PLASMA AND ERYTHROCYTE CHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITIES IN CHILDREN FROM YUCATAN, MEXICO: RELATIONSHIP WITH ANTHROPOMETRY AND OBESITY

Objective: To examine cholinesterase activities in children from three towns in Yucatan, Mexico and their relationship with anthropometry.Methods: Plasma and erythrocyte cholinesterase a ctivities were measured in 104 children from Ticul, Merida and Progreso. Differences between gender, sampling sites and body mass index (BMI ) group  were evaluated. Weight, height, BMI, hip and waist circumferences were correlated with cholinesterase activities.Results: Significant differences in the waist circumference and BChE activity were found among sites. Children from Ticul presented higher BChE activity compared to children from the other towns. Children from Progreso had a smaller hip circumference compared to children from the other two locations. There was a high prevalence of overweight and obese children (40.3%). The results indicated that obese children had higher BChE activity respect to healthy weight children. As expected, there were also significant waist and hip circumference differences for BMI groups. The results demonstrated a positive significant correlation between BChE activity and weight, waist and hip circumference.Conclusions: These results support the hypothesized role of BChE in lipid metabolism. Because of the high prevalence of obese children in Mexico, BChE activity may be used as a biomarker in combination with anthropometry to monitor obesity.Keywords: Cholinesterase, Children, Anthropometry, Obesity

The impact of ancient Mesoamerican cities on long-term environmental sustainability: the view from historical ecology

The impact of ancient urban occupations on sustainability has recently become a topic of interest for archaeologists as well as many other scholars. Much of this archaeological research has focused on documenting the longevity of ancient cities and elucidating the social and economic strategies employed at the urban and regional scales to promote urban sustainability. In this article, we add to this discussion by addressing the issue of sustainability by considering the impact of environmental legacies left by ancient cities after their abandonment. Using a series of cases from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica [OMYK (Coba), Kiuic, Lagunas de Yalahau, and Tlaxcallan], we show through ethnoecological and historical ecological research that in some cases pre-Hispanic people, living in urban zones, affected “intermediate” disturbances that increased biodiversity, biomass, and sustainability by creating second natures that have endured for centuries

Comprehensive analysis of epigenetic clocks reveals associations between disproportionate biological ageing and hippocampal volume

The concept of age acceleration, the difference between biological age and chronological age, is of growing interest, particularly with respect to age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Whilst studies have reported associations with AD risk and related phenotypes, there remains a lack of consensus on these associations. Here we aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between five recognised measures of age acceleration, based on DNA methylation patterns (DNAm age), and cross-sectional and longitudinal cognition and AD-related neuroimaging phenotypes (volumetric MRI and Amyloid-β PET) in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Significant associations were observed between age acceleration using the Hannum epigenetic clock and cross-sectional hippocampal volume in AIBL and replicated in ADNI. In AIBL, several other findings were observed cross-sectionally, including a significant association between hippocampal volume and the Hannum and Phenoage epigenetic clocks. Further, significant associations were also observed between hippocampal volume and the Zhang and Phenoage epigenetic clocks within Amyloid-β positive individuals. However, these were not validated within the ADNI cohort. No associations between age acceleration and other Alzheimer’s disease-related phenotypes, including measures of cognition or brain Amyloid-β burden, were observed, and there was no association with longitudinal change in any phenotype. This study presents a link between age acceleration, as determined using DNA methylation, and hippocampal volume that was statistically significant across two highly characterised cohorts. The results presented in this study contribute to a growing literature that supports the role of epigenetic modifications in ageing and AD-related phenotypes

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Uncovering the heterogeneity and temporal complexity of neurodegenerative diseases with Subtype and Stage Inference

The heterogeneity of neurodegenerative diseases is a key confound to disease understanding and treatment development, as study cohorts typically include multiple phenotypes on distinct disease trajectories. Here we introduce a machine-learning technique\u2014Subtype and Stage Inference (SuStaIn)\u2014able to uncover data-driven disease phenotypes with distinct temporal progression patterns, from widely available cross-sectional patient studies. Results from imaging studies in two neurodegenerative diseases reveal subgroups and their distinct trajectories of regional neurodegeneration. In genetic frontotemporal dementia, SuStaIn identifies genotypes from imaging alone, validating its ability to identify subtypes; further the technique reveals within-genotype heterogeneity. In Alzheimer\u2019s disease, SuStaIn uncovers three subtypes, uniquely characterising their temporal complexity. SuStaIn provides fine-grained patient stratification, which substantially enhances the ability to predict conversion between diagnostic categories over standard models that ignore subtype (p = 7.18 7 10 124 ) or temporal stage (p = 3.96 7 10 125 ). SuStaIn offers new promise for enabling disease subtype discovery and precision medicine

How humans cooperate: confronting the challenge of collective action

Includes bibliographical references and index.A new approach to investigating human cooperation developed from the vantage point of an 'anthropological imagination.' Drawing the discipline's broad understanding of humans in biological, social, and cultural dimensions, and across a wide range of temporal, spatial, and cultural variation.--Provided by publisher.What does evolutionary psychology tell us about human cooperation? -- The path to cooperation through collective action and institutions -- Anthropology: the missing voice in the conversation about cooperation -- The contingent cooperator as seen from the perspectives of neurobiology and bioevolution -- Cooperation or competition in the marketplace? -- On the need to rethink theories of state formation and how collective action theory will help -- Cooperation in state-building?: An investigation of collective action before and after the rise of modern democracies -- Center and hinterland under conditions of collective action -- Collective action and the shaping of cities and their neighborhoods -- The cultural process of cooperation -- The causes and consequences of collective action -- Final thoughts: insights gained from an expanded collective

Uso de los parques recreativos en Mérida, Yucatán

Este artículo es un análisis comparativo de la asistencia de los pobladores a parques recreativos de tres zonas de Mérida, Yucatán, que presentan diferentes y polarizadas características socioeconómicas. La metodología se basó en la aplicación de encuestas y de los softwares Google Earth y ArcGis 13. Los resultados muestran que ninguna de las zonas cuenta con una oferta suficiente de parques ni con los equipamientos adecuados; sin embargo, la accesibilidad de los usuarios, tanto física como percibida, sus contextos sociales y económicos, así como sus cualidades de consumo, hacen que cada grupo tenga particularidades en el uso de dichos espacios

LA CAÍDA DE LOS IMPERIOS UN ASUNTO DE CORRUPCIÓN Y MORAL

Un estudio histórico sugiere que la principal causa del colapso de antiguosimperios como el Romano y la dinastía Ming de China fue la corrupción de sus gobiernos, a pesar que en sus inicios, sus líderes ofrecían “buenas políticas y prácticas gubernamentales” y eran “muy apreciados” por los ciudadanos. Los resultados de la investigación fueron publicados en la revistaFrontiers in Political Science cuyos autores, basándose en estudios comparativos transculturales de estados premodernos logran proponer una perspectiva novedosa sobre las causas del colapso estatal, motivados a la luz del creciente retroceso democrático de los estados-nación democráticos contemporáneos