Validation of a Spanish version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in cystic fibrosis

Bronchiectasis; Quality of life; Respiratory diseaseBronquiectasia; Calidad de vida; Enfermedad respiratoriaBronquiectàsia; Qualitat de vida; Malaltia respiratòriaCough is a main symptom in cystic fibrosis (CF). We aim to validate a Spanish version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ-Sp) to measure the impact of cough in CF bronchiectasis. A prospective longitudinal multicentre study was performed. Internal consistency and score changes over a 15-day period in stable state were assessed to analyse reliability. Concurrent validity was analysed by correlation with Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and convergent validity by assessing the association with clinical variables. Changes in scores between stable state and the first exacerbation were assessed to analyse responsiveness. 132 patients (29.73 ± 10.52 years) were enrolled in four hospitals. Internal consistency was high for the total score and good for the three domains (Cronbach’s α 0.81–0.93). The test–retest reliability showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.86 for the total score. The correlation between LCQ-Sp and SGRQ scores was −0.74. The LCQ-Sp score negatively correlated with sputum volume, and the mean score decreased at the beginning of exacerbations (16.04±3.81 vs 13.91±4.29) with a large effect size. The LCQ-Sp is a reliable, repeatable and responsive instrument to assess the impact of cough in CF bronchiectasis and is responsive to change in the event of exacerbations.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article

The AXIOM software layers

AXIOM project aims at developing a heterogeneous computing board (SMP-FPGA).The Software Layers developed at the AXIOM project are explained.OmpSs provides an easy way to execute heterogeneous codes in multiple cores. People and objects will soon share the same digital network for information exchange in a world named as the age of the cyber-physical systems. The general expectation is that people and systems will interact in real-time. This poses pressure onto systems design to support increasing demands on computational power, while keeping a low power envelop. Additionally, modular scaling and easy programmability are also important to ensure these systems to become widespread. The whole set of expectations impose scientific and technological challenges that need to be properly addressed.The AXIOM project (Agile, eXtensible, fast I/O Module) will research new hardware/software architectures for cyber-physical systems to meet such expectations. The technical approach aims at solving fundamental problems to enable easy programmability of heterogeneous multi-core multi-board systems. AXIOM proposes the use of the task-based OmpSs programming model, leveraging low-level communication interfaces provided by the hardware. Modular scalability will be possible thanks to a fast interconnect embedded into each module. To this aim, an innovative ARM and FPGA-based board will be designed, with enhanced capabilities for interfacing with the physical world. Its effectiveness will be demonstrated with key scenarios such as Smart Video-Surveillance and Smart Living/Home (domotics).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Fibroblast growth factors 19 and 21 in acute liver damage

Currently there are very few pharmacological options available to treat acute liver injury. Because its natural exposure to noxious stimuli the liver has developed a strong endogenous hepatoprotective capacity. Indeed, experimental evidence exposed a variety of endogenous hepatic and systemic responses naturally activated to protect the hepatic parenchyma and to foster liver regeneration, therefore preserving individual’s survival. The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family encompasses a range of polypeptides with important effects on cellular differentiation, growth survival and metabolic regulation in adult organisms. Among these FGFs, FGF19 and FGF21 are endocrine hormones that profoundly influence systemic metabolism but also exert important hepatoprotective activities. In this review, we revisit the biology of these factors and highlight their potential application for the clinical management of acute liver injur

Sistemas operacionales 2.0 de ayuda a la gestión costera y portuaria: arquitectura, métodos, mejoras e historias de éxito

Se agradece a DRAGADOS, FCC, Ministerio de Defensa, Instituto HIdrográfico de la Marina y Puertos del Estado por el apoyo recibido en la realización de los proyectos a ser mostrados

Anti-CXCR4 Antibody Combined With Activated and Expanded Natural Killer Cells for Sarcoma Immunotherapy

Sarcoma is one of the most severe forms of pediatric cancer and current therapies -chemotherapy and surgery- fail to eradicate the disease in half of patients. Preclinical studies combining new therapeutic approaches can be useful to design better therapies. On one hand, it is known that CXCR4 expression is implicated in rhabdomyosarcoma progression, so we analyzed relapses and chemotherapy-resistant rhabdomyosarcoma tumors from pediatric patients and found that they had particularly high levels of CXCR4 expression. Moreover, in assays in vitro, anti-CXCR4 blocking antibody (MDX1338) efficiently reduced migration and invasion of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma RH30 cells. On the other hand, activated and expanded natural killer (NKAE) cell therapy showed high cytotoxicity against sarcoma cells in vitro and completely inhibited RH30 tumor implantation in vivo. Only the combination of MDX1338 and NKAE treatments completely suppressed metastasis in mice. In this study, we propose a novel therapeutic approach based on anti-CXCR4 blocking antibody in combination with NKAE cell therapy to prevent rhabdomyosarcoma tumor implantation and lung metastasis. These results provide the first evidence for the efficacy of this combined immunotherapy for preventing sarcoma disease dissemination.This work was supported in part by the National Health Service of Spain, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), FONDOS FEDER grant (FIS) PI15/00973; Asociacion Espanola Contra el Cancer to AP-M; CRIS Foundation to Beat Cancer grant to JV, LF, and AE; and Patients' Support Associations Fundacion Mari Paz Jimenez Casado and La Sonrisa de Alex to MV and the research project

Lung Ultrasound as a First-Line Test in the Evaluation of Post-COVID-19 Pulmonary Sequelae

COVID-19; Lung ultrasound (LUS); Pulmonary sequelaeCOVID-19; Ecografía pulmonar (LUS); Secuelas pulmonaresCOVID-19; Ecografia pulmonar (LUS); Seqüeles pulmonarsBackground: Interstitial lung sequelae are increasingly being reported in survivors of COVID-19 pneumonia. An early detection of these lesions may help prevent the development of irreversible lung fibrosis. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has shown high diagnostic accuracy in interstitial lung disease (ILD) and could likely be used as a first-line test for post-COVID-19 lung sequelae. Methods: Single-center observational prospective study. Follow-up assessments of consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia were conducted 2–5 months after the hospitalization. All patients underwent pulmonary function tests (PFTs), high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), and LUS. Radiological alterations in HRCT were quantified using the Warrick score. The LUS score was obtained by evaluating the presence of pathological B-lines in 12 thoracic areas (range, 0–12). The correlation between the LUS and Warrick scores was analyzed. Results: Three hundred and fifty-two patients who recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia were recruited between July and September 2020. At follow-up, dyspnea was the most frequent symptom (69.3%). FVC and DLCO alterations were present in 79 (22.4%) and 234 (66.5%) patients, respectively. HRCT showed relevant interstitial lung sequelae (RILS) in 154 (43.8%) patients (Warrick score ≥ 7). The LUS score was strongly correlated with the HRCT Warrick score (r = 0.77) and showed a moderate inverse correlation with DLCO (r = −0.55). The ROC curve analysis revealed that a LUS score ≥ 3 indicated an excellent ability to discriminate patients with RILS (sensitivity, 94.2%; specificity, 81.8%; negative predictive value, 94.7%). Conclusions: LUS could be implemented as a first-line procedure in the evaluation of Post-COVID-19 interstitial lung sequelae. A normal LUS examination rules out the presence of these sequelae in COVID-19 survivors, avoiding the need for additional diagnostic tests such as HRCT

The UPMSat-2 Satellite: an academic project within aerospace engineering education

Today, project-based learning is a well-known methodology in engineering education. In the IDR/UPM Institute of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), different lines of research have been developed to involve students into projects related to aerodynamics (both theoretical and experimental), fluid dynamics on low gravity, and space science (heat transfer).Although these lines of research were initially related to the Ph.D. programs integrated within the academic plan of the university, the increasing interest among the bachelor and master students on research and projects linked to the most advanced engineering techniques, prompted the IDR/UPM academic staff to offer some specific projects to these students as their final degree thesis. In the present work, the UPMSat-2 satellite project is analyzed as an academic tool to involve different groups of students into a big project,encouraging them not only to develop specific skills in relation to a single subsystem of the satellite, but also to harmonize their work with the results from other groups of students working on other different subsystems.The different groups of students were directed by the professors of the IDR/UPM Institute. These students being mainly from two different degrees at UPM: Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Master’s Degree in Space Systems (MUSE). The main difference between these two groups being the amount of work carried out to fulfill the degree requirements. For the Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering, a 300-hour average project is required, whereas for the Master’s Degree in Space Systems this limit increases to 450 hours. Taking into account the aforementioned figures, the importance of having motivated students is crucial. In this sense, a project like the UPMSat-2 has revealed itself as a formidable way to gather students and professors around a common engineering task. It should be pointed out that this kind of satellite, a 50-kg spacecraft, allows a more complex engineering management when compared to the cubesats (that is, engineering operations such as testing, integration or harnessing are closer to the ones related to commercial or military aircraft). Besides, as the UPMSat-2 is used as a platform to qualify space technologies for engineering enterprises (Iberespacio, Bartington, SSVB, Tecnobit, Arquimea…), students are in contact with commercial enterprises from the space sector, this fact being also important in order to increase their motivation. In the present work the educational benefits of the UPMSat-2 program in relation to the Master’s Degree in Space Systems (MUSE) are thoroughly described, some examples of the projects carried out by the students being summarized. satellite design, space technology, project-based learning, active learning

Clinical and ultrasound thyroid nodule characteristics and their association with cytological and histopathological outcomes: A retrospective multicenter study in high-resolution thyroid nodule clinics

Introduction: Thyroid nodules are a common finding. A high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic (HR-TNC) condenses all tests required for the evaluation of thyroid nodules into a single appointment. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes at HR-TNCs. Design and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study including data from four HR-TNCs in Spain. We evaluated fine-needle aspiration (FNA) indications and the association between clinical and ultrasound characteristics with cytological and histopathological outcomes. Results: A total of 2809 thyroid nodules were included; FNA was performed in 82.1%. Thyroid nodules that underwent FNA were more likely larger, isoechoic, with microcalcifications, and in younger subjects. The rate of nondiagnostic FNA was 4.3%. A solid component, irregular margins or microcalcifications, significantly increased the odds of Bethesda IV-V-VI (vs. Bethesda II). Irregular margins and a solid component were independently associated with increased odds of malignancy. Thyroid nodules <20 mm and ≥20–<40 mm had a 6.5-fold and 3.3-fold increased risk for malignancy respectively in comparison with those ≥40 mm. Conclusion: In this large multicenter study, we found that the presence of a solid component and irregular margins are factors independently related to malignancy in thyroid nodules. Since nodule size ≥40 mm was associated with the lowest odds of malignancy, this cut-off should not be a factor leading to indicate thyroid surgery. HR-TNCs were associated with a low rate of nondiagnostic FNA