Study of the relationship of students with ASD at a secondary school centre

Treball Final de Grau en Psicologia. Codi: PS1048. Curs: 2018/2019.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts (DSM-5, 2013). Since it is a childhood disorder, children with an ASD share social and educative contexts with neurotypical partners, who usually reject or neglect them (Humphrey and Symes, 2011). The main object of this work is checking the relationships in the three secondary school groups, that in each one there is a student with an ASD (level 1). The specifics objectives are: 1. Sociometric study of students with an ASD throughout the academic year and 2. Analyse the ASD’s knowledge of neurotypical peers. For this, it was used a sample of 83 students, of which 53 students belongs to two groups of 1st of Secondary and 30 students belongs to a group of 3rd of Secondary. This sample was chosen because they did a sociogram before awareness sessions. They were administered a questionnaire for evaluate their knowledge of ASD and a sociogram seven months later. The data was analysed by the Sociomet and the SPSS to compare groups. The results show that the social status of people with ASD tend to be more stable when there is more coexistence and that they usually have low social status. Regarding questionnaire’s results, it was not found any significant differences. In general, the students believe that people with an ASD are affectionate and they are capable of working in team. What they judge worse is their capacity for understand phrases with double meaning and their social skills. Rejected students agree more that the people with ASD have fewer social skills than neurotypical people. Last but not least, knowledge of ASD was stabilized by all sociometric types in 3rd of Secondary.El trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) se caracteriza por los déficits en la comunicación e interacción social en múltiples contextos (DSM-5, 2013). Es un trastorno de la infancia, por ello los niños afectados, comparten contextos sociales y educativos con compañeros neurotípicos, los cuales, según la literatura, suelen rechazarlos o ignorarlos (Humphrey y Symes, 2011). El objetivo general de este trabajo es estudiar las relaciones sociales de 3 clases de secundaria, en cada una de ellas se encuentra incluido 1 escolar con TEA. Los objetivos específicos son estudiar la evolución de la clasificación sociométrica a lo largo del curso académico de los niños con TEA y analizar el conocimiento del trastorno por parte de sus compañeros neurotípicos. Para ello, se utilizó una muestra de 83 estudiantes, 53 de ellos corresponden a dos grupos de 1º ESO y otro de 30 estudiantes de 3º ESO. Se escogió esta muestra al habérseles administrado un sociograma previamente a las sesiones de sensibilización. Tras 7 meses, se les administró un cuestionario para evaluar sus conocimientos sobre el TEA y un sociograma. Los datos se analizaron mediante el Sociomet y el SPSS, para realizar las comparaciones grupales. Los resultados muestran que los estatus sociales de las personas con TEA suelen ser más estables cuanta más convivencia hay y que suelen tener un estatus social bajo. Respecto a los resultados del cuestionario, no se encontraron diferencias significativas. En general, todos creen que las personas con TEA son afectuosos y capaces de trabajar en equipo. Lo peor juzgado es su capacidad para comprender frases con doble sentido y sus habilidades sociales. Los estudiantes rechazados son los que más de acuerdo están con que las personas con TEA tienen menos habilidades sociales. Por último, los conocimientos acerca del TEA se estabilizan para todos los tipos sociométricos en 3º ESO

Identificación de biomarcadores de fragilidad en estudio de Toledo de envejecimiento saludable

Debido al aumento de la esperanza de vida y a la disminución de la tasa de fecundidad producido en las últimas décadas, la proporción de personas mayores de 60 años está aumentando más rápidamente que cualquier otro grupo de edad. Este envejecimiento de la población ha suscitado un gran interés en el estudio del envejecimiento y en cómo hacer frente a los problemas relacionados con él. Tradicionalmente, la mayor parte de la investigación en este ámbito se ha centrado en la supervivencia y en las posibles intervenciones para prolongar la esperanza de vida. Sin embargo, la tendencia actual es a considerar más importante la prevención de la discapacidad (healthspan) que el simple aumento de la longevidad (lifespan). En este contexto, surge el concepto de fragilidad, un síndrome geriátrico caracterizado por una disminución de las reservas fisiológicas y la función de múltiples sistemas, lo cual conlleva una mayor vulnerabilidad y baja capacidad para hacer frente a las agresiones externas. Además, la condición de fragilidad aumenta el riesgo de discapacidad, institucionalización e incluso muerte. Los criterios de fragilidad más empleados son los definidos por Linda Fried: pérdida involuntaria de peso en el último año, sentimiento de agotamiento general referido por el propio paciente, lentitud de la marcha, bajo nivel de actividad física y disminución de la fuerza de agarre. Sin embargo, estos criterios se centran demasiado en el sistema músculo-esquelético y metabólico y podrían obviar la relación entre estos cambios fisiopatológicos y la presencia de deterioro cognitivo, otra fuente importante de discapacidad y fragilidad. Una de las características más importantes de la fragilidad, desde el punto de vista médico, es que se refiere a una condición dinámica, es decir, no todos los individuos son frágiles de la misma manera y, por otra parte, un individuo frágil puede llegar a no serlo, si dicha fragilidad es detectada y tratada de manera precoz. Por ello, en los últimos años, la búsqueda de biomarcadores que ayuden a su diagnóstico e incluso a su prevención ha cobrado especial importancia. Por todo ello, el objetivo de esta tesis doctoral fue determinar si la fragilidad está relacionada con la dependencia funcional y el deterioro cognitivo en el Estudio de Toledo de Envejecimiento Saludable (ETES), así como identificar biomarcadores de fragilidad relacionados con el estado cognitivo, el estrés oxidativo y la variación genética, lo cual podría ayudar en el enfoque multidisciplinar hacia la promoción de la salud del paciente frágil. Para ello, se seleccionaron 776 personas del ETES, un estudio longitudinal de base poblacional formado por 2488 individuos mayores de 65 años y residentes en Toledo (España). La muestra incluyó a 423 sujetos no frágiles (244 mujeres y 179 hombres), 288 prefrágiles (168 mujeres y 120 hombres) y 65 frágiles (44 mujeres y 21 hombres). Como variables clínicas se estudiaron: la dependencia funcional para las actividades básicas de la vida diaria (ABVD) y para las actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria (AIVD), mediante el Índice de Katz e Indice de Lawton, respectivamente, y el deterioro cognitivo, mediante el Mini-Mental Examination de Folstein (MMSE). Como variables bioquímicas se determinaron: niveles plasmáticos de factor neurotrófico derivado del cerebro (BDNF), mediante ELISA, niveles plasmáticos de malondialdehído, mediante cromatografía líquida de alta eficacia, niveles de proteínas carboniladas, mediante Western Blot, y presencia de polimorfismos de nucleótido simple, genes y vías de señalización implicadas en la fragilidad, mediante la tecnología Axiom Genotyping de Affimetrix. En primer lugar, se estudió si la fragilidad se asociaba con dependencia funcional, tanto para las actividades básicas de la vida diaria (ABVD), como las instrumentales (AIVD). Así, se pudo comprobar cómo los individuos frágiles eran más dependientes para ambas actividades que los prefrágiles y los no frágiles, y que los prefrágiles eran también más dependientes que los no frágiles. Además, se investigó si el género o la edad podrían estar mediando dichos resultados. En este sentido, sólo se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre hombres y mujeres en cuanto a la dependencia para las AIVD, de tal manera que los hombres presentaban más dificultades para dichas actividades que las mujeres. En ambos casos, no se encontró una correlación fuerte con la edad. En cuanto al deterioro cognitivo, se observó que los individuos frágiles presentaban un mayor deterioro cognitivo que los prefrágiles y los no frágiles, y que los prefrágiles también presentaban un mayor deterioro cognitivo que los no frágiles. También investigamos si el género o la edad podían tener alguna influencia en dichos resultados. Tal y como sucedió con el índice de Katz, no se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre hombres y mujeres en la puntuación obtenida en el MMSE en ningún grupo, ni una fuerte correlación entre dicha puntuación y la edad. El siguiente paso fue estudiar si la fragilidad se relacionaba con un biomarcador asociado al deterioro cognitivo, llamado factor neurotrófico derivado del cerebro (BDNF). De este modo, se pudo observar que los individuos frágiles mostraban menores niveles de BDNF en plasma que los no frágiles, lo cual se ha asociado con el deterioro cognitivo. Una vez más, se analizó la posible influencia del género y la edad en estos resultados, encontrando que ni el género ni la edad se relacionaban con los niveles de BDNF en plasma. Por otro lado, se estudió la posible relación entre fragilidad y biomarcadores de estrés oxidativo.En cuanto a los niveles de MDA, se encontró que las personas frágiles mostraban mayores niveles plasmáticos de MDA que las prefrágiles y las no frágiles. Sin embargo, no se observaron diferencias en dichos niveles entre hombres y mujeres en ningún grupo (no frágil, prefrail, frágil), ni una correlación con la edad de los individuos. Al estudiar los niveles de carbonilación de proteínas, pudimos observar que tanto los individuos frágiles como los prefrágiles presentaban mayores niveles de carbonilación proteica en plasma que los no frágiles. Además, tal y como sucedió con el MDA, los niveles de proteínas carboniladas en plasma no fueron diferentes entre hombres y mujeres en ningún grupo, ni tampoco estaban relacionados con la edad de los individuos. Por último, se estudió la posible influencia de la variación génica sobre este síndrome multisistémico, a través del análisis de variantes comunes (también llamadas polimorfismos de nucleótido simple o SNPs) y variantes raras. De esta manera, encontramos SNPs y variantes raras en genes o vías de señalización relacionadas con importantes procesos fisiopatológicos, tales como el sistema músculoesquelético, la función cognitiva, el metabolismo energético, la respuesta al estrés o la apoptosis. Como conclusión, nuestros resultados muestran cómo la fragilidad se relaciona con dependencia funcional y deterioro cognitivo en el ETES. Además, hemos identificado biomarcadores de fragilidad relacionados con la función cognitiva, el estrés oxidativo y la variación génica. Por tanto, estos biomarcadores podrían ser útiles en la detección temprana de la fragilidad, lo cual permitiría probar la eficacia de intervenciones dirigidas su tratamiento y, de este modo, prevenir su progresión hacia la discapacidad.In the last two decades, the proportion of people aged over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group, as a result of both longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates. As a consequence, the population is growing older and therefore there is an increasing interest in ageing and how to face age-related problems. Most of the research in this area has so far focused on survival and the plausible interventions to increase lifespan. Recently, however, emphasis has shift to preventing disability (healthspan), rather than merely increasing longevity (lifespan). In this context, age-associated frailty has emerged as a geriatric syndrome, characterized by a decline in physiologic reserve and function across systems, leading to increased vulnerability and low capacity to cope with external stressors. Even if there is no consensus on the definition of frailty, it is clear that this condition can lead to increasing disability, institutionalization, and even death. The most frequently employed criteria of frailty are those defined by Linda Fried: involuntary weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, low physical activity, slowness, and low grip strength. However, these criteria are excessively focused on the musculoskeletal system and may overlook any relationship between these pathophysiological changes and the presence of cognitive impairment, the other major source of disability and frailty. One of the most important features of frailty, from the medical point of view, is that it refers to a dynamic condition, which means that not all individuals are frail in the same way, and moreover, a frail individual can become non-frail, if frailty is detected and treated at the onset. Therefore, a great deal of attention has been focused on finding good biomarkers to help in the diagnosis of frailty and to prevent adverse outcomes. In this regard, frailty has been linked to some biomarkers, related to the neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular or musculoskeletal system or metabolism. Frailty has also been associated with oxidative stress markers, such as 8-Hydroxy-2-deoxy Guanosine (8-oxodG) oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratio, malondialdehyde (MDA), and 4-hydroxy-2,3-nonenal (HNE) in plasma. Recently, it has also been associated to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin whose functions are related to neuronal survival/proliferation processes, inflammation and physical activity. Likewise, some genetic variants have been associated with frailty. However, all these associations were not clearly established. The aim of this doctoral thesis was to ascertain whether frailty is indeed related to functional dependence and cognitive impairment in the Toledo Study for Healthy Aging (TSHA), as well as to provide some reliable biomarkers of frailty related to cognitive status, oxidative stress and genetic variation, which may help in the multidisciplinary health-promoting approach for frail adults. For this purpose, a representative sample of 776 people was randomly selected from the TSHA, a longitudinal population-based cohort of 2,488 community dwelling people from Toledo (Spain), aged 65 and over. The sample included 423 non frail (244 women and 179 men), 288 prefrail (168 women and 120 men) and 65 frail individuals (44 women and 21 men). First, we investigated if frailty was associated with functional dependence, both in basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (AIDL). For ADL, we compared the average scores obtained for the Katz Index between non frail, prefrail and frail individuals. We found that indeed frail individuals were more dependent than prefrail and non frail. Prefrail individuals were also more dependent than non frail. We also investigated whether gender or age could be mediating our results. Interestingly, no differences between men and women in the Katz index score within any group nor a strong correlation between such score and age was found, thus suggesting that the lowest score in the Katz index, and thus functional dependence in ADL, depends on frailty status, rather than gender or age. In the case of AIDL, we compared the average score obtained for the Lawton Index between non frail, prefrail and frail individuals. We found that frail individuals were more dependent than prefrail and non frail. Prefrail individuals were also more dependent than non frail. Once again, the potential influence of gender or age on this index score was investigated. In this case, we found that men were more dependent than women, but a strong correlation between the Katz index score and age did not exist, thus suggesting that functional dependence in IADL relies on frailty status and gender, but not age. Next, we aimed to define if frailty was related to cognitive impairment. For this purpose, we compared the average score obtained for the Mini-Mental State Examination of Folstein (MMSE) between non frail, prefrail and frail individuals. This allowed us to observe that indeed frail individuals were more cognitively-impaired than prefrail and non frail. Prefrail individuals were also more cognitively-impaired than non frail. We also investigated whether gender or age may have any influence on our results. As was the case for the katz Index, no differences between men and women in MMSE index score within any group nor a strong correlation between such score and age was found, thus suggesting again that the lowest score in the MMSE index, and thus cognitive impairment, depends on frailty status, rather than gender or age. The next step was to study if frailty was related to a cognitive impairmentrelated biomarker, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). To achieve this objective, plasma BDNF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and were further compared between non frail, prefrail and frail individuals. We observed that frail individuals displayed lower plasma BDNF levels than non frail, which has been associated to cognitive impairment. Once again, the possible influence of gender and age on these results was examined, and we found that neither gender nor age was related to plasma BDNF levels. Taken together, these findings suggest that plasma BDNF levels depend on frailty status, rather than gender or age. In addition, we aimed to assess if frailty was associated to changes in oxidative stress biomarkers. In this regard, we determined plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and carbonylated proteins by Western blotting in our population, as indicators of lipid and protein damage, respectively. Furthermore, since gender and age have been traditionally considered to be key factors influencing oxidative stress parameters, their possible effect on these biomarkers were studied again. Regarding to MDA levels, we found that frail people displayed higher plasma MDA levels than prefrail and non frail. However, such levels were not different between men and women within any group (non frail, prefrail, frail), nor were they related to the age of the individuals. These results suggest that plasma MDA levels, and thus oxidative damage to lipids, depend on frailty status, rather than gender or age. When studying protein carbonylation levels, we could observe that both frail and prefrail people showed higher plasma levels of protein carbonyls than non frail. Interestingly though, plasma protein levels were again not different between men and women in any group, nor were they related to the age of the individuals. This may suggest that protein carbonylation, and thus oxidative damage to proteins is related to frailty status, and not to gender or age. Finally, we studied the possible influence of genetic variation on this multisystemic syndrome, through the identification of common variants (known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) and rare variants. For this purpose we genotyped 295,988 SNPs and rare variants using Axiom®Exome Genotyping Arrays (Affymetrix). After applying the quality control filtering, 41,828 SNPs remained appropriate for the current study. We performed three different types of analysis: individual, gene and pathway. Interestingly, we found SNPs and rare variants in genes or pathways related to important physiopathological processes, such as the musculoskeletal system, cognitive function, energetic metabolism, stress response and apoptosis. Taken together, our findings indicate that frailty is related to functional dependence and cognitive impairment in the TSHA. Furthermore, we have found that frailty is related to biomarkers related to cognitive function, oxidative stress and genetic variations. Thus, these biomarkers may be useful in detecting frailty, and this would open up the possibility of early detection, testing the efficacy of intervention aimed at treating frailty and preventing its progression to disability

La situació del notariat català a la ciutat de Tarragona, a les darreries del segle XVI

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Effectiveness of a manual therapy protocol based on articulatory techniques in migraine patients. A randomized controlled trial

Background: Physiotherapy is used as a non-pharmacological treatment for migraine. However, controversy exists over whether articulatory manual techniques are effective in some aspects related to migraine. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of a manual therapy protocol based on articulatory techniques in pain intensity, frequency of episodes, migraine disability, quality of life, medication intake and self-reported perceived change after treatment in migraine patients. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Fifty individuals with migraine were randomized into the experimental group, which received manual therapy based on articulatory techniques (n = 25), or the placebo group (n = 25). The intervention lasted 4 weeks and included 4 sessions. Patients were assessed before (T1), after (T2) and at a one-month follow-up following the intervention (T3). The instruments used were the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire, the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), the medication intake and The Patients' Global Impression of Change scale. Results: In comparison with placebo group, manual therapy patients reported significant effects on pain intensity at T2 (p < 0.001; d = 1.15) and at T3 (p < 0.001; d = 1.13), migraine disability at T3 (p < 0.05; d = 0.69), physical quality of life at T2 (p < 0.05; d = 0.72), overall quality of life at T2 (p < 0.05; d = 0.60), decrease in medication intake at T2 (p < 0.001; d = 1.11) and at T3 (p < 0.05; d = 0.77) and self-reported perceived change after treatment at T2 and T3 (p < 0.001). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: The application of a manual therapy protocol based on articulatory techniques reduced pain intensity, migraine disability, and medication intake, while improving quality of life in patients with migraine

Assessment of Functional Activities in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease Using a Simple and Reliable Smartphone-Based Procedure

[EN] Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to functional impairment. In order to monitor the progression of the disease and to implement individualized therapeutic approaches, functional assessments are paramount. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of PD on balance, gait, turn-to-sit and sit-to-stand by means of a single short-duration reliable test using a single inertial measurement unit embedded in a smartphone device. Study participants included 29 individuals with mild-to moderate PD (PG) and 31 age-matched healthy counterparts (CG). Functional assessment with FallSkip((R)) included postural control (i.e., Medial-Lateral (ML) and Anterior-Posterior (AP) displacements), gait (Vertical (V) and Medial-Lateral (ML) ranges), turn-to-sit (time) and sit-to-stand (power) tests, total time and gait reaction time. Our results disclosed a reliable procedure (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.58-0.92). PG displayed significantly larger ML and AP displacements during the postural test, a decrease in ML range while walking and a longer time needed to perform the turn-to-sit task than CG (p 0.05). In conclusion, people with mild-to-moderate PD exhibit impaired postural control, altered gait strategy and slower turn-to-sit performance than age-matched healthy people.This project (IMAMCJ/2020/1) was funded by Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial (IVACE) and by the Valencian Regional Government (IVACE-GVA).Serra-Añó, P.; Pedrero, J.; Inglés, M.; Aguilar-Rodríguez, M.; Vargas-Villanueva, I.; Lopez Pascual, J. (2020). Assessment of Functional Activities in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease Using a Simple and Reliable Smartphone-Based Procedure. International Journal of Environmental research and Public Health (Online). 17(11):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17114123S1131711Soh, S.-E., McGinley, J. L., Watts, J. J., Iansek, R., Murphy, A. T., Menz, H. B., … Morris, M. E. (2012). Determinants of health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease: a path analysis. Quality of Life Research, 22(7), 1543-1553. doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0289-1Mak, M. K. Y., & Wong-Yu, I. S. K. (2019). Exercise for Parkinson’s disease. Exercise on Brain Health, 1-44. doi:10.1016/bs.irn.2019.06.001Tysnes, O.-B., & Storstein, A. (2017). Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neural Transmission, 124(8), 901-905. doi:10.1007/s00702-017-1686-yKing, L. A., Wilhelm, J., Chen, Y., Blehm, R., Nutt, J., Chen, Z., … Horak, F. B. (2015). Effects of Group, Individual, and Home Exercise in Persons With Parkinson Disease. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, 39(4), 204-212. doi:10.1097/npt.0000000000000101Haji Ghassemi, N., Hannink, J., Roth, N., Gaßner, H., Marxreiter, F., Klucken, J., & Eskofier, B. M. (2019). Turning Analysis during Standardized Test Using On-Shoe Wearable Sensors in Parkinson’s Disease. Sensors, 19(14), 3103. doi:10.3390/s19143103Weiss, A., Herman, T., Mirelman, A., Shiratzky, S. S., Giladi, N., Barnes, L. L., … Hausdorff, J. M. (2019). The transition between turning and sitting in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A wearable device detects an unexpected sequence of events. Gait & Posture, 67, 224-229. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.10.018Pham, M. H., Warmerdam, E., Elshehabi, M., Schlenstedt, C., Bergeest, L.-M., Heller, M., … Maetzler, W. (2018). Validation of a Lower Back «Wearable»-Based Sit-to-Stand and Stand-to-Sit Algorithm for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease and Older Adults in a Home-Like Environment. Frontiers in Neurology, 9. doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.00652González Rojas, H. A., Cuevas, P. C., Zayas Figueras, E. E., Foix, S. C., & Sánchez Egea, A. J. (2017). Time measurement characterization of stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand transitions by using a smartphone. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 56(5), 879-888. doi:10.1007/s11517-017-1728-5Del Din, S., Godfrey, A., Mazzà, C., Lord, S., & Rochester, L. (2016). Free-living monitoring of Parkinson’s disease: Lessons from the field. Movement Disorders, 31(9), 1293-1313. doi:10.1002/mds.26718Galán-Mercant, A., Barón-López, F. J., Labajos-Manzanares, M. T., & Cuesta-Vargas, A. I. (2014). Reliability and criterion-related validity with a smartphone used in timed-up-and-go test. BioMedical Engineering OnLine, 13(1). doi:10.1186/1475-925x-13-156López-Pascual, J., Hurtado Abellán, J., Inglés, M., Espí-López, G., & Serra-Añó, P. (2018). P 151 – Reliability of variables measured with an Android device during a modified timed up and go test in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Gait & Posture, 65, 484-485. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.07.072Serra-Añó, P., Pedrero-Sánchez, J. F., Hurtado-Abellán, J., Inglés, M., Espí-López, G. V., & López-Pascual, J. (2019). Mobility assessment in people with Alzheimer disease using smartphone sensors. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s12984-019-0576-yKerr, G. K., Worringham, C. J., Cole, M. H., Lacherez, P. F., Wood, J. M., & Silburn, P. A. (2010). Predictors of future falls in Parkinson disease. Neurology, 75(2), 116-124. doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e3181e7b688Channa, A., Popescu, N., & Ciobanu, V. (2020). Wearable Solutions for Patients with Parkinson’s Disease and Neurocognitive Disorder: A Systematic Review. Sensors, 20(9), 2713. doi:10.3390/s20092713Hughes, A. J., Daniel, S. E., Kilford, L., & Lees, A. J. (1992). Accuracy of clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease: a clinico-pathological study of 100 cases. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 55(3), 181-184. doi:10.1136/jnnp.55.3.181Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). «Mini-mental state». 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Early detection of learning difficulties using the BADyG-E2r Battery during primary education

