Cardiovascular Endurance Among College Students: How is it Related to Overall Fitness?

Please see the pdf version of the abstract

Are our people health conscious? results of a patients survey in Karachi, Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Life style is known to influence health and may be responsible for certain diseases. There is a need to document the life style on health among the Pakistani population. METHODS: The study was conducted on patients visiting the Family Practice Center, the Aga Khan University, Karachi. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the demographic profile, and the life style on health. The ethical requirements for conducting the study were met. RESULTS: 393 patients were surveyed. The majority were young married men, in either private or government service. Preference for consumption of fats/oils, sweets, spicy foods, salt, fruits/vegetables, tea, coffee, cola drinks and alcohol was found among 103 (26%), 84 (22%), 86 (22%), 110 (28%), 239 (61%), 319 (81%), 117 (30%), 253 (64%) and 13 (03%) respondents respectively. Hand washing after defecation, before eating food and after work was seen among 341 (87%), 296 (75%) and 256 (65%) respondents respectively. Brushing of teeth after eating food, before breakfast and bedtime was seen in 56 (14%), 346 (88%) and 176 (45%) respondents respectively. Preventive dental check-up was practiced by 102 (26%) of the respondents. Sleep of less than 6 hours per day among 74 (19%), water consumption of less than 1 liter daily among 84 (21%) and fish consumption on once a week basis among 173 (44%) respondents was found. Tobacco and betel nuts use was found among 69 (17%) and 79 (20%) respondents. CONCLUSIONS: We have documented a clear need to raise public awareness on the issue of life style on health. There is a need and we strongly recommend debate and further research, along with interventional strategies in line with the available evidence on healthy life style

Structure-activity relationships based on 3D-QSAR CoMFA/CoMSIA and design of aryloxypropanol-amine agonists with selectivity for the human β3-adrenergic receptor and anti-obesity and anti-diabetic profiles

Indexación: Scopus.Acknowledgments: This work was supported by FONDECYT No. 11130701. We would also like to thank fDoTr CthLeafbr efeora vthaeil afrbeilei tayvoafiltahbeilsitoyf towfa trheer seoqfutwireadret orecqaulciureladt etothcealAcuDla(thet ttph:e/ A/dDt c(lhatbt.pw:/e/dbstc.cloabm.w/seobfst.wcoamre/-stoofotlws aarned-tools and http://teqip.jdvu.ac.in/QSAR_Tools/). SDG. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.The wide tissue distribution of the adrenergic β3 receptor makes it a potential target for the treatment of multiple pathologies such as diabetes, obesity, depression, overactive bladder (OAB), and cancer. Currently, there is only one drug on the market, mirabegron, approved for the treatment of OAB. In the present study, we have carried out an extensive structure-activity relationship analysis of a series of 41 aryloxypropanolamine compounds based on three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) techniques. This is the first combined comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA) study in a series of selective aryloxypropanolamines displaying anti-diabetes and anti-obesity pharmacological profiles. The best CoMFA and CoMSIA models presented values of r2 ncv = 0.993 and 0.984 and values of r2 test = 0.865 and 0.918, respectively. The results obtained were subjected to extensive external validation (q2, r2, r2 m, etc.) and a final series of compounds was designed and their biological activity was predicted (best pEC50 = 8.561). © 2018 by the authors.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/5/119

A New Kind of Quinonic-Antibiotic Useful Against Multidrug-Resistant S. aureus and E. faecium Infections

Indexación: Scopus.A rapid emergence of resistant bacteria is occurring worldwide, endangering the efficacy of antibiotics and reducing the therapeutic arsenal available for treatment of infectious diseases. In the present study, we developed a new class of compounds with antibacterial activity obtained by a simple, two step synthesis and screened the products for in vitro antibacterial activity against ATCC® strains using the broth microdilution method. The compounds exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 1⁻32 μg/mL against Gram-positive ATCC® strains. The structure⁻activity relationship indicated that the thiophenol ring is essential for antibacterial activity and the substituents on the thiophenol ring module, for antibacterial activity. The most promising compounds detected by screening were tested against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) clinical isolates. We found remarkable activity against VREF for compounds 7 and 16, were the MIC50/90 were 2/4 µg/mL and 4/4 µg/mL, respectively, while for vancomycin the MIC50/90 was 256/512 µg/mL. Neither compound affected cell viability in any of the mammalian cell lines at any of the concentrations tested. These in vitro data show that compounds 7 and 16 have an interesting potential to be developed as new antibacterial drugs against infections caused by VREF.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/7/177

Comparative evaluation of therapeutic interventions during hemorrhagic shock

Trabalho apresentado ao 31º International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, 2011, Bruxelas

Determinación de los índices de salud nutricional de la leche fresca de bovino mediante espectroscopía de infrarrojo cercano

Bovine milk is one of the most complete foods that exist. During the last decades, milk FA have shown to improve human health due to the reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease and related pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) reflectance analysis to predict the nutritional value, fatty acid (FA) composition, and health index of fresh milk from dairy cows of pastoral systems. The prediction of Atherogenicity and Thrombogenicity indexes, along with other FA ratios in fresh milk samples by NIRS were precise and accurate. In addition, the calibration model obtained by NIRS provides an opportunity for the routine quantification of milk’s healthy FA such as omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), with applications in the dairy industry for food labeling, and at the farm level for management of the dairy cow’s diet.La leche bovina es uno de los alimentos más completos que existe. Durante la última década, se ha demostrado que los ácidos grasos de la leche pueden mejorar la salud humana, a través de la reducción del riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares y patologías asociadas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la factibilidad del análisis de reflectancia NIRS para predecir valor nutricional, composición de ácidos grasos e índices de salud de leche fresca de vacas de sistemas lecheros pastoriles. La predicción por NIRS del índice aterogénico y trombogénico, de ácidos grasos en muestras de leche fresca, fueron precisos. Por tanto, el modelo de calibración obtenido por NIRS representa una oportunidad para la cuantificación rutinaria de los ácidos grasos saludables de la leche como omega-3 y CLA, con aplicaciones en la industria lechera para el etiquetado nutricional y a nivel de lechería para el manejo de la alimentación de las vacas

OntoEPFS: uma ontologia para experimentos em mapeamento digital de solos.

A descrição formal de experimentos para aquisição, tratamento, análises de dados, compartilhamento e reprodução dos resultados obtidos é fundamental para os cientistas envolvidos. Ontologias vêm sendo utilizadas para criar modelos formais para disseminação de informação e conhecimento. Este artigo apresenta uma ontologia para apoiar o Experimento de Predição de Informações de Fertilidades de Solos (OntoEPFS) em Mapeamento Digital de Solos (DSM). O EPFS se encontra em desenvolvimento na Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, no Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Solos ? Embrapa Solos. A adoção dessa ontologia, por parte da Embrapa Solos, facilitará a descrição, a formalização e a disponibilização de conhecimentos sobre os experimentos realizados por esta unidade.SBIAgro 2009

Epigenetic Silencing of Tumor Suppressor miR-124 Directly Supports STAT3 Activation in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Increasing evidence supports a potential role for STAT3 as a tumor driver in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL). The mechanisms leading to STAT3 activation are not fully understood; however, we recently found that miR-124, a known STAT3 regulator, is robustly silenced in MF tumor-stage and CTCL cells. OBJECTIVE: We studied here whether deregulation of miR-124 contributes to STAT3 pathway activation in CTCL. METHODS: We measured the effect of ectopic mir-124 expression in active phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) levels and evaluated the transcriptional impact of miR-124-dependent STAT3 pathway regulation by expression microarray analysis. RESULTS: We found that ectopic expression of miR-124 results in massive downregulation of activated STAT3 in different CTCL lines, which resulted in a significant alteration of genetic signatures related with gene transcription and proliferation such as MYC and E2F. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the importance of the miR-124/STAT3 axis in CTCL and demonstrates that the STAT3 pathway is regulated through epigenetic mechanisms in these cells. Since deregulated STAT3 signaling has a major impact on CTCL initiation and progression, a better understanding of the molecular basis of the miR-124/STAT3 axis may provide useful information for future personalized therapies

WNT ligands contribute to the immune response during septic shock and amplify endotoxemia-driven inflammation in mice

Improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying dysregulated inflammatory responses in severe infection and septic shock is urgently needed to improve patient management and identify new therapeutic opportunities. The WNT signaling pathway has been implicated as a novel constituent of the immune response to infection, but its contribution to the host response in septic shock is unknown. Although individual WNT proteins have been ascribed pro- or anti-inflammatory functions, their concerted contributions to inflammation in vivo remain to be clearly defined. Here we report differential expression of multiple WNT ligands in whole blood of patients with septic shock and reveal significant correlations with inflammatory cytokines. Systemic challenge of mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) similarly elicited differential expression of multiple WNT ligands with correlations between WNT and cytokine expression that partially overlap with the findings in human blood. Molecular regulators of WNT expression during microbial encounter in vivo are largely unexplored. Analyses in gene-deficient mice revealed differential contributions of Toll-like receptor signaling adaptors, a positive role for tumor necrosis factor, but a negative regulatory role for interleukin (IL)-12/23p40 in the LPS-induced expression of Wnt5b, Wnt10a, Wnt10b, and Wnt11. Pharmacologic targeting of bottlenecks of the WNT network, WNT acylation and β-catenin activity, diminished IL-6, tumor necrosis factor, and IL-12/23p40 in serum of LPS-challenged mice and cultured splenocytes, whereas IL-10 production remained largely unaffected. Taken together, our data support the conclusion that the concerted action of WNT proteins during severe infection and septic shock promotes inflammation, and that this is, at least in part, mediated by WNT/β-catenin signaling

Community-curated and standardised metadata of published ancient metagenomic samples with AncientMetagenomeDir

Ancient DNA and RNA are valuable data sources for a wide range of disciplines. Within the field of ancient metagenomics, the number of published genetic datasets has risen dramatically in recent years, and tracking this data for reuse is particularly important for large-scale ecological and evolutionary studies of individual taxa and communities of both microbes and eukaryotes. AncientMetagenomeDir (archived at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3980833) is a collection of annotated metagenomic sample lists derived from published studies that provide basic, standardised metadata and accession numbers to allow rapid data retrieval from online repositories. These tables are community-curated and span multiple sub-disciplines to ensure adequate breadth and consensus in metadata definitions, as well as longevity of the database. Internal guidelines and automated checks facilitate compatibility with established sequence-read archives and term-ontologies, and ensure consistency and interoperability for future meta-analyses. This collection will also assist in standardising metadata reporting for future ancient metagenomic studies