Autonomous University of Barcelona

About: Autonomous University of Barcelona is a education organization based out in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 37833 authors who have published 80514 publications receiving 2321142 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & Computer Vision Center.

The EAACI/GA²LEN/EDF/WAO guideline for the definition, classification, diagnosis and management of urticaria.

Abstract: This evidence- and consensus-based guideline was developed following the methods recommended by Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group. The conference was held on 1 December 2016. It is a joint initiative of the Dermatology Sectionof the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the EU-founded network of excellence, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO) with the participation of 48 delegates of 42 national and international societies. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Urticaria is a frequent, mast cell-driven disease, presenting with wheals, angioedema, or both. The lifetime prevalence for acute urticaria is approximately 20%. Chronic spontaneous urticaria and other chronic forms of urticaria are disabling, impair quality of life and affect performance at work and school. This guideline covers the definition and classification of urticaria, taking into account the recent progress in identifying its causes, eliciting factors and pathomechanisms. In addition, it outlines evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the different subtypes of urticaria.

Trastuzumab (Herceptin), a Humanized Anti-HER2 Receptor Monoclonal Antibody, Inhibits Basal and Activated HER2 Ectodomain Cleavage in Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract: HER2 is a ligand-less tyrosine kinase receptor of the ErbB family that is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer. It undergoes proteolytic cleavage that results in the release of the extracellular domain and the production of a truncated membrane-bound fragment, p95. We show that HER2 shedding is activated by 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA), a well-known matrix metalloprotease activator, in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. The HER2 p95 fragment, which appears after APMA-induced cleavage, is phosphorylated. We analyzed 24 human breast cancer specimens, and a phosphorylated M(r) 95,000 HER2 band could be detected in some of them, which indicated that the truncated receptor is also present in vivo. The activation of HER2 shedding by APMA in cells was blocked with batimastat, a broad-spectrum metalloprotease inhibitor. Trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech, San Francisco, CA), a humanized monoclonal antibody directed at the HER2 ectodomain, which has been shown to be active in patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer, inhibited basal and induced HER2 cleavage and, as a consequence, the generation of phosphorylated p95. This inhibitory effect of trastuzumab was not shared by 2C4, an antibody against a different epitope of the HER2 ectodomain. The inhibition of basal and APMA-induced cleavage of HER2 by trastuzumab preceded antibody-induced receptor down-modulation, which indicated that the effect of trastuzumab on cleavage was not attributable to a decrease in cell-surface HER2 induced by trastuzumab. We propose that the inhibition of HER2 cleavage and prevention of the production of an active truncated HER2 fragment represent a novel mechanism of action of trastuzumab.

DALI: Defining Antibiotic Levels in Intensive Care Unit Patients: Are Current β-Lactam Antibiotic Doses Sufficient for Critically Ill Patients?

Abstract: Background. Morbidity and mortality for critically ill patients with infections remains a global healthcare problem. We aimed to determine whether ?-lactam antibiotic dosing in critically ill patients achieves concentrations associated with maximal activity and whether antibiotic concentrations affect patient outcome.Methods. This was a prospective, multinational pharmacokinetic point-prevalence study including 8 ?-lactam antibiotics. Two blood samples were taken from each patient during a single dosing interval. The primary pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets were free antibiotic concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the pathogen at both 50% (50% f TMIC) and 100% (100% f T MIC) of the dosing interval. We used skewed logistic regression to describe the effect of antibiotic exposure on patient outcome.Results. We included 384 patients (361 evaluable patients) across 68 hospitals. The median age was 61 (interquartile range [IQR], 48-73) years, the median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 18 (IQR, 14-24), and 65% of patients were male. Of the 248 patients treated for infection, 16% did not achieve 50% f TMIC and these patients were 32% less likely to have a positive clinical outcome (odds ratio [OR], 0.68; P =. 009). Positive clinical outcome was associated with increasing 50% f TMIC and 100% f TMIC ratios (OR, 1.02 and 1.56, respectively; P

Declaración PRISMA: una propuesta para mejorar la publicación de revisiones sistemáticas y metaanálisis

Abstract: En el ano 1999, despues de 3 anos de trabajo, se publico la declaracion QUOROM, cuyo objetivo era establecer unas normas para mejorar la calidad de la presentacion de los metaanalisis de ensayos clinicos aleatorizados. Se publico un comentario de este documento en un monografico sobre listas de comprobacion para autores, revisores y editores de revistas medicas en Medicina Clinica. En resumen, la declaracion Quality Of Reporting Of Metaanalysis (QUOROM) incluye una lista de comprobacion estructurada con 18 items que los autores de un metaanalisis, y tambien los editores de revistas, deberian considerar a la hora de publicar su trabajo en forma de articulo en una revista medica. Ademas, incluye un diagrama de flujo que describe todo el proceso, desde la identificacion inicial de los estudios potencialmente relevantes hasta la seleccion definitiva de estos. La finalidad de QUOROM era animar a los autores a que proporcionaran toda aquella informacion que resulta esencial para interpretar y utilizar adecuadamente los resultados de un metaanalisis. Numerosos estudios realizados con posterioridad a la publicacion de QUOROM han mostrado que la calidad de los metaanalisis publicados en revistas medicas todavia es deficiente. A pesar de esto, y a diferencia de otras iniciativas similares como CONSORT (dirigida a ensayos clinicos), la declaracion QUOROM no parece

Great ape genetic diversity and population history

Abstract: Most great ape genetic variation remains uncharacterized; however, its study is critical for understanding population history, recombination, selection and susceptibility to disease. Here we sequence to high coverage a total of 79 wild- and captive-born individuals representing all six great ape species and seven subspecies and report 88.8 million single nucleotide polymorphisms. Our analysis provides support for genetically distinct populations within each species, signals of gene flow, and the split of common chimpanzees into two distinct groups: Nigeria-Cameroon/western and central/eastern populations. We find extensive inbreeding in almost all wild populations, with eastern gorillas being the most extreme. Inferred effective population sizes have varied radically over time in different lineages and this appears to have a profound effect on the genetic diversity at, or close to, genes in almost all species. We discover and assign 1,982 loss-of-function variants throughout the human and great ape lineages, determining that the rate of gene loss has not been different in the human branch compared to other internal branches in the great ape phylogeny. This comprehensive catalogue of great ape genome diversity provides a framework for understanding evolution and a resource for more effective management of wild and captive great ape populations.