Water intake, hydration status and 2-year changes in cognitive performance: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundWater intake and hydration status have been suggested to impact cognition; however, longitudinal evidence is limited and often inconsistent. This study aimed to longitudinally assess the association between hydration status and water intake based on current recommendations, with changes in cognition in an older Spanish population at high cardiovascular disease risk.MethodsA prospective analysis was conducted of a cohort of 1957 adults (aged 55-75) with overweight/obesity (BMI between >= 27 and = 300 mmol/L (dehydrated). Water intake was assessed as total drinking water intake and total water intake from food and beverages and according to EFSA recommendations. Global cognitive function was determined as a composite z-score summarizing individual participant results from all neuropsychological tests. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to assess the associations between baseline hydration status and fluid intake, continuously and categorically, with 2-year changes in cognitive performance.ResultsThe mean baseline daily total water intake was 2871 +/- 676 mL/day (2889 +/- 677 mL/day in men; 2854 +/- 674 mL/day in women), and 80.2% of participants met the ESFA reference values for an adequate intake. Serum osmolarity (mean 298 +/- 24 mmol/L, range 263 to 347 mmol/L) indicated that 56% of participants were physiologically dehydrated. Lower physiological hydration status (i.e., greater serum osmolarity) was associated with a greater decline in global cognitive function z-score over a 2-year period (beta: - 0.010; 95% CI - 0.017 to - 0.004, p-value = 0.002). No significant associations were observed between water intake from beverages and/or foods with 2-year changes in global cognitive function.ConclusionsReduced physiological hydration status was associated with greater reductions in global cognitive function over a 2-year period in older adults with metabolic syndrome and overweight or obesity. Future research assessing the impact of hydration on cognitive performance over a longer duration is needed

A body weight loss- and health-promoting gut microbiota is established after bariatric surgery in individuals with severe obesity

Obesity has reached an epidemic level worldwide, and bariatric surgery (BS) has been proven to be the most efficient therapy to reduce severe obesity-related comorbidities. Given that the gut microbiota plays a causal role in obesity development and that surgery may alter the gut environment, investigating the impact of BS on the microbiota in the context of severe obesity is important. Although, alterations at the level of total gut bacteria, total gene content and total metabolite content have started to be disentangled, a clear deficit exists regarding the analysis of the active fraction of the microbiota, which is the fraction that is most reactive to the BS. Here, active gut microbiota and associated metabolic functions were evaluated using shotgun proteomics and metabolomics in 40 severely obese volunteers. Samples from each volunteer were obtained under basal conditions, after a short high protein and calorie-restricted diet, and 1 and 3 months after BS, including laparoscopic surgery through Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy. The results revealed for the first time the most active microbes and metabolic flux distribution pre- and post-surgery and deciphered main differences in the way sugars and short-fatty acids are metabolized, demonstrating that less energy-generating and anaerobic metabolism and detoxification mechanisms are promoted post-surgery. A comparison with non-obese proteome data further signified different ways to metabolize sugars and produce short chain fatty acids and deficiencies in proteins involved in iron transport and metabolism in severely obese individuals compared to lean individuals.This work was funded by grants SAF2015-65878-R, BIO2017-85522-R, PID2019-105969GB-I00 and RTI2018-095166-B-I00 from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (projects PIE14/00045 and AC17/00022), Fundación Agencia Española contra el Cáncer and Instituto de Salud Carlos III(projects ERA NET TRANSCAN-2 AC17/00022 and AECC 2017-1485), Generalitat Valenciana (project Prometeo/2018/A/133) and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The proteomic analysis was performed in the Proteomics Facility of The Spanish National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC) that belongs to ProteoRed, PRB3-ISCIII, supported by grant PT17/0019.Peer reviewe

Network Structure of Vertebrate Scavenger Assemblages at the Global Scale: Drivers and Ecosystem Functioning Implications

The organization of ecological assemblages has important implications for ecosystem functioning, but little is known about how scavenger communities organize at the global scale. Here, we test four hypotheses on the factors affecting the network structure of terrestrial vertebrate scavenger assemblages and its implications on ecosystem functioning. We expect scavenger assemblages to be more nested (i.e. structured): 1) in species‐rich and productive regions, as nestedness has been linked to high competition for carrion resources, and 2) regions with low human impact, because the most efficient carrion consumers that promote nestedness are large vertebrate scavengers, which are especially sensitive to human persecution. 3) We also expect climatic conditions to affect assemblage structure, because some scavenger assemblages have been shown to be more nested in colder months. Finally, 4) we expect more organized assemblages to be more efficient in the consumption of the resource. We first analyzed the relationship between the nestedness of the scavenger assemblages and climatic variables (i.e. temperature, precipitation, temperature variability and precipitation variability), ecosystem productivity and biomass (i.e. NDVI) and degree of human impact (i.e. human footprint) using 53 study sites in 22 countries across five continents. Then, we related structure (i.e. nestedness) with its function (i.e. carrion consumption rate). We found a more nested structure for scavenger assemblages in regions with higher NDVI values and lower human footprint. Moreover, more organized assemblages were more efficient in the consumption of carrion. However, our results did not support the prediction that the structure of the scavenger assemblages is directly related to climate. Our findings suggest that the nested structure of vertebrate scavenger assemblages affects its functionality and is driven by anthropogenic disturbance and ecosystem productivity worldwide. Disarray of scavenger assemblage structure by anthropogenic disturbance may lead to decreases in functionality of the terrestrial ecosystems via loss of key species and trophic facilitation processes

Scavenging in the Anthropocene: Human impact drives vertebrate scavenger species richness at a global scale

Understanding the distribution of biodiversity across the Earth is one of the most challenging questions in biology. Much research has been directed at explaining the species latitudinal pattern showing that communities are richer in tropical areas; however, despite decades of research, a general consensus has not yet emerged. In addition, global biodiversity patterns are being rapidly altered by human activities. Here, we aim to describe large‐scale patterns of species richness and diversity in terrestrial vertebrate scavenger (carrion‐consuming) assemblages, which provide key ecosystem functions and services. We used a worldwide dataset comprising 43 sites, where vertebrate scavenger assemblages were identified using 2,485 carcasses monitored between 1991 and 2018. First, we evaluated how scavenger richness (number of species) and diversity (Shannon diversity index) varied among seasons (cold vs. warm, wet vs. dry). Then, we studied the potential effects of human impact and a set of macroecological variables related to climatic conditions on the scavenger assemblages. Vertebrate scavenger richness ranged from species‐poor to species rich assemblages (4–30 species). Both scavenger richness and diversity also showed some seasonal variation. However, in general, climatic variables did not drive latitudinal patterns, as scavenger richness and diversity were not affected by temperature or rainfall. Rainfall seasonality slightly increased the number of species in the community, but its effect was weak. Instead, the human impact index included in our study was the main predictor of scavenger richness. Scavenger assemblages in highly human‐impacted areas sustained the smallest number of scavenger species, suggesting human activity may be overriding other macroecological processes in shaping scavenger communities. Our results highlight the effect of human impact at a global scale. As speciesrich assemblages tend to be more functional, we warn about possible reductions in ecosystem functions and the services provided by scavengers in human‐dominated landscapes in the Anthropocene

Functional biogeography of vertebrate scavengers drives carcass removal across biomes

Resumen del trabajo presentado en el XVI Congreso Nacional de la AEET 2023: la ecología en una biosfera humanizada, celebrado en Almería entre el 16 y el 20 de octubre de 2023.Vertebrate scavengers play a crucial role in food web stability and cycling of organic matter and nutrients. However, the global factors that influence their functional biogeography and impact on ecosystem functioning at regional and local levels remain poorly understood. We aim to address this challenge by analyzing a global dataset covering 49 regions in all inhabited continents, including information on 1,847 locally monitored carcasses and 204 vertebrate scavenger species along with their functional traits. We investigate the importance of biogeographical (spatial), environmental and anthropogenic factors in structuring vertebrate scavengers¿ functional trait composition, diversity and abundance. Additionally, we investigate how these biodiversity attributes affect carcass removal at regional and local scales. Our results show that the functional trait composition of assemblages across studied regions was primarily explained by latitude and lon¬gitude, suggesting a strong biogeographical signature. In addition, while functional richness remained unexplained, scavenger abundance responded to both environmental and spatial factors. Further, we found that carcass removal was mainly driven by functional composition, but with the relative importance of particular functional traits varying from local to regional scales. At the local scale, carcass removal was positively related to large carnivorous species with large home ranges, while at the regional scale, carcass removal was better explained by the presence of vultures, other raptors and diurnal birds. Our study provides a better understanding of the factors controlling the func¬tional biogeography of terrestrial vertebrates and their role in maintaining essential ecological functions and services.Peer reviewe

Long daytime napping is associated with increased adiposity and type 2 diabetes in an elderly population with metabolic syndrome

Research examining associations between objectively-measured napping time and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate daytime napping in relation to T2D and adiposity measures in elderly individuals from the Mediterranean region. A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2190 elderly participants with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome, in the PREDIMED-Plus trial, was carried out. Accelerometer-derived napping was measured. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for T2D were obtained using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression with constant time. Linear regression models were fitted to examine associations of napping with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Participants napping ≥90 min had a higher prevalence of T2D (PR 1.37 (1.06, 1.78)) compared with those napping 5 to <30 min per day. Significant positive associations with BMI and WC were found in those participants napping ≥30 min as compared to those napping 5 to <30 min per day. The findings of this study suggest that longer daytime napping is associated with higher T2D prevalence and greater adiposity measures in an elderly Spanish population at high cardiovascular risk

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

CIBERER: Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

13 páginas,1 figura, 3 tablas, 1 apéndice. Se extraen los autores pertenecientes a The CIBERER network que trabajan en Centros del CSIC del Appendix ACIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research.This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Spanish Ministry of Science and InnovationPeer reviewe

On the application of artificial neural network for the development of a nonlinear aeroelastic model

[EN] Aeroelastic Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations have traditionally been associated to a high computational cost, making them prohibitive in a initial phase of the design. Analytic models, which may not be accurate for nonlinear aerodynamics, have traditionally been utilized in order to size those structures. Recently, some authors have proposed the use of artificial neural networks to reduce the error in the prediction of aerodynamic coefficients of bluff bodies, which have separated flow over a substantial part of its wetted surface. This article proposes a method based on neural networks for calculating the dynamic aerodynamic coefficients of a flat plate. The procedure, which is applied for different network typologies (feed-forward and long-short term memory neural networks), is, then, coupled with a structural solver in order to create an aeroelastic reduced order model. The results are compared with CFD aeroelastic simulations, showing a high reduction of computational cost (99%) without penalties in the accuracy. The instabilities are captured and the mean deformation, amplitude and frequency of the motion are predicted. In addition, the different neural network models are compared evidencing that for the aeroelastic calculation feed-forward networks are most efficient in terms of accuracy and computational cost.This project has beenpartially funded by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the University Faculty Training (FPU) program with reference FPU19/02201.Torregrosa, AJ.; García-Cuevas González, LM.; Quintero-Igeño, P.; Cremades-Botella, A. (2021). On the application of artificial neural network for the development of a nonlinear aeroelastic model. Aerospace Science and Technology. 115:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2021.106845S11511