Effect on Procrastination and Learning of Mistakes in the Design of the Formative and Summative Assessments - A Case Study

[EN] The design of the formative and summative assessment processes is of paramount importance to help students avoid procrastination and guide them towards the achievement of the learning objectives that are described in the course syllabus. If the assessment processes are poorly designed the outcome can be disappointing, including high grades but poor learning. In this paper, we describe the unexpected and undesirable effects that an on-demand formative assessment and the timetable of a summative assessment that left the most cognitively demanding part, problem-solving, to the end of the course, had on the behavior of students and on both grading and learning. As the formative assessment was voluntary, students procrastinated till the last minute. However, the real problem was that due to the design of the summative assessment, they focused their efforts mainly on the easiest parts of the summative assessment, passing the course with ease, but achieving a low learning level, as evidenced by the low scores of the problem-solving part of the summative assessment.Salas Vicente, F.; Vicente-Escuder, Á.; Pérez Puig, MA.; Segovia-López, F. (2021). Effect on Procrastination and Learning of Mistakes in the Design of the Formative and Summative Assessments - A Case Study. Education Sciences. 11(8):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080428S11211

Heraldic seizure

AbstractBackground: The term heraldic seizures indicates epileptic seizures caused by cerebrovascular disease, believed to be triggered by silent ischemia and occurring before a stroke. This fact widens the spectrum of possible interrelations between epilepsy and cerebrovascular disease outside the well known context of post-stroke epilepsy. Methods: This is a case report of a healthy 67-year-old male who had a new onset epileptic seizure prior to a lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This man began to suffer myoclonic jerks in his left arm which progressed to a generalized tonic–clonic seizure. At the emergency area the physical and neurological examination were unremarkable and a CT scan was normal. The next day the patient developed left hemiparesis, hemianopsia and confusion and a new CT scan showed right parietal–occipital ICH. Conclusions: This case report exemplifies the concept of heraldic seizures, showing a patient who had a focal seizure preceding an intracerebral hemorrhage. Our etiologic diagnostic work led us to a diagnosis of probable amyloid angiopathy. We suggest that cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) may be the underlying cause, since it may be the origin of both the late event (ICH) and the heralding seizures, resulting from concurrent ischemia

Effectiveness and Tolerability of 12-Month Brivaracetam in the Real World: EXPERIENCE, an International Pooled Analysis of Individual Patient Records

Efectividad; Tolerabilidad; RegistrosEffectiveness; Tolerability; RecordsEficàcia; Tolerabilitat; RegistresBackground and objective: Real-world evidence studies of brivaracetam (BRV) have been restricted in scope, location, and patient numbers. The objective of this pooled analysis was to assess effectiveness and tolerability of brivaracetam (BRV) in routine practice in a large international population. Methods: EXPERIENCE/EPD332 was a pooled analysis of individual patient records from multiple independent non-interventional studies of patients with epilepsy initiating BRV in Australia, Europe, and the United States. Eligible study cohorts were identified via a literature review and engagement with country lead investigators, clinical experts, and local UCB Pharma scientific/medical teams. Included patients initiated BRV no earlier than January 2016 and no later than December 2019, and had ≥ 6 months of follow-up data. The databases for each cohort were reformatted and standardised to ensure information collected was consistent. Outcomes included ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in seizure frequency, seizure freedom (no seizures within 3 months before timepoint), continuous seizure freedom (no seizures from baseline), BRV discontinuation, and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) at 3, 6, and 12 months. Patients with missing data after BRV discontinuation were considered non-responders/not seizure free. Analyses were performed for all adult patients (≥ 16 years), and for subgroups by seizure type recorded at baseline; by number of prior antiseizure medications (ASMs) at index; by use of BRV as monotherapy versus polytherapy at index; for patients who switched from levetiracetam to BRV versus patients who switched from other ASMs to BRV; and for patients with focal-onset seizures and a BRV dose of ≤ 200 mg/day used as add-on at index. Analysis populations included the full analysis set (FAS; all patients who received at least one BRV dose and had seizure type and age documented at baseline) and the modified FAS (all FAS patients who had at least one seizure recorded during baseline). The FAS was used for all outcomes other than ≥ 50% seizure reduction. All outcomes were summarised using descriptive statistics. Results: Analyses included 1644 adults. At baseline, 72.0% were 16-49 years of age and 92.2% had focal-onset seizures. Patients had a median (Q1, Q3) of 5.0 (2.0, 8.0) prior antiseizure medications at index. At 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively, ≥ 50% seizure reduction was achieved by 32.1% (n = 619), 36.7% (n = 867), and 36.9% (n = 822) of patients; seizure freedom rates were 22.4% (n = 923), 17.9% (n = 1165), and 14.9% (n = 1111); and continuous seizure freedom rates were 22.4% (n = 923), 15.7% (n = 1165), and 11.7% (n = 1111). During the whole study follow-up, 551/1639 (33.6%) patients discontinued BRV. TEAEs since prior visit were reported in 25.6% (n = 1542), 14.2% (n = 1376), and 9.3% (n = 1232) of patients at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Conclusions: This pooled analysis using data from a variety of real-world settings suggests BRV is effective and well tolerated in routine clinical practice in a highly drug-resistant patient population

Pitting corrosion in AISI 304 rolled stainless steel welding at different deformation levels

[EN] This paper analyzes pitting corrosion at the weld zone and at the heat affected zone (HAZ) in AISI 304 rolled stainless steel welds. As the aforementioned material is one of the most frequently used types of stainless steel, it is needful to be aware of the mechanisms that lead to its deterioration, like corrosion, since it can cause failures or malfunction in a wide variety of products and facilities. For the experimental tests 1.5 mm thick AISI 304 stainless steel plates were welded and rolled to different thicknesses and after, the samples were subjected to mechanical and corrosion tests and to a micrograph study. Deformation stresses and other intrinsic metallurgic and physic-chemical transformations that occur during cold rolling and welding, and that are key factors in the anti-corrosion behavior of AISI 304 rolled stainless steel, have been observed and analyzed. A correlation has been found between cold work levels in test samples and number of pits after corrosion tests.The authors deeply thank the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), for the support of this research.Cárcel Carrasco, FJ.; Pascual Guillamón, M.; Solano García, L.; Salas Vicente, F.; Pérez Puig, MA. (2019). Pitting corrosion in AISI 304 rolled stainless steel welding at different deformation levels. Applied Sciences. 9(16):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9163265S112916Sathiya, P., Aravindan, S., & Noorul Haq, A. (2004). Mechanical and metallurgical properties of friction welded AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 26(5-6), 505-511. doi:10.1007/s00170-004-2018-6Gong, N., Wu, H.-B., Yu, Z.-C., Niu, G., & Zhang, D. (2017). Studying Mechanical Properties and Micro Deformation of Ultrafine-Grained Structures in Austenitic Stainless Steel. Metals, 7(6), 188. doi:10.3390/met7060188Fellinger, J., Citarella, R., Giannella, V., Lepore, M., Sepe, R., Czerwinski, M., … Stadler, R. (2018). Overview of fatigue life assessment of baffles in Wendelstein 7-X. Fusion Engineering and Design, 136, 292-297. doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2018.02.011Lv, J., Liang, T., & Luo, H. (2016). Influence of pre-deformation, sensitization and oxidation in high temperature water on corrosion resistance of AISI 304 stainless steel. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 309, 1-7. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2016.09.004Hsu, C.-H., Chen, T.-C., Huang, R.-T., & Tsay, L.-W. (2017). Stress Corrosion Cracking Susceptibility of 304L Substrate and 308L Weld Metal Exposed to a Salt Spray. Materials, 10(2), 187. doi:10.3390/ma10020187Devendranath Ramkumar, K., Arivazhagan, N., & Narayanan, S. (2012). Effect of filler materials on the performance of gas tungsten arc welded AISI 304 and Monel 400. Materials & Design, 40, 70-79. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2012.03.024Bhandari, J., Lau, S., Abbassi, R., Garaniya, V., Ojeda, R., Lisson, D., & Khan, F. (2017). Accelerated pitting corrosion test of 304 stainless steel using ASTM G48; Experimental investigation and concomitant challenges. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 47, 10-21. doi:10.1016/j.jlp.2017.02.025Machado, J. P. S. E., Silva, C. C., Sobral-Santiago, A. V. C., Sant’Ana, H. B. de, & Farias, J. P. (2006). Effect of temperature on the level of corrosion caused by heavy petroleum on AISI 304 and AISI 444 stainless steel. Materials Research, 9(2), 137-142. doi:10.1590/s1516-14392006000200005Madhusudhan Reddy, G., Mohandas, T., Sambasiva Rao, A., & Satyanarayana, V. V. (2005). INFLUENCE OF WELDING PROCESSES ON MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF DISSIMILAR AUSTENITIC-FERRITIC STAINLESS STEEL WELDS. Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 20(2), 147-173. doi:10.1081/amp-200041844Cárcel-Carrasco, F., Pascual-Guillamón, M., & Pérez-Puig, M. (2016). Effects of X-rays Radiation on AISI 304 Stainless Steel Weldings with AISI 316L Filler Material: A Study of Resistance and Pitting Corrosion Behavior. Metals, 6(5), 102. doi:10.3390/met6050102Takakuwa, O., & Soyama, H. (2015). Effect of Residual Stress on the Corrosion Behavior of Austenitic Stainless Steel. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 05(01), 62-71. doi:10.4236/aces.2015.51007Peguet, L., Malki, B., & Baroux, B. (2007). Influence of cold working on the pitting corrosion resistance of stainless steels. Corrosion Science, 49(4), 1933-1948. doi:10.1016/j.corsci.2006.08.021Agrawal, A. K., & Singh, A. (2017). Limitations on the hardness increase in 316L stainless steel under dynamic plastic deformation. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 687, 306-312. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2017.01.066Ghosh, S., Rana, V. P. S., Kain, V., Mittal, V., & Baveja, S. K. (2011). Role of residual stresses induced by industrial fabrication on stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of austenitic stainless steel. Materials & Design, 32(7), 3823-3831. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2011.03.012KOLOTYRKIN, J. M. (1963). Pitting Corrosion of Metals. CORROSION, 19(8), 261t-268t. doi:10.5006/0010-9312-19.8.261SZKLARSKA-SMIALOWSKA, Z. (1971). Review of Literature on Pitting Corrosion Published Since 1960. CORROSION, 27(6), 223-233. doi:10.5006/0010-9312-27.6.223SHIBATA, T., & TAKEYAMA, T. (1977). Stochastic Theory of Pitting Corrosion. CORROSION, 33(7), 243-251. doi:10.5006/0010-9312-33.7.243Frankel, G. S. (1998). Pitting Corrosion of Metals: A Review of the Critical Factors. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 145(6), 2186-2198. doi:10.1149/1.1838615Nakai, T., Matsushita, H., & Yamamoto, N. (2006). Effect of pitting corrosion on the ultimate strength of steel plates subjected to in-plane compression and bending. 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International Journal of Electrochemical Science, 4700-4719. doi:10.20964/2018.05.11Unnikrishnan, R., Idury, K. S. N. S., Ismail, T. P., Bhadauria, A., Shekhawat, S. K., Khatirkar, R. K., & Sapate, S. G. (2014). Effect of heat input on the microstructure, residual stresses and corrosion resistance of 304L austenitic stainless steel weldments. Materials Characterization, 93, 10-23. doi:10.1016/j.matchar.2014.03.013Abe, F. (2008). Precipitate design for creep strengthening of 9% Cr tempered martensitic steel for ultra-supercritical power plants. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, 9(1), 013002. doi:10.1088/1468-6996/9/1/013002Liang, W. (2003). Surface modification of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel by plasma nitriding. Applied Surface Science, 211(1-4), 308-314. doi:10.1016/s0169-4332(03)00260-5Lu, B. T., Chen, Z. K., Luo, J. L., Patchett, B. M., & Xu, Z. H. (2005). Pitting and stress corrosion cracking behavior in welded austenitic stainless steel. 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Vitamin D Intake and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Updated Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Case-Control and Prospective Cohort Studies

Obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, high red meat consumption and alcohol, and tobacco are considered the driving factors behind colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide. Both diet and lifestyle are recognized to play an important role in the prevention of CRC. Forty years later, the vitamin D-cancer hypothesis is considered consistent. However, the relationship between low vitamin D intake and CRC is still controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis is to determine the associations between Vitamin D intake and CRC. MEDLINE-PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched up to May 2020 for studies evaluating the association between vitamin D intake (from foods and supplements) and CRC. Two reviewers, working independently, screened all titles and abstracts to identify the studies that met the inclusion criteria (case-control or prospective cohort (PC) studies published in English). Data were pooled by the generic inverse variance method using a random or fixed effect model. Heterogeneity was identified using the Cochran Q-test and quantified by the I2 statistic. A total of 31 original studies were included for the quantitative meta-analysis, comprising a total 47.540 cases and 70.567 controls in case-control studies, and a total of 14.676 CRC-incident cases (out of 808.130 subjects in PC studies) from 17 countries. A significant 25% lower risk was reported comparing the highest vs. the lowest dietary vitamin D consumption and CRC risk (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.75 (0.67; 0.85)) in case-control studies, whereas a non-significant association was reported in case of prospective studies (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.94 (0.79; 1.11). The present meta-analysis demonstrates that high dietary vitamin D is associated to CRC prevention. However, larger and high-quality prospective studies and clinical trials are warranted to confirm this association. View Full-Text Keywords: vitamin D intake; meta-analysis; systematic review; colorectal cancer; incidence; case-control; prospectiv

IL-10 deficiency exacerbates the brain inflammatory response to permanent ischemia without preventing resolution of the lesion

El pdf del artículo es la versión post-print.Stroke induces inflammation that can aggravate brain damage. This work examines whether interleukin-10 (IL-10) deficiency exacerbates inflammation and worsens the outcome of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Expression of IL-10 and IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) increased after ischemia. From day 4, reactive astrocytes showed strong IL-10R immunoreactivity. Interleukin-10 knockout (IL-10 KO) mice kept in conventional housing showed more mortality after pMCAO than the wild type (WT). This effect was associated with the presence of signs of colitis in the IL-10 KO mice, suggesting that ongoing systemic inflammation was a confounding factor. In a pathogen-free environment, IL-10 deficiency slightly increased infarct volume and neurologic deficits. Induction of proinflammatory molecules in the IL-10 KO brain was similar to that in the WT 6 hours after ischemia, but was higher at day 4, while differences decreased at day 7. Deficiency of IL-10 promoted the presence of more mature phagocytic cells in the ischemic tissue, and enhanced the expression of M2 markers and the T-cell inhibitory molecule CTLA-4. These findings agree with a role of IL-10 in attenuating local inflammatory reactions, but do not support an essential function of IL-10 in lesion resolution. Upregulation of alternative immunosuppressive molecules after brain ischemia can compensate, at least in part, the absence of IL-10. © 2013 ISCBFM.Work supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy (SAF2011-30492), and the European Community (FP7, grant agreements: n°201024 ARISE and n°278850 InMiND), and the ERANET-NEURON project (PRI-PIMNEU-2011-1342). IPP and EBT had PhD fellowships from the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the FPU program of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, respectively.Peer Reviewe

Isavuconazole prophylaxis against invasive fungal infections in allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a single-center experience

Patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) require profound immunosuppression is required to preserve graft function and prevent graft-versus host disease (GVHD), resulting in a high risk of infectious complications such as invasive fungal diseases (IFIs). Posaconazole is approved for primary antifungal prophylaxis alloHCT. However, posaconazole is associated with drug-drug interactions which may lead to relevant toxicities limiting it uses in hematological patients. Other triazoles, amphotericine B, and echinocandins can be used in patients at high risk of IFIs. However, there is less evidence supporting the efficacy of these drugs for the prevention of IFIs

Psychosocial Factors and Antiepileptic Drug Use Related to Delayed Diagnosis of Refractory Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed clinical and psychosocial factors in patients with refractory psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, seeking characteristics that could hasten diagnosis. BACKGROUND: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures remain a diagnostic challenge. Prognosis is best if patients are treated within 2 years of symptom onset. Psychosocial factors have been shown to provide important information for differential diagnosis. METHODS: Over a year and 1132 consecutive patients, our hospital's Epilepsy Unit suspected 93 patients of having psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and confirmed refractory psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in 67. We referred these patients to our psychiatric consultation unit for detailed diagnostic interviews, and 53 of the patients followed through. Two months after the psychiatric evaluation we gave them a psychiatric intervention, explaining the diagnosis and treating their comorbidities. We also tracked the patients' use of antiepileptic drugs for 3 months, from just before the psychiatric evaluation until a month after they started the intervention. RESULTS: Women, patients with an inadequate primary support group, and patients who had tried many antiepileptic drugs were most likely to have their diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures delayed by >2 years after onset. A stepwise logistic regression showed that the 2 best predictors of late diagnosis were lack of availability of a primary support group and patients trying many antiepileptic drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians evaluating patients with questionable seizures should raise their suspicion of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures especially in female patients with an insufficient primary support group and a history of taking multiple antiepileptic drugs

Overnight switch from levetiracetam to brivaracetam: safety and tolerability

Brivaracetam; Epilepsy; TolerabilityBrivaracetam; Epilepsia; TolerabilidadBrivaracetam; Epilèpsia; TolerabilitatBrivaracetam is a newer antiseizure medication than levetiracetam. It has a more selective action on the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A binding site, and it seems to provide a more favorable neuropsychiatric profile. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability of an overnight switch from levetiracetam to brivaracetam. This was a retrospective descriptive study including patients with epilepsy treated with levetiracetam, who switched due to inefficacy or previous adverse events (AEs). In total, forty-one patients were included (mean age 40.9 ± 17.8 years, women 48.8%). Focal epilepsy represented 75.6% (n = 31) of patients (structural cause [n = 25], unknown cause [n = 6]). Four patients had idiopathic generalized epilepsy, two had developmental and epileptic encephalopathy and four patients were unclassified. The reason to start brivaracetam was inefficacy in 53.7% (n = 22), AEs in 65.9% (25/27 neuropsychiatric) and both in 19.5% (n = 8). Brivaracetam-related AEs were reported in 24.4%. Neuropsychological AEs associated with the previous use of levetiracetam improved in 76% of patients. Treatment was discontinued in 19.5% patients. Patients’ reported seizure frequency improved, worsened and remained stable in 26.8%, 12.2%, and 61.0% of the cases, respectively. An overnight switching to brivaracetam is safe and well tolerated. This treatment can improve levetiracetam-related neuropsychiatric AEs