159 research outputs found
Beyond the security paradox:Ten criteria for a socially informed security policy
This article is based on a research that has been funded by the EU project âSurPriSe: Surveillance, Privacy and Security: A large scale participatory assessment of criteria and factors determining acceptability and acceptance of security technologies in Europeâ, which received funding from the FP7 program, under the grant number: 285492.This article investigates the normative and procedural criteria adopted by European citizens to assess the acceptability of surveillance-oriented security technologies. It draws on qualitative data gathered at 12 citizen summits in nine European countries. The analysis identifies 10 criteria, generated by citizens themselves, for a socially informed security policy. These criteria not only reveal the conditions, purposes and operation rules that would make current European security policies and technologies more consistent with citizensâ priorities. They also cast light on an interesting paradox: although people feel safe in their daily lives, they believe security could, and should, be improved.PostprintPeer reviewe
Epilepsy care during the COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the care of all patients around the world. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) COVID-19 and Telemedicine Task Forces examined, through surveys to people with epilepsy (PWE), caregivers, and health care professionals, how the pandemic has affected the well-being, care, and services for PWE. The ILAE included a link on their website whereby PWE and/or their caregivers could fill out a survey (in 11 languages) about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including access to health services and impact on mental health, including the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. An anonymous link was also provided whereby health care providers could report cases of new-onset seizures or an exacerbation of seizures in the context of COVID-19. Finally, a separate questionnaire aimed at exploring the utilization of telehealth by health care professionals since the pandemic began was available on the ILAE website and also disseminated to its members. Seventeen case reports were received; data were limited and therefore no firm conclusions could be drawn. Of 590 respondents to the well-being survey (422 PWE, 166 caregivers), 22.8% PWE and 27.5% caregivers reported an increase in seizure frequency, with difficulty in accessing medication and health care professionals reported as barriers to care. Of all respondents, 57.1% PWE and 21.5% caregivers had severe psychological distress (k score >13), which was significantly higher among PWE than caregivers (p<0.01). An increase in telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by health care professionals, with 40% of consultations conducted by this method. Although 74.9% of health care providers thought that this impacted positively, barriers to care were also identified. As we move forward, there is a need to ensure ongoing support and care for PWE to prevent a parallel pandemic of unmet health care needs
Flavonoids in Kidney Health and Disease
This review summarizes the latest advances in knowledge on the effects of flavonoids on
renal function in health and disease. Flavonoids have antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and
antiinflammatory effects, among other therapeutic activities. Many of them also exert
renoprotective actions that may be of interest in diseases such as glomerulonephritis,
diabetic nephropathy, and chemically-induced kidney insufficiency. They affect several
renal factors that promote diuresis and natriuresis, which may contribute to their
well-known antihypertensive effect. Flavonoids prevent or attenuate the renal injury
associated with arterial hypertension, both by decreasing blood pressure and by acting
directly on the renal parenchyma. These outcomes derive from their interference with
multiple signaling pathways known to produce renal injury and are independent of their
blood pressure-lowering effects. Oral administration of flavonoids prevents or ameliorates
adverse effects on the kidney of elevated fructose consumption, high fat diet, and
types I and 2 diabetes. These compounds attenuate the hyperglycemia-disrupted renal
endothelial barrier function, urinarymicroalbumin excretion, and glomerular hyperfiltration
that results from a reduction of podocyte injury, a determinant factor for albuminuria
in diabetic nephropathy. Several flavonoids have shown renal protective effects against
many nephrotoxic agents that frequently cause acute kidney injury (AKI) or chronic kidney
disease (CKD), such as LPS, gentamycin, alcohol, nicotine, lead or cadmium. Flavonoids
also improve cisplatin- or methotrexate-induced renal damage, demonstrating important
actions in chemotherapy, anticancer and renoprotective effects. A beneficial prophylactic
effect of flavonoids has been also observed against AKI induced by surgical procedures
such as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) or cardiopulmonary bypass. In several murine models
of CKD, impaired kidney function was significantly improved by the administration of
flavonoids from different sources, alone or in combination with stem cells. In humans,
cocoa flavanols were found to have vasculoprotective effects in patients on hemodialysis.
Moreover, flavonoids develop antitumor activity against renal carcinoma cells with no
toxic effects on normal cells, suggesting a potential therapeutic role in patients with renal
carcinoma.This study was supported by grants from the Carlos III Health
Institute of Spain, and the Red de InvestigaciĂłn Renal REDinREN
number 5 012/0021. FEDER una manera de hacer Europa
Effects of environmental temperature on life tables of Rhodnius neivai Lent, 1953 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) under experimental conditions
Bone Mass and the CAG and GGN Androgen Receptor Polymorphisms in Young Men
BACKGROUND: To determine whether androgen receptor (AR) CAG (polyglutamine) and GGN (polyglycine) polymorphisms influence bone mineral density (BMD), osteocalcin and free serum testosterone concentration in young men. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Whole body, lumbar spine and femoral bone mineral content (BMC) and BMD, Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), AR repeat polymorphisms (PCR), osteocalcin and free testosterone (ELISA) were determined in 282 healthy men (28.6+/-7.6 years). Individuals were grouped as CAG short (CAG(S)) if harboring repeat lengths of < or = 21 or CAG long (CAG(L)) if CAG > 21, and GGN was considered short (GGN(S)) or long (GGN(L)) if GGN < or = 23 or > 23. There was an inverse association between logarithm of CAG and GGN length and Ward's Triangle BMC (r = -0.15 and -0.15, P<0.05, age and height adjusted). No associations between CAG or GGN repeat length and regional BMC or BMD were observed after adjusting for age. Whole body and regional BMC and BMD values were similar in men harboring CAG(S), CAG(L), GGN(S) or GGN(L) AR repeat polymorphisms. Men harboring the combination CAG(L)+GGN(L) had 6.3 and 4.4% higher lumbar spine BMC and BMD than men with the haplotype CAG(S)+GGN(S) (both P<0.05). Femoral neck BMD was 4.8% higher in the CAG(S)+GGN(S) compared with the CAG(L)+GGN(S) men (P<0.05). CAG(S), CAG(L), GGN(S), GGN(L) men had similar osteocalcin concentration as well as the four CAG-GGN haplotypes studied. CONCLUSION: AR polymorphisms have an influence on BMC and BMD in healthy adult humans, which cannot be explained through effects in osteoblastic activity
A super-Earth and a sub-Neptune orbiting the bright, quiet M3 dwarf TOI-1266
We report the discovery and characterisation of a super-Earth and a
sub-Neptune transiting the bright (), quiet, and nearby (37 pc) M3V
dwarf TOI-1266. We validate the planetary nature of TOI-1266 b and c using four
sectors of TESS photometry and data from the newly-commissioned 1-m SAINT-EX
telescope located in San Pedro M\'artir (Mexico). We also include additional
ground-based follow-up photometry as well as high-resolution spectroscopy and
high-angular imaging observations. The inner, larger planet has a radius of
R and an orbital period of 10.9 days. The
outer, smaller planet has a radius of R on
an 18.8-day orbit. The data are found to be consistent with circular, co-planar
and stable orbits that are weakly influenced by the 2:1 mean motion resonance.
Our TTV analysis of the combined dataset enables model-independent constraints
on the masses and eccentricities of the planets. We find planetary masses of
= (
at 2-) for TOI-1266 b and
( at 2-) for TOI-1266
c. We find small but non-zero orbital eccentricities of
( at 2-) for TOI-1266 b and ( at
2-) for TOI-1266 c. The equilibrium temperatures of both planets are of
K and K, respectively, assuming a null Bond albedo and
uniform heat redistribution from the day-side to the night-side hemisphere. The
host brightness and negligible activity combined with the planetary system
architecture and favourable planet-to-star radii ratios makes TOI-1266 an
exquisite system for a detailed characterisation
Vida Ăștil pĂłs-colheita do repolho roxo minimamente processado, armazenado em diferentes embalagens
Leptin Administration Favors Muscle Mass Accretion by Decreasing FoxO3a and Increasing PGC-1α in ob/ob Mice
Absence of leptin has been associated with reduced skeletal muscle mass in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of leptin on the catabolic and anabolic pathways regulating muscle mass. Gastrocnemius, extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscle mass as well as fiber size were significantly lower in ob/ob mice compared to wild type littermates, being significantly increased by leptin administration (P<0.001). This effect was associated with an inactivation of the muscle atrophy-related transcription factor forkhead box class O3 (FoxO3a) (P<0.05), and with a decrease in the protein expression levels of the E3 ubiquitin-ligases muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) (P<0.05) and muscle RING finger 1 (MuRF1) (P<0.05). Moreover, leptin increased (P<0.01) protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), a regulator of muscle fiber type, and decreased (P<0.05) myostatin protein, a negative regulator of muscle growth. Leptin administration also activated (P<0.01) the regulators of cell cycle progression proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1, and increased (P<0.01) myofibrillar protein troponin T. The present study provides evidence that leptin treatment may increase muscle mass of ob/ob mice by inhibiting myofibrillar protein degradation as well as enhancing muscle cell proliferation
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