Influence of country image on country brand equity: application to higher education services.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze how country image affects the dimensions of country brand equity (CBE) (i.e. awareness, image, perceived quality and loyalty) in the higher education sector, as well as the interrelationships between these dimensions. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative research with 208 international students who were starting the academic year at a Spanish university was performed to test the hypotheses. In accordance with the characteristics of the target population, the subjects interviewed were mainly from Europe and the Americas. Findings: The results indicate that the country image affects the perceived quality and awareness of the universities in the country. Additionally, a hierarchy of effects between the dimensions of CBE was found. In particular, loyalty toward the universities of a country is positively influenced by their perceived quality, which is affected by image and awareness of these universities. For its part, the image of universities is positively influenced by the awareness attributed to them by international students. Practical implications: These results have implications for marketing activities aimed at the internationalization of higher education institutions and, therefore, their appeal to international students. Originality/value: The paper’s findings represent an important step in the advancement of knowledge about CBE by taking as a basis a complex model that involves the different dimensions of this construct together with a relevant variable in international marketing, that is, country image

Transfer learning for Alzheimer’s disease through neuroimaging biomarkers: A systematic review

Producción CientíficaAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a remarkable challenge for healthcare in the 21st century. Since 2017, deep learning models with transfer learning approaches have been gaining recognition in AD detection, and progression prediction by using neuroimaging biomarkers. This paper presents a systematic review of the current state of early AD detection by using deep learning models with transfer learning and neuroimaging biomarkers. Five databases were used and the results before screening report 215 studies published between 2010 and 2020. After screening, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. We noted that the maximum accuracy achieved to date for AD classification is 98.20% by using the combination of 3D convolutional networks and local transfer learning, and that for the prognostic prediction of AD is 87.78% by using pre-trained 3D convolutional network-based architectures. The results show that transfer learning helps researchers in developing a more accurate system for the early diagnosis of AD. However, there is a need to consider some points in future research, such as improving the accuracy of the prognostic prediction of AD, exploring additional biomarkers such as tau-PET and amyloid-PET to understand highly discriminative feature representation to separate similar brain patterns, managing the size of the datasets due to the limited availability.Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Turismo (AAL-20125036

Photomutagenicity of chlorpromazine and its N-demethylated metabolites assessed by NGS

[EN] The human genome is constantly attacked by endogenous and exogenous agents (ultraviolet light, xenobiotics, reactive oxygen species), which can induce chemical transformations leading to DNA lesions. To combat DNA damage, cells have developed several repair mechanisms; however, if the repair is defective, DNA lesions lead to permanent mutations. Single-cell gel electrophoresis (COMET assay) is a sensitive and well-established technique for quantifying DNA damage in individual cells. Nevertheless, this tool lacks relationship with mutagenesis. Therefore, to identify errors that give rise to mutations it would be convenient to test an alternative known procedure, such as next generation sequencing (NGS). Thus, the present work aims to evaluate the photomutagenicity of neuroleptic drug chlorpromazine (CPZ), and its N-demethylated metabolites using COMET assay and to test NGS as an alternative method to assess photomutagenesis. In this context, upon exposure to UVA radiation, COMET assay reveals CPZ-photosensitized DNA damage partially repaired by cells. Conversely with this result, metabolites demethylchlorpromazine (DMCPZ) and didemethylchlorpromazine (DDMCPZ) promote extensive DNA-photodamage, hardly repaired under the same conditions. Parallel assessment of mutagenesis by NGS is consistent with these results with minor discrepancies for DDMCPZ. To our knowledge, this is the first example demonstrating the utility of NGS for evaluating drug-induced photomutagenicity.This study was funded by the Carlos III Institute (ISCIII) of Health (Grants: PI15/00303, PI18/00540, PI16/01877, CPII16/00052, the Thematic Networks and Co-operative Research Centres: ARADyAL RD16/0006/0004 and RD16/0006/0030), IB16170, GR18145 from Junta de Extremadura, Spain, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund and Generalitat Valenciana Prometeo/2017/075. We would also like to thank M. Dolores Coloma for technical assistance in the preliminary experiments.Agúndez, JA.; García-Martín, E.; Garcia-Lainez, G.; Miranda Alonso, MÁ.; Andreu Ros, MI. (2020). Photomutagenicity of chlorpromazine and its N-demethylated metabolites assessed by NGS. Scientific Reports. 10(1):1-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63651-yS16101Bjelland, S. & Seeberg, E. Mutagenicity, toxicity and repair of DNA base damage induced by oxidation. Mutat. Res. 531, 37–80 (2003).Friedberg, E. C. A brief history of the DNA repair field. Cell Res. 18, 3–7 (2008).Cadet, J. & Wagner, J. R. DNA base damage by reactive oxygen species, oxidizing agents, and UV radiation. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Biol. 5, (2013).Bauer, N. C., Corbett, A. H. & Doetsch, P. W. The current state of eukaryotic DNA base damage and repair. Nucleic Acids Res. 43, 10083–10101 (2015).Cadet, J. & Davies, K. J. A. Oxidative DNA damage & repair: An introduction. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 107, 2–12 (2017).Sancar, A., Lindsey-Boltz, L. A., Unsal-Kaçmaz, K. & Linn, S. Molecular mechanisms of mammalian DNA repair and the DNA damage checkpoints. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 73, 39–85 (2004).Roos, W. P., Thomas, A. D. & Kaina, B. DNA damage and the balance between survival and death in cancer biology. Nat. Rev. Cancer 16, 20–33 (2016).Møller, P. Assessment of reference values for DNA damage detected by the comet assay in human blood cell DNA. Mutat. Res. 612, 84–104 (2006).Azqueta, A. & Collins, A. R. The essential comet assay: a comprehensive guide to measuring DNA damage and repair. Arch. Toxicol. 87, 949–968 (2013).Collins, A. R. et al. Controlling variation in the comet assay. Front. Genet. 5, 359 (2014).Møller, P. The comet assay: ready for 30 more years. Mutagenesis 33, 1–7 (2018).Shendure, J. & Ji, H. Next-generation DNA sequencing. Nat. Biotechnol. 26, 1135–1145 (2008).Metzker, M. L. Sequencing technologies—the next generation. Nat. Rev. Genet. 11, 31 (2010).Gawad, C., Koh, W. & Quake, S. R. Single-cell genome sequencing: current state of the science. Nat. Rev. Genet. 17, 175–188 (2016).Schwarz, U. I., Gulilat, M. & Kim, R. B. The Role of Next-Generation Sequencing in Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Med. 9, (2019).Epstein, J. H., Brunsting, L. A., Petersen, M. C. & Schwarz, B. E. A study of photosensitivity occurring with chlorpromazine therapy. J. Invest. Dermatol. 28, 329–338 (1957).Kochevar, I. E., Chung, F. L. & Jeffrey, A. M. Photoaddition of chlorpromazine to DNA. Chem. Biol. Interact. 51, 273–284 (1984).Palumbo, F. et al. Enhanced photo(geno)toxicity of demethylated chlorpromazine metabolites. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 313, 131–137 (2016).Miki, Y. et al. A strong candidate for the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1. Science 266, 66–71 (1994).Wooster, R. et al. Identification of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2. Nature 378, 789–792 (1995)

Application of machine learning techniques to help in the feature selection related to hospital readmissions of suicidal behavior

Producción CientíficaSuicide was the main source of death from external causes in Spain in 2020, with 3,941 cases. The importance of identifying those mental disorders that influenced hospital readmissions will allow us to manage the health care of suicidal behavior. The feature selection of each hospital in this region was carried out by applying Machine learning (ML) and traditional statistical methods. The results of the characteristics that best explain the readmissions of each hospital after assessment by the psychiatry specialist are presented. Adjustment disorder, alcohol abuse, depressive syndrome, personality disorder, and dysthymic disorder were selected for this region. The most influential methods or characteristics associated with suicide were benzodiazepine poisoning, suicidal ideation, medication poisoning, antipsychotic poisoning, and suicide and/or self-harm by jumping. Suicidal behavior is a concern in our society, so the results are relevant for hospital management and decision-making for its prevention.Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Efectos renales adversos por inhibidores del check-point (ICP) en pacientes con cáncer. Recomendaciones del grupo de Onconefrología de la Sociedad Española de Nefrología (SEN)

Insuficiència renal aguda; ImmunoteràpiaAcute kidney injury; ImmunotherapyInsuficiencia renal aguda; InmunoterapiaThe most widely used approach in the immunotherapy treatment of cancer is the administration of monoclonal antibodies directed against regulatory molecules of immune control that inhibit the activation of T cells, the so-called check point inhibitors (ICI). ICI nephrotoxicity epidemiology and pathology; its diagnosis with or without kidney biopsy; the type and duration of treatment; the possibility of rechallenging after kidney damage; and its indication in patients with cancer and renal transplantation are certainly controversial. In the absence of definitive studies, this document is intended to specify some recommendations agreed by the group of Onconephrology experts of the Spanish Society of Nephrology in those areas related to ICI nephrotoxicity, in order to help decision-making in daily clinical practice in Onconephrology consultations.El enfoque más utilizado en el tratamiento inmunoterápico del cáncer es la administración de anticuerpos monoclonales dirigidos contra moléculas reguladoras del control inmunitario que inhiben la activación de las células T, los llamados inhibidores del Check-Point (ICP). La epidemiología y patología de la nefrotoxicidad por los ICP; su diagnóstico con o sin biopsia renal; el tipo y la duración del tratamiento; la posibilidad de retratar después del daño renal; y su indicación en pacientes con cáncer y trasplante renal son ciertamente controvertidas. En ausencia de estudios definitivos, este documento está destinado a concretar unas recomendaciones consensuadas por el grupo de expertos de Onconefrología de la S.E.N en aquellas áreas relacionadas con la nefrotoxicidad por los ICP, con la finalidad de ayudar en la toma de decisiones en la práctica clínica diaria de las consultas de Onconefrología

Impact of a lecture abour empirical bases of hypnosis on beliefs and attitudes toward hypnosis among Cuban health professionals.

The aim of this study is to examine whether a lecture on hypnosis can modify attitudes and misconceptions about hypnosis. The sample consisted of 97 health professionals from institutions of Havana City. Group 1 consisted of 46 participants who received a lecture on hypnosis. Group 2 consisted of 51 participants who received a lecture about Urology. The Valencia Scale of Attitudes and Beliefs toward HypnosisTherapist was applied before and after the lecture. Results indicated that there were significant differences between the groups in which Group 1 showed more positive attitudes toward hypnosis. However, both groups showed similar misconceptions about hypnosis and memory, which changed significantly in Group 1 after receiving the lecture about hypnosis, but not in Group 2. Therefore, the lecture about hypnosis had a significant impact in correcting participants" misconceptions about memory and hypnosis

Increasing trend in the prevalence of morbid obesity in Spain: from 1.8 to 6.1 per thousand in 14 years

Obesity, and especiallymorbid obesity, increases the risk of cardiovascular as well as non-cardiovascular diseases. Our objective was to ascertain the trends in morbid obesity in Spain from 1993 to 2006 using representative data from 106,048 participants in the National Health Surveys. An age-adjusted Poisson regression model stratified by sex was fitted using morbid obesity as the dependent variable. An increasing trend in prevalent morbid obesity from 1.8 to 6.1 per thousand participants was found (increase > 200%). Morbid obesity prevalence was higher in women. After adjusting for age, a monotonically increasing prevalence of morbid obesity was apparent for both men and women: the relative increase was 4% per year in women and 12% per year in men. These trends highlight the importance of preventive actions

Validation of metabolic syndrome using medical records in the SUN cohort

The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of self reported criteria of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) cohort using their medical records as the gold standard. METHODS: We selected 336 participants and we obtained MS related data according to Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Then we compared information on the self reported diagnosis of MS and MS diagnosed in their medical records. We calculated the proportion of confirmed MS, the proportion of confirmed non-MS and the intraclass correlation coefficients for each component of the MS. RESULTS: From those 336 selected participants, we obtained sufficient data in 172 participants to confirm or reject MS using ATP III criteria. The proportion of confirmed MS was 91.2% (95% CI: 80.7- 97.1) and the proportion of confirmed non-MS was 92.2% (95% CI: 85.7-96.4) using ATP III criteria. The proportion of confirmed MS using IDF criteria was 100% (95% CI: 87.2-100) and the proportion of confirmed non-MS was 97.1% (95% CI: 85.1-99.9). Kappa Index was 0.82 in the group diagnosed by ATP III criteria and 0.97 in the group diagnosed by IDF criteria. Intraclass correlation coefficients for the different component of MS were: 0.93 (IC 95%:0.91- 0.95) for BMI; 0.96 (IC 95%: 0.93-0.98) for waist circumference; 0.75 (IC 95%: 0.66-0.82) for fasting glucose; 0.50 (IC 95%:0.35-0.639) for HDL cholesterol; 0.78 (IC 95%: 0.70-0.84) for triglycerides; 0.49 (IC 95%:0.34-0.61) for systolic blood pressure and 0.55 (IC 95%: 0.41-0.65) for diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported MS based on self reported components of the SM in a Spanish cohort of university graduates was sufficiently valid as to be used in epidemiological studies

Evolution of the beach-dune systems in the Balearic Islands from their geomorphological management (2000-2021)

In order to restore, maintain and protect the beach-dune systems of the Balearic Islands different management techniques have been applied. They have been based on the artificial emulation of natural processes to favour the recovery of the system, on the installation of elements that prevent the frequenting and on trampling of the dune systems. Some techniques are positive while others have aggravated erosive processes due to a lack of geomorphological criteria. This work analyses good and bad practices on beach-dune systems of the Balearic Islands between 2000-2021

Detection of Mycobacterium bovis-Infected Dairy Herds Using PCR in Bultk Tank Milk Samples

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic and zoonotic disease due to Mycobacterium bovis. The tuberculosis eradication campaign carried out in Argentina has considerably improved the health situation of the herds. Here we evaluated a strategy to detect M. bovis-infected herds by Touch-Down IS6110 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in bulk tank raw milk from dairy farms. We evaluated 177 samples from herds with the official tuberculosis free certificate (TFC) and 80 from herds without the certificate, non-tuberculosis-free certificate (NTFC), from 10 departments of Santa Fe province, Argentina. To avoid the effect of Taq polymerase inhibitors, a dilution of DNA template was performed. Positive PCR results were obtained in 102 (40%) of the samples, whereas negative ones were obtained in 155 (60%) of the samples. Importantly, 44% of NTFC and 38% of TFC samples were positive. All samples were subjected to culture in Löwenstein Jensen and Stonebrink media with no positive isolation. The negative predictive value (NPV) of PCR in the TFC group was 95%, while the positive predictive value (PPV) of PCR in the NTFC group was 51%. Based on these results, this work proposes a method that should be applied regularly to detect M. bovis--infected dairy herds, complementary to the official test of tuberculin, or purifed protein derivative (PPD), to control dairy herds, especially those free of tuberculosis.Fil: Zumárraga, Martín José. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Soutullo, Adriana Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Maria Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Marini, Rocío. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Abdala, Alejandro Ariel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: Tarabla, Héctor. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: Echaide, Susana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: López, Marcela. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Zerbini, Elsa Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Canal, Ana. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Cataldi, Ángel Adrián. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin