Effect of nanoparticle loading and magnetic field application on the thermodynamic, optical, and rheological behavior of thermoresponsive polymer solutions.

Although processing via external stimuli is a promising technique to tune the structure and properties of polymeric materials, the impact of magnetic fields on phase transitions in thermoresponsive polymer solutions is not well-understood. As nanoparticle (NP) addition is also known to impact these thermodynamic and optical properties, synergistic effects from combining magnetic fields with NP incorporation provide a novel route for tuning material properties. Here, the thermodynamic, optical, and rheological properties of aqueous poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions are examined in the presence of hydrophilic silica NPs and magnetic fields, individually and jointly, via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), magneto-turbidimetry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and magneto-rheology. While NPs and magnetic fields both reduce the phase separation energy barrier and lower optical transition temperatures by altering hydrogen bonding (H-bonding), infrared spectra demonstrate that the mechanism by which these changes occur is distinct. Magnetic fields primarily alter solvent polarization while NPs provide PNIPAM-NP H-bonding sites. Combining NP addition with field application uniquely alters the solution environment and results in field-dependent rheological behavior that is unseen in polymer-only solutions. These investigations provide fundamental understanding on the interplay of magnetic fields and NP addition on PNIPAM thermoresponsivity which can be harnessed for increasingly complex stimuli-responsive materials.

Mortality trends and geographic distribution of kidney cancer in Peru: a secondary analysis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of kidney cancer has been increasing worldwide, with variable patterns in mortality due to improved diagnostic techniques and increased survival. The mortality rates, geographical distribution and trends of kidney cancer in South America remain poorly explored. This study aims to illustrate mortality by kidney cancer in Peru. METHODS: A secondary data analysis of the Deceased Registry of the Peruvian Ministry of Health database, from 2008 to 2019 was conducted. Data for kidney cancer deaths were collected from health facilities distributed throughout the country. We estimated age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) per 100,000 persons and provided an overview of trends from 2008 to 2019. A cluster map shows the relationships among 3 regions. RESULTS: A total of 4221 deaths by kidney cancer were reported in Peru between 2008 and 2019. ASMR for Peruvian men ranged from 1.15 to 2008 to 1.87 in 2019, and from 0.68 to 2008 to 0.82 in 2019 in women. The mortality rates by kidney cancer rose in most regions, although they were not significant. Callao and Lambayeque provinces reported the highest mortality rates. The rainforest provinces had a positive spatial autocorrelation and significant clustering (p < 0.05) with the lowest rates in Loreto and Ucayali. CONCLUSION: Mortality by kidney cancer has increased in Peru, being a trend that disproportionally affects more men than women. While the coast, especially Callao and Lambayeque, present the highest kidney cancer mortality rates, the rainforest has the lowest rates, especially among women. Lack of diagnosis and reporting systems may confound these results.

Tuning the thermodynamic, optical, and rheological properties of thermoresponsive polymer solutions via silica nanoparticle shape and concentration.

HYPOTHESIS: The shape and quantity of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles (NPs) can be used to tune the microstructure, rheology, and stability of phase-separating polymer solutions. In thermoresponsive polymer systems, silica nanospheres are well-studied whereas anisotropic NPs have little literature precedent. Here, we hypothesize that NP shape and concentration lower the onset of rheological and turbidimetric transitions of aqueous poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions. EXPERIMENTS: Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), turbidimetry, and oscillatory rheology are utilized to examine interactions between NPs, PNIPAM, and water and to track changes in phase separation and rheological properties due to NP concentration and shape. FINDINGS: NP addition reduces phase separation enthalpy due to PNIPAM-NP hydrogen bonding interactions, the degree to which depends on polymer content. While NP addition minorly impacts thermodynamic and optical properties, rheological transitions and associated rheological properties are dramatically altered with increasing temperature, and depend on NP quantity, shape, and polymer molecular weight. Thus NP content and shape can be used to finely tune transition temperatures and mechanical properties for applications in stimuli-responsive materials.

[Virtual reality glasses as a distraction aid and anxiety reduction in a 7-year-old girl who underwent a dental extraction procedure. Case report]. / Gafas de realidad virtual como ayuda de distracción y disminución de la ansiedad en niña de 7 años que se somete a procedimiento de extracción dental. Reporte de caso.

Virtual reality in Pediatric Dentistry has enormous potential, in the treatment of phobia of dental treatments, this technology is also promising, since it shows satisfactory results and in the surgical area it has a high potential for complex treatments, allowing predictable and safe results. However, future studies should have to establish technological standards with high data quality and in the development of applications approved for clinical routine. Distraction is a non-pharmacological pain management technique commonly used by Pediatric Dentists to control pain and anxiety. There are some new techniques that use audio and video stimulation and distract the patient by exposing him to three-dimensional videos. These techniques are called virtual reality audiovisual systems. The objective of this case was to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality glasses as a distraction aid to reduce anxiety in a 7-year-old girl who attends the pediatric dentistry office to perform a dental extraction procedure.

Portomesenteric venous thrombosis post gastric sleeve.

The gastric sleeve is the most performed bariatric surgery, and several studies have shown a good safety profile. Among its main postoperative complications are bleeding, leak, stenosis, reflux and to a lesser extent, portomesenteric venous thrombosis (1%). More than 80% of this entity occur after discharge. Diagnosis is difficult because it does not have characteristic symptoms or laboratory abnormalities. A 30-year-old male with a body mass index of 40.2 kg/m2, submitted to gastric sleeve, developing tachycardia, abdominal pain and oral intolerance on the eighth postoperative day. Contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic tomography revealed thrombosis of the portal, mesenteric and splenic veins. Portomesenteric venous thrombosis managed with resection, laparoscopic entero-entero anastomosis and anticoagulation. Although the risk of presenting portomesenteric venous thrombosis is relatively low, its complications are serious and life-threatening, in addition to an increased prevalence in bariatric surgeries.

Blood pressure and 10-year all-cause mortality: Findings from the PERU MIGRANT Study.

Background: The long-term impact of elevated blood pressure on mortality outcomes has been recently revisited due to proposed changes in cut-offs for hypertension. This study aimed at assessing the association between high blood pressure levels and 10-year mortality using the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7) and the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) 2017 blood pressure guidelines. Methods: Data analysis of the PERU MIGRANT Study, a prospective ongoing cohort, was used. The outcome of interest was 10-year all-cause mortality, and exposures were blood pressure categories according to the JNC-7 and ACC/AHA 2017 guidelines. Log-rank test, Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models were used to assess the associations of interest controlling for confounders. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. Results: A total of 976 records, mean age of 60.4 (SD: 11.4), 513 (52.6%) women, were analyzed. Hypertension prevalence at baseline almost doubled from 16.0% (95% CI 13.7%-18.4%) to 31.3% (95% CI 28.4%-34.3%), using the JNC-7 and ACC/AHA 2017 definitions, respectively. Sixty-three (6.4%) participants died during the 10-year follow-up, equating to a mortality rate of 3.6 (95% CI 2.4-4.7) per 1000 person-years. Using JNC-7, and compared to those with normal blood pressure, those with pre-hypertension and hypertension had 2.1-fold and 5.1-fold increased risk of death, respectively. Similar mortality effect sizes were estimated using ACC/AHA 2017 for stage-1 and stage-2 hypertension. Conclusions: Blood pressure levels under two different definitions increased the risk of 10-year all-cause mortality. Hypertension prevalence doubled using ACC/AHA 2017 compared to JNC-7. The choice of blood pressure cut-offs to classify hypertension categories need to be balanced against the patients benefit and the capacities of the health system to adequately handle a large proportion of new patients.

DNA Synthesis Is Activated in Mosquitoes and Human Monocytes During the Induction of Innate Immune Memory.

Endoreplication is a cell cycle program in which cells replicate their genomes without undergoing mitosis and cytokinesis. For the normal development of many organisms (from fungi to humans) and the formation of their organs, endoreplication is indispensable. The aim of the present study was to explore whether endoreplication and DNA synthesis are relevant processes during the induction of trained innate immunity in human monocytes and in the Anopheles albimanus mosquito cell line. During the induction of trained immunity in both models, endoreplication markers were overexpressed and we observed an increase in DNA synthesis with an augmented copy number of genes essential for trained immunity. Blocking DNA synthesis prevented trained immunity from being established. Overall, these findings suggest that DNA synthesis and endoreplication are important mechanisms involved in inducing innate immune memory. They have probably been conserved throughout evolution from invertebrates to humans.

Impact of rurality on the oral health status of 6-year-old children from central Chile: the EpiMaule study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was the assessment of dental caries and the gingival status of 6-year-old children living in the Maule region, Chile's most rural region, and to determine if rurality was related to a higher prevalence of oral conditions. METHODS: A representative sample of 485 children aged 6 years was examined using WHO methods. Children were chosen from schools belonging to urban and rural districts of the region. Caries status was obtained by deft (decayed, extracted, filled teeth), DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth) and SiC (Significant Caries) indexes. To assess gingival health status, the oral hygiene (OHI) and the gingival index (GI) were used. Urban and rural children data were compared using student's t-test at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Overall caries prevalence was 80.62%. Rural children showed higher prevalence (p < 0.0001) than urban 6-year-olds, with 88.3% and 69.9%, respectively. The deft (decayed, extracted, filled teeth) index was 4.63 for the region, with 5.74 for rural and 3.09 for urban districts (p < 0.05). The SiC index was 10.23 for rural and 7.13 for urban children (p < 0.05). Mean OHI score was 1.44, but rural children had higher OHI: 1.49 compared with 1.37 for urban 6-year-olds (p < 0.0001). The GI of the region was 1.37, but no differences were detected between rural and urban children (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Children from the Maule region in Chile have a severely deteriorated oral health, higher than Chile's mean. Rural are significantly more affected than urban children. A special focus on rural communities when designing oral health policies is strongly suggested.

Caries risk assessment in chilean adolescents and adults and its association with caries experience

Cariogram is a computer program that uses an algorithm to assess caries risk. Although the use of Cariogram has recently increased, little information is available regarding its effectiveness in adults. This study aimed to determine whether caries risk from Cariogram relates to caries experience in adults. One hundred and eighty Cariogram files were completed from patients aged ten to fifty-six years (mean: 23.28 years). Seven factors from the software were included from patient records to complete the Cariogram: caries experience, diet (content and frequency), stimulated salivary flow, hygiene index, related diseases and fluoride usage. The percentages of "chances of avoiding new lesions" (caries risk) were obtained from Cariogram, and the subjects were classified into five risk groups. Results were compared for each variable with ANOVA, and a correlation between caries and Cariogram variables was calculated by Pearson's correlation coefficient. A multivariate regression model was also used. Only three patients were classified as low risk, and none were classified as very low risk. Thus, only the four upper quintiles were considered for the analysis, and the lower quintile was not considered in the study. Neither DMFT nor the number of lesions were significantly different among the Cariogram's risk categories (p > 0.05). Only diet content was significantly correlated with caries experience (p = 0.006). Caries lesions failed to correlate with any Cariogram variable (p > 0.05). Age, not sex or caries risk scores, showed a strong and positive association with DMFT (p < 0.01). Caries risk from Cariogram appears to be unrelated with caries experience or caries lesions in a high-caries adult population.

Caries risk assessment in Chilean adolescents and adults and its association with caries experience.

Cariogram is a computer program that uses an algorithm to assess caries risk. Although the use of Cariogram has recently increased, little information is available regarding its effectiveness in adults. This study aimed to determine whether caries risk from Cariogram relates to caries experience in adults. One hundred and eighty Cariogram files were completed from patients aged ten to fifty-six years (mean: 23.28 years). Seven factors from the software were included from patient records to complete the Cariogram: caries experience, diet (content and frequency), stimulated salivary flow, hygiene index, related diseases and fluoride usage. The percentages of "chances of avoiding new lesions" (caries risk) were obtained from Cariogram, and the subjects were classified into five risk groups. Results were compared for each variable with ANOVA, and a correlation between caries and Cariogram variables was calculated by Pearson's correlation coefficient. A multivariate regression model was also used. Only three patients were classified as low risk, and none were classified as very low risk. Thus, only the four upper quintiles were considered for the analysis, and the lower quintile was not considered in the study. Neither DMFT nor the number of lesions were significantly different among the Cariogram's risk categories (p > 0.05). Only diet content was significantly correlated with caries experience (p = 0.006). Caries lesions failed to correlate with any Cariogram variable (p > 0.05). Age, not sex or caries risk scores, showed a strong and positive association with DMFT (p < 0.01). Caries risk from Cariogram appears to be unrelated with caries experience or caries lesions in a high-caries adult population.

Changes in P-glycoprotein activity are mediated by the growth of a tumour cell line as multicellular spheroids.

BACKGROUND: Expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the multidrug resistance (MDR) 1 gene product, can lead to multidrug resistance in tumours. However, the physiological role of P-gp in tumours growing as multicellular spheroids is not well understood. Recent evidence suggests that P-gp activity may be modulated by cellular components such as membrane proteins, membrane-anchoring proteins or membrane-lipid composition. Since, multicellular spheroids studies have evidenced alterations in numerous cellular components, including those related to the plasma membrane function, result plausible that some of these changes might modulate P-gp function and be responsible for the acquisition of multicellular drug resistance. In the present study, we asked if a human lung cancer cell line (INER-51) grown as multicellular spheroids can modify the P-gp activity to decrease the levels of doxorubicin (DXR) retained and increase their drug resistance. RESULTS: Our results showed that INER-51 spheroids retain 3-folds lower doxorubicin than the same cells as monolayers however; differences in retention were not observed when the P-gp substrate Rho-123 was used. Interestingly, neither the use of the P-gp-modulating agent cyclosporin-A (Cs-A) nor a decrease in ATP-pools were able to increase DXR retention in the multicellular spheroids. Only the lack of P-gp expression throughout the pharmacological selection of a P-gp negative (P-gpneg) mutant clone (PSC-1) derived from INER-51 cells, allow increase of DXR retention in spheroids. CONCLUSION: Thus, multicellular arrangement appears to alter the P-gp activity to maintain lower levels of DXR. However, the non expression of P-gp by cells forming multicellular spheroids has only a minor impact in the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.

Schwannoma retroperitoneal: comunicación de 5 casos / Retroperitoneal schawannoma: diagnostic imaging findings in 5 patients

Propósito: Interpretar los distintos hallazgos imagenológicos a fin de llegar a una aproximación diagnóstica en este tipo de tumores. Material y método: Se estudiaron retrospectivamente 5 pacientes (3 de sexo masculino, 2 de sexo femenino), con schwannoma retroperitoneal. Presentaron un rango de edades de 33 a 66 años (media 54 años). Se interpretaron los hallazgos clínicos y fueron estudiados con ecografía, TC y/o RM. Las imágenes obtenidas fueron correlacionadas con los resultados histopatológicos. Resultados: El hallazgo clínico más frecuente fue de dolor abdominal (60 por ciento). Sólo los tumores que presentaron bordes bien delimitados y gran componente quístico permitieron sospechar el diagnóstico previo a la cirugía. A todos los pacientes se les realizó resección de la masa tumoral. Sólo 2 pacientes presentaron recidiva en un lapso de estudio de 3 años. Conclusión: El schwannoma retroperitoneal es un tumor muy infrecuente. En nuestra corta serie de casos, los distintos métodos de imágenes, en especial la RM, permitieron caracterizar la lesión y aproximar el diagnóstico

Schwannoma retroperitoneal: comunicación de 5 casos / Retroperitoneal schawannoma: diagnostic imaging findings in 5 patients

Propósito: Interpretar los distintos hallazgos imagenológicos a fin de llegar a una aproximación diagnóstica en este tipo de tumores. Material y método: Se estudiaron retrospectivamente 5 pacientes (3 de sexo masculino, 2 de sexo femenino), con schwannoma retroperitoneal. Presentaron un rango de edades de 33 a 66 años (media 54 años). Se interpretaron los hallazgos clínicos y fueron estudiados con ecografía, TC y/o RM. Las imágenes obtenidas fueron correlacionadas con los resultados histopatológicos. Resultados: El hallazgo clínico más frecuente fue de dolor abdominal (60 por ciento). Sólo los tumores que presentaron bordes bien delimitados y gran componente quístico permitieron sospechar el diagnóstico previo a la cirugía. A todos los pacientes se les realizó resección de la masa tumoral. Sólo 2 pacientes presentaron recidiva en un lapso de estudio de 3 años. Conclusión: El schwannoma retroperitoneal es un tumor muy infrecuente. En nuestra corta serie de casos, los distintos métodos de imágenes, en especial la RM, permitieron caracterizar la lesión y aproximar el diagnóstico (AU)