Ultrasound use after cardiac surgery.

Surgical complexity as well as comorbidities in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is increasing. Early detection and management of post-surgical complications are key points to reduce morbidity and mortality. Ultrasound technique plays a main rol in cardiopulmonary, hemodynamic and etiological assessment of the critically ill, providing immediate, reliable and, sometimes, conclusive information, clarifying many clinical situations with an inappropiate therapeutic response.

Factors associated with vasoplegic shock in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery and influence on morbidity and mortality of the use of arginine vasopressin as rescue therapy.

Objectives: Analyzing associated factors with vasoplegic shock in the postoperative period of Cardiac Surgery. Analyzing the influence of vasopressin as rescue therapy to first-line treatment with norepinephrine.

Design: Cohort, prospective and observational study.

Evaluating frailty may complement APACHE II in estimating mortality in elderly patients admitted to the ICU after digestive surgery.

Objective: To analyze whether frailty can improve the prediction of mortality in patients admitted to the ICU after digestive surgery.

Design: Prospective, observational, 6-month follow-up study of a cohort of patients admitted to the ICU between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.

Setting: Surgical ICU of a third level hospital.

Evaluating frailty may complement APACHE II in estimating mortality in elderly patients admitted to the ICU after digestive surgery.

Objective: To analyze whether frailty can improve the prediction of mortality in patients admitted to the ICU after digestive surgery.

Design: Prospective, observational, 6-month follow-up study of a cohort of patients admitted to the ICU between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.

Setting: Surgical ICU of a third level hospital.

Benefit of primary percutaneous coronary interventions in the elderly with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Objective: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (P-PCI) has demonstrated its efficacy in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, patients with STEMI ≥75 years receive less P-PCI than younger patients despite their higher in-hospital morbimortality. The objective of this analysis was to determine the effectiveness of P-PCI in patients with STEMI ≥75 years.

Optimization of corn starch acetylation and succinylation using the extrusion process.

Starch chemical modification can be used in order to obtain modified starches (MS) with low affinity to water. Acetylated and succinylated starches whose applications as food ingredient depend upon their degree of substitution (DS) may be produced by esterifying starch through the extrusion process (EP). The Food and Drug Administration recommends a DS of 0.

Analysis by UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS of Phenolic Compounds and HPLC-DAD-Based Determination of Carotenoids in Noni ( Morinda citrifolia L.) Bagasse.

Noni bagasse is usually wasted after the noni juice extraction process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phytochemical composition of noni bagasse (with and without seeds) obtained after a 1 week period of a short-term juice drip-extraction process from over-ripe noni fruit. Totals of free phenolics, flavonoids, condensed tannins, carotenoids, and most of the minerals were higher in bagasse without seeds (NSB) than in bagasse with seeds (WSB), whereas bound phenolics and total and insoluble dietary fiber were higher in WSB than in NSB.

Mechanical, physical and microstructural properties of acetylated starch-based biocomposites reinforced with acetylated sugarcane fiber.

Fiber-reinforced starch-based biocomposites provide an environmentally friendly alternative to replace petroleum-based plastics. Nevertheless, these materials present structural stability problems owing to their hydrophilicity. Therefore, a chemical modification is usually necessary.

Effect of extrusion process on the functional properties of high amylose corn starch edible films and its application in mango ( L.) cv. Tommy Atkins.

Starch is an attractive raw material as ingredient for edible film manufacture because of its low cost, abundant availability, renewability, and biodegradability. Nevertheless, starch based films exhibit several disadvantages such as brittleness and poor mechanical and barrier properties, which restrict its application for food packaging. The use of the extrusion technology as a pretreatment of the casting technique to change the starch structure in order to obtain edible films, may constitute an alternative to generate coatings with good functional properties and maintain longer the postharvest quality and shelf life of fruits.

Effect of the Combination Hot Water - Calcium Chloride on the Growth of and the Postharvest Quality of Infected Papaya.

Anthracnose of papaya fruit caused by the fungus is one of the most economically important postharvest diseases. Hot water immersion (HW) and calcium chloride (Ca) treatments have been used to control papaya postharvest diseases; however, the effect of the combination HW-Ca on the pathogen growth and the development of the disease in infected papaya fruit has been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the HW-Ca treatment on the growth of conidia and the quality of infected papaya.

Predictive power of the grace score in population with diabetes.

Introduction: Current clinical practice guidelines recommend risk stratification in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) upon admission to hospital. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is widely recognized as an independent predictor of mortality in these patients, although it is not included in the GRACE risk score.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to validate the GRACE risk score in a contemporary population and particularly in the subgroup of patients with diabetes, and to test the effects of including the DM variable in the model.

Long-term prognosis of patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias induced by coronary artery spasm.

Aims: Coronary artery spasm (CAS) is associated with ventricular arrhythmias (VA). Much controversy remains regarding the best therapeutic interventions for this specific patient subset. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with a history of life-threatening VA due to CAS with various medical interventions, as well as the need for ICD placement in the setting of optimal medical therapy.

Changes in the severity of aortic regurgitation at peak effort during exercise.

Background: Chronic aortic regurgitation can be well tolerated for a long time. Some patients with normal ventricular function can even reach high levels of sporting performance. How the severity of regurgitation may change during exercise, however, is little known, although some studies suggest it diminishes.

Routine invasive strategy in acute coronary syndrome patients with renal dysfunction. Results of the ARIAM-SEMICYUC registry.

Objective: To evaluate the use and effectiveness of a routine invasive strategy (RIS) in patients with acute coronary syndrome without persistent ST-segment elevation with renal dysfunction in the real world scenario.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study based on the ARIAM-SEMICYUC Registry (2011-2014) was carried out. Renal dysfunction was defined as GFR (Cockroft-Gault)<60ml/min (moderate dysfunction) or<30ml/min (severe dysfunction).

Biochemistry and Cell Wall Changes Associated with Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) Fruit Ripening.

Quality and compositional changes were determined in noni fruit harvested at five ripening stages, from dark-green to thaslucent-grayish. Fruit ripening was accompanied by acidity and soluble solids accumulation but pH diminution, whereas the softening profile presented three differential steps named early (no significant softening), intermediate (significant softening), and final (dramatic softening). At early step the extensive depolymerization of hydrosoluble pectins and the significantly increment of pectinase activities did not correlate with the slight reduction in firmness.

Changes in color-related compounds in tomato fruit exocarp and mesocarp during ripening using HPLC-APcI(+)-mass Spectrometry.

Tomato is an important agricultural crop world-wide. Their pigments are very important in many ways. They have been associated with health benefits such as lowering the risk of some chronic diseases.

The effect of antifungal hot-water treatments on papaya postharvest quality and activity of pectinmethylesterase and polygalacturonase.

The effect of antifungal hot-water treatments (AHWT) at 55 °C for 0, 3, 6 and 9 min on quality attributes and cell-wall enzymatic activity during storage at 25 °C was investigated in papaya fruit. The total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), firmness and fresh weight loss were not affected, whereas color on skin was negatively affected by the treatments of 6- and 9-min. However, the skin color was not different between the 3-min treated fruit and the untreated fruit during the storage.