Oscar Rafael Pérez Castro - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Oscar Rafael Pérez Castro
Fungal organisms can perceive the outer world in a way similar to what animals sense. Does that m... more Fungal organisms can perceive the outer world in a way similar to what animals sense. Does that mean that they have full awareness of their environment and themselves? Is a fungus a conscious entity? In laboratory experiments we found that fungi produce patterns of electrical activity, similar to neurons. There are low and high frequency oscillations and convoys of spike trains. The neural-like electrical activity is yet another manifestation of the fungal intelligence. In this paper we discuss fungal cognitive capabilities and intelligence in evolutionary perspective, and question whether fungi are conscious and what does fungal consciousness mean, considering their exhibiting of complex behaviours, a wide spectrum of sensory abilities, learning, memory and decision making. We overview experimental evidences of consciousness found in fungi. Our conclusions allow us to give a positive answer to the important research questions of fungal cognition, intelligence and forms of conscious...
![Research paper thumbnail of Corrigendum to "Slime mould: The fundamental mechanisms of biological cognition" [BioSystems 165 (2018) 57-70]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/89884495/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Bio Systems, Apr 24, 2018
The research leading to the results of Professor Oscar Castro has received funding from the Europ... more The research leading to the results of Professor Oscar Castro has received funding from the European Regional Development Fund (IUT 2-44, Semiotic modeling of self-description mechanisms: theory and applications) and the Estonian Research Council (MOBJD213, Mobilitas Pluss Postdoctoral Researcher Grant)" 3. on page 60, in the review of "Von Uexküll and Mackinonn's book, xxxx" appears and not the date of the book. I have gone to the bibliography, p. 70, and have "2018" (false). The book's reference is von Uexküll, J. (auth.
Bio Systems, Jan 8, 2018
The slime mould Physarum polycephalum has been used in developing unconventional computing device... more The slime mould Physarum polycephalum has been used in developing unconventional computing devices for in which the slime mould played a role of a sensing, actuating, and computing device. These devices treated the slime mould rather as an active living substrate yet the slime mould is a self-consistent living creature which evolved for millions of years and occupied most part of the world, but in any case, that living entity did not own true cognition, just automated biochemical mechanisms. To "rehabilitate" the slime mould from the rank of a purely living electronics element to a "creature of thoughts" we are analyzing the cognitive potential of P. polycephalum. We base our theory of minimal cognition of the slime mould on a bottom-up approach, from the biological and biophysical nature of the slime mould and its regulatory systems using frameworks suh as Lyons biogenic cognition, Muller, di Primio-Lengelerś modifiable pathways, Bateson's "patterns tha...
Perspectivas En Nutricion Humana, Aug 28, 2013
En el presente trabajo se presenta una muestra de las comidas típicas del departamento de Boyacá-... more En el presente trabajo se presenta una muestra de las comidas típicas del departamento de Boyacá- Colombia, además de la descripción y origen de algunos alimentos y la importancia de éstos para las comunidades ancestrales. El propósito es compilar la memoria de algunas tradiciones culinarias colombianas, con énfasis en Boyacá. El documento incluye un reporte de los alimentos de mayor producción y una aproximación a los platos más representativos de la dieta boyacense en el desayuno, almuerzo y cena, así como algunas bebidas y pasabocas; finalmente se presenta un mapa gastronómico de la región y un cuadro con las diferentes ocasiones en que se consumen ciertos platos. Se concluye que la cocina de Boyacá es muy variada, sin embargo se ve amenazada por las nuevas influencias culturales y ritmos de vida; de ahí la importancia de retornar nuestras raíces para no perder el horizonte y en consecuencia la identidad.
Habis, 2014
32-1, 2014) publiqué una traducción íntegra del primer libro del Nāṭyaśāstra, hasta donde sé la p... more 32-1, 2014) publiqué una traducción íntegra del primer libro del Nāṭyaśāstra, hasta donde sé la primera al castellano a partir del original sánscrito. Cabe notar que recientemente apareció en español el texto completo (Valencia, Letra Capital, 2013), pero se trata de una traducción realizada, aparentemente, a partir de una versión inglesa. Agradezco al revisor anónimo que llamó mi atención sobre la misma, notando sus limitaciones.
Estudios De Literatura Colombiana, Oct 21, 2013
Anuario Colombiano De Historia Social Y De La Cultura, Dec 1, 2010
El constitucionalismo moderno y la formacion de los Estados nacionales son procesos que comenzaro... more El constitucionalismo moderno y la formacion de los Estados nacionales son procesos que comenzaron a tomar forma con las revoluciones, a ambos lados del Atlantico, a finales del siglo xviii y a comienzos del xix. El topico examinado por Andrea Slemian hace parte de estos procesos. Analiza como se comenzaron a sentar las bases del constitucionalismo moderno liberal y la formacion del Estado nacional en Brasil, que, a pesar de sus particularidades, estaba conectado con los procesos revolucionarios hispanoamericano, estadounidense y europeo.
Perspectivas En Nutricion Humana, Dec 1, 2012
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto
Nowadays, science restricts the contents of all scientific explanations with very specific and te... more Nowadays, science restricts the contents of all scientific explanations with very specific and technical definitions. This is specially the case in its attempt to define borderline issues. At the present moment, there is a growing interdisciplinary link between the so-called ―sciences of the mind‖ and the ―sciences of the spirit‖. This growing connection is specially an issue with mystical phenomena (for instance, when one regards a key issue, such as the existence of God). Neurobiology usually considers explanations on the basis of the relation ―stimulus-response‖, but they are not knowledgeable about what happens for instance, in self-induction. When explaining a mystical experience, it is difficult to define the exact differences of an individual manifesting itself and one need to use terms such as ―ego‖, ―I‖, ―self‖, ―selfness‖, ―ipseity‖, etc. They are not the same thing. These concepts must therefore be analysed in a comparative way. My intention is to render a transdisciplina...
Biosemiotics is a discipline that emerged in the 1960s from studying communication and transfer o... more Biosemiotics is a discipline that emerged in the 1960s from studying communication and transfer of signs and signals between animals (zoosemiotic) by the semiologist Thomas Sebeok. Its origin can be placed a hundred years ago in the works of the biologist and philosopher Jakob von Uexküll, who develop a "theory of meaning" (Bedeutungslehre) to describe (with the minimal possible anthropocentricity) how animals perceive their environ-ment and inner world. It is review here the conditions of possibility for cognitive processes in organisms without a nervous system, where some events lead us to propose ways of learning and behavior influenced not only by basic tropisms. We study the biosemiotic cognitive foundations within slime molds and bacteria, in order to establish a possible phenomenological biology, based on the measurement of minimal perception thresholds. Después de los estudios efectuados en los múltiples campos de la biología evolutiva y del desarrollo, en torno a ...
Pensamiento
Resumen La percepción del entorno, así como la coordinación sensomotora de los organismos unicelu... more Resumen La percepción del entorno, así como la coordinación sensomotora de los organismos unicelulares competen como fundamentos de un principio cognitivo mínimo que va más allá de los procesos metabólicos. Trato de estudiar el reconocimiento del entorno en el caso de los mixomicetos y de las bacterias como los procesos significativos de aprendizaje en la diferenciación entre entorno hostil u óptimo, y en las trasformaciones físicas de cada organismo en función de las señales recibidas tanto en la membrana como en el interior de los organismos. Los mecanismos de coordinación sensomotora expanden formas de adaptación metabólica. Algunos de estos mecanismos de coordinación están ligados a la percepción con el entorno a través de pulsos, según el procesamiento temporal de las señales. Abstract The perception of the environment as well as sensorimotor coordination of unicellular organisms competence as the foundation of a cognitive principle that goes beyond minimum metabolic processes....
American Heart Journal, 2015
Background Data on the cardiac characteristics of centenarians are scarce. Our aim was to describ... more Background Data on the cardiac characteristics of centenarians are scarce. Our aim was to describe electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiography in a cohort of centenarians and to correlate them with clinical data. Methods We used prospective multicenter registry of 118 centenarians (28 men) with a mean age of 101.5 ± 1.7 years. Electrocardiogram was performed in 103 subjects (87.3%) and echocardiography in 100 (84.7%). All subjects underwent a follow-up for at least 6 months. Results Centenarians with abnormal ECG were less frequently females (72% vs 93%), had higher rates of previous consumption of tobacco (14% vs 0) and alcohol (24% vs 12%), and scored lower in the perception of health status (6.8 ± 2.0 vs 8.3 ± 6.8). Centenarians with significant abnormalities in echocardiography were less frequently able to walk 6 m (33% vs 54%). Atrial fibrillation/flutter was found in 27 subjects (26%). Mean left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction was 60.0 ± 10.5%. Moderate or severe aortic valve stenosis was found in 16%, mitral valve regurgitation in 15%, and aortic valve regurgitation in 13%. Diastolic dysfunction was assessed in 79 subjects and was present in 55 (69.6%). Katz index and LV dilation were independently associated with the ability to walk 6 m. Age, Charlson and Katz indexes, and the presence of significant abnormalities in echocardiography were associated with mortality. Conclusions Centenarians have frequent ECG alterations and abnormalities in echocardiography. More than one fifth has atrial fibrillation, and most have diastolic dysfunction. Left ventricular dilation was associated with the ability to walk 6 m. Significant abnormalities in echocardiography were associated with mortality.
