Development and Characterization of Protective Haemophilus parasuis Subunit Vaccines Based on Native Proteins with Affinity to Porcine Transferrin and Comparison with Other Subunit and Commercial Vaccines

P. 50-58Haemophilus parasuis is the agent responsible for causing Glasser’s disease, which is characterized by fibrinous polyserositis, polyarthritis, and meningitis in pigs. In this study, we have characterized native outer membrane proteins with affinity to porcine transferrin (NPAPT) from H. parasuis serovar 5, Nagasaki strain. This pool of proteins was used as antigen to developed two vaccine formulations: one was adjuvanted with a mineral oil (Montanide IMS 2215 VG PR), while the other was potentiated with a bacterial neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens. The potential protective effect conferred by these two vaccines was compared to that afforded by two other vaccines, consisting of recombinant transferrin-binding protein (rTbp) A or B fragments from H. parasuis, Nagasaki strain, and by a commercially available inactivated vaccine. Five groups of colostrum-deprived piglets immunized with the vaccines described above, one group per each vaccine, and a group of nonvaccinated control animals were challenged intratracheally with a lethal dose (3 108 CFU) of H. parasuis, Nagasaki strain. The two vaccines containing rTbps yielded similar results with minimal protection against death, clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions, and H. parasuis invasion. In contrast, the two vaccines composed of NPAPT antigen and commercial bacterin resulted in a strong protection against challenge (without deaths and clinical signs), mild histopathological changes, and no recovery of H. parasuis, thus suggesting their effectiveness in preventing Glasser’s disease outbreaks caused by serovar 5S

Acute phase protein concentrations in colostrum-deprived pigs immunized with subunit and commercial vaccines against Glässer’s disease

8 p.Haemophilus parasuis is the etiological agent of Glässer’s disease, which is characterized by fibrinous polyserositis, polyarthritis and meningitis in pigs. This study was focused on the characterization of the acute-phase response after immunization and infection of colostrum-deprived pigs with H. parasuis serovar 5, by measuring serum concentrations of three positive acute-phase proteins (APPs) (pig major acute-phase protein pig, MAP; haptoglobin, HPG; C-reactive protein, CRP) and one negative APP (apolipoprotein A-I, ApoA-I). Six experimental groups were established: a non-immunized but infected control group (CTL); two groups immunized with either a recombinant transferrin-binding protein (Tbp) A or TbpB fragment from H. parasuis Nagasaki strain (rTbpA and rTbpB, respectively); two groups immunized with native outer membrane proteins with affinity to porcine transferrin (NPAPT), one of them inoculated intramuscularly (NPAPTim) and the other intratracheally (NPAPTit), and the last group receiving a commercially available bacterin (PG). The greatest concentrations of the three positive APPs and the lowest concentration of the negative APP were detected in CTL group, as well as in those animals belonging to rTbpA or rTbpB groups that died in response to challenge. Significant differences (P < 0.005) were found in these groups when comparing challenge with the following days after it. However, no significant differences were seen for the remaining vaccinated groups (NPAPTim, NPAPTit and PG), which were effectively protected against Glässer’s disease. Therefore, APPs could be used as useful biomarkers for both evaluating disease progression and determining vaccination effectivenessS

A vaccine based on a mutant transferrin binding protein B of Haemophilus parasuis induces a strong T-helper 2 response and bacterial clearance after experimental infection

9 p.This study aimed to characterize the type of immune response induced by an experimental vaccine based on a mutant Haemophilus parasuis transferrin binding protein (Tbp) B (Y167A) defective in its ability to bind porcine transferrin. Clinical and pathological signs, bacterial clearance, antibody response and the cytokine profile in alveolar macrophages and spleen after the vaccination and challenge of twenty-two colostrum-deprived pigs with 108 CFU of H. parasuis were analysed. Pigs vaccinated with Y167A were compared to those vaccinated with native TbpB (nTbpB), those treated with a commercial bacterin (CB) against Glässer's disease, those unvaccinated challenged (CH) and those unvaccinated unchallenged (UNCH) pigs. The rectal temperatures of Y167A pigs resembled those of UNCH pigs and were significantly lower than those of the nTbpB, CB and CH animals. A major reduction in pathological changes of the challenged pigs was observed in the Y167A group. H. parasuis was cleared from 88.9% of the samples from Y167A pigs versus 60.0% and 55.6% from those of the CB and nTbpB groups, respectively. The antibody response elicited by Y167A by ELISA was notably higher than that observed for nTbpB and CB pigs and was capable of preventing the expression and secretion of IL-8. The expression of IL-4 and IL-5, which were associated with the specific antibody levels, suggests that the main mechanism of protection conferred by Y167A vaccine is based on a strong T-helper 2 responseS

