Formative Potential of the Development and Assessment of an Educational Escape Room Designed to Integrate Music-Mathematical Knowledge

In the particular case of Spain, student and teacher difficulties associated with the mathematical discipline have been evidenced in PISA and TEDS-M reports. As we consider that the teachers' difficulties are connected to the students' performance, we propose a multi-disciplinary approach to deliver specific didactic/mathematical knowledge to the trainee teachers. Such additional instruction shall be meaningfully connected to the real needs of the schools, so a service-learning approach is proposed here. In the present manuscript, the trainee teachers have co-designed educational escape rooms (in coordination with local schools) with the aim of mobilizing curricular knowledge. The goal of the educational escape rooms is to foster the mathematic-related competencies by establishing meaningful connections to other curricular disciplines (music-related knowledge, in the case of this study). This paper reports on the particular experience developed with a group of students (trainee teachers) while designing their educational escape rooms, focusing on the particular case of a specific student to evidence the formative potential of the procedure. The didactic suitability of the proposed escape room has been analyzed and professional development has also been discussed, showing the mobilization of relevant professional skills and fostering the related music and mathematical didactic competencies by shifting the teaching perspective from an algorithmic point of view to a more "reasoning and designing" strategy. This constitutes an evidence of the formative potential on the co-design of educational escape rooms, when designed in the frame of a service learning approach

Oral Bioavailability Reveals an Overestimation of the Toxicity of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Atmospheric Particulate Matter

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric particulate matter have adverse effects on human health, yet total PAH concentrations should overestimate the toxicity compared to the bioavailable amount of PAHs. To explore this hypothesis, we measured PAHs oral bioavailability in vitro in particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter lower than 10 µm (PM₁₀) using a test that mimics the human digestive system. This assay combines the use of simulated gastrointestinal fluids and a dialysis membrane to simulate intestinal absorption. Results show that oral PAH bioavailability was below 5%, with fluorene, anthracene, acenaphthene and phenanthrene as the most bioavailable PAHs. Data suggest no carcinogenic risk of oral bioavailable PM₁₀-bound PAHs following a health risk assessment via inhalation-ingestion by using benzo(a)pyrene-equivalent carcinogenic concentration and hazard indexes. To our best knowledge, this is the first research study of in vitro oral bioavailability estimation of PM₁₀-associated PAHs.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, ref: RTI 2018-101116-B-I00) and Xunta de Galicia (Programa de Consolidación y Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas ref: ED431C 2017/28-2017-2020). Joel Sánchez-Piñero acknowledges the Xunta de Galicia and the European Union (European Social Fund—ESF) for a predoctoral grant (ED481A-2018/164). The council of A Coruña is acknowledged for its assistance (collaboration agreement between the City of A Coruña and the University Institute of Environment (IUMA) of the University of A Coruña (UDC) for the measurement of PM10 particle levels in the area of Os Castros, A Coruña). The authors would like to thank EXPRELA group (UDC) for their support. Funding for open access charge: Universidade da Coruña/CISUGXunta de Galicia; ED431C 2017/28-2017-2020Xunta de Galicia; ED481A-2018/16

Influence of nanoemulsion/gum ratio on droplet size distribution, rheology and physical stability of nanoemulgels containing inulin and omega-3 fatty acids

Background: New consumer habits are forcing the food industry to develop new and healthy products. In response to this tendency, in this investigation, we obtained nanoemulgels by microfluidization containing inulin fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. First, the influence of the number of microfluidization cycles on the physical properties of the nanoemulsions was studied. Subsequently, an advanced-performance xanthan gum was added to the nanoemulsion in different nanoemulsion/xanthan ratios (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 1:2, and 1:3). Results: Laser diffraction, multiple light scattering, and rheology techniques were used to characterize nanoemulsions and the corresponding nanoemulgels. The nanoemulsion with the lowest Sauter mean diameter (138 nm) and the longest physical stability was obtained after three passes through a microfluidization device at a fixed pressure of 103 421 kPa. Thus, these processing conditions were always used to obtain the nanoemulsion; these were subsequently mixed with a xanthan gum solution to produce nanoemulgels that showed weak gel-like viscoelastic and shear-thinning flow behaviours. A decrease in the nanoemulsion/xanthan ratio (i.e. by an increase in the content of xanthan gum in the nanoemulgel) increased the viscoelastic moduli and the zero shear viscosity values. A rise in the droplet size was observed with aging time, probably due to flocculation. The nanoemulsion/xanthan gum mass ratio of 1:3 yielded the most stable nanoemulgel. Conclusions: This work is a contribution to the development of functional foods. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to obtain a stable nanoemulgel-based food matrix containing fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.Universidad de Sevilla PP2019-1329

Liver disease and dyslipidemia as a manifestation of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D). Clinical and diagnostic aspects, and a new treatment. An update

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D) is still a little recognized genetic disease with significant morbidity and mortality in children and adults. This document provides guidance on when to suspect LAL-D and how to diagnose it. It is recommended to add lysosomal acid lipase deficiency to the list of differential diagnoses of sepsis, oncological diseases, storage diseases, persistent diarrhea, chronic malnutrition, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. It should also be considered in young patients with dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis as well as diseases associated with fatty liver and/or hepatomegaly. LAL-D should be suspected in patients with hepatomegaly, hyperlipidemia and/or elevated transaminases found during routine checks or testing for other conditions, and in patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis. At present, there is the option of a specific enzyme replacement treatment.Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y FisiopatológicosFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

Evolution of Gaseous and Particulate Pollutants in the Air: What Changed after Five Lockdown Weeks at a Southwest Atlantic European Region (Northwest of Spain) Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic?

[Abstract] Due to the exponential growth of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Spain (2020), the Spanish Government adopted lockdown measures as mitigating strategies to reduce the spread of the pandemic from 14 March. In this paper, we report the results of the change in air quality at two Atlantic Coastal European cities (Northwest Spain) during five lockdown weeks. The temporal evolution of gaseous (nitrogen oxides, comprising NOₓ, NO, and NO₂; sulfur dioxide, SO₂; carbon monoxide, CO; and ozone, O₃) and particulate matter (PM₁₀; PM₂․₅; and equivalent black carbon, eBC) pollutants were recorded before (7 February to 13 March 2020) and during the first five lockdown weeks (14 March to 20 April 2020) at seven air quality monitoring stations (urban background, traffic, and industrial) in the cities of A Coruña and Vigo. The influences of the backward trajectories and meteorological parameters on air pollutant concentrations were considered during the studied period. The temporal trends indicate that the concentrations of almost all species steadily decreased during the lockdown period with statistical significance, with respect to the pre-lockdown period. In this context, great reductions were observed for pollutants related mainly to fossil fuel combustion, road traffic, and shipping emissions (−38 to −78% for NO, −22 to −69% for NO₂, −26 to −75% for NOₓ, −3 to −77% for SO₂, −21% for CO, −25 to −49% for PM₁₀, −10 to −38% for PM₂․₅, and −29 to −51% for eBC). Conversely, O₃ concentrations increased from +5 to +16%. Finally, pollutant concentration data for 14 March to 20 April of 2020 were compared with those of the previous two years. The results show that the overall air pollutants levels were higher during 2018–2019 than during the lockdown period.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, ref: RTI 2018-101116-B-I00), Xunta de Galicia (Programa de Consolidación y Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas ref: ED431C 2017/28-2017-2020) and FEDER-MINECO (UNLC15-DE-3097, financed together (80/20%) with Xunta de Galicia). Joel Sánchez-Piñero acknowledges the Xunta de Galicia and the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) for a predoctoral grant (ED481A-2018/164). María Fernández-Amado acknowledges the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PTA2017-13607-I)

Metal bashing: iron deficiency and manganese overexposure impact on peripheral nerves

