Cuando la segunda generación no se queda atrás: evidencias sobre el rendimiento académico de los hijos de inmigrantes en el caso andaluz

En este artículo se profundiza en la situación académica de los hijos de inmigrantes en España y, especialmente, en Andalucía. Con datos de PISA, se analizan estadísticamente la distancia con respecto a los estudiantes de origen nativo y el efecto que sobre la misma tienen diversas variables de interés. Los resultados confirman la sabida desventaja acadé- mica general de estos estudiantes, pero destacan un importante matiz menos difundido: los de “segunda generación” y quienes provienen de “parejas mixtas” puntúan al nivel de los nativos. El mayor nivel educativo de sus padres y el más elevado nivel sociocultural de sus hogares contribuyen a ello significativamente.This paper contributes to the knowledge about the academic attainment of children of immigrants in Spain and, specifically, in Andalusia. By using data from PISA, it is analyzed both the gap between immigrant and native students, and the effect that several variables of interest produce on such gap. Results confirm the already known academic disadvan- tage of immigrant students, but they also reveal an aspect that has been scarcely spread: second generation pupils and those coming from mixed parental couples perform as well as their native peers do. Higher educational level of their parents and higher household socio-cultural level contribute significantly to their outcomes

Mortality and other adverse outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted for COVID-19 in association with glucose-lowering drugs: a nationwide cohort study

Background: Limited evidence exists on the role of glucose-lowering drugs in patients with COVID-19. Our main objective was to examine the association between in-hospital death and each routine at-home glucose-lowering drug both individually and in combination with metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted for COVID-19. We also evaluated their association with the composite outcome of the need for ICU admission, invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, or in-hospital death as well as on the development of in-hospital complications and a long-time hospital stay. Methods: We selected all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine's registry of COVID-19 patients (SEMI-COVID-19 Registry). It is an ongoing, observational, multicenter, nationwide cohort of patients admitted for COVID-19 in Spain from March 1, 2020. Each glucose-lowering drug user was matched with a user of other glucose-lowering drugs in a 1:1 manner by propensity scores. In order to assess the adequacy of propensity score matching, we used the standardized mean difference found in patient characteristics after matching. There was considered to be a significant imbalance in the group if a standardized mean difference > 10% was found. To evaluate the association between treatment and study outcomes, both conditional logit and mixed effect logistic regressions were used when the sample size was ≥ 100. Results: A total of 2666 patients were found in the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, 1297 on glucose-lowering drugs in monotherapy and 465 in combination with metformin. After propensity matching, 249 patients on metformin, 105 on dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, 129 on insulin, 127 on metformin/dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, 34 on metformin/sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, and 67 on metformin/insulin were selected. No at-home glucose-lowering drugs showed a significant association with in-hospital death; the composite outcome of the need of intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, or in-hospital death; in-hospital complications; or long-time hospital stays. Conclusions: In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted for COVID-19, at-home glucose-lowering drugs showed no significant association with mortality and adverse outcomes. Given the close relationship between diabetes and COVID-19 and the limited evidence on the role of glucose-lowering drugs, prospective studies are needed

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules involved in the improvement of plant growth, health and nutrition

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules are known as rhizobia and belong to the class Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. They promote the growth and nutrition of their respective legume hosts through atmospheric nitrogen fixation which takes place in the nodules induced in their roots or stems. In addition, rhizobia have other plant growth-promoting mechanisms, mainly solubilization of phosphate and production of indoleacetic acid, ACC deaminase and siderophores. Some of these mechanisms have been reported for strains of rhizobia which are also able to promote the growth of several nonlegumes, such as cereals, oilseeds and vegetables. Less studied are the mechanisms that have the rhizobia to promote the plant health; however, these bacteria are able to exert biocontrol of some phytopathogens and to induce the plant resistance. In this chapter, we revised the available data about the ability of the legume nodule-inducing bacteria for improving the plant growth, health and nutrition of both legumes and nonlegumes. These data showed that rhizobia meet all the requirements of sustainable agriculture to be used as bio-inoculants allowing the total or partial replacement of chemicals used for fertilization or protection of crops

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

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

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Changes to the Fossil Record of Insects through Fifteen Years of Discovery

The first and last occurrences of hexapod families in the fossil record are compiled from publications up to end-2009. The major features of these data are compared with those of previous datasets (1993 and 1994). About a third of families (>400) are new to the fossil record since 1994, over half of the earlier, existing families have experienced changes in their known stratigraphic range and only about ten percent have unchanged ranges. Despite these significant additions to knowledge, the broad pattern of described richness through time remains similar, with described richness increasing steadily through geological history and a shift in dominant taxa, from Palaeoptera and Polyneoptera to Paraneoptera and Holometabola, after the Palaeozoic. However, after detrending, described richness is not well correlated with the earlier datasets, indicating significant changes in shorter-term patterns. There is reduced Palaeozoic richness, peaking at a different time, and a less pronounced Permian decline. A pronounced Triassic peak and decline is shown, and the plateau from the mid Early Cretaceous to the end of the period remains, albeit at substantially higher richness compared to earlier datasets. Origination and extinction rates are broadly similar to before, with a broad decline in both through time but episodic peaks, including end-Permian turnover. Origination more consistently exceeds extinction compared to previous datasets and exceptions are mainly in the Palaeozoic. These changes suggest that some inferences about causal mechanisms in insect macroevolution are likely to differ as well

Cuando la segunda generación no se queda atrás: evidencias sobre el rendimiento académico de los hijos de inmigrantes en el caso andaluz

En este artículo se profundiza en la situación académica de los hijos de inmigrantes en España y, especialmente, en Andalucía. Con datos de PISA, se analizan estadísticamente la distancia con respecto a los estudiantes de origen nativo y el efecto que sobre la misma tienen diversas variables de interés. Los resultados confirman la sabida desventaja acadé- mica general de estos estudiantes, pero destacan un importante matiz menos difundido: los de “segunda generación” y quienes provienen de “parejas mixtas” puntúan al nivel de los nativos. El mayor nivel educativo de sus padres y el más elevado nivel sociocultural de sus hogares contribuyen a ello significativamente.This paper contributes to the knowledge about the academic attainment of children of immigrants in Spain and, specifically, in Andalusia. By using data from PISA, it is analyzed both the gap between immigrant and native students, and the effect that several variables of interest produce on such gap. Results confirm the already known academic disadvan- tage of immigrant students, but they also reveal an aspect that has been scarcely spread: second generation pupils and those coming from mixed parental couples perform as well as their native peers do. Higher educational level of their parents and higher household socio-cultural level contribute significantly to their outcomes

Single atom Cu-N-C catalysts for the electro-reduction of CO2 to CO assessed by rotating ring-disc electrode

11 figures, 1 table.-- Supplementary information available.The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to controllable chemicals is considered as a promising pathway to store intermittent renewable energy. Herein, a set of catalysts based on copper-nitrogen-doped carbon xerogel (Cu-N-C) are successfully developed varying the copper amount and the nature of the copper precursor, for the efficient CO2RR. The electrocatalytic performance of Cu-N-C materials is assessed by a rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE), technique still rarely explored for CO2RR. For comparison, products are also characterized by online gas chromatography in a H-cell. The as-synthesized Cu-N-C catalysts are found to be active and highly CO selective at low overpotentials (from −0.6 to −0.8 V vs. RHE) in 0.1 M KHCO3, while H2 from the competitive water reduction appears at larger overpotentials (−0.9 V vs. RHE). The optimum copper acetate-derived catalyst containing Cu-N4 moieties exhibits a CO2-to-CO turnover frequency of 997 h−1 at −0.9 V vs. RHE with a H2/CO ratio of 1.8. These results demonstrate that RRDE configuration can be used as a feasible approach for identifying electrolysis products from CO2RR.Authors acknowledge Grant PID2020-115848RB-C21 “STORELEC” project, and TED2021-129694B-C22 “DEFY-CO2” project funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. They also acknowledge LMP253_21 project funded by Gobierno de Aragón. Sara Pérez-Rodríguez thanks Grant IJC2019-041874-I funded by the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Ana Cristina Giménez thanks CSIC for her JAE Intro ICU 2021-ICB-04 grant. David Ríos-Ruiz acknowledges the Y2020/EMT-6419 “CEOTRES” project funded by the Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid.Peer reviewe

Electro-reducción de CO2 en catalizadores Cu-N-C. Detección de productos mediante electrodo rotatorio de disco anillo

1 figura.-- Abstract de la comunicación oral presentada en la XVI REUNIÓN GEC 2023 en la sección Aplicaciones catalíticas, medioambientales y biosanitarias, Gijón (España), celebrada del 22 al 25 de octubre de 2023.La reducción electroquímica de CO2 (CO2RR) destaca como una solución prometedora para la mitigación del cambio climático. Sin embargo, esta reacción presenta desafíos debido a la alta estabilidad de la molécula de CO2 y la difícil selectividad hacia diferentes productos, así como la competencia con la reacción de evolución de hidrógeno, haciendo necesario el desarrollo de catalizadores activos y selectivos. Actualmente, los catalizadores atómicamente dispersos se posicionan como una solución prometedora para modular la selectividad de esta reacción hacia CO. Entre ellos, los catalizadores M-N-C presentan sitios activos basados en átomos de un metal de transición coordinado con nitrógeno en una matriz carbonosa, lo que permite obtener catalizadores con alta porosidad, buena conductividad eléctrica y bajo coste. En cuanto a la identificación de los productos, si bien técnicas exsitu (cromatografía, espectrometría de masas), son comúnmente utilizadas, estas presentan ciertas limitaciones en términos de desfase temporal y detección de productos en concentraciones muy bajas. Para abordar este inconveniente, el uso de un electrodo rotatorio de disco anillo (RRDE) se propone como una alternativa rápida y factible para la identificación de los productos generados durante la CO2RR. En este método, los catalizadores se depositan en el disco del electrodo, donde tiene lugar la CO2RR, mientras que los productos generados son simultáneamente oxidados en el anillo. Este trabajo presenta el estudio de catalizadores Cu-N-C basados en una matriz carbonosa de xerogel de carbono dopado con nitrógeno. Se analizó la influencia del precursor de cobre y de la concentración de metal durante la síntesis de los catalizadores en su comportamiento electroquímico para la CO2RR mediante el uso de RRDE.Los autores desean agradecer al Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y a la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) la financiación recibida con el proyecto de referencia PID2020- 115848RB-C21 y al Gobierno de Aragón la financiación al grupo T06-20R y al proyecto LMP253_21. S. Pérez- Rodríguez agradece también al MCIN/AEI por la concesión de su contrato Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación (IJC2019-041874-I).Peer reviewe