Validity and Internal Consistency of a Spanish Version of the Cognitive Flexibil ity Scale (CFS).

Objective: This study presents a Spanish version of the Cognitive Flexi bility Scale (CFS), a subjective and brief instrument to measure Cognitive Flexibility (CF), and analyzes its psychometric characteristics.

Method: The items of the scale's original version were adapted to Spanish. An interview containing the adapted version of the CFS, the Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and sociodemographic data, was administered to an intentional sample of 369 Argentine adults, aged between 18 and 60, through an online platform.

Androgen receptor alpha deficiency impacts aromatase expression in the female cichlid brain.

Steroid hormones bind to specific receptors that act as transcription factors to modify gene expression in the brain to regulate physiological and behavioural processes. The specific genes controlled by steroid hormones in the brain are not fully known. Identifying these genes is integral to establishing a comprehensive understanding of how hormones impact physiology and behaviour.

Female cichlids mate with novel androgen receptor mutant males that lack coloration.

A key challenge in animal behavior is disentangling the social stimuli that drive conspecific behaviors. For some species, like teleost fish, putative sexual signaling cues are inextricably linked to others, making it difficult to parse the precise roles distinct signals play in driving conspecific behaviors. In the African cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni, males are either dominant or subordinate, wherein bright coloration, territoriality, and courtship behavior inextricably correlate positively with rank.

Androgen receptor deficiency is associated with reduced aromatase expression in the ventromedial hypothalamus of male cichlids.

Social behaviors are regulated by sex steroid hormones, such as androgens and estrogens. However, the specific molecular and neural processes modulated by steroid hormones to generate social behaviors remain to be elucidated. We investigated whether some actions of androgen signaling in the control of social behavior may occur through the regulation of estradiol synthesis in the highly social cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni.

Monitoring of First-line Drug Resistance Mutations Outside the Scope of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra is Needed for Successful Control of DR-TB in Southern Mozambique.

Multidrug-resistant(MDR) tuberculosis in Southern Africa is of great concern, exacerbated by the spread of a clone harboring a mutation missed by Xpert Ultra. In Southern Mozambique, the presence of such mutation and rising cases of non-MDR isoniazid resistance highlights the need to ensure accurate detection of antimicrobial-resistance in the country.

Female cichlids attack and avoid-but will still mate with-androgen receptor mutant males that lack male-typical body coloration.

A key challenge in animal behavior is disentangling the social stimuli that drive conspecific behaviors. For behaviors like birdsong, insights can be made through the experimental isolation of relevant cues that affect behavior. However, for some species like teleost fish, putative sexual signaling cues are inextricably linked to others, making it difficult to parse the precise roles distinct signals play in driving conspecific behaviors.

Levosulpiride for the treatment of diabetic macular oedema: a phase 2 randomized clinical trial.

Background/objective: The prokinetic levosulpiride elevates vasoinhibin levels in the vitreous of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) suggesting clinical benefits due to the anti-vasopermeability and anti-angiogenic properties of vasoinhibin. We investigated the biological activity of levosulpiride in centre-involving diabetic macular oedema (DME).

Patients/methods: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, dual-centre, phase 2 trial in patients with centre-involving DME orally treated with placebo (n = 17) or levosulpiride (n = 17) for 8 weeks or in patients with PDR undergoing elective pars plana vitrectomy and receiving placebo (n = 18) or levosulpiride (n = 18) orally for the 1 week before vitrectomy.

Open Emergency Repair of a Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm on a 12-Year-Old Boy With Tuberous Sclerosis.

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a neurocutaneous syndrome caused by an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. This condition can lead to the expression of many vascular anomalies especially, in the pediatric population. Likewise, it has been linked with aortic aneurysm development.

Breaking Through the Bottleneck: Krogh's Principle in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology and the Potential of Gene Editing.

In 1929, August Krogh wrote that for every question in biology, there is a species or collection of species in which pursuing such questions is the most appropriate for achieving the deepest insights. Referred to as "Krogh's Principle," these words are a guiding force for many biologists. In practice, Krogh's principle might guide a biologist interested in studying bi-parental care to choose not to use lab mice, in which the female does most of the parenting, but instead study species in which bi-parental care is present and clearly observable, such as in certain poison dart frogs.

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 introductions in Mozambique using pandemic-scale phylogenies: a retrospective observational study.

Background: From the start of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, global sequencing efforts have generated an unprecedented amount of genomic data. Nonetheless, unequal sampling between high-income and low-income countries hinders the implementation of genomic surveillance systems at the global and local level. Filling the knowledge gaps of genomic information and understanding pandemic dynamics in low-income countries is essential for public health decision making and to prepare for future pandemics.

Systematic Review of Comparisons Between Plastic and Silicone Dilators: Revealing a Knowledge Gap.

Introduction: Vaginal stenosis is a distressing side effect of radiation therapy that can impair quality of life. Dilator therapy is an option for patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy to mitigate vaginal stenosis. Currently, the dilators given to patients by most hospitals are made of plastic, compared to silicone dilators which are available on the market for purchase.

Epidemiological cluster identification using multiple data sources: an approach using logistic regression.

In the management of infectious disease outbreaks, grouping cases into clusters and understanding their underlying epidemiology are fundamental tasks. In genomic epidemiology, clusters are typically identified either using pathogen sequences alone or with sequences in combination with epidemiological data such as location and time of collection. However, it may not be feasible to culture and sequence all pathogen isolates, so sequence data may not be available for all cases.

Deciphering the Tangible Spatio-Temporal Spread of a 25-Year Tuberculosis Outbreak Boosted by Social Determinants.

Outbreak strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are promising candidates as targets in the search for intrinsic determinants of transmissibility, as they are responsible for many cases with sustained transmission; however, the use of low-resolution typing methods and restricted geographical investigations represent flaws in assessing the success of long-lived outbreak strains. We can now address the nature of outbreak strains by combining large genomic data sets and phylodynamic approaches. We retrospectively sequenced the whole genome of representative samples assigned to an outbreak circulating in the Canary Islands (the GC strain) since 1993, which accounts for ~20% of local tuberculosis cases.

Genetic dissection of steroid-hormone modulated social behavior: Novel paralogous genes are a boon for discovery.

Research across species has led to important discoveries on the functions of steroid hormones in the regulation of behavior. However, like in many fields, advancements in transgenic and mutagenic technology allowed mice to become the premier genetic model for conducting many experiments to understand how steroids control social behavior. Since there has been a general lack of parallel methodological developments in other species, many of the findings cannot be generalized.

Long-term benefits of heart rate variability biofeedback training in older adults with different levels of social interaction: a pilot study.

Unlabelled: To test whether heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training benefits older adults with different social interaction levels.

Methods: 32 older adults (16 were institutionalized and 16 were not). Both groups received 14 sessions, 15 min, 3 times a week, with half of the individuals receiving HRV biofeedback training and the other half receiving control training.

Systematic Review of Comparisons Between Plastic and Silicone Dilators: Revealing a Knowledge Gap.

Introduction: Vaginal stenosis is a distressing side effect of radiation therapy that can impair quality of life. Dilator therapy is an option for patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy to mitigate vaginal stenosis. Currently, the dilators given to patients by most hospitals are made of plastic, compared to silicone dilators which are available on the market for purchase.

Population-based sequencing of reveals how current population dynamics are shaped by past epidemics.

Transmission is a driver of tuberculosis (TB) epidemics in high-burden regions, with assumed negligible impact in low-burden areas. However, we still lack a full characterization of transmission dynamics in settings with similar and different burdens. Genomic epidemiology can greatly help to quantify transmission, but the lack of whole genome sequencing population-based studies has hampered its application.

Fine-grain population structure and transmission patterns of in southern Mozambique, a high TB/HIV burden area.

Genomic studies of the (MTBC) might shed light on the dynamics of its transmission, especially in high-burden settings, where recent outbreaks are embedded in the complex natural history of the disease. To this end, we conducted a 1 year prospective surveillance-based study in Mozambique. We applied whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to 295 positive cultures.

Gene evolutionary trajectories in reveal temporal signs of selection.

Genetic differences between different Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains determine their ability to transmit within different host populations, their latency times, and their drug resistance profiles. Said differences usually emerge through de novo mutations and are maintained or discarded by the balance of evolutionary forces. Using a dataset of ∼5,000 strains representing global MTBC diversity, we determined the past and present selective forces that have shaped the current variability observed in the pathogen population.

Evolutionary and Phenotypic Characterization of Two Spike Mutations in European Lineage 20E of SARS-CoV-2.

We have detected two mutations in the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at amino acid positions 1163 and 1167 that appeared independently in multiple transmission clusters and different genetic backgrounds. Furthermore, both mutations appeared together in a cluster of 1,627 sequences belonging to clade 20E. This cluster is characterized by 12 additional single nucleotide polymorphisms but no deletions.

The first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain was associated with early introductions and fast spread of a dominating genetic variant.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world radically since 2020. Spain was one of the European countries with the highest incidence during the first wave. As a part of a consortium to monitor and study the evolution of the epidemic, we sequenced 2,170 samples, diagnosed mostly before lockdown measures.

Eye Salvage with Intra-Arterial and Intra-Vitreal Chemotherapy in Patients with Retinoblastoma: 8-Year Single-Institution Experience in Colombia.

Introduction: Intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) is useful for eye preservation in advanced retinoblastoma (Rb). Intra-vitreal chemotherapy (IvitC) is the latest treatment for vitreous seeds.

Methods: The present study is a retrospective assessment of 100 eyes, treated with primary or secondary IAC alone or with IvitC.

Epidemiological, clinical and genomic snapshot of the first 100 B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 cases in Madrid.

We present clinical, genomic and epidemiological data on the first 106 cases with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.

Plastome genomics in South American maize landraces: chloroplast lineages parallel the geographical structuring of nuclear gene pools.

Background And Aims: The number of plastome sequences has increased exponentially during the last decade. However, there is still little knowledge of the levels and distribution of intraspecific variation. The aims of this study were to estimate plastome diversity within Zea mays and analyse the distribution of haplotypes in connection with the landrace groups previously delimited for South American maize based on nuclear markers.