Efficacy of a cognitive intervention program in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional state between normal aging and dementia. Identifying this condition would allow early interventions that may reduce the rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined the efficacy of a six-month cognitive intervention program (CIP) in patients with MCI and to assess patients' condition at one-year follow-up. Methods: Forty-six MCI participants assessed with neuropsychological, neurological, neuropsychiatry, and functional procedures were included in this study and followed up during a year. The sample was randomized into two subgroups: 24 participants (the trained group) underwent the CIP during six months while 22 (control group) received no treatment. Sixteen participants dropped out of the study. The intervention focused on teaching cognitive strategies, cognitive training, and use of external aids, in sessions of two hours, twice per week for six months. Cognitive and functional measures were used as primary outcome and all were followed up at one year. Results: The intervention effect (mean change from baseline) was significant (p < 0.05) on the Mini-Mental State Examination (1.74), the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (0.14), the Boston Naming Test (2.92), block design (-13.66), matrix reasoning (-3.07), and semantic fluency (-3.071) tasks. Four patients (one trained and three controls) progressed to dementia after one year of follow-up. Conclusions: These results suggest that persons with MCI can improve their performance on cognitive and functional measures when provided with early cognitive training and it could persist in a long-term follow-up.Fil: Rojas, Galeno J.. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Abel Zubizarreta"; ArgentinaFil: Villar, Veronica. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Abel Zubizarreta"; ArgentinaFil: Iturry, Mónica Liliana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Abel Zubizarreta"; ArgentinaFil: Harris, Paula. Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Serrano, Cecilia Mariela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Abel Zubizarreta"; ArgentinaFil: Herrera, Jorge A.. Neurobehavioral Institute of Miami; Estados UnidosFil: Allegri, Ricardo Francisco. Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Abel Zubizarreta"; Argentin

Reporte de un caso: Fractura expuesta del mediopie por accidente de tránsito en paciente VIH/SIDA: Case report: Exposed midfoot fracture due to traffic accident in HIV/AIDS patient

Currently there is a high incidence of traffic accidents in the world, many of them cause severe disability in people. These limb injuries cause high morbidity even reaching an amputation. This is aggravated in HIV/AIDS patients, especially in treatment and evolution. A clinical case of a patient with severe midfoot injury that ends in amputation is presented and a surgical management review of the trauma patient with HIV/AIDS is made.Actualmente hay una alta incidencia de accidentes de tránsito en el mundo, muchos de ellos provocan una discapacidad grave en las personas. Estas lesiones en las extremidades provocan alta morbilidad llegando incluso a una amputación. Esto se agrava en pacientes VIH/SIDA, sobre todo en el tratamiento y la evolución. Se presenta un caso clínico de un paciente con lesión severa del mediopie que termina en amputación y se hace una revisión del manejo quirúrgico del paciente traumatológico con VIH/SIDA

Evaluación del riesgo por metales pesados en suelos ácidos bajo diferentes sistemas agrícolas en el Piedemonte Llanero de Colombia

Agricultural soils may become polluted by heavy metals as a result of receiving a significant amount of pollutants from different sources of land applications, such as fertilizers, animal manure, sewage sludge, pesticides, and wastewater irrigation. Given that information on the distribution of heavy metals (HMs) in the Piedemonte Llanero of Colombia is still quite limited, the main objectives of this work were to characterize the content of these elements and their potential pollution level in acidic soils under different agricultural systems. The hypothesis is to verify if the type of land use poses an environmental threat. To achieve these goals, the concentrations of seven metals were determined in the soils of three agricultural production systems: oil palm, pastures, and semi-annual crops. Soil contamination was evaluated based on the Geo-Accumulation Index (I-geo), contamination factor (CF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), and Nemerov Integrated Pollution Index (NIPI). One outstanding result was that the average concentrations of HMs in the collected topsoil samples were as follows: Mn (110.5 mg kg-1), Zn (31.93 mg kg-1), Cr (8.85 mg kg-1), Ni (11.68 mg kg-1), Cu (11.28 mg kg-1), Pb (9.42 mg kg-1) and Cd (0.21 mg kg-1). The results obtained from this study provide an estimation of the pollution status of HMs. Agricultural activities, especially the overuse of phosphate fertilizer, were the main source of nutrients across the study area. This information can become a fundamental tool to establish monitoring and follow-up processes for sustainable soil management in the Piedemonte Llanero. In conclusion, the present study highlights and provides specific information in a hyperhumid environment.Los suelos agrícolas pueden contaminarse con metales pesados como consecuencia de recibir una cantidad significativa de contaminantes procedentes de diferentes fuentes de aplicaciones terrestres, tales como fertilizantes, estiércol animal, lodos de depuradora, pesticidas y/o riego con aguas residuales. Dado que la información sobre la distribución de metales pesados (MP) en el Piedemonte llanero de Colombia es aún bastante limitada, el objetivo principal de este trabajo fue caracterizar el contenido de estos elementos y su potencial nivel de contaminación en suelos ácidos bajo diferentes sistemas agrícolas. La hipótesis es verificar si el tipo de uso representa una amenaza ambiental. Para lograr estos objetivos, se determinaron las concentraciones de siete metales en los suelos de tres sistemas de producción agrícola: palma aceitera, pastos y cultivos semestrales. La contaminación del suelo se evaluó con base al índice de geo-acumulación (I-geo), el factor de contaminación (FC), el índice de carga contaminación (ICC) y el índice de contaminación integrada de Nemerov (ICIN). Un resultado sobresaliente fue que las concentraciones promedio de MP en las muestras de suelo recolectadas fueron en general: Mn (110.5 mg kg-1), Zn (31.93 mg kg-1), Cr (8.85 mg kg-1), Ni (11.68 mg kg-1), Cu (11.28 mg kg-1), Pb (9.42 mg kg-1) y Cd (0.21 mg kg-1). Las actividades agrícolas, especialmente el uso excesivo de fertilizantes fosfatados, fueron la principal fuente de nutrientes en toda el área de estudio. Esta información puede convertirse en una herramienta básica para establecer procesos de monitoreo y seguimiento que permitan establecer un manejo sustentable del suelo en el Piedemonte llanero. Además, los resultados obtenidos de este estudio constituyen una estimación del estado de contaminación de los MP en el contexto específico de un ambiente hiperhúmedo

Síntesis de fotocatalizadores de vanadato de plata activados por luz solar para usarse en la degradación del fenol en diversas configuraciones de reactores fotocatalíticos

Se aborda el problema de la purificación del agua para beber a través de fotocatálisis heterogénea sintetizando mezclas de vanadatos de plata, principalmente Ag3VO4, como fotocatalizadores para usarse en presencia de luz UV, luz visible y luz solar, en los reactores fotocatalíticosPhoto-CREC-Water-II, Reactor Solar de Vaso Agitado y Reactor solar UAZ-1.Eje: Economía, producción y tecnología.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

Síntesis de fotocatalizadores de vanadato de plata activados por luz solar para usarse en la degradación del fenol en diversas configuraciones de reactores fotocatalíticos

Se aborda el problema de la purificación del agua para beber a través de fotocatálisis heterogénea sintetizando mezclas de vanadatos de plata, principalmente Ag3VO4, como fotocatalizadores para usarse en presencia de luz UV, luz visible y luz solar, en los reactores fotocatalíticosPhoto-CREC-Water-II, Reactor Solar de Vaso Agitado y Reactor solar UAZ-1.Eje: Economía, producción y tecnología.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

Síntesis de fotocatalizadores de vanadato de plata activados por luz solar para usarse en la degradación del fenol en diversas configuraciones de reactores fotocatalíticos

Se aborda el problema de la purificación del agua para beber a través de fotocatálisis heterogénea sintetizando mezclas de vanadatos de plata, principalmente Ag3VO4, como fotocatalizadores para usarse en presencia de luz UV, luz visible y luz solar, en los reactores fotocatalíticosPhoto-CREC-Water-II, Reactor Solar de Vaso Agitado y Reactor solar UAZ-1.Eje: Economía, producción y tecnología.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

ISG15 and ISGylation is required for pancreatic cancer stem cell mitophagy and metabolic plasticity

Pancreatic cancer stem cells (PaCSCs) drive pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis, chemoresistance and metastasis. While eliminating this subpopulation of cells would theoretically result in tumor eradication, PaCSCs are extremely plastic and can successfully adapt to targeted therapies. In this study, we demonstrate that PaCSCs increase expression of interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) and protein ISGylation, which are essential for maintaining their metabolic plasticity. CRISPR-mediated ISG15 genomic editing reduces overall ISGylation, impairing PaCSCs self-renewal and their in vivo tumorigenic capacity. At the molecular level, ISG15 loss results in decreased mitochondrial ISGylation concomitant with increased accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria, reduced oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and impaired mitophagy. Importantly, disruption in mitochondrial metabolism affects PaCSC metabolic plasticity, making them susceptible to prolonged inhibition with metformin in vivo. Thus, ISGylation is critical for optimal and efficient OXPHOS by ensuring the recycling of dysfunctional mitochondria, and when absent, a dysregulation in mitophagy occurs that negatively impacts PaCSC stemness

Safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as prophylactic against COVID-19 in healthcare workers: a meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials

OBJECTIVE: We studied the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as pre-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs), using a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). DATA SOURCES: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched to identify randomised trials studying HCQ. STUDY SELECTION: Ten RCTs were identified (n=5079 participants). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used in this systematic review and meta-analysis between HCQ and placebo using a Bayesian random-effects model. A pre-hoc statistical analysis plan was written. MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary efficacy outcome was PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and the primary safety outcome was incidence of adverse events. The secondary outcome included clinically suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, HCWs randomised to HCQ had no significant difference in PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 0.92, 95% credible interval (CI): 0.58, 1.37) or clinically suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.57, 1.10), but significant difference in adverse events (OR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.73). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our meta-analysis of 10 RCTs investigating the safety and efficacy of HCQ as pre-exposure prophylaxis in HCWs found that compared with placebo, HCQ does not significantly reduce the risk of confirmed or clinically suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, while HCQ significantly increases adverse events. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021285093