Operationalisation of quality of life for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to improve their inclusion.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QoL) is regarded as a framework to enhance inclusive education outcomes in different domains for all students, especially for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Assessment tools are needed to implement this framework. Although there is a long trajectory of QoL assessment in people with IDD, we identify a lack of instruments for students with IDD who attend to general education contexts. AIMS: The goal of this study is to produce a pool of items in order to develop a field-test version of a QoL instrument for this target group. METHODS: 14 educational professionals participated in a four-round Delphi study, assessing the content of the items proposed according to four criteria (suitability, importance, observability and sensitivity). RESULTS: The results of this study provided evidence of content validity regarding the pool of items that will be included in a field-test version. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained are important for the development of a QoL assessment tool to improve the inclusion of students with IDD in general education settings.

Medicinal plants used for ophthalmological problems in Navarra (Spain).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Several plants have been found to have effective against number of ophthalmological problems in Navarra. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews with 686 informants in 267 locations. In order to confirm the pharmacological application of the uses more cited by the informants, a literature review was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 57 pharmaceutical uses were reported, for 19 plants and 13 families, mainly represented by Asteraceae. The most frequently used parts were inflorescences, flowers, aerial parts, leaves and flowered aerial parts. The related affections fell into eleven categories: bloodshot eyes, watery eyes and wounds, improve vision, irrited eyelids, rheums and styes, tired eyes, conjunctivitis, eyewash, ocular problems in general. The most cited plants were: Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All., Santolina chamaecyparissus L. ssp. squarrosa (DC.) Nyman, Sambucus nigra L. ssp. nigra, Rosa agrestis Savi and Calendula officinalis L. None of them have been pharmacologically validated by Official International Organisms. From the therapeutic point of view, Allium sativum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., C. officinalis, and S. chamaecyparissus ssp. squarrosa deserve special attention, because ethnobotanical and pharmacological studies suggest that these medicinal plants are effective for ophthalmological problems. CONCLUSIONS: The present study constitutes a good basis for further phytochemical and pharmacological research of these four plants, which could be of interest in the design of new inexpensive, effective and safe drugs. The remaining plants are needed to be screened through standard pharmacological and clinical procedures for their activities.

Medicinal plants used for musculoskeletal disorders in Navarra and their pharmacological validation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: This paper provides important ethnopharmacological information on plants used in musculoskeletal disorders in Navarra. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews. In order to confirm the pharmacological validation of the uses, monographs from Official International Agencies (ESCOP, Commission E, WHO and EMA) were reviewed. A literature review was conducted focusing on the plants that were widely used but had no published monograph. RESULTS: A total of 199 pharmaceutical uses were reported, for 38 plants and 24 families, mainly represented by Asteraceae and Lamiaceae (11%, each), Rosaceae (8%) and Boraginaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Equisetaceae, Malvaceae, Oleaceae and Urticaceae (5%, each). The most frequently used parts were the aerial parts, roots, followed by inflorescences and leaves. Nine out of 38 plants (24%) and 123 uses (62%), had already been pharmacologically validated. CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose to validate four species for their use in musculoskeletal disorders: Verbena officinalis, Symphytum tuberosum, Hypericum perforatum and Equisetum ssp.

Identification and quantification of flavonoids from Chuquiraga spinosa (Asteraceae).

Nine flavonol glycosides (quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, kaemperol-3-O-glucuronide, kaemperol-3-O-rutinoside, kaempherol-3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucuronide, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside) were isolated from the aerial parts of Chuquiraga spinosa (R. et P.) D. Don (Asteraceae). The identification of the compounds was carried out by HPLC/DAD, HPLC/MS and NMR analysis. These compounds may be useful in the chemotaxonomy of the genus and species.

Differential subcellular targeting of PKC-epsilon in response to pharmacological or ischemic stimuli in intestinal epithelia.

Ischemia is the central pathogenic factor underlying a spectrum of intestinal disorders. The study of the cellular signaling responses to ischemic stress in nonepithelial cells has progressed substantially in the previous several years, but little is known about the response in epithelial cells. Unique features of the epithelial response to ischemic stress suggest differential regulation with regards to signaling. The PKC family of proteins has been implicated in ischemic stress in nonepithelial systems. The role of PKC isoforms in chemical ischemia in intestinal epithelial cells is evaluated in this study. Additionally, the phosphorylation of the F-actin cross-linking protein myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) is also studied. Chemical ischemia resulted in the transient activation of only the isoform PKC-epsilon as detected by translocation employing the subcellular fractionation technique. The pharmacological agonists phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and carbachol also led to the translocation of PKC-epsilon. By immunofluoresence, MARCKS is noted to be located at the lateral membrane under control conditions. In response to carbachol, MARCKS translocates to the cytosol, indicating its phosphorylation, which is additionally confirmed biochemically. Consistent with this observation, carbachol induces the translocation of PKC-epsilon to proximity with MARCKS at the lateral membrane. In response to chemical ischemia, MARCKS fails to translocate and phosphorylation does not increase. Additionally, the translocation of PKC-epsilon is not to the lateral membrane but rather basally. The data suggest that the differential translocation of PKC-epsilon in response to pharmacological agonists versus ischemic stress may lead to different effects on downstream targets.