Lo que escucha la Vasconcelos. La voz de los usuarios de la mayor biblioteca pública de México

Vasconcelos Public Library, in Mexico City, in a different way: beyond the impressive figures of this large library created in 2006, they give the floor to some of their users to tell how the library is already part of their daily lives. A mother of a family, an adult educator, a young woman with her two-year-old daughter, a homeless man and a victim of the 1985 earthquake in the Mexican capital are some of the voices that listen to the walls of the Vasconcelos Public Library

Ten years after the Prestige Oil Spill: seabird trophic ecology as indicator of long-term effects on the coastal marine ecosystem

Major oil spills can have long-term impacts since oil pollution does not only result in acute mortality of marine organisms, but also affects productivity levels, predator-prey dynamics, and damages habitats that support marine communities. However, despite the conservation implications of oil accidents, the monitoring and assessment of its lasting impacts still remains a difficult and daunting task. Here, we used European shags to evaluate the overall, lasting effects of the Prestige oil spill (2002) on the affected marine ecosystem. Using δ15N and Hg analysis, we trace temporal changes in feeding ecology potentially related to alterations of the food web due to the spill. Using climatic and oceanic data, we also investigate the influence of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, the sea surface temperature (SST) and the chlorophyll a (Chl a) on the observed changes. Analysis of δ15N and Hg concentrations revealed that after the Prestige oil spill, shag chicks abruptly switched their trophic level from a diet based on a high percentage of demersal-benthic fish to a higher proportion of pelagic/semi-pelagic species. There was no evidence that Chl a, SST and NAO reflected any particular changes or severity in environmental conditions for any year or season that may explain the sudden change observed in trophic level. Thus, this study highlighted an impact on the marine food web for at least three years. Our results provide the best evidence to date of the long-term consequences of the Prestige oil spill. They also show how, regardless of wider oceanographic variability, lasting impacts on predator-prey dynamics can be assessed using biochemical markers. This is particularly useful if larger scale and longer term monitoring of all trophic levels is unfeasible due to limited funding or high ecosystem complexity

Mucilage of Opuntia ficus indica as natural excipient potential of cosmetic products

El mucílago de Opuntia es un fitoingrediente atractivo por su habilidad para retener agua ymodificar propiedades como viscosidad, elasticidad y textura. Los objetivos del trabajofueron evaluar las características fisicoquímicas, la actividad antioxidante y la potencialtoxicidad de mucílagos obtenidos de Opuntia ficus indica para su posible uso enfitocosmética. Las pencas fueron lavadas, despinadas, cortadas y secadas en estufa hastapeso constante. Para la obtención de los mucílagos, otra porción de las pencas cortadas fuelicuada con agua tibia (1:6) y dividida en tres fracciones. La fracción M1 fue macerada enbaño termostatizado, la M2 fue sometida a agitación a 6000 rpm, ambos procedimientos serealizaron por 1 h a 80°C, se filtraron y precipitaron con etanol (1:3). La fracción M3 partióde la misma técnica de M1, con una centrifugación previa a la precipitación. Los productosse secaron en estufa a 40 °C, se pulverizaron y caracterizaron por espectroscopía IR. Secuantificó el contenido de clorofilas y se determinaron los atributos de color (CIELAB). Secalculó la capacidad de retención de agua (CRA) y la solubilidad en distintos sistemas desolventes. Por último, se prepararon suspensiones (1% p/v) para medir pH, actividadsecuestrante de radicales libres con DDPH e irritabilidad in vitro mediante la técnica HETCAM.El contenido de agua superó el 90%. Los rendimientos de extracción fueron 1,15%(M1), 1,18 % (M2) y 0,49% (M3). Los espectros IR mostraron bandas típicas depolisacáridos. El contenido de clorofila fue superior en M1, mientras que resultó más bajoen M3. La CRA para los tres mucílagos fue cercana a 1 g/g. M3 mostró mejor solubilidadNaturalia Patagónica Vol. 16 (2020) 143-157. Aplicaciones del Mucílago de Opuntia ficus indica. en los distintos sistemas solventes. Todos los mucílagos presentaron un ángulo de tono (h*)amarillo-verdoso y alta luminosidad. Los valores de pH de las suspensiones estuvieron entre5,07 y 6,50. Si bien todos mostraron capacidad antioxidante, M2 presentó la mayor actividadde depuración. Ninguno resultó irritante. La agitación contribuyó a mejorar la actividadantioxidante y la centrifugación previa a la precipitación aumentó la solubilidad. Por lo tanto,en futuras extracciones se implementará una combinación de ambas técnicas.Opuntia mucilage is an attractive phytoingredient due to its ability to retain water and modify properties such as viscosity, elasticity and texture. The aims of this work were to evalúate the physicochemical characteristics, the antioxidant activity, and the potential toxicity of mucilages obtained from Opuntia ficus indica for its possible use in phytocosmetics. The cladodes were washed, de-stoned, cut, and put into a stove to constant weight. To obtain the mucilage, another portion of the cut cladodes was liquefied with warm water (1:6) and divided into three fractions. The MI fraction was macerated in a thermostatic bath, the M2 was stirred at 6000 rpm, both procedures were performed for 1 h at 80°C, filtered and precipitated with ethanol (1:3). For the M3 fraction the same technique was used as for MI but with a centrifugation before precipitation. The producís were dried in an oven at 40 °C, powdered and characterized by IR spectroscopy. Chlorophyll contení was quantifíed and color attributes (CIELAB) were determined. Water holding capacity (WHC) and solubility in different solvent Systems were calculated. Finally, suspensions (1% w/v) were prepared to measure pH, free radical scavenging activity with DDPH, and irritability in vitro by HETCAM method. The water content was over 90%. The extraction yields were 1.15% (MI), 1.18% (M2) and 0.49% (M3). IR spectra showed typical polysaccharide bands. The chlorophyll content was higher in MI, while it was very low in M3. The WHC for the three mucilages was cióse to 1 g/g. M3 showed better solubility in the different solvent Systems. All mucilages had a yellow-green tone angle (h*) and high brightness. The pH valúes of the suspensions were between 5.07 and 6.50. Although all showed antioxidant capacity, M2 presented the highest radical scavenging activity. None of them were irritating. Agitation contributed to improve antioxidant activity and centrifugation prior to precipitation increased solubility. Therefore, a combination of both techniques will be implemented in future extractions.Fil: Diez, Lisi Betiana. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: Pérez Zamora, Cristina Marisel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: Michaluk, Ariel German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez, María Beatriz. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Carola Analía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: González, Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentin

Cutaneous angiomyolipoma in the foot. A case report

El angiomiolipoma cútaneo es la variante de partes blandas de los PEComas o tumores derivados de células epiteliodes perivasculares. Compuesto por múltiples variantes, la más conocida el angiomiolipoma renal (AML), comparten un mismo patrón histológico. Pueden presentarse en múltiples localizaciones como el tracto gastrointestinal, genitourinario o en los tejidos blandos. Son neoplasias histológicamente caracterizadas por abundantes vasos de pared fina acompañados de células perivasculares redondeadas y con citoplasma claro. A nivel inmunohistoquímico, coexpresan marcadores melanogénicos (HMB45, Melan-A o tirosina) junto con marcadores musculares (SMA, actina, miosina, calponina y h-caldesmon).. Sin embargo, su positividad errática y no patognomónica unida a la baja prevalencia, dificulta la identificación y la consideración dentro del diagnóstico diferencial. En este artículo se presenta un caso de angiomiolipoma cutáneo a nivel del pie derecho junto con un repaso breve de este tipo de tumores.Epithelioid angiomyolipoma is a type of perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasms (PEComas) related with soft tissues. Renal angiomyolipoma is the most known type. PEComas can appear in multiple locations such as gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary o soft tissues. Different variants share a histologic pattern characterized by abundant thin-walled vessels surrounded by perivascular cells with clear cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical stains reveal melanogenic markers (HMB45, Melan-A, or tyrosine) in addition to muscle markers (SMA, actin, myosin, calponin, and h-caldesmon). However, erratic and not pathognomonic positivity united to low prevalence, complicates differential diagnosis. We report a case of right foot cutaneous angiomyolipoma with a brief review of these tumours

Factors associating with differences in the incidence of renal replacement therapy among elderly : data from the ERA-EDTA Registry

Background. The incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the general population >= 75 years of age varies considerably between countries and regions in Europe. Our aim was to study characteristics and survival of elderly RRT patients and to find explanations for differences in RRT incidence. Methods. Patients >= 75 years of age at the onset of RRT in 2010-2013 from 29 national or regional registries providing data to the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association Registry were included. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess variation in patient characteristics and linear regression was used to study the association between RRT incidence and various factors. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were employed for survival analyses. Results. The mean annual incidence of RRT in the age group >= 75 years of age ranged from 157 to 924 per million age-related population. The median age at the start of RRT was higher and comorbidities were less common in areas with higher RRT incidence, but overall the association between patient characteristics and RRT incidence was weak. The unadjusted survival was lower in high-incidence areas due to an older age at onset of RRT, but the adjusted survival was similar [relative risk 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.03)] in patients from low- and high-incidence areas. Conclusions. Variation in the incidence of RRT among the elderly across European countries and regions is remarkable and could not be explained by the available data. However, the survival of patients in low-and high-incidence areas was remarkably similar.Peer reviewe

The EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database

The EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/embl), maintained at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) near Cambridge, UK, is a comprehensive collection of nucleotide sequences and annotation from available public sources. The database is part of an international collaboration with DDBJ (Japan) and GenBank (USA). Data are exchanged daily between the collaborating institutes to achieve swift synchrony. Webin is the preferred tool for individual submissions of nucleotide sequences, including Third Party Annotation (TPA) and alignments. Automated procedures are provided for submissions from large-scale sequencing projects and data from the European Patent Office. New and updated data records are distributed daily and the whole EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database is released four times a year. Access to the sequence data is provided via ftp and several WWW interfaces. With the web-based Sequence Retrieval System (SRS) it is also possible to link nucleotide data to other specialist molecular biology databases maintained at the EBI. Other tools are available for sequence similarity searching (e.g. FASTA and BLAST). Changes over the past year include the removal of the sequence length limit, the launch of the EMBLCDSs dataset, extension of the Sequence Version Archive functionality and the revision of quality rules for TPA data

Acceptability and feasibility of a virtual community of practice to primary care professionals regarding patient empowerment : A qualitative pilot study

Background: Virtual communities of practice (vCoPs) facilitate online learning via the exchange of experiences and knowledge between interested participants. Compared to other communities, vCoPs need to overcome technological structures and specific barriers. Our objective was to pilot the acceptability and feasibility of a vCoP aimed at improving the attitudes of primary care professionals to the empowerment of patients with chronic conditions. Methods: We used a qualitative approach based on 2 focus groups: one composed of 6 general practitioners and the other of 6 practice nurses. Discussion guidelines on the topics to be investigated were provided to the moderator. Sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was performed using the ATLAS-ti software. Results: The available operating systems and browsers and the lack of suitable spaces and time were reported as the main difficulties with the vCoP. The vCoP was perceived to be a flexible learning mode that provided up-to-date resources applicable to routine practice and offered a space for the exchange of experiences and approaches. Conclusions: The results from this pilot study show that the vCoP was considered useful for learning how to empower patients. However, while vCoPs have the potential to facilitate learning and as shown create professional awareness regarding patient empowerment, attention needs to be paid to technological and access issues and the time demands on professionals. We collected relevant inputs to improve the features, content and educational methods to be included in further vCoP implementation. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02757781. Registered on 25 April 2016

Acceptability and feasibility of a virtual community of practice to primary care professionals regarding patient empowerment: A qualitative pilot study

Background: Virtual communities of practice (vCoPs) facilitate online learning via the exchange of experiences and knowledge between interested participants. Compared to other communities, vCoPs need to overcome technological structures and specific barriers. Our objective was to pilot the acceptability and feasibility of a vCoP aimed at improving the attitudes of primary care professionals to the empowerment of patients with chronic conditions. Methods: We used a qualitative approach based on 2 focus groups: one composed of 6 general practitioners and the other of 6 practice nurses. Discussion guidelines on the topics to be investigated were provided to the moderator. Sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was performed using the ATLAS-ti software. Results: The available operating systems and browsers and the lack of suitable spaces and time were reported as the main difficulties with the vCoP. The vCoP was perceived to be a flexible learning mode that provided up-to-date resources applicable to routine practice and offered a space for the exchange of experiences and approaches. Conclusions: The results from this pilot study show that the vCoP was considered useful for learning how to empower patients. However, while vCoPs have the potential to facilitate learning and as shown create professional awareness regarding patient empowerment, attention needs to be paid to technological and access issues and the time demands on professionals. We collected relevant inputs to improve the features, content and educational methods to be included in further vCoP implementation. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02757781. Registered on 25 April 2016.This study was financed by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Cofinanced by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Gobierno de España. (PI15/00164, PI15/00586, PI15/00566