Comparativa de diferentes fórmulas biométricas para el cálculo de lentes intraoculares (LIOs).

En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio formado por 31 ojos operados de cirugía de cataratas e implante de la lente intraocular Clareon® (LIO) en el Hospital General de Alcañiz, donde se analiza la potencia estimada y posición efectiva de la lente obtenida por las tres fórmulas de cálculo de tercera generación (SRK/T, Hoffer Q y Holladay I), con la predicha por la fórmula realmente usada en la cirugía (formula de Barrett Universal II). Se establecen diferentes relaciones entre parámetros biométricos y refractivos post-implante de la LIO. Se valida el software de trazado de rayos paraxial OSLO como una herramienta complementaria en la cirugía de cataratas, tanto para el proceso preoperatorio como postoperatorio.<br /

Edad, género y estatus profesional de los investigadores como indicadores de la percepción de Twitter en la difusión de la ciencia

The objective of this study is to evaluate the level of satisfaction and interest that researchers from Spanish universities present through social networks like Twitter. To do so, we examined the data obtained through an online survey from over 600 researchers proactive in science dissemination from 20 Spanish universities (2016). In regard to the data analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis independence test was used. According to the results, two out of three researchers (65.4%) perceived benefits after the science communication campaign and a large majority (84.7%) did not perceive any damage. In relation to social networks, three out of four researchers (74.6%) think that it is an important instrument to improve scientific communication, although less than half (41.4%) have an active open profile in social networks such as Twitter. In addition, female researchers perceive social networks to be more important than male researchers consider them to be, and those who have an active profile in social media networks value them even greate

Researchers' Age, Gender and Professional Status as Indicators of the Twitter Perception in Science Dissemination

El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar el grado de satisfacción e interés que presenta el personal de investigación de las universidades españolas por las redes sociales como Twitter. Para ello, se han examinado los datos obtenidos mediante una encuesta online a unos 600 investigadores proactivos de la divulgación científica de 20 universidades españolas (2016). Para el análisis de los datos, se utilizó el test de independencia de Kruskal-Wallis. Según los resultados, dos de cada tres (65.4%) investigadores percibieron beneficios después de haber realizado la comunicación de sus resultados de investigación y una gran mayoría (84.7%) no percibieron ningún perjuicio. En relación con las redes sociales, tres de cada cuatro investigadores (74.6%) opina que son un instrumento importante para mejorar la comunicación científica, aunque menos de la mitad (un 41.4%) tienen un perfil abierto activo en redes sociales como Twitter. Además, las investigadoras perciben las redes sociales como un medio más importante que los investigadores. Y quienes tienen perfil activo en redes sociales, las valoran mejor.The objective of this study is to evaluate the level of satisfaction and interest that researchers from Spanish universities present through social networks like Twitter. To do so, we examined the data obtained through an online survey from over 600 researchers proactive in science dissemination from 20 Spanish universities (2016). In regard to the data analysis, Kruskal-Wallis independence test was used. According to the results, two out of three researchers (65.4%) perceived benefits after the science communication campaign and a large majority (84.7%) did not perceive any damage. In relation to social networks, three out of four researchers (74.6%) think that it is an important instrument to improve scientific communication, although less than half (41.4%) have an active open profile in social networks such as Twitter. In addition, female researchers perceive social networks to be more important than male researchers consider them to be, and those who have an active profile in social media networks value them even greater

Contribución de la comunicación institucional de la investigación a su impacto y visibilidad. Caso de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Institutional offices for the communication and dissemination of science are gaining importance at Spanish universities, and their activities can contribute to increasing the visibility and reputation of researchers. This study aims to analyze the relations between the institutional communication of research results to the public and the impact and academic visibility of scientific papers. For this purpose, science communication and dissemination through press releases on R+D+i results from the Science Culture and Innovation Unit (SCIU) at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) were selected as a case study. This SCIU was chosen because it has published yearly reports for more than a decade on the impact in the media of its press releases. Press dossiers of the last five years available (2014-2018) were examined. A database was created of the citations received by texts published in scientific journals indexed in the Web of Science and their mentions on social networks through the company Altmetric.com. After that, this information was statistically analyzed. The main results show that the journal impact index is important for obtaining academic citations or appearing in Twitter conversations. However, the influence of the journal impact factor turns out to be lower when it comes to popularizing scientific publications in the media. Furthermore, the statistical evidence points out that scientific publications disseminated through the SCIU receive proportionally more citations than research that has not been disseminated through the institutional channel

High triglycerides and low HDL-c lipid profile in rheumatoid arthritis: a potential link among inflammation, oxidative status and dysfunctional HDL

Background The interactions between inflammation and lipid profile in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are poorly understood. The lipid profile study in RA has been biased toward lipoprotein levels, whereas those of triglycerides (TGs) and lipoprotein functionality have been underestimated. Objectives Since recent findings suggest a role for TG and TG-rich lipoproteins (TRL) on inflammation, we aimed to evaluate a combined lipid profile characterized by high TG and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (TGhighHDLlow) in RA. Methods Lipid profiles were analyzed in 113 RA patients, 113 healthy controls, and 27 dyslipemic subjects. Levels of inflammatory mediators, paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity, and total antioxidant capacity were quantified in serum. PON1-rs662 status was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results The TGhighHDLlow profile was detected in 29/113 RA patients. Although no differences in prevalence compared with healthy controls or dyslipemic subjects were observed, this profile was associated with increased tumor necrosis factor ? (P = .004), monocyte chemotactic protein (P = .004), interferon-gamma?inducible protein-10 (P = .018), and leptin (P < .001) serum levels in RA, where decreased PON1 activity and total antioxidant capacity were found. TGhighHDLlow prevalence was lower among anti-TNF??treated patients (P = .004). When RA patients were stratified by PON1-rs662 status, these associations remained in the low-activity genotype (QQ). Finally, a poor clinical response on TNF? blockade was related to an increasing prevalence of the TGhighHDLlow profile over treatment (P = .021) and higher TRL levels at baseline (P = .042). Conclusions The TGhighHDLlow profile is associated with systemic inflammation, decreased PON1 activity, and poor clinical outcome on TNF? blockade in RA, suggesting a role of TRL and HDL dysfunction as the missing link between inflammation and lipid profile.This work was supported by European Union FEDER funds, “Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS, PI12/00523 and PI16/00113; ISCIII, Spain) and SER/FER funds (Sociedad Española de Reumatología, FER043/2016). J.R.-C. is supported by a postdoctoral contract from the “Juan de la Cierva” program (FJCI-2015-23849; MINECO, Spain)

Perception of Medical Students on the Need for End-of-Life Care: A Q-Methodology Study

End-of-life care and the limitation of therapeutic effort are among the most controversial aspects of medical practice. Many subjective factors can influence decision-making regarding these issues. The Q methodology provides a scientific basis for the systematic study of subjectivity by identifying different thought patterns. This methodology was performed to find student profiles in 143 students at Cantabria University (Spain), who will soon deal with difficult situations related to this topic. A chi-square test was used to compare proportions. We obtained three profiles: the first seeks to ensure quality of life and attaches great importance to the patient's wishes; the second prioritizes life extension above anything else; the third incorporates the economic perspective into medical decision-making. Those who had religious beliefs were mostly included in profile 2 (48.8% vs. 7.3% in profile 1 and 43.9% in profile 3), and those who considered that their beliefs did not influence their ethical principles, were mainly included in profile 3 (48.5% vs. 24.7% in profile 1 and 26.8% in profile 2). The different profiles on end-of-life care amongst medical students are influenced by personal factors. Increasing the clinical experience of students with terminally ill patients would contribute to the development of knowledge-based opinion profiles and would avoid reliance on personal experiences.Funding: This research received a grant from the Spanish Minister of Education (Beca de colaboración

Altered profile of circulating microparticles in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract Microparticles (MPs) could be considered biomarkers of cell damage and activation as well as novel signalling structures. Since rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by immune and endothelial activation, the main aim of the present study was to analyse MP counts in RA patients. Citrated-blood samples were obtained from 114 RA patients, 33 healthy controls (HC) and 72 individuals with marked cardiovascular (CV) risk without autoimmune manifestations (CVR). MPs were analysed in platelet-poor plasma (PPP) and different subsets were identified by their surface markers: platelet-(CD41 + ), endothelial-(CD146 + ), granulocyte-(CD66 + ), monocyte-(CD14 + ) and Tang-(CD3 + CD31 + ) derived. Disease activity score (DAS28), clinical and immunological parameters as well as traditional CV risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and obesity) were registered from clinical records and all data were integrated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Absolute MP number was increased in RA patients compared with HC and positively correlated with traditional CV risk factors, similar to that of CVR subjects. In addition, frequency of the different MP subsets was different in RA patients and significantly associated with disease features. Moreover, in vitro assays revealed that MPs isolated from RA patients were able to promote endothelial activation and exhibited detrimental effects on human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-I) endothelial cell functionality. Circulating MPs from RA patients displayed quantitative and qualitative alterations that are the result of both disease-specific and traditional CV risk factors. Accordingly, this MP pool exhibited in vitro detrimental effects on endothelial cells, thus supporting their role as biomarkers of vascular damage

Drug-loaded PCL electrospun nanofibers as anti-pancreatic cancer drug delivery systems

Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide, being pancreatic cancer the second deadliest cancer in Western countries. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy form the basis of pancreatic cancer's current treatment. However, these techniques have several disadvantages, such as surgery complications, chemotherapy systemic side effects and cancer recurrence. Drug delivery systems can reduce side effects, increasing the effectivity of the treatment by a controlled release at the targeted tumor cells. In this context, coaxial electrospun fibers can increase the control on the release profile of the drug. The aim of this study was to encapsulate and release different anticancer drugs (5-Fluorouracil and Methotrexate) from a polymeric fiber mat. Different flows and ratios were used to test their effect on fiber morphology, FTIR spectrum, drug encapsulation and release. Good integration of the anticancer drugs was observed and the use of a desiccator for 24 h showed to be a key step to remove solvent remanence. Moreover, the results of this study demonstrated that the polymeric solution could be used to encapsulate and release different drugs to treat cancers. This makes coaxial electrospinning a promising alternative to deliver complex chemotherapies that involve more than one drug, such as FOLFIRINOX, used in pancreatic cancer treatment

TARTESSUS: A customized electrospun drug delivery system loaded with Irinotecan for Local and sustained chemotherapy release in pancreatic cancer

Post-surgical chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer has notorious side effects due to the high dose required. Multiple devices have been designed to tackle this aspect and achieve a delayed drug release. This study aimed to explore the controlled and sustained local delivery of a reduced drug dose from an irinotecan-loaded electrospun nanofiber membrane (named TARTESSUS) that can be placed on the patients' tissue after tumor resection surgery. The drug delivery system formulation was made of polycaprolactone (PCL). The mechanical properties and the release kinetics of the drug were adjusted by the electrospinning parameters and by the polymer ratio between 10 w.t.% and 14 w.t.% of PCL in formic acid:acetic acid:chloroform (47.5:47.5:5). The irinotecan release analysis was performed and three different release periods were obtained, depending on the concentration of the polymer in the dissolution. The TARTESSUS device was tested in 2D and 3D cell cultures and it demonstrated a decrease in cell viability in 2D culture between 72 h and day 7 from the start of treatment. In 3D culture, a decrease in viability was seen between 72 h, day 7 (p < 0.001), day 10 (p < 0.001), 14 (p < 0.001), and day 17 (p = 0.003) as well as a decrease in proliferation between 72 h and day 10 (p = 0.030) and a reduction in spheroid size during days 10 (p = 0.001), 14 (p < 0.001), and 17 (p < 0.001). In conclusion, TARTESSUS showed a successful encapsulation of a chemotherapeutic drug and a sustained and delayed release with an adjustable releasing period to optimize the therapeutic effect in pancreatic cancer treatment