Discriminatory molecular biomarkers of allergic and nonallergic asthma and its severity

The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Asthma is a complex disease comprising various phenotypes and endotypes, all of which still need solid biomarkers for accurate classification. In a previous study, we defined specific genes related to asthma and respiratory allergy by studying the expression of 94 genes in a population composed of 4 groups of subjects: healthy control, nonallergic asthmatic, asthmatic allergic, and nonasthmatic allergic patients. An analysis of differential gene expression between controls and patients revealed a set of statistically relevant genes mainly associated with disease severity, i.e., CHI3L1, IL-8, IL-10, MSR1, PHLDA1, PI3, and SERPINB2. Here, we analyzed whether these genes and their proteins could be potential asthma biomarkers to distinguish between nonallergic asthmatic and asthmatic allergic subjects. Protein quantification was determined by ELISA (in serum) or Western blot (in protein extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells or PBMCs). Statistical analyses were performed by unpaired t-test using the Graph-Pad program. The sensitivity and specificity of the gene and protein expression of several candidate biomarkers in differentiating the two groups (and the severity subgroups) was performed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis using the R program. The ROC curve analysis determined single genes with good sensitivity and specificity for discriminating some of the phenotypes. However, interesting combinations of two or three protein biomarkers were found to distinguish the asthma disease and disease severity between the different phenotypes of this pathology using reproducible techniques in easy-to-obtain samples. Gene and protein panels formed by single biomarkers and biomarker combinations have been defined in easily obtainable samples and by standardized techniques. These panels could be useful for characterizing phenotypes of asthma, specifically when differentiating asthma severity.Supported in part by research grants PI13/01730 and PI17/01682, cofinanced by FEDER, CIBERES (ISCIII, 0013), and RETIC (RD09/0076/00101) from the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, Spain). SB was supported by a grant from the Fundación Conchita Rábago and PI17/01682. DC was supported by a contract from Madrid regional government (PEJD-2016/BMD-2682, Sistema de Garantía Juvenil), LC-J was supported by a contract from MINECO (PEJ-2014-A- 31609, Sistema de Garantía Juvenil), and MdP was supported by a contract from Madrid regional government (PEJ-2017- AI/SAL-5938, Sistema de Garantía Juvenil), all cofinanced by The European Social Fund (ESF) and the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection at the University of Barcelona during the Third COVID-19 Pandemic Wave in Spain

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic started in December 2019 and still is a major global health challenge. Lockdown measures and social distancing sparked a global shift towards online learning, which deeply impacted universities' daily life, and the University of Barcelona (UB) was not an exception. Accordingly, we aimed to determine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at the UB. To that end, we performed a cross-sectional study on a sample of 2784 UB members (n = 52,529). Participants answered a brief, ad hoc, online epidemiological questionnaire and provided a nasal swab for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) SARS-CoV-2 analysis and a venous blood sample for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assay. Total prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (positive RT-PCR or positive IgG) was 14.9% (95%CI 13.3 to 17.0%). Forty-four participants (1.6%, 95%CI: 1.2-2.1%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR. IgG against SARS-CoV-2 was observed in 12.8% (95%CI: 11.6-14.1%) of participants. Overall, while waiting for population vaccination and/or increased herd immunity, we should concentrate on identifying and isolating new cases and their contact

Evolutionary Daisyworld models: A new approach to studying complex adaptive systems

This paper presents a model of a population of error-prone self-replicative species (replicators) that interact with its environment. The population evolves by natural selection in an environment whose change is caused by the evolutionary process itself. For simplicity, the environment is described by a single scalar factor, i.e. its temperature. The formal formulation of the model extends two basic models of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, namely, Daisyworld and Quasispecies models. It is also assumed that the environment can also change due to external perturbations that are summed up as an external noise. Unlike previous models, the population size self-regulates, so no ad hoc population constraints are involved. When species replication is error-free, i.e. without mutation, the system dynamics can be described by an (n + 1)-dimensional system of differential equations, one for each of the species initially present in the system, and another for the evolution of the environment temperature. Analytical results can be obtained straightforwardly in low-dimensional cases. In these examples, we show the stabilizing effect of thermal white noise on the system behavior. The error-prone self-replication, i.e. with mutation, is studied computationally. We assume that species can mutate two independent parameters: its optimal growth temperature and its influence on the environment temperature. For different mutation rates the system exhibits a large variety of behaviors. In particular, we show that a quasispecies distribution with an internal sub-distribution appears, facilitating species adaptation to new environments. Finally, this ecologically inspired evolutionary model is applied to study the origin and evolution of public opinion

A short screener is valid for assessing mediterranean diet adherence among older spanish men and women

Ensuring the accuracy of dietary assessment instruments is paramount for interpreting diet-disease relationships. The present study assessed the relative and construct validity of the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) used in the Prevencio´n con Dieta Mediterra´nea (PREDIMED) study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial. A validated FFQ and the MEDAS were administered to 7146 participants of the PREDIMED study. The MEDASderived PREDIMED score correlated significantly with the corresponding FFQ PREDIMED score (r = 0.52; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.51) and in the anticipated directions with the dietary intakes reported on the FFQ. Using Bland Altman"s analysis, the average MEDAS Mediterranean diet score estimate was 105% of the FFQ PREDIMED score estimate. Limits of agreement ranged between 57 and 153%. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a higher PREDIMED score related directly (P , 0.001) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and inversely (P , 0.038) to BMI, waist circumference, TG, the TG:HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio. The 10-y estimated coronary artery disease risk decreased as the PREDIMED score increased (P , 0.001). The MEDAS is a valid instrument for rapid estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and may be useful in clinical practice

Bringing It All Together: Multi-species Integrated Population Modelling of a Breeding Community

Integrated population models (IPMs) combine data on different aspects of demography with time-series of population abundance. IPMs are becoming increasingly popular in the study of wildlife populations, but their application has largely been restricted to the analysis of single species. However, species exist within communities: sympatric species are exposed to the same abiotic environment, which may generate synchrony in the fluctuations of their demographic parameters over time. Given that in many environments conditions are changing rapidly, assessing whether species show similar demographic and population responses is fundamental to quantifying interspecific differences in environmental sensitivity and highlighting ecological interactions at risk of disruption. In this paper, we combine statistical approaches to study populations, integrating data along two different dimensions: across species (using a recently proposed framework to quantify multi-species synchrony in demography) and within each species (using IPMs with demographic and abundance data).We analyse data from three seabird species breeding at a nationally important long-term monitoring site. We combine demographic datasets with island-wide population counts to construct the first multi-species Integrated Population Model to consider synchrony. Our extension of the IPM concept allows the simultaneous estimation of demographic parameters, adult abundance and multi-species synchrony in survival and productivity, within a robust statistical framework. The approach is readily applicable to other taxa and habitats

Evaluation of the function and quality of life of patients submitted to girdlestone's resection arthroplasty

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate function and quality of life of patients submitted to Girdlestone's arthroplasty, and to compare outcomes between unilateral Girdlestone's group with the group with contralateral total hip prosthesis. METHODS: Cross-sectional study where 9 patients were evaluated with unilateral Girdlestone's and 3 with Girdlestone's in one hip and contralateral total hip prosthesis. The evaluation consisted in filling in a generic questionnaire on quality of life SF-36 and a specific questionnaire for hip function Harris Hip Score (HHS). The comparison between groups was made by using the Student's t-test and the Fisher's test. RESULTS: The patients of the unilateral Girdlestone's group presented a higher number of SF-36 domains classified as high, although 77.8% of these showed poor results on the HHS. All patients had a leg-length discrepancy and positive Trendelenburg's test, which led to limping gait in 11 of 12 patients evaluated. Of these, only 6 underwent physiotherapy after surgery. CONCLUSION: Girdlestone's postoperative quality of life and function in a Brazilian population still requires further studies, because these outcomes are indicative of study variables' behavior and cannot be regarded as definite.OBJETIVOS: Avaliar a função e a qualidade de vida dos pacientes pós-artroplastia de Girdlestone e comparar os resultados entre os grupos Girdlestone unilateral e o grupo com prótese total de quadril contralateral. MÉTODOS: estudo transversal no qual foram avaliados 9 pacientes com Girdlestone unilateral e 3 com Girdlestone em um quadril e prótese total no quadril contralateral. A avaliação constitui-se em aplicar o questionário genérico de qualidade de vida SF-36 e um questionário funcional específico para o quadril, Harris Hip Score (HHS). A comparação dos grupos foi realizada usando-se o teste t- Student e o teste de Fisher. RESULTADOS: Os pacientes do grupo Girdlestone unilateral apresentaram maior quantidade de domínios do SF-36 classificados como elevados, embora 77,8% destes tenham obtido resultados ruins no HHS. Todos os pacientes apresentaram o teste de Trendelenburg positivo e discrepância de membros, o que levou à marcha claudicante em 11 dos 12 pacientes avaliados. Destes, apenas 6 submeteram-se a fisioterapia pós-operatória. CONCLUSÃO: A qualidade de vida e a função pós-operatória de Girdlestone, na população brasileira, ainda necessita ser mais pesquisada, pois estes resultados são indicações do comportamento das variáveis de estudo e não podem ser consideradas encerradas.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de Ortopedia e TraumatologiaUNIFESP-EPM DOTUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de Ortopedia e TraumatologiaUNIFESP, EPM DOTSciEL

Age, gender, and cancer but not neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases strongly modulate systemic effect of the Apolipoprotein E4 allele on lifespan

Enduring interest in the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) polymorphism is ensured by its evolutionary-driven uniqueness in humans and its prominent role in geriatrics and gerontology. We use large samples of longitudinally followed populations from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) original and offspring cohorts and the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) to investigate gender-specific effects of the ApoE4 allele on human survival in a wide range of ages from midlife to extreme old ages, and the sensitivity of these effects to cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders (ND). The analyses show that women's lifespan is more sensitive to the e4 allele than men's in all these populations. A highly significant adverse effect of the e4 allele is limited to women with moderate lifespan of about 70 to 95 years in two FHS cohorts and the LLFS with relative risk of death RR = 1.48 (p = 3.6×10(−6)) in the FHS cohorts. Major human diseases including CVD, ND, and cancer, whose risks can be sensitive to the e4 allele, do not mediate the association of this allele with lifespan in large FHS samples. Non-skin cancer non-additively increases mortality of the FHS women with moderate lifespans increasing the risks of death of the e4 carriers with cancer two-fold compared to the non-e4 carriers, i.e., RR = 2.07 (p = 5.0×10(−7)). The results suggest a pivotal role of non-sex-specific cancer as a nonlinear modulator of survival in this sample that increases the risk of death of the ApoE4 carriers by 150% (p = 5.3×10(−8)) compared to the non-carriers. This risk explains the 4.2 year shorter life expectancy of the e4 carriers compared to the non-carriers in this sample. The analyses suggest the existence of age- and gender-sensitive systemic mechanisms linking the e4 allele to lifespan which can non-additively interfere with cancer-related mechanisms