LA DISPARIDAD DE LAS ARTES EN MAELSTROM, DE LUIS SAGASTI

Maelstrom, Luis Sagasti novel published in 2015, displays the lack of limits between literature and visual arts from the writing point of view. In this operation, the novel brings out the actual debate between the identities of the various arts and their proximity. The maelstrom, a kind of great whirlpool which appears on the southern shores of the Norwegian archipelago, is described by E. A. Poe and Jules Verne as a large circular vortex that reaches the bottom of the ocean. Not only it is named this sort of spiral with a central vanishing into the void but the entire novel is built from that movement. Such figure evokes the assembly and heterogeneity of the arts, painting, music and literature in an undifferentiated mix leading to the vertigo of the absolute, infinity or emptiness. The purpose is to read the story as a layout of a place in common for all the diversities, a unique identity for every form of art, the original substratum in which all converge. At the same time, a single fund that shoots into the indeterminate and the unknown. This standpoint is installed in the centre of the contemporary debate about the legitimacy of referring to the «art» in singular for its essential unity with its many manifestations or refer it as a heterogeneous set of practices without a common identity from where they arose. Keywords: Maelstrom,Maelstrom, novela de Luis Sagasti publicada en 2015, despliega la deslimitación entre la literatura y el arte visual desde la escritura. En esta operación, la novela pone en escena el actual debate entre las identidades de las diversas artes y su proximidad. El maelstrom, una suerte de gran remolino que se halla en las costas meridionales del archipiélago noruego, es descripto por E. A. Poe y por Julio Verne como un gran vórtice circular que llega al fondo del océano. No solo se nombra esta suerte de espiral con un centro de fuga hacia el vacío, sino que toda la novela se construye desde ese movimiento. Tal figura evoca el ensamble y heterogeneidad de las artes, pintura, música y literatura en una mezcla indiferenciada que lleva al vértigo de lo absoluto, de lo infinito o del vacío. La propuesta es leer el relato como la disposición de un lugar en común para todas las diversidades, una identidad única a todas las manifestaciones artísticas, ese sustrato original en el que todas confluyen. Pero a la vez, un fondo único que las dispara hacia lo indeterminado y lo desconocido. Tal posición se instala en el centro del debate contemporáneo sobre la legitimidad de referir al «arte» en singular por su unidad esencial con sus múltiples manifestaciones o bien referirlo como un conjunto de prácticas heterogéneas sin una identidad común de la que hubieran surgido

Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma applied to post-extraction retained lower third molar alveoli. A systematic review

Dental retentions have a high prevalence among the general population and their removal can involve multiple complications. The use of platelet rich plasma has been proposed in an attempt to avoid these complications, as it contains high growth factors and stimulates diverse biological functions that facilitate the healing of soft and hard tissues. Objectives: To evaluate the available scientific evidence related to the application of platelet-rich plasma in the post-extraction alveoli of a retained lower third molars. Material and Methods: A systematic review of published literature registered in the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane and NIH databases. The following categories were included: human randomized clinical studies. Key search words were: platelet rich plasma; platelet rich plasma and oral surgery; platelet rich in growth factors and third molar. Results: Of 101 potentially valid articles, seven were selected, of which four were rejected as they failed to meet quality criteria. Three studies fulfilled all selection and quality criteria: Ogundipe et al.; Rutkowski et al.; Haraji et al. The studies all measured osteoblast activity by means of sintigraphy, and also registered pain, bleeding, inflammation, temperature, numbness as perceived by the patients, radiological bone density and the incidence of alveolar osteitis. Conclusions: Scientific evidence for the use of PRP in retained third molar surgery is poor. For this reason rando - mized clinical trials are needed before recommendations for the clinical application of PRP can be made

Evaluation of the anaesthetic properties and tolerance of 1:100,000 articaine versus 1:100,000 lidocaine. : a comparative study in surgery of the lower third molar

Objectives: To evaluate the anaesthetic properties and tolerance of articaine versus lidocaine at equal vasoconstrictor concentration. Study Design: A total of 96 male and female patients who underwent surgical treatment of the lower third molar participated. Patients were randomly assigned to articaine hydrochloride with epinephrine 1:100,000 and lidocaine hydrochloride with epinephrine 1:100,000. The variables analysed were latency period, duration of anaesthetic effect, tolerance and adverse reactions. Results: Both the latency period and the duration of anaesthetic effect were greater for articaine, although the differences were not statistically significant. Latency: mean difference of 2.70 ± 2.12 minutes (95%CI of -1.51 minutes - 6.92 minutes). Duration: mean difference of -33 minutes 5 seconds ± 31 minutes (95% CI -1 hour 35 minutes - 29 minutes). There were 4 adverse events that did not require the patients to be withdrawn from the study. Conclusions: The anaesthetics in this study have very similar properties for use in surgery and have demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile. © Medicina Oral

Masseter and temporalis muscle electromyography findings after lower third molar extraction

Background: The main clinical application of electromyography is to detect abnormalities in muscle function, to assess muscle activity for purposes of recruitment, and in the biomechanics of movement. Objectives: To analyze electromyography (EMG) findings for masticatory muscles during chewing following surgical extraction of lower third molars, and to determine any correlation between pain, inflammation, trismus, and the EMG data registered. Material and Methods: This prospective study included 31 patients. Surface EMG was used to study masseter and temporalis muscle function before lower third molar extraction and 72 hours and seven days after surgery. Clinical variables, pain, inflammation, and trismus were registered before and after surgery. Results: Studying the area and size of the masticatory muscles, higher values were found for temporalis than masseter muscles, regardless of the surgical side, which points to the greater involvement of the temporalis muscle in mastication. Comparing the side where surgery had been performed with the non-surgical side, a sharp and statistically significant reduction in amplitude and area were noted on the surgical side reflecting major functional affectation. One week after surgery, amplitude and area had almost returned to base-line values, indicating almost complete recovery. While pain decreased progressively after surgery, inflammation peaked at 72 hours, while mouth opening reached a minimum at this time, returning to normality within the week. Conclusions: Surgical extraction of lower third molars produces changes to electromyography activity that are more evident during the first hours after surgery and closely related to the intensity of pain suffered and the patient?s inflammatory responses, although they are not related to mouth opening capacity

Predecir la dislexia evolutiva antes de la instrucción lectora: una revisión sistemática

Introducción: La dislexia evolutiva es una alteración neurobiológica con perfil heterogéneo que se diagnostica tras comprobar que un niño no ha aprendido a leer como se esperaba. Su detección, antes del inicio de la instrucción lectora, tiende a ser imprecisa. Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar y valorar habilidades psicolingüísticas que, evaluadas antes de la instrucción formal de la lectura, pueden predecir dificultades de lectura posteriores y guiar una intervención temprana. Método: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática (años 2010-2020) siguiendo la declaración PRISMA en las bases de datos PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, Eric y SCOPUS. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 42 estudios que confirman que determinadas habilidades psicolingüísticas son relevantes para predecir el éxito lector. Conclusiones: Conciencia fonológica, velocidad de denominación, conocimiento del alfabeto y memoria fonológica presentan una fuerte correlación con el progreso inicial de la lectura y predicen las habilidades lectoras posteriores y la dislexia evolutiva

Clinical repercussions and epidemiological considerations of supernumerary canines : a 26 case series

To establish the prevalence of supernumerary canines (SNC) in a sector of the population of Madrid (Spain), as well possible complications associated with this unusual developmental variation. This observational study was performed between 2005 and 2017, among 21,615 patients seeking dental treatment at the Faculty of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain), and at the Virgen de la Paloma Hospital, Madrid (Spain); 22 patients with 26 SNCs were diagnosed. These 22 patients underwent clinical and radiological exploration, registering patient data. SNCs presented a prevalence of 0.10% of the study population. The supernumerary teeth (SNT) were located in the upper maxilla more frequently (61.54%) than the mandible (38.46%). 69.23% were found to be impacted, also causing the impaction of the permanent canine in 53.85% of these cases. In 15.38%, follicular expansion > 3mm was observed. SNCs were associated with other SNT in only four patients. Despite of the fact that the SNCs are usually diagnosed casually in the course of radiological exploration, in the present study over half of them (53.85%) caused impaction of the permanent canine. Early diagnosis allows optimal patient management and treatment planning, with intervention at an appropriate time to prevent complications in development and so reduce later treatment need

Assessing Blood-Based Biomarkers to Define a Therapeutic Window for Natalizumab

Natalizumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds CD49d. Although it is one of the most effective treatments for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS), a dosing regimen has not been optimized for safety and efficacy in individual patients. We aimed to identify biomarkers to monitor Natalizumab treatment and to establish a personalized dose utilizing an ongoing longitudinal study in 29 RRMS patients under Natalizumab with standard interval dose (SD) of 300 mg/4 wks or extended interval dose (EID) of 300 mg/6 wks. Blood samples were analyzed by flow cytometry to determine CD49d saturation and expression in several T and B lymphocytes subpopulations. Each patient was analyzed at two different timepoints separated by 3 Natalizumab administrations. Natalizumab and sVCAM-1 levels in serum were also analyzed using ELISA. To determine the reproducibility of various markers, two different timepoints were compared and no significant differences were observed for CD49d expression nor for saturation; SD patients had higher saturation levels (~80%) than EID patients (~60%). A positive correlation exists between CD49d saturation and Natalizumab serum levels. CD49d expression and saturation are stable parameters that could be used as biomarkers in the immunomonitoring of Natalizumab treatment. Moreover, Natalizumab and sVCAM-1 serum levels could be used to optimize an individual's dosing schedule

Elevated Levels of the Complement Activation Product C4d in Bronchial Fluids for the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Molecular markers in bronchial fluids may contribute to the diagnosis of lung cancer. We previously observed a significant increase of C4d-containing complement degradation fragments in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) supernatants from lung cancer patients in a cohort of 50 cases and 22 controls (CUN cohort). The present study was designed to determine the diagnostic performance of these complement fragments (hereinafter jointly referred as C4d) in bronchial fluids. C4d levels were determined in BAL supernatants from two independent cohorts: the CU cohort (25 cases and 26 controls) and the HUVR cohort (60 cases and 98 controls). A series of spontaneous sputum samples from 68 patients with lung cancer and 10 controls was also used (LCCCIO cohort). Total protein content, complement C4, complement C5a, and CYFRA 21-1 were also measured in all cohorts. C4d levels were significantly increased in BAL samples from lung cancer patients. The area under the ROC curve was 0.82 (95% CI = 0.71-0.94) and 0.67 (95% CI = 0.58-0.76) for the CU and HUVR cohorts, respectively. In addition, unlike the other markers, C4d levels in BAL samples were highly consistent across the CUN, CU and HUVR cohorts. Interestingly, C4d test markedly increased the sensitivity of bronchoscopy in the two cohorts in which cytological data were available (CUN and HUVR cohorts). Finally, in the LCCCIO cohort, C4d levels were higher in sputum supernatants from patients with lung cancer (area under the ROC curve: 0.7; 95% CI = 0.56-0.83). In conclusion, C4d is consistently elevated in bronchial fluids from lung cancer patients and may be used to improve the diagnosis of the disease

Recent Research in Ocular Cystinosis: Drug Delivery Systems, Cysteamine Detection Methods and Future Perspectives

Cystinosis is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the accumulation of cystine crystals in different tissues and organs. Although renal damage prevails during initial stages, the deposition of cystine crystals in the cornea causes severe ocular manifestations. At present, cysteamine is the only topical effective treatment for ocular cystinosis. The lack of investment by the pharmaceutical industry, together with the limited stability of cysteamine, make it available only as two marketed presentations (Cystaran® and Cystadrops®) and as compounding formulations prepared in pharmacy departments. Even so, new drug delivery systems (DDSs) need to be developed, allowing more comfortable dosage schedules that favor patient adherence. In the last decades, different research groups have focused on the development of hydrogels, nanowafers and contact lenses, allowing a sustained cysteamine release. In parallel, different determination methods and strategies to increase the stability of the formulations have also been developed. This comprehensive review aims to compile all the challenges and advances related to new cysteamine DDSs, analytical determination methods, and possible future therapeutic alternatives for treating cystinosisThis research was funded by Fundación Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (FEFH 18-19), Fundación Mutua Madrileña (XVI Convocatoria de Ayudas a la Investigación en Salud) and “Asociación La Lucha de Iker”. C.M.-G. and A.F.-F. have funding research grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (C.M.-G.-Río Hortega CM18/00090 and A.F.-F.-Juan Rodés JR18/0004)S