Childbearing age women characteristics in Latin America. Building evidence bases for early prevention. Results from the ELANS Study

Latin American (LA) women have been exposed to demographic and epidemiologic changes that have transformed their lifestyle, with increasing sedentary and unhealthy eating behaviors. We aimed to identify characteristics of LA women to inform public policies that would benefit these women and their future children. The Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS) is a multicenter cross-sectional study of representative samples in eight Latin American countries (n = 9218) with a standardized protocol to investigate dietary intake, anthropometric variables, physical activity, and socioeconomic characteristics. Here we included the subsample of all 3254 women of childbearing age (15 to <45 years). The majority of ELANS women had a low socioeconomic status (53.5%), had a basic education level (56.4%), had a mostly sedentary lifestyle (61.1%), and were overweight or obese (58.7%). According to the logistic multiple regression model, living in Peru and Ecuador predicts twice the risk of being obese, and an increased neck circumference is associated with a 12-fold increased obesity risk. An increased obesity risk was also predicted by age <19 years (Relative Risk (RR) 19.8) and adequate consumption of vitamin D (RR 2.12) and iron (RR 1.3). In conclusion, the identification of these risk predictors of obesity among Latin American women may facilitate targeted prevention strategies focusing on high-risk groups to promote the long-term health of women and their children.Coca Cola Company/[]//Estados UnidosHospital Infantil Sabará/[]//BrazilInternational Life Science Institute/[]/ILSI/ArgentinaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[]/UCR/Costa RicaPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile/[]//ChilePontificia Universidad Javeriana/[]//ColombiaUniversidad Central de Venezuela/[]/UCV/VenezuelaUniversidad San Francisco de Quito/[]//EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Nutricional de Perú/[]//PerúUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de Medicin

Extremely chaotolerant and kosmotolerant Aspergillus atacamensis – a metabolically versatile fungus suitable for recalcitrant biosolid treatment

Obligate halophily is extremely rare in fungi. Nevertheless, Aspergillus atacamensis (strain EXF-6660), isolated from a salt water-exposed cave in the Coastal Range hills of the hyperarid Atacama Desert in Chile, is an obligate halophile, with a broad optimum range from 1.5 to 3.4 M of NaCl. When we tested its ability to grow at varied concentrations of both kosmotropic (NaCl, KCl, and sorbitol) and chaotropic (MgCl2, LiCl, CaCl2, and glycerol) solutes, stereoscopy and laser scanning microscopy revealed the formation of phialides and conidia. A. atacamensis EXF-6660 grew up to saturating levels of NaCl and at 2.0 M concentration of the chaotropic salt MgCl2. Our findings confirmed that A. atacamensis is an obligate halophile that can grow at substantially higher MgCl2 concentrations than 1.26 M, previously considered as the maximum limit supporting prokaryotic life. To assess the fungus’ metabolic versatility, we used the phenotype microarray technology Biolog FF MicroPlates. In the presence of 2.0 M NaCl concentration, strain EXF-6660 metabolism was highly versatile. A vast repertoire of organic molecules (~95% of the substrates present in Biolog FF MicroPlates) was metabolized when supplied as sole carbon sources, including numerous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene derivatives, dyes, and several carbohydrates. Finally, the biotechnological potential of A. atacamensis for xenobiotic degradation and biosolid treatment was investigated. Interestingly, it could remove biphenyls, diphenyl ethers, different pharmaceuticals, phenols, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Our combined findings show that A. atacamensis EXF-6660 is a highly chaotolerant, kosmotolerant, and xerotolerant fungus, potentially useful for xenobiotic and biosolid treatments

¿Por qué implementar estudios de largo plazo en el bosque seco tropical del Caribe colombiano?

Dry forests represent almost half of the world’s tropical forests and they are the most threatened ecosystems by human activities. The growing a knowledge in preservation of the few remaining underlines the significance of establishing monitoring strategies for dry forests which would illustrate their role in the context of the tropical forests’ preservation. In 2001, we began to establish permanent monitoring parcels in the Caribe dry forest. Today, with the support of both, national and international institutions and local actors, a network of 11 widely spread across the region parcels has been established to cover the most important remnants of dry forest from the Caribbean coast, accounting all climatic gradients present. The results obtained by the network include: contents of carbon and forest diversity in relation with climatic variables, carbon fixation rates and population dynamics of important species for the restoration. However, the lack of institutional support at regional and national levels, with some important exceptions, puts at risk the continuity of this important project for the dry forest preservation in context of climatic change adaptation. Nowadays, other institutions have replied to this initiative and have made advances on their own, establishing new monitoring sites in the Caribbean forests. It is of high priority to work for the integration of these efforts in order to create a more ambitious strategy for monitoring the Caribbean forests. For this, interest and compromise from regional institutions and researchers are requiredLos ecosistemas secos ocupan casi la mitad del área total de franja tropical y están entre los más amenazados por las actividades humanas a escala global. El reconocimiento creciente de la importancia de conservar los pocos remanentes que quedan y de iniciar actividades de restauración, resalta la importancia de establecer programas de monitoreo del bosque seco. En 2001 se inició el establecimiento de parcelas permanentes de monitoreo del bosque seco Caribe, con el apoyo de instituciones nacionales e internacionales; a la fecha existen 11 ampliamente distribuidas en algunos de los remanentes de bosque seco más importantesnde la costa Caribe. Los resultados provenientes de la red incluyen el contenido de carbono y la diversidad del bosque en relaciónncon variables climáticas, tasas de fijación de carbono y dinámica de poblaciones de especies importantes para la restauración. No obstante, la falta de apoyo institucional a nivel nacional y regional, con algunas excepciones importantes, pone en peligro la continuidad de este proyecto de alta importancia para la conservación del bosque seco en el contexto de la adaptación al cambio climático. Actualmente, otras instituciones han replicado esta iniciativa y avanzado aisladamente en el establecimiento de nuevos sitios de monitoreo de los bosques del Caribe. Es altamente prioritario trabajar por la integración de estos esfuerzos ya que pueden ser la base para un programa de monitoreo más ambicioso de los bosques del Caribe. Para ello se requiere el interés y el compromiso de instituciones e investigadores de la región Caribe.

Safety and immunogenicity of the protein-based PHH-1V compared to BNT162b2 as a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine in adults vaccinated against COVID-19 : a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority phase IIb trial

A SARS-CoV-2 protein-based heterodimer vaccine, PHH-1V, has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in healthy young adults in a first-in-human, Phase I/IIa study dose-escalation trial. Here, we report the interim results of the Phase IIb HH-2, where the immunogenicity and safety of a heterologous booster with PHH-1V is assessed versus a homologous booster with BNT162b2 at 14, 28 and 98 days after vaccine administration. The HH-2 study is an ongoing multicentre, randomised, active-controlled, double-blind, non-inferiority Phase IIb trial, where participants 18 years or older who had received two doses of BNT162b2 were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive a booster dose of vaccine-either heterologous (PHH-1V group) or homologous (BNT162b2 group)-in 10 centres in Spain. Eligible subjects were allocated to treatment stratified by age group (18-64 versus ≥65 years) with approximately 10% of the sample enrolled in the older age group. The primary endpoints were humoral immunogenicity measured by changes in levels of neutralizing antibodies (PBNA) against the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 strain after the PHH-1V or the BNT162b2 boost, and the safety and tolerability of PHH-1V as a boost. The secondary endpoints were to compare changes in levels of neutralizing antibodies against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the T-cell responses towards the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein peptides. The exploratory endpoint was to assess the number of subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infections ≥14 days after PHH-1V booster. This study is ongoing and is registered with , . From 15 November 2021, 782 adults were randomly assigned to PHH-1V (n = 522) or BNT162b2 (n = 260) boost vaccine groups. The geometric mean titre (GMT) ratio of neutralizing antibodies on days 14, 28 and 98, shown as BNT162b2 active control versus PHH-1V, was, respectively, 1.68 (p < 0.0001), 1.31 (p = 0.0007) and 0.86 (p = 0.40) for the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 strain; 0.62 (p < 0.0001), 0.65 (p < 0.0001) and 0.56 (p = 0.003) for the Beta variant; 1.01 (p = 0.92), 0.88 (p = 0.11) and 0.52 (p = 0.0003) for the Delta variant; and 0.59 (p ≤ 0.0001), 0.66 (p < 0.0001) and 0.57 (p = 0.0028) for the Omicron BA.1 variant. Additionally, PHH-1V as a booster dose induced a significant increase of CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells expressing IFN-γ on day 14. There were 458 participants who experienced at least one adverse event (89.3%) in the PHH-1V and 238 (94.4%) in the BNT162b2 group. The most frequent adverse events were injection site pain (79.7% and 89.3%), fatigue (27.5% and 42.1%) and headache (31.2 and 40.1%) for the PHH-1V and the BNT162b2 groups, respectively. A total of 52 COVID-19 cases occurred from day 14 post-vaccination (10.14%) for the PHH-1V group and 30 (11.90%) for the BNT162b2 group (p = 0.45), and none of the subjects developed severe COVID-19. Our interim results from the Phase IIb HH-2 trial show that PHH-1V as a heterologous booster vaccine, when compared to BNT162b2, although it does not reach a non-inferior neutralizing antibody response against the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain at days 14 and 28 after vaccination, it does so at day 98. PHH-1V as a heterologous booster elicits a superior neutralizing antibody response against the previous circulating Beta and the currently circulating Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants in all time points assessed, and for the Delta variant on day 98 as well. Moreover, the PHH-1V boost also induces a strong and balanced T-cell response. Concerning the safety profile, subjects in the PHH-1V group report significantly fewer adverse events than those in the BNT162b2 group, most of mild intensity, and both vaccine groups present comparable COVID-19 breakthrough cases, none of them severe. HIPRA SCIENTIFIC, S.L.U

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p&lt;0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (&lt;1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (&lt;1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Temperature Effect on the Corrosion Inhibition of Carbon Steel by Polymeric Ionic Liquids in Acid Medium

In the present research work, the temperature effect on the corrosion inhibition process of API 5L X60 steel in 1 M H2SO4 by employing three vinylimidazolium poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) was studied by means of electrochemical techniques, surface analysis and computational simulation. The results revealed that the maximal inhibition efficiency (75%) was achieved by Poly[VIMC4][Im] at 308 K and 175 ppm. The PILs showed Ecorr displacements with respect to the blank from −14 mV to −31 mV, which revealed the behavior of mixed-type corrosion inhibitors (CIs). The steel micrographs, in the presence and absence of PILs, showed less surface damage in the presence of PILs, thus confirming their inhibiting effect. The computational studies of the molecular orbitals and molecular electrostatic potential of the monomers suggested that the formation of a protecting film could be mainly due to the nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms present in each structure

Haloadaptative responses of Aspergillus sydowii to extreme water deprivation

Water activity (a$_w$) is critical for microbial growth, as it is severely restricted at a$_w$ < 0.90. Saturating NaCl concentrations (~5.0 M) induce extreme water deprivation (aw ≅ 0.75) and cellular stress responses. Halophilic fungi have cellular adaptations that enable osmotic balance and ionic/oxidative stress prevention to grow at high salinity. Here we studied the morphology, osmolyte synthesis, and oxidative stress defenses of the halophile Aspergillus sydowii EXF-12860 at 1.0 M and 5.13 M NaCl. Colony growth, pigmentation, exudate, and spore production were inhibited at NaCl-saturated media. Additionally, hyphae showed unpolarized growth, lower diameter, and increased septation, multicellularity and branching compared to optimal NaCl concentration. Trehalose, mannitol, arabitol, erythritol, and glycerol were produced in the presence of both 1.0 M and 5.13 M NaCl. Exposing A. sydowii cells to 5.13 M NaCl resulted in oxidative stress evidenced by an increase in antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation biomarkers. Also, genes involved in cellular antioxidant defense systems were upregulated. This is the most comprehensive study that investigates the micromorphology and the adaptative cellular response of different non-enzymatic and enzymatic oxidative stress biomarkers in halophilic filamentous fungi

¿Por qué implementar estudios de largo plazo en el bosque seco tropical del Caribe Colombiano?

Dry forests represent almost half of the world’s tropical forests and they are the most threatened ecosystems by human activities. The growing a knowledge in preservation of the few remaining underlines the significance of establishing monitoring strategies for dry forests which would illustrate their role in the context of the tropical forests’ preservation. In 2001, we began to establish permanent monitoring parcels in the Caribe dry forest. Today, with the support of both, national and international institutions and local actors, a network of 11 widely spread across the region parcels has been established to cover the most important remnants of dry forest from the Caribbean coast, accounting all climatic gradients present. The results obtained by the network include: contents of carbon and forest diversity in relation with climatic variables, carbon fixation rates and population dynamics of important species for the restoration. However, the lack of institutional support at regional and national levels, with some important exceptions, puts at risk the continuity of this important project for the dry forest preservation in context of climatic change adaptation. Nowadays, other institutions have replied to this initiative and have made advances on their own, establishing new monitoring sites in the Caribbean forests. It is of high priority to work for the integration of these efforts in order to create a more ambitious strategy for monitoring the Caribbean forests. For this, interest and compromise from regional institutions and researchers are required.Los ecosistemas secos ocupan casi la mitad del área total de franja tropical y están entre los más amenazados por las actividades humanas a escala global. El reconocimiento creciente de la importancia de conservar los pocos remanentes que quedan y de iniciar actividades de restauración, resalta la importancia de establecer programas de monitoreo del bosque seco. En 2001 se inició el establecimiento de parcelas permanentes de monitoreo del bosque seco Caribe, con el apoyo de instituciones nacionales e internacionales; a la fecha existen 11 ampliamente distribuidas en algunos de los remanentes de bosque seco más importantesnde la costa Caribe. Los resultados provenientes de la red incluyen el contenido de carbono y la diversidad del bosque en relaciónncon variables climáticas, tasas de fijación de carbono y dinámica de poblaciones de especies importantes para la restauración. No obstante, la falta de apoyo institucional a nivel nacional y regional, con algunas excepciones importantes, pone en peligro la continuidad de este proyecto de alta importancia para la conservación del bosque seco en el contexto de la adaptación al cambio climático. Actualmente, otras instituciones han replicado esta iniciativa y avanzado aisladamente en el establecimiento de nuevos sitios de monitoreo de los bosques del Caribe. Es altamente prioritario trabajar por la integración de estos esfuerzos ya que pueden ser la base para un programa de monitoreo más ambicioso de los bosques del Caribe. Para ello se requiere el interés y el compromiso de instituciones e investigadores de la región Caribe

Diet Quality and Diet Diversity in Eight Latin American Countries: Results from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS)

This study aimed to assess diet quality score (DQS), considering healthy and unhealthy foods and nutrients, and diet diversity score (DDS) as indicators of risk of noncommunicable diseases in eight Latin American countries, and to verify the possible differences considering country, sex, age socioeconomic, and nutritional status. A multicenter household population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted with 9218 individuals (age range 15–65 years). Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were collected. Dietary intake was measured using two non-consecutive 24-h recalls and diet quality and diversity were assessed. In the whole sample, scores were observed from 63.0% ± 9.3% to total DQS, 65.0% ± 13.6% to healthy dietary items and 60.2% ± 13.6% to unhealthy items, and 5.6 ± 1.1 out of 9 points to DDS. Women presented lower DDS compared to men (5.5 ± 1.1 vs. 5.6 ± 1.1, p < 0.001). Healthy DQS was higher as the socio-economic level increased, and unhealthy DQS was the opposite (p < 0.05). Total DQS was significantly lower only at the low socio-economic level (p < 0.05). Chile and Venezuela showed the lowest healthy (62.2 ± 15.2 and 61.9 ± 11.7, p < 0.05) and total DQS (61.4 ± 10.3, 61.2 ± 8.7, p < 0.05). No effects were observed when considering the age and anthropometric measurements. Promoting consumption of a diverse and high-quality diet is an essential challenge to accomplishInstittuto Pensi/[]/Hospital Infantil Sabara/Brasil/[]/Universidad de Costa Rica/Costa Rica/[]/Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile/ChileFundación Bengoa/[]/Universidad Central de Venezuela/Venezuela/[]/Universidad San Francisco de Quito/Ecuador/[]/Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Colombia/Colombia/[]/International Life Science Institute (ILISI)-Mesoamerica/Costa Rica/[]/Instituto de Investigación Nutricional de Perú/Perú/[]/Coca Cola Company/Estados UnidosUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias (CIN)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP