Association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors

Objective: to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of workers and to quantify its association with compliance with the Mediterranean diet follow-up. Method: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on a cohort of 23, 729 workers. Clinical data from annual medical examinations and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener were used to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Results: 51.3% of the participants showed good adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The multivariate analysis showed an inverse and significant association between the follow-up of the Mediterranean diet and the prevalence of abdominal obesity (Odds Ratio = 0.64, 95% CI 0.56; 0.73), dyslipidemia (Odds Ratio = 0.55, 95% CI 0.42; 0.73), and metabolic syndrome (Odds Ratio = 0.76, 95% CI 0.67; 0.86). Conclusions: our results suggest that the Mediterranean diet is potentially effective in promoting cardiovascular health. Implementing the interventions promoting the Mediterranean diet in the working population seems justified. Objetivo: determinar la prevalencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular en una cohorte de trabajadores y cuantificar su asociación con el seguimiento de la dieta mediterránea. Método: se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo transversal sobre una cohorte de 23.729 trabajadores. Se utilizaron los datos clínicos procedentes de los exámenes médicos anuales y el Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener para evaluar la adherencia a la dieta mediterránea. Resultados: el 51, 3% de los participantes presentó una buena adherencia a la dieta mediterránea. El análisis multivariante evidenció una asociación inversa y significativa entre el seguimiento de la dieta mediterránea y la prevalencia de obesidad abdominal (Odds Ratio = 0, 64, IC 95% 0, 56; 0, 73), dislipidemia (Odds Ratio = 0, 55, IC 95% 0, 42; 0, 73) y de síndrome metabólico (Odds Ratio = 0, 76, IC 95% 0, 67; 0, 86). Conclusión: nuestros resultados sugieren que la dieta mediterránea es potencialmente eficaz en la promoción de la salud cardiovascular. Parece justificada la implementación de intervenciones que promuevan la dieta mediterránea en la población trabajadora

Decidualized human decidual stromal cells inhibit chemotaxis of activated T cells: a potential mechanism of maternal-fetal immune tolerance

BackgroundNumerous lines of evidence confirm that decidual stromal cells (DSCs) play a key role in maternal–fetal immune tolerance. Under the influence of progesterone and other hormones, the DSCs go through a process of differentiation (decidualization) during normal pregnancy. In mice, DSCs inhibit the expression of chemokines that attract abortigenic Th1 and Tc cells to the decidua. We have studied this phenomenon in humans.MethodsWe established human DSC lines and decidualized these cells in vitro with progesterone and cAMP. We determined the expression of the chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, whose receptor CXCR3 is expressed by Th1 and Tc cells, in undifferentiated DSCs and decidualized DSCs by qRT-PCR. Activated CD3+CXCR3+ cells, including CD4+ Th1 cells and CD8+ Tc cells, were induced in vitro. The migration capacity of these activated lymphocytes was investigated in Transwell chambers with conditioned media from undifferentiated and decidualized DSCs.ResultsWe demonstrated that CXCL9 was not expressed by DSCs, whereas the expression of CXCL10 and CXCL11 was inhibited in decidualized cells. Conditioned media from decidualized cells significantly inhibited the migration of Th1 and Tc cells. We found that decidualized cells secrete factors of MW less than 6000–8000 Da, which actively inhibit the chemotaxis of these lymphocytes.DiscussionThese results confirm in humans that decidualization of DSCs inhibits the expression by these cells of chemokines that attract Th1 and Tc cells and induces the secretion by DSCs of factors that inhibit the chemotaxis of these lymphocytes, thus preventing the arrival of abortigenic T cells in the decidua

Influence of inflammation on parasitism and area of experimental amoebic liver abscess: an immunohistochemical and morphometric study

The influence of inflammation on the number of trophozoites and on the murine amoebic liver abscess area following infection with Entamoeba histolytica and E. dispar was evaluated. Immunohistochemistry and digital morphometry were used to identify and quantify the trophozoites, neutrophils, macrophages, and lesions. Positive correlation was observed between the number of trophozoites and inflammatory cells. A significant decrease in parasitism and inflammation in groups treated with dexamethasone was observed. The scarceness or absence of trophozoites in the treated groups suggest the importance of the inflammatory response in the production of amoebic hepatic abscesses in spite of the inherent virulence of the parasite being decisive in the establishment of the lesion

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

La oportunidad diagnóstica en la gestión de riesgo y el desenlace del tratamiento, en pacientes con cáncer de mama y cáncer de próstata del Régimen Especial de la Universidad del Valle, durante el año 2018.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la oportunidad diagnóstica en la gestión Del riesgo y el desenlace del tratamiento en pacientes con cáncer de mama y Cáncer de próstata del régimen especial en salud de la Universidad Valle en Cali En el año 2018. La metodología, es un estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo de Corte transversal, que se basó en el examen de fuentes secundarias, la cuenta de alto costo y la base de afiliados al Sistema de Salud Universitario, para el análisis de la oportunidad diagnóstica, evaluar la gestión del riesgo, la trazabilidad de la atención según el Modelo para el Control de Cáncer y los protocolos del régimen especial de la Universidad. Los resultados de este estudio permitieron identificar la oportunidad diagnóstica como un indicador trazador, para evaluar la respuesta efectiva del sistema de salud frente a la atención de los cánceres de mayor incidencia y prevalencia en la población y asegurar una mejor gestión administrativa, para su manejo tratamiento y resultado en salud. Las conclusiones mostraron la relación que hay entre el diagnóstico temprano, la atención oportuna con el desenlace del tratamiento y se redefinió el término de la oportunidad diagnóstica desde lo administrativo y la relación que debe tener con la detección temprana desde lo clínico para qué sea más efectiva el manejo de un paciente con cáncer de mama o próstata.MaestríaMAGISTER EN ADMINISTRACIÓN DE SALU

French for Spanish speakers: A contrastive study of English monolingual, bilingual, and plurilingual adult learners of French

A new French teaching program, “French for Spanish Speakers” (FSS) is spreading throughout Southern California whose aim is to bridge Spanish and English to facilitate learning French. FSS speculates that Spanish-English speakers have a greater advantage in learning French than monolingual English speakers (MES). This thesis is the first to empirically examine these speculations. The first section contrasts four linguistically different groups’ French grammar and French written fluency, accuracy, and complexity. The second section attempts to evaluate the FSS program. This study found a statistically significant difference in which Spanish-English speakers produced more fluent and complex compositions than MES. In addition, the findings of this study predict that Spanish-English speakers will ultimately internalize and retain French longer than MES. However, there seems to be no statistical significance in terms of written performance between Spanish-English speakers enrolled in FSS and those enrolled in regular French courses

Estudio comparativo de eficiencia energética en comunidades de regantes

The government of Spain has developed an energy strategy that includes a campaign of energy audits in water users associations (WUAs) in order to improve energy efficiency in irrigation. A guideline for energy audits has been developed, standardizing the audit process in WUAs. This guideline has been implemented in 22 WUAs in the Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, and Murcia Regions. In this paper, an analysis of the indicators proposed in the guideline is performed, and the indicators that most represent energy efficiency of WUAs are identified. Also, the suitability of the proposed indicators and classifications under different conditions are discussed. In addition, a cluster analysis is performed on WUAs to classify them according to their energetic aspects. Results show that indicators global energy efficiency (GEE) and active energy consumed per hectare (EacSr) are not adequate for analysing the evolution of energy consumption in a WUA. The most representative energy indicators are those expressing ratios between energy consumption and water volume supplied to the users as the indicators active energy consumed per volume unit (EacVs) and energy cost per volume unit (CENVs). It is conclude that using the current methodology for calculate the supply energy efficiency indicator (SEE), GEE is not an adequate indicator for energy classification of WUAs, and also that the results of the energy analysis must be used to propose measures for energy conservation and energy cost reduction.El gobierno de Espa&ntilde;a ha desarrollado una estrategia de ahorro y eficiencia energ&eacute;tica que incluye una campa&ntilde;a de realizaci&oacute;n de auditorias energ&eacute;ticas en Comunidades de Regantes para la mejora de la eficiencia energ&eacute;tica en el sector del regad&iacute;o. Con este fin se desarroll&oacute; un protocolo de auditorias energ&eacute;ticas que estandariza el proceso de auditor&iacute;a en Comunidades de Regantes. Este protocolo se ha implementado en 22 Comunidades de Regantes de Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia y Murcia. En este art&iacute;culo se presenta un an&aacute;lisis de los indicadores propuestos en el protocolo, identificando los que mejor representan la eficiencia energ&eacute;tica de las comunidades de regantes, se analiza la idoneidad de los indicadores y clasificaciones propuestas y se realiza un an&aacute;lisis cluster sobre las Comunidades de Regantes analizadas, clasific&aacute;ndolas respecto a variables de tipo energ&eacute;tico. Los resultados muestran que la eficiencia energ&eacute;tica general (GEE) y la energ&iacute;a activa consumida por hect&aacute;rea (EacSr) no son indicadores adecuados para estudiar la evoluci&oacute;n del consumo de energ&iacute;a en una comunidad de regantes. Los indicadores energ&eacute;ticos m&aacute;s representativos son el consumo de energ&iacute;a activa por unidad de volumen (EacVs) y el coste de energ&iacute;a por unidad de volumen (CENVs). Finalmente se concluye indicando que con la metodolog&iacute;a actual de c&aacute;lculo de la eficiencia de suministro energ&eacute;tico (SEE), GEE no es un indicador adecuado para calificar energ&eacute;ticamente las comunidades de regantes, as&iacute; como que los resultados de los an&aacute;lisis energ&eacute;ticos se deben tener en cuenta para proponer medidas de ahorro energ&eacute;tico y econ&oacute;mico

Real-Time Molecular-Scale Imaging of Dynamic Network Switching between Covalent Organic Frameworks

The in situ on-surface conversion process from boroxine-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to boronate ester-linked COFs is triggered and catalyzed at room temperature by an electric field and monitored with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The adaptive behavior within the generated dynamic covalent libraries (DCLs) was revealed, providing in-depth understanding of the dynamic network switching process.status: publishe