Abordaje clínico de la estimulación facial en implantes cocleares

Cochlear implants are currently one of the most successful neurosensory rehabilitation devices. They provide the possibility of hearing in people with severe to profound hearing loss who have had limited access to sounds with hearing aids. However, there are complications after its implantation, among which is the stimulation of the facial nerve. The main detriments produced by this unwanted stimulation are involuntary movements of the face or neck, discomfort or pain when using the implant, among others. In some cases, this happens only on few channels, but it can also appear on most or even all of them. The current clinical approach to this problem mainly relies on changes in the programming of the device. The resources to reduce it range from changes in the type and mode of the electrical stimulation, to considering reimplantation in very complex cases. This article describes the problem of facial stimulation and its possible causes, as well as details the clinical solutions that currently exist. Finally, new approaches and future lines of research are discussed.El implante coclear es actualmente uno de los dispositivos de rehabilitación neurosensoriales más exitosos. El mismo brinda la posibilidad de escuchar en personas con hipoacusias severas a profundas que obtienen limitado acceso a los sonidos con amplificación acústica. Sin embargo, existen complicaciones luego de su implantación, entre las cuales se encuentra la estimulación indeseada del nervio facial. Entre los principales detrimentos que produce la estimulación del nervio facial se encuentran los movimientos involuntarios de cara o cuello, molestia o dolor al usar el implante, entre otros. En algunos casos esto sucede sólo en algunos contactos, pero también puede presentarse en la mayoría o incluso todos los canales de estimulación. El actual abordaje clínico de este problema recurre principalmente a diferentes cambios en la programación del dispositivo. Los recursos para reducirlo abarcan desde cambios en el tipo y modo de la estimulación eléctrica, hasta considerar la reimplantación en casos complejos. El presente artículo describe el problema de la estimulación facial y sus posibles causas, como así también detalla las soluciones clínicas que existen en la actualidad. Por último, se discuten nuevos abordajes y potenciales líneas de investigación.&nbsp

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

NADBA : núcleo de aprendizaje para el decrecimeinto de Barcelona

El ejercicio trata del recupero de una nave industrial y de una parte del tejido construido contiguo a la Rambla del Raval para su reconversión a Núcleo de Aprendizaje para el Decrecimiento de Barcelona (NADBA): un centro cívico poli-funcional integrado en el funcionamiento ecológico de la ciudad. El carácter industrial de los espacios de taller se une a la “estética verde” para poder incorporar las técnicas de aprovechamiento del calor solar, la construcción con madera estructural para la residencia y las aulas, las soluciones de muros y techos verdes para el sombreamiento y el amparo de la biodiversidad ciudadana

NADBA : núcleo de aprendizaje para el decrecimeinto de Barcelona

El ejercicio trata del recupero de una nave industrial y de una parte del tejido construido contiguo a la Rambla del Raval para su reconversión a Núcleo de Aprendizaje para el Decrecimiento de Barcelona (NADBA): un centro cívico poli-funcional integrado en el funcionamiento ecológico de la ciudad. El carácter industrial de los espacios de taller se une a la “estética verde” para poder incorporar las técnicas de aprovechamiento del calor solar, la construcción con madera estructural para la residencia y las aulas, las soluciones de muros y techos verdes para el sombreamiento y el amparo de la biodiversidad ciudadana

NADBA : núcleo de aprendizaje para el decrecimeinto de Barcelona

El ejercicio trata del recupero de una nave industrial y de una parte del tejido construido contiguo a la Rambla del Raval para su reconversión a Núcleo de Aprendizaje para el Decrecimiento de Barcelona (NADBA): un centro cívico poli-funcional integrado en el funcionamiento ecológico de la ciudad. El carácter industrial de los espacios de taller se une a la “estética verde” para poder incorporar las técnicas de aprovechamiento del calor solar, la construcción con madera estructural para la residencia y las aulas, las soluciones de muros y techos verdes para el sombreamiento y el amparo de la biodiversidad ciudadana

Prosthetic Valve Candida spp. Endocarditis: New Insights Into Long-term Prognosis—The ESCAPE Study

International audienceBackground: Prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Candida spp. (PVE-C) is rare and devastating, with international guidelines based on expert recommendations supporting the combination of surgery and subsequent azole treatment.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed PVE-C cases collected in Spain and France between 2001 and 2015, with a focus on management and outcome.Results: Forty-six cases were followed up for a median of 9 months. Twenty-two patients (48%) had a history of endocarditis, 30 cases (65%) were nosocomial or healthcare related, and 9 (20%) patients were intravenous drug users. "Induction" therapy consisted mainly of liposomal amphotericin B (L-amB)-based (n = 21) or echinocandin-based therapy (n = 13). Overall, 19 patients (41%) were operated on. Patients <66 years old and without cardiac failure were more likely to undergo cardiac surgery (adjusted odds ratios [aORs], 6.80 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59-29.13] and 10.92 [1.15-104.06], respectively). Surgery was not associated with better survival rates at 6 months. Patients who received L-amB alone had a better 6-month survival rate than those who received an echinocandin alone (aOR, 13.52; 95% CI, 1.03-838.10). "Maintenance" fluconazole therapy, prescribed in 21 patients for a median duration of 13 months (range, 2-84 months), led to minor adverse effects.Conclusion: L-amB induction treatment improves survival in patients with PVE-C. Medical treatment followed by long-term maintenance fluconazole may be the best treatment option for frail patients