La puerta al paisaje: el equipamiento de proximidad en Collserola

"La puerta al paisaje" proposa una intervenció de rehabilitació i obra nova a la masia de Can Papanaps, situada als peus de Collserola, mitjançant el disseny d'un equipament de proximitat per a promoure un sistema de pertinença i vincle d'identitat del barri."La puerta al paisaje" propone una intervención de rehabilitación y obra nueva en la masía de Can Papanaps, ubicada a los pies de Collserola, mediante el diseño de un equipamiento de proximidad para promover un sistema de pertenencia y vínculo de identidad del barrio

A Simple Technique Based on a Single Optical Trap for the Determination of Bacterial Swimming Pattern

Bacterial motility is associated to a wide range of biological processes and it plays a key role in the virulence of many pathogens. Here we describe a method to distinguish the dynamic properties of bacteria by analyzing the statistical functions derived from the trajectories of a bacterium trapped by a single optical beam. The approach is based on the model of the rotation of a solid optically trapped sphere. The technique is easily implemented in a biological laboratory, since with only a small number of optical and electronic components a simple biological microscope can be converted into the required analyzer. To illustrate the functionality of this method, we probed several serovar Typhimurium mutants that differed from the wild-type with respect to their swimming patterns. In a further application, the motility dynamics of the Typhimurium mutant were characterized

New aminocyclitols as modulators of glucosylceramide metabolism

7 pages, 3 figures, 4 schemes, 1 table.-- PMID: 15785807 [PubMed].-- Printed version published Mar 2005.A series of 13 aminocyclitol derivatives belonging to two different families is described. Their configuration is governed by the regio- and stereocontrolled epoxide opening of a suitably protected conduritol-B epoxide. Studies on several glycosyl processing enzymes indicate that some of them are good inhibitors of glucosylceramide hydrolase. A rationale to account for preliminary structure–activity relationships is providedFinancial support from Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain), Project BQU2002-03737 and DURSI (Generalitat de Catalunya), Projects 2001SGR00085 and 2001SGR00342 is acknowledged.Peer reviewe

Prevalence of Radiological Chronic Pancreatitis and Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in Patients with Decompensated Liver Disease: Is Fecal Elastase Useful in This Setting?

Chronic pancreatitis; Decompensated cirrhosis; Micronutrient deficienciesPancreatitis crónica; Cirrosis descompensada; Deficiencias de micronutrientesPancreatitis crònica; Cirrosi descompensada; Deficiències de micronutrientsChronic alcohol consumption is a well-known etiological factor for both chronic pancreatitis (CP) and liver cirrhosis. However, there is discussion over how often these two entities are present together in the same patient. The main goal of our study is to establish the prevalence of CP and low fecal elastase (FE-1) in patients with decompensated liver disease (DLD). In addition, we aim to identify the demographic, epidemiological and clinical factors associated with EPI and CP in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. This was an observational single-center study including 119 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis, mostly of alcoholic etiology. Patients underwent computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the radiological features of CP. We also performed two FE-1 tests and complete blood tests to assess the presence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and nutritional status, including micronutrients. The results of our study show that 32 patients (26.9%) had low fecal elastase suggesting EPI and 11 (9.2%) had CP. Patients meeting radiological CP criteria had lower FE-1 than patients without CP. There were no statistically significant differences in micronutrient deficiencies according to the presence of CP or not. Likewise, we did not find any statistically significant differences in micronutrient deficiencies among patients with normal and low FE-1 indicative of EPI. FE-1 alone may not be suitable for assessing EPI in patients with acute DLD. Detecting co-existing pancreatic disease may be important in a subset of patients with DLD, when the FE-1 levels are significantly low, potentially suggestive of a pancreatic anomaly. Moreover, the clinical manifestations of EPI and CP are not useful in detecting CP in DLD patients. Likewise, CP cannot explain all causes of EPI in these patients

Micronutrient Deficiencies in Patients with Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis

Cirrosi descompensada; Deficiència de micronutrients; DesnutricióCirrosis descompensada; Deficiencia de micronutrientes; DesnutriciónDecompensated cirrhosis; Micronutrient deficiency; MalnutritionPatients with cirrhosis often develop malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, leading to a worse prognosis and increased mortality. Our main goal was to assess the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. This was a prospective single-center study including 125 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis (mostly of alcoholic etiology). A blood test including trace elements and vitamins was performed on admission. The main micronutrient deficiencies observed were vitamin D (in 94.5%), vitamin A (93.5%), vitamin B6 (60.8%) and zinc (85.6%). Patients in Child-Pugh class C had lower levels of vitamin A (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p = 0.01) and zinc (p < 0.001), and higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.002) and vitamin B12 (p < 0.001) than those in Child-Pugh class A and B. Patients with a higher model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score had lower levels of vitamin A (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p < 0.001), magnesium (p = 0.01) and zinc (p = 0.001), and higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.002) and vitamin B12 (p < 0.0001). Severe hepatic insufficiency correlated with lower levels of zinc, vitamin E and vitamin A, and higher levels of vitamin B12 and ferritin

Survival and adverse events of elderly patients treated with sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma

Elderly patients; Hepatocellular carcinoma; SorafenibPacients d'edat avançada; Carcinoma hepatocel·lular; SorafenibPacientes de edad avanzada; Carcinoma hepatocelular; SorafenibIntroduction: The first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, but its availability is not universal and elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical trials. There is little evidence of efficacy and tolerability in elderly patients under systemic treatment. The aims of this study were to characterize the profile of elderly patients treated with sorafenib, assess their survival and safety profile in order to extrapolate their eligibility for systemic treatment. Methods: Retrospective multicentre study of HCC patients aged ≥75 years old treated with sorafenib from January 2008 to December 2019. Demographic data, baseline characteristics, and variables related to HCC and sorafenib were recorded. Overall survival (OS) and safety were analyzed. Results: The study included 206 patients from 11 hospitals, median age 77.9 years; 71.4% men and 62.6% stage Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer- C (BCLC-C). The main causes of cirrhosis were hepatitis C (60.7%) and alcohol (14.7%). Most patients (84.5%) started with sorafenib 800mg and 15.5% at lower dosage. Arterial hypertension (AHT) (74.2 vs 62.2%; standardized mean differences (STD): 26) and baseline ECOG-PS>0 (45.3 vs 34.7%; STD: 38.2) differed significantly between patients receiving low and full doses. Median OS was 15.4 months (18.2 in BCLC-B vs 13.6 in BCLC-C). OS was not modified by comorbidities, age or period with more expertise. Conclusions: Sorafenib appears to be safe in elderly patients with HCC. This is the first study to characterize the profile of elderly patients to be considered for systemic treatment. These findings could be used as the reference profile for elderly candidates for atezolizumab-bevacizumab

Survival and adverse events of elderly patients treated with sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma

Elderly patients; Hepatocellular carcinoma; SorafenibPacientes ancianos; Carcinoma hepatocelular; SorafenibPacients grans; Carcinoma hepatocel·lular; SorafenibIntroduction: The first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, but its availability is not universal and elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical trials. There is little evidence of efficacy and tolerability in elderly patients under systemic treatment. The aims of this study were to characterize the profile of elderly patients treated with sorafenib, assess their survival and safety profile in order to extrapolate their eligibility for systemic treatment. Methods: Retrospective multicentre study of HCC patients aged ≥75 years old treated with sorafenib from January 2008 to December 2019. Demographic data, baseline characteristics, and variables related to HCC and sorafenib were recorded. Overall survival (OS) and safety were analyzed. Results: The study included 206 patients from 11 hospitals, median age 77.9 years; 71.4% men and 62.6% stage Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer- C (BCLC-C). The main causes of cirrhosis were hepatitis C (60.7%) and alcohol (14.7%). Most patients (84.5%) started with sorafenib 800mg and 15.5% at lower dosage. Arterial hypertension (AHT) (74.2 vs 62.2%; standardized mean differences (STD): 26) and baseline ECOG-PS>0 (45.3 vs 34.7%; STD: 38.2) differed significantly between patients receiving low and full doses. Median OS was 15.4 months (18.2 in BCLC-B vs 13.6 in BCLC-C). OS was not modified by comorbidities, age or period with more expertise. Conclusions: Sorafenib appears to be safe in elderly patients with HCC. This is the first study to characterize the profile of elderly patients to be considered for systemic treatment. These findings could be used as the reference profile for elderly candidates for atezolizumab-bevacizumab.AS: Travel grants from Tillots, Ferring, Norgine, Alfasigma, Jansen, Abbvie. MC: None. ZV: None. SM-M: None. VS: Travel grants from Bayer. Consultancy LEO Pharma. MP: None. LC: None. RG: None. AG: None. BM: Consultancy: Bayer-Shering Pharma, Eisai-Merck. Conferences/lectures: Eisai, MSD, Roche. Research grant: Lab Viñas. Funding: BM is funded by grants PI18/00961 and PI21/00714 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. DH. None. AC. None. SM. Conferences/lectures: Bayer. Travel grants: Bayer, and Eisai. MRo. None. MRe. Consultancy: Bayer-Shering Pharma, BMS, Roche, Ipsen, AstraZeneca, Lilly. BTG/Paid conferences: Bayer-Shering Pharma, BMS, Gilead, Lilly. Research Grants: Bayer-Shering Pharma, Ipsen. MV. Travel grants: Gilead, MSD, Bayer, Abvie. Conferences/lectures: MSD, Gilead, Abvie, Eisai

El Panel de Desigualtats Socials a Catalunya (PaD): una aportació singular a la història de l'anàlisi longitudinal a Catalunya

L'article descriu les principals fites metodològiques del Panel de Desigualtats Socials a Catalunya (PaD). El PaD és una enquesta pionera en les ciències socials al nostre país en l'ús de la perspectiva longitudinal sobre la base d'una mostra panel pura. El text mostra les especificitats d'aquesta eina en els àmbits del qüestionari, la mostra, el treball de camp i les matrius de dades, i repassa algunes de les aportacions inèdites en l'àmbit de la pobresa, el treball o la mobilitat social, així com l'estat de la recerca amb dades PaD actuals. La possibilitat de seguir els mateixos individus durant anys permet formular preguntes de tipus dinàmic, sobre les trajectòries dels individus i sobre els efectes dels canvis que es produeixen en les seves vides, i aconseguir noves respostes que permeten ampliar el coneixement existent. Actualment, el PaD compleix deu anys de la seva existència.This article describes the main methodological milestones of the Panel on Social Inequalities in Catalonia (PaD). The PaD is a pioneer survey in Catalonia on social sciences concerning the use of a longitudinal perspective based on a pure panel sample. The text shows the specificity of this tool when it comes to the questionnaire, the sample, fieldwork and data matrices, and it reviews some of the latest findings in the field of poverty, employment or social mobility along with the situation in terms of the research conducted using PaD data at present. Being able to follow the same individuals for a number of years makes it possible to ask dynamic questions on the backgrounds of individuals and the effects of changes occurring in their lives, whilst obtaining new answers allowing us to expand on existing knowledge. As of the present time, the PaD has been in existence for 10 years

Accumulated bending energy elicits neutral sphingomyelinase activity in human red blood cells

We propose that accumulated membrane bending energy elicits a neutral sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity in human erythrocytes. Membrane bending was achieved by osmotic or chemical processes, and SMase activity was assessed by quantitative thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. The activity induced by hypotonic stress in erythrocyte membranes had the pH dependence, ion dependence, and inhibitor sensitivity of mammalian neutral SMases. The activity caused a decrease in SM contents, with a minimum at 6 min after onset of the hypotonic conditions, and then the SM contents were recovered. We also elicited SMase activity by adding lysophosphatidylcholine externally or by generating it with phospholipase A 2. The same effect was observed upon addition of chlorpromazine or sodium deoxycholate at concentrations below the critical micellar concentration, and even under hypertonic conditions. A unifying factor of the various agents that elicit this SMase activity is the accumulated membrane bending energy. Both hypo-and hypertonic conditions impose an increased curvature, whereas the addition of surfactants or phospholipase A 2 activation increases the outer monolayer area, thus leading to an increased bending energy. The fact that this latent SMase activity is tightly coupled to the membrane bending properties suggests that it may be related to the general phenomenon of stress-induced ceramide synthesis and apoptosis. © 2012 Biophysical Society

Micronutrient Deficiencies in Patients with Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis

Patients with cirrhosis often develop malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, leading to a worse prognosis and increased mortality. Our main goal was to assess the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. This was a prospective single-center study including 125 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis (mostly of alcoholic etiology). A blood test including trace elements and vitamins was performed on admission. The main micronutrient deficiencies observed were vitamin D (in 94.5%), vitamin A (93.5%), vitamin B6 (60.8%) and zinc (85.6%). Patients in Child-Pugh class C had lower levels of vitamin A (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p = 0.01) and zinc (p < 0.001), and higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.002) and vitamin B12 (p < 0.001) than those in Child-Pugh class A and B. Patients with a higher model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score had lower levels of vitamin A (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p < 0.001), magnesium (p = 0.01) and zinc (p = 0.001), and higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.002) and vitamin B12 (p < 0.0001). Severe hepatic insufficiency correlated with lower levels of zinc, vitamin E and vitamin A, and higher levels of vitamin B12 and ferritin