One-joule 500-Hz cryogenic Yb:YAG laser driver of composite thin-disk design.

We present results on the development of a cryogenic Yb:YAG multi-pass laser amplifier based on a composite thin-disk design and demonstrate one-joule, diffraction limited, chirped 234-ps pulses with 50% optical-to-optical efficiency. High beam quality was obtained for repetition rates up to 400 Hz. The hardware was disassembled and thoroughly inspected after accumulating 80 hours of use at repetition rates from 100 to 500 Hz and exhibited no signs of damage. This laser driver is now commissioned to a dedicated laboratory where a grating compressor is producing 5.2-ps pulses used in the development of a compact x ray source based on inverse Compton scattering.

Caracterización de la publicación científica de docentes de enfermería en una universidad privada: análisis bibliométrico / Characterization of the scientific publications of nursing teachers of a private university: bibliometric analysis / Caracterização da publicação científica de docentes de enfermagem de uma universidade privada: análise bibliométrica

RESUMEN Introducción El número de citas que recibe un artículo publicado es una de las formas en las que se visibiliza la producción científica de una disciplina; en un contexto institucional es un camino a través del cual las universidades dan seguimiento a los artículos publicados por su personal docente. Objetivo Caracterizar las citaciones de los artículos publicados por docentes de enfermería de una universidad privada de la ciudad de Medellín, Colombia. Métodos Estudio descriptivo exploratorio. Se revisaron artículos publicados por los docentes. Las variables de estudio incluyeron características del artículo publicado y de las revistas donde se han citado las publicaciones. Se hizo rastreo de las citas en las bases de datos de Google Académico, Science Direct y Scopus. La información se analizó a través de estadística descriptiva univariada. Resultados Se revisaron 52 artículos. De ellos, 29 han obtenido al menos una cita. Fueron en total 188 citas. De estas, 31 % las concentran tres artículos. Los más citados son los de la temática de adicciones con 21 % de las citas. El artículo más citado cuenta con 28 citas. Del total de citas, 41.5 % provienen de literatura gris. Discusión El comportamiento de las citas bibliográficas de los estudios publicados tiene relevancia desde varias perspectivas. Las perspectivas social y académica posibilitan una dimensión diferente del conocimiento para rebasar la llana visión del conteo de citas. Conclusiones El nivel de citación de las publicaciones de los docentes estudiados es baja. Es imperante continuar realizando estudios de seguimiento a la producción de las publicaciones.

ABSTRACT Introduction The number of citations that a published article receives is one form to visualize a discipline's scientific production. These citations represent a form for universities to follow up on the articles published by their teaching staff within an institutional context. Objective To characterize the citations of the articles published by nursing teachers of a private university in the city of Medellin, Colombia. Methods This is a descriptive and exploratory study. Articles published by the nursing teachers were reviewed. The study variables included the characteristics of the published articles and the journals where the publications have been cited. Tracking of the citations was conducted on the Google Academic, Science Direct, and Scopus databases. The information was analyzed through univariate descriptive statistics. Results 52 articles were reviewed. From these, 29 have been cited at least once. A total of 188 citations were recorded. Of these, 31 % are concentrated in 3 articles. The most cited articles were those with topics related to addictions, with 21 % of the total citations. The most cited article had 28 citations. Of the total citations, 41.5 % come from gray literature. Discussion The findings related to the bibliographical citations have relevance from various perspectives. The social and academic perspectives allow a different dimension of knowledge to overcome the plain vision of citation counting. Conclusions The level of citations given to the publications of the studied nursing teachers is low. It is important to continue carrying out studies related to publication production tracking.

