Sorption of the herbicide linuron by Layered Double Hydroxide

II Encuentro sobre nanociencia y nanotecnología de investigadores y tecnólogos de la Universidad de Córdoba. NANOUC

Calidad docente percibida, motivación y rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios

52 p.¿Son de calidad los instrumentos que miden calidad docente? El interés internacional sobre el estudio de la calidad docente en los últimos 90 años ha ido creciendo hasta superar las 2000 publicaciones (Shao, Anderson y Newsome, 2007). La siguiente investigación, tiene como objetivo general la creación y validación de una herramienta de evaluación docente percibida basada en el modelo de Brady y Cronin (Brady y Cronin, 2001; Shih, Martínez, y Garrido, 2011), el cual esquematiza la calidad percibida de un servicio en función de: a) la interacción personal, b) el ambiente físico y c) la calidad del producto. El modelo se complementa con la variable motivación entendida como un conjunto de procesos que involucran la dirección, activación y persistencia de una conducta a través del tiempo además de considerar la taxonomía clásica intrínseca y extrínseca (Pekrun, 1992; Sánchez y Pina, 2011). Con esta variable veremos de qué manera la motivación intrínseca o extrínseca, interfieren en como el alumno universitario evalúa a sus profesores.Para esta investigación se utilizó una muestra de alumnos de dos universidades de la región del Maule, una universidad Privada, Universidad Autónoma de Chile sede Talca y otra estatal, Universidad de Talca. La muestra consta de un total de 418 alumnos, 210 de la institución privada y 208 de la institución estatal.Finalmente, nuestras variables criterio son rendimiento académico, además de la variable involucramiento referido al contexto educativo, lo que finalmente nos permitió obtener resultados positivos entre cada una de las variables de estudio y lograr un instrumento con adecuados índices de fiabilidad y validez.Palabras claves: Calidad Docente, Calidad Percibida, Motivación, Rendimiento Académic

A low fractional excretion of Phosphate/Fgf23 ratio is associated with severe abdominal Aortic calcification in stage 3 and 4 kidney disease patients

Background: Vascular calcification (VC) contributes to high mortality rates in chronic kidney disease (CKD). High serum phosphate and FGF23 levels and impaired phosphaturic response to FGF23 may affect VC. Therefore, their relative contribution to abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) was examined in patients CKD stages 3–4. Methods: Potential risk factors for AAC, measured by the Kauppila Index (KI), were studied in 178 patients. Results: In multivariate linear analysis, AAC associated positively with age, male gender, CKD-stage, presence of carotid plaques (CP) and also with FGF23, but negatively with fractional excretion of phosphate (FEP). Intriguingly, FEP increased with similar slopes with elevations in PTH, with reductions in GFR, and also with elevations in FGF23 but the latter only in patients with none (KI = 0) or mild (KI = 1-5) AAC. Lack of a FEP-FGF23 correlation in patients with severe AAC (KI > 5) suggested a role for an impaired phosphaturic response to FGF23 but not to PTH in AAC. Logistic and zero-inflated analysis confirmed the independent association of age, CKD stage, male gender and CP with AAC, and also identified a threshold FEP/FGF23 ratio of 1/3.9, below which the chances for a patient of presenting severe AAC increased by 3-fold. Accordingly, KI remained unchanged as FEP/FGF23 ratios decreased from 1/1 to 1/3.9 but markedly increased in parallel with further reductions in FEP/FGF23 < 1/3.9. Conclusions: In CKD 3–4, an impaired phosphaturic response to FGF23 with FEP/FGF23 < 1/3.9 associates with severe AAC independently of age, gender or CP

Blended transdiagnostic group CBT for emotional disorders: A feasibility trial protocol

Introduction: Emotional disorders (anxiety and depressive disorders) are a relevant public health concern associated with high prevalence, high costs, and important disability. Therefore, research priorities include designing and testing cost-effective interventions to reach everyone in need. Internet-delivered interventions for emotional disorders are effective and can help to disseminate and implement evidence-based treatments. However, although these treatments are generally effective, not all patients benefit from this treatment format equally. Blended treatments are a new form of intervention that combines the strengths of face-to-face and Internet approaches. Nevertheless, research on blended interventions has focused primarily on individual therapy, and less attention has been paid to the potential of using this format in group psychotherapy. This study aims to analyze the feasibility of blended transdiagnostic group CBT for emotional disorders. The current article describes the study protocol for this trial. Method and analysis: A one-armed pilot trial will be conducted. Participants will be 30 adults suffering from DSM-5 anxiety and/or depressive disorders. The treatment consists of a blended transdiagnostic group intervention delivered during a period of 24 weeks. Groups of 6 to 10 patients will attend a total of eight 2-hour, face-to-face sessions, alternated with the use of an online platform where they will find the contents of the treatment protocol. The intervention has four core components: present-focused awareness, cognitive flexibility, identification and modification of behavioral and cognitive patterns of emotional avoidance, and interoceptive and situational exposure. These components are delivered in 16 modules. Assessments will be performed at baseline, during the treatment, at post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. Clinical and treatment acceptability outcomes will be included. Quantitative and qualitative data (participants’ views about blended group psychotherapy) will be analyzed. Ethics and dissemination: The trial has received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Universitat Jaume I (September 2019) and will be conducted in accordance with the study protocol, the Declaration of Helsinki, and good clinical practice. The results of this study will be disseminated by presentation at conferences and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04008576. Registered 05 July 2019, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0400857

