Urban imaginaries, topophilias and topophobias: The city of Chiguayante (Biobío region, Chile), a case study

As an element of memory and social capital construction, Infrastructure projects constitutes an exquisite model of sovereignty and integral control of the territory that gets materialised in a social memory, through a cultural landscape. This paper is set to explore, in a qualitative dimension, the development of a local and cultural landscape; the changes that has been produced in the territory as the physical matrix, as well as the memory of the community from the city of La Unión (Chile), after the installation of the Llollelhue hydroelectric plant, also known as La Turbina [the turbine]. The architecture, the building that control the water supply, still remain as an important part of the city landscape, with heritage attributes and current profitable vocation. The methodology uses a multiple-scales approach of landscape and social memory, linked as an element of the sociocultural dimension. The preliminary results point to characterize a matrix of the collaborative dynamics, between landscape and society. Thus, this cultural landscape developed by La Turbina, is defined as a heritage system that conjugates features that go far beyond the limits of a building and they refer an epistemology of territory

Imaginarios urbanos sobre topofilia y topofobia: el caso de la ciudad de Chiguayante, Región del Biobío

As an element of memory and social capital construction, Infrastructure projects constitutes an exquisite model of sovereignty and integral control of the territory that gets materialised in a social memory, through a cultural landscape. This paper is set to explore, in a qualitative dimension, the development of a local and cultural landscape; the changes that has been produced in the territory as the physical matrix, as well as the memory of the community from the city of La Unión (Chile), after the installation of the Llollelhue hydroelectric plant, also known as La Turbina [the turbine]. The architecture, the building that control the water supply, still remain as an important part of the city landscape, with heritage attributes and current profitable vocation. The methodology uses a multiple-scales approach of landscape and social memory, linked as an element of the sociocultural dimension. The preliminary results point to characterize a matrix of the collaborative dynamics, between landscape and society. Thus, this cultural landscape developed by La Turbina, is defined as a heritage system that conjugates features that go far beyond the limits of a building and they refer an epistemology of territory.La modernidad y su asiento en obras de infraestructura, como elemento de memoria y construcción de capital social, constituye un modelo exquisito de soberanía y control integral del territorio, que se materializa también en una memoria social, a través de un paisaje cultural. Se propone explorar en una dimensión cualitativa, la conformación de un paisaje cultural local y los cambios que se han producido en el territorio como matriz física, así como en la memoria de la comunidad de la ciudad de La Unión (Chile), a partir de la instalación de la central hidroeléctrica Llollelhue, más conocida como La Turbina. En una arquitectura como conjunto material, que considera escalas de control del recurso hídrico, y que es parte de un paisaje con atributos patrimoniales y de vocación productiva actual. Esto se aborda metodológicamente desde la comprensión multiescalar de la dimensión del paisaje y de la memoria social vinculada, como elemento de la dimensión socio cultural. Los resultados preliminares apuntan a caracterizar esa matriz hipotética de dinámicas colaborativas entre paisaje y sociedad. Así_ este paisaje cultural desarrollado por La Turbina, se define como un sistema patrimonial que conjuga atributos que van más allá de su representación como bien inmueble y refieren una epistemología del territorio

Differentially Expressed Genes and Signaling Pathways Potentially Involved in Primary Resistance to Chemo-Immunotherapy in Advanced-Stage Gastric Cancer Patients

Recently, the combination of chemotherapy plus nivolumab (chemo-immunotherapy) has become the standard of care for advanced-stage gastric cancer (GC) patients. However, despite its efficacy, up to 40% of patients do not respond to these treatments. Our study sought to identify variations in gene expression associated with primary resistance to chemo-immunotherapy. Diagnostic endoscopic biopsies were retrospectively obtained from advanced GC patients previously categorized as responders (R) or non-responders (NR). Thirty-four tumor biopsies (R: n = 16, NR: n = 18) were analyzed by 3′ massive analysis of cDNA ends (3′MACE). We found >30 differentially expressed genes between R and NRs. Subsequent pathway enrichment analyses demonstrated that angiogenesis and the Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathway were enriched in NRs. Concomitantly, we performed next generation sequencing (NGS) analyses in a subset of four NR patients that confirmed alterations in genes that belonged to the Wnt/β-catenin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways. We speculate that angiogenesis, the Wnt, and the PI3K pathways might offer actionable targets. We also discuss therapeutic alternatives for chemo-immunotherapy-resistant advanced-stage GC patients

High proportion of potential candidates for immunotherapy in a Chilean cohort of gastric cancer patients: results of the FORCE1 study

Gastric cancer (GC) is a heterogeneous disease. This heterogeneity applies not only to morphological and phenotypic features but also to geographical variations in incidence and mortality rates. As Chile has one of the highest mortality rates within South America, we sought to define a molecular profile of Chilean GCs (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03158571/(FORCE1)). Solid tumor samples and clinical data were obtained from 224 patients, with subsets analyzed by tissue microarray (TMA; n = 90) and next generation sequencing (NGS; n = 101). Most demographic and clinical data were in line with previous reports. TMA data indicated that 60% of patients displayed potentially actionable alterations. Furthermore, 20.5% were categorized as having a high tumor mutational burden, and 13% possessed micro-satellite instability (MSI). Results also confirmed previous studies reporting high Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity (13%) in Chilean-derived GC samples suggesting a high proportion of patients could benefit from immunotherapy. As expected, TP53 and PIK3CA were the most frequently altered genes. However, NGS demonstrated the presence of TP53, NRAS, and BRAF variants previously unreported in current GC databases. Finally, using the Kendall method, we report a significant correlation between EBV+ status and programmed death ligand-1 (PDL1)+ and an inverse correlation between p53 mutational status and MSI. Our results suggest that in this Chilean cohort, a high proportion of patients are potential candidates for immunotherapy treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first in South America to assess the prevalence of actionable targets and to examine a molecular profile of GC patients