Sensores electroquímicos a base de nanopartículas para el monitoreo de metales pesados en muestras ambientales

Como parte de esta investigación, se construyó un sensor electroquímico de oro nanoestructurado y modificado con cisteína, para disminuir los límites de detección, comparándolo con los métodos de análisis convencionales. Asimismo, se trabajó con electrodos serigrafiados aprovechando sus ventajas, como el uso de menor cantidad de muestra y menor generación de residuos.Como parte de esta investigación, se construyó un sensor electroquímico de oro nanoestructurado y modificado con cisteína, para disminuir los límites de detección, comparándolo con los métodos de análisis convencionales. Asimismo, se trabajó con electrodos serigrafiados aprovechando sus ventajas, como el uso de menor cantidad de muestra y menor generación de residuos

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Guide to Field Validation Campaigns with Fixed Equipments.

The objective of this document is to serve as a guide for the correct development of experimental field campaigns for the validation of fixed equipment equipped with low-cost sensors with which we work on the NanoSen-AQM project. The correct development of the campaigns and the collection of the information indicated in this guide are fundamental to the deliverable E.6.1.1 of the project "Report on air quality monitoring campaigns" and for the product P.6.1 "Pilot experiences in air quality monitoring.

Transformaciones logarítmicas en regresión simple.

In this paper the effect of the logarithmic transformations in simple regression analysis is investigated. In practice, it is very common that exponen tial and power models’ parameters are estimated by means of a logarithmic transformation which reduces them to a linear form. The estimations in the initial models are obtained by applying the exponential function to the intercept estimation. In this work, it is found that this procedure does not generate least squares solutions for the initial model and introduces variations in the way in which relationships between variables are conceived. Because of the popularity of software to ols, the risk of using inappropriate models for the data may be unnoticed.En este artículo se investiga los efectos de las transformaciones logarítmicas en un análisis de regresión simple. En la práctica, es muy común que los parámetros de los modelos conocidos como exponencial y potencial se estimen de manera habitual mediante una transformación logarítmica, que los reduce a modelos lineales y se “regresa” al modelo original aplicando la función exponencial a la estimación del intercepto. En este trabajo se encuentra que este procedimiento no genera estimadores de mínimos cuadrados para el modelo inicial e introduce variaciones en la forma como se conciben las relaciones entre las variables. La popularidad de las herramientas de análisis hace que el riesgo de utilizar modelos que no correspondan a los datos pase desapercibido

Nafion-Protected Sputtered-Bismuth Screen-Printed Electrode for On-site Voltammetric Measurements of Cd(II) and Pb(II) in Natural Water Samples

In this work, we explore the protection with Nafion of commercial sputtered-bismuth screen-printed electrodes (BiSPSPEs), to improve its ability for on-site determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions in ambient water samples. The modified screen-printed platform was coupled with a miniaturized cell, in combination with a battery-operated stirring system and a portable potentiostat operated by a laptop for decentralized electrochemical measurements using Square-Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (SWASV). We also describe a detailed electrode surface characterization by microscopy and surface analysis techniques, before and after the modification with Nafion, to get insight about modification effect on signal size and stability. Optimization of the chemical composition of the medium including the optimization of pH, and instrumental parameters, resulted in a method with detection limits in the low ng/mL range (3.62 and 3.83 ng&middot;mL&minus;1 for Cd and Pb respectively). Our results show an improvement of the sensitivity and stability for Nafion-protected BiSPSPEs in pH = 4.4 medium, and similar or lower detection limits than comparable methods on commercial BiSPSPEs. The values obtained for Pb(II) and Cd(II) in natural water samples agreed well with those obtained by the much more costly Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, ICP-MS, technique as a reference method (recoveries from 75% to 111%)

Estimation of PM10 Levels and Sources in Air Quality Networks by Digital Analysis of Smartphone Camera Images Taken from Samples Deposited on Filters

This paper explores the performance of smartphone cameras as low-cost and easily accessible tools to provide information about the levels and origin of particulate matter (PM) in ambient air. We tested the concept by digital analysis of the images of daily PM10 (particles with diameters 10 &micro;m and smaller) samples captured on glass fibre filters by high-volume aerosol samplers at urban and rural locations belonging to the air quality monitoring network of Extremadura (Spain) for one year. The images were taken by placing the filters inside a box designed to maintain controlled and reproducible light conditions. Digital image analysis was carried out by a mobile colour-sensing application using red, green, blue/hue, saturation, value/hue, saturation, luminance (RGB/HSV/HSL) parameters, that were processed through statistical procedures, directly or transformed to greyscale. The results of the study show that digital image analysis of the filters can roughly estimate the concentration of PM10 within an air quality network, based on a significant linear correlation between the concentration of PM10 measured by an official gravimetric method and the colour parameters of the filters&rsquo; images, with better results in the case of the saturation parameter (SHSV). The methodology based on digital analysis can discriminate urban and rural sampling locations affected by different local particle-emitting sources and is also able to identify the presence of remote sources such as Saharan dust outbreaks in both urban and rural locations. The proposed methodology can be considered as a useful complement to the aerosol sampling equipment of air quality network field units for a quick estimation of PM10 in the ambient air, through a simple, accessible and low-cost procedure, with further miniaturization potential

Fluoride Release From Glass Ionomer Cements

Gold-based screen-printed electrodes have been characterised by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to better understand their behaviour in electroanalytical applications, particularly in the anodic stripping voltammetry of Hg(II). After a first exploration by cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectra of gold-based screen-printed sensors were recorded in 0.1 M HCl electrolyte solution, in the presence of dissolved oxygen and with no electrochemical pre-treatment of the surface. The spectra demonstrated the differences in the interfacial characteristics of each kind of sensor. Structural changes in the surface of SPGEs caused by amalgam formation in the presence of Hg(II) were investigated by EIS. The results obtained were used to elucidate the implications for using the sensor in the stripping voltammetric determination of Hg(II) in environmental samples

Determination of Trace Elements in Atmospheric Samples by Ultrasonic Probe Microextraction and ICP-MS

Pb is a relevant atmospheric pollutant, mainly associated to particulate matter (PM). In this work, an ultrasound probe-assisted microextraction (UAME) pretreatment methodology has been optimized and validated for the extraction of Pb from atmospheric particulate matter samples before determination by ICP-MS. Factors that influence the ultrasonic extraction procedure were evaluated and optimized using a Box-Behnken design in conjunction with a response surface methodology, by assaying a PM certified reference material. The optimum conditions obtained for the Pb extraction are 62.5% of sonication amplitude, 200 s of sonication time, 47.5% v/v HNO3 as extracting medium, and sample/solvent ratio of 35 mg/mL. The US-probe assisted extraction methodology was applied to real PM from active and passive sampling for the extraction of Pb and other relevant elements such As, Cd and Cu. Analytical results demonstrated that ultrasonic microextraction is an efficient tool for the extraction of Pb and Cu from atmospheric samples, faster and greener than standard high temperature acid digestion