Physical Activity Assessment of People with Type II Diabetes in the Dominican Republic

The prevalence of type II diabetes has increased nearly 25% in the past 10 years, leading to significantly higher risk of morbidity and premature mortality. Although it is well-known that physical activity (PA) improves diabetes outcomes, little is known about PA among Dominicans. PURPOSE: To evaluate PA participation and perceptions among people with type II diabetes in the Dominican Republic (DR). METHODS: Participants (N=29) were recruited from an urban diabetes clinic in Nagua, DR. Age, height, and weight were self-reported. Actigraph wGT3X-BT triaxial accelerometers were fitted for wear on the non-dominant wrist, and participants were instructed not to change their activity level. After seven days, participants returned the accelerometers and completed the Spanish-language Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) and two questions regarding perceptions of PA. Accelerometer data was considered acceptable if worn for at least 10 hours/day on at least four days. RESULTS: Eighteen women and 11 men enrolled (Age: 55 ± 13 yrs; BMI: 28.6 ± 4.5 kg∙m-2). Acceptable wear time was reached by 27 participants. Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was 132 ± 48 min∙day-1; steps∙day-1 was 9994 ± 2983. GLTEQ scores (103 ± 98) classified 25 participants as active and two as moderately active. Anecdotally, there were significant challenges in ascertaining accurate light-intensity physical activity from the participants. There were no gender differences in age, BMI, or MVPA. Men reported significantly higher GLTEQ scores (144 vs. 78, p0.2). Participants who reported being ‘very active’ (n=17) did significantly more MVPA than those that reported being ‘not very active’ or ‘somewhat active’ (n=10)(p=0.033). CONCLUSION: Dominicans with type II diabetes are highly physically active but do very little vigorous physical activity. Although there were no objective differences between men and women, men subjectively report nearly double the physical activity compared to women, indicating the need for differential interventions. The GLTEQ is not a valid measure of physical activity among Dominicans with type II diabetes

Physical properties of the trans-Neptunian binary 2000 YW₁₃₄

The study of trans-Neptunian binaries (TNBs) remains one of the most active areas of progress in understanding the solar system beyond Neptune. TNBs have been found in every dynamical population of the trans-Neptunian region (Noll et al. 2020), with proportions ranging from 29 % in the cold classical population to 5.5 % for the remaining classes combined (Brunini 2020). The formation of the contact TNB Arrokoth is one of the challenges that formation models face nowadays. The current angular momentum of Arrokoth is too low and the current binary formation scenarios, by either rotational fission or streaming instability (Nesvorný et al. 2019), require also loss of angular momentum (McKinnon et al. 2020). Additionally, formation mechanisms of close binaries may be distinct from those for the wider pairs. As the angular momentum of a system approaches that of an object spinning near its critical rotation period, rotational fission is the most likely explanation for their formation (Descamps et al. 2008), which is thought to be the case for the proposed satellites of Varuna and 2002 TC302 systems (Fernández-Valenzuela et al. 2019; Ortiz et al. 2020). If close TNBs turn out to be common for objects rotating close to the breakup limit, that could reveal important clues about angular momentum evolution during accretion for TNOs (Petit et al. 2011). However, characterizing binary systems at such distances is challenging. From the ~120 known TNBs, only around 40 have their mutual orbit fully determined, let alone physical characterization. 2000 YW134 is a TNB in a 3:8 resonance with an orbital semi-major axis of 57.4 au (a rare occurrence). On February 23rd, 2022, it occulted the Gaia EDR3 star 627356458358636544 (V = 17.1 mag). The stellar occultation was initially predicted using the JPL orbit solution #24, and updated using data from the 1.5-m and 1.23-m telescopes at Sierra Nevada and Calar Alto Observatories, using the same methodology as explained in Ortiz et al (2020). From the 17 observatories involved, seven reported positive chords, with five of them corresponding to the main body and the other two chords corresponding to its satellite. We are currently working on the analysis of these data in order to obtain the physical properties that characterize the system. Preliminary results show that the lower limit for the equivalent projected diameter of the satellite is twice the previously estimated size from HST observations (Stephens et al. 2006). We will also compare our results with the area-equivalent diameter and albedo obtained using thermal data from Herschel and Spitzer observations (Farkas-Takács et al. 2020)

Common variants in Alzheimer’s disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores

Funder: Funder: Fundación bancaria ‘La Caixa’ Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: Grifols SA Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: European Union/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Number: 115975 Funder: JPco-fuND FP-829-029 Number: 733051061Genetic discoveries of Alzheimer's disease are the drivers of our understanding, and together with polygenetic risk stratification can contribute towards planning of feasible and efficient preventive and curative clinical trials. We first perform a large genetic association study by merging all available case-control datasets and by-proxy study results (discovery n = 409,435 and validation size n = 58,190). Here, we add six variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk (near APP, CHRNE, PRKD3/NDUFAF7, PLCG2 and two exonic variants in the SHARPIN gene). Assessment of the polygenic risk score and stratifying by APOE reveal a 4 to 5.5 years difference in median age at onset of Alzheimer's disease patients in APOE ɛ4 carriers. Because of this study, the underlying mechanisms of APP can be studied to refine the amyloid cascade and the polygenic risk score provides a tool to select individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease

VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad

Acta de congresoLa conmemoración de los cien años de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918 se presentó como una ocasión propicia para debatir el rol de la historia, la teoría y la crítica en la formación y en la práctica profesional de diseñadores, arquitectos y urbanistas. En ese marco el VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad constituyó un espacio de intercambio y reflexión cuya realización ha sido posible gracias a la colaboración entre Facultades de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño de la Universidad Nacional y la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba, contando además con la activa participación de mayoría de las Facultades, Centros e Institutos de Historia de la Arquitectura del país y la región. Orientado en su convocatoria tanto a docentes como a estudiantes de Arquitectura y Diseño Industrial de todos los niveles de la FAUD-UNC promovió el debate de ideas a partir de experiencias concretas en instancias tales como mesas temáticas de carácter interdisciplinario, que adoptaron la modalidad de presentación de ponencias, entre otras actividades. En el ámbito de VIII Encuentro, desarrollado en la sede Ciudad Universitaria de Córdoba, se desplegaron numerosas posiciones sobre la enseñanza, la investigación y la formación en historia, teoría y crítica del diseño, la arquitectura y la ciudad; sumándose el aporte realizado a través de sus respectivas conferencias de Ana Clarisa Agüero, Bibiana Cicutti, Fernando Aliata y Alberto Petrina. El conjunto de ponencias que se publican en este Repositorio de la UNC son el resultado de dos intensas jornadas de exposiciones, cuyos contenidos han posibilitado actualizar viejos dilemas y promover nuevos debates. El evento recibió el apoyo de las autoridades de la FAUD-UNC, en especial de la Secretaría de Investigación y de la Biblioteca de nuestra casa, como así también de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la UCC; va para todos ellos un especial agradecimiento

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-her-10.1177_19375867231151687 - Exploring the Association Between the Healthcare Design Elements and Physician Well-Being: A Scoping Review

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-her-10.1177_19375867231151687 for Exploring the Association Between the Healthcare Design Elements and Physician Well-Being: A Scoping Review by Amerigo Rossi, Nina Brojan Heyman, Mónica Ortiz Rossi, Sarah Wolf and Takeesha White in HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal</p

Unveiling the Kuiper belt from the JWST through stellar occultations

&lt;p&gt;The stellar occultation technique is a very powerful tool to obtain the size and shape of Solar System bodies with high accuracy [6]. Size determination allows to obtain geometric albedos and, in the case of binary/multiple objects, even the mass density can be derived [3]. Satellites, atmospheres, and rings can also be detected and characterized [1,2,3]. The observation of stellar occultations produced by Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and Centaurs with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) offers a unique possibility to extend our knowledge of these bodies [4] by providing key information on the body's ability to retain volatiles, surface thermal properties, roughness, porosity, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will present our Target of Opportunity (ToO) program [5] accepted within Heidi Hammel's JWST Guaranteed Time Observations (GTO), dedicated to observing stellar occultations by trans-Neptunian objects (TNO) and distant dwarf planets or particularly interesting centaurs (such as the ringed centaurs Chariklo [1] or Chiron [2]). Predictions of such events visible from JWST are challenging due to the chaotic motion of the space telescope around the Lagrange 2 (L2) point. Statistically, we expect there to be approximately a 50% chance of such an occultation of a star brighter than K=19 by a numbered TNO observable from JWST in Cycle 1. We will discuss the possible candidates for Cycle 1 occultations that we have identified so far. As JWST station-keeping maneuvers are executed, the list of possible occultations and their uncertainties will be revised. Very accurate relative astrometry will be performed using the latest releases of the &lt;em&gt;Gaia&lt;/em&gt; catalog for particularly promising occultation events through established ground-based programs. Suppose a stellar occultation event is confirmed through such an astrometric revision to have a predicted impact parameter less than 3 times the estimated target radius and to have a 1 sigma uncertainty in prediction less than 2 times the target radius. In that case, the ToO observation will be triggered. JWST station-keeping and trajectory-prediction operations have been studied in the context of stellar occultations by solar system bodies [4]. The accuracy of the trajectory predictions is adequate to support this triggering mechanism up to roughly 30 days before an occultation event: the ToO response time is set to 14 days, the minimum value for a non-disruptive ToO.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The observations will be made with NIRCam and the F070W and F277W filters. These filters were chosen to maximize the flux from the star while minimizing the reflected flux from the TNO or Centaur. This filter combination could change based on the properties of the occulted star and the occulting TNO/Centaur. Other technical aspects and updates on this project will be provided during the presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Acknowledgments.&lt;/strong&gt; We acknowledge financial support from the Spanish grant AYA-RTI2018-098657-J-I00 &amp;#8220;LEO-SBNAF&amp;#8221; (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and from the State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the &amp;#8220;Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa&amp;#8221; award to the Instituto de Astrof&amp;#237;sica de Andaluc&amp;#237;a (SEV-2017-0709). Funding from Spanish projects PID2020-112789GB-I00 from AEI and Proyecto de Excelencia de la Junta de Andaluc&amp;#237;a PY20-01309 is also acknowledged. Part of this work has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Community&amp;#8217;s H2020 (2014-2020/ERC Grant Agreement no. 669416 &amp;#8220;LUCKY STAR&amp;#8221;). M.V-L. acknowledges funding from Spanish project AYA2017-89637-R (FEDER/MICINN).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] Braga-Ribas et al., Nature 508, 72 (2014)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[2] Ortiz et al., A&amp;A 576, id.A18 (2015)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[3] Ortiz, Santos-Sanz et al., Nature 550, 219 (2017)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[4] Santos-Sanz et al., PASP 128, 959 (2016)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[5] Santos-Sanz, JWST Proposal. Cycle 1, ID. #1271&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[6] Sicardy et al., Nature 439, 52 (2006)&lt;/p&gt

Physical properties of the cubewano 19521 Chaos from a multi-chord stellar occultation

Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) have had an increasing interest since the discovery of (15760) Albion in 1992. These objects are considered remnants of the Solar System formation, and can thus provide clues about its origin and evolution. One of the best techniques to study TNOs from ground-based telescopes are stellar occultations which, if combined with photometric data, permit to obtain physical properties of the TNO such as its size, shape, and albedo. With this in mind, we predicted, observed, and analyzed the stellar occultation of the Gaia source 3444789965847631104 caused by the cubewano (19521) Chaos on the 20th of November 2020. The prediction was part of the searching program carried out by the Lucky Star project collaboration. We observed the object with the 1.23-m telescope at Calar Alto Observatory (Almería, Spain) two days before the event to update the prediction. The occultation observing campaign involved 19 observing stations, both professional and amateur, and resulted in three positive detections and 11 negative detections. Five teams could not observe due to bad weather. We fitted the positive chords' extremities to an ellipse to derive Chaos' projected size and shape and determine its geometric albedo. The preliminary area-equivalent diameter obtained is slightly smaller than the one derived with Herschel thermal data. However, we are still analyzing photometric data to complement and improve these results

COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a joint study by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, and CLL Campus.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease of the elderly, characterized by immunodeficiency. Hence, patients with CLL might be considered more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19. We undertook this retrospective international multicenter study to characterize the course of COVID-19 in patients with CLL and identify potential predictors of outcome. Of 190 patients with CLL and confirmed COVID-19 diagnosed between 28/03/2020 and 22/05/2020, 151 (79%) presented with severe COVID-19 (need of oxygen and/or intensive care admission). Severe COVID-19 was associated with more advanced age (≥65 years) (odds ratio 3.72 [95% CI 1.79-7.71]). Only 60 patients (39.7%) with severe COVID-19 were receiving or had recent (≤12 months) treatment for CLL at the time of COVID-19 versus 30/39 (76.9%) patients with mild disease. Hospitalization rate for severe COVID-19 was lower (p < 0.05) for patients on ibrutinib versus those on other regimens or off treatment. Of 151 patients with severe disease, 55 (36.4%) succumbed versus only 1/38 (2.6%) with mild disease; age and comorbidities did not impact on mortality. In CLL, (1) COVID-19 severity increases with age; (2) antileukemic treatment (particularly BTK inhibitors) appears to exert a protective effect; (3) age and comorbidities did not impact on mortality, alluding to a relevant role of CLL and immunodeficiency