1358-P: Point of Care OGTT for the Screening of Gestational Diabetes: A Feasible Proposal for Low-Resource Settings

Due to the ubiquity of risk factors associated with gestational diabetes (GDM) in Mexican women and the low availability of the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), we compared the efficacy of two point of care (POC) models for GDM detection against the plasmatic 2hr OGTT-75gr in primary health care clinics in Mexico. We evaluated 328 pregnant women without previous diabetes diagnosis from a prospective cohort study “Cuido mi embarazo”; all of them were tested with the gold standard plasmatic 2hr OGTT-75gr for the diagnosis of GDM based on the ADA 2019 criteria. Simultaneously, we measured with a glucometer (ACCU-CHEK instant®) the glucose concentration either by capillary whole blood (172 measures) or from venous whole blood (156 measures). We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curve of each of the glucometer test results compared to the plasmatic test. For the first model, POC venous OGTT, the incidence of GDM was 41.66% compared to 7.05% of the plasmatic test. The ROC area under the curve for GDM prediction was 0.81 (95% CI 0.77-0.85), with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 62.8%. The low specificity is dependent on the fasting venous value of 64% since it was compared to 95% and 97% specificity of the 1hr and 2hr values, respectively. The second model, POC capillary OGTT, had an incidence of GDM of 30.23% compared to 8.13% of the plasmatic test. It had lower sensitivity (78.57%) and higher specificity (74.1%) compared to the first model, having an overall 0.76 (95% CI 0.65-0.88) ROC area under the curve for GDM prediction. We propose POC venous OGTT as a feasible diagnostic alternative for low resource settings where laboratory infrastructure is not available. Its positive bias could be beneficial since the treatment and control of early cases is related to better health outcomes for the moms and their babies. Further analysis is needed to improve GDM, POC screening interventions. Disclosure H. Gallardo: None. J. Lomelin-Gascon: Other Relationship; Self; Lilly Global Health Partnership. L.A. Martinez: Other Relationship; Self; Lilly Global Health Partnership. A. Montoya: None. E. Reyes-Muñoz: None. R.C. Tapia-Conyer: None. Funding Eli Lilly and Company </jats:sec

Multi-scale stamps for real-time classification of alert streams

In recent years, automatic classifiers of image cutouts (also called "stamps") have shown to be key for fast supernova discovery. The upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory will distribute about ten million alerts with their respective stamps each night, which it is expected to enable the discovery of approximately one million supernovae each year. A growing source of confusion for these classifiers is the presence of satellite glints, sequences of point-like-sources produced by rotating satellites or debris. The currently planned Rubin stamps will have a size smaller than the typical separation between these point sources. Thus, a larger field of view image stamp could enable the automatic identification of these sources. However, the distribution of larger field of view stamps would be limited by network bandwidth restrictions. We evaluate the impact of using image stamps of different angular sizes and resolutions for the fast classification of events (AGNs, asteroids, bogus, satellites, SNe, and variable stars), using available data from the Zwicky Transient Facility survey. We compare four scenarios: three with the same number of pixels (small field of view with high resolution, large field of view with low resolution, and a proposed multi-scale strategy) and a scenario with the full ZTF stamp that has a larger field of view and higher resolution. Our multi-scale proposal outperforms all the scenarios, with a macro f1-score of 87.39. We encourage Rubin and its Science Collaborations to consider the benefits of implementing multi-scale stamps as a possible update to the alert specification.Comment: Submitted to ApJ

A comparison of feature extractors for panorama stitching in an autonomous car architecture.

Panorama stitching consists on frames being put together to create a 360o view. This technique is proposed for its implementation in autonomous vehicles instead of the use of an external 360o camera, mostly due to its reduced cost and improved aerodynamics. This strategy requires a fast and robust set of features to be extracted from the images obtained by the cameras located around the inside of the car, in order to effectively compute the panoramic view in real time and avoid hazards on the road. In this paper, we compare and discuss three feature extraction methods (i.e. SIFT, BRISK and SURF) for image feature extraction, in order to decide which one is more suitable for a panorama stitching application in an autonomous car architecture. Experimental validation shows that SURF exhibits an improved performance under a variety of image transformations, and thus appears to be the most suitable of these three methods, given its accuracy when comparing features between both images, while maintaining a low time consumption. Furthermore, a comparison of the results obtained with respect to similar work allows to increase the reliability of our methodology and the reach of our conclusions

Astrophysical S factor for the He-4(He-3,gamma)Be-7 reaction at medium energies

3 pags., 1 tab. -- Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics V 3–8 April 2011, Eilat, IsraelThe astrophysical S factor for the He-4(He-3,gamma)Be-7 direct capture reaction plays a major role in the context of solar neutrino flux and primordial Li-7 abundances that demand accurate information on the reaction. We report here our recent cross section measurements using the activation method in the region of E-CM=900-2800 keV, that aim to shed light on the discrepancies in the existing data and lead to a more accurate extrapolation of the S factor

Dietary Compounds as Epigenetic Modulating Agents in Cancer

Epigenetic mechanisms control gene expression during normal development and their aberrant regulation may lead to human diseases including cancer. Natural phytochemicals can largely modulate mammalian epigenome through regulation of mechanisms and proteins responsible for chromatin remodeling. Phytochemicals are mainly contained in fruits, seeds, and vegetables as well as in foods supplements. These compounds act as powerful cellular antioxidants and anti-carcinogens agents. Several dietary compounds such as catechins, curcumin, genistein, quercetin and resveratrol, among others, exhibit potent anti-tumor activities through the reversion of epigenetic alterations associated to oncogenes activation and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. In this review, we summarized the actual knowledge about the role of dietary phytochemicals in the restoration of aberrant epigenetic alterations found in cancer cells with a particular focus on DNA methylation and histone modifications. Furthermore, we discussed the mechanisms by which these natural compounds modulate gene expression at epigenetic level and described their molecular targets in diverse types of cancer. Modulation of epigenetic activities by phytochemicals will allow the discovery of novel biomarkers for cancer prevention, and highlights its potential as an alternative therapeutic approach in cancer

Saberes digitales: una aproximación desde las voces de los estudiantes

The second decade of the new century is about to end. In educational matters, it could be affirmed that many learning has left us the insertion of technologies in the classroom in these years, at all levels schoolchildren without exception. However, it could also be ensured that challenges in the short term arising from the current revolution social and technological, which on many occasions has left us without Enough spaces to reflect on its progress and implications It is interesting and challenging how the training processes in these last 20 years, when technologies of information and communications (ICT) have evolved step by step accelerated. Interesting, on the one hand, since one of the most important contributions important of the ICT is to act as large portals with access to the world, which both students, teachers and researchers open daily to understand the progress of their areas of knowledge and use tools that allow establishing better connectivity networks for the learning. Challenging, on the other hand, due to changes in paradigm that is being built around what has been understood for years regarding what the training process requires in terms of planning, didactic strategies, use of learning resources and the evaluation, to mention the main

Evaluation of IL-12 and CXCL-10 in patients with hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver damage for alcohol consumption

Introduction and Objectives: To Compare serum levels of IL-12 and CXCL-10 in different etiologies of liver disease. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional and multicenter study was carried out, including subjects with alcoholism according to criteria WHO, without (OH) and with liver injury (cirrhosis, CiOH) and (Alcoholic Hepatitis, HA); non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and chronic Hepatitis C (CHC), diagnosed by clinical, biochemical data. They were compared with subjects control (CT). For determination of IL-12 and CXCL-10 with Multiplex®-MERCK©. Statistical analysis by SPSS V.22 using U de Mann Whitney, p<0.05; values expressed as mean ± standard error. Results: Included 20 subjects with NAFLD, 78 CHC, 14 HA, 20 CiOH, 15 OH y 60 CT. IL-12 was found elevated in OH, HA, CHC vs. CT in OH vs. HCc y HGNA (p≤0.05). CXCL-10 was found elevated in CiOH, HA and CHC vs. CT(p≤0.050). Discussion: The IL-12 showed elevated levels in subjects with alcohol consumption and CHC vs. CT that activates other cell types involved in inflammation. CXCL-10 is induced by IFN-γ, was found elevated in CiOH, HA and CHC, exerting their biological effects through CXCR3, including activation of peripheral immune cells and apoptosis. The ratio of IL-12/CXCL-10 in OH increased 4.6 times, ratifying the participation in chronic and continual inflammatory response by alcohol consumption. Conclusions: IL-12 and CXCL-10 have an important role in alcohol-induced liver disease, confirming their contribution to inflammation, being evident CXCL-10 in advanced stages of the disease, by stimulating and favoring the migration of immune cells to the damage sites. Funding: This work was partially financed by CONACyT SALUD-2016-272579 and PAPIIT- UNAM TA200515. Declaration of interest: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest

SREB, a GATA Transcription Factor That Directs Disparate Fates in Blastomyces dermatitidis Including Morphogenesis and Siderophore Biosynthesis

Blastomyces dermatitidis belongs to a group of human pathogenic fungi that exhibit thermal dimorphism. At 22°C, these fungi grow as mold that produce conidia or infectious particles, whereas at 37°C they convert to budding yeast. The ability to switch between these forms is essential for virulence in mammals and may enable these organisms to survive in the soil. To identify genes that regulate this phase transition, we used Agrobacterium tumefaciens to mutagenize B. dermatitidis conidia and screened transformants for defects in morphogenesis. We found that the GATA transcription factor SREB governs multiple fates in B. dermatitidis: phase transition from yeast to mold, cell growth at 22°C, and biosynthesis of siderophores under iron-replete conditions. Insertional and null mutants fail to convert to mold, do not accumulate significant biomass at 22°C, and are unable to suppress siderophore biosynthesis under iron-replete conditions. The defect in morphogenesis in the SREB mutant was independent of exogenous iron concentration, suggesting that SREB promotes the phase transition by altering the expression of genes that are unrelated to siderophore biosynthesis. Using bioinformatic and gene expression analyses, we identified candidate genes with upstream GATA sites whose expression is altered in the null mutant that may be direct or indirect targets of SREB and promote the phase transition. We conclude that SREB functions as a transcription factor that promotes morphogenesis and regulates siderophore biosynthesis. To our knowledge, this is the first gene identified that promotes the conversion from yeast to mold in the dimorphic fungi, and may shed light on environmental persistence of these pathogens