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Reseña de: Römer, Thomas: La invención de Dios, Ediciones Sígueme, Salamanca, 2022, 302 pp. (trad. de Mercedes Huarte Luxán), ISBN: 978-84-301-2138-0 (L’invention de Dieu, Éditions du Seuil, Paris, 20172; primera edición: 2014).

Reseña de: Marco Simón, Francisco: Cultus deorum. La religión en la antigua Roma, Síntesis, Madrid, 2021. ISBN: 978-84-1357-143-0.

Reseña de: Berthelot, Katell: Jews and Their Roman Rivals. Pagan Rome’s Challenge to Israel, Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2021, 552 pp. ISBN: 978-0-691-19929-0.

Markers that allow for the selection of tailored treatments for individual patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are yet to be identified. Our aim was to describe trends in real-life treatment usage. For this purpose, patients from the ENEIDA registry who received their first targeted IBD treatment (biologics or tofacitinib) between 2015 and 2021 were included. A subsequent analysis with Machine Learning models was performed. The study included 10,009 patients [71% with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 29% with ulcerative colitis (UC)]. In CD, anti-TNF (predominantly adalimumab) were the main agents in the 1st line of treatment (LoT), although their use declined over time. In UC, anti-TNF (mainly infliximab) use was predominant in 1st LoT, remaining stable over time. Ustekinumab and vedolizumab were the most prescribed drugs in 2nd and 3rd LoT in CD and UC, respectively. Overall, the use of biosimilars increased over time. Machine Learning failed to identify a model capable of predicting treatment patterns. In conclusion, drug positioning is different in CD and UC. Anti-TNF were the most used drugs in IBD 1st LoT, being adalimumab predominant in CD and infliximab in UC. Ustekinumab and vedolizumab have gained importance in CD and UC, respectively. The approval of biosimilars had a significant impact on treatment.

IntroductionAfter the crisis caused by Covid-19, among other socioeconomic problems, the fragility of the organizations that make up the Spanish Long-Term Care System was revealed. These events prompted the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). The aim of this study is to estimate the socioeconomic impact on Long-Term Care (LTC) of the investment delivered by the RRP. In addition, to fulfil our main aim, a secondary and necessary aim was to calculate the most current social accounting matrix (SAM) of the Spanish economy.MethodsWe analyse the components of the demand linked to the RRP investment allocated to LTC, and subsequently, based on Input–Output methodology, we calculate a social accounting matrix (SAM) of the Spanish economy to estimate the overall economic return.ResultsThe results obtained using the SAM model proposed herein evidence the multiplier effect of the RRP invested in LTC. Every euro allocated to the RRP generates 4 euros in income for Households, Firms and the External Sector, 3.4 euros in industrial output, and returns 0.6 euros in taxes and social contributions to the Government. This also entails creating 26,410 direct and indirect jobs as well as 10,059 induced ones.DiscussionGiven the severe recession scenario triggered by the consequences of COVID-19, the results of this study highlight the significant multiplier effect that RRP investment may generate to alleviate the downturn in the Spanish economy and, more specifically, in the Spanish LTC System.

El arte de la danza es objeto de estudio de distintas disciplinas que se interesan en desentramar los elementos que se ponen en juego al bailar conjuntamente. Las prácticas de improvisación colectiva son escenarios privilegiados para el estudio de componentes básicos de la interacción social porque son actividades que se desarrollan en un marco temporal-espacial restringido, dependen fuertemente de acoplamientos sensoriomotores, y también dan lugar a la innovación. Entre los diversos estilos de danza, el contact improvisation (CI) aparece como ejemplo paradigmático de cómo la creación de sentido compartido entre bailarinas les permite realizar secuencias de movimientos a partir del contacto corporal. Diversas investigaciones estudiaron la improvisación conjunta en danzas, sin embargo, hasta donde se conoce no existen estudios sobre coordinación interpersonal en CI que integren simultáneamente registros desde una perspectiva de tercera persona y sobre la experiencia de las mismas bailarinas desde una perspectiva de primera persona. Este trabajo buscó analizar un evento de CI integrando tanto registros de la experiencia personal, como de la dinámica de comportamiento. El análisis cualitativo de ambos registros reveló la emergencia de categorías diacrónicas y sincrónicas que permitieron profundizar la interpretación de lo que sucedió tanto a nivel biomecánico como fenomenológico. Los resultados obtenidos permiten postular que el rol de la sinergia interactiva de los movimientos constituiría una dimensión de suma relevancia en situaciones de CI.

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Reseña de: Johnson, Cayetana H.: Historia antigua del pueblo hebreo, Editorial Síntesis, Madrid, 2020, 214 pp., ISBN: 978-84-9171-437-8. Schipper, Bernd U.: Breve historia del antiguo Israel, Ediciones Sígueme, Salamanca, 2021, 158 pp. (trad. José Manuel Lozano-Gotor), ISBN: 978-84-301-2082-6 (ed. orig., Geschichte Israels in der Antike, Verlag C. H. Beck, München, 2018).

Reseña de: Jesús María Nieto Ibáñez, Historia antigua del cristianismo, Síntesis, Madrid, 2019, 265 pp. [ISBN: 978-84-9171-314-2].

Despite the recognized importance of bodily movements in spatial audition, few studies have integrated action-based protocols with spatial hearing in the peripersonal space. Recent work shows that tactile feedback and active exploration allow participants to improve performance in auditory distance perception tasks. However, the role of the different aspects involved in the learning phase, such as voluntary control of movement, proprioceptive cues, and the possibility of self-correcting errors, is still unclear. We study the effect of guided reaching exploration on perceptual learning of auditory distance in peripersonal space. We implemented a pretest-posttest experimental design in which blindfolded participants must reach for a sound source located in this region. They were divided into three groups that were differentiated by the intermediate training phase: Guided, an experimenter guides the participant’s arm to contact the sound source; Active, the participant freely explores the space until contacting the source; and Control, without tactile feedback. The effects of exploration feedback on auditory distance perception in the peripersonal space are heterogeneous. Both the Guided and Active groups change their performance. However, participants in the Guided group tended to overestimate distances more than those in the Active group. The response error of the Guided group corresponds to a generalized calibration criterion over the entire range of reachable distances. Whereas the Active group made different adjustments for proximal and distal positions. The results suggest that guided exploration can induce changes on the boundary of the auditory reachable space. We postulate that aspects of agency such as initiation, control, and monitoring of movement, assume different degrees of involvement in both guided and active tasks, reinforcing a non-binary approach to the question of activity-passivity in perceptual learning and supporting a complex view of the phenomena involved in action-based learning.

La presente contribución tiene su punto de partida en una situación historiográfica claramente conflictiva: mientras que numerosos historiadores rechazan la aplicabilidad de los términos «nación» y «nacionalismo» al judaísmo del Segundo Templo, muchos otros los emplean sin mayores problemas, hasta el punto de que se han dedicado enteras monografías al llamado «nacionalismo judío en la Antigüedad». En tales circunstancias, el propósito del presente artículo es doble: por una parte, entender los motivos de los estudiosos que se muestran suspicaces ante el uso de tal lenguaje; por otro, y en especial, exponer y clarificar los argumentos de quienes optan por aceptarlo. El estudio concluye que puede hablarse de la existencia de un cierto nacionalismo judío al final del período helenístico y en época romana, y que esta idea permite entender mejor los movimientos de resistencia judíos al Imperio romano en los primeros tiempos del Principado.

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and can result in reduced quality of life and increased healthcare costs. IDA is treated with iron supplementation, commonly with intravenous iron formulations, such as ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), and iron sucrose (IS). Methods: This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of FCM compared with IS, in terms of additional cost per additional responder in patients with IDA subsequent to IBD in the Spanish setting. An economic model was developed to assess the additional cost per additional responder, defined as normalization or an increase of ⩾2 g/dl in hemoglobin levels, for FCM versus IS from a Spanish healthcare payer perspective. Efficacy inputs were taken from a randomized controlled trial comparing the two interventions (FERGIcor). Costs of treatment were calculated in 2021 Euros (EUR) using a microcosting approach and included the costs of intravenous iron, healthcare professional time, and consumables. Cost-effectiveness was assessed over one cycle of treatment, with a series of sensitivity analyses performed to test the robustness of the results. Results: FCM was more effective than IS, with 84% of patients achieving a response compared with 76%. When expressed as number needed to treat, 13 patients would need to switch treatment from IS to FCM in order to achieve one additional responder. Costs of treatment were EUR 323 with FCM compared with EUR 470 with IS, a cost saving of EUR 147 with FCM. Cost savings with FCM were driven by the reduced number of infusions required, resulting in a reduced requirement for healthcare professional time and use of consumables compared with the IS arm. Conclusion: The present analysis suggests that FCM is less costly and more effective than IS for the treatment of IDA subsequent to IBD in Spain and therefore was considered dominant.

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Reseña de: López Sánchez, Fernando: La moneda en la Antigüedad, Síntesis, Madrid, 2019, 282 pp., ISBN: 978-84-9171-279-4

BackgroundPrevious studies comparing immigrant ethnic groups and native patients with IBD have yielded clinical and phenotypic differences. To date, no study has focused on the immigrant IBD population in Spain.MethodsProspective, observational, multicenter study comparing cohorts of IBD patients from ENEIDA-registry who were born outside Spain with a cohort of native patients.ResultsWe included 13,524 patients (1,864 immigrant and 11,660 native). The immigrants were younger (45 ± 12 vs. 54 ± 16 years, p < 0.001), had been diagnosed younger (31 ± 12 vs. 36 ± 15 years, p < 0.001), and had a shorter disease duration (14 ± 7 vs. 18 ± 8 years, p < 0.001) than native patients. Family history of IBD (9 vs. 14%, p < 0.001) and smoking (30 vs. 40%, p < 0.001) were more frequent among native patients. The most prevalent ethnic groups among immigrants were Caucasian (41.5%), followed by Latin American (30.8%), Arab (18.3%), and Asian (6.7%). Extraintestinal manifestations, mainly musculoskeletal affections, were more frequent in immigrants (19 vs. 11%, p < 0.001). Use of biologics, mainly anti-TNF, was greater in immigrants (36 vs. 29%, p < 0.001). The risk of having extraintestinal manifestations [OR: 2.23 (1.92–2.58, p < 0.001)] and using biologics [OR: 1.13 (1.0–1.26, p = 0.042)] was independently associated with immigrant status in the multivariate analyses.ConclusionsCompared with native-born patients, first-generation-immigrant IBD patients in Spain were younger at disease onset and showed an increased risk of having extraintestinal manifestations and using biologics. Our study suggests a featured phenotype of immigrant IBD patients in Spain, and constitutes a new landmark in the epidemiological characterization of immigrant IBD populations in Southern Europe.

Reseña de: Laham Cohen, Rodrigo, The Jews in Late Antiquity, Leeds, Arc Humanities Press, 2018, 106 pp., ISBN: 9781942401650

In this paper we present a forecast of the impact of measures to stem Covid-19 on the Spanish economy at a highly disaggregate level, using input-output techniques. Our estimations cover the period 2020-2021, and we consider two scenarios depending on the possibility of a second wave of massive infections in the autumn of 2020. In 2020, the lockdown of the population and the shutdown of a large part of the production system for several weeks are a supply-side shock that will be followed by a demand-side shock whose impact is expected to be even larger. In 2021 there will be some recovery, although we believe that it will not be sufficient for offsetting the initial negative shock. al negative shock.

Objective: To assess the amount of employment generated from the effective development of the Dependency Act in 2012, by evaluating the number of jobs depending on whether in-kind services or cash benefits were applied. Methods: The level and total costs of dependency were obtained by using the Survey on Disability, Personal Autonomy and Dependency Situations of 2008. The consumption of dependent households was collected from the Household Budget Survey of 2012 carried out by the Spanish Statistics Institute. The impact on employment was estimated using an extended Input-Output model based on Symmetric Input-Output Tables and labour data from the Spanish National Accounts Base. Results: The total estimated costs of dependency in 2012 were 4,545 million Euros for in-kind services and 2,662 for cash benefits. One hundred and ninety-five thousand, six hundred and sixty-eight jobs were generated in 2012 from dependency costs, and132,997 were linked to in-kind services and 62,671 to cash benefits. Every million Euros allocated for dependency by the Government returned 53.33 jobs linked to in-kind services and 46.21 to cash benefits. Furthermore, 341,505 jobs would have been created if dependency benefits had been exclusively offered via in-kind services. Conclusions: Dependency benefits were equally distributed between in-kind services and cash benefits in 2012. Given that two out of three job positions generated from dependency benefits are linked to in-kind services, while the remaining third is generated by cash benefits, we conclude that around 146 thousand more jobs would have been generated if benefits had been offered as in-kind services instead of overusing cash benefits. Resumen: Objetivo: Estimar la creación de empleo generada por la implantación de la Ley de Dependencia en 2012, evaluando el número de puestos de trabajo vinculados a servicios y a prestaciones económicas. Métodos: Los grados y los costes totales de la dependencia se han obtenido de la Encuesta sobre Discapacidades, Autonomía Personal y Situaciones de Dependencia de 2008. El consumo de los hogares dependientes proviene de la Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares realizada por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística en 2012. La creación de empleo se ha estimado con un modelo ampliado input-output basado en las tablas simétricas input-output y en datos de empleo de la Contabilidad Nacional de España. Resultados: Los costes totales de dependencia estimados en 2012 fueron de 4545 millones de euros en servicios y 2662 millones de euros en prestaciones económicas. Se generaron 195.668 empleos vinculados a prestaciones de dependencia en 2012, 132.997 asociados a servicios y 62.671 a prestaciones económicas. Cada millón de euros asignados a prestaciones de dependencia por la Administración generó 53,33 empleos vinculados a servicios y 46,21 a prestaciones económicas. Además, se habrían creado 341.505 empleos si las prestaciones de dependencia hubieran sido asignadas únicamente como servicios. Conclusiones: Los costes de dependencia se distribuyeron por igual entre servicios y prestaciones económicas en 2012. Dado que dos de cada tres empleos generados por las prestaciones de dependencia están vinculados a servicios, mientras que el tercio restante a prestaciones económicas, se habrían generado 146.000 empleos más si todas las prestaciones hubieran sido asignadas como servicios en lugar de la masiva utilización de prestaciones económicas. Keywords: Dependency, Employment, Long-term care, Social services, Spain, Palabras clave: Dependencia, Empleo, Cuidados de larga duración, Servicios sociales, España

Our research group has been developing a series of biological drugs produced by coculture techniques with M2-polarized macrophages with different primary tissue cells and/or mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), generally from fat, to produce anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, avoiding the overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines by the innate immune system at a given time. One of these products is the drug PRS CK STORM, a medium conditioned by allogenic M2-polarized macrophages, from coculture, with those macrophages M2 with MSC from fat, whose composition, in vitro safety, and efficacy we studied. In the present work, we publish the results obtained in terms of safety (pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics) and efficacy of the intravenous application of this biological drug in a murine model of cytokine storm associated with severe infectious processes, including those associated with COVID-19. The results demonstrate the safety and high efficacy of PRS CK STORM as an intravenous drug to prevent and treat the cytokine storm associated with infectious processes, including COVID-19.

Intercellular communication between monocytes/macrophages and cells involved in tissue regeneration, such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and primary tissue cells, is essential for tissue regeneration and recovery of homeostasis. Typically, in the final phase of the inflammation-resolving process, this intercellular communication drives an anti-inflammatory immunomodulatory response. To obtain a safe and effective treatment to counteract the cytokine storm associated with a disproportionate immune response to severe infections, including that associated with COVID-19, by means of naturally balanced immunomodulation, our group has standardized the production under GMP-like conditions of a secretome by coculture of macrophages and MSCs. To characterize this proteome, we determined the expression of molecules related to cellular immune response and tissue regeneration, as well as its possible toxicity and anti-inflammatory potency. The results show a specific molecular pattern of interaction between the two cell types studied, with an anti-inflammatory and regenerative profile. In addition, the secretome is not toxic by itself on human PBMC or on THP-1 monocytes and prevents lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced growth effects on those cell types. Finally, PRS CK STORM prevents LPS-induced TNF-A and IL-1Β secretion from PBMC and from THP-1 cells at the same level as hydrocortisone, demonstrating its anti-inflammatory potency.

Understanding the role of self-generated movements in perceptual learning is central to action-based theories of perception. Pioneering work on sensory adaptation by Richard M. Held during the 1950s and 1960s can still shed light on this question. In a variety of rich experiments Held and his team demonstrated the need for self-generated movements in sensory adaptation and perceptual learning. This body of work received different critical interpretations, was then forgotten for some time, and saw a surge of revived interest within embodied cognitive science. Through a brief review of Held’s work and reactions to it, we seek to contribute to discussions on the role of activity and passivity in perceptual learning. We classify different positions according to whether this role is considered to be contextual (facilitatory, but not necessary), enabling (causally necessary), or constitutive (an inextricable part of the learning process itself). We also offer a critique of the notions of activity and passivity and how they are operationalized in experimental studies. The active-passive distinction is not a binary but involves a series of dimensions and relative degrees that can make it difficult to interpret and replicate experimental results. We introduce three of these dimensions drawing on work on the sense of agency: action initiation, control, and monitoring. These refinements in terms of causal relations and dimensions of activity-passivity should help illuminate open questions concerning the role of activity in perception and perceptual learning and clarify the convergences and differences between enaction and ecological psychology.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common manifestation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Oral iron supplements are the treatment of choice, but are not always well tolerated. Sucrosomial® iron (SI) may represent an alternative. This prospective study assessed the tolerability and effectiveness of SI, and quality of life (QoL) of IDA-IBD patients who were intolerant to oral iron salts. The study included 52 individuals treated with 1 capsule/day for 12 weeks. Tolerability was assessed through a gastrointestinal symptom severity questionnaire. Hemoglobin (Hb) levels and clinical symptoms of IDA were analyzed. QoL was assessed using IBDQ-9 and EuroQoL questionnaires. The percentage of patients with excellent/good health increased from 42.9% to 94.3%. Mean Hb concentration significantly increased at all follow-up visits (p < 0.05). Almost all participants (96.9%) were adherent to the study medication. Patients’ QoL improved (IBDQ-9: from 60.9 to 65.5). Patients also improved in mobility (71.8% to 78.1%), usual activities (51.3% to 68.7%), pain/discomfort (41.0% to 53.1%), and extreme depression/anxiety problems (7.7% to 3.2%); they worsened in self-care (100% to 90.6%), but perceived an enhancement in their global health [EQ-VAS score: 61.9 (±26.1) to 66.9 (±20.3)]. SI was well tolerated and improved IDA symptoms, IBD activity, and patients’ QoL. In conclusion, SI should be considered in IDA–IBD patients.

Background: The effect of low-frequency functional variation on anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) response in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients remains unexplored. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of functional rare variants in clinical response to anti-TNF therapy in CD. Methods: CD anti-TNF naïve patients starting anti-TNF treatment due to active disease [Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI > 150)] were included. The whole genome was sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq4000 platform. Clinical response was defined as a CDAI score

É um facto bem conhecido que a religião cristã desenvolveu, já desde Paulo de Tarso, uma visão espiritualizada das esperanças escatológicas do judaísmo do Segundo Templo, até ao ponto de as expressões “reino de Deus” e “reino dos céus” acabarem entendendo-se como designação de uma salvação celestial. Este processo acelerou-se nos séculos I e II, depois das derrotas das duas guerras judias contra Roma, que implicaram a perda da terra por parte de Israel. Porém, nos Evangelhos e na tradição cristã encontram-se vários sinais da existência de uma conceção material e territorial na mensagem original de Jesus de Nazaré. A presente contribuição tenciona, por uma parte, examinar os testemunhos textuais que permitem detetar a ideia de uma “terra prometida” ou uma “salvação na terra” na escatologia do predicador galileu; por outra parte, tenta explicar os mecanismos e as razões que impulsionaram os processos de espiritualização mediante os quais o cristianismo acabou sustentando uma visão transcendental e des-materializada da salvação.

The management of Helicobacter pylori infection has to rely on previous local effectiveness due to the geographical variability of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of first and second-line H. pylori treatment in Spain, where the empirical prescription is recommended. A multicentre prospective non-interventional registry of the clinical practice of European gastroenterologists concerning H. pylori infection (Hp-EuReg) was developed, including patients from 2013 until June 2019. Effectiveness was evaluated descriptively and through a multivariate analysis concerning age, gender, presence of ulcer, proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) dose, therapy duration and compliance. Overall, 53 Spanish hospitals were included, and 10,267 patients received a first-line therapy. The best results were obtained with the 10-day bismuth single-capsule therapy (95% cure rate by intention-to-treat) and with both the 14-day bismuth-clarithromycin quadruple (PPI-bismuth-clarithromycin-amoxicillin, 91%) and the 14-day non-bismuth quadruple concomitant (PPI-clarithromycin-amoxicillin-metronidazole, 92%) therapies. Second-line therapies were prescribed to 2448 patients, with most-effective therapies being the triple quinolone (PPI-amoxicillin-levofloxacin/moxifloxacin) and the bismuth-levofloxacin quadruple schemes (PPI-bismuth-levofloxacin-amoxicillin) prescribed for 14 days (92%, 89% and 90% effectiveness, respectively), and the bismuth single-capsule (10 days, 88.5%). Compliance, longer duration and higher acid inhibition were associated with higher effectiveness. “Optimized” H. pylori therapies achieve over 90% success in Spain.

In the Gospel narratives of Jesus’ hearing before Pilate, the phrase «king of the Jews» recurs repeatedly, and according to those accounts an inscription bearing that title is attached to the cross. This opens up the possibility that Jesus was able to advance a royal claim, similar to that harbored by other Jewish leaders under Roman rule. Nevertheless, it is a widespread contention in scholarly circles that Jesus never did claim kingly rule (or that he laid claim to kingship just in a non-political sense).The present article surveys the available Gospel evidence, applies several criteria of authenticity, and examines the alleged counter-evidence from the Fourth Gospel, thereby concluding that the hypothesis that the Galilean preacher made royal claims is not only historically plausible, but also very likely.

Existen valoraciones llamativamente discrepantes sobre la situación política de Judea bajo la égida de los prefectos romanos (6-41 e.c.). Según una opinión, este habría sido un período de persistente agitación revolucionaria; según otra –más extendida–, habría sido tranquilo, de acuerdo a la aseveración de Tácito sub Tiberio quies. El presente artículo examina de nuevo críticamente las principales fuentes disponibles –en particular, la obra de Flavio Josefo, los evangelios canónicos y Tácito– con el objeto de ofrecer una reconstrucción histórica más fiable. El examen arroja resultados que ponen en cuestión nociones extendidas e insuficientemente matizadas acerca del período referido. A su vez, esto permite reflexionar sobre los factores extra-epistémicos que pueden contribuir a explicar la génesis de tales nociones.

La equiparación del judaísmo con un monoteísmo estricto vuelve intri­gantes los procesos de deificación que parecen producirse en esta religión. Ahora bien, el predicador galileo Jesús de Nazaret llegó a ser venerado, en los términos más exaltados –hasta la divi­nización– en algunas corrientes de la secta judía que más tarde se converti­ría en lo que llamamos «cristianismo». El presente artículo proporciona un panorama de la investigación en el úl­timo siglo (desde la obra de Wilhelm Bousset hasta la actualidad), identi­ficando y examinando las principales explicaciones de la génesis del proceso de divinización de Jesús en los contex­tos judío y grecorromano.

La ecolocación es una habilidad que usaría inconscientemente la mayoría de las personas. Resulta crucial para la movilidad independiente de la persona ciega e implica utilizar sonidos autoproducidos y sus reflexiones para localizar y reconocer objetos que no se ven. Dos nuevos paradigmas han enriquecido el estudio de esta sorprendente habilidad: el del acoplamiento sensoriomotor y el de la sustitución sensorial. El primero sostiene que los sistemas perceptivo y motor constituyen procesos acoplados que requieren un insoslayable tratamiento unificado. El segundo considera que es posible ver con los oídos o con la piel en virtud de la plasticidad cerebral. En esta segunda parte se presenta la temática en el contexto teórico de la cognición corporizada y de recientes avances en neurociencias; se desarrollan además los estudios realizados en el tercer período. En esta revisión se reflejan cambios paradigmáticos en las ciencias del comportamiento y el valor científico acrecentado de la ecolocación humana.

La ecolocación humana es una habilidad genuina, inexplorada y vinculada con la localización de sonidos reflejados, que resulta crucial en la movilidad independiente de la persona ciega. Se inscribe en el área poco estudiada de la audición cotidiana de sonidos no verbales e implica autoproducir sonidos para obtener información (reflexiones) a fin de localizar y reconocer objetos que no se ven. Se presenta una revisión histórica de estudios realizados sobre la temática, que refleja cambios paradigmáticos del devenir científico. Las conceptualizaciones históricas de la ecolocación resultan ejemplificadoras: al comienzo se la consideraba como un fenómeno paranormal mientras que en la actualidad, se la trata como una habilidad utilizada inconscientemente por la mayoría de las personas...

Este artículo forma parte de un estudio más amplio sobre la boda del Príncipe de Asturias como acontecimiento mediático. En este texto se analiza la audiencia que presenció la retransmisión televisiva de ese acontecimiento desde dos aproximaciones metodológicas. Por un lado, se ofrece una perspectiva cuantitativa a partir de datos sobre medición de audiencias de televisión, donde se aborda el tamaño y el perfil de las audiencias, y se subraya el aspecto de visionado “solitario” contrapuesto al visionado “en grupo”. Por otro lado, se propone una aproximación cualitativa a las estrategias de recepción de la audiencia, realizada a partir de los informes de observaciones directas en diez hogares españoles. En esta perspectiva cualitativa se examinan cuestiones como el impulso omniscópico de la audiencia, la gestión del espacio de la celebración en los hogares y el des-centramiento del foco o centro de la representación televisiva por parte de los telespectadores.

Substantial proportion of Crohn’s disease (CD) patients shows no response or a limited response to treatment with infliximab (IFX) and to identify biomarkers of response would be of great clinical and economic benefit. The expression profile of five genes (S100A8-S100A9, G0S2, TNFAIP6, and IL11) reportedly predicted response to IFX and we aimed at investigating their etiologic role through genetic association analysis. Patients with active CD (350) who received at least three induction doses of IFX were included and classified according to IFX response. A tagging strategy was used to select genetic polymorphisms that cover the variability present in the chromosomal regions encoding the identified genes with altered expression. Following genotyping, differences between responders and nonresponders to IFX were observed in haplotypes of the studied regions: S100A8-S100A9 (rs11205276*G/rs3014866*C/rs724781*C/rs3006488*A; P=0.05); G0S2 (rs4844486*A/rs1473683*T; P=0.15); TNFAIP6 (rs11677200*C/rs2342910*A/rs3755480*G/rs10432475*A; P=0.10); and IL11 (rs1126760*C/rs1042506*G; P=0.07). These differences were amplified in patients with colonic and ileocolonic location for all but the TNFAIP6 haplotype, which evidenced significant difference in ileal CD patients. Our results support the role of the reported expression signature as predictive of anti-TNF outcome in CD patients and suggest an etiological role of those top-five genes in the IFX response pathway.

In the third part of Die Verwandlung, Grete Samsa delivers a violent speech inciting her parents to get rid of Gregor. This speech contains the most explicit categorisation of the central character as “animal” and “monster”. Given that most scholars think that Kafka tells the metamorphosis of a man into a monstrous vermin, they assume that Grete’s words are (at least partially) trustworthy. A careful analysis of this speech, however, surprisingly reveals that it is full of lies, slander, distorted reasoning and even a parapraxis. Furthermore, it contains a set of fallacies which reproduce each and every one of the distortions which take place within a victimary circle. Hence, Grete’s speech (including her description of Gregor as an “animal”) is wholly inconsistent and unreliable. This conclusion makes the other categorisations designating Gregor as non-human suspicious, and provides a further argument proving that the prevailing interpretation of Die Verwandlung as a metamorphosis story is disturbingly misguided.

Convergent Literary Echoes in Kafka’s Die Verwandlung. What Intertextuality Tells Us about Gregor Samsa

A pesar de la cantidad de literatura generada sobre Kafka, es fácil constatar que algunas de sus obras emblemáticas permanecen indescifradas. El presente artículo explora la existencia de un leit-motiv en diversas obras del praguense (el del lenguaje de la persecución y la descripción de los procesos victimarios) junto con las cuestiones éticas y epistemológicas que plantea. A esta luz, diversos aspectos recurrentes –situaciones de violencia, calumnias, juicios injustos, soledad del protagonista, carácter colectivo de las instancias del poder, la importancia de la figura del espectador, etc– se aclaran de manera unitaria. Además, se demuestra que Kafka ha pensado en las dificultades para detectar la violencia en los círculos victimarios y en la perversión de la verdad que eso supone. Se plantea, finalmente, la posibilidad de que el escritor haya reflejado la perversión de la objetividad en alguna de sus obras (como Die Verwandlung), lo que podría explicar que éstas no hayan sido descifradas hasta ahora.

Introduction: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease can experience extra-intestinal manifestations that may cause significant morbidity. Aims: To describe the prevalence, characteristics, treatment and evolution of extra-intestinal manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease patients treated in our hospital and to identify associated risk factors. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, case-control study. All inflammatory bowel disease patients with extra-intestinal manifestations were considered as cases and inflammatory bowel disease patients without extra-intestinal manifestations were considered as controls. Results: Six hundred and nineteen patients with inflammatory bowel disease (327 Crohn's disease, 265 ulcerative colitis, 27 indeterminate colitis) were included in the study; 16.5% experienced at least one extra-intestinal manifestation (CI 95% 13.5-19.5; n = 102). The most frequent extra-intestinal manifestations observed were musculoskeletal (n = 50; 40%) and cutaneous manifestations (n = 50; 40%). With regard to treatment, arthropathies were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (31%) and corticosteroids (19%, oral or intra-articular), and the majority of the cutaneous manifestations were managed with corticosteroids. Overall, the efficacy of extra-intestinal manifestation treatment was 90% and only 13% of patients had a recurrence of extra-intestinal manifestations. The multivariate analysis showed that female gender (p = 0.012; OR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.11-2.34) and the severity of inflammatory bowel disease (p = 0.009; OR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.13-2.4 if immunosuppressant therapy alone, or p = 0.029; OR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.09-4.78 if in combination with adalimumab) were associated with an increased risk of developing extra-intestinal manifestations. Conclusions: The most frequent extra-intestinal manifestations in our environment were musculoskeletal and cutaneous manifestations. Female gender and a more severe disease were associated with a higher risk of developing extra-intestinal manifestations. Individualized treatment of extra-intestinal manifestations is effective and the risk is low in our series.

Objective: To describe how mesalazine (MSZ) is used in our practice in ulcerative colitis (UC), at what dose, and the success rate (regarding adherence to therapy). Methods: Observational, transversal study, including all patients with UC and with MSZ maintenance therapy seen from September 2014 to February 2015 at two IBD units in Spain. Treatment adherence was measured by the Morisky-Green scale. Results: We included 203 patients (mean MSZ dose: 2.6 ± 1.0 g/d; median of treatment: 19.5 months [IQR: 8-48]). Doses < 2 g/d were used in 15.3% of cases, 2-2.9 g/d doses in 35.0%, 3-3.9 doses in 29.5%, and ≥ 4 g/d doses in the remaining 20.2%. A single daily dose was preferred in 51.2% of cases, two doses in 33.0% and three doses in 15.8%. A different MSZ brand had been previously used in 36.6% of patients. In 134 cases (66%), the maintenance dose had been increased during a flare-up, and in 49 (36.6% of cases) this higher dose had been kept for maintenance (dose ≥ 4 g/d in 36 patients). During the MSZ therapy, 14 patients (6.9%) suffered mild side effects (21.4% altered liver function tests). Therapy adherence was good in 81.8% of cases. Conclusions: Half of our UC patients take high MSZ doses (≥ 3 g/d) as maintenance therapy, with acceptable safety and good adherence. Half of all patients take a single daily dose, and one third needed a different commercial brand during therapy. Opting for a higher MSZ maintenance dose is a possible strategy for a satisfactory maintenance therapy.

Background: Data about use and effectiveness of mercaptopurine in inflammatory bowel disease are relatively limited. Aims: To assess the possible therapeutic indications, efficacy and safety of mercaptopurine as an alternative to azathioprine in inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: Retrospective observational study in patients treated with mercaptopurine in a total cohort of 1,574 patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Results: One hundred and fifty-two patients received mercaptopurine, 15.7% of these patients as an initial thiopurine, 5.3% after azathioprine failure, and 79% after azathioprine intolerance. In 52.6% of patients (n = 80), adverse effects of mercaptopurine occurred, resulting in withdrawal in 49 of them. Mercaptopurine was effective in 39% of cases (95% CI 31-48%). In the remaining patients, failure was due mainly to withdrawal due to side effects (55.1%) and therapeutic step-up (33.7%). The average total time of mercaptopurine exposure was 36 months (IQR: 2-60). Myelotoxicity with mercaptopurine was more common in patients with intermediate TPMT activity than in those with normal activity (p = 0.046). Conclusions: In our setting, mercaptopurine is primarily used as a rescue therapy in patients with azathioprine adverse effects. This could explain its modest efficacy and the high rate of adverse effects. However, this drug is still an alternative in this group of patients, before a therapeutic step-up to biologics is considered.