Aplicaciones de la biología a la investigación forense: del laboratorio a los tribunales de justicia

Las Ciencias Forenses, como aplicación de los métodos científicos a la resolución de cuestiones legales, son un campo apasionante de estudio, investigación y ejercicio profesional, cada vez más complejo y, por lo tanto, de ámbito multidisciplinar. En ellas se emplean principios científicos (químicos, físicos, biológicos, médicos….), así como fundamentos de las ciencias sociales y jurídicas para la resolución de casos legales. Constituyen una disciplina en rápida evolución que adquiere una importancia cada vez mayor en los ámbitos científico y jurídico. Ello se deriva del creciente número de casos de violencia, voluntaria o no, generadores de conflictos que involucran, con frecuencia, resoluciones judiciales y, por otro lado, la exigencia, por parte de las distintas instancias que intervienen en el sistema judicial, en cuanto al rigor y la seguridad de las pruebas científicas producidas. En los últimos años, las nuevas investigaciones y el desarrollo de nuevas metodologías analíticas han dado lugar a rápidos avances en la aplicación forense de distintas áreas de las Ciencias como Biología, Biotecnología, Bioquímica o Ciencias Ambientales.Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia UMA. Facultad de Ciencias UMA

Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in Human Breast Milk from Industrial/Mining and Agricultural Zones of Southeastern Spain

© 2021 The authors. This document is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0/ This document is the published version of a published work that appeared in final form in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.Human breast milk is the most complete foodstuff for infants but can also be a potential source of exposure to toxic chemicals. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of metal pollution in the breast milk of women living in agricultural and industrial/mining areas of the Region of Murcia (Spain) that are well known for their cases of environmental pollution. Human milk samples were collected from 50 mothers and inorganic contaminants were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). The mean or maximum concentrations of the different inorganic elements analyzed in breast milk, with the exception of manganese, exceeded the maximum limits established by the WHO and could constitute a high risk for pregnant mothers and their children. The breast milk of women living in the industrial/mining zone presented the highest levels of aluminum, zinc, arsenic, lead, mercury and nickel. On the contrary, the highest concentrations of manganese, chromium and iron were determined in the milk of women living in the agricultural zone. These results suggested and confirmed different profiles of environmental contamination of these areas

Tierra de caminos: origen y desarrollo de la ruta jacobea en la Navarra medieval

Este trabajo se centra en el estudio del Camino de Santiago en Navarra durante la Edad Media. En él se analizan, en primer lugar, los continuos cambios de las fronteras del reino peninsular y la relación de los mismos con la fijación de la ruta jacobea. Por otro lado, se hace un repaso del origen, desarrollo y consolidación del Camino en tierras navarras y de las diversas consecuencias que produjo para las diferentes ciudades y villas del reino, como su expansión urbana y crecimiento poblacional o su desarrollo económico. Además se explica cómo muchos de los monarcas medievales navarros, conscientes de todo ello, fomentaron el asentamiento de la vía en el territorio. Por último, se observa el camino jacobeo desde la óptica de un autor medieval: Aymeric Picaud. Éste clérigo francés prestó una especial atención en sus escritos al pueblo navarro, al cual dedica extensas líneas en su Guía del peregrino

Perceptions of health professionals about the quality of communication and deliberation with the patient and its impact on the health decision making process

The information process is considered a core element in decision-making and an obligatory matter of concern for the health professional. Rather than information per se, we should perhaps mention the need for communication between the health professional and the patient, which should be appropriate to each specific case and situation. Interaction and communication during the relationship generates a degree of trust that contributes to improving care quality and health-related results. The aim of this study is to know the perception of professionals on the quality of communication and its impact on the decision-making process of the patient and the degree of involvement of health professionals in the process of communication with the patient. A sample of 2186 health professionals (1578 nurses, 586 physicians, and 22 pharmacists) was studied. A questionnaire composed of 20 items dealing with the process of communication with the patient and obtaining informed consent was administered. Our study revealed the high consideration that professionals hold of their communication skills with patients since almost 80% of those surveyed, think they are sufficiently skilled in this area. Professionals refers that nurses are most skilled at communicating with patients. Communication in the clinical relationship must not only serve as a way for the professional to obtain information from the patient on their pathology, but also as a means to inform patients so that they understand their illness. Patients also like to feel that they are being listened to and are co-participants in the care process. Communication should be a continuous object of study for all health professionals, both in primary and specialised attention

Instruments to measure skills and knowledge of physicians and medical students in palliative care: a systematic review of psychometric properties.

Política de acceso abierto tomada de:https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/951Purpose: Palliative care is constantly increasing around the world. The knowledge and skills of future physicians in this area are crucial. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of knowledge and skills questionnaires used in palliative care, validated by physicians or medical students based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology. Methods: A systematic review was carried out in Cosmin Databases, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, SciELO, Cinahl, and Medline up to September 2020 (updated June 2021), based on the COSMIN methodology and PRISMA recommendations. The psychometric properties of each included questionnaire were identified. Methodological quality, quality of results, and quality of evidence were evaluated. Results: The search strategy yielded 12 questionnaires assessing the knowledge and skills of physicians or medical students. The Palliative Care Knowledge Questionnaire for PEACE (PEACE-Q) and Palliative Care Knowledge Test (PCKT) were the instruments with the highest scores for methodological quality, quality of results, and quality of evidence-based on the COSMIN methodology. Conclusions: PEACE-Q and PCKT should be the preferred choice to assess palliative care knowledge and skills in physicians. In-depth studies following COSMIN validation criteria are recommended to improve the psychometric properties and cross-cultural validation of the questionnaires

Estudio de los costes de la atención especializada a víctimas de violencia de género en la Región de Murcia (2015-2018)

El objetivo del estudio es analizar el coste de los servicios autonómicos especializados y de las prestaciones económicas para mujeres víctimas de la violencia de género en el ámbito territorial de la Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia. Los poderes públicos, durante la última década, han intensificado sus esfuerzos para prevenir y combatir los efectos de esta violencia, reconocida como una violación de los derechos humanos. Asimismo, pretende ser una primera aproximación al impacto económico de la violencia de género en la Región a través de los recursos que las Administraciones Públicas dedican a las prestaciones y servicios especializados. Así, se persigue, en primer lugar, servir de herramienta de apoyo en las tareas de evaluación de las actuales políticas públicas, así como al desarrollo de nuevas acciones, con el fin de lograr una mayor adecuación de los recursos públicos a las necesidades y demandas reales de las mujeres que sufren este tipo de violencia. Finalmente, este estudio contribuye también a concienciar a gestores públicos y ciudadanía en general sobre otro impacto negativo más de la violencia de género: el económico. Las cifras que aporta este trabajo son un punto de partida que podrá permitir la estimación del beneficio potencial para las arcas públicas que conllevaría una reducción drástica de la violencia de género en la Región de Murcia.Ministerio de la Presidencia, Relaciones con las Cortes e Igualdad Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de MurciaAdministración y Dirección de Empresa

Aging and trace elements in human coronal tooth dentine

© The Author(s) 2020. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Scientific Reports. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66472-1Teeth are a fundamental tool in forensic odontology for identification in a legal context of those individuals who cannot be identified visually or by other means. Dentine presents physiological exchanges of in trace elements after a period of mineralization and several factors can affect its concentration. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of 25 trace elements in the coronal dentine according to sex and type of tooth to determine their relationship with age. A total of 25 trace elements were analyzed in 150 human coronal dentine. Teeth were classified into three age groups, sex and tooth type. The trace elements were grouped as potentially toxic or essential. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry and Atomic Emission Spectroscopy were used. The toxic and essential elements were detected in the following order of concentration: Al > Pb > Sn > Li > As > Cd and Ca > P > Mg > Na > S > K > Sr > Zn > Ba > Fe > B > Ti > Mn > Cr > Ni > Cu > Co > Se > V. Our findings show an increase in the concentration of toxic (Pb, Li and Sn) and essential (B, Ba, K, Sr, S and Mg) elements in coronal dentin related to the age of the teeth, regardless of sex. The concentrations of Pb and K in dentin of molars and premolars are the elements that best relate their variations with age. In view of our results, the analysis of these trace elements in dentin in combination with other types of techniques could be established as an element to consider in age dating studies in different forensic situations

Relación entre el fomento de la capacidad de reflexión, análisis, síntesis y razonamiento y el aprendizaje del estudiante universitario

[SPA]En esta investigación se analiza el grado de fomento al desarrollo de la Capacidad de Reflexión, Análisis, Síntesis y Razonamiento por parte del profesorado de grado en la universidad. En una muestra de 208 profesores y 1500 estudiantes de la Universidad Católica San Antonio se aplican el Cuestionario de Evaluación Docente y el Cuestionario de Procesos de Estudio y se obtienen valoraciones sobre: Capacidad de Reflexión, Análisis, Síntesis y Razonamiento, Enfoque de Aprendizaje y Resultados Académicos. Aunque aún es limitado el desarrollo de tales metodologías, se contrasta que tienen una influencia significativa sobre la calidad de los aprendizajes de los alumnos y sobre los resultados académicos. [ENG]The aim of this study is to explore the teachers’ adoption of development of capacity for reflections, analysis, synthesis and reasoning. A sample of 208 teachers and 1500 students from Catholic University San Antonio were administered the University Teaching Assessment Questionnaire and the Study Process Questionnaire. Measures of Capacity for Reflections, Approaches to Learning, and Academic Results were obtained and the relationship among them was analyzed using statistical multivariate techniques. Although the use of active learning methodologies is still low, it has a significant influence on both the quality of learning and academic results.Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Universidad de Murcia, Región de Murci

Analysis of static plantar pressures in school-age children with and without functional Hallux Limitus: a case-control study

Background: The presence of hallux limitus in adulthood is frequently encountered in clini cal practice, generating other biomechanical, structural, and functional compensations in dynamics secondary to blockage of the main pivot in the sagittal plane, the first metatarsophalangeal joint. In addition, the presence of functional hallux limitus (FHL) in school-age children is also increasing. Currently, there is a lack of scientific literature about this condition in the pediatric population, and early diagnosis is necessary to reduce future biomechanical disorders and avoid the development of foot arthritis. The purpose of this research was to identify static plantar pressures in school-age children with and without hallux limitus. Methods: A total sample of 106 children aged between six and twelve years old was divided into two groups: the case group (53 subjects with functional hallux limitus) and the control group (53 subjects without functional hallux limitus). Data were acquired with the participants in a standing barefoot position on the pressure platform, and the hallux limitus functional test was performed in a sitting position to classify the individuals into the determined study group. The variables analyzed in the research were: plantar pressure, bilateral forefoot and rearfoot surface area, bilateral forefoot and rearfoot ground reaction forces, bilateral forefoot and rearfoot distribution of body weight, total left and right surface area, maximum pressure of the left foot and right foot, medium pressure of the left foot and right foot, ground reaction forces of the left foot and right foot, and the weight of each foot. Results: Age was the only descriptive quantitative variable that showed a significant difference between the two study groups, with a p-value of 0.031. No statistically significant differences were found between groups in the bilateral forefoot and rearfoot surface area, ground reaction forces, distribution of body weight, or maximum and medium plantar pressure in the left and right foot. Conclusions: Changes in the location of the maximum pressure were observed, particularly in older participants with FHL, but these results were not significant. The findings of this study did not show significant differences between the static plantar pressures of school-age individuals with and without functional hallux limitus

Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) topsoil levels and incidence of childhood leukemias

There are few well-established risk factors for childhood leukemias. While the frequency of childhood leukemias might be partially attributable to some diseases (accounting for a small fraction of cases) or ionizing radiation, the role of heavy metals has not been assessed. The objective of our study was to assess the potential association between levels of cadmium (Cd) and lead (PB) in soil and childhood leukemias incidence. We conducted a population-based case-control study of childhood leukaemia in Spain, covering 2897 incident cases gathered from the Spanish Registry of Childhood Tumours and including 14 Spanish Regions with a total population of 5,307,433 children (period 1996-2015). Cd and Pb bioavailable levels at every children's home address were estimated using data from the Geochemical Atlas of Spain. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs); we included as covariates: sex, rurality, employment rate and socioeconomic status. Metal levels were analysed according to two definitions: as continuous variable assuming linearity and as categorical variables to explore a potentially nonlinear association (quantiles). Increases in both Cd and Pb topsoil levels were associated with increased probability of childhood leukemias incidence. The results for the models with the continuous variables showed that a unit increase on the topsoil level was associated with an OR of 1.11 for Cd (95%CI 1.00-1.24) and an OR of 1.10 for Pb (95%CI 0.99-1.21). Our study may point towards a possible link between residential Cd and Pb topsoil levels and the probability of childhood leukemias incidence. Residing in a location with the highest concentrations of these heavy metals compared to those locations with the lowest could increase the risk around a 20%, for both Cd and Pb.This work was supported by Carlos III Health Institute: FIS 12/01416, AESI PI16CIII/00009, AESI PI19CIII/00025.S