Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic confinement period on basic dietary and health habits in a sample of the Spanish population

Antecedentes y objetivos: Un hábito constituye una pauta de comportamiento diario de una persona que tiene cierta repetición en el tiempo. Mantener hábitos correctos de alimentación y salud influye directamente en el bienestar de los individuos. Recientemente, a causa de la pandemia del coronavirus COVID-19 -en lo que se ha denominado la primer ola- la realidad de la vida, del trabajo y de la relación de la población española se ha visto modificada de forma repentina. El objetivo del presente estudio consiste en determinar el impacto que ha producido el periodo de confinamiento sobre los hábitos de la población. Métodos: Se plantea un estudio observacional, descriptivo, trasversal mediante encuestas. Se diseñó un cuestionario “ad hoc” que exploraba un conjunto de variables, fundamentalmente, hábitos relacionados con la alimentación, las relaciones sociales y algunos aspectos emocionales. El cuestionario fue difundido durante un periodo de ocho semanas y fue implementado por una muestra de 519 personas, mediante un muestreo no probabilístico en bola de nieve. Resultados: Los resultados del estudio arrojan que en general los hábitos alimentarios se han visto favorecidos por el periodo de confinamiento. El disponer de un mayor tiempo para cocinar ha llevado a la población a consumir comida más casera de producción propia. Otro resultado a destacar es que las mujeres han sufrido durante el confinamiento más cargas emocionales y psicológicas que los hombres en todas las variables consideradas. De forma similar, las personas más jóvenes han sufrido más intensamente procesos emocionales durante el confinamiento que el grupo de mayores. Conclusiones: El período de confinamiento no ha perjudicado de forma significativa, la forma física de la población; aunque se han comprobado incrementos de peso y de ingesta de comida, también se ha observado un incremento del ejercicio físico y la adopción de prácticas nutricionales más saludables. El impacto más negativo se ha registrado en la esfera psicológica y la social, así como sobre los aspectos laborables y los estudios.Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the reality of life, work and relationships of the Spanish population has suddenly changed. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the period of confinement on the behaviour of the population. The participants were people of Spanish nationality who did not have chronic or mental illnesses that could affect their diet or emotional state. The sample consisted of 519 people, from all over Spain, 351 participants were women and 168 men. Most of the sample was made up of subjects between 18 and 30 years old. We proposed an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study using surveys. An ad hoc questionnaire was designed to explore a series of variables: eating habits, social relationships and some emotional aspects. The questionnaire was distributed for eight weeks using non-probabilistic snowball sampling. In general, eating behaviours were improved in the period of confinement. The population consumed more home-made food prepared by themselves. Women suffered more emotional and psychological burdens during confinement than men. Younger people suffered more intense emotional issues during confinement. The period of confinement did not significantly affect the physical condition of the population. The most negative impact was recorded on psychological and social variables, as well as on work and studies.Ciencias Experimentale

Identification of a microRNA signature for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia

Diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome characterized by generalized body pain, hyperalgesia and other functional and emotional comorbidities, is a challenging process hindered by symptom heterogeneity and clinical overlap with other disorders. No objective diagnostic method exists at present. The aim of this study was to identify changes in miRNA expression profiles (miRNome) of these patients for the development of a quantitative diagnostic method of FM. In addition, knowledge of FM patient miRNomes should lead to a deeper understanding of the etiology and/or symptom severity of this complex disease.Genome-wide expression profiling of miRNAs was assessed in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of FM patients (N=11) and population-age-matched controls (N=10) using human v16-miRbase 3D-Gene microarrays (Toray Industries, Japan). Selected miRNAs from the screen were further validated by RT-qPCR. Participating patients were long term sufferers (over 10 years) diagnosed by more than one specialist under 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria.Microarray analysis of FM patient PBMCs evidenced a marked downregulation of hsa-miR223-3p, hsa-miR451a, hsa-miR338-3p, hsa-miR143-3p, hsa-miR145-5p and hsa-miR-21-5p (4-fold or more). All but the mildest inhibited miRNA, hsa-miR-21-5p, were validated by RT-qPCR. Globally, 20% of the miRNAs analyzed (233/1212) showed downregulation of at least 2-fold in patients. This might indicate a general de-regulation of the miRNA synthetic pathway in FM. No significant correlations between miRNA inhibition and FM cardinal symptoms could be identified. However, the patient with the lowest score for mental fatigue coincided with the mildest inhibition in four of the five miRNAs associated with the FM-group.We propose a signature of five strikingly downregulated miRNAs (hsa-miR223-3p, hsa-miR451a, hsa-miR338-3p, hsa-miR143-3p and hsa-miR145-5p) to be used as biomarkers of FM. Validation in larger study groups is required before the results can be transferred to the clinic.The study was funded by the Fundación Universidad Católica de Valencia “San Vicente Mártir”(UCV) Research Grant Program (2011-011-02, 2011-011-04 and 2012-011-008) the Fundación Cátedra Umivale at the UCV and the 3D-Gene International Competition Award to EOMedicin

