Second GHEP-ISFG exercise for DVI: “DNA-led” victims’ identification in a simulated air crash

The Spanish and Portuguese-Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (GHEP-ISFG) has organized a second collaborative exercise on a simulated case of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), with the participation of eighteen laboratories. The exercise focused on the analysis of a simulated plane crash case of medium-size resulting in 66 victims with varying degrees of fragmentation of the bodies (with commingled remains). As an additional difficulty, this second exercise included 21 related victims belonging to 6 families among the 66 missings to be identified. A total number of 228 post-mortem samples were represented with aSTR and mtDNA profiles, with a proportion of partial aSTR profiles simulating charred remains. To perform the exercise, participants were provided with aSTR and mtDNA data of 51 reference pedigrees —some of which deficient—including 128 donors for identification purposes. The exercise consisted firstly in the comparison of the post-mortem genetic profiles in order to re-associate fragmented remains to the same individual and secondly in the identification of the re-associated remains by comparing aSTR and mtDNA profiles with reference pedigrees using pre-established thresholds to report a positive identification. Regarding the results of the post-mortem samples re-associations, only a small number of discrepancies among participants were detected, all of which were from just a few labs. However, in the identification process by kinship analysis with family references, there were more discrepancies in comparison to the correct results. The identification results of single victims yielded fewer problems than the identification of multiple related victims within the same family groups. Several reasons for the discrepant results were detected: a) the identity/non-identity hypotheses were sometimes wrongly expressed in the likelihood ratio calculations, b) some laboratories failed to use all family references to report the DNA match, c) In families with several related victims, some laboratories firstly identified some victims and then unnecessarily used their genetic information to identify the remaining victims within the family, d) some laboratories did not correctly use “prior odds” values for the Bayesian treatment of the episode for both post-mortem/post-mortem re-associations as well as the ante-mortem/post-mortem comparisons to evaluate the probability of identity. For some of the above reasons, certain laboratories failed to identify some victims. This simulated “DNA-led” identification exercise may help forensic genetic laboratories to gain experience and expertize for DVI or MPI in using genetic data and comparing their own results with the ones in this collaborative exercise.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewe

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Abdera y su territorio: descubrimientos recientes

En esta contribución presentamos los resultados obtenidos en la campaña de excavación de 2006- 2007 efectuada en la antigua Abdera fenicia, en la que documentamos varias fases de ocupación ininterrumpidas desde mediados del siglo VII a.C. hasta el siglo IV a.C. Asimismo damos a conocer datos obtenidos de un nuevo yacimiento fortificado denominado Altos de Reveque, localizado en la costa del poniente almeriense que aporta interesantes datos sobre el territorio de Abdera y la explotación de sus recursos naturales

Pithouses or ritual dumps? On Late Bronze and Early Iron Age’s material context type in the South of the Iberian Peninsula. The dump of Cortijo Riquelme (Almería)

Cortijo Riquelme is a Late Bronze and Early Iron Age’s archaeological dump in the South East of the Iberian Peninsula which belongs to the so called pithouses. This traditional interpretation has been rejected by recent critical studies. Following this positions, the paper analyzes the mentioned dump, which mainly contained Late Bronze and very ancient Phoenician imported pottery, showing the introduction of Phoenician wine and the service for its consumption. A comparison is done with other similar dumps distributed in the South of the Iberian peninsula from Late Bronze Age, though the majority are dated during the early centuries if the 1st millennium bc, coinciding with the Phoenician colonization. Another Mediterranean dumps from Crete, Cyprus, Sicily and North Africa related with feasts help to propose an interpretation for the dump of Cortijo Riquelme and others of the same type, in which the ritual deposit of the containers used in feasts should contribute to the formation of dumps, in a context of increasing competition of local elites in processes of social differentiation

Podcasts como ferramenta para aprender sobre Direito

La proliferación de nuevas formas de transmisión del conocimiento, así como de su difusión constituye una oportunidad que la enseñanza del Derecho no puede dejar pasar. La elaboración de podcast o podcasting con fines educativos o de aplicación a la docencia ha sido ya objeto de utilización en el contexto anglosajón y, en un nivel mucho menor, en el contexto español. Como ya alude Piñero-Otero, T. en su investigación “La utilización de los podcasts en la universidad española: entre la institución y la enseñanza”, la incorporación de los podcasts como herramienta docente en las universidades españolas fue tardía respecto a otras universidades, como las norteamericanas. Y, no sólo eso, sino que su aplicación en la práctica es escasa. Los podcasts muestran relevantes potencialidades para la formación universitaria y, en específico, para la formación en Derecho. El formato de fragmentos o episodios de audio que desarrollan conocimiento, online, público, gratuito y accesible en cualquier momento se evidencia pertinente para captar el interés del estudiantado. Evidencia que queda patente en los estudios que ya han aplicado esta herramienta. El presente proyecto busca fomentar la extensión de este instrumento en el entorno universitario como recurso formativo complementario y de apoyo a la clase magistral y práctica establecida en la regulación de las enseñanzas superiores. Tal y como se ha apuntado en numerosas ocasiones por docentes que ya han aplicado los podcasts en la educación, se trata de una fuente más que, en ningún caso, se propone como sustitutoria de las clases ordinarias. Ello supondría el desencadenamiento de efectos negativos como una insuficiencia de formación, falta de intercambio de pensamiento y debate y riesgo de asistencia y participación en el aula, entre otros. Respecto de este último aspecto, estudios como el de Parson, V., Reddy, P., Wood, J. y Senior, C. (2009), “Educating and iPod generation: undergraduate attitudes, experiences and understanding of vodcast and podcast use”, reflejan que los estudiantes consideran como un aspecto muy positivo el hecho de que los podcasts permitan aprender y revisar el contenido de la asignatura; aspecto que quedaría desvirtuado si la docencia tradicional quedará completamente subsumida al empleo del podcast.El objetivo del Proyecto de Innovación Docente es ofrecer una herramienta para el aprendizaje del Derecho, basada en la digitalización mediante podcast, que permita a los estudiantes disponer de contenidos jurídicos para su proceso formativo.The aim of the Teaching Innovation Project is to offer a tool for learning law, based on digitalisation through podcasts, which allows students to have access to legal content for their learning process.L'obiettivo del Progetto di Innovazione Didattica è quello di offrire uno strumento per l'apprendimento del diritto, basato sulla digitalizzazione attraverso i podcast, che permetta agli studenti di avere accesso a contenuti giuridici per il loro processo di formazione.O objetivo do Projeto de Inovação Didática é oferecer uma ferramenta de aprendizagem do direito, baseada na digitalização através de podcasts, que permita aos estudantes ter acesso a conteúdos jurídicos para o seu processo de formação.Depto. de Derecho del Trabajo y Seguridad SocialFac. de DerechoFALSEsubmitte

Pictavia Aurea

Este volumen, titulado Pictavia aurea, reúne 131 estudios que constituyen una granada muestra de los debates y las presentaciones en torno a la cultura hispánica del Siglo de Oro que entre los días 11 y 15 de julio de 2011 se dieron en la ciudad de Poitiers (Francia) en el marco del IX congreso de la Asociación Internacional “Siglo de Oro”. Auspiciada por la Universidad de Poitiers, a través del Centro de Estudios de la Literatura española de Entre Siglos (siglos xvii-xviii) (CELES XVII-XVIII) y el laboratorio «Formes et Représentations en Linguistique et Littérature» (FoReLL), la convocatoria reunió en la ciudad francesa a 276 participantes y a un centenar de asistentes en la novena edición del Congreso de la Asociación, que celebró entonces la efeméride del 450o aniversario del nacimiento de Luis de Góngora.A Isaías Lerner, maestro de la filología hispánic

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis.

The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327  There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in th