Phase 1 repolarization rate defines Ca2+ dynamics and contractility on intact mouse hearts.

In the heart, Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels triggers Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In most mammals, this influx occurs during the ventricular action potential (AP) plateau phase 2. However, in murine models, the influx through L-type Ca2+ channels happens in early repolarizing phase 1. The aim of this work is to assess if changes in the open probability of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-sensitive Kv channels defining the outward K+ current during phase 1 can modulate Ca2+ currents, Ca2+ transients, and systolic pressure during the cardiac cycle in intact perfused beating hearts. Pulsed local-field fluorescence microscopy and loose-patch photolysis were used to test the hypothesis that a decrease in a transient K+ current (Ito) will enhance Ca2+ influx and promote a larger Ca2+ transient. Simultaneous recordings of Ca2+ transients and APs by pulsed local-field fluorescence microscopy and loose-patch photolysis showed that a reduction in the phase 1 repolarization rate increases the amplitude of Ca2+ transients due to an increase in Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels. Moreover, 4-AP induced an increase in the time required for AP to reach 30% repolarization, and the amplitude of Ca2+ transients was larger in epicardium than endocardium. On the other hand, the activation of Ito with NS5806 resulted in a reduction of Ca2+ current amplitude that led to a reduction of the amplitude of Ca2+ transients. Finally, the 4-AP effect on AP phase 1 was significantly smaller when the L-type Ca2+ current was partially blocked with nifedipine, indicating that the phase 1 rate of repolarization is defined by the competition between an outward K+ current and an inward Ca2+ current

Riesgo cardiovascular en conductores de buses de transporte público urbano en Santiago de Cali, Colombia

Objective: To characterize FRCs and their relationship with the job of driver in TPU. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study of 75 TPU conductors in Cali, Colombia. To characterize the sociodemographic, labor and FRC variables, a survey was applied based on two validated instruments: Tool for the Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non-communicable Diseases and Inventory of Psychosocial Risks of Bocanument. Weight, height, blood pressure and abdominal circumference were measured. The body mass index for overweight and obesity was calculated. Results: Participants were men, with an average age of 42.1 years and predominantly secondary education (66.7%). The average occupation time as a motorist was 17.8 years. 93.3% expressed exposure to noise and 36% thermal discomfort. The most prevalent modifiable CRFs were noise (76%), work stress (61.3%), abdominal circumference greater than 108 cm (49.3%), alcohol consumption (48%), physical inactivity (37.3%) ), obesity (36%), high blood pressure (29.3%), high cholesterol (24%), diabetes (16%) and smoking (12%). A significant association was found between age (> 45 years) and the presence of CRF (P = 0.005). Conclusions: The prevalences found of the FRC and the occupational factors of these drivers suggest risk of cardiovascular disease and the need for prompt intervention from epidemiological surveillance and health education.Objetivo: Caracterizar los FRC y su relación con el oficio de conductor en TPU. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal, en 75 conductores de TPU en Cali, Colombia. Para caracterizar las variables sociodemográficas, laborales y FRC se aplicó una encuesta con base en dos instrumentos validados: Herramienta para la Vigilancia de los Factores de Riesgo de las Enfermedades no Transmisibles e Inventario de Riesgos Psicosociales de Bocanument. Se midió peso, talla, tensión arterial y perímetro abdominal. Se calculó el índice de masa corporal para sobrepeso y obesidad. Resultados: Los participantes fueron hombres, con edad promedio 42,1 años y escolaridad predominante secundaria (66,7%). El tiempo promedio de ocupación como motorista fue 17,8 años. El 93,3% expresó exposición a ruido y el 36% disconfort térmico. Los FRC modificables de mayor prevalencia fueron ruido (76%), estrés laboral (61,3%), perímetro abdominal mayor a 108 cm (49,3%), consumo de alcohol (48%), inactividad física (37,3%), obesidad (36%), presión arterial alta (29,3%), colesterol alto (24%), diabetes (16%) y hábito tabáquico (12%). Se encontró una asociación significativa entre la edad (> 45 años) y la presencia de FRC (P=0.005). Conclusiones: Las prevalencias encontradas de los FRC y los factores ocupacionales de estos conductores sugieren riesgo de sufrir enfermedad cardiovascular y la necesidad de una intervención pronta desde la vigilancia epidemiológica y educación en salud

Association between the Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome with serum levels of miRNA in morbid obesity

Background: The Mediterranean diet (MD) could be involved in the regulation of different miRNAs related to metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: We analyzed the serum level of mir-let7a-5p, mir-21, mir-590, mir-107 and mir-192 in patients with morbid obesity and its association with the MD and MS. Results: There is an association between the adherence to MD and higher serum levels of mir-590. Mir-590 was lower in those patients who consumed >2 commercial pastries/week. Mir-let7a was lower in those who consumed ≥1 sweetened drinks, in those who consumed ≥3 pieces of fruit/day and in those who consumed less red than white meat. A lower mir-590 and mir-let7a, and a higher mir-192 level, were found in patients who met the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) criterion of MS. A higher mir-192 was found in those patients who met the triglyceride criterion of MS and in those with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Conclusions: There is an association between specific serum levels of miRNAs and the amount and kind of food intake related to MD. Mir-590 was positively associated with a healthy metabolic profile and type of diet, while mir-192 was positively associated with a worse metabolic profile. These associations could be suggestive of a possible modulation of these miRNAs by food

Information impact on consumers' perceptions towards aquaculture : Dismantling the myth about feeds for farmed fish

Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICAquaculture products are commonplace in markets around the world. However, despite efforts to minimize the negative perceptions towards aquaculture, several misbeliefs or myths still persist, and thus globally consumers tend to value wild fish more highly than farmed fish. The lack of information has been shown to be one of the most important causes of this preference, driving buying decisions to be more emotional than rational. The aim of this study was to determine whether scientific-supported information contrasting one myth could contribute to a better perception of farmed products. To that end, consensus on a series of aquaculture-related issues among different scientists, external experts, and aquaculture societies was used to build up the scientific information. This information was provided to 300 Spanish consumers using two different communication tools (150 consumers each tool): an interactive web documentary and a written and printed document, to detect possible differences in the change of consumers' perception. Consumers were asked for their degree of agreement on a set of 14 statements before and after providing the scientific information. A variable collecting the assessment of each of the statements was calculated as the Overall-perception. Possible significant differences between the scores before and after providing the information and for the 'overall perception' were analysed separately for each communication tool as well as for the combined sample. Possible relationship between the consumers' perception with the sociodemographic factors, the consumers' knowledge and the fish consumption habits were also assessed. Results show that consumer's perception of aquaculture before the query were moderate (5.6 average in a 0 to 10 scale) but that it increased slightly but significantly and regardless of the communication tool used. Among sociodemographic factors, age and gender were the ones that most influenced consumer's perceptions, being older people those who exhibited a generally more positive opinion towards aquaculture. The effects of consumption habits and knowledge about aquaculture were also the two most explicative factors for change in perception. Importantly, the opinion of consumers with less knowledge about seafood products in general and production methods or consuming only wild fish products, improved after being exposed to the information. These results demonstrate the utility of science- and fact-based communication campaigns to improve the societal perception of aquaculture practices and products, regardless of the tool used to transmit this information

Shopping for Ecological Indices? On the Use of Incidence-Based Species Compositional Similarity Measures

β-diversity has been under continuous debate, with a current need to better understand the way in which a new wave of measures work. We assessed the results of 12 incidence-based β-diversity indices. Our results of gradual species composition overlap between paired assemblages considering progressive differences in species richness show the following: (i) four indices (β-2, β-3, β-3.s, and βr) should be used cautiously given that results with no shared species retrieve results that could be misinterpreted; (ii) all measures conceived specifically as partitioned components of species compositional dissimilarities ought to be used as such and not as independent measures per se; (iii) the non-linear response of some indices to gradual species composition overlap should be interpreted carefully, and further analysis using their results as dependent variables should be performed cautiously; and (iv) two metrics (βsim and βsor) behave predictably and linearly to gradual species composition overlap. We encourage ecologists using measures of β-diversity to fully understand their mathematical nature and type of results under the scenario to be used in order to avoid inappropriate and misleading inferences

Shopping for Ecological Indices? On the Use of Incidence-Based Species Compositional Similarity Measures

β-diversity has been under continuous debate, with a current need to better understand the way in which a new wave of measures work. We assessed the results of 12 incidence-based β-diversity indices. Our results of gradual species composition overlap between paired assemblages considering progressive differences in species richness show the following: (i) four indices (β-2, β-3, β-3.s, and βr) should be used cautiously given that results with no shared species retrieve results that could be misinterpreted; (ii) all measures conceived specifically as partitioned components of species compositional dissimilarities ought to be used as such and not as independent measures per se; (iii) the non-linear response of some indices to gradual species composition overlap should be interpreted carefully, and further analysis using their results as dependent variables should be performed cautiously; and (iv) two metrics (βsim and βsor) behave predictably and linearly to gradual species composition overlap. We encourage ecologists using measures of β-diversity to fully understand their mathematical nature and type of results under the scenario to be used in order to avoid inappropriate and misleading inferences

High-pressure Raman spectroscopy and lattice-dynamics calculations on scintillating MgWO4: A comparison with isomorphic compounds

Raman scattering measurements and lattice-dynamics calculations have been performed on magnesium tungstate under high pressure up to 41 GPa. Experiments have been carried out under a selection of different pressure-media. The influence of non-hydrostaticity on the structural properties of MgWO4 and isomorphic compounds is examined. Under quasi-hydrostatic conditions a phase transition has been found at 26 GPa in MgWO4. The high-pressure phase has been tentatively assigned to a triclinic structure similar to that of CuWO4. We also report and discuss the Raman symmetries, frequencies, and pressure coefficients in the low- and high-pressure phases. In addition, the Raman frequencies for different wolframites are compared and the variation of the mode frequency with the reduced mass across the family is investigated. Finally, the accuracy of theoretical calculations is systematically discussed for MgWO4, MnWO4, FeWO4, CoWO4, NiWO4, ZnWO4, and CdWO4.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figures, 4 table

In-Fiber Acousto-Optic Interaction Based on Flexural Acoustic Waves and Its Application to Fiber Modulators

The design and implementation of in-fiber acousto-optic (AO) devices based on acoustic flexural waves are presented. The AO interaction is demonstrated to be an efficient mechanism for the development of AO tunable filters and modulators. The implementation of tapered optical fibers is proposed to shape the spectral response of in-fiber AO devices. Experimental results demonstrate that the geometry of the tapered fiber can be regarded as an extra degree of freedom for the design of AO tunable attenuation filters (AOTAFs). In addition, with the objective of expanding the application of AOTAFs to operate as an amplitude modulator, acoustic reflection was intentionally induced. Hence, a standing acoustic wave is generated which produces an amplitude modulation at twice the acoustic frequency. As a particular case, an in-fiber AO modulator composed of a double-ended tapered fiber was reported. The fiber taper was prepared using a standard fusion and pulling technique, and it was tapered down to a fiber diameter of 70 μm. The device exhibits an amplitude modulation at 2.313 MHz, which is two times the acoustic frequency used (1.1565 MHz); a maximum modulation depth of 60%, 1.3 dB of insertion loss, and 40 nm of modulation bandwidth were obtained. These results are within the best results reported in the framework of in-fiber AO modulators