Efecto de amortiguamiento térmico de una barrera verde de Arundo donax como elemento de bioclimatización en edificios

Among the main environmental impacts of the operation of residential buildings are those due to greenhouse gases generation as a result of electric consumption of air conditioning systems. The use of vegetation systems in residential buildings represents an alternative to reduce this energy consumption. Green vegetation systems barriers are often used as protection against winds, but recently they are also being used as acoustic dampers. This work explores their use as thermal insulation systems for buildings. Specifically, we report the behavior of an Arundo donax green barrier as a bioclimatic element. The results are analyzed based on indoor and outdoor temperature measurement in prototype buildings, in function of the green barrier presence. Additionally Arundo donax transpiration under extreme environmental conditions was determined.Entre los principales impactos ambientales derivados de la operación de edificios habitacionales está la generación de gases de efecto invernadero resultante del consumo eléctrico de sistemas de climatización. El uso de sistemas de vegetación representa una alternativa para disminuir dicho consumo energético. Las barreras verdes son sistemas de vegetación empleados como protección contra el viento, aunque recientemente se ha explorado su uso como sistemas de amortiguación acústica. En este trabajo se analiza su posible aplicación como sistemas de aislamiento térmico para edificios. En específico, se reporta el comportamiento de una barrera verde de Arundo donax como elemento de bioclimatización. Los resultados se analizan a partir de las temperaturas medidas en el interior y exterior de edificios prototipo, en función de la presencia de una barrera verde. Adicionalmente se determinó la traspiración del Arundo donax en condiciones ambientales extremas

Distribution and outcomes of a phenotype-based approach to guide COPD management: Results from the CHAIN cohort

Rationale: The Spanish guideline for COPD (GesEPOC) recommends COPD treatment according to four clinical phenotypes: non-exacerbator phenotype with either chronic bronchitis or emphysema (NE), asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS), frequent exacerbator phenotype with emphysema (FEE) or frequent exacerbator phenotype with chronic bronchitis (FECB). However, little is known on the distribution and outcomes of the four suggested phenotypes. Objective: We aimed to determine the distribution of these COPD phenotypes, and their relation with one-year clinical outcomes. Methods: We followed a cohort of well-characterized patients with COPD up to one-year. Baseline characteristics, health status (CAT), BODE index, rate of exacerbations and mortality up to one year of follow-up were compared between the four phenotypes. Results: Overall, 831 stable COPD patients were evaluated. They were distributed as NE, 550 (66.2%); ACOS, 125 (15.0%); FEE, 38 (4.6%); and FECB, 99 (11.9%); additionally 19 (2.3%) COPD patients with frequent exacerbations did not fulfill the criteria for neither FEE nor FECB. At baseline, there were significant differences in symptoms, FEV1 and BODE index (all p<0.05). The FECB phenotype had the highest CAT score (17.1±8.2, p<0.05 compared to the other phenotypes). Frequent exacerbator groups (FEE and FECB) were receiving more pharmacological treatment at baseline, and also experienced more exacerbations the year after (all p<0.05) with no differences in one-year mortality. Most of NE (93%) and half of exacerbators were stable after one year. Conclusions: There is an uneven distribution of COPD phenotypes in stable COPD patients, with significant differences in demographics, patient-centered outcomes and health care resources use

The value of metabolic imaging to predict tumour response after chemoradiation in locally advanced rectal cancer

Preliminary data of this work were presented by RCM and awarded at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Coloproctology (AECP) held in Barcelona.Background: We aim to investigate the possibility of using 18F-positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET-CT) to predict the histopathologic response in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) treated with preoperative chemoradiation (CRT). Methods: The study included 50 patients with LARC treated with preoperative CRT. All patients were evaluated by PET-CT before and after CRT, and results were compared to histopathologic response quantified by tumour regression grade (patients with TRG 1-2 being defined as responders and patients with grade 3-5 as non-responders). Furthermore, the predictive value of metabolic imaging for pathologic complete response (ypCR) was investigated. Results: Responders and non-responders showed statistically significant differences according to Mandard's criteria for maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) before and after CRT with a specificity of 76,6% and a positive predictive value of 66,7%. Furthermore, SUVmax values after CRT were able to differentiate patients with ypCR with a sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 74,4% (positive predictive value 41,2% and negative predictive value 87,9%); This rather low sensitivity and specificity determined that PET-CT was only able to distinguish 7 cases of ypCR from a total of 11 patients. Conclusions: We conclude that 18-F PET-CT performed five to seven weeks after the end of CRT can visualise functional tumour response in LARC. In contrast, metabolic imaging with 18-F PET-CT is not able to predict patients with ypCR accuratelyFounded by the Fundación Investigación Mutua Madrileña. We are indebted to M. Expósito Ruiz for statistical support. and to J-L Marín Aznar for pathologic analysisYe

