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BACKGROUND: Education influences brain health and dementia. However, its impact across regions, specifically Latin America (LA) and the United States (US), is unknown. METHODS: A total of 1412 participants comprising controls, patients with Alzheimers disease (AD), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) from LA and the US were included. We studied the association of education with brain volume and functional connectivity while controlling for imaging quality and variability, age, sex, total intracranial volume (TIV), and recording type. RESULTS: Education influenced brain measures, explaining 24%-98% of the geographical differences. The educational disparities between LA and the US were associated with gray matter volume and connectivity variations, especially in LA and AD patients. Education emerged as a critical factor in classifying aging and dementia across regions. DISCUSSION: The results underscore the impact of education on brain structure and function in LA, highlighting the importance of incorporating educational factors into diagnosing, care, and prevention, and emphasizing the need for global diversity in research. HIGHLIGHTS: Lower education was linked to reduced brain volume and connectivity in healthy controls (HCs), Alzheimers disease (AD), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Latin American cohorts have lower educational levels compared to the those in the United States. Educational disparities majorly drive brain health differences between regions. Educational differences were significant in both conditions, but more in AD than FTLD. Education stands as a critical factor in classifying aging and dementia across regions.

Skilled adult readers are those who read fluently, but multilingual learners do not always exhibit the same reading proficiency in the different languages they know. Among the variables that influence learners' silent reading fluency, a research trend points to musical aptitude as an individual ability that affects language learners' reading competency. Common auditory features of reading and musical skills have been observed in studies with children and adolescents, but studies involving multilingual adults learning an additional language are scarce. This study aims to observe the potential relationship of multilingual learners' musical aptitude and their silent reading fluency in all the languages the learners know and in Spanish, an additional language they are learning as adults. 157 Flemish university students were tested in Dutch, French, English, and Spanish. Learners' sociocultural data , their musical aptitude and their silent contextual word reading fluency in all languages were tested. In addition, a reading comprehension test in L4 (Spanish) was administered. The statistical results indicate a significant correlation between their musical aptitude and their L1, L2, L3 silent reading fluency, but not with L4 (Spanish).

Accumulation of K+ in shoots is largely dependent on K+ transport via the xylem and has important implications not only for K+ nutrition but also for stress tolerance. In tomato plants, the K+ channel SlSKOR contributed to K+ translocation but the decrease in the shoot K+ content in slskor mutants was only ∼15 %, indicating that additional K+ transport systems operated in the tomato stele. Here, we studied the physiological roles of the transporter SlNRT1.5 in tomato plants, whose homolog in Arabidopsis, AtNRT1.5, contributed to xylem K+ load. By using heterologous expression of SlNRT1.5 in Xenopus oocytes and a slnrt1.5 knock-out mutant, we have gained insights into its role in shoot K+ nutrition. Expression of SlNRT1.5 in Xenopus oocytes resulted in K+ efflux, similar to that mediated by AtNRT1.5, which could indicate that SlNRT1.5 operates as a K+ transport system. Plants lacking slnrt1.5 accumulated less K+ in shoots than WT plants under low external pH (4.5), and low supply of K+ (0.05 mM) and N (0.5 mM). Interestingly, slnrt1.5 plants accumulated less Na+ and Cl- in shoots than WT plants. Further analyses on slskor slnrt1.5 double mutant plants revealed an overlapping role of SlSKOR and SlNRT1.5 in shoot K+ accumulation. Double mutants showed a 40 % decrease in shoot K+ content in comparison with slskor and slnrt1.5 single mutants. Altogether, this study showed that SlNRT1.5 and SlSKOR are major players in shoot K+ accumulation in tomato plants.

Abstract Background Structural income inequality – the uneven income distribution across regions or countries – could affect brain structure and function, beyond individual differences. However, the impact of structural income inequality on the brain dynamics and the roles of demographics and cognition in these associations remains unexplored. Methods Here, we assessed the impact of structural income inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient on multiple EEG metrics, while considering the subject‐level effects of demographic (age, sex, education) and cognitive factors. Resting‐state EEG signals were collected from a diverse sample (countries = 10; healthy individuals = 1394 from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Turkey and United Kingdom). Complexity (fractal dimension, permutation entropy, Wiener entropy, spectral structure variability), power spectral and aperiodic components (1/f slope, knee, offset), as well as graph‐theoretic measures were analysed. Findings Despite variability in samples, data collection methods, and EEG acquisition parameters, structural inequality systematically predicted electrophysiological brain dynamics, proving to be a more crucial determinant of brain dynamics than individual‐level factors. Complexity and aperiodic activity metrics captured better the effects of structural inequality on brain function. Following inequality, age and cognition emerged as the most influential predictors. The overall results provided convergent multimodal metrics of biologic embedding of structural income inequality characterised by less complex signals, increased random asynchronous neural activity, and reduced alpha and beta power, particularly over temporoposterior regions. Conclusion These findings might challenge conventional neuroscience approaches that tend to overemphasise the influence of individual‐level factors, while neglecting structural factors. Results pave the way for neuroscience‐informed public policies aimed at tackling structural inequalities in diverse populations.

Diversity in brain health is influenced by individual differences in demographics and cognition. However, most studies on brain health and diseases have typically controlled for these factors rather than explored their potential to predict brain signals. Here, we assessed the role of individual differences in demographics (age, sex, and education; n = 1298) and cognition (n = 725) as predictors of different metrics usually used in case-control studies. These included power spectrum and aperiodic (1/f slope, knee, offset) metrics, as well as complexity (fractal dimension estimation, permutation entropy, Wiener entropy, spectral structure variability) and connectivity (graph-theoretic mutual information, conditional mutual information, organizational information) from the source space resting-state EEG activity in a diverse sample from the global south and north populations. Brain-phenotype models were computed using EEG metrics reflecting local activity (power spectrum and aperiodic components) and brain dynamics and interactions (complexity and graph-theoretic measures). Electrophysiological brain dynamics were modulated by individual differences despite the varied methods of data acquisition and assessments across multiple centers, indicating that results were unlikely to be accounted for by methodological discrepancies. Variations in brain signals were mainly influenced by age and cognition, while education and sex exhibited less importance. Power spectrum activity and graph-theoretic measures were the most sensitive in capturing individual differences. Older age, poorer cognition, and being male were associated with reduced alpha power, whereas older age and less education were associated with reduced network integration and segregation. Findings suggest that basic individual differences impact core metrics of brain function that are used in standard case-control studies. Considering individual variability and diversity in global settings would contribute to a more tailored understanding of brain function.

(1) Background: donor-derived circulating free DNA (dd-cfDNA), an innovative biomarker with great potential for the early identification and prevention of graft damage. (2) Methods: Samples were collected prospectively and the study was performed retrospectively to analyze dd-cfDNA plasma levels in 30 kidney transplant patients during their post-transplant follow-up (15 days, 3, 6, and 9 months), to determine if the result could be of interest in the identification of possible adverse events, especially rejection. The aim was to verify whether the data on sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV compare with reference values and creatinine values. (3) Results: We observed levels of dd cfDNA > 1% in six of nine patients with active rejection (ABMR or TCMR) and elevated values (>0.5%) in two other patients in this rejection group. Our results show low values of sensitivity = 50%, specificity = 61.11%, rejection NPV = 64.71%, and rejection PPV = 46.13% of the technique compared to reference values previously published. With respect to creatinine, only for TCRM, we observed better results for dd-cfDNA in these parameters than in creatinine. Also, our data suggest that dd-cfDNA could help to differentiate those patients with dnDSAs that are going to through rejection better than creatinine, specially at 15 d post transplant. In this study, this appears to have no positive predictive value for borderline rejection (BR) or TCMR IA. (4) Conclusions: plasma levels of dd-cfDNA could be considered an additional or alternative biomarker for graft rejection monitoring in early post-kidney transplant up to several months before its clinical presentation, especially for patients with suspected TCMR or ABMR.

Recent research has stated that early oral language acquisition difficulties are related to reading and writing difficulties. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience difficulties with several dimensions of language. In this study we focus on the specific difficulties of children with DLD in spelling. We examine the impact of lexicality and length in written production of Spanish-speaking children with DLD. A total of 18 children with language difficulties (M[subscript age] = 8;4) were compared with age-matched children (M[subscript age] = 8;2). Participants completed a spelling-to-dictation task of words and pseudo-words, where length was manipulated. A digital tablet was used to collect data and obtain measures of accuracy, latencies and total writing durations. Results showed that children with DLD produced more errors, longer latencies and longer writing durations than age-matched children. Regarding accuracy, analysis of the errors shows that children in the control group produce few errors, most being substitutions, while children with DLD made more errors and of more varied categories. Moreover, they were more affected by length on writing accuracy than the control group.

Plant Physiology and Ecophysiology (PPE) is a subject taught in the biology degree. One of the skills that students must acquire is "the ability to solve PPE problems." Acquiring this competence requires a precise working methodology, a high degree of presence, and teamwork between teachers and students. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and health restrictions, we had to teach the class online. This article shows the learning methodology we employed using information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the achievement of this competence. We also analyzed the results obtained in the academic performance of the students in comparison with previous years in which the classes were face-to-face. The results confirmed that the students obtained this subject-specific competence through the ICT teaching process compared to face-to-face teaching. The study also revealed that online assessment services are not secure as they do not appear to prevent cheating behavior. Therefore, we propose this learning methodology for future online teaching activities although improvements in the evaluation process must be addressed.

In this article, we present the development and validation of a psychometric scale that measures the teacher’s perception in the Chilean school system with respect to elements of school violence and coexistence management. The novelty lies in the incorporation of factors that address violence from teachers to students, from students to teachers and coexistence management. A total of 1072 teachers from the Northern, Central, Southern and Metropolitan macro-zones of Chile participated, with ages between 22 and 76 years (M=44.56; SD=10.52) and from 1 to 54 years of work (M=17.14; SD=10.38). 76.3% identify with the female gender and 23.7% with the male gender. Of the teachers, 78.4% worked mainly in the classroom and the rest performed managerial or administrative functions outside the classroom in the school. The school violence and coexistence management questionnaire for teachers (VI+GEC) was used. The validity of the scale was demonstrated by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, convergent validity analysis and discriminant validity. Reliability was demonstrated by means of McDonald’s omega coefficient in all the factors of the scale. An analysis with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) found a mean, and statistically significant influence of the perception of coexistence management on the perception of school violence. The findings are discussed in terms of previous research on school violence and coexistence management.

Abstract The Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat) has released a unique multimodal neuroimaging dataset of 780 participants from Latin American. The dataset includes 530 patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and 250 healthy controls (HCs). This dataset (62.7 ± 9.5 years, age range 21–89 years) was collected through a multicentric effort across five Latin American countries to address the need for affordable, scalable, and available biomarkers in regions with larger inequities. The BrainLat is the first regional collection of clinical and cognitive assessments, anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), resting-state functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), and high density resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) in dementia patients. In addition, it includes demographic information about harmonized recruitment and assessment protocols. The dataset is publicly available to encourage further research and development of tools and health applications for neurodegeneration based on multimodal neuroimaging, promoting the assessment of regional variability and inclusion of underrepresented participants in research.

The study investigates the emotional dysregulation in teachers of the Chilean school system, focusing on gender and age similarities and differences. The sample included 1059 teachers from various regions of Chile, of whom 80.3% were female and 19.7% were male. Participants completed the Spanish version of the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS-E). A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to evaluate the structure of the theoretical model, along with the convergent, discriminant, and internal consistency of the instrument. Additionally, a measurement invariance analysis was performed to identify possible differences between demographic groups, which is crucial to ensure that comparisons between these groups are valid and unbiased. The results indicated that the theoretical model presents a good fit to the data and confirms the validity and reliability of the DERS-E. Scalar invariance was achieved among the analyzed groups. We found significant differences in emotional dysregulation between men and women, which also varied by teacher age. The importance of understanding the specific needs of teachers in terms of their emotional regulation is discussed and the urgency of implementing training programs that improve their emotional skills, fostering a positive and effective learning environment, is highlighted.

BackgroundCardiac troponin (cTn) is a reliable marker for evaluating myocardial damage. cTn is a very specific protein involved in myocardial injury, and it is a key factor in the diagnosis of coronary syndromes. Bibliometric analysis was applied in the present work, with the main goal of evaluating global research on the topic of cardiac troponin in pediatric populations.MethodsPublications about cardiac troponin and physical activity in pediatric populations were retrieved from the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) of the Web of Science Core Collection, and they were then analyzed. The study was able to identify the key bibliometric indicators, such as publications, keywords, authors, countries, institutions, and journals. For the analysis, VOSviewer, R-based Bibliometrix (4.2.2), and MapChart were used.ResultsInitially, 98 documents were identified; however, once inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, the number of documents decreased to 88. The search yielded 79 original research articles and 9 reviews, almost all of which were published in the past 2 decades. The total number of citations (Nc) of the retrieved publications was 1,468, and the average number of citations per article (Na) was 16.68. In general, 508 authors were found to have participated in research about troponin; they were associated with 256 institutions, and their work was published in 65 different journals from around the world. The authors hailed from 30 countries and/or regions. The year 2022 was the most productive year for the publication of the selected documents. The bibliometric analysis provided information regarding levels of cooperation among authors and institutions. In fact, China, the United States, and England were the most productive nations, and the journal with the greatest number of publications on the topic was Pediatric Cardiology.SummaryThe number of publications and the trend line show that research on this topic has not yet reached a stage of maturity. There are referent investigators, countries, and institutions that have laid the foundations for subsequent studies on the analyzed topic.

In 2017-2019, the March of Dimes convened a workgroup with biomedical, clinical, and epidemiologic expertise to review knowledge of the causes of the persistent Black-White disparity in preterm birth (PTB). Multiple databases were searched to identify hypothesized causes examined in peer-reviewed literature, 33 hypothesized causes were reviewed for whether they plausibly affect PTB and either occur more/less frequently and/or have a larger/smaller effect size among Black women vs. White women. While definitive proof is lacking for most potential causes, most are biologically plausible. No single downstream or midstream factor explains the disparity or its social patterning, however, many likely play limited roles, e.g., while genetic factors likely contribute to PTB, they explain at most a small fraction of the disparity. Research links most hypothesized midstream causes, including socioeconomic factors and stress, with the disparity through their influence on the hypothesized downstream factors. Socioeconomic factors alone cannot explain the disparitys social patterning. Chronic stress could affect PTB through neuroendocrine and immune mechanisms leading to inflammation and immune dysfunction, stress could alter a womans microbiota, immune response to infection, chronic disease risks, and behaviors, and trigger epigenetic changes influencing PTB risk. As an upstream factor, racism in multiple forms has repeatedly been linked with the plausible midstream/downstream factors, including socioeconomic disadvantage, stress, and toxic exposures. Racism is the only factor identified that directly or indirectly could explain the racial disparities in the plausible midstream/downstream causes and the observed social patterning. Historical and contemporary systemic racism can explain the racial disparities in socioeconomic opportunities that differentially expose African Americans to lifelong financial stress and associated health-harming conditions. Segregation places Black women in stressful surroundings and exposes them to environmental hazards. Race-based discriminatory treatment is a pervasive stressor for Black women of all socioeconomic levels, considering both incidents and the constant vigilance needed to prepare oneself for potential incidents. Racism is a highly plausible, major upstream contributor to the Black-White disparity in PTB through multiple pathways and biological mechanisms. While much is unknown, existing knowledge and core values (equity, justice) support addressing racism in efforts to eliminate the racial disparity in PTB.

Epidermolytic acanthomas (EA) are rare benign tumors of unclear etiology that present as flat, sometimes slightly keratotic, pale or whitish papules that are usually asymptomatic. Not uncommonly, their clinical appearance in the anogenital area might lead to misdiagnosis as other lesions that commonly develop at this site, such as condylomata acuminata. Though mainly asymptomatic, there are also reports of EA presenting with persistent genital pruritus. We describe the first reported case of pruritic scrotal EA successfully treated with topical pimecrolimus.

Background: Previous research has consistently evidenced that children with speech and language difficulties suffer more bullying victimisation during middle school years, whereas other educative stages remain less explored. Moreover, there are divergent results in previous evidence about the types of victimisation (physical, verbal, relational) youths may experience. Aims: To examine the retrospective developmental trajectories of bullying victimisation in adults with and without self-reported oral language difficulties across seven educational stages (preschool to university). Special attention was given to the prevalence and types of victimisation. Methods & Procedures: A total of 336 participants (ages between 18 and 65, M = 30.3) from a sample of 2259 participants that fully answered an online survey were classified as having experienced oral language difficulties (LD) not associated with a biomedical condition. A comparable control group (n = 336; ages between 18 and 72, M = 30.0) was randomly selected for statistical between-groups contrasts. Responses to the California Bullying Victimization Scale--Retrospective (CBVS-R) were analysed by generalised estimating equations (GEE) including language groups, types of bullying, and educational stages as explanatory variables. Specific language group comparisons in terms of percentages were conducted using chi-square tests. Outcomes & Results: GEE results suggested that experiencing LD was associated with an overall increase in the likelihood of bullying victimisation, Wald's X[superscript 2] (1) = 8.41, p < 0.005 for the main effect of the LD group, along almost all educational stages, Wald's X[superscript 2] (6) = 3.13, p = 0.69 for the LD group × educational stage interaction. Finally, a higher proportion of participants in the LD group reported having suffered teasing behaviours at the second cycle of elementary, the first cycle of secondary, and baccalaureate. They also reported with a higher proportion being physically hurt at preschool and having received sexual comments at the second cycle of elementary, Wald's X[superscript 2] (93) = 259.87, p < 0.001 for the LD group × educational stage × type of bullying interaction. Conclusions & Implications: People with oral language difficulties experience more bullying victimisation behaviours than their typically developing peers. Heightened bullying prevalence in children with language difficulties seems to emerge as early as 6-9 years old and persists along the rest of schooling. Not all victimisation forms seem to show differential increased rates in people with speech/language difficulties, evidencing important implications for bullying assessment. Results highlight the need to provide particular support to individuals with language difficulties against bullying during the entire schooling.

The present work aimed to establish the influence of self-reported trait anxiety on computerized and self-reported measures of executive control, and speed of processing in young adults using latent variable modeling. One hundred and six participants completed the State-trait anxiety questionnaire (STAI-t), the Attentional Control Scale (ACS), and a set of computerized tasks of executive control, tapping into the updating, inhibition, and shifting components. Higher scores in the latent variable of trait anxiety were negatively associated with the self-reported latent variable of attentional control. Notably, self-reported and performance-based indicators of executive control showed no associations at the latent level. Contrary to our hypotheses, higher trait anxiety did not affect any performance-based executive component but was associated with an increase in response times. We show that self-reported trait anxiety is related to a lower self-perceived sense of attentional control and does not affect executive functioning in non-clinical samples. In turn, trait anxiety is mainly associated with a slowed speed of processing. In conclusion, the tendency to experience a negative mood is related with cognitive processing by reducing its speed even in the absence of threatening stimuli.

Although social functioning relies on working memory, whether a social-specific mechanism exists remains unclear. This undermines the characterization of neurodegenerative conditions with both working memory and social deficits. We assessed working memory domain-specificity across behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging dimensions in 245 participants. A novel working memory task involving social and non-social stimuli with three load levels was assessed across controls and different neurodegenerative conditions with recognized impairments in: working memory and social cognition (behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia); general cognition (Alzheimer’s disease); and unspecific patterns (Parkinson’s disease). We also examined resting-state theta oscillations and functional connectivity correlates of working memory domain-specificity. Results in controls and all groups together evidenced increased working memory demands for social stimuli associated with frontocinguloparietal theta oscillations and salience network connectivity. Canonical frontal theta oscillations and executive-default mode network anticorrelation indexed non-social stimuli. Behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia presented generalized working memory deficits related to posterior theta oscillations, with social stimuli linked to salience network connectivity. In Alzheimer’s disease, generalized working memory impairments were related to temporoparietal theta oscillations, with non-social stimuli linked to the executive network. Parkinson’s disease showed spared working memory performance and canonical brain correlates. Findings support a social-specific working memory and related disease-selective pathophysiological mechanisms.

Background: The harmful effect of alcohol on the immune system may be due to both a direct action of the alcohol or its metabolites on immune cells as an indirect action modifying the different mechanisms of intercellular interaction. The interplay between stimulatory (aKIR) and inhibitory (iKIR) natural killer (NK) cell receptors and their corresponding human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands influences the outcome of virus infection. The aim was to analyze the influence of the KIR/HLA pair genetic profile in male alcoholic cirrhosis (AC) patients with and without viral infections to find susceptibility biomarkers that can help establish the risks and prevent viral infections. Methods: A total of 281 male AC patients were analyzed. The sociodemographic characteristics, viral hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections were analyzed. Genomic DNA was extracted, and genetic the KIR/HLA profiles were investigated. A total of 6 KIR genes and their corresponding ligands (HLA-C) were analyzed. Patients were grouped into two groups: with and without associated viral infection. Results: A statistically significant increase in the combination of KIR2DL2+/C1C1 was observed in male AC patients with viral infection compared to those without viral infection (45.9% vs. 24.5%, p = 0.021). The analysis of KIR2DL3+/C1+ showed a high frequency comparing healthy controls and male AC patients without virus infection (85% vs. 76.4%; p = 0.026). The analysis of KIR2DL3+/C2C2 frequency showed a statistically significant increase comparing male AC patients without viral infection and healthy controls (23.6% vs. 15%; p = 0.026). Conclusions: The genetic KIR2DL2+/C2C2 profiles may play a significant role in determining the vulnerability of male AC patients to viral infections, providing valuable insights for future research and potential therapeutic interventions.

Allograft rejection is a widespread complication in allograft recipients with chronic kidney disease. Undertreatment of subclinical and clinical rejection and later post-transplant problems are caused by an imperfect understanding of the mechanisms at play and a lack of adequate diagnostic tools. Many different biomarkers have been analyzed and proposed to detect and monitor these crucial events in transplant outcomes. In this sense, microRNAs may help diagnose rejection or tolerance and indicate appropriate treatment, especially in patients with chronic allograft rejection. As key epigenetic regulators of physiological homeostasis, microRNAs have therapeutic potential and may indicate allograft tolerance or rejection. However, more evidence and clinical validation are indispensable before microRNAs are ready for clinical prime time.