Recent Advances in the Removal of Radioactive Iodine and Iodide from the Environment.

Iodine (I2) in the form of iodide ions (I-) is an essential chemical element in the human body. Iodine is a nonmetal that belongs to the VIIA group (halogens) in the periodic table. Over the last couple of centuries, the exponential growth of human society triggered by industrialization coincided with the use of iodine in a wide variety of applications, including chemical and biological processes. However, through these processes, the excess amount of iodine eventually ends up contaminating soil, underground water, and freshwater sources, which results in adverse effects. It enters the food chain and interferes with biological processes with serious physiological consequences in all living organisms, including humans. Existing removal techniques utilize different materials such as metal-organic frameworks, layered double hydroxides, ion-exchange resins, silver, polymers, bismuth, carbon, soil, MXenes, and magnetic-based materials. From our literature survey, it was clear that absorption techniques are the most frequently experimented with. In this Review, we have summarized current advancements in the removal of iodine and iodide from human-made contaminated aqueous waste.

Extraction, Isolation, Characterization, and Bioactivity of Polypropionates and Related Polyketide Metabolites from the Caribbean Region.

The Caribbean region is a hotspot of biodiversity (i.e., algae, sponges, corals, mollusks, microorganisms, cyanobacteria, and dinoflagellates) that produces secondary metabolites such as polyketides and polypropionates. Polyketides are a diverse class of natural products synthesized by organisms through a biosynthetic pathway catalyzed by polyketide synthase (PKS). This group of compounds is subdivided into fatty acids, aromatics, and polypropionates such as macrolides, and linear and cyclic polyethers. Researchers have studied the Caribbean region to find natural products and focused on isolation, purification, structural characterization, synthesis, and conducting biological assays against parasites, cancer, fungi, and bacteria. These studies have been summarized in this review, including research from 1981 to 2020. This review includes about 90 compounds isolated in the Caribbean that meet the structural properties of polyketides. Out of 90 compounds presented, 73 have the absolute stereochemical configuration, and 82 have shown biological activity. We expect to motivate the researchers to continue exploring the Caribbean region's marine environments to discover and investigate new polyketide and polypropionate natural products.

Epoxide-Based Synthetic Approaches toward Polypropionates and Related Bioactive Natural Products.

Polypropionate units are a common structural feature of many of the natural products in polyketides, some of which have shown a broad range of antimicrobial and therapeutic potential. Polypropionates are composed of a carbon skeleton with alternating methyl and hydroxy groups with a specific configuration. Different approaches have been developed for the synthesis of polypropionates and herein we include, for the first time, all of the epoxide-based methodologies that have been reported over the years by several research groups such as Kishi, Katsuki, Marashall, Miyashita, Prieto, Sarabia, Jung, McDonald, etc. Several syntheses of polypropionate fragments and natural products that employed epoxides as key intermediates have been described and summarized in this review. These synthetic approaches involve enatio- and diastereoselective synthesis of epoxides (epoxy-alcohols, epoxy-amides, and epoxy-esters) and their regioselective cleavage with carbon and/or hydride nucleophiles. In addition, we included a description of the isolation and biological activities of the polypropionates and related natural products that have been synthetized using epoxide-based approaches. In conclusion, the epoxide-based methodologies are a non-aldol alternative approach for the construction of polypropionate.

Defining recovery in schizophrenia: A review of outcome studies.

Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder with a heterogenous course and different ways in which recovery is measured or perceived. Recovery in schizophrenia is a complex process that it can be defined either from a clinical perspective focused on sustained symptom and functional remission, or from a patient-focused one, as a self-broadening process aimed at living a meaningful life beyond mental illness. Until now, studies analysed these domains separately, without examining their mutual relations and changes over time. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to examine the relationship of global measures of subjective recovery with each of the components of clinical recovery such as symptom severity and functioning, in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The results showed that the association between different indicators of personal recovery and remission are weak and inverse (dIG+ = -0.18, z = -2.71, p < 0.01), however, this finding is not substantial according to the sensitivity indicators. With respect to functionality and personal recovery, there was a moderate relationship (dIG+ = 0.26, z = 7.894, p < 0.01) with adequate sensitivity indices. In addition, a low consensus exists between subjective measures that are more related to the patient's perspective and clinical measures based on experts and clinician's viewpoint.

Coumarin Triazoles as Potential Antimicrobial Agents.

Currently, in hospitals and community health centers, microbial infections are highly common diseases and are a leading cause of death worldwide. Antibiotics are generally used to fight microbial infections; however, because of the abuse of antibiotics, microbes have become increasingly more resistant to most of them. Therefore, medicinal chemists are constantly searching for new or improved alternatives to combat microbial infections. Coumarin triazole derivatives displayed a variety of therapeutic applications, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. This review summarizes the advances of coumarin triazole derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents covering articles published from 2006 to 2022.

Effectiveness of Self-Affirmation Interventions in Educational Settings: A Meta-Analysis.

School and university can be stressful contexts that can become an important source of identity threats when social prejudices or stereotypes come into play. Self-affirmation interventions are key strategies for mitigating the negative consequences of identity threat. This meta-analysis aims to provide an overview of the effectiveness of self-affirmation interventions in educational settings. A peer-reviewed article search was conducted in January 2023. A total of 144 experimental studies that tested the effect of self-affirmation interventions in educational contexts among high school and university students from different social and cultural backgrounds were considered. The average effect of self-affirmation interventions was of low magnitude (dIG+ = 0.41, z = 16.01, p < 0.00), with a 95% confidence interval whose values tended to lie between 0.36 and 0.45 (SE = 0.0253). In addition, moderators such as identity threat, participants' age, and intervention procedure were found. Through a meta-analysis of the impact of self-affirmation interventions in educational contexts, this study suggests that interventions are effective, resulting in a small mean effect size. Thus, self-affirmation interventions can be considered useful, brief, and inexpensive strategies to improve general well-being and performance in educational settings.

Time After Time: Attachment Orientations and Impression Formation in Initial and Longer-Term Team Interactions.

If securely attached individuals typically exhibit more desirable attributes, can insecure individuals be perceived positively when working in teams despite their interpersonal disadvantages? In an exploratory study, using both a vignette based experimental research design (n = 636) and a round-robin study of professionals working on a team task for nine consecutive weeks (k = 648), we examined the evolving impressions of insecurely attached individuals over time. We find that while anxiously attached individuals are perceived more positively in initial interactions, this initial positive effect for anxious attachment disappeared over time as individuals within teams gained more relational knowledge about their team members. We also found a stable and negative effect of avoidant attachment. We discuss possible reasons for the temporal underpinnings of this effect and compare our findings to previous literature.

The impact of mixed emotions on judgements: a naturalistic study during the FIFA world cup.

Experiencing mixed emotions, a combination of two oppositely-valenced emotions, has been shown to reduce bias in decision making and improve the accuracy of judgements made. However, most previous research has been limited to laboratory-based experiments. In this pre-registered study, we looked at mixed emotions and judgements in the naturalistic context of watching sport during the FIFA world cup. N = 80 participants reported on mixed emotions before and after each England game during the World Cup, and made score predictions for each game, collecting a total of k = 480 observations. We used a lagged-effect design and multilevel modelling to analyse the data. We found that participants who felt more mixed emotions at the end of a match made significantly more likely score predictions in the following match, indicating that experiencing stronger mixed emotions subsequently predicted more reasonable judgements. This result was supported even after controlling for a number of affective, attitudinal, and socio-demographic variables. This provides evidence that naturally occurring mixed emotions are related to improved real-world judgements. The evidence is discussed through the lens of fantasy realisation theory, and the importance of feeling mixed during decisions involving puzzling or uncertain outcomes is emphasised.

What Is Complex/Emotional About Emotional Complexity?

