Development of a Transcultural Social Ethical and Integrated Care Model, for Dependent and Older People Populations at Risk of Exclusion in the Mediterranean Sea Basin (TEC-MED): A Research Protocol.

Background: Higher life expectancy has produced a higher older people porpulation, not necessarily with a consistent quality of life, showing a high rate of vulnerability and dependence. The current social and health crisis situation has highlighted the need to create new integrated models of care that could be translated into social and health policies.

Objective: The present study aims to develop, test, and validate an innovative integrated care model for older people with dependence and at risk of social exclusion and their caregivers.

Immigrants, Legal Status, and Illegal Trade.

Nearly $2 trillion of illegally trafficked goods flow across international borders every year, generating violence and other social costs along the way. Due to the absence of legal contracts and the challenge of finding trading partners in an illegal market, traffickers may rely on co-ethnic networks to facilitate trade. In this paper, I use novel microdata on the universe of large illegal drug confiscations in Spain to provide the first causal estimates of how immigrants and immigration policy affect the pattern and scale of illegal drug trafficking.

Posterolateral Elbow Dislocation: An All-Arthroscopic Reconstruction of the Lateral Ulnar Collateral Ligament.

The elbow is one of the most commonly dislocated joints. Although simple dislocations of the elbow usually resolve with conservative management, certain patients can experience residual chronic instability. Posterolateral rotational instability accounts for approximately 80% of elbow chronic instability cases.

Anterior Arthroscopic Approach for Multidirectional Shoulder Instability: Posterior Bone Block, Dynamic Anterior Stabilization, and Modified McLaughlin.

Multidirectional shoulder instability represents an ongoing challenge for orthopaedic surgeons, and multiple techniques have been described to treat this condition. Posterior glenoid dysplasia is a known risk factor for posterior instability as well as persistent or recurrent instability following posterior stabilization procedures. Recurrent shoulder instability complicated by capsular insufficiency due to underlying soft tissue disorders or multiple prior failed surgical procedures poses a challenging surgical problem.

Nutrition, dietary recommendations, and supplements for patients with congenital heart disease.

Nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy life and is crucial for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are prone to nutrition disorders, including abnormalities in body composition such as overweight or obesity which, along with other classic cardiovascular risk factors, places our increasing and aging adult CHD (ACHD) population at a higher risk for acquired cardiovascular disease. These patients are also at risk of cachexia or sarcopenia as well as macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies derived from the development of heart failure as a complication of their underlying cardiac disease.

Unravelling the mechanisms causing murepavadin resistance in : lipopolysaccharide alterations and its consequences.

Introduction: Murepavadin is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) in clinical development that selectively targets LptD and whose resistance profile remains unknown. We aimed to explore genomic modifications and consequences underlying murepavadin and/or colistin susceptibility.

Methods: To define genomic mechanisms underlying resistance, we performed two approaches: 1) a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a clinical collection (n=496), considering >0.

Novel percutaneous aspiration thrombectomy in Fontan conduit obstruction with cardiogenic shock. Case report.

Background: Obstructive complications in the Fontan circulation pose significant risks to affected patients. Traditional management strategies may be insufficient, necessitating innovative treatment approaches. This case report discusses the use of the FlowTriever Retrieval System for percutaneous aspiration thrombectomy in a patient with a history of Fontan procedure who developed conduit obstruction due to thrombus formation.

Does the modified shuttle test exhibit a ceiling effect in healthy and cystic fibrosis children and adolescents?

Introduction: The modified shuttle test-15 (MST-15) is a valid alternative for assessing exercise capacity when a cardiopulmonary exercise testing is not feasible. This study aims to describe the percentage of healthy and cystic fibrosis (CF) children and adolescents reaching the MST-15 ceiling. Additionally, it examines associations between MST-15 distance and demographic, anthropometric, and lung function data.

Risk Factors Associated With Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy due to Rare Mutations in Mitochondrial DNA-Encoded Respiratory Complex I Subunits.

An in-depth analysis of susceptibility factors modifying the penetrance of rare Leber hereditary optic neuropathy-causing mutations in respiratory complex I genes encoded in mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid has not been performed. To bridge this gap, we conducted a review of the literature on rare mutations associated with LHON, selected those with substantial evidence of pathogenicity, and performed an in-depth analysis of the various pedigrees. Examining the influences that modify the penetrance of the classical mutations associated with this disease may offer insights into susceptibility factors in individuals carrying the rare mutations.

C-reactive protein thresholds for discriminating active disease in psoriatic arthritis may be different in early versus established disease.

Objectives: Inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) lack discriminatory capacity to detect active disease in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Our aim was to find CRP thresholds capable of discriminating active disease in both early and established PsA.

Methods: We included a total of 345 PsA patients (215 early-onset not exposed to high-impact therapies and 130 with established disease under biologics and oral targeted therapies).

Methylammonium Lead Iodide across Physical Space: Phase Boundaries and Structural Collapse.

Hybrid perovskites exhibit complex structures and phase behavior under different thermodynamic conditions and chemical environments, the understanding of which continues to be pivotally important for tailoring their properties toward improved operational stability. To this end, we present for the first time a comprehensive neutron and synchrotron diffraction investigation over the pressure-temperature phase diagram of the paradigmatic hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI). This ambitious experimental campaign down to cryogenic temperatures and tens of kilobars was supported by extensive molecular dynamics simulations validated by the experimental data, to track the structural evolution of MAPbI under external physical stimuli at the atomic and molecular levels.

Regiodivergent formal [4+2] cycloaddition of nitrosoarenes with furanyl cyclopropane derivatives as 4π components.

Cyclopropanes are commonly used as valuable 3-carbon building blocks. Herein, we disclose a different reactivity pattern of furanyl cyclopropanes, which serve as a 4-carbon component in Lewis acid-promoted [4+2] cycloadditions with nitrosoarenes to afford 1,2-oxazine derivatives. Importantly, the regioselectivity of the cycloaddition reaction can be controlled by the appropriate choice of the Lewis acid.

Clinical phenotypes in acute and chronic infarction explained through human ventricular electromechanical modelling and simulations.

Sudden death after myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with electrophysiological heterogeneities and ionic current remodelling. Low ejection fraction (EF) is used in risk stratification, but its mechanistic links with pro-arrhythmic heterogeneities are unknown. We aim to provide mechanistic explanations of clinical phenotypes in acute and chronic MI, from ionic current remodelling to ECG and EF, using human electromechanical modelling and simulation to augment experimental and clinical investigations.

Hierarchical Porous FeC@Fe-N-C Catalysts from Tannin-Fe(III) Complexes for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

The rational design of metal-nitrogen-doped carbons (M-N-C) from available and cost-effective sources featuring high electrocatalytic performance and stability is attractive for the development of viable low-temperature fuel cells. Herein, mimosa tannin, an abundant polyphenol easily extracted from the Mimosa plant, is used as a natural carbon source to produce a tannin-Fe(III) coordination complex. This process is assisted by Pluronic F127, which acts as both a surfactant and a promoter of Fe-N active sites.

Reversible Bimetallic Inhibition to Modulate Selectivity During Catalysis.

Bimetallic complexes have demonstrated a great ability to enhance the activity of monometallic systems for bond activation and catalysis. In this work, we explore the opposite approach: using a second metal to passivate the activity of another by reversible bimetallic inhibition. To do so we have synthesized a family of nine electrophilic gold complexes of formula Au(PR)(NTf) ([NTf] = [N(SOCF)]) that can act as inhibitors in the semihydrogenation of terminal and internal alkynes catalyzed by the iconic iridium Vaska complex IrCl(CO)(PPh).

An Automated Low-Cost Solution for Creating a Multiple-Step Thermal Gradient to Record Daily Fish Thermoregulatory Behavior.

Photoperiod and temperature are two of the most powerful environmental cues that entrain circadian clocks. Being ectothermic, fish must keep their body temperature within a physiological range to optimize biological processes mainly applying behavioral strategies. Here, we developed a low-cost, automated system that allows to create a horizontal multiple-step thermal gradient and video record fish behavior for long-term periods.

Siesta behavior and genetics interact to influence obesity risk.

Objective: In this cross-sectional study, we aim to investigate the interactions between obesity, siesta behavior, and the genetic propensity for siesta in a Mediterranean population, in whom siesta is deeply rooted.

Methods: We applied a previously generated Siesta-Polygenic Score (PGS) in the ONTIME study (n = 1278). Siesta and other Mediterranean lifestyle behaviors were characterized using questionnaires.

α-Synuclein Gene Hypomethylation in LRRK2 Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Background: α-Synuclein (SNCA) gene hypomethylation was reported in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD). Based on a high clinical resemblance between iPD and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2)-driven Parkinson's disease (L2PD), we investigated the epigenetic status of SNCA in an extensive LRRK2 clinical cohort from Spain.

Methods: We assessed the methylation levels of 23 CpG sites in the SNCA promoter region using peripheral blood DNA from L2PD patients (n = 151), LRRK2 nonmanifesting carriers (n = 55), iPD patients (n = 115), and healthy control subjects (n = 154) (total: N = 475).

Embracing native diversity to enhance the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II in maize.

The sustainability of maize cultivation would benefit tremendously from early sowing, but is hampered by low temperatures during early development in temperate climates. We show that allelic variation within the gene encoding subunit M of the NADH-dehydrogenase-like (NDH) complex (ndhm1) in a European maize landrace affects several quantitative traits that are relevant during early development in cold climates through NDH-mediated cyclic electron transport (CET) around photosystem I, a process crucial for photosynthesis and photoprotection. Beginning with a genome-wide association study for maximum potential quantum yield of photosystem II in dark-adapted leaves (Fv/Fm), we capitalized on the large phenotypic effects of a hAT transposon insertion in ndhm1 on multiple quantitative traits (early plant height, Fv/Fm, chlorophyll content, and cold tolerance) caused by the reduced protein levels of NDHM and associated NDH components.

Tailoring DNA Surface Interactions on Single-Layer Graphene: Comparative Analysis of Pyrene, Acridine, and Fluorenyl Methyl Linkers.

This study investigates the effect of different linkers and solvents on the immobilization of DNA probes on graphene surfaces, which are crucial for developing high-performance biosensors. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) measurements were used to characterize in situ and real-time the immobilization of ssDNA and hybridization efficiency on model graphene surfaces. The DNA probes immobilization kinetics and thermodynamics were systematically investigated for all the pairings between three bifunctional linkers─1-pyrenebutyric acid succinimidyl ester (PBSE), Fluorenylmethylsuccinimidyl carbonate (FSC), and Acridine Orange (AO) succinimidyl ester─and three organic solvents (DMF, DMSO, and 10% DMF/ethanol).

Reusing zebrafish facility equipment: Planning, investment and what we have learned.

The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed account of our successful experience in establishing a functional zebrafish holding facility by repurposing materials from a previous installation. On the eve of the start-up of our new animal facility we were notified that a research centre was putting part of its zebrafish holding facility (29 racks, accessories, water treatment unit) up for sale. Although the originally planned room was designed for six double racks, but encouraged by the increasing use of the zebrafish model, we decided to seize the opportunity, purchase the equipment and utilize it to create a larger configuration and an independent quarantine to protect the main facility.

Is Strength the Main Risk Factor of Overuse Shoulder Injuries? A Cohort Study of 296 Amateur Overhead Athletes.

Background: Shoulder pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints in overhead athletes. This study investigated the prevalence of the main risk factors and sex differences related to the development of shoulder pain in a cohort of amateur overhead athletes.

Hypothesis: The external rotation/internal rotation (ER/IR) isometric strength ratio <0.

CustOmized versus standard fundal-height measuREments for the detection of small-for-gestational age fetuses in low-risk women (CORE study): A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the proportion of small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants detected by routine care versus a growth assessment protocol using customized fundal-height charts in low-risk pregnancies of a developing country.

Methods: An open label randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Fatima Memorial Hospital (NUR International University, Pakistan). Low-risk pregnant women were randomly allocated to routine care (Mcdonald's rule for fundal height measurements followed by referral for scan with discrepancy of 3 cm from gestational age and a contingency third trimester scan) or the growth assessment protocol (GAP) developed by the Perinatal Institute (UK), which consists of the use of gestation-related optimal weight (GROW) customized charts, alongside management protocols for suspected SGA fetuses, audit tools and training.

Engineering VIGS Vectors by Modifying Movement Proteins of the 30K Family.

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) represents a particularly relevant tool in agricultural species for studying gene functionality. This study presents a novel approach for utilizing viruses belonging to the 30K family of movement proteins (MPs) as VIGS vectors. The method described here employs smaller inserts (54 bp or less) than those commonly used (100-500 bp).

Expert Perspective: Management of Relapses in Giant Cell Arteritis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a relapsing large-vessel vasculitis with risk of serious ischemic manifestations including vision loss and vascular damage in the form of large-artery stenosis, aneurysms and dissections. Approximately 50% of patients treated with glucocorticoid (GC) monotherapy and 30% of patients receiving adjunctive therapy with tocilizumab experience disease relapses, often during the first 2 years after diagnosis. Although most relapses in GCA do not involve life- or organ-threatening presentations and can be controlled successfully, frequent relapses may lead to increased use of GC and consequent treatment-related morbidity, in addition to risk of further vascular damage.