Evaluation of Natural Technological Interfaces for Children with Psychomotor Disabilities

population with disabilities, there is a group that has intellectual, sensory, motor disabilities, or a combination of them. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. It is estimated that over 15 % of the world´s population is afflicted by disability in some form. In Argentina this prevalence reaches 7.1%. When these people want to use any technological device, usually find that its physical interfaces are not accessible. Often they need adaptations, raising costs but accessibility is not totally guaranteed. Current technologies allow "more natural" interfaces, where the feedback is immediate. The application of appropriate technology with natural or intuitive interfaces, allow greater accessibility than adaptations commonly used for the overall development of students with psychomotor disorders. The objective of this work is to facilitate the comprehensive development of students with senso psychomotor disorders attending the Special School Beatriz Martinez A. Allio, through the incorporation and implementation of natural interfaces for working with computers in education, offering teaching a complementary tool for the development of their daily activities. The interfaces of hardware and software implementation are proposed to achieve the overall goal. It is intended to make at least a touch screen and at least one interface with the Kinect camera game console Xbox 360.Fil: Beltramone, D. A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Tula, S. M. Ministerio de Educación de la Provincia de Córdoba. Escuela Especial B. A. Martínez Allio; Argentina.Fil: Rivarola, M. F. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela Kinesiología y Fisioterapia; Argentina.Fil: Hidalgo, M. B. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Tancredi, P. D. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Quinteros Quintana, M. L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Diaz, J. M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Marcotti, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Atea, J. J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Electrónica; Argentina.Ingeniería Médic

Otimização da extração de antocianinas de mirtilos

There is a current interest in anthocyanins owing to the potential benefits both in the health area as an antioxidant and as a natural food colorant in the food industry. Anthocyanins may be extracted from vegetables and fruits, blueberries being a case in point. The influence of the variables of anthocyanin solid-liquid extraction process from blueberries was studied. The best extraction conditions identified were: ethanol acidified with 1% citric acid as extraction solvent, 1:3 kg/kg raw material/ solvent proportion, 36±1 ºC temperature and 2h time extraction time. From characterization of extracts, it was obtained that the total anthocyanin concentration was 879.0±12.9 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/100 mL, the total phenol content was 1424 ± 67 mg GAE/100 mL and the antioxidant activity was 5730 ± 103 y 4872 ± 124 mg EAA/100 mL, measured by ABTS y DPPH respectively. Actualmente existe interés en las antocianinas debido a sus beneficios potenciales para la salud por su actividad antioxidante y su utilización como colorante natural en la industria alimentaria. Se pueden extraer de vegetales y frutas, como por ejemplo los arándanos. En este trabajo se investigó la influencia de variables del proceso de extracción sólido-líquido de antocianinas de arándanos. Así, se obtuvo una combinación de variables que maximizó su recuperación: etanol acidificado con ácido cítrico al 1% como solvente de extracción, proporción materia prima/solvente 1:3 kg/kg, temperatura 36±1 ºC y tiempo de extracción 2 h. A partir de la caracterización del extracto obtenido se obtuvo que la concentración de antocianinas totales fue de 879.0±12.9 mg cianidina-3-glucósido/100 mL, el contenido de fenoles totales de 1424±67 mg GAE/100 mL y la actividad antioxidante de 5730±103 y 4872±124 mg EAA/100 mL, medidos por los métodos ABTS y DPPH, respectivamente.Atualmente existe interesse nas antocianinas devido a seus potenciais benefícios para a saúde por sua atividade antioxidante e sua utilização como corante natural na indústria alimentar. Podem ser extraídas de vegetais e frutas tais como os mirtilos, por exemplo. Neste trabalho foi investigada a influência de variáveis do processo de extração sólido-líquido de antocianinas de mirtilos. Assim, foi obtida uma combinação de variáveis que maximizam sua recuperação: etanol acidificado com 1% de ácido cítrico como solvente de extração, proporção matéria-prima/solvente 1:3 kg/kg, temperatura 36±1º C e tempo de extração 2 h. A partir da caracterização do extrato obtido encontrou-se que a concentração de antocianinas totais fue de 879.0±12.9 mg cianidina-3-glicosídeo/100 mL, o conteúdo fenólico total de 1424±67 mg GAE/100 mL e a atividade antioxidante de 5730±103 e 4872±124 mg EAA/100 mL, medidos pelos métodos ABTS e DPPH, respectivamente

Tercer reporte de eventos adversos con tratamientos biológicos en Argentina

Introducción: BIOBADASAR ((Registro Argentino de Eventos Adversos con Tratamientos Biológicos en Reumatología) comenzó en agosto de 2010. La importancia de este registro es mostrar datos locales que, probablemente, puedan diferir de otros registros. El objetivo es comunicar los resultados del tercer reporte de BIOBADASAR. Métodos: Todos los pacientes con enfermedades reumáticas que requirieron tratamiento con agentes biológicos y pacientes controles sin estos tratamientos fueron incluidos en la base de datos provenientes de 32 centros participando a lo largo de la Argentina. Tres áreas de datos son analizados: características de los pacientes, tratamientos y eventos adversos. El inicio de la carga fue agosto de 2010 y cerró para este análisis en agosto de 2013. Se utilizó software Infostat para el análisis estadístico. Se calcularon porcentajes, riesgos relativos e incidencia persona/año para los eventos adversos. Resultados: Se incorporaron 2356 pacientes (1277 casos y 1079 controles) utilizando 2940 tratamientos. 1862 mujeres (79%) y 494 hombres (21%). La edad promedio fue 54 años (1-90). 1107 pacientes (58%) fueron tratados con agentes biológicos (casos) y 802 (42%) fueron controles. 1829 pacientes tenían artritis reumatoidea y 218 artritis psoriásica entre los diagnósticos principales. El tiempo promedio de la enfermedad fue 9,81 años para los controles y 12,59 para los casos. El biológico más utilizado fue el etanercept (46,7% de los tratamientos) con una mediana de sobrevida al tratamiento de 31 meses seguido de adalimumab con 23,6% de los tratamientos y una mediana de sobrevida de 26,4 meses. La causa más frecuente de interrupción de tratamientos para los casos fue ineficacia (30%) seguido por eventos adversos (26%). La incidencia de eventos adversos serios fue 37/1000 pacientes año en el grupo biológico vs. 5/1000 pacientes año en el grupo control (RR 7,44; IC 5,17-10,7; p<0,05). El evento adverso más frecuente fue la infección con un RR 1,66 (IC 1,38-2,0; p<0,05). Dentro de las infecciones, la neumonía tuvo un RR de 29,31 (IC 9,21-93,25; p<0,05), herpes zoster RR 4,12 (IC 2,08-8,15; p<0,05) e infecciones cutáneas con un RR 7,21 (IC 3,89-13,36; p<0,05). La tuberculosis tuvo un RR de 4,53 (IC 0,472-43,56; sin significancia). Las enfermedades neoplásicas tuvieron un RR 2,82 (IC 1,61-4,95; p<0,05). Conclusiones: Éste es el tercer reporte de BIOBADASAR mostrando la realidad de los tratamientos biológicos en Argentina. Los pacientes de Latinoamérica podrían mostrar diferencias con respecto a otros países utilizando los mismos tratamientos debido a enfermedades regionales, esquemas diferentes de vacunación o tolerancia a patógenos. Podría haber sesgos en el registro que serán minimizados con el control estricto y el tiempo del registro

O-AUPA-Observatorio de agricultura urbana, periurbana y agroecología: conflictos ambientales y gobernanza alimentaria

INTA. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. O-AUPAFil: Giobellina, B. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Benitez, Roger Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. O-AUPA; Argentina.Fil: Mari, Mari, Nicolás Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. AER Cruz del Eje; Argentina.Fil: Vitale, Juan Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Ermini, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil. AER Santa Rosa; ArgentinaFil: Barsky, A. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Quinteros, M. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Lobos, D. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Celiz, Yuliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-INTA O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Bisio, C. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; ArgentinaFil: Pons, Diego Hernan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. Grupo de Manejo de Cultivo y Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Baldini, C. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentin

Relationships of dietary patterns with body composition in older adults differ by gender and PPAR-γ Pro12Ala genotype

Dietary patterns may better capture the multifaceted effects of diet on body composition than individual nutrients or foods. The objective of this study was to investigate the dietary patterns of a cohort of older adults, and examine relationships of dietary patterns with body composition. The influence of a polymorphism in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) gene was considered. The Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study is a prospective cohort study of 3,075 older adults. Participants’ body composition and genetic variation were measured in detail. Food intake was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (Block Dietary Data Systems, Berkeley, CA), and dietary patterns of 1,809 participants with complete data were derived by cluster analysis. Six clusters were identified, including a ‘Healthy foods’ cluster characterized by higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables. An interaction was found between dietary patterns and PPAR-γ Pro12Ala genotype in relation to body composition. While Pro/Pro homozygous men and women in the ‘Healthy foods’ cluster did not differ significantly in body composition from those in other clusters, men with the Ala allele in the ‘Healthy foods’ cluster had significantly lower levels of adiposity than those in other clusters. Women with the Ala allele in the ‘Healthy foods’ cluster differed only in right thigh intermuscular fat from those in other clusters. Relationships between diet and body composition in older adults may differ by gender and by genetic factors such as PPAR-γ Pro12Ala genotype

Disentangling signatures of selection before and after European colonization in latin Americans

Throughout human evolutionary history, large-scale migrations have led to intermixing (i.e., admixture) between previously separated human groups. Although classical and recent work have shown that studying admixture can yield novel historical insights, the extent to which this process contributed to adaptation remains underexplored. Here, we introduce a novel statistical model, specific to admixed populations, that identifies loci under selection while determining whether the selection likely occurred post-admixture or prior to admixture in one of the ancestral source populations. Through extensive simulations, we show that this method is able to detect selection, even in recently formed admixed populations, and to accurately differentiate between selection occurring in the ancestral or admixed population. We apply this method to genome-wide SNP data of ∼4,000 individuals in five admixed Latin American cohorts from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Our approach replicates previous reports of selection in the human leukocyte antigen region that are consistent with selection post-admixture. We also report novel signals of selection in genomic regions spanning 47 genes, reinforcing many of these signals with an alternative, commonly used local-ancestry-inference approach. These signals include several genes involved in immunity, which may reflect responses to endemic pathogens of the Americas and to the challenge of infectious disease brought by European contact. In addition, some of the strongest signals inferred to be under selection in the Native American ancestral groups of modern Latin Americans overlap with genes implicated in energy metabolism phenotypes, plausibly reflecting adaptations to novel dietary sources available in the Americas

Nitric Oxide-Sensitive Guanylyl Cyclase Is Differentially Regulated by Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Estrogen Pathways in Anterior Pituitary Gland

17β-estradiol (E2) regulates hormonal release as well as proliferation and cell death in the pituitary. The main nitric oxide receptor, nitric oxide sensitive- or soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), is a heterodimer composed of two subunits, α and β, that catalyses cGMP formation. α1β1 is the most abundant and widely expressed heterodimer, showing the greater activity. Previously we have shown that E2 decreased sGC activity but exerts opposite effects on sGC subunits increasing α1 and decreasing β1 mRNA and protein levels. In the present work we investigate the mechanisms by which E2 differentially regulates sGC subunits' expression on rat anterior pituitary gland. Experiments were performed on primary cultures of anterior pituitary cells from adult female Wistar rats at random stages of estrous cycle. After 6 h of E2 treatment, α1 mRNA and protein expression is increased while β1 levels are down-regulated. E2 effects on sGC expression are partially dependent on de novo transcription while de novo translation is fully required. E2 treatment decreased HuR mRNA stabilization factor and increased AUF1 p37 mRNA destabilization factor. E2-elicited β1 mRNA decrease correlates with a mRNA destabilization environment in the anterior pituitary gland. On the other hand, after 6 h of treatment, E2-BSA (1 nM) and E2-dendrimer conjugate (EDC, 1 nM) were unable to modify α1 or β1 mRNA levels, showing that nuclear receptor is involved in E2 actions. However, at earlier times (3 h), 1 nM EDC causes a transient decrease of α1 in a PI3k-dependent fashion. Our results show for the first time that E2 is able to exert opposite actions in the anterior pituitary gland, depending on the activation of classical or non-classical pathways. Thus, E2 can also modify sGC expression through membrane-initiated signals bringing to light a new point of regulation in NO/sGC pathway

Fine mapping and identification of serum urate loci in American Indians: The Strong Heart Family Study

While studies have reported genetic loci affecting serum urate (SU) concentrations, few studies have been conducted in minority populations. Our objective for this study was to identify genetic loci regulating SU in a multigenerational family-based cohort of American Indians, the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS). We genotyped 162,718 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 2000 SHFS participants using an Illumina MetaboChip array. A genome-wide association analysis of SU was conducted using measured genotype analysis approach accounting for kinships in SOLAR, and meta-analysis in METAL. Our results showed strong association of SU with rs4481233, rs9998811, rs7696092 and rs13145758 (minor allele frequency (MAF) = 25–44%; P &lt; 3 × 10−14) of solute carrier family 2, member 9 (SLC2A9) and rs41481455, rs2231142 and rs1481012 (MAF = 29%; p &lt; 3 × 10−9) of ATP-binding cassette protein, subfamily G, member 2 (ABCG2). Carriers of G alleles of rs9998811, rs4148155 and rs1481012 and A alleles of rs4481233, rs7696092 and rs13145758 and rs2231142 had lower SU concentrations as compared to non-carriers. Genetic analysis of SU conditional on significant SLC2A9 and ABCG2 SNPs revealed new loci, nucleobindin 1 (NUCB1) and neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (NPAS4) (p &lt;6× 10−6). To identify American Indian-specific SNPs, we conducted targeted sequencing of key regions of SLC2A9. A total of 233 SNPs were identified of which 89 were strongly associated with SU (p &lt; 7.1 × 10−10) and 117 were American Indian specific. Analysis of key SNPs in cohorts of Mexican-mestizos, European, Indian and East Asian ancestries showed replication of common SNPs, including our lead SNPs. Our results demonstrate the association of SU with uric acid transporters in a minority population of American Indians and potential novel associations of SU with neuronal-related genes which warrant further investigation