Structural Expertise Through BIM

[EN] Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a leading technology in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industry (AEC Industry) and nowadays is being adopted for most professionals and improving its capabilities. There is another big trend in the AEC Industries, the rehabilitation of unused or old buildings and its adaptation to the new demands. Lately, building renovation and rehabilitation have produced more income than the construction of new buildings in the Spanish housing market. The use of BIM for existing buildings combines the BIM data management abilities with the economic trends in the industry giving the professionals new tools to adapt those buildings. Structural reinforcement may be needed during the rehabilitations so structural expertise is usually performed. In this paper, we have created a tool linked to Autodesk Revit that can extract the necessary data from the BIM model and perform an expertise test through a concrete beam. By using BIM for this purpose, we can use the data stored in the BIM model to determine the necessity or not of structural reinforcement and give the professional more control over the project. The use of that stored data shortens the working time for the professional and avoids errors and oversights in the design. Since the building information model is a rich information database it can provide the necessary data to ensure the analysis. A case study is performed showing the capabilities of the tool. The research contributes to integrating structural rehabilitation into the BIM environments reducing the redundancy in software and unifying both, data storage and data analysis via the BIM methodology.Fernández-Mora, V.; Yepes, V. (2022). Structural Expertise Through BIM. Archidoct. The e-journal for the dissemination of doctoral research in architecture. 17(9):1-9. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/1903351917

Vers la réhabilitation de logements: demande et besoin social

[EN] In 2008, a global economic crisis broke out that shook society s sciences and produced changes in its vision. In Spain, this crisis hit the real estate sector crudely, leaving thousands of empty homes. Today, there are still vestiges of this wound in society: an aging housing park and the difficulty of access to housing among other factors. This social context, coupled with the need to work to achieve a more sustainable way of living, justifies a social need that is becoming a reality. Rehabilitate housing instead of building new. A new challenge for architecture in response to society. A new challenge for which different solutions are being proposed.[CA] A l’any 2008 es va desencadenar una crisis econòmica mundial que va fer tremolar els fonaments de la societat i ha canviat la seua visió. A Espanya, aquesta crisis va afectar amb crudessa al sector inmobiliari deixant milers de vivendes buides. A l’actualitat, encara queden remanents d’aquesta ferida a la societat: un parc de vivenda envellit i la dificultat d’accés a la vivenda entre altres factors. Aquest context sumat a la necessitat de treballar cap a una manera d’habitar més sostenible justifica una necessitat social que s’està convertint en una realitat. Rehabilitar vivenda en lloc de construir-ne nova. Un nou repte per a l’arquitectura en resposta a la societat. Un nou repte per al que es plantegen diferents solucions.[ES] El año 2008 se desencadenó una crisis económica mundial que hizo temblar los cimientos de la sociedad y produjo cambios en su visión. En España, esta crisis afectó con crudeza al sector inmobiliario, dejando miles de viviendas vacías. En la actualidad, aún quedan vestigios de esta herida en la sociedad: un parque de vivienda envejecido y la dificultad de acceso a la vivienda entre otros factores. Este contexto social sumado a la necesidad de trabajar para conseguir una manera de habitar más sostenible justifica una necesidad social que se está convirtiendo en una realidad. Rehabilitar vivienda en lugar de construir nueva. Un nuevo reto para la arquitectura en respuesta a la sociedad. Un nuevo reto para el que se están planteando diferentes soluciones.[FR] L' any 2008 a éclaté une crise économique mondiale faisant trembler les fondements de la société et changeant son aperçu. En Espagne, cette crise toucha cruellement le secteur immobilier, laissant des milliers de logements vides. Actuellement il y a encore des séquelles de cette blessure dans la société : un parc de logements vieilli et la difficulté d' accès au logement, parmi d' autres facteurs. Ce contexte, en plus du besoin de travailler pour une manière d' habiter plus durable, justifie un besoin social qui est en train de devenir une réalité. Réhabiliter le logement au lieu d' en bâtir un autre. Voilà un nouvel enjeu pour l' architecture comme réponse à la société. Un nouvel enjeu pour lequel se posent plusieurs solutions.Fernández Mora, V.; Navarro Martínez, IJ.; Yepes Piqueras, V. (2023). Cap a la rehabilitació d' habitatges: demanda i necessitat social. ANUARI d Arquitectura i Societat. (3):162-187. https://doi.org/10.4995/anuari.2023.19984162187

