Influence of Low Dietary Inclusion of the Microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana (Lubián 1982) on Performance, Fish Morphology, and Muscle Growth in Juvenile Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata)

A 90-d feeding trial was conducted in which five groups of gilthead seabream (11.96 g initial body weight) were fed with a microalgae-free diet (control group, C) or four diets containing the microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana at two inclusion levels (2.5% or 5%), either raw (R2.5 and R5 batches) or cellulose-hydrolyzed (H2.5 and H5 batches), to study their effect on the body and muscle growth. At 40 days, the highest values of body length and weight were reached in R5 group, but at 64 and 90 days, these were reached in R2.5. However, feed conversion rate, specific growth, daily intake, and survival (100%) were similar in all the groups. The acquisition of a discoid body shape was accelerated depending on the inclusion level of N. gaditana in the diets. Moreover, H5 diet affected the fish geometric morphology compared to R5 diet. The white muscle transverse area was similar in all groups at 40 days, with the exception of H2.5 group, which showed the lowest area. At day 90, C and R2.5 displayed the highest muscle growth, attributable to increased hyperplasia in C, and higher hypertrophy in R2.5. However, the highest proportion of small and medium fibers was observed in R5 and H5Versión del edito

Aprendizaje y desarrollo profesional docente

La primera aportación, de José Manuel Esteve, examina “La profesión docente ante los desafíos de la sociedad del conocimiento”. El autor analiza los retos que enfrentan hoy los profesores, así como las respuestas que deben dar los nuevos programas de formación de docentes. Numerosos estudios y trabajos de investigación coinciden en señalar la falta de tiempo para atender a las múltiples responsabilidades que se han ido acumulando sobre el profesor. Parecería que esta es la causa fundamental del agotamiento de los docentes que aparecen sobrecargados de trabajo. Ellos realizan una actividad fragmentaria, en la que simultáneamente deben batirse en distintos frentes, atendiendo a tal cantidad de elementos diferentes que resulta imposible dominar los distintos roles que el sistema educativo y social les pide asumir. En el segundo capítulo, Denise Vaillant examina las “Políticas para un desarrollo profesional docente efectivo” a la luz de las reformas educativas implementadas en América Latina en los últimos quince años. La autora señala que, en muchos casos, el desarrollo profesional docente constituye un vivo ejemplo de lo que “no debe hacerse” en materia de cambio educativo. La no correspondencia entre los recursos invertidos y el impacto en el aula es fragante. El desarrollo profesional docente debe transformarse al compás de los cambios que se están operando en los sistemas sociales y económicos. Para hacerlo son necesarias estrategias sistémicas de acción y no políticas parciales. Transformar el desarrollo profesional docente solo puede hacerse como parte de un cambio sistémico que compromete a la institución educativa, así como al modelo de pensar y hacer política educativa. Emilio Tenti Fanfani, en su trabajo titulado “Reflexiones sobre la construcción social del oficio docente”, examina las particularidades del oficio de enseñar y se pregunta “qué es un docente” Flavia Teriji, en su capítulo sobre “Carrera docente y políticas de desarrollo profesional”, examina la relación existente y posible entre las iniciativas de formación y la carrera docente desde la perspectiva del desarrollo profesional docente (DPD). Ofrece argumentos para fundamentar una combinación valiosa de las carreras docentes y las instancias de formación continua, y propone elementos concretos para la construcción de un nuevo entorno de profesionalización de los docentes de la región. Por su parte, Dalila Andrade Oliveira, en el capítulo titulado “Modelos y estrategias de desarrollo profesional docente”, se plantea en qué medida el desarrollo profesional docente puede ser resultado de las nuevas estrategias de formación que tanto políticos como profesores buscan afanosamente y que dan mayor importancia a los estudios en detrimento de otras formas de profesionalización. Para esta autora, al tomarse la formación docente como principal responsable de la mejora del aprendizaje de los alumnos, las políticas educativas pueden estar desconsiderando otros factores de gran relevancia, regresando a la idea ya superada de que todos los problemas de aprendizaje se resuelven en el espacio intraescolar, partiendo del supuesto ingenuo de que la escuela no juega ningún papel en la reproducción de las desigualdades de los desaventajados o las ventajas de los afortunados. Carlos E. Beca e Ingrid Boerr abordan “El proceso de inserción a la docencia”, en el que en buena medida se construye la identidad profesional y durante el cual los docentes noveles se esfuerzan por dominar “los secretos del oficio” y responder al sinfín de demandas que los docentes principiantes deben afrontar, la mayor parte de las veces sin acompañamiento alguno. Los autores hacen un recorrido por las distintas maneras y contextos en los que se puede vivir la inserción profesional, así como por las políticas intencionadas de apoyo a la inserción y las modalidades y estrategias de inducción como fase del desarrollo profesional docente, para finalizar analizando la figura del mentor, su formación y su rol, y las condiciones más adecuadas para establecer un programa de inducción. El siempre importante y difícil tema de la evaluación del desarrollo profesional docente es abordado por Carlos Marcelo. El autor introduce el tema planteando las lecciones aprendidas de las experiencias del DPD. Posteriormente, tras lamentar la escasa literatura existente sobre la evaluación del DPD, identifica algunos elementos, componentes o principios en los que coinciden diferentes estudios sobre el tema. Marcelo destaca la irrupción en la última década del aprendizaje de los alumnos como indicador de la calidad del DPD y plantea algunas cautelas para no establecer una relación lineal. El capítulo finaliza con el análisis de varios momentos o niveles en la evaluación del desarrollo profesional docente. En el siguiente capítulo, Sylvia B. Ortega y María Adelina Castañeda comienzan realizando una valoración de las instituciones de formación inicial docente en América Latina para profundizar después en el análisis de la situación del formador de formadores en México, que califican de encrucijada “entre la escuela y la academia”. Argumentan cómo las escuelas normales, tradicionalmente responsables de la formación inicial, han propiciado la construcción de una identidad profesional muy comprometida con la igualdad de oportunidades y la inclusión, pero no llegan a proporcionar a los futuros docentes una educación de calidad, a innovar las prácticas docentes, producir nuevos conocimientos disciplinares y pedagógicos, e integrar los procesos formativos con el desarrollo de la escuela. Terminan analizando las dos últimas décadas de cambios en la formación inicial de docentes en México y caracterizando el perfil de los formadores de formadores en la actualidad. El capítulo de Consuelo Vélaz de Medrano se centra en el papel que puede jugar en el apoyo al desarrollo profesional docente un determinado perfil profesional –el de los orientadores o asesores psicopedagógicos– con una gran tradición en el sistema educativo de muchos países, también de América Latina. Más concretamente, analiza el modelo que se ha demostrado más adecuado para promover el DPD y contribuir a que el profesorado, individualmente y como colectivo, deje de enfrentarse en solitario a la difícil tarea de educar. La autora se basa en que el núcleo duro de la función asesora son el empoderamiento y el aprendizaje de la comunidad escolar trabajando en torno a problemas cotidianos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Por último, se explora la posibilidad que supone el rol de asesor para el desarrollo de la carrera de los docentes experimentados. Por su parte, Gloria Calvo aborda un tema importante para el DPD y la propia mejora de la educación: la innovación e investigación en materia de aprendizaje docente y desarrollo profesional. En la primera parte, y a modo de introducción, la autora valora los distintos debates planteados en torno al aprendizaje docente y el desarrollo profesional, para centrarse en la segunda parte en la investigación que es accesible a los docentes y que constituye una posibilidad insuficientemente generalizada de aprendizaje y DPD. El capítulo culmina con el análisis crítico de la relación entre investigación, innovación y política educativa. El libro se cierra con un trabajo de Beatriz Tancredi sobre “Nuevos ambientes de aprendizaje para el desarrollo profesional docente”. A lo largo del capítulo, la autora nos lleva por un territorio caracterizado por la variabilidad de recursos y experiencias: portales educativos vistos como “ambiente de ambientes”, cursos y aulas virtuales alojados en plataformas de teleformación, desarrolladas ad hoc o disponibles libremente como Moodle, entornos virtuales de aprendizaje (EVA o AVA), comunidades de práctica y comunidades virtuales de aprendizaje, que recientemente se están apoyando en los blogs. La autora analiza esta variedad de nuevos ambientes para el DPD en relación con la formación presencial, con su inscripción en un marco institucional o no y con su alcance geográfico (local, regional, nacional e internacional). Por último, se apuntan algunos criterios que permitirán al docente/aprendiz valorar si aquello que se le presenta como un nuevo ambiente de aprendizaje para el DPD es realmente un buen ejemplo de ello

Six-year follow-up of slaughterhouse surveillance (2008-2013): the Catalan Slaughterhouse Support Network (SESC)

Meat inspection has the ultimate objective of declaring the meat and offal obtained from carcasses of slaughtered animals fit or unfit for human consumption. This safeguards the health of consumers by ensuring that the food coming from these establishments poses no risk to public health. Concomitantly, it contributes to animal disease surveillance. The Catalan Public Health Protection Agency (Generalitat de Catalunya) identified the need to provide its meat inspectors with a support structure to improve diagnostic capacity: the Slaughterhouse Support Network (SESC). The main goal of the SESC was to offer continuing education to meat inspectors to improve the diagnostic capacity for lesions observed in slaughterhouses. With this aim, a web-based application was designed that allowed meat inspectors to submit their inquiries, images of the lesions, and samples for laboratory analysis. This commentary reviews the cases from the first 6 years of SESC operation (2008–2013). The program not only provides continuing education to inspectors but also contributes to the collection of useful information on animal health and welfare. Therefore, SESC complements animal disease surveillance programs, such as those for tuberculosis, bovine cysticercosis, and porcine trichinellosis, and is a powerful tool for early detection of emerging animal diseases and zoonoses

Biocompatibility, Inflammatory Response, and Recannalization Characteristics of Nonradioactive Resin Microspheres: Histological Findings

Intra-arterial radiotherapy with yttrium-90 microspheres (radioembolization) is a therapeutic procedure exclusively applied to the liver that allows the direct delivery of high-dose radiation to liver tumors, by means of endovascular catheters, selectively placed within the tumor vasculature. The aim of the study was to describe the distribution of spheres within the precapillaries, inflammatory response, and recannalization characteristics after embolization with nonradioactive resin microspheres in the kidney and liver. We performed a partial embolization of the liver and kidney vessels in nine white pigs. The left renal and left hepatic arteries were catheterized and filled with nonradioactive resin microspheres. Embolization was defined as the initiation of near-stasis of blood flow, rather than total occlusion of the vessels. The hepatic circulation was not isolated so that the effects of reflux of microspheres into stomach could be observed. Animals were sacrificed at 48 h, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, and tissue samples from the kidney, liver, lung, and stomach evaluated. Microscopic evaluation revealed clusters of 10–30 microspheres (15–30 μm in diameter) in the small vessels of the kidney (the arciform arteries, vasa recti, and glomerular afferent vessels) and liver. Aggregates were associated with focal ischemia and mild vascular wall damage. Occlusion of the small vessels was associated with a mild perivascular inflammatory reaction. After filling of the left hepatic artery with microspheres, there was some evidence of arteriovenous shunting into the lungs, and one case of cholecystitis and one case of marked gastritis and ulceration at the site of arterial occlusion due to the presence of clusters of microspheres. Beyond 48 h, microspheres were progressively integrated into the vascular wall by phagocytosis and the lumen recannalized. Eight-week evaluation found that the perivascular inflammatory reaction was mild. Liver cell damage, bile duct injury, and portal space fibrosis were not observed. In conclusion, resin microspheres (15–30 μm diameter) trigger virtually no inflammatory response in target tissues (liver and kidney). Clusters rather than individual microspheres were associated with a mild to moderate perivascular inflammatory reaction. There was no evidence of either a prolonged inflammatory reaction or fibrosis in the liver parenchyma following recannalization

Overview of recent TJ-II stellarator results

The main results obtained in the TJ-II stellarator in the last two years are reported. The most important topics investigated have been modelling and validation of impurity transport, validation of gyrokinetic simulations, turbulence characterisation, effect of magnetic configuration on transport, fuelling with pellet injection, fast particles and liquid metal plasma facing components. As regards impurity transport research, a number of working lines exploring several recently discovered effects have been developed: the effect of tangential drifts on stellarator neoclassical transport, the impurity flux driven by electric fields tangent to magnetic surfaces and attempts of experimental validation with Doppler reflectometry of the variation of the radial electric field on the flux surface. Concerning gyrokinetic simulations, two validation activities have been performed, the comparison with measurements of zonal flow relaxation in pellet-induced fast transients and the comparison with experimental poloidal variation of fluctuations amplitude. The impact of radial electric fields on turbulence spreading in the edge and scrape-off layer has been also experimentally characterized using a 2D Langmuir probe array. Another remarkable piece of work has been the investigation of the radial propagation of small temperature perturbations using transfer entropy. Research on the physics and modelling of plasma core fuelling with pellet and tracer-encapsulated solid-pellet injection has produced also relevant results. Neutral beam injection driven Alfvénic activity and its possible control by electron cyclotron current drive has been examined as well in TJ-II. Finally, recent results on alternative plasma facing components based on liquid metals are also presented. ISSN:0029-5515 ISSN:1741-432

Genome-wide association analysis of dementia and its clinical endophenotypes reveal novel loci associated with Alzheimer's disease and three causality networks : The GR@ACE project

Introduction: Large variability among Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases might impact genetic discoveries and complicate dissection of underlying biological pathways. Methods: Genome Research at Fundacio ACE (GR@ACE) is a genome-wide study of dementia and its clinical endophenotypes, defined based on AD's clinical certainty and vascular burden. We assessed the impact of known AD loci across endophenotypes to generate loci categories. We incorporated gene coexpression data and conducted pathway analysis per category. Finally, to evaluate the effect of heterogeneity in genetic studies, GR@ACE series were meta-analyzed with additional genome-wide association study data sets. Results: We classified known AD loci into three categories, which might reflect the disease clinical heterogeneity. Vascular processes were only detected as a causal mechanism in probable AD. The meta-analysis strategy revealed the ANKRD31-rs4704171 and NDUFAF6-rs10098778 and confirmed SCIMP-rs7225151 and CD33-rs3865444. Discussion: The regulation of vasculature is a prominent causal component of probable AD. GR@ACE meta-analysis revealed novel AD genetic signals, strongly driven by the presence of clinical heterogeneity in the AD series

Oral Anticoagulation and Risk of Symptomatic Hemorrhagic Transformation in Stroke Patients Treated With Mechanical Thrombectomy: Data From the Nordictus Registry

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate if prior oral anticoagulation (OAC) and its type determines a greater risk of symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) subjected to mechanical thrombectomy. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients with AIS included in the prospective reperfusion registry NORDICTUS, a network of tertiary stroke centers in Northern Spain, from January 2017 to December 2019 were included. Prior use of oral anticoagulants, baseline variables, and international normalized ratio (INR) on admission were recorded. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome was the relation between INR and sICH, and we evaluated mortality and functional outcome at 3 months by modified Rankin scale. We compared patients with and without previous OAC and also considered the type of oral anticoagulants. Results: About 1.455 AIS patients were included, of whom 274 (19%) were on OAC, 193 (70%) on vitamin K antagonists (VKA), and 81 (30%) on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Anticoagulated patients were older and had more comorbidities. Eighty-one (5.6%) developed sICH, which was more frequent in the VKA group, but not in DOAC group. OAC with VKA emerged as a predictor of sICH in a multivariate regression model (OR, 1.89 [95% CI, 1.01–3.51], p = 0.04) and was not related to INR level on admission. Prior VKA use was not associated with worse outcome in the multivariate regression model nor with mortality at 3 months. Conclusions: OAC with VKA, but not with DOACs, was an independent predictor of sICH after mechanical thrombectomy. This excess risk was associated neither with INR value by the time thrombectomy was performed, nor with a worse functional outcome or mortality at 3 months

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3–5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant’s success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries

This work is the result of an international research effort to determine the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine recreational fishing. Changes were assessed on (1) access to fishing, derived from lockdowns and other mobility restrictions; (2) ecosystems, because of alterations in fishing intensity and human presence; (3) the blue economy, derived from alterations in the investments and expenses of the fishers; and (4) society, in relation to variations in fishers’ health and well-being. For this, a consultation with experts from 16 countries was carried out, as well as an international online survey aimed at recreational fishers, that included specific questions designed to capture fishers’ heterogeneity in relation to behavior, skills and know-how, and vital involvement. Fishers’ participation in the online survey (5,998 recreational fishers in 15 countries) was promoted through a marketing campaign. The sensitivity of the fishers’ clustering procedure, based on the captured heterogeneity, was evaluated by SIMPER analysis and by generalized linear models. Results from the expert consultation highlighted a worldwide reduction in marine recreational fishing activity. Lower human-driven pressures are expected to generate some benefits for marine ecosystems. However, experts also identified high negative impacts on the blue economy, as well as on fisher health and well-being because of the loss of recreational fishing opportunities. Most (98%) of the fishers who participated in the online survey were identified as advanced, showing a much higher degree of commitment to recreational fishing than basic fishers (2%). Advanced fishers were, in general, more pessimistic about the impacts of COVID-19, reporting higher reductions in physical activity and fish consumption, as well as poorer quality of night rest, foul mood, and raised more concerns about their health status. Controlled and safe access to marine recreational fisheries during pandemics would provide benefits to the health and well-being of people and reduce negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for vulnerable social groups.Versión del edito