2,490 research outputs found
Correspondence Model Of Occupational Accidents
We present a new generalized model for the diagnosis and prediction of accidents among the Spanish workforce. Based on observational data of the accident rate in all Spanish companies over eleven years (7,519,732 accidents), we classified them in a new risk-injury contingency table (19x19). Through correspondence analysis, we obtained a structure composed of three axes whose combination identifies three separate risk and injury groups, which we used as a general Spanish pattern. The most likely or frequent relationships between the risk and injuries identified in the pattern facilitated the decision-making process in companies at an early stage of risk assessment. Each risk-injury group has its own characteristics, which are understandable within the phenomenological framework of the accident. The main advantages of this model are its potential application to any other country and the feasibility of contrasting different country results. One limiting factor, however, is the need to set a common classification framework for risks and injuries to enhance comparison, a framework that does not exist today. The model aims to manage work-related accidents automatically at any level
Electromechanics of charge shuttling in dissipative nanostructures
We investigate the current-voltage (IV) characteristics of a model
single-electron transistor where mechanical motion, subject to strong
dissipation, of a small metallic grain is possible. The system is studied both
by using Monte Carlo simulations and by using an analytical approach. We show
that electromechanical coupling results in a highly nonlinear IV-curve. For
voltages above the Coulomb blockade threshold, two distinct regimes of charge
transfer occur: At low voltages the system behave as a static asymmetric double
junction and tunneling is the dominating charge transfer mechanism. At higher
voltages an abrupt transition to a new shuttle regime appears, where the grain
performs an oscillatory motion back and forth between the leads. In this regime
the current is mainly mediated by charges that are carried on the grain as it
moves from one lead to the other.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, final version to be published in PR
Genetic and functional characterization of disease associations explains comorbidity
Understanding relationships between diseases, such as
comorbidities, has important socio-economic implications,
ranging from clinical study design to health care planning. Most
studies characterize disease comorbidity using shared genetic
origins, ignoring pathway-based commonalities between diseases.
In this study, we define the disease pathways using an
interactome-based extension of known disease-genes and introduce
several measures of functional overlap. The analysis reveals 206
significant links among 94 diseases, giving rise to a highly
clustered disease association network. We observe that around
95% of the links in the disease network, though not identified
by genetic overlap, are discovered by functional overlap. This
disease network portraits rheumatoid arthritis, asthma,
atherosclerosis, pulmonary diseases and Crohn's disease as hubs
and thus pointing to common inflammatory processes underlying
disease pathophysiology. We identify several described
associations such as the inverse comorbidity relationship
between Alzheimer's disease and neoplasms. Furthermore, we
investigate the disruptions in protein interactions by mapping
mutations onto the domains involved in the interaction,
suggesting hypotheses on the causal link between diseases.
Finally, we provide several proof-of-principle examples in which
we model the effect of the mutation and the change of the
association strength, which could explain the observed
comorbidity between diseases caused by the same genetic
alterations
Produzione, mercato e consumi della cerasicoltura spagnola
La crisi di sovrapproduzione di alcune specie tradizionali sta favorendo la crescita del ciliegio, che mostra
un costante incremento delle superfici, favorito dal rinnovamento varietale, dall’aumento dei consumi, dal
miglioramento delle tecnologie di produzione e dalla precocità di maturazione. Tutti fattori che
garantiscono alla Spagna elevata competitività nelle esportazioni verso i Paesi dell’Ue.Colaboración en el blog: Rivista di frutticoltura e di ortofloricoltura. Disponible: http://www.rivistafrutticoltura.it
Free-electron Model for Mesoscopic Force Fluctuations in Nanowires
When two metal electrodes are separated, a nanometer sized wire (nanowire) is
formed just before the contact breaks. The electrical conduction measured
during this retraction process shows signs of quantized conductance in units of
G_0=2e^2/h. Recent experiments show that the force acting on the wire during
separation fluctuates, which has been interpreted as being due to atomic
rearrangements. In this report we use a simple free electron model, for two
simple geometries, and show that the electronic contribution to the force
fluctuations is comparable to the experimentally found values, about 2 nN.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, reference correcte
Coordination of mitochondrial and lysosomal homeostasis mitigates inflammation and muscle atrophy during aging
Sarcopenia is one of the main factors contributing to disability of aged people. Among the possible molecular determinants of sarcopenia, increasing evidences suggest that chronic inflammation contributes to its development. However, a key unresolved question is the nature of the factors that drive inflammation during aging and that participate in the development of sarcopenia. In this regard, mitochondrial dysfunction and alterations in mitophagy induce inflammatory responses in a wide range of cells and tissues. However, whether accumulation of damaged mitochondria in muscle could trigger inflammation in the context of aging is still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that BNIP3 plays a key role in the control of mitochondrial and lysosomal homeostasis, and mitigates muscle inflammation and atrophy during aging. We show that muscle BNIP3 expression increases during aging in mice and in some humans. BNIP3 deficiency alters mitochondrial function, decreases mitophagic flux and, surprisingly, induces lysosomal dysfunction, leading to an upregulation of TLR9-dependent inflammation and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in muscle cells and mouse muscle. Importantly, downregulation of muscle BNIP3 in aged mice exacerbates inflammation and muscle atrophy, and high BNIP3 expression in aged human subjects associates with a low inflammatory profile, suggesting a protective role for BNIP3 against age-induced muscle inflammation in mouse and humans. Taken together, our data allows us to propose a new adaptive mechanism involving the mitophagy protein BNIP3, which links mitochondrial and lysosomal homeostasis with inflammation and is key in maintaining muscle health during aging
Un modelo de atención integral al paciente crónico complejo
INTRODUCCIÓN. El aumento de la esperanza de vida ha comportado un incremento de patologías crónicas. La evolución de las enfermedades crónicas es causa de disfunciones orgánicas y sistémicas, las cuales causan limitaciones físicas y psíquicas que obligan a establecer ayudas para poder realizar las tareas vitales básicas. La Atención Primaria (AP) tiene un papel clave en el seguimiento de la fragilidad, cronicidad y complejidad de la población, pero para atender la alta complejidad de forma adecuada es preciso conocer y coordinar los distintos recursos existentes en el territorio. DESARROLLO DEL MODELO DE ACTUACIÓN: CREACIÓN DE UNA UNIDAD FUNCIONAL. La AP debe garantizar la equidad, la accesibilidad, la longitudinalidad y la continuidad asistencial, sin olvidar que los resultados en salud deben ser óptimos. En el SAP Delta del Llobregat existen varios proveedores de la salud, por lo que se elaboró un plan estratégico centrado en la coordinación i/o conciliación de todos los dispositivos implicados en la asistencia para dar una atención integral a la persona. Los pacientes incluidos en este programa debían estar identificados como PCC, en fase evolucionada y tributaria de seguimiento intensivo. CONCLUSIONES. La identificación de las persones catalogadas como PCC y en situación de riesgo clínico permite un seguimiento exhaustivo a fin de evitar exacerbaciones y la hi
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Angiogenic mRNA and microRNA Gene Expression Signature Predicts a Novel Subtype of Serous Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S. and the seventh most fatal worldwide. Although ovarian cancer is notable for its initial sensitivity to platinum-based therapies, the vast majority of patients eventually develop recurrent cancer and succumb to increasingly platinum-resistant disease. Modern, targeted cancer drugs intervene in cell signaling, and identifying key disease mechanisms and pathways would greatly advance our treatment abilities. In order to shed light on the molecular diversity of ovarian cancer, we performed comprehensive transcriptional profiling on 129 advanced stage, high grade serous ovarian cancers. We implemented a, re-sampling based version of the ISIS class discovery algorithm (rISIS: robust ISIS) and applied it to the entire set of ovarian cancer transcriptional profiles. rISIS identified a previously undescribed patient stratification, further supported by micro-RNA expression profiles, and gene set enrichment analysis found strong biological support for the stratification by extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, and angiogenesis genes. The corresponding “angiogenesis signature” was validated in ten published independent ovarian cancer gene expression datasets and is significantly associated with overall survival. The subtypes we have defined are of potential translational interest as they may be relevant for identifying patients who may benefit from the addition of anti-angiogenic therapies that are now being tested in clinical trials
Heterogeneity of melanoma cell responses to sleep apnea-derived plasma exosomes and to intermittent hypoxia
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased cutaneous melanoma incidence and adverse outcomes. Exosomes are secreted by most cells, and play a role in OSA-associated tumor progression and metastasis. We aimed to study the effects of plasma exosomes from OSA patients before and after adherent treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on melanoma cells lines, and also to identify exosomal miRNAs from melanoma cells exposed to intermittent hypoxia (IH) or normoxia. Plasma-derived exosomes were isolated from moderate-to-severe OSA patients before (V1) and after (V2) adherent CPAP treatment for one year. Exosomes were co-incubated with three3 different melanoma cell lines (CRL 1424; CRL 1619; CRL 1675) that are characterized by genotypes involving different mutations in BRAF, STK11, CDKN2A, and PTEN genes to assess the effect of exosomes on cell proliferation and migration, as well as on pAMK activity in the presence or absence of a chemical activator. Subsequently, CRL-1424 and CRL-1675 cells were exposed to intermittent hypoxia (IH) and normoxia, and exosomal miRNAs were identified followed by GO and KEG pathways and gene networks. The exosomes from these IH-exposed melanoma cells were also administered to THP1 macrophages to examine changes in M1 and M2 polarity markers. Plasma exosomes from V1 increased CRL-1424 melanoma cell proliferation and migration compared to V2, but not the other two cell lines. Exposure to CRL-1424 exosomes reduced pAMPK/tAMPK in V1 compared to V2, and treatment with AMPK activator reversed the effects. Unique exosomal miRNAs profiles were identified for CRL-1424 and CRL-1675 in IH compared to normoxia, with six miRNAs being regulated and several KEGG pathways were identified. Two M1 markers (CXCL10 and IL6) were significantly increased in monocytes when treated with exosomes from IH-exposed CRL-1424 and CRL-1625 cells. Our findings suggest that exosomes from untreated OSA patients increase CRL-1424 melanoma malignant properties, an effect that is not observed in two other melanoma cell lines. Exosomal cargo from CRL-1424 cells showed a unique miRNA signature compared to CRL-1675 cells after IH exposures, suggesting that melanoma cells are differentially susceptible to IH, even if they retain similar effects on immune cell polarity. It is postulated that mutations in STK-11 gene encoding for the serine/threonine kinase family that acts as a tumor suppressor may underlie susceptibility to IH-induced metabolic dysfunction, as illustrated by CRL-1424 cells. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Level of blood pressure control in a hypertensive population when measurements are performed outside the clinical setting
Background: To determine whether the number of optimally controlled hypertensive patients
is higher using self-measurement of blood pressure at home and ambulatory monitoring,
compared to using conventional blood pressure measurements at the doctor’s office.
Method: An observational, cross-sectional, multicentre, descriptive study of a random sample
of 237 primary health care patients, known to be hypertensive, from Badajoz (Spain). Blood
pressure was measured at the doctor’s office and by self-measurement at home. Those patients
showing good control by self-measurement were subjected to 24-hour ambulatory monitoring.
Optimal control was understood as blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg when measured at the
doctor’s office, and < 135/85 mm Hg when self-measured at home and by daytime ambulatory
monitoring.
Results: Mean systolic/diastolic measurements at the doctor’s office and by self-measurement
were 145.6/83.9 and 134.0/78.7 mm Hg, respectively (p < 0.000). In the population optimally
controlled by self-measurement and who subsequently received ambulatory monitoring, the
mean blood pressure was 121.8/73.4 and 125.6/76.2 mm Hg, respectively (p = 0.002; p < 0.000).
When measured at the doctor’s office blood pressure was controlled in about 29.5% (95% CI
23.7-35.3%) of patients, in 38% when self-measured (95% CI 31.4-44.2%; p < 0.000), and
in 24.5% when it was confirmed through ambulatory monitoring (95% CI 15.4-33.6%).
Sensitivity and positive predictive values of the office measurements for the detection of patients
who were well-controlled by self-measurement were 50% and 64.3%, respectively, and
53.4% and 73.8% as regards ambulatory monitoring. Conclusions: A higher level of control is achieved with self-measurement at home not confirmed
by ambulatory monitoring. Therefore, the white coat effect does not seem to influence
the percentage of well-controlled patients detected at the doctor’s office. Office blood pressure
does not appear to be useful in distinguishing which individual patients are optimally controlled
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