Determinació d'Al, Fe, Mg, Ti i Mn en sediments marins. Estudi comparatiu de les tècniques de plasma d'inducció (ICP), d'absorció atòmica (AAS) i d'espectrografia d'emissió (OES)

S'ha realitzat un estudi comparatiu de les tècniques d'ICP, AAS i OES analitzant Al, Fe, Mg, Ti i Mn en silicats (sediments marins). Per als elements Al, Mg i Ti, la tècnica d'ICP és millor que la d'ASS. Les interferències interelementals en AAS queden eliminades en gran part en treballar amb una matriu fluorobòrica, però l'ajust de les condicions de treball és crític. Hom analitza, fent servir condicions de compromís, una sèrie de mostres —de sediments marins i s'observa que els resultats d'AAS per a aquests elements són més baixos que els d'ICP i OES amb un 99% de confiança. La precisió de l'anàlisi amb ICP i AAS és de l'ordre del 3% i amb OES d'un 9%. Per a l'anàlisi de traces en silicats, quan el nombre de mostres és elevat, la tècnica d'OES es la més aconsellable.A comparative study of ICP, AAS and OES techniques in order to determinate Al, Ee, Mg, Ti and Mn in silicates (marine sediments) is carried out. ICP has shown to be better than AAS for Al, Mg and Ti determinations. Working with a fluoboric matrix the AAS chemical interferences are almost removed, but instrumental conditions are very critical. For these elements, under compromise conditions, the AAS results are lower than the ICP ones with a 99% confidence interval. The analytical precision is approximately 3% for ICP and AAS and 9% for OES. When trace elements must be analysed in a large number of silicate samples the OES technique is the most suitable

Multifactorial control and treatment intensity of type-2 diabetes in primary care settings in Catalonia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many studies on diabetes have demonstrated that an intensive control of glycaemia and the main associated risk factors (hypertension, dislipidaemia, obesity and smoking) reduce cardiovascular morbi-mortality. Different scientific societies have proposed a multifactorial approach to type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>The objective of this study was to identify the degree of control of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and of cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetic patients, using the GedapS 2004 guidelines, and to analyse the type and intensity of drug treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional, multicentre, epidemiological study was conducted in a primary care setting in Vallès Occidental South, Catalonia. Data were collected of 393 patients aged 18 and above who were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2. Biodemographic and clinical data, cardiovascular risk factors, associated cardiovascular disease, and treatment were assessed. Descriptive and multivariable analysis with logistic regression was realized.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 392 patients with a mean age of 66.8 years (SD = 10.6) (45.4% male patients) were analyzed. The duration of diabetes was 8.4 years (SD = 7.6). The degree of multifactorial control of risk factors was only 2.6%, although in more than 50% individual cardiovascular risk factor was controlled, except for LDL cholesterol (40.6%) and systolic blood pressure (29.6%). Furthermore, only 13.0% of subjects had an optimal BMI, 27.5% an optimal waist circumference. Treatment for diabetes was prescribed in 82.7% of patients, for hypertension 70.7%, for dyslipidaemia 47.2% and 40.1% were taking antiplatelets.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Over 50% of type 2 diabetic patients presented optimal control of the majority of individual cardiovascular risk factors, although the degree of multifactorial control of diabetes was insufficient (2.6%) and should be improved. Drug treatment can be intensified using a larger number of combinations, particularly in patients with target organ damage and associated clinical cardiovascular disease.</p

Fatty Acids and Metabolomic Composition of Follicular Fluid Collected from Environments Associated with Good and Poor Oocyte Competence in Goats

In goats, embryo oocyte competence is affected by follicle size, regardless of the age of the females. In previous studies, we found differences in blastocyst development between oocytes coming of small ( 3 mm) in prepubertal (1-2 month-old) goats. Oocyte competence and follicular fluid (FF) composition changes throughout follicle growth. The aim of this study was to analyze the fatty acids (FAs) composition and metabolomic profiles of FF recovered from small and large follicles of prepubertal goats and follicles of adult goats. FAs were analyzed by chromatography and metabolites by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectrometry. The results showed important differences between adult and prepubertal follicles: a) the presence of α,β-glucose in adult and no detection in prepubertal; b) lactate, -N-(CH3)3 groups and inositol were higher in prepubertal; c) the percentage of linolenic acid, total saturated fatty acids and n-3 PUFAs were higher in adults; and d) the percentage of linoleic acid, total MUFAs, PUFAs, n-6 PUFAs and n-6 PUFAs:n-3 PUFAs ratio were higher in prepubertal goats. No significant differences were found in the follicle size of prepubertal goats, despite the differences in oocyte competence for in vitro embryo production

Verkostoitumalla alkuun haastavalla maantiekuljetusalalla

Opinnäytetyö on tehty toimeksiantona maantiekuljetusyrityksen perustamista harkitsevalle henkilölle. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää millainen merkitys verkostoitumisella on aloittavalle kuljetusyrittäjälle haastavalla maantiekuljetusalalla. Tämän lisäksi tutkimus tarjoaa tarpeellista tietoa maantiekuljetusalan tämän hetkisestä tilanteesta Suomessa. Tutkimuksen alussa selvitetään verkostoitumista yritystoiminnassa sekä maantiekuljetusalaa. Luvussa 2 keskitytään verkostoitumisen merkitykseen yritystoiminnassa sekä sen luomiin mahdollisuuksiin, riskeihin ja haasteisiin. Luvussa 3 perehdytään maantiekuljetusalan kuljetuslajeihin, säädöksiin, kustannuksiin, taloudelliseen tilanteeseen, tulevaisuuden näkymiin, toimintaan Uudellamaalla sekä alan verkostoitumiseen. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena syksyn 2014 ja kevään 2015 aikana. Työn aineistonkeruumenetelmänä käytettiin teemahaastattelua. Haastattelut on tehty neljän kuljetusalan yrittäjän ja yhden alan toimihenkilön kanssa. Haastattelut tehtiin helmi-maaliskuussa 2015, ja haastatteluaineiston purkaminen ja analysointi tapahtui maalis-huhtikuussa 2015. Tutkimuksen perusteella voidaan todeta verkostoitumisen olevan lähes välttämätöntä aloitta-valle yrittäjälle maantiekuljetusalalla. Tutkimuksessa selvisi myös alihankinnan ja KTK- tyyppisten verkostojen olevan yleisimmät verkostomuodot alalla

RPS4Y gene family evolution in primates

Background: The RPS4 gene codifies for ribosomal protein S4, a very well-conserved protein present in all kingdoms. In primates, RPS4 is codified by two functional genes located on both sex chromosomes: the RPS4X and RPS4Y genes. In humans, RPS4Y is duplicated and the Y chromosome therefore carries a third functional paralog: RPS4Y2, which presents a testis-specific expression pattern. Results: DNA sequence analysis of the intronic and cDNA regions of RPS4Y genes from species covering the entire primate phylogeny showed that the duplication event leading to the second Y-linked copy occurred after the divergence of New World monkeys, about 35 million years ago. Maximum likelihood analyses of the synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions revealed that positive selection was acting on RPS4Y2 gene in the human lineage, which represents the first evidence of positive selection on a ribosomal protein gene. Putative positive amino acid replacements affected the three domains of the protein: one of these changes is located in the KOW protein domain and affects the unique invariable position of this motif, and might thus have a dramatic effect on the protein function. Conclusion: Here, we shed new light on the evolutionary history of RPS4Y gene family, especially on that of RPS4Y2. The results point that the RPS4Y1 gene might be maintained to compensate gene dosage between sexes, while RPS4Y2 might have acquired a new function, at least in the lineage leading to humans

Bartonella spp. Prevalence (Serology, Culture, and PCR) in Sanitary Workers in La Rioja Spain

Bartonella spp. are increasingly implicated in association with a spectrum of zoonotic infectious diseases. One hundred sanitary workers in La Rioja, Spain, completed a questionnaire and provided blood specimens for Bartonella spp. serology and Bartonella Alpha-Proteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM) enrichment blood culture/PCR. Six immunofluorescence assays (IFA) were performed and aseptically obtained blood specimens were inoculated into liquid BAPGM and subcultured onto blood agar plates. Bartonella DNA was amplified using conventional and real-time PCR assays. The Bartonella spp., strain, or genotype was determined by DNA sequencing. Bartonella seroreactivity was documented in 83.1% and bloodstream infection in 21.6% of participants. Bartonella henselae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotypes I and III, and B. quintana were identified. IFA seroreactivity and PCR positivity were not statistically associated with self-reported symptoms. Our results suggest that exposure to and non-clinical infection with Bartonella spp. may occur more often than previously suspected in the La Rioja region.This research was funded by Bayer Animal Health GmbH (Leverkusen, Germany), grant number 2111116219

Traduire la terminologie du bouddhisme à la lumière de la pratique du dharma

L'implantation du bouddhisme en Occident comme tradition vivante conduit à reposer le problème de la traduction de sa terminologie sous un éclairage nouveau, ouvrant ainsi un champ d'étude qui apporte de nouvelles données à la traductologie. Le groupe de recherche Marpa du Departament de Traducció i d'Interpretació de l'Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona présente ici quelques résultats des travaux préliminaires en vue de l'élaboration d'une banque de données terminologique multilingue conçue comme aide à la traduction des textes du bouddhisme tibétain en espagnol et en catalan.The translation of Buddhist terminology has had to be rethought in the light of the practice of Buddhism in the West as a living tradition. This new area of research has already made a contribution to translation studies. In this article, the Marpa research group in the Departament de Traducció i d'Interpretació de l'Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona presents the results of some preliminary studies aimed at building a multilingual terminology data bank designed as an aid to translating Tibetan Buddhist texts into Spanish and Catalan

Diagnostic potential of western blot analysis of sera from dogs with Leishmaniasis in endemic areas and significance of the pattern.

Serum samples collected from 237 dogs in Catalonia (northeastern Spain) were screened by Western blot analysis to detect the presence of antibodies specific to different Leishmania infantum polypeptide fractions. Leishmaniasis was confirmed in 72 of these dogs by direct examination and/or culture. Another 165 animals from the Priorat region were studied periodically for 2-8 years between 1987 and 1995, giving a total of 565 determinations. A control group of 93 dogs from nonendemic areas was also studied. Sera from dogs with leishmaniasis recognized antigens with molecular weights ranging from 12 to 85 kD. The most sensitive antigens were those of 70, 65, 46, 30, 28, 14, and 12 kD, which were recognized by 75%, 75%, 78%, 75%, 81%, 79%, and 75%, respectively, of the sera from dogs with positive parasitologic examination results. Antigens of 70 and 65 kD were also recognized by two dogs from nonendemic areas. Antigens of 14 and 12 kD were the first to be recognized by sera of asymptomatic dogs with titers less than the cut-off value of the dot-ELISA that increased during the longitudinal study, and the presence of antibodies specific for these fractions was observed for up to six years before seroconversion observed by dot-ELISA. These antibodies were also the first to disappear in dogs in which the disease was self-limited. The study corroborates the high sensitivity and specificity of Western blots in the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis when the bands of low molecular weight (less than 46 kD) are considered, and indicates that fractions of 14 and 12 kD are useful in detecting early forms of the disease