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

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

Recomendaciones para el tratamiento de las pacientes con diabetes pregestacional. Sociedad Argentina de Diabetes - Grupo Latinoamericano de Diabetes y Embarazo

La diabetes mellitus (DM) pregestacional afecta al desarrollo de la gestación y se asocia a complicaciones maternas y fetoneonatales. Si bien hace algunos años la mayoría de las pacientes con diabetes pregestacional (DPG) eran diabéticas tipo 1, la prevalencia de mujeres con diabetes tipo 2 en edad reproductiva ha aumentado, asociada al incremento de obesidad. La paciente con DPG con mal control tiene mayor riesgo de complicaciones desde el inicio y hasta el final del embarazo. El control metabólico adecuado, el correcto estado nutricional y el tratamiento de las complicaciones maternas previenen las complicaciones o reducen su severidad. Por ello es fundamental la programación del embarazo para prevenir el daño en las primeras semanas de gestación. Además, es necesario el riguroso seguimiento clínico durante todo el embarazo. En este contexto, mediante el estudio de evidencias científicas y estudios vinculados, surgen estas recomendaciones para mujeres con diabetes pregestacional.Pregestational DM affects normal gestation and is associated with maternal and fetal-neonatal complications. Although a few years ago most of the patients with pregestational diabetes had type 1 diabetes, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in women in childbearing age has increased, associated with an increase in obesity. Patients with poorly controlled pregestational diabetes are at higher Pregestational DM affects normal gestation and is associated with maternal and fetal-neonatal complications. Although a few years ago most of the patients with pregestational diabetes had type 1 diabetes, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in women in childbearing age has increased, associated with an increase in obesity. Patients with poorly controlled pregestational diabetes are at higher risk of complications from the beginning to the end of pregnancy. Adequate metabolic control, proper nutritional status and treatment of maternal complications prevent complications or reduce their severity. For this reason, pregnancy programming is essential to prevent harm from the first weeks of gestation. In addition, rigorous clinical follow-up is required throughout pregnancy. In this context and through the study of scientific evidences and related studies, these recommendations for women with pregestational diabetes emerge.Fil: Rovira, Maria Gabriela. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; 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; Argentina. Hospital Materno Infantil de San Isidro; ArgentinaFil: Glatstein; Liliana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Sucani, Stella. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Bertona, Celina. Hospital Universitario de Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Argerich, Maria Inés. Hospital Perupato; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Martin, Carolina. Centro Integral de Endocrinologíay Diabetes ; ArgentinaFil: Tedesco, Jorge Fabián. Hospital San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Capobianco, Evangelina Lorena. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rivas, Eugenia. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital Materno Infantil Ramon Sarda; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, María Elena. Hospital Materno Infantil de San Isidro; ArgentinaFil: Basualdo, María Natalia. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital Materno Infantil Ramon Sarda; Argentina. Universidad de Carabobo.; VenezuelaFil: Alvariñas, Jorge. Hospital Enrique Tornu; ArgentinaFil: Salzberg, Susana. Instituto Centenario; ArgentinaFil: Faingold, María Cristina. Hospital Dr. César Milstein; ArgentinaFil: Gorban de Lapertosa, Silvia Beatriz. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Rivas Blasco, Aleida. Hospital Materno Infantil de San Isidro Carlos Giannantonio; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, María Elena. Hospital Materno Infantil de San Isidro Carlos Giannantonio; ArgentinaFil: Mendes, Patricio. Policlinico Neuquén; ArgentinaFil: Marmol, Marta. No especifíca;Fil: Falcon de Legal, Edith. Universidad Nacional de Asunción; ParaguayFil: Ribeiro Gama, Mirnaluci Paulino. Hospital Universitario Evangélico de Curitiba; BrasilFil: Barbero, Roxana. Centro Integral de Medicina, Endocrinología y Diabetes; BrasilFil: Barragán, Derek. Hospital San Gabriel; Bolivi

Juntas / Juntes

Multitud d'autores i autors aporten píndoles de microliteratura, de gèneres diversos, al tercer volum amb què l'Institut Universitari d'Estudis Feministes i de Gènere Purificación Escribano vol respondre al desafiament per l'eradicació de la violència contra les dones.Tercer desafío por la erradicación de la violencia contra las mujeres del Institut Universitari d'Estudis Feministes i de Gènere Purificación Escribano de la Universitat Jaume I a través de microliteratura

Effect of general anaesthesia on functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke having endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care: a meta-analysis of individual patient data

Background: General anaesthesia (GA) during endovascular thrombectomy has been associated with worse patient outcomes in observational studies compared with patients treated without GA. We assessed functional outcome in ischaemic stroke patients with large vessel anterior circulation occlusion undergoing endovascular thrombectomy under GA, versus thrombectomy not under GA (with or without sedation) versus standard care (ie, no thrombectomy), stratified by the use of GA versus standard care. Methods: For this meta-analysis, patient-level data were pooled from all patients included in randomised trials in PuMed published between Jan 1, 2010, and May 31, 2017, that compared endovascular thrombectomy predominantly done with stent retrievers with standard care in anterior circulation ischaemic stroke patients (HERMES Collaboration). The primary outcome was functional outcome assessed by ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 90 days in the GA and non-GA subgroups of patients treated with endovascular therapy versus those patients treated with standard care, adjusted for baseline prognostic variables. To account for between-trial variance we used mixed-effects modelling with a random effect for trials incorporated in all models. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane method. The meta-analysis was prospectively designed, but not registered. Findings: Seven trials were identified by our search; of 1764 patients included in these trials, 871 were allocated to endovascular thrombectomy and 893 were assigned standard care. After exclusion of 74 patients (72 did not undergo the procedure and two had missing data on anaesthetic strategy), 236 (30%) of 797 patients who had endovascular procedures were treated under GA. At baseline, patients receiving GA were younger and had a shorter delay between stroke onset and randomisation but they had similar pre-treatment clinical severity compared with patients who did not have GA. Endovascular thrombectomy improved functional outcome at 3 months both in patients who had GA (adjusted common odds ratio (cOR) 1·52, 95% CI 1·09–2·11, p=0·014) and in those who did not have GA (adjusted cOR 2·33, 95% CI 1·75–3·10, p<0·0001) versus standard care. However, outcomes were significantly better for patients who did not receive GA versus those who received GA (covariate-adjusted cOR 1·53, 95% CI 1·14–2·04, p=0·0044). The risk of bias and variability between studies was assessed to be low. Interpretation: Worse outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy were associated with GA, after adjustment for baseline prognostic variables. These data support avoidance of GA whenever possible. The procedure did, however, remain effective versus standard care in patients treated under GA, indicating that treatment should not be withheld in those who require anaesthesia for medical reasons