Investigation of scaling properties of hysteresis in Finemet thin films

We study the behavior of hysteresis loops in Finemet Fe$_{73.5}$Cu$_1$Nb$_3$Si$_{18.5}$B$_4$ thin films by using a fluxometric setup based on a couple of well compensated pickup coils. The presence of scaling laws of the hysteresis area is investigated as a function of the amplitude and frequency of the applied field, considering sample thickness from about 20 nm to 5 $\mu$m. We do not observe any scaling predicted by theoretical models, while dynamic loops show a logarithmic dependence on the frequency.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure

Sonidegib as a Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma Therapy in Real-life Clinical Setting: A National Multicentre Study

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most prevalent cancer. A minority of BCCs have an aggressive behaviour (laBCC) and may require hedgehog pathway inhibitors such as sonidegib as its treatment. Objective: To describe the use of sonidegib in a large number of patients and provide more data on its real-life efficacy and safety profile.Methods: We conducted a retrospective and multicentric study that included patients treated with sonidegib. Epidemiological, effectiveness and safety data were collected.Results: A total of 82 patients with a mean age of 73.9 years were included. Ten patients had Gorlin syndrome. Median treatment duration was 6 months. Median follow-up duration was 34.2 months. Globally, 81.7% of the patients showed clinical improvement (52.4% partial response and 29.3% complete response), 12.2% clinical stability and 6.1% disease progression. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical improvement between the 24 h and 48 h sonidegib posology. After 6 months of treatment, 48.8% of the patients discontinued sonidegib. Prior vismodegib treatment and recurrent primary BCC were associated with a poorer response to sonidegib. At 6 months of treatment, 68.3% of the patients experienced at least one adverse effect. Conclusion: Sonidegib shows good effectiveness and acceptable safety profile in usual clinical practice.& COPY; 2023 AEDV. Published by Elsevier Espan & SIM;a, S.L.U.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Sensitization to isothiazolinones in the Spanish Contact Dermatitis Registry (REIDAC): 2019–2021 epidemiological situation

Background: Current frequency and risk factors for sensitization to methylisothiazolinone (MI), methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI), benzisothiazolinone (BIT) and octylisothiazolinone (OIT) in Spain are not well known. Objectives: To study the frequency of sensitization, risk factors and simultaneous sensitization between the four isothiazolinones. Materials and Methods: We analysed all 2019-2021 consecutive patients patch-tested with MI (0.2% aq.), MCI/MI (0.02% aq.), BIT (0.1% pet.) and OIT (0.1% pet) within the Spanish Contact Dermatitis Registry (REIDAC). Results: A total of 2511 patients were analysed. Frequencies of sensitization were: any isothiazolinone 15.7%, MI 6.8%, MCI/MI 4.8%, BIT 3.5% and OIT 0.5%. MI and MCI/MI sensitization was associated with being occupationally active, hand dermatitis, detergents and age over 40. BIT sensitization was associated with leg dermatitis and age over 40. About one in nine MI-positive patients were positive to BIT, whereas one in five BIT-positive patients were positive to MI. Conclusions: Sensitization to MI, MCI/MI and BIT is still common in Spain, while sensitization to OIT is rare. Currently, sensitization to MI and MCI/MI seems to be occupationally related. Although its origin is unknown, sensitization to BIT is more frequent in patients aged over 40 years. Simultaneous sensitization between MI and BIT is uncommon.The Spanish Registry of Contact Dermatitis (REIDAC) is promoted by the Fundación Piel Sana (Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología), which has received financial support from the Spanish Medicines and Health Products Agency (Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios. https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/04/11/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-5975.pdf) and Sanofi. The funders were not involved in the design and conduct of the study, collection, management, analysis and interpretation of data, preparation, review, approval of the manuscript, or decision to submit the manuscript for publication

Sleep Problems Are Related to a Worse Quality of Life and a Greater Non-Motor Symptoms Burden in Parkinson’s Disease

COPPADIS Study Group.[Introduction] The aim of the present study was to examine the frequency of self-reported sleep problems and their associated factors in a large cohort of PD patients.[Methods] PD patients and controls, recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort were included in this cross-sectional study. Sleep problems were assessed by the Spanish version of the Parkinson’s disease Sleep Scale version 1 (PDSS-1). An overall score below 82 or a score below 5 on at least 1 item was defined as sleep problems.[Results] The frequency of sleep problems was nearly double in PD patients compared to controls: 65.8% (448/681) vs 33.5% (65/206) (p < 0.0001). Mean total PDSS score was lower in PD patients than controls: 114.9 ± 28.8 vs 132.8 ± 16.3 (p < 0.0001). Quality of life (QoL) was worse in PD patients with sleep problems compared to those without: PDQ-39SI, 19.3 ± 14 vs 13 ± 11.6 (p < 0.0001); EUROHIS-QoL8, 3.7 ± 0.5 vs 3.9 ± 0.5 (p < 0.0001). Non-motor symptoms burden (NMSS; OR = 1.029; 95%CI 1.015–1.043; p < 0.0001) and impulse control behaviors (QUIP-RS; OR = 1.054; 95%CI 1.009–1.101; p = 0.018) were associated with sleep problems after adjustment for age, gender, disease duration, daily equivalent levodopa dose, H&Y, UPDRS-III, UPDRS-IV, PD-CRS, BDI-II, NPI, VAS-Pain, VAFS, FOGQ, and total number of non-antiparkinsonian treatments.[Conclusion] Sleep problems were frequent in PD patients and were related to both a worse QoL and a greater non-motor symptoms burden in PD. These findings call for increased awareness of sleep problems in PD patients.Peer reviewe

Staging Parkinson’s Disease According to the MNCD (Motor/Non-motor/Cognition/Dependency) Classification Correlates with Disease Severity and Quality of Life

Background: Recently, a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on 4 axes (Motor; Non-motor; Cognition; Dependency) and 5 stages, has been proposed to classify Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: Our aim was to apply the MNCD classification in a cohort of PD patients for the first time and also to analyze the correlation with quality of life (QoL) and disease severity. Methods: Data from the baseline visit of PD patients recruited from 35 centers in Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were used to apply the MNCD classification. Three instruments were used to assess QoL: 1) the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire [PDQ-39]); PQ-10; the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8). Results: Four hundred and thirty-nine PD patients (62.05 +/- 7.84 years old; 59% males) were included. MNCD stage was: stage 1, 8.4% (N = 37); stage 2, 62% (N = 272); stage 3, 28.2% (N = 124); stage 4-5, 1.4% (N = 6). A more advanced MNCD stage was associated with a higher score on the PDQ39SI (p < 0.0001) and a lower score on the PQ-10 (p < 0.0001) and EUROHIS-QOL8 (p < 0.0001). In many other aspects of the disease, such as disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, and autonomy for activities of daily living, an association between the stage and severity was observed, with data indicating a progressive worsening related to disease progression throughout the proposed stages. Conclusion: Staging PD according to the MNCD classification correlated with QoL and disease severity. The MNCD could be a proper tool to monitor the progression of PD

Staging Parkinson’s Disease According to the MNCD (Motor/Non-motor/Cognition/Dependency) Classification Correlates with Disease Severity and Quality of Life

© 2023 – The authors. Published by IOS Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC 4.0).Background: Recently, a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on 4 axes (Motor; Non-motor; Cognition; Dependency) and 5 stages, has been proposed to classify Parkinson's disease (PD).Objective: Our aim was to apply the MNCD classification in a cohort of PD patients for the first time and also to analyze the correlation with quality of life (QoL) and disease severity.Methods: Data from the baseline visit of PD patients recruited from 35 centers in Spain from the COPPADIS cohort fromJanuary 2016 to November 2017 were used to apply the MNCD classification. Three instruments were used to assess QoL:1) the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire [PDQ-39]); PQ-10; the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8).Results: Four hundred and thirty-nine PD patients (62.05±7.84 years old; 59% males) were included. MNCD stage was:stage 1, 8.4% (N = 37); stage 2, 62% (N = 272); stage 3, 28.2% (N = 124); stage 4-5, 1.4% (N = 6). A more advancedMNCD stage was associated with a higher score on the PDQ39SI (p < 0.0001) and a lower score on the PQ-10 (p< 0.0001) and EUROHIS-QOL8 (p< 0.0001). In many other aspects of the disease, such as disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, and autonomy for activities of daily living, an association between the stage and severity was observed, with data indicating a progressive worsening related to disease progression throughout the proposed stages.Conclusion: Staging PD according to the MNCD classification correlated with QoL and disease severity. The MNCD could be a proper tool to monitor the progression of PD.COPPADIS and the present study were developed with the help of Fundación Española de Ayuda a la Investigación en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y/o de Origen Genético (https://fundaciondegen.org/) and Alpha Bioresearch (www.alphabioresearch.com). Also, we received grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [PI16/01575] co-founded by ISCIII (Concesión de subvenciones de Proyectos de Investigación en Salud de la convocatoria 2020 de la Acción Estratégica en Salud 2017-2020 por el Proyecto “PROGRESION NO MOTORA E IMPACTO EN LA CALIDAD DE VIDA EN LA ENFERMEDAD DE PARKINSON”) to develop a part of the COPPADIS project.Peer reviewe

MIDAS: a new integrated flood early warning system for the Miño river

Early warning systems have become an essential tool to mitigate the impact of river floods, whose frequency and magnitude have increased during the last few decades as a consequence of climate change. In this context, the Miño River Flood Alert System (MIDAS) early warning system has been developed for the Miño River (Galicia, NW Spain), whose flood events have historically caused severe damage in urban areas and are expected to increase in intensity in the next decades. MIDAS is integrated by a hydrologic (HEC-HMS) and a hydraulic (Iber+) model using precipitation forecast as input data. The system runs automatically and is governed by a set of Python scripts. When any hazard is detected, an alert is issued by the system, including detailed hazards maps, to help decision makers to take precise and effective mitigation measures. Statistical analysis supports the accuracy of hydrologic and hydraulic modules implemented to forecast river flow and flooded critical areas during the analyzed period of time, including some of the most extreme events registered in the Miño River. In fact, MIDAS has proven to be capable of predicting most of the alert situations occurred during the study period, showing its capability to anticipate risk situations.Interreg | Ref. 0034_RISC_ML_6_EXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2017/64-GR