First-Principles Study of Substitutional Metal Impurities in Graphene: Structural, Electronic and Magnetic Properties

We present a theoretical study using density functional calculations of the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of 3d transition metal, noble metal and Zn atoms interacting with carbon monovacancies in graphene. We pay special attention to the electronic and magnetic properties of these substitutional impurities and found that they can be fully understood using a simple model based on the hybridization between the states of the metal atom, particularly the d shell, and the defect levels associated with an unreconstructed D3h carbon vacancy. We identify three different regimes associated with the occupation of different carbon-metal hybridized electronic levels: (i) bonding states are completely filled for Sc and Ti, and these impurities are non-magnetic; (ii) the non-bonding d shell is partially occupied for V, Cr and Mn and, correspondingly, these impurties present large and localized spin moments; (iii) antibonding states with increasing carbon character are progressively filled for Co, Ni, the noble metals and Zn. The spin moments of these impurities oscillate between 0 and 1 Bohr magnetons and are increasingly delocalized. The substitutional Zn suffers a Jahn-Teller-like distortion from the C3v symmetry and, as a consequence, has a zero spin moment. Fe occupies a distinct position at the border between regimes (ii) and (iii) and shows a more complex behavior: while is non-magnetic at the level of GGA calculations, its spin moment can be switched on using GGA+U calculations with moderate values of the U parameter.Comment: 13 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. B on September 26th, 200

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

Universal Magnetic Properties of sp3^3-type Defects in Covalently Functionalized Graphene

Using density-functional calculations, we study the effect of sp$^3$-type defects created by different covalent functionalizations on the electronic and magnetic properties of graphene. We find that the induced magnetic properties are {\it universal}, in the sense that they are largely independent on the particular adsorbates considered. When a weakly-polar single covalent bond is established with the layer, a local spin-moment of 1.0 $\mu_B$ always appears in graphene. This effect is similar to that of H adsorption, which saturates one $p_z$ orbital in the carbon layer. The magnetic couplings between the adsorbates show a strong dependence on the graphene sublattice of chemisorption. Molecules adsorbed at the same sublattice couple ferromagnetically, with an exchange interaction that decays very slowly with distance, while no magnetism is found for adsorbates at opposite sublattices. Similar magnetic properties are obtained if several $p_z$ orbitals are saturated simultaneously by the adsorption of a large molecule. These results might open new routes to engineer the magnetic properties of graphene derivatives by chemical means

Clinical relevance of monitoring serum levels of adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in daily practice

[Objectives]: We aimed to assess the usefulness of measuring serum levels of adalimumab (ADL) and anti-ADL antibodies in 57 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with ADL for at least 3 months in daily practice. [Methods]: All patients received concomitant disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). Receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to obtain the cut-off value of ADL for low disease activity (DAS28-ESR ≤3.2). [Results]: Anti-ADL antibodies were detected in 4 (7%) patients with a mean (SD) DAS28 score of 4.6 (0.9). Patients with positive anti-ADL antibodies had significantly lower levels of ADL and higher DAS28 scores than those with negative antibodies. Patients with DAS28 ≤3.2 as compared with patients with DAS28 >3.2 showed significantly better SDAI score, higher serum concentrations of ADL and none of them showed anti-ADL antibodies. The cut-off of serum level of ADL for DAS28 11.3 mg/L. Patients in the medium group were closed to clinical remission (median DAS28 2.7) and patients in the high group were on clinical remission (DAS28 2.1). [Conclusion]: Serum levels of ADL should be maintained >4.3 mg/L. In patients with ADL levels >11.3 mg/L, a decrease of the dose of ADL or an increase in the interval between doses may be planned. The presence of anti-ADL antibodies was associated with a loss of clinical efficacy of ADL.Peer Reviewe

Reduction in renal ACE2 expression in subtotal nephrectomy in rats is ameliorated with ACE inhibition

Alterations within the RAS (renin–angiotensin system) are pivotal for the development of renal disease. ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) is expressed in the kidney and converts the vasoconstrictor AngII (angiotensin II) into Ang-(1–7), a peptide with vasodilatory and anti-fibrotic actions. Although the expression of ACE2 in the diabetic kidney has been well studied, little is known about its expression in non-diabetic renal disease. In the present study, we assessed ACE2 in rats with acute kidney injury induced by STNx (subtotal nephrectomy). STNx and Control rats received vehicle or ramipril (1 mg·kg−1 of body weight·day−1), and renal ACE, ACE2 and mas receptor gene and protein expression were measured 10 days later. STNx rats were characterized by polyuria, proteinuria, hypertension and elevated plasma ACE2 activity (all P<0.01) and plasma Ang-(1–7) (P<0.05) compared with Control rats. There was increased cortical ACE binding and medullary mas receptor expression (P<0.05), but reduced cortical and medullary ACE2 activity in the remnant kidney (P<0.05 and P<0.001 respectively) compared with Control rats. In STNx rats, ramipril reduced blood pressure (P<0.01), polyuria (P<0.05) and plasma ACE2 (P<0.01), increased plasma Ang-(1–7) (P<0.001), and inhibited renal ACE (P<0.001). Ramipril increased both cortical and medullary ACE2 activity (P<0.01), but reduced medullary mas receptor expression (P<0.05). In conclusion, our results show that ACE2 activity is reduced in kidney injury and that ACE inhibition produced beneficial effects in association with increased renal ACE2 activity. As ACE2 both degrades AngII and generates the vasodilator Ang-(1–7), a decrease in renal ACE2 activity, as observed in the present study, has the potential to contribute to the progression of kidney disease

A 5-gene classifier from the carcinoma-associated fibroblast transcriptomic profile and clinical outcome in colorectal cancer

Based on 108 differentially expressed genes between carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and paired normal colonic fibroblasts we recently reported, a 5-gene classifier for relapse prediction in Stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC ) was developed. Its predictive value was validated in datasets GSE17538, GSE33113 and GSE14095. An additional validation was performed in a metacohort (n=317) and 142 CRC patients by means of RT-PCR. The 5-gene classifier was significantly associated with increased relapse risk and death from CRC across all validation series of Stage II/III patients used. Multivariate Cox regression analyses confirmed the independent prognostic value of the stromal classifier (HR=2.67; P=0.002). Post-test probabilities provided evidence of the suitability of the 5-gene classifier in clinical practice, identifying a subgroup of Stage-II patients who were at high risk of relapse. Moreover, the a priory worst prognosis mesenchymal subtype of tumours can be stratified according to the physiological status of their carcinoma-associated fibroblasts. In conclusion the CAFs-derived 5-gene classifier provides more accurate information about outcome than conventional clinicopathological criteria and it could be useful to take clinical decisions, especially in Stage II. Additionally, the classifier put into relevance the CAF's intratumoral heterogeneity and might contribute to find relevant targets for depleting adequate CAFS subtypes

Qualidade de vida de idosos hipertensos e diabéticos em um serviço ambulatorial

Modelo do estudo: Estudo populacional descritivo, de corte transversal. Objetivo: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes idosos hipertensos e diabéticos em um ambulatório de um hospital universitário no interior do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Metodologia: Estudo realizado em um ambulatório de Geriatria, em São José do Rio Preto, envolvendo 62 pacientes idosos com pressão arterial elevada e/ou diabetes mellitus, atendidos no período de dezembro de 2009 a fevereiro de 2010. Os dados foram coletados com o WHOQOL-OLD, analisados com o Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, com testes Mann-Whitney e Kruskal-Wallis não paramétricos e correlação de Pearson, o nível de significância foi ajustado para um valor de p&lt;0,05. Resultados: 38 (61,3%) idosos eram hipertensos e 23 (37,1%) diabéticos. A idade dos idosos foi de 67±7 (média, DP). Houve prevalência do sexo feminino (58 %), ensino fundamental (87,1%), casados (56,5%), profissões ligadas ao setor de serviços (56,4%), renda de 1 salário mínimo (66,1%) e morando com esposo(a) (58,1%). O maior escore mediano (75,0) foi encontrado nas facetas "Atividades passadas, presentes e futuras", "Participação social", "Morte e morrer" e "Intimidade". A faceta "Autonomia" apresentou o menor escore, correspondendo a 62,5. Os idosos hipertensos tiveram escore inferior aos diabéticos na faceta do "Funcionamento Sensório" (62,2 vs. 73,6, respectivamente). Conclusão: Os idosos apresentaram qualidade de vida inferior na faceta "Autonomia" e melhor qualidade para as facetas "Atividades passadas, presentes e futuras", "Participa- ção social", "Morte e morrer" e "Intimidade". Não houve diferença na qualidade de vida entre diabéticos ou hipertensos, exceto por tendência a menor "Funcionamento do sensório" entre os hipertensosModel of study: The study design was a populational, cross-sectional and descriptive. Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of high blood pressure and diabetic elderly outpatients of a teaching hospital in the interior of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Methodology: The study was done in a Geriatrics Outpatient Service in São José do Rio Preto, involved 62 elderly patients with high blood pressure and/or diabetes mellitus treated in the period from December 2009 to February 2010. The data were collected with the WHOQOL-OLD, analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, with tests Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric and Pearson's correlation; the level of significance was set to a value of p&lt;0.05. Results: A total of 38 elderly patients studied (61.3%) have high blood pressure, and 23 (37.1%) were diabetics. The age was 67±7 (mean, SD). Characteristics of the sample studied were: female (58.1%), elementary school (87.1%), married status (56.4%), professions linked to the sector of services (56.4%), the income of 1 minimum wage (66.1%) and living with the spouse (58.1%). The highest median score (75.0) was found in the facets "Past, present and future" "Activities", "Social participation", "Death and dying" and "Intimacy". The facet "Autonomy" showed the lowest scoring of 62.5. The elderly with high blood pressure had a lower score compared to patients with diabetes in "Sensory Functioning" facet (62.17 versus 73.64, respectively). Conclusion: The elderly showed a lower quality of life in the "Autonomy" and best quality for facets: "Past, present and future", "Activities", "Social participation", "Death and dying" and "Intimacy". There was not difference in the quality of life among elderly with diabetes and high blood pressure patients, except for a tendency to lower "Sensory Functioning" facet in high blood pressure patient

Comparison of three different staining methods for the assessment of epididymal red deer sperm morphometry by computerized analysis with ISAS®

When collection of ejaculated sperm samples is not possible, as is the case with wild species, the epididymides of sacrificed wild males become the only possible source of spermatozoa. Mature cauda epididymal spermatozoa display characteristics similar to those of ejaculated sperm cells. The present work proposes a sperm staining technique suitable for the morphometric evaluation of red deer epididymal sperm using a new computerized system. Epididymides from wild animals were extracted no later than 2 h post mortem. After epididymal sectioning, sperm samples were collected, cooled to and equilibrated at 5 °C, and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Before staining, sperm samples were thawed for 20 s at 37 °C, and used for the preparation of slides. Three different sperm stains were tested: Hemacolor, Diff-Quik, and Harris’ Hematoxylin. Morphometric analyses of sperm samples were performed using the morphologic module of the ISAS®. Two hundred spermatozoa per sample and stain were captured at random and analyzed. Sperm morphometric values were significantly affected by the staining technique used. Moreover, significant differences were observed between animals. In our study, Diff-Quik could be considered to be the best sperm staining method, as it provided the highest percentage of well automatically analyzed cells by the ISAS®, and discriminates better between animals. This sperm staining technique also proved to be a useful method for characterizing and discriminating between sperm samples of different animals.This study was partially supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, INIA (RZ01-008).Peer reviewe

Instrumental performance and results from testing of the BLAST-TNG receiver, submillimeter optics, and MKID arrays

Polarized thermal emission from interstellar dust grains can be used to map magnetic fields in star forming molecular clouds and the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). The Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol) flew from Antarctica in 2010 and 2012 and produced degree-scale polarization maps of several nearby molecular clouds with arcminute resolution. The success of BLASTPol has motivated a next-generation instrument, BLAST-TNG, which will use more than 3000 linear polarization sensitive microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) combined with a 2.5m diameter carbon fiber primary mirror to make diffraction-limited observations at 250, 350, and 500 $\mu$m. With 16 times the mapping speed of BLASTPol, sub-arcminute resolution, and a longer flight time, BLAST-TNG will be able to examine nearby molecular clouds and the diffuse galactic dust polarization spectrum in unprecedented detail. The 250 $\mu$m detector array has been integrated into the new cryogenic receiver, and is undergoing testing to establish the optical and polarization characteristics of the instrument. BLAST-TNG will demonstrate the effectiveness of kilo-pixel MKID arrays for applications in submillimeter astronomy. BLAST-TNG is scheduled to fly from Antarctica in December 2017 for 28 days and will be the first balloon-borne telescope to offer a quarter of the flight for "shared risk" observing by the community.Comment: Presented at SPIE Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII, June 29th, 201