Granule associated DNase in T4 and T8 lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune diseases

AbstractThe presence of a DNase activity associated with secretion granules was detected in T4 and T8 lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune diseases. This activity was much higher in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) than in Graves' disease (GD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) or in healthy subjects. This granule associated DNase activity was Ca2+-dependent, inhibited by Zn2+, and higher at low pH; its molecular weight corresponded to 66kDa; it was more active with double-strand than single-strand DNA. Judging from its properties this enzyme differed from the three types of endonucleases described as involved in DNA fragmentation (DNase I, DNase II and NUC18). Flow cytometry analysis of T lymphocytes showed that DNase activity associated with CD4+ lymphocyte granules correlated with the ratio CD4+CD45RO+/CD4+CD45RA+ (memory and cytotoxic cells/naive cells, inducers of suppression). In contrast, T8 lymphocyte DNase activity correlated with the proportion of CD4+ lymphocytes with CD4+CD45RA− phenotype (helpers and inducers of cytotoxicity). The possible role of this DNase activity in the mechanisms of lysis or apoptosis mediated by CTL is discussed. We suggest that this DNase activity could be implicated in some of the alterations of the autoimmune response depending on cytotoxic T lymphocytes or T cell inducers of apoptosis

Analysis of Sport Supplement Consumption and Body Composition in Spanish Elite Rowers.

The aim of this study was to analyze the anthropometric characteristics and sport supplement (SS) consumption patterns of heavyweight and lightweight international rowers. Methods: The 13 heavyweights (11 males) and seven lightweights (five males) of the Spanish National Rowing Team were recruited for the study. Body composition was measured by bio-impedance analysis, and the questionnaire used in this investigation was previously validated to assess SS consumption. According to anthropometrics parameters, it was reported that male heavyweight rowers were heavier (p < 0.001) and taller (p < 0.001), but no statistical di erences were reported for % body fat (p = 0.104) or % lean body mass (p = 0.161). All rowers reported consumption of at least one SS. Based on the Australian Institute of Sport’s classification, higher medical supplement consumption was observed when comparing heavyweight rowers to lightweight rowers (2.5 1.1 vs. 1.7 0.5, p = 0.040). There were no di erences in the totals of group A (strong scientific evidence for sports scenarios, p = 0.069), group B (emerging scientific support, deserving of further research, p = 0.776), or group C (scientific evidence not supportive of benefit and/or security amongst athletes, p = 0.484). The six most consumed SSs were iron (85%), ca eine (85%), -alanine (85%), energy bars (85%), vitamin supplements (80%), and isotonic drinks (80%), with no statistical di erences between heavyweight and lightweight rowers (p > 0.05). These results suggest that the absence of di erences in body composition (expressed as a percentage) do not represent anthropometric disadvantages for heavyweight rowers. In addition, SS consumption was similar between rowers, reporting only higher medical supplement consumption in heavyweight rowers.post-print931 K

Handgrip strength and work limitations:A prospective cohort study of 70,820 adults aged 50 and older

The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between handgrip strength and the incidence of work limitations in European adults aged 50 and older. We conducted a prospective cohort study among adults aged 50 and older from 27 European countries and Israel. Data were collected from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) waves 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Handgrip strength was measured using a hand dynamometer (Smedley, S Dynamometer, TTM) and participants replied to questions about work limitations. Cox regression was conducted for statistical analyses. A total of 70,820 older adults (mean age 61 ± 7.7 years; 54.3 % women) were followed during a mean of 3.8 ± 2.9 years. The fully adjusted model showed that participants with low handgrip strength (<16 kg in women and <27 kg in men) had a significantly higher risk of work limitations compared with participants with normal values of handgrip strength (hazard ratio: 1.36; 95 % confidence interval: 1.28–1.44). Kaplan-Meier trajectories revealed that the survival probability to experience work limitations in the normal handgrip category was 20 % lower than in the low handgrip category in most of the follow-up period. We identified low level of handgrip strength as a risk factor for work limitations in adults aged 50 years or older. This could be used as an accessible measure to screen workers at risk of developing work limitations

Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits

En las costas de la provincia de Buenos Aires, los procesos sedimentarios fueron especialmente activos durante el Cuaternario, debido a las fluctuaciones eustáticas en el nivel del mar. Como resultado, durante las transgresiones del Cuaternario tardío se depositaron  en la planicie costera  sedimentos marinos y marino-marginales. Con el objetivo de interpretar estas secuencias litorales holocenas, se analizó la distribución, diversidad, composición específi ca  y características tafonómicas de las asociaciones totales de foraminíferos bentónicos en ambientes litorales actuales, desde el tope de la duna hasta la anteplaya, en dos transectas cercanas pero geomorfológicamente diferentes, ubicadas en las costas atlánticas del norte de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina, Sudamérica). Las asociaciones totales de ambientes submareales y supramareales son diferenciables en términos de composición específi ca, diversidad y características tafonómicas. En los ambientes de anteplaya superior, cara de playa, playa distal y duna, las asociaciones están dominadas por tres especies: Buccella peruviana, Ammonia beccarii y Elphidium discoidale (grupo BAE). Esta dominancia es el resultado de procesos tafonómicos que favorecen la preservación selectiva de dichas especies. Las características tafonómicas de las asociaciones modernas permiten una mejor discriminación de los subambientes que la composición taxonómica. Si bien las asociaciones holocenas no poseen homólogos estrictos entre las asociaciones totales de ambientes actuales, la composición taxonómica y los rasgos tafonómicos de las asociaciones permiten inferir que la sucesión holocena se depositó entre la parte superior de la anteplaya y la playa distal.In Buenos Aires coasts, sedimentary processes were particularly active during the Quaternary owing to eustatic fluctuations in sea level. As a result, during the late Quaternary transgressions, marine and marginal marine sediments were deposited in the coastal plain. In order to interpret these Holocene littoral sequences, we analyzed the distribution, diversity, species composition and taphonomic features of total benthic foraminifera assemblages from modern littoral settings, from the top of the dune to the lower shoreface, in two close but geomorphologically different transects located in the Atlantic coast of Northern Buenos Aires Province (Argentina, South America). Total benthic foraminiferal assemblages from subtidal and supratidal environments are distinguishable in terms of composition, diversity and taphonomic features. In upper shoreface, foreshore, backshore and foredune environments, assemblages are clearly dominated by three species: Buccella peruviana, Ammonia beccarii and Elphidium discoidale (the BAE group). This feature is the result of taphonomic processes that favor the selective preservation of such species. The study of taphonomic modifications of shells in modern assemblages allows a better discrimination between subenvironments than the analysis of taxonomic composition. Although Holocene assemblages have no strict counterparts between total modern assemblages, taxonomic composition and taphonomic modification of shells allow us to infer that the Holocene sequence was deposited between the upper shoreface and the backshore.Fil: Laprida, Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; ArgentinaFil: Chandler, Damián Diego Enrique. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Ramón Mercau, María Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; ArgentinaFil: López, Rubén Álvaro. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Marcomini, Silvia Cristina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Snail1 induces IL-17 expression to inhibit adipogenesis

