El tecno-cuidado en hogares con mayores dependientes con enfermedad de Parkinson

Current technological developments and policy support for active aging have led the European institutions to promote technological care for elderly dependents, since it is believed that they save money to the health systems and promotes the independence of the older people. This paper presents a critical analysis of these assumptions and reflects on the expected real impact of this phenomenon. The analysis considers that a high penetration of this technology is very unlikely, while it detects potential inequalities in its use. Techno-care such as it is known today does not allow the full autonomy of the dependents, or their caregivers, they are only an aid. Therefore, the hypothetical savings for the health systems are questionable. The empirical basis of this analysis comes from a sociological research on Parkinson’s patients in Spain.La aplicación y desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, en el contexto de los hogares de personas mayores dependientes, está comenzando a ser una realidad cada vez más patente, si bien no ha hecho más que empezar. El actual desarrollo tecnológico y las políticas de apoyo al envejecimiento activo convergen para que las instituciones europeas fomenten el tecno-cuidado, porque se cree que ahorrarán dinero a los sistemas de salud y fomentarán la independencia de los mayores. Este trabajo constituye un análisis crítico de estos supuestos y una reflexión sobre el previsible impacto real de este fenómeno. La base empírica de este análisis es una investigación sociológica sobre el colectivo de enfermos de Parkinson en España

Metodología(s) : perspectivas, prácticas y desafíos

Background of INCASI Project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015 GA 691004. WP1: CompilationDesde la revista Encrucijadas me encargaron un texto, más bien provocativo, sobre los debates actuales en metodología, a modo de reflexión colectiva. De provocación no se mucho, pero sí tengo claras unas cuantas preguntas en torno a lo que es (y lo que no es) la metodología en Sociología, y sobre las relaciones existentes entre teoría y empiria. En este sentido, aprovecho para presentar algunas reflexiones sobre las prácticas académicas, las divergencias y convergencias entre distintas disciplinas y perspectivas metodológicas o los nuevos desafíos tecnológicos y sociales, y al mismo tiempo presento ocho preguntas abiertas que han suscitado respuestas de varios colegas: Teresa Torns (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), Raimundo Cuesta (Fedicaria), Carlos Lozares (Universitàt Autónoma de Barcelona), Christian Orgaz (Cooperativa de Investigación Social Indaga), Josep Lobera (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Cristina Santamarina (CIMOP), Fernando Aguiar (IESA-CSIC), Gloria Domínguez Alegría (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Tomás Cano-López (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona y Universidad Pompeu Fabra) y Teresa González de la Fe (Universidad de la Laguna)

Management of acute diverticulitis with pericolic free gas (ADIFAS). an international multicenter observational study

Background: There are no specific recommendations regarding the optimal management of this group of patients. The World Society of Emergency Surgery suggested a nonoperative strategy with antibiotic therapy, but this was a weak recommendation. This study aims to identify the optimal management of patients with acute diverticulitis (AD) presenting with pericolic free air with or without pericolic fluid. Methods: A multicenter, prospective, international study of patients diagnosed with AD and pericolic-free air with or without pericolic free fluid at a computed tomography (CT) scan between May 2020 and June 2021 was included. Patients were excluded if they had intra-abdominal distant free air, an abscess, generalized peritonitis, or less than a 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome was the rate of failure of nonoperative management within the index admission. Secondary outcomes included the rate of failure of nonoperative management within the first year and risk factors for failure. Results: A total of 810 patients were recruited across 69 European and South American centers; 744 patients (92%) were treated nonoperatively, and 66 (8%) underwent immediate surgery. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Hinchey II-IV on diagnostic imaging was the only independent risk factor for surgical intervention during index admission (odds ratios: 12.5, 95% CI: 2.4-64, P =0.003). Among patients treated nonoperatively, at index admission, 697 (94%) patients were discharged without any complications, 35 (4.7%) required emergency surgery, and 12 (1.6%) percutaneous drainage. Free pericolic fluid on CT scan was associated with a higher risk of failure of nonoperative management (odds ratios: 4.9, 95% CI: 1.2-19.9, P =0.023), with 88% of success compared to 96% without free fluid ( P <0.001). The rate of treatment failure with nonoperative management during the first year of follow-up was 16.5%. Conclusion: Patients with AD presenting with pericolic free gas can be successfully managed nonoperatively in the vast majority of cases. Patients with both free pericolic gas and free pericolic fluid on a CT scan are at a higher risk of failing nonoperative management and require closer observation

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Techno-Care in households with Dependent Elderly with Parkinson disease

La aplicación y desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, en el contexto de los hogares de personas mayores dependientes, está comenzando a ser una realidad cada vez más patente, si bien no ha hecho más que empezar. El actual desarrollo tecnológico y las políticas de apoyo al envejecimiento activo convergen para que las instituciones europeas fomenten el tecno-cuidado, porque se cree que ahorrarán dinero a los sistemas de salud y fomentarán la independencia de los mayores. Este trabajo constituye un análisis crítico de estos supuestos y una reflexión sobre el previsible impacto real de este fenómeno. La base empírica de este análisis es una investigación sociológica sobre el colectivo de enfermos de Parkinson en España.Current technological developments and policy support for active aging have led the European institutions to promote technological care for elderly dependents, since it is believed that they save money to the health systems and promotes the independence of the older people. This paper presents a critical analysis of these assumptions and reflects on the expected real impact of this phenomenon. The analysis considers that a high penetration of this technology is very unlikely, while it detects potential inequalities in its use. Techno-care such as it is known today does not allow the full autonomy of the dependents, or their caregivers, they are only an aid. Therefore, the hypothetical savings for the health systems are questionable. The empirical basis of this analysis comes from a sociological research on Parkinson’s patients in Spain

Innovative use of ceramics at home

[EN] The aim of the project developed by ASCER and IBV was to determine the feasibility of using ceramic material for the manufacture of kitchen and bathroom countertops. In particular, the involvement of IBV was focused on the definition of functional and ergonomic user requirements and in the development of a usability and perception study of the new ceramic applications. In addition, the perception experimentation led to the extraction of the design keys of future ceramic counters.[ES] El IBV ha participado junto con ASCER (Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Azulejos y Pavimentos Cerámicos) en un proyecto cuyo objetivo fue determinar la viabilidad de utilizar cerámica como material para la fabricación de encimeras de cocinas y baños. En concreto, la participación del Instituto de Biomecánica se centró en la definición de requisitos ergonómicos y funcionales de los usuarios y en la realización de un estudio de usabilidad y percepción de nuevas aplicaciones cerámicas en el hogar. Del estudio realizado se extrajeron las claves de diseño de las futuras encimeras cerámicas.A la Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Azulejos y Pavimentos Cerámicos (ASCER). El desarrollo de este proyecto ha sido realizado en el marco de la Convocatoria de ayudas del II Plan de Competitividad de la Empresa Valenciana (PCEV), dentro de la Actuación 2: Innovación. Proyecto cofinanciado por los Fondos FEDER, dentro del Programa Operativo FEDER de la Comunidad Valenciana 2007-2013.Valero Martínez, M.; López Vicente, MA.; Sancho Mollá, M.; Marzo Rosello, R.; Zamora Alvarez, TA.; Cerda Casanoves, MR.; Such Pérez, MJ.... (2012). Uso innovador de la cerámica en el hogar. Revista de biomecánica. (58):25-27. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/38510S25275

Digitalización de esqueletos de primates y otros mamíferos para generación de colecciones virtuales: visualización e impresión 3D como recurso de aprendizaje y transferencia de conocimiento

Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasFALSEsubmitte

Quorum sensing network in clinical strains of A. baumannii : AidA is a new quorum quenching enzyme

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important pathogen that causes nosocomial infections generally associated with high mortality and morbidity in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Currently, little is known about the Quorum Sensing (QS)/Quorum Quenching (QQ) systems of this pathogen. We analyzed these mechanisms in seven clinical isolates of A. baumannii. Microarray analysis of one of these clinical isolates, Ab1 (A. baumannii ST-2-clon-2010), previously cultured in the presence of 3-oxo-C12-HSL (a QS signalling molecule) revealed a putative QQ enzyme (α/β hydrolase gene, AidA). This QQ enzyme was present in all nonmotile clinical isolates (67% of which were isolated from the respiratory tract) cultured in nutrient depleted LB medium. Interestingly, this gene was not located in the genome of the only motile clinical strain growing in this medium (A. baumannii strain Ab421-GEIH-2010 [Ab7], isolated from a blood sample). The AidA protein expressed in E. coli showed QQ activity. Finally, we observed downregulation of the AidA protein (QQ system attenuation) in the presence of HO (ROS stress). In conclusion, most of the A. baumannii clinical strains were not surface motile (84%) and were of respiratory origin (67%). Only the pilT gene was involved in surface motility and related to the QS system. Finally, a new QQ enzyme (α/β hydrolase gene, AidA protein) was detected in these strains