Durability damage indicator in BIM environments

[EN] As Building Information Modelling (BIM) is being increasingly adopted through private businesses in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) Industries, new tools, procedures, and functionalities appear. In the last years, BIM has proven its advantages by providing benefits to professionals and guiding them towards a new horizon. Currently, the industry is changing in the Spanish market, and refurbishment projects are more demanded than construction projects involving the design of buildings from scratch. As Spanish housing stock grows older, durability and damage in existing structures need to be analyzed during the refurbishment project's early stages. Structural durability is a critical factor in extending the life span of a building and improving the industry's sustainability. This paper presents a tool integrated into BIM environments that can evaluate the durability index in a specific structural element based on data from a visual inspection. This automated analysis shows if any damage is caused by durability factors, such as steel rebar corrosion, and how much time is left until the damage is critical. This tool enables new functionality in BIM environments to control durability and determine when it is critical to rehabilitating the structure.Fernández Mora, V.; Yepes Piqueras, V.; Navarro Martínez, IJ. (2023). Durability damage indicator in BIM environments. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 270-280. https://doi.org/10.4995/VIBRArch2022.2022.1519127028

Observaciones del rascón pinto, Pardirallus maculatus (Aves: Rallidae) en el centro-occidente de Veracruz

Presentamos los primeros registros del rascón pinto (Pardirallus maculatus) en el centro-oeste de Veracruz, su presencia en esta área puede explicarse por la gran capacidad de dispersión o vagabundeo de la especie o bien, por sesgos en el conocimiento de su distribución. Asimismo, reportamos el consumo de lenteja de agua (Lemnaceae) para este rascón.We report the first records of the Spotted Rail (Pardirallus maculatus) in central-western Veracruz. The presence of Spotted rails in this area can be explained by the high dispersal capabilities or wandering behavior of the species but also it could be due to the fact that there are biases in the knowledge of its distribution. Also, we report the consumption of duckweed plants (Lemnaceae) for this rail

Pasemos REVISTA. Publicaciones Periódicas

De un modo gráfico, se explica la gestión de Publicaciones Periódicas en Koha, el procedimiento de trabajo desde la adquisición hasta el registro de ejemplares, la visualización en OPAC desde el punto de vista del usuario y la conservación de los fondos en las distintas ubicaciones

Role of VEGF Polymorphisms in the Susceptibility and Severity of Interstitial Lung Disease

Biomarker; Interstitial lung disease; Vascular endothelial growth factorBiomarcador; Malaltia pulmonar intersticial; Factor de creixement endotelial vascularBiomarcador; Enfermedad pulmonar intersticial; Factor de crecimiento vascular endotelialThe search for biomarkers that can help to establish an early diagnosis and prognosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is of potential interest. VEGF polymorphisms have been implicated in the development of several lung disorders. Consequently, we assessed, for the first time, the role of VEGF polymorphisms in the susceptibility and severity of ILD. A total of 436 Caucasian ILD patients (244 with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) and 192 with non-IIP) and 536 ethnically-matched healthy controls were genotyped for VEGF rs833061, rs1570360, rs2010963, rs3025020, and rs3025039 polymorphisms by TaqMan assays. Pulmonary function tests were collected from all the patients. VEGF serum levels were determined by ELISA in a subgroup of patients. No VEGF genotype, allele, carrier, or haplotype differences were found between ILD patients and controls as well as between IIP and non-IIP patients. However, an association of rs1570360 with IIP in women and also with lung function in IIP patients was found. None of the VEGF polymorphisms were associated with VEGF levels. In conclusion, our results suggest that VEGF does not seem to play a relevant role in ILD, although rs1570360 may influence the severity of ILD in women and a worse outcome in IIP patients.This research was partially supported by a grant from Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR 474-2017). S.R.-M. was supported by funds of the RETICS Program (RD16/0012/0009) from the “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (ISCIII), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. V.P.-C. was supported by a pre-doctoral grant from IDIVAL (PREVAL 18/01). B.A.-M. was recipient of a “López Albo” post-residency program funded by Servicio Cántabro de Salud. L.L.-G. was supported by funds from IDIVAL (INNVAL 20/06). O.G. was beneficiary of a grant funded by Xunta de Galicia, Consellería de Educación, Universidade e Formación Profesional and Consellería de Economía, Emprego e Industria (GAIN), GPC IN607B2019/10. R.L.-M. was a recipient of a Miguel Servet type I program fellowship from the ISCIII, co-funded by the ESF, “Investing in your future” (grant CP16/00033)

Lack of concordance between the different exercise test measures used in the risk stratification of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients it is essential to perform a prognostic assessment to optimize the treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk stratification concordance assessed with different exercise test variables in a cohort of PAH patients. A retrospective analysis was performed using patient data registered in the PAH unit. Only those patients in whom the mean time elapsed between the 6-min walking test (6MWT) and the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was a maximum of 6 months were selected. A total of 140 records from 40 patients were finally analyzed. When it came to assessing the concordance between the two exercise tests in the guidelines (CPET and 6MWT), up to 84.3% of the records did not coincide in terms of the risk stratification. Exclusively considering the CPET parameters, most of the records (75%) failed to include all three variables in the same risk category. When analyzing the VO2 alone, up to 40.7% of the tests yielded different risk classifications depending on whether the parameter was expressed. In conclusion, there is a low concordance between the two proposed exercise tests. These results should be a call for reflection on whether the cut-off points set for the exercise tests proposed for the current risk stratification are adequate to achieve a correct risk stratification or whether they require an appropriate revision

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells are increased in lung transplant recipients and regulated by immunosuppressive therapy

Lung transplantation remains as a primary treatment for end-stage lung diseases. Although remarkable improvement has been achieved due to the immunosuppressive protocols, long-term survival for lung transplant recipients (LTR) is still limited. In the last few decades, an increasing interest has grown in the study of dysregulation of immune mechanisms underlying allograft failure. In this regard, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) could play an important role in the promotion of graft tolerance due to their immune regulatory function. Here, we describe for the first time circulating subsets MDSCs from LTR at several time points and we evaluate the relationship of MDSCs with sort-term lung transplant outcomes. Although no effect of MDSCs subsets on short-term clinical events was observed, our results determine that Mo-MDSCs frequencies are increased after acute cellular rejection (ACR), suggesting a possible role for Mo-MDSCs in the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Therefore, whether MDSCs subsets play a role as biomarkers of chronic rejection remains unknown and requires further investigations. Also, the effects of the different immunosuppressive treatments on these subpopulations remain under research and further studies are needed to establish to what extend MDSCs immune modulation could be responsible for allograft acceptance.FUNDING: This work was supported by grants from the FIS-ISCII (PI16/ 01585) to ML-H and NVAL16/22 to DS. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to María José Ortı́z González (IDIVAL, Santander, Spain) for her excellent technical support. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: We are grateful to María José Ortı́z González (IDIVAL, Santander, Spain) for her excellent technical support

Actualización de Clasificación y Tratamiento de la Hipertensión Pulmonar.

RESUMEN: La Hipertensión Pulmonar (HP) se define por un aumento en la presión arterial pulmonar media ≥ 25 mmHg en reposo calculada por el cateterismo cardiaco derecho, y la hipertensión arterial pulmonar (HAP) como un grupo de enfermedades crónicas que cursan con HP precapilar y unas resistencias pulmonares aumentadas, y que comparten mecanismos fisiopatológicos y síntomas similares. Existen diferentes alternativas terapéuticas para la HAP, aunque ninguna de ellas es curativa. Estas opciones terapéuticas engloban una serie de medidas generales y un tratamiento de soporte, al que se asocian diferentes fármacos específicos con diferentes dianas terapéuticas, bien sea en monoterapia o en combinación entre ellos en función de la clase funcional. Estos tratamientos específicos incluyen los análogos de la rostaglandinas, los antagonistas de los receptores de la endotelina, y los inhibidores de la osfodiesterasa 5. Todos ellos han demostrado mejoras en parámetros clínicos, hemodinámicos y tolerancia al ejercicio, entre otros.ABSTRACT: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined as an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg at rest as assessed by right heart catheterization. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) describes a group of PH patients characterized by the presence of pre-capillary PH with increased pulmonary resistance, and this disorders share similar symptoms and pathophysiologic mechanisms. There are different reatment options for PAH, although none is curative. These treatment options include general measures, supportive treatment, and specific drugs with different therapeutic targets. The specific treatments include prostacyclin analogues, endothelin receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. All of them have demonstrated improvements in clinical and hemodynamic parameters, exercise tolerance, and others

Role of Oxidative Stress and Lipid Peroxidation in the Pathophysiology of NAFLD

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterised by an excess of hepatic fat that can progress to steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. The imbalance between lipid uptake/lipogenesis and lipid oxidation/secretion in the liver is a major feature of NAFLD. Given the lack of a non-invasive and reliable methods for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), it is important to find serum markers that are capable of discriminating or defining patients with this stage of NASH. Blood samples were obtained from 152 Caucasian subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD due to persistently elevated liver enzyme levels. Metabolites representative of oxidative stress were assessed. The findings derived from this work revealed that NAFLD patients with a NASH score of ≥ 4 showed significantly higher levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO). Indeed, LPO levels above the optimal operating point (OOP) of 315.39 μM are an independent risk factor for presenting a NASH score of ≥ 4 (OR: 4.71; 95% CI: 1.68–13.19; p = 0.003). The area under the curve (AUC = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73–0.89, p < 0.001) shows a good discrimination ability of the model. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the basal inflammation present in these patients is postulated as a possible source of biomarkers and therapeutic targets in NASH.This research was funded by Consejería de Educación de Castilla y León (VA256P20), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant CB21/13/0005, PI21/00917 and COV20/00491), Junta de Castilla y León (18IGOF), Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León (GRS2398/A/21), Fundación Ramón Areces (CIVP19A5953) and 7th Call for Gilead Biomedical Research Grants in HIV, Liver Diseases and Haemato-oncology