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An important demand exists in the field of forensic analysis to objectively determine the post-mortem interval (PMI) when human skeletal remains are discovered. It is widely known that bones undergo different chemical and physical processes after death, mainly due to their interaction with the environment in which they are found, although it is not known exactly what these processes consist of. Multiple techniques have been used so far to follow up these and other post-mortem changes and thus establish the time elapsed since the individual’s death, but they present important drawbacks in terms of reliability and accuracy. The aim of this research was to propose an analytical methodology capable of determining the PMI by using non-destructive Raman spectroscopy measurements of human skeletal remains. The recorded Raman spectra provided valuable and potentially useful information from which a multivariate study was performed by means of orthogonal partial least squares regression (OPLSR) in order to correlate the PMI with the detected spectral modifications. A collection of 53 real human skeletal remains with known PMI (15 years ≤ PMI ≤ 87 years) was analysed and used for building and validating the OPLS model. The PMI of 10 out of 14 validation samples could be determined with an accuracy error of less than 30%, demonstrating the adequate predictive performance of the OPLS model even in spite of the large inter-individual variability it handled. This opens up the possibility of applying the OPLS model in combination with non-destructive techniques to the determination of the PMI of human skeletal remains that have been buried in conditions similar or equal to those of cemetery niches and in a geographic location with a Mediterranean climate, which is an important achievement for forensic medicine and anthropology.

Resumen La retroniquia es un proceso emergente en el que la parte proximal de la lamina ungueal se encarna en el pliegue ungueal proximal, produciendo una paroniquia cronica refractaria a terapias antimicrobianas. La ecografia se ha postulado como la prueba no invasiva de confirmacion y para diagnostico diferencial, sobre todo con afecciones tumorales y artriticas locales. La presencia de dos o mas laminas ungueales superpuestas y la disminucion de la distancia entre el origen de la lamina ungueal y la base de la falange distal podrian ser los criterios ecograficos distintivos de esta entidad. La avulsion quirurgica de la lamina ungueal es la terapia de eleccion y curativa de la misma. Su conocimiento todavia esta poco difundido entre los dermatologos, ocasionando errores y demoras diagnosticas y terapeuticas, lo que nos ha motivado a la presentacion de un nuevo caso.

Retronychia is a recently described disorder caused by ingrowth of the proximal nail plate into the proximal nail fold. This situation provokes chronic paronychia refractory to antimicrobial therapy. Ultrasound has been proposed as the noninvasive method of choice to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other differential diagnoses, particularly local tumors and arthritic disease. The presence of 2 or more overlapping nail plates and a reduced distance between the root of the nail plate and the base of the distal phalanx could be the ultrasound hallmarks of this condition. Nail plate avulsion is the treatment of choice and is curative. Knowledge of retronychia is still limited among dermatologists, which can lead to diagnostic and therapeutic errors and delay. This has prompted us to present this new case.

Blue ink strokes belonging to 11 types of writing tools from 7 different brands were naturally aged in the darkness for 2 years and characterised by Vis-microspectrophotometry (Vis-MSP). Ink clustering and classification was performed by applying principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) in order to subsequently assign an optimal orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) model capable to predict the age of different inks. This method was found applicable to the exact dating of forged documents with ink strokes of up to 2 years old. The method was tested with blind samples supplied by the Forensic Science Unit of the Basque Country Police Department. Age predictions (p ​

In this work, the robustness and potential applicability of statistical age prediction models applied to the dating of different acrylic paints were studied. The FTIR-ATR analysis of three acrylic colours (Hansa yellow, phthalocyanine green and ultramarine blue) from two manufacturers (Liquitex® and Vallejo®) subjected to accelerated ageing was carried out. The acrylic paints were characterised and the modifications of their ATR spectra throughout ageing were studied. Predictive models developed with the Liquitex® brand containing phthalocyanine green pigment were then applied to other colour and brands of acrylic paints and their robustness and feasibility were studied based on calculated accuracy error values. The influence of the pigment on the ageing of the paint components, the type and quantity of additives present in the acrylic paint as well as the ageing conditions to which it was subjected were decisive in the short-term predictive model, which explains the low accuracy values obtained for all the acrylic paints analysed. However, the slower degradation processes taking place in the longer term and the stabilisation of the acrylic paints at higher stages of ageing made them fit successfully into the long-term model, obtaining an error of between 14 and 23%. Thus, the predictive statistical model is robust and feasible to be used for different colours of the same brand of acrylic paint as well as for acrylic paints of different brands that have been long-term aged under slightly different conditions of accelerated ageing. In conclusion, this methodology could be a promising tool in the field of dating contemporary artworks of a certain age.

Background and objective Anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy for moderate to severe psoriasis can increase the risk of active tuberculosis in patients who have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of LTBI in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis being treated in dermatology clinics in Spain. Material and method Non-interventional, cross-sectional, national epidemiological study conducted in Spain in 2011-2012. Patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis were included if they had undergone at least one tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or been evaluated with an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (QuantiFERON TB Gold In-Tube) in the 2 years preceding the study. Results Data for 440 patients were valid for analysis. In total, 97.7% of the patients had undergone a TST, with a positive result in 23%. Of the 238 patients in whom the initial result was negative, 5% converted to positive on re-testing for a booster effect. IGRA results were available for 16.8%, 20.5% of them positive. Two of the patients with positive IGRA results had a negative TST. The prevalence of LTBI in the whole sample was 26.6%. The degree of concordance between the TST and the IGRA was moderate (κ = 0.516; P Conclusions The prevalence of LTBI in this study was similar to previous estimates for Spain.

In recent years the interest and demand for artworks has been increasing as they are an interesting commercial investment due to their growing value in the market. This explains the increasing number of counterfeits dealing with artworks that has led to the development of new methodologies for their characterization. The material characterization of these types of works can provide relevant information for both authentication and conservation/restoration. Thus, in this study multivariate chemometric methods were applied to FTIR-ATR spectroscopic data for artwork dating purposes. To that end, ageing prediction models were developed for Liquitex® and Hyplar® brands. Paint samples containing the green synthetic organic pigment (PG7), were exposed to artificial ageing and analysed with FTIR-ATR and Py-GC/MS for characterization and monitorization of the main components (binding medium, pigment and additives). Although the OPLS ageing models were mainly characterized by the modifications suffered by both the binder and the surfactants, a universal model could not be developed due to differences in the modification trends of the different brands. The applicability of the OPLS modelling for artwork dating purposes was tested in artworks provided by internationally recognized contemporary Basque artists. For Liquitex® a significant correlation (p

Concentrations of heavy metals were measured in sediment and water from Malaga Bay (South Spain). In the later twentieth century, cities such as Malaga, have suffered the impact of mass summer tourism. The ancient industrial activities, and the actual urbanization and coastal development, recreation and tourism, wastewaters treatment facilities, have been sources of marine pollution. In sediments, Ni was the most disturbing metal because Ni concentrations exceeded the effects range low (ERL), concentration at which toxicity could start to be observed in 85% of the samples analyzed. The metal bioavailability decreased in the order: Cd > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cr. In the sea water samples, Cd and Pb were the most disturbing metals because they exceeded the continuous criteria concentration (CCC) of US EPA in a 22.5% and 10.0% of the samples, respectively. Statistical analyses (ANOVA, PCA, CA) were performed.

BACKGROUND In the pesticides industry, pesticides have different degrees of health hazard, ranging from respiratory exposure to penetration through the skin, the unsafe handling of high viscosity liquid pesticides and the hazardous organic solvents chosen to manufacture the formulated pesticides. Considering all these drawbacks, microencapsulation techniques can be the most efficient way of using pesticides due to their important advantages. In the manufacturing process it is important to choose the best encapsulating agent and to calculate the stoichiometry of the process in order to achieve safety, environmental and economic benefits. In this work, an encapsulation process with β-cyclodextrin (CD) and pesticides has been developed with maximum recovery. The insecticidal effect has been tested using cockroaches. RESULTS The stoichiometry of inclusion complexes, from 1:1 to 1:3 for pesticide:β-cyclodextrin has been calculated by phase solubility analysis and both UV–vis spectrophotometry and capillary zone electrophoresis. The formation of complexes has been confirmed by different physicochemical analysis. On the other hand, the insecticidal effect by contact and inhalation has been allayed due to the protection of insecticide with CD. CONCLUSIONS The formation of inclusion complexes between pesticides and β-cyclodextrin makes a safe, environmental and economically sustainable industrial process. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (NZVI) as well as polymer–stabilized nanoparticles were synthesized and used for lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) degradation in aqueous solution. To study the effectiveness of the different coated nanoparticles, simple and rapid analytical methods have been developed to measure and to detect lindane and its by-products. For the monitorization of lindane degradation solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used, while volatile by-products formation measurement was carried out by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS–SPME) followed by GC/MS. The SPE–GC/MS method provides low detection limits (0.2 μg L−1), high recovery (above 95%) and it is a valuable tool for kinetic studies of the degradation process for each polymer used, while HS–SPME–GC/MS has proved to be an effective tool for the extraction and evaluation of volatile degradation by-products.

Resumen: Objetivo: Evaluar la eficacia del tratamiento quirúrgico mediante adenoamigdalectomía en el síndrome de apnea-hipopnea durante el sueño (SAHS) en la infancia mediante poligrafía respiratoria (PR). Material y métodos: Estudio prospectivo en niños menores de 14 años remitidos con la sospecha clínica de SAHS. A todos ellos se les realizó una historia clínica, examen físico general y otorrinolaringológico, así como PR previa a la adenoamigdalectomía y 6 meses después. Se excluyeron los síndromes cráneo-faciales, las alteraciones neuromusculares y la enfermedad concomitante grave. Resultados: Se estudiaron 150 casos (67,3% varones), con una edad media de 3,74 ± 1,80 años y un percentil de IMC de 41,70 ± 31,75, diagnosticados de SAHS, cuando el número total de eventos respiratorios, apneas más hipopneas, dividido por el tiempo total del estudio (IER) era mayor de 4,6, mediante PR previa a la cirugía. El IER medio fue de 15,18 ± 11,11; del total, 58,7% (88) presentaba un SAHS grave (IER > 10). Después de 6 meses tras la cirugía, mejoraron todos los parámetros clínicos y poligráficos. Persistió enfermedad (IER > 4,6) en 21 pacientes (14%). Ninguno de ellos presentó IER > 10 tras la cirugía. El IER preoperatorio se relacionó significativamente con la persistencia de enfermedad (p = 0,042). Conclusiones: La PR es útil para monitorizar la eficacia del tratamiento quirúrgico mediante adenoamigdalectomía en el SAHS infantil. Abstract: Objetive: To evaluate the effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in children by respiratory polygraphy (RP). Material and methods: Prospective study was conducted on children referred with clinical suspicion of OSAHS. A clinical history was taken and a general physical and ENT examination was performed on all patients. RP was performed before adenotonsillectomy and six months afterwards. Patients with craniofacial syndromes, neuromuscular disorders, and severe concomitant disease were excluded. Results: We studied 150 children (67. 8% male), with a mean age of 3.74 ± 1.80 years and a BMI of 41.70 ± 31.75. A diagnosis of OSAHS was made if the total number of respiratory events, apneas and hypopneas, divided by the total study time (RDI) was > 4.6, using RP before undergoing adenotonsillectomy. The mean respiratory disturbance index (RDI) was 15.18 ± 11.11, with 58.7% (88) of with severe OSAHS (RDI > 10). There was a significant improvement in all clinical and polygraphic variables six months after adenotonsillectomy. The residual OSAHS was 14%. The preoperative RDI was significantly associated with persistent disease (P = .042). Conclusions: Respiratory polygraphy is useful for monitoring the efficacy of surgical treatment by adenotonsillectomy in children with OSAHS.

The icy dwarf planet Makemake has projected axes of 1,430 ± 9 and 1,502 ± 45 km and a V-band geometric albedo larger than Pluto’s but smaller than Eris’s, with no global Pluto-like atmosphere. Makemake is thought to be the third-largest dwarf planet in our Solar System, a little smaller than Pluto and Eris, but until now knowledge of its size and albedo were only approximate. This paper reports the results of observations of the occultation of a faint star known as NOMAD 1181-0235723 by Makemake on 23 April 2011. The data confirm that Makemake is smaller than Pluto and Eris, with axes of 1,430±9 km and 1,502±45 km. Makemake's mean geometric albedo — the ratio of light reflected to light received — is intermediate between that of Pluto and that of Eris. All three are icy, making them among the most reflective objects in the Solar System. And the occultation light curves rule out the presence of a global Pluto-like atmosphere on Makemake, although the presence of dark terrain might imply the presence of a localized atmosphere. Pluto and Eris are icy dwarf planets with nearly identical sizes, comparable densities and similar surface compositions as revealed by spectroscopic studies1,2. Pluto possesses an atmosphere whereas Eris does not; the difference probably arises from their differing distances from the Sun, and explains their different albedos3. Makemake is another icy dwarf planet with a spectrum similar to Eris and Pluto4, and is currently at a distance to the Sun intermediate between the two. Although Makemake’s size (1,420 ± 60 km) and albedo are roughly known5,6, there has been no constraint on its density and there were expectations that it could have a Pluto-like atmosphere4,7,8. Here we report the results from a stellar occultation by Makemake on 2011 April 23. Our preferred solution that fits the occultation chords corresponds to a body with projected axes of 1,430 ± 9 km (1σ) and 1,502 ± 45 km, implying a V-band geometric albedo pV = 0.77 ± 0.03. This albedo is larger than that of Pluto, but smaller than that of Eris. The disappearances and reappearances of the star were abrupt, showing that Makemake has no global Pluto-like atmosphere at an upper limit of 4–12 nanobar (1σ) for the surface pressure, although a localized atmosphere is possible. A density of 1.7 ± 0.3 g cm−3 is inferred from the data.

A simple, easy-to-use, efficient and environmentally friendly method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of nine pirethroid pesticides in water samples by the combination of hollow fibre-based liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). For the developed method, nine pirethroid pesticides (esbiothrin, prallethrin, bifenthrin, tetramethrin, phenothrin, permethrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin) were concentrated and well separated under optimal conditions. Several factors that influence the efficiency of HF-LPME were investigated and optimized by means of experimental design. The proposed method has good linearity in the concentration range of 10-400 μg L(-1) with correlation coefficients between 0.995 and 0.999. Overall enrichment factors for the optimized method ranged from 139 to 255 times except for cypermethrin and deltamethrin which ranged from 35 to 128. Detection and quantitation limits of the chromatographic method were in the range of 0.002-0.012 μg L(-1) and 0.003-0.026 μg L(-1) respectively, with RSD values between 4.2% and 18.4%. The recoveries varied in the range of 69.4%-122.7% except for cypermethrin and deltamethrin (17.5%-64.1%) with relative standard deviations between 1.0% and 24.0% for intra and inter-day experiments at different concentrations (0.1 μg L(-1), 0.5 μg L(-1), 1 μg L(-1)). The HF-LPME method optimized was applied to the analysis of three spiked real water samples with good results.

This article describes a new and efficient procedure for removing Ca2+ present in biodiesel prepared using CaO as a catalyst. Washing of CaO-derived biodiesel with a boiling methanol–Na2CO3 mixture followed by a further rinsing step with water results in the effective removal of Ca2+ to levels below 5 ppm, which is the value required by most regulations. Na2CO3 is easily separated from the biodiesel by filtration. The Na+ content of the final biodiesel is also below 5 ppm, which is the value required by regulations for this ion. Rinsing only with water or with aqueous HCl without Na2CO3 treatment did not remove Ca2+ to a level below the specifications. When CaO-derived biodiesel was rinsed with sulphonic resins followed by a water washing step, Ca2+ was efficiently removed, but the acid value parameter of the final biodiesel did not meet the regulatory standards. We have also demonstrated that the synthesis of biodiesel and the removal of Ca2+ and Na+ to levels below 5 ppm can be simultaneously achieved if Na2CO3 is initially incorporated in the CaO–methanol–sunflower oil mixture used as the starting material.

In this paper, the stability at storage conditions of inclusion complexes formed by the biocides: the bendiocarb carbamate, nicotinoid and pyrethroid families, the pyperonyl butoxide synergist and ...

Commercial stabilized slurry of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) as well as laboratory-synthesized polymer-stabilized NZVI nanoparticles were used for lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) degradation studies in aqueous solution. In the present study, polymer-stabilized iron nanoparticles were stabilized using polyethylene glycol (PEG, Mn ~400 and ~950-1050) and polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF, Mn ~650). To study the effectiveness of the different nanoparticles, a quantitative monitorization of lindane degradation by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and a qualitative measurement of generated volatile by-products by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by GC/MS were carried out. The obtained data were compared and contrasted with the results obtained in previous work. Results showed that the nanoparticles studied in this work possess superior dechlorination performance compared with previous observations. The freshly prepared Fe(0)-PEG400, Fe(0)-PEG1050 and Fe(0)-PTHF exhibited high reactivity during the dechlorination process of lindane in a very short time. The results obtained with the synthesized nanoparticles were similar to those obtained with commercial nanoparticles. However, in all cases reactivity decreased at reaction's late stage. Degradation of lindane by the studied nanoparticles removed 99.9% of the lindane initial concentration after 72h, except for Fe(0)-PTHF nanoparticles, for which the reaction stopped after 5min. In all cases, the reaction followed a second order kinetics. Finally, comparing the results from this study with our previous work, where different nature polymers were considered (Fe(0)-CMC, Fe(0)-PAA and Fe(0)-PAP), more gradual degradation profile of lindane was observed for Fe(0)-PAA and Fe(0)-CMC. It should be noted that in the present case, the reaction of lindane was speeded up with commercial and Fe(0)-PEG nanoparticles. Nevertheless, in the later case, the composition of by-products was affected by the presence of partially degraded intermediates. Taking into account the current technologies, the high removal rates obtained and the acceptable degradation times required, the proposed technology is suitable for its aimed purpose.

Establishing the approximate age of an ink entry from a questioned document is often a complicated task and a controversial issue in forensic sciences. Among the existing approaches, the analysis of solvents in ballpoint inks may be a useful parameter for determining the age of ink on paper. In recent years, several ink dating methods have been proposed. These methods have been based on the analysis of common ink solvents using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) as the analytical platform. Despite these recent methods, several questions remain. The aim of this work was to develop an ink dating methodology (DATINK) for documents written by ballpoint pens based on the disappearance of volatile solvents from the ink entry. Multiple solid-phase microextraction (MHS-SPME) coupled to GC/MS was used to measure the solvents from ink entries made with four BIC(®) ballpoint pens. The β parameter, the remaining fraction of the analyte in the system after one equilibration, corresponding to the successive extractions was considered for modelling a mathematical equation for later ink age dating. Preliminary tests of DATINK method showed that it was possible to detect the presence of ink solvents on documents up to the studied five years. The analyses of different real samples of known age were analyzed in terms of β values, which provided a mean relative error of 21%. The proposed use of β parameter for estimating the absolute age of ballpoint ink entries has shown promising results with a standard deviation of β ranging from 0.002 to 0.004.

El diagnostico del sindrome de apneas/hipoapneas del sueno (SAHS), se establece en funcion de manifestaciones clinicas y registros polisomnograficos (PSG) nocturnos. Como alternativa a la PSG nocturna completa, se han propuesto estudios nocturnos abreviados. Objetivos Determinar si la correccion de la PSG de la primera mitad de la noche es suficiente para establecer el diagnostico de SAHS y analizar la correlacion existente entre las variables polisomnograficas de los registros de 4 h (mitad del estudio) frente a los de ocho horas de duracion (estudio completo), asi como determinar la coincidencia diagnostica. Diseno Se estudian de forma prospectiva 35 pacientes con sospecha clinica de SAHS, a los que se realiza un estudio polisomnografico basal nocturno, corregido de forma ciega por dos observadores diferentes, segun los metodos estandar. El diagnostico de SAHS, se realiza segun la normativa de la Sociedad Espanola de Neumologia y Cirugia Toracica (SEPAR). En la primera mitad y al final del estudio PSG se recogen variables neurofisiologicas, respiratorias y la impresion diagnostica. Resultados La correlacion encontrada entre las diferentes variables consideradas (estadios de sueno, indice de apnea/hipoapnea [IAH] global, IAH REM, IAH no REM y eficiencia del sueno) entre la mitad (MN) y el estudio PSG completo (TN) es significativa para un valor de p Conclusion Sobre la base de los resultados obtenidos, concluimos que los pacientes con diagnostico de SAHS severo en la primera mitad de la noche son subsidiarios de estudios de titulacion en la segunda mitad de la noche.

Headspace (HS) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) have been found to be suitable methods for the analysis of volatile organic compounds. The objectives of this paper are to study the possibilities of multiple headspace extraction (MHE) for the quantitative determination of volatile compounds in mushroom samples and to compare the results obtained using three different sample treatment techniques. For this purpose, HS with two different injection techniques (pressure-loop system and gas-tight syringe autosampling system) and HS-SPME have been studied. Three processes were optimized for the analysis of 20 volatile compounds by experimental design technique based on Central Composite Design (CCD) and Full Factorial Design depending on the used methodology. Once the designs were finished, a trade off among optimum conditions for each compound analyzed was reached. At optimum conditions, appropriate extraction time and sample amount for the three techniques used were established. Finally, the methods were validated in terms of linearity, detection and quantitation limits and repeatability. The most suitable method was then applied to the quantitative analysis of seven mushroom samples. A detailed comparison of the analytical performance characteristics of HS and HS-SPME as sample treatment techniques for final GC/MS determination is given. In addition, MHE has been proved to be an adequate technique to avoid matrix effects in complex samples quantitation. Its applicability to the determination of volatile mushroom components, along with its limitations, is discussed in this work.

1ESO, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching bei Munchen, Germany 2Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Istituto Nazionale de Astrofisica, via Frascati 33, 0040 Monte Porzio Catone, Italy 3Departement de Physique, Universite de Montreal, CP. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada 4Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA 5Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Calle Via Lactea s/n, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 6Departamento de Astrofisica, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 7Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium 8Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Av. Vicuna Mackenna 4860, 782-0436 Macul, Santiago, Chile 9The Milky Way Millennium Nucleus, Av. Vicuna Mackenna 4860, 782-0436 Macul, Santiago, Chile 10Department of Physics, Universita di Roma “Tor Vergata”, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy 11Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK 12Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK

We recently discovered an apparently new class of pulsating Extreme Horizontal Branch (EHB) star in ω Cen. Tightly clustered around ∼50,000 K, these H-rich sdO stars exhibit rapid, multi-periodic oscillations on a timescale of 100 s. While four such objects have been detected in ω Cen, no counterparts have yet been found among the field population. Conversely, the rapid sdB pulsators around 31,000 K that are well-studied in the Galactic field have yet to be found in a globular cluster. We discuss the implications of this and also report the discovery of a fifth EHB pulsator in ω Cen.

