Relationship between body mass index and maternal circulating fatty acid levels as predictors of the presence of fetal macrosomia

Introducción: los recién nacidos con peso elevado al nacer presentan mayor riesgo de complicaciones en el parto y problemas de salud a largo plazo. Un factor poco explorado durante la gestación es el nivel de los ácidos grasos circulantes. Materiales y métodos: estudio prospectivo donde se estudiaron mujeres durante el embarazo hasta el parto. Se analizaron las variables antropométricas y la medición de ácidos grasos libres entre las semanas 24-28 de gestación. Resultados: se incluyeron 27 pacientes, de las cuales cuatro (13,8%) dieron a luz a recién nacidos macrosómicos. Las pacientes se agruparon según el índice de masa corporal (IMC) preembarazo en normopeso y sobrepeso u obesidad. Los bebés macrosómicos correspondieron al grupo de madres con sobrepeso y obesidad que, además, tuvieron un incremento significativo de los niveles de ácidos grasos libres (2067 uM, ICC: 947,5-1590 vs 1212 uM, ICC: 13367-2247; p<0,05) en el grupo obesidad y sobrepeso. Los valores de glucemia basal y posteriores a la prueba de tolerancia oral a la glucosa no mostraron diferencias. El análisis multivariado reveló que tener obesidad o sobrepeso al inicio del embarazo resulta en un odds ratio (OR) de ácidos grasos libres de 1,0023 (IC9 5%:1,0000-1,0046), mientras que la prueba de tolerancia oral a la glucosa presentó un OR: 1,0186 (IC 95%: 0,9645-1,0756). Conclusiones: los resultados muestran el rol del IMC pregestacional sobre el riesgo de tener hijos macrosómicos, lo que confirma la necesidad de mejorar el estado nutricional de las mujeres antes y durante el embarazo.Introduction: neonates with high birth weight are at increased risk of birth complications and long term health problems. An unexplored factor during gestation is the level of circulating fatty acids. Materials and methods: prospective study where women were studied during pregnancy until delivery. Anthropometric variables and free fatty acid measurements were analyzed between 24-28 weeks of gestation. Results: we included 27 patients, of whom 4 (13.8%) gave birth to macrosomic newborns. Patients were grouped according to pre-pregnancy mass index (BMI) into normal weight and overweight or obese. Macrosomic neonates corresponded to the group of overweight and obese mothers, who also presented a significant increase in free fatty acid levels (2067 uM, ICC: 947,5-1590 vs 1212 uM, ICC: 13367-2247; p<0.05) was found in the obese and overweight group. Basal and post oral glucose tolerance test showed no differences, Multivariate analysis showed that being obese or overweight at the beginning of pregnancy results in an OR of free fatty acids 1,0023 (95%CI: 1,0000-1,0046), while oral glucose tolerance test presented an OR: 1,0186 (95%CI: 0,9645-1,0756). Conclusions: the results show the role of pre-gestational BMI on the risk of having macrosomic children, confirming the need to improve the nutritional status of women before and during pregnancy.Fil: Curriá, Marina Inés. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Cerar, María Jimena. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Rovira, Gabriela. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Saban, Melina. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Ernst, Glenda. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Burgueño, Adriana Laura. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Argentin

COVID-19 Impact: A Case Study at the School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment of the Universitat Politècnica de València

[EN] To study the first impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the results obtained by students belonging to the School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Spain), the average of the marks corresponding to three academic years (2016-2019) was compared to those obtained in 2019-2020 for a total of four bachelor's degrees and two semesters. Our results suggest a positive effect on the marks obtained during the activation of emergency remote teaching during the spring semester of 2019-2020 in three out of the four degrees, with these differences being significant for the whole study. Moreover, just at the end of that period, instructors and students were surveyed regarding teaching methodologies, evaluation modalities, and difficulties found throughout the process of adapting to distance teaching. Our results allow us to sensibly think about that exceptional situation in order to propose a set of counterweighting measures which could improve the implementation of distance learning in engineering colleges.Clemente Polo, G.; Garcia-Prats, A.; Lisón, P.; Rubio Michavila, C.; Vidal-Puig, S.; Ricarte Benedito, B.; Estruch-Guitart, V.... (2022). COVID-19 Impact: A Case Study at the School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment of the Universitat Politècnica de València. Sustainability. 14(17):1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710607114141

Distance Learning In Time Of Crisis: A Case Study At The School Of Agricultural Engineering And Environment Of Universitat Politècnica De València

[EN] Higher education is continuously evolving to keep up with the challenges posed by the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) to education. In this sense, distance learning is booming, with an increasing number of higher education students taking advantage of the flexibility remote learning provides. The School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment (ETSIAMN) of Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has been gradually incorporating ICT tools in its bachelor and master degrees for the last two decades. As a result, many college students and university instructors are familiar with ICT techniques. However, the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has put distance learning in the spotlight like never before, forcing students, faculty, and staff to adapt to the new situation with hardly any preparation time. For that reason, it is convenient to analyse in depth the results and impact of the teaching and evaluation methodologies developed and applied during this critical period, as a way to detect and amend potential inefficiencies in the learning process. The specific goal of this study was to analyse the teaching period during the COVID-19 crisis in ETSIAMN, which covered the spring semester of the academic year 2019-2020. To this purpose, 114 instructors and 274 students were surveyed in July 2020, belonging to four bachelor degrees (agricultural and biological engineering; forestry engineering; food engineering; and biotechnology), and three master degrees (agricultural and biological engineering; forestry engineering, and oenology). Regarding the experimental design for the survey, three main blocks were identified: the first block corresponds to teaching methodologies, comparing students and faculty preferences for distance lecturing; the second block focuses on evaluation modalities and exam configurations; and the final block centers on the difficulties found by both students and lecturers along the adaptation process from conventional to distance teaching. Results showed that instructors and students preferred a combination of live streaming with recorded lectures, being multiple choice the favourite examination type, although many students rated first a project-based evaluation. Overall, students rejected tests with no possibilities to go back on already answered questions, and instructors mostly preferred limiting the time to complete the on-line tests. The lack of motivation was the main barrier encountered by students to achieve an effective learning. Finally, a set of counterweighting measures to improve and promote the successful implementation of distance learning in engineering colleges is proposed.Clemente Polo, G.; Garcia-Prats, A.; Lisón, P.; Rubio Michavila, C.; Ricarte Benedito, B.; Estruch-Guitart, V.; Fenollosa Ribera, ML.... (2020). Distance Learning In Time Of Crisis: A Case Study At The School Of Agricultural Engineering And Environment Of Universitat Politècnica De València. IATED Academy. 3938-3945. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2020.0889S3938394

Agriculture impairs stream ecosystem functioning in a tropical catchment

The expansion of agriculture is particularly worrying in tropical regions of the world, where native forests are being replaced by crops at alarming rates, with severe consequences for biodiversity and ecosystems. However, there is little information about the potential effects of agriculture on the functioning of tropical streams, which is essential if we are to assess the condition and ecological integrity of these ecosystems. We conducted a litter decomposition experiment in streams within a tropical catchment, which were subjected to different degrees of agricultural influence: low (protected area, PA), medium (buffer area, BA) and high (agricultural area, AA). We quantified decomposition rates of litter enclosed within coarse-mesh and fine-mesh bags, which allowed the distinction of microbial and detritivore-mediated decomposition pathways. We used litter of three riparian species representing a gradient in litter quality (Alnus acuminate > Ficus irtsipida > Querns burnelioides), and examined detritivore assemblages through the contents of litterbags and benthic samples. We found that the increasing agricultural influence promoted microbial decomposition, probably due to nutrient-mediated stimulation; and inhibited detritivore-mediated and total decomposition because of reduced detritivore numbers, most likely caused by pesticides and sedimentation. Effects were evident for Alnus and Ficus, but not for Querns, which was barely decomposed across the gradient. Our study provides key evidence about the impact of agriculture on topical stream ecosystem functioning, which is associated to changes in stream assemblages and may have far-reaching repercussions for global biochemical cycles. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Thisworkwas supported by the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT; project APY-GC-2018B-052; contract no. 259-2018) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF; project 019910.001). AC was supported by a fellowship from SENACYT (contract no. 001-2015) and by the National Research System of Panama (SNI; PhD category; contract no. 186-2018). GC was supported by a fellowship from IFARHU-SENACYT (contract no. 270-2018-1011)

Bariatric surgery in women in reproductive age: recommendations from the “Diabetes and Pregnancy” and “Diabetes and Obesity” working committees from the Argentine Society of Diabetes

El incremento de la obesidad en el mundo, a edades más tempranas, ha tenido un impacto negativo especialmente en las mujeres en edad reproductiva. Se ven afectadas tanto la fertilidad como la tasa de embarazos de riesgo, de niños con bajo peso al nacer, pretérmino e índice de cesáreas. La cirugía bariátrica como alternativa de tratamiento de la obesidad ha mejorado la fertilidad, pero el trastorno malabsortivo que provoca modifica la absorción de nutrientes en la madre y en el feto. El diagnóstico de diabetes gestacional se dificulta dado que la prueba de tolerancia oral a la glucosa estaría contraindicada en estos casos. El objetivo de estas recomendaciones es proveer herramientas para el control y seguimiento de mujeres en edad reproductiva sometidas a cirugía bariátrica.Worldwide increased obesity prevalence at early ages particularly affects women of reproductive ages. Both fertility and risk pregnancy rates are affected, of low birth weight infants, prematures and cesarean section rates have been modified considerably. Bariatric surgery is a validated tool to improve fertility but nutrient malabsorption as a consequence of surgery could affect mother and fetus nutrition and development. Gestational diabetes diagnosis turns difficult in this group of obese patients after bariatric surgery since oral glucose tolerance testing would be contraindicated in these cases. The aim of these recommendations was to offer tools for a good control and follow up of women at reproductive age.Fil: Gutt, Susana. Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Rovira, Gabriela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Sede Hospital Britanico Bs.as; ArgentinaFil: Jawerbaum, Alicia Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Espinoza, Frank. Instituto Cardiovascular Lezica; ArgentinaFil: Mociulsky, Juliana. Clínica de Nutrición y Salud Dr. Cormillot; ArgentinaFil: Sucani, Stella. Provincia de Misiones. Hospital Escuela de Agudos Dr. Ramon Madariaga; ArgentinaFil: Kojdamanian, Verónica. Centro de Educación, Prevención y Asistencia al paciente diabético; ArgentinaFil: Aguirre Ackermann, Marianela. Centro Integral de Endocrinología y Nutrición; ArgentinaFil: Álvarez, María Graciela. Centro de Estudio y Tratamiento de la Obesidad Severa; ArgentinaFil: Camaño, Alejandro. Centro Médico de Especialidades y Diagnósticos Privado para la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Glatstein, Liliana. Centro Médico San Andrés; ArgentinaFil: Lifszyc, Paula. Hospital Carlos G. Durand; ArgentinaFil: Gómez Martin, Carolina. Centro Integral de Endocrinología y Diabetes; ArgentinaFil: Mendes, Patricio. Maternidad San Lucas; ArgentinaFil: Menéndez, Estrella. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno; ArgentinaFil: Yuma, María. Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Bertona, Celina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Cafaro, Lilia. Obesidad y Cirugía Mini Invasiva; ArgentinaFil: Fuentes, Susana. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad En Red El Cruce Dr. Nestor Carlos Kirchner Samic; ArgentinaFil: Salzberg, Susana. Instituto Centenario; ArgentinaFil: Basualdo, Natalia. Hospital Materno Infantil Ramón Sardá; ArgentinaFil: González, Sandra . Cínica IMA; ArgentinaFil: Villarroel Parra, Beatriz. Hospital de Agudos Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield; Argentina. Sanatorio Santa Isabel; ArgentinaFil: Musso, Carla. Fundacion Favaloro; Argentin

Post-mortem neuropathologic examination of a 5-case series of CAR T-cell treated patients

Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a promising immunotherapy for the treatment of refractory hematopoietic malignancies. Adverse events are common, and neurotoxicity is one of the most important. However, the physiopathology is unknown and neuropathologic information is scarce.Materials and methods: Post-mortem examination of 6 brains from patients that underwent CAR T-cell therapy from 2017 to 2022. In all cases, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in paraffin blocks for the detection of CAR T cells was performed.Results: Two patients died of hematologic progression, while the others died of cytokine release syndrome, lung infection, encephalomyelitis, and acute liver failure. Two out of 6 presented neurological symptoms, one with extracranial malignancy progression and the other with encephalomyelitis. The neuropathology of the latter showed severe perivascular and interstitial lymphocytic infiltration, predominantly CD8+, together with a diffuse interstitial histiocytic infiltration, affecting mainly the spinal cord, midbrain, and hippocampus, and a diffuse gliosis of basal ganglia, hippocampus, and brainstem. Microbiological studies were negative for neurotropic viruses, and PCR failed to detect CAR T -cells. Another case without detectable neurological signs showed cortical and subcortical gliosis due to acute hypoxic-ischemic damage. The remaining 4 cases only showed a mild patchy gliosis and microglial activation, and CAR T cells were detected by PCR only in one of them.Conclusions: In this series of patients that died after CAR T-cell therapy, we predominantly found non-specific or minimal neuropathological changes. CAR T-cell related toxicity may not be the only cause of neurological symptoms, and the autopsy could detect additional pathological findings

Circadian waves of transcriptional repression shape PIF-regulated photoperiod-responsive growth in a<i>rabidopsis</i>

Plants coordinate their growth and development with the environment through integration of circadian clock and photosensory pathways. In Arabidopsis thaliana, rhythmic hypocotyl elongation in short days (SD) is enhanced at dawn by the basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) directly inducing expression of growth-related genes [1-6]. PIFs accumulate progressively during the night and are targeted for degradation by active phytochromes in the light, when growth is reduced. Although PIF proteins are also detected during the day hours [7-10], their growth-promoting activity is inhibited through unknown mechanisms. Recently, the core clock components and transcriptional repressors PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATORS PRR9/7/5 [11, 12], negative regulators of hypocotyl elongation [13, 14], were described to associate to G boxes [15], the DNA motifs recognized by the PIFs [16, 17], suggesting that PRR and PIF function might converge antagonistically to regulate growth. Here we report that PRR9/7/5 and PIFs physically interact and bind to the same promoter region of pre-dawn-phased, growth-related genes, and we identify the transcription factor CDF5 [18, 19] as target of this interplay. In SD, CDF5 expression is sequentially repressed from morning to dusk by PRRs and induced pre-dawn by PIFs. Consequently, CDF5 accumulates specifically at dawn, when it induces cell elongation. Our findings provide a framework for recent TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1 (TOC1/PRR1) data [5, 20] and reveal that the long described circadian morning-to-midnight waves of the PRR transcriptional repressors (PRR9, PRR7, PRR5, and TOC1) [21] jointly gate PIF activity to dawn to prevent overgrowth through sequential regulation of common PIF-PRR target genes such as CDF5

Anales del III Congreso Internacional de Vivienda y Ciudad "Debate en torno a la nueva agenda urbana"

Acta de congresoEl III Congreso Internacional de Vivienda y Ciudad “Debates en torno a la NUEVa Agenda Urbana”, ha sido una apuesta de alto compromiso por acercar los debates centrales y urgentes que tensionan el pleno ejercicio del derecho a la ciudad. Para ello las instituciones organizadoras (INVIHAB –Instituto de Investigación de Vivienda y Hábitat y MGyDH-Maestría en Gestión y Desarrollo Habitacional-1), hemos convidado un espacio que se concretó con potencia en un debate transdisciplinario. Convocó a intelectuales de prestigio internacional, investigadores, académicos y gestores estatales, y en una metodología de innovación articuló las voces académicas con las de las organizaciones sociales y/o barriales en el Foro de las Organizaciones Sociales que tuvo su espacio propio para dar voz a quienes están trabajando en los desafíos para garantizar los derechos a la vivienda y los bienes urbanos en nuestras ciudades del Siglo XXI

Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in Argentina according to the Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD) and International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) diagnostic criteria and the associated maternal-neonatal complications

In Argentina, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is diagnosed by the Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD) diagnostic criterion. In this work, we investigated GDM prevalence according to the ALAD and IADPSG diagnostic criteria, evaluated maternal and fetal outcomes and assessed whether fasting glycemia between 92–99 mg/dL was associated with increased risk of macrosomia and maternal obesity/overweight in an Argentine cohort of pregnant women. GDM prevalence was 9.8% with the ALAD diagnostic criterion and 25% considering the IADPSG criterion. Increased prevalence of maternal obesity/overweight was observed in patients with fasting glycemia over 99 mg/dL. A population of high metabolic risk is identified by the ALAD criterion.Fil: Gorban de Lapertosa, Silvia Beatriz. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Sucani, Stella. Hospital Materno Provincial Dr. Raúl Felipe Lucini; ArgentinaFil: Salzberg, Susana. No especifíca;Fil: Alvariñas, Jorge. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Enrique Tornú; ArgentinaFil: Faingold, Cristina. Dr. Cesar Milstein Hospital; ArgentinaFil: Jawerbaum, Alicia Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Rovira, Gabriela. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Miradas diversas y profundas : investigaciones cualitativas

El primer cuaderno de la serie editorial Orígenes surge de compendiar los seis mejores trabajos de investigación de la materia electiva Métodos de Investigación Cualitativa, de quinto año de la carrera de Economía y Negocios. Estos trabajos fueron presentados al público en una conferencia denominada por los autores Miradas diversas y profundas, título que recogía la esencia de lo que lograron los alumnos en su proceso investigativo: preguntarse, indagar y descubrir significados frente a problemáticas que les preocupaban e interpelaban. El próximo cuaderno de la serie recogerá los trabajos de alguna de las múltiples asignaturas de la carrera que proponen el camino investigativo como camino de aprendizaje.Un agradecimiento al profesor Herman Duarte, alumni ESEN y profesor invitado de la materia de Métodos Cualitativos (2021), que acompañó e inspiró a los jóvenes investigadores aquí publicados, animándolos a creer en el valor de su trabajo. Gracias también a estos seis estudiantes que dieron lo mejor de sí, inspirados por la promesa de ser publicados en un proyecto que aún no existía. Finalmente, gracias a Francisco Domínguez, corrector de estos textos, que animó desde su génesis esta idea