Spatial occurrence of emerging contaminants in rivers and wastewater. Analysis of environmental and human risks.

This study assesses the occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) from agricultural and livestock production activities along the Salado River (Santa Fe province, Argentina). Of the 23 ECs studied, 8 were detected and quantified in river and wastewater samples, including ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, chlorpyrifos-methyl, albendazole, fenbendazole, levamisole, diazepam, and thiamethoxam. In river samples, the highest concentrations corresponded to ciprofloxacin, chlorpyrifos-methyl, and enrofloxacin.

Education and Training Needs of Health Care Professionals in the Philippines Encountering Patients with Lung Oligometastatic Cancers.

This study aimed to examine the education and training needs of health care practitioners (HCPs) in the Philippines who encounter lung oligometastatic cancer patients. Lung oligometastatic disease is among the most common sites for cancer spread and has the most established practices for treating oligometastases. A modified version of the Hennessy-Hicks Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire was administered online to HCPs working in private and public centers in the Philippines.

Fostamatinib for Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19 and Hypoxemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Fostamatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been reported to improve outcomes of COVID-19.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fostamatinib in adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and hypoxemia.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter, phase 3, placebo-controlled, double-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted at 41 US sites and 21 international sites between November 17, 2021, and September 27, 2023; the last follow-up visit was December 31, 2023.

Impact of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy on the Pressure of the Airway System in Humans.

Background: The understanding of how pharyngeal pressure is transmitted to the trachea with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) implementation and the behavior of tracheal pressure in the presence of mouth leaks remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impact of HFNC administration on tracheal pressure by comparing measurements taken with open and closed mouth with varying flows.

Methods: A crossover study was conducted between March 2019 and June 2023.

No accelerated progression of subclinical atherosclerosis with integrase strand transfer inhibitors compared to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Background: The role of integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI) in the cardiovascular risk of people with HIV is controversial.

Objectives: To assess the association of INSTI to subclinical atherosclerosis progression measured with the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT).

Methods: Prospective study in virologically suppressed people with HIV receiving INSTI- or NNRTI-based regimens.

Thoracic hernias: What the radiologist should know.

Thoracic hernias encompass the protrusion of thoracic contents through the thorax or intra-abdominal tissue into the thorax. They can be classified as diaphragmatic hernias - either congenital or acquired; pulmonary hernias - involving tissue protrusion through cervical fascia or intercostal spaces; and mediastinal hernias - including cardiac, intrapericardial and hiatal hernias. Prompt identification and classification of thoracic hernias rely on diagnostic imaging, primarily through computed tomography and magnetic resonance, to identify associated complications.

Virological History Predicts Non-sustained Viral Suppression with Long-Acting Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine Therapy, independent of Pharmacokinetic Parameters.

Background: This study aimed to investigate factors contributing to non-sustained viral suppression, including intermittent viremia and persistent low-level viremia, during cabotegravir (CAB) plus rilpivirine (RPV) long-acting (LA) injectable therapy, with a focus on pharmacokinetics (PK).

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on people with HIV (PWH) transitioning from stable oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) to bimonthly CAB+RPV LA. Standardized follow-up included close monitoring through blood sampling for plasma HIV-1 viral load (VL) and multiple plasma drug concentrations measurements to analyze the connection between PK parameters and virologic outcomes.

A novel strategy for the quantify of emerging isomeric pollutants belonging to the dihydroxybenzene family for environmental sample monitoring by amperometric detection.

This study introduces an innovative approach for quantifying isomeric pollutants utilizing an amperometric sensor. The determination of the isomers hydroquinone and catechol is based on the use of a glassy carbon electrode modified with Cu@PtPd/C nanoparticles (Cu@PtPd/C/GCE) in core-shell form, showing significant electrocatalytic activity in the oxidation of the later compounds. The determination was carried out at two different potentials: one at which where only hydroquinone is oxidized, and another in which where both hydroquinone and catechol are oxidized.

UPLC-MS/MS method for fluconazole determination in plasma and its application in Mexican patients with candidaemia.

An accurate and fast ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry analytical method was developed and validated for quantifying fluconazole levels in human plasma according to the US FDA guidelines. A simple protein precipitation by acetonitrile was employed for the sample preparation. The chromatographic separation was carried out using isocratic elution of water (0.

The persistence of low CD4/CD8 ratio in chronic HIV-infection, despite ART suppression and normal CD4 levels, is associated with pre-therapy values of inflammation and thymic function.

Background: Persistence of a low CD4/CD8 ratio is associated with an increased morbimortality in people living with HIV (PLWH) under effective antiretroviral therapy. We aimed to explore the immunological significance of a persistently low CD4/CD8 ratio, even despite normal CD4 levels, and assess whether these features vary from those associated to a low nadir-CD4, another well-established predictor of disease progression.

Methods: CD4-recovered PLWH were classified by CD4/CD8 ratio after three-years of ART (viral suppression, CD4≥500; R < 0.

Impact of high-flow oxygen therapy via high velocity nasal insufflation on diaphragmatic thickening fraction in healthy subjects.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy [HFNC] on the diaphragm thickening fraction.

Design: Prospective, descriptive, cohort study SETTING: The study was conducted in the Physiology and Respiratory Care Laboratory, Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires.

Participants: Thirteen healthy subjects >18 years old INTERVENTIONS: High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Demographic data (age and gender), anthropometric data (weight, height, and body mass index), and clinical and respiratory variables (Diaphragm thickening fraction [DTf], esophageal pressure swing, respiratory rate [RR], esophageal pressure-time product per minute [PTPes/min]).

Total knee arthroplasty in schizophrenia patients: early complications and cost in a propensity-matched national database study.

Introduction: Studies investigating the link between mental health disorders and complications following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have found worse outcomes in individuals with such disorders. Therefore, risk factors and outcomes following TKA in patients with schizophrenia should be better understood. This study aims to investigate cost and duration of hospital stay, inpatient complications, and mortality associated with TKA in patients with schizophrenia.

Early Detection of Cancer and Precancerous Lesions in Persons with HIV through a Comprehensive Cancer Screening Protocol.

Background: Non-AIDS defining malignancies present a growing challenge for persons with HIV (PWH), yet tailored interventions for timely cancer diagnosis are lacking. The Spanish IMPAC-Neo protocol was designed to compare two comprehensive cancer screening strategies integrated into routine HIV care. This study reports baseline data on the prevalence and types of precancerous lesions and early-stage cancer among participants at enrolment.

Lack of correlation between central venous minus arterial PCO to arterial minus central venous O content ratio and respiratory quotient in patients with septic shock: A prospective observational study.

Objective: Central venous-arterial PCO to arterial-central venous O content ratio (PCO/CO) is commonly used as a surrogate for respiratory quotient (RQ) and tissue oxygenation. Although PCO/CO might be associated with hyperlactatemia and outcome, neither the interchangeability with RQ nor the correlation with conclusive variables of anaerobic metabolism has never been demonstrated in septic shock. Our goal was to compare PCO/CO and RQ in patients with septic shock.

Distinct gut microbiota signatures associated with progression of atherosclerosis in people living with HIV.

Background: The relationship of microbiota composition dynamics and the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in people with HIV (PWH) remains unknown.

Methods: 96-week, prospective, longitudinal study in virologically-suppressed PWH. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measurements and stool samples were obtained at baseline, 48-week and 96-week visits.

International cooperation in radiology training: A multipronged approach.

Introduction: Medical imaging has undergone significant technical advancements in recent years, posing a considerable challenge for radiologists to stay up-to-date with emerging modalities and their applications in daily practice. This challenge is even more daunting in developing countries with limited resources compared to the US and other developed nations with greater economic assets. The collaboration between the United States and other advanced nations with radiological institutions in Latin America has been a significant achievement in the pursuit of new opportunities for continuous medical education.

Multinational experience with next-generation sequencing: opportunity to identify transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis and Fabry disease.

Background: Sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) must be differentiated from phenotypically similar conditions because clinical management and prognosis may greatly differ. Patients with unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy require an early, confirmed genetic diagnosis through diagnostic or predictive genetic testing. We tested the feasibility and practicality of the application of a 17-gene next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel to detect the most common genetic causes of HCM and HCM phenocopies, including treatable phenocopies, and report detection rates.

Induction treatment for lupus nephritis at a high-complexity hospital in Chile.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) causes kidney compromise in up to 40% of patients, contributing significantly to morbidity. Lupus nephritis (LN), an early onset manifestation in most patients, is histologically classified into six types, with types III, IV, and V requiring treatment with induction therapies, usually glucocorticoids with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVC). However, up to 60% of patients fail to achieve complete remission, and 27%-66% have subsequent flares.

Long COVID across SARS-CoV-2 variants, lineages, and sublineages.

This prospective study aimed to determine the prevalence of long COVID in patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection from March 2020 to July 2022 and assess the impact of different viral lineages. A total of 2,524 patients were followed up for 12 months, with persistent symptoms reported in 35.2% at one month, decreasing thereafter.

Identifying outbreaks in sewer networks: An adaptive sampling scheme under network's uncertainty.

Motivated by the implementation of a SARS-Cov-2 sewer surveillance system in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic, we propose a set of mathematical and algorithmic tools that aim to identify the location of an outbreak under uncertainty in the network structure. Given an upper bound on the number of samples we can take on any given day, our framework allows us to detect an unknown infected node by adaptively sampling different network nodes on different days. Crucially, despite the uncertainty of the network, the method allows univocal detection of the infected node, albeit at an extra cost in time.