Evaluation of a new equation for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol through the comparison with various recommended methods

Introduction: The accurate estimation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is crucial for management of patients at risk of cardiovascular events due to dyslipidemia. The LDL is typically calculated using the Friedewald equation and/or direct homogeneous assays. However, both methods have their own limitations, so other equations have been proposed, including a new equation developed by Sampson. The aim of this study was to evaluate Sampson equation by comparing with the Friedewald and Martin-Hopkins equations, and with a direct LDL method. Materials and methods: Results of standard lipid profile (total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides (TG)) were obtained from two anonymized data sets collected at two laboratories, using assays from different manufacturers (Beckman Coulter and Roche Diagnostics). The second data set also included LDL results from a direct assay (Roche Diagnostics). Passing-Bablok and Bland-Altman analysis for method comparison was performed. Results: A total of 64,345 and 37,783 results for CHOL, HDL and TG were used, including 3116 results from the direct LDL assay. The Sampson and Friedewald equations provided similar LDL results (difference ≤ 0.06 mmol/L, on average) at TG ≤ 2.0 mmol/L. At TG between 2.0 and 4.5 mmol/L, the Sampson-calculated LDL showed a constant bias (- 0.18 mmol/L) when compared with the Martin-Hopkins equation. Similarly, at TG between 4.5 and 9.0 mmol/L, the Sampson equation showed a negative bias when compared with the direct assay, which was proportional (- 16%) to the LDL concentration. Conclusions: The Sampson equation may represent a cost-efficient alternative for calculating LDL in clinical laboratories

Evaluación de la calidad docente en una facultad de derecho.

La puesta en marcha del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) pone de manifiesto la reflexión ya existente en la sociedad sobre el papel y función de las instituciones de educación superior, y contribuye a generar un cambio de paradigma educativo. El hasta entonces enfoque centrado en la enseñanza cede paso a un enfoque cuyo protagonista es el aprendizaje del estudiante, al servicio del cual se pone el docente. En ese contexto, la calidad docente se convierte en un elemento central, cuya mejora no puede depender exclusivamente de la voluntad individual del profesorado, sino que ha de trabajarse también a nivel institucional. Este trabajo se basa en la idea de que la evaluación de la calidad docente tiene sentido si se integra en un modelo de desarrollo profesional docente, que a su vez se oriente al logro del proyecto universitario. La participación de diferentes centros en el proceso de diseño y aplicación del modelo, junto con la coherencia con las exigencias del marco nacional e internacional en el que la institución opera, también se considera esencial.Bajo estas premisas, este artículo comienza presentando el marco y antecedentes de la acreditación de la calidad docente en la Universidad de Deusto. A continuación, se describe el modelo propio de evaluación acreditativa, en sus dos niveles: planificación (Label 1), a través de la guía de aprendizaje; y puesta en práctica (Label 2), a través del portafolio docente. Por último, se relata el desarrollo del proceso y resultados obtenidos en el caso de la Facultad de Derecho, para terminar con las conclusiones del estudio. Estas conclusiones ponen de manifiesto la utilidad de los procesos diseñados para la mejora y evaluación de la calidad docente (aun reconociéndose una dificultad mayor en la implantación del Label 2 frente al Label 1), así como la percepción positiva de los agentes implicados y afectados por los mismos, por su impacto positivo en elementos como la planificación docente, la reflexión del profesorado, la colegialidad o la relación docente-estudiante

