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Electrodeposition assisted by nanoporous membranes is a method for synthesizing replicable nanostructures and is used for electropolymerization of conductive polymeric nanotubes (CPNTs). However, the traditional method involves the use of expensive equipment and materials for covering one side of the insulating membranes with a metallic film, which acts as an electrode in an electrodeposition process for self-supporting system fabrication. We propose an approach using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a conductive substrate for the growth of vertically aligned polypyrrole (PPy) and poly-(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanotubes (when the template is removed) by electropolymerization. The hybrid system of CPNTs grown on a film of percolated MWCNTs was synthesized using electropolymerization and characterized to demonstrate its morphology and chemical composition. These vertically aligned hybrid systems of CPNTs grown on a film of percolated MWCNTs were electrochemically characterized in a three-electrode configuration showing high capacitances and power densities values compared with similar systems fabricated by more complicated routes. This approach paves the way for easy fabrication and implementation of all-organic electrodes, making them candidates for high-performance flexible energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Lengua para Fines Específicos is the property of Revista de Lengua para Fines Especificos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina Interna de Mexico is the property of Colegio de Medicina Interna de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina Interna de Mexico is the property of Colegio de Medicina Interna de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina Interna de Mexico is the property of Colegio de Medicina Interna de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina Interna de Mexico is the property of Colegio de Medicina Interna de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Myelosuppression secondary to chemotherapy remains a serious adverse effect of cancer therapy that causes high morbidity and mortality. Several current European and American guidelines recommend consideration of primary prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) when the risk of febrile neutropenia is higher than 20 %. The main factors associated with a high risk of febrile neutropenia include the chemotherapy regimen, tumor type, and patient-related factors such as old age and/or comorbidities. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the most relevant clinical trials and updated recommendations of the main guidelines on the role of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) in febrile neutropenia, examining whether the combination of G-CSF with chemotherapy improves overall survival. Future directions for G-CSF use are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Medicina Interna de Mexico is the property of Colegio de Medicina Interna de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Functional Grammar Knowledge Base FunGramKB (FGKB), on the one hand, is a multipurpose lexico-conceptual knowledge base for natural language processing (NLP) systems. It comprises three major interrelated knowledge level modules: lexical, grammatical and conceptual. At the conceptual level the core ontology is presented as a hierarchical catalogue of the concepts that a person has in mind. Here is where semantic knowledge is stored in the form of meaning postulates. On the other hand, axiology is considered to be a primitive, basic or key parameter, among others, in the architecture of meaning construction at different levels. This parameter can be traced back to the three subontologies in which FunGramKB can be split: #ENTITY for nouns, # EVENT for verbs, and #QUALITY for adjectives. In this paper we shall concentrate on the category # ENTITY and explore how the main categories and features of the axiological parameter (good-bad or positive-negative [+/-]) are represented and encoded within FunGramKB ontology, particularly inside semantic properties such as the meaning postulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigators have the responsibility to ensure that prospective participants are fully informed about a research protocol prior to consenting to participate, yet many researchers face challenges when obtaining consent, since the majority of the general population has limited or no familiarity with research studies. These challenges are further magnified when obtaining consent from individuals with low literacy levels and who speak languages other than English. In this article we present findings from a qualitative study conducted with Spanish-speaking individuals with low-literacy designed to refine the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Informed Consent and Authorization Toolkit for Minimal Risk Research. Findings from this study indicate that familiarity with providing informed consent and authorization for research or the experience of being a research participant appear to play key roles in an individual's ability to understand the consent and authorization process. While the text of the consent and authorization documents can be simplified using plain language principles, comprehension of several fundamental ideas such as risk and privacy need to be safeguarded with a consent process that confirms comprehension. Recommendations are provided to address the informational needs of individuals with low literacy levels and limited or no experience with research participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To analyze adverse drug reaction (ADR) detection using the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS) at hospital discharge and to compare the ADR reporting rate to the Pharmacovigilance Referral Centre with other similar hospitals that do not use this reporting system. Setting 650-bed University Hospital serving a population of 294,000 inhabitants in Spain. Method: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted between January 2006 and December 2007. All reports of ADRs gathered in MBDS (a tool that encodes all administrative and clinical information generated for each patient during a hospitalization episode) with International Classification Disease codes between E930 and E949.9 were analyzed to assess the appropriateness of their referral to the pharmacovigilance centre. Finally, we compared our reporting rate with other hospitals that do not use this system for ADR identification. Main outcome measure The incidence of ADRs detected in hospitalized patients and the reporting rate (per thousand inhabitants) to the referral pharmacovigilance centre using the Yellow Card system. Results: Out of 43,282 hospital discharges, 386 ADR were recorded (0.89% of hospitalized patients). The mean (±SD) age of patients with reported ADR was 61.9 years (±19.2), median age was 65 years, and 55.2% were female. The Department of Pharmacy reported 276 (71.5%) of ADR using the Yellow Card system. The most frequently reported drugs were anti-cancer agents (42.5%) and cardiovascular drugs (23.8%), with a high frequency of digitalis glycosides (18.4%). ADR were most frequently recorded by the Departments of Oncology (41.7%) and Internal Medicine (17.9%). Conclusion The MBDS is a useful and accessible instrument to determine the incidence of ADR in a hospital, resulting in the notification of severe events that might otherwise not be reported. Its use also improves identification of the main drugs responsible for ADR and of the patient populations at greatest risk, facilitating the implementation of alert systems and the development of prevention and detection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess mental health status among Latinos, culturally and linguistically appropriate instruments are needed. The purpose of this study was to assess psychometric properties and sensitivity of the Spanish revised Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24), a self-report mental health assessment instrument first developed and validated in English. The Spanish translation was field tested among Spanish-speaking recipients of inpatient (N = 283) or outpatient (N = 311) mental health services in Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and California. BASIS-24 was completed within 72 h of admission and up to 48 h before discharge (for inpatients) or at intake and 30-60 days later for outpatients. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated adequate fit for the model obtained from the English instrument. Internal consistency reliability exceeded 0.70 for five of the six factors. Concurrent and discriminant validity were partially supported. Improvement following treatment was statistically significant, with small to moderate effect sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquito-borne viruses are emerging or re-emerging globally, afflicting millions of people around the world. Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is the principal vector of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, and has well-established populations across tropical and subtropical urban areas of the Americas, including the southern United States. While intense arboviral epidemics have occurred in Mexico and further south in the Americas, local transmission in the United States has been minimal. Here, we study Ae. aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus host feeding patterns and vertebrate host communities in residential environments of South Texas to identify host-utilization relative to availability. Only 31% of Ae. aegypti blood meals were derived from humans, while 50% were from dogs and 19% from other wild and domestic animals. In Cx. quinquefasciatus, 67% of blood meals were derived from chicken, 22% came from dogs, 9% from various wild avian species, and 2% from other mammals including one human, one cat, and one pig. We developed a model for the reproductive number, R0, for Zika virus (ZIKV) in South Texas relative to northern Mexico using human disease data from Tamaulipas, Mexico. We show that ZIKV R0 in South Texas communities could be greater than one if the risk of human exposure to Ae. aegypti bites in these communities is at least 60% that of Northern Mexico communities. The high utilization of non-human vertebrates and low risk of human exposure in South Texas diminishes the outbreak potential for human-amplified urban arboviruses transmitted by Ae. aegypti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]