Towards an efficient prover for the C1 paraconsistent logic

The KE inference system is a tableau method developed by Marco Mondadori which was presented as an improvement, in the computational efficiency sense, over Analytic Tableaux. In the literature, there is no description of a theorem prover based on the KE method for the C1 paraconsistent logic. Paraconsistent logics have several applications, such as in robot control and medicine. These applications could benefit from the existence of such a prover. We present a sound and complete KE system for C1, an informal specification of a strategy for the C1 prover as well as problem families that can be used to evaluate provers for C1. The C1 KE system and the strategy described in this paper will be used to implement a KE based prover for C1, which will be useful for those who study and apply paraconsistent logics.Comment: 16 page

Scoping review

Artículos originales[ES] Debido al gran avance que se ha producido en los últimos años en el ámbito de la investigación científica y en el uso del Internet, no sólo disponemos cada vez de más información, si no que esta es a su vez más compleja y se representa en diferentes formatos, convencionales (fuentes de información clásicas y bases de datos) y no convencionales (Blogs, Wikis, Redes Sociales) en donde el lector participa agregando valor a los contenidos (Web 2.0). Tradicionalmente, la evidencia se ha sintetizando de forma objetiva y científica mediante revisiones sistemáticas con el fin de contestar a una hipótesis concreta. En el caso de estudios con resultados cuantitativos, estos podían combinarse para lograr un estimador más preciso utilizando técnicas de metanálisis. Pero esta metodología puede resultar insuficiente cuando se trata de evaluar intervenciones complejas 1 , en estos casos, puede ser interesante realizar una revisión sistemática exploratoria que nos de una idea de qué se ha hecho y de qué manera, permitiendo generar hipótesis e identificar aquellos aspectos que pueden ser estudiados con más detalle posteriormente. La mayoría de los elementos que forman parte de la metodología de la revisión sistemática tradicional son válidos para la revisión sistemática exploratoria, si bien es necesario comentar algunos aspectos que por su propio diseño son algo diferentes. Estas revisiones exploratorias se emplean con frecuencia para la elaboración de informes técnicos, que suele ser la herramienta más utilizada a la hora de la toma de decisiones en el ámbito de la Salud Laboral.[EN] Due to the great progress that has occurred in recent years in the field of scientific research, the information is increasing not just in terms of amount but also in complexity. The scoping reviews allow to synthesize the existing evidence regarding a health issue, incorporating different study designs, interventions and measures of impact in order to generate new hypotheses, lines of research or to propose most appropriate working methods for future research. This is possible by applying criteria for assessing the quality of the documents found and the levels of scientific evidence.N

Los filtros metodológicos: aplicación a la búsqueda bibliográfica en la medicina del trabajo española

Artículo original[ES] Fundamento: Conocer la producción científica española sobre Medicina del Trabajo mediante la utilización de un filtro metodológico de búsqueda (ecuación de búsqueda). Metodología: Se propone un filtro metodológico de búsqueda construido por unión booleana de un filtro temático, utilizando Descriptores sobre Medicina del Trabajo en forma de Major Topic y un filtro geográfico previamenteprobado en anteriores estudios (filtro temático AND filtro geográfico). Se estudiaron variables bibliométricas para conocer la idoneidad de los trabajos recuperados. Resultados: Se construyó un filtro que permite observar su aptitud en relación a la materia del estudio,Medicina del Trabajo, donde se recuperó un 90,87% de trabajos pertinentes. En cuanto a la filiación institucional se com probó la procedencia española en el 96,58% referencias recuperadas.Conclusión: Se propone un filtro eficaz para la búsqueda en MEDLINE de trabajos sobre Medicina del Trabajo, pudiéndose usar de forma sistemática e incluso utilizar junto a otras ecuaciones para especificar la búsqueda a temas más concretos. Los resultados bibliométricos obtenidos son similares a la de otros estudios del área de las ciencias de la salud. [ES] Fundaments: To know the Spanish scientific produc tion on Labour Medicine by means of the use of a methodologic filter search (searching equation). Methodology: A searching methodologic filter made up by the boolean union of a thematic filter was proposed. Labour Medicine descriptors used as Major Topic and a geographic filter previously checked in other studies (thematic filter AND geographic filter). Bibliometric variables were studied to know the suitability of the recovered works. Results: A filter that allows observation of the aptitude in relation to the matter of study was constructed. Using Labour Medicine, 90.87% pertinent works were found. In respect to the institutional filiations, Spanish precedence was found in 96.58% of the recovered references. Conclusion: The purpose is to use an effective filter for the MEDLINE search of studies that focus in Labour Medicine produced by Spanish institutions, being able to use them in a systematic way and even use them with other equations and focus the search in more concrete themes. The bibliometric results obtained are similar to other studies in the area of health sciences.N

Lorcaserin improves glycemic control via a melanocortin neurocircuit.

