Background: Insomnia has been associated with decreased academic performance and unhealthy behaviors in university students. Although many studies have analyzed sleep phenomenology among this population, only few have focused on insomnia and its related variables. In addition, such studies do not always include a clinical interview or a specific and validated instrument for measuring insomnia. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of insomnia symptoms and the relationship between insomnia and health habits, mental health, and academic performance in a large university student sample. Methods: Five hundred and eighty-two students were recruited from the University of Granada, Spain. Data were collected through an online survey with questions on sociodemographic and academic data and health habits as well as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Sleep Hygiene Index, and Sleepiness, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. A multiple regression analysis explored the relationship between academic performance, health habits, mood state, and insomnia symptoms. Results: The prevalence of students with symptoms of insomnia was high (39.7%). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that depression, sleep hygiene, stress and anxiety were significant predictors of insomnia symptoms. Multivariate analyses revealed that subjective insomnia symptoms, sleep efficiency, and depression were significantly correlated with academic performance in a dependent way. Conclusions: In university students, anxiety, stress, and poor sleep hygiene are risk factors for insomnia, which plays an important role in academic performance. Promoting sleep and mental health could be a potentially effective way to improve their academic performance.

Genes involved in the angiogenic process have been proposed for the diagnosis and therapeutic response of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to investigate the value of PTGS2, JAG1, GUCY2C and PGF-circulating RNA as biomarkers in metastatic CRC. Blood cells and serum mRNA from 59 patients with metastatic CRC and 47 healthy controls were analyzed by digital PCR. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to estimate the diagnostic value of each mRNA alone or mRNA combinations. A significant upregulation of the JAG1, PTGS2 and GUCY2C genes in blood cells and serum samples from metastatic CRC patients was detected. Circulating mRNA levels in the serum of all genes were significantly more abundant than in blood. The highest discrimination ability between metastatic CRC patients and healthy donors was obtained with PTGS2 (AUC of 0.984) and GUCY2C (AUC of 0.896) in serum samples. Biomarker combinations did not improve the discriminatory capacity of biomarkers separately. Analyzed biomarkers showed no correlation with overall survival or progression-free survival, but GUCY2C and GUCY2C/PTGS2 expression in serum correlated significantly with the response to antiangiogenic agents. These findings demonstrate that assessment of genes involved in the angiogenic process may be a potential non-invasive diagnostic tool for metastatic CRC and its response to antiangiogenic therapy.

The ABCB1 gene encodes the P-glycoprotein, an efflux pump for some antineoplastic agents which acts as a resistance mechanism to chemotherapy. Three SNPs (C3435T, C1236T and G2677T/A), are the most widely studied in ABCB1. The inconsistent conclusions about the association of these polymorphisms and the response to chemotherapy in breast cancer (BC) patients prompted us to conduct a meta-analysis. A total of nine (770 patients), five (566 patients) and three studies (367 patients) relating the ABCB1 C3435T, C1236T and G2677T/A polymorphisms respectively, were included. The main analysis revealed a lack of association between ABCB1 polymorphisms and response to chemotherapy in every genetic model: C3435T (dominant OR: 0.888; 95%CI: 0.558-1.413), C1236T (dominant OR: 1.968; 95%CI: 0.609-6.362) and G2677T/A (GG vs GT + GA + TT + TA + AA OR: 0.854; 95%CI: 0.418-1.744). Stratification by ethnicity, cancer type and response criteria did not change the pattern of results. The available evidence indicates that three polymorphisms within ABCB1; C3435T, C1236T and G2677T/A, cannot be considered a reliable predictor of response to chemotherapy in BC patients.

To evaluate the short and medium term effectiveness of a Primary Care-driven oral health promotion intervention. A non-randomised community intervention trial. Three socio-demographically similar primary schools of a deprived neighborhood in Granada, Spain. Eighty-two intervention and 109 control students aged 5 to 6, as well as the teachers and the parent's association of the intervention school (IS) participated in the study. School-based health promotion activities aimed at students, and regular meetings with the teachers and parents of the IS during 2 consecutive years. Students' oral health-related knowledge and behavior, assessed via questionnaires distributed before the intervention, and 6 and 18 months afterwards. Compared to the control groups at 18 months, students belonging to the IS reported enhanced oral health knowledge (OR 3.54; 95% CI 1.46-8.58), and an increased consumption of healthy food at breakfast (OR 2.95; 95% CI 1.26-6.89) and during mid-afternoon snack (OR 3.67; 95% CI 1.49-9.05). A significant decrease was seen in the intake of pastries (OR 4.05; 95% CI 1.68-9.81) and sweetened soft drinks and juices (OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.57-9.12) amongst intervention compared to control students in the medium term (18 months). No significant improvements were observed concerning oral hygiene in the IS. School-based educational interventions, when developed through an intersectoral and participative approach and considering the socio-economic context, appear to be effective in improving students' diet-related knowledge and behaviors.

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked to perinatal adverse outcomes. Studies conducted to date have recommended assessing interactions with other vitamin D-related metabolites to clarify this subject. We aimed to evaluate the association of vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy with preterm birth. Secondary outcomes included low birth weight and small for gestational age. Additionally, we explored the role that parathyroid hormone, calcium and phosphorus could play in the associations. We conducted a prospective cohort study comprising 289 pregnant women in a hospital in Granada, Spain. Participants were followed-up from weeks 10–12 of gestation to postpartum. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, calcium, and phosphorus were measured within the first week after recruitment. Pearson’s χ² test, Mann–Whitney U test, binary and multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore associations between variables and outcomes. 36.3% of the participants were vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL). 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was inversely correlated with parathyroid hormone (ρ = −0.146, p = 0.013). Preterm birth was associated with vitamin D deficiency in the multivariable model, being this association stronger amongst women with parathyroid hormone serum levels above the 80th percentile (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 6.587, 95% CI (2.049, 21.176), p = 0.002). Calcium and phosphorus were not associated with any studied outcome. Combined measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone could be a better estimator of preterm birth than vitamin D in isolation.