High frequency pCO2 monitoring in the Mediterranean coastal waters

Monitoring the Air-Sea pCO2 variability in the coastal areas is a priority due to the effect of the biological and biogeochemistry process on this process. The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea is an oligotrophic area in a semi-closed basin, therefore the changes on the surface waters properties take place faster than in other seas. This work focuses in the establishment of a pCO2 monitor system and other related sensors at the OBSEA surface buoy.Peer Reviewe

Aceptabilidad sensorial de una hamburguesa de carne vacuna y vegetales

El consumo de productos cárnicos ha sido en tiempos recientes evitado por consumidores, dado que se lo asocia con la prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles y obesidad. En función de esto se han elaborado estrategias para la mejora nutricional de este tipo de productos. En este trabajo, 100 consumidores evaluaron sensorialmente hamburguesas elaboradas a base de carne vacuna, verduras y condimentos, contra una hamburguesa casera de carne vacuna y orégano y una hamburguesa comercial congelada, utilizando escalas hedónicas y una pregunta marque-todo-lo-que-corresponda (CATA) compuesta de 32 términos. Al fnal del estudio se solicitó la descripción de una hamburguesa ideal. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que existe un segmento de la población estudiada interesada en una hamburguesa con incorporación de ingredientes vegetales y que le asignó un alto puntaje de aceptabilidad a la formulación desarrollada, describiéndola como tierna, natural, deliciosa, nutritiva, saludable y sabrosa y muy cercana a su concepto de hamburguesa “ideal”

Interacción sedimentaria del polvo sahariano, y los flujos biogénicos y litogénicos en la cuenca oceánica de Canarias

Saharan dust events are currently the predominant source of lithogenic particles in the Canary Basin. In order to quantify this input and its relationship with the biogenic fluxes, a sediment trap was deployed in a free-drifting system at 150 m depth, 50 km off the north coast of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). The mineralogy of the lithogenic particles included illite, calcite, hematite quartz, barite and kaolinite. The biogenic matter was composed of chitin, transparent exopolymer particles, and carbonates from foraminifera and gastropod shells. The average Saharan dust flux over the ocean surface was approximately 5±4 mg m–2 day-1. The lithogenic, carbonate and chitin fluxes were 0.8±0.6, 6.0±7.4 and 154±386 mg m–2 day-1, respectively. A fairly strong Saharan dust event during sampling was observed in the trap, with a delay of three days in the peaks of lithogenic and biogenic fluxes. The theoretical settling velocity of the lithogenic particles associated with Saharan dust events at 150 m depth was vStokes=275 m day-1, and the experimental settling was about 50 m day-1. The associated sinking behaviour of particulate organic carbon and biogenic and lithogenic fluxes observed in this study may contribute to a more realistic prediction of these fluxes in carbon biological pump models.En la actualidad los eventos de polvo Sahariano son la fuente principal de partículas litogénicas en la cuenca oceánica de Canarias. Con el objetivo de cuantificar su entrada y la interacción con los flujos biogénicos, se instaló una trampa de sedimento a la deriva, a 150 m de profundidad, 50 km al norte de la costa de Gran Canaria (Islas Canarias). Las partículas litogénicas detectadas fueron de illita, calcita, hematites, cuarzo, barita y caolinita. El material biogénico estaba compuesto por quitina, partículas de exopolímeros transparentes (TEP) y carbonatos procedentes de foraminíferos y conchas de gasterópodos. La media del flujo de polvo sahariano sobre la superficie oceánica fue aproximadamente 5±4 mg m-2 dia-1. Las medias de flujos litogénico, carbonato y quitina respectivamente fueron 0.8±0.6 mg m-2 dia–1, 6.0±7.4 mg m–2 dia-1 y 154±386 mg m-2 dia-1. Durante el muestreo se registró un intenso evento de polvo sahariano seguido, a los tres días, de picos en los flujos litogénicos y biogénicos en la trampa de sedimento a 150 m de profundidad. La velocidad teórica de sedimentación de las partículas litogénicas asociadas a los eventos de polvo sahariano a 150 m de profundidad calculada fue de vStokes=275 m dia-1, siendo la velocidad de sedimentación experimental obtenida tras el análisis de los flujos fue de 50 m dia-1. El comportamiento de los procesos de sedimentación asociados al POC, el flujo biogénico y el flujo litogénico observados en este estudio podría contribuir a modelos más realistas de la bomba biológica de carbono en los océanos

Ozone Therapy for Tumor Oxygenation: a Pilot Study

Tumor hypoxia is an adverse factor for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Ozone therapy is a non-conventional form of medicine that has been used successfully in the treatment of ischemic disorders. This prospective study was designed to assess the effect of ozone therapy on tumor oxygenation. Eighteen subjects were recruited for the study. Systemic ozone therapy was administered by autohemotransfusion on three alternate days over one week. Tumor oxygenation levels were measured using polarographic needle probes before and after the first and the third ozone therapy session. Overall, no statistically significant change was observed in the tumor oxygenation in the 18 patients. However, a significant decrease was observed in hypoxic values ≤10 and ≤5 mmHg of pO(2). When individually assessed, a significant and inverse non-linear correlation was observed between increase in oxygenation and the initial tumor pO(2) values at each measuring time-point, thus indicating that the more poorly-oxygenated tumors benefited most (rho = −0.725; P = 0.001). Additionally, the effect of ozone therapy was found to be lower in patients with higher hemoglobin concentrations (rho = −0.531; P < 0.034). Despite being administered over a very short period, ozone therapy improved oxygenation in the most hypoxic tumors. Ozone therapy as adjuvant in chemo-radiotherapy warrants further research

Variation in Colonoscopy Performance Measures According to Procedure Indication

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Most fulfillment and benchmarking information for colonoscopy quality indicators has been obtained from studies of primary screening colonoscopies. We analyzed differences in the fulfillment of colonoscopy quality indicators based on the indication for endoscopy. METHODS: We performed an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study of 14,867 patients who underwent endoscopy procedures for gastrointestinal symptoms (40.3%), a positive result from a fecal immunochemical test (36.0%), postpolypectomy surveillance (15.3%), or primary screening (8.4%), from February 2016 through December 2017 at 14 centers in Spain. We evaluated rates of adequate colon cleansing, cecal intubation, adenoma detection, and colorectal cancer detection, among others. We used findings from primary screening colonoscopies as the reference standard. RESULTS: Fewer than 90% of patients had adequate bowel preparation; 83.1% of patients with gastrointestinal symptoms had adequate bowel preparation (odds ratio [OR] compared with patients with primary screening colonoscopies, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.49–0.78) and 85.3% of patients receiving postpolypectomy surveillance had adequate bowel preparation (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55–0.91). The cecal intubation rate was also lower in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (93.1%) (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.22–0.52). The adenoma detection rate was higher in patients with a positive result from a fecal immunochemical test (46.4%) (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.71–2.35) and in patients undergoing postpolypectomy surveillance (48.2%) (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.20–1.67). The highest proportion of patients with colorectal cancer was in the gastrointestinal symptom group (5.1%) (OR, 5.24; 95% CI, 2.30–11.93) and the lowest was in patients undergoing surveillance (0.8%) (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.32–2.14). CONCLUSIONS: Fulfillment of colonoscopy performance measures varies substantially by indication. Policies addressing performance measures beyond colonoscopy screening procedures should be developed. Benchmarking recommendations could be adjusted according to colonoscopy indication

ViDa1: The Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

IGTPAltres ajuts: Funding was provided by the Canarian Agency for Research,Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI) (DA predoctoralfellowship TESIS20120050) and the V Guido Ruffino Grantfor Research in Therapeutic Education for Diabetes (SpanishDiabetes Society 2015)This study describes the development of a new questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with type 1 diabetes (the ViDa1 questionnaire) and provides information on its psychometric properties. For its development, open interviews with patients took place and topics relevant to patients' HRQoL were identified and items were generated. Qualitative analysis of items, expert review, and refinement of the questionnaire followed. A pilot study (N = 150) was conducted to explore the underlying structure of the 40-item ViDa1 questionnaire. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed and six of the items that did not load on any of the factors were eliminated. The results supported a four-dimensional structure for ViDa1, the dimensions being Interference of diabetes in everyday life, Self-care, Well-being, and Worry about the disease. Subsequently, the PCA was repeated in a larger sample (N = 578) with the reduced 34-item version of the questionnaire, and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed (N = 428). Overall fit indices obtained presented adequate values which supported the four-factor model initially proposed [(2(df =554) = 2601.93) (p < 0.001); Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.060 (CI = 0.056 −0.064)]. As regards reliability, the four dimensions of the ViDa1 demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alphas ranging between 0.71 and 0.86. Evidence of convergent-discriminant validity in the form of high correlations with another specific HRQoL questionnaire for diabetes and low correlations with other constructs such as self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression were presented. The ViDa1 also discriminated between different aspects of clinical interest such as type of insulin treatment, presence of chronic complications, and glycemic control, temporal stability, and sensitivity to change after an intervention. In conclusion, the ViDa1 questionnaire presents adequate psychometric properties and may represent a good alternative for the evaluation of HRQoL in type 1 diabetes

Highlights From the Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society 2022

With more than 6000 attendees between in-person and virtual offerings, the American Epilepsy Society Meeting 2022 in Nashville, felt as busy as in prepandemic times. An ever-growing number of physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals gathered to learn a variety of topics about epilepsy. The program was carefully tailored to meet the needs of professionals with different interests and career stages. This article summarizes the different symposia presented at the meeting. Basic science lectures addressed the primary elements of seizure generation and pathophysiology of epilepsy in different disease states. Scientists congregated to learn about anti-seizure medications, mechanisms of action, and new tools to treat epilepsy including surgery and neurostimulation. Some symposia were also dedicated to discuss epilepsy comorbidities and practical issues regarding epilepsy care. An increasing number of patient advocates discussing their stories were intertwined within scientific activities. Many smaller group sessions targeted more specific topics to encourage member participation, including Special Interest Groups, Investigator, and Skills Workshops. Special lectures included the renown Hoyer and Lombroso, an ILAE/IBE joint session, a spotlight on the impact of Dobbs v. Jackson on reproductive health in epilepsy, and a joint session with the NAEC on coding and reimbursement policies. The hot topics symposium was focused on traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic epilepsy. A balanced collaboration with the industry allowed presentations of the latest pharmaceutical and engineering advances in satellite symposia

Physico-chemical, biological and geological study of an underwater volcano in a degassing stage: Island of El Hierro

El objetivo principal del proyecto “Physico-chemical, biological and geological study of an underwater volcano in a degassing stage: Island of El Hierro”, (VULCANO-II) es estudiar, desde un punto de vista totalmente interdisciplinar, la fase de desgasificación activa del único volcán submarino monitoreado desde su nacimiento en aguas españolas. De esta forma, se pretende además, dar continuidad a los estudios multidisciplinares realizados sobre el volcán submarino de la isla de El Hierro en el contexto del proyecto del Plan Nacional VULCANO-I, (CTM2012-36317) y VULCANA (Vulcanología Canaria Submarina, IEO). Para ello, se realizará la monitorización de las propiedades físico-químicas, biológicas y geológicas del proceso eruptivo submarino de la isla de El Hierro y otros puntos sensibles, como el volcán de Enmedio entre Gran Canaria y Tenerif

Aceptabilidad sensorial de una hamburguesa de carne vacuna y vegetales

In recent times, the consumption of meat products has been avoided by consumers, as it is associated with the&nbsp;prevalence of noncommunicable diseases and obesity. As a consequence, recent strategies have been developed in&nbsp;order to enhance the nutritional composition of these types of products. In this study, 100 consumers evaluated from the sensory standpoint hamburgers produced with beef, vegetables and spices against a homemade formulation (composed of beef, salt and oregano), and a frozen commercial beef burger. 9-point hedonic scales were&nbsp;used, as well as a check-all-that-apply (CATA) composed of 32 terms; consumers were also asked to describe an&nbsp;“ideal hamburger”. Results show that there is a segment of the studied population that is interested in a hamburger&nbsp;formulated with the addition of vegetable ingredients, having assigned a high acceptance score to the developed&nbsp;formula, and describing it as tender, natural, delicious, nutritious, healthy and tasty, as well as close to their concept of an ideal hamburger.El consumo de productos cárnicos ha sido en tiempos recientes evitado por consumidores, dado que se lo asocia&nbsp;con la prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles y obesidad. En función de esto se han elaborado&nbsp;estrategias para la mejora nutricional de este tipo de productos. En este trabajo, 100 consumidores evaluaron sensorialmente hamburguesas elaboradas a base de carne vacuna, verduras y condimentos, contra una hamburguesa&nbsp;casera de carne vacuna y orégano y una hamburguesa comercial congelada, utilizando escalas hedónicas y una&nbsp;pregunta marque-todo-lo-que-corresponda (CATA) compuesta de 32 términos. Al fnal del estudio se solicitó la&nbsp;descripción de una hamburguesa ideal. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que existe un segmento de la población&nbsp;estudiada interesada en una hamburguesa con incorporación de ingredientes vegetales y que le asignó un alto&nbsp;puntaje de aceptabilidad a la formulación desarrollada, describiéndola como tierna, natural, deliciosa, nutritiva,&nbsp;saludable y sabrosa y muy cercana a su concepto de hamburguesa “ideal”

Reducing preanalytical laboratory sample errors through educational and technological interventions

Background: A correct preanalytical phase procedure is critical to get an adequate sample and consequently to achieve the most reliable laboratory results, promoting patient safety. Continuous laboratory staff changes create the need to establish improvement strategies to reduce the error risk. The objective was to show how the numbers of preanalytical errors related to unsuitable samples in a hospital setting decrease following two improvement strategies related to new technology and educational actions and how their effects were measured by monitoring indicators. Methods: Samples were drawn by the laboratory and other hospital departments’ nurses without previous patient appointment, therefore, prior tube preparation was not available before the phlebotomy. Corrective measures for these activities were established: educational program for nurses and a system of custom labels, which correlate each laboratory test in the Laboratory Information System (LIS) with the corresponding tube. Three phases were defined based on the implementation dates of the improvement actions to be assessed. The set of indicators de-signed to monitor the improvement related to clotted, hemolyzed, insufficient, and uncollected samples. Data were collected and indicators calculated from the LIS using a data warehouse application. Patient satisfaction with re-spect to phlebotomy was also measured annually using a scoring survey. Results: There was a reduction in all types of preanalytical sample errors related to the improvement strategies adopted. The indicators demonstrated that the unavailable, insufficient, and clotted samples decreased between two- and three-fold, whereas hemolysis errors benefited more from these improvement strategies. Patient satisfaction with the laboratory and phlebotomy procedures improved over the past several years as based on the annual satisfaction surveys. Conclusions: The educational program for nursing personnel is relevant and important as can be seen in the de-crease of sample errors and the resulting quality improvement. The custom label system minimizes the potential oversight of forgetting to draw a tube, which happens frequently when operating without appointments, by print-ing the labels according to requested tests. Detection, identification, and monitoring of the error and implement-ing strategies to improve preanalytical quality reduces error numbers and thereby improves patient safety and health system outcomes