Chitosan, Gelatin, and Collagen Hydrogels for Bone Regeneration.

Hydrogels are versatile biomaterials characterized by three-dimensional, cross-linked, highly hydrated polymeric networks. These polymers exhibit a great variety of biochemical and biophysical properties, which allow for the diffusion of diverse molecules, such as drugs, active ingredients, growth factors, and nanoparticles. Meanwhile, these polymers can control chemical and molecular interactions at the cellular level. The polymeric network can be molded into different structures, imitating the structural characteristics of surrounding tissues and bone defects. Interestingly, the application of hydrogels in bone tissue engineering (BTE) has been gathering significant attention due to the beneficial bone improvement results that have been achieved. Moreover, essential clinical and osteoblastic fate-controlling advances have been achieved with the use of synthetic polymers in the production of hydrogels. However, current trends look towards fabricating hydrogels from biological precursors, such as biopolymers, due to the high biocompatibility, degradability, and mechanical control that can be regulated. Therefore, this review analyzes the concept of hydrogels and the characteristics of chitosan, collagen, and gelatin as excellent candidates for fabricating BTE scaffolds. The changes and opportunities brought on by these biopolymers in bone regeneration are discussed, considering the integration, synergy, and biocompatibility features.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Unmasked the Challenges Faced by Early-Stage Faculty in Infectious Diseases: A Call to Action.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated increase in family care responsibilities resulted in unsustainable personal and professional workloads for infectious diseases (ID) faculty on the front lines. This was especially true for early-stage faculty (ESF), many of whom had caregiving responsibilities. In addition, female faculty, underrepresented in medicine and science faculty and particularly ESF, experienced marked declines in research productivity, which significantly impacts career trajectories. When combined with staffing shortages due to an aging workforce and suboptimal recruitment and retention in ID, these work-life imbalances have brought the field to an inflection point. We propose actionable recommendations and call on ID leaders to act to close the gender, racial, and ethnic gaps to improve the recruitment, retention, and advancement of ESF in ID. By investing in systemic change to make the ID workforce more equitable, we can embody the shared ideals of diversity and inclusion and prepare for the next pandemic.

Representaciones sociales acerca del ingreso, permanencia y deserción a semilleros de investigación de la Universidad de San Buenaventura de Medellín extensión Armenia / Social representations about the admission, permanence, and dropout of research hotbeds at Universidad de San Buenaventura Medellin branch, Armenia campus

Resumen Las representaciones sociales del ingreso, permanencia y deserción de estudiantes Universitarios a Semilleros de Investigación, giran en torno a elementos cognitivos «percepciones, ideas y nociones acerca de los beneficios obtenidos, las participaciones en eventos y el aumento de conocimientos¼, emocionales «actitudes relacionadas con la empatía/ apatía con el coordinador y el grupo, interés y deseo de participar de investigaciones, apoyo institucional¼ y motivacionales «creencias relacionadas con el estatus, el adelantar trabajo de grado, mejorar la hoja de vida, acceder a un posgrado¼.

Abstract The social representations about the admission, permanence, and dropout of university students to research hotbeds revolve around cognitive elements, which are "perceptions, ideas, and notions about the gains obtained, the participation in events and the increase of knowledge," emotional elements, which are "attitudes related to empathy/apathy with the coordinator and the group, interest in and willingness to participate in research, and institutional support¼ and motivational elements, which are "beliefs related to the status, the fact of advancing in their research work, improving their curriculum vitae, and having access to a graduate program."

The Influence of Importance in Self-Report of Quality of Life in Chilean Young People / El impacto de la valoración de la importancia en la evaluación de la calidad de vida en adolescentes chilenos

While self-report of overall quality of life has been widely examined, there are no studies that explore the impact of the relative importance people give to the various categories of their quality of life. Therefore, with a quantitative methodology and a co-relational transverse design, we analyze differences in the assessment when the importance given to each category is evaluated. Participants were 530 students from the city of Antofagasta in the North of Chile, aged between 15 and 18 years. They were from subsidized, public secondary schools and private and state universities in the city who were assessed using the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire. Results: Differences were found in the assessment of categories when results were analyzed based on gender and age and when incorporating an assessment of importance. Even when the results were not conclusive, there was evidence of a need to incorporate an importance variable when assessing quality of life.

Aunque el autoreporte ha sido ampliamente estudiado en calidad de vida, aún no se cuenta con estudios que permitan explorar el impacto que pudiese tener en la evaluación, la valoración de la importancia que los(as) jóvenes(as) otorgan a cada uno de los dominios que componen su calidad de vida. Por ello, con una metodología cuantitativa y bajo un diseño transversal correlacional, se analizaron las diferencias existentes en la evaluación, cuando en esta es evaluada la importancia que para cada joven tiene la dimensión sobre la que se inquiere. Participaron 530 estudiantes, entre un rango de edad entre los 15 y los 18 años de la ciudad de Antofagasta. Estos provenían de establecimientos públicos y subvencionados de educación secundaria y de universidades privadas y estatales de la ciudad. La evaluación se hizo mediante el cuestionario específico KIDSCREEN-27. Se encontraron diferencias en la evaluación de los dominios al estratificar el análisis por sexo y edad, al incorporar la valoración de la importancia. Aun cuando los resultados no son concluyentes, aportan evidencia a la necesidad de incorporar la variable importancia en la evaluación de la calidad de vida.