Supercritical Impregnation of PETG with Olea europaea Leaf Extract: Influence of Operational Parameters on Expansion Degree, Antioxidant and Mechanical Properties.

PETG (poly(ethylene glycol-co-cyclohexane-1,4-dimethanol terephthalate)) is an amorphous copolymer, biocompatible, recyclable, and versatile. Nowadays, it is being actively researched for biomedical applications. However, proposals of PETG as a platform for the loading of bioactive compounds from natural extract are scarce, as well as the effect of the supercritical impregnation on this polymer. In this work, the supercritical impregnation of PETG filaments with Olea europaea leaf extract was investigated, evaluating the effect of pressure (100-400 bar), temperature (35-55 °C), and depressurization rate (5-50 bar min-1) on the expansion degree, antioxidant activity, and mechanical properties of the resulting filaments. PETG expansion degree ranged from ~3 to 120%, with antioxidant loading ranging from 2.28 to 17.96 g per 100 g of polymer, corresponding to oxidation inhibition values of 7.65 and 66.55%, respectively. The temperature and the binary interaction between pressure and depressurization rate most affected these properties. The mechanical properties of PETG filaments depended greatly on process variables. Tensile strength values were similar or lower than the untreated filaments. Young's modulus and elongation at break values decreased below ~1000 MPa and ~10%, respectively, after the scCO2 treatment and impregnation. The extent of this decrease depended on the supercritical operational parameters. Therefore, filaments with higher antioxidant activity and different expansion degrees and mechanical properties were obtained by adjusting the supercritical processing conditions.

Use of rasburicase to improve kidney function in children with hyperuricemia and acute kidney injury.

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia contributes to decrease in kidney function and induces additional renal damage in children with acute kidney injury (AKI). Rasburicase oxidizes uric acid (UA), decreasing its serum quantities in less than 24 h. METHODS: This is a retrospective study involving hospitalized patients under 18 years of age with underlying pathology diagnosed with AKI and severe hyperuricemia treated with rasburicase over a 4-year period. RESULTS: We describe 15 patients from 4 days of life to 18 years (median: 4.4 years). Seventy-three percent had known underlying pathologies. All presented worsening of basal renal function or AKI data. All received the usual medical treatment for AKI without response. Twenty percent received an extrarenal depuration technique. All had hyperuricemia with a mean (± SD) of 13.1 (± 2.19) mg/dl. After rasburicase administration UA levels fell to a mean (± SD) of 0.76 (± 0.62) mg/dl (p < 0.001) in less than 24 h. In parallel, a decrease in the mean plasma creatinine was observed (2.92 mg/dl to 1.93 mg/dl (p = 0.057)) together with a significant improvement of the mean glomerular filtration rate (16.3 ml/min/1.73 m2 to 78.6 ml/min/1.73 m2) (p = 0.001)). No side effects were recorded. Kidney function normalized in all cases or returned to baseline levels. CONCLUSIONS: Although the use of rasburicase is not routinely approved in pediatric patients with severe hyperuricemia and AKI, it has been used successfully without complications, and helped prevent progressive kidney damage. This study could serve as a basis for suggesting the off-label use of rasburicase for the management of complex pediatric patients in whom UA plays an important role in the development of AKI.

Low-Temperature Vacuum Drying on Broccoli: Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Proliferative Properties Regarding Other Drying Methods.

Low-temperature vacuum drying (LTVD) has shown great potential for drying vegetables. It could avoid excessive degradations of active compounds with potential therapeutic agents. In this study, the effect on several relevant bioactive compounds, anti-inflammatory activity, and anti-proliferative activity of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) were evaluated. Effects of other drying methods, including vacuum drying (VD), convective drying (CD), infrared drying (IRD), and freeze drying (FD), were also comparatively evaluated. The results of all dried samples showed high polyunsaturated fatty acid contents (of up to 71.3%) and essential amino acid contents (of up to 8.63%). The LTVD method stands out above the other drying methods, since it obtained the highest content of total phenols, chlorogenic acid, and ferulic acid. Both the LTVD and CD samples demonstrated high anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activities. These CD and LTVD samples were also the most active against the breast carcinoma MDA-MB-23 cell line. Due to the good retention of bioactive compounds via LTVD, the obtained dried broccoli here can be used in a near time as an ingredient for the development of novel natural products with anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects.

Moist and warm conditions in Eurasia during the last glacial of the Middle Pleistocene Transition.

The end of the Middle Pleistocene Transition (MPT, ~ 800-670 thousand years before present, ka) was characterised by the emergence of large glacial ice-sheets associated with anomalously warm North Atlantic sea surface temperatures enhancing moisture production. Still, the direction and intensity of moisture transport across Eurasia towards potential ice-sheets is poorly constrained. To reconstruct late MPT moisture production and dispersal, we combine records of upper ocean temperature and pollen-based Mediterranean forest cover, a tracer of westerlies and precipitation, from a subtropical drill-core collected off South-West Iberia, with records of East Asia summer monsoon (EASM) strength and West Pacific surface temperatures, and model simulations. Here we show that south-western European winter precipitation and EASM strength reached high levels during the Marine Isotope Stage 18 glacial. This anomalous situation was caused by nearly-continuous moisture supply from both oceans and its transport to higher latitudes through the westerlies, likely fuelling the accelerated expansion of northern hemisphere ice-sheets during the late MPT.

Cohort Profile: CArdiovascular Risk in patients with DIAbetes in NAvarra (CARDIANA cohort).

PURPOSE: The CArdiovascular Risk in patients with DIAbetes in Navarra (CARDIANA cohort) cohort was established to assess the effects of sociodemographic and clinical variables on the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 1 (T1D) or type 2 (T2D) diabetes, with a special focus on socioeconomic factors, and to validate and develop cardiovascular risk models for these patients. PARTICIPANTS: The CARDIANA cohort included all patients with T1D and T2D diabetes registered in the Public Health Service of Navarra with prevalent disease on 1 January 2012. It consisted of 1067 patients with T1D (ages 2-88 years) and 33842 patients with T2D (ages 20-105 years), whose data were retrospectively extracted from the Health and Administrative System Databases. FINDINGS TO DATE: The follow-up period for wave 1 was from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2016. During these 5 years, 9 patients (0.8%; 95% CI (0.4% to 1.6%)) in the T1D cohort developed a cardiovascular disease event, whereas for the T2D cohort, 2602 (7.7%; 95% CI (7.4% to 8.0%)) had an event. For the T2D cohort, physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events, with adjusted estimated ORs equal to 0.84 (95% CI 0.66 to 1.07) for the partially active group and 0.71 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.91) for the active group, compared with patients in the non-active group. FUTURE PLANS: The CARDIANA cohort is currently being used to assess the effect of sociodemographic risk factors on CV risk at 5 years and to externally validate cardiovascular predictive models. A second wave is being conducted in late 2022 and early 2023, to extend the follow-up other 5 years, from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2021. Periodic data extractions are planned every 5 years.

Cómo proceder ante personal sanitario alérgico a la vacuna de ARNm contra el COVID-19 / How to deal with healthcare workers allergic to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine

Notifican al Servicio de Prevención y Riesgos Laborales el caso de una enfermera de 37 años que refiere rinorrea acuosa y prurito generalizado 10-15 minutos tras la administración de la primera dosis vacunal generada por BioNTech/Pfizer. Presenta: eritema facial, habón maxilar y constantes normales. ¿Cómo debe actuar el Servicio de Prevención y Riesgos Laborales (SPRL) frente a una trabajadora sanitaria que sufre una reacción alérgica a la vacuna de ARNm contra el COVID-19?Este caso clínico llama la atención sobre medidas preventivas habituales como la vacunación pero también sobre otras como la colaboración entre diferentes servicios hospitalarios, el manejo y diagnóstico por Alergología, seguimiento del Servicio de Prevención y notificación de efectos vacunales adversos por Farmacología Clínica.La coordinación entre estos servicios resulta fundamental para el correcto manejo de trabajadores afectados por reacciones adversas frente a la primera dosis vacunal contra el COVID-19 pudiendo quedar vacunados y protegidos. (AU)

The Occupational Risk and Prevention Service is notified the case of a 37-year-old nurse who reported watery rhinorrhea and generalized itching 10-15 minutes after first dose of the vaccine produced by BioNTech/Pfizer’s administration. She presents: facial erythema, maxillary wheal and normal constants. How should the Occupational Risk and Prevention Service should deal with a health worker who suffers an allergic reaction to the mRNA vaccine against COVID-19?This clinical case draws attention to common preventive measures such as vaccination, but also to others such as collaboration between different hospital services, management and diagnosis by Allergology, follow-up by the Occupational Risk and Prevention Service and notification of adverse vaccine effects by Clinical Pharmacology.Coordination between these services is essential for the correct management of workers affected by adverse reactions to the first vaccine dose against COVID-19, being the workers able to be vaccinated and protected. (AU)

Relationship between soluble protein ST2 (sST2) levels and microvascular complications in a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes.

AIM: To determine the association and the prognostic value of soluble ST2 (sST2) levels in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular oedema (DMO) or diabetic nephropathy (DN), in a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: A total of 269 individuals with T1D (154 males and 115 females) were recruited. The overall mean age was 43.2±14.9 years, and the diabetes duration was 17.1±12.1 years. Levels of sST2 in serum were evaluated, and the presence as well as the degree of DR, DMO and DN was recorded. Additionally, other clinical and analytical parameters including demographic variables were recovered from patients' electronic health record. Ten years later, the presence and stage of DR, DMO and DN were again recorded under the same criteria. The association between previously mentioned parameters with DR and DN was analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The variables in the final multivariate models were adjusted from complete models via backward elimination and maintained only when significant. RESULTS: An increase of 10ng/ml in the levels of sST2 was associated with a 1.50 (1.02-2.19) and 1.48 (1.05-2.08) prevalence odds ratio (OR) in DMO and DR, respectively. There was no association between sST2 levels and DN. Meanwhile, sST2 levels did not display a prognostic effect in any of the microangiopathic diabetic complications studied. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of sST2 are associated with the presence of DR and DMO, they do not seem to be predictive for the development or deterioration of DR, DMO or DN.

Screening of the Supercritical Impregnation of Olea europaea Leaves Extract into Filaments of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Polylactic Acid (PLA) Intended for Biomedical Applications.

The leaves of Olea europaea as agricultural waste represent a convenient source of antioxidants. In combination with supercritical CO2 (scCO2), assisted impregnation is an interesting strategy for the preparation of biomedical devices with specific bioactivity. For this purpose, 3D-printable filaments of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polylactic acid (PLA) were employed for the supercritical impregnation of ethanolic olive leaves extract (OLE) for biomedical application. The extraction of OLE was performed using pressurized liquids. The effect of pressure (100-400 bar), temperature (35-55 °C), and the polymer type on the OLE impregnation and the swelling degree were studied including a morphological analysis and the measurement of the final antioxidant activity. All the studied variables as well as their interactions showed significant effects on the OLE loading. Higher temperatures favored the OLE loading while the pressure presented opposite effects at values higher than 250 bar. Thus, the highest OLE loadings were achieved at 250 bar and 55 °C for both polymers. However, TPU showed c.a. 4 times higher OLE loading and antioxidant activity in comparison with PLA at the optimal conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report using TPU for the supercritical impregnation of a natural extract with bioactivity.