Microrna Expression Profile in Fibromyalgia Patients: A Pilot Matched Case Control Study

The objective of this study was to determine whether an association between an altered miRNAs expression profile and fibromyalgia exists.Medicin

Phycomyces

This monographic review on a fungus is not addressed to mycologists. None of the authors has been trained or has otherwise acquired a general proficiency in mycology. They are motivated by a common interest in the performances of signal handling exhibited by the sense organs of all organisms and by the desire to attack these as yet totally obscure aspects of molecular biology by the study of a microorganism with certain desirable properties. The sporangiophore of the fungus Phycomyces is a gigantic, single-celled, erect, cylindrical, aerial hypha. It is sensitive to at least four distinct stimuli: light, gravity, stretch, and some unknown stimulus by which it avoids solid objects. These stimuli control a common output, the growth rate, producing either temporal changes in growth rate or tropic responses. We are interested in the output because it gives us information about the reception of the various signals. In the absence of external stimuli, the growth rate is controlled by internal signals keeping the network of biochemical processes in balance. The external stimuli interact with the internal signals. We wish to inquire into the early steps of this interaction. For light, for instance, the cell must have a receptor pigment as the first mediator. What kind of a molecule is this pigment? Which organelle contains it? What chemical reaction happens after a light quantum has been absorbed? And how is the information introduced by this primary photochemical event amplified in a controlled manner and processed in the next step? How do a few quanta or a few molecules trigger macroscopic responses? Will we find ourselves confronted with devices wholly distinct from anything now known in biology

Functional Analysis of the Phycomyces carRA Gene Encoding the Enzymes Phytoene Synthase and Lycopene Cyclase

Phycomyces carRA gene encodes a protein with two domains. Domain R is characterized by red carR mutants that accumulate lycopene. Domain A is characterized by white carA mutants that do not accumulate significant amounts of carotenoids. The carRA-encoded protein was identified as the lycopene cyclase and phytoene synthase enzyme by sequence homology with other proteins. However, no direct data showing the function of this protein have been reported so far. Different Mucor circinelloides mutants altered at the phytoene synthase, the lycopene cyclase or both activities were transformed with the Phycomyces carRA gene. Fully transcribed carRA mRNA molecules were detected by Northern assays in the transformants and the correct processing of the carRA messenger was verified by RT-PCR. These results showed that Phycomyces carRA gene was correctly expressed in Mucor. Carotenoids analysis in these transformants showed the presence of ß-carotene, absent in the untransformed strains, providing functional evidence that the Phycomyces carRA gene complements the M. circinelloides mutations. Co-transformation of the carRA cDNA in E. coli with different combinations of the carotenoid structural genes from Erwinia uredovora was also performed. Newly formed carotenoids were accumulated showing that the Phycomyces CarRA protein does contain lycopene cyclase and phytoene synthase activities. The heterologous expression of the carRA gene and the functional complementation of the mentioned activities are not very efficient in E. coli. However, the simultaneous presence of both carRA and carB gene products from Phycomyces increases the efficiency of these enzymes, presumably due to an interaction mechanism

Two Origins for the Gene Encoding α-Isopropylmalate Synthase in Fungi

BACKGROUND: The biosynthesis of leucine is a biochemical pathway common to prokaryotes, plants and fungi, but absent from humans and animals. The pathway is a proposed target for antimicrobial therapy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we identified the leuA gene encoding alpha-isopropylmalate synthase in the zygomycete fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus using a genetic mapping approach with crosses between wild type and leucine auxotrophic strains. To confirm the function of the gene, Phycomyces leuA was used to complement the auxotrophic phenotype exhibited by mutation of the leu3+ gene of the ascomycete fungus Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the leuA gene in Phycomyces, other zygomycetes, and the chytrids is more closely related to homologs in plants and photosynthetic bacteria than ascomycetes or basidiomycetes, and suggests that the Dikarya have acquired the gene more recently. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The identification of leuA in Phycomyces adds to the growing body of evidence that some primary metabolic pathways or parts of them have arisen multiple times during the evolution of fungi, probably through horizontal gene transfer events

Nitrosoguanidine Assay of Episomal Integration in Escherichia coli

Mutations affecting utilization of lactose and resistance to the male-specific phages f1, f2, and Qβ tend to occur simultaneously more often than expected by chance in Hfr strains whose origin of transfer is close to the genes for lactose utilization, but not in F(+) strains. Strains derived from the Hfr, but exhibiting poor ability to transfer early chromosomal genes, may or may not show this comutation phenomenon. These results support the concept that the F factor is integrated into the Hfr chromosome during vegetative growth, but is autonomous in the F(+) strains and could serve as an assay for episomal localization