Déficit de vitamina D y morbimortalidad en pacientes críticos pediátricos

La deficiencia de vitamina D es uno de los déficits vitamínicos más frecuentes en la población general, siendo más común en pacientes críticos. Varios estudios demuestran niveles bajos en niños y adolescentes, con consecuencias negativas sobre la salud futura. El conocimiento de su relevancia se ha extendido más allá del sistema esquelético y regulación del metabolismo calcio-fósforo, existiendo estudios que correlacionan este déficit con un aumento de mortalidad y situaciones de gravedad (síndrome de respuesta inflamatoria sistémica, shock, sepsis, disfunción cardiovascular…) sin que pueda asegurarse una relación causal hasta el momento actual. Sin embargo, la prevalencia y su importancia en pacientes críticos pediátricos son poco conocidas. Se plantea un estudio observacional en dos fases (fase I: Estudio de cohortes, fase II: Estudio de prevalencia) basado en la determinación de la 25-OH-vitamina D en las primeras 48 horas del ingreso en pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos de un hospital terciario para determinar la prevalencia y factores asociados a este déficit vitamínico, así como su relación con la morbimortalidad durante el ingreso en la unidad. Se registraron datos demográficos, características del episodio y complicaciones surgidas durante el ingreso para identificar un posible perfil de riesgo de presentar esta deficiencia. La prevalencia del déficit de vitamina D fue del 43,8%, con una media de vitamina D total plasmática de 22,28 (IC95% 21,15 – 23,41) ng/ml. Los individuos con déficit de vitamina D fueron de mayor edad y peso, de padres con mayor nivel de estudios, ingresaron más frecuentemente en invierno y primavera, presentaron una mayor puntuación de PRISM-II al ingreso, su estancia en UCIP fue mayor, así como la morbilidad durante la misma. Los pacientes que fallecieron tenían niveles de vitamina D inferiores a los que presentaron los supervivientes al alta de UCIP y dichas diferencias fueron estadísticamente significativas. La estancia en UCIP fue superior en aquellos con déficit de vitamina D, aunque las diferencias no fueron estadísticamente significativas en el análisis multivariante. En base a estos resultados, se concluye que el déficit de vitamina D es frecuente en UCIP y está relacionado con la morbimortalidad, aunque queda por esclarecer si esta asociación es de tipo causal o simplemente se trata de un marcador de gravedad de la situación clínica del enfermo

Spermiogram and sperm head morphometry assessed by multivariate cluster analysis results during adolescence (12-18 years) and the effect of varicocele

Artículo científicoThis work evaluates sperm head morphometric characteristics in adolescents from 12 to 18 years of age, and the effect of varicocele. Volunteers between 150 and 224 months of age (mean 191, n = 87), who had reached oigarche by 12 years old, were recruited in the area of Barranquilla, Colombia. Morphometric analysis of sperm heads was performed with principal component (PC) and discriminant analysis. Combining seminal fluid and sperm parameters provided five PCs: two related to sperm morphometry, one to sperm motility, and two to seminal fluid components. Discriminant analysis on the morphometric results of varicocele and nonvaricocele groups did not provide a useful classification matrix. Of the semen-related PCs, the most explanatory (40%) was related to sperm motility. Two PCs, including sperm head elongation and size, were sufficient to evaluate sperm morphometric characteristics. Most of the morphometric variables were correlated with age, with an increase in size and decrease in the elongation of the sperm head. For head size, the entire sperm population could be divided into two morphometric subpopulations, SP1 and SP2, which did not change during adolescence. In general, for varicocele individuals, SP1 had larger and more elongated sperm heads than SP2, which had smaller and more elongated heads than in nonvaricocele men. In summary, sperm head morphometry assessed by CASA-Morph and multivariate cluster analysis provides a better comprehension of the ejaculate structure and possibly sperm function. Morphometric analysis provides much more information than data obtained from conventional semen analysis

Improving water quality does not guarantee fish health: Effects of ammonia pollution on the behaviour of wild-caught pre-exposed fish.

