PANTOTHENIC ACID: AN OVERVIEW FOCUSED ON MEDICAL ASPECTS

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. It is of biologic importance because of its incorporation into coenzyme A and acyl carrier protein. Coenzyme A is an indispensable cofactor in all living organisms, where it functions in over 70 enzymatic pathways. Most bacteria, plants, and fungi synthesizes pantothenic acid; thus, the vitamin is found virtually everywhere in nature. Therefore, a naturally occurring vitamin deficiency in humans does not occur. Several clinical trials have been undertaken in humans using pantothenic acid supplementation in various medical fields. Unfortunately, firm conclusions regarding therapeutic effectiveness cannot be drawn from many of these studies. However, it has been suggested that there is a beneficial effect of pantethine on hyperlipidemia. Cysteamine treatment, a metabolite of the degradation of coenzyme A, has dramatically changed the course of the cystinosis; and clinical trials of this compound are underway in other medical fields. In the last few decades, several studies have pointed out the great interest of the inhibition of the coenzyme A metabolic pathway as an attractive target in developing new antimicrobial agents. Furthermore, recent research on coenzyme A metabolic enzymes has led to the discovery of uniquely nonmetabolic roles for both enzymes and their metabolites, thus opening an exciting field of investigation. In the present mini-review, we describe the current understanding of the pantothenic acid medical aspects and provide an overview on future potential therapeutic indications for this vitamin and its metabolic byproducts

Proceso de educación ambiental para el manejo de residuos sólidos en la Institución Educativa Colegio Pedagógico Inglés (Madrid-Cundinamarca).

La crisis ambiental actual ha devenido en innumerables daños al planeta. Una de las mayores causas de contaminación es el mal manejo de los residuos sólidos. La deficiencia en la disposición, el manejo y tratamiento de estos, genera un ciclo de contaminación creciente, por lo cual es imperativo tomar medidas al respecto. Problemáticas como esta, necesitan acciones colectivas que se puedan implementar desde un ámbito local, por ello el presente proyecto propone generar conocimientos orientados hacia el manejo de residuos sólidos por medio de la educación ambiental, promoviendo prácticas relacionadas con la conservación ecológica y un cambio de pensamiento que conduzca a un mejoramiento en la relación entre el individuo y su entorno. Para este caso, el proyecto se llevará a cabo en la institución educativa Colegio Pedagógico Inglés, ubicada en el municipio de Madrid - Cundinamarca. Con lo anterior, este trabajo se enfoca en la posibilidad de incidir desde un ámbito municipal a la transformación de prácticas asociadas al manejo de los residuos sólidos, integrando acciones mediante proyectos educativos que puedan ser replicados a otras instituciones.The current environmental crisis has generated numerous damages to the planet, being solid waste one of the factors that produces more pollution. The deficiency in the disposal, management and treatment of this waste creates a growing pollution cycle, which is why it is imperative to take measures in this regard. Problems like this need collective actions that can be implemented from a local ambit, so it is intended with the present project: To implement environmental education processes aimed at solid waste management, promoting practices related to ecological awareness and responsibility. For this case, the place of realization will be in the educational institution Pedagógico Inglés, located in the municipality of Madrid - Cundinamarca. As mention before, this work seeks the possibility of influencing from a municipal level the transformation of practices associated with the management of solid waste, integrating actions through educational projects that can be replicated to other institutions

PANTOTHENIC ACID: AN OVERVIEW FOCUSED ON MEDICAL ASPECTS

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. It is of biologic importance because of its incorporation into coenzyme A and acyl carrier protein. Coenzyme A is an indispensable cofactor in all living organisms, where it functions in over 70 enzymatic pathways. Most bacteria, plants, and fungi synthesizes pantothenic acid; thus, the vitamin is found virtually everywhere in nature. Therefore, a naturally occurring vitamin deficiency in humans does not occur. Several clinical trials have been undertaken in humans using pantothenic acid supplementation in various medical fields. Unfortunately, firm conclusions regarding therapeutic effectiveness cannot be drawn from many of these studies. However, it has been suggested that there is a beneficial effect of pantethine on hyperlipidemia. Cysteamine treatment, a metabolite of the degradation of coenzyme A, has dramatically changed the course of the cystinosis; and clinical trials of this compound are underway in other medical fields. In the last few decades, several studies have pointed out the great interest of the inhibition of the coenzyme A metabolic pathway as an attractive target in developing new antimicrobial agents. Furthermore, recent research on coenzyme A metabolic enzymes has led to the discovery of uniquely nonmetabolic roles for both enzymes and their metabolites, thus opening an exciting field of investigation. In the present mini-review, we describe the current understanding of the pantothenic acid medical aspects and provide an overview on future potential therapeutic indications for this vitamin and its metabolic byproducts

Análisis del alto flujo vehicular para una vía de acceso a Medellín usando simulación basada en agentes

En Medellín, la vía que atraviesa el parque de Robledo ha jugado un papel importante como ruta de acceso a diferentes barrios del occidente y a municipios de la subregión occidental antioqueña. Diariamente, cientos de vehículos transitan por allí, por lo que esta se identifica como la única vía de acceso, situación por la que en ciertas horas del día se torna lenta. A pesar de que se buscan vías alternas, no se encuentran resultados satisfactorios, ya que la única posibilidad está igual o más congestionada que la primera. En este documento se propone realizar un análisis de la problemática de congestión vial presentada en la vía del parque de Robledo en el sentido oriente-occidente, mediante simulación basada en agentes. Para la realización del modelo de simulación, se caracterizan los individuos por medio de rasgos relevantes, y a su vez se desarrolla una evaluación del comportamiento por mejorar en capacidad vial por ampliación, y la validación respectiva de los resultados obtenidos por medio de esta alternativa. Como resultado se observa que la adecuación de la vía mediante su ampliación facilita y mejora las condiciones de movilidad, aumentando hasta en un 20 % la velocidad de desplazamiento y optimizándose la capacidad vehicular del trayecto hasta el doble en horas pico.In the municipality of Medellín, the road that crosses Robledo Park has played an important role as an access route to different neighborhoods in the west, and the Antioquia western subregions. Every day, hundreds of vehicles pass through, identifying it as the only access road; a situation that at certain times of the day becomes slow. Although alternative routes are sought, satisfactory results have not been found since the only possibility is equal or more congested than the first. In this document, the proposal was to carry out an analysis of the problem of road congestion presented on the road in the east-west direction, through agent-based simulation. For the simulation model, the individuals were characterized by relevant traits, and, in turn, an evaluation of the behavior was developed for the improvement in road capacity by enlargement, and the respective validation of the results obtained through this alternative. As a result, it was observed that the adaptation of the road through its extension facilitates and improves the mobility conditions, increasing its travel speed by up to 20% and optimizing the vehicular capacity of the route to double at peak times

Propuesta de Supply Chain Management y Logística para la empresa Calzado Luxury

Diagramas de la Configuración de Red de Suministro, Diagramas de Flujo en la Cadena de Suministro, Elementos fundamentales CONPES 3547, Matriz de Consulta Pertinente Gestión de Inventarios, DRP y TMS, Diagrama de Aprovisionamiento , Megatendencias en Supply Chain Management y LogísticaEl presente trabajo, realizado por el Grupo 207115-49 del curso Diplomado Supply Chain Management y Logística O.G. 16-02 del 2022, está enfocado en la implementación de dicho sistema en la empresa seleccionada, Calzado Luxury con el fin de optimizar el funcionamiento de la cadena de suministro de Calzado Luxury, así como aumentar su nivel de competitividad y contribuir con su estabilidad financiera, por lo que se realizó una evaluación del estado actual de la empresa junto con un análisis de las diferentes estrategias y herramientas de innovación que fueron implementadas.This work, carried out by Group 207115-49 of the Supply Chain Management and Logistics O.G. 16-02 of 2022, is focused on the implementation of said system in the selected Luxury company, in order to optimize the operation of the Luxury company supply chain, as well as increase its level of competitiveness and contribute to its financial stability. , for which an evaluation of the current state of the company was carried out together with an analysis of the different strategies and innovation tools that were implemented

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia. Departamento de Antioquia

La violencia en Colombia ha generado sin duda una serie de condiciones psicosociales lamentables, puesto que son miles de personas que han sufrido las consecuencias de la guerra quedando desolados, abandonados e invisibilizados por la sociedad y el estado. El contenido de cada uno de los casos del presente trabajo es una muestra clara de todas las experiencias lamentables que narran sus protagonistas ya que se han visto afectados de manera física, mental, emocional, familiar, laboral, social, entre otras, ya que estas situaciones generan impactos que marcan la vida para siempre y en algunos casos son imborrables. Cada caso en particular es sujeto de análisis, diagnóstico y acompañamiento puesto que es necesario, además, de todos los procesos que se establecen, es importante recuperar las vidas de todas estas víctimas que nada tienen que ver con la guerra sin sentido que se ha gestado en Colombia, y que involucra a los más inocentes, sobre todo aquellos que no tienen herramientas de defensa propia. Son gente campesina, indígenas, analfabetas, mujeres, niños, ancianos que han salido sacrificados y los cuales son invisibles y pocas veces se les restablece sus derechos. El contexto profesional apoyado por las acciones psicosociales a la hora de trabajar en pro a mitigar el conflicto armado, es de gran importancia sanar fisuras dentro de la sociedad, haciendo que el psicólogo desarrolle intervenciones positivas que fortalezcan la construcción de una sociedad incluyente basada en un enfoque narrativo, dentro del cual se debe generar un diagnóstico que apoye dentro de cada problemática, las diferentes formas de apoyar el sujeto haciéndolo partícipe de sus procesos y que no limite su proceso de crecimiento y avance.The violence in Colombia has undoubtedly generated a series of unfortunate psychosocial conditions, since thousands of people have suffered the consequences of the war, being devastated, abandoned, and invisible by the state. The content of each of the cases of the present work is a clear sample of all the unfortunate experiences narrated by the protagonists, who have been affected physically, mentally, emotionally in their family, work, social life, among others given that these situations generate impacts that mark people's life forever and, in some cases, are indelible. Each case, in particular, is subject to analysis, diagnosis, and monitoring because it is necessary; In addition, of all the processes that are established, the objective is to recover the lives of all these victims who have nothing to do with the senseless war that has been developed in Colombia and that involves the most innocent, especially those who do not have self-defense tools. They are peasants, indigenous people, illiterate people, women, children, and the elderly who have been sacrificed and who are invisible to restore their rights. In the professional context and supported by psychosocial actions when working to mitigate the armed conflict, it is of great importance to heal fissures within society, making the psychologist develop positive interventions that strengthen the construction of an inclusive society based on a narrative approach, within which a diagnosis must be generated that supports within each problem the different ways of supporting the subject, making him a participant in the processes and not limiting his growth and advancement process

Problematic smartphone use, nature connectedness, and anxiety

Background: Smartphone use has increased greatly at a time when concerns about society’s disconnection from nature have also markedly increased. Recent research has also indicated that smartphone use can be problematic for a small minority of individuals. Methods: In this study, associations between problematic smartphone use (PSU), nature connectedness, and anxiety were investigated using a cross-sectional design (n = 244). Results: Associations between PSU and both nature connectedness and anxiety were confirmed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify threshold values on the Problematic Smartphone Use Scale (PSUS) at which strong associations with anxiety and nature connectedness occur. The area under the curve was calculated and positive likelihood ratios used as a diagnostic parameter to identify optimal cut-off for PSU. These provided good diagnostic ability for nature connectedness, but poor and non-significant results for anxiety. ROC analysis showed the optimal PSUS threshold for high nature connectedness to be 15.5 (sensitivity: 58.3%; specificity: 78.6%) in response to an LR+ of 2.88. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the potential utility for the PSUS as a diagnostic tool, with a level of smartphone use that users may perceive as non-problematic being a significant cut-off in terms of achieving beneficial levels of nature connectedness. Implications of these findings are discussed

A global experience-sampling method study of well-being during times of crisis : The CoCo project

We present a global experience-sampling method (ESM) study aimed at describing, predicting, and understanding individual differences in well-being during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This international ESM study is a collaborative effort of over 60 interdisciplinary researchers from around the world in the “Coping with Corona” (CoCo) project. The study comprises trait-, state-, and daily-level data of 7490 participants from over 20 countries (total ESM measurements = 207,263; total daily measurements = 73,295) collected between October 2021 and August 2022. We provide a brief overview of the theoretical background and aims of the study, present the applied methods (including a description of the study design, data collection procedures, data cleaning, and final sample), and discuss exemplary research questions to which these data can be applied. We end by inviting collaborations on the CoCo dataset

Are anthropogenic factors affecting nesting habitat of sea turtles? The case of Kanzul beach, Riviera Maya-Tulum (Mexico)

Marine coast modification and human pressure affects many species, including sea turtles. In order to study nine anthropogenic impacts that might affect nesting selection of females, incubation and hatching survival of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas), building structures were identified along a 5.2 km beach in Kanzul (Mexico). A high number of hotels and houses (88; 818 rooms), with an average density of 16.6 buildings per kilometer were found. These buildings form a barrier which prevents reaching the beach from inland, resulting in habitat fragmentation. Main pressures were detected during nesting selection (14.19% of turtle nesting attempts interrupted), and low impact were found during incubation (0.77%) and hatching (4.7%). There were three impacts defined as high: beach furniture that blocks out the movement of hatchlings or females, direct pressure by tourists, and artificial beachfront lighting that can potentially mislead hatchlings or females. High impacted areas showed lowest values in nesting selection and hatching success. Based on our results, we suggest management strategies to need to be implemented to reduce human pressure and to avoid nesting habitat loss of loggerhead and green turtle in Kanzul, Mexico

Ice-Age Climate Adaptations Trap the Alpine Marmot in a State of Low Genetic Diversity.

Some species responded successfully to prehistoric changes in climate [1, 2], while others failed to adapt and became extinct [3]. The factors that determine successful climate adaptation remain poorly understood. We constructed a reference genome and studied physiological adaptations in the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota), a large ground-dwelling squirrel exquisitely adapted to the "ice-age" climate of the Pleistocene steppe [4, 5]. Since the disappearance of this habitat, the rodent persists in large numbers in the high-altitude Alpine meadow [6, 7]. Genome and metabolome showed evidence of adaptation consistent with cold climate, affecting white adipose tissue. Conversely, however, we found that the Alpine marmot has levels of genetic variation that are among the lowest for mammals, such that deleterious mutations are less effectively purged. Our data rule out typical explanations for low diversity, such as high levels of consanguineous mating, or a very recent bottleneck. Instead, ancient demographic reconstruction revealed that genetic diversity was lost during the climate shifts of the Pleistocene and has not recovered, despite the current high population size. We attribute this slow recovery to the marmot's adaptive life history. The case of the Alpine marmot reveals a complicated relationship between climatic changes, genetic diversity, and conservation status. It shows that species of extremely low genetic diversity can be very successful and persist over thousands of years, but also that climate-adapted life history can trap a species in a persistent state of low genetic diversity.This work was supported by the Francis Crick Institute which receives its core funding from Cancer Research UK (FC001134), the UK Medical Research Council (FC001134), and the Wellcome Trust (FC001134). CB and AC are supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (project ANR-13-JSV7-0005) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), CB is supported by the Rhône-Alpes region (Grant 15.005146.01). LD is supported by Agence Nationale de la Recherche (project ANR-12-ADAP-0009). TIG is supported by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (Grant ECF-2015-453) and a NERC grant (NE/N013832/1). JMG is supported by a Hertha Finberg Fellowship (FWF T703). LDR is supported by the Diabetes UK RD Lawrence Fellowship (16/0005382)