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Este trabajo surge de la tesis de Maestría en Educación Superior denominada "El campo de la Tecnología Educativa en los planes de estudio de la carrera de Ciencias de la Educación de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo". Allí se analizan los sentidos plasmados en los planes de estudio y en las prácticas de los docentes que formaron parte del campo. Aquí, trabajamos específicamente los hallazgos en los planes de estudio, desde una perspectiva hermenéutico-interpretativa, realizando un estudio longitudinal, desde la creación de la carrera, en 1986, hasta el año 2009. En este artículo ponemos especial hincapié en cómo se refleja en los planes de estudio y en el campo de la Tecnología Educativa, la influencia de los macro y micro contextos de cada época histórica, marcando rupturas y continuidades en el significado que se le atribuyó a dicho campo dentro de la carrera de Ciencias de la Educación. También y como consecuencia de ello, los aspectos positivos, así como los espacios vacíos para la formación del docente y del licenciado.

Objective Recent advances in therapeutics have improved prognosis for severely affected spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1 and 2 patients, while the best method of treatment for SMA type 3 patients with later onset of disease is unknown. To better characterize the SMA type 3 population and provide potential therapeutic targets, we aimed to understand gene expression differences in whole blood of SMA type 3 patients (n = 31) and age‐ and gender‐matched controls (n = 34). Methods We performed the first large‐scale whole blood transcriptomic screen with L1000, a rapid, high‐throughput gene expression profiling technology that uses 978 landmark genes to capture a representation of the transcriptome and predict expression of 9196 additional genes. Results The primary downregulated KEGG pathway in adult SMA type 3 patients was "Regulation of Actin Cytoskeleton,” and downregulated expression of key genes in this pathway, including ROCK1, RHOA, and ACTB, was confirmed in the same whole blood samples using RT‐qPCR. SMA type 3 patient‐derived fibroblasts had lower expression of these genes compared to control fibroblasts from unaffected first‐degree relatives. Overexpression of SMN levels using an AAV vector in fibroblasts did not normalize ROCK1, RHOA, and ACTB mRNA expression, indicating the involvement of additional genes in cytoskeleton dynamic regulation. Interpretation Our findings from whole blood and patient‐derived fibroblasts suggest SMA type 3 patients have decreased expression of actin cytoskeleton regulators. These observations provide new insights and potential therapeutic targets for SMA patients with longstanding denervation and secondary musculoskeletal pathophysiology.

Aim Cannabis use, as well as the prevalence of cannabis use disorder, are not known among the population attending general practices in France. We wanted to describe the characteristics of current cannabis users, estimate cannabis use disorder and self-rating of cannabis dependence, and describe medical conditions associated with cannabis use in a general practice in Paris. Methods An anonymous questionnaire was proposed to every patient aged 18–65 in a general practice during three months from June to August 2014. Cannabis use in the last six months was recorded and cannabis use disorder was assessed according to three different means: answering yes to the question: do you feel like you are dependent on cannabis? or answering yes to the question: do you smoke cannabis in the first 5 minutes after awakening? or CUDIT score ≥ 8 points. Results Two hundred and fifty-eight questionnaires were analyzed. Cannabis use in the past six months was found in 54 subjects (21%). Subjective feeling of cannabis dependence was endorsed by 18 subjects (6.9%). Cannabis use in the first 5 minutes after awakening was found in five subjects (1.9%) and 23 (8.9%) had a CUDIT score ≥ 8 points. Cannabis smokers had more often addictive and psychiatric associated medical conditions. Conclusion General practitioners could ask about cannabis use and self-rated cannabis use disorder because it is frequent and patients with cannabis use disorder deserve specific care.

Introduction We sought to determine whether survival motor neuron (SMN) protein blood levels correlate with denervation and SMN2 copies in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Methods Using a mixed‐effect model, we tested associations between SMN levels, compound muscle action potential (CMAP), and SMN2 copies in a cohort of 74 patients with SMA. We analyzed a subset of 19 of these patients plus four additional patients who had been treated with received gene therapy to examine SMN trajectories early in life. Results Patients with SMA who had lower CMAP values had lower circulating SMN levels (P = .04). Survival motor neuron protein levels were different between patients with two and three SMN2 copies (P < .0001) and between symptomatic and presymptomatic patients (P < .0001), with the highest levels after birth and progressive decline over the first 3 years. Neither nusinersen nor gene therapy clearly altered SMN levels. Discussion These data provide evidence that whole blood SMN levels correlate with SMN2 copy number and severity of denervation.

