Epidemiological trends of HIV/HCV coinfection in Spain, 2015-2019

Altres ajuts: Spanish AIDS Research Network; European Funding for Regional Development (FEDER).Objectives: We assessed the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and active HCV infection (HCV-RNA-positive) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Spain in 2019 and compared the results with those of four similar studies performed during 2015-2018. Methods: The study was performed in 41 centres. Sample size was estimated for an accuracy of 1%. Patients were selected by random sampling with proportional allocation. Results: The reference population comprised 41 973 PLWH, and the sample size was 1325. HCV serostatus was known in 1316 PLWH (99.3%), of whom 376 (28.6%) were HCV antibody (Ab)-positive (78.7% were prior injection drug users); 29 were HCV-RNA-positive (2.2%). Of the 29 HCV-RNA-positive PLWH, infection was chronic in 24, it was acute/recent in one, and it was of unknown duration in four. Cirrhosis was present in 71 (5.4%) PLWH overall, three (10.3%) HCV-RNA-positive patients and 68 (23.4%) of those who cleared HCV after anti-HCV therapy (p = 0.04). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies decreased steadily from 37.7% in 2015 to 28.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001); the prevalence of active HCV infection decreased from 22.1% in 2015 to 2.2% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Uptake of anti-HCV treatment increased from 53.9% in 2015 to 95.0% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In Spain, the prevalence of active HCV infection among PLWH at the end of 2019 was 2.2%, i.e. 90.0% lower than in 2015. Increased exposure to DAAs was probably the main reason for this sharp reduction. Despite the high coverage of treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents, HCV-related cirrhosis remains significant in this population

Are you ABLE to perform a life-long visual topological localization?

Visual topological localization is a process typically required by varied mobile autonomous robots, but it is a complex task if long operating periods are considered. This is because of the appearance variations suffered in a place: dynamic elements, illumination or weather. Due to these problems, long-term visual place recognition across seasons has become a challenge for the robotics community. For this reason, we propose an innovative method for a robust and efficient life-long localization using cameras. In this paper, we describe our approach (ABLE), which includes three different versions depending on the type of images: monocular, stereo and panoramic. This distinction makes our proposal more adaptable and effective, because it allows to exploit the extra information that can be provided by each type of camera. Besides, we contribute a novel methodology for identifying places, which is based on a fast matching of global binary descriptors extracted from sequences of images. The presented results demonstrate the benefits of using ABLE, which is compared to the most representative state-of-the-art algorithms in long-term conditions.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadComunidad de Madri

Simulación de vehículos autónomos usando V-REP bajo ROS

XXXVIII Jornadas de Automática, Gijón, 6-8 de Septiembre de 2017En este artículo se presentan las principales características del entorno de simulación que se está utilizando para el desarrollo de diferentes algoritmos de conducción autónoma. Estos desarrollos forman parte de un proyecto de conducción autónoma de vehículo en el marco del Plan Nacional de Investigación denominado SmartElderlyCar y desarrollado por la Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) y la Universidad de Vigo (UVIGO). Se ha realizado de forma exitosa la simulación de un vehículo comercial en V-REP controlado mediante nodos desarrollados bajo el sistema ROS en el campus externo de la UAH y se ha logrado conducir por sus carriles siguiendo la línea central mediante un algoritmo de seguimiento de trayectoria

Supplementation with Two New Standardized Tea Extracts Prevents the Development of Hypertension in Mice with Metabolic Syndrome

Hypertension is considered to be both a cardiovascular disease and a risk factor for other cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary ischemia or stroke. In many cases, hypertension occurs in the context of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a condition in which other circumstances such as abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance are also present. The high incidence of MetS makes necessary the search for new strategies, ideally of natural origin and with fewer side effects than conventional pharmacological treatments. Among them, the tea plant is a good candidate, as it contains several bioactive compounds such as caffeine, volatile terpenes, organic acids, and polyphenols with positive biological effects. The aim of this study was to assess whether two new standardized tea extracts, one of white tea (WTE) and the other of black and green tea (CTE), exert beneficial effects on the cardiovascular alterations associated with MetS. For this purpose, male C57/BL6J mice were fed a standard diet (Controls), a diet high in fats and sugars (HFHS), HFHS supplemented with 1.6% WTE, or HFHS supplemented with 1.6% CTE for 20 weeks. The chromatography results showed that CTE is more concentrated on gallic acid, xanthines and flavan-3-ols than WTE. In vivo, supplementation with WTE and CTE prevented the development of MetS-associated hypertension through improved endothelial function. This improvement was associated with a lower expression of proinflammatory and prooxidant markers, and&mdash;in the case of CTE supplementation&mdash;also with a higher expression of antioxidant enzymes in arterial tissue. In conclusion, supplementation with WTE and CTE prevents the development of hypertension in obese mice; as such, they could be an interesting strategy to prevent the cardiovascular disorders associated with MetS

Non-invasive surveillance of shared pathogens in the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) human interface

Multi-host communities are perfect scenarios for the emergence and spread of pathogens, threatening the recovery of endangered, isolated, or inbred populations, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in northwestern Spain. The population recovery in recent years has forced bears to occupy highly anthropized areas, increasing their interaction with human and domestic animals, with potential consequences for global health. During 2022-2023 a survey of parasites, bacteria and viruses shared between wildlife, domestic animals and humans was performed in this population using non-invasive surveillance, i.e., bear fecal samples (n = 73) and sponge-based sampling of trees (n = 42; 14 rubbed trees and 28 control trees). Pathogen detection rates were defined as the percentage of qPCR or culture-positive samples. Generalized linear models were fitted to assess their relationship with environmental variables including dispersion of the human population, and percentage of agricultural and periurban habitats in a 6 km-buffer around each sample. Canine Adenovirus type 1 (45.2%), Giardia spp. (15.1%), Salmonella spp. (12.3%), and extended-spectrum-beta-lactamases (ESBL) Escherichia coli (1.4%) were identified in fecal samples. In contrast, only five sponges from three rubbed and two control trees resulted positive to E. coli (14.3%). The results suggest that several pathogens are common in the Cantabrian brown bear population and that anthropization of the territory modulates their prevalence and richness. The effective design of management programs for bear conservation will require a one-health approach, in which genetic analysis of non-invasive samples can be key tools for the sanitary surveillance at the wildlife-livestock-human interface.European CommissionPrincipado de AsturiasJunta de Castilla y LeonMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMinisterio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa (España)Depto. de Sanidad AnimalCentro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET)TRUEpu

Non-invasive surveillance of shared pathogens in the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) human interface

2023 Acuerdos transformativos CRUEMulti-host communities are perfect scenarios for the emergence and spread of pathogens, threatening the recovery of endangered, isolated, or inbred populations, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in northwestern Spain. The population recovery in recent years has forced bears to occupy highly anthropized areas, increasing their interaction with human and domestic animals, with potential consequences for global health. During 2022–2023 a survey of parasites, bacteria and viruses shared between wildlife, domestic animals and humans was performed in this population using non-invasive surveillance, i.e., bear fecal samples (n = 73) and sponge-based sampling of trees (n = 42; 14 rubbed trees and 28 control trees). Pathogen detection rates were defined as the percentage of qPCR or culture-positive samples. Generalized linear models were fitted to assess their relationship with environmental variables including dispersion of the human population, and percentage of agricultural and periurban habitats in a 6 km-buffer around each sample. Canine Adenovirus type 1 (45.2%), Giardia spp. (15.1%), Salmonella spp. (12.3%), and extended-spectrum-beta-lactamases (ESBL) Escherichia coli (1.4%) were identified in fecal samples. In contrast, only five sponges from three rubbed and two control trees resulted positive to E. coli (14.3%). The results suggest that several pathogens are common in the Cantabrian brown bear population and that anthropization of the territory modulates their prevalence and richness. The effective design of management programs for bear conservation will require a one-health approach, in which genetic analysis of non-invasive samples can be key tools for the sanitary surveillance at the wildlife-livestock-human interface.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)Principado de AsturiasDepto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaCentro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET)TRUEpubAPC financiada por la UC

Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Impact of Short Physical Performance Battery in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Heart Failure—Results of the PROFUND-IC Registry

Background: Most patients diagnosed with heart failure (HF) are older adults with multiple comorbidities. Multipathological patients constitute a population with common characteristics: greater clinical complexity and vulnerability, frailty, mortality, functional deterioration, polypharmacy, and poorer health-related quality of life with more dependency. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with acute heart failure and to determine the prognosis of patients with acute heart failure according to the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scale. Methods: Observational, prospective, and multicenter cohort study conducted from September 2020 to May 2022 in patients with acute heart failure as the main diagnosis and NT-ProBNP > 300 pg. The cohort included patients admitted to internal medicine departments in 18 hospitals in Spain. Epidemiological variables, comorbidities, cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular history, analytical parameters, and treatment during admission and discharge of the patients were collected. Level of frailty was assessed by the SPPB scale, and dependence, through the Barthel index. A descriptive analysis of all the variables was carried out, expressed as frequencies and percentages. A bivariate analysis of the SPPB was performed based on the score obtained (SPPB ≤ 5 and SPPB > 5). For the overall analysis of mortality, HF mortality, and readmission of patients at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year, Kaplan–Meier survival curves were used, in which the survival experience among patients with an SPPB > 5 and SPPB ≤ 5 was compared. Results: A total of 482 patients were divided into two groups according to the SPPB with a cut-off point of an SPPB 5. Females (61%) predominated in the group with an SPPB ≤ 5 and males (61%) in those with an SPPB > 5. The mean age was higher in patients with an SPPB ≤ 5 (85.63 years). Anemia was more frequent in patients with an SPPB ≤ 5 (39.5%) than in patients with an SPPB ≥ 5 (29%). This was also seen with osteoarthritis (32.7%, p = 0.000), diabetes (49.6%, p = 0.001), and dyslipidemia (69.6%, p = 0.011). Patients with an SPPB score > 5 had a Barthel index n = 4) of cases; the remainder of the patients (96%, n = 96) had a Barthel index > 60. Patients with an SPPB > 5 showed a higher probability of survival at 30 days (p = 0.029), 6 months (p = 0.031), and 1 year (p = 0.007) with (OR = 7.07; 95%CI (1.60–29.80); OR: 3.9; 95%CI (1.30–11.60); OR: 6.01; 95%CI (1.90–18.30)), respectively. No statistically significant differences were obtained in the probability of readmission at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Patients admitted with acute heart failure showed a high frequency of frailty as assessed by the SPPB. Patients with an SPPB ≤ 5 had greater comorbidities and greater functional limitations than patients with an SPPB > 5. Patients with heart failure and a Barthel index > 60 frequently presented an SPPB 60 to assess frailty. Patients with an SPPB ≤ 5 had a higher risk of mortality at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year than patients with an SPPB ≤ 5. The SPPB is a valid tool for identifying frailty in acute heart failure patients and predicting 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year mortality

Evaluación clínica abierta multicéntrica no aleatorizada y prospectiva de la efectividad de una emulsión a base de ácidos grasos hiperoxigenados, Aloe barbadensis y Mimosa tenuiflora (Mepentol® Leche) en diferentes tipos de pacientes con riesgo de ulceración Multicentric prospective non randomized open clinical evaluation of the efficacy of an emulsion based on hyperoxigenated fatty acids Aloe barbadensis and Mimosa tenuiflora (Mepentol® Leche) in different types of patients with risk of ulceration

Las úlceras de la extremidad inferior suponen un grave problema sanitario que afecta a un gran número de pacientes, constituyendo por ello un gran reto de trabajo para los profesionales de la salud. Los ácidos grasos hiperoxigenados (AGHO) han demostrado tener eficacia en la prevención de este tipo de úlceras. Gracias a los buenos resultados obtenidos en un estudio previo, nos planteamos seguir evaluando la efectividad del producto Mepentol® Leche, una emulsión a base de ácidos grasos hiperoxigenados, Aloe barbadensis y Mimosa tenuiflora, en el cuidado de la piel y alivio de los síntomas en pacientes con este problema, pero ampliando el tamaño de la muestra y centrándonos en pacientes diabéticos junto con otras enfermedades concomitantes. Además, en este estudio se ha implicado a profesionales de enfermería de seis provincias: Almería, Alicante, Granada, Sevilla, Málaga y Ceuta. De nuevo con este estudio, realizado en un total de 2.145 pacientes, hemos demostrado que ningún paciente ha ulcerado durante el tiempo de seguimiento y tratamiento con Mepentol® Leche y que su aplicación sistemática mejora claramente los síntomas previos a la aparición de úlceras, evitando la sequedad cutánea, reduciendo el prurito, escozor, dolor y eccema, y devolviendo la piel de estos pacientes a su coloración normal.The lower extremity wounds are a serious health problem that affects a large number of patients, thereby assuming a great challenge to work for health professionals. Hyperoxygenated fatty acids (AGHO), have demonstrated efficacy in the prevention of this type of ulcers. Thanks to the good results obtained in a previous study, we plan to continue evaluating the effectiveness of Mepentol® Leche, an emulsion-based hyper-oxygenated fatty acids, Aloe barbadensis and Mimosa tenuiflora in skin care and relief of symptoms, in patients with this problem, but expanding the sample size and focusing on diabetic patients with concomitant diseases. Also in this study have been involving nurses in six provinces: Almería, Alicante, Granada, Seville, Malaga and Ceuta. Again with this study, a total of 2,145 patients, we demonstrated that no patient has ulcerated during the follow-up and treatment with Mepentol® Leche and its systematic application significantly improves the symptoms before the onset of ulcers, preventing dryness skin, reducing itching, burning, pain and eczema, and returning the skin of these patients to their normal color