Involvement and Autonomy of Minors in Medical Settings: Perceptions of Children Undergoing Surgery and Parents.

Informed consent presupposes competence and represents a formal decision by an informed person who has the legal capacity to accept medical action or participate in research. Our aim was to analyze the perceptions of minors and their parents about the age at which they consider that a minor is competent for making health decisions. A descriptive observational study was carried out in 302 minors between 12 and 17 years of age undergoing elective surgery, and 302 parents (range 30 to 62 years).

Chatbots and messaging platforms in the classroom: An analysis from the teacher's perspective.

Messaging platforms are applications, generally mediated by an app, desktop program or the web, mainly used for synchronous communication among users. As such, they have been widely adopted officially by higher education establishments, after little or no study of their impact and perception by the teachers. We think that the introduction of these new tools and the opportunities and challenges they have needs to be studied carefully in order to adopt the model, as well as the tool, that is the most adequate for all parties involved.

Non-small-cell lung cancer classification via RNA-Seq and histology imaging probability fusion.

Background: Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two most prevalent lung cancer types, and their distinction requires different screenings, such as the visual inspection of histology slides by an expert pathologist, the analysis of gene expression or computer tomography scans, among others. In recent years, there has been an increasing gathering of biological data for decision support systems in the diagnosis (e.g.

Modified alar batten grafts for treatment in nasal valve dysfunction: Our experience.

Objective: Alar batten grafts are used to treat in nasal valve dysfunction (NVD). They can be placed by open or closed rhinoplasty using rib, septal, or auricular concha cartilage. Our surgical team used a modified placement of the classic alar batten.

A Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning Techniques for Muon Count in UHECR Extensive Air-Showers.

The main goal of this work is to adapt a Physics problem to the Machine Learning (ML) domain and to compare several techniques to solve it. The problem consists of how to perform muon count from the signal registered by particle detectors which record a mix of electromagnetic and muonic signals. Finding a good solution could be a building block on future experiments.

Composition Classification of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays.

The study of cosmic rays remains as one of the most challenging research fields in Physics. From the many questions still open in this area, knowledge of the type of primary for each event remains as one of the most important issues. All of the cosmic rays observatories have been trying to solve this question for at least six decades, but have not yet succeeded.

Preparation of Samples for Characterization of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are an important element of the plant microbiome as they establish an endosymbiotic relationship with the roots of most plant species. This association enhances access to nutrients and water for plants, and provides the fungus with plant-derived organic carbon. In this chapter, I describe a range of methods to work with AMF including: soil sampling; isolation of AMF propagules (spores, sporocarps, roots, and mycelium) by a wet sieving and centrifugation in a sucrose solution; trap (from field soil with AMF spores) and one-species pot cultures (from AMF spores divided into morphotypes); staining of mycorrhizae in plant roots; and production of diagnostic slides.

The osteotomy diameter in the transcanalicular laser dacryocystorhinostomy. Our experience in 192 lacrimal pathways.

Objectives: We want to evaluate the influence of the size of the osteotomy on the postsurgical outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed in patients who underwent TCL-DCR from January 1, 2008, to March 1, 2019. The patients were divided into two groups: the patients in one group were subjected to LP surgery with an osteotomy diameter equal to 9 mm ± 1 mm (group A), and the patients in the other group were subjected to surgery with an osteotomy diameter equal to 14 mm ± 1 mm (group B).

, and , three new species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Three new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species-, and -are described and illustrated. In the field, the three species were associated with roots of (Poaceae), (Poaceae), (Asteraceae), and (Apiaceae) colonizing maritime dunes located along the Mediterranean coast in eastern Spain. The novelty of these species is supported by morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses.

Prediction of color change after tooth bleaching using fuzzy logic for Vita Classical shades identification.

Tooth bleaching is becoming increasingly popular among patients and dentists since it is a relatively noninvasive approach for whitening and lightening teeth. Instruments and visual assessment with respect to commercial shade guides are currently used to evaluate tooth color. However, the association between these procedures is imprecise and the degree of color change after tooth bleaching is known to vary substantially between studies; there are currently no objective guidelines to predict the effectiveness of a tooth-bleaching treatment.

Ethanol consumption impairs regulation of fatty acid metabolism by decreasing the activity of AMP-activated protein kinase in rat liver.

The mechanisms by which ethanol consumption causes accumulation of hepatic triacylglycerols are complex. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Therefore, in the present study we investigated whether AMPK may have a role in the development of ethanol-induced fatty liver.

Desensitization of cyclic GMP-mediated regulation of fatty acid metabolism in hepatocytes from ethanol-fed rats.

The mechanisms by which ethanol causes accumulation of hepatic triacylglycerols are complex. It has been proposed that nitric oxide/cyclic GMP signaling pathway may be involved in regulation of fatty acid metabolism in the liver. Here, we investigated if this mechanism may have a role in adaptation to ethanol consumption.

Effect of chronic alcohol consumption on Go protein in rat brain.

Almost all of the important pathophysiological targets for ethanol in the nervous system appear to be specific membrane proteins involved in signal transduction. In this paper we have examined levels and functionality of the alpha subunit of the Go protein (Goalpha) in cerebral cortex and cerebellum from rats that have chronically ingested ethanol, by using immunoblotting and pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation experiments. Goalpha protein levels were increased in plasma membranes from the two brain areas, and this increase was shown to specifically affect Go1alpha, one of the two isoforms of the Goalpha subunit.

Involvement of nitric oxide/cyclic GMP signaling pathway in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism in rat hepatocytes.

The role of nitric oxide (NO)/guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) signaling pathway in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism was investigated in rat hepatocytes. Treatment with NO donors, which are known to activate soluble guanylyl cyclase, inhibited in parallel fatty acid synthesis de novo and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity. This effect was mimicked by 8-Br-cGMP and abolished by KT5823, a selective inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG).