Rhetorical structure and persuasive language in the subgenre of online advertisements

p. 38-47This paper aims to reveal the rhetorical structure and the linguistic features of persuasive language in online advertisements of electronic products. Nowadays, the bulk of e-commerce is carried out in English, and it is often the case that non-native speakers are required to write different text types for various professional purposes, including promotional texts. This need has prompted the present study and the results have been used to build software to help native speakers of Spanish when writing promotional texts in English. The analysis reveals that these texts typically have two main rhetorical moves: one for identifying the product and another one for describing it. The latter move is further divided into two steps: one including objective features (size, weight, etc.) and the other focusing on persuading the potential customer. This is mainly achieved with the use of a relatively informal style (imperatives, contractions, clipping, subject/auxiliary omissions, etc.) and lexico-grammatical elements conveying positive evaluation (multiple modification, multal quantifying expressions, etc.). The findings show that online advertisements of electronic products may be regarded as a specific subgenre with particular macro- and microlinguistic characteristics, which have been identified in this paper for technical writing assistance.S

La UC3M lanza cuatro nuevos MOOCs en edX

La Universidad Carlos III de Madrid ofrecerá a partir del mes de febrero cuatro nuevos MOOCs en la plataforma edX.Contiene: Entrevista a Alfonso Durán Heras (pp. 4-5). -- Entrevista a Arturo de la Escalera Hueso (pp. 6-7). -- Entrevista a Antonio de Amescua Seco (pp. 8-9). -- Entrevista a Manuel Sanjurjo Rivó y Mario Merino Martínez (pp. 10-11)

A critical view on the current use of daptomycin in Spain: The daptomise study

Background: The Study on the Clinical Use of DAPTOMycin in Spain (DAPTOMISE Study) is a national surveillance program of daptomycin use. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the current variability in daptomycin consumption across the different hospitals and the adequacy of therapy, specially focused on underdosing. Methods: All adult and pediatric patients who received, at least, one dose of daptomycin in a single week in 98 institutions in Spain were included. The adequacy of daptomycin use was evaluated with respect to the indication, dosage, adjustments after microbiology results, switching to an oral agent and length of treatment. Results: A total of 615 patients received daptomycin during the study week. The prevalence use was 2.3 patients / 100,000 inhabitants per week, 12.4 patients / 1000 admissions and 9.2 Days of Therapy (DOT) / 1000 hospital stays. These rates varied between hospitals: from 0 to 13.9 patients / 100,000 inhabitants, from 0 to 76.1 patients / 1000 admissions and from 0 to 49.4 DOT / 1000 hospital stays. The most frequent infections were bacteremia (31.6 %) and skin and soft tissue infections (17.9 %). Microbiological results were available in only 65.4 % of infections. The most frequent microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (192 isolates, of which 87 were resistant to methicillin) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (124 isolates). A total of 136 prescriptions (22.1 %) were underdosed. Dosages < 8 mg/kg were used for 35.6 % of endovascular infections and for 26.2 % of osteoarticular infections. Overall, 57.2 % of prescriptions were not optimal in, at least, one item. Clinical cure rate was 76.1% and mortality attributable to the infection 8.1%. Conclusion: This is the first registry that identifies the prevalence of use of daptomycin in Spain and shows a high variability in the consumption between the different hospitals. Daptomycin underdosing was present in more than 20 % of cases. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

L11 domain rearrangement upon binding to RNA and thiostrepton studied by NMR spectroscopy

Ribosomal proteins are assumed to stabilize specific RNA structures and promote compact folding of the large rRNA. The conformational dynamics of the protein between the bound and unbound state play an important role in the binding process. We have studied those dynamical changes in detail for the highly conserved complex between the ribosomal protein L11 and the GTPase region of 23S rRNA. The RNA domain is compactly folded into a well defined tertiary structure, which is further stabilized by the association with the C-terminal domain of the L11 protein (L11(ctd)). In addition, the N-terminal domain of L11 (L11(ntd)) is implicated in the binding of the natural thiazole antibiotic thiostrepton, which disrupts the elongation factor function. We have studied the conformation of the ribosomal protein and its dynamics by NMR in the unbound state, the RNA bound state and in the ternary complex with the RNA and thiostrepton. Our data reveal a rearrangement of the L11(ntd), placing it closer to the RNA after binding of thiostrepton, which may prevent binding of elongation factors. We propose a model for the ternary L11–RNA–thiostrepton complex that is additionally based on interaction data and conformational information of the L11 protein. The model is consistent with earlier findings and provides an explanation for the role of L11(ntd) in elongation factor binding

Effectiveness of Thrombectomy in Stroke According to Baseline Prognostic Factors: Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Analysis of a Population-Based Registry

Background and Purpose In real-world practice, the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is uncertain in stroke patients with very favorable or poor prognostic profiles at baseline. We studied the effectiveness of MT versus medical treatment stratifying by different baseline prognostic factors. Methods Retrospective analysis of 2,588 patients with an ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion nested in the population-based registry of stroke code activations in Catalonia from January 2017 to June 2019. The effect of MT on good functional outcome (modified Rankin Score 85 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] >25, time from onset >6 hours, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score 3), good (if NIHSS <6 or distal occlusion, in the absence of poor prognostic factors), or reference (not meeting other groups' criteria). Results Patients receiving MT (n=1,996, 77%) were younger, had less pre-stroke disability, and received systemic thrombolysis less frequently. These differences were balanced after the IPTW stratified by prognosis. MT was associated with good functional outcome in the reference (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0 to 4.4), and especially in the poor baseline prognostic stratum (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.6 to 5.9), but not in the good prognostic stratum. MT was associated with survival only in the poor prognostic stratum (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 2.0 to 3.3). Conclusions Despite their worse overall outcomes, the impact of thrombectomy over medical management was more substantial in patients with poorer baseline prognostic factors than patients with good prognostic factors

Mucopolysaccharidosis I, II, and VI: Brief review and guidelines for treatment

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are rare genetic diseases caused by the deficiency of one of the lysosomal enzymes involved in the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) breakdown pathway. This metabolic block leads to the accumulation of GAG in various organs and tissues of the affected patients, resulting in a multisystemic clinical picture, sometimes including cognitive impairment. Until the beginning of the XXI century, treatment was mainly supportive. Bone marrow transplantation improved the natural course of the disease in some types of MPS, but the morbidity and mortality restricted its use to selected cases. The identification of the genes involved, the new molecular biology tools and the availability of animal models made it possible to develop specific enzyme replacement therapies (ERT) for these diseases. At present, a great number of Brazilian medical centers from all regions of the country have experience with ERT for MPS I, II, and VI, acquired not only through patient treatment but also in clinical trials. Taking the three types of MPS together, over 200 patients have been treated with ERT in our country. This document summarizes the experience of the professionals involved, along with the data available in the international literature, bringing together and harmonizing the information available on the management of these severe and progressive diseases, thus disclosing new prospects for Brazilian patients affected by these conditions

Effectiveness of thrombectomy in stroke according to baseline prognostic factors: inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis of a population-based registry

Background and Purpose In real-world practice, the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is uncertain in stroke patients with very favorable or poor prognostic profiles at baseline. We studied the effectiveness of MT versus medical treatment stratifying by different baseline prognostic factors. Methods Retrospective analysis of 2,588 patients with an ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion nested in the population-based registry of stroke code activations in Catalonia from January 2017 to June 2019. The effect of MT on good functional outcome (modified Rankin Score ≤2) and survival at 3 months was studied using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis in three pre-defined baseline prognostic groups: poor (if pre-stroke disability, age >85 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] >25, time from onset >6 hours, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score 3), good (if NIHSS <6 or distal occlusion, in the absence of poor prognostic factors), or reference (not meeting other groups’ criteria). Results Patients receiving MT (n=1,996, 77%) were younger, had less pre-stroke disability, and received systemic thrombolysis less frequently. These differences were balanced after the IPTW stratified by prognosis. MT was associated with good functional outcome in the reference (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0 to 4.4), and especially in the poor baseline prognostic stratum (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.6 to 5.9), but not in the good prognostic stratum. MT was associated with survival only in the poor prognostic stratum (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 2.0 to 3.3). Conclusions Despite their worse overall outcomes, the impact of thrombectomy over medical management was more substantial in patients with poorer baseline prognostic factors than patients with good prognostic factors

A new class of glycomimetic drugs to prevent free fatty acid-induced endothelial dysfunction

Background: Carbohydrates play a major role in cell signaling in many biological processes. We have developed a set of glycomimetic drugs that mimic the structure of carbohydrates and represent a novel source of therapeutics for endothelial dysfunction, a key initiating factor in cardiovascular complications. Purpose: Our objective was to determine the protective effects of small molecule glycomimetics against free fatty acid­induced endothelial dysfunction, focusing on nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress pathways. Methods: Four glycomimetics were synthesized by the stepwise transformation of 2,5­dihydroxybenzoic acid to a range of 2,5­substituted benzoic acid derivatives, incorporating the key sulfate groups to mimic the interactions of heparan sulfate. Endothelial function was assessed using acetylcholine­induced, endotheliumdependent relaxation in mouse thoracic aortic rings using wire myography. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) behavior was evaluated in the presence or absence of the free fatty acid, palmitate, with or without glycomimetics (1µM). DAF­2 and H2DCF­DA assays were used to determine nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, respectively. Lipid peroxidation colorimetric and antioxidant enzyme activity assays were also carried out. RT­PCR and western blotting were utilized to measure Akt, eNOS, Nrf­2, NQO­1 and HO­1 expression. Results: Ex vivo endothelium­dependent relaxation was significantly improved by the glycomimetics under palmitate­induced oxidative stress. In vitro studies showed that the glycomimetics protected HUVECs against the palmitate­induced oxidative stress and enhanced NO production. We demonstrate that the protective effects of pre­incubation with glycomimetics occurred via upregulation of Akt/eNOS signaling, activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway, and suppression of ROS­induced lipid peroxidation. Conclusion: We have developed a novel set of small molecule glycomimetics that protect against free fatty acidinduced endothelial dysfunction and thus, represent a new category of therapeutic drugs to target endothelial damage, the first line of defense against cardiovascular disease