The burden of mild cognitive impairment attributable to physical inactivity in Colombia

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment often precedes dementia. The purpose of this analysis was to estimate the population attributable fraction for physical activity in Colombia, which is the reduction in cases that would occur if all participants were physically active. METHODS: The sample included 20,174 men and women aged 70.04 +/- 7.68 years (mean +/- SD) from the National Survey of Health, Wellbeing and Ageing. Trained interviewers administered a shorter version of the mini-mental state examination and mild cognitive impairment was defined as a score of 12 or less out of 19. Logistic regression models were fitted and population attributable fractions for physical activity were calculated. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, height, education, income, civil status, smoking, and alcohol drinking. RESULTS: The prevalence of physical activity was approximately 50% when defined as walking between 9 and 20 blocks at least three times per week. Theoretically, 19% of cases of mild cognitive impairment would be eliminated if all adults were to walk (95% confidence interval: 16%, 22%). The prevalence was approximately 20% when defined as taking part in vigorous sport or exercise at least three times per week. Theoretically, 23% of cases of mild cognitive impairment would be eliminated if all adults were to take part in vigorous sport or exercise (16%, 30%). Similar results were observed after removing those who reported mental health problems. CONCLUSION: Physical activity, whether walking or vigorous sport and exercise, has the potential to substantially reduce the burden of mild cognitive impairment in Colombia

Cognitive stimulation as alternative treatment to improve psychological disorders in patients with mild cognitive impairment

(1) Background: Mild cognitive impairment is becoming one of the most common clinical manifestations affecting older people. For this reason, developing non-pharmacological strategies to help improve or maintain the physical condition of patients with mild dementia has become a priority. Therefore, the objective of this study is to provide evidence about the effects of a cognitive stimulation program on cognitive performance, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and aged > 70. (2) Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial. A total of 72 elderly people with MCI participated: 35 in the control group who did not receive any intervention and 36 in the experimental group who received a cognitive stimulation program for 12 weeks. Cognitive performance, depression, anxiety and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale, the Hamilton Rating Scale, and the SF-12, respectively. (3) Results: In the experimental group, significant results were obtained on cognitive performance, depression, anxiety and general health, emotional role, social functioning, vitality, mental health and mental component summary domains of the SF-12. (4) Conclusions: a cognitive stimulation program of 12 weeks improves cognitive performance, anxiety, depression, and HRQoL in people with MCI aged > 70

Discovery of new globular clusters in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy

© ESO 2021. Published by EDP Sciences. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140395Context. Globular clusters (GCs) are witnesses of the past accretion events onto the Milky Way. In particular, the GCs of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy are important probes of an on-going merger. Aims. Our main goal is to search for new GC members of this dwarf galaxy using the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea Extended Survey (VVVX) near-infrared database combined with the Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) optical database. Methods. We investigated all VVVX-enabled discoveries of GC candidates in a region covering about 180 sq. deg. toward the bulge and the Sgr dwarf galaxy. We used multiband point-spread function photometry to obtain deep color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and luminosity functions (LFs) for all GC candidates, complemented by accurate Gaia-EDR3 proper motions (PMs) to select Sgr members and variability information to select RR Lyrae which are potential GC members. Results. After applying a strict PM cut to discard foreground bulge and disk stars, the CMDs and LFs for some of the GC candidates exhibit well defined red giant branches and red clump giant star peaks. We selected the best Sgr GCs, estimating their distances, reddenings, and associated RR Lyrae. Conclusions. We discover 12 new Sgr GC members, more than doubling the number of GCs known in this dwarf galaxy. In addition, there are 11 other GC candidates identified that are uncertain, awaiting better data for confirmation.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Dopaminergic control of ADAMTS2 expression through cAMP/CREB and ERK: molecular effects of antipsychotics

© The Author(s) 2019.A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that participate in the development and clinical manifestations of schizophrenia can lead to improve our ability to diagnose and treat this disease. Previous data strongly associated the levels of deregulated ADAMTS2 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients at first episode of psychosis (up) as well as in clinical responders to treatment with antipsychotic drugs (down). In this current work, we performed an independent validation of such data and studied the mechanisms implicated in the control of ADAMTS2 gene expression. Using a new cohort of drug-naïve schizophrenia patients with clinical follow-up, we confirmed that the expression of ADAMTS2 was highly upregulated in PBMCs at the onset (drug-naïve patients) and downregulated, in clinical responders, after treatment with antipsychotics. Mechanistically, ADAMTS2 expression was activated by dopaminergic signalling (D1-class receptors) and downstream by cAMP/CREB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK signalling. Incubation with antipsychotic drugs and selective PKA and MEK inhibitors abrogated D1-mediated activation of ADAMTS2 in neuronal-like cells. Thus, D1 receptors signalling towards CREB activation might participate in the onset and clinical responses to therapy in schizophrenia patients, by controlling ADAMTS2 expression and activity. The unbiased investigation of molecular mechanisms triggered by antipsychotic drugs may provide a new landscape of novel targets potentially associated with clinical efficacy.This work was supported by: SAF2016-76046-R and SAF2013-46292-R (MINECO and FEDER) to B.C.F., PI16/00156 (isciii and FEDER) to J.P.V., LUCHAMOS POR LA VIDA project to F.R.J. and J.P.V., SAF2017-83702-R (MINECO and FEDER), Red TERCEL RD12/0019/0024 (ISCIII) and GVA-PROMETEO 2018/041 (Generalitat Valenciana) to S.M. J.P.V. is supported by the RyC research programme (RYC-2013-14097) and F.R.J. by the predoctoral research programme (BES-2014-070615), from MINECO and FEDER

Hazardous faults of South America; compilation and overview

The heterogeneous South American geology has coined a wide variety of neotectonic settings where crustal seismogenic sources do occur. This fact has led to different approaches for mapping and inventory neotectonic structures. The South American Risk Assessment project promoted the discussion and update under uniform standards of the available information on neotectonic deformation, for its application in regional Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessments. As a result, 1533 hazardous faults have been inventoried onshore South America, 497 of them qualifying to feed the engine model driving probabilistic maps. Main hazardous structures are concentrated throughout the eastern boundary of the Northern Andean Sliver and along the foreland-facing Andean Thrust Front. Space geodesy and seismicity illuminate the seismogenic significance of these deformation belts, although few neotectonic surveys have been conducted to date in the latter region. The characteristics of the main structures or deformation zones are here outlined according to their filiation to neotectonic domains, which are dependant on the geologic, seismotectonic, or morphotectonic settings in Andean and extra-Andean regions. The knowledge accrued on the hazardous faults in South America here compiled, reinforces the fact that some of these structures constitute significant hazard sources for many urban areas and critical facilities and should be incorporated in seismic hazard assessments. However, the available fault data are insufficient in many cases or carry significant epistemic uncertainties for fault source characterization. This contribution aims to summarize the present knowledge on the South American hazardous faults as well as the main challenges for successful fault data incorporation into seismic hazard models

VVVX-Gaia Discovery of a Low Luminosity Globular Cluster in the Milky Way Disk

© 2020 ESOMilky Way globular clusters (MW GCs) are difficult to identify at low Galactic latitudes because of high differential extinction and heavy star crowding. The new deep near-IR images and photometry from the VISTA Variables in the Via L\'actea Extended Survey (VVVX) allow us to chart previously unexplored regions. Our long term aim is to complete the census of MW GCs. The immediate goals are to estimate the astrophysical parameters, measuring their reddenings, extinctions, distances, total luminosities, proper motions, sizes, metallicities and ages. We use the near-IR VVVX survey database, in combination with Gaia DR2 optical photometry, and with the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) photometry. We report the detection of a heretofore unknown Galactic Globular Cluster at RA = 14:09:00.0; DEC=-65:37:12 (J2000). We calculate a reddening of E(J-K_s)=(0.3 +/- 0.03) mag and an extinction of A_Ks=(0.15 +/- 0.01) mag for this new GC. Its distance modulus and corresponding distance were measured as (m-M)=(15.93 +/- 0.03) mag and D=(15.5 +/- 1.0) kpc, respectively. We estimate the metallicity and age by comparison with known GCs and by fitting PARSEC and Dartmouth isochrones, finding $[Fe/H]=(-0.70\pm0.2)$ dex and t=(11.0 +/- 1.0) Gyr. The mean GC PMs from Gaia are mu_alpha^(star)=(-4.68 +/- 0.47) mas yr^(-1) and mu_delta=(-1.34 \pm 0.45) mas yr^(-1). The total luminosity of our cluster is estimated to be M_Ks=(-7.76 +/- 0.5) mag. We have found a new low-luminosity, old and metal-rich globular cluster, situated in the far side of the Galactic disk, at R_G=11.2 kpc from the Galactic centre, and at z=1.0 kpc below the plane. Interestingly, the location, metallicity and age of this globular cluster are coincident with the Monoceros Ring (MRi) structure.Peer reviewe

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Biodiversity Associated with Artificial Agricultural Drainage Ditches

Agricultural drainage channels and ditches are ubiquitous features in the lowland agricultural landscapes, built primarily to facilitate land drainage, irrigate agricultural crops and alleviate flood risk. Most drainage ditches are considered artificial waterbodies and are not typically included in routine monitoring programmes, and as a result the faunal and floral communities they support are poorly quantified. This paper characterizes the aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity (alpha, beta and gamma) of agricultural drainage ditches managed by an internal drainage board in Lincolnshire, UK. The drainage ditches support very diverse macroinvertebrate communities at both the site (alpha diversity) and landscape scale (gamma diversity) with the main arterial drainage ditches supporting greater numbers of taxa when compared to smaller ditches. Examination of the between site community heterogeneity (beta diversity) indicated that differences among ditches were high spatially and temporally. The results illustrate that both main arterial and side ditches make a unique contribution to aquatic biodiversity of the agricultural landscape. Given the need to maintain drainage ditches to support agriculture and flood defence measures, we advocate the application of principles from ‘reconciliation ecology’ to inform the future management and conservation of drainage ditches

Seguimiento de las guías españolas para el manejo del asma por el médico de atención primaria: un estudio observacional ambispectivo

Objetivo Evaluar el grado de seguimiento de las recomendaciones de las versiones de la Guía española para el manejo del asma (GEMA 2009 y 2015) y su repercusión en el control de la enfermedad. Material y métodos Estudio observacional y ambispectivo realizado entre septiembre del 2015 y abril del 2016, en el que participaron 314 médicos de atención primaria y 2.864 pacientes. Resultados Utilizando datos retrospectivos, 81 de los 314 médicos (25, 8% [IC del 95%, 21, 3 a 30, 9]) comunicaron seguir las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2009. Al inicio del estudio, 88 de los 314 médicos (28, 0% [IC del 95%, 23, 4 a 33, 2]) seguían las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2015. El tener un asma mal controlada (OR 0, 19, IC del 95%, 0, 13 a 0, 28) y presentar un asma persistente grave al inicio del estudio (OR 0, 20, IC del 95%, 0, 12 a 0, 34) se asociaron negativamente con tener un asma bien controlada al final del seguimiento. Por el contrario, el seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2015 se asoció de manera positiva con una mayor posibilidad de que el paciente tuviera un asma bien controlada al final del periodo de seguimiento (OR 1, 70, IC del 95%, 1, 40 a 2, 06). Conclusiones El escaso seguimiento de las guías clínicas para el manejo del asma constituye un problema común entre los médicos de atención primaria. Un seguimiento de estas guías se asocia con un control mejor del asma. Existe la necesidad de actuaciones que puedan mejorar el seguimiento por parte de los médicos de atención primaria de las guías para el manejo del asma. Objective: To assess the degree of compliance with the recommendations of the 2009 and 2015 versions of the Spanish guidelines for managing asthma (Guía Española para el Manejo del Asma [GEMA]) and the effect of this compliance on controlling the disease. Material and methods: We conducted an observational ambispective study between September 2015 and April 2016 in which 314 primary care physicians and 2864 patients participated. Results: Using retrospective data, we found that 81 of the 314 physicians (25.8%; 95% CI 21.3–30.9) stated that they complied with the GEMA2009 recommendations. At the start of the study, 88 of the 314 physicians (28.0%; 95% CI 23.4–33.2) complied with the GEMA2015 recommendations. Poorly controlled asthma (OR, 0.19; 95% CI 0.13–0.28) and persistent severe asthma at the start of the study (OR, 0.20; 95% CI 0.12–0.34) were negatively associated with having well-controlled asthma by the end of the follow-up. In contrast, compliance with the GEMA2015 recommendations was positively associated with a greater likelihood that the patient would have well-controlled asthma by the end of the follow-up (OR, 1.70; 95% CI 1.40–2.06). Conclusions: Low compliance with the clinical guidelines for managing asthma is a common problem among primary care physicians. Compliance with these guidelines is associated with better asthma control. Actions need to be taken to improve primary care physician compliance with the asthma management guidelines