Characterization of stratospheric smoke particles over the antarctica by remote sensing instruments

Australian smoke from the extraordinary biomass burning in December 2019 was observed over Marambio, Antarctica from the 7th to the 10th January, 2020. The smoke plume was transported thousands of kilometers over the Pacific Ocean, and reached the Antarctic Peninsula at a hight of 13 km, as determined by satellite lidar observations. The proposed origin and trajectory of the aerosol are supported by back-trajectory model analyses. Ground-based Sun–Sky–Moon photometer belonging to the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measured aerosol optical depth (500 nm wavelength) above 0.3, which is unprecedented for the site. Inversion of sky radiances provide the optical and microphysical properties of the smoke over Marambio. The AERONET data near the fire origin in Tumbarumba, Australia, was used to investigate the changes in the measured aerosol properties after transport and ageing. The analysis shows an increase in the fine mode particle radius and a reduction in absorption (increase in the single scattering albedo). The available long-term AOD data series at Marambio suggests that smoke particles could have remained over Antarctica for several weeks after the analyzed event.Fil: González, Ramiro. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Toledano, Carlos. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Román, Roberto. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Mateos, David. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Asmi, Eija Maria. Finnish Meteorological Institute; Finlandia. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, Edith. Finnish Meteorological Institute; FinlandiaFil: Lau, Ian C.. Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation Astronomy And Space Science; AustraliaFil: Ferrara, Jonathan. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; ArgentinaFil: D'elia, Raul Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; ArgentinaFil: Antuña Sánchez, Juan Carlos. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Cachorro Revilla, Victoria Eugenia. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Calle, Abel. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: de Frutos Baraja, Ángel Máximo. Universidad de Valladolid; Españ

Estudio del virus papiloma humano en lesiones potencialmente malignas de la cavidad oral

Al Virus Papiloma Humano (VPH) se lo conoce como el agente etiológico del cáncer cervical, no obstante su papel como agente etiológico del cáncer oral es controversial y debe ser estudiado con mayor profundidad. Es difícil comprender el rol del VPH en la carcinogénesis oral debido a las diferentes frecuencias de la infección en lesiones potencialmente malignas (LPM) y en cáncer oral. La leucoplasia verrugosa, líquen queratótico, queratoacantoma, candidiasis crónica y líquen atrófico se definen como LPM. En muchas ocasiones estas lesiones son clínicamente indistinguibles de un carcinoma. El objetivo del trabajo fue determinar la asociación de la presencia del VPH en LPM de la cavidad oral.Fil: Mosmann, Jessica Paola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.Fil: Mosmann, Jessica Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Virología Dr. José María Vanella; ArgentinaFil: Talavera, Angel Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra de Estomatología A; Argentina.Fil: Frutos, María Celia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.Fil: Frutos, María Celia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Virología Dr. José María Vanella; ArgentinaFil: Monetti, Marina Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.Fil: Monetti, Marina Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Virología Dr. José María Vanella; ArgentinaFil: Kiguen, Ana Ximena. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.Fil: Venezuela, Raul Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.Fil: Ferreyra de Prato, Ruth. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra de Anatomía Patológica A; Argentina.Fil: Cuffini, Cecilia Gabriela . Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.Fil: Cuffini, Cecilia Gabriela . Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Virología Dr. José María Vanella; Argentina.Salud Pública y Medioambienta

Early Tracheostomy for Managing ICU Capacity During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study

10 p.Background: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of ventilators and ICU beds overwhelmed health care systems. Whether early tracheostomy reduces the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay is controversial. Research question: Can failure-free day outcomes focused on ICU resources help to decide the optimal timing of tracheostomy in overburdened health care systems during viral epidemics? Study design and methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who had undergone tracheostomy in 15 Spanish ICUs during the surge, when ICU occupancy modified clinician criteria to perform tracheostomy in Patients with COVID-19. We compared ventilator-free days at 28 and 60 days and ICU- and hospital bed-free days at 28 and 60 days in propensity score-matched cohorts who underwent tracheostomy at different timings (≤ 7 days, 8-10 days, and 11-14 days after intubation). Results: Of 1,939 patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia, 682 (35.2%) underwent tracheostomy, 382 (56%) within 14 days. Earlier tracheostomy was associated with more ventilator-free days at 28 days (≤ 7 days vs > 7 days [116 patients included in the analysis]: median, 9 days [interquartile range (IQR), 0-15 days] vs 3 days [IQR, 0-7 days]; difference between groups, 4.5 days; 95% CI, 2.3-6.7 days; 8-10 days vs > 10 days [222 patients analyzed]: 6 days [IQR, 0-10 days] vs 0 days [IQR, 0-6 days]; difference, 3.1 days; 95% CI, 1.7-4.5 days; 11-14 days vs > 14 days [318 patients analyzed]: 4 days [IQR, 0-9 days] vs 0 days [IQR, 0-2 days]; difference, 3 days; 95% CI, 2.1-3.9 days). Except hospital bed-free days at 28 days, all other end points were better with early tracheostomy. Interpretation: Optimal timing of tracheostomy may improve patient outcomes and may alleviate ICU capacity strain during the COVID-19 pandemic without increasing mortality. Tracheostomy within the first work on a ventilator in particular may improve ICU availability

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

On-capillary fluorescent labeling and capillary electrophoresis laser-induced fluorescence analysis of glycoforms of intact prostate-specific antigen

Peer Reviewe

CE methods for analysis of isoforms of prostate-specific antigen compatible with online derivatization for LIF detection

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the usual biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa). However, its lack of selectivity has lead to the search for new biomarkers. PSA glyco- sylation seems to depend on the pathophysiological conditions of the individual. Thus, methods to separate PSA isoforms (peaks) to study their role as PCa markers are needed. In this work, CE methods for PSA isoforms separation, based on the use of different dynamic coatings, are developed using UV detection. Three complementary CE methods allowing the separation of 8 or 9 PSA isoforms are selected. The longest method takes only 17 min, while the shortest one separates 9 isoforms in o 8 min. Depending on the isoforms of interest for their use as PCa biomarker, the CE method to be used can be chosen or various of them can be combined. A remarkable aspect of these methods is that the BGEs employed are devoid of compounds with primary amino groups, making the CE methods compatible with fluorescent on-column derivatization through amino residues. As a proof-of-concept, a preliminary result shows that LIF detection of labeled PSA analyzed by one of the three developed methods permits detection of glycoprotein isoforms.Peer reviewe

Immunoaffinity chromatographic isolation of prostate-specific antigen from seminal plasma for capillary electrophoresis analysis of its isoforms

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration in serum has been the biomarker employed for prostate cancer diagnosis in the last two decades. However, new more specific biomarkers allowing a better differentiation of cancer from non-malignant prostate diseases are necessary. Glycosylation of PSA gives rise to different forms of the protein which can be separated into several isoforms by analytical techniques, such as CE. Because PSA glycosylation is influenced by pathological conditions, the CE pattern of PSA isoforms could be different in prostate cancer than in non-malignant prostate diseases. To study this CE pattern of PSA, prior purification of the protein from the biological fluid is mandatory. In this study an immunoaffinity chromatography method which allows PSA purification without altering the CE pattern is developed. An in-house prepared column produced with commercial anti-PSA antibodies is employed. The use of 1. M propionic acid as elution agent provides higher than 40% recovery of high purity PSA. CE analysis of PSA immunopurified from seminal plasma of a healthy individual shows the same 8 peaks as the commercially available PSA standard. Sample preparation only requires dilution with phosphate buffered saline prior to immunoaffinity purification. High repeatability for the sample preparation step was achieved (RSD% for percentage of corrected peak area in the range 0.6-5.3 for CE analysis of three independently purified seminal plasma aliquots compared to range 0.8-4.9 for a given aliquot analyzed three times by CE). IAC of five microliters seminal plasma provided enough PSA to achieve signal/noise ratio larger than 5 for the smallest CE isoforms. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.Peer Reviewe

Analysis of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein isoforms using CE-LIF with fluorescent thiol derivatization

The analysis of glycoprotein isoforms is of high interest in the biomedical field and clinical chemistry. Many studies have demonstrated that some glycoprotein isoforms could serve as biomarkers for several major diseases, such as cancers and vascular diseases, among others. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is a well-established technique to separate glycoprotein isoforms, however, it suffers from limited sensitivity when UV-Vis detection is used. On the other hand, with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection, derivatization reaction to render the proteins fluorescent can destroy the resolution of the isoforms. In this work, a derivatization procedure through the thiol groups of glycoproteins using either 5-(iodoacetamide) fluorescein (5-IAF) or BODIPY iodoacetamide is presented with the model protein of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). The derivatization process presented enabled high-resolution analysis of AGP isoforms by CZE-LIF. The derivatization procedure was successfully applied to label AGP from samples of serum and secretome of artery tissue, enabling the separation of the AGP isoforms by CE-LIF in natural samples at different concentration levels. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Peer Reviewe

Pain, Quality of Life, and Functional Capacity With Topical Sevoflurane Application for Chronic Venous Ulcers: A Retrospective Clinical Study

Introduction: Chronic venous ulcers (CVU) commonly have poorly controlled pain. Report: Thirty patients older than 65 years of age with painful CVU were reviewed. At the initial visit, cleaning without sevoflurane was performed. Cleaning visits with sevoflurane every 2 days for 1 month were scheduled. The results of subsequent treatment with sevoflurane at the first, second, seventh, and twelfth cleanings were analysed. Pain was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS), quality of life by the Charing Cross Venous Leg Ulcer Questionnaire, and functional capacity by the Barthel Index. Discussion: Initial VAS was 8.8±1.3 points and at the twelfth cleaning VAS was 0.8±1 points (p=.001). Latency time ranged between 2 and 7 m and duration ranged between 8 and 18 h. It improved quality of life (83±14 points before treatment vs. 50±14 at the twelfth cleaning) and functional capacity (82±13.3 before treatment vs. 91±11.6 points at the twelfth cleaning) (p=.001). The safety profile was favourable with mild and self limited local cutaneous adverse effects, including pruritus, erythema, and heat. No systemic toxicity was detected. Topical sevoflurane may be a therapeutic alternative for painful CVU with a fast, intense, and long-lasting analgesic effect. Keywords: Analgesic treatment, Pain, Satisfaction, Sevoflurane, Ulcer

Comorbidity identification and referral in atopic dermatitis: a consensus document

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with different comorbidities. Objective To develop evidence-based and practical recommendations for comorbidity detection in patients with AD in daily practice. Methods We employed a modified RAND/UCLA methodology, including a systematic literature review (SLR). A group of six experts on AD was established. We conducted a comprehensive search strategy on Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to June 2020. The selection criteria included studies with AD patients with any comorbidity reporting data on comorbidity prevalence, burden, and management. The included studies quality was assessed. The SLR results were discussed in a nominal group meeting, and several recommendations were generated. The recommendation agreement grade was tested on additional experts through a Delphi process. Results The recommendations cover the following issues: (1) Which comorbidities should be investigated at the first and subsequent visits; (2) how and when should comorbidities be investigated (screening); (3) how should patients with specific comorbidities be referred to confirm their diagnosis and initiate management; (4) specific recommendations to ensure an integral care approach for AD patients with any comorbidity. Conclusions These recommendations seek to guide dermatologists, patients, and other stakeholders in regard to early comorbidity identification and AD patient referral to improve decision-making