Different Regions Of Spain Research Articles

Cave art reveals human nature

Summary Prehistoric artworks have been discovered on numerous cave walls around the world. They tell us about the minds and lives of ancient humans as well as about their relationship with the now extinct megafauna that surrounded them. Michael Gross reports.

What Do Secondary Education Students Understand About Social Justice? Students Representations of Social Justice in Different Regions of Spain

This quantitative empirical research analyses secondary school students’ representations of social justice in different regions of Spain. The ‘Social Justice Representation Questionnaire- SJRQ’ has been designed and implemented to conduct an empirical analysis of Social Justice within the field of education. This instrument is based on the three-dimensional model of social justice (redistribution, recognition and representation). The participants in this study comprised 3229 secondary education students aged from 12 to 21 years old. The participants attended 20 public schools in five Autonomous Communities of Spain. This study aims to determine how the concept of social justice develops in secondary education students of different educational levels and whether gender is a relevant variable. The results confirm that social justice representations of secondary education students follow a developmental trend because students at upper educational levels have a closer vision to social justice. Moreover, females manifest a greater predisposition towards social justice than males. This study confirms that the SJRQ is a useful tool to train Social Justice oriented citizens and to develop training programmes adapted to different understanding levels.

Analysis of the morphological structure of diapausing propagules as a potential tool for the identification of rotifer and cladoceran species

The study of zooplankton diversity through the analysis of the active community implicates repeated samplings at different sites of the lake, throughout different seasons and years. A valid cost-effective alternative for the analysis of zooplankton species richness is represented by the study of their diapausing propagules. This method allows retrieving in a single sampling the same number of species found in the water column over a period of many years. However, the lack of a reference database of diapausing propagules’ diagnostic characters has, so far, precluded the use of morphology for the identification of egg species. In the present study, an analysis of the morphological characters of rotifer and cladoceran diapausing propagules was performed with Light Microscope (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to identify possible diagnostic features that would allow identification of their species without having to incubate the sediment first to obtain adults that can be identified. A total of 3780 diapausing eggs of 23 species of rotifers and cladocerans, collected in eleven lakes from five different regions of Spain and Mexico, were morphologically analyzed. High evidence of species-specificity was observed in most rotifer species, while cladoceran diapausing propagules could be only identified to genus level.

The care crisis in Spain: an analysis of the family care situation in mental health from a professional psychosocial perspective

ABSTRACTThe aim of this article is to investigate the importance of family care in mental health and identify the shortcomings of the Spanish model of health care for the mentally ill. The empirical process comprised three qualitative procedures involving 37 experts from different regions of Spain. In order to guarantee the rigor of the data, a social worker discussion group was set up to create an interview script. Interviews were then carried out with 22 professionals who take care of people with mental illness in various public facilities throughout the country. A second focal group met three times to validate the categorizations analyzed in the interviews. The results of the empirical process indicate a need to remodel the mental health care system, which can be described with reference to five critical characteristics: 1) a lack of financial and human resources for mental health, 2) a lack of effective coordination among all the institutions and authorities involved, 3) a lack of quality resources aimed at rehabilitation and social reintegration as alternatives to institutionalization, 4) a lack of integrated care, and 5) a lack of a common healthcare framework for all professional workers in all the regions. A remodeling of the system is necessary to enable the rehabilitation, recovery, empowerment and development of people with SMD and thus ease the burden and improve the quality of life of family caregivers.

New virtual reality tool (Nesplora Aquarium) for assessing attention and working memory in adults: A normative study

Attentional and working memory (WM) processes undergo significant changes during different stages of development. However, currently there are not many continuous performance tools based on virtual reality (VR) for measuring attentional capacity in adults. The present study aimed to obtain normative data for the Nesplora Aquarium VR test in a Spanish population, looking at sex and age variables. In addition, this study also aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the tool such as scale, internal consistency, and item difficulty and discrimination indices. A total of 1,469 participants from different regions of Spain (57.6% female) with ages ranging from 16 to 90 years old took part in this normative study. Nesplora Aquarium was developed in order to support clinicians in the assessment of attentional processes and WM in adults over 16 years old. It is an 18-minute individual test performed through a VR system. The system provides better visual and auditory immersion in the task than computerized CPTs. This study revealed that the new VR tool, designed to measure adult attention and working memory levels, exhibited good psychometric properties related to reliability and internal consistency. In addition, item difficulty and discrimination values were also acceptable.

Residual effect of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and impact on Soil Nitrifiers

Abstract The residual effect of nitrogen (N) fertilizers on subsequent crops might affect N efficiency and soil microorganisms, but little is known about the underlying reasons. Our goal was to elucidate the origin of the residual effect of synthetic N fertilizers, with and without a nitrification inhibitor, in three field experiments located in different regions of Spain that shared a common design in a maize (Zea mays L.) /wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation. Maize was fertilized with ammonium sulphate nitrate (ASN) or with ASN blended with 3,4 dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) (ASN + DMPP) or was not fertilized with N. Wheat after maize received the recommended N dose, a low N dose or no N application. Yield and N content were determined for each crop and treatment and soil samples were taken to determine non-exchangeable NH4+ as well as C and N in the microbial biomass. DNA extraction was conducted in soil samples at different times. In the two locations where a residual effect occurred as a result of fertilizer application on the previous crop, either as ASN or ASN + DMPP, the C retained in the microbial biomass increased. The abundance of bacterial and archaeal communities was related to the soil’s C biomass, and the quantitative PCR approach was a more sensitive biomarker of the microbial activity than C and N in the microbial biomass. The residual effect was associated with a temporal increase of soil microorganisms caused by fertilizer application. Optical sensors identified the residual effect, opening the opportunity for adjusting the fertilizer rate to actual crop requirements.

Flavonoids and the Risk of Gastric Cancer: An Exploratory Case-Control Study in the MCC-Spain Study.

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between the dietary flavonoid intake and gastric cancer (GC) risk; however, the results remain inconclusive. Investigating the relationship between the different classes of flavonoids and the histological types and origin of GC can be of interest to the research community. We used data from a population-based multi-case control study (MCC-Spain) obtained from 12 different regions of Spain. 2700 controls and 329 GC cases were included in this study. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using the mixed effects logistic regression considering quartiles of flavonoid intakes and log2. Flavonoid intake was associated with a lower GC risk (ORlog2 = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.65–0.89; ORq4vsq1 = 0.60; 95%CI = 0.40–0.89; ptrend = 0.007). Inverse and statistically significant associations were observed with anthocyanidins, chalcones, dihydroflavonols and flavan-3-ols. The isoflavanoid intake was positively associated with higher cancer risk, but without reaching a statistical significance. In general, no differences were observed in the GC risk according to the location and histological type. The flavonoid intake seems to be a protective factor against GC within the MCC-study. This effect may vary depending on the flavonoid class but not by the histological type and location of the tumor. Broader studies with larger sample size and greater geographical variability are necessary.

Influence of Preoperative Frailty on Health-Related Quality of Life After Cardiac Surgery

Frailty has emerged as one of the main predictors of worse outcomes after cardiac surgery, but scarce evidence is available about its influence on postoperative quality of life. Whether frail patients may improve their quality of life or not after the surgical procedure is a matter that still remains unclear. This observational and multicenter cohort study was conducted in 3 university-affiliated hospitals of three different regions of Spain (Madrid, Asturias, and Canary Islands). Patients were categorized into three ordinal levels of frailty (frail, prefrail, robust) using the Fried, FRAIL (fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight) scale, and Clinical Frailty Scale frailty scales. We analyzed the changes on health-related quality-of-life for each level of frailty using the EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5 Level questionnaire before and 6 months after the operation. The study included 137 patients, and 109 completed the 6-month follow-up. Median age of the entire cohort was 78 years (interquartile interval, 72 to 83 years). Frailty prevalence varied between 10% and 29%, depending on which scale was used. There was a statistically significant linear trend in the incidence of death or major morbidity among the different levels of frailty. On one hand, robust patients did not show significant changes in their previously high score of quality of life during follow-up. On the other hand, frail and prefrail patients significantly improved their scores after the operation. These results were comparable regardless the scale used for frailty assessment. Frail and prefrail patients have a significant improvement in their quality of life 6 months after their cardiac operation, and they have a proportionally greater increase in their postoperative health-related quality of life scores than robust patients.

Livestock farming practices modulate vulture diet-disease interactions

Low- and high-intensity farming exert different direct and indirect effects on vulture populations by driving the availability, exploitation and characteristics of carrion. This is especially true for the levels of pharmaceuticals in wild and domestic animal carcasses. However, the impact of farming systems on the diet-related health of avian scavengers remains unclear. Here, we evaluate diet and disease signs in nestlings of three European species of vultures (Cinereous, Aegypius monachus, Griffon, Gyps fulvus, and Egyptian, Neophron percnopterus), living in different regions of Spain under contrasting farming schemes. We test the hypothesis that disease (oral mucosal lesions caused by mixed fungal and bacterial infections) in vultures is influenced by features of food and foraging conditions derived from farming systems, especially due to the expected chronic and irregular ingestion of pharmaceuticals under intensive (factory farms) compared to extensive systems. A large proportion of nestlings of the three vulture species in central Spain (high-intensity farming area) continue to be affected by oral lesions (cinereous: 75%, n = 16; griffon: 61%, n = 28; Egyptian: 46%, n = 13). The same type of lesions, at a much lower frequency, was found in nestling of the three vulture species in each of the selected areas corresponding to low-intensity farming areas in southern and northern Spain (Cinereous: 39%, n = 13; Griffon: 7%, n = 14; Egyptian: 6%, n = 17). As predicted, a positive relationship was found between the proportion of nestlings with lesions and the frequency of intensive livestock from factory farms (swine and poultry) in the diet. The intensive medication in factory farms deserves further research to assess its implications in vulture diet-disease interactions at large geographical scales. Assessing the presence of oral lesions as an indicator of physiological alterations is encouraged along with pharmacovigilance in surveillance programs aimed at evaluating the direct and indirect effects of livestock farming practices on vulture health. Given the increasing exploitation of domestic instead of wild animals by vultures, the growth in high-intensity farming and the medication practices in free-ranging and semi-extensive farming systems, this assessment would help to characterize the risks associated with different farming operations for wildlife. This evaluation is crucial to avoid exacerbating the detrimental consequences of supplementary feeding programs contrary to their primary aim of the conservation of endangered species.

Prevalencia de obesidad y comorbilidad cardiovascular asociada en los pacientes incluidos en el estudio IBERICAN (Identificación de la poBlación Española de RIesgo CArdiovascular y reNal)

ObjectivesTo analyse the prevalence of obesity and its association with other cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease in a sample of patients from the (Identification of the Spanish population at cardiovascular and renal risk) IBERICAN study. Material and methodsAnalysis of the inclusion visit of the first 5,013 patients of the IBERICAN longitudinal, observational, and multicentre study in which individuals aged 18 to 85 years were included in Primary Care Clinics in the different regions of Spain. In this work obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30kg/m2. ResultsThe prevalence of obesity was 35.7% (95% CI: 35.0-36.4%), of which 36.6% were men and 34.9% were women (P=0.214), and significantly increasing with age (0.001). The obesity had the associated higher prevalence of hypertension (62.8% vs. 39.4%, P<001), dyslipidaemia (56.9% vs. 47.1%, P<0.001), sedentary lifestyle (40.6% vs. 24.6%, P<.001), diabetes (27.5% vs. 14.8%, P<.001), hyperuricaemia (23.6% vs. 12.7%, P<.001), subclinical organ injury (33.7% vs. 26.5%, P<.001) and cardiovascular disease (21.2% vs. 15.3%, P<.001). The multivariate analysis showed that the variables associated with obesity were: arterial hypertension (P<.001), hyperuricemia (P<.001), sedentary lifestyle (P<.001), diabetes mellitus (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), low educational level (P<0.001) and lower consumption of tobacco (P<0.001). ConclusionsThe analysis of the IBERICAN study shows that approximately one third of the analysed population meets criteria of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Target organ damage and cardiovascular disease were more frequent in obese patients.

School Choice across Different Regions of Spain

This paper analyses the characteristics that lead parents to choose a particular school for their children in different Spanish regions. This choice is studied taking into account several school and family characteristics. We estimate the probability of parents choosing a particular school using a conditional logit model for different Spanish regions with data from PISA 2012. The main results indicate that the characteristics with the biggest influence on school choice are public/private, location, and reputation. As expected, some characteristics, like a school being private, and its socioeconomic composition, become more relevant as family wealth and parents’ education level increases.

A qualitative study on primary health care responses to intimate partner violence during the economic crisis in Spain.

The objective of this study was to explore how health professionals perceived the effect of the economic crisis and associated austerity measures on the detection of and cares for intimate partner violence (IPV) in primary care in Spain. Qualitative study designed using semi-structured interviews carried out with 145 health professionals in 16 primary health care centres in different regions of Spain. An inductive thematic analysis was made of the transcriptions. Three main themes were identified: 'Women endure more violence during times of economic crisis', 'Fewer resources, fewer professionals and less time to respond to IPV' and 'Professionals' motivation as a requirement to respond to IPV'. Professionals perceived that economic precariousness triggered violence against women and made women more hesitant to put an end to violent relationships. They also reported that the austerity measures applied to primary health care negatively affected their ability to detect and adequately care for cases of IPV due to a heavy workload, reduced human resources, difficulties in training and the loss of resources to which women could be referred. To counteract these obstacles, health professionals' motivation played a vital role in the response to IPV. Institutional efforts to organize awareness programmes and training in order to improve and promote early diagnosis, care and rehabilitation of these women cannot stop during times of crisis and primary health care centres should facilitate health professionals' access to these programmes.

Development and validation of ultra high performance-liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry based methods for the determination of neonicotinoid insecticides in honey

In this study, the feasibility of two sample treatments has been evaluated for the determination of seven neonicotinoid insecticides in honey from different botanical origins using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). A solid phase extraction with a polymeric sorbent (Strata® X) is proposed for analyzing dark honeys, while a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) approach is recommended for light honeys. Chromatographic analysis (6 min) was performed on a core-shell column (Kinetex® EVO C18). The proposed methods were fully validated using two different MS/MS systems: quadrupole-time-of-flight and triple quadrupole. The results showed that the best overall analytical performance was achieved using triple quadrupole, mainly due to its better sensitivity and the reduced influence of the matrix onto the analyte signals. The methods developed were applied to the analysis of commercial honey samples from different regions of Spain, as well as from experimental apiaries.

Inversión educativa y contracción del Estado del Bienestar: un análisis del contexto autonómico tras la crisis sistémica de 2008

En España, el estallido de la crisis sistémica de 2008 y su prolongada duración han supuesto desafíos adicionales para el mantenimiento del Estado del Bienestar y, particularmente, para la educación, el Servicio Público Fundamental que más afectado se ha visto por la aplicación de políticas de contracción presupuestaria durante este período. El presente trabajo explora cómo se ha comportado la inversión educativa en las distintas regiones españolas a lo largo de los últimos años, y trata de conocer más acerca del papel que han jugado las distintas administraciones en la asignación de recursos a esta partida. Para ello, esta investigación ha conformado dos bloques de CC.AA. de acuerdo con la incidencia económica de la crisis y ha efectuado un análisis longitudinal y comparativo a partir de diversos indicadores. Los resultados revelan que la voluntad política ha sido fundamental a la hora de determinar las pautas de inversión educativa y que, además, las diferencias entre distintos colores políticos son reducidas. Las implicaciones de estos resultados abren la puerta a una interpretación más amplia acerca de la importancia y necesidad de redefinición de la educación como vector de generación de capital social en España, así como a un debate político más profundo sobre su financiación en el marco del actual Estado del Bienestar.

The Involvement of Future Generations in the Circular Economy Paradigm: An Empirical Analysis on Aluminium Packaging Recycling in Spain

The European circular economy action plan, launched in 2015 includes a group of measures aligned with the 3r principles. To meet recycling goals, valuable materials such as aluminium must have packaging that helps to increase their recycling rate above the current 45.6%. This recycling rate could be improved with the help of current consumers and the education of future generations. In this way, the aim of this study is to prove the positive effects of childhood education in the circular economy by teaching sustainable practices in the case of aluminium packaging recycling. The study was conducted in the form of a survey, with data being gathered via questionnaires carried out “pre” and “post” workshop in schools of different regions of Spain in students between 8 and 12 years old. This study provides an exciting opportunity to advance our knowledge of the use of workshops to increase children’s knowledge, awareness, and intention of recycling.

SIGNIFICADO CULTURAL DE LA MENSTRUACIÓN EN MUJERES ESPAÑOLAS

The objective of the research was to know what cultural meanings exist in our society regarding menstruation, from the perspective of transcultural nursing, and to analyze whether past false beliefs have been overcome. Method: Qualitative study with a design based on Grounded Theory and whose research techniques were semistructured interviews and discussion groups. 47 women from different regions of Spain participated. Age and place of residence were established as segmentation criteria and educational level, mothers or women without children and the profession were established as the variability criteria. The categories of analysis were menarche, menstruation, knowledge about their own bodies and gender. Results: The menarche is lived in a different waydepending on the degree of prior knowledge; presence of taboo in different degrees depending on the age of the woman, associated to ignorance and false ideas; the transfer of erroneous popular beliefs, by oral transmission, is still present. Conclusion: Transcultural nursing care should be aimed at banishing false beliefs, using group workshops to eradicate erroneous beliefs and help women to clarify any doubts they may have.

First Report of Streptomyces turgidiscabies Causing Potato Common Scab in Spain

Potato common scab (CS) is an important crop problem worldwide. Previously, Streptomyces europaeiscabies has been considered as a predominant pathogen in the west European region. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) samples having visible CS symptoms were collected from Galicia, Spain, during 2015. Potato samples were heavily infected with CS symptoms from superficial netted scab to pitted lesions. Samples were washed with tap water before and after disinfecting with 2.8% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min. Scab lesions on the surface of infected potatoes were used to isolate Streptomyces colonies (Wanner 2006). During the survey, more than 25 Streptomyces isolates were identified as pathogenic to potatoes from different regions of Spain (data not shown). Streptomyces isolate strain AC-51 was identified after morphological and physiological characterization as S. turgidiscabies (Bouchek-Mechiche et al. 2006). Pure colonies of Streptomyces were cultured in tryptic soy broth (TSB). A Streptomyces pellet was used for genomic DNA extraction by Fast DNA kit (MP Biomedicals, U.S.A.). Purified DNA was amplified for 16S rRNA gene by using pH/pA primers (Edwards et al. 1989). The resultant 16S rDNA sequences were submitted to GenBank. NCBI BLAST analysis of S. turgidiscabies strain AC-51 (LN908786) showed 97% similarity with S. turgidiscabies (FJ546740). Streptomyces spp. was further characterized by performing a positive PCR reaction with S. turgidiscabiei-specific primers Tur-R/F (Tagawa et al. 2008) but had negative reaction with individual species-specific primers from S. scabies, S. europaeiscabies, S. stelliscabies, S. bottropensis, and S. acidiscabies (Wanner 2006). A pathogenicity island consisting of txtAB, nec1, and tomA genes was confirmed in S. turgidiscabies strain AC-51 by using different PCR primers (Bukhalid et al. 1998; Wanner 2006). The pathogenicity of strain AC-51 was tested on potatoes by pot assay in a greenhouse facility. Potato tubers (cv. Kennebec) were planted in potting soil (Compo Sana, Germany) with an average temperature maintained between 25 and 28°C. Cell suspension of strain AC-51 was prepared at concentration of 106CFU/ml. Three-week-old potato plants were drenched with 100 ml of prepared inoculum in duplicate experiments. To validate the experimental results, nonpathogenic Streptomyces sp. (KU560918) and pathogenic S. scabies RL-34 (kindly provided by Dr. J. Leiminger, DSMZ41658) were used in the same concentration as negative and positive controls, respectively. Three-month-old plants were harvested and CS symptoms on potato surface were recorded. Disease symptoms were observed from moderate to high pitted scab lesions among the pots infected with S. turgidiscabies strain AC-51 and S. scabies (Wanner 2006), while no CS symptoms were observed with nonpathogenic Streptomyces spp. Disease severity was recorded as mean surface area covered by CS symptoms as 32% for strain AC-51, 38% for S. scabies, and 0% for nonpathogenic Streptomyces spp. Pathogenic S. turgidiscabies strain AC-51 was again isolated from infected tubers in greenhouse study to confirm Koch’s postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of S. turgidiscabies in Galicia, Spain. This study will provide a basic knowledge about the pathogens which will helpful to develop preventive strategies against this disease.

Nut Allergy in Two Different Areas of Spain: Differences in Clinical and Molecular Pattern.

Introduction: Different clinical and molecular patterns of food allergy have been reported in different areas of the world. The aim of the study is to evaluate differences in allergen patterns among nut-allergic patients in two different areas of Spain. Material and methods: A total of 77 patients with nut allergy from two different regions of Spain (Madrid and Asturias) were evaluated. Results: Hazelnut, peanut, and walnut were the three most frequent nuts eliciting allergy in both regions, but in a different order. Patients from Madrid experienced systemic reactions more often than patients from Asturias (73.5% Madrid vs. 50.0%, p < 0.05). The percentage of sensitizations to LTP (Lipid Transfer Protein) was higher than Bet v 1 (p < 0.05) in the Madrid area. The percentage of sensitizations in Asturias area was similar to LTP than Bet v 1 (Pru p 3 46.4%, Bet v 1 42.9%, ns). Bet v 1 was the predominant allergen involved among hazelnut-allergic patients (56.2%), while LTP was more common in peanut-allergic patients (61.5%). Conclusion: Walnut, hazelnut, and peanut were the most frequent nuts eliciting allergy in Spain. Despite this, important differences in molecular pattern were appreciated not only between both regions, but also among nut-allergic patients in Asturias. The different molecular pattern was linked to the frequency of systemic symptoms.

Repurposing propranolol as a drug for the treatment of retinal haemangioblastomas in von Hippel-Lindau disease

BackgroundVon Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a rare oncological disease with an incidence of 1:36,000, and is characterized by the growth of different types of tumours. Haemangioblastomas in the central nervous system (CNS) and retina, renal carcinoma and pheochromocytomas are the most common tumours. The absence of treatment for VHL leads to the need of repeated surgeries as the only option for these patients. Targeting VHL-derived tumours with drugs with reduced side effects is urgent to avoid repeated CNS surgeries. Recent reports have demonstrated that propranolol, a β-blocker used for the treatment of hypertension and other cardiac and neurological diseases, is the best option for infantile hemangioma (IH). Propranolol could be an efficient treatment to control haemangioblastoma growth in VHL disease given its antiangiogenic effects that were recently demonstrated by us. The main objective of the present study was the assessment of the efficacy and safety of propranolol on retinal haemangioblastoma in von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL).Methods7 VHL patients, from different regions of Spain, affected from juxtapapillary or peripheral haemangioblastomas were administered 120 mg propranolol daily. Patients were evaluated every 3 months for 12 months, at Virgen de la Salud Hospital (Toledo). The patients had juxtapapillary or peripheral haemangioblastomas but had refused standard treatments.ResultsPropranolol was initiated with a progressive increase up to a final dose of 120 mg daily. All tumours remained stable, and no new tumours appeared. The reabsorption of retinal exudation was noted in the two patients having exudates. No adverse effects were recorded. VEGF and miRNA 210 levels were monitored in the plasma of patients as possible biomarkers of VHL. These levels decreased in all cases from the first month of treatment.ConclusionsAlthough more studies are necessary, the results of this work suggest that propranolol is a drug to be considered in the treatment of VHL patients with retinal haemangioblastomas. VEGF and miRNA 210 could be used as biomarkers of the VHL disease activity.Trial registrationThe study has a clinical trial design and was registered at EU Clinical Trials Register and Spanish Clinical Studies Registry, EudraCT Number: 2014–003671-30. Registered 2 September 2014.

Level of training in autistic spectrum disorders among hospital paediatricians

Abstract Background Training in autistic spectrum disorders is crucial in order to achieve an early diagnosis. However, the number of papers describing this training is limited. This study describes the level of knowledge among paediatricians from tertiary care hospitals in different regions of Spain and detects areas that need improvement. Material and method A total of one hundred and fifty-seven (157) paediatricians working in tertiary healthcare hospitals located in three different regions in Spain consented to complete an online questionnaire divided in three sections (socio-demographic, knowledge about childhood autism, and opinion). Data were analysed using SPSS version 15. Results The total mean score of participating paediatricians in the questionnaire was 20.34 (±2.43 SD) out of a total possible score of 23. Approximately two-thirds (65%) of paediatricians scored more or equal to the mean score. The knowledge gap was found to be higher with symptoms of repetitive behaviour patterns, concept of autism, and comorbidity, with no statistical significance. There were no differences in paediatrician scores within different socio-demographic groups. Just under two-thirds (64%) of paediatricians subscribed to the opinion that their own knowledge about autism is limited, and there is a significant lack of knowledge about facilities in every region. Conclusions There is a sufficient level of knowledge about autism among paediatricians in tertiary healthcare, although a lack of awareness about the management of these patients, with poor coordination between the different specialists that are involved in their treatment. Efforts should focus on achieving a better coordination between these specialists, and update the knowledge gaps identified.