Cold atoms meet lattice gauge theory.

The central idea of this review is to consider quantum field theory models relevant for particle physics and replace the fermionic matter in these models by a bosonic one. This is mostly motivated by the fact that bosons are more 'accessible' and easier to manipulate for experimentalists, but this 'substitution' also leads to new physics and novel phenomena. It allows us to gain new information about among other things confinement and the dynamics of the deconfinement transition. We will thus consider bosons in dynamical lattices corresponding to the bosonic Schwinger or [Formula: see text] Bose-Hubbard models. Another central idea of this review concerns atomic simulators of paradigmatic models of particle physics theory such as the Creutz-Hubbard ladder, or Gross-Neveu-Wilson and Wilson-Hubbard models. This article is not a general review of the rapidly growing field-it reviews activities related to quantum simulations for lattice field theories performed by the Quantum Optics Theory group at ICFO and their collaborators from 19 institutions all over the world. Finally, we will briefly describe our efforts to design experimentally friendly simulators of these and other models relevant for particle physics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Quantum technologies in particle physics'.

Transcription Profiling of Cultured Acropora digitifera Adult Cells Reveals the Existence of Ancestral Genome Regulatory Modules Underlying Pluripotency and Cell Differentiation in Cnidaria.

Due to their pluripotent nature and unlimited cell renewal, stem cells have been proposed as an ideal material for establishing long-term cnidarian cell cultures. However, the lack of unifying principles associated with "stemness" across the phylum complicates stem cells' identification and isolation. Here, we for the first time report gene expression profiles for cultured coral cells, focusing on regulatory gene networks underlying pluripotency and differentiation. Cultures were initiated from Acropora digitifera tip fragments, the fastest growing tissue in Acropora. Overall, in vitro transcription resembled early larvae, overexpressing orthologs of premetazoan and Hydra stem cell markers, and transcripts with roles in cell division, migration, and differentiation. Our results suggest the presence of pluripotent cell types in cultures and indicate the existence of ancestral genome regulatory modules underlying pluripotency and cell differentiation in cnidaria. Cultured cells appear to be synthesizing protein, differentiating, and proliferating.

Floquet-Engineered Vibrational Dynamics in a Two-Dimensional Array of Trapped Ions.

We demonstrate Floquet engineering in a basic yet scalable 2D architecture of individually trapped and controlled ions. Local parametric modulations of detuned trapping potentials steer the strength of long-range interion couplings and the related Peierls phase of the motional state. In our proof of principle, we initialize large coherent states and tune modulation parameters to control trajectories, directions, and interferences of the phonon flow. Our findings open a new pathway for future Floquet-based trapped-ion quantum simulators targeting correlated topological phenomena and dynamical gauge fields.

Intertwined topological phases induced by emergent symmetry protection.

The dual role played by symmetry in many-body physics manifests itself through two fundamental mechanisms: spontaneous symmetry breaking and topological symmetry protection. These two concepts, ubiquitous in both condensed matter and high energy physics, have been applied successfully in the last decades to unravel a plethora of complex phenomena. Their interplay, however, remains largely unexplored. Here we report how, in the presence of strong correlations, symmetry protection emerges from a set of configurations enforced by another broken symmetry. This mechanism spawns different intertwined topological phases, where topological properties coexist with long-range order. Such a singular interplay gives rise to interesting static and dynamical effects, including interaction-induced topological phase transitions constrained by symmetry breaking, as well as a self-adjusted fractional pumping. This work paves the way for further exploration of exotic topological features in strongly-correlated quantum systems.

Aplicación del índice pronóstico de supervivencia Pap score en el paciente oncológico referido al Centro Nacional de Control del Dolor y Cuidados Paliativos en Costa Rica / Application of the survival prognosis index (Pap score) in the oncological patient referred to the National Center for Pain Control and Palliative Care in Costa Rica

Resumen Objetivo: Determinar la validez del Índice de Pronóstico de Supervivencia (PapScore) en los pacientes oncológicos referidos al Centro Nacional de Control del Dolor y Cuidados Paliativos de Costa Rica. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, observacional y prospectivo de los pacientes oncológicos referidos por primera vez al Centro Nacional de Control del Dolor y Cuidados Paliativos durante los meses de mayo y junio del 2015. Se aplicó el índice de pronóstico PaP Score. La base de datos fue realizada en Excel y el análisis estadístico en el programa SPSS. Resultados: Se estudiaron 100 pacientes, el 54% de sexo masculino, con una edad promedio 67,1 años. El cáncer gástrico fue la patología más prevalente con 12% de los casos. El 23% de pacientes presentan disnea, 56% anorexia. A la mayoría de pacientes (67%) se le realizó una estimación clínica mayor a 12 semanas. Un 83% fueron clasificados en el grupo A, 17% en el grupo B y ningún paciente en el grupo C. Analizando la clasificación de riesgo como un test diagnóstico para predecir mortalidad a un mes, muestra un sensibilidad del 61,9%, especificidad del 94,9%, con valor predictivo positivo 76,5% y valor predictivo negativo 90,4%. Conclusión: La escala de PaP Score o Índice Pronóstico de Supervivencia es un instrumento que se adapta a las posibilidades de nuestro entorno nacional. Es una excelente herramienta como predictor de sobrevida a un mes, independientemente del tipo de tumor, con alta eficacia y validez pronóstica.

Abstract Objective: To determine the validity of the Palliative Prognosis Index (PapScore) in cancer patients referred to the National Center for Pain Control and Palliative Care of Costa Rica. Methods: Descriptive, observational and prospective study of oncological patients referred for the first time to the National Center of Pain Control and Palliative Care during the months of May and June 2015. The PaP Score was used. The database was made in Excel and the statistical analysis in the SPSS program. Results: 100 patients were studied, 54% male, with an average age of 67.1 years. Gastric cancer was the most prevalent pathology with 12% of cases, 23% of patients present dyspnea, 56% anorexia. The majority of patients (67%) underwent a clinical prognosis of more than 12 weeks, 83% were classified in group A, 17% in group B and no patient in group C. Analyzing the risk classification as a diagnostic test to predict mortality at one month, shows a sensitivity of 61.9%, specificity 94.9%, with positive predictive value 76.5% and negative predictive value 90.4%. Conclusion: The PaP Score or Palliative Prognosis Index scale is an instrument that adapts to the possibilities of our national environment. It is an excellent tool as a predictor of survival at one month, regardless of the type of tumor, with high efficacy and prognostic validity.

Phylogenetic analysis of Alphapapillomavirus based on L1, E6 and E7 regions suggests that carcinogenicity and tissue tropism have appeared multiple times during viral evolution.

Members of the Alphapapillomavirus genus are causative agents for cervix cancer and benign lesions in humans. These viruses are classified according to sequence similarities in their L1 region. Yet, viral carcinogenicity has been associated with variations in the proteins encoded by the E6 and E7 genes. In order to relate evolutionary history with origin of carcinogenicity, we performed phylogenetic reconstructions using both nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences of the L1, E6 and E7 genes. Whilst phylogenetic analysis of L1 reconstructed genus evolutionary history, phylogenies based on E6 and E7 proteins support the idea that mutations at amino acids S/Tx [V/L] (E6) and LxCxE (E7) might be responsible for carcinogenic potential. These findings indicate that virulence within Alphapapillomavirus have appeared multiple times during evolution. Our results reveal that oncogenic potential is not a monophyletic clade-specific adaptation but might be the result of positive selection on random mutations occurring on proteins involved in host infection during viral diversification.

Alcoholismo y degeneración el el manicomio departamental de Antioquía, Colombia (1920-1930) / Alcoholism and degeneration in the departamental mental Hospital of Antioquía, Colombia, 1920-1930

En este artículo se analizan 159 historias clínicas de pacientes con diagnósticos relacionados al consumo de alcohol en el Manicomio Departamental de Antioquia entre 1920 y 1930. En esa década se inició una transformación institucional con la llegada a la dirección del Dr. Lázaro Uribe Calad. Además fue muy discutido entre médicos y políticos el lugar del alcoholismo como causa determinante de la degeneración racial. En los escritos médicos se evidencia una preocupación constante debido a las terribles consecuencias que podía traer el elevado consumo de alcohol en la sociedad. Sin embargo, en la revisión exhaustiva de fuentes como las estadísticas anuales del Manicomio y las historias clínicas, encontramos que la práctica clínica refleja otra realidad. Se concluye que la cantidad de pacientes que fueron diagnosticados como alcohólicos o cuya etiología estuvo vinculada con la bebida, fueron muy inferiores a los señalados por los médicos. Dichos ingresos respondieron principalmente a problemas de orden moral y social, mas no a cuestiones propiamente psiquiátricas (AU)

In this article we analyze 159 clinical records of patients with diagnoses related to alcohol at the Departamental Mental Hospital of Antioquia, between the years of 1920 and 1930. In that decade an institutional transformation began with the arrival at the direction of Dr. Lázaro Uribe Calad. Besides it was very discussed in the medical and political sector the idea of the racial degeneracy, a matter in which alcoholism played a central role. It is observed in medical publications a constant concern due to the terrible consequences that the high consumption of alcohol could bring in society. However, a deeper review of sources such as the annual Statistics of the Mental Hospital and the clinical records, shows how clinical practice reflected another reality. It is concluded that both, the number of patients who were diagnosed as alcoholic or whose etiology was related to the drink, were much lower than those indicated by the doctors. These incomes mainly responded to moral and social problems, but not to psychiatric issues (AU)

Tratamiento paliativo de las metástasis óseas dolorosas mediante ultrasonidos focalizados guiados por resonancia magnética. Revisión sistemática / Palliative treatment of painful bone metastases by magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound. Systematic review

OBJETIVO: Evaluar la eficacia de los ultrasonidos focalizados guiados por resonancia magnética en el tratamiento del dolor producido por metástasis óseas. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura en las bases de datos MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EBSCO y Cochrane Database utilizando los siguientes términos de búsqueda y sus asociaciones: «Focused ultrasound surgery», «High intensity focused ultrasound», «Magnetic resonance imaging», «Neoplasms», «Metastases» y «Pain», en el período desde 1960 hasta octubre de 2014. Se incluyeron aquellos trabajos publicados en cuyo abstract se indicara como objetivo la evaluación del control del dolor por metástasis óseas con ultrasonidos focalizados guiados por resonancia magnética. Se evaluó el grado de evidencia de los estudios seleccionados siguiendo el sistema GRADE. RESULTADOS: Se obtuvieron 6 artículos, de los cuales 5 publicaciones correspondieron a estudios prospectivos de cohortes y un estudio fue aleatorizado, simple ciego, controlado contra placebo, multicéntrico. En todos los trabajos se obtuvo una reducción del dolor (entre 64,2-100%) acompañada de una disminución del tratamiento analgésico. Método dispar en la evaluación analgésica. Efectos secundarios (dolor y quemaduras cutáneas, entre otros) bien tolerados y transitorios. CONCLUSIONES: La mayoría de los estudios analizados muestran un nivel de evidencia bajo para poder concluir el grado de eficacia de los ultrasonidos focalizados guiados por resonancia magnética como tratamiento analgésico del dolor secundario a metástasis óseas. Se necesitan más estudios que respalden su uso rutinario

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound in the treatment of pain produced by bone metastases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed in the MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EBSCO and Cochrane databases, using the following research terms and their associations: 'Focused ultrasound surgery', 'High intensity focused ultrasound', 'Magnetic resonance imaging', 'Neoplasms', 'Metastases' and 'Pain', for the period between 1960 and October 2014. Those published works were included in which it indicated the evaluation of the control of pain due to bone metastasis with magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound in the objective of its abstract. The level of evidence of the studies selected was evaluated following the GRADE system. RESULTS: Six articles were obtained, of which 5 were prospective cohort studies and one was a randomised, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicentre study. A reduction in pain (between 64.2 and 100%) accompanied by a decrease in the use of analgesic treatment was obtained in all the studies. Methods differed in the analgesic evaluation. Side effects (including pain, skin burns, etc. ) were well tolerated and transient. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of studies analysed show a low level of evidence to be able to conclude the level of efficiency of magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound as an analgesic treatment of pain due to bone metastases. More studies are needed that support its routine use

Uso prolongado de catéter epidural para el manejo paliativo de un paciente con dolor oncológico refractario / Long term epidural catheter for the palliative management of a patient with refractory cancer pain

Presentamos el caso clínico de un paciente con cáncer renal irresecable, que presentaba dolor intenso de características mixtas (nociceptivo y neuropático), con limitación para actividades habituales y afectación en su calidad de vida. Este caso fue tratado mediante la colocación de catéter epidural lumbar para infusión continua de anestésico local más opioide, con adecuada respuesta a largo plazo y sin complicaciones

A clinical case is presented of a patient with unresectable renal cancer, who had mixed intense pain (neuropathic pain and nociceptive pain), with limitations on ordinary activities and impact on quality of life. This case was treated by lumbar epidural catheter placement for continuous infusion of local anesthetic and opioid, with adequate long-term and uncomplicated response

Alcoholismo / Alcoholism

En esta investigación se estudia la clínica psiquiátrica en torno al alcoholismo durante el funcionamiento de La Castañeda (1910-1968). Esto nos permitirá comprender cómo fue relamente la práctica de los psiquiatras en la institución y cuáles fueron sus respuestas ante las problemáticas que presentaban los bebedores al funcionamiento de la institución, lo que en muchos casos distaba de los enunciados y escritos teóricos alrespecto. De igual manera, por medio del estudio de la clínica y de las formas como entendieron y trataron el alcoholismo los psiquiatras, podemos comprender todo un juego de valores que intervinieron en la decisión del internamiento de un bebedor, tales como la disciplina, laproductividad y la estabilidad familiar.(AU)

Developmental Progression in the Coral Acropora digitifera Is Controlled by Differential Expression of Distinct Regulatory Gene Networks.

Corals belong to the most basal class of the Phylum Cnidaria, which is considered the sister group of bilaterian animals, and thus have become an emerging model to study the evolution of developmental mechanisms. Although cell renewal, differentiation, and maintenance of pluripotency are cellular events shared by multicellular animals, the cellular basis of these fundamental biological processes are still poorly understood. To understand how changes in gene expression regulate morphogenetic transitions at the base of the eumetazoa, we performed quantitative RNA-seq analysis duringAcropora digitifera's development. We collected embryonic, larval, and adult samples to characterize stage-specific transcription profiles, as well as broad expression patterns. Transcription profiles reconstructed development revealing two main expression clusters. The first cluster grouped blastula and gastrula and the second grouped subsequent developmental time points. Consistently, we observed clear differences in gene expression between early and late developmental transitions, with higher numbers of differentially expressed genes and fold changes around gastrulation. Furthermore, we identified three coexpression clusters that represented discrete gene expression patterns. During early transitions, transcriptional networks seemed to regulate cellular fate and morphogenesis of the larval body. In late transitions, these networks seemed to play important roles preparing planulae for switch in lifestyle and regulation of adult processes. Although developmental progression inA. digitiferais regulated to some extent by differential coexpression of well-defined gene networks, stage-specific transcription profiles appear to be independent entities. While negative regulation of transcription is predominant in early development, cell differentiation was upregulated in larval and adult stages.

Opioids for the Management of Dyspnea in Cancer Patients: Evidence of the Last 15 Years--A Systematic Review.

The objective of this study was to review the evidence on the use of opioids for treatment of the dyspnea in adult cancer patients. A systematic literature review was conducted in the databases MEDLINE, CINAHL (EBSCO), ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library of trials testing the effect of opioids in relieving dyspnea in cancer patients. Fourteen trials met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Eight randomized trials and six nonrandomized trials. All randomized clinical trials analyzed present risks of bias. Morphine has been the most studied strong opioid showing efficacy in alleviating dyspnea when administered, either orally or subcutaneously, in cancer patients. The potential benefit of the strong opioids in the alleviation of dyspnea in cancer patients is modest and limited to some opioids. More studies are needed to sufficiently support the role of opioids in dyspnea at rest, at exertion, and for breakthrough dyspnea and to clarify the safety issues.

Manejo no adecuado del dolor por cáncer en Costa Rica: un problema de formación académica? / Inadequate management of cancer pain in Costa Rica: a problem related to academic preparation?

Objetivo: evaluar el conocimiento de un grupo de médicos residentes del programa de especialidades médicas sobre las pautas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud para el tratamiento del dolor en los pacientes con cáncer. Métodos: para la recolección de los datos se utilizó un cuestionario anónimo y auto administrado. El mismo constaba de 18 preguntas, bajo la modalidad de preguntas abiertas y cerradas; el cual fue aplicado a 70 médicos residentes de ciertas especialidades del programa de especialidades médicas del Centro de Desarrollo Estrátegico e Información en Salud y Seguridad Social que se encontraban en formación en el Hospital Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia...

Hybrid quantum magnetism in circuit QED: from spin-photon waves to many-body spectroscopy.

We introduce a model of quantum magnetism induced by the nonperturbative exchange of microwave photons between distant superconducting qubits. By interconnecting qubits and cavities, we obtain a spin-boson lattice model that exhibits a quantum phase transition where both qubits and cavities spontaneously polarize. We present a many-body ansatz that captures this phenomenon all the way, from a the perturbative dispersive regime where photons can be traced out, to the nonperturbative ultrastrong coupling regime where photons must be treated on the same footing as qubits. Our ansatz also reproduces the low-energy excitations, which are described by hybridized spin-photon quasiparticles, and can be probed spectroscopically from transmission experiments in circuit QED, as shown by simulating a possible experiment by matrix-product-state methods.

The Neuronal Calcium Sensor protein Acrocalcin: a potential target of calmodulin regulation during development in the coral Acropora millepora.

To understand the calcium-mediated signalling pathways underlying settlement and metamorphosis in the Scleractinian coral Acropora millepora, a predicted protein set derived from larval cDNAs was scanned for the presence of EF-hand domains (Pfam Id: PF00036). This approach led to the identification of a canonical calmodulin (AmCaM) protein and an uncharacterised member of the Neuronal Calcium Sensor (NCS) family of proteins known here as Acrocalcin (AmAC). While AmCaM transcripts were present throughout development, AmAC transcripts were not detected prior to gastrulation, after which relatively constant mRNA levels were detected until metamorphosis and settlement. The AmAC protein contains an internal CaM-binding site and was shown to interact in vitro with AmCaM. These results are consistent with the idea that AmAC is a target of AmCaM in vivo, suggesting that this interaction may regulate calcium-dependent processes during the development of Acropora millepora.

Synthetic gauge fields for vibrational excitations of trapped ions.

The vibrations of a collection of ions in a microtrap array can be described in terms of tunneling phonons. We show that the vibrational couplings may be tailored by using a gradient of the trap frequencies together with a periodic driving of the trapping potentials. These ingredients allow us to induce effective gauge fields on the vibrational excitations, such that phonons mimic the behavior of charged particles in a magnetic field. In particular, microtrap arrays are well suited to realize a quantum simulator of the famous Aharonov-Bohm effect and observe the paradigmatic edge states typical from quantum-Hall samples and topological insulators.

Differential expression of three galaxin-related genes during settlement and metamorphosis in the scleractinian coral Acropora millepora.

BACKGROUND: The coral skeleton consists of CaCO3 deposited upon an organic matrix primarily as aragonite. Currently galaxin, from Galaxea fascicularis, is the only soluble protein component of the organic matrix that has been characterized from a coral. Three genes related to galaxin were identified in the coral Acropora millepora. RESULTS: One of the Acropora genes (Amgalaxin) encodes a clear galaxin ortholog, while the others (Amgalaxin-like 1 and Amgalaxin-like 2) encode larger and more divergent proteins. All three proteins are predicted to be extracellular and share common structural features, most notably the presence of repetitive motifs containing dicysteine residues. In situ hybridization reveals distinct, but partially overlapping, spatial expression of the genes in patterns consistent with distinct roles in calcification. Both of the Amgalaxin-like genes are expressed exclusively in the early stages of calcification, while Amgalaxin continues to be expressed in the adult, consistent with the situation in the coral Galaxea. CONCLUSION: Comparisons with molluscs suggest functional convergence in the two groups; lustrin A/pearlin proteins may be the mollusc counterparts of galaxin, whereas the galaxin-like proteins combine characteristics of two distinct proteins involved in mollusc calcification. Database searches indicate that, although sequences with high similarity to the galaxins are restricted to the Scleractinia, more divergent members of this protein family are present in other cnidarians and some other metazoans. We suggest that ancestral galaxins may have been secondarily recruited to roles in calcification in the Triassic, when the Scleractinia first appeared. Understanding the evolution of the broader galaxin family will require wider sampling and expression analysis in a range of cnidarians and other animals.

Identification and gene expression analysis of a taxonomically restricted cysteine-rich protein family in reef-building corals.

The amount of genomic sequence information continues to grow at an exponential rate, while the identification and characterization of genes without known homologs remains a major challenge. For non-model organisms with limited resources for manipulative studies, high-throughput transcriptomic data combined with bioinformatics methods provide a powerful approach to obtain initial insights into the function of unknown genes. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a novel family of putatively secreted, small, cysteine-rich proteins herein named Small Cysteine-Rich Proteins (SCRiPs). Their discovery in expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries from the coral Montastraea faveolata required the performance of an iterative search strategy based on BLAST and Hidden-Markov-Model algorithms. While a discernible homolog could neither be identified in the genome of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, nor in a large EST dataset from the symbiotic sea anemone Aiptasia pallida, we identified SCRiP sequences in multiple scleractinian coral species. Therefore, we postulate that this gene family is an example of lineage-specific gene expansion in reef-building corals. Previously published gene expression microarray data suggest that a sub-group of SCRiPs is highly responsive to thermal stress. Furthermore, data from microarray experiments investigating developmental gene expression in the coral Acropora millepora suggest that different SCRiPs may play distinct roles in the development of corals. The function of these proteins remains to be elucidated, but our results from in silico, transcriptomic, and phylogenetic analyses provide initial insights into the evolution of SCRiPs, a novel, taxonomically restricted gene family that may be responsible for a lineage-specific trait in scleractinian corals.

Gene expression microarray analysis encompassing metamorphosis and the onset of calcification in the scleractinian coral Montastraea faveolata.

Similar to many marine invertebrates, scleractinian corals experience a dramatic morphological transformation, as well as a habitat switch, upon settlement and metamorphosis. At this time, planula larvae transform from non-calcifying, demersal, motile organisms into sessile, calcifying, benthic juvenile polyps. We performed gene expression microarray analyses between planulae, aposymbiotic primary polyps, and symbiotic adult tissue to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying coral metamorphosis and early stages of calcification in the Robust/Short clade scleractinian coral Montastraea faveolata. Among the annotated genes, the most abundant upregulated transcripts in the planula stage are involved in protein synthesis, chromatin assembly and mitochondrial metabolism; the polyp stage, morphogenesis, protein catabolism and organic matrix synthesis; and the adult stage, sexual reproduction, stress response and symbiosis. We also present evidence showing that the planula and adult transcriptomes are more similar to each other than to the polyp transcriptome. Our results also point to a large number of uncharacterized adult coral-specific genes likely involved in coral-specific functions such as symbiosis and calcification.