Prognostic significance of FLT3-ITD length in AML patients treated with intensive regimens

FLT3-ITD mutations are detected in approximately 25% of newly diagnosed adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and confer an adverse prognosis. The FLT3-ITD allelic ratio has clear prognostic value. Nevertheless, there are numerous manuscripts with contradictory results regarding the prognostic relevance of the length and insertion site (IS) of the FLT3-ITD fragment. We aimed to assess the prognostic impact of these variables on the complete remission (CR) rates, overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) of AML patients with FLT3-ITDmutations. We studied the FLT3-ITD length of 362 adult AML patients included in the PETHEMA AML registry. We tried to validate the thresholds of ITD length previously published (i.e., 39 bp and 70 bp) in intensively treated AML patients (n = 161). We also analyzed the mutational profile of 118 FLT3-ITD AML patients with an NGS panel of 39 genes and correlated mutational status with the length and IS of ITD. The AUC of the ROC curve of the ITD length for OS prediction was 0.504, and no differences were found when applying any of the thresholds for OS, RFS or CR rate. Only four out of 106 patients had ITD IS in the TKD1 domain. Our results, alongside previous publications, confirm that FLT3-ITD length lacks prognostic value and clinical applicability. © 2021, The Author(s)

The professional and the academic world learning together in higher education

This article presents the evaluation of an innovative experience carried out in the Social Education Degree program at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The experience consists of a space for collaboration and learning between the academic and professional worlds, which is incorporated into the structure of the degree program that began in the 2011-2012 academic year. Throughout this article, we use an evaluative research methodology to present a theoretical basis related to the changes and challenges in Higher Education at the international level, together with a description of the design of the experience, its development, the results, and some conclusions.El presente artículo presenta la evaluación de una experiencia innovadora realizada en el programa de Educación Grado Social de la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU). La experiencia consistió en un espacio de colaboración y aprendizaje entre el mundo académico y profesional, que se incorporó en la estructura de la carrera que se inició en el curso 2011-2012.Alo largo de este artículo, utilizaremos una metodología de investigación evaluativa para presentar una base teórica relacionada con los cambios y desafíos en la educación superior a nivel internacional, junto con una descripción del diseño de la experiencia, de su desarrollo, sus resultados y conclusione

Ikastorratza. e-Revista de didáctica

Título, resumen y palabras clave en euskera, español e inglésResumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe exponen los resultados de un análisis en profundidad acerca del significado del concepto de competencias educativas en la universidad, para concluir con una propuesta de evaluación coherente con la orientación cualitativa de las mismas. En consecuencia, explora las posibilidades de la tradición etnográfica, el estudio de casos, el informe narrativo y la evaluación comprensiva. Se inscribe en la tradición de la investigación teórica, sobre la base del estudio de documentos que tratan esta problemática y, también, de la indagación efectuada en el aula durante varios años, especialmente, en los cursos 2011-13 a partir de las conclusiones de un Proyecto de Innovación Educativa (PIE) llevado a cabo en la UPV/EHU.ES

Evaluar competencias en la educación universitaria atendiendo a una lógica comprensiva

This essay sets out the results of an in-depth analysis of what educational competences mea n at university. To conclude, it proposes an assessment consistent with their qualitative focus. Therefore, it explores the possibilities of ethnographic tradition, case studies, the narrative report and comprehensive assessment. It is based on theoretical research’s tradition and on the study of documents addressing this issue. Likewise, it involves the inquiries that took place in the classroom for years, particularly on the basis of an Educational Innovation Project (EIP) carried out between 2011 and 2013 in the UPV/EH

Design of anti- and pro-aggregation variants to assess the effects of methionine oxidation in human prion protein

Prion disease is characterized by the α→β structural conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the misfolded and aggregated “scrapie” (PrPSc) isoform. It has been speculated that methionine (Met) oxidation in PrPC may have a special role in this process, but has not been detailed and assigned individually to the 9 Met residues of full-length, recombinant human PrPC [rhPrPC(23-231)]. To better understand this oxidative event in PrP aggregation, the extent of periodate-induced Met oxidation was monitored by electrospray ionization-MS and correlated with aggregation propensity. Also, the Met residues were replaced with isosteric and chemically stable, nonoxidizable analogs, i.e., with the more hydrophobic norleucine (Nle) and the highly hydrophilic methoxinine (Mox). The Nle-rhPrPC variant is an α-helix rich protein (like Met-rhPrPC) resistant to oxidation that lacks the in vitro aggregation properties of the parent protein. Conversely, the Mox-rhPrPC variant is a β-sheet rich protein that features strong proaggregation behavior. In contrast to the parent Met-rhPrPC, the Nle/Mox-containing variants are not sensitive to periodate-induced in vitro aggregation. The experimental results fully support a direct correlation of the α→β secondary structure conversion in rhPrPC with the conformational preferences of Met/Nle/Mox residues. Accordingly, sporadic prion and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as various aging processes, might also be caused by oxidative stress leading to Met oxidation