43569 research outputs found
Sort by
Study of genetic, epigenetic and gut microbiota signatures involved in food addiction vulnerability
No full textThe easy access to hypercaloric and palatable foods is a major contributing factor for compulsive eating and food addiction development. The prevalence of food addiction measured with the validated Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) increased in recent years. However, the precise neurobiological basis of food addiction is still unknown, obstructing the design of effective treatments. This thesis aims to investigate and characterize the signatures of food addiction vulnerability to discover diagnosis biomarkers and possible therapeutic interventions for this disease. As food addiction is a multifactorial disorder, we implemented a multidisciplinary approach and interrogated genetic, epigenetic and gut microbiota signatures. In order to accomplish this aim, we used a mouse operant model of food addiction, followed by small RNA sequencing, RNA-sequencing, and metagenomics sequencing. Once several signatures were identified, we further confirm their relationships with food addiction establishment and predisposition. We performed a functional validation by viral-mediated intervention, prebiotic treatment, or generation of genetically modified mice. The results of this thesis will provide new insights into mechanistic neurobiological correlates, epigenetic findings, and metagenomic signatures that will contribute to building novel preventive approaches and therapeutic interventions to battle food addiction disorder.El fácil acceso a alimentos hipercalóricos y sabrosos es un factor importante que contribuye a la alimentación compulsiva y al desarrollo de la adicción a la comida. La prevalencia de la adicción a la comida medida con la Escala de adicción a la comida “Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0)” aumentó en los últimos años. Sin embargo, aún se desconocen las bases neurobiológicas exactas de la adicción a la comida, lo que dificulta el diseño de tratamientos efectivos. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo investigar y caracterizar las características de la vulnerabilidad a la adicción a la comida para descubrir biomarcadores de diagnóstico y posibles intervenciones terapéuticas para esta enfermedad. Dado que la adicción a la comida es un trastorno multifactorial, implementamos un enfoque multidisciplinario e interrogamos sobre las firmas genéticas, epigenéticas y de la microbiota intestinal. Para lograr este objetivo, utilizamos un modelo operante de ratón de adicción a la comida, seguido de secuenciación de secuencias cortas de ARN, secuenciación de ARNm y secuenciación metagenómica. Una vez que se identificaron varias marcas candidatas, confirmamos aún más sus relaciones con el establecimiento y la predisposición a la adicción a la comida. Realizamos una validación funcional mediante una intervención mediada por virus, un tratamiento prebiótico o la generación de ratones modificados genéticamente. Los resultados de esta tesis proporcionarán nuevos conocimientos sobre los correlatos neurobiológicos mecanísticos, los hallazgos epigenéticos y las firmas metagenómicas que contribuirán a construir nuevos enfoques preventivos e intervenciones terapéuticas para combatir el trastorno de adicción a la comida.Programa de Doctorat en Biomedicin
Current practices in prevention, screening, and treatment of diabetes in kidney transplant recipients: European survey highlights from the ERA DESCARTES Working Group
No full textBackground: Although post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common complication after kidney transplantation, there are few data on prevention, optimal screening, and treatment strategies. Methods: The European Renal Association's DESCARTES working group distributed a web-based survey to European transplant centres to gather information on risk assessment, screening procedures, and management practices for preventing and treating PTDM in kidney transplant recipients. Results: Answers were obtained from 121/241 transplant centres (50%) across 15 European countries. Screening practices for diabetes mellitus during the transplant work-up varied, with only 13% of centres using the recommended oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and 14% not screening at all. At transplantation, 19% of centres tailored the immunosuppressive regimen based on perceived PTDM risk, using strategies such as cyclosporin use or early steroid withdrawal. Fifty-two percent adopted strict glycaemic control with basal insulin in the first days post-transplant. Sixty-eight percent had defined screening protocols for early PTDM (45 days-6 months), primarily based on fasting glycaemia and/or HbA1c, while only a minority (7%) incorporated an OGTT. Changes in immunosuppression were considered by 41% in cases of early hyperglycaemia (<45 days) and by 58% in established PTDM (>45 days). Besides insulin therapy, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors and metformin were most frequently used to manage early hyperglycaemia (<45 days) and PTDM (>45 days). The use of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-analogues increased >45 days post-transplantation. Conclusion: This European survey underscores the significant variation in PTDM prevention, screening, and treatment practices, emphasizing the imperative for more explicit guidance in approaching this complication
Beyond bias in student satisfaction surveys: exploring the role of grades and satisfaction with the learning design
No full textCourse satisfaction surveys play a relevant role in Higher Education, aiding in the quality assessment of courses and informing academic promotions. Nonetheless, understanding potential biases and influential factors within these surveys is crucial to their equitable utilization within universities. This study delves into a deconstruction of satisfaction ratings considering three learning design factors (content, methodology, and workload) and their interplay with student grades. Especially emphasizing the need for institutional analytics to engage in Generative Uncertainty, aiding productive inquiries using data. Institutional analytics of the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 survey results from a Spanish university revealed that learning design aspects strongly correlate with students’ holistic perception of a course. The correlation between student grades and student satisfaction related to learning design is either weak or moderate. These analytical findings imply that there may be bias in students’ responses to course satisfaction surveys (e.g., lower grades leading to lower satisfaction). However, this bias doesn’t consistently manifest.This work is co-funded by MICIU/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 (PID2020-112584RB-C33, PID2023-146692OB-C33, CEX2021-001195-M) and the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia (SGR 00930). Hernández-Leo (Serra Húnter) also acknowledges the support by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme. Castillo also acknowledges support from the EU-funded projects "SoBigData + + " (grant agreement 871042), "FINDHR" (grant agreement 101070212)
A model for dynamics in Caregivers' personal support networks during the pandemic
No full textCOVID-19 public health measures significantly disrupted personal support relationships among community-dwelling family dementia caregivers. In this research, a personal network analysis was carried out to understand the dynamics in the personal support relationships of caregivers caring for persons living with dementia (PLwD) during the pandemic. The analysis focuses on variables comprising the caregivers' personal network, attributes of their alters, and the functional content in social support, as well as changes therein, before and during the pandemic. A total of 78 caregivers took part in the study, leading to an extensive analysis of 658 caregivers' personal relationships. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the characteristics of personal relationships associated with changes in the support received. The variables influencing changes were the type of tie with the caregiver and the type of support provided. The type of tie that presented the greatest positive change in support was that of caregivers' partners. In contrast, that of caregivers and health and social professionals presented the most significant negative change. Finally, the most positive change was observed in relationships that provided both emotional and informational support, whereas the least positive change occurred in relationships that offered instrumental support
BMAL1-TRIM28 represses transposable elements independently of CLOCK in pluripotent cells
No full textCircadian oscillations of gene transcripts rely on a negative feedback loop executed by the activating BMAL1-CLOCK heterodimer and its negative regulators PER and CRY. Although circadian rhythms and CLOCK protein are mostly absent during embryogenesis, the lack of BMAL1 during prenatal development causes an early aging phenotype during adulthood, suggesting that BMAL1 performs an unknown non-circadian function during organism development that is fundamental for healthy adult life. Here, we show that BMAL1 interacts with TRIM28 and facilitates H3K9me3-mediated repression of transposable elements in naïve pluripotent cells, and that the loss of BMAL1 function induces a widespread transcriptional activation of MERVL elements, 3D genome reorganization and the acquisition of totipotency-associated molecular and cellular features. We propose that during embryogenesis, BMAL1 is redeployed as a transcriptional repressor of transposons in a CLOCK-independent way, and the activity of BMAL1-TRIM28 during prenatal life might protect mammalian organisms from premature aging during adulthood
Quan el teu veí és diferent. La relació entre la segregació i el capital social
No full textAquest llibre estudia la relació entre la segregació i el capital social. Tot i que la concentració o el repartiment desigual dels grups humans en el territori ha estat tradicionalment una qüestió d'interès acadèmic, polític, social o econòmic, l'efecte que té sobre el capital social encara és una incògnita. Així mateix, les perspectives teòriques sobre l'efecte que la segregació pot tenir en el capital social són discrepants. Utilitzant dades diverses, de naturalesa distinta, i diferents aproximacions empíriques, aquest llibre aborda la qüestió mitjançant l'estudi dels casos de Barcelona i de Catalunya. Concretament, estudia l'impacte de la segregació per origen i per renda sobre diferents actituds i comportaments associats al capital social. L'anàlisi revela que la segregació està negativament relacionada amb el capital social. Les zones més segregades de Barcelona i de Catalunya tenen, de mitjana, menys interès per la política, un nivell més baix d'informació política o participen menys en les eleccions. Els resultats són consistents en les diferents anàlisis, tant individuals com agregades. L'estudi revela que les característiques de l'entorn urbà (la densitat o la qualitat de l'habitatge) no necessàriament són els factors més relacionats amb el capital social, cosa que indica que el fenomen va més enllà i és, molt probablement, fruit d'un procés endogen de relació entre grups i de la relació d'aquests grups amb el seu entorn. Amb tot, el text que teniu a les mans pretén ser una contribució acadèmica al debat sobre la segregació i els seus efectes, en aquest cas sobre el capital social, però també vol ser útil per a totes les persones interessades en els afers públics, especialment pels responsables de dissenyar les polítiques públiques
Percepción policial sobre la aplicación de las artes marciales y el uso de la fuerza en los "Mossos d’Esquadra"
No full textTreball de Fi de Grau en Criminologia i Polítiques Públiques de Prevenció. Curs 2024-2025Tutor: Albert González JiménezLa actuación policial se enfrenta al reto de equilibrar la eficacia operativa con el respeto de los derechos fundamentales de la ciudadanía y los principios éticos que articulan una sociedad democrática. En este contexto el uso de la fuerza como recurso legítimo, debe responder siempre a los principios de oportunidad, congruencia y proporcionalidad. La forma en que los agentes perciben y aplican este recurso condiciona la intervención, lo que genera la necesidad de analizar si los agentes consideran que sus actuaciones son efectivas y respetuosas con los derechos de la ciudadanía, si perciben la necesidad de mayor formación en técnicas de control y defensa, o si creen que los conocimientos marciales adquiridos individualmente les aportan mayor seguridad, mejor control de las situaciones de riesgo y una actuación operativa más eficaz.
Este trabajo profundiza en el uso de la fuerza en el contexto de los Mossos d'Esquadra y explora específicamente si los mossos consideran que las artes marciales y los deportes de contacto constituyen un aliado para mejorar la eficacia operativa en sus intervenciones, reduciendo eventuales excesos en el uso de la fuerza, o si, por el contrario, su aplicación podría generar dilemas éticos o riesgos de uso excesivo al incrementar el poder operativo de los agentes, susceptible de ser ejercido de manera arbitraria dentro del margen de su discrecionalidad que poseen durante su actividad profesional diaria.Police action faces the challenge of balancing operational effectiveness with respect for citizens' fundamental rights and the ethical principles that underpin a democratic society. In this context, the use of force, as a legitimate tool, must always comply with the principles of necessity, congruence, and proportionality. The way officers perceive and apply this resource directly influences their interventions, raising key questions: Do they consider their actions both effective and respectful of citizens' rights? Do they feel a need for more training in control and defense techniques? Do martial arts skills acquired individually enhance their safety, improve their control in high-risk situations, and contribute to more effective operations? This study focuses on the use of force within the Mossos d'Esquadra, exploring whether officers see martial arts and contact sports as tools that enhance operational effectiveness and help prevent excessive use of force, or whether, conversely, these practices might pose ethical dilemmas or increase the risk of excessive force by enhancing officers’ operational power, potentially used arbitrarily within their discretionary margin during daily duties
Prediction of mental health crises based on electronic health records: probabilistic and machine learning models for clinical applications
No full textThis thesis delves into the transformative potential of Electronic Health Records and Machine Learning in the prevention of mental health crisis relapses. Our work focuses on the prediction of these relapses throughout the entire period between two consecutive mental health crises, with the aim of facilitating timely interventions to mitigate the risk of relapse and optimize healthcare resources. Concretely, we develop a personalized policy to determine the extent of time a patient needs to be closely monitored before reaching stability and a Machine Learning model that provides a regularly updated risk of relapse during the patient stability phase. In our studies, we address key challenges in transferring a Machine Learning algorithm to clinical practice. To this end, we demonstrate the successful implementation of our Machine Learning algorithm within clinical workflows, enabling preventive strategies for those patients at risk of relapse. In addition, we showed that the model can be effectively transferred across different healthcare systems. These contributions pave the way for transforming mental healthcare delivery, offering personalized care to improve patient outcomes while alleviating the burden on mental healthcare facilities.Aquesta tesi explora el potencial transformador dels Registres Electrònics de Salut i de l'Aprenentatge Automàtic en la prevenció de recaigudes en crisis de salut mental. El nostre treball es centra en la predicció d'aquestes recaigudes al llarg del període entre dues crisis de salut mental consecutives, amb l'objectiu de facilitar intervencions dirigides a mitigar el risc de recaiguda i optimitzar els recursos sanitaris. Concretament, desenvolupem una política personalitzada per determinar el període de temps que un pacient requereix ser monitoritzat de prop abans d'assolir l'estabilitat, i un model d'Aprenentatge Automàtic que proporciona un risc actualitzat de recaiguda durant la fase d'estabilitat del pacient. En els nostres estudis, abordem reptes claus en la implementació d'un algorisme d'Aprenentatge Automàtic a la pràctica clínica. Per aconseguir-ho, demostrem que el nostre algoritme d'Aprenentatge Automàtic es pot implementar satisfactòriament en els processos de seguiment clínics, possibilitant estratègies preventives per a aquells pacients amb risc de recaiguda. També, aconseguim transferir satisfactòriament el model entre dos sistemes sanitaris diferents. En última instància, aquests avenços obren el camí per transformar l'atenció sanitària en salut mental, oferint una atenció personalitzada per millorar els resultats dels pacients a l'hora que es redueix la càrrega sobre centres sanitaris de salut mental.Programa de Doctorat en Tecnologies de la Informació i les Comunicacion
De utraque natione: les actes d’unió lituano-poloneses (1385-1432)
No full textTreball de Fi de Grau en Humanitats. Curs 2024-2025Tutor: Pere Bescós PratLes unions lituano-poloneses conformaren l’esquelet legal de la República de les Dues Nacions, estat que dominà l’Europa Oriental durant segles a l’Edat Moderna. L’estudi d’aquests tractats ajuda a caracteritzar les relacions entre els dos estats membres de la unió durant les seves primeres dècades de vida. La traducció d’aquests documents, pionera en català i de les primeres a qualsevol llengua, permet un coneixement més ampli a tothom interessat en aquesta entitat que no conegui el llatí o el polonès. El comentari filològic de les mateixes ens parla dels escribes i del seu llatí moltes vegades impregnat de les tres llengües dominants a la unió (polonès, lituà i rutè), i la contextualització històrica posa de manifest la recepció d’aquestes actes i les implicacions que tingueren a l’ambient polític de l’Europa de finals del XIV i principis del XV, així com les circumstàncies sota les quals van florir i les problemàtiques que pretenien respondre. Aquests documents significaren l’ocàs del paganisme a Europa mitjançant el bateig de Lituània i definirien el futur polític de tot el vell continent
Immuno- μSARS2 Chip: A Peptide-based microarray to assess COVID-19 prognosis based on immunological fingerprints
No full textA multiplexed microarray chip (Immuno-μSARS2) aiming at providing information on the prognosis of the COVID-19 has been developed. The diagnostic technology records information related to the profile of the immunological response of patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The diagnostic technology delivers information on the avidity of the sera against 28 different peptide epitopes and 7 proteins printed on a 25 mm2 area of a glass slide. The peptide epitopes (12-15 mer) derived from structural proteins (Spike and Nucleocapsid) have been rationally designed, synthesized, and used to develop Immuno-μSARS2 as a multiplexed and high-throughput fluorescent microarray platform. The analysis of 755 human serum samples (321 from PCR+ patients; 288 from PCR- patients; 115 from prepandemic individuals and classified as hospitalized, admitted to intensive-care unit (ICU), and exitus) from three independent cohorts has shown that the chips perform with a 98% specificity and 91% sensitivity identifying RT-PCR+ patients. Computational analysis utilized to correlate the immunological signatures of the samples analyzed indicate significant prediction rates against exitus conditions with 82% accuracy, ICU admissions with 80% accuracy, and 73% accuracy over hospitalization requirement compared to asymptomatic patients' fingerprints. The miniaturized microarray chip allows simultaneous determination of 96 samples (24 samples/slide) in 90 min and requires only 10 μL of sera. The diagnostic approach presented for the first time here could have a great value in assisting clinicians in decision-making based on the information provided by the Immuno-μSARS2 regarding progression of the disease and could be easily implemented in diagnostics of other infectious diseases