Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in small areas of 33 Spanish cities

Background: In Spain, several ecological studies have analyzed trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality from all causes in urban areas over time. However, the results of these studies are quite heterogeneous finding, in general, that inequalities decreased, or remained stable. Therefore, the objectives of this study are: (1) to identify trends in geographical inequalities in all-cause mortality in the census tracts of 33 Spanish cities between the two periods 1996–1998 and 2005–2007; (2) to analyse trends in the relationship between these geographical inequalities and socioeconomic deprivation; and (3) to obtain an overall measure which summarises the relationship found in each one of the cities and to analyse its variation over time.Methods: Ecological study of trends with 2 cross-sectional cuts, corresponding to two periods of analysis: 1996–1998 and 2005–2007. Units of analysis were census tracts of the 33 Spanish cities. A deprivation index calculated for each census tracts in all cities was included as a covariate. A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to estimate smoothed Standardized Mortality Ratios (sSMR) by each census tract and period. The geographical distribution of these sSMR was represented using maps of septiles. In addition, two different Bayesian hierarchical models were used to measure the association between all-cause mortality and the deprivation index in each city and period, and by sex: (1) including the association as a fixed effect for each city; (2) including the association as random effects. In both models the data spatial structure can be controlled within each city. The association in each city was measured using relative risks (RR) and their 95 % credible intervals (95 % CI).Results: For most cities and in both sexes, mortality rates decline over time. For women, the mortality and deprivation patterns are similar in the first period, while in the second they are different for most cities. For men, RRs remain stable over time in 29 cities, in 3 diminish and in 1 increase. For women, in 30 cities, a non-significant change over time in RR is observed. However, in 4 cities RR diminishes. In overall terms, inequalities decrease (with a probability of 0.9) in both men (RR¿=¿1.13, 95 % CI¿=¿1.12–1.15 in the 1st period; RR¿=¿1.11, 95 % CI¿=¿1.09–1.13 in the 2nd period) and women (RR¿=¿1.07, 95 % CI¿=¿1.05–1.08 in the 1st period; RR¿=¿1.04, 95 % CI¿=¿1.02–1.06 in the 2nd period).Conclusions: In the future, it is important to conduct further trend studies, allowing to monitoring trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality and to identify (among other things) temporal factors that may influence these inequalities

Relationship between olive oil consumption and ankle-brachial pressure index in a population at high cardiovascular risk

The aim of this study was to ascertain the association between the consumption of different categories of edible olive oils (virgin olive oils and olive oil) and olive pomace oil and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) in participants in the PREDIMED-Plus study, a trial of lifestyle modification for weight and cardiovascular event reduction in individuals with overweight/obesity harboring the metabolic syndrome. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Consumption of any category of olive oil and olive pomace oil was assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to assess associations between olive oil consumption and ABI. Additionally, ABI ≤1 was considered as the outcome in logistic models with different categories of olive oil and olive pomace oil as exposure. Results: Among 4330 participants, the highest quintile of total olive oil consumption (sum of all categories of olive oil and olive pomace oil) was associated with higher mean values of ABI (beta coefficient: 0.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002, 0.027) (p for trend = 0.010). Logistic models comparing the consumption of different categories of olive oils, olive pomace oil and ABI ≤1 values revealed an inverse association between virgin olive oils consumption and the likelihood of a low ABI (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% CI [0.56, 0.97]), while consumption of olive pomace oil was positively associated with a low ABI (OR 1.22 95% CI [1.00, 1.48]). Conclusions: In a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk, total olive oil consumption was associated with a higher mean ABI. These results suggest that olive oil consumption may be beneficial for peripheral artery disease prevention, but longitudinal studies are needed

Genetic landscape of 6089 inherited retinal dystrophies affected cases in Spain and their therapeutic and extended epidemiological implications

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), defined by dysfunction or progressive loss of photoreceptors, are disorders characterized by elevated heterogeneity, both at the clinical and genetic levels. Our main goal was to address the genetic landscape of IRD in the largest cohort of Spanish patients reported to date. A retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 6089 IRD affected individuals (from 4403 unrelated families), referred for genetic testing from all the Spanish autonomous communities. Clinical, demographic and familiar data were collected from each patient, including family pedigree, age of appearance of visual symptoms, presence of any systemic findings and geographical origin. Genetic studies were performed to the 3951 families with available DNA using different molecular techniques. Overall, 53.2% (2100/3951) of the studied families were genetically characterized, and 1549 different likely causative variants in 142 genes were identified. The most common phenotype encountered is retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (55.6% of families, 2447/4403). The most recurrently mutated genes were PRPH2, ABCA4 and RS1 in autosomal dominant (AD), autosomal recessive (AR) and X-linked (XL) NON-RP cases, respectively; RHO, USH2A and RPGR in AD, AR and XL for non-syndromic RP; and USH2A and MYO7A in syndromic IRD. Pathogenic variants c.3386G > T (p.Arg1129Leu) in ABCA4 and c.2276G > T (p.Cys759Phe) in USH2A were the most frequent variants identified. Our study provides the general landscape for IRD in Spain, reporting the largest cohort ever presented. Our results have important implications for genetic diagnosis, counselling and new therapeutic strategies to both the Spanish population and other related populations.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) of the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS; PI16/00425 and PI19/00321), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER, 06/07/0036), IIS-FJD BioBank (PT13/0010/0012), Comunidad de Madrid (CAM, RAREGenomics Project, B2017/BMD-3721), European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE), Fundación Ramón Areces, Fundación Conchita Rábago and the University Chair UAM-IIS-FJD of Genomic Medicine. Irene Perea-Romero is supported by a PhD fellowship from the predoctoral Program from ISCIII (FI17/00192). Ionut F. Iancu is supported by a grant from the Comunidad de Madrid (CAM, PEJ-2017-AI/BMD7256). Marta del Pozo-Valero is supported by a PhD grant from the Fundación Conchita Rábago. Berta Almoguera is supported by a Juan Rodes program from ISCIII (JR17/00020). Pablo Minguez is supported by a Miguel Servet program from ISCIII (CP16/00116). Marta Corton is supported by a Miguel Servet program from ISCIII (CPII17/00006). The funders played no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation and/or publication decisions

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

A giant exoplanet orbiting a very-low-mass star challenges planet formation models

Surveys have shown that super-Earth and Neptune-mass exoplanets are more frequent than gas giants around low-mass stars, as predicted by the core accretion theory of planet formation. We report the discovery of a giant planet around the very-low-mass star GJ 3512, as determined by optical and near-infrared radial-velocity observations. The planet has a minimum mass of 0.46 Jupiter masses, very high for such a small host star, and an eccentric 204-day orbit. Dynamical models show that the high eccentricity is most likely due to planet-planet interactions. We use simulations to demonstrate that the GJ 3512 planetary system challenges generally accepted formation theories, and that it puts constraints on the planet accretion and migration rates. Disk instabilities may be more efficient in forming planets than previously thought

Efectos de la combinación de salinidad y exceso de boro en las relaciones hídricas del tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) tolerante cv. Poncho Negro y su relación con la funcionalidad de las acuaporinas