La Cueva de El Sidrón (Piloña Asturias)

Estado de las excavaciones y estudios en la Cueva de El Sidrón (PIloña, Asturias)

Supplementary Appendix. All-trans retinoic acid works synergistically with the γ- secretase inhibitor crenigacestat to augment BCMA on multiple myeloma and the efficacy of BCMA-CAR T cells

Supplement Figure 1: ATRA treatment does not affect the viability of myeloma cell lines. MM.1S, OPM-2 and NCI-H929 cells were treated with ATRA for up to 72 hours. Cell viability was measured by flow cytometry and 7AAD staining (n=6). Bar diagrams show mean values +SD.Supplement Figure 2: ATRA plus crenigacestat treatment enhance BCMA expression on myeloma cell lines. Bar diagram shows BCMA expression on OPM-2 cells (n=3) after treatment with 100 nM ATRA and/or 10 nM GSI crenigacestat for 72 hours. Bar diagram shows mean values +SD. P-values between indicated groups were calculated using unpaired t-test. *p<0.05, **p<0.01.Supplement Figure 3: ATRA treatment leads to increased BCMA transcripts in OPM-2 myeloma cells. BCMA RNA levels in OPM-2 were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) assay after incubation with increasing doses of ATRA for 48 hours (n=3). Bar diagram shows mean values +SD. P-values between indicated groups were calculated using unpaired t-test. *p<0.05.Supplement Figure 4: ATRA treatment leads to enhanced BCMA expression on primary myeloma cells. Representative flow cytometric analysis of BCMA expression on primary myeloma cells that had been cultured in the absence or presence of ATRA at different concentrations for 72 hours. 7-AAD was used to exclude dead cells from analysis.Supplement Figure 5: ATRA treatment does not impair viability of primary myeloma cells. Viability of primary myeloma cells with or without 72 hours of ATRA treatment was analyzed by flow cytometry and 7-AAD staining (n=5 biological replicates). Bar diagram shows mean values +SD.Supplement Figure 6: sBCMA does not impair BCMA CAR T cell functionality. CD8+ BCMA-CAR T-cells were co-cultured with MM.1S target cells in absence or presence of 150 ng/ml of soluble BCMA. After 4 hours, cytotoxicity was evaluated by bioluminescence- based assay. Diagram shows mean values +/-SD.Supplement Figure 7: ATRA treatment does not increase shedding of sBCMA. sBCMA concentration in the supernatant of OPM-2 and NCI-H929 after incubation with increasing doses of ATRA was analyzed by ELISA. Cell lines were cultured at 1x106/well (n=3 technical replicates). Bar diagrams show mean values +SD, P-values between indicated groups were calculated using 2way ANOVA. n.s. = not significant, *p<0.05, **p<0.01.Supplement Figure 8: BCMA-CAR T-cells confer enhanced cytotoxicity against ATRA plus crenigacestat-treated OPM-2 cells in vitro. OPM-2 cells were incubated with 100 nM ATRA and/or 10 nM GSI for 72 hours or were left untreated. Cytolytic activity of CD8+ BCMA- CAR T-cells was determined in a bioluminescence-based assay after 4h of co-incubation with target cells. Assay was performed in triplicate wells with 5,000 target cells per well. Data are presented as mean values +SD (n=4 biological replicates). P-values between indicated groups were calculated using unpaired t-test. n.s. = not significant, *p<0.05.Supplement Figure 9: Patient-derived BCMA-CAR T-cells confer enhanced cytotoxicity against ATRA-treated MM.1S cells. MM.1S cells were incubated with 50 nM ATRA for 72 hours or were left untreated. Cytolytic activity of MM patient-derived CD8+ BCMA-CAR T-cells was determined in a bioluminescence-based assay after 4h of co-incubation with target cells. Data are presented as mean values +SD of triplicate wells. P-values between indicated groups were calculated using unpaired t-test. *p<0.05, **p<0.01.Peer reviewe

New GOLD classification: Longitudinal data on group assignment

Rationale: Little is known about the longitudinal changes associated with using the 2013 update of the multidimensional GOLD strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective: To determine the COPD patient distribution of the new GOLD proposal and evaluate how this classification changes over one year compared with the previous GOLD staging based on spirometry only. Methods: We analyzed data from the CHAIN study, a multicenter observational Spanish cohort of COPD patients who are monitored annually. Categories were defined according to the proposed GOLD: FEV1%, mMRC dyspnea, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), and exacerbations-hospitalizations. One-year follow-up information was available for all variables except CCQ data. Results: At baseline, 828 stable COPD patients were evaluated. On the basis of mMRC dyspnea versus CAT, the patients were distributed as follows: 38.2% vs. 27.2% in group A, 17.6% vs. 28.3% in group B, 15.8% vs. 12.9% in group C, and 28.4% vs. 31.6% in group D. Information was available for 526 patients at one year: 64.2% of patients remained in the same group but groups C and D show different degrees of variability. The annual progression by group was mainly associated with one-year changes in CAT scores (RR, 1.138; 95%CI: 1.074-1.206) and BODE index values (RR, 2.012; 95%CI: 1.487-2.722). Conclusions: In the new GOLD grading classification, the type of tool used to determine the level of symptoms can substantially alter the group assignment. A change in category after one year was associated with longitudinal changes in the CAT and BODE index

Ectoparasite activity during incubation increases microbial growth on avian eggs

We thank Estefanía López for lab work, and Tomás Pérez-Contreras and Emilio Pagani-Núñez for facilitating collection of some of the flies used in manipulations. We also thank Ángela Martínez-García for help with management of ARISA data and Natalia Juárez and Deseada Parejo for the pictures of owls and roller clutches, respectively. We appreciate the comments provided by Dr. Adèle Mennerat and five anonymous referees on earlier versions of the manuscript.All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.While direct detrimental effects of parasites on hosts are relatively well documented, other more subtle but potentially important effects of parasitism are yet unexplored. Biological activity of ectoparasites, apart from skin injuries and blood-feeding, often results in blood remains, or parasite faeces that accumulate and modify the host environment. In this way, ectoparasite activities and remains may increase nutrient availability that may favour colonization and growth of microorganisms including potential pathogens. Here, by the experimental addition of hematophagous flies (Carnus hemapterus, a common ectoparasite of birds) to nests of spotless starlings Sturnus unicolor during incubation, we explore this possible side effect of parasitism which has rarely, if ever, been investigated. Results show that faeces and blood remains from parasitic flies on spotless starling eggshells at the end of incubation were more abundant in experimental than in control nests. Moreover, eggshell bacterial loads of different groups of cultivable bacteria including potential pathogens, as well as species richness of bacteria in terms of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), were also higher in experimental nests. Finally, we also found evidence of a link between eggshell bacterial loads and increased embryo mortality, which provides indirect support for a bacterial-mediated negative effect of ectoparasitism on host offspring. Trans-shell bacterial infection might be one of the main causes of embryo death and, consequently, this hitherto unnoticed indirect effect of ectoparasitism might be widespread in nature and could affect our understanding of ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactionsFinancial support was provided by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and FEDER (CGL2013-48193-C3-1-P, CGL2013-48193-C3-2-P), by JAE programme to DMG and MRR, and by Juan de la Cierva and Ramón y Cajal programmes to GT. All procedures were conducted under licence from the Environmental Department of the Regional Government of Andalucía, Spain (reference SGYB/FOA/AFR)

Association of insularity and body condition to cloacal bacteria prevalence in a small shorebird

Do islands harbour less diverse disease communities than mainland? The island biogeography theory predicts more diverse communities on mainland than on islands due to more niches, more diverse habitats and availability of greater range of hosts. We compared bacteria prevalences ofCampylobacter,ChlamydiaandSalmonellain cloacal samples of a small shorebird, the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) between two island populations of Macaronesia and two mainland locations in the Iberian Peninsula. Bacteria were found in all populations but, contrary to the expectations, prevalences did not differ between islands and mainland. Females had higher prevalences than males forSalmonellaand when three bacteria genera were pooled together. Bacteria infection was unrelated to bird's body condition but females from mainland were heavier than males and birds from mainland were heavier than those from islands. Abiotic variables consistent throughout breeding sites, like high salinity that is known to inhibit bacteria growth, could explain the lack of differences in the bacteria prevalence between areas. We argue about the possible drivers and implications of sex differences in bacteria prevalence in Kentish plovers

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac