Optimizing dialysis dose in the context of frailty: an exploratory study

Introduction Frailty is a multicausal syndrome characterized by a decrease in strength, resistance and physiological function, which makes the individual vulnerable and dependent, and increases his/her mortality. This syndrome is more prevalent among older individuals, and chronic kidney disease patients, particularly those on dialysis. Dialysis dose is currently standardized for hemodialysis (HD) patients regardless of their age and functional status. However, it has been postulated that the dialysis dose required in older patients, especially frail ones, should be lower, since it could increase their degree of frailty. Then, the purpose of this study was to evaluate if there would be a correlation between the dose of Kt/V and the degree of frailty in a population of adult patients on HD. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study with 82 patients on HD in Barranquilla (Colombia) and Lobos (Argentina) was conducted. Socio-demographic and laboratory data, as well as dialysis doses (Kt/V) were recorded and scales of fragility, physical activity, gait and grip strength were applied. Then these data were correlated by a Spearman’s correlation and a logistic regression. Results CFS, social isolation, physical activity, gait speed, and prehensile strength tests were outside the reference ranges in the studied group. No significant correlation was found between dialysis dose and all the above mentioned functional tests. However, a significant and inverse correlation between physical activity and CFS was documented (score − 1.41 (CI − 2.1 to − 0.7). Conclusion No significant correlation was documented between Kt/V value and different parameters of the frailty status, but this status correlated significantly and inversely with physical activity in this group. Frailty status in hemodialysis patients was significantly higher in older individuals, although young individuals were not exempt from it

Descripción de un caso de diarrea viral bovina (DVB) en la sabana de Bogotá

Gross and microscopic lesions of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) in an eight months old Holstein calf from the Sabana de Bogota are described. The pathological changes consisted of erosions and ulcers in the digestive tract, and fibrinosous membranes and necrosis in the esophagus, small and large intestine. The lesions were similar to those described else where. The diagnosis was confirmed by virus isolation; the ocurrence of this case is discussed in relation with the high serologic prevalence of the disease previously determined.Se describen las lesiones macro y microscópicas de un caso natural de diarrea viral bovina (DVB) en una ternera Holstein de 8 meses de edad en la sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. Los cambios patológicos consistieron en erosiones y ulceraciones del tracto digestivo y presencia de membranas fibrinonecróticas en el esófago e intestino delgado y grueso. Los cambios histológicos correspondieron a los descritos en la literatura. El diagnóstico se comprobó mediante el aislamiento del virus. Se discute la presentación de este caso en relación con la alta prevalencia serológioca del virus de DVB observada previamente.Ganado de leche-Ganadería lech

Enfermedades causantes de abortos en cabras.

Se determinaron los títulos de anticuerpos de las siguientes enfermedades causantes de abortos en cabras de la sabana de Bogotá: brucelosis (asumiendo una reacción cruzada con Brucella melitensis), clamidiosis, letospirosis y toxoplasmosis. Un total de 200 muestras fueron analizadas, tomadas en 21 apriscos con una población de 1.033 animales. Para el primer caso, se encontró el 3.5 por ciento de reactores a Brucella abortus por medio de la prueba lenta en tubo (título 1:200), corroborando esta reactividad por medio de la prueba de mercaptoetanol (1:50) y fijación de complemento (1:64). Para determinar anticuerpos fijadores de complemento para Chlamydia psittachi, se comprobó que el uno por ciento fueron reactores con un rango de confianza del 95 por ciento y prueba diagnóstica específica para Chlamydia. En la leptospirosis se halló una prevalencia instantánea del 4 por ciento que representa los animales reactores. Unicamente 2 animales presentaron títulos de 1:100 y 1:400 para Leptospira icterohaemorrhagie. Las pruebas para toxoplasmosis mostraron que el 25 por ciento de los animales analizados fueron reactores a Toxoplasma gondi

The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey: XXV. Surface nitrogen abundances of O-type giants and supergiants

Context. Theoretically, rotation-induced chemical mixing in massive stars has far reaching evolutionary consequences, affecting the sequence of morphological phases, lifetimes, nucleosynthesis, and supernova characteristics. Aims. Using a sample of 72 presumably single O-type giants to supergiants observed in the context of the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS), we aim to investigate rotational mixing in evolved core-hydrogen burning stars initially more massive than 15 M� by analysing their surface nitrogen abundances. Methods. Using stellar and wind properties derived in a previous VFTS study we computed synthetic spectra for a set of up to 21 N ii-v lines in the optical spectral range, using the non-LTE atmosphere code FASTWIND. We constrained the nitrogen abundance by fitting the equivalent widths of relatively strong lines that are sensitive to changes in the abundance of this element. Given the quality of the data, we constrained the nitrogen abundance in 38 cases; for 34 stars only upper limits could be derived, which includes almost all stars rotating at 3e sin i > 200 km s−1 . Results. We analysed the nitrogen abundance as a function of projected rotation rate 3e sin i and confronted it with predictions of rotational mixing. We found a group of N-enhanced slowly-spinning stars that is not in accordance with predictions of rotational mixing in single stars. Among O-type stars with (rotation-corrected) gravities less than log gc = 3.75 this group constitutes 30−40 percent of the population. We found a correlation between nitrogen and helium abundance which is consistent with expectations, suggesting that, whatever the mechanism that brings N to the surface, it displays CNO-processed material. For the rapidly-spinning O-type stars we can only provide upper limits on the nitrogen abundance, which are not in violation with theoretical expectations. Hence, the data cannot be used to test the physics of rotation induced mixing in the regime of high spin rates. Conclusions. While the surface abundances of 60−70 percent of presumed single O-type giants to supergiants behave in conformity with expectations, at least 30−40 percent of our sample can not be understood in the current framework of rotational mixing for single stars. Even though we have excluded stars showing radial velocity variations, of our sample may have remained contaminated by postinteraction binary products. Hence, it is plausible that effects of binary interaction need to be considered to understand their surface properties. Alternatively, or in conjunction, the effects of magnetic fields or alternative mass-loss recipes may need to be invoked

The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey

Context. The Tarantula region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) contains the richest population of spatially resolved massive O-type stars known so far. This unmatched sample offers an opportunity to test models describing their main-sequence evolution and mass-loss properties. Aims. Using ground-based optical spectroscopy obtained in the framework of the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS), we aim to determine stellar, photospheric and wind properties of 72 presumably single O-type giants, bright giants and supergiants and to confront them with predictions of stellar evolution and of line-driven mass-loss theories. Methods. We apply an automated method for quantitative spectroscopic analysis of O stars combining the non-LTE stellar atmosphere model fastwind with the genetic fitting algorithm pikaia to determine the following stellar properties: effective temperature, surface gravity, mass-loss rate, helium abundance, and projected rotational velocity. The latter has been constrained without taking into account the contribution from macro-turbulent motions to the line broadening. Results. We present empirical effective temperature versus spectral subtype calibrations at LMC-metallicity for giants and supergiants. The calibration for giants shows a +1kK offset compared to similar Galactic calibrations; a shift of the same magnitude has been reported for dwarfs. The supergiant calibrations, though only based on a handful of stars, do not seem to indicate such an offset. The presence of a strong upturn at spectral type O3 and earlier can also not be confirmed by our data. In the spectroscopic and classical Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams, our sample O stars are found to occupy the region predicted to be the core hydrogen-burning phase by state-of-the-art models. For stars initially more massive than approximately 60 M⊙, the giant phase already appears relatively early on in the evolution; the supergiant phase develops later. Bright giants, however, are not systematically positioned between giants and supergiants at Minit ≳ 25 M⊙. At masses below 60 M⊙, the dwarf phase clearly precedes the giant and supergiant phases; however this behavior seems to break down at Minit ≲ 18 M⊙. Here, stars classified as late O III and II stars occupy the region where O9.5-9.7 V stars are expected, but where few such late O V stars are actually seen. Though we can not exclude that these stars represent a physically distinct group, this behavior may reflect an intricacy in the luminosity classification at late O spectral subtype. Indeed, on the basis of a secondary classification criterion, the relative strength of Si iv to He i absorption lines, these stars would have been assigned a luminosity class IV or V. Except for five stars, the helium abundance of our sample stars is in agreement with the initial LMC composition. This outcome is independent of their projected spin rates. The aforementioned five stars present moderate projected rotational velocities (i.e., νesini < 200kms-1) and hence do not agree with current predictions of rotational mixing in main-sequence stars. They may potentially reveal other physics not included in the models such as binary-interaction effects. Adopting theoretical results for the wind velocity law, we find modified wind momenta for LMC stars that are ~0.3 dex higher than earlier results. For stars brighter than 105 L⊙, that is, in the regime of strong stellar winds, the measured (unclumped) mass-loss rates could be considered to be in agreement with line-driven wind predictions if the clump volume filling factors were fV ~ 1/8 to 1/6

The effect of perceived discrimination on the health of immigrant workers in Spain

Background: Discrimination is an important determinant of health inequalities, and immigrants may be more vulnerable to certain types of discrimination than the native-born. This study analyses the relationship between immigrants' perceived discrimination and various self-reported health indicators. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted (2008) amongst a non-random sample of 2434 immigrants from Ecuador, Morocco, Romania and Colombia in four Spanish cities: Barcelona, Huelva, Madrid and Valencia. A factorial analysis of variables revealed three dimensions of perceived discrimination (due to immigrant status, due to physical appearance, and workplace-related). The association of these dimensions with self-rated health, mental health (GHQ-12), change in self-rated health between origin and host country, and other self-reported health outcomes was analysed. Logistic regression was used adjusting for potential confounders (aOR-95%CI). Subjects with worsening self-reported health status potentially attributable to perceived discrimination was estimated (population attributable proportion, PAP %). Results: 73.3% of men and 69.3% of women immigrants reported discrimination due to immigrant status. Moroccans showed the highest prevalence of perceived discrimination. Immigrants reporting discrimination were at significantly higher risk of reporting health problems than those not reporting discrimination. Workplace-related discrimination was associated with poor mental health (aOR 2.97 95%CI 2.45-3.60), and the worsening of self-rated health (aOR 2.20 95%CI 1.73- 2.80). 40% (95% CI 24-53) PAP of those reporting worse self-rated health could be attributable to discrimination due to immigrant status. Conclusions: Discrimination may constitute a risk factor for health in immigrant workers in Spain and could explain some health inequalities among immigrant populations in Spanish society.This work was supported by the following sources: Carolina Foundation (Spain), Healthcare Research Fund of the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumption (references PI050497, PI052202, PI052334, PI061701, and PI0790470

Productivity trends and collaboration patterns: A diachronic study in the eating disorders field

[EN] Objective The present study seeks to extend previous bibliometric studies on eating disorders (EDs) by including a time-dependent analysis of the growth and evolution of multi-author collaborations and their correlation with ED publication trends from 1980 to 2014 (35 years). Methods Using standardized practices, we searched Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection (WoSCC) (indexes: Science Citation Index-Expanded [SCIE], & Social Science Citation Index [SSCI]) and Scopus (areas: Health Sciences, Life Sciences, & Social Sciences and Humanities) to identify a large sample of articles related to EDs. We then submitted our sample of articles to bibliometric and graph theory analyses to identify co-authorship and social network patterns. Results We present a large number of detailed findings, including a clear pattern of scientific growth measured as number of publications per five-year period or quinquennium (Q), a tremendous increase in the number of authors attracted by the ED subject, and a very high and steady growth in collaborative work. Conclusions We inferred that the noted publication growth was likely driven by the noted increase in the number of new authors per Q. Social network analyses suggested that collaborations within ED follow patters of interaction that are similar to well established and recognized disciplines, as indicated by the presence of a ¿giant cluster¿, high cluster density, and the replication of the ¿small world¿ phenomenon¿the principle that we are all linked by short chains of acquaintances.This work was performed with a subsidy from Universidad Catolica de Valencia "San Vicente Martir" to resarch group INDOTEI: Evaluacion de la Ciencia, for the years 2016-2017. This work is benefited from Spanish Government assistance through Government Delegation for the National Drugs Plan of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality (project 2016/028); and National R+D+I (projects: CS02012-39632-C02-01 and CS02015-65594-C2-2-R) and 2015-Networks of Excellence Call (project CS02015-71867-REDT) of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Valderrama Zurian, JC.; Aguilar-Moya, R.; Cepeda-Benito, A.; Melero-Fuentes, D.; Navarro-Moreno, MÁ.; Gandía-Balaguer, A.; Aleixandre-Benavent, R. (2017). Productivity trends and collaboration patterns: A diachronic study in the eating disorders field. PLoS ONE. 12(8):1-17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182760S117128McClelland, J., Bozhilova, N., Campbell, I., & Schmidt, U. (2013). A Systematic Review of the Effects of Neuromodulation on Eating and Body Weight: Evidence from Human and Animal Studies. 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The Validity and Clinical Utility of Binge Eating Disorder. FOCUS, 12(4), 489-505. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.120412Theander, S. S. (2002). Literature on eating disorders during 40 Years: increasing number of papers, emergence of bulimia nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review, 10(6), 386-398. doi:10.1002/erv.495Clinton, D. (2010). Towards an ecology of eating disorders: Creating sustainability through the integration of scientific research and clinical practice. European Eating Disorders Review, 18(1), 1-9. doi:10.1002/erv.986Soh, N. L.-W., & Walter, G. (2013). Publications on cross-cultural aspects of eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 1(1). doi:10.1186/2050-2974-1-4Wuchty, S., Jones, B. F., & Uzzi, B. (2007). The Increasing Dominance of Teams in Production of Knowledge. Science, 316(5827), 1036-1039. doi:10.1126/science.1136099Kumar, S. (2015). Co-authorship networks: a review of the literature. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 67(1), 55-73. doi:10.1108/ajim-09-2014-0116Barabási, A. ., Jeong, H., Néda, Z., Ravasz, E., Schubert, A., & Vicsek, T. (2002). Evolution of the social network of scientific collaborations. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 311(3-4), 590-614. doi:10.1016/s0378-4371(02)00736-7Newman, M. E. J. (2004). Coauthorship networks and patterns of scientific collaboration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(Supplement 1), 5200-5205. doi:10.1073/pnas.0307545100Aleixandre-Benavent, R., & Alonso-Arroyo, A. (2011). Indicadores bibliométricos, patología del aparato respiratorio y reducción del consumo de tabaco. Revista de Patología Respiratoria, 14(1), 1-3. doi:10.1016/s1576-9895(11)70095-9Pino-Díaz, J., Jiménez-Contreras, E., Ruíz-Baños, R., & Bailón-Moreno, R. (2011). Evaluación de redes tecnocientíficas: la red española sobre Áreas Protegidas, según la Web of Science. Revista española de Documentación Científica, 34(3), 301-333. doi:10.3989/redc.2011.3.804Valderrama-Zurián, J.-C., Aguilar-Moya, R., Melero-Fuentes, D., & Aleixandre-Benavent, R. (2015). A systematic analysis of duplicate records in Scopus. Journal of Informetrics, 9(3), 570-576. doi:10.1016/j.joi.2015.05.002Guardiola-Wanden-Berghe, R., Sanz-Valero, J., & Wanden-Berghe, C. (2012). Medical subject headings versus American Psychological Association Index Terms: indexing eating disorders. Scientometrics, 94(1), 305-311. doi:10.1007/s11192-012-0866-7Soh, N., Walter, G., Touyz, S., Russell, J., Malhi, G. S., & Hunt, G. E. (2012). Food for thought: Comparison of citations received from articles appearing in specialized eating disorder journals versus general psychiatry journals. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 45(8), 990-994. doi:10.1002/eat.22036Theander, S. S. (2004). Trends in the literature on eating disorders over 36 years(1965-2000): terminology, interpretation and treatment. European Eating Disorders Review, 12(1), 4-17. doi:10.1002/erv.559Kawamura, M., Thomas, C. D. L., Tsurumoto, A., Sasahara, H., & Kawaguchi, Y. (2000). Lotka’s law and productivity index of authors in a scientific journal. Journal of Oral Science, 42(2), 75-78. doi:10.2334/josnusd.42.75Lawani SM. Quality, collaboration and citations in cancer research: A bibliometric study. PhD thesis. Florida State University, Tallahassee. 1980.Watts, D. J., & Strogatz, S. H. (1998). Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks. Nature, 393(6684), 440-442. doi:10.1038/30918Jacomy, M., Venturini, T., Heymann, S., & Bastian, M. (2014). ForceAtlas2, a Continuous Graph Layout Algorithm for Handy Network Visualization Designed for the Gephi Software. PLoS ONE, 9(6), e98679. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098679Pike, K. M., & Dunne, P. E. (2015). The rise of eating disorders in Asia: a review. Journal of Eating Disorders, 3(1). doi:10.1186/s40337-015-0070-2El Ghoch, M., Soave, F., Calugi, S., & Dalle Grave, R. (2013). Eating Disorders, Physical Fitness and Sport Performance: A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 5(12), 5140-5160. doi:10.3390/nu5125140Jones, A. W. (2007). The distribution of forensic journals, reflections on authorship practices, peer-review and role of the impact factor. Forensic Science International, 165(2-3), 115-128. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.05.013Baker, T., Hatsukami, D., Lerman, C., O’Malley, S., Shields, A., & Fiore, M. (2003). Transdisciplinary science applied to the evaluation of treatments for tobacco use. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 5(6), 89-99. doi:10.1080/14622200310001625564González-Alcaide, G., Melero-Fuentes, D., Aleixandre-Benavent, R., & Valderrama-Zurián, J.-C. (2013). Productivity and Collaboration in Scientific Publications on Criminology. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 24(1), 15-37. doi:10.1080/10511253.2012.664153López-Muñoz, F., Alamo, C., Rubio, G., García-García, P., Martín-Agueda, B., & Cuenca, E. (2003). Bibliometric analysis of biomedical publications on SSRI during 1980-2000. Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 95-103. doi:10.1002/da.10121González-Alcaide, G., Aleixandre-Benavent, R., Navarro-Molina, C., & Valderrama-Zurián, J. C. (2008). Coauthorship networks and institutional collaboration patterns in reproductive biology. Fertility and Sterility, 90(4), 941-956. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.07.1378González-Alcaide, G., Park, J., Huamaní, C., Belinchón, I., & Ramos, J. M. (2015). Evolution of Cooperation Patterns in Psoriasis Research: Co-Authorship Network Analysis of Papers in Medline (1942–2013). PLOS ONE, 10(12), e0144837. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144837Bordons, M., & Ángeles Zulueta, M. (2002). La interdisciplinariedad en los grupos españoles de investigación en el área cardiovascular. 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Author productivity and geodesic distance in bibliographic co-authorship networks, and visibility on the Web. Scientometrics, 60(3), 409-420. doi:10.1023/b:scie.0000034383.86665.22Yan, E., Ding, Y., & Zhu, Q. (2009). Mapping library and information science in China: a coauthorship network analysis. Scientometrics, 83(1), 115-131. doi:10.1007/s11192-009-0027-9Yin, L., Kretschmer, H., Hanneman, R. A., & Liu, Z. (2006). Connection and stratification in research collaboration: An analysis of the COLLNET network. Information Processing & Management, 42(6), 1599-1613. doi:10.1016/j.ipm.2006.03.021Lambiotte, R., & Panzarasa, P. (2009). Communities, knowledge creation, and information diffusion. Journal of Informetrics, 3(3), 180-190. doi:10.1016/j.joi.2009.03.007Leydesdorff, L. (2012). World shares of publications of the USA, EU-27, and China compared and predicted using the new Web of Science interface versus Scopus. 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Agenda de investigación: smart cities y seguridad en Andalucía = Research agenda: smart cities and security in Andalusia, Spain

Smart cities' security governance is a significant challenge that requires careful planning, design, and management. Unfortunately, the number of Andalusian researchers and research groups working on this topic is currently limited, which hinders scientific progress, international competitiveness, and knowledge transfer. To address this issue, this project aims to establish a research agenda to identify the most relevant topics, facilitate resource allocation, and encourage collaboration among researchers, industry, and the public sector. In the near future, effective security management in smart cities will require multidisciplinary approaches that bring together experts from various fields. By promoting coherent initiatives and establishing robust research programs, we can build a strong foundation for sustainable smart cities.P20-00941Security and Global Affair

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality