Competencia digital ciudadana: análisis de tendencias en el ámbito educativo

Citizen digital competence has been integrating unevenly into training processes, despite the existence of international frameworks that promote its inclusion in the different education systems. This study tries to approach the phenomenon from a bibliometric and bibliographic perspective. On the one hand, scientific production is explored in quantitative terms, based on the analysis of the 87 articles selected from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, analysing issues such as the number of authors or citations. On the other hand, the content of the 47 publications available in open access is analysed, addressing issues such as educational stage, participants or the framework area considered. The results confirm the increase in scientific production in the last year and the relevant position held by Spain, as well as the predominance of research focused on Higher Education students and on the set of areas of the Digcomp Framework. The research confirms the variety of tools and means for the promotion of digital competence, as well as the identification of some basic conditioning factors for its development, such as the educational stage, teacher training or the characteristics of the institutional context, providing some fundamental issues to continue working on its integrating in the different educational stages.La competencia digital ciudadana se ha ido integrando en los procesos formativos de manera desigual, a pesar de la existencia de marcos internacionales que promueven su inclusión en los diferentes sistemas educativos. Este estudio trata de aproximarse al fenómeno desde una perspectiva bibliométrica y bibliográfica. Por un lado, se explora la producción científica en términos cuantitativos, a partir del análisis de los 87 artículos seleccionados de las bases de datos Scopus y Web of Science, analizando cuestiones como el número de autores o de citas. Por otro lado, se analiza el contenido de las 47 publicaciones disponibles en abierto, abordando cuestiones como la etapa educativa, los participantes o las áreas de trabajo. Los resultados confirman el aumento de la producción científica en el último año y la posición relevante que ocupa España, así como la predominancia de investigaciones centradas en estudiantes de Educación Superior y sobre el conjunto de áreas del Marco Digcomp. Las investigaciones confirman la variedad de herramientas y medios para el fomento de la competencia digital, así como la identificación de algunos condicionantes básicos para su desarrollo, como la etapa educativa, la formación docente o las características del contexto institucional, proporcionando algunas cuestiones fundamentales para seguir trabajando su integración en las diferentes etapas educativas

Neurotrophin receptor p75NTR mediates Huntington's disease-associated synaptic and memory dysfunction

Learning and memory deficits are early clinical manifestations of Huntington's disease (HD). These cognitive impairments have been mainly associated with frontostriatal HD pathology; however, compelling evidence provided by several HD murine models suggests that the hippocampus may contribute to synaptic deficits and memory dysfunction in HD. The neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR) negatively regulates spine density, which is associated with learning and memory; therefore, we explored whether disturbed p75(NTR) function in the hippocampus could contribute to synaptic dysfunction and memory deficits in HD. Here, we determined that levels of p75(NTR) are markedly increased in the hippocampus of 2 distinct mouse models of HD and in HD patients. Normalization of p75(NTR) levels in HD mutant mice heterozygous for p75(NTR) prevented memory and synaptic plasticity deficits and ameliorated dendritic spine abnormalities, likely through normalization of the activity of the GTPase RhoA. Moreover, viral-mediated overexpression of p75(NTR) in the hippocampus of WT mice reproduced HD learning and memory deficits, while knockdown of p75(NTR) in the hippocampus of HD mice prevented cognitive decline. Together, these findings provide evidence of hippocampus-associated memory deficits in HD and demonstrate that p75(NTR) mediates synaptic, learning, and memory dysfunction in HD

Tobacco cessation among smokers under substance use treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis: study protocol and pilot study

Background: Approximately 80% of people with a substance use disorder (SUD) are smokers. Starting SUD treatment offers the opportunity to also quit smoking. The ACT-ATAC project aims to identify the predictors associated with smoking cessation among persons treated for alcohol and/or cannabis use disorder in Barcelona. This manuscript reports its methodology and the experience of carrying it out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Mixed methods project with three substudies. Substudy 1 (S1) comprises heterogeneous discussion groups among clinicians. S2 has two prospective cohorts composed of smokers under treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use disorder and the clinicians in charge of these patients. Participating smokers will be followed for 12 months and interviewed about their substance use and the tobacco cessation services received using the Spanish version of the users' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Services (S-KAS) scale. The clinicians will be asked about their self-reported practices in smoking cessation using the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (S-KAP) scale. S3 comprises heterogeneous discussion groups with smokers. Data will be triangulated using qualitative and quantitative analyses. To facilitate the recruitment process, the researchers have introduced several strategies (design clear protocols, set monthly online meetings, extend the project, provide gift cards, etc.). Discussion: The results of S1 were used to develop the questionnaires. S2 required some adjustments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the follow-up interviews being conducted by phone instead of face-to-face, and the recruitment rhythm was lower than expected. Recruitment will last until reaching at least 200-250 users. The fieldwork could not have been possible without the collaboration of the ACT-ATAC team and the introduction of several strategies

Singular Location and Signaling Profile of Adenosine A2A-Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Heteromers in the Dorsal Striatum

The dorsal striatum is a key node for many neurobiological processes such as motor activity, cognitive functions, and affective processes. The proper functioning of striatal neurons relies critically on metabotropic receptors. Specifically, the main adenosine and endocannabinoid receptors present in the striatum, ie, adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) and cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R), are of pivotal importance in the control of neuronal excitability. Facilitatory and inhibitory functional interactions between striatal A2AR and CB1R have been reported, and evidence supports that this cross-talk may rely, at least in part, on the formation of A2AR-CB1R heteromeric complexes. However, the specific location and properties of these heteromers have remained largely unknown. Here, by using techniques that allowed a precise visualization of the heteromers in situ in combination with sophisticated genetically-modified animal models, together with biochemical and pharmacological approaches, we provide a high resolution expression map and a detailed functional characterization of A2AR-CB1R heteromers in the dorsal striatum. Specifically, our data unveil that the A2AR-CB1R heteromer (i) is essentially absent from corticostriatal projections and striatonigral neurons, and, instead, is largely present in striatopallidal neurons, (ii) displays a striking G protein-coupled signaling profile, where co-stimulation of both receptors leads to strongly reduced downstream signaling, and (iii) undergoes an unprecedented dysfunction in Huntington’s disease, an archetypal disease that affects striatal neurons. Altogether, our findings may open a new conceptual framework to understand the role of coordinated adenosine-endocannabinoid signaling in the indirect striatal pathway, which may be relevant in motor function and neurodegenerative diseases

A selective inhibitor of histone deacetylase 3 prevents cognitive deficits and suppresses striatal CAG repeat expansions in Huntington's disease mice

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder whose major symptoms include progressive motor and cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive decline is a critical quality of life concern for HD patients and families. The enzyme histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) appears to be important in HD pathology by negatively regulating genes involved in cognitive functions. Furthermore, HDAC3 has been implicated in the aberrant transcriptional patterns that help cause disease symptoms in HD mice. HDAC3 also helps fuel CAG repeat expansions in human cells, suggesting that HDAC3 may power striatal expansions in the HTT gene thought to drive disease progression. This multifaceted role suggests that early HDAC3 inhibition offers an attractive mechanism to prevent HD cognitive decline and to suppress striatal expansions. This hypothesis was investigated by treating HdhQ111 knock-in mice with the HDAC3-selective inhibitor RGFP966. Chronic early treatment prevented long-term memory impairments and normalized specific memory-related gene expression in hippocampus. Additionally, RGFP966 prevented corticostriatal-dependent motor learning deficits, significantly suppressed striatal CAG repeat expansions, partially rescued striatal protein marker expression and reduced accumulation of mutant huntingtin oligomeric forms. These novel results highlight RGFP966 as an appealing multiple-benefit therapy in HD that concurrently prevents cognitive decline and suppresses striatal CAG repeat expansions

Síntesis y caracterización electroquímica de materiales híbridos basados en nanofibras de carbono recubiertas de sulfuro de molibdeno

Póster presentado en la XIII Reunión GEC (Grupo Español del Carbón), celebrada en Alicante del 18 al 21 de Octubre de 2015.En la actualidad, la mayor parte de las baterías de ion litio comerciales utilizan ánodos de grafito. Sin embargo, una de las mayores desventajas del electrodo de grafito es que su capacidad de almacenamiento de litio está limitada a un valor teórico de 372 mAh g-1 lo que en consecuencia limita la energía de la batería. El sulfuro de molibdeno (MoS2) es capaz de insertar de forma reversible en su estructura mayor cantidad de litio que los valores teóricos correspondientes al grafito. Sin embargo, los resultados obtenidos mostraron una baja ciclabilidad, probablemente como consecuencia de la deformación de las láminas de MoS2 a causa de la gran cantidad de litio intercalado. En este trabajo se han preparado materiales híbridos basados en nanofibras de carbono (NFC) recubiertas coaxialmente por láminas de MoS2 (NFC/MoS2) y se ha estudiado su comportamiento como ánodos en baterías de ion Litio.Los autores agradecen a los fodos FEDER y al Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) por la financiación recibida (proyectos ENE2011-28318-C03 y ENE2014-52189-C2-1-R. J.L. Pinilla y N. Cuesta agradecen al MINECO por la financiación de su contrato Ramón y Cajal y su beca de doctorado FPI (BES 2012-052711), respectivamente