Climate and health in Africa: research and policy needs

Climate variability and change can have both direct and indirect influences on human health. In Africa, risks of malnutrition, malaria and diarrhoeal disease are likely to increase as temperatures increase and rainfall becomes more variable (USAID, 2017). Other climate risks include the direct impacts of extreme weather events, UV-related cancers and diseases, heat stress, respiratory disorders related to air quality and access to clean water, with increased transmission of water, vector and food-borne diseases all expected to increase in the future (ACPC, 2011; African Development Bank 2012). This Briefing Note highlights the key health areas on which climate has an impact in Africa, in order to help shape the research and policy agenda

Los problemas del Almirante López: inestabilidad y seguridad en el Mediterráneo.

Sin resume

The health of older Western Australians: The role of age, gender, geographic location, psychological distress, perceived health, tobacco and alcohol

Purpose: Rates of drinking- and alcohol-related harms among older adults are increasing in most developed nations. The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship among at-risk alcohol use, smoking, gender, geographical location, self-reported health and psychological well-being among Western Australians aged 65 years and older. Design/methodology/approach: A secondary analysis was conducted of a cross-sectional survey that collected data from 7,804 West Australians aged 65 years and older between 2013 and 2015. Participants were categorised according to the following age groups: young-old (aged 65–74 years), older-old (aged 75–84 years) and oldest-old (aged 85+ years). Findings: Results from a multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that at-risk drinking decreased with increasing age. Current smokers, males and those males and females who perceived their health to be “excellent” were more likely to report at-risk drinking, as were the oldest-old males who lived in remote communities. Psychological well-being was not a predictor of at-risk drinking. Originality/value: This paper examines drinking behaviour among a diverse population of older Western Australians. The way in which the age groups were segmented is unique, as most studies of older Australian drinking patterns aggregate the older adult population. Some of the authors’ findings support existing literature, whereas the remainder provides unique data about the relationship among at-risk drinking, geographic location and psychological well-being

Valoración de la protección conferida por diferentes vacunas frente a cepas de Pasteurella multocida aisladas en conejo utilizando el modelo ratón

La pasteurelosis, causada por Pasteurella multocida, es una de las principales enfermedades de la cunicultura industrial, a pesar de lo cual no existe ninguna vacuna comercial para su prevención. El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue valorar la protección conferida por diferentes vacunas elaboradas con cepas de P. multocida aisladas de conejos utilizando un modelo de infección en ratón. Se evaluó la protección conferida por una vacuna basada en exopolisacáridos capsulares frente a una autobacterina, la protección producida por distintas bacterinas frente al desafío con cepas patógenas, y la protección cruzada entre cepas heterólogas de distinto tipo capsular y perfil de virulencia basado en la presencia o ausencia de los genes hgbB y pfhA. El modelo se basó en la letalidad producida por el desafío con distintas cepas patógenas en grupos de 10 ratones vacunados con dos dosis separadas 14 días frente a la letalidad observada en los grupos control sin vacunar. Para el desafío se calculó previamente la DL50 de cada una de las cepas utilizadas y se utilizó la vía intraperitoneal. El modelo se consideró válido para el objetivo planteado. En todos los animales desafiados que murieron durante los ensayos se aisló P. multocida, mientras que no se aisló en ninguno de los animales sacrificados con posterioridad. La protección conferida por algunas autobacterinas resulto del 100% frente a la falta de protección de otras bacterinas elaboradas con cepas heterólogas, aunque esto no se cumplió en todos los casos. La autovacuna a base de exopolisacáridos no resultó efectiva mientras que la autobacterina elaborada con la misma cepa protegió al 100% de los ratones frente al desafío con esa misma cepa. Algunas bacterinas han demostrado ser efectivas frente al desafío con cepas heterólogas pero no ha podido demostrarse una relación entre la protección y el tipo capsular o el perfil de virulencia. La utilización de autobacterinas y bacterinas puede ser muy útil en la prevención de la pasteurelosis del conejo pero se desconoce que componentes bacterianos son los responsables de la inducción de una respuesta inmune protectora

El descubrimiento de nuevos fármacos, concepto umbral en farmacología

[EN] The so-called “threshold concepts” are present in all areas of study. Its acquisition by the student represents a milestone in the advancement of the conceptual understanding of a subject. They are often difficult to learn, but when they are overcome they generate a reconceptualization that allows progress and deepening in the subject of study. We present an activity designed to develop a key threshold concept in pharmacology, the drug discovery process. To do this, we develop a practical laboratory project that will integrate both the extraction and search for active ingredients and the simulation of some aspects of their clinical trials in the phase I.[ES] Los llamados “conceptos umbral” se encuentran presentes en todas las áreas de estudio. Su adquisición por el estudiante representa un hito en el avance de la comprensión conceptual de una asignatura. A menudo resultan difíciles de aprender, pero cuando son superados generan una reconceptualización que permite el progreso y profundización en la materia de estudio. Presentamos una actividad diseñada para desarrollar un concepto umbral clave en farmacología, el proceso de descubrimiento de fármacos. Para ello, desarrollamos un proyecto práctico de laboratorio que integrará tanto la extracción y búsqueda de principios activos como la simulación de algunos aspectos de sus ensayos clínicos en fase I.Sanmartin Santos, I.; Revert Ros, F.; Almela Camañas, C.; Ventura, I.; Prieto Ruíz, J.; Lloret, A. (2021). El descubrimiento de nuevos fármacos, concepto umbral en farmacología. En IN-RED 2021: VII Congreso de Innovación Edicativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1597-1604. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2021.2021.13807OCS1597160

Desarrollo temprano de competencias relacionadas con el “aprendizaje de por vida”

