University of Alcalá

About: University of Alcalá is a education organization based out in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 10795 authors who have published 20718 publications receiving 410089 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Alcala & University of Alcala de Henares.

Automatic Searching and Evaluation of Priority and Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater and River Water by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction followed by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Abstract: A new analytical method based on stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), followed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC-TOF-MS), has been developed for the automatic searching and evaluation of nonpolar or semipolar contaminants in wastewater and river water. The target compounds selected were 13 personal care products (PCPs), 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 27 pesticides. Excellent results have been obtained in terms of separation efficiency and also in terms of compound identification. Exceptional method detection limits were achieved applying the optimized method, at or below 1 ng/L for most of the compounds in real samples. The reliable confirmation of analyte identity was possible at this low concentration level, even for typically troublesome compounds such as the PAHs. The other validation parameters were good. In addition to obtaining analytical information such as identification and quantification of target analytes, it is also possible to screen for nontarget com...

Non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency revisited: an update with a special focus on adolescent and adult women.

Abstract: Background Non-classic congenital hyperplasia (NCAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is a common autosomal recessive disorder characterized by androgen excess. Objective and rationale We conducted a systematic review and critical assessment of the available evidence pertaining to the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of NCAH. A meta-analysis of epidemiological data was also performed. Search methods Peer-reviewed studies evaluating NCAH published up to October 2016 were reviewed. Multiple databases were searched including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, ERIC, EBSCO, dissertation abstracts, and current contents. Outcomes The worldwide prevalence of NCAH amongst women presenting with signs and symptoms of androgen excess is 4.2% (95% confidence interval: 3.2-5.4%). The clinical consequences of NCAH expand from infancy, i.e. accelerated growth, to adolescence and adulthood, i.e. premature pubarche, cutaneous symptoms and oligo-ovulation in a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-like clinical picture. The diagnosis of NCAH relies on serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) concentrations. A basal 17-OHP concentration ≥2 ng/ml (6 nmol/l) should be used for screening if more appropriate in-house cut-off values are not available. Definitive diagnosis requires a 17-OHP concentration ≥10 ng/ml (30 nmol/l), either basally or after cosyntropin-stimulation. Molecular genetic analysis of the CYP21A2 gene, which is responsible for 21-hydroxylase activity, may be used for confirmation purposes and should be offered to all patients with NCAH along with genetic counseling because these patients frequently carry alleles that may result in classic CAH, the more severe form of the disease, in their progeny. Treatment must be individualized. Glucocorticoid replacement therapy may benefit pediatric patients with accelerated growth or advanced bone age or adult women seeking fertility, whereas adequate control of menstrual irregularity, hirsutism and other cutaneous symptoms is best served by the use of oral contraceptive pills and/or anti-androgens. Some women may need ovulation induction or assisted reproductive technology to achieve pregnancy. Patients with NCAH have a higher risk of miscarriage and may benefit from glucocorticoid treatment during pregnancy. Wider implications Evidence-based diagnostic and treatment strategies are essential for the proper management of women with NCAH, especially considering that these patients may need different therapeutic strategies at different stages during their follow-up and that appropriate genetic counseling may prevent the occurrence of CAH in their children.

Lignin-degrading peroxidases in Polyporales: an evolutionary survey based on 10 sequenced genomes

Abstract: The genomes of three representative Poly- porales (Bjerkandera adusta, Phlebia brevispora and a member of the Ganoderma lucidum complex) were sequenced to expand our knowledge on the diversity of ligninolytic and related peroxidase genes in this Basidiomycota order that includes most wood-rotting fungi. The survey was completed by analyzing the heme-peroxidase genes in the already available genomes of seven more Polyporales species repre- senting the antrodia, gelatoporia, core polyporoid and phlebioid clades. The study confirms the absence of ligninolytic peroxidase genes from the manganese peroxidase (MnP), lignin peroxidase (LiP) and versatile peroxidase (VP) families, in the brown-rot fungal genomes (all of them from the antrodia clade), which include only a limited number of predicted low redox-potential generic peroxidase (GP) genes. When members of the heme-thiolate peroxidase (HTP) and dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) superfamilies (up to a total of 64 genes) also are considered, the newly sequencedB. adusta appears as the Polyporales species with the highest number of peroxidase genes due to the high expansion of both the ligninolytic peroxidase and DyP (super)families. The evolutionary relationships of the 111 genes for class-II peroxidases (from the GP, MnP, VP, LiP families) in the 10 Polyporales genomes is discussed including the existence of different MnP subfamilies and of a large and homogeneous LiP cluster, while different VPs mainly cluster with short MnPs. Finally, ancestral state reconstructions showed that a putative MnP gene, derived from a primitive GP that incorporated the Mn(II)-oxidation site, is the precursor of all the class-II ligninolytic peroxidases. Incorporation of an exposed tryptophan residue involved in oxidative degradation of lignin in a short MnP apparently resulted in evolution of the first VP. One of these ancient VPs might have lost the Mn(II)- oxidation site being at the origin of all the LiP enzymes, which are found only in species of the order Polyporales.

Highly Stable Water‐Soluble Platinum Nanoparticles Stabilized by Hydrophilic N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes

Abstract: Controlling the synthesis of stable metal nanoparticles in water is a current challenge in nanochemistry. The strategy presented herein uses sulfonated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands to stabilize platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) in water, under air, for an indefinite time period. The particles were prepared by thermal decomposition of a preformed molecular Pt complex containing the NHC ligand and were then purified by dialysis and characterized by TEM, high-resolution TEM, and spectroscopic techniques. Solid-state NMR studies showed coordination of the carbene ligands to the nanoparticle surface and allowed the determination of a (13)C-(195)Pt coupling constant for the first time in a nanosystem (940 Hz). Additionally, in one case a novel structure was formed in which platinum(II) NHC complexes form a second coordination sphere around the nanoparticle.