Wood Anatomical and Demographic Similarities Between Self-Standing Liana and Tree Seedlings in Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia.

Canopy lianas differ considerably from trees in terms of wood anatomical structure, and they are suggested to have a demographic advantage-faster growth and higher survival-than trees. However, it remains unclear whether these anatomical and demographic differences persist at the seedling stage, when most liana species are self-standing and, consequently, might be ecologically similar to trees. We assessed how self-standing liana and tree seedlings differ in relation to wood anatomy, growth, and survival.

Linking seedling wood anatomical trade-offs with drought and seedling growth and survival in tropical dry forests.

Wood anatomy plays a key role in plants' ability to persist under drought and should therefore predict demography. Plants balance their resource allocation among wood cell types responsible for different functions. However, it remains unclear how these anatomical trade-offs vary with water availability, and the extent to which they influence demographic rates.

Role of IP-10 to Predict Clinical Progression and Response to IL-6 Blockade With Sarilumab in Early COVID-19 Pneumonia. A Subanalysis of the SARICOR Clinical Trial.

Background: The Clinical Trial of Sarilumab in Adults With COVID-19 (SARICOR) showed that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and increased levels of interleukin (IL)-6 might benefit from blockade of the IL-6 pathway. However, the benefit from this intervention might not be uniform. In this subanalysis, we sought to determine if other immunoactivation markers, besides IL-6, could identify which subgroup of patients benefit most from this intervention.

Infection After Surgical Treatment of Ankle Fractures, a Multicenter Observational Study.

Background: Infection is one of the challenging complications after open reduction and internal fixation for ankle fractures. Previously published case series conclude that is the most frequent causative microorganism. An unexpected increase in infections after this surgery was observed in a preliminary analysis of data at the promoting center of the study.

Pedestrian Crossing Intention Forecasting at Unsignalized Intersections Using Naturalistic Trajectories.

Interacting with other roads users is a challenge for an autonomous vehicle, particularly in urban areas. Existing vehicle systems behave in a reactive manner, warning the driver or applying the brakes when the pedestrian is already in front of the vehicle. The ability to anticipate a pedestrian's crossing intention ahead of time will result in safer roads and smoother vehicle maneuvers.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitism in preschool and school children in Colombia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are a public health challenge in developing countries such as Colombia, causing anaemia and delayed growth and development in children. We aimed to estimate the geographical and prevalence trend of IPIs in the last 30 years in school and preschool children in Colombia.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Urinary Tract Infection and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacterial Isolates in Saint Joseph Kitgum Hospital, Kitgum, Uganda.

A cross-sectional study of microorganisms isolated from mid-stream urine samples obtained from 139 patients with suspected urinary tract infection (UTI) who presented leukocyturia was conducted from April to June 2019 at Saint Joseph Kitgum Hospital (Uganda). All microorganisms were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in a laboratory in Spain. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined on site using the disc diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer test) and these results were subsequently compared with those obtained in Spain using the Becton Dickinson Phoenix M50 device.

Risk Factors of DAIR Failure and Validation of the KLIC Score: A Multicenter Study of Four Hundred Fifty-Five Patients.

Debridement, antibiotic agents, and implant retention (DAIR) is a currently accepted approach for the treatment of early prosthetic joint infections (PJI). The success of a DAIR procedure has shown variable results throughout the published literature. Scoring systems such as the Kidney, Liver, Index surgery, Cemented prosthesis, and C-reactive protein value (KLIC) score for the selection of patients that are likely to benefit from DAIR have proved to be helpful in decision making.

Efficacy and safety of early treatment with sarilumab in hospitalised adults with COVID-19 presenting cytokine release syndrome (SARICOR STUDY): protocol of a phase II, open-label, randomised, multicentre, controlled clinical trial.

Introduction: About 25% of patients with COVID-19 develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with a high release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). The aim of the SARICOR study is to demonstrate that early administration of sarilumab (an IL-6 receptor inhibitor) in hospitalised patients with COVID-19, pulmonary infiltrates and a high IL-6 or D-dimer serum level could reduce the progression of ARDS requiring high-flow nasal oxygen or mechanical ventilation (non-invasive or invasive).

Methods And Analysis: Phase II, open-label, randomised, multicentre, controlled clinical trial to study the efficacy and safety of the administration of two doses of sarilumab (200 and 400 mg) plus best available therapy (BAT) in hospitalised adults with COVID-19 presenting cytokine release syndrome.

Quasiexperimental intervention study protocol to optimise the use of new antibiotics in Spain: the NEW_SAFE project.

Introduction: Ceftaroline, tedizolid, dalbavancin, ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam are novel antibiotics used to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens (MDR). Their use should be supervised and monitored as part of an antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP). Appropriate use of the new antibiotics will be improved by including consensual indications for their use in local antibiotic guidelines, together with educational interventions providing advice to prescribers to ensure that the recommendations are clearly understood.

Smartphone Applications to Perform Body Balance Assessment: a Standardized Review.

Body balance disorders are related to different injuries that contribute to a wide range of healthcare issues. The social and financial costs of these conditions are high. Therefore, quick and reliable body balance assessment can contribute to the prevention of injuries, as well as enhancement of clinical rehabilitation.

Myofascial Induction Effects on Neck-Shoulder Pain in Breast Cancer Survivors: Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Design.

Objectives: To (1) investigate the immediate effects of myofascial induction (MI), with placebo electrotherapy as a control, on perceived pain, cervical/shoulder range of motion (ROM), and mood state in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) with shoulder/arm morbidity; and (2) examine the relationships between pain modifications and cervical/shoulder ROM on the side affected by breast cancer.

Design: Randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.

Setting: Physical therapy laboratory.

Use of an experimental model to evaluate infection resistance of meshes in abdominal wall surgery.

Background: Staphylococcal species are the most common organisms causing prosthetic mesh infections, however, infections due to rapidly growing mycobacteria are increasing. This study evaluates the resistance of biomaterial for abdominal wall prostheses against the development of postoperative infection in a rat model.

Material And Methods: In 75 rats, we intramuscularly implanted three different types of prostheses: (1) low-density polypropylene monofilament mesh (PMM), (2) high-density PMM, and (3) a composite prosthesis composed of low-density PMM and a nonporous hydrophilic film.

Uncoupled Dark States Can Inherit Polaritonic Properties.

When a collection of quantum emitters interacts with an electromagnetic field, the whole system can enter into the collective strong coupling regime in which hybrid light-matter states, i.e., polaritons can be created.

Agreement Between Face-to-Face and Free Software Video Analysis for Assessing Hamstring Flexibility in Adolescents.

The objective of this study was to determine the level of agreement between face-to-face hamstring flexibility measurements and free software video analysis in adolescents. Reduced hamstring flexibility is common in adolescents (75% of boys and 35% of girls aged 10). The length of the hamstring muscle has an important role in both the effectiveness and the efficiency of basic human movements, and reduced hamstring flexibility is related to various musculoskeletal conditions.

Coupling of individual quantum emitters to channel plasmons.

Efficient light-matter interaction lies at the heart of many emerging technologies that seek on-chip integration of solid-state photonic systems. Plasmonic waveguides, which guide the radiation in the form of strongly confined surface plasmon-polariton modes, represent a promising solution to manipulate single photons in coplanar architectures with unprecedented small footprints. Here we demonstrate coupling of the emission from a single quantum emitter to the channel plasmon polaritons supported by a V-groove plasmonic waveguide.

Support groups and cardiac rehabilitation: effects of partner participation on anxiety and depression.

This study analyzes the effect on levels of patient anxiety and depression of a partner joining a cardiac rehabilitation program support group, also taking into account the sex of the patient. The study was undertaken using a two-group comparison design with pre-and post-test measures in non-equivalent groups. The sample comprised patients in the cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP) at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid (Spain).

Agreement between telerehabilitation and face-to-face clinical outcome assessments for low back pain in primary care.

Study Design: A descriptive study of repeated measures using a crossover design.

Objective: To determine the level of agreement between assessments obtained via telerehabilitation and those obtained by traditional face-to-face method in a population of individuals with chronic low back pain (LBP) in a primary care setting.

Summary Of Background Data: Musculoskeletal assessment using telerehabilitation has shown adequate inter- and intrarater agreement and concordance with face-to-face clinical assessment in different diseases.

Localized spoof plasmons arise while texturing closed surfaces.

We demonstrate that textured closed surfaces, i.e., particles made of perfect electric conductors (PECs), are able to support localized electromagnetic resonances with properties resembling those of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in the optical regime.

Waveguided spoof surface plasmons with deep-subwavelength lateral confinement.

We present a new type of waveguide scheme for terahertz circuitry based on the concept of spoof surface plasmons. This structure is composed of a one-dimensional array of L-shaped metallic elements horizontally attached to a metal surface. The dispersion relation of the surface electromagnetic modes supported by this system presents a very weak dependence with the lateral dimension and the modes are very deep-subwavelength confined with a long-enough propagation length.

Resonance energy transfer and superradiance mediated by plasmonic nanowaveguides.

We show how both the subwavelength confinement associated with surface plasmons and the one-dimensional character of plasmonic waveguides can be exploited to enhance the coupling between quantum emitters. Resonance energy transfer and the phenomenon of superradiance are investigated in three different waveguiding schemes (wires, wedges, and channels) by means of the Finite Element Method. We also develop a simplified model that is able to capture the main features of the numerical results.

Domino plasmons for subwavelength terahertz circuitry.

A new approach for the spatial and temporal modulation of electromagnetic fields at terahertz frequencies is presented. The waveguiding elements are based on plasmonic and metamaterial notions and consist of an easy-to-manufacture periodic chain of metallic box-shaped elements protruding out of a metallic surface. It is shown that the dispersion relation of the corresponding electromagnetic modes is rather insensitive to the waveguide width, preserving tight confinement and reasonable absorption loss even when the waveguide transverse dimensions are well in the subwavelength regime.