Clinical and Immunological Factors That Distinguish COVID-19 From Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1).

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a global health threat with the potential to cause severe disease manifestations in the lungs. Although COVID-19 has been extensively characterized clinically, the factors distinguishing SARS-CoV-2 from other respiratory viruses are unknown. Here, we compared the clinical, histopathological, and immunological characteristics of patients with COVID-19 and pandemic influenza A(H1N1). We observed a higher frequency of respiratory symptoms, increased tissue injury markers, and a histological pattern of alveolar pneumonia in pandemic influenza A(H1N1) patients. Conversely, dry cough, gastrointestinal symptoms and interstitial lung pathology were observed in COVID-19 cases. Pandemic influenza A(H1N1) was characterized by higher levels of IL-1RA, TNF-α, CCL3, G-CSF, APRIL, sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2, sCD30, and sCD163. Meanwhile, COVID-19 displayed an immune profile distinguished by increased Th1 (IL-12, IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13) cytokine levels, along with IL-1ß, IL-6, CCL11, VEGF, TWEAK, TSLP, MMP-1, and MMP-3. Our data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 induces a dysbalanced polyfunctional inflammatory response that is different from the immune response against pandemic influenza A(H1N1). Furthermore, we demonstrated the diagnostic potential of some clinical and immune factors to differentiate both diseases. These findings might be relevant for the ongoing and future influenza seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, which are historically unique due to their convergence with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Las Políticas de Salud Oral en el contexto de las enfermedades no transmisibles: Un desafío pendiente en Chile / Oral Health Policies in the context of non-communicable diseases: A pending challenge in Chile

RESUMEN: Las enfermedades no transmisibles constituyen la mayor carga de enfermedad en Chile y el mundo. La estrecha interrelación preventiva y terapéutica entre las enfermedades orales y las enfermedades sistémicas en el contexto de las enfermedades no transmisibles, pone de manifiesto la urgente necesidad de diseñar políticas públicas que permitan incorporar la salud oral en el control de estas enfermedades. A pesar de que en Chile se han implementado programas para el tratamiento de las principales enfermedades orales en grupos priorizados, a través de garantías explicitas en salud y de otros programas odontológicos, estas prestaciones no están dirigidas a personas con enfermedades cardiovasculares, diabetes u otras enfermedades no transmisibles de alto impacto en la población. Aunque, la evidencia disponible y las recomendaciones de las organizaciones científicas internacionales, fundamentan la incorporación de la salud oral en los planes y programas de salud general, lamentablemente un enfoque médico-odontológico más integrado en el control y manejo de las enfermedades no transmisibles sigue siendo un desafío pendiente en Chile.

ABSTRACT: Non-communicable diseases constitute the greatest burden of disease in Chile and the world. The close preventive and therapeutic relationship between oral diseases and systemic diseases in the context of non-communicable diseases, highlights the urgent need to design health policies that allow the incorporation of oral health in the control of these diseases. Despite the implementation of programs in Chile for the treatment of the main oral diseases in prioritized groups, through explicit guarantees in health and other dental programs, these benefits are not aimed at people with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or other non-communicable diseases with high impact on the population. The available evidence and the recommendations of international scientific organizations support the incorporation of oral health in general health plans and programs. Unfortunately, a more integrated medical-dental approach in the control and management of non-communicable diseases remains a pending challenge in Chile.

Photophysical Dynamics in Semiconducting Graphene Quantum Dots Integrated with 2D MoS2 for Optical Enhancement in the Near UV.

The hybrid structure of zero-dimensional (0D) graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 has been investigated, which exhibit outstanding properties for optoelectronic devices surpassing the limitations of MoS2 photodetectors where the GQDs extend the optical absorption into the near-UV regime. The GQDs and MoS2 films are characterized by Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies, along with atomic force microscopy. After outlining the fabrication of our 0D-2D heterostructure photodetectors comprising GQDs with bulk MoS2 sheets, their photoresponse to the incoming radiation was measured. The hybrid GQD/MoS2 heterostructure photodetector exhibits a high photoresponsivity R of more than 1200 A W-1 at 0.64 mW/cm2 at room temperature T. The T-dependent optoelectronic measurements revealed a peak R of ∼544 A W-1 at 245 K, examined from 5.4 K up to 305 K with an incoming white light power density of 3.2 mW/cm2. A tunable laser revealed the photocurrent to be maximal at lower wavelengths in the near ultraviolet (UV) over the 400-1100 nm spectral range, where the R of the hybrid GQDs/MoS2 was ∼775 A W-1, while a value of 2.33 × 1012 Jones was computed for the detectivity D* at 400 nm. The external quantum efficiency was measured to be ∼99.8% at 650 nm, which increased to 241% when the wavelength of the incoming laser was reduced to 400 nm. Time-resolved measurements of the photocurrent for the hybrid devices resulted in a rise time τrise and a fall time τfall of ∼7 and ∼25 ms, respectively, at room T, which are 10× lower compared to previous reports. From our promising results, we conclude that the GQDs exhibit a sizable band gap upon optical excitation, where photocarriers are injected into the MoS2 films, endowing the hybrids with long carrier lifetimes to enable efficient light absorption beyond the visible and into the near-UV regime. The GQD-MoS2 structure is thus an enabling platform for high-performance photodetectors, optoelectronic circuits, and quantum devices.

Reconstrucción primaria con implantes personalizados después de resección de gran tumoración craneofacial / Primary reconstruction with customized implants after resection of a large craniofacial tumor

Reportamos la reconstrucción inmediata con implantes personalizados en la región craneofacial en una paciente mujer de 22 años con tumoración craneofacial de 12x15 cm en la región fronto orbito cigomático izquierdo que correspondió a fibroma oscificante. Se realizó la reconstrucción con un implante hecho a medida basado en imágenes tomográficas. El implante de polieteretercetona (PEEK) fue seleccionado para reemplazar la pérdida ósea y para restaurar la anatomía facial. No hubo necesidad de ajuste transquirúrgico del implante; ni se presentaron reacciones de rechazo, infección o exposición del implante en el periodo posoperatorio. Aunque el hueso autólogo es preferido para implantes, resulta difícil adecuarlos en situaciones de un compromiso extenso como en el caso presentado; por ello los implantes de PEEK son actualmente una opción en términos de biocompatibilidad, resistencia, duración, conductividad térmica y traslucencia radiográfica.

We report the immediate reconstruction with personalized implants in the craniofacial region in a 22-year old female patient with a craniofacial tumor of 12x15 cm in the left zygomatic orbital frontal region that corresponded to an ossifying fibroma. The reconstruction was performed with a custom-made implant based on tomographic images. The polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implant was selected to replace bone loss and restore facial anatomy. There was no need for transsurgical adjustment of the implant, no rejection, infection or implant exposure in the postoperative period. Although autologous bone is preferred for implants, it is often limited in the morbidity of the donor site, the difficulty of giving shape mainly to the borders and the limitation of the area to be donated; therefore the PEEK implants are currently an option in terms of biocompatibility resistance, duration, thermal conductivity and radiographic translucency.

Ultra-high Photoresponsivity in Suspended Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Mesoscopic Multilayer MoS2 Broadband Detector from UV-to-IR with Low Schottky Barrier Contacts.

The design, fabrication, and characterization of ultra-high responsivity photodetectors based on mesoscopic multilayer MoS2 is presented, which is a less explored system compared to direct band gap monolayer MoS2 that has received increasing attention in recent years. The device architecture is comprised of a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector, where Mo was used as the contact metal to suspended MoS2 membranes. The photoresponsivity [Formula: see text] was measured to be ~1.4 × 104 A/W, which is > 104 times higher compared to prior reports, while the detectivity D* was computed to be ~2.3 × 1011 Jones at 300 K at an optical power P of ~14.5 pW and wavelength λ of ~700 nm. In addition, the dominant photocurrent mechanism was determined to be the photoconductive effect (PCE), while a contribution from the photogating effect was also noted from trap-states that yielded a wide spectral photoresponse from UV-to-IR (400 nm to 1100 nm) with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) ~104. From time-resolved photocurrent measurements, a decay time τ d ~ 2.5 ms at 300 K was measured from the falling edge of the photogenerated waveform after irradiating the device with a stream of incoming ON/OFF white light pulses.