A new development for determining the ultraviolet protection factor

Ultraviolet radiation has become an increasing problem in recent years. It causes many injuries in humans giving rise to the need for protection against ultraviolet radiation, which can be provided by textiles with a high ultraviolet protection factor. This factor can be determined by a variety of established methods. This work focuses on establishing a new methodology for determining the ultraviolet protection factor value using an ultraviolet lamp and a detector. The fabric is to be tested is placed between the ultraviolet lamp and the detector. The new method has the advantages of the existing systems but also minimizes the disadvantages. This will involve a major statistical study using linear regression. The statistical study will be completed with the analysis of residuals using the Shapiro–Wilks test, Gauss–Markov theorem, simple Analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures, and autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation plots. The measurement error and the deviation of the samples is less than the measurement error committed by the spectrophotometric technique.Campos Payá, J.; Díaz-García, P.; Montava Seguí, IJ.; Miró Martínez, P.; Bonet Aracil, MA. (2016). A new development for determining the ultraviolet protection factor. Journal of Industrial Textiles. 45(6):1571-1586. doi:10.1177/1528083714567238S1571158645

LA GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL: UN RETO EN LA INSTALACIÓN HOTELERA MELIÁ JARDINES DEL REY / THE ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATION: A CHALLENGE IN THE HOTEL INSTALLATION MELIÁ JARDINES DEL REY

A nivel mundial se ha generalizado la concientización de individuos y estados sobre la necesidad e importancia del cuidado y preservación del ambiente. El sector turístico cubano, atemperado con las tendencias internacionales y los Lineamientos del Partido para el período 2016-2021, ha priorizado la sostenibilidad ambiental en su sistema de trabajo. Consecuentemente, se hace necesaria una gestión ambiental eficiente en las instalaciones hoteleras del Destino Turístico Jardines del Rey, para lo cual es importante el conocimiento de sus directivos. Por estas razones, empleando el método sistémico-estructural y la consulta a especialistas, se propone una estrategia, que utiliza indicadores que evalúan la gestión ambiental de la instalación hotelera, para el conocimiento ambiental de los directivos. Se demostró que la propuesta promueve los conocimientos ambientales necesarios para que se desarrolle una gestión ambiental responsable, preservando el ambiente, y haciendo sostenible la actividad turística

Peroxidase expression in a cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae) resistant hexaploid wheat line.

The incompatible interaction between plant and pathogen is often determined by the hypersensitive reaction (HR). This response is associated with accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in adverse growth conditions for pathogens. Two major mechanisms involving either NADPH oxidases or peroxidases have been proposed for generation of ROS. Peroxidases (PER, EC 1.11.1.7), present in all land plants, are members of a large multigenic family with high number of isoforms involved in a broad range of physiological processes. PER genes, which are expressed in nematode feeding sites, have been identified in several plant species (Zacheo et al. 1997). A strong correlation between HR and PER activities at four and seven days post nematode infection, was detected in roots of wheat lines carrying Cre2, Cre5 (from Ae. ventricosa) or Cre7 (from Ae. triuncialis) Heterodera avenae resistance genes (Andrés et al. 2001; Montes et al. 2003, 2004). We have studied changes in root of peroxidase mRNAs levels after infection by H. avenae of a wheat/Ae. ven¬tricosa introgression line (H-93-8) carrying Cre2 (Delibes et al. 1993). We also report and classify the predicted protein sequences derived from complete peroxidase transcripts

Extreme genetic divergence in the endemic fish Chirostoma humboldtianum: implications for its conservation

Chirostoma humboltianum is an endemic species widely distributed in isolated basins of Central México. However, habitat alteration had reduced the range of distribution and led to the local extinction of the species in some basins. During the Miocene these basins were connected, allowing dispersal and colonization of new hydrological systems. Later on, tectonic, volcanic and climatic events of the Plio-Pleistocene promoted continuous periods of isolation and reconnection allowing the species evolve through continuous cycles of expansion and contraction of its distribution. Therefore it is expected that these events have left signals in the geographical distribution and genetic diversity and divergence of existing populations. Although the analysis of genetic diversity and genetic structure in the population becomes an important factor for the conservation of a species, few studies have been made in this taxon. In this study we used a 341pb segment of the domain I of the hypervariable region of the mitochondrial control region to analyze the genetic diversity and their distribution in 20 individuals of each one of six lakes located in central México. The values of haplotypic (0 - 0.938) and nucleotide (0 - 0.0352) diversity suggested continuous periods of expansion and population contraction related with the formation of the lakes during the Pleistocene which is supported by the BSP and mismatch analysis, and recent anthropogenic factors. In addition, the large number of exclusive haplotypes (66%) and the highly significant genetic differentiation among populations suggests that each one of the population must be conserved because each one is an important component in the evolutionary legacy of the species

Microtechnologies for Cell Microenvironment Control and Monitoring

A great breadth of questions remains in cellular biology. Some questions cannot be answered using traditional analytical techniques and so demand the development of new tools for research. In the near future, the development of highly integrated microfluidic analytical platforms will enable the acquisition of unknown biological data. These microfluidic systems must allow cell culture under controlled microenvironment and high throughput analysis. For this purpose, the integration of a variable number of newly developed micro- and nano-technologies, which enable control of topography and surface chemistry, soluble factors, mechanical forces and cell-cell contacts, as well as technology for monitoring cell phenotype and genotype with high spatial and temporal resolution will be necessary. These multifunctional devices must be accompanied by appropriate data analysis and management of the expected large datasets generated. The knowledge gained with these platforms has the potential to improve predictive models of the behavior of cells, impacting directly in better therapies for disease treatment. In this review, we give an overview of the microtechnology toolbox available for the design of high throughput microfluidic platforms for cell analysis. We discuss current microtechnologies for cell microenvironment control, different methodologies to create large arrays of cellular systems and finally techniques for monitoring cells in microfluidic devices.E.A.-H. acknowledges funding from the Basque Government, Department of Education, for predoctoral fellowship 2016. M.G.-H. acknowledges funding from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, PIF16/204 predoctoral fellowship "call for recruitment of research personnel in training". J.E.-E. acknowledges funding from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, postdoctoral fellowship ESPPOC 16/65 "Call for recruitment and specialization of Doctor Researchers 2016". M.M.D.P. and L.B.-D., acknowledge funding support from University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, UFI11/32, and from Gobierno Vasco under Grupos Consolidados with Grant No. IT998-16. F.B.-L. acknowledges funding support from the Ramon y Cajal Programme (Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad), Spain. F.B.-L. and L.B.-D. acknowledge funding support from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration under Grant agreement No. 604241 as well as Gobierno Vasco, Dpto. Industria, Innovacion, Comercio y Turismo under ELKARTEK 2015 with Grant No. KK-2015/0000088

Rapid decrease in titer and breadth of neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved SVR

The main targets for neutralizing anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (HCV-nAbs) are the E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins. We have studied the characteristics of HCV-nAbs through a retrospective study involving 29 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with pegIFNα+ribavirin anti-HCV therapy. Plasma samples at baseline and week 24 after SVR were used to perform neutralization assays against fve JFH1-based HCV recombinant viruses coding for E1 and E2 from genotypes 1a (H77), 1b (J4), 2a (JFH1), 3a (S52) and 4a (ED43). At baseline, the majority of plasma samples neutralized 1a, 1b, 2a, and 4a, but not 3a, genotypes. Twenty-four weeks following SVR, most neutralizing titers declined substantially. Furthermore, titers against 3a and 2a were not detected in many patients. Plasma samples with high HCV-nAb titers neutralized all genotypes, and the highest titers at the starting point correlated with the highest titers at week 24 after SVR. In conclusion, high titers of broad-spectrum HCV-nAbs were detected in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals, however, those titers declined soon after SVRThis study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; grant numbers PI14/01094 and PI17/00657 to JB, PI17/00903 to JGG, PI14CIII/00011 and PI17CIII/00003 to SR) and Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (grant number EC11-241). Te study was also funded by the RD16CIII/0002/0002, RD16/0025/0018, and RD16/0025/0017 projects as part of the Plan Nacional R+D+I and co-funded by ISCIII- Subdirección General de Evaluación and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER