Electrochemical sensors have the ability to convert the electrochemical reaction that occurs be-tween the analyte and the electrode into a useful signal. Potentiometric sensors, ion-selective electrodes, an important member of the electrochemical sensor family, have been the focus of much research for almost a century. Their constant development and combination with the development of other scientific and technological fields have given them a wide range of applications. Properties of ion-selective electrodes, such as simplicity of method, low cost, small sensor size, fast response, and reliability, have made them valuable competitors of other methods for determining the concentration of analytes in different real samples with minimal or no pretreatment of the samples. Considering the wide distribution and great importance of iron(III) cations in the human body and environment, there is a great need to develop analytical tools for their rapid and effi - cient determination. This paper, presents different literature sources dealing with the development of potentiometric sensors for the determination of iron(III) cations, focusing on scientific papers published in the last decade. The active centre of the sensor, its linear dynamic range, the limit of detection, and the change in potential depending on the change in analyte concentration are shown. It has been found that Fe 3+ cations can be determined successfully in numerous real samples, such as pharmaceutical preparations, biological samples, different water samples (drinking, waste, mineral...), food products such as green and black tea, etc. Thanks to the wide linear range, low detection limits, and a wide range of real samples in which they can be applied, ion-selective electrodes are promising candidates for replacing some more sophisticated methods for the determination of iron(III) cations.

SUMMARY

Background Therapeutic options for human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) are developing rapidly. This study aimed to determine the differences in the survival outcomes of patients with HER2-positive mBC in relation to access to anti-HER therapy at 3 oncology centers in upper-middle-income countries (UMICs) and 1 oncology center in a high-income country (HIC). Material/Methods We retrospectively identified 42 patients from Croatia (HIC), 71 patients from Serbia (UMIC), and 57 from Bosnia and Herzegovina (UMIC) diagnosed with HER2-positive mBC who were treated between January 2015 and December 2020. The pathohistological features of the tumors were obtained from the pathological findings, which were made according to standard procedures for each center. Patients were treated depending on the availability of therapy, which differed for centers in different countries. We evaluated disease-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) based on the availability of first- and second-line anti-HER2 therapy in UMICs vs HIC. Results OS in first-line therapy was better in patients treated with dual HER2 blockade than in patients treated without dual HER2 blockade, P<0.001. OS in second-line therapy was significantly better in patients treated with trastuzumab emtansine than in patients treated with other reported regimens, P=0.004. Conclusions Results of our study showed superior survival among patients who were treated with dual first-line HER2 therapy as well as second-line trastuzumab emtansine therapy than in those patients in other centers where these drugs were not available. Raising awareness about this could help improve the situation.

Introdução: A automedicação pode ser definida como a utilização de medicamentos por conta própria para tratar patologias. O uso indevido de medicamentos pode acarretar danos ao equilíbrio saudável do organismo humano, até porque medicamentos utilizados sem orientação podem camuflar certas patologias dificultando ainda mais o seu tratamento. Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil da prática de automedicação em crianças de 0-14 anos na cidade de Manaus – Amazonas. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma pesquisa quantitativa. Resultados: A frequência de automedicação entre os pais entrevistados foi de 90%. Os fatores influenciadores da automedicação mais citados foram: orientação informal de um profissional de saúde (31,06%); Indicação de amigos e familiares (20,45%) e Conhecimento próprio (20,45%). Os principais grupos de medicamentos utilizados na automedicação foram: analgésicos e antitérmicos (51,06%) e anti-inflamatórios (12,77%). As situações clínicas em que mais ocorreu a prática da automedicação foram: gripes e resfriados (30,77%); febre (26,28%) e dor (19,87%). Conclusão: A automedicação em crianças até 14 anos de idade é frequentemente praticada no dia a dia e normalmente acontece sob a responsabilidade dos pais e/ou responsáveis, na maioria das vezes, em situação de gripe/resfriado e febre, seja por orientação de um profissional de saúde ou pelo conhecimento próprio. A diminuição dessa prática deve ser incentivada, através da mobilização do uso racional de medicamentos e do auxílio na segurança da administração de fármacos em crianças.

Short-distance new physics at (or slightly) above the TeV scale should not excessively violate the approximate flavor symmetries of the SM in order to comply with stringent constraints from flavor-changing neutral currents. In this respect, flavor symmetries provide an effective organizing principle for the vast parameter space of the SMEFT. In this work, we classify all possible irreducible representations under U(3)5 flavor symmetry of new heavy spin-0, 1/2, and 1 fields which integrate out to dimension-6 operators at the tree level. For a general perturbative UV model, the resulting flavor-symmetric interactions are very restrictive and, in most cases, predict a single Hermitian operator with a definite sign. These leading directions in the SMEFT space deserve particular attention. We derive an extensive set of present experimental constraints by utilizing the existing global SMEFT fits, which incorporate data from top quark, Higgs boson, and electroweak measurements, along with constraints on dilepton and 4-lepton contact interactions. The derived set of bounds comprehensively summarises the present knowledge from indirect searches of flavor-blind new physics mediators.

Background Postgraduate rheumatology training programmes are already established at a national level in most European countries. However, previous work has highlighted a substantial level of heterogeneity in the organisation and, in part, content of programmes. Objective To define competences and standards of knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required for the training of rheumatologists. Methods A European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) task force (TF) of 23 experts, including two members of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) section of rheumatology, was convened. The mapping phase consisted of the retrieval of key documents on specialty training in rheumatology and other related specialties across a broad set of international sources. The content of these documents was extracted and represented the foundation for the document draft that underwent several rounds of online discussion within the TF, and afterwards was also distributed to a broad group of stakeholders for collecting feedback. The list of generated competences was voted on during the TF meetings, while the level of agreement (LoA) with each statement was established by anonymous online voting. Results A total of 132 international training curricula were retrieved and extracted. In addition to the TF members, 253 stakeholders commented and voted on the competences through an online anonymous survey. The TF developed (1) an overarching framework indicating the areas that should be addressed during training, (2) 7 domains defining broad areas that rheumatology trainees should master by the end of the training programme, (3) 8 core themes defining the nuances of each domain and (4) 28 competences that trainees should acquire to cover each of the areas outlined in the overarching framework. A high LoA was achieved for all competences. Conclusion These points to consider for EULAR–UEMS standards for the training of European rheumatologists are now defined. Their dissemination and use can hopefully contribute to harmonising training across European countries.

SummaryActive optical atomic clocks are emerging as a new promising tool for time and frequency metrology. Such clocks have the potential to reach a fractional frequency instability in the 10-18 range at one second [1]. These references are based on the superradiant emission of an ensemble of atoms coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field [2]. For optical references, this coupling is achieved through a resonant high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity that therefore plays a crucial role to reach superradiant lasing. Specific characteristics are required to permit superradiant emission in a metrologically relevant regime: tunability of the cavity resonant frequency, ability to accommodate atoms and low fractional length fluctuations, in the order of 10-13. This work shows the conception, through simulation, assembly and preliminary characterization of this Fabry Perot cavity.

SummaryWe present our progress on the construction of a ¹⁷¹Yb-based active optical atomic clock. The ytterbium (Yb) atoms, initially in a collimated thermal beam generated in an oven, are decelerated using a Zeeman slower to the capture velocity (~ 10 ms^-1) for a magneto-optical trap on the ¹S<inf>0</inf> → ³P<inf>1</inf> transition at 556 nm. This allows us to generate an ensemble of N >10⁶ atoms at temperatures below 100 μK, which will be transported using an optical conveyor belt to an ultra-stable (σ<inf>y</inf> ~ 10^-13) cavity of finesse on the order of 10⁴. Here, the atoms will be prepared in order to generate a superradiant emission which will serve as the frequency reference on the ¹S<inf>0</inf> → ³P<inf>0</inf> clock transition in ¹⁷¹Yb.

SummaryWe demonstrate a fiber link with instability in the 10-18 range for optical frequency dissemination. It relies on a fully-digital Doppler cancellation platform that makes a novel use of aliasing to generate signals above Nyquist frequency. Furthermore, we present an automatic method to measure the disturbance rejection of the system without a direct comparison between the input and the output of the fiber link. Finally, we have investigated the low-frequency noise at the Red Pitaya output.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of thermal modification on the physical and mechanical properties of three different wood species from Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.), linden wood (Tilia cordata), and silver fir wood (Abies alba). The samples underwent thermal modification at five different temperatures (170 °C, 180 °C, 195 °C, 210 °C, and 220 °C) for varying durations (ranging from 78 to 276 min). After treatment, they were exposed to outdoor conditions for twelve months. The study examined the four-point bending strength, tensile force, color change, and surface quality of the modified and unmodified samples. The results showed that outdoor exposure negatively impacted the mechanical properties of the unmodified samples, especially in the linden wood which was 41% and the beech wood which was 42%. Additionally, outdoor exposure caused significant surface cracks in the thermally modified linden and beech wood. The study also found prominent color changes in the modified and unmodified samples during twelve months of exposure. The roughness of the samples was determined with a confocal laser scanning microscope, which showed that the roughness increased on both the axial and the longitudinal surfaces after weathering. The highest roughness for the fir wood was determined to be 15.6 µm. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of wood modification and its impact on the use-value of wood products.