Subcutaneous Application of a Gelatin/Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Induces the Production of Skin Extracellular Matrix.

The development of injectable hydrogels with natural biopolymers such as gelatin (Ge) and hyaluronic acid (Ha) is widely performed due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. The combination of both polymers crosslinked with N-Ethyl-N'-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) can be used as an innovative dermal filler that stimulates fibroblast activity and increases skin elasticity and tightness. Thus, crosslinked Ge/Ha hydrogels with different concentrations of EDC were administered subcutaneously to test their efficacy in young and old rats. At higher EDC concentrations, the viscosity decreases while the particle size of the hydrogels increases. At all concentrations of EDC, amino and carboxyl groups are present. The histological analysis shows an acute inflammatory response, which disappears seven days after application. At one and three months post-treatment, no remains of the hydrogels are found, and the number of fibroblasts increases in all groups in comparison with the control. In addition, the elastic modulus of the skin increases after three months of treatment. Because EDC-crosslinked Ge/Ha hydrogels are biocompatible and induce increased skin tension, fibroblast proliferation, and de novo extracellular matrix production, we propose their use as a treatment to attenuate wrinkles and expression lines.

Analysis of Healthcare-associated Infections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Colombian hospital

Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections pose a significant challenge, contributing to hospital morbidity and mortality. Objective: To describe the behavior of Healthcare Associated Infections before and during the pandemic reported to a high-complexity health institution in Colombia. Material and Methods: In our retrospective observational study on Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), we analyzed data from all in-patients diagnosed with HAIs between 2018 and 2020. This included clinical, demographic, microbiological, and microbial susceptibility information collected from the Committee on Nosocomial Infections' prospective database. Data from 391 isolates were obtained using Whonet software for antimicrobial resistance surveillance. Results: We found 504 cases of HAIs (2018-2020) with an overall in-hospital infection rate of 2.55/1000 patient-days. The median age for pediatric patients was 5 years, and for adults, 56 years, with 57% male. The leading admission diagnoses were oncologic disease complications (31%). Bacteremia had a 30-day mortality rate of 13%, predominantly catheter-associated (37%). Gram-negative bacilli, notably Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, represented 58% cases of HAI. Discussion: The critical need for specific interventions and antimicrobial management to control HAIs, especially given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is highlighted. Conclusions: This is the first report on HAIs incidence at a tertiary hospital in Bucaramanga, Santander (Colombia). Bacteremia was predominant; 75% of HAIs patients had comorbidities. Gram-negative bacilli prevailed; a notable rise in ICU respiratory infections occurred during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Resistance to cephalosporins and carbapenems was prevalent.

Biowaxes from Palm Oil as Promising Candidates for Cosmetic Matrices and Pharmaceuticals for Human Use.

The production of waxes from vegetable oils, such as palm oil, for use as a base material in products for human applications is an alternative to those derived from petroleum and animals. Seven palm oil-derived waxes, called biowaxes (BW1-BW7) in this work, were obtained by catalytic hydrotreating of refined and bleached African palm oil and refined palm kernel oil. They were characterized by three properties: compositional, physicochemical (melting point, penetration value, and pH), and biological (sterility, cytotoxicity, phototoxicity, antioxidant, and irritant). Their morphologies and chemical structures were studied by SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, and 1H NMR. The BWs presented structures and compositions similar to natural biowaxes (beeswax and carnauba). They had a high concentration of waxy esters (17%-36%) with long alkyl chains (C, 19-26) per carbonyl group, which are related to high melting points (<20-47.9 °C) and low penetration values (2.1-3.8 mm). They also proved to be sterile materials with no cytotoxic, phototoxic, antioxidant, or irritant activity. The biowaxes studied could be used in cosmetic and pharmacological products for human use.

Anfibios y reptiles del departamento de Ica con comentarios sobre su distribución

En este trabajo se presenta el listado actualizado de anfibios y reptiles de Ica. Las especies son comentadas, acompañadas de mapas de distribución y claves de identificación para reptiles y anfibios. Se recopiló información de registros en colecciones científicas, artículos científicos, informes de agencias gubernamentales de vida silvestre y bases de datos taxonómicas especializadas. Adicionalmente, entre los años 2019 y 2020 se realizaron evaluaciones de campo en zonas con vacíos de información. Se encontraron un total de 22 especies (anfibios 3 y reptiles 19). Los nuevos registros de reptiles para Ica incluyen la lagartija Liolaemus evaristoi y la serpiente Incaspis tachymenoides en la provincia de Chincha a 4200 y 3200 m de altitud respectivamente, la lagartija Stenocercus ornatissimus y la serpiente ciega Epictia tesselata en la provincia de Pisco a 3500 y 2800 m respectivamente. Los nuevos registros de anfibios incluyen a Pleurodema marmoratum en la provincia de Chincha (3900 m) y Telmatobius rimac en las provincias de Chincha y Palpa a 3900 y 2350 m respectivamente. La mayor riqueza y endemismos locales se encontraron en el desierto costero, mientras que, las ampliaciones de distribución y endemismos regionales se registraron en la vertiente occidental de los Andes. También, se observa que las familias Leptotyphlopidae y Viperidae, y los géneros Dicrodon, Stenocercus y Oxyrophus terminan su distribución en la vertiente occidental y la zona costera de los departamentos de Ica y Arequipa sin representantes en el extremo sur del Perú y Chile.

This paper presents the updated list of amphibians and reptiles of Ica. Species are commented, accompanied by distribution maps and identification keys for reptiles and amphibians. Information was collected from scientific collections, scientific articles, governmental wildlife agency reports, and specialized taxonomic database. Additionally, between 2019 and 2020, field surveys were carried out in areas with information gaps. A total of 22 species were found (amphibians 3 and reptiles 19). The new records of reptiles include the Liolaemus evaristoi lizard and the Incaspis tachymenoides snake from Chincha province at 4200 and 3200 m altitude respectively, the Stenocercus ornatissimus lizard and the blind snake Epictia tesselata from Pisco province at 3500 and 2800 m respectively. New amphibian records include Pleurodema marmoratum in Chincha province (3900 m) and Telmatobius rimac in Chincha and Palpa provinces at 3900 and 2350 m respectively. The greatest richness and local endemism were found in the coastal desert, while the expansion of distribution and regional endemism were recorded on the western slope of the Andes. Also, it is observed that the families Leptotyphlopidae and Viperidae, and the genera Dicrodon, Stenocercus and Oxyrophus are finishing their distribution in the western slope and the coastal zone of the departments of Ica and Arequipa without representatives in the extreme south of Peru and Chile.

Eficacia de tres escalas pronósticas de mortalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del HGR No. 20 / Effectiveness of three forecast mortality scales in the Intensive Care Unit of HGR No. 20 / Eficácia de três escalas de prognóstico de mortalidade na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva do HGR No. 20

Resumen: Introducción: La Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) es el área hospitalaria que se encarga de la atención médica integral de los pacientes en estado crítico, los cuales tienen altas posibilidades de recuperación. Las escalas pronósticas de mortalidad funcionan como indicadores objetivos y estandarizados para la categorización de pacientes en términos de gravedad y de esta manera estandarizar su ingreso a estas unidad, así como evaluar la eficacia y calidad de nuestra labor como médicos en estas UCI. Objetivo: Determinar cuál es la escala pronostica de mortalidad más eficaz para la UCI del HGR No. 20. Material y métodos: Se realizó estudio descriptivo, transversal, retrospectivo, comparativo en la UCI del HGR No. 20, durante el periodo comprendido del 1o de enero al 31 de diciembre de 2016. Se aplicaron tres escalas pronósticas de mortalidad APACHE II, SAPS II y SOFA, se determinó la eficacia del pronóstico de mortalidad dado por cada escala y se compararon los resultados entre las tres. Se realizó análisis estadístico por media estadística descriptiva, frecuencias, medidas de tendencia central, frecuencias para variables cualitativas. Estadística no paramétrica con χ2 para análisis bivariado, prueba de correlación de Kendall y regresión lineal, graficando con curva de ROC. Resultados: Se analizaron 244 expedientes de pacientes que ingresaron a la UCI, se encontraron los siguientes datos: 174 sobrevivientes y 70 defunciones para una mortalidad de 28.7%; con media de edad del 44.64 DE ± 17.9; por género 134 de sexo femenino y 110 masculinos; siendo la principal causa de ingreso pacientes postquirúrgicos 73 (29.9%) y pacientes con sepsis o choque séptico 54 (22.1%); en cuanto a las escalas pronósticas, la correlación APACHE II-SAPS II 0.784, APACHE II vs SOFA 0.761, SOFA vs SAPS II 0.723. y en regresión lineal SOFA con un coeficiente de B 0.208 y β 0.642. Conclusión: Existe una correlación entre una mayor mortalidad real a medida que aumenta la puntación con respecto a la escala APACHE y SAPS II. Realizando la regresión lineal podemos decir que SOFA tiene mayor susceptibilidad ante las otras escalas pronósticas APACHE II y SAPS II con un IC de 95%.

Abstract: Introduction: The intensive care unit (ICU) is the hospital area in the which is responsible for the comprehensive medical care of patients in critical condition which have high chances of recovery; the prognostic scales of mortality function as objective and standardized indicators for categorization of patients in terms of severity in this way standardize your admission to these units, as well as evaluating the effectiveness and quality of our work as doctors in these ICUs. Objective: To determine which is the most effective mortality prognostic scale for the ICU of the HGR No. 20. Material and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out. Comparative in the ICU of HGR No. 20, during the period from 1° January to December 31, 2016. Three forecast scales of mortality APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA, the efficacy of the prognosis of mortality given by each scale and the results were compared between the three scales. Statistical analysis was performed by descriptive statistical mean, frequencies, measures of central tendency, frequencies for qualitative variables. Statistics nonparametric with χ2 for bivariate analysis, correlation test of Kendall and linear regression, plotting with ROC curve. Results: 244 records of patients admitted to the ICU were analyzed, the following data were found 174 survivors and 70 deaths for a 28.7% mortality; with a mean age of 44.64 SD ± 17.9; by gender 134 of female and 110 male; being the main cause of admission to patients postsurgical 73 (29.9%) and patients with sepsis or septic shock 54 (22.1%); in regarding the scales, you predict the correlation APACHE II-SAPS II 0.784, APACHE II vs SOFA 0.761, SOFA vs SAPS II 0.723. and in SOFA linear regression with a coefficient of B 0.208 and β 0.642. Conclusion: There is a correlation between higher real mortality as increases the score with respect to the APACHE scale and SAPS II. Performing the linear regression we can say that SOFA has greater susceptibility to the other APACHE II and SAPS II prognostic scales. With a 95% CI.

Resumo: Introdução: A unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI) é a área hospitalar na qual é responsável pela assistência médica integral de pacientes criticamente enfermos com grandes chances de recuperação; as escalas de prognóstico de mortalidade funcionam como indicadores objetivos e padronizados para a categorização dos pacientes em termos de gravidade desta forma padronizar sua admissão nestas unidades, bem como avaliar a eficácia e qualidade do nosso trabalho como médicos nessas UTIs. Objetivo: Determinar qual é a escala prognóstica de mortalidade mais eficaz para UTI do HGR No. 20. Material e métodos: Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, transversal, retrospectivo, comparativo na UTI do HGR No. 20, no período de 1o de Janeiro de 2016 a 31 de dezembro de 2016. Aplicou-se três escalas de prognóstico de mortalidade APACHEII, SAPS II, SOFA, determinou-se a efetividade do prognóstico de mortalidade dada por cada escala e os resultados foram comparados entre as três escalas. A análise estatística foi realizada por estatística descritiva média, frequências, medidas de tendência central, frequências para variáveis qualitativas. Estatísticas não paramétrico com χ2 para análise bivariada, teste de correlação de Kendall e regressão linear, plotado com curva ROC. Resultados: Foram analisados 244 prontuários de pacientes internados na UTI, encontramos os seguintes dados: 174 sobreviventes e 70 óbitos para uma mortalidade de 28.7%; com idade média de 44.64 DP± 17.9; por gênero 134 de feminino e 110 masculino; sendo a principal causa de admissão de pacientes pós-operatório 73 (29.9%) e pacientes com sepse ou choque séptico 54 (22.1%); Em relação às escalas prognósticas, a correlação APACHE II- SAPSII 0.784, APACHEII vs SOFA 0.761, SOFA vs SAPS II 0.723 e na regressão linear SOFA com um coeficiente de B 0.208 e β 0.642. Conclusão: Existe uma correlação entre uma maior mortalidade real a medida que aumenta a pontuação em relação à escala APACHE e SAPS II. Realizando a regressão linear podemos dizer que o SOFA tem maior suscetibilidade a outras escalas de prognóstico APACHE II e SAPS II. Com um IC de 95%.

Echocardiographic 60-day mortality markers in patients hospitalized in intensive care for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease COVID-19 produces a predominantly pulmonary affection, being cardiac involvement an important component of the multiorganic dysfunction. At the moment there are few reports about the behavior of echocardiographic images in the patients who have the severe forms of the disease. OBJECTIVE: Identify the echocardiographic prognostic markers for death within 60 days in patients hospitalized in intensive care. METHODS: A single-center prospective cohort was made with patients hospitalized in intensive care for COVID-19 confirmed via polymerase chain reaction who got an echocardiogram between May and October 2020. A Cox multivariate model was plotted reporting the HR and confidence intervals with their respective p values for clinical and echocardiographic variables. RESULTS: Out of the 326 patients included, 153 patients got an echocardiogram performed on average 6.8 days after admission. The average age was 60.7, 47 patients (30.7%) were females and 67 (44.7%) registered positive troponin. 91 patients (59.5%) died. The univariate analysis identified TAPSE, LVEF, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, acute cor pulmonale, right ventricle diastolic dysfunction, and right ventricular dilatation as variables associated with mortality. The multivariate model identified that the acute cor pulmonale with HR= 4.05 (CI 95% 1.09 - 15.02, p 0.037), the right ventricular dilatation with HR= 3.33 (CI 95% 1.29 - 8.61, p 0.013), and LVEF with HR= 0.94 (CI 95% 0.89 - 0.99, p 0.020) were associated with mortality within 60 days. CONCLUSIONS: In patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for COVID-19, the LVEF, acute cor pulmonale and right ventricular dilatation are prognostic echocardiographic markers associated with death within 60 days.

Prediction of the total acid number (TAN) of colombian crude oils via ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometric methods.

Reactions as the attack by naphthenic and hydrogen sulfide have caused corrosion problems in the petroleum industry due to they affect the crude oil heating furnaces and distillation towers at temperatures between 220 and 400 °C. The total acid number (TAN) measurement has been used as a test to quantify the acid compounds in crude oils and has shown to be a reliable indicator of their corrosion degree. However, the standard method for the TAN measurement, ASTM D-644, involves long times, environment unfriendly wastes and high costs for each analysis. A more appropriate method for the TAN determination is implemented in this paper, by correlating Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectral data of the samples with the standard method measurements using multivariate regression models. In particular, the intensities and frequencies of their mid-infrared attenuated total reflectance (MIR-ATR) spectra (4000 - 400 cm-1) are used as independent variables of several principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) models. The latter are employed to correlate the spectra with their respective TAN values so as to obtain a suitable prediction model. Twenty-six (26) samples of Colombian crude oils are used for the study with a TAN ranging from 0.1 to 6.8 mg KOH/g crude oil (ASTM D-664). The models are evaluated according to the coefficient of determination (R2), the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) and of prediction (RMSEP). The best model is obtained via PLSR using as few as four components (i.e. factors), which attains a calibration R2 of 0.981 and an RMSEC of 0.317 mg KOH/g crude oil, while for prediction it attains an R2 of 0.996 and an RMSEP of 0.160 mg KOH/g crude oil. It is observed that the functional groups COOH, CH3 and CH2 contribute the most to the prediction models. The designed methodology is faster and environmentally friendly since it does not require sample pretreatment and the use of toxic reagents, and of low-cost compared with the standard procedure since FTIR measurements can be easily taken anywhere using a hand-held or portable spectrometer and a laptop.

Tunable Electrical and Optical Properties of Nickel Oxide (NiO x) Thin Films for Fully Transparent NiO x-Ga2O3 p-n Junction Diodes.

One of the major limitations of oxide semiconductors technology is the lack of proper p-type materials to enable devices such as pn junctions, light-emitting diodes, and photodetectors. This limitation has resulted in an increased research focus on these materials. In this work, p-type NiO x thin films with tunable optical and electrical properties as well as its dependence with oxygen pressure during pulsed laser deposition are demonstrated. The control of NiO x films resistivity ranged from ∼109 to ∼102 Ω cm, showing a p-type behavior with Eg tuning from 3.4 to 3.9 eV. Chemical composition and the resulting band diagrams are also discussed. The all-oxide NiO x-Ga2O3 pn junction showed very low leakage current, an ideality factor of ∼2, 105 on/off ratio, and 0.6 V built-in potential. Its J- V temperature dependence is also analyzed. C- V measurements demonstrate diodes with a carrier concentration of 1015 cm-3 for the Ga2O3 layer, which is fully depleted. These results show a stable, promising diode, attractive for future photoelectronic devices.

Solution Synthesized p-Type Copper Gallium Oxide Nanoplates as Hole Transport Layer for Organic Photovoltaic Devices.

p-Type metal-oxide hole transport layer (HTL) suppresses recombination at the anode and hence improves the organic photovoltaic (OPV) device performance. While NiOx has been shown to exhibit good HTL performance, very thin films (<10 nm) are needed due to its poor conductivity and high absorption. To overcome these limitations, we utilize CuGaO2, a p-type transparent conducting oxide, as HTL for OPV devices. Pure delafossite phase CuGaO2 nanoplates are synthesized via microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction in a significantly shorter reaction time compared to via conventional heating. A thick CuGaO2 HTL (∼280 nm) in poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) devices achieves 3.2% power conversion efficiency, on par with devices made with standard HTL materials. Such a thick CuGaO2 HTL is more compatible with large-area and high-volume printing process.

Impurities and Electronic Property Variations of Natural MoS2 Crystal Surfaces.

Room temperature X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), high resolution Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (HR-RBS), Kelvin probe method, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) are employed to study the properties of a freshly exfoliated surface of geological MoS2 crystals. Our findings reveal that the semiconductor 2H-MoS2 exhibits both n- and p-type behavior, and the work function as measured by the Kelvin probe is found to vary from 4.4 to 5.3 eV. The presence of impurities in parts-per-million (ppm) and a surface defect density of up to 8% of the total area could explain the variation of the Fermi level position. High resolution RBS data also show a large variation in the MoSx composition (1.8 < x < 2.05) at the surface. Thus, the variation in the conductivity, the work function, and stoichiometry across small areas of MoS2 will have to be controlled during crystal growth in order to provide high quality uniform materials for future device fabrication.

Uso de metadoxilo en la intoxicación alcohólica etílica aguda. Servicio de urgencias del Hospital de San José, Bogotá, D.C / Use of metadoxil in acute ethanol intoxication. Emergency department Hospital de San José, Bogotá D.C

El abuso del alcohol y su dependencia son problemas de salud pública, con morbilidad y mortalidad que requieren atención costosa en los servicios de urgencias. La prevalencia en Colombia es similar a la mundial con un consumo a más temprana edad. Objetivo: describir la respuesta clínica y el tiempo de mejoría de la embriaguez alcohólica en pacientes tratados con metadoxilo vs. terapia convencional. Métodos: estudio de serie de casos con diagnóstico clínico de embriaguez alcohólica etílica grados 2 y 3, mayores de 18 años, en el servicio de urgencias, que recibieron tratamiento estándar y este mismo más metadoxilo. Resultados: se incluyeron 39 pacientes, 79.4% hombres, distribución equivalente en ambos grupos de tratamiento con promedio de edad de 35 ± 13.3 años. Hubo mejoría a los 30 minutos en siete pacientes con metadoxilo y tres con manejo convencional, a los 60 minutos ocho mejoraron con metadoxilo y cinco con convencional. Conclusiones: el metadoxilo puede ser fundamental en el manejo de la intoxicación alcohólica disminuyendo el tiempo de observación médica en urgencias...

Alcohol abuse and dependence are public health problems causing morbidity and mortality requiring high cost emergency care. Prevalence in Colombia is similar to worldwide prevalence and alcohol consumption is started at an earlier age. Objective: to describe clinical response and time to onset of improvement of alcohol intoxication symptoms in patients treated with metadoxil vs. conventional therapy. Methods: study of a case series of patients with clinical diagnosis of stages 2 and 3 alcoholic intoxication, older than 18 years, who received standard therapy and standard therapy plus metadoxil at the emergency room. Results: thirty-nine (39) patients were included, 79.4% males, equivalent distribution in both treatment groups with mean age of 35 ± 13.3 years. Improvement at 30 minutes was obtained in 7 patients treated with metadoxil and 3 receiving conventional therapy, 8 patients improved with metadoxil and 5 with conventional therapy at 60 minutes evaluation. Conclusions: metadoxil may be fundamental for alcoholic intoxication management reducing patient observation time at the emergency room...