Anatomical Site, Typing, Virulence Gene Profiling, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Resistance Genes of Streptococcus suis Isolates Recovered from Pigs in Spain

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).[EN] A set of 207 Streptococcus suis isolates were collected from ten autonomous communities from Spain in 2019 to 2020 from pigs with meningitis, pneumonic lungs, arthritic joints or other swollen viscera, to a lesser extent. Thirteen capsular types were detected being the most prevalent serotype 2 (21.7%), followed by serotypes 1 (21.3%), 9 (19.3%) and 3 (6.3%). Serotypes 2 and 9 were recovered mainly from the central nervous system (CNS), while serotype 1 was isolated mostly from swollen joints and serotype 3 from the lungs. Twenty-five isolates (12.1%) could not be typed. The most prevalent pathotype was epf + mrp + sly + luxS (49 isolates, 23.8%), and it was related mainly to serotypes 1 and 2. Serotypes 1–3 and 9 were significantly associated with anatomical sites of isolation and virulence factors, serotype 9 (CNS) and serotypes 3 and 9 (lungs) being associated with virulence profiles without the epf gene. S. suis isolates showed globally high antimicrobial resistances, but ampicillin followed by spectinomycin and tiamulin resulted in the highest activities, while the greatest resistances were detected for sulphadimethoxine, tetracyclines, neomycin, clindamycin and macrolides. A total of 87.4% isolates were positive to the tetO gene, 62.4% to the ermB gene and 25.2% to the fexA gene, while 14.6% were positive to all three genes simultaneously. A significative association between isolate resistances to tetracyclines and macrolides and the resistance genes tested was established, except for phenicol resistance and the fexA gene. A set of 14 multiresistance patterns were obtained according to the number of antimicrobials to which the isolates were resistant, the resistances to 12 or more agents being the most prevalent ones. A remarkable amount of multiresistance profiles could be seen among the S. suis serotype 9 isolates.SIWe acknowledge Laboratorios SYVA for the assignment of the 207 S. suis isolates because they are property of this Spanish laboratory.This research was funded by the contract project called “Obtención y caracterización de aislados de Hameophilus parasuis y Streptococcus suis en gando porcino de Castilla y León para la realización de una autovacuna eficaz” (C-309), financed by Laboratorios SYVA S.A.U., León. M.P.R. was a recipient of a contract grant from this Spanish laboratory

Propuesta de rehabilitación de la ex Colecturía del Diezmo para Centro Cultural en el municipio de Chalchicomula de Sesma

“Un espacio cultural es aquél que generalmente se encuentra en algún tipo de edificio que, reciclado o construido especialmente, ha sido destinado a la creación, producción, promoción y/o difusión de las artes y la cultura. Al hablar de espacios culturales en el estado de Puebla nos encontramos con una grave crisis, ya que de los 217 municipios con los que cuenta el estado, sólo 70 de estos cuentan con la infraestructura adecuada para el desarrollo de actividades culturales, es decir, más de la mitad del estado carece de espacios dignos para la práctica de estas actividades. Entre los municipios del estado que se encuentran en esta situación de carencia de espacios culturales se sitúa Chalchicomula de Sesma, ya que el lugar que fungía como Casa de Cultura tuvo un cambio de uso a Museo Regional del INAH en el año 2016, provocando la falta casi total de espacios para una correcta práctica de actividades culturales. Entre las actividades que se desarrollaban en la casa de cultura antes mencionada se impartían conferencias del INAOE, el GTM, la BUAP, la UNAM y el CONACYT, así como talleres de tejido, bordado y manualidades, entre otras”

