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Frente a los criticados videojuegos bélicos, CityVille -alojado en redes sociales- promueve un entretenimiento de carácter constructivo entre jugadores online, propiciando dinámicas de interacción social y participación activa. La encuesta realizada a videojugadores (N=105) refleja que les mueve su afán de divertirse construyendo sus propias ciudades virtuales. Los hombres priman su expansión para alcanzar el máximo nivel, comunicándose con otros para obtener beneficios y ganar, mientras las mujeres valoran más el intercambio de estrategias y la colaboración mutua. Sin duda, este videojuego fomenta la resolución de problemas desde una óptica dialógica alejada de guerras y confrontaciones.

En los últimos años se ha producido una transformación en la sociedad asumiendo las implicaciones que tiene la práctica de actividad física en el desarrollo físico, social, emocional y cognitivo de los adolescentes. En esta etapa se aprenden e inician una gran variedad de comportamientos críticos para la salud y el bienestar que condicionan de forma notable su vida adulta. La actividad física mejora la calidad de vida y la socialización en los adolescentes; mientras que, un estilo de vida sedentario tiene potenciales consecuencias negativas a largo plazo. Por tanto, el objetivo que se plantea esta investigación es conocer las variables motivacionales implicadas en la actividad física en función del sexo y rendimiento académico de alumnos que cursan secundaria. Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo transversal en una muestra de 326 adolescentes entre 12 y 16 años, con una edad media de 13.86 y una desviación típica de 1.25. Se aplicó el Autoinforme de Motivos para la Práctica de Ejercicio Físico (AMPEF)de Markland e Ingledew (1997), en versión española de Capdevila, Niñarola y Pintanel (2004). Se trata de un cuestionario formado por 48 ítems agrupados en 11 dimensiones, en una escala tipo Likert que va de 0 (nada verdadero para mí) a 10 (totalmente verdadero para mí) y se centra en evaluar los diferentes motivos que influyen en la decisión de una persona para iniciar un estilo de vida más activo. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto diferencias significativas, atendiendo al sexo, en las dimensiones de Peso e Imagen Corporal, Diversión y Bienestar, Prevención de Salud Positiva, Competición, Afiliación, Fuerza y resistencia muscular, Reconocimiento social y Desafío; mientras que, en el rendimiento académico, se exhiben en Diversión y Bienestar, Prevención y Salud Positiva, Afiliación, Fuerza y Resistencia Muscular y Desafío. En conclusión: el conocimiento de los motivos de la actividad física podría permitir desarrollar programas de intervención eficaces y duraderos en la adopción de estilos de vida saludables en los adolescentes actuales.

O traballo que se presenta forma parte do proxecto de investigación denominado “A conciliación nos tempos cotiáns da infancia en Galicia: problemáticas específicas e alternativas pedagóxico-sociais e prácticas de lecer nas escolas, familias e comunidades (CONCILIA_D@S)”, financiado pola Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria na convocatoria de Emerxentes (2014-PG004). A finalidade principal do proxecto é coñecer e analizar como se organizan os tempos cotiáns da infancia en Galicia atendendo a diferentes tipoloxías familiares, coas diferentes circunstancias que nelas concorren: estrutura do hábitat (rural e urbano), tempos escolares (calendarios e horarios lectivos) e actividades de lecer. No marco dunha metodoloxía integradora que fai uso de diversas estratexias e procesos de indagación (cuantitativos e cualitativos) tanto na recollida de datos como na interpretación da información, proponse o estudo de casos e identificación de boas prácticas na conciliación dos tempos, así como en iniciativas de Educación do Lecer nos ámbitos rurais e urbanos. En concreto, este traballo céntrase na identificación de boas prácticas -entendidas como experiencias exemplares que orientan a acción socioeducativa e son susceptibles de ser transferidas e implementadas noutros contextos con obxectivos semellantes- vinculadas á conciliación dos tempos familiares, laborais e escolares e que posibilitan novas opcións para un desenvolvemento máis integral da infancia, especialmente nos planos formativo e lúdico-recreativo. A análise toma como referencia o protagonismo que teñen -tanto no rural como no urbano- as Administracións Locais de Galicia e a súa potencial incidencia na oferta e desenvolvemento de servizos e programas que garantan a conciliación dos tempos e o benestar da infancia, especialmente nos tempos extraescolares e nos períodos de vacacións. Entre os criterios empregados para a selección das boas prácticas destacan: a permanencia, a innovación e a transferibilidade. Por último, se sinalan os aspectos converxentes das iniciativas presentadas, o seu influxo no benestar infantil e algunhas recomendacións de carácter pedagóxico-social derivadas do estudo das actuacións que os municipios están a poñer en marcha para favorecer a conciliación nos seus territorios.

En el campo educacional se presta cada vez mayor interés al estudio de las estrategias de afrontamiento debido a la relevancia que adquieren en los adolescentes al tener que enfrentarse a los desafíos en el curso del proceso de maduración, que involucra cambios físicos, psicológicos, cognoscitivos y sociales, sobre todo si se contemplan las presiones y estrés creciente al que están sometidos en ambientes de estudio y trabajo cada vez más competitivos. En el presente trabajo se analiza la incidencia que la variable sexo y centro educativo tienen sobre las estrategias de afrontamiento en los adolescentes gallegos. La muestra está formada por 447 adolescentes entre 12 y 16 años, con una edad media de 13.83 y una desviación típica de 1.38. Para la evaluación de las estrategias de afrontamiento se utilizo el Test de Evaluación de Afrontamiento en Adolescentes de Frydenberg y Lewis (1993), en versión de Richaud de Minzi (2003). Está compuesto por 46 ítems con formas diferentes con las que los adolescentes suelen encarar sus problemas o preocupaciones, utilizando una escala Likert con 5 alternativas y midiendo 11 dimensiones o estrategias. El diseño corresponde a un estudio cuantitativo de tipo transversal, descriptivo y analítico. Los resultados encontrados sugieren que las mujeres manejan más las estrategias de reestructuración cognitiva, fatalismo, evasión a través de la diversión, focalización del problema, búsqueda de apoyo emocional y descarga emocional y somatización; mientras que los hombres se valen de las de autoinculparse, evasión a través de la actividad física, aislamiento y no acción. A su vez, en el centro educativo se observa que la mayoría de las estrategias son empleadas por los adolescentes de centros privados, a excepción de aislamiento y no acción. Se aprecian diferencias significativas en ambas variables. En la discusión se analizan las implicaciones a la luz de los resultados hallados, incidiendo en la identificación de las estrategias de afrontamiento con que cuentan los adolescentes al considerar los recursos de que disponen y que contribuyen al crecimiento y desarrollo saludable, en la medida que protegen al individuo y le permiten afrontar las situaciones de riesgo que se le presenten.

This article analyses, trough a case study, the problematic relation between the global discourse of ecotourism as an alternative for socio-economic development, and the local practices attached to it. The article pays close attention to the undesirable effects of this relation.

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue estimar los efectos de la aptitud combinatoria general (ACG) de ocho líneas de maíz (Zea mays L.) de alta calidad proteínica y la aptitud combinatoria específica (ACE) de sus cruzas directas. El material genético consistió de 28 cruzas directas posibles entre las líneas. Las cruzas fueron evaluadas en los años 2001 y 2002, en Torreón, Coahuila, México. En ambos años, la densidad de población aproximada fue de 80 000 plantas ha-1. Las variables: producción de forraje verde (PFV), materia seca total (MST), porcentaje de mazorca (PM) y digestibilidad in vitro de la materia seca (DIV) se evaluaron con un diseño experimental de bloques completos al azar con dos repeticiones. Los parámetros genéticos fueron estimados mediante el diseño dialélico IV de Griffing, con el cual se detectaron diferencias estadísticas para ACE en todas las características evaluadas, con excepción de la DIV. Los efectos genéticos aditivos predominaron en la variable DIV, en tanto que los de dominancia fueron de mayor importancia en la expresión de la PFV, PM y MST. amiento genético para forraje.

Con el fin de describir el desarrollo ontogenético de las larvas de Strombus gigas se recolectaron masas de huevos del medio natural y se cultivaron bajo condiciones de laboratorio durante mayo, junio y julio, correspondientes al máximo de la época reproductiva en el arrecife Alacranes, durante 1997, 1998, 1999 y 2000. La misma técnica de cultivo experimental fue empleada: incubación por cinco días en contenedores de 19 l, alimentación con Tetraselmis suecica a una concentración de 1 000 células algales por ml, 200 larvas por litro y temperatura de 28 ± 1oC. Al eclosionar, las larvas de mayo presentaron dos lóbulos del velum, una y media vueltas de espira de la concha y tentáculo derecho, mientras que las de junio y julio desarrollaron cuatro lóbulos, dos vueltas de espira y tentáculo derecho. El asentamiento se observó por primera vez a los 26 días para las larvas de junio y julio (42 %), mientras que el 29 % de las de mayo se asentaron a los 29 días. Las mortalidades promedio registradas en los cuatro años fueron de 70, 63 y 74 % para mayo, junio y julio respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la organogénesis de las larvas de junio y julio de la época reproductiva es m´as r´apida que la de mayo.

La implementación del drenaje agrícola en las regiones tropicales húmedas puede contribuir a la lixiviación de los fertilizantes. Con el objetivo de cuantificar la lixiviación de nitrógeno inorgánico se realizó un estudio en la región de la Chontalpa Tabasco, México, en diferentes tipos de drenaje parcelario: drenaje combinado (con drenaje topo, drenaje superficial y drenaje subterráneo con trincheras rellenas con arena) drenaje topo con drenaje superficial y drenaje superficial, y en un lisímetro. Se realizaron muestreos de agua para conocer las concentraciones de nitrógeno inorgánico (amonio y nitratos). La máxima lixiviación que podrían alcanzar las parcelas drenadas se determinó en el lisímetro. Las pérdidas de nitrógeno por lixiviación fueron 3.57 kg ha−1 año−1 en la parcela con drenaje superficial. En las parcelas de drenaje topo con superficial y la de drenaje combinado las pérdidas de nitrógeno fueron superiores en 120 y 320%, respectivamente, en comparación con las observadas en el drenaje superficial. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos en el lisímetro, la cantidad de nitrógeno que se puede lixiviar es hasta 16.53 kg ha−1 año−1 sin aplicar drenaje superficial. Las concentraciones máximas de nitratos (26.4 mg L−1) y de amonio (22.0 mg L−1) se observaron en las aguas freáticas de la parcela con drenaje combinado y fueron superiores a las permisibles. Esto indica que el tipo de drenaje debe seleccionarse considerando efecto que causa por el lavado del suelo y de la posibilidad de contaminación de las aguas subterráneas y aguas superficiales con fertilizantes nitrogenados.

Introduction: Dimensional accuracy of impression materials is crucial for the production of working casts in Fixed Prosthodontics. The accurate replication of tooth preparations and their arch position requires impression materials that exhibit limited distortion. Methods: This study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the dimensional accuracy of additional silicones by comparing two different techniques and spacer designs, by measuring the linear changes in interpreparation distance. The impressions were made from a stainless steel master die simulating a three unit bridge. A total 80 die stone (type IV, Ultrarock) models were obtained from the impressions made using two different parameters. The two different parameters are Multimix and Monophasic technique and different spacer designs. Result: The interpreparation distance of the abutments in the casts was measured using a travelling microscope. Each sample was measured thrice and the mean value was calculated. The results obtained were statistically analysed and the values fall within the clinically acceptable range. Conclusion: The most accurate combination is multimix technique with spacer design which uses less bulk of impression material.

