Comparing the effect of electron beam, beta and ultraviolet C exposure on the luminescence emission of commercial dosimeters.

This paper reports on the luminescence characterization of TLD-100 (LiF: Ti, Mg), TLD-200 (CaF2: Dy), TLD-400 (CaF2: Mn) and GR-200 (LiF: Mg, Cu, P) dosimeters exposed to electro beam, beta and ultraviolet C radiation -UVC-. All of them show high sensitivity to radiation regardless of whether it is ionizing or partially ionizing radiation based on their luminescence properties (cathodoluminescence -CL- or thermoluminescence -TL-). CL emission differs significantly among them in shape and intensity due to their chemical compositions. LiF samples display three maxima at: (i) 300-450 nm linked to intrinsic and structural defects, (ii) a green waveband probably due to F3+ centres or the presence of hydroxyl groups and (iii) the red-infrared emission band associated with F2 centres. However, CL spectra from the CaF2 dosimeters display meaningful differences due to the dopant. TLD-200 is characterized by an emission with four sharp individual peaks in the green-IR spectral region (due to the Dy3+), whilst TLD-400 exhibits a broad maximum peaked at Ì´500 nm (linked to the Mn2+). On the other hand, the variation in the TL glow curves allows to discriminate the TLDs exposed to beta and UVC radiation since they give rise to different chemical-physical processes and that have been studied from the estimation of the kinetic parameters by means of the Computerised Glow Curve Deconvolution (CGCD) method.

UV effect on the cathodo- and thermoluminescence properties of a gem-quality Cr-rich diaspore (α-AlOOH).

This work reports on the cathodoluminescence (CL) and thermoluminescence (TL) properties of gem-quality diaspore samples from Milas/Mugla (Turkey) after 100 h of ultraviolet-C (UVC) exposure. The UVC exposure induces significant changes in the intensity of the CL emission in the range of 400-800 nm that would be mainly associated with photo-oxidation processes of the impurities (Cr3+, Ti3+, Fe2+) that substitute for Al3+ in the diaspore (α-AlOOH) lattice. The UVC effect on the 400 nm-TL behavior of beta irradiated samples in the range of 0.1-8 Gy modifies the TL glow curves probably due to both photo-transfer process where electrons release from deeper to shallower traps and redox reactions involving, also, breakages-linkages of chemical bonds. Meanwhile, the 'as received' samples consist of three maxima centered at about 120, 180, and 234 °C, the 100 h UVC-irradiated samples display three maxima at 122, 220 and 270 °C. The physical trapping parameters (intensity and peak position, trap depth and pre-exponential factor) for each TL curve were estimated by using a computerized glow curve analysis program.

Epidemiología de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en menores de 5 años en la Comunidad Valenciana / Epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia in children aged lessthan 5 years old in the Autonomous Community of Valencia (Spain)

Objetivo: Estimar la incidencia, tratamiento y complicaciones de la neumonía adquirida en la Comunidad Valenciana. Métodos: Cohorte retrospectiva de 654 niños nacidos en 1995 y 1996 en Valencia, y seguidos durante los primeros 5 años de vida por 9 pediatras. Se obtuvo el número de neumonías, tratamiento, complicaciones e intervenciones requeridas. Resultados: Se encontraron 99 episodios de neumonía adquirida en la comunidad (NAC) en 80 pacientes (1,24 casos/niño), 51 casos (51,1 %) antes del tercer año y 38 entre el tercer y quinto año (38,4 %): 51 casos (51,5 %) fueron diagnosticados en atención primaria y 46 (46,5 %) en urgencia hospitalaria. En atención primaria, la media de visitas fue de 2,44, con un rango de 1 a 6. Todos fueron tratados con antibiótico. Los más utilizados fueron amoxicilina-ácido clavulánico (43,4 %) y cefuroxima (26,3 %). Catorce casos requirieron cambio a un segundo antibiótico. El 23 % de los casos ingresó en el hospital para tratamiento. Conclusión: La incidencia de NAC en nuestro medio en 30,3 casos/1.000 niños menores de 5 años/año (intervalo de confianza [IC] 95 %: 18,7-46,8). La incidencia de ingreso corresponde a 7,03 casos/1.000 niños menores de 5 años/ año