44 p.-7 fig.-1 tab. Peláez-García, Alberto et al.Adipogenesis requires a differentiation program driven by multiple transcription factors, where PPARγ and C/EBPα play a central role. Recent findings indicate that Snail inhibits adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 and murine mesenchymal stem cells (mMSC). An in-depth quantitative SILAC analysis of the nuclear fraction of Snail-induced alterations of 3T3-L1 cells was carried out. In total, 2251 overlapping proteins were simultaneously quantified in forward and reverse experiments. We observed 574 proteins deregulated by Snail1 using a fold-change ≥1.5, with 111 up- and 463 down-regulated proteins, respectively. Among other proteins, multiple transcription factors such as Trip4, OsmR, Nr2f6, Cbx6, and Prrx1 were down-regulated. Results were validated in 3T3-L1 cells and mMSC cells by Western blot and quantitative PCR. Knock-down experiments in 3T3-L1 cells demonstrated that only Nr2f6 (and Trip4 at minor extent) was required for adipocyte differentiation. Ectopic expression of Nr2f6 reversed the effects of Snail1 and promoted adipogenesis. Because Nr2f6 inhibits the expression of IL-17, we tested the effect of Snail on IL-17 expression. IL-17 and TNFα were among the most up-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines in Snail-transfected 3T3-L1 and mMSC cells. Furthermore, the blocking of IL-17 activity in Snail-transfected cells promoted adipocyte differentiation, reverting Snail inhibition. In summary, Snail inhibits adipogenesis through a down-regulation of Nr2f6, which in turn facilitates the expression of IL-17, an anti-adipogenic cytokine. These results would support a novel and important role for Snail and Nr2f6 in obesity control.This research was supported by a grant to established research groups (AECC), grant BIO2012-31023 from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant S2011/BMD-2344/ (Colomics2) from Comunidad de Madrid and ProteoRed-ISCIII support. Work at AGH’s lab was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2010-16089)Peer reviewe

Can a Healthy Lifestyle Prevent Disability Pension among Female Healthcare Workers with Good and Poor Self-Rated Health?:Prospective Cohort Study with 11-Year Register Follow-Up

Background: Our purpose was to investigate whether healthy lifestyle habits prevent disability pension among female healthcare workers. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study with an 11-year register follow-up in which 8159 female healthcare workers from Denmark completed a questionnaire concerning self-rated health, work environment, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), smoking, and body mass index (BMI). Data on disability benefit payments were obtained from the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalization during an 11-year follow-up. Potential confounders included age, occupational education, psychosocial work factors, and physical exertion during work. Results: Among workers in good health at baseline, smoking, obesity, and low levels of LTPA were risk factors for disability pension during 11-year follow-up. Among workers with poor health, only low levels of physical activity were a risk factor for disability pension. Conclusions: This underscores the importance of a healthy lifestyle, specially being physically active, for preventing premature exit from the labor market in female healthcare workers

SoC architecture for acquisition and processing of the EMG signal

2023 38th Conference on Design of Circuits and Integrated Systems (DCIS), 15-17 November 2023, Málaga, Spain.EMG (electromyography) is a technique used to measure the electrical activity of muscles and nerves, during contraction and relaxation, and is used in a variety of clinical and research applications. In particular, it is very useful for the diagnosis and evaluation of neuromuscular disorders and control electromechanical devices or prostheses. This signal has a low SNR and needs to undergo conditioning processes including amplification, filtering and digitisation for further processing. In order to improve the SNR of the EMG signals, this work describes a System-on-Chip (SoC) architecture for the acquisition and processing of the EMG signals, offering a modular and high performance solution. These signals could be applied to the movement of a therapeutic exoskeleton with the aim of improving active rehabilitation therapies for patients with incomplete spinal cord injury. The proposed architecture provides a modular solution that allows signal digitization, performed as close as possible to the electrode and minimizing transmission losses, signal noise and artifacts. In addition, sampling is performed at a higher sampling rate than commercial acquisition systems, while supporting significant processing throughput. The architecture uses the ADS1298R integrated circuit for multichannel acquisition and perform the correct conditioning of EMG signals, as well as integrate the communication module through Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface to carry out the configuration and data transfers. In this case, the acquired signal is processed using a moving average-based algorithm and its thresholding to establish the muscle activity. The identified muscle activity could be used as an active reference to activate the therapeutic exoskeleton. The results show the validation of the proposed architecture with an EMG signal with a sampling rate of 8 kSPS.Agencia Estatal de Investigació

The effect of coastal protective structures in Mar Chiquita and Mar de Cobo, Buenos Aires province

La zona localizada entre Mar de Cobo y Mar Chiquita presenta las mayores tasas de erosión del litoral atlántico de laprovincia de Buenos Aires.Esta zona costera evidenció, a lo largo del tiempo, un significativo retroceso de la línea de costa, pero también másrecientemente, las estructuras construidas con la finalidad de mitigar los fenómenos erosivos, han contribuido conimportantes modificaciones al sector costero, sin una planificación regional.Las causas del proceso erosivo tienen origen natural, pero se han potenciado por distintas actividades humanas, que afectarona la deriva litoral, desde la localidad de Mar del Plata a Mar Chiquita.El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad, en primer lugar, realizar un relevamiento y caracterización de las estructuras dedefensa costera, la evaluación del ambiente afectado en cada caso y su clasificación por clase funcional. En segundo lugar sepropone una metodología sencilla para cuantificar el área de influencia de los espigones, que representan la obra de defensamás abundante en la zona, calculada a partir de la longitud del espigón y la extensión de las zonas de acumulación yerosión.Finalmente, se demuestra que existe una relación cuantitativaentre la longitud de los distintos tipos de espigones y sus áreasde influencia, tanto al sur como al norte, según la derivalitoral y su interacción con la dinámica local.The area located between Mar de Cobo and Mar Chiquita shows the highest rates of erosion from the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires province. This coastal zone showed over time a significant retreat of the coastline, but also more recently, the structures built to mitigate the erosive phenomenon, have contribute with important changes, without any regional planning. The causes of the erosive process have natural origin, but have been enhanced by different human activities that affected the littoral drift, from Mar del Plata resort to Mar Chiquita. The present work aims, on one hand, to perform the survey and characterization of all the coastal protection structures, the evaluation of the local environment affected and its classification by functional class. Secondly, a simple methodology is proposed to quantify the influence area of the most conspicuous structure in the area, the groins, calculated from the length of the groin and the extent of the erosion and accumulation areas. Finally, a quantitative relation is demonstrated between the length of the different type of groins and its influence area, both south and north, according to the littoral drift and its interaction with the local dynamics.Fil: San Martín, Laura. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bunicontro, Maria Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Marcomini, Silvia Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: López, Rubén Álvaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Importance of frequency and intensity of strength training for work ability among physical therapists

The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between frequency and intensity of strength training participation and work ability among physical therapists (PTs). The Work Ability Index questionnaire (WAI) and a questionnaire about participation in strength training during leisure time were administered to a sample of Spanish PTs. In addition, participants provided information on gender, age, body mass index, education, substance use, working experience and working hours per week. The odds for having excellent WAI (score 44–49) as a function of intensity or frequency of strength training participation were determined using binary logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Data from 981 PTs were analysed. High-intensity strength training (&gt; 80% 1 RM) showed strong associations with excellent WAI (odds ratio = 9.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.9–31.6). In addition, performing strength training more than 3 times per week was associated with excellent WAI (odds ratio = 1.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–2.59), however, no significant associations were found with lower levels of frequency and intensities. High-intensity strength training 3 times per week is associated with excellent WAI among PTs. Training programs meeting these features may importantly contribute to maintain or improve WAI

From graphene oxide to pristine graphene: revealing the inner workings of the full structural restoration

Producción CientíficaHigh temperature annealing is the only method known to date that allows the complete repair of a defective lattice of graphenes derived from graphite oxide, but most of the relevant aspects of such restoration processes are poorly understood. Here, we investigate both experimentally (scanning probe microscopy) and theoretically (molecular dynamics simulations) the thermal evolution of individual graphene oxide sheets, which is rationalized on the basis of the generation and the dynamics of atomic vacancies in the carbon lattice. For unreduced and mildly reduced graphene oxide sheets, the amount of generated vacancies was so large that they disintegrated at 1773–2073 K. By contrast, highly reduced sheets survived annealing and their structure could be completely restored at 2073 K. For the latter, a minor atomic-sized defect with six-fold symmetry was observed and ascribed to a stable cluster of nitrogen dopants. The thermal behavior of the sheets was significantly altered when they were supported on a vacancy-decorated graphite substrate, as well as for the overlapped/stacked sheets. In these cases, a net transfer of carbon atoms between neighboring sheets via atomic vacancies takes place, affording an additional healing process. Direct evidence of sheet coalescence with the step edge of the graphite substrate was also gathered from experiments and theory.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project AT2011-26399 and MAT2011-22781)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA158A11-2