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The aim of this research was to evaluate attitudes toward the use of technology in education among teachers in training and the relationships with other variables derived from the use of technology and teaching style. The study focused on a Spanish sample of 842 future educational professionals in the training stage, belonging to the Autonomous Community of Valencia, with 54.75% identified as female and 46.25% as male, with a mean age of 41.17 years. The results indicated that a constructivist teaching style is related to more favorable attitudes toward the use of technology in teaching, unlike a traditional style. Various variables linked to the use of technology and that have negative effects on people's well-being (such as experiences of suffering from cyberbullying or the fear of missing out) are related to less favorable attitudes toward technology in education. The implications of the variables studied as possible differential factors in the inclusion of technologies in their profession by future teachers are discussed.

Background: APOE ε4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for late‐onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). The contribution of microglial APOE4 to AD pathogenesis is unknown, although APOE has the most enriched gene expression in neurodegenerative microglia (MGnD). Method: Generation of CX3CR1‐CREERT2 mice crossed to APOE‐KI(E3 and E4)fl/fl: APP/PS1 and APOE‐KI(E3 and E4)fl/fl: P301S mice. Microglia and astrocytes were isolated and sequenced using either bulk RNA‐seq (MGnD‐Paradigm) or single‐cell RNA‐seq. Crosstalk between cells was determined using the NichenetR database and validated using 1) recombinant Lgals3 intracranial injection into APP/PS1 mice and 2) adoptive transfer of microglia, from APOE3‐KI, APOE4‐KI, and APOE4‐cKO mice challenged with labeled apoptotic neurons, into WT mice and isolation of astrocytes. Validation in the brain of AD donors carrying the APOE e3/3 and e3/4 alleles. Result: Here we show, in mice and in humans, a negative role of microglial APOE4 in the induction of MGnD response to neurodegeneration. Deletion of microglial APOE4 restores MGnD phenotype, associated with neuroprotection in P301S tau transgenic mice, and decreases pathology in APP/PS1 mice. MGnD‐astrocyte crosstalk associated with b‐amyloid (Ab) plaque encapsulation and clearance is mediated via Lgals3 signaling following microglial APOE4 deletion. In the brain of AD donors carrying the APOE ε4 allele, we found a sex‐dependent reciprocal induction of AD risk factors associated with suppression of MGnD genes in females, including LGALS3, as compared to APOE ε3/3 carriers. Mechanistically, APOE4‐mediated induction of ITGB8‐TGFb signaling impairs MGnD response via upregulation of TGFb‐mediated microglial homeostatic checkpoints, including INPP5D. Microglial deletion of Inpp5d restores MGnD‐astrocyte crosstalk and facilitates plaque clearance in APP/PS1 mice. Genetic and pharmacological blocking of ITGB8‐TGFb signaling enhanced MGnD response associated with increased plaque clearance in AD mice. Conclusion: We identify the microglial APOE4‐ITGB8‐TGFb pathway as a negative regulator of microglia‐astrocyte response to AD pathology, and restoring MGnD phenotype via blocking ITGB8‐TGFb signaling may provide new molecular targets to modulate and restore functional microglia in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microglia, the resident brain immune cells, play a critical role in brain homeostasis and disease progression. In neurodegenerative conditions, microglia acquire the neurodegenerative phenotype (MGnD), whose function is poorly understood. MicroRNA‐155 (miR‐155), enriched in immune cells, critically regulates MGnD. However, its role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis remains unclear. Methods: We used RNAseq and immunohistochemistry (n = 6‐8 per sex per group) to investigate the gene expression profile and AD pathology. We further utilized single‐cell RNAseq (n = 5 per group) to identify microglial clusters. Whole‐tissue proteomics (n = 4) was applied to detect the protein changes in brain milieu. Moreover, we used spontaneous alternation and forced alternation tests to evaluate the cognition (n = 33‐36). Result: We report that microglial deletion of miR‐155 induces a pre‐MGnD activation state via interferon‐g (IFNg) signaling and blocking IFNg signaling attenuates MGnD induction and microglial phagocytosis. Single‐cell RNAseq analysis of microglia from AD mouse model identifies Stat1 and Clec2d as pre‐MGnD markers. This phenotypic transition enhances amyloid plaque compaction, reduces dystrophic neurites, attenuates plaque‐associated synaptic degradation, and improves cognition. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a novel miR‐155‐mediated regulatory mechanism of MGnD and the beneficial role of IFNg‐responsive pre‐MGnD in restricting neurodegenerative pathology and preserving cognitive function in an AD mouse model, highlighting miR‐155 and IFNg as potential therapeutic targets for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Positive deviance (PD) can be a strategy for the improvement of hand hygiene (HH) compliance. Methods: This study was conducted in 8 intensive care units and 1 ward at 7 tertiary care, private, and public hospitals. Phase 1 was a 3-month baseline period (from August to October 2011) in which HH counts were performed by observers using iPods (iScrub program). From November 2011 to July 2012, phase 2, a PD intervention was performed in all the participating centers. We evaluated the consumption of HH products (alcohol gel and chlorhexidine) and the incidence density of health care-associated infections. Results: There was a total of 5,791 HH observations in the preintervention phase and 11,724 HH observations in the intervention phase (PD). A statistically significant difference was found in overall HH compliance with 46.5% in the preintervention phase and 62.0% in the PD phase (P < .001). There was a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of density of device-associated infections per 1,000 patient-days and also in the median of length of stay between the preintervention phase and the PD phase (13.2 vs 7.5 per 1,000 patient-days, respectively, P = .039; and 11.0 vs 6.8 days, respectively, P < .001, respectively). Conclusion: PD demonstrated great promise for improving HH in multiple inpatient settings and was associated with a decrease in the median length of stay and the incidence of device-associated HAIs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, output of the Hadley Centre Regional Circulation Model (RCM) (HadRM3P, 0.44° × 0.44° resolution) was used as input to the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) for the present and 2 future IPCC climate scenarios (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios [SRES], A2 and B2 scenarios). The aim was to investigate the effects of climate change on fire risk (number of days with fire risk, length of fire risk season, etc.) for the EU Mediterranean countries. Results indicated a general increase in fire risk in both future scenarios over the whole study area, The increase in fire risk was mainly due to 3 components: (1) increase in the number of years with fire risk; (2) increase in the length of the season with fife risk; (3) increase of extreme events (e.g. total number of days with FWI >45 and episodes with FWI >45 for 7 consecutive days) during the fire season. As expected, A2 scenario showed a greater increase in risk than B2 scenario. These general increases in fire risk may have a very strong impact in areas where forest land cover is high (e.g. the Alps region in Italy, the Pyrenees in Spain and mountains of the Balkan region). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]