EFICIENCIA REPRODUCTIVA Y PERFIL ENDÓCRINO EN OVEJAS PRIMALAS EN BUENA CONDICIÓN CORPORAL SUPLEMENTADAS CON GRASA DE SOBREPASO

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the addition of bypass fat in primiparous ewes in good body condition (CC 3) on the reproductive variables and serum levels of insulin (INS) and progesterone (P4).Design/methodology/approach: A completely randomized design was used. Forty-four primiparous ewes were randomly distributed in two experimental groups: 1) In the AGS group (n=22) ewes added with 75 g of bypass fat during a period of 25 d; 2) in the SGS group (n=22) ewes without additional fat. Estrus synchronization was performed using the CIDR device for 11 d, and ewes in estrus were served. To determine serum concentrations of P4 and INS, blood samples were collected every 48 h during supplementation.Results: Estrus onset and presentation were not different. No differences were found in gestation and prolificacy, nor changes for the mean P4 in serum. Serum INS concentrations showed differences during the synchronization d 8-14.Limitations of the study: The addition of 75 g of bypass fat in ewes with BC 3 does not have effects on reproductive variables, therefore, is recommended to use it in ewes with low BC.Findings/conclusions: The addition of bypass fat in primiparous ewes in BC 3 does not change P4 concentrations; however, it causes variations in the concentrations of INS in blood serum without modifying the response in the reproductive variables.Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de la adición de grasa de sobrepaso en ovejas primalas en buena condición corporal (CC 3) sobre las variables reproductivas y niveles séricos de insulina (INS) y progesterona (P4).Diseño/metodología/aproximación: El diseño experimental fue completamente al azar. Se utilizaron 44 ovejas distribuidas aleatoriamente: 1) En el grupo AGS (n=22) las ovejas recibieron 75 g de grasa de sobrepaso 2) En el grupo SGS (n=22) las ovejas permanecieron sin la adición de grasa. Se realizó la sincronización del estro con CIDR por 11 d, y las ovejas en estro recibieron monta. Para evaluar las concentraciones de P4 e INS en suero, se colectaron muestras de sangre cada 48 h, durante la suplementación.Resultados: La presentación e inicio del estro no fueron diferentes. No se encontraron diferencias en porcentaje de gestación, prolificidad, ni concentración de P4 en suero. Las concentraciones de INS presentaron diferencias durante los d 8 a 14 de la sincronización.Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: La adición de 75 g de grasa de sobrepaso en ovejas con CC 3 no afecta las variables reproductivas, se recomienda utilizarla en ovejas con baja CC.Hallazgos/conclusiones: La adición de grasa de sobrepaso en ovejas primalas en CC 3 no cambia las concentraciones de P4; sin embargo, causa variaciones en las concentraciones de INS en suero sanguíneosin modificar la respuesta en las variables reproductivas

Reusing intravaginal progesterone releasing devices for oestrous synchoronization in ewes

In this study, the second use of an intravaginal progesterone-releasing device or controlled intravaginal drug release device (CIDR) was evaluated. After a first use of 11 days, the CIDR was again used for either nine or 12 days with 200 or 300 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) being injected on its removal. Sixty-four ewes were randomly distributed to four treatments (n=16/group): CIDR9+eCG200, CIDR9+eCG300, CIDR12+eCG200, and CIDR12+eCG300. The eCG was administered intramuscularly on withdrawal of the device. Thus, the experiment was a completely randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Oestrus presentation did not differ between treatments (P =0.29). However, with the dose of 200 IU of eCG, oestrus presentation tended to increase (P =0.08). The onset and duration of oestrus, percentage of gestation, and return to oestrus did not differ between treatments (P >0.05). Progesterone concentration in serum was greater (P < 0.05) in ewes treated with CIDR12+eCG300. Prolificacy was greatest (1.44) with the CIDR12+eCG300 treatment and was different (P = 0.001) from the treatments CIDR9+eCG200 (1.21) and CIDR9+eCG300 (1.20), but not from the CIDR12+eCG200 treated ewes (1.31). The CIDR12+eCG300 treatement produced the highest percentage of twin births (45.8%) (P =0.001). Leaving the device in place for 12 days increased (P =0.001) the incidence of twin births. Use of the CIDR for a second time synchronized oestrus in ewes successfully with better fertility being obtained when the device was left in place for 12 days, and 300 IU of eCG was injected on its removal. Key words: gonadotropin, progesterone device, synchronizatio

Fundamentos de la acción diplomática corporativa en las estrategias de internacionalización de empresas

A new concept has made its way into the external action of companies: corporate diplomacy, a resource of good practices that provides companies with proven formulas to navigate in a world of complex and changing scenarios. The study of historical precedents shows that corporate diplomacy is perfectly applicable to international corporate action. These techniques, based on the traditional principles of public diplomacy, will allow companies to develop actions that go beyond the purely commercial aspects to establish lasting human and economic links; strategies that humanize the business mission as an ideal procedure for the commercial expansion of our days. With this objective, the corporate diplomat must show certain technical knowledge, professional skills and human qualities to be able to exert influence, discover areas of cooperation in the target country and build the good reputation of their company, that is, all the areas in which corporate diplomacy is effective. This is the case of companies that have seen the profitability of business diplomacy reflected in management success and international recognition.  Un nuevo concepto se ha abierto paso en la acción exterior de las empresas: la diplomacia corporativa, recurso de buenas prácticas que proporciona a las compañías fórmulas de eficacia probada para moverse en un mundo de escenarios complejos y cambiantes. El estudio de los precedentes históricos demuestra que es perfectamente aplicable a la acción corporativa internacional. Estas técnicas, basadas en los principios tradicionales de la diplomacia pública, permitirán a las empresas desarrollar acciones que trasciendan lo puramente comercial para establecer vínculos humanos y económicos duraderos; estrategias que humanicen el cometido empresarial como procedimiento idóneo para la expansión comercial de nuestros días. Con ese objetivo, el diplomático corporativo debe mostrar determinados saberes técnicos, habilidades profesionales y cualidades humanas para lograr ejercer influencia, descubrir ámbitos de cooperación en el país meta y cimentar la buena reputación de su empresa, es decir, todas las áreas en las que resulta eficaz la diplomacia corporativa. Es el caso de compañías que han constatado la rentabilidad de la diplomacia empresarial con éxitos de gestión y reconocimiento internacional

Evaluation of polyherbal methionine and choline in feedlot rations for lambs

Requirements of lambs for choline and methionine have not been clearly established, but because of their metabolic relationship, the availability of these two nutrients may affect protein synthesis and energy balance. Therefore, a trial was carried out to evaluate the effect on productive performance and blood metabolites of including methionine and choline from polyherbal mixtures in finishing lamb diets. Forty Hampshire x Suffolk lambs weighing 26.9 ± 2.8 kg were used for a 45-day experiment. The treatments were arranged as a 2x2 factorial, in which the factors were dietary supplementation with herbal methionine and choline at two levels (0% and 0.4% of dry matter (DM)). The treatments had no effects on the lambs’ productive variables (daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed to gain ratio), carcass characteristics and lipid metabolites (P >0.05). The results indicated that the inclusion of polyherbal mixtures containing methionine, choline and their combination at 0.4% of DM in finishing lamb diets showed no benefits in productive response or in blood metabolites related to lipid metabolism. Keywords: amino acid, lipid metabolites, productive performance, ruminally protected, vitami

Manejo antibiótico en neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en la hospitalización a domicilio: ¿Hay margen de mejora?

Introducción: La neumonía adquirida en la comunidad (NAC) es una enfermedad frecuente que puede serabordada en hospitalización a domicilio (HAD). En el presente trabajo evaluamos el margen de mejoracon el uso de antibióticos en la NAC en HAD. Métodos: Se reclutaron retrospectivamente todos los pacientes con NAC en dos hospitales españolesdesde el 01 de enero de 2018 al 30 de octubre de 2019. Se registraron variables demográficas, clínicas y sobre calidad de prescripción antibiótica. Posteriormente se construyó una variable que recogía seis indi-cadores de calidad asistencial, categorizando y comparando a los pacientes en dos grupos: buena calidadasistencial (cuatro o más indicadores realizados) o mala calidad asistencial (tres o menos indicadoresrealizados). Resultados: Obtuvimos una muestra de 260 pacientes. La solicitud de pruebas diagnósticas y la adecuacióna las guías de práctica clínica fue del 85, 4 y 85, 8%, respectivamente. Los porcentajes de realización dedesescalada (53, 7%) y terapia secuencial (57, 7%) cuando estaban indicadas fueron bajos. La duraciónmedia del tratamiento fue de 7, 3 días para el intravenoso y 9, 5 días para el total. La calidad de prescripciónfue buena en 134 (63, 2%) pacientes, siendo más frecuente en aquellos que ingresaron directamente enHAD desde urgencias. También se asoció a menor reingreso a 30 días. Conclusión: Existe un amplio margen de mejora en algunos aspectos con el uso de antimicrobianos enHAD, que podría motivar la implementación de programas de optimización del uso de antibióticos. Introduction: Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is common disease that can be treated in Hospital At Home (HAH). In this paper we evaluate the room of improvement in the use of antibiotics in CAP in HH. Methods: Patients with CAP were retrospectively recruited in two Spanish hospitals from 1/1/18 to 10/30/19. Demographic, clinical and quality of antibiotic prescription variables were recorded. Subsequently, we created a new variable that collected six quality of care indicator, categorizing and comparing patients into two groups: good quality of care (4 or more indicators performed) or poor quality of care (3 or less indicators performed). Results: We recruited 260 patients. The request for diagnostic tests and the adequacy to Clinical Practice Guidelines were 85.4% and 85.8% respectively. Percentages of de-escalation (53.7%) and sequential therapy (57.7%) when indicated were low. The average length of treatment was 7.3 days for intravenous and 9.5 days for total. Quality of prescription was good in 134 (63.2%) patients, being more frequent in those who were admitted directly to HAD from the emergency room. It was also associated with less readmission at 30 days. Conclusion: There is a wide room for improvement in some fields of antimicrobials use in HAH that could stimulate the implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs

Unfolding of differential energy spectra in the MAGIC experiment

The paper describes the different methods, used in the MAGIC experiment, to unfold experimental energy distributions of cosmic ray particles (gamma-rays). Questions and problems related to the unfolding are discussed. Various procedures are proposed which can help to make the unfolding robust and reliable. The different methods and procedures are implemented in the MAGIC software and are used in most of the analyses.Comment: Submitted to NIM

Influence of the length of hospitalisation in post-discharge outcomes in patients with acute heart failure: Results of the LOHRCA study

Objective: To investigate the relationship between length of hospitalisation (LOH) and post-discharge outcomes in acute heart failure (AHF) patients and to ascertain whether there are different patterns according to department of initial hospitalisation. Methods: Consecutive AHF patients hospitalised in 41 Spanish centres were grouped based on the LOH (15 days). Outcomes were defined as 90-day post-discharge all-cause mortality, AHF readmissions, and the combination of both. Hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted by chronic conditions and severity of decompensation, were calculated for groups with LOH >6 days vs. LOH <6 days (reference), and stratified by hospitalisation in cardiology, internal medicine, geriatrics, or short-stay units. Results: We included 8563 patients (mean age: 80 (SD = 10) years, 55.5% women), with a median LOH of 7 days (IQR 4–11): 2934 (34.3%) had a LOH 15 days. The 90-day post-discharge mortality was 11.4%, readmission 32.2%, and combined endpoint 37.4%. Mortality was increased by 36.5% (95%CI = 13.0–64.9) when LOH was 11–15 days, and by 72.0% (95%CI = 42.6–107.5) when >15 days. Conversely, no differences were found in readmission risk, and the combined endpoint only increased 21.6% (95%CI = 8.4–36.4) for LOH >15 days. Stratified analysis by hospitalisation departments rendered similar post-discharge outcomes, with all exhibiting increased mortality for LOH >15 days and no significant increments in readmission risk. Conclusions: Short hospitalisations are not associated with worse outcomes. While post-discharge readmissions are not affected by LOH, mortality risk increases as the LOH lengthens. These findings were similar across hospitalisation departments

Implementation of the Random Forest Method for the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope MAGIC

The paper describes an application of the tree classification method Random Forest (RF), as used in the analysis of data from the ground-based gamma telescope MAGIC. In such telescopes, cosmic gamma-rays are observed and have to be discriminated against a dominating background of hadronic cosmic-ray particles. We describe the application of RF for this gamma/hadron separation. The RF method often shows superior performance in comparison with traditional semi-empirical techniques. Critical issues of the method and its implementation are discussed. An application of the RF method for estimation of a continuous parameter from related variables, rather than discrete classes, is also discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Effects on short term outcome of non-invasive ventilation use in the emergency department to treat patients with acute heart failure: A propensity score-based analysis of the EAHFE Registry

Objective: To assess the effects of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in emergency department (ED) patients with acute heart failure (AHF) on short term outcomes. Methods: Patients from the EAHFE Registry (a multicenter, observational, multipurpose, cohort-designed database including consecutive AHF patients in 41 Spanish EDs) were grouped based on NIV treatment (NIV+ and NIV–groups). Using propensity score (PS) methodology, we identified two subgroups of patients matched by 38 covariates and compared regarding 30-day survival (primary outcome). Interaction was investigated for age, sex, ischemic cardiomyopathy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, AHF precipitated by an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), AHF classified as hypertensive or acute pulmonary edema (APE), and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission; mechanical ventilation; in-hospital, 3-day and 7-day mortality; and prolonged hospitalization (>7 days). Results: Of 11, 152 patients from the EAHFE (age (SD): 80 (10) years; 55.5% women), 718 (6.4%) were NIV+ and had a higher 30-day mortality (HR = 2.229; 95%CI = 1.861–2.670) (p 85 years, p < 0.001), AHF associated with ACS (p = 0.045), and SBP < 100 mmHg (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in the secondary endpoints except for more prolonged hospitalizations in NIV+ patients (OR = 1.445; 95%CI = 1.122–1.862) (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The use of NIV to treat AHF in ED is not associated with improved mortality outcomes and should be cautious in old patients and those with ACS and hypotension

Ruxolitinib in refractory acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease : a multicenter survey study

Graft-versus-host disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. First-line treatment is based on the use of high doses of corticosteroids. Unfortunately, second-line treatment for both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, remains a challenge. Ruxolitinib has been shown as an effective and safe treatment option for these patients. Seventy-nine patients received ruxolitinib and were evaluated in this retrospective and multicenter study. Twenty-three patients received ruxolitinib for refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after a median of 3 (range 1-5) previous lines of therapy. Overall response rate was 69.5% (16/23) which was obtained after a median of 2 weeks of treatment, and 21.7% (5/23) reached complete remission. Fifty-six patients were evaluated for refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease. The median number of previous lines of therapy was 3 (range 1-10). Overall response rate was 57.1% (32/56) with 3.5% (2/56) obtaining complete remission after a median of 4 weeks. Tapering of corticosteroids was possible in both acute (17/23, 73%) and chronic graft-versus-host disease (32/56, 57.1%) groups. Overall survival was 47% (CI: 23-67%) at 6 months for patients with aGVHD (62 vs 28% in responders vs non-responders) and 81% (CI: 63-89%) at 1 year for patients with cGVHD (83 vs 76% in responders vs non-responders). Ruxolitinib in the real life setting is an effective and safe treatment option for GVHD, with an ORR of 69.5% and 57.1% for refractory acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, respectively, in heavily pretreated patients