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Background: Benznidazole is one of the two most effective antiparasitic drugs for Chagas' disease treatment. However, knowledge about its toxicity profile is mostly based on post-marketing observational studies. Objectives: Our study combines data from two prospective clinical trials designed to assess the safety of the drug newly produced by ELEA Laboratories (Abarax®). Methods: Eligible participants were selected using a consecutive sampling strategy in the CINEBENZ and BIOMARCHA studies between 2013 and 2016 (EUDRACT 2011-002900-34 and 2012-002645-38, respectively, and clinicaltrials.gov NCT01755403 and NCT01755377, respectively). Enrolled subjects received treatment with 5 mg/kg/day benznidazole orally in two divided doses for 8 weeks and were followed up fortnightly. Results: We observed 305 adverse reactions in 85 of 99 participants (85.9%). Each patient had a median of three adverse reactions, 89.5% were mild and the median duration was 12 days. Most adverse reactions appeared in the first month of treatment except arthritis and peripheral neuropathy. Twenty-six patients did not complete treatment: 2 were withdrawn, 1 for ectopic pregnancy and 1 for epilepsy relapse due to cysticercosis; 2 were lost to follow-up; and 22 were owing to adverse reactions, two of them severe. We observed some unexpected adverse reactions that have not been described previously, such as psychiatric symptoms, erectile dysfunction, menstrual cycle alterations and lung infiltration. Conclusions: There is a very high frequency of adverse reactions to benznidazole. Most adverse reactions are mild, but the treatment burden is significant and unexpected reactions are not rare. Severe reactions are uncommon, but they can be life-threatening. Further studies are necessary to optimize treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benznidazole is one of the two most effective antiparasitic drugs for Chagas' disease treatment. However, knowledge about its toxicity profile is mostly based on post-marketing observational studies.Objectives: Our study combines data from two prospective clinical trials designed to assess the safety of the drug newly produced by ELEA Laboratories (Abarax®).Methods: Eligible participants were selected using a consecutive sampling strategy in the CINEBENZ and BIOMARCHA studies between 2013 and 2016 (EUDRACT 2011-002900-34 and 2012-002645-38, respectively, and clinicaltrials.gov NCT01755403 and NCT01755377, respectively). Enrolled subjects received treatment with 5 mg/kg/day benznidazole orally in two divided doses for 8 weeks and were followed up fortnightly.Results: We observed 305 adverse reactions in 85 of 99 participants (85.9%). Each patient had a median of three adverse reactions, 89.5% were mild and the median duration was 12 days. Most adverse reactions appeared in the first month of treatment except arthritis and peripheral neuropathy. Twenty-six patients did not complete treatment: 2 were withdrawn, 1 for ectopic pregnancy and 1 for epilepsy relapse due to cysticercosis; 2 were lost to follow-up; and 22 were owing to adverse reactions, two of them severe. We observed some unexpected adverse reactions that have not been described previously, such as psychiatric symptoms, erectile dysfunction, menstrual cycle alterations and lung infiltration.Conclusions: There is a very high frequency of adverse reactions to benznidazole. Most adverse reactions are mild, but the treatment burden is significant and unexpected reactions are not rare. Severe reactions are uncommon, but they can be life-threatening. Further studies are necessary to optimize treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinodal decomposition (SD) processes have proved effective for the synthesis of macro- and mesoporous materials. Despite the theoretical aspects of SD processes are well understood, finding the proper experimental conditions – both the components as well as the ratio in which they have to be combined – to attain co-continuous structures is a non-predictable and quite tedious process, typically based on trial and error. The challenge is finding a “tool” capable to predict the suitability of a particular starting solution to undergo SD processes. Here in, we used aqueous solutions of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for the preparation via SD of co-continuous porous carbons, the morphologies of which ranged from spinodal to aggregates-of-particles-like just depending on dilution. Despite the starting DES/H 2 O binary mixture was macroscopically homogeneous, Brillouin spectroscopy revealed the occurrence of certain nanostructural rearrangements within a dilution range that coincided with that used for preparation of carbons with morphologies transitioning from spinodal to aggregates-of-particles-like. Moreover, carbons exhibited a noticeable degree of heteroatom co-doping – e.g. N and P – and proved particularly effective for CO 2 capture with adsorptions of up to 4.7 mmol/g at 0 °C and 760 mbar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) offer a suitable alternative to conventional solvents in terms of both performance and cost-effectiveness. Some DESs also offer certain green features, the greenness of which is notoriously enhanced when combined with water. Aqueous DES dilutions are therefore attracting great attention as a novel green medium for biotechnological processes, with the aqueous dilutions of reline – a DES composed of urea and choline chloride – being one of the most studied systems. Despite their macroscopic homogeneous appearance, both 1H NMR spectroscopic studies and molecular dynamics simulations have revealed the occurrence of certain dynamic heterogeneity at a microscopic molecular level. Ultrasonic measurements were also used with the aim of getting further insights but nonconclusive results were obtained. Herein, we have studied aqueous reline dilutions by Brillouin spectroscopy given its proved suitability for detecting local structure rearrangements in liquid mixtures of H-bonded co-solvents. Brillouin spectroscopy revealed the formation of a co-continuous structure resulting from local structure rearrangements and micro-segregation into aqueous and DES phases. Interestingly, there is agreement between 1H NMR and Brillouin spectroscopy when pointing to the DES content where microphase segregation and formation of co-continuous structures occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed laser deposition of ZnO thin films, using KrF laser, is analysed. The films were deposited on (001) sapphire substrates at 400 °C, at two different oxygen pressures (0·3 and 0·4 mbar) and two different target-substrate distances (30 and 40 mm). It is observed that in order to obtain good quality in the photoluminescence of the films, associated with oxygen stoichiometry, it is needed to maximize the time during which the plasma remains in contact with the growing film (plasma residence time), which is achieved by selecting suitable combinations of oxygen pressures and target to substrate distances. It is also discussed that for the growth parameters used, the higher probability for ZnO films growth results from the oxidation of Zn deposited on the substrate and such process takes place during the time that the plasma is in contact with the substrate. Moreover, it is observed that maximizing the plasma residence time over the growing film reduces the rate of material deposition, favouring the surface diffusion of adatoms, which favours both Zn-O reaction and grain growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of SiO2 and B2O3 as sintering additives were investigated on the optical and structural properties of Er:YAG polycrystalline ceramics sintered without additional external pressure and in high vacuum. Best optical and structural properties were obtained doping the ceramics with 0.5% of SiO2 and 0.17 wt% of SiO2, and 0.33 wt% of B2O3 (Bi3+:Si4+ = 2.0) respectively, the former being the one with better results. On the other hand, it is shown that through the addition of B2O3 it is possible to reduce sintering temperature and to obtain good density values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD) has had a widespread use during the last years, but there is not a full understanding of the different processes involved in this technique. In the present paper a study of the ablation process of a BaTiO3 target and its deposition as a thin film is shown. Two interesting results were observed. First, an inversely proportional relation between the most probable kinetic energies (and most probable momenta) of ionic elements in the plume and their ionization potentials was observed. This result is related to the way the material is extracted and the formation of the spatial charge in the plume. Second, polycrystalline barium titanate thin film with preferential crystallographic orientation was deposited at room temperature and under high vacuum conditions. This result is related with the transference of kinetic energy of the species in the plume as they reach the substrate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The tellurite fibers based on glasses with the composition TeO2–WO3–Nb2O5–Na2O–Al2O3–Er2O3–Yb2O3 were fabricated by the rod-in-tube technique using a Heathway drawing tower. The upconversion luminescence of Er3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite glass fibers under 980nm excitation were investigated. The Er3+/Yb3+co-doped tellurite fibers show an efficient up-conversion process in comparison with the Er3+-doped tellurite fibers. The pump power dependent intensities were discussed, which showed that two photons are involved in the upconversion process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), can be considered as one of the most dynamic and promising technique in the field of analytical spectroscopy. LIBS has turned into a powerful alternative for a wide front of applications, from the geological exploration to the industrial inspection, including the environmental monitoring, the biomedical analysis, the study of patrimonial works, the safety and defense. The advances in LIBS instrumentation have allowed improving gradually the analysis services and quality, on the basis of a better knowledge of the technology principles. Recently, systems of double pulse have facilitated a better dosing of energy, the improvement of the signal-noise relation and the study of the different process stages. Femtosecond lasers offers the possibility of study in detail the ablation and atomic emission processes. New advances like multi-pulse or multi-wavelentgh systems -in fact stilling without exploring, must offer new information to advance in this knowledge. Finally, which it does to this technology really attractive, is the aptitude to be employed in field conditions, or for the detection of the elementary composition at long distances. In this presentation there are discussed the designs of portable instrumentation, compact and low cost, which can improve substantially the LIBS possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results of photoluminescence and reflectance measurements on highly c-axis oriented polycrystalline ZnO grown by pulsed laser deposition. The samples measured were grown under identical conditions and were annealed in-situ at various temperatures for 10–15 min. The band-edge photoluminescence spectra of the material altered considerably with an increase in grain size, with increased free exciton emission and observable excitonic structure in the reflectance spectra. The green band emission also increased with increasing grain size. A deformation potential analysis of the effect of strain on the exciton energy positions of the A- and B-excitons demonstrated that the experimental exciton energies could not be explained solely in terms of sample strain. We propose that electric fields in the samples due to charge trapping at grain boundaries are responsible for the additional perturbation of the excitons. This interpretation is supported by theoretical estimates of the exciton energy perturbation due to electric fields. The behaviour of the green band in the samples provides additional evidence in favour of our model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a zoonosis that affects more than seven million people. Current limitations on the diagnosis of the disease hinder the prognosis of patients and the evaluation of treatment efficacy, slowing the development of new therapeutic options. The infection is known to disrupt several host metabolic pathways, providing an opportunity for the identification of biomarkers., Methods: The metabolomic and lipidomic profiles of a cohort of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with T. cruzi infection and a group of uninfected controls were analysed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Differences among all groups and changes before and after receiving anti-parasitic treatment across those with T. cruzi infection were explored., Results: Three lipids were found to differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic participants: 10-hydroxydecanoic acid and phosphatidylethanolamines PE(18:0/20:4) and PE(18:1/20:4). Additionally, sphinganine, 4-hydroxysphinganine, hexadecasphinganine, and other sphingolipids showed post-treatment abundance similar to that in non-infected controls., Conclusions: These molecules hold promise as potentially useful biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and treatment response in patients with chronic T. cruzi infection., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Community engagement is recognized as a vital component of health-related research and programs, particularly during infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics. Despite the importance of engaging communities in the response to COVID-19, relatively little research has examined how this was (or was not) achieved, and even less in low- and middle-income countries. This article describes the community engagement that accompanied efforts to strengthen COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment as part of the ECO Project in Cochabamba, Bolivia and highlights lessons for future pandemic response., Methods: Community engagement involved formative assessment, co-creation to develop a health information campaign, ongoing community listening and evaluation. Qualitative data were collected during workshops, project meetings and focus groups. Questionnaire-based surveys were conducted to assess COVID-19-related attitudes, knowledge and practices., Results: The collected data highlighted the value of working closely with well-established community health committees and involving community members with social media skills in the design of COVID-19-related messages to address on- and offline misinformation. Co-creation sessions enabled the adjustment of the information campaign in terms of content and approach based on the needs and preferences of community members and health staff. The continuous listening with community and health personnel facilitated the ongoing adaptation of project activities., Conclusion: Through a stepped and multi-pronged approach, incorporating co-creation and community listening, the engagement could respond to emerging local challenges during the pandemic. The project created spaces for dialogue and opportunities for collaboration that strengthened links between the community and the health services.

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical infection that affects millions of people. This study explores transcriptomic changes in T. cruzi-infected subjects before and after treatment. Using total RNA sequencing, gene transcription was analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asymptomatic (n=19) and symptomatic (n=8) T. cruzi-infected individuals, and non-infected controls (n=15). Differential expression was compared across groups, and before/after treatment in infected subgroups. Untreated infection showed 12 upregulated and 206 downregulated genes in all T. cruzi-infected subjects, and 47 upregulated and 215 downregulated genes in the symptomatic group. Few differentially expressed genes were found after treatment and between the different infected groups. Gene set enrichment analysis highlighted immune-related pathways activated during infection, with therapy normalizing immune function. Changes in the kynurenine/tryptophan ratio, increased pre-treatment, suggested chronic immune fatigue, which was restored post-treatment. These differentially expressed genes offer insights for potential biomarkers and pathways associated with disease progression and treatment response., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

We introduce a non-orthogonal configuration interaction approach to investigate nuclear quantum effects on energies and densities of confined fermionic nuclei. The Hamiltonian employed draws parallels between confined systems and many-electron atoms, where effective non-Coulombic potentials represent the interactions of the trapped particles. One advantage of this method is its generality, as it offers the potential to study the nuclear quantum effects of various confined species affected by effective isotropic or anisotropic potentials. As a first application, we analyze the quantum states of two 3 He atoms encapsulated in C 60 . At the Hartree-Fock level, we observe the breaking of spin and spatial symmetries. To ensure wavefunctions with the correct symmetries, we mix the broken-symmetry Hartree-Fock states within the non-orthogonal configuration interaction expansion. Our proposed approach predicts singly and triply degenerate ground states for the singlet (para- 3 He 2 @C 60 ) and triplet (ortho- 3 He 2 @C 60 ) nuclear spin configurations, respectively. The ortho- 3 He 2 @C 60 ground state is 5.69 cm -1 higher in energy than the para- 3 He 2 @C 60 ground state. The nuclear densities obtained for these states exhibit the icosahedral symmetry of the C 60 embedding potential. Importantly, our calculated energies for the lowest 85 states are in close agreement with perturbation theory results based on a harmonic oscillator plus rigid rotor model of 3 He 2 @C 60 ., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Introduction: Arterial injuries following central venous catheterization (CVC) range between 0.1%-2.7%. The open surgical approach could be related to increased rates of morbidity and mortality. Vascular closure devices (VCD) are often used for the management of these patients with a success rate of up to 80%., Objectives: Describe our experience in managing arterial vascular injuries following central venous catheterization with Perclose ProGlide (Abbott Vascular IncSanta Clara, CA, USA)., Methods: A retrospective review of all patients over 18 years old who underwent percutaneous closure of arterial injuries following central venous catheterization in our center between January 2018 and May 2023 was included and reported with a 90-day follow-up., Results: 3 Patients were included, in all cases, access to the CVC were right with a subclavian artery injury. Ultrasound and fluoroscopy guide was used in all cases. For the 3 cases, a percutaneous technique using Perclose ProGlide (Abbott Vascular IncSanta Clara, CA, USA) was performed. With a 100% success rate, and no complications evidenced after 90 days of follow-up., Conclusion: Inadvertent arterial catheterization it's a non-negligible complication after CVC placement. VCD could be considered a safe and feasible approach for the management of these traumatic injuries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Rey Chaves, Orozco, Posada, Gómez Zuleta, Fajardo, Barón and Hernández Rodríguez.)