Modelando la incidencia de accidentes ofídicos en Argentina

Fil: Frutos, N. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Cátedra de Sistemas de Información Geográfica; Argentina.Fil: Frutos, N. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación. Coordinación Nacional de Control de Vectores; Argentina.Fil: Bazzano, G. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; Argentina.Fil: Nori, J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina.Fil: Nori, J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina.Fil: Yañez-Arenas, C. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Parque Científico Tecnológico de Yucatán. Laboratorio de Biología de la Conservación; México.Fil: Leynaud, G. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina.Fil: Leynaud, G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina.El ofidismo resulta un problema sanitario de gran importancia a nivel global. En Argentina, se registraron 1970 accidentes en los últimos 8 años (2009-2016), los cuales corresponden principalmente a dos especies de serpientes del género Bothrops (B. diporus y B. alternatus).Fil: Frutos, N. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Cátedra de Sistemas de Información Geográfica; Argentina.Fil: Frutos, N. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación. Coordinación Nacional de Control de Vectores; Argentina.Fil: Bazzano, G. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; Argentina.Fil: Nori, J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina.Fil: Nori, J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina.Fil: Yañez-Arenas, C. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Parque Científico Tecnológico de Yucatán. Laboratorio de Biología de la Conservación; México.Fil: Leynaud, G. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina.Fil: Leynaud, G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina.Ecologí

Poly(ethylmethacrylate-co-diethylaminoethyl acrylate) coating improves endothelial re-population, bio-mechanical and anti-thrombogenic properties of decellularized carotid arteries for blood vessel replacement

Decellularized vascular scaffolds are promising materials for vessel replacements. However, despite the natural origin of decellularized vessels, issues such as biomechanical incompatibility, immunogenicity risks and the hazards of thrombus formation, still need to be addressed. In this study, we coated decellularized vessels obtained from porcine carotid arteries with poly (ethylmethacrylate-co-diethylaminoethylacrylate) (8g7) with the purpose of improving endothelial coverage and minimizing platelet attachment while enhancing the mechanical properties of the decellularized vascular scaffolds. The polymer facilitated binding of endothelial cells (ECs) with high affinity and also induced endothelial cell capillary tube formation. In addition, platelets showed reduced adhesion on the polymer under flow conditions. Moreover, the coating of the decellularized arteries improved biomechanical properties by increasing its tensile strength and load. In addition, after 5 days in culture, ECs seeded on the luminal surface of 8g7-coated decellularized arteries showed good regeneration of the endothelium. Overall, this study shows that polymer coating of decellularized vessels provides a new strategy to improve re-endothelialization of vascular grafts, maintaining or enhancing mechanical properties while reducing the risk of thrombogenesis. These results could have potential applications in improving tissue-engineered vascular grafts for cardiovascular therapies with small caliber vessels

Protocol for a multicentre and prospective follow-up cohort study of early detection of atrial fibrillation, silent stroke and cognitive impairment in high-risk primary care patients: the PREFA-TE study

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Future estimations suggest an increase in global burden of AF greater than 60% by 2050. Numerous studies provide growing evidence that AF is not only associated with stroke but also with cognitive impairment and dementia.Aim The main goal is to assess the impact of the combined use of cardiac rhythm monitoring devices, echocardiography, biomarkers and neuroimaging on the early diagnosis of AF, silent strokes and cognitive decline, in subjects at high risk of AF.Methods and analysis Two-year follow-up of a cohort of individuals aged 65–85 years at high risk for AF, with no prior diagnosis of either stroke or dementia. The study involves baseline echocardiography, biomarkers, and neuroimaging, yearly cardiac monitoring, and semiannual clinical assessments. Different parameters from these tests will be analysed as independent variables. Throughout the study period, primary outcomes: new diagnoses of AF, stroke and cognitive impairment, along with any clinical and therapeutic changes, will be registered. A first descriptive and bivariate statistical analysis, appropriate to the types of variables, will be done. The information obtained from the data analysis will encompass adjusted risk estimates along with 95% confidence intervals. Event risk predictions will rely on multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. The predictive value of the model will be evaluated through the utilisation of receiver operating characteristic curves for area under the curve calculation. Additionally, time-to-event analysis will be performed using Kaplan-Meier curves.Ethics and dissemination This study protocol has been reviewed and approved by the Independent Ethics Committee of the Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research-IDIAP Jordi Gol (expedient file 22/090-P). The authors plan to disseminate the study results to the general public through various scientific events. Publication in open-access journals and presentations at scientific congresses, seminars and meetings is also foreseen.Trial registration number NCT05772806

Forecasting Chikungunya spread in the Americas via data-driven empirical approaches

Background Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is endemic to Africa and Asia, but the Asian genotype invaded the Americas in 2013. The fast increase of human infections in the American epidemic emphasized the urgency of developing detailed predictions of case numbers and the potential geographic spread of this disease. Methods We developed a simple model incorporating cases generated locally and cases imported from other countries, and forecasted transmission hotspots at the level of countries and at finer scales, in terms of ecological features. Results By late January 2015, >1.2 M CHIKV cases were reported from the Americas, with country-level prevalences between nil and more than 20 %. In the early stages of the epidemic, exponential growth in case numbers was common; later, however, poor and uneven reporting became more common, in a phenomenon we term "surveillance fatigue." Economic activity of countries was not associated with prevalence, but diverse social factors may be linked to surveillance effort and reporting. Conclusions Our model predictions were initially quite inaccurate, but improved markedly as more data accumulated within the Americas. The data-driven methodology explored in this study provides an opportunity to generate descriptive and predictive information on spread of emerging diseases in the short-term under simple models based on open-access tools and data that can inform early-warning systems and public health intelligence