The effect of winter swimming on body's external temperature

Background and Study Aim. The main aim was to compare the changes in external body temperature of students who gave in an immersion of winter swimming. Material and Methods. The study group consisted of 15 students, including 7 males and 8 females. The average age of the subjects was 22.4+1.12 years. The group was tested by measuring outer body temperature at 30 spots across their bodies by using a FLUXE 64 MAX pyrometer. Afterwards, subjects entered ice-cold water for 3 minutes. Immediately after leaving the water the second temperature measurements at the same 30 spots were conducted, and the third measurements were done 15 minutes after leaving the water. After 15 days of testing the comparison was made: temperature values from before and after the immersion. Results. The students showed significantly higher average body temperature values before the testing (34.96°C ± 2.21 to 21.85 ± 3.68) and the lowest after the testing (29.86°C ± 4.91 to 6.26°C ± 1.04). The highest difference in average temperatures was obtained in the measurement of the left lower leg - front, the examination before and after (20.73°C), and the lowest in the measurement of the right hand - palm side, the examination after and 15 minutes after (0.19°C). Conclusions. Winter swimming is becoming an increasingly popular sport activity. Conducted research shows the positive influence of winter swimming on human body and organism. The presented research should be further continued in order to learn more about the influence of cold on human body

Efectivitat de l'aprenentatge basat en problemes (ABP) en l'assignatura de Teràpia Gènica i Molecular d'Odontologia

Podeu consultar la Vuitena trobada de professorat de Ciències de la Salut completa a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/66524L’aprenentatge basat en problemes (ABP) és una estratègia didàctica innovadora centrada en l’estudiant, que facilita l’adquisició d’unes habilitats i competències indispensables en l’entorn professional i que proporciona el context adequat per afavorir el treball en grup i l’aprenentatge significatiu. L’experiència que aquí descrivim neix de la necessitat de motivar i implicar els estudiants d’Odontologia (2n-4t curs) en l’aprenentatge i assoliment de les competències transversals i les específiques definides en el pla docent de l’assignatura optativa de 3 ECTS Teràpia gènica i molecular durant el curs 2013-2014. Han participat un total de 32 estudiants distribuïts en 4 grups La dinàmica de l’ABP consisteix en la resolució d’un cas entre 6 dissenyats prèviament per l'equip de profesors, que cada grup d'estudiants ha de solucionar aplicant conceptes de Teràpia Gènica per a dissenyar una estratègia terapèutica innovadora aplicada a un desordre de la salut. En aquesta comunicació es descriu l’experiència realitzada, tenint en compte aspectes metodològics, descripció de les dinàmiques de grup, avaluació de l’experiència per part dels estudiants i dels tutors, així com la seva incidència en els resultats globals de l’assignatura. Tambè se ha fet una anàlisi comparativa dels resultats d'aquest curs amb els dels cursos previs. Aquest projecte ha constituït la primera experiència amb l

The role of advanced practice nurses in creating the kidney transplant candidate care map (APN‑preKT): a convergent‑parallel mixed methods research protocol

Background: Waiting time for kidney transplants (KT) is an important health determinant for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). During this time, ongoing evaluation and participation is necessary in order to guarantee the quality and suitability of the proposed treatment. There is no existing literature on the potential impact of inclusion of an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) role in the hospital setting on care for CKD patients who are candidates for KT. The main objectives of this protocol are: to analyse outpatient nursing activity in the care of individuals with KT in Spain; to identify the needs of individuals who are KT candidates; and to measure the impact of the APN role through patient outcomes and experiences. These objectives are fulfilled through 5 specific related substudies. Methods A convergent parallel mixed methods approach will be conducted between July 2021 and April 2024. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected and analysed separately to ascertain whether the findings confirm or contradict one another. Each of the 5 substudies of the project require a specific design, sampling method, and data collection procedure in order to meet the overall objectives for the project. Discussion: The results of the project are expected to inform the design of future nursing roles and contribute to future improvements in the quality of care provided. The data that may be obtained from this protocol are limited to the specific context of the study facility and may be extrapolated but not compared to other settings due to the variability of care pathways for KT candidates internationally

Changes in the allostatic response to whole-body cryotherapy and static-stretching exercises in chronic fatigue syndrome patients vs. Healthy individuals

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.This study represents a comparison of the functional interrelation of fatigue and cognitive, cardiovascular and autonomic nervous systems in a group of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients compared with those in healthy individuals at different stages of analysis: at baseline and after changes induced by whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) combined with a static-stretching (SS) program. The study included 32 patients (Fukuda criteria) and 18 healthy controls. Fatigue, cogni-tive, cardiovascular and autonomic function and arterial stiffness were measured before and after 10 sessions of WBC with SS. In the patients, a disturbance in homeostasis was observed. The network relationship based on differences before and after intervention showed comparatively higher stress and eccentricity in the CFS group: 50.9 ± 56.1 vs. 6.35 ± 8.72, p = 0.002, r = 0.28; and 4.8 ± 0.7 vs. 2.4 ± 1, p < 0.001, r = 0.46, respectively. Before and after intervention, in the CFS group increased fatigue was related to baroreceptor function, and baroreceptor function was in turn related to aortic stiffness, but no such relationships were observed in the control group. Differences in the network structure underlying the interrelation among the four measured criteria were observed in both groups, before the intervention and after ten sessions of whole cryotherapy with a static stretching exercise.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Les ocupacions prehistòriques a les Coves de l'Aumediella (Benifallet) : una visió sintètica

Les coves de l'Aumediella, situades en un dels meandres del riu Ebre a l'alçada de Benifallet (Baix Ebre), han estat fruit de diverses troballes d'interès arqueològic, ben documentades des d'inicis del segle XX. El treballs centrats en el reestudi dels materials arqueològics recuperats, principalment ceràmica, lític i macrolític, ha aportat noves dades relacionades amb les activitats de freqüentació i ús d'aquest conjunt de 6 cavitats. En aquest sentit, el present article es centra en sintetitzar i contextualitzar les principals aportacions dels materials arqueològics recuperats amb l'objectiu contribuir al coneixement de les comunitats del VI-II mil·lenni al tram baix del riu Ebre.The Aumediella's caves, located in a meander of the Ebro River in its passage by Benifallet (Baix Ebre), have generated several findings of archaeological interest, well documented from the early twentieth century. This work is centered on the revision and restudying of this recovered archaeological remains, being them mainly pottery, lithic implements and grinding stones, and has provided new data related to the activities of frequentation and use of this set of six cavities. In this sense, this article is focused on synthetizing and contextualizing the main contributions of this archaeological remains in order to contribute to the knowledge of the 6th to 2n Millennium communities in the lower stretch of the Ebro River

El tram baix de l'Ebre a les èpoques del Neolític i Bronze inicial : aportacions al seu coneixement a partir de l'assentament del Molló (Móra la Nova)

Les diverses actuacions arqueològiques al jaciment del Molló, situat a Móra la Nova (Ribera d'Ebre) han permès recopilar noves dades per al coneixement de les primeres ocupacions humanes assentades a la vall de l'Ebre. A través del seu estudi integral, en el marc d'un projecte de recerca endegat per la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, s'ha pogut treballar de forma extensiva amb les dades resultants. Els treballs preliminars posen de manifest la intensa activitat agrícola i subsistencial de les primeres comunitats prehistòriques del IV al III mil·lenni cal. b.c. en una de les terrasses del tram baix del riu.The archaeological fieldwork carried on Molló site, located in Móra la Nova (Ribera d'Ebre) has allowed to generate new useful data for our knowledge of the first human settlements established in Ebro's valley. Through its comprehensive study as part of a research project undertaken by the Autonomous University of Barcelona, it has been possible to work extensively with this resulting data. The preliminary results highlight the intensive farming and the main economic activities developed by the first prehistoric communities between IV to I millennium cal. b.c. in one of the terraces of the lower stretch of this river

Predictive response-relevant clustering of expression data provides insights into disease processes

This article describes and illustrates a novel method of microarray data analysis that couples model-based clustering and binary classification to form clusters of ;response-relevant' genes; that is, genes that are informative when discriminating between the different values of the response. Predictions are subsequently made using an appropriate statistical summary of each gene cluster, which we call the ;meta-covariate' representation of the cluster, in a probit regression model. We first illustrate this method by analysing a leukaemia expression dataset, before focusing closely on the meta-covariate analysis of a renal gene expression dataset in a rat model of salt-sensitive hypertension. We explore the biological insights provided by our analysis of these data. In particular, we identify a highly influential cluster of 13 genes-including three transcription factors (Arntl, Bhlhe41 and Npas2)-that is implicated as being protective against hypertension in response to increased dietary sodium. Functional and canonical pathway analysis of this cluster using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis implicated transcriptional activation and circadian rhythm signalling, respectively. Although we illustrate our method using only expression data, the method is applicable to any high-dimensional datasets

Mediterranean diet pyramid today. Science and cultural updates

Objective: To present the Mediterranean diet (MD) pyramid: a lifestyle for today. Design: A new graphic representation has been conceived as a simplified main frame to be adapted to the different nutritional and socio-economic contexts of the Mediterranean region. This review gathers updated recommendations considering the lifestyle, dietary, sociocultural, environmental and health challenges that the current Mediterranean populations are facing. Setting and Subjects: Mediterranean region and its populations. Results: Many innovations have arisen since previous graphical representations of the MD. First, the concept of composition of the ‘main meals’ is introduced to reinforce the plant-based core of the dietary pattern. Second, frugality and moderation is emphasised because of the major public health challenge of obesity. Third, qualitative cultural and lifestyle elements are taken into account, such as conviviality, culinary activities, physical activity and adequate rest, along with proportion and frequency recommendations of food consumption. These innovations are made without omitting other items associated with the production, selection, processing and consumption of foods, such as seasonality, biodiversity, and traditional, local and eco-friendly products. Conclusions: Adopting a healthy lifestyle and preserving cultural elements should be considered in order to acquire all the benefits from the MD and preserve this cultural heritage. Considering the acknowledgment of the MD as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (2010), and taking into account its contribution to health and general well-being, we hope to contribute to a much better adherence to this healthy dietary pattern and its way of life with this new graphic representation.peer-reviewe

A new approach to obtain pure and active proteins from Lactococcus lactis protein aggregates

The production of pure and soluble proteins is a complex, protein-dependent and time-consuming process, in particular for those prone-to-aggregate and/or difficult-to-purify. Although Escherichia coli is widely used for protein production, recombinant products must be co-purified through costly processes to remove lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and minimize adverse effects in the target organism. Interestingly, Lactococcus lactis, which does not contain LPS, could be a promising alternative for the production of relevant proteins. However, to date, there is no universal strategy to produce and purify any recombinant protein, being still a protein-specific process. In this context and considering that L. lactis is also able to form functional protein aggregates under overproduction conditions, we explored the use of these aggregates as an alternative source of soluble proteins. In this study, we developed a widely applicable and economically affordable protocol to extract functional proteins from these nanoclusters. For that, two model proteins were used: mammary serum amyloid A3 (M-SAA3) and metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), a difficult-to-purify and a prone-to-aggregate protein, respectively. The results show that it is possible to obtain highly pure, soluble, LPS-free and active recombinant proteins from L. lactis aggregates through a cost-effective and simple protocol with special relevance for difficult-to-purify or highly aggregated proteins

Managed honey bee colony losses in Canada, China, Europe, Israel and Turkey, for the winters of 2008-9 and 1009-10

In 2008 the COLOSS network was formed by honey bee experts from Europe and the USA. The primary objectives set by this scientific network were to explain and to prevent large scale losses of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. In June 2008 COLOSS obtained four years support from the European Union from COST and was designated as COST Action FA0803 – COLOSS (Prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes). To enable the comparison of loss data between participating countries, a standardized COLOSS questionnaire was developed. Using this questionnaire information on honey bee losses has been collected over two years. Survey data presented in this study were gathered in 2009 from 12 countries and in 2010 from 24 countries. Mean honey bee losses in Europe varied widely, between 7-22% over the 2008-9 winter and between 7-30% over the 2009-10 winter. An important finding is that for all countries which participated in 2008-9, winter losses in 2009-10 were found to be substantially higher. In 2009-10, winter losses in South East Europe were at such a low level that the factors causing the losses in other parts of Europe were absent, or at a level which did not affect colony survival. The five provinces of China, which were included in 2009-10, showed very low mean (4%) A. mellifera winter losses. In six Canadian provinces, mean winter losses in 2010 varied between 16-25%, losses in Nova Scotia (40%) being exceptionally high. In most countries and in both monitoring years, hobbyist beekeepers (1-50 colonies) experienced higher losses than practitioners with intermediate beekeeping operations (51-500 colonies). This relationship between scale of beekeeping and extent of losses effect was also observed in 2009-10, but was less pronounced. In Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland, 2008-9 mean winter losses for beekeepers who reported ‘disappeared’ colonies were significantly higher compared to mean winter losses of beekeepers who did not report ‘disappeared’ colonies. Mean 2008-9 winter losses for those beekeepers in the Netherlands who reported symptoms similar to “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD), namely: 1. no dead bees in or surrounding the hive while; 2. capped brood was present, were significantly higher than mean winter losses for those beekeepers who reported ‘disappeared’ colonies without the presence of capped brood in the empty hives. In the winter of 2009-10 in the majority of participating countries, beekeepers who reported ‘disappeared’ colonies experienced higher winter losses compared with beekeepers, who experienced winter losses but did not report ‘disappeared’ colonies