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Although Snail factors promote cell survival in development and cancer, the tumor-suppressor p53 promotes apoptosis in response to stress. p53 and Snail2 act antagonistically to regulate p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (Puma) and cell death in hematopoietic progenitors following DNA damage. Here, we show that this relationship is conserved in the developing nervous system in which Snail genes are excluded from vertebrate neurons and they are substituted by Scratch, a related but independent neural-specific factor. The transcription of scratch2 is induced directly by p53 after DNA damage to repress puma , thereby antagonizing p53-mediated apoptosis. In addition, we show that scratch2 is required for newly differentiated neurons to survive by maintaining Puma levels low during normal embryonic development in the absence of damage. scratch2 knockdown in zebrafish embryos leads to neuronal death through the activation of the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. To compensate for neuronal loss, the proliferation of neuronal precursors increases in scratch2- deficient embryos, reminiscent of the activation of progenitor/stem cell proliferation after damage-induced apoptosis. Our data indicate that the regulatory loop linking p53/Puma with Scratch is active in the vertebrate nervous system, not only controlling cell death in response to damage but also during normal embryonic development.

Purpose: Taking a literature review as a point of departure, the main aim of this paper was the identification of the behavioural indicators of innovators at the workplace, and their classification. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was addressed by means of a search in Elsevier’s Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. By applying inclusive and exclusive criteria, references were obtained with the search protocol. After filtering and scanning, there was a selection of references plus other articles added by the snowball effect. The final phase undertaken was the classification of the main indicators raised in the publications selected. Findings: Our main contribution was the identification of the behavioural indicators of innovators at the workplace and their classification in five dimensions. Practical implications: This research may yield some light on the assessment of innovative workplace performance of individuals in organisations, as well as on the development of the innovative competence of students in academic institutions as a challenge to meet the needs of both professionals and Higher Education institutions. Originality/value: Some authors have studied the characteristics of innovative people mainly focusing on cognitive abilities, personality, motivation and knowledge. We have sought to offer a better understanding of the phenomenon of individual innovation in organisations, through the analysis of behavioural indicators, an issue that has not been studied from this perspective previously.

Purpose: The purpose of our research is to show the point of view of the members of the Board concerning advantages, disadvantages and effectiveness of open ended questions used as a complement to closed response questionnaires.Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, we will describe a pilot experience carried out at a Spanish public university where a short questionnaire with open ended questions was launched, and students were invited to comment on their perception of the teaching received.Findings: The response return rate (about 35%) was relatively high compared to other online closed response questionnaires delivered. Moreover, the students’ comments provided valuable information which made the members of the Board of the Engineering Degree chosen reflect. Their reflection was evidence based and led to initiatives and actions to improve the quality of teaching, as well as to get an extensive view of the Degree.Practical implications: Findings reveal that the information retrieved can also be used in multiple ways such as formative feedback or even for improvement of courses and instruction. Originality/value: Student evaluation of teaching is a powerful tool for continuous teaching improvement but the information provided by conventional closed response questionnaires may not be sufficient.

The epidemiology of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Spain is largely unknown because systematic reporting is not compulsory. The aim of our study was to describe the frequency and diversity of NTM species in our region and their distribution according to the source sample, gender, and age of the patients. We performed a multicenter study of all NTM isolated in 24 public hospitals in Madrid from 2013 to 2017. A total of 6.923 mycobacteria were isolated: 4535 (65.5%) NTM, and 2.388 (34.5%) Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB). Overall, 61 different NTM species were identified. The most frequently isolated species were Mycobacterium avium complex (47.7%), M. lentiflavum (12.2%), M. gordonae (9.2%), M. fortuitum (8.9%), and M. abscessus (3.9%). Whereas MTB cases were stable during the study period, the number of NTM isolates increased considerably from 930 isolates in 2013 to 1012 in 2017; a sharp increase occurred in the last year. The rise in NTM isolates was mostly due to M. lentiflavum, M. kansasii, and M. abscessus mainly isolated from respiratory specimens in patients older than 60. The increase in isolation rate of NTM in our region is consistent with the increasing rates reported worldwide in the last decades. The rise in NTM isolates was mainly attributed to M. lentiflavum but it also should be noted the increasing of species with high pathogenic potential such as M. kansasii and M. abscessus.

The present work aims to elucidate the possibility of injecting ozone into surface waters combined with urban wastewaters in order to improve the water quality of the High Atoyac Sub-basin (HAS) in Central Mexico. For this purpose, twenty physicochemical parameters, eight heavy metals, seven organic compounds, and one biological indicator were assessed in water from different sites of the studied area (the Alseseca River, the Atoyac River and the Valsequillo Reservoir). Results demonstrated that O3 injection led to the decrease of the aromatic fraction of organic molecules since the Spectral Absorption Coefficient at 254 nanometers (SAC254) reduction was found to be 31.7% in the Valsequillo Reservoir water samples. Maximum Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal was observed to be 60.2% from the Alseseca River with a 0.26 mg O3/mg initial COD dose. Among all the phthalates studied in the present work, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exhibited the highest concentration (5.8 μg/L in the Atoyac River). Treatment with O3 was not effective in eliminating fecal coliforms (FC) in waters that host high organic matter (OM) loads as opposed to waters with low OM. After the injection of 4.7 mg O3/mg COD in the VO3-AT water sample, a 90% removal of Iron (Fe) and Aluminum (Al) was registered; while Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Zinc (Zn), and Cooper (Cu) showed a 73%, 67%, 81%, and 80% removal, respectively; Chromium (Cr) registered the highest removal (~100%). The present work demonstrated that while finding a suitable O3 dose to improve the quality of water in the HAS, the 5-days Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5)/COD ratio (i.e., biodegradability) is more important than the overall OM removal percentage proving that O3 injection is a feasible process for the treatment of eutrophic waters from HAS.

Objective To evaluate the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination via interferon (IFN)-based therapy on gene expression profiles related to the immune system in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. Methods We conducted a prospective study in 28 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients receiving IFN-based therapy at baseline (HIV/HCV-b) and week 24 after sustained virological response (HIV/HCV-f). Twenty-seven HIV-monoinfected patients (HIV-mono) were included as a control. RNA-seq analysis was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Genes with a fold-change (FC) ≥ 1.5 (in either direction) and false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.05 were identified as significantly differentially expressed (SDE). Results HIV/HCV-b showed six SDE genes compared to HIV-mono group, but no significantly enriched pathways were observed. For HIV/HCV-f vs. HIV/HCV-b, we found 58 SDE genes, 34 upregulated and 24 downregulated in the HIV/HCV-f group. Of these, the most overexpressed were CXCL2 , PDCD6IP, ATP5B, IGSF9, RAB26, and CSRNP1 , and the most downregulated were IFI44 and IFI44L . These 58 SDE genes revealed two significantly enriched pathways (FDR < 0.05), one linked to Epstein-Barr virus infection and another related to p53 signaling. For HIV/HCV-f vs. HIV-mono group, we found 44 SDE genes that revealed 31 enriched pathways (FDR < 0.05) related to inflammation, cancer/cell cycle alteration, viral and bacterial infection, and comorbidities associated with HIV/HCV-coinfection. Five genes were overrepresented in most pathways ( JUN, NFKBIA, PIK3R2, CDC42, and STAT3 ). Conclusion HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who eradicated hepatitis C with IFN-based therapy showed profound gene expression changes after achieving sustained virological response. The altered pathways were related to inflammation and liver-related complications, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, underscoring the need for active surveillance for these patients.

This work adheres to the recommendations for publication in three steps (Marin-Garcia, 2021). We propose a protocol to develop research the objective of which is to analyze the needs and challenges, as perceived by university lecturers, related to teaching, learning, or assessing competencies related to the innovative capacity of students in an array of digital remote teaching contexts. In this sense, we want to consider situations where teachers watch their students interact with each other. The interaction between students can occur face-to-face or remotely and, in the latter case, either synchronous or asynchronous. In addition, teacher observation can be done synchronously (face-to-face or remotely) or by watching a previously recorded video.

In this article we propose a model of innovation competence of people, based on the existing literature to integrate and complement the existing models. The main contribution of this work consists in demonstrating the differences and similarities of current models and in providing a conceptual definition for each model element. In this way, both researchers and people in charge of Human Resources in companies can obtain a framework to design measuring instruments to assess the innovation competence, which can fulfil the twofold demand requirement of validity and reliability. 

A high incidence of herpes zoster was noticed among patients with AIDS, shortly after addition of a protease inhibitor to their baseline treatment with nucleoside analogue reverse-transcriptase inhibitors. Within a median follow-up of 64 weeks (range, 34–103 weeks), 14 patients (7%) had a first episode or a recurrence of herpes zoster (6.2 episodes per 100 patient-years). No episodes of zoster were diagnosed before week 4. Twelve episodes (86%) occurred between weeks 4 and 16. The risk of zoster was independent of age, sex, type of protease inhibitor, and CD4+ lymphocyte count and viral load at baseline and month 1. A CD8+ lymphocyte proportion at baseline of >66% (hazard ratio [HR], 10.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4–33.1) and an increase in CD8+ lymphocyte proportion at month 1 of >5% (HR, 32; 95% CI, 8.1–126.4) were independently associated with the risk of herpes zoster. These data might be clinically useful for determining transient prophylaxis for those patients at high risk.

Background and importanceIn the absence of evidence about the incidence of bacterial co-infection, antibiotic treatment was widely prescribed to prevent this potential complication. Increasing antibiotic consumption could have exerted an ecological pressure on microorganisms with potential clinical implications that need to be examined.Aim and objectivesThe aim of this study was to analyse antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistant microorganism isolates during the peak incidence of the COVID-19 first wave at our hospital.Material and methodsAn observational, descriptive, cross sectional study was carried out. Antibiotic consumption data for March and April 2020 and 2019 were analysed. Defined daily dose (DDD) per 100 bed days was used as the consumption indicator and changes were expressed in absolute and percentage terms. Isolates of Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were examined for March and April 2020 and compared with the average over 2019. Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae were expressed in relative terms over their total isolates.ResultsFor the period under study, antibiotic consumption increased from 79.94 to 141.10 DDD/100 bed days in 2020, which was an increase of 77%. Macrolides and cephalosporins were among the groups of antibiotics with the highest consumption, representing 37% (52.79 DDD/100 bed days) and 32% (45.41 DDD/100 bed days) of total consumption, respectively, and almost 70% jointly. Additionally, ceftriaxone and azithromycin showed an increase in DDD/100 bed days of 4.5× (8.91 vs 39.97) and 27.4× (1.89 vs 51.90) with respect to the same period in 2019.The share of ESBL producing Escherichia coli was 12% (13/111 isolates) and 23% (20/87 isolates) in March and April 2020 compared with an average of 11% (273/2494 isolates) in 2019. ESBL producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was 23% (8/35 isolates) and 57% (25/44 isolates) in March and April 2020 versus 24% (153/642 isolates) on average in 2019.Conclusion and relevanceDuring the study period, antibiotic consumption increased markedly. The increasing use of third generation cephalosporins, which have no effect on ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae, may have contributed to the observed changes in the bacterial ecology in our hospital. As the incidence of bacterial co-infection on admission was reported to be lower than 5% and the increase in antibiotic consumption translated into selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria, it is important to properly assess antibiotic treatment for each particular case in future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infections.References and/or acknowledgementsConflict of interestNo conflict of interest