Fitting chemical data with Excel: A practical tutorial

La revista es Open AccessExcel es un programa de hojas de cálculo incluido en Microsoft Office utilizado en un gran número de empresas públicas y privadas en el mundo. Este programa permite realizar muchas operaciones, como el ajuste de datos experimentales a funciones matemáticas. Estas tareas son comunes en los laboratorios químicos, y parece razonable entrenar a los profesionales en el uso de estas herramientas. En este trabajo se han estudiado 4 metodologías de ajuste usando este programa, resolviendo algunos ejemplos prácticos de datos químicos, considerando sus ventajas y desventajas.Excel is spreadsheets software included in Microsoft Office that is used in a high number of public and private companies all over the world. This program allows carrying out many operations such as fitting experimental data to mathematical functions. These tasks are usually performed in chemical laboratories and, accordingly, it seems reasonable to train professionals in the use of these tools. In this work, four fitting methodologies using this program have been studied by solving some practical examples of chemical data, considering their advantages and disadvantage

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Desarrollo de métodos cromatográficos para la determinación de esteroides (corticoides y anabolizantes) en piensos y aguas de consumo animal

El objetivo principal de esta memoria es el desarrollo de procedimientos cromatográficos, mediante HPLC y GC-MS para el análisis de mezclas complejas de esteroides (corticoides y anabolizantes). Debido a la dificultad intrínseca en la separación de estos compuestos (gran similitud estructural) y dentro de este contexto, se estudian aquellas variables que pueden afectar a la separación cromatográfica. Con posterioridad, se aplicarán las separaciones obtenidas a la determinación de estos compuestos en muestras de pienso y aguas de consumo animal para controlar su administración ilegal y así prevenir consecuencias negativas en el bienestar del animal y salud del consumidor. El análisis de esteroides no es una tarea fácil debido al gran número que pueden ser añadidos al pienso o agua, a su similitud estructural y a la complejidad de la matriz. Por estas razones, se evaluarán los procesos de preparación de muestra necesarios en los análisis

Validation and assessment of matrix effect and uncertainty of a gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry method for pesticides in papaya and avocado samples

In this paper a method of using the “quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe” (QuEChERS) extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detection (GC–MS) was developed for the analysis of five frequently applied pesticides in papaya and avocado. The selected pesticides, ametryn, atrazine, carbaryl, carbofuran, and methyl parathion, represent the most commonly used classes (carbamates, organophosphorous, and triazines). Optimum separation achieved the analysis of all pesticides in 0.99. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) in papaya ranged from 0.03 mg/kg to 0.35 mg/kg and from 0.06 mg/kg to 0.75 mg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile for avocado, LOD values varied from 0.14 mg/kg to 0.28 mg/kg and LOQ values ranged from 0.22 mg/kg to 0.40 mg/kg. Recoveries obtained for each pesticide in both matrices ranged between 60.6% and 104.3%. The expanded uncertainty of the method was < 26% for all the pesticides in both fruits. Finally, the method was applied to other fruits

The serum arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid ratio in children with healthy weight and obesity

