Surface chemistry and germination improvement of Quinoa seeds subjected to plasma activation.

Plasma treatment is recognized as a suitable technology to improve germination efficiency of numerous seeds. In this work Quinoa seeds have been subjected to air plasma treatments both at atmospheric and low pressure and improvements found in germination rate and percentage of success. Seed water uptake by exposure to water vapor, although slightly greater for plasma treated seeds, did not justify the observed germination improvement. To identify other possible factors contributing to germination, the chemical changes experienced by outer parts of the seed upon plasma exposure have been investigated by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX). XPS revealed that the outer layers of the Quinoa plasma treated seeds were highly oxidized and appeared enriched in potassium ions and adsorbed nitrate species. Simultaneously, SEM-EDX showed that the enrichment in potassium and other mineral elements extended to the seed pericarp and closer zones. The disappearance from the surface of both potassium ions and nitrate species upon exposure of the plasma treated seeds to water vapor is proposed as a factor favoring germination. The use of XPS to study chemical changes at seed surfaces induced by plasma treatments is deemed very important to unravel the mechanisms contributing to germination improvement.

Prognostic Value of Pre-transplantation Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence.

Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) value is still not included in the consensus guidelines to make decisions referring to liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Many studies demonstrated the influence of high AFP level in poor prognosis after LT for HCC. We studied 301 consecutive recipients transplanted for HCC from January 2002 to December 2011. The median follow-up was 64.3 months (interquartile range, 41.6-90.8). HCC recurrence was 31.6% when AFP was >400 ng/mL and 50% when AFP was >1,000 ng/mL. Specificity to predict HCC recurrence was 95.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.9-97.1) when AFP was >400 ng/mL and 98.9% (95% CI, 96.8-99.6) when AFP was >1,000 ng/mL. The overall survival (P = .008) and disease-free survival (P = .004) differed between patients groups when an AFP cutoff level of 1,000 ng/mL was used. The predictive accuracy of high pre-transplantation serum AFP level for HCC post-transplantation recurrence should be used in decision algorithms for LT.

Diagnostic reference levels and complexity indices in interventional radiology: a national programme.

OBJECTIVES: To propose national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for interventional radiology and to evaluate the impact of the procedural complexity on patient doses. METHODS: Eight interventional radiology units from Spanish hospitals were involved in this project. The participants agreed to undergo common quality control procedures for X-ray systems. Kerma area product (KAP) was collected from a sample of 1,649 procedures. A consensus document established the criteria to evaluate the complexity of seven types of procedures. DRLs were set as the 3rd quartile of KAP values. RESULTS: The KAP (3rd quartile) in Gy cm2 for the procedures included in the survey were: lower extremity arteriography (n = 784) 78; renal arteriography (n = 37) 107; transjugular hepatic biopsies (THB) (n = 30) 45; biliary drainage (BD) (n = 314) 30; uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) (n = 56) 214; colon endoprostheses (CE) (n = 31) 169; hepatic chemoembolization (HC) (n = 269) 303; femoropopliteal revascularization (FR) (n = 62) 119; and iliac stent (n = 66) 170. The complexity involved the increases in the following KAP factors from simple to complex procedures: THB x4; BD x13; UFE x3; CE x3; HC x5; FR x5 and IS x4. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the procedure complexity in patient doses will allow the proper use of DRLs for the optimization of interventional radiology. KEY POINTS: • National DRLs for interventional procedures have been proposed given level of complexity • For clinical audits, the level of complexity should be taken into account. • An evaluation of the complexity levels of the procedure should be made.

Desigualdad de género en las actividades de prevención de riesgos laborales / Gender inequality in occupational risk prevention

INTRODUCCIÓN: Los objetivos de este estudio, para comprobar la existencia de una posible desigualdad de géneros en relación a las actividades preventivas, consisten en conocer la frecuencia con la que la mujer tiene acceso a la vigilancia de salud, en qué medida recibe formación e información, la frecuencia con que se realiza la evaluación de los riesgos para su salud en el puesto de trabajo, que aspectos del puesto de trabajos se estudian además de la evaluación de riesgos tanto en los aspectos organizativos, como de los aspectos psicosociales. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio epidemiológico observacional transversal, de fuente secundaria, a partir de los datos de la «VII Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Trabajo, realizada por INSHT en el 2011. Para la determinación de la desigualdad entre géneros se utilizó el test de Chi cuadrado para las variables cualitativas y el T-test para muestras independientes para variables cuantitativas. Para el control de posibles interacciones o modificaciones del efecto se realizó un análisis de regresión logística binaria, la significación de los modelos se contrastó mediante la pruebas de Hosmer y Lemeshow. RESULTADOS: El 56.30% de mujeres frente a 43.70% de hombres, afirman que no se les ofreció la posibilidad de realizarse el reconocimiento médico al 52,80% de mujeres que afirman que si se les ofreció el reconocimiento médico no se lo llegaron a hacer. A un 51.70 % de mujeres frente a un 48.30% de hombres no se les realizó la evaluación de riesgos en el puesto de trabajo. El 56.10% de mujeres frente a un 43.90% de hombres afirman considerarse mal informados sobre los riesgos de su puesto de trabajo. En el análisis de regresión los factores más relacionados con una menor accesibilidad a actividades de prevención de riesgos laborales fueron: el ser mujer, la ausencia del delegado de prevención, el contrato temporal, y ser trabajador extranjero. Concluimos que el ser mujer trabajadora supone un menor acceso a la gestión preventiva

OBJECTIVES: In order to test the possible gender inequality in labour prevention, we need to know how often women have access to health surveillance, which is the scope of the training and information received by women, the frequency with which the assessment of health risks in the workplace. METHODS: Cross-sectional epidemiological study of secondary source data from the «Seventh National Working Conditions Survey, conducted by INSHT in 2011. RESULTS: 56.30% women compared to 43.70% of men say they were not offered the medical examination in the last 12 months, while the 52.80% of women, who were offered medical examination, did not attend. Risk assessment in workplace during the last 12 months was not performed to 51.70% of women versus 48.30% men. 56.10% of women versus 43.90% of men claim to be misinformed about the risks of their job. We got constant risk factors: being female, the absence of prevention delegate, temporary contract, and being foreign worker

Carga mental en la mujer trabajadora: desigualdad de género y prevalencia / Mental load in working women: gender inequality and prevalence

INTRODUCCIÓN: La igualdad de género hay sido una preocupación introducida en los últimos años por instituciones tanto internacionales como nacionales. La cuestión de igualdad afecta también al ámbito laboral tanto en lo que se refiere a la distribución del trabajo como a la exposición a riesgos psicosociales, principalmente en economías basadas en la información y conocimiento. Los objetivos de este estudio se dirigen a identificar, entre la población trabajadora española, situaciones de desigualdad entre géneros en lo que se refiere a los diferentes componentes de la carga mental y estimar su prevalencia. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio observacional de tipo transversal a partir de los datos recogidos de la « VII Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones del Trabajo» con una muestra de 8.892 trabajadores. Los datos se analizaron de forma bivariante utilizándose el test de Chi-Cuadrado para las variables cualitativas y el t-test para muestras independientes en el caso de variables cuantitativas. La significación se consideró con p < 0,05. Con el objeto de analizar la influencia de distintos factores potencialmente relacionados con componentes de la carga mental y su interacción, se realizó un análisis de regresión logística binaria con el método de inclusión retroceder por paso (Wald). RESULTADOS: Los hombres manifiestan sufrir una menor carga mental que la mujer en relación con el ritmo de trabajo, OR = 0,89 (0,8-0.9), la prevalencia de un «Alto ritmo de trabajo» fue de (0,65‰) en mujeres con respecto a un 0,63‰ en hombres. Los hombres refirieron una menor carga mental por «exceso de trabajo» con respecto a las mujeres OR = 0,9 (0,8-1,0). Las mujeres con mayor frecuencia que el hombre se encuentran fatigadas por una sobrecarga de trabajo (0,37‰); 0,35‰) respectivamente. CONCLUSIONES: Estos resultados no corroboran nuestra hipótesis inicial de que la mujer está expuesta a una mayor carga mental que el hombre. Analizando diferentes componentes de la carga mental, la mujer está expuesta a un mayor ritmo de trabajo y a una mayor fatiga como consecuencia del a cantidad de trabajo

INTRODUCTION: Gender equality is a concern introduced in the last years by both, international and national institutions. Equality is also an issue into the world of work, involving job division and occupational exposure to psychosocial risks, mainly in societies which economy is based in information and knowledge. The aims are to identify, among the Spanish working population, gender inequality situations regarding the different components of mental load and to estimate its prevalence. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Spanish «VII National Survey on Working Conditions» with a sample of 8.892 workers. The data were analyzed in a bi-variant way, chi-square test was used for qualitative variables and t-test for independent samples for quantitative variables. The significance was considered at p < 0.05. In order to analyze the influence of any factors related with mental workload, its components and their interaction, a binary logistic regression was performed using step backward method (Wald). RESULTS: Men have a lower mental load than women regarding work pace, OR = 0,89 (0,8-0.9), prevalence of a «high work pace» was ( 0,65 ‰) in women versus (0,63 ‰ ) in men. Men also refer lower «work load» than women OR = 0, 9 (0,8-1,0 ), figures show, for women, an higher prevalence of fatigue due to work load exposure than men (0,37‰) versus 0,35 ‰)). CONCLUSION: These results did not corroborate our hypothesis, that women are exposed to a higher overall mental load that men. Analyzing several components of mental load women are more exposed to an «high work pace» and an «high work load and fatigue

Evaluating wild grapevine tolerance to copper toxicity.

We evaluate copper tolerance and accumulation in Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris in populations from a copper contaminated site and an uncontaminated site, and in the grapevine rootstock "41B", investigating the effects of copper (0-23 mM) on growth, photosynthetic performance and mineral nutrient content. The highest Cu treatment induced nutrient imbalances and inhibited photosynthetic function, causing a drastic reduction in growth in the three study plants. Effective concentration was higher than 23 mM Cu in the wild grapevines and around 9 mM in the "41B" plants. The wild grapevine accessions studied controlled root Cu concentration more efficiently than is the case with the "41B" rootstock and must be considered Cu-tolerant. Wild grapevines from the Cu-contaminated site present certain physiological characteristics that make them relatively more suitable for exploitation in the genetic improvement of vines against conditions of excess Cu, compared to wild grapevine populations from uncontaminated sites.

Growth and photosynthetic responses to copper in wild grapevine.

The present study evaluates the tolerance and accumulation potential of Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris under moderate and high external Cu levels. A greenhouse experiment was conducted in order to investigate the effects of a range of external Cu concentrations (0-23mmolL(-1)) on growth and photosynthetic performance by measuring gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic pigments. We also measured the total copper, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and sodium concentrations in the plant tissues. All the experimental plants survived even with external Cu concentrations as high as 23mmolL(-1) (1500mg Cu L(-1)), although the excess of metal resulted in a biomass reduction of 35%. The effects of Cu on growth were linked to a reduction in net photosynthesis, which may be related to the effect of the high concentration of the metal on photosynthetic electron transport. V. vinifera ssp. sylvestris survived with leaf Cu concentrations as high as 80mgkg(-1) DW and growth parameters were unaffected by leaf tissue concentrations of 35mg Cu kg(-1) DW. The results of our study indicate that plants of V. vinifera ssp. sylvestris from the studied population are more tolerant to Cu than the commercial varieties of grapevine that have been studied in the literature, and could constitute a basis for the genetic improvement of Cu tolerance in grapevine.

Is it possible to increase bioavailability but not environmental risk of PAHs in bioremediation?

The current poor predictability of end points associated with the bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a large limitation when evaluating its viability for treating contaminated soils and sediments. However, we have seen a wide range of innovations in recent years, such as an the improved use of surfactants, the chemotactic mobilization of bacterial inoculants, the selective biostimulation at pollutant interfaces, rhizoremediation and electrobioremediation, which increase the bioavailability of PAHs but do not necessarily increase the risk to the environment. The integration of these strategies into practical remediation protocols would be beneficial to the bioremediation industry, as well as improve the quality of the environment.

Hartmann's operation: how often is it reversed and at what cost? A multicentre study.

AIM: The study evaluated the rate of reversal of Hartmann's operation after the initial surgery and its morbidity. METHOD: A multicentre retrospective study was carried out in seven hospitals in the Valencia area of patients who underwent Hartmann's operation from 2004 to 2008. The incidence of reversal was determined. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty-two patients of mean age 67.5 ± 15.4 years were included, of whom 78.8% had an emergency operation. The most common diagnosis was cancer (58.6%), although diverticulitis predominated in the emergency setting. At a median follow up of 44 months, 159 (35.2%) patients had undergone reversal, including 16.6% after elective surgery and 40.4% after an emergency Hartmann's procedure (P < 0.001). The most frequent reason why reversal was not done was death (74 [25%] patients). Patients undergoing reversal were younger and had a low ASA risk. Trauma was associated with a higher rate of reversal, followed by diverticular disease. Surgery was performed at a median of 10 months. An open approach with stapled anastomosis was used in most cases. The mortality was 3.5%. Complications occurred in 45.2%, with a 6.2% rate of anastomotic leakage. Complications were associated with age, diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, obesity, smoking, chemotherapy and COPD. CONCLUSION: Hartmann's reversal was performed in a small percentage of patients, mostly including those with benign disease. It had a significant morbidity.

Patología ORL ambulatoria / No disponible

Realizamos un estudio descriptivo de las consultas ORL ambulatorias durante un periodo de tres meses. Estudiamos1261 pacientes (568 hombres y 693 mujeres)con una media de edad de 40.41 años. Analizamos la edad, sexo, motivos de consulta, exploraciones complementarias y diagnósticos. Los síntomas más frecuentemente observados fueron hipoacusia (17.66%), insuficiencia respiratoria nasal obstrucción nasal (15.66%) y otalgia (9.95%). El43.74% de las consultas fueron por patología óptica. Los diagnósticos más frecuentes fueron faringitis crónica (9.14%), tapón de cerumen (8.85%) y rinitis alérgica(7.37%).Las exploraciones complementarias más frecuentes fueron las radiografías simples (35.50%), estudios audiométricos (33.38%) y analíticos (19.49%).Los resultados son similares a los de otras series revisadas

A descriptive study of ambulatory ENT consultations wasmade over a three months period. We studied 1261patients (568 mens and 693 womens) with an overall average age of 40.41 years. We analized age, sex, symptons of consultations, complementary studies anddiagnosis. The most frequently observed symptons were loss of hearing (17,66%), nasal respiratory insufficiency-nasal obstruction (15,66%) and otalgia (9,95%). Otic pathology were the 43,74% of consultations. The most frequents diagnosis were chronic pharyngitis (9,14%), ceruminoma(8,85%) and allergic rhinitis (7,37%).The most frequents complementary studies were radiograph findings (35,50%), audiometric studies (33,38%)and analytic studies (19,49%).The results were similars to the others rewievs series

Variations in APOE genotype distribution in children from areas with different adult cardiovascular disease mortality in Spain.

We investigate whether a varying distribution of the APOE genotype could help explain regional differences in ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in Spain. APOE genotypes were examined by PCR in 1,274 randomly selected healthy children from four Spanish regions with different adult IHD mortality rates (northwest and central Spain with low rates and southeast and southern Spain with high rates). In the population as a whole the prevalence of the higher risk APOE*3/*4 genotype is 16.8% and the prevalence of the APOE*4 allele is 10.1%. In northwest Spain the frequencies of the APOE*3/*4 genotype (12.9%) and of the APOE*4 allele (8.3%) are smaller than in the other regions. The southeast region shows statistically higher frequencies of the APOE*3/*4 genotype (22.5%) and of the APOE*4 allele (13.2%) than in the other regions or in the group as a whole. We can conclude that Spain is not homogeneous in terms of APOE genotype distribution. Although the prevalence of the APOE*4 allele is generally low, there are areas with higher prevalence of the APOE*4 allele and a higher incidence of adult IHD mortality. This allows us to conclude that in Spain this genetic determinant can be associated with IHD mortality in relatively isolated populations.

[Multiple primaries of the upper aerodigestive tract, esophagus, and lung]. / Múltiples primarios en vías aerodigestivas superiores, esófago y pulmón.

The existence of multiple primary tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract, esophagus, and lung (UADT-E-L) is related with a common etiopathogenic factor (alcohol-tobacco association). In a review of 43 patients, 6.75% with a UADT-E-L tumor developed another neoplasm, 3.25% at the same site. Nine percent (8.59%) of the tumors were synchronic and 10.85% were metachronic. The most frequent association was larynx-lung. Another neoplasm was detected by physical examination and/or radiology in 44.18% of cases, with a time lapse of less than 3 years in 50%. The most frequent treatment was surgery with/without complementary radiotherapy. The most common stage was T1-T2 (62.06%) and N0-N1 (68.96%). The survival rate was 31% at 2 years and 25% at 3 years.

Detección de metabolitos de cocaina en orina humana con kits inmunologicos y confirmacion por GC/MSD / Detection of cocaine metabolites in human urine with immunological kits and confirmation by GC/MSD

Los kits ELISA de NEOGEN para el screening de metabolitos de cocaína en orina de caballo, de una de una sensibilidad de 0.3 ng/mL para la benzoilecgonina, son utilizados en el Laboratorio de control Antidoping con un límite de corte de 3 ng/mL, en orinas humanas diluídas al décimo. Este límite tan bajo nos ha dado un alto número de positivos, difíceles de confirmar po GC-MS. Por esta razón, hemos probado diferentes técnicas para alcanzar en la confirmación un límite de detección acorde con el screening inmunológico. Para ello se realizaron ensayos con diferentes métodos de extracción, solventes de extracción y agentes de derivatización. La técnica seleccionada consiste en una extracción por columnas Bond Elut Certify y derivatización con PFPA/PFPOH, con um límite de deteccíon de 5 ng/mL. El uso de estos kits en estas condiciones produjo algunos resultados falso-positivos, la gran mayoria debidos a orinas conteniendo butilescopolamina y sus metabolitos.

[Specialized care in pediatric otorhinolaryngological emergencies]. / Asistencia especializada de la urgencia pediátrica otorrinolaringológica.

Emergency care for pediatric patients represents a large proportion of total ENT emergencies so we thought that it might be interesting to know the statistical data from a tertiary hospital. These findings are the basis for planning work and training for future specialists in different fields.