Prevalence and risk factors associated with peripheral arterial disease in an adult population from Colombia

_Background:_ Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most important cause of mortality in Latin America, while peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the third leading cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular morbidity. _Objective:_ To establish the prevalence of PAD and the distribution of traditional CVD risk factors in a population from the Department of Cauca, Colombia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 10,000 subjects aged ≥40 years, from 36 municipalities. An ankle -brachial index (ABI) ≤ 0.9 in either leg was used as diagnostic criterion of PAD. _Results:_ Overall PAD prevalence was 4.4% (4.7% females vs. 4.0% males), with diabetes being the most prevalent risk factor (23%). Among individuals self-reporting a history of acute myocardial infarction or stroke, PAD prevalence was 31.0% and 8.1%, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, PAD was signif

Removal of Cr(VI) by a chelating resin containing N-methyl-d-glucamine

WOS: 000337170900015The resin poly[N-(4-vinylbenzyl)-N-methyl-d-glucamine] [P(VbNMDG)] was synthesized and its performance for Cr(VI) removal was studied. This resin presented a very fast kinetic of Cr(VI) sorption following a pseudo-second order. Also, the rate-controlling step of Cr(VI) sorption performed by film diffusion in accordance with infinite solution volume model and reacted layer in accordance with unreacted core model. The column study showed a breakthrough capacity of 12.2 mg Cr/mL-resin, with an elution efficiency of 92 %. Mechanism of sorption could correspond to an electrostatic interaction followed by a complexation reaction.7FP-MC Actions Grant so-called CHILTURPOL2 [269153]; FONDECYTComision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT)CONICYT FONDECYT [1110079]; REDOC (MINEDUC Project at U. de Concepcion) [UCO1202]; PIA [ACT-130]The authors thank to 7FP-MC Actions Grant so-called CHILTURPOL2 (PIRSES-GA-2009 Project, Grant Number 269153). We also thank to FONDECYT (Grant No. 1110079), REDOC (MINEDUC Project UCO1202 at U. de Concepcion), and PIA (ACT-130) for the financial support. The great help of Mr. M. Akcay for AAS analyses is acknowledged

Research lines in Hyperthermia at the Bioinstrumentation Laboratory of the Centre for Biomedical Technology

The Bioinstrumentation Laboratory belongs to the Centre for Biomedical Technology (CTB) of the Technical University of Madrid and its main objective is to provide the scientific community with devices and techniques for the characterization of micro and nanostructures and consequently finding their best biomedical applications. Hyperthermia (greek word for “overheating”) is defined as the phenomenon that occurs when a body is exposed to an energy generating source that can produce a rise in temperature (42-45ºC) for a given time [1]. Specifically, the aim of the hyperthermia methods used in The Bioinstrumentation Laboratory is the development of thermal therapies, some of these using different kinds of nanoparticles, to kill cancer cells and reduce the damage on healthy tissues. The optical hyperthermia is based on noble metal nanoparticles and laser irradiation. This kind of nanoparticles has an immense potential associated to the development of therapies for cancer on account of their Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) enhanced light scattering and absorption. In a short period of time, the absorbed light is converted into localized heat, so we can take advantage of these characteristics to heat up tumor cells in order to obtain the cellular death [2]. In this case, the laboratory has an optical hyperthermia device based on a continuous wave laser used to kill glioblastoma cell lines (1321N1) in the presence of gold nanorods (Figure 1a). The wavelength of the laser light is 808 nm because the penetration of the light in the tissue is deeper in the Near Infrared Region. The first optical hyperthermia results show that the laser irradiation produces cellular death in the experimental samples of glioblastoma cell lines using gold nanorods but is not able to decrease the cellular viability of cancer cells in samples without the suitable nanorods (Figure 1b) [3]. The generation of magnetic hyperthermia is performed through changes of the magnetic induction in magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that are embedded in viscous medium. The Figure 2 shows a schematic design of the AC induction hyperthermia device in magnetic fluids. The equipment has been manufactured at The Bioinstrumentation Laboratory. The first block implies two steps: the signal selection with frequency manipulation option from 9 KHz to 2MHz, and a linear output up to 1500W. The second block is where magnetic field is generated ( 5mm, 10 turns). Finally, the third block is a software control where the user can establish initial parameters, and also shows the temperature response of MNPs due to the magnetic field applied [4-8]. The Bioinstrumentation Laboratory in collaboration with the Mexican company MRI-DT have recently implemented a new research line on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Hyperthermia, which is sustained on the patent US 7,423,429B2 owned by this company. This investigation is based on the use of clinical MRI equipment not only for diagnosis but for therapy [9]. This idea consists of two main facts: Magnetic Resonance Imaging can cause focal heating [10], and the differentiation in resonant frequency between healthy and cancer cells [11]. To produce only heating in cancer cells when the whole body is irradiated, it is necessary to determine the specific resonant frequency of the target, using the information contained in the spectra of the area of interest. Then, special RF pulse sequence is applied to produce fast excitation and relaxation mechanism that generates temperature increase of the tumor, causing cellular death or metabolism malfunction that stops cellular divisio

El reto de conservar y producir: biodiversidad y sistemas productivos en la cuenca media y baja del río cravo sur

El proyecto “Cravo Sur: río vital: estrategias para la conservación y recuperación de los bosques de la cuenca media y baja del río Cravo Sur en Yopal, San Luis de Palenque y Orocué, Casanare”, fue liderado por la Fundación Palmarito Casanare y la Fundación Cunaguaro, teniendo como socio estratégico al grupo de investigación CAZAO de la Escuela de Ciencias Agrícolas, Pecuarias y del Medio Ambiente –ECAPMA, de la Uni-versidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia –UNAD CEAD Yopal, sede para Casanare. Esta iniciativa fue financiada por el Fondo Acción a través del Acuerdo para la Conservación de Bosques Tropicales TFCA.Como producto de la investigación, así como de los trabajos realizados por investi-gadores en esta cuenca, nace el libro El reto de conservar y producir: Biodiversidad y Sistemas Productivos de la cuenca media y baja del río Cravo Sur, que corresponde a la expresión de tres aspectos concatenados, para mostrarle al lector la bondad de utilizar la figura de conservación-producción de los ecosistemas de la cuenca media y baja del río Cravo Sur. En el libro se resalta su extraordinaria biodiversidad, los siste-mas productivos presentes y las estrategias de conservación planteadas para mitigar los factores negativos que inciden en la conservación de los paisajes del río Cravo Sur.Se describe en detalle la gran biodiversidad de la cuenca, más de 1000 especies de flo-ra, 400 especies de aves, artrópodos, peces, anfibios, reptiles y mamíferos de la cuen-ca media y baja del Cravo Sur. También se incluyen capítulos dedicados a los felinos y el morrocoy (Chelonoidis carbonarius), en la cuenca del río Cravo Sur y otras cuencas de la Orinoquía, finalizando con las mariposas.Se dedica una segunda parte del libro a la descripción de los sistemas productivos, se analiza para la cuenca del Cravo Sur la ganadería bovina, los cultivos de arroz, el panorama ambiental, social y económico del cultivo de palma de aceite (Elaeis gui-neensis), los sistemas de producción piscícola de pequeña escala y el estado actual de la minería, resaltando las experiencias positivas de producción sostenible y los retos hacia delante.Finalmente, se presentan estrategias de conservación, relacionando experiencias e iniciativas que buscan el fortalecimiento de capacidades territoriales, con miras a con-servar los bosques del río Cravo Sur, descritas en los capítulos de la iniciativa privada, una poderosa herramienta de conservación en la Orinoquía Colombiana; restauración en la cuenca media y baja del río Cravo Sur; fortalecimiento de capacidades locales y finaliza con el capítulo de acuerdos de conservación voluntarios en la cuenca

Ticagrelor in patients with diabetes and stable coronary artery disease with a history of previous percutaneous coronary intervention (THEMIS-PCI) : a phase 3, placebo-controlled, randomised trial

Background: Patients with stable coronary artery disease and diabetes with previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), particularly those with previous stenting, are at high risk of ischaemic events. These patients are generally treated with aspirin. In this trial, we aimed to investigate if these patients would benefit from treatment with aspirin plus ticagrelor. Methods: The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in diabEtes Mellitus patients Intervention Study (THEMIS) was a phase 3 randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, done in 1315 sites in 42 countries. Patients were eligible if 50 years or older, with type 2 diabetes, receiving anti-hyperglycaemic drugs for at least 6 months, with stable coronary artery disease, and one of three other mutually non-exclusive criteria: a history of previous PCI or of coronary artery bypass grafting, or documentation of angiographic stenosis of 50% or more in at least one coronary artery. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either ticagrelor or placebo, by use of an interactive voice-response or web-response system. The THEMIS-PCI trial comprised a prespecified subgroup of patients with previous PCI. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (measured in the intention-to-treat population). Findings: Between Feb 17, 2014, and May 24, 2016, 11 154 patients (58% of the overall THEMIS trial) with a history of previous PCI were enrolled in the THEMIS-PCI trial. Median follow-up was 3·3 years (IQR 2·8–3·8). In the previous PCI group, fewer patients receiving ticagrelor had a primary efficacy outcome event than in the placebo group (404 [7·3%] of 5558 vs 480 [8·6%] of 5596; HR 0·85 [95% CI 0·74–0·97], p=0·013). The same effect was not observed in patients without PCI (p=0·76, p interaction=0·16). The proportion of patients with cardiovascular death was similar in both treatment groups (174 [3·1%] with ticagrelor vs 183 (3·3%) with placebo; HR 0·96 [95% CI 0·78–1·18], p=0·68), as well as all-cause death (282 [5·1%] vs 323 [5·8%]; 0·88 [0·75–1·03], p=0·11). TIMI major bleeding occurred in 111 (2·0%) of 5536 patients receiving ticagrelor and 62 (1·1%) of 5564 patients receiving placebo (HR 2·03 [95% CI 1·48–2·76], p<0·0001), and fatal bleeding in 6 (0·1%) of 5536 patients with ticagrelor and 6 (0·1%) of 5564 with placebo (1·13 [0·36–3·50], p=0·83). Intracranial haemorrhage occurred in 33 (0·6%) and 31 (0·6%) patients (1·21 [0·74–1·97], p=0·45). Ticagrelor improved net clinical benefit: 519/5558 (9·3%) versus 617/5596 (11·0%), HR=0·85, 95% CI 0·75–0·95, p=0·005, in contrast to patients without PCI where it did not, p interaction=0·012. Benefit was present irrespective of time from most recent PCI. Interpretation: In patients with diabetes, stable coronary artery disease, and previous PCI, ticagrelor added to aspirin reduced cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, although with increased major bleeding. In that large, easily identified population, ticagrelor provided a favourable net clinical benefit (more than in patients without history of PCI). This effect shows that long-term therapy with ticagrelor in addition to aspirin should be considered in patients with diabetes and a history of PCI who have tolerated antiplatelet therapy, have high ischaemic risk, and low bleeding risk