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This article provides an overview of the evolving agenda surrounding the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), dedicated to education. The authors examine the transformation of its guiding principles via the introduction of new priorities, benchmarks and modes of governance. Drawing on theoretical and methodological insights from political sociology of global education, and employing a combination of ethnographic methods, they highlight key moments which illustrate the dynamic nature of global coordination efforts for SDG 4. The article examines the reform process of the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM), alongside the adoption of a renewed thematic agenda, ranging from the Global Education Meetings in 2020 and 2021 to the Transforming Education Summit in 2022. Their findings underscore the predominant influence of multilateral agencies and donors over Member States, driven by a preference for a multistakeholder approach and a pragmatic vision of education. Key trends identified include a focus on basic learning, digital literacy and education financing, highlighting the current trajectory of global education governance.

Formative research generates different perceptions in undergraduate students, and in order to know more about them, 80 were surveyed, and 12 Communication Science students were interviewed at a national university in Lima (Peru). The results evidence that they conceive of it as: training to conduct scientific research, curricular or extracurricular activities as part of or for scientific research, preparation for conducting research work for graduation or obtaining a qualification, the development of competences for researching in the profession, an instructional strategy to develop research competences, and a strengthening of the research culture, among others. But beyond these varied concepts, the estimation of the majority emerges that formative research has been neglected by the university, thus becoming a challenge to optimize professional training, requiring qualified instructors with pertinent instructional methods, as well as an updated curriculum, which strengthens the research culture, responding to social demands and ensuring resources for the development of research competences.

An instrument was validated through factorial structure to measure the advantages, levels of reflection, and communicative competencies of the podcast, as well as to establish the levels of reliability and consistency of the measuring instrument. Likewise, confirmatory analysis was carried out to validate the proposed structural model and establish the relationships of the factors using the PLS-SEM methodology, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. It was validated with a sample of 142 teachers. It was demonstrated that there is a causality relationship of the variables, given by the coefficient of determination R2, the level of influence of the independent variables: levels of reflection and advantages; on the dependent variable, communicative competencies; the level of influence of the exogenous variable: advantages with the endogenous variable: levels of reflection in teachers. A high degree of construct validity was shown through the fit indices of the confirmatory factorial analysis.

Geothermal springs house unicellular red algae in the class Cyanidiophyceae that dominate the microbial biomass at these sites. Little is known about host-virus interactions in these environments. We analyzed the virus community associated with red algal mats in three neighboring habitats (creek, endolithic, soil) at Lemonade Creek, Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA. We find that despite proximity, each habitat houses a unique collection of viruses, with the giant viruses, Megaviricetes, dominant in all three. The early branching phylogenetic position of genes encoded on metagenome assembled virus genomes (vMAGs) suggests that the YNP lineages are of ancient origin and not due to multiple invasions from mesophilic habitats. The existence of genomic footprints of adaptation to thermophily in the vMAGs is consistent with this idea. The Cyanidiophyceae at geothermal sites originated ca. 1.5 Bya and are therefore relevant to understanding biotic interactions on the early Earth.

Abstract Metabolic syndrome has a multifactorial origin; however, epidemiological data correspond to populations located at sea level. It has been reported that the altitude can affected the prevalence due to physiological changes. The aim of this study is to show the global prevalence of metabolic syndrome at altitude and its components. We use four databases, all studies published up to November 2023. The prevalences from studies were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model. To assess sources of heterogeneity, subgroup analyses were performed. We included 28 studies. The number of participants was 29 195. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 30.3% (95% CI 22.8–38.4%). According to the altitude level, at 1500–2500 was 36.5%, 2500–3500 (21.8%), and > 3500 (30.9%), also it was higher in women (35.5%) that men (26.8%). It was observed that there is an inverse relationship between higher altitude and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Among its components, abdominal obesity and low HDL were present in more than 40.0%, while high blood pressure, high triglycerides and impaired glucose were present in less than 30.0%. We recommend that our results be considered for future research in populations living at altitude since they have different characteristics from populations at sea level.

Los recientes adelantos de la genómica y el acelerado desarrollo de las llamadas “ciencias ómicas” han permitido diagnosticar incontables enfermedades poco frecuentes (EPF). La inteligencia artificial (IA) ha permitido sistematizar los conocimientos de la genómica y de los informes clínicos y epidemiológicos. Sin embargo, la preservación y resguardo del anonimato y el eventual uso inadecuado de la información obtenida, se presentan como un gran desafío ético, jurídico y social. Las EPF además de constituir un problema de salud pública y un desafío en materia de justicia social y no discriminación, generan vulnerabilidades. El presente trabajo tiene por objeto reflexionar sobre la doble vulnerabilidad de las personas que viven con EPF: la enfermedad misma, y cómo preservar su integridad física, psíquica, social y espiritual cuando el uso de la IA para el diagnóstico o registro podría revelar su identidad, imagen y datos sensibles, mediante el uso de algoritmos.

Abstract Objectives: to assess the association between mothers age and the presence of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and acute diarrhea (AD) in Peruvian children under five years old. Methods: secondary analysis of the database of the “Demographic and Family Health Survey” of 2015 and 2019. We analyzed data from children under five and their reproductive-age mothers who live in the same household. Poisson regression models were used to generate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) to assess the association between mothers’ age group and the presence of ARIs and AD in their children. Results: 84,671 mother/child data were analyzed. In the adjusted regression model, being a young mother (aPR= 1.18; 95%CI= 1.11-1.25; p

Abstract Bioeconomy goals for using biomass feedstock for biofuels and bio-based production has arisen the demand for fungal strains and enzymes for biomass processing. Despite well-known Trichoderma and Aspergillus commercial strains, continuous bioprospecting has revealed the fungal biodiversity potential for production of biomass degrading enzymes. The strain Aspergillus fumigatus LMB-35Aa has revealed a great potential as source of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes. Nevertheless, genetic improvement should be considered to increase its biotechnological potential. Molecular manipulation based on homologous direct recombination (HDR) in filamentous fungi poses a challenge since its low recombination rate. Currently, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis can enable precise and efficient editing of filamentous fungi genomes. In this study, a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing strategy for improving endoglucanase activity of A. fumigatus LMB-35Aa strain was successfully used, which constitutes the first report of heterologous cellulase production in filamentous fungi using this technology. For this, egl A gene from A. niger ATCC 10,864 was integrated into conidial melanin pks P gene locus, which facilitated the selection of edited events discerned by the emergence of albino colonies. Heterologous production of the EglA enzyme in a biofilm fermentation system resulted in a 40% improvement in endoglucanase activity of the mutant strain compared to the wild type.

Abstract Microbial communities are ubiquitous in nature and play an important role in ecology and human health. Cross-feeding is thought to be core to microbial communities, though it remains unclear precisely why it emerges. Why have multi-species microbial communities evolved in many contexts and what protects microbial consortia from invasion? Here, we review recent insights into the emergence and stability of coexistence in microbial communities. A particular focus is the long-term evolutionary stability of coexistence, as observed for microbial communities that spontaneously evolved in the E. coli long-term evolution experiment (LTEE). We analyze these findings in the context of recent work on trade-offs between competing microbial objectives, which can constitute a mechanistic basis for the emergence of coexistence. Coexisting communities, rather than monocultures of the ‘fittest’ single strain, can form stable endpoints of evolutionary trajectories. Hence, the emergence of coexistence might be an obligatory outcome in the evolution of microbial communities. This implies that rather than embodying fragile metastable configurations, some microbial communities can constitute formidable ecosystems that are difficult to disrupt.

Abstract Background The high treatment cost of oral diseases is a barrier for accessing oral health services (OHS), particularly in low-income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of health insurance on the use of OHS in the Peruvian population from 2015 to 2019. Methods We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of secondary data using the National Household Survey (ENAHO) 2015–2019 panel databases, which collected information from the same participants during each of the five years. The dependent variable was the use of OHS in the three months prior to the survey (yes/no). The independent variable was health insurance affiliation (four years or less/all five years). Both were measured by survey questions. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) Poisson regression models with robust standard errors were used to estimate the relative risk (RR) associated with use of OHS. Results We included 4064 individuals distributed in 1847 households, who responded to the survey during each of the five years. The adjusted GEE model showed that those who had health insurance during all five years without interruption were more likely to attend OHS than those who had insurance for four years or less (adjusted relative risk [aRR]: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.13–1.50). In addition, we carried out a sensitivity analysis by recategorizing the independent variable into three categories (never/some years/ all five years), which also showed (aRR: 1.45; 95%CI: 1.11–1.89) that participants with health insurance during all five years were more likely to have used OHS than those who never had insurance. Conclusion Therefore, in the Peruvian context, health insurance affiliation was associated with greater use of OHS. The panel data used derives from a subsample of consecutive nationally representative samples, which may have led to a loss of representativeness. Furthermore, the data was collected between 2015 and 2019, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and insurance conditions may have changed.

Introdução: A doença de Jorge Lobo é endêmica em regiões da bacia amazônica, causada pelo fungo Lacazia loboi. Representa um desafio diagnóstico e terapêutico devido ao pouco entendimento que se tem sobre essa micose subcutânea, à falta de um programa de controle dessa doença e à impossibilidade de cultura do seu agente etiológico. O conhecimento da epidemiologia da doença é fundamental para o diagnóstico. Relato do caso: Masculino, 74 anos, proveniente da zona rural de Cruzeiro do Sul (Acre), com histórico de hipertensão arterial sistêmica e antecedente de hanseníase dimorfa tratada entre 2006 e 2007. Fazia uso contínuo das medicações: anlodipino, losartana e atenolol. Procurou serviço localizado na região sudeste, queixando-se de surgimento de lesão cutânea em perna esquerda havia 10 anos, com crescimento progressivo. Ao exame físico observamos placa policíclica com bordas eritematosas de aspecto nodular, assemelhando-se a queloides. Pesquisa de M. leprae foi negativa (baciloscopia zero). A biopsia da lesão evidenciou achados compatíveis com doença de Jorge Lobo. Iniciou-se itraconazol 200 mg ao dia e o paciente foi encaminhado para realização de cirurgia dermatológica para exérese da lesão. Segue em acompanhamento ambulatorial. Comentários: O diagnóstico diferencial da lobomicose é amplo, incluindo hanseníase, leishmaniose tegumentar, paracoccidioidomicose, cromoblastomicose, feohifomicose, esporotricose, tuberculose cutânea, micetomas, sarcoma de Kaposi, sarcoidose, melanoma, cancer de pele não-melanoma, dermatofibrossarcoma, metástases cutâneas, entre outros. Deste modo, a procedência do paciente é fundamental para incluir esta entidade no rol de possíveis diagnósticos. Pelo fato de o agente etiológico da lobomicose não ser cultivável, o diagnóstico padrão ouro é a biopsia cutânea. O tratamento principal é a excisão cirúrgica ampla e profunda, visando evitar recidivas. Devido à fibrose que se desenvolve em casos de longa duração da doença, a ação tecidual de antifúngicos pode ser prejudicada, diminuindo sua eficácia, motivo pelo qual se recomenda o seu uso concomitante durante 12 a 24 meses acompanhado da abordagem cirúrgica. Palavras-chave: Doença de Jorge Lobo, Micose Subcutânea, Diagnóstico Diferencial, Epidemiologia, Amazônia. Conflitos de interesse: Não houve conflitos de interesse no presente trabalho. Ética e financiamentos: Não houve conflitos de interesse no presente trabalho.