Universidad De La Republica Research Articles

Assessing Adherence to Adjuvant Hormone Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients in Routine Clinical Practice.

Adjuvant hormone therapy (HT) in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (BC) increases overall survival (OS). A lack of adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy is common, 31.0-73.0% of women discontinue endocrine treatment before 5 years. The aim of the study was to assess adherence to HT in routine clinical practice in patients assisted at the Clinical Oncology Department of the Hospital de Clinicas - Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay. Patients treated with HT for stage 0-III BC between 2017 and 2019 were included. The medication possession (MPR) rate was calculated using pharmacy records, and the Morisky-Green Scale was applied to assess adherence. Adherent patients were those with MPR ≥ 0.80 and who correctly answered the Morisky-Green treatment adherence questionnaire. The association of adherence with polypharmacy, treatment, and patient characteristics was assessed using simple logistic models. The associations between qualitative variables and adherence were assessed using simple logistic regression model or Fisher's exact test. The association between quantitative variables and adherence was assessed using the Student's t-test. The odds ratio (OR) for non-adherence to treatment and its 95% confidence interval were estimated. Totally, 118 patients were included; 65.2% were treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs), 36.0% presenting polypharmacy. The adherence rate at the end of 2 years was 81.0 %; and it was associated with age (P = 0.03, OR = 0.96 for non-adherence), with adherent and non-adherent patients having a mean age of 65.0 and 60.3 years, respectively; however, adherence was not associated with polypharmacy, territory of origin, marital status, living alone, level of education, occupation, or stage. The adherence profile was similar for both drugs, but homemakers and retired women showed greater adherence to AI. Adherence to HT was assessed in real life, with 19.0% of the patients not adhering to the treatment, despite the known benefit for OS, being a well-tolerated treatment, and being provided free of charge. Older patients were associated with being more adherent. The results show the need of the Pharmacy Service and Department of Clinical Oncology Medical Oncology combining efforts to develop coordinated strategies and interventions to increase adherence, given the impact that this may have on patients' OS.

Teacher Education in the Emergency: a MOOC-Inspired Teacher Professional Development Strategy Grounded in Critical Digital Pedagogy and Pedagogy of Care

The Covid-19 pandemic started off a process that would drastically change the ways to teach and learn, deepening and accelerating the relationship between technologies and educational processes, reshaping the Higher Education scenario. The emergency challenged Universidad de la Republica, the main public university in Uruguay, which in turn designed and implemented Emergency Remote Teaching, that allowed the continuity of Higher Education, minimizing academic impacts. Within this frame of action, the Virtual Learning Environments Program elaborated a Contingency Plan for teaching and learning, with an approach that considered Pedagogy of Care and Critical Digital Pedagogy. One of the actions implemented was the Teacher Professional Development Course “Teaching Online in Emergency Conditions”. This experience constitutes a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) -inspired course in Udelar. The article describes this innovative experience in Teacher Professional Development, presents the theoretical basis and methodological approach, the process and main decisions concerning the course design. Also, it describes the achievements of the experience, with the objective of identifying potential benefits of Teacher Professional Development initiatives based on MOOCs in the frame of emergency conditions. It analyzes teachers’ contributions and interactions during the course to assess appropriation of educational principles, methodologies and tools applied to online course redesign in the light of Critical Digital Pedagogy and Pedagogy of Care. The initiative ended up being an enriching alternative to approaching Teacher Professional Development, emphasizing its relevance in the context of rapid response to the transition to Emergency Remote Teaching. This experience adds up empirical data, to a necessary accumulation that would in time, allow more generalizable appreciations.

Estrategias didáctico-pedagógicas en contextos educativos de emergencia: la UCO Psicología, Sujeto y Aprendizaje en el curso 2020 (Facultad de Psicología, Udelar)

This article analyzes issues related to the communication in virtual education, the accessibility of resources in the context of health and educational emergency, based on the experience of the Curricular Unit Psychology and Learning, corresponding to the Degree in Psychology (Universidad de la Republica). It describes the proposal and the adjustments in the current context. Also it is analyzed students opinions related to the objectives and contents of the course, to the didactic-pedagogical proposal, as well as to the relationship between teachers and students.The conclusions reflect on the importance of promoting autonomy strategies and the regulation of learning processes in the current context from closeness and support in the pedagogical bond. Likewise, emphasis is placed on the importance of iteration and recursion, which allows the generation of flexible designs that adapt to the needs and conditions in which learning processes are developed.

REDESIGN OF SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY FROM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

COVID-19 started spreading in Latin America amidst the beginning of academic year (March, in the Global South). In response, the Faculty of Science within the Universidad de la Republica de Uruguay rapidly switched to Emergency Remote Education. As part of this strategy, specific support was provided to students with connectivity and equipment needs. However, teachers’ different levels of pedagogical and digital skills resulted in diverse efficacy in students’ emergency learning experiences. This work explores the Universidad de la Republica’s science education provision from the students’ perspective as expressed in accordance to their learning experience. The results show a positive direct association between the clarity of the tasks the students were set and positive feedback. Moreover, while the provision of educational resources was key to supporting emergency education assessment, technological aspects had little or no impact. Finally, the results also indicate greater critical digital literacy on the teachers’ part would improve science education.

Reproductive performance of Angus, Hereford, Salers and Nellore crossbred females: Additive and non-additive effects.

Reproductive traits in breeding herds can be improved through crossbreeding, which results in breed differences, heterosis and breed complementarity. The aim of this study was to estimate group additive genetic and dominance effects for three reproductive traits; probability of artificial insemination (AIP); calving success (CS); and days to calving (DC) for Hereford (H), Angus (A), Nellore (N) and Salers (S) breeds under grazing conditions. Data were obtained from an experiment carried out during 1992-2002 by the Faculty of Agronomy, Universidad de la Republica (UdelaR), Uruguay and Caja Notarial de Seguridad Social. The data set contained reproductive information of 1,164 females from 11 different genetic groups (GG) consisting of crosses between H, N, S and A. AIP, CS and DC were examined in first-calf heifers, while CS and DC were examined in second-calf and 3- to 7-year-old cows. Least square means for each GG and group additive genetic and dominance effects were estimated for each trait. F1 crossbreed females performed better for artificial insemination probability than purebred females. Crossbred A/H heifers had the highest AIPs and CS rates, while crossbred N/H 3- to 7-year-old cows recorded the highest averages for CS and DC. Estimates of group additive genetic effects did not differ amongst A, S, N and H; however, dominance increased the AIP and CS of the heifers.

Asociación entre Hiperlaxitud Articular Generalizada y Chasquidos de la Articulación Témporo Mandibular

This study analyzes whether generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is a risk factor for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). Therefore, we evaluated the potential association between TMD clicking and GJH diagnosis. We worked with the following hypothesis: patients with GJH would have a higher prevalence of TMJ clicking than those without it, making GJH a risk factor for joint disorders. Two hundred and fourteen students from the School of Dentistry of Universidad de la Republica del Uruguay (UdelaR) were examined: 161 female and 53 male, aged 18 to 30 (average age: 23.8 years, SD=2.7). Each participant was given a questionnaire, and a clinical examination was performed to diagnose GJH using the Beighton score (BS), clicking, history of maxillofacial trauma, orthodontics, full dentition, open lock, and shift. A calibrated blind researcher (kappa inter-rater click calibration = 0.68; intra-rater BS score=0.82, click=1) performed all the examinations. The Ethics Committee approved the study, and all the participants signed an informed consent. A multiple logistic regression model was used to analyze the data statistically. GJH prevalence was 34.16% in women and 7.55% in men; clicking prevalence was 24.22% in women and 11.32% in men. There was a significant association between sex (OR=3.244, p-value 0.018) and history of trauma (OR=2.478, p-value 0.041) and the presence of clicking. No association was found between clicking and GJH. Female sex and history of trauma could be risk factors for TMJ disorders. The lack of association between GJH and clicking in this age group (18-30) suggests that GJH may not be a risk factor for developing these pathologies.

Enseñanza y aprendizaje virtual en contexto de pandemia. Experiencias y vivencias de docentes y estudiantes de la Facultad de Psicología en el primer semestre del año 2020

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 impacted on the way in which all activities of our daily lives were carried out. In Uruguay, since March 13th, when the first cases were confirmed, a state of health emergency was declared, with the educational system being one of the most radically affected aspects. The Faculty of Psychology at Universidad de la Republica, as an educational community, was able to cope with adversity and achieve, in a very short period of time, a real response in order to maintain the delivery of the courses in a virtual way. Once the first semester is over, it is vital to know how the new reality was lived and experienced by students and teachers. This study analyzes the experiences of teachers and students at the Faculty of Psychology. The data was obtained through online forms designed by ProREn (Teaching Renewal Program) and applied from July 8th to 22nd, 2020. The sample of participants was of 693 students and 55 teachers. Descriptive analyses of common dimensions to both questionnaires were carried out. The general results show that the abrupt passage to virtual teaching was properly achieved with good outcomes. However, some dimensions of the experiences of students and teachers during this transition warn us about the most vulnerable aspects of each population.

Reflexiones sobre el uso de la estadística inferencial en investigación didáctica

As a product of educational research activities, a large amount of data is produced, the analysis of which represents a challenge for the researchers. In this context, the large number of interrelated factors that may have an impact on the data makes it extremely difficult to draw reliable conclusions, either when describing or predicting the behavior of a student population, or when evidencing the effect of didactic interventions. Statistical inferential analysis provides tools that allow the systematic and efficient evaluation of a sample of the population to be studied. In this work we present a reflection on the implementation and interpretation of results associated with the application of three inferential instruments (probability distribution, confidence interval and hypothesis test) to a case study derived from our teaching experience. These instruments allowed us to evaluate the influence that the course modality (face-to-face or online) exerts on the academic performance of first-year students of Facultad de Quimica, Universidad de la Republica. In addition, these statistical tools were also applied to the study of the incidence, on the same population, of a didactic intervention in which a set of materials was incorporated into a massive first-year chemistry course (General Chemistry I), with the aim of promoting active learning and self-regulation. In this regard, inferential statistics allowed the systematic and efficient analysis of the information associated with this case study, allowing to draw statistically significant conclusions.

Manejo odontológico de paciente con Deficit de Factor XII: Reporte de un caso

El Servicio de Medicina Transfusional del Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell es el centro de referencia nacional en el área materno infantil. En el marco del convenio MSPFacultad de Odontología de la UDELAR, se atienden en este Servicio pacientes con diversas coagulopatías. El déficit de factor XII es una patología de baja prevalencia (1-1000000) y no existe evidencia científica que respalde protocolos clínicos de atención a nivel odontológico. Se presenta el caso clínico del paciente NT, portador de esta patología, de alto riesgo con alta actividad de caries, en dentición mixta, a quien se le realizó tratamiento odontológico integral con apoyo del equipo multidisciplinario que trabaja en el Servicio de Hemoterapia del CHPR.

Respuesta al brote de COVID-19: tiempo de enseñanza virtual

The Coronavirus outbreak was a disruptive event at all levels, education among them. The Universidad de la Republica responded fast by switching to virtual classes instead of face-to-face ones, when possible. The Reading Comprehension in English courses that are given at the Facultad de Odontologia and the Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educacion were two of the courses that were offered in the online format. Classes were given through videoconference platforms, and different resources were shared through the VLE platform of the university. Eighty-six students completed the two courses (forty-four at the Facultad de Odontologia and forty-two at the Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educacion). By applying a mixed approach (qualitative and quantitative) questionnaire, students’ considerations regarding the transmission of knowledge through the online course were analyzed. Most students stated that the course’s aims could be fulfilled and that they could use the technological tools correctly. Some of them mentioned that face-to-face classes are needed to socialize with peers and professors and it is understood that this is an area in need of analysis and improvement. It is concluded that the results collected concerning these unexpected teaching experiences show the potential of these courses; more online courses may be offered increasing the amount of diverse options of study for students.

Bibliotecología en Uruguay: apuntes de la Escuela de Bibliotecología y Ciencias Afines

O artigo discorre sobre a história da Biblioteconomia no Uruguai, com enfoque no desenvolvimento da área a partir da Escuela Universitaria de Bibliotecología y Ciencias Afines (EUBCA) da Universidad de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay (UDELAR). O objetivo geral é o de pesquisar sobre a história e a atuação do Curso de Biblioteconomia no Uruguai. Especificamente se objetiva: contextualizar brevemente o surgimento da Biblioteconomia na América Latina; descrever o processo histórico de constituição da Biblioteconomia no Uruguai; identificar os assuntos de pesquisa, por parte dos docentes e discentes do curso de Biblioteconomia da Universidad de la Republica até a primeira década do Século XXI. Metodologicamente, trata-se de um estudo exploratório, descritivo e bibliográfico, utilizando-se também de análise documental sobre o curso de Biblioteconomia da UDELAR. O principal resultado é a constituição de um percurso histórico da formação superior em Biblioteconomia no Uruguai, da concepção pedagógica e das principais temáticas desenvolvidas pelo corpo docente e discente até o ano de 2008.

Durkheim en Uruguay. La recepción de sus ideas en la Universidad de la República (1915-1947)

El presente trabajo estudia la recepción de las ideas de Émile Durkheim en la cátedra de Sociología de la Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de la República para el periodo 1915-1947. Para ello, el texto se concentra en los libros, artículos y notas de clase de quienes fueron profesores de la mencionada cátedra: Carlos María Prando e Isaac Ganón. Al mismo tiempo se realiza un estudio del proceso de institucionalización de la sociología en Uruguay, por lo cual también se ha considerado la enseñanza de esta disciplina en la cátedra Filosofía del Derecho de la misma universidad entre 1898 y 1915.

Keeping old giants at the service of a local community: The Arroyo del Vizcaíno collection (Sauce, Uruguay)

The Arroyo del Vizcaino collection began informally in 1997, when a group of high school students, teachers and other members of the community extracted around 300 bones from the Vizcaino stream. Efforts were made by the students to prepare, catalogue and identify the remains, as well as to try to keep the remains in their hometown. The collection was housed at the local high school for many years until we obtained the permits to excavate the site and reunited the fossils collected in 1997 with those extracted in subsequent years. Since then the collection has grown substantially, with more than 1,800 fossils collected to date. The collection was moved several times, but in 2018 a new collaboration with the local high school meant the fossils could return there, but to new spaces, specially designed and built for them. These new spaces allow for better care of the remains and for the development of outreach activities with the community. The team of palaeontologists, students and designers involved in the project has developed didactic and educational resources both in physical and digital form, which have expanded the mission of the team to other localities within Uruguay. Today, the collection has been formally recognized as part of the Universidad de la Republica, a milestone that will translate into further collaborations with other institutions and members of the community. These past 10 years, the team has improved the conservation of the remains, generated academic publications and established relationships with local residents, hoping to help regain the sense of belonging and enthusiasm for fossils that the community felt in 1997.

De-generar la formación docente en Educación Física

El presente artículo se enmarca en el proyecto de investigación “La buena enseñanza. Intervenciones docentes y evaluación en clave de géneros. Estudio en los Profesorados Universitarios de Educación Física de la UNLu y UdelaR”, de la Universidad Nacional de Luján, Argentina. El propósito es compartir un taller vivencial llevado a cabo en el “II Encuentro de Estudios en Deporte” de la Universidad de la República, Uruguay (UdelaR). Dicha instancia surge como necesidad de generar un espacio práctico de problematización e indagación sobre la educación física y su enseñanza con perspectiva de géneros en la trayectoria de la formación docente, con el objeto que los y las participantes practiquen, apropien y transfieran la perspectiva de géneros al desarrollo de sus prácticas docentes.

Empleo de una planilla de especificaciones en exámenes de Clínica

The purpose of this paper was to provide critical information on the teaching, learning, and evaluation methodologies using a specification worksheet in the oral examination of the Clinic for Ruminants and Swine in the Faculty of Veterinary, Universidad de la Republica, and to gather the opinions of the teachers who have employed this instrument during years 2013-2018. The worksheet was used in 66 periods with a 1010 exam record, obtaining information discriminated by study plan and orientations. According to the survey conducted by teachers, the instrument allowed the student performance to be carefully followed in an orderly and standardized manner; and facilitated the return and feedback of the teaching and learning process at the time of the exam and after it. Despite the limitations that the instrument may have, it offers better guarantees in the evaluation for students and teachers. The final exam is perceived as a complex instance. Therefore, the use of this instrument has served as support in educational practices.

El índice de actividad individual de los estudiantes en EVA y sus rendimientos académicos: el caso de Bioestadística Veterinaria

The suspension of face-to-face activities in the Universidad de la Republica caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, made virtual learning spaces essential for university teaching and learning. Biostatistics 1, a first-year Veterinary course, was entirely taught remotely through the Moodle platform of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Entorno Virtual de Aprendizaje [EVA]). In this study, the information provided by EVA was analyzed and associated with the students’ performance. A total of 825 students were enrolled in the course on EVA. Between 50 % and 70 % of the students entered the course every week, with minimal activity on the weekends. The Individual Activity Index (IAI), defined as the days that the student accessed the platform over the total days of the course, allowed to quantify the activity of the students and correlate that value to their academic performance through a linear regression. The IAI showed a direct, positive and significant association with the final result obtained by the students. The results of the academic performance of this generation were also analyzed in aspects related to disengagement, gain and promotion of the course, finding that the on-line modality had disengagement values ​​similar to those registered in previous years with face-to-face classes. The information provided by EVA is key to be able to assess the impact of the pandemic and to improve the next editions of the course.

La enseñanza universitaria de Archivología en Uruguay: su institucionalización en la Universidad de la República, 1982-1994

espanolEn este articulo se expone el abordaje del proceso de institucionalizacion de la ensenanza de Archivologia en la Universidad de la Republica (UDELAR). Refleja una investigacion desarrollada en el campo de la archivologia historica, enmarcada en la Maestria de Ensenanza Universitaria de la UDELAR. La arquitectura de este trabajo fue pensada a partir de tres ideas rectoras. En primer lugar, que la creacion de la carrera fue una aspiracion largamente acariciada por la Escuela de Bibliotecologia y Ciencias Afines (EUBCA). En segundo lugar, que el cambio de Plan de Estudios concretado en 1987, fue expresion de un genuino progreso en la formulacion institucional de la carrera, pero no anulador del proceso de institucionalizacion de la carrera iniciado en el ano 1982. Por ultimo, que los docentes que trabajaron en el diseno curricular original y que asumieron su implementacion en 1983, fueron la mejor alternativa en aquella hora inaugural EnglishThis article exposes the approach in the process of institutionalization of the archivology teaching at Universidad de la Republica (UDELAR). It reflects the investigation develop ed in the field of historic archivology framed in the field of Mastery of University Teaching at UDELAR. The design of this piece of work was thought out of three leading ideas. In first place the career creation was long cherished aspiration of the EUBCA. Secondly, the changes in the study plan, materialized in 1987, was the expression of genuine progress of the career’s institutional formulation, however it was not nullifier of the process of institutionalization of the started career in 1982. Finally those teachers who worked on the original curricular design and assumed its implementation in 1983, were the best alternative at that starting time

Posgrados en Educación y apoyo económico por la Comisión Académica de Posgrado (2009-2018)

Postgraduate education is expanding and includes postgraduate careers in the educational field. At the Universidad de la Republica, in Uruguay , such training is framed within the Ordinance of postgraduate careers and is guided by the Postgraduate Academic Commission (CAP). The object of this study were the postgraduate careers in the educational field and the economic support modalities managed by CAP during the 2009-2018 period. A descriptive observational retrospective longitudinal study was performed for careers, and a transversal one for postgraduate students. The offer and flows of admissions and graduations from these careers were characterized. The intersection between these aspects and the economic support granted to careers and postgraduate students was investigated. The influence of these supports was evaluated and the profile of those who applied for and received scholarships was characterized. The offer of postgraduate careers in the educational field quadrupled during the decade, in line with institutional goals. Their enrollment is feminized, age of admission was higher than expected, and the duration of studies significantly exceeded the planned theoretical times. The proportion of graduations in relation to admissions was higher for specializations than for masters degrees and doctorates careers. The demand for financial support for careers was fully covered and for scholarships was covered in 21%. The profile of those who received scholarships was less feminized and corresponded to significantly younger postgraduate students than those who did not receive them. Application for scholarships was positively associated with obtaining a postgraduate degree.

Curricularización de la extensión en la FCEA 2012-2017

The School of Economics and Business Administration (FCEA) of the Universidad de la Republica (Udelar) during the last decade has gone through a period of deep changes, among them the modification of degree programs. This implied new training areas among which Integrating Activities is created, enabling the curricularization of extension activities, in the form of Espacios de Formacion Integral (EFI). This work aims to analyse the progress made in this area after a hundred years from the Cordoba Manifesto, as well as the pending challenges in the curricularization of the extension function in the FCEA, facilitated by the change of the curriculum, in the period between the year 2012 and 2017. Based on data from the records of the Administrative Management System of Teaching (SGAE) and data provided by the Unidad de Extension y Relacionamiento con el Medio of the FCEA we determine the evolution of EFI, the number and characteristics of students who have carried out extension activities, as well as the evolution of the number of professors dedicated to teaching tasks on EFI in our School. A positive evolution can be observed in all variables, suggesting that the change in the curriculum could have been a mainstay for this performance.

Identificación y caracterización de Staphylococcus resistentes a meticilina aislados de perros

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius are important pathogens in both humans and animals mainly due to its high prevalence and their widespread antibiotic resistance. Other species belonging to this genus could play a fundamental role in the expansion of resistance genes, acting as carriers and disseminators; thus, this genus has a major impact on veterinary medicine. The aim of this work was to detect and characterize strains of Staphylococcus spp. methicillin-resistant isolated from dogs of Montevideo, including healthy dogs (carriers) and diseased dogs (with ears and skin infections). Samples were collected from animals that where admitted to the Hospital Center of the School of Veterinary Medicine – Universidad de la Republica during a one year period. Identification at the species level was carried out through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the resistance profiles were determined by antibiogram. Sixty seven isolates belonging to nine species were identified: S. pseudintermedius, S. argenteus, S. cohnii, S. haemolyticus, S. epidermidis, S. arlettae, S. scheiflieri, S. xylosus and S. nepalensis. Seven strains were resistant to methicillin, and all of these were found to carry the mecA gene. Ten other strains were classified as MDR (multi drug resistance) since phenotypic studies indicated resistance to more than three classes of antibiotics. We conclude that the conditions for the transfer of methicillin resistance genes in canines are given by the existence of genes and the mobile genetic elements in which they are transported, as well as the presence of bacterial strains able to incorporate them.