La educación en las universidades: infraestructuras técnicas

El objetivo de este artículo es proporcionar información sobre parte de las infraestructuras que se están utilizando a día de hoy para colaboración y docencia distribuida, sin pretender ser un estudio exhaustivo sino una pequeña referencia para mejorar los servicios ofrecidos en instituciones académicas y centrándonos principalmente en el área de las comunicaciones multimedia.The purpose of this article is to provide information on some of the infrastructures that are being used today for distributed collaboration and teaching, without pretending to be a comprehensive study, but a small reference to improve the services offered in academia and focusing mainly in the area of multimedia communications

MeteoEscolas, a grain of sand in the Environmental Education

[Resumo] Neste artículo trátase da aportación de MeteoGalicia no ámbito da Educación Ambiental, a través da súa participación no Plan Proxecta, co programa MeteoEscolas. A metodoloxía que se sigue en MeteoEscolas é a aprendizaxe baseada en proxectos tendo como eixo o estudio interdisciplinar, neste caso da Meteoroloxía e Observación Climatolóxica, implicando ás distintas mateiras que forman o currriculum académico nas distintas etapas educativas. O resultado deste traballo común será un proxecto composto polas actividades desenvolvidas no centro, coa participación de toda a comunidade educativa[Abstract] This paper treats the work of MeteoGalicia, dependent of the Department of Environment, Territory and Housing, within the scope of the Environmental Education, through its participation in the plan Proxecta of the Department of Education, with MeteoEscolas. The methodology that is followed in MeteoEscolas is the projects based learning, which is based on the interdisciplinary studio, in this case of the Meteorology and Climatology, involving the different subjects that build up the academic curriculum in the educational stages. The result will be a project with the activities developed by the school center, with the participation of the whole educational community

Tomografia de coerência óptica em pacientes com retinopatia da prematuridade

PURPOSE: To describe morphological features of the macula in patients with retinopathy of prematurity. METHODS: Twelve premature babies with retinopathy of prematurity grades I, II and III underwent dilated fundus examination and optical coherence tomography evaluation. RESULTS: In all thirteen eyes of the twelve premature patients optical coherence tomography revealed a condensed retinal pigmented epithelial layer in the macular-foveal area shown by increased reflectivity. In these eyes the retinal layers were not well differentiated. Foveal depression was clearly evident in 23%. CONCLUSIONS: In premature patients with retinopathy of prematurity, optical coherence tomography revealed poorly differentiated layers in the macular region with increased reflectivity in retinal pigmented epithelial-choriocapillaris zone.OBJETIVO: Descrever os aspectos morfológicos da mácula em pacientes com retinopatia da prematuridade (ROP). MÉTODOS: Doze pacientes com retinopatia da prematuridade graus I, II and III foram submetidos a mapeamento de retina e avaliação por tomografia de coerência óptica. RESULTADOS: Em todos os treze olhos de 12 pacientes a tomografia de coerência óptica mostrou a camada do epitélio pigmentar hiperrefletiva, sendo a área macular com maior intensidade. Nesses olhos as camadas da retina não estavam totalmente diferenciadas. A depressão foveal ficou claramente evidente pela tomografia de coerência óptica em 23%. CONCLUSÃO: Nos pacientes prematuros com retinopatia da prematuridade, a tomografia de coerência óptica mostrou as camadas da retina pouco diferenciadas com aumento da refletividade na área macular do complexo epitélio retiniano pigmentar-coriocapilar.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Oftalmologia Setor de Retina e VítreoUNIFESP Departamento de OftalmologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Oftalmologia Setor de Retina e VítreoUNIFESP, Depto. de OftalmologiaSciEL

Sobrecarga, psicopatologías y relación con el farmacéutico comunitario en cuidadores informales de enfermos de Alzheimer

