1.
Characteristics of atheromatosis in the prediabetes stage: a cross-sectional investigation of the ILERVAS project.
Sánchez, E, Betriu, À, López-Cano, C, Hernández, M, Fernández, E, Purroy, F, Bermúdez-López, M, Farràs-Sallés, C, Barril, S, Pamplona, R, et al
Cardiovascular diabetology. 2019;(1):154
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prediabetes has recently been associated with subclinical atheromatous disease in the middle-aged population. Our aim was to characterize atheromatous plaque burden by the number of affected territories and the total plaque area in the prediabetes stage. METHODS Atheromatous plaque burden (quantity of plaques and total plaque area) was assessed in 12 territories from the carotid and femoral regions using ultrasonography in 6688 non-diabetic middle-aged subjects without cardiovascular disease. Prediabetes was defined by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) between 5.7 and 6.4% according to the American Diabetes Association guidelines. RESULTS Prediabetes was diagnosed in 33.9% (n = 2269) of the ILERVAS participants. Subjects with prediabetes presented a higher prevalence of subclinical atheromatous disease than participants with HbA1c < 5.7% (70.4 vs. 67.5%, p = 0.017). In the population with prediabetes this was observed at the level of the carotid territory (p < 0.001), but not in the femoral arteries. Participants in the prediabetes stage also presented a significantly higher number of affected territories (2 [1;3] vs. 1 [0;3], p = 0.002), with a positive correlation between HbA1c levels and the number of affected territories (r = 0.068, p < 0.001). However, atheromatosis was only significantly (p = 0.016) magnified by prediabetes in those subjects with 3 or more cardiovascular risk factors. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that the well-established cardiovascular risk factors together with HbA1c were independently associated with the presence of atheromatous disease in participants with prediabetes. When males and females were analyzed separately, we found that only men with prediabetes presented both carotid and femoral atherosclerosis, as well as an increase of total plaque area in comparison with non-prediabetic subjects. CONCLUSIONS The prediabetes stage is accompanied by an increased subclinical atheromatous disease only in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors. Prediabetes modulates the atherogenic effect of cardiovascular risk factors in terms of distribution and total plaque area in a sex-dependent manner. Trial registration NCT03228459 (clinicaltrials.gov).
2.
Performance and kinetic evaluation of the anaerobic digestion of two-phase olive mill effluents in reactors with suspended and immobilized biomass.
Raposo, F, Borja, R, Sánchez, E, Martín, MA, Martín, A
Water research. 2004;(8):2017-26
Abstract
A lab-scale study was conducted on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of two-phase olive mill effluents constituted by the mixture of the wash waters derived from the initial cleansing of the olives and those obtained in the washing and purification of virgin olive oil. The digestion was conducted in two continuously stirred tank reactors, one with biomass immobilized on Bentonite (reactor B) and other with suspended biomass used as control (reactor C). The reactors B and C operated satisfactorily between hydraulic retention times of 25.0 and 4.0 days and 25.0 and 5.0 days, respectively. Total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) efficiencies in the ranges of 88.8-72.1% and 87.9-71.2% were achieved in the reactors with immobilized and suspended biomass, respectively, at organic loading rates of between 0.86 and 5.38 g TCOD/ld and 0.86-4.30 g TCOD/ld, respectively. On comparing both reactors for the same OLRs applied, it was observed that the reactor with support was always more efficient and stable showing higher TCOD, SCOD removal efficiencies and lower VFA/alkalinity ratio values than those found in the control reactor. A mass (TCOD) balance around the reactors allowed the methane yield coefficient, Y(G/S), to be obtained, which gave values of 0.31 and 0.30l CH(4)/g TCOD(removed) for reactors B and C, respectively. The cell maintenance coefficients,k(m), obtained by means of this balance were found to be 0.0024 and 0.0036 g TCOD(removed)/g VSSd, respectively. The volumetric methane production rates correlated with the biodegradable TCOD concentration through an equation of the Michaelis-Menten type for the two reactors studied. This proposed model predicted the behavior of the reactors very accurately showing deviations lower than 10% between the experimental and theoretical values of methane production rates.