Improving the connectivity of Los Alcazares through the design of an FTTH power and distribution network

Este trabajo se enfocará en el diseño detallado de la red de fibra óptica para Los Alcázares, abordando aspectos clave como la planificación de la infraestructura o la selección de tecnologías ópticas adecuadas. Además, se explorarán los beneficios económicos, sociales y culturales que esta iniciativa puede aportar al municipio, así como los desafíos y oportunidades que se presentan en su implementación. A lo largo de este trabajo, se delineará un plan estratégico integral que servirá como hoja de ruta para llevar a cabo con éxito el despliegue de la red de fibra óptica en Los Alcázares, posicionando al municipio en la vanguardia de la conectividad digital y sentando las bases para un futuro más prometedor y conectado.Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de TelecomunicaciónUniversidad Politécnica de Cartagen

La gamificación como estrategia didáctica para mejorar el aprendizaje de la ortografía en los estudiantes de primer año de bachillerato

In this research work, the problem of difficulties with spelling was raised, which not only affects the subject of Language and Literature, but also in other subjects, in first-year high school students. The purpose was to use gamification as a teaching strategy to improve the learning of this subject, we sought to explore how game design can motivate students to practice spelling in a fun and effective way, in which within the games they reinforce the orthographic aspects. that they want to teach. The methodology that was applied was qualitative and quantitative in nature, with a critical-social approach with the data collection technique through a survey and an interview to statistically collect the spelling performance of the students before and after the implementation of gamification, as well as their level of participation and motivation. Students showed a higher level of participation and motivation in gamified spelling activities compared to traditional methods, among which several digital tools were used, especially Genially in which all kinds of visual and interactive content can be created easily whether group or individual. It is important to consider the quality of game design and alignment with learning objectives to maximize the impact of gamification. This study demonstrated how gamification can be a valuable tool in teaching spelling, providing tangible results in student performance and motivationEn este trabajo de investigación, se planteó el problema de las dificultades con la ortografía, que no solo afecta a la asignatura de Lenguaje y Literatura, sino también en otras materias, en los estudiantes de primer año de bachillerato. El propósito fue utilizar la gamificación como estrategia didáctica para mejorar el aprendizaje de esta materia, se buscó explorar cómo el diseño de juegos puede motivar a los estudiantes a practicar ortografía de manera divertida y efectiva, en la que dentro de los juegos refuercen los aspectos ortográficos que se desean enseñar. La metodología que se aplicó fue de carácter cualitativo y cuantitativo, con un enfoque crítico – social con la técnica de recolección de datos por medio de una encuesta y una entrevista para recopilar estadísticamente sobre el desempeño ortográfico de los estudiantes antes y después de la implementación de la gamificación, así como su nivel de participación y motivación. Los estudiantes mostraron un mayor nivel de participación y motivación en las actividades de ortografía gamificadas en comparación con los métodos tradicionales, entre los que se utilizaron varias herramientas digitales, especialmente Genially en la que se puede crear toda clase de contenidos visuales e interactivos fácilmente ya sea grupal o individual. Es importante considerar la calidad del diseño de los juegos y la alineación con los objetivos de aprendizaje para maximizar el impacto de la gamificación. Este estudio demostró cómo la gamificación puede ser una herramienta valiosa en la enseñanza de la ortografía, proporcionando resultados tangibles en el desempeño y la motivación de los estudiantes

La alfabetización en salud como factor clave en el autocuidado de la dieta en personas con diabetes mellitus tipo 2

Introducción: Alfabetización en Salud (AS) es un término que proviene del inglés health literacy, se refiere al conjunto de habilidades sociales y cognitivas que determinan la capacidad de una persona para acceder, entender y utilizar la información de forma que le permita mantener un buen estado de salud. Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre AS y las conductas de autocuidado en personas con diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Materiales y métodos: Estudio cuantitativo, transversal y analítico llevado a cabo en dos centros de salud de atención primaria de la ciudad de Xalapa, Veracruz, México entre agosto-noviembre de 2016. La AS se midió con el European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU-Q47) y las conductas de autocuidado con el Summary of Diabetes Self-care Activities (SDSCA) de Toobert y Glasgow. Se eligieron 90 personas con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 que acudían a consulta. La participación fue voluntaria y previa firma de consentimiento informado. Resultados: El autocuidado de la dieta mostró asociación con la AS en su dimensión de promoción de la salud (p=0,018). Conclusiones: La AS se relaciona con las conductas de autocuidado, en específico de la dieta; a medida que aumenta la AS mejora el autocuidado

Influence of the Human Development Index on the Maternal–Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality of Pregnant Women with SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Importance for Personalized Medical Care

This study (FIS-PI18/00912) was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Plan Estatal de I + D + i 2013–2016) and cofinanced by the European Development Regional Fund ‘‘A way to achieve Europe’’ (ERDF) and B2017/BMD-3804 MITIC-CM.Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is perhaps the most worrisome pandemic in the 21st century, having entailed devastating consequences for the whole society during the last year. Different studies have displayed an existing association between pregnancy and COVID-19 severity due to the various physiological changes that occur during gestation. Recent data identified maternal country of origin as an important determinant of COVID-19 presentation in pregnant women. However, the explanation of this fact remains to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to analyze the possible relationship between Human Development Index (HDI) of maternal country of origin with the morbimortality of pregnant women and their newborns. Here, we conducted a multicentric, ambispective, observational case-control study (1:1 ratio) and compare with the HDI of each country (group 1—very high HDI, group 2—high HDI, group 3—medium HDI, and group 4—low HDI). In total, 1347 pregnant women with confirmed SARV-CoV-2 infection (cases) were enrolled, and each was paired with one control to give a total number of 2694 participants from 81 tertiary care centers. Among the women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, more cases were produced of perinatal mortality, overall maternal morbidity, COVID-19 maternal morbidity, C-sections, hypertensive maternal morbidity, and perinatal morbidity. Our results described an inverse association between HDI and maternofetal morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the countries with an HDI lower than 1 showed higher rates of patients with maternal COVID-19-related morbidity (6.0% vs. 2.4%, p < 0.001), a need for oxygen therapy (4.7% vs. 1.8%, p < 0.001), and maternal ICU admission (2.6% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.007). Compared to other risk factors such as overweight, obesity, preexisting and obstetric comorbidities, HDI emerged as an independent risk factor explaining much of the increased maternal–perinatal morbidity and mortality detected in our group of cases. Further research is needed to establish to confirm the real impact of this factor and its components on pregnancy outcomes.Depto. de Salud Pública y Materno - InfantilFac. de MedicinaTRUEUnión EuropeaComunidad de MadridInstituto de Salud Carlos IIIpu

Associations between whole peripheral blood fatty acids and DNA methylation in humans

Fatty acids (FA) modify DNA methylation in vitro, but limited information is available on whether corresponding associations exist in vivo and reflect any short-term effect of the diet. Associations between global DNA methylation and FAs were sought in blood from lactating infants (LI; n = 49) and adult males (AMM; n = 12) equally distributed across the three conventional BMI classes. AMM provided multiple samples at 2-hour intervals during 8 hours after either a single Western diet-representative meal (post-prandial samples) or no meal (fasting samples). Lipid/glucose profile, HDAC4 promoter and PDK4 5'UTR methylation were determined in AMM. Multiple regression analysis revealed that global (in LI) and both global and PDK4-specific DNA methylation (in AMM) were positively associated with eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acid. HDAC4 methylation was inversely associated with arachidonic acid post-prandially in AMM. Global DNA methylation did not show any defined within-day pattern that would suggest a short-term response to the diet. Nonetheless, global DNA methylation was higher in normal weight subjects both post-prandially and in fasting and coincided with higher polyunsaturated relative to monounsaturated and saturated FAs. We show for the first time strong associations of DNA methylation with specific FAs in two human cohorts of distinct age, diet and postnatal development stage

Supporting central nervous system neuroprotection and remyelination by specific TLR4 antagonism

ApTOLL is an aptamer specifically designed to antagonize toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which is involved in the innate immunity that promotes inflammatory responses in several diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic, immune, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that represents the second most important cause of neurological disability in young adults. The drugs currently available to treat this disease are immunomodulators and, to date, there are no therapeutic remyelinating drugs available to manage MS. In this study, we show that TLR4 is located in post-mortem cortical lesions of MS patients and as a result, we evaluated the effect of its inhibition by ApTOLL in two different animal models of MS, that of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and the cuprizone model. ApTOLL administration ameliorated the clinical symptomatology of the affected mice, which was associated with better preservation and restoration of myelin and oligodendrocytes in the demyelinated lesions of these animals. This revealed not only an immunomodulatory but also a remyelinating effect of the treatment with ApTOLL which was corroborated on purified cultures of rodent and adult human oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). In summary, the molecular nature of ApTOLL and its mechanism of action strongly supports its further study and use in novel strategies to treat MS and eventually, other demyelinating diseases.This work was supported by grant IND2018/BMD-9751 (Programa de Doctorados Industriales, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain), SAF2016-77575-R (Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad-MINECO), and the contract for technological support ApTLR2019-PC-MS-001 (AptaTargets, S.L., Spain) to FdC. BF-G is currently hired by Aptatargets S.L., PG-M is hired under PEJ-2020-AI/BMD-18541 de la Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (associated with the youth guarantee fund to FdC), SN had a predoctoral contract from the UCLM and was hired under SAF2012-40023, SAF2016- 77575-R, RD12-0032/0012 and RD16-0015/0019 (Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad-MINECO) and IND2018/BMD-9751, YL has been contracted under ReTics and SAF (to FdC). We thank David Segarra and Mª Eugenia Zarabozo (AptaTargets S.L.) for their constant technological support, Laude Garmendia for her indispensable constant help at the animal facility (Instituto Cajal-CSIC), including the extra effort during Covid-19 pandemics, Profs María Ángeles Moro (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid and Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain) and Ignacio Lizasoaín (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain) for lending us the TLR4 knockout mice, and the former GNDe member Dr. Carolina MeleroJerez (currently working at JazzPharma, Spain) for the initial training of BF-G on EAE animal model and different techniques at the laboratory. Human samples were supplied by the UK Multiple Sclerosis Tissue Bank, funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (registered charity 207495).N

Design and evaluation of a mobile-based intervention for Maya adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a direct impact on mental health. International organisations have emphasised the vulnerability of indigenous people. Digital Mental Health approaches deliver online therapy as an evidence-based, effective, and accessible treatment option for common mental health problems. However, the evidence regarding these approaches is limited in indigenous populations. The objective of this study is to describe the design, development, and evaluation of the efficacy of a self-applied online intervention regarding the psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fear of COVID-19 in a sample of the Maya population. Method: A prospective longitudinal quantitative study was designed, where a single group was measured before and after receiving the online intervention. This study took place from April to September 2021 and consisted of six sessions delivered via WhatsApp in Spanish and Mayan. Results: The initial assessment was implemented with 82 participants who were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire, Scale for Generalised Anxiety Disorder and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale; 18 participants remained in the intervention for the post-as-sessment. Statistical differences were observed in PRE and POST measures of depression and anxiety, but not in fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: This study produced positive results for the first online mental health intervention implemented in the Latin American indigenous population. Future studies might consider developing similar interventions for other indigenous communities in Latin America.</p

Genomic and proteomic analyses of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Mexico 1931 reveal a diverse immunogenic repertoire against tuberculosis infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies of <it>Mycobacterium bovis </it>BCG strains used in different countries and vaccination programs show clear variations in the genomes and immune protective properties of BCG strains. The aim of this study was to characterise the genomic and immune proteomic profile of the BCG 1931 strain used in Mexico.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BCG Mexico 1931 has a circular chromosome of 4,350,386 bp with a G+C content and numbers of genes and pseudogenes similar to those of BCG Tokyo and BCG Pasteur. BCG Mexico 1931 lacks Region of Difference 1 (RD1), RD2 and N-RD18 and one copy of IS6110, indicating that BCG Mexico 1931 belongs to DU2 group IV within the BCG vaccine genealogy. In addition, this strain contains three new RDs, which are 53 (RDMex01), 655 (RDMex02) and 2,847 bp (REDMex03) long, and 55 single-nucleotide polymorphisms representing non-synonymous mutations compared to BCG Pasteur and BCG Tokyo. In a comparative proteomic analysis, the BCG Mexico 1931, Danish, Phipps and Tokyo strains showed 812, 794, 791 and 701 protein spots, respectively. The same analysis showed that BCG Mexico 1931 shares 62% of its protein spots with the BCG Danish strain, 61% with the BCG Phipps strain and only 48% with the BCG Tokyo strain. Thirty-nine reactive spots were detected in BCG Mexico 1931 using sera from subjects with active tuberculosis infections and positive tuberculin skin tests.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>BCG Mexico 1931 has a smaller genome than the BCG Pasteur and BCG Tokyo strains. Two specific deletions in BCG Mexico 1931 are described (RDMex02 and RDMex03). The loss of RDMex02 (<it>fadD23</it>) is associated with enhanced macrophage binding and RDMex03 contains genes that may be involved in regulatory pathways. We also describe new antigenic proteins for the first time.</p

The Profile of the Obstetric Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection According to Country of Origin of the Publication: A Systematic Review of the Literature

SARS-CoV-2 is the novel member of coronavirus responsible for the worldwide pandemic COVID-19, affecting all types of people. In this context, established research identified pregnant women as a susceptible group of SARS-CoV-2 infection, although there is still limited data regarding the real impact of COVID-19 in this group. With that purpose, we conducted a systematic review describing the maternal-fetal results of pregnant women infected by SARS-CoV-2, in aim to analyze the profile of the obstetric patients according to the country of origin of the publication. A total of 38 articles were included in this systematic review with 2670 patients from 7 countries, with 20 works published from China (52.6%). We reported significative differences according to the median maternal age, with Spain as the country with the highest age (34.6 years); The percentage of tabaquism; proportion of symptomatic patients in the triage; type of radiological exam (China and France conduct CT scans on all their patients in comparison to the use of chest X-Ray in the rest of the countries studied); percentages of C-sections (83.9% in China; 35.9% Spain, p < 0.001); maternal mortality rate, proportion of patients who need treatments, the use of antivirals, antibiotics, and anticoagulants as well as measurements of the newborns. Perinatal results are favorable in the majority of countries, with very low rates of vertical transmission in the majority of works. The studies collected in this review showed moderate to high index of quality. The different works describe the affectation during the first wave of the pandemic, where the pregnant woman with SARS-CoV-2 infection is generally symptomatic during the third trimester of gestation along with other factors associated with worse prognosis of the disease, such as higher age, body mass index, and further comorbidities developed during pregnancy. In the obstetric patient, proportion of C-sections are elevated together with prematurity, increasing maternal perinatal morbimortality. Differences found between countries could be based on the proper profile of the patient in each region, the period of the pandemic directly affecting how it was managed, and the variations regarding in situ medical attention

A clinically compatible drug-screening platform based on organotypic cultures identifies vulnerabilities to prevent and treat brain metastasis

We report a medium‐throughput drug‐screening platform (METPlatform) based on organotypic cultures that allows to evaluate inhibitors against metastases growing in situ. By applying this approach to the unmet clinical need of brain metastasis, we identified several vulnerabilities. Among them, a blood–brain barrier permeable HSP90 inhibitor showed high potency against mouse and human brain metastases at clinically relevant stages of the disease, including a novel model of local relapse after neurosurgery. Furthermore, in situ proteomic analysis applied to metastases treated with the chaperone inhibitor uncovered a novel molecular program in brain metastasis, which includes biomarkers of poor prognosis and actionable mechanisms of resistance. Our work validates METPlatform as a potent resource for metastasis research integrating drug‐screening and unbiased omic approaches that is compatible with human samples. Thus, this clinically relevant strategy is aimed to personalize the management of metastatic disease in the brain and elsewhere