Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Precariedad, exclusión social y diversidad funcional (discapacidad): lógicas y efectos subjetivos del sufrimiento social contemporáneo (II). Innovación docente en Filosofía

El PIMCD "Precariedad, exclusión social y diversidad funcional (discapacidad): lógicas y efectos subjetivos del sufrimiento social contemporáneo (II). Innovación docente en Filosofía" se ocupa de conceptos generalmente eludidos por la tradición teórica (contando como núcleos aglutinantes los de la precariedad laboral, la exclusión social y diversidad funcional o discapacidad), cuyo análisis propicia nuevas prácticas en la enseñanza universitaria de filosofía, adoptando como meta principal el aprendizaje centrado en el estudiantado, el diseño de nuevas herramientas de enseñanza y el fomento de una universidad inclusiva. El proyecto cuenta con 26 docentes de la UCM y otros 28 docentes de otras 17 universidades españolas (UV, UNED, UGR, UNIZAR, UAH, UC3M, UCA, UNIOVI, ULL, EHU/UPV, UA, UAM, Deusto, IFS/CSIC, UCJC, URJC y Univ. Pontificia de Comillas), que permitirán dotar a las actividades programadas de un alcance idóneo para consolidar la adquisición de competencias argumentativas y dialécticas por parte de lxs estudiantes implicados en el marco de los seminarios previstos. Se integrarán en el PIMCD, aparte de PDI, al menos 26 estudiantes de máster y doctorado de la Facultad de Filosofía, a lxs que acompañarán durante el desarrollo del PIMCD 4 Alumni de la Facultad de Filosofía de la UCM, actualmente investigadores post-doc y profesorxs de IES, cuya experiencia será beneficiosa para su introducción en la investigación. Asimismo, el equipo cuenta con el apoyo de varixs profesorxs asociadxs, que en algunos casos son también profesores de IES. Varixs docentes externos a la UCM participantes en el PIMCD poseen una dilatada experiencia en la coordinación de proyectos de innovación de otras universidades, lo que redundará en beneficio de las actividades a desarrollar. La coordinadora y otrxs miembros del PIMCD pertenecen a la Red de Innovación Docente en Filosofia (RIEF), puesta en marcha desde la Universitat de València (http://rief.blogs.uv.es/encuentros-de-la-rief/), a la que mantendremos informada de las actividades realizadas en el proyecto. Asimismo, lxs 6 miembros del PAS permitirán difundir debidamente las actividades realizadas en el PIMCD entre lxs estudiantes Erasmus IN del curso 2019/20 en la Facultad de Filosofía, de la misma manera que orientar en las tareas de maquetación y edición que puedan ser necesarias de cara a la publicación de lxs resultados del PIMCD y en las tareas de pesquisa bibliográfica necesarias para el desarrollo de los objetivos propuestos. Han manifestado su interés en los resultados derivados del PIMCD editoriales especializadas en la difusión de investigaciones predoctorales como Ápeiron y CTK E-Books

Termodinámica Aplicada - II154 - 202101

INTRODUCCIÓN DEL CURSO Descripción: Es un curso que proporciona los conceptos y herramientas para identificar, describir y calcular el consumo energético de diversos procesos domésticos e industriales. En esta asignatura se describen los principios básicos de la generación de energía mecánica y eléctrica a partir de la transformación de la energía calorífica así como las restricciones de dicha trasformación. Se muestra al alumno los criterios para tomar decisiones respecto al qué, cuánto y cómo producir energía y su uso racional en diversos procesos industriales que incluyen también la conservación de alimentos, la refrigeración y el acondicionamiento de aire. Propósito: El curso de Termodinámica Aplicada tiene como propósito que el estudiante describa problemas de ingeniería relacionados con la producción y consumo de energía, analice el problema a través de antecedentes y que pueda calcular los requerimientos de energía térmica y/o eléctrica de máquinas industriales para la toma decisiones orientadas a la reducción de costos mediante el ahorro y/o uso racional de la energía. Presenta informes técnicos en los cuales identifica y utiliza las variables dependientes e independientes del sistema en su análisis y propuestas, de manera estructurada y formal. El curso contribuye directamente al desarrollo de las competencias generales de Comunicación Oral (nivel 1) y Comunicación Escrita (nivel 2) y la competencia específica específica ABET (B): Tiene la habilidad para planificar y conducir experimentos, analizando e interpretando los datos obtenidos (nivel 1)

Detection of Leishmania infantum kinetoplast minicircle DNA by Real Time PCR in hair of dogs with leishmaniosis

It is known that hair can accumulate environmental toxics and excrete foreign chemical or biological substances. In this context, we hypothesized that foreign DNA could be found in the hair of an infected organism, and thus, be detected by Real Time PCR in the hair of Leishmania infantum naturally infected dogs. A population of 28 dogs living in Leishmania endemic areas was divided into two groups: A (13 Leishmania infected dogs) and B (15 healthy dogs). Blood, lymph node and ear hair samples from all of them were tested for the presence of parasite kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). For the same purpose, hair of several body areas and hair sections of two infected dogs were also analyzed. Epidermal keratinocytes from an infected animal were also analyzed for reactivity against Leishmania antigens by ELISA and for the presence of kDNA. Regarding to dogs from group A, parasite kDNA was detected in the 100% of lymph node samples. The sensitivity of Real Time PCR in ear hair was similar to that obtained in blood (9 positive out of 13 versus 8 positive out of 13, respectively). Moreover, the presence of L. infantum kDNA was also detected in the hair of all the analyzed body zones, in all hair sections and in epidermal keratinocytes. In infected dogs, parasite kDNA could be detected and quantified from just one single hair, whereas it was not detected in any of the samples of the healthy dogs. This work describes a new method for a reliable and non-invasive diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis using hair samples of infected animals. The data presented also provide some insights for the understanding of the physiology of keratinocytes and the role of hair as a specialized tissue in the kidnapping and removal of foreign DNA. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.Research agreement SGTRI 112/06 between LETI Laboratories S.L.U. and University of Extremadura (Spain)Peer Reviewe

Experimental model for reproduction of canine visceral leishmaniosis by Leishmania infantum

In this report an experimental model of Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection in dogs is described. The data presented are derived from an overall and comparative analysis of the clinical outcomes of three groups of dogs intravenously infected with 500,000 promastigotes on different dates (2003, 2006 and 2008). The parasites used for challenge were isolated from a dog having a patent form of leishmaniosis, classified as MCAN/ES/1996/BCN150 zymodeme MON-1. Late-log-phase promastigote forms derived from cultured amastigotes obtained from the spleen of the heavily infected hamsters were used for infection. Only one single infective dose was administered to each dog. After challenge, the animals were monitored for 12 months. To analyze the disease outcome, several biopathological, immunological and parasitological end-points were considered. The analysis of the infected dogs indicated that the development of the clinical disease was very similar in the three experimental challenges, as shown by the immune response, the parasite load and the clinical and histopathological lesions detected at necropsy. A high similarity was also observed between the disease development after the experimental challenge and the one reported to occur in endemic natural infection areas, as various degrees of susceptibility to the disease and even resistance were observed in the experimentally infected animals. We believe that this challenge model faithfully reproduces and mimics the course of a natural infection and that it could be used as a suitable tool for analyzing the efficacy of anti-Leishmania drugs and vaccines. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.Unit of Immunology and Vaccines for Global Health; Laboratorios LETI S.L.U. (Madrid, Spain)Peer Reviewe

Separating actin-dependent chemokine receptor nanoclustering from dimerization indicates a role for clustering in CXCR4 signaling and function.

A current challenge in cell motility studies is to understand the molecular and physical mechanisms that govern chemokine receptor nanoscale organization at the cell membrane, and their influence on cell response. Using single-particle tracking and super-resolution microscopy, we found that the chemokine receptor CXCR4 forms basal nanoclusters in resting T cells, whose extent, dynamics, and signaling strength are modulated by the orchestrated action of the actin cytoskeleton, the co-receptor CD4, and its ligand CXCL12. We identified three CXCR4 structural residues that are crucial for nanoclustering and generated an oligomerization-defective mutant that dimerized but did not form nanoclusters in response to CXCL12, which severely impaired signaling. Overall, our data provide new insights to the field of chemokine biology by showing that receptor dimerization in the absence of nanoclustering is unable to fully support CXCL12-mediated responses, including signaling and cell function in vivoThis work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF 2014-53416-R, SAF 2017-82940-R AEI/FEDER, EU) and the RETICS Program (RD16/0012/0006; RIER), Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2013-0347; SEV-2015-0522), and Fundación Privada Cellex and Generalitat de Catalunya (CERCA program). L.M.-M. is supported by the COMFUTURO program of the Spanish Research Council General Foundation.Peer reviewe

Detection and chronology of parasitic kinetoplast DNA presence in hair of experimental Leishmania major infected BALB/c mice by Real Time PCR

Hair can accumulate foreign chemical or biological substances. Recently, it has been reported that parasite DNA can also be detected in the hair of Leishmania infantum infected dogs. The aim of this work has been to find out whether parasite DNA incorporates in the hair of Leishmania major experimentally infected animals. For this purpose, a group of 4 BALB/c mice, intradermally inoculated in both ears with 1000 L. major V1 strain promastigote forms, was monitored for parameters associated to the infection during 35 days. Weekly, ear swelling was measured, and hair samples from ears and leg were collected. Blood samples were obtained before challenge and at day 35 post infection, when parasite load was measured in ear, lymph node and spleen by limit dilution. Ear swelling and other parameters observed in the infected mice were consistent with those described for this model. The presence of parasite kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) was detected by Real Time PCR in all ear and leg hair samples at the final timepoint. These data suggests that hair is a specialized tissue in the sequestration and removal of foreign DNA. Detection of DNA in hair could be, therefore, a useful tool to chronologically record the infection process during experimental mice assays. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (FIS PI11/00095); Instituto de Salud Carlos III within the Network of Tropical Diseases Research (RICETRD06/0021/0008); University of Extremadura, Spain (SGTRI112/06); Fundación Ramón ArecesPeer Reviewe