Environmental practices in firms located in underpopulated rural areas in Spain: The case of the province of Teruel

This study aims to develop a better understanding of what drives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in environmental practices in isolated rural areas. Despite a growing literature on environmental behavior in different contexts, the green activities of SMEs in rural areas remains underexposed. This neglect is remarkable, and deserves attention given the serious depopulation problems they have to face, and the economic and social challenges that lie ahead. Using unique data from 141 SMEs in one of the most sparsely populated regions in the European Union, we study the influence of territorial relations on firms’ environmental conduct. Our results suggest that different territorial factors have some impact on the adoption of environmental practices. We report evidence indicative of the role of these factors in shaping environmental decisions. Finally, we offer suggestions for future research that could further develop our understanding of environmental management decisions in rural and underpopulated areas

Presencia de Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola y Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans en el biofilm subgingival de pacientes diabéticos tipo 2: Estudio transversal

ResumenAntecedentesLa investigación de la microflora subgingival en pacientes diabéticos tipo 2 con periodontitis ha presentado resultados contradictorios.ObjetivoDeterminar la presencia de Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forshytia, Treponema denticola y Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, en el biofilm subgingival de pacientes diabéticos tipo 2 y relacionarlo con el grado de control metabólico.MétodoEstudio descriptivo transversal, en el cual se analizaron 23 pacientes diabéticos derivados consecutivamente del Policlínico de Especialidades de la Universidad de los Andes. Previo consentimiento informado, se realizó un examen clínico periodontal que incluyó mediciones de profundidad al sondaje, nivel de inserción clínica y sangrado gingival. Fueron clasificados según severidad de periodontitis y control metabólico de la diabetes determinado por un promedio de 3 exámenes de hemoglobina glicosilada. La detección microbiológica se realizó mediante la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa.ResultadosEn el grupo de pacientes estudiados, Treponema denticola y Tannerella forsythia fueron las bacterias más prevalentes (65.2%), seguida por Porphyromonas gingivalis (17.3%) y Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (13%). Los pacientes con peor control glicémico tuvieron una mayor presencia de Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis y Agreggatibacter actinomycetemcomitans y un aumento en el índice de sangrado al sondaje.ConclusionesEn el grupo de pacientes diabéticos estudiado, las bacterias más prevalentes fueron Treponema denticola y Tannerella forsythia. Los pacientes diabéticos tipo 2 con moderado y mal control glicémico presentaron mayor presencia de los microorganismos estudiados, comparado con los grupos con mejores niveles de control glicémico.AbstractBackgroundThe investigation of subgingival microflora in type 2 diabetic patients with periodontitis presented conflicting results.AimTo determine the presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forshytia, Treponema denticola and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival biofilm of patients with diabetes type 2 and to relate it to the degree of metabolic control.MethodA descriptive study, which analyzed 23 diabetic patients consecutively referred from the Internal Medicine Unit of Medicine Faculty at Universidad de los Andes was conducted. After obtaining an informed consent from the patients a clinical examination that included measurements of periodontal pocket depth, clinical attachment level and gingival bleeding was performed. The patients were classified according to the severity of periodontitis and metabolic control of diabetes as determined by an average of 3 of glycosylated haemoglobin tests. Microbial technique was performed by chain reaction of polymerase.ResultsIn the group of patients examined the most prevalent bacteria were, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia (65.2%), followed by Porphyromonas gingivalis (17.3%) and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (13%). Patients with poor glycemic control had a greater presence of Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Agreggatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and an increase in the rate of bleeding on probing.ConclusionsIn the group of diabetic patients studied, the most prevalent bacteria were Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia. Type 2 diabetic patients with moderate and poor glycemic control had a higher presence of these microorganisms, compared to groups with higher levels of glycemic control

Prácticas de RSE en cooperativas. Experiencias y resultados mediante el estudio de casos

La conducta observada en las organizaciones que conforman el entramado de la Economía Social ha supuesto un precedente en actuaciones y prácticas que representan una forma de hacer empresa basada en la responsabilidad social, incluidas sus múltiples acepciones y enfoques. Asimismo, se percibe un creciente interés en la llamada Responsabilidad Social de la Empresa (RSE), un modelo de gestión implantado en diversos tipos de organizaciones, con y sin fines lucrativos, que lleva consigo el compromiso con un conjunto de valores ligados a todos sus grupos de interés. En el marco de la Economía Social, las cooperativas operan en conformidad con los criterios, valores y principios de RSE, interés por la comunidad y servicio a sus miembros, no solamente en la esfera económica, sino también en el ámbito social y medioambiental. Múltiples trabajos manifiestan la concordancia entre el desarrollo de las políticas de RSE en sus tres vertientes (económica, social y ambiental) y los valores y principios cooperativos enunciados por la Alianza Cooperativa Internacional (ACI, 1995). Estos estudios avalan la afirmación de que la propia naturaleza de las cooperativas implica un comportamiento socialmente responsable. Asumidos estos postulados, el objetivo del presente trabajo es observar y constatar el cumplimiento efectivo de los mismos en cooperativas de diferentes sectores y entornos, cuestión que conlleva el análisis de la gestión integral de las actuaciones inherentes de RSE, derivadas de sus relaciones con los distintos agentes, según la Teoría de los grupos de interés (Turker, 2009). Adicionalmente, las cooperativas deben buscar la supervivencia mediante sus resultados económicos plasmados en la obtención de unos excedentes y una rentabilidad adecuados (López y Marcuello, 2006), con la finalidad de prestar servicios a los socios a lo largo del tiempo, y todo ello en sintonía con las demandas de los distintos grupos de interés. Por estos motivos, el estudio contrasta la aplicación de la RSE con la obtención de resultados económicos en un entorno de crisis económica. Mediante una metodología de estudio de casos, se han seleccionado seis cooperativas españolas pertenecientes a diversos sectores, para analizar sus memorias y cuentas de resultados, con el objeto de identificar relaciones entre sus comportamientos de RSE y los resultados económico-financieros obtenidos en un periodo de tiempo determinado. The behaviour observed in the organizations of the Social Economy framework has set a precedent in business practices which are based on social responsibility. There is also a growing interest in so-called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a management model implemented in different types of for- and non-profit organizations, which entails a commitment to a set of values linked to all its stakeholders. Within the framework of the Social Economy, cooperatives operate under the criteria, values, and principles of CSR. They have an interest in the community and in providing service to their members, not only economically but also socially and environmentally. There is a body of evidence which shows the link between the development of CSR policies (economic, social and environmental) and the cooperative values and principles laid out by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA, 1995). These studies support the claim that the very nature of cooperatives implies socially responsible behaviour. In the last two decades, and more intensely during the recent economic crisis, Spanish cooperatives have shown an increasing interest in the development of CSR policies through concrete actions (Monzon and Antunano, 2012). Likewise, cooperatives seek to broaden the communication channels with their stakeholders and with society as a whole, through the preparation of well-defined and accessible CSR reports, as an additional element of transparency in their management model. In light of the above, the general objective of this study is to observe and verify the effective CSR compliance in a scenario of economic crisis across cooperatives from different sectors and environments. This issue entails the analysis of the management of CSR actions, derived from the relations with the relevant agents, according to the Theory of Stakeholders (Turker, 2009). This is linked to the nature of cooperatives and their operating principles given their afore-posited predisposition to more effective CSR implementation in comparison to other business formulas (Bel and Marin, 2008; Sanchis and Rodriguez, 2018). This facet goes hand in hand with a marked interest in transparency, accountability and the preparation of SCR reports as a way of transmitting their differentiating characteristics to their interest groups (Gallardo and Castilla, 2015). In addition, the economic literature on the subject recognises CSR as a fundamental resource for creating a competitive advantage applicable to cooperatives. These organizations develop strategies that allow them to survive thanks to their economic results, reflected in the obtaining of adequate surpluses (Lopez and Marcuello, 2006), by the aim of providing services to members over time, and all in tune with the demands of the different interest groups. For these reasons, the second objective of the study is to contrast the CSR implementation with profit generation in these entities, in a context of economic crisis, and to seek certainties on the alignment between the social and economic function of the cooperatives (Gallardo and Castilla, 2015). Following Villareal and Landeta (2010), a case study methodology has been applied. For this, we have selected six Spanish cooperatives from different sectors with a high degree of significance within the Ranking "Relevant Companies of the Social Economy" 2010-2011 published by the Social Economy Business Confederation (CEPES). Subsequently, the chosen cooperatives have been refined and sorted based on the available documentation. For this, first all the potentially comparable information regarding the development of CSR actions has been collected. Then, the available financial data have been obtained. In parallel, qualitative and quantitative information of these cooperatives has been extracted from the publications of CSR and economic reports. These data have been complemented with information from other secondary sources. Consequently, the relevant CSR factors relating to the social, economic and environmental dimensions have been determined according to the RSECOOP model (2011) following the indicators of the Global Reporting Initiative. Then, the economic-financial ratios have been selected, which reveal positions in accordance with the different interest groups of the selected cooperatives. Next, we start from the hypothesis, widely reviewed in the literature, which associates cooperative principles with behaviours consistent with the development of social responsibility towards stakeholders, and considers that these organisations should integrate these behaviours into their management policies (Server and Capo, 2009). This issue is closely related to the creation of added (Mozas, 2010) and the obtaining of lasting competitive advantages (Castilla et al., 2015). Thus, under the stated objectives, a basic evaluation of compliance with the relevant CSR factors for these six cooperatives is first carried out (COCETA, 2001). To this end, the results obtained are verified and compared using the numerical values offered and are grouped into charts for better visualization of the degree of compliance (concentration-dispersion) with the CSR in the three vectors considered. Then, the CSR values obtained are contrasted with the average values of the profitability ratios applied for these cooperatives, to observe possible relationships between compliance with the CSR variables and the economic results of the organizations. After analyzing the CSR practices developed by the cooperatives under study, relatively high compliance with socially responsible behaviours has been observed, since the results show positive values and highly homogeneous deviations. However, not all cases denote a development of CSR according to the relative position of the cooperative in the market and its economic results. Therefore, a degree of commitment to its stakeholders based on the specific corporate culture and values present is perceived. On the other hand, certain biases in the configuration of the CSR have been observed as an integral business management model, ` since not all CSR vectors have been observed with the same intensity in each of the cases. Also, there is a correlation in the cooperatives between the economic results obtained, measured in terms of commercial margin, and the overall development of CSR practices. It is reflected more intensely in the economic profitability ratios and corresponds to the progress of social responsibility aspects in the economic vector. Finally, the results obtained could serve, in general, to strengthen the theory, generally accepted in the literature about the capacity of cooperatives to be more resistant in crisis environments by promoting a more socially responsible economy. However, it is still necessary for these organizations to make greater efforts to communicate their social performance and the advantages of the CSR''s reported management as a tool for competing in markets. One of the limitations of the study derives from the difficulty of configuring and examining a large number of variables. This leads to a reduced case study, which prevents, due to the size of the sample, the establishment and/or modelling of causal relationships for Spanish cooperatives in the reference period as a whole. Nevertheless, this issue has not been the object of analysis, as justified in the design of the study. We must also add the limitation of not having homogeneous and constant information for all cooperatives or more extended periods. The contribution of this research is reflected firstly in the particularities that can be approached in greater depth from the analysis of specific cases, reviewing social and economic behaviour of cooperatives. And secondly, the proposed methodology can be used as a guide to be adapted and expanded to analyze this type of relationship in different contexts and scenarios. For example, the study can be replicated to analyze cooperatives from the same sector or to carry out cross-sector comparisons. Future research can consider specific geographical areas and different periods, with varying dimensions and sizes, or even ultimately, the model may allow comparisons with other companies that are not part of the Social Economy

¿Presentan las cooperativas contextos favorables para la igualdad de género?: Especial referencia a la provincial de Teruel

Las cooperativas presentan características organizativas y de funcionamiento diferenciales que podrían ofrecer contextos favorables para la igualdad de género. En este trabajo se exponen diferentes aspectos relacionados con las condiciones laborales y de flexibilidad en el trabajo de las mujeres en las cooperativas de un territorio con alta despoblación, como es la provincia de Teruel. A su vez se estudia el papel de los distintos agentes de interés involucrados en estas organizaciones y los potenciales beneficios y ventajas para el desarrollo familiar, personal y profesional de las mujeres en este contexto de la economía social. El mayor conocimiento de los factores sociales y organizativos inherentes a estas organizaciones facilitará el desarrollo de políticas y acciones encaminadas a reforzar proyectos empresariales que contribuyan a integrar las necesidades de las mujeres y las de su entorno. Con esta finalidad se ha llevado a cabo un análisis cualitativo mediante del desarrollo de entrevistas en profundidad, dado que estas aportan información más precisa y extensa que otras metodologías de investigación alternativas. Los resultados aportan evidencia sobre las políticas sociales internas y externas aplicadas, y las relaciones institucionales y empresariales de estas cooperativas, caracterizadas por una alta presencia de mujeres en su gestión y funcionamiento. También se observa que la autogestión permite mayor flexibilidad que otras fórmulas empresariales, en aspectos como la conciliación o las condiciones laborales. Así mismo, las mujeres reconocen que su implicación con la entidad debe ser mayor, dado que su futuro laboral depende de la supervivencia de la cooperativa

Effects of repeated intra-articular administration of amikacin on serum amyloid A, total protein and nucleated cell count in synovial fluid from healthy horses

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Serum amyloid A (SAA) in synovial fluid has recently been used as a marker for septic arthritis in horses but the effects of repeated intra-articular (IA) administration of amikacin on synovial SAA concentrations are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To report the effect of repeated IA administration of amikacin on SAA, total protein (TP), nucleated cell count (NCC) and differential NCC in synovial fluid of healthy equine joints. METHODS: A controlled, 2 period crossover study was performed on 5 clinically healthy horses. Each intercarpal joint received one of 2 treatments every 48 h for 5 consecutive times: arthrocentesis alone (control group) or arthrocentesis combined with IA administration of 500 mg of amikacin (treatment group). Clinical and lameness examinations were performed daily. Serum SAA and synovial SAA, TP, NCC and differential NCC were measured and statistically compared. Significance level was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Horses remained healthy and nonlame throughout the study. Baseline values for all variables were not significantly different between groups. Values for TP in the treatment group were significantly higher than in the control group after the first sample (P < 0.05). In both groups NCC increased significantly (P < 0.05) after the first sample. No significant changes were identified in differential NCC. In both groups, all synovial and most serum SAA concentrations remained below the lower limit of quantification. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated IA administration of amikacin caused increased values of TP and NCC in synovial fluid, with some TP concentrations falling within the range reported for septic arthritis. In contrast, synovial SAA concentrations did not increase in either group. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Synovial SAA could serve as a more reliable marker than TP and NCC when evaluating a joint previously sampled or treated with amikacin.Research Developmental Fund, University of Pretoriahttp://www.evj.co.uk/journals/hb2013mn201

FocusDET: Herramienta multimodal para la localización del foco epileptógeno en la epilepsia farmacorresistente

Los pacientes epilépticos con crisis parciales complejas resistentes a tratamiento farmacológico son candidatos a la escisión de la región focal del cerebro que induce dichas crisis. La correcta localización del foco epileptógeno es esencial para considerar la cirugía como posible tratamiento. El objetivo de este trabajo es el desarrollo de una aplicación médica para la localización del foco epileptógeno a partir de datos multimodales. Para el desarrollo de esta nueva herramienta se utiliza GIMIAS, una plataforma de software para la implementación y prototipado de aplicaciones médicas. La nueva herramienta desarrollada, FocusDET, permite llevar a cabo la técnica SISCOM y el análisis de datos EEG-RM f ictal, de imágenes PET y de distintas modalidades de imagen de RM. FocusDET, gracias a su interfaz amigable y a su rapidez de procesamiento, puede ser adecuada para la rutina clínica

Multi-parametric MR Imaging Biomarkers Associated to Clinical Outcomes in Gliomas: A Systematic Review

[EN] Purpose: To systematically review evidence regarding the association of multi-parametric biomarkers with clinical outcomes and their capacity to explain relevant subcompartments of gliomas. Materials and Methods: Scopus database was searched for original journal papers from January 1st, 2007 to February 20th , 2017 according to PRISMA. Four hundred forty-nine abstracts of papers were reviewed and scored independently by two out of six authors. Based on those papers we analyzed associations between biomarkers, subcompartments within the tumor lesion, and clinical outcomes. From all the articles analyzed, the twenty-seven papers with the highest scores were highlighted to represent the evidence about MR imaging biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. Similarly, eighteen studies defining subcompartments within the tumor region were also highlighted to represent the evidence of MR imaging biomarkers. Their reports were critically appraised according to the QUADAS-2 criteria. Results: It has been demonstrated that multi-parametric biomarkers are prepared for surrogating diagnosis, grading, segmentation, overall survival, progression-free survival, recurrence, molecular profiling and response to treatment in gliomas. Quantifications and radiomics features obtained from morphological exams (T1, T2, FLAIR, T1c), PWI (including DSC and DCE), diffusion (DWI, DTI) and chemical shift imaging (CSI) are the preferred MR biomarkers associated to clinical outcomes. Subcompartments relative to the peritumoral region, invasion, infiltration, proliferation, mass effect and pseudo flush, relapse compartments, gross tumor volumes, and high-risk regions have been defined to characterize the heterogeneity. For the majority of pairwise cooccurrences, we found no evidence to assert that observed co-occurrences were significantly different from their expected co-occurrences (Binomial test with False Discovery Rate correction, alpha=0.05). The co-occurrence among terms in the studied papers was found to be driven by their individual prevalence and trends in the literature. Conclusion: Combinations of MR imaging biomarkers from morphological, PWI, DWI and CSI exams have demonstrated their capability to predict clinical outcomes in different management moments of gliomas. Whereas morphologic-derived compartments have been mostly studied during the last ten years, new multi-parametric MRI approaches have also been proposed to discover specific subcompartments of the tumors. MR biomarkers from those subcompartments show the local behavior within the heterogeneous tumor and may quantify the prognosis and response to treatment of gliomas.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry for Investigation, Development and Innovation project with identification number DPI2016-80054-R.Oltra-Sastre, M.; Fuster García, E.; Juan -Albarracín, J.; Sáez Silvestre, C.; Perez-Girbes, A.; Sanz-Requena, R.; Revert-Ventura, A.... (2019). 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Assessment of plasma chitotriosidase activity, CCL18/PARC concentration and NP-C suspicion index in the diagnosis of Niemann-Pick disease type C: A prospective observational study

Background: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a rare, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in either the NPC1 or NPC2 genes. The diagnosis of NP-C remains challenging due to the non-specific, heterogeneous nature of signs/symptoms. This study assessed the utility of plasma chitotriosidase (ChT) and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18)/pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine (PARC) in conjunction with the NP-C suspicion index (NP-C SI) for guiding confirmatory laboratory testing in patients with suspected NP-C. Methods: In a prospective observational cohort study, incorporating a retrospective determination of NP-C SI scores, two different diagnostic approaches were applied in two separate groups of unrelated patients from 51 Spanish medical centers (n = 118 in both groups). From Jan 2010 to Apr 2012 (Period 1), patients with =2 clinical signs/symptoms of NP-C were considered ''suspected NP-C'' cases, and NPC1/NPC2 sequencing, plasma chitotriosidase (ChT), CCL18/PARC and sphingomyelinase levels were assessed. Based on findings in Period 1, plasma ChT and CCL18/PARC, and NP-C SI prediction scores were determined in a second group of patients between May 2012 and Apr 2014 (Period 2), and NPC1 and NPC2 were sequenced only in those with elevated ChT and/or elevated CCL18/PARC and/or NP-C SI =70. Filipin staining and 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC) measurements were performed in all patients with NP-C gene mutations, where possible. Results: In total across Periods 1 and 2, 10/236 (4%) patients had a confirmed diagnosis o NP-C based on gene sequencing (5/118 4.2%] in each Period): all of these patients had two causal NPC1 mutations. Single mutant NPC1 alleles were detected in 8/236 (3%) patients, overall. Positive filipin staining results comprised three classical and five variant biochemical phenotypes. No NPC2 mutations were detected. All patients with NPC1 mutations had high ChT activity, high CCL18/PARC concentrations and/or NP-C SI scores =70. Plasma 7-KC was higher than control cut-off values in all patients with two NPC1 mutations, and in the majority of patients with single mutations. Family studies identified three further NP-C patients. Conclusion: This approach may be very useful for laboratories that do not have mass spectrometry facilities and therefore, they cannot use other NP-C biomarkers for diagnosis

Evolution of the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Spain between March and November 2020: SEMI-COVID national registry

Objectives: Since the results of the RECOVERY trial, WHO recommendations about the use of corticosteroids (CTs) in COVID-19 have changed. The aim of the study is to analyse the evolutive use of CTs in Spain during the pandemic to assess the potential influence of new recommendations. Material and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, and observational study was conducted on adults hospitalised due to COVID-19 in Spain who were included in the SEMI-COVID- 19 Registry from March to November 2020. Results: CTs were used in 6053 (36.21%) of the included patients. The patients were older (mean (SD)) (69.6 (14.6) vs. 66.0 (16.8) years; p < 0.001), with hypertension (57.0% vs. 47.7%; p < 0.001), obesity (26.4% vs. 19.3%; p < 0.0001), and multimorbidity prevalence (20.6% vs. 16.1%; p < 0.001). These patients had higher values (mean (95% CI)) of C-reactive protein (CRP) (86 (32.7-160) vs. 49.3 (16-109) mg/dL; p < 0.001), ferritin (791 (393-1534) vs. 470 (236- 996) µg/dL; p < 0.001), D dimer (750 (430-1400) vs. 617 (345-1180) µg/dL; p < 0.001), and lower Sp02/Fi02 (266 (91.1) vs. 301 (101); p < 0.001). Since June 2020, there was an increment in the use of CTs (March vs. September; p < 0.001). Overall, 20% did not receive steroids, and 40% received less than 200 mg accumulated prednisone equivalent dose (APED). Severe patients are treated with higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%. Conclusions: Patients with greater comorbidity, severity, and inflammatory markers were those treated with CTs. In severe patients, there is a trend towards the use of higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%

Paleobiology of titanosaurs: reproduction, development, histology, pneumaticity, locomotion and neuroanatomy from the South American fossil record

Fil: García, Rodolfo A.. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología. Museo Provincial Carlos Ameghino. Cipolletti; ArgentinaFil: Salgado, Leonardo. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología. General Roca. Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Mariela. Inibioma-Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Bariloche. Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Cerda, Ignacio A.. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología. Museo Provincial Carlos Ameghino. Cipolletti; ArgentinaFil: Carabajal, Ariana Paulina. Museo Carmen Funes. Plaza Huincul. Neuquén; ArgentinaFil: Otero, Alejandro. Museo de La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Coria, Rodolfo A.. Instituto de Paleobiología y Geología. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Neuquén; ArgentinaFil: Fiorelli, Lucas E.. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica. Anillaco. La Rioja; Argentin