On-line academic tutoring implementation in a basic subject of veterinary degree

[ES] La  tutoría  es  una  herramienta  útil  en el  proceso  de  enseñanza-aprendizaje universitario, aunque su desarrollo se ve dificultado en las aulas masificadas. Con este estudio se ha pretendido potenciar esta  función  tutorial  en  una  asignatura en  la  que  concurre  esta  circunstancia, con  el  fin  de  mejorar  el  rendimiento académico del alumnado. Para ello, se ha implementado un programa de tutorías en línea en la asignatura de “Microbiología e Inmunología” del Grado en Veterinaria de la Universidad de León, mediante la plataforma virtual Moodle. Cuarenta estudiantes se incorporaron voluntariamente (25% de la matrícula) al estudio, en menos de un día. Se elaboraron tres cuestionarios de quince preguntas  sobre  la  materia  impartida, con  el  objetivo  de  fomentar  el  trabajo del estudiante. Finalizado el periodo de resolución  establecido,  los  estudiantes obtenían automáticamente la calificación y las respuestas correctas. Posteriormente, se habilitaban tres días pa[EN] Tutoring is a useful tool in the university teaching-learning  process,  although  its development is impaired in overcrowded classrooms. In this study, we have tried to strengthen the tutoring function, which is complex in subjects with high number of students, in order to improve academic efficiency.  For  this  purpose,  on-line tutoring have been implemented in the subject “Microbiology and Immunology”, belonging  to  Veterinary  Degree  at  the University of León, by means of Moodle. Forty students who registered voluntarily were  accepted  (25%  of  the  students enrolled). They filled these places in less than one day. Three on-line questionnaires with  fifteen  questions  each  about  the subject taught were carried out, in order to promote the student work. Once the time given for their reply had finished, students automatically got the answers and their marks. Then, they had three days to clarify any doubts by e-mail. In addition, satisfaction  surveys  were  made  among stud.La realización de este estudio ha sido posible gracias a la concesión de un Proyecto de Ayuda a la Innovación Docente (PAID), denominado “La tutoría presencial y on line como herramienta para la adaptación y mejora en el rendimiento académico de asignaturas básicas en el Grado en Veterinaria (TUBAVET)”, concedido por la Universidad de León en su convocatoria de 2013. Este proyecto forma parte de un trabajo coordinado por dos departamentos de la Universidad de León (Ciencias Biomédicas y Sanidad Animal), que fue galardonado con el primer premio al mejor trabajo presentado en el “I Congreso de Docencia Veterinaria”, celebrado en Lugo en septiembre de 2014, organizado por la “Asociación Española de Veterinarios Docentes (VetDoc)”.Gutiérrez Martín, C.; García Iglesias, M.; Pérez Martínez, C.; Sahagún Prieto, A.; Martínez Martínez, S.; Díez Láiz, R.; López Cadenas, C.... (2015). Implementación de tutorías académicas en línea en una asignatura básica del grado en veterinaria. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 13(3):97-122. https://doi.org/10.4995/redu.2015.5469OJS97122133Álvarez, P. (2005). La tutoría universitaria en la nueva coyuntura de la enseñanza superior: el programa VELERO. Contextos Educativos, 8-9, 281-293.Álvarez, P., Álvarez, D., González, M. (2001). Evaluación de la implantación de un plan de tutoría en la universidad. X Congreso Nacional de Modelos de Investigación Educativa: Investigación y evaluación educativa en la sociedad del conocimiento.A Coruña.Álvarez, P., González, M. (2003). La tutoría de iguales en la enseñanza superior: un estudio realizado en la Universidad de La Laguna. XI Congreso Nacional de Modelos de Investigación Educativa: Investigación y Sociedad, Granada.