Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and anogenital distance in children at 18 months

Background: Anogenital distance (AGD) is a measure of in utero exposure to hormonally active agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and AGD. Methods: POP levels were measured in pregnant women, and the AGD was recorded in 43 offspring at 18 months. We used linear regression models to analyze the association between maternal POP exposure and offspring AGD. We defined the anogenital index (AGI) as AGD divided by weight at 18 months (AGI = AGD / weight at 18 months [mm/kg]) and included this variable in the regression models. Results: AGI measure was 2.35 (0.61) and 1.38 (0.45) in males and females, respectively. AGI was inversely associated with lipid-adjusted concentrations of PBDE-99 (β = -0.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.51, -0.04) and PBDE-153 (β = -0.61, 95% CI: -1.11, -0.11) in males. We did not find any statistically significant relationship between any POPs and AGI in females. Conclusions: Environmental exposure to POPs may affect genital development and result in reproductive tract alterations with potentially relevant health consequences in maturity. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.This study was funded by grants from FIS-FEDER (PI04/2018, PI09/02311, and PI13/02429), Fundación Cajastur-Liberbank, and Universidad de Oviedo.Peer reviewe

Percepción del profesorado que participa en programas de tránsito a la vida adulta en personas con discapacidad: Un estudio descriptivo en cuatro centros europeos

La calidad de la educación de las personas con discapacidad y sus posibilidades de inserción sociolaboral dependen en gran medida de la formación del profesorado. Para mejorar su capacitación es necesario conocer cómo se desarrollan los programas formativos y quénecesidades presentan los docentes. Este artículo tiene por objeto conocer la realidad del profesorado que participa en programas de tránsito a la vida adulta en personas con discapacidad y en riesgo de exclusión social en cuatro centros europeos de Dinamarca, Finlandia,Grecia y España, en el marco de un proyecto europeo donde profundizan en el alcance de los programas, las necesidades formativas del profesorado y las metodologías que emplean. A través de un diseño no experimental, basado en el estudio de caso como metodología y recogiendo datos con un cuestionario, los resultados obtenidos destacan un profundo compromiso del profesorado, la utilización de una amplia variedad metodológica y una alta motivación asociada a las propias necesidades formativas y a las propias demandas del alumnado lo que les lleva a adoptar un planteamiento didáctico innovador, flexible y práctico orientado a la empleabilidad. Los resultados indican que Dinamarca y Finlandia tienen un profesorado más implicado en su formación continua lo que repercute positivamente en la mejora de la calidad educativa y en su desarrollo profesional

Teacher training perception involved in programs of transit to active life with people with disabilities: a descriptive study in four European education centers

RESUMEN: La calidad de la educación de las personas con discapacidad y sus posibilidades de inserción sociolaboral dependen en gran medida de la formación del profesorado. Para mejorar su capacitación es necesario conocer cómo se desarrollan los programas formativos y qué necesidades presentan los docentes. Este artículo tiene por objeto conocer la realidad del profesorado que participa en programas de tránsito a la vida adulta en personas con discapacidad y en riesgo de exclusión social en cuatro centros europeos de Dinamarca, Finlandia, Grecia y España, en el marco de un proyecto europeo donde profundizan en el alcance de los programas, las necesidades formativas del profesorado y las metodologías que emplean. A través de un diseño no experimental, basado en el estudio de caso como metodología y recogiendo datos con un cuestionario, los resultados obtenidos destacan un profundo compromiso del profesorado, la utilización de una amplia variedad metodológica y una alta motivación asociada a las propias necesidades formativas y a las propias demandas del alumnado lo que les lleva a adoptar un planteamiento didáctico innovador, flexible y práctico orientado a la empleabilidad. Los resultados indican que Dinamarca y Finlandia tienen un profesorado más implicado en su formación continua lo que repercute positivamente en la mejora de la calidad educativa y en su desarrollo profesional.ABSTRACT: The quality of the education of people with disabilities and their labor integration possibilities depend heavily on teacher training. To enhance the training it?s necessary to know how the training programs are developed and presented to what the teachers need. This article seeks to know the reality of teachers participating in programs for people with disabilities and at risk of social exclusion transitioning to adult life in four European centers in Denmark, Finland, Greece and Spain. They are participating in a European project, deepening the scope of the programs, the training needs of teachers and the methodology employed. Through a non-experimental design, focusing on the case study and collecting data with a questionnaire, the results highlight the deep commitment of teachers, incorporating methodological changes constantly motivated by their own training needs and the specific demands of the students. This takes an innovative, flexible and practical employability and supports the didactic approach. The results indicate that Denmark and Finland have a faculty that is more actively involved in their ongoing training, which has a positive impact on improving the quality of education and professional development

Prenatal Exposure to Cigarette Smoke and Anogenital Distance at 4 Years in the INMA-Asturias Cohort

Smoking by women is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, infertility, and prolonged time to pregnancy. Anogenital distance (AGD) is a sensitive biomarker of prenatal androgen and antiandrogen exposure. We investigated the effect of smoking and passive smoke exposure during pregnancy on anogenital distance in offspring at 4 years in the INMA-Asturias cohort (Spain). Women were interviewed during pregnancy to collect information on tobacco consumption, and anogenital distance was measured in 381 children: Anoscrotal distance in boys and anofourchetal distance in girls. We also measured maternal urinary cotinine levels at 32 weeks of pregnancy. We constructed linear regression models to analyze the association between prenatal smoke exposure and anogenital distance and adjusted the models by relevant covariates. Reported prenatal smoke exposure was associated with statistically significant increased anogenital index (AGI), both at week 12 of pregnancy (β = 0.31, 95% confidence interval: 0.00, 0.63) and at week 32 of pregnancy (β = 0.31, 95% confidence interval: 0.00, 0.63) in male children, suggesting altered androgenic signaling.Funding was provided by CIBERESP (PhD employment contract and fellowship for short stays abroad—2019), FIS-FEDER (grants PI04/2018, PI09/02311, PI13/02429, and PI18/00909), Obra Social Cajastur/Fundación Liberbank, and Universidad de Oviedo

Susceptible windows of exposure to fine particulate matter and fetal growth trajectories in the Spanish INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) birth cohort

While prior studies report associations between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and fetal growth, few have explored temporally refined susceptible windows of exposure.We included 2328 women from the Spanish INMA Project from 2003 to 2008. Longitudinal growth curves were constructed for each fetus using ultrasounds from 12, 20, and 34 gestational weeks. Z-scores representing growth trajectories of biparietal diameter, femur length, abdominal circumference (AC), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) during early (0-12 weeks), mid-(12-20 weeks), and late (20-34 weeks) pregnancy were calcu-lated. A spatio-temporal random forest model with back-extrapolation provided weekly PM2.5 exposure estimates for each woman during her pregnancy. Distributed lag non-linear models were implemented within the Bayesian hierarchical framework to identify susceptible windows of exposure for each outcome and cumulative effects [13cum, 95% credible interval (CrI)] were aggregated across adjacent weeks. For comparison, general linear models evaluated associations between PM2.5 averaged across multi-week periods (i.e., weeks 1-11, 12-19, and 20-33) and fetal growth, mutually adjusted for exposure during each period. Results are presented as %change in z-scores per 5 mu g/m3 in PM2.5, adjusted for covariates.Weeks 1-6 [13cum =-0.77%, 95%CrI (-1.07%,-0.47%)] were identified as a susceptible window of exposure for reduced late pregnancy EFW while weeks 29-33 were positively associated with this outcome [13cum = 0.42%, 95%CrI (0.20%, 0.64%)]. A similar pattern was observed for AC in late pregnancy. In linear regression models, PM2.5 exposure averaged across weeks 1-11 was associated with reduced late pregnancy EFW and AC; but, positive associations between PM2.5 and EFW or AC trajectories in late pregnancy were not observed.PM2.5 exposures during specific weeks may affect fetal growth differentially across pregnancy and such as-sociations may be missed by averaging exposure across multi-week periods, highlighting the importance of temporally refined exposure estimates when studying the associations of air pollution with fetal growth

Risk factors for thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy: an individual participant data meta-analysis

Background: International guidelines recommend targeted screening to identify gestational thyroid dysfunction. However, currently used risk factors have questionable discriminative ability. We quantified the risk for thyroid function test abnormalities for a subset of risk factors currently used in international guidelines. Methods: We included prospective cohort studies with data on gestational maternal thyroid function and potential risk factors (maternal age, body mass index [BMI], parity, smoking status, pregnancy through in vitro fertilization, twin pregnancy, gestational age, maternal education, and thyroid peroxidase antibody [TPOAb] or thyroglobulin antibody [TgAb] positivity). Exclusion criteria were pre-existing thyroid disease and use of thyroid interfering medication. We analyzed individual participant data using mixed-effects regression models. Primary outcomes were overt and subclinical hypothyroidism and a treatment indication (defined as overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism with thyrotropin >10 mU/L, or subclinical hypothyroidism with TPOAb positivity). Results: The study population comprised 65,559 participants in 25 cohorts. The screening rate in cohorts using risk factors currently recommended (age >30 years, parity ≥2, BMI ≥40) was 58%, with a detection rate for overt and subclinical hypothyroidism of 59%. The absolute risk for overt or subclinical hypothyroidism varied <2% over the full range of age and BMI and for any parity. Receiver operating characteristic curves, fitted using maternal age, BMI, smoking status, parity, and gestational age at blood sampling as explanatory variables, yielded areas under the curve ranging from 0.58 to 0.63 for the primary outcomes. TPOAbs/TgAbs positivity was associated with overt hypothyroidism (approximate risk for antibody negativity 0.1%, isolated TgAb positivity 2.4%, isolated TPOAb positivity 3.8%, combined antibody positivity 7.0%; p < 0.001), subclinical hypothyroidism (risk for antibody negativity 2.2%, isolated TgAb positivity 8.1%, isolated TPOAb positivity 14.2%, combined antibody positivity 20.0%; p < 0.001) and a treatment indication (risk for antibody negativity 0.2%, isolated TgAb positivity 2.2%, isolated TPOAb positivity 3.0%, and combined antibody positivity 5.1%; p < 0.001). Twin pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of overt hyperthyroidism (5.6% vs. 0.7%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The risk factors assessed in this study had poor predictive ability for detecting thyroid function test abnormalities, questioning their clinical usability for targeted screening. As expected, TPOAb positivity (used as a benchmark) was a relevant risk factor for (subclinical) hypothyroidism. These results provide insights into different risk factors for gestational thyroid dysfunction

Chateleo, chatescribo, chateconozco

El proyecto trata del uso del correo electrónico y de las nuevas tecnologías para motivar el aprendizaje y progreso de la lecto-escritura y estimular las habilidades sociales con alumnos de educación especial en coordinación con otros centros de la provincia. Trata de fomentar actitudes y habilidades de comunicación social manteniendo correpondencia y comunicación en tiempo real con alumnos de otros grupos o centros: qué decir, qué responder, como iniciar una conversación, cómo presentarse o despedirse. Motivar el aprendizaje de lecto-escritura con los recursos que ofrece la informática, el procesador de textos, los multimedia y las redes de comunicación, el correo electrónico. Acceder a una nueva gama de programas educativos en soporte informático. Que el alumno conozca otras personas y haga amigos: primero intercambiando mensajes y cartas, luego a través de fotos, finalmente en directo. Que el alumno descubra nuevas formas de ocupar el tiemop libre, como alternativa al aburrimiento o, incluso, al consumo de alcohol. Que el alumno aprenda a defenderse de los contenidos y propuestas indeseables que puedan surgir en el chat, con el asesoramiento y control del tutor.Gobierno de Cantabria. Consejería de Educación y JuventudCantabriaES

Cuadernos digitales de FOL para alumnos con necesidades especiales

El trabajo no ha sido publicado. Entre los materiales adjuntos, se encuentra el cuaderno de FOL, tanto en su versión impresa como digital, así como otra documentación. Resumen basado en ficha elaborada por los autoresEl proyecto se lleva a cabo en el aula y el taller del programa de garantía social del centro Fernando Arce, siendo participes de él 3 profesores del centro. Los objetivos orientados a los alumnos son: contribuir a la formación de los alumnos de Garantía Social en aspectos laborales mediante la adquisición de hábitos y capacidades que les permitan abordar con éxito su incorporación al mundo laboral; ampliar la formación teórico-práctica de los alumnos en temas de formación laboral. Los orientados al personal son: presentar los contenidos didácticos del componente formativo FOL; adaptar los contenidos legales propuestos para el área de FOL a las necesidades y características de los alumnos; diseñar un sistema de evaluación que garantice unos conocimientos mínimos en formación laboral; relacionar este componente formativo con el currículo de Garantía Social y dentro del perfil profesional 'auxiliar de hostelería'. Para lograrlos se ha recopilado información de diferentes sitios web y libros, tras elegir y adaptar los contenidos finales, se elaboró un manual de FOL en formato impreso y digital. El trabajo aún no ha sido evaluado. Se ha consultado la legislación vigente, así como libros de texto de FOL.Consejería de Educación y Juventud de CantabriaCantabriaES

Association between pre/perinatal exposure to POPs and children's anogenital distance at age 4 years: A study from the INMA-Asturias cohort

Background Prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may impair genital development and alter reproductive tract anatomy. Anogenital distance (AGD) is a useful biomarker of exposure to chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors. We evaluated associations between prenatal and perinatal exposure to several persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and AGD in 4-year-old children. Methods Data were drawn from the INMA-Asturias cohort. Pediatricians measured the anofourchetal distance in female children and anoscrotal distance in male children. The anogenital index (AGI) was defined as the AGD divided by the child's weight at age of examination. We measured the levels of two hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, six polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and six polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in maternal serum at 12 gestational weeks (n = 155) and in cord blood serum (n = 229). Anthropometric and parental sociodemographic variables were collected via face-to-face interviews. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between exposure to POPs and AGI, adjusted for confounders and stratified by sex. Results In male children, we found inverse associations between AGI and maternal concentrations of PCB-138 (ß = −0.041, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.074, −0.008, second tertile), PCB-153 (ß = −0.052, 95% CI: −0.085, −0.020, second tertile), PCB-180 ß = −0.065, 95% CI: −0.096, −0.035, second tertile; ß = −0.042, 95% CI: −0.073, −0.011, third tertile), PBDE-209 (ß = −0.031, 95% CI: −0.058, −0.006), cord serum concentrations of PCB-153 (ß = −0.029, 95% CI: −0.059, −0.000, second tertile; ß = −0.047, 95% CI: −0.085, −0.008, third tertile), and PCB-180 (ß = −0.041, 95% CI: −0.078, −0.005, third tertile). In female children, AGI was positively associated with maternal serum concentrations of PCB-101 (ß = 0.039, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.076, second tertile), and higher cord serum levels of 4,4′-DDT (ß = 0.032, 95% CI: 0.003, 0.061, third tertile) and 4,4′-DDE (ß = 0.040, 95% CI: 0.011, 0.069, third tertile). Conclusions Our findings provide evidence of associations between specific POPs and AGI in boys and girls aged 4 years, and suggest that pre/perinatal exposure to POPs has a feminizing effect in males and a masculinizing effect in females.The authors would particularly like to thank all the participants for their generous collaboration and the staff from Hospital San Agustin in Aviles for their effort. This study was funded by grants from, CIBERESP (PhD-employment-contract and fellowship for short stays abroad-2019), FIS-FEDER: PI04/2018, PI09/02311, PI13/02429, PI18/00909; Obra Social Cajastur/Fundación Liberbank, and Universidad de Oviedo. We thank Edanz Group (www.edanzediting.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript, and Fundación NOE Alimerka.Peer reviewe