Controlling the Adsorption and Release of Ocular Drugs in Metal-Organic Frameworks: Effect of Polar Functional Groups.

A series of UiO-66 materials with different functional groups (-H, -NH2, and -NO2) have been evaluated for the adsorption and release of a common ocular drug such as brimonidine tartrate. UiO-66 samples were synthesized under solvothermal conditions and activated by solvent exchange with ethanol. Experimental results suggest that the incorporation of surface functionalities gives rise to the development of structural defects (missing linker defects) but without altering the basic topology of the UiO-66 framework. These defects improve the adsorption performance of the parent metal-organic framework (MOF), while the bulkier functionalities infer slower release kinetics, with the associated benefits for prolonged delivery of brimonidine. Among the evaluated MOFs, defective UiO-66-NO2 can be proposed as the most promising candidate due to the combination of a larger brimonidine volumetric uptake (680 mg/cm3), a prolonged delivery (period of up to 25 days), a small particle size, and a larger instability. Contrariwise, at high concentrations UiO-66-NO2 has higher toxicity toward human retinal pigment epithelium cells (ARPE-19) compared to the pure and NH2-functionalized UiO-66.

Presence of Color Transition in Biopsy Specimens Predicts Outcome of Liver Lesion Biopsies.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the presence of tissue transition in liver lesion biopsies to predict a successful outcome, as observed by modified macroscopic on-site evaluation (MOSE). Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 264 ultrasound-guided liver lesion biopsies, examining the influence the presence of tissue transition (visible color changes in biopsy specimens as evaluated visually) has on two endpoints (1) material retrieval, (2) attaining a definitive diagnosis) representing successful liver lesion biopsies, compared to previously evaluated variables in this context. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed using SPSS 21.0. Results: Material retrieval and a definitive diagnosis occurred in 224/264 (84.8%) and 217/264 (82.2%) cases, the latter occurring more often when visual inspection revealed macroscopic tissue transition (92/96 [95.8%]) than when not (124/165 [75.2%]), P < 0.001. Tissue transition in biopsies was more common in secondary (74/162 [45.7%]) than (18/54 [33.3%]) primary liver lesions, though this was not significant (P = 0.112). On multivariate analysis, tissue transition in biopsies was an independent predictor of a definitive diagnosis and material retrieval. Conclusion: In liver lesion biopsies, MOSE of color transition in biopsies can indicate success. This is easily incorporated into clinical practice and can help overcome the lack of an on-site pathologist.

African dust and air quality over Spain: Is it only dust that matters?

The 2001-2016 contribution of African dust outbreaks to ambient regional background PM10 and PM2.5 levels over Spain, as well as changes induced in the PMx composition over NE Spain in 2009-2016, were investigated. A clear decrease in PMx dust contributions from the Canary Islands to N Iberia was found. A parallel increase in the PM2.5/PM10 ratio (30% in the Canary Islands to 57% in NW Iberia) was evidenced, probably due to size segregation and the larger relative contribution of the local PMx with increasing distance from Africa. PM1-10 and PM2.5-10 measured in Barcelona during African dust outbreaks (ADOs) were 43-46% higher compared to non-ADO days. The continental background contribution prevailed in terms of both PM1-10 and PM2.5-10 during ADO days (62 and 69%, respectively, and 31 and 27% for non-ADO days). The relative contributions of Al2O3/Fe2O3/CaO to PMx fraction showed that Al2O3 is a suitable tracer for African dust in our context; while CaO at the urban site is clearly affected by local resuspension, construction and road dust, and Fe2O3 by dust from vehicle brake discs. The results also provide evidence that PM increases during ADOs are caused not only by the mineral dust load, but by an increased accumulation of locally emitted or co-transported anthropogenic pollutants as compared with non-ADO days. Possible causes for this accumulation are discussed. We recommend that further epidemiological studies should explore independently the potential effects of mineral dust and the anthropogenic PM during ADOs, because, at least over SW Europe, not only mineral dust affects the air quality during African dust episodes.