![Research paper thumbnail of [Safety and usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in the acute phase of myocardial infarction]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/89884485/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Revista española de cardiología, 2002
The usefulness and safety of transesophageal echocardiography have been assessed in other studies... more The usefulness and safety of transesophageal echocardiography have been assessed in other studies but there is no report in which these factors have been evaluated in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Patients and method. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed 56 times in 55 patients in the first week after a myocardial infarction. The study was completed in 54 of 56 patients. The indications were a transthoracic acoustic window that did not provide an accurate diagnosis in 13 (23.2%), diagnosis of mechanical complications and severity assessment of mitral regurgitation in 35 (62.5%), exclusion of aortic dissection in 4 (7.1%), assessment of the severity of aortic stenosis in 1 (1.8%), exclusion of the presence of atrial thrombus in 1 (1.8%), evaluation of the left ventricular outflow tract gradient in 1 (1.8%), and evaluation of the presence of a left ventricular thrombus in 1 patient (1.8%). Two patients (3.6%) died while the study was being made, the first one 10 ...
![Research paper thumbnail of [Risk stratification using combined ECG, clinical, and biochemical assessment in patients with chest pain without ST-segment elevation. How long should we wait? ]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/89884482/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Revista española de cardiología, 2003
We use clinical, ECG, and biochemical data to stratify risk in patients with chest pain without S... more We use clinical, ECG, and biochemical data to stratify risk in patients with chest pain without ST segment elevation. However, the prognostic performance of these studies in relation to time from onset of symptoms is unknown. In a single-center, prospective study, 321 consecutive patients who had been admitted in the emergency room with a suspected acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation were included in the study. Blood samples were collected for CK, CK-MB mass, myoglobin, and cardiac troponin T analysis 6, 12 and 18 hours after the onset of pain and other clinical and ECG data were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to identify independent prognostic predictors 6 and 12 hours after the onset of chest pain. Five variables were independent predictors of the recurrence of ischemia. The model correctly classified 82% of the patients. Age, history of coronary artery disease, prolonged chest pain at rest in the preceding 15 days, pain, ST-segment change...
Revista española de cardiología, 2002
To compare the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure an... more To compare the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction versus normal systolic function. Clinical records of all admissions with a heart failure diagnostic code over a one-year period were reviewed retrospectively. Of 1,953 admissions, 595 were excluded because they did not fulfill diagnostic criteria. A total of 1,069 patients had 1,358 admissions with confirmed heart failure (1.27 admissions/patient). Of them, 706 patients (66%) had an echocardiographic study and 381 (54%) had ventricular dysfunction. Ventricular dysfunction was associated with previous myocardial infarction (OR = 5.8), left bundle-branch block (OR = 5.0), male sex (OR = 2.0), and smoking (OR = 1.8). Meanwhile, a negative association existed with age (OR = 0.97), previous valve surgery (OR = 0.46) and atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.49). Patients with ventricular dysfunction had more hospitalizations in the cardiology department and received more ...
'Ilu. Revista de Ciencias de las Religiones, 2014
Este ensayo revisa el significado de una imagen poco común dentro de la literatura religiosa y fi... more Este ensayo revisa el significado de una imagen poco común dentro de la literatura religiosa y filosófica de la India para describir la naturaleza última de dios y el ser humano: un muro o lienzo (sánscrito, bhitti). Debemos el uso de tan singular imagen a Abhinavagupta, el gran exegeta de la cosmovisión tántrica quien vivió en Cachemira entre los siglos X y XI de nuestra era. Tras ofrecer algunos antecedentes, la reflexión se centra en pasajes clave de la obra de Abhinavagupta y muestra cómo, lejos de ser secundaria, la imagen de un muro posee su propia forma de consistencia y poder expresivo en sintonía con las principales premisas doctrinales de nuestro autor, en especial su apuesta por una visión dinámica y en última instancia paradójica de la realidad divina, el cosmos y la salvación.
Fungal organisms can perceive the outer world in a way similar to what animals sense. Does that m... more Fungal organisms can perceive the outer world in a way similar to what animals sense. Does that mean that they have full awareness of their environment and themselves? Is a fungus a conscious entity? In laboratory experiments we found that fungi produce patterns of electrical activity, similar to neurons. There are low and high frequency oscillations and convoys of spike trains. The neural-like electrical activity is yet another manifestation of the fungal intelligence. In this paper we discuss fungal cognitive capabilities and intelligence in evolutionary perspective, and question whether fungi are conscious and what does fungal consciousness mean, considering their exhibiting of complex behaviours, a wide spectrum of sensory abilities, learning, memory and decision making. We overview experimental evidences of consciousness found in fungi. Our conclusions allow us to give a positive answer to the important research questions of fungal cognition, intelligence and forms of conscious...
Bio Systems, Apr 24, 2018
The research leading to the results of Professor Oscar Castro has received funding from the Europ... more The research leading to the results of Professor Oscar Castro has received funding from the European Regional Development Fund (IUT 2-44, Semiotic modeling of self-description mechanisms: theory and applications) and the Estonian Research Council (MOBJD213, Mobilitas Pluss Postdoctoral Researcher Grant)" 3. on page 60, in the review of "Von Uexküll and Mackinonn's book, xxxx" appears and not the date of the book. I have gone to the bibliography, p. 70, and have "2018" (false). The book's reference is von Uexküll, J. (auth.
Bio Systems, Jan 8, 2018
The slime mould Physarum polycephalum has been used in developing unconventional computing device... more The slime mould Physarum polycephalum has been used in developing unconventional computing devices for in which the slime mould played a role of a sensing, actuating, and computing device. These devices treated the slime mould rather as an active living substrate yet the slime mould is a self-consistent living creature which evolved for millions of years and occupied most part of the world, but in any case, that living entity did not own true cognition, just automated biochemical mechanisms. To "rehabilitate" the slime mould from the rank of a purely living electronics element to a "creature of thoughts" we are analyzing the cognitive potential of P. polycephalum. We base our theory of minimal cognition of the slime mould on a bottom-up approach, from the biological and biophysical nature of the slime mould and its regulatory systems using frameworks suh as Lyons biogenic cognition, Muller, di Primio-Lengelerś modifiable pathways, Bateson's "patterns tha...
Perspectivas En Nutricion Humana, Aug 28, 2013
En el presente trabajo se presenta una muestra de las comidas típicas del departamento de Boyacá-... more En el presente trabajo se presenta una muestra de las comidas típicas del departamento de Boyacá- Colombia, además de la descripción y origen de algunos alimentos y la importancia de éstos para las comunidades ancestrales. El propósito es compilar la memoria de algunas tradiciones culinarias colombianas, con énfasis en Boyacá. El documento incluye un reporte de los alimentos de mayor producción y una aproximación a los platos más representativos de la dieta boyacense en el desayuno, almuerzo y cena, así como algunas bebidas y pasabocas; finalmente se presenta un mapa gastronómico de la región y un cuadro con las diferentes ocasiones en que se consumen ciertos platos. Se concluye que la cocina de Boyacá es muy variada, sin embargo se ve amenazada por las nuevas influencias culturales y ritmos de vida; de ahí la importancia de retornar nuestras raíces para no perder el horizonte y en consecuencia la identidad.
Habis, 2014
32-1, 2014) publiqué una traducción íntegra del primer libro del Nāṭyaśāstra, hasta donde sé la p... more 32-1, 2014) publiqué una traducción íntegra del primer libro del Nāṭyaśāstra, hasta donde sé la primera al castellano a partir del original sánscrito. Cabe notar que recientemente apareció en español el texto completo (Valencia, Letra Capital, 2013), pero se trata de una traducción realizada, aparentemente, a partir de una versión inglesa. Agradezco al revisor anónimo que llamó mi atención sobre la misma, notando sus limitaciones.
Estudios De Literatura Colombiana, Oct 21, 2013
Anuario Colombiano De Historia Social Y De La Cultura, Dec 1, 2010
El constitucionalismo moderno y la formacion de los Estados nacionales son procesos que comenzaro... more El constitucionalismo moderno y la formacion de los Estados nacionales son procesos que comenzaron a tomar forma con las revoluciones, a ambos lados del Atlantico, a finales del siglo xviii y a comienzos del xix. El topico examinado por Andrea Slemian hace parte de estos procesos. Analiza como se comenzaron a sentar las bases del constitucionalismo moderno liberal y la formacion del Estado nacional en Brasil, que, a pesar de sus particularidades, estaba conectado con los procesos revolucionarios hispanoamericano, estadounidense y europeo.
Perspectivas En Nutricion Humana, Dec 1, 2012
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto
Nowadays, science restricts the contents of all scientific explanations with very specific and te... more Nowadays, science restricts the contents of all scientific explanations with very specific and technical definitions. This is specially the case in its attempt to define borderline issues. At the present moment, there is a growing interdisciplinary link between the so-called ―sciences of the mind‖ and the ―sciences of the spirit‖. This growing connection is specially an issue with mystical phenomena (for instance, when one regards a key issue, such as the existence of God). Neurobiology usually considers explanations on the basis of the relation ―stimulus-response‖, but they are not knowledgeable about what happens for instance, in self-induction. When explaining a mystical experience, it is difficult to define the exact differences of an individual manifesting itself and one need to use terms such as ―ego‖, ―I‖, ―self‖, ―selfness‖, ―ipseity‖, etc. They are not the same thing. These concepts must therefore be analysed in a comparative way. My intention is to render a transdisciplina...
Biosemiotics is a discipline that emerged in the 1960s from studying communication and transfer o... more Biosemiotics is a discipline that emerged in the 1960s from studying communication and transfer of signs and signals between animals (zoosemiotic) by the semiologist Thomas Sebeok. Its origin can be placed a hundred years ago in the works of the biologist and philosopher Jakob von Uexküll, who develop a "theory of meaning" (Bedeutungslehre) to describe (with the minimal possible anthropocentricity) how animals perceive their environ-ment and inner world. It is review here the conditions of possibility for cognitive processes in organisms without a nervous system, where some events lead us to propose ways of learning and behavior influenced not only by basic tropisms. We study the biosemiotic cognitive foundations within slime molds and bacteria, in order to establish a possible phenomenological biology, based on the measurement of minimal perception thresholds. Después de los estudios efectuados en los múltiples campos de la biología evolutiva y del desarrollo, en torno a ...
Pensamiento
Resumen La percepción del entorno, así como la coordinación sensomotora de los organismos unicelu... more Resumen La percepción del entorno, así como la coordinación sensomotora de los organismos unicelulares competen como fundamentos de un principio cognitivo mínimo que va más allá de los procesos metabólicos. Trato de estudiar el reconocimiento del entorno en el caso de los mixomicetos y de las bacterias como los procesos significativos de aprendizaje en la diferenciación entre entorno hostil u óptimo, y en las trasformaciones físicas de cada organismo en función de las señales recibidas tanto en la membrana como en el interior de los organismos. Los mecanismos de coordinación sensomotora expanden formas de adaptación metabólica. Algunos de estos mecanismos de coordinación están ligados a la percepción con el entorno a través de pulsos, según el procesamiento temporal de las señales. Abstract The perception of the environment as well as sensorimotor coordination of unicellular organisms competence as the foundation of a cognitive principle that goes beyond minimum metabolic processes....
American Heart Journal, 2015
Background Data on the cardiac characteristics of centenarians are scarce. Our aim was to describ... more Background Data on the cardiac characteristics of centenarians are scarce. Our aim was to describe electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiography in a cohort of centenarians and to correlate them with clinical data. Methods We used prospective multicenter registry of 118 centenarians (28 men) with a mean age of 101.5 ± 1.7 years. Electrocardiogram was performed in 103 subjects (87.3%) and echocardiography in 100 (84.7%). All subjects underwent a follow-up for at least 6 months. Results Centenarians with abnormal ECG were less frequently females (72% vs 93%), had higher rates of previous consumption of tobacco (14% vs 0) and alcohol (24% vs 12%), and scored lower in the perception of health status (6.8 ± 2.0 vs 8.3 ± 6.8). Centenarians with significant abnormalities in echocardiography were less frequently able to walk 6 m (33% vs 54%). Atrial fibrillation/flutter was found in 27 subjects (26%). Mean left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction was 60.0 ± 10.5%. Moderate or severe aortic valve stenosis was found in 16%, mitral valve regurgitation in 15%, and aortic valve regurgitation in 13%. Diastolic dysfunction was assessed in 79 subjects and was present in 55 (69.6%). Katz index and LV dilation were independently associated with the ability to walk 6 m. Age, Charlson and Katz indexes, and the presence of significant abnormalities in echocardiography were associated with mortality. Conclusions Centenarians have frequent ECG alterations and abnormalities in echocardiography. More than one fifth has atrial fibrillation, and most have diastolic dysfunction. Left ventricular dilation was associated with the ability to walk 6 m. Significant abnormalities in echocardiography were associated with mortality.
Revista española de cardiología, 2002
The usefulness and safety of transesophageal echocardiography have been assessed in other studies... more The usefulness and safety of transesophageal echocardiography have been assessed in other studies but there is no report in which these factors have been evaluated in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Patients and method. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed 56 times in 55 patients in the first week after a myocardial infarction. The study was completed in 54 of 56 patients. The indications were a transthoracic acoustic window that did not provide an accurate diagnosis in 13 (23.2%), diagnosis of mechanical complications and severity assessment of mitral regurgitation in 35 (62.5%), exclusion of aortic dissection in 4 (7.1%), assessment of the severity of aortic stenosis in 1 (1.8%), exclusion of the presence of atrial thrombus in 1 (1.8%), evaluation of the left ventricular outflow tract gradient in 1 (1.8%), and evaluation of the presence of a left ventricular thrombus in 1 patient (1.8%). Two patients (3.6%) died while the study was being made, the first one 10 ...
Revista española de cardiología, 2003
We use clinical, ECG, and biochemical data to stratify risk in patients with chest pain without S... more We use clinical, ECG, and biochemical data to stratify risk in patients with chest pain without ST segment elevation. However, the prognostic performance of these studies in relation to time from onset of symptoms is unknown. In a single-center, prospective study, 321 consecutive patients who had been admitted in the emergency room with a suspected acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation were included in the study. Blood samples were collected for CK, CK-MB mass, myoglobin, and cardiac troponin T analysis 6, 12 and 18 hours after the onset of pain and other clinical and ECG data were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to identify independent prognostic predictors 6 and 12 hours after the onset of chest pain. Five variables were independent predictors of the recurrence of ischemia. The model correctly classified 82% of the patients. Age, history of coronary artery disease, prolonged chest pain at rest in the preceding 15 days, pain, ST-segment change...
Revista española de cardiología, 2002
To compare the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure an... more To compare the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction versus normal systolic function. Clinical records of all admissions with a heart failure diagnostic code over a one-year period were reviewed retrospectively. Of 1,953 admissions, 595 were excluded because they did not fulfill diagnostic criteria. A total of 1,069 patients had 1,358 admissions with confirmed heart failure (1.27 admissions/patient). Of them, 706 patients (66%) had an echocardiographic study and 381 (54%) had ventricular dysfunction. Ventricular dysfunction was associated with previous myocardial infarction (OR = 5.8), left bundle-branch block (OR = 5.0), male sex (OR = 2.0), and smoking (OR = 1.8). Meanwhile, a negative association existed with age (OR = 0.97), previous valve surgery (OR = 0.46) and atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.49). Patients with ventricular dysfunction had more hospitalizations in the cardiology department and received more ...
'Ilu. Revista de Ciencias de las Religiones, 2014
Este ensayo revisa el significado de una imagen poco común dentro de la literatura religiosa y fi... more Este ensayo revisa el significado de una imagen poco común dentro de la literatura religiosa y filosófica de la India para describir la naturaleza última de dios y el ser humano: un muro o lienzo (sánscrito, bhitti). Debemos el uso de tan singular imagen a Abhinavagupta, el gran exegeta de la cosmovisión tántrica quien vivió en Cachemira entre los siglos X y XI de nuestra era. Tras ofrecer algunos antecedentes, la reflexión se centra en pasajes clave de la obra de Abhinavagupta y muestra cómo, lejos de ser secundaria, la imagen de un muro posee su propia forma de consistencia y poder expresivo en sintonía con las principales premisas doctrinales de nuestro autor, en especial su apuesta por una visión dinámica y en última instancia paradójica de la realidad divina, el cosmos y la salvación.