FTO gene: Historic background and its relationship with chronic-degenerative diseases

Indexación: Scopus; Latindex.Alteraciones en el desarrollo de la atención y la organización conductual pueden configurar cuadros clínicos como el trastorno déficit de atención (TDA) que puede estar acompañado o no de hiperactividad (TDAH), este último parece tener una relación directa con otros diagnósticos de tipo endocrino como la obesidad. El objetivo del estudio es analizar la relación que existe entre el TDAH y la obesidad. Es por ello que se realiza una revisión sistemática de estudios científicos revelando relaciones y diferencias entre ambos trastornos desde una mirada fisiológica, cognoscitiva y comportamental. Se concluye que la relación entre el TDAH y la obesidad se da por factores genéticos, por variaciones dopaminérgicas, cambios en patrones de sueño, desajustes emocionales y por alteraciones en la regulación de la conducta; igualmente influyen factores sociales relacionados con el cuidado en el embarazo y la alimentación de las mujeres antes y durante la gestación.http://www.revhipertension.com/rlh_2_2018/5_fto_gene.pd

Magnesium Removal from an Aluminum A-332 Molten Alloy Using Enriched Zeolite with Nanoparticles of SiO 2

In order to improve the Mg removal from an A-380 molten alloy, mixtures of zeolite and SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2(NPs)) were tested. Zeolite was enriched with 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, or 12.5 wt-% of amorphous SiO2(NPs). The SiO2(NPs) and zeolite were mixed for 30 min in ethanol for each experiment and then dried in a furnace at 80°C for 12 h. The enriched zeolites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and N2 gas adsorption analysis. The Mg removal was carried out injecting each mixture into the molten aluminum alloy at 750°C using argon. The Mg content of the molten alloy was measured after different periods of the injection time. Zeolites enriched with 2.5 and 5 wt-% of SiO2(NPs) were demonstrated to be the better mixtures, removing Mg from an initial content of 1.6 to a final content of 0.0002 and 0.0101 wt-%, respectively, in 45 min of injection

Diagnóstico de la comunicación rural en Colombia.

El objetivo es conocer el estado actual de la investigación realizada en el país sobre comunicación rural y las necesidades de investigación para transferencia de tecnología agropecuaria según los agentes de cambio del ICA. El trabajo se inició con la conformación de un grupo multidisciplinario integrado por funcionarios del ICA, profesionales en agronomía, medicina veterinaria, comunicación social y economía del hogar. Se recolectaron 171 investigaciones sobre comunicación rural de las cuales se eliminaron 43 debido a que no encajaban dentro de los criterios establecidos para el análisis, haciéndose sobre 128 trabajos. Con base en los resultados y discusión se presentan las siguientes conclusiones : Es poca la investigación sobre el análisis de la fuente o emisor en cuanto a sus actividades y capacidad para actuar como tal. En cuanto al mensaje no se observa una clara tendencia hacia el estudio del mismo. Existe muy poca investigación sobre formas y medios de comunicación individuales y de grupos, en contraste con los estudios sobre medios masivos. La mayoría de las investigaciones sobre medios han sido realizadas por ACPO. La investigación en comunicación se ha ocupado preferencialmente del pequeño agricultor, usuario atendido con asistencia técnica oficial. Los trabajos se han encaminado a determinar la adopción de prácticas, el planeamiento de la comunicación, el análisis interno e impacto de la comunicación. En la región Andina se concentra la mayor parte de los estudios. El ICA es la institución que ha realizado mayor número de investigaciones en comunicación rural principalmente, en las áreas cubiertas por sus Distritos de Transferencia de Tecnología, le siguen en su orden las universidades, el Programa de Estudios para Graduados UN-ICA y ACP

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MAim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

Management of multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacilli infections in solid organ transplant recipients: SET/GESITRA-SEIMC/REIPI recommendations

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are especially at risk of developing infections by multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), as they are frequently exposed to antibiotics and the healthcare setting, and are regulary subject to invasive procedures. Nevertheless, no recommendations concerning prevention and treatment are available. A panel of experts revised the available evidence; this document summarizes their recommendations: (1) it is important to characterize the isolate´s phenotypic and genotypic resistance profile; (2) overall, donor colonization should not constitute a contraindication to transplantation, although active infected kidney and lung grafts should be avoided; (3) recipient colonization is associated with an increased risk of infection, but is not a contraindication to transplantation; (4) different surgical prophylaxis regimens are not recommended for patients colonized with carbapenem-resistant GNB; (5) timely detection of carriers, contact isolation precautions, hand hygiene compliance and antibiotic control policies are important preventive measures; (6) there is not sufficient data to recommend intestinal decolonization; (7) colonized lung transplant recipients could benefit from prophylactic inhaled antibiotics, specially for Pseudomonas aeruginosa; (8) colonized SOT recipients should receive an empirical treatment which includes active antibiotics, and directed therapy should be adjusted according to susceptibility study results and the severity of the infection.J.T.S. holds a research contract from the Fundación para la Formación e Investigación de los Profesionales de la Salud de Extremadura (FundeSalud), Instituto de Salud Carlos III. M.F.R. holds a clinical research contract “Juan Rodés” (JR14/00036) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III