OBJECTIVE: The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated morbidity and mortality emphasizes the need for a more complete understanding of the mechanisms mediating glucose homeostasis to accelerate the identification of new medications. Recent reports indicate that the obesity medication lorcaserin, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) 2C receptor (5-HT2CR) agonist, improves glycemic control in association with weight loss in obese patients with T2D. Here we evaluate whether lorcaserin has an effect on glycemia without body weight loss and how this effect is achieved. METHODS: Murine models of common and genetic T2D were utilized to probe the direct effect of lorcaserin on glycemic control. RESULTS: Lorcaserin dose-dependently improves glycemic control in mouse models of T2D in the absence of reductions in food intake or body weight. Examining the mechanism of this effect, we reveal a necessary and sufficient neurochemical mediator of lorcaserin's glucoregulatory effects, brain pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides. To clarify further lorcaserin's therapeutic brain circuit, we examined the receptor target of POMC peptides. We demonstrate that lorcaserin requires functional melanocortin4 receptors on cholinergic preganglionic neurons (MC4RChAT) to exert its effects on glucose homeostasis. In contrast, MC4RChAT signaling did not impact lorcaserin's effects on feeding, indicating a divergence in the neurocircuitry underpinning lorcaserin's therapeutic glycemic and anorectic effects. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies reveal that lorcaserin reduces hepatic glucose production, increases glucose disposal and improves insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that lorcaserin's action within the brain represents a mechanistically novel treatment for T2D: findings of significance to a prevalent global disease

Sex difference in physical activity, energy expenditure and obesity driven by a subpopulation of hypothalamic POMC neurons.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is one of the primary healthcare challenges of the 21st century. Signals relaying information regarding energy needs are integrated within the brain to influence body weight. Central among these integration nodes are the brain pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides, perturbations of which disrupt energy balance and promote severe obesity. However, POMC neurons are neurochemically diverse and the crucial source of POMC peptides that regulate energy homeostasis and body weight remains to be fully clarified. METHODS: Given that a 5-hydroxytryptamine 2c receptor (5-HT2CR) agonist is a current obesity medication and 5-HT2CR agonist's effects on appetite are primarily mediated via POMC neurons, we hypothesized that a critical source of POMC regulating food intake and body weight is specifically synthesized in cells containing 5-HT2CRs. To exclusively manipulate Pomc synthesis only within 5-HT2CR containing cells, we generated a novel 5-HT 2C R (CRE) mouse line and intercrossed it with Cre recombinase-dependent and hypothalamic specific reactivatable Pomc (NEO) mice to restrict Pomc synthesis to the subset of hypothalamic cells containing 5-HT2CRs. This provided a means to clarify the specific contribution of a defined subgroup of POMC peptides in energy balance and body weight. RESULTS: Here we transform genetically programed obese and hyperinsulinemic male mice lacking hypothalamic Pomc with increased appetite, reduced physical activity and compromised brown adipose tissue (BAT) into lean, healthy mice via targeted restoration of Pomc function only within 5-HT2CR expressing cells. Remarkably, the same metabolic transformation does not occur in females, who despite corrected feeding behavior and normalized insulin levels remain physically inactive, have lower energy expenditure, compromised BAT and develop obesity. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide support for the functional heterogeneity of hypothalamic POMC neurons, revealing that Pomc expression within 5-HT2CR expressing neurons is sufficient to regulate energy intake and insulin sensitivity in male and female mice. However, an unexpected sex difference in the function of this subset of POMC neurons was identified with regard to energy expenditure. We reveal that a large sex difference in physical activity, energy expenditure and the development of obesity is driven by this subpopulation, which constitutes approximately 40% of all POMC neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. This may have broad implications for strategies utilized to combat obesity, which at present largely ignore the sex of the obese individual

Metformin treatment in diabetes and heart failure: when academic equipoise meets clinical reality

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Metformin has had a 'black box' contraindication in diabetic patients with heart failure (HF), but many believe it to be the treatment of choice in this setting. Therefore, we attempted to conduct a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of undertaking a large randomized controlled trial with clinical endpoints.</p> <p>Study Design</p> <p>The pilot study was a randomized double blinded placebo controlled trial. Patients with HF and type 2 diabetes were screened in hospitals and HF clinics in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (population ~1 million). Major exclusion criteria included the current use of insulin or high dose metformin, decreased renal function, or a glycosylated hemoglobin <7%. Patients were to be randomized to 1500 mg of metformin daily or matching placebo and followed for 6 months for a variety of functional outcomes, as well as clinical events.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-eight patients were screened over a six month period and all were excluded. Because of futility with respect to enrollment, the pilot study was abandoned. The mean age of screened patients was 77 (SD 9) years and 57% were male. The main reasons for exclusion were: use of insulin therapy (n = 23; 40%), glycosylated hemoglobin <7% (n = 17; 29%) and current use of high dose metformin (n = 12; 21%). Overall, contraindicated metformin therapy was the most commonly prescribed oral antihyperglycemic agent (n = 27; 51%). On average, patients were receiving 1,706 mg (SD 488 mg) of metformin daily and 12 (44%) used only metformin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite uncertainty in the scientific literature, there does not appear to be clinical uncertainty with regards to the safety or effectiveness of metformin in HF making a definitive randomized trial virtually impossible.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00325910</p

Investigation of a mass stranding of 68 short-beaked common dolphins in Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, Argentina

We report on the investigation of a mass stranding of 68 short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) that occurred in Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, Argentina in March 2018. Twenty-one of the stranded dolphins were returned alive to the sea, while 47 animals died. Dead dolphins included all ages, with more males than females (29 males and 18 females). The cause of death investigation reported here is restricted to 15 adult individuals and one fetus on which a full set of diagnostics was prioritized due to limited funding. Our results demonstrate that the death of 16 dolphins assessed in this study was not due to obvious human effects (e.g. bycatch) or underlying pathologies, as all animals were in good body condition and had no external evidence of injuries. Infections by Morbillivirus, Influenza A virus, Sarcocystis spp., Toxoplasma gondii, or Neospora caninum, as well domoic acid (DA) toxicity were ruled out as ethiologies in this event. Notably, results on exposure to paralytic shelfish toxins (PSP) were the only investigated cause of death found positive. This is the first documentation of exposure to PSP toxins in short-beaked common dolphins from the Argentine Sea. At present our results are insufficient to assess whether PSP toxin exposure played a role in the death of the stranded dolphins. Notwithstanding, the full documentation and investigation of the most commonly reported pathogens and toxins involved in cetacean mass strandings allowed us to clear the most relevant health differentials and suggests areas for future study. Additional potential hypothesis related to factors known or speculated to cause cetacean mass strandings are currently being explored within the ecological context at the time of the event

La iniciativa Open Access, una visión de conjunto

From ancient times to the Millenium Development Goals Declaration, the issue of Access to Information has been essential to the world economic and social development and should be tackled as a right inherent to human beings. The Open Access movement contributes to giving the scientific community the hegemony they deserve by facilitating the use of relevant scientific literature and giving the authors and their work a new measurable visibility, eliminating barriers and reducing inequities in the access to technical-scientific information via the Internet

Ceratite ulcerativa corneana traumática em cão: tratamento com oxigenoterapia hiperbárica

A ceratite ulcerativa de córnea é uma das causas mais comuns de doenças oculares que ocasionam a perda da visão nos cães. Sua etiologia compreende diversos tipos de trauma, produção lacrimal inadequada, lesões químicas e defeitos palpebrais dentre outras. A córnea é uma estrutura avascular, translúcida, composta histologicamente pelo epitélio, estroma, membrana descemet e endotélio. A profundidade que a lesão atinge nessas camadas, determina a intensidade dos sintomas como desconforto e dor ocular, fotofobia, blefaroespasmo, descarga ocular, epífora e perda da transparência corneana, culminando em sinéquia anterior, endoftalmite, colapso de câmara anterior, glaucoma e atrofia do corpo ciliar. A viabilidade de reparo tecidual, a técnica a ser empregada e o tempo previsto para a recuperação do tecido corneal estão intimamente ligados ao número de camadas comprometidas podendo oscilar de dias a meses. A oxigenoterapia hiperbárica (OHB) é uma terapia já utilizada no Brasil e no mundo todo em animais de experimentação em laboratórios, para várias patologias mostrando bons resultados, na rotina de clínica veterinária para pequenos animais sua proposta de utilização desponta como ferramenta diferencial e promissora, aumentando exponencialmente as chances de recuperação dos pacientes. A terapia consiste em manter o paciente no interior de uma câmara hermeticamente fechada, com suprimento controlado de oxigênio a 100%, por períodos de tempo previamente estabelecidos e submetidos a níveis de pressão, acima da pressão atmosférica. A oxigenoterapia hiperbárica acelera o processo de cicatrização de lesões teciduais espontâneas ou traumáticas A escassez de relatos sobre utilização da oxigenoterapia hiperbárica no tratamento de úlceras de córnea justifica a descrição literária deste caso clínico, contribuindo assim para um maior esclarecimento de aspectos relacionados à fisiopatologia, diagnóstico e novas possibilidades de tratamento desta patologia na medicina veterinária e humana. O presente trabalho relata o caso de um canino macho da raça Pug de 3 anos com ceratite ulcerativa corneana traumática, tratado com oxigenoterapia hiperbárica, com rápida e completa cicatrização da lesão em 20 sessões