Maqroll y el imperio de la literatura

PublishedEl presente libro es un acto de homenaje y conmemoración a la vida y la obra del escritor colombiano Álvaro Mutis (1923-2013). En este proyecto editorial se han congregado escritores, poetas, académicos e intelectuales de Colombia, México, Venezuela, Estados Unidos, Brasil, Italia, Alemania, España, Francia, Uruguay y Chile, con el propósito de llevar a cabo un homenaje al autor de las Empresas y tribulaciones de Maqroll el Gaviero, ganador, a su vez, de importantísimas distinciones, entre las que cabe resaltar, de forma resumida, el Premio Nacional de Letras (1974) y de Poesía (1983) de Colombia, el Premio Príncipe de Asturias (1997), el Premio Reina Sofía de Poesía (1997) y el Premio Cervantes (2001), entre muchos otros. Mutis ha determinado, sin duda alguna, a una legión extensa de ávidos lectores de las aventuras y penurias de Maqroll el Gaviero, el personaje central tanto de su poesía como de su prosa. Un crítico aseveró, con razón, que hubo un tiempo, hacia finales de los años ochenta, que bien podría ser recordado como la “era de Álvaro Mutis”. Su obra ha sido objeto de estudio de las más diversas investigaciones, a partir de las más variadas perspectivas y presupuestos teóricos. Sin embargo, tal vez sea más importante indicar que lo decisivo de su obra no radica en el reconocimiento significativo que unánimemente le fue dado a través de las múltiples distinciones; lo decisivo reside, más bien, en que a partir de su obra se ha atisbado un camino para comprender e interpretar la singular historia de Colombia, y de Iberoamérica en general, a partir de una clave de lectura que combina, entre sus múltiples elementos, a la desesperanza y a la amistad, a la lucidez y a una singular visión crítica del progreso, a un grupo de lecturas poco convencionales, y a una topografía abigarrada y accidentada, alejada de los grandes lugares comunes de la literatura canónica

Sex Differences in Effects of Mood, Eating-Related Behaviors, and BMI on Food Appeal and Desire to Eat: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Although sex differences in food intake have been observed consistently, contributing factors are not well understood. Using a cross-sectional online survey (n = 306; 151 men, 155 women), this study aimed to assess how sex impacts relationships between food ratings (appeal/desire to eat for high-calorie (HC) and low-calorie (LC) food images) and eating-related attitudes/behaviors, body mass index (BMI), and mood. Across participants, increased state- and trait-based hunger, disinhibition, and cravings were associated with both increased HC appeal and desire (p < 0.001). Increased state-based hunger and cravings were associated with greater LC desire (p < 0.001). Greater satiety was associated with decreased desire for both HC and LC (p < 0.001), while greater anxiety was associated with increased desire for both HC and LC (p < 0.001). Significant associations between BMI and food ratings were not observed. Women reported greater dietary restraint, trait-based hunger, disinhibition, eating disorder-related behaviors, depression, and stress compared to men, in addition to greater appeal and familiarity with LC foods (all p < 0.05). Significant effects of sex on the associations between food ratings and eating-related attitudes/behaviors, BMI, and mood were not observed, however. Findings support the importance of considering mood and eating-related attitudes/behaviors in investigations of food cue responsivity

Iron and Copper Intracellular Chelation as an Anticancer Drug Strategy

A very promising direction in the development of anticancer drugs is inhibiting the molecular pathways that keep cancer cells alive and able to metastasize. Copper and iron are two essential metals that play significant roles in the rapid proliferation of cancer cells and several chelators have been studied to suppress the bioavailability of these metals in the cells. This review discusses the major contributions that Cu and Fe play in the progression and spreading of cancer and evaluates select Cu and Fe chelators that demonstrate great promise as anticancer drugs. Efforts to improve the cellular delivery, efficacy, and tumor responsiveness of these chelators are also presented including a transmetallation strategy for dual targeting of Cu and Fe. To elucidate the effectiveness and specificity of Cu and Fe chelators for treating cancer, analytical tools are described for measuring Cu and Fe levels and for tracking the metals in cells, tissue, and the body

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: One-Year Follow-up.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Declines in stroke admission, intravenous thrombolysis, and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy over a one-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020). METHODS We conducted a longitudinal retrospective study across 6 continents, 56 countries, and 275 stroke centers. We collected volume data for COVID-19 admissions and 4 stroke metrics: ischemic stroke admissions, ICH admissions, intravenous thrombolysis treatments, and mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes or classifications in stroke databases. RESULTS There were 148,895 stroke admissions in the one-year immediately before compared to 138,453 admissions during the one-year pandemic, representing a 7% decline (95% confidence interval [95% CI 7.1, 6.9]; p<0.0001). ICH volumes declined from 29,585 to 28,156 (4.8%, [5.1, 4.6]; p<0.0001) and IVT volume from 24,584 to 23,077 (6.1%, [6.4, 5.8]; p<0.0001). Larger declines were observed at high volume compared to low volume centers (all p<0.0001). There was no significant change in mechanical thrombectomy volumes (0.7%, [0.6,0.9]; p=0.49). Stroke was diagnosed in 1.3% [1.31,1.38] of 406,792 COVID-19 hospitalizations. SARS-CoV-2 infection was present in 2.9% ([2.82,2.97], 5,656/195,539) of all stroke hospitalizations. DISCUSSION There was a global decline and shift to lower volume centers of stroke admission volumes, ICH volumes, and IVT volumes during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the prior year. Mechanical thrombectomy volumes were preserved. These results suggest preservation in the stroke care of higher severity of disease through the first pandemic year. TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION This study is registered under NCT04934020