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Objective To assess the differences in the quality and self-perception of CPR performed with foot technique compared to the standard technique with the hands in nursing students. Methods 65 university nursing students participated in a randomized simulation crossover design study. The participants randomly performed two CPR tests: CPR by foot and CPR by hands techniques. The compression-only protocol with a 2-min test was used with the Resusci Anne QCPR® manikin and Wireless Skill Reporter® software, both from Laerdal. Results Participants had lower quality when doing CPR by foot (72%) than when doing standard CPR (91%) (p = 0.006). 95% of the participants indicated standard CPR as the technique of choice, while 92% indicated that they would use CPR by foot if it was not possible to perform standard technique. Conclusions CPR quality was lower when performing foot technique, although with positive results. It would be advisable for people with acquired CPR skills to know that they can do foot compressions in situations where they cannot use their hands.

Microparticles containing the photosensitive spinosad (SP) were obtained using a combination of chitosan (CH) and sodium lignosulfonate (SL) as encapsulating materials to develop a photoprotective system for intake administration. The microparticles were obtained by a spray drying technique and were characterized in terms of morphology (scanning electron microscopy - SEM) and particle size. In vitro release studies showed an initial burst effect that fits very well with the zero order kinetic model and then a slow release of the bioinsecticide, which fits best with the first order model. The results of this work demonstrate that the bioinsecticide carrier system developed with natural polymeric materials presents high stability to photodegradation and adequate insecticide release for use as a strategy to reduce negative impacts on the environment in agronomic practices.

Aim To analyse the effect of oxygen fraction reduction (O2 14%, equivalent to 3250 m) on Q-CPR and rescuers' physiological demands. Methodology A quasi-experimental study was carried out in a sample of 9 Q-CPR proficient health care professionals. Participants, in teams of 2 people, performed 10 min CPR on a Laerdal ResusciAnne mannequin (30:2 compression/ventilation ratio and alternating roles between rescuers every 2 min) in two simulated settings: T21-CPR at sea level (FiO2 of 21%) and T14 – CPR at 3250 m altitude (FiO2 of 14%). Effort self-perception was rated from 0 (no effort) to 10 (maximum demand) points. Results Quality of chest compressions was good and similar in both conditions (T21 vs T14). However, the percentage of ventilations with adequate tidal volume was lower in altitude than at sea level conditions (35.9 ± 25.2% vs. 54.7 ± 23.2%, p = 0.035). The subjective perception of effort was significantly higher at simulated altitude (5 ± 2) than at sea level (3 ± 2) (p = 0.038). Maximum heart rate during the tests was similar in both conditions; however, mean oxygen saturation was significantly lower in altitude conditions (90.5 ± 2.5% vs. 99.3 ± 0.5%, p Conclusion Although performing CPR under simulated hypoxic altitude conditions significantly increases the physiological demands and subjective feeling of tiredness compared to sea level CPR, trained rescuers are able to deliver good Q-CPR in such conditions, at least in the first 10 min of resuscitation.

Biodiversity is vital in the functioning of ecosystems, but it’s permanently being threatened by anthropic impacts derived from productive activities. Thus, conservation has become a global challenge. In Chile, the dissociation between economic activities and conservation has triggered numerous socio-environmental conflicts in recent decades. This work explores how different projects that give rise to these conflicts can represent an underestimated threat to biodiversity. We identified socio-environmental conflicts in Chile and their associated projects by carrying out an online review of 1035 news articles published between 2004 and 2018 using the key words “environmental conflict”. We selected articles describing a socio-environmental conflict between parties caused by a project or productive sector. Conflict-generating projects were classified by productive sector and capital origin. In addition, their geographical distribution with respect to High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs, protected areas and priority sites for conservation) was determined. A total of 283 projects were identified from 14 different productive sectors, most of them related to energy and mining, which threaten biodiversity and human well-being mainly due to pollution and habitat destruction. Chilean companies finance most of the projects, but international companies finance over half of the energy and mining projects. Moreover, 37 % of the projects were located within HCVAs either for the establishment of future protected areas or where protected areas are currently established. As countries make new efforts to maintain and recover biodiversity, it is contradictory not to consider the threats posed by conflict-generating projects to key areas for conservation, both in public policies and in spatial planning instruments.

Resumen Objetivo Evaluar la calidad de la reanimacion cardiopulmonar (RCP) de personas no expertas guiada por una aplicacion movil con retroalimentacion en tiempo real. Diseno Estudio cuasi-experimental de corte transversal. Participantes Una muestra de 113 estudiantes de enfermeria sin experiencia ni formacion en RCP participaron en el estudio. Intervenciones Se realizaron tres test de RCP solo manos con compresiones continuas: 1) RCP sin dispositivo; 2) RCP con el telefono apagado, y 3) RCP guiada por APP. Se aleatorizaron tres aplicaciones diferentes (Pocket CPR®, CPR Pro® y Massage cardiaque et DSA®). Los tres test se realizaron de forma consecutiva, aleatorizados y separados 30 min entre cada uno. Se utilizo el maniqui Laerdal Resusci Anne QCPR (Stavanger, Noruega) software 2.0.0.14. Variables de interes principales Aplicaciones utilizadas. Variables demograficas para caracterizar a la muestra. Variables independientes: media de profundidad, ritmo medio, porcentaje de posicion correcta de mano, porcentaje de compresiones con reexpansion correcta, porcentaje de compresiones con profundidad correcta, porcentaje de compresiones al ritmo correcto, calidad global de la RCP. Resultados La calidad global de la RCP fue del 33,3% ± 32,7 para Pocket CPR, del 10,9% ± 22,72 para CPR Pro y del 7,8% ± 9,2 para Massage cardiaque et DSA. Con ninguna de las APP se consiguen mejorias estadisticamente significativas. El porcentaje de tiempo que el reanimador consiguio mantener el ritmo correcto mejoro con el uso de las tres APP. Conclusiones La RCP guiada por APP no mejoro la calidad global de las compresiones durante la reanimacion, si bien mejoro el porcentaje de compresiones realizadas a un ritmo correcto.

Objective To evaluate the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by lay people when guided by a mobile phone application with real-time feedback, with the comparison of three different mobile phone applications (APPs). Design A cross-sectional quasi-experimental study was carried out. Participants A sample of 113 nursing students participated in the study. Interventions Three hands-only CPR tests with continuous compressions were performed: (i) without external help; (ii) with the mobile phone turned off; and (iii) guided by APP. Three different APPs were randomly assigned (Pocket CPR®, CPR Pro® and Massage cardiaque et DSA®). The mannequin Laerdal Resusci Anne QCPR (Stavanger, Norway) 2.0.0.14 software was used. Variables of primary interest APPs used. Demographic variables characterizing the study sample. Independent variables: mean depth, mean rate, percentage of correct hand positioning, percentage of compressions with correct re-expansion, percentage of compressions with correct depth, percentage of compressions at the correct rate, and overall quality of CPR. Results Overall CPR quality was 33.3 ± 32.7% using Pocket CPR, 10.9 ± 22.72% using CPR Pro and 7.8 ± 9.2% using Massage cardiaque et DSA. None of the APPs produced a statistically significant improvement. The percentage of time that the resuscitator managed to maintain a correct compression rate improved when using all three APPs. Conclusions Cardiopulmonary resuscitation guided by phone APPs did not improve the overall quality of compressions during resuscitation, though it improved the percentage of compressions performed at the correct rate.

The genome of Trypanosoma cruzi encodes for an expanded number of actins, myosins and actin binding proteins compared to Trypanosoma brucei or Leishmania spp. In T. cruzi only the expression of actin 1 (i.e. conventional actin) and profilin, an actin binding protein, has been described. In this work, the expression of a kinetoplastid-specific actin, named actin 2 (TcAct2; TriTryp Gene ID: TcCLB.507129.10) was characterized in different developmental stages of T. cruzi. With the aid of a polyclonal antibody, we showed that TcAct2 is expressed throughout the life cycle of the parasite. Detergent fractionation of epimastigote extracts showed that this protein is cytosolic and is not associated with membrane or cytoskeletal fractions. The protein is localized along the cellular body and the flagellum in all parasite stages with a fine granular pattern and does not co-localize with actin 1. 2DE-immunoblotting studies demonstrated the presence of several variants of each actin. We also demonstrate that TcAct1 and TcAct2 have distinct subcellular distributions suggesting differential functions in this organism. The search of TcAct2 orthologues in the TriTrypDB, allowed the identification of this gene in other trypanosomatids, all of them restricted to the stercorarian clade. In addition, TcAct2 was also identified in the closely related non-trypanosomatid species Bodo saltans. Our findings are consistent with the appearance of a complex actin system early in the evolution of kinetoplastids.

The commercial feasibility of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is not guaranteed as long as lead (Pb) is present in the active material, halide perovskites. Mixed halide Tin (Sn)-based alloyed perovskites with optimal band gaps ranging from 1.15 to 3.55 eV are excellent alternatives to Pb-based perovskites. In this work, we find that the addition of bulky phenylethyl ammonium (PEA) cation in the precursor solution leads to improved solar cell performance and optoelectronic properties. A prolonged laser exposure is found to induce a redshift the sample absorption for the control and no shift for the PEA-added sample, as shown by transient absorption spectroscopy. Further, we show that the addition of PEA improves band alignment of the perovskite with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), which aids in electron injection and therefore increases photocurrents in solar cells. These results show that PEA addition suppresses halide segregation improving material stability, charge collection at perovskite/electron transport layer, and recombination dynamics in perovskite material. As a result, the PEA-containing Sn-rich PSCs exhibited a champion efficiency of 13% with a high open-circuit voltage of 0.77 V and improved current-voltage hysteretic behavior. These results shed light on the importance of halide segregation and band alignment when designing lead-free PSCs.

Organic-inorganic halide perovskites have been identified as favorable candidates for the next generation of photovoltaics. Adding alkali metal halides to perovskite films has been shown to be a viable option to improve the perovskite film quality and to modulate their fundamental properties. In this work, we perform optical and electron-beam based characterizations of mixed Sn/Pb based perovskite films to investigate the effect of the addition of the alkaline metal halide SrI2. By analyzing structural (X-ray diffraction), morphological (Scanning Electron Microscopy), optical (photoluminescence), and chemical properties (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), we show a complex interplay of effects upon addition of Sr2+ into the perovskite solution. Low concentrations of Sr2+ increases lattice strain, which hints at incorporation of the additive into the perovskite lattice and improves the film optoelectronic properties. As the additive concentration increases beyond 0.5 mol %, microstrain decreases. At concentrations >0.5 mol %, Sr2+ induces significant reduction of the average domain size, which impacts both structural and optical properties of the perovskite film.

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing global problem and therapeutic alternatives to traditional antibiotics are needed. Antimicrobial and host defense peptides represent an attractive source for new therapeutic strategies, given their wide range of activities including antimicrobial, antitumoral and immunomodulatory. Insects produce several families of these peptides, including cecropins. Herein, we characterized the sequence, structure, and biological activity of three cecropins called satanin 1, 2, and curvicin, found in the transcriptome of two dung beetle species Dichotomius satanas and Onthophagus curvicornis. Sequence and circular dichroism analyses show that they have typical features of the cecropin family: short length (38–39 amino acids), positive charge, and amphipathic α-helical structure. They are active mainly against Gram-negative bacteria (3.12–12.5 μg/mL), with low toxicity on eukaryotic cells resulting in high therapeutic indexes (TI > 30). Peptides also showed effects on TNFα production in LPS-stimulated PBMCs. The biological activity of Satanin 1, 2 and Curvicin makes them interesting leads for antimicrobial strategies.

Background Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but rates and performance quality remain low. Although training laypeople is a primary educational goal, the optimal strategy is not well defined. This study aimed to determine whether a short training with real-time feedback was able to improve hands-only CPR among untrained citizens. Methods On the occasion of the 2015 World Heart Day and the European Restart a Heart Day, a pilot study involving 155 participants (81 laypeople, 74 health care professionals) was conducted. Participants were invited to briefly practice hands-only CPR on a manikin and were after evaluated during a 2-minute chest compression (CC) test. During training brief instructions regarding hand position, compression rate and depth according to the current guidelines were given and real-time feedback was provided by a Laerdal SkillReporting System. Results Mean CC rate was significantly higher among health care professionals than among laypeople (119.07 ± 12.85 vs 113.02 ± 13.90 min −1 ; P = .006), although both met the 100-120 CC min −1 criterion. Laypeople achieved noninferior results regarding % of CC at adequate rate (51.46% ± 35.32% vs health care staff (55.97% ± 36.36%; P = .43) and depth (49.88% ± 38.58% vs 50.46% ± 37.17%; P = .92), % of CC with full-chest recoil (92.77% ± 17.17% vs 0.91% ± 18.84; P = .52), and adequate hand position (96.94% ± 14.78% vs 99.74 ± 1.98%; P = .11). The overall quality performance was greater than 70%, noninferior for citizens (81.23% ± 20.10%) vs health care staff (85.95% ± 14.78%; P = .10). Conclusion With a very brief training supported by hands-on instructor-led advice and visual feedback, naive laypeople are able to perform good-quality CC-CPR. Simple instructions, feedback, and motivation were the key elements of this strategy, which could make feasible to train big numbers of citizens.

Apicomplexa are an extremely diverse group of unicellular organisms that infect humans and other animals. Despite the great advances in combating infectious diseases over the past century, these parasites still have a tremendous social and economic burden on human societies, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Proteases from apicomplexa have been characterized at the molecular and cellular levels, and central roles have been proposed for proteases in diverse processes. In this work, 16 new genes encoding for trypsin proteases are identified in 8 apicomplexan genomes by a genome-wide survey. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these genes were gained through both intracellular gene transfer and vertical gene transfer. Identification, characterization and understanding of the evolutionary origin of protease-mediated processes are crucial to increase the knowledge and improve the strategies for the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents and vaccines.