Regímenes de bienestar y roles familiares : un análisis del caso español

El texto plantea la influencia de la incorporación de la mujer al mercado de trabajo y la existencia del estado del bienestar en los roles familiares.The article shows the influence of woman's incorporation into the labour market and the existence of a Welfare State in family roles

Are health e-mavens the new patient influencers?

Even though the healthcare industry is usually considered a rather traditional and slowly evolving sector, change is happening. Digitalization is transforming the way of obtaining medical advice and treatment and the Internet has become a key source for the seeking of healthcare information. It has allowed people to turn into more active collaborators in matters of their own health by enabling them to easily search and share information with other patients. Although research points out the growing importance of user-generated content in many sectors and its positive impact on information credibility, trust, engagement, and, ultimately, customer behavior (Malthouse et al., 2016), there is a lack of attention to this topic in healthcare. In this brief review, we address this gap by analyzing the role of health e-mavens, which are a particular type of influencers that possesses both expertise and online social influence. We lastly illustrate possible benefits of their impact on other to the different parties involved and affected by this phenomenon

Modifying UTAUT2 for a cross-country comparison of telemedicine adoption

The ongoing COVID19 pandemic has put digital health technologies in the spotlight. To gain a deeper understanding of patients’ usage intentions of virtual doctor appointments, the present research adapts the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) by integrating perceived security and perceived product advantage, two known barriers to successful telemedicine adoption. Applying age-stratified sampling, an online survey was distributed to 800 citizens in Germany and the United States of America. 710 completed and valid questionnaires were subsequently analyzed using SPSS and AMOS (versions 24). Significant, direct, and positive effects of performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, perceived security, and perceived product advantage on the behavioral intention to use virtual doctor appointments were found. The analysis of the moderating variables, age and gender, showed significant differences in user's performance expectancy and effort expectancy, and perceived product advantage, respectively. With virtual health care models on the rise, these results are important for stakeholders such as policymakers, governments, employers, but also physicians, and insurance companies as they offer clear recommendations to design telemedicine adoption strategies to ensure successful patient engagementThis research benefited from the Professorship Excellence Program in accordance with the multi-year agreement signed by the Government of Madrid and the Autonomous University of Madri

¿Trayectorias de reforma divergentes? Los sistemas de bienestar de Alemania y el Sur de Europa hacia la postausteridad

The article is devoted to appraising welfare reform trajectories in Germany and the four Southern European countries: Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal. The analysis of institutional change addresses the transformation of social protection in the last two decades, including the periods before and after the 2008 economic and financial crisis. The research question is whether reform has resulted into an enhanced differentiation among welfare regimes and countries or not. The methodological approach is a theoretically informed comparative study. We assess the process and outcomes of institutional change in five social policy areas: pensions; unemployment protection; healthcare; reconciliation of work and family life and long-term care; and social exclusion; as well as social expenditure dynamics. We conclude that the reforms carried out during the austerity and post-austerity periods have resulted into further contrast between the German and Southern European varieties of welfare, as well as an enhanced differentiation within the latter.El artículo examina la trayectoria de la reforma del bienestar en Alemania y en los cuatro países del Sur de Europa: España, Italia, Grecia y Portugal. El análisis del cambio institucional comprende las transformaciones producidas en las dos últimas décadas, incluyendo los periodos anterior y posterior a la crisis económica y financiera de 2008. La pregunta de investigación es si la reforma ha tenido como resultado una mayor diferenciación entre los modelos de protección social. La metodología es de estudio de caso comparado. Se revisan teóricamente el proceso y resultados del cambio institucional del bienestar y la evolución del gasto para cinco áreas de la política social: pensiones; protección por desempleo; atención sanitaria; conciliación y cuidados, y exclusión social. Se concluye que las reformas de la austeridad y postausteridad han producido una mayor divergencia entre el modelo alemán y el régimen de bienestar mediterráneo, así como una fragmentación interna de este último

Austeridad y reforma del bienestar en la Europa del Sur. Transformación y heterogeneidad institucional

Esta nota de investigación examina comparativamente el cambio institucional reciente de los Estados del bienestar en los países del Sur de Europa. La irrupción de la crisis económica y financiera en 2008 dispuso un nuevo escenario para la reforma del bienestar. Los sistemas de protección social se enfrentaron a una coyuntura de transformación bajo condiciones de elevada presión política y económica. La respuesta a la crisis se asoció a la austeridad en el gasto público y al rediseño institucional de las provisiones de bienestar, con el objetivo de recuperar la estabilidad fiscal, la solvencia del sector público y la competitividad exterior. El efecto de las políticas de austeridad ha sido la aparición de senderos de transformación institucional diferenciados dentro del modelo de bienestar Mediterráneo

Gobiernos y sindicatos ante la reforma del estado del bienestar. ¿Ruptura del diálogo social en la periferia de la eurozona?

The article tackles the transformations in the production of public policies in Spain, Italy, Ireland and Portugal within the context of the Great Recession. From 2008 onwards, the periphery of the Eurozone has been under strong financial strain, which has reduced the margin for discretion of national political actors. Public policy-making has had to be adapted to a new scenario of implicit or explicit conditionality, depending on the case. Welfare reform in the four member states has been performed under the supervision of European institutions and following the imperatives of fiscal consolidation. European conditionality has negatively impacted on social pacts as mechanisms for the determination of public policies. The financial and economic crisis in the periphery of the Euro has implied the de-activation of the corporatist dynamics of social dialogue and has introduced significant changes in the models of socio-economic governance of these countries.El artículo aborda las transformaciones del sistema de producción de políticas públicas en España, Italia, Irlanda y Portugal en el contexto de la crisis económica. Desde 2008, los países de la periferia del Euro han sido sometidos a intensas presiones financieras, que han reducido el margen de discrecionalidad de los actores nacionales en los procesos de determinación política. La toma de decisiones ha debido adaptarse a un nuevo escenario de condicionalidad expresa o implícita, según el caso. La reforma del Estado del Bienestar en los cuatro países se ha producido bajo la supervisión de las instituciones comunitarias y atendiendo al imperativo de priorizar el objetivo de consolidación fiscal. La condicionalidad europea ha dañado la funcionalidad de los pactos sociales como instrumento de elaboración de políticas públicas. La crisis de la periferia del Euro ha implicado la desactivación de las dinámicas corporatistas de diálogo social y ha introducido importantes cambios en los modelos de gobernanza socio-económica de estos países

Saponins from edible spears of wild asparagus inhibit AKT, p70S6K, and ERK signalling, and induce apoptosis through G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in human colon cancer HCT-116 cells

41 Páginas, 6 Figuras, 1 TablaThe effects of steroidal saponins from edible spears of wild triguero Huetor-Tajar asparagus on some of the oncogenic molecular pathways that are affected in human colon cancer cells were investigated. Reverse-phase chromatography and a new HPLC-MS method were used to respectively isolate and analyse the composition of the steroidal saponins. They were resistant to simulated digestion and, when in contact with HTC-116 human colon carcinoma cells, interfered with extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), S6 kinase (p70S6K, mTOR), and RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT) pathways by a downregulation of these proteins. The expressions of cyclins D, E, and A were also decreased, leading to G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. In addition, these steroidal saponins induced typical features of apoptosis by the promotion of caspase-3 activity, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) cleavage, and DNA fragmentation. These results offer potential dietary intervention strategy against human colon cancer cells.This study was supported by grants AGL2011-29632 and AGL2011-29008 funded by MICINN. S.L. acknowledges financial support from the Spanish MINECO (JCI-2012-13084, Juan de la Cierva) and the Spanish Research Council (CSIC)/JAE-doc Program (JAEDOC089), a contract cofounded by the European Social Fund (ESF).Peer reviewe

