The effects of fiscal shocks on the exchange rate in Spain

En este trabajo analizamos los efectos de perturbaciones fiscales sobre el tipo de cambio efectivo de España durante el período 1981-2008 mediante un marco estándar de modelos VAR estructurales. Aquí se muestra que el gasto público conlleva respuestas positivas de la producción, conjuntamente con una apreciación real. Esta apreciación real se explica tanto por una persistente apreciación del tipo de cambio efectivo nominal, como por el aumento de los precios relativos. Nuestros resultados indican que la adopción de la moneda común no parece haber implicado cambios significativos respecto a la manera en que las perturbaciones fiscales afectan a la competitividad exterior a través de su efecto sobre los precios relativos. Por su parte, el saldo por cuenta corriente se deteriora en respuesta a incrementos de gasto público principalmente como consecuencia de la caída de las exportaciones provocada por la apreciación real. Por lo tanto, nuestros resultados son en gran medida compatibles no solo con el modelo Mundell-Fleming convencional y, en general, con una visión Keynesiana tradicional, sino también con un amplio abanico de modelos de ciclo real o de corte neo-Keynesiano con calibraciones estánda

CAR T-Cell Therapy Predictive Response Markers in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Therapeutic Options After CART19 Failure

Immunotherapy with T cells genetically modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has shown significant clinical efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma. Nevertheless, more than 50% of treated patients do not benefit from such therapy due to either absence of response or further relapse. Elucidation of clinical and biological features that would predict clinical response to CART19 therapy is of paramount importance and eventually may allow for selection of those patients with greater chances of response. In the last 5 years, significant clinical experience has been obtained in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with CAR19 T cells, and major advances have been made on the understanding of CART19 efficacy mechanisms. In this review, we discuss clinical and tumor features associated with response to CART19 in DLBCL patients as well as the impact of biological features of the infusion CART19 product on the clinical response. Prognosis of DLBCL patients that fail CART19 is poor and therapeutic approaches with new drugs are also discussed

Intervención desde terapia ocupacional en un caso con síndrome del túnel carpiano

El Síndrome del Túnel Carpiano (STC) es el cuadro clínico más común de laextremidad superior a nivel de muñeca. Es causado por la compresión queafecta al nervio mediano y da lugar a manifestaciones clínicas tantosensitivas (principalmente parestesias y dolor), como motoras (pérdida dela fuerza en la musculatura que inerva el nervio mediano). La severidad deesta afección se ve incrementada por la edad. A pesar de que la mayoría deel caso tiene una etiología idiopática, hay varios factores de riesgo quepueden causarlo. El diagnóstico es clínico, pero hay pruebascomplementarias que pueden ayudar a confirmarlo. En este trabajo se propone un plan de intervención, realizado desde TerapiaOcupacional. El objetivo general que se quiere conseguir con dicho plan deintervención es poder comprobar la eficacia del uso de la TerapiaOcupacional en el tratamiento del STC, mejorar la autonomía del paciente, el desarrollo de las AVD y prevenir la discapacidad. <br /

Production of Docosahexaenoic Acid and Odd-Chain Fatty Acids by Microalgae Schizochytrium limacinum Grown on Waste-Derived Volatile Fatty Acids

Heterotrophic microalgae are recognized as a source of bioactive compounds. However, there are still some drawbacks for their use at an industrial scale associated with the high cost of glucose, the main carbon source in heterotrophic cultures. In recent years, significant efforts have been made to investigate more sustainable carbon sources to produce biomass. In this study, the capacity of Schizochytrium limacinum to grow on waste-derived volatile fatty acids and the effect that their use produces on biomass and fatty acids profiles were investigated. Acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric and caproic acid were evaluated independently, as well as in a synthetic mixture (VFA). The use of acetic and butyric resulted in a good biomass productivity, while the use of valeric and propionic acid resulted in higher content of odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA), increasingly investigated due to their potential benefits for human health. The use of industrial waste-derived VFA as a potential carbon source was validated through the utilization of biowaste derived effluents from a volatile fatty acid platform. The biomass produced was of 18.5 g/L, 54.0% lipids, 46.3% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 25.0% OCFA, concluding that waste derived VFA can produce DHA and OCFA in a suitable ratio of DHA/OCFA with potential industrial applications.The authors would like to thank the European project VOLATILE. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 720777

DQB1*0602 allele shows a strong association with multiple sclerosis in patients in Malaga, Spain.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Fernández O, Fernández V, Alonso A, Caballero A, Luque G, Bravo M, León A, Mayorga C, Leyva L, de Ramón E. DQB1*0602 allele shows a strong association with multiple sclerosis in patients in Malaga, Spain. J Neurol. 2004 Apr;251(4):440-4], which has been published in final form at [doi: 10.1007/s00415-004-0350-2].Política de acceso abierto tomada de: https://www.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/8072Background The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II DR2 haplotype (DRB1*1501, DQA1*0102, DQB1*0602) has been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) in all ethnic groups and very strongly in Caucasians. Aim To investigate the possible HLA class II (DRB1,DQA1 and DQB1) associations with MS in Malaga, southern Spain. Methods We analysed the HLA class II sub-regions DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization (PCR/SSO) for DRB1 and DQB1 and with sequence-specific primers (PCR/SSP) for DRB1 subtypes and DQA1. Possible HLA class II associations with clinical MS characteristics were investigated in 149 subjects with and 160 without MS. Results Associations were detected between MS and the HLA class II alleles DRB1*1501 (45.6 % vs. 21.3%, p=0.001),DQA1*0102 (44% vs. 29.4%, p=0.001) and DQB1*0602 (45% vs. 20.6%, p=0.001). The DR2 haplotype (DRB1*1501, DQA1*0102, DQB1*0602) was associated with MS (43.6 % vs. 20%, p=0.002). DQB1*0602 was the only allele that maintained an association with MS in a logistic regression model. No HLA class II alleles or genotypes were significantly associated with any clinical characteristics of MS. Conclusions Our results confirm the positive association of the DR2 haplotype with MS, particularly the allele DQB1*0602, in the population studied. DR4 was not associated with the disease in Malaga. HLA class II alleles or haplotype were not associated with clinical or demographic characteristics, or clinical form or severity of MS

The use of topical corticosteroides in the treatment of oral lichen planus in Spain : a national survey

Explore the treatment of oral lichen planus with topical corticosteroids by the healthcare professionals in Spain. A questionnaire targeted health professionals who treat OLP, in particular maxillofacial surgeons, dermatologist and dentist. The dissemination of the questionnaires was conducted through professional associations and dental and medical societies. The questionnaire was previously evaluated by means of a cognitive pre-test procedure to ensure that the questions were opportune and appropriate, understandable and acceptable among the professionals. Of the 890 questionnaires sent a total of 190 questionnaires were answered by 90 dentists, 60 dermatol gists and 40 by maxillofacial surgeons. The most frequent treatment was 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in orobase 3 times a day. The effectiveness of the topical corticosteroid treatment was 6.68 (SD= 2.26) in a scale of 1 to 10. The 30% of the dentists and 10.49% of maxillofacial surgeons combined treatment with other drugs. The most frequent one (80%) was nystatin (100,000 IU per millimetre). Dermatologists did not use other treatments in combination with corticosteroids. There is a need for national guidelines in treatment for oral lichen planus (treatment criteria, drug, dose, treatment time and method of application of corticosteroid) that can be applied by all professionals who treat this disease

Memory stem T cells modified with a redesigned CD30-chimeric antigen receptor show an enhanced antitumor effect in Hodgkin lymphoma

Altres ajuts: This work was supported in part by grants from La Marató TV3 (Exp. 20130710), Deutsche José Carreras Leukämie Stiftung (DJCSL 10R/2016), Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC-AIO2017), Fundacion Bancaria 'La Caixa', TerCel (SG/11/2008)Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with mature T cells modified with a chimeric antigen receptor has demonstrated improved outcome for B-cell malignancies. However, its application for others such as Hodgkin lymphoma remains a clinical challenge. CD30 antigen, expressed in Hodgkin lymphoma cells, is absent in most healthy tissues, representing an ideal target of ACT for this disease. Despite that, efficacy of CD30-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for Hodgkin lymphoma remains modest. Here, we have developed and tested a novel CD30-CAR T to improve efficacy of CD30-CAR therapy, using a targeting epitope within the non-cleavable part of CD30 receptor, and memory stem T cells (T) to improve engraftment, persistence and antitumor activity. T cultures were generated and expanded ex vivo and transduced at day 1 or 2 with a lentiviral vector encoding the CD30-CAR. Therapeutic in vivo experiments were performed using NSG mice injected with L540 (sc) or L428 (iv) and treated with CD30-CAR T cells when the tumor was established. CD30-CAR T cells generated and expanded ex vivo, despite CD30 expression and fratricide killing of CD30 + CAR T cells, were not impaired by soluble CD30 and completely eradicated Hodgkin lymphoma in vivo, showing high persistence and long-lasting immunity. In addition, highly enriched CD30-CAR T products confer a survival advantage in vivo, in contrast to more differentiated CAR T cells, with higher tumor infiltration and enhanced antitumor effect. This study supports the use of a refined CD30-CAR T cells with highly enriched T products to improve clinical efficacy of CAR T for Hodgkin lymphoma. We have studied the efficacy of a redesigned CD30-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting a proximal epitope to enhance the antitumor efficacy. CD30-CAR T cells show potent in vivo antitumor effect in different Hodgkin lymphoma models, and overcome inhibition by soluble CD30. CD30-CAR memory stem T-cell products show long-term persistence, improved tumor homing and long-lasting immunity

In-Hospital Post-Operative Infection after Heart Transplantation: Epidemiology, Clinical Management, and Outcome

Observational study[Abstract] Background: Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation (HT). Little information about its importance in the immediate post-operative period is available. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics, incidence, and outcomes of in-hospital post-operative infections after HT. Methods: We conducted an observational, single-center study based on 677 adults who underwent HT from 1991 to 2015 and who survived the surgical intervention. In-hospital post-operative infections were identified retrospectively according to the medical finding in the clinical records. Results: Over a mean hospital stay of 24.5 days, 239 patients (35.3%) developed 348 episodes of infection (2 episodes per 100 patient-days). The most common sources of infection were those related to invasive procedures (respiratory infections, 115 [33%]; urinary tract infections, 47 [13.5%]; bacteremia, 42 [12.1%]; surgical site infections, 25 [7.2%]), in addition to abdominal focus (33, 9.5%). Enterobacteriaceae (76, 21.8%) and gram-positive cocci (58, 16.7%) were the predominant germs, although opportunistic infections were not infrequent (69, 19.8%). Ninety-five septic episodes were detected with a mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score of 9.5 ± 5.3 points, with hemodynamic failure being the most severe organ dysfunction and renal dysfunction the most frequent one. Management included broad-spectrum antibiotics in 48.8% of episodes and surgical management in 13.8%. The overall antimicrobial success rate was 96.3%. Higher in-hospital mortality was observed among infected patients (15.1% vs. 10.3%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.067). The one-year survival and events were not different between patients suffering from a post-operative infection and those who did not. Conclusions: In-hospital infections were frequent in the post-operative period after HT and were associated with a poor short-term outcome. Patients who survived sepsis had a similar one-year morbidity and mortality compared with patients who did not develop an infection

Experimentation on Emotion Regulation with Single-Colored Images

This paper introduces a series of experiments with the objective of assessing the influence of color in emotion regulation. For this sake, images with one single color or one single dominant color are shown to a set of participants who take part in the experimentation. Firstly, the architecture of the color emotion regulation system is introduced. The methodology for color emotion recognition is based on a novel approach of both direct and indirect emotion evaluation. Then, the experimental setup is discussed together with the testing procedure. The tests are based on questionnaires for emotional state evaluation, color preference and personality. Lastly, the experimental results are described and discussed

Estado actual de las fuentes de información en el sector turístico español: una aproximación cualitativa

La intangibilidad de los procesos que se desarrollan en el sistema turístico, hacen de la información y el conocimiento, factores fundamentales tanto para la gestión como para la creación de productos y servicios turísticos. Sin embargo, la abundancia y el desorden que impera en la información relacionada con el sector la convierten en un activo poco accesible para la mayoría de los profesionales quienes, de este modo, se ven privados del conocimiento. Dicha cuestión, condujo, al presente grupo de investigación, a plantearse la necesidad de realizar una investigación, cuyo objetivo principal fuese analizar la situación actual de las fuentes de información turísticas, a través del análisis del discurso de una muestra de profesionales del sector turístico, fundamentada en la elaboración de ocho entrevistas en profundidad y un grupo de discusión. Entre los resultados, más destacables, es importante mencionar la ausencia de un consenso general en el nivel de desagregación de la información disponible y la desactualización de información que repercute sobre la toma de decisiones. Explorar las debilidades y fortalezas de la información que influyen en la toma de decisiones de los profesionales, permite una mayor homogeneización y consenso de criterios, además de su aplicación de una forma más eficiente.Information and knowledge are fundamental factors as much for the management as they are for the creation of tourism products and services. This is primarily due to the intangible aspect of the tourism sector. Nevertheless, the excessive and confusing information within the tourism sector causes difficulties for those professionals of the sector who, ultimately, are unable to access to it and are consequently deprived of the knowledge. This issue was raised by our research group, and hence felt it necessary to begin an investigation to analyze the current status of information sources in the Spanish tourism sector. The research was conducted through a speech analysis of a sample of professionals from within the tourism sector, based on eight in-depth interviews and a focus group