“Zombie attack” a new way to teach Chemistry

The Higher Education requires new models which allow training people able to adapt and survive in changing environments. It is based on the use of technologies and the adaptation of knowledge to people. It is about an education according to circumstances, which is adapted to context and virtual behaviour of people. One of the main difficulties that lecturers find in the classroom is how to maintain students' attention and interest in their subject, especially when students also think that the subject is not important for their training. In order to motivate these students, innovation in educational techniques and methodologies, such as experiential learning, are progressively being imposed to and/or coordinated with the traditional ones. Escape Room is a very modern concept in education, based on the development of mental skills for the solution of enigmas and problems. It is a tool to develop the cooperative, cognitive, deductive and logical reasoning skills of the students. In this work, an educational gamification experience based on the escape room concept is presented. The students have 1 hour and 30 minutes to carry out this activity. They will have to solve four puzzles and enigmas that will give them the key to open a treasure chest and finally let them escape from the classroom. Logic, ingenuity and teamwork will allow participants to develop not only chemical competence, but also other basic skills. The story that is told throughout the escape room is a zombie attack: the city has been infected (with a virus) and only the occupants of the room where the activity takes place have not been infected. In addition, they can all protect themselves if they are able to open the chest where the antidote is located. The aim of this activity is to enhance the knowledge acquired throughout the semester as well as the development of skills.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Fallo renal agudo en el paciente crítico. Acute renal failure in critically-ill patients

Se realiza un estudio prospectivo, longitudinal y descriptivo, para definir las características clínico epidemiológicas de la insuficiencia renal aguda en la Unidad de Cuidados Intermedios del Hospital Universitario "Abel Santamaría" del 1ro de enero de 2002 al 31 de diciembre de 2002. El universo lo constituyeron los 3 025 pacientes ingresados en la unidad de cuidados intermedios en el período analizado. La muestra total quedó constituida por los 363 pacientes que presentaron insuficiencia renal aguda luego de la admisión en la unidad, representando un 12%. Se incluyeron los pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intermedios en estado grave y que en el transcurso de dicho ingreso se le diagnosticó un fallo renal agudo, según los siguientes criterios: disminución del volumen de orina por debajo de 500 ml/24 horas y/o incremento de la creatinemia superior a 0,5 mg/dl (44 micromoles/l) por encima de su valor normal en menos de 24 horas. Existió predominio en el grupo de edades por encima de los 46 años, haciéndose más evidente por encima de los 75. Las causas de falla renal aguda más frecuentes fueron la hipovolemia absoluta y la disminución del volumen circulatorio efectivo. El tipo de insuficiencia renal aguda que más se reportó fue la hiperazoemia prerenal, siendo las infecciones, los trastornos hidroelectrolíticos, la hipertensión arterial y las arritmias cardíacas las complicaciones más frecuentemente encontradas. La modalidad terapéutica que más se aplicó fue el tratamiento conservador. DeCS: EPIDEMIOLOGÍA, INSUFICIENCIA RENAL AGUDA.ABSTRACT A retrospective, longitudinal and descriptive study is carried out to determine clinical and epidemiological features of acute renal failure at Abel Santamaría University Hospital Intermediate Health Care Unit, from January 1st 2002 to December 31st 2002. The whole patient group comprised 3015 patients admitted at Intermediate Health Care Unit during the above mentioned period. The overall sample finally consisted of 363 patients with acute renal failure after admission at the Unit, this representing 12 %. Patients admitted at Intermediate Health Care Unit with serious health conditions were included and throughout the admission period they were found to present acute renal failure, according to the following criteria: decrease in urine volume below 500 ml/24 hours and/or increase in creatinemia above 0.5 mg/dl (44 micromols/l) over its normal value in less than 24 hours. The age group over 46 years of age prevailed, more evidently over 75. The most frequent acute renal failure causes were associated with absolute hypovolemia and a decrease in the effective circulatory volume. They type of acute renal failure mostly reported was pre - renal hyperazotemia, where infections, hydroelectric disorders, hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias were most often found. The most applied therapeutic modality was the conservative treatment. DeCS: EPIDEMIOLOGY, KIDNEY FAILURE, ACUTE

Fallo renal agudo en el paciente crítico. Acute renal failure in critically-ill patients

Se realiza un estudio prospectivo, longitudinal y descriptivo, para definir las características clínico epidemiológicas de la insuficiencia renal aguda en la Unidad de Cuidados Intermedios del Hospital Universitario "Abel Santamaría" del 1ro de enero de 2002 al 31 de diciembre de 2002. El universo lo constituyeron los 3 025 pacientes ingresados en la unidad de cuidados intermedios en el período analizado. La muestra total quedó constituida por los 363 pacientes que presentaron insuficiencia renal aguda luego de la admisión en la unidad, representando un 12%. Se incluyeron los pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intermedios en estado grave y que en el transcurso de dicho ingreso se le diagnosticó un fallo renal agudo, según los siguientes criterios: disminución del volumen de orina por debajo de 500 ml/24 horas y/o incremento de la creatinemia superior a 0,5 mg/dl (44 micromoles/l) por encima de su valor normal en menos de 24 horas. Existió predominio en el grupo de edades por encima de los 46 años, haciéndose más evidente por encima de los 75. Las causas de falla renal aguda más frecuentes fueron la hipovolemia absoluta y la disminución del volumen circulatorio efectivo. El tipo de insuficiencia renal aguda que más se reportó fue la hiperazoemia prerenal, siendo las infecciones, los trastornos hidroelectrolíticos, la hipertensión arterial y las arritmias cardíacas las complicaciones más frecuentemente encontradas. La modalidad terapéutica que más se aplicó fue el tratamiento conservador. DeCS: EPIDEMIOLOGÍA, INSUFICIENCIA RENAL AGUDA.ABSTRACT A retrospective, longitudinal and descriptive study is carried out to determine clinical and epidemiological features of acute renal failure at Abel Santamaría University Hospital Intermediate Health Care Unit, from January 1st 2002 to December 31st 2002. The whole patient group comprised 3015 patients admitted at Intermediate Health Care Unit during the above mentioned period. The overall sample finally consisted of 363 patients with acute renal failure after admission at the Unit, this representing 12 %. Patients admitted at Intermediate Health Care Unit with serious health conditions were included and throughout the admission period they were found to present acute renal failure, according to the following criteria: decrease in urine volume below 500 ml/24 hours and/or increase in creatinemia above 0.5 mg/dl (44 micromols/l) over its normal value in less than 24 hours. The age group over 46 years of age prevailed, more evidently over 75. The most frequent acute renal failure causes were associated with absolute hypovolemia and a decrease in the effective circulatory volume. They type of acute renal failure mostly reported was pre - renal hyperazotemia, where infections, hydroelectric disorders, hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias were most often found. The most applied therapeutic modality was the conservative treatment. DeCS: EPIDEMIOLOGY, KIDNEY FAILURE, ACUTE

Wind and turbulence relationship with NO2 in an urban environment: a fine-scale observational analysis

It is well known that meteorology plays an important role in the diurnal evolution of pollutants, especially those variables related to atmospheric dispersion. Most studies typically relate the concentration of some pollutants with wind speed from conventional anemometers; however, the use of turbulence variables is less common, in part because the needed instruments are not so typical in standard air-quality stations. In this work, we compare the wind-NO2 relationship with the turbulence-NO2 one using observational data from two field campaigns developed in Madrid (winter and summer). The turbulence data comes from two sonic anemometers deployed at different locations: one close to the street and the other at the top of a nearby tall building. The results indicate that the turbulent variables correlate better with the pollutant concentration than the wind speed when using data from the street sonic, while the contrary is found when using the terrace sonic. These data are also used to perform a fine-scale analysis of the turbulent diffusion-NO2 behaviour during a very-stable period in winter, when the turbulence typically shows a decrease in the evening transition, causing the highestNO2 concentrations. Conversely, under these conditions, the formation of thermally-driven winds is also favoured later in the night, which favours the pollutant dispersion and cleaning of the air. The important role of these dynamical processes on the NO2 evolution highlights the importance of the correct understanding of small-scale atmospheric processes to understand their relationship with the concentration of pollutants

A study of the dry forest communities in the Dominican Republic

This paper is a floristic and phytosociological study of the dry forest communities of the Dominican Republic. A total of 69 relevés in dry forest biotopes were carried out. The samples were subsequently subjected to Detrended Correspondence Analysis for the determination and study of possible groupings. The study does not cover tree formations growing on serpentines, nor the so-called semideciduous forests, peculiar to areas with higher rainfall. A total of nine phytocoenoses were identified. The most significant results led to the description of six new phytosociological associations: Simaroubetum berteroani (thorny dry forest on coastal dunes), Phyllostylo rhamnoidis-Prosopidetum juliflorae (southern Dominican disturbed dry forest), Consoleo moniliformis-Camerarietum linearifoliae (dry forest on hard limestones), Lemaireocereo hystricis-Prosopidetum juliflorae (northern Dominican disturbed dry forest), Lycio americani-Prosopidetum juliflorae (disturbed dry forest on saline soils) and Guettardo ellipticae-Guapiretum discoloris (dry forest on flat-topped hillocks in Montecristi). This is an important step forward in the phytosociological and floristic studies of the Caribbean territories.Este trabalho apresenta um estudo florístico e fitossociológico das comunidades de florestas secas da República Dominicana. Um total de 69 amostras foram obtidas pelo método relevé em biótopos florestais secos. As amostras foram posteriormente submetidas à análise de correspondência destendenciada para a determinação e estudo de possíveis agrupamentos. O estudo não abrange formações arbóreas desenvolvidas sobre serpentinitos, nem as chamadas florestas semideciduais, peculiares às áreas de maior pluviosidade. Foram identificados nove fitocenoses. Os resultados mais significativos levaram à descrição de seis novas associações fitossociológicas: Simaroubetum berteroani (floresta espinhosa seca em dunas costeiras), Phyllostylo rhamnoidis-Prosopidetum juliflorae (floresta seca perturbada do sul da República Dominicana), Consoleo moniliformis-Camerarietum linearifoliae (floresta seca sobre calcários compactos), Lemaireocereo hystricis-Prosopidetum juliflorae (floresta seca perturbada do norte da República Dominicana), Lycio americani-Prosopidetum juliflorae (floresta seca perturbada desenvolvida em solos salinos) Guettardo ellipticae-Guapiretum discoloris (floresta seca em colinas de topo achatado em Montecristi). O trabalho realizado representa um importante avanço nos estudos fitossociológicos e florísticos dos territórios do Caribe.This research paper was possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID), under the auspices of the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación de España, which funded the project (cod. A/3499/05)

SARS-CoV-2 viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs is not an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome

The aim was to assess the ability of nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load at first patient’s hospital evaluation to predict unfavorable outcomes. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 321 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 through RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs. Quantitative Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA cycle threshold values were used to calculate the viral load in log10 copies/mL. Disease severity at the end of follow up was categorized into mild, moderate, and severe. Primary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or death (n = 85, 26.4%). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load over the second quartile (≥ 7.35 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.003) and second tertile (≥ 8.27 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.01) were associated to unfavorable outcome in the unadjusted logistic regression analysis. However, in the final multivariable analysis, viral load was not independently associated with an unfavorable outcome. Five predictors were independently associated with increased odds of ICU admission and/or death: age ≥ 70 years, SpO2, neutrophils > 7.5 × 103/µL, lactate dehydrogenase ≥ 300 U/L, and C-reactive protein ≥ 100 mg/L. In summary, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load on admission is generally high in patients with COVID-19, regardless of illness severity, but it cannot be used as an independent predictor of unfavorable clinical outcome

Dendritic cell deficiencies persist seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 infection induces an exacerbated inflammation driven by innate immunity components. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in the defense against viral infections, for instance plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), have the capacity to produce vast amounts of interferon-alpha (IFN-α). In COVID-19 there is a deficit in DC numbers and IFN-α production, which has been associated with disease severity. In this work, we described that in addition to the DC deficiency, several DC activation and homing markers were altered in acute COVID-19 patients, which were associated with multiple inflammatory markers. Remarkably, previously hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients remained with decreased numbers of CD1c+ myeloid DCs and pDCs seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, the expression of DC markers such as CD86 and CD4 were only restored in previously nonhospitalized patients, while no restoration of integrin β7 and indoleamine 2,3-dyoxigenase (IDO) levels were observed. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the immunological sequelae of COVID-19

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality