Analysis of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its Metabolites in Plasma and Urine by HPLC-DAD and GC-MS

In Europe, the compound 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy, Adam), in addition to cannabis, is the most abused illicit drug at all-night "techno” parties. Methods for the determination of MDMA and its metabolites, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), 3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA), and 3,4-dihydroxyamphetamine (HHA), in biological fluids were established. Plasma and urine samples were collected from two patients in a controlled clinical study over periods of 9 and 22 h, respectively. MDMA and MDA were determined in plasma and urine by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) after solid-phase extraction on cation-exchange columns. Acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis was necessary to detect HMMA, HMA, HHMA, and HHA, which are mainly excreted as glucuronides. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for confirmation. Sample extraction and on-disc derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA) were performed on Toxi-Lab SPEC solid-phase extraction concentrators. After administration of a single oral dose of 1.5 mg/kg body weight MDMA, peak plasma levels of 331 ng/mL MDMA and 15 ng/mL MDA were measured after 2 h and 6.3 h, respectively. Peak concentrations of 28.1 µg/mL MDMA in urine appeared after 21.5 h. Up to 2.3 µg/mL MDA, 35.1 µg/mL HMMA, and 2.1 µg/mL HMA were measured within 16-21.5 h. Conjugated HMMA and HHMA are the main urinary metabolites of MDM

IMPACTO DA LIDERANÇA NAS CADEIAS DE ABASTECIMENTO DURANTE A GUERRA NA UCRÂNIA – PERSPETIVA DOS LÍDERES DE PORTUGAL E UCRÂNIA

A Ucrânia sendo um país localizado no leste da Europa, encontra se rodeado por inúmeros países que acabam por depender de forma direta ou indireta e que foram profundamente afetados com os conflitos que persistem da guerra da Ucrânia e onde as lideranças têm vindo a assumir um papel determinante para serem mitigadas as consequências ao nível das cadeias de abastecimento dos diferentes países para além da Ucrânia. Neste sentido, o presente estudo tem como objetivo estudar o impacto da liderança ética dos responsáveis das cadeias de abastecimento internacionais, nomeadamente em Portugal e na Ucrânia, atingidas pela continuidade do conflito. A metodologia usada é de a metodologia quantitativa que integra a recolha de dados através de um inquérito por questionário. O inquérito visa compreender como a liderança ética influência a resiliência das cadeias de abastecimento em tempos de conflito. O estudo quantitativo incluiu 60 líderes, a maioria (41,7%) com idades entre 30 e 45 anos, e 65% com Mestrado. Em Portugal, as indústrias predominantes são Hospitalidade (26,7%) e Engenharia (23,3%). Na Ucrânia, Retalho é dominante (33,3%), seguido pela Hospitalidade (16,7%). Outras indústrias têm participações variadas nos dois países. O estudo concluiu que a liderança ética teve um impacto positivo na Ucrânia, mas não houve evidências suficientes para Portugal, possivelmente devido à menor influência do conflito neste país. A Hipótese 2 mostrou que o conflito afetou fortemente as cadeias de abastecimento na Ucrânia, enquanto em Portugal o impacto foi menor, refletindo a economia mais orientada para serviços. A última hipótese confirmou que Portugal sofreu menos impacto nas cadeias de abastecimento devido à sua diversificação de parceiros comerciais, reduzindo a exposição a perturbações do conflito Ucrânia-Rússia.Ukraine, being a country located in Eastern Europe, is surrounded by numerous countries that end up depending directly or indirectly and that have been deeply affected by the conflicts that persist from the war in Ukraine and where the leaders have been assuming a decisive role in consequences in terms of supply chains in different countries beyond Ukraine can be mitigated. In this sense, the present study aims to study the impact of ethical leadership of those responsible for international supply chains, namely in Portugal and Ukraine, affected by the continuation of the conflict. The methodology used is a quantitative methodology that integrates data collection through a questionnaire survey. The research aims to understand how ethical leadership influences the resilience of supply chains in times of conflict. The quantitative study included 60 leaders, the majority (41.7%) aged between 30 and 45 years old, and 65% with a master’s degree. In Portugal, the predominant industries are Hospitality (26.7%) and Engineering (23.3%). In Ukraine, Retail is dominant (33.3%), followed by Hospitality (16.7%). Other industries have varying participation in the two countries. The study concluded that ethical leadership had a positive impact in Ukraine, but there was insufficient evidence for Portugal, possibly due to the lesser influence of the conflict in this country. Hypothesis 2 showed that the conflict strongly affected supply chains in Ukraine, while in Portugal the impact was smaller, reflecting the more service-oriented economy. The last hypothesis confirmed that Portugal suffered less impact on supply chains due to its diversification of trading partners, reducing exposure to disruptions from the Ukraine-Russia conflict

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic and financial situation of the micro and small enterprises from the construction and development industry in Poland

PURPOSE: The main purpose of the article was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial situation of micro and small enterprises in the construction and development industry in Poland.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The research was conducted in February 2021 by means of a survey on a group of 100 randomly selected, representative samples of micro and small entrepreneurs from the construction and development industry in Poland. The survey questionnaire was developed in the form of 15 record and substantive single or multiple choice questions. Another method that was used for the research was the review and analysis of bibliographic resources.FINDINGS: The conducted research shows that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic and financial situation of micro and small enterprises in Poland has deteriorated. However, this was not only due to a reduction in demand. A large part of the problems resulted from the disruption of material logistics chains, which contributed to problems with access to professional equipment (fixed assets) and financial chains, which was reflected in the growing concerns of entrepreneurs about the timely inflow of receivables from recipients.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The pandemic, affecting almost all economic entities, destabilizes their functioning and raises concerns about the future. Support in a more difficult situation granted to entrepreneurs by the government may significantly burden the state budget, and the resignation from investments may hinder economic growth. A significant drop in demand for construction services and concerns about an increase in the prices of materials and wages and salaries may lead to a price fight between entities. Due to the difficulty in predicting the long-term effects of the pandemic, it seems necessary to apply for economic protection outside traditional crisis management systems.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: With the use of an original, authors' survey conducted on a representative research sample, current issues were raised, concerning not only Poland, but also the whole world.peer-reviewe

Solvability, completeness and computational analysis of a perturbed control problem with delays

As a first step, we provide a precise mathematical framework for the class of control problems with delays (which we refer to as the control problem) under investigation in a Banach space setting, followed by careful definitions of the key properties to be analyzed such as solvability and complete controllability. Then, we recast the control problem in a reduced form that is especially amenable to the innovative analytical approach that we employ. We then study in depth the solvability and completeness of the (reduced) nonlinearly perturbed linear control problem with delay parameters. The main tool in our approach is the use of a Borsuk–Ulam type fixed point theorem to analyze the topological structure of a suitably reduced control problem solution, with a focus on estimating the dimension of the corresponding solution set, and proving its completeness. Next, we investigate its analytical solvability under some special, mildly restrictive, conditions imposed on the linear control and nonlinear functional perturbation. Then, we describe a novel computational projection-based discretization scheme of our own devising for obtaining accurate approximate solutions of the control problem along with useful error estimates. The scheme effectively reduces the infinite-dimensional problem to a sequence of solvable finite-dimensional matrix valued tasks. Finally, we include an application of the scheme to a special degenerate case of the problem wherein the Banach–Steinhaus theorem is brought to bear in the estimation process

Corticotropinoma as the underlying cause of intermittent Cushing’s syndrome in a patient previously diagnosed with primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease

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Evaluation of the effectiveness of inveterate Achilles tendon rupture V-Y plasty with immediate subsequent weight-bearing and rehabilitation. Case study

In our paper, we would like to present two cases of treatment of the Achilles tendon ruptures by means of surgical V-Y technique, and implementation of immediate rehabilitation and weight-bearing. V-Y plasty on ruptured tendons was performed. The continuity of the tendon was restored. The sheath of the tendon was stitched together. Dressing was put on; the foot was immobilized in a Walker-type shoe in pes equinus with heel pads and compression underwear. From the first hour after the procedure, the wound area was cooled with a Game Ready device. From the first day after the procedure, both patients were allowed to apply full weight to the limb in the shoe. The crutches were put away as soon as possible. Rehabilitation began right away on the next day; during its course, attempts were made to reduce the use of the shoe to a minimum and to achieve the full range of foot motion as soon as possible. In both patients, the full range of motion was reached approximately 2 weeks after the surgery. The video support for the article is available at: https://youtu.be/bi3xuwOT9v

El desarrollo e implementación de la Cátedra para la Paz en la Escuela Militar de Cadetes General José María Córdova

Considerando que la educación para la paz en oficiales en formación de las fuerzas armadas es un tema con pocos antecedentes investigativos a nivel nacional, el objetivo de este proyecto es desarrollar e implementar la Cátedra para la Paz basándose en el decreto 1038. Este proyecto se llevó a cabo en la Escuela Militar de Cadetes General José María Córdova. Con el fin de identificar las temáticas más apropiadas, se analizó el discurso de algunos cadetes a partir de dos encuentros semiestructurados y se organizaron las respuestas en cinco categorías : definición de paz, elementos de la paz, roles del Ejército, conflicto y educación para la paz. Durante el análisis de estas categorías se detectaron vacíos conceptuales los cuales se convirtieron en la fundamentación de la cátedra. Con base en estas categorías, se diseñaron y se aplicaron ocho sesiones de la Cátedra por la Paz, cuyo objetivo era suplir los vacíos encontrados en la fase exploratoria del proyecto. Se concluyó que existía una concepción superficial de la categoría de paz y de conflictos en la población estudiada. Además, se llegó a la conclusión que alcanzar la paz requiere prácticas sociales y educativas diversas, por lo que una Cátedra teórica es insuficiente y se requiere de una educación activa.Taking into account the fact that peace education aimed at student officers in the armed forces is a subject with little research literature at a national level, the objective of this project is to design and apply the "Cátedra por la Paz" using the "Decreto 1038" as a basis. This research project was done in the "Escuela Militar de Cadetes General José María Córdova" With the aim of identifying the most appropriate topics, the researchers analyzed the discourse of some cadets taken from two semi-structured meetings. The answers were organized into five categories: definition of peace, elements of peace, roles of the Colombian Army, conflict and peace education. Based on these categories, eight class sessions were designed and applied with the objective of addressing conceptual gaps found in the exploration phase of the project. The researchers arrived to the conclusion that there is a shallow conception of peace and conflict in the research population. In addition, it was concluded that achieving peace requires diverse educational and social practices, which makes a theoretical lecture insufficient to achieve this goal. Instead, a more active approach to education is required.Magíster en EducaciónMaestrí

ACE Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism (rs4646994) Is Associated With the Increased Risk of Multiple Myeloma

Introduction: The insertion (I allele) deletion (D allele) polymorphism of ACE gene (rs4646994) may influence the etiopathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM). ACE gene is expressed in bone marrow cells and encodes angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). It converts angiotensin I to active peptide angiotensin II, which stimulates proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells. This suggests possible association of ACE I/D gene polymorphism with MM. The aim of our study was to check possible impact of this polymorphism on risk of development and outcome of MM, as well as, sensitivity to bortezomib in cell cultures derived from MM patients.Objects and Methods: Genomic DNA from 98 newly diagnosed MM patients and 100 healthy blood donors were analyzed by PCR method. Chromosomal aberrations were detected by use of cIg-FISH. In a subgroup of 40 MM patients nucleated bone marrow cells were treated with bortezomib in vitro.Results: The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test showed that genotypic frequencies diverged significantly from the equilibrium. The differences between I and D allele frequencies in control and study population were significant (p = 0.046). We observed the association between DD genotype and more than 2-fold risk of MM - OR = 2.69; p < 0.0001. We did not detect any significant differences among studied genotypes regarding clinical and laboratory parameters. Moreover, we did not observe the association between survival of MM patients and I/D genotypes. Bortezomib increased number of apoptotic and necrotic cells, but the only statistically significant differences were observed in the number of viable cells at 1 nM between ID and DD genotypes (p = 0.026).Conclusion: Presented results confirmed the significant relationship between ACE (I/D) polymorphism and risk of MM development. We did not observe the association of ACE I/D polymorphism with disease outcome and bortezomib in vitro sensitivity

THE ISSUE. Traffic, Health, Environment; Intelligent Solutions Sustaining Urban Economies.

THE ISSUE is a project within the Regions of Knowledge scheme funded through the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme. THE ISSUE focuses on Traffic, Health and Environment to achieve Intelligent Solutions for Sustaining Urban Economies by bringing together innovative research-driven clusters to coordinate European research and technology development in six areas. These areas are Intelligent Transportation Systems; transport impacts on urban mobility; transport greening; intermodal regional transport; safety and security of citizens; and associated economic, health and environmental impacts. THE ISSUE project particularly addresses the use of space technologies from satellite remote sensing and navigation, as well as GIS and computer intelligence technologies in transport-related sectors. This paper looks into the general presentation of the project and the first results.EU FP7 Regions Of Knowledge projec