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Objective The present study proposes a direct surface hydration system based on nasal breathing through a damp gauze. The goal is to observe whether such direct hydration procedure positively modifies vocal fold functionality by improving voice quality and enhancing the mobility and pliability of the vocal fold mucosa. Methods Sixty-one young adults without voice problems were enrolled and were randomly divided into three double-blinded treatment groups. In the first group (the gauze group), participants breathed through the nose wrapped in a damp gauze for 10 minutes while doing vocal warm-up exercises to facilitate water penetration into the mucosal layers of the vocal folds. The second group (the exercise group) performed the same warm-up exercises as the gauze group for 10 minutes without hydration procedures. The third group (the control group) talked using their normal speaking voice for 10 minutes. The participants were evaluated before and after the treatment tasks with three tests: a laryngostroboscopic examination (ie, the glottic closure, the amplitude of the mucosal wave, and the maximum opening of the glottic space); voice acoustic analysis (multidimensional voice program); and a perceptual voice evaluation (GRBAS scale). Results Results showed that after the use of a damp gauze, glottic closure, the amplitude of the mucosal wave, the maximum opening of the glottic space, the shimmer, and the B of GRBAS all improved. Conclusion Findings showed significantly better vocal results for the participants of the gauze group, suggesting the damp gauze procedure to be an effective, fast, and economical procedure to improve and optimize vocal fold functionality. It can be hypothesized that the obtained results are related to an improvement in vocal folds surface hydration and viscoelasticity.

Daily data of Global, Diffuse and Beam Horizontal Insolation and Global Vertical (North, South, East and West orientations) insolation recorded in Burgos, Spain, are presented in this paper. Ten-minute irradiance data sets are collected over forty-five months in the experimental campaign to produce estimates of daily insolation levels. This data was derived in association with the article titled: “The PV Potential of Vertical Façades: a classic approach using experimental data from Burgos, Spain” (Díez-Mediavilla et al., in press) [1]. This dataset can be used to develop and test new solar radiation and daylight models and estimate the thermal load and lighting needs in buildings for the improvement of energy efficiency.

Eucalyptus tree species are widely used in Ethiopian plantations, but the impact of these plantations on the soil fungal communities is still unknown. We assessed the changes in diversity, species composition and ecological guilds of the soil fungal communities across tree ages of Eucalyptus grandis plantations by DNA metabarcoding of ITS2 amplicons. Changes in soil fungal species composition, diversity and ecological guilds were related to stand age but also to fertility changes. The relative abundance of saprotrophs and pathogens were negatively correlated with stand age, and positively with soil fertility. In contrast, the relative abundance and diversity of ectomycorrhizal species were higher in older, less fertile stands, including well-known cosmopolitan species but also species associated with Eucalyptus, such as Scleroderma albidum and Descomyces albellus. We show that soil fungal community changes are linked to progressive soil colonization by tree roots but are also related to soil fertility changes.

The Scientific Societies of Primary Care, being the area in which there is a considerable prevalence of Arterial Hypertension (AHT), need to periodically evaluate the international guidelines for its management. This is particularly relevant when disparate guidelines make it difficult to make decisions in daily clinical practice. The present document has as its aim to analyse the changes and new developments proposed in the guidelines of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA 2017), as well as in the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology and European Society of Hypertension (ESC/ESH 2018). An analysis will be made of any differences, limitations, and their applicability to Primary Care in Spain. Finally, the most relevant available and appropriate information is extracted and integrated in order to homogenise the care of the hypertensive patient, from a critical, but also a reasoned, perspective. The discrepancies between the recommendations in such essential aspects as the management of the disease, require the compiling and critical analysis of the information that enables us as scientific society, interested in providing all PC physicians with the most relevant, and at the same time, sensible, recommendations of all the guidelines.

Resumen Introduccion Impulsar lineas estrategicas orientadas a mejorar los resultados intermedios en salud se facilita con cuadros de mando especificos. Su implantacion, implicando a los profesionales, requiere identificar indicadores ligados a resultados de actuaciones asistenciales que avale la literatura cientifica. Ademas, la inclusion de objetivos parametrizados por indicadores de resultados intermedios en el contrato programa de centro de salud, transmite la relevancia de las actuaciones sanitarias y su impacto en salud. Objetivo Describir el diseno, desarrollo y resultados de los cuadros de mando especificos de indicadores de resultados intermedios en salud en el sistema de informacion de atencion primaria (eSOAP) para promover la implicacion de los profesionales en la gestion estrategica desde la gestion clinica. Metodos Fase 1: descripcion del proceso (elaboracion y publicacion de 147 indicadores, 46 de ellos de cronicidad). Fase 2: estudio observacional descriptivo sobre el uso de profesionales y gestores y de datos de resultados intermedios en salud obtenidos. Resultados En 2017 se generaron 268.849 informes. De ellos 35.835 informes de cuadros de mando especificos (20%) se descargaron en solo 6 meses. Un 25% de los indicadores del contrato programa de centro fueron resultados intermedios. El porcentaje de pacientes diabeticos controlados fue de 39,2% y ha ido mejorando significativamente en 5 anos (p Conclusiones Los cuadros de mando especificos con indicadores de resultados intermedios vinculados a lineas estrategicas y su inclusion en los contratos programa permiten la implicacion de los profesionales en la gestion clinica y estrategica y facilita la toma de decisiones de profesionales y gestores.

The objective of this study was to predict and reduce the sintering behaviour of two herbaceous biofuels (triticale and corn straw) by the addition of three woody biofuels (poplar, pine and eucalyptus). Two CIEMAT laboratory in-house methods (disintegration and sieving methods) and the technical specification on ash melting behaviour (CEN/TS 15370-1) were used to predict ash sintering properties of the studied biomasses, and to determine the adequate blends to be used in subsequent combustion pilot plant tests to minimise ash sintering. Moreover, the mechanisms for reducing the slagging and fouling were evaluated and studied by analyses (e.g. ICP-OES and XRD) of biomass and ash collected from the combustion pilot plant (0.5 MWth). Laboratory predictive methods were validated by comparing the information they provided with the results obtained by inspecting and analysing the ash collected in the pilot plant. The sieving and the disintegration methods can be used to predict ash melting behaviour and to select the optimal amount of woody biomass that should be blended with herbaceous biomass. The selected corn straw does not need to be blended with any woody biomass. In contrast, very high concentrations of woody biomass should be added to obtain significant results in reducing the sintering of triticale. These proportions of the woody biomass in the blend could be even clearly higher than 50 wt% (ash basis). The dilution effect seems to be the main mechanism for reducing the sintering.

Resumen Es conocida la relacion bidireccional entre enfermedades infecciosas y diabetes. Las personas con diabetes tienen mayor riesgo de presentar enfermedades infecciosas, pudiendo ser estas de mayor severidad; y por otro lado, las enfermedades infecciosas desestabilizan el control metabolico de las personas con diabetes. El envejecimiento importante de la poblacion es debido en parte al aumento de la supervivencia de pacientes con enfermedades cronicas, entre ellas la diabetes. Mejorar la prevencion de enfermedades infecciosas en este grupo de poblacion podria disminuir las complicaciones de estas enfermedades, asi como las consecuencias de la desestabilizacion de la enfermedad de base (morbilidad, discapacidad, ingresos hospitalarios, costes sanitarios, tasas de mortalidad), mejorando ademas la calidad de vida de las personas con diabetes. La presente revision expone el tratamiento de las enfermedades infecciosas en personas con diabetes y el abordaje de las enfermedades inmunoprevenibles con las vacunas recomendadas en la actualidad.

Motor learning induces plasticity in multiple brain regions involving the cerebellum as a crucial player. Synaptic plasticity in the excitatory collaterals to the cerebellar output, the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), have recently been shown to be an important part of motor learning. These synapses are composed of climbing fiber (CF) and mossy fiber synapses, with the former conveying unconditioned and the latter conditioned responses in classical conditioning paradigms. The CF synapse on to the cerebellar cortex and the DCN express vesicular transporter 2 (vGluT2), whereas mossy fibers express vGluT1 and /or vGluT2 in their terminals. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism of vGluT expression in the DCN remains unknown. Here we confirm the increase of vGluT2 in a specific part of the DCN during the acquisition of a skilled reaching task in mice. Furthermore, our findings show that this is due to an increase in co-expression of vGluT2 in vGluT1 presynapses instead of the formation of new vGluT2 synapses. Our data indicate that remodeling of synapses - in contrast to synaptogenesis - also plays an important role in motor learning and may explain the presence of both vGluT's in some mossy fiber synapses.

Sulphate content in mining wastewater can reach concentrations over 2000 mg/L and, if untreated, is responsible for causing medical problems on humans and animals. Conventional treatment techniques are based on costly and environmentally harmful processes, so it is a need to find a sustainable approach of these methods. For this study, mining wastewater rich in sulphates was used as culture medium for two Arthrospira species. Strains were selected due to their capacity turn contaminants into added value molecules. The focus of this work was to use this wastewater for algal biomass production, as well as to study the biosorption of sulphate on external algal walls. Results showed how Arthrospira maxima could tolerate the presence of 100% of residue and incorporated up to 23.34% of initial sulphate concentration, which is comparable to the pre-treatments currently used in mining industry. SEM-EDX analysis reported no adsorption of sulphates on cellular surface, proving that sulphate descent was due to metabolic up-taking. Our findings suggest that Arthrospira maxima cultures can be used as part of a novel sulphate bioremediation system and for valuable compounds extraction.