A sustainable and healthy diet: Personality, motives, and sociodemographics.

Background: Sustainable and healthy food choices have usually been studied by investigating either consumer choices concerning one product or product group. To investigate dietary patterns are more complex but may be more useful to promote dietary changes among consumers. Objectives: To identify existing dietary patterns, and to investigate the importance of personality traits, food choice motives, and sociodemographic variables in adopting these patterns. Methods: A food frequency questionnaire and principal component analysis were used to identify dietary patterns. The importance of food choice motives, sociodemographics, and personality traits were investigated by using ordinary least squares. The personality traits were measured by the Big Five model, and food choice motives were measured by a set of twelve food values. Results: Three patterns were found and labelled as sustainable, traditional, and unsustainable. The sustainable pattern was positively associated with respondents who were younger, married, females, and having higher income and education. It was also positively associated with openness to experience, conscientiousness, and perceived environmental impact, and it was negatively associated with convenience and price. Value: The results may be used to target consumer groups for information and marketing activities.

Constrictive pericarditis heart failure in a patient with atrial fibrillation: A diagnostic challenge.

Constrictive pericarditis is an infrequent cause of heart failure. Diagnosis is challenging and requires a high level of suspicion. Subtle echocardiographic findings, as the pericardial bounce, could be the clue to diagnosis.

Construction of a ZnO Heterogeneous Structure Using Co3O4 as a Co-Catalyst to Enhance Photoelectrochemical Performance.

Recently, heterostructured photocatalysts have gained significant attention in the field of photocatalysis due to their superior properties compared to single photocatalysts. One of the key advantages of heterostructured photocatalysts is their ability to enhance charge separation and broaden the absorption spectrum, thereby improving photocatalytic efficiency. Zinc oxide is a widely used n-type semiconductor with a proper photoelectrochemical activity. In this study, zinc oxide nanorod arrays were synthesized, and then the surfaces of ZnO nanorods were modified with the p-type semiconductor Co3O4 to create a p-n junction heterostructure. A significant increase in the photocurrent for the ZnO/Co3O4 composite, of 4.3 times, was found compared to pure ZnO. The dependence of the photocurrent on the morphology of the ZnO/Co3O4 composite allows for optimization of the morphology of the ZnO nanorod array to achieve improved photoelectrochemical performance. The results showed that the ZnO/Co3O4 heterostructure exhibited a photocurrent density of 3.46 mA/cm2, while bare ZnO demonstrated a photocurrent density of 0.8 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the mechanism of charge separation and transfer in the heterostructural ZnO/Co3O4 photocatalytic system. Furthermore, the results will be useful for the design and optimization of photocatalytic systems for water splitting and other applications.

Mujeres ocupando autorías preferenciales de artículos en la revista EMERGENCIAS: análisis de la última década / Women occupying preferential authorship positions for articles in the journal Emergencias: an analysis of authorship during the last decade

Objetivos. Analizar la desigualdad de género en la producción científica de la revista EMERGENCIAS en la última década. Método. Estudio longitudinal retrospectivo que revisó los números publicados entre enero de 2011 y diciembre de 2020. Se analizaron el número de autores, género, tipo y año de publicación y autoría preferencial (primera autoría, autoría de correspondencia o última autoría). La participación de la mujer se calculó en base a valores porcentuales y se analizó la tendencia existente a lo largo de los años. Resultados. Se recogieron 1.240 artículos con un número total de 5.213 firmantes, 1.889 de ellos (36,2%) mujeres. En 384 (31%) artículos, una mujer asumió la primera autoría, en 352 (28,4%) fue autora para correspondencia y en 358 (28,9%) la última autora. A lo largo de la década, se identificó una tendencia creciente en los que una mujer fue primera autora en los artículos originales o metanálisis (p = 0,047). En los editoriales, revisiones, cartas científicas o comunicaciones breves, cartas al editor y otros no existió una tendencia creciente significativa en las autorías preferenciales. Conclusión. La participación de autoras en la producción científica de la revista EMERGENCIAS ha aumentado en la última década. No obstante, comparado con la de hombres, sigue existiendo una menor participación. (AU)

Objective. To analyze gender disparity in scientific productivity reflected by the authorship of articles in the journal Emergencias over the past decade. Methods. Retrospective longitudinal study. We included articles in all issues published between January 2011 and December 2020, analyzing the number of authors, their gender, article type, year of publication, and preferential authorship credit (first author, corresponding author, and last author positioning). The percentages of women named in each position were calculated, and the trend over time was analyzed. Results. A total of 1240 articles signed by 5213 authors were collected; a woman was named in 1889 of the cases (36.2%). A woman was the first author of 384 articles (31%), the corresponding author of 352 (28.4%), and the last author of 358 (28.9%). The number of female authors of original research articles or meta-analyses tended to increase over time (P = .047), but no statistically significant gender trends were observed in the authorship of editorials, narrative reviews, scientific letters or short communications, letters to the editor, or any other publication category. Conclusions. The publication of articles by women in Emergencias has increased over the past decade. However, women continue to author fewer articles than men. (AU)

Women occupying preferential authorship positions for articles in the journal Emergencias: an analysis of authorship during the last decade. / Mujeres ocupando autorías preferenciales de artículos en la revista EMERGENCIAS: análisis de la última década.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze gender disparity in scientific productivity reflected by the authorship of articles in the journal Emergencias over the past decade. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective longitudinal study. We included articles in all issues published between January 2011 and December 2020, analyzing the number of authors, their gender, article type, year of publication, and preferential authorship credit (first author, corresponding author, and last author positioning). The percentages of women named in each position were calculated, and the trend over time was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1240 articles signed by 5213 authors were collected; a woman was named in 1889 of the cases (36.2%). A woman was the first author of 384 articles (31%), the corresponding author of 352 (28.4%), and the last author of 358 (28.9%). The number of female authors of original research articles or meta-analyses tended to increase over time (P = .047), but no statistically significant gender trends were observed in the authorship of editorials, narrative reviews, scientific letters or short communications, letters to the editor, or any other publication category. CONCLUSION: The publication of articles by women in Emergencias has increased over the past decade. However, women continue to author fewer articles than men.

OBJETIVO: Analizar la desigualdad de género en la producción científica de la revista EMERGENCIAS en la última década. METODO: Estudio longitudinal retrospectivo que revisó los números publicados entre enero de 2011 y diciembre de 2020. Se analizaron el número de autores, género, tipo y año de publicación y autoría preferencial (primera autoría, autoría de correspondencia o última autoría). La participación de la mujer se calculó en base a valores porcentuales y se analizó la tendencia existente a lo largo de los años. RESULTADOS: Se recogieron 1.240 artículos con un número total de 5.213 firmantes, 1.889 de ellos (36,2%) mujeres. En 384 (31%) artículos, una mujer asumió la primera autoría, en 352 (28,4%) fue autora para correspondencia y en 358 (28,9%) la última autora. A lo largo de la década, se identificó una tendencia creciente en los que una mujer fue primera autora en los artículos originales o metanálisis (p = 0,047). En los editoriales, revisiones, cartas científicas o comunicaciones breves, cartas al editor y otros no existió una tendencia creciente significativa en las autorías preferenciales. CONCLUSIONES: La participación de autoras en la producción científica de la revista EMERGENCIAS ha aumentado en la última década. No obstante, comparado con la de hombres, sigue existiendo una menor participación.

Effect of Toluene Addition in an Electric Arc on Morphology, Surface Modification, and Oxidation Behavior of Carbon Nanohorns and Their Sedimentation in Water.

Carbon nanohorns (CNHs) are attractive for various applications, where a high specific surface area and long dispersion stability in water are important. In the present work, we study these parameters of CNHs prepared by arc evaporation of graphite depending on the conditions of the synthesis and subsequent oxidation in air. It is shown that the addition of toluene in the reactor during the arcing allows obtaining CNHs functionalized with -CHx groups. Heating of CNHs in air at 400 °C leads to substitution of -CHx groups for oxygen-containing groups. Moreover, the CNH endcaps are opened at 500 °C, and as a result, the specific surface area of CNHs increases 4 times. Aqueous suspensions with a concentration of oxidized CNHs of 100 µg/mL are stable for 8 months.

The formation of free ions and electrophoretic mobility of Ag and Au nanoparticles in n-hexadecane-chloroform mixtures at low concentrations of AOT.

The electrophoretic mobility of Ag and Au nanoparticles in n-hexadecane-chloroform mixtures was studied as a function of the chloroform content (from 0 to 100 vol%). The nanoparticles were stabilized by sodium bis-(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT, Aerosol OT) with a concentration of 2.5 × 10-4 mol L-1. The obtained organosols were characterized by phase analysis light scattering, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, diffusion-ordered spectroscopy of nuclear magnetic resonance, spectrophotometry and conductometry. The electrophoretic mobility of the nanoparticles sharply increased from 0 to 3.6 × 10-9 m2 V-1 s-1 with increasing chloroform content. The growth of the mobility was caused by an increase in the concentration of solvated AOT ions, which formed by the disproportionation reaction from uncharged molecules. Low concentrations of AOT and a considerable zeta potential (up to ∼100 mV) made it possible to use the obtained organosols for the formation of electrostatically bound aggregates of Ag and Au with negatively charged SiO2 nanoparticles.

Synthesis and Concentration of Organosols of Silver Nanoparticles Stabilized by AOT: Emulsion Versus Microemulsion.

In this work, we tried to combine the advantages of microemulsion and emulsion synthesis to obtain stable concentrated organosols of Ag nanoparticles, promising liquid-phase materials. Starting reagents were successively introduced into a micellar solution of sodium bis-(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in n-decane in the dynamic reverse emulsion mode. During the contact of the phases, Ag+ passes into micelles and Na+ passes into emulsion microdroplets through the cation exchange AOTNaOrg + AgNO3Aq = AOTAgOrg + NaNO3Aq. High concentrations of NaNO3 and hydrazine in the microdroplets favor an osmotic outflow of water from the micelles, which reduces their polar cavities to ∼2 nm. As a result, silver ions are contained in the micelles, and the reducing agent is present mostly in emulsion microdroplets. The reagents interact in the polar cavities of micelles to form ∼7 nm Ag nanoparticles. The produced nanoparticles are positively charged, which permitted their electrophoretic concentration to obtain liquid concentrates (up to 30% Ag) and a solid Ag-AOT composite (up to 75% Ag). Their treatment at 250 °C leads to the formation of conductive films (180 mOhm per square). The developed technique makes it possible to increase the productivity of the process by ∼30 times and opens up new avenues of practical application for the well-studied microemulsion synthesis.

Effect of Bilateral Prefrontal rTMS on Left Prefrontal NAA and Glx Levels in Schizophrenia Patients with Predominant Negative Symptoms: An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: Prefrontal repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) may improve negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, but few studies have investigated the underlying neural mechanism. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate changes in the levels of glutamate and glutamine (Glx, neurotransmitter and precursor) and N-Acetyl Aspartate (NAA) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia treated with active bilateral prefrontal rTMS as compared to sham-rTMS, as measured with 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS). METHODS: Patients were randomized to a 3-week course of active or sham high-frequency rTMS. Pre-treatment and post-treatment 1H-MRS data were available for 24 patients with schizophrenia with moderate to severe negative symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) negative subscale ≥ 15). Absolute metabolite concentrations were calculated using LCModel with the water peak as reference. To explore the association between treatment condition and changes in concentration of Glx and NAA, we applied a linear regression model. RESULTS: We observed an increase of Glx concentration in the active treatment group and a decrease of Glx concentration in the group receiving sham treatment. The association between changes in Glx concentration and treatment condition was significant. No significant associations between changes in NAA and treatment condition were found. CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive neurostimulation with high-frequency bilateral prefrontal rTMS may influence Glx concentration in the prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and further elucidate the underlying neural working mechanism of rTMS.

Bayesian analyses of Yemeni mitochondrial genomes suggest multiple migration events with Africa and Western Eurasia.

OBJECTIVES: Anatomically, modern humans are thought to have migrated out of Africa ∼60,000 years ago in the first successful global dispersal. This initial migration may have passed through Yemen, a region that has experienced multiple migrations events with Africa and Eurasia throughout human history. We use Bayesian phylogenetics to determine how ancient and recent migrations have shaped Yemeni mitogenomic variation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sequenced 113 mitogenomes from multiple Yemeni regions with a focus on haplogroups M, N, and L3(xM,N) as these groups have the oldest evolutionary history outside of Africa. We performed Bayesian evolutionary analyses to generate time-measured phylogenies calibrated by Neanderthal and Denisovan mitogenomes in order to determine the age of Yemeni-specific clades. RESULTS: As defined by Yemeni monophyly, Yemeni in situ evolution is limited to the Holocene or latest Pleistocene (ages of clades in subhaplogroups L3b1a1a, L3h2, L3x1, M1a1f, M1a5, N1a1a3, and N1a3 range from 2 to 14 kya) and is often situated within broader Horn of Africa/southern Arabia in situ evolution (L3h2, L3x1, M1a1f, M1a5, and N1a1a3 ages range from 7 to 29 kya). Five subhaplogroups show no monophyly and are candidates for Holocene migration into Yemen (L0a2a2a, L3d1a1a, L3i2, M1a1b, and N1b1a). DISCUSSION: Yemeni mitogenomes are largely the product of Holocene migration, and subsequent in situ evolution, from Africa and western Eurasia. However, we hypothesize that recent population movements may obscure the genetic signature of more ancient migrations. Additional research, e.g., analyses of Yemeni nuclear genetic data, is needed to better reconstruct the complex population and migration histories associated with Out of Africa.

Tuning surface grafting density of CeO2 nanocrystals with near- and supercritical solvent characteristics.

In this work, the solvent effect on the synthesis of CeO2 nanocrystals synthesized in near- and supercritical alcohols is discussed. The materials prepared displayed a unique morphology of small nanocrystals (<10 nm) aggregated into larger nanospheres (∼100-200 nm). In such syntheses, alcohol molecules directly interact with the nanocrystal surface through alkoxide and carboxylate bondings. The grafting density was quantified from the weight loss measured using thermogravimetric analysis. A direct correlation between the grafting density and the alcohol chain length can be established. It was demonstrated that the shorter the alcohol chain length (i.e. methanol), the higher the surface coverage is. This trend is independent of the synthesis mode (batch or continuous). Additionally, an influence of the grafting density on the resulting nanocrystal size was established. It is suggested that the surface coverage has a high influence on the early stages of the nucleation and growth. Indeed, when high surface coverages are reached, all surface active sites are blocked, limiting the growth step and therefore leading to smaller particles. This effect was noticed with the materials prepared in the continuous mode where shorter reaction time was performed.

Arundic acid attenuates retinal ganglion cell death by increasing glutamate/aspartate transporter expression in a model of normal tension glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and is characterized by gradual visual impairment owing to progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. Glutamate excitotoxicity has been implicated as a mechanism of RGC death in glaucoma. Consistent with this claim, we previously reported that glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST)-deficient mice show optic nerve degeneration that is similar to that observed in glaucoma. Therefore, drugs that upregulate GLAST may be useful for neuroprotection in glaucoma. Although many compounds are known to increase the expression of another glial glutamate transporter, EAAT2/GLT1, few compounds are shown to increase GLAST expression. Arundic acid is a glial modulating agent that ameliorates delayed ischemic brain damage by attenuating increases in extracellular glutamate. We hypothesized that arundic acid neuroprotection involves upregulation of GLAST. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of arundic acid on GLAST expression and glutamate uptake. We found that arundic acid induces GLAST expression in vitro and in vivo. In addition, arundic acid treatment prevented RGC death by upregulating GLAST in heterozygous (GLAST(+/-)) mice. Furthermore, arundic acid stimulates the human GLAST ortholog, EAAT1, expression in human neuroglioblastoma cells. Thus, discovering compounds that can enhance EAAT1 expression and activity may be a novel strategy for therapeutic treatment of glaucoma.

Interaction of Alu Polymorphisms and Novel Measures of Discrimination in Association with Blood Pressure in African Americans Living in Tallahassee, Florida.

African Americans are 40% more likely to be afflicted with hypertension than are non-Hispanic, white Americans, resulting in a 30% higher instance of mortality due to cardiovascular disease. There is debate about the relative contributions of genetic and sociocultural risk factors to the racial disparity in hypertension. We assayed three Alu insertion polymorphisms located in the ACE (angiotensin 1 converting enzyme), PLAT (plasminogen activator, tissue), and WNK1 (lysine deficient protein kinase 1) genes. We also estimated West African genetic ancestry and developed novel measures of perceived discrimination to create a biocultural model of blood pressure among African American adults in Tallahassee, Florida (n = 158). When tested separately, the ACE Alu noninsertion allele was significantly associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In multiple regression analyses, West African genetic ancestry was not associated with blood pressure and reduced the strength of all blood pressure models tested. A gene × environment interaction was identified between the ACE Alu genotype and a new measure of unfair treatment that includes experiences by individuals close to the study participant. Inclusion of the WNK1 Alu genotype further improved this model of blood pressure variation. Our results suggest an association of the ACE and WNK1 genotypes with blood pressure that is consistent with their proposed gene functions. Measures of perceived unfair treatment of others show a threshold effect, with increased blood pressure occurring at higher values. The interaction between the ACE genotype and unfair treatment highlights the benefits of including both genetic and cultural data to investigate complex disease.

Symptoms mimicking dementia in a 60-year-old woman with bipolar disorder: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is generally considered an irreversible process of cognitive decline that can be caused by different neurodegenerative diseases. However, in some cases, dementia is caused by a non-neurodegenerative disease, such as an affective disorder. In these cases, the dementia can be reversible. Nevertheless, cognitive symptoms due to an affective disorder are often difficult to distinguish from a depressed mood due to a neurodegenerative disease. Especially in elderly patients with a history of affective disorder, a potentially reversible cause can be missed. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 60-year-old white woman with bipolar disorder, depressive symptoms, a movement disorder and severe cognitive impairment, in whom a neurodegenerative disease was seriously considered. She was referred to our clinic for further investigation because initial treatment of the depressive episode with antidepressants, mood stabilizers and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) had not been successful. However, despite extensive evaluation, we could not find evidence for a neurodegenerative disease and the patient mostly recovered after discontinuation of different psychotropic medications and treatment with nortriptyline. CONCLUSIONS: Our case shows that improvement of severe cognitive impairment in individual cases is possible. In our opinion, this underlines the necessity of a careful re-evaluation of the patient's symptoms at presentation and the course of the disease as well as a critical review of the prescribed medications.

Human migration patterns in Yemen and implications for reconstructing prehistoric population movements.

Population migration has played an important role in human evolutionary history and in the patterning of human genetic variation. A deeper and empirically-based understanding of human migration dynamics is needed in order to interpret genetic and archaeological evidence and to accurately reconstruct the prehistoric processes that comprise human evolutionary history. Current empirical estimates of migration include either short time frames (i.e. within one generation) or partial knowledge about migration, such as proportion of migrants or distance of migration. An analysis of migration that includes both proportion of migrants and distance, and direction over multiple generations would better inform prehistoric reconstructions. To evaluate human migration, we use GPS coordinates from the place of residence of the Yemeni individuals sampled in our study, their birthplaces and their parents' and grandparents' birthplaces to calculate the proportion of migrants, as well as the distance and direction of migration events between each generation. We test for differences in these values between the generations and identify factors that influence the probability of migration. Our results show that the proportion and distance of migration between females and males is similar within generations. In contrast, the proportion and distance of migration is significantly lower in the grandparents' generation, most likely reflecting the decreasing effect of technology. Based on our results, we calculate the proportion of migration events (0.102) and mean and median distances of migration (96 km and 26 km) for the grandparent's generation to represent early times in human evolution. These estimates can serve to set parameter values of demographic models in model-based methods of prehistoric reconstruction, such as approximate Bayesian computation. Our study provides the first empirically-based estimates of human migration over multiple generations in a developing country and these estimates are intended to enable more precise reconstruction of the demographic processes that characterized human evolution.

Barriers to Self-Management of Diabetes : a Qualitative Study among Low-Income Minority Diabetics

Objectives : Diabetes self-management is a key element in the overall management of diabetes. Identifying barriers to disease self-management is a critical step in achieving optimal health outcomes. Our goal was to explore patients' perceptions about barriers to self-management of diabetes that could possibly help explain poor health outcomes among minority patients. Study design : Four focus groups were conducted among 31 predominately African-American patients with diabetes who were enrolled in the Baltimore Cardiovascular Partnership Study; a NIH-funded multi-year prospective partnership study. The topic guide consisted of a series of open-ended questions about knowledge of current health status; medication use; continuity of care; blood glucose level and nutrition. Results : The focus groups confirmed that previously reported barriers to self-management persisted; and identified new concerns that could be associated with poor health outcomes among minority patients with diabetes. Attitudes; perceptions and behaviours surrounding diabetes and self-management of the condition did vary across individuals; however; the variation appeared to reflect the individual's knowledge and opinions rather than patient's age; gender or culture. The primary barrier to diabetes self-management resulted from lack of knowledge of target blood glucose level and blood pressure. Several participants found some of the health information quite confusing. Conclusions : Diabetes is a major public health concern and the lack of awareness of target blood glucose level and blood pressure further complicates the problem. The limited health literacy seen in this study could help explain several of the barriers to self-management. The barriers to self-management identified in this qualitative study are amenable to intervention that could improve health outcomes

Human demographic processes and genetic variation as revealed by mtDNA simulations.

Humans' ability for rapid dispersal and adaptation has allowed us to colonize diverse geographic and climatic regions of the planet, creating a complex evolutionary history. This complexity can be understood, at least partially, by modeling the underlying demographic parameters in the evolutionary process. In this study, we analyze a model of human evolution in which population size, gene flow (GF), and time are varied. Specifically, we simulate mitochondrial DNA for 42 demographic scenarios, represented by 42 parameter combinations, to describe the initial dispersal of modern humans out of Africa. The analyses include three values for colonization size (CS; 1%, 10%, and 30% of the African population), seven values for rate of GF (10(-6)-0.5), and two values for time of colonization (50,000 and 100,000 years ago). We then estimate summary statistics for the simulated data sets to calculate the percent of explained variation by each parameter and to identify which parameter combinations generate distinct differences in genetic variation, that is, which demographic scenarios can be distinguished from each other. On the basis of these results, we make recommendations about which summary statistics to use according to the parameter of interest. Our results show that CS, GF, and their interaction have the largest effect on genetic variation under our model of human evolution. Comparison with empirical data suggests that 1% of the existing African mitochondrial genetic variation left and colonized the rest of the world (i.e., CS = 1%) and bidirectional GF continued at a level of ∼10 individuals per generation (i.e., GF = 10(-3)) after the initial colonization. Our study serves as a model to bridge the gap between the use of simulations for theoretical population genetics and empirical data analysis such as approximate bayesian computation approaches and is, thus, applicable to the study of molecular evolution in any organism.

Functional supramolecular polymers.

Supramolecular polymers can be random and entangled coils with the mechanical properties of plastics and elastomers, but with great capacity for processability, recycling, and self-healing due to their reversible monomer-to-polymer transitions. At the other extreme, supramolecular polymers can be formed by self-assembly among designed subunits to yield shape-persistent and highly ordered filaments. The use of strong and directional interactions among molecular subunits can achieve not only rich dynamic behavior but also high degrees of internal order that are not known in ordinary polymers. They can resemble, for example, the ordered and dynamic one-dimensional supramolecular assemblies of the cell cytoskeleton and possess useful biological and electronic functions.

Functionalization and dispersion of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets treated with inorganic reagents.

A mixture of bulk hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with hydrazine, 30% H(2)O(2), HNO(3)/H(2)SO(4), or oleum was heated in an autoclave at 100 °C to produce functionalized h-BN. The product formed stable colloid solutions in water (0.26-0.32 g L(-1)) and N,N-dimethylformamide (0.34-0.52 g L(-1)) upon mild ultrasonication. The yield of "soluble" h-BN reached about 70 wt%. The dispersions contained few-layered h-BN nanosheets with lateral dimensions in the order of several hundred nanometers. The functionalized dispersible h-BN was characterized by IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is shown that h-BN preserves its hexagonal structure throughout the functionalization procedure. Its exfoliation into thin platelets upon contact with solvents is probably owing to the attachment of hydrophilic functionalities.

Interrupciones de embarazo por malformaciones congénitas en el municipio Centro Habana, provincia La Habana, 2002-2008 / Pregnancy interruptions due to congenital malformations in the Centro Habana municipality, Havana Province 2002-2008

Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo observacional. La muestra estuvo constituida por los fetos de las 75 interrupciones de embarazo realizadas a solicitud de las parejas como parte del Programa de Diagnóstico Prenatal en Cuba en el municipio Centro Habana de la Provincia La Habana. Como objetivo se propuso determinar la prevalencia general y por año de las malformaciones congénitas que con mayor frecuencia se diagnosticaron en este municipio en el periodo de enero 2002 a diciembre 2008. La tasa de prevalencia general fue 81,2 por cada 10 000 nacimientos. Las malformaciones del sistema genitourinario ocuparon el primer lugar con una prevalencia de 17,3 por cada 10 000 nacidos vivos. La frecuencia de aparición de los defectos del cierre del tubo neural, evidencia la necesidad de la recomendación preconcepcional, de suplemento de ácido fólico a la comunidad de mujeres en edad fértil(AU)

A retrospective observational study was conducted. The target population was 75 fetoes who were interrupted by the Program of Prenatal Diagnosis. The objetive of the research was to know the prevalence of congenital malformations and those one more frequent in Centro Havana municipality, Havana province from January 2002 to December 2008. The general prevalence at birth of congenital malformations was 81,2 per 10 000 births. In the interrupted fetoes the most frequent congenital defects were urinary tract malformations, and the closure of neural tube with 17,3 and 12,0 per 10 000 respectively. This study showed the necessity to recommend preconcepcional supplementation of folic acid, to the community of women in fertile age(AU)