Special issue: Plasma Medicine - part I

Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i BenestarPostprint (published version

End of Life Cost Savings in the Palliative Care Unit Compared to Other Services.

Context Hospital deaths carry a significant healthcare cost that has been confirmed to be lower when palliative care units (PCUs) are available. Objectives To compare the last admission hospital health care cost of dying in a first-level hospital between the PCU and the rest of the hospital services. Methods A retrospective, comparative, observational study evaluating costs from the payer perspective on treatments and diagnostic-therapeutic tests performed on patients who die in first-level hospital, comparing whether they were treated by the PCU or another unit (Non-PCU). Patients with a mortality risk >2 were included according to the Severity of Illness Index (SOI) and Risk of Mortality (MOR). All cost express in €, median per patient and interquartile range (IQR). Results From 1,833 patients who died, 1,389 were included, 442 (31.1%) treated by PCU and 928 (68.9%) Non-PCU. Statistical differences were found for the last admission total cost (€262.8 (€470.1) for PCU versus €515.3 (€980.48) in Non-PCU), daily total cost (€74.27 (€127.4) vs €115.8 (€142.4) Non-PCU). Savings were maintained when the sample was broken down by diagnosis-related group (DRG) and a multivariate analysis was performed to determine how the different patients baseline characteristics between PCU and Non-PCU patients influenced the results obtained. Conclusions Data from this study show that cost is significantly lower when the patients are treated by a PCU during their last hospital stay when they pass away.post-print159 K

LA CONSULTA PREVIA, COMO MECANISMO DE PARTICIPACIÓN DE LAS COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS EN COLOMBIA

El Convenio 169 de la oit, que puede ser citado como Convenio sobre pueblos indígenas y tribales de 1989, adoptado el 27 de junio de 1989 por ese organismo internacional, fue ratificado en Colombia por medio de la Ley 21 de 4 de marzo de 1991. Colombia reconoció constitucionalmente la diversidad étnica y cultural, tal como se indica en el artículo 7 de la Constitución Política, con este trabajo pretendemos precisar qué se entiende por consulta previa, establecer cómo se determina la existencia de un grupo indígena para la aplicación del convenio 169, como se ha entendido la afectación directa para la consulta previa, si la consulta previa es o no un derecho fundamental y la forma de defensa de este mecanismo

LA CONSULTA PREVIA, COMO MECANISMO DE PARTICIPACIÓN DE LAS COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS EN COLOMBIA

El Convenio 169 de la oit, que puede ser citado como Convenio sobre pueblos indígenas y tribales de 1989, adoptado el 27 de junio de 1989 por ese organismo internacional, fue ratificado en Colombia por medio de la Ley 21 de 4 de marzo de 1991. Colombia reconoció constitucionalmente la diversidad étnica y cultural, tal como se indica en el artículo 7 de la Constitución Política, con este trabajo pretendemos precisar qué se entiende por consulta previa, establecer cómo se determina la existencia de un grupo indígena para la aplicación del convenio 169, como se ha entendido la afectación directa para la consulta previa, si la consulta previa es o no un derecho fundamental y la forma de defensa de este mecanismo

Redes convolucionales para clasificación de imágenes y dibujos. Interpretación del aprendizaje por visualización de activaciones intermedias

En este trabajo se realiza una investigación sobre las técnicas de aprendizaje para la clasificación automática de imágenes y dibujos usando redes convolucionales. Además, se exploran técnicas para visualizar e interpretar el aprendizaje realizado por las redes, lo cual es especialmente relevante en aplicaciones en las que la clasificación automática se usa como ayuda o complemento a la clasificación manual como puede ser, por ejemplo, en imágenes para diagnóstico médico o en aplicaciones de control de calidad

Current state of cold atmospheric plasma and cancer-immunity cycle: therapeutic relevance and overcoming clinical limitations using hydrogels

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a partially ionized gas that gains attention as a well-tolerated cancer treatment that can enhance anti-tumor immune responses, which are important for durable therapeutic effects. This review offers a comprehensive and critical summary on the current understanding of mechanisms in which CAP can assist anti-tumor immunity: induction of immunogenic cell death, oxidative post-translational modifications of the tumor and its microenvironment, epigenetic regulation of aberrant gene expression, and enhancement of immune cell functions. This should provide a rationale for the effective and meaningful clinical implementation of CAP. As discussed here, despite its potential, CAP faces different clinical limitations associated with the current CAP treatment modalities: direct exposure of cancerous cells to plasma, and indirect treatment through injection of plasma-treated liquids in the tumor. To this end, a novel modality is proposed: plasma-treated hydrogels (PTHs) that can not only help overcome some of the clinical limitations but also offer a convenient platform for combining CAP with existing drugs to improve therapeutic responses and contribute to the clinical translation of CAP. Finally, by integrating expertise in biomaterials and plasma medicine, practical considerations and prospective for the development of PTHs are offered.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Hacia un modelo de neuro-responsabilidad: una perspectiva de la responsabilidad social desde el desarrollo humano

