Modifiable risk factors associated with prediabetes in men and women: A cross-sectional analysis of the cohort study in primary health care on the evolution of patients with prediabetes

Background: Prediabetes is a high-risk state for diabetes development, but little is known about the factors associated with this state. The aim of the study was to identify modifiable risk factors associated with the presence of prediabetes in men and women. Methods: Cohort Study in Primary Health Care on the Evolution of Patients with Prediabetes (PREDAPS-Study) is a prospective study on a cohort of 1184 subjects with prediabetes and another cohort of 838 subjects without glucose metabolism disorders. It is being conducted by 125 general practitioners in Spain. Data for this analysis were collected during the baseline stage in 2012. The modifiable risk factors included were: smoking habit, alcohol consumption, low physical activity, inadequate diet, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. To assess independent association between each factor and prediabetes, odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using logistic regression models. Results: Abdominal obesity, low plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), and hypertension were independently associated with the presence of prediabetes in both men and women. After adjusting for all factors, the respective ORs (95% Confidence Intervals) were 1.98 (1.41-2.79), 1.88 (1.23-2.88) and 1.86 (1.39-2.51) for men, and 1.89 (1.36-2.62), 1.58 (1.12-2.23) and 1.44 (1.07-1.92) for women. Also, general obesity was a risk factor in both sexes but did not reach statistical significance among men, after adjusting for all factors. Risky alcohol consumption was a risk factor for prediabetes in men, OR 1.49 (1.00-2.24). Conclusions: Obesity, low HDL-cholesterol levels, and hypertension were modifiable risk factors independently related to the presence of prediabetes in both sexes. The magnitudes of the associations were stronger for men than women. Abdominal obesity in both men and women displayed the strongest association with prediabetes. The findings suggest that there are some differences between men and women, which should be taken into account when implementing specific recommendations to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes in adult population

Leishmaniasis visceral pediátrica. A propósito de un caso

Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease in Spain produced by an intracellular protozoan: Leishmania infantum. Without treatment, the visceral form of the disease has a mortality higher than 90%. We present the case of a twenty-three-month-old infant who was admitted for fever of unknown origin during the last ten days. Noticed the hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia in the laboratory results, Leishmaniasis was suspected and confirmed in the serological study. She received treatment with liposomal amphotericin B having progressive clinical and analytical improvement. A review of the disease is carried out, focusing on epidemiology in our environment.La Leishmaniasis es una enfermedad endémica en España producida por un protozoo intracelular: Leishmania infantum. Sin tratamiento la forma visceral de la enfermedad tiene una mortalidad superior al 90%. Presentamos el caso de una lactante de veintitrés meses ingresada por fiebre sin foco de diez días de evolución. Ante el hallazgo de hepatoesplenomegalia a la exploración y pancitopenia con hipoalbuminemia en la analítica se sospechó Leishmaniasis, confirmándose en el estudio serológico. Recibió tratamiento con anfotericina B liposomal presentando mejoría clínicoanalítica progresiva. Se realiza una revisión de la enfermedad incidiendo en la epidemiología en nuestro medio

Accelerated Optimization Methods for Force-Field Parametrization in Battery Electrode Manufacturing Modeling

International audienceThe performance, durability and cost of modern Li-ion batteries (LIBs) strongly depend on their manufacturing process. In this regard, computational methods that attempt to model LIBs manufacturing have the potential to help experimentalists to reduce costs and improve performances of LIBs. To do so, the electrode slurry phase, consisting of a suspension of active material, carbon additive and binder in a solvent must be modeled at first at the mesoscopic scale. However, efforts in that sense are rare in literature due to the inherent complexity of slurries and the difficulty of setting up appropriate metrics for the validation of the modeling results. For the first time, we propose an approach relying on experimental data that allows to validate the properties of simulated Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt-based slurries with different compositions and solid contents through force fields (FFs) parametrization. The latter was attained by Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics (CGMD), which enables to model the slurry phase at the mesoscopic scale and to consider explicitly the carbon binder domain. Moreover, we demonstrate that the CGMD FFs parameterization can be accelerated thanks to different types of Particle Swarm Optimization-based algorithms, which would allow faster screening of different simulated slurries fabrication conditions

La importancia de la nutrición enteral exclusiva en la enfermedad de Crohn pediátrica

We present a case of Crohn's disease in an adolescent that presents favorable evolution with treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition and azathioprine. Crohn's disease can appear at any age. Its clinical manifestations can be insidious, as asthenia or nonspecific abdominal pain, which can lead to diagnostic delay. The acute phase reactants and fecal calprotectin are increased. It requires endoscopic study of the upper and lower digestive tract. Treatment in the pediatric age is performed with exclusive enteral nutrition with a polymeric formula for 6-8 weeks, associating immunosuppressants. Biological drugs are reserved for fistulizing, perianal disease, severe extra digestive involvement or poor evolution.Se presenta un caso de una adolescente con astenia de meses de evolución, en la que se diagnostica una enfermedad de Crohn. Se describe la mejora tras el tratamiento con nutrición enteral exclusiva asociado a tratamiento inmunomodulador con azatioprina. Aunque la enfermedad de Crohn aparece en cualquier época de la vida, un 30% debutan antes de los 20 años, siendo la mayoría adolescentes. Sus manifestaciones clínicas pueden ser insidiosas en forma de astenia o dolor abdominal inespecífico, lo que puede ocasionar un mayor retraso diagnóstico. El diagnóstico de sospecha incluye el aumento de los reactantes de fase aguda y de la calprotectina fecal. Requiere para su confirmación, estudio endoscópico de tracto digestivo superior e inferior. El tratamiento de primera línea en la edad pediátrica es la nutrición enteral exclusiva (NEE) con una fórmula polimérica durante 6-8 semanas, asociando inmunosupresores. Se reservan los fármacos biológicos en la enfermedad fistulizante, perianal, afectación extradigestiva, formas graves o mala evolución

Evolution of the genetic make-up of seed nutritives tissues

Chez les plantes à graine, l'albumen est un tissu nourricier surprenant, puisqu'il résulte de la double fécondation, qui est la fécondation concomitante de l'oosphère d'une part, et de la cellule mère de l'albumen, la cellule centrale, d'autre part. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions les pressions de sélection qui déterminent l'évolution de l'albumen et pourraient expliquer l'évolution (1) de la double fécondation, (2) d'un doublement des contributions maternelles dans la cellule centrale, (3) de la polysporie, qui consiste en la participation de plusieurs produits de méiose à la formation du gamétophyte, et (4) de l'empreinte parentale, l'expression différentielle des allèles maternels et paternels.Ces innovations modifient l'hétérozygotie dans le tissu nourricier et par conséquent, ont le potentiel de changer l'hétérosis de la graine. Dans cette thèse, nous commençons par étudier comment les changements génétiques qui découlent de la double fécondation, du doublement des contributions maternelles, de la polysporie et de l'empreinte parentale modifient l'hétérosis, ce qui peut jouer en faveur ou en défaveur de leurs évolutions. Puis, nous faisons une revue des données disponibles dans la littérature pour tester si ces traits sont le résultat d'un conflit mâle-femelle sur l'allocation des ressources. Enfin, nous étudions de manière expérimentale les patrons de l'allocation des ressources chez le maïs, pour tester si les embryons sont en compétition pour les ressources, ce qui est une des conditions nécessaires pour qu'un conflit sur l'allocation des ressources ait lieu.Nos modèles théoriques nous permettent de décrire un conflit mâle-femelle sur l'exposition des allèles délétères dans les tissus pour lesquels l'expression des gènes est asymétrique. Ce conflit n'avait jamais été décrit auparavant, et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour la compréhension de l'évolution de l'expression génétique. L'analyse des données indique que les théories alternatives à la théorie du conflit sur l'allocation des ressources ont parfois un bon pouvoir explicatif, et méritent par conséquent d'être d'avantage explorées. Enfin, notre étude expérimentale sur le maïs montre que la compétition entre embryons est prédominante lors de l'allocation des ressources chez cette espèce, ce qui est concordant avec les prédictions de la théorie du conflit sur l'allocation.In seed plants, the endosperm is a surprising nutritive tissue, because it results from double fertilization, an eccentricity which results from the parallel fertilization of the egg cell on the one hand, and of the mother cell of the endosperm, the central cell, on the other hand. In this thesis, we study the selective pressures which drive the evolution of the endosperm and may explain the evolution of (1) double fertilization, (2) a doubling of maternal contributions in the central cell, (3) polyspory, the participation of several meiotic products to the gametophyte and (4) imprinting, the differential expression of maternal and paternal alleles. These innovations modify heterozygosity in the endosperm and as a consequence, have the potential to change heterosis in the seed. In this thesis, we first investigate how genetic changes that result from double fertilization, doubling of maternal contribution, polyspory and imprinting modify heterosis, which may play in favour or against the evolution of these traits. Second, we review the available data to test whether these traits are the result of a male-female conflict over resource allocation. Finally, we study experimentally patterns of resource allocation in maize to assess whether embryos compete for resources, which is a necessary condition for the conflict over resource allocation to occur. Our theoretical models allow us to describe a male-female conflict over the exposition of deleterious alleles in tissues with asymmetrical gene expression. This conflict had never been described before and opens perspectives for understanding the evolution of gene expression. We conclude from our analysis of data that theories which are alternative to the conflict theory over resource allocation may have a better explanatory power and therefore deserve to be further explored. Finally, our experimental study in maize shows that competition between embryos drives resource allocation in this species, which is consistent with predictions of the conflict over resource allocation theory