Objective: To assess the incidence of community acquired pneumonia in the Autonomous Community of Valencia in Spain, and describe its treatment and complications. Methods: A retrospective cohort comprising 654 children born in 1995 and 1996 in Valencia and followed-up during the first 5 years of life by nine pediatricians was studied. The number of cases of pneumonia, treatment, complications and interventions was recorded. Results: Ninety-nine episodes of community-acquired pneumonia in 80 children were recorded (1.24 cases/child). Fifty-one cases (51.1 %) occurred before the child's third birthday and 38 (38.4 %) occurred between the third and the fourth. Of the 99 cases, 51 were diagnosed in primary care and 46 in the emergency room. There was a mean of 2.44 visits per process in primary care (range 1-6). All the children were treated with antibiotics. The most frequently used were amoxicillin-clavulanate (43.3 %) and cefuroxime (26.3 %). Fourteen patients required a change of antibiotic. Twenty-three percent of the children were hospitalized. Conclusion: The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia in Valencia was 30.3 cases/1000 children aged less than 5 years/ year (95 % CI: 18.7-46.8), and the incidence of hospitalization was 7.03 cases/1000 children aged less than 5 years/year

[Epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia in children aged less than 5 years old in the Autonomous Community of Valencia (Spain)]. / Epidemiología de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en menores de 5 años en la Comunidad Valenciana.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of community acquired pneumonia in the Autonomous Community of Valencia in Spain, and describe its treatment and complications. METHODS: A retrospective cohort comprising 654 children born in 1995 and 1996 in Valencia and followed-up during the first 5 years of life by nine pediatricians was studied. The number of cases of pneumonia, treatment, complications and interventions was recorded. RESULTS: Ninety-nine episodes of community-acquired pneumonia in 80 children were recorded (1.24 cases/child). Fifty-one cases (51.1 %) occurred before the child's third birthday and 38 (38.4 %) occurred between the third and the fourth. Of the 99 cases, 51 were diagnosed in primary care and 46 in the emergency room. There was a mean of 2.44 visits per process in primary care (range 1-6). All the children were treated with antibiotics. The most frequently used were amoxicillin-clavulanate (43.3 %) and cefuroxime (26.3 %). Fourteen patients required a change of antibiotic. Twenty-three percent of the children were hospitalized. CONCLUSION: The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia in Valencia was 30.3 cases/1000 children aged less than 5 years/ year (95 % CI: 18.7-46.8), and the incidence of hospitalization was 7.03 cases/1000 children aged less than 5 years/year.

Scientific aspects that justify the benefits of the Mediterranean diet: mild-to-moderate versus heavy drinking.

The Mediterranean diet is now recognized as being both limited in toxicity and abundant in nutrient and non-nutrient protective factors. A large body of basic, clinical and epidemiological studies have been developed in recent years to provide evidence of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet or its components on health. Evidence-based medicine ranks randomized controlled clinical trials as providing the highest level of evidence and expert opinions the lowest. On the basis of these criteria, the current state of knowledge about Mediterranean diet in primary and secondary prevention of disease and mortality and morbidity as functions of the amount of alcoholic beverage consumption, is reviewed. Efficacy versus effectiveness, the role of basic and animal research, and bioavailability studies providing evidence is also discussed.

Virgin olive oil phenolic compounds: binding to human low density lipoprotein (LDL) and effect on LDL oxidation.

Oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) appears to occur predominantly in arterial intima in microdomains sequestered from antioxidants of plasma. Therefore phenolic compounds which are able to bind LDL are good drug candidates for the effective prevention of lipid peroxidation and atherosclerotic processes. Plasma from healthy volunteers on nonsupplemented diets was incubated with virgin olive oil phenolic extracts (0-200 mg/l, caffeic acid equivalents). Phenolic compounds in LDL were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Copper-mediated LDL oxidation was performed, and conjugated dienes formation was monitored. After plasma preincubation with olive oil phenolic compounds (OOPC), an increased OOPC-concentration dependent was observed in the total phenolic content of LDL (p < 0.001, ANOVA) as well as in the lag time before conjugated diene formation (p < 0.001, ANOVA). Rutin and four phenolics with flavonoid-like spectra were found to be bound to the LDL control. These phenolics, together with tyrosol which was not present in the LDL control, significantly increased in LDL (p < 0.05) after plasma incubation with OOPC. These results show the ability of tyrosol to bind LDL in vitro and the capacity of virgin olive oil phenolics to protect other phenolic compounds previously bound to LDL. These results provide further evidence that phenolic compounds bound to LDL are likely to protect LDL from oxidation.

The role of attention in automatization: does attention operate at encoding, or retrieval, or both?

In this research, we investigated whether attention operates in the encoding of automatized information, the retrieval of automatized information, or in both cases. Subjects searched two-word displays for members of a target category in focused-attention or divided-attention conditions that were crossed with block (training vs. transfer). To see whether subjects encoded all available items or only attended items, we compared performance for subjects in different training conditions but in the same transfer condition. Subjects encoded attended items. To see whether subjects retrieved all the items they had in memory, or only items associated with that to which they were attending at retrieval, we compared performance for subjects in the same training conditions but in different transfer conditions. Subjects retrieved attended items. Attention was found to operate at both encoding and retrieval. These findings support the instance theory of automaticity, which predicts the role of attention at encoding and retrieval.