Detection of cylindrospermopsin and its decomposition products in raw and cooked fish (Oreochromis niloticus) by analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS)

The presence of the toxin cylindrospermopsin is increasingly frequent in samples from different ecosystems and it is a serious problem both at environmental level and for animal and human health. To be able to prevent CYN exposure risk, it is important to have suitable analytical methods, but also quick and economical ones. Analytical pyrolysis coupled to GC/MS (Py-GC/MS) represents an important alternative for the rapid detection, characterization or “fingerprinting” of different materials. However, it has been less studied with cyanotoxins up to date. The present work aims to investigate: 1) the suitability of Py-GC/MS for detection of CYN and its decomposition products in raw and cooked fish samples before consumption and 2) the influence of the different cooking methods on the presence of different CYN degradation products detected by Py-GC/MS. For first time, these results present that Py-GC/MS could be a rapid and economical alternative for the detection and monitoring of CYN and its degradation products (DP. m/z 290.1, 169.1 and 336.2) in raw or cooked fish. Moreover, the changes induced in CYN and DP by cooking could be amenable and detected by Py-GC/MS.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2015-64558-R, CGL2016-78937-

Simultaneous determination of Allium compounds (Propyl propane thiosulfonate and thiosulfinate) in animal feed using UPLC-MS/MS

Propyl-propane-thiosulfonate (PTSO) and Propyl-propane-thiosulfinate (PTS) are organosulfur compounds used to supplement the diet of livestock because of their beneficial effects on feed palatability, their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antimethanogenic activities. Besides, antibiotic residues in the environment can be reduced by using these natural bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to optimize the extraction parameters for the analysis of PTSO and PTS in feed matrices by performing a solid-liquid extraction and quantification by Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Optimization was performed using the Response Surface Methodology on a Box–Behnken experimental design, optimizing the following parameters: solvent:sample ratios and evaporation temperature set for the rotary evaporator. The method was validated for 3 concentration levels for both PTSO (100, 500, 1000 ng g−1) and PTS (500, 1150, 2300 ng g−1). The highest recoveries of PTSO and PTS were obtained using 12.5 mL of 100% acetonitrile, stirring for 15 min, and an evaporation temperature of 20 °C. The validated method was further applied to detect and quantify these compounds in different feed matrices. In conclusion, this is the first study to simultaneously analyze PTSO and PTS at low concentrations, employing a sensitive technique such as UPLC-MS/MS.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RTC-2017-6199-2)Junta de Andalucía (AT-17-5323

Risk Assessment and Environmental Consequences of the Use of the Allium-derived Compound Propyl-propane Thiosulfonate (PTSO) in Agrifood Applications

The organosulfur compound propyl-propane thiosulfonate (PTSO), mainly found in Allium cepa, has a promising use in the agrifood industry. To confirm its safety for livestock, consumers, and environment, toxicological assessment is needed. In this regard, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are in the spotlight of research. Therefore, as part of the risk assessment of PTSO, in the present work, an in vivo study was performed in mice exposed to PTSO to investigate its potential reproductive toxicity considering fertility, genetic and endocrine endpoints. Five-weeks-old CD1 mice (80 males, 80 females) were exposed for 11 or 16 weeks (males or females, respectively) to different doses of PTSO (0, 14, 28 and 55 mg PTSO/kg b.w./day; 20 animals per group and sex) through the food pellets. No clinical observations or mortality and no changes in absolute organ weights and relative organ weights/body weight or brain ratios occurred during the study. The estrous cycle did not undergo any significant toxicologically relevant change. Most of the sex hormones displayed normal values. Some alterations in the expression of some genes related to reproduction is only observed in females, but they do not appear to have consequences in the development of sex organs. Docking results showed the impossibility of stable binding to estrogen and androgen receptors. Considering all the results obtained, the safe profile of PTSO can be confirmed for different agrifood applications at the conditions assayed.Junta de Andalucía P18-TP-2147Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades FPU2019-0124