Conditional genotype analysis: detecting secondary disease loci in linkage disequilibrium with a primary disease locus

A number of autoimmune and other diseases have well established HLA associations; in many cases there is strong evidence for the direct involvement of the HLA class II peptide-presenting antigens, e.g., HLA DR-DQ for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and HLA-DR for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The involvement of additional HLA region genes in the disease process is implicated in these diseases. We have developed a model-free approach to detect these additional disease genes using genotype data; the conditional genotype method (CGM) and overall conditional genotype method (OCGM) use all patient and control data and do not require haplotype estimation. Genotypes at marker genes in the HLA region are stratified and their expected values are determined in a way that removes the effects of linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the peptide-presenting HLA genes directly involved in the disease. A statistic has been developed under the null hypothesis of no additional disease genes in the HLA region for the OCGM method and was applied to the Genetic Analysis Workshop 15 simulated data set of Problem 3, which mimics RA (answers were known). In addition to the primary effect of the HLA DR locus, the effects of the other two HLA region simulated genes involved in disease were detected (gene C, 0 cM from DR, increases RA risk only in women; and gene D, 5.12 cM from DR, rare allele increases RA risk five-fold). No false negatives were found. Power calculations were performed

Violencia y sufrimiento social: elementos para una desnaturalización de la violencia desde testimonios cautivos en las cárceles del Chile postdictatorial

This article proposes some elements for a reflection on violence and social suffering, as an exercise in denaturing, based on the findings of a qualitative research on the criminal issue in Chile. It follows that the criminal policies of mass incarceration of Chile's post-dictatorship, with all its violent practices of human degradation, are a determining element when it comes to thinking about the reproduction of violence and continuity in the circuit of confinement. The denaturalization of violence is therefore presented as a necessary exercise when thinking about a paradigm shift in the face of this vortex.Este artículo propone algunos elementos para una reflexión en torno a la violencia y el sufrimiento social, en tanto ejercicio de desnaturalización, basado en hallazgos de una investigación cualitativa sobre la cuestión penal en Chile. De ella se desprende que las políticas criminales de encarcelación masiva de la postdictadura, con todas sus prácticas violentistas de degradación humana, son un elemento determinante a la hora de pensar la reproducción de la violencia y la continuidad en el circuito del encierro. La desnaturalización de las violencias se presenta, por tanto, como un ejercicio necesario a la hora de pensar un cambio de paradigma frente a esta vorágine

Effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Artículo derivado de un proyecto de investigación de Suplementación con ácidos grasos poliinsaturados n-3 y vitamina D en pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2Abstract: Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is accompanied by chronic low-grade inflammation, with an imbalance in the secretion of adipokines and, worsening insulin resistance. Supplementation with n-3 PUFA in T2DM decreases inflammatory markers, the purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on adipokines, metabolic control, and lipid profile in T2DM Mexican adults. Methods: In a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, 54 patients with T2DM received 520 mg of DHA + EPA-enriched fish-oil (FOG) or a placebo (PG) daily. Baseline and 24-week anthropometric and biochemical measurements included glucose, insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac), leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and lipid profile; n-3 PUFA intake was calculated in g/day. Results: Waist circumference and blood glucose showed significant reductions in the FOG group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). Hb1Ac (p = 0.009 and p = 0.004), leptin (p < 0.000 and p < 0.000), and leptin/adiponectin ratio (p < 0.000 and p < 0.000) decreased significantly in both groups after 24 weeks (FOG and PG respectively). Serum resistin (FOG p < 0.000 and PG p = 0.001), insulin (FOG p < 0.000 and PG p < 0.000), and HOMA-IR (FOG p = 0.000 and PG p < 0.000) increased significantly in both groups. FOG had an overall improvement in the lipid profile with a significant decrease in triacylgycerols (p = 0.002) and atherogenic index (p = 0.031); in contrast, the PG group had increased total cholesterol (p < 0.000), non-HDL cholesterol (p < 0.000), and atherogenic index (p = 0.017). Conclusions: We found a beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on waist circumference, glucose, Hb1Ac, leptin, leptin/adiponectin ratio, and lipid profile, without significant changes in adiponectin, and increases in resistin, insulin, and HOMA-IR in both groups.CONACyT, Desarrollo Científico para atender problemas nacionales, No. 21294

RENTABILIDAD DEL NOGAL PECANERO BAJO SISTEMAS DE PRODUCCIÓN DE MEDIANA TECNOLOGÃA EN DELICIAS, CHIHUAHUA

Pecans (Carya Illinoinensis [Wangenh] K. Koch) are a native food of North America and represent a high economic crop value in the north of Mexico, mainly in the state of Chihuahua, the biggest pecan nut producer in this country. The goal of this study was to evaluate the profitability of pecan orchards in the municipality of Delicias, Chihuahua. Some microeconomic and market information from 2008 were collected from pecan growers and specialists through the technique of Experts' Panel. Standard financial analysis and a Monte Carlo simulation model were used to evaluate the probabilities of risk for net cash income (NCI) and return on capital employed (RCE). The NCI obtained was $277,000 and RC 111.7%, indicating that pecan orchards show high profitability when is produced under medium-technology conditions in the municipality of Delicias, Chihuahua.Carya Illinoinensis, production costs, Monte Carlo simulation., Agribusiness,

LINEAS DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN ADMINISTRACIÓN DE AGRONEGOCIOS

The new century has brought with it the reaffirmation and consequence of profound changes which began taking place at the end of the last century. The revolution created by new information technologies, the media, as well as the new management styles and forms, partly guilty of the globalization phenomenon, is not only a fact, but has generated a high technology dependence both in developed and developing countries. This has affected all production and management systems, including those in which Agribusiness develop. Under these circumstances, the present essay's main objective is to establish a general reference in order to set up lines of research in the Agribusiness management in México. In the first part we find a retrospective regarding the environment where these activities took place, having it as basis for further research in order to improve the management systems. Subsequently there is a description of the surroundings where the present agribusinesses develop as well as a description of their possible tendencies. Finally through a brainstorm of ideas a norm has been set up to design and develop the lines of research in the agribusiness management.Lines of research, agribusiness., Agribusiness,

ANÃLISIS FODA Y PERSPECTIVAS DEL CULTIVO DEL NOGAL PECANERO EN CHIHUAHUA

Pecan production is one of the most important crops in our country. It not only has an economical capacity as a generator of foreign currency, but also for the social context in which it develops its production. Most of the pecan growers have small sized orchards, but at the same time, there are few pecan growers with large sized orchards that use modern technology. The objective of this study is to present a SWOT analysis of the pecan system and to describe the contexts in which it is produced and commercialized, as well as the main characteristics and problems that appear in pecan production, as well as the prediction of its future under current production and management conditions.WOTS-UP analysis, pecan system, production and commercialization., Agribusiness,

LA TÉCNICA DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN ESTRATÉGICA, ADOPTADA Y ADAPTADA A LA ACTIVIDAD AGROALIMENTARIA -ANTECEDENTES HISTÓRICOS-

Strategic Management, Methodology, SWOT Analysis., Agribusiness,

Gut microbial diversity is associated with lower arterial stiffness in women

© The Author(s)2018 All rights reserved. Aims The gut microbiome influences metabolic syndrome (MetS) and inflammation and is therapeutically modifiable. Arterial stiffness is poorly correlated with most traditional risk factors. Our aim was to examine whether gut microbial composition is associated with arterial stiffness.Methods We assessed the correlation between carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of arterial stiffness, and and results gut microbiome composition in 617 middle-aged women from the TwinsUK cohort with concurrent serum metabolomics data. Pulse wave velocity was negatively correlated with gut microbiome alpha diversity (Shannon index, Beta(SE)= -0.25(0.07), P = 1 10 -4 ) after adjustment for covariates. We identified seven operational taxonomic units associated with PWV after adjusting for covariates and multiple testing—two belonging to the Ruminococcaceae family. Associations between microbe abundances, microbe diversity, and PWV remained significant after adjustment for levels of gut-derived metabolites (indolepropionate, trimethylamine oxide, and phenylacetylglutamine). We linearly combined the PWV-associated gut microbiome-derived variables and found that microbiome factors explained 8.3% (95% confidence interval 4.3–12.4%) of the variance in PWV. A formal mediation analysis revealed that only a small proportion (5.51%) of the total effect of the gut microbiome on PWV was mediated by insulin resistance and visceral fat, c-reactive protein, and cardiovascular risk factors after adjusting for age, body mass index, and mean arterial pressure. Conclusions Gut microbiome diversity is inversely associated with arterial stiffness in women. The effect of gut microbiome composition on PWV is only minimally mediated by MetS. This first human observation linking the gut microbiome to arterial stiffness suggests that targeting the microbiome may be a way to treat arterial ageing

Circulating Proteomic Signatures of Chronological Age

To elucidate the proteomic features of aging in plasma, the subproteome targeted by the SOMAscan assay was profiled in blood samples from 202 females from the TwinsUK cohort. Findings were replicated in 677 independent individuals from the AddNeuroMed, Alzheimer's Research UK, and Dementia Case Registry cohorts. Results were further validated using RNAseq data from whole blood in TwinsUK and the most significant proteins were tested for association with aging-related phenotypes after adjustment for age. Eleven proteins were associated with chronological age and were replicated at protein level in an independent population. These were further investigated at gene expression level in 384 females from the TwinsUK cohort. The two most strongly associated proteins were chordin-like protein 1 (meta-analysis β [SE] = 0.013 [0.001], p = 3.66 × 10−46) and pleiotrophin (0.012 [0.005], p = 3.88 × 10−41). Chordin-like protein 1 was also significantly correlated with birthweight (0.06 [0.02], p = 0.005) and with the individual Framingham 10-years cardiovascular risk scores in TwinsUK (0.71 [0.18], p = 9.9 × 10−5). Pleiotrophin is a secreted growth factor with a plethora of functions in multiple tissues and known to be a marker for cardiovascular risk and osteoporosis. Our study highlights the importance of proteomics to identify some molecular mechanisms involved in human health and agin