In vitro methods for diagnosing nonimmediate hypersensitivity reactions to drugs.

Nonimmediate drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) are difficult to manage in daily clinical practice, mainly owing to their heterogeneous clinical manifestations and the lack of selective biological markers. In vitro methods are necessaryto establish a diagnosis, especially given the low sensitivity of skin tests and the inherent risks of drug provocation testing. In vitro evaluation of nonimmediate DHRs must include approaches that can be applied during the different phases of the reaction. During the acute phase, monitoring markers in both skin and peripheral blood helps to discriminate between immediate and nonimmediate DHRs with cutaneous responses and to distinguish between reactions that, although they present similar clinical symptoms, are produced by different immunological mechanisms and therefore have a different treatment and prognosis. During the resolution phase, in vitro testing is used to detect the response of T cells to drug stimulation; however, this approach has certain limitations, such as the lack of validated studies assessing sensitivity. Moreover, in vitro tests indicate an immune response that is not always related to a DHR. In this review, members of the Immunology and Drug Allergy Committee of the Spanish Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) provide an overview of the most widely used in vitro tests for evaluating nonimmediate DHRs.

“Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad”: resurrecting Steinbeck’s gaze

This dissertation involves a close reading of Springsteen’s lyrics in relation to the thematic concerns of the Tom Joad album. Enquiring into the sometimes multiple levels of significance that these lyrics can be seen to express, in order to show the manner in which Springsteen mirrors the broader thematic concerns of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath’ s novel but also adapts and reinterprets these themes for his own time. In this sense, I will try to underline the ways in which, for Springsteen’s vision of his country in the 1990’s, the presence of troublesome issues from decades before is one that can, in certain ways, still be seen, felt and experienced. It is in this manner that the ghost of Tom Joad is summoned

A Typology of agents and subjects of regional cooperation: the experience of the Mediterranean Arch

El document és el resultat d'una investigació més àmplia sobre la construcció de l'Arc Mediterrani. El seu objectiu és posar en relleu el notable grau de desenvolupament de la cooperació regional en la matèria, a través d'una anàlisi detallada de les diferents figures institucionalitzades de cooperació territorial existents (o haver existit) a la zona. L'anàlisi s'ha dut a terme des d'un punt de vista temàtic, basat en els objectius prioritaris d'aquestes institucions. En concret, les xifres estudiades es limiten a les institucions formals o les associacions de col · laboració de caràcter específic, com ara euroregions o les agrupacions europees d'interès econòmic, entès com les figures de major institucionalització dels espais transnacionals a nivell europeu. En canvi, hem deixat de banda altres figures, com Interreg (finançat pel FEDER), ja que no són entitats correctament. Encara que de vegades els acords de cooperació establerts per als projectes d'Interreg han donat lloc a algunes de les entitats estudiades aquí.

Allergens Induce the Release of Lactoferrin by Neutrophils from Asthmatic Patients.

BACKGROUND Despite the evidence that Lactoferrin (Lf) is involved in allergic asthma processes, it is unknown whether neutrophils can be one of the main cellular sources of this key inflammatory mediator directly in response of an IgE mediated stimulus. The present study was undertaken to analyze this question. METHODS Neutrophils from healthy subjects (n = 34) and neutrophils from allergic asthmatic patients (n = 102) were challenged in vitro with specific allergens to which the patients were sensitized, PAF, or agonist mAbs against IgE-receptors, and the levels of Lf were measured in the culture supernatant. The levels of serum IgE together with the severity of symptoms were also analyzed. RESULTS Lf was released into the culture supernatant of neutrophils from allergic asthmatic patients in response to allergens and PAF. This response was highly allergen-specific, and did not happen in neutrophils from healthy donors. Allergen effect was mimicked by Abs against FcεRI and galectin-3 but not by FcεRII. The levels of released Lf correlated well with the levels of serum specific IgE and severity of asthma symptoms. These observations represent a novel view of neutrophils as an important source of Lf in allergic asthma. Importantly, the levels of released Lf by neutrophils could therefore be used to evaluate disease severity in allergic asthmatic patients.

Llocs, formes i textos de la protohistòria literària catalana. Segles XV-XVII: del marquès de Santillana a Nicolás Antonio (1676)

Es presenten notícies sobre l’activitat dels els inicis de la història literària catalana, la multiplicitat dels vehicles on apareix, les formes que adopta i l’evolució que experimenta

Aplicació web per a la vigilància epidemiològica a Barcelona emprant sistemes d'informació geogràfica de programari lliure

This project is about the development of a web that uses the tools offered by the Geographic Information Systems based in open source in order to monitoring and detect legionella clusters in Barcelona. This web also produces thematic maps for the study of epidemiologic diseases and has been made with the colaboration of the Barcelona public health agency.

From controlling to letting go : what are the psychosocial needs of parents of adolescents with a chronic illness?

While one of the main objectives of adolescence is to achieve autonomy, for the specific population of adolescents with a chronic illness (CI), the struggle for autonomy is accentuated by the limits implied by their illness. However, little is known concerning the way their parents manage and cope with their children's autonomy acquisition. Our aim was to identify the needs and preoccupations of parents of adolescents with CI in coping with their children's autonomy acquisition and to determine whether mothers and fathers coped differently. Using a qualitative approach, 30 parents of adolescents with CI participated in five focus groups. Recruitment took place in five specialized pediatric clinics from our university hospital. Thematic analysis was conducted. Transcript analyses suggested four major categories of preoccupations, those regarding autonomy acquisition, giving or taking on autonomy, shared management of treatment and child's future. Some aspects implied differences between mothers' and fathers' viewpoints and ways of experiencing this period of life. Letting go can be hard for the father, mother, adolescent or all three. Helping one or the other can in turn improve family functioning as a whole. Reported findings may help health professionals better assist parents in managing their child's acquisition of autonomy.

Introducció a l’obra de Bassam Kanaan (catàleg raonat 1960-1987)

Recull, identificació i documentació d'aproximadament 130 obres de l'artista sirià Bassam Kanaan entre 1960 i 1987. El treball inclou un apunt biogràfic de l'artista que, com diu la seva autora, va evitar conscientment formar part del sistema, cosa que ha complicat la tasca de rescatar de l'oblit informacions sobre Kanaan

Incidència de l’entorn educatiu, familiar i social en les actituds lingüístiques i identitàries dels joves d’origen xinès i llatinoamericà a Catalunya

From an interdisciplinary perspective, the present investigation undertaken by the GREILI-UPF research group has expanded a previous study aiming at explaining how young secondary school students of Latin American and Chinese origin in Catalonia construct their linguistic and cultural identity. Here we analyze the relationship between these youngsters and their social environment in order to determine how these relationships and the socialization process that derives from them influence language attitudes and practices. We focus on two spaces of socialization: (1) the school, where youngsters from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds coexist and interact, and (2) the neighborhood, a geographic and symbolic space where social identity is constructed and, consequently, where young newcomers construct their perceptions regarding the host society, including its linguistic reality. We have collected several sets of data in three public secondary schools and three neighborhoods from Barcelona’s metropolitan area with a high index of immigrant population: (1) interviews with secondary school students, (2) interviews with teachers, (3) social discourses in newspapers that consolidate the social image of the neighborhood, (4) narratives from immigrant families in relation to their neighborhood, (5) participant observation in schools, and (5) observation in the neighborhood. The results of the thematic and, when appropriate, discursive analysis of the data allow us to reach conclusions regarding: (a) the social image of the neighborhoods, (b) the socialization of young newcomers in the schools and the neighborhoods, (c) the identity games, and (d) the language and cultural practices and attitudes of young people, in relation to their countries and languages of origin as well as the school and the neighborhood investigated.

Greenberg i Danto : De l'últim gran relat a la fi de l'art

A partir de l'anàlisi comparatiu de l'obra de dos grans teòrics de la modernitat i la postmodernitat com són Clement Greenberg i Arthur C. Danto es fa un estudi de com aquests dos autors han arribat a construir els seus discursos i, en relació a això, com ha anat evolucionant el concepte d'art de la modernitat a la postmodernitat. La qüestió central que se'ns planteja és: què ha canviat en la idea d'art de la postmodernitat respecte a la idea o a la concepció d'art anterior, per arribar-nos a qüestionar si realment hi ha art i, si n'hi ha, què és art i que no ho és? Existeix una idea universal de què ha de ser art? O aquesta és una qüestió intrínsicament relacionada amb la societat en què es produeix; en aquest cas, la societat occidental?

Beyond GDP: Methodological and measurement issues in redefining “wealth”

In the last decades; a growing stock of literature has been devoted to the criticism of GDP as an indicator of societal wealth. A relevant question is: what are the perspectives to build, on the existing knowledge and consensus, alternative measures of prosperity? A starting point may be to connect well-being research agenda with the sustainability one. However, there is no doubt that there is a lot of complexity and fuzziness inherent in multidimensional concepts such as sustainability and well-being. This article analyses the theoretical foundations and the empirical validity of some multidimensional technical tools that can be used for well-being evaluation and assessment. Of course one should not forget that policy conclusions derived through any mathematical model depend also on the conceptual framework used, i.e. which representation of reality (and thus which societal values and interests) has been considered.

Health inequalities among the elderly in western Europe

Background: This paper analyses gender inequalities in health status and in social determinants of health among the elderly in Western Europe. Methods: Data came from the first wave of the “Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe” (SHARE, 2004). For the purposes of this study a subsample of community-residing people aged 65-85 years with no paid work was selected (4218 men and 5007 women). Multiple logistic regression models separated by sex and adjusted for age and country were fitted. Results: Women were more likely to report poor health status, limitations in mobility and poor mental health. Whereas in both sexes educational attainment was associated with the three health indicators, household income was only related to poor self-rated health among women. The relationship between living arrangements and health differed by gender and was primarily associated with poor mental health. In both sexes, not living with the partner but living with other people and being the household head was related to poor mental health status (aOR=2.14; 95% CI=1.11-4.14 for men and aOR=1.75; 95% CI=1.12-2.72 for women). Additionally, women living with their partner and other(s) and those living alone were more likely to report poor mental health status (aOR=1.67; 95% CI=1.17-2.41 and aOR=1.58; 95% CI=1.26-1.97, respectively). Conclusions: Health inequalities persist among the elderly. Women have poorer health status than men and in both sexes the risk of poor health status increases among those with low educational attainment. Living arrangements are primarily associated with poor mental health status with patterns that differ by gender.

Identifying protein-coding genes in genomic sequences

The vast majority of the biology of a newly sequenced genome is inferred from the set of encoded proteins. Predicting this set is therefore invariably the first step after the completion of the genome DNA sequence. Here we review the main computational pipelines used to generate the human reference protein-coding gene sets.

Quality of life transformations before and after kidney transplantation: A prospective qualitative study.

The aim of this IRB-approved study was to analyze prospectively quality of life (QOL) and psychological changes in 30 ESRD patients before and after kidney transplantation (KT). Semi-structured interviews were conducted after inclusion on the waiting list (A). Follow-up interviews were performed 6 months later with patients still awaiting KT (B6, n= 15), and with transplant recipients 6, 12 and 24 months after KT (C6, n=15; C12, n=15; C24, n=14). Qualitative thematic analysis was performed. A: All patients reported loss of freedom, 87% tried to maintain normality; 57% modified medical directives. All mentioned emotional fragility, negative thoughts (43%), and suicidal thoughts (20%) related to loss of QOL from dialysis (D), and professional tension (26%). B6: 40% reported no change compared to baseline, while 60% mentioned increase of illness intrusiveness, 46% D side effects, 40% communication problems, and 33% concerns about the waiting list handling. Fear of emotional breakdown (40%), couple problems (47%), and worsened professional difficulties (20%) were reported. C6: All patients reported recovery of QOL and concerns about acute rejection. 73% were anxious about laboratory results. 93% felt dependent on immunosuppressants (IS), 47% reported difficulties coping with their regimen, and 47% were concerned about side effects; 67% had resumed work, but medical constraints led 40% to professional stigmatization. C12: All enjoyed good QOL. Adherence to IS was mandatory (100%). All were aware of the limited long-term graft survival and 47% anxious about a possible return to D. 60% underlined positive life value; 47% resumed a full time job; 40% were on social security. C24: Good QOL was underlined (86%). Patients stated they would prefer re-TX to resuming D (71%). Post-TX health problems were mentioned (64%); increase of creatinine levels induced fear (36%). 79% complained about side effects. 64% reported changes in life values. This study reveals positive QOL and psychological transformations after KT, which are associated with positive changes related to graft survival and freedom from D. Psychological follow-up should be offered to patients who face relapsing ESRD or post-TX co-morbidities.