Fetal rat neural progenitor cell transplantation after spinal cord injury improves motor recovery following optogenetic stimulation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts communication between the brain and the spinal circuits, resulting in severe motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunctions. Transplantation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) has been demonstrated to provide multiple benefits; however, limited graft survival and neuronal differentiation must be overcome to achieve improved results. Here, we explore the optogenetic modulation of rat spinal cord-derived NPC expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) through adeno-associated virus serotype 9-mediated transduction, transplanted into the sub-acute stage after SCI.

Clinician perspectives on the multilevel impacts of Pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) in resource-variable hospitals.

Background: Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) are evidence-based interventions that monitor hospitalized pediatric patients to improve outcomes and prevent complications, particularly in children with cancer. However, there is limited data on how clinicians perceive the impact of PEWS on patient care across healthcare centers in resource-variable settings. Understanding clinicians' perceptions of PEWS is crucial, as their recognition of its benefits can enhance adoption and sustainability across various healthcare settings.

CECT5713 Increases Term Pregnancies in Women with Infertility of Unknown Origin: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Unexplained infertility is a worldwide problem affecting a significant proportion of couples of reproductive age. Recent studies suggest that alterations in the vaginal microbiota are related to female infertility, while supplementation with some probiotic strains has been shown to improve pregnancy rates in couples experiencing this problem. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of oral administration of CECT5713 on pregnancy success rates in couples with unexplained infertility prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Effect of different treatments on the dissipation and persistence of iodosulfuron-methyl applied in soils with wheat crop under greenhouse conditions.

The herbicides used on primary crops in rotational agriculture may be phytotoxic for subsequent ones, and their behaviour needs to be studied under different soil, climate, and agronomic conditions. This research therefore sought to study the effect of different agronomic treatments (i.e.

Modelling herbicide distribution through soil profiles under conventional tillage and non-tillage.

Conservation agricultural practices based on mulching and herbicides use are becoming more widespread. However, they cannot be simulated with pesticide fate models used for risk assessment before placing pesticides on the European market. Thus, this work sought to assess and compare the performance of PRZM and MACRO models to replicate the moisture content and vertical distribution of S-metolachlor, foramsulfuron, and thiencarbazone-methyl herbicides in two agricultural soils under conventional tillage (CT) and non-tillage (NT) over a two-year field experiment.

Multilevel mortality risk factors among pediatric hematology-oncology patients with deterioration.

Background: Hospitalized pediatric hematology-oncology patients have frequent clinical deterioration events (CDEs) requiring intensive care unit (ICU) interventions and resulting in high mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study identifies independent risk factors for CDE mortality in hospitals providing childhood cancer care in Latin America and Spain.

Methods: Centers implemented a prospective CDE registry, defined as unplanned transfer to a higher level of care, use of ICU-level interventions on the ward, or nonpalliative ward death.

Siltuximab for the treatment of early complications after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Background: Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) are complications associated with CAR T-cell therapy. Siltuximab directly binds interleukin-6 (IL-6) and may be safe and effective as first-line therapy for CRS or ICANS.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on pediatric, adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients treated with siltuximab after CAR T-cell therapy for B-ALL.

Herbicide and metabolite mobility in soil profiles under conventional tillage and non-tillage: A two-year comparative field experiment.

A two-year field experiment was conducted to compare the impact of conventional tillage (CT) and non-tillage (NT) on the mobility in two soils (S1 and S2) of the herbicides S-metolachlor (SMOC), foramsulfuron (FORAM), and thiencarbazone-methyl (TCM), and the formation of their main metabolites. Herbicide and metabolite distribution through the soil profiles (0-50 cm) was determined over two maize cycles. After the first application, the mobility of SMOC and TCM was similar under CT conditions, with higher concentrations in S2 + CT topsoil than in S1 + CT due to the higher organic carbon content in S2 and its retention ability, while both herbicides were detected in the entire S1 + CT profile over time.

The Phoenix Sepsis Score in Pediatric Oncology Patients With Sepsis at PICU Admission: Test of Performance in a European Multicenter Cohort, 2018-2020.

Objectives: The Pediatric Sepsis Definition Task Force developed and validated a new organ dysfunction score, the Phoenix Sepsis Score (PSS), as a predictor of mortality in children with suspected or confirmed infection. The PSS showed improved performance compared with prior scores. However, the criteria were derived in a general pediatric population, in which only 10% had cancer.

Efficacy of GnRH antagonists in the treatment of uterine fibroids: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: Uterine fibroids are the most common pelvic tumors in women, representing the primary indication of hysterectomy. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists represent a new therapeutic option for premenopausal women. The aim of this review is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of GnRH antagonists in the treatment of uterine fibroids (size reduction and symptom control).

Documenting adaptations to an evidence-based intervention in 58 resource-variable pediatric oncology hospitals across implementation phases.

Background: Adaptation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) often occurs when implemented in new local contexts and settings. It is unclear, however, during which phase of implementation adaptations are most frequently made and how these changes may impact the fidelity, effectiveness, and sustainability of the EBI. Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) are EBIs for early identification of deterioration in hospitalized children with cancer.

Sustainable agricultural practices influence s-metolachlor, foramsulfuron and thiencarbazone-methyl degradation and their metabolites formation.

The effect of sustainable agricultural practices, such as mulching or the application of straw residues as an organic amendment, on the degradation, dissipation and persistence in the soil of S-metolachlor (SMOC), foramsulfuron (FORAM) and thiencarbazone-methyl (TCM) is still unclear. The objective here was to conduct a laboratory experiment to evaluate the impact of milled wheat straw (WS) simulating its individual use as mulch or applied as an organic amendment to two agricultural soils: unamended and WS-amended soils on the degradation kinetics of the herbicides SMOC, FORAM and TCM, and on the formation of their major metabolites at two incubation temperatures (14 °C and 24 °C). The degradation rate of SMOC on WS was 6.

European survey on Paediatric Early Warning Systems, and other processes used to aid the recognition and response to children's deterioration on hospital wards.

Background: Internationally, there is an increasing trend in using Rapid Response Systems (RRS) to stabilize in-patient deterioration. Despite a growing evidence base, there remains limited understanding of the processes in place to aid the early recognition and response to deteriorating children in hospitals across Europe.

Aim: To describe the processes in place for early recognition and response to in-patient deterioration in children in European hospitals.

Distinct clinical phenotypes in paediatric cancer patients with sepsis are associated with different outcomes-an international multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Identifying phenotypes in sepsis patients may enable precision medicine approaches. However, the generalisability of these phenotypes to specific patient populations is unclear. Given that paediatric cancer patients with sepsis have different host response and pathogen profiles and higher mortality rates when compared to non-cancer patients, we determined whether unique, reproducible, and clinically-relevant sepsis phenotypes exist in this specific patient population.

Mulching vs. organic soil amendment: Effects on adsorption-desorption of herbicides.

Mulching and organic soil amendment are two agricultural practices that are being increasingly used to preserve soil from degradation, although they may modify the fate of herbicides when applied in soils subjected to these practices. This study has set out to compare the impact of both agricultural practices on the adsorption-desorption behaviour of the herbicides S-metolachlor (SMOC), foramsulfuron (FORAM), and thiencarbazone-methyl (TCM) involving winter wheat mulch residues at different stages of decomposition and particle size, and unamended soils or those amended with mulch. The Freundlich K adsorption constants of the three herbicides by mulches, and unamended and amended soils ranged between 1.

Optogenetic Stimulation Array for Confocal Microscopy Fast Transient Monitoring.

Optogenetics is an emerging discipline with multiple applications in neuroscience, allowing to study neuronal pathways or serving for therapeutic applications such as in the treatment of anxiety disorder, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), or Parkinson's disease. More recently optogenetics is opening its way also to stem cell-based therapeutic applications for neuronal regeneration after stroke or spinal cord injury. The results of optogenetic stimulation are usually evaluated by immunofluorescence or flow cytometry, and the observation of transient responses after stimulation, as in cardiac electrophysiology studies, by optical microscopy.

Changes in vineyard soil parameters after repeated application of organic-inorganic amendments based on spent mushroom substrate.

The changes of physicochemical and biochemical parameters of a silty loam (S1) and sandy loam (S2) vineyard soils added with spent mushroom substrate (SMS) or SMS composted with ophite (OF) as rock dust (SMS + OF) were studied. Two doses of SMS or SMS + OF (25 and 100 Mg ha) were applied for two consecutive years (2020-2021) and changes of soil physicochemical parameters, and dehydrogenase activity (DHA), respiration (RES), microbial biomass (BIO), and the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) profile were assayed on a temporal basis. The results showed an increase in soil organic carbon (OC) content, total and mineralised N, P, and K, especially when the highest SMS dose was applied to soils.

Organizational characteristics of European pediatric onco-critical care: An international cross-sectional survey.

Background: Intensified treatment protocols have improved survival of pediatric oncology patients. However, these treatment protocols are associated with increased treatment-related morbidity requiring admission to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We aimed to describe the organizational characteristics and processes of care for this patient group across PICUs in Europe.

The elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Mexico: From national health priority to national success story.

Introduction: Mexico was the first country in the Americas and the third in the world to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, as validated by the WHO in 2017.

Objective: To describe the critical elements that favored the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Mexico and the public health impact of this success.

Methodology: A revision and compilation of data and information contained in the dossier presented by the country to PAHO/WHO to obtain the validation of trachoma elimination as a public health problem was conducted by a group of delegates from the national and local trachoma prevention and control program.

Feasibility and Utility of the Venous Excess Ultrasound Score to Detect and Grade Central Venous Pressure Elevation in Critically Ill Children.

Objectives: The Venous Excess Ultrasound (VExUS) score has been described as a useful tool to estimate the degree of venous congestion in adult patients. The present study aimed to analyze the feasibility and usefulness of the VExUS score to detect and grade central venous pressure (CVP) elevation in critically ill children.

Methods: A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in a tertiary-care pediatric intensive care unit between November 2020 and June 2021.

Making EHRs Trustable: A Quality Analysis of EHR-Derived Datasets for COVID-19 Research.

One approach to verifying the quality of research data obtained from EHRs is auditing how complete and correct the data are in comparison with those collected by manual and controlled methods. This study analyzed data quality of an EHR-derived dataset for COVID-19 research, obtained during the pandemic at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre. Data were extracted from EHRs and a manually collected research database, and then transformed into the ISARIC-WHO COVID-19 CRF model.

Mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass in neonates improves postoperative outcome.

Objectives: Cardiopulmonary bypass generates a systemic inflammatory response. This inflammatory response is reduced if patients are ventilated during bypass, as evidenced by lower levels of postoperative circulating inflammatory mediators. However, this does not appear to make much clinical difference in adults, at least not consistently, but, to our knowledge, has never been assessed in paediatric cardiac surgery, which is the objective of this study.

Assessment of pesticide residues in waters and soils of a vineyard region and its temporal evolution.

Sustainable agriculture practices and integrated pest management for avoiding environmental pollution are necessary to maintain a high yield in vineyard areas. Pesticide residues in groundwater in a vineyard area of La Rioja (Spain) have been evaluated in previous years, and they could now have varied after farmers have adopted the different measures recommended. Accordingly, this research's objectives were (i) to evaluate the occurrence and seasonal distribution (spring, summer, and autumn samplings) of pesticides (36) plus their degradation products (DP) (11) in water and soil samples (23 + 15) in La Rioja (Northern Spain), and (ii) to compare the current water quality (2019) with that determined previously (2011).

Proteomic Analysis of the Secretome and Exosomes of Feline Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to have therapeutic efficacy in different complex pathologies in feline species. This effect is attributed to the secretion of a wide variety of bioactive molecules and extracellular vesicles, such as exosomes, with significant paracrine activity, encompassed under the concept of the secretome. However, at present, the exosomes from feline MSCs have not yet been studied in detail.

Optogenetic Modulation of Neural Progenitor Cells Improves Neuroregenerative Potential.

Neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation possesses enormous potential for the treatment of disorders and injuries of the central nervous system, including the replacement of lost cells or the repair of host neural circuity after spinal cord injury (SCI). Importantly, cell-based therapies in this context still require improvements such as increased cell survival and host circuit integration, and we propose the implementation of optogenetics as a solution. Blue-light stimulation of NPCs engineered to ectopically express the excitatory light-sensitive protein channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2-NPCs) prompted an influx of cations and a subsequent increase in proliferation and differentiation into oligodendrocytes and neurons and the polarization of astrocytes from a pro-inflammatory phenotype to a pro-regenerative/anti-inflammatory phenotype.