Los enigmas de Colón

Después de su muerte Colón cayó en el olvido, posiblemente por interés de la monarquía hispánica, que veía difícil poder cumplir los compromisos contraídos con el Descubridor. Los pleitos de la familia Colón duraron casi 60 años; primero contra la Corona y, posteriormente entre los descendientes, por haber fallecido el biznieto sin descendencia. Coincidiendo con el proceso de la unificación del país, los investigadores italianos lo situaron en la cabecera de los mitos patrios y recopilaron abundante documentación sobre el genovès Cristóforo Colombo. En la época de Mussolini se añadieron más aportaciones, que pueden corresponder a diferentes individuos de igual nombre. Hay razones sociológicas, culturales y lingüísticas para sospechar que el genovès Cristóforo Colombo no pudo ser el Cristóbal Colón que descubrió América. El tabernero o tejedor que dejó Genova, con más de 20 años, difícilmente podría conocer el arte de navegar y poseer la cultura científica y humanística que demostró Colón. Más llamativo es el dato de que jamás se expresó en italiano. El Descubridor empleaba el español no como lengua materna sino como idioma aprendido salpicado de extranjerismos, que fueron interpretados como de origen italiano o portugués hasta que se ha considerado la posibilidad de que sean vocablos catalanes. La hipótesis de que Cristóbal Colón naciera en algún lugar de la Corona de Aragón vuelve a resurgir, después de que la elaborara Ulloa a principios del siglo XX, apoyada en estudios de toponimia y técnicas de lexicometria lingüística informatizada. La humildad de su pretendido origen genovès no explica el interés en ocultar su filiación. Algunos lo han atribuido a que era un judío converso, lo cual no es suficiente ya que altos funcionarios de los Reyes Católicos compartían esa circunstancia. Se señalan otras posibilidades; podría pertenecer a una familia catalana que participó en la sublevación contra Juan 11, padre de Fernando el Católico, o haber sido un corsario que luchó contra la Corona de Aragón. La tesis mallorquinista sostiene que Cristóbal Colón fue, además de corsario, hijo bastardo del príncipe de Viana, detalle que explicaría su fácil acceso a los poderosos de la época. Es de esperar que los estudios de ADN practicados recientemente en los restos de miembros de la familia Colón así como en personas de apellido Colom en España y Colombo o Colone en Italia puedan aportar información fidedigna.After his death, Christopher Columbus fell into obscurity, possibly due to the influence of the Spanish monarchy which found it difficult to ful fil the promises given to the Discoverer. The legal cases prcsented by Columbus's heirs lastcd 60 years; lirstly against the Crown and later between themselves, bccausc the great grandchild didn't leave any descendants. At the same time of the unification of Italy, the Italian investigators elevated him to the head of the country mythical héroes and collected an abundance of documentation about the Genoese Cristóforo Colombo. During the time of Mussolini, more information was added that could correspond to different people of the same ñame. There are sociological, cultural and lingüístic reasons to suspect that Cristóforo Colombo cannot be the Christopher Columbus who discovered America. The innkeepcr or weaver that left Genoa in his twenties couldn't possibly know the art of navigation and have the scientific and humanístic culture that showed Columbus. The fact that he never spoke Italian is even more striking. The discoverer used Spanish not as his mother tongue but as his second language and said foreign words which was interpreted as Italian or Portuguesc until the possibility was considered that they could be Catalán. Ulloa's hypothesis proposed at the beginning of the XXth century, which maintains that Christopher Columbus could havc been born in the kingdom of Aragón, has resurfaced, with the support of studies of toponymy and techniques of computerized lingüístic lexicometry. The humbleness of his pretended Genovese origin doesn't explain the interest in hiding his origin. Some people attributed this to the fact that he was a converted Jew. But this is an insufficient reason as some of the high officials of the royal court were also sharing the same circumstance. Other possibilitíes have been pointed out. He could have been from a Catalonian family which took part in the rebellion against Juan II, father of Ferdinand the Catholic King, or he could have been a corsair who fought against the Crown of Aragón. According to the Majorcan theory, Christopher Columbus was, more than a corsair, the bastard son of the prince of Viana. This detail could explain his easy access to the powerful men of the time. We hope that the DNA testing on the remains of Columbus's family members as well as on the people called Colom in Spain and Colombo or Colone in Italy will provide us factual information

Paternalism vs. autonomy: are they alternative types of formal care?

This study has been supported by MINECO Project: PSI2014-52464-P-ICESE

El laboratorio de inmunología en el diagnóstico y control de las enfermedades autoinmunitarias sistémicas (I): protocolo de estudio ante la sospecha clínica

Inclou referències bibliogràfique

Effects of oral glutamine during abdominal radiotherapy on chronic radiation enteritis: a randomized controlled trial

[Abstract] Objective. Glutamine has been proposed as a preventive treatment for toxicity related to cancer therapies. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of glutamine in the prevention of radiation enteritis. Methods. A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was performed including 69 patients who were assigned to receive either glutamine (Gln, 30 g/d) or placebo while they were receiving abdominal radiotherapy. Patients were re-evaluated 1 y after completion of treatment. The presence of chronic enteritis was assessed using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scale. Nutritional status was evaluated using subjective global assessment, weight, and bioimpedance. Relative risk (RR) and its confidence interval (CI) were also calculated. Results. The trial initially included 69 patients (34 Gln, 35 placebo), but 11 patients were lost during follow-up (4 Gln, 7 placebo; P = 0.296). Chronic enteritis was developed by 14 % of patients: Gln 16.7 % versus placebo 11.1% (RR = 1.33; 95 % CI, 0.35–5.03; P = 0.540). Most cases of enteritis were grade I (75 %), with no differences between groups. The stool frequency increased after radiotherapy in patients who received Gln (from 1 ± 1 to 2 ± 2 stools per day, P = 0.012), but remained unchanged with placebo (1 ± 1 stools per day, P = 0.858; difference between groups P = 0.004). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of weight, fat mass, or fat-free mass index, or between patients with enteritis and those without intestinal toxicity. Conclusions. Chronic enteritis is a relatively infrequent phenomenon, and Gln administration during radiotherapy does not exert a protective effect.Castilla y León. Consejería de Sanidad; GRS 326/B/0

Efectos tisulares de la glutamina en pacientes con cáncer de recto tratados con quimorradioterapia preoperatoria

[Abstract] Background: The aim was to evaluate the effects of glutamine on tumor regression and histological damage in patients with rectal patients following chemoradiotherapy previous to surgery. Material and methods: Ten patients with rectal cancer surgically removed after chemoradiotherapy were included, a subgroup of a randomized trial that compared glutamine and placebo in the prevention of acute radiation enteritis. Samples of neoplasm and healthy tissue were evaluated by an expert pathologist searching for signs of tumor regression, muciphages, and signs of radiation-induced damage. Results: There were no differences in the grade of tumor regression with either glutamine or placebo. All patients who received glutamine presented muciphages, compared with 28.6% of the placebo group (p = 0.038). Histological damage was similar in patients receiving glutamine or placebo, and between those with radiation enteritis or without toxicity. Conclusion: Glutamine did not exert a protective effect over chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer or healthy rectal tissue.[Resumen] Introducción: El objetivo fue evaluar los efectos de la administración de glutamina sobre la regresión tumoral y sobre el tejido sano en pacientes con cáncer rectal que recibieron quimiorradioterapia. Material y métodos: Se incluyó 10 pacientes con cáncer rectal operado después de quimiorradioterapia, un subgrupo de un ensayo clínico que comparó glutamina con placebo en la prevención de enteritis aguda. Un patólogo experto analizó las muestras de tumor y tejido sano, buscando datos de regresión tumoral, mucífagos y daño por radiación. Resultados: No hubo diferencias entre placebo y glutamina en el grado de regresión tumoral. Todos los pacientes con glutamina presentaron mucífagos, frente al 28,6% con placebo (p = 0,038). El daño sobre tejido sano fue similar en los pacientes con glutamina y placebo, y entre aquellos con y sin enteritis. Conclusión: La glutamina no ejerce un efecto protector frente a la quimiorradioterapia sobre el tumor o el tejido rectal sano