Carbon-based air-breathing cathodes for microbial fuel cells

© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. A comparison between different carbon-based gas-diffusion air-breathing cathodes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is presented in this work. A micro-porous layer (MPL) based on carbon black (CB) and an activated carbon (AC) layer were used as catalysts and applied on different supporting materials, including carbon cloth (CC), carbon felt (CF), and stainless steel (SS) forming cathode electrodes for MFCs treating urine. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) analyses were done on CB and AC to: (i) understand the kinetics of the carbonaceous catalysts; (ii) evaluate the hydrogen peroxide production; and (iii) estimate the electron transfer. CB and AC were then used to fabricate electrodes. Half-cell electrochemical analysis, as well as MFCs continuous power performance, have been monitored. Generally, the current generated was higher from the MFCs with AC electrodes compared to the MPL electrodes, showing an increase between 34% and 61% in power with the AC layer comparing to the MPL. When the MPL was used, the supporting material showed a slight effect in the power performance, being that the CF is more powerful than the CC and the SS. These differences also agree with the electrochemical analysis performed. However, the different supporting materials showed a bigger effect in the power density when the AC layer was used, being the SS the most efficient, with a power generation of 65.6 mW·m−2, followed by the CC (54 mW·m−2) and the CF (44 mW·m−2)

Pesquisaje de señales ateroscleróticas tempranas en niños de 6 a 11 años de una escuela primaria

Introduction: early atherosclerotic signs have been identified as a top priority of investigation to the Research Center and Reference of Atherosclerosis in Havana Province. Objective: to screen early atherosclerotic signs in children from 6 to 11 years old. Material and Method: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 247 children apparently healthy enroll at "Salvador Gonzalez Delgado" elementary school, belonging to "Hermanos Cruz" health area in Pinar del Rio province during 2009-2010. The data were stored in a database (Microsoft Excel 2003) and processed using the Statistics 4.2 program. The variables were summed up by means of absolute and relative percentage frequencies. Results: 23.9 % of children were overweight and 39,3% obese, 73,3% were affected by passive smoking. Pre-hypertensive children (24,7%) were identified and 3,2% suffered from hypertension. Conclusions: the presence of early atherogenic signs associated with overweight bodies, waist circumference, blood pressure and passive smoking in children apparently healthy (6 to 11 years old) found by family doctors, parents and school teachers constitute warning indicators to the health authorities, undertaking active and systematic screening of these signs in children.Introducción: la señal aterosclerótica temprana ha sido identificada como una línea prioritaria de investigación para el Centro de Investigaciones y Referencia de Aterosclerosis de la Habana. Objetivo: pesquisar las señales ateroscleróticas tempranas en niños de 6 a 11 años. Material y método: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal en 247 niños aparentemente sanos pertenecientes al  semi-internado “Salvador González Delgado” del área de salud del Policlínico “Hermanos Cruz” del municipio de Pinar del Río en el período 2009-2010. Los datos fueron almacenados en una base de datos en Microsoft Excel 2003, y procesados mediante el programa Statistica 4.2. Las variables fueron resumidas mediante frecuencias absolutas y relativas porcentuales. Resultados: se halló un 23,9% de niños sobrepesos y un 39,3% de obesos, el 73,3% estaban afectados por tabaquismo pasivo.  Se identificaron un 24,7% de niños prehipertensos y un 3,2% de hipertensos. Conclusiones: la presencia demostrada de señales aterogénicas tempranas asociadas al sobrepeso corporal, a la circunferencia de la cintura, a la tensión arterial y al hábito de fumar pasivo, encontrado  en niños supuestamente sanos de entre 6 y 11 años por su médico de familia, sus  padres y sus maestros, constituyen una señal de alarma para las autoridades de salud y obliga al pesquizaje activo y sistemático de estas señales en todos los niños

Screening for early atherosclerotic signs in children from 6 to 11 years in a primary school

Introducción: la señal aterosclerótica temprana ha sido identificada como una línea prioritaria de investigación para el Centro de Investigaciones y Referencia de Aterosclerosis de la Habana. Objetivo: pesquisar las señales ateroscleróticas tempranas en niños de 6 a 11 años. Material y método: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal en 247 niños aparentemente sanos pertenecientes al  semi-internado “Salvador González Delgado” del área de salud del Policlínico “Hermanos Cruz” del municipio de Pinar del Río en el período 2009-2010. Los datos fueron almacenados en una base de datos en Microsoft Excel 2003, y procesados mediante el programa Statistica 4.2. Las variables fueron resumidas mediante frecuencias absolutas y relativas porcentuales. Resultados: se halló un 23,9% de niños sobrepesos y un 39,3% de obesos, el 73,3% estaban afectados por tabaquismo pasivo.  Se identificaron un 24,7% de niños prehipertensos y un 3,2% de hipertensos. Conclusiones: la presencia demostrada de señales aterogénicas tempranas asociadas al sobrepeso corporal, a la circunferencia de la cintura, a la tensión arterial y al hábito de fumar pasivo, encontrado  en niños supuestamente sanos de entre 6 y 11 años por su médico de familia, sus  padres y sus maestros, constituyen una señal de alarma para las autoridades de salud y obliga al pesquizaje activo y sistemático de estas señales en todos los niños.Introduction: early atherosclerotic signs have been identified as a top priority of investigation to the Research Center and Reference of Atherosclerosis in Havana Province. Objective: to screen early atherosclerotic signs in children from 6 to 11 years old. Material and Method: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 247 children apparently healthy enroll at "Salvador Gonzalez Delgado" elementary school, belonging to "Hermanos Cruz" health area in Pinar del Rio province during 2009-2010. The data were stored in a database (Microsoft Excel 2003) and processed using the Statistics 4.2 program. The variables were summed up by means of absolute and relative percentage frequencies. Results: 23.9 % of children were overweight and 39,3% obese, 73,3% were affected by passive smoking. Pre-hypertensive children (24,7%) were identified and 3,2% suffered from hypertension. Conclusions: the presence of early atherogenic signs associated with overweight bodies, waist circumference, blood pressure and passive smoking in children apparently healthy (6 to 11 years old) found by family doctors, parents and school teachers constitute warning indicators to the health authorities, undertaking active and systematic screening of these signs in children

TFAP2E Methylation and Expression Status Does Not Predict Response to 5-FU-based Chemotherapy in Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: A recent study reported that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)- based chemotherapy is less effective in treating patients with advanced colorectal cancer demonstrating hypermethylation of the TFAP2E gene. The aim of our study was to confirm and validate these findings in large, uniformly treated, wellcharacterized patient cohorts. Experimental Design: Two cohorts of 783 patients with colorectal cancer: 532 from a population-based, multicenter cohort (EPICOLON I) and 251 patients from a clinic-based trial were used to study the effectiveness of TFAP2E methylation and expression as a predictor of response of colorectal cancer patients to 5-FU–based chemotherapy. DNA methylation status of the TFAP2E gene in patients with colorectal cancer was assessed by quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing analysis. IHC analysis of the TFAP2E protein expression was also performed. Results: Correlation between TFAP2E methylation status and IHC staining was performed in 607 colorectal cancer samples. Among 357 hypermethylated tumors, only 141 (39.6%) exhibited loss of protein expression. Survival was not affected by TFAP2E hypermethylation in stage IV patients [HR, 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79–1.87; log-rank P¼ 0.6]. In stage II– III cases, disease-free survival was not influenced by TFAP2E hypermethylation status in 5-FU–treated (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.52–1.59; log-rank P ¼ 0.9) as well as in nontreated patients (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.5–1.54; log-rank P ¼ 0.7). Conclusions: TFAP2E hypermethylation does not correlate with loss of its protein expression. Our large, systematic, and comprehensive study indicates that TFAP2E methylation and expression may not play a major role in predicting response to 5- FU–based chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer

DigiPatICS: Digital Pathology Transformation of the Catalan Health Institute Network of 8 hospitals—planification, implementation, and preliminary results

Complete digital pathology transformation for primary histopathological diagnosis is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Its advantages are clear with more efficient workflows, but there are many technical and functional difficulties to be faced. The Catalan Health Institute (ICS) has started its DigiPatICS project, aiming to deploy digital pathology in an integrative, holistic, and comprehensive way within a network of 8 hospitals, over 168 pathologists, and over 1 million slides each year. We describe the bidding process and the careful planning that was required, followed by swift implementation in stages. The purpose of the DigiPatICS project is to increase patient safety and quality of care, improving diagnosis and the efficiency of processes in the pathological anatomy departments of the ICS through process improvement, digital pathology, and artificial intelligence tools.This project was funded by European Regional Development Funds, Programa operatiu FEDER de Catalunya 2014–2020 and SA18-014623 DIGIPATICS. UPC activity in this project was partially supported by PID2020-116907RB-I00 and funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033Peer ReviewedArticle signat per 18 autors/es: Jordi Temprana-Salvador (1), Pablo López-García (2), Josep Castellví Vives (1),Lluís de Haro (2), Eudald Ballesta (2), Matias Rojas Abusleme (3), Miquel Arrufat (4), Ferran Marques (5), Josep R. Casas (5),Carlos Gallego (6), Laura Pons (7), José Luis Mate (7), Pedro Luis Fernández (7), Eugeni López-Bonet (8), Ramon Bosch (9), Salomé Martínez (10), Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1), and Xavier Matias-Guiu (11,12) // (1) Department of Pathology, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, CIBERONC, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (2) Functional Competence Center, Information Systems, Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain; (3) Center for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació, CTTI), Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain; (4) Economic and Financial Management, Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de la Salut), 08006 Barcelona, Spain; (5) Image Processing Group, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain; (6) Digital Medical Imaging System of Catalonia (SIMDCAT), TIC Salut, 08005 Barcelona, Spain, (7) Department of Pathology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (8) Department of Pathology, Doctor Josep Trueta Hospital of Girona, 17007 Girona, Spain; (9) Department of Pathology, Verge de la Cinta Hospital of Tortosa, 43500 Tarragona, Spain; (10) Department of Pathology, Joan XXIII University Hospital of Tarragona, 43005 Tarragona, Spain; (11) Department of Pathology, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 25198 Lleida, Spain, (12) Department of Pathology, Bellvitge University Hospital, CIBERONC, 08907 Barcelona, SpainPostprint (published version

Associations and community health workers: analysis and time trends over ten years of training-action

Objective To analyse the profile of the persons and associations that participated in the course, quantify peer education activities and analyse their evolution. Method A quantitative study using an analysis of the course records from 2009 to 2018 was designed for this purpose inside mihsalud program designed to promote health amongst persons in vulnerable situations in the city of Valencia (Spain). It offers a yearly training-action course of community health workers (CHW) that is attended by persons who have been proposed by associations. The associations were defined according to their population (immigrant, local or intercultural) and the CHWs according to gender, country of birth, year of course, association and continuity after training. Means and confidence intervals were calculated at 95% and a bivariate analysis was conducted in order to compare the activities that took place in 2009 to 2013 with those of 2014 to 2018. The time trends were analysed by applying linear regression models that included the different years studied as the dependent variable. Results 201 CHW of 31 nationalities were trained, 81.6% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 75.5-86.7] were women. Eighty-two associations participated, 51.2% (95% CI: 39.9-62.4] worked with culturally diverse populations. Participation by associations (p = .017) and CHWs (p = .377) increased in a statistically significant manner over the years. After the course, 35.3% (95% CI: 28.7-42.4] of the CHWs continued to collaborate voluntarily in the associations. Conclusions The results of the CHW training-action course improve over time given that a significant increase in participation by associations and women can be seen, along with a greater number of activities completed during the training. One effect of this is that CHWs are contracted or carry out voluntary activities in the associations

Perfeccionamiento del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la asignatura Metodología de la Investigación y Estadística

With the introduction of the new models of basic general practitioners training, traditional and the University Polyclinic project, it is advisable to use student-centered in teaching-learning methods taking into account the use of collaborative technological resources. A web site is developed for the improvement of the teaching-learning process of the Methodology of Research and Statistics in the training of the physician, from the linking of the health situation analysis (ASS) with the resources of the new technologies of the Information and communications (NICT). The site contains content of the health situation analysis of polyclinics, information related to its elaboration and evaluation, data collection instruments, exercises for self-evaluation, link to the subject's blog and others of interest for its practical implementation.Con la introducción de los nuevos modelos de formación de médicos generales básicos vigentes, tradicionales y el proyecto Policlínico Universitario, se orienta emplear métodos de enseñanza-aprendizaje centrados en el estudiante que no satisfacen las exigencias planteadas, referidas al uso de los recursos tecnológicos colaborativos. Se elabora un sitio Web para el perfeccionamiento del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la asignatura Metodología de la Investigación y Estadística en la formación del médico, desde la vinculación del análisis de situación de salud (ASS) con los recursos de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones (NTIC). El sitio es contentivo del análisis de situación de salud de los policlínicos, información relacionada con su elaboración y evaluación, instrumentos de recolección de datos, ejercicios para la autoevaluación, vínculo al blog de la asignatura y otros de interés para su instrumentación práctica.

Prevalence of Lynch Syndrome among Patients with Newly Diagnosed Endometrial Cancers

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS) is a hereditary condition that increases the risk for endometrial and other cancers. The identification of endometrial cancer (EC) patients with LS has the potential to influence life-saving interventions. We aimed to study the prevalence of LS among EC patients in our population. Methods: Universal screening for LS was applied for a consecutive series EC. Tumor testing using microsatellite instability (MSI), immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch-repair (MMR) protein expression and MLH1-methylation analysis, when required, was used to select LS-suspicious cases. Sequencing of corresponding MMR genes was performed. Results: One hundred and seventy-three EC (average age, 63 years) were screened. Sixty-one patients (35%) had abnormal IHC or MSI results. After MLH1 methylation analysis, 27 cases were considered suspicious of LS. From these, 22 were contacted and referred for genetic counseling. Nineteen pursued genetic testing and eight were diagnosed of LS. Mutations were more frequent in younger patients (<50 yrs). Three cases had either intact IHC or MSS and reinforce the need of implement the EC screening with both techniques. Conclusion: The prevalence of LS among EC patients was 4.6% (8/173); with a predictive frequency of 6.6% in the Spanish population. Universal screening of EC for LS is recommended.This study was supported by Conselleria Sanidad Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (AP/177/10) (http://www.san.gva.es/); Biomedical Research Foundations of the Alicante University Hospital (PI14/2006 and NI02/2011) (http://www.dep19.san.gva.es/); and the Elche University Hospital, Spain (FIBElx-CO11/03) (http://www.dep20.san.gva.es/)

Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in neutral electrolyte

© 2016 The Authors Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) catalysts based on M-N-C types of materials with M as Mn, Fe, Co and Ni and aminoantipyrine (AAPyr) as N-C precursors were synthesized using sacrificial support method. Catalysts kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied using rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) in neutral pH. Results showed that performances were distributed among the catalysts as: Fe-AAPyr>Co-AAPyr>Mn-AAPyr>Ni-AAPyr. Fe-AAPyr had the highest onset potential and half-wave potential. All the materials showed similar limiting current. Fe-AAPyr had an electron transfer involving 4e− with peroxide formed lower than 5%. Considering H2O2 produced, it seems that Co-AAPyr, Mn-AAPyr and Ni-AAPyr follow a 2×2e− mechanism with peroxide formed during the intermediate step. Durability test was done on Fe-AAPyr for 10,000cycles. Decrease of activity was observed only after 10,000cycles

Influence of platinum group metal-free catalyst synthesis on microbial fuel cell performance

© 2017 The Authors Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) ORR catalysts from the Fe-N-C family were synthesized using sacrificial support method (SSM) technique. Six experimental steps were used during the synthesis: 1) mixing the precursor, the metal salt, and the silica template; 2) first pyrolysis in hydrogen rich atmosphere; 3) ball milling; 4) etching the silica template using harsh acids environment; 5) the second pyrolysis in ammonia rich atmosphere; 6) final ball milling. Three independent batches were fabricated following the same procedure. The effect of each synthetic parameters on the surface chemistry and the electrocatalytic performance in neutral media was studied. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) experiment showed an increase in half wave potential and limiting current after the pyrolysis steps. The additional improvement was observed after etching and performing the second pyrolysis. A similar trend was seen in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), in which the power output increased from 167 ± 2 μW cm−2 to 214 ± 5 μW cm−2. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to evaluate surface chemistry of catalysts obtained after each synthetic step. The changes in chemical composition were directly correlated with the improvements in performance. We report outstanding reproducibility in both composition and performance among the three different batches