Los hospitales no están adaptados para los cuidadores de enfermos

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– Los hospitales no están adaptados para los cuidadores de enfermos.

Estos cuidados son vitales de cara a la recuperación del paciente
Un estudio determina que la mayoría de ellos sufre estrés durante su estancia en estos centros

Los hospitales españoles no están adaptados para los cuidadores que permanecen al lado de sus familiares enfermos, la mayoría de los cuales sufren estrés emocional durante su estancia en esos centros, según un estudio del departamento de Antropología Social de la Universidad de Granada.

Las conclusiones de la investigación, llevada a cabo por Aurora Quero Rufián, han sido elaboradas a través de 45 entrevistas realizadas a familiares cuidadores de enfermos ingresados en el Hospital Ruiz de Alda de Granada, informó la Universidad.

Una presencia activa

Según la investigadora, los cuidadores familiares, en su mayoría mujeres, tienen una presencia activa en el hospital, cuya vida diaria viven «intensamente». Sus labores, centradas básicamente en la higiene, la alimentación, la vigilancia y el acompañamiento del paciente, son «vitales» para éste, ya que constituyen «tareas de apoyo personal que nadie salvo ellos pueden desempeñar».

Sin embargo, mantiene Quero, los cuidadores familiares «son invisibles para el sistema sanitario» dentro del hospital, pese a que el centro hospitalario «los utiliza como recurso y soporte básico para su estructura».

El estudio pone de manifiesto que, pese a que los familiares alivian la carga de trabajo a profesionales sanitarios como las enfermeras y auxiliares, su labor y conocimientos no son tenidos en cuenta por los profesionales de la salud en la práctica profesional, la cura y el cuidado del enfermo.

Según lo manifestado por los encuestados, los cuidadores sienten «una importante necesidad de comunicarse y relacionarse» ante la situación de estrés emocional a la que se ven sometidos, y con frecuencia se sienten intimidados ante la estructura hospitalaria.

«Los cuidadores familiares no quieren molestar en el hospital y se perciben a sí mismos con un sentimiento de inferioridad en un mundo en el que cualquier persona con bata tiene el mando y el poder», explica la autora del trabajo.

Quero aboga por la creación de un protocolo que sirve para regular las relaciones entre cuidadores, médicos, enfermeras y auxiliares, lo que en su opinión contribuiría a aumentar la autoestima de los cuidadores y la calidad del sistema sanitario.

La investigadora propone también que se replantee la figura del paciente, concebida tradicionalmente de forma individual, y se tenga en cuenta que el enfermo está a menudo acompañado por un familiar cuya estancia en el hospital le supone a veces una experiencia «traumática».
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El Nobel de Física James Cronin participará en la reunión de la Real Sociedad de Física, que se inaugura hoy

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– El Nobel de Física James Cronin participará en la reunión de la Real Sociedad de Física, que se inaugura hoy

La Universidad de Granada (UGR) acoge desde hoy y hasta el próximo viernes la mayor reunión española de expertos en Física, la XXXI Reunión Bienal de la Real Sociedad Española de Física, que contará con la presencia del premio Nobel James Cronin.

La Facultad de Ciencias acogerá además de forma paralela el 17 Encuentro Ibérico para la Enseñanza de la Física, que junto con la Reunión conforman dos acontecimientos de primer orden científico que traerán hasta la ciudad de la Alhambra a los máximos exponentes de la física mundial.

Durante cinco días, los más de 500 inscritos en la Reunión y en el Encuentro Ibérico podrán escuchar las conferencias plenarias de autoridades como James Cronin, Michel E. Fisher, profesor de la Universidad estadounidense de Maryland, Antonio Ruiz de Elvira, de la Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, o John Ellis, miembro del Laboratorio Europeo de Física de Partículas (CERN) de Ginebra.
En las conferencias y mesas redondas que integran el programa, la Reunión Bienal tratará temas como las nanotecnologías, la enseñanza de la física en Europa y los últimos avances en energía solar.

La inauguración de la XXXI Reunión Bienal de la Real Sociedad Española de Física y el 17 Encuentro Ibérico para la Enseñanza de la Física estará presidida por el alcalde de Granada, José Torres Hurtado, el vicerrector de Planificación, Calidad y Evaluación de la Universidad de Granada, Prof. Luis Rico Romero, y el presidente de la Real Sociedad Española de Física, Antonio Fernández Rañada y Menéndez de Luarca, entre otras autoridades.

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Selon une étude, les parents qui s’occupent des malades dans les hôpitaux sont ignorés par le système sanitaire et souffrent de stress émotionnel

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Dans le milieu sanitaire, il existe une figure qui traditionnellement a été oubliée et dont l’importance, cependant, est vitale pour le bien-être des patients: les soigneurs familiaux dans l’hôpital. Une recherche réalisée au département d’Anthropologie Sociale de l’Université de Grenade et dirigée par le professeur Rafael Briones Gómez a mis en évidence que les hôpitaux espagnols ne sont pas adaptés pour les soigneurs qui restent auprès de leurs parents malades, puisque la majorité souffre une situation de stress émotionnel durant son séjour à l’hôpital.

Les conclusions de ce travail, réalisées par la docteure Aurora Quero Rufián, ont été élaborées grâce à 45 entrevues réalisées aux parents-soigneurs des malades hospitalisés à l’Hôpital Ruiz de Alda de Grenade. La chercheuse a déterminé que les parents-soigneurs ont une présence active à l’hôpital – où ils vivent intensément leur vie quotidienne -, et que l’importance des activités qu’ils réalisent «est vitale» pour la santé du malade, puisqu’elles sont spécialement relatives à l’hygiène et à l’alimentation ; de plus, il faut souligner la surveillance et l’accompagnement, des tâches de soutien personnel que personne, à part eux, peuvent réaliser.

Invisibles
Quero Rufián affirme que les parents-soigneurs sont invisibles pour le système sanitaire dans l’hôpital, bien que ce dernier les utilise comme recours et support basic pour sa structure. L’étude réalisé à l’UGR a mis en évidence que, même si les parents soulagent la charge de travail des professionnels sanitaires comme les infirmiers et les auxiliaires, leur «savoir» n’est pas tenu en compte par les professionnels de la santé dans leur pratique professionnelle, c’est-à-dire, dans la guérison et l’attention de la personne malade.

Grâce aux réponses des personnes interrogées, la chercheuse a déterminé que les soigneurs sentent un grand besoin de communiquer et de fréquenter des gens (vu la situation de stress émotionnel auquel ils sont soumis dû à la situation qu’ils vivent), et fréquemment ils se sentent intimidés par la structure hospitalière. Les parents-soigneurs – expliquent Aurora Quero – ne veulent pas déranger à l’hôpital, et se sentent inférieurs dans un milieu où toute personne portant un tablier commande et jouit d’un pouvoir.

Ils ne sont pas préparés
L’auteure de ce travail affirme que les hôpitaux espagnols ne sont pas conçus pour le séjour des parents-soigneurs – puisque souvent ils ne disposent pas d’infrastructures nécessaires pour les loger -, et elle plaide pour la création d’un protocole qui contrôle les relations entre les soigneurs, les médecins, les infirmiers et les auxiliaires. Avec ce protocole, l’estime des soigneurs augmenterait, et en même temps améliorerait la qualité du système sanitaire.

Quero Rufián propose de réexaminer la figure du patient, conçue traditionnellement de manière individuelle, en tenant compte que cette figure est souvent accompagnée par un parent dont le foyer se trouve à plusieurs kilomètres et dont le séjour à l’hôpital suppose dans des occasions une expérience réellement traumatique.

La thèse de doctorat prétend contribuer à la visibilité des parents-soigneurs dans l’hôpital, améliorer leurs conditions de vie et les relations avec l’institution sanitaire en général, puisqu’il s’agit d’un phénomène anthropologique qui touche des milliers de personnes, spécialement les femmes, dont la vie se déroule quotidiennement dans les hôpitaux et qui ne sont presque jamais prises en considération.

Coordonnées:
Aurora Quero Rufián. Département d’Anthropologie Sociale de l’Université de Grenade.
Tél. (+34) 958121484.
Courriel: auropa@gmail.com

Relatives who look after patients in hospital are ignored by the health system and suffer from emotional stress, according to a study

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There are people who have traditionally been forgotten in the field of health. However, they are vitally important for patients’ well-being: they are the family caregivers in hospitals. A study carried out at the Department of Social Anthropology of the University of Granada and led by lecturer Rafael Briones Gómez, shows that Spanish hospitals are not adapted to caregivers who look after their sick relatives, since most of them suffer from emotional stress during their stay in hospital.

The conclusion of this research work, which was led by doctor Aurora Quero Rufián, have been drawn from 45 interviews conducted with people who look after their relatives admitted to the Hospital Ruiz de Alda of Granada. Therefore, the researcher determined that family caregivers play an active role in hospital’s daily life, in which they take part intensely. She has also established that the tasks they execute are extremely important for patients’ health, as they are especially related to hygiene and feeding. Apart from this, she underlines watchfulness and company, as they are “personal support tasks that nobody but them can carry out”.

Invisible people
Quero Rufián states that family caregivers “are invisible to the health system” within the hospital, in spite of the fact that “they are used as a resource and basic support for its structure”. The study, carried out at the University of Granada, reveals that, although relatives lighten health professionals’ workload, such as nurses and health assistants, the medical staff does not take family caregivers’ “knowledge” into account while performing their work duties, i.e. treatment and care of sick people.

Thanks to the answers of the interviewees, the researcher determined that caregivers “have a pressing need to communicate and get in touch”, considering the emotional stress they have to deal with because of the experience they must go through, and that frequently they get intimidated by the hospital framework. “Family caregivers do not want to be a bother in the hospital, and they have a sense of inferiority in an environment where any person wearing a white coat holds the leadership and the power”, according to Aurora Quero.

Spanish hospitals are not properly adapted
The author of the study says that Spanish hospitals are not adapted to the stay of family caregivers, since they often lack the necessary facilities in order to put them up. She champions the creation of a protocol to regulate the relationships among caregivers, doctors, nurses and health assistants. Aurora Quero states that caregivers’ self-esteem would get increased and so would the quality of the health system.

Quero Rufián suggests a reconsideration of the patient’s role, which has always been thought of individually, although the patient is usually accompanied by a relative whose home is a long way away and for whom a stay in the hospital involves a very traumatic experience.
This doctoral thesis aims to contribute to take family caregivers in the hospital into account and improve their living conditions and the relationships with the medical staff in general, as this is an anthropological phenomenon which affects thousands of people, especially women, who have to stay in the hospitals every day and are seldom taken into account.

Reference
Aurora Quero Rufián. Department of Social Anthropology of the University of Granada.
Telephone number: +34 958 12 14 84
E-mail: auropa@gmail.com

A study of the mental mechanisms which lead people to develop risk conducts that are used when driving, practicing sex and taking drugs.

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Which are the mental mechanisms leading people to develop risk conducts such as illegal overtaking manoeuvres, practicing unsafe sex or to consume drugs knowing the consequences? Such is the aim of a group of scientists of the Department of Experimental Psychology and Physiology of Behaviour from the University of Granada (UGR), who are working on the project “Risk Behaviour: Cognitive, Emotional and Neuropsychological Foundations” (El comportamiento de riesgo: bases cognitivas, emocionales y neuropsicológicas), and which is subsidised with € 193,000 from the Project of Excellence of the Regional Government of Andalusia.

A total of 13 researchers, led by Andrés Catena Martínez, José Juan Cañas Delgado, Antonio Maldonado López and Antonio Cándido Ortiz, are participating in this study through which it will be possible to measure variables which have never been analysed before in this context (such as the cerebral activity) to predict and modify risk behaviours. In other words, the study conducted at UGR will help to determine the emotional state of the individual as well as to act upon it, relating the cognitive and emotional systems by studying its variables.

A motorcycle simulator
Researchers from UGR will study rash driving thanks to a motorcycle simulator provided by the company HONDA (Riding Trainer) which exposes the subject to a series of risk situations to see how subjects react to them. So far, the experiment has been carried out with students from the Faculty of Psychology at UGR, but it will be tested on a wider range of subjects after the summer.
Researchers will use techniques such as hypnosis to modify the state of mind of the subject — that is, to give them artificially a state of euphoria, sadness or tiredness. Then, they will be subjected to driving to see how they react.
Andrés Catena Martínez and José Juan Cañas Delgado highlighted that the results of this research project may have consequences in relation with risk prevention policies such as traffic, work risks or health (i.e. AIDS or drugs). Therefore, this project will help to evaluate the efficacy of the recent Spanish Law of Traffic and the introduction of the Spanish points-based driving license. Moreover, according to researchers from UGR, this study will allow a quick and accurate evaluation of the tendency to risk of candidates applying to job positions in which accidents occur frequently because of taking risk decisions, such as bus or lorry drivers.

The empirical results of this project will be sent for publication in scientific journals such as “Journal of Cognitive Neurosciences”, “Neuroimage” or “Journal of Experimental Psychology”.

