Intoxicaciones por drogas de abuso: sustancias emergentes en el siglo XXI

El uso de productos exógenos para modificar el estado de la cociencia ha sido una constante a lo largo de la historia de la humanidad. Inicialmente se utilizaron sustancias derivadas de plantas, pero la evolución tecnológica permitió la elaboración de sustancias sintetizadas de novo o modificadas de otras ya existentes, que actualmente son consumidas por millones de personas con intención experimental o lúdica. Clásicamente se ha asociado el consumo de determinadas drogas con sectores sociales o culturales determinados (cultura reggae y marihuana, jóvenes yuppies y cocaína, o aficionados a la música electrónica y anfetaminas, por ejemplo). Sin embargo, desde el punto de vista sanitario estas asociaciones carecen de fundamento. No sólo porque el mercado de cualquier tipo de droga transciende estos condicionantes sociales, sino porque es habitual que un mismo consumidor utilice múltiples sustancias persiguiendo distintos efectos, en ocasiones a lo largo de una misma noche. La utilización de este tipo de drogas genera gran cantidad de problemas médicos que motivan asistencia urgente. El presente trabajo repasa las drogas de abuso emergentes más utilizadas en los inicios del siglo XXI y los efectos que tienen sobre la salud de los usuarios

Raves, consumo de drogas y asistencia en urgencias

Carta a l'edito

Quasi-homothetic transformation for comparing the mechanical performance of planar models in biological research

The potential of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) as an analytical technique in biological research has been widely highlighted in recent years. In spite of its great power, only in the best of circumstances one can compare the behaviour of models that differ in size and shape. Here, a new and easy procedure to scale FE models of plane elasticity is presented for several species of extant bovids that significantly differ in size and morphology. The method is based on the modification of the values of the forces applied by taking into account the particularities of the elasticity plane models (plane strain and plane stress equations) using quasi-homothetic transformations. This approach is shown to be extremely useful when exploring the effect of the shape in front of the strength and the stiffness of vertebrate bone structures. Thus, the quasihomothetic concept is a new and interesting proposal to be used in plane elasticity models of biological, and specifically of vertebrate, structures which can be modelled as two-dimensional finite element models

Persistent COVID-19 symptoms 1 year after hospital discharge: A prospective multicenter study

Objective To determine the health status and exercise capacity of COVID-19 survivors one year after hospital discharge. Methods This multicenter prospective study included COVID-19 survivors 12 months after hospital discharge. Participants were randomly selected from a large cohort of COVID-19 patients who had been hospitalized until 15th April 2020. They were interviewed about persistent symptoms, underwent a physical examination, chest X-ray, and a 6-minute walk test (6MWT). A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for persistent dyspnea. Results Of the 150 patients included, 58% were male and the median age was 63 (IQR 54-72) years. About 82% reported >= 1 symptoms and 45% had not recovered their physical health. The multivariate regression analysis revealed that the female sex, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and smoking were independent risk factors for persistent dyspnea. Approximately 50% completed less than 80% of the theoretical distance on the 6MWT. Only 14% had an abnormal X-ray, showing mainly interstitial infiltrates. A third of them had been followed up in outpatient clinics and 6% had undergone physical rehabilitation. Conclusion Despite the high rate of survivors of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with persistent symptomatology at 12 months, the follow-up and rehabilitation of these patients has been really poor. Studies focusing on the role of smoking in the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms are lacking

Climate change and human impact in Macaronesia

Past climate dynamics have helped shape the endemic ecosystems of Macaronesia. However, these insular ecosystems have since been modified following the arrival of human settlers, who had to adapt to the new environments and resources

Plan de Desarrollo de las Competencias Genéricas (PDCG) para los nuevos grados de ingeniería en la ETSEIAT

Esta comunicación recoge el Plan de Coordinación de las Competencias Genéricas (PCCG) para las nuevas titulaciones de Grado que se impartirán en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenierías Industrial y Aeronáutica de Terrassa de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, a partir del curso 2010-2011. Este PCCG se generó inicialmente como una actividad específica del taller “Cómo diseñar actividades para el desarrollo de competencias genéricas” impartido desde el Institut de Ciències de l’Educació (ICE-UPC) en Mayo de 2009, y ha constado de cuatro fases.Postprint (published version

Utility of CYP2D6 copy number variants as prognostic biomarker in localized anal squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is an infrequent tumor whose treatment has not changed since the 1970s. The aim of this study is the identification of biomarkers allowing personalized treatments and improvement of therapeutic outcomes. Methods: Forty-six paraffin tumor samples from ASCC patients were analyzed by whole-exome sequencing. Copy number variants (CNVs) were identified and their relation to disease-free survival (DFS) was studied and validated in an independent retrospective cohort of 101 ASCC patients from the Multidisciplinary Spanish Digestive Cancer Group (GEMCAD). GEMCAD cohort proteomics allowed assessing the biological features of these tumors. Results: On the discovery cohort, the median age was 61 years old, 50% were males, stages I/II/III: 3 (7%)/16 (35%)/27 (58%), respectively, median DFS was 33 months, and overall survival was 45 months. Twenty-nine genes whose duplication was related to DFS were identified. The most representative was duplications of the CYP2D locus, including CYP2D6, CYP2D7P, and CYP2D8P genes. Patients with CYP2D6 CNV had worse DFS at 5 years than those with two CYP2D6 copies (21% vs. 84%; p <.0002, hazard ratio [HR], 5.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7–24.9). In the GEMCAD validation cohort, patients with CYP2D6 CNV also had worse DFS at 5 years (56% vs. 87%; p =.02, HR = 3.6; 95% CI, 1.1–5.7). Mitochondria and mitochondrial cell-cycle proteins were overexpressed in patients with CYP2D6 CNV. Conclusions: Tumor CYP2D6 CNV identified patients with a significantly worse DFS at 5 years among localized ASCC patients treated with 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C, and radiotherapy. Proteomics pointed out mitochondria and mitochondrial cell-cycle genes as possible therapeutic targets for these high-risk patients. Plain Language Summary: Anal squamous cell carcinoma is an infrequent tumor whose treatment has not been changed since the 1970s. However, disease-free survival in late staged tumors is between 40% and 70%. The presence of an alteration in the number of copies of CYP2D6 gene is a biomarker of worse disease-free survival. The analysis of the proteins in these high-risk patients pointed out mitochondria and mitochondrial cell-cycle genes as possible therapeutic targets. Therefore, the determination of the number of copies of CYP2D6 allows the identification of anal squamous carcinoma patients with a high-risk of relapse that could be redirected to a clinical trial. Additionally, this study may be useful to suggest new treatment strategies to increase current therapy efficacyIdiPAZ, Grant/Award Number: Jesús Antolín Garciarena Fellowship; European Proteomics Infrastructure Consortium, Grant/Award Number: 823839, Horizon 2020 Programm

The Sant Pau Initiative on Neurodegeneration (SPIN) cohort : A data set for biomarker discovery and validation in neurodegenerative disorders

Altres ajuts: The SPIN cohort has received funding from CIBERNED; Instituto de Salud Carlos III; jointly funded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Unión Europea, "Una manera de hacer Europa"; Generalitat de Catalunya; Fundació "La Marató TV3" Fundació Bancària Obra Social La Caixa; Fundación BBVA; Fundación Española para el Fomento de la Investigación de la Esclerosis Lateral Amiotrófica (FUNDELA); Global Brain Health Institute; Fundació Catalana Síndrome de Down; and Fundació Víctor Grífols i Lucas. These funding sources had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.The SPIN (Sant Pau Initiative on Neurodegeneration) cohort is a multimodal biomarker platform designed for neurodegenerative disease research following an integrative approach. Participants of the SPIN cohort provide informed consent to donate blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples, receive detailed neurological and neuropsychological evaluations, and undergo a structural 3T brain MRI scan. A subset also undergoes other functional or imaging studies (video-polysomnogram, 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, amyloid PET, Tau PET). Participants are followed annually for a minimum of 4 years, with repeated cerebrospinal fluid collection and imaging studies performed every other year, and brain donation is encouraged. The integration of clinical, neuropsychological, genetic, biochemical, imaging, and neuropathological information and the harmonization of protocols under the same umbrella allows the discovery and validation of key biomarkers across several neurodegenerative diseases. We describe our particular 10-year experience and how different research projects were unified under an umbrella biomarker program, which might be of help to other research teams pursuing similar approaches

Pre-astronomica navigation in antiquity: the use of birds for nautical orientation

El presente estudio reúne los datos referentes a la utilización de pájaros (preferentemente cuervos y palomas) como auxiliares de los navegantes, para buscar la costa desde alta mar. Su utilización está documentada desde el tercer milenio a. C. en Oriente y durante el segundo milenio a. C. en el Egeo. De las posibilidades y limitaciones de esta forma de navegar depende en gran medida la interrelación cultural en el Mediterráneo. Un experimento practicado realizado en 1986 permite comprobar la eficacia de la suelta de aves para orientar a los navegantes que se pierden en alta mar. La orientación astronómica supone la posibilidad de grandes rutas de ida y vuelta que van a cambiar radicalmente el panorama cultural y económico del Mediterráneo a partir del primer milenio a. C.This paper deals with the use of birds (ravens and doves) as attendants of the sailors to search the coast from the sea. This use is documented since the III millennium B. C. in the Aegean Sea. The possibilities and limitations of this art of sailing are very important to the cultural interrelationship in the Mediterranean. An experience performed in 1986 has allowed us to verify the efficiency of the birds to guide sailors in high sea. The astronomical orientation assumes the possibility of big return routes, which are radically changing the cultural and economic panorama of the Mediterranean since the I millennium B. C

Ten years of emergency attendances for cocaine-users in Spain

Sin financiación1.417 JCR (2014) Q2, 69/154 Medicine, General & InternalUE