Air radon equilibrium factor measurement in a Waste Water Pre-Treatment Plant

[EN] We analyze in this paper a Waste Water Pre-Treatment Plant (WWTP) located at the Mediterranean coast with air radon concentration above Spanish action level (600 Bq per cubic meter). This paper presents a method for radon equilibrium determination by gamma spectrometry measuring of the radon progeny concentrations in the air, in order to estimate WWTP workers effective dose more exactly. The method is based on simultaneous sampling of air through a filter paper and alpha spectrometry measurement of radon activity concentration in the air. According to the measured radon activity concentration in the air of 368 +/- 45 Bq/m(3) the equilibrium factor between radon and progenies is estimated to be F=0.27, which is in good agreement with expected values.Martinez-Ferri, JE.; Juste Vidal, BJ.; Ortiz Moragón, J.; Martorell Alsina, SS.; Verdú Martín, GJ. (2017). Air radon equilibrium factor measurement in a Waste Water Pre-Treatment Plant. Radiation Physics and Chemistry. 140:20-24. doi:10.1016/j.radphyschem.2017.03.011S202414

Comentarios al dossier de la edición número 39 de la revista ÍCONOS, Revista de Ciencias Sociales FLACSO- Ecuador, Enero de 2011 ¿Cómo se piensa lo “queer” en América Latina? [reseña]

El debate en torno a la noción de género y a sus relaciones con el sexo y la sexualidad, promovido por activistas y universitarios bajo el nombre de teoría queer empezó a circular en América Latina desde hace aproximadamente quince años Esta tendencia, inspirada en algunos desarrollos postmodernos y postestructuralistas discutió las categorías de oposición binaria, hombres/mujeres, homosexuales/heterosexuales y sostuvo que el discurso sobre la identidad de género era inherente a las ficciones reguladoras de la heterosexualidad, y de las mujeres y los hombres como realidades coherentes y en el último caso, antagónicas (Butler, 2001 y 2002). Por esta razón, se dio por tarea cuestionar categorías analíticas como sexo y naturaleza que conducen a la univocidad. La coordinadora y los coordinadores de este dossier, Maria Amelia Viteri, José Fernando Serrano y Salvador Vidal-Ortiz identifican lo queer con las “teorías y prácticas políticas de contestación y resistencia a las políticas de identidad” (Viteri, Serrano y Vidal-Ortiz, 2011, p. 47), en particular a las que reivindican el ‘orgullo gay’, desde una perspectiva que aborda los debates sobre sexualidades y género, en sus interacciones con la raza, la etnicidad y la clase, como categorías historizadas. Esta propuesta se hace teniendo en cuenta la pregunta sobre cómo se piensa lo queer en América Latina que supone a su vez explicitar a su vez cómo se piensa a “América Latina”. Podría plantearse como respuesta que los artículos reunidos en este dossier no sólo conciben a “América Latina” como un lugar en el mapa, cuyos contornos están ligados a la empresa colonial ibérica, sino también como una consecuencia y un producto de la geopolítica del conocimiento fabricada e impuesta por la “modernidad”, y como un subcontinente que simboliza la diferencia, en contraste con el ideal representado por la cultura y la composición racial europea. Saber cómo se piensa lo queer en América Latina implica además abordar el tema de la circulación de este debate teórico en un contexto geopolítico, social y cultural muy distinto a los de su surgimiento

Developing a novelty method to estimate Radon doses in a Waste Water pre-Treatment Plant

[EN] According to World Health Organization (WHO), the radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. This work is centered on a Waste Water Pre-Treatment Plant (WWTP) with radon concentration above Spanish action level (600 Bq per cubic meter). The authors have developed a novelty method based on gamma and alpha spectrometry to measure the radon equilibrium factor. At the same time, a Matlab (c) algorithm (UPVDose) has been coded based on the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 66 Human Respiratory Tract Model for Radiological Protection (HRT), to calculate the inhalation doses received by workers of this treatment plant due to the radon progeny. The effective doses of the workers obtained in the human respiratory tract are found to be low, but results are very dependent on the radionuclide type of absorptionMartinez-Ferri, JE.; Juste Vidal, BJ.; Verdú Martín, GJ.; Miró Herrero, R.; Ortiz Moragón, J.; Martorell Alsina, SS. (2019). Developing a novelty method to estimate Radon doses in a Waste Water pre-Treatment Plant. Radiation Physics and Chemistry. 155:323-327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2018.09.009S323327155Durridge Radon Instrumentation, 2015. RAD 7 Radon Detector, user manual. DURRIDGE Company 〈https://durridge.com/products/rad7-radon-detector/〉.Forkapić, S., Mrđa, D., Vesković, M., Todorović, N., Bikit, K., Nikolov, J., Hansman, J., 2012. Radon equilibrium measurement in the air. In: Proceedings of the Paper Presented at First East European Radon Symposium–FERAS.Zhu, H., Li, J., Qiu, R., Pan, Y., Wu, Z., Li, C., & Zhang, H. (2018). Establishment of detailed respiratory tract model and Monte Carlo simulation of radon progeny caused dose. Journal of Radiological Protection, 38(3), 990-1012. doi:10.1088/1361-6498/aac987Marsh, J. W., Laurier, D., & Tirmarche, M. (2017). RADON DOSIMETRY FOR WORKERS: ICRP’S APPROACH. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 177(4), 466-474. doi:10.1093/rpd/ncx065Martinez, J. E., Juste, B., Ortiz, J., Martorell, S., & Verdu, G. (2017). Air radon equilibrium factor measurement in a Waste Water Pre-Treatment Plant. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 140, 20-24. doi:10.1016/j.radphyschem.2017.03.011Ramola, R. C., Prasad, M., Kandari, T., Pant, P., Bossew, P., Mishra, R., & Tokonami, S. (2016). Dose estimation derived from the exposure to radon, thoron and their progeny in the indoor environment. Scientific Reports, 6(1). doi:10.1038/srep31061Sánchez, G., & Rodríguez-Díaz, J. M. (2006). Optimal design and mathematical model applied to establish bioassay programs. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 123(4), 457-463. doi:10.1093/rpd/ncl49

Introdução: Queer/Cuir das Américas: tradução, decolonialidade e o incomensurável

Editores: Diego Falconí Trávez(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona/Universidad San Francisco de Quito),Lourdes Martínez-Echazábal (Universidade de Califórnia Santa Cruz/Universidade Federal deSanta Catarina), Joseph M. Pierce (Stony Brook University), Salvador Vidal-Ortiz (AmericanUniversity) e Maria Amelia Viteri (Universidad San Francisco de Quito)Editores: Diego Falconí Trávez(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona/Universidad San Francisco de Quito),Lourdes Martínez-Echazábal (Universidade de Califórnia Santa Cruz/Universidade Federal deSanta Catarina), Joseph M. Pierce (Stony Brook University), Salvador Vidal-Ortiz (AmericanUniversity) e Maria Amelia Viteri (Universidad San Francisco de Quito)Editores: Diego Falconí Trávez(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona/Universidad San Francisco de Quito),Lourdes Martínez-Echazábal (Universidade de Califórnia Santa Cruz/Universidade Federal deSanta Catarina), Joseph M. Pierce (Stony Brook University), Salvador Vidal-Ortiz (AmericanUniversity) e Maria Amelia Viteri (Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Combining fMRI and DISC1 gene haplotypes to understand working memory-related brain activity in schizophrenia

Altres ajuts: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER); European Social Fund ("Investing in your future"); Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Salut (SLT017/20/000233).The DISC1 gene is one of the most relevant susceptibility genes for psychosis. However, the complex genetic landscape of this locus, which includes protective and risk variants in interaction, may have hindered consistent conclusions on how DISC1 contributes to schizophrenia (SZ) liability. Analysis from haplotype approaches and brain-based phenotypes can contribute to understanding DISC1 role in the neurobiology of this disorder. We assessed the brain correlates of DISC1 haplotypes associated with SZ through a functional neuroimaging genetics approach. First, we tested the association of two DISC1 haplotypes, the HEP1 (rs6675281-1000731-rs999710) and the HEP3 (rs151229-rs3738401), with the risk for SZ in a sample of 138 healthy subjects (HS) and 238 patients. This approach allowed the identification of three haplotypes associated with SZ (HEP1-CTG, HEP3-GA and HEP3-AA). Second, we explored whether these haplotypes exerted differential effects on n-back associated brain activity in a subsample of 70 HS compared to 70 patients (diagnosis × haplotype interaction effect). These analyses evidenced that HEP3-GA and HEP3-AA modulated working memory functional response conditional to the health/disease status in the cuneus, precuneus, middle cingulate cortex and the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices. Our results are the first to show a diagnosis-based effect of DISC1 haplotypes on working memory-related brain activity, emphasising its role in SZ

Evaluación del control de los pacientes hipertensos dispensarizados de la policlínica "Omar Ranedo Pubillones" de Guantánamo

Se realizó un estudio con los pacientes hipertensos dispensarizados de la Policlínica "Omar Ranedo Pubillones" de Guantánamo, del 1 de abril  de 1997 al 30 de abril de 1998. De la  totalidad de dichos pacientes en el área se obtuvo una muestra sistemática representativa, con el propósito de evaluar el control de la enfermedad en dicha área de salud. Se encontró que el 58,2% de ellos estaban controlados. La edad y el sexo no influyeron en el grado de control de la presión arterial. La patología asociada que se presentó con mayor frecuencia fue la cardiopatía isquémica. El mejor resultado en el control de la enfermedad se obtuvo con el tratamiento combinado farmacológico y no farmacológico. Se concluye que hay un bajo grado de control de la presión arterial en la muestra estudiada

Updating the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for the Spanish Population: The Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) Proposal

Diet-related risk factors and physical inactivity are among the leading risk factors for disability and are responsible for a large proportion of the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases. Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are useful tools for nutrition policies and public health strategies to promote healthier eating and physical activity. In this paper, we discuss the process followed in developing the dietary guidelines for the Spanish population by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) and further explain the collaboration with primary healthcare practitioners as presented in the context of the NUTRIMAD 2018 international congress of SENC. From a health in all policies approach, SENC convened a group of experts in nutrition and public health to review the evidence on diet-health, nutrient intake and food consumption in the Spanish population, as well as food preparation, determinants and impact of diet on environmental sustainability. The collaborative group drafted the document and designed the graphic icon, which was then subject to a consultation process, discussion, and qualitative evaluation. Next, a collaborative group was established to plan a dissemination strategy, involving delegates from all the primary healthcare scientific societies in Spain. A product of this collaboration was the release of an attractive, easy-to-understand publication

Famílies botàniques de plantes medicinals

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia, Assignatura: Botànica Farmacèutica, Curs: 2013-2014, Coordinadors: Joan Simon, Cèsar Blanché i Maria Bosch.Els materials que aquí es presenten són els recull de 175 treballs d’una família botànica d’interès medicinal realitzats de manera individual. Els treballs han estat realitzat per la totalitat dels estudiants dels grups M-2 i M-3 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica durant els mesos d’abril i maig del curs 2013-14. Tots els treballs s’han dut a terme a través de la plataforma de GoogleDocs i han estat tutoritzats pel professor de l’assignatura i revisats i finalment co-avaluats entre els propis estudiants. L’objectiu principal de l’activitat ha estat fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

ECMO for COVID-19 patients in Europe and Israel

Since March 15th, 2020, 177 centres from Europe and Israel have joined the study, routinely reporting on the ECMO support they provide to COVID-19 patients. The mean annual number of cases treated with ECMO in the participating centres before the pandemic (2019) was 55. The number of COVID-19 patients has increased rapidly each week reaching 1531 treated patients as of September 14th. The greatest number of cases has been reported from France (n = 385), UK (n = 193), Germany (n = 176), Spain (n = 166), and Italy (n = 136) .The mean age of treated patients was 52.6 years (range 16–80), 79% were male. The ECMO configuration used was VV in 91% of cases, VA in 5% and other in 4%. The mean PaO2 before ECMO implantation was 65 mmHg. The mean duration of ECMO support thus far has been 18 days and the mean ICU length of stay of these patients was 33 days. As of the 14th September, overall 841 patients have been weaned from ECMO support, 601 died during ECMO support, 71 died after withdrawal of ECMO, 79 are still receiving ECMO support and for 10 patients status n.a. . Our preliminary data suggest that patients placed on ECMO with severe refractory respiratory or cardiac failure secondary to COVID-19 have a reasonable (55%) chance of survival. Further extensive data analysis is expected to provide invaluable information on the demographics, severity of illness, indications and different ECMO management strategies in these patients