Affective experiences can fluctuate, be combined, and fused, resulting in various phenomena labeled as being emotionally complex. Despite the lack of a common theoretical framework, several phenomena including mixed emotions, emodiversity, meta-emotions, awe, among several others, have been defined as being emotionally complex. In this conceptual analysis, I aim to integrate the diversity of emotional complexity by describing various phenomena associated with this construct. This integration offers a more comprehensive panorama of the current usage of the concept of emotional complexity compared to previous attempts to consolidate the field. Furthermore, this conceptual analysis intends to disentangle the emotional fingerprints of emotional complexity. In particular, I present evidence and arguments showing that complex emotions can be characterized as having specific facial expressions, appraisals, and functional significance. Finally, I suggest that it is possible to describe emotional complexity using concepts and properties from the complex systems theory. Concepts such as the hierarchical organization of the affect system and emergent self-organization are used to explain current evidence on emotional complexity. I explain that applying complex systems theory to emotional complexity is not only theoretically convenient, but that complex systems theory also serves to advance new forms to conceptualize the affect system. The current conceptual analysis can help to organize current research and theory in order to encourage new research endeavors in the field of emotional complexity and acknowledge the importance of emotional complexity in models of affect, for which I suggest some specific guidelines.

Identifying the Underlying Mechanisms of Change During Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A Systematic Review of Contemporary Mediation Studies.

BACKGROUND: Mediation studies test the mechanisms by which interventions produce clinical outcomes. Consistent positive mediation results have previously been evidenced (Hayes et al., 2006) for the putative processes that compromise the psychological flexibility model of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). AIMS: The present review aimed to update and extend the ACT mediation evidence base by reviewing mediation studies published since the review of Hayes et al. (2006). METHOD: ACT mediation studies published between 2006 and 2015 were systematically collated, synthesized and quality assessed. RESULTS: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria and findings were synthesized by (a) the putative processes under investigation, and (b) the outcomes on which processes were tested for mediation. Mediation results were found to be generally consistent with the psychological flexibility model of ACT. However, studies were limited in methodological quality and were overly focused on a small number of putative processes. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required that addresses the identified methodological limitations and also examines currently under-researched putative processes.

Carcinoma mucoepidermoide bronquial: a propósito de dos casos clínicos / Bronchopulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma: apropos of two clinical cases

Resumen El carcinoma mucoepidermoide bronquial es una neoplasia infrecuente, representando el 0,1 a 0,2% de los tumores malignos primarios del pulmón. En general tiene un buen pronóstico, sin embargo, existe un subtipo de alto grado de pronóstico más ominoso. En este artículo se presentan dos casos clínicos de carcinoma mucoepidermoide bronquial de bajo grado, enfocado en su diagnóstico y manejo quirúrgico.

ABSTRACT Bronchopulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma is an uncommon neoplasm, accounting for 0.1 to 0.2% of primary malignant tumors of the lung. In general it has a good prognosis, however there is a subtype of high grade of more ominous prognosis. In this paper we present two clinical cases of low grade pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma, focused on their diagnosis and surgical management.

Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Older Adults: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.

OBJECTIVE: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common disorder in older adults producing functional impairment, and psychotherapy is the preferred treatment option. Meta-analytic methods sought to determine the efficacy of outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with respect to the hallmark feature of GAD-uncontrolled and excessive worry. In order to optimize clinical applicability, variables associated with GAD treatment outcomes were also examined. METHODS: Systematic search of relevant databases and iterative searches of references from articles retrieved. All studies were required to have been a randomized control trial (RCT), to have used the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) or its abbreviated version (PSWQ-A) as an outcome measure, and to have conducted CBT with outpatient older adults. Fourteen RCTs (N = 985) were suitable and random-effects meta-analyses and univariate meta-regressions were conducted. RESULTS: At the end of treatment, and at 6-month follow-up, significant treatment effects favoring CBT were found in comparison to a waitlist or treatment-as-usual. When CBT was compared with active controls, a small nonsignificant treatment advantage was found for CBT at the end of treatment, with equivalence of outcomes at follow-up. Treatment effect size of CBT for GAD was significantly associated with attrition rates and depression outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: CBT is more helpful than having no treatment for GAD in later life. Nevertheless, whether CBT shows long-term durability, or is superior to other commonly available treatments (such as supportive psychotherapy), remains to be tested. The relationship between treatment effects for GAD and depression following CBT warrants further research.

Assessment of identity disturbance: Factor structure and validation of the Personality Structure Questionnaire in an Italian sample.

There are few brief measures of identity disturbance for use in clinical practice that have been subject to any cross-cultural validation. This study investigated the construct validity of the Personality Structure Questionnaire (PSQ) in Italian clinical (N = 237) and community (N = 296) samples. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to investigate the internal structure of the PSQ. A 3-factor structure (i.e., differing self-states, mood variability, and behavioral loss of control) including a second-order factor provided the best fit to the data. This structure was demonstrated to be invariant across sex and clinical diagnosis, with clinical diagnosis significantly predicting increased PSQ scores. A global PSQ score of between 26 and 28 was found to be an appropriate cutoff for assisting in diagnostic processes. The clinical implication of the study is that quantitative assessment of identity disturbance can be rapidly achieved via the PSQ, usefully supplementing necessary diagnostic and formulation work.

Eliciting mixed emotions: a meta-analysis comparing models, types, and measures.

The idea that people can experience two oppositely valenced emotions has been controversial ever since early attempts to investigate the construct of mixed emotions. This meta-analysis examined the robustness with which mixed emotions have been elicited experimentally. A systematic literature search identified 63 experimental studies that instigated the experience of mixed emotions. Studies were distinguished according to the structure of the underlying affect model-dimensional or discrete-as well as according to the type of mixed emotions studied (e.g., happy-sad, fearful-happy, positive-negative). The meta-analysis using a random-effects model revealed a moderate to high effect size for the elicitation of mixed emotions (d IG+ = 0.77), which remained consistent regardless of the structure of the affect model, and across different types of mixed emotions. Several methodological and design moderators were tested. Studies using the minimum index (i.e., the minimum value between a pair of opposite valenced affects) resulted in smaller effect sizes, whereas subjective measures of mixed emotions increased the effect sizes. The presence of more women in the samples was also associated with larger effect sizes. The current study indicates that mixed emotions are a robust, measurable and non-artifactual experience. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for an affect system that has greater versatility and flexibility than previously thought.

Why Do You Make Us Feel Good? Correlates and Interpersonal Consequences of Affective Presence in Speed-dating.

Recent research indicates that people consistently make others feel a certain way (e.g. happy or stressed). This individual difference has been termed affective presence, but little is known about its correlates or consequences. The present study investigated the following: (i) whether affective presence influences others' romantic interest in a person and (ii) what types of people have positive and negative affective presence. Forty volunteers took part in a speed-dating event, during which they dated six or seven opposite-sex partners. A Social Relations Model analysis confirmed that individuals prompted consistent positive emotional reactions in others. Participants were more likely to want to see dates with greater positive affective presence again in the future, and positive affective presence explained the effects of perceived responsiveness on romantic interest. Associations between positive affective presence and trait predictors, including emotion regulation, emotional expressiveness, attachment style, agreeableness and extraversion, were also observed. The findings indicate that what emotionally distinguishes one individual from another lies in part in the emotional consequences of their behaviours on others. © 2013 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology.

Investigating goal conflict as a source of mixed emotions.

This research investigated whether (1) the experience of mixed emotions is a consequence of activating conflicting goals and (2) mixed emotions are distinct from emotional conflict. A preliminary experiment (Study 1, N = 35) showed that an elicited goal conflict predicted more mixed emotions than a condition where the same goals were not in conflict. The second experiment was based on naturally occurring goal activation (Study 2, N = 57). This illustrated that mixed emotions were experienced more following conflicting goals compared with a facilitating goals condition-on both a direct self-report measure of mixed emotions and a minimum index measure. The results also showed that mixed emotions were different to emotional conflict. Overall, goal conflict was found to be a source of mixed emotions, and it is feasible that such states have a role in resolving personal dilemmas.

Intrathoracic gossypiboma presenting 52 years later as a chest mass.

We describe the rare case of a 71-year-old man with a chest mass that was found to be an intrathoracic gossypiboma left 52 years earlier during an emergency lung bilobectomy. This mass was complicated by extension across the chest wall. There are no reports in the literature of a patient carrying a thoracic gossypiboma for such a long period of time, let alone with extension across the chest wall.

Regiocontrolled ring opening of monoprotected 2,3-epoxy-1,4-diols using alkynyl aluminum reagents. Synthesis of differentially monoprotected alkynyl triol derivatives.

The regioselectivity of the epoxide ring opening reaction of cis and trans TIPS-monoprotected 2,3-epoxy-1,4-diols with diethylalkynyl aluminum reagents was studied. Alane and alanate conditions in toluene or dichloromethane were explored. The alkynyl attack at the C2 epoxide carbon was favored for both, the alane and alanate conditions in toluene, while in dichloromethane the C3 attack was preferred. The best regioselectivities were obtained using the alanate conditions in toluene. This methodology provides access to differentially monoprotected alkynyl triols with high diastereoselectivity. These compounds are useful building bocks for polypropionate synthesis and are precursors for the introduction of the hydroxymethyl moiety found in some polyketide systems.

Stereoselective VO(acac)(2) Catalyzed Epoxidation of Acyclic Homoallylic Diols. Complementary Preparation of C2-syn-3,4-Epoxy Alcohols.

A substrate-controlled stereoselective epoxidation of free and monoprotected homoallylic diols was developed. This second-generation approach is based on the incorporation of a primary hydroxy directing group at the C2 methyl carbon, which changes the nature of the vanadium ester intermediate providing a new diastereoselectivity manifold for the preparation of 3,4-epoxy alcohols. This modification favored the formation of the challenging C2-syn epoxy alcohol product not previously available using the standard homoallylic alcohol substrates. These new epoxy alcohol diastereomers expand the scope and generality for the utilization of 3,4-epoxy alcohols as precursors for stereoselective polypropionate synthesis.

Características clínicas de la infección por Hymenolepis nana en niños / Clinical characteristics of Hymenolepis nana infections in children

Con el objeto de evaluar las características clínicas, epidemiológicas y bioquímicas de esta infección en población infantil, se estudió a 55 niños infectados exclusivamente por Hymenolepis nana y que consultaron en forma consecutiva al Policlínico de Parasitología del Hospital Luis Calvo Mackenna. La edad promedio de ellos fue de 6 años 6 meses. A todos se les indicó una completa anamnesis, examen físico, examen coproparasitológico seriado de deposiciones, hemograma, carotinemia y proteinemia. Fueron tratados con niclosamida en dosis de 2g el 1- día y 1 g/día hasta completar 7 días de tratamiento, repitiéndose los controles y estudios ya enunciados al mes siguiente. Los síntomas más frecuentes resultaron dolor abdominal 74,5%, meteorismo 52,7%, diarrea crónica 49,1%, y falta de progreso ponderal en el 32,7%. El tratamiento fue efectivo sólo en el 74,5%de los niños. Las proteínas plasmáticas fueron normales en la totalidad de los casos infectados y un 20%presentó niveles de caroteno bajo 60 mg/dl las que se normalizaron una vez tratada la parasitosis. El 49%presentó eosinofilia que en promedio fue de 768 eosinófilos/ul. Los pacientes tratados subieron 1,4 kg en un lapso de 2 meses. Se destaca la importancia de la adecuada sospecha y tratamiento de esta parasitosis