Autoimmune Epilepsy: New Development and Future Directions

In recent years, there has been accumulating evidence to support an autoimmune etiology for some patients with drug-resistant seizures, typically in the context of an antibody-mediated encephalopathy; any seizure disorder that may be caused by pathogenic autoantibodies, are an example of autoimmune epilepsy. Autoimmunity is characterized by loss of immune tolerance that causes the destruction of cells and tissues. The largest complex histocompatibility system has had a strong association with autoimmune disease, although certain genes encoding cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules increase genetic susceptibility. In spite of having scientific advances in this research area, the conditions underlying mechanisms are unknown.Goal: this chapter aims to present in synthesized form, the genetic, immunological, and environmental factors role in the autoimmunity to epilepsy, as well as the therapeutic approach that has been used to control seizures, mainly where there is a suspected anti-neuronal-antibodies circulation. Methods: a review of the work achieved during the last years in patients with this condition provides information and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of this epilepsy type. For this, a systematic search of PUBMED is conducted using the search terms “autoimmune and epilepsy, auto antibodies and epilepsy, NMDA and epilepsy, AMPA and epilepsy, and GAD and epilepsy.” The list of identified articles was complemented by additional searches for relevant articles in the reference section of the publications captured by the initial search

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Molecular identifcation and morphological variations of Dermacentor albipictus collected from two deer species in northern Mexico

In total, 57 ticks were collected from six white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and three mule deer (O. hemionus) in northern Mexico during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 hunting seasons. Morphological features of adult male and female ticks were observed and photographed using a stereo-microscope and scanning electron micrography. The ticks were identifed as Dermacentor albipictus based on taxonomic keys. Molecular analysis using DNA amplifcation of the 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI) genes was employed to resolve the phylogenetic relationships from 18 strains of Dermacentor species. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed in order to obtain a phylogenetic tree based on the concatenated sequence in the D. albipictus clade. The geometric morphometric analysis compared the body shape of ticks collected from specimens of two deer species by analyzing nine dorsal and ventral landmarks from both males and females. The results suggest that body shape variation in dorsal structures might be related to the host

Consultorías empresariales y negocios internacionales

On entrepreneurship, innovation, competitiveness, logistic performance, sales, marketing, among other everyday concepts of the economic world, you can continue writing full pages for the enjoyment of a reader, but achieve interact experiences of entrepreneurships that have the chapters of the book along with the The conformation of the foreign trade observatories (OCE) is a contribution with non-everyday ingredients to a task with many edges for understanding. Research to identify the factors that determine the logistics performance of SMEs in the logistics operator sector will provide the reader with a clear summary of a field work. Entrepreneurship and innovation as key factors in competitiveness are broken down between expectations and challenges of business development. The authors show us the perspective of the social and corporate fabric from the disruptive scenarios of recovery. In the chapters referring to the three experiences with a descriptive approach: identify the weaknesses and business development of the productive units of the beekeeping sector in the Department of Sucre, Colombia. Analyze the negotiating profile of sales employees of the hardware sector in Valledupar and shared the design of the marketing-based organizational philosophy for the tourism association (ATAV) in the village of Agua de la Virgen, jurisdiction of Ocaña, Norte de Santander Colombia Undoubtedly, the conformation of the foreign trade observatories (OCE) as a strategic academic body for universities corresponds to the best argument of diligent propositive alliances for the benefit of the regional and national economic sector in Colombia with the product of research has been the Response to the challenges of trade. For the previous comments and with the certainty that the narrations of the book will catch you, I invite you to enjoy it. My thanks to the Costa Atlántica Polytechnic, the Latin American University Corporation, the University of the Coast, the American University Corporation, the Simón Bolívar University and the Caribbean University Corporation, for the invitation deference, clarification from the observer's platform, their personal efforts and with The confidence for a better memory in alliances to continue with his legacy to the community.Sobre emprendimiento, innovación, competitividad, desempeño logístico, ventas, marketing, entre otros conceptos cotidianos del mundo económico se podrán seguir escribiendo páginas completas para el disfrute de un lector, pero lograr interactuar las experiencias de emprendimientos que muestran los capítulos del libro junto con la conformación de los observatorios de comercio exterior (OCE) es un aporte con ingredientes no cotidiano a una tarea de muchas aristas para el entendimiento. La investigación para Identificar los factores que determinan el desempeño logístico de las pymes del sector de operadores logísticos proporcionará al lector con claridad el resumen de un trabajo de campo. El emprendimiento e innovación como factores claves en la competitividad se desglosan entre expectativas y retos del desarrollo empresarial. Nos muestran sus autores la prospectiva del tejido social y corporativo a partir de los escenarios disruptivos de recuperación del mismo. En los capítulos referido a las tres experiencias con enfoque descriptivo: identifican las debilidades y fortalecimiento empresarial de las unidades productivas del sector apícola en Departamento de Sucre, Colombia.  Analizan del perfil negociador de los empleados de ventas del sector ferretero en Valledupar y comparten el diseño de la filosofía organizacional basado en el marketing para la asociación de turismo (ATAV) en la vereda del Agua de la Virgen, jurisdicción de Ocaña, Norte de Santander, Colombia. Sin duda, la conformación de los observatorios de comercio exterior (OCE) como un organismo académico estratégico para las Universidades corresponde  el mejor argumento de alianzas propositivas diligentes para el beneficio del sector económico Regional y Nacional en Colombia con el producto de las investigaciones  ha sido la respuesta a los retos del comercio. Por los comentarios anteriores y con la seguridad que las narraciones del libro lo atraparan,   le invito a disfrutarlo. Mis agradecimientos al Politécnico Costa Atlántica, la Corporación Universitaria Latinoamericana, la Universidad de la Costa, Corporación Universitaria Americana, Universidad Simón Bolívar y a la Corporación Universitaria Del Caribe,  por la deferencia de invitarme, aclamo desde la tribuna del observador, sus gestiones  individuales  y  con la confianza por un mejor porvenir en  alianzas  para continuar  con su legado a la comunidad. &nbsp

A Cohort of Patients with COVID-19 in a Major Teaching Hospital in Europe

BACKGROUND: Since the confirmation of the first patient infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Spain in January 2020, the epidemic has grown rapidly, with the greatest impact on the region of Madrid. This article describes the first 2226 adult patients with COVID-19, consecutively admitted to La Paz University Hospital in Madrid. METHODS: Our cohort included all patients consecutively hospitalized who had a final outcome (death or discharge) in a 1286-bed hospital of Madrid (Spain) from 25 February (first case admitted) to 19 April 2020. The data were manually entered into an electronic case report form, which was monitored prior to the analysis. RESULTS: We consecutively included 2226 adult patients admitted to the hospital who either died (460) or were discharged (1766). The patients’ median age was 61 years, and 51.8% were women. The most common comorbidity was arterial hypertension (41.3%), and the most common symptom on admission was fever (71.2%). The median time from disease onset to hospital admission was 6 days. The overall mortality was 20.7% and was higher in men (26.6% vs. 15.1%). Seventy-five patients with a final outcome were transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) (3.4%). Most patients admitted to the ICU were men, and the median age was 64 years. Baseline laboratory values on admission were consistent with an impaired immune-inflammatory profile. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a description of the first large cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Europe. Advanced age, male sex, the presence of comorbidities and abnormal laboratory values were more common among the patients with fatal outcomes

TIV - Arquitectura y Funcionalidad - AR308 - 202102

Descripción: El curso TIV - Arquitectura y funcionalidad, familiariza al estudiante con los requerimientos de la función arquitectónica. Si bien en todos los talleres el requerimiento funcional debe estar presente, pues es inherente a la arquitectura, este taller se concentra en esta tarea, enfatizando el correcto funcionamiento de sus espacios. El estudiante afronta una edificación nueva de escala menor, en la que deban existir diversos accesos y circulaciones: Pública, semi-pública, privada y de servicio. Esta red de circulaciones debe quedar adecuadamente resuelta. Los ambientes principales a los que dan acceso estas circulaciones, están destinados a funciones debidamente definidas. Los requerimientos de ventilación e iluminación (asoleamiento) también deben haber sido analizados y resueltos. A partir de un programa presentado por los docentes, el estudiante aprende a analizar los sectores del proyecto y los configuran en paquetes funcionales. Además, determina las necesidades de ubicación que existe entre ellos y establece el carácter y la expresión que considera debe tener el proyecto en su aspecto exterior. En este taller se suelen hacer diseños de proyectos de vivienda de mediana densidad, mercados y proyectos de tipología de servicio comunal (centros culturales, estaciones de bomberos, mediatecas, pequeños museos y bibliotecas). Propósito: El TIV- arquitectura y funcionalidad ha sido diseñado con el propósito de permitir al futuro arquitecto desarrollar sus competencias de diseño funcional, a través de la aplicación de esquemas organizacionales, funcionales, sistemas ordenadores y la resolución de un proyecto arquitectónico. El curso contribuye a desarrollar la competencia específica: Diseño fundamentado (que corresponde a los criterios NAAB1: PC2, PC5 y SC5) en el nivel A1. Este curso tiene como requisito previo haber aprobado el Taller AR307 TIII - Arquitectura y entorno

Geodivulgar: Geología y Sociedad

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaDepto. de Química InorgánicaDepto. de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales , Sociales y MatemáticasFac. de Ciencias GeológicasFac. de Ciencias QuímicasFac. de EducaciónFALSEsubmitte

Efficacy and safety of the CVnCoV SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine candidate in ten countries in Europe and Latin America (HERALD): a randomised, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 2b/3 trial

Background: Additional safe and efficacious vaccines are needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to analyse the efficacy and safety of the CVnCoV SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine candidate. Methods: HERALD is a randomised, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 2b/3 clinical trial conducted in 47 centres in ten countries in Europe and Latin America. By use of an interactive web response system and stratification by country and age group (18–60 years and ≥61 years), adults with no history of virologically confirmed COVID-19 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intramuscularly either two 0·6 mL doses of CVnCoV containing 12 μg of mRNA or two 0·6 mL doses of 0·9% NaCl (placebo) on days 1 and 29. The primary efficacy endpoint was the occurrence of a first episode of virologically confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 of any severity and caused by any strain from 15 days after the second dose. For the primary endpoint, the trial was considered successful if the lower limit of the CI was greater than 30%. Key secondary endpoints were the occurrence of a first episode of virologically confirmed moderate-to-severe COVID-19, severe COVID-19, and COVID-19 of any severity by age group. Primary safety outcomes were solicited local and systemic adverse events within 7 days after each dose and unsolicited adverse events within 28 days after each dose in phase 2b participants, and serious adverse events and adverse events of special interest up to 1 year after the second dose in phase 2b and phase 3 participants. Here, we report data up to June 18, 2021. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04652102, and EudraCT, 2020–003998–22, and is ongoing. Findings: Between Dec 11, 2020, and April 12, 2021, 39 680 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either CVnCoV (n=19 846) or placebo (n=19 834), of whom 19 783 received at least one dose of CVnCoV and 19 746 received at least one dose of placebo. After a mean observation period of 48·2 days (SE 0·2), 83 cases of COVID-19 occurred in the CVnCoV group (n=12 851) in 1735·29 person-years and 145 cases occurred in the placebo group (n=12 211) in 1569·87 person-years, resulting in an overall vaccine efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 of 48·2% (95·826% CI 31·0–61·4; p=0·016). Vaccine efficacy against moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was 70·7% (95% CI 42·5–86·1; CVnCoV 12 cases in 1735·29 person-years, placebo 37 cases in 1569·87 person-years). In participants aged 18–60 years, vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease was 52·5% (95% CI 36·2–64·8; CVnCoV 71 cases in 1591·47 person-years, placebo, 136 cases in 1449·23 person-years). Too few cases occurred in participants aged 61 years or older (CVnCoV 12, placebo nine) to allow meaningful assessment of vaccine efficacy. Solicited adverse events, which were mostly systemic, were more common in CVnCoV recipients (1933 [96·5%] of 2003) than in placebo recipients (1344 [67·9%] of 1978), with 542 (27·1%) CVnCoV recipients and 61 (3·1%) placebo recipients reporting grade 3 solicited adverse events. The most frequently reported local reaction after any dose in the CVnCoV group was injection-site pain (1678 [83·6%] of 2007), with 22 grade 3 reactions, and the most frequently reported systematic reactions were fatigue (1603 [80·0%] of 2003) and headache (1541 [76·9%] of 2003). 82 (0·4%) of 19 783 CVnCoV recipients reported 100 serious adverse events and 66 (0·3%) of 19 746 placebo recipients reported 76 serious adverse events. Eight serious adverse events in five CVnCoV recipients and two serious adverse events in two placebo recipients were considered vaccination-related. None of the fatal serious adverse events reported (eight in the CVnCoV group and six in the placebo group) were considered to be related to study vaccination. Adverse events of special interest were reported for 38 (0·2%) participants in the CVnCoV group and 31 (0·2%) participants in the placebo group. These events were considered to be related to the trial vaccine for 14 (<0·1%) participants in the CVnCoV group and for five (<0·1%) participants in the placebo group. Interpretation: CVnCoV was efficacious in the prevention of COVID-19 of any severity and had an acceptable safety profile. Taking into account the changing environment, including the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and timelines for further development, the decision has been made to cease activities on the CVnCoV candidate and to focus efforts on the development of next-generation vaccine candidates. Funding: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and CureVac