Barriers to teaching communication skills in Spanish medical schools: a qualitative study with academic leaders.

Background: In recent years, Spanish medical schools (MSs) have incorporated training in communication skills (CS), but how this training is being carried out has not yet been evaluated. Objective: To identify the barriers to the introduction and development of CS teaching in Spanish MSs. Methods: In a previous study, 34 MSs (83% of all MSs in Spain) were invited to participate in a study that explored the factual aspects of teaching CS in these schools. The person responsible for teaching CS at each school was contacted again for this study and asked to respond to a single open-ended question. Two researchers independently conducted a thematic analysis of the responses. Results: We received responses from 30 MSs (85.7% of those contacted and 73% of all MSs in Spain). Five main thematic areas were identified, each with different sub-areas: negative attitudes of teachers and academic leaders; organisation, structure and presence of CS training in the curriculum; negative attitudes of students; a lack of trained teachers; and problems linked to teaching methods and necessary educational logistics. Conclusions: The identified barriers and problems indicate that there are areas for improvement in teaching CS in most Spanish MSs. There seems to be a vicious circle based on the dynamic relationship and interdependence of all these problems that should be faced with different strategies and that requires a significant cultural shift as well as decisive institutional support at the local and national levels. The incorporation of CS training into MS curricula represents a major challenge that must be addressed for students to learn CS more effectively and avoid negative attitudes towards learning CS.post-print853 K

Medical students’ attitudes towards communication skills training: a longitudinal study with one cohort.

Objectives: To explore medical students’ attitudes towards communication skills and the evolution of these attitudes from their first to fourth academic years. Methods: A cohort of 91 medical students completed the Communication Skills Attitudes Scale (CSAS) at the beginning of their medical studies and at the end of their fourth year after having engaged in a training program in communication skills with experiential characteristics (individual encounters with simulated patients, observations in small groups, feedback, and practice). We analyzed students’ positive and negative global attitudes and their affective, cognitive, and respect dimensions towards learning communication skills. Results: Medical students’ attitudes toward communication skills declined from their first (52.8) to fourth year (49.6) (p=.011). Along with this significant decrease in positive attitudes, a significant increase in negative attitudes toward communication skills was also observed in trained students (32.2 vs. 34.2; p=.023). The decline in students’ attitudes mainly involves a decline in their affective (51.4 vs. 47.3, p=.001) but not cognitive (18.3) attitudes. Female students have more positive attitudes towards communication skills than male students. Conclusions: The decline in students’ attitudes, mainly in the affective dimension, could be related to their accumulated learning experiences during the learning process and particularly their experiential training in communication skills. Nevertheless, the importance students give to communication skills in the cognitive dimension remains unchanged. Students’ gender also seems to influence their attitudes. Further research is needed to assess the role of other factors involved in this decrease in positive and affective attitudes.post-print610 K

How communication skills are being incorporated, taught, and assessed in Spanish Medical Schools.

En los últimos 10 años las habilidades comunicativas se han introducido en los estudios de grado de las facultades de Medicina españolas (FFMM), sin embargo, no disponemos de datos fiables sobre cómo esto se está realizando. Este es el objetivo de este estudio. Métodos Estudio observacional. Los responsables de la enseñanza de habilidades comunicativas en las 41 FFMM del listado oficial del Ministerio de Sanidad responden a un cuestionario enviado electrónicamente. Resultados Respondieron 35 FFMM, el 85,3%. Organización curricular: 27 FFMM (79,4%) tienen estos contenidos compartidos con otros: 22 (64,7%) en periodo preclínico, 10 (29,5%) en cursos clínicos, ligados al aprendizaje en las pasantías. En 25 (71,4%) la enseñanza es obligatoria. Predominan los docentes clínicos (29; 85,3%), aunque el 35,3% (12) no lo son, la mayoría de estos, psicólogos (8). Predominan las clases magistrales y los seminarios con grupos reducidos. Aunque el role-playing es frecuente (26 FFMM), se hace «demostrativamente» (95%) y no todos los alumnos pueden ensayar y recibir feedback. Los pacientes simulados son poco utilizados (17). La evaluación es habitualmente mediante exámenes escritos (28 FM). Treinta FFMM incluyen algún tipo de evaluación práctica, generalmente en las pasantías. Conclusiones Aunque la mayoría de las FFMM españolas incorporaron algunos contenidos sobre habilidades comunicativas, esta incorporación parece estar aún lejos de ajustarse a los requerimientos para un aprendizaje eficaz. Se precisan estudios que revelen las circunstancias en las que se produce esta incorporación y las dificultades y barreras que las FFMM deben afrontar, para mejorar este tipo de formación en el futuro.post-print518 K

Examining the immune signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and the impact on neurodevelopment: Protocol of the SIGNATURE longitudinal study

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a valuable opportunity to carry out cohort studies that allow us to advance our knowledge on pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric diseases. One of these opportunities is the study of the relationships between inflammation, brain development and an increased risk of suffering neuropsychiatric disorders. Based on the hypothesis that neuroinflammation during early stages of life is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and confers a greater risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders, we propose a cohort study of SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant women and their newborns. The main objective of SIGNATURE project is to explore how the presence of prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and other non-infectious stressors generates an abnormal inflammatory activity in the newborn. The cohort of women during the COVID-19 pandemic will be psychological and biological monitored during their pregnancy, delivery, childbirth and postpartum. The biological information of the umbilical cord (foetus blood) and peripheral blood from the mother will be obtained after childbirth. These samples and the clinical characterisation of the cohort of mothers and newborns, are tremendously valuable at this time. This is a protocol report and no analyses have been conducted yet, being currently at, our study is in the recruitment process step. At the time of this publication, we have identified 1,060 SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers and all have already given birth. From the total of identified mothers, we have recruited 537 SARS-COV-2 infected women and all of them have completed the mental health assessment during pregnancy. We have collected biological samples from 119 mothers and babies. Additionally, we have recruited 390 non-infected pregnant women.This work has received support from the Fundación Alicia Koplowitz to realize the epigenetic wide association study and to the clinical assessment to the children. This work has also received public support from the Consejería de Salud y Familias para la financiación de la investigación, desarrollo e innovación (i + d + i) biomédica y en ciencias de la salud en Andalucía (CSyF 2021 - FEDER). Grant Grant number PECOVID- 0195-2020. Convocatoria financiada con Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) al 80% dentro del Programa Operativo de Andalucía FEDER 2014-2020. Andalucía se mueve con Europa. NG-T received payment under Rio Hortega contract CM20-00015 with the Carlos III Health Institute.Peer reviewe

Generation and characterization of a human iPSC line (UAMi004-A) from a patient with propionic acidemia due to defects in the PCCB gene

A human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line was generated from fibroblasts of a patient with propionic acidemia that has a homozygous mutation (c.1218_1231del14ins12 (p.G407 fs)) in the PCCB gene. Reprogramming factors OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC were delivered using a non-integrative method based on the Sendai virus. Once established, iPSCs have shown full pluripotency, differentiation capacity and genetic stability. The generated iPSC line represents a useful tool to study the pathomechanisms underlying the deficiencyResearch reported in this work was funded by Grant PAF107 from the Propionic Acidemia Foundation and by grant SAF2016-76004-R from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and European Regional Development Fund. The authors thank INDEPF (Instituto de investigación y desarrollo social de enfermedades poco frecuentes), the Cytogenetic unit from Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas(CNIO) and Mar Álvarez for their excellent technical assistance. Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa receives an institutional grant from Fundación Ramón Areces. ALM is a postdoctoral researcher of Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (PEJD-2017-POST/BMD-3671). EABis a PhD student funded by the FPU program of the Spanish Ministry ofScience, Innovation and Universities (FPU15/02923

Corrigendum to “Generation and characterization of a human iPSC line (UAMi004-A) from a patient with propionic acidemia due to defects in the PCCB gene”

We have generated and characterized seven human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a single family, including unaffected and affected individuals clinically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The reprogramming of the PBMCs was performed using non-integrative Sendai virus containing the reprogramming factors POU5F1 (OCT4), SOX2, KLF4 and MYC. All iPSC lines exhibited a normal karyotype and pluripotency was validated by immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and their ability to differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers. These iPSC lines are a valuable resource to study the molecular mechanisms underlying ASDThis study was funded in part by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grants (GNT1044175 and GNT1098255) awarded to E.G.S, M.B.D, I.S and P.J.L. K.B is supported by an E.H. Flack Fellowship and P.J.L is supported by the Vincent Chiodo Foundation. Additional infrastructure funding to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute was provided by the Australian Government NHMRC Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support Scheme and the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. The MCRI iPSC Core Facility is supported by the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation. M.B and E.G.S are Research Fellows, and I.S is a Practitioner Fellow, of the NHMR

Examining the immune signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and the impact on neurodevelopment: protocol of the SIGNATURE longitudinal study

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a valuable opportunity to carry out cohort studies that allow us to advance our knowledge on pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric diseases. One of these opportunities is the study of the relationships between inflammation, brain development and an increased risk of suffering neuropsychiatric disorders. Based on the hypothesis that neuroinflammation during early stages of life is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and confers a greater risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders, we propose a cohort study of SARS-CoV-2- infected pregnant women and their newborns. The main objective of SIGNATURE project is to explore how the presence of prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and other non-infectious stressors generates an abnormal inflammatory activity in the newborn. The cohort of women during the COVID-19 pandemic will be psychological and biological monitored during their pregnancy, delivery, childbirth and postpartum. The biological information of the umbilical cord (foetus blood) and peripheral blood from the mother will be obtained after childbirth. These samples and the clinical characterisation of the cohort of mothers and newborns, are tremendously valuable at this time. This is a protocol report and no analyses have been conducted yet, being currently at, our study is in the recruitment process step. At the time of this publication, we have identified 1,060 SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers and all have already given birth. From the total of identified mothers, we have recruited 537 SARS-COV-2 infected women and all of them have completed the mental health assessment during pregnancy. We have collected biological samples from 119 mothers and babies. Additionally, we have recruited 390 non-infected pregnant women

Materiales para la Transición de Etapa Primaria-Secundaria

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe presenta un documento elaborado por orientadores y orientadoras pertenecientes a distintos Institutos de Educación Secundaria y Equipos de Orientación Educativa de Córdoba con el propósito de servir de soporte para el desarrollo de la función tutorial del profesorado. Se recoge un Informe de Evaluación Individualizado, informe tutorial de transición de etapa educativa para alumnado con dificultades de aprendizaje y-o necesidades educativas especiales, orientaciones dirigidas a familias y profesorado, distintas actividades y un cuestionario para el alumnado de primer curso de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.AndalucíaES