Introducción: El cuidado diario de un familiar enfermo de Alzheimer (EA) supondrá un estrés emocional y físico importante para el cuidador. El resultado puede desembocar en un intenso sentimiento de sobrecarga y conducir a diversas psicopatologías como depresión, ansiedad, agresividad, astenia psicofísica, etc. El aumento en la incidencia de la enfermedad está provocando escasez de cuidadores y falta de apoyo social e institucional a las familias que se encargan de cuidar a un EA.Objetivos: Revisar las características del apoyo que las estructuras sociales y sanitarias prestan a los cuidadores informales (CI) de EA, conocer su perfil, la percepción que tienen de su situación y su estado de ánimo, detectar posibles psicopatologías que les afecten, cuantificar el nivel de sobrecarga, evaluar el apoyo social percibido, el grado de satisfacción familiar y la relación con su farmacia habitual.Métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal en el que participan CI de EA no institucionalizados, reclutados en las asociaciones de familiares de EA de Galicia, mayores de 18 años y que den su consentimiento informado.Variable principal: puntuación del test de Zarit de sobrecarga del cuidador. Otras: socio-demográficas, ansiedad (STAI), depresión (Beck) y apoyo social (Duke-UNC) y familiar (APGAR) percibido.Discusión: Los resultados de la metodología implementada en este estudio pueden servir para desarrollar programas similares en la farmacia comunitaria, en la que los farmacéuticos comunitarios colaboren en la detección de posibles psicopatologías, y contribuir, mediante la prestación de servicios profesionales, a conseguir una mejora en la calidad de vida y estado de salud de los cuidadores

Concentración y desigualdades en el financiamiento de las obras sociales posdesregulación: un análisis comparativo de los años 2004 y 2011

In Argentina, during the decade of the 1990s major changes were introduced into the regulatory framework of the national obras sociales, or union-based health coverage plans. Using data from the Federal Administration of Public Income (AFIP) [Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos], this study evaluates for the years 2004 and 2011: a) the importance of obras sociales within the healthcare system, b) the degree of concentration of this health social security subsystem, and c) the inequalities in the availability of funds among the obras sociales and their beneficiaries. The results show an increased importance of obras sociales within the Argentine health system. The concentration of funds distributed to the most important institutions within the subsystem showed no change, while the concentration of contributors to these institutions slightly increased and that of beneficiaries decreased. Finally, a reduction of the inequalities in funds per beneficiary received by different institutions was observed. This trend can be explained, among other factors, by the attenuation of wage differentials between branches of economic activity and the actions of the so-called Solidarity Redistribution Fund.En Argentina, durante la década de 1990 se introdujeron grandes cambios en el marco regulatorio de las obras sociales nacionales. A partir de datos de la Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos, el presente estudio compara para los años 2004 y 2011: a) el peso de las obras sociales dentro del sistema de salud argentino; b) el grado de concentración de este subsistema de la seguridad social en salud; y c) la desigualdad en la disponibilidad de fondos per cápita entre obras sociales y beneficiarios. Los resultados revelan un incremento de la importancia de las obras sociales dentro del sistema de salud; la cantidad de instituciones se mantuvo prácticamente invariante y la concentración de los fondos distribuidos en las entidades más importantes del subsistema no muestra cambios, mientras que la de cotizantes aumenta levemente y disminuye la de beneficiarios. Además, se registró una reducción en las desigualdades en los fondos por beneficiario, la cual podría estar asociada a la atenuación de las diferencias salariales entre los diferentes sectores de la economía y al accionar del Fondo Solidario de Redistribución

CD200R1 contributes to successful functional reinnervation after a sciatic nerve injury

Activating and inhibitory immune receptors play a critical role in regulating systemic and central nervous system (CNS) immune and inflammatory processes. The CD200R1 immunoreceptor induces a restraining signal modulating inflammation and phagocytosis in the CNS under different inflammatory conditions. However, it remains unknown whether CD200R1 has a role in modulating the inflammatory response after a peripheral nerve injury, an essential component of the successful regeneration. Expression of CD200R1 and its ligand CD200 was analyzed during homeostasis and after a sciatic nerve crush injury in C57Bl/6 mice. The role of CD200R1 inWallerian Degeneration (WD) and nerve regeneration was studied using a specific antibody against CD200R1 injected into the nerve at the time of injury. We found an upregulation of CD200R1 mRNA after injury whereas CD200 was downregulated acutely after nerve injury. Blockade of CD200R1 significantly reduced the acute entrance of both neutrophils and monocytes from blood after nerve injury. When long term regeneration and functional recovery were evaluated, we found that blockade of CD200R1 had a significant effect impairing the spontaneous functional recovery. Taken together, these results show that CD200R1 has a role in mounting a successful acute inflammatory reaction after injury, and contributes to an effective functional recovery

CD300f immunoreceptor contributes to peripheral nerve regeneration by the modulation of macrophage inflammatory phenotype

Background: It has recently become evident that activating/inhibitory cell surface immune receptors play a critical role in regulating immune and inflammatory processes in the central nervous system (CNS). The immunoreceptor CD300f expressed on monocytes, neutrophils, and mast cells modulates inflammation, phagocytosis, and outcome in models of autoimmune demyelination, allergy, and systemic lupus erythematosus. On the other hand, a finely regulated inflammatory response is essential to induce regeneration after injury to peripheral nerves since hematogenous macrophages, together with resident macrophages and de-differentiated Schwann cells, phagocyte distal axonal and myelin debris in a well-orchestrated inflammatory response. The possible roles and expression of CD300f and its ligands have not been reported under these conditions. Methods: By using quantitative PCR (QPCR) and CD300f-IgG2a fusion protein, we show the expression of CD300f and its ligands in the normal and crush injured sciatic nerve. The putative role of CD300f in peripheral nerve regeneration was analyzed by blocking receptor-ligand interaction with the same CD300f-IgG2a soluble receptor fusion protein in sciatic nerves of Thy1-YFP-H mice injected at the time of injury. Macrophage M1/M2 polarization phenotype was also analyzed by CD206 and iNOS expression. Results: We found an upregulation of CD300f mRNA and protein expression after injury. Moreover, the ligands are present in restricted membrane patches of Schwann cells, which remain stable after the lesion. The lesioned sciatic nerves of Thy1-YFP-H mice injected with a single dose of CD300f-IgG2a show long lasting effects on nerve regeneration characterized by a lower number of YFP-positive fibres growing into the tibial nerve after 10 days post lesion (dpl) and a delayed functional recovery when compared to PBS- or IgG2a-administered control groups. Animals treated with CD300f-IgG2a show at 10 dpl higher numbers of macrophages and CD206-positive cells and lower levels of iNOS expression than both control groups. At later time points (28 dpl), increased numbers of macrophages and iNOS expression occur. Conclusions: Taken together, these results show that the pair CD300f ligand is implicated in Wallerian degeneration and nerve regeneration by modulating both the influx and phenotype of macrophages

Comparación de psicopatologías y apoyo prestado a cuidadores de enfermos de Alzheimer por la farmacia comunitaria y las asociaciones de cuidadores

Introducción: Los cuidadores familiares de enfermos de Alzheimer (CFEA) sufren sobrecarga y psicopatologías derivadas del cuidado. Objetivo: comparar el estado de sobrecarga, ansiedad, depresión y apoyo social percibido por los CFEA que pertenecen a una asociación de familiares de enfermos de Alzheimer (AFA) y los que no pertenecen y son atendidos en farmacia comunitaria.Métodos: Estudio observacional transversal. 175 CFEA, divididos en dos grupos. Uno de 25 CFEA captado entre cuidadores que acuden regularmente a una farmacia y no pertenecían a ninguna asociación (FCIA). El segundo grupo (AFA) de 150 CFEA pertenecientes a 7 AFA de Galicia. Se registraron variables sociodemográficas y se administraron los cuestionarios: inventario de depresión de Beck, STAI-Cuestionario de ansiedad, escala de sobrecarga del cuidador de Zarit, escala Duke-UNC del apoyo social percibido.Resultados: En los dos grupos el perfil de cuidador corresponde con una mujer de 56 años, familiar de primer grado del EA, con estudios primarios. Sin diferencias significativas entre grupos en edad (p=0,931) ni nivel educativo (p=0,508). Tampoco se encontraron diferencias en estado civil (p=0,468), ni en situación laboral (p= 0,851). Diferencias significativas: ansiedad, sobrecarga y apoyo social. El grupo AFA obtuvo puntuaciones más altas en sobrecarga (t=3,162; p=0,002), ansiedad (t=2,054; p=0,046) y apoyo social percibido (t=2,755; p=0,006). Sin diferencias significativas en depresión (t=-0,881; p=0,380).Conclusiones: Los cuidadores familiares del grupo AFA mostraron mayor sobrecarga y ansiedad. Los resultados de este trabajo respaldan la utilidad del farmacéutico comunitario en la  detección de psicopatologías asociadas al cuidado del EA y la atención a los cuidadores

Injectable Carrageenan/Green Graphene Oxide Hydrogel: A Comprehensive Analysis of Mechanical, Rheological, and Biocompatibility Properties

In this work, physically crosslinked injectable hydrogels based on carrageenan, locust bean gum, and gelatin, and mechanically nano-reinforced with green graphene oxide (GO), were developed to address the challenge of finding materials with a good balance between injectability and mechanical properties. The effect of GO content on the rheological and mechanical properties, injectability, swelling behavior, and biocompatibility of the nanocomposite hydrogels was studied. The hydrogels’ morphology, assessed by FE-SEM, showed a homogeneous porous architecture separated by thin walls for all the GO loadings investigated. The rheology measurements evidence that G′ > G″ over the whole frequency range, indicating the dominant elastic nature of the hydrogels and the difference between G′ over G″ depends on the GO content. The GO incorporation into the biopolymer network enhanced the mechanical properties (ca. 20%) without appreciable change in the injectability of the nanocomposite hydrogels, demonstrating the success of the approach described in this work. In addition, the injectable hydrogels with GO loadings ≤0.05% w/v exhibit negligible toxicity for 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. However, it is noted that loadings over 0.25% w/v may affect the cell proliferation rate. Therefore, the nano-reinforced injectable hybrid hydrogels reported here, developed with a fully sustainable approach, have a promising future as potential materials for use in tissue repair

Sex-dependent role of CD300f immune receptor in generalized anxiety disorder.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) presents a high prevalence in the population, leading to distress and disability. Immune system alterations have been associated with anxiety-related behaviors in rodents and GAD patients. CD300f immune receptors are highly expressed in microglia and participate not only in the modulation of immune responses but also in pruning and reshaping synapses. It was recently demonstrated that CD300f might be influential in the pathogenesis of depression in a sex-dependent manner. Here, we evaluated the role of CD300f immune receptor in anxiety, using CD300f knockout mice (CD300f-/-) and patients with GAD. We observed that male CD300f-/- mice had numerous behavioral changes associated with a low-anxiety phenotype, including increased open field central locomotion and rearing behaviors, more exploration in the open arms of the elevated plus-maze test, and decreased latency to eat in the novelty suppressed feeding test. In a cross-sectional population-based study, including 1111 subjects, we evaluated a common single-nucleotide polymorphism rs2034310 (C/T) in the cytoplasmatic tail of CD300f gene in individuals with GAD. Notably, we observed that the T allele of the rs2034310 polymorphism conferred protection against GAD in men, even after adjusting for confounding variables. Overall, our data demonstrate that CD300f immune receptors are involved in the modulation of pathological anxiety behaviors in a sex-dependent manner. The biological basis of these sex differences is still poorly understood, but it may provide significant clues regarding the neuropathophysiological mechanisms of GAD and can pave the way for future specific pharmacological interventions