El racionalismo musulmán en la Edad Media

Avicena's Metaphysics is probably the most mature expression of the Muslim rationalist thinking from the Middle Ages. From a Marxist point of view, this essay investigates how this way of thinking came to be, its historical roots and the economic, political and social network that made it possible. It also tries to uncover the theoretical problems it addresses and the intellectual needs tries to solve. Finally, this paper outlines a brief review of its historical significance as well as its future projections, today our past.De Avicena es seguramente la expresión más madura del pensamiento racionalista musulmán de la Edad Media Este artículo investiga, desde una perspectiva marxista, cómo se hizo posible ese modo de pensar, cuáles fueron sus raíces históricas y qué organización económica, política y social justificó su aparición. Intenta averiguar también a qué problemas teóricos responde y qué necesidades intelectuales busca resolver. Finalmente esboza una breve exposición de su significado histórico y sus proyecciones hacia el futuro, hoy pasado nuestro

El periplo de la razón. El racionalismo musulmán en la Edad Media

En la historia no hay solución de continuidad. Este principio racionalista sirve para desmitificar la historia de la filosofía que la academia occidental ha fabricado desde un punto de vista etnocéntrico. Desde su nacimiento en Grecia, el racionalismo penetró en Oriente Medio y Norte de África, para pasar luego a Europa a través del desarrollo científico y filosófico de al-Ándalus en la Edad Media

Atravesando el desierto. Balance y perspectivas del marxismo en el siglo XXI.

La crisis financiera, que ha llevado a la recesión económica con sus secuelas sociales, no es más que un aspecto de la problemática a la que hoy nos enfrentamos. Se nos presenta además una crisis de la hegemonía del centro del sistema capitalista a favor de países periféricos, especialmente la República Popular China. Una tercera crisis se hará visible a más largo plazo como la destrucción de la biosfera terrestre. Esos fenómenos hunden sus raíces en el actual modo de producción económica, el cual se funda en el mercado y la propiedad privada, como instituciones reguladoras de las relaciones de los individuos entre sí y con la naturaleza

Teoría y práctica. La trayectoria intelectual de Manuel Sacristán Luazón.

Manuel Sacristán Luzón (1925-1985) fue un intelectual con varios intereses de estudio, que trabajó la lógica formal, para introducirla en la cultura española de mediados de siglo, la filosofía de la ciencia y la metodología de las ciencias sociales, tomando como marco de su investigación el materialismo histórico. Fue también un influyente dirigente de la oposición contra la dictadura de Franco, militando en el PSUC/PCE (Partido Socialista Unificado de Cataluña/ Partido Comunista de España). En sus últimos años centró su crítica anticapitalista en una reflexión sobre los problemas ecológicos de la humanidad contemporánea

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Bezlotoxumab Added to Standard of Care Versus Standard of Care Alone for the Prevention of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in High-Risk Patients in Spain

Introduction Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the major cause of infectious nosocomial diarrhoea and is associated with considerable morbidity, mortality and economic impact. Bezlotoxumab administered in combination with standard of care (SoC) antibiotic therapy prevents recurrent CDI. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of bezlotoxumab added to SoC, compared to SoC alone, to prevent the recurrence of CDI in high-risk patients from the Spanish National Health System perspective. Methods A Markov model was used to simulate the natural history of CDI over a lifetime horizon in five populations of patients at high risk of CDI recurrence according to MODIFY trials: (1) ≥ 65 years old; (2) severe CDI; (3) immunocompromised; (4) ≥ 1 CDI episode in the previous 6 months; and (5) ≥ 65 years old and with ≥ 1 CDI episode in the previous 6 months. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) expressed as cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained was calculated. Deterministic (DSA) and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were performed. Results In all patient populations (from 1 to 5), bezlotoxumab added to SoC reduced CDI recurrence compared to SoC alone by 26.4, 19.5, 21.2, 26.6 and 39.7%, respectively. The resulting ICERs for the respective subgroups were €12,724, €17,495, €9545, €7386, and €4378. The model parameters with highest impact on the ICER were recurrence rate (first), mortality, and utility values. The probability that bezlotoxumab was cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of €21,000/QALY was 85.5%, 54.1%, 86.0%, 94.5%, 99.6%, respectively. Conclusion The results suggest that bezlotoxumab added to SoC compared to SoC alone is a cost-effective treatment to prevent the recurrence of CDI in high-risk patients. The influence of changes in model parameters on DSA results was higher in patients  ≥ 65 years old, with severe CDI and immunocompromised. Additionally, PSA estimated that the probability of cost-effectiveness exceeded 85% in most subgroups

PARASITIC INFECTIONS IN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Parasitic infections are rarely documented in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. However, they may be responsible for fatal complications that are only diagnosed at autopsy. Increased awareness of the possibility of parasitic diseases both in autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant patients is relevant not only for implementing preventive measures but also for performing an early diagnosis and starting appropriate therapy for these unrecognized but fatal infectious complications in hematopoietic transplant recipients. In this review, we will focus on parasitic diseases occurring in this population especially those with major clinical relevance including toxoplasmosis, American trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, malaria, and strongyloidiasis, among others, highlighting the diagnosis and management in hematopoietic transplant recipients

Clinical management of cUTI, cIAI, and HABP/VABP attributable to carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative infections in Spain

Carbapenemasa; Infeccions gramnegatives; Infeccions associades a l'assistència sanitàriaCarbapenemasa; Infecciones gramnegativas; Infecciones asociadas a la asistencia sanitariaCarbapenemase; Gram-negative infections; Healthcare-associated infectionsIntroduction. Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative (CRGN) infections are a major public health problem in Spain, often implicated in complicated, healthcare-associated infections that require the use of potentially toxic antibacterial agents of last resort. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical management of complicated infections caused by CRGN bacteria in Spanish hospitals. Methods. The study included: 1) a survey assessing the GN infection and antibacterial susceptibility profile in five participating Spanish hospitals and 2) a non-interventional, retrospective single cohort chart review of 100 patients with complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI), complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI), or hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP) attributable to CRGN pathogens. Results. In the participating hospitals CRGN prevalence was 9.3% amongst complicated infections. In the retrospective cohort, 92% of infections were healthcare-associated, and Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common pathogens. OXA was the most frequently detected carbapenemase type (71.4%). We found that carbapenems were frequently used to treat cUTI, cIAI, HABP/VABP caused by CRGN pathogens. Carbapenem use, particularly in combination with other agents, persisted after confirmation of carbapenem resistance. Clinical cure was 66.0%, mortality during hospitalization 35.0%, mortality at the time of chart review 62.0%, and 6-months-post-discharge readmission 47.7%. Conclusion. Our results reflect the high burden and unmet needs associated with the management of complicated infections attributable to CRGN pathogens in Spain and highlight the urgent need for enhanced clinical management of these difficult-to-treat infections.Funding for this research was provided by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA

Consequences of using biodiesel on the injection and air-fuel mixing processes in diesel engines

(c) IMechE 2013A study of the injection process and spray behaviour was made for three different fuels. In particular, blends of rapeseed methyl ester and standard diesel fuel with 5% and 30% biodiesel were used for the current study, as well as pure rapeseed methyl ester. Hydraulic characterization of an eight-hole nozzle was carried out using these three fuels, in order to explore and analyse the influence of the fuel properties on the mass flow rate and the momentum flux at the nozzle exit. Additionally, spray visualization tests were performed in order to obtain information about the spray cone angle, which allows characterization of the air-fuel mixing process. Finally, a theoretical derivation was used to obtain further details of the microscopic characteristics of the spray and to compare the air-fuel mixing efficiencies for the different biodiesel blends.This work was partly supported by Vicerrectorado de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia in the framework of the Project Estudio del Flujo en Toberas de Inyeccion Diesel Mediante Tecnicas LES (project no. 2837) and by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion in the framework of the Project Estudio Teorico-experimental sobre la Influencia del Tipo de Combustible en Los Procesos de Atomizacion y Evaporacion del Chorro Diesel (project no. TRA2011-26293).Salvador Rubio, FJ.; Ruiz Rosales, S.; Salavert Fernández, JM.; De La Morena Borja, J. (2013). Consequences of using biodiesel on the injection and air-fuel mixing processes in diesel engines. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering. 227(8):1130-1141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954407012463667S113011412278Altın, R., Çetinkaya, S., & Yücesu, H. S. (2001). The potential of using vegetable oil fuels as fuel for diesel engines. Energy Conversion and Management, 42(5), 529-538. doi:10.1016/s0196-8904(00)00080-7Rakopoulos, C. D., Antonopoulos, K. A., Rakopoulos, D. C., Hountalas, D. T., & Giakoumis, E. G. (2006). Comparative performance and emissions study of a direct injection Diesel engine using blends of Diesel fuel with vegetable oils or bio-diesels of various origins. Energy Conversion and Management, 47(18-19), 3272-3287. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2006.01.006Agarwal, A. K. (2007). Biofuels (alcohols and biodiesel) applications as fuels for internal combustion engines. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 33(3), 233-271. doi:10.1016/j.pecs.2006.08.003Basha, S. A., Gopal, K. R., & Jebaraj, S. (2009). 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The influence of cavitation on the internal flow and the spray characteristics in diesel injection nozzles. Fuel, 83(4-5), 419-431. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2003.09.010Jung, K., Khil, T., & Yoon, Y. (2006). Effects of Orifice Internal Flow on Breakup Characteristics of like-Doublet Injectors. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 22(3), 653-660. doi:10.2514/1.20362Park, S. H., Suh, H. K., & Lee, C. S. (2008). Effect of Cavitating Flow on the Flow and Fuel Atomization Characteristics of Biodiesel and Diesel Fuels. Energy & Fuels, 22(1), 605-613. doi:10.1021/ef7003305PAYRI, R., GARCIA, J., SALVADOR, F., & GIMENO, J. (2005). Using spray momentum flux measurements to understand the influence of diesel nozzle geometry on spray characteristics. Fuel, 84(5), 551-561. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2004.10.009Pastor, J. V., Arrègle, J., García, J. M., & Zapata, L. D. (2007). Segmentation of diesel spray images with log-likelihood ratio test algorithm for non-Gaussian distributions. Applied Optics, 46(6), 888. doi:10.1364/ao.46.000888Desantes, J. M., Payri, R., Garcia, J. M., & Salvador, F. J. (2007). A contribution to the understanding of isothermal diesel spray dynamics. Fuel, 86(7-8), 1093-1101. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2006.10.011Desantes, J. M., Salvador, F. J., López, J. J., & De la Morena, J. (2010). Study of mass and momentum transfer in diesel sprays based on X-ray mass distribution measurements and on a theoretical derivation. Experiments in Fluids, 50(2), 233-246. doi:10.1007/s00348-010-0919-8Salvador, F. J., Ruiz, S., Gimeno, J., & De la Morena, J. (2011). Estimation of a suitable Schmidt number range in diesel sprays at high injection pressure. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 50(9), 1790-1798. doi:10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2011.03.030Payri, R., Tormos, B., Salvador, F. J., & Araneo, L. (2008). Spray droplet velocity characterization for convergent nozzles with three different diameters. 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Biomarkers of fungal infection: Expert opinion on the current situation

The introduction of non-culture-based diagnostic techniques is revolutionizing the world of microbiological diagnosis and infection assessment. Fungi are no exception, and the introduction of biomarkers has opened up enormous expectations for better management of these entities. Biomarkers are diverse, their targets are also diverse and their evaluation has been done preferably in an individualized use and with deficient designs. Less is known about the value of the combined use of biomarkers and the impact of the negativity of two or more biomarkers on antifungal treatment decisions has been poorly studied. Given the paucity of prospective, randomized and definitive studies, we have convened experts from different fields, with an interest in invasive fungal infections, to answer some questions about the current relevant use of fungal biomarkers. This document summarizes the answers of these experts to the different questions