Menéndez Pelayo International University

In 2015, 193 nations adopted the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Alcohol was included as a specific focus in target 3.5 (substance abuse), highlighting its relevance in the global development agenda. It is also recognized as a cross-cutting issue and a barrier to achieving several SDGs. We aimed to examine in this research how countries in the Americas reported on alcohol use, alcohol-related harms, and alcohol policy measures in their efforts to meet the SDGs. We conducted a content analysis of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) presented at the UN High-Level Political Forum between 2016 and 2022. Our sample included 54 documents from 32 countries. More than half (57%) of the reports from 21 countries referred to alcohol. Most of these references were listed under SDG 3, particularly target 3.5. Only six countries referred to alcohol as a cross-cutting issue. Reducing alcohol consumption--a leading cause of death and disability in the Americas--was not frequently acknowledged in the VNRs. Many countries may be missing an opportunity to highlight their efforts. More likely, however, they fail to recognize alcohol as an important public health issue that must be addressed to achieve the SDGs.

La atención académica representa un desafío significativo en estudiantes con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH), lo que ha impulsado la búsqueda de estrategias pedagógicas inclusivas que favorezcan su autorregulación en el aula. En este contexto, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la relación entre el uso de pausas activas y la atención académica en estudiantes diagnosticados con TDAH, desde un enfoque cuantitativo. La investigación se desarrolló bajo un diseño no experimental de tipo descriptivo–correlacional. La población estuvo conformada por 170 estudiantes, de los cuales se seleccionó una muestra intencional de 130 participantes. Como instrumento se utilizó una encuesta estructurada con escala Likert de cinco niveles, validada mediante juicio de expertos y con un índice de confiabilidad satisfactorio, calculado a través del coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach. Los resultados evidenciaron una percepción mayoritariamente favorable respecto al impacto de las pausas activas en distintas dimensiones de la atención académica. Se identificaron asociaciones positivas con la concentración en tareas escolares, la permanencia en la actividad asignada, la estabilidad atencional a lo largo de la jornada y la regulación conductual. Asimismo, se observó una valoración positiva del ambiente de aprendizaje generado a partir de la implementación de estas estrategias. Los hallazgos confirmaron la hipótesis planteada, al demostrar que las pausas activas se vincularon con mejoras percibidas en la atención del estudiantado con TDAH. En conclusión, el estudio aportó evidencia empírica que respalda la pertinencia de integrar pausas activas como recurso pedagógico viable, accesible y coherente con prácticas educativas inclusivas orientadas a fortalecer los procesos de aprendizaje.

Background/Objectives: In children developing B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), an immune evasion event takes place where otherwise “silent” preleukemic cells undergo a malignant transformation while escaping immune control, often through unknown mechanisms. Methods and Results: Here, we identify the upregulation of PD-1 expression in preleukemic cells, triggered by Pax5 inactivation in mice and correlating with the time of conversion to leukemia, as a novel marker that favors leukemia evasion. This increase in PD-1 expression is apparent across diverse molecular B-ALL subtypes, both in mice and humans. PD-1 is not required for B-cell leukemogenesis, but, in the absence of PD-1, tumor cells express NK cell inhibitory receptors, highlighting the necessity for leukemic cells to evade the host’s NK immune response in order to exit the bone marrow. PD-1 expression reduces natural antitumor immune responses, but it sensitizes leukemic cells to immune checkpoint blockade strategies in mice and humans. PD-1 targeting confers clinical benefits by restoring NK-mediated tumor cell killing in vitro and eliminating tumor cells in vivo in mice engrafted with B-ALL. Conclusions: These results identify PD-1 as a new therapeutic target against leukemic progression, providing new opportunities for the treatment and possibly also the prevention of childhood B-ALL.

Abstract In this paper we deal with verb-noun collocations as a mechanism for the creation of new meanings in verbs. We understand that the unitary character of these constructions together with their high productivity allows that, sometimes, the base noun is elided and the verb assumes the global meaning of the construction, as it happens with the English verb to play in its meaning ‘to make an instrument sound’, arising from collocations such as to play the guitar, the drum , etc. The verbs ponere and agere help us to explain this procedure of semantic change in the Latin language: their meanings ‘to consider that a desired event depends on something (or someone)’ and ‘to live, to spend time’, respectively, can be understood as the product of the simplification of the collocations spem ponere and uitam (or other temporal nouns) agere.

ABSTRACTHigh‐fat (HF) diets contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, fatty liver, gut microbiota dysbiosis, oxidative stress, and low‐grade chronic inflammation. This study evaluated the preventive effects of dietary Type 2 resistant starch (RS2) from high‐amylose maize and low‐dose d‐fagomine (FG) from buckwheat on these metabolic disturbances. Male Wistar‐Kyoto rats (9–10 weeks old) were assigned to four diet groups for 10 weeks: standard (STD) diet, HF diet (45% kcal from fat), HF + RS diet (15% RS2), and HF + FG diet (0.1% FG). Body characteristics, metabolic parameters, oxidative stress, gut microbiota, short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and eicosanoids were analyzed. Both HF + RS and HF + FG diets reduced perigonadal fat, plasma triacylglycerols, and oxidative stress. HF + RS diet improved glucose tolerance without significantly affecting insulin sensitivity, while HF + FG diet showed a tendency for improvement at later stages. Additionally, HF + RS diet showed greater beneficial effects on body weight and liver steatosis than HF + FG diet, likely due to gut microbiota and SCFA modulation. RS2 exerted stronger metabolic effects than FG under HF diet conditions, suggesting its greater potential in mitigating obesity‐related complications. FG effects may require longer exposure to manifest.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Clinical or imaging scales are currently used to stratify severity, but they show a limited correlation with clinical prognosis, which has raised interest in biomarkers. Extracellular vesicles (EV)-based biomarkers may be superior to soluble biomarkers because of their stability, resistance to degradation and unique signature according to tissue of origin. Identification of EV-associated TBI biomarkers remains challenging due to the significant heterogeneity in experimental design, exosome isolation methods and study populations. This systematic review aims to analyze the role of EVs as biomarkers in TBI across both animal and clinical models, with particular focus on their association with prognosis. A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Four electronic databases were searched from inception to December 31st, 2024, using the terms “traumatic brain injury”, “extracellular vesicles” and “biomarkers”. Animal studies and human cohort, case control, and case series studies were included; previous reviews, congress abstracts, and non-peer-reviewed works were excluded. Studies conducted on adult individuals or in experimental models of acute TBI, regardless of the mechanism and severity, and which studied biomarkers within the first week of injury, were included. The primary outcome was the EV-based biomarker identified by each study and its diagnostic accuracy when provided. Secondary outcomes were sample type for EV isolation, origin of EVs and methods for isolation and characterization. A total of 18 animal and 19 human studies were included. miRNAs were the most frequently identified biomarker in animal studies, while proteins were most common in human studies. The most commonly identified proteins in EVs were GFAP, UCH-L1, and Tau, with miRNA-124-3p also being repeatedly found. EVs were most frequently obtained from plasma, followed by brain tissue lysates in animals and cerebrospinal fluid or saliva in humans. Most studies used ultracentrifugation or polymer-based precipitation for EV isolation, with western blotting and electron microscopy for characterization. Few studies provided a measure of accuracy for the studied biomarkers; the highest diagnostic performance has been achieved with neural EV-based miRNA panels. While several studies explored diagnostic applications, only a limited number investigated prognostic utility, with few using scales such as GOS-E or evaluating long-term neurocognitive complications. This review highlights the potential of EV-based biomarkers in TBI, emphasizing their stability and tissue-specific signatures. Standardized protocols for EV isolation and characterization are needed for consistency across studies. While diagnostic applications have been explored, more research is required on the prognostic value of EV biomarkers, particularly for neurological outcomes, with future studies incorporating performance metrics to assess their clinical relevance.

Abstract Modern retellings of the Persephone myth often depict her as a willing partner to Hades rather than an abducted victim. This portrayal has gained popularity on platforms like TikTok and Archive of Our Own (AO3), where fan interactions consolidate Persephone as a central figure in contemporary fandom culture. However, these interpretations have also sparked debate, with critics arguing that erasing the elements of abduction and lack of consent risks romanticizing harmful power dynamics and misrepresenting the original myth’s themes. Using the frameworks of Classical Reception and Gender Studies, this paper addresses these debates by demonstrating how romantic fan reinterpretations of the Persephone myth can achieve feminist aims. With AO3 as a case study, I combine quantitative analysis with qualitative readings of fanfiction to explore how fans reimagine Persephone’s story. The findings reveal that fan works often create a female-centred, feminist fantasy where romance with Hades exists only in the absence of violence against women. Ultimately, I argue that these stories allow young women, as both consumers and producers (‘prosumers’) of fanfiction, to envision lives on their own terms and celebrate their desires, even in contexts where societal norms have yet to fully accommodate them.

To evaluate which factors are associated with a higher probability of failure to surgical and first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (fgSRLs) treatment in patients with growth hormone and prolactin co-secreting pituitary adenomas (GH&PRL-PAs). Acromegaly patients with GH&PRL-PAs included in the ACRO-SPAIN study were enrolled. GH&PRL-PAs were defined as tumors with serum PRL levels above the upper limit of normal and positive immunostaining for GH and PRL, or with PRL levels ≥100 ng/mL when immunostaining data were not available. A total of 126 acromegaly patients with GH&PRL-PAs who underwent transsphenoidal pituitary surgery were included, and 42.1% (n = 53) were biochemically cured at the immediate postoperative evaluation. Knosp grade >2 (odds ratio (OR) 3.48, 95% CI 1.28-9.38), higher serum GH (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.08) and IGF-1 (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.05-2.45) levels were associated with a lower probability of surgical cure. Sixty-eight patients received first-line medical therapy as follows: fgSRLs in monotherapy (n = 22), fgSRL plus cabergoline (n = 37), cabergoline in monotherapy (n = 7) and pegvisomant in monotherapy (n = 2). Among the cases treated with fgSRL in monotherapy, 18.2% (n = 4/22) were resistant. We identified as predictors of fgSRL resistance (in monotherapy and combined with cabergoline) a Knosp grade >2 (OR 8.75, P = 0.003), high GH levels at acromegaly diagnosis (OR 1.02, P = 0.031) and higher postoperative GH levels (OR 1.05, P = 0.006), but no predictors of response to fgSRL in monotherapy were identified. The clinical predictors of surgical failure and of fgSRL resistance in patients with GH&PRL-PAs are similar to those described in acromegaly without PRL, co-secretion. In this article focused on GH&PRL pituitary adenomas, we found that a Knosp grade >2, and higher serum GH and IGF-1 levels were associated with a lower probability of surgical cure in these tumors. Regarding the response to fgSRL in monotherapy, 18% of the patients with GH&PRL pituitary adenomas were classified as resistant. Knosp grade >2 (OR 8.75, P = 0.003), high GH levels at acromegaly diagnosis (OR 1.02, P = 0.031), and higher postoperative GH levels (OR 1.05, P = 0.006) were predictors of non-response to fgSRL (monotherapy or combined with cabergoline), while no predictors of response to fgSRL in monotherapy were identified. Thus, we concluded the clinical predictors of surgical failure and of fgSRL resistance in patients with GH&PRL-PAs are similar to those described in acromegaly without PRL co-secretion.