The western diet is characterized by a high consumption of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and reduced n-3PUFAs, this phenomenon has been parallel to the increase in the prevalence of obesity. The studies that have analyzed the association between serum PUFAs and the influence on the development of adiposity in children is limited and the findings are controversial. The present study compared the ARA/EPA (arachidonic/eicosapentaenoic) PUFA ratio in children with healthy weight vs. obesity in a cross-sectional study. Thirty children were diagnosed with obesity and 32 children with healthy weight determined through the age-specific body mass index (BMI) Z score, according to the WHO. The variables included were weight, BMI, waist circumference (WC), and the serum ARA/EPA ratio. The Student&rsquo;s t test and Pearson correlation were performed and statistical significance was set at a p &lt;0.05. The project was approved by the local ethics committee of the hospital Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. The serum ARA/EPA ratio was significantly higher in children with obesity compared with healthy weight (9.0 vs 5.4; p = 0.012). A statistically significant difference was observed between healthy weight boys and obese boys (p=0.003). Furthermore, the ARA/EPA ratio correlated positively with weight (r=0.336; p=0.008), BMI (r=0.373; p=0.003), WC (r=0.319; p=0.012) and cardio-metabolic risk (r=0.302; p=0.017). When performing a multivariate regression analysis, we identified that BMI was the only variable that remained significant and predicted the ARA/EPA ratio. In conclusion, the serum ARA/EPA ratio differed significantly in relation to weight and was higher in the obese children.La dieta occidental se caracteriza por un alto consumo de &aacute;cidos grasos poliinsaturados n-6(AGPI) y AGPIn-3 reducidos, fen&oacute;meno que ha sido paralelo al aumento en la prevalencia de la obesidad. Los estudios que han analizado la asociaci&oacute;n entre AGPN en suero y adiposidad en ni&ntilde;os son limitados y con hallazgos inconsistentes. El presente estudio compar&oacute; la relaci&oacute;n ARA/EPA (&aacute;cido araquid&oacute;nico/eicosapentaenoico) AGPI en ni&ntilde;os con peso normal vs. obesidad. Es un estudio transversal donde treinta ni&ntilde;os fueron diagnosticados con obesidad y 32 ni&ntilde;os con peso normal determinado mediante el puntaje z del IMC para la edad, de acuerdo a la OMS. Las variables incluidas fueron peso, IMC, circunferencia de cintura (CC) y la relaci&oacute;n ARA/EPA en suero. Se realiz&oacute; prueba de t de Student y correlaci&oacute;n de Pearson, la significaci&oacute;n estad&iacute;stica se estableci&oacute; en p &lt;0,05. El proyecto fue aprobado por el comit&eacute; de &eacute;tica local del Hospital del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. La relaci&oacute;n ARA/EPA en suero fue significativamente mayor en ni&ntilde;os con obesidad en comparaci&oacute;n con el peso normal (9,0 frente a 5,4; p = 0,012). Adem&aacute;s, la relaci&oacute;n ARA/EPA se correlacion&oacute; positivamente con el peso (r = 0.336; p = 0.008), IMC (r = 0.373; p = 0.003), CC (r = 0.319; p = 0.012). Al realizar un an&aacute;lisis de regresi&oacute;n multivariable, identificamos que el IMC fue la variable predictora que permaneci&oacute; significativa. En conclusi&oacute;n, la relaci&oacute;n de suero ARA/EPA fue significativamente mayor en los ni&ntilde;os con obesidad

Influence of calcium species on SO2 adsorption capacity of a novel carbonaceous materials and their ANN modeling

Due to the sulfur dioxide (SO2) negative effects to the environment and human health, its removal is currently of great importance to policy markers and researchers. In this context, the present work had the aim to study the SO2 dynamic adsorption behavior on two activated carbons rich on calcium species. One material prepared directly from peach stone shell (PC) and the other prepared from raw material treated with CaCl2 (PCCa) with the purpose to increase the interaction of sulfur with calcium compounds on the surface and to augment its surface area. The obtained activated carbons were characterized using N2 adsorption at 77 K, IR, XRD and SEM/EDX analysis. PCCa carbon presented the higher adsorption capacity compared with PC material, indicating that the surface area and the increase of calcium groups (Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, CaO) are playing an important role during the adsorption of SO2. Additionally, the results demonstrated that as temperature increases the adsorption capacity decreases. On the other hand, the dynamic studies revealed that the residence time reached at 150 mL min-1 flow-rate was the most efficient for the mass transfer processes. Also, the results demonstrated that the presence of moisture decreases the adsorption capacity due to the presence of water molecules on the adsorbent surface. The dynamic adsorption results were modeled using: the Advection-dispersion model, FANN and the conventional models Thomas and Yan. The results shown that the FANN model was the best to correlate the adsorption breakthrough curves of SO2.This work was supported by Secretaria de Educación Pública de México resources “Apoyo a la incorporación de NPTC” UCOL-PTC-255.Peer reviewe