Álvarez, P.R., González, M.C. (2008). Análisis y valoración conceptual sobre las modalidades de tutoría universitaria en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 22, 21-48.Bricall, J.M. (2000a). Informe Universidad 2000. III. Difusión del Conocimiento: Formar para aprender. Conferencia de Rectores de las Universidades Españolas. Barcelona, 186-87. www.oei.es/oeivirt/bricall.htm.Bricall, J.M. (2000b). Informe Universidad 2000. IX. Redes Tecnológicas y Redes Universitarias. Conferencia de Rectores de las Universidades Españolas. Barcelona, 455. www.oei.es/oeivirt/bricall.htm.Chen, J.Y., Lee M.C., Lee, H.S., Wang, Y.C., Lin, L.Y., Yang, J.H. (2006). An online evaluation of problem-based learning (PBL) in Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan- A pilot study. Annals Academy of Medicine, 35, 624-633.Del Rincón, B. (2000). Tutorías personalizadas en la universidad. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo.Díez Liébana, M.J., Mauriz Gutiérrez, J.L., Gutiérrez Martín, C.B. (2006). Modelo de Guía Docente. Universidad de León.Durán, D., Vinyent, V. (2004). Tutoría entre iguales: de la teoría a la práctica. Ed. Graó, Barcelona.Lee, W.S.C., Cholowski, K., Williams, A.K. (2002). Nursing students' and clinical educators' perceptions of characteristics of effective clinical educators in an Australian University school of nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29, 412-420. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02306.xLobato, C. (2003). Estrategias y recursos para el desarrollo de la acción tutorial en la Universidad. En: Álvarez, P. & Jiménez, H. (eds.) Tutoría Universitaria. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, 51-77.Markowsitsch, J., Plaimauer, C. (2009). Descriptors for competence: towards an international standard classification for skills and competences. Journal of European Industrial Training, 33, 817-837. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590910993652Sebastián, A., Sánchez, M.F. (1999). La función tutorial en la Universidad y la demanda de atención personalizada en la orientación. Educación XXI, 2, 245-263.Stark, P. (2003). Teaching and learning in the clinical setting: a qualitative study of the perceptions of students and teachers. Medical Education, 37, 975-982. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2003.01675.xStuart, G. (2010). Personal knowledge management and student learning. Journal of Business and Economics, 8, 43-47.Tirado, V. (1997). La responsabilidad del centro en la orientación: aspectos organizativos y curriculares. En: Martín, E. y Tirado, V. (coords.). La orientación educativa y profesional en la educación secundaria. Horsori Editorial. Barcelona, 33-55.Torres, J., Rodríguez, M.V. (2000). La orientación educativa y la acción tutorial. En: González, D., Hidalgo, E., Gutiérrez, J. (coords.). Actas de las IX Jornadas LOGSE. Innovación en la escuela y mejora de la calidad educativa, Granada, Grupo Editorial Universitario, 68-73.Urbaneja, L. (2003). La aplicación de las nuevas tecnologías de la comunicación a la función tutorial en los sistemas de educación a distancia. En: Álvarez, P. & Jiménez, J. (eds.). Tutoría Universitaria. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, 123-136.Zabalza, M.A. (2003). Competencias docentes del profesorado universitario: calidad y desarrollo profesional. Ed. Narcea. Madrid.Zabalza, M.A. (2006). Guía para la planificación didáctica de la docencia universitaria en el marco del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (guía de guías). Universidad de Santiago de Compostel