[EN] The activity is intended to enhance the learning process of the students. The objective is to provide a new perspective on the changing nature of knowledge and the need for "lifelong learning". Additionally, it develops very interesting skills and learning for the students, such as designing and conducting experiments, interpreting the results and writing scientific papers. Students will generate "new scientific knowledge" themselves in two laboratory sessions, testing the neuroprotective effect of a family of drugs on a strain of the nematode C. elegans. Each group will experiment with a drug, elaborating a simple mini scientific article with their results, sharing it with the rest of the class in a workshop implemented in the Moodle platform for peer review. From all the articles generated, each student must write a "textbook" style paragraph that will synthesize all the information and upload it as homework.[ES] La actividad pretende una mejora del proceso de aprendizaje de los alumnos. El objetivo es proporcionar una nueva perspectiva acerca de la naturaleza cambiante del conocimiento y la necesidad del “aprendizaje de por vida”. Adicionalmente, desarrolla competencias y aprendizajes muy interesantes para los estudiantes, como el diseño y realización de experimentos, la interpretación de los resultados y la redacción de artículos científicos. Los alumnos generarán ellos mismos “conocimiento científico nuevo” en dos sesiones de laboratorio, testando el efecto neuroprotector de una familia de fármacos en una cepa del nematodo C. elegans. Cada grupo experimentará con un fármaco, elaborando un sencillo mini artículo científico con sus resultados, compartiéndolo con el resto de la clase en un taller implementado en la plataforma Moodle para su evaluación por pares. A partir de todos los artículos generados, cada alumno debe escribir un párrafo con estilo “libro de texto” que sintetizará toda la información y que subirá como tarea.Sanmartin Santos, IS.; Almela Camañas, C.; Revert Ros, F.; Ventura González, I.; Prieto Ruíz, JÁ. (2022). Desarrollo temprano de competencias relacionadas con el “aprendizaje de por vida”. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1144-1151. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2022.2022.159121144115

What do changing weather and climate shocks and stresses mean for the UK food system?

In light of the publication of Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy (www.nationalfoodstrategy. org/) and the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, it is timely to consider the impacts of weather and climate extremes on the UK food system. Climate change-driven changes in extreme weather events are one of the highest-risk future shocks to the UK food system [1], underlining the importance of preparedness across the food chain [2]. Here, we identify major knowledge gaps in the primary impacts of extreme weather and climate change across the UK’s food system, its functioning and their interactions to provide information to support adaptation and resilience planning. Research tends to focus on individual food system activities rather than taking a systematic approach [3, 4]. How- ever, strong evidence exists about the impacts of long- term climate trends and extremes [5] on primary food production [6]. The major knowledge gaps therefore concern post-primary production dimensions [4], notably food system activities between the ‘farm-gate’ and consumption—which are the core focus of this paper (supplementary material S1 available online at stacks.iop.org/ERL/17/051001/mmedia). These constitute major economic and social dimensions but are often the ‘missing middle’ in food system discus- sions. We use the UK food system as an illustrative case study, and consider both global and domestic risks and implications. We present methods, tools and frameworks for systemic analysis of climate impacts on food systems, consider the funding landscape, and highlight priorities for future research

Un mapa de los vastos dominios del “señor se“

El pronombre reflexivo se y las muy diversas construcciones en las que participa es uno de los contenidos más difíciles del español. En este trabajo exponemos con un enfoque práctico las conclusiones a las que hemos llegado a partir de la aplicación de los principios de la gramática cognitiva a la práctica en el aula. El objetivo final de nuestro trabajo es responder a las preguntas más recurrentes de nuestros alumnos sobre este aspecto: “¿Cómo puedo saber cuándo tengo que usar se?” “¿Por qué me corriges este se?

Report of the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death: bringing death back into life

The story of dying in the 21st century is a story of paradox. While many people are overtreated in hospitals with families and communities relegated to the margins, still more remain undertreated, dying of preventable conditions and without access to basic pain relief. The unbalanced and contradictory picture of death and dying is the basis for this Commission

Integrative development of a short screening questionnaire of highly processed food consumption (sQ-HPF)

Background: Recent lifestyle changes include increased consumption of highly processed foods (HPF), which has been associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, nutritional information relies on the estimation of HPF consumption from food-frequency questionnaires (FFQ) that are not explicitly developed for this purpose. We aimed to develop a short screening questionnaire of HPF consumption (sQ-HPF) that integrates criteria from the existing food classification systems. Methods: Data from 4400 participants (48.1% female and 51.9% male, 64.9 +/- 4.9 years) of the Spanish PREDIMED-Plus (PREvention with MEDiterranean DIet) trial were used for this analysis. Items from the FFQ were classified according to four main food processing-based classification systems (NOVA, IARC, IFIC and UNC). Participants were classified into tertiles of HPF consumption according to each system. Using binomial logistic regression, food groups associated with agreement in the highest tertile for at least two classification systems were chosen as items for the questionnaire. ROC analysis was used to determine cut-off points for the frequency of consumption of each item, from which a score was calculated. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's analysis, and agreement with the four classifications was assessed with weighted kappa coefficients. Results: Regression analysis identified 14 food groups (items) associated with high HPF consumption for at least two classification systems. EFA showed that items were representative contributors of a single underlying factor, the HPF dietary pattern (factor loadings around 0.2). We constructed a questionnaire asking about the frequency of consumption of those items. The threshold frequency of consumption was selected using ROC analysis. Comparison of the four classification systems and the sQ-HPF showed a fair to high agreement. Significant changes in lifestyle characteristics were detected across tertiles of the sQ-HPF score. Longitudinal changes in HPF consumption were also detected by the sQ-HPF, concordantly with existing classification systems. Conclusions: We developed a practical tool to measure HPF consumption, the sQ-HPF. This may be a valuable instrument to study its relationship with NCDs