A population-based study of mortality due to muscular dystrophies across a 36-year period in Spain

Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of rare hereditary degenerative diseases. Our aim was to analyze the mortality pattern in Spain from 1981 to 2016 to assess the temporal trend and discern possible geographic differences using population-based data. Annual deaths related to MD were obtained from the National Statistics Institute with codes 359.1 of the ICD-9 (1981-1998) and G71.0 of the ICD-10 (1999-2016). Age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated and changes in mortality trends were identified. The standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated by district for 1999-2016. Smoothed SMRs and posterior probability were also assessed and then mapped to look for patterns or geographic distribution. All rates were expressed per 1,000,000 inhabitants. A total of 2,512 deaths (73.8% men) were identified. The age-adjusted mortality rates varied from 0.63 (95% CI 0.40-0.95) in 1981 to 1.51 (95% CI 1.17-1.93) in 2016. MD mortality showed a significant increase of 8.81% per year (95% CI 5.0-12.7) from 1981 to 1990, remaining stable afterwards. Areas with risk of death higher than expected for Spain as a whole were identified, not showing a specific regional pattern. In conclusion, the rising trend in MD mortality might be attributable to advanced improvements in diagnostic techniques leading to a rise in prevalence. Further research on the districts with the highest mortality would be necessary.This research was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Strategy Action for Health (AESI), project PI14CIII/00067, TPY 1238/15.S

Conflictos sociales y mediación universitaria en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior

Este artículo expone los principales datos y conclusiones obtenidas en el Workshop realizado en el año 2016 entre la Universidad de Málaga y Leuven (Bélgica). La líneas de investigación se centra en los conflictos sociales que se producen en el ámbito universitario.El presente trabajo, trata de analizar los conflictos que se producen en el ámbito universitario relacionados con la implementación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior y la nueva metodología docente derivada del mismo, que provocan disyuntivas sociales específicas. Estos conflictos, se hacen plausibles en la conciliación, el aprendizaje y el desarrollo del proceso educativo. Por un lado, con la asistencia obligatoria y la dedicación de tiempo que requiere al estudiante en la Universidad y de trabajo en casa. Por otro, por la situación devenida de los recortes en becas universitarias y la necesidad que impone esta reforma educativa de acreditación del B1 como lengua extranjera para la obtención del Título de Graduado. Estas circunstancias, construyen realidades relativas a los significados que el ámbito universitario tiene para las personas, e inciden en las oportunidades del alumnado en condiciones de igualdad en función de su situación social y personal. En el estudio, se analizan las causas y se definen los tipos de conflictos, así como su relación con la citada reforma

Highly accurate whole-genome imputation of SARS-CoV-2 from partial or low-quality sequences

[Background] The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has emphasized the utility of viral whole-genome sequencing in the surveillance and control of the pathogen. An unprecedented ongoing global initiative is producing hundreds of thousands of sequences worldwide. However, the complex circumstances in which viruses are sequenced, along with the demand of urgent results, causes a high rate of incomplete and, therefore, useless sequences. Viral sequences evolve in the context of a complex phylogeny and different positions along the genome are in linkage disequilibrium. Therefore, an imputation method would be able to predict missing positions from the available sequencing data.[Results] We have developed the impuSARS application, which takes advantage of the enormous number of SARS-CoV-2 genomes available, using a reference panel containing 239,301 sequences, to produce missing data imputation in viral genomes. ImpuSARS was tested in a wide range of conditions (continuous fragments, amplicons or sparse individual positions missing), showing great fidelity when reconstructing the original sequences, recovering the lineage with a 100% precision for almost all the lineages, even in very poorly covered genomes (<20%).[Conclusions] Imputation can improve the pace of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing production by recovering many incomplete or low-quality sequences that would be otherwise discarded. ImpuSARS can be incorporated in any primary data processing pipeline for SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing.This work is supported by grant PT17/0009/0006 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, COVID-0012–2020 from Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía, and postdoctoral contract PAIDI2020- DOC_00350 for C.L., from Junta de Andalucía, co-funded by the European Social Fund (FSE) 2014–2020.Peer reviewe

Aircraft icing: in‐cloud measurements and sensitivity to physical parameterizations

The prediction of supercooled cloud drops in the atmosphere is a basic tool for aviation safety, owing to their contact with and instant freezing on sensitive locations of the aircraft. One of the main disadvantages for predicting atmospheric icing conditions is the acquisition of observational data. In this study, we used in‐cloud microphysics measurements taken during 10 flights of a C‐212 research aircraft under winter conditions, during which we encountered 37 regions containing supercooled liquid water. To investigate the capability of the Weather Research and Forecasting model to detect regions containing supercooled cloud drops, we propose a multiphysics ensemble approach. We used four microphysics and two planetary boundary layer schemes. The Morrison parameterization yielded superior results, whereas the planetary boundary layer schemes were essential in evaluating the presence of liquid water content. The Goddard microphysics scheme best detected the presence of ice water content but tended to underestimate liquid water content.This research was carried out in the framework of the SAFEFLIGHT project, financed by MINECO (CGL2016‐78702) and LE240P18 project (Junta de Castilla y León)

Detección de condiciones de engelamiento en el interior de las masas nubosas: aplicación a la mejora de la seguridad aérea

Ponencia presentada en: XXXV Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el XIX Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en León, del 5 al 7 de marzo de 2018.Durante las campañas experimentales TECOAGUA y METEORISK se realizaron una serie de vuelos científicos con la plataforma de investigación aérea C212 en las cercanías de la Sierra de Guadarrama y en la zona más occidental de la cordillera Cantábrica. Estos vuelos se realizaron en época invernal y en diversas condiciones meteorológicas, pero siempre con el objetivo de buscar y caracterizar las zonas en las que aparecía SLW y, cuando era posible, detectar las SLD. En este trabajo se describen algunas de las acciones que se establecieron para garantizar tanto la operación de vuelo como la toma de datos de microfísica de nubes en el transcurso de diferentes campañas realizadas entre 2011 y 2017. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que contenidos de agua líquida cercanos a 0.1 g/m3, si se detectan SLD, hacen que la probabilidad de que se produzca carga de hielo en las partes más expuestas del fuselaje de un avión sea muy elevada. La aparición de estas regiones suele ser formando bolsas y más probables en las cercanías de las bases de las nubes, en donde se produce una acumulación de contenido SLW.Este trabajo se ha realizado en el marco del Proyecto SAFEFLIGHT financiado por el MINECO (CGL2016-78702)

Molecular and phylogenetic characterization of the monkeypox outbreak in the South of Spain

Until the May 2022 Monkeypox outbreak, which spread rapidly to many non-endemic countries, the virus was considered a viral zoonosis limited to some African countries. The Andalusian circuit of genomic surveillance was rapidly applied to characterize the Monkeypox outbreak in the South of Spain. Whole genome sequencing was used to obtain the genomic profiles of samples collected across the south of Spain, representative of all the provinces of Andalusia. Phylogenetic analysis was used to study the relationship of the isolates and the available sequences of the 2022 outbreak. Whole genome sequencing of a total of 160 monkeypox viruses from the different provinces that reported cases were obtained. Interestingly, we report the sequences of monkeypox viruses obtained from two patients who died. While one of the isolates bore no noteworthy mutations that explain a potential heightened virulence, in another patient the second consecutive genome sequence, performed after the administration of tecovirimat, uncovered a mutation within the A0A7H0DN30 gene, known to be a prime target for tecovirimat in its Vaccinia counterpart. In general, a low number of mutations were observed in the sequences reported, which were very similar to the reference of the 2022 outbreak (OX044336), as expected from a DNA virus. The samples likely correspond to several introductions of the circulating monkeypox viruses from the last outbreak. The virus sequenced from one of the two patients that died presented a mutation in a gene that bears potential connections to drug resistance. This mutation was absent in the initial sequencing prior to treatmentThis work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grants PID2020- 117979RB-I00 and FJC2021-046546-I), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), co-funded with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) (grant IMP/00019), it has also been funded by Consejería de Salud y Consumo, Junta de Andalucía (grants COVID-0012-2020), and by grant ELIXIR-CONVERGE - Connect and align ELIXIR Nodes to deliver sustainable FAIR lifescience data management services (AMD-871075-16), funded by EU – H2020.N

Detection of High Level of Co-Infection and the Emergence of Novel SARS CoV-2 Delta-Omicron and Omicron-Omicron Recombinants in the Epidemiological Surveillance of Andalusia

Recombination is an evolutionary strategy to quickly acquire new viral properties inherited from the parental lineages. The systematic survey of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences of the Andalusian genomic surveillance strategy has allowed the detection of an unexpectedly high number of co-infections, which constitute the ideal scenario for the emergence of new recombinants. Whole genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 has been carried out as part of the genomic surveillance programme. Sample sources included the main hospitals in the Andalusia region. In addition to the increase of co-infections and known recombinants, three novel SARS-CoV-2 delta-omicron and omicron-omicron recombinant variants with two break points have been detected. Our observations document an epidemiological scenario in which co-infection and recombination are detected more frequently. Finally, we describe a family case in which co-infection is followed by the detection of a recombinant made from the two co-infecting variants. This increased number of recombinants raises the risk of emergence of recombinant variants with increased transmissibility and pathogenicity.This research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PID2020-117979RB-I00), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), co-funded with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) (grant IMP/00019), and has also been funded by Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía (grants COVID-0012-2020, PS-2020-342 and IE19_259 FPS).Peer reviewe

Can the intake of antiparasitic secondary metabolites explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites among wild Psittaciformes?

Background: Parasites can exert selection pressure on their hosts through effects on survival, on reproductive success, on sexually selected ornament, with important ecological and evolutionary consequences, such as changes in population viability. Consequently, hemoparasites have become the focus of recent avian studies. Infection varies significantly among taxa. Various factors might explain the differences in infection among taxa, including habitat, climate, host density, the presence of vectors, life history and immune defence. Feeding behaviour can also be relevant both through increased exposure to vectors and consumption of secondary metabolites with preventative or therapeutic effects that can reduce parasite load. However, the latter has been little investigated. Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are a good model to investigate these topics, as they are known to use biological control against ectoparasites and to feed on toxic food. We investigated the presence of avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium), intracellular haemosporidians (Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon), unicellular flagellate protozoans (Trypanosoma) and microfilariae in 19 Psittaciformes species from a range of habitats in the Indo-Malayan, Australasian and Neotropical regions. We gathered additional data on hemoparasites in wild Psittaciformes from the literature. We considered factors that may control the presence of hemoparasites in the Psittaciformes, compiling information on diet, habitat, and climate. Furthermore, we investigated the role of diet in providing antiparasitic secondary metabolites that could be used as self-medication to reduce parasite load. Results: We found hemoparasites in only two of 19 species sampled. Among them, all species that consume at least one food item known for its secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, were free from hemoparasites. In contrast, the infected parrots do not consume food items with antimalarial or even general antiparasitic properties. We found that the two infected species in this study consumed omnivorous diets. When we combined our data with data from studies previously investigating blood parasites in wild parrots, the positive relationship between omnivorous diets and hemoparasite infestation was confirmed. Individuals from open habitats were less infected than those from forests. Conclusions: The consumption of food items known for their secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, as well as the higher proportion of infected species among omnivorous parrots, could explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites reported in many vertebrates

Assessing the Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Lineages and Mutations on Patient Survival

Objectives: More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 still remains a global public health problem. Successive waves of infection have produced new SARS-CoV-2 variants with new mutations for which the impact on COVID-19 severity and patient survival is uncertain. Methods: A total of 764 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, sequenced from COVID-19 patients, hospitalized from 19th February 2020 to 30 April 2021, along with their clinical data, were used for survival analysis. Results: A significant association of B.1.1.7, the alpha lineage, with patient mortality (log hazard ratio (LHR) = 0.51, C.I. = [0.14,0.88]) was found upon adjustment by all the covariates known to affect COVID-19 prognosis. Moreover, survival analysis of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome revealed 27 of them were significantly associated with higher mortality of patients. Most of these mutations were located in the genes coding for the S, ORF8, and N proteins. Conclusions: This study illustrates how a combination of genomic and clinical data can provide solid evidence for the impact of viral lineage on patient survival.This work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PID2020- 117979RB-I00), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), co-funded with European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) (grant IMP/00019), and has also been funded by Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía (grants COVID-0012-2020 and PS-2020-342) and the postdoctoral contract of Carlos Loucera (PAIDI2020- DOC_00350), co-funded by the European Social Fund (FSE) 2014-2020. ELIXIR-CONVERGE—H2020 (871075).Peer reviewe

Marco activo de recursos de innovación docente: Madrid

Una guía de espacios e instituciones para actividades educativas complementarias en enseñanza secundaria y Formación Profesional