Products released from surgical face masks can provoke cytotoxicity in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Surgical face masks are more present than ever as personal protective equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we show that the contents of regular surgical masks: i) polypropylene microfibres and ii) some added metals such as: Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and Ba, may be toxic to some marine life. This work has got two objectives: i) to study the release rate of the products from face masks in marine water and ii) to assess the toxicity in Phaeodactylum tricornutum of these by-products. To achieve these two objectives, we performed release kinetic experiments by adding masks in different stages of fragmentation to marine water (i.e. whole face masks and fragments of them 1.52 ± 0.86 mm). Released microfibres were found after one month in shaking marine water; 0.33 ± 0.24 and 21.13 ± 13.19 fibres·mL−1 were collected from the whole and fragmented face masks, respectively. Significant amounts of dissolved metals such as Mn, Zn and Ni, as well as functional groups only in the water containing the face mask fragments were detected. Water from both treatments was employed to study its toxicity on the marine diatom. Only the water from the face mask fragments showed a significant, dose-dependent, decrease in cell density in P. tricornutum; 53.09 % lower than in the controls. Although the water from the face mask fragments showed greater effects on the microalgae population than the water from the whole face mask, the latter treatment did show significant changes in the photosynthetic apparatus and intrinsic properties of the cells. These results indicate that during fragmentation and degradation face masks a significant chemical print can be observed in the marine environment.Marta Sendra wishes to acknowledge her contract Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (IJC2020-043162-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033 and European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. Dr. Araceli Rodríguez-Romero is supported by the Spanish grant Juan de la Cierva Incorporación referenced as IJC2018–037545-I

Escritura creativa y diversidad de estrategias y recursos pedagógicos

Recursos pedagógicos, bases de datos y comunicación con universidades extranjeras para mejorar la enseñanza de la escritura creativa

Investigación de la policromía original en la bóveda de la sala capitular de la casa consistorial de Sevilla

Dentro del Proyecto I+D BIA2004-07237 concedido en el Plan Nacional 2004 se están estudiando diversos edificios, uno de ellos la Casa Consistorial, y en concreto la bóveda de su espacio más singular, la Sala Capitular. Las trazas originales son del Arquitecto Diego de Riaño, de 1527. La Sala Capitular baja, de planta ligeramente rectangular está cubierta por una bóveda de piedra calcarenita en carpanel, muy rebajada, formada con nervaduras que definen una retícula ortogonal. Los treinta y seis casetones resultantes están decorados con relieves de monarcas castellanos y leoneses, reinantes entre 866 y 1556. Próximamente se va a restaurar, motivo por el cual se está estudiando la sala en su integridad, presentando en esta comunicación los resultados de los estudios preliminares de la policromía que ornamenta la bóveda. La piedra originariamente estuvo policromada. Se ha realizado un estudio histórico, iconográfico y experimental. Los resultados de las técnicas empleadas y la composición de los materiales se sintetizan en los siguientes apartados, tratándose principalmente de dorados, verdes, azules, negros y una veladura de protección

Enseñanza de Lengua española en los Grados de Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas y de Comunicación Audiovisual

En este proyecto se han diseñado guías para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de Lengua española en los grados de Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas y Comunicación Audiovisual. En concreto, se han elaborado guías de aprendizaje que ayuden al desarrollo de habilidades para la exposición y defensa oral en público, y a fomentar la creatividad en la elaboración de proyectos

Gastroprotection during the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A drug-utilization study

Producción CientíficaThere has been an increase of anti-ulcer drug consumption in Spain. A high proportion of this consumption may be due to the use of those drugs as gastroprotective agents when co-prescribed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The aim of this study was to learn how these treatments are being used: the prevalence of use, the type of drug and the main features of patients. A sample of patients going to pharmacies with a NSAID prescription, with or without a gastroprotective agent, was obtained. A survey questionnaire was distributed to learn clinical and demographic data of the patients. Of the 942 patients interviewed, 41.6% were co-treated with a gastroprotective agent in addition to the NSAID. Most of these patients received proton-pump inhibitors and, to a lesser extent, histamine-2-receptor antagonists, antacids and prostaglandin analogues. The use of gastroprotective agents increased with age, treatment duration and illness chronicity; specialists prescribed a higher proportion of those co-treatments than did general practitioners. There was a high prescription rate of gastroprotective agents; in general, these were used according to recommendations. However, the type of gastroprotective agents being used does not seem to be justified by the current guidelines: histamine-2-receptor antagonists and antacid drugs have not proved their efficacy in this indication. The fact that one in four treatments with gastroprotective drugs was issued to patients without associated risk factors identifies a possible problem where an intervention could be appropriate

Association of Muscular Fitness and Body Fatness with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: The FUPRECOL Study

This study investigated the associations of muscular fitness and various indicators of body fatness with cardio-metabolic risk factors and determined the muscular strength and body fatness thresholds for detecting a high risk of cardio-metabolic dysfunction in young adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1798 collegiate students (61.5% females, mean age 20.5 years). Muscular fitness was determined by using a handgrip strength test and normalized grip strength (NGS = handgrip (kg)/body mass (kg)). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), percentage of fat mass (BF%), fat-mass index (FMI), and waist-to-height ratio (WHR) were also included as body fatness measurements. A high cardio-metabolic risk cluster was derived by assessing triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. Logistic regression models showed that men and women with lower NGS had an increased cardio-metabolic risk odds ratio (OR) = 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 2.9, ρ = 0.006, and OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.5, ρ = 0.036, respectively). In both sexes, higher levels of all fatness parameters were also associated with increased cardio-metabolic risk (ρ < 0.001). In both men and women, high FMI had the highest OR for clustered risk (OR = 4.7, 95% CI 2.6 to 8.4, and OR = 7.3, 95% CI 3.4 to 9.7, ρ < 0.001, respectively). Combined analysis showed that unfitness (lower NGS) and high fat had the highest OR for WC and FMI in men and women, respectively (OR = 5.5, 95% CI 2.6 to 11.4, OR = 7.7, 95% CI 2.3 to 15.8, ρ < 0.01). Muscular strength and body fatness are independently and jointly associated with increased cardiometabolic risk in young adults, which suggests that both are predictor variables for this.K.G.-R. received a scholarship from Universidad del Rosario, Colombia, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, to complete a Doctorate. This study was part of the project entitled “Body Adiposity Index and Biomarkers of Endothelial and Cardiovascular Health in Adults” and FUPRECOL Study, which was funded by the Center for Studies on Measurement of Physical Activity, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario (Code NºFIUR DN-BG001) and Universidad de Boyacá (Code Nº RECT 60). The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, preparation of the manuscript, or decision to publish

Materialidad pictórica. Estudio y percepción de la pintura tardogótica en la actualidad

Estudio con carácter científico e interdisciplinar de los estudios físicos, químicos y visuales de los aspectos materiales e históricos de las pinturas tardogóticas en Castilla, y su difusión a través de las redes sociales de forma visual y didáctica

Integración económica e inversiones extranjeras: el caso de la Unión Monetaria Europea

Los estudios teóricos y empíricos sobre los efectos y determinantes de la inversión directa extranjera (IDE) comparten la conclusión de que los procesos de integración económica regional generan un efecto positivo sobre los flujos de inversión directa de la región, tanto en lo que se refiera a los flujos de entrada como de salida. En este sentido, cuanto más avanzado sea el estadio de integración económica y cuanto más complementarias sean las economías integradas mayores serán los beneficios inducidos por el aumento de la inversión directa y mayor será el número de países socios beneficiados por los mismos. Este aumento de la IDE procedería tanto del aumento de los flujos de IDE procedente de países terceros como de una reorganización de los flujos de IDE procedentes de los propios Estados participantes en el proceso de integración. El presente estudio analiza los efectos de la creación de la Unión Monetaria Europea (UME) sobre los flujos de inversión directa de los Estados miembros de la UME, tanto en lo que se refiere a los flujos de entrada de IDE como de salida. Utilizando los datos sobre inversión directa proporcionados por la UNCTAD y por Eurostat se analiza si el proceso de integración monetaria ha supuesto, como señala la teoría, un aumento de la inversión extranjera en la UME, tanto en lo que se refiere a los flujos de IDE procedentes de países terceros como a una concentración de los flujos de IDE intra-UME