Non-motor symptom burden in patients with Parkinson's disease with impulse control disorders and compulsive behaviours : results from the COPPADIS cohort

The study was aimed at analysing the frequency of impulse control disorders (ICDs) and compulsive behaviours (CBs) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and in control subjects (CS) as well as the relationship between ICDs/CBs and motor, nonmotor features and dopaminergic treatment in PD patients. Data came from COPPADIS-2015, an observational, descriptive, nationwide (Spain) study. We used the validated Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) for ICD/CB screening. The association between demographic data and ICDs/CBs was analyzed in both groups. In PD, this relationship was evaluated using clinical features and treatment-related data. As result, 613 PD patients (mean age 62.47 ± 9.09 years, 59.87% men) and 179 CS (mean age 60.84 ± 8.33 years, 47.48% men) were included. ICDs and CBs were more frequent in PD (ICDs 12.7% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.001; CBs 7.18% vs. 1.67%, p = 0.01). PD patients had more frequent previous ICDs history, premorbid impulsive personality and antidepressant treatment (p < 0.05) compared with CS. In PD, patients with ICDs/CBs presented younger age at disease onset, more frequent history of previous ICDs and premorbid personality (p < 0.05), as well as higher comorbidity with nonmotor symptoms, including depression and poor quality of life. Treatment with dopamine agonists increased the risk of ICDs/CBs, being dose dependent (p < 0.05). As conclusions, ICDs and CBs were more frequent in patients with PD than in CS. More nonmotor symptoms were present in patients with PD who had ICDs/CBs compared with those without. Dopamine agonists have a prominent effect on ICDs/CBs, which could be influenced by dose

Jardins per a la salut

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia. Assignatura: Botànica farmacèutica. Curs: 2014-2015. Coordinadors: Joan Simon, Cèsar Blanché i Maria Bosch.Els materials que aquí es presenten són el recull de les fitxes botàniques de 128 espècies presents en el Jardí Ferran Soldevila de l’Edifici Històric de la UB. Els treballs han estat realitzats manera individual per part dels estudiants dels grups M-3 i T-1 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica durant els mesos de febrer a maig del curs 2014-15 com a resultat final del Projecte d’Innovació Docent «Jardins per a la salut: aprenentatge servei a Botànica farmacèutica» (codi 2014PID-UB/054). Tots els treballs s’han dut a terme a través de la plataforma de GoogleDocs i han estat tutoritzats pels professors de l’assignatura. L’objectiu principal de l’activitat ha estat fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica. També s’ha pretès motivar els estudiants a través del retorn de part del seu esforç a la societat a través d’una experiència d’Aprenentatge-Servei, deixant disponible finalment el treball dels estudiants per a poder ser consultable a través d’una Web pública amb la possibilitat de poder-ho fer in-situ en el propi jardí mitjançant codis QR amb un smartphone

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Excerpta Botanica Pharmaceutica

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia, Assignatura: Botànica Farmacèutica, Curs: 2013-2014, Coordinadors: Carles Benedí i Joan SimonEl disseny de l’activitat ha estat a càrrec del Grup d’Innovació Docent de Botànica Aplicada a les Ciències Farmacèutiques (GIBAF), i s’emmarca en el Projecte d’Innovació Docent «Excerpta Botanica Pharmaceutica: creació de recursos docents en obert pels propis estudiants com a nova estratègia d’innovació docent» (codi 2014PID-UB/010) del Programa de Millora i Innovació Docent (PMID) de la Universitat de Barcelona.Amb el nom genèric d’Excerpta Botanica Pharmaceutica (extracte de Botànica Farmacèutica), agrupem els treballs (guies d’estudi) que han redactat de forma tutorizada els estudiants del grup T3 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica (curs 2013-14). Els objectius específics han estat: aprendre a utilitzar correctament la nomenclatura botànica en la denominació de les espècies, saber redactar ordenadament la descripció d’una espècie amb la terminologia botànica adequada, cercar utilitzar i integrar la informació botànica de referència i proposar-ne d’addicional comentades i fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica. Els objectius transversals han estat: estimular el compromís ètic (imatges incloses de llicència lliure), desenvolupar una capacitat de síntesi escrita i de tenir visions globals integradores (la monografia aportada), mantenir una pulcritud en el treball i compromís per la feina ben feta (responsabilitat en el futur material d'ús docent per als seus companys, dipòsit digital UB) i fomentar la apacitat autocrítica (la seva autoavaluació)

Совместная работа в виртуальных средах с помощью проблемно-ориентированного обучения

El objetivo es potenciar una competencia crucial como es el trabajo colaborativo y en equipo de los alumnos mediante la utilización de entornos virtuales en el aprendizaje en las enseñanzas universitarias basado en problemas Resulta innegable que el trabajo en equipo y colaborativo fomenta la motivación de los estudiantes y favorece el aprendizaje, debido al propio efecto social que genera la pertenencia a un grupo. Contribuyendo, asimismo, al desarrollo de la capacidad de debate y argumentación, el razonamiento crítico y creativo o la organización de procesos de trabajo complejos, entre otras muchas competencias esenciales. El proyecto pone el foco en el trabajo colaborativo en entornos digitales dentro del aprendizaje basado en problemas y persigue favorecer un modelo de aprendizaje más participativo, mediante el uso de los recursos que nos ofrecen las nuevas tecnologías de la comunicación, aumentando la interacción de los estudiantes, incluso en entornos digitales. El trabajo colaborativo supone la creación de grupos integrados por varios estudiantes con, a priori, el mismo nivel formativo, y con una asunción compartida del liderazgo y la responsabilidad en el proceso de aprendizaje. El trabajo colaborativo se basa, además, en la autonomía de trabajo de sus integrantes que presentan funcionalidades y competencias heterogéneas, y que tienen que desarrollar y fortalecer elementos como la confianza, la comunicación, la gestión de conflictos y solución de problemas y la adopción de decisiones.The aim is to enhance a crucial competence such as collaborative and teamwork of students through the use of virtual environments in problem-based learning in university education. It is undeniable that team and collaborative work fosters students' motivation and favours learning, due to the very social effect that belonging to a group generates. It also contributes to the development of debate and argumentation skills, critical and creative reasoning or the organisation of complex work processes, among many other essential competences. The project focuses on collaborative work in digital environments within problem-based learning and aims to promote a more participatory learning model, through the use of the resources offered by new communication technologies, increasing student interaction, even in digital environments. Collaborative work involves the creation of groups made up of several students with, a priori, the same level of training, and with a shared assumption of leadership and responsibility in the learning process. Collaborative work is also based on the working autonomy of its members, who have heterogeneous functionalities and competences, and who have to develop and strengthen elements such as trust, communication, conflict management and problem solving and decision-making.L'obiettivo è quello di migliorare una competenza cruciale come il lavoro collaborativo e di gruppo degli studenti attraverso l'uso di ambienti virtuali nell'apprendimento basato su problemi nell'istruzione universitaria. È innegabile che il lavoro di gruppo e collaborativo promuova la motivazione degli studenti e favorisca l'apprendimento, proprio per l'effetto sociale che l'appartenenza a un gruppo genera. Contribuisce inoltre allo sviluppo delle capacità di discussione e argomentazione, del ragionamento critico e creativo o dell'organizzazione di processi di lavoro complessi, oltre a molte altre competenze essenziali. Il progetto si concentra sul lavoro collaborativo in ambienti digitali nell'ambito dell'apprendimento basato su problemi e mira a promuovere un modello di apprendimento più partecipativo, attraverso l'uso delle risorse offerte dalle nuove tecnologie di comunicazione, aumentando l'interazione degli studenti, anche in ambienti digitali. Il lavoro collaborativo prevede la creazione di gruppi composti da più studenti con, a priori, lo stesso livello di formazione e con un'assunzione condivisa di leadership e responsabilità nel processo di apprendimento. Il lavoro collaborativo si basa anche sull'autonomia di lavoro dei suoi membri, che hanno funzionalità e competenze eterogenee e devono sviluppare e rafforzare elementi come la fiducia, la comunicazione, la gestione dei conflitti, la risoluzione dei problemi e il processo decisionale.L'objectif est d'améliorer une compétence cruciale telle que le travail collaboratif et d'équipe des étudiants par l'utilisation d'environnements virtuels dans l'apprentissage par problème dans l'enseignement universitaire. Il est indéniable que le travail en équipe et en collaboration stimule la motivation des élèves et favorise l'apprentissage, en raison de l'effet social même que génère l'appartenance à un groupe. Elle contribue également au développement des capacités de débat et d'argumentation, du raisonnement critique et créatif ou de l'organisation de processus de travail complexes, parmi de nombreuses autres compétences essentielles. Le projet se concentre sur le travail collaboratif dans les environnements numériques dans le cadre de l'apprentissage par problèmes et vise à promouvoir un modèle d'apprentissage plus participatif grâce à l'utilisation des ressources offertes par les nouvelles technologies de communication, en augmentant l'interaction des étudiants, même dans les environnements numériques. Le travail collaboratif implique la création de groupes composés de plusieurs étudiants ayant, a priori, le même niveau de formation, et assumant ensemble le leadership et la responsabilité du processus d'apprentissage. Le travail collaboratif repose également sur l'autonomie de travail de ses membres, qui ont des fonctionnalités et des compétences hétérogènes, et qui doivent développer et renforcer des éléments tels que la confiance, la communication, la gestion des conflits, la résolution de problèmes et la prise de décision.Ziel ist es, durch den Einsatz virtueller Umgebungen beim problembasierten Lernen in der Hochschulbildung eine entscheidende Kompetenz wie die Zusammenarbeit und die Teamarbeit von Studierenden zu fördern. Es ist unbestreitbar, dass Team- und Kooperationsarbeit die Motivation der Schüler fördert und das Lernen begünstigt, und zwar aufgrund des sozialen Effekts, den die Zugehörigkeit zu einer Gruppe bewirkt. Sie trägt auch zur Entwicklung von Diskussions- und Argumentationsfähigkeiten, kritischem und kreativem Denken oder der Organisation komplexer Arbeitsprozesse bei, neben vielen anderen wichtigen Kompetenzen. Das Projekt konzentriert sich auf die kollaborative Arbeit in digitalen Umgebungen im Rahmen des problembasierten Lernens und zielt darauf ab, ein partizipativeres Lernmodell zu fördern, indem die von den neuen Kommunikationstechnologien gebotenen Ressourcen genutzt werden und die Interaktion zwischen den Studierenden auch in digitalen Umgebungen verstärkt wird. Bei der Zusammenarbeit werden Gruppen gebildet, die sich aus mehreren Studenten zusammensetzen, die von vornherein das gleiche Ausbildungsniveau haben und die gemeinsam die Leitung und Verantwortung für den Lernprozess übernehmen. Die Zusammenarbeit beruht auch auf der Arbeitsautonomie ihrer Mitglieder, die über heterogene Funktionen und Kompetenzen verfügen und Elemente wie Vertrauen, Kommunikation, Konfliktmanagement, Problemlösung und Entscheidungsfindung entwickeln und stärken müssen.O objectivo é reforçar uma competência crucial como a colaboração e o trabalho de equipa dos estudantes através da utilização de ambientes virtuais na aprendizagem baseada em problemas no ensino universitário. É inegável que o trabalho em equipa e em colaboração promove a motivação dos estudantes e favorece a aprendizagem, devido ao próprio efeito social que a pertença a um grupo gera. Também contribui para o desenvolvimento de capacidades de debate e argumentação, de raciocínio crítico e criativo ou para a organização de processos de trabalho complexos, entre muitas outras competências essenciais. O projecto centra-se no trabalho colaborativo em ambientes digitais no âmbito da aprendizagem baseada em problemas e visa promover um modelo de aprendizagem mais participativo através da utilização dos recursos oferecidos pelas novas tecnologias de comunicação, aumentando a interacção dos estudantes, mesmo em ambientes digitais. O trabalho colaborativo envolve a criação de grupos compostos por vários estudantes com, a priori, o mesmo nível de formação, e com uma assunção partilhada de liderança e responsabilidade no processo de aprendizagem. O trabalho colaborativo baseia-se também na autonomia de trabalho dos seus membros, que têm funcionalidades e competências heterogéneas, e que têm de desenvolver e reforçar elementos tais como confiança, comunicação, gestão de conflitos e resolução de problemas e tomada de decisões.Цель - повысить такую важную компетенцию, как совместная и командная работа студентов посредством использования виртуальных сред в проблемно-ориентированном обучении в университетском образовании. Неоспоримо, что командная и совместная работа повышает мотивацию учащихся и способствует обучению, благодаря тому самому социальному эффекту, который порождает принадлежность к группе. Она также способствует развитию навыков ведения дискуссий и аргументации, критического и творческого мышления или организации сложных рабочих процессов, а также многих других важных компетенций. Проект сосредоточен на совместной работе в цифровой среде в рамках проблемно-ориентированного обучения и направлен на продвижение модели обучения с более широким участием, посредством использования ресурсов, предлагаемых новыми коммуникационными технологиями, увеличивая взаимодействие студентов даже в цифровой среде. Совместная работа предполагает создание групп, состоящих из нескольких студентов, имеющих априори одинаковый уровень подготовки, и совместно принимающих на себя руководство и ответственность в процессе обучения. Совместная работа также основана на рабочей автономии ее членов, которые обладают разнородными функциональными возможностями и компетенциями, и которые должны развивать и укреплять такие элементы, как доверие, коммуникация, управление конфликтами, решение проблем и принятие решений.Depto. de Derecho del Trabajo y Seguridad SocialFac. de DerechoFALSEUniversidad Complutense de Madridsubmitte

Predictors of clinically significant quality of life impairment in Parkinson's disease

Quality of life (QOL) plays an important role in independent living in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, being crucial to know what factors impact QoL throughout the course of the disease. Here we identified predictors of QoL impairment in PD patients from a Spanish cohort. PD patients recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016, to November 2017, were followed up during 2 years. Health-related QoL (HRQoL) and global QoL (GQoL) were assessed with the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) and the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8), respectively, at baseline (V0) and at 24 months ± 1 month (V2). Clinically significant QoL impairment was defined as presenting an increase (PDQ-39SI) or decrement (EUROHIS-QOL8) at V2 ≥ 10% of the score at baseline (V0). A comparison with a control group was conducted for GQoL. GQoL did not change significantly in PD patients (N = 507; p = 0.686) or in the control group (N = 119; p = 0.192). The mean PDQ-39SI was significantly increased in PD patients (62.7 ± 8.5 years old; 58.8% males; N = 500) by 21.6% (from 16.7 ± 13 to 20.3 ± 16.4; p < 0.0001) at V2. Ninety-three patients (18.6%) presented a clinically significant HRQoL impairment at V2. To be younger (OR = 0.896; 95% CI 0.829-0.968; p = 0.006), to be a female (OR = 4.181; 95% CI 1.422-12.290; p = 0.009), and to have a greater increase in BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory-II) (OR = 1.139; 95% CI 1.053-1.231; p = 0.001) and NMSS (Non-Motor Symptoms Scale) (OR = 1.052; 95% CI 1.027-1.113; p < 0.0001) total scores from V0 to V2 were associated with clinically significant HRQoL impairment at the 2-year follow-up (Hosmer-Lemeshow test, p = 0.665; R = 0.655). An increase in ≥5 and ≥10 points of BDI-II and NMSS total score at V2 multiplied the probability of presenting clinically significant HRQoL impairment by 5 (OR = 5.453; 95% CI 1.663-17.876; p = 0.005) and 8 (OR = 8.217; 95% CI, 2.975-22.696; p = 0.002), respectively. In conclusion, age, gender, mood, and non-motor impairment were associated with clinically significant HRQoL impairment after the 2-year follow-up in PD patients

Optimization of adsorptive removal of α-toluic acid by CaO2 nanoparticles using response surface methodology

The present work addresses the optimization of process parameters for adsorptive removal of α-toluic acid by calcium peroxide (CaO2) nanoparticles using response surface methodology (RSM). CaO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation method and confirmed by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) analysis which shows the CaO2 nanoparticles size range of 5–15 nm. A series of batch adsorption experiments were performed using CaO2 nanoparticles to remove α-toluic acid from the aqueous solution. Further, an experimental based central composite design (CCD) was developed to study the interactive effect of CaO2 adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of α-toluic acid, and contact time on α-toluic acid removal efficiency (response) and optimization of the process. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the significance of the individual and the interactive effects of variables on the response. The model predicted response showed a good agreement with the experimental response, and the coefficient of determination, (R2) was 0.92. Among the variables, the interactive effect of adsorbent dosage and the initial α-toluic acid concentration was found to have more influence on the response than the contact time. Numerical optimization of process by RSM showed the optimal adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of α-toluic acid, and contact time as 0.03 g, 7.06 g/L, and 34 min respectively. The predicted removal efficiency was 99.50%. The experiments performed under these conditions showed α-toluic acid removal efficiency up to 98.05%, which confirmed the adequacy of the model prediction