The aim of the present study was to assess the predictive capacity of several of the most relevant cognitive skills in the academic field that were evaluated using Differential and General Skills Battery(BADyG-E2r). Particular attention was focused on the variables that need to be overcome regarding the curricular objectives related to pass/fail grading as evaluated by the teachers in the instrumental disciplines of Mathematics and Language. The psychometric battery was applied to the 3rd year students in primary education (a total of 512 students) at 4 public schools that were randomly selected in the province of Alicante (Spain). A follow-up of their academic evolution was under taken until the end of primary education. The obtained results show that high scores in Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Verbal Syllogisms positively and significantly predict academic success at the end of primary education in the subjects of Language and Mathematics

Extracellular Vesicles from Healthy Cells Improves Cell Function and Stemness in Premature Senescent Stem Cells by miR-302b and HIF-1α Activation.

Aging is accompanied by the accumulation of senescent cells that alter intercellular communication, thereby impairing tissue homeostasis and reducing organ regenerative potential. Recently, the administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles has proven to be more effective and less challenging than current stem cell-based therapies. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain a cell-specific cargo of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids that are released and taken up by probably all cell types, thereby inducing functional changes via the horizontal transfer of their cargo. Here, we describe the beneficial properties of extracellular vesicles derived from non-senescent MSC, cultured in a low physiological oxygen tension (3%) microenvironment into prematurely senescent MSC, cultured in a hyperoxic ambient (usual oxygen culture conditions, i.e., 21%). We observed that senescent MCS, treated with EVs from non-senescent MCS, showed reduced SA-β-galactosidase activity levels and pluripotency factor (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and cMYC, or OSKM) overexpression and increased glycolysis, as well as reduced oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Moreover, these EVs' cargo induced the upregulation of miR-302b and HIF-1α levels in the target cells. We propose that miR-302b triggered HIF-1α upregulation, which in turn activated different pathways to delay premature senescence, improve stemness and switch energetic metabolism towards glycolysis. Taken together, we suggest that EVs could be a powerful tool to restore altered intercellular communication and improve stem cell function and stemness, thus delaying stem cell exhaustion in aging

A Comparative Study of Cell Culture Conditions during Conversion from Primed to Naive Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

The successful reprogramming of human somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represented a turning point in the stem cell research field, owing to their ability to differentiate into any cell type with fewer ethical issues than human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). In mice, PSCs are thought to exist in a naive state, the cell culture equivalent of the immature pre-implantation embryo, whereas in humans, PSCs are in a primed state, which is a more committed pluripotent state than a naive state. Recent studies have focused on capturing a similar cell stage in human cells. Given their earlier developmental stage and therefore lack of cell-of-origin epigenetic memory, these cells would be better candidates for further re-differentiation, use in disease modeling, regenerative medicine and drug discovery. In this study, we used primed hiPSCs and hESCs to evaluate the successful establishment and maintenance of a naive cell stage using three different naive-conversion media, both in the feeder and feeder-free cells conditions. In addition, we compared the directed differentiation capacity of primed and naive cells into the three germ layers and characterized these different cell stages with commonly used pluripotent and lineage-specific markers. Our results show that, in general, naive culture NHSM medium (in both feeder and feeder-free systems) confers greater hiPSCs and hESCs viability and the highest naive pluripotency markers expression. This medium also allows better cell differentiation cells toward endoderm and mesoderm.This work was supported by the Health Department of the Basque Government (Grant 2019111068, 2019/4703, 2020111058, 2020333032, 2021333057 and 2021333012), Merck-Salud Founda- tion (FSALUD17/004), Economic Development and Infrastructures Department of the Basque Govern- ment (KK-2020/00068), EITB Maratoia (BIO21/COV/030), Project “PI18/01299” and “PI21/01187”, funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF) “A way to make Europe”, “ICI21/00095” funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (NextGenerationEU), “Plan de Recuperación Transformación y Resiliencia” Investigación Clínica Independiente 2021–Acción Estratégica Salud 2017–2020, RICORS: (RD21/00017/0024) Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas TERAV ISCIII. Funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by European Union (NextGenerationEU) “Plan de Recuperación Transformación y Resiliencia” Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) 2021–Acción Estratégica Salud 2017–2020. L.H. was supported by the Jesus Gangoiti Barrera Foundation and the Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (AECC) AECC16/501 and the Fundación Mutua Madrileña AP176182020. M.M-I was supported by Jesus Gangoiti Barrera Foundation. I.R was supported by Margarita Salas Grant “MARSA21/60” and the Jesus Gangoiti Barrera Foundation. M.I-F. was supported by Inocente Inocente Foundation FII18/003. J.R.P. has grant “RYC-2013-13450” funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, by the European Social Fund “ESF investing in your future”

Exceptional human longevity is associated with a specific plasma phenotype of ether lipids

A lipid profile resistant to oxidative damage is an inherent trait associated with animal lifespan. However, there is a lack of lipidomic studies on human longevity. Here we use mass spectrometry based technologies to detect and quantify 137 ether lipids to define a phenotype of healthy humans with exceptional lifespan. Ether lipids were chosen because of their antioxidant properties and ability to modulate oxidative stress. Our results demonstrate that a specific ether lipid signature can be obtained to define the centenarian state. This profile comprises higher level of alkyl forms derived from phosphatidylcholine with shorter number of carbon atoms and double bonds; and decreased content in alkenyl forms from phosphatidylethanolamine with longer chain length and higher double bonds. This compositional pattern suggests that ether lipids from centenarians are more resistant to lipid peroxidation, and that ether lipid signature expresses an optimized feature associated with exceptional human longevity. These results are in keeping with the free radical theory of aging.We acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (ref. SAF2013–44663-R), and from the ‘Red Tematica de Investigación Cooperativa en Envejecimiento y Fragilidad’ (RETICEF) (ref. ISCIII2012-RED-43-029) to J.V.; and from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness/Institute of Health Carlos III (ref. PI14/00328), and the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Department of Health (ref. SLT002/16/00250) and Department of Business and Knowledge (ref. 2017SGR696) to R.P. This study has been co-financed by FEDER funds from the European Union (“Una manera de hacer Europa”). I.P. was supported by a University of Lleida Predoctoral Fellowship. K.H. was supported by a Dementia Australia Research Foundation Scholarship

BCL-xL, a Mitochondrial Protein Involved in Successful Aging: From C. elegans to Human Centenarians.

B-Cell Lymphoma-extra-large (BCL-xL) is involved in longevity and successful aging, which indicates a role for BCL-xL in cell survival pathway regulation. Beyond its well described role as an inhibitor of apoptosis by preventing cytochrome c release, BCL-xL has also been related, indirectly, to autophagy and senescence pathways. Although in these latter cases, BCL-xL has dual roles, either activating or inhibiting, depending on the cell type and the specific conditions. Taken together, all these findings suggest a precise mechanism of action for BCL-xL, able to regulate the crosstalk between apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence, thus promoting cell survival or cell death. All three pathways can be both beneficial or detrimental depending on the circumstances. Thus, targeting BCL-xL would in turn be a 'double-edge sword' and therefore, additional studies are needed to better comprehend this dual and apparently contradictory role of BCL-XL in longevity. View Full-Text Keywords: healthy aging; apoptosis; autophagy; senescence; longevity; mitochondri