Los niños preguntan, los niños quieren saber. 100 preguntas que hacen los niños sobre el cerebro / Children ask, children want to know. 100 questions that children ask about the brain

Introducción: La neurociencia desempeña un papel crucial en el desarrollo educativo, abarcando desde la etapa preescolar hasta la universitaria, al proporcionar conocimientos que enriquecen la cultura y los valores humanos. Objetivo: El grupo GME-CZH desarrolló un proyecto de proyección social centrado en la niñez y adolescencia y la enseñanza de neurociencias. El objetivo principal fue estimular el desarrollo cognitivo de niños y adolescentes a través de métodos innovadores, como juegos, charlas, Rally cerebral, etc., con el fin de reactivar sus mentes y enseñarles sobre el funcionamiento del cerebro. Materiales y Métodos: El proyecto se dividió en dos fases. La primera, "Semana del Cerebro 2018", se enfocó en niños y adolescentes de educación primaria y preuniversitaria, implementando actividades para estimular su interés en temas cerebrales. La segunda fase consistió en la colaboración de 150 niños y adolescentes (7-17 años) y expertos en neurociencias para la creación del libro "100 Preguntas que hacen los niños sobre el Cerebro". Resultados: La colaboración entre niños y expertos culminó en la creación exitosa del libro, abordando las inquietudes y preguntas planteadas por los niños sobre el cerebro y su funcionamiento. Conclusión: El proyecto demostró que la integración de métodos lúdicos y educativos puede ser efectiva para estimular el interés y desarrollo cognitivo en niños y adolescentes, destacando la importancia de la enseñanza de neurociencias en estas etapas educativas. Este proyecto innovador no solo contribuye al avance educativo, sino que también promueve el entendimiento del cerebro desde edades tempranas, fomentando el desarrollo integral de los estudiantes.

Introduction: Neuroscience plays a crucial role in educational development, spanning from preschool to university, providing knowledge that enriches culture and human values. Objective: The GME-CZH group developed a social outreach project focused on childhood and adolescence, specifically in the teaching of neuroscience. The main objective was to stimulate the cognitive development of children and adolescents through innovative methods such as games, talks, Brain Rally, etc., aiming to reinvigorate their minds and educate them about the functioning of the brain. Materials and Methods: The project was divided into two phases. The first, "Brain Week 2018," focused on primary and pre-university children and adolescents, implementing activities to stimulate their interest in brain-related topics. The second phase involved the collaboration of 150 children and adolescents (7-17 years old) and neuroscience experts for the creation of the book "100 Questions Children Ask About the Brain." Results: The collaboration between children and experts culminated in the successful creation of the book, addressing the concerns and questions posed by children about the brain and its functioning. Conclusion: The project demonstrated that the integration of playful and educational methods can be effective in stimulating interest and cognitive development in children and adolescents, emphasizing the importance of teaching neuroscience in these educational stages. This innovative project not only contributes to educational advancement but also promotes understanding of the brain from an early age, fostering the comprehensive development of students.

Update on the perioperative management of antiplatelets and anticoagulants in ophthalmic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Anti-thrombotic drugs (antiplatelets and anticoagulants) are widely used for different clinical reasons. This means that there are an increasing number of patients undergoing elective ophthalmic surgery that are being treated with these drugs. A better knowledge of their implications and their peri-operative use may help to prevent surgical and secondary adverse events. There is often no firm recommendation on how to manage certain drugs in certain surgeries. OBJECTIVE: To review the recommendations in the scientific literature as regards managing anti-thrombotic agents during the peri-operative period of ophthalmic surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A review was made of the relevant guidelines and studies using an antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs approach for cataract, vitreo-retinal, glaucoma, oculoplastic, and strabismus surgeries. RESULTS: Recommendations about whether to continue or discontinue anti-thrombotic drugs in the peri-operative period of different ophthalmic surgical fields are presented. CONCLUSIONS: There are only firm recommendations of maintaining anti-thrombotic drugs as regards cataract surgery using phacoemulsification with topical anaesthesia. In other surgical fields, ophthalmologists should balance the risk of thromboembolic events and risks of haemorrhagic complications in order to carry out a proper management. A multi-disciplinary approach is recommended for complex cases. Additional studies should be performed to better characterise the peri-operative use of anti-thrombotic agents in order to prepare clinical guidelines for ophthalmic surgery.

Diabetic retinopathy in well-controlled type 2 diabetes: Role of glycaemic memory.

AIMS: As diabetic retinopathy (DR) can occur even in well-controlled patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), our study sought to determine whether it might be related to 'glucose memory' by evaluating patients' HbA1c over previous years and their skin autofluorescence (SAF). METHODS: In 334 patients with T2D and HbA1c levels≤8%, their available values of HbA1c from previous years were collected, and their SAF measured by an advanced glycation end-product (AGE) reader. Binary logistic regression analysis was then used to correlate DR with previously recorded HbA1c levels and to SAF, with adjustment for DR risk factors [age, gender, BMI, duration of diabetes, arterial hypertension, diabetic kidney disease (DKD), blood lipid levels and statin treatment]. RESULTS: Our patients were mostly men (58.4%) aged 63±10years, with a duration of diabetes of 13±10years and HbA1c=7.1±0.7%. Of these patients, 84 (25.1%) had DR, which was associated with longer duration of diabetes and greater prevalence of DKD. A total of 605 HbA1c values from previous years were collected for time periods -4±3 months (n=255), -16±4months (n=152), -30±4months (n=93) and -62±26 months (n=105). After adjustment, the association between DR and having an HbA1c higher than the median was significant only for the oldest previous HbA1c values: OR=6.75, 95% CI: 1.90-23.90. Moreover, SAF values were higher in those with DR [2.95±0.67 arbitrary units (AU)] vs 2.65±0.65 AU with no DR (P<0.01) and were also associated with the oldest previous HbA1c values (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study found that 25.1% of our well-controlled T2D patients had DR, which was related to both their HbA1c levels from 5years prior to study admission and their SAF values, a marker of glucose memory.

Added prognostic value of longitudinal changes of angiogenic factors in early-onset severe pre-eclampsia: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess in women with early-onset severe pre-eclampsia whether longitudinal changes in angiogenic factors improve the prediction of adverse outcome. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Maternity units in two Spanish hospitals. POPULATION: Women with diagnosis of early-onset severe pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Levels of placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-) and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio were measured at admission and before delivery, and average daily change calculated. The association of longitudinal changes of angiogenic factors with the time interval to delivery and with complications was evaluated by logistic and Cox regression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Interval to delivery and composite of adverse outcomes. RESULTS: We included 63 women, of which 26 (41.3%) had a complication. Longitudinal changes of sFlt-1 were more pronounced in complicated pregnancies (median: 1047 versus 342 pg/ml/day; P = 0.04). On the multivariate analysis, the clinical risk score and sFlt-1 at admission explained 6.2% of the uncertainty for complication; the addition of sFlt-1 longitudinal changes improved this to 25.3% (P = 0.002). The median time from admission to delivery was 4 days (95% CI 1.6-6.04) in those in the highest quartile of sFlt-1 longitudinal changes versus 16 days (95% CI 12.4-19.6) in the remaining women (Log-rank test P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal changes in sFlt-1 maternal levels from admission for confirmed early-onset severe pre-eclampsia add to baseline characteristics in the prediction of adverse outcome and interval to delivery. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: In early-onset severe pre-eclampsia, longitudinal changes in sFlt-1 levels improve the prediction of complications and interval to delivery.

Innate immunity during SARS-CoV-2: evasion strategies and activation trigger hypoxia and vascular damage.

Innate immune sensing of viral molecular patterns is essential for development of antiviral responses. Like many viruses, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved strategies to circumvent innate immune detection, including low cytosine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) levels in the genome, glycosylation to shield essential elements including the receptor-binding domain, RNA shielding and generation of viral proteins that actively impede anti-viral interferon responses. Together these strategies allow widespread infection and increased viral load. Despite the efforts of immune subversion, SARS-CoV-2 infection activates innate immune pathways inducing a robust type I/III interferon response, production of proinflammatory cytokines and recruitment of neutrophils and myeloid cells. This may induce hyperinflammation or, alternatively, effectively recruit adaptive immune responses that help clear the infection and prevent reinfection. The dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin system due to down-regulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, together with the activation of type I/III interferon response, and inflammasome response converge to promote free radical production and oxidative stress. This exacerbates tissue damage in the respiratory system, but also leads to widespread activation of coagulation pathways leading to thrombosis. Here, we review the current knowledge of the role of the innate immune response following SARS-CoV-2 infection, much of which is based on the knowledge from SARS-CoV and other coronaviruses. Understanding how the virus subverts the initial immune response and how an aberrant innate immune response contributes to the respiratory and vascular damage in COVID-19 may help to explain factors that contribute to the variety of clinical manifestations and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Serum fructosamine predicts macrosomia in well-controlled hyperglycaemic pregnant women: An observational cross-sectional study.

AIM: While serum fructosamine may be a good marker of glucose control in pregnant women with diabetes, its relationship with macrosomia is still uncertain. METHODS: In 130 hyperglycaemic women with singleton pregnancies (117 gestational diabetes mellitus, 13 pregestational diabetes), serum fructosamine and HbA1c levels were measured at 25±7 weeks of gestation. Levels in mothers of infants with and without macrosomic newborns (birth weight>4000g and/or large-for-gestational-age birth weight>90th percentile) were compared using logistic regression analysis adjusted for macrosomia risk factors. RESULTS: These 130 pregnant women were 33±5 years old; their BMI before pregnancy was 27.7±6.9kg/m2, and they gained 7.5±5.1kg during the first 6 months of gestation. Glucose control was good according to HbA1c levels (5.3±0.3%; 34±2mmol/mol), yet 17/130 (13%) newborns had macrosomia: 3900±227g vs 3057±512g (P<0.001) in the others. These mothers were older and had higher parity, whereas their BMI scores before pregnancy and gestational weight gains did not differ. Fructosamine levels were also higher at 221±40µmol/L vs 192±22µmol/l (P<0.001), respectively, and remained significant even after adjusting for maternal age, BMI, parity, type of diabetes, antecedents of macrosomia and excessive gestational weight gain. By contrast, HbA1c did not differ between the two groups. In fact, nearly two-thirds (64.7%) of the mothers of macrosomic newborns had fructosamine levels>200µmol/l vs 31.9% of mothers with non-macrosomic newborns (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: High fructosamine levels are associated with macrosomia in the newborns of well-controlled hyperglycaemic pregnant women.

Association of childhood trauma and genetic variability of CRH-BP and FKBP5 genes with suicidal behavior in bipolar patients.

BACKGROUND: Around 8% of bipolar disorder (BD) patients die by suicide every year, accounting for the highest rate among the psychiatric population. Suicidal behavior (SB) is mediated by an intertwining system of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Childhood trauma (CT) and gene variants of the stress-management hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have been reported as risk factors for SB. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association of CT and HPA axis genetic variants with SB. METHODS: 135 BD patients were recruited for clinical assessment of CT and SB by means of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), respectively. A total of 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 8 HPA axis genes (POMC, NR3C2, CRH-BP, NR3C1, FKBP5, CRHR2, CRHR1, and MC2R) were genotyped. RESULTS: The analyses showed an association of total CTQ score (p = 0.003), emotional abuse (p = 0.001), sexual abuse (p = 0.005) and emotional neglect (p = 0.005) with SB. CRH-BP rs7728378-C carriers (p = 0.004; OR = 3.05), FKBP5 rs3777747-AA (p = 0.039; OR = 0.34) and FKBP5 rs2766533-GG genotypes (p = 0.001; OR = 2.93) were associated with SB although only rs2766533 survived multiple test correction. No gene-environment interaction was found. LIMITATIONS: The relatively small sample size limits the statistical power to detect smaller environmental and genetic effects. Cross-sectional data collection in psychometric assessments can yield biased data. CONCLUSIONS: The present study characterizes novel SB risk factors and replicates previous findings in BD patients. CT and variability in CRH-BP and FKBP5 genes should be further studied for a better understanding of SB and ultimately help in suicide prevention.

Early versus late stage schizophrenia. What markers make the difference?

OBJECTIVES: To identify the psychopathological, cognitive, functional, physical health and inflammatory markers that differentiate between early-stage schizophrenia (ESSCH) and late-stage schizophrenia (LSSCH). METHODS: Cross-sectional, naturalistic study of 104 patients with SCH. The sample was divided in two groups: 35 ESSCH (≤7 years' duration of illness) and 69 LSSCH (>10 years' duration of illness). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: chi-square test and Student's t-test and ANCOVA (or Quade test) controlling for age, sex, BMI and number of cigarettes/day. Finally, a binomial logistic regression was made. RESULTS: ESSCH show greater negative symptom severity (t = 2.465, p = 0.015), lower levels of IκBα (F = 7.644, p = 0.007), were more frequently classified as normal weight (40% vs 18.8%, p = 0.032) compared with LSSCH. The binomial logistic regression model included age (B = 0.127, p = 0.001) and IκBα (B = 0.025, p = 0.002) and accounted for 38.9% of the variance (model df =7, chi-square =41.841, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Age and IκBα are the unique markers that differentiate between ESSCH patients whose duration of illness is less than 7 years and LSSCH patients. These results support the hypothesis of toxicity of episodes and highlight the importance of preventing new episodes.

Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: A Cytogenomic Update.

OBJECTIVES: Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are a rare neoplasia but are still the most common malignancy in males between the ages of 15 and 44. TGCTs can be divided into two main types: Seminomas (SE) and non-seminomas (NS), the latter with an earlier age of onset and a worst prognosis. One of the most consistent features of TGCTs is the gain of material in the short arm of chromosome 12, that occurs in almost 100% of TGCT cases; 80% of them involve the formation of an isochromosome of the short arm i(12p). This might be the key step that allows the lesion to progress from a germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS), which is a microscopic finding preceding the TGCT and without gain in 12p, to a TGCT. Some tumors, specially SE, present a more restricted amplification of certain 12p regions such as the 12p11.2-12.1 amplicon instead of the i(12p). The mechanism that associates the gain of 12p and the development of invasiveness is not yet well understood but it is believed a number of genes are involved, including DPPA3/STELLA, SOX5, PHC2, ATF7IP and proto-oncogenes Cyclin D2 and KRAS. Genome wide association studies have allowed us to acquire a better knowledge of the pathogenesis of this type of tumor, in which multiple genes show an increase in copy numbers, higher expression or activating mutations in genes related to the KIT/ KITLG pathway like KRAS, BRAF or KIT and KITLG itself. A less frequent subtype of TGCT found in older patients are spermatocytic tumors (ST). It does not develop from a GCNIS and presents a gain of genetic material in chromosome 9 instead of 12. It is believed the overexpression of the gene DMRT1, at 9p24.2, might have a role in the development of ST. In this review we are trying to delineate the most important loci involved in testicular germ tumors, the genes involved in this pathogenesis, and attempting to describe the possible mechanisms behind this tumorigenesis.