Los sistemas de drenaje subsuperficial son necesarios para la producción de cultivos en los suelos de las zonas tropicales. Sin embargo, estos sistemas han tenido impacto sobre las concentraciones y el estado del nitrógeno (N) en el suelo. Con el objetivo de evaluar la influencia de los espaciamientos de drenaje subterráneo (EDS) de 10, 20 y 40 m y los tipos de cultivo (TC) de riego y temporal, sobre las concentraciones de nitrato (N-NO3-), amonio (N-NH4+), nitrato más amonio (N-NO3+ N-NH4+) y nitrógeno total (Nt) en el suelo, se realizó un experimento en parcelas con sorgo. Las concentraciones de N-NO3, N-NH4+ y Nt se estimaron en 15, 30, 60, 90, y 120 cm de profundidad en intervalos de tiempo de 15 días en cada EDS y TC. Se cuantificó la cantidad de agua de riego, se midió diariamente la precipitación, la humedad gravimétrica (HG) a 30, 60, 90 y 120 cm de profundidad y la profundidad del nivel freático (NF). Los datos fueron analizados mediante un diseño de tratamientos factorial 3 x 2. El primer factor fue el EDS con los niveles de 10, 20 y 40 m de espaciamiento entre drenes y el segundo factor fue el TC con dos niveles uno de riego y otro de temporal.

Con el objetivo de determinar el efecto de la densidad de población sobre el rendimiento de grano de nueve genotipos de maíz (Zea mays L.) tropical, se condujo en 2005 un estudio en el campo experimental de la Univer-sidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco en el municipio de Centro, Tabasco. Se utilizó un diseño experimental de bloques completos al azar con arreglo en parcelas divididas con cuatro repeticiones. En las parcelas grandes se establecieron las densidades de población de 44 289, 53 200 y 66 500 plantas ha-1, y en la parcela chica se establecieron las poblaciones de maíz: población 21, 22, 23, 25, 32, 43, 49, híbrido HS-3G y variedad VS-536. Hubo diferencias significativas entre densidades sólo para rendimiento de grano (p < 0.01), en genotipos para altura de planta (p < 0.01), altura de mazorca (p < 0.01), días a floración (p < 0.01) y rendimiento de grano (p < 0.01). La densidad de 66 500 plantas ha-1 presentó el mayor rendimiento de grano (p < 0.05). La interacción entre población y densidad no fue significativa. Los genotipos de mayor rendimiento de grano fueron: población 21, 23, 25, 43 y HS-3G.

La producción orgánica de alimentos es una alternativa para los consumidores que prefieren alimentos libres de pesticidas, fertilizantes sintéticos y con alto valor nutricional. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar sustratos elaborados con mezclas entre compostas y vermicompostas con arena, a diferentes niveles, bajo condiciones de invernadero. El híbrido SUN-7705 de tomate (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) fue analizado en cuatro sustratos, los cuales fueron compostas y vermicompostas mezcladas en tres diferentes proporciones (100, 75 y 50%). Los tratamien-tos fueron distribuidos en un diseño completamente al azar con arreglo factorial 4x3 con cinco repeticiones. El mayor rendimiento promedio (39.811 t ha-1) se obtuvo con la composta generada por la descomposición de estiércol bovino, rastrojo de maíz (Zea mays L.), zacate elefante (Pennisetum purpureum Schumacher) y tierra negra (CEMZT) al 75% + arena y la vermicomposta de estiércol, pasto bahía (Paspalum notatum Flügge) y tierra negra (VEPT) al 100 y 50% + arena.

La eliminación o disociación de los agregados de IgG, es uno de los requisitos que debe poseer cualquier método de purificación de inmunoglobulinas para uso intravenoso. Se demostró con el uso de la Cromatografía en Gel y la Espectrofotometría, que el pH ácido (4,5), confiere una mayor estabilidad molecular a la IgG, permitiendo la disociación de la mayor parte de los agregados durante el almacenamiento prolongado utilizando dextrosa (5%) como estabilizante, fenómeno que está influido por la fuerza iónica del medio para cada uno de los pH. Muestras con contenido de polímeros entre 1% y 3% pierden los mismos en un período inferior a los seis meses. A su vez el uso de pH 4,0, mostró ventajas en la no formación de polímeros durante el calentamiento, en comparación con los pH más básicos. A los 5 minutos de calentamiento, la absorvancia de la muestra a pH 7,0, aumentó en un 60% en comparación con la muestra a pH 4,0.

El digital storytelling o relato digital se ha convertido en un nuevo arte narrativo presente en el ámbito cultural y educativo, capaz de integrar recursos multiformato para presentar y conceptualizar la información, a partir de un lenguaje hipermedial. Dadas sus potencialidades, durante el curso académico 2010/11 en la asignatura de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación aplicadas a la Educación Primaria, se llevó a cabo una experiencia formativa basada en el diseño de digital storytelling por parte de los estudiantes universitarios. En ella, los futuros maestros debían elaborar un cuento, a través de la técnica de animación stop-motion, para su explotación didáctica en el aula de primaria, con el fin de transmitir valores como la amistad, la solidaridad, el respeto, etc. Tras su realización se pudo constatar el grado de adquisición de competencias adquiridas por los dicentes, que van desde el bajo, pasando por el medio para llegar al alto. Dichas competencias se clasificaron en cuatro dimensiones: competencias digitales, narrativas, creativas y didácticas. Entre los resultados obtenidos, cabe destacar que más de la mitad de los futuros maestros mostraron poseer un alto nivel de competencias y algo más del 38% un nivel medio. De igual modo, un análisis más especifico reveló que un alto porcentaje (67,3% y 57,2%) de futuros maestros mostró haber logrado un alto nivel de competencias creativas y digitales. Mientras que algo menos de la mitad (41,6%) de los discentes obtuvo un nivel alto de competencias narrativas.

El trasplante renal consiste en la extracción de un riñón de un individuo sano y su colocación en un paciente con insuficiencia renal crónica terminal1. El rechazo inmunológico es la principal complicación tras el trasplante. Se denomina rechazo al conjunto de manifestaciones clínicas, funcionales, anatomopatológicas, que pueden aparecer en un receptor de trasplante renal, como consecuencia de la activación del sistema inmune contra el injerto. El rechazo puede aparecer desde el momento de revascularización del órgano hasta años más tarde2. La incidencia del rechazo dependerá esencialmente de dos factores: las características del receptor y el tratamiento inmunosupresor utilizado. En general se acepta que un 30-40% de los pacientes desarrollan algún episodio de rechazo en el trasplante inmediato (3 primeros meses)1. En la mayoría de los protocolos se utilizan como tratamiento convencional bolos de metil-prednisolona a dosis que varían entre 250 y 1.000mg/día, durante 3-4 días. Con esta pauta se consigue respuesta entre el 60-70% de los casos. En el resto de los casos se habla de rechazo corticoresistente2. La Plasmaferesis ha sido recientemente introducida en el tratamiento del rechazo agudo del trasplante renal resistente al tratamiento convencional con esteroides3. La aféresis puede definirse como una modalidad terapéutica que consiste en la extracción de un volumen determinado de plasma (de 2 a 5 litros) con el fin de eliminar aquellos patógenos considerados responsables de una enfermedad o bien sus manifestaciones clínicas. El recambio plasmático mediante filtración a través de membranas se realiza mediante el montaje de un circuito extracorpóreo.

Desde la asignatura “Educación en el ámbito rural (Rur@lnet)” de la titulación de pedagogía que la Universidad de Oviedo oferta al Campus Virtual Compartido (CVC) del G9, se ha llevado a cabo una experiencia de teleformación sustentada en el trabajo autónomo de los estudiantes a través no sólo de la adopción de un nuevo modelo de enseñanza centrado en el desarrollo de novedosas estrategias didáctico-metodológicas basadas en el trabajo colaborativo de investigación a través de Webquest, sino también mediante el diseño de contenidos educativos flexibles, apoyados en la utilización de mapas conceptuales, que contribuyen a facilitar el proceso de aprendizaje.

Las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación son unas herramientas pedagógicas que pueden contribuir a la consecución de los fines educativos contemplados en los Sistemas Educativos y a desarrollar la capacidad creativa de los sujetos. Sin embargo se hace preciso analizar críticamente cada uno de los elementos que inciden en ese proceso de implementación de las tecnologías en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje con objeto de garantizar que éstas no se conviertan en unas potentes trampas antipedagógicas.

Sin resumen

Highlights: [•] Co-occurrence of 15 mycotoxins in organic cereal and cereal products from Italy. [•] Co-occurrence of 9 trichothecenes, beauvericin and 5 enniatins in organic cereal. [•] Mycotoxin risk exposure of Italian over intake organic cereal and cereal products. [•] Simple, fast and sensitive multimycotoxin MS/MS analysis in cereal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

En un intento de lograr la máxima eficacia en los procesos formativos «online» se han enunciado ciertos indicadores de calidad orientados, en la mayoría de las ocasiones, a perfeccionar el diseño de los entornos y a estructurar los contenidos de modo que se ajusten a los criterios de usabilidad, accesibilidad y adaptabilidad enunciados por Nielsen (2000). Sin embargo, un paso más allá se centra en analizar dichos entornos con el fin de generar unos espacios que respondan a las necesidades reales de los potenciales usuarios, es decir, determinar «a priori» sus estilos de aprendizaje para que la adaptación a sus propios esquemas cognitivos propicie un marco idóneo para la autoformación.

La participación de grupos de profesores en proyectos y experiencias educativas a través de Internet ha contribuido a desarrollar importantes actividades colaborativas entre escuelas de diversos países, por lo que creemos que es crucial fomentar este tipo de proyectos e intercambios.

Esta aplicación informática llamada TIMÓN -(Técnicas Interactivas Mediante Órdenes de Navegación)- pretende servir de guía sobre todo a los profesores que están iniciando su andadura por este nuevo espacio de comunicación constituído por los servidores WWW, para facilitarles un acceso más ágil a aquellas fuentes de recursos con interés educativo y su posterior explotación didáctica.

Abstract: The US overdose crisis is driving a surge in HIV diagnoses among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Innovative approaches are needed to address this increase in cases. Although HIV self-testing (HIVST) was hailed as a potential "game-changer" upon initial approval by the Food and Drug Administration over a decade ago, this convenient testing modality has not reached its full potential to impact the HIV epidemic. Nevertheless, lessons regarding self-testing for infectious diseases from the COVID-19 pandemic present an opportunity to increase HIVST uptake and reach current US goals of Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) by 2030. In this commentary, we first discuss facilitators and barriers of HIVST for PWID. We then explore how lessons regarding self-testing during the COVID-19 pandemic can allow us to realize the potential of HIVST for PWID. We conclude by suggesting the future utilization of HIVST to address 2 EHE pillars, rapid diagnosis of HIV cases and cluster identification., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Addiction Medicine.)

Background: Liver transplantations (LTs) with extended criteria have produced surgical results comparable to those obtained with traditional standards. However, it is not sufficient to predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after LT according to morphological criteria alone. The present study aimed to construct a nomogram for predicting HCC recurrence after LT using extended selection criteria., Methods: Retrospective data on patients with HCC, including pathology, serological markers and follow-up data, were collected from January 2015 to April 2020 at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Logistic least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify and construct the prognostic nomogram. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Kaplan-Meier curves, decision curve analyses (DCAs), calibration diagrams, net reclassification indices (NRIs) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) values were used to assess the prognostic capacity of the nomogram., Results: A total of 301 patients with HCC who underwent LT were enrolled in the study. The nomogram was constructed, and the ROC curve showed good performance in predicting survival in both the development set (2/3) and the validation set (1/3) (the area under the curve reached 0.748 and 0.716, respectively). According to the median value of the risk score, the patients were categorized into the high- and low-risk groups, which had significantly different recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates (P < 0.01). Compared with the Milan criteria and University of California San Francisco (UCSF) criteria, DCA revealed that the new nomogram model had the best net benefit in predicting 1-, 3- and 5-year RFS. The nomogram performed well for calibration, NRI and IDI improvement., Conclusions: The nomogram, based on the Milan criteria and serological markers, showed good accuracy in predicting the recurrence of HCC after LT using extended selection criteria., (Copyright © 2024 First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The BIOFIRE SPOTFIRE Respiratory (R) Panel is a novel, in vitro diagnostic PCR assay with 15 pathogen targets. The runtime is about 15 min which is the shortest among similar panels in the market. We evaluated the performance of the SPOTFIRE R Panel with 151 specimens, including 133 collected from the upper respiratory tract (URT), 13 from the lower respiratory tract (LRT) and 5 external quality assessment program (EQAP) samples. The respiratory specimens were enrolled throughout the first two post-COVID-19 influenza seasons in Hong Kong (March to December 2023). For URT specimens, full concordance was observed between the SPOTFIRE R Panel and the standard-of-care FilmArray Respiratory 2.1 plus Panel (RP2.1 plus ) for 109 specimens (109/133, 81.95%). After discrepant analysis, the SPOTFIRE R Panel identified more pathogens than the RP2.1 plus in 15 specimens and vice versa in 3 specimens. The per-target negative and positive percentage agreement (NPA and PPA) were 92.86-100% except the PPA of adenovirus (88.24%). For LRT and EQAP samples, all results were fully concordant. To conclude, the performance of the SPOTFIRE R Panel was comparable to the RP2.1 plus .

The performance of the Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus and Alinity m Resp-4-Plex Assays were evaluated using 167 specimens, including 158 human respiratory specimens and 9 external quality assessment program (EQAP) samples. For respiratory specimens, CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus exhibited perfect agreement with the standard-of-care (SOC) methods (Cohen's κ: 1, 100% agreement). The overall positive and negative percent agreement (PPA and NPA) were 100%, with 95% confidence intervals of 96.50 to 100% and 85.70 to 100%, respectively. On the other hand, Resp-4-Plex revealed an almost perfect agreement with the SOC methods (Cohen's κ: 0.92, 97.71% agreement). The overall PPA and NPA were 100% (95.76 to 100%) and 88.46% (70.20 to 96.82%), respectively. For EQAP samples, the results of CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus (9/9) and Resp-4-Plex (4/4) were concordant with the expected results. The experimental limit of detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was the lowest (25 copies/mL for both methods), and that of the respiratory syncytial virus was the highest (400 copies/mL for CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus and 100 copies/mL for Resp-4-Plex). Threshold cycle (Ct) value correlation showed a large positive linear association between CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus and Resp-4-Plex, with R-squared values of 0.92-0.97, and on average, the Ct values of CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus were higher than that of Resp-4-Plex by 1.86-2.78, except for Flu A1 target (-0.66). To conclude, the performance of both assay was comparable to the SOC methods for both upper and lower respiratory specimens. Implementation of these rapid assay may reinforce the diagnostic capacity for the post-pandemic co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses.

We reviewed the multiplex PCR results of 20,127 respiratory specimens tested in a hospital setting from January 2014 to April 2023. The seasonal oscillation patterns of 17 respiratory viruses were studied. Compared with 2014-2019, a prominent drop in PCR positivity (from 64.46-69.21% to 17.29-29.89%, p < 0.001) and virus diversity was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with predominance of rhinovirus/enterovirus, sporadic spikes of parainfluenza viruses 3 and 4, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2, and rare detection of influenza viruses, metapneumovirus, adenovirus and coronaviruses. The suppressed viruses appeared to regain activity from the fourth quarter of 2022 when pandemic interventions had been gradually relaxed in Hong Kong. With the co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal respiratory viruses, surveillance of their activity and an in-depth understanding of the clinical outcomes will provide valuable insights for improved public health measures and reducing disease burden.

Neuromedin S (NMS) is a neuroregulatory substance and has many important roles in regulating physiological functions in animal cells, while their specific functions and mechanisms in Leydig cells (LCs) of the testis remain unclear. The current study aims to investigate the role and potential mechanisms of NMS and its receptors in regulating steroidogenesis and proliferation in goat LCs. We found that NMS and its receptors were mainly expressed in LCs of goat testes at different ages (1-day-old, 3-month-old, and 9-month-old), and the highest expressions detected at age three months. NMS addition significantly enhanced the testosterone secretion, STAR, CYP11A1, 3BHSD, and CYP17A1 expressions, cell proliferation, and PCNA expression in vitro cultured goat LCs. Mechanistically, NMS addition increased G1/S cell population, the expressions of CCND1, CDK4 and CDK6, the activities of SOD2 and CAT, and enhanced the mitochondrial fusion, the production of ATP, and mitochondrial membrane potential, while inhibited cellular ROS production, and maintained a low ubiquitination level of mitochondrial proteins. Notably, these effects of NMS addition on goat LCs were suppressed by co-treatment with NMUR2 knockdown. Therefore, these data suggest that activating NMUR2 with NMS enhances testosterone production and cell proliferation in goat LCs through modulating mitochondrial morphology, function, and autophagy. These findings may provide a novel view of the regulatory mechanisms involved in male sexual maturation., (© 2023 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)

Background: Next-generation sequencing comprehensive genomic panels (NGS CGPs) have enabled the delivery of tailor-made therapeutic approaches to improve survival outcomes in patients with cancer. Within the China Greater Bay Area (GBA), territorial differences in clinical practices and health care systems and strengthening collaboration warrant a regional consensus to consolidate the development and integration of precision oncology (PO). Therefore, the Precision Oncology Working Group (POWG) formulated standardized principles for the clinical application of molecular profiling, interpretation of genomic alterations, and alignment of actionable mutations with sequence-directed therapy to deliver clinical services of excellence and evidence-based care to patients with cancer in the China GBA., Methods: Thirty experts used a modified Delphi method. The evidence extracted to support the statements was graded according to the GRADE system and reported according to the Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence guidelines, version 2.0., Results: The POWG reached consensus in six key statements: harmonization of reporting and quality assurance of NGS; molecular tumor board and clinical decision support systems for PO; education and training; research and real-world data collection, patient engagement, regulations, and financial reimbursement of PO treatment strategies; and clinical recommendations and implementation of PO in clinical practice., Conclusion: POWG consensus statements standardize the clinical application of NGS CGPs, streamline the interpretation of clinically significant genomic alterations, and align actionable mutations with sequence-directed therapies. The POWG consensus statements may harmonize the utility and delivery of PO in China's GBA.

Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic diseases and a major health threat worldwide. Accurate, efficient, and scalable analysis of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data is much needed for its molecular diagnosis and carrier screening. We developed NGS4THAL, a bioinformatics analysis pipeline analyzing NGS data to detect pathogenic variants for thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies. NGS4THAL realigns ambiguously mapped NGS reads derived from the homologous Hb gene clusters for accurate detection of point mutations and small insertions/deletions. It uses a combination of complementary structural variant (SV) detection tools and an in-house database of control data containing specific SVs to achieve accurate detection of the complex SV types. Detected variants are matched with those in HbVar (A Database of Human Hemoglobin Variants and Thalassemia Mutations), allowing recognition of known pathogenic variants, including disease modifiers. Tested on simulation data, NGS4THAL achieved high sensitivity and specificity. For targeted NGS sequencing data from samples with laboratory-confirmed pathogenic Hb variants, it achieved 100% detection accuracy. Application of NGS4THAL on whole genome sequencing data from unrelated studies revealed thalassemia mutation carrier rates for Hong Kong Chinese and Northern Vietnamese that were consistent with previous reports. NGS4THAL is a highly accurate and efficient molecular diagnosis tool for thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies based on tailored analysis of NGS data and may be scaled for population carrier screening., (Copyright © 2022 Association for Molecular Pathology and American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and has a high recurrence rate. Accurate prediction of recurrence risk is urgently required for tailoring personalized treatment programs for individual HCC patients in advance. In this study, we analyzed a gene expression dataset from an HCC cohort with 247 samples and identified five genes including ENY2 , GPAA1 , NDUFA4L2 , NEDD9 , and NRP1 as the variables for the prediction of HCC recurrence, especially the early recurrence. The Cox model and risks score were validated in two public HCC cohorts (GSE76427 and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)) and one cohort from Huashan Hospital, which included a total of 641 samples. Moreover, the multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that the risk score could serve as an independent prognostic factor in the prediction of HCC recurrence. In addition, we found that ENY2 , GPAA1 , and NDUFA4L2 were significantly upregulated in HCC of the two validation cohorts, and ENY2 had significantly higher expression levels than another four genes in malignant cells, suggesting that ENY2 might play key roles in malignant cells. The cell line analysis revealed that ENY2 could promote cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The functional analysis of the genes correlated with ENY2 revealed that ENY2 might be involved in telomere maintenance, one of the fundamental hallmarks of cancer. In conclusion, our data indicate that ENY2 may regulate the malignant phenotypes of HCC via activating telomere maintenance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Li, Tao, Shen, Li, Wang, Xing, Ma, Xue, Zhang, Ma and Wang.)

Background: Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are rampant in hospitals and residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs)., Aim: To analyse the prevalence of MRSA colonization among residents and staff, and degree of environmental contamination and air dispersal of MRSA in RCHEs., Methods: Epidemiological and genetic analysis by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in 12 RCHEs in Hong Kong., Findings: During the COVID-19 pandemic (from September to October 2021), 48.7% (380/781) of RCHE residents were found to harbour MRSA at any body site, and 8.5% (8/213) of staff were nasal MRSA carriers. Among 239 environmental samples, MRSA was found in 39.0% (16/41) of randomly selected resident rooms and 31.3% (62/198) of common areas. The common areas accessible by residents had significantly higher MRSA contamination rates than those that were not accessible by residents (37.2%, 46/121 vs. 22.1%, 17/177, P=0.028). Of 124 air samples, nine (7.3%) were MRSA-positive from four RCHEs. Air dispersal of MRSA was significantly associated with operating indoor fans in RCHEs (100%, 4/4 vs. 0%, 0/8, P=0.002). WGS of MRSA isolates collected from residents, staff and environmental and air samples showed that ST 1047 (CC1) lineage 1 constituted 43.1% (66/153) of all MRSA isolates. A distinctive predominant genetic lineage of MRSA in each RCHE was observed, suggestive of intra-RCHE transmission rather than clonal acquisition from the catchment hospital., Conclusion: MRSA control in RCHEs is no less important than in hospitals. Air dispersal of MRSA may be an important mechanism of dissemination in RCHEs with operating indoor fans., (Copyright © 2022 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

COVID-19 has swept across the globe since 2019 and repeated waves of infection have been caused by different variants of the original SARS-CoV-2 (wild type), with the Omicron and Delta variants having dominated recently. Vaccination is among the most important measures in the absence of widespread use of antivirals for prevention of morbidity and mortality. Inactivated virus vaccine has been abundantly used in many countries as the primary two-dose regimen. We aim to study the safety and immunogenicity of CoronaVac (three-dose inactivated virus vaccine) and the BNT162b2 (two-dose inactivated virus vaccine followed by an mRNA vaccine) booster. Both CoronaVac and BNT162b2 boosters are generally safe and have good immunogenicity against the wild type SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant with the majority having neutralizing antibodies (NAb) on day 30 and day 90. However, the BNT162b2 booster is associated with a much higher proportion of positive NAb against the Omicron variant. Only 8% of day 30 and day 90 samples post CoronaVac booster have NAb against the Omicron variant. In addition, more BNT162b2 booster recipients are having positive T-cell responses using interferon gamma release assay. In places using inactivated virus vaccine as the primary two-dose scheme, the heterologous mRNA vaccine booster is safe and more immunogenic against the Omicron variant and should be considered as a preferred option during the current outbreak.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignancy with a high incidence and mortality. The tumor immune microenvironment plays an important role in promoting cancer development and supports GC progression. Accumulating evidence shows that GC cells can exert versatile mechanisms to remodel the tumor immune microenvironment and induce immune evasion. In this review, we systematically summarize the intricate crosstalk between GC cells and immune cells, including tumor-associated macrophages, neutrophils, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, natural killer cells, effector T cells, regulatory T cells, and B cells. We focus on how GC cells alter these immune cells to create an immunosuppressive microenvironment that protects GC cells from immune attack. We conclude by compiling the latest progression of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapies, both alone and in combination with conventional therapies. Anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 and anti-programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 therapy alone does not provide substantial clinical benefit for GC treatment. However, the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy or targeted therapy has promising survival advantages in refractory and advanced GC patients. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the immune evasion mechanisms of GC, and highlights promising immunotherapeutic strategies., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest are disclosed., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, there is an increasing need for rapid, accessible assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection. We present a clinical evaluation and real-world implementation of the INDICAID COVID-19 rapid antigen test (INDICAID rapid test). A multisite clinical evaluation of the INDICAID rapid test using prospectively collected nasal (bilateral anterior) swab samples from symptomatic subjects was performed. The INDICAID rapid test demonstrated a positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) of 85.3% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 75.6% to 91.6%) and 94.9% (95% CI, 91.6% to 96.9%), respectively, compared to laboratory-based reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) using nasal specimens. The INDICAID rapid test was then implemented at COVID-19 outbreak screening centers in Hong Kong as part of a testing algorithm (termed "dual-track") to screen asymptomatic individuals for prioritization for confirmatory RT-PCR testing. In one approach, preliminary positive INDICAID rapid test results triggered expedited processing for laboratory-based RT-PCR, reducing the average time to confirmatory result from 10.85 h to 7.0 h. In a second approach, preliminary positive results triggered subsequent testing with an onsite rapid RT-PCR, reducing the average time to confirmatory result to 0.84 h. In 22,994 asymptomatic patients, the INDICAID rapid test demonstrated a PPA of 84.2% (95% CI, 69.6% to 92.6%) and an NPA of 99.9% (95% CI, 99.9% to 100%) compared to laboratory-based RT-PCR using combined nasal/oropharyngeal specimens. The INDICAID rapid test has excellent performance compared to laboratory-based RT-PCR testing and, when used in tandem with RT-PCR, reduces the time to confirmatory positive result. IMPORTANCE Laboratory-based RT-PCR, the current gold standard for COVID-19 testing, can require a turnaround time of 24 to 48 h from sample collection to result. The delayed time to result limits the effectiveness of centralized RT-PCR testing to reduce transmission and stem potential outbreaks. To address this, we conducted a thorough evaluation of the INDICAID COVID-19 rapid antigen test, a 20-minute rapid antigen test, in both symptomatic and asymptomatic populations. The INDICAID rapid test demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity with RT-PCR as the comparator method. A dual-track testing algorithm was also evaluated utilizing the INDICAID rapid test to screen for preliminary positive patients, whose samples were then prioritized for RT-PCR testing. The dual-track method demonstrated significant improvements in expediting the reporting of positive RT-PCR test results compared to standard RT-PCR testing without prioritization, offering an improved strategy for community testing and controlling SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.

We developed genetic-epigenetic tissue mapping (GETMap) to determine the tissue composition of plasma DNA carrying genetic variants not present in the constitutional genome through comparing their methylation profiles with relevant tissues. We validated this approach by showing that, in pregnant women, circulating DNA carrying fetal-specific alleles was entirely placenta-derived. In lung transplant recipients, we showed that, at 72 hr after transplantation, the lung contributed only a median of 17% to the plasma DNA carrying donor-specific alleles, and hematopoietic cells contributed a median of 78%. In hepatocellular cancer patients, the liver was identified as the predominant source of plasma DNA carrying tumor-specific mutations. In a pregnant woman with lymphoma, plasma DNA molecules carrying cancer mutations and fetal-specific alleles were accurately shown to be derived from the lymphocytes and placenta, respectively. Analysis of tissue origin for plasma DNA carrying genetic variants is potentially useful for noninvasive prenatal testing, transplantation monitoring, and cancer screening., Competing Interests: WG, ZZ, SA, XF, SL, SC, JW, SC, MJ, YY, RL, WC, EM, TL, HV No competing interests declared, PJ Holds equities in Grail. Serves as a director of KingMed Future. Received patent royalties from Grail, Illumina, Sequenom, DRA, Take2 and Xcelom. Filed a patent application (US15/214,998). RC Holds equities in DRA, Take2 and Grail. Is a consultant to Grail and Illumina. Receives research funding from Grail. Receives royalties from Grail, Illumina, Sequenom, DRA, Take2 and Xcelom. Filed a patent application (US15/214,998). KC Holds equities in DRA, Take2 and Grail. Is a consultant to and receives research funding from Grail. Receives royalties from Grail, Illumina, Sequenom, DRA, Take2 and Xcelom. Filed a patent application (US15/214,998). YL Reviewing editor, eLife. Holds equities in DRA, Take2 and Grail. Serves as a scientific cofounder and consultant of Grail. Receives research funding from Grail. Receives royalties from Grail, Illumina, Sequenom, DRA, Take2 and Xcelom. Filed a patent application (US15/214,998).

The white-flowered leaves of Eclipta prostrata L. together with leaves of Scoparia dulcis and Cynodon dactylon are mixedly boiled in water and given to diabetic patients resulting in the significant improvement in the management of diabetes. However, the active constituents from this plant for antidiabetic and anti-obesity properties are remaining unclear. Thus, this study was to discover anti-diabetes and anti-obesity activities through protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP)1B inhibitory effects. We found that the fatty acids (23, 24) showed potent PTP1B inhibition with IC 50 values of 2.14 and 3.21 µM, respectively. Triterpenoid-glycosides (12-15) also exhibited strong to moderate PTP1B inhibitory effects, with IC 50 values ranging from 10.88 to 53.35 µM. Additionally, active compounds were investigated for their PTP1B inhibitory mechanism and docking analysis. On the other hand, the anti-inflammatory activity from our study revealed that compounds (1-4, 7, 8, 10) displayed the significant inhibition nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Especially, compound 9 showed the potent inhibitory effects in LPS-induced NO production on RAW264.7 cell. Therefore, further Western blot analysis was performed to identify the inhibitory expression including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and inhibitor of kappaB (IκB) phosphorylation.

The incidence of myocardial infarction, among the causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, is increasing globally. In this study, left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, including LV systolic and diastolic function, was investigated in a rat myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury model with echocardiography. The homoisoflavanone sappanone A is known for its anti-inflammatory effects. Using echocardiography, we found that sappanone A administration significantly improved LV systolic and diastolic function in a rat myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury model, especially in the early phase development of myocardial infarction. Based on myocardial infarct size, serum cardiac marker assay, and histopathological evaluation, sappanone A showed higher efficacy at the doses used in our experiments than curcumin and was evaluated for its potential to improve LV function.

Targeted therapeutic agents such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) inhibitors have emerged in treating cancers associated with germline BRCA mutations. Recently studies demonstrated the effectiveness of PARP inhibitors in treating patients with somatic BRCA mutations. Somatic mutations in 122 Chinese breast or ovarian cancer patients without BRCA, PTEN and TP53 mutations were screened using multigene sequencing panel. The five most frequent pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutated genes identified in breast cancer patients were PIK3CA (28.6%), TP53 (16.9%), MAP3K1 (14.3%), GATA3 (14.3%) and PTEN (5.2%). The five most frequently mutated genes identified in ovarian patients were TP53 (52.9%), KRAS (23.5%) and PIK3CA (11.8%), BRCA1 (5.9%) and RB1 (5.9%). Somatic PIK3CA and TP53 mutations were common events in both germline BRCA -negative breast and ovarian cancer patients. In contrast, somatic screening of BRCA mutations in BRCA -negative breast cancer patients has limited value. The results highlight the benefit of somatic testing to guide future research directions on other targeted therapies for breast and ovarian malignancies., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2020.)

Aim: To explore potential utility of metagenomic sequencing for improving etiologic diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) caused by fastidious bacteria. Materials & methods: Plasma and heart valves of two patients, who were diagnosed with IE caused by Bartonella quintana and Propionibacterium species, were sequenced by using Illumina MiSeq and Nanopore MinION. Results: For patient 1, B. quintana was detected in the plasma pool collected 4 days before valvular replacement surgery. For patient 2, Propionibacterium sp. oral taxon 193 was detected in the plasma sample collected on hospital day 1. Nearly complete bacterial genomes (>98%) were retrieved from resected heart valves of both patients, enabling detection of antibiotic resistance-associated features. Real-time sequencing of heart valves identified both pathogens within the first 16 min of sequencing runs. Conclusion: Metagenomic sequencing may be a helpful supplement to IE diagnostic workflow, especially when conventional tests fail to yield a diagnosis.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) targeted, peptide based chemical probes are valuable tools for studying this important family of enzymes, despite the inherent difficulty of developing peptides targeted towards an individual PTP. Here, we have taken a rational approach to designing a SHP-2 targeted, fluorogenic peptide substrate based on information about the potential biological substrates of SHP-2. The fluorogenic, phosphotyrosine mimetic phosphocoumaryl aminopropionic acid (pCAP) provides a facile readout for monitoring PTP activity. By optimizing the amino acids surrounding the pCAP residue, we obtained a substrate with the sequence Ac-DDPI-pCAP-DVLD-NH 2 and optimized kinetic parameters (k cat  = 0.059 ± 0.008 s -1 , K m  = 220 ± 50 µM, k cat /K m of 270 M -1 s -1 ). In comparison, the phosphorylated coumarin moiety alone is an exceedingly poor substrate for SHP-2, with a k cat value of 0.0038 ± 0.0003 s -1 , a K m value of 1100 ± 100 µM and a k cat /K m of 3 M -1 s -1 . Furthermore, this optimized peptide has selectivity for SHP-2 over HePTP, MEG1 and PTPµ. The data presented here demonstrate that PTP-targeted peptide substrates can be obtained by optimizing the sequence of a pCAP containing peptide., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Isolation of Helicobacter cinaedi from a positive blood culture requires prolonged and stringent subculture conditions. Direct whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of a positive blood culture may provide timely treatment-associated genetic information. Here, we report a draft genome sequence of H. cinaedi compiled by direct WGS, which was 1,995,911 bp in length with 39.1% GC content.