Entanglement entropy of integer Quantum Hall states in polygonal domains

The entanglement entropy of the integer Quantum Hall states satisfies the area law for smooth domains with a vanishing topological term. In this paper we consider polygonal domains for which the area law acquires a constant term that only depends on the angles of the vertices and we give a general expression for it. We study also the dependence of the entanglement spectrum on the geometry and give it a simple physical interpretation.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Costos de la rehidratación oral y nasogástrica comparadas con la rehidratación endovenosa en niños con diarrea en Colombia

Objetivo Evaluar los costos de las terapias de rehidratación oral (TRO) y de rehidratación nasogástrica (TRN) comparadas con la terapia de rehidratación endovenosa (TRE) para corregir la deshidratación por diarrea en niños.Metodología Análisis de minimización de costos desde la perspectiva del Sistema de Salud colombiano comparando TRO (seguida de TRN ante falla de la TRO), con la TRE. El horizonte temporal fue la duración de la rehidratación. La medida de efectividad se extrajo de una revisión sistemática de literatura. Para determinar costos, se construyó un caso típico y un árbol de decisiones, a partir de revisión de guías e historias clínicas, validado con expertos. Los costos unitarios se obtuvieron de bases de datos colombianas. Costos fueron calculados en pesos colombianos (COP) y dólares americanos (USD). Se realizaron análisis de sensibilidad de una y dos vías.Resultados La TRO y la TRE son similares en efectividad para prevenir hospitalización y lograr rehidratación. En el caso base, el costo de la TRO fue $91,221COP (40.5 USD) y para TRE$112,944COP (50.14USD), es decir, un ahorro de $21,723 COP (9.64 USD). En los análisis de sensibilidad por regímenes de aseguramiento y complejidad del hospital, la TRO suele ser la estrategia menos costosa.Discusión Ambas intervenciones son similares en efectividad, pero la TRO, seguida de TRN ante falla de la primera resulta menos costosa que la TRE. La TRO es recomendable como primera opción para corregir la deshidratación. Deberían continuarse esfuerzos por implementar TRO y TRN en los servicios de salud en Colombia

Evaluación del comportamiento del perfil de lípidos postingesta de una carga lipídica estandarizada en jóvenes sanos, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2000

Antecedentes: Se ha demostrado ampliamente la asociación de niveles elevados de colesterol y triglicéridos, además de niveles bajos de colesterol HDL con riesgo elevado de aterosclerosis y sus consecuencias. La elevación exagerada de los triglicéridos posterior a la ingesta de alimentos es una alteración que ha despertado gran interés en los últimos años, sin embargo no se ha trazado un límite de normalidad para su comportamiento de acuerdo a lo observado en individuos sanos. Métodos: Analizamos la variación del colesterol HDL y los triglicéridos en una muestra de 50 individuos sanos (25 hombres y 25 mujeres), después de la ingesta de un desayuno de prueba, con el fin de trazar un patrón de comportamiento postprandial de éstos parámetros, en especial la hora en que el valor de triglicéridos  presenta su máxima elevación en población normal y el valor límite que permita discriminar entre individuos sanos e individuos con hiperlipemia postprandial. Resultados: Se encontró una gran variabilidad en el comportamiento postprandial de los triglicéridos, especialmente en hombres. El mayor porcentaje de individuos presentó la máxima  elevación de la cifra de triglicéridos en la tercera hora postprandial. Sin embargo las diferencias en el comportamiento entre hombres y  mujeres no resultaron estadísticamente significativas. El nivel de colesterol de HDL sólo tuvo ligeras variaciones a lo largo del estudio, que no resultaron estadísticamente significativas No fue posible establecer correlaciones entre las mediciones de colesterol HDL y triglicéridos y las variables secundarias, existiendo para todas niveles de correlación muy bajos. Los valores de triglicéridos en las mediciones de la segunda, tercera y cuarta hora presentaron una alta correlación. Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados señalan un comportamiento similar en la lipemia postprandial entre hombres y mujeres. La elevación máxima de los niveles de triglicéridos entre la segunda y cuarta hora en el 81,1% de los pacientes nos hace suponer que un valor obtenido en ese intervalo de tiempo es representativo del comportamiento postprandial de los lípidos para una parte importante de la población. El comportamiento del colesterol de IIDL no parece presentar variaciones significativas durante el periodo postprandial, aunque presenta una ligera disminución del 5% en la tercera hora, coincidente con la elevación máxima de triglilcéridos. Para poder emplear estos hallazgos con el fin de trazar valores normales que permitan discriminar un comportamiento normal de uno  patológico, serán necesarios estudios futuros en población francamente enferma, comparando sus hallazgos con los aquí mostrados.Backgrounds it has been shown that high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides besides low levels of HDL cholesterol are associated with higher risk of atherosclerosis and its consequences. The exaggerated elevation in triglycerides after a meal is an alteration that has raised concern in the last years. However, there isn't still a normality threshold for its behavior according to the findings in normal subjects Methods: We analyzed the variation in HDL cholesterol and triglycerides in a sample of 50 healthy individuals (25 men and 25 women), after intake of a test breakfast, regarding for the postprandial pattern for these parameters, specially the hour in which the maximum value of triglycerides was shown in the normal population and the value that could discriminate between healthy individuals and those with postprandial hiperlipemia. Results: We found a great variability in the postprandial behavior of triglycerides among individuals, specially in men. The greater percentage of individuals showed the maximum of triglycerides in the third postprandial hour. However the differences between men and women were not statistically significant The HDL cholesterol had only slight variations along the study, and they were not statistically significant. It wasn't possible to establish correlations among the HDL and triglyceride levels and the secondary measures relative to health condition, existing very low correlation levels. The trygliceride value in the second, third and fourth hour presented a high correlation. Conclusions: Our results show a similar behavior in postprandiallipemia in men and women. The greater elevation of triglyceride levels between second and fourth hour in 81,1 % of the patients allows us to suppose that a value obtained in this time interval is representative of postprandiallipids for an important part of the population. The behavior of HDL cholesterol seem not to show significative variations along the postprandial period, although it shows a small decline of 5% in the third hour, coincidentally with the greater elevation of triglycerides. If we want to use these findings to draw normal values that allow to discrimina te a normal pattern from a pathologic one, further studies will be needed gathering clearly iII populations and comparing their findings with those shown here

An RNAi in silico approach to find an optimal shRNA cocktail against HIV-1

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>HIV-1 can be inhibited by RNA interference <it>in vitro </it>through the expression of short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) that target conserved genome sequences. <it>In silico </it>shRNA design for HIV has lacked a detailed study of virus variability constituting a possible breaking point in a clinical setting. We designed shRNAs against HIV-1 considering the variability observed in naïve and drug-resistant isolates available at public databases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A Bioperl-based algorithm was developed to automatically scan multiple sequence alignments of HIV, while evaluating the possibility of identifying dominant and subdominant viral variants that could be used as efficient silencing molecules. Student t-test and Bonferroni Dunn correction test were used to assess statistical significance of our findings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our <it>in silico </it>approach identified the most common viral variants within highly conserved genome regions, with a calculated free energy of ≥ -6.6 kcal/mol. This is crucial for strand loading to RISC complex and for a predicted silencing efficiency score, which could be used in combination for achieving over 90% silencing. Resistant and naïve isolate variability revealed that the most frequent shRNA per region targets a maximum of 85% of viral sequences. Adding more divergent sequences maintained this percentage. Specific sequence features that have been found to be related with higher silencing efficiency were hardly accomplished in conserved regions, even when lower entropy values correlated with better scores. We identified a conserved region among most HIV-1 genomes, which meets as many sequence features for efficient silencing.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HIV-1 variability is an obstacle to achieving absolute silencing using shRNAs designed against a consensus sequence, mainly because there are many functional viral variants. Our shRNA cocktail could be truly effective at silencing dominant and subdominant naïve viral variants. Additionally, resistant isolates might be targeted under specific antiretroviral selective pressure, but in both cases these should be tested exhaustively prior to clinical use.</p

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Report: Labour and social security law in Spain in 2013

El informe ha sido elaborado por la Sección Juvenil de la Asociación Española de Derecho del Trabajo y Seguridad SocialEste documento intenta reflejar algunos de los principales cambios y novedades del ordenamiento laboral español en 2013, levantando acta de cómo la mutabilidad de nuestro Derecho del Trabajo es imparable. Este informe, consciente de ello, ofrece una selección de elementos esenciales, a juicio de sus autores, especialistas en cada una de las materias, encuadrados en la Sección Juvenil de la Asociación Española de Derecho del Trabajo y de la Seguridad Social. En él, conforme a la organización de dicha Sección en grupos de trabajo, se abordan las novedades más relevantes en materia de derechos fundamentales inespecíficos, contratación laboral, vicisitudes del contrato de trabajo, Derecho colectivo, conciliación y corresponsabilidad, protección social y prevención de riesgos laborales.This paper tries to show some of the many changes and novelties in Spanish Labour Law during 2013, drawing up a record of the unstoppable character of our Labour legal system. This report offers a selection of essential elements, according to its authors, all of them specialists in each one of the subjects, being part of the Young Scholars’ Section of the Spanish Association for Labour and Social Security Law. According to the organization of the said Section in working groups, we can find novelties concerning unspecific fundamental rights, work contracts, the life of the work contract and collective Labour Law, reconciliation and co responsibility, social protection and occupational risk preventio

Espacio y territorios: razón, pasión e imaginarios

En este caleidoscopio de acercamientos hacia lo espacial y territorial, las visiones se mueven desde aquellas románticas y existencialistas, pasando por aquellas objetivistas y positivistas, hasta las estructuralistas y postestructuralistas. Por el espacio y el territorio se interesan con enfoques diversos numerosas disciplinas, desde la psicología, la etología o la literatura, y las ciencias naturales como la biología o la ecología, hasta las ciencias sociales y políticas, como la geografía, la antropología, la economía y la sociología. Este interés multidisciplinario demuestra la importancia y la complejidad del tema espacial y territorial, y reclama la necesidad de su estudio y comprensión interdisciplinarios, como se intenta con esta publicación

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake