Noves tècniques per a la detecció de la tuberculosi latent

Espanya és un dels països industrialitzats amb major índex de tuberculosi, especialment entre els afectats pel VIH i les persones drogodependents, però la infecció acostuma a romandre latent en la majoria dels casos. La prova in vivo tradicional, coneguda com a PPD, consisteix en un test cutani que pot donar falsos positius o falsos negatius. Aquest estudi ha diagnosticat tuberculosi latent gràcies a dos nous mètodes in vitro, entre la població drogodependent de l'àrea metropolitana de Barcelona, mostrant un elevat percentatge (42%) d'afectats entre els pacients que estaven sota tractament de desintoxicació.España es uno de los países industrializados con mayor índice de tuberculosis, especialmente entre los afectados por el VIH y los drogodependientes, pero la infección suele permanecer latente en la mayoría de los casos. La prueba in vivo tradicional, conocida como PPD, consiste en un test cutáneo que puede dar falsos positivos o falsos negativos. El presente estudio ha diagnosticado tuberculosis latente, gracias a dos nuevos métodos in vitro, entre la población drogodependiente del área metropolitana de Barcelona, mostrando un elevado porcentaje (42%) de afectados entre los pacientes que estaban bajo tratamiento de desintoxicación

Nutritional aspects in chronic non-cancer pain: A systematic review

Objectives: Chronic pain (CP) is an unpleasant emotional and sensory experience that can be accompanied by tissue damage that persists for more than 3 months. Recent studies show that certain nutritional strategies can help to improve pain, so this study is aimed to systematically review scientific evidence to understand and map the effect of the use of nutritional strategies on the presence or intensity of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) and the association of these nutritional aspects with the presence or intensity of CNCP. Study design: A systematic review. Methods: Two independent researchers searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and observational studies that explored the relationship between nutrition and CNCP in adults from 2010 to 2020 in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. A total of 24 studies were included, of which 20 were RCTs and 4 were observational studies. They are classified into the administration of nutritional supplements, dietary modification, and incorporation of food. Results: Of these studies, those that have a significant effect on pain are dietary modification and the use of nutritional supplements. On the other hand, the main results from the few observational studies included in this review point to the existence of an association relationship between less pain and a ketogenic or hypocaloric diet or adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Conclusion: Dietary modification seems to be one plausible therapeutic option to improve and relieve CNCP. However, more research is needed in this regard to obtain better conclusions

DYNAMIC MODELLING OF HIGH SPEED BALLASTED RAILWAY TRACKS: ANALYSIS OF THE BEHAVIOUR

[EN] The aim of the paper is to present a numerical model for a ballasted railway track that includes the dynamic effect of a moving train load and predicts the values of the vertical stiffness of the infrastructure. This model is therefore deemed to be a tool for the evaluation of the state of the track during service situations as well as a predictive model of the behaviour of the system. Consequently, it will be very useful when sizing the cross section of a new railway line is required. The main modelling tool is the finite element method. In regard to this, the application of damping elements to avoid the elastic wave reflection on the boundaries of the numerical domain will be studied. The proposed dynamic analysis consider the change in time of the value of the train load, but not the change in position along the tracks. In the end, a set of suggestions for the numerical model with moving loads will be summarize aiming for the mitigation of the unusual behaviour of the contact surface between the ballast and the sleepers.Gallego, I.; Rivas, A.; Sánchez-Cambronero, S.; Lajara, J. (2016). DYNAMIC MODELLING OF HIGH SPEED BALLASTED RAILWAY TRACKS: ANALYSIS OF THE BEHAVIOUR. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 615-623. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4218OCS61562

Patrones generales de rendimiento en natación

Antecedentes: Diferentes variables afectan a la obtención del rendimiento en categoría absoluta. Existiendo gran controversia sobre el efecto de la especialización temprana en la obtención de rendimiento en posteriores categorías. Objetivos: El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar el efecto de la especialización temprana en natación. Además, observar la progresión de los nadadores españoles y estadounidenses que han participado en la final en Campeonatos del mundo en categoría junior, comprobando si logran obtener rendimiento en finales de Juegos Olímpicos y Campeonatos del Mundo absoluto entre los años 2006 y 2021, de todos los estilos y distancias. Método: La base de datos final está formada por 268 nadadores. Análisis descriptivos tales como conteo, tablas de contingencia se realizaron para saber el número total de nadadores en función del género y la categoría, también para conocer el número de nadadores en cada estilo en función de la competición y el país perteneciente, y por último para el tiempo medio de cada prueba. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron un mayor número de nadadores finalistas de EE. UU. en todos los estilos de las competiciones, y con un mayor número de participantes en estilo libre. De los nadadores junior 77 (28.41%) únicamente 7 (2.58%) nadadores llegaron a las finales de Campeonatos del Mundo junior, Campeonatos del Mundo absoluto y Juegos Olímpicos. Conclusiones: En conclusión, ser finalista de los Campeonatos del Mundo junior no influye en el éxito en las finales de Campeonatos del Mundo absoluto y Juegos Olímpicos para nadadores españoles y estadounidenses

Investiguen l'impacte de les malalties associades a l'abús d'alcohol en la mortalitat dels pacients

Un estudi de l'Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol i de l'Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge palesa que l'alcoholisme és una malaltia sistèmica greu que cal diagnosticar a temps de prevenir-ne les complicacions. Els resultats de l'estudi relacionen l'abús continuat de l'alcohol amb la mortalitat en funció de les diferents malalties associades, com són les hepàtiques, neurològiques, respiratòries i cardiovasculars.Un estudio del Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol y del Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge manifiesta que el alcoholismo es una enfermedad sistémica grave que hay que diagnosticar a tiempo de prevenir sus complicaciones. Los resultados del estudio relacionan el abuso continuado del alcohol con la mortalidad en función de las distintas enfermedades asociadas, como es el caso de las hepáticas, neurológicas, respiratorias y cardiovasculares

A Continuous Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model From Plate Scanning Technique

[EN] This paper presents a methodology for the dynamic estimation of traffic flows on all links of a network from observable field data assuming the first-in-first-out (FIFO) hypothesis. The traffic flow intensities recorded at the exit of the scanned links are propagated to obtain the flow waves on unscanned links. For that, the model calculates the flow-cost functions through information registered with the plate scanning technique. The model also responds to the concern about the parameter quality of flow-cost functions to replicate the real traffic flow behaviour. It includes a new algorithm for the adjustment of the parameter values to link characteristics when its quality is questionable. For that, it is necessary the a priori study of the location of the scanning devices to identify all path flows and to measure travel times in all links. A synthetic network is used to illustrate the proposed method and to prove its usefulness and feasibilityRivas, A.; Gallego, I.; Sánchez-Cambronero, S.; Ruiz-Ripoll, L.; Barba, R. (2016). A Continuous Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model From Plate Scanning Technique. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1132-1141. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4215OCS1132114

Markers Of Inflammation And Mortality In A Cohort Of Patients With Alcohol Dependence

Inflammation and intestinal permeability are believed to be paramount features in the development of alcohol-related liver damage. We aimed to assess the impact of 3 surrogate markers of inflammation (anemia, fibrinogen, and ferritin levels) on mid-term mortality of patients with alcohol dependence. This longitudinal study included patients with alcohol dependence admitted for hospital detoxification between 2000 and 2010. Mortality was ascertained from clinical charts and the mortality register. Associations between markers of inflammation and all-cause mortality were analyzed with mortality rates and Cox proportional hazards regression models. We also performed a subgroup analysis of mortality rates in patients with anemia, based on their mean corpuscular volume (MCV). We included 909 consecutive patients with alcohol dependence. Patients were mostly male (80.3%), had a median age of 44 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 38-50), and upon admission, their median alcohol consumption was 192 g/day (IQR: 120-265). At admission, 182 (20.5%) patients had anemia; 210 (25.9%) had fibrinogen levels > 4.5 mg/dL; and 365 (49.5%) had ferritin levels > 200 ng/mL. At the end of follow-up (median 3.8 years [IQR: 1.8-6.5], and a total of 3861.07 person-years), 118 patients had died (12.9% of the study population). Cox regression models showed that the presence of anemia at baseline was associated with mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.52, P< 0.01); no associations were found between mortality and high fibrinogen or high ferritin levels. A subgroup of patients with anemia was analyzed and compared to a control group of patients without anemia and a normal MCV. The mortality ratios of patients with normocytic and macrocytic anemia were 3.25 (95% CI: 1.41-7.26; P< 0.01) and 3.39 (95% CI: 1.86-6.43; P< 0.01), respectively. Patients with alcohol dependence admitted for detoxification had an increased risk of death when anemia was present at admission. More accurate markers of systemic inflammation are needed to serve as prognostic factors for poor outcomes in this subset of patients