Advanced Exergy Analysis in the Dynamic Framework for Assessing Building Thermal Systems.

This work applies the Dynamic Advanced Exergy Analysis (DAEA) to a heating and domestic hot water (DHW) facility supplied by a Stirling engine and a condensing boiler. For the first time, an advanced exergy analysis using dynamic conditions is applied to a building energy system. DAEA provides insights on the components' exergy destruction (ED) by distinguishing the inefficiencies that can be prevented by improving the quality (avoidable ED) and the ones constrained because of technical limitations (unavoidable ED).

Cocaine use disorders and acute myocardial infarction, excess length of hospital stay and overexpenditure.

Introduction And Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the prevalence of cocaine use disorders and acute myocardial infarction in patients aged ≥ 18 years and to estimate the influence of cocaine use disorders on mortality, excess length of stay, and overexpenditure among hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: Retrospective study of the minimum basic data set of 87 Spanish hospitals from 2008 to 2010.

Results: Among 5 575 325 admissions reviewed, there were 24 126 patients with cocaine use disorders and 79 076 cases of acute myocardial infarction.

Point-of-care assessment of platelet reactivity in the emergency department may facilitate rapid rule-out of acute coronary syndromes: a prospective cohort pilot feasibility study.

Objective: Accurate, efficient and cost-effective disposition of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is a growing priority. Platelet activation is an early feature in the pathogenesis of ACS; thus, we sought to obtain an insight into whether point-of-care testing of platelet function: (1) may assist in the rule-out of ACS; (2) may provide additional predictive value in identifying patients with non-cardiac symptoms versus ACS-positive patients and (3) is logistically feasible in the ED.

Design: Prospective cohort feasibility study.

Prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Argentina.

Background: The increased mortality reported among patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been attributed to cardiovascular disease. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of major risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as dyslipidemia, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. There is a lack of reporting on the prevalence of MS in RA patients in Argentina.

[Prevalence of dyslipidemia and elevated cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

The objectives of this study were to compare the frequency of dyslipidemia (DLP) and the elevated cardiovascular risk between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and a control group, to identify disease-related factors associated with the presence of DLP and to estimate the frequency of RA patients receiving treatment for DLP. This is a cross sectional study that included 409 RA patients and 624 controls. Cardiovascular (CV) risk was determined using the Framingham score, National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) adapted versions according to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) guidelines.

Efficacy of a multidisciplinary fibromyalgia treatment adapted for women with low educational levels: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Multidisciplinary treatments of fibromyalgia (FM) have demonstrated efficacy. Nevertheless, they have been criticized for not maintaining their benefits and for not being studied for specific populations. Our objectives were to determine the efficacy of a multidisciplinary treatment for FM adapted for patients with low educational levels and to determine the maintenance of its therapeutic benefits during a long-term followup period.

Multicomponent cognitive-behavioral group therapy with hypnosis for the treatment of fibromyalgia: long-term outcome.

Unlabelled: This study compared the efficacy of 2 psychological treatments for fibromyalgia with each other and with standard care. Ninety-three patients with fibromyalgia (FM) were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 experimental conditions: 1) multicomponent cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT); 2) multicomponent CBT with hypnosis; and 3) pharmacological treatment (standard care control group). The outcome measures of pain intensity, catastrophizing, psychological distress, functionality, and sleep disturbances were assessed before treatment, immediately after treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits.

[Impact of comorbidities on in-hospital mortality from acute myocardial infarction, 2003-2009].

Introduction And Objectives: Treatment of acute myocardial infarction has changed notably in recent years. The objective of this study was to analyze trends in in-hospital mortality during the period 2003-2009 and to examine how changes in comorbidity indices affected mortality prediction models for acute myocardial infarction using the minimum basic data set.

Methods: During the study period, 5275 cases of acute myocardial infarction were admitted.

The contributions of Ramon y Cajal and other Spanish authors to hypnosis.

The authors review the most important Spanish contributions to hypnosis during the 19th and 20th centuries, with emphasis on the work of Santiago Ramon y Cajal, winner of the 1906 Nobel Prize in medicine. It is widely accepted that he provided a basic foundation for modern neurosciences with his work on neuronal staining and synaptic transmission. What is missing in most accounts of his work is his longstanding interest and work on hypnosis and anomalous phenomena.

Hypnotic treatment synergizes the psychological treatment of fibromyalgia: a pilot study.

In this pilot study, we compare the efficacy for fibromyalgia of multimodal cognitive behavioral treatments, with and without hypnosis, with that of a purely pharmacological approach, with a multiple baseline N = 1 design. We randomly assigned six hospital patients to the three experimental conditions. The results suggest that psychological treatment produces greater symptom benefits than the conventional medical treatment only, especially when hypnosis is added.

Effect of hypnotic suggestion on fibromyalgic pain: comparison between hypnosis and relaxation.

The main aims of this experimental study are: (1) to compare the relative effects of analgesia suggestions and relaxation suggestions on clinical pain, and (2) to compare the relative effect of relaxation suggestions when they are presented as "hypnosis" and as "relaxation training". Forty-five patients with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to one of the following experimental conditions: (a) hypnosis with relaxation suggestions; (b) hypnosis with analgesia suggestions; (c) relaxation. Before and after the experimental session, the pain intensity was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the sensory and affective dimensions were measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

Active oxygen detoxifying enzymes and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in the ethylene-induced chilling tolerance in citrus fruit.

The effects of applying ethylene (2 microL x L(-)(1)) during cold storage of Fortune mandarins on the development of chilling-induced peel damage and on changes in the activities of the enzymes of the antioxidant system, superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, and on phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) have been investigated. Chilling damage was reduced by applying ethylene during fruit storage at 1.5 degrees C.