Brain predictors of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis: A machine learning study.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common and burdensome symptom in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), yet is poorly understood. Currently, clinicians rely solely on fatigue questionnaires, which are inherently subjective measures. For the effective development of future therapies and stratification, it is of vital importance to identify biomarkers of fatigue. In this study, we identify brain differences between RA patients who improved and did not improve their levels of fatigue based on Chalder Fatigue Scale variation (ΔCFS≥ 2), and we compared the performance of different classifiers to distinguish between these samples at baseline. METHODS: Fifty-four fatigued RA patients underwent a magnetic resonance (MR) scan at baseline and 6 months later. At 6 months we identified those whose fatigue levels improved and those for whom it did not. More than 900 brain features across three data sets were assessed as potential predictors of fatigue improvement. These data sets included clinical, structural MRI (sMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. A genetic algorithm was used for feature selection. Three classifiers were employed in the discrimination of improvers and non-improvers of fatigue: a Least Square Linear Discriminant (LSLD), a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) and a SVM with Radial Basis Function kernel. RESULTS: The highest accuracy (67.9%) was achieved with the sMRI set, followed by the DTI set (63.8%), whereas classification performance using clinical features was at the chance level. The mean curvature of the left superior temporal sulcus was most strongly selected during the feature selection step, followed by the surface are of the right frontal pole and the surface area of the left banks of the superior temporal sulcus. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented evidence a superiority of brain metrics over clinical metrics in predicting fatigue changes. Further exploration of these methods may support clinicians to triage patients towards the most appropriate fatigue alleviating therapies.

Secondary Immunosuppression in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients.

OBJECTIVES: Currentimmunosuppressive treatments for kidney transplant recipients have improved graft viability at the expense of impaired immune surveillance. The tools for monitoring immune status in pediatric kidney transplant recipients have not been widely investigated. Better knowledge could help recognize over immunosuppression and allow implementation of individualized preventive strategies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective and observational study included 28 pediatric kidney transplant recipients treated at a tertiary hospital. We measured peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations, immunoglobulins, immunosuppressivedrug levels, and viral loads. Reference analytical values for different age ranges were used to determine immune status. We recorded overall hospitalizations due to opportunistic infections and positive viral loads posttransplant. RESULTS: We found hypogammaglobulinemia and lymphopenia in 19% and 41% of the patients, respectively. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were below normal limits in one-third of the sample. These parameters were not related to the current number or plasma levels of immunosuppressive drugs. During follow-up, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and BK virus viremias were detected in 60.7% of the patients. Admissions due to opportunistic infections happened in 57.1%, mainly related to severe viral disease (30%) or gastrointestinal infections (26.7%). Most occurred in younger transplant recipients and during the first 2 years posttransplant (73.3%). We found no significant relation between peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations and hospital admissions for opportunistic infections or positive viral loads during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent hospitalizations for opportunistic infections and analytical disorders in the immune system suggested that secondary immunosuppression in pediatric kidney transplant recipients was frequent. Immunosuppression was not directly related to plasma drug levels or the number of immunosuppressive drugs. Thus, immune monitoring might be helpful in combination with immunosuppressant levels to assess immunosuppression status and to establish individualized preventive measures.

Matrix metalloproteinase 10 is linked to the risk of progression to dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Alzheimer's disease has a long asymptomatic phase that offers a substantial time window for intervention. Using this window of opportunity will require early diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to detect Alzheimer's disease pathology at predementia stages, thus allowing identification of patients who will most probably progress to dementia of the Alzheimer's type and benefit from specific disease-modifying therapies. Consequently, we searched for CSF proteins associated with disease progression along with the clinical disease staging. We measured the levels of 184 proteins in CSF samples from 556 subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment patients from three independent memory clinic longitudinal studies (Spanish ACE, n = 410; German DCN, n = 93; German Mannheim, n = 53). We evaluated the association between protein levels and clinical stage, and the effect of protein levels on the progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Mild cognitive impairment subjects with increased CSF level of matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP-10) showed a higher probability of progressing to dementia of the Alzheimer's type and a faster cognitive decline. CSF MMP-10 increased the prediction accuracy of CSF amyloid-ß 42 (Aß42), phospho-tau 181 (P-tau181) and total tau (T-tau) for conversion to dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Including MMP-10 to the [A/T/(N)] scheme improved considerably the prognostic value in mild cognitive impairment patients with abnormal Aß42, but normal P-tau181 and T-tau, and in mild cognitive impairment patients with abnormal Aß42, P-tau181 and T-tau. MMP-10 was correlated with age in subjects with normal Aß42, P-tau181 and T-tau levels. Our findings support the use of CSF MMP-10 as a prognostic marker for dementia of the Alzheimer's type and its inclusion in the [A/T/(N)] scheme to incorporate pathologic aspects beyond amyloid and tau. CSF level of MMP-10 may reflect ageing and neuroinflammation.

Exploring Test-Retest Reliability and Longitudinal Stability of Digital Biomarkers for Parkinson Disease in the m-Power Data Set: Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Digital biomarkers (DB), as captured using sensors embedded in modern smart devices, are a promising technology for home-based sign and symptom monitoring in Parkinson disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: Despite extensive application in recent studies, test-retest reliability and longitudinal stability of DB have not been well addressed in this context. We utilized the large-scale m-Power data set to establish the test-retest reliability and longitudinal stability of gait, balance, voice, and tapping tasks in an unsupervised and self-administered daily life setting in patients with PD and healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Intraclass correlation coefficients were computed to estimate the test-retest reliability of features that also differentiate between patients with PD and healthy volunteers. In addition, we tested for longitudinal stability of DB measures in PD and HC, as well as for their sensitivity to PD medication effects. RESULTS: Among the features differing between PD and HC, only a few tapping and voice features had good to excellent test-retest reliabilities and medium to large effect sizes. All other features performed poorly in this respect. Only a few features were sensitive to medication effects. The longitudinal analyses revealed significant alterations over time across a variety of features and in particular for the tapping task. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the need for further development of more standardized, sensitive, and reliable DB for application in self-administered remote studies in patients with PD. Motivational, learning, and other confounders may cause variations in performance that need to be considered in DB longitudinal applications.

Vacuum drying of Chilean papaya (Vasconcellea pubescens) fruit pulp: effect of drying temperature on kinetics and quality parameters.

Chilean papaya is grown in Central Chile and is considered to be an important source of fiber, sugars, and antioxidants. The effect of different vacuum drying temperatures (40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C) on the composition of papaya pulp was evaluated. The inhibitory effect of papaya extracts on α-glucosidase activity, as a regulator of blood sugar, was also evaluated. Drying reduced water activity of the pulp to less than 0.6, thereby, assuring the product stability, while maintaining simple sugars, vitamin C, and total flavonoids. Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity by DPPH assay increased with respect to the fresh pulp by 1.5 and 2.6 times, respectively. The inhibitory effect of papaya extracts on α-glucosidase was evaluated by determining the IC50 for each sample and the acarbose equivalents. The results indicate the suitability of the dried extract of Chilean papaya as a regulator of glucose metabolism in Type II diabetes patients.

Relationship between soluble protein ST2 (sST2) levels and microvascular complications in a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes.

AIM: To determine the association and the prognostic value of soluble ST2 (sST2) levels in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular oedema (DMO) or diabetic nephropathy (DN), in a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: A total of 269 individuals with T1D (154 males and 115 females) were recruited. The overall mean age was 43.2±14.9 years, and the diabetes duration was 17.1±12.1 years. Levels of sST2 in serum were evaluated, and the presence as well as the degree of DR, DMO and DN was recorded. Additionally, other clinical and analytical parameters including demographic variables were recovered from patients' electronic health record. Ten years later, the presence and stage of DR, DMO and DN were again recorded under the same criteria. The association between previously mentioned parameters with DR and DN was analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The variables in the final multivariate models were adjusted from complete models via backward elimination and maintained only when significant. RESULTS: An increase of 10ng/ml in the levels of sST2 was associated with a 1.50 (1.02-2.19) and 1.48 (1.05-2.08) prevalence odds ratio (OR) in DMO and DR, respectively. There was no association between sST2 levels and DN. Meanwhile, sST2 levels did not display a prognostic effect in any of the microangiopathic diabetic complications studied. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of sST2 are associated with the presence of DR and DMO, they do not seem to be predictive for the development or deterioration of DR, DMO or DN.

Early Prediction of Subsequent Molecular Response to Nilotinib in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Comparison of the Quantification of BCR-ABL1 Ratios Using ABL1 or GUSB Control Genes.

Molecular monitoring of BCR-ABL1 transcripts is a critical prognostic indicator of treatment response in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Quantification of BCR-ABL1 transcripts using ABL1 or GUSB as control genes on the early molecular response (MR) to frontline nilotinib was studied using data from 60 patients with chronic-phase CML from the Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials as First-Line Treatment (ENEST1st) substudy. Effects of BCR-ABL1/ABL1 and BCR-ABL1/GUSB ratios at early time points as independent variables on subsequent MR were determined by logistic regression analyses and predictive cut-off values determined by receiver operating curve analyses. From day 45, concordance was found for both control genes' early transcript kinetics and ability to predict subsequent deep MR at 18 months. From baseline to 3 months, transcripts descended linearly with both control genes. Use of ABL1 allowed for an earlier prediction (2 months) of subsequent MR than with GUSB (3 months), with cut-off values of 1.5% and 0.19%, respectively. The dynamic determination of BCR-ABL1 transcripts using either internal control gene is valid and predictive of subsequent MR. The use of GUSB to predict an earlier and more accurate response than ABL1 is not supported in the results. Accurate early indicators of MR are essential to identify patients likely to have inferior outcomes who may benefit from treatment with an alternative tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Regional impacts of climate change and its relevance to human evolution.

The traditional concept of long and gradual, glacial-interglacial climate changes during the Quaternary has been challenged since the 1980s. High temporal resolution analysis of marine, terrestrial and ice geological archives has identified rapid, millennial- to centennial-scale, and large-amplitude climatic cycles throughout the last few million years. These changes were global but have had contrasting regional impacts on the terrestrial and marine ecosystems, with in some cases strong changes in the high latitudes of both hemispheres but muted changes elsewhere. Such a regionalization has produced environmental barriers and corridors that have probably triggered niche contractions/expansions of hominin populations living in Eurasia and Africa. This article reviews the long- and short-timescale ecosystem changes that have punctuated the last few million years, paying particular attention to the environments of the last 650,000 years, which have witnessed key events in the evolution of our lineage in Africa and Eurasia. This review highlights, for the first time, a contemporaneity between the split between Denisovan and Neanderthals, at ~650-400 ka, and the strong Eurasian ice-sheet expansion down to the Black Sea. This ice expansion could form an ice barrier between Europe and Asia that may have triggered the genetic drift between these two populations.

Observatorio de Salud Comunitaria de Navarra: puesta en marcha y primeras experiencias / Community Health Observatory of Navarre: implementation and first experiences

FUNDAMENTOS: El Observatorio de Salud Comunitaria de Navarra se creó en 2016 para estudiar los determinantes, resultados y desigualdades en salud. El objetivo de este artículo fue describir la metodología y el proceso seguidos para su puesta en marcha, así como analizar la variabilidad de los indicadores seleccionados entre Zonas Básicas de Salud.MÉTODOS: Se especificó la configuración del observatorio y se describieron estadísticamente los indicadores seleccionados y su variabilidad entre zonas. RESULTADOS: Durante el periodo considerado, el observatorio interactuó con diferentes instituciones, unas como proveedoras de información y otras como usuarias de la misma. Uno de sus principales productos fueron los Informes de Perfil de Zona Básica de Salud, que incluyeron para cada zona una selección de 21 indicadores agrupados en: factores sociodemográficos, estilos de vida, morbilidad, sistema de salud y mortalidad. Los coeficientes de variación entre zonas de los indicadores se encontraron entre 0,01 y 0,7, siendo los que aluden a factores sociodemográficos los de mayor variabilidad.CONCLUSIONES: Esta experiencia comparte con otras similares el establecimiento de un sistema de comparación de determinantes y resultados de salud en áreas pequeñas. Los indicadores seleccionados captan la variabilidad entre zonas, devolviendo una imagen específica de las mismas. A partir de sus productos se abren posibilidades de intervención en coordinación con Atención Primaria, los agentes sociales y los activos de salud

BACKGROUND: The Community Health Observatory of Navarre (Observatorio de Salud Comunitaria de Navarra) was created in 2016 to study health determinants, results and inequalities. The objective of this article was to describe the methodology and the process followed to launch it, and to analyse the variation of the selected indicators among Basic Health Zones.METHODS: The observatory configuration was specified and the selected indicators and their variation among zones were described. RESULTS: During the period under consideration, the observatory interacted with many institutions, some of them provide information and others receive it. One of the main outcomes was the Profile Reports by Basic Health Zone, which included a selection of 21 indicators by zone related to socio-demographic factors, lifestyles, morbidity, Health System and mortality. The coefficients of variation among zones ranged between 0.01 and 0.7, showing the socio-demographic factors the greatest variation.CONCLUSIONS: This project, in line with other observatories, sets a system of comparison with health determinants and results in small areas. The selected indicators capture variation among zones, generating specific pictures. This is the starting point for future interventions in coordination with Primary Health Care, social agents and health assets

Root inoculation of green bell pepper (Capsicum annum) with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BBC047: effect on biochemical composition and antioxidant capacity.

BACKGROUND: Consumption of bell peppers is recommended because of their bioactive compound content and their positive effects on health. Growth-promoting rhizobacteria are popular because of their ability to promote plant growth by improving the fixation of nutrients or by inducing a systemic response. Green bell pepper (Capsicum annum) roots were inoculated with an autochthonous strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, at different stages of development: T1, inoculation in the seedbed before transplant; T2, inoculation at and after transplant; T3, inoculation in the seedbed, at and after transplant. Bell pepper plants without inoculation were considered as control. Physicochemical composition and antioxidant activity of the fruits were measured to select the best treatment. RESULTS: T1 increased crude proteins, fat, Ca, Fe, vitamin C, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity by DPPH and by ORAC. On the other hand, T1 decreased reducing sugars, K and Cu content. No significant differences for total carbohydrates, ash and photosynthetic pigments were found. CONCLUSION: Inoculated green bell peppers have enhanced its functional value and could be considered as an important source of bioactive compounds with elevated antioxidant activity. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Cyclical variation in the incidence of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes during 40 years in Navarra (Spain).

OBJECTIVE: To trace the evolution of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Navarre in children under 15, between 1977 and 2016, and their characteristics at onset regarding age and sex. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed a descriptive analysis, using prospective-retrospective information. The study included all cases of T1D diagnosed in Navarre in children aged 0 to 14 years old from 1 January 1977 until 31 December 2016. The capture-recapture method was used, retrieving information from three independent sources: the five hospitals in Navarre as a primary source, and the Navarre Association of Diabetics (ANADI) and the primary healthcare system as the secondary source. Estimates and confidence intervals were calculated assuming a subjacent Poisson distribution. Chi square test was used to compare incidence between groups. The analysis of changes in incidence since 1977, adjusted for age group, sex and year of diagnosis, were evaluated with a multivariate Poisson regression model and joinpoint regression. RESULTS: A total of 577 cases were registered resulting in a crude incidence rate of 14.99/100 000 inhabitants-year (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.79-16.26). From 1977, the incidence has increased in cycles, reaching an incidence rate of 22.98 (95% CI: 18.52-28.21) in 2016. The relative annual increase is 3% (95% CI: 2.3-3.8). The highest incidence is in the 10 to 14 age group (P < 0.001). No differences in sex were found. The mean age at onset in children under 15 years has not changed significantly (P = 0.572). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of T1D in Navarre has increased 4-fold in the last four decades but is stable since 2001.