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This contribution reports the organization and celebration after the Covid-19 pandemic of a singular scientific conference focused on early-career researchers from the Spanish universities of Santiago de Compostela and Salamanca: the “I Northwest Meeting of Young Researchers in Optics (I NW MYRO)”.

Providing a good balance between lightweight and high mechanical properties, the aluminum-based metal matrix composites (MMC) became an interesting alternative for specific industrial applications. However, considering an Al-Mg-Si alloy with a high silicon excess, the ceramic particles added as reinforcement can act on : i) the precipitation kinetics of the coherent and semi-coherent phases, ii) the precipitation sequence of the alloy and iii) the loss of mechanical strength from a peak-aged microstructure obtained by a T6 condition. In order to understand the influence of reinforcement on these aspects, the composite was characterized during isothermal ageing between 100°C and 350°C, allowing us to propose an experimental Isothermal Transformation Curve. Compared to the unreinforced alloy, heterogeneous precipitation of disordered semi-coherent phases occurs on dislocations and the precipitation kinetics were found to be accelerated in the composite leading to an acceleration of the loss of strength from the T6 state, due to the precipitation of the Type-C phase. A study performed on a deformed alloy, demonstrated that the most of the differences observed between the unreinforced alloy and the composite can be explained by the high dislocation density generated in the matrix of the composite due to the presence of ceramic particles. Finally, the JMAK approach turned out to be a powerful tool to model the decrease in mechanical strength occurring during isothermal treatments from T6 state.

The ATLAS Collaboration has performed precise measurements of the cross-section of final states with photons and/or jets at centre-of-mass energies of 8 and 13 TeV. The results are compared with state-of-the-art theory predictions and with predictions of several Monte Carlo generators. We also present new measurements of transverse energy-energy correlations and their associated asymmetries in multi-jet events at 8 TeV. Both measurements are used to extract the strong coupling constant and test the renormalization group equations.

Abstract Background Old age is associated with an involuntary and progressive but physiological loss of muscle mass. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exclusive consumption for 6 months of a protein-enriched enteral diet with a relatively high content of branched-chain amino acids on albuminemia, cortisolemia, plasma amino acids, insulin resistance, and inflammation biomarkers in elderly patients. Methods Thirty-two patients from the Clinical Nutrition Outpatient Unit at our hospital exclusively consumed a protein-enriched enteral diet for 6 months. Data were collected at baseline and at 3 and 6 months on anthropometric and biochemical parameters and on plasma concentrations of amino acids, cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, urea, creatinine, insulin resistance, and inflammation biomarkers. Results The percentage of patients with albumin concentration below normal cut-off values decreased from 18% to 0% by the end of the study. At 6 months, concentrations of total plasma (p = 0.008) and essential amino acids (p = 0.011), especially branched-chain amino acids (p = 0.031), were higher versus baseline values, whereas 3-methylhistidine (p = 0.001), cortisol (p = 0.001) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (p = 0.004) levels were lower. Conclusions Regular intake of specific protein-enriched enteral formula increases plasma essential amino acids, especially branched-chain amino acids, and decreases cortisol and 3-methylhistidine, while plasma urea and creatinine remain unchanged.

Presentamos un nuevo conjunto de grabados rupestres al aire libre procedentes de Catí, en el Norte de Castellón (Valencia, España). El conjunto se compone de motivos antropomorfos, circulares y no figurativos. Se comparan estos grabados con otros conjuntos documentados en el Noroeste de la Península Ibérica.

Alberto Fernández-García,1 Mónica Pérez-Ríos,1– 3 Cristina Candal-Pedreira,1,3 Cristina Represas-Represas,4,5 Alberto Fernández-Villar,4,5 María Isolina Santiago-Pérez,1,6 Julia Rey-Brandariz,1 Gael Naveira-Barbeito,6 Alberto Malvar-Pintos,6 Alberto Ruano-Ravina1– 3 1Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 2Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (Ciber en Epidemiología y Salud Pública/CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; 3Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 4Respiratory Medicine, Alvaro Cunqueiro University Teaching Hospital, Vigo, Spain; 5Grupo NeumoVigo I+i, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IISGS), Vigo, Spain; 6Epidemiology Unit, Galician Health Authority, Xunta de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, SpainCorrespondence: Mónica Pérez-Ríos, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Santiago de Compostela, C/ San Francisco s/n, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain, Tel +34-981-581237, Fax +34-981-572282, Email monica.perez.rios@usc.esBackground: To plan end-of-life care it is essential to ascertain where patients die. There is very little information on the place of death of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Accordingly, this study set out to describe the place of death of all COPD-related deaths in a Spanish region across the period 2009– 2017, taking into account the sex and age of the deceased.Methods: We analyzed COPD deaths, codes J41-44 of the International Classification of Diseases-10th revision, in the Galician Autonomous Region from 2009 to 2017. Using death certificate data furnished by the Galician Mortality Registry, information was extracted on place of death, categorized as “hospital”, “nursing home”, “patient’s home”, “other” or “not shown”.Results: There were 10,274 deaths, with a male:female ratio of 2.52; 39.0% of deaths occurred in hospital and 41.4% at home, with these data varying according to sex and age. Across the study period, no reduction was observed in the number of deaths that occurred in hospital. For all the period analyzed, deaths among women occurred mostly at home, with an increase being seen in the number of deaths in nursing homes over the course of the study. Patients aged under 70 years tended to die more frequently in hospital, and those over this age died more frequently at home or in nursing homes.Conclusion: A very high percentage of COPD patients still die in hospital, a trend that has shown no decline in recent years. Even so, there are important variations by sex and age on the place of death of these patients.Keywords: pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive, death, hospital

Introduction: comprehensive geriatric assessment includes examination of the nutritional status given the high prevalence of hyponutrition in this kind of patients, particularly in patients with associated cognitive impairment. Scales for screening the nutritional status include questions on self-perception difficult to answer by demented elder patients. Objective: To study the specificity, the positive predictive value, and the sensitivity of the MNA scale to detect malnutrition in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease with advanced cognitive impairment. Material and methods: a population-based descriptive study with a sample of 52 patients older than 70 years, institutionalized, and with moderate-severe Alzheimer's disease was designed. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of MNA scale were studied regarding the parameters on malnutrition of the American Institute of Nutrition (AIN). Results: the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were 60%, 94.7%, and 93.8%, respectively. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.001) between the score obtained with the MNA Scale and the Tinneti's Risk of Fall Scale (r = 0.577), the Barthel's function (r = 0.742), the MCT cognitive assessment (r = 0.651), and creatinine levels (r = 0.402). More than 50% of the sample presented at least one malnutrition parameter altered. Conclusions: the MNA Scale presents lower sensitivity and specificity in these patients. Designing a nutritional assessment scale without subjective evaluations and only with objective parameters might improve its efficiency in institutionalized elderly patients with moderate-severe cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is used for assessing nicotine dependence. A shorter test derived from the FTND used for the general population is the Heavy Smoking Index (HSI) (six questions vs. two). The objective of this study is to compare the validity of the HSI versus the FTND. Methods A survey of tobacco use in the general population was carried out in the northern Spanish region of Galicia using both the FTND and the HSI to study a representative sample of 1655 daily smokers. The HSI was compared with the FTND, considered the gold standard. Measures of sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated. Concordance between the tests was also established (Cohen's kappa). Results Cohen's kappa showed good agreement between measures (Kappa = 0.7); specificity values were also high (Sp = 96.2%). Sensitivity analysis in females (Se = 62.3%) did not show good agreement. Conclusions The HSI can be used as a reasonably good screening test in order to identify daily smokers with high nicotine dependence. Nevertheless, for populations or subpopulations having low nicotine dependence, such as women, the FTND is more reliable.

Nirsevimab has been recently licensed for universal RSV prophylaxis in infants. NIRSE-GAL is a three-year population-based study initiated in Galicia in September 2023. It aims to evaluate nirsevimab effectiveness against RSV-related hospitalizations lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), severe RSV, all-cause LRTI, and all-cause hospitalization. NIRSE-GAL also aims to estimate nirsevimab impact on primary healthcare use in the short and mid-term, children's wheezing and asthma, and medical prescriptions for RSV. The immunization campaigns will be scheduled based on the expected start week for the RSV season and will last the whole season. Immunization will be offered to: i) infants born during the campaign (seasonal), ii) infants < 6 months at the start of the campaign (catch-up), and iii) infants with high-risk factors, aged 6-24 months at the start of the campaign (high-risk). The follow-up period will start: i) the immunization date for all immunized infants, ii) the start of the campaign, for the non-immunized catch-up or high-risk groups, or iii) the birthdate for the non-immunized seasonal group. Infants will be followed up until outcome occurrence, death, or end of study. Nirsevimab effectiveness will be estimated using Poisson and Cox regression models. Sensitivity and stratified analyses will be undertaken. The number of averted cases and the number needed to immunize will be estimated. Immunization failure and nirsevimab safety will be monitored. NIRSE-GAL was approved by the ethics committee of Galicia (CEIC 2023-377) and registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT06180993). Findings will be mainly shared via peer-reviewed publications and scientific conferences.

Merkel cell carcinoma is a very aggressive primary skin tumour with a high risk of local recurrences and lymphatic and distant metastases. The frequent association between this carcinoma and other skin tumour and lymphoid malignancies, its similar cellular morphology with leukocytes, and limited infiltration in bone marrow constituted a challenging diagnosis. We report an unusual case of an 82-year-old male who simultaneously presented Merkel cell carcinoma and acute myeloid lymphoma. The diagnosis was established through flow cytometry, immunohistochemical studies and next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. Flow cytometry allowed for the differentiation of the two cell populations in bone marrow aspirate, which was crucial to the diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), after confirmed by immunohistochemistry. AML could be classified based on NGS results. Following diagnosis, the patient received palliative care and died 50 days later. immunophenotypic analysis by flow cytometry and Immunohistochemical study was crucial to establish the diagnosis of simultaneous affection of Merkel cell carcinoma and hematologic disorder., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Consent for publication: Consent for publication was obtained for every individual person’s data included in the study. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of applying prevalences derived from a small-area model at a regional level on smoking-attributable mortality (SAM). A prevalence-dependent method was used to estimate SAM. Prevalences of tobacco use were derived from a small-area model. SAM and population attributable fraction (PAF) estimates were compared against those calculated by pooling data from three national health surveys conducted in Spain (2011-2014-2017). We calculated the relative changes between the two estimates and assessed the width of the 95% CI of the PAF. Applying surveys-based prevalences, tobacco use was estimated to cause 53 825 (95% CI: 53 182-54 342) deaths in Spain in 2017, a figure 3.8% lower obtained with the small-area model prevalences. The lowest relative change was observed in the Castile-La Mancha region (1.1%) and the highest in Navarre (14.1%). The median relative change between regions was higher for women (26.1%), population aged ≥65 years (6.6%), and cardiometabolic diseases (9.0%). The differences between PAF by cause of death were never greater than 2%. Overall, the differences between estimates of SAM, PAF, and confidence interval width are small when using prevalences from both sources. Having these data available by region will allow decision-makers to implement smoking control measures based on more accurate data., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.)

Understanding speech in noisy settings is harder for hearing-impaired (HI) people than for normal-hearing (NH) people, even when speech is audible. This is often attributed to hearing loss altering the neural encoding of temporal and/or spectral speech cues. Here, we investigated whether this difference may also be due to an impaired ability to adapt to background noise. For 25 adult hearing-aid users with sensorineural hearing loss, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for natural and tone-vocoded words embedded in speech-shaped noise (SSN). The stimuli were preceded or not by a 1-second adapting SSN precursor. Adaptation was calculated as the difference in SRT between the two precursor conditions. Corresponding data for 28 NH listeners were taken from a previously published study. SRTs were worse for HI listeners, confirming that hearing loss diminishes access to speech acoustic cues. Furthermore, noise adaptation was negatively correlated with the age-controlled hearing loss both for natural (rho=-0.56, N = 52, p < 0.001) and vocoded (rho=-0.45, N = 39, p = 0.002) words. Impaired adaptation contributed up to 10% of the SRT loss in HI listeners. We conclude that HI listeners suffer from poorer speech in noise recognition not only because of impaired access to speech acoustic cues but also because they are less able to adapt to background noise., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Helminth infections are associated with cognitive deficits, especially in school-age children. Deworming treatment in heavily infected children improves their short- and long-term memory recall. In mice, intraperitoneal helminth infection with Taenia crassiceps ( T. crassiceps ) shows sexual dimorphism in terms of the parasite load, immune response, hormone levels, and behavioral changes. We have previously shown poorer short-term memory performance and changes in the concentrations of cytokines and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus, which were replicated in this study. The molecular changes in other brain structures, such as those related to reproduction, are unknown., Methods: Male and female Balb/cAnN mice were chronically infected with T. crassiceps larvae. We determined the peritoneal parasite load and established the presence of cytokines and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus, olfactory bulb, and hypothalamus., Results: The parasite load was higher in female than male infected mice, as expected. In the hippocampus, the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin increased in males but decreased in females. In contrast, in the olfactory bulb and hypothalamus, the neurotransmitters assessed showed no statistical differences. The cytokine profiles were different in each brain structure. The TNF-α levels in the olfactory bulb and the IL-4 levels in the hippocampus of infected mice were dimorphic; IFN-γ was augmented in both male and female infected animals, although the increase was higher in infected males., Conclusions: The brain responds to peripheral infection with cytokine levels that vary from structure to structure. This could be a partial explanation for the dimorphic behavioral alterations associated with infection, it also demonstrates the synergic interaction between the immune, the endocrine, and the nervous systems.

Vaccination throughout life is the best way to prevent infectious diseases and improve people's quality of life. As health professionals we must know the vaccine indications and guidelines as if they were any other treatment. In the updates for this year 2024, we continue to focus on the most relevant developments in terms of indications, changes in vaccination guidelines, new vaccines incorporated into the adult calendar and even anticipating the next vaccines to be incorporated in a short period of time. We continue to insist on remembering the specific indications in risk groups, whether due to chronic diseases or immunocompromise. They are very relevant groups in which to review and complete their vaccination schedule. Nor should we forget about vaccination during pregnancy and for health workers, we must protect ourselves to protect. We have extended the chapter of vaccination for travelers, due to increasing numbers in our Primary Care consultations. And we have added a few touches of the «One Health» approach, focusing on vaccination as a tool to improve population health and contribute to the reduced use of antibiotics and thereby avoid bacterial resistance. We have tried to summarize a large part of the document in the form of tables so that it is an agile and easy-to-consult instrument in our daily care work and we do not forget to review and complete, if necessary, the vaccination schedule of all our patients. Although we focus on adults, due to the novelty and relevance in terms of reducing the burden of disease in infants, we have included a section on immunoprevention against respiratory syncytial virus with monoclonal antibodies and its indications for the next 2024-2025 season., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Publicado por Elsevier España S.L.U. All rights reserved.)