Long-Term Effectiveness of a Smartphone App and a Smart Band on Arterial Stiffness and Central Hemodynamic Parameters in a Population with Overweight and Obesity (Evident 3 Study): Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: mHealth technologies could help to improve cardiovascular health; however, their effect on arterial stiffness and hemodynamic parameters has not been explored to date. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a mHealth intervention, at 3 and 12 months, on arterial stiffness and central hemodynamic parameters in a sedentary population with overweight and obesity. Methods: Randomised controlled clinical trial (Evident 3 study). 253 subjects were included: 127 in the intervention group (IG) and 126 in the control group (CG). The IG subjects were briefed on the use of the Evident 3 app and a smart band (Mi Band 2, Xiaomi) for 3 months to promote healthy lifestyles. All measurements were recorded in the baseline visit and at 3 and 12 months. The carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and the central hemodynamic parameters were measured using a SphigmoCor System® device, whereas the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and the Cardio Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) were measured using a VaSera VS-2000® device. Results: Of the 253 subjects who attended the initial visit, 237 (93.7%) completed the visit at 3 months of the intervention, and 217 (85.3%) completed the visit at 12 months of the intervention. At 12 months, IG showed a decrease in peripheral augmentation index (PAIx) (−3.60; 95% CI −7.22 to −0.00) and ejection duration (ED) (−0.82; 95% CI −1.36 to −0.27), and an increase in subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR) (5.31; 95% CI 1.18 to 9.44). In CG, cfPWV decreased at 3 months (−0.28 m/s; 95% CI −0.54 to −0.02) and at 12 months (−0.30 m/s, 95% CI −0.54 to −0.05), central diastolic pressure (cDBP) decreased at 12 months (−1.64 mm/Hg; 95% CI −3.19 to −0.10). When comparing the groups we found no differences between any variables analyzed. Conclusions: In sedentary adults with overweight or obesity, the multicomponent intervention (Smartphone app and an activity-tracking band) for 3 months did not modify arterial stiffness or the central hemodynamic parameters, with respect to the control group. However, at 12 months, CG presented a decrease of cfPWV and cDBP, whereas IG showed a decrease of PAIx and ED and an increase of SEVR

Remanence enhancement for stray field-based applications in arrays of crystalline nanomagnets

With the aim of achieving stable, substantial remanences adequate for exploitation in stray field-based applications, we report on the hysteresis behavior occurring in arrays of single-crystal Fe motifs, a-beam lithographed into prisms with triangular bases and different orientations of their magnetocrystalline axes with respect to the morphological symmetry axes. From both experimental and simulational analyses we recognize the fact that the magnetization reversal processes of our samples were mediated by motif-sized vortices. Their nucleation and annihilation fields and sites within the motifs, and their field-induced displacements, are discussed in terms of the magnetocrystalline and configurational anisotropies and inter-motif dipolar interactions. From our data, we conclude that reduced remanences as large as 0.85 (sufficient for the application requirements), protected by nucleation fields of several tens of Oe, can be produced in arrays where magnetocrystalline easy axes reinforce and partly compensate the easiest and hardest configurational ones, respectively. The angular dependence of the reduced remanence associated with interplay of these anisotropies corresponds to a symmetry reduction from the triaxial one linked to the triangular morphology down to an effective uniaxial one. We also identify, for the particular case of inter-nanoprism distances that are short in comparison with the dimensions of the motif base, a contribution to the remanence enhancement originating from the dipolar interactions

Magnetization reversal mechanisms in Fe/NiO bilayers grown onto nanoporous alumina membranes and Si wafers

We report on the magnetization reversal measured in two ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (F/AF) bilayer series: Fe/NiO/Al2O3 (nanoporous membranes, series N) and Fe/NiO/Si (wafers, series W). The Fe and NiO layers were deposited by pulsed laser ablation and magnetron sputtering, respectively. In both series different oxygen partial pressures were implemented in the Ar plasma during the NiO growth. The morphologies of both series (as imaged by atomic force microscopy) reflect those of their substrates and, particularly, the series N samples exhibit a six-fold columnar growth around each one of the membranes nanopores. The in-plane hysteresis loops measured upon field cooling the samples down to different temperatures in the range from 50 K up to 290 K evidenced i) 50 K, 0% oxygen coercivities that decreased markedly in both series samples with the increase of the Fe layer thickness (particularly the Fe 5 nm, series N sample exhibited a coercivity larger than the Fe magneto-crystalline anisotropy field), ii) a decrease of the coercivity with the increase of the NiO deposition oxygen partial pressure, observed in both series independently of the Fe layer thickness, iii) low temperature coercivities larger in the series N samples than in the series W ones. Our data are analyzed in correlation to the deposits morphology and in terms of the occurrence of either propagation mediated reversal (collective mode linked to spatially averaged interactions at the F/AF interface) or localized switching (defect ruled mechanism taking place in a spatially confined environment). It is concluded that i) the magnetization reversal mechanism active in series W samples corresponds to a weak pinning regime propagation of walls interacting with uncompensated moments at the F/AF interface, ii) in series N samples, the magnetization reversal does not involve propagation, and iii) in the latter series the reversal events are spatially restricted to the dot-like tops of the NiO columns surrounding the membrane poresThe authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the Spanish Research Agency under grant no. MAT2016-80394-

Greenhouse gases emissions from the diet and risk of death and chronic diseases in the EPIC-Spain cohort

The Author(s) 2020.[Background]: Evidence from the scientific literature shows a significant variation in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the diet, according to the type of food consumed. We aim to analyze the relationship between the daily dietary GHG emissions according to red meat, fruit and vegetables consumption and their relationship with risk of total mortality, and incident risk of chronic diseases. [Methods]: We examined data on the EPIC-Spain prospective study, with a sample of 40 621 participants. Dietary GHG emission values were calculated for 57 food items of the EPIC study using mean emission data from a systematic review of 369 published studies. [Results]: Dietary GHG emissions (kgCO2eq/day), per 2000 kcal, were 4.7 times higher in those with high red-meat consumption (>140 g/day) than those with low consumption (<70 g/day). The average dietary GHG emissions were similar in males and females, but it was significantly higher in youngest people and in those individuals with lower educational level, as well as for northern EPIC centers of Spain. We found a significant association with the risk of mortality comparing the third vs. the first tertile of dietary GHG emissions [hazard ratio (HR) 1.095; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.007–1.19; trend test 0.037]. Risk of coronary heart disease (HR 1.26; 95% CI 1.08–1.48; trend test 0.003) and risk of type 2 diabetes (HR 1.24; 95% CI 1.11–1.38; trend test 0.002) showed significant association as well. [Conclusions]: Decreasing red-meat consumption would lead to reduce GHG emissions from diet and would reduce risk of mortality, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.Peer reviewe

Polyphenol Intake and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study

We thank Bertrand Hemon for his valuable help with the EPIC database. We also thank the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Public Health Directorate, Asturias, Spain; the Oxford University, the Cambridge University, and the Imperial College of London, the UK, for their contribution and ongoing support to the EPIC Study. The authors also express their gratitude to all participants in the EPIC cohorts for their invaluable contribution to the study. This research was funded by the Women's Health Dexeus Foundation (R.Z.-R.). The coordination of EPIC is financially supported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and also by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, which has additional infrastructure support provided by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The national cohorts are supported by: Danish Cancer Society (Denmark); Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut Gustave Roussy, Mutuelle Generale de l'Education Nationale, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) (France); German Cancer Aid, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (Germany); Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro-AIRC-Italy, Compagnia di SanPaolo and National Research Council (Italy); Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds, Dutch Prevention Funds, Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland), World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), Statistics Netherlands (The Netherlands); Health Research Fund (FIS)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Regional Governments of Andalucia, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia and Navarra, and the Catalan Institute of Oncology-ICO (Spain); Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Research Council and County Councils of Skane and Vasterbotten (Sweden); Cancer Research UK (14136 to EPIC-Norfolk; C8221/A29017 to EPIC-Oxford), Medical Research Council (1000143 to EPIC-Norfolk; MR/M012190/1 to EPIC-Oxford) (United Kingdom). We thank CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support. R.Z.-R. would like to thank the "Miguel Servet" program (CPII20/00009) from the Institute of Health Carlos III (Spain) and the European Social Fund (ESF).Despite some epidemiological evidence on the protective effects of polyphenol intake on epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) risk from case-control studies, the evidence is scarce from prospective studies and non-existent for several polyphenol classes. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the associations between the intake of total, classes and subclasses of polyphenols and EOC risk in a large prospective study. The study was conducted in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, which included 309,129 adult women recruited mostly from the general population. Polyphenol intake was assessed through validated country-specific dietary questionnaires and the Phenol-Explorer database. During a mean follow-up of 14 years, 1469 first incident EOC cases (including 806 serous, 129 endometrioid, 102 mucinous, and 67 clear cell tumours) were identified. In multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models, the hazard ratio in the highest quartile of total polyphenol intake compared with the lowest quartile (HRQ4vsQ1) was 1.14 (95% CI 0.94–1.39; p-trend = 0.11). Similarly, the intake of most classes and subclasses of polyphenols were not related to either overall EOC risk or any EOC subtype. A borderline statistically significant positive association was observed between phenolic acid intake (HRQ4vsQ1 = 1.20, 95% CI 1.01–1.43; p-trend = 0.02) and EOC risk, especially for the serous subtype and in women with obesity, although these associations did not exceed the Bonferroni correction threshold. The current results do not support any association between polyphenol intake and EOC in our large European prospective study. Results regarding phenolic acid intake need further investigationJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, UtrechtNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the NetherlandsPublic Health Directorate, Asturias, SpainOxford UniversityWorld Health OrganizationNIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)Danish Cancer SocietyLigue nationale contre le cancerInstitut Gustave RoussyMutuelle Generale de l'Education NationaleInstitut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (Inserm)Deutsche Krebshilfe Helmholtz Association Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF)Fondazione AIRC per la ricerca sul cancroConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds Dutch Prevention Funds Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), Statistics NetherlandsHealth Research Fund (FIS)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)Swedish Cancer Society Swedish Research CouncilEuropean CommissionVasterbotten (Sweden)Cancer Research UK 14136 C8221/A29017UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Medical Research Council UK (MRC)European Commission 1000143 MR/M012190/1CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya CPII20/00009 Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIEuropean Social Fund (ESF)University of CambridgeImperial College of London, the UKWomen's Health Dexeus Foundatio

Dietary patterns related to biological mechanisms and survival after breast cancer diagnosis: results from a cohort study

BackgroundInflammatory, insulin and oestrogenic pathways have been linked to breast cancer (BC). We aimed to examine the relationship between pre-diagnostic dietary patterns related to these mechanisms and BC survival.MethodsThe diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD), inflammatory score of diet (ISD) and oestrogen-related dietary pattern (ERDP) were calculated using dietary data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess associations between dietary patterns and overall mortality and competing risk models for associations with BC-specific mortality.ResultsWe included 13,270 BC cases with a mean follow-up after diagnosis of 8.6 years, representing 2340 total deaths, including 1475 BC deaths. Higher adherence to the DRRD score was associated with lower overall mortality (HR1-SD 0.92; 95%CI 0.87-0.96). Greater adherence to pro-inflammatory diets was borderline associated with 6% higher mortality HR1-SD 1.06; 95%CI 1.00-1.12. No significant association with the oestrogen-related dietary pattern was observed. None of the dietary patterns were associated with BC-specific mortality.ConclusionsGreater adherence to an anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory diet prior to diagnosis is associated with lower overall mortality among BC survivors. Long-term adherence to these dietary patterns could be a means to improve the prognosis of BC survivors

RAF Kinase Activity Regulates Neuroepithelial Cell Proliferation and Neuronal Progenitor Cell Differentiation during Early Inner Ear Development

Background: Early inner ear development requires the strict regulation of cell proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation, coordinated by the concerted action of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Deregulation of these processes is associated with embryonic malformations and deafness. We have shown that insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) plays a key role in embryonic and postnatal otic development by triggering the activation of intracellular lipid and protein kinases. RAF kinases are serine/threonine kinases that regulate the highly conserved RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling cascade involved in transducing the signals from extracellular growth factors to the nucleus. However, the regulation of RAF kinase activity by growth factors during development is complex and still not fully understood. Methodology/Principal Findings: By using a combination of qRT-PCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we show that C-RAF and B-RAF are expressed during the early development of the chicken inner ear in specific spatiotemporal patterns. Moreover, later in development B-RAF expression is associated to hair cells in the sensory patches. Experiments in ex vivo cultures of otic vesicle explants demonstrate that the influence of IGF-I on proliferation but not survival depends on RAF kinase activating the MEK-ERK phosphorylation cascade. With the specific RAF inhibitor Sorafenib, we show that blocking RAF activity in organotypic cultures increases apoptosis and diminishes the rate of cell proliferation in the otic epithelia, as well as severely impairing neurogenesis of the acoustic-vestibular ganglion (AVG) and neuron maturation. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that RAF kinase activity is essential to establish the balance between cell proliferation and death in neuroepithelial otic precursors, and for otic neuron differentiation and axonal growth at the AVG

La televisión on-line en la Formación del Profesorado: un recurso educativo multilingüe y multidisciplinar

Jornadas de Innovación Docente de la Universidad de Oviedo (12ª, 2020, Oviedo)Este proyecto interdisciplinar y multilingüe ha sido diseñado con el objetivo de poner en funcionamiento un canal de televisión on-line para la Facultad de Formación del Profesorado y Educación y poner en valor los productos audiovisuales del alumnado. Para ello utiliza una metodología de enseñanza-aprendizaje colaborativa centrada en el alumnado. Los vídeos están grabados con dispositivos móviles, reforzando así la importancia del m-learning o aprendizaje con dispositivos móviles. El canal de tv, denominado DIDACTICTAC TV, no es sólo un elemento de comunicación e inter-relación entre el alumnado y el profesorado de dicha facultad sino que, además, ha generado un puente de unión con otras universidades nacionales y extranjeras y con centros escolares de Primaria y Secundaria. En el proyecto se han implicado un elevado número de docentes de la Facultad de Formación del Profesorado y Educación de la Universidad de Oviedo, además de docentes de otras tres universidades (Universidad de León-España, Kio University-Japón y Marie Curie Sklodowska University-Polonia) y de treinta y un centros de Educación Primaria y Secundaria. La evaluación del proyecto, en su primer año de vida, se ha realizado utilizado cuatro tipos de cuestionarios on-line para todo el profesorado y el alumnado implicado yse han realizado numeroso grupos de discusión con el alumnado. Los resultados parciales muestran un alto grado de satisfacción con el desarrollo del proyecto así como algunos aspectos a mejorar en su segundo año de desarroll

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality