Tesis Doctorales

Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves β-amyloid plaques and tau hyperphosphorylation, driven by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities exacerbate AD pathology. Olive leaf (OL) extracts, rich in bioactive compounds, offer potential therapeutic benefits. This study aimed to assess the anti-inflammatory, anti-cholinergic, and antioxidant effects of three OL extracts (low, mid, and high bioactive content) in vitro and their protective effects against AD-related proteinopathies in Caenorhabditis elegans models. OL extracts were characterized for phenolic composition, AChE and COX-2 inhibition, as well as antioxidant capacity. Their effects on intracellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) were tested in C. elegans models expressing human Aβ and tau proteins. Gene expression analyses examined transcription factors (DAF-16, skinhead [SKN]-1) and their targets (superoxide dismutase [SOD]-2, SOD-3, GST-4, and heat shock protein [HSP]-16.2). High-OL extract demonstrated superior AChE and COX-2 inhibition and antioxidant capacity. Low- and high-OL extracts reduced Aβ aggregation, ROS levels, and proteotoxicity via SKN-1/NRF-2 and DAF-16/FOXO pathways, whereas mid-OL showed moderate effects through proteostasis modulation. In tau models, low- and high-OL extracts mitigated mitochondrial ROS levels via SOD-2 but had limited effects on intracellular ROS levels. High-OL extract also increased GST-4 levels, whereas low and mid extracts enhanced GST-4 levels. OL extracts protect against AD-related proteinopathies by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and proteostasis. High-OL extract showed the most promise for nutraceutical development due to its robust phenolic profile and activation of key antioxidant pathways. Further research is needed to confirm long-term efficacy.

Producción Científica

Jose M. Romero‐Marquez mail , María D. Navarro‐Hortal mail , Alfonso Varela‐López mail , Rubén Calderón Iglesias mail ruben.calderon@uneatlantico.es, Juan G. Puentes mail , Francesca Giampieri mail francesca.giampieri@uneatlantico.es, Maurizio Battino mail maurizio.battino@uneatlantico.es, Cristina Sánchez‐González mail , Jianbo Xiao mail , Roberto García‐Ruiz mail , Sebastián Sánchez mail , Tamara Y. Forbes‐Hernández mail , José L. Quiles mail jose.quiles@uneatlantico.es,

Romero‐Marquez

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Effects of a Garlic Hydrophilic Extract Rich in Sulfur Compounds on Redox Biology and Alzheimer's Disease Markers in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Garlic is a horticultural product highly valued for its culinary and medicinal attributes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition of a garlic hydrophilic extract as well as the influence on redox biology, Alzheimer's Disease (AD) markers and aging, using Caenorhabditis elegans as experimental model. The extract was rich in sulfur compounds, highlighting the presence of other compounds like phenolics, and the antioxidant property was corroborated. Regarding AD markers, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory capacity was demonstrated in vitro. Although the extract did not modify the amyloid β-induced paralysis degree, it was able to improve, in a dose-dependent manner, some locomotive parameters affected by the hyperphosphorylated tau protein in C. elegans. It could be related to the effect found on GFP-transgenic stains, mainly regarding to the increase in the gene expression of HSP-16.2. Moreover, an initial investigation into the aging process revealed that the extract successfully inhibited the accumulation of intracellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in aged worms. These results provide valuable insights into the multifaceted impact of garlic extract, particularly in the context of aging and neurodegenerative processes. This study lays a foundation for further research avenues exploring the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying garlic effects and its translation into potential therapeutic interventions for age-related neurodegenerative conditions.

Producción Científica

María D. Navarro‐Hortal mail , Jose M. Romero‐Marquez mail , Johura Ansary mail , Cristina Montalbán‐Hernández mail , Alfonso Varela‐López mail , Francesca Giampieri mail francesca.giampieri@uneatlantico.es, Jianbo Xiao mail , Rubén Calderón Iglesias mail ruben.calderon@uneatlantico.es, Maurizio Battino mail maurizio.battino@uneatlantico.es, Cristina Sánchez‐González mail , Tamara Y. Forbes‐Hernández mail , José L. Quiles mail jose.quiles@uneatlantico.es,

Navarro‐Hortal

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Game-based educational experience in clinical simulation and academic achievement in medical students: a retrospective study

Background In recent years, medical education has increasingly embraced gamification as a method for teaching clinical skills. In Peru, social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities and academic institutions to restructure their teaching methods, while there are no reports about the impact of this strategies in Peruvian students. In this study we evaluated the feasibility and patterns of use of a novel video game based didactic activity in undergraduate students from a School of Medicine in Peru. Method We conducted a retrospective pilot study in medical students who used the Full Code Medical Simulation platform. We retrieved scoring data obtained from this platform for selected cases of clinical courses with an appropriate number of users [clinical medicine (CM) I (7 cases), CM II (17 cases), surgery I (6 cases) and surgery II (6 cases)]. cases)]. We also evaluated patterns of use and the association between academic performance and the Full Code scores. Results A total of 590 students were included in the study. We found a direct correlation between the student’s course grade and Full Code score in all courses (CM I: p < 0.001, CM II: p < 0.05, Surgery I: p < 0.05 and Surgery II: p < 0.05). CM II course students who dedicated more time to completing cases received better grades (p < 0.05). The pattern of use of Full code were similar in students regardless their academic performance. In addition, students with higher academic performance were more likely to have higher scores in the platform (p < 0.001). Conclusion The use of gamification in clinical simulation was highly feasible in students of medicine regardless their academic performance. Prospective and interventional studies are needed to assess if the Full Code platform directly affect the learning outcomes.

Artículos y libros

Maria Amalia Salafia mail , María Elena Perez-Ochoa mail ,

Salafia

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Novel hybrid transfer neural network for wheat crop growth stages recognition using field images

Wheat is one of the world’s most widely cultivated cereal crops and is a primary food source for a significant portion of the population. Wheat goes through several distinct developmental phases, and accurately identifying these stages is essential for precision farming. Determining wheat growth stages accurately is crucial for increasing the efficiency of agricultural yield in wheat farming. Preliminary research identified obstacles in distinguishing between these stages, negatively impacting crop yields. To address this, this study introduces an innovative approach, MobDenNet, based on data collection and real-time wheat crop stage recognition. The data collection utilized a diverse image dataset covering seven growth phases ‘Crown Root’, ‘Tillering’, ‘Mid Vegetative’, ‘Booting’, ‘Heading’, ‘Anthesis’, and ‘Milking’, comprising 4496 images. The collected image dataset underwent rigorous preprocessing and advanced data augmentation to refine and minimize biases. This study employed deep and transfer learning models, including MobileNetV2, DenseNet-121, NASNet-Large, InceptionV3, and a convolutional neural network (CNN) for performance comparison. Experimental evaluations demonstrated that the transfer model MobileNetV2 achieved 95% accuracy, DenseNet-121 achieved 94% accuracy, NASNet-Large achieved 76% accuracy, InceptionV3 achieved 74% accuracy, and the CNN achieved 68% accuracy. The proposed novel hybrid approach, MobDenNet, that synergistically merges the architectures of MobileNetV2 and DenseNet-121 neural networks, yields highly accurate results with precision, recall, and an F1 score of 99%. We validated the robustness of the proposed approach using the k-fold cross-validation. The proposed research ensures the detection of growth stages with great promise for boosting agricultural productivity and management practices, empowering farmers to optimize resource distribution and make informed decisions.

Producción Científica

Aisha Naseer mail , Madiha Amjad mail , Ali Raza mail , Kashif Munir mail , Aseel Smerat mail , Henry Fabian Gongora mail henry.gongora@uneatlantico.es, Carlos Eduardo Uc Ríos mail carlos.uc@unini.edu.mx, Imran Ashraf mail ,

Naseer

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Client engagement solution for post implementation issues in software industry using blockchain

In the rapidly advanced and evolving information technology industry, adequate client engagement plays a critical role as it is very important to understand the client’s concerns, and requirements, have the records, authorizations, and go-ahead of previously agreed requirements, and provide the feasible solution accordingly. Previously multiple solutions have been proposed to enhance the efficiency of client engagement, but they lack traceability, trust, transparency, and conflict in agreements of previous contracts. Due to the lack of these shortcomings, the client requirement is getting delayed which is causing client escalations, integrity issues, project failure, and penalties. In this study, we proposed the UniferCollab framework to overcome the issues of collaboration between various teams, transparency, the record of client authorizations, and the go-ahead on previous developments by implementing blockchain technology. We store the data on the permissible network in the proposed approach. It allows us to compile all the requirements and information shared by clients on permissible blockchain to secure a large amount of data which enhances the traceability of all the requirements. All the authorizations from the client generate push notifications for any changes in their current system executed through smart contracts. It removes the ambiguity between various development teams if the client has only shared the requirement with one team. The data is stored in the decentralized network from where information is gathered which resolves the traceability, transparency, and trust issues. Lastly, evaluations involved a total of 800 hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests tested using Postman with blockchain block sizes ranging from 0.568 KB to 550 KB and an average size increase of 280 KB was observed as new blocks were added. The longest chain in the network was observed during 800 repetitions of blockchain operations. Latency analysis revealed that delays in processing HTTP requests were influenced by decentralized node processing, local machine response times, and internet bandwidth through various experiments. Results show that the proposed framework resolves all client engagement issues in implementation between all stakeholders which enhances trust, and transparency improves client experience and helps us manage disputes effectively.

Producción Científica

Muhammad Shoaib Farooq mail , Khurram Irshad mail , Danish Riaz mail , Nagwan Abdel Samee mail , Ernesto Bautista Thompson mail ernesto.bautista@unini.edu.mx, Daniel Gavilanes Aray mail daniel.gavilanes@uneatlantico.es, Imran Ashraf mail ,

Farooq