Adaptabilidad y cohesión familiar, implicación parental en conductas autorregulatorias, autoconcepto del estudiante y rendimiento académico

En este estudio se analiza la relación existente entre la adaptabilidad y la cohesión familiar, así como la conducta autorregulatoria de los padres en relación a su comportamiento con los hijos, en general, y en su implicación en el ámbito del estudio, en particular. También se estudia el tipo de relación que tales variables familiares mantienen con diferentes dimensiones del autoconcepto de los hijos y con su rendimiento académico. Los datos se obtienen a partir de una muestra de 163 estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria que han cumplinentado tres escalas (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, Parental Inducement of Self-Regulation y Self-Description Questionnaire-II). Los resultados muestran que la percepción que los hijos tienen sobre el grado de implicación de los padres en comportamientos característicos autorregulatorios influye significativamente sobre las diferentes dimensiones que el estudiante tiene sobre sí mismo (privada, social, académica), que este tipo de percepción se encuentra escasamente relacionada con las características de adaptabilidad y cohesión familiar y, finalmente, que la dimensión académica del autoconcepto predice positiva y significativamente el rendimiento académico, mientras que la dimensión social lo predice negativamente

Seguimiento de calidad de las asignaturas de tercer curso del Grado en Ingeniería Informática

En esta memoria se describe el proyecto llevado a cabo para mejorar el seguimiento y la calidad de la docencia de las asignaturas del tercer curso del Grado en Ingeniería Informática. En concreto, en este proyecto, nos centramos en los mecanismos de evaluación y en su distribución a lo largo del curso, así como en los conceptos fundamentales que se asocian a las diferentes asignaturas que se imparten en tercer curso del Grado en Ingeniería Informática. Se realizaron diversas reuniones entre los coordinadores de las distintas asignaturas para poner en común problemas relacionados con la planificación de las asignaturas así como dudas sobre las actividades de evaluación. Las reuniones permitieron intercambiar diferentes planteamientos con los que se habían abordado la evaluación de las asignaturas participantes en la red y que posibilitaron resolver problemas comunes. De igual forma se plantearon cuestiones abiertas sobre la planificación y la evaluación de las asignaturas que se dirigieron desde la red a la coordinación de la titulación en la Escuela Politécnica Superior. Finalmente, también se discutieron diferentes propuestas junto con las redes de otros cursos de la titulación para abordarlas en futuras redes

HGF, IL-1α, and IL-27 Are Robust Biomarkers in Early Severity Stratification of COVID-19 Patients

Producción CientíficaPneumonia is the leading cause of hospital admission and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to identify the cytokines responsible for lung damage and mortality. We prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided them into four groups according to the severity of respiratory symptoms. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were used for normalization of the results. Multiple cytokines showed statistically significant differences between mild and critical patients. High HGF levels were associated with the critical group (OR = 3.51; p < 0.001; 95%CI = 1.95–6.33). Moreover, high IL-1α (OR = 1.36; p = 0.01; 95%CI = 1.07–1.73) and low IL-27 (OR = 0.58; p < 0.005; 95%CI = 0.39–0.85) greatly increased the risk of ending up in the severe group. This model was especially sensitive in order to predict critical status (AUC = 0.794; specificity = 69.74%; sensitivity = 81.25%). Furthermore, high levels of HGF and IL-1α showed significant results in the survival analysis (p = 0.033 and p = 0.011, respectively). HGF, IL-1α, and IL 27 at hospital admission were strongly associated with severe/critical COVID-19 patients and therefore are excellent predictors of bad prognosis. HGF and IL-1α were also mortality biomarkers.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant COV20/00491

Can the Cytokine Profile According to ABO Blood Groups Be Related to Worse Outcome in COVID-19 Patients? Yes, They Can

Producción CientíficaSevere status of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely associated to cytokine release. Moreover, it has been suggested that blood group is also associated with the prevalence and severity of this disease. However, the relationship between the cytokine profile and blood group remains unclear in COVID-19 patients. In this sense, we prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided according to ABO blood group. For the analysis of 45 cytokines, plasma samples were collected in the time of admission to hospital ward or intensive care unit and at the sixth day after hospital admission. The results show that there was a risk of more than two times lower of mechanical ventilation or death in patients with blood group O (log rank: p = 0.042). At first time, all statistically significant cytokine levels, except from hepatocyte growth factor, were higher in O blood group patients meanwhile the second time showed a significant drop, between 20% and 40%. In contrast, A/B/AB group presented a maintenance of cytokine levels during time. Hepatocyte growth factor showed a significant association with intubation or mortality risk in non-O blood group patients (OR: 4.229, 95% CI (2.064–8.665), p < 0.001) and also was the only one bad prognosis biomarker in O blood group patients (OR: 8.852, 95% CI (1.540–50.878), p = 0.015). Therefore, higher cytokine levels in O blood group are associated with a better outcome than A/B/AB group in COVID-19 patients.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant COV20/00491)Junta de Castilla y León (grant 18IGOF