Modern cave pollen in an arid environment and its application to describe palaeorecords

This paper presents pollen-analytical results of surface sediments from two caves in southeastern Spain, a region of particular interest because of its relatively arid climate and entomophilous-dominated flora. The positive role of aridity on pollen preservation in cave sediments is confirmed, and is reflected by samples with high pollen concentration and number of taxa, and low percentages of indeterminable palynomorphs. Pollen spectra from cave sediments, while strongly influenced by biotic transport, may represent the surrounding vegetation acceptably well, even better than the external pollen rain in which is biased by very abundant production and dispersal of wind-pollinated taxa.Análisis de polen moderno en cuevas con un clima árido y su aplicación para describir los paleoregistros. Se presentan los resultados del análisis polínico de sedimentos superficiales de dos cavidades del SE ibérico, región caracterizada por un clima relativamente árido y una vegetación principalmente entomófila. Queda confirmado el valor de la aridez para la preservación polínica en los sedimentos de cavidades kársticas, encontrándose valores elevados de concentración polínica y del número de taxones, así como bajos porcentajes de pólenes indeterminables. Los espectros polínicos de sedimentos de cuevas, aún estando fuertemente influenciados por el transporte biótico, pueden constituir un buen indicador de la vegetación que crece en los alrededores de la cavidad, incluso mejor que la propia lluvia polínica externa

Nutritional Supplementation to Increase Influenza Vaccine Response in Children Living With HIV: A Pilot Clinical Trial

Final results of this work have been presented at the following meetings: 36rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID 2018), Malmö, Sweden, 28th May-June 2nd, 2018. (Ref. ESP18-0517).Aims: Vaccine response is poor among children living with HIV. The gut microbiota has been identified as a potential target to improve vaccine immunogenicity, but data are scarce in the context of HIV infection. Methods: Pilot, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial in which 24 HIV-infected children were randomized to receive a mixture of symbiotics, omega-3/6 fatty acids, and amino acids or placebo for 4 weeks, each in combination with ART, and were then immunized against influenza. Vaccine response and safety of the nutritional supplementation were the primary outcomes. Results: Eighteen HIV-infected children completed the follow-up period (mean age 11.5 ± 4.14 years, 61% female). The nutritional supplement was safe but did not enhance the response to the influenza vaccine. A 4-fold rise in antibody titers was obtained in only 37.5% of participants in the intervention arm vs. 40% in the placebo. No immunological or inflammatory predictors of vaccine response were identified. Conclusions: In this exploratory study, a 4-week course of symbiotics did not increase influenza vaccine immunogenicity in HIV-infected children. Larger studies are warranted to address the potential of modulating the microbiome in children living with HIV.This work was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Fondos FEDER (grant number CB21/17/00025), Acción Estratégica en Salud (PI13/0422, PI17/01283, PI18/00154, and PI18CIII/00009). TS and SS-V have been funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Fondos FEDER (BA21/00022 and BA21/00017). The funding bodies did not have a role in the design or conduct of the study, the analysis and interpretation of the results, and the writing of the report or the decision to publish. The authors would like to particularly acknowledge all the children and adolescents as well as their families for their participation in this study. They acknowledge the Spanish Pediatric HIV infection Group CORISPE and the Pediatric HIV BioBank integrated in the Spanish AIDS Research Network and collaborating Centers [supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Health Ministry (Grant n◦ RD06/0006/0035)] for its collaboration and cession of clinical information and samples used in this work. Nutricion Médica S.L., manufactured and packaged the nutritional product under investigation. Final results of this work have been presented at the following meetings: 36rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID 2018), Malmö, Sweden, 28th May-June 2nd, 2018. (Ref. ESP18-0517).S

Nutritional Supplementation to Increase Influenza Vaccine Response in Children Living With HIV: A Pilot Clinical Trial

AimsVaccine response is poor among children living with HIV. The gut microbiota has been identified as a potential target to improve vaccine immunogenicity, but data are scarce in the context of HIV infection.MethodsPilot, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial in which 24 HIV-infected children were randomized to receive a mixture of symbiotics, omega-3/6 fatty acids, and amino acids or placebo for 4 weeks, each in combination with ART, and were then immunized against influenza. Vaccine response and safety of the nutritional supplementation were the primary outcomes.ResultsEighteen HIV-infected children completed the follow-up period (mean age 11.5 ± 4.14 years, 61% female). The nutritional supplement was safe but did not enhance the response to the influenza vaccine. A 4-fold rise in antibody titers was obtained in only 37.5% of participants in the intervention arm vs. 40% in the placebo. No immunological or inflammatory predictors of vaccine response were identified.ConclusionsIn this exploratory study, a 4-week course of symbiotics did not increase influenza vaccine immunogenicity in HIV-infected children. Larger studies are warranted to address the potential of modulating the microbiome in children living with HIV

Prevalence of rhinitis and asthma respiratory symptoms in Spanish working population

Licencia para reproducir, transmitir y exhibir los documentos para cualquier propósito responsable sin fines de lucro, con la condición del reconocimiento apropiado de los créditos a la revista.[ES] Introducción: en salud laboral interesa conocer la prevalencia de los síntomas respiratorios relacionados con la rinitis y el asma en trabajadores españoles y sus variaciones por factores demográfi cos y laborales. El objetivo de esta investigación fue interrelacionar los síntomas respiratorios de vías altas y bajas. Métodos: se solicitó a 2603 trabajadores de distintos sectores y provincias españolas contestar una encuesta que fue supervisada por un médico del trabajo. Resultados: 438 trabajadores presentaron síntomas nasales crónicos (16.9 %) y 193 (7.5 %), síntomas pulmonares. De los 438 con síntomas nasales, 124 (28.3 %) presentaron síntomas pulmonares. Se observaron variaciones en los síntomas nasales por sexo, sector profesional, área de trabajo, tabaquismo y variaciones en los síntomas pulmonares por sector laboral, con mayor prevalencia en el sanitario, postal y transporte, en comparación con los sectores de la construcción, mueble o el metal. Conclusiones: la prevalencia de los síntomas nasales en la población trabajadora fue más elevada que la de los síntomas pulmonares. Los trabajadores afectados estaban infratratados, a pesar de padecer síntomas. Se observó interrelación entre los síntomas pulmonares y nasales de los trabajadores afectados.[EN] Objective: the aims were to examine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms associated with rhinitis and asthma in Spanish workers and its variations by age, sex, work sector, location in the workplace, smok- ing habits and the relationship between symptoms in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Methods: the sample was of 2603 workers in different sectors and regions throughout the country. They agreed and answered the ques- tions regarding respiratory symptoms, with the supervision of the com- pany s physician. Results: chronic nasal symptoms were present in 438 workers (16.9 %); 193 (7.5 %) had pulmonary symptoms. With nasal and pulmonary symp- toms were 124 patients (28.3 %). Likewise, of the 190 workers with pulmonary symptoms, 124 (64.2 %) had also nasal manifestations. We observed variations in nasal symptoms by sex, professional sector, work area and smoking habits, and variations in pulmonary symptoms by work sector. A higher prevalence was noted in the healthcare, postal, and transport sector as opposed to the construction, furniture or metal sector. Conclusions: the prevalence of nasal symptoms was higher than that of pulmonary symptoms in the working population. The workers affected by these pathologies were not treated adequately, despite they were pre- senting symptoms. We observed a relationship between pulmonary and nasal symptomsVicente Herrero, MT.; Prieto Andrés, L.; López González, ÁA.; Pérez Francés, C.; Ramirez Iñiguez De La Torre, MV.; Santamaria Navarro, C.; Terradillos García, MJ.... (2014). Síntomas respiratorios de rinitis y asma en población laboral española. Revista Medica- Instituto Mexicano Del Seguro Social. 52(1):50-59. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/62647S505952

Spanish National Hip Fracture Registry (RNFC) : First-year results and comparison with other registries and prospective multi-centric studies from Spain

Fundamentos: El Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera (RNFC) es un registro español multicéntrico, prospectivo y continuo, que comenzó en 2017. El objetivo de este artículo fue presentar los datos del primer informe anual y compararlos con los registros autonómicos y los estudios multicéntricos realizados recientemente en España. Métodos: Se incluyeron las personas de 75 años o más atendidas con el diagnóstico de fractura de cadera por fragilidad en alguno de los hospitales participantes en el RNFC, entre enero y octubre de 2017. En el análisis estadístico se utilizó la media y desviación estándar o mediana y rangos intercuartílicos para las variables numéricas y los porcentajes para las variables categóricas. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo global de la casuística y se comparó con los datos disponibles de los estudios previos mencionados. Resultados: Se registraron 7.208 personas de 54 hospitales, con una edad media de 86,7 años (DE 5,6). El 75,4% fueron mujeres y el 36,4% presentaron deterioro cognitivo previo. La demora quirúrgica media fue de 75,7 horas (DE 63,6) y la estancia media fue de 10,9 días (DE 6,7). De las personas que vivían en un domicilio antes de la fractura (75,4%), menos de la mitad (37,0%) volvieron a él tras el alta hospitalaria. Al mes, había fallecido el 7,1%. La comparación con los otros estudios mostró algunas diferencias importantes, sobre todo en la ubicación previa, en el porcentaje de pacientes institucionalizados de novo (7,7-29,4%) y en el porcentaje con tratamiento antiosteoporótico al alta (14,5-36,7%). Conclusiones: El RNFC es la mayor base de datos prospectiva que aporta datos sobre el perfil de los pacientes hospitalizados por fractura de cadera en España. La comparación con otros estudios recientes muestra algunas diferencias importantes.OBJECTIVE: The Spanish National Hip Fracture Registry (Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera or RNFC) is a Spanish, prospective, multi- centric registry, commenced in 2017. The goal of this paper is to present the data from the first annual report and to compare them with autonomic registries and recent prospective multi-centric studies performed in Spain. METHODS: We included persons 75 years or older treated for fragility hip fractures in any of the centers participating in the RNFC between January and October 2017. The descriptive statistics of each variable used the mean (and standard deviation) or the median (and interquartile ranges) for the ordinal variables and the percentage for the categoric variables. A descriptive analysis of the casemix was performed and compared with available data from the aforementioned studies. RESULTS: The RNFC included 7.208 patients from 54 hospitals, with a mean age of 86.7 (SD 5.6) years; 75.4% were women, and 36.4% showed cognitive decline. Mean surgical delay was 75.7 (SD 63.6) hours, and length of stay averaged 10.9 (SD 6.7) days. Of the patients who lived at home (75.4%), less than half (37.0%) returned home at discharge. One-month mortality was 7.1%. Comparison with other studies showed important differences, especially regarding patients newly sent to nursing homes (7.7-29.4%) and with antiosteoporotic treatment at discharge (14.5-36.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The RNFC is the largest prospective database to date that offers data regarding the characteristics of patients hospitalized for hip fractures in Spain. Comparison with recent studies showed some important differences

Conserving Ecosystem Diversity in the Tropical Andes

Documenting temporal trends in the extent of ecosystems is essential to monitoring their status but combining this information with the degree of protection helps us assess the effectiveness of societal actions for conserving ecosystem diversity and related ecosystem services. We demonstrated indicators in the Tropical Andes using both potential (pre-industrial) and recent (~2010) distribution maps of terrestrial ecosystem types. We measured long-term ecosystem loss, representation of ecosystem types within the current protected areas, quantifying the additional representation offered by protecting Key Biodiversity Areas. Six (4.8%) ecosystem types (i.e., measured as 126 distinct vegetation macrogroups) have lost >50% in extent across four Andean countries since pre-industrial times. For ecosystem type representation within protected areas, regarding the pre-industrial extent of each type, a total of 32 types (25%) had higher representation (>30%) than the post-2020 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) draft target in existing protected areas. Just 5 of 95 types (5.2%) within the montane Tropical Andes hotspot are currently represented with >30% within the protected areas. Thirty-nine types (31%) within these countries could cross the 30% CBD 2030 target with the addition of Key Biodiversity Areas. This indicator is based on the Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV) and responds directly to the needs expressed by the users of these countries

Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera (RNFC): Resultados del primer año y comparación con otros registros y estudios multicéntricos españoles

Background: The Spanish National Hip Fracture Registry (Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera or RNFC) is a Spanish, prospective, multi- centric registry, commenced in 2017. The goal of this paper is to present the data from the first annual report and to compare them with autonomic registries and recent prospective multi-centric studies performed in Spain. Methods: We included persons 75 years of age or older treated for fragility hip fractures in any of the centers participating in the RNFC between January and October 2017. The descriptive statistics of each variable used the mean (and standard deviation) or the median (and interquartile ranges) for the ordinal variables and the percentage for the categoric variables. A descriptive analysis of the casemix was performed and compared with available data from the aforementioned studies. Results: The RNFC included 7.208 patients from 54 hospitals, with a mean age of 86.7 (SD 5.6) years; 75.4% were women, and 36.4% showed cognitive decline. Mean surgical delay was 75.7 (SD 63.6) hours, and length of stay averaged 10.9 (SD 6.7) days. Of the patients who lived at home (75.4%), less than half (37.0%) returned home at discharge. One-month mortality was 7.1%. Comparison with other studies showed important differences, especially regarding patients newly sent to nursing homes (7.7-29.4%) and with antiosteoporotic treatment at discharge (14.5-36.7%). Conclusions: The RNFC is the largest prospective database to date that offers data regarding the characteristics of patients hospitalized for hip fractures in Spain. Comparison with recent studies showed some important differencesFundamentos: El Registro Nacional de Fracturas de Cadera (RNFC) es un registro español multicéntrico, prospectivo y continuo, que comenzó en 2017. El objetivo de este artículo fue presentar los datos del primer informe anual y compararlos con los registros autonómicos y los estudios multicéntricos realizados recientemente en España. Métodos: Se incluyeron las personas de 75 años o más atendidas con el diagnóstico de fractura de cadera por fragilidad en alguno de los hospitales participantes en el RNFC, entre enero y octubre de 2017. En el análisis estadístico se utilizó la media y desviación estándar o mediana y rangos intercuartílicos para las variables numéricas y los porcentajes para las variables categóricas. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo global de la casuística y se comparó con los datos disponibles de los estudios previos mencionados. Resultados: Se registraron 7.208 personas de 54 hospitales, con una edad media de 86,7 años (DE 5,6). El 75,4% fueron mujeres y el 36,4% presentaron deterioro cognitivo previo. La demora quirúrgica media fue de 75,7 horas (DE 63,6) y la estancia media fue de 10,9 días (DE 6,7). De las personas que vivían en un domicilio antes de la fractura (75,4%), menos de la mitad (37,0%) volvieron a él tras el alta hospitalaria. Al mes, había fallecido el 7,1%. La comparación con los otros estudios mostró algunas diferencias importantes, sobre todo en la ubicación previa, en el porcentaje de pacientes institucionalizados de novo (7,7-29,4%) y en el porcentaje con tratamiento antiosteoporótico al alta (14,5-36,7%). Conclusiones: El RNFC es la mayor base de datos prospectiva que aporta datos sobre el perfil de los pacientes hospitalizados por fractura de cadera en España. La comparación con otros estudios recientes muestra algunas diferencias importantesThe RNFC has been financed through donations by AMGEN SA, UCB Pharma, Abbott Laboratories and FAES Farma, as well as a Research Grant from the Fundación Mutua Madrileña (AP169672018)

Conectando Física y Matemáticas a través de material docente creado por alumnos

Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasFALSEsubmitte

Treatment variability and its relationships to outcomes among patients with Wernicke's encephalopathy: A multicenter retrospective study

Background: Despite guidelines and recommendations, Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) treatment lacks evidence, leading to clinical practice variability.Aims: Given the overall lack of information on thiamine use for WE treatment, we analyzed data from a large, well-characterized multicenter sample of patients with WE, examining thiamine dosages; factors associated with the use of different doses, frequencies, and routes; and the influence of differences in thiamine treatment on the outcome.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with data from 443 patients from 21 centers obtained from a nationwide registry of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (from 2000 to 2012). Discharge codes and Caine criteria were applied for WE diagnosis, and treatment-related (thiamine dosage, frequency, and route of administration) demographic, clinical, and outcome variables were analyzed.Results: We found marked variability in WE treatment and a low rate of high-dose intravenous thiamine administration. Seventy-eight patients out of 373 (20.9%) received > 300 mg/day of thiamine as initial dose. Patients fulfilling the Caine criteria or presenting with the classic WE triad more frequently received parenteral treatment. Delayed diagnosis (after 24 h hospitalization), the fulfillment of more than two Caine criteria at diagnosis, mental status alterations, and folic acid deficiency were associated significantly with the lack of complete recovery. Malnutrition, reduced consciousness, folic acid deficiency, and the lack of timely thiamine treatment were risk factors for mortality.Conclusions: Our results clearly show extreme variability in thiamine dosages and routes used in the management of WE. Measures should be implemented to ensure adherence to current guidelines and to correct potential nutritional deficits in patients with alcohol use disorders or other risk factors for WE

Brentuximab vedotin in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas: Data from the Spanish Primary Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry

[Background] Brentuximab vedotin (BV) has been approved for CD30-expressing cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) after at least one previous systemic treatment. However, real clinical practice is still limited.[Objectives] To evaluate the response and tolerance of BV in a cohort of patients with CTCL.[Methods] We analysed CTCL patients treated with BV from the Spanish Primary Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry (RELCP).[Results] Sixty-seven patients were included. There were 26 females and the mean age at diagnosis was 59 years. Forty-eight were mycosis fungoides (MF), 7 Sézary syndrome (SS) and 12 CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorders (CD30 LPD). Mean follow-up was 18 months. Thirty patients (45%) showed at least 10% of CD30+ cells among the total lymphocytic infiltrate. The median number of BV infusions received was 7. The overall response rate (ORR) was 67% (63% in MF, 71% in SS and 84% in CD30 LPD). Ten of 14 patients with folliculotropic MF (FMF) achieved complete or partial response (ORR 71%). The median time to response was 2.8 months. During follow-up, 36 cases (54%) experienced cutaneous relapse or progression. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 10.3 months. The most frequent adverse event was peripheral neuropathy (PN) (57%), in most patients (85%), grades 1 or 2.[Conclusions] These results confirm the efficacy and safety of BV in patients with advanced-stage MF, and CD30 LPD. In addition, patients with FMF and SS also showed a favourable response. Our data suggest that BV retreatment is effective in a proportion of cases.The Spanish Primary Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry (RELCP) is promoted by the Fundación Piel Sana Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología, which received an unrestricted grant support from Kyowa Kirin.Peer reviewe