36 research outputs found
Study of the derivative expansions for the nuclear structure functions
We study the convergence of the series expansions sometimes used in the
analysis of the nuclear effects in Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS) proccesses
induced by leptons. The recent advances in statistics and quality of the data,
in particular for neutrinos calls for a good control of the theoretical
uncertainties of the models used in the analysis. Using realistic nuclear
spectral functions which include nucleon correlations, we find that the
convergence of the derivative expansions to the full results is poor except at
very low values of
Nuclear medium modification of the F2 structure function
We study the nuclear effects in the electromagnetic structure function
F2(x,Q^2) in nuclei in the deep inelastic lepton nucleus scattering process by
taking into account Fermi motion, binding, pion and rho meson cloud
contributions. Calculations have been done in a local density approximation
using relativistic nuclear spectral functions which include nucleon
correlations for nuclear matter. The ratios over deuteron structure function
are obtained and compared with the recent JLAB results for light nuclei with
special attention to the slope of the x distributions. This magnitude shows a
non trivial A dependence and it is insensitive to possible normalization
uncertainties. The results have also been compared with some of the older
experiments using intermediate mass nuclei.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures. This version matches accepted version to be
published in Nuclear Physics
Effects of a paediatric antimicrobial stewardship program on antimicrobial use and quality of prescriptions in patients with appendix-related intraabdominal infections
The effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) in reducing antimicrobial use (AU) in children has been proved. Many interventions have been described suitable for different institution sizes, priorities, and patients, with surgical wards being one of the areas that may benefit the most. We aimed to describe the results on AU and length of stay (LOS) in a pre-post study during the three years before (2014-2016) and the three years after (2017-2019) implementation of an ASP based on postprescription review with feedback in children and adolescents admitted for appendix-related intraabdominal infections (AR-IAI) in a European Referral Paediatric University Hospital. In the postintervention period, the quality of prescriptions (QP) was also evaluated. Overall, 2021 AR-IAIs admissions were included. Global AU, measured both as days of therapy/100 patient days (DOT/100PD) and length of therapy (LOT), and global LOS remained unchanged in the postintervention period. Phlegmonous appendicitis LOS (p = 0.003) and LOT (p < 0.001) significantly decreased, but not those of other AR-IAI diagnoses. The use of piperacillin-tazobactam decreased by 96% (p = 0.044), with no rebound in the use of other Gram-negative broad-spectrum antimicrobials. A quasisignificant (p = 0.052) increase in QP was observed upon ASP implementation. Readmission and case fatality rates remained stable. ASP interventions were safe, and they reduced LOS and LOT of phlegmonous appendicitis and the use of selected broad-spectrum antimicrobials, while increasing QP in children with AR-IAI
Lista das esp茅cies de aranhas (Arachnida, Araneae) do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
A Clinical-Genetic Score for Predicting Weight Loss after Bariatric Surgery: The OBEGEN Study
Around 30% of the patients that undergo bariatric surgery (BS) do not reach an appropriate weight loss. The OBEGEN study aimed to assess the added value of genetic testing to clinical variables in predicting weight loss after BS. A multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal, and observational study including 416 patients who underwent BS was conducted (Clinical.Trials.gov- NCT02405949). 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 39 genes were examined. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to calculate sensitivity and specificity. Satisfactory response to BS was defined as at nadir excess weight loss >50%. A good predictive model of response [area under ROC of 0.845 (95% CI 0.805-0.880), p < 0.001; sensitivity 90.1%, specificity 65.5%] was obtained by combining three clinical variables (age, type of surgery, presence diabetes) and nine SNPs located in ADIPOQ, MC4R, IL6, PPARG, INSIG2, CNR1, ELOVL6, PLIN1 and BDNF genes. This predictive model showed a significant higher area under ROC than the clinical score (p = 0.0186). The OBEGEN study shows the key role of combining clinical variables with genetic testing to increase the predictability of the weight loss response after BS. This finding will permit us to implement a personalized medicine which will be associated with a more cost-effective clinical practice
SOCS1-derived peptide administered by eye drops prevents retinal neuroinflammation and vascular leakage in experimental diabetes
Current treatments for diabetic retinopathy (DR) target late stages when vision has already been significantly affected. Accumulating evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a major role in the pathogenesis of DR, resulting in the disruption of the blood-retinal barrier. Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are cytokine-inducible proteins that function as a negative feedback loop regulating cytokine responses. On this basis, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a SOCS1-derived peptide administered by eye drops (2 weeks) on retinal neuroinflammation and early microvascular abnormalities in a db/db mouse model. In brief, we found that SOCS1-derived peptide significantly reduced glial activation and neural apoptosis induced by diabetes, as well as retinal levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Moreover, a significant improvement of electroretinogram parameters was observed, thus revealing a clear impact of the histological findings on global retinal function. Finally, SOCS1-derived peptide prevented the disruption of the blood-retinal barrier. Overall, our results suggest that topical administration of SOCS1-derived peptide is effective in preventing retinal neuroinflammation and early microvascular impairment. These findings could open up a new strategy for the treatment of early stages of DR
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the surgical management of colorectal cancer: lessons learned from a multicenter study in Spain
Objective: the aim of the study was to analyze the management of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients diagnosed with CRC or undergoing elective surgery during the period of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Material and methods: a multicenter ambispective analysis was performed in nine centers in Spain during a four-month period. Data were collected from every patient, including changes in treatments, referrals or delays in surgeries, changes in surgical approaches, postoperative outcomes and perioperative SARS-CoV-2 status. The hospital's response to the outbreak and available resources were categorized, and outcomes were divided into periods based on the timeline of the pandemic.
Results: a total of 301 patients were included by the study centers and 259 (86 %) underwent surgery. Five hospitals went into phase III during the peak of incidence period, one remained in phase II and three in phase I. More than 60 % of patients suffered some form of change: 48 % referrals, 39 % delays, 4 % of rectal cancer patients had a prolonged interval to surgery and 5 % underwent neoadjuvant treatment. At the time of study closure, 3 % did not undergo surgery. More than 85 % of the patients were tested preoperatively for SARS-CoV-2. A total of nine patients (3 %) developed postoperative pneumonia; three of them had confirmed SARS-CoV-2. The observed surgical complications and mortality rates were similar as expected in a usual situation.
Conclusions: the present multicenter study shows different patterns of response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and collateral effects in managing CRC patients. Knowing these patterns could be useful for planning future changes in surgical departments in preparation for new outbreaks
A Clinical-Genetic Score for Predicting Weight Loss after Bariatric Surgery : The OBEGEN Study
Around 30% of the patients that undergo bariatric surgery (BS) do not reach an appropriate weight loss. The OBEGEN study aimed to assess the added value of genetic testing to clinical variables in predicting weight loss after BS. A multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal, and observational study including 416 patients who underwent BS was conducted (Clinical.Trials.gov- NCT02405949). 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 39 genes were examined. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to calculate sensitivity and specificity. Satisfactory response to BS was defined as at nadir excess weight los
Sunlight modulates the relative importance of heterotrophic bacteria and picophytoplankton in DMSP-sulphur uptake.
10 p谩ginas, 5 figuras, 1 tabla.There is a large body of evidence supporting a major role of heterotrophic bacteria in dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) utilisation as a source of reduced sulphur. However, a role for phototrophic microorganisms has been only recently described and little is known about their contribution to DMSP consumption and the potential modulating effects of sunlight. In an attempt to ascertain the relative quantitative roles of heterotrophic bacteria and picophytoplankton in the osmoheterotrophic uptake of DMSP-sulphur upon exposure to natural sunlight conditions, we incubated northwestern Mediterranean waters under various optical filters and used an array of bulk and single-cell activity methods to trace the fate of added 35S-DMSP. Flow cytometry cell sorting confirmed dark 35S uptake by Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria, the latter being the most efficient in terms of uptake on a cell volume basis. Under exposure to full sunlight, however, the relative contribution of Synechococcus was significantly enhanced, mainly because of the inhibition of heterotrophic bacteria. Microautoradiography showed a strong increase in the proportion of Synechococcus cells actively taking up 35S-DMSP, which, after full sunlight exposure, made up to 15% of total active Bacteria. Parallel incubations with 3H-leucine generally showed no clear responses to light. Finally, size-fractionated assimilation experiments showed greater relative cyanobacterial assimilation during the day than at night compared with that of heterotrophic bacteria. Our results show for the first time a major influence of sunlight in regulating the competition among autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton for DMSP uptake at both the daily and seasonal time scales.This work was supported by the
European Union through project BASICS (EVK3-CT-2002-
00078) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and
Innovation through projects MODIVUS (CTM2005-
04795/MAR) and SUMMER (CTM2008-03309/MAR).Peer reviewe
Los derechos de participaci贸n como elemento de integraci贸n de los inmigrantes
Este informe pretende ofrecer un an谩lisis de la relaci贸n entre las diferentes formas de participaci贸n social y pol铆tica de las personas inmigrantes y el proceso de integraci贸n en las sociedades de acogida. La integraci贸n pol铆tica de los extranjeros est谩 estrechamente relacionada con los actuales debates sobre la ciudadan铆a y la inmigraci贸n, y se ha convertido en una cuesti贸n emergente en el debate p煤blico de la mayor铆a de los pa铆ses europeos. Se propone, primero, una redefinici贸n normativa de la comprensi贸n tradicional del v铆nculo entre la ciudadan铆a y la nacionalidad. Los tres cap铆tulos centrales abordan la experiencia reciente de Espa帽a como pa铆s de inmigraci贸n. Se analizan, por un lado, los rasgos principales de la respuesta jur铆dica y pol铆tica a este fen贸meno en Espa帽a, y, por otro, las diversas 谩reas en las que las personas inmigrantes participan en la vida p煤blica. Tras esto, se muestra la asimetr铆a de los reg铆menes internos de reconocimiento de los derechos pol铆ticos de los no nacionales mediante la comparaci贸n del estado de la cuesti贸n en distintos pa铆ses europeos. Por 煤ltimo, se analiza la respuesta regional de la Uni贸n Europea al fen贸meno migratorio y la pol铆tica canadiense de ciudadan铆a e inmigraci贸n. El an谩lisis conjunto de todas estas cuestiones sugiere la oportunidad de poner en marcha algunas reformas legales e institucionales en Espa帽a con el fin de cimentar una democracia inclusiva. Provider_Name: Fundacion BBVA / BBVA Foundation