Production of AC from Bamboo, Orange, and Paulownia Waste-Influence of Activation Gas and Biomass Maturation.

The production of agricultural waste is associated with environmental problems and risks to public health. The general interest demands, as an ecological alternative, the proper management of waste generated by industrial activity through its transformation into value-added products. Carbonization/activation (2 h/2 h) at 700 °C in a vertical furnace (20 K/min), to produce biochar and activated carbon (AC) from bamboo, orange, and paulownia residue, was carried out in a laboratory facility with physical activation by CO2 and steam. The characterization of the carbonaceous material obtained was based on the determination of the N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms at 77 K, the specific surface area with the BET procedure, and its internal structure by means of SEM images. The BET surface area values obtained as a function of the CO2/steam agent used were 911/1182 m2/g, 248/388 m2/g, and 800/1166 m2/g for bamboo, orange, and paulownia, respectively. The range of variation of porosity in paulownia residue generated after steam activation was 485-1166 m2/g, varying depending on the degree of maturity of the biomass used. Research has shown that both the type of activation agent used to produce AC and the degree of plant maturation of the precursor residue affect the quality and characteristics of the final product.

Lessons learned to enable question answering on knowledge graphs extracted from scientific publications: A case study on the coronavirus literature.

The article presents a workflow to create a question-answering system whose knowledge base combines knowledge graphs and scientific publications on coronaviruses. It is based on the experience gained in modeling evidence from research articles to provide answers to questions in natural language. The work contains best practices for acquiring scientific publications, tuning language models to identify and normalize relevant entities, creating representational models based on probabilistic topics, and formalizing an ontology that describes the associations between domain concepts supported by the scientific literature. All the resources generated in the domain of coronavirus are available openly as part of the Drugs4COVID initiative, and can be (re)-used independently or as a whole. They can be exploited by scientific communities conducting research related to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and also by therapeutic communities, laboratories, etc., wishing to find and understand relationships between symptoms, drugs, active ingredients and their documentary evidence.

[Relevance of clinical and serum parameters on severe urinary sepsis after renal obstruction.] / Importancia de los parámetros clínicos y analíticos de la sepsis grave en la uropatía obstructiva.

INTRODUCTION: Urosepsis is an underdiagnosed entity with high morbidity and mortality and significant associated costs. The delay in diagnosis leads to an increased risk of multiorgan failure and death. Although its prognosis is better than that of other sepsis, the mortality rate is 20 - 40%. OBJECTIVE: Describe the obstructive uropathy cases (OU) that are complicated by severe sepsis (SS) and identify early biomarkers of SS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational and prospective study of 65 patients with urgent high OU. All patients were evaluated at three different times (0, 24 and 48 hours). An SS predictor model has been constructed and a multivariate risk analysis has been carried out. RESULTS: 64.61% (n=42) developed SS (NSS: n=13). The only statistically significant variables in the 3 moments evaluated and that obtained a good area under the curve [AUROC (>0.70)] were the elevation of neutrophils, procalcitonin, and decrease of bicarbonate. At the time of patient admission, the variable that best predicted SS was the elevation of procalcitonin (AUROC:0.919). SS risk factors (p<0.005) were the history of cancer immunosuppression, and/or urinary tract surgeries, complete UO and high blood values of lactate, potassium and decrease of bicarbonate. The potassium-lactate combination on admission predicted SS with a probability function of 0.805. CONCLUSIONS: There is an analytical profile maintained over the time characteristic of SS that allows anearly identification of patients with OU subsidiary of been complicated with SS.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La Sepsis urinaria obstructiva (SUO) es una entidad infradiagnosticada con una elevada morbimortalidad e importantes costes asociados. El retraso en su diagnóstico condiciona un mayor riesgo de fracaso multiorgánico y fallecimiento. Aunque su pronóstico es mejor que el de otros focos de sepsis, su mortalidad es del 20 - 40%. OBJETIVO: Describir los cuadros de uropatía obstructiva (UO) que se complican con sepsis grave (SG) e identificarlos biomarcadores diagnósticos de SG en la UOde forma precoz.MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional y prospectivo de 72 pacientes con UO alta ingresados de manera urgente en el Servicio de Urología del Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid. Todos los pacientes del estudio fueron evaluados en tres momentos diferentes (0, 24 y 48 horas). Se ha creado un modelo predictor de SG y se ha realizado un análisis multivariante de riesgo. RESULTADOS: El 64,61% de los pacientes (n=42) desarrolló SG (NSG: n=13). Las únicas variables estadísticamente significativas en los tres momentos evaluados y que obtenían una buena área bajo la curva [AUROC (>0,70)] fueron la elevación de neutrófilos y procalcitonina y la disminución de bicarbonato. En el momento del ingreso la variable que mejor predecía SG fue la elevación de procalcitonina (AUROC: 0,919). Los factores de riesgo de SG (p<0,05) fueron los antecedentes de cáncer, la inmunosupresión y/o cirugías de vías urinarias, la UO completa y los valores elevados en sangre de lactato y potasio y la disminución del bicarbonato en la gasometría venosa. La combinación potasio-lactato al ingreso predecía SG con una función de probabilidad de 0,805. CONCLUSIONES: Existe un perfil analítico, mantenido en el tiempo, característico de SG que permite la identificación precoz de los pacientes con UO subsidiarios de complicarse con SG.

Importancia de los parámetros clínicos y analíticos de la sepsis grave en la uropatía obstructiva / Relevance of clinical and serum parameters on severe urinary sepsis after renal obstruction

INTRODUCCIÓN: La Sepsis urinaria obstructiva (SUO) es una entidad infradiagnosticada con una elevada morbimortalidad e importantes costes asociados. El retraso en su diagnóstico condiciona un mayor riesgo de fracaso multiorgánico y fallecimiento. Aunque su pronóstico es mejor que el de otros focos de sepsis, su mortalidad es del 20 - 40%. OBJETIVO: Describir los cuadros de uropatía obstructiva (UO) que se complican con sepsis grave (SG) e identificarlos biomarcadores diagnósticos de SG en la UOde forma precoz. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional y prospectivo de 72 pacientes con UO alta ingresados de manera urgente en el Servicio de Urología del Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid. Todos los pacientes del estudio fueron evaluados en tres momentos diferentes (0, 24 y 48 horas). Se ha creado un modelo predictor de SG y se ha realizado un análisis multivariante de riesgo. RESULTADOS: El 64,61% de los pacientes (n=42) desarrolló SG (NSG: n=13). Las únicas variables estadísticamente significativas en los tres momentos evaluados y que obtenían una buena área bajo la curva [AUROC (>0,70)] fueron la elevación de neutrófilos y procalcitonina y la disminución de bicarbonato. En el momento del ingreso la variable que mejor predecía SG fue la elevación de procalcitonina (AUROC: 0,919). Los factores de riesgo de SG (p < 0,05) fueron los antecedentes de cáncer, la inmunosupresión y/o cirugías de vías urinarias, la UO completa y los valores elevados en sangre de lactato y potasio y la disminución del bicarbonato en la gasometría venosa. La combinación potasio-lactato al ingreso predecía SG con una función de probabilidad de 0,805. CONCLUSIONES: Existe un perfil analítico, mantenido en el tiempo, característico de SG que permite la identificación precoz de los pacientes con UO subsidiarios de complicarse con SG

INTRODUCTION: Urosepsis is an underdiagnosed entity with high morbidity and mortality and significant associated costs. The delay in diagnosis leads to an increased risk of multiorgan failure and death. Although its prognosis is better than that of other sepsis, the mortality rate is 20 - 40%. OBJECTIVE: Describe the obstructive uropathy cases (OU) that are complicated by severe sepsis (SS) and identify early biomarkers of SS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational and prospective study of 65 patients with urgent high OU. All patients were evaluated at three different times (0, 24 and 48 hours). An SS predictor model has been constructed and a multivariate risk analysis has been carried out. RESULTS: 64.61% (n=42) developed SS (NSS: n=13). The only statistically significant variables in the 3 moments evaluated and that obtained a good area under the curve [AUROC (>0.70)] were the elevation of neutrophils, procalcitonin, and decrease of bicarbonate. At the time of patient admission, the variable that best predicted SS was the elevation of procalcitonin (AUROC: 0.919). SS risk factors (p < 0.05) were the history of cancer, immunosuppression, and/or urinary tract surgeries, complete UO and high blood values of lactate, potassium and decrease of bicarbonate. The potassium-lactate combination on admission predicted SS with a probability function of 0.805. CONCLUSIONS: There is an analytical profile maintained over the time characteristic of SS that allows an early identification of patients with OU subsidiary of been complicated with SS

Intramuscular Injection of Bone Marrow Stem Cells in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies suggest that stem cells may be a valuable therapeutic tool in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As it has been demonstrated that there are molecular changes at the end-plate during the early stages of motorneuron degeneration in animal models, we hypothesize that the local effect of this stem cell delivery method could slow the progressive loss of motor units (MUs) in ALS patients. METHODS: We designed a Phase I/II clinical trial to study the safety of intramuscularly implanting autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs), including stem cells, in ALS patients and their possible effects on the MU of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. Twenty-two patients participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that consisted of a baseline visit followed by one intramuscular injection of BMNCs, follow-up visits at 30, 90, 180, and 360 days, and an additional year of clinical follow-up. In each patient, one TA muscle was injected with a single dose of BMMCs while the contralateral muscle was given a placebo; the sides were selected randomly. All visits included a complete EMG study of both TA muscles. RESULTS: Our results show that (1) the intramuscular injection of BMMCs is a safe procedure; (2) ALS patients show heterogeneities in the degree of TA injury; (3) a comparison of placebo-injected muscles with BMMC-injected muscles showed significant differences in only one parameter, the D50 index used to quantify the Compound Muscle Action Potential (CMAP) scan curve. This parameter was higher in the BMMC-injected TA muscle at both 90 days (placebo side: 29.55 ± 2.89, n = 20; experimental side: 39.25 ± 3.21, n = 20; p < 0.01) and 180 days (placebo side: 29.35 ± 3.29, n = 17; experimental side: 41.24 ± 3.34, n = 17; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This procedure had no effect on the TA muscle MU properties, with the exception of the D50 index. Finding differences in just this index supports the fact that it may be much more sensitive than other electrophysiological parameters when studying treatment effects. Given the low number of patients and their heterogeneity, these results justify exploring the efficacy of this procedure in further patients and other muscles, through Phase II trials. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov (identifier NCT02286011); EudraCT number 2011-004801-25.

Polypharmacy and Drug-Drug Interactions in People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Region of Madrid, Spain: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) that involve antiretrovirals (ARVs) tend to cause harm if unrecognized, especially in the context of comorbidity and polypharmacy. METHODS: A linkage was established between the drug dispensing registry of Madrid and the Liverpool human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DDI database (January 2017-June 2017). Polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥5 non-HIV medications, and DDIs were classified by a traffic-light ranking for severity. RESULTS: A total of 22 945 people living with HIV (PLWH) and 6 613 506 individuals without HIV had received medications. ARV regimens were predominantly based on integrase inhibitors (51.96%). Polypharmacy was higher in PLWH (32.94%) than individuals without HIV (22.16%; P < .001); this difference was consistently observed across all age strata except for individuals ≥75 years. Polypharmacy was more common in women than men in both PLWH and individuals without HIV. The prevalence of contraindicated combinations involving ARVs was 3.18%. Comedications containing corticosteroids, quetiapine, or antithrombotic agents were associated with the highest risk for red-flag DDI, and the use of raltegravir- or dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy was associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.72 (95% confidence interval, .60-.88; P = .001) for red-flag DDI. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy was more frequent among PLWH across all age groups except those aged ≥75 years and was more common in women. The detection of contraindicated medications in PLWH suggests a likely disconnect between hospital and community prescriptions. Switching to alternative unboosted integrase regimens should be considered for patients with risk of harm from DDIs.

Presence of repeater F-waves in the early stage of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The absence or a prolonged latency of late responses, like F-waves, is a common neurophysiological finding with diagnostic utility in the early Guillain-Barré syndrome. However, the presence and the number of repeater F-waves have not been studied in this disease. In four patients, we report the transient presence of repeater F-waves in nerves of the lower limbs shortly after the onset of the disease. In each patient, the initial (diagnostic) nerve conduction study showed a high incidence of repeater F-waves in the tibial or in the peroneal nerves of one side, with normal distal motor latencies; in the other nerves explored the F-waves were fully abolished and the motor potentials were abnormal. In a second study, done 2-6 weeks later, we observed the abolition of the F-waves or a significant increase of its minimal latency in those nerves in which we had detected the repeaters. The presence of a high number of repeater F-waves with normal latencies in some nerves may be a transient and initial electrophysiological sign useful in the early diagnosis of this disease.

Metástasis cutánea solitaria de carcinoma vesical / Solitary skin metastasis from a bladder carcinoma

Las metástasis cutáneas del carcinoma urotelial de vejiga son muy raras, se relacionan con estadios avanzados de la enfermedad y tiene un pronóstico desfavorable con baja tasa de supervivencia. Se presenta un caso de metástasis cutánea posterior a manipulación urológica en un paciente con un carcinoma vesical infiltrante metastático a otros órganos y con desfavorable respuesta al tratamiento. Se discute el caso y se revisa la literatura (AU)

Cutaneous metastases from urothelial carcinomas of the bladder are very rare. They are related to advanced stages of the disease and have poor prognosis with low survival rates. We report one case of cutaneous metastasis appearing after urological manipulation in a patient with bladder muscle invasive carcinoma, with other metastatic sites and poor response to treatment. The case is discussed and literature is reviewed (AU)

[Solitary skin metastasis from a bladder carcinoma]. / Metástasis cutánea solitaria de carcinoma vesical.

Cutaneous metastases from urothelial carcinomas of the bladder are very rare. They are related to advanced stages of the disease and have poor prognosis with low survival rates. We report one case of cutaneous metastasis appearing after urological manipulation in a patient with bladder muscle invasive carcinoma, with other metastatic sites and poor response to treatment. The case is discussed and literature is reviewed.

Aneurismas múltiples en la arteria pulmonar / Multiple aneurysms in the pulmonary arteries

La presencia de aneurismas en las arterias pulmonares son hallazgos poco frecuentes. Gran parte de estos aneurismas necesitan ser confirmados por angiografía pulmonar. Existe una alta asociación con malformaciones arterio venosas, pero en el presente caso no fueron demostradas por ecocontraste ni por angiografía pulmonar. Un dato relevante para el diagnóstico del presente caso fue el compromiso arterial sistémico. Las diferentes causas que pueden generar aneurismas pulmonares no son siempre fáciles de identificar y las dificultades para establecer una estrategia diagnóstica y terapéutica adecuada en estos pacientes motivaron el reporte del presente caso