Hypermedia : taller de configuración arquitectónica

El Grupo "Hypermedia. Taller de configuración arquitectónica" lo formamos un colectivo de profesores (doctores y asociados), doctorandos y becarios agrupados en la enseñanza del dibujo y el dibujar como herramienta para la elaboración profesional de proyectos de arquitectura en los primeros (1º y 2º año) semestres de la carrera de Arquitecto Superior. Algunos de nosotros empezamos hace más de 35 años alrededor de los ordenadores, estudiando y simulando procesos de generación de propuestas arquitectónicas. Trabajábamos en el Centro de Cálculo de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (desde el año 1968, en un seminario denominado: "Análisis y generación de formas arquitectónicas"). Después, desde el 1974, en la Cátedra de Análisis de Formas Arquitectónicas, hemos participado y contribuido a la definición del Área de conocimiento denominada "Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica" y hemos constituido la asociación de Departamentos del Área de todas las Escuelas de Arquitectura del Estado Español, que, en paralelo, ha creado una Revista especializada (EGA lleva editados 10 números anuales) y sostiene la convocatoria bianual de un Congreso Internacional sobre los temas propios de nuestra especialización. Hoy el Grupo, amplio por razón de la situación estratégica del dibujar (inespecífico, geométrico y arquitectónico) como medio indispensable en el trabajo de proyectar arquitectura, se organiza en varios subgrupos que se reparten puntualmente las preocupaciones y temáticas globales (colectivas) que sistemáticamente aparecen, produciendo gran cantidad de trabajos que, en forma de encargos subvencionados, tesis doctorales, monografías, ponencias y artículos aparecen año tras año en diversos medios de difusión (u edición). Nuestros trabajos no son todos estratégicos, pero son todos (sean o no aplicaciones) centrales en la formación arquitectónica, concernidos con la fundamentación teórica, social, científica y técnica de lo medio ambiental (lo arquitectónico entendido como lo envolvente adecuado al albergue de actividades humanas socializadas)

May Measurement Month 2018: a pragmatic global screening campaign to raise awareness of blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension

Aims Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden worldwide and fewer than half of those with hypertension are aware of it. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017, to raise awareness of high BP and as a pragmatic solution to a lack of formal screening worldwide. The 2018 campaign was expanded, aiming to include more participants and countries. Methods and results Eighty-nine countries participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. In total, 74.9% of screenees provided three BP readings. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to impute missing readings. 1 504 963 individuals (mean age 45.3 years; 52.4% female) were screened. After multiple imputation, 502 079 (33.4%) individuals had hypertension, of whom 59.5% were aware of their diagnosis and 55.3% were taking antihypertensive medication. Of those on medication, 60.0% were controlled and of all hypertensives, 33.2% were controlled. We detected 224 285 individuals with untreated hypertension and 111 214 individuals with inadequately treated (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) hypertension. Conclusion May Measurement Month expanded significantly compared with 2017, including more participants in more countries. The campaign identified over 335 000 adults with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. In the absence of systematic screening programmes, MMM was effective at raising awareness at least among these individuals at risk

Técnicas analíticas para el control de la contaminación ambiental / Analytical techniques for environmental pollution control

En el control de la contaminación ambiental, es esencial realizar un muestreo adecuado, con el siguiente tratamiento de muestra, para continuar con el análisis de los posibles contaminantes. Para lograr un análisis satisfactorio es esencial emplear la técnica analítica más conveniente para cada tipo de muestra, tipo de análisis, etc. En esta contribución se ha realizado una revisión exhaustiva de las técnicas de análisis más importantes para el control de la contaminación medioambiental en función del tipo de muestra, si ésta es orgánica o inorgánica y del estado físico en que se encuentra. ABSTRACTIn the control of environmental pollution, it is essential to make adequate sampling, the following sample treatment, to continue the analysis of possible contaminants. To achieve a satisfactory analysis is essential to use the most suitable analytical technique, for each type of sample, type of analysis, etc. This contribution has made a thorough review of the most important analytical techniques for the control of environmental pollution depending on the type of sample, whether it is organic or inorganic and in which physical state the sample is

Hypermedia : taller de configuración arquitectónica

El Grupo "Hypermedia. Taller de configuración arquitectónica" lo formamos un colectivo de profesores (doctores y asociados), doctorandos y becarios agrupados en la enseñanza del dibujo y el dibujar como herramienta para la elaboración profesional de proyectos de arquitectura en los primeros (1º y 2º año) semestres de la carrera de Arquitecto Superior. Algunos de nosotros empezamos hace más de 35 años alrededor de los ordenadores, estudiando y simulando procesos de generación de propuestas arquitectónicas. Trabajábamos en el Centro de Cálculo de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (desde el año 1968, en un seminario denominado: "Análisis y generación de formas arquitectónicas"). Después, desde el 1974, en la Cátedra de Análisis de Formas Arquitectónicas, hemos participado y contribuido a la definición del Área de conocimiento denominada "Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica" y hemos constituido la asociación de Departamentos del Área de todas las Escuelas de Arquitectura del Estado Español, que, en paralelo, ha creado una Revista especializada (EGA lleva editados 10 números anuales) y sostiene la convocatoria bianual de un Congreso Internacional sobre los temas propios de nuestra especialización. Hoy el Grupo, amplio por razón de la situación estratégica del dibujar (inespecífico, geométrico y arquitectónico) como medio indispensable en el trabajo de proyectar arquitectura, se organiza en varios subgrupos que se reparten puntualmente las preocupaciones y temáticas globales (colectivas) que sistemáticamente aparecen, produciendo gran cantidad de trabajos que, en forma de encargos subvencionados, tesis doctorales, monografías, ponencias y artículos aparecen año tras año en diversos medios de difusión (u edición). Nuestros trabajos no son todos estratégicos, pero son todos (sean o no aplicaciones) centrales en la formación arquitectónica, concernidos con la fundamentación teórica, social, científica y técnica de lo medio ambiental (lo arquitectónico entendido como lo envolvente adecuado al albergue de actividades humanas socializadas)

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research

Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation and History of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Insights from GARFIELD-AF

BACKGROUND: Many patients with atrial fibrillation have concomitant coronary artery disease with or without acute coronary syndromes and are in need of additional antithrombotic therapy. There are few data on the long-term clinical outcome of atrial fibrillation patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome. This is a 2-year study of atrial fibrillation patients with or without a history of acute coronary syndromes

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field