Rheology, Durability, and Mechanical Performance of Sustainable Self-Compacting Concrete With Metakaolin and Limestone Filler

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] This study analyzed the performance of self-compacting concrete with a paste composition that includes limestone filler and metakaolin replacing cement to design binary (75% cement and 25% limestone filler) and ternary binders (60% cement, 25% limestone filler and 15% metakaolin). Furthermore, to analyze the effect of the solid volume fraction (volume of sand and coarse aggregate) on concrete rheology, the concretes were designed using four volumes of paste (350 l, 400 l, 450 l and 500 l). Rheological tests were performed at three resting times to measure the viscosity and yield stress over time. The results indicated that the viscosity decreased by 43.3% when the cement was replaced by limestone filler and increased by 73.1% when the cement was replaced by 15% metakaolin while maintaining the limestone filler. These values were obtained as 27.6% and 62.2%, respectively, when the yield stress was analyzed. In addition, the hardened properties (mechanical behavior and durability) were studied by measuring the strengths at 28 days, as well as the electrical resistivity and ultrasonic pulse velocity over time. In this case, at 28 days the use of binary binder reduces the strength and resistivity (about 20%) and the employment of ternary binder reduces strength (15%) while increases the resistivity up to the double (when compared to the 100 C concrete). Moreover, to measure the efficiency of the concrete, a material index was designed that considers the fresh behavior, mechanical performance, durability, cost, and environmental impact. Self-compacting concretes with ternary binders provided the highest indices. The use of alternative materials, particularly metakaolin has been proven to be a good option to enhance concrete sustainable performance.The study is part of two projects entitled: “Robust self-compacting recycled concretes: rheology in fresh state and mechanical properties (Ref: BIA2014-58063-R)” and “Sustainable High Performance Self-Compacting Concrete using low clinker cement, and integral curing and self-healing agents (HACCURACEM) (BIA2017-85657-R)” funded by MINECO. Moreover, this work was also made possible by the financial support of a pre-doctoral grant of MINECO (FPI 2015- ref BES-2015-071919) and two grants for international pre-doctoral stays: (a) FPI 2015 and (b) IACOBUS program for “Galicia–North of Portugal Euroregion

A proposal of a mixed diagnostic system based on decision trees and probabilistic experts rules

Decision trees and rule-based expert systems (RBES) are standard diagnostic tools. We propose a mixed technique that starts with a probabilistic decision tree where information is obtained from a real world data base. The decision tree is automatically translated into a set of probabilistic rules. Meanwhile a panel of experts proposes their own set of probabilistic rules, according with their experience on the subject. Both sets of rules are combined, generating a mixed RBES with probabilistic rules. The expected probabilities of the rules translating the knowledge in the decision tree are discretized by considering a mapping from intervals of expected probabilities into a set of five values. This way, knowledge coming from real data is completed with the experience of the panel of experts in order to provide a more accurate prediction of suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) before seven and a half years in the future. The proposed technique is illustrated with a real case using a diabetes diagnosis probabilistic decision tree built using 1350 out of 1800 real cases and the rules provided by a panel of experts in diabetes. The final result takes into account both the probabilities of the rules and the number of times that each possible consequent is reached, giving a probabilistic result among seven possibilities. For modeling the decision tree, 75% of the individuals in the database (randomly selected) have been used and the rest (25%) have been used to test the results. The results of the Mixed RBES have been compared with the results of the Tree RBES (the RBES built using only the rules from the decision tree) and the results of the Experts’ RBES (the RBES built using only the rules from the panel of experts). The accuracy of the predictions of the Mixed RBES is much better.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Comparing and Tuning Machine Learning Algorithms to Predict Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The main goals of this work is to study and compare machine learning algorithms to predict the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Four classifi cation algorithms have been considered, studying and comparing the accuracy of each one to predict the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus seven years in advance. Specifically, the techniques studied are: Decision Tree, Random Forest, kNN (k-Nearest Neighbors) and Neural Networks. The study not only involves the comparison among these techniques, but also, the tuning of the meta-parameters in each algorithm. The algorithms have been implemented using the language R. The data base used is obtained from the nation-wide cohort [email protected] study. The conclusions will include the accuracy of each algorithm and therefore the best technique for this problem. The best meta-parameters for each algorithm will be also provided.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

The nutrigenetic influence of the interaction between dietary vitamin E and TXN and COMT gene polymorphisms on waist circumference: a case control study

Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't;BACKGROUND Abdominal obesity (AO) is a common modifiable risk factor for certain non-communicable diseases associated with enhanced oxidative stress (OS). The objective of this work was to investigate whether the interaction between antioxidant vitamin intake and OS-related polymorphisms modulates gene-associated anthropometry in a Spanish population. METHODS A total of 246 subjects with AO, and 492 age and gender matched non-AO subjects were included in the study. Anthropometric, biochemical, and OS parameters, and antioxidant dietary intake data were assessed using validated procedures. DNA from white blood cells was isolated and the genotype of seven polymorphisms from genes involved in OS (pro-oxidant and antioxidant) were analyzed using the SNPlex system. The effects of the c.-793T > C polymorphism on promoter activity and thus thioredoxin (TXN) activity were examined using reporter assays. RESULTS The AO group had higher 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine levels and took in less vitamin A and vitamin E compared to the non-AO group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the rs2301241 polymorphism in TXN and rs740603 in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) were associated with waist circumference (WC) and AO. Moreover, these polymorphisms were more strongly associated with variations in WC in subjects with low vitamin E intakes. A promoter assay revealed that the T to C conversion at c.-793 (rs2301241) induced a more than two fold increase in reporter gene expression. CONCLUSIONS WC is associated both with dietary vitamin E intake and genetic variants of TXN and COMT suggesting that existence of a complex nutrigenetic pathway that involves regulation of AO.This work was co-funded with European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER), the Spanish Science and Technology Ministry [SAF2005-02883]; the health research fund from the Carlos III Health Institute [PI070497], CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) [CB06/03], and CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Relacionadas (CIBERDEM). CIBEROB and CIBERDEM are initiatives by the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid and the Spanish Health Ministry. Funding also came from GRUPOS 03/101, PROMETEO/2009/029 and 2005/027, AMP07/075, and ACOMP/2009/201 from the Valencian Government and European Network of Excellence InGenious HyperCare (EPSS-037093) from the European Commission.Ye

Hypertension is related to the degradation of dietary frying oils

[Background]: The family kitchen resembles an uncontrolled laboratory experiment, and some discrepancies in the relation between the risk of hypertension and dietary fat may be partly due to the manipulation to which the fats were subjected. [Objective]: We investigated whether deterioration in the quality of the cooking oils in the family household contributes to the risk of high blood pressure. [Design]: The study was cross-sectional. Anthropometric measurements were obtained for 1226 persons aged 18–65 y who were selected randomly from the municipal census of Pizarra, Spain. An oral-glucose-tolerance test was given to 1020 of these persons. Samples of the cooking oil being used were taken from the kitchens of a random subset of 538 persons. The concentrations of polar compounds and polymers were used as markers of the deterioration of the oils. The strength of association between variables was measured by calculating the odds ratio from logistic models. [Results]: Hypertension was strongly associated with obesity and was influenced by sex, diabetes, and age. The presence of excess polar compounds in the cooking oil and the use of sunflower oil were related to the risk of hypertension, whereas the concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids in the serum phospholipids was negatively related to this risk. These associations remained after inclusion in the models of age, sex, obesity, and the presence of carbohydrate metabolism disorder. [Conclusions]: The risk of hypertension is positively and independently associated with the intake of cooking oil polar compounds and inversely related to blood concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids

Effects of sardine-enriched diet on metabolic control, inflammation and gut microbiota in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized trial

Nutrition therapy is the cornerstone of treating diabetes mellitus. The inclusion of fish (particularly oily fish) at least two times per week is recommended by current international dietary guidelines for type 2 diabetes. In contrast to a large number of human studies examining the effects of oily fish on different cardiovascular risk factors, little research on this topic is available in patients with type 2 diabetes. The aims of this pilot study were to investigate the effects of a sardine-enriched diet on metabolic control, adiponectin, inflammatory markers, erythrocyte membrane fatty acid (EMFA) composition, and gut microbiota in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: 35 drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to follow either a type 2 diabetes standard diet (control group: CG), or a standard diet enriched with 100 g of sardines 5 days a week (sardine group: SG) for 6 months. Anthropometric, dietary information, fasting glycated hemoglobin, glucose, insulin, adiponectin, inflammatory markers, EMFA and specific bacterial strains were determined before and after intervention. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in glycemic control between groups at the end of the study. Both groups decreased plasma insulin (SG: -35.3%, P = 0.01, CG: -22.6%, P = 0.02) and homeostasis model of assessment--insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (SG: -39.2%, P = 0.007, CG: -21.8%, P = 0.04) at 6-months from baseline. However only SG increased adiponectin in plasma compared to baseline level (+40.7%, P = 0.04). The omega-3 index increased 2.6% in the SG compared to 0.6% in the CG (P = 0.001). Both dietary interventions decreased phylum Firmicutes (SG and CG: P = 0.04) and increased E. coli concentrations (SG: P = 0.01, CG: P = 0.03) at the end of the study from baseline, whereas SG decreased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (P = 0.04) and increased Bacteroides-Prevotella (P = 0.004) compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Although enriching diet with 100 g of sardines 5 days a week during 6 months to a type 2 diabetes standard diet seems to have neutral effects on glycemic control in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes, this nutritional intervention could have beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk. Furthermore, both dietary interventions decreased HOMA-IR and altered gut microbiota composition of drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes

Epigenetic changes in the metabolically healthy obese: A case-control versus a prospective study

Obesity has become a worldwide health problem, in which latest statistics reported an increased trend over the last years. Accordingly, long-term obesity is involved in an increased risk of developing several metabolic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Although it is common to find obesity-related disorders in the majority of individuals with obesity, some of them do not show metabolic complications.1 Obese people without these metabolic disorders are defined as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) individuals, whereas those who present metabolic complications are known as metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) subjects.2 Importantly, the prevalence of this healthy phenotype varies widely, in which a correct diagnosis is critical for a good prognosis.2, 3 Nevertheless, the variability of this prevalence may be due to the nature of related-study designs and the studied populations or the confounding variables considered. Therefore, conducting appropriately designed studies to evaluate important clinical research questions is crucial, to elucidate the impact of MHO in the progression of detrimental obesity-related phenotypes.4 In this case, epigenetic arises as a valuable tool for clinical applications. Epigenetic mechanisms might be implicated in the regulation of several metabolic disorders.5 However, until now, only a few studies have been conducted to understand the epigenetic changes in individuals with MHO and MUO.6-8 Therefore, we hypothesized that epigenetic changes may be involved in the development and the transition from MHO to MUO phenotype. Consequently, the aim of this study was to analyze the epigenome-wide DNA methylation study in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs) from participants with MHO and MUO, by using two study designs, such as case-control and prospective approaches.TMLP and CGR were supported by a grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FI19/00178 and CP20/00066, respectively). HB is supported by a predoctoral fellowship ("Plan Propio IBIMA 2020 A.1 Contratos predoctorales", Ref.: predoc20_002). SM, MMG and GRM are supported by Nicolas Monardes program from the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (RC-0008-2021, RC-0001-2018 and C-0060-2012, respectively). EAL was recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from regional Andalusian Government (Ref: 2020_DOC_00541). This work was supported in part by a grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI15-01350). This study has been co-funded by FEDER funds (“A way to make Europe”). CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) and CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM) are ISCIII. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Effects of sardine-enriched diet on metabolic control, inflammation and gut microbiota in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized trial

Nutrition therapy is the cornerstone of treating diabetes mellitus. The inclusion of fish (particularly oily fish) at least two times per week is recommended by current international dietary guidelines for type 2 diabetes. In contrast to a large number of human studies examining the effects of oily fish on different cardiovascular risk factors, little research on this topic is available in patients with type 2 diabetes. The aims of this pilot study were to investigate the effects of a sardine-enriched diet on metabolic control, adiponectin, inflammatory markers, erythrocyte membrane fatty acid (EMFA) composition, and gut microbiota in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods 35 drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to follow either a type 2 diabetes standard diet (control group: CG), or a standard diet enriched with 100 g of sardines 5 days a week (sardine group: SG) for 6 months. Anthropometric, dietary information, fasting glycated hemoglobin, glucose, insulin, adiponectin, inflammatory markers, EMFA and specific bacterial strains were determined before and after intervention. Results There were no significant differences in glycemic control between groups at the end of the study. Both groups decreased plasma insulin (SG: −35.3 %, P = 0.01, CG: −22.6 %, P = 0.02) and homeostasis model of assessment - insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (SG: −39.2 %, P = 0.007, CG: −21.8 %, P = 0.04) at 6-months from baseline. However only SG increased adiponectin in plasma compared to baseline level (+40.7 %, P = 0.04). The omega-3 index increased 2.6 % in the SG compared to 0.6 % in the CG (P = 0.001). Both dietary interventions decreased phylum Firmicutes (SG and CG: P = 0.04) and increased E. coli concentrations (SG: P = 0.01, CG: P = 0.03) at the end of the study from baseline, whereas SG decreased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (P = 0.04) and increased Bacteroides-Prevotella (P = 0.004) compared to baseline. Conclusions Although enriching diet with 100 g of sardines 5 days a week during 6 months to a type 2 diabetes standard diet seems to have neutral effects on glycemic control in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes, this nutritional intervention could have beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk. Furthermore, both dietary interventions decreased HOMA-IR and altered gut microbiota composition of drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabete

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor b and metabolic syndrome incidence in the population based cohort [email protected] study

Background/Objectives Although vascular endothelial growth factor b (VEGFb) might have an impact on the development of obesity, diabetes and related disorders, the possible relationship between VEGFb serum levels and the incidence of these metabolic complications in humans is still unknown. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between VEGFb serum levels and the new-onset of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components in the Spanish adult population after 7.5 years of follow-up. Subjects/Methods A total of 908 subjects from the [email protected] cohort study without MS at cross-sectional stage according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) or Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III) criteria were included. Additionally, five sub-populations were grouped according to the absence of each MS component at baseline. Socio-demographic, anthropometric and clinical data were recorded. The Short Form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (SF-IPAQ) was used to estimate physical activity. A fasting blood extraction and an oral glucose tolerance test were performed. Serum determinations of glucose, lipids, hsCRP and insulin were made. VEGFb levels were determined and categorized according to the 75th percentile of the variable. New cases of MS and its components were defined according to ATPIII and IDF criteria. Results A total of 181 or 146 people developed MS defined by IDF or ATP-III criteria respectively. Serum triglyceride levels, hs-CRP and systolic blood pressure at the baseline study were significantly different according to the VEGFb categories. Adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that the likelihood of developing MS and abdominal obesity was statistically reduced in subjects included in the higher VEGFb category. Conclusion Low serum levels of VEGFb may be considered as early indicators of incident MS and abdominal obesity in the Spanish adult population free of MS, independently of other important predictor variables.This investigation has been supported by CIBERDEM (Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad-ISCIII), Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e IgualdadISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (research grants PI20/01322, PI18/01165, PI17/02136, PI14/00710) and cofunding by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) "A way to build Europe". LifeScan Espana (Madrid, Spain) kindly donated the glucometers and test strips for capillary glucose measurements. Cristina MaldonadoAraque is a researcher in the `Rio Hortega' program (CM19/00186) financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Natalia Colomo is a member of the regional "Accion B para clinicos investigadores" research program of the Consejeria de Salud of the Junta de Andalucia, Spain (B-0002-17). Gemma Rojo-Martinez belongs to the Nicolas Monardes research program of the Consejeria de Salud (C-0060-2012; Junta de Andalucia, Spain)

Association between long term exposure to particulate matter and incident hypertension in Spain

Exposure to air particulate matter has been linked with hypertension and blood pressure levels. The metabolic risks of air pollution could vary according to the specific characteristics of each area, and has not been sufficiently evaluated in Spain. We analyzed 1103 individuals, participants in a Spanish nationwide population based cohort study ([email protected]), who were free of hypertension at baseline (2008-2010) and completed a follow-up exam of the cohort (2016-2017). Cohort participants were assigned air pollution concentrations for particulate matter < 10 mu m (PM10) and < 2.5 mu m (PM2.5) during follow-up (2008-2016) obtained through modeling combined with measurements taken at air quality stations (CHIMERE chemistry-transport model). Mean and SD concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were 20.17 +/- 3.91 mu g/m(3) and 10.83 +/- 2.08 mu g/m(3) respectively. During follow-up 282 cases of incident hypertension were recorded. In the fully adjusted model, compared with the lowest quartile of PM10, the multivariate weighted ORs (95% CIs) for developing hypertension with increasing PM10 exposures were 0.82 (0.59-1.14), 1.28 (0.93-1.78) and 1.45 (1.05-2.01) in quartile 2, 3 and 4 respectively (p for a trend of 0.003). The corresponding weighted ORs according to PM2.5 exposures were 0.80 (0.57-1.13), 1.11 (0.80-1.53) and 1.48 (1.09-2.00) (p for trend 0.004). For each 5-mu g/m(3) increment in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, the odds for incident hypertension increased 1.22 (1.06-1.41) p = 0.007 and 1.39 (1.07-1.81) p = 0.02 respectively. In conclusion, our study contributes to assessing the impact of particulate pollution on the incidence of hypertension in Spain, reinforcing the need for improving air quality as much as possible in order to decrease the risk of cardiometabolic disease in the population