal Engineering. 63(1):66-76. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2013.10.052S667663

Pharmacogenetics of Immunosuppressants in Solid Organ Transplantation: Time to Implement in the Clinic

Our aim in this chapter is to present the state of the art, including our own group research, in the field of immunosuppressant pharmacogenetics in the four main types of solid organ transplantation: kidney, heart, lung, and liver. The main focus will be on those findings in the field that have been widely investigated and then in those that are close to clinical implementation, mainly CYP3A5 genotyping for the adjustment of the initial tacrolimus dose. This recommendation will be discussed in more detail, explaining its clinical potential as well as its limitations. To end, a short opinion about the feasibility of implementation in the health systems as well as discussion about private companies selling pharmacogenetic tests will be presented

Generación de escenarios de cambio climático

Presentación realizada en el Seminario CLIVAR-ES "Clima en España: Pasado, presente y futuro" celebrado en Madrid del 11 al 13 de febrero de 2009

Long-term mortality and trajectory of potassium easurements following an episode of acute severe hyperkalemia

Background: Hyperkalaemia is a common condition in patients with comorbidities such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) or congestive heart failure (HF). Moreover, severe hyperkalaemia is a potentially life-threatening condition that is associated with a higher risk of adverse clinical events such as ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Currently, data regarding the prognostic implications of chronic hyperkalaemia are available; however, information about the long-term clinical consequences after an episode of severe hyperkalaemia remains scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the trajectory of potassium measurements in patients with acute hyperkalaemia and long-term all-cause mortality. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study that included patients with acute severe hyperkalaemia [potassium (K) >6 mEq/L] without haemolysis in the emergency room of Dr Peset University Hospital in Valencia, Spain searching the lab database from January 2016 to March 2017. The multivariable-adjusted association of serum potassium with mortality was assessed by using comprehensive state-of-the-art regression methods that can accommodate time-dependent exposure modelling. Results: We found 172 episodes of acute hyperkalaemia in 160 patients in the emergency room. The mean ± standard deviation age of the sample was 77 ± 12 years and 60.5% were males. The most frequent comorbidities were CKD (71.2%), HF (35%) and diabetes mellitus (56.9%). Only 11.9% of the patients were on chronic dialysis. A quarter of the patients did not have previous CKD, making hyperkalaemia an unpredictable life-threatening complication. During the acute episode, mean potassium and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were 6.6 ± 0.6 (range 6.1-9.2) mEq/L and 23 ± 16 (range 2-84) mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. After a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 17.3 (2.2-23.7) months, 68 patients died (42.5%). Recurrences of hyperkalaemia (K >5.5 mEq/L) were detected in 39.5% of the patients who were monitored during follow-up. We found that previous potassium levels during an acute severe hyperkalaemia episode were not predictors of mortality. Conversely, the post-discharge longitudinal trajectories of potassium were able to predict all-cause mortality (overall P = 0.0015). The effect of transitioning from hyperkalaemia to normokalaemia (K >5.5 mEq/L to K ≤5.5 mEq/L) after the acute episode was significant, and inversely associated with the risk of mortality. Conclusions: Potassium levels prior to a severe hyperkalaemic event do not predict mortality. Conversely, following an episode of acute severe hyperkalaemia, serial kinetics of potassium trajectories predict the risk of death. Further evidence is needed to confirm these findings and clarify the optimal long-term management of these patients

Protective effect of microbiota-derived short chain fatty acids on vascular dysfunction in mice with systemic lupus erythematosus induced by toll like receptor 7 activation

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37972724/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661823003535?via%3DihubOur objective was to investigate whether short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically acetate and butyrate, could prevent vascular dysfunction and elevated blood pressure (BP) in mice with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) induced by TLR7 activation using imiquimod (IMQ). Treatment with both SCFAs and dietary fibers rich in resistant starch (RS) or inulin-type fructans (ITF) effectively prevented the development of hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. Additionally, these treatments improved aortic relaxation induced by acetylcholine and mitigated vascular oxidative stress. Acetate and butyrate treatments also contributed to the maintenance of colonic integrity, reduced endotoxemia, and decreased the proportion of helper T (Th)17 cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), blood, and aorta in TLR7-induced SLE mice. The observed changes in MLNs were correlated with increased levels of GPR43 mRNA in mice treated with acetate and increased GPR41 levels along with decreased histone deacetylase (HDAC)- 3 levels in mice treated with butyrate. Notably, the effects attributed to acetate, but not butyrate, were nullified when co-administered with the GPR43 antagonist GLPG-0974. T cell priming and differentiation into Th17 cells in MLNs, as well as increased Th17 cell infiltration, were linked to aortic endothelial dysfunction and hypertension subsequent to the transfer of faecal microbiota from IMQ-treated mice to germ-free (GF) mice. These effects were counteracted in GF mice through treatment with either acetate or butyrate. To conclude, these findings underscore the potential of SCFA consumption in averting hypertension by restoring balance to the interplay between the gut, immune system, and vascular wall in SLE induced by TLR7 activation.This work was supported by Grants from Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (MCIN) (Ref. PID2020-116347RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033) co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund FEDER, Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación de la Junta de Andalucía (Ref. CTS 164, P20_00193, and A-CTS-318-UGR20) with funds from the European Union, and by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI22/01046, CIBER-CV). IR-V is postdoctoral funded by MINECO (FJC2021-048099-I). J.M. is a predoctoral fellow of MINECO (FPU18/02561), and C.G.-C. and S.M. are predoctoral fellow of Junta de Andalucía. The cost of this publication was paid in part with funds from the European Union (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, FEDER, “FEDER una manera de hacer Europa”). The authors thank N. Rodríguez and V. Plaza for technical assistance

Gold-coated split laser-induced periodic surface structures as refractometric sensors

The generation of surface plasmon resonances (SPR) in laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) allows their application in the field of optical sensing, such as the detection of refractive index variations in gases and liquids. We have fabricated gold-coated LIPSS nanostructures on stainless steel substrates by using femtosecond laser nano-ablation. This technique is a low-cost and high-throughput fabrication method applicable to fast and large-scale manufacturing. The depth profile of the fabricated LIPSS shows a central dip at the top of each ripple that split the geometry. The actual topography is modeled and included in a computational electromagnetism package to obtain the expected optical response under the experimental conditions. The measured and simulated spectral reflectances are compared, and the differences are explained by the departure of the fabricated LIPSS from the ideal topography. The experiments and simulations showed excellent agreement for the main spectral characteristics, like the Fano-like lineshapes of the spectral reflectance. This fitting provides the values used to determine the refractometric performance of the fabricated device, that shows a sensitivity of 518 nm/RIU and a figure of merit of 32 RIU−1 for an aqueous analyte. Our experimental results show that the fabricated devices are competitive in terms of cost and simplicity when compared to existing devices with similar performance

Optimal Analysis for the Correlation between Vibration and Temperature through an Intelligent Sensor/Transducer Based in Amorphous Nanostructures to Measure Vibrating Surfaces Temperature

The vibration is an oscillatory movement caused by a propagation of waves through fluids or solids, and this consequence is achieved in many mechanic systems by the energy transmission between the movement source with the machine that needs the transmission movement, such as the vibration produced by a combustion engine, by a compressor system and by a result of movement transmission over rotor systems. However, if it is not a controlled mechanism to moderate the produced decibels, the main system that is affected by the vibration can reduce its performance; moreover, it can increase the surface temperature of the vibrating source and systems around. In spite of this, when it uses contact sensors to measure the vibration and temperature over the surface vibrating system, the measured data are under disturbance caused by the vibration source. Therefore, in this research is proposed an intelligent sensor/transducer based in amorphous nanostructures owing to measure the vibration of the surface through infrared (IR) emitter/receiver and the absorbance of the receiver sample has a quite range of work and robustness under disturbance of vibrating signals. This proposed sensor also has the possibility to charge energy by itself because of sun/warmth energy conversion