Armenian Media System Overview According to the Hallin and Mancini Model

An overview of the Armenian media system is presented from the perspective of media professionals. Interference with the media system by the political system is analysed and the health of the Armenian media system is explored in the context of its transition from a Soviet republic towards a liberal model. The international situation contextualises analysis (resurgence of Russia - West enmity and globalisation) as does Armenia's troubled relationship with its neighbours: with Turkey due to the 1915 genocide and with Azerbaijan because of the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Relevant domestic affairs, such as the successful citizens' mobilisation and the 2018 Velvet Revolution are also considered. The methodology used is based on in-depth interviews carried out in Yerevan (09/23) with 13 key informants; their answers are explored with content analysis using Hallin and Mancini's dimensions. The study will serve to discuss how the media are used as tools of power and how the media system reproduces the political system (polarisation and individual ownership). We find that media is owned and/or controlled by political parties, and that the government controls public media but also part of the private sector through broadcasting licences and economic pressure. News media are not self-sustainable, thus, media economic dependence compromises its editorial independence, and very few media are independent. There is plurality, but highly polarised; there is no systematic censorship, but defamation fines reinforce journalists' self-censorship; internet freedom is high but generates misinformation. Even so, there is professionalism, therefore there may yet be hope for the media if peace and the economy stabilise

Green Voices: discursos de periodistas y líderesas tanzanas sobre cambio climático

Green voices wants to strengthen and make visible women's fight against climate change. We present here the results attained once the first phase of the project has been completed. Arising from the exploratory mission to the field was the idea that the whole society is claiming for an increase in public awareness on climate change in Tanzania; from the analysis of the discourses of women leaders and women journalists we infer that the effort to raise awareness should be aimed at increasing consciousness as well as knowledge. In the rural areas there is less awareness on climate change even if it is rural population that is experiencing the negative impact of climate change in agriculture to the extent that even food security is endangered. This is related to the low level of education of rural people as well as to their difficulties to access the adequate information. Our empirical work also confirmed that the most effective way to enhance awareness is communication. There is the need, particularly for rural areas, to convey messages (via community radio and mobile phones) that connect causes with effects, ie waste of natural resources with natural disasters and impoverishment, as well as to take initiatives in the local communities for sharing good practices in mitigation and adaptation.Green voices quiere reforzar y visibilizar la lucha femenina contra el cambio climático. Presentamos aquí los resultados de sus primeras fases. Del trabajo de campo exploratorio se extrajo una idea clara: todos los sectores sociales claman por un aumento de la conciencia pública (public awareness) sobre el cambio climático en Tanzania; del análisis de los discursos de las lideresas y periodistas se deduce además: que ese trabajo en pro de la concienciación debe incluir las dos acepciones que el término original en inglés, awareness, incluye: conciencia y conocimiento; que, aunque padecen las devastadoras consecuencias del calentamiento global directamente en sus labores agrícolas y en última instancia en la falta de alimentos en sus mesas, el nivel de conciencia es menor en las áreas rurales, debido a un menor acceso a la información y a un menor nivel educativo. El trabajo empírico también confirmó que la manera más efectiva de fortalecer la conciencia es la comunicación, concretamente para las zonas rurales haciendo llegar mensajes (vía radios comunitarias y telefonía móvil) que conecten causas con orígenes, es decir, abuso de los recursos con catástrofes naturales y empobrecimiento, así como acciones en las comunidades que permitan compartir buenas prácticas en mitigación y adaptación

Human–Robot Interaction and Sexbots: A Systematic Literature Review

At present, sexual robots have become a new paradigm of social robots. In this paper, we developed a systematic literature review about sexual robots (sexbots). To do this, we used the Scopus and WoS databases to answer different research questions regarding the design, interaction, and gender and ethical approaches from 1980 until 2020. In our review, we found a male bias in this discipline, and in recent years, articles have shown that user opinion has become more relevant. Some insights and recommendations on gender and ethics in designing sexual robots were also made

RET-MAP: An International Multicenter Study on Clinicobiologic Features and Treatment Response in Patients With Lung Cancer Harboring a RET Fusion

Chemotherapy; Non–small cell lung cancer; RET inhibitorsQuimioteràpia; Càncer de pulmó de cèl·lules no petites; Inhibidors de RETQuimioterapia; Cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas; Inhibidores de RETIntroduction Nearly 1% to 2% of NSCLCs harbor RET fusions. Characterization of this rare population is still incomplete. Methods This retrospective multicenter study included patients with any-stage RET positive (RET+) NSCLC from 31 cancer centers. Molecular profiling included DNA/RNA sequencing or fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses. Clinicobiological features and treatment outcomes (per investigator) with surgery, chemotherapy (CT), immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs), CT-ICB, multityrosine kinase inhibitors, and RET inhibitors (RETis) were evaluated. Results For 218 patients included between February 2012 and April 2022, median age was 63 years, 56% were females, 93% had adenocarcinoma, and 41% were smokers. The most frequent fusion partner was KIF5B (72%). Median tumor mutational burden was 2.5 (range: 1–4) mutations per megabase, and median programmed death-ligand 1 expression was 10% (range: 0%–55%). The most common metastatic sites were the lung (50%), bone (43%), and pleura (40%). Central nervous system metastases were found at diagnosis of advanced NSCLC in 21% of the patients and at last follow-up or death in 31%. Overall response rate and median progression-free survival were 55% and 8.7 months with platinum doublet, 26% and 3.6 months with single-agent CT, 46% and 9.6 months with CT-ICB, 23% and 3.1 months with ICB, 37% and 3 months with multityrosine kinase inhibitor, and 76% and 16.2 months with RETi, respectively. Median overall survival was longer in patients treated with RETi versus no RETi (50.6 mo [37.7–72.1] versus 16.3 mo [12.7–28.8], p < 0.0001). Conclusions Patients with RET+ NSCLC have mainly thoracic and bone disease and low tumor mutational burden and programmed death-ligand 1 expression. RETi markedly improved survival, whereas ICB may be active in selected patients.Writing assistance was provided by Mrs. Sarah Mackenzie. Dr. Marinello was the recipient for the grant for DUERTECC/EURONCO (Diplôme Universitaire Européen de Recherche Translationnelle Et Clinique en Cancérologie). Dr. Mezquita received support from the Contrato Juan Rodes 2020 (ISCIII, Ministry of Health); Ayuda de la Acción Estratégica en Salud-ISCIII FIS 2021 (PI21/01653); Ayuda SEOM-Juan Rodés 2020. Dr. Cortellini acknowledges the support from the National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre. Dr. Pinato acknowledges the support from the Wellcome Trust Strategic Fund (PS3416), Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro MFAG Grant ID 25697), National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and the Imperial College Tissue Bank

Nueva evidencia sobre la Statistical Anxiety Scale (SAS)

Las asignaturas relacionadas con la estadística suelen tener problemas de rendimiento académico. La ansiedad se relaciona de forma negativa con el rendimiento y en particular, la ansiedad estadística puede ser un constructo clave en la mejora de la enseñanza de esta materia y afines. La Statistical Anxiety Scale (Vigil-Colet, Lorenzo-Seva y Condon, 2008) se creó con la pretensión de ser útil para predecir el rendimiento académico en estadística. Se fundamenta en tres dimensiones de ansiedad referidas a tres aspectos específicos: respecto al examen, cuando se pide ayuda en la comprensión de estadística y en el proceso de interpretación de resultados. Esta estructura de tres factores fue hallada en un primer momento por los autores de la escala y en una primera validación corroborada en estudiantes italianos y españoles. El presente estudio pretende añadir nueva evidencia sobre la fiabilidad y validez de la escala, empleando en el estudio de fiabilidad técnicas estadísticas robustas, y ampliando el estudio de la validez respecto a su principal criterio, el rendimiento académico, ya que no puede ser considerado sinónimo de autoeficacia

Spanish adaptation and validation of the child- and parent-report cystic fibrosis questionnaire-revised (CFQ-R)

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish versions of the child- and parent-report cystic fibrosis questionnaire-revised (CFQ-R). Methods: A Spanish adaptation of the CFQ-R was performed; 68 children with CF (6-13 years) and their parents completed the child- and parent-report CFQ-R, respectively, and the Revidierter KINDer Lebensqualitätsfragebogen (KINDL) questionnaire. The CFQ-R was completed twice, 7-10 days apart, and its psychometric properties were analyzed. Results: The internal consistency of both CFQ-R versions was adequate (child-report version, Cronbach's α >.60 for all domains except 'Treatment Burden' [α = .42] and 'Social Functioning' [α = .57]; parent-report version, α > .60 for all domains except 'Social Functioning' [α = .58]). For the child-report version, the lowest measurement error was for 'Emotional Functioning' (standard error of measurement [SEM]: 8.3%; minimal detectable change [MDC90 ]: 19.3%), and the highest was for 'Body Image' (SEM: 15%; MDC90 : 35%). For the parent-report version, the lowest measurement error was for 'Physical Functioning' (SEM: 7.1%; MDC90 : 16.5%), and the highest was for 'Weight' (SEM: 17.2%; MDC90 ; 40.1%). The correlation between the versions showed higher agreement for the domains related to observable signs ('Physical Functioning') and lower agreement for 'Emotional Functioning.' There was a significant correlation between the CFQ-R and KINDL. Conclusion: Both the child- and parent-report versions of the Spanish CFQ-R have adequate reliability and validity for clinical and research purposes. These versions can be administered before and after starting modulator therapy to assess its effect on daily functioning. The MDC90 can help identify, with a high probability, whether real changes have occurred in the quality-of-life subscales in children with CF

Antibioterapia al final de la vida

RESUMEN DEL TRABAJO INTRODUCCIÓN Y OBJETIVOS Las infecciones son las complicaciones agudas más comunes en los enfermos terminales y las indicaciones de antibioterapia en este contexto no están claras. Queremos describir el uso de antibióticos en la etapa final de la vida en pacientes hospitalizados con cáncer y analizar su relación con las características de la enfermedad oncológica, el estado funcional y la probabilidad de alta al ingreso. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS Estudio retrospectivo de 101 pacientes consecutivos fallecidos en una planta de Oncología médica entre 1 de mayo y 31 de diciembre de 2017. Se evaluó el porcentaje de pacientes que recibieron tratamiento antibiótico durante el ingreso y el tiempo transcurrido entre la última dosis y el exitus. Se analizaron las características demográficas, clínicas y microbiológicas. Se dividió a los pacientes en dos grupos: los que habían recibido tratamiento antibiótico y los que no. Se analizó la relación entre el uso de antibióticos y la edad de los pacientes, el estado funcional(ECOG), el estadio de enfermedad, la situación oncológica según criterios RECIST, el tratamiento con quimioterapia paliativa o no, la probabilidad de alta al ingreso y la inestabilidad hemodinámica. Se utilizó el test estadístico Chi cuadrado de Pearson. RESULTADOS La edad media fue de 65´32 años y el 54´5% eran hombres. El 23´76% de los pacientes presentaban un ECOG menor de 2, el 63´37% igual o mayor de 2. La localización más frecuente de tumor primario fue el pulmón (38´6%) seguido de los digestivos no colorrectales (14´9%). El foco infeccioso de sospecha principal fue el respiratorio (27´72%) seguido del abdominal (18´8%). El 58´42% recibieron tratamiento antibiótico. El antimicrobiano usado con mayor frecuencia fue la amoxicilina-clavulánico (36´21%), seguido de piperacilina-tazobactam (13´79%). Los gérmenes más frecuentemente aislados en los cultivos positivos fueron: Escherichia coli (4), Pseudomona aeruginosa (2) y Clostridium perfringens (2). El 53% de los pacientes recibían tratamiento oncológico con quimioterapia paliativa. En cuanto a la situación oncológica, el 66´34 % presentaban progresión de la enfermedad mientras que el 11´88% tenía enfermedad controlada (respuesta parcial/completa o estabilidad); en el 21´78% de los casos no se había realizado reevaluación. En el 72´28% de los pacientes la probabilidad de alta al ingreso era baja. CONCLUSIÓN La población de pacientes que recibe antimicrobianos al final de la vida es bastante homogénea en cuanto a sus características clínicas, presentan una alta incidencia de infecciones con alta frecuencia de empleo de antimicrobianos. Se trata de un estudio retrospectivo con una muestra de pacientes pequeña y son necesarios estudios prospectivos posteriores.<br /

Current State-of-the-Art Therapy for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and Future Options Centered on Immunotherapy

Biomarkers; Immunotherapy; Malignant pleural mesotheliomaBiomarcadores; Inmunoterapia; Mesotelioma pleural malignoBiomarcadors; Immunoteràpia; Mesotelioma pleural maligneMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a locally aggressive disease related to asbestos exposure with a median survival for untreated patients of 4–8 months. The combination of chemotherapy based on platinum and antifolate is the standard treatment, and the addition of bevacizumab adds two months to median survival. Recently, in first-line treatment, immunotherapy combining nivolumab with ipilimumab has been shown to be superior to chemotherapy in the CheckMate-743 study in terms of overall survival (18.1 months), leading to its approval by the FDA and EMA. The positive results of this study represent a new standard of treatment for patients with MPM; however, not all patients will benefit from immunotherapy treatment. In an effort to improve the selection of patient candidates for immunotherapy for different tumors, biomarkers that have been associated with a greater possibility of response to treatment have been described. MPM is a type of tumor with low mutational load and neo-antigens, making it a relatively non-immunogenic tumor for T cells and possibly less susceptible to responding to immunotherapy. Different retrospective studies have shown that PD-L1 expression occurs in 20–40% of patients and is associated with a poor prognosis; however, the predictive value of PD-L1 in response to immunotherapy has not been confirmed. The purpose of this work is to review the state of the art of MPM treatment in the year 2023, focusing on the efficacy results of first-line or subsequent immunotherapy studies on patients with MPM and possible chemo-immunotherapy combination strategies. Additionally, potential biomarkers of response to immunotherapy will be reviewed, such as histology, PD-L1, lymphocyte populations, and TMB

Hepatic Rupture as the Initial Presentation of an EGFR-Mutated Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report

Metastatic hepatic rupture; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; Tyrosine kinase inhibitorRuptura hepática metastásica; Carcinoma de pulmón de células no pequeñas; Inhibidor de la tirosina quinasaRuptura hepàtica metastàtica; Carcinoma de pulmó de cèl·lules no petites; Inhibidor de la tirosina quinasaHepatic rupture is a rare complication of solid tumor malignancies, notably in lung adenocarcinomas, and carries an extremely poor overall prognosis. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in lung adenocarcinoma predict benefit with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). This case report describes a female patient who presented with a metastatic hepatic rupture and was subsequently diagnosed with EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma. The tumor had an impressive response to TKI inhibitor treatment, reversing her extremely poor, short-term prognosis. We believe this unique case sheds light on the treatment management of hepatic ruptures and supports the high response rate seen with TKIs in EGFR-mutated lung cancers, regardless of the patient’s performance status