¿Qué sabe el alumnado de secundaria sobre la Unión Europea? Implicaciones para el aprendizaje

El desarrollo de la Dimensión Europea en la Educación es un objetivo vinculado a la construcción de la identidad europea y al ejercicio de una ciudadanía activa crítica y responsable. El artículo analiza el conocimiento de los estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria sobre la Unión Europea. En el estudio participaron 705 alumnos de cinco centros de educación secundaria obligatoria de cuatro comunidades autónomas españolas. Se diseñó una prueba de veinticuatro ítems sobre: a) las instituciones europeas, b) la historia de la cooperación europea, c) la ciudadanía Europea, d) Europa en la vida cotidiana, e) la identidad social y cultural, y f) derechos humanos y responsabilidades. Los resultados muestran que: a) el 80.3% de los alumnos contestaron correctamente catorce o menos ítems; b) existen diferencias significativas entre los alumnos en función del curso y de la comunidad autónoma, pero el tamaño del efectos es pequeño; c) los alumnos carecen de conocimientos sobre ?Europa en la vida cotidiana?, ?la Ciudadanía Europea?, ?la Historia de la cooperación europea? y ?las Instituciones europeas?. Se discute la necesidad de diseñar una propuesta curricular transversal

Metal dyshomeostasis based biomarkers for lung cancer diagnosis using human biofluids

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths in the world and it is well known that trace elements play important roles in the carcinogenic process activating and inhibiting enzymatic reactions and metalloproteins, in which they usually participate as cofactors. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 48 lung cancer patients and 39 controls (56 men and 31 women), aged 44-76 years between March 2011 and June 2012. Eleven elements have been included in the study: V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Cd, and Pb, some of them considered toxic (V, Cd, Cr and Pb), while others are essential (Co, Mo, Se, Fe and Zn), and they have been analyzed by ICP-QQQ-MS in serum, urine and for the first time in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In order to understand the involvement of metals in this process, an analytical metallomic approach based on non-denaturing precipitation of proteins (NDPP) has been optimized for the fractionation of high molecular mass (HMM) and low molecular mass (LMM) metal species, in order to distinguish between metal species that affect the biological activity and toxicological potential of the elements. In this work, the NDPP followed by the analysis of metals by ICP-QQQ-MS has been applied for the first time to serum, urine and BALF samples from lung cancer patients and controls in order to get metal-size molecule profiles (MSMP), which can be used as metal-based biomarkers of altered metabolic processes such as oxidative stress and homeostasis. In this sense, we have demonstrated that several metals are good biomarkers when they are related to labile complexes, complexed with low molecular mass ligands, or in the form of metalloproteins (i.e. V and Cr in HMM and Cu in LMM), which has been described for the first time. On the other hand, metal dyshomeostasis biomarkers are proposed using metal ratios and correlations. Finally, the ratios between elements were shown to be important biomarkers for lung cancer in serum (V/Mn, V/Pb, V/Zn, Cr/Pb), urine (Cr/Cd, Mn/Cd, V/Cd, Co/Cd, Cd/Pb) and BALF (V/Cu), which reflects the dyshomeostasis of metals in lung cancer. In this sense, several metals are correlated to others suggesting also the existence of an interconnected homeostasis in lung cancer.The authors thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CTM2015-67902-C2-1-P) and Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment (Andalusian Government. P12-FQM-0442). B. Callejon-Leblic thanks the Ministerio de Educacion for a predoctoral scholarship FPU13/03615. Finally, the authors are grateful to FEDER (European Community) (UNHU13-1E-1611 and UNHU15-CE-3140)

Micro-structure diffusion scalar measures from reduced MRI acquisitions

In diffusion MRI, the Ensemble Average diffusion Propagator (EAP) provides relevant microstructural information and meaningful descriptive maps of the white matter previously obscured by traditional techniques like the Diffusion Tensor. The direct estimation of the EAP, however, requires a dense sampling of the Cartesian q-space. Due to the huge amount of samples needed for an accurate reconstruction, more efficient alternative techniques have been proposed in the last decade. Even so, all of them imply acquiring a large number of diffusion gradients with different b-values. In order to use the EAP in practical studies, scalar measures must be directly derived, being the most common the return-to-origin probability (RTOP) and the return-to-plane and return-to-axis probabilities (RTPP, RTAP). In this work, we propose the so-called “Apparent Measures Using Reduced Acquisitions” (AMURA) to drastically reduce the number of samples needed for the estimation of diffusion properties. AMURA avoids the calculation of the whole EAP by assuming the diffusion anisotropy is roughly independent from the radial direction. With such an assumption, and as opposed to common multi-shell procedures based on iterative optimization, we achieve closed-form expressions for the measures using information from one single shell. This way, the new methodology remains compatible with standard acquisition protocols commonly used for HARDI (based on just one b-value). We report extensive results showing the potential of AMURA to reveal microstructural properties of the tissues compared to state of the art EAP estimators, and is well above that of Diffusion Tensor techniques. At the same time, the closed forms provided for RTOP, RTPP, and RTAP-like magnitudes make AMURA both computationally efficient and robust

The metallome of lung cancer and its potential use as biomarker

Carcinogenesis is a very complex process in which metals have been found to be critically involved. In this sense, a disturbed redox status and metal dyshomeostasis take place during the onset and progression of cancer, and it is well-known that trace elements participate in the activation or inhibition of enzymatic reactions and metalloproteins, in which they usually participate as cofactors. Until now, the role of metals in cancer have been studied as an effect, establishing that cancer onset and progression affects the disturbance of the natural chemical form of the essential elements in the metabolism. However, it has also been studied as a cause, giving insights related to the high exposure of metals giving a place to the carcinogenic process. On the other hand, the chemical species of the metal or metallobiomolecule is very important, since it finally affects the biological activity or the toxicological potential of the element and their mobility across different biological compartments. Moreover, the importance of metal homeostasis and metals interactions in biology has also been demonstrated, and the ratios between some elements were found to be different in cancer patients; however, the interplay of elements is rarely reported. This review focuses on the critical role of metals in lung cancer, which is one of the most insidious forms of cancer, with special attention to the analytical approaches and pitfalls to extract metals and their species from tissues and biofluids, determining the ratios of metals, obtaining classification profiles, and finally defining the metallome of lung cancer.This research was funded by the projects CTM2015-67902-C-1-P from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and P12-FQM-0442 from the Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment (Andalusian Government, Spain). Projects Neumosur (8/2012 and 9/2015) and SEPAR (124/2012 and 091/2016). Belén Callejón Leblic thanks the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for a predoctoral scholarship. Finally, authors are grateful to FEDER (European Community) for financial support, grants number UNHU13-1E-1611 and UNHU15-CE-3140

Proyectos de vida en adolescentes en riesgo de exclusión social

The configuration of the life design is a challenge for every human being. The factors that determine the construction of the life design are diverse: lack of maturity, lack of identity, con-flictive personality, problematic social and family environment, school failure, etc. This study attempts to analyse the process of shaping life designs in adolescents at risk of social exclusion. A multi-case study was conducted with six adolescents presenting exclusion trajectories that were within the protection system. In the study, qualitative (semi-structured and diary field inter-views) and quantitative (questionnaire) data retrieval tools and techniques were used, opting for a mixed methodology. The results show that these children have difficulties in projecting a future outside the contexts of social exclusion in which they have developed. Life designs are built from the maladjustment to the system and on a deficient social-emotional basis, making young people unable to generate assertive thoughts and behaviors to achieve the goals set. It is necessary to: a) work with adolescents at risk of exclusion to make them acquire social-emotional strategies, and b) prevent conflicting intra and interpersonal behaviour through care/support actions.La configuración del proyecto de vida es un reto de todo ser humano. Los factores que condicionan la construcción del proyecto vital son diversos: escasa madurez, falta de identidad, personalidad conflictiva, entorno sociofamiliar problemático, fracaso escolar, etc. La investigación tiene como objetivo analizar el proceso de configuración de los proyectos de vida en adolescentes en riesgo de exclusión social.  Se realizó un estudio de casos múltiples con seis adolescentes con trayectorias de exclusión acogidos al sistema de protección. En el estudio se utilizaron instrumentos y técnicas cualitativas (diario de campo, entrevistas abiertas y grupos de discusión) y cuantitativas (cuestionario). Los resultados muestran que estos menores poseen dificultades para proyectar un futuro al margen de los contextos de exclusión social en los que se han desarrollado. Los proyectos de vida son construidos desde la inadaptación al sistema y sobre una base socioemocional deficiente, ocasionando en los jóvenes la incapacidad de generar pensamientos y conductas asertivas para lograr alcanzar las metas fijadas. Es necesario: a) trabajar con los adolescentes en riesgo de exclusión la adquisición de estrategias socioemocionales, y b) prevenir las conductas intra e interpersonales conflictivas, a través de acciones de atención/apoyo

Gastroprotection during the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A drug-utilization study

Producción CientíficaThere has been an increase of anti-ulcer drug consumption in Spain. A high proportion of this consumption may be due to the use of those drugs as gastroprotective agents when co-prescribed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The aim of this study was to learn how these treatments are being used: the prevalence of use, the type of drug and the main features of patients. A sample of patients going to pharmacies with a NSAID prescription, with or without a gastroprotective agent, was obtained. A survey questionnaire was distributed to learn clinical and demographic data of the patients. Of the 942 patients interviewed, 41.6% were co-treated with a gastroprotective agent in addition to the NSAID. Most of these patients received proton-pump inhibitors and, to a lesser extent, histamine-2-receptor antagonists, antacids and prostaglandin analogues. The use of gastroprotective agents increased with age, treatment duration and illness chronicity; specialists prescribed a higher proportion of those co-treatments than did general practitioners. There was a high prescription rate of gastroprotective agents; in general, these were used according to recommendations. However, the type of gastroprotective agents being used does not seem to be justified by the current guidelines: histamine-2-receptor antagonists and antacid drugs have not proved their efficacy in this indication. The fact that one in four treatments with gastroprotective drugs was issued to patients without associated risk factors identifies a possible problem where an intervention could be appropriate

Enantiomeric separation of ornithine in complex mixtures of amino acids by EKC with off-line derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate

A new analytical methodology was developed by EKC enabling the fast enantiomeric separation of\ud Ornithine in complex mixtures of amino acids. A previous derivatization step with 6-aminoquinolyl-Nhydroxysuccinimidyl\ud carbamate (AQC) was achieved to enable the sensitive UV detection of amino acids\ud as well as to make possible their interaction with the CDs employed as chiral selectors. A dual CD system\ud containing an anionic and a neutral CD in phosphate buffer at acid pH showed a high resolving power\ud allowing the enantiomeric separation of 18 protein amino acids and Orn. The method was applied to the\ud analysis of fermented foods to investigate the extent of the presence of Orn enantiomers.Authors thank the Ministry of Education of Science (Spain) and\ud the Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain) for research projects CTQ2006-03849/BQU and S-0505/AGR-0312, respectively. Carmen Garcıa-Ruiz thanks the Ministry of Science and Technology (Spain) for the Ramon y Cajal program (RYC-2003-001). Ana Belen Martínez \ud Giron and Elena Domínguez-Vega thank the University of Alcala for their pre-doctoral grants