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Background and objective: Chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuritis (CRION) is one of the more common phenotypes related to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG-Abs). The absence of specific biomarkers makes distinguishing between CRION and relapsing inflammatory ON (RION) difficult. A recent work has suggested a widespread affectation of the central nervous system in CRION patients. In order to search for a potential CRION marker we have measured brain atrophy in a cohort of patients, stratified by phenotypes: CRION, RION, multiple sclerosis with a history of optic neuritis (MS-ON), and MOG-Abs status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 31 patients (seven CRION, 11 RION, and 13 MS-ON). All patients were tested for MOG and aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQ4-Abs). Clinical data were collected. Brain atrophy was calculated by measuring the brain parenchyma fraction (BPF) with Neuroquant® software. Results: Four of seven CRION patients and one of 11 RION patients were positive for MOG-Abs ( p = 0.046) and no MS-ON patients tested positive to MOG-Abs. All patients were negative to AQ4-Abs. The BPF was lower in patients with CRION than patients with RION (70.6 vs. 75.3%, p = 0.019) and similar to that in MS-ON patients. Conclusions: Brain atrophy in idiopathic inflammatory relapsing ON is present in patients with the CRION phenotype. Data from this study reflect that the optic nerve is a main target involved in these patients but not the only one. Our results should be further investigated in comprehensive and prospective studies., (Copyright © 2019 Cantó, Boscá, Vicente, Gil-Perontín, Pérez-Miralles, Villalba, Nuñez and Casanova Estruch.)

Hydroxyapatite was obtained by bone calcinations. To study the calcination process, bovine and porcine bones were first autoclaved to remove fat and other non-bone tissues. They were then heated in an alumina pan in an oxidizing atmosphere of air, where simultaneous thermal analysis curves were recorded. To prepare the hydroxyapatites, bone samples were calcined at 850 °C and 1000 °C using a muffle furnace for 1 h. The obtained materials were powdered using mortar and pestle, and sifted in a sieve (60 mesh) without any additional purification or chemical treatment. The materials obtained were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The antimicrobial properties of these materials were determined through direct contact tests against Staphylococcus aureus. The natural hydroxyapatites obtained by bone calcination inhibited S. aureus growth, with the material obtained by calcination of bovine bones at 1000 °C, showing the best antimicrobial activity. These results indicated that bone wastes can be used to obtain hydroxyapatites with antimicrobial activity.

The mixed material clay/Fe was prepared and immobilized on glass slides and calcined at 550 and 750 °C. The calcined material X-ray powder pattern (XRD) diffractograms indicate that there is no intercalation of iron compounds inside the lamella clay. The experimental design revealed that the most suitable phenol degradation conditions were obtained using the material calcined at 750 °C in a pH 7 and 140 mg/L of hydrogen peroxide solution. The material MMAFe750 showed excellent performance as a catalyst for Fenton-like reaction; in 125 min, 50 % of phenol was removed in the absence of leaching-supported iron. These results indicate that the reaction occurs by a heterogeneous process. Furthermore, the material showed no loss of catalytic activity after five degradation studies. It was noted that the adsorption of phenol in the synthesized materials does not occur and the mixed material is strongly adsorbed onto glass slides.

The efficiency of two extraction techniques--ultrasound-assisted extraction and pressurized liquid extraction--are compared and evaluated in the determination of parabens in compost samples. The extraction parameters for each technique were accurately optimized. The selected compounds were detected and quantified using ultra-performance LC MS/MS, operating in negative ESI and in SRM mode. The analytes were separated in less than 5 min. Ethylparaben (ring-(13)C6 labeled) was used as an internal standard. Two selective, sensitive, and accurate analytical methods were developed and validated. The LODs of the methods ranged from 3 to 7 ng/g and the LOQs from 10 to 23 ng/g, while inter- and intraday variability was under 6% in all cases. The methods were validated separately by using matrix-matched calibration and recovery assays with spiked samples. Recovery rates ranged from 94.0 to 105.0%. Compost samples were taken from different composting plants. Although the statistical comparison demonstrated no statistically significant differences between the two extraction techniques, the method based on pressurized liquid extraction was more sensitive than the ultrasound extraction based method., (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background: The natural history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with dementia has not been thoroughly studied., Methods: We used the RIETE Registry data to assess the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies and outcome during the first 3 months after acute VTE in all immobilized patients with dementia., Results: As of August 2011, 37988 patients had been enrolled, of whom 1316 (3.5%) had dementia. Most patients in both subgroups were initially treated with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). Then, 48% of patients with dementia and 25% of those without dementia received LMWH as long-term therapy. During the first 3 months of anticoagulant therapy, patients with dementia had a higher incidence of fatal pulmonary embolism (PE): 4.0% vs. 1.2% (odds ratio: 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5-4.4) and fatal bleeding: 1.4% vs. 0.5% (odds ratio: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.8-4.6) than those without dementia. In demented patients initially presenting with PE, the incidence of fatal PE during the first week outweighed that of fatal bleeding (42 vs. 4 deaths), but from Day 8, the incidence of fatal PE was similar to the incidence of fatal bleeding. In patients initially presenting with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), there were 4 fatal PE and 8 fatal bleeding events., Conclusions: VTE patients with dementia had a high incidence of fatal PE and fatal bleeding. In those initially presenting with PE, the risk of dying of PE far outweighed that of fatal bleeding. In patients presenting with DVT alone, the risk of fatal PE was lower than that of fatal bleeding., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Akaganéite is a very rare iron oxyhydroxide in nature. It can be obtained by many synthetic routes, but thermohydrolysis is the most common method reported in the literature. In this work, akaganéite-like materials were prepared through the thermohydrolysis of FeCl(3).6H(2)O in water and suspensions containing clay minerals. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data show that the clays determine the crystal phase and size of the iron oxyhydroxide crystals. According to XRD and FTIR data, beta-FeO(OH) (akaganéite) is the main metal oxyhydroxide phase. Considering the small basal spacing (d(001)) displacement observed when comparing the XRD patterns of pristine clays with the composites containing beta-FeO(OH), the iron oxyhydroxide should be mostly located on the basal and edge surfaces of the clay minerals. UV-Vis electronic absorption spectra indicate that the preferred phase of the iron oxyhydroxide is determined by the nature of the clay minerals., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The balance between the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant therapy in patients aged >/=90 years with venous thromboembolism (VTE) is uncertain. RIETE is an ongoing, prospective registry of consecutive patients with acute, objectively confirmed, symptomatic VTE. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant therapy during the first three months in all patients aged >/=90 years. In addition, we tried to identify those at a higher risk for VTE. Of 21,873 patients enrolled from March 2001 to February 2008, 610 (2.8%) were aged >/=90 years. Of these, 307 (50%) presented with pulmonary embolism (PE), 240 (39%) had immobility >/=4 days, and 271 (44%) had abnormal creatinine levels. During the first three months of therapy, 140 patients aged >/=90 years (23%) died. Of these, 45 (32%) died of PE (34 of the initial episode, 11 of recurrent PE), 18 (13%) had fatal bleeding. Recent immobility >/=4 days was the most common risk factor for VTE (240 of 610 patients, 39%), but only 54 of them (22%) had received thromboprophylaxis. The most frequent causes for immobility were senile dementia, acute infection, trauma or decompensated heart failure. The duration of immobility was <4 weeks in 126 patients (52%), and most of them were bedridden at home. In conclusion, one in every four VTE patients aged >/=90 years died during the first three months of therapy. Of these, one in every three died of PE, one in every eight had fatal bleeding. Identifying at-risk patients may help to prevent some of these deaths.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common, severe and preventable disease. The severity of this entity ranges from isolated symptoms of deep vein thrombosis with favorable resolution to severe pulmonary embolism, with a high mortality rate. Several observational studies have reported the risk factors associated with VTE, such as prior surgery or trauma. However, non-traumatic or surgical immobility has also been demonstrated to be an important risk factor for VTE, even after short periods of time, and particularly for VTE associated with certain diseases.

The authors analyze the impact chronic skin ulcers have on Life Quality Related to Health in relation with morphological and clinical variables on the evolution of ulcers treated with SureSkin II by means of the Spanish version of the generic health self-administered questionnaire SF-72 Health Survey (SF-12v2). The authors carried out an observational study based on a series of multi-centric, prospective and open clinical cases. The length of application of this dressing was up to 20 applications or until the ulcer under treatment was cured. 593 patients having an average age of 73 years were included in this study. The authors observed total cicatrisation of the lesion in 64% of the cases. The results showed clear, significant differences (p < 0.001) before and after treatment with the dressing under study for the 8 dimensions which the questionnaire SF-12v2 measures on an ordinal scale from 0 to 100; the average measurements of the dimensions at the time of the final visit were greater than those obtained on the first visit.