Less invasive beractant administration in preterm infants: a pilot study

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to assess the efficacy and feasibility of a new, less invasive surfactant administration technique for beractant replacement using a specifically designed cannula in preterm infants born a

Initial respiratory management in preterm infants and bronchopulmonary dysplasia

BACKGROUND: Ventilator injury has been implicated in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Avoiding invasive ventilation could reduce lung injury, and early respiratory management may affect pulmonary outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of initial respiratory support on survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia at a gestational age of 36 weeks. DESIGN/METHODS: A prospective 3-year observational study. Preterm infants of <32 weeks gestational age were classified into 4 groups according to the support needed during the first 2 hours of life: room air, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, intubation/surfactant/extubation and prolonged mechanical ventilation (defined as needing mechanical ventilation for more than 2 hours). RESULTS: Of the 329 eligible patients, a total of 49% did not need intubation, and 68.4% did not require prolonged mechanical ventilation. At a gestational age of 26 weeks, there was a significant correlation between survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia and initial respiratory support. Preterm infants requiring mechanical ventilation showed a higher risk of death and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. After controlling for gestational age, antenatal corticosteroid use, maternal preeclampsia and chorioamnionitis, the survival rate without bronchopulmonary dysplasia remained significantly lower in the mechanically ventilated group. CONCLUSIONS: In our population, the need for more than 2 hours of mechanical ventilation predicted the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants with a gestational age >26 weeks (sensitivity =89.5% and specificity = 67%). The need for prolonged mechanical ventilation could be an early marker for the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. This finding could help identify a target population with a high risk of chronic lung disease. Future research is needed to determine other strategies to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in this high-risk group of patients

A LoRaWAN testbed design for supporting critical situations: prototype and evaluation

The Internet of Things is one of the hottest topics in communications today, with current revenues of $151B, around 7 billion connected devices, and an unprecedented growth expected for next years. A massive number of sensors and actuators are expected to emerge, requiring new wireless technologies that can extend their battery life and can cover large areas. LoRaWAN is one of the most outstanding technologies which fulfill these demands, attracting the attention of both academia and industry. In this paper, the design of a LoRaWAN testbed to support critical situations, such as emergency scenarios or natural disasters, is proposed. This self-healing LoRaWAN network architecture will provide resilience when part of the equipment in the core network may become faulty. This resilience is achieved by virtualizing and properly orchestrating the different network entities. Different options have been designed and implemented as real prototypes. Based on our performance evaluation, we claim that the usage of microservice orchestration with several replicas of the LoRaWAN network entities and a load balancer produces an almost seamless recovery which makes it a proper solution to recover after a system crash caused by any catastrophic event.Postprint (published version

Resilience and social support as protective factors against abuse of persons with dementia: a study on family caregivers

[EN]Objective Scientific literature has identified different vulnerability factors associated to abuse in people with dementia (PWD), but little is known about the psychosocial protective variables against abuse. The main objective of this study is to investigate a set of caregiver and patient factors linked to abuse-related behavior of PWD. Methods A total of 326 primary and family caregivers, residents of the Castilla and León community (Spain), were evaluated. All participants filled out a standardized protocol, which assessed the sociodemographic characteristics, patient and care-related variables, as well as the perceived burden, resilience, and social support. Abuse-related behavior was evaluated using the Caregiver Abuse Screen. Results Results show that the severity of cognitive impairment and behavior disorders of PWD, a greater number of caregiving hours, a worse previous relationship with the caregiver, and perceived burden are positively related with abuse. However, resilience and social support showed a negative relationship with Caregiver Abuse Screen scores, suggesting a protective effect on abuse, even after controlling the effect of a number of covariates. Indeed, resilience was the only variable that remained significant after including the effect of burden. Conclusions This paper states the role of burden in abuse of PWD, while resilience and social support are abuse protective factors. These variables should be considered in future guidelines for the prevention of abuse against PWD

Utilidad de la pupilometría dinámica en el control de alcoholemia de los conductores

La pupilometría se ha convertido en una herramienta de gran interés en las Ciencias de la Visión. Hasta el momento, solo unos pocos estudios han explorado la relación entre el reflejo pupilar y el consumo de drogas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la aplicabilidad de la pupilometría dinámica mesópica como método objetivo para la detección de niveles de alcoholemia por encima del límite legal. Se utilizó un diseño de carácter cuasi-experimental, con 19 voluntarios participando en dos condiciones (pre y post ingesta de alcohol). En la sesión con alcohol, los participantes consumieron 27.5 ml de alcohol en intervalos de 60 minutos durante 4 horas. Se llevaron a cabo registros de pupilometría mediante el Power Refractor II, utilizándose cuatro tipos de estimulación lumínica: blanca (5600 K), azul (450 nm), verde (510 nm) y roja (600 nm). El diámetro basal aumentó significativamente a partir de concentraciones de alcohol en aire espirado iguales o mayores de 0.25 mg/l. Además, el valor de la amplitud de constricción para la luz roja también ofreció diferencias significativas entre las dos condiciones. Estos resultados resultan prometedores en la búsqueda de nuevos métodos de detección de niveles de alcoholemia no permitidos al volante. En este estudio se demuestra que el incremento del diámetro basal y la amplitud pupilar pueden ser utilizados como indicador del nivel de consumo de alcohol. Son necesarios más estudios para validar éste y otros métodos de diagnóstico complementarios a las actuales pruebas de alcoholemia y de consumo de sustancias psicotropas

A standardised approach to the biomechanical evaluation of tracheal grafts

[EN] The ideal tracheal substitute must have biomechanical properties comparable to the native trachea, but currently there is no standardised approach to evaluating these properties. Here we propose a novel method for evaluating and comparing the properties of tracheal substitutes, thus systematising both measurement and data curation. This system was tested by comparing native rabbit tracheas to frozen and decellularised specimens and determining the histological characteristics of those specimens. We performed radial compression tests on the anteroposterior tracheal axis and longitudinal axial tensile tests with the specimens anastomosed to the jaw connected to a measuring system. All calculations and results were adjusted according to tracheal size, always using variables relative to the tracheal dimensions, thus permitting comparison of different sized organs. The biomechanical properties of the decellularised specimens were only slightly reduced compared to controls and significant in regard to the maximum stress withstood in the longitudinal axis (-0.246 MPa CI [-0.248, -0.145] MPa) and the energy stored per volume unit (-0.124 mJ & BULL;mm(-3) CI [-0.195, -0.055] mJ & BULL;mm(-3)). The proposed method is suitable for the systematic characterisation of the biomechanical properties of different tracheal substitutes, regardless of the size or nature of the substitute, thus allowing for direct comparisons.This research was funded by the 2018 Spanish Society of Thoracic Surgery grant to National Multicentric Study [Number 180101 to N.J.M.-H.] and [PI16-01315 to M.M.-R.] from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. CIBERER is funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund.Martínez-Hernández, NJ.; Más Estellés, J.; Milián-Medina, L.; Martínez-Ramos, C.; Cerón-Navarro, J.; Galbis-Caravajal, J.; Roig-Bataller, A.... (2021). A standardised approach to the biomechanical evaluation of tracheal grafts. Biomolecules. 11(10):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11101461S112111

Variabilidad espacial de los parámetros de historia vital del estornino (Scomber colias), una especie en expansión en el Atlántico noreste

Atlantic chub mackerel is a pelagic species present in the Atlantic Ocean that in recent decades has expanded northwards in the eastern Atlantic. Fish samples were collected in scientific surveys and commercial catches between 2011 and 2019. We analysed the geographical variation of the biological parameters (age, length, weight and condition), as well as the length-weight relationship, maturity-at-length and spawning season onset and duration in five geographical areas (from south to north): the Canary Islands, Gulf of Cadiz, western Portuguese coast, northwestern Spanish coast and Cantabrian Sea. The influence of sea surface temperature (SST) on fish length was modelled as a potential driver of geographical variability. All biological parameters increased progressively northwards, while the spawning season was delayed and prolonged with increasing latitude, from January in the Canary Islands to May-August in the Cantabrian Sea, when SST was between 15°C and 19°C. SST had a positive effect on length in three study areas and a negative one in two of them, suggesting that each group is at a different position within their thermal tolerance range. Deviance from the geographical pattern of some biological parameters in the Gulf of Cadiz suggests that it could be a hinge or mixing zone between Atlantic African, Mediterranean and Atlantic Iberian population components.El estornino es una especie pelágica presente en el océano Atlántico que en las últimas décadas se ha expandido hacia el norte en el Atlántico Oriental. Se recogieron muestras de peces procedentes de campañas científicas y capturas comerciales entre 2011 y 2019. Se analizó la variación geográfica de los parámetros biológicos (edad, longitud, peso y condición), así como la relación longitud-peso, la talla de madurez y el inicio y la duración de la temporada de desove en cinco áreas geográficas (de sur a norte): las islas Canarias, el Golfo de Cádiz, la costa occidental portuguesa, la costa noroccidental española y el mar Cantábrico. Se modeló la influencia de la SST en la talla de los peces como posible causa de la variabilidad geográfica. Todos los parámetros biológicos aumentaron progresivamente hacia el norte, mientras que la temporada de desove se retrasó y prolongó con el aumento de la latitud, desde enero en las islas Canarias hasta mayo-agosto en el mar Cantábrico, cuando la SST estaba entre 15ºC y 19ºC. La SST tuvo un efecto positivo sobre la talla en tres áreas de estudio y negativo en dos de ellas, lo que sugiere que cada grupo se encuentra en una posición diferente dentro de su rango de tolerancia térmica. La desviación del patrón geográfico de algunos parámetros biológicos en el Golfo de Cádiz, sugiere que podría ser una zona bisagra o de mezcla entre componentes poblacionales atlánticos africanos, mediterráneos e ibéricos

Prognostic value of the preoperative lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio for survival after lung cancer surgery

Background: Tthe aim of this study was to assess the effect of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio on overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with lung cancer treated with radical surgery. Methods: we performed a retrospective review of patients with lung cancer who prospectively underwent radical resection between 2004 and 2012. Blood samples were taken as part of the preoperative workup. The inflammatory markers studied were absolute values of lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils and platelets, with subsequent calculation of ratios. Median follow-up was 52 months. Results: two hundred and sixty-eight patients underwent surgery, of whom 218 (81.3%) were men. Mean age was 62.9 ± 8.7 years. A lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio ≥ 2.5 was independently associated with longer disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.476 (0.307-0.738), p = 0.001) and longer overall survival (HR, 0.546; 95% CI: 0.352-0.846; p = 0.007), in models adjusted for age, sex, stage, and type of resection. No other systemic inflammatory marker showed a significant association. Conclusion: preoperative LMR is an independent prognostic factor of overall survival and recurrence-free survival in patients with surgically-resected early stage lung cancer

Cycle of improvement in the classroom for an Argumentation Theory’s course

El Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula (CIMA) que se presenta a continuación se ha realizado en Proyectos 1, una asignatura cuatrimestral de formación básica del primer curso del Grado en Fundamentos de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Sevilla. Se imparte un día a la semana en una sesión de cuatro horas de duración. Esta asignatura es la primera de una formación troncal en proyectos arquitectónicos que se desarrolla de forma constante a lo largo de los cinco cursos de la titulación, a través de diez asignaturas concatenadas cuatrimestrales. El objetivo de la primera asignatura de este recorrido de aprendizaje es iniciar al estudiante en el ejercicio de proyectar arquitectura, incentivando su capacidad de reflexión, ideación y expresión arquitectónica (Universidad de Sevilla, 2020). El proyecto docente de aplicación es compartido por dos grupos, cuyo profesorado está compuesto por docentes pertenecientes al grupo de investigación HUM 632: Proyecto, Progreso, Arquitectura y HUM 666: Ciudad, Arquitectura y Patrimonio Contemporáneo