Implementation of multi-layer techniques using FEDERICA, PASITO and OneLab network infrastructures

Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works. V. López, J. L. Añamuro, V. Moreno, J. E. L. De Vergara, J. Aracil, C. García, J. P. Fernández-Palacios, and M. Izal, "Implementation of multi-layer techniques using FEDERICA, PASITO and OneLab network infrastructures", in 17th IEEE International Conference on Networks, ICON 2011, p. 89-94This paper describes an implementation of multilayer techniques using the network infrastructure provided by FEDERICA, PASITO and OneLab projects. FEDERICA project provides a network infrastructure, based on virtualization capabilities in both network and computing resources, which creates custom-made virtual environments. PASITO is a layer- 2 network that connects universities and research centers in Spain. OneLab measurements tools allow carrying out highaccuracy active network measurements. Thanks to FEDERICA and PASITO, we have a multi-layer architecture where the traffic is routed based on the measurements of OneLab equipment. To carry out this experiment, we have developed a Multi-layer Traffic Engineering manager and an implementation of the Path Computation Element Protocol to solve the lack of a control plane in IP oriented networks. This work shows the feasibility of multilayer techniques as a convenient solution for network operators and it validates our Path Computation Element implementation.This work has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science under project ANFORA (TEC2009-13385), by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade under PASITO project, and by the European Union under project OneLab2 (FP7-224263). Authors would like to thank Mauro Campanella (GARR, the project coordinator of FEDERICA) and Miguel Angel Sotos (RedIris) for their support to carry out this work

Cross-entropy boosted CRO-SL for optimal power flow in smart grids

Optimal power flow (OPF) is a complex, highly nonlinear, NP-hard optimization problem, in which the goal is to determine the optimal operational parameters of a power-related system (in many cases a type of smart or micro grid) which guarantee an economic and effective power dispatch. In recent years, a number of approaches based on metaheuristics algorithms have been proposed to solve OPF problems. In this paper, we propose the use of the Cross-Entropy (CE) method as a first step depth search operator to assist population-based evolutionary methods in the framework of an OPF problem. Specifically, a new variant of the Coral Reefs Optimization with Substrate Layers algorithm boosted with CE method (CE+CRO-SL) is presented in this work. We have adopted the IEEE 57-Bus System as a test scenario which, by default, has seven thermal generators for power production for the grid. We have modified this system by replacing three thermal generators with renewable source generators, in order to consider a smart grid approach with renewable energy production. The performance of CE+CRO-SL in this particular case study scenario has been compared with that of well-known techniques such as population’s methods CMA-ES and EPSO (both boosted with CE). The results obtained indicate that CE+CRO-SL showed a superior performance than the alternative techniques in terms of efficiency and accuracy. This is justified by its greater exploration capacity, since it has internally operations coming from different heuristics, thus surpassing the performance of classic methods. Moreover, in a projection analysis, the CE+CRO-SL provides a profit of millions of dollars per month in all cases tested considering the modified version of the IEEE 57-Bus smart grid system

Boosting mitochondria activity by silencing MCJ overcomes cholestasis-induced liver injury

Background & Aims: Mitochondria are the major organelles for the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cell, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been described as a key factor in the pathogenesis of cholestatic liver disease. The methylation-controlled J-protein (MCJ) is a mitochondrial protein that interacts with and represses the function of complex I of the electron transport chain. The relevance of MCJ in the pathology of cholestasis has not yet been explored. Methods: We studied the relationship between MCJ and cholestasis-induced liver injury in liver biopsies from patients with chronic cholestatic liver diseases, and in livers and primary hepatocytes obtained from WT and MCJ-KO mice. Bile duct ligation (BDL) was used as an animal model of cholestasis, and primary hepatocytes were treated with toxic doses of bile acids. We evaluated the effect of MCJ silencing for the treatment of cholestasis-induced liver injury. Results: Elevated levels of MCJ were detected in the liver tissue of patients with chronic cholestatic liver disease when compared with normal liver tissue. Likewise, in mouse models, the hepatic levels of MCJ were increased. After BDL, MCJ-KO animals showed significantly decreased inflammation and apoptosis. In an in vitro model of bile-acid induced toxicity, we observed that the loss of MCJ protected mouse primary hepatocytes from bile acid-induced mitochondrial ROS over-production and ATP depletion, enabling higher cell viability. Finally, the in vivo inhibition of the MCJ expression, following BDL, showed reduced liver injury and a mitigation of the main cholestatic characteristics. Conclusions: We demonstrated that MCJ is involved in the progression of cholestatic liver injury, and our results identified MCJ as a potential therapeutic target to mitigate the liver injury caused by cholestasis. Lay summary: In this study, we examine the effect of mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibition by MCJ on bile acid-induced liver toxicity. The loss of MCJ protects hepatocytes against apoptosis, mitochondrial ROS overproduction, and ATP depletion as a result of bile acid toxicity. Our results identify MCJ as a potential therapeutic target to mitigate liver injury in cholestatic liver diseases.Acknowledgements: We thank MINECO for the Severo Ochoa Excellence Accreditation of CIC bioGUNE [SEV-2016-0644]

The management of acute venous thromboembolism in clinical practice. Results from the European PREFER in VTE Registry

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Data from real-world registries are necessary, as clinical trials do not represent the full spectrum of VTE patients seen in clinical practice. We aimed to document the epidemiology, management and outcomes of VTE using data from a large, observational database. PREFER in VTE was an international, non-interventional disease registry conducted between January 2013 and July 2015 in primary and secondary care across seven European countries. Consecutive patients with acute VTE were documented and followed up over 12 months. PREFER in VTE included 3,455 patients with a mean age of 60.8 ± 17.0 years. Overall, 53.0 % were male. The majority of patients were assessed in the hospital setting as inpatients or outpatients (78.5 %). The diagnosis was deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in 59.5 % and pulmonary embolism (PE) in 40.5 %. The most common comorbidities were the various types of cardiovascular disease (excluding hypertension; 45.5 %), hypertension (42.3 %) and dyslipidaemia (21.1 %). Following the index VTE, a large proportion of patients received initial therapy with heparin (73.2 %), almost half received a vitamin K antagonist (48.7 %) and nearly a quarter received a DOAC (24.5 %). Almost a quarter of all presentations were for recurrent VTE, with >80 % of previous episodes having occurred more than 12 months prior to baseline. In conclusion, PREFER in VTE has provided contemporary insights into VTE patients and their real-world management, including their baseline characteristics, risk factors, disease history, symptoms and signs, initial therapy and outcomes

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Registro Español de Trasplante Cardiaco. XXXI Informe Oficial de la Asociación de Insuficiencia Cardiaca de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología

Introducción y objetivos Se presentan las características clínicas y los resultados de los trasplantes cardiacos realizados en España con la actualización correspondiente a 2019. Métodos Se describen las características clínicas y los resultados de los trasplantes cardiacos realizados en 2019, así como las tendencias de estos en el periodo 2010-2018. Resultados En 2019 se realizaron 300 trasplantes (8.794 desde 1984; 2.745 entre 2010 y 2019). Respecto a años previos, los cambios más llamativos son el descenso hasta el 38% de los trasplantes realizados en código urgente, y la consolidación en el cambio de asistencia circulatoria pretrasplante, con la práctica desaparición del balón de contrapulsación (0, 7%), la estabilización del uso del oxigenador extracorpóreo de membrana (9, 6%) y el aumento de los dispositivos de asistencia ventricular (29%). La supervivencia en el trienio 2016-2018 es similar a la del trienio 2013-2015 (p = 0, 34), y ambas mejores que la del trienio 2010-2012 (p = 0, 002 y p = 0, 01 respectivamente). Conclusiones Se mantienen estables tanto la actividad del trasplante cardiaco en España como los resultados en supervivencia en los últimos 2 trienios. Hay una tendencia a realizar menos trasplantes urgentes, la mayoría con dispositivos de asistencia ventricular. Introduction and objectives: The present report describes the clinical characteristics and outcomes of heart transplants in Spain and updates the data to 2019. Methods: We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of heart transplants performed in Spain in 2019, as well as trends in this procedure from 2010 to 2018. Results: In 2019, 300 transplants were performed (8794 since 1984; 2745 between 2010 and 2019). Compared with previous years, the most notable findings were the decreasing rate of urgent transplants (38%), and the consolidation of the type of circulatory support prior to transplant, with an almost complete disappearance of counterpulsation balloon (0.7%), stabilization in the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (9.6%), and an increase in the use of ventricular assist devices (29.0%). Survival from 2016 to 2018 was similar to that from 2013 to 2015 (P = .34). Survival in both these periods was better than that from 2010 to 2012 (P = .002 and P = .01, respectively). Conclusions: Heart transplant activity has remained stable during the last few years, as have outcomes (in terms of survival). There has been a trend to a lower rate of urgent transplants and to a higher use of ventricular assist devices prior to transplant

Marine compounds inhibit growth of multiple myeloma in vitro and in vivo

Purpose: The prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) is still dismal despite recent improvements achieved by introducing new therapeutic agents. However, there remains an urgent need for progress in myeloma drug development. We here show that novel marine-derived compounds can exert potent anti-myeloma activity. Experimental Design: Nine marine-derived compounds were applied at low nM concentrations (0.1-100 nM) to MM cell lines (OPM-2, NCI-H929, U266, RPMI-8226), to primary human myeloma cells and to peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. In addition, eGFP-transgenic MM cell lines growing with mesenchymal cells from bone marrow were used to visualize tumors by fluorescence stereomicroscopy. Anti-myeloma activities were studied in vitro in 3D spheroids and in vivo in myeloma xenografts on chicken embryos. Tumor size was analyzed by measuring GFP content with a GFP ELISA. Anti-angiogenic activities of compounds were tested in an in vivo gelatin sponge assay with conditioned media from primary bone marrow-derived endothelial cells. Results: We identified a subset of marine compounds with strong anti-myeloma activity in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, some of the compounds inhibited myelomarelated angiogenesis in the in vivo gelatin sponge assay. They merit further drug development to improve treatment options for MM

Programa de entrenamiento de habilidades de comunicación en situaciones críticas: análisis DAFO

Los programas de entrenamiento de habilidades clínicas permiten simular escenarios para la resolución de problemas, la toma de decisiones basadas en la evidencia, y el trabajo en equipo ofreciendo una retroalimentación inmediata sin poner en riesgo la seguridad del paciente o la calidad de la atención. Dada la escasez en la evidencia, el objetivo del presente estudio fue describir la implementación y valoración de un programa de entrenamiento de habilidades de comunicación en situaciones críticas dirigida a equipos de alto rendimiento mediante un diseño cualitativo bifásico: 1) implementación del programa y 2) valoración mediante matriz DAFO. Entre las fortalezas y oportunidades destacan la alta fidelidad, la adquisición de competencias clínicas, el debriefing y la experiencia, formación y compromiso de docentes, técnicos y actores. Deben atenderse las debilidades y amenazas externas para garantizar que el potencial de la metodología pueda aprovecharse por completo. Destacaron 9 de las 23 acciones de mejora propuestas relacionadas con la competitividad del máster y aspectos del briefing y el debriefing. Concluimos que un programa de estas características es una intervención educativa compleja que requiere una valoración continua de su efectividad para conseguir que sea competitivo y competente en la capacitación de profesionales de alto rendimiento

Research on optical core networks in the e-photon/ONe Network of excellence

This papers reports the advances in Optical Core networks research coordinated in the framework of the e-Photon/ONe and e-Photon/ONe+ networks of excellence