Optical Determination of the Internal Capillary Diameter Used in Taylor Dispersion Analysis.

In this work, we describe an optical setup to determine the internal diameter of narrow bore fused silica capillary used in capillary electrophoresis and Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA). Indeed, fluctuations up to about ±3-4 µm on the capillary I.D.

Thrombopoietic agents enhance bone healing in mice, rats, and pigs.

Achieving bone union remains a significant clinical dilemma. The use of osteoinductive agents, specifically bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), has gained wide attention. However, multiple side effects, including increased incidence of cancer, have renewed interest in investigating alternatives that provide safer, yet effective bone regeneration.

Validation of an IMU-based Gait Analysis Method for Assessment of Fall Risk Against Traditional Methods.

Falls are a severe problem in older adults, often resulting in severe consequences such as injuries or loss of consciousness. It is crucial to screen fall risk in order to prescribe appropriate therapies that can potentially prevent falls. Identifying individuals who have experienced falls in the past, commonly known as fallers, is used to evaluate fall risk, as a prior fall indicates a higher likelihood of future falls.

Effectiveness of a Spectacle Lens with a Specific Asymmetric Myopic Peripheral Defocus: 12-Month Results in a Spanish Population.

Background: Different designs of ophthalmic lenses have been studied to control the progression of myopia in children. This study aims to evaluate the short-term efficacy of a new design of ophthalmic lens with asymmetric myopic peripheral defocus (MPDL) on myopia progression in children compared to a control group wearing a single-vision lens (SVL).

Methods: Children aged 5 to 12 with myopia up to -0.

Seawater physics and chemistry along the Med-SHIP transects in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016.

The Mediterranean Sea has been sampled irregularly by research vessels in the past, mostly by national expeditions in regional waters. To monitor the hydrographic, biogeochemical and circulation changes in the Mediterranean Sea, a systematic repeat oceanographic survey programme called Med-SHIP was recommended by the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM) in 2011, as part of the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). Med-SHIP consists of zonal and meridional surveys with different frequencies, where comprehensive physical and biogeochemical properties are measured with the highest international standards.

Predictors of fall risk in older adults using the G-STRIDE inertial sensor: an observational multicenter case-control study.

Background: There are a lot of tools to use for fall assessment, but there is not yet one that predicts the risk of falls in the elderly. This study aims to evaluate the use of the G-STRIDE prototype in the analysis of fall risk, defining the cut-off points to predict the risk of falling and developing a predictive model that allows discriminating between subjects with and without fall risks and those at risk of future falls.

Methods: An observational, multicenter case-control study was conducted with older people coming from two different public hospitals and three different nursing homes.

A database with frailty, functional and inertial gait metrics for the research of fall causes in older adults.

The GSTRIDE database contains information of the health status assessment of 163 elderly adults. We provide socio-demographic data, functional and frailty variables, and the outcomes from tests commonly performed for the evaluation of elder people. The database contains gait parameters estimated from the measurements of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) placed on the foot of volunteers.

Assessing falls in the elderly population using G-STRIDE foot-mounted inertial sensor.

Falls are one of the main concerns in the elderly population due to their high prevalence and associated consequences. Guidelines for the management of the elder with falls are comprised of multidimensional assessments, especially gait and balance. Daily clinical practice needs for timely, effortless, and precise tools to assess gait.

Early Detection of Refractive Errors by Photorefraction at School Age.

Early detection and treatment of refractive defects during school age are essential to avoid irreversible future vision loss and potential school problems. Previously, vision screening of preschool children used methods based on subjective visual acuity; however, technologies such as photorefraction have promoted the detection of refractive errors quickly and easily. In this study, 1347 children from 10 schools in Madrid aged 4 to 12 years participated in a program of early detection of visual problems, which consisted of visual screening composed of anamnesis and photorefraction with a PlusOptix A12R.

Bone marrow transplantation as a therapy for autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type 2 in mice.

Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type II (ADO2) is a heritable bone disease of impaired osteoclastic bone resorption caused by missense mutations in the chloride channel 7 (CLCN7) gene. Clinical features of ADO2 include fractures, osteomyelitis of jaw, vision loss, and in severe cases, bone marrow failure. Currently, there is no effective therapy for ADO2, and patients usually receive symptomatic treatments.

Spectrophotometric Measurement of Carbonate Ion in Seawater over a Decade: Dealing with Inconsistencies.

The spectrophotometric methodology for carbonate ion determination in seawater was first published in 2008 and has been continuously evolving in terms of reagents and formulations. Although being fast, relatively simple, affordable, and potentially easy to implement in different platforms and facilities for discrete and autonomous observations, its use is not widespread in the ocean acidification community. This study uses a merged overdetermined CO system data set (carbonate ion, pH, and alkalinity) obtained from 2009 to 2020 to assess the differences among the five current approaches of the methodology through an internal consistency analysis and discussing the sources of uncertainty.

Paraplegia Following Type B Acute Aortic Dissection Can Spare the Spinal Cord.

Ischemic lumbosacral plexopathy secondary to an acute aortic dissection is a rare condition that is usually unilateral and frequently accompanied by a simultaneous spinal cord infarction. The functional prognosis relies on the severity of the nervous system involvement being usually worse when the spinal cord is involved. We present a case of a 46-year-old man who suffered an acute type B aortic dissection presenting as acute paraplegia due to bilateral ischemic lumbosacral plexopathy treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

GEHEP 010 study: Prevalence and distribution of hepatitis B virus genotypes in Spain (2000-2016).

Objective: To study the prevalence and distribution of HBV genotypes in Spain for the period 2000-2016.

Methods: Retrospective study recruiting 2559 patients from 17 hospitals. Distribution of HBV genotypes, as well as sex, age, geographical origin, mode of transmission, HDV-, HIV- and/or HCV-coinfection, and treatment were recorded.

Megakaryocytes promote osteoclastogenesis in aging.

Megakaryocytes (MKs) support bone formation by stimulating osteoblasts (OBs) and inhibiting osteoclasts (OCs). Aging results in higher bone resorption, leading to bone loss. Whereas previous studies showed the effects of aging on MK-mediated bone formation, the effects of aging on MK-mediated OC formation is poorly understood.

Global Ocean Spectrophotometric pH Assessment: Consistent Inconsistencies.

Ocean acidification (OA)-or the decrease in seawater pH resulting from ocean uptake of CO released by human activities-stresses ocean ecosystems and is recognized as a Climate and Sustainable Development Goal Indicator that needs to be evaluated and monitored. Monitoring OA-related pH changes requires a high level of precision and accuracy. The two most common ways to quantify seawater pH are to measure it spectrophotometrically or to calculate it from total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC).

The algorithm used for the interpretation of doravirine transmitted drug resistance strongly influences clinical practice and guideline recommendations.

Objectives: We report the results of the reverse transcriptase (RT)/protease (PR) transmitted drug resistance (TDR) prevalence study in 2018, focusing on doravirine resistance-associated mutations and the differences observed when Stanford or French National Agency for AIDS Research (ANRS)/Spanish Network of AIDS Research (RIS)/IAS-USA resistance interpretation algorithms are used to describe clinically relevant resistance.

Methods: We used the WHO 2009 list to investigate the prevalence of NNRTI, NRTI and PI TDR, in treatment-naive HIV-1-infected patients, adding mutations E138A/G/K/Q/R, V106I, V108I, V179L, G190Q, H221Y, F227C/L/V, M230IDR, L234I, P236L and Y318F in RT. The prevalence of doravirine resistance-associated mutations, as described by Soulie et al.

Failure to bictegravir and development of resistance mutations in an antiretroviral-experienced patient.

We present here one of the first cases of virological failure during treatment with bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF). On March 2019, an antiretroviral-experienced HIV-infected patient was admitted to hospital because of cerebral toxoplasmosis. After undergoing treatment with sulfadiazine-pyrimethamine for two weeks, the patient initiated a BIC/FTC/TAF treatment, with 6.

Comparison between Aptima Assays (Hologic) and the Allplex STI Essential Assay (Seegene) for the diagnosis of Sexually transmitted infections.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a worldwide problem and a severe threat to public health. The purpose of this study was to compare Aptima® Assays (Hologic®) and the Allplex™ STI Essential Assay (Seegene®) for the simultaneous detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma genitalium in clinical practice. The Aptima® assays (Hologic®) are based on a transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) method.

Scaffold-free bioprinting of mesenchymal stem cells using the Regenova printer: Spheroid characterization and osteogenic differentiation.

Limitations in scaffold material properties, such as sub-optimal degradation time, highlight the need for alternative approaches to engineer tissues. One emerging solution for fabricating tissue constructs is scaffold-free tissue engineering. To facilitate this approach, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology (Regenova Bio 3D Printer) has been developed to construct complex geometric shapes from discrete cellular spheroids without exogenous scaffolds.

The effects of spaceflight and fracture healing on distant skeletal sites.

Spaceflight results in reduced mechanical loading of the skeleton, which leads to dramatic bone loss. Low bone mass is associated with increased fracture risk, and this combination may compromise future, long-term, spaceflight missions. Here, we examined the systemic effects of spaceflight and fracture surgery/healing on several non-injured bones within the axial and appendicular skeleton.

Aging negatively impacts the ability of megakaryocytes to stimulate osteoblast proliferation and bone mass.

Osteoblast number and activity decreases with aging, contributing to the age-associated decline of bone mass, but the mechanisms underlying changes in osteoblast activity are not well understood. Here, we show that the age-associated bone loss critically depends on impairment of the ability of megakaryocytes (MKs) to support osteoblast proliferation. Co-culture of osteoblast precursors with young MKs is known to increase osteoblast proliferation and bone formation.

Warming and CO Enhance Arctic Heterotrophic Microbial Activity.

Ocean acidification and warming are two main consequences of climate change that can directly affect biological and ecosystem processes in marine habitats. The Arctic Ocean is the region of the world experiencing climate change at the steepest rate compared with other latitudes. Since marine planktonic microorganisms play a key role in the biogeochemical cycles in the ocean it is crucial to simultaneously evaluate the effect of warming and increasing CO on marine microbial communities.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Largest HIV-1 CRF02_AG Outbreak in Spain: Evidence for Onward Transmissions.

The circulating recombinant form 02_AG (CRF02_AG) is the predominant clade among the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) non-Bs with a prevalence of 5.97% (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 5.41-6.

Surveillance of transmitted drug resistance to integrase inhibitors in Spain: implications for clinical practice.

Background: Integrase strand-transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) constitute at present one of the pillars of first-line ART.

Objectives: To study the prevalence of and the trend in transmitted drug resistance (TDR) to INSTIs in ART-naive patients in Spain.

Methods: During the period 2012-17, 1109 patients from CoRIS were analysed.

Immune-escape mutations and stop-codons in HBsAg develop in a large proportion of patients with chronic HBV infection exposed to anti-HBV drugs in Europe.

Background: HBsAg immune-escape mutations can favor HBV-transmission also in vaccinated individuals, promote immunosuppression-driven HBV-reactivation, and increase fitness of drug-resistant strains. Stop-codons can enhance HBV oncogenic-properties. Furthermore, as a consequence of the overlapping structure of HBV genome, some immune-escape mutations or stop-codons in HBsAg can derive from drug-resistance mutations in RT.