A new tool for the paediatric HIV research:general data from the Cohort of the SpanishPaediatric HIV Network (CoRISpe)

There are approximately from 1,100 to 1,200 HIV-infected children in a follow-up in Spain. In 2008 an open, multicentral, retrospective and prospective Cohort of the Spanish Paediatric HIV Network (CoRISpe) was founded. The CoRISpe is divided into the node 1 and node 2 representing geographically almost the whole territory of Spain. Since 2008 seventy-five hospitals have been participating in the CoRISpe. All the retrospective data of the HIV-infected children have been kept in the CoRISpe since 1995 and prospective data since 2008. In this article we are going to present the notion of CoRISpe, its role, the structure, how the CoRISpe works and the process how a child is transferred from Paediatric to Adults Units. The main objective of the CoRISpe is to contribute to furthering scientific knowledge on paediatric HIV infection by providing demographic, sociopsychological, clinical and laboratory data from HIV-infected paediatric patients. Its aim is to enable high-quality research studies on HIV-infected children

Deterioro cognitivo posquirúrgico a largo plaza tras cirugía cardiaca

Objetivos: Evaluar de forma longitudinal el Deterioro Cognitivo Postquirúrgico (DCP) a largo plazo en pacientes tras cirugía cardíaca, analizar el perfil cognitivo obtenido e identificar los factores de riesgo involucrados. Material y Métodos: Estudio prospectivo de 70 pacientes sometidos a cirugía cardíaca (36 con……..). Se recogieron los datos sociodemográficos y clínicos y se realizó evaluación longitudinal neuropsicológica (pre y postquirúrgica a los 1, 6 y 12 meses) para caracterizar el DCP (Proyecto Neuronorma). Se evaluaron las funciones ejecutivas (Test del Trazo, Test de Stroop), memoria (Test de Recuerdo libre y selectivamente facilitado), fluidez verbal (Semántica y Fonológica) y función visuoespacial (Orientación de Líneas. Se valoró también depresión y ansiedad (escalas de Hamilton). Resultados: Se comprobó la presencia de DCP en los dos grupos de pacientes (p>0.05-p>0.001, mayor en el grupo con CEC), que fue máximo a los 6 meses de la intervención, pero aún significativo a los 12 meses. El deterioro cognitivo se asoció con variables intraoperatorias (baja saturación de oxígeno intraoperatoria y tiempo de bypass cardiopulmonar prolongado) y con factores de riesgo cardiovasculares (tabaquismo, insuficiencia cardíaca, hipertrofia ventricular izquierda, diabetes mellitus, enfermedad coronaria de 3 vasos y arteriopatía periférica) como factores predictivos. Conclusión: Los resultados indican la prevalencia del deterioro cognitivo postquirúrgico (DCP) al año de la intervención en ambos grupos, siendo mayor en el grupo con CEC. El DCP se caracteriza por un deterioro multidominio significativo en atención, funciones ejecutivas y fluencia verbal. Se describen los factores intraoperatorios y cardiovasculares significativos en el DCP, planteando la necesidad de establecer protocolos para su detección así como su prevención.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Prognostic factors of a lower CD4/CD8 ratio in long term viral suppression HIV infected children

CoRISpe (Cohorte Nacional de VIH pediátrica de la RED RIS).[Background] Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is associated with marked immune reconstitution. Although a long term viral suppression is achievable, not all children however, attain complete immunological recovery due to persistent immune activation. We use CD4/CD8 ratio like a marker of immune reconstitution.[Methods] Perinatal HIV-infected children who underwent a first-line cART, achieved viral suppression in the first year and maintained it for more than 5 years, with no viral rebound were included. Logistic models were applied to estimate the prognostic factors, clinical characteristics at cART start, of a lower CD4/CD8 ratio at the last visit.[Results] 146 HIV-infected children were included: 77% Caucasian, 45% male and 28% CDC C. Median age at cART initiation was 2.3 years (IQR: 0.5–6.2). 42 (30%) children received mono-dual therapy previously to cART. Time of undetectable viral load was 9.5 years (IQR: 7.8, 12.5). 33% of the children not achieved CD4/CD8 ratio >1. Univariate analysis showed an association between CD4/CD8 1 was not achieved in 33% of the children. Lower CD4 nadir and previous exposure to suboptimal therapy, before initiating cART, are factors showing independently association with a worse immune recovery (CD4/CD8 < 1).Peer reviewe

La investigación en Pediatría en España: retos y prioridades. Plataforma INVEST-AEP

La investigación clínica es la piedra angular para el desarrollo de la Medicina, y, en el ámbito de la Pediatría, supone un reto adicional debido a las peculiaridades que diferencian a los niños de los adultos. A pesar del enorme impacto de la salud infantil en el resto de la vida, nuestra sociedad aún no está suficientemente concienciada sobre la importancia de la investigación pediátrica, que, en general, se encuentra también muy alejada del día a día de quienes nos dedicamos a esta profesión. Desde la Asociación Española de Pediatría (AEP) se ha creado una plataforma específica de investigación —INVEST-AEP— para dar respuesta específica a los retos de la investigación en el seno de nuestra sociedad. En este artículo se retrata el escenario actual de la investigación pediátrica en España y se objetivan las metas alcanzadas en los últimos años, gracias al esfuerzo de los pediatras investigadores. Además, se realiza un análisis en profundidad sobre las barreras cotidianas que dificultan el desarrollo amplio y competitivo de la investigación pediátrica, como la falta de incentivación y ausencia de formación específica de pre y posgrado, la elevada carga asistencial o la falta de infraestructuras y financiación específicas. Definimos la misión, visión y valores de INVEST-AEP para tratar de diseñar una «hoja de ruta» para la investigación pediátrica española de los próximos años. Research is the cornerstone of medical progress. Paediatric research has its own nuances and represents an additional challenge due to the intrinsic characteristics of the paediatric population compared with adults. Despite the tremendous importance of childhood health and its impact during adulthood, society is still not convinced about the importance of conducting research in paediatrics. This also applies to paediatricians themselves, who think about research as a discipline that does not directly involve them. The Spanish Academy of Paediatrics has developed a specific research platform- INVEST-AEP- to try to help and answer the challenges associated with paediatric research in the society This article reflects the current status of paediatric research in Spain, and the goals achieved over the last few years due to the effort of paediatric researchers. In addition, a deeper analysis is provided as regards: a) the barriers that represent a hurdle for the development of broad and competitive paediatric research in our day to day work; b) the limited incentives and specific pre- and post-doctoral training; c) the high clinical burden for paediatricians or; d) the lack of specific infrastructure and dedicated funding for paediatrics. The mission, vision and values of INVEST-AEP are to develop an accessible roadmap for the development and implementation of paediatric research in Spain for the next few years

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

Ciencias de la Biología y Agronomía

Este volumen I contiene 17 capítulos arbitrados que se ocupan de estos asuntos en Tópicos Selectos de Ciencias de la Biología y Agronomía, elegidos de entre las contribuciones, reunimos algunos investigadores y estudiantes. Se presenta un Estudio Comparativo de los Recursos Hidrológico-Forestales de la Microcuenca de la Laguna de Epatlan, Pue. (1993 a 2014); la Situación Actual de la Mancha de Asfalto en Maíz (Zea mays L.) en los Municipios de Jiquipilas y Ocozocoautla, Chiapas, México; las poblaciones sobresalientes de maíz de la raza Zapalote Chico, en la Región Istmeña de Oaxaca; Se indica el índice de área foliar de cultivo de Chile Poblano mediante dos métodos en condiciones protegidas; Esquivel, Urzúa y Ramírez exploran el efecto de la biofertilización con Azospirillum en el crecimiento y producción de Jitomate; esbozan su artículo sobre la determinación del nivel de Heterosis en híbridos de Maíz para la Comarca Lagunera; una investigación sobre la estabilización de semilla de Solanum lycopersicum durante el almacenamiento y estimulación de la germinación; acotan sobre el CTAB como una nueva opción para la detección de Huanglongbing en cítricos, plantean su evaluación sobre el aluminio y cómo afecta la vida de florero de Heliconia psittacorum; indican sobre el impacto del H-564C, como un híbrido de maíz con alta calidad de proteina para el trópico húmedo de México; presetan su investigación sobre la producción de Piña Cayena Lisa y MD2 (Ananas comosus L.) en condiciones de Loma Bonita, en Oaxaca; acotan sobre el efecto de coberteras como control biológico por conservación contra áfidos en Nogal Pecanero; esbozan sobre la caracterización de cuatro genotipos de Frijol Negro en Martínez de la Torre, Veracruz, México; presentan una caracterización hidroecológica de la microcuenca de Arroyo Prieto, Yuriría, Gto., y alternativas para su restauración ambiental; presentan su investigación sobre el efecto del hongo Beauveria bassiana sobre solubilización de fosfatos y la disponibilidad de fósforo en el suelo; plantean su investigación sobre la Germinación y regeneración in vitro de Epidendrum falcatum LINDL; esbozan su artículo sobre genotipos de frijol negro y su tolerancia a sequía terminal en Veracruz, México

Comparison of transcriptome-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for genetic fingerprinting, diversity evaluation, and establishment of relationships in eggplants

[EN] Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are amongst the most common markers of choice for studies of diversity and relationships in horticultural species. We have used 11 SSR and 35 SNP markers derived from transcriptome sequencing projects to fingerprint 48 accessions of a collection of brinjal (Solanum melongena), gboma (S. macrocarpon) and scarlet (S. aethiopicum) eggplant complexes, which also include their respective wild relatives S. incanum, S. dasyphyllum and S. anguivi. All SSR and SNP markers were polymorphic and 34 and 36 different genetic fingerprints were obtained with SSRs and SNPs, respectively. When combining both markers all accessions but two had different genetic profiles. Although on average SSRs were more informative than SNPs, with a higher number of alleles, genotypes and polymorphic information content (PIC), and expected heterozygosity (He) values, SNPs have proved highly informative in our materials. Low observed heterozygosity (Ho) and high fixation index (f) values confirm the high degree of homozygosity of eggplants. Genetic identities within groups of each complex were higher than with groups of other complexes, although differences in the ranks of genetic identity values among groups were observed between SSR and SNP markers. For low and intermediate values of pair-wise SNP genetic distances, a moderate correlation between SSR and SNP genetic distances was observed (r(2) = 0.592), but for high SNP genetic distances the correlation was low (r(2) = 0.080). The differences among markers resulted in different phenogram topologies, with a different eggplant complex being basal (gboma eggplant for SSRs and brinjal eggplant for SNPs) to the two others. Overall the results reveal that both types of markers are complementary for eggplant fingerprinting and that interpretation of relationships among groups may be greatly affected by the type of marker used.This work has been funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 677379 (G2P-SOL project: Linking genetic resources, genomes and phenotypes of Solanaceous crops) and by Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (Grant AGL2015-64755-R from MINECO/FEDER). Pietro Gramazio is grateful to Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for a pre-doctoral contract (Programa FPI de la UPV-Subprograma 1/2013 call). Mariola Plazas is grateful to Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad for a post-doctoral grant within the Juan de la Cierva-Formacion programme (FJCI-2015-24835).Gramazio, P.; Prohens Tomás, J.; Borras, D.; Plazas Ávila, MDLO.; Herraiz García, FJ.; Vilanova Navarro, S. 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Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention combining a smartphone app and smart band on body composition in an overweight and obese population: Randomized controlled trial (EVIDENT 3 study)

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is currently among the supporting elements that may contribute to an improvement in health markers by helping people adopt healthier lifestyles. mHealth interventions have been widely reported to achieve greater weight loss than other approaches, but their effect on body composition remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the short-term (3 months) effectiveness of a mobile app and a smart band for losing weight and changing body composition in sedentary Spanish adults who are overweight or obese. Methods: A randomized controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted involving the participation of 440 subjects from primary care centers, with 231 subjects in the intervention group (IG; counselling with smartphone app and smart band) and 209 in the control group (CG; counselling only). Both groups were counselled about healthy diet and physical activity. For the 3-month intervention period, the IG was trained to use a smartphone app that involved self-monitoring and tailored feedback, as well as a smart band that recorded daily physical activity (Mi Band 2, Xiaomi). Body composition was measured using the InBody 230 bioimpedance device (InBody Co., Ltd), and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The mHealth intervention produced a greater loss of body weight (–1.97 kg, 95% CI –2.39 to –1.54) relative to standard counselling at 3 months (–1.13 kg, 95% CI –1.56 to –0.69). Comparing groups, the IG achieved a weight loss of 0.84 kg more than the CG at 3 months. The IG showed a decrease in body fat mass (BFM; –1.84 kg, 95% CI –2.48 to –1.20), percentage of body fat (PBF; –1.22%, 95% CI –1.82% to 0.62%), and BMI (–0.77 kg/m2, 95% CI –0.96 to 0.57). No significant changes were observed in any of these parameters in men; among women, there was a significant decrease in BMI in the IG compared with the CG. When subjects were grouped according to baseline BMI, the overweight group experienced a change in BFM of –1.18 kg (95% CI –2.30 to –0.06) and BMI of –0.47 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.80 to –0.13), whereas the obese group only experienced a change in BMI of –0.53 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.86 to –0.19). When the data were analyzed according to physical activity, the moderate-vigorous physical activity group showed significant changes in BFM of –1.03 kg (95% CI –1.74 to –0.33), PBF of –0.76% (95% CI –1.32% to –0.20%), and BMI of –0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.83 to –0.19). Conclusions: The results from this multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial study show that compared with standard counselling alone, adding a self-reported app and a smart band obtained beneficial results in terms of weight loss and a reduction in BFM and PBF in female subjects with a BMI less than 30 kg/m2 and a moderate-vigorous physical activity level. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to ensure that this profile benefits more than others from this intervention and to investigate modifications of this intervention to achieve a global effect

Nearest neighbor: the low-mass milky way satellite Tucana III*

We present Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy of the recently discovered Milky Way satellite Tucana III (Tuc III). We identify 26 member stars in Tuc III from which we measure a mean radial velocity of v hel = −102.3 ± 0.4 (stat.) ± 2.0 (sys.) km s-1, a velocity dispersion of 0.1 -0.1+0.7 km s-1, and a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]=-2.42 -0.08+0.07. The upper limit on the velocity dispersion is σ < 1.5 km s-1 at 95.5% confidence, and the corresponding upper limit on the mass within the half-light radius of Tuc III is 9.0 × 104 M ⊙. We cannot rule out mass-to-light ratios as large as 240 M ⊙/L ⊙ for Tuc III, but much lower mass-to-light ratios that would leave the system baryon-dominated are also allowed. We measure an upper limit on the metallicity spread of the stars in Tuc III of 0.19 dex at 95.5% confidence. Tuc III has a smaller metallicity dispersion and likely a smaller velocity dispersion than any known dwarf galaxy, but a larger size and lower surface brightness than any known globular cluster. Its metallicity is also much lower than those of the clusters with similar luminosity. We therefore tentatively suggest that Tuc III is the tidally stripped remnant of a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy, but additional precise velocity and metallicity measurements will be necessary for a definitive classification. If Tuc III is indeed a dwarf galaxy, it is one of the closest external galaxies to the Sun. Because of its proximity, the most luminous stars in Tuc III are quite bright, including one star at V = 15.7 that is the brightest known member star of an ultra-faint satellite

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true