56228 research outputs found
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Current management and future perspectives in metastatic HER2-Positive breast cancer
No full textObjective: Metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer remains a significant clinical challenge with a poor prognosis. The introduction of anti-HER2 therapies has significantly improved survival in early and advanced stages.
However, patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer eventually experience progression due to de
novo or acquired resistance. This review article comprehensively analyzes the current management of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, addressing the complexities in determining the optimal HER2-targeted
therapy sequence.
Data Sources: Discussion of selected peer-reviewed articles and expert opinion.
Conclusions: We explore the actual standard of care and the emerging therapeutic options that hold promise
for further improving patient care and survival in this aggressive breast cancer subtype. This article highlights vital toxicities linked to anti-HER2 therapies, emphasizing their recognition across treatments as interstitial lung disease, diarrhea, or left ventricular dysfunction.
Implications for Nursing Practices: Oncology nurses have a key role to play in detecting potential adverse
effects of anti-HER2 therapies. The development of new drugs, as antibody drug conjugates, with a distinct
toxicity profile makes it necessary for us to be updated on the management of these new toxicities
IBERIFIER Reports – Needs and challenges for Iberian fact-checkers
No full textThe aim of this report is to analyse disinformation consumption patterns in Spain and Portugal. To do so, and first of all, we analyse the background and state of the question in a context of evolution of the forms of consumption, platforms, disinformation narratives and their adaptation to current events
Los alumnos como gestores de residuos
No full textLa asignatura de Soil and Waste Treatment (3er
curso del Grado en Ciencias Ambientales y del doble Grado
Biología+Ciencias Ambientales), en su parte de Waste Treatment pretende
dar una visión general al alumno sobre la gestión de los residuos,
incluyendo ampliamente los tratamientos que pueden llevarse a cabo para
minimizar su impacto ambiental y en muchas ocasiones para recuperar de
ellos elementos de valor añadido.
Esta parte de la asignatura cuenta con una carga lectiva de 3ECTS, tiene una
carga fundamentalmente teórica, aunque con muchas aplicaciones
prácticas que se complementan con varias salidas del programa paisajes.
La dedicación lectiva es de 3 horas por semana durante el primer semestre.
Puesto que este año, como medida preventiva, quedan suspendidos las
salidas del programa paisajes, se ha pensado en el desarrollo de un
proyecto de gestión y tratamiento de residuos que implique a los alumnos
parte de ese tiempo. Concretamente, se van a hacer grupos de trabajo que
involucre la gestión de diferentes residuos a propuesta del profesor. Por una parte, estará el equipo de los que lleven la gestión de los residuos, a
modo de consultoría ambiental, centrado en la aplicación de la ley,
etiquetado y transporte de los mismos, y por otro lado, estará el equipo de
los que propongan tratamientos para los diferentes residuos propuestos
por el profesor. Se valorará el hecho de que los alumnos propongan más
de un tratamiento para los residuos y que resalten las ventajas e
inconvenientes de cada uno de ellos.
Se les animará a ponerse en contacto con empresas que lleven a cabo la
gestión y tratamiento de residuos para recopilar información relevante, así
como la consulta de las fuentes bibliográficas como legislación, artículos o
manuales sobre el tema
Further development of CometChip technology to measure DNA damage in vitro and in vivo: Comparison with the 2 gels/slide format of the standard and enzyme-modified comet assay
No full textDNA damage plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis and other diseases. The comet assay has been used for more than three decades to measure DNA damages. The 1-2 gels/slide format is the most used version of the assay. In 2010, a high throughput 96 macrowell format with a spatially encoded array of microwells patterned in agarose was developed, called the CometChip. The commercial version (CometChip®) has been used for the in vitro standard version of the comet assay (following the manufacturer's protocol), although it has not been compared directly with the 2 gels/slide format. The aim of this work is to developed new protocols to allow use of DNA repair enzymes as well as the analysis of in vivo frozen tissue samples in the CometChip®, to increase the throughput, and to compare its performance with the classic 2 gels/slide format. We adapted the manufacturer's protocol to allow the use of snap frozen tissue samples, using male Wistar rats orally dosed with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS, 200 mg/kg b.w.), and to detect altered nucleobases using DNA repair enzymes, with TK6 cells treated with potassium bromate (KBrO3, 0-4 mM, 3 h) and formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg) as the enzyme. Regarding the standard version of the comet, we performed thee comparison of the 2 gel/slide and CometChip® format (using the the manufacturer's protocol), using TK6 cells with MMS (100-800 µM, 1 h) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 7.7-122.5 µM, 5 min) as testing compounds. In all cases the CometChip® was performed along with the 2 gels/slide format. Results obtained were comparable and the CometChip® is a good alternative to the 2 gels/slide format when a higher throughput is required
Survival and safety after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or upfront surgery for locally advanced colon cancer: meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly used to treat locally advanced (T3-4 Nx-2 M0) colon cancer due to its potential advantages over the standard approach of upfront surgery. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyse data from comparative studies to assess the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on oncological outcomes.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching the MEDLINE and Scopus databases. The search encompassed RCTs, propensity score-matched studies, and controlled prospective studies published up to 1 April 2023. As a primary objective, overall survival and disease-free survival were compared. As a secondary objective, perioperative morbidity, mortality, and complete resection were compared using the DerSimonian and Laird models.
Results: A total of seven studies comprising a total of 2120 patients were included. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a reduction in the hazard of recurrence (HR 0.73, 95% c.i. 0.59 to 0.90; P = 0.003) and death (HR 0.67, 95% c.i. 0.54 to 0.83; P < 0.001) compared with upfront surgery. Additionally, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly associated with higher 5-year overall survival (79.9% versus 72.6%; P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (73.1% versus 64.5%; P = 0.028) rates. No significant differences were observed in perioperative mortality (OR 0.97, 95% c.i. 0.28 to 3.33), overall complications (OR 0.95, 95% c.i. 0.77 to 1.16), or anastomotic leakage/intra-abdominal abscess (OR 0.88, 95% c.i. 0.60 to 1.29). However, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a lower risk of incomplete resection (OR 0.70, 95% c.i. 0.49 to 0.99).
Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a reduced hazard of recurrence and death, as well as improved overall survival and disease-free survival rates, compared with upfront surgery in patients with locally advanced colon cancer
Análisis Well-to-Wheel de hidrógeno verde y combustibles sintéticos para sistemas de movilidad.
No full textEste proyecto se ha realizado con el objetivo de tener una visión de la situación futura del hidrógeno
verde y los combustibles sintéticos en sistemas de movilidad, más concretamente en la aviación,
en el sector naval y en los vehículos terrestres, estos últimos divididos en vehículo ligero y vehículo
pesado. Los sistemas de aviación y naval también se dividen en categorías para abarcar las
diferentes opciones de dichos sectores. Para hacer el análisis no es suficiente con analizar los
sistemas de movilidad, de hecho, estos solo son el apartado final de un proceso que va desde la
generación de energía renovable, pasando por el proceso de electrólisis, el cual genera el hidrógeno
verde, y pasando por un proceso de síntesis entre el hidrógeno y dióxido de carbono capturado con
el que se logran distintos tipos de combustibles sintéticos. Todo este proceso, añadiendo la
distribución del combustible, formar parte del llamado análisis Well-to-Tank, mientras que lo
relacionado a los sistemas de movilidad consiste en el análisis Tank-to-Wheel. Solapando ambos
análisis, se denomina a toda la elaboración como un análisis Well-to-Wheel.
El análisis Well-to-Wheel permite hacer una comparación entre los diferentes combustibles
sintéticos y el hidrógeno verde con relación a costes económicos y de eficiencia energética. Los
costes de la electricidad renovable dependerán de la ubicación y de la tecnología renovable (solar
fotovoltaica, parque híbrido entre solar y eólica o eólica marina). Los costes y eficiencia del proceso
de electrólisis los marcarán el propio coste de la electricidad, necesaria para el proceso, y la
tecnología del electrolizador, analizando los electrolizadores alcalino, PEM y SOEC. En cuanto a lo
relacionado a la síntesis dependerá del propio proceso, diferenciado según el combustible que se
desee producir, el coste de la captura del CO2 y todo lo heredado del proceso de electrólisis. Los
costes y eficiencia de distribución dependen de las propiedades del combustible.
En los sistemas de movilidad se hace un análisis comparativo entre las opciones viables o
potencialmente viables de cada sistema, descartando las opciones que se consideran que no se
pueden implantar. Todo este proceso analítico se hace en base a escenarios encontrados en la
literatura. Unos escenarios son más optimistas que otros, por ello, los resultados obtenidos tratan
de estimaciones, mostrando todo el abanico de posibilidades y en ningún momento queriendo
realizar una predicción, manteniendo siempre como objetivo el ya mencionado de tener una visión
de la posible situación futura de este mercado
Tobacco and alcohol co-use: Lifestyle and sociodemographic factors, and personality aspects as potential predictors in the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra cohort
No full textTobacco and alcohol co-use are two major lifestyle modifiable risk factors. Understanding the determinants of both behaviors helps to develop interventions to prevent these exposures. However, previous studies have focused on predictors of individual tobacco or alcohol use. This study aims to explore the potential predictors of tobacco and alcohol co-use among Spanish university graduates from the "Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra" (SUN) cohort study. A total of 7175 participants who were co-users of tobacco and alcohol were selected for this cross-sectional analysis. Their mean age was 39.1 years (12.04 SD) and 57.3% were women. Univariate regression models were used to select the potential predictors of tobacco and alcohol co-use, and the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to create a predictive model. Baseline potential predictors included sociodemographic factors, lifestyle habits, and perceived personality aspects. In the multivariable model, the main significant potential predictors of tobacco and alcohol co-use were driving under the influence of alcohol (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65 [1.43-1.90]), drinking 1-2 cups of coffee daily (OR = 1.50 [1.24-1.84]), and drinking three or more cups of coffee daily (OR = 1.61 [1.35-1.91]) when compared with the reference group. Conversely, those who were married (OR = 0.87 [0.75-0.99], ate at home 7 days a week (OR = 0.69 [0.60-0.80]), did more physical activity than recommended (OR = 1.18 [1.02-1.34]), or had a high perceived level of competitiveness (OR = 0.83 [0.72-0.95]) had a lower risk of co-use (AUC 0.61 [confidence interval 95% 0.59-0.63]), compared to the reference group. These results could be used by healthcare professionals, especially nurses, to effectively assess patients at higher risk of tobacco and alcohol co-use
Automated and continuous assessment implementation in a programming course
No full textContinuous assessment is an assessment methodology whose objective is to assess students on an ongoing basis. However, designing, organizing, correcting, and evaluating continuous assessment increases the workload of teachers. Moreover, this methodology may not promote deep learning if it is not implemented properly. In this study, we implemented continuous assessment in an undergraduate programming subject using an automated assessment tool to reduce the workload of professors. We used design-based research (DBR) to implement a prototype of assessment methodology which includes an automated assessment tool developed by our research group. DBR provides us with a scientific background for this implementation through an iterative process in which we progressively come to assess all the activities that students perform in the course. In the different iterations of this process, we have collected students' final and project grades, and their opinions through surveys about the assessments we have implemented. These results allow us to demonstrate that the performance of at least two types of students improves after the implementation of continuous assessment, while at the same time, the depth of learning in the class is not affected. We have also found that students are more motivated and committed to the course when continuous assessment is used as they prefer automated assessment over the traditional exercises. In addition, the implementation of the continuous assessment has shown us some unexpected outcomes about flexibility in methodology design, collection of large amounts of data from the learning process, and students acquiring useful skills for programming. In reality, this can result in students gaining deeper knowledge if they are confronted with a greater number of situations during this time in which they test their knowledge
EMVC-2: an efficient single-nucleotide variant caller based on expectation maximization
No full textMotivation
Single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) are the most common type of genetic variation in the human genome. Accurate and efficient detection of SNVs from next-generation sequencing (NGS) data is essential for various applications in genomics and personalized medicine. However, SNV calling methods usually suffer from high computational complexity and limited accuracy. In this context, there is a need for new methods that overcome these limitations and provide fast reliable results.
Results
We present EMVC-2, a novel method for SNV calling from NGS data. EMVC-2 uses a multi-class ensemble classification approach based on the expectation–maximization algorithm that infers at each locus the most likely genotype from multiple labels provided by different learners. The inferred variants are then validated by a decision tree that filters out unlikely ones. We evaluate EMVC-2 on several publicly available real human NGS data for which the set of SNVs is available, and demonstrate that it outperforms state-of-the-art variant callers in terms of accuracy and speed, on average.
Availability and implementation
EMVC-2 is coded in C and Python, and is freely available for download at: https://github.com/guilledufort/EMVC-2. EMVC-2 is also available in Bioconda
Thermoelectric active window frame: Constructive integration and preheating analysis
No full textBuilding heating and cooling systems using thermoelectricity appear to be a feasible alternative, as it presents several features including versatility and high reliance. While most applications of thermoelectricity in buildings are found in wall systems, window integration shows excellent potential for enhancing the thermal performance of buildings at the façade level, compensating heat losses that take place in windows. Combining energy efficient ventilation with heat recovery leads to a significant reduction of the required energy, keeping desired comfort conditions inside buildings. Thus, the following study presents the design of an active window frame with an integrated thermoelectric system, attaining two functions: pre-heating the supply air, while simultaneously recovering the waste heat energy from exhaust air. Two full-scale prototypes were built, each featuring a different airflow pattern, and preliminary tests for heating mode were carried out under laboratory conditions. The results revealed a similar performance comparing both prototypes, achieving a COP ranging 1.56 to 2.71 for prototype A, while prototype B ranged from 1.62 to 2.65. The results showcase superior heating efficiency compared to a previous experiments conducted by the research group, where a maximum COP of 1.91 was achieved. From a building perspective, wider adoption of thermoelectricity applied to thermal conditioning is hindered by lack of suitable products for architectural integration. Therefore, the system's innovation stems from optimized design, integrated construction, and industrialized production, enhancing energy efficiency in buildings via a compact façade integrated system without space compromise