Relationship between Investigative Biomarkers and Radiographic Grading in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective. To examine new investigative biomarkers and their relevance for radiographic severity in knee osteoarthritis. Methods. The group comprised 63 patients with 73 knees examined. Patients were divided according to radiographic severity to allow for comparison of biomarker levels. Hyaluronic acid (HA), matrix metalloproteases (MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-13), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteases (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AB), transformed growth factor (TGF-β), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) were measured on synovial fluid and in plasma releasate at a single time point. Principal component analysis (PCA) followed by analysis of covariance were applied to evaluate data. Results. Four different groups of biomarker were identified in plasma releasates. The first (platelet number, PDGF-AB and TGF-β) and second groups (HA and IGF-I) were related to radiographic severity, P = .005 and P = .022, respectively. The third (MMP-1 and TIMP-2) and fourth groups (MMP-3 and TIMP-1) represented the catabolic balance, but were not associated to radiographic grading. Three different clusters of biomarkers were found in synovial fluid but did not show any significant association to radiographic grading. Conclusions. New imaging approaches to assess structural deterioration and correlation with biomarker levels are warranted to advance in OA research

An Exploration of the Ozone Dimer Potential Energy Surface

The (O3)2 dimer potential energy surface is thoroughly explored at the ab initio CCSD(T) computational level. Five minima are characterized with binding energies between 0.35 and 2.24 kcal/mol. The most stable may be characterized as slipped parallel, with the two O3 monomers situated in parallel planes. Partitioning of the interaction energy points to dispersion and exchange as the prime contributors to the stability, with varying contributions from electrostatic energy, which is repulsive in one case. Atoms in Molecules analysis of the wavefunction presents specific O⋯O bonding interactions, whose number is related to the overall stability of each dimer. All internal vibrational frequencies are shifted to the red by dimerization, particularly the antisymmetric stretching mode whose shift is as high as 111 cm−1. In addition to the five minima, 11 higher-order stationary points are identified

Substituent Effects in the Noncovalent Bonding of SO2 to Molecules containing a Carbonyl Group. The Dominating Role of the Chalcogen Bond

The SO2 molecule is paired with a number of carbonyl-containing molecules, and the properties of the resulting complexes are calculated by high-level ab initio theory. The global minimum of each pair is held together primarily by a S···O chalcogen bond wherein the lone pairs of the carbonyl O transfer charge to the π* antibonding SO orbital, supplemented by smaller contributions from weak CH···O H-bonds. The binding energies vary between 4.2 and 8.6 kcal/mol, competitive with even some of the stronger noncovalent forces such as H-bonds and halogen bonds. The geometrical arrangement places the carbonyl O atom above the plane of the SO2 molecule, consistent with the disposition of the molecular electrostatic potentials of the two monomers. This S···O bond differs from the more commonly observed chalcogen bond in both geometry and origin. Substituents exert their influence via inductive effects that change the availability of the carbonyl O lone pairs as well as the intensity of the negative electrostatic potential surrounding this atom

Determinants of profitability in Spanish financial institutions. Comparing aided and non-aided entities

The last financial crisis has led to the greatest contribution of public funds ever made to Spanish banks. This paper studies why the need for support has been asymmetric, with not all of the institutions requiring aid. Based on profitability of assets (ROA), we determine using panel data econometric and logit response models the components of profit and loss accounts that generated profitability as well as the factors leading to some entities to ask for aid. The analyses show that before the beginning of the crisis there were significant differences between entities that needed aid and those that did not. The most profitable banks grounded their success in the traditional revenue components of financial institutions (such as margin on interest rates and commissions), as well as in revenues obtained from participated companies and extraordinary results. The model offers a tool to detect entities in difficulties in advance, reducing the financial and social costs of public interventions. The factors more impacting on profitability of Spanish institutions are also identifie

A framework for selecting deep learning hyper-parameters

Recent research has found that deep learning architectures show significant improvements over traditional shallow algorithms when mining high dimensional datasets. When the choice of algorithm employed, hyper-parameter setting, number of hidden layers and nodes within a layer are combined, the identification of an optimal configuration can be a lengthy process. Our work provides a framework for building deep learning architectures via a stepwise approach, together with an evaluation methodology to quickly identify poorly performing architectural configurations. Using a dataset with high dimensionality, we illustrate how different architectures perform and how one algorithm configuration can provide input for fine-tuning more complex models

El consejo de administración como mecanismo de gobierno de la empresa: fundamentos teóricos y evidencia empírica en los países de la OCDE

El debate académico y empresarial sobre la eficiencia de los mecanismos de gobierno corporativo se centra en la estructura y funcionamiento de los consejos de administración de las empresas. Este trabajo intenta encontrar evidencia empírica adicional al respecto, analizando el efecto que el tamaño, la composición y modo de funcionamiento de los consejos de administración tienen sobre el valor de la empresa

Efectos sobre la salud humana de los campos magnéticos y eléctricos de muy baja frecuencia (ELF)

El presente documento, promovido por la Dirección General de Seguridad y Salud Laboral de la Consejería de Empleo de la Junta de Andalucía, dentro de la Acción 77 del Plan General de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales 2003-2008, pretende establecer el marco teórico actual de conocimiento sobre los campos ELF; explicar los conceptos fundamentales de los mismos y las fuentes que los generan; establecer los principales efectos biológicos que se producen en los seres humanos a causa de su exposición, y las posibles enfermedades que son motivo de estudio. Asimismo, se establece una comparación entre las dos guías comentadas anteriormente sobre niveles de exposición, y que tienen un reconocimiento importante a nivel internacional. También son objeto de análisis los principales tipos de estudios (epidemiológicos, de laboratorio, etc…); los niveles de exposición poblacionales, tanto para el público en general como para el ocupacional; los métodos de medida e instrumentación empleados; las posibles medidas de protección y prevención; y la normativa relacionada con los campos magnéticos ELF. Se citan además las líneas de investigación recomendadas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud para completar las lagunas existentes de la base científica desarrollada. Finalmente, cabe decir que se ha pretendido citar los principales documentos de recopilaciones bibliográficas, cuya consulta pueda proporcionar información más detallada cuando ésta se requiera.Consejería de Empleo. Junta de Andalucía. Españ