Eubiotic effect of buckwheat D-fagomine in healthy rats

Diversity and balance of gut microorganisms is fundamental for health throughout life. The aim of this study is to explore the possible eubiotic effect of the buckwheat iminosugar D-fagomine (0.096% w/w in standard feed) in growing healthy Wistar Kyoto rats. Feed and energy intake, residual energy in feces, and body weight gain were independent of D-fagomine supplementation throughout the intervention (24 weeks). The populations of significant bacterial subgroups and species were determined in fecal and cecal DNA by quantitative real-time PCR. D-Fagomine increased the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio and partially counteracted the loss of Lactobacilliales and Bifidobacteriales over time. The supplementation reduced the levels of excreted short- chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as determined by gas chromatography. This paper provides preliminary evidence that D-fagomine has the capacity to promote microbial functional diversity by increasing the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio and to mitigate the age-related reduction in populations of the putatively beneficial Lactobacilliales and Bifidobacteriales

El desarrollo de la Competencia Digital Docente en Educación Superior. Una revisión sistemática de la literatura

This article aims to present the results of a Systematic Literature Review on the level development of Teaching Digital Competence in Higher Education. Articles were selected based on inclusion criteria, events of interest and keywords, used in the search engines of three databases: Redalyc, Scopus and ERIC, including studies in Spanish and English carried out between 2015 and 2015. 2021. We worked through a methodology that divided the process into four stages in which a thorough selection of articles was carried out, using the COMDID Rubric and the PRISMA 2020. Through this methodology, findings and levels of development of the CDD were described, which made it possible to obtain the results of the review based on the dimensions and indicators of the COMDID Rubric for the 47 selected articles. Reports of experiences with ICT were identified, describing an ideal scenario, but where the highest levels in the development of CDD are not materialized, and without didactic intervention in the institutional educational practices of teachers at the expert or transformative levels.El presente artículo tiene como objetivo presentar los resultados de una Revisión Sistemática de Literatura sobre los niveles de desarrollo de la Competencia Digital Docente en Educación Superior. Se procedió a seleccionar artículos tomando como base criterios de inclusión, eventos de interés y palabras clave, empleadas en los motores de búsqueda de tres bases de datos: Redalyc, Scopus y ERIC, incluyendo estudios en español y en inglés realizados entre los años 2015 y 2021. Se trabajó a través de una metodología que dividió el proceso en cuatro etapas en las cuales se realizó una minuciosa selección de artículos, empleando la Rúbrica COMDID y la Declaración PRISMA 2020. Basados en esta modalidad, se describieron hallazgos y niveles de desarrollo de la CDD, lo cual posibilitó la obtención de resultados de la revisión en función de las dimensiones e indicadores de la Rúbrica COMDID para los 47 artículos seleccionados. Se identificaron relatos de experiencias con TIC describiendo un escenario ideal, pero donde no se concretan los niveles más altos en el desarrollo de la CDD, y sin intervención didáctica en las prácticas educativas institucionales de los docentes, para los niveles expertos o transformadores

Calidad de vida y competencias de empleabilidad en personas trabajadoras en centros especiales de empleo

This article goes in depth in the relationship between employability skills and quality of life of people with mild and moderate intellectual disability who work in a special employment center (CEE), as a determining factor in their level of socio-community inclusion. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire on labor competences (own elaboration), as well  as through the scale of quality of life by Schalock and Verdugo (2008) with 100 workers of 15 CEE. The worker’s supervisor answered both. People in the sample have a low level of quality of life, but high in job skills. There    is no relationship between both variables. In terms of quality of life, young people show better levels of personal development than those over 45 years of age; and men present better results in interpersonal relationships. High levels of competence do not differ according to age or gender. Results show the need for a longitudinal educational action centered on the person, already initiated in schooling, to promote the domains of the quality of life and to continue throughout life. On the other hand, job training developed in the CEE shows good results in the professional skills of participants in the study. The specific groups that require priority actions are those over 45 years old, to promote quality active aging, as well as women, to avoid double discrimination to which they are subjected (disability and  gender).Este artículo profundiza en la relación entre competencias de empleabilidad (CE) y calidad de vida (CV) en personas con discapacidad intelectual leve y moderada que trabajan en un centro especial de empleo (CEE), como elemento determinante en su nivel de inclusión socio-comunitaria. La información se recogió mediante un cuestionario de competencias de empleabilidad de elaboración propia, así como a través de la escala de calidad de vida de Schalock y Verdugo (2008), que se pasó a 100 trabajadores de 15 CEE. Las personas de la muestra presentan un bajo nivel de calidad de vida, pero alto en competencias de empleabilidad. No existe relación entre ambas variables. En cuanto a la calidad de vida, los jóvenes muestran mejores niveles de desarrollo personal que los mayores de 45 años y los hombres presentan mejores resultados en las relaciones interpersonales. Los altos niveles competenciales no difieren en función de la edad ni del género. Los resultados muestran la necesidad de una acción educativa longitudinal centrada en la persona, iniciada ya en la etapa de escolarización, para promover los dominios de la calidad de vida y que esta continúe a lo largo de la vida. Por otro lado, la formación laboral desarrollada desde los CEE evidencia buenos resultados en las competencias de las personas participantes en el estudio. Los colectivos específicos que requieren acciones prioritarias son el de personas mayores de 45 años, para promover un envejecimiento activo de calidad, así como el de mujeres, para evitar la doble discriminación a la que se ven sometidas (discapacidad y género)

Increased p53 gene dosage reduces neointimal thickening induced by mechanical injury but has no effect on native atherosclerosis

This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Cardiovascular Research following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Cardiovasc Res. 75 (4):803-12. is available online at: http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/75/4/803OBJECTIVE: The tumor suppressor p53 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis, two key processes in the pathogenesis of occlusive vascular disease. Here, we examined the consequences of heightening p53 function on neointimal lesion formation in the setting of atherosclerosis and mechanical injury. METHODS: (1) Immunohistopathological characterization of neointimal lesions in atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E-null mice with normal p53 gene dosage (apoEKO) and carrying a p53 transgene (Super-p53/apoE-KO); (2) molecular studies in macrophages and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) obtained from these mice. RESULTS: The p53 transgene conferred p53 gain-of-function in cultured cells and mice. In vitro, survival of irradiated Super-p53 macrophages and femoral SMCs was reduced, but only Super-p53 SMCs exhibited attenuated proliferation. In vivo, whereas the size of spontaneously formed and diet-induced aortic atheromas was undistinguishable in apoE-KO and Super-p53/apoE-KO mice, the latter exhibited attenuated neointimal thickening in mechanically-injured femoral artery. In both models, neither apoptosis nor cell proliferation were affected by additional p53 gene dosage when examined in established neointimal lesions. However, at 2 days after mechanical injury when neointimal lesions were not formed yet, cell proliferation was significantly attenuated within medial SMCs of Super-p53/apoEKO mice. CONCLUSION: Heightening p53 function has differential effects on in vitro proliferation of macrophages (unaffected) versus SMCs (reduced), and on native atherosclerosis (unaffected) versus mechanically-induced neointimal thickening (reduced) in apoE-KO mice. The protective effect of p53 in mechanically-injured femoral artery coincided with limited medial SMC proliferation at early time points preceding neointima formation, but neither medial nor neointimal cell proliferation was affected in vessels with established occlusive lesions. These findings corroborate p53 gain-of-function as a promising therapeutic strategy to limit post-angioplasty restenosis but not native atherosclerosis.Work financed by grants from Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo/Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Cardiovasculares, RECAVA), from the Regional Government of Valencia (GV04B-288) and from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia and the European Regional Development Fund (SAF2004-03057). S.M.S.-G. and J.M.G received salary support from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and J.J.F. from CSIC-I3P predoctoral fellowship program cosponsored by the European Social Fund.Peer reviewe

A Scoring System for Identifying Patients Likely to Be Diagnosed with Low-Grade Coeliac Enteropathy

Background & aims: Determining whether patients with lymphocytic enteritis (LE) have coeliac disease is a challenge. We analysed the variables associated with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis in patients with suspected coeliac disease but without villous atrophy, and developed a scoring system to identify them. Methods: We collected data from 2010 through to 2016 on patients with lymphocytic enteritis and persistent symptoms compatible with the clinical spectrum of coeliac disease. One hundred and four patients starting on a gluten-free diet (GFD) were included. Duodenal biopsies were collected before the GFD and analysed for numbers of CD3+ T-cell receptor gamma delta+ (TCRγδ+), and CD3- intraepithelial lymphocytes. We performed a logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis. Results: Sixty-two patients achieved clinical remission after the GFD. Fifty of these 62 patients were diagnosed with low-grade coeliac enteropathy. Multivariate analysis identified the presence of >25% intraepithelial lymphocytosis, HLA-DQ2.5, positive serology, and increased numbers of TCRγδ+ cells with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis. We developed a scoring system that identified patients with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.91. Scores of >10 had 86% sensitivity and 85% specificity. Conclusion: We developed a scoring system that identifies patients likely to be diagnosed with low-grade coeliac enteropathy with an AUC value of 0.91

Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte cytometric pattern is more accurate than subepithelial deposits of anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA for the diagnosis of celiac disease in lymphocytic enteritis

Background & Aims: An increase in CD3+TCRγδ+ and a decrease in CD3− intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is a characteristic flow cytometric pattern of celiac disease (CD) with atrophy. The aim was to evaluate the usefulness of both CD IEL cytometric pattern and anti-TG2 IgA subepithelial deposit analysis (CD IF pattern) for diagnosing lymphocytic enteritis due to CD. Methods: Two-hundred and five patients (144 females) who underwent duodenal biopsy for clinical suspicion of CD and positive celiac genetics were prospectively included. Fifty had villous atrophy, 70 lymphocytic enteritis, and 85 normal histology. Eight patients with non-celiac atrophy and 15 with lymphocytic enteritis secondary to Helicobacter pylori acted as control group. Duodenal biopsies were obtained to assess both CD IEL flow cytometric (complete or incomplete) and IF patterns. Results: Sensitivity of IF, and complete and incomplete cytometric patterns for CD diagnosis in patients with positive serology (Marsh 1+3) was 92%, 85 and 97% respectively, but only the complete cytometric pattern had 100% specificity. Twelve seropositive and 8 seronegative Marsh 1 patients had a CD diagnosis at inclusion or after gluten free-diet, respectively. CD cytometric pattern showed a better diagnostic performance than both IF pattern and serology for CD diagnosis in lymphocytic enteritis at baseline (95% vs 60% vs 60%, p = 0.039). Conclusions: Analysis of the IEL flow cytometric pattern is a fast, accurate method for identifying CD in the initial diagnostic biopsy of patients presenting with lymphocytic enteritis, even in seronegative patients, and seems to be better than anti-TG2 intestinal deposits