La investigación industrializada en la era de la flexibilidad y la precarización: Las posibilidades del conocimiento, el trabajo de campo y la etnografía en la práctica profesional de la antropología

Las condiciones actuales del ejercicio profesional de la antropología, especialmente fuera del ámbito académico, han sedimentado formas y maneras para la construcción del conocimiento en las que el trabajo de campo y la etnografía —rasgos que alguna vez distinguieron a la disciplina— se han reducido, algunas veces y con suerte, a una etnografía rápida; otras veces, y no con mucha suerte, a escasos acercamientos in situ con instrumentos metodológicos estandarizados para recoger datos y conocer realidades concretas de multiplicidades locales. El objetivo de este trabajo es discutir las posibilidades de la construcción de conocimiento, el trabajo de campo y la etnografía en el mercado laboral de la antropología guatemalteca que, regido poruna tendencia creciente de flexibilización y precarización, ha industrializado el proceso de investigación y estandarizado las estrategias e instrumentos metodológicos

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a dual response in liver function tests: Association with mortality during hospitalization

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with abnormal liver function tests. We hypothesized that early altered liver biochemistries at admission might have different clinical relevance than subsequent changes during hospitalization. A single-center retrospective study was conducted on 540 consecutive hospitalized patients, PCR-diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2. Liver test abnormalities were defined as the elevation of either gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), or aspartate aminotransferase (AST), above the upper limit of normality set by our laboratory. Linear mixed models (LMM) evaluated longitudinal associations, incorporating all available follow-up laboratory chemistries. By the end of the follow-up period, 502 patients (94.5%) were discharged (109 (20.5%) died). A total of 319 (64.3%) had at least one abnormal liver test result at admission. More prevalent were elevated AST (40.9%) and GGT (47.3%). Abnormalities were not associated with survival but with respiratory complications at admission. Conversely, LMM models adjusted for age and sex showed that longitudinal increases during hospitalization in ferritin, GGT, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as a decreased albumin levels, were associated with reduced survival. This dual pattern of liver damage might reconcile previous conflicting reports. GGT and ALP trajectories could be useful to determine who might need more surveillance and intensive care

Extracellular enzyme production in the coastal upwelling system off Peru during different upwelling scenarios: a mesocosm experiment

The Peruvian upwelling system is a highly productive ecosystem that could be altered by ongoing global changes. We carried out a mesocosm experiment off Peru, with the addition of water masses from the regional oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) collected at two different sites simulating two different upwelling scenarios. Here we focus on pelagic remineralization of organic matter by extracellular enzyme production of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA). After addition of the OMZ water, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) was depleted, but the standing stock of phytoplankton was relatively high even after nutrient depletion (mostly &gt;4 &micro;g chlorophyll a L-1). During the initial phase of the experiment, APA was 0.6 nmol L-1 h-1 even though the PO43- concentration was &gt;0.5 &micro;mol L-1. Initially, the dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) decreased, coinciding with an increase in PO43- concentration probably linked to the APA. The LAP activity was very high with most of the measurements in the range 200&ndash;800 nmol L-1 h-1. This enzyme degrades amino acids and these high values are probably linked to the highly productive, but N-limited coastal ecosystem. Also, the experiment took place during a rare coastal El Ni&ntilde;o event with higher-than-normal surface temperatures, which could have affected the enzyme production. Using a non-parametric multidimensional scaling analysis (NMDS) with a generalized additive model (GAM), we found that biogeochemical variables (e.g. nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations), phytoplankton and bacterial communities explained up to 64 % of the variability in APA. The bacterial community explained best the variability (34 %) in LAP. The high hydrolysis rates for this enzyme suggests that pelagic N remineralization supported the high standing stock of primary producers in the mesocosms after N depletion.</p

Genomic and functional regulation of TRIB1 contributes to prostate cancer pathogenesis

Prostate cancer is the most frequent malignancy in European men and the second worldwide. One of the major oncogenic events in this disease includes amplification of the transcription factor cMYC. Amplification of this oncogene in chromosome 8q24 occurs concomitantly with the copy number increase in a subset of neighboring genes and regulatory elements, but their contribution to disease pathogenesis is poorly understood. Here we show that TRIB1 is among the most robustly upregulated coding genes within the 8q24 amplicon in prostate cancer. Moreover, we demonstrate that TRIB1 amplification and overexpression are frequent in this tumor type. Importantly, we find that, parallel to its amplification, TRIB1 transcription is controlled by cMYC. Mouse modeling and functional analysis revealed that aberrant TRIB1 expression is causal to prostate cancer pathogenesis. In sum, we provide unprecedented evidence for the regulation and function of TRIB1 in prostate cancer

La investigación industrializada en la era de la flexibilidad y la precarización: Las posibilidades del conocimiento, el trabajo de campo y la etnografía en la práctica profesional de la antropología

Las condiciones actuales del ejercicio profesional de la antropología, especialmente fuera del ámbito académico, han sedimentado formas y maneras para la construcción del conocimiento en las que el trabajo de campo y la etnografía —rasgos que alguna vez distinguieron a la disciplina— se han reducido, algunas veces y con suerte, a una&nbsp;etnografía rápida; otras veces, y no con mucha suerte, a escasos acercamientos&nbsp;in situ&nbsp;con instrumentos metodológicos&nbsp;estandarizados&nbsp;para recoger datos y conocer realidades concretas de multiplicidades locales. El objetivo de este trabajo es discutir las posibilidades de la construcción de conocimiento, el trabajo de campo y la etnografía en el mercado laboral de la antropología guatemalteca que, regido poruna tendencia creciente de flexibilización y precarización, ha industrializado el proceso de investigación y estandarizado las estrategias e instrumentos metodológicos

Effects of licensed characters on children's taste and snack preferences in Guatemala, a low/middle income country

BACKGROUND: Marketing of high-energy, low-nutrient foods is one of the contributing factors to the obesity-promoting environment. Licensed characters are typically used to market these foods to children because they increase brand recognition and sales, and data suggest that they affect the taste and snack preferences of children in high-income countries, but it has not yet been explored in low/middle income countries (LMICs). We sought to examine how licensed characters on food packaging influence children's taste and snack preferences in Guatemala, a LMIC. METHODS: One hundred twenty-one children (mean ± s.d. age, 7.4 ± 1.9 years) from four (two preschool and two elementary) public schools in Guatemala tasted three food types: potato chips, crackers and carrots. Each was presented in two identical packages, except that one had a licensed character and the other did not. Children tasted the foods (six total) in each package and answered whether they tasted the same or one tasted better. Snack preference was also evaluated. RESULTS: Children were significantly (Po0.001) more likely to prefer the taste of the foods inside the package with the licensed character compared with the one with no character (mean ± s.d., 0.24 ± 0.54). Most (66%) chose the food in the package with the character for a snack. Younger children (Po0.001) were more likely to prefer the taste of the food inside the package with the character. CONCLUSIONS: Licensed characters on food packaging influence Guatemalan children's taste and snack preferences. Given that these characters are typically used to promote high-energy, low-nutrient foods, their influence could contribute toward overconsumption of these foods and consequently increased risk of obesity in Guatemalan children. Therefore, public health advocates, in Guatemala and elsewhere, might explore restricting the use of licensed characters on food packaging as a public health strategy