La lucha por la vida con xeroderma pigmentoso en la mansión de Los otros (2001)

En la práctica médica nos encontramos día a día con pacientes que cursan con alergias o reacciones atípicas a elementos que se encuentran de manera común a su alrededor, pero en pocas ocasiones hemos de toparnos con reacciones tan severas como las que caracterizan a los individuos que padecen xenoderna pigmentoso. En la película Los otros (2001) de Alejandro Amenábar, los espectadores somos testigos de la lucha constante por la vida y por la salud que Grace enfrenta diariamente, una lucha contra el efecto de nada menos, que el sol mismo. La trama nos permite sentir la ansiedad, el estrés y la frustración que caracteriza a los habitantes de la mansión, ante una situación que finalmente, se resolvería de manera definitiva con el alto costo de su propia vida. Finalmente, la muerte resulta ser para los habitantes, una vía reveladora y liberadora que les permite recobrar la alegría y tranquilidad.</p

A fight for life with xeroderma pigmentosum at The others (2001) Mansion

En la práctica médica nos encontramos día a día con pacientes que cursan con alergias o reacciones atípicas a elementos que se encuentran de manera común a su alrededor, pero en pocas ocasiones hemos de toparnos con reacciones tan severas como las que caracterizan a los individuos que padecen xenoderna pigmentoso. En la película Los otros (2001) de Alejandro Amenábar, los espectadores somos testigos de la lucha constante por la vida y por la salud que Grace enfrenta diariamente, una lucha contra el efecto de nada menos, que el sol mismo. La trama nos permite sentir la ansiedad, el estrés y la frustración que caracteriza a los habitantes de la mansión, ante una situación que finalmente, se resolvería de manera definitiva con el alto costo de su propia vida. Finalmente, la muerte resulta ser para los habitantes, una vía reveladora y liberadora que les permite recobrar la alegría y tranquilidad.During our medical practice we could find patients who have allergies or atypical reactions to elements that are commonly seen around them, but sometimes we can find severe atypical reactions like the lesions that characterizes the xenoderma pigmentosum. The others  (2001), film wrote and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, makes us witnesses of the struggle and constant battle of Grace for keeping their children healthy against the effect of the sun.  The plot allows us to feel the anxiety, stress and frustration that characterizes the inhabitants of the mansion, before a situation that finally, was resolved definitively with the high cost, their own life. Finally, death turns out to be for the inhabitants, a revealing and liberating way that allows them to recover joy and serenity

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

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

Grazing and ecosystem service delivery in global drylands

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil, and biodiversity are critical to explain the delivery of fundamental ecosystem services across drylands worldwide. Increasing grazing pressure reduced ecosystem service delivery in warmer and species-poor drylands, whereas positive effects of grazing were observed in colder and species-rich areas. Considering interactions between grazing and local abiotic and biotic factors is key for understanding the fate of dryland ecosystems under climate change and increasing human pressure