"Pelas lentes do cinema. Bioética e ética em pesquisa". Dirce Guilhem, Debora Diniz, Fabio Zicker (Eds. ) . Letras Livres, Universidade de Brasí l i a , Brasília 2007, 216 páginas.

Comentario de un libro que está directamenterelacionado con el binomio Bioética y Cine. Bajo el título "Pelas lentes do Cinema. Bioética e Ética em Pesquisa" subyace una interesante e innovadora propuesta pedagógica, sobre todo, desde el punto devista metodológico, para la enseñanzade la Bioética a través de las películasy los documentales.

"Pelas lentes do cinema. Bioética e ética em pesquisa". Dirce Guilhem, Debora Diniz, Fabio Zicker (Eds. ) . Letras Livres, Universidade de Brasí l i a , Brasília 2007, 216 páginas.

Comentario de un libro que está directamenterelacionado con el binomio Bioética y Cine. Bajo el título "Pelas lentes do Cinema. Bioética e Ética em Pesquisa" subyace una interesante e innovadora propuesta pedagógica, sobre todo, desde el punto devista metodológico, para la enseñanzade la Bioética a través de las películasy los documentales.

Factores pronósticos de mejora al alta en pacientes de la unidad de convalecencia de la Clínica Figarola.

Objectiu: Estudiar la millora a l’alta en pacients ingressats a la unitat de convalescència de la Clínica Figarola durant l’any 2009 i els factors predictius de retorn a domicili. Mètode: Estudio retrospectiu de 337 pacients. Es van recollir: edat, sexe, comorbiditat, diagnòstic, destinació, i les escales de Barthel, Blessed, Delirium, Gijón, Mini-mental, Yesavage, Tinetti en marxa i equilibrí. Resultats: 208 de sexe femení (61.72%), 191 pacients (56.68%) amb comorbiditat, 93 (27.60%) amb diagnòstic de fractures, 216 (64.09%) van ser dona de alta al seu domicili o residència. Totes les variables geriàtriques estudiades s’ha associen significativament amb el retorn a domicili. Conclusions: Els factors predictius de l’alta a domicili van ser les escales de Barthel, Blessed, Delirium, Mini-mental, Yesavage, Tinetti en marxa i equilibrí.

Cinema Roads to the Platonic Image of the Cave

The aim of this article is to prove the real possibility of travelling intellectually to the Platonic image of the cave from different films. In this sense, one can speak of explicit references as in The Conformist by B. Bertolucci or in Shadowlands by R. Attenborough -if one bears in mind the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis- or The Picture of Dorian Gray ¿if one bears in mind the well-known O. Wilde¿s novel-, but, on other occasions, although the Platonic influence cannot be proved, for instance in The Truman Show, A Room with a View or Brideshead Revisited, one can perfectly think of these films in order to guide the contemporary audiences to that Platonic image, since Plato himself affirms that it deals with an image which can be easily applied and, in first place, to his idealistic philosophy.

Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt, nueva cita para la Peninsula Iberica

Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt, feofícea originaria de Japón (Pacífico Oeste), está extendiendo rápidamente su área de distribución, asociada a los transportes de ostras japonesas (CRITCHLEY, A. & R. DIJKEMA, Bot. Mar. 27:211-216,1984). Actualmente está citada en el Japón, en la costa Pacífica de América del Norte, en el Atlántico europeo de Inglaterra, Canal de la Mancha y Holanda y en el Mediterráneo francés (CRITCHLEY, A. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 63: 617-625, 1983).

Standardizing admission and discharge processes to improve patient flow: A cross sectional study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate how hospital capacity was managed focusing on standardizing the admission and discharge processes. Methods: This study was set in a 900-bed university affiliated hospital of the National Health Service, near Barcelona (Spain). This is a cross-sectional study of a set of interventions which were gradually implemented between April and December 2008. Mainly, they were focused on standardizing the admission and discharge processes to improve patient flow. Primary administrative data was obtained from the 2007 and 2009 Hospital Database. Main outcome measures were median length of stay, percentage of planned discharges, number of surgery cancellations and median number of delayed emergency admissions at 8:00 am. For statistical bivariate analysis, we used a Chi-squared for linear trend for qualitative variables and a Wilcoxon signed ranks test and a Mann–Whitney test for non-normal continuous variables. Results: The median patients’ global length of stay was 8.56 days in 2007 and 7.93 days in 2009 (p<0.051). The percentage of patients admitted the same day as surgery increased from 64.87% in 2007 to 86.01% in 2009 (p<0.05). The number of cancelled interventions due to lack of beds was 216 patients in 2007 and 42 patients in 2009. The median number of planned discharges went from 43.05% in 2007 to 86.01% in 2009 (p<0.01). The median number of emergency patients waiting for an in-hospital bed at 8:00 am was 5 patients in 2007 and 3 patients in 2009 (p<0.01). Conclusions: In conclusion, standardization of admission and discharge processes are largely in our control. There is a significant opportunity to create important benefits for increasing bed capacity and hospital throughput.

Les termes públiques de l'àrea portuària de Tàrraco. Carrer de Sant Miquel de Tarragona

L’objecte d’aquesta publicació són les termes imperials de l’àrea portuària de l’antiga Tàrraco, construïdes en un moment avançat de l’època altimperial, segurament a la primera meitat del segle III dC. Aquestes termes són una peça important de l’arqueologia tarragonina i d’altra banda són un monument força excepcional en el context de l’arqueologia romana a Hispània. Van ser descobertes en les excavacions fetes per l’empresa Codex – Arqueologia i Patrimoni entre 1994 i 1998 al solar del carrer de Sant Miquel, número 33, de Tarragona, en el curs d’unes actuacions arqueològiques urbanes preventives que van ser coordinades per l’arqueòleg Josep Maria Macias. L’estudi dels resultats que es presenta en aquest llibre incorpora també l’excavació feta pel mateix equip al proper solar del carrer de Castaños, número 1, en els anys 1999-2000, ja que les estructures que s’hi van documentar formaven part del mateix context arqueològic i urbanístic.La fructífera col·laboració entre l’ICAC i l’empresa Codex va permetre constituir un equip de recerca que l’any 2003 es va llançar a l’estudi, a la interpretació i fins i tot a l’intent de restitució virtual d’aquest edifici termal. L’ICAC reafirma amb la publicació d’aquest llibre la voluntat de cooperar intensament amb les institucions que gestionen el patrimoni arqueològic de Tarragona, una cooperació que vol contribuir a l’aprofundiment de l’estudi científic de l’antiga Tàrraco.Josep Maria Macias és doctor en Prehistòria, Història Antiga i Arqueologia per la Universitat de Barcelona des de l'any 1999. Ha estat vinculat a l'arqueologia empresarial fins a l'any 2003, moment en què s'incorpora com a investigador a l'Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica. És especialista en arquitectura i urbanisme d'època clàssica i en ceramologia de l'antiguitat tardana. Macias ha dirigit i coordinat la participació dels diversos autors que han pres part en la redacció i la documentació del llibre. Aquest volum té 216 pàgines i conté 155 il·lustracions. Està escrit en català i presenta la traducció de les conclusions a l’anglès.

Standardizing admission and discharge processes to improve patient flow: A cross sectional study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate how hospital capacity was managed focusing on standardizing the admission and discharge processes. Methods: This study was set in a 900-bed university affiliated hospital of the National Health Service, near Barcelona (Spain). This is a cross-sectional study of a set of interventions which were gradually implemented between April and December 2008. Mainly, they were focused on standardizing the admission and discharge processes to improve patient flow. Primary administrative data was obtained from the 2007 and 2009 Hospital Database. Main outcome measures were median length of stay, percentage of planned discharges, number of surgery cancellations and median number of delayed emergency admissions at 8:00¿am. For statistical bivariate analysis, we used a Chi-squared for linear trend for qualitative variables and a Wilcoxon signed ranks test and a Mann¿Whitney test for non-normal continuous variables. Results:The median patients' global length of stay was 8.56 days in 2007 and 7.93 days in 2009 (p<0.051). The percentage of patients admitted the same day as surgery increased from 64.87% in 2007 to 86.01% in 2009 (p<0.05). The number of cancelled interventions due to lack of beds was 216 patients in 2007 and 42 patients in 2009. The median number of planned discharges went from 43.05% in 2007 to 86.01% in 2009 (p<0.01). The median number of emergency patients waiting for an in-hospital bed at 8:00¿am was 5 patients in 2007 and 3 patients in 2009 (p<0.01). Conclusions: In conclusion, standardization of admission and discharge processes are largely in our control. There is a significant opportunity to create important benefits for increasing bed capacity and hospital throughput.

Comparison of quality of life after stereotactic body radiotherapy and surgery for early-stage prostate cancer

Background: As the long-term efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) becomes established and other prostate cancer treatment approaches are refined and improved, examination of quality of life (QOL) following prostate cancer treatment is critical in driving both patient and clinical treatment decisions. We present the first study to compare QOL after SBRT and radical prostatectomy, with QOL assessed at approximately the same times pre- and post-treatment and using the same validated QOL instrument. Methods: Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were treated with either radical prostatectomy (n = 123 Spanish patients) or SBRT (n = 216 American patients). QOL was assessed using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) grouped into urinary, sexual, and bowel domains. For comparison purposes, SBRT EPIC data at baseline, 3 weeks, 5, 11, 24, and 36 months were compared to surgery data at baseline, 1, 6, 12, 24,and 36 months. Differences in patient characteristics between the two groups were assessed using Chi-squared tests for categorical variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were constructed for each EPIC scale to account for correlation among repeated measures and used to assess the effect of treatment on QOL. Results: The largest differences in QOL occurred in the first 16 months after treatment, with larger declines following surgery in urinary and sexual QOL as compared to SBRT, and a larger decline in bowel QOL following SBRT as compared to surgery. Long-term urinary and sexual QOL declines remained clinically significantly lower for surgery patients but not for SBRT patients. Conclusions: Overall, these results may have implications for patient and physician clinical decision making which are often influenced by QOL. These differences in sexual, urinary and bowel QOL should be closely considered in selecting the right treatment, especially in evaluating the value of non-invasive treatments, such as SBRT.

Absorption and pharmacokinetics of green tea catechins in beagles

The present study evaluates for the first time in dogs, the kinetics of green tea catechins and their metabolic forms in plasma and urine. Ten beagles were administered 173 mg (12·35 mg/kg body weight) of catechins as a green tea extract, in capsules. Blood samples were collected during 24 h after intake and urine samples were collected during the following periods of time: 02, 26, 68 and 824 h. Two catechins with a galloyl moiety and three conjugated metabolites were detected in plasma. Most of the detected forms in plasma reached their maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) at around 1 h. Median Cmax for (2)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), (2)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (2)-epigallocatechin glucuronide (EGCglucuronide), (2)-epicatechin glucuronide (EC-glucuronide), (2)-epicatechin sulphate (EC sulphate) were 0·3 (range 0·11·9), 0·1 (range 00·4), 0·8 (range 0·23·9), 0·2 (range 0·1 1·7) and 1 (range 0·33·4) mmol/l, respectively. The areas under the plasma concentration v. time curves (AUC0!24) were 427 (range 1021185) mmol/l £ min for EGC-glucuronide, 112 (range 53919) mmol/l £ min for EC-sulphate, 71 (range 26306) mmol/l £ min for EGCG, 40 (range 12258) mmol/l £ min for EC-glucuronide and 14 (range 0·1124) mmol/l £ min for ECG. The values of mean residence time (MRT0!24) were 5 (range 216), 2 (range 111), 10 (range 213), 3 (range 216) and 2·4 (range 118) h for EGCG, ECG, EGC-glucuronide, EC-glucuronide and EC sulphate, respectively. In urine, catechins were present as conjugated forms, suggesting bile excretion of EGCG and ECG. Green tea catechins are absorbed following an oral administration and EGC-glucuronide is the metabolic form that remains in the organism for a longer period of time, suggesting that this compound could suffer an enterohepatic cycle.

Junoy, poèmes et calligrammes

Journaliste, caricaturiste et critique Josep Maria Junoy (1887-1955) compte parmi les plus originaux des poétes catalans de ce commencement de siécle. II a publié, entre autres, le livre Amour et Paysages (1920) et une série de poémes et de calligrammes qui complétent une intéressante production poétique en français. Junoy s’est associé aux mouvements qui cherchaient á renonveler la poésie et la peinture au début du XXC siécle dans une Catalogne en plein bouleversement.

La teoría de los códigos. Desigualdades lingüísticas en educación

Las desigualdades lingüísticas en educación constituyen un problema que puede acentuarse con el cambio de sociedad. Este artículo recupera la teoría de los códigos de Basil Bernstein desde una perspectiva culturalista para aclarar sus aspectos más polémicos y, al mismo tiempo, introducir un nuevo modelo de análisis que pone en relación el capital cultural de las familias con el nivel de desarrollo lingüístico de los adolescentes. Se observa que el nivel de estudios alcanzado por los padres adquiere una notable importancia en el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa, especialmente en el desarrollo de las habilidades correspondientes al lenguaje escrito en los adolescentes de primer curso de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.

Comparison of quality of life after stereotactic body radiotherapy and surgery for early-stage prostate cancer

Background: As the long-term efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) becomes established and other prostate cancer treatment approaches are refined and improved, examination of quality of life (QOL) following prostate cancer treatment is critical in driving both patient and clinical treatment decisions. We present the first study to compare QOL after SBRT and radical prostatectomy, with QOL assessed at approximately the same times pre- and post-treatment and using the same validated QOL instrument. Methods: Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were treated with either radical prostatectomy (n = 123 Spanish patients) or SBRT (n = 216 American patients). QOL was assessed using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) grouped into urinary, sexual, and bowel domains. For comparison purposes, SBRT EPIC data at baseline, 3 weeks, 5, 11, 24, and 36 months were compared to surgery data at baseline, 1, 6, 12, 24,and 36 months. Differences in patient characteristics between the two groups were assessed using Chi-squared tests for categorical variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were constructed for each EPIC scale to account for correlation among repeated measures and used to assess the effect of treatment on QOL. Results: The largest differences in QOL occurred in the first 1-6 months after treatment, with larger declines following surgery in urinary and sexual QOL as compared to SBRT, and a larger decline in bowel QOL following SBRT as compared to surgery. Long-term urinary and sexual QOL declines remained clinically significantly lower for surgery patients but not for SBRT patients. Conclusions: Overall, these results may have implications for patient and physician clinical decision making which are often influenced by QOL. These differences in sexual, urinary and bowel QOL should be closely considered in selecting the right treatment, especially in evaluating the value of non-invasive treatments, such as SBRT.