Inventario nacional de presas

La infraestructura hidráulica es un valioso activo nacional que permite no sólo el aprovechamiento del recurso hídrico, sino también el manejo de las avenidas para protección de la población y la reserva de volúmenes para las épocas de estiaje o de sequía prolongada. Se presenta la información relevante sobre las obras de almacenamiento, control de avenidas y derivación en el país. Incluye la totalidad de las presas registradas en el inventario nacional, con un acervo de más de veinte años de registros y observaciones directas en sitio. También se comenta sobre la condición estructural y funcional de las presas

Hidroxidos dobles laminares como materiales adsorbentes de contaminantes en aguas

II Encuentro sobre nanociencia y nanotecnología de investigadores y tecnólogos de la Universidad de Córdoba. NANOUC

Gene markers of dietary macronutrient composition and growth in the skeletal muscle of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

To increase our current knowledge on the nutritional regulation of growth and gene expression pattern in fish skeletal muscle, the effect of dietary macronutrient composition was assessed on digestibility, nutrient retention, growth performance, and the mRNA levels of key genes involved in functionality, growth and development of the skeletal muscle in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). Long-term starvation decreased the expression of myogenic regulatory factors such as Myod2, Myf5, myogenin (Myog) and Myf6 in the skeletal muscle of S. aurata. The supply of high or medium protein, low carbohydrate diets enhanced growth parameters, feed efficiency ratio, feed conversion ratio and significantly upregulated myod2. However, the supply of low protein, high carbohydrate diets restricted growth and stimulated the mRNA levels of myostatin, while downregulated follistatin (fst), igf1, mtor and rps6. Microarray analysis revealed igfals, tnni2, and gadd45a as gene markers upregulated by diets enriched with protein, lipids and carbohydrates, respectively. The results of the present study show that in addition to myod2, fst, igf1, mtor and rps6, the expression levels of igfals, tnni2 and remarkably gadd45a in the skeletal muscle can be used as markers to evaluate the effect of dietary macronutrient changes on fish growth and muscle development in S. aurata

Electrophysiological effects of extracellular vesicles secreted by cardiosphere-derived cells: Unraveling the antiarrhythmic properties of cell therapies

This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering.Although cell-based therapies show potential antiarrhythmic effects that could be mediated by their paracrine action, the mechanisms and the extent of these effects were not deeply explored. We investigated the antiarrhythmic mechanisms of extracellular vesicles secreted by cardiosphere-derived cell extracellular vesicles (CDC-EVs) on the electrophysiological properties and gene expression profile of HL1 cardiomyocytes. HL-1 cultures were primed with CDC-EVs or serum-free medium alone for 48 h, followed by optical mapping and gene expression analysis. In optical mapping recordings, CDC-EVs reduced the activation complexity of the cardiomyocytes by 40%, increased rotor meandering, and reduced rotor curvature, as well as induced an 80% increase in conduction velocity. HL-1 cells primed with CDC-EVs presented higher expression of SCN5A, CACNA1C, and GJA1, coding for proteins involved in INa, ICaL, and Cx43, respectively. Our results suggest that CDC-EVs reduce activation complexity by increasing conduction velocity and modifying rotor dynamics, which could be driven by an increase in expression of SCN5A and CACNA1C genes, respectively. Our results provide new insights into the antiarrhythmic mechanisms of cell therapies, which should be further validated using other models.This research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain: PI16/01123, PI17/01059, Red de Terapia Celular-Tercel-RD16.0011.0029 and CIBERCV-CB16.11.00292

Influence of oral health on mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT)

Aims: To establish whether or not the state of patient oral health can influence the occurrence and/or severity of oral mucositis during hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT). Materials and Methods: The study included 72 patients awaiting HPCT. Prior to transplantation, clinical explora-exxploration and radiology were carried out and oral photographs were taken. This evaluated the exxtent of caries present, the number of missing teeth and the number of dental fillings in each patient; CAO (Caries and Obturations Index) DMFS (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surfaces) and Restoration Indices were calculated. Gingival pathology was also examined by means of the Ainamo and Bay Gingival Bleeding Index. O'Leary's Plaque Index was used to evaluate the level of patient oral hygiene. This data was analyzed to see if it exercised any influence on the mucositis grade suffered during HPCT. Results: 96,87% of patients suffered some degree of mucositis during their treatment by the Transplant Unit. The grade of mucositis was seen to be influenced by the number of missing teeth (ANOVA p<0.016) and by the DMFS Index (ANOVA p< 0.038). Although this was not one of the aims of this study, patient age and the administration of colony-stimulating factors were also seen to influence these clinical manifestations. Conclusions: The state of prior oral health can influence decisively the mucositis suffered during transplantation. © Medicina Oral S. L