Polymer/silica (PS) nanocomposites are, among numerous combinations of inorganic/organic nanocomposites, one of the most important materials reported in the literature and have been employed in a wide variety of applications. Due to this great interest in the scientific and industry community, knowledge about their physiochemistry allows for a better understanding of their development and improvement. One area of interest found in biopolymers is silica, where silica nanoparticles can be used to increase their mechanical properties and give them higher opportunities to replace synthetic plastics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a lack of knowledge about the real incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with COVID-19, their clinical characteristics, and their prognoses.
Objective: We investigated the incidence, clinical characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of ACS in patients with COVID-19 in the emergency department.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all COVID-19 patients diagnosed with ACS in 62 Spanish emergency departments between March and April 2020 (the first wave of COVID-19).
The bioethics research conducted in Ibero-American countries has been very much restricted to its own realm. The aim of this study was to perform a bibliometric evaluation of bioethics papers by authors affiliated with Ibero-American institutions, and to determine how their work influences global bioethics literature. We performed a literature search in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS CC) and Scopus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: This article is a reasoned response to the article by Timothy F. Murphy, recently published in the prestigious journal , on the supposed opposition between the views of the Catholic Church and what he calls "contemporary science" in relation to certain anthropological issues linked to the gender perspective. To point to "the Vatican" as anchored in an unscientific and anachronistic position, using the term contemporary science to which he attributes a unanimous representation of current scientific thinking on the subject is, in our view, unfounded and completely unacceptable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Adherence is a cornerstone of factor VIII prophylactic treatment. Information regarding the factors with potential influence on adherence is limited, particularly in adult patients.
Aim: To assess adherence in adult patients with severe haemophilia A receiving prophylactic treatment in a real-life setting, and investigate the factors influencing adherence.
Unlabelled: The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has declared the moral liceity of hysterectomy when certain medical criteria are met but does not exclude other options, "for example, recourse to infertile periods or total abstinence." Consequently, there may be couples who prefer to use natural family planning (NFP) methods. We shall refer to these in this article.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The appearance of MDR strains and the development of biofilms make Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections a therapeutic challenge. To overcome this scenario, bacteriocins have been proposed as a potential adjuvant or alternative to antibiotic treatment.
Objectives: To study the activity of R-pyocins on biofilms and in a murine model of pneumonia using a high-risk clone of P.
The migration of cancer cells is highly regulated by the biomechanical properties of their local microenvironment. Using 3D scaffolds of simple composition, several aspects of cancer cell mechanosensing (signal transduction, EMC remodeling, traction forces) have been separately analyzed in the context of cell migration. However, a combined study of these factors in 3D scaffolds that more closely resemble the complex microenvironment of the cancer ECM is still missing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrob Resist Infect Control
July 2020
Background: causes frequently nosocomial infections worldwide. Its ability to survive on dry surfaces facilitates its spread and the persistence of endemic situations, especially in the intensive care units (ICUs).The objective of this paper is to describe a multicomponent intervention program designed to control a hyperendemic persistence of multidrug-resistant (MDR-Ab) and to characterize its impact.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis the most frequent Gram-negative bacilli involved in intra-abdominal infections. However, despite high mortality rates associated with biliary tract infections due to , there is no study focusing on this pathogen. In this study, we have characterized a group of 15 isolates obtained from 12 patients with biliary tract infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Escherichia coli is characterized by three resistance patterns to β-lactams/β-lactamase inhibitors (BLs/BLIs): (i) resistance to ampicillin/sulbactam and susceptibility to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and piperacillin/tazobactam (RSS); (ii) resistance to ampicillin/sulbactam and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and susceptibility to piperacillin/tazobactam (RRS); and (iii) resistance to ampicillin/sulbactam, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and piperacillin/tazobactam (RRR). These resistance patterns are acquired consecutively, indicating a potential risk of developing resistance to piperacillin/tazobactam, but the precise mechanism of this process is not completely understood.
Methods: Clinical isolates incrementally pressured by piperacillin/tazobactam selection in vitro and in vivo were used.
Objective: To evaluate if the in vitro activity of ampicillin increases when combined with ceftriaxone.
Methods: The activity of ampicillin and ceftriaxone was evaluated against six Listeria monocytogenes invasive clinical isolates. Ampicillin and ceftriaxone MICs were determined by the broth microdilution method.
The adaptation of the CRISPR system as a genetic editing tool has led to a revolution in many fields of application, as this technique is considerably faster, easier to perform and more efficient than predecessor techniques. However, some of these applications raise objective ethical issues that must be addressed. In this paper we discuss, based on the most recent data, the different issues related to CRISPR applications on the germ line, its introduction in clinical trials, the genetic edition of animals and plants for human consumption and the novel gene drive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)
February 2020
Listeria monocytogenes is an important cause of meningoencephalitis associated with high mortality. The treatment of choice for listeriosis is ampicillin alone or in combination with gentamicin or penicillin G. However, only low ampicillin concentrations are recorded in the central nervous system (CNS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Continuous antimicrobial resistance surveillance is recommended by Public Health authorities. We up-dated data from the SMART (Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends) surveillance study in Spain.
Methods: The antimicrobial susceptibility data and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in isolates recovered from intra-abdominal (IAI) (n=1,429) and urinary tract (UTI) (n=937) infections during the 2016- 2017 SMART study in 10 Spanish hospitals were analysed.
Surrogate motherhood is an assisted procreation practice by which a woman gestates an embryo with which she has no biological relationship on behalf of a contracting couple or individual, having to relinquish the child to them after its birth. This practice normally entails a financial remuneration for the pregnant woman; when this is not the case, it is called altruistic surrogacy. From a medical perspective, potential problems for the surrogate and for children born through this practice should be taken into account, especially the existence of possible disabilities in the child.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)
May 2019
Introduction: The genus Aspergillus contains more than 300 species, which are divided into closely related groups called sections. Molecular studies have revealed numerous cryptic species within different sections of this genus, which have different profiles of antifungal susceptibility and lack diagnostic morphological features. However, there are few studies on the prevalence and in vitro antifungal susceptibility of the cryptic species of this genus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The appearance and dissemination of MDR among pathogenic bacteria has forced the search for new antimicrobials. Bacteriocins have been proposed as potential alternatives for the treatment of infections due to multiresistant strains.
Objectives: To analyse the activity of R-pyocins against clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from patients with cystic fibrosis and other sources and evaluate them as a potential adjuvant or alternative to the current antibiotic treatment.
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)
February 2019
Introduction: Development of secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH) in the context of typhoid fever (TF) is a very rare but serious complication.
Methods: Description of the first pediatric case of typhoid fever acquired in a non-endemic area complicated by sHLH. A systematic literature review of sHLH in the context of TF was performed with extraction of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data.
Objectives: Dactylitis is a typical feature of psoriatic arthritis. However, dactylitis was included as a spondyloarthritis (SpA) feature for both (axial and peripheral) of the ASAS classification criteria, but data about its prevalence are scarce, especially in patients with a recent onset of the disease. Our objective was to determine the prevalence and characteristics associated with dactylitis in patients with early SpA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The SMART (Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends) surveillance study monitors antimicrobial susceptibility and extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in Gram-negative bacilli recovered from intra-abdominal infections (IAI).
Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility of 5,343 isolates from IAI recovered in 11 centres during the 2011-2015 SMART-Spain program was analysed by standard microdilution (EUCAST criteria) and compared with that from 2002-2010. ESBLs were phenotypically detected.
In the present work, we use an exceptional database including 5,359 records of 101 species of Oman's terrestrial reptiles together with spatial tools to infer the spatial patterns of species richness and endemicity, to infer the habitat preference of each species and to better define conservation priorities, with especial focus on the effectiveness of the protected areas in preserving this unique arid fauna. Our results indicate that the sampling effort is not only remarkable from a taxonomic point of view, with multiple observations for most species, but also for the spatial coverage achieved. The observations are distributed almost continuously across the two-dimensional climatic space of Oman defined by the mean annual temperature and the total annual precipitation and across the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the multivariate climatic space and are well represented within 17 out of the 20 climatic clusters grouping 10% of the explained climatic variance defined by PC1 and PC2.
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