The effect of storage temperature on rheological behaviour of four varieties of baby foods was studied. After 24-month storage at 15C and 25C, the constant A in Weltman model increased significantly for the vegetables, meat and fish samples, and decreased significantly for the fruit samples. After 24-month storage at 5C and 15C there were no significant changes in flow behavior index, consistency index and yield stress of the Herschel-Bulkley model for the vegetables, meat, fish and fruit samples. Increase in storage temperature decreased the consistency index and yield stress of the fruit samples.

The effect of storage on sugar content (fructose, glucose, sucrose) and free lysine in vegetable, meat, fish and fruit baby foods for a period of two years and at temperatures of 5, 15 and 25C were studied. The results showed that under these storage conditions a decrease occurred in fructose, glucose and sucrose for vegetable, meat and fish foods. A drop in sucrose was found in the fruit sample, together with an increase in fructose and glucose. The increase of reducing sugars in this sample is attributed to the hydrolysis of sucrose, an effect which is favorable because of storage temperature. A drop in free lysine was found for the four types of samples; this decrease was dependent on storage temperature but mainly on the time of storage. After one year, the levels of lysine were decreased by half or more at all temperatures. Although infants can get lysine from other sources such as milk and cereals, the lysine loss can be important leading to negative nutritional consequences if infants mainly eat baby foods stored at least for one year. The loss of reducing sugars and of lysine showed that during storage of these products a Maillard browning reaction between reducing sugar and lysine occurred.

A new approoch to the analysis of free amino acids from infant foods is described. The method is based on reaction of the free amino acids with phenylisothiocyanate to form stable derivatives which are subsequently separated by liquid chromatography. Sample preparation procedures are described. Separation of all amino acids using this method was completed in 20 min. This method was much faster than the traditional Ion-exchange methods (2–3 h). Variability of the method (expressed as coefficients of variation) for the determination (including preparation of samples, derivatization and liquid chromatography) of all amino acid was less than 10%.

E ste articulo comenzo a cristalizar a raiz de la revision del trabajo que se ha ido realizando con los S.S.A.A.C. en el centro de Paralisis Cerebral Infantil de AS.PA.CE., en Baleares, desde 1986. En estos siete anos se ha pasado por diferentes etapas en el u so de estos sistemas, y ha sido una labor realizada por distintas logopedas. En un primer momento, el trabajo se dirigio hacia el conocimiento de los S.S.A.A.C. por parte de los profesionales, y al aprendizaje y uso adecuado de los mismos, por parte de los alumnos. A partir de ahi fueron surgiendo necesidades concretas y dudas de tipo teorico y practico. En este estudio pretendemos exponer cuales han sido las dificultades con las que nos hemos encontrado, las soluciones que hemos propuesto y cuales son las cuestiones que aun nos quedan por resolver.

A young female carrier for incontinentia pigmenti underwent preimplantation genetic diagnosis to prevent the transfer of affected embryos. FISH diagnosis was performed using X, Y, 18 and 13/21 probes. Unexpectedly, 57% of the embryos were aneuploid for these chromosomes, a rate significantly higher (P < 0.005) than expected (9.3%). The patient achieved pregnancy but spontaneously aborted a trisomy 9 fetus.

In the present report we analyzed the immunophenotype of the neoplastic cells in a case of primary plasma cell leukemia (PCL). We performed simultaneous analysis of bone marrow and peripheral blood samples to investigate minor phenotypic variations that could explain the tendency of a population to leave medullary compartments. No major differences were observed between the two populations. The phenotype of the malignant clone was: CD38 + , CD138 + , CD19 − , CD56 + , CD117 − , CD33 + , CD44 + , CD49e − , cCD79a + with positive cytoplasmic stain for κ and IgG. Our findings expands the potential uses of cCD79a to cases of PCL with atypical morphology.