Pedagogical Innovation Through Use of Electronic Portfolios in Higher Education

The use of electronic folders implies processes and dedication of both the student and the teacher to be able to develop the final product that demonstrates the development and growth of the student in the subject and promotes both formative and summative evaluation. Through the following study, it is proposed to know if students consider the use of appropriate electronic portfolios in English in higher education. In addition, it is important to understand the implications of the development of electronic portfolios based on the experiences obtained during the semester in which the strategy was implied. This qualitative study was carried out at the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo Morona Santiago headquarters during the special academic period April - August 2020. It is important to mention that the use of the Pathbrite application was chosen to prepare the portfolio since you can add videos, text, images and other addresses or web pages to make up the portfolio. Thanks to the survey, it was also possible to know how it influenced personal growth and the improvement of the students’ English level. Keywords: E-portfolio, innovation, foreign language, higher education. Resumen El uso de portafolios electrónicos implica procesos y dedicación tanto del estudiante como del docente para poder elaborar el producto final que demuestre el desarrollo y crecimiento del alumno en la asignatura y se promueva una evaluación tanto formativa como sumativa. A través del siguiente estudio se plantea conocer si los estudiantes consideran el uso de los portafolios electrónicos adecuados en la enseñanza del inglés en la educación superior. Además, se pretende entender las implicaciones que tiene la elaboración de portafolios electrónicos en base a las experiencias obtenidas durante el semestre en el cual se ejecutó la estrategia. El presente estudio cualitativo se realizó en la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo Sede Morona Santiago durante el periodo académico especial abril - agosto 2020. Es importante mencionar que se optó por el uso de la aplicación Pathbrite para elaborar el portafolio ya que con esta herramienta se puede añadir videos, texto, imágenes y otras direcciones o páginas web para elaborar el portafolio. A través de la encuesta también se pudo conocer cómo influyó en el crecimiento personal y en el mejoramiento del nivel de inglés de los estudiantes. Palabras Clave: E-portafolio, innovación, lengua entranjera, educación superior

Flipped Classroom y el aprendizaje de condicionales en inglés en estudiantes Universitarios de nivel intermedio.

La presente investigación, “Flipped Classroom y el aprendizaje de condicionales en Inglés en estudiantes Universitarios de nivel intermedio”, se la realizó en la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo Sede Macas, con el propósito de analizar la incidencia que tiene la aplicación de la técnica de Aula Invertida en la producción escrita en Inglés, específicamente al estructurar oraciones condicionales. Esta es una investigación cuasi-experimental, en la que la población está conformada por dos grupos de dieciséis estudiantes en cada uno, un experimental y otro de control. En la primera fase de la investigación se aplicó una prueba de diagnóstico denominada pre-test a ambos grupos de inglés de nivel intermedio, para luego implementar la técnica Flipped Classroom durante cuatro semanas únicamente con el grupo experimental para la estructuración de oraciones condicionales, mientras que el grupo de control recibió clases tradicionales sobre el mismo tema. Para verificar la propuesta de la investigación se aplicó un post-test sobre condicionales a ambos grupos de donde se recopilaron datos sobre los errores observados. La información obtenida fue tabulada y analizada determinado cuáles fueron los errores lingüísticos con mayor incidencia y la efectividad de utilizar el aula invertida como técnica de enseñanza-aprendizaje

Diaminobenzidine photoconversion is a suitable tool for tracking the intracellular location of fluorescently labelled nanoparticles at transmission electron microscopy.

Chitosan-based nanoparticles (NPs) deserve particular attention as suitable drug carriers in the field of pharmaceutics, since they are able to protect the encapsulated drugs and/or improve their efficacy by making them able to cross biological barriers (such as the blood-brain barrier) and reach their intracellular target sites. Understanding the intracellular location of NPs is crucial for designing drug delivery strategies. In this study, fluorescently-labelled chitosan NPs were administered in vitro to a neuronal cell line, and diaminobenzidine (DAB) photoconversion was applied to correlate fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy to precisely describe the NPs intracellular fate. This technique allowed to demonstrate that chitosan NPs easily enter neuronal cells, predominantly by endocytosis; they were found both inside membrane-bounded vesicles and free in the cytosol, and were observed to accumulate around the cell nucleus

Induction of neutralizing antibodies in CLL patients after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination: a monocentric experience

Vaccination represents the best strategy to fight COVID-19 pandemics, especially in immune compromised subjects. In chronic lymphatic leukemia patients, a marked impairment of the immune response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was observed. In this report, we analyzed anti-RBD and neutralizing antibodies in CLL patients after two doses of mRNA SARS CoV 2 vaccine and evaluated the impact of Bruton kinase inhibitory agents. Twenty-seven CLL patients vaccinated with mRNA vaccines against SARS CoV-2 were recruited. Serum IgG, IgM and IgA anti-RBD antibodies and neutralizing antibodies were detected, and antibody avidity was measured. Peripheral blood leukocytes subsets were evaluated by flow cytometry. After two vaccine doses anti-RBD IgG were produced in 11/27 (40.5%) of patients and levels of IgG and IgA anti RBD in CLL patients were sensibly lower than in controls. Neutralizing antibodies were detectable in 12/27 (44.5%) of the patients and their level was lower than that observed in controls. Disease burden and treatment with Bruton kinases inhibitors markedly impaired vaccine induced antibody response. However, in responder patients, antibody avidity was comparable to normal subjects, indicating that the process of clonal selection and affinity maturation takes place as expected. Taken together, these data confirm the impact of disease burden and therapy on production of anti-RBD and neutralizing antibodies and support the current policy of vaccinating CLL patients

Prokineticin System Is a Pharmacological Target to Counteract Pain and Its Comorbid Mood Alterations in an Osteoarthritis Murine Model

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease associated with chronic pain. OA pain is often accompanied by mood disorders. We addressed the role of the Prokineticin (PK) system in pain and mood alterations in a mice OA model induced with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). The effect of a PK antagonist (PC1) was compared to that of diclofenac. C57BL/6J male mice injected with MIA in the knee joint were characterized by allodynia, motor deficits, and fatigue. Twenty-eight days after MIA, in the knee joint, we measured high mRNA of PK2 and its receptor PKR1, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and MMP13. At the same time, in the sciatic nerve and spinal cord, we found increased levels of PK2, PKR1, IL-1β, and IL-6. These changes were in the presence of high GFAP and CD11b mRNA in the sciatic nerve and GFAP in the spinal cord. OA mice were also characterized by anxiety, depression, and neuroinflammation in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. In both stations, we found increased pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, PK upregulation and reactive astrogliosis in the hippocampus and microglia reactivity in the prefrontal cortex were detected. PC1 reduced joint inflammation and neuroinflammation in PNS and CNS and counteracted OA pain and emotional disturbances

Adapting English lessons to raise culture awareness in an EFL classroom

Ecuador es conocido como un país multicultural; en consecuencia, hay una interacción cultural continua entre las personas en diferentes contextos, y las aulas no son la excepción. Sin embargo, cuando se aprende una lengua extranjera, como es el caso del inglés en el Ecuador, el aspecto cultural se hace más evidente, ya que implica el estudio de otra lengua, que representa otra cultura. Esta revisión de literatura examina la influencia del aprendizaje cultural de los estudiantes en inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL) en Ecuador. Se revisaron los estudios relevantes para obtener información y experiencias de contextos de aprendizaje de idiomas extranjeros similares a los ecuatorianos. También aborda la importancia de considerar los diversos antecedentes de los estudiantes durante la planificación de las lecciones. Por lo tanto, proporcionará algunas actividades seleccionadas para que los profesores de inglés apliquen durante la instrucción formal del idioma

The expression pattern of GDF15 in human brain changes during aging and in Alzheimer's disease

Introduction: Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) is a mitochondrial-stress-responsive molecule whose expression strongly increases with aging and age-related diseases. However, its role in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), is still debated. Methods: We have characterized the expression of GDF15 in brain samples from AD patients and non-demented subjects (controls) of different ages. Results: Although no difference in CSF levels of GDF15 was found between AD patients and controls, GDF15 was expressed in different brain areas and seems to be predominantly localized in neurons. The ratio between its mature and precursor form was higher in the frontal cortex of AD patients compared to age-matched controls (p < 0.05). Moreover, this ratio was even higher for centenarians (p < 0.01), indicating that aging also affects GDF15 expression and maturation. A lower expression of OXPHOS complexes I, III, and V in AD patients compared to controls was also noticed, and a positive correlation between GDF15 and IL-6 mRNA levels was observed. Finally, when GDF15 was silenced in vitro in dermal fibroblasts, a decrease in OXPHOS complexes transcript levels and an increase in IL-6 levels were observed. Discussion: Although GDF15 seems not to be a reliable CSF marker for AD, it is highly expressed in aging and AD brains, likely as a part of stress response aimed at counteracting mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation

Evaluation of Factors Associated With Appropriate Drug Prescription and Effectiveness of Informative and Educational Interventions-The EDU.RE.DRUG Project

Background: EDU.RE.DRUG study is a prospective, multicentre, open-label, parallel-arm, controlled, pragmatic trial directed to general practitioners (GPs) and their patients. Methods: The study data were retrieved from health-related administrative databases of four local health units (LHUs) of Lombardy and four LHUs in Campania. According to the LHUs, the GPs/patients were assigned to (A) intervention on both GPs (feedback reports about appropriate prescribing among their patients and online courses) and patients (flyers and posters on proper drug use), (B) intervention on GPs, (C) intervention on patients, and (D) no intervention (control arm). A set of appropriate prescribing indicators (potential drug-drug interactions [pDDIs], potential and unnecessary therapeutic duplicates [pTDs], and inappropriate prescriptions in the elderly [ERD-list]) were measured at baseline and after the intervention phase. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated estimating the absolute difference in percentages of selected indicators carrying out linear random-intercept mixed-effect models. Results: A cohort of 3,586 GPs (2,567 in intervention groups and 1,019 in the control group) was evaluated. In Campania, the mean pre-intervention percentage of patients with at least one pDDI was always greater than 20% and always lower than 15% in Lombardy. The pre-post difference was quite heterogeneous among the LHUs, ranging from 1.9 to -1.4 percentage points. The mean pre-intervention percentage of patients with pTDs ranged from 0.59 to 2.1%, with slightly higher values characterizing Campania LHUs. The magnitude of the pre-post difference was very low, ranging from -0.11 to 0.20. In Campania, the mean pre-intervention percentage of patients with at least one ERD criterium was considerably higher than in Lombardy (approximately 30% in Lombardy and 50% in Campania). The pre-post difference was again quite heterogeneous. The results from the models accounting for GP geographical belonging suggested that none of the interventions resulted in a statistically significant effect, for all the three indicators considered. Conclusion: The proposed strategy was shown to be not effective in influencing the voluntary changes in GP prescription performance. However, the use of a set of explicit indicators proved to be useful in quantifying the inappropriateness. Further efforts are needed to find more efficient strategies and design more tailored interventions

The new Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP) estimates the risk of arterial occlusive events in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with nilotinib or ponatinib

Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with nilotinib or ponatinib may experience arterial occlusive events (AOEs). It is currently recommended to thoroughly assess cardiovascular risk factors before treating CML. We identified 455 consecutive CML adult patients, 335 treated with nilotinib and 120 with ponatinib; 380 patients without previous cardiovascular diseases or diabetes were stratified according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2) and SCORE2-Older Persons (SCORE2-OP). This updated algorithm from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) estimates a 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular diseases. It is based on sex, age, smoking habits, systolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and European geographical region of cardiovascular risk. The SCORE2/SCORE2-OP algorithm translated more patients (50.2%) to the high-very high cardiovascular risk category than the previous SCORE (25.3%). Patients with a high to very high SCORE2/SCORE2-OP risk showed a significantly higher incidence rate of AOEs (69.2% vs. 46.5%, p < 0.001). The older SCORE was less specific in estimating AOEs in patients classified as low-intermediate risk (69.8 vs. 54.2%). In multivariate analysis, no associations were found between AOEs and gender, age, and type or dose of tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Only the SCORE2/SCORE2-OP risk was confirmed as a significant predictive factor (p = 0.028; hazard ratio = 2.2; 95% confidence interval = 1.1-4.5). Patients with AOEs required, in most cases, imaging diagnostic tests, additional drugs, and sometimes invasive procedures, increasing access to visits and hospital management. This real-life study suggested that the SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP charts could help identify cardiovascular fragility in CML patients providing them with more attention and a proper TKI selection