Estimation of Pubertal Growth-Spurt Parameters in Children and Adolescents in Colombia: Comparison between Low and Moderate Altitudes

Context-specific information, including differences in geographical areas, such as distinct altitudes, can be important to explain variations in physical growth. We aimed to compare the estimation of maximum growth velocity and pubertal growth-spurt parameters of children and adolescents living at low and moderate altitudes in Colombia. A cross-sectional study, including a representative cohort of 30.305 (51% boys) children and adolescents aged 1-18 years from Colombia, was performed. The heights were measured with standardized techniques. The Preece-Baines growth model was used to estimate the mathematical and biological parameters of the height-growth velocities and growth spurts for both sexes. The altitudes were categorized as low (18 to 564 m above sea level) or moderate (2420 to 2640 m above sea level). There were no differences in final height (h(1)), peak height velocity size (h(theta)), age at peak height velocity (APHV), or peak height velocity PHV (cm/y) between the subjects living in both altitudes (p > 0.05). The APHV was estimated at 12.75 +/- 0.75 years in the boys and at 10.05 +/- 0.65 years in the girls. The girls reached the APVH 2.70 years earlier than the boys. Regarding the PHV, the boys reached higher growth velocity, which was 6.85 +/- 0.55 cm/y. In conclusion, there were no significant differences in final height, peak height, APHV, or PHV between the children and adolescents living at distinct altitudes in Colombia. The PHV occurred approximately 3 years earlier in the girls than in the boys. Furthermore, the girls' estimated PHV, APHV, and final height were lower than those of the boys. This study allows additional insight into pubertal growth-spurt parameters and also provides a valuable reference database for the assessment of Colombian children and adolescents.Directorate General of Research (Direccion General de Investigaciones) of the Universidad Santiago de Cali 01-202

Resistance training and clinical status in patients with postdischarge symptoms after COVID‑19: protocol for a randomized controlled crossover trial “The EXER‑COVID Crossover Study”

Background: Physical exercise induces a coordinated response of multiple organ systems, including the immune system. In fact, it has been proposed that physical exercise may modulate the immune system. However, the potential effect of an exercise program on COVID-19 survivors has not been investigated. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the modifications in immunological parameters, physical condition, inflammatory profile, and perceived persistent symptoms after 6 weeks of supervised resistance training (RT), in addition to the standard care on the clinical status of patients with persistent COVID-19 symptoms. The objective of this protocol is to describe the scientific rationale in detail and to provide information about the study procedures. Methods/design: A total of 100 patients with postdischarge symptoms after COVID-19 will be randomly allocated into either a group receiving standard care (control group) or a group performing a multicomponent exercise program two times a week over a period of 6 weeks. The main hypothesis is that a 6-week multicomponent exercise program (EXER-COVID Crossover Study) will improve the immunological and inflammatory profile, physical condition, and persistent perceived symptoms (fatigue/tiredness, musculoskeletal pain, and shortness of breath) in patients with postdischarge symptoms after COVID-19. Discussion: Our results will provide insights into the effects of a multicomponent exercise program on immunological parameters, physical condition, inflammatory profile, and persistent perceived symptoms in patients with postdischarge symptoms after COVID-19. Information obtained by this study will inform future guidelines on the exercise training rehabilitation of patients with postdischarge symptoms after COVID-19."Proyectos de I+D+i" de los Programas Estatales de Generacion de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Cientifico y Tecnologico del Sistema de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, en el marco del Plan Estatal de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica y de Inno PID2020-113098RB-I0

Lipidomic signatures from physically frail and robust older adults at hospital admission

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study was funded by a Gobierno de Navarra project Resolucion grant 2186/2014 and acknowledged with the "Beca Ortiz de Landazuri" as the best research clinical project in 2014, as well as by a research grant PI17/01814 of the Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad (ISCIII, FEDER). A.G.-H. is a Miguel Servet Fellow (Instituto de Salud Carlos III -CP18/0150). N.M.-V. received funding from "la Caixa" Foundation (ID 100010434), under agreement LCF/PR/PR15/51100006. R.R.-V. is funded in part by a Postdoctoral Fellowship Resolution ID 420/2019 of the Universidad Publica de Navarra.Identifying serum biomarkers that can predict physical frailty in older adults would have tremendous clinical value for primary care, as this condition is inherently related to poor quality of life and premature mortality. We compared the serum lipid profile of physically frail and robust older adults to identify specific lipid biomarkers that could be used to assess physical frailty in older patients at hospital admission. Fortythree older adults (58.1% male), mean (range) age 86.4 (78–100 years) years, were classified as physically frail (n = 18) or robust (n = 25) based on scores from the Short Physical Performance Battery (≤ 6 points). Nontargeted metabolomic study by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) analysis with later bioinformatics data analysis. Once the significantly different metabolites were identified, the KEGG database was used on them to establish which were the metabolic pathways mainly involved. Area under receiver-operating curve (AUROC) analysis was used to test the discriminatory ability of lipid biomarkers for frailty based on the Short Physical Performance Battery. We identified a panel of five metabolites including ceramides Cer (40:2), Cer (d18:1/20:0), Cer (d18:1/23:0), cholesterol, and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (14:0/20:4) that were significantly increased in physically frail older adults compared with robust older adults at hospital admission. The most interesting in the physically frail metabolome study found with the KEGG database were the metabolic pathways, vitamin digestion and absorption, AGERAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, and insulin resistance. In addition, Cer (40:2) (AUROC 0.747), Cer (d18:1/23:0) (AUROC 0.720), and cholesterol (AUROC 0.784) were identified as higher values of physically frail at hospital admission. The non-targeted metabolomic study can open a wide view of the physically frail features changes at the plasma level, which would be linked to the physical frailty phenotype at hospital admission. Also, we propose that metabolome analysis will have a suitable niche in personalized medicine for physically frail older adults.Gobierno de Navarra project Resolucion grant 2186/2014Spanish Government PI17/01814Instituto de Salud Carlos III III -CP18/0150La Caixa Foundation 100010434 LCF/PR/PR15/51100006Universidad Publica de Navarra 420/2019CRUE-CSIC agreementSpringer Natur

Enseñanza de segundas lenguas a alumnado inmigrante: evaluación de las estrategias y aprendizajes conseguidos

El presente estudio tiene su origen en una investigación realizada sobre el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas por alumnado inmigrante. En particular nos centramos nuestro estudio en las estrategias de aprendizaje y en los procesos particulares que se ponen en marcha en las aulas de acogida a las que asisten en el momento en que llegan a nuestro país. Hemos estudiado las aulas ALISO de Castilla y León. Como estrategia principal de indagación hemos empleado la entrevista, con una muestra de los distintos agentes implicados en el funcionamiento y organización de estas aulas (profesorado, administración educativa, alumnado y familias). En este artículo analizaremos los aspectos más significativos que favorecen o dificultan los procesos de enseñanzaaprendizaje del español como segunda lengua con este alumnado, en particular: las estrategias de aprendizaje, la metodología utilizada (enfoque comunicativo y aprendizaje por contenidos), la evaluación educativa, la lengua de instrucción y, por último, el posterior acceso a las áreas curricularesThe present study has its origin in an investigation based on the learning of second languages for immigrant students. In particular we focus our study on learning strategies and individual processes that are launched in the reception classes they attend when they reach our country. We have studied the classrooms ALISO of Castilla y León. The main research strategy that we have used was the interview, with a sample of the different agents involved in the operation and organization of these classrooms (teaching staff, educational administration, students and families). This article will discuss the most significant aspects that favor or hinder the processes of teaching and learning Spanish as a second language with the students, in particular: learning strategies, teaching methodology, educational assessment, instruction language and, finally, subsequent access to curricular area

Non-Equilibrium Hyperbolic Transport in Transcriptional Regulation

In this work we studied memory and irreversible transport phenomena in a non-equilibrium thermodynamical model for genomic transcriptional regulation. Transcriptional regulation possess an extremely complex phenomenology, and it is, of course, of foremost importance in organismal cell development and in the pathogenesis of complex diseases. A better understanding of the way in which these processes occur is mandatory to optimize the construction of gene regulatory networks, but also to connect these networks with multi-scale phenomena (e.g. metabolism, signalling pathways, etc.) under an integrative Systems Biology-like vision. In this paper we analyzed three simple mechanisms of genetic stimulation: an instant pulse, a periodic biochemical signal and a saturation process with sigmoidal kinetics and from these we derived the system's thermodynamical response, in the form of, for example, anomalous transcriptional bursts

Enseñanza de semiología dermatológica desde el aprendizaje significativo

La semiología dermatológica, tema fundamental en la educación de médicos generales ha sido enseñada mediante modelos tradicionales que, combinados por el poco tiempo asignado para su aprendizaje y el enorme volumen de información, hace que los conocimientos no sean aprendidos de forma sólida y perenne. Se pretende con este trabajo, plantear estrategias de aprendizaje significativo, que faciliten en el estudiante una mejor comprensión de dichos conceptos y permita su aplicación en cualquier momento del ejercicio profesional mediante la utilización de mapas conceptuales enmarcados en unidades de aprendizaje significativ

El índice de calidad antioxidante de la dieta (DAQS) está asociado con la masa ósea evaluada mediante ultrasonido cuantitativo en el calcáneo en mujeres jóvenes

Introduction: Evidence suggests that intake of antioxidants could positively infl uence bone mass by preventing bone metabolism against oxidative stress. Objective: We aimed to investigate the possible infl uence of single antioxidant intakes and dietary antioxidant quality score (DAQs) on calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) in a population of young adults. Methods: A total of 605 young Spanish adults participated in this study (median age 20.38 ± 2.67). Bone mass was measured by calcaneal QUS to determine broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA, dB/MHz) parameter. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis and dietary intakes were determined using a 72-hour diet recall interview. DAQs was applied to calculate antioxidant nutrients intake. Linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the possible infl uence of DAQs on calcaneal QUS. Results: Most of young adults showed a low-quality antioxidant intake (only 17.6% of women and 20.3% of men had a score of 4 or 5 in DAQs). A positive correlation between DAQs and BUA was observed in women (r = 0.117; p = 0.024). Linear regression analysis revealed that DAQs was signifi cantly associated with BUA parameter in women after adjusting by body weight, height, calcium intake and physical activity (PA) (p = 0.035). No signifi cant associations between single antioxidant and calcaneus QUS measurement were found. Conclusion: Our fi ndings suggest that high-quality antioxidant intakes could infl uence bone health in young women. Future studies should further investigate the protective role of antioxidant nutrients against osteoporosis

Representational task formats and problem solving strategies in kinematics and work

Previous studies have reported that students employed different problem solving approaches when presented with the same task structured with different representations. In this study, we explored and compared students’ strategies as they attempted tasks from two topical areas, kinematics and work. Our participants were 19 engineering students taking a calculus-based physics course. The tasks were presented in linguistic, graphical, and symbolic forms and requested either a qualitative solution or a value. The analysis was both qualitative and quantitative in nature focusing principally on the characteristics of the strategies employed as well as the underlying reasoning for their applications. A comparison was also made for the same student’s approach with the same kind of representation across the two topics. Additionally, the participants’ overall strategies across the different tasks, in each topic, were considered. On the whole, we found that the students prefer manipulating equations irrespective of the representational format of the task. They rarely recognized the applicability of a ‘‘qualitative’’ approach to solve the problem although they were aware of the concepts involved. Even when the students included visual representations in their solutions, they seldom used these representations in conjunction with the mathematical part of the problem. Additionally, the students were not consistent in their approach for interpreting and solving problems with the same kind of representation across the two topical areas. The representational format, level of prior knowledge, and familiarity with a topic appeared to influence their strategies, their written responses, and their ability to recognize qualitative ways to attempt a problem. The nature of the solution does not seem to impact the strategies employed to handle the problem

El perspectivismo conceptual en la representación cognitiva de personas: las concepciones sobre el medio ambiente

Se analiza la flexibilidad y el grado de elaboración del modelo mental de las creencias de otras personas sobre los problemas ambientales. Los modelos mentales son representaciones episódicas construidas en respuesta a determinadas demandas. El conocimiento previo contribuye a enriquecer el modelo aportando un mayor grado de elaboración y coherencia. Pero la representación debe ser sensible a la información que proporciona la situación por lo que la aportación del conocimiento previo no debe entenderse como una simple instanciación de esquemas sino como la activación selectiva de esquemas previos. Se comprueba la forma en la que se movilizan determinados esquemas previos, como las teorías implícitas, sobre el medio ambiente, el autoesquema y el esquema de género, en determinados contextos de activación de creencias (únicos o múltiples), así como el rol que adquiere el personaje. Los resultados en relación a la flexibilidad de modelo mental, indican que los participantes en el estudio construyen un modelo mental de las creencias de los personajes adaptándose a los puntos de vista de éstos y a los cambios continuos de personaje y contenido a los que se enfrentan. La flexibilidad mejora cuando la verificación se realiza en los contextos múltiples, donde se pueden distinguir a los personajes. La activación de los componentes esquemáticos depende del contexto de activación de creencias y de los objetivos que los participantes tienen para elaborar la representación. En el primer caso, se observa que el grado de elaboración del modelo aumenta en los contextos donde los participantes poseen más conocimiento previo. En el segundo caso, los participantes activan selectivamente los esquemas previos dependiendo de si su objetivo es distinguir a los personajes o elaborar una representación precisa de los mismos. El rol del personaje es fundamental cuando hay que representar las ideas de los personajes ya que los participantes son sensibles a los cambios que se producen en esta variable y logran una buena memoria de la fuente. En cambio, cuando se trata de representar las acciones de los personajes, é esto ocurre con el contenido. Los modelos mentales de ideas se diferencian de los de acciones según la facilidad por que se construyen, por la movilización de diferentes esquemas y por el rol que tiene el personaje

Dietary Inflammatory Index and Cardiometabolic Risk Parameters in Overweight and Sedentary Subjects

Nutrition has been established as a relevant factor in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to investigate the relationship between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and cardiometabolic risk parameters in a cohort of 90 overweight and sedentary adults from Bogotá, Colombia. A 24-h dietary record was used to calculate the DII. Body composition variables, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse wave velocity (PWV), lipid profile, glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac), and blood pressure were measured and a cardiometabolic risk score (MetScore) was calculated. A lower DII score (anti-inflammatory diet) was significantly associated with higher high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and FMD, and lower Hb1Ac and MetScore (p < 0.05). A lower DII score was inversely correlated with plasma triglyceride levels (r = −0.354, p < 0.05), glucose (r = −0.422, p < 0.05), MetScore (r = −0.228, p < 0.05), and PWV (r = −0.437, p < 0.05), and positively with FMD (r = 0.261, p < 0.05). In contrast, a higher DII score (pro-inflammatory diet) showed a positive relationship with MetScore (r = 0.410, p < 0.05) and a negative relationship with FMD (r = −0.233, p < 0.05). An increased inflammatory potential of diet was inversely associated with an improved cardiometabolic profile, suggesting the importance of promoting anti-inflammatory diets as an effective strategy for preventing CVD.The authors would like to acknowledge Center for Measurement Studies in Physical Activity (CEMA) and to Universidad del Rosario for the financial and scientific support