Improvement of ventricular function in systolic heart failure patients with oral L-citrulline supplementation

Background: The utility of L-arginine and L-citrulline in treatment of arterial hypertension by increasing vascular oxide nitric availability has been demonstrated. Photoplethysmography, a simple and low-cost optical technique, makes it possible to assess vascular function and to detect changes in blood flow, pulse and swelling of the microvascular tissular space. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of L-citrulline supplementation on functional class, ejection fraction and peripheral blood flow in patients with systolic heart failure. Methods: Thirty-five stable outpatients attending the Heart Failure Clinic at the INCMNSZ underwent clinical evaluation, radioisotopic ventriculography and photoplethysmography before and at the end of 4 months. They were randomized into two groups: experimental group, with oral L-citrulline supplementation (3 g/day, n = 20) and control group, without supplementation (n = 15). Results: In the experimental group the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increased 20.3% at rest and 12.7% with stress, as well as the right ventricular ejection fraction at rest of 15.10% and 14.88% with stress. In addition, functional class improved in 35%, and the maximum amplitude time/total time (MAT/TT) index decreased 23.1%. These changes were statistically significant compared with the control group. Conclusions: Citrulline supplementation significantly improved the LVEF, the endothelial function (MAT/TT index) and functional class. Citrulline can be an important co-adjuvant in the treatment of stable and stable systolic heart failure patients

Improvement of the conditioning of pears by edible coatings for commercialization in the Spanish markets

[SPA] En este trabajo analizamos la conveniencia de aplicación de un recubrimiento comestible, previo a la conservación frigorífica a 0ºC y envío marítimo, en el acondicionamiento del principal cultivar argentino de pera (Pyrus communis L.) cv. Packham’s Triumph, para incrementar su vida útil de comercialización en el mercado español. Este recubrimiento mixto, que se comparó con un control sin tratar, está formado por ésteres de glicerol con ácido palmítico y ácido laúrico en una matriz de carboximetilcelulosa. Su aplicación a concentraciones de 30g·L-1 disminuyó la producción de etileno durante los procesos de maduración, siendo su eficacia persistente tras cuatro y siete meses de conservación frigorífica, manteniendo bajos y constantes niveles de etileno durante los procesos de maduración a 20ºC. También la aplicación del recubrimiento produjo un descenso del 50% de la intensidad respiratoria, manteniendo una tasa constante de aproximadamente 15 mg CO2·Kg-1·h-1 durante el proceso de maduración. El tratamiento ralentiza la evolución de los parámetros de calidad, incrementando la vida útil de comercialización de los frutos hasta seis días en condiciones ambientales de 20ºC y humedad relativa del 70%. Durante el proceso de maduración, en los frutos control, se produjo un rápido y progresivo amarillamiento de la epidermis y desarrollo de pardeamientos que condicionaron la vida útil de comercialización. En los frutos tratados con el recubrimiento, el cambio de coloración se aminoró, alcanzando un verde-amarillento tras nueve días de maduración. La firmeza de los frutos con recubrimiento permaneció estable durante seis días, manteniendo una firmeza de consumo aceptable el noveno día de maduración, semejante a la alcanzada por los frutos control el tercer día de maduración. La producción de volátiles totales se incrementó hasta el tercer día de maduración, disminuyendo posteriormente de forma significativa su producción en los frutos tratados con el recubrimiento comestible, debido principalmente al descenso de producción de acetato de hexilo, butanoato de hexilo, 2,4 decadienoato de etilo y 2,4 decadienoato de metilo. [ENG] In this work, we studied the usefulness of the application of an edible coating to improve the conditioning of the main pear cultivar in Argentina (Pyrus communis L.) cv. Packham’s Triumph, prior to storage at 0 ºC and shipment. The aim was to increase the shelf life for their commercialization in the Spanish markets. The coating consisted in glyceride esters with palmitic and lauric acids in a carboximethylcellulose matrix. Its application at 30g.L-1 decreased the ethylene production during the ripening process as compared to the controls without coating. Its efficacy was persistent after 4 and 7 months of storage, rendering low and constant values of ethylen at 20 ºC. The application of the coating caused a 50% decrease in respiratory intensity, with a constant level of ~ 15 mg CO2 Kg-1h-1 during ripening. The treatment slowed down the evolution of the quality parameters, increasing the shelf life during retail selling up to 6 days, at ambient temperatures of 20 ºC and 70% relative humidity. During the ripening process the control fruits without coating, exhibited a fast and progressive yellowing of the epidermis as well as a development of browning which compromised their shelf life. The edible coating-treated fruits displayed a slower change in colour, being green-yellow after 9 days of ripening. The firmness of the fruits with coating remained stable for 6 days and this textural property was into values acceptable for consumption up to the 9th day, whereas these values were reached for the controls, at only 3 days of ripening. The production of total volatiles increased up to the third day of ripening, decreasing significantly thereafter in the edible coating-treated fruits, due mainly to the decrease of the hexyl acetate, hexyl butanoate, methyl and ethyl 2,4 decadienoate

Estilos atributivos y estrategias de comunicación en mujeres con y sin experiencia de abuso psicológico

Between 25 and 54 years, with an educational level: In this research the relationship between attributional style and communication strategies, 204 women in 39% and 61% with no experience of physical or psychological abuse, the vast majority are examined secondary later, with independent work or dependent and more than three years cohabiting with your partner. To do this, they administered the Attributional Style Questionnaire Peterson and colleagues. (12 situations with questions to measure dimensions of Causality, and Stability Internality); Questionnaire on Assertion Couple (Form A) of Carrasco (10 situations recojen representative aspects of the life of a couple, to evaluate communication strategies Assertion, Aggression, Submission and Battery-Passive); Inventory and Psychological Abuse in intimate relationships, Calvete, Corral and Estevez adapted Saltzman (17 items related to 17 categories of emotional abuse). Using a descriptive-comparative study statistically significant differences in the use of an optimistic explanatory style and assertive communication strategies for women in the control group, from children’s villages in the Municipality of Lima and pessimistic attributional style and strategies was found submissive for the victims of both physical violence and psychological, from Women’s Emergency Centers of the Ministry of women and vulnerable populations communication.En esta investigación se examinan las relaciones entre el estilo atributivo y las estrategias de comunicación, en 204 mujeres 39% con y 61% sin experiencia de abuso fisico o psicológico, en su gran mayoria: entre 25 y 54 años, con un nivel educativo de secundaria a más, con trabajo independiente o dependiente y con más de tres años cohabitando con su pareja. Para ello, se les administro el Cuestionario de Estilo Atribucional de Peterson y Cols. (12 situaciones con preguntas para medir dimensiones de Causalidad, Internalidad y Estabilidad); el Cuestionario de Aserción en la Pareja (Forma A) de Carrasco (10 situaciones que recojen aspectos representativos de la vida de una pareja, para evaluar las estrategias de comunicación de Aserción, Agresión, Sumisión y Agresión-Pasiva); y el Inventario de Abuso Psicológico en las Relaciones de Pareja, de Calvete, Corral y Estévez adaptado de Saltzman (17 ítems referidos a 17 categorías de abuso emocional). Mediante un estudio descriptivo-comparativo se encontro diferencias estadisticamente significativas en el uso de un estilo explicativo optimista y estrategias de comunicacion asertivas por las mujeres del grupo de control, provenientes de las aldeas infantiles de la Municipalidad de Lima y un estilo atribucional pesimista y estrategias de comunicación sumisas por las victimas tanto de violencia fisica como psicologica, provenientes de Centros de Emergencia Mujer del Ministerio de la mujer y poblaciones vulnerables

Limitaciones y oportunidades para el escalamiento de cuatro empresas forestales comunitarias del centro de México

Las empresas forestales comunitarias (EFC) requieren habilidades de planificación comercial regional para establecer y mantener asociaciones comerciales a mayor escala. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar la percepción de cuatro EFC contrastantes sobre las limitaciones y oportunidades de escalamiento en el centro de México, con base en el nivel de desarrollo de aprovechamiento silvícola y organización social, aplicando entrevistas a diferentes actores. El análisis cualitativo de obstáculos y oportunidades sugiere que las estrategias de escalamiento deben fomentar capacitación técnica y administrativa, desarrollar infraestructura y gobernanza interna sólida, que favorezca la diversificación económica, y mayores ingresos derivados del manejo forestal

Luminescence Sensors Applied to Water Analysis of Organic Pollutants—An Update

The development of chemical sensors for environmental analysis based on fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence signals continues to be a dynamic topic within the sensor field. This review covers the fundamentals of this type of sensors, and an update on recent works devoted to quantifying organic pollutants in environmental waters, focusing on advances since about 2005. Among the wide variety of these contaminants, special attention has been paid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, explosives and emerging organic pollutants. The potential of coupling optical sensors with multivariate calibration methods in order to improve the selectivity is also discussed

A Molecular Characterization of the Allelic Expression of the BRCA1 Founder Δ9–12 Pathogenic Variant and Its Potential Clinical Relevance in Hereditary Cancer:International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome is a genetic condition that increases the risk of breast cancer by 80% and that of ovarian cancer by 40%. The most common pathogenic variants (PVs) causing HBOC occur in the BRCA1 gene, with more than 3850 reported mutations in the gene sequence. The prevalence of specific PVs in BRCA1 has increased across populations due to the effect of founder mutations. Therefore, when a founder mutation is identified, it becomes key to improving cancer risk characterization and effective screening protocols. The only founder mutation described in the Mexican population is the deletion of exons 9 to 12 of BRCA1 (BRCA1Δ9–12), and its description focuses on the gene sequence, but no transcription profiles have been generated for individuals who carry this gene. In this study, we describe the transcription profiles of cancer patients and healthy individuals who were heterozygous for PV BRCA1Δ9–12 by analyzing the differential expression of both alleles compared with the homozygous BRCA1 control group using RT–qPCR, and we describe the isoforms produced by the BRCA1 wild-type and BRCA1Δ9–12 alleles using nanopore long-sequencing. Using the Kruskal–Wallis test, our results showed a similar transcript expression of the wild-type allele between the healthy heterozygous group and the homozygous BRCA1 control group. An association between the recurrence and increased expression of both alleles in HBOC patients was also observed. An analysis of the sequences indicated four wild-type isoforms with diagnostic potential for discerning individuals who carry the PV BRCA1Δ9–12 and identifying which of them has developed cancer

Micromón València (Universitat de València)

En Julio de 2017 se creó la red SWI@Spain, auspiciada por el grupo de Docencia y Difusión de la Microbiología (DDM) de la Sociedad Española de Microbiología (SEM), para desarrollar la iniciativa internacional Small World Initiative (SWI) en la península ibérica. En la Universitat de València (UV) se constituyó entonces el grupo de Innovación Docente en Microbiología (IDM) para implementar el proyecto a nivel local. Avalados por el Servei de Formació Permanent i Innovació Educativa (SFPIE) de la UV, el grupo ha llevado a cabo diferentes iniciativas relacionadas con el objetivo fundamental del proyecto: divulgar la problemática actual relacionada con el uso inadecuado de antibióticos, el incremento de bacterias resistentes a éstos y la necesidad de encontrar nuevas moléculas con actividad antibacteriana para combatir las infecciones que provocan

Analysis in the Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database identifies sarcoma as part of the Lynch syndrome tumor spectrum

Non peer reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio