AFM study of strawberry pectin nanostructure and its relevance on fruit texture

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to characterize the nanostructure of cell wall pectins during strawberry fruit growth and ripening, as well as in transgenic fruits with pectinase genes downregulated. This technique allows the imaging of individual polymers at high magnification with minimal sample preparation. AFM studies during fruit development show that pectin size, ramification and aggregation is reduced in ripe fruits. Additionally, transgenic lines with different pectinase genes downregulated (polygalacturonase, pectate lyase and B-galactosidase) also show a more complex pectin nanostructure, including longer chains, higher branching degree and larger presence of aggregates. In all those cases the higher pectin complexity at nanoscale correlates with a reduced softening in strawberry fruits at macroscale level. Globally, our results support the key role of pectins in fruit structure and highlights the use of AFM as a powerful tool to gain insights about the bases of textural fruit quality not only in strawberry, but also in other commercial crops.AGL2017-86531-C2-1-R, Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad of Spain and FEDER EU funds. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Informe iberoamericano 2020 de relaciones intergubernamentales

Este primer Informe Iberoamericano 2020 de Relaciones Intergubernamentales ha coincidido en el tiempo con las intensas y generalizadas necesidades de cooperación intergubernamental provocadas por la pandemia de la Covid-19 desde el primer trimestre del año 2020. Como afirman Brosio, Jiménez y Ruelas, tras la irrupción de esta crisis sanitaria, “existe una necesidad de fortalecer la coordinación en los sistemas fiscales intergubernamentales y el papel de los gobiernos intermedios y locales para afrontar el impacto de la pandemia en la economía y el bienestar de los hogares más pobres”. Principalmente en el ámbito sanitario, pero también en materia de servicios sociales, hacienda, educación, transportes o seguridad interior, los Estados iberoamericanos han sido puestos a prueba y llevados al límite de la gestión intergubernamental y la sostenibilidad financiera, en muchos casos bajo la vigencia de estados de alarma o emergencia sanitaria. Incluso la función constitucional de control parlamentario sobre los respectivos gobiernos y sus relaciones se ha visto muy limitada por la menor actividad de las asambleas legislativas, tanto las consideradas de representación popular como las calificadas de representación territorial

Diseño de una propuesta de Aprendizaje Servicio para formar la competencia digital del alumnado, futuro docente.

Se presenta un proyecto de innovación docente Mentores TIC basado en el Aprendizaje- Servicio, el papel activo del alumnado en el escenario en el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje, la competencia digital educativa y el empoderamiento de la mujer en este ámbito

Safety and efficacy of ribociclib plus letrozole in patients with HR+, HER2– advanced breast cancer: Results from the Spanish sub-population of the phase 3b CompLEEment-1 trial

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Spanish women. Ribociclib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) has shown superiority in prolonging survival in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC) vs. ET alone.Methods: CompLEEment-1 is a single-arm, open-label phase 3b trial evaluating ribociclib plus letrozole in a broad population of patients with HR+, HER2- ABC. The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability. Here we report data for Spanish patients enrolled in CompLEEment-1.Results: A total of 526 patients were evaluated (median follow-up: 26.97 months). Baseline characteristics showed a diverse population with a median age of 54 years. At study entry, 56.5% of patients had visceral metastases and 8.7% had received prior chemotherapy for advanced disease. Rates of all-grade and Grade >= 3 adverse events (AEs) were 99.0% and 76.2%, respectively; 21.3% of patients experienced a serious AE, and 15.8% of AEs led to treatment discontinuation. AEs of special interest of neutropenia, increased alanine aminotransferase, increased aspartate aminotransferase and QTcF prolongation occurred in 77.8%, 14.8%, 11.4% and 4.0% of patients, respectively. Patients aged >70 years experienced increased rates of all-grade and Grade >= 3 neutropenia and anemia. Efficacy results were consistent with the global study.Conclusions: Results from Spanish patients enrolled in CompLEEment-1 are consistent with global data showing efficacy and a manageable safety profile for ribociclib plus letrozole treatment in patients with HR+, HER2-ABC, including populations of interest (NCT02941926).Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0294192

Novedades corológicas y nomenclaturales para la flora vascular de la Sierra de Gredos (Sistema Central), III

In the present paper we present the floristic novelties for the flora of the Sierra de Gredos resulting from the explorations of these mountains and that, mostly, are the result of the field trips of the year 2021. We present 31 chorological novelties, among which we highlight the finding in the Community of Madrid of the restricted endemic Iberodes brassicifolia (Lag.) M. Serrano, R. Carbajal & S. Ortiz. Also relevant are Herniaria hirsuta L., Rosa glauca Pourr. (new for the Spanish Central System) and Rosa coriifolia Fr. (new for Extremadura and the whole of the Sierra de Gredos), as well as Soliva sessilisRuiz & Pav., Trifolium vesiculosumSavi (new for Castilla y León) and Lepidium villarsii Gren. & Godr. subsp. villarsii (new for the Sierra de Gredos). Finally, two new nomenclatural combinations are made in the genus Tephroseris (Rchb.) Rchb.: Tephroseris balbisiana (DC.) Holub subsp. coincy (Rouy) P. Vargas & Luceño, endemic to Gredos range, and Tephroseris balbisiana subsp. elodes (Boiss. ex DC.) P. Vargas & Luceño, endemic to Sierra Nevada

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe