Unravelling the mechanisms that drive the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production

The increasing interest and applications of photocatalysis, namely hydrogen production, artificial photosynthesis, and water remediation and disinfection, still face several drawbacks that prevent this technology from being fully implemented at the industrial level. The need to improve the performance of photocatalytic processes and extend their potential working under visible light has boosted the synthesis of new and more efficient semiconductor materials. Thus far, semiconductor–semiconductor heterojunction is the most remarkable alternative. Not only are the characteristics of the new materials relevant to the process performance, but also a deep understanding of the charge transfer mechanisms and the relationship with the process variables and nature of the semiconductors. However, there are several different charge transfer mechanisms responsible for the activity of the composites regardless the synthesis materials. In fact, different mechanisms can be carried out for the same junction. Focusing primarily on the photocatalytic generation of hydrogen, the objective of this review is to unravel the charge transfer mechanisms after the in-depth analyses of already reported literature and establish the guidelines for future research.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (grant numbers RTI2018-099407-B-I00 and RTI2018-093310-B-I00 MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE)

Tumours in the pineal region in the paediatric age: Reports of 23 cases and a review of the literature

Introducción. Los tumores de la región pineal se localizan en una encrucijada de estructuras neurovasculares de difícil acceso quirúrgico y limitadas posibilidades de resección; por ello, el manejo de estas lesiones habitualmente requiere la asociación de tratamiento adyuvante radioterápico y/o quimioterápico. Pacientes y métodos. Análisis retrospectivo de las características epidemiológicas, clínicas, neurorradiológicas y anatomopatológicas de 23 pacientes con tumores de la región pineal tratados entre los años 1997 y 2010 en el Hospital Infantil Niño Jesús. Se discuten los factores implicados en el pronóstico de esta cohorte tras el tratamiento quirúrgico o adyuvante. Resultados. El estudio incluyó 6 niñas y 17 niños con edades comprendidas entre los 4 meses y 18 años. El 95% de los pacientes comenzó con signos de hidrocefalia aguda o subaguda, que precisaron la implantación de una derivación ventriculoperitoneal (82%). Se obtuvo una muestra histológica tumoral en todos los casos. Cinco pacientes fueron biopsiados y 18 fueron intervenidos mediante craneotomía. El germinoma (ocho casos) y el teratoma maduro (un caso) fueron los tumores con mayor supervivencia; los tumores no germinomatosos (tres casos), del parénquima pineal (cuatro casos) y gliomas (cinco casos) presentaron mayor tasa de recidiva y un peor pronóstico. Conclusión. El estudio de marcadores tumorales permite orientar el diagnóstico de determinados tumores de la región pineal. Actualmente, se recomienda realizar una toma histológica tumoral para establecer un diagnóstico preciso y un tratamiento oncológico específicoIntroduction. Tumours in the pineal region are located at a meeting point of several neurovascular structures that are difficult to reach surgically and for which the possibility of resection is limited; as a result the management of these lesions usually requires associated adjunctive treatment with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Patients and methods. This study is a retrospective analysis of the epidemiological, clinical, neuroimaging and pathological characteristics of 23 patients with tumours in the pineal region who were treated between the years 1997 and 2010 in the Hospital Infantil Niño Jesús. The factors involved in the prognosis of this cohort following surgical or adjunctive treatment are also discussed. Results. Subjects included in the study were 6 girls and 17 boys with ages ranging from 4 months to 18 years. It was found that the initial symptoms in 95% of the patients were signs of acute or subacute hydrocephalus, which required the placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (82%). A histological sample of the tumour tissue was collected in all cases. Biopsy samples were taken in the case of five patients and 18 underwent surgery involving a craniotomy. Germinoma (eight cases) and mature teratoma (one case) were the tumours with the longest survival times; non-germinomatous tumours (three cases), those of the pineal parenchyma (four cases) and gliomas (five cases) presented the highest rates of recurrence and a poorer prognosis. Conclusions. The study of tumour markers can be used to guide the diagnosis of certain tumours of the pineal region. At present, the recommended procedure involves taking a histological sample of the tumour in order to establish an accurate diagnosis and a specific oncological treatmen

Síndrome de aorta media congénito en la edad adulta. A propósito de un caso

We present the case of a 35-year-old patient with a diagnosis of congenital middle aortic syndrome corrected in childhood with aortic bypass interposition of a Dacron conduit. During follow-up, she was diagnosed with arterial hypertension, for which antihypertensive treatment was started and a stent was implanted in the conduit. A control CT of the aorta revealed a rib lesion suggestive of osteochondroma that compressed the duct. Cardiac catheterization confirmed hemodynamic stenosis due to extrinsic compression of the rib lesion at the level of the previously implanted stent. The CT imaging study helped to diagnose a complication at the level of the aorta that was  undetected in other imaging techniques.Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 35 años con diagnóstico de síndrome de aorta media congénita corregida en la infancia con bypass aórtico con interposición de un conducto de dacrón. Durante el seguimiento fue diagnosticada de hipertensión arterial por lo que se inició tratamiento antihipertensivo y se implantó un stent en el conducto. En un TC de aorta de control se apreció una lesión costal sugestiva de osteocondroma que comprimía el conducto. Se realizó un cateterismo cardiaco que confirmó la estenosis hemodinámica por compresión extrínseca de la lesión costal a nivel del stent implantado previamente. El estudio con imagen con TC ayudó a diagnosticar una complicación a nivel de la aorta que había pasado desapercibida en otras técnicas de imagen

Epidemiological trends of HIV/HCV coinfection in Spain, 2015-2019

Altres ajuts: Spanish AIDS Research Network; European Funding for Regional Development (FEDER).Objectives: We assessed the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and active HCV infection (HCV-RNA-positive) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Spain in 2019 and compared the results with those of four similar studies performed during 2015-2018. Methods: The study was performed in 41 centres. Sample size was estimated for an accuracy of 1%. Patients were selected by random sampling with proportional allocation. Results: The reference population comprised 41 973 PLWH, and the sample size was 1325. HCV serostatus was known in 1316 PLWH (99.3%), of whom 376 (28.6%) were HCV antibody (Ab)-positive (78.7% were prior injection drug users); 29 were HCV-RNA-positive (2.2%). Of the 29 HCV-RNA-positive PLWH, infection was chronic in 24, it was acute/recent in one, and it was of unknown duration in four. Cirrhosis was present in 71 (5.4%) PLWH overall, three (10.3%) HCV-RNA-positive patients and 68 (23.4%) of those who cleared HCV after anti-HCV therapy (p = 0.04). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies decreased steadily from 37.7% in 2015 to 28.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001); the prevalence of active HCV infection decreased from 22.1% in 2015 to 2.2% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Uptake of anti-HCV treatment increased from 53.9% in 2015 to 95.0% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In Spain, the prevalence of active HCV infection among PLWH at the end of 2019 was 2.2%, i.e. 90.0% lower than in 2015. Increased exposure to DAAs was probably the main reason for this sharp reduction. Despite the high coverage of treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents, HCV-related cirrhosis remains significant in this population

Incidence, Clinical Characteristics and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Spain : Large-Scale Epidemiological Study

(1) Aims: To assess the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Spain, to describe the main epidemiological and clinical characteristics at diagnosis and the evolution of the disease, and to explore the use of drug treatments. (2) Methods: Prospective, population-based nationwide registry. Adult patients diagnosed with IBD-Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBD-U)-during 2017 in Spain were included and were followed-up for 1 year. (3) Results: We identified 3611 incident cases of IBD diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals covering over 22 million inhabitants. The overall incidence (cases/100,000 person-years) was 16 for IBD, 7.5 for CD, 8 for UC, and 0.5 for IBD-U; 53% of patients were male and median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 31-56 years). During a median 12-month follow-up, 34% of patients were treated with systemic steroids, 25% with immunomodulators, 15% with biologics and 5.6% underwent surgery. The percentage of patients under these treatments was significantly higher in CD than UC and IBD-U. Use of systemic steroids and biologics was significantly higher in hospitals with high resources. In total, 28% of patients were hospitalized (35% CD and 22% UC patients, p < 0.01). (4) Conclusion: The incidence of IBD in Spain is rather high and similar to that reported in Northern Europe. IBD patients require substantial therapeutic resources, which are greater in CD and in hospitals with high resources, and much higher than previously reported. One third of patients are hospitalized in the first year after diagnosis and a relevant proportion undergo surgery

Correction : Chaparro et al. Incidence, Clinical Characteristics and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Spain: Large-Scale Epidemiological Study. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10, 2885

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation in the morphotropic phase boundary of molybdenum doped LaCoO3-δ perovskite

Perovskite oxides, with an ABO3 general formula, have attracted much attention as effective peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activators because of their composition adjustability and chemical stability. A doping strategy has been applied to enhance the PMS activation capability with the modulation of the crystal structure of the parent LaCoO3-δ perovskite by substituting Co atoms located at the B-site, with high valence state transition metals. Herein, a series of LaCo1-xMoxO3-δ perovskites were prepared with different Mo content, showing a phase transformation from rhombohedral to cubic-like structures. LaCo0.95Mo0.05O3-δ compound is located at the so-called morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) boosting PMS activation performance as well as enhanced stability. The presence of local inhomogeneities, observed as oxygen vacancies, has been detected in the MPB region enhancing the catalytic effect of pollutant degradation. Mo doping induced Co reduction that contributed to the enhanced PMS activation. Sulfate radical was identified to be the dominating reactive specie for LaCo1-xMoxO3-δ catalyzed PMS activation. This work contributes first, to clarifying the role of Mo doping to boost PMS activation, and second to highlighting the crucial role of the reduced oxidation state as well as the oxygen vacancies in the MPB for PMS activation. Impressive results were obtained when LaCo0.95Mo0.05O3-δ compound was deposited in a Lab-grade photoreactor with LED technology, reaching a complete removal of paracetamol in the first minute. This study provided new insight into the rational design of PMS activator and developed a new strategy for heterogeneous active PMS at a photoreactor with immobilized catalysts.Authors are also indebted with Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) for funding through the grant number MAT2017-84385-R and Fundación Ramón Areces through PR2007-18/02 project. XAS experiments were performed at the CLÆSS beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. Studies with deposited catalyst were conducted at the Universidad de Cantabria (Spain) from the “Supports for short stays of researchers from other institutions at the Universidad de Cantabria during the year 2021”

La cueva de El Cierro (Fresnu, Ribasedesella). Campañas de excavación e investigación 1977-1979, 2014 y 2016

El Cierro se localiza en Fresnu, en el concejo de Ribadesella (Asturias). Sus coordenadas geográficas son 43º 27’ 26’’ de latitud N y 5º 06’ 20’’ de longitud O. Se sitúa a unos 83 m sobre el nivel del mar, del que dista en la actualidad 3,1 km en línea recta a la desembocadura del río Sella y 2,1 km a los acantilados de Tereñes. La cueva se encuentra en el extremo oriental del macizo asturiano de la Cordillera Cantábrica, en un sector formado por materiales paleozoicos de la Zona Cantábrica del Macizo Ibérico. Se trata de una cavidad kárstica situada en las calizas de La Escalada, del Carbonífero (Moscoviense), constituidas por calizas micríticas y bioclásticas de color gris y muy recristalizadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio