Self-Reported Health Status in Primary Health Care: The Influence of Immigration and Other Associated Factors

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study are to compare self-reported health status between Spanish-born and Latin American-born Spanish residents, adjusted by length of residence in the host country; and additionally, to analyse sociodemographic and psychosocial variables associated with a better health status. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional population based study of Latin American-born (n = 691) and Spanish-born (n = 903) in 15 urban primary health care centres in Madrid (Spain), carried out between 2007 and 2009. The participants provided information, through an interview, about self-reported health status, socioeconomic characteristics, psychosocial factors and migration conditions. Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The Spanish-born participants reported a better health status than the Latin America-born participants (79.8% versus 69.3%, p<0.001). Different patterns of self-reported health status were observed depending on the length of residence in the host country. The proportion of immigrants with a better health status is greater in those who have been in Spain for less than five years compared to those who have stayed longer. Better health status is significantly associated with being men, under 34 years old, being Spanish-born, having a monthly incomes of over 1000 euros, and having considerable social support and low stress. CONCLUSIONS: Better self-reported health status is associated with being Spanish-born, men, under 34 years old, having an uppermiddle-socioeconomic status, adequate social support, and low stress. Additionally, length of residence in the host country is seen as a related factor in the self-reported health status of immigrants

Transcriptional Enhancers in Protein-Coding Exons of Vertebrate Developmental Genes

Many conserved noncoding sequences function as transcriptional enhancers that regulate gene expression. Here, we report that protein-coding DNA also frequently contains enhancers functioning at the transcriptional level. We tested the enhancer activity of 31 protein-coding exons, which we chose based on strong sequence conservation between zebrafish and human, and occurrence in developmental genes, using a Tol2 transposable GFP reporter assay in zebrafish. For each exon we measured GFP expression in hundreds of embryos in 10 anatomies via a novel system that implements the voice-recognition capabilities of a cellular phone. We find that 24/31 (77%) exons drive GFP expression compared to a minimal promoter control, and 14/24 are anatomy-specific (expression in four anatomies or less). GFP expression driven by these coding enhancers frequently overlaps the anatomies where the host gene is expressed (60%), suggesting self-regulation. Highly conserved coding sequences and highly conserved noncoding sequences do not significantly differ in enhancer activity (coding: 24/31 vs. noncoding: 105/147) or tissue-specificity (coding: 14/24 vs. noncoding: 50/105). Furthermore, coding and noncoding enhancers display similar levels of the enhancer-related histone modification H3K4me1 (coding: 9/24 vs noncoding: 34/81). Meanwhile, coding enhancers are over three times as likely to contain an H3K4me1 mark as other exons of the host gene. Our work suggests that developmental transcriptional enhancers do not discriminate between coding and noncoding DNA and reveals widespread dual functions in protein-coding DNA

Immuno-Isolation of Pancreatic Islet Allografts Using Pegylated Nanotherapy Leads to Long-Term Normoglycemia in Full MHC Mismatch Recipient Mice

Two major hurdles need to be surmounted for cell therapy for diabetes: (i) allo-immune rejection of grafted pancreatic islets, or stem/precursor cell-derived insulin-secreting cells; and (ii) continuing auto-immunity against the diabetogenic endogenous target antigen. Nanotherapeutics offer a novel approach to overcome these problems and here we ask if creation of “stealth” islets encapsulated within a thin cage of pegylated material of 100–200 nanometers thick provides a viable option for islet transplantation. The aims of this study were to test islet viability and functionality following encapsulation within the pegylated cage, and functional efficacy in vivo in terms of graft-derived control of normoglycemia in diabetic mice. We first demonstrated that pegylation of the islet surface, plus or minus nanoparticles, improved long-term islet viability in vitro compared to non-pegylated (naked) control islets. Moreover, pegylation of the islets with nanoparticles was compatible with glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and insulin biogenesis. We next looked for functionality of the created “stealth” DBA/2 (H-2(d)) islets in vivo by comparing glycemic profiles across 4 groups of streptozotozin-induced diabetic C57BL/6 (H-2(b)) recipients of (i) naked islets; (ii) pegylated islets; (iii) pegylated islets with nanoparticles (empty); and (iv) pegylated islets with nanoparticles loaded with a cargo of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a factor both promotes adaptive immune tolerance and regulates pancreatic β cell mass. Without any other treatment, normoglycemia was lost after 17 d (+/−7.5 d) in control group. In striking contrast, recipients in groups (ii), (iii), and (iv) showed long-term (>100 d) normoglycemia involving 30%; 43%, and 57% of the recipients in each respective group. In conclusion, construction of “stealth” islets by pegylation-based nanotherapeutics not only supports islet structure and function, but also effectively isolates the islets from immune-mediated destruction. The added value of nanoparticles to deliver immune modulators plus growth factors such as LIF expands the potential of this novel therapeutic approach to cell therapy for diabetes

Ensuring a Representative Referendum Outcome: The Daunting Task of Setting the Quorum Right

The majority of the participating voters in referenda does not necessarily reflect the majority of the whole population since voters can abstain. This paper shows that although the quorum can be set such that the outcome of the referendum coincides with the population preference, the necessary assumptions make practical implementation unrealistic. Moreover, a second equilibrium can exist in which the proposal is always rejected. When insufficient information makes the optimal quorum unknown, it is in general more harmful to set the quorum too high than too low. Robustness of the results is analyzed by allowing pressure groups to encourage or discourage participation after the quorum is set

Effects of sulfur amino acids, l-methionine, l-cystine and l-cysteine on lipoprotein lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase in differentiated mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Rats subcutaneously implanted with AH109A hepatoma cells show hyperlipidemia with high concentrations of serum triglyceride and nonesterified fatty acid, suppression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and elevation of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) activities during the growth of the hepatoma. Supplementation of the diet with sulfur amino acids such as l-methionine (Met) and l-cystine (Cys) improved hyperlipidemia by restoring LPL and HSL activities. In the present study, we have attempted to examine the effects of sulfur amino acids on the activity and mRNA level of LPL and the activity of HSL using 3T3-L1 cells, which are known to differentiate to adipocytes. The adipocytes were incubated with various concentrations of Met, Cys or l-cysteine (CysH) in the absence or presence of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). LPL activity was suppressed by TNF-α. In the absence of TNF-α, Met, Cys and CysH did not change the LPL activity. In the presence of TNF-α, Met and Cys significantly increased the LPL activity, and Met also enhanced the LPL mRNA level. HSL activity was also suppressed by TNF-α. In the absence of TNF-α, Met enhanced the HSL activity. In the presence of TNF-α, Met, Cys and CysH suppressed the HSL activity. Sulfur amino acids such as Met, Cys and CysH affected the LPL activity, mRNA level, and HSL activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Some of these effects of sulfur amino acids were different between LPL and HSL, between the absence and the presence of TNF-α, and between 3T3-L1 adipocytes and the adipose tissue from rats