Profiling wastewater characteristics in intra-urban catchments using online monitoring stations.

This study aims to investigate the differences in intra-urban catchments with different characteristics through real-time wastewater monitoring. Monitoring stations were installed in three neighbourhoods of Barcelona to measure flow, total chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, conductivity, temperature, and bisulfide (HS-) for 1 year. Typical wastewater profiles were obtained for weekdays, weekends, and holidays in the summer and winter seasons. The results reveal differences in waking up times and evening routines, commuting behaviour during weekends and holidays, and water consumption. The pollutant profiles contribute to a better understanding of pollution generation in households and catchment activities. Flows and COD correlate well at all stations, but there are differences in conductivity and HS- at the station level. The article concludes by discussing the operational experience of the monitoring stations.

Understanding Progestins: From Basics to Clinical Applicability.

Progestin is a term used to describe a synthetic progestogen. The activity and potency of synthetic progestins are mostly evaluated via parameters associated with their endometrial effects, which are related to their interactions with progesterone, estrogen, androgen, glucocorticoid, and mineralocorticoid receptors. The chemical structure of progestins is the key to understanding their interactions with these receptors and predicting the other effects associated with these drugs. Due to their endometrial effect, progestins are used for different gynecological conditions, such as endometriosis, contraception, hormonal replacement therapy, and artificial reproduction techniques. This review is focused on improving our knowledge of progestins (from their history and biochemical effects related to their chemical structures to clinical applications in gynecological conditions) in order to improve clinical practice.

Correlation Between Hemoglobin Glycation Index Measured by Continuous Glucose Monitoring With Complications in Type 1 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: HbA1C is the "gold standard" parameter to evaluate glycemic control in diabetes; however, its correlation with mean glucose is not always perfect. The objective of this study was to correlate continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-derived hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) with microvascular complications. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study including permanent users of CGM with type 1 diabetes mellitus or latent autoimmune diabetes of the adult. HGI was estimated, and presence of microvascular complications was compared in subgroups with high or low HGI. A logistic regression analysis to assess the contribution of high HGI to chronic kidney disease (CKD) was performed. RESULTS: In total, 52 participants who were aged 39.7 ± 14.7 years, with 73.1% women and 15.5 years (IQR, 7.5-29 years) since diagnosis, were included; 32.7% recorded diabetic retinopathy, 25% CKD, and 19.2% neuropathy. The median HbA1C was 7.6% (60 mmol/mol) and glucose management indicator (GMI) 7.0% (53 mmol/mol). The average HGI was 0.55% ± 0.66%. The measured HbA1C was higher in the group with high HGI (8.1% [65 mmol/mol] vs 6.9% [52 mmol/mol]; P < .001), whereas GMI (7.0% [53 mmol/mol] vs 7.0% [53 mmol/mol]; P = .495) and mean glucose were similar in both groups (153 mg/dL vs 153 mg/dL; P = .564). In the high HGI group, higher occurrence of CKD (P = .016) and neuropathy were observed (P = .025). High HGI was associated with increased risk of CKD (odds ratio [OR]: 5.05; 95% CI: 1.02-24.8; P = .04) after adjusting for time since diagnosis (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02-1.16; P = .008). CONCLUSION: High HGI measured by CGM may be a useful marker for increased risk of microvascular diabetic complications.

Association of estimated glucose disposal rate and chronic diabetic complications in patients with type 1 diabetes.

INTRODUCTION: The role of insulin resistance in diabetic chronic complications among individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to examine the performance of insulin resistance, evaluated using the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) for the identification of metabolic syndrome (MS) and diabetic chronic complications. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in a tertiary care centre. We included patients of 18 years and older, with at least 6 months of T1D duration. Anthropometric, clinical and biochemical data were collected. RESULTS: Seventy patients, 41 (58.6%) women, with a median age of 36.6 years (range 18-65). Mean age of onset and duration of diabetes was 13.5 ± 6.5 and 23.6 ± 12.2 years, respectively. Twenty-one (30%) patients met the metabolic syndrome (MS) criteria. Patients with MS had lower eGDR compared to patients without (5.17 [3.10-8.65] vs. 8.86 [6.82-9.85] mg/kg/min, respectively, p = .003). Median eGDR in patients with nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy compared with those without was 6.75 (4.60-8.20) versus 9.53 (8.57-10.3); p < .001, 6.45 (4.60-7.09) versus 9.50 (8.60-10.14); p < .001, 5.56 (4.51-6.81) versus 9.49 [8.19-10.26] mg/kg/min; p < .001, respectively. The eGDR showed an area under the curve of 0.909, 0.879, 0.897 and 0.836 for the discrimination of MS, retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with T1D diabetic complications have higher insulin resistance. The eGDR discriminates patients with chronic diabetic complications and MS. While more ethnic-specific studies are required, this study suggests the possibility to incorporate eGDR into routine diabetes care.

Rapid evaluation of ammonium in different rain events minimizing needed volume by a cost-effective and sustainable PDMS supported solid sensor.

The presence of ammonium ion in rainwater is due to atmospheric processes which involve its scavenging from gas phase and particulate matter. The fractionated samplings of rainwater can provide information about these processes and their potential sources. However, only a low sample volume may be available, which constrained the analysis in general and more particularly in situ mode. For minimizing this limitation, this work proposes a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-salicylate sensor that produces a color change. The embedding of solid reagents into PDMS was optimized. Good analytical characteristics (analysis time of 10 min, sample volume of 500 µL, limit of detection 0.03 µgmL-1) were obtained. Furthermore, other features of the method such as carbon footprint, equipment cost, residues, toxicity and safety have to be taken into account to be assessed according to the Green Analytical Chemistry approach. In this sense, the hexagon tool was employed for comparing the proposed sensor with methods based on the same reaction as well as with general methods for the ammonium analysis in water (using luminol, ion selective electrode, Nessler and modified Roth method). The proposed method based on PDMS-salicylate sensor stands out from all the others by its sustainability, particularly, in terms of low carbon footprint, residues and cost. The method was applied to fractionated samplings in a suburban site (Galicia, Northwestern Spain) and a higher contribution of the rainout process was observed. When long-duration rain events were analyzed, a relationship between the sampling time and ammonium concentration could indicate a loss of ammonium ion over time. The research focuses on developing an innovative PDMS-sensor, for monitoring ammonium determination in rainwater under wide conditions (scavenging process).