II Taller de Naturalezas Híbridas. Los límites ecológicos de lo urbano

[Resumen] La actividad “II Taller de Naturalezas Híbridas. Los límites ecológicos de lo urbano”, organizada por el Grupo de Innovación Docente ConCiencia Social y dirigida al alumnado de cuarto curso del Grado en Sociología, tuvo como objetivo ahondar en la práctica de formas de aprendizaje activo que permitan abordar fuera del aula problemas complejos, como lo son la gestión de residuos, la contaminación y las repercusiones para la naturaleza que se desprenden del modo de vida en la ciudad. La actividad consistió en visitar lugares estratégicos, emplazados en el ámbito rural y que dan servicio al ámbito urbano, explorando su uso, sus límites y su función de forma colectiva, creando un espacio colaborativo en el que co-producir reflexiones, experiencias, interpretaciones y saberes sobre los límites ecológicos de lo urbano, poniendo especial atención en la construcción social de estos espacios y en la función del mundo académico en su cuestionamiento crítico. Esta reflexión supera la clásica división entre lo urbano y lo natural como dominios separados, situándonos ante realidades híbridas, que retan las divisiones del conocimiento experto entre disciplinas aplicadas.[Abstract] The activity "II Hybrid Nature Workshop. The ecological limits of the urban", organised by the ConCiencia Social Innovation Group and aimed at students in the fourth year of the Degree in Sociology, was focused on practice of forms of active learning that allow complex problems to be tackled outside the classroom, such as waste management, pollution and repercussions for nature that arise from the way of life in the cities. The activity consisted of visiting strategic places located in rural areas that serve the urban environment, exploring their use, limits and function collectively, creating a collaborative space in which to co-produce reflections, experiences, interpretations and knowledge about the ecological limits of the urban, while paying special attention to the social construction of these spaces and the role of the academic world in its critical questioning. This reflection overcomes the classic division between the urban and the natural as separate domains, placing us before hybrid entities that challenge the divisions of expert knowledge between applied disciplines

Genealogies of nature conservation. Processes of institutionalisation of Protected Areas

La red de Áreas Protegidas en el Estado español es indisociable de la transferencia de competencias autonómicas iniciada en los años ochenta del siglo pasado, que prendió la mecha del desarrollo de las políticas públicas en materia de conservación de la naturaleza. En estas páginas avanzaremos la génesis de este proceso de institucionalización, a partir de un análisis diacrónico y comparativo en tres territorios, Catalunya, Andalucía y Comunitat Valenciana, desde el reconocimiento de su especificidad. A continuación, el estudio se ampliará a Portugal y se trasladará, en última instancia, al contexto internacional actual de las políticas de conservación neoliberales.The current network of protected areas in Spain has been a product of the transfer of political responsibilities from the State to the autonomous regional governments that began in the 1980s. Among other outcomes, this institutional re-arrangement triggered an unprecedented development of public policies and legislation in the field of nature conservation. In these pages we will trace the contours of a genealogy of what we would call the “institutionalization” of nature conservation, through the diachronic, comparative analysis of three case studies and their specificities: Catalonia, Andalusia and the Valencian Community. We will then expand our analysis to Portugal and, eventually, to the current international context wherein neoliberal conservation policies are expanding nowadays

Prediction of Breast Cancer Proteins Involved in Immunotherapy, Metastasis, and RNA-Binding Using Molecular Descriptors and Artifcial Neural Networks

[Abstract] Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease where genomic alterations, protein expression deregulation, signaling pathway alterations, hormone disruption, ethnicity and environmental determinants are involved. Due to the complexity of BC, the prediction of proteins involved in this disease is a trending topic in drug design. This work is proposing accurate prediction classifer for BC proteins using six sets of protein sequence descriptors and 13 machine-learning methods. After using a univariate feature selection for the mix of fve descriptor families, the best classifer was obtained using multilayer perceptron method (artifcial neural network) and 300 features. The performance of the model is demonstrated by the area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) of 0.980±0.0037, and accuracy of 0.936±0.0056 (3-fold cross-validation). Regarding the prediction of 4,504 cancer-associated proteins using this model, the best ranked cancer immunotherapy proteins related to BC were RPS27, SUPT4H1, CLPSL2, POLR2K, RPL38, AKT3, CDK3, RPS20, RASL11A and UBTD1; the best ranked metastasis driver proteins related to BC were S100A9, DDA1, TXN, PRNP, RPS27, S100A14, S100A7, MAPK1, AGR3 and NDUFA13; and the best ranked RNA-binding proteins related to BC were S100A9, TXN, RPS27L, RPS27, RPS27A, RPL38, MRPL54, PPAN, RPS20 and CSRP1. This powerful model predicts several BC-related proteins that should be deeply studied to fnd new biomarkers and better therapeutic targets. Scripts can be downloaded at https://github.com/muntisa/ neural-networks-for-breast-cancer-proteins.This work was supported by a) Universidad UTE (Ecuador), b) the Collaborative Project in Genomic Data Integration (CICLOGEN) PI17/01826 funded by the Carlos III Health Institute from the Spanish National plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016 and the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) - “A way to build Europe”; c) the General Directorate of Culture, Education and University Management of Xunta de Galicia ED431D 2017/16 and “Drug Discovery Galician Network” Ref. ED431G/01 and the “Galician Network for Colorectal Cancer Research” (Ref. ED431D 2017/23); d) the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for its support through the funding of the unique installation BIOCAI (UNLC08-1E-002, UNLC13-13-3503) and the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) by the European Union; e) the Consolidation and Structuring of Competitive Research Units - Competitive Reference Groups (ED431C 2018/49), funded by the Ministry of Education, University and Vocational Training of the Xunta de Galicia endowed with EU FEDER funds; f) research grants from Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO, Spain (FEDER CTQ2016-74881-P), Basque government (IT1045-16), and kind support of Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science; and, g) Sociedad Latinoamericana de Farmacogenómica y Medicina Personalizada (SOLFAGEM)Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/16Xunta de Galicia; ED431G/01Xunta de Galicia; ED431D 2017/23Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2018/49Gobierno Vasco; IT1045-1

The natural is political. The construction of the environment as an object of government in the Andalusian context (1978-1989)

Entre 1978 y 1989 se crea en Andalucía un modelo de conservación ambiental que se convertirá en referente a nivel estatal e internacional. Será el resultado de un complejo proceso político marcado por tendencias contradictorias (tránsito del franquismo al parlamentarismo, del centralismo al autonomismo), activismo social-ambientalista y pugnas entre corporativismos disciplinarios (biología, ingeniería, geografía). A partir de entrevistas cualitativas, fuentes hemerográficas y documentales, explicamos este modelo, su visión y dispositivos como un marco político-administrativo que surge de relaciones personales y de la confrontación entre corrientes dentro del partido de gobierno en Andalucía (PSOE) en el contexto de un ascenso de las demandas y el movimiento ecologistas.Between 1978 and 1989, a nationally and internationally acclaimed nature conservation model was created in Andalusia. It would be the result of a complex political process, marked by contradictory tendencies (the transition from Francoism to parliamentarism, from centralism to autonomy), social-environmental activism, and disputes among professional disciplines (biology, engineering, geography, among others). Using qualitative interviews, hemerographic and documentary sources, we explain this model, its vision and instruments, as a political-administrative apparatus that result from personal relationships and the confrontation between political currents within the ruling party in Andalusia (PSOE) in the context of rising environmentalist demands and movement

Recruitment Disruption and the Role of Unaffected Populations for Potential Recovery After the Pinna nobilis Mass Mortality Event

A devastating mass mortality event (MME) very likely caused by the protozoan Haplosporidium pinnae first detected in 2016 in the Western Mediterranean Sea, is pushing the endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis to near extinction. Populations recovery, if possible, will rely on larval dispersal from unaffected sites and potential recolonization through recruitment of resistant juveniles. To assess the impact of the MME on the species’ larval recruitment, an unprecedented network of larval collector stations was implemented over several thousands of kilometers along the Western Mediterranean coasts during the 3 years after the onset of the MME. The findings of this network showed a generalized disruption in recruitment with dramatic consequences for the recovery of the species. However, there were exceptions to this pattern and recruits were recorded in a few sites where the resident population had been decimated. This hints to the importance of unaffected populations as larval exporting sources and the role of oceanographic currents in larval transport in the area, representing a beacon of hope in the current extremely worrying scenario for this emblematic species.En prens