Refererence
Prof. Andrés Catena Martínez and José Juan Cañas Delgado. Department of Experimental Psychology and Physiology of Behaviour from the University of Granada. Telephones: +34 958 244 254 – +34 958 243 767 – +34 958 246 268.
E-mail: acatena@ugr.es – delagado@ugr.es

A chocolate cookie a day puts 20 lbs on an energetically-balanced kid in four years

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After summer holidays, ‘miracle-diet’ adherents stick to these diets to lose the weight gained in the last months in record time. Gyms also become overcrowded with people making a final sprint of sacrifice whose results do not exactly match previous expectations and with few benefits for health. “In the field of nutrition, miracles do not exist: in the same way we gain weight as years pass by, weight loss should be equally progressive”, states Professor Emilio Martínez de Victoria Muñoz, Head of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology at the University of Granada (Universidad de Granada) in Spain.

Energy balance
It becomes clear that the energy needed by the body to carry out its functions comes essentially from food. Nevertheless, a whole range of hormonal and nervous mechanisms take part in body weight regulation, which makes such process a bit more complex.
When the amount of consumed calories is similar to that of calories used during the day, the energy balance is kept stable and, therefore, weight is kept constant. However, when consumed calories exceed used calories this balance is disturbed and weight is gained, as excess calories are stored as fat in the body. As an example, Professor Martínez de Victoria points out that an energetically-balanced girl who is given a chocolate cookie a day during four years will gain 20 lbs (approximately 9 kg) in that time.

Easy lost, easy back
The researcher affirms that ‘miracle diets’ are useless to get a stable negative energy balance. There are no scientific foundations behind the vast majority of these diets and they usually restrict consumption of certain food groups, which entails nutrient deficiency whose consequences are serious health problems. In addition to this, ‘miracle diets’ only help to lose weight in the form of glycogen and water – not fat – that being the reason why rapidly lost pounds are immediately recovered.
Among those ‘panacea diets’, and absolutely ignoring all medical recommendations on what a healthy diet should be like, consumers will come across the South Beach diet, a revolutionary plan that allows you to eat as much as you wish while assuring that to lose weight you will have to undergo a two-week purifying period based upon the elimination of sugar and simple carbohydrates. Atkins nutritional method is another example: with this diet you can eat unlimited amounts of fats – such as butter – as well as of meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, whilst restricting vegetables and fruit. These are only two of the endless list of ‘miracle diets’, in which the Artichoke diet or the Blood Type diet also occupy leading positions.

Keeping weight under control
Prof. Martínez de Victoria insists that the best way to control body weight is to combine a limited food intake with regular physical exercise. In this sense, he states that with a 500 to 700 calorie deficit, depending on body weight, age and physical exercise, a person can gradually lose 6.5 lbs a month, with the guarantee of not recovering double the weight they lost in half the time they lost it.
In the same way, this researcher stresses the fact that a high-fibre diet helps control obesity, as fibre-rich foods facilitate a lower intake because their mastication time is longer and, due to their volume, produce the filling sensation more quickly. Furthermore, fibre speeds intestinal transit time while slowing food absorption.
All these data have been recently presented in the University of Granada’s summer course ‘Healthy Food and Physical Activity’ (Alimentación Saludable y Actividad Física), organised by the UGR’s Centro Mediterráneo.

Reference
Prof. Emilio MARTÍNEZ DE VICTORIA MUÑOZ. Head of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Granada.
Tel.: +34 958 24 83 21 / +34 636 95 14 01. E-mail: emiliom@ugr.es.

Los familiares que cuidan a enfermos en el hospital son ignorados por el sistema sanitario y sufren estrés emocional, según un estudio

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En el ámbito sanitario, existe una figura que tradicionalmente ha sido olvidada y cuya importancia, sin embargo, es vital para el bienestar de los pacientes: los cuidadores familiares en el hospital. Una investigación realizada en el departamento de Antropología Social de la Universidad de Granada y dirigida por el profesor Rafael Briones Gómez ha puesto de manifiesto que los hospitales españoles no están adaptados para los cuidadores que permanecen al lado de sus familiares enfermos, ya que la mayoría sufren una situación de estrés emocional durante su estancia en el hospital.

Las conclusiones de este trabajo, llevado a cabo por la doctora Aurora Quero Rufián, han sido elaboradas a través de 45 entrevistas realizadas a familiares cuidadores de enfermos ingresados en el Hospital Ruiz de Alda de Granada. Así, la investigadora ha determinado que las cuidadoras familiares tienen una presencia activa en el hospital, -cuya vida diaria viven intensamente-, y que la importancia de las actividades que realizan “es vital” para la salud del enfermo, ya que están relacionadas especialmente con la higiene y la alimentación; destacan, además, la vigilancia y el acompañamiento, “tareas de apoyo personal que nadie salvo ellos puede desempeñar”.

Invisibles
Quero Rufián afirma que los cuidadores familiares “son invisibles para el sistema sanitario” dentro del hospital, a pesar de que éste “los utiliza como recurso y soporte básico para su estructura”. El estudio realizado en la UGR ha puesto de manifiesto que, pese a que los familiares alivian la carga de trabajo a profesionales sanitarios como las enfermeras y auxiliares, su “saber” no es tenido en cuenta por los profesionales de la salud en su práctica profesional, es decir, en la cura y el cuidado de la persona enferma.

Gracias a las respuestas de los encuestados, la investigadora ha determinado que los cuidadores “sienten una importante necesidad de comunicarse y relacionarse” (ante la situación de estrés emocional a la que se ven sometidos por la situación vivida), y con frecuencia se sienten intimidados ante la estructura hospitalaria. “Los cuidadores familiares –explica Aurora Quero- no quieren molestar en el hospital, y se perciben a sí mismos con un sentimiento de inferioridad en un mundo en el que cualquier persona con bata tiene mando y poder”.

No están preparados
La autora del trabajo afirma que los hospitales españoles “no están concebidos para la estancia de las cuidadoras familiares” –ya que a menudo no cuentan con las infraestructuras necesarias para albergarles-, y aboga por la creación de un protocolo que regule las relaciones entre cuidadores, médicos, enfermeras y auxiliares. “Con él, la autoestima de los cuidadores aumentaría, y al mismo tiempo revertiría en un aumento de la calidad del sistema sanitario”.

Quero Rufián propone que se replantee la figura del paciente, “concebida tradicionalmente de forma individual”, teniendo en cuenta que éste está a menudo acompañado por un familiar “cuyo hogar se encuentra a muchos kilómetros y cuya estancia en el hospital supone en ocasiones una verdadera experiencia traumática”.
La tesis doctoral pretende contribuir a visualizar a las cuidadoras familiares dentro del hospital, mejorar sus condiciones de vida y las relaciones con la institución sanitaria en genera, ya que se trata de un fenómeno antropológico que afecta a miles de personas, especialmente mujeres, cuya vida transcurre diariamente en los hospitales y a quienes casi nunca se les tiene en cuenta.

Referencia: Aurora Quero Rufián. Departamento de Antropología Social de la Universidad de Granada. Tfno: 958 12 14 84.
Correo e-: auropa@gmail.com

Una veintena de alumnos se forman como intérpretes de lengua de signos para aplicarla en sus profesiones

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Una veintena de alumnos de la Universidad de Granada se inician en la Lengua de Signos en un curso organizado por del Centro Mediterráneo en colaboración con el departamento de Lengua de Signos Española de la Agrupación de personas sordas de Granada y Provincia (ASOGRA). Los conocimientos sobre este código pueden ser el primer paso para que los asistentes se conviertan en futuros intérpretes. Un sector dónde sólo existen 500 profesionales en España, según datos de la Confederación Nacional de Sordos de España. Por ello, los expertos que participan en el curso han solicitado más intérpretes para equipar la media nacional con la del resto de Europa, donde hay un intérprete por cada diez personas sordas, mientras que en el territorio nacional la proporción es de uno por cada 221 personas.

Además de para iniciar la curiosidad por este código, el curso servirá para que los alumnos apliquen los conocimientos en sus futuras profesiones. Para la directora del curso, Mª Adelaida Moya, la inclusión de profesionales que sepan Lengua de Signos en todos los ámbitos de la sociedad constituye un reto. “Sería todo un logro que las personas sordas podamos encontrar gente que domine este código en los centros de enseñanza, las administraciones públicas, los hospitales, las comisarías, los juzgados o los espacios culturales, porque así no necesitaríamos intérprete”, destaca Moya.

Una tarea complicada
En el curso, los participantes podrán aprender y asimilar la Lengua de Signos Española a partir de algunos de sus mecanismos gramaticales, así como otros contenidos que incluyen vocabulario, saludos y diálogos típicos de la vida cotidiana, de forma que adquieran las habilidades básicas que les permitan la comunicación con personas sordas, hipoacústicas o con pérdidas auditivas. Una empresa que requiere tiempo y contacto con los usuarios de la nueva lengua, ya que se trata de una lengua visual-gestual, diferente por tanto de todos los idiomas que son auditivo-orales. “En la Lengua de Signos es esencial la expresión de la cara, que sería equivalente a la entonación de la lengua oral, ya que aporta información adicional al mensaje”, explica la profesora.

Visibilidad mediática
La Lengua de Signos está cada vez más presente en el día a día. Muestra de ello es el proyecto de ley que regula la comunicación de las personas sordas, aprobado el pasado mes de junio. Esta normativa establece el servicio de intérprete de Lengua de Signos en lugares públicos, como estaciones y aeropuertos, y facilita subvenciones públicas a quienes precisen de ayudas técnicas, como implantes cocleares o audífonos.

Por otra parte, los intérpretes están cada vez más presentes en ciertos actos públicos o en debates políticos retransmitidos en televisión. “Esta presencia sirve para hacer la Lengua de Signos más visible y aumentar la concienciación de la sociedad”, reconoce Moya.

Todas estas medidas constituyen grandes avances para el alrededor del millón de personas con discapacidad auditiva que, según el Instituto Nacional de Estadística, existen en España.

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Referencia
Mª Adelaida Moya Bernabé. Comisión de L.S.E. de ASOGRA. Departamento de LSE de ASOGRA.
Tel. 958 222 436
Correo e. lse.granada66@yahoo.es
Agrupación de Personas Sordas de Granada y Provincia (ASOGRA).
Correo e. asogra18@yahoo.es

Expertos reivindican un aumento de contenidos audiovisuales adaptados para discapacitados

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Tres millones y medio de españoles, un 9% de la población, sufren discapacidad auditiva o visual, según datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Por tanto, este colectivo resulta lo suficientemente numeroso como para justificar la necesidad de su accesibilidad a los productos audiovisuales de televisión, cine o internet. La audiodescripción constituye una de las fórmulas para facilitar la interpretación de estos contenidos. Expertos reunidos en Almuñécar abordarán, durante la próxima semana, esta estrategia, gracias a la que se hace accesible todo producto audiovisual para las personas invidentes. Se trata de insertar durante los silencios del texto fílmico bocadillos de información que expliquen las imágenes que se pueden ver en pantalla y que sean relevantes para la comprensión del sentido del texto audiovisual en su conjunto.

Los expertos reivindican un aumento de la programación audiodescrita y critican que las cadenas de televisión no hayan implantado aún el sistema. A pesar de este déficit, el anteproyecto de la Ley General Audiovisual prevé un incremento progresivo de las emisiones accesibles hasta alcanzar en 2015 el 100% de la programación subtitulada y el 10% de audiodescripción y lengua de signos para la televisión pública.

Uno de los ponentes del curso, Antonio Vázquez Martín, el único audiodescriptor profesional nacional, está a favor de una legislación específica que incluya la accesibilidad audiovisual y regule la programación de contenidos adaptados. “En la programación actual la audiodescripción es algo residual y se limita a películas dirigidas a un sector reducido de público y en franjas horarias de poca audiencia”, reconoce Vázquez.

Vázquez participará a lo largo de la semana próxima en el curso “La audiodescripción: Traducción accesible. La accesibilidad a los medios de comunicación, organizado por el Centro Mediterráneo de la Universidad de Granada en Almuñécar.

Por otra parte, los expertos reivindican más formación reglada en el sector, ya que la Universidad de Granada es la única que ofrece formación en accesibilidad audiovisual. Según Vázquez, el aumento de los contenidos audiodescritos exigirá un aumento de los profesionales que, además de a televisión, aplicarán sus conocimientos a productos audiovisuales como DVDs, audioguías o películas españolas adaptadas.

El marco europeo
Países europeos como Francia, Alemania o Italia cuentan con más horas audiodescritas en sus programaciones que España. Gran Bretaña se convierte en el país que ofrece más programas accesibles, ya que la BBC emite un 10% de sus contenidos audiodescritos. Esto supone unas dos horas al día de programación. No obstante, para Vázquez resulta paradójico que la audiodescripción televisiva brille por su ausencia en el panorama nacional, a pesar de ser el único país, en toda de Europa, que cuenta con normativa sobre la materia.

Referencia: Antonio Vázquez Martín, audiodescriptor y productor ejecutivo de Aristia Producciones Tlfs. 91 3678885 / 647 759000. Correo e. informacion@audiodescripcion.com

Paracetamol effects bone growth

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– Paracetamol effects bone growth.

In vitro’ studies prove that taking Paracetamol, one of the most used analgesics, can slow down the growth of the bones. It was also found that applying plasma rich in growth factors accelerates bone regeneration.

Department of Nursing of the University of Granada showed that Paracetamol, a widely used painkiller for a simple molar pain to pain caused by bone fractures slows down the process of bone regeneration.

The study was carried out by Olga Garcia Martinez, who conducted it on osteoblasts (cells involved in bone regenerating processes), obtained via bone samples. Her analysis takes as a starting point several clinical processes in which accelerating bone growth is required. “Certain anti-inflammatories such as paracetamol — warns the researcher — should be cautiously taken, specially in situations which require a rapid bone tissue regeneration, such as after placement of a prosthesis or dental implant.

Other anti-inflammatories, which have no effects on bone growth, should be used instead,” she said. Results of her work cannot be confirmed in humans but ‘in vitro’ research shows without a question that paracetamol slows down bone regeneration.

Apart from the effects of paracetamol on bone cells in culture, Maritnez also studied the effect of plasma rich in growth factors (obtained from patients’ own blood and after a spinning process). Application of this plasma gel on bones accelerates their growth, without affecting other cell parameters such as the cell cycle or the antigenic profile.

It is therefore an easy technique, which involves few risks for the patient, who will recover from bone defects more quickly.

Even though her work has been carried out on osteoblasts, Garcia Martinez states that it could also be used on other kinds of cells such as fibroblasts, and can therefore be used not only on bones but also on soft tissue, which would help to heal wounds and ulcers.

The study appears in the prestigious scientific journals Bioscience Reports, Oral Diseases and Physiology and Biochemistry, among others.
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New wastewater system can cut plant size

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– New wastewater system can cut plant size.

A new wastewater treatment system makes it possible to obtain cheaper water of a higher quality, reduces the size of treatment plants by more than half, and minimizes the resulting mud production.

A new technology based on membrane bioreactor systems makes it possible to shorten the water clarification process where active mud separates, eliminating the stage known as “secondary decanting,” said José Manuel Poyatos Capilla, researcher from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Granada (UGR). The structure of every plant currently has four stages: pre-treatment, primary decanting, biological reactor, and secondary decanting. Researchers can also add in a tertiary treatment whenever they need water for irrigation.

Research carried out at UGR could reduce the size of the biological reactor between 40% and 60%, and would eliminate secondary decanting. “In the future, we could even suppress the primary decanting stage,” Poyatos said. In exchange, scientists from Granada have included a “biological processes” section in their wastewater treatment plant, which could make it possible to separate water from active mud by a membrane filtration process.

This system makes it possible to treat a larger flow of water in a smaller purifier, “and its building would involve a less expensive construction,” he said. Installation is therefore much cheaper than installation of plants with tertiary treatment, and it also makes it possible to use the water immediately after biological treatment.

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Turkey looks to the Spanish mirror (2)

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– Turkey looks to the Spanish mirror (2) by ANTONIO AVALOS, MARIEN DURAN*

If we briefly analyze the process that could explain the institutional stabilization in Spain from 1982, we have to consider 1977 as the key.

In 1977 the political and the economical actors (entrepreneurs and syndicates) signed an agreement, the Moncloa Pacts, considering the alarming situation in the economical and social issues. The effects of the 1973 oil crisis delayed Spain’s early transition to democracy, with a high degree in inflation and unemployment. Without the Moncloa Pacts it would have been very difficult to achieve an institutional commitment from the political and economic actors, as well as from society and people, to drive the country towards a democratic regime. This made it possible to put forward a more social Labor Law for workers. Turkey lacks a deep social reform that could diminish the effects of the neoliberal policies that Turgut Özal began to implement in the 1980s. This is essential to improve the situation of the workers and the social services that are clearly loss-making related to the problems of rootlessness and poverty. It is necessary not only to provide a safe legal environment to the capital but to the citizens in order to offer the opportunities to develop safe and free lives. The State must guarantee the rights and liberties of its citizens.
Concerning religious issues, in 1979 the Spanish state signed the new Concordato with the Holy See (agreement with the Vatican), reforming the 1953 agreement to adjust to the new democratic reality. This agreement clarified the role of the Catholic Church in Spain and separated definitely the State from the Church, recognizing the freedom of worship and thought. However, even today there are a lot of problems related to inequality of different confessions from Catholicism, due to the character of the majority of confessions the Catholic Church traditionally had in Spain. This implies a deficit in religious freedom, but a short-term solution is very difficult. This also leads to problems when enforcing laws that attempt to be morally neutral: divorce, abortion, rights to achieve legal equalities (as the recognition of non-married couples in coexistence, or homosexual marriages) and mainly issues regarding education. In Turkey the problem lies in the religious legitimacy of the Ottoman Empire and the response from the republic through the State’s laïcité as a guarantee of the change that initiated the republic. In this sense laïcité became the basis of the legitimacy of the State as Islam proved to be at another time. Laïcité limited religious freedom in many areas, not only for Sunni Muslims, but for other confessions also, non-Sunni Muslims (such as Alevis), as well as non-Muslims (such as Orthodox Christians) with historic roots in Turkey. Turkey was opened with the statement of the 18 points of Feb. 28, 1997 during the last decade. This crisis manifested the religious problem in the political arena: the secular/religious cleavage. The army, as a foundation of the republic, considered itself the guardian of laïcité, confronting the emerging political forces rising from the society and inspired by religious moral foundations.

Nationalisms, an embedded issue in both countries, coincide in a very thorny subject: the terrorism of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Freedom for Basque Lands, ETA) in Spain and the violence and separatism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey. Furthermore, we have to consider other unsolved historic claims, like the Catalans in Spain or Armenians in Turkey.

These unsolved cleavages define Turkish political life: nationalisms and religious issues. These pendant issues resurged in particular throughout two events: Spring of 2007 when the problem of religion clearly showed this problem was not already solved; and the general elections in July with the 14 percent in the polls pointing towards the extreme nationalist right, represented by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), improving the previous results and using terrorism as the central issue of its campaign.

In the case of Spain, the role of the head of State (and of the army) comes from the dissolution of the Francoist regime as well as the result of an agreement among all the political forces that participated in the transition to democracy. In the case of Turkey, the election of the head of State has become a problem for the veto and the lack of consensus. The head of State, if applicable, has to be a symbol of neutrality and an arbitrator in conflicts of the national political life, without the possibility of a direct political intervention, but as a moderator of political life. The head of State has to be a model of prudence and continuity of the democratic institutions by which the nations are ruled, never a source of conflict of the system.

The stormy times of the transition to democracy in Spain began to be appeased when the social democrats won the general elections after the coup d’état attempt in which unity inside the army was not achieved and the role of the head of State was significant because King Juan Carlos, as well as the people did not support the movement. Proof of it were the massive demonstrations that wanted to support the transition to democracy after the coup d’état attempt in 1981, never experienced before in Spain. Finally, it was the success of the people’s will that supported the reforms against the conservative temptation. The following decade after the victory of the Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) was characterized by continuous reforms of institutions and in the society that led to a stable democracy. Moreover a European and international recognition was expected. None of it was done without cost — and it was not easy, at least as much as it seems to be when we look to the results.

The Spanish process contributes to the experience of several ways to try to reach agreements of minima that could cause a transition to a stable democracy in Turkey. However, more than two decades separates both processes, and this shows different kinds of problems to Turkey. These differences show that Turkey’s possibilities of attaining success in its aims depends more on the domestic pacts than the international situation, although the EU played and will play an important role in achieving this. The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) wants to look to the Spanish 1978 constitutional model, inspired by the German 1949 constitution (Bundesverfassungericht). However the letter of the law is not sufficient. The process to the constitution in Spain was not a peaceful one, and it was preceded by an important political pact that removed the barriers to the participation of every political actor (political parties, syndicates, even the old guard of the Francoist regime) and every idea. Furthermore, the important economical and social pact (Moncloa Pacts) provided certain social peace. Yet these were not sufficient, and there were political rejections of the political and social demands, rejections that cannot be waived before, to build coexistence on the basis of common values and the democratic institutions. Even today the debate is open inside a framework provided by the constitution about the common values, the political and social demands. Moreover this 1978 constitution, which is not perfect, forced actors to sit down at a table and discuss. Without a new political and social pact that takes into account the history and looks towards the future, advances will not occur in Turkey.

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*Antonio Ávalos is researcher in the Group of Studies on History and Theory of International Relations and honorary professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Autonomous University of Madrid. Marién Durán is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Granada.

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