La educación técnico profesional y las competencias para la ciudadanía : el caso de las comunas de la provincia de Concepción, Chile

Este trabajo fue financiado por el Programa de Capital Humano Avanzado Conicyt - Becas ChileEl estudio aborda el tema de las competencias para la ciudadanía en la enseñanza media técnico profesional en las comunas de la provincia de Concepción en Chile. Sus objetivos son analizar el nivel de logro alcanzado respecto de las competencias para la ciudadanía por los alumnos/as de esta modalidad educativa, así como también estudiar la importancia percibida por parte de ellos hacia dichas competencias. Se utilizó un diseño secuencial explicativo, la muestra fue de tipo no probabilístico (n = 422) y se establecieron criterios para la selección de los informantes para el apartado cualitativo (n = 34, 17 profesores y 17 estudiantes). Los instrumentos utilizados para la recolección de la información fueron el cuestionario de autopercepción de competencias ciudadanas y la entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados de esta investigación muestran que los estudiantes tienen una alta autopercepción de las competencias ciudadanas (M = 3,34), lo que se complementa con el análisis de las entrevistas, donde queda de manifiesto que el logro de las competencias se vincula, por un lado, con el desarrollo del currículo en esta modalidad educativa -que incluye prácticas en las empresas- y, por otro, con la conducta y características personales de los/las estudiantesThis study addresses the theme of civic competencies in technical professional secondary education in the municipalities of Concepción Province, Chile. The objectives are focused on analyzing the level of achievement with regards to the students' civic competencies in this educational modality, as well as analyzing the student's perceived importance of said competencies. The sequential explanatory model was used. The sample was non-probabilistic (n = 422) and, in the qualitative portion, a selection criteria for the informants was established (n = 34: 17 teachers and 17 students). The instruments used for the data collection were a questionnaire about self-perception of civic competencies and a semi-structured interview. The results of this investigation demonstrate that the students possess a high self-perception of their civic competencies (M = 3.34). This is complemented by the analysis of the interviews, where it is evidenced that the acquisition of these competencies is linked, on the one hand, to the development of the curriculum in this educational modality, which includes company internships, and, on the other hand, by the students' conduct and characteristic

Ole e 15 and its human counterpart -PPIA- chimeras reveal an heterogeneous IgE response in olive pollen allergic patients

Olive pollen is a major cause of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergy in Mediterranean countries. It is expected to become a worldwide leading allergenic source because olive cultivation is increasing in many countries. Ole e 15 belongs to the cyclophilin pan-allergen family, which includes highly cross-reactive allergens from non-related plant, animal and mold species. Here, the amino acid differences between Ole e 15 and its weak cross-reactive human homolog PPIA were grafted onto Ole e 15 to assess the contribution of specific surface areas to the IgE-binding. Eight Ole e 15-PPIA chimeras were produced in E. coli, purified and tested with 20 sera from Ole e 15-sensitized patients with olive pollen allergy by ELISA experiments. The contribution of linear epitopes was analyzed using twelve overlapping peptides spanning the entire Ole e 15 sequence. All the patients displayed a diverse reduction of the IgE-reactivity to the chimeras, revealing a highly polyclonal and patient-specific response to Ole e 15. IgE-epitopes are distributed across the entire Ole e 15 surface. Two main surface areas containing relevant conformational epitopes have been characterized. This is the first study to identify important IgE-binding regions on the surface of an allergenic cyclophilin.We thank the excellent technical support of Sara Abián Saz. This work was supported by grants cofounded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER): SAF2014-53209-R to M.V. and R.B. and SAF2017-86483-R to M.V. from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and by the Thematic Networks and Co-operative Research Centres: RIRAAF Network RD12/0013/0015; and ARADyAL (RD16/0006/0014) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). A.N. and A.J. acknowledge PI-01119-2016 from the Consejería de Salud (Junta de Andalucía) and the Alergosur Foundation. R.B. also acknowledges the financial support of the PI17CIII/00045 grant from the AES-ISCIII program. The FPU predoctoral contract to P.S.S.-A. is supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. C.O.-S. was supported by a contract of the Programa Operativo de Empleo Juvenil y la Iniciativa de Empleo Juvenil (YEI) with the participation of the Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deporte de la Comunidad de Madrid y del Fondo Social Europeo.S

Level of anxiety versus self-care in the preoperative and postoperative periods of total laryngectomy patients

Objetivo: estimar la prevalencia de ansiedad del paciente laringectomizado, en el preoperatorio y postoperatorio y su relación con el nivel de autocuidados. Método: investigación observacional de 40 pacientes con cáncer de laringe estadio IV. Se realizaron 3 observaciones: en el preoperatorio, a los 7 y 14 días del postoperatorio; en el periodo junio 2010 a diciembre de 2012. Se definieron dos niveles de autocuidados: autosuficientes y necesitar ayuda para las actividades de la vida diaria y derivadas del tratamiento; para evaluar la ansiedad se utilizó la escala de ansiedad hospitalaria de Zigmond (1983). Resultados: en el preoperatorio y postoperatorio los pacientes presentaron niveles elevados de ansiedad. En relación a los autocuidados, los pacientes autosuficientes presentaron en media niveles más bajos de ansiedad que los pacientes que necesitaban ayuda para realizar las actividades de la vida diaria y las derivadas de la cirugía, sin llegar a ser significativas estas diferencias Conclusión: la ansiedad está presente en todo momento en el paciente con laringectomia y la disminución del déficit de autocuidados parece disminuirla sin terminar definitivamente con ella.Objetivo: estimar a prevalência de ansiedade do paciente laringectomizado no pré-operatório e pós-operatório e sua relação com o nível de autocuidado. Método: pesquisa observacional de 40 pacientes com câncer da laringe estágio IV. Foram realizadas 3 observações: no pré-operatório, a 7 e 14 dias pós-operatório, no período de junho de 2010 a dezembro de 2012. Dois níveis de autocuidado foram definidos: autossuficientes e precisar ajuda para as atividades da vida diária e relacionadas ao tratamento. Para avaliar a ansiedade, foi utilizada a escala de ansiedade hospitalar de Zigmond (1983). Resultados: no pré-operatório e pós-operatório, os pacientes apresentaram níveis elevados de ansiedade. Com relação ao autocuidado, os pacientes autossuficientes apresentaram na média níveis inferiores de ansiedades que os pacientes que precisavam de ajuda para realizar as atividades da vida diária y as derivadas da cirurgia, sem chegar a ser significativas estas diferenças. Conclusão: a ansiedade está presente a todo momento no paciente laringectomizado e a diminuição do déficit de autocuidados parece diminuí-la sem acabar definitivamente com ela.Objective: estimate the prevalence of anxiety in laryngectomy patients in the pre and postoperative periods and its relation with the self-care level. Method: observational research of 40 patients with stage IV laryngeal cancer. Three observations took place: in the preoperative phase, at seven and at 14 days after the surgery; between June 2010 and December 2012. Two self-care levels were defined: self-sufficient and needing help for activities of daily living and treatment-related activities. To assess the anxiety levels, Zigmond's hospital anxiety scale (1983) was used. Results: in the preoperative and postoperative phases, the patients presented high levels of anxiety. Concerning self-care, on average, self-sufficient patients presented lower levels of anxiety than patients who needed help to accomplish activities of daily living and activities deriving from the surgery, without significant differences. Conclusion: anxiety is present at all times in laryngectomy patients and the reduction of the self-care deficit seems to decrease it, without putting a permanent end to it

The age again in the eye of the COVID-19 storm: evidence-based decision making

Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; 2019-nCoV; Immunosenescència; ConfinamentCoronavirus SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; 2019-nCoV; Inmunosenescencia; ConfinamientoCoronavirus SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; 2019-nCoV; Immunosenescence; LockdownBackground One hundred fifty million contagions, more than 3 million deaths and little more than 1 year of COVID-19 have changed our lives and our health management systems forever. Ageing is known to be one of the significant determinants for COVID-19 severity. Two main reasons underlie this: immunosenescence and age correlation with main COVID-19 comorbidities such as hypertension or dyslipidaemia. This study has two aims. The first is to obtain cut-off points for laboratory parameters that can help us in clinical decision-making. The second one is to analyse the effect of pandemic lockdown on epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory parameters concerning the severity of the COVID-19. For these purposes, 257 of SARSCoV2 inpatients during pandemic confinement were included in this study. Moreover, 584 case records from a previously analysed series, were compared with the present study data. Results Concerning the characteristics of lockdown series, mild cases accounted for 14.4, 54.1% were moderate and 31.5%, severe. There were 32.5% of home contagions, 26.3% community transmissions, 22.5% nursing home contagions, and 8.8% corresponding to frontline worker contagions regarding epidemiological features. Age > 60 and male sex are hereby confirmed as severity determinants. Equally, higher severity was significantly associated with higher IL6, CRP, ferritin, LDH, and leukocyte counts, and a lower percentage of lymphocyte, CD4 and CD8 count. Comparing this cohort with a previous 584-cases series, mild cases were less than those analysed in the first moment of the pandemic and dyslipidaemia became more frequent than before. IL-6, CRP and LDH values above 69 pg/mL, 97 mg/L and 328 U/L respectively, as well as a CD4 T-cell count below 535 cells/μL, were the best cut-offs predicting severity since these parameters offered reliable areas under the curve. Conclusion Age and sex together with selected laboratory parameters on admission can help us predict COVID-19 severity and, therefore, make clinical and resource management decisions. Demographic features associated with lockdown might affect the homogeneity of the data and the robustness of the results.This work has been carried out without funding

Age of spent Octopus vulgaris and stress mark analysis using beaks of wild individuals

Age estimation of the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris by using beaks has improved in recent years, but maximum age and longevity in the wild have not been confirmed due to the low availability of senescent wild octopuses. In this study, a beak analysis of lateral wall surfaces (LWS) from 20 spent specimens confirmed the one-year lifecycle of the species in Central East Atlantic waters. Stress marks (checks) were clearly located in the daily increment sequence of rostrum sagittal sections (RSS). The highest daily variations in sea surface temperature (ΔT) that occurred during the last months of their lifetimes coincided with the locations of the marks on the beak, enabling confirmation of O. vulgaris beaks as life recorders for the first time. It also supports the daily deposition of RSS beak increments in the wild. Individuals were grouped into two main zones, at 20ºN and 18ºN respectively. Both groups showed different thermal check patterns, in accordance with the oceanographic differences. Two other checks (not coinciding with high values of ΔT) were observed in RSS at averages of 15 and 28 days before death, respectively, which were interpreted as responding to senescent-related events.Instituto Espanol de Oceanografi

Otosclerosis surgery: results of the last 5 years of the University Hospital of Jaén

Objetivos: Nuestro principal objetivo es conocer el porcentaje de éxito de la cirugía mediante el cálculo del gap aéreo-óseo postquirúrgico realizando una audiometría tonal liminar en el periodo de un año tras la fecha de la cirugía. Además, calcularemos si existen diferencias de éxito entre las estapedectomías y las estapedotomías, y el porcentaje de posibles complicaciones tales como nueva pérdida de audición en frecuencias agudas o porcentaje de adaptación protésica tras la cirugía. Métodos: Se ha realizado un estudio de cohortes retrospectivo con un total de 45 oídos diagnosticados y operados de otoesclerosis en el servicio de Otorrinolaringología del Hospital Universitario de Jaén desde el año 2015 hasta final del año 2019, considerando la cohorte de pacientes intervenidos por estapedotomía y la cohorte de pacientes intervenidos por estapedectomía. Posteriormente, se realizó una audiometría tonal liminar en el periodo de un año tras la realización de la cirugía y se calculó el gap aéreo-óseo postquirúrgico audiométrico, tomando el promedio de tonos puros tanto de la vía aérea como de la vía ósea postquirúrgica. Resultados: Se consiguió éxito en la cirugía (gap aéreo-óseo < 20dB) en el 90,3% de los casos intervenidos mediante la técnica de estapedectomía y en el 85,7% de los casos intervenidos mediante la técnica de estapedotomía. Y en total, uniendo ambos grupos, el éxito de la cirugía fue del 88,9%. No se obtuvieron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambas técnicas. Conclusiones: Tras los resultados de nuestro estudio, podemos afirmar que la estapedotomía y la estapedectomía presentan similares tasas de éxito en cuanto a reducir el gap aéreo-oseo postquirúrgico y conseguir mejoría clínica en la audición, no mostrando diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ellas.Objectives: The main aim of our study is to know the percentage of success of otosclerosis surgery in our center. We have assessed it by calculating the post surgical air-bone gap from pure tone audiometries which were realised one year after the surgery. In addition, we have also estimated if there are differences between stapedectomy and stapedotomy procedures as well as possible complications such as new hearing loss at high frequencies or percentage of hearing aid needed after surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out with a total of 45 ears. All of them were diagnosed with otosclerosis and treated at the ENT department of Hospital Universitario de Jaén from 2015 to 2019. In our study, we have considered two cohorts depending on the procedure used, either stapedotomy or stapedectomy. Afterwards, a pure tone audiometry was performed one year after the surgery and the post- surgical air-bone gap was calculated, estimating the pure tone average from both air and bone postsurgical conduction. Results: Surgery success (air-bone gap <20dB) was achieved in 90.3% of the cases using stapedectomy technique while a 85.7% with stapedotomy technique. Altogether, considering both groups, the success of the surgery was 88.9%. There were no statistically significant differences between both techniques. Conclusions: After the results of our study, we can affirm that stapedotomy and stapedectomy have similar success rates in terms of decreasing the post-surgical air-bone gap and achieving clinical improvement of hearing, showing no statistically significant differences between them

Low oxygen levels contribute to improve photohydrogen production in mixotrophic non‑stressed Chlamydomonas cultures

Background: Currently, hydrogen fuel is derived mainly from fossil fuels, but there is an increasing interest in clean and sustainable technologies for hydrogen production. In this context, the ability of some photosynthetic microorganisms, particularly cyanobacteria and microalgae, to produce hydrogen is a promising alternative for renewable, clean-energy production. Among a diverse array of photosynthetic microorganisms able to produce hydrogen, the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is the model organism widely used to study hydrogen production. Despite the well-known fact that acetate-containing medium enhances hydrogen production in this algae, little is known about the precise role of acetate during this process. Results: We have examined several physiological aspects related to acetate assimilation in the context of hydrogen production metabolism. Measurements of oxygen and CO2 levels, acetate uptake, and cell growth were performed under different light conditions, and oxygenic regimes. We show that oxygen and light intensity levels control acetate assimilation and modulate hydrogen production. We also demonstrate that the determination of the contribution of the PSII-dependent hydrogen production pathway in mixotrophic cultures, using the photosynthetic inhibitor DCMU, can lead to dissimilar results when used under various oxygenic regimes. The level of inhibition of DCMU in hydrogen production under low light seems to be linked to the acetate uptake rates. Moreover, we highlight the importance of releasing the hydrogen partial pressure to avoid an inherent inhibitory factor on the hydrogen production. Conclusion: Low levels of oxygen allow for low acetate uptake rates, and paradoxically, lead to efficient and sustained production of hydrogen. Our data suggest that acetate plays an important role in the hydrogen production process, during non-stressed conditions, other than establishing anaerobiosis, and independent of starch accumulation. Potential metabolic pathways involved in hydrogen production in mixotrophic cultures are discussed. Mixotrophic nutrient-replete cultures under low light are shown to be an alternative for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and biomass

Concepciones sobre Formación Ciudadana de Líderes Escolares de La Araucanía, Chile

Este artículo estudia las concepciones explícitas del equipo de gestión escolar sobre la educación cívica y su relación con el ejercicio del liderazgo escolar en las instalaciones educativas de la región de La Araucanía, Chile. La investigación se destaca por la promulgación de la Ley de Educación Cívica en las escuelas, y sigue un método cualitativo con un diseño exploratorio, que permite un primer acercamiento al objetivo del estudio, proporcionando evidencia en el campo de la educación cívica. Ejecutivos de diez instituciones educativas fueron entrevistados. Los resultados muestran diversos conceptos y enfoques de la educación cívica, que se centran en la comprensión de la construcción, la formación humana y su relación con la vida en sociedad, valores, territorio y cultura.El artículo indaga en las concepciones explícitas de los equipos directivos respecto de la formación ciudadana y su implicancia en el ejercicio del liderazgo escolar en centros educativos de la región de La Araucanía (Chile). La relevancia del estudio se enmarca en la promulgación de la Ley de Formación Ciudadana en los establecimientos educativos. La investigación adopta un enfoque cualitativo con un diseño exploratorio, que permite un primer acercamiento al objeto de estudio aportando evidencia al campo de la formación ciudadana. Se entrevistaron directivos de diez establecimientos educacionales. Los resultados muestran que existen diferentes concepciones y aproximaciones a la formación ciudadana y que estas se orientan en la comprensión del constructo, la formación de la persona y su relación con la convivencia en sociedad, los valores, el territorio y la cultura.This article studies the explicit conceptions of the school management team about civic education and its relation to the exercise of school leadership at educational facilities in the region of La Araucanía, Chile. The research is highlighted by the enactment of the Law on Civic Education at schools, and follows a qualitative method with an exploratory design, which allows a first approach to the objective of study, providing evidence to the field of civic education. Executives from ten educational institutions were interviewed. Results show diverse concepts and approaches to civic education, which focus on the construct understandings, the human training and their relationship with living in society, values, territory and culture

The age again in the eye of the COVID-19 storm: evidence-based decision making

Background: One hundred fifty million contagions, more than 3 million deaths and little more than 1 year of COVID-19 have changed our lives and our health management systems forever. Ageing is known to be one of the significant determinants for COVID-19 severity. Two main reasons underlie this: immunosenescence and age correlation with main COVID-19 comorbidities such as hypertension or dyslipidaemia. This study has two aims. The first is to obtain cut-off points for laboratory parameters that can help us in clinical decision-making. The second one is to analyse the effect of pandemic lockdown on epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory parameters concerning the severity of the COVID-19. For these purposes, 257 of SARSCoV2 inpatients during pandemic confinement were included in this study. Moreover, 584 case records from a previously analysed series, were compared with the present study data. Results: Concerning the characteristics of lockdown series, mild cases accounted for 14.4, 54.1% were moderate and 31.5%, severe. There were 32.5% of home contagions, 26.3% community transmissions, 22.5% nursing home contagions, and 8.8% corresponding to frontline worker contagions regarding epidemiological features. Age > 60 and male sex are hereby confirmed as severity determinants. Equally, higher severity was significantly associated with higher IL6, CRP, ferritin, LDH, and leukocyte counts, and a lower percentage of lymphocyte, CD4 and CD8 count. Comparing this cohort with a previous 584-cases series, mild cases were less than those analysed in the first moment of the pandemic and dyslipidaemia became more frequent than before. IL-6, CRP and LDH values above 69 pg/mL, 97 mg/L and 328 U/L respectively, as well as a CD4 T-cell count below 535 cells/?L, were the best cut-offs predicting severity since these parameters offered reliable areas under the curve. Conclusion: Age and sex together with selected laboratory parameters on admission can help us predict COVID-19 severity and, therefore, make clinical and resource management decisions. Demographic features associated with lockdown might affect the homogeneity of the data and the robustness of the results

COVID-19 : Age, Interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and lymphocytes as key clues from a multicentre retrospective study

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 infection has widely spread to become the greatest public health challenge to date, the COVID-19 pandemic. Different fatality rates among countries are probably due to non-standardized records being carried out by local health authorities. The Spanish case-fatality rate is 11.22%, far higher than those reported in Asia or by other European countries. A multicentre retrospective study of demographic, clinical, laboratory and immunological features of 584 Spanish COVID-19 hospitalized patients and their outcomes was performed. The use of renin-angiotensin system blockers was also analysed as a risk factor. Results: In this study, 27.4% of cases presented a mild course, 42.1% a moderate one and for 30.5% of cases, the course was severe. Ages ranged from 18 to 98 (average 63). Almost 60 % (59.8%) of patients were male. Interleukin 6 was higher as severity increased. On the other hand, CD8 lymphocyte count was significantly lower as severity grew and subpopulations CD4, CD8, CD19, and NK showed concordant lowering trends. Severity-related natural killer percent descents were evidenced just within aged cases. A significant severity-related decrease of CD4 lymphocytes was found in males. The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was associated with a better prognosis. The angiotensin II receptor blocker use was associated with a more severe course. Conclusions: Age and age-related comorbidities, such as dyslipidaemia, hypertension or diabetes, determined more frequent severe forms of the disease in this study than in previous literature cohorts. Our cases are older than those so far reported and the clinical course of the disease is found to be impaired by age. Immunosenescence might be therefore a suitable explanation for the hampering of immune system effectors. The adaptive immunity would become exhausted and a strong but ineffective and almost deleterious innate response would account for COVID-19 severity. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors used by hypertensive patients have a protective effect in regards to COVID-19 severity in our series. Conversely, patients on angiotensin II receptor blockers showed a severer disease