Vertical and horizontal fall-off of black carbon and NO2 within urban blocks.

While exposure to traffic pollutants significantly decreases with distance from the curb, very dense urban architectures hamper such dispersion. Moreover, the building height reduces significantly the dispersion of pollutants. We have investigated the horizontal variability of Black Carbon (BC) and the vertical variability of NO2 and BC within the urban blocks. Increasing the distance from road BC concentrations decreased following an exponential curve reaching halving distances at 25 m (median), although with a wide variability among sites. Street canyons showed sharper fall-offs than open roads or roads next to a park. Urban background concentrations were achieved at 67 m distance on average, with higher distances found for more trafficked roads. Vertical fall-off of BC was less pronounced than the horizontal one since pollutants homogenize quickly vertically after rush traffic hours. Even shallower vertical fall-offs were found for NO2. For both pollutants, background concentrations were never reached within the building height. A street canyon effect was also found exacerbating concentrations at the lowest floors of the leeward side of the road. These inputs can be useful for assessing population exposure, air quality policies, urban planning and for models validation.

Testing the performance of sensors for ozone pollution monitoring in a citizen science approach.

Tropospheric ozone (O3) is an environmental pollutant of growing concern, especially in suburban and rural areas where the density of air quality monitoring stations is not high. In this type of areas citizen science strategies can be useful tools for awareness raising, but sensor technologies must be validated before sensor data are communicated to the public. In this work, the performance under field conditions of two custom-made types of ozone sensing devices, based on metal-oxide and electrochemical sensors, was tested. A large array of 132 metal-oxide (Sensortech MICS 2614) and 11 electrochemical (Alphasense) ozone sensors, built into 44 sensing devices, was co-located at reference stations in Italy (4 stations) and Spain (5). Mean R2 between sensor and reference data was 0.88 (0.78-0.96) and 0.89 (0.73-0.96) for Captor (metal-oxide) and Raptor (electrochemical) nodes. The metal-oxide sensors showed an upper limit (approximately 170 µg/m3) implying that these sensors may be useful to communicate mean ozone concentrations but not peak episodes. The uncertainty of the nodes was 10% between 100 and 150 µg/m3 and 20% between 150 and 200 µg/m3, for Captors, and 10% for >100 µg/m3 for Raptors. Operating both types of nodes up to 5 months did not evidence any clear influence of drifts. The use of these sensors in citizen science can be a useful tool for awareness raising. However, significant data processing efforts are required to ensure high data quality, and thus machine learning strategies are advisable. Relative uncertainties should always be reported when communicating ozone concentration data from sensing nodes.

Association between environmental factors including second-hand smoke and primary lung cancer in dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and other environmental toxins in dogs with primary lung tumours and to analyse association between exposure and lung tumour development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, an owner survey was developed to collect data on patient characteristics, general health care and environmental exposures. Dogs diagnosed with primary lung carcinomas formed the Case group. Dogs diagnosed with mast cell tumours served as Control Group 1 and dogs diagnosed with neurologic disease served as Control Group 2. Associations between diagnosis of primary lung tumour and patient and environmental exposure variables were analysed using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods. RESULTS: A total of 1178 owner surveys were mailed and 470 surveys were returned and included in statistical analysis, including 135 Cases, 169 dogs in Control Group 1 and 166 dogs in Control Group 2. An association between exposure to second-hand smoke and prevalence of primary lung cancer was not identified in this study. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Second-hand smoke is associated with primary lung cancer in people but a definitive association has not been found in dogs. The results of this study suggest that tobacco smoke exposure may not be associated with primary lung cancer development in dogs but study limitations may have precluded detection of an association.

Secondary organic aerosol origin in an urban environment: influence of biogenic and fuel combustion precursors.

Source contributions of organic aerosol (OA) are still not fully understood, especially in terms of quantitative distinction between secondary OA formed from anthropogenic precursors vs. that formed from natural precursors. In order to investigate the OA origin, a field campaign was carried out in Barcelona in summer 2013, including two periods characterized by low and high traffic conditions. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were higher during the second period, especially aromatic hydrocarbons related to traffic emissions, which showed a marked daily cycle peaking during traffic rush hours, similarly to black carbon (BC) concentrations. Biogenic VOC (BVOC) concentrations showed only minor changes from the low to the high traffic period, and their intra-day variability was related to temperature and solar radiation cycles, although a decrease was observed for monoterpenes during the day. The organic carbon (OC) concentrations increased from the first to the second period, and the fraction of non-fossil OC as determined by (14)C analysis increased from 43% to 54% of the total OC. The combination of (14)C analysis and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) OA source apportionment showed that the fossil OC was mainly secondary (>70%) except for the last sample, when the fossil secondary OC only represented 51% of the total fossil OC. The fraction of non-fossil secondary OC increased from 37% of total secondary OC for the first sample to 60% for the last sample. This enhanced formation of non-fossil secondary OA (SOA) could be attributed to the reaction of BVOC precursors with NOx emitted from road traffic (or from its nocturnal derivative nitrate that enhances night-time semi-volatile oxygenated OA (SV-OOA)), since NO2 concentrations increased from 19 to 42 µg m(-3) from the first to the last sample.

[Mortality following cardiac surgery in the National Health Service Hospitals of the Community of Valencia in 2007: a descriptive analysis]. / Análisis descriptivo de mortalidad en cirugía cardiaca en los hospitales públicos de la Comunidad Valenciana en el año 2007.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinical records of cardiac surgery patients in an attempt to identify factors associated with mortality in the postoperative critical care units of the public health service hospitals in the Community of Valencia, Spain, in 2007. METHODS: Retrospective study of cases from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. The charts of all patients who underwent cardiac surgery with or without extracorporeal circulation were reviewed. A data collection protocol was followed to obtain information on age, sex, body mass index (BMI), presurgical risk factors, type of surgery, duration of extracorporeal circulation, duration of ischemia, cause of death, and length of stay in the postoperative critical care unit. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 2113 patients at 5 public hospitals; 124 patients (70 men, 54 women) died. The mean (SD) age was 70 (9.43) years (range, 36-91 years). The mean BMI was 28.19 kg/m2 (maximum, 42 kg/m2). The mean Euroscore was 21.92 (maximum, 94.29). Hypertension was present as a preoperative risk factor in most patients (74.2%); dyslipidemia was present in 51.6%, diabetes mellitus in 38.7%, stroke in 73%, and renal failure in 2.4%. It was noteworthy was that the group who underwent coronary revascularization had the highest mortality rate (nearly 35% of the 124 patients). The next highest mortality rate (19.4%) was in patients who had combined procedures (valve repair or substitution plus coronary revascularization). Mortality was 18.5% in the group undergoing aortic valve surgery and 11.3% in those undergoing mitral valve surgery. The mean duration of extracorporeal circulation was 148.63 minutes. The mean duration of myocardial ischemia was 94.91 minutes. The most frequent cause of death was cardiogenic shock (54.8%). This was followed by distributive shock (29.8%) and hemorrhagic shock (8.9%). The mean length of stay in the postoperative critical care unit was 13.6 days. Overall mortality was 5.87%. CONCLUSIONS: The highest mortality rate among cardiac surgery patients in postoperative critical care units in hospitals in the Community of Valencia in 2007 was in patients who underwent coronary revascularization. The most prevalent preoperative risk factor was hypertension. Cardiogenic shock and distributive shock were the most frequent causes of death in these patients. A system for classifying risk is needed in order to predict mortality in critical care units and improve perioperative care.

Análisis descriptivo de mortalidad en cirugía cardiaca en los hospitales públicos de la Comunidad Valenciana en el año 2007 / Mortality following cardiac surgery in the national health service hospitals of the Community of Valencia in 2007: a descriptive analysis

OBJETIVO: Analizar los datos clínicos y tratar de identificarlos factores asociados que pudieran haber influidoen la mortalidad postoperatoria de los pacientes decirugía cardiaca durante su permanencia en la Unidadde Cuidados Críticos de los hospitales de la sanidadpública de la Comunidad Valenciana durante el 2007.MÉTODO: Estudio retrospectivo desde 1 enero de 2007hasta 31 diciembre del 2007. Se revisaron todas las historiasclínicas de los pacientes operados de cirugía cardiacacon y sin circulación extracorpórea y se aplicó unformulario de recogida de datos que permitió obtener lainformación necesaria para determinar edad, sexo, índicede masa corporal, factores de riesgo prequirúrgicos,tipo de intervención quirúrgica realizada, tiempo de circulaciónextracorpórea, tiempo de isquemia, causa demortalidad y tiempo de estancia en la Unidad de CuidadosCríticos.RESULTADOS: En los 5 centros públicos donde se realizacirugía cardiaca la población estudiada fue de 2.113pacientes. El número de pacientes fallecidos fue de 124,de ellos 70 fueron hombres y 54 mujeres. La media deedad fue 70 años (DE 9,43) oscilando entre 36 y 91 años.El valor medio del índice de masa corporal fue de 28,19kg/m2 con un máximo de 42 kg/m2. El valor medio delEuroscore fue de 21,92 con un máximo de 94,29. Entrelos factores de riesgo estudiados la hipertensión arterialestaba presente en la mayoría de los pacientes (74,2%),dislipemia en el 51,6% de los casos, diabetes mellitus enel 38,7%, accidentes cerebrovasculares previos en el7,3% e insuficiencia renal previa a la cirugía en el 2,4%...(AU)

OBJETIVE: To analyze clinical records of cardiacsurgery patients in an attempt to identify factorsassociated with mortality in the postoperative criticalcare units of the public health service hospitals in theCommunity of Valencia, Spain, in 2007.METHODS: Retrospective study of cases from January1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. The charts of all patientswho underwent cardiac surgery with or without miocárdiextracorporealcirculation were reviewed. A datacollection protocol was followed to obtain informationon age, sex, body mass index (BMI), presurgical riskfactors, type of surgery, duration of extracorporealcirculation, duration of ischemia, cause of death, andlength of stay in the postoperative critical care unit.RESULTS: The study population consisted of 2113patients at 5 public hospitals; 124 patients (70 men, 54women) died. The mean (SD) age was 70 (9.43) years(range, 36-91 years). The mean BMI was 28.19 kg/m2(maximum, 42 kg/m2). The mean Euroscore was 21.92(maximum, 94.29). Hypertension was present as apreoperative risk factor in most patients (74.2%);dyslipidemia was present in 51.6%, diabetes mellitus in38.7%, stroke in 7.3%, and renal failure in 2.4%. It wasnoteworthy was that the group who underwent coronaryrevascularization had the highest mortality rate (nearly35% of the 124 patients). The next highest mortality rate(19.4%) was in patients who had combined procedures(valve repair or substitution plus coronaryrevascularization). Mortality was 18.5% in the groupundergoing aortic valve surgery and 11.3% in thoseundergoing mitral valve surgery. The mean duration ofextracorporeal circulation was 148.63 minutes...(AU)

Effect of inorganic ions on the solar detoxification of water polluted with pesticides.

The effect of eleven inorganic ions (Cl(-), NO(3)(-), SO(4)(2-); PO(4)(3-), Na(+); NH(4)(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), Cu(2+) and Al(3+)) on the photo-Fenton elimination of pesticides has been investigated. Phosphate and chloride have been demonstrated to have an inhibitory role; on the other hand, the reaction was accelerated in the presence of Cu(2+), most probably due to a copper-driven Fenton-like process. The solar photo-Fenton treatment of a mixture of four commercial pesticides was studied at pilot plant scale in the presence of chlorides. Samples with coincident dissolved organic carbon (DOC) showed similar chemical composition, which resulted in a comparable biocompatibility, however longer irradiation periods were needed to reach the desired mineralization when Cl(-) was present. It was demonstrated that the chemical process was able to improve significantly the biocompatibility of the effluent, as shown by the inhibition of respiration of activated sludge, BOD/COD ratio and Zahn-Wellens test.

A reliable monitoring of the biocompatibility of an effluent along an oxidative pre-treatment by sequential bioassays and chemical analyses.

A new approach to assess biocompatibility of an effluent, based on combination of different bioassays and chemical analyses, has been tested using a mixture of four commercial pesticides treated by a solar photo-Fenton as target effluent. A very fast elimination of the pesticides occurred (all of them were below detection limit at t30W=36 min), but mineralisation was a more time-consuming process, due to the formation of organic intermediates and to the presence of solvents, as shown by GC-MS analysis. Measurements based on activated sludge indicated that detoxification was coincident with the removal of the active ingredients, while more sensitive Vibrio fischeri bacterium showed significant toxicity until the end of the experiment, although the effluent might be compatible with biological processes. Biodegradability of the solutions was enhanced by the photochemical process, to reach BOD5/COD ratios above 0.8. Longer time bioassays, such as the Zahn-Wellens' test, support the applicability of coupling photochemical with activated sludge-based biological processes to deal with these effluents.

Confirming Pseudomonas putida as a reliable bioassay for demonstrating biocompatibility enhancement by solar photo-oxidative processes of a biorecalcitrant effluent.

Experiments based on Vibrio fischeri, activated sludge and Pseudomonas putida have been employed to check variation in the biocompatibility of an aqueous solution of a commercial pesticide, along solar photo-oxidative process (TiO(2) and Fenton reagent). Activated sludge-based experiments have demonstrated a complete detoxification of the solution, although important toxicity is still detected according to the more sensitive V. fischeri assays. In parallel, the biodegradability of organic matter is strongly enhanced, with BOD(5)/COD ratio above 0.8. Bioassays run with P. putida have given similar trends, remarking the convenience of using P. putida culture as a reliable and reproducible method for assessing both toxicity and biodegradability, as a substitute to other more time consuming methods.

[Asian tiger mosquito bites: perception of the affected population after Aedes albopictus became established in Spain]. / Picaduras por mosquito tigre. Percepción de la población afectada tras el establecimiento de Aedes albopictus en España.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of Aedes albopictus was detected in Spain in 2004 and it has now become fully established, causing significant discomfort among the population in the affected areas. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the arrival of A albopictus and its subsequent establishment on the population a year after being detected in Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey questioned 309 users of the Valldoreix-Sant Cugat Healthcare Center about their knowledge of Aedes albopictus, the characteristics of bites by this insect, and their attitude to prevention and treatment. RESULTS: Ninety one percent of respondents knew about the tiger mosquito. Sixty-one percent (66 % of women and 53 % of men) had reported suffering bites attributed to this insect. The most common type of bite was a small swelling (78 %) and the most common site was the legs (93 %). Children had a greater number of lesions and a more generalized distribution. Blistering lesions were more frequent in women. Itching was very intense (65 %), particularly in women (71 %) and children (76 %). The majority of patients (80 %) did not seek attention from their health care services and 36 % consulted their pharmacist. Fifty percent (61 % of women and 47 % of men) treated their bites, mainly with topical corticosteroids (56 %) and antihistaminics (26 %). Forty-six percent of respondents mainly children reported use of insect repellents. CONCLUSION: The arrival of the Asian tiger mosquito has had a major impact on the population, with a lower quality of life and a deterioration in skin health, due to the numerous and irritating bites.

Picaduras por mosquito tigre. Percepción de la población afectada tras el establecimiento de Aedes albopictus en España / Asian tiger mosquito bites: perception of the affected population after aedes albopictus became established in Spain

Introducción. Aedes albopictus se identificó en España en el año 2004 y en la actualidad está plenamente establecido, causando un intenso malestar entre la población de las áreas afectadas. Objetivos. Estudiar el impacto de la llegada y el asentamiento de Aedes albopictus sobre la población un año después de su identificación en nuestra comunidad. Material y métodos. Encuesta a 309 usuarios del CAP Vall d’oreix-Sant Cugat acerca de los conocimientos sobre este mosquito, características de sus picaduras y actitud en cuanto a prevención y tratamiento. Resultados. El 91 % de los encuestados conocían el mosquito tigre. El 61 % referían haber sufrido picaduras (66% mujeres y 53% hombres), que atribuían a este insecto. El tipo de picadura más frecuente fue el habón (78 %) y la localización, las extremidades inferiores (93 %). Los niños mostraban mayor número de lesiones y una distribución más generalizada. Las lesiones ampollosas fueron más frecuentes en mujeres. El prurito fue muy intenso (65 %) sobre todo en mujeres (71 %) y niños (76 %). La mayoría de los pacientes (80 %) no consultó a los servicios médicos y un 36 % lo hizo al farmacéutico. Un 50 % realizó tratamiento (61% mujeres y 47% hombres), principalmente con corticoides tópicos (56 %) y antihistamínicos (26 %). Un 46 % de los encuestados afirmaba usar repelentes, sobre todo niños. Conclusión. La llegada del mosquito tigre ha tenido un gran impacto sobre la población, mermando la calidad de vida y empeorando su salud dermatológica debido a sus numerosas y molestas picaduras (AU)

Introduction. The presence of Aedes albopictus was detected in Spain in 2004 and it has now become fully established, causing significant discomfort among the population in the affected areas. Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the arrival of A albopictus and its subsequent establishment on the population a year after being detected in Spain. Material and methods: A survey questioned 309 users of the Vall d’oreix-Sant Cugat Healthcare Center about their knowledge of Aedes albopictus, the characteristics of bites by this insect, and their attitude to prevention and treatment. Results. Ninety one percent of respondents knew about the tiger mosquito. Sixty-one percent (66% of women and 53% of men) had reported suffering bites attributed to this insect. The most common type of bite was a smalls welling (78%) and the most common site was the legs (93%). Children had a greater number of lesions and amore generalized distribution. Blistering lesions were more frequent in women. Itching was very intense (65%), particularly in women (71%) and children (76%). The majority of patients (80%) did not seek attention from their health care services and 36 % consulted their pharmacist. Fifty percent (61% of women and 47% of men) treated their bites, mainly with topical corticosteroids (56%) and antihistaminics (26%). Forty-six percent of respondents—mainly children—reported use of insect repellents. Conclusion. The arrival of the Asian tiger mosquito has had a major impact on the population, with a lower quality of life and a deterioration in skin health, due to the numerous and irritating bites (AU)

Combined photo-Fenton and biological oxidation for pesticide degradation: effect of photo-treated intermediates on biodegradation kinetics.

Biodegradability of a partially photo-oxidized pesticide mixture is demonstrated and the effect of photo-Fenton treatment time on growth and substrate consumption of the bacteria Pseudomonas putida CECT 324 is shown. Four commercial pesticides, laition, metasystox, sevnol and ultracid, usually employed in citric orchards in eastern Spain, were chosen for these experiments. The active ingredients are, respectively, dimethoate, oxydemeton-methyl, carbaryl and methidathion. Judging by biomass measurements, dissolved organic carbon measurements and biodegradation efficiency, it may be concluded that 90min

Detoxification and/or increase of the biodegradability of aqueous solutions of dimethoate by means of solar photocatalysis.

Different methods have been used to measure changes in biodegradability/toxicity of aqueous solutions of the pesticide Laition (a commercial formula of methidathion) when it is treated by means of TiO(2) photocatalysis: short time biological oxygen demand (BOD(st)) was used to determine the instantaneous biodegradability of the sample; BOD(5) was also chosen to determine biodegradability, employing in this case the manometric method; the BOD(5)/COD ratio was also calculated. Finally, the Zahn-Wellens test was employed to evaluate the long-term biodegradation of the effluents. The inhibition of the respiration of activated sludge in the presence of toxic pollutants was used to test the toxicity of the treated sample. An alternative method based on the decrease of BOD(5) of a very biodegradable mixture (glucose+glutamic acid) upon addition of the toxic solution was also employed. Similar trends were obtained with all methods and allowed us to distinguish between two periods: At the beginning of the reaction, there is a decrease in the concentration of dimethoate to reach complete abatement of this pesticide; this produces a nearly complete detoxification of the solution and a very significant increase of biodegradability (BOD(5)/COD ratio reached values close to 0.5 and important increase of BOD(5) and BOD(st) were observed). Beyond this point, slow mineralization is detected, but further improvement of the biodegradability cannot be achieved.

Increased biodegradability of Ultracid in aqueous solutions with solar TiO2 photocatalysis.

A study of solar TiO(2) photocatalytic degradation of the insecticide Ultracidtrade mark, a commercial formulation containing methidathion as the active ingredient, is described. Total elimination of methidathion can be achieved in less than 2h of irradiation, although longer solar exposures are needed for complete mineralisation of the solution (7-8h). Activated sludge respirometry shows that when methidathion is eliminated, the solution is detoxified, so further irradiation does not seem necessary. A Zahn-Wellens test also indicates improved biodegradability of the treated sample after abatement of the active ingredient. Finally, analysis of the ions formed indicates that the thiophosphate moiety of the molecule is preferentially attacked in the early stages of the reaction, while the thiadiazole ring is more sluggish to the effect of TiO(2)-photocatalysis.

Patrones de persistencia y recurrencia en sarcomas uterinos / Persistence and recurrence patterns of uterine sarcomas

Objetivo: Estudiar los patrones de persistencia y recurrencia que han tenido lugar en 48 casos de sarcomas uterinos diagnosticados en el Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón entre 1992-2001.Material y métodos: Del total de 48 pacientes, 25 fueron leiomiosarcomas, 18 carcinosarcomas, y 5 sarcomas del estroma endometrial. Se analizan las siguientes variables: edad, estado menopáusico, clínica, grado de mitosis, estadio quirúrgico, tratamientos primario y adyuvante, supervivencia, persistencia y recurrencia. Resultados: Tras el tratamiento inicial, la enfermedad persiste en 11 de los pacientes (29 por ciento), de forma local (pelvis) (81,8 por ciento) y extrapelviana (19,2 por ciento). La enfermedad recurrió en 17 pacientes (35,41 por ciento) tras el tratamiento en la pelvis en un 51,9 por ciento. La supervivencia global de la enfermedad fue del 64,2 por ciento a los 2 años, del 51,25 por ciento a los 3 años y del 25,12 por ciento a los 5 años. Conclusiones: En estos casos, la persistencia y la recurrencia suelen ser la norma, y la enfermedad presenta cierta heterogeneidad biológica, que se pone de manifiesto a la hora de analizar los distintos factores pronósticos. En general, la supervivencia es escasa y las estrategias terapéuticas actuales se encuentran en discusión (AU)

[Prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in infancy and related factors in a community of the Murcia region]. / Prevalencia de ferropenia y anemia ferropénica en la primera infancia y factores relacionados en una comarca de la región de Murcia.

In this study of 98 children, we determined hematological values and serum iron concentrations. A nutritional investigation was also done. We found that 25.5% of the children were iron deficient and 12.2% were anemic. In the group of children with iron deficiency, the introduction of meat and cereals was significantly late (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.05, respectively). In this same group of children the introduction of whole cow milk was earlier, although not significant (NS). The age of maximal prevalence was between 13 and 24 months. These results indicate a need to screen for iron deficiency during the second year of life, to delay the introduction of whole cow milk and not to delay the introduction of meat and cereals.