Ammonia is a pollutant frequently found in aquatic ecosystems. In fish, ammonia can cause physical damage, alter its behaviour, and even cause death. Exposure to ammonia also increases fish physiological stress, which can be measured through biomarkers. In this study, we analysed the effect of sublethal ammonia concentrations on the behaviour and the oxidative stress of Barbus meridionalis that had been pre-exposed to this compound in the wild. Wild-caught fish from a polluted site (pre-exposed fish) and from an unpolluted site (non-pre-exposed fish) were exposed, under experimental conditions, to total ammonia concentrations (TAN) of 0, 1, 5, and 8 mg/L. Swimming activity, feeding behaviour, and oxidative stress response based on biomarkers were analysed. Pre-exposed fish showed both an altered behaviour and an altered oxidative stress response in the control treatment (0 mg/L). Differences in swimming activity were also found as pre-exposed fish swam less. Lower feeding activity (voracity and satiety) and altered response to oxidative stress were also observed at 1 mg/L TAN. Biomarker results confirmed pre-exposed fish suffer from a reduction in their antioxidant defences and, hence, showed increased oxidative tissue damage. In summary, pre-exposed fish showed more sensitivity to ammonia exposure than fish from a pristine site

Efectos renales adversos por inhibidores del check-point (ICP) en pacientes con cáncer. Recomendaciones del grupo de Onconefrología de la Sociedad Española de Nefrología (SEN)

Insuficiència renal aguda; ImmunoteràpiaAcute kidney injury; ImmunotherapyInsuficiencia renal aguda; InmunoterapiaThe most widely used approach in the immunotherapy treatment of cancer is the administration of monoclonal antibodies directed against regulatory molecules of immune control that inhibit the activation of T cells, the so-called check point inhibitors (ICI). ICI nephrotoxicity epidemiology and pathology; its diagnosis with or without kidney biopsy; the type and duration of treatment; the possibility of rechallenging after kidney damage; and its indication in patients with cancer and renal transplantation are certainly controversial. In the absence of definitive studies, this document is intended to specify some recommendations agreed by the group of Onconephrology experts of the Spanish Society of Nephrology in those areas related to ICI nephrotoxicity, in order to help decision-making in daily clinical practice in Onconephrology consultations.El enfoque más utilizado en el tratamiento inmunoterápico del cáncer es la administración de anticuerpos monoclonales dirigidos contra moléculas reguladoras del control inmunitario que inhiben la activación de las células T, los llamados inhibidores del Check-Point (ICP). La epidemiología y patología de la nefrotoxicidad por los ICP; su diagnóstico con o sin biopsia renal; el tipo y la duración del tratamiento; la posibilidad de retratar después del daño renal; y su indicación en pacientes con cáncer y trasplante renal son ciertamente controvertidas. En ausencia de estudios definitivos, este documento está destinado a concretar unas recomendaciones consensuadas por el grupo de expertos de Onconefrología de la S.E.N en aquellas áreas relacionadas con la nefrotoxicidad por los ICP, con la finalidad de ayudar en la toma de decisiones en la práctica clínica diaria de las consultas de Onconefrología

3849_REDITS. Red Interuniversitaria para la didáctica en Trabajo Social

El presente trabajo se enmarca en el seno del Programa de Redes-ICE de investigación en docencia universitaria del Vicerrectorado de Calidad e Innovación Educativa-Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Alicante (convocatoria 2016-17), “Ref.: 3849 REDITS”. Como primera estrategia partimos de la revisión de la literatura especializada recogiendo lo que venimos trabajando sobre competencias en Trabajo Social y promoción del trabajo colaborativo, e incorporando los aspectos relativos a la supervisión, estableciendo la diferencia entre la supervisión educativa y la supervisión profesional. Se realizó una revisión de la producción desarrollada por REDITS, a efectos de ir procurando no solo la homologación de criterios sino la construcción de estrategias de trabajo a partir de los resultados de las supervisiones. La segunda estrategia consistió en el seguimiento de experiencias puntuales de docencia en las que la red constituye un espacio de construcción de alternativas a partir de poner en común casos de cada universidad buscando puntos de convergencia y alternativas de trabajo. Se trabajó particularmente aspectos relativos a la educación inclusiva en el ámbito universitario. Como tercera estrategia se realizo un grupo de discusión de profesorado y se pasaron evaluaciones abiertas al alumnado sobre los tipos de supervisión en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje

Effects of industrial pollution on the reproductive biology of Squalius laietanus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) in a Mediterranean stream (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Mediterranean rivers are severely affected by pollutants from industry, agriculture and urban activities. In this study, we examined how industrial pollutants, many of them known to act as endocrine disruptors (EDCs), could disturb the reproduction of the Catalan chub (Squalius laietanus). The survey was conducted throughout the reproductive period of S. laietanus (from March to July 2014) downstream an industrial WWTP located in the River Ripoll (NE Iberian Peninsula). Eighty fish (28 females and 52 males) were caught by electrofishing upstream and 77 fish (33 females and 44 males) downstream a WWTP. For both sexes, the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and gonadal histology were examined and related to water chemical analysis and fish biomarkers. Female fecundity was assessed using the gravimetric method. Fish from the polluted site showed enhanced biomarker responses involved in detoxification. Also, in the polluted site, lower GSI values were attained in both sexes and females displayed lower numbers of vitellogenic oocytes. Gonadal histology showed that allmaturation stages of testicles and ovaries were present at the two study sites but fish males from the polluted site had smaller diameter seminiferous tubules. Water chemical analysis confirmed greater presence of EDCs in the river downstream the industrial WWTP. The chemicals benzotriazole and benzothiazole could be partially responsible for the observed alterations in the reproductive biology of S. laietanus

Photo-Induced Self-Cleaning and Wettability in TiO2 Nanocolumn Arrays Obtained by Glancing-Angle Deposition with Sputtering

In this work, the preparation of regular nanosized columnar structures of titanium dioxide by means of glancing angle deposition with magnetron sputtering (MS-GLAD) followed by thermal annealing is reported. MS-GLAD gives rise to metallic titanium columnar structures with regular width and length that after thermal treatment are fully oxidized to form TiO2 nanocolumns that maintain the morphological features of the original metallic ones. Further functionalization with gold by means of multiple ion cluster source results in well-dispersed Au nanoparticles across the nanocolumns’ surface with a narrow size distribution centered at ca. 8.5 nm. The obtained nanostructures show photocatalytic self-cleaning activity as shown by the elimination of an organic layer deposited on their surface and the detection of hydroxyl radicals. Photoelectrochemical measurements show a better charge separation at the Au/TiO2 interface. In addition, wettability studies show that the degree of hydrophobicity of the surface is increased by the presence of nanocolumns, both in the dark and under UV illumination. This behavior is not modified by the presence of Au nanoparticles on the surface. The obtained results open up interesting implications in the tunability of the properties of nanostructured thin films for this kind of photo-activated application.Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICINN) through the projects SOLPAC (ENE2017-89170-R, MCIU/AEI/FEDER, EU), MAT2014-59772-C2-1-P, and MAT2014-59772-C2-2-P is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also acknowledge the service from the MiNa Laboratory at IMN funded by Comunidad de Madrid (S2018/NMT-4291 TEC2SPACE), MICINN (CSIC13-4E-1794), and the EU (FEDER, FSE). Also, this work has been funded by the regional government of Madrid and European Structural Funds through their financial support to FotoArt-CM program (S2018/NMT-4367), and from Fundación Ramon Areces though the ArtLeaf project. M.B. thanks MICINN for a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (IJC2019-042430-I) grant.Peer reviewe

Impact of cryopreservation on motile subpopulations and tyrosine-phosphorylated regions of ram spermatozoa during capacitating conditions

This article belongs to the Special Issue Factors Affecting In Vitro Assessment of Sperm Quality.The heterogeneous nature of ejaculates highlights the relevance of studying the behavior of different sperm subpopulations. Changes in sperm motility and the increase in tyrosine phosphorylation are key events that usually occur during capacitation and can be modified by the cryopreservation process. However, the relationship between both events remains poorly defined throughout capacitation in the different sperm subpopulations. Fresh and frozen-thawed spermatozoa were incubated in capacitating (CAP) and non-capacitating (NC) media up to 240 min. Sperm kinematics, tyrosine phosphorylation and mitochondrial activity were measured by the CASA system and imaging flow cytometry. Four motile sperm subpopulations (SP) were identified in fresh and frozen-thawed ram semen after the cluster analysis. Incubation under CAP conditions over time led to greater changes in the percentage of spermatozoa included in each subpopulation compared to NC conditions, being different between fresh and frozen-thawed spermatozoa. The SP1, characterized by slow spermatozoa, progressively increased after 15 min in frozen-thawed samples incubated in both media but not in fresh ones. The SP4, characterized by fast and non-linear spermatozoa, showed a marked increase during CAP, but not under NC conditions, occurring more rapidly in frozen-thawed spermatozoa. This subpopulation (SP4) was also the only one positively and strongly correlated with mitochondrial activity and all phosphorylated sperm regions during capacitation, either in fresh or frozen-thawed samples. Our results indicated that in vitro capacitation induced significant changes in the distribution of motile sperm subpopulations, being affected by cryopreservation. Notwithstanding, the subpopulation which probably represents hyperactivated-like spermatozoa (SP4) also increased in frozen-thawed samples, occurring faster and simultaneously to the increment of mitochondrial activity and tyrosine phosphorylation of different sperm regions.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2013-48421-R and AGL2017-89017-R). A.M.M. was supported by a Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness scholarship and P.P.-F. was supported by a University of Castilla-La Mancha scholarship [2015/4062].Peer reviewe

Freezing Protocol Optimization for Iberian Red Deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) Epididymal Sperm under Field Conditions

14 Pág.Creating germplasm banks of wild species, such as the Iberian red Deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) can be challenging. One of the main difficulties is the obtention and cryopreservation of good-quality reproductive cells when the spermatozoa are obtained from epididymides after death. To avoid a loss of seminal quality during transport, developing alternative methods for cooling and freezing sperm samples under field conditions is necessary. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different durations of equilibrium and different techniques of cooling and freezing on Iberian red deer epididymal sperm quality after thawing to optimize the processing conditions in this species. Three experiments were carried out: (I) evaluation of refrigeration in straws or tubes of 15 mL; (II) study of equilibration period (0, 30, 60, or 120 min); and (III) comparison of four freezing techniques (liquid nitrogen vapor in a tank (C), liquid nitrogen vapor in a polystyrene box (B), dry ice (DY), and placing straws on a solid metallic plate floating on the surface of liquid nitrogen (MP)). For all experiments, sperm motility and kinematic parameters, acrosomal integrity, sperm viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, and DNA integrity were evaluated after thawing. All statistical analyses were performed by GLM-ANOVA analysis. Samples refrigerated in straws showed higher values (p ≤ 0.05) for mitochondrial activity and lower values (p ≤ 0.05) for apoptotic cells. Moreover, the acrosome integrity showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between 0 and 120 min, but not between 30 and 60 min, of equilibration. Finally, no significant differences were found between freezing in liquid nitrogen vapors in a tank or in a box, although there was a low quality after thawing when the samples were cryopreserved in dry ice or by placing straws on a solid metallic plate floating on the surface of liquid nitrogen. In conclusion, under field conditions, it would be possible to refrigerate the sperm samples by storing them in straws with a 120 min equilibration period and freezing them in liquid nitrogen vapors in a tank or box.This research was funded by a National Grant from MICINN, grant number received a contract from “Plan Propio de la UCLM” cofinanced bTRA2009-0291.D.A.M.-C.y the European Social Fund. A.M.-M. received a predoctoral contract from MICINN cofinanced by the European Social Fund (PRE2018-084837).Peer reviewe

Invasive Fusariosis in Nonneutropenic Patients, Spain, 2000-2015

Invasive fusariosis (IF) is associated with severe neutropenia in patients with concurrent hematologic conditions. We conducted a retrospective observational study to characterize the epidemiology of IF in 18 Spanish hospitals during 2000-2015. In that time, the frequency of IF in nonneutropenic patients increased from 0.08 cases per 100,000 admissions in 2000-2009 to 0.22 cases per 100,000 admissions in 2010-2015. Nonneutropenic IF patients often had nonhematologic conditions, such as chronic cardiac or lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis, history of solid organ transplantation, or localized fusariosis. The 90-day death rate among nonneutropenic patients (28.6%) and patients with resolved neutropenia (38.1%) was similar. However, the death rate among patients with persistent neutropenia (91.3%) was significantly higher. We used a multivariate Cox regression analysis to characterize risk factors for death: persistent neutropenia was the only risk factor for death, regardless of antifungal therapy