Epigenome-Wide Association Studies of the Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Bronchodilator Drug Response in Moderate-to-Severe Pediatric Asthma

Asthma is the most prevalent pediatric chronic disease. Bronchodilator drug response (BDR) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) are clinical biomarkers of asthma. Although DNA methylation (DNAm) contributes to asthma pathogenesis, the influence of DNAm on BDR and FeNO is scarcely investigated. This study aims to identify DNAm markers in whole blood associated either with BDR or FeNO in pediatric asthma. We analyzed 121 samples from children with moderate-to-severe asthma. The association of genome-wide DNAm with BDR and FeNO has been assessed using regression models, adjusting for age, sex, ancestry, and tissue heterogeneity. Cross-tissue validation was assessed in 50 nasal samples. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and enrichment in traits and biological pathways were assessed. A false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.1 and a genome-wide significance threshold of p < 9 × 10−8 were used to control for false-positive results. The CpG cg12835256 (PLA2G12A) was genome-wide associated with FeNO in blood samples (coefficient= −0.015, p = 2.53 × 10−9) and nominally associated in nasal samples (coefficient = −0.015, p = 0.045). Additionally, three CpGs were suggestively associated with BDR (FDR < 0.1). We identified 12 and four DMRs associated with FeNO and BDR (FDR < 0.05), respectively. An enrichment in allergic and inflammatory processes, smoking, and aging was observed. We reported novel associations of DNAm markers associated with BDR and FeNO enriched in asthma-related processes

Latitude gradient influences the age of onset of rheumatoid arthritis : a worldwide survey

The age of onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an important outcome predictor. Northern countries report an age of RA onset of around 50 years, but apparently, variability exists across different geographical regions. The objective of the present study is to assess whether the age of onset of RA varies across latitudes worldwide. In a proof-of-concept cross-sectional worldwide survey, rheumatologists from preselected cities interviewed 20 consecutive RA patients regarding the date of RA onset (RAO, when the patient first noted a swollen joint). Other studied variables included location of each city, rheumatologist settings, latitudes (10A degrees increments, south to north), longitudes (three regions), intracountry consistency, and countries' Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). Data from 2481 patients (82% females) were obtained from 126 rheumatologists in 77 cities of 41 countries. Worldwide mean age of RAO was 44 +/- 14 years (95% CI 44-45). In 28% of patients, RA began before age 36 years and before age 46 years in 50% of patients. RAO was 8 years earlier around the Tropic of Cancer when compared with northern latitudes (p <0.001, 95% CI 3.5-13). Multivariate analysis showed that females, western cities, and latitudes around the Tropic of Cancer are associated with younger age of RAO (R (2) 0.045, p <0.001). A positive correlation was found between the age of RAO and IHDI (r = 0.7, p <0.01, R (2) 0.5). RA often begins at an early age and onset varies across latitudes worldwide. We postulate that countries' developmental status and their geographical and geomagnetic location influence the age of RAO.Peer reviewe

Dementia in Latin America : paving the way towards a regional action plan

Regional challenges faced by Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) to fight dementia, such as heterogeneity, diversity, political instabilities, and socioeconomic disparities, can be addressed more effectively grounded in a collaborative setting based on the open exchange of knowledge. In this work, the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) proposes an agenda for integration to deliver a Knowledge to Action Framework (KtAF). First, we summarize evidence-based strategies (epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, clinical trials, nonpharmacological interventions, networking and translational research) and align them to current global strategies to translate regional knowledge into actions with transformative power. Then, by characterizing genetic isolates, admixture in populations, environmental factors, and barriers to effective interventions and mapping these to the above challenges, we provide the basic mosaics of knowledge that will pave the way towards a KtAF. We describe strategies supporting the knowledge creation stage that underpins the translational impact of KtAF

patrimonio intelectual

Actas de congresoLas VI Jornadas se realizaron con la exposición de ponencias que se incluyeron en cuatro ejes temáticos, que se desarrollaron de modo sucesivo para facilitar la asistencia, el intercambio y el debate, distribuidos en tres jornadas. Los ejes temáticos abordados fueron: 1. La enseñanza como proyecto de investigación. Recursos de enseñanza-aprendizaje como mejoras de la calidad educativa. 2. La experimentación como proyecto de investigación. Del ensayo a la aplicabilidad territorial, urbana, arquitectónica y de diseño industrial. 3. Tiempo y espacio como proyecto de investigación. Sentido, destino y usos del patrimonio construido y simbólico. 4. Idea constructiva, formulación y ejecución como proyecto de investigación. Búsqueda y elaboración de resultados que conforman los proyectos de la arquitectura y el diseño

Ideas and perspectives: Patterns of soil CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes along an altitudinal gradient - A pilot study from an Ecuadorian neotropical montane forest

Tropical forest soils are an important source and sink of greenhouse gases (GHGs), with tropical montane forests, in particular, having been poorly studied. The understanding of this ecosystem function is of vital importance for future climate change research. In this study, we explored soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) in four tropical forest sites located on the western flanks of the Andes in northern Ecuador. The measurements were carried out during the dry season from August to September 2018 and along an altitudinal gradient from 400 to 3010 m a.s.l. (above sea level). During this short-term campaign, our measurements showed (1) an unusual but marked increase in CO2 emissions at high altitude, possibly linked to changes in soil pH and/or root biomass, (2) a consistent atmospheric CH4 sink over all altitudes with high temporal and spatial variability, and (3) a transition from a net N2O source to sink along the altitudinal gradient. Our results provide arguments and insights for future and more detailed studies on tropical montane forests. Furthermore, they stress the relevance of using altitudinal transects as a biogeochemical open-air laboratory with a steep in situ environmental gradient over a limited spatial distance. Although short-term studies of temporal variations can improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind the production and consumption of soil GHGs, the inclusion of more rigorous sampling for forest management events, forest rotation cycles, soil type, hydrological conditions and drainage status, ground vegetation composition and cover, soil microclimate, and temporal (seasonality) and spatial (topographic positions) variability is needed in order to obtain more reliable estimates of the CO2, CH4, and N2O source/sink strength of tropical montane forests.ISSN:1726-4170ISSN:1726-417

Water treatment systems of the municipalities of Antioquia State included in the study

<p>Water treatment systems of the municipalities of Antioquia State included in the study</p

Geographic location of Antioquia state and the municipalities/villages included in the study.

<p>Geographic location of Antioquia state and the municipalities/villages included in the study.</p

Detection of HEV genome on wastewater samples collected on first sampling.

<p>Representative results of the positive samples amplified by RT-nested PCR targeting the ORF2/3 region (137bp). MW: Molecular Weight. 1. Girardota village 2. San Pedro de Los Milagros 3. Venecia 4.Granada 5.Arboletes 6. Cisneros 7. Nutibara village 8. Frontino 9. Puerto Berrío 10. Zaragoza. (-) negative control (+) positive control. 2% agarose gel electrophoresis stained with ethidium bromide.</p

Sampling and viral concentration methodologies.

<p>Sampling and viral concentration methodologies.</p

HEV phylogenic tree based on a fragment of 99 pb ORF2/3 HEV region.

<p>Based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), the model chosen for the phylogenetic analysis was Tamura 3-parameter + gamma distribution. The tree was constructed using the Neighbor-Joining method with 1000 bootstrap replicates. Samples obtained in this study are shown with a black circle (●). Clades for genotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4 are indicated with brackets. The GenBank accession number, genotype and country of isolation identify viral strains. Ven_Res_1erMx, SanPedro_Res_1erMx and Cisneros_Res_1erMx corresponded to wastewater sample collected on the first sampling at Venecia, San Pedro de los Milagros and Cisneros municipalities, respectively.</p