Crónica, espectáculo y conflicto racial en Paralelo 35, de Carmen Laforet

In 1965, Carmen Laforet, a well-known Spanish novelist, was invited to visit the United States. This was actually the first time the Spanish novelist set foot in the US, a country whose economic and sociocultural strength sharply contrasted the conditions of a depressed, postwar Francoist Spain. Paralelo 35 (The 35th Parallel) chronicles her journey and her sense of awe. These chronicles are based on the testimony of the Americans. Nevertheless, Carmen Laforet also exposes his personal opinion, especially when she describes the great spectacles —the amazing nature or concerts jazz— or investigates racial conflict, by then at one of its highest peaks.En 1965 la novelista española Carmen Laforet es invitada a realizar un viaje a los Estados Unidos. Es la primera vez que la escritora toma contacto con la realidad de ese país americano, ejemplo del poder económico, social y cultural frente a la España de posguerra, pobre y sin libertades bajo la dictadura del general Franco. Las crónicas de ese viaje especial las reúne en Paralelo 35. Estas crónicas están basadas en el testimonio de los estadounidenses. Sin embargo, Carmen Laforet también expone su opinión personal, sobre todo cuando describe los grandes espectáculos —la desbordante naturaleza o los conciertos de jazz— o cuando indaga en el conflicto racial, que en esos momentos se encuentra en una situación muy tensa

El mito de la literatura como configuración de una identidad cultural (A propósito de una novela de J. J. Armas Marcelo)

El mito ha sido y es una de las claves de la cultura de Canarias. Desde el mito platónico de la Atlántida, se han generado hasta nuestros días diversos mitos que han encontrado en la literatura un soporte ideal para su difusión y para su recreación. De este modo, la literatura ha servido para registrar la identificación que una cultura lleva a cabo a través de una de sus manifestaciones más singulares. Por otra parte, el mito capta la atención del lector, cuestión siempre importante en la enseñanza de la literatura. En este trabajo pretendemos ejemplificar con el estudio de Madrid, Distrito Federal -una novela del autor canario J. J. Armas Marcelo- la implicación del mito en la literatura como referente de la cultura en la que se integra

La insolación, de Carmen Laforet: una novela de iniciación

En 1963, Carmen Laforet publica La insolación. Después de Nada y de La isla y los demonios, esta autora escribe una novela que tiene como protagonistas a unos adolescentes. La obra cuenta las aventuras de estos jóvenes en un pueblo mediterráneo, donde pasan los veranos. La insolación es una fantástica novela de aventuras juveniles y de aprendizaje de la vida

La literatura como medio para la integración sociocultural

El fenómeno de la integración sociocultural no es un asunto nuevo, pero se ha puesto de relieve en la actualidad, sobre todo en nuestro país a partir de los últimos años, con la llegada masiva de inmigrantes venidos de diversas partes del mundo, sobre todo de África y Latinoamérica. En este artículo se plantea el concepto de la integración sociocultural no como un problema, sino como una situación compleja que hay que abordar de forma positiva, puesto que consideramos que el mestizaje cultural ha enriquecido la sociedad insular canaria. Para ejemplificarlo, la literatura se convierte en un eficaz medio educativo

The structure of Leptospira interrogans GAPDH sheds light into an immunoevasion factor that can target the anaphylatoxin C5a of innate immunity

Leptospirosis is a neglected worldwide zoonosis involving farm animals and domestic pets caused by the Gram-negative spirochete Leptospira interrogans. This bacterium deploys a variety of immune evasive mechanisms, some of them targeted at the complement system of the host’s innate immunity. In this work, we have solved the X-ray crystallographic structure of L. interrogans glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) to 2.37-Å resolution, a glycolytic enzyme that has been shown to exhibit moonlighting functions that potentiate infectivity and immune evasion in various pathogenic organisms. Besides, we have characterized the enzyme’s kinetic parameters toward the cognate substrates and have proven that the two natural products anacardic acid and curcumin are able to inhibit L. interrogans GAPDH at micromolar concentration through a noncompetitive inhibition modality. Furthermore, we have established that L. interrogans GAPDH can interact with the anaphylatoxin C5a of human innate immunity in vitro using bio-layer interferometry and a short-range cross-linking reagent that tethers free thiol groups in protein complexes. To shed light into the interaction between L. interrogans GAPDH and C5a, we have also carried out cross-link guided protein-protein docking. These results suggest that L. interrogans could be placed in the growing list of bacterial pathogens that exploit glycolytic enzymes as extracellular immune evasive factors. Analysis of the docking results indicates a low affinity interaction that is consistent with previous evidence, including known binding modes of other α-helical proteins with GAPDH. These findings allow us to propose L. interrogans GAPDH as a potential immune evasive factor targeting the complement system

Prevalence of Symptomatic Osteoarthritis in Spain: EPISER2016 Study

[Resumen] Introducción. La Sociedad Española de Reumatología elaboró en el año 2000 el estudio EPISER2000 para conocer la prevalencia de la artrosis y otras enfermedades reumáticas en España. Los cambios sociodemográficos y en los hábitos de vida ocurridos en los últimos años en España justifican actualizar los datos de las enfermedades reumáticas (EPISER2016). Objetivo. Estimar la prevalencia de artrosis sintomática de columna cervical, columna lumbar, cadera, rodilla y mano, en población adulta en España. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal de base poblacional. Se realizó un muestreo aleatorizado polietápico estratificado y por conglomerados. Los participantes fueron contactados por teléfono para cumplimentar un cuestionario de cribado de artrosis. El reumatólogo confirmaba o descartaba el diagnóstico. Se utilizaron los criterios-clínicos-ACR para diagnosticar artrosis de manos y los criterios clínico-radiológicos-ACR para diagnosticar la artrosis de rodilla y cadera. Resultados. La prevalencia de artrosis en España en una o más de las localizaciones estudiadas fue de 29,35%. La prevalencia de artrosis-cervical fue del 10,10% y de artrosis-lumbar del 15,52%. Ambas son más frecuentes en mujeres y a mayor edad, así como en personas con niveles de estudios bajos y obesidad. La prevalencia de artrosis de cadera fue del 5,13% y la de artrosis de rodilla del 13,83%; estas se asocian con el sexo femenino, sobrepeso y obesidad, menor frecuencia en nivel de estudios alto y con la edad. La prevalencia de la artrosis de mano fue del 7,73%. Es más frecuente en mujeres, obesas, con bajo nivel de estudios y mayor edad. Conclusiones. El estudio EPISER2016 es el primero que analiza la prevalencia de artrosis sintomática en 5 localizaciones (columna cervical, lumbar, rodilla, cadera y manos) en España. La artrosis de la columna lumbar es la más prevalente.[Abstract] Introduction. The Spanish Society of Rheumatology carried out the EPISER2000 study in 2000 to determine the prevalence of osteoarthritis and other rheumatic diseases in the Spanish population. Recent sociodemographic changes and lifestyle habits in Spain justified updating the epidemiological data on osteoarthritis and other rheumatic diseases (EPISER2016-study). Objective. To estimate the prevalence of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, hip, knee and hand in the adult population in Spain. Material and methods. Cross-sectional population-based study. A multistage and stratified random cluster sampling was carried out. The participants were contacted by telephone to complete an osteoarthritis screening questionnaire. A rheumatologist confirmed or discarded the diagnosis. The ACR-clinical-criteria were used to diagnose hand-osteoarthritis and the ACR-clinical-radiological criteria to diagnose knee- and hip-osteoarthritis. To estimate the prevalence and its 95% confidence interval, weights were calculated according to the probability of selection in each of the sampling stages. Results. The prevalence of osteoarthritis in Spain in one or more of the locations studied was 29.35%. The prevalence of cervical-osteoarthritis was 10.10% and of lumbar-osteoarthritis 15.52%. Both are more frequent in women and at older ages, as well as in people with low levels of education and obesity. The prevalence of hip-osteoarthritis was 5.13%, that of knee-osteoarthritis 13.83%, these are associated with female sex, overweight and obesity. The prevalence of hand osteoarthritis was 7.73%. It is more frequent in women, who are obese, with a low educational level and who are older. Conclusion. The EPISER2016 study is the first to analyse the prevalence of symptomatic osteoarthritis in 5 locations (cervical, lumbar, knee, hip and hands) in Spain. Lumbar spine osteoarthritis is the most prevalent.EPISER2016 ha sido financiado por Celgene, Laboratorios, Gebro Pharma, Merck Sharp and Dohme de España, Pfizer y Sanofi-Aventis. Los financiadores no han intervenido en el diseño del estudio, recogida ni análisis de datos, ni en la redacción de este artículo. IRP yMS fueron financiados con programas Miguel Servet II y Contrato Río Hortega-Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (CPII17/00026 y CM17/00101), respectivamente. El Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, integrado en el Plan Nacional de Programa Científico, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica 2013-2016, es financiado por el ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Promoción de la Investigación-Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) «Una forma de hacer Europa

Angioedema Due to Acquired Deficiency of C1-Inhibitor: A Cohort Study in Spain and a Comparison With Other Series

[Background] Data on acquired angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-AAE) from 4 European countries (France, Italy, Germany, and Hungary) were recently published.[Objective] To report data from a group of 50 patients with acquired C1-INH deficiency from Spain, of whom 46 had angioedema, and compare them with other European series.[Methods] We performed a retrospective observational study of 46 patients with C1-INH-AAE and 4 asymptomatic patients. Clinical and biological characteristics and associated diseases were assessed and compared with other European series.[Results] Women accounted for 73.9% of cases. The prevalence of C1-INH-AAE related to hereditary forms was 1/10.1. Overall, 8.7% patients were aged <40 years. Diagnostic delay was 1.1 years. Angioedema mainly affected the face (91.3%), followed by the oropharynx (63%), extremities (50%), and abdomen (37%). Only 1 patient underwent orotracheal intubation. Erythema marginatum was present in 1 patient. A hematologic disorder was recorded in 50% of patients. Angioedema preceded all benign conditions, mostly monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, but appeared very close to or after malignant hematologic diseases (median, 2.2 and 0.29 years). Autoimmune diseases were associated in 50% (autoimmune thyroiditis, 21.5%; systemic lupus erythematosus, 10.9%). Half of them coexisted with hematologic disorders. Anti-C1-INH antibodies were found in 67% of tested patients and were not related to the associated disease. Long-term prophylaxis was necessary in 52.2%, most of whom responded to tranexamic acid.[Conclusions] This study emphasizes the possibility of C1-INH-AAE in patients younger than 40 and in autoimmune diseases other than systemic lupus erythematosus such as autoimmune thyroiditis.Peer reviewe

Comprehensive description of clinical characteristics of a large systemic Lupus Erythematosus Cohort from the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) with emphasis on complete versus incomplete lupus differences

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple organ involvement and pronounced racial and ethnic heterogeneity. The aims of the present work were (1) to describe the cumulative clinical characteristics of those patients included in the Spanish Rheumatology Society SLE Registry (RELESSER), focusing on the differences between patients who fulfilled the 1997 ACR-SLE criteria versus those with less than 4 criteria (hereafter designated as incomplete SLE (iSLE)) and (2) to compare SLE patient characteristics with those documented in other multicentric SLE registries. RELESSER is a multicenter hospital-based registry, with a collection of data from a large, representative sample of adult patients with SLE (1997 ACR criteria) seen at Spanish rheumatology departments. The registry includes demographic data, comprehensive descriptions of clinical manifestations, as well as information about disease activity and severity, cumulative damage, comorbidities, treatments and mortality, using variables with highly standardized definitions. A total of 4.024 SLE patients (91% with ≥4 ACR criteria) were included. Ninety percent were women with a mean age at diagnosis of 35.4 years and a median duration of disease of 11.0 years. As expected, most SLE manifestations were more frequent in SLE patients than in iSLE ones and every one of the ACR criteria was also associated with SLE condition; this was particularly true of malar rash, oral ulcers and renal disorder. The analysis-adjusted by gender, age at diagnosis, and disease duration-revealed that higher disease activity, damage and SLE severity index are associated with SLE [OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.08-1.20 (P < 0.001); 1.29; 95% CI: 1.15-1.44 (P < 0.001); and 2.10; 95% CI: 1.83-2.42 (P < 0.001), respectively]. These results support the hypothesis that iSLE behaves as a relative stable and mild disease. SLE patients from the RELESSER register do not appear to differ substantially from other Caucasian populations and although activity [median SELENA-SLEDA: 2 (IQ: 0-4)], damage [median SLICC/ACR/DI: 1 (IQ: 0-2)], and severity [median KATZ index: 2 (IQ: 1-3)] scores were low, 1 of every 4 deaths was due to SLE activity. RELESSER represents the largest European SLE registry established to date, providing comprehensive, reliable and updated information on SLE in the southern European population

Relevance of gastrointestinal manifestations in a large Spanish cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: what do we know?

SLE can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. GI symptoms are reported to occur in >50% of SLE patients. To describe the GI manifestations of SLE in the RELESSER (Registry of SLE Patients of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology) cohort and to determine whether these are associated with a more severe disease, damage accrual and a worse prognosis. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective, multicentre, cross-sectional cohort study of 3658 SLE patients who fulfil =4 ACR-97 criteria. Data on demographics, disease characteristics, activity (SLEDAI-2K or BILAG), damage (SLICC/ACR/DI) and therapies were collected. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between lupus patients with and without GI damage to establish whether GI damage is associated with a more severe disease. RESULTS: From 3654 lupus patients, 3.7% developed GI damage. Patients in this group (group 1) were older, they had longer disease duration, and were more likely to have vasculitis, renal disease and serositis than patients without GI damage (group 2). Hospitalizations and mortality were significantly higher in group 1. Patients in group 1 had higher modified SDI (SLICC Damage Index). The presence of oral ulcers reduced the risk of developing damage in 33% of patients. CONCLUSION: Having GI damage is associated with a worse prognosis. Patients on a high dose of glucocorticoids are at higher risk of developing GI damage which reinforces the strategy of minimizing glucocorticoids. Oral ulcers appear to decrease the risk of GI damage. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology