XXVI Congreso Nacional y II Congreso Internacional de SEDEM

Organizan: Sociedad Española de Educación Médica y Facultad de Medicina y Enfermería, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU)Comunicaciones aceptadas en el XXVI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Educación Médica, celebrado en Bilbao del 28 al 30 de noviembre de 2024

TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY IN EDUCATION AND CAREER IN THE EARTH OBSERVATION AND GI SECTOR

Abstract. Gender inequality is omnipresent in our society and in the field of education and training, the gender gap is especially evident in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. While different studies have been conducted about potential reasons explaining this gap, little is known about gender inequality and underlying factors in the Earth Observation and Geoinformatics (EO*GI) domain. To close some parts of this knowledge gap, the initiative Women in Copernicus was established with the overall goal to make women working in the EO*GI field and especially in the Copernicus ecosystem more visible. This paper analyses the results of a survey of 462 women identifying reasons for not choosing STEM education and the barriers related to educational choices in their career path. The main obstacles that hinder choosing a STEM education for these women are stereotypes in society, missing female role models but also culture, television and society message transmitted by the media. The lack of self-confidence is an essential factor in this choice and is also experienced as a barrier during individual career paths. This analysis provides insights valuable for political decisions making targeting at a gender-balanced work environment and emphasizes the importance of attracting more girls and young women towards a STEM education and supporting them during their career to reach skills and occupational equality and strengthen the economic development of the EO*GI sector. </jats:p

Effect of pregabalin on contextual memory deficits and inflammatory state-related protein expression in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin secretion or its action. Complications from long-term diabetes consist of numerous biochemical, molecular, and functional tissue alterations, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuropathic pain. There is also a link between diabetes mellitus and vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Hence, it is important to treat diabetic complications using drugs which do not aggravate symptoms induced by the disease itself. Pregabalin is widely used for the treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain, but little is known about its impact on cognition or inflammation-related proteins in diabetic patients. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of intraperitoneal (ip) pregabalin on contextual memory and the expression of inflammatory state-related proteins in the brains of diabetic, streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice. STZ (200 mg/kg, ip) was used to induce diabetes mellitus. To assess the impact of pregabalin (10 mg/kg) on contextual memory, a passive avoidance task was applied. Locomotor and exploratory activities in pregabalin-treated diabetic mice were assessed by using activity cages. Using Western blot analysis, the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), cytosolic prostaglandin E synthase (cPGES), nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), nuclear factor-ĸB (NF-ĸB) p50 and p65, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), as well as glucose transporter type-4 (GLUT4) was assessed in mouse brains after pregabalin treatment. Pregabalin did not aggravate STZ-induced learning deficits in vivo or influence animals’ locomotor activity. We observed significantly lower expression of COX-2, cPGES, and NF-κB p50 subunit, and higher expression of AhR and Nrf2 in the brains of pregabalin-treated mice in comparison to STZ-treated controls, which suggested immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of pregabalin. Antioxidant properties of pregabalin in the brains of diabetic animals were also demonstrated. Pregabalin does not potentiate STZ-induced cognitive decline, and it has antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory properties in mice. These results confirm the validity of its use in diabetic patients. [Figure: see text