Guidelines for oral assessment

En este documento se presentan los lineamientos y teoría para la implementación de un sistema de evaluación oral en el Centro de Idiomas de la Universidad Eafit. El texto desarrolla tres temas principales: 1) el enfoque comunicativo para la enseñanza y la evaluación ; 2) la planeación de la evaluación; y 3) el uso de las herramientas de evaluación.This document aims at offering teachers a framework for assessing oral language and some guidelines that will foster the implementation and practice of a homogeneous oral assessment system (OAS) at the EAFIT University Language Center. The document deals with three main topics, namely (1) Communicative Approach to Teaching and Assessment; (2) Planning for Assessment; and (3) Using the Oral Assessment Rubric

Initial validation of the Spanish Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-short form: Factor structure, reliability and association with parenting

The present study examines the internal consistency and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the association between the CTQ-SF subscales and parenting style. Cronbach's α and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed in a female clinical sample (n = 185). Kendall's ι correlations were calculated between the maltreatment and parenting scales in a subsample of 109 patients. The Spanish CTQ-SF showed adequate psychometric properties and a good fit of the 5-factor structure. The neglect and abuse scales were negatively associated with parental care and positively associated with overprotection scales. The results of this study provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the Spanish CTQ-SF

Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19: a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Funder: laura and john arnold foundationBACKGROUND: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GEHFX ). METHODS: In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. RESULTS: A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92; 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care

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

Diferencias en el rendimiento en la memoria de trabajo entre hombres y mujeres mayores de 49 años en Medellín, Antioquia

INTRODUCCIÓN: El objetivo de la investigación fue la evaluación del rendimiento en la memoria de trabajo de una población de adultos, mayores de 49 años, de la ciudad de Medellín, analizando las diferencias de este desempeño entre hombres y mujeres. MATERIALES Y METODOS: Estudio observacional analítico, con un diseño transversal, en el que se evaluó el rendimiento en este proceso de 144 adultos mayores de 49 años con la tarea de Retención de Dígitos y la tarea de Cubos de Corsi. Participaron 60 hombres (41,7 %) y 84 mujeres (58,3 %), con una edad media de 66,5 ± 9,9 y 69,3 ± 12,1 años, respectivamente. RESULTADOS: La puntuación de los hombres supera ligeramente a la de las mujeres en todas las pruebas realizadas, con una diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la tarea de Cubos de Corsi Inversa (Span Visual © Inverso). Asimismo, se evidencia un mejor desempeño por parte de las mujeres en tareas de amplitud simple y de tipo verbal, mientras que los hombres se desempeñan mejor en tareas amplitud compleja y de tipo visoespacial. CONCLUSIONES: estos hallazgos sugieren una ventaja de los hombres en el control de la atención e indican una mayor capacidad para retener e integrar la información visual y cinestésica, así como un mejor desarrollo en algunas habilidades cognitivas superiores como la comprensión del lenguaje y la orientación visoespacial

Translation and validation of the spanish version of the chronic Illness anticipated stigma scale (CIASS) in Colombian patients diagnosed with chronic Illnesses.

Objective: Determine the psychometric properties of the CIASS scale for Colombian patients living with chronic diseases. Method: A Spanish version of the scale was distributed to a sample of 230 patients (33.2% male, aged 18-98 years) diagnosed with chronic diseases. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed using unweighted least squares to determine the scale’s structural validity, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to determine the scale’s reliability, and correlations with related constructs were calculated to determine the scale’s convergent validity. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the factor structure of the scale was a satisfactory fit to the proposed theoretical model (χ2 = 3133.26, df = 526, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.082, P-Value = 0.00, CFI = 1.00, root mean square residual [RMR] = 0.11). The internal consistency of the scale was strong (Cronbach’s α = .815), indicating that the scale was reliable. We found that the discrimination index of CIASS scale items were high (r= .647-.870). Convergent validity was also supported, associations observed with lower coping and greater negative emotion scores. Conclusion: The CIASS scale is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of anticipated stigma in Colombian patients with chronic illnesses

Role of Protein Glycosylation in Interactions of Medically Relevant Fungi with the Host

Protein glycosylation is a highly conserved post-translational modification among organisms. It plays fundamental roles in many biological processes, ranging from protein trafficking and cell adhesion to host–pathogen interactions. According to the amino acid side chain atoms to which glycans are linked, protein glycosylation can be divided into two major categories: N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation. However, there are other types of modifications such as the addition of GPI to the C-terminal end of the protein. Besides the importance of glycoproteins in biological functions, they are a major component of the fungal cell wall and plasma membrane and contribute to pathogenicity, virulence, and recognition by the host immunity. Given that this structure is absent in host mammalian cells, it stands as an attractive target for developing selective compounds for the treatment of fungal infections. This review focuses on describing the relationship between protein glycosylation and the host–immune interaction in medically relevant fungal species

Performance of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 Against Different Delirium Diagnostic Criteria in a Population With a High Prevalence of Dementia

Background Delirium diagnosis in elderly is often complicated by underlying dementia. Objective We evaluated performance of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98) in patients with high dementia prevalence and also assessed concordance among past and current diagnostic criteria for delirium. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of newly admitted patients to a skilled nursing facility over 6 months, who were rated within 24–48 hours after admission. Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition-R (DSM)-III-R, DSM-IV, DSM-5, and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition delirium ratings, administration of the DRS-R98, and assessment of dementia using the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly were independently performed by 3 researchers. Discriminant analyses (receiver operating characteristics curves) were used to study DRS-R98 accuracy against different diagnostic criteria. Hanley and McNeil test compared the area under the curve for DRS-R98’s discriminant performance for all diagnostic criteria. Results Dementia was present in 85/125 (68.0%) subjects, and 36/125 (28.8%) met criteria for delirium by at least 1 classification system, whereas only 19/36 (52.8%) did by all. DSM-III-R diagnosed the most as delirious (27.2%), followed by DSM-5 (24.8%), DSM-IV-TR (22.4%), and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (16%). DRS-R98 had the highest AUC when discriminating DSM-III-R delirium (92.9%), followed by DSM-IV (92.4%), DSM-5 (91%), and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (90.5%), without statistical differences among them. The best DRS-R98 cutoff score was ≥14.5 for all diagnostic systems except International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (≥15.5). Conclusions There is a low concordance across diagnostic systems for identification of delirium. The DRS-R98 performs well despite differences across classification systems perhaps because it broadly assesses phenomenology, even in this population with a high prevalence of dementia