Criterios que utilizan los alumnos universitarios de primer ciclo para definir ser vivo

In our work we have tried to find out to what extent university students in their first three courses apply those criteria defining «the living things» concept. We have verified that they focus their attention on physiological aspects especially perceptible and macroscopic ones rather than on universal and microscopic characteristics

Las ideas de los profesores de ciencias sobre la formación docente

In this paper we investigate novel teachers' notions and practice regarding their conceptions about the need to receive a specific teaching formation, and the most suitable way to achieve this formation

Hacia la innovación de las actividades prácticas desde la formación del profesorado

This study presents the development of a didactic approach oriented towards teacher-training, carried out among 147 in-service and trainee teachers. Apart from gathering information concerning the teachers' thoughts about practical work, it also contains a comparative critical analysis directed towards detecting which concrete objectives allow the development of traditional and research practices

Los problemas de lápiz y papel en la formación de profesores

In this article a didactic approach for both initial and ongoing teacher training is presented, oriented towards the teaching and learning of paper and pencil problem-solving. Taking as a starting point teachers' ideas of the educational possibilities of the problems which are generally used in Science classes (objectives reached and specific procedures which they develop), it then goes on to analyse and evaluate concrete traditional and innovative problem-solving models. This study will also look at commentaries and results regarding the development of these activities from both in-service and trainee teachers. It is shown that these teachers initially accept the educational interest of such problems, and they consider the innovative model to be the most useful because, apart from motivating the students, it also develops research procedures which the traditional problems ignore, and which are fundamental in scientific training

Influence of drug–drug interactions on effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antivirals against hepatitis C virus

[Abstract] Objectives Direct-acting antivirals are the recommended treatment for hepatitis C-infected patients. Drug–drug interactions with concomitant treatments can cause lack of effectiveness and/or safety. The objective of this study is to characterise drug–drug interactions of direct-acting antivirals and to analyse their influence both on the effectiveness of antiviral treatment and on the overall safety of pharmacological treatment in hepatitis C-infected patients. Methods Observational and prospective cohort study for 3 years in the pharmaceutical care outpatient consultation of a general hospital, undertaking detection, evaluation and management of drug–drug interactions by clinical pharmacists and physicians. The main outcome measures were sustained virologic response at week 12 for effectiveness and serious drug-related adverse events for safety. Multivariate statistical analysis applied to: (a) patient basal characteristics related to presence of drug–drug interactions; (b) previous antiviral treatments, viral genotype, cirrhosis, decompensations and presence of drug–drug interactions related to the effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals. Results Of a total of 1092 patients, the majority of them were men, around 60 years old and HCV-genotype 1 mono-infected, with a high basal viral load, naive to antiviral treatment, treated with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and without cirrhosis. 24.5% had drug–drug interactions. Proton pump inhibitors were the concomitant drugs that caused the most drug–drug interactions. Age ≥65 years and direct-acting antivirals based on protease inhibitors were independently related to the presence of drug-drug interactions (p≤0.012). All (100%) of the therapeutic recommendations based on detected drug–drug interactions were implemented; 97.7% of patients with interactions versus 99.0% without them reached sustained virologic failure (p=0.109). The serious adverse events rates were 1.5% and 1.3% in patients with and without drug-drug interactions, respectively (p=0.841). Conclusions Drug–drug interactions are frequent among hepatitis C-infected patients receiving treatment with direct-acting antivirals. However, the collaboration between physicians and clinical pharmacists makes it possible to detect, evaluate, avoid or clinically manage these drug–drug interactions, in order to maintain whole treatment therapeutic safety and the effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals

Perspectives of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Biological Agents in Non-Infectious Uveitis Treatment: A Review

Biological drugs, especially those targeting anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) molecule, have revolutionized the treatment of patients with non-infectious uveitis (NIU), a sight-threatening condition characterized by ocular inflammation that can lead to severe vision threatening and blindness. Adalimumab (ADA) and infliximab (IFX), the most widely used anti-TNF alpha drugs, have led to greater clinical benefits, but a significant fraction of patients with NIU do not respond to these drugs. The therapeutic outcome is closely related to systemic drug levels, which are influenced by several factors such as immunogenicity, concomitant treatment with immunomodulators, and genetic factors. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of drug and anti-drug antibody (ADAbs) levels is emerging as a resource to optimise biologic therapy by personalising treatment to bring and maintain drug concentration within the therapeutic range, especially in those patients where a clinical response is less than expected. Furthermore, some studies have described different genetic polymorphisms that may act as predictors of response to treatment with anti-TNF alpha agents in immune-mediated diseases and could be useful in personalising biologic treatment selection. This review is a compilation of the published evidence in NIU and in other immune-mediated diseases that support the usefulness of TDM and pharmacogenetics as a tool to guide clinicians' treatment decisions leading to better clinical outcomes. In addition, findings from preclinical and clinical studies, assessing the safety and efficacy of intravitreal administration of anti-TNF alpha agents in NIU are discussed

Pharmacokinetics of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Drugs in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Intravitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies has become the standard treatment for Age-Related Macular Degeneration; however, the knowledge of their pharmacokinetics is limited. A comprehensive review of the preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetic data that were obtained in different studies with intravitreal bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept has been conducted. Moreover, the factors that can influence the vitreous pharmacokinetics of these drugs, as well as the methods that were used in the studies for analytical determination, have been exposed. These anti-VEGF drugs present different charge and molecular weights, which play an important role in vitreous distribution and elimination. The pharmacokinetic parameters that were collected differ depending on the species that were involved in the studies and on physiological and pathological conditions, such as vitrectomy and lensectomy. Knowledge of the intravitreal pharmacokinetics of the anti-VEGF drugs that were used in clinical practice is of vital importance.This work was partially supported by the ISCIII (PI17/00940, RETICS Oftared, RD16/0008/0003 and RD12/0034/0017) cofunded by FEDER and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-099597-B-100)S

Development and Characterization of a Tacrolimus/Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin Eye Drop

Uveitis is a vision inflammatory disorder with a high prevalence in developing countries. Currently, marketed treatments remain limited and reformulation is usually performed to obtain a tacrolimus eye drop as a therapeutic alternative in corticosteroid-refractory eye disease. The aim of this work was to develop a mucoadhesive, non-toxic and stable topical ophthalmic formulation that can be safely prepared in hospital pharmacy departments. Four different ophthalmic formulations were prepared based on the tacrolimus/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) inclusion complexes’ formation. Phase solubility diagrams, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and molecular modeling studies showed the formation of 1:1 and 1:2 tacrolimus/HPβCD inclusion complexes, being possible to obtain a 0.02% (w/v) tacrolimus concentration by using 40% (w/v) HPβCD aqueous solutions. Formulations also showed good ophthalmic properties in terms of pH, osmolality and safety. Stability studies proved these formulations to be stable for at least 3 months in refrigeration. Ex vivo bioadhesion and in vivo ocular permanence showed good mucoadhesive properties with higher ocular permanence compared to the reference pharmacy compounding used in clinical settings (t1/2 of 86.2 min for the eyedrop elaborated with 40% (w/v) HPβCD and Liquifilm® versus 46.3 min for the reference formulation). Thus, these novel eye drops present high potential as a safe alternative for uveitis treatment, as well as a versatile composition to include new drugs intended for topical ophthalmic administrationThis research was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-099597-B-100), the ISCIII (PI17/00940, RETICS Oftared, RD16/0008/0003 and RD12/0034/0017) and by Xunta de Galicia, grant numbers GPC2013/015 and GRC2017/015S