Mortality trends for accidental falls in older people in Spain, 2000-2015

BACKGROUND: Accidental falls in older people are a major public health problem but a relatively limited number of studies have analyzed the mortality trends from this cause. Effective public health interventions have been found to prevent the incidence of falls and their complications. Therefore, characterizing the mortality trends of falls for different subpopulations can help to identify their needs and contribute to develop more appropriate prevention programs for specific target groups. METHODS: This study was based on a longitudinal analysis of death rates from accidental falls (2000-2015) stratified by sex for the population ≥ 65 years and by age groups (65-74, 75-84, ≥85). A joinpoint regression model was used to identify trend inflection points. The Annual Percent Change (APC) was estimated for each trend. RESULTS: Mortality rates per 100,000 person-years increased from 20.6 to 30.1 for men and 13.8 to 20.8 for women between 2000 and 2015. Men presented a relevant trend increase between 2008 and 2015 (APC [95% CI] 7.2% [5.3;9.2]) and women between 2008 and 2013 (7.9% [4.1;11.8]) There were no trend differences between sexes. For 65-74 years old men we found a relevant increase in the last period (2011-2015) (7.8% [1.0;15.1]). Those aged 75-84 years showed a trend increase between 2007 and 2015 (6.4% [4.4;8.4]) and men ≥85 years presented a remarkably high trend between 2008 and 2015 (9.0% [5.2;13]). There were no relevant differences between age groups. Women aged 65-74 had no relevant trend through the period. Those aged 75-84 presented an uniform trend increase for the whole period, 2000-2015, (3.4% [2.3;4.4]) and women ≥85 had and important trend increase between 2008 and 2013 (11.1% [5.3;17.2]), that has reached an stable level in the last 2 years. There were no relevant differences between the 75-84 and ≥85 age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Recent mortality trends from accidental falls increased in men ≥65 years and women ≥75 years. These results recommend the implementation of specific preventive programs.This work was supported by grant PI15CIII/00037 from the “Carlos III” Institute of Health.S

Aerostack2: A Software Framework for Developing Multi-robot Aerial Systems

In recent years, the robotics community has witnessed the development of several software stacks for ground and articulated robots, such as Navigation2 and MoveIt. However, the same level of collaboration and standardization is yet to be achieved in the field of aerial robotics, where each research group has developed their own frameworks. This work presents Aerostack2, a framework for the development of autonomous aerial robotics systems that aims to address the lack of standardization and fragmentation of efforts in the field. Built on ROS 2 middleware and featuring an efficient modular software architecture and multi-robot orientation, Aerostack2 is a versatile and platform-independent environment that covers a wide range of robot capabilities for autonomous operation. Its major contributions include providing a logical level for specifying missions, reusing components and sub-systems for aerial robotics, and enabling the development of complete control architectures. All major contributions have been tested in simulation and real flights with multiple heterogeneous swarms. Aerostack2 is open source and community oriented, democratizing the access to its technology by autonomous drone systems developers

Effects of bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) and its inhibitor, Noggin, on in vitro maturation and culture of bovine preimplantation embryos

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>BMP4 is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily and Noggin is a potent BMP inhibitor that exerts its function by binding to BMPs preventing interactions with its receptors. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of BMP4 and Noggin, on oocytes <it>in vitro </it>maturation (m experiments) and embryos <it>in vitro </it>development (c experiments) of bovine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For m experiments, COCs were collected from slaughterhouse ovaries and <it>in vitro </it>matured in TCM with 100 ng/ml of either BMP4 or Noggin. After 24 h, the nuclear stage of the oocytes was determined by staining with Hoechst 33342. In addition, RT-qPCR was performed on MII oocytes to study the relative concentration of <it>ZAR1, GDF9, BAX, MATER </it>and <it>HSP70 </it>transcripts. Treated oocytes were submitted to parthenogenic activation (PA) or <it>in vitro </it>fertilization (IVF) and cultured in CR2. For c experiments, non-treated matured oocytes were submitted to PA or IVF to generate embryos that were exposed to 100 ng/ml of BMP4 or Noggin in CR2 until day nine of culture. Cleavage, blastocyst and hatching rates, expression pattern of the transcription factor Oct-4 in blastocysts and embryo cell number at day two and nine post-activation or fertilization were evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that Noggin, as BMP4, did not affect oocyte nuclear maturation. Noggin supplementation up-regulated the expression of <it>HSP70 and MATER </it>genes in matured oocytes. Moreover, BMP4 during maturation increased the proportion of Oct-4 positive cells in parthenogenic embryos. On the other hand, when Noggin was added to embryo culture medium, developmental rates of parthenogenic and <it>in vitro </it>fertilized embryos were reduced. However, BMP4 addition decreases the development only for <it>in vitro </it>fertilized embryos. BMP4 and Noggin during culture reduced the proportion of Oct-4-expressing cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that BMP4 is implicated in bovine oocytes maturation and embryo development. Moreover, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that a correct balance of BMP signaling is needed for proper pre-implantation development of bovine embryos.</p

An Antimethanogenic Nutritional Intervention in Early Life of Ruminants Modifies Ruminal Colonization by Archaea

The aim of this work was to study whether feeding a methanogen inhibitor from birth of goat kids and their does has an impact on the archaeal population colonizing the rumen and to what extent the impact persists later in life. Sixteen goats giving birth to two kids were used. Eight does were treated (D+) with bromochloromethane after giving birth and over 2 months. The other 8 goats were not treated (D−). One kid per doe in both groups was treated with bromochloromethane (k+) for 3 months while the other was untreated (k−), resulting in four experimental groups: D+/k+, D+/k−, D−/k+, and D−/k−. Rumen samples were collected from kids at weaning and 1 and 4 months after (3 and 6 months after birth) and from does at the end of the treating period (2 months). Pyrosequencing analyses showed a modified archaeal community composition colonizing the rumen of kids, although such effect did not persist entirely 4 months after; however, some less abundant groups remained different in treated and control animals. The different response on the archaeal community composition observed between offspring and adult goats suggests that the competition occurring in the developing rumen to occupy different niches offer potential for intervention

Tenofovir Nephrotoxicity: 2011 Update

Tenofovir is an acyclic nucleotide analogue reverse-transcriptase inhibitor structurally similar to the nephrotoxic drugs adefovir and cidofovir. Tenofovir is widely used to treat HIV infection and approved for treatment of hepatitis B virus. Despite initial cell culture and clinical trials results supporting the renal safety of tenofovir, its clinical use is associated with a low, albeit significant, risk of kidney injury. Proximal tubular cell secretion of tenofovir explains the accumulation of the drug in these mitochondria-rich cells. Tenofovir nephrotoxicity is characterized by proximal tubular cell dysfunction that may be associated with acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease. Withdrawal of the drug leads to improvement of analytical parameters that may be partial. Understanding the risk factors for nephrotoxicity and regular monitoring of proximal tubular dysfunction and serum creatinine in high-risk patients is required to minimize nephrotoxicity. Newer, structurally similar molecular derivatives that do not accumulate in proximal tubules are under study

The tomato mutant ars1 (altered response to salt stress 1) identifies an R1-type MYB transcription factor involved in stomatal closure under salt acclimation

[EN] A screening under salt stress conditions of a T-DNA mutant collection of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) led to the identification of the altered response to salt stress 1 (ars1) mutant, which showed a salt-sensitive phenotype. Genetic analysis of the ars1 mutation revealed that a single T-DNA insertion in the ARS1 gene was responsible of the mutant phenotype. ARS1 coded for an R1-MYB type transcription factor and its expression was induced by salinity in leaves. The mutant reduced fruit yield under salt acclimation while in the absence of stress the disruption of ARS1 did not affect this agronomic trait. The stomatal behaviour of ars1 mutant leaves induced higher Na+ accumulation via the transpiration stream, as the decreases of stomatal conductance and transpiration rate induced by salt stress were markedly lower in the mutant plants. Moreover, the mutation affected stomatal closure in a response mediated by abscisic acid (ABA). The characterization of tomato transgenic lines silencing and overexpressing ARS1 corroborates the role of the gene in regulating the water loss via transpiration under salinity. Together, our results show that ARS1 tomato gene contributes to reduce transpirational water loss under salt stress. Finally, this gene could be interesting for tomato molecular breeding, because its manipulation could lead to improved stress tolerance without yield penalty under optimal culture conditions.This work was funded by a research project (AGL2012-40150-C01/C02/C03) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). This work was also supported by grant RYC2010-06369 (Ramon y Cajal Programme) from the MINECO to NF-G and grant E-30-2011-0443170 (JAE-Doc Programme) from the Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) to IE and BP. The authors have no conflict of interests to declareCampos, JF.; Cara, B.; Perez-Martin, F.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; Egea, I.; Flores, FB.; Fernandez-Garcia, N.... (2016). The tomato mutant ars1 (altered response to salt stress 1) identifies an R1-type MYB transcription factor involved in stomatal closure under salt acclimation. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 14(6):1345-1356. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.124981345135614

Plan estratégico para Goutgong Mobile Inc. 2022-2026

El plan de negocios que presentamos tiene como objetivo desarrollar la estrategia que Goutong Mobile utilizará en el periodo 2022-2026 para mantener los buenos resultados que ha tenido en los últimos años, centrándose únicamente en el mercado chino. Goutong Mobile es una empresa que tiene como negocio principal la fabricación y la comercialización de smartphones. Opera desde el 2017 en Estados Unidos, Europa y China y obtuvo una cuota global de mercado de 11.60 % en el 2021. Esta empresa ha trabajado en los últimos años en lograr eficiencias en sus procesos para reducir costos de producción y para que sus clientes puedan acceder a tecnología avanzada a un bajo precio. De ese modo, ha contribuido a la unión de las personas en el ámbito actual y mejorado su calidad de vida.The business plan we are presenting aims to develop the strategy that Goutong Mobile will use in the 2022-2026 period to maintain the good results it has accomplished in recent years, focusing solely on the Chinese market. Goutong Mobile main business is the manufacture and commercialization of smartphones. It started operations in 2017 in the United States, Europe and China and reached a global market share of 11.60% in 2021. In recent years, the company has made significant efforts to achieve process efficiencies to reduce production costs and so that its customers can access advanced technology at a low price. In this way, it has contributed to bring people together in a context as changing and complex as the current one and also improving their quality of life

How temperatures may affect the synthesis of fatty acids during olive fruit ripening: genes at work in the field

A major concern for olive cultivation in many extra-Mediterranean regions is the adaptation of recently introduced cultivars to environmental conditions different from those prevailing in the original area, such as the Mediterranean basin. Some of these cultivars can easily adapt their physiological and biochemical parameters in new agro-environments, whereas others show unbalanced values of oleic acid content. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the thermal regime during oil synthesis on the expression of fatty acid desaturase genes and on the unsaturated fatty acid contents at the field level. Two cultivars (Arbequina and Coratina) were included in the analysis over a wide latitudinal gradient in Argentina. The results suggest that the thermal regime exerts a regulatory effect at the transcriptional level on both OeSAD2 and OeFAD2-2 genes and that this regulation is cultivar-dependent. It was also observed that the accumulated thermal time affects gene expression and the contents of oleic and linoleic acids in cv. Arbequina more than in Coratina. The fatty acid composition of cv. Arbequina is more influenced by the temperature regime than Coratina, suggesting its greater plasticity. Overall, findings from this study may drive future strategies for olive spreading towards areas with different or extreme thermal regimes serve as guidance for the evaluation olive varietal patrimony.EEA San JuanFil: Contreras Valentín, Ana Cibeles. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Contreras Valentín, Ana Cibeles. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pierantozzi, Pierluigi. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Pierantozzi, Pierluigi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Maestri, Damian. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Maestri, Damian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tivani, Martín. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Tivani, Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Searles, Peter. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Brizuela, Magdalena. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Fabricio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Catamarca; Argentina.Fil: Toro, Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Cerro Azul; Argentina.Fil: Puertas, Carlos. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Junin; Argentina.Fil: Trentacoste, Eduardo R. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Junin; Argentina.Fil: Kiessling, Juan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural Centenario; Argentina.Fil: Mariotti, Roberto. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Baldoni, Luciana. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Mousavi, Soraya. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Fernández, Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Paula. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Moschen, Sebastián. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA).Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; Argentina.Fil: Moschen, Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Myriam Mariela.Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Torres, Myriam Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Associated health benefits on mortality of reducing Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in Spain

The objective of the study was to estimate the number of avoidable deaths resulting from reducing ambient air concentrations of PM2.5 in Spain. We used the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to simulate the levels of air pollution over the whole country corresponding to 2004 -the baseline year- and to estimate the future pollution scenario in 2011 with a reduction in PM2.5 based on air quality policies. To calculate the health impact we used: a) municipal crude mortality rates (all causes, ICD-10: A00-Y98), and population figures of 2004, and b) the concentration-response functions (CRF) based on available epidemiological studies for this health indicator (Pope et al.,2002; Laden et al.,2006). For this purpose, the U.S. EPA´s BenMAP software was used to obtain a global figure of avoidable deaths for the country. According to the simulation, air quality would improve with an average annual reduction of 0.7μg/m 3 in PM2.5 levels. According to Pope’s CRF, this change in PM2.5 levels would imply an annual decline in overall mortality in Spain of 1,718 deaths in the population older than 30 years (6 avoided deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). The total number of deaths in this age range would decrease by 0.5%. According to Laden´s CRF, which restricts the analysis to people between 25-74 years old, the air quality improvement would avoid 1,447 deaths per year. These results show the potential benefits in mortality that could be expected if pollution control policies were successfully implemented in Spai