The use of dialogue to solve problems, dental rehabilitation that favors oral and mental health, and being able to measure high cholesterol levels during pregnancy are the projects of the Uandes researchers who were awarded the funds.
With the aim of encouraging the participation of young researchers in the application and awarding of competitive funds for research projects, the III Inter-University Contest for Initiation in Associative Research, organized by the Inter-University Network, was awarded.
In this third call, Universidad de los Andes had a particularly relevant participation, being awarded three collaborative projects, led by the following researchers Duniel Ortuño (School of Dentistry), Karin Roa (Faculty of Social Sciences) and Paula Correa (School of Medicine).
These were the winning projects:
Learning to collaborate in the initial training in kindergarten educationTowards the diagnosis and development of dialogue-based collaborative competencesby Karin Roa Tampe, from the School of Education of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
According to the academic, in order to collaborate effectively with other professionals in the workspaces we need to collaborative skillsThese are skills that are not usually developed during initial professionalization. A key skill, Roa points out, within this competency is the use of dialogue to solve problems.
"This project seeks to address this task in initial training by proposing a system to diagnose and develop sociolinguistic repertoires to participate in collaborative problem-solving dialogues among Kindergarten Education students from Chilean universities," he says, adding that "lacking a adequate sociolinguistic repertoire to collaborate prevents dialogue, but also reasoning and understanding of situationsThe project seeks to develop a system for diagnosing these capabilities, the results of which will be used to design specific training support in short workshops during the second year of the program. The project seeks to develop a system for the diagnosis of these capabilities, the results of which will be used to design specific training support in short workshops during the second year of the career".
Impact of Removable Denture Treatment on Depressive Symptomatology in Edentulous Patients.developed by Duniel Ortuño Borroto of the School of Dentistry.
According to the researcher, tooth loss not only affects eating or smiling, it can also have a profound impact on self-esteem and emotional well-being. By offering dental rehabilitation that restores functionality and esthetics, the project aims to improve people's quality of life, promoting both their oral health and their mental health. In practical terms, the results could help demonstrate that affordable dental treatment can also be an effective tool to prevent or lessen depression.
"This project seeks to understand if recovering teeth through removable prostheses has an impact on improving mood and reducing symptoms of depression in people who have partially or totally lost their teeth. To this end, 138 patients who will receive this type of treatment at the teaching clinics of Universidad de los Andes and Universidad del Desarrollo will be studied.We have conducted studies in this area as a research group, and we want to continue contributing with evidence for clinical decision making with an interdisciplinary approach. As a research group we have conducted studies in this area and we want to continue contributing with the delivery of evidence for clinical decision making with an interdisciplinary approach," says Ortuño.
Association study between supraphysiologic hypercholesterolemia of pregnancy and metabolic hepatic steatosis.presented by Paula Correa Frigerio of the School of Medicine.
In Correa's words, the project seeks to evaluate the relationship between elevated levels of cholesterol in maternal plasma during the third trimester and the development of fatty liver during the postpartum period, using an instrument called elastography.
"This will be performed in patients in their puerperium between 18 and 30 months postpartum. We will also seek to study the relationship between the presence of the PNPLA3 gene mutation (key in fatty liver disease, especially hepatic steatosis) and high cholesterol levels during pregnancy," the obstetrician-gynecologist explains.
"These achievements consolidate Uandes as a key player in associative research, providing innovative solutions in education, health and welfare, and demonstrating that networking among universities is a key driver to address the country's major challenges.", he emphasized Claudia BrizuelaThe results of the study were made public by the director of Uandes Research after the results were made public.
One of the goals of this fund is to stimulate inter-institutional collaboration between universities to promote early research with social impact, focusing on the promotion of research, experimentation, development of new knowledge and innovation.
This network is made up of Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Universidad de los Andes, Universidad del Desarrollo, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Universidad Mayor, Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Universidad San Sebastián and Universidad Santo Tomás.
