0000000000181746

AUTHOR

Yolanda Sanz

Bifidobacterium CECT 7765 modulates early stress-induced immune, neuroendocrine and behavioral alterations in mice.

Emerging evidence suggests that there is a window of opportunity within the early developmental period, when microbiota-based interventions could play a major role in modulating the gut-brain axis and, thereby, in preventing mood disorders. This study aims at evaluating the effects and mode of action of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 in a murine model of chronic stress induced by maternal separation (MS). C57Bl/6J male breast-fed pups were divided into four groups, which were subjected or not to MS and supplemented with placebo or B. pseudocatenulatum CECT7765 until postnatal period (P) 21 and followed-up until P41. Behavioral tests were performed and neuroendocrine parameters …

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Creatividad y ecofeminismo en la formación de maestros. Análisis cualitativo de cuentos digitales

Este trabajo investiga la autoevaluación de la creatividad de los docentes en formación, al tiempo que analiza cualitativamente las evidencias de trabajo que conforman un conjunto de cuentos digitales. Estos forman parte de una propuesta didáctica basada en la interdisciplinariedad y el ecofeminismo, entendido este como un sincretismo didáctico clave para asimilar el papel trascendental de las mujeres en la preservación de la naturaleza y contribuir a su difusión en su futuro quehacer profesional. La muestra se compone de 93 estudiantes repartidos entre una asignatura de Ciencias y otra de Letras de los Grados de Maestro Especialidad Infantil y Primaria. Los resultados del test de creativid…

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Gut Microbiota and Risk of Developing Celiac Disease

Gut microbiota shapes the development of the mucosal immune system and may provide protection against immune-mediated diseases. Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory condition triggered by dietary gluten proteins, recently associated with gut microbiota alterations in cross-sectional studies comparing patients and controls. Whether or not these differences are causally related to the disease has yet to be elucidated, but evaluation of specific bacteria isolated from CD patients in experimental models suggests that they can promote an adverse response to dietary gluten, whereas other commensal bacteria can be protective. Genetic and environmental factors associated with increased CD …

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Influence of gut microbiota on neuropsychiatric disorders

The last decade has witnessed a growing appreciation of the fundamental role played by an early assembly of a diverse and balanced gut microbiota and its subsequent maintenance for future health of the host. Gut microbiota is currently viewed as a key regulator of a fluent bidirectional dialogue between the gut and the brain (gut-brain axis). A number of preclinical studies have suggested that the microbiota and its genome (microbiome) may play a key role in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, alterations in the gut microbiota composition in humans have also been linked to a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, autism and Parkinson’s dis…

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Plant sterols and human gut microbiota relationship: An in vitro colonic fermentation study

Abstract Due to the preventive effect that plant sterols could have in relation to colon cancer and the scarce information available on plant sterols-gut microbiota interaction, we evaluate the sterols influence upon gut microbiota and viceversa. In vitro colonic fermentation using a residue from the in vitro digestion of a plant sterol-enriched beverage were used. Faecal sterols by GC–MS, and gut microbiota using DNA sequencing were determined. A higher plant sterols metabolism and lower for cholesterol in presence of plant sterols was occurred. Neutral plant sterols decreased and its metabolites increased during fermentation times. The global changes in microbial communities were associat…

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A transdisciplinary educational experience at the Botanical Garden around scientific travelers

In the framework of the transdisciplinary educational innovative project “Sciences and Arts” at the University of Valencia, we present here the design and outcome of an activity around the phenomenon of scientific travelers. It consisted in a scientific-literary tour through the Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia, that 100 students from the subjects “Natural Sciences for teachers” and “Literary training for teachers” attended. The activity was designed as a collaborative work in which scientific travelers served as a pretext to address six educational aspects that the students from each subject tackled in two different ways: from a more scientific than literary approach and vice…

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The exhibition is just the beginning

Aim. The aim of this work is to present a qualitative analysis of the creative educational materials prepared by preservice teachers in the context of an educational experience around a museum exhibition about Science and Literature, described in a previous work (Authors, 2020). The responses to a final questionnaire about interdisciplinarity, integration of Sciences and Arts or the use of museums for children’s education are also analysed.
 Methods. The participants were 121 alumni of two different subjects “Natural Sciences for teachers” and “Literary training for teachers” at a Spanish university. Preservice teachers had to select an item of the museum exhibition and, as a group, pr…

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Environmental Humanities in pre-service teachers' Education

Aim: The aim of the reserch is to explore the possibility of integrating Sciences and Humanities in the Faculty of Education using Ecocriticism books and literary workshops with didactic activities of interdisciplinary nature.
 Methods: The experience was carried out with 100 students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Valencia from the subjects “Natural Sciences for teachers” and “Literary training for teachers”, where different didactic activities around two literary works, a novel and a short story, were proposed.
 Results: After the activities, the vast mayority of the students consider that Literature can help to learn Science. 41'7% of the students of “Literary…

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Fostering creativity in the classroom.

Aim. The aim of this work is to present a qualitative analysis of the movie proposals prepared by preservice teachers in the context of an educational experience around the ecofeminist movement. The responses to a final questionnaire about sustainability awareness are also analysed.
 Methods. The participants were 47 alumni of the Grades of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education at a Spanish university. After a lecture about ecofeminism and reading a series of fragments of the young literature novel Yabarí by Lola Robles (2017), preservice teachers had to prepare the proposal for an ecofeminist movie, with a synopsis, plot, characters description, cast, and the script for a ke…

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Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 supplementation restores altered vascular function in an experimental model of obese mice

Aims. Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 improves metabolic and immunological altered functions in high fat fed mice, however little is known about the effects of potential probiotics on vascular reactivity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a potential probiotic strain, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765, on vascular response in obese mice. Methods. Aorta samples were obtained from mice, which were divided into three groups: a control group, receiving a standard diet; an obese group, receiving a high-fat diet; and an obese group receiving high-fat diet and a daily dose of B. pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 by oral gavage. Aortic rings were suspend…

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Actitudes medioambientales de maestros en formación en el aula de literatura

Este trabajo presenta el análisis de una experiencia didáctica piloto enmarcada en el mandato de la UNESCO sobre la necesaria implicación de los ámbitos educativos para desarrollar una sensibilidad ciudadana que contribuya a la protección del medioambiente y la sostenibilidad. Se llevó a cabo con 44 alumnos en una asignatura prototípica de literatura del Grado de Magisterio, lo que ha servido para demostrar la transversalidad de los asuntos tratados y su rendimiento educativo en diferentes áreas. A lo largo de un cuatrimestre los maestros en formación leyeron, analizaron y debatieron sobre un corpus muy heterogéneo de textos literarios relacionados con la temática ecológica y la sostenibili…

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Ecology in action. An educational experience

espanolLos autores, profesores de Literatura y Ciencias Naturales en la Facultad de Magisterio de la Universidad de Valencia, han llevado a cabo una experiencia docente basada en la Ecocritica, cuyo diseno y resultados se presentan en este trabajo. Asi, ademas de desarrollar el planteamiento teorico-metodologico interdisciplinar que fundamenta esta experiencia, se describen las actividades didacticas generadas a partir del cuento “Anaconda” (1921), de Horacio Quiroga, que se han implementado en este curso 2016-2017. Estas intentan potenciar una lectura que prima la voz de la naturaleza, que esta vez toma cuerpo en los dialogos y reflexiones de las serpientes. Se rompe asi esa imagen atavica…

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Depletion of Blautia Species in the Microbiota of Obese Children Relates to Intestinal Inflammation and Metabolic Phenotype Worsening

Cross-sectional studies conducted with obese and control subjects have suggested associations between gut microbiota alterations and obesity, but the links with specific disease phenotypes and proofs of causality are still scarce. The present study aimed to profile the gut microbiota of lean and obese children with and without insulin resistance to characterize associations with specific obesity-related complications and understand the role played in metabolic inflammation. Through massive sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and data analysis using a novel permutation approach, we have detected decreased incidence of Blautia species, especially Blautia luti and B. wexlerae, in the gut mic…

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Intestinal Microbiota and Celiac Disease: Cause, Consequence or Co-Evolution?

It is widely recognized that the intestinal microbiota plays a role in the initiation and perpetuation of intestinal inflammation in numerous chronic conditions. Most studies report intestinal dysbiosis in celiac disease (CD) patients, untreated and treated with a gluten-free diet (GFD), compared to healthy controls. CD patients with gastrointestinal symptoms are also known to have a different microbiota compared to patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and controls, suggesting that the microbiota is involved in disease manifestation. Furthermore, a dysbiotic microbiota seems to be associated with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms in treated CD patients, suggesting its pathogenic implic…

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