Usefulness of bone turnover markers as predictors of mortality risk, disease progression and skeletal-related events appearance in patients with prostate cancer with bone metastases following treatment with zoledronic acid: TUGAMO study

Owing to the limited validity of clinical data on the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) and bone metastases, biochemical markers are a promising tool for predicting survival, disease progression and skeletal-related events (SREs) in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive capacity of biochemical markers of bone turnover for mortality risk, disease progression and SREs in patients with PCa and bone metastases undergoing treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA). Methods: This was an observational, prospective and multicenter study in which ninety-eight patients were included. Patients were treated with ZA (4mg every 4 weeks for 18 months). Data were collected at baseline and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months after the beginning of treatment. Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphtase (BALP), aminoterminal propeptide of procollagen type I (P1NP) and beta-isomer of carboxiterminal telopeptide of collagen I (b-CTX) were analysed at all points in the study. Data on disease progression, SREs development and survival were recorded. Results: Cox regression models with clinical data and bone markers showed that the levels of the three markers studied were predictive of survival time, with b-CTX being especially powerful, in which a lack of normalisation in visit 1 (3 months after the beginning of treatment) showed a 6.3-times more risk for death than in normalised patients. Levels of these markers were also predictive for SREs, although in this case BALP and P1NP proved to be better predictors. We did not find any relationship between bone markers and disease progression. Conclusion: In patients with PCa and bone metastases treated with ZA, b-CTX and P1NP can be considered suitable predictors for mortality risk, while BALP and P1NP are appropriate for SREs. The levels of these biomarkers 3 months after the beginning of treatment are especially importantThis study was supported by Novartis Oncology Spai

Biochemical markers of bone turnover and clinical outcome in patients with renal cell and bladder carcinoma with bone metastases following treatment with zoledronic acid: The TUGAMO study

Background: Levels of bone turnover markers (BTM) might be correlated with outcome in terms of skeletal-related events (SRE), disease progression, and death in patients with bladder cancer (BC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with bone metastases (BM). We try to evaluate this possible correlation in patients who receive treatment with zoledronic acid (ZOL). Methods: This observational, prospective, and multicenter study analysed BTM and clinical outcome in these patients. Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP), and beta-isomer of carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (b-CTX) were analysed. Results: Patients with RCC who died or progressed had higher baseline b-CTX levels and those who experienced SRE during follow-up showed high baseline BALP levels. In BC, a poor rate of survival was related with high baseline b-CTX and BALP levels, and new SRE with increased PINP levels. Cox univariate analysis showed that b-CTX levels were associated with higher mortality and disease progression in RCC and higher mortality in BC. Bone alkaline phosphatase was associated with increased risk of premature SRE appearance in RCC and death in BC. Conclusion: Beta-isomer of carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen and BALP can be considered a complementary tool for prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with BC and RCC with BM treated with ZOLNovartis Oncology Spain for supporting this stud

Manual de técnicas de estabilización biotécnica en taludes de infraestructuras de obra civil

Las estructuras viarias, al modificar las condiciones naturales del terreno, para suavizar trazado y pendiente, generan unos desmontes y terraplenes que dejan superficies de suelo o roca desprotegidos y con gran riesgo de erosión. Este manual parte de los resultados del proyecto “Estabilización biotécnica de taludes: optimización de tratamientos en proyectos de restauración paisajística de infraestructuras viarias en Andalucía”, desarrollado para la Consejería de Fomento y Vivienda, y subvencionado con fondos FEDER pretende mostrar un conjunto de criterios básicos con ejemplos de aplicación para ayudar a los profesionales en la toma de decisiones para el control de erosión desde la fase de diseño hasta la ejecución de actuaciones en obra civil.Agencia de Obra Pública de la Junta de Andalucía. Consejería Fomento y Vivienda. Junta de Andalucía. y Fondos FEDER. A través de Proyecto: G-GI3000/IDIS2014.N

Evaluation of different techniques for erosion control on different roadcuts in its first year of implantation

Trabajo presentado en la EGU General Assembly 2014 (European Geosciences Union), celebrada en Viena del 27 de abril al 2 de mayo de 2014.Linear infrastructures, such as highways and railways, present a large environmental impact. Among this impact is the effect on landscape and the modification of the hydrological conditions of the area and an increase in erosive processes (Martin et al., 2011). The increase of erosive processes is specially significant in roadbanks, resulting in high maintenance costs as well as security risks for the use of the infrastructure if it is not properly controlled. Among roadbanks, roadcuts are specially challenging areas for erosion control and ecological restoration, due to their usually steep slope gradient and poor conditions for establishment of vegetation. There are several studies in Mediterranean conditions indicating how the combination of semiarid conditions with, sporadic, intense rainfall events makes a successful vegetation development and erosion control in motorway roadbanks extremely difficult (e.g. Andrés and Jorbat, 2000; Bochet and García-Fayos, 2004). This communication presents the results of the first year evaluation (hydrological year 2012-2013) of five different erosion control strategies on six different locations under different materials on roadcuts of motorways or railways in Andalusia during 2012-2013 using natural rainfall and simulated rainfall. The six sites were located on roadcuts between 10 and 20 m long on slope steepness ranging from 40 to 90%, in motorways and railways spread over different materials in Andalusia. Site 1, Huelva was located on consolidated sand material, sites 2, Osuna I, site 3, Osuna II and site 4, Mancha Real, on marls. Sites 5, Guadix, and 6, Fiñana, were located on phyllites, in comparison a harder material. At each site 12 plots (10 m long and 2 m wide) were installed using metal sheets buried 10 cm within the soil with their longest side in the direction of the roadcut maximum slope. Six different treatments were evaluated at each site, two replications each. These treatments were: 1- A control with bare soil, 2-Hydroseeding with a mix of grasses and legumes adapted for Mediterranean conditions, 3- Plantation of Mediterranean shrub species at a 1 plant m-2 density, 4- organic erosion control mat (made of coconut or esparto grass, Stipa tenacissima, fiber) plus hydroseeding. 5- synthetic net mat for erosion control plus hydroseeding. 6- synthetic 3D-net mat for erosion control plus hydroseeding. All the plots had an outlet with routed runoff and sediment to a sediment trap located at the base of the roadcut. The treatments were installed during early fall 2012. Since that date sediments were regularly collected and the evolution of vegetation was monitored. In four of the sites (the other two were vandalized) rainfall simulation experiments using a mesoplot rainfall simulator based on Sumner et al. (1996) were performed in summer 2013. The evaluation of vegetation cover and number of plants made in May, at the end of the rainy season, indi- cated how the hydroseeding treatments (the three mats plus the hydroseeding without mat) presented a relatively high ground cover (between 25 to 35 %) but with a relatively large standard deviation (around 25%). This variability was clearly related to site features (slope, parent material, and climate conditions for the year) with no clear differences among treatments. The plantation and control treatments presented a much lower ground cover, as expected, ranging, in average, from 5 to 10%. There was a large variability in the pattern of plant distribution within the plots, with site to site differences. So in sites 1, 2 and 5 there was a trend towards increased plant density in the lower area of the plot while in site 3 this trend was reversed and in sites 4 and 6 there was not a clear pattern.Sediment lost during the rainfall period, which ranged from 294 to 778 mm from October 1st to May 31st, presented a large variability among sites with maximum values ranging from 2.5 g m-2 (Fiñana) to 1800 (Mancha real). In all the sites there was a clear difference between the mat treatments which presented very low erosion rates, with an average for all sites and the three mat treatments around 4 g m-2, compared to the non-matted treatments which presented much higher erosion rates, average of all sites and three non-matted treatments around 432 g m-2.. There were no significant differences among the different treatments within these two large groups, albeit in some sites a slight reduction in the average erosion rates was observed in the hydroseeding treatment compared to the control and plantation treatments. Simulation experiments performed during summer indicated no runoff generation in the Fiñana site (the one with the lowest sediment generated during the rainy season with an average of 0.7 g m-2), while in the Mancha Real, Huelva and Guadix sites, the results were qualitatively comparable with those observed during the rainfall period with natural rain. The matted treatments presented average sediment losses of 16 g m-2 (for rainfall simulations lasting 35 minutes and an rainfall intensity of 34 mm h-1), while the non-matted treatments averaged sediment losses of 2297 g m-2. The range of maximum sediment losses among sites varied this time in relation to the natural rainfall results with maximum values measured in the Huelva and Guadix sites. The results indicates that effective erosion control in these roadcuts under mostly sedimentary material and Mediterranean conditions was achieved only using erosion mats plus hydroseeding. The protection was achieved mostly by the protective effect of the erosion mats, as indicated by The rainfall simulation experiments highlighted the protective effect of the erosion mats when most of the vegetation was already dead., In addition, there were no apparent with not clear differences during this first year among the different matting materials. Hydroseeding and plantation were apparently successful during the first season, with a significant ground cover and plant density.; However the success of vegetation establishment can only be evaluated in the coming years, since previous experiences (e.g. Bochet and García-Fayos, 2004) indicates the difficulty of successful vegetation recovery on these conditions. Rainfall simulations have proven to be a useful tool to evaluate erosion risk and performance of the different treatments in a shorter time.N