La modernización de la universidad ecuatoriana

Los importantes cambios en el exterior e interior de nuestro país en el orden económico y socio-político, han generado transformaciones básicas y nuevos requerimientos en el funcionamiento de la economía, la sociedad y desde luego en las Instituciones de Educación Superior del país. El sistema educativo y particularmente el nivel universitario se han constituido en una de las actividades de mayor significación y trascendencia por las enormes connotaciones con el desarrollo de la sociedad. La universidad ecuatoriana en este contexto ha decidido asumir el desafío que las nuevas realidades mundiales están imponiendo. Los cambios que hoy vienen ocurriendo en todo orden en la sociedad, exigen de aporte de la universidad una profunda revisión de los programas y pensum académicos en todas las instancias y niveles del aparato Institucional Nacional. Los sucesos económicos, políticos y psicosociales que hoy se suscitan y se suscitan en el devenir mediato-inmediato, demandan de la Universidad constituirse en una Entidad que haga crítica y autocrítica reflexiva de lo ocurrido y se proclame la necesidad impostergable de preparar académica y profesionalmente los recursos humanos. El perfil de la nueva universidad para las próximas décadas debe estar enmarcado en los requerimientos de la sociedad ecuatoriana. A su vez, el Estado debe garantizar y procurar el apoyo económico y moral que en esta situación requiere la Universidad ecuatorian

Multi-level engineering facilitates the production of phenylpropanoid compounds in tomato

Phenylpropanoids comprise an important class of plant secondary metabolites. A number of transcription factors have been used to upregulate-specific branches of phenylpropanoid metabolism, but by far the most effective has been the fruit-specific expression of AtMYB12 in tomato, which resulted in as much as 10% of fruit dry weight accumulating as flavonols and hydroxycinnamates. We show that AtMYB12 not only increases the demand of flavonoid biosynthesis but also increases the supply of carbon from primary metabolism, energy and reducing power, which may fuel the shikimate and phenylalanine biosynthetic pathways to supply more aromatic amino acids for secondary metabolism. AtMYB12 directly binds promoters of genes encoding enzymes of primary metabolism. The enhanced supply of precursors, energy and reducing power achieved by AtMYB12 expression can be harnessed to engineer high levels of novel phenylpropanoids in tomato fruit, offering an effective production system for bioactives and other high value ingredients

The influence of heart disease on characteristics, quality of life, use of health resources, and costs of COPD in primary care settings

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate the influence of heart disease on clinical characteristics, quality of life, use of health resources, and costs of patients with COPD followed at primary care settings under common clinical practice conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Epidemiologic, observational, and descriptive study (EPIDEPOC study). Patients ≥ 40 years of age with stable COPD attending primary care settings were included. Demographic, clinical characteristics, quality of life (SF-12), seriousness of the disease, and treatment data were collected. Results were compared between patients with or without associated heart disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 9,390 patients with COPD were examined of whom 1,770 (18.8%) had heart disease and 78% were males. When comparing both patient groups, significant differences were found in the socio-demographic characteristics, health profile, comorbidities, and severity of the airway obstruction, which was greater in patients with heart disease. Differences were also found in both components of quality of life, physical and mental, with lower scores among those patients with heart disease. Higher frequency of primary care and pneumologist visits, emergency-room visits and number of hospital admissions were observed among patients with heart diseases. The annual total cost per patient was significantly higher in patients with heart disease; 2,937 ± 2,957 vs. 1,749 ± 2,120, p < 0.05. Variables that were showed to be independently associated to COPD in subjects with hearth conditions were age, being inactive, ex-smokers, moderate physical exercise, body mass index, concomitant blood hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, the SF-12 physical and mental components and per patient per year total cost.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients with COPD plus heart disease had greater disease severity and worse quality of life, used more healthcare resources and were associated with greater costs compared to COPD patients without known hearth disease.</p

A systematic review of faculty development initiatives designed to enhance teaching effectiveness: a 10-year update: BEME Guide No. 40

Background: This review, which focused on faculty development initiatives designed to improve teaching effectiveness, synthesized findings related to intervention types, study characteristics, individual and organizational outcomes, key features, and community building. Methods: This review included 111 studies (between 2002 and 2012) that met the review criteria. Findings: Overall satisfaction with faculty development programs was high. Participants reported increased confidence, enthusiasm, and awareness of effective educational practices. Gains in knowledge and skills, and self-reported changes in teaching behaviors, were frequently noted. Observed behavior changes included enhanced teaching practices, new educational initiatives, new leadership positions, and increased academic output. Organizational changes were infrequently explored. Key features included evidence-informed educational design, relevant content, experiential learning, feedback and reflection, educational projects, intentional community building, longitudinal program design, and institutional support. Conclusion: This review holds implications for practice and research. Moving forward, we should build on current success, broaden the focus beyond individual teaching effectiveness, develop programs that extend over time, promote workplace learning, foster community development, and secure institutional support. We should also embed studies in a theoretical framework, conduct more qualitative and mixed methods studies, assess behavioral and organizational change, evaluate transfer to practice, analyse key features, and explore the role of faculty development within the larger organizational context.Yvonne Steinert, Karen Mann, Brownell Anderson, Bonnie Maureen Barnett, Angel Centeno, Laura Naismith, David Prideaux, John Spencer, Ellen Tullo, Thomas Viggiano, Helena Ward and Diana Dolman

Transancestral mapping and genetic load in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with marked gender and ethnic disparities. We report a large transancestral association study of SLE using Immunochip genotype data from 27,574 individuals of European (EA), African (AA) and Hispanic Amerindian (HA) ancestry. We identify 58 distinct non-HLA regions in EA, 9 in AA and 16 in HA ( 3c50% of these regions have multiple independent associations); these include 24 novel SLE regions (P<5 7 10-8), refined association signals in established regions, extended associations to additional ancestries, and a disentangled complex HLA multigenic effect. The risk allele count (genetic load) exhibits an accelerating pattern of SLE risk, leading us to posit a cumulative hit hypothesis for autoimmune disease. Comparing results across the three ancestries identifies both ancestry-dependent and ancestry-independent contributions to SLE risk. Our results are consistent with the unique and complex histories of the populations sampled, and collectively help clarify the genetic architecture and ethnic disparities in SLE