Multicenter prospective clinical study to evaluate children short-term neurodevelopmental outcome in congenital heart disease (children NEURO-HEART): study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most prevalent congenital malformation affecting 1 in 100 newborns. While advances in early diagnosis and postnatal management have increased survival in CHD children, worrying long-term outcomes, particularly neurodevelopmental disability, have emerged as a key prognostic factor in the counseling of these pregnancies. METHODS: Eligible participants are women presenting at 20 to < 37 weeks of gestation carrying a fetus with CHD. Maternal/neonatal recordings are performed at regular intervals, from the fetal period to 24 months of age, and include: placental and fetal hemodynamics, fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional echocardiography, cerebral oxymetry, electroencephalography and serum neurological and cardiac biomarkers. Neurodevelopmental assessment is planned at 12 months of age using the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ) and at 24 months of age with the Bayley-III test. Target recruitment is at least 150 cases classified in three groups according to three main severe CHD groups: transposition of great arteries (TGA), Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction (LVOTO). DISCUSSION: The results of NEURO-HEART study will provide the most comprehensive knowledge until date of children's neurologic prognosis in CHD and will have the potential for developing future clinical decisive tools and improving preventive strategies in CHD

Group motivational intervention in overweight/obese patients in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the primary healthcare area

Background The global mortality caused by cardiovascular disease increases with weight. The Framingham study showed that obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor independent of other risks such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and smoking. Moreover, the main problem in the management of weight-loss is its maintenance, if it is achieved. We have designed a study to determine whether a group motivational intervention, together with current clinical practice, is more efficient than the latter alone in the treatment of overweight and obesity, for initial weight loss and essentially to achieve maintenance of the weight achieved; and, secondly, to know if this intervention is more effective for reducing cardiovascular risk factors associated with overweight and obesity. Methods This 26-month follow up multi-centre trial, will include 1200 overweight/obese patients. Random assignment of the intervention by Basic Health Areas (BHA): two geographically separate groups have been created, one of which receives group motivational intervention (group intervention), delivered by a nurse trained by an expert phsychologist, in 32 group sessions, 1 to 12 fortnightly, and 13 to 32, monthly, on top of their standard program of diet, exercise, and the other (control group), receiving the usual follow up, with regular visits every 3 months. Discussion By addressing currently unanswered questions regarding the maintenance in weight loss in obesity/overweight, upon the expected completion of participant follow-up in 2012, the IMOAP trial should document, for the first time, the benefits of a motivational intervention as a treatment tool of weight loss in a primary care setting

Severe manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents: from COVID-19 pneumonia to multisystem inflammatory syndrome: a multicentre study in pediatric intensive care units in Spain

Background Multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C) has been described as a novel and often severe presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. We aimed to describe the characteristics of children admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) presenting with MIS-C in comparison with those admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection with other features such as COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods A multicentric prospective national registry including 47 PICUs was carried out. Data from children admitted with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or fulfilling MIS-C criteria (with or without SARS-CoV-2 PCR confirmation) were collected. Clinical, laboratory and therapeutic features between MIS-C and non-MIS-C patients were compared. Results Seventy-four children were recruited. Sixty-one percent met MIS-C definition. MIS-C patients were older than non-MIS-C patients (p = 0.002): 9.4 years (IQR 5.5–11.8) vs 3.4 years (IQR 0.4–9.4). A higher proportion of them had no previous medical history of interest (88.2% vs 51.7%, p = 0.005). Non-MIS-C patients presented more frequently with respiratory distress (60.7% vs 13.3%, p < 0.001). MIS-C patients showed higher prevalence of fever (95.6% vs 64.3%, p < 0.001), diarrhea (66.7% vs 11.5%, p < 0.001), vomits (71.1% vs 23.1%, p = 0.001), fatigue (65.9% vs 36%, p = 0.016), shock (84.4% vs 13.8%, p < 0.001) and cardiac dysfunction (53.3% vs 10.3%, p = 0.001). MIS-C group had a lower lymphocyte count (p < 0.001) and LDH (p = 0.001) but higher neutrophil count (p = 0.045), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (p < 0.001), C-reactive protein (p < 0.001) and procalcitonin (p < 0.001). Patients in the MIS-C group were less likely to receive invasive ventilation (13.3% vs 41.4%, p = 0.005) but were more often treated with vasoactive drugs (66.7% vs 24.1%, p < 0.001), corticosteroids (80% vs 44.8%, p = 0.003) and immunoglobulins (51.1% vs 6.9%, p < 0.001). Most patients were discharged from PICU by the end of data collection with a median length of stay of 5 days (IQR 2.5–8 days) in the MIS-C group. Three patients died, none of them belonged to the MIS-C group. Conclusions MIS-C seems to be the most frequent presentation among critically ill children with SARS-CoV-2 infection. MIS-C patients are older and usually healthy. They show a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and shock and are more likely to receive vasoactive drugs and immunomodulators and less likely to need mechanical ventilation than non-MIS-C patients

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

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe