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Assessing Violence Against Children and Adolescents: A Developmental Victimology Approach in Spain
Get PDFA pesar de los avances legislativos y sociales, la violencia contra niños, niñas y adolescentes sigue siendo un problema de salud pública poco abordado con herramientas de evaluación específicas. Este artículo examina la prevalencia de la victimización infantil y adolescente en España evaluada a través del Cuestionario de Victimización Juvenil (JVQ) desde la perspectiva de la victimología del desarrollo. Este instrumento permite evaluar múltiples formas de violencia (por delitos comunes, maltrato por cuidadores, entre iguales, sexual, comunitaria y electrónica) desde la perspectiva de los propios menores. Se analizan diversas versiones del JVQ adaptadas al contexto español y se presentan datos obtenidos en diferentes comunidades y grupos de riesgo. Los resultados muestran una alta prevalencia de polivictimización, especialmente en adolescentes en contextos clínicos, judiciales y de protección. Se concluye que es urgente mejorar la detección temprana y la evaluación de la violencia infantil mediante herramientas adaptadas y fundamentadas en la victimología del desarrollo, así como ampliar la investigación a poblaciones vulnerables y menores de 12 años. Se destaca también la necesidad de trasladar estos hallazgos e instrumentos a la práctica profesional y al diseño y evaluación de políticas públicas
A qualitative study exploring mental health professionals’ perspectives, opinions, and attitudes on the state of service users’ rights
Get PDFBackground: The rights of mental health service users are a subject of profound debate. In this article, we aim to examine mental health professionals’ perspectives, opinions, and attitudes on the state of service users’ rights. Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of eleven focus groups involving mental health professionals. Results: Through this process, we identified two main meta-themes that shed light on the challenges faced by mental health service users: ‘Transforming the therapeutic relationship’ and ‘Societal determinants of service users’ rights’. Within the former meta-theme, we identified the following themes: ‘Diversifying mental health knowledge’, ‘Risk-protection tensions’, and ‘Being (ir)responsible’. Within the latter meta-theme we identified ‘Determinants inside the clinics’ and ‘Determinants outside the clinics.’ Conclusions: Reflecting on these themes could potentially encourage new strategies to support professionals in overcoming the subjective barriers that prevent their adherence to rights-based mental health care models
Covid Photo Diaries. Activismo en la comunicación visual de la pandemia del Covid-19
Get PDFWe analyzed the Covid Photo Diaries’s photographs taken during the pandemic to show their disagreement with the photographs of the media. Thus, we recognize two places for photographic production, the official one and Covid Photo Diaries’s, as an activist, for their contribution to the expansion of social representations of the disease from a socio-affective perspective omitted by the global official discourse. This photographs invite us to go beyond the stigmatizing stereotypes of the disease and manage to destabilize the dominant imagery disseminated by the media, to favor the construction of an affective discourse that includes the different human experiences
Modified Bis-pyrimidine Clamps for Triplex Formation and Their Usein SARS-CoV‑2 Detection
Get PDFThe formation of nucleic acid triple helices (“triplexes”) is an area of great interest due to their potential role in thenatural and artificial regulation of gene expression or for use in analytical, diagnostic, or synthetic methods. During the coronaviruspandemic, a large search for novel methods for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 was undertaken. Based on triplex affinity capture andusing polypurine reverse-Hoogsteen hairpins, a method known as Triplex Enhanced Nucleic Acid Detection Assay (TENADA) wasdeveloped for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 without the need for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. In this work,to expand the targeting scope of this method, we explored triplex-forming bis-pyrimidine clamps targeting a polypurine sequence inthe ORF1a region of SARS-CoV-2. To enhance parallel triplex stability, 2′-sugar and 5-methylpyrimidine modifications wereincorporated into both strands of the clamps, and their effect on the triplexes formed was assessed via NMR and other biophysicalmethods. The results revealed distinct stabilizing effects of the modifications, influenced by their size, sugar puckering, and capacityto form short contacts with neighboring residues. The dual ability of clamps to simultaneously form Watson−Crick and Hoogsteenhydrogen bonds offers a novel perspective on the effect of modifications on triplex stability, previously unexplored with triplexformingoligonucleotides (TFOs). Finally, the bis-pyrimidine clamps that formed the most stable parallel triplexes were applied in athermal lateral flow (TLF) sensing device, demonstrating their potential as biosensing probes. These clamps effectively detected thesynthetic DNA target with limits of detection (LoDs) ranging from 0.05 to 0.001 nM. Understanding the best modification strategiesand their impact on the triplex structure will advance the development of clamps as biosensing and therapeutic agents
News Curation in Digital Media: Analysis of Four Newspapers’ Front Pages
Get PDFThis study examines content curation on the front pages of four Spanish digital newspapers: two legacy media outlets, El País and La Vanguardia, and two purely digital, elDiario.es and El Español. This exploratory and unprecedented research aims to understand the characteristics of front-page news curation in digital press in terms of themes, authorship and genre, origin and temporal range of curated content, types of sources used, the function of curated links, and techniques employed to add value to the presented information. The CAS (Curation Analysis System) methodology is used for content analysis of a selection of news items from different time slots and days of the week, following the constructed week method. The results provide a better understanding of the characteristics of curation on newspaper front pages, comparing them with other curation studies in journalistic products, such as media newsletters and live news
OAS1 and OAS3 genetic variants enhance inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2
Get PDFRecessive deficiency in 2′ ,5′ -oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) or RNase L can cause systemic inflammation in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, but its role in adult respiratory disease is unclear. We analyzed rare OAS1/OAS3 variants and the common OAS1 rs10774671 polymorphism in 342 COVID-19 patients, assessing enzymatic activity, RNase L activation, viral replication, and inflammation in cell systems and Oas3-deficient mice. Rare heterozygous variants showed impaired RNase L activation but were not enriched in pneumonia cases. In contrast, the rs10774671 A/A genotype (OAS1-p42 isoform) was associated with severe disease (OR = 2.28; 95% CI = 1.13–4.58; p = 0.0107) and reduced viral control despite intact RNase L activation. OAS3 and OAS1-p46 isoform limited viral replication and inflammatory responses, whereas Oas3- deficient mice showed increased cytokines. These findings suggest that common OAS1 variation influences COVID-19 severity, while rare OAS variants may affect inflammation regulation rather than respiratory pathology
Estudio de la variabilidad del recurso solar en la Ciudad de México (2004–2024)
Get PDFTreballs Finals del Màster d’Energies Renovables i Sostenibilitat Energètica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona. Curs: 2025-2026. Tutor: Yolanda Sola SalvatierraSolar radiation is a key resource for the energy transition and for understanding climate processes, especially in complex urban environments. This study analyzes the temporal variability of solar resources in Mexico City using an extensive time series (2004–2024) of global horizontal irradiance (GHI), obtained from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) for a representative location in this city. The series was verified for temporal consistency and configured in local time to properly interpret daily cycles.
The analysis was developed using descriptive statistics and aggregations at different scales, such as the description of the complete time series, monthly averages of global horizontal irradiance in representative time slots (10:00 a.m., 12:00, and 14:00) with multi-year average, interannual standard deviation and extremes, daily climatology of the “average year” to identify the typical interannual pattern, comparison between the beginning and end of the series (2004 vs. 2024), and estimation of irradiation (kWh/m²) by temporal integration of irradiance.
The results show marked seasonality, with higher levels in spring and peaks around midday, as well as moderate interannual variability. Monthly irradiation reaches its maximum in May with an average of 215.34 kWh/m² and its minimum in December with 154.7 kWh/m². Likewise, total annual irradiation is concentrated within a limited range between years, highlighting the potential influence of atmospheric conditions on energy availability.
Overall, the study provides a robust characterization of solar resources in an urban location in Mexico City, useful as a basis for energy, climate, and urban planning assessment
Role of CEBPa in trophectoderm competence installment
Get PDFDuring mouse embryogenesis, totipotency is gradually lost, and, at the 16-cell stage, blastomeres begin to bifurcate into trophectoderm (future placenta) and inner cell mass (future fetus). Although this process is well studied, when and how blastomeres acquire the competence for lineage specification remains unclear. Here, we describe that CEBPa becomes up-regulated at the transition from the two- to the four-cell stage by NR5A2 and is also selectively expressed in the trophectoderm at the blastocyst stage. Its knockout decreases the proportion of trophectoderm cells and delays the morula to blastocyst transition. Conversely, CEBPa overexpression in mouse embryonic stem cells, used as a proxy, drives their differentiation into trophectoderm-like cells, enabling the identification of CEBPa-regulated trophectoderm-specific enhancers. A subset of these enhancers, associated with key trophectoderm-related transcription factor genes, is primed or activated in four- and eight-cell embryos. Together, our data suggest that CEBPa plays a role in the installment of trophectoderm competence before the first lineage bifurcation and in trophectoderm specification
Lung function predicts mortality in people with serious mental illness: A 6-year follow-up study
Get PDFBackground: The population with a serious mental illness (SMI) shows a high risk of premature mortality. Overexposed to multiple health risks throughout life, their main threat is physical illness, which starts earlier and is not diagnosed in time. Developing preventive actions is a public health priority.
Methods: This longitudinal prospective study evaluated the predictive value of lung function on all-cause mortality in patients with schizophrenia (SCHIZ) or bipolar disorder. Patients aged 40-70 years, active smokers, and without preexisting respiratory disease underwent spirometry following American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society 2021 standards. Mortality data were collected through December 2022. Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier survival curves analyzed the association between lung function, specifically forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and mortality, adjusting for relevant confounders (age, gender, abdominal circumference, and comorbidities).
Results: Of 107 participants (mean age 49.3 years, 63.3% male) with SMI (72% SCHIZ) and active smokers, 8 (7.5%) died during the 6-year follow-up (5 cardiovascular and 3 cancer). Mean z-scores were -1.41 (SD = 1.22) for FEV1 and -0.99 (SD = 1.16) for FVC. Lower FEV1 and FVC z-scores were significantly associated with increased mortality risk (p = 0.002 and p = 0.009, respectively). Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed this association for FEV1 (p = 0.039) and FVC (p = 0.007) but not for gender, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia), or FEV1/FVC. A multivariate Cox regression model, adjusting for age and abdominal circumference, confirmed the independent predictive value of lower FEV1 z-score for mortality (hazard regression = 0.473, 95% confidence interval: 0.220-0.979, p = 0.044).
Conclusions: Poorer lung function, especially lower FEV1, was independently associated with all-cause mortality in SMI. Spirometry, an easily implementable technique, could help to detect at-risk individuals and favor prevention initiatives
Role of Reserve Cells in Metaplasia and the Development of Human Papillomavirus-Associated High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions at the Cervical Transformation Zone.
Get PDFSquamous cervical cancers generally arise as a result of persistent infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (hrHPVs) and occur near the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) and within the transformation zone (TZ). The susceptibility of the TZ to HPV-related carcinogenesis appears linked to epithelial cell plasticity, with squamous metaplasia originating from a specialized stem cell population at this site. Two alternative cell populations have been implicated: keratin (K)7+ve cuboidal cells located at the SCJ vs a more broadly distributed K17+ve cervical reserve cell population. To distinguish between the hypotheses, we utilized multiplex immunofluorescence and large-scale digital imaging to map cell populations at the TZ of 165 women with and without hrHPV infections. Our results did not reveal a distinct population of K7+ cuboidal cells at the SCJ but found instead that the cuboidal and columnar cells of the TZ express K7 and K8 throughout and lack the p63 transcription factor required for epithelial stratification. Squamous metaplasia and reserve cells, which are defined by their subcolumnar location and pattern of biomarker expression (K5/K17/P63), were conspicuous at cervical crypt entrances within the TZ extending proximally toward the endocervix. In HPV-infected tissue, crypt-entrance regions with thin high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion pathology showed prominent expression of hrHPV E6/E7 mRNA, as detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and p16/MCM expression, with infection also apparent in neighboring reserve cells. In some instances, normal/uninfected reserve cells (E6/E7 mRNA-ve) and squamous metaplasia were not only seen close to these regions of hrHPV infection but also extended well beyond the infected area both laterally and by depth. Our results confirm that the reserve cells underneath the columnar epithelia at TZ have the potential to undergo malignant squamous transformation via reserve cell proliferation, in agreement with previous histopathological studies. These translational findings highlight the importance of understanding the molecular biology of the epithelial sites where HPV cancers develop and suggest that in high-risk individuals, treatment strategies should target a wider area than previously thought