Mortality due to non-AIDS-defining cancers among people living with HIV in Spain over 18 years of follow-up

Purpose: Our aim was to describe non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADC) mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH), to compare it with that of the general population, and to assess potential risk factors. Methods: We included antiretroviral-naive PLWH from the multicentre CoRIS cohort (2004-2021). We estimated mortality rates and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). We used cause-specific Cox models to identify risk factors. Results: Among 17,978 PLWH, NADC caused 21% of all deaths observed during the follow-up. Mortality rate due to NADC was 1.58 (95%CI 1.36, 1.83) × 1000 person-years and lung and liver were the most frequent cancer-related causes of death. PLWH had 79% excess NADC mortality risk compared to the general population with the highest SMR found for Hodgkin lymphoma, anal and liver cancers. The SMRs decreased with age and were the highest in age groups under 50 years. The most important prognostic factor was low CD4 count, followed by smoking, viral hepatitis and HIV transmission through heterosexual contact or injection drug use. Conclusion: Non-AIDS cancers are an important cause of death among PLWH. The excess mortality related to certain malignancies and the association with immunodeficiency, smoking, and coinfections highlights the need for early detection and treatment of cancer in this population.Purpose: Our aim was to describe non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADC) mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH), to compare it with that of the general population, and to assess potential risk factors. Methods: We included antiretroviral-naive PLWH from the multicentre CoRIS cohort (2004-2021). We estimated mortality rates and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). We used cause-specific Cox models to identify risk factors. Results: Among 17,978 PLWH, NADC caused 21% of all deaths observed during the follow-up. Mortality rate due to NADC was 1.58 (95%CI 1.36, 1.83) × 1000 person-years and lung and liver were the most frequent cancer-related causes of death. PLWH had 79% excess NADC mortality risk compared to the general population with the highest SMR found for Hodgkin lymphoma, anal and liver cancers. The SMRs decreased with age and were the highest in age groups under 50 years. The most important prognostic factor was low CD4 count, followed by smoking, viral hepatitis and HIV transmission through heterosexual contact or injection drug use. Conclusion: Non-AIDS cancers are an important cause of death among PLWH. The excess mortality related to certain malignancies and the association with immunodeficiency, smoking, and coinfections highlights the need for early detection and treatment of cancer in this population.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was supported by CIBER -Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red- (CB21/13/00091), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Unión Europea – NextGenerationEU, the Gilead Scholarship Program for Biomedical Research (GLD19_00106) and the ISCIII- Miguel Servet CP19CIII—00002 contract.S

The different manifestations of COVID-19 in adults and children: a cohort study in an intensive care unit

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has collapsed health systems worldwide. In adults, the virus causes severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), while in children the disease seems to be milder, although a severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) has been described. The aim was to describe and compare the characteristics of the severe COVID-19 disease in adults and children. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included the young adults and children infected with SARS-CoV-2 between March-June 2020 and admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit. The two populations were analysed and compared focusing on their clinical and analytical characteristics and outcomes. Results: Twenty patients were included. There were 16 adults (80%) and 4 children (20%). No mortality was recorded. All the adults were admitted due to ARDS. The median age was 32 years (IQR 23.3-41.5) and the most relevant previous pathology was obesity (n = 7, 43.7%). Thirteen (81.3%) needed mechanical ventilation, with a median PEEP of 13 (IQR 10.5-14.5). Six (37.5%) needed inotropic support due to the sedation. Eight (50%) developed a healthcare-associated infection, the most frequent of which was central line-associated bloodstream infection (n = 7, 71.4%). One patient developed a partial pulmonary thromboembolism, despite him being treated with heparin. All the children were admitted due to MIS-C. Two (50%) required mechanical ventilation. All needed inotropic support, with a median vasoactive-inotropic score of 27.5 (IQR 17.5-30). The difference in the inotropic requirements between the two populations was statistically significant (37.5% vs. 100%, p < 0.001). The biomarker values were higher in children than in adults: mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin 1.72 vs. 0.78 nmol/L (p = 0.017), procalcitonin 5.7 vs. 0.19 ng/mL (p = 0.023), and C-reactive protein 328.2 vs. 146.9 mg/L (p = 0.005). N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and troponins were higher in children than in adults (p = 0.034 and p = 0.039, respectively). Conclusions: Adults and children had different clinical manifestations. Adults developed severe ARDS requiring increased respiratory support, whereas children presented MIS-C with greater inotropic requirements. Biomarkers could be helpful in identifying susceptible patients, since they might change depending on the clinical features

Desafíos normativos en la introducción de especies foráneas en Colombia

El numeral 16 del artículo 2.2.2.3.2.2 del Decreto 1076 de 2015 establece que la Autoridad Nacional de Licencias Ambientales (en adelante ANLA) es competente para otorgar o negar la licencia ambiental relacionada con los proyectos y actividades de introducción al país de parentales, especies, subespecies, razas, híbridos o variedades foráneas con fines de cultivo, levante, control biológico, reproducción y/o comercialización, para establecerse o implantarse en medios naturales o artificiales, que puedan afectar la estabilidad de los ecosistemas o de la vida silvestre. Así como el establecimiento de zoocriaderos que impliquen el manejo de especies listadas en los Apéndices de la Convención sobre el Comercio Internacional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora Silvestre – (CITES). La redacción normativa de este artículo ha generado dificultades tanto para la ANLA como para las personas jurídicas y naturales que pretenden introducir al país especímenes de flora y fauna silvestre., toda vez que regula dos temas distintos en un mismo tipo de licencia, de una parte, la introducción de especies foráneas y de otra, la zoocría de especies CITES. Bajo este marco, la presente investigación se divide en dos capítulos. El primero, brinda argumentos desde una perspectiva jurídica frente a la necesidad de regular por separado los referidos licenciamientos, haciendo énfasis en la presunción legal contenida en la norma y la proporcionalidad en la aplicación del principio de precaución. El segundo, analiza las barreras comerciales y las consecuencias a la seguridad alimentaria que representa la aplicación de las normas vigentes de introducción de especies foráneas con un enfoque en los organismos de control biológico y su importancia en la agricultura.Subsection 16, article 2.2.2.3.2.2 of Decree N°. 1076 of 2015 indicates that the National Authority of Environmental Licenses (Autoridad Nacional de Licencias Ambientales - ANLA) is responsible for granting or denying environmental licenses related to the projects and activities of introduction to the country of parental, foreign species, subspecies, breeds, hybrids or varieties for cultivation purposes, raising, biological control, reproduction and/or marketing, to establish or implant in natural or artificial environments, which may affect the stability of ecosystems or wildlife. As well as the establishment of animal husbandries that involve the management of species listed in the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – (CITES). The implementation of this rule has created difficulties for both, ANLA and users who intend to introduce specimens of wild flora and fauna into the country, since it standardizes two different issues within the same type of license, on the one hand, the introduction of foreign species and on the other, the animal husbandry of CITES species. Under this framework, this research is divided into two chapters. The first one, provides arguments from a legal perspective against the need to separately regulate the licenses, emphasizing the legal presumption contained in the rule and the application of precautionary principle. The second, address on commercial issues and consequences for food security that the application of current regulations for the introduction of foreign species represents, with a focus on biological control organisms and their importance in agriculture.MaestríaMagíster en Gerencia para el Desarroll

COMPOSICIÓN FLORÍSTICA Y USO FORRAJERO DE ARVENSES QUE CRECEN EN ÁREAS CITRÍCOLAS DE CIEGO DE ÁVILA, CUBA

Con la finalidad de: (1) identificar las plantas herbáceas que se desarrollaron en plantaciones citrícolas de la Empresa Cítricos de Ciego de Ávila, clasificándolas taxonómicamente; y (2) definir, a partir de la literatura, algunas de sus características biológicas y su espectro de utilización agronómica, especialmente dirigido a la alimentación de los animales que se integren al sistema, se hizo un muestreo que incluyó el 10 % de los campos dedicados a naranja (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) y toronja (Citrus paradisi Macf), tomando en cuenta la distribución geográfica en sus cuatro puntos cardinales. La determinación de las especies existentes en cada campo se hizo por simple inspección visual, siguiendo un recorrido en zigzag, las no determinadas en el campo se herborizaron para su ulterior identificación. Los resultados de la investigación permiten concluir que en las plantaciones de cítricos estudiadas se desarrollan 61 especies de plantas agrupadas en 19 familias y 48 géneros, de las cuales el 74 % pertenecen a la clase Magnoliatae y el resto a la Liliatae. Fabaceae y Poaceae son las familias más representadas en ambas clases, con 11 y 14 especies respectivamente, muchas de las cuales son perennes que se propagan por semillas, consideradas en su gran mayoría pastos constituidos de los sistemas ganaderos de Cuba y otras regiones tropicales

Absorción acústica de materiales textiles en recintos de culto

Los recintos eclesiales se ornamentan para las grandes festividades principalmente mediante la incorporación de materiales textiles, soluciones efímeras que pueden modificar el comportamiento acústico de estos espacios. El objetivo de este trabajo es caracterizar acústicamente algunas de estas decoraciones textiles, mediante la medición in situ de su coeficiente de absorción, adoptando diferentes configuraciones. Se han usado dos equipos comerciales de medida que permiten determinar el coeficiente de absorción. Estos equipos se basan en dos métodos de cálculo: técnica de sustracción, y la medida de la presión sonora y la velocidad de las partículas. Ponencia presentada en Encuentro Ibérico de Acústica. Simposio europeo sobre Acústica virtual y ambisonics. Valencia, 2015For the great festivities, worship venues are mainly decorated by incorporating textiles, ephemeral solutions which change the acoustic behaviour of these spaces. The aim of this work is the acoustical characterisation of some of these textile decorations by measuring in situ their absorption coefficient, considering different configurations. Two commercial measuring tools have been used in order to determine the absorption coefficient. These systems are based on two calculation methods: subtraction technique and the measurement of both sound pressure and velocity particles

Género e internacionalización: un estudio empírico sobre empresas asentadas en Canarias

Este artículo sintetiza diversos hallazgos obtenidos en un estudio realizado por el Grupo de Investigación “Estrategia y Negocios Internacionales” de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria y financiado por la Sociedad Canaria de Fomento Económico (PROEXCA). El estudio analiza los posibles nexos entre el género de los directivos y la internacionalización empresarial. Tomando una muestra de 153 empresas canarias internacionalizadas (o con potencial para ello), los resultados revelan que, si bien el género del decisor no condiciona el interés de la empresa por internacionalizarse, la mayor proporción de mujeres en el equipo directivo sí incrementa dicha actividad internacional

Sharp increase of Saharan dust intrusions over the Western Mediterranean and Euro-Atlantic region in winters 2020–2022 and associated atmospheric circulation [Discussion paper]

During the winters of the 2020–2022 period, several intense North African dust intrusions affected Europe. Some of them displayed a duration never recorded before. They were referred to as exceptional by several international operational and research institutions considering that wintertime is the season with minimum dust activity in the Mediterranean and Europe. These anomalous winter events with origin in North Africa largely affected western Mediterranean. The main objective of the present work is to analyse the atmospheric drivers (synoptic and large-scale environments) of wintertime (from January to March) dust events over the region covering North Africa, the Western Mediterranean and the Euro-Atlantic during the period 2003–2022. Overall, our results indicate large interannual variability over the study period. A dust catalogue of dust events identified by aerosols retrievals from satellite and aerosol reanalysis products shows a very irregular record and large differences between winter months. The analyses demonstrate a positive anomaly in dust concentration and maximum altitude during the dust events of 2020–2022 in comparison with those of previous years (2003–2019). Winter dust events over western Mediterranean are associated with enhanced blocking activity over the Euro-Atlantic sector, which favours the obstruction of the westerlies and the occurrence of cut-off lows at subtropical latitudes. However, these high-pressure systems can exhibit a large variety of configurations, including meridional dipole blocking patterns with poleward shifted jets or Mediterranean subtropical ridges with an intensified mid-latitude jet. The former was more frequent during the reference 2003–2019 period, whereas the latter was relatively common during the anomalous 2020–2022 period

Volume 279, February 2024, 127572

16 p.-4 fig.-4 tab.The filamentous cyanobacterium Limnospira platensis, formerly known as Arthrospira platensis or spirulina, is one of the most commercially important species of microalgae. Due to its high nutritional value, pharmacological and industrial applications it is extensively cultivated on a large commercial scale. Despite its widespread use, its precise manipulation is still under development due to the lack of effective genetic protocols. Genetic transformation of Limnospira has been attempted but the methods reported have not been generally reproducible in other laboratories. Knowledge of the transformation defense mechanisms is essential for understanding its physiology and for broadening their applications. With the aim to understand more about the genetic defenses of L. platensis, in this work we have identified the restriction-modification and CRISPR-Cas systems and we have cloned and characterized thirteen methylases. In parallel, we have also characterized the methylome and orphan methyltransferases using genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation patterns and RNA-seq. The identification and characterization of these enzymes will be a valuable resource to know how this strain avoids being genetically manipulated and for further genomics studies.This work was supported by projects S2013/ABI-2783 (INSPIRA1-CM), S2018/BAA-4532 (ALGATEC-CM) from “Comunidad de Madrid /ESF-ERDF”; RTI2018–094399-A-I00 (SETH) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity; RobExplode PID2019-108458RB-I00 (AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by Sycosys TED2021–130689B-C33 from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) grants.Peer reviewe

Crónica de las IX Jornadas de Jóvenes en Investigación Arqueológica. Arqueología en 3D: herramienta social, agente histórico y ciencia natural. Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria (IIIPC), Universidad de Cantabria (UC), S

Crónica de las IX Jornadas de Jóvenes en Investigación Arqueológica. Arqueología en 3D: herramienta social, agente histórico y ciencia natural. Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria (IIIPC), Universidad de Cantabria (UC),