The psychological wellbeing outcomes of nonpharmacological interventions for older persons with insomnia symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Nonpharmacological treatment of insomnia in older persons has been associated with reduced insomnia symptoms and increased psychological wellbeing. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether nonpharmacological interventions can promote wellbeing indicators in older persons who experience insomnia symptoms and investigated the components of these interventions. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria. Psychological wellbeing outcomes included symptoms of depression, anxiety, mental health-related quality of life, and fatigue. Interventions significantly reduced depression and fatigue symptoms in most of the studies that included these outcomes. Findings of our qualitative analysis suggest that mindfulness-based interventions in particularcan potentially reduce depression symptoms in older persons with insomnia symptoms. Meta-analyses of studies that included psychological wellbeing outcomes showed small-medium weighted mean effects indicating reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The results suggest that nonpharmacological interventions for older persons with insomnia symptoms can potentially reduce depression and fatigue symptoms and highlight interventions that may be particularly valuable for this purpose

La integración de las artes a través de una propuesta didáctica en educación secundaria obligatoria: música, plástica y expresión corporal

El presente artículo desarrolla una propuesta experimental para la integración de las artes: música, plástica y expresión corporal en el marco de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Se trata de plantear una experiencia interdisciplinar que se pueda llevar a la realidad del aula de Secundaria y que permita desarrollar la creatividad y la sensibilidad artísticas, tomando como base el arte contemporáneo. El principal objetivo consiste en generar y construir un armazón metodológico (interdisciplinariedad, trabajo por proyectos y cooperación) sobre el que se puedan desarrollar experiencias activas y técnicas novedosas cuyo interés fomente la aproximación a la cultura. En este contexto, se antepone la realización del proceso pedagógico, al resultado que se obtendrá por medio de la experiencia. La esencia del proyecto radica en la integración de las diferentes artes para conseguir un propósito común, permitiendo así una mejor adecuación a los objetivos y contenidos del currículum oficial. Esta propuesta es posible desarrollarla en el aula y permite una mejor comprensión del fenómeno artístico: al no tratarlo como una isla con respecto a otras disciplinas y dotarlo de un significado es posible llegar a un arco más amplio de personalidades atendiendo, al mismo tiempo, una visión no unívoca del sentido del arte

Association between symptoms of sleep apnea and problem behaviors in young adult twins and siblings

Background: Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders and it is related to multiple negative health consequences. Previous studies have shown that sleep apnea is influenced by genetic factors. However, studies have not investigated the genetic and environmental influences of symptoms of sleep apnea in young adults. Furthermore, the underpinnings of the relationship between apnea symptoms and internalizing/externalizing problems are unknown. The objectives of this study were to estimate the magnitude of: 1) genetic and environmental influences on self-reported apnea symptoms; 2) the relationship between self-reported apnea symptoms and internalizing/externalizing traits; 3) genetic and environmental influences on the associations between self-reported apnea symptoms, internalizing behaviors and externalizing behaviors. Methods: In a twin/sibling study, univariate and multivariate models were fitted to estimate both individual variance and sources of covariance between symptoms of sleep apnea and internalizing/externalizing behaviors. Results: Our results show that genetic influences account for 40% the variance in sleep apnea symptoms. Moreover, there are modest associations between depression, anxiety and externalizing behaviors with apnea symptoms (ranging from r = .22 to .29). However, the origins of these associations differ. For example, whereas most of the covariation between symptoms of depression and sleep apnea can be explained by genes (95%), there was a larger role for the environment (53%) in the association between symptoms of anxiety and sleep apnea. Conclusions: Genetic factors explain a significant proportion of variance in symptoms of apnea and most of the covariance with depression

Alteration of the tree–soil microbial system triggers a feedback loop that boosts holm oak decline

In anthropic savanna ecosystems from the Iberian Peninsula (i.e. dehesa), complex interactions between climate change, pathogen outbreaks and human land use are presumed to be behind the observed increase in holm oak decline. These environmental disturbances alter the plant–soil microbial continuum, which can destabilize the ecological balance that sustains tree health. Yet, little is known about the underlying mechanisms, particularly the directions and nature of the causal–effect relationships between plants and soil microbial communities. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of plant–soil feedbacks in climate-induced holm oak decline in the Iberian dehesa. Using a gradient of holm oak health, we reconstructed key soil biogeochemical cycles mediated by soil microbial communities. We used quantitative microbial element cycling (QMEC), a functional gene-array-based high-throughput technique to assess microbial functional potential in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur cycling. The onset of holm oak decline was positively related to the increase in relative abundance of soil microbial functional genes associated with denitrification and phosphorus mineralization (i.e. nirS3, ppx and pqqC; parameter value: 0.21, 0.23 and 0.4; p < 0.05). Structural equation model (χ2 = 32.26, p-value = 0.73), moreover, showed a negative association between these functional genes and soil nutrient availability (i.e. mainly mineral nitrogen and phosphate). Particularly, the holm oak crown health was mainly determined by the abundance of phosphate (parameter value = 0.27; p-value < 0.05) and organic phosphorus (parameter value = −0.37; p-value < 0.5). Hence, we propose a potential tree–soil feedback loop, in which the decline of holm oak promotes changes in the soil environment that triggers changes in key microbial-mediated metabolic pathways related to the net loss of soil nitrogen and phosphorus mineral forms. The shortage of essential nutrients, in turn, affects the ability of the trees to withstand the environmental stressors to which they are exposed. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. © 2023 The Authors. Functional Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.This research has been mainly funded by the Spanish Government through the IBERYCA project (CGL2017‐84723‐P), its associated FPI scholarship BES‐2014‐067971 (ME‐V), the SMARTSOIL (PID2020‐113244GB‐C21) and SMARTHEALTH (PID2020‐113244GA‐C22) projects (both funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). It has been further supported by the BC3 María de Maeztu excellence accreditation (MDM‐2017‐0714; the Spanish Government), by the BERC 2018–2021 and by the UPV/EHU‐GV IT‐1648‐22 (from the Basque Government). Additionally, this research was further supported through the grant Holistic management practices, modelling and monitoring for European forest soils—HoliSoils (EU Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement No 101000289) and the ‘Juan de la Cierva programme’ (MV; IJCI‐2017‐34640; the Spanish Government). We acknowledge the Nutrilab‐URJC (Mostoles, Spain) laboratory services for the soil chemical analyses and SGIker of UPV/EHU (Leioa, Spain) for the technical and staff support for the high‐throughput quantitative‐PCR analysis. We also thank the private owners of the dehesas for facilitating our access to their properties. We are thankful to Celia López‐Carrasco Fernández and the ‘Consejería de Agricultura, Medioambiente y Desarrollo rural de la Junta de Castilla‐La Mancha’ for all the logistical support. The ‘Tree’ icon by Hey Rabbit illustrator, from thenounproject.com were used to design the Graphical abstract. Open Access funding provided by the Univer

Sleep quality, insomnia and internalising difficulties in adolescents: insights from a twin study

Abstract:Objectives: There is a well-established association between poor sleep quality and internalising traits. This relationship has previously been studied using a twin design. However, when it comes to adolescence, there is a paucity of twin studies that have investigated this relationship, despite the importance of this developmental stage for both the development of poor sleep quality and internalising symptoms. Additionally, anxiety sensitivity, which is commonly associated with poor sleep quality, has not been studied in this context. Our objective was to estimate genetic and environmental influences on the relationships between insomnia, poor sleep quality and internalising symptoms in adolescence. Methods: Insomnia, poor sleep quality, depression, anxiety and anxiety sensitivity traits were measured in a sample of 5,111 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study, born between 1994 and 1996 (mean age 16.32y (SD=0.68)). Results: A moderate proportion of the variance for the different variables (.29-.42) was explained by genetic factors. Associations between sleep and internalising variables were moderate (r = .34 - .46) and there was a large genetic overlap between these variables (rA= 0.51 – 0.73). Conclusion: This study adds novel information by showing that there are large genetic correlations between sleep disturbances and internalising symptoms in adolescence

A SynBio community comes of age: political, academical, industrial, and societal developments in the Netherlands

Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a rapidly growing scientific discipline. In the Netherlands, various universities and companies are tackling a variety of opportunities and challenges within this field. In this perspective article, we review the current synthetic biology landscape in the Netherlands across academia, industry, politics, and society. Especially within Dutch academia there is an active, though only partially connected, research community involved in various domains of SynBio. Mostly supported by governmental funding, academic research is focusing on top-down synthetic biology, involving the engineering of for example bacteria and yeast for bioproduction, as well as bottom-up and cell-free synthetic biology aiming to understand life and build synthetic cells. There is also a large number of talented and motivated students interested in the field, exemplified by the participation and success of Dutch teams in the international iGEM synthetic biology competition. Commercial synthetic biology activities are taking place in various large industrial companies, as well as in start-ups and spin-offs, mostly divided over several ‘SynBio hubs’ in the Netherlands. However, the investment, regulatory and public-perception landscape is not yet optimal to stimulate entrepreneurial activities in SynBio. The Dutch and global society can further benefit from the large promise of SynBio through better integration of people active in the Dutch SynBio field, frequent political and public dialogue, and more attention towards regulatory issues. The recently founded Dutch synthetic biology association SynBioNL aims to contribute to realizing a positive impact on society by stimulating advances of the field in the Netherlands and beyond.Microbial Biotechnolog

TRIB3 suppresses tumorigenesis by controlling mTORC2/AKT/FOXO signaling.

In a recent article, we found that Tribbles pseudokinase 3 (TRIB3) plays a tumor suppressor role and that this effect relies on the dysregulation of the phosphorylation of v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2 complex), and the subsequent hyperphosphorylation and inactivation of the transcription factor Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3)

Degassing-derived eruptions at Deception Island (Antarctica): geochemistry of noble gas isotopes with implications for volcano forecasting

Peer reviewe

Usual dietary intake, nutritional adequacy and food sources of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D of spanish children aged one to dagger

Bone problems in the population begin to be establish in childhood. The present study aims to assess the usual calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D intakes, along with the food sources of these nutrients, in Spanish children participating in the EsNuPI (Estudio Nutricional en Población Infantil Española) study. Two 24 h dietary recalls were applied to 1448 children (1 to <10 years) divided into two sub-samples: one reference sample (RS) of the general population [n = 707] and another sample which exclusively included children consuming enriched or fortified milks, here called “adapted milks” (AMS) [n = 741]. Estimation of the usual intake shows that nutrient intake increased with age for all nutrients except vitamin D. Using as reference the Dietary Reference Values from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), calcium and magnesium intakes were found to be below the average requirement (AR) and adequate intake (AI), respectively, in a considerable percentage of children. Furthermore, phosphorus exceeded the AI in 100% of individuals and vitamin D was lower than the AI in almost all children studied. The results were very similar when considering only plausible reporters. When analyzing the food sources of the nutrients studied, milk and dairy products contributed the most to calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D. Other sources of calcium were cereals and vegetables; for phosphorus: meat, meat products, and cereals; for magnesium: cereals and fruits; and, for vitamin D: fish and eggs. These results highlight the desirability of improving the intake concerning these nutrients, which are involved in bone and metabolic health in children. The AMS group appeared to contribute better to the adequacy of those nutrients than the RS group, but both still need further improvement. Of special interest are the results of vitamin D intakes, which were significantly higher in the AMS group (although still below the AI), independent of age

Recensiones [Revista de Historia Económica Año IV Primavera-Verano 1986 n. 2 pp. 425-456]

Robert Fossier. Historia del campesinado en el Occidente Medieval. (Por Elisa C. de Santos Canalejo).-- A. Altisent. La descentralización administrativa del Monasterio de Poblet en la Edad.Media (Por Javier Faci).-- Ricardo García Cárcel. Historia de Cataluña. Siglos XVI-XVII. I. Los caracteres originales de la historia de Cataluña. II. La trayectoria histórica (Por Gaspar Felíu).-- A. M. Gutiérrez Ibarrechea, J. J. Muñoz Lobo y S. Ariztondo Akarregui. La industria molinera en Vizcaya en el siglo XVIII Por Rafael Uriarte Ayo).-- Germán Ojeda. Asturias en la industrialización española. 1833-1907 (Por Pedro Fraile Balbín).-- María Victoria de Gondra Oraá. El Bilbao de Julio de Lazúrtegui (Por Guillermo Gortázar).-- José Manuel Mangas Navas. La propiedad de la tierra en España: los Patrimonios Públicos (Por J. M. Donézar Diez de Ulzurrun).-- Clara Eugenia Núñez. El comercio exterior y los problemas de desarrollo económico en Andalucía, 1850-1880 (Por A. M. Bernal).-- Jacinto Rodríguez Osuna. Población y Territorio en España. Siglos XIX y XX (Por Angeles Valero).-- Santos Juliá Díaz. Madrid, 1931-1934. De la fiesta popular a la lucha de clases (Por Mercedes Cabrera).-- J. Foreman-Peck. Historia de la economía mundial (Por Juan Hernández Andreu)Publicad