Pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with surgical resection, toceranib phosphate and firocoxib in a dog: a case report.

Exocrine pancreatic carcinomas are rarely reported in dogs. A ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a 10-year-old intact beagle is described in this report. The diagnosis was made based on clinical signs, imaging (abdominal ultrasound and CT scan) and histopathology. Treatment consisted of partial right lobe pancreatectomy followed by adjuvant therapy with toceranib phosphate (Palladia®) and firocoxib (Previcox®) for six months. The treatment was well tolerated, and the survival time was 445 days. To our knowledge, this is the longest survival reported in the literature for a dog diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The results described here may contribute to provide a better understanding about this neoplasia and potential treatment options.

Apuntes históricos sobre la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas (parte II)

RESUMEN Profundizar en la historia es necesario para reforzar los valores identitarios que nos distinguen. Se describen los aspectos más relevantes de la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas, desde 1989 hasta principios de 2021. Los apuntes recopilados evocan la labor de sus líderes y otros estudiantes de diferentes generaciones, quienes se destacaron en actividades políticas, docentes, científicas, culturales, deportivo-recreativas y de extensión universitaria.

ABSTRACT To delve in history is necessary to reinforce the identity values identifying people. The most relevant aspects of the University Students Federation in the Matanzas University of Medical Sciences, from 1989 to early 2021 are described. The collected notes evoke the work of the leaders and other students of different generations who excelled in political, teaching, scientific, cultural, sport-recreational, and university extension activities.

La COVID-19 y otras pandemias / COVID-19 and other pandemics

RESUMEN Una pandemia ocurre cuando la epidemia traspasa las fronteras internacionales y generalmente, afecta un gran número de personas. Varias son las pandemias que han afectado a la humanidad a través de la historia. La enfermedad por coronavirus 2019, (COVID-19) causada por el virus SARS-CoV-2, fue catalogada como pandemia por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, en marzo del 2020. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica sobre esta, otras enfermedades transmisibles y no transmisibles, así como problemas de salud, que han azotado la humanidad durante los últimos 100 años. Estas enfermedades y problemas de salud afectan en pleno siglo XXI a todo el planeta y son igualmente, consideradas verdaderas pandemias. Las guerras, la contaminación ambiental, la pobreza, el hambre, la infodemia, entre otras, junto a la COVID-19, deben igualmente levantar las alarmas sanitarias, científicas, sociales, ambientales y políticas para evitarlas, controlarlas y erradicarlas (AU).

SUMMARY A pandemics occurs when the epidemics crosses the international borders and usually affects a great number of people. Several pandemics have affected the humankind through the history. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was catalogued as pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. A bibliographic review was carried out on it, other communicable and non-communicable diseases, and also health problems affecting mankind during the last 100 years. These diseases and health problems afflict the whole planet in the 21st century and are also considered true pandemics. Wars, environment pollution, poverty, fame, infodemic, and others, together with COVID-19, should also raise sanitary, scientific, social, environmental and politic alarms to avoid, control and eradicate them (AU).

Apuntes históricos de la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria. Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas, primera parte / Historical notes on the University Students Federation in the Matanzas University of Medical Sciences. Part I

RESUMEN muy poco se conoce y apenas existe documentación sobre lo que la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria ha realizado en la provincia y en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas. Por ser tan importante esta temática como parte del rescate de la memoria histórica de la organización estudiantil, constituye un reto investigar y escribirla. Describir algunos apuntes históricos del inicio y desarrollo de la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria en la hoy Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas, durante una primera etapa. Se describen algunos de los principales hechos vinculados al trabajo de los miembros de la Federación de Estudiantes Universitarios de las carreras de ciencias médicas de Matanzas, se recopiló información sobre sus dirigentes estudiantiles, eventos académicos, científicos, culturales, juegos deportivos, entre otros, desde los años iniciales de la educación médica superior en la provincia hasta el comienzo de la década del 90. La historia de la Federación de Estudiantes Universitarios, en la hoy Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas, refleja el papel desempeñado por la organización, sus miembros y dirigentes, lo que la hace rejuvenecer cada año, con las nuevas generaciones que la integran (AU).

SUMMARY Very little is known and there is hardly any documentation on what the University Students Federation (FEU by its Spanish initialism) has done in the province and at Matanzas University of Medical Sciences. Because this theme is so important as part of the rescue of the historical memory of the student's organization, it is a challenge to investigate and write it. To provide some historical notes on the beginning and development of the University Student Federation in the current University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas, during a first stage. The authors described some of the main facts related to the work of the members of the University Students Federation of the medical sciences degree courses of Matanzas; they collected information about its student leaders, academic, scientific, cultural events, sports games, among others, from the initial years of higher medical education in the province until the beginning of the 90s.The history of the University Students Federation at Matanzas University of Medical Sciences mirrors the role played by the organization, its members and leaders, rejuvenating it every year, with the new generations joining it in (AU).

The use of magnetic iron oxide based nanoparticles to improve microalgae harvesting in real wastewater.

A novel approach for harvesting Scenedesmus sp. microalgae from real wastewater by using adsorbents of magnetite-based nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) was tested in this study for the first time for this microalgae. Using these NPs, the harvesting efficiency was even higher than 95%. The optimal conditions (0.14 gNPs/L, a short magnetic separation time of only 8 min and 27 min of contact time) were found using the response surface methodology. The best fitting of the adsorption equilibrium results was achieved by the Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum adsorption capacity for Scenedesmus sp. reached 3.49 g dry cell weight (DCW)/g Fe3O4 NPs. Zeta potential measurements and the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model analysis pointed out that the main adsorption mechanism between Scenedesmus sp. cells and Fe3O4 NPs was electrostatic interaction. Finally, Fe3O4 NPs were six times successfully reused by combining an alkaline treatment with an ultrasonication process, which implies microalgae lysis. The results herein obtained highlight the potential for magnetic separation of microalgae from wastewater, which is capable of reaching a high harvesting efficiency in a very short time.

Adsorption process of fluoride from drinking water with magnetic core-shell Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 and Ce-Ti oxide nanoparticles.

Synthesized magnetic core-shell Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 nanoparticles were tested, as an adsorbent, for fluoride removal and the adsorption studies were optimized. Adsorption capacity was compared with the synthesized Ce-Ti oxide nanoparticles. The adsorption equilibrium for the Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 adsorbent was found to occur in <15min and it was demonstrated to be stable and efficient in a wide pH range of 5-11 with high fluoride removal efficiency over 80% of all cases. Furthermore, isotherm data were fitted using Langmuir and Freundlich models, and the adsorption capacities resulted in 44.37 and 91.04mg/g, at pH7, for Ce-Ti oxides and Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 nanoparticles, respectively. The physical sorption mechanism was estimated using the Dubinin-Radushkevich model. An anionic exchange process between the OH- group on the surface of the Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 nanomaterial and the F- was involved in the adsorption. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters proved the spontaneous process for the adsorption of fluoride on Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The reusability of the material through magnetic recovery was demonstrated for five cycles of adsorption-desorption. Although the nanoparticles suffer slight structure modifications after their reusability, they keep their adsorption capacity. Likewise, the efficiency of the Ce-Ti@Fe3O4 was demonstrated when applied to real water to obtain a residual concentration of F- below the maximum contaminated level, 1.5mg/L (WHO, 2006).

Critical review of existing nanomaterial adsorbents to capture carbon dioxide and methane.

Innovative gas capture technologies with the objective to mitigate CO2 and CH4 emissions are discussed in this review. Emphasis is given on the use of nanoparticles (NP) as sorbents of CO2 and CH4, which are the two most important global warming gases. The existing NP sorption processes must overcome certain challenges before their implementation to the industrial scale. These are: i) the utilization of the concentrated gas stream generated by the capture and gas purification technologies, ii) the reduction of the effects of impurities on the operating system, iii) the scale up of the relevant materials, and iv) the retrofitting of technologies in existing facilities. Thus, an innovative design of adsorbents could possibly address those issues. Biogas purification and CH4 storage would become a new motivation for the development of new sorbent materials, such as nanomaterials. This review discusses the current state of the art on the use of novel nanomaterials as adsorbents for CO2 and CH4. The review shows that materials based on porous supports that are modified with amine or metals are currently providing the most promising results. The Fe3O4-graphene and the MOF-117 based NPs show the greatest CO2 sorption capacities, due to their high thermal stability and high porosity. Conclusively, one of the main challenges would be to decrease the cost of capture and to scale-up the technologies to minimize large-scale power plant CO2 emissions.

Self-oriented Ag-based polycrystalline cubic nanostructures through polymer stabilization.

This paper presents the study of the dynamics of the formation of polymer-assisted highly-orientated polycrystalline cubic structures (CS) by a fractal-mediated mechanism. This mechanism involves the formation of seed Ag@Co nanoparticles by InterMatrix Synthesis and subsequent overgrowth after incubation at a low temperature in chloride and phosphate solutions. These ions promote the dissolution and recrystallization in an ordered configuration of pre-synthetized nanoparticles initially embedded in negatively-charged polymeric matrices. During recrystallization, silver ions aggregate in AgCl@Co fractal-like structures, then evolve into regular polycrystalline solid nanostructures (e.g. CS) in a single crystallization step on specific regions of the ion exchange resin (IER) which maintain the integrity of polycrystalline nanocubes. Here, we study the essential role of the IER in the formation of these CS for the maintenance of their integrity and stability. Thus, this synthesis protocol may be easily expanded to the composition of other nanoparticles providing an interesting, cheap and simple alternative for cubic structure formation and isolation.

Phosphate removal and recovery from water using nanocomposite of immobilized magnetite nanoparticles on cationic polymer.

A novel nanocomposite (NC) based on magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) immobilized on the surface of a cationic exchange polymer, C100, using a modification of the co-precipitation method was developed to obtain magnetic NCs for phosphate removal and recovery from water. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy , X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry were used to characterize the NCs. Continuous adsorption process by the so-called breakthrough curves was used to determine the adsorption capacity of the Fe3O4-based NC. The adsorption capacity conditions were studied under different conditions (pH, phosphate concentration, and concentration of nanoparticles). The optimum concentration of iron in the NC for phosphate removal was 23.59 mgFe/gNC. The sorption isotherms of this material were performed at pH 5 and 7. Taking into account the real application of this novel material in real water, the experiments were performed at pH 7, achieving an adsorption capacity higher than 4.9 mgPO4-P/gNC. Moreover, Freundlich, Langmuir, and a combination of them fit the experimental data and were used for interpreting the influence of pH on the sorption and the adsorption mechanism for this novel material. Furthermore, regeneration and reusability of the NC were tested, obtaining 97.5% recovery of phosphate for the first cycle, and at least seven cycles of adsorption-desorption were carried out with more than 40% of recovery. Thus, this work described a novel magnetic nanoadsorbent with properties for phosphate recovery in wastewater.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Reduce Postoperative Interleukin-1ß, Pain, and Inflammation: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in TRAM Flap Breast Reconstruction Patients.

BACKGROUND: Pulsed electromagnetic fields have been shown to reduce postoperative pain, inflammation, and narcotic requirements after breast reduction and augmentation surgical procedures. This study examined whether pulsed electromagnetic field therapy could produce similar results in patients undergoing unilateral transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap breast reconstruction, a significantly more complex and painful surgical procedure. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study, 32 patients undergoing unilateral TRAM flap breast reconstruction received active or sham pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. Pain levels were measured by using a visual analogue scale; narcotic use and wound exudate volume were recorded starting 1 hour postoperatively. Wound exudates were analyzed for interleukin-1ß. RESULTS: Mean visual analogue scale pain scores were 2-fold higher in the sham cohort at 5 hours and 4-fold higher at 72 hours (p < 0.01), along with a concomitant 2-fold increase in narcotic use in sham patients (p < 0.01). Wound exudate volume was 2-fold higher in the sham cohort at 24 hours (p < 0.01), and mean interleukin-1ß concentration in wound exudates of sham patients was 5-fold higher at 24 hours (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy significantly reduced postoperative pain, inflammation, and narcotic use following TRAM flap breast reconstruction, paralleling its effect in breast reduction patients. Both studies also report a significant reduction of interleukin-1ß in the wound exudate, supporting a mechanism involving a pulsed electromagnetic field effect on nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling, which modulates the body's antiinflammatory pathways. Adjunctive pulsed electromagnetic field therapy could impact the speed and quality of wound repair in many surgical procedures. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, I.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields dosing impacts postoperative pain in breast reduction patients.

BACKGROUND: Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) reduce postoperative pain and narcotic requirements in breast augmentation, reduction, and reconstruction patients. PEMF enhances both calmodulin-dependent nitric oxide and/or cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling and phosphodiesterase activity, which blocks cyclic guanosine monophosphate. The clinical effect of these competing responses on PEMF dosing is not known. METHODS: Two prospective, nonrandomized, active cohorts of breast reduction patients, with 15 min PEMF per 2 h; "Q2 (active)", and 5 min PEMF per 20 min; "5/20 (active)", dosing regimens were added to a previously reported double-blind clinical study wherein 20 min PEMF per 4 h, "Q4 (active)", dosing significantly accelerated postoperative pain reduction compared with Q4 shams. Postoperative visual analog scale pain scores and narcotic use were compared with results from the previous study. RESULTS: Visual analog scale scores at 24 h were 43% and 35% of pain at 1 h in the Q4 (active) and Q2 (active) cohorts, respectively (P < 0.01). Pain at 24 h in the 5/20 (active) cohort was 87% of pain at 1 h, compared with 74% in the Q4 (sham) cohort (P = 0.451). Concomitantly, narcotic usage in the 5/20 (active) and Q4 (sham) cohorts was not different (P = 0.478), and 2-fold higher than the Q4 (active) and Q2 (active) cohorts (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study shows Q4/Q2, but not 5/20 PEMF dosing, accelerated postoperative pain reduction compared with historical shams. The 5/20 (active) regimen increases NO 4-fold faster than the Q4 (active) regimen, possibly accelerating phosphodiesterase inhibition of cyclic guanosine monophosphate sufficiently to block the PEMF effect. This study helps define the dosing limits of clinically useful PEMF signals.

Characterization of fibrous polymer silver/cobalt nanocomposite with enhanced bactericide activity.

This manuscript describes the synthesis (based on the intermatrix synthesis (IMS) method), optimization, and application to bacterial disinfection of Ag@Co polymer-metal nanocomposite materials with magnetic and bactericidal properties. This material showed ideal bactericide features for being applied to bacterial disinfection of water, particularly (1) an enhanced bactericidal activity (when compared with other nanocomposites only containing Ag or Co nanoparticles), with a cell viability close to 0% for bacterial suspensions with an initial concentration below 10(5) colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) after a single pass through the material, (2) capacity of killing a wide range of bacterial types (from coliforms to gram-positive bacteria), and (3) a long performance-time, with an efficiency of 100% (0% viability) up to 1 h of operation and higher than 90% during the first 24 h of continuous operation. The nanocomposite also showed a good performance when applied to water samples from natural sources with more complex matrices with efficiencies always higher than 80%.

Environmentally-safe bimetallic Ag@Co magnetic nanocomposites with antimicrobial activity.

In this communication we describe the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of the bactericide activity of a superparamagnetic bimetallic Ag/Co polymeric nanocomposite material for the treatment of bacteria contaminated aqueous solutions.

Donnan-exclusion-driven distribution of catalytic ferromagnetic nanoparticles synthesized in polymeric fibers.

One of the routes to overcome the high instability of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) lies in the use of polymeric materials for their synthesis and stabilization. Besides, one of the most serious concerns associated with the growing production and use of MNPs is the possibility of their uncontrollable escape into the medium under treatment and the environment. A possible solution to this problem could be the synthesis of ferromagnetic MNPs with desired functionality, that might not only prevent their escape by using simple magnetic traps but also allow their recovery and reuse. In our work we report the results obtained by the development of environmentally-safe polymer-metal nanocomposite materials containing polymer-stabilized MNPs (PSMNPs) with properties. This material consists of a functional polymer with immobilized Pd@Co core-shell PSMNPs distributed mainly near the surface of the polymer which makes PSMNPs maximally accessible for reagents in catalytic applications. The material was characterized by different techniques to evaluate the total metal content, the size and the magnetic properties of MNPs and their distribution inside the polymer. All nanocomposites were tested as catalysts in Suzuki cross-coupling reactions between arylboronic acids and aryl halides to produce biphenyls as a reference reaction.