ABSTRACT
Introduction: This paper reflects on the international accreditation of Spanish and Mexican Engineering educational programs, managed by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (acronym in Spanish, ANECA), in collaboration with the Spanish Institute of Engineering and the Mexican Engineering Teaching Accreditation Council, within the International Quality labels Program (SIC) from its origin to the moment of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, in the context of the evaluation of the EUR-ACE (R) Engineering label, created by the European Agency European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE). Materials and Methods: The data used in this study were obtained directly from ANECA, as a result of its final evaluations from 2014 to July 2020, those ongoing in the same month and the potential ones to be carried out in 2021, together with the most relevant data obtained in the annual meta-evaluation of the SIC Programme. Results and discussion: 234 educational programs have obtained the EUR-ACE (R) label in the analysed period, distributed among 35 Spanish and three Mexican universities, in which the same evaluation process and criteria have been applied. "Information and Communication", "Industrial", "Chemical", "Civil / Construction" and "Mechanics" are the Engineering specialties, according to the classification established by ENAEE, with more labels. 197 are Bachelor level programs and 66 Master degree programs. Due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, since 2020 the evaluation has been carried out completely virtual, an improvement that will allow Mexican programmes, which have obtained accreditation with CACEI in less than two years with a favourable result at the time of evaluation of the label, to submit only to the evaluation the two specific criteria of the European label. This has led to an increase in the number of Mexican applications received in June 2020.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims: Digestive symptoms are common in patients with COVID-19. Neverthe-less, the evidence available so far is based on retrospective and observational studies. This prospective multicenter cohort study aimed to describe the frequency, intensity, evolution, and impact of digestive symptoms and complications, during hospitalization and after dis-charge, of patients with COVID-19. Methods: Patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 (posi-tive PCR for SARS-CoV-2) from May to August 2020, were prospectively recruited in 31 centers. Follow-up included the period between admission and 15 days after discharge. Results: 829 patients (mean age 56.7±17.9 years;42% of females) were enrolled in this study. Of these, 7.2% were active smokers and the mean BMI was 29.1±5.7. Proton pump inhibitors were used by 21.5% (n=178). The most prevalent symptoms on admission were diarrhea (39.4%), nausea (27.4%), and abdominal pain (20.7%). Anorexia, a non-specific symptom, was present in 49.8% of hospitalized patients. At discharge and 15 days after discharge, most symptoms resolved, returning to the baseline prevalence of patients (<5%). Digestive complications during admission were infrequent, except for liver injury defined as hypertransaminasemia which was present in 267 patients (32.3%). The mean length of hospital stay was 8 days (5-12) and 13.6% needed ICU admission. Death happened in 5.2%of patients. On multivariate analysis, diarrhea on admission was associated with a shorter hospital stay (<10 days) ORa 0.508 (0.350-0.739) p=0.000. During hospitalization, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal bloating were associated with shorter hospital stay ORa 0.531 (0.298-0.946) p=0.032, ORa 0.384 (0.167-0.885) p=0.025, ORa 0.163 (0.057-0.466) p= 0.00, respectively.Odynophagia and dysphagia during hospitalization were associated with a higher need for ICU admission, ORa 6.518 (2.255-18.835) p=0.001 and ORa 4.035 (1.453-11.204) p=0.007, respectively. Liver injury during hospitalization was associated with a higher hospital stay (>10 days) ORa 1.442 (1.019-2.041) p=0.039. In the linear regression analysis, the set of GI symptoms and complications, along with age, comorbidity, and respiratory symptoms, were able to predict 43% (R2 0.43) of the observed variability in the speed of ICU admission;in this case, digestive symptoms slowed it down (more days until ICU admission). Conclusions: Gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 are common in hospitalized patients, while complications are infrequent. Gastrointestinal symptoms seemed to predict a shorter hospital stay and slower speed of ICU admission. These tend to resolve to their baseline prevalence 15 days after discharge, while elevated transaminases were associated with a longer hospital stay. Odynophagia and dysphagia during hospitaliza-tion were associated with an increased need for ICU admission.
ABSTRACT
This work aims to analyze how international accreditations are developed in the professional field of computing based on learning outcomes selected by academics and professionals from different countries in the field of computing. Methodology: The data used in this study have been obtained from the evaluations carried out by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) in Spain, Argentina and Mexico between January 2014 and July 2020 and from those that are ongoing in the time of closing the article. Also, the information obtained in the meta evaluation carried out annually to the SIC Program has been analyzed. Results and conclusions: 26 universities have obtained the Euro-Inf label for their computer science degrees / educational programs in the period analyzed. Since 2020 the evaluation has been carried out virtually in its entirety, due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this work is to reflect on how virtual audits of international accreditations of university programs in Engineering, Informatics and Chemistry managed by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), in collaboration with IIE, CCII, CONCITI, and RSEQ, are dealt with, within the International Quality Labels Program (SIC), which awards international labels of Engineering, Informatics and Chemistry to those programs that show compliance with the evaluation criteria established by the European agencies ENAEE, EQANIE, and ECTN, respectively, based on learning outcomes selected by academics and professionals from different countries. Materials and Methods: The data used in this study have been obtained from the evaluations carried out by ANECA during the 2020 call. Results and discussion: 55 training programs, distributed in 23 Spanish universities and one Mexican, have been completely evaluated by the virtual modality during the 2020 call, due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19. Until then, these evaluations were carried out using the face-to-face mode.
ABSTRACT
Melatonin, produced in every cell that possesses mitochondria, acts as an endogenous free radical scavenger, and improves energetic metabolism and immune function, by complex molecular crosstalk with other intracellular compounds. There is greatly increasing evidence regarding beneficial effects of acute and chronic administration of high melatonin doses, in infectious, developmental, and degenerative pathologies, as an endothelial cell and every cell protectant. © 2020 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved.