Oxygen uptake kinetics to assess cardiorespiratory fitness in obese patients

Indexación: Scopus.Background: The evaluation of cardiorespiratory fitness (RCC) using maximal or peak oxygen consumption (VO2), requires a high level of effort in obese patients. We propose a method to evaluate RCC using constant and moderate loads, called VO2 kinetics (tau). Aim: To determine the relationship between tau and peak VO2 in patients with obesity. Material and Methods: Forty patients (87% females) aged 37 ± 12 years and with a body mass index (BMI) of 34.6 ± 4.0 kg/m2, were divided into two groups according to the applied workload (0.5 and 0.8 Watts/kg body mass) using a cycle ergometer and Cortex Metalyzer 3b equipment. The protocol was started with 6 minutes at constant load and then increments of 20-25 Watts every two min were made until determination of the peak VO2. Results: The tau value was 51.8 ± 17.6 s, the absolute peak VO2 was 2.0 ± 0.7 L/min and the relative peak VO2 was 26.6 ± 30.0 ml/kg/min. There was a significant difference of tau medians between the group that used 0.5 and 0.8 Watts/kg (p = 0.002) and a significant inverse correlation between the absolute peak VO2 and the tau value for a load of 0.5 Watts/kg (rho = -0.415, p = 0.0327). Conclusions: The higher tau value, the lower the peak VO2 of an obese patient. It is suggested to apply loads of 0.5 Watts/kg for a VO2 kinetics test in obese patients or in subjects who do not wish to carry out higher physiological demands with a non-invasive and low risk procedure.https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-98872018000100015&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=e

Sendero de los niños hogar Belén

41 p.El proyecto se emplaza en el Hogar Belén, una residencia para niños con discapacidad física, mental y sensorial ubicada en una población marginal de la ciudad de Talca. El patio de los niños nace a partir de la necesidad de contar con un lugar que conjugue Condiciones de transito y permanencia adecuado a las necesidades y limitaciones de los niños que lo habitan y con la intención de generar un espacio vinculante entre las diferentes partes que componen el hogar

Efecto de distintos niveles de condición hídrica de planta sobre variables fisiológicas de intercambio gaseoso y rendimiento en vides (cv. Merlot)

44 p.Se llevo a cabo un estudio para evaluar el efecto de distintos niveles de condición hídrica de planta, medidos mediante la metodología de potencial hídrico de xilema (Ѱx) sobre variables fisiológicas de intercambio gaseoso y rendimiento. El ensayo fue realizado durante la temporada estival 2010-2011 en un viñedo cv. Merlot (clon 181) ubicado en San Clemente, VII Región. Este viñedo es conducido en espaldera vertical simple y podado en cordón royat, en un marco de plantación de 1x2,5 m.Se realizó un ensayo con un diseño completamente al azar con 4 tratamientos y 4 repeticiones. Los tratamientos consistieron en la eliminación total o parcial del riego para lograr umbrales de potencial hídrico de xilema de: -0,8 (T0), -1,0 (T1), -1,2 (T2) y -1,5 (T3) MPa. Se evaluó el comportamiento de las variables fisiológicas de intercambio gaseoso (conductancia estomática (gs), y asimilación (A)). Además se midió el rendimiento (kg há-1) de los diferentes tratamientos de condición hídrica de planta estudiados. Durante la temporada se observaron diferencias estadísticas entre los tratamientos de riego aplicados para los valores de conductancia estomática medidos a partir del 24 de febrero, siendo el tratamiento T0 el que presentó los mayores valores de gs durante gran parte de la temporada de medición. Con respecto a la asimilación no se observaron diferencias estadísticas significativas entre los tratamientos aplicados durante la temporada. Asimismo, para el rendimiento tampoco se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre todos los tratamientos. Dentro de los principales resultados obtenidos se puede indicar que se registró un ahorro de agua del 62% para el T3, un 47% de ahorro para el T2 y un 37% de ahorro para el T1 en comparación con el tratamiento testigo, sin que esta disminución de agua impacte en el rendimiento.Palabras claves: Viñedo cv. Merlot, Potencial hídrico de xilema, Conductancia estomática, Asimilación. ABSTRACT A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of plant water status, measured by the methodology of stem water potential (Ѱx) on physiological variables of gas exchange. The trial was conducted during the 2010-2011 growing season, in a vineyard cv. Merlot (clone 181) located in San Clemente, Maule Region, Chile. This vineyard is conducted on a vertical shoot positioned system and pruned in royat cordon, with a spacing of 1 x 2, 5 m. A trial was conducted with a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments consisted of complete or partial removal of irrigation to achieve thresholds of stem water potential: -0.8 (T0), -1.0 (T1), -1.2 (T2) and -1.5 (T3) MPa. We evaluated the behaviour of gas exchange physiological variables (stomatal conductance (gs), and net assimilation (A)). Besides, yield was measured (kg ha-1) on the different treatments studied. During the season, there were statistical differences on stomatal conductance values among irrigation treatments, measured from February 24, were T0 showed the highest values of gs most of the season. With regard to net assimilation, no statistically significant differences were found among the treatments. The same thing was observed for yield. Also, a water saving of 62% for T3, 47% for T2 and 37% for T1 was reached compared to the control treatment, without a negative impact in yield. Keywords: Vineyard cv. Merlot, Stem water potential, Stomatal conductance, Net assimilation

