Importancia de la genética como ciencia en relación a la pandemia de COVID-19: Importance of genetics as a science in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic

The current COVID-19 pandemic has become a major global public health problem with almost one and a half million cases and tens of thousands of deaths until now. Genetics is playing a leading role in the identification, management and treatment of diseases. This article details the importance of genetics as a science to face the global threat of COVID-19, from different approaches. The contributions that genetics have had and will continue to have in the identification of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus, in the development of new diagnostic techniques, in the prevention of infections and development of severe symptoms, as well as in the design of vaccines and in the proposal and evaluation of treatments for COVID-19.La actual pandemia de COVID-19 se ha convertido en un grave problema de salud pública mundial, contándose casi un millón y medio de casos y decenas de miles de muertes a la fecha. La genética por su parte está teniendo un papel protagónico en la identificación, manejo y tratamiento de enfermedades. En el presente artículo se detalla sobre la importancia de la genética como ciencia para afrontar la amenaza global de la COVID-19, desde diferentes enfoques. Se resaltan los aportes que ha tenido y seguirá teniendo la genética en la identificación del nuevo virus SARS- CoV-2, en el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas diagnósticas, en la prevención de contagios y del desarrollo de cuadros graves, así como en el diseño de vacunas y en la propuesta y evaluación de tratamientos para la COVID-19

Acciones gubernamentales que han afectado el desarrollo e implementación de la Biotecnología en Salud en el Perú, periodo 2016 – 2021

Identifica acciones gubernamentales relacionadas al desarrollo e implementación de la biotecnología en salud en Perú entre el 28 de julio de 2016 y el 28 de julio de 2021. Se identificó un creciente interés gubernamental en impulsar el desarrollo e implementación de la biotecnología en salud en Perú a través de políticas, mayor financiamiento y una mayor representación de la comunidad científica en el periodo de estudio. Sin embargo, el estadio de la biotecnología en salud, así como del sistema de ciencia, tecnología e innovación (CTI) sigue presentando indicadores por debajo del promedio regional y global. En particular, se halló que mientras que la inversión en CTI por parte del gobierno central, a pesar de la tendencia ascendente, se mantuvo por debajo del 0.02% del PBI peruano, cuando el promedio de Latinoamérica y el Caribe era ya de 0.67% del PBI para el 2018, mientras que el promedio mundial ascendía a 2.2% del PBI en ese mismo año. La presente tesis compila indicadores relevantes del manejo de la CTI y, específicamente, de la biotecnología en salud en Perú, emitiendo recomendaciones para su mejora y con ello, eventualmente, ayudar a alcanzar mayores niveles de bienestar en la nación.Proyecto FONDECYT con Contrato N° 09-2019-FONDECYT-BM-INC.INV: “Implementación de una Plataforma de Referencia para el Control y Vigilancia de Enfermedades Parasitarias de Alto Impacto en el Perú y Desarrollo de un Dispositivo Multidiagnóstico en Puntos de Atención al Paciente” ganado por el Instituto de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazona

La cláusula general anti-abuso europea

La tesi di ricerca analizza uno dei problemi più rilevanti: l’elusione fiscale sulla fiscalità diretta effettuata a livello europeo, tra l'uso abusivo delle libertà europee. Il punto di partenza è lo stato della legislazione fiscale nell'Unione Europea come conseguenza della difficoltà di raggiungere una vera e propria armonizzazione giuridica come risultato del cosiddetto veto fiscale. L'origine del cosiddetto ostacolo è la mancanza di un interesse fiscale comune tra gli Stati membri. La politica fiscale è un’area strategica per tutti gli Stati, quindi è impossibile legiferare accontentando tutti. Questa situazione costituisce un ostacolo al processo di integrazione giuridica ed economica e allo sviluppo del Mercato Interno, è per questo motivo che la Corte di giustizia europea, attuando in qualità di uno dei principali attori in quello che viene chiamata l'armonizzazione negativa e in pro di tale integrazione regionale, è valutato quelle libertà verso una interpretazione protezionista. Questa interpretazione protezionista è quella impiegata dagli operatori economici come strumento abusivo verso il quale eludere il complimento della norma fiscale nazionale. In questa situazione e con il fine di ottenere un sistema fiscale giusto, vero ed efficace, considerammo che il modo migliore per affrontare queste pratiche non è altro che attraverso l'uso della dottrina sul divieto del abuso del diritto europeo elaborata dalla Corte di giustizia, permettendo agli Stati membri di legiferare disposizioni che limitino l'esercizio delle libertà europee. Il problema dell'impiego della riferita teoria come strumento anti-elusivo si trova nella natura giuridica di essa. Questa è stata qualificata come principio interpretativo e non come un principio generale del Diritto Europeo, quindi se vogliamo utilizzarla come strumento anti-abuso bisognerà essere codificata negli Ordinamenti nazionali sotto forma di clausola generale anti-abuso mediante cui consentire all'autorità tributaria corrispondente ad agire di conseguenza. Codificazione che dovrà essere conforme al Diritto Europeo.This thesis examines one of the most important problems in the tax arena: tax avoidance on direct taxation at European level, through the abuse of fundamental freedoms. The starting point is the state of tax law in the European Union as a consequence of the difficulty of reaching a real legal harmonization in this area as a result of the so-called veto. The origin of this obstacle is the lack of a common fiscal interest between Member States. Fiscal policy is a strategic area for all States, so it is impossible to legislate pleasing everyone. This remains an obstacle to the legal and economic integration process and development of the Internal Market. For this reason, the European Court of Justice, as a major player in what is called negative harmonization, has estimated those freedoms through a protectionist interpretation. This protectionist interpretation is that one used by taxpayers as an abusive instrument to elude the compliment of national tax regulations. In this situation and with the aim of obtaining a fair, real and effective tax system, we considered that the best way to deal with these practices is through the use of the doctrine on the prohibition of the abuse of European law adopted by the Court of Justice, allowing Member States to legislate provisions which restrict the exercise of the European freedom. The problem of the use of that theory is its legal nature. It was qualified as a principle of interpretation and not as a general principle of European law, so if we want to use it as anti-abuse provision, it must be codified in the national legal systems as a general anti-abuse rule according to the requirements established by the European Court in the aforementioned doctrine

Predicting toxicity properties through machine learning

It is currently known that the high power of a drug does not fully determine its efficacy. Several properties must also be considered, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity [8]. These are the ADME-Tox properties, which are fundamental in the discovery of new effective and safe drugs. Since ignoring these properties is the main cause of failure in the development of new drugs, it is understandable that some techniques arise, such as machine learning, which apply some predictor variables as molecular characteristics to obtain models to determine some of these ADME-Tox properties. In silico models are booming because of the exorbitant expenses involved in discovering a new drug using traditional trial-and-error methods [2], and they have proven to be an effective approach to increase efficiency in drug discovery and development processes. The objective of this study is to analyze the best current machine learning techniques for predicting toxicity as an ADME-Tox property

PlanetCam UPV/EHU: a two-channel lucky imaging camera for solar system studies in the spectral range 0.38-1.7 µm

This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it.We present PlanetCam UPV/EHU, an astronomical camera designed fundamentally for high-resolution imaging of Solar System planets using the “lucky imaging” technique. The camera observes in a wavelength range from 380 nm to 1.7 µm and the driving science themes are atmosphere dynamics and vertical cloud structure of Solar System planets. The design comprises two configurations that include one channel (visible wavelengths) or two combined channels (visible and short wave nfrared) working simultaneously at selected wavelengths by means of a dichroic beam splitter. In this paper the camera components for the two configurations are described, as well as camera performance and the different tests done for the precise characterization of its radiometric and astrometric capabilities at high spatial resolution. Finally, some images of solar system objects are presented as well as photometric results and different scientific cases on astronomical targets.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

What does antimicrobial stewardship look like where you are? Global narratives from participants in a massive open online course

BACKGROUND Whilst antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is being implemented globally, contextual differences exist. We describe how the use of a massive open online course (MOOC) platform provided an opportunity to gather diverse narratives on AMS from around the world. METHODS A free 3 week MOOC titled 'Tackling antimicrobial resistance: a social science approach' was launched in November 2019. Learners were asked specific questions about their experiences of AMS via 38 optional free-text prompts dispersed throughout the modules. Content analysis was used to identify key emerging themes from the learners' responses in the first three runs of the MOOC. RESULTS Between November 2019 and July 2020, 1464 learners enrolled from 114 countries. Overall, 199 individual learners provided a total of 1097 responses to the prompts. The diverse perspectives describe unique challenges present in different contexts including ill-defined roles for pharmacists and nurses in AMS; inadequate governance and policy inconsistencies in surveillance for antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in some countries; lack of ownership of antibiotic decision-making and buy-in from different clinical specialties; and human resource and technological constraints. Patients' knowledge, experiences and perspectives were recognized as a valuable source of information that should be incorporated in AMS initiatives to overcome cultural barriers to the judicious use of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of learner comments and reflections identified a range of enablers and barriers to AMS implementation across different healthcare economies. Common challenges to AMS implementation included the role of non-physician healthcare workers, resource limitations, gaps in knowledge of AMR, and patient engagement and involvement in AMS

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Based Therapies as Promising Treatments for Muscle Regeneration After Snakebite Envenoming

Snakebite envenoming is a global neglected disease with an incidence of up to 2.7 million new cases every year. Although antivenoms are so-far the most effective treatment to reverse the acute systemic effects induced by snakebite envenoming, they have a limited therapeutic potential, being unable to completely neutralize the local venom effects. Local damage, such as dermonecrosis and myonecrosis, can lead to permanent sequelae with physical, social, and psychological implications. The strong inflammatory process induced by snake venoms is associated with poor tissue regeneration, in particular the lack of or reduced skeletal muscle regeneration. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)-based therapies have shown both anti-inflammatory and pro-regenerative properties. We postulate that using allogeneic MSCs or their cell-free products can induce skeletal muscle regeneration in snakebite victims, improving all the three steps of the skeletal muscle regeneration process, mainly by anti-inflammatory activity, paracrine effects, neovascularization induction, and inhibition of tissue damage, instrumental for microenvironment remodeling and regeneration. Since snakebite envenoming occurs mainly in areas with poor healthcare, we enlist the principles and potential of MSCs-based therapies and discuss regulatory issues, good manufacturing practices, transportation, storage, and related-procedures that could allow the administration of these therapies, looking forward to a safe and cost-effective treatment for a so far unsolved and neglected health problem.The authors are supported by the University Pablo de Olavide (Sevilla), the University Miguel Hernández (Elche, Alicante), National University Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza (Chachapoyas, Peru) Grants: Contrato N° 09-2019-FONDECYT-BM-INC.INV to JRT, JDRF 2-SRA-2019-837-S-B and AVI-GVA COVID-19-68 to BS, Fundación Andaluza de I+D and Al-Andalus Biopharma Project (FAID-2018-1). The authors CC-O, CG-D, and TCSA were supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil (CNPq) (Process: 406163/2018-9), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil - CAPES (Program COFECUB Process: 88881.191812/2018-01) and by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, Brazil (FAPEMIG)

The application of antimicrobial stewardship knowledge to nursing practice : A national survey of United Kingdom pre-registration nursing students

© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/AIM: To assess student nurses understanding and skills in the application of antimicrobial stewardship knowledge to practice. DESIGN: Quantitative. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty three student nurses responded across 23 UK universities. Although students felt prepared in competencies in infection prevention and control, patient-centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice, they felt less prepared in competencies in which microbiological knowledge, prescribing and its effect on antimicrobial stewardship is required. Problem-based learning, activities in the clinical setting and face-to-face teaching were identified as the preferred modes of education delivery. Those who had shared antimicrobial stewardship teaching with students from other professions reported the benefits to include a broader understanding of antimicrobial stewardship, an understanding of the roles of others in antimicrobial stewardship and improved interprofessional working. CONCLUSION: There are gaps in student nurses' knowledge of the basic sciences associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which nurses are involved, and a need to strengthen knowledge in pre-registration nurse education programmes pertaining to antimicrobial management, specifically microbiology and antimicrobial regimes and effects on antimicrobial stewardship. Infection prevention and control, patient-centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice are areas of antimicrobial stewardship in which student nurses feel prepared. Interprofessional education would help nurses and other members of the antimicrobial stewardship team clarify the role nurses can play in antimicrobial stewardship and therefore maximize their contribution to antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial management. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: There is a need to strengthen knowledge from the basic sciences, specifically pertaining to antimicrobial management, in pre-registration nurse education programmes. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. IMPACT: What Problem Did the Study Address? Nurses must protect health through understanding and applying antimicrobial stewardship knowledge and skills (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2018); however, there is no research available that has investigated nurses understanding and skills of the basic sciences associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which they are involved. What Were the Main Findings? There are gaps in student nurses' knowledge of the basic sciences (specifically microbiology and prescribing) associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which nurses are involved. Problem-based learning, and activities in the clinical setting, were reported as useful teaching methods, whereas online learning, was seen as less useful. Where and on Whom Will the Research Have an Impact? Pre-registration nurse education programmes. REPORTING METHOD: The relevant reporting method has been adhered to, that is, STROBE.Peer reviewe