Psychological aspects of students with learning disabilities in e-environments: a mini review and future research directions

What are the main learning difficulties or advantages encountered by students with learning disabilities within e-environments? As a result of the Covid-19 emergency, e-learning is being increasingly used to support students’ learning processes. A number of countries closed their schools altogether, so face-to-face lessons were and have been replaced by distance lessons. A search of current literature via Scopus, Eric and Google Scholar electronic databases was conducted according to Prisma Guidelines. Other sources of literature were also considered, starting from the references in the full text of the articles consulted. We used the following search keywords: “learning disabilities” combined with the “AND/OR” Boolean operator and “e-learning platforms”, “well-being”, “psychological factors”, “emotional distress”, “self-regulation”. One body of literature highlights the lack of inclusive accessibility standards and a lack of attention to specific tools for addressing neuropsychological syndromes, which causes students to develop high levels of stress/anxiety and emotional distress, in addition to low levels of well-being, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Another area of literature looks at how students can develop high levels of self-regulation and emotional awareness, as well as high levels of inclusion. Results are discussed in terms of the promotion of e-learning that focuses on the psychological well-being of students and teachers use of technological tool

Methyltrioxorhenium catalysed synthesis of highly oxidised aryltetralin lignans with anti-topoisomerase II and apoptogenic activities

A novel and efficient procedure to prepare highly oxidised aryltetralin lignans, such as isopodophyllotoxone and (-)-aristologone derivatives, by oxidation of podophyllotoxin and galbulin with methylrhenium trioxide (MTO) and novel MTO heterogeneous catalysts is reported. It is noteworthy that in the case of isopodophyllotoxone derivatives the functionalisation of the C-4 position of the C-ring and the ring-opening of the D-lactone moiety increased the activity against topoisomerase II while causing the undesired inhibition of tubulin polymerisation to disappear. The novel (-)-aristologone derivatives showed apoptogenic activity against resistant human lymphoma cell lines.L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore: http://www.sciencedirect.co

Catestatin Improves Post-Ischemic Left Ventricular Function and Decreases Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Heart

The Chromogranin A (CgA)-derived anti-hypertensive peptide catestatin (CST) antagonizes catecholamine secretion, and is a negative myocardial inotrope acting via a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism. It is not known whether CST contributes to ischemia/reperfusion injury or is a component of a cardioprotective response to limit injury. Here, we tested whether CST by virtue of its negative inotropic activity improves post-ischemic cardiac function and cardiomyocyte survival. Three groups of isolated perfused hearts from adult Wistar rats underwent 30-min ischemia and 120-min reperfusion (I/R, Group 1), or were post-conditioned by brief ischemic episodes (PostC, 5-cycles of 10-s I/R at the beginning of 120-min reperfusion, Group 2), or with exogenous CST (75 nM for 20 min, CST-Post, Group-3) at the onset of reperfusion. Perfusion pressure and left ventricular pressure (LVP) were monitored. Infarct size was evaluated with nitroblue-tetrazolium staining. The CST (5 nM) effects were also tested in simulated ischemia/reperfusion experiments on cardiomyocytes isolated from young-adult rats, evaluating cell survival with propidium iodide labeling. Infarct size was 61 ± 6% of risk area in hearts subjected to I/R only. PostC reduced infarct size to 34 ± 5%. Infarct size in CST-Post was 36 ± 3% of risk area (P < 0.05 respect to I/R). CST-Post reduced post-ischemic rise of diastolic LVP, an index of contracture, and significantly improved post-ischemic recovery of developed LVP. In isolated cardiomyocytes, CST increased the cell viability rate by about 65% after simulated ischemia/reperfusion. These results suggest a novel cardioprotective role for CST, which appears mainly due to a direct reduction of post-ischemic myocardial damages and dysfunction, rather than to an involvement of adrenergic terminals and/or endothelium

The sxt Gene and Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins as Markers for the Monitoring of Toxic Alexandrium Species Blooms

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a serious human illness caused by the ingestion of seafood contaminated with saxitoxin and its derivatives (STXs). These toxins are produced by some species of marine dinoflagellates within the genus Alexandrium. In the Mediterranean Sea, toxic Alexandrium spp. blooms, especially of A. minutum, are frequent and intense with negative impact to coastal ecosystem, aquaculture practices and other economic activities. We conducted a large scale study on the sxt gene and toxin distribution and content in toxic dinoflagellate A. minutum of the Mediterranean Sea using both quantitative PCR (qPCR) and HILIC-HRMS techniques. We developed a new qPCR assay for the estimation of the sxtA1 gene copy number in seawater samples during a bloom event in Syracuse Bay (Mediterranean Sea) with an analytical sensitivity of 2.0 × 10° sxtA1 gene copy number per reaction. The linear correlation between sxtA1 gene copy number and microalgal abundance and between the sxtA1 gene and STX content allowed us to rapidly determine the STX-producing cell concentrations of two Alexandrium species in environmental samples. In these samples, the amount of sxtA1 gene was in the range of 1.38 × 105 − 2.55 × 108 copies/L and the STX concentrations ranged from 41−201 nmol/L. This study described a potential PSP scenario in the Mediterranean Sea.Versión del editor5,228

Avaliação da qualidade microbiológica de fórmulas infantis desidratadas após reconstituição e durante o armazenamento no lactário de um Hospital Universitário

Introduction: Infant formulas (IF) fail to reproduce the immunological and digestibility properties of breast milk; however, they can meet the estimated nutritional needs when breastfeeding is prevented. Being rich in nutrients, artificial milk is an environment conducive to the growth of microorganisms. Objective: To perform microbiological analysis of IF intended for infants prepared in the lactary of a University Hospital of Rio de Janeiro, after reconstitution and storage. Method: 60 samples of IF reconstituted lactary were collected, immediately after preparation (time 0 h) and after 18 h storage under refrigeration (&lt; 5°C), in two different shifts A and B. The Most Probable Number (MPN) for coliform growth at 35°C and 45°C and Plate Count of Bacillus cereus were calculated, and coagulase positive Staphylococcus (SCP) and qualitative analysis of the presence of Salmonella spp. were performed. Results: IF showed values of coliforms with growth at 35°C &lt; 0.3 MPN /mL and B. cereus and SCP &lt; 1 Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/mL, in addition to absence of Salmonella spp./25 mL at both times studied. Conclusions: There was no growth of the analyzed microorganisms in 100% of the samples, probably due to the adequate training of the food handlers of the studied hospital.Introdução: As fórmulas infantis (FI) não conseguem reproduzir as propriedades imunológicas e de digestibilidade do leite materno, entretanto conseguem atender às necessidades nutricionais estimadas quando há impedimento do aleitamento materno. Por ser rico em nutrientes, o leite artificial é um ambiente propício para o crescimento de microrganismos. Objetivo: Realizar análise microbiológica de FI destinadas a bebês preparadas no lactário de um Hospital Universitário do Rio de Janeiro, após reconstituição e armazenamento. Método: Foram coletadas 60 amostras de FI reconstituídas em lactário, logo após o preparo (tempo 0 h) e depois de 18 h de armazenamento sob refrigeração (&lt; 5ºC), em dois plantões diferentes A e B. Foi realizada a técnica do Número mais Provável (NMP) para o crescimento de coliformes a 35ºC e a 45ºC, contagem em placa de Bacillus cereus e Staphylococcus coagulase positiva (SCP) e análise qualitativa de presença de Salmonella spp. Resultados: As FI apresentaram valores de coliformes com crescimento a 35ºC &lt; 0,3 NMP/mL e de B. cereus e SCP &lt; 1 Unidade Formadora de Colônia (UFC)/mL, além de ausência de Salmonella spp./25 mL, nos dois momentos estudados. Conclusões: Não houve crescimento dos microrganismos analisados em 100% das amostras, provavelmente devido ao treinamento adequado dos manipuladores de alimentos do lactário do hospital estudado