In a socioeconomic context that is characterized by rapid changes and uncertainty, meaning has become a central issue for career counseling practices (Bernaud et al., Psychologie de l’accompagnement: Concepts et outils pour developper le « sens » de la vie et du travail. [Psychology of coaching: Concepts and tools to develop meaning of life and of work]. Paris: Dunod, 2015; Savickas et al., Journal of Vocational Behavior 75:239–250, 2009). At the same time, the nature of career problems has become increasingly complex. Consequently, innovative interventions must be developed to address the needs of individuals seeking career counseling (Savickas et al., 2009). The purpose of this study is to introduce a new meaning-centered career intervention adapted for college students, experimented at a French university and emphasizing two key aspects: meaning of life and meaning of work. Inspired by several conceptual approaches—meaning of life, the positive psychology movement, the life-design paradigm, and some evidence-based practices—the present intervention aims to stimulate active existential reflection among college students regarding their career plans. Meaning of life may facilitate the career decision-making process (Miller and Rottinghaus, Journal of Career Assessment 22:233–247, 2014). Reflections about meaning of work are also incorporated as they represent salient aspects of college students’ lives. The first section is focused on reviewing the concepts of meaning of life (Frankl, Man’s search for meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1959) and of meaning of work (Rosso et al., Research in Organizational Behavior 30:91–127, 2010), and their relevance for career construction and the career decision-making process. The second section is a description of the different sessions of this program. The intervention is divided into five sessions with specific objectives and target groups of 10–20 undergraduate students. Student testimonies are included in this study. In conclusion, we discuss the limitations and perspectives of this meaning-centered career intervention.

Aluminum posttranscriptional regulation of parathyroid hormone synthesis: A role for the calcium-sensing receptor. Background Calcium regulates parathyroid hormone (PTH) gene expression by a posttranscriptional mechanism, as well as parathyroid gland growth through the activation of the calcium-sensing receptor. Aluminum decreases both parathyroid cell proliferation and PTH levels by an unknown mechanism. Methods To investigate the possible role of calcium-sensing receptor in the aluminum-induced PTH inhibition we used human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells transiently transfected with the human calcium-sensing receptor. We used a parathyroid gland tissue culture model to investigate whether the effect of aluminum in PTH mRNA was a transcriptional mechanism and also its possible role in calcium-sensing receptor expression. Results We found that Al activated the calcium-sensing receptor with higher efficiency than calcium, its biologic ligand. Aluminum inhibited PTH gene expression by a posttranscriptional mechanism, but only when low calcium is present in the medium. Finally, we found that aluminum is also able to decrease calcium-sensing receptor mRNA levels by a posttranscriptional mechanism; however, no effect was observed on calcium-sensing receptor protein. Conclusion These findings indicate that aluminum impairs parathyroid function through a calcium-like mechanism due to the lack of specificity of the calcium-sensing receptor. Additionally, aluminum decreases parathyroid calcium-sensing receptor mRNA levels, and the regulatory mechanism was posttranscriptional. These findings demonstrate for the first time a regulatory effect in the calcium-sensing receptor by one of its ligands.

Multifunctionality of PAI-1 in fibrogenesis: Evidence from obstructive nephropathy in PAI-1–overexpressing mice.BackgroundPlasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease based on its up-regulated expression and on the beneficial effects of PAI-1 inhibition or depletion in experimental models. PAI-1 is a multifunctional protein and the mechanisms that account for its profibrotic effects have not been fully elucidated.MethodsThe present study was designed to investigate PAI-1–dependent fibrogenic pathways by comparing the unilateral ureteral obstruction model (UUO) (days 3, 7, and 14) in PAI-1–overexpressing mice (PAI-1 tg) to wild-type mice, both on a C57BL6 background.ResultsFollowing UUO, total kidney PAI-1 mRNA and/or protein levels were significantly higher in the PAI-1 tg mice (N = 6 to 8/group) and fibrosis severity was significantly worse (days 3, 7, and 14), measured both as Sirius red–positive interstitial area (e.g., 10 ± 3.2% vs. 4.5 ± 1.0%) (day 14) and total kidney collagen (e.g., 11.1 ± 1.7 vs. 6.2 ± 1.3 μg/mg) (day 14). By day 14, the expression of two normal tubular proteins, E-cadherin and Ksp-cadherin, were significantly lower in the PAI-1 tg mice (3.2 ± 0.5% vs. 11.7 ± 5.9% and 2.6 ± 1.6) vs. 6.2 ± 0.8%, respectively), implying more extensive tubular damage. At least four fibrogenic pathways were differentially expressed in the PAI-1 tg mice. First, interstitial macrophage recruitment was more intense (P < 0.05 days 3 and 14). Second, interstitial myofibroblast density was greater (P < 0.05 days 3 and 7) despite similar numbers of proliferating tubulointerstitial cells. Third, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and collagen I mRNA were significantly higher. Finally, urokinase activity was significantly lower (P < 0.05 days 7 and 14) despite similar mRNA levels. Gene microarray studies documented that that the deletion of this single profibrotic gene had far-reaching consequences on renal cellular responses to chronic injury.ConclusionThese data provide further evidence that PAI-1 is directly involved in interstitial fibrosis and tubular damage via two primary overlapping mechanisms: early effects on interstitial cell recruitment and late effects associated with decreased urokinase activity.

Persistence of fetal microchimeric cells may result in the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) such as Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) or Graves disease (GD). In women, HT and GD show an increased incidence in the years following parturition. Although fetal cells have already been shown to be more common in the thyroid glands of patients with an AITD compared with controls, these cells haven’t been described in blood of these patients. Our study detected fetal cells in blood of all patients with an AITD. Moreover, fetal cells were immune cells potentially capable of initiating a graft vs. host reaction and suggest a potential role of these cells in the pathogenesis of AITD. Our study indicates the value and need for further research in this field.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) show a female predominance, with an increased incidence in the years following parturition. Fetal microchimerism has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of AITD. However, only the presence of fetal microchimeric cells in blood and in the thyroid gland of these patients has been proven, but not an actual active role in AITD. Is fetal microchimerism harmful for the thyroid gland by initiating a Graft versus Host reaction (GvHR) or being the target of a Host versus Graft reaction (HvGR)? Is fetal microchimerism beneficial for the thyroid gland by being a part of tissue repair or are fetal cells just innocent bystanders in the process of autoimmunity? This review explores every hypothesis concerning the role of fetal microchimerism in AITD.

Cell nuclei detection in fluorescent microscopic images is an important and time consuming task in a wide range of biological applications. Blur, clutter, bleed through and partial occlusion of nuclei make individual nuclei detection a challenging task for automated image analysis. This paper proposes a novel and robust detection method based on the active contour framework. Improvement over conventional approaches is achieved by exploiting prior knowledge of the nucleus shape in order to better detect individual nuclei. This prior knowledge is defined using a dictionary based approach which can be formulated as the optimization of a convex energy function. The proposed method shows accurate detection results for dense clusters of nuclei, for example, an F-measure (a measure for detection accuracy) of 0.96 for the detection of cell nuclei in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, compared to an F-measure of 0.90 achieved by state-of-the-art nuclei detection methods.

Cell nuclei detection in fluorescent microscopic images is an important and time consuming task for a wide range of biological applications. Blur, clutter, bleed through and partial occlusion of nuclei make this a challenging task for automated detection of individual nuclei using image analysis. This paper proposes a novel and robust detection method based on the active contour framework. The method exploits prior knowledge of the nucleus shape in order to better detect individual nuclei. The method is formulated as the optimization of a convex energy function. The proposed method shows accurate detection results even for clusters of nuclei where state of the art methods fail.

ContextHashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD), two autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), occur more frequently in women than in men and show an increased incidence in the years following parturition. Persisting fetal cells could play a role in the development of these diseases.ObjectiveAim of this study was to detect and characterize fetal cells in blood of postpartum women with and without an AITD.ParticipantsEleven patients with an AITD and ten healthy volunteers, all given birth to a son maximum 5 years before analysis, and three women who never had been pregnant, were included. None of them had any other disease of the thyroid which could interfere with the results obtained.MethodsFluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and repeated FISH were used to count the number of male fetal cells. Furthermore, the fetal cells were further characterized.ResultsIn patients with HT, 7 to 11 fetal cells per 1.000.000 maternal cells were detected, compared to 14 to 29 fetal cells in patients with GD (p=0.0061). In patients with HT, mainly fetal CD8(+) T cells were found, while in patients with GD, fetal B and CD4(+) T cells were detected. In healthy volunteers with son, 0 to 5 fetal cells were observed, which was significantly less than the number observed in patients (pConclusionThis study shows a clear association between fetal microchimeric cells and autoimmune thyroid diseases.