The floating capacitor as a differential building block

This paper analyzes the advantages and limitations of using the floating- (or flying-) capacitor technique as a building block with differential input and either differential or single-ended output to implement voltage amplifiers, multiplexers, and coherent amplitude demodulators. Theoretical analysis, supported by experimental results, shows that the fully differential configuration has a better common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR). However, if the output signal, once amplified, must be single ended, then it may be better to have a floating capacitor with single-ended output in amplifiers and some multiplexers whereas in demodulators a floating capacitor with differential output yields a better CMRR.Peer Reviewe

Subsurface resistivity measurements using square waveforms

This work analyzes the effect of inductive and capacitive coupling between the injecting circuit and the detecting circuit in resistive field surveys. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that if a square waveform is injected into the soil, and synchronous sampling is used to sample at the flat zone of the detected voltage, then the effect of the interference is greatly reduced. Furthermore, square waveforms are easier to generate than sinusoidal waveforms, so they offer a new approach to subsurface resistivity measurements.Peer Reviewe

La tutoria entre iguals en el marc de l'EEES: cinc anys de funcionament del Programa d'Assessors d'Estudiants a la UAB

El Programa d'Assessors d'Estudiants (PAE), es va implementar a la UAB el curs 2002/2003. Des del seu inici s'ha buscat una relació propera, directa i d'interacció entre els estudiants que hi participen. L'assessor és un estudiants amb experiència que, a partir d'un procés de retroalimentació, facilita i acompanya els estudiants de primer, sense establir relacions de dependència ni desigualtat, fet que permet processos de reflexió, anàlisi, autocrítica i confrontació per afavorir la construcció del pensament crític d'ambdues parts. Després de cinc anys del Programa, l'avaluació ens permet ser optimistes, i ens proporciona els canvis potencials a implementar en el futur, per continuar avançant cap a l'assoliment del factor de qualitat imprescindible pels serveis universitaris en el nou marc de l'EEES

REGSTATTOOLS: freeware statistical tools for the analysis of disease population databases used in health and social studies

Background: The repertoire of statistical methods dealing with the descriptive analysis of the burden of a disease has been expanded and implemented in statistical software packages during the last years. The purpose of this paper is to present a web-based tool, REGSTATTOOLS http://regstattools.net intended to provide analysis for the burden of cancer, or other group of disease registry data. Three software applications are included in REGSTATTOOLS: SART (analysis of disease"s rates and its time trends), RiskDiff (analysis of percent changes in the rates due to demographic factors and risk of developing or dying from a disease) and WAERS (relative survival analysis). Results: We show a real-data application through the assessment of the burden of tobacco-related cancer incidence in two Spanish regions in the period 1995-2004. Making use of SART we show that lung cancer is the most common cancer among those cancers, with rising trends in incidence among women. We compared 2000-2004 data with that of 1995-1999 to assess percent changes in the number of cases as well as relative survival using RiskDiff and WAERS, respectively. We show that the net change increase in lung cancer cases among women was mainly attributable to an increased risk of developing lung cancer, whereas in men it is attributable to the increase in population size. Among men, lung cancer relative survival was higher in 2000-2004 than in 1995-1999, whereas it was similar among women when these time periods were compared. Conclusions: Unlike other similar applications, REGSTATTOOLS does not require local software installation and it is simple to use, fast and easy to interpret. It is a set of web-based statistical tools intended for automated calculation of population indicators that any professional in health or social sciences may require

Educação em saúde e uso racional de medicamentos em unidade de estratégia da saúde da família

O presente artigo relata a experiência de um projeto de extensão intitulado “Promoção do uso racional de medicamentos na atenção primária à saúde em Rondonópolis/MT”. Teve como objetivo geral promover o uso racional de medicamentos através de educação em saúde realizada por uma equipe interdisciplinar em saúde. O projeto foi realizado por docentes e residentes do Programa de Residência Multiprofissional em Saúde da Família da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Campus Universitário de Rondonópolis, alunos de graduação do Curso de Enfermagem e profissionais de saúde de uma unidade de Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) de Rondonópolis/MT, de fevereiro a dezembro de 2016. Foi aplicado um formulário estruturado por meio de visitas domiciliárias para coleta de dados com questões referentes ao aspecto sociodemográfico, à condição de saúde, ao uso de serviços de saúde e ao consumo de medicamentos. Participaram do projeto de extensão 553 usuários, incluindo aqueles encontrados durante a realização das visitas domiciliárias, nas consultas compartilhadas individuais e nos grupo desenvolvidos pela unidade de ESF. Foram abordados aspectos relacionados às formas corretas do uso de medicamentos, perigos da prática de automedicação e seus riscos e ainda assuntos ligados à saúde mental e prevenção do sofrimento psíquico árduo no enfrentamento do processo saúde-doença.  O projeto desenvolveu o tripé da Universidade: ensino, pesquisa e extensão por meio da experiência de uma ação multiprofissional e interdisciplinar.  Desta forma, o projeto contribuiu com a formação dos profissionais da equipe interdisciplinar da unidade de saúde e, consequentemente favoreceu a prestação de uma assistência de melhor qualidade ao usuário e a família, melhorando assim, a qualidade de vida e saúde dos mesmos

Educação em saúde e uso racional de medicamentos em unidade de estratégia da saúde da família

O presente artigo relata a experiência de um projeto de extensão intitulado “Promoção do uso racional de medicamentos na atenção primária à saúde em Rondonópolis/MT”. Teve como objetivo geral promover o uso racional de medicamentos através de educação em saúde realizada por uma equipe interdisciplinar em saúde. O projeto foi realizado por docentes e residentes do Programa de Residência Multiprofissional em Saúde da Família da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Campus Universitário de Rondonópolis, alunos de graduação do Curso de Enfermagem e profissionais de saúde de uma unidade de Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) de Rondonópolis/MT, de fevereiro a dezembro de 2016. Foi aplicado um formulário estruturado por meio de visitas domiciliárias para coleta de dados com questões referentes ao aspecto sociodemográfico, à condição de saúde, ao uso de serviços de saúde e ao consumo de medicamentos. Participaram do projeto de extensão 553 usuários, incluindo aqueles encontrados durante a realização das visitas domiciliárias, nas consultas compartilhadas individuais e nos grupo desenvolvidos pela unidade de ESF. Foram abordados aspectos relacionados às formas corretas do uso de medicamentos, perigos da prática de automedicação e seus riscos e ainda assuntos ligados à saúde mental e prevenção do sofrimento psíquico árduo no enfrentamento do processo saúde-doença.  O projeto desenvolveu o tripé da Universidade: ensino, pesquisa e extensão por meio da experiência de uma ação multiprofissional e interdisciplinar.  Desta forma, o projeto contribuiu com a formação dos profissionais da equipe interdisciplinar da unidade de saúde e, consequentemente favoreceu a prestação de uma assistência de melhor qualidade ao usuário e a família, melhorando assim, a qualidade de vida e saúde dos mesmos

Association of renin–angiotensin system blockers with COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis in patients with hypertension: a population-based study

COVID-19; Angiotensin receptor blockers; HypertensionCOVID-19; Bloqueadores de los receptores de angiotensina; HipertensiónCOVID-19; Bloquejadors dels receptors d'angiotensina; HipertensióBackground The effect of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) blockade either by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) susceptibility, mortality and severity is inadequately described. We examined the association between RAS blockade and COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis in a large population-based cohort of patients with hypertension (HTN). Methods This is a cohort study using regional health records. We identified all individuals aged 18–95 years from 87 healthcare reference areas of the main health provider in Catalonia (Spain), with a history of HTN from primary care records. Data were linked to COVID-19 test results, hospital, pharmacy and mortality records from 1 March 2020 to 14 August 2020. We defined exposure to RAS blockers as the dispensation of ACEi/ARBs during the 3 months before COVID-19 diagnosis or 1 March 2020. Primary outcomes were: COVID-19 infection and severe progression in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (the composite of need for invasive respiratory support or death). For both outcomes and for each exposure of interest (RAS blockade, ACEi or ARB) we estimated associations in age-, sex-, healthcare area- and propensity score-matched samples. Results From a cohort of 1 365 215 inhabitants we identified 305 972 patients with HTN history. Recent use of ACEi/ARBs in patients with HTN was associated with a lower 6-month cumulative incidence of COVID-19 diagnosis {3.78% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.69–3.86%] versus 4.53% (95% CI 4.40–4.65%); P < 0.001}. In the 12 344 patients with COVID-19 infection, the use of ACEi/ARBs was not associated with a higher risk of hospitalization with need for invasive respiratory support or death [OR = 0.91 (0.71–1.15); P = 0.426]. Conclusions RAS blockade in patients with HTN is not associated with higher risk of COVID-19 infection or with a worse progression of the disease.The study was partially funded by ‘CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)’

Mycobacterium manresensis induces trained immunity in vitro

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a global health crisis, with new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants weakening vaccine-driven protection. Trained immunity could help tackle COVID-19 disease. Our objective was to analyze whether heat-killed Mycobacterium manresensis (hkMm), an environmental mycobacterium, induces trained immunity and confers protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. To this end, THP-1 cells and primary monocytes were trained with hkMm. The increased secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and IL-10, metabolic activity, and changes in epigenetic marks suggested hkMm-induced trained immunity in vitro. Healthcare workers at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled into the MANRECOVID19 clinical trial (NCT04452773) and were administered Nyaditum resae (NR, containing hkMm) or placebo. No significant differences in monocyte inflammatory responses or the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection were found between the groups, although NR modified the profile of circulating immune cell populations. Our results show that M. manresensis induces trained immunity in vitro but not in vivo when orally administered as NR daily for 14 days. Biological sciences; Molecular biology; Immunology; Microbiolog

Mycobacterium manresensis induces trained immunity in vitro

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a global health crisis, with new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants weakening vaccine-driven protection. Trained immunity could help tackle COVID-19 disease. Our objective was to analyze whether heat-killed Mycobacterium manresensis (hkMm), an environmental mycobacterium, induces trained immunity and confers protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. To this end, THP-1 cells and primary monocytes were trained with hkMm. The increased secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and IL-10, metabolic activity, and changes in epigenetic marks suggested hkMm-induced trained immunity in vitro. Healthcare workers at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled into the MANRECOVID19 clinical trial (NCT04452773) and were administered Nyaditum resae (NR, containing hkMm) or placebo. No significant differences in monocyte inflammatory responses or the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection were found between the groups, although NR modified the profile of circulating immune cell populations. Our results show that M. manresensis induces trained immunity in vitro but not in vivo when orally administered as NR daily for 14 days.The MANRECOVID19 clinical trial has been sponsored by the Reig Jofre Group. This research was funded by the Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBERES and CIBEREHD) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 847762. MDH is supported by a Margarita Salas grant from NextGenerationEU. LS-M is supported by Juan de la Cierva fellowship (FJC2019-041213-I). NI-U is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PID2020-117145RB-I00), EU HORIZON-HLTH-2021-CORONA-01 (grant 101046118), and institutional funding from Grifols, Pharma Mar, HIPRA, Amassence, and Palobiofarma. The Innate Immunity lab and the UTE are accredited by the Catalan Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (2017-SGR-490/2021-SGR-01186, 2021-SGR-00931, and 2017-SGR-500/2021 SGR 00920). IGTP is a member of the CERCA network of institutes supported by the Health Department of the Government of Catalonia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trends in the surgical procedures of women with incident breast cancer in Catalonia, Spain, over a 7-year period (2005-2011).

Abstract Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer in women, accounting for 28% of all tumors among women in Catalonia (Spain). Mastectomy has been replaced over time by breast-conserving surgery (BCS) although not as rapidly as might be expected. The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of surgical procedures in incident BC cases in Catalonia between 2005 and 2011, and to analyze variations based on patient and hospital characteristics. Methods: We processed data from the Catalonian Health Service's Acute Hospital Discharge database (HDD) using ASEDAT software (Analysis, Selection and Extraction of Tumor Data) to identify all invasive BC incident cases according to the codes 174.0-174.9 of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) that were attended for the one-year periods in 2005, 2008 and 2011. Patients were classified according to surgical procedures (BCS vs mastectomy, and immediate vs delayed reconstruction), and results were compared among periods according to age, stage, comorbidity and hospital level. Results: BC surgical procedures were performed in more than 80% of patients. Surgical cases showed a significant increasing trend in the proportion of women aged 50-69 years, more advanced disease stages, higher comorbidity and they were attended in hospitals of less complexity level throughout the study period. Similar pattern was found for patients treated with BCS, which increased significantly from 67.9% in 2005 to 74.0% in 2011. Simple lymph node removal increased significantly (from 48.8% to 71.4% and from 63.6% to 67.8% for 2005 and 2011 in conservative and radical surgery, respectively). A slightly increase in the proportion of mastectomized young women (from 28% in 2005 to 34% in 2011) was detected, due to multiple factors. About 22% of women underwent post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, this being mostly immediate. Conclusions: The use of HDD linked to the ASEDAT allowed us to evaluate BC surgical treatment in Catalonia. A consolidating increasing trend of BCS was observed in women aged 50-69 years, which corresponds with the pattern in most European countries. Among the mastectomized patients, immediate breast reconstructions have risen significantly over the period 2005-2011. Keywords: Breast cancer, Incident cases, Hospital discharge dataset, Surgical procedure