Risk patterns for lumbar spine osteoporos is through multivariate analysis

Trabajo presentado a la XIV Conferencia Española de Biometría celebrada en Ciudad Real del 22 al 24 de Mayo de 2013.-- Grupo AIRE-MB.We propose a set of Ordered Logistic Regressions to establish different risk patterns for Lumbar Spine Osteoporosis. Patterns are created by the additive combination of different risk factors which influence Osteoporosis significantly.Peer Reviewe

Analytical methodologies based on LC–MS/MS for monitoring selected emerging compounds in liquid and solid phases of the sewage sludge

In this work, two analytical methodologies based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) were developed for quantification of emerging pollutants identified in sewage sludge after a previous wide-scope screening. The target list included 13 emerging contaminants (EC): thiabendazole, acesulfame, fenofibric acid, valsartan, irbesartan, salicylic acid, diclofenac, carbamazepine, 4-aminoantipyrine (4- AA), 4-acetyl aminoantipyrine (4-AAA), 4-formyl aminoantipyrine (4-FAA), venlafaxine and benzoylecgonine. The aqueous and solid phases of the sewage sludge were analyzed making use of Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) and UltraSonic Extraction (USE) for sample treatment, respectively. The methods were validated at three concentration levels: 0.2, 2 and 20mg L 1 for the aqueous phase, and 50, 500 and 2000mg kg 1 for the solid phase of the sludge. In general, the method was satisfactorily validated, showing good recoveries (70–120%) and precision (RSD < 20%). Regarding the limit of quantification (LOQ), it was below 0.1mg L 1 in the aqueous phase and below 50mg kg 1 in the solid phase for the majority of the analytes. The method applicability was tested by analysis of samples from a wider study on degradation of emerging pollutants in sewage sludge under anaerobic digestion. The key benefits of these methodologies are: SPE and USE are appropriate sample procedures to extract selected emerging contaminants from the aqueous phase of the sewage sludge and the solid residue. LC–MS/MS is highly suitable for determining emerging contaminants in both sludge phases. Up to our knowledge, the main metabolites of dipyrone had not been studied before in sewage sludge. ãFinancial support of Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo II/2014/023,ISIC/2014/016

Behaviour of emerging contaminants in sewage sludge after anaerobic digestion

Nowadays, there is an increasing concern over the presence of contaminants in the aquatic environment, where they can be introduced from wastewater after their incomplete removal in the treatment plants. In this work, degradation of selected emerging pollutants in the aqueous and solid phases of sewage sludge has been investigated after anaerobic digestion using two different digesters: mesophilic and thermophilic. Initially, sludge samples were screened by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS) for identification of emerging contaminants in the samples. In a second step, a target quantitative method based on LC coupled to tandem MS was applied for selected pollutants identified in the previous screening. The behaviour of the compounds under anaerobic conditions was studied estimating the degradation efficiency and distribution of compounds between both sludge phases. Irbesartan and benzoylecgonine seemed to be notably degraded in both phases of the sludge. Venlafaxine showed a significant concentration decrease in the aqueous phase in parallel to an increase in the solid phase. The majority of the compounds showed an increase of their concentrations in both phases after the digestion. Concentrations in the solid phase were commonly higher than in the aqueous for most contaminants, indicating that they were preferentially adsorbed onto the solid particles.The authors are very grateful to the Ecophysiology and Biotechnology group (University Jaume I) and to The Institute of Aquaculture “Torre de la Sal” (IATS) (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC) for using their lyophilizer systems. The financial support of Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo II/2014/023, ISIC/2014/016) is also acknowledged

Advances in xmipp for cryo-electron microscopy: From xmipp to scipion

Xmipp is an open-source software package consisting of multiple programs for processing data originating from electron microscopy and electron tomography, designed and managed by the Biocomputing Unit of the Spanish National Center for Biotechnology, although with contributions from many other developers over the world. During its 25 years of existence, Xmipp underwent multiple changes and updates. While there were many publications related to new programs and functionality added to Xmipp, there is no single publication on the Xmipp as a package since 2013. In this article, we give an overview of the changes and new work since 2013, describe technologies and techniques used during the development, and take a peek at the future of the package

Software de ingeniería especializado en el diseño y simulación de plantas de tratamiento de agua residual: revisión

This paper presents a review of the most frequently used programs for the simulation, design and control of wastewater treatment plants. We set out the possibility of using such tools in research, professional environments and teaching. This document compiles the most frequently used software bearing in mind that such tools improve performance, control and the optimization of the waste water treatment plants.Este documento presenta una revisión sobre los programas más utilizados para la simulación, diseño y control de plantas de tratamiento de agua residual. Se plantea la posibilidad de utilizar este tipo de herramientas para investigación, ambientes profesionales y de docencia. Este documento recopila el software más utilizado, teniendo en cuenta que estas herramientas permiten mejorar el rendimiento, control y la optimización de las plantas de tratamiento de agua residual

Inherently Safer Design and Optimization of Intensified Separation Processes for Furfural Production

Currently furfural production has been the subject of increased interest because it is a biobased chemical able to compete with fossil-based chemicals. Furfural is characterized by flammability, explosion, and toxicity properties. Improper handling and process design can lead to catastrophic accidents. Hence it is of most importance to use inherent safety concepts during the design stage. This work is the first to present several new downstream separation processes for furfural purification, which are designed using an optimization approach that simultaneously considers safety criteria in addition to the total annual cost and the eco-indicator 99. The proposed schemes include thermally coupled configuration, thermodynamic equivalent configuration, dividing-wall column, and a heat integrated configuration. These are compared with the traditional separation process of furfural known as the Quaker Oats Process. The results show that because of a large amount of water present in the feed, similar values are obtained for total annual cost and eco-indicator 99 in all cases. Moreover, the topology of the processes has an important role in the safety criteria. The thermodynamic equivalent configuration resulted as the safest alternative with a 40% reduction of the inherent risk with respect to the Quaker Oats Process, and thus it is the safest option to purify furfural

Does native Trypanosoma cruzi calreticulin mediate growth inhibition of a mammary tumor during infection?

Indexación: Web of Science.Background: For several decades now an antagonism between Trypanosoma cruzi infection and tumor development has been detected. The molecular basis of this phenomenon remained basically unknown until our proposal that T. cruzi Calreticulin (TcCRT), an endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperone, translocated-externalized by the parasite, may mediate at least an important part of this effect. Thus, recombinant TcCRT (rTcCRT) has important in vivo antiangiogenic and antitumor activities. However, the relevant question whether the in vivo antitumor effect of T. cruzi infection is indeed mediated by the native chaperone (nTcCRT), remains open. Herein, by using specific modified anti-rTcCRT antibodies (Abs), we have neutralized the antitumor activity of T. cruzi infection and extracts thereof, thus identifying nTcCRT as a valid mediator of this effect. Methods: Polyclonal anti-rTcCRT F(ab')(2) Ab fragments were used to reverse the capacity of rTcCRT to inhibit EAhy926 endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, as detected by BrdU uptake. Using these F(ab')(2) fragments, we also challenged the capacity of nTcCRT, during T. cruzi infection, to inhibit the growth of an aggressive mammary adenocarcinoma cell line (TA3-MTXR) in mice. Moreover, we determined the capacity of anti-rTcCRT Abs to reverse the antitumor effect of an epimastigote extract (EE). Finally, the effects of these treatments on tumor histology were evaluated. Results: The rTcCRT capacity to inhibit ECs proliferation was reversed by anti-rTcCRT F(ab')(2) Ab fragments, thus defining them as valid probes to interfere in vivo with this important TcCRT function. Consequently, during infection, these Ab fragments also reversed the in vivo experimental mammary tumor growth. Moreover, anti-rTcCRT Abs also neutralized the antitumor effect of an EE, again identifying the chaperone protein as an important mediator of this anti mammary tumor effect. Finally, as determined by conventional histological parameters, in infected animals and in those treated with EE, less invasive tumors were observed while, as expected, treatment with F(ab')(2) Ab fragments increased malignancy. Conclusion: We have identified translocated/externalized nTcCRT as responsible for at least an important part of the anti mammary tumor effect of the chaperone observed during experimental infections with T. cruzi.http://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-016-2764-

Plasmonic enhancement of second harmonic generation from nonlinear RbTiOPO4 crystals by aggregates of silver nanostructures

We demonstrate a 60–fold enhancement of the second harmonic generation (SHG) response at the nanoscale in a hybrid metal-dielectric system. By using complex silver nanostructures photochemically deposited on the polar surface of a ferroelectric crystal, we tune the plasmonic resonances from the visible to the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region, matching either the SH or the fundamental frequency. In both cases the SHG signal at the metal-dielectric interface is enhanced, although with substantially different enhancement values: around 5 times when the plasmonic resonance is at the SH frequency or up to 60 times when it matches the fundamental NIR radiation. The results are consistent with the more spatially-extended near-field response of complex metallic nanostructures and can be well explained by taking into account the quadratic character of the SHG process. The work points out the potential of aggregates of silver nanostructures for enhancing optical nonlinearities at the nanoscale and provides an alternative approach for the development of nanometric nonlinear photonic devices in a scalable way.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under projects MAT2013-43301-R, FIS2013-41184-P, MAT2013-47395-C4-4-R and TEC2014-55948-R. The authors also acknowledge Comunidad de Madrid under grant S2013/MIT-2740, Dept. of Industry of the Basque Country under project nanoGUNE’14, and Catalan Authority under project 2014SGF1358. F.D. acknowledges additional support through the ICREA Academia awards 2010ICREA-02 for excellence in research. LSG acknowledges FPU13/02476 grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education.Peer reviewe

Urinary Excretion of Mimosine Derivatives by Cows with and without Experience in Consumption of \u3cem\u3eLeucaena leucocephala\u3c/em\u3e

Leucaena leucocephala is a leguminous tree widely distributed in the tropical regions of the world. In Mexico, it has been incorporated into silvopastoral systems and is highly regarded, owing to its high content of crude protein. Nonetheless, L. leucocephala contains secondary metab-olites, such as mimosine, a non-protein free amino acid, which may induce toxic effects in unadapted ruminants that consume the forage (Hammond 1995). Although Synergistes jonesii, an anaerobic bacterium, has the ability to degrade 3,4-DHP and 2,3-DHP to non-toxic compounds (Allison et al. 1992), in Mexico its presence has not yet been confirmed. Recent work has suggested the occurrence of sub-clinical toxicity to 3,4-DHP and 2,3-DHP in cattle grazing L. leucocephala in Australia and Thailand (Graham 2007; Dalzell et al. 2012; Phaikaew et al. 2012). Several options such as the transfer of rumen liquor and the adaptation of ruminants to the intake of L. leucocephala have been studied in an attempt to reduce the excretion of mimosine and its metabolites (Palmer et al. 2010). The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of the experience of consumption of L. leucocephala on excretion of mimosine derivatives (3,4-DHP and 2,3-DHP) in the urine of cattle