RESUMO Introdução O número de citações que um artigo publicado recebe é uma das formas de visibilização da produção científica de uma disciplina; no contexto institucional é um caminho de as universidades acompanharem os artigos publicados pelo seu corpo docente. Objetivo Caracterizar as citações de artigos publicados por docentes de enfermagem de uma universidade privada da cidade de Medellín, Colômbia. Métodos Estudo exploratório descritivo. Os artigos publicados pelos professores foram revisados. As variáveis do estudo incluíram características do artigo publicado e dos periódicos onde as publicações foram citadas. As citações foram rastreadas nas bases de dados Google Scholar, Science Direct e Scopus. As informações foram analisadas por meio de estatística descritiva univariada. Resultados 52 artigos foram revisados. Destes, 29 obtiveram pelo menos uma nomeação. Houve um total de 188 citações. Destes, 31 % estão concentrados em três artigos. Os mais citados são os que tratam do tema vícios com 21 % das citações. O artigo mais citado possui 28 citações. Do total de citações, 41.5 % são provenientes de literatura não convencional. Discussão O comportamento das citações bibliográficas de estudos publicados é relevante sob várias perspectivas. As perspectivas sociais e acadêmicas permitem que uma dimensão diferente do conhecimento vá além da visão simples da contagem de citações. Conclusões O nível de citação das publicações dos professores estudados é baixo. É imperativo continuar realizando estudos de acompanhamento da produção de publicações.

Measuring quantitative proteomic distance between Spanish beef breeds.

Estimates of quantitative proteomic distance between populations have not been reported to date. Here, quantitative proteomic distances between three Spanish bovine breeds (Asturiana de los Valles, AV; Retinta, RE; and Rubia Gallega, RG) were estimated from two-dimensional electrophoresis profiles of meat samples of longissimus thoracis muscle at 2 h post-mortem. Statistically significant distances were detected between AV/RG and the most genetically different RE breed, using the novel QD measure of quantitative proteomic distance. In total, 18 differentially abundant myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins/isoforms contributing to proteomic distances between breeds were confidently identified by tandem mass spectrometry. The fast skeletal myosin regulatory light chain 2 followed by other five interacting proteins exhibited the most pronounced relative change between breeds. In addition, most differentially represented proteins could be associated with variations in meat tenderness. Therefore, they could be candidate biomarkers for molecular breeding programs and authentication of the three Spanish beef breeds.

Molecular insight into taste and aroma of sliced dry-cured ham induced by protein degradation undergone high-pressure conditions.

High pressure processing (HPP) is currently being developed to increase the shelf-life of sliced dry-cured ham in convenience package without detrimental effects on texture and sensorial characteristics. This study is focused on protein degradation under pressure conditions and its contribution to taste and aroma. Samples of sliced dry-cured ham undergone HPP (600 Pa, 0-35 °C) were analyzed from different approaches including proteomic and chemical analysis (amino acids and volatile compounds). Proteomic analysis revealed that high-pressure conditions caused a higher level of proteolysis, displaying that actin (ACTC1) was differentially degraded, unlike myosin. Furthermore, main Strecker metabolites-isoleucine and leucine-were more abundant at lower temperatures as opposed to 2-methyl butanal and 3-methyl butanal under HPP. Moreover, this study confirmed that HPP affected positively linear aldehydes (pentanal, hexanal, heptanal and nonanal) because of produce a decrease of them, which could improve flavor and taste of dry-cured ham.

The s-d exchange model as the underlying mechanism of magnetoresistance in ZnO doped with alkali metals.

High field magnetoresistance has been studied in epitaxial n-type ZnO:Na and ZnO:Li thin films in a temperature range between 4 K and 150 K. The resulting negative magnetoresistance can be well fitted using a semiempirical model of Khosla and Fischer based on third order contributions to the s-d exchange Hamiltonian. The parameters obtained from this model were carefully analyzed. One of these parameters is related to a ratio between electron mobilities at zero field (a non-exchange scattering mobility [Formula: see text] and an exchange or spin dependent one [Formula: see text]). From Hall effect measurements [Formula: see text] was obtained, displaying a weak temperature dependence in accordance with highly n-doped ZnO while the extracted [Formula: see text] exhibits an anomalous T-dependence. On the other hand, our magnetoresistance data cannot be properly fitted using Kawabata's expression based on a weak-localization model.

Proteomic footprint of ultrasound intensification on sliced dry-cured ham subjected to mild thermal conditions.

Ultrasound can intensify the heating process used to correct texture defects in dry-cured hams. The effect of ultrasound-assisted heating on the proteome of sliced dry-cured ham was evaluated. Dry-cured hams with high proteolysis index (PI > 36) were sliced, vacuum packed and subjected to conventional (CV) and ultrasound-assisted (US) thermal treatments. Comparative proteome profiling between sample groups was assessed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. It was found that protein fragmentation increased markedly after US thermal treatment. Specifically, fragments of the major myofibrillar protein, actin, were abundantly over-represented following US heating. In addition, five unfragmented sarcoplasmic proteins (i.e. fatty acid-binding protein, peroxiredoxin-6, superoxide dismutase, carbonyl reductase and aminoacylase) showed increased abundance in the US sample group. These results suggest candidate biomarkers to monitor proteolysis intensity and proteolysis-independent effects linked to cured ham quality by ultrasound application. SIGNIFICANCE: The present proteome profiling study of treated dry-cured ham demonstrates the impact of ultrasound action on proteins. Moreover, negative organoleptic effects can be appearing with ultrasound treatment due to proteolysis increase. Therefore, the proteolysis monitoring could help to control these effects. In this regards, our results suggest that actin can be a candidate biomarker to monitor proteolysis intensity.

Immunogenicity in Protein and Peptide Based-Therapeutics: An Overview.

Currently it is well known that all biological drugs, including those with a fully human structure, are capable of inducing a host immune response known as immunogenicity [1]. The presence of ADAs can condition the drug´s level and action, thus modifying the therapeutic effect and even the safety profile by its mechanism of action - neutralizing or non-neutralizing - and / or an increase in its clearance. Immunogenicity is a dynamic factor to be taken into account in biological therapy, especially in long-term treatments, and as a relevant aspect in the assessment of secondary response loss [2]. With the above, not only the knowledge but also the management of the immunogenicity of the different biological treatments, represent a useful instrument for optimization of the strategies of use for each drug, and in the design of predictive models of response, which finally permits a significant improvement in the efficacy and safety profile, aiming to a personalization of the therapies, especially in patients with autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders and cancer [3]. This review summarizes the events of immunogenicity that produce the biological drug, the factor that influence to immunogenicity and the assessment of immunogenicity.

Comparative proteomic profiling of myofibrillar proteins in dry-cured ham with different proteolysis indices and adhesiveness.

Excessive proteolysis during dry-cured ham processing may lead to high adhesiveness and consumer dissatisfaction. The aim of this research is to identify biomarkers for proteolysis and adhesiveness. Two hundred biceps femoris porcine muscle samples from Spanish dry-cured ham were firstly evaluated for various physicochemical parameters, including their proteolysis indices and instrumental adhesiveness. Proteins of samples with extreme proteolysis indices were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). We found that hams of higher proteolysis index had statistically significant increased adhesiveness. Proteomic analysis revealed statistically significant qualitative and quantitative differences between sample groups. Thus, protein fragments increased remarkably in samples with higher proteolysis index scores. In addition, higher proteolysis index hams showed increased degradation for a total of five non-redundant myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins. However, myosin-1, α-actin and myosin-4 proteins were the biomarkers that underwent the most intense response to proteolysis and adhesiveness.

[Central nervous system in IgG4-related disease: case report and literature review]. / Afeccion del sistema nervioso central en la enfermedad relacionada con IgG4: descripcion de un caso y revision de la bibliografia.

INTRODUCTION: IgG4-related disease is a recently described multisystemic clinical entity that can occur with different clinical manifestations. The most often affected organs are the pancreas, bile duct and salivary glands, with unusual central nervous system affection. CASE REPORT: A 33 year old woman who presented with cognitive impairment, hallucinations, headache, convulsive syndrome, maxillary sinus inflammation with bone involvement and evidence of pachymeningitis and panhypopytuirarism with meningeal biopsy that confirmed IgG4-related disease, after ruling out secondary causes. Treatment was started with steroids and azathioprine without relapses after 12 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: IgG4-related disease should be considered in cases of hypertrophic pachymeningitis and hypophysitis especially when no other cause has been found, even if they are not accompanied by other systemic disease manifestations, having ruled out other common causes. The treatment of choice is glucocorticoids and it could be needed to add another immuno-suppressant agent as steroid sparing and to prevent relapses. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the different clinical and paraclinical manifestations and to establish the results of long-term treatment.

TITLE: Afeccion del sistema nervioso central en la enfermedad relacionada con IgG4: descripcion de un caso y revision de la bibliografia.Introduccion. La enfermedad relacionada con IgG4 es una entidad clinica multisistemica recientemente descrita y que se presenta con diferentes manifestaciones clinicas. Los organos que estan afectados con mayor frecuencia son el pancreas, la via biliar y las glandulas salivales, y es menos frecuente la afeccion del sistema nervioso central. Caso clinico. Mujer de 33 años con alteraciones cognitivas, alucinaciones, cefalea, sindrome convulsivo, sinusitis maxilar con afeccion osea y evidencia de paquimeningitis y panhipopituitarismo, con biopsia meningea que confirmo una enfermedad relacionada con IgG4, tras haberse descartado causas secundarias. Se inicio tratamiento con glucocorticoides y azatioprina, sin recaidas despues de 12 meses de seguimiento. Conclusiones. Se debe considerar el diagnostico de enfermedad relacionada con IgG4 en casos de paquimeningitis hipertrofica e hipofisitis, incluso sin que se acompañen de otras manifestaciones sistemicas, siempre que se hayan descartado otras causas mas frecuentes. El tratamiento de eleccion son los glucocorticoides, y puede ser necesario añadir otro inmunosupresor como ahorrador de esteroides y para evitar las recaidas. Se necesitan estudios prospectivos para evaluar las diferentes manifestaciones clinicas y paraclinicas y establecer los resultados del tratamiento a largo plazo.

In vivo attenuation and genetic evolution of a ST247-SCCmecI MRSA clone after 13 years of pathogenic bronchopulmonary colonization in a patient with cystic fibrosis: implications of the innate immune response.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes chronic pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study tracks the 13-year evolution (1996-2009) of a single MRSA clone in a male patient with CF, evaluating both the host immunogenic response and the microbial variations. Whole-genome sequencing was performed for the initial (CF-96) and evolved (CF-09) isolates. The immunogenicity of CF-96 and CF-09 was evaluated by incubation with innate immune cells from healthy volunteers. We also studied the patient's innate immune response profile, cytokine production, expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1), and phagocytosis. A total of 30 MRSA ST247-SCCmecI-pvl(-) isolates were collected, which evidenced a genome size reduction from the CF-96 ancestor to the evolved CF-09 strain. Up to six changes in the spa-type were observed over the course of the 13-year evolution. Cytokine production, TREM-1 expression, and phagocytosis were significantly lower for the healthy volunteer monocytes exposed to CF-09, compared with those exposed to CF-96. Patient monocytes exhibited a reduced inflammatory response when challenged with CF-09. Genetic changes in MRSA, leading to reduced immunogenicity and entry into the refractory state, may contribute to the attenuation of virulence and efficient persistence of the bacteria in the CF lung.

A comprehensive clinical and genetic study of a large Mexican population with spinocerebellar ataxia type 7.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia associated with macular degeneration. We recently described one of the largest series of patients with SCA7 that originated from a founder effect in a Mexican population, which allowed us to perform herein the first comprehensive clinical, neurophysiological, and genetic characterization of Mexican patients with SCA7. In this study, 50 patients, categorized into adult or early phenotype, were clinically assessed using standard neurological exams and genotyped using fluorescent PCR and capillary electrophoresis. Patients with SCA7 exhibited the classical phenotype of the disease characterized by cerebellar ataxia and visual loss; however, we reported, for the first time, frontal-executive disorders and altered sensory-motor peripheral neuropathy in these patients. Semiquantitative analysis of ataxia-associated symptoms was performed using Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the Brief Ataxia Rating Scale (BARS) scores, while extracerebellar features were measured employing the Inventory of Non-ataxia Symptoms (INAS) scale. Ataxia rating scales confirmed the critical role size of cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat size on age at onset and disease severity, while analysis of CAG repeat instability showed that paternal rather than maternal transmission led to greater instability.

Medicine, material science and security: the versatility of the coded-aperture approach.

The principal limitation to the widespread deployment of X-ray phase imaging in a variety of applications is probably versatility. A versatile X-ray phase imaging system must be able to work with polychromatic and non-microfocus sources (for example, those currently used in medical and industrial applications), have physical dimensions sufficiently large to accommodate samples of interest, be insensitive to environmental disturbances (such as vibrations and temperature variations), require only simple system set-up and maintenance, and be able to perform quantitative imaging. The coded-aperture technique, based upon the edge illumination principle, satisfies each of these criteria. To date, we have applied the technique to mammography, materials science, small-animal imaging, non-destructive testing and security. In this paper, we outline the theory of coded-aperture phase imaging and show an example of how the technique may be applied to imaging samples with a practically important scale.

Analysis of CAG repeats in five SCA loci in Mexican population: epidemiological evidence of a SCA7 founder effect.

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders. CAG (cytosine-adenine-guanine) trinucleotide repeat expansions in the causative genes have been identified as the cause of different SCA. In this study, we simultaneously genotyped SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, and SCA7 applying a fluorescent multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay. We analyzed 10 families with SCA (64 patients) from five different communities of Veracruz, a Mexican southeastern state, and identified 55 patients for SCA7 and 9 for SCA2, but none for SCA1, SCA3, or SCA6. To our knowledge, this sample represents one of the largest series of SCA7 cases reported worldwide. Genotyping of 300 healthy individuals from Mexican population and compiled data from different ethnicities showed discordant results concerning the hypothesis that SCA disease alleles arise by expansion of large normal alleles.

X-ray phase-contrast imaging with nanoradian angular resolution.

We present a new quantitative x-ray phase-contrast imaging method based on the edge illumination principle, which allows achieving unprecedented nanoradian sensitivity. The extremely high angular resolution is demonstrated theoretically and through experimental images obtained at two different synchrotron radiation facilities. The results, achieved at both very high and very low x-ray energies, show that this highly sensitive technique can be efficiently exploited over a very broad range of experimental conditions. This method can open the way to new, previously inaccessible scientific applications in various fields including biology, medicine and materials science.

Modified vaccinia virus Ankara-based vaccine vectors induce apoptosis in dendritic cells draining from the skin via both the extrinsic and intrinsic caspase pathways, preventing efficient antigen presentation.

Dendritic cells (DC) are potent antigen-presenting cells and central to the induction of immune responses following infection or vaccination. The collection of DC migrating from peripheral tissues by cannulation of the afferent lymphatic vessels provides DC which can be used directly ex vivo without extensive in vitro manipulations. We have previously used bovine migrating DC to show that recombinant human adenovirus 5 vectors efficiently transduce afferent lymph migrating DEC-205(+) CD11c(+) CD8(-) DC (ALDC). We have also shown that recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) infects ALDC in vitro, causing downregulation of costimulatory molecules, apoptosis, and cell death. We now show that in the bovine system, modified vaccinia virus Ankara-induced apoptosis in DC draining from the skin occurs soon after virus binding via the caspase 8 pathway and is not associated with viral gene expression. We also show that after virus entry, the caspase 9 pathway cascade is initiated. The magnitude of T cell responses to mycobacterial antigen 85A (Ag85A) expressed by recombinant MVA-infected ALDC is increased by blocking caspase-induced apoptosis. Apoptotic bodies generated by recombinant MVA (rMVA)-Ag85A-infected ALDC and containing Ag85A were phagocytosed by noninfected migrating ALDC expressing SIRPα via actin-dependent phagocytosis, and these ALDC in turn presented antigen. However, the addition of fresh ALDC to MVA-infected cultures did not improve on the magnitude of the T cell responses; in contrast, these noninfected DC showed downregulation of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II), CD40, CD80, and CD86. We also observed that MVA-infected ALDC promoted migration of DEC-205(+) SIRPα(+) CD21(+) DC as well as CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells independently of caspase activation. These in vitro studies show that induction of apoptosis in DC by MVA vectors is detrimental to the subsequent induction of T cell responses.

