University of Extremadura
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Ultrasound muscle evaluation for predicting the prognosis of patients with head and neck cancer: A large-scale and multicenter prospective study
No full textHead and neck cancer (HNC) is a prevalent and aggressive form of cancer with high mortality rates and significant implications for nutritional status. Accurate assessment of malnutrition in patients with HNC is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes and improving survival rates. This study aimed to evaluate the use of ultrasound techniques for predicting nutritional status, malnutrition, and cancer outcomes in patients with HNC. A total of 494 patients with HNC were included in this cross-sectional observational study. Various tools and body composition measurements, including muscle mass and adipose tissue ultrasound evaluations, were implemented. Using regression models, we mainly found that high levels of RF-CSA (rectus femoris cross-sectional area) were associated with a decreased risk of malnutrition (as defined with GLIM criteria (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68–0.98); as defined with PG-SGA (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.62–0.98)) and sarcopenia (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.49–0.82) after being adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. To predict the importance of muscle mass ultrasound variables on the risk of mortality, a nomogram, a random forest, and decision tree models were conducted. RF-CSA was the most important variable under the random forest model. The obtained C-index for the nomogram was 0.704, and the Brier score was 16.8. With an RF-CSA < 2.7 (AUC of 0.653 (0.59–0.77)) as a split, the decision tree model classified up to 68% of patients as possessing a high probability of survival. According to the cut-off value of 2.7 cm2, patients with a low RF-CSA value lower than 2.7 cm2 had worse survival rates (p < 0.001). The findings of this study highlight the importance of implementing ultrasound tools, for accurate diagnoses and monitoring of malnutrition in patients with HNC. Adipose tissue ultrasound measurements were only weakly associated with malnutrition and not with sarcopenia, indicating that muscle mass is a more important indicator of overall health and nutritional status. These results have the potential to improve survival rates and quality of life by enabling early intervention and personalized nutritional management.H.B. is supported by a predoctoral fellowship (“Plan Propio IBIMA 2020 A.1 Contratos predoctorales”, Ref.: predoc20_002) and by a “Sara Borrell” postdoctoral contract (CD22/00053) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III—Madrid (Spain), “Financiado por la Unión Europea—NextGenerationEU” y mediante el Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia. This research was funded by FRESENEIUS KABI. The APC was funded by FRESENIUS KABI.peerReviewe
Benefits of music therapy in the cognitive impairments of Alzheimer’s-type dementia: A systematic review
No full textBACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that can cause memory, thinking, and behaviour impairments. This type of dementia affects approximately 50 million people globally. Currently, there is no remedy for this disease, but there are different treatment approaches, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, that try to alleviate the symptoms. The remarkable fact about Alzheimer’s response to music is that musical abilities can be preserved even though language could be lost. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the benefits of music therapy on cognitive impairments in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. METHODS: This is a systematic review carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. The literature searches were conducted in the following databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and Dialnet. The inclusion criteria established were as follows: randomised controlled studies and clinical trials published in English and Spanish from 2010 to 2024, patients diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, aged 65 years or older, who had participated in music interventions and had cognitive changes. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in this review. They showed that music therapy interventions mainly improved memory, language, and orientation. The results of a methodological quality analysis showed that six of the articles had good methodological quality and four had excellent methodological quality. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this review suggest that treatment with music therapy improves cognitive impairments in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, we can be sure that music creates a link between the patient and the specialist.peerReviewe
Biocontrol of L. monocytogenes with Selected Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria in Raw Milk Soft-Ripened Cheese under Different Water Activity Conditions
No full textThe effect of selected autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) against Listeria monocy-
togenes was evaluated in two elaborations of soft-ripened cheese performed under high and low
relative humidity (RH) elaborations, to achieve aw ranging from 0.97 to 0.94 in ripened cheeses. Two
selected autochthonous strains of Lacticaseibacillus casei 31 and 116 were used. In each elaboration,
8 batches were physicochemically and microbiologically evaluated throughout the ripening process.
The aw and pH decreased during ripening to final values ranging from 0.944 to 0.972 aw and 5.0 to
5.3 pH, respectively. LAB was the only microbial group that increased throughout the ripening in
high and low RH elaborations. In batches that were uninoculated with LAB strains, L. monocytogenes
was either maintained at the initial inoculation level or showed a slight reduction by the end of the
ripening process. However, in LAB-inoculated batches in the two elaborations, steady decreases of
L. monocytogenes were observed throughout maturation. L. casei 31 alone or in combination with strain
116 provoked reductions of 2 to 4 log CFU/g in L. monocytogenes over 60 days of ripening, which
could be enough as a strategy for biocontrol to deal with the usual contamination by L. monocytogenes
during cheese processingThis research was funded by Junta de Extremadura and FEDER grants IDA1-21-0130-3 and GR18056. I. Martín is the recipient of the Margarita Salas MS-13 grant funded by Ministerio de Universidades and European Union NextGenerationEU. This work was supported by grant 2022/00254/001 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110001103peerReviewe
El "microlearning" en la educación superior: El trabajo de fin de grado
No full textEl microlearning o micro-aprendizaje, también conocido como micro-teaching, es un modelo educativo promovido y recomendado por el Consejo de la Unión Europea que tiene dos objetivos principales: (i) promocionar un aprendizaje para toda la vida y (ii) la empleabilidad (Consejo de la Unión Europea, 2022). Estos títulos están diseñados para complementar la educación formal, y por lo tanto, su duración es corta y están altamente enfocados, siendo el alumnado el principal foco de atención. Estos cursos dan respuestas rápidas a problemas específicos, lo que permite desarrollar habilidades de manera flexible y enfocada a tareas concretas. En este artículo analizamos cómo aplicar el microlearning como apoyo para realizar el Trabajo de Fin de Grado y abordamos cómo la formación con micro-credenciales puede apoyar a los estudiantes de licenciatura en la realización de sus trabajos finales.peerReviewe
Evaluation of the extract of “Pseudopithomyces chartarum” to be used as biocontrol agent against “Phytophthora cinnamomi” in “Lupinus luteus”
No full textFinanciación Open Access proporcionada gracias al acuerdo CRUE-CSIC con Springer NatureEndophytic fungi offer promising opportunities for a sustainable disease management in agricultural systems, often related to their secondary metabolites. In this study, the potential of the metabolites produced in vitro by “Pseudopithomyces chartarum” to protect the forage crop “Lupinus luteus” against the soil-borne pathogen “Phytophthora cinnamomi” was evaluated in different in vitro and in planta tests. The fungal extracts containing the metabolites were applied by two different procedures: to seeds by immersion (mycopriming) and to seedlings by spraying (post-emergence). The antagonism between the endophyte fitrates/extracts and the pathogen was studied by dual culture assays and the minimal inhibitory concentration. Other filtrate/extract traits, such as its phytohormones production and nutrient mobilization, were also analyzed. The metabolites contained in the extract were tentatively identified by mass spectrometry. The endophyte’s filtrates and extracts exhibited significant inhibition on the “P. cinnamomi” growth in vitro. Additionally, seed mycopriming and post-emergence extract application positively influenced seed germination, reduced disease severity, and enhanced several growth parameters in treated seedlings. Auxins and gibberellins production, and phosphate solubilization activity were observed in the endophyte, traits potentially contributing to its biocontrol efficacy. The bioactive compounds ciclo(L-Phe-L-Pro), dihydroabikoviromycin, medelamine A, herniarin, and Piptamine, all with antimicrobial properties, were tentatively identified in the extracts, but further research is needed to confirm this identity and to evaluate the extract efficacy under field conditions. This study highlights the potential of certain endophytic fungi as sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives for a disease management in agriculture.Carlos García-Latorre has been financed by a pre-doctoral grant (PD18037) from the Regional Government of Extremadura (Spain) and by the European Social Fund (ESF).peerReviewe
Impact of Carao (Cassia grandis) on Lactobacillus plantarum Immunomodulatory and Probiotic Capacity
No full textLactobacillus plantarum tiene efectos beneficiosos en la reducción de los síntomas de la mala digestión de la lactosa y la hipercolesterolemia, la disminución de la duración y la gravedad de los procesos diarreicos, la mejora de la barrera de permeabilidad intestinal, la prevención de algunos tipos de cáncer mediante la adsorción o inactivación de agentes genotóxicos, el aumento de la resistencia a infecciones intestinales y extraintestinales, la atenuación de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal y la prevención de alergias (especialmente alimentarias). Por otro lado, el carao (Cassia grandis) ha demostrado tener un contenido nutritivo notable con aplicaciones dietéticas influyentes. Como resultado, esta investigación tuvo como objetivo explorar el efecto de la pulpa de Cassia grandis sobre la viabilidad de Lactobacillus plantarum en condiciones gastrointestinales, la capacidad inmunomoduladora y el potencial probiótico. La adición de carao al medio bajo diferentes condiciones experimentales, incluidos medios de cultivo ricos y mínimos y un proceso de digestión gastrointestinal de leche desnatada, no afectó sustancialmente el crecimiento de Lactobacillus plantarum, pero prolongó su viabilidad. La administración de Lactobacillus plantarum con carao en ratones no indujo una respuesta proinflamatoria a nivel sistémico, pero sí provocó un aumento en la producción de citoquinas inmunorreguladoras. Además, la viabilidad del caldo TSB mejoró al agregar carao. El carao mejoró el crecimiento de la tolerancia al ácido, la tolerancia a la bilis, el crecimiento en caldo TSB y la resistencia al NaCl. Según los resultados, el carao puede mejorar las características de L. plantarum al enriquecer productos lácteos fermentados.Lactobacillus plantarum has beneficial effects on the reduction of symptoms of poor lactose digestion and hypercholesterolemia, removal of the duration and severity of diarrheal processes, improvement of the intestinal permeability barrier, prevention of some types of cancer by adsorption or inactivation of genotoxic agents, increased resistance to intestinal and extraintestinal infections, attenuation of inflammatory bowel disease, and prevention of allergies (especially food). On the other hand, carao (Cassia grandis) has shown remarkable nutritious content with influential dietary applications. As a result, this investigation aimed to explore the effect of Cassia grandis pulp on viability of Lactobacillus plantarum under gastrointestinal conditions, immunomodulatory capacity, and probiotic potential. Adding carao to the medium under different experimental conditions, including rich and minimal culture media and a gastrointestinal digestion process of skimmed milk, did not substantially affect Lactobacillus plantarum’s growth but prolonged its viability. The administration of Lactobacillus plantarum with carao in mice did not induce a proinflammatory response at a systemic level. Still, it did cause an increase in the production of immunoregulatory cytokines. Also, the viability of TSB broth was improved by adding carao. Carao improved the growth of acid tolerance, bile tolerance, growth in TSB broth, and NaCl resistance. According to the results, carao may enhance the characteristics of L. plantarum when enriching fermented dairy products.This research was funded by the Junta de Extremadura (ref. GR21121–AGA008) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) for their support. Furthermore, this work was also supported by the Open Access Publishing Fund of the Free University National of Agri culture (Honduras), the International Development Research Center of Canada (IDRC) and the General Secretariat of the Council Central American University Superior (CSUCA) (Ref. C-DSIP-008- 2023-UNAG).peerReviewe
Inhibition of adenylyl cyclase 8 prevents the upregulation of Orai1 channel, which improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction
No full textThe upregulation of Orai1 and subsequent store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) has been associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure (HF). However, the mechanism underlying Orai1 upregulation and its role in myocardial infarction remains unclear. Our study investigated the role of Orai1 in activating adenylyl cyclase 8 (AC8) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element-binding protein (CREB), as well as its contribution to cardiac dysfunction induced by ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). We found that I/R evoked an increase in the expression of Orai1 and AC8 in rats’ hearts, resulting in a substantial rise in diastolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), and reduced ventricular contractions. The expression of Orai1 and AC8 was also increased in ventricular biopsies of post-ischemic HF patients. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that I/R activation of Orai1 stimulated AC8, which produced cAMP and phosphorylated CREB. Subsequently, p-CREB activated the ORAI1 promoter, resulting in Orai1 upregulation and SOCE exacerbation. Intramyocardial administration of AAV9 carrying AC8 short hairpin RNA decreased the expression of AC8, Orai1 and CREB, which restored diastolic [Ca2+]i and improved cardiac contraction. Therefore, our data suggests that the axis composed by Orai1/AC8/CREB plays a critical role in I/R-induced cardiac dysfunction, representing a potential new therapeutic target to limit the progression of the disease toward HF.This study was funded by Spanish “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” [PID2022-136279NB-C22/AEI/10.13039/501100011033]. This Research was also supported by grants [PID2022-136279NB-C21/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and PID2019-104084GB/AEI/10.13039/501100011033]; “European Regional
Development Fund; A way of making Europe,” and by the “European Union” and The Andalusia Government [grants number: ProyExcel_00530; US-1381135]peerReviewe
Integración en variedades diferenciales
No full textEn la asignatura Geometría diferencial II del Grado en Matemáticas, se estudian las variedades diferenciables junto al espacio tangente y posteriormente el fibrado tangente. No llega a introducirse en la teoría de integración sobre variedades diferenciables. En esta memoria lo haremos, estudiando para ello las variedades diferenciables con borde, las cuales han sido vistas en la mencionada asignatura, pero no con la profundidad necesaria para el desarrollo de nuestra memoria. Introduciremos la noción de “variedad diferenciable con borde”, la cual generaliza la noción de variedad diferenciable estudiada en el grado. Luego desarrollaremos para dichas variedades los resultados conocidos del caso regular: espacios tangentes, campos vectoriales, campos tensoriales, subvariedades, . . . . Seguidamente veremos qué es la orientación de una variedad diferenciable con borde, un concepto necesario para la integración. Acabaremos la presente memoria con un teorema muy conocido en la teoría de integración, el teorema de Stokes. Veremos también algunas de sus aplicaciones para entender la importancia que tiene.In the subject Differential Geometry II of the mathematics degree, differentiable varieties are studied together with the tangent space and later the tangent fibration. The theory of integration over differentiable varieties is not introduced. In this report we will do so by studying the differentiable varieties with edge, which have been seen in the aforementioned subject, but not with the necessary depth for the development of our report. We will introduce the notion of 'differentiable variety with edge', which generalises the notion of differentiable variety studied in the degree. We will then develop for these varieties the results known from the regular case: tangent spaces, vector fields, tensor fields, subvarieties, ... . We will then see what the orientation of a differentiable variety with edge is, a necessary concept for integration. We will end this report with a very well-known theorem in the theory of integration, Stokes' theorem. We will also see some of its applications to understand its importance.Memoria de proyecto, 69 p. (.pdf)Grado en Matemática
Forges on the big screen: "País, S.A. (1975) and el bengador gusticiero y su pastelera madre (1977)"
No full textAntonio Fraguas (“Forges”) formó parte de una serie de dibujantes que, a comienzos de los años setenta, decidió apostar por el humor como herramienta para hablar de un país al que el Régimen había buscado silenciar durante demasiado tiempo. A través de sus tiras cómicas en revistas como Hermano Lobo o Por Favor, realizó una crítica social que logró un gran éxito entre los lectores. Circunstancia que propició que el propio Forges se lanzara a explorar un nuevo medio: el cine. País S.A. y El Bengador Gusticiero y su pastelera madre fueron dos productos nacidos del interés por experimentar con un formato diferente, pero también de la idea de que la sociedad había logrado el nivel de madurez necesario para reírse de sí misma.Antonio Fraguas (“Forges”) was part of a series of cartoonists who, at the beginning of the seventies, decided to use humor as a tool to talk about a country that the Regime had sought to silence for too long. Through his comic strips in magazines such as Hermano Lobo or Por Favor, he made social criticism that achieved great success among readers. Circumstance that led Forges himself to explore a new medium: cinema. País S.A. and El Bengador Gusticiero y su pastelera madre were two products born from the interest in experimenting with a different format, but also from the idea that society had achieved the level of maturity necessary to laugh at itself.peerReviewe
Cultural heritage as a didactic resource through extended reality: a systematic review of the literature
No full textExtended reality, which encompasses virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, emerges as an important didactic resource, offering great potential to bring heritage closer to the educational environment. Heritage education is a challenge for today’s society, contributing to cultural and social development. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to analyze documents related to heritage in education through extended reality. The search was conducted using Scopus and Web of Sciences databases, allowing for an international search. We excluded any document that was not a scientific article published in a journal. A total of 52 documents were analyzed, all of which were open-access articles. Preliminary results indicate that virtual reality and augmented reality are utilized in education to work with architectural, historical, archaeological, and musical heritage. Extended reality has been applied in all the stages of the education system, and in formal and non-formal settings, thereby demonstrating its versatility. These experiences increase motivation and academic performance in comparison to less innovative methodologies, which is in line with other studies on this topic. In conclusion, extended reality has the potential to make a significant impact on education, particularly when combined with heritage. The creation of multidisciplinary groups will enhance research in the near future.This research was funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades), grant number PID2020-114954GB-I00, as well as by the Consejería de Economía, Ciencia y Agenda Digital (Junta de Extremadura) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “A way to make Europe”, grant number IB20172.peerReviewe