Genetic mapping of metabolic biomarkers of cardiometabolic diseases

Cardiometabolic disorders (CMDs) are a major public health problem worldwide. The main goal of this thesis is to characterize the genetic architecture of CMD-related metabolites in a Lebanese cohort. In order to maximise the extraction of meaningful biological information from this dataset, an important part of this thesis focuses on the evaluation and subsequent improvement of the standard methods currently used for molecular epidemiology studies. First, I describe MetaboSignal, a novel network-based approach to explore the genetic regulation of the metabolome. Second, I comprehensively compare the recovery of metabolic information in the different 1H NMR strategies routinely used for metabolic profiling of plasma (standard 1D, spin-echo and JRES). Third, I describe a new method for dimensionality reduction of 1H NMR datasets prior to statistical modelling. Finally, I use all this methodological knowledge to search for molecular biomarkers of CMDs in a Lebanese population. Metabolome-wide association analyses identified a number of metabolites associated with CMDs, as well as several associations involving N-glycan units from acute-phase glycoproteins. Genetic mapping of these metabolites validated previously reported gene-metabolite associations, and revealed two novel loci associated with CMD-related metabolites. Collectively, this work contributes to the ongoing efforts to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying complex human diseases.Open Acces

Relación trabajo- familia y la calidad de vida laboral en los trabajadores de la Fundación Salvando Sueños de Popayán.

Maestría en Gerencia del Talento Humano, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas.El objetivo de la investigación fue: “Analizar la relación trabajo-familia y la calidad de vida laboral en los trabajadores de la Fundación Salvando Sueños de la ciudad de Popayán”. Institución prestadora de servicios de salud, en convenio con en el Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF), a una población con NNAA. Material y métodos: El estudio se realizó desde el enfoque cuantitativo, diseño no experimental, de tipo descriptivo correlacional y de corte transversal, realizado en las instalaciones de FSS con la población total de la institución constituida por un total de 48 personas, entre directivos y personal que atiende 79 pacientes semi-internos. Para la recolección de datos se aplicó el cuestionario Swing y el cuestionario Internacional Calidad de vida laboral. Para este proceso se contó con la autorización de la FSS y el consentimiento informado de quienes respondieron a las preguntas formuladas. Los resultados mostraron un alto grado de insatisfacción laboral y una perfecta correlación en la interacción positiva y negativa Familia-Trabajo y Trabajo-Familia. Esto indica con claridad que lo ocurrido positiva o negativamente en el ámbito laboral, tiene su correlato en el ámbito familiar y viceversa, por tanto, una organización como la Fundación Salvando Sueños (FSS), tiene no solo el compromiso sino la responsabilidad de analizar en profundidad las condiciones en las cuales labora su personal y adaptarlas a las exigencias de un mundo progresivamente globalizado que está comprendiendo que la productividad no es solo fruto de las leyes del capital, sino en gran porcentaje producto de la satisfacción laboral de sus colaboradores

Multiple-wall carbon nanotubes obtained with mesoporous material decorated with ceria-zirconia

In this work, Ceria-Zirconia on ordered Santa Barbara mesoporous silica (Ce-Zr-SBA-15), has been used directly as a catalyst for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In addition to cerium oxide, it contains zirconium oxide nano crystallites, which act as catalysts for carbon nanostructures. The catalytic performance of this material was evaluated for the decomposition of ethanol at 900 °C, with N2 flow. The carbon decomposed from absolute ethanol diffuses through the surface of the nanostructured catalytic material and precipitates in the form of MWCNT structures, which could be identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), showing average diameters of 30–35 nm.Fil: Rodriguez, Miguel Angel. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Anunziata, Oscar Alfredo. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Beltramone, Andrea Raquel. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Maria Laura. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Centro de Investigación en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

Grasp force estimation from the transient EMG using high-density surface recordings.

Objective: Understanding the neurophysiological signals underlying voluntary motor control and decoding them for prosthesis control are among the major challenges in applied neuroscience and bioengineering. Usually, information from the electrical activity of residual forearm muscles (i.e. the electromyogram, EMG) is used to control different functions of a prosthesis. Noteworthy, forearm EMG patterns at the onset of a contraction (transient phase) have shown to contain predictive information about upcoming grasps. However, decoding this information for the estimation of grasp force was so far overlooked. Approach: High Density-EMG signals (192 channels) were recorded from twelve participants performing a pick-and-lift task. The final grasp force was estimated offline using linear regressors, with four subsets of channels and ten features obtained using three channels-features selection methods. Two different evaluation metrics (absolute error and R2), complemented with statistical analysis, were used to select the optimal configuration of the parameters. Different windows of data starting at the grasp force (GF) onset were compared to determine the time at which the grasp force can be ascertained from the EMG signals. Main results: The prediction accuracy improved by increasing the window length from the moment of the onset and kept improving until the steady state at which a plateau of performances was reached. With our methodology, estimations of the grasp force through 16 EMG channels reached an absolute error of 2.52% the maximum voluntary force using only transient information and 1.99% with the first 500ms of data following the onset. Significance: The final GF estimation from transient EMG was comparable to the one obtained using steady state data, confirming our hypothesis that the transient phase contains information about the final grasp force. This result paves the way to fast online myoelectric controllers capable of decoding grasp strength from the very early portion of the EMG signal

Efecto de los parámetros cinéticos de escalamiento del cultivo de Haematococcus pluvialis en fotobiorreactores para producir astaxantina

Haematococcus pluvialis is a microalga of biotechnological interest due to its ability to produce astaxanthin, a carotenoid that is used as a pigment and a bioactive compound. It has applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, food, and aquaculture industries. This carotenoid is obtained when the microalgae is subjected to stress conditions such as light intensity, light color, nutrient deficiency, and salinity, and involves the use of photobioreactors (PBR). For this reason, this article is intended to show the type of PBR that has been used in its scaling and the related kinetic parameters that influence the performance of the process. PBRs facilitate the adjustment and control of the cultivation conditions, both in the green phase and in the red phase. Likewise, the use of the kinetic scaling parameters allows evaluating the process, thus, establishing the conditions that must be adjusted, to improve the cultivation of the microalgae and obtaining astaxanthin. The kinetic scaling parameters reviewed were biomass (cel/mL), biomass productivity (g/Lday), specific growth rate (µ/day), doubling time (day), astaxanthin content (mg/g) and its productivity. Thus, the technological feasibility of photobioreactors for the scaling of microalgae to produce astaxanthin is demonstrated. The most commonly used PBRs are tubular and cylindrical because they have a greater illumination surface and efficiency in light distribution, and because they report higher astaxanthin productivity; its downside may be the costs for their cleaning.El Haematococcus pluvialis es una microalga de interés biotecnológico por su capacidad para producir astaxantina, un carotenoide que tiene uso como pigmento y compuesto bioactivo, con aplicación en la industria farmacéutica, cosmética, nutracéutica, alimenticia y la acuacultura. Este carotenoide se obtiene cuando la microalga es sometida a condiciones de estrés como intensidad de luz, color de luz, deficiencia de nutrientes y salinidad, e involucra el uso de fotobiorreactores (fbr). Por esto, este artículo busca conocer el tipo de fbr que se ha utilizado en su escalamiento y los parámetros cinéticos relacionados que influyen en el rendimiento del proceso. Los fbr facilitan el ajuste y control de las condiciones de cultivo, tanto en la fase verde como en la fase roja; de igual manera, el uso de los parámetros cinéticos de escalamiento permiten evaluar el proceso y así establecer las condiciones que deben ajustarse, para mejorar el cultivo de la microalga y la obtención de astaxantina. Los parámetros cinéticos de escalamiento revisados fueron la biomasa (cel./mL), la productividad de biomasa (g/Ldía), la velocidad específica de crecimiento (µ/día), el tiempo de duplicación (día), el contenido de astaxantina (mg/g) y su productividad. Se demuestra así la factibilidad tecnológica de los fotobiorreactores para el escalamiento de la microalga para producir astaxantina. Los fbr más usados son los de forma tubular y cilíndrica por tener una superficie mayor de iluminación y eficiencia en la distribución de la luz, y por reportar mayor productividad de astaxantina; su desventaja pueden ser los costos de limpieza

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1,2,3,4,5,6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas wa

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ health

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions