Responsabilidad social y empresa sostenible

Bajo Sanjuán, Ana; González González, Marta y Fernández Fernández, José Luís (2013). Responsabilidad social y empresa sostenible. En: adComunica. Revista Científica de Estrategias, Tendencias e Innovación en Comunicación, nº5. Castellón: Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Comunicación adComunica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid y Universitat Jaume I, 223-243. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/2174- 0992.2013.5.14Las organizaciones empresariales, incluidas las de medios, cumplen un papel determinante en la sociedad, especialmente en el ámbito de la globalización donde se multiplican los efectos de manera exponencial en múltiples dimensiones no sólo económicas, sino también sociales y medioambientales. La actuación de toda empresa, independientemente de su tamaño, sector o mercado provoca una serie de impactos, positivos y negativos, de los que irremediablemente ha de responder ante una sociedad cada vez más exigente. Esta responsabilidad debe ser asumida desde una conciencia del ejercicio ético que, lo quiera o no, la empresa está obligada a llevar a cabo para legitimar su existencia. El artículo que aquí se presenta ha de ayudar al lector a conocer más a fondo qué es eso llamado Responsabilidad Social de la Empresa, a qué agentes de la sociedad afecta, cuáles son las motivaciones que empujan a las organizaciones a incorporarla a su gestión, de manera estratégica, así como los mecanismos e iniciativas de impulso que propician su implantación. Concluimos con una reflexión sobre el pobre balance que la incorporación de la RSE está teniendo en las empresas, en general, salvo una representativa minoría que parece haber entendido que, sobre todo en estos tiempos de crisis, no cabe otro camino para la subsistencia y el éxito en el largo plazo que la apuesta por la sostenibilidad.Business organizations, including those in the media sector, fulfill an important role in society, particularly within the scope of globalization where their impacts multiply exponentially in several dimensions such as the economic, social and environmental ones. The actions of every business, irrespective of size, sector or market, generate both positive and negative impacts, for which they are certain to become accountable to an increasingly demanding society. This responsibility must be taken from the conscience of ethical practice, which whether they like it or not, businesses are forced to conduct in order to legitimise their existence. The article which we are presenting should provide the reader a deeper knowledge of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, the social actors that are affected by it and the motivations that drive organisations to incorporate it as a strategic part of their management as well as the initiatives and mechanisms that favor its establishment. We finalise with a reflection on the so far generally poor result of incorporating CSR into the corporate world except for a representative minority which seems to have understood that, particularly in times of crisis, betting on sustainability is the only path to subsistance and long term success

Does [-2]Pro-Prostate Specific Antigen Meet the Criteria to Justify Its Inclusion in the Clinical Decision-Making Process?

lntroduction: To assess whether [-2]pro-prostate-specific antigen (p2PSA) meets the criteria to justify its inclusion in a predictive model of prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis and in the clinical decision-making process. Materials and Methods: A total 172 men with total prostate-specific antigen of 2-10 ng/ml underwent measurement of free PSA and p2PSA before prostate biopsy in an observational and prospective study. From these measurements, the Prostate Health lndex (PHI) was calculated. Clinical and analytical predictive models were created incorporating PHI. Results: Of 172 men, 72 (42%) were diagnosed with PCa, 33 (46%) of whom were found to be with high-grade disease. PHI score was the most predictive of biopsy outcomes in terms of discriminative ability (area under the curve = 0.79), with an added gain in predictive accuracy of 17%. AII the models that incorporated PHI worked better in terms of calibration close to 45º on the slope. In the decision curve analysis, a threshold probability of 40% we could prevent 82 biopsies, missing only 16 tumors and 5 high-grade tumors. Conclusions: PHI score is a more discriminant biomarker, has superior calibration and superior net benefit, and provides a higher rate of avoided biopsies; thus, it can be useful for aiding in making a more informed decision for each patient

Validación del índice de salud prostática en un modelo predictivo de cáncer de próstata

Objectives: To validate and analyse the clinical usefulness of a predictive model of prostate cancer that incorporates the biomarker ?[-2] pro prostate-specific antigen? using the prostate health index (PHI) in decision making for performing prostate biopsies. Material and methods: We isolated serum from 197 men with an indication for prostate biopsy to determine the total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), the free PSA fraction (fPSA) and the [-2] proPSA (p2PSA). The PHI was calculated as p2PSA/fPSA×?tPSA. We created 2 predictive models that incorporated clinical variables along with tPSA or PHI. The performance of PHI was assessed with a discriminant analysis using receiver operating characteristic curves, internal calibration and decision curves. Results: The areas under the curve for the tPSA and PHI models were 0.71 and 0.85, respectively. The PHI model showed a better ability to discriminate and better calibration for predicting prostate cancer but not for predicting a Gleason score in the biopsy ?7. The decision curves showed a greater net benefit with the PHI model for diagnosing prostate cancer when the probability threshold was 15-35% and greater savings (20%) in the number of biopsies. Conclusions: The incorporation of p2PSA through PHI in predictive models of prostate cancer improves the accuracy of the risk stratification and helps in the decision-making process for performing prostate biopsies.Foundation for Biomedical Research of the Príncipe de Asturias University Hospital

Inhibitory Effects of Antagonists of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH) on Growth and Invasiveness of PC3 Human Prostate Cancer

New approaches are needed to the therapy of advanced prostate cancer. This study determined the effect of growth hormone- releasing hormone (GHRH) antagonists, JMR-132 and JV-1-38 on growth of PC3 tumors as well as on angiogenesis and metastasis through the evaluation of various factors that contribute largely to the progression of prostate cancer. Human PC3 androgen-independent prostate cancer cells were injected subcutaneously into nude mice. The treatment with JMR-132 (10 ug/day) or JV-1-38 (20 ug/day) lasted 41 days. We also evaluated the effects of JMR-132 and JV-1-38 on proliferation, cell adhesion and migration in PC-3 cells in vitro. Several techniques (Western blot, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, ELISA and zymography) were used to evaluate the expression levels of GHRH receptors and its splice variants, GHRH, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha, metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9, beta-catenin and E-cadherin. GHRH antagonists suppressed the proliferation of PC-3 cells in vitro and significantly inhibited growth of PC3 tumors. After treatment with these analogues, we found an increase in expression of GHRH receptor accompanied by a decrease of GHRH levels, a reduction in both VEGF and HIF-1alpha expression and in active forms of MMP-2 and MMP-9, a significant increase in levels of membrane-associated ?-catenin and a significant decline in E-cadherin. These results support that the blockade of GHRH receptors can modulate elements involved in angiogenesis and metastasis. Consequently, GHRH antagonists could be considered as suitable candidates for therapeutic trials in the management of androgen-independent prostate cancer.Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La ManchaComunidad de MadridUniversidad de AlcaláMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovacio

Innovaciones y mejoras en el proyecto tutoría entre compañeros. Curso 2015-2016

Memoria ID-0137. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2015-2016

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

A facility and community-based assessment of scabies in rural Malawi.

Background Scabies is a neglected tropical disease of the skin, causing severe itching, stigmatizing skin lesions and systemic complications. Since 2015, the DerMalawi project provide an integrated skin diseases clinics and Tele-dermatology care in Malawi. Clinic based data suggested a progressive increase in scabies cases observed. To better identify and treat individuals with scabies in the region, we shifted from a clinic-based model to a community based outreach programme. Methodology/principal findings From May 2015, DerMalawi project provide integrated skin diseases and Tele-dermatological care in the Nkhotakota and Salima health districts in Malawi. Demographic and clinical data of all patients personally attended are recorded. Due to a progressive increase in the number of cases of scabies the project shifted to a community-based outreach programme. For the community outreach activities, we conducted three visits between 2018 to 2019 and undertook screening in schools and villages of Alinafe Hospital catchment area. Treatment was offered for all the cases and school or household contacts. Scabies increased from 2.9% to 39.2% of all cases seen by the DerMalawi project at clinics between 2015 to 2018. During the community-based activities approximately 50% of the population was assessed in each of three visits. The prevalence of scabies was similar in the first two rounds, 15.4% (2392) at the first visit and 17.2% at the second visit. The prevalence of scabies appeared to be lower (2.4%) at the third visit. The prevalence of impetigo appeared unchanged and was 6.7% at the first visit and 5.2% at the final visit. Conclusions/significance Prevalence of scabies in our setting was very high suggesting that scabies is a major public health problem in parts of Malawi. Further work is required to more accurately assess the burden of disease and develop appropriate public health strategies for its control

Halogen-atom effect on the ultrafast photodissociation dynamics of the dihalomethanes CH2 ICl and CH2 BrI

Real time photodissociation of dihalomethanes has been measured by femtosecond velocity map imaging to disentangle the effect of the halogen-atom on the carbon–iodine cleavage dynamics.Universidad Complutense de MadridMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (España)European CommissionComunidad de MadridDepto. de Química FísicaFac. de Ciencias QuímicasTRUEpu