Iron (Fe) deficiency (FeD) and manganese (Mn) overexposure (MnOE) may result in several neurological alterations in the nervous system. Iron deficiency produces unique neurological deficits due to its elemental role in central nervous system (CNS) development and myelination, which might persist after normalization of Fe in the diet. Conversely, MnOE is associated with diverse neurocognitive deficits. Despite these well-known neurotoxic effects on the CNS, the influence of FeD and MnOE on the peripheral nervous system (PNS) remains poorly understood. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the effects of developmental FeD and MnOE or their combination on the sciatic nerve of young and adult rats. The parameters measured included divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), transferrin receptor (TfR), myelin basic protein (MBP) and peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) expression, as well as Fe levels in the nerve. Our results showed that FeD produced a significant reduction in MBP and PMP22 content at P29, which persisted at P60 after Fe-sufficient diet replenishment regardless of Mn exposure levels. At P60 MnOE significantly increased sciatic nerve Fe content and DMT1 expression. However, the combination of FeD and MnOE produced no marked motor skill impairment. Evidence indicates that FeD appears to hinder developmental peripheral myelination, while MnOE may directly alter Fe homeostasis. Further studies are required to elucidate the interplay between these pathological conditions.Fil: Amos Kroohs, Robyn M.. University of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Usach, Vanina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Piñero, Gonzalo Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Vorhees, Charles V.. University of Cincinnati; Estados UnidosFil: Martínez Vivot, Rocío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Soto, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Williams, Michael T.. University of Cincinnati; Estados UnidosFil: Setton, Clara Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; Argentin

Inclusive didactic strategies in the training of early childhood education teachers with ict suppor

Presentamos un estudio sobre el desarrollo de metodologías activas en la formación del profesorado de Educación Infantil, basadas en estrategias didácticas inclusivas en base al Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje (DUA), con apoyo de tecnología educativa. El objetivo es “Proponer estrategias didácticas inclusivas en Educación Infantil basadas en los principios del DUA con apoyo de TIC”. La metodología es de corte cuantitativo. La técnica para la recogida de datos es la creación de Grupos de Discusión. Las estrategias seleccionadas son: aprendizaje cooperativo, talleres de aprendizaje, trabajo por rincones y centros de interés. Los resultados se presentan en base a los principios del DUA. Las conclusiones revelan la necesidad de orientar la formación del profesorado de Educación Infantil hacia el uso de metodologías activas y participativas.We present a study on the development of active methodologies in the training of Early Childhood Education teachers, based on inclusive teaching strategies based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), with the support of educational technology. The objective is to "Propose inclusive didactic strategies in Early Childhood Education based on the principles of the DUA with the support of ICT". The methodology is quantitative. The technique for data collection is the creation of Discussion Groups. The selected strategies are: cooperative learning, learning workshops, work in corners and centers of interest. The results are presented based on the principles of the UDL. The conclusions reveal the need to guide the training of Early Childhood Education teachers towards the use of active and participatory methodologies

Physical Fitness and Self-Rated Health in Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study

Self-rated health (SRH) is an independent determinant for all-cause mortality. We aimed to examine the independent and combined associations of components of physical fitness with SRH at baseline (cross-sectional) and two years later (longitudinal) in children and adolescents. Spanish youth (N = 1378) aged 8 to 17.9 years participated at baseline. The dropout rate at 2-year follow-up was 19.5% (n = 270). Participants were categorized as either children (8 to 11.9 years age) or adolescents (12 to 17.9 years age). The ALPHA health- related fitness test battery for youth was used to assess physical fitness, and SRH was measured by a single-item question. Cumulative link, ANOVA and ANCOVA models were fitted to analyze the data. Cardiorespiratory fitness, relative upper body isometric muscular strength, muscular strength score, and global physical fitness were positively associated with SRH in children (OR, 1.048; 95% CI, 1.020-1.076; OR, 18.921; 95% CI, 3.47-104.355; OR, 1.213; 95% CI, 1.117-1.319, and OR, 1.170; 95% CI, 1.081-1.266, respectively; all p < 0.001) and adolescents (OR, 1.057; 95% CI, 1.037-1.076; OR, 5.707; 95% CI, 1.122-29.205; OR, 1.169; 95% CI, 1.070-1.278, and OR, 1.154 95% CI, 1.100-1.210, respectively; all p < 0.001); and motor fitness was positively associated with SRH only in adolescents at baseline (OR, 1.192; 95% CI, 1.066-1.309; p < 0.01). Cardiorespiratory fitness and global physical fitness were positively associated with SRH in children two years later (OR, 1.056; 95% CI, 1.023-1.091; p < 0.001; and OR, 1.082; 95% CI, 1.031-1.136; p < 0.01; respectively). Only cardiorespiratory fitness was independently associated with SRH in children and adolescents at baseline (OR, 1.059; 95% CI, 1.029-1.090; and OR, 1.073; 95% CI, 1.050-1.097, respectively; both p < 0.001) and two years later (OR, 1.075; 95% CI, 1.040-1.112; p < 0.001; and OR, 1.043; 95% CI, 1.014-1.074; p < 0.01, respectively). A high level of cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline or maintaining high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness from the baseline to 2-year follow-up were associated with a higher level of SRH at 2-year follow-up in children (p < 0.01) and adolescents (p < 0.05). These findings emphasize the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness as strong predictor of present and future SRH in youth. Intervention programs to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness level of the youth population are urgently needed for present and future youth's health

Magnetic separation of peripheral nerve-resident cells underscores key molecular features of human Schwann cells and fibroblasts: an immunochemical and transcriptomics approach

Nerve-derived human Schwann cell (SC) cultures are irreplaceable models for basic and translational research but their use can be limited due to the risk of fibroblast overgrowth. Fibroblasts are an ill-defined population consisting of highly proliferative cells that, contrary to human SCs, do not undergo senescence in culture. We initiated this study by performing an exhaustive immunological and functional characterization of adult nerve-derived human SCs and fibroblasts to reveal their properties and optimize a protocol of magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) to separate them effectively both as viable and biologically competent cells. We next used immunofluorescence microscopy imaging, flow cytometry analysis and next generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to unambiguously characterize the post-MACS cell products. High resolution transcriptome profiling revealed the identity of key lineage-specific transcripts and the clearly distinct neural crest and mesenchymal origin of human SCs and fibroblasts, respectively. Our analysis underscored a progenitor- or stem cell-like molecular phenotype in SCs and fibroblasts and the heterogeneity of the fibroblast populations. In addition, pathway analysis of RNA-seq data highlighted putative bidirectional networks of fibroblast-to-SC signaling that predict a complementary, yet seemingly independent contribution of SCs and fibroblasts to nerve regeneration. In sum, combining MACS with immunochemical and transcriptomics approaches provides an ideal workflow to exhaustively assess the identity, the stage of differentiation and functional features of highly purified cells from human peripheral nerve tissues.Fil: Peng, Kaiwen. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Nanfang Hospital; ChinaFil: Sant, David. University of Utah; Estados Unidos. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Andersen, Natalia Denise. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Silvera, Risset. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Camarena, Vladimir. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Piñero, Gonzalo Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; Argentina. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Graham, Regina. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Khan, Aisha. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Xu, Xiao Ming. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Gaofeng. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Monje, Paula. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Miami University. School of Medicine; Estados Unido

Therapeutic approach with commercial supplements for pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration with residual PANK2 expression levels

[Background]: Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of rare neurogenetic disorders frequently associated with iron accumulation in the basal nuclei of the brain characterized by progressive spasticity, dystonia, muscle rigidity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and retinal degeneration or optic nerve atrophy. Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is one of the most widespread NBIA subtypes. It is caused by mutations in the gene of pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) that result in dysfunction in PANK2 enzyme activity, with consequent deficiency of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis, as well as low levels of essential metabolic intermediates such as 4′-phosphopantetheine, a necessary cofactor for essential cytosolic and mitochondrial proteins. [Methods]: In this manuscript, we examined the therapeutic effectiveness of pantothenate, panthetine, antioxidants (vitamin E and omega 3) and mitochondrial function boosting supplements (L-carnitine and thiamine) in mutant PANK2 cells with residual expression levels. [Results]: Commercial supplements, pantothenate, pantethine, vitamin E, omega 3, carnitine and thiamine were able to eliminate iron accumulation, increase PANK2, mtACP, and NFS1 expression levels and improve pathological alterations in mutant cells with residual PANK2 expression levels. [Conclusion]: Our results suggest that several commercial compounds are indeed able to significantly correct the mutant phenotype in cellular models of PKAN. These compounds alone or in combinations are of common use in clinical practice and may be useful for the treatment of PKAN patients with residual enzyme expression levels.This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Proyectos de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725 and PY18-850