Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is the dietary pattern par excellence for managing and preventing metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). The MedDiet incorporates spices and aromatic herbs, which are abundant sources of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of all aromatic herbs and spices included in the MedDiet, such as black cumin, clove, parsley, saffron, thyme, ginger, black pepper, rosemary, turmeric, basil, oregano, and cinnamon, on the glycemic profile in T2DM subjects. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for interventional studies investigating the effect of these aromatic herbs and spices on the glycemic profile in T2DM subjects. Results: This systematic review retrieved 6958 studies, of which 77 were included in the qualitative synthesis and 45 were included in the meta-analysis. Our results showed that cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, black cumin, and saffron significantly improved the fasting glucose levels in T2DM subjects. The most significant decreases in fasting glucose were achieved after supplementation with black cumin, followed by cinnamon and ginger, which achieved a decrease of between 27 and 17 mg/dL. Conclusions: Only ginger and black cumin reported a significant improvement in glycated hemoglobin, and only cinnamon and ginger showed a significant decrease in insulin.

Introduction: Previous research has indicated that the COVID-19 outbreak had a negative impact on the diagnosis and management of cardiometabolic diseases. Our aim was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the Aragon region of Spain.Methods: We conducted an observational retrospective study, which included data from all patients diagnosed with active T2D or dyslipidemia in Aragon during 2019–2021. Data was collected from the BIGAN platform, a big database that includes all healthcare data from the Aragon population. Clinical, biochemical, and pharmacological prescription information was obtained for each patient and for each year.Results: Out of the total population of 1,330,000 in the Aragon region, 90,000 subjects were diagnosed with T2D each year, resulting in a prevalence of approximately 7%. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of this disease and a lower incidence during the year 2020. In addition, patients with T2D experienced a deterioration of their glucose profile, which led to an increase in the number of patients requiring pharmacological therapy. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was approximately 23.5% in both 2019 and 2020 and increased to 24.5% in 2021. Despite the worsening of the anthropometric profile, the lipid profile improved significantly throughout 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019. Moreover, the number of active pharmacological prescriptions increased significantly in 2021.Discussion: Our findings suggest that the overload of the health system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an underdiagnosis of T2D. Moreover, patients with T2D experienced a worsening of their glycemic profile, an increase in their pharmacological requirements, and lower performance of their analytical determinations. Dyslipidemic subjects improved their lipid profile although the value of lipid profile determination decreased between 2020 and 2021.

Prion diseases are chronic and fatal neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of disease-specific prion protein (PrP^Sc), spongiform changes, neuronal loss, and gliosis. Growing evidence shows that the neuroinflammatory response is a key component of prion diseases and contributes to neurodegeneration. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been proposed as important mediators of innate immune responses triggered in the central nervous system in other human neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, little is known about the role of TLRs in prion diseases, and their involvement in the neuropathology of natural scrapie has not been studied. We assessed the gene expression of ovine TLRs in four anatomically distinct brain regions in natural scrapie-infected sheep and evaluated the possible correlations between gene expression and the pathological hallmarks of prion disease. We observed significant changes in TLR expression in scrapie-infected sheep that correlate with the degree of spongiosis, PrP^Sc deposition, and gliosis in each of the regions studied. Remarkably, TLR4 was the only gene upregulated in all regions, regardless of the severity of neuropathology. In the hippocampus, we observed milder neuropathology associated with a distinct TLR gene expression profile and the presence of a peculiar microglial morphology, called rod microglia, described here for the first time in the brain of scrapie-infected sheep. The concurrence of these features suggests partial neuroprotection of the hippocampus. Finally, a comparison of the findings in naturallyinfected sheep versus an ovinized mouse model (tg338 mice) revealed distinct patterns of TLRgene expression.

A distinctive signature of the prion diseases is the accumulation of the pathogenic isoform of the prion protein, PrP^Sc, in the central nervous system of prion-affected humans and animals. PrP^Sc is also found in peripheral tissues, raising concerns about the potential transmission of pathogenic prions through human food supplies and posing a significant risk to public health. Although muscle tissues are considered to contain levels of low prion infectivity, it has been shown that myotubes in culture efficiently propagate PrP^Sc. Given the high consumption of muscle tissue, it is important to understand what factors could influence the establishment of a prion infection in muscle tissue. Here we used in vitro myotube cultures, differentiated from the C2C12 myoblast cell line (dC2C12), to identify factors affecting prion replication. A range of experimental conditions revealed that PrP^Sc is tightly associated with proteins found in the systemic extracellular matrix, mostly fibronectin (FN). The interaction of PrP^Sc with FN decreased prion infectivity, as determined by standard scrapie cell assay. Interestingly, the prion-resistant reserve cells in dC2C12 cultures displayed a FN-rich extracellular matrix while the prion-susceptible myotubes expressed FN at a low level. In agreement with the in vitro results, immunohistopathological analyses of tissues from sheep infected with natural scrapie demonstrated a prion susceptibility phenotype linked to an extracellular matrix with undetectable levels of FN. Conversely, PrP^Sc deposits were not observed in tissues expressing FN. These data indicate that extracellular FN may act as a natural barrier against prion replication and that the extracellular matrix composition may be a crucial feature determining prion tropism in different tissues.

The objective was to implement a “Breakout” activity using an online platform (Genially^®) similar to those carried out in person to increase interactivity, motivation, and teamwork. The activity was proposed during the 2021–2022 academic year in the Human Anatomy II (Splanchnology) course taken in the second semester of the Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine (University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain) and was carried out with the participation of 89 students enrolled in the course. The evaluation of the experience by the students was carried out by means of an online questionnaire that comprised four questions (based on the Likert scale) and by the teaching staff through a coordination meeting. In total, 86% of the students agreed regarding the positive effect of these kinds of activities on interactivity and motivation, with 65% agreeing on the usefulness of these tools. Around 70% agree that this activity helped them to integrate course content and to enhance teamwork.

Introducción: Las nuevas generaciones de alumnos, inmersas en un “mundo digital”, han promovido la aparición de nuevas metodologías docentes. En este trabajo, planteamos una serie de actividades a modo de Escape Room en la asignatura de Anatomía Humana II (Esplacnología) del Grado de Medicina de la Universidad de Zaragoza. Métodos: Se planteó una actividad Hall Escape Room basada en 5 retos secuenciales relacionados con los contenidos de la asignatura. La evaluación de la experiencia se planteó a los participantes mediante una encuesta de respuesta voluntaria de 5 preguntas basadas en la escala Likert (con 5 opciones de respuesta siendo 1 totalmente en desacuerdo y 5 totalmente de acuerdo). Resultados: La encuesta de valoración fue respondida por el 85 % del alumnado (76/89), aportando que estas actividades son positivas para la motivación, aprendizaje e integración de los contenidos teóricos y prácticas, así como fomentar la relación entre el alumnado. Conclusión: Las actividades de aprendizaje basado en juego tipo “Escape Room” mejoran la motivación y el aprendizaje del alumno, fomentando además la participación y comunicación entre ellos.