Neonatal overnutrition increases testicular size and expression of luteinizing hormone ß-subunit in peripubertal male rats

Proper nutrition is important for growth and development. Maturation of the reproductive axis and the timing of pubertal onset can be delayed when insufficient nutrition is available, or possibly advanced with nutritional abundance. The childhood obesity epidemic has been linked to a secular trend in advanced puberty in some populations. The increase in circulating leptin that occurs in association with obesity has been suggested to act as a signal that an adequate nutritional status exists for puberty to occur, allowing activation of central mechanisms. However, obesity-associated hyperleptinemia is linked to decreased leptin sensitivity, at least in adults. Here, we analyzed whether neonatal overnutrition modifies the response to an increase in leptin in peripubertal male rats, as previously demonstrated in females. Wistar rats were raised in litters of 4 (neonatal overnutrition) or 12 pups (controls) per dam. Leptin was administered sc (3 μg/g body weight) at postnatal day 35 and the rats killed 45 min or 2 h later. Postnatal overfeeding resulted in increased body weight and circulating leptin levels; however, we found no overweight-related changes in the mRNA levels of neuropeptides involved in metabolism or reproduction. In contrast, pituitary expression of luteinizing hormone (LH) beta-subunit was increased in overweight rats, as was testicular weight. There were no basal differences between L4 and L12 males or in their response to leptin administration in pSTAT3 levels in the hypothalamus at either 45 min or 2 h. In contrast, pJAK2 was found to be higher at 45 min in L4 compared to L12 males regardless of leptin treatment, while at 2 h it was higher in L4 leptin-treated males compared to L12 leptin-treated males, as well as L4 vehicle-treated rats. There were no changes in response to leptin administration in the expression of the neuropeptides analyzed. However, serum LH levels rose only in L4 males in response to leptin, but with no change in testosterone levels. In conclusion, the advancement in pubertal onset in males with neonatal overnutrition does not appear to be related to overt modifications in the central response to exogenous leptin during the peripubertal periodThe authors are funded by Fondos de Investigación Sanitaria (PI1600485 to JA), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (BFU2014-51836-C2-2-R and BFU2017-82565-C2-1-R to JC) and fondos FEDER, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (JA), and Fundación Endocrinología y Nutrició

Un trabajo colaborativo y de acompañamiento tutorial: el Plan de Acción Tutorial en la Facultad de Educación

El trabajo que se presenta refleja el trabajo colaborativo de la RED PAT-Educación en la que ha participado el profesorado integrante del Programa de Acción Tutorial (PAT) de la Facultad de Educación, dentro del Programa de REDES de investigación en docencia universitaria del ICE de la Universidad de Alicante. El objetivo del mismo es describir el Programa de acción tutorial (PAT) llevado a cabo durante el curso 2013/2014 en la Facultad de Educación así como analizar el desarrollo del mismo, desde la perspectiva de trabajo colaborativo entre el profesorado tutor participante y la puesta en práctica de un proceso de acompañamiento tutorial hacia el alumnado tutorado. Al mismo tiempo, se ha generado un trabajo conjunto con la inclusión de las TIC tanto para el profesorado tutor como para el alumnado tutorado a través de la creación del blog: http://edupatua.blogspot.com.es/ como recurso didáctico en el desarrollo de las tareas tutoriales, permitiéndonos conocer y analizar las necesidades y demandas del alumnado en este proceso de implementación del PAT. Los resultados obtenidos constatan fortalezas y debilidades que nos hacen reflexionar sobre las posibles propuestas de mejora que favorecerían el proceso de acompañamiento tutorial implementado

El Plan de Acción Tutorial en la Facultad de Educación: trabajo colaborativo y acompañamiento tutorial

El trabajo que se presenta está enmarcado en la RED PAT-Educación en la que participa el profesorado que forma parte del Programa de Acción Tutorial (PAT) de la Facultad de Educación, dentro del Programa de REDES de investigación en docencia universitaria del ICE de la Universidad de Alicante. El objetivo es describir el plan de actuación llevado a cabo entre el profesorado participante y las tareas realizadas con el grupo de alumnado tutorado. La metodología utilizada se ha centrado en el trabajo colaborativo entre el profesorado tutor y las sesiones grupales con el alumnado tutorado, así como la creación del blog: http://edupatua.blogspot.com.es/ como recurso didáctico en el desarrollo de las tareas tutoriales, permitiéndonos conocer y analizar las necesidades y demandas del alumnado en este proceso de acompañamiento y desarrollo del PAT. Los primeros resultados obtenidos muestran una serie de fortalezas y debilidades en la implementación del PAT y las posibles propuestas de mejora que son necesarias abordar para el próximo curso

The Spanish Pancreatic Club recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis: Part 1 (diagnosis)

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a relatively uncommon, complex and heterogeneous disease. The absence of a gold standard applicable to the initial phases of CP makes its early diagnosis difficult. Some of its complications, particularly chronic pain, can be difficult to manage. There is much variability in the diagnosis and treatment of CP and its complications amongst centers and professionals. The Spanish Pancreatic Club has developed a consensus on the management of CP. Two coordinators chose a multidisciplinary panel of 24 experts on this disease. A list of questions was drafted, and two experts reviewed each question. Then, a draft was produced and shared with the entire panel of experts and discussed in a face-to-fac

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for the treatment of patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. A proof of concept study

Background: Identification of effective treatments in severe cases of COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation represents an unmet medical need. Our aim was to determine whether the administration of adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AT-MSC) is safe and potentially useful in these patients. Methods: Thirteen COVID-19 adult patients under invasive mechanical ventilation who had received previous antiviral and/or anti-inflammatory treatments (including steroids, lopinavir/ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine and/or tocilizumab, among others) were treated with allogeneic AT-MSC. Ten patients received two doses, with the second dose administered a median of 3 days (interquartile range-IQR- 1 day) after the first one. Two patients received a single dose and another patient received 3 doses. Median number of cells per dose was 0.98 × 106 (IQR 0.50 × 106) AT-MSC/kg of recipient's body weight. Potential adverse effects related to cell infusion and clinical outcome were assessed. Additional parameters analyzed included changes in imaging, analytical and inflammatory parameters. Findings: First dose of AT-MSC was administered at a median of 7 days (IQR 12 days) after mechanical ventilation. No adverse events were related to cell therapy. With a median follow-up of 16 days (IQR 9 days) after the first dose, clinical improvement was observed in nine patients (70%). Seven patients were extubated and discharged from ICU while four patients remained intubated (two with an improvement in their ventilatory and radiological parameters and two in stable condition). Two patients died (one due to massive gastrointestinal bleeding unrelated to MSC therapy). Treatment with AT-MSC was followed by a decrease in inflammatory parameters (reduction in C-reactive protein, IL-6, ferritin, LDH and d-dimer) as well as an increase in lymphocytes, particularly in those patients with clinical improvement. Interpretation: Treatment with intravenous administration of AT-MSC in 13 severe COVID-19 pneumonia under mechanical ventilation in a small case series did not induce significant adverse events and was followed by clinical and biological improvement in most subjects. Funding: None.We would like to acknowledge the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project “RD16/0011: Red de Terapia Celular”, from the sub-program RETICS, integrated in the “Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013-2016” and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund “A way to make Europe”, groups RD16/0011/0001, -/0002, -/005, -/0013, -/0015, -/0029), the Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y León, Spain and AvanCell-CM (Red de Investigación de Terapia Celular de la Comunidad de Madrid, Spain), for supporting some personnel and networking activities

Demographic and clinical profile of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients in Spain: the SEPAR National Registry

BackgroundLittle is known on the characteristics of patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Spain. We aimed to characterize the demographic and clinical profile of IPF patients included in the IPF National Registry of the Spanish Respiratory Society (SEPAR).MethodsThis is a prospective, observational, multicentre and nationwide study that involved 608 IPF patients included in the SEPAR IPF Registry up to June 27th, 2017, and who received any treatment for their disease. IPF patients were predominantly males, ex-smokers, and aged in their 70s, similar to other registries.ResultsUpon inclusion, meanSD predicted forced vital capacity was 77.6%+/- 19.4, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was 48.5%+/- 17.7, and the 6-min walk distance was 423.5m +/- 110.4. The diagnosis was mainly established on results from the high-resolution computed tomography in the proper clinical context (55.0% of patients), while 21.2% of patients required invasive procedures (surgical lung biopsy) for definitive diagnosis. Anti-fibrotic treatment was prescribed in 69.4% of cases, 51.5% pirfenidone and 17.9% nintedanib, overall with a good safety profile.Conclusions The SEPAR IPF Registry should help to further characterize current characteristics and future trends of IPF patients in Spain and compare/pool them with other registries and cohorts

¿La evaluación evoluciona? Una experiencia de coevaluación en ABP

Desde hace 8 años, el grado de Ingeniería Multimedia imparte el 4º curso utilizando Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP) e integrando a todas las asignaturas en él. El programa ha tenido mucho éxito, pero siempre ha acusado un problema, la evaluación. Al tratarse de un trabajo en grupo altamente colaborativo, que integra a todas las asignaturas del curso y que durante los dos semestres trabaja en un único gran proyecto, es muy difícil discernir el trabajo real realizado por cada componente del equipo, produciéndose descompensaciones o incluso malas prácticas. Durante años, se ha tratado de adoptar medidas para paliar esta situación, pero persisten algunas disfunciones. Para solucionarlo, hemos diseñado e implantado una metodología de coevaluación, alineada con la gestión del programa ABP y que persigue dos objetivos: procurar un reparto de nota asociado con el esfuerzo individual realizado, basado en información objetiva y cuantificable, junto con una evaluación formativa y sumativa justa; y desarrollar las habilidades blandas imprescindibles hoy en día en entornos de trabajo colaborativos. En este artículo presentamos la herramienta de coevaluación desarrollada, la valoración realizada sobre la herramienta por las/os participantes en la experiencia y exalumnos de años anteriores, y los resultados obtenidos hasta la fecha.For the last 8 years, the Multimedia Engineering degree has been teaching the 4th year using Project Based Learning (PBL) and integrating all the subjects in it. The program has been very successful, but there has always been one problem: assessment. As it is a highly collaborative group work, integrating all the subjects of the course and working on a single large project during the two semesters, it is very difficult to discern the real work done by each member, causing imbalances or even malpractice. For years, we have tried to adopt measures to mitigate this situation, but without any positive results. To solve this problem, we have designed and implemented a co-evaluation methodology, aligned with the PBL program management, which has two objectives: to ensure a distribution of points associated with the individual effort, based on objective and measurable information, together with a fair formative and summative evaluation; and to develop the soft skills that are essential in current collaborative work environments. In this article we present the co-evaluation tool developed, the assessment made of the tool by the participants in the experience and alumni from previous years, and the results obtained to date.El presente trabajo ha contado con una ayuda del Programa de Redes de investigación en docencia universitaria del Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Alicante (convocatoria 2021-22). Ref.: 5490, Diseño y desarrollo de una metodología y plataforma TIC para coevaluación en ABP

Immigrant IBD Patients in Spain Are Younger, Have More Extraintestinal Manifestations and Use More Biologics Than Native Patients

BackgroundPrevious studies comparing immigrant ethnic groups and native patients with IBD have yielded clinical and phenotypic differences. To date, no study has focused on the immigrant IBD population in Spain. MethodsProspective, observational, multicenter study comparing cohorts of IBD patients from ENEIDA-registry who were born outside Spain with a cohort of native patients. ResultsWe included 13,524 patients (1,864 immigrant and 11,660 native). The immigrants were younger (45 +/- 12 vs. 54 +/- 16 years, p < 0.001), had been diagnosed younger (31 +/- 12 vs. 36 +/- 15 years, p < 0.001), and had a shorter disease duration (14 +/- 7 vs. 18 +/- 8 years, p < 0.001) than native patients. Family history of IBD (9 vs. 14%, p < 0.001) and smoking (30 vs. 40%, p < 0.001) were more frequent among native patients. The most prevalent ethnic groups among immigrants were Caucasian (41.5%), followed by Latin American (30.8%), Arab (18.3%), and Asian (6.7%). Extraintestinal manifestations, mainly musculoskeletal affections, were more frequent in immigrants (19 vs. 11%, p < 0.001). Use of biologics, mainly anti-TNF, was greater in immigrants (36 vs. 29%, p < 0.001). The risk of having extraintestinal manifestations [OR: 2.23 (1.92-2.58, p < 0.001)] and using biologics [OR: 1.13 (1.0-1.26, p = 0.042)] was independently associated with immigrant status in the multivariate analyses. ConclusionsCompared with native-born patients, first-generation-immigrant IBD patients in Spain were younger at disease onset and showed an increased risk of having extraintestinal manifestations and using biologics. Our study suggests a featured phenotype of immigrant IBD patients in Spain, and constitutes a new landmark in the epidemiological characterization of immigrant IBD populations in Southern Europe

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Eventos adversos evitables en atención primaria. Estudio retrospectivo de cohortes para determinar su frecuencia y gravedad

Objetivo: Determinar la frecuencia de eventos adversos evitables (EAE) en atención primaria (AP). Diseño: Estudio retrospectivo de cohortes. Emplazamiento: consultas de medicina de familia y pediatría de Andalucía, Aragón, Castilla La Mancha, Cataluña, Madrid, Navarra y Comunidad Valenciana. Participantes: Se determinó revisar un mínimo de 2.397 historias clínicas (nivel de confianza del 95% y una precisión del 2%). La muestra se estratificó por grupos de edad de forma proporcional a su frecuentación y con revisión paritaria de historias de hombres y mujeres. Mediciones principales: Número y gravedad de los EAE identificados entre febrero de 2018 y septiembre de 2019. Resultados: Se revisaron un total de 2.557 historias clínicas (1.928, 75.4% de pacientes adultos y 629, 24.6% pediátricos). Se identificaron 182 EAE que afectaron a 168 pacientes (7,1%, IC 95% 6,1-8,1%); en adultos 7,6% (IC 95% 6,4-8,8%) y 5,7% (IC 95% 3,9-7,5%) en pacientes pediátricos. Las mujeres sufrieron más EAE que los hombres (p = 0,004). La incidencia de EAE en niños y niñas fue similar (p = 0,3). 6 (4.1%) de los EAE supusieron un daño permanente en pacientes adultos. Conclusiones: Buscar fórmulas para incrementar la seguridad en AP, particularmente en pacientes mujeres, debe seguir siendo un objetivo prioritario incluso en pediatría. Uno de cada 24 EAE supone un daño grave y permanente en el adulto