The Need of Continuous Teachers Training in the Coaching of Vocational Education

The accelerated changing of the social, economic and political world, makes new individual and social requirements at the development of human resources level, arise, particularly from the teachers who teach courses in vocational education.CFAEC

Shell-muscle attachment in the bivalves Ostrea stentina Payraudeau, 1826 and Anomia ephippium Linnaeus, 1758

Comunicación a congresoThe muscles of the mantle in bivalves attach to the shell valves and retract the mantle edges. Among them, the adductors are particularly important for the survival of the animal. Most studies have addressed the type and morphology of the muscular fibers and filaments, and a few have focused on the attachment of these muscles to the shell. However, the mechanism of transport through the muscle to the myostracum was never addressed. The goal of this research is to describe ultrastructure and the transport of material across the adductor muscle-myostracum attachment in Ostrea stentina and Anomia ephippium. The adductor muscles in both species are composed of “smooth” and “striated” muscles. The outer epithelium of the mantle continues across the adductor muscle area and their cells contain many vesicles. Bundles of filaments connect the muscular cells with the extrapallial space through hemidesmosomes. The extrapallial space (ca.100-150 nm thick) is filled with organic secretions from the vesicles of the mantle cells. Additional bundles of microfilaments of collagen fibers cross the extrapallial sheet, from the hemidesmosomes to inside the myostracum, where they form a network. EDX analysis shows the presence of calcium inside vesicles from the mantle cells, the extrapallial sheet and the myostracum network. The presence of a layer of cells between the muscular cells and the shell was confirmed the existence of this cell layer, which is the continuation of the outer mantle epithelium across the adductor muscle. The extrapallial space is replenished with secretions of the mantle cells and collagen fibers, seemingly originated in the hemidesmosomes. The presence of calcium inside some vesicles suggests that part of the calcium is transported thereby. It would be interesting to study whether calcium is transported as amorphous calcium carbonate or as a crystalline phase.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Functional MRI correlates of cognitive performance in patients with a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS at presentation: an activation and connectivity study

Background/Objective: To assess whether abnormalities on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are related to cognitive function in patients at presentation with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of multiple sclerosis. Methods: Eighteen patients with CIS and 15 healthy controls (HCs) performed an adapted fMRI version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). According to their PASAT performance, CIS patients were divided into two groups: 10 with a low PASAT performance (<1 SD from the mean value of HCs) were considered ‘cognitive impairment’ (CI); eight patients were defined as ‘cognitively preserved’ (CP). Between-group differences in the patterns of brain activations and effective connectivity were assessed. Results: During PASAT, compared to HCs, CIS patients showed increased activations of the bilateral inferior parietal lobe (IPL), bilateral precuneus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus (MFG), left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left claustrum, right thalamus and right caudate nucleus. When CIS patients were analyzed, the CI group had a more significant activation of the bilateral IPL than HCs and CP patients. Compared to CP patients, they also had more significant recruitment of the right superior parietal lobe, right cerebellum, left MFG and left ACC. The analysis of effective connectivity showed stronger connections between several regions of the right hemisphere involved in working memory function in CI patients versus CP and HC. Conclusions: During performance of the PASAT, CIS patients show abnormalities in the patterns of cortical recruitment and connectivity related to the level of their cognitive impairment.This research has been supported by the following grants: Alicia Koplowitz Foundation; CSD2007-00012 (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Programme), SEJ2007-65929/PSIC and PSI2010-20168 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education; the Dávalos Foundation Grant and P1·1A2010-07 from Bancaixa

Solvent-cast direct-writing and electrospinning as a dual fabrication strategy for drug-eluting polymeric bioresorbable stents

Bioresorbable stents (BRS) are conceived to retain sufficient radial strength after implantation while releasing an antiproliferative drug in order to prevent vessel restenosis until complete resorption. Ongoing research trends involve the use of innovative manufacturing techniques to achieve thinner struts combined with optimized local drug delivery. This work presents a combination of solvent-cast direct-writing (SC-DW) and electrospinning (ES) using poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) and poly(l-lactic-co-¿-caprolactone) (PLCL) as a new approach to generate everolimus-eluting BRS for cardiovascular applications. A Design of Experiment (DoE) was conducted to determine the optimal parameters to obtain a homogeneous coating with high specific surface. Manufactured stents were characterized by means of mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with everolimus release in accelerated conditions quantified through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Drug loading was achieved either encapsulated in the struts of the stent or in an electrospun PLCL membrane covering the stent. In the former case, everolimus release was found to be insufficient, less than 3% of total drug loading after 8 weeks. In the latter, everolimus release considerably increased with respect to drug-loaded 3D-printed stents, with over 50% release in the first 6 hours of the test. In conclusion, everolimus release from PLCL-coated 3D-printed stents would match the dose and timeframe required for in vivo applications, while providing thinner struts than SC-DW drug-loaded stents.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Implementation of a Commercial Deep Learning-Based Auto Segmentation Software in Radiotherapy: Evaluation of Effectiveness and Impact on Workflow

Proper delineation of both target volumes and organs at risk is a crucial step in the radiation therapy workflow. This process is normally carried out manually by medical doctors, hence demanding timewise. To improve efficiency, auto-contouring methods have been proposed. We assessed a specific commercial software to investigate its impact on the radiotherapy workflow on four specific disease sites: head and neck, prostate, breast, and rectum. For the present study, we used a commercial deep learning-based auto-segmentation software, namely Limbus Contour (LC), Version 1.5.0 (Limbus AI Inc., Regina, SK, Canada). The software uses deep convolutional neural network models based on a U-net architecture, specific for each structure. Manual and automatic segmentation were compared on disease-specific organs at risk. Contouring time, geometrical performance (volume variation, Dice Similarity Coefficient-DSC, and center of mass shift), and dosimetric impact (DVH differences) were evaluated. With respect to time savings, the maximum advantage was seen in the setting of head and neck cancer with a 65%-time reduction. The average DSC was 0.72. The best agreement was found for lungs. Good results were highlighted for bladder, heart, and femoral heads. The most relevant dosimetric difference was in the rectal cancer case, where the mean volume covered by the 45 Gy isodose was 10.4 cm(3) for manual contouring and 289.4 cm(3) for automatic segmentation. Automatic contouring was able to significantly reduce the time required in the procedure, simplifying the workflow, and reducing interobserver variability. Its implementation was able to improve the radiation therapy workflow in our department

Ischemic aetiology, self-reported frailty, and gender with respect to cognitive impairment in chronic heart failure patients

Decisive information on the parameters involved in cognitive impairment in patients with chronic heart failure is as yet lacking. Our aim was to determine the functional and psychosocial variables related with cognitive impairment using the mini-mental-state examination (MMSE) with age-and education-corrected scores. A cohort study of chronic heart failure patients included in an integrated multidisciplinary hospital/primary care program. The MMSE (corrected for age and education in the Spanish population) was administered at enrolment in the program. Analyses were performed in 525 patients. Demographic and clinical variables were collected. Comprehensive assessment included depression (Yesavage), family function (family APGAR), social network (Duke), dependence (Barthel Index), frailty (Barber), and comorbidities. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine the predictors of cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment affected 145 patients (27.6 %). Explanatory factors were gender (OR: 2.77 (1.75-4.39) p 3.5 (OR: 0.59 (0.35-0.99) p = 0.048), and beta-blocker treatment (OR: 0.36 (0.17 to 0.76, p = 0.007)). No association was found between cognitive impairment and social support or family function. The observed prevalence of cognitive impairment using MMSE corrected scores was 27.6 %. A global approach in the management of these patients is needed, especially focusing on women and patients with frailty, low albumin levels, and ischemic aetiology heart failure

notes on the present distribution and conservation of the sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa

UIDB/04038/2020 UIDP/04038/2020The West-African sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) is threatened by habitat loss, hunting for meat consumption, and mortality during crop-foraging events. The species’ overall demographic trend is unknown. Presence and distribution in Guinea-Bissau, a country neighbored by Senegal and Republic of Guinea, was confirmed in 1946 but the species was declared extinct in 1989 and not observed in subsequent countrywide expeditions. Narratives of its presence across southern Guinea-Bissau are scattered in reports and occurrence in the eastern part was reported in 2017, but the limits of its distribution are currently unknown. Here, we present recent geo-referenced visual and molecular-based records of the sooty mangabey for three protected areas in southern Guinea-Bissau collected as part of a region-wide survey. Individuals were observed in Cufada Lagoons Natural Park (2015) and Dulombi National Park (NP) (2016) and photographed in Boé NP (2007, 2015 and 2020). Thirty-six samples collected in Boé NP (2017) were identified as sooty mangabey using a 402 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Our work suggests a wider distribution in Guinea-Bissau than previously described, augments knowledge of the populations’ current habitat use and threats, and has implications for efforts to conserve the species in West Africa. Considering the sooty mangabey as the reservoir of the simian immunodeficiency virus that led to the human variant, HIV-2, confirmation that the Guinea-Bissau population is not extinct may lead to a better understanding of early viral jump to humans and consequent epidemic spread, specifically of the HIV-2 Subgroup A. We highlight the need for extra conservation measures by Guinea-Bissau authorities.publishersversionpublishe