El trabajo en equipo y la seguridad del paciente / Teamwork and patient safety

En este artículo se relaciona el trabajo en equipo con la seguridad del paciente y la importancia de su enseñanza en las carreras universitarias. Esto surge ante la creciente complejidad del sistema de salud que presenta mayores posibilidades de error. De esta manera aparece el trabajo en equipo como una herramienta fundamental para el ejercicio profesional. El avance tecnológico llevó a una transformación cultural y a la horizontalización de la estructura organizacional, aunque la figura del líder sigue resultando de importancia para no perder el tradicional enfoque humanístico. La enseñanza universitaria debe tratar este problema desde que el estudiante ingresa hasta que egresa para mejorar las tomas de decisiones y brindar seguridad

This article relates teamwork to patient safety and the importance of teaching it in university courses. This arises due to the growing complexity of the health system, which presents greater possibilities of error. In this way, teamwork appears as a fundamental tool for professional practice. Technological advancement led to a cultural transformation and the horizontalization of the organizational structure, although the figure of the leader continues to be important so as not to lose the traditional humanistic approach. University education must address this problem from the moment the student enters until he or she graduates to improve decision-making and provide security

Sonic Hedgehog in cancer stem cells: a novel link with autophagy

The Sonic Hegdehog/GLI (SHH/GLI) pathway has been extensively studied for its role in developmental and cancer biology. During early embryonic development the SHH pathway is involved mainly in pattern formation, while in latter stages its function in stem cell and progenitor proliferation becomes increasingly relevant. During postnatal development and in adult tissues, SHH/GLI promotes cell homeostasis by actively regulating gene transcription, recapitulating the function observed during normal tissue growth. In this review, we will briefly discuss the fundamental importance of SHH/GLI in tumor growth and cancer evolution and we will then provide insights into a possible novel mechanism of SHH action in cancer through autophagy modulation in cancer stem cells. Autophagy is a homeostatic mechanism that when disrupted can promote and accelerate tumor progression in both cancer cells and the stroma that harbors tumorigenesis. Understanding possible new targets for SHH signaling and its contribution to cancer through modulation of autophagy might provide better strategies in order to design combined treatments and perform clinical trials.