Helicobacter Species and Hepato-Biliary Tract Malignancies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Helicobacter species may cause chronic inflammation of the biliary tract, but its relationship with cancer is controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between Helicobacter species and hepatobiliary tract malignancies. Twenty-six studies (4083 patients) were included in qualitative synthesis, and 18 studies (n = 1895 qualified for meta-analysis. All studies were at high-intermediate risk of bias. Most studies combined several direct microbiological methods, mostly PCR (23 studies), culture (8 studies), and/or CLOtest (5 studies). Different specimens alone or in combination were investigated, most frequently bile (16 studies), serum (7 studies), liver/biliary tissue (8 studies), and gastric tissue (3 studies). Patients with Helicobacter species infection had an increased risk of hepatobiliary tract malignancies (OR = 3.61 [95% CI 2.18–6.00]; p < 0.0001), with high heterogeneity in the analysis (I2 = 61%; p = 0.0003). This effect was consistent when Helicobacter was assessed in bile (OR = 3.57 [95% CI 1.73–7.39]; p = 0.0006), gastric tissue (OR = 42.63 [95% CI 5.25–346.24]; p = 0.0004), liver/biliary tissue (OR = 4.92 [95% CI 1.90–12.76]; p = 0.001) and serum (OR = 1.38 [95% CI 1.00–1.90]; p = 0.05). Heterogeneity was reduced in these sub-analyses (I2 = 0–27%; p = ns), except for liver/biliary tissue (I2 = 57%; p = 0.02). In conclusion, based on low-certainty data, Helicobacter species chronic infection is associated with a tripled risk of hepatobiliary tract malignancy. Prospective studies are required to delineate public health interventions

Rates, predictive factors and effectiveness of ustekinumab intensification to 4- or 6-weekly intervals in Crohn's disease

Background: The UNITI trial reports efficacy of ustekinumab (UST) dose intensification in Crohn's disease (CD) from 12- to 8-weekly, but not 4-weekly. We aimed 1) to assess the cumulative incidence of UST dose intensification to 4- or 6-weekly, 2) to identify factors associated with dose intensification, and 3) to assess the effectiveness of this strategy. Methods: We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study in NHS Lothian including all UST treated CD patients (2015–2020). Results: 163 CD patients were treated with UST (median follow-up: 20.3 months [13.4–38.4]), of whom 55 (33.7%) underwent dose intensification to 4-weekly (n = 50, 30.7%) or 6-weekly (n = 5, 3.1%). After 1 year 29.9% were dose intensified. Prior exposure to both anti-TNF and vedolizumab (HR 9.5; 1.3–70.9), and concomitant steroid use at UST start (HR 1.8; 1.0–3.1) were associated with dose intensification. Following dose intensification, 62.6% patients (29/55) remained on UST beyond 1 year. Corticosteroid-free clinical remission was achieved in 27% at week 16 and 29.6% at last follow-up. Conclusion: One third of CD patients treated with UST underwent dose intensification to a 4- or 6-weekly interval within the first year. Patients who failed both anti-TNF and vedolizumab, or required steroids at initiation were more likely to dose intensify.</p

Development of a prediction model for short-term remission of patients with Crohn’s disease treated with anti-TNF drugs

Therapy with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has dramatically changed the natural history of Crohn’s disease (CD). However, these drugs are not without adverse events, and up to 40% of patients could lose efficacy in the long term. We aimed to identify reliable markers of response to anti-TNF drugs in patients with CD. A consecutive cohort of 113 anti-TNF naive patients with CD was stratified according to clinical response as short-term remission (STR) or non-STR (NSTR) at 12 weeks of treatment. We compared the protein expression profiles of plasma samples in a subset of patients from both groups prior to anti-TNF therapy by SWATH proteomics. We identified 18 differentially expressed proteins (p ≤ 0.01, fold change ≥ 2.4) involved in the organization of the cytoskeleton and cell junction, hemostasis/platelet function, carbohydrate metabolism, and immune response as candidate biomarkers of STR. Among them, vinculin was one of the most deregulated proteins (p < 0.001), whose differential expression was confirmed by ELISA (p = 0.054). In the multivariate analysis, plasma vinculin levels along with basal CD Activity Index, corticosteroids induction, and bowel resection were factors predicting NSTR

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer, studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory, a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), it aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over an hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR, browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters. Finally we briefly discuss on the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, and touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation, and finally on the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. (abridged).Comment: 48 pages, 29 figures, Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy with minor editin

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory. Athena is a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, as selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), X-IFU aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over a hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR (i.e. in the course of its preliminary definition phase, so-called B1), browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters, such as the instrument efficiency, spectral resolution, energy scale knowledge, count rate capability, non X-ray background and target of opportunity efficiency. Finally, we briefly discuss the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation and the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. The X-IFU will be provided by an international consortium led by France, The Netherlands and Italy, with ESA member state contributions from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, with additional contributions from the United States and Japan.The French contribution to X-IFU is funded by CNES, CNRS and CEA. This work has been also supported by ASI (Italian Space Agency) through the Contract 2019-27-HH.0, and by the ESA (European Space Agency) Core Technology Program (CTP) Contract No. 4000114932/15/NL/BW and the AREMBES - ESA CTP No.4000116655/16/NL/BW. This publication is part of grant RTI2018-096686-B-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. This publication is part of grant RTI2018-096686-B-C21 and PID2020-115325GB-C31 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

Materiales para la docencia universitaria: orientaciones para elaborarlas y mejorarlos

Fruto del interés detectado entre el profesorado universitario con el cual trabajamos en unas primeras experiencias de formación del mismo, surgió un grupo de investigación y de innovación docente que se propuso llegar a formular una propuesta de pautas y orientaciones para diseñar, seleccionar y utilizar materiales para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje en la Universidad. Desde finales del año 2000 en que empezó su andadura el citado grupo hasta finales de 2004 en que finalizó su tarea, la situación entre el profesorado universitario ha ido cambiando, a raíz de los retos y de las inquietudes que ha desencadenado el proceso de constitución de un Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. La formación continua del profesorado de enseñanza superior ha empezado a desarrollarse en las universidades y, en algunas de ellas, con notable despliegue de acciones. Ante un panorama nuevo que parece intuirse en la Universidad, lo cierto es que entre las demandas de formación del profesorado se manifiesta un notable interés por tratar sobre cómo mejorar el diseño de materiales curriculares (materiales de uso para el alumnado para ayudar a su aprendizaje) y sobre cómo «hacer» materiales para el aprendizaje autónomo de los y las estudiantes. En este libro pretendemos dar pistas para responder a estas demandas. Creemos que los materiales (ya sean en papel, en soporte electrónico…) constituyen un elemento muy relevante para el proceso de aprendizaje del alumnado universitario. Como se trata en el capítulo 1, los materiales cumplen una función mediadora entre el o la docente y el alumnado, una función que en ocasiones va incluso más lejos de la intencionalidad del propio profesorado. Para diseñar materiales docentes pueden tenerse en cuenta consideraciones diversas pero, en todo caso, los materiales deben ser coherentes, por un lado, con las intenciones formativas que se pretenden y, por el otro, con las concepciones sobre el aprendizaje de las que se parte y con las características del contexto..

ATHENA X-ray Integral Field Unit on-board event processor: analysis of performance of two triggering algorithms

Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018, Austin, Texas, United States.Peer reviewe