Enablers, barriers and proposals for child participation in Spanish municipalities

[Abstract] The EU Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) has highlighted the importance of strengthening working relationships between the political authorities and children population to defend youth rights and inclusion in local, national and European decisionmaking. This paper aims to identify enabling factors and barriers to participatory practices with children and to make proposals for developing these practices in the context of the network of municipalities belonging to the International Association of Educating Cities (IAEC) and the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI). Identifying these factors will enable to propose strategic actions leading to a full children participation in political and democratic life. METHOD. The study was part of a nationwide project with a mixed-method approach. Data were collected via two self-administered online surveys with ad hoc design. The sample consisted of 136 girls, boys and adolescents, 191 local government officers and 88 elected representatives. The resulting data was analysed via a content analysis using Atlas-ti software. RESULTS. Respondents agreed on the need for greater political commitment towards child participation, and to increase the arenas where under-18s can make decisions and carry out initiatives to transform their social environments. DISCUSSION. The obtained results support the importance of valuing child participation and highlighted the need to promote cooperative actions between girls, boys and adolescents and policy makers to influence municipal policy. The need for child participation as an indispensable element of the public sphere was made visible, for it to be articulated in settings where children can work together with elected representatives, and for it to have a tangible impact on municipal policy, as recommended by the Council of Europe[Resumen] La Estrategia para los Derechos del Niño (2022-2027) ha señalado la importancia de fortalecer las relaciones de colaboración entre las autoridades políticas y la población infantil para defender los derechos de los niños y su inclusión en la toma de decisiones locales, estatales y europeas. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar los elementos facilitadores, barreras y propuestas de las prácticas participativas con la infancia en la red de municipios que forman parte de la Asociación Internacional de Ciudades Educadoras (AICE) y de Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia (CAI). Identificar estos elementos posibilitará proponer acciones estratégicas que redunden en la participación infantil en la vida política y democrática. MÉTODO. Este estudio que se presenta forma parte de un proyecto nacional sustentado en un diseño de métodos mixtos. Los datos se recogieron mediante dos encuestas autoadministradas en línea diseñadas ad hoc. La muestra la conformaron 136 niñas, niños y adolescentes, 191 figuras técnicas municipales y 88 cargos electos. Se aplicó un análisis de contenido mediante el Atlas-ti para el análisis de los datos. RESULTADOS. La muestra encuestada coincide en destacar la necesidad de un mayor compromiso político a favor de la participación infantil, así como extender los espacios donde los menores de dieciocho años puedan tomar decisiones y llevar a cabo acciones que transformen su entorno. DISCUSIÓN. Los resultados obtenidos apoyan la importancia de valorar la participación infantil, así como la necesidad de impulsar acciones colaborativas entre niños, niñas y adolescentes y los responsables políticos a fin de incidir en la política municipal. Se evidencia la necesidad de que la participación de la infancia en la esfera pública sea visibilizada como imprescindible, se concrete en espacios de acción colaborativa con los cargos electos e incida de forma real en la política municipal, como recomienda el Consejo de Europa[Résumé] La Stratégie pour les Droits de l’Enfant (2022-2027) a signalé l’importance de renforcer les relations de collaboration entre les autorités politiques et la population enfantine afin de défendre les droits des enfants et leur inclusion dans les décisions locales, nationaux et européennes. L’objectif de ce travail est d’identifier les éléments facilitateurs, les barrières et les propositions de pratiques participatives avec les enfants dans le réseau des municipalités qui font partie de l’Association Internationale des Villes Éducatrices (AIVE) et des Villes Amies des Enfants (VAE). L’identification de ces éléments permettra de proposer des actions stratégiques qui aboutiront à la participation des enfants à la vie politique et démocratique. MÉTHODE. Cette étude fait partie d’un projet national basé sur des méthodes mixtes. Les données ont été collectées au moyen de deux enquêtes en ligne auto-administrées conçues ad hoc. L’échantillon était composé de 136 enfants et adolescents, 191 techniciens municipaux et 88 élus. Une analyse de contenu utilisant Atlas-ti a été appliquée pour l’analyse des données. RÉSULTATS. L’échantillon interrogé s’accorde sur la nécessité d’un plus grand engagement politique en faveur de la participation des enfants, ainsi que sur la nécessité d’étendre les espaces où les enfants de moins de dix-huit ans peuvent prendre des décisions et mener des actions qui transforment leur environnement. DISCUSSION. Les résultats obtenus confirment l’importance de valoriser la participation des enfants ainsi que la nécessité de promouvoir des actions de collaboration entre les enfants, les adolescents et les décideurs politiques afin d’influencer la politique municipale. Il est clair que la participation des enfants à la sphère publique doit être rendue visible comme essentielle, prendre forme dans des espaces de collaboration avec les élus et avoir un impact réel sur la politique municipale, comme recommandé par le Conseil de l’Europe

β-N-acetylglucosaminidase grafted on mesoporous silica nanoparticles. A bionanoantibiotic system against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

A bionanoantibiotic system based on beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (Ami) and Lysozyme (Lyz) enzymes grafted on the external surface of amino functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles, having a radial arrangement of pores (MSNr-NH2), was prepared and fully characterized. Before the enzyme grafting the nanoparticles were also loaded with the antibiotic drug levofloxacin (Levo) to explore the possible synergic effect with the enzymes. MSNr-NH2-Lyz-Levo and MSNr-NH2-Ami-Levo did not show any activity against S. aureus. On the contrary, in the absence of the antibiotic, both Lyz and Ami immobilized on MSNr were able to destroy S. aureus cells, suggesting an inhibiting action of the antibiotic on the enzymes. Although the loading of immobilized Lyz was higher than that of Ami (76 vs. 20 mg/g, respectively), the highest antibacterial efficacy was found for MSNr-NH2-Ami nanoantibiotic. Moreover, MSNr-NH2-Ami was active against S. aureus even at very low concentration (12.5 mu g/ mL) with a bactericidal activity (79%), higher than that determined for MSNr-NH2 loaded with levofloxacin (54%). These results suggest the possibility of using enzyme grafted MSNr as a bionanoantibiotic drug with high efficiency even at low nanoparticles concentration

Sleep apnoea increases biomarkers of immune evasion, lymphangiogenesis and tumour cell aggressiveness in high-risk patients and those with established lung cancer

Intermittent hypoxaemia and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) have been linked to lung cancer through as yet unidentified pathophysiological mechanisms. This study evaluates the effect of OSA on serum levels of biomarkers of immunosurveillance, lymphangiogenesis and intrinsic tumour cell aggressiveness in high-risk individuals screened for lung cancer and patients with established lung cancer. Serum samples from individuals participating in a lung cancer screening cohort (SAILS study) or with newly diagnosed lung cancer (SAIL study) were analysed. All patients underwent home sleep apnoea testing. Soluble levels of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand-1 (PDL1), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, midkine (MDK), paraspeckle component-1 (PSPC1), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), SMAD3, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and co-stimulus receptor of the tumour necrosis factor family of receptors (CD137) were determined by ELISA. The presence of moderate-to-severe OSA was associated with increased levels of PSPC1, MDK, PD-L1 and PD-1 in screened individuals, and with higher values of PSPC1, TGF-β1, PD-L1 and PD-1 in patients with established lung cancer. The findings correlated with nocturnal intermittent hypoxaemia indices. Moderate-to-severe OSA is associated with increased expression of serum biomarkers of immune evasion, lymphangiogenesis and tumour cell aggressiveness in high-risk individuals screened for lung cancer and those with established diseaseThis study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) PI19/01612, PI22/01262 and P2022/BMD-7224 to F. García-Río, CP18/00028, PI19-01363 and PI22/01257 to C. Cubillos-Zapata, PI20/01416 to L.M. Seijo and G. Peces-Barba; a grant from the Spanish Thoracic Society (SEPAR) to L.M. Seijo; and cofunded by the European Union, Ayudas Luis Alvarez 2021 FIBHULP. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registr

Setting competitiveness indicators using BSC and ANP

[EN] In this paper a new approach to assess companies' competitiveness performance in an efficient and reliable way is presented. It introduces a rigorous methodology, based on multi-criteria techniques, which seeks to assist managers of companies within a specific industrial sector in providing information about their relative position in order to define improvement action plans. The approach combines the use of the analytic network process (ANP) method with the balanced scorecard (BSC) to achieve competitiveness indicators. The ANP method allows the aggregation of experts judgments on each of the selected indicators used into one company competitiveness index (CCI). To demonstrate the goodness of the methodology, a case study of the plastic sector of Venezuela has been carried out. Three companies have been analysed using the CCI proposed. The participating experts agreed that the methodology is useful and an improvement from current competitiveness measurement techniques. They found the results obtained coherent and the use of resources significantly less than in other methods.Poveda Bautista, R.; Baptista, DC.; García Melón, M. (2012). Setting competitiveness indicators using BSC and ANP. International Journal of Production Research. 50(17):4738-4752. doi:10.1080/00207543.2012.657964S47384752501

Clinical guidelines for late-onset Pompe disease

English version available at www.neurologia.comHasta 2006, la enfermedad de Pompe o glucogenosis tipo II era una enfermedad incurable y con tratamiento meramente paliativo. El desarrollo de la terapia de sustitución con la enzima α-glucosidasa recombinante humana ha constituido el primer tratamiento específico para esta enfermedad. El objetivo de esta guía es servir de referencia en el manejo de la variedad de inicio tardío de la enfermedad de Pompe, es decir, la que aparece después del primer año de vida. En la guía, un grupo de expertos españoles hace recomendaciones específicas en cuanto a diagnóstico, seguimiento y tratamiento de esta enfermedad. En cuanto al diagnóstico, el método de la muestra en sangre seca es imprescindible como primer paso para el diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Pompe, y el diagnóstico de confirmación de la enfermedad de Pompe debe realizarse mediante un estudio de la actividad enzimática en muestra líquida en linfocitos aislados o mediante el análisis mutacional del gen de la alfa-glucosidasa. En cuanto al tratamiento de la enfermedad con terapia de sustitución enzimática, los expertos afirman que es eficaz en la mejoría o estabilización de la función motora y pulmonar, y debe iniciarse cuando aparezcan los síntomas atribuibles a la enfermedad de PompeBefore 2006, Pompe disease or glycogenosis storage disease type II was an incurable disease whose treatment was merely palliative. The development of a recombinant human alpha-glucosidase enzymatic replacement therapy has become the first specific treatment for this illness. The aim of this guide is to serve as reference for the management of the late-onset Pompe disease, the type of Pompe disease that develops after one year of age. In the guide a group of Spanish experts make specific recommendations about diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of this illness. With regard to diagnosis, the dried blood spots method is essential as the first step for the diagnosis of Pompe disease. The confirmation of the diagnosis of Pompe disease must be made by means of an study of enzymatic activity in isolated lymphocytes or a mutation analysis of the alpha-glucosidase gene. With regard to treatment with enzymatic replacement therapy, the experts say that is effective improving or stabilizating the motor function and the respiratory function and it must be introduced when the first symptoms attributable to Pompe disease appea

Perforación duodenal espontánea en paciente intervenido de prostatectomía radical

Radical prostatectomy is a well known treatment for prostate cancer, with a low incidence of early postoperative complications. Our case is a 54 year old patient diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 3+3=6 with 8 ng/ml of PSA, treated by retropubic prostatectomy, who suffered spontaneous perforation of the duodenum. We chose a conservative management, resolved in 30 days. When dealing with a surgical patient all kinds of complications must be taken into account by performing the minimum tests that will enable a sure diagnosis to be achieved. The usual treatment is surgery or conservative management, depending on the case and the patient

Novel GAA Variants and Mosaicism in Pompe Disease Identified by Extended Analyses of Patients with an Incomplete DNA Diagnosis

Pompe disease is a metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of the glycogen-hydrolyzing lysosomal enzyme acid a-glucosidase (GAA), which leads to progressive muscle wasting. This autosomal-recessive disorder is the result of disease-associated variants located in the GAA gene. In the present study, we performed extended molecular diagnostic analysis to identify novel disease-associated variants in six suspected Pompe patients from four different families for which conventional diagnostic assays were insufficient. Additional assays, such as a generic-splicing assay, minigene analysis, SNP array analysis, and targeted Sanger sequencing, allowed the identification of an exonic deletion, a promoter deletion, and a novel splicing variant located in the 5' UTR. Furthermore, we describe the diagnostic process for an infantile patient with an atypical phenotype, consisting of left ventricular hypertrophy but no signs of muscle weakness or motor problems. This led to the identification of a genetic mosaicism for a very severe GAA variant caused by a segmental uniparental isodisomy (UPD). With this study, we aim to emphasize the need for additional analyses to detect new disease-associated GAA variants and non-Mendelian genotypes in Pompe disease where conventional DNA diagnostic assays are insufficient

Long-term effect of 2 intensive statin regimens on treatment and incidence of cardiovascular events in familial hypercholesterolemia : The SAFEHEART study

Funding: This study was supported by Fundación Hipercolesterolemia Familiar; Grant G03/181 Grant 08-2008 Centro Nacional de Investigaci?n Cardiovascular (CNIC).Background: Maximal doses of potent statins are the basement of treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Little is known about the use of different statin regimens in FH. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to describe the treatment changes and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal achievement with atorvastatin (ATV) and rosuvastatin (RV) in the SAFEHEART cohort, as well as to analyze the incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events (ACVEs) and changes in the cardiovascular risk. Methods: SAFEHEART is a prospective follow-up nationwide cohort study in a molecularly defined FH population. The patients were contacted on a yearly basis to obtain relevant changes in life habits, medication, and ACVEs. Results: A total of 1939 patients were analyzed. Median follow-up was 6.6 years (5-10). The estimated 10-year risk according the SAFEHEART risk equation was 1.61 (0.67-3.39) and 1.22 (0.54-2.93) at enrollment for ATV and RV, respectively (P <.001). There were no significant differences at the follow-up: 1.29 (0.54-2.82) and 1.22 (0.54-2.76) in the ATV and RV groups, respectively (P =.51). Sixteen percent of patients in primary prevention with ATV and 18% with RV achieved an LDL-C <100 mg/dL and 4% in secondary prevention with ATV and 5% with RV achieved an LDL-C <70 mg/dL. The use of ezetimibe was marginally greater in the RV group. One hundred sixty ACVEs occurred during follow-up, being its incidence rate 1.1 events/100 patient-years in the ATV group and 1.2 in the RV group (P =.58). Conclusion: ATV and RV are 2 high-potency statins widely used in FH. Although the reduction in LDL-C levels was greater with RV than with ATV, the superiority of RV for reducing ACVEs was not demonstrated

Novel GAA Variants and Mosaicism in Pompe Disease Identified by Extended Analyses of Patients with an Incomplete DNA Diagnosis

Pompe disease is a metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of the glycogen-hydrolyzing lysosomal enzyme acid α-glucosidase (GAA), which leads to progressive muscle wasting. This autosomal-recessive disorder is the result of disease-associated variants located in the GAA gene. In the present study, we performed extended molecular diagnostic analysis to identify novel disease-associated variants in six suspected Pompe patients from four different families for which conventional diagnostic assays were insufficient. Additional assays, such as a generic-splicing assay, minigene analysis, SNP array analysis, and targeted Sanger sequencing, allowed the identification of an exonic deletion, a promoter deletion, and a novel splicing variant located in the 5′ UTR. Furthermore, we describe the diagnostic process for an infantile patient with an atypical phenotype, consisting of left ventricular hypertrophy but no signs of muscle weakness or motor problems. This led to the identification of a genetic mosaicism for a very severe GAA variant caused by a segmental uniparental isodisomy (UPD). With this study, we aim to emphasize the need for additional analyses to detect new disease-associated GAA variants and non-Mendelian genotypes in Pompe disease where conventional DNA diagnostic assays are insufficient

A Novel Semi-Supervised Methodology for Extracting Tumor Type-Specific MRS Sources in Human Brain Data

BackgroundThe clinical investigation of human brain tumors often starts with a non-invasive imaging study, providing information about the tumor extent and location, but little insight into the biochemistry of the analyzed tissue. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy can complement imaging by supplying a metabolic fingerprint of the tissue. This study analyzes single-voxel magnetic resonance spectra, which represent signal information in the frequency domain. Given that a single voxel may contain a heterogeneous mix of tissues, signal source identification is a relevant challenge for the problem of tumor type classification from the spectroscopic signal.Methodology/Principal FindingsNon-negative matrix factorization techniques have recently shown their potential for the identification of meaningful sources from brain tissue spectroscopy data. In this study, we use a convex variant of these methods that is capable of handling negatively-valued data and generating sources that can be interpreted as tumor class prototypes. A novel approach to convex non-negative matrix factorization is proposed, in which prior knowledge about class information is utilized in model optimization. Class-specific information is integrated into this semi-supervised process by setting the metric of a latent variable space where the matrix factorization is carried out. The reported experimental study comprises 196 cases from different tumor types drawn from two international, multi-center databases. The results indicate that the proposed approach outperforms a purely unsupervised process by achieving near perfect correlation of the extracted sources with the mean spectra of the tumor types. It also improves tissue type classification.Conclusions/SignificanceWe show that source extraction by unsupervised matrix factorization benefits from the integration of the available class information, so operating in a semi-supervised learning manner, for discriminative source identification and brain tumor labeling from single-voxel spectroscopy data. We are confident that the proposed methodology has wider applicability for biomedical signal processing