Qualidade no ensino superior virtual do ponto de vista da análise do discurso: O caso das políticas colombianas

This research paper outlines the results from a case study on public policies in Colombia and their relationship with the conceptualization of quality in virtual higher education. Through the discourse analysis of a selected corpus of official documents, this study seeks to formulate a response to the following question: What has quality meant for the Ministry of National Education of Colombia in virtual higher education? When assessing the methods through which the conceptualization, management, and evaluation processes may be strengthened regarding quality in virtual higher education at the national level, the results reveal that although the concept of quality in virtual higher education is not explicitly provisioned in public policies, certain implicit concept definitions may be perceived, along with some quality assessment and management mechanisms, understanding quality from the standpoints of accreditation and certification, technological development, and educational content.Este artículo de investigación expone los resultados de un estudio de caso sobre las políticas públicas en Colombia y su relación con la conceptualización de la calidad en la educación superior virtual. A través del análisis del discurso de un corpus seleccionado de documentos oficiales, el estudio busca responder a la pregunta: ¿qué ha significado la calidad de la educación superior virtual para el Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia? En el análisis de cómo se pueden fortalecer los procesos de conceptualización, gestión y evaluación de la calidad de la educación superior virtual en el país, los resultados revelan que, si bien el concepto de calidad de la educación superior virtual no existe de forma explícita en las políticas públicas, sí se perciben ciertos significados implícitos del concepto, así como algunos mecanismos de evaluación y gestión de la calidad, entendida esta a partir de la acreditación y la certificación, el desarrollo tecnológico y los contenidos educativos.Este artigo de pesquisa descreve os resultados de um estudo de caso sobre políticas públicas na Colômbia e sua relação com a conceituação de qualidade no ensino superior virtual. Através da análise do discurso de um corpus selecionado de documentos oficiais, este estudo busca formular uma resposta à seguinte questão: Qual é o significado de qualidade da educação superior virtual para o Ministério da Educação Nacional da Colômbia? Ao avaliar os métodos pelos quais os processos de conceituação, gestão e avaliação podem ser fortalecidos em relação à qualidade no ensino superior virtual em nível nacional, os resultados revelam que, embora o conceito de qualidade no ensino superior virtual não esteja explicitamente previsto nas políticas públicas, certas definições de conceitos implícitos podem ser percebidas, juntamente com alguns mecanismos de avaliação e gestão da qualidade, compreendendo a qualidade sob os pontos de credenciamento e certificação, desenvolvimento tecnológico e conteúdo educacional

Proteases from Entamoeba

The standard reference for pathogenic and nonpathogenic amoebae is the human parasite Entamoeba histolytica; a direct correlation between virulence and protease expression has been demonstrated for this amoeba. Traditionally, proteases are considered virulence factors, including those that produce cytopathic effects in the host or that have been implicated in manipulating the immune response. Here, we expand the scope to other amoebae, including less-pathogenic Entamoeba species and highly pathogenic free-living amoebae. In this paper, proteases that affect mucin, extracellular matrix, immune system components, and diverse tissues and cells are included, based on studies in amoebic cultures and animal models. We also include proteases used by amoebae to degrade iron-containing proteins because iron scavenger capacity is currently considered a virulence factor for pathogens. In addition, proteases that have a role in adhesion and encystation, which are essential for establishing and transmitting infection, are discussed. The study of proteases and their specific inhibitors is relevant to the search for new therapeutic targets and to increase the power of drugs used to treat the diseases caused by these complex microorganisms

Recursos educativos abiertos (REA) en el nivel medio superior: ¿Mejoran el aprendizaje?

El presente documento muestra la experiencia de uso de Recursos Educativos Abiertos (REA) en cuatro grupos de estudiantes del nivel Medio Superior  y se analiza el impacto en su aprendizaje al variar la instrucción utilizando tres tipos de Recursos Educativos Abiertos (REA), los cuales han sido diseñados para incrementar el grado de interactividad del REA con el estudiante. Los resultados sugieren que a medida que el REA se vuelve más interactivo y cercano a un contexto real los estudiantes mejoran significativamente su aprovechamiento evaluado mediante un examen teórico. Además, los resultados indican que no existe una diferencia significativa en el aprovechamiento a partir del género. Finalmente, se considera relevante el seguir indagando en el impacto que tiene el diseño y características de un REA para generar un mejor aprovechamiento en los estudiantes que hacen uso de ellos.

MTHFD1 controls DNA methylation in Arabidopsis.

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that has important functions in transcriptional silencing and is associated with repressive histone methylation (H3K9me). To further investigate silencing mechanisms, we screened a mutagenized Arabidopsis thaliana population for expression of SDCpro-GFP, redundantly controlled by DNA methyltransferases DRM2 and CMT3. Here, we identify the hypomorphic mutant mthfd1-1, carrying a mutation (R175Q) in the cytoplasmic bifunctional methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase/methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase (MTHFD1). Decreased levels of oxidized tetrahydrofolates in mthfd1-1 and lethality of loss-of-function demonstrate the essential enzymatic role of MTHFD1 in Arabidopsis. Accumulation of homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine, genome-wide DNA hypomethylation, loss of H3K9me and transposon derepression indicate that S-adenosylmethionine-dependent transmethylation is inhibited in mthfd1-1. Comparative analysis of DNA methylation revealed that the CMT3 and CMT2 pathways involving positive feedback with H3K9me are mostly affected. Our work highlights the sensitivity of epigenetic networks to one-carbon metabolism due to their common S-adenosylmethionine-dependent transmethylation and has implications for human MTHFD1-associated diseases

Prevalencia de urticaria crónica y patologías asociadas en el Centro Regional de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica del Hospital Universitario “Dr. José Eleuterio González”, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

La urticaria crónica (UC) afecta al 1% de la población general; se define por la presencia de ronchas o habones con o sin angioedema. La UC puede estar relacionada a otras enfermedades alérgicas de importancia. ABSTRACT Chronic urticaria (CU) affects 1% of the population and is defined as the presence of wheals with or without angioedema. It can also be associated to other allergy related pathologies

Durvalumab Plus Carboplatin/Paclitaxel Followed by Maintenance Durvalumab With or Without Olaparib as First-Line Treatment for Advanced Endometrial Cancer: The Phase III DUO-E Trial

PURPOSE Immunotherapy and chemotherapy combinations have shown activity in endometrial cancer, with greater benefit in mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient (dMMR) than MMR-proficient (pMMR) disease. Adding a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor may improve outcomes, especially in pMMR disease. METHODS This phase III, global, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomly assigned eligible patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer 1:1:1 to: carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab placebo followed by placebo maintenance (control arm); carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab plus olaparib placebo (durvalumab arm); or carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab plus olaparib (durvalumab + olaparib arm). The primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) in the durvalumab arm versus control and the durvalumab + olaparib arm versus control. RESULTS Seven hundred eighteen patients were randomly assigned. In the intention-to-treat population, statistically significant PFS benefit was observed in the durvalumab (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.89]; P = .003) and durvalumab + olaparib arms (HR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.69]; P < .0001) versus control. Prespecified, exploratory subgroup analyses showed PFS benefit in dMMR (HR [durvalumab v control], 0.42 [95% CI, 0.22 to 0.80]; HR [durvalumab + olaparib v control], 0.41 [95% CI, 0.21 to 0.75]) and pMMR subgroups (HR [durvalumab v control], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.60 to 0.97]; HR [durvalumab + olaparib v control] 0.57; [95% CI, 0.44 to 0.73]); and in PD-L1-positive subgroups (HR [durvalumab v control], 0.63 [95% CI, 0.48 to 0.83]; HR [durvalumab + olaparib v control], 0.42 [95% CI, 0.31 to 0.57]). Interim overall survival results (maturity approximately 28%) were supportive of the primary outcomes (durvalumab v control: HR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.56 to 1.07]; P = .120; durvalumab + olaparib v control: HR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.42 to 0.83]; P = .003). The safety profiles of the experimental arms were generally consistent with individual agents. CONCLUSION Carboplatin/paclitaxel plus durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab with or without olaparib demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful PFS benefit in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Mutational spectrum in a worldwide study of 29,700 families with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

The prevalence and spectrum of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been reported in single populations, with the majority of reports focused on White in Europe and North America. The Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) has assembled data on 18,435 families with BRCA1 mutations and 11,351 families with BRCA2 mutations ascertained from 69 centers in 49 countries on six continents. This study comprehensively describes the characteristics of the 1,650 unique BRCA1 and 1,731 unique BRCA2 deleterious (disease-associated) mutations identified in the CIMBA database. We observed substantial variation in mutation type and frequency by geographical region and race/ethnicity. In addition to known founder mutations, mutations of relatively high frequency were identified in specific racial/ethnic or geographic groups that may reflect founder mutations and which could be used in targeted (panel) first pass genotyping for specific populations. Knowledge of the population-specific mutational spectrum in BRCA1 and BRCA2 could inform efficient strategies for genetic testing and may justify a more broad-based oncogenetic testing in some populations