Estudi descriptiu de l'ús de xarxes socials online per la promoció de l'alimentació saludable en hospitals dels Estats Units

Internet i les xarxes socials online s'estan mostrant com a útils en la promoció de la salut i en la difusió d'hàbits saludables. L'objectiu del treball és observar el grau d'utilització que es fa de les xarxes socials online per a la promoció d'hàbits d'alimentació saludable. S'ha dissenyat un estudi observacional descriptiu transversal amb una mostra de 14 hospitals dels Estats Units. A l'estudi s'ha trobat una bona freqüència d'utilització dels canals que ofereix la xarxa però una baixa freqüència per fer promoció d'hàbits saludables en alimentació.

CoDaPack. An Excel and Visual Basic based software of compositional data analysis. Current version and discussion form upcoming versions

In the eighties, John Aitchison (1986) developed a new methodological approach for the statistical analysis of compositional data. This new methodology was implemented in Basic routines grouped under the name CODA and later NEWCODA inMatlab (Aitchison, 1997). After that, several other authors have published extensions to this methodology: Marín-Fernández and others (2000), Barceló-Vidal and others (2001), Pawlowsky-Glahn and Egozcue (2001, 2002) and Egozcue and others (2003). (...)

A Sustainable Development Strategy for the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion: Basic Guidelines

L'estudi presenta té per objecte formular els requisits necessaris per posar en marxa una estratègia per al desenvolupament sostenible de l'Euroregió Pirineus-Mediterrània. Aquest és un projecte de cooperació transfronterera regional promogut per l'expresident de la Generalitat, Honorable Sr Pasqual Maragall, que, a més de Catalunya, inclou Aragó, Illes Balears, Llenguadoc-Rosselló i Migdia-Pirineus. A la Unió Europea hi ha més de 70 euroregions, que han estat en funcionant per diferents periodes de temps, després d'haver estat creat per regions o entitats locals, o ambdós

Developmental effects of basic fibroblast growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor on glial cells in a three-dimensional cell culture system.

In order to study peptide growth factor action in a three-dimensional cellular environment, aggregating cell cultures prepared from 15-day fetal rat telencephalon were grown in a chemically defined medium and treated during an early developmental stage with either bovine fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF homodimers AA and BB). A single dose (5-50 ng/ml) of either growth factor given to the cultures on day 3 greatly enhanced the developmental increase of the two glia-specific enzyme activities, 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNP) and glutamine synthetase (GS), whereas it had relatively little effect on total protein and DNA content. Distinct patterns of dose-dependency were found for CNP and GS stimulation. At low concentrations of bFGF (0.5-5 ng/ml) and at all PDGF concentrations applied, the oligodendroglial marker enzyme CNP was the most affected. A relatively small but significant mitogenic effect was observed after treatment with PDGF, particularly at higher concentrations or after repetitive stimulation. The two PDGF homodimers AA and BB were similar in their biological effects and potency. The present results show that under histotypic conditions both growth factors, bFGF and PDGF, promote the maturation rather than the proliferation of immature oligodendrocytes and astrocytes.

Update on basic and clinical aspects of eosinophilic oesophagitis.

The identification of a distinct syndrome, designated eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE), with its own clinical and histopathological characteristics, was first described in the early 1990s. Meanwhile intense research has uncovered many molecular, immunological and clinical aspects of this chronic-inflammatory disorder. This article focuses exclusively on basic and clinical insights of EoE gathered during the last few years. Regarding aetiopathogenesis it has become clear that EoE is a food-triggered disease with milk and wheat as the dominant culprit food categories. However, it is still debated whether a disturbed mucosal integrity allowing allergens to cross the mucosal barrier, or changes in wheat and milk manufacturing might induce these inflammatory responses. Furthermore, basic science and clinical studies have accordingly confirmed that a chronic eosinophilic inflammation leads to a remodelling of the oesophagus with micro- and macro-morphological alterations, ending in a strictured oesophagus with impaired function. Fortunately, long-term therapeutic trials, using either topical corticosteroids or dietary allergen avoidance, have demonstrated that this sequela can be prevented or even reversed. This finding is of clinical relevance as it supports the initiation of a consistent anti-inflammatory therapy. Nevertheless, EoE is still an enigmatic disease and the long list of unanswered questions will certainly stimulate further research.

Characteristics and determinants of outcome of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections in intensive care units: the EUROBACT International Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: The recent increase in drug-resistant micro-organisms complicates the management of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSIs). We investigated the epidemiology of HA-BSI and evaluated the impact of drug resistance on outcomes of critically ill patients, controlling for patient characteristics and infection management. METHODS: A prospective, multicentre non-representative cohort study was conducted in 162 intensive care units (ICUs) in 24 countries. RESULTS: We included 1,156 patients [mean ± standard deviation (SD) age, 59.5 ± 17.7 years; 65 % males; mean ± SD Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II score, 50 ± 17] with HA-BSIs, of which 76 % were ICU-acquired. Median time to diagnosis was 14 [interquartile range (IQR), 7-26] days after hospital admission. Polymicrobial infections accounted for 12 % of cases. Among monomicrobial infections, 58.3 % were gram-negative, 32.8 % gram-positive, 7.8 % fungal and 1.2 % due to strict anaerobes. Overall, 629 (47.8 %) isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), including 270 (20.5 %) extensively resistant (XDR), and 5 (0.4 %) pan-drug-resistant (PDR). Micro-organism distribution and MDR occurrence varied significantly (p < 0.001) by country. The 28-day all-cause fatality rate was 36 %. In the multivariable model including micro-organism, patient and centre variables, independent predictors of 28-day mortality included MDR isolate [odds ratio (OR), 1.49; 95 % confidence interval (95 %CI), 1.07-2.06], uncontrolled infection source (OR, 5.86; 95 %CI, 2.5-13.9) and timing to adequate treatment (before day 6 since blood culture collection versus never, OR, 0.38; 95 %CI, 0.23-0.63; since day 6 versus never, OR, 0.20; 95 %CI, 0.08-0.47). CONCLUSIONS: MDR and XDR bacteria (especially gram-negative) are common in HA-BSIs in critically ill patients and are associated with increased 28-day mortality. Intensified efforts to prevent HA-BSIs and to optimize their management through adequate source control and antibiotic therapy are needed to improve outcomes.

Fremont County, Independent Auditor's Reports, Basic Financial Statements and Supplementary Information, Schedule of Findings, June 30, 2005

County Audit Report

City of Center Point, Independent Auditor's Reports, Basic Financial Statements and Supplementary Information, Schedule of Findings, June 30, 2004

City Audit Report

KCCK-FM Radio, A Public Telecommunications Entity Operated by Kirkwood Community College, Independent Auditor's Reports, Basic Financial Statements, June 30, 2006

Community College Audit Reports

Basic calcium phosphate crystals induce monocyte/macrophage IL-1(beta) secretion through the NLRP3 inflammasome in vitro.

Basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals are associated with severe osteoarthritis and acute periarticular inflammation. Three main forms of BCP crystals have been identified from pathological tissues: octacalcium phosphate, carbonate-substituted apatite, and hydroxyapatite. We investigated the proinflammatory effects of these BCP crystals in vitro with special regard to the involvement of the NLRP3-inflammasome in THP-1 cells, primary human monocytes and macrophages, and mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). THP-1 cells stimulated with BCP crystals produced IL-1β in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, primary human cells and BMDM from wild-type mice also produced high concentrations of IL-1β after crystal stimulation. THP-1 cells transfected with short hairpin RNA against the components of the NLRP3 inflammasome and mouse BMDM from mice deficient for NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein, or caspase-1 did not produce IL-1β after BCP crystal stimulation. BCP crystals induced macrophage apoptosis/necrosis as demonstrated by MTT and flow cytometric analysis. Collectively, these results demonstrate that BCP crystals induce IL-1β secretion through activating the NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, we speculate that IL-1 blockade could be a novel strategy to inhibit BCP-induced inflammation in human disease.

Iowa Federal Family Education Loan Program Division, Iowa College Student Aid Commission - Independent Auditor's Reports Basic Financial Statements and Supplementary Information, June 30, 2003

State Agency Audit Report

Iowa Department of Human Services - Case Management Unit, Independent Auditor's Reports Basic Financial Statements and Supplementary Information, June 30, 2003

State Agency Audit Report