Función ejecutiva en esclerosis múltiple

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud. Fecha de lectura: 05-02-2016Esta tesis tiene embargado el acceso al texto completo hasta el 05-08-2017INTRODUCCIÓN: Las funciones ejecutivas (FE) en esclerosis múltiple (EM) han sido parcialmente estudiadas y hay controversia en la frecuencia de su alteración. El objetivo general es analizar la frecuencia de alteración de FE en EM y determinar qué procesos específicos se ven más afectados. MÉTODO: Cien pacientes con EM y 30 controles sanos han sido evaluados mediante test específicos de FE, atención, velocidad de procesamiento de la información, memoria y habilidades visuoconstructivas. Se ha empleado prueba T para comparar con el grupo control, análisis factorial para simplificar los déficits en FE, curva COR para valorar sensibilidad y especificidad de los test y regresión múltiple y ANOVA para analizar la relación entre variables clínicas y cognitivas. RESULTADOS: Setenta y cuatro pacientes presentaban un curso recurrente-remitente, un Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) medio de 2.7 y un tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad medio de 9,94 años. Se obtuvo diferencias significativas con el grupo control en la mayor parte de los test cognitivos. El 85% presentaba alteración en 3 ó más test de FE y el 71 % en 5 ó más. En el análisis factorial se obtuvieron 3 grupos de funciones afectadas: 1) flexibilidad cognitiva, 2) inhibición y 3) conceptualización. El CTMT mostró una sensibilidad 83,5% (especificidad 70,4%). Un curso clínico progresivo y un alto EDSS se relacionó con un peor rendimiento en FE (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONES: La frecuencia de alteración de las FE es más alta de la esperada. Se afecta de forma específica en los procesos de: flexibilidad cognitiva, inhibición y conceptualización. El CTMT mostró una buena sensibilidad para detectar alteración cognitiva. Los pacientes con peor rendimiento en FE fueron aquellos con formas progresivas y EDSS alto.INTRODUCTION: Executive functions (EF) in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been partially studied and the frequency of alteration it is controverted. The overall objective is to analyze the frequency of EF impairment and determine which specific processes are most affected . METHODS: One hundred patients with MS and 30 controls were assessed by means specific test of EF, atention, information processing speed, memory and visuoconstruction abilities. T test was used to compare with the control group. A factorial analysis was used to simplify the deficits in EF, sensibility and specifity was estudied bay ROC curve and a multiple regression and ANOVA to analyse the relationship between clinical and cognitive variables. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients had a recurrent-relapsing course, the mean degree of disability (EDSS) was 2.7 and the mean time of evolution was 9.94 years. Significant differences with the control group in most of cognitive tests was obtained. Eighty five percent presented with alterations in 3 or more EF tests and 71% in 5 or more. In the factorial analysis, 3 groups of affected functions were obtained: 1) cognitive flexibility 2) inhibition, and 3) conceptualization. CTMT sensibility was 83,5% (specifity 70,4%). Patients with a progressive course and a high EDSS had a significantly worse performance (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The EF frequency of alteration is higher than expected. It specifically affects processes: cognitive flexibility, inhibition and conceptualization. The CTMT showed a good sensibility to detect cognitive déficit. The patients with the worst performance in EF were those with progressive forms and a high EDSS

La perspectiva crítica en la enseñanza de las lenguas adicionales. Presentación de las editoras invitadas

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AraBoard: A Multiplatform Alternative and Augmentative Communication Tool

AbstractWe present AraBoard: an Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) tool developed to facilitate functional communication to people with complex communication needs. The tool is formed by two different applications: AraBoard Constructor, for the creation and edition of communication boards, and AraBoard Player, for the visualization of the boards previously generated. The main features that distinguish our tool are that it is multiplatform, it is low-cost, and it is highly configurable, adaptable to a wide range of users’ needs by modifying different parameters like the number and size of the cells, inclusion or not of audio, etc. The development has been assessed through 295 enquiries done via web. The answers have been analyzed and shown the high acceptance of the users

Neuropsychological syndromes in multiple sclerosis

Síndromes neuropsicológicos en la esclerosis múltiple. Antecedentes: entre el 45-65% de los pacientes con esclerosis múltiple (EM) manifiestan déficits cognitivos en velocidad de procesamiento de la información (VPI), atención, memoria, funciones ejecutivas (FE) y visuoconstrucción. La alteración del lenguaje y la gnosis visual es infrecuente y poco reconocida. El objetivo es la descripción cognitiva, clínica y radiológica de cinco pacientes con EM con síndromes neuropsicológicos (SNPS). Método: revisión retrospectiva de pacientes de EM con SNPS estudiados mediante test específicos de atención, memoria, VPI, FE, visuoconstrucción, gnosis visual y lenguaje. Resultados: la muestra incluyó cuatro mujeres (3 EM remitente recurrente, 1 EM secundaria progresiva) y un varón con EM primaria progresiva (edades entre 30-55 años). Los déficits cognitivos fueron el síntoma inicial en 3 casos. Tres presentan agnosia aperceptiva y apraxia constructiva, uno alexia con agrafi a y el quinto afasia motora. Cuatro asocian disfunción cognitiva “típica” de EM. En resonancia magnética observamos alto volumen lesional en secuencias potenciadas en T1 y T2 y correlación entre los déficits cognitivos y la localización de las lesiones en 4 de ellos. Conclusiones: los SNPS pueden ser la queja inicial en la EM, con frecuencia se asocian a otros déficits cognitivos y manifiestan una estrecha relación con la localización de la lesión

Cocaine-induced plasticity in the cerebellum of sensitised mice

Rationale Prior research has accumulated a substantial amount of evidence on the ability of cocaine to produce short- and long-lasting molecular and structural plasticity in the corticostriatal-limbic circuitry. However, traditionally, the cerebellum has not been included in the addiction circuitry, even though growing evidence supports its involvement in the behavioural changes observed after repeated drug experiences. Objectives In the present study, we explored the ability of seven cocaine administrations to alter plasticity in the cerebellar vermis. Methods After six cocaine injections, one injection every 48 h, mice remained undisturbed for 1 month in their home cages. Following this withdrawal period, they received a new cocaine injection of a lower dose. Locomotion, behavioural stereotypes and several molecular and structural cerebellar parameters were evaluated. Results Cerebellar proBDNF and mature BDNF levels were both enhanced by cocaine. The high BDNF expression was associated with dendritic sprouting and increased terminal size in Purkinje neurons. Additionally, we found a reduction in extracellular matrix components that might facilitate the subsequent remodelling of Purkinje-nuclear neuron synapses. Conclusions Although speculative, it is possible that these cocaine-dependent cerebellar changes were incubated during withdrawal and manifested by the last drug injection. Importantly, the present findings indicate that cocaine is able to promote plasticity modifications in the cerebellum of sensitised animals similar to those in the basal ganglia.This work was supported by grants and fellowships: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [PSI2011- 29181], FPI-PREDOC2009/05, FPU12/04059, PPF 2013 (13I087.01/1) and UJI (P1.1B2011-42)

In vitro assessment of antagonistic activities of isolates from gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) gastrointestinal tract fed microalgae supplemented diet

The use of probiotics has emerged as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics in the control of infectious diseases, favouring fish health management, growth performance and feed utilisation, among others. microalgae represent an interesting source of nutrients and functional ingredients for aquafeeds. However, their digestibility is often limited by the presence of anti-nutritional factors or absence of appropriate enzymatic activities in the fish gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The aims of the present work were to isolate potential probiotics from the GIT of Sparus aurata fed with a diet containing 25 % microalgae and characterize their antagonism against fish pathogens. Altogether, 117 strains were isolated from juvenile seabream (146.8 ± 16.4 g) and screened for hydrolytic enzyme activities. Results showed that 48 %, 41 %, 77 % and 30 % of isolates were able to hydrolyse protein, lipids, collagen and starch, respectively. Moreover, 46 %, 8 % and 57 % of isolates exhibited the ability to degrade phytate, tannins and cellulose, respectively. Based on these results, a total of 32 isolates were selected for inhibitory activity against several fish pathogens assessment. Inhibition against Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio anguillarum was detected in 38 % of the isolates, whilst 44 % and 47 % inhibited P damselae subsp. damselae and P. damselae subsp. piscicida, respectively. Inhibition abilities were detected in the isolates when tested against Tenacibaculum species. Thus, 56 % inhibited Tenacibaculum maritimum; 63 % T. soleae and 22 % T. gallaecium. Overall, results showed that three strains display ability to hydrolyse 4 of the assayed substrates and produce inhibition against 8 fish pathogens, and two strains are capable to hydrolyse 5 substrates and inhibit 8 fish pathogens. Selected strains show characteristics to be considered for further characterization as potential probiotics in gilthead seabream aquaculture and microalgae-supplemented aquafeeds.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Heterologous Expression of a Plant Small Heat-Shock Protein Enhances Escherichia Coli Viability under Heat And Cold Stress Ref.: 1

A small heat-shock protein (sHSP) that shows molecular chaperone activity in vitro was recently purified from mature chestnut (Castanea sativa) cotyledons. This protein, renamed here as CsHSP17.5, belongs to cytosolic class I, as revealed by cDNA sequencing and immunoelectron microscopy. Recombinant CsHSP17.5 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli to study its possible function under stress conditions. Upon transfer from 37°C to 50°C, a temperature known to cause cell autolysis, those cells that accumulated CsHSP17.5 showed improved viability compared with control cultures. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of cell lysates suggested that such a protective effect in vivo is due to the ability of recombinant sHSP to maintain soluble cytosolic proteins in their native conformation, with little substrate specificity. To test the recent hypothesis that sHSPs may be involved in protection against cold stress, we also studied the viability of recombinant cells at 4°C. Unlike the major heat-induced chaperone, GroEL/ES, the chestnut sHSP significantly enhanced cell survivability at this temperature. CsHSP17.5 thus represents an example of a HSP capable of protecting cells against both thermal extremes. Consistent with these findings, high-level induction of homologous transcripts was observed in vegetative tissues of chestnut plantlets exposed to either type of thermal stress but not salt stres

Satisfacción, Motivación y Necesidades del alumnado de la asignatura Psicobiología de la Educación

[EN] This educational innovation project consists of the elaboration of a questionnaire addressed to the students taking the subject Psychobiology of Education (from the education degrees of Universidad Complutense de Madrid), which assesses their satisfaction, motivation and needs in relation to this subject. It consists of a total of 40 items, with a closed-response Likert-type scale with options between 1 and 5, where 1 means "I do not agree at all" and 5 means "I totally agree". The main objective of this project is to find out the opinion of university students on teaching practice and the subject approach, in order to involve them actively in it, improve the teaching profession and promote educational innovation. The results of the questionnaire show the high motivation and satisfaction of the students towards this subject. They also highlight some needs that would improve their well-being and learning as well as the teaching of the subject, such as the applicability of the contents of the subject in the forthcoming professional development and a higher connection between this subject and the other ones of the degree.[ES] El presente proyecto de innovación educativa consiste en la elaboración de un cuestionario dirigido al alumnado de la asignatura Psicobiología de la Educación (de los grados de educación de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid), que valora su satisfacción, motivación y necesidades con respecto a dicha asignatura. Consta de un total de 40 ítems, de respuesta cerrada según la escala tipo Likert con opciones entre 1 y 5, donde el 1 significa “Nada de acuerdo” y el 5 “Totalmente de acuerdo”.El objetivo principal de este proyecto es conocer la opinión del alumnado universitario sobre la práctica docente y el planteamiento de la asignatura, para involucrarle activamente en la misma, mejorar la labor del profesorado y facilitar la innovación educativa.Los resultados del cuestionario muestran la alta motivación y satisfacción del alumnado con esta asignatura. A su vez ponen de relieve algunas necesidades que mejorarían su bienestar y aprendizaje, así como la docencia de la misma, tales como la aplicabilidad de los contenidos de la asignatura en la futura práctica profesional y una mayor vinculación de esta con las demás asignaturas del grado.López De Francisco, N.; Ruiz Gómez, A.; Fondevila Estévez, S.; Cerezo García, M.; Vergara Moragues, E. (2023). Satisfacción, Motivación y Necesidades del alumnado de la asignatura Psicobiología de la Educación. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 915-929. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2023.2023.1663291592

A Tentative Study of the Effects of Heat-Inactivation of the Probiotic Strain Shewanella putrefaciens Ppd11 on Senegalese Sole (Solea senegalensis) Intestinal Microbiota and Immune Response

ABSTRACT: Concerns about safety, applicability and functionality associated with live probiotic cells have led to consideration of the use of non-viable microorganisms, known as paraprobiotics. The present study evaluated the effects of dietary administration of heat-inactivated cells of the probiotic strain Shewanella putrefaciens Ppd11 on the intestinal microbiota and immune gene transcription in Solea senegalensis. Results obtained were evaluated and compared to those described after feeding with viable Pdp11 cells. S. senegalensis specimens were fed with basal (control) diet or supplemented with live or heat inactivated (60 °C, 1 h) probiotics diets for 45 days. Growth improvement was observed in the group receiving live probiotics compared to the control group, but not after feeding with a probiotic heat-inactivated diet. Regarding immune gene transcription, no changes were observed for tnf?, il-6, lys-c1, c7, hsp70, and hsp90aa in the intestinal samples based on the diet. On the contrary, hsp90ab, gp96, cd4, cd8, il-1?, and c3 transcription were modulated after probiotic supplementation, though no differences between viable and heat-inactivated probiotic supplemented diets were observed. Modulation of intestinal microbiota showed remarkable differences based on the viability of the probiotics. Thus, higher diversity in fish fed with live probiotic cells, jointly with increased Mycoplasmataceae and Spirochaetaceae to the detriment of Brevinemataceae, was detected. However, microbiota of fish receiving heat-inactivated probiotic cells showed decreased Mycoplasmataceae and increased Brevinemataceae and Vibrio genus abundance. In short, the results obtained indicate that the viable state of Pdp11 probiotic cells affects growth performance and modulation of S. senegalensis intestinal microbiota. On the contrary, minor changes were detected in the intestinal immune response, being similar for fish receiving both, viable and inactivated probiotic cell supplemented diets, when compared to the control dietThis study was supported by MINECO (grant no. AGL2014-51839-C5-2-R and AGL2017- 83370-C3-3-R) and FEDER funds

Microbiome network analysis in skin and gills of Sparus aurata fed with Nannochloropsis gaditana microalgae

1416 and 694 ASVs in gills and skin respectively were preserved in the taxonomic analysis after filtering. The predominant phylum in gills was Proteobacteria (~50%) in the control and hydrolyzed groups and reached 70.58% in the raw diet. The Bacteroidota phylum was the most represented and Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were close to 3% in all treatments in this tissue. However, in all three different treatments, the phyla abundance was similar in skin samples, ~90% of which corresponded to Proteobacteria. Bateroidota (5.5%–5.9%), Firmicutes (1.8%–2%) and Actinobacteria (<1%) constitute the other phyla. In gills, 13 significantly higher ASVs were obtained in the control (such as Achromobacter, Acidobacter) versus 4 whose abundance was higher in the hydrolyzed diet. The number of ASVs that differed significantly between the gill microbiota in the control vs. raw group amounted to 70, most of them being ASVs corresponding to the genus Shewanella (43) higher in the raw diet. Nevertheless, in the skin samples, Control group showed a significant increase of abundance related to Acinetobacter, Achromobacter, Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Vibrio and Sphingomonas among others. In the hydrolyzed group, the most significant abundance was associated with the genus Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Pseudoalteromonas, Ralstonia o Cutibacterium. In the case of the skin raw samples, there were ASVs corresponding to the genus Acinetobacter, Streptococcus or Pseudoalteromonas that were significantly different respect of control. Taking ASV abundance matrix for each diet and tissue, 6 co-occurrence networks were constructed. In all treatments in gills, Acinetobacter was a central genus in the network, and exhibited a negative correlation with Polaribacter. Besides, in the raw group, Polaribacter also showed negative correlation with Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Francisellacea. This work shows that Acinetobacter has a key role in the balance of mucosa microbiota and was in co-exclusion with Polaribacter.This work was funded by research projects for young researchers, CEIMAR 2019 (Evaluation of hydrolysates of Nannochloropsis gaditana for use in high value-added finishing feed for farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) (NAN2BREAM))