Repositorio Académico de la Universidad Católica del Maule
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Effects of stabilization exercises on pain and psychological factors in people with nonspecific low back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textIntroducción: El dolor lumbar no específico (DLNE) es una causa global de discapacidad influida por factores biológicos, psicológicos y sociales, donde aspectos como la kinesiofobia, el catastrofismo y la autoeficacia afectan los resultados clínicos.
Objetivo: Analizar los efectos de los ejercicios de estabilización sobre el dolor y los factores psicológicos en personas con DLNE. Metodología: Se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos EBSCO, Scopus, WOS y PubMed, seleccionando ensayos controlados aleatorizados evaluados con la escala PEDro y ROB 2. Un metaanálisis de efectos aleatorios sintetizó los resultados sobre dolor y factores psicológicos. Resultados: De 923 registros, se incluyeron 17 estudios con 1,016 participantes (edad media 45,19 años). El metaanálisis mostró que los ejercicios de estabilización reducen el dolor (SMD=-0.7), mejoran la kinesiofobia (SMD=-0.5), disminuyen el catastrofismo (SMD=-0.4) y aumentan la autoeficacia (SMD=0.6), aunque sin superar consistentemente otras intervenciones. Se observó heterogeneidad moderada a alta.
Conclusiones: Los ejercicios de estabilización son efectivos para aliviar el dolor y mejorar factores psicológicos en DLNE, pero no superan a otras intervenciones. Se requieren estudios robustos y a largo plazo para confirmar y optimizar su uso clínico
Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes mellitus: molecular mechanisms and clinical implications—a narrative review
No full textVitamin D has been widely studied for its implications on type 2 diabetes mellitus, a chronic condition characterized by insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. This review explores the molecular mechanisms underpinning vitamin D’s effects on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and adipogenesis, while assessing its potential clinical applications in type 2 diabetes. In its 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 form, vitamin D modulates various metabolic processes, affecting proinflammatory cytokines and activating the AMPK pathway, inhibiting mTOR signaling, and promoting adipocyte differentiation. These effects enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce chronic inflammation, key contributors to metabolic dysfunction. In this context, the progression of prediabetes has been linked to vitamin D, which limits pathological progression and increases the likelihood of restoring a normal metabolic state, crucial in diabetes progression. Moreover, vitamin D has been reported to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes by 15%, particularly in doses higher than the traditional recommendations for bone health. Despite promising evidence, discrepancies in study designs, serum vitamin D measurements, and population-specific factors highlight the need for standardized methodologies and personalized approaches. In conclusion, vitamin D has complementary therapeutic potential in treating type 2 diabetes, revealing gaps in research, such as optimal dosing and long-term effects across populations. Future studies should integrate molecular insights into clinical practice to optimize vitamin D’s impact on metabolic health
La educación para el desarrollo sostenible en la formación inicial docente de Historia, Geografía y Ciencias Sociales: apuntes para un currículum en clave decolonial
No full textSi bien la inclusión de la Educación para el Desarrollo Sostenible (EDS) en el currículo de la formación inicial docente es clave para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, tales como el abordaje del cambio climático, la desigualdad social, y la brecha de género, entre otros, distintas investigaciones cuestionan los valores subyacentes cercanos al neoliberalismo que transmiten las actividades curriculares en dicha
materia. Considerando el protagonismo que otorga la política educativa chilena a los docentes de Historia, Geografía y Ciencias Sociales (HGCS) en la enseñanza de estos contenidos, el ensayo discute hasta qué punto la racionalidad crítica y emancipatoria del currículo favorece una pedagogía del reconocimiento del otro, que revalorice la otredad cultural como herramienta de análisis para abordar la actual crisis socioecológica. Desde la perspectiva de la teoría decolonial, la reflexión entrega pistas para contrarrestar la racionalidad instrumental
y técnica que impregna el currículo de la EDS y las actividades de aprendizaje que sirven de soporte para la transmisión del conocimiento hegemónico asociado al desarrollo sostenible. Las conclusiones abogan por una EDS en clave decolonial, que permita al docente en formación indagar acerca de los fundamentos de la ideología dominante que estructuran su formación curricular. Este cuestionamiento es fundamental para problematizar el rol subalterno asignado por la narrativa histórica a los conocimientos, cosmovisiones y subjetividades vinculadas a la otredad epistémica, así como para agudizar la crítica a la aplicación irrestricta del paradigma del desarrollo, ya que este constituye parte del problema de fondo
Identifying kindergarteners at-risk of writing difficulties based on foundational literacy skills
No full textThe main aim of this study was to evaluate the Early Grade Writing Assessment for Kindergarten (EGWA-K), which is grounded in foundational literacy skills, for its validity and diagnostic accuracy in identifying children at risk of developing early learning disabilities in writing (LDW). To the best of our knowledge, no such tool exists for Spanish-speaking children. A sample of 363 Spanish kindergarten children aged 4.7 to 6.6 years was selected for this purpose. The EGWA-K protocol, comprising four tasks (i.e., phonological awareness, writing words from pictures, free writing of words, and oral narrative), was administered to the sample. Additionally, two criterion tasks based on free letter writing and teacher ratings were included for validation purposes. First, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using parallel analysis to determine the dimensionality of the EGWA-K, which was confirmed by a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) yielding two factors (one related to transcription ability and the other to narrative competence). Additionally, measurement invariance was confirmed at the configural, metric, scalar, and residual levels by gender. The EGWA-K had an acceptable area under the ROC curve (AUC in the 0.87 range), particularly when free letter writing was utilized as the criterion measure, with adequate sensitivity (0.90) and specificity (0.71) indices. Therefore, a reliable and construct-valid screening tool such as the EGWA-K is now available for the early identification of LDW in Spanish kindergarten children
Natural products and cancer: the urgent need to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research
No full textAny new report on the anticancer properties of natural products always awakens new satisfaction and hope about the role of the international scientific community in its continuous contributions to human health, particularly when those reports contribute to both the understanding and therapeutics of cancer. For many decades, natural products have been pivotal in drug discovery programs because they offer a diverse array of anticancer therapeutic possibilities. Recently, two manuscripts published in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology added new data to the already extensive body of anticancer preclinical evidence for resveratrol and senegenin, two compounds widely present in herbal preparations used in traditional Chinese medicine. The first one, with comprehensive and recognized anticancer properties, and the second one, shows a compelling body of evidence supporting its neuroprotective effects, but with emerging anticancer activities. Natural products have become key elements in the expanding and dynamic field of anticancer drug discovery. However, urgent and collective efforts are still needed to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research and thus bring new anticancer therapeutic breakthroughs
Cross-cultural measurement equivalence of the seven item general anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) in college students of six countries of Latin American
No full textObjective
To identify cross-cultural validity evidence for the Spanish version of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) in a sample of university students from six Latin American countries.
Method
This study employed a descriptive, psychometric, and cross-sectional design to examine the factorial validity of the GAD-7, its measurement equivalence across nationalities, and item-level discrimination and difficulty parameters.
Participants
The sample consisted of 2278 university students from six Latin American countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Paraguay) with a mean age of 21.9 years (SD = 5.41, range = 16–59). The sample was composed of 37.4 % men (n = 851) and 62.6 % women (n = 1427).
Results
The findings confirmed the unidimensional structure of the GAD-7, along with measurement equivalence across nationalities from the six countries. The instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency, and the discrimination and difficulty parameters for the items were found to be appropriate.
Conclusions
The GAD-7 is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing generalised anxiety in university students from Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Paraguay. Nationality does not introduce variability in the measure, supporting its cross-cultural applicability
Association between food habits with mental health and executive function in chilean children and adolescents
No full textObjective: To determine the association between foods habits with mental health (i.e., anxiety, depression, and stress) and executive function (i.e., attention, inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in Chilean children and adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 498 children and adolescents (52.6% female) aged 10–17 years participated. The Krece Plus questionnaire (Food habits), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21, metal health), and the CogniFit (executive functions) test were used to assess the study variables. Results: The poor and moderate food habits groups reported higher prevalence of extremely severe anxiety (poor, 40.8%; moderate, 41.4%; good, 21.6%; p = 0.013) and extremely severe depression (poor, 20.4%; moderate, 21.3%; good, 5.7%; p < 0.001). The food habits were linked inversely to anxiety (β −0.07, 95%CI −0.11 to −0.03, p = 0.001), depression (β −0.08, 95%CI −0.12 to −0.04, p < 0.001), stress (β −0.07, 95%CI −0.11 to −0.02, p = 0.004), and total score of negative mental health (β −0.03, 95%CI −0.04 to −0.01, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The food habits were inversely associated with negative metal health in Chilean children and adolescents, where the good food habits group reported better mental health in all dimensions
Multiple local and global bifurcations and their role in quorum sensing dynamics
No full textQuorum sensing governs bacterial communication, playing a crucial role in regulating population behaviour. We propose a mathematical model that uncovers chaotic dynamics within quorum sensing networks, highlighting challenges to predictability. The model explores interactions between autoinducers and two bacterial subtypes, revealing oscillatory dynamics in both a constant autoinducer submodel and the full three-component model. In the latter case, we find that the complicated dynamics can be explained by the presence of homoclinic Shilnikov bifurcations. We employ a combination of normal-form analysis and numerical continuation methods to analyse the system
Life as the supreme good and the dogma of its sacredness: Arendt and Benjamin on modernity
No full textEl presente artículo tiene como objetivo principal relacionar las ideas de Walter Benjamin y de Hannah Arendt respecto de la exacerbación del valor de la vida nuda como elemento central de la Modernidad. Mientras Benjamin habla del dogma de la sacralidad de la vida, la describe Arendt en términos de bien supremo. En ambos casos se hace referencia a un cierto estatus de protección de la vida, que se revela a poco andar como un fenómeno que tiende, más bien, a ejercer una dominación esencial sobre lo vital