Contributions to lip biopsy procedures for the diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome

Salivary gland biopsy is one of the criteria employed for the diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome, mainly relying on the presence of focal sialadenitis (focus score ≥1) in minor salivary glands. Despite this clear advantage and the morbidity associated to the procedure, such as occasional sever neurological complications, there is no standard technique for undertaking lip biopsies. Currently, there are different surgical approaches for harvesting glandular tissue from the inner side of the lip, characterised by the size, orientation, and type of the incision as well as by the biopsy site. An updated, comprehensive, literature review has been undertaken together with an assessment of the procedures described for performing biopsies of minor salivary glands, which resulted on the need for improving both instruments and biopsy methods in order to diminish patient morbidity. Second, a pilot study aimed at examining the presence of nerve fibres in minor salivary glands tissue samples obtained by two procedures (punch vs. linear incisional technique). Within the limitations the study, our results strongly discourage punch techniques for minor salivary gland lip biopsies and provide information on the superiority of linear incisional biopsies in terms of neural damage. Finally, a new technique for minor salivary gland biopsy, with a potential for minimising the reported adverse effects of the procedure while easing the process and improving tissue stability, will be investigate

Minor salivary gland biopsy in Sjögren's syndrome: a review and introduction of a new tool to ease the procedure

Objectives: To review the existing techniques for minor salivary gland biopsy (MSGB) in the lip and to suggest a new approach to ease the procedure and reduce post-operative complications. Study Design: A comprehensive literature review and a descriptive study of a new surgical technique. Results: Diverse incisions have been suggested for MSGB with different designs (ellipse, circular, linear), different directions (parallel, oblique, vertical) and a wide range of lengths (from 1 mm up to 3 cm), but no comparative studies supporting the advantages of a particular type of incision over the others could be retrieved. A variety of features of the existing techniques for MSGB are linked to undesired events and surgical complications which could be minimized by modifying certain aspects of these procedures. The technique described, together with the use of the S forceps, represents a significant improvement over the already described chalazion forceps because it allows for a better access and positioning of the lower lip, improves the ergonomic conditions of the assistant, and facilitates the identification of lip areas with more superficial gland lobules. Conclusions: The suggested approach for lip MSGB includes a specifically designed instrument whose performance during lip biopsy may contribute to minimize post-operative complications

A 3D-1D cardiac-vascular computational feedbacked model

A first version of a cardiovascular coupled model is presented. The modelling tools are Alya, the BSC tool for biomechanical simulations; and ADAN55, the LNCC model of the arterial blood flow. The former solves the heartbeat by Finite Element Method (FEM). The latter is a 1D model of the arterial blood flow in a 55-branched geometry. Previous generations of the involved models had fixed boundary conditions. With this novel tool a feedbacked cardiac-vascular model is obtained, offering more physiological boundary conditions and providing further insight in the cardiac-systemic interactions

AT1 receptor autoantibodies mediate effects of metabolic syndrome on dopaminergic vulnerability

The metabolic syndrome has been associated to chronic peripheral inflammation and related with neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, including Parkinson’s disease. However, the responsible mechanisms are unclear. Previous studies have involved the brain renin-angiotensin system in progression of Parkinson’s disease and the angiotensin receptor type 1 (AT1) has been recently revealed as a major marker of dopaminergic vulnerability in humans. Dysregulation of tissue renin-angiotensin system is a key common mechanism for all major components of metabolic syndrome. Circulating AT1 agonistic autoantibodies have been observed in several inflammation-related peripheral processes, and activation of AT1 receptors of endothelial cells, dopaminergic neurons and glial cells have been observed to disrupt endothelial blood -brain barrier and induce neurodegeneration, respectively. Using a rat model, we observed that metabolic syndrome induces overactivity of nigral pro-inflammatory renin-angiotensin system axis, leading to increase in oxidative stress and neuroinflammation and enhancing dopaminergic neurodegeneration, which was inhibited by treatment with AT1 receptor blockers (ARBs)S

Results from Bottom Trawl Survey on Flemish Cap of June-July 2021

A stratified random bottom trawl survey on Flemish Cap was carried out from 12 July to 9 August 2021. Following the same procedures as in previous years, the area surveyed extends up to depths of 800 fathoms (1460 meters) and 181 fishing stations were planned. The survey was carried out by the R/V Vizconde de Eza with the usual survey gear (Lofoten). A total of 181 valid hauls were made, 120 up to 730 meters depth and 61 up to 1460 meters. Survey results are presented, including abundance indices of the main commercial species and age distributions for cod, redfish, American plaice, Greenland halibut, roughhead grenadier, squid and shrimp. The general indexes for this year are estimated taken into account the traditional swept area (strata 1-19, up to depths of 730 m.) and the total area surveyed (strata 1-34, up to depths of 1460 m.).Versión del editor

Three-dimensional cardiac fibre disorganization as a novel parameter for ventricular arrhythmia stratification after myocardial infarction

Aims: Myocardial infarction (MI) alters cardiac fibre organization with unknown consequences on ventricular arrhythmia. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of three-dimensional (3D) cardiac fibres and scar reconstructions to identify the main parameters associated with ventricular arrhythmia inducibility and ventricular tachycardia (VT) features after MI. Methods and results: Twelve pigs with established MI and three controls underwent invasive electrophysiological characterization of ventricular arrhythmia inducibility and VT features. Animal-specific 3D scar and myocardial fibre distribution were obtained from ex vivo high-resolution contrast-enhanced T1 mapping and DTI sequences. Diffusion tensor imaging-derived parameters significantly different between healthy and scarring myocardium, scar volumes, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were included for arrhythmia risk stratification and correlation analyses with VT features. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) was the only inducible arrhythmia in 4 out of 12 infarcted pigs and all controls. Ventricular tachycardia was also inducible in the remaining eight pigs during programmed ventricular stimulation. A DTI-based 3D fibre disorganization index (FDI) showed higher disorganization within dense scar regions of VF-only inducible pigs compared with VT inducible animals (FDI: 0.36; 0.36-0.37 vs. 0.32; 0.26-0.33, respectively, P = 0.0485). Ventricular fibrillation induction required lower programmed stimulation aggressiveness in VF-only inducible pigs than VT inducible and control animals. Neither LVEF nor scar volumes differentiated between VF and VT inducible animals. Re-entrant VT circuits were localized within areas of highly disorganized fibres. Moreover, the FDI within heterogeneous scar regions was associated with the median VT cycle length per animal (R2 = 0.5320). Conclusion: The amount of scar-related cardiac fibre disorganization in DTI sequences is a promising approach for ventricular arrhythmia stratification after MI.The CNIC (Madrid, Spain) is supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Pro CNIC Foundation. The CNIC and the BSC (Barcelona, Spain) are Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505 and SEV-2011-0067, respectively). This study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (RD12/0042/0036, CB16/11/00458), Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (SAF2016-80324-R, PI16/02110, and DTS17/00136), and by the European Commission [ERA-CVD Joint Call (JTC2016/APCIN-ISCIII-2016), grant#AC16/00021]. The study was also partially supported by the Fundacion Interhospitalaria para la Investigacion Cardiovascular (FIC, Madrid, Spain), the Spanish Society of Cardiology (Dr. Pedro Zarco award) and the Heart Rhythm section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (DFR). J.J. is supported by R01 Grant HL122352 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, USA National Institutes of Health. J.A.S. is funded by the CompBioMed project, H2020-EU.1.4.1.3 European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, grant#675451. D.G.L. has received financial support through the 'la Caixa' Fellowship Grant for Doctoral Studies, 'la Caixa' Banking Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.S

Projecte Escalà. Diseny de la instal·lació elèctrica i fotovoltaica

[ES] El TFG que planteo sería el diseño de toda la instalación eléctrica, incluyendo parte de la instalación de generación fotovoltaica, de una casa modular objeto de concurso en el Solar Decathlon Europe 2022. Pertenezco a un equipo de generación espontánea llamado Azalea, en el cuál soy la responsable de la ingeniería eléctrica. La casa modular es un prototipo que se construirá en Alemania en 2022, al formar parte de una competición no sólo debe cumplir con el REBT Español, sino también con el reglamento Aleman y las normas del concurso. El sistema está integrado por los siguientes componentes: - Instalación de la vivienda monofásica a 230 V/50 Hz, con LGA monofásica. -La derivación individual debe tener una sección de 3x16 mm2, aislamiento 0,6/1 kV y estar libre de halógenos. - La toma de tierra de baja tensión de la red de distribución eléctrica en el Campus Solar SDE21 sigue una configuración TN-C-S. - Vivienda sostenible, alimentada por una asociación de placas fotovoltaicas acompañadas de vidrio fotovoltaico. - Inversor monofásico con dos entradas MPPts debido a los dos tipos de células que estarán instaladas. - La potencia máxima de las instalaciones fotovoltaicas conectadas a la unidad están limitada a 3 kWp (norma de la competición). - La capacidad máxima de almacenamiento utilizable del banco de baterías es de 2,5 kWh. Por lo que se trata de una instalación fotovoltaica conectada a la red pero con la posibilidad de almacenar un poco de energía en las baterías. El alcance del TFDG comprende: El diseño de la vivienda que está también condicionado por otros sub-contextos del concurso, como por ejemplo:  Arquitectura: en mi caso afectaría a la integración de las placas y a la necesidad de hacer la cubierta transitable accesible a todos los públicos con un elevador.; Asequibilidad y viabilidad económica: este contexto afectaría por ejemplo a la elección de electrodomésticos eficientes energéticamente para ser compatibles con la instalación fotovoltaica pero también asequibles económicamente; Innovación.[EN] The TFG I am proposing would be the design of the entire electrical installation, including part of the photovoltaic generation installation, of a modular house that is the object of the competition in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2022. I belong to a spontaneous generation team called Azalea, in which I am responsible for the electrical engineering. The modular house is a prototype that will be built in Germany in 2022. As it is part of a competition, it must not only comply with the Spanish REBT, but also with the German regulations and the rules of the competition. The system consists of the following components: - Single-phase 230 V/50 Hz house installation, with single-phase LGA. The individual shunt must have a cross-section of 3x16 mm2, insulation 0.6/1 kV and be halogen-free. - The low-voltage earthing of the electrical distribution network in the Solar Campus SDE21 follows a TN-C-S configuration. - Sustainable housing, powered by an association of photovoltaic panels accompanied by photovoltaic glass. - Single-phase inverter with two MPPts inputs due to the two types of cells that will be installed. - The maximum power of the photovoltaic installations connected to the unit is limited to 3 kWp (competition standard). - The maximum usable storage capacity of the battery bank is 2.5 kWh. So it is a grid-connected PV installation but with the possibility to store some energy in the batteries. The scope of the TFDG comprises: The design of the house which is also conditioned by other sub-contexts of the competition, such as:  Architecture: in my case it would affect the integration of the panels and the need to make the roof accessible to all publics with a lift; Affordability and economic viability: this context would affect for example the choice of energy efficient appliances to be compatible with the photovoltaic installation but also economically affordable; Innovation.Ramos Sánchez, M. (2022). Poyecto Escalà. Diseño de la instalación eléctrica y fotovoltaica. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/186414TFG

Results from Bottom Trawl Survey on Flemish Cap of June-July 2022

91 pagesA stratified random bottom trawl survey on Flemish Cap was carried out from 6 July to 18 August 2022. Following the same procedures as in previous years, the area surveyed extends up to depths of 800 fathoms (1460 meters) and 181 fishing stations were planned. The survey was carried out by the R/V Vizconde de Eza with the usual survey gear (Lofoten). A total of 182 valid hauls were made, 121 up to 730 meters depth and 61 up to 1460 meters. Survey results are presented, including abundance indices of the main commercial species and age distributions for cod, redfish, American plaice, Greenland halibut, roughhead grenadier, squid and shrimp. The general indexes for this year are estimated taken into account the traditional swept area (strata 1-19, up to depths of 730 m.) and the total area surveyed (strata 1-34, up to depths of 1460 m.)Peer reviewe

Risk of recurrence of small-for-gestational-age foetus after first pregnancy

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of and to analyse factors related to the recurrence of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates in the second pregnancy. A prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary university hospital in Granada, Spain. A total of 7896 women who delivered their first and second singleton pregnancies at the hospital from 2003–2013 were included and evaluated all birth weights. Women whose first pregnancy was complicated by a SGA birth had a fivefold increased risk of recurrence (23.6% vs. 5.7%, p < .001). Multivariate analyses revealed that only SGA at first birth retained a statistically significant relationship, revealing that the other variables (maternal age, gestational age, interdelivery interval, maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, occupation of the mother, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus) were confounders. Prevention of SGA in subsequent pregnancies by modification of established risk factors could be of limited utility based on the present results, supporting a genetic contribution to SGA recurrence.Impact statement The results support a genetic contribution on recurrence of SGA

A 3D-1D cardiac-vascular computational feedbacked model

A first version of a cardiovascular coupled model is presented. The modelling tools are Alya, the BSC tool for biomechanical simulations; and ADAN55, the LNCC model of the arterial blood flow. The former solves the heartbeat by Finite Element Method (FEM). The latter is a 1D model of the arterial blood flow in a 55-branched geometry. Previous generations of the involved models had fixed boundary conditions. With this novel tool a feedbacked cardiac-vascular model is obtained, offering more physiological boundary conditions and providing further insight in the cardiac-systemic interactions