Cultural transfer in different literary contexts. The case of La Celestina

Eguíluz, Federico; Merino, Raquel; Olsen, Vickie; Pajares, Eterio; Santamaría, José Miguel (eds.)

Factors associated with chronic pain in patients with bipolar depression: a cross-sectional study

Background: While pain is frequently associated with unipolar depression, few studies have investigated the link between pain and bipolar depression. In the present study we estimated the prevalence and characteristics of pain among patients with bipolar depression treated by psychiatrists in their regular clinical practice. The study was designed to identify factors associated with the manifestation of pain in these patients.- Methods:Patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n=121) were selected to participate in a cross-sectional study in which DSM-IV-TR criteria were employed to identify depressive episodes. The patients were asked to describe any pain experienced during the study, and in the 6 weeks beforehand, by means of a Visual Analogical Scale (VAS).- Results: Over half of the bipolar depressed patients (51.2%, 95% CI: 41.9%–60.6%), and 2/3 of the female experienced concomitant pain. The pain was of moderate to severe intensity and prolonged duration, and it occurred at multiple sites, significantly limiting the patient’s everyday activities. The most important factors associated with the presence of pain were older age, sleep disorders and delayed diagnosis of bipolar disorder.- Conclusions: Chronic pain is common in bipolar depressed patients, and it is related to sleep disorders and delayed diagnosis of their disorder. More attention should be paid to study the presence of pain in bipolar depressed patients, in order to achieve more accurate diagnoses and to provide better treatment options.

Antioxidant defense system and family environment in adolescents with family history of psychosis

[EN] Our objective was to determine antioxidant defence activity in healthy controls (HC) and healthy unaffected second-degree relatives of patients with early onset psychosis (HC-FHP),and to assess its relationship with familiar environment measured using the Family Environment Scale (FES). Methods: We included 82 HC and 14 HC-FHP aged between 9 and 17 years. Total antioxidant status,lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities and glutathione levels were determined in blood samples. Results:There was a significant decrease in the total antioxidant level in the HC-FHP group compared with the HC group (OR = 2.94; p = 0.009), but no between-group differences in the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale scores. For the FES, the HC-FHP group had significantly higher scores in the cohesion (p = 0.007) and intellectual-cultural dimensions (p=0.025). After adjusting for these two FES dimensions, total antioxidant status remained significantly different between groups (OR = 10.86, p = 0.009).

Candida albicans Increases Tumor Cell Adhesion to Endothelial Cells In Vitro: Intraspecific Differences and Importance of the Mannose Receptor

The dimorphic fungus Candida albicans is able to trigger a cytokine-mediated pro-inflammatory response that increases tumor cell adhesion to hepatic endothelium and metastasis. To check the intraspecific differences in this effect, we used an in vitro murine model of hepatic response against C. albicans, which made clear that tumor cells adhered more to endothelium incubated with blastoconidia, both live and killed, than germ tubes. This finding was related to the higher carbohydrate/protein ratio found in blastoconidia. In fact, destruction of mannose ligand residues on the cell surface by metaperiodate treatment significantly reduced tumor cell adhesion induced. Moreover, we also noticed that the effect of clinical strains was greater than that of the reference one. This finding could not be explained by the carbohydrate/protein data, but to explain these differences between strains, we analyzed the expression level of ten genes (ADH1, APE3, IDH2, ENO1, FBA1, ILV5, PDI1, PGK1, QCR2 and TUF1) that code for the proteins identified previously in a mannoprotein-enriched pro-metastatic fraction of C. albicans. The results corroborated that their expression was higher in clinical strains than the reference one. To confirm the importance of the mannoprotein fraction, we also demonstrate that blocking the mannose receptor decreases the effect of C. albicans and its mannoproteins, inhibiting IL-18 synthesis and tumor cell adhesion increase by around 60%. These findings could be the first step towards a new treatment for solid organ cancers based on the role of the mannose receptor in C. albicans-induced tumor progression and metastasis.

Application of a new pelletised organic bed for tex biodegradation in conventional biofilters

La problemática de las emisiones de gases contaminados generadas por las actividades humanas ha obligado al desarrollo de distintas tecnologías de tratamiento cuyo objetivo es minimizar el efecto de las mismas sobre el medio ambiente.La biofiltración es una de estas tecnologías de bajo coste que además es respetuosa con el entorno. Básicamente consiste en hacer pasar un gas contaminado a través de un medio poroso donde anida la biomasa que lleva a cabo la degradación de los contaminantes, generando productos no nocivos. El presente estudio se ha centrado en aportar soluciones a una de las principales limitaciones que presentan estos sistemas biológicos: el excesivo tiempo empleado por la biomasa para adaptarse a los contaminantes y degradarlos eficazmente.Se ha desarrollado una sistemática de aclimatación que ha permitido acortar el tiempo de adaptación de la biomasa específica para la eliminación de compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COVs). Estos compuestos, más específicamente los TEX (tolueno, p-xileno y etilbenceno), son uno de los grupos de contaminantes más habituales a nivel industrial, e incluso en ambientes interiores. La optimización de los parámetros de operación que afectan a esta tecnología (el nivel de humedad del soporte, temperatura, la interacción de varios contaminantes presentes en la misma corriente gaseosa, entre otros), ha llevado a la consecución de eficacias de depuración muy elevadas en el biotratamiento en continuo de corrientes gaseosas contaminadas.

Cambios oceanográficos y climáticos en el sur del golfo de Vizcaya durante el Cuaternario final, detectados por medio de los foraminíferos y ostrácodos

La microfauna bentónica y planctónica se ha convertido en una herramienta precisa de detección de las variaciones paleoceanográficas y paleoclimáticas. La combinación de grupos faunísticos diferentes, cuya respuesta ante los mismos factores ecológicos puede ser diversa, permite analizar de manera aún más concreta los cambios oceanográficos y climáticos en la misma área de estudio. Así mismo, el estudio de las asociaciones microfaunísticas con técnicas isotópicas y sedimentológicas, posibilitan la determinación del grado de afectación de los parámetros ecológicos considerados en las especies identificadas. La comparación de las variaciones específicas detectadas en el pasado con la distribución de dichas asociaciones en los modelos actuales, permite caracterizar los cambios pretéritos del medio que habitaban estos organismos. El presente trabajo está estructurado en dos bloques principales: por un lado, se estudia la microfauna (foraminíferos bentónicos, planctónicos y ostrácodos) en muestras superficiales de la plataforma, con el objetivo de determinar los parámetros ecológicos que controlan su distribución a lo largo del área de estudio. Por otra parte, se analizan 5 sondeos obtenidos a diferente profundidad, que permiten definir las variaciones oceanográficas y climáticas acontecidas en la plataforma Vasca a finales del Cuaternario, basándonos en los cambios de las asociaciones de microfauna que se suceden a lo largo de los sondeos. Estas variaciones faunísticas denotan, por tanto, cambios ambientales.

Semi-automatic generation of learning domain modules for technology supported learning systems

In a time when Technology Supported Learning Systems are being widely used, there is a lack of tools that allows their development in an automatic or semi-automatic way. Technology Supported Learning Systems require an appropriate Domain Module, ie. the pedagogical representation of the domain to be mastered, in order to be effective. However, content authoring is a time and effort consuming task, therefore, efforts in automatising the Domain Module acquisition are necessary.Traditionally, textbooks have been used as the main mechanism to maintain and transmit the knowledge of a certain subject or domain. Textbooks have been authored by domain experts who have organised the contents in a means that facilitate understanding and learning, considering pedagogical issues.Given that textbooks are appropriate sources of information, they can be used to facilitate the development of the Domain Module allowing the identification of the topics to be mastered and the pedagogical relationships among them, as well as the extraction of Learning Objects, ie. meaningful fragments of the textbook with educational purpose.Consequently, in this work DOM-Sortze, a framework for the semi-automatic construction of Domain Modules from electronic textbooks, has been developed. DOM-Sortze uses NLP techniques, heuristic reasoning and ontologies to fulfill its work. DOM-Sortze has been designed and developed with the aim of automatising the development of the Domain Module, regardless of the subject, promoting the knowledge reuse and facilitating the collaboration of the users during the process.

Plano nacional de educação : atribuições e prazos intermediários da lei nº 13.005/2014

Analisa aspectos da Lei n° 13.005/14, que aprovou o Plano Nacional de Educação-PNE, para o decênio 2014-2024, que estabelece (art. 3°) que as metas previstas em seu Anexo serão cumpridas no prazo de vigência do PNE, desde que não haja prazo inferior definido para metas e estratégias específicas.

Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, learning capacity and cognition in patients with first episode psychosis

Background: Cognitive impairments are seen in first psychotic episode (FEP) patients. The neurobiological underpinnings that might underlie these changes remain unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels are associated with cognitive impairment in FEP patients compared with healthy controls. Methods: 45 FEP patients and 45 healthy controls matched by age, gender and educational level were selected from the Basque Country area of Spain. Plasma BDNF levels were assessed in healthy controls and in patients. A battery of cognitive tests was applied to both groups, with the patients being assessed at 6 months after the acute episode and only in those with a clinical response to treatment. Results: Plasma BDNF levels were altered in patients compared with the control group. In FEP patients, we observed a positive association between BDNF levels at six months and five cognitive domains (learning ability,immediate and delayed memory, abstract thinking and processing speed) which persisted after controlling for medications prescribed, drug use, intelligence quotient (IQ) and negative symptoms. In the healthy control group, BDNF levels were not associated with cognitive test scores. Conclusion: Our results suggest that BDNF is associated with the cognitive impairment seen after a FEP. Further investigations of the role of this neurotrophin in the symptoms associated with psychosis onset are warranted.

Vías para el desarrollo de actividades de innovación y su relación con el desempeño innovador

El trabajo estudia el efecto sobre el desempeño innovador de diferentes vías para el desarrollo de actividades de innovación. El estudio empírico utiliza la Encuesta sobre Innovación Tecnológica de las Empresas para el año 2007. Los resultados sugieren que la utilización de una única vía, ya sea interna o externa, tiene un efecto mayoritariamente negativo sobre el desempeño innovador y que los mejores resultados parecen obtenerse de la combinación de todas las vías. Finalmente, las vías cuyo efecto sobre el desempeño parece más independiente de la medida de rendimiento utilizada son interna&externa, sólo externa e interna&externa&cooperación.

Factores diferenciadores de las empresas del índice de responsabilidad español

Una importante línea de investigación en Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) se centra en analizar la relación entre el comportamiento financiero (performance financiera) de las compañías y la adopción de prácticas responsables en la gestión empresarial (performance social) con el objetivo de determinar si existe dicha relación y en su caso, el signo de la misma. Los resultados obtenidos en este campo no son concluyentes y en algunos casos contradictorios. Por ello, se ha considerado relevante analizar a través del presente trabajo si existen diferencias en las variables económico-financieras de las empresas que componen el FTSE4Good IBEX frente a las que perteneciendo al IBEX, su índice de referencia, no forman parte del índice responsable. Para ello, se incluye el marco teórico que trata de explicar la naturaleza de la relación entre los resultados sociales y resultados financieros y un estudio empírico con datos referidos al periodo 2007 y 2008. Los resultados obtenidos señalan como aspectos diferenciadores entre ambos grupos de empresas, las variables relacionadas con el riesgo de mercado, así como el endeudamiento y el tamaño.

Thrombotic Antiphospholipid Syndrome Shows Strong Haplotypic Association with SH2B3-ATXN2 Locus

Background : Thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome is defined as a complex form of thrombophilia that is developed by a fraction of antiphospholipid antibody (aPLA) carriers. Little is known about the genetic risk factors involved in thrombosis development among aPLA carriers. Methods: To identify new loci conferring susceptibility to thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome, a two-stage genotyping strategy was performed. In stage one, 19,000 CNV loci were genotyped in 14 thrombotic aPLA+ patients and 14 healthy controls by array-CGH. In stage two, significant CNV loci were fine-mapped in a larger cohort (85 thrombotic aPLA+, 100 non-thrombotic aPLA+ and 569 healthy controls). Results : Array-CGH and fine-mapping analysis led to the identification of 12q24.12 locus as a new susceptibility locus for thrombotic APS. Within this region, a TAC risk haplotype comprising one SNP in SH2B3 gene (rs3184504) and two SNPs in ATXN2 gene (rs10774625 and rs653178) exhibited the strongest association with thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome (p-value = 5,9 × 10−4 OR 95% CI 1.84 (1.32–2.55)). Conclusion : The presence of a TAC risk haplotype in ATXN2-SH2B3 locus may contribute to increased thrombotic risk in aPLA carriers.

La lectura de una imagen

Santamaría, José Miguel; Pajares, Eterio; Olsen, Vickie; Merino, Raquel; Eguíluz, Federico (eds.)

Buscando guiones desesperadamente: un intento de sistematización de estrategias de traducción en el doblaje

Eterio Pajares, Raquel Merino y José Miguel Santamaría (eds.)

Translating Spanish Literature into English: Some cross-cultural pragmatic issues

Eterio Pajares, Raquel Merino y José Miguel Santamaría (eds.)