A case–control study to assess the effectiveness of pertussis vaccination during pregnancy on newborns, Valencian community, Spain, 1 March 2015 to 29 February 2016

In the Valencian Community (Spain), the programme of maternal pertussis vaccination during pregnancy started in January 2015. The objective of this study was to estimate in this region the vaccine effectiveness (VE) in protecting newborns against laboratory-confirmed pertussis infection. A matched case–control study was undertaken in the period between 1 March 2015 and 29 February 2016. Twenty-two cases and 66 controls (+/− 15 days of age difference) were included in the study. Cases were non-vaccinated infants < 3 months of age at disease onset testing positive for pertussis by real-time PCR. For every case three unvaccinated controls were selected. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by multiple conditional logistic regression for association between maternal vaccination and infant pertussis. Other children in the household, as well as mother- and environmental covariates were taken into account. The VE was calculated as 1 − OR. Mothers of five cases (23%) and of 41 controls (62%) were vaccinated during pregnancy. The adjusted VE was 90.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 56.6 to 98.1). The only covariate in the final model was breastfeeding (protective effect). Our study provides evidence in favour of pertussis vaccination programmes for pregnant women in order to prevent whooping cough in infants aged less than 3 months

La ontología social y el círculo virtuoso de la educación pública

En este artículo argumentamos que la naturaleza pública o privada de la educación tiene una incidencia directa en las instituciones que conforman la realidad social. Para sustentar lo anterior, en primer lugar discutimos cómo, según Searle, habitamos un mundo de instituciones gobernadas por reglas y poderes deónticos, ontológicamente irreductibles. Luego, postulamos que la intencionalidad colectiva requiere de la confianza para mantenerse, y esta aumenta cuando gobiernan reglas y poderes deónticos en circunstancias normales. Finalmente, planteamos que la educación pública es una institución que, a diferencia de la privada, privilegia el espacio de lo común. Sócrates es un ejemplo de esto, al proponer una filosofía que no solo busca la verdad, sino que además privilegia el reconocimiento de la ley por sobre la satisfacción inmediata de deseos e inclinaciones personales. De todo esto se explica el círculo virtuoso: la educación pública, al ser inclusiva y beneficiar a todos, potencia las instituciones sociales que tutelan ese interés y, dentro de ellas, el servicio público

USCID fourth international conference

Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California.Includes bibliographical references.This study, carried out between October 2004 and November 2005 on the island of Tenerife, covers: (1) characterization of the irrigated crops and quantification of the gross irrigation requirements (GIRs) of each crop using surveys; (2) field evaluation of drip/micro, spray and sprinkle irrigation systems to obtain global distribution uniformity (DU) as indicated by the Cal Poly ITRC (Irrigation Training and Research Centre, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, USA); (3) analysis of on farm irrigation efficiency using local climatic data; and (4) inclusion of this data into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Crop GIRs show high deviations mainly because of the multiple microclimate conditions on the island, the irrigation methods used, the crop systems (greenhouses, etc) and the irrigation management. Field evaluation provided an average DU of 0.83 in drip/micro and spray irrigated banana crops, 0.69 in sprinkle irrigated ones, 0.58 in sprinkle irrigated horticulture and 0.81 for tomato crops (100% drip). Data showed that approximately 30% of the non-uniformity was due to pressure differences in the irrigation system, 3% due to unequal drainage, 7% due to unequal application rates, and 60% was due to other causes (which include manufacturing variation, plugging, and wear). Irrigation efficiency is around 80% in drip irrigated tomato and banana crops and 75% in sprinkle systems. Data showed that efficiency is slightly lower in greenhouses and mesh greenhouse crops than in non-protected crops basically due to the fact that although protected crops require less water, they receive an equal quantity of water. Inclusion of the data into a GIS makes possible a high level of agronomic water consumption control on the island

Efficient unidirectional nanoslit couplers for surface plasmons

Plasmonics is based on surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes which can be laterally confined below the diffraction limit, thereby enabling ultracompact optical components. In order to exploit this potential, the fundamental bottleneck of poor light-SPP coupling must be overcome. In established SPP sources (using prism, grating} or nanodefect coupling) incident light is a source of noise for the SPP, unless the illumination occurs away from the region of interest, increasing the system size and weakening the SPP intensity. Back-side illumination of subwavelength apertures in optically thick metal films eliminates this problem but does not ensure a unique propagation direction for the SPP. We propose a novel back-side slit-illumination method based on drilling a periodic array of indentations at one side of the slit. We demonstrate that the SPP running in the array direction can be suppressed, and the one propagating in the opposite direction enhanced, providing localized unidirectional SPP launching.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Real-space mapping of tailored sheet and edge plasmons in graphene nanoresonators

Plasmons in graphene nanoresonators have many potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics, including room-temperature infrared and terahertz photodetectors, sensors, reflect arrays or modulators1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The development of efficient devices will critically depend on precise knowledge and control of the plasmonic modes. Here, we use near-field microscopy8, 9, 10, 11 between λ0 = 10–12 μm to excite and image plasmons in tailored disk and rectangular graphene nanoresonators, and observe a rich variety of coexisting Fabry–Perot modes. Disentangling them by a theoretical analysis allows the identification of sheet and edge plasmons, the latter exhibiting mode volumes as small as 10−8λ03. By measuring the dispersion of the edge plasmons we corroborate their superior confinement compared with sheet plasmons, which among others could be applied for efficient 1D coupling of quantum emitters12. Our understanding of graphene plasmon images is a key to unprecedented in-depth analysis and verification of plasmonic functionalities in future flatland technologies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Evaluación del daño de diatraea spp. (lep. pyralidae) y su efecto en el rendimiento de genotipos de maíz (zea mays l.) y sorgo (sorghum bicolor) en el valle del cauca

En cuatro genotipos de maíz y sorgo los porcentajes de infestación (PI) y de intensidad de infestación (PII) variaron para un mismo material, tanto en un mismo semestre como en semestres diferentes. Al relacionar el daño con la producción se presentaron dos situaciones contrastantes, en una de las cuales la producción disminuye al aumentar el número de entrenudos afectados y en la otra la producción aumenta con el aumento del número de entrenudos afectados. Diatraea spp. Inicia su ataque alrededor de 10 a 15 días antes de la floración. En general, los genotipos con mayor promedio de penetración presentaron mayor daño. Altos contenidos de celulosa, hemicelulosa, lignina y sílice en la pared celular del tallo correspondieron a bajos PI. Se encontró alta asociación positiva al relacionar las variables PI con P II y peso de grano con peso de mazorca o panoja.Evaluation in four corn and sorghum genotipes for 1983 B and 1984 A shown that infestation (lP) and infestation intensity percentages (lIP) changed to a same material evaluated in as equal semester as in diverse semester. When damage and yield was related two contrasting classes was found, in one which yield decrease when affected internodes numbers increase and in other the yield increase when affected internodes number increase. Diatraea spp. Begin to cause injury is nearly to 10-15 day before blossom. Generally both sorghum and corn genotipes with greater penetration average that with greatest injury. Greater contents of cellulose, lignin and silica in stalk's cellular wall correspond to low infestation percentaje. A high positive asociation was found when was related the variables IP with IIP and panicle or ear of corn weights with grain weights

Multidisciplinary management of head and neck cancer: First expert consensus using Delphi methodology from the Spanish Society for Head and Neck Cancer (part 1)

Head and neck cancer is one of the most frequent malignances worldwide. Despite the site-specific multimodality therapy, up to half of the patients will develop recurrence. Treatment selection based on a multidisciplinary tumor board represents the cornerstone of head and neck cancer, as it is essential for achieving the best results, not only in terms of outcome, but also in terms of organ-function preservation and quality of life. Evidence-based international and national clinical practice guidelines for head and neck cancer not always provide answers in terms of decision-making that specialists must deal with in their daily practice. This is the first Expert Consensus on the Multidisciplinary Approach for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) elaborated by the Spanish Society for Head and Neck Cancer and based on a Delphi methodology. It offers several specific recommendations based on the available evidence and the expertise of our specialists to facilitate decision-making of all health-care specialists involved.Merck Health Foundatio

Modulation of surface plasmon coupling-in by one-dimensional surface corrugation

Surface plasmon-polaritons have recently attracted renewed interest in the scientific community for their potential in sub-wavelength optics, light generation and non-destructive sensing. Given that they cannot be directly excited by freely propagating light due to their intrinsical binding to the metal surface, the light-plasmon coupling efficiency becomes of crucial importance for the success of any plasmonic device. Here we present a comprehensive study on the modulation (enhancement or suppression) of such coupling efficiency by means of one-dimensional surface corrugation. Our approach is based on simple wave interference and enables us to make quantitative predictions which have been experimentally confirmed at both the near infra-red and telecom ranges.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, submitted to New Journal of Physics, revised tex

Hepatitis A. Una enfermedad transmisible de nuevo en crecimiento en la ciudad de Valencia

La hepatitis A es una enfermedad infecciosa de transmisi&oacute;n fecal-oral producida por el virus de la Hepatitis A. En la mayor&iacute;a de casos se trata de una infecci&oacute;n asintom&aacute;tica pero en ocasiones puede dar lugar a un cuadro grave de hepatitis fulminante.&nbsp;En las &uacute;ltimas d&eacute;cadas la hepatitis A ha sufrido una importante disminuci&oacute;n en Europa y en el mundo. Sin embargo, la disminuci&oacute;n en la exposici&oacute;n al virus de la Hepatitis A (VHA) ha conllevado una disminuci&oacute;n de la proporci&oacute;n de poblaci&oacute;n con inmunidad adquirida.El objetivo del presente trabajo es conocer las caracter&iacute;sticas de los pacientes afectados de hepatitis A y la evoluci&oacute;n de dicha enfermedad durante los a&ntilde;os 2004-2009 en la ciudad de Valencia, as&iacute; como contrastar si esta evoluci&oacute;n se acompa&ntilde;a de un desplazamiento de la Hepatitis A hacia cohortes de edad superiores.Se recuperaron los casos de hepatitis A notificados y registrados en el sistema de An&aacute;lisis de Vigilancia Epidemiol&oacute;gica (AVE) entre 2004 y 2009 en la ciudad de Valencia. Se realiz&oacute; un an&aacute;lisis de la evoluci&oacute;n de la edad en funci&oacute;n del tiempo, el modo de presentaci&oacute;n de los casos, la agregaci&oacute;n temporal, y el ingreso hospitalario como criterio de gravedad, as&iacute; como su relaci&oacute;n con poblaciones infantiles. Los datos han sido tabulados y analizados&nbsp; con el programa SPSS versi&oacute;n 14 para windows.Durante el periodo a estudio se registraron 397 casos de VHA. La incidencia anual ha pasado de 3,56 por cada 100.000 habitantes en 2004 a 11,67 en 2009. El 61% de los casos son hombres y el 39% son mujeres. La media de edad ha pasado de 17,97 en el a&ntilde;o 2004 a 32,25 en el 2009. Respecto de su origen, el 87,1% de los casos era aut&oacute;ctono. El modo de presentaci&oacute;n fue en el 27,7 % de los casos en el contexto de un brote y en el resto no se pudo establecer v&iacute;nculo, por lo que se consideraron casos aislados. La evoluci&oacute;n temporal, muestra agregaciones en las semanas epidemiol&oacute;gicas 41-42, correspondiendo con el final del periodo vacacional.Entre los motivos que pueden explicar el aumento de casos en la ciudad de Valencia podemos se&ntilde;alar la disminuci&oacute;n de la poblaci&oacute;n con inmunidad adquirida como efecto de la mejora en las condiciones del abastecimiento h&iacute;drico. Esta hip&oacute;tesis ser&iacute;a concordante con nuestra observaci&oacute;n del crecimiento de la afectaci&oacute;n en personas cada vez de mayor edad, lo que refuerza la necesidad de actuaciones preventivas activas como la vacunaci&oacute;n para recuperar la protecci&oacute;n anti-HVA en nuestra poblaci&oacute;n

Differences in the immune response elicited by two immunization schedules with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in a randomized phase 3 clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The development of vaccines to control the COVID-19 pandemic progression is a worldwide priority. CoronaVac® is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine approved for emergency use with robust efficacy and immunogenicity data reported in trials in China, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and Chile. METHODS: This study is a randomized, multicenter, and controlled phase 3 trial in healthy Chilean adults aged ≥18 years. Volunteers received two doses of CoronaVac® separated by two (0-14 schedule) or four weeks (0-28 schedule). 2,302 volunteers were enrolled, 440 were part of the immunogenicity arm, and blood samples were obtained at different times. Samples from a single center are reported. Humoral immune responses were evaluated by measuring the neutralizing capacities of circulating antibodies. Cellular immune responses were assessed by ELISPOT and flow cytometry. Correlation matrixes were performed to evaluate correlations in the data measured. RESULTS: Both schedules exhibited robust neutralizing capacities with the response induced by the 0-28 schedule being better. No differences were found in the concentration of antibodies against the virus and different variants of concern between schedules. Stimulation of PBMCs with MPs induced the secretion of IFN-g and the expression of activation induced markers for both schedules. Correlation matrixes showed strong correlations between neutralizing antibodies and IFN-g secretion. CONCLUSIONS: Immunization with CoronaVac® in Chilean adults promotes robust cellular and humoral immune responses. The 0-28 schedule induced a stronger humoral immune response than the 0-14 schedule. FUNDING: Ministry of Health, Government of Chile, Confederation of Production and Commerce & Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Chile. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT04651790