Application of the Lagrangian tracers model in Anegada Bay, Argentina

En el presente trabajo se ha realizado un experimento numérico utilizando un sistema de modelación hidrodinámico con trazadores lagrangianos para estudiar el transporte y circulación de partículas a partir de dos puntos de emisión. El objetivo fue establecer si las partículas pueden ser expulsadas de la Bahía Anegada (Argentina) dentro del plazo estimado para el período disponible antes de su sedimentación. Se obtuvo la distancia recorrida por las partículas, transportadas por las corrientes inducidas por la marea y el viento, y se determinó las posibles zonas de depósito. Se concluyó que las partículas emitidas en los dos puntos elegidos para este estudio permanecieron dentro de los límites de la Bahía Anegada.In this study we have applied a hydrodynamic numerical model of Lagrangian tracers to study the dispersion and subsequent settlement of particles from two different points of emission. The main objective was to define whether the particles, within the sedimentation period, could be exported out of the Anegada Bay (Argentina). We obtained the distance traveled by the particles, transported by currents induced by the tide and wind, and determined possible settlement areas. It was concluded that particles released from two different points do not leave Anegada Bay boundaries.Fil: Alvarez, Laura Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Cuadrado, Diana Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Perillo, Gerardo Miguel E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentin

Copper complexes for the promotion of iminopyridine ligands derived from β-alanine and self-aldol additions: relaxivity and cytotoxic properties

Producción CientíficaIn the study presented herein, we explore the ability of copper complexes with coordinated pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde (pyca) or 2-acetylpyridine (acepy) ligands to promote the addition of amines (Schiff condensation) and other nucleophiles such as alcohols (hemiacetal formation). Distinct reactivity patterns are observed: unlike pyca complexes, acepy copper complexes can promote self-aldol addition. The introduction of a flexible chain via Schiff condensation with β-alanine allows the possibility of chelate ring ring-opening processes mediated by pH. Further derivatization of the complex [CuCl(py-2-C(H)[double bond, length as m-dash]NCH2CH2COO)] is possible by replacing its chloride ligand with different pseudohalogens (N3−, NCO− and NCS−). In addition to the change in their magnetism, which correlates with their solid-state structures, more unexpected effects in their cytotoxicity and relaxitivities are observed, which determines their possibility to be used as MRI contrast agents. The replacement of a chloride by another pseudohalogen, although a simple strategy, can be used to critically change the cytotoxicity of the Schiff base copper (II) complex and its selectivity towards specific cell lines.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Agencia Estatal de Investigación - FEDER (projects PGC2018-096880-A-I00 / PGC2018-099470-B-I00)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Agencia Estatal de Investigación - FEDER - UE (contract RYC-2015-19035)Junta de Castilla y León (project VA130G18)Laboratory of Excellence of Nanostructures in Interaction with their Environment (project ANR-11-LABX-0058-NIE within the Investissement d'Avenir program ANR-10-IDEX-0002-02)

Acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year university students in Spain

The theory of evolution is one of the greatest scientific achievements in the intellectual history of humankind, yet it is still contentious within certain social groups. Despite being as robust and evidence-based as any other notable scientific theory, some people show a strong reluctance to accept it. In this study, we used the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) and Knowledge of Evolution Exam (KEE) questionnaires with university students from four academic degree programs (Chemistry, English, History, and Biology) of ten universities from Spain to measure, respectively, acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year undergraduate students (nMATE = 978; nKEE = 981). Results show that acceptance of evolution is relatively high (87.2%), whereas knowledge of the theory is moderate (5.4 out of 10) although there are differences across degrees (Biology>Chemistry>History>English), and even among various universities (ranging from 4.71 to 5.81). Statistical analysis reveals that knowledge of evolutionary theory among Biology students is partially explained by the relative weight of evolutionary themes within the curriculum, suggesting that an increase in the number of hours dedicated to this topic could have a direct influence on students’ knowledge of it. We also found that religion may have a significant—although relatively small—negative influence on evolutionary theory acceptance. The moderate knowledge of evolution in our undergraduate students, together with the potential problem of acceptance in certain groups, suggests the need for a revision of the evolutionary concepts in the teaching curricula of our students since primary school.This work was supported by Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2016-037), FONDOS FEDER (“unha maneira de facer Europa”), and Spain’s Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (CGL2016-75904-C2-1-P), Dr. Emilio Rolán-Alvarez

Accuracy of colon capsule endoscopy in detecting colorectal polyps in individuals with familial colorectal cancer: could we avoid colonoscopies?

Background. Individuals with a family history of colorectal cancer (CRC) have an increased risk of CRC. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of CCE in the detection of lesions and also two different colon preparations. Methods. A prospective multicenter study was designed to assess CCE diagnostic yield in a cohort of asymptomatic individuals with a family history of CRC. CCE and colonoscopy were performed on the same day by 2 endoscopists who were blinded to the results of the other procedure. Results. Fifty-three participants were enrolled. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of CCE for detecting advanced adenomas were 100%, 98%, 67%, and 100%. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of CCE for the diagnosis of individuals with polyps were 87%, 97%, 93%, and 88%, respectively. CCE identify 100% of individuals with significant or advanced lesions. Overall cleanliness was adequate by 60.7% of them. The PEG-ascorbic boost seems to improve colon cleanliness, with similar colonic transit time. Conclusion. CCE is a promising tool, but it has to be considered as an alternative technique in this population in order to reduce the number of colonoscopies performed. More studies are needed to understand appropriate screening follow-up intervals and optimize the bowel preparation regimen

Mendelian Randomisation Confirms the Role of Y-Chromosome Loss in Alzheimer’s Disease Aetiopathogenesis in Men

Mosaic loss of chromosome Y (mLOY) is a common ageing-related somatic event and has been previously associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, mLOY estimation from genotype microarray data only reflects the mLOY degree of subjects at the moment of DNA sampling. Therefore, mLOY phenotype associations with AD can be severely age-confounded in the context of genome-wide association studies. Here, we applied Mendelian randomisation to construct an age-independent mLOY polygenic risk score (mloy-PRS) using 114 autosomal variants. The mloy-PRS instrument was associated with an 80% increase in mLOY risk per standard deviation unit (p = 4.22 × 10−20) and was orthogonal with age. We found that a higher genetic risk for mLOY was associated with faster progression to AD in men with mild cognitive impairment (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.23, p = 0.01). Importantly, mloy-PRS had no effect on AD conversion or risk in the female group, suggesting that these associations are caused by the inherent loss of the Y chromosome. Additionally, the blood mLOY phenotype in men was associated with increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of total tau and phosphorylated tau181 in subjects with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Our results strongly suggest that mLOY is involved in AD pathogenesis.P.G.-G. (Pablo García-González) is supported by CIBERNED employment plan CNV-304-PRF-866. CIBERNED is integrated into ISCIII (Instituto de Salud Carlos III). I.d.R is supported by a national grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III FI20/00215. A.C. (Amanda Cano) acknowledges the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities under the grant Juan de la Cierva (FJC2018-036012-I). M.B. (Mercé Boada) and A.R. (Agustín Ruiz) are also supported by national grants PI13/02434, PI16/01861, PI17/01474, PI19/01240, and PI19/01301. The Genome Research @ Fundació ACE project (GR@ACE) is supported by Grifols SA, Fundación bancaria “La Caixa”, Fundació ACE, and CIBERNED. Acción Estratégica en Salud is integrated into the Spanish National R + D + I Plan and funded by ISCIII (Instituto de Salud Carlos III)—Subdirección General de Evaluación—and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER—“Una manera de hacer Europa”). Genotyping of the ACE MCI-EADB samples was performed in the context of EADB (European Alzheimer DNA biobank) funded by the JPco-fuND FP-829-029 (ZonMW project number 733051061). This work was supported by a grant (European Alzheimer DNA BioBank, EADB) from the EU Joint Program—Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral intervention in patients with medically unexplained symptoms: cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Medically unexplained symptoms are an important mental health problem in primary care and generate a high cost in health services.Cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy have proven effective in these patients. However, there are few studies on the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions by primary health care. The project aims to determine whether a cognitive-behavioral group intervention in patients with medically unexplained symptoms, is more effective than routine clinical practice to improve the quality of life measured by the SF-12 questionary at 12 month. METHODS/DESIGN: This study involves a community based cluster randomized trial in primary healthcare centres in Madrid (Spain). The number of patients required is 242 (121 in each arm), all between 18 and 65 of age with medically unexplained symptoms that had seeked medical attention in primary care at least 10 times during the previous year. The main outcome variable is the quality of life measured by the SF-12 questionnaire on Mental Healthcare. Secondary outcome variables include number of consultations, number of drug (prescriptions) and number of days of sick leave together with other prognosis and descriptive variables. Main effectiveness will be analyzed by comparing the percentage of patients that improve at least 4 points on the SF-12 questionnaire between intervention and control groups at 12 months. All statistical tests will be performed with intention to treat. Logistic regression with random effects will be used to adjust for prognostic factors. Confounding factors or factors that might alter the effect recorded will be taken into account in this analysis. DISCUSSION: This study aims to provide more insight to address medically unexplained symptoms, highly prevalent in primary care, from a quantitative methodology. It involves intervention group conducted by previously trained nursing staff to diminish the progression to the chronicity of the symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce frequency of medical consultations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01484223 [http://ClinicalTrials.gov].S

Early high-titer plasma therapy to prevent severe Covid-19 in older adults

BACKGROUND: Therapies to interrupt the progression of early coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) remain elusive. Among them, convalescent plasma administered to hospitalized patients has been unsuccessful, perhaps because antibodies should be administered earlier in the course of illness. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of convalescent plasma with high IgG titers against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in older adult patients within 72 hours after the onset of mild Covid-19 symptoms. The primary end point was severe respiratory disease, defined as a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute or more, an oxygen saturation of less than 93% while the patient was breathing ambient air, or both. The trial was stopped early at 76% of its projected sample size because cases of Covid-19 in the trial region decreased considerably and steady enrollment of trial patients became virtually impossible. RESULTS A total of 160 patients underwent randomization. In the intention-to-treat population, severe respiratory disease developed in 13 of 80 patients (16%) who received convalescent plasma and 25 of 80 patients (31%) who received placebo (relative risk, 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29 to 0.94; P = 0.03), with a relative risk reduction of 48%. A modified intention-to-treat analysis that excluded 6 patients who had a primary end-point event before infusion of convalescent plasma or placebo showed a larger effect size (relative risk, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.81). No solicited adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS Early administration of high-titer convalescent plasma against SARS-CoV-2 to mildly ill infected older adults reduced the progression of Covid-19. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Fundación INFANT Pandemic Fund; Dirección de Sangre y Medicina Transfusional del Ministerio de Salud number, PAEPCC19, Plataforma de Registro Informatizado de Investigaciones en Salud number, 1421, and ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04479163.).Fil: Libster, Romina Paula. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Pérez Marc, Gonzalo. Hospital Militar Central, Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Wappner, Diego. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Coviello, Silvina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Bianchi, Alejandra. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Braem, Virginia. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Esteban, Ignacio. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Caballero, Mauricio Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Wood, Cristian. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Berrueta, Mabel. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Rondan, Aníbal. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Lescano, Gabriela Mariel. Hospital Dr. Carlos Bocalandro; ArgentinaFil: Cruz, Pablo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Ritou, Yvonne. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Viña, Valeria Silvina. Hospital Simplemente Evita; ArgentinaFil: Álvarez Paggi, Damián Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Esperante, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Ferreti, Adrián. Hospital Dr. Carlos Bocalandro; ArgentinaFil: Ofman, Gaston. University of Oklahoma; Estados UnidosFil: Ciganda, Álvaro. Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Hospital Interzonal Especializado de Agudos y Cronicos San Juan de Dios.; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Rocío. Hospital Simplemente Evita; ArgentinaFil: Lantos, Jorge. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Valentini, Ricardo. No especifíca;Fil: Itcovici, Nicolás. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Hintze, Alejandra. No especifíca;Fil: Oyarvide, M. Laura. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Etchegaray, Candela. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Neira, Alejandra. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Name, Ivonne. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Alfonso, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Swiss Medical Group; ArgentinaFil: López Castelo, Rocío. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Caruso, Gisela. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Rapelius, Sofía. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Alvez, Fernando. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Etchenique, Federico. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Dimase, Federico. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Darío. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Aranda, Sofía S.. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez Yanotti, Clara Inés. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: De Luca, Julián. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Jares Baglivo, Sofía. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Laudanno, Sofía. Fundación Hematológica Sarmiento; ArgentinaFil: Nowogrodzki, Florencia. Swiss Medical Group; ArgentinaFil: Larrea, Ramiro. Hospital Municipal San Isidro; ArgentinaFil: Silveyra, María. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Leberzstein, Gabriel. No especifíca;Fil: Debonis, Alejandra. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Molinos, Juan. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: González, Miguel. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Eduardo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Kreplak, Nicolás. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Pastor Argüello, Susana. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Gibbons, Luz. Hospital Municipal de San Isidro; ArgentinaFil: Althabe, Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Bergel, Eduardo. Sanatorio Sagrado Corazón; ArgentinaFil: Polack, Fernando Pedro. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud; Argentin

GACETA SANITARIA in 2017. Improving the quality of our journal

Empezamos este año 2018 con nuestra Nota editorial anual, en la cual pretendemos compartir con los/las lectores/as, personas autoras y la sociedad la actividad realizada por el equipo editorial de la revista a lo largo del año anterior. El documento también permite analizar los avances y las áreas de mejora en marcha de la revista. A continuación, presentaremos brevemente las actividades realizadas durante el año 2017, así como la información sobre el desempeño de la revista. Muchas de estas actividades se ven reflejadas también en el blog del comité editorial de Gaceta Sanitaria

GACETA SANITARIA in 2018. Strengthening the presence in Latin America and promoting the publication of essential issues for the National Health System

Una vez más, presentamos el informe de la actividad realizada por el equipo editorial a lo largo del año anterior y los datos de desempeño de la revista, con el fin de rendir cuentas a nuestros/as lectores/as, a las personas socias de SESPAS y a la sociedad. El documento permite analizar los avances y las áreas de mejora de la revista, así como los logros alcanzados más relevantes. Este año queremos destacar el fortalecimiento de la presencia en Latinoamérica y la promoción de la publicación de temas esenciales para el Sistema Nacional de Salud

Common variants in Alzheimer’s disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores

Funder: Funder: Fundación bancaria ‘La Caixa’ Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: Grifols SA Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: European Union/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Number: 115975 Funder: JPco-fuND FP-829-029 Number: 733051061Genetic discoveries of Alzheimer's disease are the drivers of our understanding, and together with polygenetic risk stratification can contribute towards planning of feasible and efficient preventive and curative clinical trials. We first perform a large genetic association study by merging all available case-control datasets and by-proxy study results (discovery n = 409,435 and validation size n = 58,190). Here, we add six variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk (near APP, CHRNE, PRKD3/NDUFAF7, PLCG2 and two exonic variants in the SHARPIN gene). Assessment of the polygenic risk score and stratifying by APOE reveal a 4 to 5.5 years difference in median age at onset of Alzheimer's disease patients in APOE ɛ4 carriers. Because of this study, the underlying mechanisms of APP can be studied to refine the amyloid cascade and the polygenic risk score provides a tool to select individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease