Geometry, Topology and Simplicial Synchronization

Simplicial synchronization reveals the role that topology and geometry have in determining the dynamical properties of simplicial complexes. Simplicial network geometry and topology are naturally encoded in the spectral properties of the graph Laplacian and of the higher-order Laplacians of simplicial complexes. Here we show how the geometry of simplicial complexes induces spectral dimensions of the simplicial complex Laplacians that are responsible for changing the phase diagram of the Kuramoto model. In particular, simplicial complexes displaying a non-trivial simplicial network geometry cannot sustain a synchronized state in the infinite network limit if their spectral dimension is smaller or equal to four. This theoretical result is here verified on the Network Geometry with Flavor simplicial complex generative model displaying emergent hyperbolic geometry. On its turn simplicial topology is shown to determine the dynamical properties of the higher- order Kuramoto model. The higher-order Kuramoto model describes synchronization of topological signals, i.e. phases not only associated to the nodes of a simplicial complexes but associated also to higher-order simplices, including links, triangles and so on

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

European journalism observatory: An international consolidated platform for training and professional networks in the Faculty of Information Sciences

El objetivo principal de este proyecto Innova-Docenia era ampliar y consolidar una plataforma de formación internacional y consolidada, para alumnos y alumnas de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, como parte del European Journalism Observatory (EJO), fundado por el Instituto Reuters de la Universidad de Oxford. Se trataba de afianzar EJO Spain como plataforma de formación y escaparate de las acciones implementadas en España, donde la Universidad Complutense de Madrid se convertía en el socio español principal. El Observatorio Europeo de Periodismo (EJO), una red de instituciones independientes y sin ánimo de lucro del campo de la comunicación de 14 países, tiene como objetivo tender puentes entre la investigación y la práctica del periodismo en Europa y fomentar el profesionalismo y la libertad de prensa. Promueve el diálogo entre investigadores y profesionales de los medios. Acerca los resultados de la investigación a las personas que trabajan en los medios. Su objetivo es mejorar la calidad del periodismo, contribuir a una mejor comprensión de los medios y fomentar la libertad de prensa y la responsabilidad de los medios. Nació en 2004, como una red de varios socios europeos, coordinados por la Universidad de Lugano y la Universidad de Oxford. Fue diseñado para observar las tendencias en el periodismo y en los medios de comunicación, desde una perspectiva ética y deontológica muy amplia. Desde entonces, sus artículos, investigaciones y editoriales son publicados en las distintas páginas web de cada socio: https://es.ejo-online.eu/red-ej

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Study of Complex Dynamical Neural Networks and its application to Brain Development and Emergent Synchronization Phenomena

For the frist point, we study brain development and in particular the process of synaptic pruning. In fact, a fundamental question in neuroscience is why brain development proceeds via a severe synaptic pruning – that is, with an initial overgrowth of synapses, followed by the subsequent atrophy of approximately half of them throughout infancy. It is clear that fewer synapses require less metabolic energy, but why not start with the optimal synaptic density? In this thesis we present an adaptive neural network model that shows that the memory performance of the system does indeed depend on whether it passed through a transient period of relatively high synaptic density. Furthermore, the presented model also provides a simple demonstration of how network structure can be optimized by pruning with a rule that only depends on local information at each synapse – the intensity of electrical current – that is consistent with empirical results on synaptic growth and death. In this view, a neural network would begin life as a more or less random structure with a sufficiently high synaptic density that is capable of memory performance. Throughout infancy, certain memories are learnt, and pruning gradually eliminates synapses experiencing less electrical activity. Eventually, a network architecture emerges which has lower mean synaptic density but is still capable, thanks to a more optimal structure, of retrieving memories. Moreover, the network structure will be optimized for the specific patterns it stored. This seems consistent with the fact that young children can acquire memory patterns (such as languages or artistic skills) which remain with them indefinitely, yet as adults they struggle to learn new ones.Tesis Univ. Granada.Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and the “Agencia Española de Investigación (AEI)” under grant FIS2017-84256-P (FEDER funds)“Obra Social La Caixa” (ID 100010434 with code LCF/BQ/ES15/10360004

Clinical and genetic characteristics of late-onset Huntington's disease

Background: The frequency of late-onset Huntington's disease (&gt;59 years) is assumed to be low and the clinical course milder. However, previous literature on late-onset disease is scarce and inconclusive. Objective: Our aim is to study clinical characteristics of late-onset compared to common-onset HD patients in a large cohort of HD patients from the Registry database. Methods: Participants with late- and common-onset (30–50 years)were compared for first clinical symptoms, disease progression, CAG repeat size and family history. Participants with a missing CAG repeat size, a repeat size of ≤35 or a UHDRS motor score of ≤5 were excluded. Results: Of 6007 eligible participants, 687 had late-onset (11.4%) and 3216 (53.5%) common-onset HD. Late-onset (n = 577) had significantly more gait and balance problems as first symptom compared to common-onset (n = 2408) (P &lt;.001). Overall motor and cognitive performance (P &lt;.001) were worse, however only disease motor progression was slower (coefficient, −0.58; SE 0.16; P &lt;.001) compared to the common-onset group. Repeat size was significantly lower in the late-onset (n = 40.8; SD 1.6) compared to common-onset (n = 44.4; SD 2.8) (P &lt;.001). Fewer late-onset patients (n = 451) had a positive family history compared to common-onset (n = 2940) (P &lt;.001). Conclusions: Late-onset patients present more frequently with gait and balance problems as first symptom, and disease progression is not milder compared to common-onset HD patients apart from motor progression. The family history is likely to be negative, which might make diagnosing HD more difficult in this population. However, the balance and gait problems might be helpful in diagnosing HD in elderly patients