Validación transcultural de cuestionario sobre literacidad en salud en el contexto chileno

Objetivos: Validar transculturalmente para contexto chileno, cuestionario en inglés que evalúa competencias comunicacionales empleadas por el odontólogo con sus pacientes. Métodos: Se realizaron seis etapas: traducción, panel de expertos, entrevistas cognitivas, adaptación en línea, método test y re-test, evaluando la consistencia interna y estabilidad, y retrotraducción al inglés. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las variables sociodemográficas y un análisis descriptivo de los ítems del cuestionario considerando la media de las puntuaciones, desviación estándar y proporción de respuestas positivas, neutras y negativas. Resultados: 70 participantes contestaron el cuestionario (42 mujeres y 28 hombres, edad promedio 38 años). Las entrevistas cognitivas y comité de expertos permitieron hacer adaptaciones a la cultura chilena. Con respecto a la consistencia interna y estabilidad del cuestionario, el valor obtenido para α-Cronbach fue mayor a 72% y λ-Guttman mayor a 81%. Para la estabilidad del cuestionario el coeficiente de correlación Spearman fue de 72% y los coeficientes de concordancia fueron mayores a 76% (valor-p<0,05). Conclusiones: El cuestionario sobre la literacidad de salud oral en el contexto chileno es válido desde la perspectiva de la adaptación transcultural y confiable desde la perspectiva de la consistencia interna y estabilidad.

Objectives: Transcultural validation of a survey in the Chilean context that assesses communication skills of dentists with patients, from English to Spanish. Methods: The process considered six stages: translation, a panel of experts, cognitive interviews, online adaptation, test and re-test practice to assess internal consistency and stability, and finally, back-translation into English. The method included the analysis of the sociodemographic variables and a descriptive analysis of the questionnaire items, considering the mean of the scores, standard deviation, and proportion of positive, neutral, and negative responses. Results: 70 participants answered the questionnaire (42 women and 28 men, average age 38 years). The cognitive interviews and the suggestions of the panel of experts allowed for some changes to better adapt to the Chilean culture. Regarding the internal consistency and stability of the questionnaire, the value obtained for α-Cronbach was greater than 72% and for λ-Guttman greater than 81%. Furthermore, the Spearman correlation coefficient was 72%, and the concordance coefficients were higher than 76% (p-value <0.05). Conclusions: The questionnaire on health literacy in the Chilean context is valid from the perspective of cross-cultural adaptation and reliable from the internal consistency and stability standpoint.

Autoimmune encephalitis misdiagnosis and mimics.

The diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis (AE) requires reasonable exclusion of other conditions. The aim of this study is to characterize mimickers and misdiagnoses of AE, thus we performed an independent PubMed search for mimickers of AEs or patients with alternative neurological disorders misdiagnosed as AE. Fifty-eight studies with 66 patients were included. Neoplastic (n = 17), infectious (n = 15), genetic (n = 13), neurodegenerative (n = 8), and other neurological (n = 8) or systemic autoimmune (n = 5) disorders were misdiagnosed as AE. The lack of fulfillment of diagnostic criteria for AE, atypical neuroimaging findings, non-inflammatory CSF findings, non-specific autoantibody specificities and partial response to immunotherapy were major confounding factors.

Cell Type-Specific Effects of Implant Provisional Restoration Materials on the Growth and Function of Human Fibroblasts and Osteoblasts.

Implant provisional restorations should ideally be nontoxic to the contacting and adjacent tissues, create anatomical and biophysiological stability, and establish a soft tissue seal through interactions between prosthesis, soft tissue, and alveolar bone. However, there is a lack of robust, systematic, and fundamental data to inform clinical decision making. Here we systematically explored the biocompatibility of fibroblasts and osteoblasts in direct contact with, or close proximity to, provisional restoration materials. Human gingival fibroblasts and osteoblasts were cultured on the "contact" effect and around the "proximity" effect with various provisional materials: bis-acrylic, composite, self-curing acrylic, and milled acrylic, with titanium alloy as a bioinert control. The number of fibroblasts and osteoblasts surviving and attaching to and around the materials varied considerably depending on the material, with milled acrylic the most biocompatible and similar to titanium alloy, followed by self-curing acrylic and little to no attachment on or around bis-acrylic and composite materials. Milled and self-curing acrylics similarly favored subsequent cellular proliferation and physiological functions such as collagen production in fibroblasts and alkaline phosphatase activity in osteoblasts. Neither fibroblasts nor osteoblasts showed a functional phenotype when cultured with bis-acrylic or composite. By calculating a biocompatibility index for each material, we established that fibroblasts were more resistant to the cytotoxicity induced by most materials in direct contact, however, the osteoblasts were more resistant when the materials were in close proximity. In conclusion, there was a wide variation in the cytotoxicity of implant provisional restoration materials ranging from lethal and tolerant to near inert, and this cytotoxicity may be received differently between the different cell types and depending on their physical interrelationships.

Plant-growth promotion by proteobacterial strains depends on the availability of phosphorus and iron in Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Phosphorus (as phosphate, Pi) and iron (Fe) are critical nutrients in plants that are often poorly available in the soil and can be microbially affected. This work aimed to evaluate how plant-rhizobacteria interaction changes due to different Pi or Fe nutritional scenarios and to study the underlying molecular mechanisms of the microbial modulation of these nutrients in plants. Thus, three proteobacteria (Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7, and Pseudomonas putida KT2440) were used to inoculate Arabidopsis seeds. Additionally, the seeds were exposed to a nutritional factor with the following levels for each nutrient: sufficient (control) or low concentrations of a highly soluble source or sufficient concentrations of a low solubility source. Then, the effects of the combinatorial factors were assessed in plant growth, nutrition, and genetic regulation. Interestingly, some bacterial effects in plants depended on the nutrient source (e.g., increased aerial zones induced by the strains), and others (e.g., decreased primary roots induced by Sp7 or KT2440) occurred regardless of the nutritional treatment. In the short-term, PsJN had detrimental effects on plant growth in the presence of the low-solubility Fe compound, but this was not observed in later stages of plant development. A thorough regulation of the phosphorus content was detected in plants independent of the nutritional treatment. Nevertheless, inoculation with KT2440 increased P content by 29% Pi-deficiency exposed plants. Conversely, the inoculation tended to decrease the Fe content in plants, suggesting a competition for this nutrient in the rhizosphere. The P-source also affected the effects of the PsJN strain in a double mutant of the phosphate starvation response (PSR). Furthermore, depending on the nutrient source, PsJN and Sp7 strains differentially regulated PSR and IAA- associated genes, indicating a role of these pathways in the observed differential phenotypical responses. In the case of iron, PsJN and SP7 regulated iron uptake-related genes regardless of the iron source, which may explain the lower Fe content in inoculated plants. Overall, the plant responses to these proteobacteria were not only influenced by the nutrient concentrations but also by their availabilities, the elapsed time of the interaction, and the specific identities of the beneficial bacteria. Graphical AbstractThe effects of the different nutritional and inoculation treatments are indicated for plant growth parameters (A), gene regulation (B) and phosphorus and iron content (C). Figures created with BioRender.com with an academic license.

Characterization of sperm cell membrane charge and selection of high-quality sperm using microfluidics in stallions.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the only method for in vitro embryo production (IVP) in horses. Besides oocyte developmental competence, the outcome of IVP is also highly dependent on sperm quality. Therefore, it is not only essential to employ superior methods of selecting high quality sperm, but also to be able to characterize which quantifiable properties of sperm quality are most indicative of its fertility. In men, a net negative surface charge, estimated by zeta potential (ZP) is highly correlated with sperm quality and in vitro embryo developmental outcomes. However, there is no information available about approximate charges or ZP in equine sperm. Therefore, in this study we aimed to characterize equine sperm ZP and identify its associations with known measures of sperm quality. Additionally, we aimed to complete a comprehensive comparison of conventional sperm selection techniques as compared to the novel method of microfluidic sorting. Ejaculates (n = 22) were partitioned into fresh (∼23 °C, 0 h; n = 12) and cooled (∼4 °C, 24 h; n = 10) groups, and processed by swim up (SU), density gradient centrifugation (DGC), density gradient-swim up combination (DG-SU), and microfluidic chip (MF) sorting. Motility, progressive motility, cell viability, normal morphology, and ZP were evaluated for both unprocessed fractions and post-selected fractions. The ZP of both fresh and cooled samples was net negative and also correlated with motility and progressive motility for both fresh and cooled samples (P < 0.05). The ZP of cooled samples was also correlated with viability (P < 0.05). Among the compared methods of sperm selection, MF was highly effective in selecting high quality sperm as determined by the measured parameters. Percent motility, progressive motility, normal morphology, and viability of MF selected sperm were of higher quality than sperm selected by SU, and of similar to DG-SU and DGC without the use of potentially harmful centrifugation steps. Correlations between ZP, motility, and viability parameters may indicate a role of external charge on the motility and survival of sperm within the female reproductive tract. In conclusion, we identified an average net negative ZP on equine sperm and correlations between ZP and other measures of sperm quality, as well as having identified MF as a novel effective method of equine sperm selection for IVP.

Toward social-ecological coastal zone governance of Chiloé Island (Chile) based on the DPSIR framework.

Coastal zones are complex systems where sustainability needs local participative governance, whose absence may result in conflicts between social actors. In its absence, the first step should be a diagnosis of the current situation based on integrative conceptual frameworks such as the DPSIR. However, in conflicting situations, the generated model needs validation from social actors. Chiloé Island is a critical Chilean coastal fishery and aquaculture area, coexisting with subsistence and cultural uses of marine resources. This article analyzes the current ecological state of the Chiloé coastal zone and its main social-ecological impact using a DPSIR model. We validated its results through a household survey and interviews with local experts and social actors. Results show that increased coastal fisheries and aquaculture generate a critical decrease of coastal species, eutrophication, and pollution that, along with harmful algal blooms, generate conflicts. Social validation showed that experts and local social actors have different perceptions of conflicting parties and conflict solutions. Following a post-normal approach, we propose three ideas to start social-ecological governance of Chiloé coastal marine ecosystems.

Cuidado de la salud oral en la primera infancia: La perspectiva de sus madres-un estudio cualitativo / Oral health care in early childhood: mothers perspective-a qualitative research

RESUMEN: Los determinantes sociales de salud impactan significativamente en la salud oral. El rol de las madres es relevante en la salud de sus hijos. Objetivo: Conocer prácticas en salud oral de madres e hijos de 2 a 5 años en sus hogares, sus experiencias, logros y dificultades. Diseño: Estudio cualitativo con análisis de entrevistas en profundidad a 20 cuidadoras que asisten a Centros de Salud Familiar de la Región Metropolitana de Santiago. Resultados: Las cuidadoras se sienten responsables por la salud oral en sus hijos; padre y niño parecieran asumir roles más pasivos. Valoran la atención odontológica en el CESFAM pero les preocupa qué pasará a largo plazo. La salud oral se relaciona con estética y mejores oportunidades laborales. Valoran los dientes primarios, pero aún más los definitivos, aunque sin creer que estos permanezcan en boca toda la vida. Las cuidadoras manejan correcta información sobre cómo cuidar la salud oral. Esperan evitar experiencias negativas odontológicas en sus hijos. Conclusión: Las estrategias clínicas y educativas odontológicas, debieran considerar los contextos sociales de los niños, trabajando colaborativamente junto a sus madres. Es relevante avanzar en cómo los determinantes sociales afectan la salud oral.

ABSTRACT: Social determinants have a fundamental impact on oral health, which includes oral health care habits. Caregivers can be a key factor to develop them in their children. Objective: Understand the oral health care practices of caregivers and children aged 2 to 5 years in their homes, recognizing their experiences, achievements, and difficulties. Design: Qualitative study obtained in in-depth interviews with 20 caregivers, attending family health centers in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. Results: Caregivers feel responsible for their children's oral health care, while fathers and children seem to have a more passive role than the mother. They value dental care at CESFAM, but they are worried about their future long-term care. Oral health is related to aesthetics and better job opportunities. The primary teeth are essential, but permanents are more relevant; however, they do not believe that they remain in mouth for life. Caregivers handle correct information about oral health care. They hope that their children will not live negative dental experiences. Conclusion: The clinical and educational dentistry strategies should consider the children's social environment, and working as a teamwork with caregivers. It is relevant to conduct further studies on how social determinants affect oral health.

Stomata regulation by tissue-specific expression of the Citrus sinensis MYB61 transcription factor improves water-use efficiency in Arabidopsis.

Water-use efficiency (WUE) is a quantitative measurement of biomass produced per volume of water transpired by a plant. WUE is an important physiological trait for drought response to mitigate the water deficiency. In this work, a cisgenic construction from Citrus sinensis was developed and its function in the improvement of WUE was evaluated in Arabidopsis. Sequences of the CsMYB61 coding region, a transcription factor implicated in the closure of stomata, together with a putative stomata-specific promoter from CsMYB15, were identified and cloned. The protein encoded in the CsMYB61 locus harbors domains and motifs characteristic of MYB61 proteins. In addition, a 1.2 kb promoter region of the gene CsMYB15 (pCsMYB15) containing regulatory elements for expression in guard cells and in response to Abscisic Acid (ABA) and light was isolated. In Arabidopsis, pCsMYB15 directs the expression of the reporter gene GUS in stomata in the presence of light. In addition, transgenic lines expressing the CsMYB61 coding region under transcriptional control of pCsMYB15 have a normal phenotype under in vitro and greenhouse conditions. These transgenic lines exhibited a smaller opening of the stomata pore, lower stomatal conductance and respiration rate, enhanced sensitivity to exogenous ABA, and high drought stress tolerance. Our results indicate that stomata-specific expression of CsMYB61 enhances water use efficiency under drought conditions in Arabidospis.