ABSTRACT The increase of studies arising from neuroscience, based on the technological developments that permit the investigation of cerebral patterns through neuro-imaging, has created a new area of study involving all those fields of study which use the prefix neuro, such as neuro-economy, neuro-marketing, and neuro- social science. This article conducts a revision based on various investigations with the object of presenting social responsibility, conceptually associated with organizational paradigms, in order to suggest an evolutionary tendency typical of human development, called Neuro-responsibility. Key words: Neuro-responsibility, social responsibility, values, evolution, empathy. RESUMEN El auge del estudio desde la neurociencia, con base en el desarrollo tecnológico que permite investigar los procesos cerebrales mediante la neuro-imágen, ha conllevado una nueva área que tras el prefijo neuro abarca áreas de estudio como la neuroeconomía, el neuromarketing y la neurociencia social. Este artículo realiza una revisión basada en diferentes trabajos de investigación con el objetivo de presentar la responsabilidad social, vinculada conceptualmente a paradigmas organizacionales, hacia una propuesta de tendencia evolutiva propia del desarrollo humano, denominada Neuroresponsabilidad. Palabras clave: Neuroresponsabilidad, responsabilidad social, valores, evolución, empatía.

A propósito de la Responsabilidad Social Universitaria

Given the arrival of the fourth industrial revolution, according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum (2016); it becomes urgent to, from the universities, thoroughly reflect upon the role and impact of higher education in the contemporary society, regarding the evolution of its social and economic systems. Such an analysis must face critical aspects as the pertinence and quality of the educational offer, the teaching and learning methods, the social relevance of research and its transference, the funding systems available to satisfy the needs and expectations of the interest groups, as well as those of society as a whole. © Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales.Llegado el punto de una cuarta revolución industrial según el reciente informe del World Economic Forum (2016), desde las instituciones de educación superior (IES) se hace urgente una reflexión pausada sobre el rol y el impacto de la educación superior en la sociedad contemporánea de cara a la evolución de su sistema social y económico. Dicho análisis ha de contemplar aspectos sustanciales como la pertinencia y calidad de la oferta formativa, los métodos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, la relevancia social de la investigación y su transferencia, los esquemas de financiación con que se cuenta en clave de satisfacer necesidades y expectativas de sus grupos de interés, así como de la sociedad en su conjunto. © Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales

Effect of Nitrogen-fixing Microorganisms and Amino Acid-based Biostimulants on Perennial Ryegrass

[EN] Due to restrictions on pesticide and nitrogen use in high-input European agricultural systems, many of the biostimulants used in horticulture are being incorporated into turfgrass management programs-although often with little understanding. A set of experiments was carried out on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cultivated in pots in a greenhouse in 2013 and 2014 to test the effect of three biostimulants: two composed of nitrifying bacteria (B1 and B2), and the other a mixture of amino acids, polysaccharides, nitrogen, and micronutrients (B3). Apart from the biostimulant treatment, nutritional stress was incorporated into the study to demonstrate if biostimulants could temporarily replace the fertilization role and so lessen the environmental impact. Turfgrass treated with B1 resulted in an increase in quality compared with untreated turf, and the positive effect lasted 2 and 3 months in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Additionally, an extended benefit was observed when the B1 interval application was longer, even temporarily replacing fertilization when applied on stressed turfgrass. The B2 produced similar results to B1, the effect was longer, and the turf exhibited a darker color-although it caused phytotoxicity at the tip of the leaves. The B3 led to a beneficial effect on turfgrass, especially under nutritional stress; it showed a better quality, darker green color, and more growth and yield than untreated turf (despite adding less nitrogen than during either mineral fertilizer treatment). Overall results show that the tested biostimulants increase turfgrass quality even when inducing a nutritional stress.De Luca, V.; Gómez De Barreda, D.; Lidón, A.; Lull Noguera, C. (2020). Effect of Nitrogen-fixing Microorganisms and Amino Acid-based Biostimulants on Perennial Ryegrass. HortTechnology. 30(2):280-291. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04236-19S28029130