Economic growth and local development in the Central–Bajio region of Mexico

This paper starts from the idea that development is a more complex process than simply economic growth. The human development perspective proposed by Amartya Sen and promoted by the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP), it seems appropriate to analyze territorially at the local level the necessary institutional conditions and political policy to impact and to improving the quality of life of people through the expansion of capabilities and opportunities. The research results presented in this article seek to identify the level of development of the Central-Bajio region in Mexico, through inter and intra-municipal analysis of indicators of local development (using the Development Human Index) in order to make them useful and to improve design and evaluation instrument for public policies of local governments that affect the regional development strategy. Keywords: human development, economic growth, regional development, public policies.Este trabajo parte de la idea que desarrollo es un proceso más complejo que crecimiento económico. La perspectiva del desarrollo humano, propuesta por Amartya Sen e impulsada por el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) parece ser adecuada para analizar territorialmente en el orden local las condiciones institucionales y de política pública necesarias para impactar en la mejora de la calidad de vida de las personas a través de la ampliación de capacidades y oportunidades. Los resultados de investigación que aquí se presentan buscan identificar el nivel de Desarrollo de la Región Centro-Bajío de México a partir de un análisis inter e intramunicipal; además, evalúa los indicadores de medición del desarrollo local (a partir del Índice de Desarrollo Humano) con el propósito de hacerlos útiles para mejorar los instrumentos de diseño y evaluación de políticas públicas de los gobiernos locales que incidan en una estrategia de Desarrollo Regional. Palabras clave: desarrollo humano, crecimiento económico, desarrollo regional, políticas públicas

Swimming training repercussion on metabolic and structural bone development; benefits of the incorporation of whole body vibration or pilometric training; the RENACIMIENTO project

Introduction: Enviromental factors such as exercise participation and nutrition have often been linked to bone improvements. However, not all sports have the same effects, being non-osteogenic sports such as swimming defined as negative or neutral sports to practice regarding bone mass by some authors, similarly exercise-diet interaction in especific groups is still not clear. Objective: To present the methodology of the RENACIMENTO project that aims to evaluate body composition and more specifically bone mass by several techniques in adolescent swimmers and to observe the effects and perdurability of whole body vibration (WBV) and jumping intervention (JIN) on body composition and fitness on this population and explore posible diet interactions. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: 78 swimmers (12-17 y) and 26 sex- and age-matched controls will participate in this study. Dual energy X-ray, peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography, Quantitative Ultrasound, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and anthropometry measurements will be performed in order to evaluate body composition. Physical activity, nutrition, pubertal development and socio-economical status may act as confounders of body composition and therefore will also be registered. Several fitness factors regarding strength, endurance, performance and others will also be registered to evaluate differences with controls and act as confounders. A 7-month WBV therapy will be performed by 26 swimmers consisting of a training of 15 minutes 3 times per week. An 8 month JIM will also be performed by 26 swimmers 3 times per week. The remaining 26 swimmers will continue their normal swimming training. Four evaluations will be performed, the first one in order to describe differences between swimmers and controls. The second one to describe the effects of the interventions and the third and fourth evaluations to describe the perdurability of the effects of the WBV and JIN. Conclusion: The RENACIMIENTO project will allow to answer several questions regarding body composition, fitness, bone mass and interaction with diet of adolescent swimmers, describe swimming as a positive, negative or neutral sport to practice regarding these parameters and elucidate the effects and perdurability of WBV and JIM on body composition

Influence of different playing surfaces on bone mass accretion in male adolescent football players: A one-season study

There are different surfaces on which football is played, but their influence on bone mass accretion still remains unknown. The aims of this study were to compare bone mass accretion between football players and controls, and evaluate the influence of two different playing surfaces on bone accretion. A total of 27 male football players (13.2 +/- 0.5 years) and 15 controls (12.6 +/- 1.1 years) participated in this study. Football players were classified into two groups according to the surface they trained on: 14 on third-generation artificial turf with elastic layer and 13 on third-generation artificial turf without elastic layer. Bone mineral content and areal bone mineral density were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Bone mineral apparent density variables were calculated. Bone geometry and strength of the non-dominant tibia were assessed with peripheral quantitative computed tomography. For both football players and controls, bone variables measured at subtotal body, lumbar spine, legs and tibia (p < 0.05) significantly increased. Based on the time spent practicing football, the increase in areal bone mineral density for the legs (p < 0.05) was higher in football players than controls. Moreover, lumbar spine bone mineral apparent density increased more in third-generation artificial turf without elastic layer players in comparison with third-generation artificial turf with elastic layer players (p < 0.05). Playing football on third-generation artificial turf with elastic layer and third-generation artificial turf without elastic layer seems to positively affect bone mass during growth. After playing for one season on these playing surfaces, football practice on third-generation artificial turf without elastic layer with the lower shock absorption seems to have produced the highest increment in areal bone mineral density at lumbar spine. Thus, football practice on surfaces with lower shock absorption could provide an extra benefit on bone health

Validity and reliability of an optoelectronic system to measure movement velocity during bench press and half squat in a Smith machine

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a camera-based optoelectronic system to measure movement velocity during bench press and half squat at different load intensities. A total of 22 active males (age: 28.2 +/- 3.9 years; one-repetition maximum bench press: 77.9 +/- 19.0 kg; one-repetition maximum half squat: 116.6 +/- 22.5 kg) participated in this study. After an initial one-repetition maximum testing session, participants performed five repetitions for each load (40%, 60% and 80% one-repetition maximum) and exercise (bench press and half squat) on a Smith machine in the second testing session. A third testing session was used for the test-retest reliability study. Time, displacement and mean propulsive velocity were simultaneously determined by the reference method (T-Force system) and the Velowin system. In bench press, ordinary least products regression analysis revealed low fixed biases for mean propulsive velocity at 40%, time at 60% and displacement at 80% one-repetition maximum (intercept = 0.065 m s(-1), -28.02 ms and 0.87 cm, respectively). In half squat, low fixed biases were also detected for mean propulsive velocity at 40% and 80% one-repetition maximum (intercept = -0.040 and 0.023 m s(-1), respectively), time at 40% and 60% one-repetition maximum (intercept = -53.05 and -101.85 ms, respectively) and displacement at 60% one-repetition maximum (intercept = -1.95 cm). Proportional bias was only observed for mean propulsive velocity at 80% bench press. In half squat, there was proportional bias for time and mean propulsive velocity at 40% one-repetition maximum, and also for time at 60% one-repetition maximum. The reliability test showed low and comparable fixed and proportional biases between systems across exercises and intensities. Velowin confirmed to be a valid and reliable system to measure movement velocity across a wide range of intensities (40%-80% one-repetition maximum) for two basic strength exercises through a robust statistical approach. Velowin would provide coaches and trainers with a suitable, affordable and easy-to-use equipment capable of measuring movement velocity in various exercises at different load intensities

Effect of an active video game intervention combined with multicomponent exercise for cardiorespiratory fitness in children with overweight and obesity: randomized controlled trial

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity have become major global health problems and are negatively related with the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level in school children and adolescents. Exercise, specifically multicomponent training, is effective for CRF improvement, but the main challenge is to ensure adherence to exercise in children with overweight and obesity. Therefore, new ways of exercising that are more attractive and motivational for this population are needed and playing or training with active video games (AVGs) has been proposed as an effective alternative because they require full-body movement and therefore increase energy expenditure. Objective: The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an AVG intervention combined with multicomponent training on CRF at maximal and submaximal intensities in children with overweight or obesity. Methods: We recruited 28 children (13 girls and 15 boys) aged 9 to 11 years with overweight or obesity from medical centers and divided them into 2 groups, an intervention group (n=20) that participated in a 5-month supervised AVG exercise program combined with multicomponent exercise, and a control group (n=8) that continued daily activities without modification. A maximal stress test to measure CRF using a walking-graded protocol with respiratory gas exchange was performed by the participants. Results: The AVG group showed a significant decrease in heart rate and oxygen uptake for the same intensities in the submaximal stages of the maximal treadmill test, as well as a lower oxygen uptake percentage according to the individual maximal oxygen uptake, whereas the control group did not show overall changes. No change in the peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was found. Conclusions: A 5-month AVG intervention combined with multicomponent exercise had positive effects on CRF at submaximal intensity, showing a lower heart rate and oxygen uptake at the same intensities and displaying a lower oxygen uptake percentage according to the individual (VO2peak). Greater benefits were found in children with the highest fat percentage.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04418713; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT0441871

A pharmacogenetic intervention for the improvement of the safety profile of antipsychotic treatments

Antipsychotic drugs fail to achieve adequate response in 30-50% of treated patients and about 50% of them develop severe and lasting side effects. Treatment failure results in poorer prognosis with devastating repercussions for the patients, carers and broader society. Our study evaluated the clinical benefits of a pharmacogenetic intervention for the personalisation of antipsychotic treatment. Pharmacogenetic information in key CYP polymorphisms was used to adjust clinical doses in a group of patients who started or switched treatment with antipsychotic drugs (PharmG+, N = 123), and their results were compared with those of a group of patients treated following existing clinical guides (PharmG−, N = 167). There was no evidence of significant differences in side effects between the two arms. Although patients who had their antipsychotic dose adjusted according to CYPs polymorphisms (PharmG+) had a bigger reduction in side effects than those treated as usual (PharmG−), the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). However, PharmG+ patients treated with CYP2D6 substrates that were carriers of CYP2D6 UMs or PMs variants showed a significantly higher improvement in global, psychic and other UKU side effects than PharmG− patients (p = 0.02, p = 0.05 and p = 0.01, respectively). PharmG+ clozapine treated patients with CYP1A2 or CYP2C19 UM and PMs variants also showed higher reductions in UKU scores than PharmG− clozapine patients in general. However, those differences were not statistically significant. Pharmacogenetic interventions may improve the safety of antipsychotic treatments by reducing associated side effects. This intervention may be particularly useful when considering treatment with antipsychotics with one major metabolic pathway, and therefore more susceptible to be affected by functional variants of CYP enzymes

2018 Advent Devotional

2018 Advent Devotions written by the students of Concordia Seminary, St. Louishttps://scholar.csl.edu/osp/1014/thumbnail.jp

Gene co-expression architecture in peripheral blood in a cohort of remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients

A better understanding of schizophrenia subtypes is necessary to stratify the patients according to clinical attributes. To explore the genomic architecture of schizophrenia symptomatology, we analyzed blood co-expression modules and their association with clinical data from patients in remission after a first episode of schizophrenia. In total, 91 participants of the 2EPS project were included. Gene expression was assessed using the Clariom S Human Array. Weighted-gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to identify modules of co-expressed genes and to test its correlation with global functioning, clinical symptomatology, and premorbid adjustment. Among the 25 modules identified, six modules were significantly correlated with clinical data. These modules could be clustered in two groups according to their correlation with clinical data. Hub genes in each group showing overlap with risk genes for schizophrenia were enriched in biological processes related to metabolic processes, regulation of gene expression, cellular localization and protein transport, immune processes, and neurotrophin pathways. Our results indicate that modules with significant associations with clinical data showed overlap with gene sets previously identified in differential gene-expression analysis in brain, indicating that peripheral tissues could reveal pathogenic mechanisms. Hub genes involved in these modules revealed multiple signaling pathways previously related to schizophrenia, which may represent the complex interplay in the pathological mechanisms behind the disease. These genes could represent potential targets for the development of peripheral biomarkers underlying illness traits in clinical remission stages after a first episode of schizophrenia