Challenges in the diagnosis and follow-up of Cushing's syndrome: Evaluating LC-MS/MS as a confirmation method for urinary free cortisol analyses.

24-h urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurements are fundamental in the diagnosis and follow-up of Cushinǵs syndrome (CS) and immunoassays (IA) are the most widely used tests for its quantification in clinical laboratory practice. However, their suitability has been questioned mainly due to their limitations concerning analytical specificity. The aim of this research project was to evaluate a novel algorithm for CS diagnosis and follow-up in the clinical laboratory, based on the combination of IA tests with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for UFC quantification.

Prospective validation of the EASL management algorithm for acute kidney injury in cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: The management of acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhosis is challenging. The EASL guidelines proposed an algorithm for the management of AKI, but this has never been validated. We aimed to prospectively evaluate this algorithm in clinical practice.

Exploring a holistic training program on tactical behavior and psychological components of elite soccer players throughout competition season: a pilot study.

This study aimed to assess the effects of a training program, considering an ecological/holistic perspective, on both tactical behavior (i.e., principles of play; PP) and psychological aspects (i.

Alcoholic Foamy Degeneration, an Entity Resembling Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis: Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Molecular Profiling.

Background & Aims: Alcoholic foamy degeneration (AFD) is a condition with similar clinical presentation to alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), but with a specific histologic pattern. Information regarding the prevalence and prognosis of AFD is scarce and there are no tools for a noninvasive diagnosis.

Methods: A cohort of patients admitted to the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona for clinical suspicion of AH who underwent liver biopsy was included.

Detection of doping control sample substitutions via single nucleotide polymorphism-based ID typing.

The authenticity of a doping control sample is a key element of sports drug testing programmes. Doping control sample manipulation by providing another individual's urine or blood (instead of the tested athlete's sample) has been observed in the past and is an unequivocal violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency anti-doping rules. To determine attempts of manipulations by sample swapping, the utility of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based sample authentication with a multi-target SNP panel was assessed.

Investigations into Annona fruit consumption as a potential source of dietary higenamine intake in the context of sports drug testing.

Higenamine is prohibited in sports as a β -agonist by the World Anti-Doping Agency. As a key component of a great variety of plants, including the Annonaceae family, one aim of this research project was to evaluate whether the ingestion of Annona fruit could lead to higenamine adverse analytical findings. Single-dose administration studies including three Annona species (i.

Examining the immune signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and the impact on neurodevelopment: Protocol of the longitudinal study.

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a valuable opportunity to carry out cohort studies that allow us to advance our knowledge on pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric diseases. One of these opportunities is the study of the relationships between inflammation, brain development and an increased risk of suffering neuropsychiatric disorders. Based on the hypothesis that neuroinflammation during early stages of life is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and confers a greater risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders, we propose a cohort study of SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant women and their newborns.

Targets, Mechanisms and Cytotoxicity of Half-Sandwich Ir(III) Complexes Are Modulated by Structural Modifications on the Benzazole Ancillary Ligand.

Cancers are driven by multiple genetic mutations but evolve to evade treatments targeting specific mutations. Nonetheless, cancers cannot evade a treatment that targets mitochondria, which are essential for tumor progression. Iridium complexes have shown anticancer properties, but they lack specificity for their intracellular targets, leading to undesirable side effects.

Contact pathway in surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Aortic valve replacement is the gold standard treatment for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, but thrombosis of bioprosthetic valves (PVT) remains a concern.

Objective: To analyze the factors involved in the contact pathway during aortic valve replacement and to assess their impact on the development of thromboembolic complications.

Methods: The study was conducted in 232 consecutive patients who underwent: transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR, = 155), and surgical valve replacement (SAVR, = 77) (MUVITAVI project).

Parental stress and life satisfaction: A comparative study of social services users and nonusers from a gender perspective.

The psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) scale have not been verified on the Spanish population. Similarly, the literature on gender differences and parental stress is inconclusive, and there is little evidence of their relationship with life satisfaction. To analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PSS scale, (2) to examine possible gender differences, and (3) to study the relationship between parental stress (PS) and parental rewards (PR) and satisfaction with life (SWL) attending to the possible moderating effect of gender.

Defining a Standard Set of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Patients With Advanced Ovarian Cancer.

Purpose: Advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) and its treatment cause several symptoms and impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aim to reach a consensus on the most relevant patient-reported outcome (PROs), the corresponding measures (PROMs), and measurement frequency during AOC patients' follow-up from patients' and healthcare professionals' (HCP) perspective.

Methods: The project comprised five steps: 1) a literature review, 2) a focus group with patients, 3) a nominal group with HCP, 4) two round-Delphi consultations with patients and HCP, and 5) a final meeting with HCP.

Detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in dried blood spots utilizing manual or automated spot extraction and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA).

Serological test methods to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies represent a major measure to manage the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this communication, test results obtained from minimal-invasively collected dried blood spot (DBS) specimens, which can be sampled 'at home' without the need of medically trained personnel, are compared to conventionally collected venous blood samples. DBS samples were prepared for analysis either manually or by a card extraction robot, and electrochemiluminescence assay (ECLIA) characteristics, assay readout values as well as stability data covering a period of more than 200 days are provided.

Anticancer Activity of Half-Sandwich Ru, Rh and Ir Complexes with Chrysin Derived Ligands: Strong Effect of the Side Chain in the Ligand and Influence of the Metal.

An important challenge in the field of anticancer chemotherapy is the search for new species to overcome the resistance of standard drugs. An interesting approach is to link bioactive ligands to metal fragments. In this work, we have synthesized a set of -cymene-Ru or cyclopentadienyl-M (M = Rh, Ir) complexes with four chrysin-derived pro-ligands with different -OR substituents at position 7 of ring A.

Sequential changes in urinary biomarker levels in patients with cirrhosis and severe hepatorenal syndrome.

Whether tubular injury develops in patients with acute kidney injury owing to hepatorenal syndrome (AKI-HRS) is controversial. We performed repeated measurements of biomarkers of tubular injury during a 14-day period in 60 patients with cirrhosis and AKI (34 with AKI-HRS meeting the classical definition of type 1 HRS and 26 with AKI owing to acute tubular necrosis, AKI-ATN). Nineteen of 34 patients had resolution of AKI-HRS, while the remainder had persistent AKI-HRS.

Chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of the urinary metabolite profile of chlorphenesin observed after dermal application of chlorphenesin-containing sunscreen.

Rationale: Chlorphenesin is an approved biocide frequently used in cosmetics, and its carbamate ester is an approved skeletal muscle relaxant in certain countries for the treatment of discomfort related to skeletal muscle trauma and inflammation. A major urinary metabolite is 4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid (4-CPA), also known as para-chlorophenoxyacetate, which is also employed as a target analyte in sports drug testing to detect the use of the prohibited nootropic stimulant meclofenoxate. To distinguish between 4-CPA resulting from chlorphenesin, chlorphenesin carbamate, and meclofenoxate, urinary metabolite profiles of chlorphenesin after legitimate use were investigated.

Maternal obesity reverses the resistance to LPS-induced adverse pregnancy outcome and increases female offspring metabolic alterations in cannabinoid receptor 1 knockout mice.

Maternal overnutrition negatively impacts the offspring's health leading to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases or metabolic syndrome in adulthood. What we eat affects the endocannabinoid system (eCS) activity, which in turn modulates lipogenesis and fatty acids utilization in hepatic, muscle, and adipose tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the transgenerational effect of maternal obesity on cannabinoid receptor 1 knock-out (CB1 KO) animals in combination with a postnatal obesogenic diet on the development of metabolic disturbances on their offspring.

Interaction between metabolic syndrome and alcohol consumption, risk factors of liver fibrosis: A population-based study.

Background And Aims: Alcohol and metabolic syndrome (MS) coexist frequently as cofactors of liver disease. Previous studies suggest a deleterious effect of MS in advanced alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD). However, it is unknow whether MS can increase the risk of liver fibrosis in early stages of ArLD.

Elimination profiles of microdosed ostarine mimicking contaminated products ingestion.

The possibility of nutritional supplement contamination with minute amounts of the selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) ostarine has become a major concern for athletes and result managing authorities. In case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF), affected athletes need to provide conclusive information, demonstrating that the test result originates from a contamination scenario rather than doping. The aim of this research project was to study the elimination profiles of microdosed ostarine and characterize the time-dependent urinary excretion of the drug and selected metabolites.

Self-Consistent Mean Field Calculations of Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Mixtures in Solution and upon Adsorption onto Negatively Charged Surfaces.

Self-Consistent Mean-Field Calculations (SCF) have provided a semi-quantitative description of the physico-chemical behavior of six different polyelectrolyte-surfactant mixtures. The SCF calculations performed showed that both the formation of polymer-surfactant in bulk and the adsorption of the formed complexes onto negatively-charged surfaces are strongly affected by the specific nature of the considered systems, with the polymer-surfactant interactions playing a central role in the self-assembly of the complexes that, in turn, affects their adsorption onto interfaces and surfaces. This work evidences that SCF calculations are a valuable tool for deepening on the understanding of the complex physico-chemical behavior of polyelectrolyte-surfactant mixtures.

Detection of ostreid herpesvirus-1 in plankton and seawater samples at an estuary scale.

Ostreid herpesvirus-1 (OsHV-1) is known to associate with particles in seawater, leading to infection and disease in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. The estuarine environment is highly complex and changeable, and this needs to be considered when collecting environmental samples for pathogen detection. The aims of this study were to (1) compare different aspects of collecting natural seawater and plankton samples for detection of OsHV-1 DNA and (2) determine whether detection of OsHV-1 DNA in such environmental samples has merit for disease risk prediction.

Transcytosis of Bacillus subtilis extracellular vesicles through an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell model.

Bacterial EVs have been related to inter-kingdom communication between probiotic/pathogenic bacteria and their hosts. Our aim was to investigate the transcytosis process of B. subtilis EVs using an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell model.

Biological activity and photocatalytic properties of a naphthyl-imidazo phenanthroline (HNAIP) ligand and its [Ir(ppy)(HNAIP)]Cl and [Rh(ppy)(HNAIP)]Cl complexes.

The synthesized 2-(hydroxy-1-naphtyl)imidazo-[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (HNAIP) ligand and its new iridium ([Ir(ppy)(HNAIP)]Cl) and rhodium ([Rh(ppy)(HNAIP)]Cl) complexes, being ppy = 2-phenylpiridinate, show cytotoxic effects in SW480 (colon adenocarcinoma) and A549 (epithelial lung adenocarcinoma) cells. They all are cytotoxic in the tested cell lines. HNAIP and [Rh(ppy)(HNAIP)] are the most cytotoxic, whereas [Ir(ppy)(HNAIP)] displays negligible cytotoxicity towards A549 cells and moderate activity towards SW480.