Review of base stations array antennas developed by UPM

Several array architectures developed at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) for mobile phone and LMDS base station antennas are presented. An eight-element array and multi-beam antennas with enhanced bandwidth have been demonstrated for GSM-UMTS. A practical implementation of a smart antenna with interference cancellation has been built for a 3er generation mobile communication system based on W-CDMA. Low-cost omnidirectional and sectored antennas has been developed for LMDS base station at 3 GHz. A folded three-layer printed reflectarray with shaped pattern has been demonstrated for sector LMDS base stations at 26 GHz

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

Protein kinase D1/2 is involved in the maturation of multivesicular bodies and secretion of exosomes in T and B lymphocytes

Supplementary Video 1: CMAC-labeled Raji cells (blue) were attached to fibronectin-coated MatTek chamber slides and SEE-pulsed (30 min). Double synapse formation by one GFP-CD63-expressing Jurkat cell was time-lapse imaged (right side). The video shows MVB traffic to the synapse contact areas in this cell and not in Jurkat cells that do not form synapses (left). One representative example is shown of 11 synapses recorded.Supplementary Video 7: Synapse formed by a DsRed2-PKD1-expressing Jurkat T lymphocyte (red) with a SEE-loaded (1 μg/ml) , CMAC-labeled Raji B lymphocyte (blue). Both fluorescence channels were captured simultaneously in the video. The red channel was deconvoluted using Huygens Essential Software. DsRed2-PKD1 accumulation was observed at the synaptic contact after 30 min.Supplementary Video 8. WT mouse T lymphoblasts were challenged with SEB-pulsed (1 μg/ml), CMAC-labeled EL-4 cells (blue) at a 1:1 ratio and transmittance and blue channels were acquired. EL-4 cells were large and blue; T lymphoblasts were smaller and irregular. White arrows indicate synaptic contacts, red arrows indicate cells that show apoptotic blebbing. T, apoptosis of effector T lymphoblasts (AICD); EL4, death of EL-4 target cells (CTL).Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are endocytic compartments that enclose intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) formed by inward budding from the limiting membrane of endosomes. In T lymphocytes, these ILV contain Fas ligand (FasL) and are secreted as 'lethal exosomes' following activation-induced fusion of the MVB with the plasma membrane. Diacylglycerol (DAG) and diacylglycerol kinase α (DGKα) regulate MVB maturation and polarized traffic, as well as subsequent secretion of pro-apoptotic exosomes, but the molecular basis underlying these phenomena remains unclear. Here we identify protein kinase D (PKD) family members as DAG effectors involved in MVB genesis and secretion. We show that the inducible secretion of exosomes is enhanced when a constitutively active PKD1 mutant is expressed in T lymphocytes, whereas exosome secretion is impaired in PKD2-deficient mouse T lymphoblasts and in PKD1/3-null B cells. Analysis of PKD2-deficient T lymphoblasts showed the presence of large, immature MVB-like vesicles and demonstrated defects in cytotoxic activity and in activation-induced cell death. Using pharmacological and genetic tools, we show that DGKα regulates PKD1/2 subcellular localization and activation. Our studies demonstrate that PKD1/2 is a key regulator of MVB maturation and exosome secretion, and constitutes a mediator of the DGKα effect on MVB secretory traffic.Mark Ware (Nanosight Ltd, UK) for his support in NANOSIGHT studies, and Catherine Mark for excellent editorial assistance. RA received a doctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología. This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica (BFU2011-22849 to MI). IM is funded by MINECO grant BFU2013-47640-P.Peer Reviewe

Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Treatment for Infective Endocarditis: A Prospective Cohort Study From the GAMES Cohort

BACKGROUND: Outpatient parenteral antibiotic treatment (OPAT) has proven efficacious for treating infective endocarditis (IE). However, the 2001 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) criteria for OPAT in IE are very restrictive. We aimed to compare the outcomes of OPAT with those of hospital-based antibiotic treatment (HBAT). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of data from a multicenter, prospective cohort study of 2000 consecutive IE patients in 25 Spanish hospitals (2008-2012) was performed. RESULTS: A total of 429 patients (21.5%) received OPAT, and only 21.7% fulfilled IDSA criteria. Males accounted for 70.5%, median age was 68 years (interquartile range [IQR], 56-76), and 57% had native-valve IE. The most frequent causal microorganisms were viridans group streptococci (18.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (15.6%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (14.5%). Median length of antibiotic treatment was 42 days (IQR, 32-54), and 44% of patients underwent cardiac surgery. One-year mortality was 8% (42% for HBAT; P < .001), 1.4% of patients relapsed, and 10.9% were readmitted during the first 3 months after discharge (no significant differences compared with HBAT). Charlson score (odds ratio [OR], 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.42; P = .01) and cardiac surgery (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, .09-.63; P = .04) were associated with 1-year mortality, whereas aortic valve involvement (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, .22-.98; P = .007) was the only predictor of 1-year readmission. Failing to fulfill IDSA criteria was not a risk factor for mortality or readmission. CONCLUSIONS: OPAT provided excellent results despite the use of broader criteria than those recommended by IDSA. OPAT criteria should therefore be expanded