One Star to Tag Them All (OSTTA): I. Radial velocities and chemical abundances for 20 poorly studied open clusters

Context: Open clusters are ideal laboratories to investigate a variety of astrophysical topics, from the properties of the Galactic disc to stellar evolution models. For this purpose, we need to know their chemical composition in detail. Unfortunately, the number of systems with chemical abundances determined from high resolution spectroscopy remains small. Aims: Our aim is to increase the number of open clusters with radial velocities and chemical abundances determined from high resolution spectroscopy by sampling a few stars in clusters not studied previously. Methods: We obtained high resolution spectra with the FIES spectrograph at NOT for 41 stars belonging to 20 open clusters. These stars have high astrometric membership probabilities, determined from the Gaia second data release. Results: We derived radial velocities for all the observed stars, which were used to confirm their membership to the corresponding clusters. For Gulliver\,37 we cannot be sure the observed star is a real member. We derived atmospheric parameters for the 32 stars considered real cluster members. We discarded five stars because they have very low gravity or atmospheric parameters were not properly constrained due to low signal-to-noise ratio spectra. Therefore, detailed chemical abundances were determined for 28 stars belonging to 17 clusters. For most of them, this is the first chemical analysis available in the literature. Finally, we compared the clusters in our sample to a large population of well studied clusters. The studied systems follow the trends, both chemical and kinematical, described by the majority of open clusters. Worth noticing that the three most metal-poor studied clusters (NGC\,1027, NGC\,1750 and Trumpler 2) are enhanced in Si but not in the other alpha-elements studied (Mg, Ca and Ti).Comment: 19 pages Accepted for publication on A&

Stellar clusters in 4MOST

Instrumentatio

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Athena Community Office

Resumen del póster presentado al XII Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society (SEA), celebrado en Bilbao del 18 al 22 de julio de 2016.The Athena Community Office (ACO) has been established by ESA's Athena Science Study Team (ASST) in order to obtain support in performing its tasks assigned by ESA, and most specially in the ASST role as >focal point for the interests of the broad scientific community>. The ACO is led by the Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), and its activities are funded by CSIC and UC. Further ACO contributors are the University of Geneva, MPE and IRAP. In this poster, we present ACO to the Spanish Astronomical Community, informing about its main responsibilities, which are: assist the ASST in organising and collecting support from the Athena Working Groups and Topical Panels; organise and maintain the documentation generated by the Athena Working Groups and Topical Panels; manage the Working Group and Topical Panel membership lists; assist the ASST in promoting Athena science capabilities in the research world, through conferences and workshops; keep a record of all papers and presentations related to Athena; support the production of ASST documents; produce and distribute regularly an Athena Newsletter, informing the community about all mission and science developments; create and maintain the Athena Community web portal; maintain an active communication activity; promote, organise and support Athena science-related public outreach, in coordination with ESA and other agencies involved when appropriate; and, design, produce materials and provide pointers to available materials produced by other parties. In summary, ACO is meant to become a focal point to facilitate the scientific exchange between the Athena activities and the scientific community at large, and to disseminate the Athena science objectives to the general public.Peer Reviewe

Dynamics of persistent colonisation by Haemophilus influenzae in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients under long-term treatment with azithromycin

Trabajo presentado en el 29th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), celebrado en Amsterdam (Países Bajos), del 13 al 16 de abril de 201

ESC Core Curriculum for the General Cardiologist (2013).

Preface The previous Core Curriculum for the General Cardiologist defined a model for cardiology training in Europe and it has been adopted as the standard for regulating training, for access to the specialty (certification), and for revalidation in several countries.1 During the last 5 years we have witnessed profound changes in cardiological practice. The work of both hospital and independent cardiologists has been better integrated with that of general practitioners. It has taken into account the requirements of national authorities, re-imbursement organizations, and hospital administrations. Cardiologists face changing patient expectations. General cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, anaesthetists, and cardiac surgeons work together in Heart Teams.2,3 The age of cardiac patients has increased and they are presenting with more co-morbidities. Knowledge, technology, and treatment are constantly advancing: new imaging modalities have become widely available. Stent technology has evolved and competes with cardiac surgery for all but complex cases.2 Percutaneous valve implantations are increasingly successful.4 Interventional electrophysiology and device therapy have become cornerstones in the practice of cardiology.5,6 Care of the patient with heart failure is now a multi-disciplinary undertaking.7 New powerful anti-thrombotic and anticoagulant therapies have been introduced and are often used in combination, with clear benefits but increased bleeding risks.6,8,9 Use of diagnostic and therapeutic tools and the approaches to management of common conditions have been systematically clarified in regularly updated ESC consensus guideline documents. Against the background of these developments, the Board of the ESC decided in 2011 to revise and update the Core Curriculum. The chairman of the Committee for Education 2010–2012, Otto A. Smiseth, delegated this project to a task force, whose members were drawn from general cardiologists. The 2013 version of the Core Curriculum outlines the knowledge and skills of the general clinically oriented cardiologist, rather than those required for the sub-specialties. The document provides a framework for training and certification, continuous medical education (CME), and recertification. The Core Curriculum will inevitably continue to evolve as authors and reviewers are aware that there are still important differences in training and means throughout Europe and ESC member states. In the Core Curriculum, the ESC is setting a standard that national societies can use in their dealings with political institutions and national authorities. A deliberate decision was taken to outline an optimal rather than a minimum standard, allowing for the fact that not every training system will be able, or may not wish, to adopt the full curriculum. In countries (or centres) that are currently unable to deliver training in all its aspects, the Core Curriculum can and should be used as a benchmark to promote improvement. The 2013 Core Curriculum defines the clinical, patient-oriented, training of the general cardiologist. The overall structure of the previous version has been retained, but the table format has been abandoned to limit the number of printed pages and to make the document more easily searchable on-line. In most subject areas, there was a wide if not unanimous consensus among the task force members on the training required for the cardiologist of the future. The document recommends that acquisition of competence in general cardiology requires at least 6 years of full-time postgraduate training, of which 4 years are devoted to cardiology. The general aspects of training and all individual chapters have been updated. The document focuses on knowledge of mechanisms of disease, clinical and communication skills, empathy for the patient and their relatives, and teamwork. A clear boundary has been set between the competencies required of the general cardiologist and those of the sub-specialist.10–13 The first part of the curriculum covers general aspects of training, and is followed by a comprehensive description of the specific components in 28 chapters. Each of the chapters includes statements of the objectives, and is further sub-divided into the required knowledge, skills and behaviours, and attitudes. Some chapters have been renamed and/or sub-divided into sub-sections. The most salient changes are summarized here. Non-invasive imaging (Chapter 2.3) has been divided into five sections: Non-invasive imaging (general aspects), Echocardiography, Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), Cardiac X-ray computed tomography, and Nuclear techniques. Cardiovascular prevention (Chapter 2.7) has been divided into sections on Cardiovascular risk factors and Arterial hypertension. Cardiac tumours (Chapter 2.12) has been replaced by a new and broader chapter on Oncology and the heart. The chapter Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology (Chapter 2.19) has become Physical activity and Sport in primary and secondary prevention and includes sections on Sports cardiology and Cardiac rehabilitation. A new chapter entitled Acute cardiovascular care (Chapter 2.27) has been added. The Cardiac consult (Chapter 2.28) has been expanded and divided into sections dealing with the patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery, the patient with neurological symptoms or diseases, and the patient with conditions not presenting primarily as cardiovascular disease [elderly patients, patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), erectile dysfunction, and others]. The 2013 Core Curriculum underwent a thorough review process based on the template of the review of the ESC guidelines. The document does not include minimum or optimal numbers of procedures to be undertaken, and does not address periodic evaluation, certification, or revalidation. This does not obviate the importance of regular, structured, and formally documented assessment, which is crucial to implementation of the curriculum. This should include knowledge-based assessments (formative and summative), formally observed procedures and practices, a log-book, and a recognition of the potential of simulation techniques in both training and assessment