Migratory sub-populations of afferent lymphatic dendritic cells differ in their interactions with Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette Guerin.

Understanding how pathogens or vaccine antigens are targeted to dendritic cell (DC) subsets is important for disease pathogenesis studies and vaccine design. We characterised the sub-populations of migrating bovine DC with functional and phenotypic diversity present in pseudoafferent lymph draining the skin. These skin draining DC exist as a series of maturation dependent subsets with differential capacities for antigen uptake and cytokine expression, and include both Langerhans' cells (LC) and dermal derived cells. Furthermore, Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette Guerin, a vaccine which is administered by the intradermal route, was only taken up by a small number of the migrating DC, which were SIRPα(+) and expressed the mannose receptor and CD1b. This was evident following in vitro infection and also in vivo following inoculation of green fluorescent BCG over the lymphatic cannulation site. Only the SIRPα(+) DC were able to present antigen to T cells isolated from BCG vaccinated calves. Furthermore, presentation of BCG antigens by DC to T lymphocytes was ineffective compared to mycobacterial proteins. However, mycobacterial antigen 85 was delivered more effectively to DC via an adenoviral vector and the magnitude of the subsequent antigen-specific T cell response was significantly increased. This study further extends our understanding of the biology of migrating DC, identifies potential explanations for the modest success of BCG vaccination and demonstrates that targeted delivery of antigens via adenoviruses to DC can improve antigen presentation.

Consenso chileno de manejo de fármacos antiepilépticos en algunos síndromes electro-clínicos y otras epilepsias en niños y adolescentes / Chilean consensus on the use of antiepileptic drugs in electro-clinical syndromes

Por iniciativa de tres instituciones: Liga Chilena contra la Epilepsia (LICHE), Sociedad de Epileptología de Chile (SOCEPCHI) y Sociedad de Psiquiatría y Neurología de la Infancia y Adolescencia (SOPNIA) de Chile, se constituye un comité de trabajo que convoca a un consenso de uso de fármacos antiepilépticos (FAEs) en un grupo de 16 Síndromes electro-clínicos y otras Epilepsias en niños y adolescentes. Cuarenta y dos médicos neuropediatras especialistas en Epilepsias de todas las regiones de Chile, participaron en la discusión y realizaron una propuesta de tratamiento farmacológico para cada cuadro. El comité de trabajo realizó un análisis exhaustivo y discusión de los documentos, para finalmente concluir en una recomendación de tratamiento para cada cuadro. Este consenso es una guía práctica de orientación para ayudar a las decisiones de tratamiento en situaciones clínicas concretas. Su objetivo final es ofrecer una mejor calidad de atención a los niños y adolescentes con epilepsias, a través de decisiones fundadas que contribuyan a disminuir la variabilidad de las decisiones terapéuticas.

Committed by three institutions: Liga Chilena contra la Epilepsia (LICHE), Sociedad de Epileptología de Chile (SOCEPCHI) y Sociedad de Psiquiatría y Neurología de la Infancia y Adolescencia (SOPNIA) de Chile, a 6-member working committee called for a meeting of 42 Chilean pediatric epileptologists from all over the country, with the aim of reaching a consensus on the use of antiepileptic drugs in 16 selected children and adolescents electro-clinical syndromes and epilepsies. These treatment proposals were analyzed and fully discussed by the working committee, ending in an antiepileptic drug treatment recommendation guideline for each condition. This consensus is a practical guideline to be used in specific clinical situations, which aims to support treatment decision making. Its main purpose is to offer the best evidence based treatments to our children and adolescents patients with epilepsy, thus contributing to diminish variability in therapeutic decisions.