The role of population change in the increased economic differences in mortality: a study of premature death from all causes and major groups of causes of death in Spain, 1980-2010

Background: An increase has been observed in differences in mortality between the richest and poorest areas of rich countries. This study assesses whether one of the proposed explanations, i.e., population change, might be responsible for this increase in Spain. Methods: Observational study based on average income, population change and mortality at provincial level. The premature mortality rate (ages 0-74 years) was estimated for all causes and for cancer, cardiovascular disease and external causes across the period 1980-2010. In the years analysed, provinces were grouped into tertiles based on provincial income, with the mortality rate ratio (MMR) being estimated by taking the tertile of highest-income provinces as reference. Population change was then controlled for to ascertain whether it would modify the rate ratio. Results: In all-cause mortality, the magnitude of the MRR for provinces in the poorest versus the richest tertile was 1.01 in 1980 and 1.12 in 2010; in cardiovascular mortality, the MMRs for these same years were 1.08 and 1.31 respectively; and in the case of cancer and external-cause mortality, MMR magnitude was similar in 1980 and 2010. The magnitude of the MMR remained unchanged in response to adjustment for population change, with the single exception of 1980, when it increased in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Conclusion: The increase in the difference in premature mortality between the richest and poorest areas in Spain is due to the increased difference in cardiovascular mortality. This increase is not accounted for by population change. In rich countries, more empirical evidence is thus needed to test other alternative explanations for the increase in economic differences in mortality.This study was conducted thanks to support from the Research Project PI12/01459 “Population change and geographical inequalities in mortality” financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation

Effect of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) inclusion in the diet for fattening lambs on animal performance, ruminal characteristics and meat quality

[EN] Thirty male merino lambs were fed with a pelleted total mixed ration (TMR) alone or supplemented with hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cones at two different doses (1.5 and 3.0 g hop cones/kg pelleted TMR, respectively), to study the effects of this dietary source of antioxidants on animal performance, ruminal parameters and meat quality attributes. The results showed that dietary supplementation with hop cones decreased lambs' growth rate (P < 0.05) due to a shift in ruminal fermentation, towards a more acetic and less propionic acid production (P < 0.05). These changes in animal growth rate might have promoted microstructural modifications in the quantity and size of muscle fibres, thereby inducing the differences observed in meat chemical composition, colour and texture (P 0.10).S

Effects of dietary inclusion of sunflower soap stocks on colour, oxidation and microbiological growth of meat from light fattening lambs

[EN] Thirty-two lambs were finished on a total mixed ration (TMR) pelleted alone (00SS) or including sunflower soap stock (SS): 15SS (15 g SS per kg TMR), 30SS (30 g SS per kg TMR) and 60SS (60 g SS per kg TMR). Lambs (8 per group) were slaughtered at 27 kg live weight. Colour evolution, lipid oxidation, microbial growth and detection of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were studied in meat samples. SS in the diet reduced meat lipid oxidation (P 0.05) on the cholesterol oxidation products. Meat from 60SS and control animals (00SS) revealed greater discoloration (P < 0.05) than 15SS. SS supplementation did not affect the microbiological populations, whereas high doses of SS seemed to increase the proliferation of diarrhoeagenic E. coli on day 14 (P < 0.10). These results suggest that the rate of SS inclusion in the diet of fattening lambs should not be above 15 g SS per kg TMR.S

Patrones geográficos de la mortalidad y de las desigualdades socioeconómicas en mortalidad en España

Fundamentos: Las estimaciones sobre desigualdades socioeconómicas en mortalidad a partir de registros individuales de defunciones y población son escasas y proceden únicamente de la la ciudad de Barcelona, la Comunidad de Madrid y el País Vasco. El objetivo del presente estudio fue mostrar el patrón geográfico de mortalidad en diferentes grupos socioeconómicos, así como el de las desigualdades en mortalidad en el conjunto del territorio español. Métodos: Se realizó el seguimiento de todos los individuos mayores de 25 años del censo de población 2001 durante siete años y dos meses para conocer su estado vital (196.470.401 personas-año a riesgo y 2.379.558 defunciones). Se calculó la tasa de mortalidad ajustada por edad en hombres y mujeres por provincia y nivel de estudios. Las desigualdades en mortalidad provinciales se estimaron mediante la razón de tasas de mortalidad en los sujetos con nivel de estudios primarios o inferiores respecto a los sujetos con estudios universitarios. Resultados: En mujeres, las razones de tasas más bajas –entre 1,06 y 1,16- se observaron Palencia, Segovia, Guadalajara y Ávila. Las más altas –entre 1,53 y 1,75- en Málaga, Las Palmas, Ceuta, Toledo y Melilla. En hombres, las razones de tasas más bajas –entre 1,00 y 1,12- se observan en Guadalajara, Teruel, Cuenca, La Rioja y Ávila y las más altas –entre 1,47 y 1,73- en Las Palmas, Cantabria, Murcia, Melilla y Ceuta. Conclusiones: El patrón geográfico de las tasas de mortalidad en España varía según el nivel educativo. Las desigualdades en mortalidad muestran menor magnitud en las provincias del centro peninsular.Background: Estimates of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality coming from individual data sources were only available from Madrid, the Basque Country and the city of Barcelona. The aim of this study was to show the geographical pattern of mortality in different socio-economic groups, as well as that of inequalities in mortality in the whole Spanish territory. Methods: All people aged 25 and older in the 2001 census were followed for seven years and two months to determine their vital status (196 470 401 person-years at risk and 2,379,558 deaths). The socioeconomic variable was educational level. Age-adjusted mortality rate was estimated for women and men in every province and in each category of educational level. Inequalities in mortality in each province have been estimated by the ratio of mortality in subjects with primary or lower level of education compared to subjects with university education. Results: In women, the lowest rate ratios –between 1.06 and 1.16- are observed in Palencia, Segovia, Guadalajara, Avila and Castellon and the highest -between 1.53 and 1,75- in Malaga, Las Palmas, Ceuta, Melilla and Toledo. In men, the lowest rate ratios -between 1.00 and 1.12 – are observed in Guadalajara, Teruel, Cuenca, La Rioja and Ávila and the highest -between 1.47 and 1,73- in Las Palmas, Cantabria, Murcia, Melilla and Ceuta. Conclusions: The geographical pattern of mortality rates in Spain varies by educational level. Inequalities in mortality by education have the lowest magnitude in central peninsular provinces

The association of geographic coordinates with mortality in people with lower and higher education and with mortality inequalities in Spain

Objective. Geographic patterns in total mortality and in mortality by cause of death are widely known to exist in many countries. However, the geographic pattern of inequalities in mortality within these countries is unknown. This study shows mathematically and graphically the geographic pattern of mortality inequalities by education in Spain. Methods. Data are from a nation-wide prospective study covering all persons living in Spain's 50 provinces in 2001. Individuals were classified in a cohort of subjects with low education and in another cohort of subjects with high education. Age- and sex-adjusted mortality rate from all causes and from leading causes of death in each cohort and mortality rate ratios in the low versus high education cohort were estimated by geographic coordinates and province. Results. Latitude but not longitude was related to mortality. In subjects with low education, latitude had a U-shaped relation to mortality. In those with high education, mortality from all causes, and from cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive diseases decreased with increasing latitude, whereas cancer mortality increased. The mortality-rate ratio for all-cause death was 1.27 in the southern latitudes, 1.14 in the intermediate latitudes, and 1.20 in the northern latitudes. The mortality rate ratios for the leading causes of death were also higher in the lower and upper latitudes than in the intermediate latitudes. The geographic pattern of the mortality rate ratios is similar to that of the mortality rate in the low-education cohort: the highest magnitude is observed in the southern provinces, intermediate magnitudes in the provinces of the north and those of the Mediterranean east coast, and the lowest magnitude in the central provinces and those in the south of the Western Pyrenees. Conclusion. Mortality inequalities by education in Spain are higher in the south and north of the country and lower in the large region making up the central plateau. This geographic pattern is similar to that observed in mortality in the low-education cohort.This study was funded by UCM-Banco de Santander (GR3/14)

The influence of sleep apnea syndrome and intermittent hypoxia in carotid adventitial vasa vasorum

Subjects with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) show an increased carotid intima-media thickness. However, no data exist about earlier markers of atheromatous disease, such as the proliferation and expansion of the adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) to the avascular intima in this setting. Our aim was to assess carotid VV density and its relationship with sleep parameters in a cohort of obese patients without prior vascular events. A total of 55 subjects evaluated for bariatric surgery were prospectively recruited. A non-attended respiratory polygraphy was performed. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the cumulative percentage of time spent with oxygen saturation below 90% (CT90) were assessed. Serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, P-selectin, lipocalin-2 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) were measured. Contrast-enhanced carotid ultrasound was used to assess the VV density. Patients with SAHS (80%) showed a higher adventitial VV density (0.801±0.125 vs. 0.697±0.082, p = 0.005) and higher levels of sVCAM-1 (745.2±137.8 vs. 643.3±122.7 ng/ml, p = 0.035) than subjects with an AHI lower than 10 events/hour. In addition, a positive association exist between mean VV density and AHI (r = 0.445, p = 0.001) and CT90 (r = 0.399, p = 0.005). Finally, in the multiple linear regression analysis, female sex, fasting plasma glucose and AHI (but not CT90) were the only variables independently associated with the mean adventitial VV density (R2 = 0.327). In conclusion, a high VV density is present in obese subjects with SAHS, and chronic intermittent hypoxia is pointed as an independent risk factor for the development of this early step of atheromatous diseaseThis study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria PI15/00260), European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, “Una manera de hacer Europa”), Fundación Sociedad Española Endocrinología y Nutrición (FSEEN) and Laboratorios Almirall (“Beca FSEEN de ayuda a la investigación sobre factores de riesgo cardiovascular”, Laboratorio ESTEVE and Menarini Spain S.A. CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas and CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias are initiatives of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors would like to thank Virtudes Maria and Mª del Valle Peña (from the Unit for the Detection and Treatment of Atherothrombotic Diseases), Olga Mínguez and Lidia Pascual (from the Sleep Unit) for their help in the study

Cardiometabolic Risk Profiles in Patients With Impaired Fasting Glucose and/or Hemoglobin A1c 5.7% to 6.4%: Evidence for a Gradient According to Diagnostic Criteria. The PREDAPS Study

It has been suggested that the early detection of individuals with prediabetes can help prevent cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the current study was to examine the cardiometabolic risk profile in patients with prediabetes according to fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and/or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) criteria. Cross-sectional analysis from the 2022 patients in the Cohort study in Primary Health Care on the Evolution of Patients with Prediabetes (PREDAPS Study) was developed. Four glycemic status groups were defined based on American Diabetes Association criteria. Information about cardiovascular risk factors-body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, gamma-glutamyltransferase, glomerular filtration-and metabolic syndrome components were analyzed. Mean values of clinical and biochemical characteristics and frequencies of metabolic syndrome were estimated adjusting by age, sex, educational level, and family history of diabetes. A linear trend (P < 0.001) was observed in most of the cardiovascular risk factors and in all components of metabolic syndrome. Normoglycemic individuals had the best values, individuals with both criteria of prediabetes had the worst, and individuals with only one-HbA1c or FPG-criterion had an intermediate position. Metabolic syndrome was present in 15.0% (95% confidence interval: 12.6-17.4), 59.5% (54.0-64.9), 62.0% (56.0-68.0), and 76.2% (72.8-79.6) of individuals classified in normoglycemia, isolated HbA1c, isolated FPG, and both criteria groups, respectively. In conclusion, individuals with prediabetes, especially those with both criteria, have worse cardiometabolic risk profile than normoglycemic individuals. These results suggest the need to use both criteria in the clinical practice to identify those individuals with the highest cardiovascular risk, in order to offer them special attention with intensive lifestyle intervention programs

Effects of Mediterranean Diet and Physical Activity on Pulmonary Function: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the ILERVAS Project

A few studies showed that both adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and physical activity practice have a positive impact on pulmonary function in subjects with lung disease. These associations are not well studied in subjects free from lung disease. In a cross-sectional study conducted in 3020 middle-aged subjects free of lung disease, adherence to the MedDiet using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener, and physical activity practice using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form were recorded. Respiratory function was assessed using forced spirometry and the results were evaluated according to the Global initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between adherence to the MedDiet and physical activity practice with the presence of ventilatory defects. Participants with a high adherence to MedDiet, in comparison to those with low adherence, had both higher forced vital capacity (FVC; 100 (87–109) vs. 94 (82–105) % of predicted, p = 0.003) and forced expired volume in the first second (FEV1; 100 (89–112) vs. 93 (80–107) % of predicted, p < 0.001). According to their degree of physical activity, those subjects with a high adherence also had both higher FVC (100 (88–107) vs. 94 (83–105) % of predicted, p = 0.027) and FEV1 (100 (89–110) vs. 95 (84–108) % of predicted, p = 0.047) in comparison with those with low adherence. The multivariable logistic regression models showed a significant and independent association between both low adherence to MedDiet and low physical activity practice, and the presence of altered pulmonary patterns, with differences between men and women. However, no joint effect between adherence to MedDiet and physical activity practice on respiratory function values was observed. Low adherence to MedDiet and low physical activity practice were independently associated with pulmonary impairment. Therefore, the lung mechanics seem to benefit from heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors.This study was supported by grants from the Diputació de Lleida, Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR696 and SLT0021600250), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria PI12/00803 and PI15/00260), and European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, “Una manera de hacer Europa”). CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas, CIBER de Nutrición y Obesidad, and CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias are initiatives of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III