Gestational hypothyroxinemia affects its offspring with a reduced suppressive capacity impairing the outcome of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Indexación: Scopus.Hypothyroxinemia (Hpx) is a thyroid hormone deficiency (THD) condition highly frequent during pregnancy, which although asymptomatic for the mother, it can impair the cognitive function of the offspring. Previous studies have shown that maternal hypothyroidism increases the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune disease model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we analyzed the immune response after EAE induction in the adult offspring gestated in Hpx. Mice gestated in Hpx showed an early appearance of EAE symptoms and the increase of all parameters of the disease such as: the pathological score, spinal cord demyelination, and immune cell infiltration in comparison to the adult offspring gestated in euthyroidism. Isolated CD4+CD25+ T cells from spleen of the offspring gestated in Hpx that suffer EAE showed reduced capacity to suppress proliferation of effector T cells (TEff) after being stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies. Moreover, adoptive transfer experiments of CD4+CD25+ T cells from the offspring gestated in Hpx suffering EAE to mice that were induced with EAE showed that the receptor mice suffer more intense EAE pathological score. Even though, no significant differences were detected in the frequency of Treg cells and IL-10 content in the blood, spleen, and brain between mice gestated in Hpx or euthyroidism, T cells CD4+CD25+ from spleen have reduced capacity to differentiate in vitro to Treg and to produce IL-10. Thus, our data support the notion that maternal Hpx can imprint the immune response of the offspring suffering EAE probably due to a reduced capacity to trigger suppression. Such "imprints" on the immune system could contribute to explaining as to why adult offspring gestated in Hpx suffer earlier and more intense EAE. © 2018 Haensgen, Albornoz, Opazo, Bugueño, Jara Fernández, Binzberger, Rivero-Castillo, Venegas Salas, Simon, Cabello-Verrugio, Elorza, Kalergis, Bueno and Riedel.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01257/ful

A genetic algorithm for resizing and sampling reduction of non-stationary soil chemical attributes optimizing spatial prediction

Aim of study: To evaluate the influence of the parameters of the geostatistical model and the initial sample configuration used in the optimization process; and to propose and evaluate the resizing of a sample configuration, reducing its sample size, for simulated data and for the study of the spatial variability of soil chemical attributes under a non-stationary with drift process from a commercial soybean cultivation area.Area of study: Cascavel, BrazilMaterial and methods: For both, the simulated data and the soil chemical attributes, the Genetic Algorithm was used for sample resizing, maximizing the overall accuracy measure.Main results: The results obtained from the simulated data showed that the practical range did not influence in a relevant way the optimization process. Moreover, the local variations, such as variance or sampling errors (nugget effect), had a direct relationship with the reduction of the sample size, mainly for the smaller nugget effect. For the soil chemical attributes, the Genetic Algorithm was efficient in resizing the sampling configuration, since it generated sampling configurations with 30 to 35 points, corresponding to 29.41% to 34.31% of the initial configuration, respectively. In addition, comparing the optimized and initial configurations, similarities were obtained regarding spatial dependence structure and characterization of spatial variability of soil chemical attributes in the study area.Research highlights: The optimization process showed that it is possible to reduce the sample size, allowing for lesser financial investments with data collection and laboratory analysis of soil samples in future experiments

Molecular evolution of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 5A gene in primates

Abstract Background Many electron transport chain (ETC) genes show accelerated rates of nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions in anthropoid primate lineages, yet in non-anthropoid lineages the ETC proteins are typically highly conserved. Here, we test the hypothesis that COX5A, the ETC gene that encodes cytochrome c oxidase subunit 5A, shows a pattern of anthropoid-specific adaptive evolution, and investigate the distribution of this protein in catarrhine brains. Results In a dataset comprising 29 vertebrate taxa, including representatives from all major groups of primates, there is nearly 100% conservation of the COX5A amino acid sequence among extant, non-anthropoid placental mammals. The most recent common ancestor of these species lived about 100 million years (MY) ago. In contrast, anthropoid primates show markedly elevated rates of nonsynonymous evolution. In particular, branch site tests identify five positively selected codons in anthropoids, and ancestral reconstructions infer that substitutions in these codons occurred predominantly on stem lineages (anthropoid, ape and New World monkey) and on the human terminal branch. Examination of catarrhine brain samples by immunohistochemistry characterizes for the first time COX5A protein distribution in the primate neocortex, and suggests that the protein is most abundant in the mitochondria of large-size projection neurons. Real time quantitative PCR supports previous microarray results showing COX5A is expressed in cerebral cortical tissue at a higher level in human than in chimpanzee or gorilla. Conclusion Taken together, these results suggest that both protein structural and gene regulatory changes contributed to COX5A evolution during humankind\u27s ancestry. Furthermore, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adaptations in ETC genes contributed to the emergence of the energetically expensive anthropoid neocortex

Sampling redesign of soil penetration resistance in spatial t-Student models

 Aim of study: To reduce the sample size in an agricultural area of 167.35 hectares, cultivated with soybean, to analyze the spatial dependence of soil penetration resistance (SPR) with outliers.Area of study: Cascavel, BrazilMaterial and methods: The reduction of sample size was made by the univariate effective sample size ( ) methodology, assuming that the t-Student model represents the probability distribution of SPR.Main results: The radius and the intensity of spatial dependence have an inverse relationship with the estimated value of the . For the depths of SPR with spatial dependence, the highest estimated value of the  reduced the sample size by 40%. From the new sample size, the sampling redesign was performed. The accuracy indexes showed differences between the thematic maps with the original and reduced sampling designs. However, the lowest values of the standard error in the parameters of the spatial dependence structure evidenced that the new sampling design was appropriate. Besides, models of semivariance function were efficiently estimated, which allowed identifying the existence of spatial dependence in all depth of SPR.Research highlights: The sample size was reduced by 40%, allowing for lesser financial investments with data collection and laboratory analysis of soil samples in the next mappings in the agricultural area. The spatial t-Student model was able to reduce the influence of outliers in the spatial dependence structure