As elevated levels of boron (B) are accompanied by conditions of excessive salinity with drastic consequences for crops,it is crucial to find a crop that is tolerant to these conditions. In this work, the interaction between salinity and excess Bwith respect to aquaporin-mediated changes by blockade of mercury and water relations were studied as well as the osmotic adjustment of the plants. The treatments, for tomato ‘Poncho Negro’ cultivated hydroponically in a controlled environment chamber, were control (75 and 150 mM) NaCl and/or 5 mg L–1 or 20 mg L–1 B. Hydraulic conductance (L0) of detached exuding root systems exhibits large variations in response to abiotic stimuli. No additive (synergic) effects of B and salinity were observed. Under salinity, the plants increased their turgor, compensating for the decrease in the leaf water potential through the reduction in the leaf osmotic potential by the accumulation of soluble sugars and proline. The involvement of Hg2+-insensitive aquaporins or the osmotic gradient as the main force for water flow through the apoplastic pathway must be contemplated. Finally, all the data reveal the tomato cv. Poncho Negro to be a germplasm of agronomic interest and a good alternative for cultivation areas with high content of salts and the excess B of the soil and irrigation water.En muchas ocasiones niveles elevados de boro (B) van acompañados de condiciones de excesiva salinidad, cuyasconsecuencias pueden ser drásticas para los cultivos, por lo que es fundamental encontrar variedades que puedan tolerarestas condiciones. En este trabajo, se estudió cómo la interacción entre la salinidad y el exceso de B afecta a laactividad de las acuaporinas y a las relaciones hídricas, así como al ajuste osmótico de las plantas. Se cultivó en hidroponíatomate cv Poncho Negro en una cámara de crecimiento con ambiente controlado con los tratamientos control, NaCl (75 y 150 mM) y/o B (5 ó 20 mg L–1). No se observó ningún efecto aditivo (sinergia) del exceso de B y lasalinidad. Las plantas aumentaron su turgencia en condiciones salinas, compensando así la disminución del potencial hídrico foliar, a través de la reducción de su potencial osmótico por la acumulación de azúcares solubles y prolina. La participación de acuaporinas insensibles al Hg+2 o del gradiente osmótico, como la principal fuerza impulsora del flujo del agua, a través de la vía apoplástica, deben ser contemplados. Finalmente, todos los datos revelan que el tomate cv. Poncho Negro puede ser un germoplasma de interés agronómico y una buena alternativa para cultivar en condiciones de alto contenido de sales y exceso de B del suelo y del agua de riego

Sodium accumulation contributes to salt stress tolerance in lettuce cultivars

Increasing soil salinity of irrigated agricultural areas represents a major environmental stress factor that impairs the production of many salt-sensitive crop plants. Different lettuce cultivars were studied for identification of more tolerant ones, based on physiological properties. Five selected lettuce cultivars were grown hydroponically, salt stress was induced by 50 mM and 100 mM of NaCl. The cultivars exhibited differential reduction in shoot fresh weight. The highest sodium and free proline accumulation in the shoot of the most tolerant cultivar, associated with a moderate decrease of the root hydraulic conductance and of the leaf stomatal conductance, can be related to a better defense mechanism against osmotic stress. Salt exposure increased the potassium and calcium ion content of the xylem sap, which may be important for an efficient osmotic adjustment needed to support leaf expansion. The fact that the highest amount of Na+ was found in the shoot of the most tolerant cultivar, and the lowest in the most sensitive one, reflects that in lettuce Na+ exclusion is not a main strategy for salt tolerance. Lettuce is a good example for the case in which salinity tolerance is related not to exclusion, but to inclusion of sodium ions in the shoot system. For salt tolerant varieties the marketable yield has a higher dry biomass percentage, leaves of plants grown under high salinity are crispier, darker green and have a slight salty taste

Boric acid and salinity effects on maize roots. Response of aquaporins ZmPIP1 and ZmPIP2, and plasma membrane H+-ATPase, in relation to water and nutrient uptake.

Under saline conditions, an optimal cell water balance, possibly mediated by aquaporins, is important to maintain the whole-plant water status. Furthermore, excessive accumulation of boric acid in the soil solution can be observed in saline soils. In this work, the interaction between salinity and excess boron with respect to the root hydraulic conductance (L(0)), abundance of aquaporins (ZmPIP1 and ZmPIP2), ATPase activity and root sap nutrient content, in the highly boron- and salt-tolerant Zea mays L. cv. amylacea, was evaluated. A downregulation of root ZmPIP1 and ZmPIP2 aquaporin contents were observed in NaCl-treated plants in agreement with the L(0) measurements. However, in the H3BO3-treated plants differences in the ZmPIP1 and ZmPIP2 abundance were observed. The ATPase activity was related directly to the amount of ATPase protein and Na+ concentration in the roots, for which an increase in NaCl- and H3BO3+ NaCl-treated plants was observed with respect to untreated and H3BO3-treated plants. Although nutrient imbalance may result from the effect of salinity or H3BO3 alone, an ameliorative effect was observed when both treatments were applied together. In conclusion, our results suggest that under salt stress, the activity of specific membrane components can be influenced directly by boric acid, regulating the functions of certain aquaporin isoforms and ATPase as possible components of the salinity tolerance mechanism