How teachers' practices and students' attitudes towards technology affect mathematics achievement: results and insights from PISA 2012

The present work seeks to deepen the impact of factors linked to the characteristics of teaching practices and students' attitudes towards the use of technology on their performance in mathematics in the process of teaching-learning in the Spanish context. In this sense, this study is a secondary analysis of the PISA 2012 data. Therefore, it is an ex post facto design. Regarding the attitudes and the contextual variables, the results do coincide with the accumulated evidence. However, once these contextual effects have been controlled for, the negative relationship found between the pedagogic strategies used by the teachers and the mathematics score cannot but convey perplexity, since the results relative to student-oriented, formative assessment and teacher-directed instruction are clearly contradictory to the solid previous evidence. The data do not allow us to explain this paradoxical result. We dare to point to a conjecture that we find plausible. All these complex variables are informed through questionnaires responded to by students and require a great degree of inference in the answers. Future studies must consider the complexity of the measured variables as well as the students' perception and understanding of them

Reduction in the levels of CoQ biosynthetic proteins is related to an increase in lifespan without evidence of hepatic mitohormesis

Mitohormesis is an adaptive response induced by a mild mitochondrial stress that promotes longevity and metabolic health in different organisms. This mechanism has been proposed as the cause of the increase in the survival in Coq7+/− (Mclk1+/−) mice, which show hepatic reduction of COQ7, early mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress. Our study shows that the lack of COQ9 in Coq9Q95X mice triggers the reduction of COQ7, COQ6 and COQ5, which results in an increase in life expectancy. However, our results reveal that the hepatic CoQ levels are not decreased and, therefore, neither mitochondrial dysfunction or increased oxidative stress are observed in liver of Coq9Q95X mice. These data point out the tissue specific differences in CoQ biosynthesis. Moreover, our results suggest that the effect of reduced levels of COQ7 on the increased survival in Coq9Q95X mice may be due to mitochondrial mechanisms in non-liver tissues or to other unknown mechanisms.This work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Economía Competitividad, Spain, and the ERDF (Grant Number SAF2015-65786-R), from the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía (grant number P10-CTS-6133) and from the University of Granada (grant reference “UNETE”, UCE-PP2017-06). AHG is a “FPU fellow” from the Ministerio de Educación Cultura y Deporte, Spain. MLS was a predoctoral fellow from the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía. LCL was supported by the “Ramón y Cajal” National Programme, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (RYC-2011-07643)

Nuclear envelope protein Lem2 is required for mouse development and regulates MAP and AKT kinases

The nuclear lamina, along with associated nuclear membrane proteins, is a nexus for regulating signaling in the nucleus. Numerous human diseases arise from mutations in lamina proteins, and experimental models for these disorders have revealed aberrant regulation of various signaling pathways. Previously, we reported that the inner nuclear membrane protein Lem2, which is expressed at high levels in muscle, promotes the differentiation of cultured myoblasts by attenuating ERK signaling. Here, we have analyzed mice harboring a disrupted allele for the Lem2 gene (Lemd2). No gross phenotypic defects were seen in heterozygotes, although muscle regeneration induced by cardiotoxin was delayed. By contrast, homozygous Lemd2 knockout mice died by E11.5. Although many normal morphogenetic hallmarks were observed in E10.5 knockout embryos, most tissues were substantially reduced in size. This was accompanied by activation of multiple MAP kinases (ERK1/2, JNK, p38) and AKT. Knockdown of Lem2 expression in C2C12 myoblasts also led to activation of MAP kinases and AKT. These findings indicate that Lemd2 plays an essential role in mouse embryonic development and that it is involved in regulating several signaling pathways. Since increased MAP kinase and AKT/mTORC signaling is found in other animal models for diseases linked to nuclear lamina proteins, LEMD2 should be considered to be another candidate gene for human disease

Disruption of Higher Order DNA Structures in Friedreich's Ataxia (GAA)n Repeats by PNA or LNA Targeting

Expansion of (GAA)n repeats in the first intron of the Frataxin gene is associated with reduced mRNA and protein levels and the development of Friedreich’s ataxia. (GAA)n expansions form non-canonical structures, including intramolecular triplex (H-DNA), and R-loops and are associated with epigenetic modifications. With the aim of interfering with higher order H-DNA (like) DNA structures within pathological (GAA)n expansions, we examined sequence-specific interaction of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) with (GAA)n repeats of different lengths (short: n=9, medium: n=75 or long: n=115) by chemical probing of triple helical and single stranded regions. We found that a triplex structure (H-DNA) forms at GAA repeats of different lengths; however, single stranded regions were not detected within the medium size pathological repeat, suggesting the presence of a more complex structure. Furthermore, (GAA)4-PNA binding of the repeat abolished all detectable triplex DNA structures, whereas (CTT)5-PNA did not. We present evidence that (GAA)4-PNA can invade the DNA at the repeat region by binding the DNA CTT strand, thereby preventing non-canonical-DNA formation, and that triplex invasion complexes by (CTT)5-PNA form at the GAA repeats. Locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligonucleotides also inhibited triplex formation at GAA repeat expansions, and atomic force microscopy analysis showed significant relaxation of plasmid morphology in the presence of GAA-LNA. Thus, by inhibiting disease related higher order DNA structures in the Frataxin gene, such PNA and LNA oligomers may have potential for discovery of drugs aiming at recovering Frataxin expression

A systematic review of different models of home and community care services for older persons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Costs and consumer preference have led to a shift from the long-term institutional care of aged older people to home and community based care. The aim of this review is to evaluate the outcomes of case managed, integrated or consumer directed home and community care services for older persons, including those with dementia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic review was conducted of non-medical home and community care services for frail older persons. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AgeLine, Scopus and PubMed were searched from 1994 to May 2009. Two researchers independently reviewed search results.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty five papers were included in this review. Evidence from randomized controlled trials showed that case management improves function and appropriate use of medications, increases use of community services and reduces nursing home admission. Evidence, mostly from non-randomized trials, showed that integrated care increases service use; randomized trials reported that integrated care does not improve clinical outcomes. The lowest quality evidence was for consumer directed care which appears to increase satisfaction with care and community service use but has little effect on clinical outcomes. Studies were heterogeneous in methodology and results were not consistent.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The outcomes of each model of care differ and correspond to the model's focus. Combining key elements of all three models may maximize outcomes.</p

The sacral chordoma margin

[Objective]: Aim of the manuscript is to discuss how to improve margins in sacral chordoma. [Background]: Chordoma is a rare neoplasm, arising in half cases from the sacrum, with reported local failure in >50% after surgery. [Methods]: A multidisciplinary meeting of the “Chordoma Global Consensus Group” was held in Milan in 2017, focusing on challenges in defining and achieving optimal margins in chordoma with respect to surgery, definitive particle radiation therapy (RT) and medical therapies. This review aims to report on the outcome of the consensus meeting and to provide a summary of the most recent evidence in this field. Possible new ways forward, including on-going international clinical studies, are discussed. [Results]: En-bloc tumor-sacrum resection is the cornerstone of treatment of primary sacral chordoma, aiming to achieve negative microscopic margins. Radical definitive particle therapy seems to offer a similar outcome compared to surgery, although confirmation in comparative trials is lacking; besides there is still a certain degree of technical variability across institutions, corresponding to different fields of treatment and different tumor coverage. To address some of these questions, a prospective, randomized international study comparing surgery versus definitive high-dose RT is ongoing. Available data do not support the routine use of any medical therapy as (neo)adjuvant/cytoreductive treatment. [Conclusion]: Given the significant influence of margins status on local control in patients with primary localized sacral chordoma, the clear definition of adequate margins and a standard local approach across institutions for both surgery and particle RT is vital for improving the management of these patients