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Knowledge of how extra-large-pore chiral zeolite asymmetric catalysts based on the -ITV framework imprint their chirality during a catalytic reaction is crucial in order to spread the scope for the catalytic enantioselective production of chiral compounds of interest. In this work, we have carried out a combined experimental and computational study on the catalytic activity of antipode GTM-3 catalysts during the ring-opening of trans -stilbene oxide with 1-butanol. Identification of the enantiomers of all the chiral species unraveled a surprising catalytic behavior: these chiral catalysts promote the transformation of one enantiomer of trans -stilbene oxide in the corresponding unlike product (with inversion of configuration of the attacked C) via an S N 2 mechanism, and at the same time, the transformation of the other enantiomer of trans -stilbene oxide via an S N 1-like mechanism into the like (with retention of configuration) and secondary products (diphenylacetaldehyde via Meinwald rearrangement and derived products). A computational study based on DFT + D methods suggested a potential explanation for this catalytic behavior, associated with a different orientation of trans -stilbene oxide enantiomers bound on the Ge(T7) positions in d4r units, which is stabilized by the development of intraframework H-bonds between the interrupted T7OH adjacent positions characteristic of this framework. Calculations suggest that each enantiomer of trans -stilbene oxide follows a different reaction pathway, one favoring the S N 2 route by addition of butanol from the opposite side to form unlike -products, while the different orientation of the antipode enantiomer disfavors such S N 2 route mainly by steric repulsions and at the same time favors the reaction toward the S N 1 mechanism to give like- and secondary-products. Our study suggests that the strong enantioselectivity of GTM-3 catalysts for this reaction is associated with the particular orientation adopted by the chiral reactants within the chiral nanospace provided by the -ITV framework, similarly to what occurs with enzymes, and such preferential orientation is directly controlled by the asymmetric cavities where the reaction takes place, by the particular features of the Ge active sites in adjacent interrupted positions and by the presence of several framework OH groups in the nearby nanospace that interact with guest species. The experimental observations and the reaction mechanism proposed suggest that GTM-3 catalysts prepared from the (1 S ,2 S ) enantiomer of the N , N -ethyl-methyl-pseudoephedrinium organic agent should be enriched in the P 4 3 32 enantiomorphic space group of the -ITV framework and GTM-3 prepared from the (1 R ,2 R ) enantiomer in the antipode P 4 1 32. Interestingly, resolution of the absolute configuration of GTM-3 materials from 3D-electron diffraction data has been accomplished and confirms such an assignment, giving an average 82% enantio-enrichment in the corresponding chiral polymorph. Structure-solution of the location of the chiral structure-directing agents indicates that the transfer of chirality from the molecular component to the zeolite polymorph is governed by the development of strong H-bonds between the molecular hydroxyl group and the interrupted T(7)OH framework positions.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the association and predictive capacity between the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) and non-contact injuries in a semiprofessional football team. Seventeen football or soccer players from a Spanish Third Division football team participated voluntarily in this study. A prospective longitudinal study was developed during the 2020/2021 season. Twenty-four weeks were analyzed from October to March, including a regenerative microcycle due to the absence of competition during Christmas. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and session-rate of perceived exertion (sRPE) were registered for every training and game session. Afterward, acute and chronic workloads were calculated, and ACWR was subsequently derived from them. Furthermore, non-contact injuries were registered during the period mentioned. The main findings were that there is a poor correlation between the ACWR and non-contact injuries (r=0.069 (p<0.05)), and the use of the ACWR by itself is insufficient to predict the occurrence of non-contact injuries in a semiprofessional football team. Consequently, the ACWR is not an useful predictive tool for injuries in semiprofessional football teams., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

The performance of a pilot-scale thin-layer cascade photobioreactor, operated in semicontinuous mode, for the removal of veterinary drug residues and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) from pig manure has been assessed in six operation stages. Chlorella sp. (70-90%), Scenedesmus sp. (10-25%) and Diatomea (<5%) comprise the microalgae species present during the stages. The global performance to remove the total CEC content in the photobioreactor effluent varied from 62 to 86% on each stage, while an CEC mean amount close to 8% was accumulated in the photobioreactor biomass. A relation with weather conditions was not observed. Elimination ratio was not related to the concentration in the influent which reached up to 8000 ng L -1 for some CECs. As expected, the concentrations of veterinary drugs were higher than those of non-veterinary CECs. The concentrations accumulated in the grown biomass were relative low, lower than 10 ng per fresh g excepting for a few cases. However, statistical data suggested that the linkage of CECs to microalgae biomass boosted their removal from the influent. Furthermore, it was observed that the manure liquid phase contained higher amounts of CECs than the solid phase., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Silvia Bolado reports financial support was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Chemicals infiltrate our daily experiences through multiple exposure pathways. Human biomonitoring (HBM) is routinely used to comprehensively understand these chemical interactions. Historically, HBM depended on targeted screening methods limited to a relatively small set of chemicals with triple quadrupole instruments typically. However, recent advances in high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) have facilitated the use of broad-scope target, suspect, and non-target strategies, enhancing chemical exposome characterization within acceptable detection limits. Despite these advancements, establishing robust and efficient sample treatment protocols is still essential for trustworthy broad-range chemical analysis. This study sought to validate a methodology leveraging HRMS-based strategies for accurate profiling of exogenous chemicals and related metabolites in urine samples. We evaluated five extraction protocols, each encompassing various chemical classes, such as pharmaceuticals, plastic additives, personal care products, and pesticides, in terms of their extraction recoveries, linearity, matrix effect, sensitivity, and reproducibility. The most effective protocol was extensively validated and subsequently applied to 10 real human urine samples using wide-scope target analysis encompassing over 2000 chemicals. We successfully identified and semi-quantified a total of 36 chemicals using an ionization efficiency-based model, affirming the methodology's robust performance. Notably, our results dismissed the need for a deconjugation step, a typically labor-intensive and time-consuming process., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Antimony sulfide (Sb 2 S 3 ) and antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) compounds have attracted considerable attention for applications in different optoelectronic devices due to their notable optical and electrical properties, and due to the strong anisotropy of these properties along different crystallographic directions. However, the efficient use of these promising compounds still requires significant efforts in characterization of their fundamental properties. In the present study, Raman scattering and spectroscopic ellipsometry were used to investigate the vibrational and optical properties of Sb 2 Se 3 and Sb 2 S 3 bulk polycrystals grown by the modified Bridgman method. The first technique proved the presence of the desired Sb 2 S 3 and Sb 2 Se 3 phases in the analyzed ingots and confirmed the absence of any preferential crystallographic orientation at the measured surface of the samples. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was performed using a multi-oscillator Tauc-Lorentz dispersion model, and yielded a complex dielectric function of chalcogenides over the range 1.0-4.6 eV with a three phase model (ambient, surface and bulk materials). Finally, spectral data on the refractive index, the extinction coefficient, the absorption coefficient and the reflectivity at normal incidence, R , were obtained, which serve as a reference for the optical modeling of optoelectronic devices based on polycrystalline Sb 2 S 3 and Sb 2 Se 3 compounds.

External factors severely affecting in a short period of time the spontaneous reporting of adverse events (AEs) can significantly impact drug safety signal detection. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented an enormous challenge for health systems, with over 767 million cases and massive vaccination campaigns involving over 70% of the worldwide population. This study investigates the potential masking effect on certain AEs caused by the substantial increase in reports solely related to COVID-19 vaccines within various spontaneous reporting systems (SRSs). Three SRSs were used to monitor AEs reporting before and during the pandemic, namely, the World Health Organisation (WHO) global individual case safety reports database (VigiBase®), the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database (JADER). Findings revealed a sudden over-reporting of 35 AEs (≥ 200%) during the pandemic, with an increment of the RRF value in 2021 of at least double the RRF reported in 2020. This translates into a substantial reduction in signals of disproportionate reporting (SDR) due to the massive inclusion of COVID-19 vaccine reports. To mitigate the masking effect of COVID-19 vaccines in post-marketing SRS analyses, we recommend utilizing COVID-19-corrected versions for a more accurate assessment., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

BackgroundMultidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are among chief causes of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). In Spain, studies addressing multidrug resistance based on epidemiological surveillance systems are lacking.AimIn this observational study, cases of HAIs by MDR bacteria notified to the epidemiological surveillance system of Andalusia, Spain, between 2014-2021, were investigated. Notified cases and their spatiotemporal distribution were described, with a focus on social determinants of health (SDoH).MethodsNew cases during the study period of HAIs caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-/carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales, MDR Acinectobacter baumannii , MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa or meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus were considered. Among others, notification variables included sex and age, while socio-economic variables comprised several SDoH. Cases' spatial distribution across municipalities was assessed. The smooth standardised incidence ratio (sSIR) was obtained using a Bayesian spatial model. Association between municipalities' sSIR level and SDoH was evaluated by bivariate analysis.ResultsIn total, 6,389 cases with a median age of 68 years were notified; 61.4% were men (n = 3,921). The most frequent MDR bacteria were ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (2,812/6,389; 44.0%); the main agent was Klebsiella spp. (2,956/6,389; 46.3%). Between 2014 and 2021 case numbers appeared to increase. Overall, up to 15-fold differences in sSIR between municipalities were observed. In bivariate analysis, there appeared to be an association between municipalities' sSIR level and deprivation (p = 0.003).ConclusionThis study indicates that social factors should be considered when investigating HAIs by MDR bacteria. The case incidence heterogeneity between Andalusian municipalities might be explained by SDoH, but also possibly by under-notification. Automatising reporting may address the latter.

Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) is recognized as a relevant source of pollutants to the sea, but little is known about its relevance as a source of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). Here, both the presence and distribution of a wide range of CECs have been evaluated in the most comprehensive manner to date, in a well-characterized Mediterranean coastal aquifer near Barcelona (Spain). Samples from coastal groundwater and seawater allowed for the unique spatial characterization of the pollutants present in the land-ocean interface, an outstanding research gap that required attention. The main goals were (1) to determine CECs in the aquifer, so as to evaluate the SGD as a relevant source of marine pollution, and (2) to identify new tracers to improve our understanding of SGD dynamics. To this end, 92 CECs were located in the aquifer by using wide-scope analytical target methodologies (>2000 chemicals). Among them, the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), along with the pharmaceuticals carbamazepine and topiramate, were revealed to be good markers for tracing anthropogenic contamination in ground- and seawater, in concrete situations (e.g., highly contaminated sites). Additionally, non-target analysis expanded the number of potential tracers, making it a promising tool for identifying both the source and the fate of pollutants., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An accurate knowledge of the optical properties of β-Ga 2 O 3 is key to developing the full potential of this oxide for photonics applications. In particular, the dependence of these properties on temperature is still being studied. Optical micro- and nanocavities are promising for a wide range of applications. They can be created within microwires and nanowires via distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR), i.e., periodic patterns of the refractive index in dielectric materials, acting as tunable mirrors. In this work, the effect of temperature on the anisotropic refractive index of β-Ga 2 O 3 n ( λ , T ) was analyzed with ellipsometry in a bulk crystal, and temperature-dependent dispersion relations were obtained, with them being fitted to Sellmeier formalism in the visible range. Micro-photoluminescence (μ-PL) spectroscopy of microcavities that developed within Cr-doped β-Ga 2 O 3 nanowires shows the characteristic thermal shift of red-infrared Fabry-Perot optical resonances when excited with different laser powers. The origin of this shift is mainly related to the variation in the temperature of the refractive index. A comparison of these two experimental results was performed by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, considering the exact morphology of the wires and the temperature-dependent, anisotropic refractive index. The shifts caused by temperature variations observed by μ-PL are similar, though slightly larger than those obtained with FDTD when implementing the n ( λ , T ) obtained with ellipsometry. The thermo-optic coefficient was calculated.

Little is known about the presence of organic pollutants in human brain (and even less in brain tumors). In this regard, it is necessary to develop new analytical protocols capable of identifying a wide range of exogenous chemicals in this type of samples (by combining target, suspect and non-target strategies). These methodologies should be robust and simple. This is particularly challenging for solid samples, as reliable extraction and clean-up techniques should be combined to obtain an optimal result. Hence, the present study focuses on the development of an analytical methodology that allows the screening of a wide range of organic chemicals in brain and brain tumor samples. This protocol was based on a solid-liquid extraction based on bead beating, solid-phase extraction clean-up with multi-layer mixed-mode cartridges, reconstitution and LC-HRMS analysis. To evaluate the performance of the extraction methodology, a set of 66 chemicals (e.g., pharmaceuticals, biocides, or plasticizers, among others) with a wide range of physicochemical properties was employed. Quality control parameters (i.e., linear range, sensitivity, matrix effect (ME%), and recoveries (R%)) were calculated and satisfactory results were obtained for them (e.g., R% within 60-120% for 32 chemicals, or ME% higher than 50% (signal suppression) for 79% of the chemicals)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has favored the expansion of telemedicine. Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (Ph-MPN) might be good candidates for virtual follow-up. In this study, we aimed to analyze the follow-up of patients with Ph-MPN in Spain during COVID-19, its effectiveness, and acceptance among patients. We present a multicenter retrospective study from 30 centers. Five hundred forty-one patients were included with a median age of 67 years (yr). With a median follow-up of 19 months, 4410 appointments were recorded. The median of visits per patient was 7 and median periodicity was 2.7 months; significantly more visits and a higher frequency of them were registered in myelofibrosis (MF) patients. 60.1% of visits were in-person, 39.5% were by telephone, and 0.3% were videocall visits, with a predominance of telephone visits for essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) patients over MF, as well as for younger patients (< 50 yr). The proportion of phone visits significantly decreased after the first semester of the pandemic. Pharmacological modifications were performed only in 25.7% of the visits, and, considering overall management, ET patients needed fewer global treatment changes. Telephone contact effectiveness reached 90% and only 5.4% required a complementary in-person appointment. Although 56.2% of the cohort preferred in-person visits, 90.5% of our patients claimed to be satisfied with follow-up during the pandemic, with an 83% of positive comments. In view of our results, telemedicine has proven effective and efficient, and might continue to play a complementary role in Ph-MPN patients' follow-up., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Encapsulation is one of the technologies applied for the formulation of biological control agents. The function of the encapsulating matrix is to protect the biological material from environmental factors, while dehydration allows for its viability to be prolonged. An advantage of dehydrated encapsulation formulations is that they can be stored for long periods. However, vegetative cells require low-stress dehydration processes to prevent their loss of viability. Herein we describe the fabrication of a dehydrated encapsulate of the Streptomyces CDBB1232 mycelium using sodium alginate with a high concentration of mannuronic acid; sodium alginate was added with YGM medium for mycelium protection purposes. The encapsulation was carried out by extrusion, and its dehydration was carried out in a rotating drum fed with air at room temperature (2-10 L min -1 ). The drying of the capsules under air flows higher than 4 L min -1 led to viability loss of the mycelium. The viability loss can be decreased up to 13% by covering the alginate capsules with gum arabic. Compared to conventional dehydration processes, air moisture removal can be lengthy, but it is a low-cost method with the potential to be scaled.

The content of veterinary drugs in manure is usually estimated by the amount of residues determined in its solid or liquid phase, individually, which previously required a separation step. As an alternative, a multiresidue method for the analysis of 48 veterinary drugs and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in swine raw manure as a whole has been developed and in-house validated in this work. The impact of several experimental factors during ultrasound assisted extraction was assessed. Hence, the use of alumina seemed to especially decrease the matrix effect and improve the overall recovery of drugs, mainly those with a high octanol-water partition coefficient. CECs in the extracts were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in tandem. A standard addition-matrix matched calibration was used for quantification. Application of the method to two related samples (raw manure and farm centrifuged raw manure) from a facility revealed that the concentrations of CECs determined in the raw manure by the comprehensive methodology were higher than those calculated by adding the concentrations measured in the solid and liquid phases, separately. This was attributed to the loss of CECs adsorbed on fine particles in the suspension during the sample preparation procedure of the liquid-phase. Furthermore, the decrease of residues in the raw manure when this is centrifuged in the farm to yield compost is shown.

A surprising inversion of chirality of the -ITV zeolite framework is observed when the ethyl group of the enantiopure N , N -ethyl-methyl-pseudoephedrinium organic structure-directing agent is replaced by a benzyl or 2-methylbenzyl group, keeping the same molecular absolute configuration. Interestingly, chiral zeolite materials obtained with these new benzyl-containing cations reach unprecedentedly high enantiomeric excesses up to 55%.

This work evaluated, for the first time, the performance of an integral microalgae-based domestic wastewater treatment system composed of an anoxic reactor and an aerobic photobioreactor, coupled with an anaerobic digester for converting the produced algal-bacterial biomass into biogas, with regards to the removal of 16 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs): penicillin G, tetracycline, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, tylosin, trimethoprim, dexamethasone, ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, diclofenac, progesterone, carbamazepine, triclosan and propylparaben. The influence of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the anoxic-aerobic bioreactors (4 and 2.5 days) and in the anaerobic digester (30 and 10 days) on the fate of these CECs was investigated. The most biodegradable contaminants (removal efficiency >80% regardless of HRT) were tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, tylosin, trimethoprim, dexamethasone, ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen and propylparaben (degraded predominantly in the anoxic-aerobic bioreactors), and tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, tylosin, trimethoprim and naproxen (degraded predominantly in the anaerobic reactor). The anoxic-aerobic bioreactors provided removal of at least 48% for all CECs tested. The most recalcitrant contaminants in the anaerobic reactor, which were not removed at any of the HRT tested, were enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, progesterone and propylparaben., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The development of chiral zeolitic catalysts possessing extra-large pores and endowed with the capability of enantioselectively processing bulky products represents one of the greatest challenges in chemistry. Here, we report the discovery of GTM-3, an enantio-enriched extra-large pore chiral zeolite material with -ITV framework structure, obtained using a simple enantiopure organic cation derived from the chiral pool, N , N -ethyl-methyl-pseudoephedrinium, as the chiral-inductor agent. We demonstrate the enantio-enrichment of GTM-3 in one of the two enantiomorphic polymorphs using the two enantiomers of the organic cation. Interestingly, we prove the ability of this zeolitic material to perform enantioselective catalytic operations with very large substrates, here exemplified by the catalytic epoxide aperture of the bulky trans -stilbene oxide with alcohols, yielding unprecedented product enantiomeric excesses up to 30%. Our discovery opens the way for the use of accessible chiral zeolitic materials for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical compounds.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and the risk of cancer. We tested whether oncogenic transcription factor c-JUN metabolically reprogrammed cells to induce obesity and cancer by reduction of glucose uptake, with promotion of the stemness phenotype leading to malignant transformation. Liquid alcohol, high-cholesterol, fat diet (HCFD), and isocaloric dextrin were fed to wild-type or experimental mice for 12 months to promote hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We demonstrated 40% of mice developed liver tumors after chronic HCFD feeding. Disruption of liver-specific c-Jun reduced tumor incidence 4-fold and improved insulin sensitivity. Overexpression of c-JUN downregulated RICTOR transcription, leading to inhibition of the mTORC2/AKT and glycolysis pathways. c-JUN inhibited GLUT1, 2, and 3 transactivation to suppress glucose uptake. Silencing of RICTOR or c-JUN overexpression promoted self-renewal ability. Taken together, c-JUN inhibited mTORC2 via RICTOR downregulation and inhibited glucose uptake via downregulation of glucose intake, leading to self-renewal and obesity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising technology for the treatment of urban wastewater. FO can produce high-quality effluents and preconcentrate urban wastewater for subsequent anaerobic treatment. This membrane technology makes it possible to eliminate the pollutants present in urban wastewater, which can cause adverse effects in the ecosystem even at low concentrations. In this study, a 0.6 m 2 hollow fiber aquaporin forward osmosis membrane was used for the treatment of urban wastewater from the Valladolid wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A total of 51 Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) were investigated, of which 18 were found in the target urban wastewater. They were quantified, and their ecotoxicological risk impact was evaluated. Different salts with different concentrations were tested as draw solutions to evaluate the membrane performances when working with pretreated urban wastewater. NaCl was found to be the most appropriate salt since it leads to higher permeate fluxes and lower reverse saline fluxes. The membrane can eliminate or significantly reduce the pollutants present in the studied urban wastewater, producing water without ecotoxicological risk or essentially free of pollutants. In all cases, good recovery was achieved, which increased with molecular weight, although chemical and electrostatic interactions also played a role.

Background: Long-term-specific sequelae or persistent symptoms (SPS) after hospitalisation due to COVID-19 are not known. The aim of this study was to explore the presence of SPS 12 months after discharge in survivors hospitalised due to COVID-19 and compare it with survivors hospitalised due to other causes., Methods: Prospective cohort study, the Andalusian Cohort of Hospitalised patients for COVID-19 (ANCOHVID study), conducted in 4 hospitals and 29 primary care centres in Andalusia, Spain. The sample was composed of 906 adult patients; 453 patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 (exposed) and 453 hospitalised due to other causes (non-exposed) from March 1 to April 15, 2020, and discharged alive. The main outcomes were (1) the prevalence of SPS at 12 months after discharge and (2) the incidence of SPS after discharge. Outcome data at 12 months were compared between the exposed and non-exposed cohorts. Risk ratios were calculated, and bivariate analyses were performed., Results: A total of 163 (36.1%) and 160 (35.3%) patients of the exposed and non-exposed cohorts, respectively, showed at least one SPS at 12 months after discharge. The SPS with higher prevalence in the subgroup of patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 12 months after discharge were persistent pharyngeal symptoms (p<0.001), neurological SPS (p=0.049), confusion or memory loss (p=0.043), thrombotic events (p=0.025) and anxiety (p=0.046). The incidence of SPS was higher for the exposed cohort regarding pharyngeal symptoms (risk ratio, 8.00; 95% CI, 1.85 to 36.12), confusion or memory loss (risk ratio, 3.50; 95% CI, 1.16 to 10.55) and anxiety symptoms (risk ratio, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.28 to 4.34)., Conclusions: There was a similar frequency of long-term SPS after discharge at 12 months, regardless of the cause of admission (COVID-19 or other causes). Nevertheless, some symptoms that were found to be more associated with COVID-19, such as memory loss or anxiety, merit further investigation. These results should guide future follow-up of COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Concentration data of veterinary drugs in microalgae biomass collected from photobioreactors fed with piggery wastewaters are presented for the first time in this work. To this aim, a QuEChERS methodology and an ultrasound-assisted solid-liquid extraction have been assessed as sample preparation procedures with the purpose of determining 20 veterinary drugs, mainly antibiotics of different physico-chemical properties in addition to dexamethasone, fenbendazole and progesterone. Some critical operation parameters of the QuEChERS procedure were optimized by an experimental design but tetracycline, oxytetracycline, doxycycline, marbofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were not detected by the QuEChERS sample preparation. The use of a longer and thorough approach, a solid-liquid extraction with water/methanol in presence of primary secondary amine as a clean-up agent followed by solid-phase extraction on Oasis HLB cartridges, is recommended to monitor all intended analytes. The determination in extracts is carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring mode. Limits of detection about 0.2-42 ng per g of lyophilized microalgae sample, and repeatabilities about 6-46% (n = 5, RSDs) are reached. The solid-liquid extraction method was applied to microalgae biomass samples collected from a photobioreactor. Nine drugs were detected in the samples at relatively low concentration and a proportional relationship between the found concentrations and the octanol/water partition coefficients of the drugs has been outlined. Moreover, a linear ratio between the concentrations measured in biomass and effluent has been observed for most of the drugs., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The domestic sewage treatment performance of an integrated anoxic-aerobic photobioreactor with biomass settling and recycling, coupled with anaerobic digestion of the produced bacterial-algal biomass and biogas upgrading in the photobioreactor was investigated. Hydraulic retention time in the photobioreactor initially was 4 days (stage I and II) and then reduced to 2.5 days (stage III). The integrated system supported high total organic carbon removals of 98.9 ± 1.1% regardless of the operational stage. A high total nitrogen removal of 90.8 ± 8.0% was recorded in the integrated system during the three operational stages, while total phosphorus removals accounted for 68.4 ± 20.1%, 68.3 ± 20.8% and 53.4 ± 25.0% in stages I, II and III, respectively. Biogas upgrading in the absorption column exhibited maximum removals of CO 2 and H 2 S of 74.7 ± 3.0% and 99.0 ± 2.8%, respectively. Biomass settling and recycling resulted in overall improvement of biomass settleability., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Spain is one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although risk factors for severe disease are published, sex differences have been widely neglected. In this multicentre study, we aimed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality in men and women hospitalised with COVID-19. An observational longitudinal study was conducted in the cohort of patients admitted to four hospitals in Andalusia, Spain, from 1 March 2020 to 15 April 2020. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from hospital records. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate 30-day survival and multiple Cox regression models were applied. All analyses were stratified by sex. A total of 968 patients were included (54.8% men, median age 67.0 years). In-hospital mortality reached 19.1% in men and 16.0% in women. Factors independently associated with an increased hazard of death were advanced age, higher CURB-65 score and not receiving azithromycin treatment, in both sexes; active cancer and autoimmune disease, in men; cardiovascular disease and chronic lung disease, in women. Disease outcomes and predictors of death differed between sexes. In-hospital mortality was higher in men, but the long-term effects of COVID-19 merit further research. The sex-differential impact of the pandemic should be addressed in public health policies.

The presence of residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals in farm wastewaters such as pig slurry represents a problem that needs to be tackled to avoid further contamination of environmental waters and the development of resistant bacteria. For their monitoring and control, it is necessary the existence of reliable analytical tools. The present paper describes for the first time the development and optimization by statistical experimental design of a specifically designed analytical method for the analysis of 21 veterinary drugs, including 18 antibiotics of several families (β-lactams, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, macrolides, among others), 1 antiparasitic, 1 analgesic and 1 hormone, in a complex environmental matrix such as the fresh solid phase of pig slurry. The resulting method, consisted of an ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) combined with in-situ dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) from a 0.3 g of freeze-dried sample aliquot followed by a preconcentration step by compact solid phase extraction (c-SPE) and subsequent instrumental analysis by ultra-high-performance-liquid-chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry in tandem (MS/MS) by a triple quadrupole, was successfully validated as a very sensitive (method limit of quantification in the low ng g -1 ) and reliable method (relative recoveries around 100% and method repeatability featured by a general relative standard deviation below 20%). Provided raw data was intended to be processed by matrix-matched quantification approach. The resulting methodology was applied to the characterization of several pig manures from different Spanish farms sampled across breeding season between 2018 and 2019. Sample precedence showed to have a high impact in the positives, its frequency and concentration., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fs-laser induced element redistribution (FLIER) has been a subject of intensive research in recent years. Its application to various types of glasses has already resulted in the production of efficient optical waveguides, tappers, amplifiers and lasers. Most of the work reported on FLIER-based waveguides refers to structures produced by the cross-migration of alkali (Na, K) and lanthanides (mostly La). The latter elements act as refractive index carrying elements. Herein, we report the production of Ba-based, FLIER-waveguides in phosphate glass with an index contrast > 10 -2 . Phosphate glasses modified with the same amount of Na 2 O and K 2 O, and variable amounts of BaO and/or La 2 O 3 were used to produce the FLIER-waveguides with Ba and or La acting as index carriers. Ba-only modified glasses show a waveguide writing threshold and light guiding performance comparable to that of La-based structures. However, mixed Ba-La glasses show a much higher element migration threshold, and much smaller compositionally modified regions. This behavior is consistent with a competition effect in the cross-migration of both elements (Ba and La) against the alkalis. Such an effect can be applied to inhibit undesired element redistribution effects in fs-laser processing applications in multicomponent glasses.

Background: To determine whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19 disease) exposure in pregnancy, compared to non-exposure, is associated with infection-related obstetric morbidity., Methods: We conducted a multicentre prospective study in pregnancy based on a universal antenatal screening program for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Throughout Spain 45 hospitals tested all women at admission on delivery ward using polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) for COVID-19 since late March 2020. The cohort of positive mothers and the concurrent sample of negative mothers was followed up until 6-weeks post-partum. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for known confounding variables, determined the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and obstetric outcomes., Main Outcome Measures: Preterm delivery (primary), premature rupture of membranes and neonatal intensive care unit admissions., Results: Among 1009 screened pregnancies, 246 were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Compared to negative mothers (763 cases), SARS-CoV-2 infection increased the odds of preterm birth (34 vs 51, 13.8% vs 6.7%, aOR 2.12, 95% CI 1.32-3.36, p = 0.002); iatrogenic preterm delivery was more frequent in infected women (4.9% vs 1.3%, p = 0.001), while the occurrence of spontaneous preterm deliveries was statistically similar (6.1% vs 4.7%). An increased risk of premature rupture of membranes at term (39 vs 75, 15.8% vs 9.8%, aOR 1.70, 95% CI 1.11-2.57, p = 0.013) and neonatal intensive care unit admissions (23 vs 18, 9.3% vs 2.4%, aOR 4.62, 95% CI 2.43-8.94, p <  0.001) was also observed in positive mothers., Conclusion: This prospective multicentre study demonstrated that pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 have more infection-related obstetric morbidity. This hypothesis merits evaluation of a causal association in further research.

Around two percent of asymptomatic women in labor test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Spain. Families and care providers face childbirth with uncertainty. We determined if SARS-CoV-2 infection at delivery among asymptomatic mothers had different obstetric outcomes compared to negative patients. This was a multicenter prospective study based on universal antenatal screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 42 hospitals tested women admitted for delivery using polymerase chain reaction, from March to May 2020. We included positive mothers and a sample of negative mothers asymptomatic throughout the antenatal period, with 6-week postpartum follow-up. Association between SARS-CoV-2 and obstetric outcomes was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analyses. In total, 174 asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnancies were compared with 430 asymptomatic negative pregnancies. No differences were observed between both groups in key maternal and neonatal outcomes at delivery and follow-up, with the exception of prelabor rupture of membranes at term (adjusted odds ratio 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.13-3.11; p = 0.015). Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers have higher odds of prelabor rupture of membranes at term, without an increase in perinatal complications, compared to negative mothers. Pregnant women testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at admission for delivery should be reassured by their healthcare workers in the absence of symptoms.

This work describes the design, optimization and validation of an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 14 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in sewage sludge. A thorough optimization of the sample pre-treatment was carried out. As a result, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was combined with an in-situ clean-up stage and a filtration step. A combination of MilliQ® water/MeOH 95:5 (v/v) adjusted to pH 9 turned out to be the optimal solvent mixture for extraction. The instrumental part of the method presents a significant novelty based on a fully automated sample preparation for the analysis of PPCPs. It consisted of a direct immersion solid phase microextraction followed by on-fiber derivatization, online coupled to gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (DI-SPME-On-fiber derivatization - GC-MS). An isotope dilution approach was used for quantifying, which conferred high reliability to the method. This methodology was validated for 10 compounds with good analytical performance, limit of detection below 20 ng g -1 and absolute recovery in the range of 30-70% for most of the compounds. It supposes an ecological analytical alternative for many routine analysis laboratories around the world. The developed method was applied to different real samples generated in both a pilot-scale thermal hydrolysis treatment plant and an anaerobic digester operated in mesophilic conditions. Salicylic acid and naproxen were found at concentrations above 1000 ng g -1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Biomass usage for energy purposes has emerged in response to global energy demands and environmental problems. The large amounts of by-products generated during logging are rarely utilized. In addition, some species (e.g., Quercus spp.) are considered less valuable and are left in the cutting areas. Production of pellets from this alternative source of biomass may be possible for power generation. Although the pellets may be of lower quality than other types of wood pellets, because of their physical and technological properties, the addition of different raw materials may improve the characteristics of the oak pellets., Methods: Sawdust from the oak species Quercus sideroxyla, Q. rugosa, Q. laeta and Q. conzattii was mixed with sawdust from the pine Pinus durangensis in different ratios of oak to pine (100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60 and 20:80). Physical and mechanical properties of the pellets were determined, and calorific value tests were carried out. For each variable, Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed and Pearson's correlation coefficients were determined (considering a significance level of p < 0.05)., Results: The moisture content and fixed carbon content differed significantly ( p < 0.05) between the groups of pellets (i.e., pellets made with different sawdust mixtures). The moisture content of all pellets was less than 10%. However, volatile matter and ash content did not differ significantly between groups ( p ≥ 0.05). The ash content was less than 0.7% in all mixtures. The addition of P. durangensis sawdust to the mixtures improved the bulk density of the pellets by 18%. Significant differences ( p < 0.05) in particle density were observed between species, mixtures and for the species × mixture interaction. The particle density was highest in the 80:20 and 60:40 mixtures, with values ranging from 1,245 to 1,349 kg m -3 . Bulk density and particle density of the pellets were positively correlated with the amount of P. durangensis sawdust included. The mechanical hardness and impact resistance index (IRI) differed significantly ( p < 0.05) between groups. The addition of pine sawdust decreased the mechanical hardness of the pellets, up to 24%. The IRI was highest (138) in the Q. sideroxyla pellets (100:0). The mechanical hardness and IRI of the pellets were negatively correlated with the amount of P. durangensis sawdust added. The bulk density of the pellets was negatively correlated with mechanical hardness and IRI. The calorific value of mixtures and the species × mixture interaction differed significantly between groups. Finally, the mean calorific value was highest (19.8 MJ kg -1 ) in the 20:80 mixture. The calorific value was positively related to the addition of P. durangensis sawdust., Competing Interests: Christian Wehenkel is an Academic Editor for PeerJ., (© 2020 Núñez-Retana et al.)

To assess the opinion and the level of satisfaction of patients concerning analgesia during external cephalic version (ECV), we present the results of a survey of 120 women undergoing ECV at term during a randomised controlled trial (July 2012 to February 2013) comparing remifentanil and nitrous oxide. Overall, 110 (91.7%) women said they would repeat the procedure and 111 (92.5%) that they would recommend it to another pregnant woman, with no significant differences by type of analgesia. The administration and sense of comfort were rated better in the remifentanil group ( p  < .01). In conclusion, the use of analgesia during ECV is associated with a high rate of willingness among women to repeat the procedure and recommend it to other pregnant women.Impact statement What is already known on this subject? ECV is commonly a painful manoeuvre for the woman. This pain triggers maternal reactive abdominal muscle contraction and involuntary abdominal tensing, reducing the likelihood of successful version and causing some women to reject the technique. What do the results of this study add? The use of analgesia during ECV is associated with a high rate of willingness among women to repeat the procedure and recommend it to other pregnant women. The sense of comfort during ECV was also significantly better in the remifentanil group, probably because of its greater analgesic power and greater comfort during its administration. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? ECV should be carried out under analgesia, when available, not only to decrease pain but also to encourage wider adoption of the technique and enable more women to benefit from it.

The development of broadband and ultracompact optoelectronic devices relies on the possibility of fabricating bright and tunable emitters at the nanoscale. Here, we show emission from EuO x (1 ≤ x < 1.4) thin films on silicon formed by nanocrystals with average sizes in the range of 5 nm. The photoluminescence emission of the nano-EuO x films is tunable as a function of the oxygen concentration changing from a green broadband Eu 2+ -related emission to a narrow red Eu 3+ -related emission. To reach these results has been instrumental through the use of a new methodology specially designed to achieve high-quality europium oxide films whose compositional properties are controlled by the growth base pressure and preserved thanks to a chemically stable and transparent cover layer of Al 2 O 3 . Our findings confirm the outstanding potential of nanostructured EuO x films as "one-compound" optical elements with tunable emission properties for their implementation in integrated silicon-based devices., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.)

The local modification of the composition of glasses by high repetition femtosecond laser irradiation is an attractive method for producing photonic devices. Recently, the successful production of waveguides with a refractive index contrast (Δn) above 10 -2 by fs-laser writing has been demonstrated in phosphate glasses containing La 2 O 3 and K 2 O modifiers. This large index contrast has been related to a local enrichment in lanthanum in the light guiding region accompanied by a depletion in potassium. In this work, we have studied the influence of the initial glass composition on the performance of waveguides that are produced by fs-laser induced element redistribution (FLIER) in phosphate-based samples with different La and K concentrations. We have analyzed the contribution to the electronic polarizability of the different glass constituents based on refractive index measurements of the untreated samples, and used it to estimate the expected index contrast caused by the experimentally measured local compositional changes in laser written guiding structures. These estimated values have been compared to experimental ones that are derived from near field images of the guided modes with an excellent agreement. Therefore, we have developed a method to estimate before-hand the expected index contrast in fs-laser written waveguides via FLIER for a given glass composition. The obtained results stress the importance of considering the contribution to the polarizability of all the moving species when computing the expected refractive index changes that are caused by FLIER processes.

Traditional swine manure treatments are not fully effective in the removal of veterinary drugs. Moreover, they are costly and entail a significant carbon footprint in many cases. Innovative biological approaches based on phototrophic microorganisms have recently emerged as promising alternatives to overcome those limitations. This work evaluated the removal of 19 veterinary drugs (i.e., 16 antibiotics, 1 analgesic, 1 anti-parasitic and 1 hormone) from piggery wastewater (PWW) in two open photobioreactors (PBR) operated with a consortium of microalgae-bacteria (AB-PBR) and purple photosynthetic bacteria (PPB-PBR). Multiple hydraulic retention times (HRT), in particular 11, 8 and 4 days, were tested during stage I, II and III, respectively. Ten out of 19 target compounds were detected with inlet drug concentrations ranging from 'non-detected' (n.d.) to almost 23,000 ng L -1 for the antibiotic oxytetracycline. Moreover, three of the antibiotics (i.e., enrofloxacin, sulfadiazine and oxytetracycline) were found at concentrations above the analytical linearity range in some or all of the samples under study. AB-PBR supported higher removal efficiencies (REs) than PPB-PBR, except for danofloxacin. Overall, REs progressively decreased when decreasing the HRT. The highest REs (>90%) were observed for doxycycline (95 ± 3%) and oxytetracycline (93 ± 3%) in AB-PBR during stage I. The other drugs, except sulfadimidine that was the most recalcitrant, showed REs above 70% during stage I in the same photobioreactor. In contrast, no removal was observed for danofloxacin in AB-PBR during stage III, sulfadimidine in PPB-PBR during stage III or marbofloxacin in PPB-PBR during the entire experiment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Several analytical approaches have been developed for the determination of emerging pollutants (EPs), including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in environmental matrices. This paper reviews the sample preparation and instrumental methods proposed in the last few years (2012-2018) to assess PPCPs in sewage sludge. Three main steps are examined: extraction, clean-up and analysis. Sample preparation is critical as target compounds are normally found at low concentrations in complex matrices. Most procedures include sewage sludge pretreatment mostly through ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) although other novel techniques such as QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) or MSPD (matrix solid-phase dispersion) have been also employed. In one report, no differences in extraction efficiency were detected among the most commonly used extraction techniques such as ultrasound, microwave and pressurized liquid. Clean-up usually involves a conventional method such as solid phase extraction (SPE). This step is needed to appreciably reduce matrix suppression, and is followed by an instrumental analysis using techniques of preference such as gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC), mostly coupled to mass spectrometry (MS). A fully automated on-line system that includes extraction, chromatographic separation, and mass spectrometry in one-stage is here presented as a novel way of determining PPCPs in sewage sludge. This review also discusses the advantages and limitations of the different techniques used. Miniaturizing analytical techniques and the use of novel solid and liquid phase materials are emerging as efficient options that fulfill the principles of so-called "green chemistry"., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Metal-dielectric nanocomposites are multiphase material systems containing nanostructures, whose size and arrangement determine the optical properties of the material, enabling the production of new materials with custom-designed response. In this paper, we exploit a femtosecond laser-based strategy to fabricate nanocomposites based on silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with tunable optical spectral response. We demonstrate how the spectral response, specifically color and dichroic response, is linked to Ag NPs growth and self-organization processes that are controlled locally by the choice of the laser irradiation parameters, such as scan speed and laser light polarization. When the scan speed increases, the Ag NPs are formed at larger depths below the film surface and give rise to the formation of embedded NPs gratings. As a result, the effective optical properties of the films are strongly modified enabling the display of a broad range of solid colors in the visible region. Furthermore, the choice of the laser light polarization allows to fabricate films either with iridescent or dichroic properties (linear polarization) or with non-diffractive and non-dichroic colors (circular polarization). Finally, the high spatial control over the transformed areas achieved with the laser processing, allows the building of hybrid nanostructures by means of interlacing structures with different optical responses. These results demonstrate the high potential of fs-laser technology to process Ag-based nanocomposites to fabricate coatings with a designed reflectivity, transmission, diffraction, as well as polarization anisotropy response. The Ag nanocomposites investigated in this work hold great promise for a broad range of applications especially for coloring, for enhanced visual effects, and for smart information encoding for security applications.

Cardiovascular drug toxicity is responsible for 17% of drug withdrawals in clinical phases, half of post-marketed drug withdrawals and remains an important adverse effect of several marketed drugs. Early assessment of drug-induced cardiovascular toxicity is mandatory and typically done in cellular systems and mammals. Current in vitro screening methods allow high-throughput but are biologically reductionist. The use of mammal models, which allow a better translatability for predicting clinical outputs, is low-throughput, highly expensive, and ethically controversial. Given the analogies between the human and the zebrafish cardiovascular systems, we propose the use of zebrafish larvae during early drug discovery phases as a balanced model between biological translatability and screening throughput for addressing potential liabilities. To this end, we have developed a high-throughput screening platform that enables fully automatized in vivo image acquisition and analysis to extract a plethora of relevant cardiovascular parameters: heart rate, arrhythmia, AV blockage, ejection fraction, and blood flow, among others. We have used this platform to address the predictive power of zebrafish larvae for detecting potential cardiovascular liabilities in humans. We tested a chemical library of 92 compounds with known clinical cardiotoxicity profiles. The cross-comparison with clinical data and data acquired from human induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocytes calcium imaging showed that zebrafish larvae allow a more reliable prediction of cardiotoxicity than cellular systems. Interestingly, our analysis with zebrafish yields similar predictive performance as previous validation meta-studies performed with dogs, the standard regulatory preclinical model for predicting cardiotoxic liabilities prior to clinical phases., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology.)

This work evaluates the removal of five pharmaceuticals and personal care products, i.e., ibuprofen, naproxen, salicylic acid, triclosan and propylparaben, from urban wastewater under two novel algal-bacterial photobioreactor settings. The first configuration (phase A) consisted of an anoxic-aerobic photobioreactor operating at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2d at different concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) (90mgL -1 -200mgL -1 ). In the second configuration (phase B) an anaerobic step was introduced before the anoxic tank to set a photosynthetic A 2 O process. In this phase, the HRT varied between 3 and 4d and the TOC was kept constant at 200mgL -1 . In addition, the impact of external aeration in the aerobic photobioreactor was assessed. The maximum removals for ibuprofen, naproxen, salicylic acid, triclosan and propylparaben (94±1%, 52±43%, 98±2%, 100±0%, 100±0%, respectively) were recorded during phase B. In phase A, low TOC concentrations triggered higher ibuprofen and naproxen removals likely due to the high contribution of biological oxidation on their removal. In phase B, total or very high removal efficiencies were observed for ibuprofen, propylparaben and triclosan independently on the operating conditions. In contrast, the removal efficiency of naproxen and salicylic acid decreased when the HRT dropped from 4 to 3d in the absence of external aeration, which suggests that biodegradation played a key role in their removal. In addition, sorption might have contributed to the elimination of triclosan and propylparaben from the wastewater., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Integrating an absorbing thin film into a resonant cavity is the most practical way to achieve perfect absorption of light at a selected wavelength in the mid-to-far infrared, as required to target blackbody radiation or molecular fingerprints. The cavity is designed to resonate and enable perfect absorption in the film at the chosen wavelength λ. However, in current state-of-the-art designs, a still large absorbing film thickness (∼λ/50) is needed and tuning the perfect absorption wavelength over a broad range requires changing the cavity materials. Here, we introduce a new resonant cavity concept to achieve perfect absorption of infrared light in much thinner and thus, really nanoscale films, with a broad wavelength tenability by using a single set of cavity materials. It requires a nanofilm with giant refractive index and small extinction coefficient (found in emerging semi-metals, semi-conductors and topological insulators) backed by a transparent spacer and a metal mirror. The nanofilm acts both as absorber and multiple reflector for the internal cavity waves, which after escaping follow a fractal phasor trajectory. This enables a totally destructive optical interference for a nanofilm thickness more than 2 orders of magnitude smaller than λ. With this remarkable effect, we demonstrate angle-insensitive perfect absorption in sub - λ/100 bismuth nanofilms, at a wavelength tunable from 3 to 20 μm.

The work here presented aimed at developing an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 22 pharmaceuticals and personal care products, including 3 transformation products, in sewage and sludge. A meticulous method optimization, involving an experimental design, was carried out. The developed method was fully automated and consisted of the online extraction of 17 mL of water sample by Direct Immersion Solid Phase MicroExtraction followed by On-fiber Derivatization coupled to Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (DI-SPME - On-fiber Derivatization - GC - MS). This methodology was validated for 12 of the initial compounds as a reliable (relative recoveries above 90% for sewage and 70% for sludge; repeatability as %RSD below 10% in all cases), sensitive (LODs below 20 ng L -1 in sewage and 10 ng g -1 in sludge), versatile (sewage and sewage-sludge samples up to 15,000 ng L -1 and 900 ng g -1 , respectively) and green analytical alternative for many medium-tech routine laboratories around the world to keep up with both current and forecast environmental regulations requirements. The remaining 10 analytes initially considered showed insufficient suitability to be included in the final method. The methodology was successfully applied to real samples generated in a pilot scale sewage treatment reactor., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The resistive switching properties of silicon-aluminium oxynitride (SiAlON) based devices have been studied. Electrical transport mechanisms in both resistance states were determined, exhibiting an ohmic behaviour at low resistance and a defect-related Poole-Frenkel mechanism at high resistance. Nevertheless, some features of the Al top-electrode are generated during the initial electroforming, suggesting some material modifications. An in-depth microscopic study at the nanoscale has been performed after the electroforming process, by acquiring scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images. The direct observation of the devices confirmed features on the top electrode with bubble-like appearance, as well as some precipitates within the SiAlON. Chemical analysis by electron energy loss spectroscopy has demonstrated that there is an out-diffusion of oxygen and nitrogen ions from the SiAlON layer towards the electrode, thus forming silicon-rich paths within the dielectric layer and indicating vacancy change to be the main mechanism in the resistive switching.

The design and performance of borate glass samples compositionally pre-designed to be femtosecond laser writable via laser-induced ion migration is reported in this Letter. It is demonstrated that borate glasses modified on purpose with small amounts of La 2 O 3 and Na 2 O can be straightforwardly used to produce high-index contrast (Δn) waveguides by femtosecond-laser-assisted ion migration. The positive Δn of the waveguides is caused by the local enrichment of La 2 O 3 in the guiding region with a slope of 8·10 -3 (mol.%) -1 . The value of this is consistent with numerical aperture measurements of the waveguides and local compositional measurements at the guiding region performed by energy-dispersive x-ray micro-analysis. The maximum achievable Δn values can be controlled through the initial La 2 O 3 content of the glass. Maximum Δn values >10 -2 for samples with just 5.5 mol. % of La 2 O 3 have been produced. This compositional design approach could be potentially used to produce highly efficient femtosecond laser writeable glasses in other glass families.

Objective: Sexual transmission of hepatitis A (HAV) is documented, mainly by risk behaviors in men who have sex with men (MSM). There have been HAV outbreaks in MSM in countries of the European Union in the last years. The aim of this work was to study HAV epidemiology in Andalusia in the last 10 years (2007-2017) and the outbreaks among MSM in this period., Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of HAV cases reported in the Andalusia Epidemiological Surveillance System between January 2007 and May 2017. We calculated the annual incidence rate per 100000 habitants. We studied case distribution for gender and age. We used the male-female ratio as an indirect marker for MSM., Results: The mean annual incidence rate in the study period was 4.09 cases per 100000 habitants, with a difference by sex: 4.7 per 100000 men and 2.53 per 100000 women. Two large outbreaks were detected in this period: one in 2008-2009 and another in 2016-2017. The epidemiological characteristics of these outbreaks differ from the classical pattern of the disease, affecting young MSM with associated sexual risk behaviors., Conclusions: MSM play a fundamental role in recent outbreaks of HAV. For disease control we must carry out a different strategy, assessing the introduction of systematic vaccination.

Introduction: Antipsychotic (AP) safety has been widely investigated. However, mechanisms underlying AP-associated pneumonia are not well-defined., Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the known mechanisms of AP-associated pneumonia through a systematic literature review, confirm these mechanisms using an independent data source on drug targets and attempt to identify novel AP drug targets potentially linked to pneumonia., Methods: A search was conducted in Medline and Web of Science to identify studies exploring the association between pneumonia and antipsychotic use, from which information on hypothesized mechanism of action was extracted. All studies had to be in English and had to concern AP use as an intervention in persons of any age and for any indication, provided that the outcome was pneumonia. Information on the study design, population, exposure, outcome, risk estimate and mechanism of action was tabulated. Public repositories of pharmacology and drug safety data were used to identify the receptor binding profile and AP safety events. Cytoscape was then used to map biological pathways that could link AP targets and off-targets to pneumonia., Results: The literature search yielded 200 articles; 41 were included in the review. Thirty studies reported a hypothesized mechanism of action, most commonly activation/inhibition of cholinergic, histaminergic and dopaminergic receptors. In vitro pharmacology data confirmed receptor affinities identified in the literature review. Two targets, thromboxane A2 receptor (TBXA2R) and platelet activating factor receptor (PTAFR) were found to be novel AP target receptors potentially associated with pneumonia. Biological pathways constructed using Cytoscape identified plausible biological links potentially leading to pneumonia downstream of TBXA2R and PTAFR., Conclusion: Innovative approaches for biological substantiation of drug-adverse event associations may strengthen evidence on drug safety profiles and help to tailor pharmacological therapies to patient risk factors.

In this work, we report on the production of regular (SiGe/SiO 2 ) 20 multilayer structures by conventional RF-magnetron sputtering, at 350 °C. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, raman spectroscopy, and x-ray reflectometry measurements revealed that annealing at a temperature of 1000 °C leads to the formation of SiGe nanocrystals between SiO 2 thin layers with good multilayer stability. Reducing the nominal SiGe layer thickness (t SiGe ) from 3.5-2 nm results in a transition from continuous SiGe crystalline layer (t SiGe ∼ 3.5 nm) to layers consisting of isolated nanocrystals (t SiGe ∼ 2 nm). Namely, in the latter case, the presence of SiGe nanocrystals ∼3-8 nm in size, is observed. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was applied to determine the evolution of the onset in the effective optical absorption, as well as the dielectric function, in SiGe multilayers as a function of the SiGe thickness. A clear blue-shift in the optical absorption is observed for t SiGe ∼ 2 nm multilayer, as a consequence of the presence of isolated nanocrystals. Furthermore, the observed near infrared values of n = 2.8 and k = 1.5 are lower than those of bulk SiGe compounds, suggesting the presence of electronic confinement effects in the nanocrystals. The low temperature (70 K) photoluminescence measurements performed on annealed SiGe/SiO 2 nanostructures show an emission band located between 0.7-0.9 eV associated with the development of interface states between the formed nanocrystals and surrounding amorphous matrix.

Introduction: Our objective was to compare the effect of two pain relief methods (remifentanil vs. nitrous oxide) on the success rate of external cephalic version., Material and Methods: We conducted a randomized open label parallel-group controlled single-center clinical trial with sequential design, at Cruces University Hospital, Spain. Singleton pregnancies in noncephalic presentation at term that were referred for external cephalic version were assigned according to a balanced (1:1) restricted randomization scheme to analgesic treatment with remifentanil or nitrous oxide during the procedure. The primary endpoint was external cephalic version success rate. Secondary endpoints were adverse event rate, degree of pain, cesarean rate and perinatal outcomes., Results: The trial was stopped early after the second interim analysis due to a very low likelihood of finding substantial differences in efficacy (futility). The external cephalic version success rate was the same in the two arms (31/60, 51.7%) with 120 women recruited, 60 in each arm. The mean pain score was significantly lower in the remifentanil group (3.2 ± 2.4 vs. 6.0 ± 2.3; p < 0.01). No differences were found in external cephalic version-related complications. There was a trend toward a higher frequency of adverse effects in the remifentanil group (18.3% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.10), with a significantly higher incidence rate (21.7 events/100 women vs. 6.7 events/100 women with nitrous oxide, p = 0.03). All reported adverse events were mild and reversible., Conclusions: Remifentanil for analgesia decreased external cephalic version-related pain but did not increase the success rate of external cephalic version at term and appeared to be associated with an increased frequency of mild adverse effects., (© 2016 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)