The product system

It was some years ago after practising as an industrial designer that I experienced the power of design to convey meanings through the coordinated use of attributes which materialised out of a diversity of manufacturing processes. I was fascinated by the fact that a piece of transformed material, a curve or the enhancement of a product displayed in a shop could so strongly attract the attention of a viewer. I was puzzled by the ability of certain designers to trigger evident or obscure connotations by the complexity of the shapes of their designs. Objects have the ability to define groups of people or personalities by unconscious criteria. I observed how objects can influence cultures and nationalities and we find ourselves influenced and limited by their appearance, function and value. Can we say that designed objects function only as commodities or as marks of economic wellbeing? At the beginning of this investigation my intention was to bring some answers to general questions like this. I realised that my research would involve investigating the most recondite accounts of philosophy, sociology and the theory of knowledge. I had to start from the very foundations of the complex act of understanding and, in order to organise all the different concepts, the research is constructed from three main sections

A 3D benign paroxysmal positional vertigo model for study of otolith disease

AbstractObjectiveTo develop a three-dimensional study tool of the membranous labyrinth in order to study the pathophysiology, diagnostic workup and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV is the most common cause of peripheral vertigo. Its diagnosis and treatment depend on an understanding of the anatomy of the vestibular labyrinth and its position relative to the head. To date, many illustrations have been made to explain principals of diagnosis and treatment of BPPV, but few have been based on anatomical studies of the membranous labyrinth.MethodsA cadaveric human membranous labyrinth was axially sectioned at 20 μm resolution, stained and segmented to create a high-resolution digital model. The model was cloned to create an enantiomeric pair of labyrinths. These were associated a 3D model of a human skull, segmented from MRI data, and were oriented according to established anatomic norms. Canal markers representing otoliths were created to mark canalith position during movement of the model within the 3D environment.ResultsThe model allows visualization of true membranous labyrinth anatomy in both ears simultaneously. The dependent portion of each semicircular duct and of the utricle can easily be visualized in any head position. Moveable markers can mark the expected progress of otolith debris with changes in head position and images can be captured to document simulations. The model can be used to simulate pathology as well as diagnostic maneuvers and treatment procedures used for BPPV. The model has great potential as a teaching tool.ConclusionA simple model based on human anatomy has been created to allow careful study of BPPV pathophysiology and treatment. Going forward, this tool could offer insights that may lead to more accurate diagnosis and treatment of BPPV

Cesaria Evora

Cet article revient sur les conditions d’une commande éditoriale au sujet de la chanteuse Cesaria Evora. Par la biographie qui en a résulté, il est possible de penser le corpus sémantique commun créé autour de Cesaria. L’adhésion à ce corpus commun par le critique musical fonde autant sa capacité à prendre en charge la « présentification » de Cesaria Evora que la légitimité de cette dernière. La reconnaissance de Cesaria Evora repose en grande partie sur « l’immédiateté de la séduction » que procure sa voix et ses interprétations ou plutôt sur ce qu’il en est dit. Ce caractère instantané de l’art vocal de Cesaria Evora se construit par la comparaison avec d’autres chanteuses comme Billie Holiday et l’emploi du terme « diva ». Pour autant, la capacité reconnue à Cesaria de toucher le public reste un impensé des biographies qui lui ont été consacrées

GestNED: aplicatiu per a la gestió del servei de Nutrició Enteral Domiciliària

Aquest resum correspon al Projecte Final de Carrera que porta per títol GestNED: Aplicatiu per a la gestió de la Nutrició Enteral Domiciliària. L'objectiu del projecte és aprofundir en el funcionament del servei de la Nutrició Enteral Domiciliària que s'ofereix als hospitals Catalans. Estudiar-ne el funcionament i les tasques principals i detectar els requisits funcionals i no funcionals. Dissenyar i especificar un sistema que compleixi els requisits detectats. Finalment Implementar una aplicació que permeti la gestió del servei, el més genèrica possible per tal que pugui ser útil en el màxim nombre de centres hospitalaris

Association between marfan syndrome and oral health status : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The purpose was to identify and assess the existing scientific evidence from epidemiologic, non-experimental, observational studies of associations between Marfan?s syndrome and oral diseases. Material and Methods: Electronic literature searches in MEDLINE (OVID), The Cochrane Library, Scopus and the Web of Science were conducted to identify all relevant articles. Eligibility was based on inclusion criteria, and quality assessments were conducted. The outcome variables were probing depth, gingival margin, clinical attachment level, bleeding on probing, gingival status, periodontal status, tooth mobility, furcation involvement and decayed, missing and filled teeth index. After extracting data, meta-analyses were carried out. Results: Out of 527 potentially eligible papers, 3 cross-sectional studies were included. No statistically significant differences were found in the number of sites with bleeding on probing (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.47 to 3.42; P = 0.65; I2: 0%), probing depth (MD: -0.14 mm; 95% CI: -0.24 to 0.53; P = 0.46; I2: 93%), periodontal status (WMD: 0.68 points; 95% CI: -0.48 to 1.83; P = 0.25; I2: 98%) nor number of decayed, missing and filled teeth index score (MD: 1.08 points.; 95% CI: -1.27 to 3.42; P = 0.37; I2: 0%). Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with Marfan?s syndrome do not seem to have worsened oral health status. Due to the high number of patients with Marfan?s syndrome that have prosthetic heart valves, an adequate dental monitoring as well as a strict maintenance therapy program should be implemented

Measured GFR in murine animal models: review on methods, techniques, and procedures

Animal models; Glomerular filtration rate; Kidney damageModels animals; Taxa de filtració glomerular; Dany renalModelos animales; Tasa de filtración glomerular; Daño renalChronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, with increasing rates of morbidity and mortality. Thus, early detection is essential to prevent severe adverse events and the progression of kidney disease to an end stage. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the most appropriate index to evaluate renal function in both clinical practice and basic medical research. Several animal models have been developed to understand renal disease induction and progression. Specifically, murine models are useful to study the pathogenesis of renal damage, so a reliable determination of GFR is essential to evaluate the progression of CKD. However, as in clinical practise, the estimation of GFR in murine by levels of serum/urine creatinine or cystatin-C could not be accurate and needed other more reliable methods. As an alternative, the measurement of GFR by the clearance of exogenous markers like inulin, sinistrin, 51Cr-EDTA, 99mTc-DTPA, 125I-iothalamate, or iohexol could be performed. Nevertheless, both approaches—estimation or measurement of GFR—have their limitations and a standard method for the GFR determination has not been defined. Altogether, in this review, we aim to give an overview of the current methods for GFR assessment in murine models, describing each methodology and focusing on their advantages and limitations.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work is supported by funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with the following grants: AERR is a recipient of a contract from the Sara Borrell programme (C21/00142) and STT of PFIS FI20/00147

Persistent dyselectrolytemia in a neonate induced by liposomal amphotericin B: A case report

Dyselectrolytemia; Neonate; TubulopathyDiselectrolitemia; Neonato; TubulopatíaDiselectrolitèmia; Nounat; TubulopatiaBackground: Nephrotoxicity is the most frequent serious adverse effect associated with amphotericin B deoxycholate treatment, for this reason, in recent years it has been relegated from routine clinical practice and replaced by the new liposomal formulations that have less nephrotoxicity. Nevertheless, dyselectrolytemia are a frequent adverse effect of the use of liposomal amphotericin B that usually are resolved with the withdrawal of the drug. Case presentation: We present a preterm neonate of 25 weeks gestation, with preserved renal function and most electrolytes within normal limits for gestational age except for mild hyponatremia in the first month of life. Due to an infection of the central nervous system and growth of Candida albicans, he required treatment with endovenous liposomal amphotericin B as well as intrathecal amphotericin B deoxycholate showing severe hydroelectrolyte disturbances and clinical worsening compatible with possible tubulopathy showing hypokalemia and severe hyponatremia a few days after starting treatment that persisted over time even after withdrawal of both drugs. Subsequently to the main alterations described, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia, glycosuria and tubular proteinuria were also observed. Calcium levels remained stable after amphotericin B administration and did not require supplementation. In preterm or low birth weight newborns who present unjustified, severe and difficult to correct hydroelectrolyte disturbances despite the usual treatment, a possible tubulopathy should be considered, whether hereditary, primary or secondary to toxins or drugs. What is new and conclusion: We present the first case reported in a neonate in whom dyselectrolithemia has been maintained over time after withdrawal of liposomal amphotericin B