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Conventional methods for process monitoring often fail to capture the causal relationships that drive outcomes, making hard to distinguish causal anomalies from mere correlations in activity flows. Hence, there is a need for approaches that allow causal interpretation of atypical scenarios (anomalies), allowing to identify the influence of operational variables on these anomalies. This article introduces (CaProM), an innovative technique based on causality techniques, applied during the planning phase in business process environments. The technique combines two causal perspectives: anomaly attribution and distribution change attribution. It has three stages: (1) process events are collected and recorded, identifying flow instances; (2) causal learning of process activities, building a directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) represent dependencies among variables; and (3) use of DAGs to monitor the process, detecting anomalies and critical nodes. The technique was validated with a industry dataset from the banking sector, comprising 562 activity flow plans. The study monitored causal structures during the planning and execution stages, and allowed to identify the main factor behind a major deviation from planned values. This work contributes to business process monitoring by introducing a causal approach that enhances both the interpretability and explainability of anomalies. The technique allows to understand which specific variables have caused an atypical scenario, providing a clear view of the causal relationships within processes and ensuring greater accuracy in decision-making. This causal analysis employs cross-sectional data, avoiding the need to average multiple time instances and reducing potential biases, and unlike time series methods, it preserves the relationships among variables.

ObjectiveWe compared hair cortisol (HC) with classic tests of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and assessed its association with kidney and cardiometabolic status.Design and methodsA cross-sectional study of 48 patients with CKD stages I–IV, matched by age, sex, and BMI with 24 healthy controls (CTR) was performed. Metabolic comorbidities, body composition, and HPA axis function were studied.ResultsA total of 72 subjects (age 52.9 ± 12.2 years, 50% women, BMI 26.2 ± 4.1 kg/m2) were included. Metabolic syndrome features (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, glucose, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, waist circumference) and 24-h urinary proteins increased progressively with worsening kidney function (p < 0.05 for all). Reduced cortisol suppression after 1-mg dexamethasone suppression (DST) (p < 0.001), a higher noon (12:00 h pm) salivary cortisol (p = 0.042), and salivary cortisol AUC (p = 0.008) were seen in CKD. 24-h urinary-free cortisol (24-h UFC) decreased in CKD stages III–IV compared with I–II (p < 0.001); higher midnight salivary cortisol (p = 0.015) and lower suppressibility after 1-mg DST were observed with declining kidney function (p < 0.001). Cortisol-after-DST cortisol was >2 mcg/dL in 23% of CKD patients (12.5% in stage III and 56.3% in stage IV); 45% of them had cortisol >2 mcg/dL after low-dose 2-day DST, all in stage IV (p < 0.001 for all). Cortisol-after-DST was lineally inversely correlated with eGFR (p < 0.001). Cortisol-after-DST (OR 14.9, 95% CI 1.7–103, p = 0.015) and glucose (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5, p = 0.003) were independently associated with eGFR

Numerous papers report the efficiency of the automatic interpretation capabilities of commercial algorithms. Unfortunately, these algorithms are proprietary, and academia has no means of directly contributing to these results. In fact, nothing at the same stage of development exists in academia. Despite the extensive research in ECG signal processing, from signal conditioning to expert systems, a cohesive single application for clinical use is not ready yet. This is due to a serious lack of coordination in the academic efforts, which involve not only algorithms for signal processing, but also the signal acquisition equipment itself. For instance, the different sampling rates and the different noise levels frequently found in the available signal databases can cause severe incompatibility problems when the integration of different algorithms is desired. Therefore, this work aims to solve this incompatibility problem by providing the academic community with a diagnostic-grade electrocardiograph. The intention is to create a new standardized ECG signals database in order to address the automatic interpretation problem and create an electrocardiography system that can fully assist clinical practitioners, as the proprietary systems do. Achieving this objective is expected through an open and coordinated collaboration platform for which a webpage has already been created.

One of the causal agents of bacterial canker is Pseudomonas amygdali pv. morsprunorum—Pam (formerly Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum). Recently detected in Chile, Pam is known to cause lesions in the aerial parts of the plant, followed by more severe symptoms such as cankers and gummosis in the later stages of the disease. This study presents the design of PCR and LAMP detection methods for the specific and sensitive identification of Pseudomonas amygdali pv. morsprunorum (Pam) from cherry trees. Twelve Pseudomonas isolates were collected, sequenced, and later characterized by Multi-locus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) and Average Nucleotide Identity by blast (ANIb). Three of them (11116B2, S1 Pam, and S2 Pam) were identified as Pseudomonas amygdali pv. morsprunorum and were used to find specific genes through RAST server, by comparing their genome with that of other Pseudomonas, including isolates from other Pam strains. The effector gene HopAU1 was selected for the design of primers to be used for both techniques, evaluating sensitivity and specificity, and the ability to detect Pam directly from plant tissues. While the PCR detection limit was 100 pg of purified bacterial DNA per reaction, the LAMP assays were able to detect up to 1 fg of purified DNA per reaction. Similar results were observed using plant tissues, LAMP being more sensitive than PCR, including when using DNA extracted from infected plant tissues. Both detection methods were tested in the presence of 30 other bacterial genera, with LAMP being more sensitive than PCR.

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo presentar los resultados de una revisión narrativa acerca de la relación entre los rasgos de personalidad, la toma de decisiones y la permanencia académica. Para ello se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos Science Direct, EBSCO, Proquest, y se utilizaron los descriptores personalidad, rasgos, universitarios, toma de decisiones, permanencia académica. Para el análisis de los textos se tuvieron en cuenta los criterios de revisión de la guía CASPe. Se incluyeron un total de 25 estudios. Se encontró que existe una relación entre la toma de decisiones arriesgada con el factor de afabilidad. Cada nivel de adaptación individual, unido a la motivación de lograr las metas académicas durante el desarrollo de la carrera universitaria, necesitan comprenderse desde una triple perspectiva que no es excluyente. Estas tres variables permiten una visión más específica desde el contexto de toma de decisiones en al ámbito universitario. Finalmente, se plantea la necesidad de profundizar en estudios que involucren las tres variables mencionadas, más allá de rasgos como responsabilidad, neuroticismo y afabilidad, y tomar en cuenta los demás factores que se describen en el modelo de los Cinco Factores (Big Five).

Abstract Amyloid deposits in pancreatic islets, mainly formed by human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) aggregation, have been associated with loss of β-cell mass and function, and are a pathological hallmark of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Treatment with chaperones has been associated with a decrease in endoplasmic reticulum stress leading to improved glucose metabolism. The aim of this work was to investigate whether the chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) prevents glucose metabolism abnormalities and amyloid deposition in obese agouti viable yellow (Avy) mice that overexpress hIAPP in β cells (Avy hIAPP mice), which exhibit overt diabetes. Oral PBA treatment started at 8 weeks of age, when Avy hIAPP mice already presented fasting hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, and impaired insulin secretion. PBA treatment strongly reduced the severe hyperglycemia observed in obese Avy hIAPP mice in fasting and fed conditions throughout the study. This effect was paralleled by a decrease in hyperinsulinemia. Importantly, PBA treatment reduced the prevalence and the severity of islet amyloid deposition in Avy hIAPP mice. Collectively, these results show that PBA treatment elicits a marked reduction of hyperglycemia and reduces amyloid deposits in obese and diabetic mice, highlighting the potential of chaperones for T2D treatment.

Este artículo presenta el resultado de una metasíntesis cualitativa de experiencias educativas de la niñez migrante en Chile, realizada a partir del análisis de los principales estándares de cumplimiento de los derechos de los niños y niñas, específicamente de los principios derivados del derecho a la educación. Durante septiembre de 2019 se realizó una revisión sistemática de artículos en las bases de datos Ebscohost, SciELO, Dialnet y Redalyc, principalmente. Se incluyeron artículos originales derivados de investigaciones realizadas en Chile sobre niñez migrante y educación. Los resultados indican que, si bien los principios de acceso y disponibilidad están más bien resueltos en materia de educación, los desafíos radican en fortalecer procesos de inclusión educativa desde una perspectiva intercultural.

Hepatitis C virus-induced liver damage, chronic liver damage due to alcohol, and non-alcoholic liver disease-induced cellular alterations promote fibrosis, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. The recommended therapeutic option for advanced liver damage is liver transplantation. Extracellular matrix scaffolds have been evaluated as an alternative for tissue restoration. Studies on the biocompatibility and rejection of synthetic and natural scaffolds as an alternative to organ transplantation have been evaluated. Our group has recently described the xenoimplant of collagen matrix scaffold (CMS) in a rat model. However, no complete macroscopic and histological description of the liver parenchyma at the initial (day 3), intermediate (day 14), and advanced (day 21) stages has been obtained. In this study, we described and compared liver tissue from the CMS zone (CZ, CMS, and liver parenchyma), liver tissue from the normal zone (liver parenchyma close to the CMS), and basal tissue (resected tissue from the CMS implantation site). Our data strongly suggest that the collagen matrix xenoimplant is a good niche for hepatocytes, with no rejection, and does not affect liver function tests. The liver can regenerate after damage, but this capacity is inhibited in a chronic injury. At present, the use of CMS after liver damage has not been reported. This biomaterial could be a novel alternative in the field of regenerative medicine for liver diseases.

Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a pathology of low incidence and prevalence worldwide; it is accompanied by symptoms such as dystonia, rigid akinetic syndrome (bradykinesia), gait disturbances, neurological deterioration associated with severe cortical subcortical atrophy, and progressive to moderate to severe neurocognitive deficits, especially in immediate verbal memory and dorsolateral or dysexecutive syndrome. We identified neurocognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms in a patient diagnosed with CBD. Participant was a 70-year-old female patient, single; she presented progressive memory loss of an immediate verbal nature. Initially, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, finding that she had no characteristic signs and symptoms of these pathologies. The patient presented conciliation insomnia, gait disturbances, and severe neurocognitive deficit, especially in executive functions, immediate verbal memory, and visuospatial functioning. It was found that the patient presented neurocognitive alterations of the executive type (frontal lobe) such as decision making, planning, inhibition and operative memory, correlated with a severe alteration in her basic, instrumental and advanced activities of daily life, with a high risk factor for developing dementia. It is necessary to diagnose in an assertive and timely manner in order to generate functional neurorehabilitation plans in people diagnosed with CBD, with the main objective of positively impacting quality of life, at the individual, family, and social level.

Resumen: Introducción: El cáncer de mama es el tipo de cáncer que se diagnostica con mayor frecuencia en mujeres y la segunda causa más común de muerte por cáncer en este género. Dentro de las indicaciones de tratamiento, se encuentran: cirugía, radioterapia, quimioterapia y terapia endocrina. Esta última se basa en el uso de tamoxifeno, cuyo uso de forma prolongada puede producir efectos secundarios como sequedad vaginal, ardor, irritación, picazón, disuria, incontinencia urinaria, entre otros. Objetivo: Caracterizar la incontinencia urinaria en mujeres premenopáusicas con cáncer de mama en tratamiento con tamoxifeno por 5 años en el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer. Material y método: Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal. Se incluyeron mujeres diagnosticadas con cáncer de mama inscritas y tratadas en el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer. Se aplicó cuestionario ICIQ –SF a la población de estudio con el fin de caracterizar la presencia de incontinencia urinaria. Además, se calculó la proporción entre mujeres con incontinencia urinaria y nuliparidad/mujeres con incontinencia urinaria y paridad. Resultados: Se evaluaron 15 pacientes. 93,33% presentaron incontinencia urinaria. El promedio de edad de mujeres con incontinencia urinaria fue de 51,21 (± 4,74) años. La razón de mujeres con nuliparidad/con paridad fue de 4:15. Conclusión: 99,33% de las pacientes presentaron incontinencia urinaria. Los resultados entregados en este estudio deben ser considerados como un elemento que contribuya a detectar la magnitud del problema en la población inscrita y tratada en el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer. Summary: Background: Breast cancer is the type of cancer diagnosed most frequently in women, and the second most common cause of death from cancer in this gender. Within the indications of treatment, they are: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. The last is based on the use of tamoxifen, whose prolonged use can produce side effects such as vaginal dryness, burning, irritation, itching, dysuria, urinary incontinence, among others. Objective: To characterize urinary incontinence in pre-menopausal women with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen for 5 years at the Instituto Nacional del Cáncer. Material and method: Descriptive cross-sectional study. We included women diagnosed with breast cancer enrolled and treated at the Instituto Nacional del Cáncer. The ICIQ -SF questionnaire was applied to the study population to characterize the presence of urinary incontinence. In addition, the proportion between women with urinary incontinence and nulliparity / women with urinary incontinence and parity was calculated. Results: 93,33% presented urinary incontinence. The average age of women with urinary incontinence was 51,21 (± 4,74) years. The ratio of women with nulliparity / with parity was 4:15. Conclusion: 99,33% of the patients presented urinary incontinence. The results delivered in this study should be considered as one element that helps to detect the magnitude of this problem in the population registered and treated in the Instituto Nacional del Cáncer.

IntroductionTwenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (24h-UFC) is the most used test for follow-up decision-making in patients with Cushing syndrome (CS) under medical treatment. However, 24h-UFC determinations by immunoassays (IA) are commonly overestimated because of steroid metabolites’ cross-reaction. It is still uncertain how ketoconazole (KTZ)- and metyrapone (MTP)-induced changes on the urinary steroid metabolites can alter the 24h-UFC*IA determinations’ reliability.Methods24h-UFC was analyzed by IA and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in 193 samples (81 before treatment, 73 during KTZ, and 39 during MTP) from 34 CS patients. In addition, urinary steroidome was analyzed by GC-MS on each patient before and during treatment.ResultsBefore treatment, 24h-UFC*IA determinations were overestimated by a factor of 1.75 (95% CI 1.60–1.94) compared to those by GC-MS. However, during KTZ treatment, 24h-UFC*IA results were similar (0.98:1) to those by GC-MS (95% CI, 0.83–1.20). In patients taking MTP, IA bias only decreased 0.55, resulting in persistence of an overestimation factor of 1.33:1 (95% CI, 1.09–1.76). High method agreement between GC-MS and IA before treatment (R2 = 0.954) declined in patients under KTZ (R2 = 0.632) but not in MTP (R2 = 0.917). Upper limit normal (ULN) reductions in patients taking KTZ were 27% larger when using 24h-UFC*IA compared to 24h-UFC*GC-MS, which resulted in higher false efficacy and misleading biochemical classification of 15% of patients. Urinary excretion changes of 22 urinary steroid metabolites explained 86% of the 24h-UFC*IA interference. Larger urinary excretion reductions of 6β-hydroxy-cortisol, 20α-dihydrocortisol, and 18-hydroxy-cortisol in patients with KTZ elucidated the higher 24h-UFC*IA bias decrement compared to MTP-treated patients.ConclusionKTZ and MTP alter the urinary excretion of IA cross-reactive steroid metabolites, thus decreasing the cross-reactive interference of 24h-UFC*IA determinations present before treatment. Consequently, this interference reduction in 24h-UFC*IA leads to loss of method agreement with GC-MS and high risk of overestimating the biochemical impact of KTZ and MTP in controlling CS because of poor reliability of reference ranges and ULN.

Objective: Pancreatic β-cell dysfunction is a central feature in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Accumulating evidence indicates that β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 2 (BACE2) inhibition exerts a beneficial effect on β-cells in different models of T2D. Thus, targeting BACE2 may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this disease. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of BACE2 suppression on glucose homeostasis in a model of diet-induced obesity. Methods: BACE2 knock-out (BKO) and wild-type (WT) mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 2 or 16 weeks. Body weight, food intake, respiratory exchange ratio, locomotor activity, and energy expenditure were determined. Glucose homeostasis was evaluated by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. β-cell proliferation was assessed by Ki67-positive nuclei, and β-cell function was determined by measuring glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Leptin sensitivity was evaluated by quantifying food intake and body weight after an intraperitoneal leptin injection. Neuropeptide gene expression and insulin signaling in the mediobasal hypothalamus were determined by qPCR and Akt phosphorylation, respectively. Results: After 16 weeks of HFD feeding, BKO mice exhibited an exacerbated body weight gain and hyperphagia, in comparison to WT littermates. Glucose tolerance was similar in both groups, whereas HFD-induced hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and β-cell expansion were more pronounced in BKO mice. In turn, leptin-induced food intake inhibition and hypothalamic insulin signaling were impaired in BKO mice, regardless of the diet, in accordance with deregulation of the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptide genes. Importantly, BKO mice already showed increased β-cell proliferation and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with respect to WT littermates after two weeks of HFD feeding, before the onset of obesity. Conclusions: Collectively, these results reveal that BACE2 suppression in an obesogenic setting leads to exacerbated body weight gain, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance. Thus, we conclude that inhibition of BACE2 may aggravate the adverse metabolic effects associated with obesity.

Objective: Pancreatic β-cell failure is central to the development and progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) has been associated with pancreatic islet inflammation and dysfunction in T2D. Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) is a circulating protease inhibitor with anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we sought to investigate the potential therapeutic effect of AAT treatment in a mouse model characterized by hIAPP overexpression in pancreatic β-cells. Methods: Mice overexpressing hIAPP (hIAPP-Tg) in pancreatic β-cells were used as a model of amyloid-induced β-cell dysfunction. Glucose homeostasis was evaluated by glucose tolerance tests and insulin secretion assays. Apoptosis and amyloid formation was assessed in hIAPP-Tg mouse islets cultured at high glucose levels. Dissociated islet cells were cocultured with macrophages obtained from the peritoneal cavity. Results: Nontreated hIAPP-Tg mice were glucose intolerant and exhibited impaired insulin secretion. Interestingly, AAT treatment improved glucose tolerance and restored the insulin secretory response to glucose in hIAPP-Tg mice. Moreover, AAT administration normalized the expression of the essential β-cell genes MafA and Pdx1, which were downregulated in pancreatic islets from hIAPP-Tg mice. AAT prevented the formation of amyloid deposits and apoptosis in hIAPP-Tg islets cultured at high glucose concentrations. Since islet macrophages mediate hIAPP-induced β-cell dysfunction, we investigated the effect of AAT in cocultures of macrophages and islet cells. AAT prevented hIAPP-induced β-cell apoptosis in these cocultures without reducing the hIAPP-induced secretion of IL-1β by macrophages. Remarkably, AAT protected β-cells against the cytotoxic effects of conditioned medium from hIAPP-treated macrophages. Similarly, AAT also abrogated the cytotoxic effects of exogenous proinflammatory cytokines on pancreatic β-cells. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that treatment with AAT improves glucose homeostasis in mice overexpressing hIAPP and protects pancreatic β-cells from the cytotoxic actions of hIAPP mediated by macrophages. These results support the use of AAT-based therapies to recover pancreatic β-cell function for the treatment of T2D.

Los últimos años, Chile ha incentivado la participación infantil desde procesos participativos utilizados como insumo para el diseño de la Política Nacional de Infancia. A partir de estándares establecidos por Save the Children, este estudio analiza la calidad de la participación infantil explorando percepciones de 299 profesionales vinculados al mundo de la niñez en todo Chile, y reflexionando respecto de los alcances y limitaciones de la participación infantil como expresión democrática, en un país que ha demorado 26 años en ajustar su legislación e institucionalidad a la Convención de los Derechos del Niño. Los resultados dan cuenta del carácter voluntario, respetuoso, pertinente e inclusivo que ha adoptado la participación infantil, donde el desafío radica en desarrollar procesos participativos más responsables, transparentes e informados, para avanzar en autonomía progresiva y democracia.

Introducción. La aparición de reacciones adversas a medicamentos es un tema relevante debido a la escasez de datos sobre la seguridad de los medicamentos en la población neonatal. Objetivo. Determinar el comportamiento de las reacciones adversas a medicamentos en neonatos hospitalizados en dos servicios de neonatología de Barranquilla, Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio descriptivo, prospectivo y de corte transversal de período de farmacovigilancia intensiva centrada en el paciente. El seguimiento y la vigilancia de la aparición de reacciones adversas a medicamentos en neonatos se extendieron durante seis meses. Se utilizaron el algoritmo de Naranjo para evaluar la causalidad, la escala modificada de Hartwig y Siegel para establecer la gravedad y los criterios de Schumock y Thornton para determinar la posibilidad de evitarlas. Resultados. De los 284 pacientes en seguimiento, se detectaron 123 reacciones adversas en 78 neonatos, es decir, una incidencia de 27,4 % (78/284); la densidad de la incidencia fue de 30,60 reacciones adversas por 1.000 pacientes por día (78/2.549). El sistema orgánico más afectado fue el digestivo (33,6 %); los antibióticos sistémicos fueron los más implicados en las reacciones adversas. La mayoría de estas fueron leves (58,5 %), el 83 % se clasificaron como probables, el 16,2 %, como posibles, y el 0,8 %, como definitivas. Conclusiones. La incidencia de las reacciones adversas a medicamentos en neonatos fue alta, especialmente en los pacientes prematuros (menos de 38 semanas).

Las empresas están llamadas a reflexionar en torno al alcance de sus acciones en el marco de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE), más aún, en contextos como Colombia, donde la ruralidad es el escenario de conflictos que involucran a las comunidades indígenas, afrodescendientes y campesinas, lo que supone un reto en la formulación de estrategias de relacionamiento encaminadas a impactar positivamente en la gestión de conflictos que, de no ser tenidos en cuenta por las empresas, pueden ir en detrimento de sus objetivos. Este artículo ofrece una reflexión crítica sobre el concepto de RSE asumida como una herramienta de gestión de conflictos, suponiendo que su alcance debería ir más allá del cumplimiento de las obligaciones legales de la empresa, que debe, entonces, actuar siendo consciente de la asimetría de derechos de las comunidades rurales y de sus consecuencias. Abstract: Companies are called to reflect on the scope of their actions in the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), even more in contexts such as Colombia, where rurality is the scenario of conflicts involving indigenous, Afro-descendent and peasants communities, this represents a challenge to the formulation of relationship strategies aimed at positively impacting the management of conflicts that, if they are not taken into account by companies, may be detrimental to their objectives. This article offers a critical reflection on the concept of CSR understood as a conflict management tool, assuming that its scope should go beyond the fulfillment of the legal obligations of the company, which must act with awareness of the asymmetry of rights of the rural communities and their consequences. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, companies, rural communities, conflict management, intercultural dialogue.

In this paper, an alternative strategy for the design of a bidirectional inductive power transfer (IPT) module, intended for the continuous monitoring of cardiac pressure, is presented. This new integrated implantable medical device (IMD) was designed including a precise ventricular pressure sensor, where the available implanting room is restricted to a 1.8 × 1.8 cm2 area. This work considers a robust magnetic coupling between an external reading coil and the implantable module: a three-dimensional inductor and a touch mode capacitive pressure sensor (TMCPS) set. In this approach, the coupling modules were modelled as RCL circuits tuned at a 13.56 MHz frequency. The analytical design was validated by means of Comsol Multiphysics, CoventorWare, and ANSYS HFSS software tools. A power transmission efficiency (PTE) of 94% was achieved through a 3.5 cm-thick biological tissue, based on high magnitudes for the inductance (L) and quality factor (Q) components. A specific absorption rate (SAR) of less than 1.6 W/Kg was attained, which suggests that this IPT system can be implemented in a safe way, according to IEEE C95.1 safety guidelines. The set of inductor and capacitor integrated arrays were designed over a very thin polyimide film, where the 3D coil was 18 mm in diameter and approximately 50% reduced in size, considering any conventional counterpart. Finally, this new approach for the IMD was under development using low-cost thin film manufacturing technologies for flexible electronics. Meanwhile, as an alternative test, this novel system was fabricated using a discrete printed circuit board (PCB) approach, where preliminary electromagnetic characterization demonstrates the viability of this bidirectional IPT design.

Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) are contributing factors to neurodegeneration. Alterations in miRNA signatures have been reported in several neurodegenerative dementias, but data in prion diseases are restricted to ex vivo and animal models. The present study identified significant miRNA expression pattern alterations in the frontal cortex and cerebellum of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) patients. These changes display a highly regional and disease subtype-dependent regulation that correlates with brain pathology. We demonstrate that selected miRNAs are enriched in sCJD isolated Argonaute(Ago)-binding complexes in disease, indicating their incorporation into RNA-induced silencing complexes, and further suggesting their contribution to disease-associated gene expression changes. Alterations in the miRNA-mRNA regulatory machinery and perturbed levels of miRNA biogenesis key components in sCJD brain samples reported here further implicate miRNAs in sCJD gene expression (de)regulation. We also show that a subset of sCJD-altered miRNAs are commonly changed in Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and fatal familial insomnia, suggesting potential common mechanisms underlying these neurodegenerative processes. Additionally, we report no correlation between brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) miRNA-profiles in sCJD, indicating that CSF-miRNA profiles do not faithfully mirror miRNA alterations detected in brain tissue of human prion diseases. Finally, utilizing a sCJD MM1 mouse model, we analyzed the miRNA deregulation patterns observed in sCJD in a temporal manner. While fourteen sCJD-related miRNAs were validated at clinical stages, only two of those were changed at early symptomatic phase, suggesting that the miRNAs altered in sCJD may contribute to later pathogenic processes. Altogether, the present work identifies alterations in the miRNA network, biogenesis and miRNA-mRNA silencing machinery in sCJD, whereby contributions to disease mechanisms deserve further investigation.

Objetivo: Diversas universidades españolas han implantado recientemente programas de docencia de Medicina en inglés, como legua vehicular. Sin embargo existen pocos datos sobre la opinión que sobre dichos programas tienen los alumnos que reciben esa modalidad de docencia. Con el presente estudio pretendemos conocer la actitud de dichos alumnos ante ese tipo de enseñanza. Método: Estudio transversal. Basado en un cuestionario enviado por correo electrónico a los alumnos de tercer curso del Grado de Medicina de la Universitat Jaume I de Castellón, los cuales van a cursar en los meses siguientes la asignatura Enfermedades Infecciosas en inglés como idioma docente. Resultados: Se envía el cuestionario a 78 alumnos, de los cuales 49 (63%) son mujeres y 29 (37%) son varones. Lo responden un total de 58 alumnos (74,4%). De los 58 alumnos que lo responden, 41 (70,7%) lo hacen durante las primeras 24 horas en que el cuestionario está disponible. Las respuestas indican que a 33 alumnos (56,9%) les parece bien o muy bien recibir la docencia de la asignatura en inglés; pero a 16 alumnos (27,6%) les parece mal o muy mal recibir ese tipo de docencia. Por otra parte, 39 alumnos (67,2%) consideran que van a tener que dedicar más tiempo del habitual a estudiar la asignatura por el hecho de impartirse en inglés. Conclusión: La mayoría de los alumnos del estudio consideran positiva la docencia en inglés, si bien una proporción no despreciable de los mismos la consideran negativa.

Este trabajo se inscribe dentro del marco de las discusiones acerca de la importancia del estudio de la lengua y de las humanidades en la educación. La intención es demostrar la validez del método de enseñanza que propone, desde el ámbito de la poesía, el poeta venezolano Rafael Cadenas en su libro En torno al lenguaje (1984), luego de revisar sus vínculos con propuestas del pasado, en particular varios de los postulados centrales de don Andrés Bello, y de situarnos en la problemática presente. Esta investigación parte de la premisa, acorde con las propuestas de los autores referidos, de que es a través de la educación que se construyen las bases de una sociedad y de una cultura, y de que el estudio de la lengua es la base primordial de todos los demás estudios.

Objetivo: Describir el uso de inhaladores de dosis medida en pacientes adultos de consulta de neumología en dos instituciones de salud de Atlántico (Colombia), 2013. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal que evaluó 131 pacientes adultos que utilizaban inhaladores de dosis medida (de cartucho presurizado) con inhalocámara o sin esta, asistentes a dos instituciones de salud del departamento del Atlántico. Se diseñó y aplicó un cuestionario que incluía lista de chequeo que permitió evaluar la técnica. Resultados: De 131 pacientes participantes, la media de edad fue de 44,75 años (DE+/-: 17.77). La tasa de éxito en el uso de la técnica fue baja, menos de 1.52% (2) fue perfecto, mientras que un 24.43% (32) tuvo una técnica adecuada y el 74.05% (97) inadecuada. 105 utilizaban inhaladores sin inhalocámara y 26 con inhalocámara. Conclusiones: Existen debilidades en el uso de los inhaladores. El 74.05% de los pacientes los usó inadecuadamente. Los pasos de la técnica de utilización de inhaladores que fallaron mayormente fueron: no exhalar el volumen residual, no comenzar a respirar cuando se activa el canister, no inhalar lento y profundo, no retener el medicamento por 10 segundos no esperar 30 segundos antes del segundo disparo y no agitar nuevamente el dispositivo antes del mismo. Es necesario implementar programas de educación en los que participen profesionales en enfermería.

Objective: To describe knowledge related to aspects of the administration of medicines into nursing practice. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive study from March to May 2011 in three health institutions of Department of Atlántico, which estimated a convenience sample of 104 nurses, who were responsible for carrying out activities related to administration of medicines. We applied two questionnaires, one was answered by nurses in hospitals, and the second was completed by researchers through observation of nursing staff during the administration of medicines. Results: 90.4 % of nurses had knowledge about various adverse drugs reactions that may occur, 53.8 % considered sufficient theory and practice learned in college about pharmacology, 65.4 % reported that timely had the necessary materials in order to administer medication. Conclusions: There are weaknesses in the area of pharmacology knowledge from university training, the availability of hospital materials, in nursing handoff during change of shift and in the spaces for the preparation of medication. A large percentage of nurses know adverse drug reactions, but there is insufficient knowledge about pharmacological terminology such as synergism and antagonism.

This work presents a novel design of a bidirectional Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) system capable of continuous monitoring of cardiac pressure. The proposed system results from a robust electromagnetic coupling between an external reading coil and an implanted two-level (3D approach) inductor array. In this design, each coupling module follows a 13.56 MHz operating frequency, where both passive RCL networks are near field tuned. Among our main results, we obtained a Power Transfer Efficiency (PTE) of 94.1% across the 3.5 cm-thick composed biological tissue whereas the implanted coil array is about 50% of its conventional size. Since the resulting PTE efficiency is 40% higher, based on the optimized L and Q parameters, this novel approach could be used in other medical applications. This IPT system design is based on a low-cost thin film fabrication technology.

An analysis of the effect of distance and alignment between two magnetically coupled coils for wireless power transfer in intraocular pressure measurement is presented. For measurement purposes, a system was fabricated consisting of an external device, which is a Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit variation, in charge of transferring energy to a biomedical implant and reading data from it. The biomedical implant is an RLC tank circuit, encapsulated by a polyimide coating. Power transfer was done by magnetic induction coupling method, by placing one of the inductors of the Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit and the inductor of the implant in close proximity. The Maxwell-Wien bridge circuit was biased with a 10 MHz sinusoidal signal. The analysis presented in this paper proves that wireless transmission of power for intraocular pressure measurement is feasible with the measurement system proposed. In order to have a proper inductive coupling link, special care must be taken when placing the two coils in proximity to avoid misalignment between them.

Objective: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of a semi-solid Tea Tree Oil (TTO) form at 2 % and 2,5% concentrations for treating periodontal disease. Method: A preclinical test in a sample of 30 mice with ear edema induced by croton oil was divided into two groups to compare treatment with Indomethacin and Diclofenac. Results: TTO at 2,5 % concentration showed a higher inhibition activity of inflammation (54,74 %) than TTO at 2 % (51,21 %). Statistical analysis showed no significative differences between treatment combinations (p>0,05). Conclusions: The tea tree oil in semi-solid form, applied in 2 - 2,5 % concentration in this preclinical study, showed consistent anti-inflammatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]