Impact of early valve surgery on outcome of Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic valve infective endocarditis: analysis in the International Collaboration of Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of early valve surgery (EVS) on the outcome of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVIE) is unresolved. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between EVS, performed within the first 60 days of hospitalization, and outcome of SA PVIE within the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study. METHODS: Participants were enrolled between June 2000 and December 2006. Cox proportional hazards modeling that included surgery as a time-dependent covariate and propensity adjustment for likelihood to receive cardiac surgery was used to evaluate the impact of EVS and 1-year all-cause mortality on patients with definite left-sided S. aureus PVIE and no history of injection drug use. RESULTS: EVS was performed in 74 of the 168 (44.3%) patients. One-year mortality was significantly higher among patients with S. aureus PVIE than in patients with non-S. aureus PVIE (48.2% vs 32.9%; P = .003). Staphylococcus aureus PVIE patients who underwent EVS had a significantly lower 1-year mortality rate (33.8% vs 59.1%; P = .001). In multivariate, propensity-adjusted models, EVS was not associated with 1-year mortality (risk ratio, 0.67 [95% confidence interval, .39-1.15]; P = .15). CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective, multinational cohort of patients with S. aureus PVIE, EVS was not associated with reduced 1-year mortality. The decision to pursue EVS should be individualized for each patient, based upon infection-specific characteristics rather than solely upon the microbiology of the infection causing PVIE.

Posterior Sub-Tenon Triamcinolone Injection for Chronic Macular Oedema Associated With Non-Ischemic Branch or Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Posterior Sub-Tenon (PST) Triamcinolone Acetonide (TA) injection for persistent macular oedema associated with non-ischemic Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) or Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion (BRVO) in non-vitrectomized eye. Methods: Fourteen consecutive eyes of 14 patients characterized by macular oedema lasting more than 3 months and with a visual acuity of less than 20/40 were enrolled. Six eyes presented with BRVO, 8 eyes with CRVO. PST injection of 40 mg TA was performed in topical anaesthesia. All patients were phakic, and followed for at least 6 months. Snellen visual acuity converted to LogMAR units and anatomic responses were evaluated before, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 (if required) months after injections and re-injection considered. Results: In the BRVO group, mean foveal thickness was 548.2±49.50 μm preoperatively, and 452.8±56.2 μm and 280.8±62.5 μm at 1 and 12 month follow-up, respectively. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between preoperative and postoperative measurements (P<.05, paired t test) 3 months after injections. Improvement of visual acuity by at least 0.2 LogMAR was seen in 3(50%) of the 6 eyes. No re-injection was needed. In the CRVO group, mean foveal thickness was 543.7±34.4 μm preoperatively, and 283.0±29.0 μm and 234.8±23.6 μm at 1 and 12 month follow-up, respectively. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between preoperative and postoperative measurements (P<.05, paired t test). Improvement of visual acuity by at least 0.2 LogMAR was seen in 7 eyes (88%). Mean number of re-injection was of 2.1±0.3. Intraocular pressure elevation of 22 mm Hg or higher was found in 2/14 eyes (14%). Cataract progression was noted in 5/14 eyes (36%). Conclusions: PST injection of TA appears to be as safe and effective treatment for chronic macular oedema associated due to both non-ischemic BRVO or CRVO, with a better efficacy in BRVO.

Ostéome choroïdien unilatéral chez un enfant de 2 ans

Un garçon, âgé de 2 ans, est suivi depuis ses 1 an pour une hétérochromie sectorielle de l'iris au niveau de l'oeil gauche. Au dernier contrôle ophtalmologique, le médecin traitant a découvert une lésion blanchâtre du fond d'oeil, au même oeil. Il a suspecté un rétinoblastome et nous a adressé l'enfant pour prise en charge diagnostique et thérapeutique. ▶ Examen sous narcose : L'examen du fond d'oeil gauche révèle une lésion blanc-jaunâtre, ovalaire, à bords festonnés, légèrement surélevée, localisée au pôle postérieur et atteignant l'arcade temporale supérieure. L'examen de l'oeil droit est sans particularités.

Experimental Cournot oligopoly and inequity aversion

This paper explores the role of inequity aversion as an explanation for observed behavior in experimental Cournot oligopolies. We show that inequity aversion can change the nature of the strategic interaction: quantities are strategic substitutes for sufficiently asymmetric output levels but strategic complements otherwise. We find that inequity aversion can explain why: (i) some experiments result in higher than Cournot-Nash production levels while others result in lower, (ii) collusion often occurs with only two players whereas with three or more players market outcomes are very close to Cournot-Nash, and (iii) players often achieve equal profits in asymmetric Cournot oligopoly.

Tacit Collusion under Fairness and Reciprocity

This paper departs from the standard profit-maximizing model of firm behavior by assuming that firms are motivated in part by personal animosity-or respect-towards their competitors. A reciprocal firm responds to unkind behavior of rivals with unkind actions (negative reciprocity), while at the same time, it responds to kind behavior of rivals with kind actions (positive reciprocity). We find that collusion is easier to sustain when firms have a concern for reciprocity towards competing firms provided that they consider collusive prices to be kind and punishment prices to be unkind. Thus, reciprocity concerns among firms can have adverse welfare consequences for consumers.

Purinergic receptors in ocular inflammation

Inflammation is a complex process that implies the interaction between cells and molecular mediators, which, when not properly 'tuned,' can lead to disease. When inflammation affects the eye, it can produce severe disorders affecting the superficial and internal parts of the visual organ. The nucleoside adenosine and nucleotides including adenine mononucleotides like ADP and ATP and dinucleotides such as P(1),P(4)-diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A), and P(1),P(5)-diadenosine pentaphosphate (Ap5A) are present in different ocular locations and therefore they may contribute/modulate inflammatory processes. Adenosine receptors, in particular A2A adenosine receptors, present anti-inflammatory action in acute and chronic retinal inflammation. Regarding the A3 receptor, selective agonists like N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine (CF101) have been used for the treatment of inflammatory ophthalmic diseases such as dry eye and uveoretinitis. Sideways, diverse stimuli (sensory stimulation, large intraocular pressure increases) can produce a release of ATP from ocular sensory innervation or after injury to ocular tissues. Then, ATP will activate purinergic P2 receptors present in sensory nerve endings, the iris, the ciliary body, or other tissues surrounding the anterior chamber of the eye to produce uveitis/endophthalmitis. In summary, adenosine and nucleotides can activate receptors in ocular structures susceptible to suffer from inflammatory processes. This involvement suggests the possible use of purinergic agonists and antagonists as therapeutic targets for ocular inflammation.

Frontals d'altar medievals: marques d'eines a la fusta i tecnologia de construcció del suport

Els frontals d'altar medievals conservats a Catalunya i a la Catalunya Nord presenten unes similituds en els seus suports de fusta que permeten agrupar- los entre el ls segons els seus modelsconstructius.Per altra banda també permeten arribar a concebre com es van construir les diferents parts que els composen i amb quines eines es va treballar la fusta .L'estudi presentat es centra concretament en les marques de les eines de fuster que han quedat gravades als suports ¡ que ens permeten saber de quines eines es tractava, com s'utilitzaven ¡quinsistema es va seguir per la construcció d'aquestes estructures.Històricament no s'ha donat gens de valor als suports de fusta d'aquestes peces en comparació amb la seva capa pictòrica i, per aquest motiu, s'han portat a terme mutilacions del suport o reparacionsestructurals que no han tingut en compte la conservació dels seus elements originals. Les marques d'eina sovint han passat desapercebudes i en molts casos s'han malmès o bé s'han eliminat degut ales intervencions poc respectuoses que s'han fet al llarg del segle XX.L'objectiu de la recerca que s'està portant a terme és identificar les marques a la fusta original delssuports i poder relacionar-les amb les eines que es van utilitzar en el seu moment i fer un inventaride les marques per poder utilitzar-lo en estudis posteriors.Aquest treball s'ha desenvolupat dins la línia d'investigació del Grup de Recerca ConsolidatConservació-Restauració del Patrimoni 2014-16 - SGR 459G de la Facultat de Belles Arts, Universitatde Barcelona, anomenada Estudi tecnològic dels suports de béns culturals: materials i tècniques de producció.

Frontals d'altar medievals: marques d'eines a la fusta i tecnologia de construcció del suport

Els frontals d'altar medievals conservats a Catalunya i a la Catalunya Nord presenten unes similituds en els seus suports de fusta que permeten agrupar- los entre el ls segons els seus modelsconstructius.Per altra banda també permeten arribar a concebre com es van construir les diferents parts que els composen i amb quines eines es va treballar la fusta .L'estudi presentat es centra concretament en les marques de les eines de fuster que han quedat gravades als suports ¡ que ens permeten saber de quines eines es tractava, com s'utilitzaven ¡quinsistema es va seguir per la construcció d'aquestes estructures.Històricament no s'ha donat gens de valor als suports de fusta d'aquestes peces en comparació amb la seva capa pictòrica i, per aquest motiu, s'han portat a terme mutilacions del suport o reparacionsestructurals que no han tingut en compte la conservació dels seus elements originals. Les marques d'eina sovint han passat desapercebudes i en molts casos s'han malmès o bé s'han eliminat degut ales intervencions poc respectuoses que s'han fet al llarg del segle XX.L'objectiu de la recerca que s'està portant a terme és identificar les marques a la fusta original delssuports i poder relacionar-les amb les eines que es van utilitzar en el seu moment i fer un inventaride les marques per poder utilitzar-lo en estudis posteriors.Aquest treball s'ha desenvolupat dins la línia d'investigació del Grup de Recerca ConsolidatConservació-Restauració del Patrimoni 2014-16 - SGR 459G de la Facultat de Belles Arts, Universitatde Barcelona, anomenada Estudi tecnològic dels suports de béns culturals: materials i tècniques de producció.

Més enllà de la costa: l'oferta turístic cultural a Palafrugell

Aquest treball pretén analitzar l’oferta cultural al municipi de Palafrugell i la seva projecció turística, per tal de formular propostes de millora i contribuir així a augmentar la presència turística en aquest tipus de recursos

High voltage discharge for degradation of organic contaminants in water

The pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (PDBD) and pulsed corona discharge (PCD) were compared for their efficiency to degrade phenol in water solution. Results show that PCD has higher efficiency than PDBD to degrade phenol. When initial pH of water solution was elevated, phenol degradation in the PCD reactor was significantly enhanced, although no considerable effect was seen in the PDBD reactor. The PCD reactor was also able to degrade lignin significantly, both in synthetically prepared solution and in pulp and paper mill wastewater. Water temperature did not affect phenol degradation; however, lignin was better oxidized at lower temperature.

Grounding: concepto y usos en danza movimiento terapia (DMT)

¿Qué significa exactamente el concepto anglosajón de Grounding? ¿Qué técnicas podemos utilizar para ayudar a las personas a estar más conectadas con su cuerpo y enraizadas en su realidad? Esta tesina analiza este concepto clave en Danza Movimiento Terapia (DMT) basado en la psicoterapia corporal de la bioenergética, fundada por Alexander Lowen, en Estados Unidos, en 1954. Revisaremos el concepto según Lowen y la bioenergética actual y lo analizaremos bajo la perspectiva de la DMT. En la segunda parte, se abordan los usos y aplicaciones del concepto con diversos ejercicios corporales de grounding o enraizamiento de tipo físico, sensorial, emocional y relacional, realizados en sesiones de DMT (años 2010-12), con dos poblaciones específicas (gente mayor con demencia y adultos con discapacidad psíquica). Las aplicaciones y usos del concepto de grounding son muy diversos y pueden beneficiar a todo tipo de personas, en el ámbito personal y/o laboral y no sólo a las personas consideradas “enfermas”.

Argument omissions in preschool Catalan and Spanish speaking children with SLI

El presente artículo describe tres estudios sobre la producción del verbo y la estructura argumental en niños con Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje (TEL) usando diferentes metodologías. El primero es un estudio observacional que usa una muestra de habla espontánea. El segundo usa una tarea experimental de denominación de oraciones como resultado de la observación de videos de acciones. El tercero comprende la tarea de denominación de oraciones con imágenes estáticas en eventos con diferente complejidad argumental. Aunque los datos concretos varían en función de la metodología usada, hay una clara evidencia de que los niños de habla catalana y española con TEL presentan especiales dificultades en la producción de verbos con una alta complejidad en relación a la estructura argumental y cometen errores en la especificación de los argumentos obligatorios. Se concluye quetanto limitaciones en el procesamiento como déficits en la representación semántica de los verbos pueden estar implicados en estas dificultades

La relación entre el aprendizaje léxico y el desarrollo gramatical

El presente trabajo se centra en estudiar la relación que existe entre el desarrollo de léxico y el de la morfosintaxis. Concretamente pretendemos explorar el tipo de vocabulario que mejor predice el desarrollo de la morfología verbal y el de la complejidad gramatical, así como establecer el tipo de relación entre desarrollo léxico y desarrollo morfosintáctico. La muestra comprende 517 niños de edades comprendidas entre los 18 meses y los 30 meses. Los datos se han recogido a partir de la adaptación al catalán del instrumento MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI). Los resultados muestran que el mejor predictor del desarrollo morfológico y gramatical es el vocabulario de clase cerrada, conjuntamente con el vocabulario general. Por otra parte, se observa una relación predominantemente lineal entre el desarrollo del léxico y el desarrollo morfosintáctico

RT-PCR and Dot Blot hybridization methods for a universal detection of tospoviruses

Transcriptase reverse - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and dot blot hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled probes were applied for the universal detection of Tospovirus species. The virus species tested were Tomato spotted wilt virus, Tomato chlorotic spot virus, Groundnut ringspot virus, Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus, Impatiens necrotic spot virus, Zucchini lethal chlorosis virus, Iris yellow spot virus. Primers for PCR amplification were designed to match conserved regions of the tospovirus genome. RT-PCR using distinct primer combinations was unable to simultaneously amplify all tospovirus species and consistently failed to detect ZLCV and IYSV in total RNA extracts. However, all tospovirus species were detected by RT-PCR when viral RNA was used as template. RNA-specific PCR products were used as probes for dot hybridization. This assay with a M probe (directed to the G1/G2 gene) detected at low stringency conditions all Tospovirus species, except IYSV. At low stringency conditions, the L non-radioactive probe detected the seven Tospovirus species in a single assay. This method for broad spectrum detection can be potentially employed in quarantine services for indexing in vitro germplasm.

Ammatillisen osaamisen tukeminen muuttuvissa toimintaympäristöissä : tutkimus ikääntyvien työntekijöiden näkökulmasta

The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of received support of aging employees and their work related self-image in changing working environments. Firstly, theaim was to discover how the support from organisations and leaders was verified. Secondly, the aim was to get answers how employees experienced themselves as workers and as learners in the current work context. Thirdly, the aim was to compare different knowledge information stages and company cultures and how they have influenced the experiences of professional competence development among aging employees. In addition the education- and career backgrounds were investigated to gain more understanding of their role in experiencing support and relation to the occupational self-image. The theoretical frame of reference of this researchis multidisciplinary. The theoretical part focuses on the meaning of work for human being from a sociological, late-modern perspective. On the other hand it examines the ageing process from a physiological and also from a perspective of age discrimination and life control. The occupational selfimage and the strength of motivation has an effect on learning in working life which is crucial and firmpart individual trajectories. According to the theoretical review company culture, leadership and especially the managers' role as a creator of a learning atmosphere are increasingly critical for aging adults' learning when the role of informal work-based learning is increasing. The empirical data was collected with aquestionnaire and interviews, which were carried out in May to October 2001. The data consists of 263 respondents of which further eight persons were interviewed. All respondents were over the age of 45 and represented all levels of their organisations in an IT-technology firm and a chemical industry plant. The central findings in this research show that the aging adults have experienced that theemployers do care about the development of their occupational skills. On the other hand there are fewer concrete activities to reveal this support. There is anobvious disproportion between the expressed aims and the realisation of the activities. Signs of age discrimination are few. The style of management has becomemore supporting for self directed activities which are seen to support adults learning. Higher education and individual activity to seek possibilities to learnwere encouraging the development of occupational skills. Age itself was not a crucial aspect when comparing the experiences among younger (45-54 years) and older (55-64 years) groups. Job satisfaction and professional self esteem seemed tobe considerably strong. The individual characteristics were more important elements in developing occupational skills than the age. The degree of anxiety at work was low. In addition among the older group the strong feeling of coherence and the occupational self image were significant for supporting the professional competence. The motivation to learn was also stable. Among the seniors there was some slight evidence of declining motivation. In the IT-firm the support was experienced stronger for aging employees than in the chemical industry plant. Thosewho had experienced support in the chemical industry plant had higher educational background than the others. In IT-firm they also experienced more support from the manager than in the chemical industry plant. The results show that it is more likely that the differences are caused mostly by the stage of information intensity and the character of company culture which is determined by the activities. IT-business demands constantly accommodation to changes and the chemical industry plant which is representing more traditional business field, where the atmosphere of learning is determined by the traditions of company culture, the changes are carried out slowly.