Reading to think creatively (COVID-19). Relationship between reading and creativity in teachers in training

The objective of this work is to analyse the correlation between the perception of creativity in the scholarly domain of 316 primary teachers in training, the creative flexibility shown by their final products (video-reviews) of a transdisciplinary didactic sequence implemented in three subjects from the sociolinguistic field. (Language/Literature and Geography/History), and its conceptualization of reading. The didactic sequence was structured by the critical reading of the novel Ensayo sobre la ceguera ("Assay on blindness”), by José Saramago (1995) and the reflection around it in relation to the situation experienced during the confinement in 2020 due to the pandemic generated by COVID-19. This aimed at enriching these teachers in training's conceptualization of reading, which was evaluated with a pretest-postest. There were significant correlations between the level of reflection shown and the creative flexibility of the products, but not between creative flexibility and the self-perception of creativity or their relationship with academic reading. Results show a poor conceptualization of reading, which has been stimulated from the didactic sequence with the clear revaluation of the reflective-didactic use of literary texts, with statistically significant differences between pretest and postest. All this indicates the educational performance of the educational proposal and the relevance of insisting on transdisciplinary approaches uniting critical reading and creativity in a natural and effective way. © 2022, AUFOP. All rights reserved.

Microbiome-based solutions to address new and existing threats to food security, nutrition, health and agrifood systems' sustainability

In addition to challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, the sustainability and resilience of agrifood systems worldwide are currently challenged by new threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war. Furthermore, the resilience and sustainability of our agrifood systems need to be enhanced in ways that simultaneously increase agricultural production, decrease post-harvest food losses and food waste, protect the climate, environment and health, and preserve biodiversity. The precarious situation of agrifood systems is also illustrated by the fact that overall, around 3 billion people worldwide still do not have regular access to a healthy diet. This results in various forms of malnutrition, as well as increasing number of people suffering from overweight and obesity, and diet-related, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) around the world. Findings from microbiome research have shown that the human gut microbiome plays a key role in nutrition and diet-related diseases and thus human health. Furthermore, the microbiome of soils, plants, and animals play an equally important role in environmental health and agricultural production. Upcoming, microbiome-based solutions hold great potential for more resilient, sustainable, and productive agrifood systems and open avenues toward preventive health management. Microbiome-based solutions will also be key to make better use of natural resources and increase the resilience of agrifood systems to future emerging and already-known crises. To realize the promises of microbiome science and innovation, there is a need to invest in enhancing the role of microbiomes in agrifood systems in a holistic One Health approach and to accelerate knowledge translation and implementation.

Gut microbiome and anti-viral immunity in COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 mainly affects the respiratory system, but the gastrointestinal tract is also a target. Prolonged gut disorders, in COVID-19 patients, were correlated with decreased richness and diversity of the gut microbiota, immune deregulation and delayed viral clearance. Although there are no definitive conclusions, ample evidence would suggest that the gut microbiome composition and function play a role in COVID-19 progression. Microbiome modulation strategies for population stratification and management of COVID-19 infection are under investigation, representing an area of interest in the ongoing pandemic. In this review, we present the existing data related to the interaction between gut microbes and the host's immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and discuss the implications for current disease management and readiness to face future pandemics.

Pulmonary embolisms in patients with COVID-19: A prevalence study in a tertiary hospital: Tromboembolismo pulmonar en pacientes con COVID-19: estudio de prevalencia en hospital terciario

Introduction SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic, predominantly affects the respiratory tract, and a growing number of publications report the predisposition of patients with COVID-19 to develop thrombotic phenomena. Objective To determine the prevalence of pulmonary embolism in patients with COVID-19;to determine the possible relationship between the severity of pulmonary involvement and d-dimer levels;to analyze the location of pulmonary embolisms in patients with COVID-19 and to compare it with the location in patients without COVID-19. Methods This retrospective study analyzed all CT angiograms of the pulmonary arteries done in patients with suspected pulmonary embolisms between March 15 and April 30, 2020 and compared them with studies done in the same period one year earlier. Results We included 492 pulmonary CT angiograms (342 (69.9%) in patients with COVID-19 and 147 (30.1%) in patients without COVID-19). The prevalence of pulmonary embolisms was higher in patients with COVID-19 (26% vs. 16.3% in patients without COVID-19, p = 0.0197;relative risk = 1.6). The prevalence of pulmonary embolisms in the same period in 2019 was 13.2%, similar to that of the group of COVID-19-negative patients in 2020 (p = 0.43). There were no significant differences in d-dimer levels or the location of pulmonary embolisms between the two groups. CT showed moderate or severe pulmonary involvement in 78.7% of the patients with COVID-19. Conclusions Patients with COVID-19 have an increased prevalence of pulmonary embolisms (26%), and most (78.7%) have moderate or severe lung involvement on CT studies. The location of pulmonary embolisms and the degree of elevation of d-dimer levels does not differ between patients with COVID-19 and those without. Resumen Introducción El coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, responsable de la pandemia actual, afecta preferentemente al tracto respiratorio, con un número creciente de publicaciones sobre su predisposición a fenómenos trombóticos. Objetivo Conocer la prevalencia de tromboembolismo pulmonar (TEP) en pacientes con COVID-19;determinar su posible relación con la gravedad de la enfermedad pulmonar y los niveles de dímeros-D, y analizar la localización del TEP en pacientes con COVID-19 comparándolos con los negativos. Método Estudio retrospectivo de todas las angio-TC de arterias pulmonares por sospecha de TEP del 15 de marzo al 30 de abril de 2020. Se compara con las angio-TC realizadas durante el mismo periodo en 2019. Resultados Se incluyeron 492 angio-TC pulmonares, 342 (69,9%) de pacientes con COVID-19 y 147 (30,1%) de pacientes sin infección. La prevalencia de TEP fue del 26% en el grupo COVID-19 positivo y del 16,3% en el negativo (p =  00,197), con un riesgo relativo de 1,6 veces. La prevalencia de TEP en el mismo período del año 2019 fue del 13,2%, similar a la del grupo COVID-19 negativo del año 2020 (p =  043). No hubo diferencias significativas en el nivel de dímeros D ni en la localización del TEP entre ambos grupos. El 78,7% de los pacientes con COVID-19 con TEP mostraron una extensión de la afectación pulmonar moderada o grave en la tomografía computarizada. Conclusiones Los pacientes con COVID-19 tienen una prevalencia aumentada de TEP (26%) y la mayoría (78,7%) presentan una extensión moderada o grave de afectación pulmonar en la tomografía computarizada. No hay diferencias significativas en la localización del material embólico ni en el grado de elevación de dímeros D respecto a los pacientes sin COVID-19.