Search

La inserción de la carrera Pedagogía Psicología en las universidades pedagógicas constituye una manifestación expedita del desarrollo de la psicopedagogía en Cuba. En tal sentido, en este artículo se realiza una caracterización del desarrollo de la formación inicial de los psicopedagogos cubanos, para la determinación de sus regularidades y retos contemporáneos. Como estudio teórico, se aplicó el método histórico-lógico, en el que se complementó la cronología de los hechos con sus peculiaridades lógicas, a partir de la determinación previa de indicadores concretos que permitieron organizar el análisis como: los antecedentes en Cuba, el contexto social, histórico y político de su surgimiento y evolución, los contenidos esenciales de los planes de estudio con sus modificaciones progresivas, los enfoques teóricos predominantes y el perfil profesional del psicopedagogo. Dentro de las regularidades identificadas están, el predominio de la psicología de orientación marxista en el inicio y evolución de la carrera en los planes y programas de estudio, el enriquecimiento progresivo con otros enfoques contemporáneos de la psicopedagogía mundial, la evidente contradicción entre la práctica y la investigación psicopedagógicas y la supervivencia de diseños curriculares que no reflejan explícitamente dicha integración. Esto deviene en uno de los retos actuales para elevar la calidad en la formación de dicho profesional.

El presente artículo aborda dos categorías importantes en el desarrollo de un profesional de la educación: la creatividad y la formación laboral. Tiene como objetivo contribuir a la preparación del claustro universitario y estimular el desarrollo de condiciones suficientes para la asimilación de las crecientes exigencias que hace la sociedad actual a todo profesional. Todo ello en función de la preparación del claustro universitario para diagnosticar, proyectar, sistematizar y evaluar el desarrollo de la formación laboral en los estudiantes universitarios. El trabajo se realizó a partir de la observación participante, con el objetivo de apreciar cómo se desempeñan profesionalmente los profesores que dirigen el proceso formativo de los profesionales de la educación. Se entrevistaron profesores y directivos implicados en el proceso formativo de los profesionales de la educación, con el propósito de indagar en los conocimientos que poseen en relación con la creatividad, en función de su desempeño laboral. Se analizaron documentos de carácter didáctico-metodológico de la carrera para conocer cómo se concibe el proceso, así como fuentes bibliográficas relacionadas con el tema para precisar algunos antecedentes y la fundamentación teórica del presente trabajo. Los principales resultados se concretan en la fundamentación de ambas categorías, la caracterización de la cualidad laboral ser creativo en esos profesionales en formación y la propuesta de los rasgos que tipifican esta cualidad y su presencia en el desempeño de estos profesionales.

The potential involvement of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as a risk factor for colon cancer (CC) has been previously reported. While several clinical studies show a higher incidence of CC and a lower survival rate in diabetics, others report no association. Our own experience indicates that diabetes does not seem to worsen the prognosis once the tumor is present. Despite this controversy, there are no wide‐spectrum molecular studies that delve into the impact of T2DM‐related mechanisms in colon carcinogenesis. Here, we present a transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of paired tumor and normal colon mucosa samples in a cohort of 42 CC patients, 23 of which have T2DM. We used gene set enrichment and network approaches to extract relevant pathways in diabetics, referenced them to current knowledge, and tested them using in vitro techniques. Through our transcriptomics approach, we identified an unexpected overlap of pathways overrepresented in diabetics compared to nondiabetics, in both tumor and normal mucosa, including diabetes‐related metabolic and signaling processes. Proteomic approaches highlighted several cancer‐related signaling routes in diabetics found only in normal mucosa, not in tumors. An integration of the transcriptome and proteome analyses suggested the deregulation of key pathways related to colon carcinogenesis which converged on tumor initiation axis TEAD/YAP‐TAZ as a potential initiator of the process. In vitro studies confirmed upregulation of this pathway in nontumor colon cells under high‐glucose conditions. In conclusion, T2DM associates with deregulation of cancer‐related processes in normal colon mucosa adjacent to tissue which has undergone a malignant transformation. These data support that in diabetic patients, the local microenvironment in normal colon mucosa may be a factor driving field cancerization promoting carcinogenesis. Our results set a new framework to study links between diabetes and colon cancer, including a new role of the TEAD/YAP‐TAZ complex as a potential driver.

En la actualidad se necesita contar con instrumentos que consideren el conocimiento local para la caracterización de agroecosistemas (AES). Ante tal contexto, la clasificación campesina de tierras de Ortiz-Solorio, Pájaro y Ordaz (1991), como parte de la disciplina etnoedafológica, complementa el conocimientolocal con el conocimiento técnico. Esta combinación suministra información detallada para la cartografía, clasificación, descripción de uso, manejo y aprovechamiento no solo de tierras sino de los componentes de cualquier AES. A partir de esto, se pueden obtener insumos para describir a nivel de ejido y de finca la estructura de AES con información actualizada y de primera mano. Se aplicó este método en el ejido Mafafas, ubicado en el municipio de Tepetlán, Veracruz, que presenta problemas de disminución de la productividad de café. Se realizó una clasificación campesina de tierras y también se empleó el método etnoedafológico para recopilar información y caracterizar la estructura de agroecosistemas cafetaleros. Se obtuvo un mapa a escala 1:10 000 y en total se representan ocho clases de tierra con cuatro tipos predominantes de uso del suelo. Además, se analizaron once fincas que mostraron distintas estructuras, aunque muestran patrones en común. Se mostrará una alternativa para caracterizar AES con un método sistémico que se vale del conocimiento local y que resulta de fácil aplicación. Los resultados obtenidos de este procedimiento respaldan la idea de que todos los ejidos requieren un estudio con este enfoque, que sirva como base para la planeación local y el desarrollo del campo mexicano.

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study measures the health of populations worldwide and by country on an annual basis and aims at helping guide public policy on health issues. The GBD estimates for Spain in 2016 and recent trends in mortality and morbidity from 2006 to 2016 were recently published. According to these estimates, chronic kidney disease was the 8th cause of death in Spain in 2016. Among the top ten causes of death, chronic kidney disease was the fastest growing from 2006 to 2016, after Alzheimer disease. At the current pace of growth, chronic kidney disease is set to become the second cause of death in Spain, after Alzheimer disease, by 2100. Additionally, among major causes of death, chronic kidney disease also ranked second only to Alzheimer as the fastest growing cause of Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) and Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Public resources devoted to prevention, care and research on kidney disease should be in line with both its current and future burden. Resumen: El estudio Global Burden of Disease (GBD) mide la salud de las poblaciones en todo el mundo y en cada país de forma annual, y tiene como objetivo ayudar a orientar las políticas públicas sobre cuestiones de salud. Recientemente se publicaron las estimaciones GBD 2016 para España y las tendencias recientes en mortalidad y morbilidad de 2006 a 2016. Según estas estimaciones, la enfermedad renal crónica fue la octava causa de muerte en España en 2016. Entre las 10 principales causas de muerte, la enfermedad renal crónica fue la que más creció entre 2006 y 2016, después de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Al ritmo actual de crecimiento, la enfermedad renal crónica se convertirá en la segunda causa de muerte en España, después del Alzheimer, hacia el 2100. Además, entre las principales causas de muerte, la enfermedad renal crónica también ocupa el segundo lugar después del Alzheimer como la que más creció en años vividos con discapacidad (AVD) y en años de vida ajustados por discapacidad (AVAD). Los recursos públicos dedicados a la prevención, atención e investigación de la enfermedad renal deberían estar en línea con su carga actual y futura. Keywords: Chronic kidney disease, Mortality, Research funding, Ranking, Public health, Palabras clave: Enfermedad renal crónica, Mortalidad, Financiación de la investigación, Clasificación, Salud pública

La formación de doctores constituye una actividad importante en las universidades. Varios investigadores han estudiado las múltiples aristas relacionadas con este tema en diferentes contextos sociales y culturales con aportes valiosos como, por ejemplo, las competencias y habilidades profesionales necesarias para que el alumnado pueda desarrollar su tesis, las dificultades en su escritura, el impacto científico y social de los resultados aportados, el papel de los tutores y su preparación previa. La evaluación de la calidad de esta formación siempre ha estado implícita en todas estas consideraciones desde la visión de los formadores, pero los criterios de los egresados casi no han sido tenidos en cuenta. En el caso de los doctorados en Ciencias Pedagógicas desarrollados en Cuba esta situación se mantiene, por lo que el objetivo del presente artículo es evaluar la calidad del proceso formativo de los egresados en Ciencias Pedagógicas, a partir de su evaluación personal, con la intención de perfeccionarlo con las propuestas de mejora de ellos. Se sugieren varios procedimientos metodológicos para obtener por vía científica la autoevaluación de estos egresados y conseguir una información objetiva, valiosa, veraz, pertinente y de uso inmediato para el proceso de perfeccionamiento continuo que demanda la formación doctoral para elevar su calidad.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are interconnected conditions, and CKD is projected to become the fifth leading global cause of death by 2040. New therapeutic approaches are needed. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have emerged as drivers of kidney injury in acute and chronic settings, promoting the AKI-to-CKD transition. In this work, we review the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in AKI and CKD progression and discuss novel therapeutic approaches. Specifically, evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction in diverse models of AKI (nephrotoxicity, cytokine storm, and ischemia-reperfusion injury) and CKD (diabetic kidney disease, glomerulopathies) is discussed; the clinical implications of novel information on the key role of mitochondria-related transcriptional regulators peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha, transcription factor EB (PGC-1α, TFEB), and carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1A (CPT1A) in kidney disease are addressed; the current status of the clinical development of therapeutic approaches targeting mitochondria are updated; and barriers to the clinical development of mitochondria-targeted interventions are discussed, including the lack of clinical diagnostic tests that allow us to categorize the baseline renal mitochondrial dysfunction/mitochondrial oxidative stress and to monitor its response to therapeutic intervention. Finally, key milestones for further research are proposed.

Background Overweight and obesity are associated with diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there is scarce information from lower income countries about undiagnosed obesity-associated conditions. This information is necessary for healthcare planning and for assessment of Global Burden of Disease. Methods We assessed the prevalence of obesity-associated conditions in 656 overweight (n = 360) and obese (n = 296) adults from inner-city Portoviejo (Ecuador), in descriptive field research, based on an opportunistic and selective sampling strategy. Results Of 316 men and 340 women, 73% met criteria for prehypertension (27%) or hypertension (46%), 50% met criteria for prediabetes (30%) or diabetes (20%), 11% had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 200 and >150 mg/dl, respectively. Hyperuricemia and microhematuria (

Background: Fabry disease is an inherited disorder of glycolipid metabolism with progressive involvement of multiple organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, in classically affected male patients. Clinical presentations in males with later-onset Fabry phenotypes are more heterogeneous and largely dependent on the level of residual α-galactosidase A activity. Methods: We assessed agalsidase beta treatment outcomes of gastrointestinal symptoms in adult males with classic or later-onset Fabry disease. Self-reports of abdominal pain and diarrhea (‘present’/’not present’ since previous assessment) at last clinical visit (≥0.5 year of follow-up) were compared with treatment-baseline. Results: Classic male patients were considerably younger at first treatment than the fewer males with later-onset phenotypes (36 vs. ~47 years) and reported gastrointestinal symptoms more frequently at baseline (abdominal pain: 56% vs. 13%; diarrhea: 57% vs. 23%). As compared with baseline, significantly fewer classic patients reported abdominal pain after a median of 4.7 years of treatment (N = 171, 56% vs. 41%, P

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden decline of renal function and represents a global clinical problem due to an elevated morbidity and mortality. Despite many efforts, currently there are no treatments to halt this devastating condition. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoparticles secreted by various cell types in both physiological and pathological conditions. EVs can arise from distinct parts of the kidney and can mediate intercellular communication between various cell types along the nephron. Besides their potential as diagnostic tools, EVs have been proposed as powerful new tools for regenerative medicine and have been broadly studied as therapeutic mediators in different models of experimental AKI. In this review, we present an overview of the basic features and biological relevance of EVs, with an emphasis on their functional role in cell-to-cell communication in the kidney. We explore versatile roles of EVs in crucial pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to AKI and give a detailed description of the renoprotective effects of EVs from different origins in AKI. Finally, we explain known mechanisms of action of EVs in AKI and provide an outlook on the potential clinical translation of EVs in the setting of AKI.

Hasta el presente, la literatura cientí­fica latinoamericana revisada, sobre el liderazgo cientí­fico universitario en las ciencias sociales ha ignorado, al menos en aquella publicada en plataformas bibliográficas gratuitas, el uso posible y necesario de indicadores cienciométricos, tradicionales y altmétricos, como parte de una metodologí­a de identificación y evaluación temprana de dicho fenómeno en el contexto especí­fico de las redes académicas iberoamericanas. El objetivo del presente trabajo es proponer una baterí­a de 12 indicadores cienciométricos combinados con los cuales identificar y evaluar tempranamente el liderazgo cientí­fico en redes académicas latinoamericanas, empleando como fuentes de datos los perfiles de los investigadores objeto de estudio las plataformas académicas ResearchGate y Google Académico. Los indicadores propuestos fueron aplicados a un universo de 102 miembros de la Red Iberoamericana de Investigación sobre la Calidad de la Formación Doctoral en Ciencias Sociales, los cuales constituyen producto de la selección y la combinación de 6 indicadores cienciométricos tradicionales abordados por los autores en trabajos anteriores junto a otros 6 de tipo altmétricos obtenidos a partir de la producción cientí­fica de los investigadores en las plataformas académicas ResearchGate y Google Académico. Como resultado de la presente investigación, 7 miembros de la Red fueron identificados como lí­deres cientí­ficos.

Estudios recientes sobre lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) han comunicado desenlaces más favorables gracias al mejor conocimiento de la enfermedad, al manejo más experto del mismo y al uso racional de los tratamientos. En este estudio se identificaron 301 pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES), vistos entre 1988 y 2019. Doscientos veintiocho fueron tratados en el sistema público de salud y 73 en el sistema privado. Ambos grupos fueron comparados, observando que los primeros tenían menor edad al momento de la primera consulta y al inicio del LES y menor tiempo de evolución hasta la primera consulta que los pacientes atendidos en el sistema privado de salud de manera estadísticamente significativa. También mostraron mayor frecuencia de leucopenia, con presencia de anticuerpo Sm y compromiso renal en la primera consulta, como así también mayor uso de corticoides EV. Los pacientes hospitalarios presentaron mayor daño acumulado en los primeros 10 años de evolución, pero el desenlace muerte fue similar en ambos grupos. Ambos grupos de pacientes (tanto los del sistema público como los del sector privado) fueron atendidos por especialistas, realizando un cuidadoso seguimiento de estos pacientes.

La enfermedad de Erdheim-Chester (EEC) es una histiocitosis de células no Langerhans de presentación proteiforme y escaso conocimiento. Se presenta una serie de 19 casos de 4 centros, registrados de junio de 2012 a junio de 2019. Se incluyeron aquellos pacientes con clínica, anatomía patológica e inmunohistoquímica característica de la enfermedad. Se excluyeron pacientes con hallazgos indefinidos. Resultados: al igual que en la literatura, el compromiso más frecuente fue el óseo por imagenología, la mitad de estos sintomático. Nuestra serie presenta mayor incidencia de mujeres (casi 70%). Siete pacientes presentaron nódulo mamario como forma de presentación. La mayoría recibieron dosis media de esteroides asociado a otra droga inmunosupresora. La mortalidad fue del 16%.

Omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor used to treat peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease, has been associated to chronic kidney disease and acute interstitial nephritis. However, whether omeprazole is toxic to renal cells is unknown. Omeprazole has a lethal effect over some cancer cells, and cell death is a key process in kidney disease. Thus, we evaluated the potential lethal effect of omeprazole over tubular cells.Omeprazole induced dose-dependent cell death in human and murine proximal tubular cell lines and in human primary proximal tubular cell cultures. Increased cell death was observed at the high concentrations used in cancer cell studies and also at lower concentrations similar to those in peptic ulcer patient serum. Cell death induced by omeprazole had features of necrosis such as annexin V/7-AAD staining, LDH release, vacuolization and irregular chromatin condensation. Weak activation of caspase-3 was observed but inhibitors of caspases (zVAD), necroptosis (Necrostatin-1) or ferroptosis (Ferrostatin-1) did not prevent omeprazole-induced death. However, omeprazole promoted a strong oxidative stress response affecting mitochondria and lysosomes and the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine reduced oxidative stress and cell death. By contrast, iron overload increased cell death. An adaptive increase in the antiapoptotic protein BclxL failed to protect cells. In mice, parenteral omeprazole increased tubular cell death and the expression of NGAL and HO-1, markers of renal injury and oxidative stress, respectively.In conclusion, omeprazole nephrotoxicity may be related to induction of oxidative stress and renal tubular cell death.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are the most severe consequences of kidney injury. They are interconnected syndromes as CKD predisposes to AKI and AKI may accelerate CKD progression. Despite their growing impact on the global burden of disease, there is no satisfactory treatment for AKI and current therapeutic approaches to CKD remain suboptimal. Recent research has focused on the therapeutic target potential of epigenetic regulation of gene expression, including non-coding RNAs and the covalent modifications of histones and DNA. Indeed, several drugs targeting histone modifications are in clinical use or undergoing clinical trials. Acyl-lysine histone modifications (e.g. methylation, acetylation, and crotonylation) have modulated experimental kidney injury. Most recently, increased histone lysine crotonylation (Kcr) was observed during experimental AKI and could be reproduced in cultured tubular cells exposed to inflammatory stress triggered by the cytokine TWEAK. The degree of kidney histone crotonylation was modulated by crotonate availability and crotonate supplementation protected from nephrotoxic AKI. We now review the functional relevance of histone crotonylation in kidney disease and other pathophysiological contexts, as well as the implications for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. These studies provide insights into the overall role of histone crotonylation in health and disease.

Las lesiones pulmonares cavitadas en pacientes con Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico (LES) han sido descriptas en asociación con neumonitis por citomegalovirus, o secundarias a infecciones fúngicas. Haciendo una revisión en la literatura, se han descripto 13 casos de pacientes con estas lesiones. Presentamos cuatro pacientes con diagnóstico de LES, que durante la evolución de su enfermedad desarrollan cavidades pulmonares.

El sector universitario debe estar a la vanguardia de los desafíos y cambios que se producen en una sociedad globalizada, tener perspectiva hacia dónde dirigir sus acciones y planear hacia el futuro, el cual le permita razonar en detalle su misión, visión, metas, estrategias y actividades que se requieren para cumplir con los objetivos deseados, al mismo tiempo se debe enfrentar los diferentes retos que se producen cotidianamente en los ambientes de enseñanza y aprendizaje. De modo tal, que este ensayo, pretende hacer una reflexión con respecto al beneficio que produce la evaluación de desempeño en el trabajador y las ventajas que tiene para los supervisores universitarios sobre el aprovechamiento de las posibilidades materiales y humanas que conlleva a facilitar y agrupar aún más a todos los funcionarios en torno a las metas establecidas en el sector universitario. De allí que, que la evaluación de desempeño mediante el factor estratégico viene a representar un mecanismo efectivo a la organización universitaria porque permite precisar los roles y responsabilidades de cada uno de los docentes y así poder obtener un mayor impacto y efectos positivos en el rendimiento académico de sus funciones en beneficio de la sociedad.

Nephrotoxicity is an important limitation to the clinical use of many drugs and contrast media. Drug nephrotoxicity occurs in acute, subacute and chronic manifestations ranging from glomerular, tubular, vascular and immunological phenotypes to acute kidney injury. Pre-emptive risk assessment of drug nephrotoxicity poses an urgent need of precision medicine to optimize pharmacological therapies and interventional procedures involving nephrotoxic products in a preventive and personalized manner. Biomarkers of risk have been identified in animal models, and risk scores have been proposed, whose clinical use is abated by their reduced applicability to specific etiological models or clinical circumstances. However, our present data suggest that the urinary level of transferrin may be indicative of risk of renal damage, where risk is induced by subclinical tubular alterations regardless of etiology. In fact, urinary transferrin pre-emptively correlates with the subsequent renal damage in animal models in which risk has been induced by drugs and toxins affecting the renal tubules (i.e. cisplatin, gentamicin and uranyl nitrate); whereas transferrin shows no relation with the risk posed by a drug affecting renal hemodynamics (i.e. cyclosporine A). Our experiments also show that transferrin increases in the urine in the risk state (i.e. prior to the damage) precisely as a consequence of reduced tubular reabsorption. Finally, urinary transferrin pre-emptively identifies subpopulations of oncological and cardiac patients at risk of nephrotoxicity. In perspective, urinary transferrin might be further explored as a wider biomarker of an important mechanism of predisposition to renal damage induced by insults causing subclinical tubular alterations.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) will become the fifth global cause of death by 2040, thus emphasizing the need to better understand the molecular mechanisms of damage and regeneration in the kidney. CKD predisposes to acute kidney injury (AKI) which, in turn, promotes CKD progression. This implies that CKD or the AKI-to-CKD transition are associated with dysfunctional kidney repair mechanisms. Current therapeutic options slow CKD progression but fail to treat or accelerate recovery from AKI and are unable to promote kidney regeneration. Unraveling the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in kidney injury and repair, including the failure of this process, may provide novel biomarkers and therapeutic tools. We now review the contribution of different molecular and cellular events to the AKI-to-CKD transition, focusing on the role of macrophages in kidney injury, the different forms of regulated cell death and necroinflammation, cellular senescence and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SAPS), polyploidization, and podocyte injury and activation of parietal epithelial cells. Next, we discuss key contributors to repair of kidney injury and opportunities for their therapeutic manipulation, with a focus on resident renal progenitor cells, stem cells and their reparative secretome, certain macrophage subphenotypes within the M2 phenotype and senescent cell clearance.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can be considered as a clinical model for premature aging. However, non-invasive biomarkers to detect early kidney damage and the onset of a senescent phenotype are lacking. Most of the preclinical senescence studies in aging have been done in very old mice. Furthermore, the precise characterization and over-time development of age-related senescence in the kidney remain unclear. To address these limitations, the age-related activation of cellular senescence-associated mechanisms and their correlation with early structural changes in the kidney were investigated in 3- to 18-month-old C57BL6 mice. Inflammatory cell infiltration was observed by 12 months, whereas tubular damage and collagen accumulation occurred later. Early activation of cellular-senescence-associated mechanisms was found in 12-month-old mice, characterized by activation of the DNA-damage-response (DDR), mainly in tubular cells; activation of the antioxidant NRF2 pathway; and klotho downregulation. However, induction of tubular-cell-cycle-arrest (CCA) and overexpression of renal senescent-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) components was only found in 18-month-old mice. In aging mice, both inflammation and oxidative stress (marked by elevated lipid peroxidation and NRF2 inactivation) remained increased. These findings support the hypothesis that prolonged DDR and CCA, loss of nephroprotective factors (klotho), and dysfunctional redox regulatory mechanisms (NRF2/antioxidant defense) can be early drivers of age-related kidney-damage progression.

Crescentic glomerulonephritis is a devastating autoimmune disease that without early and properly treatment may rapidly progress to end-stage renal disease and death. Current immunosuppressive treatment provides limited efficacy and an important burden of adverse events. Epigenetic drugs are a source of novel therapeutic tools. Among them, bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibitors (iBETs) block the interaction between bromodomains and acetylated proteins, including histones and transcription factors. iBETs have demonstrated protective effects on malignancy, inflammatory disorders and experimental kidney disease. Recently, Gremlin-1 was proposed as a urinary biomarker of disease progression in human anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis. We have now evaluated whether iBETs could regulate Gremlin-1 in experimental anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis induced by nephrotoxic serum (NTS) in mice, a model resembling human crescentic glomerulonephritis. In NTS-injected mice, the iBET JQ1 inhibited renal Gremlin-1 overexpression and diminished glomerular damage, restoring podocyte numbers. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated BRD4 enrichment of the Grem-1 gene promoter in injured kidneys, consistent with Gremlin-1 epigenetic regulation. Moreover, JQ1 blocked BRD4 binding and inhibited Grem-1 gene transcription. The beneficial effect of iBETs was also mediated by modulation of NOTCH pathway. JQ1 inhibited the gene expression of the NOTCH effectors Hes-1 and Hey-1 in NTS-injured kidneys. Our results further support the role for epigenetic drugs, such as iBETs, in the treatment of rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis.

Background/Aims: A recent alert from Spanish health authorities warned of a higher incidence of reported hypersensitivity reactions to hemodialysis membranes with polysulfone, in the 2017 review of acute reactions to dialyzers found only published reports in the 21st century on polysulfone and its derivatives. The aim is to assess/evaluate the current incidence and characteristics of hypersensitivity reactions in hemodialysis patients. Methods: A retrospective multicentre study in 9 Spanish hospitals evaluated patients in whom a hypersensitivity reaction required a change in dialyzer membrane. Results: A total of 37 patients out of 1561 (2.37%) had hypersensitivity reactions and clinical, epidemiological and analytical data were available for 33 patients (2.11%). The membranes involved were polysulfone (n=23), polynephron (n=8), polyethersulfone (n=1) and polyacrylonitrile (n=1). This distribution reflected the frequency of use of membranes in the participating dialysis units. The reactions were described as type A in 18 cases and type B in 15 cases. There were no significant differences between the two types in clinical symptoms, the composition of the membrane involved, the method of sterilization, the season, or the time during the session in which they occurred. The most frequent symptom was dyspnea/breathlessness (64% of reactions). Eosinophilia was common (74%). 54% of the reactions occurred within the first 30 minutes of hemodialysis, 64% occurred during the first year of dialysis, and 54% required discontinuation of dialysis session. Cellulose triacetate was used as an alternative dialyzer in 78% of the cases. Conclusion: The incidence of hypersensitivity reactions was in the range found in reports from 20 years ago and is observed associated with synthetic membranes, not just polysulfones. Cellulose triacetate appears to be a good alternative for these patients.

Abstract Background The choice of the most appropriate antithrombotic regimen that balances ischemic and bleeding risks was addressed by the August 2017 European Society of Cardiologists (ESC)/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Focused Update recommendations, which propose new evaluation scores and protocols for patients requiring a coronary stent or patients with an acute coronary syndrome, atrial fibrillation, or a high bleeding risk and indication for oral anticoagulation therapy. Discussion Numerous questions remain regarding antithrombotic regimens and risk management algorithms for both ischemic and hemorrhagic events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in various clinical scenarios. Limitations of current studies include a general ack of advanced CKD patients in major randomized controlled trials, of evidence on algorithm implementation, and of robust assessment tools for hemorrhagic risk. Herein, we aim to analyze the ESC Update recommendations and the newly implemented risk scores (DAPT, PRECISE-DAPT, PARIS) from the point of view of CKD, providing suggestions on drug choice (which combination has the best evidence), dosage, and duration (the same or different as for non-CKD population) of antithrombotics, as well as to identify current shortcomings and to envision directions of future research. Conclusion We provide an evidence-based perspective on the new proposed bleeding management protocol, with focus on the CKD population. Despite previous important steps on antithrombotic therapy of renal patients, there remain many unsolved questions for which our suggestions could fundament new randomized controlled trials and specific protocols.

This article explores the use of humor at the university teaching‐learning process. A questionnaire was given to 42 university instructors from different departments. To collect information about sex, university teaching experience, use of humor in the classroom, benefits or difficulties faced, prior training on the topic, and a brief description of some valuable experience. The development of the sense of humor in these teachers, as a personal quality, was also evaluated through the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS) of Thorson, Powell, Sarmany‐Schuller and Hampes and validated for Spanish speakers by Carbelo. The findings corroborate of contributions of different researchers in other social and cultural contexts; reflect the valuable experiences of Cuban teachers in the use of humor as a didactic resource in an empirical and intuitive way, but effectively. The development of the sense of humor as a personal quality at different levels of development was also found in teachers, as potential to improve and systematize the use of this didactic resource.

El proceso de formación del suelo está determinado por la interacción de seis factores de formación: clima, organismos, topografía, material parental, tiempo y uso, la magnitud de cualquiera de las propiedades del suelo está determinada por la acción de estos factores. En este trabajo se determinaron cuáles son los factores de formación que influyen en el tipo y propiedades del suelo en la cuenca rancho Dolores en la región mixteca en el estado de Oaxaca. Se realizó un análisis de componentes principales y una clasificación no supervisada para la delimitación de unidades de suelo, en las que se realizaron muestreos y análisis de laboratorio de algunas propiedades físicas y químicas. Los factores de formación que explicaron la variabilidad de los suelos de la cuenca fueron: pendiente, índice de posición topográfica, material parental y uso del suelo. Se delimitaron cinco unidades de suelos con su distribución espacial en la cuenca y se asociaron con sus propiedades de textura, densidad aparente, capacidad de campo, punto de marchitez permanente, porciento de saturación, conductividad hidráulica saturada, pH y contenido de materia orgánica. Existe una fuerte relación entre los parámetros del relieve y los suelos, por lo que se recomienda el estudio de la formación, distribución, y cartografía de los suelos desde un punto de vista geomorfológico, así como del análisis de la vegetación.

The term acute tubular necrosis was thought to represent a misnomer derived from morphological studies of human necropsies and necrosis was thought to represent an unregulated passive form of cell death which was not amenable to therapeutic manipulation. Recent advances have improved our understanding of cell death in acute kidney injury. First, apoptosis results in cell loss, but does not trigger an inflammatory response. However, clumsy attempts at interfering with apoptosis (e.g. certain caspase inhibitors) may trigger necrosis and, thus, inflammation-mediated kidney injury. Second, and most revolutionary, the concept of regulated necrosis emerged. Several modalities of regulated necrosis were described, such as necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis and mitochondria permeability transition regulated necrosis. Similar to apoptosis, regulated necrosis is modulated by specific molecules that behave as therapeutic targets. Contrary to apoptosis, regulated necrosis may be extremely pro-inflammatory and, importantly for kidney transplantation, immunogenic. Furthermore, regulated necrosis may trigger synchronized necrosis, in which all cells within a given tubule die in a synchronized manner. We now review the different modalities of regulated necrosis, the evidence for a role in diverse forms of kidney injury and the new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Resumen: La idea de que el término necrosis tubular aguda supone una denominación inapropiada se deriva de estudios morfológicos de necropsias humanas. La opinión generalizada ha sido que la necrosis representa una forma pasiva de muerte celular no regulada que no es susceptible de manipulación terapéutica. Los recientes avances han mejorado nuestra comprensión de la muerte celular en la lesión renal aguda. En primer lugar, la apoptosis origina una pérdida celular, pero no desencadena una respuesta inflamatoria. Sin embargo, los intentos rudimentarios de interferir en la apoptosis (p. ej., con determinados inhibidores de la caspasa) pueden desencadenar una necrosis y, por lo tanto, una lesión renal mediada por inflamación. En segundo lugar, y lo que es más revolucionario, ha surgido el concepto de necrosis regulada. Se han descrito varias modalidades de necrosis regulada como necroptosis, ferroptosis, piroptosis y necrosis regulada por transición de permeabilidad mitocondrial. De forma análoga a la apoptosis, la necrosis regulada se modula a través de moléculas específicas que actúan como dianas terapéuticas. Al contrario que la apoptosis, la necrosis regulada puede ser extremadamente proinflamatoria y, lo que es importante para el trasplante renal, inmunogénica. Además, la necrosis regulada puede desencadenar una necrosis sincronizada, en la que todas las células del interior de un túbulo concreto mueren de manera sincronizada. Revisaremos las diferentes modalidades de necrosis regulada, la evidencia de una función en las diversas formas de lesión renal y las nuevas oportunidades de intervención terapéutica. Keywords: Apoptosis, Ferroptosis, Necroptosis, Kidney, Acute kidney injury, Chronic kidney disease, Transplantation, Acute rejection, Delayed graft function, Palabras clave: Apoptosis, Ferroptosis, Necroptosis, Riñón, Lesión renal aguda, Enfermedad renal crónica, Trasplante, Rechazo agudo, Función retardada del injerto

The ability of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to classify pre-sliced Iberian chorizo modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) according to the animal material used in their production (Black, Red, White) in their production in accordance with the official trade categories (which includes the handling system and the different inter-racial crossbreeds) without opening the package was assayed. Furthermore, various spectra pre-treatments and supervised classification chemometric tools; Partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), soft independent modelling of class analogies (SIMCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), were assessed. The highest sensitivity values in both calibration and external validation were achieved with SIMCA followed by PLS-DA approaches, while LDA had more provided values among sensitivity and specificity and between the different commercial categories in both sample sets, thus yielding the highest discriminant ability. These results could be a resource to support the traceability and authentication control of individual pre-sliced MAP Iberian chorizo according to the commercial category of the raw material in a non-destructive way.