129I and 247Cm in meteorites constrain the last astrophysical source of solar r-process elements

Meteoritic analysis demonstrates that radioactive nuclei heavier than iron were present in the early Solar System. Among them, $^{129}$I and $^{247}$Cm both have a rapid neutron-capture process ($r$ process) origin and decay on the same timescale ($\simeq$ 15.6 Myr). We show that the $^{129}$I/$^{247}$Cm abundance ratio in the early Solar System (438$\pm$184) is immune to galactic evolution uncertainties and represents the first direct observational constraint for the properties of the last $r$-process event that polluted the pre-solar nebula. We investigate the physical conditions of this event using nucleosynthesis calculations and demonstrate that moderately neutron-rich ejecta can produce the observed ratio. We conclude that a dominant contribution by exceedingly neutron-rich ejecta is highly disfavoured

Efficacy of naloxegol on symptoms and quality of life related to opioid-induced constipation in patients with cancer: a 3-month follow-up analysis

Objectives: Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) can affect up to 63% of all patients with cancer. The objectives of this study were to assess quality of life as well as efficacy and safety of naloxegol, in patients with cancer with OIC. Methods: An observational study was made of a cohort of patients with cancer and with OIC exhibiting an inadequate response to laxatives and treated with naloxegol. The sample consisted of adult outpatients with a Karnofsky performance status score ≥50. The Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAC-QOL) and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM) were applied for 3 months. Results: A total of 126 patients (58.2% males) with a mean age of 61.3 years (range 34-89) were included. Clinically relevant improvements (>0.5 points) were recorded in the PAC-QOL and PAC-SYM questionnaires (p<0.0001) from 15 days of treatment. The number of days a week with complete spontaneous bowel movements increased significantly (p<0.0001) from 2.4 to 4.6 on day 15, 4.7 after 1 month and 5 after 3 months. Pain control significantly improved (p<0.0001) during follow-up. A total of 13.5% of the patients (17/126) presented some gastrointestinal adverse reaction, mostly of mild (62.5%) or moderate intensity (25%). Conclusions: Clinically relevant improvements in OIC-related quality of life, number of bowel movements and constipation-related symptoms were recorded as early as after 15 days of treatment with naloxegol in patients with cancer and OIC, with a good safety profile

"Bioinformática con Ñ v1.0": a collaborative project of young Spanish scientists to write a complete book about Bioinformatics

Here we present a project aiming to provide specialized educational bibliography on Bioinformatics for Spanish speakers. The idea of writing a book in Spanish language covering the most important topics in the field of Bioinformatics was born in the XIth Spanish Symposium on Bioinformatics in Barcelona two years ago. Different scientists have been involved in the project, from senior scientists to PhD students from different countries. The book intends to be the beginning of an open project, where all the chapters are susceptible of being updated and new topics can be incorporated in future versions. Current book version can be accessed online at http://goo.gl/UYG0o7.Peer Reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

CARB-ES-19 Multicenter Study of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli From All Spanish Provinces Reveals Interregional Spread of High-Risk Clones Such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

ObjectivesCARB-ES-19 is a comprehensive, multicenter, nationwide study integrating whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CP-Kpn) and E. coli (CP-Eco) to determine their incidence, geographical distribution, phylogeny, and resistance mechanisms in Spain.MethodsIn total, 71 hospitals, representing all 50 Spanish provinces, collected the first 10 isolates per hospital (February to May 2019); CPE isolates were first identified according to EUCAST (meropenem MIC &gt; 0.12 mg/L with immunochromatography, colorimetric tests, carbapenem inactivation, or carbapenem hydrolysis with MALDI-TOF). Prevalence and incidence were calculated according to population denominators. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the microdilution method (EUCAST). All 403 isolates collected were sequenced for high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and resistome analysis.ResultsIn total, 377 (93.5%) CP-Kpn and 26 (6.5%) CP-Eco isolates were collected from 62 (87.3%) hospitals in 46 (92%) provinces. CP-Kpn was more prevalent in the blood (5.8%, 50/853) than in the urine (1.4%, 201/14,464). The cumulative incidence for both CP-Kpn and CP-Eco was 0.05 per 100 admitted patients. The main carbapenemase genes identified in CP-Kpn were blaOXA–48 (263/377), blaKPC–3 (62/377), blaVIM–1 (28/377), and blaNDM–1 (12/377). All isolates were susceptible to at least two antibiotics. Interregional dissemination of eight high-risk CP-Kpn clones was detected, mainly ST307/OXA-48 (16.4%), ST11/OXA-48 (16.4%), and ST512-ST258/KPC (13.8%). ST512/KPC and ST15/OXA-48 were the most frequent bacteremia-causative clones. The average number of acquired resistance genes was higher in CP-Kpn (7.9) than in CP-Eco (5.5).ConclusionThis study serves as a first step toward WGS integration in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in Spain. We detected important epidemiological changes, including increased CP-Kpn and CP-Eco prevalence and incidence compared to previous studies, wide interregional dissemination, and increased dissemination of high-risk clones, such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

Cuadernos de pedagogía

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónMonográfico con el título: Escuelas de segunda oportunidadEl sistema escolar ordinario excluye a casi un treinta por ciento de los jóvenes. El artículo pone en valor a estos perfiles de jóvenes, se contrasta y valida el retrato sociodemográfico clásico y su correlación con el abandono escolar. Además, existe otra mirada, que pone el foco en la subjetividad de cada joven y aporta otros elementos que le impiden acercarse al aprendizaje. Se recogen sus voces, que narran su itinerario académico y lo que le supone el paso por las escuelas de segunda oportunidad para cambiar la percepción de sí mismos y plantearse expectativas educativas, laborales y de vida.Biblioteca del Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional; Calle San Agustín, 5; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

New macaque remains from the Middle Pleistocene of Gruta da Aroeira (Almonda karst system, Portugal)

The Middle Pleistocene site of Gruta da Aroeira, in the Almonda karst system (Torres Novas, central Portugal; Supplementary Online Material [SOM] Fig. S1), has yielded a rich Acheulean lithic assemblage alongside a human cranium and associated faunal remains (Trinkaus et al., 2003, Daura et al., 2017, Conde-Valverde et al., 2018). The recovery of macaques in the 1997–2002 phase of the excavations is mentioned in the literature (Marks et al., 2002a, Marks et al., 2002b, Trinkaus et al., 2003, Brugal, 2004, Marigó et al., 2014); the specimens were assigned to Macaca sylvanus ?florentina (Cocchi, 1872), although the material remains undescribed. Here we describe a juvenile macaque mandible (ARO17-J8-Xa-934, hereinafter ARO 934) recovered in 2017 from a level that is correlated to Marine Isotope Stage 11 and radiometrically dated to 436–390 ka (Daura et al., 2017; see SOM S1 and SOM Fig. S1). We compare it with other fossil papionins from Europe to provide a taxonomic assignment

Additional file 2: of Evaluation of the quality of care of oncologic patients with pain in palliative and pain units based on the Achievable Benchmarks of Care (ABC): project 25Q

Variables file description. (DOC 25 kb