Epidemic Spreading and Aging in Temporal Networks with Memory

Time-varying network topologies can deeply influence dynamical processes mediated by them. Memory effects in the pattern of interactions among individuals are also known to affect how diffusive and spreading phenomena take place. In this paper we analyze the combined effect of these two ingredients on epidemic dynamics on networks. We study the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) and the susceptible-infected-removed (SIR) models on the recently introduced activity-driven networks with memory. By means of an activity-based mean-field approach we derive, in the long time limit, analytical predictions for the epidemic threshold as a function of the parameters describing the distribution of activities and the strength of the memory effects. Our results show that memory reduces the threshold, which is the same for SIS and SIR dynamics, therefore favouring epidemic spreading. The theoretical approach perfectly agrees with numerical simulations in the long time asymptotic regime. Strong aging effects are present in the preasymptotic regime and the epidemic threshold is deeply affected by the starting time of the epidemics. We discuss in detail the origin of the model-dependent preasymptotic corrections, whose understanding could potentially allow for epidemic control on correlated temporal networks.Comment: 10 pages, 8 fogure

Esporte e idosos: jogar, competir e viver

ResumoO objetivo é relacionar o fenômeno esportivo com o idoso a partir das possibilidades de conceitos e da vivência em esportes. A coleta de dados foi realizada com 37 idosos, integrantes de uma equipe representativa de uma cidade do interior de São Paulo nos Jogos Regionais do Idoso (JORI), os quais responderam a um questionário. A análise dos dados foi através da Técnica de Elaboração e Análise de Unidades de Significado. Os dados revelaram que os idosos estão na equipe num período entre um e oito anos e as razões de participar estão atreladas: à amizade e ao companheirismo, à saúde, ao preparo físico, a sentir-se bem, gostar da prática de esportes, trocar experiências, conhecer novas cidades. Estes resultados mostram a necessidade de a Educação Física proporcionar, na forma adequada, a prática de esportes para essa faixa etária.Palavras-chave: Esporte. Idoso. Jogo.Sport and elderly: to play, to compete and to liveAbstractThe aim is to relation the sporting phenomenon with elderly, at the beginning of the possibilities of the concepts and the sport experiencing. We applied a questionnaire in 37 elderly, part of the representative team of the country city of São Paulo state in the Regional Games of elderly people (JORI). The questionnaires were transcribed and responses were analyzed through content analysis: Technical Preparation and Analysis of Meaning Units. The data reveals that elderly are in the team in the period between one and eight years and the reasons to participate are attached to: friendship, health, physics prepare, to feel better and to like the practices of sports, to switch experience or to know new cities. This result appoint to the needs of the Physics Education to provide, in the corrected way, the practice of sports to these people included.Keywords: Sport. Elderly. Game.Deporte y ancianos: jugar, competir y vivir ResumenEl objetivo es relacionar el fenómeno deportivo con el anciano a partir de las posibilidades de conceptos y de la vivencia en deportes. La recolección de datos fue realizada con 37 ancianos, integrantes de un equipo representativo de una ciudad del interior de São Paulo en los Juegos Regionales del Anciano (JORI), los cuales respondieron a un cuestionario. El análisis de los datos fue a través de la Técnica de Elaboración y Análisis de Unidades de Significado. Los datos revelaron que los ancianos están en el equipo en un período entre uno y ocho años y las razones de participar están enganchadas: a la amistad y al compañerismo, a la salud, a la preparación física, a sentirse bien, gustar la práctica de deportes, cambiar experiencias, conocer nuevas ciudades. Estos resultados muestran la necesidad de que la Educación Física proporcione, en la forma adecuada, la práctica de deportes para este grupo de edad.Palabras clave: Deporte. Anciano. Juego

Esporte e idosos: jogar, competir e viver

Resumo O objetivo é relacionar o fenômeno esportivo com o idoso a partir das possibilidades de conceitos e da vivência em esportes. A coleta de dados foi realizada com 37 idosos, integrantes de uma equipe representativa de uma cidade do interior de São Paulo nos Jogos Regionais do Idoso (JORI), os quais responderam a um questionário. A análise dos dados foi através da Técnica de Elaboração e Análise de Unidades de Significado. Os dados revelaram que os idosos estão na equipe num período entre um e oito anos e as razões de participar estão atreladas: à amizade e ao companheirismo, à saúde, ao preparo físico, a sentir-se bem, gostar da prática de esportes, trocar experiências, conhecer novas cidades. Estes resultados mostram a necessidade de a Educação Física proporcionar, na forma adequada, a prática de esportes para essa faixa etária. Palavras-chave: Esporte. Idoso. Jogo. Sport and elderly: to play, to compete and to live Abstract The aim is to relation the sporting phenomenon with elderly, at the beginning of the possibilities of the concepts and the sport experiencing. We applied a questionnaire in 37 elderly, part of the representative team of the country city of São Paulo state in the Regional Games of elderly people (JORI). The questionnaires were transcribed and responses were analyzed through content analysis: Technical Preparation and Analysis of Meaning Units. The data reveals that elderly are in the team in the period between one and eight years and the reasons to participate are attached to: friendship, health, physics prepare, to feel better and to like the practices of sports, to switch experience or to know new cities. This result appoint to the needs of the Physics Education to provide, in the corrected way, the practice of sports to these people included. Keywords: Sport. Elderly. Game. Deporte y ancianos: jugar, competir y vivir  Resumen El objetivo es relacionar el fenómeno deportivo con el anciano a partir de las posibilidades de conceptos y de la vivencia en deportes. La recolección de datos fue realizada con 37 ancianos, integrantes de un equipo representativo de una ciudad del interior de São Paulo en los Juegos Regionales del Anciano (JORI), los cuales respondieron a un cuestionario. El análisis de los datos fue a través de la Técnica de Elaboración y Análisis de Unidades de Significado. Los datos revelaron que los ancianos están en el equipo en un período entre uno y ocho años y las razones de participar están enganchadas: a la amistad y al compañerismo, a la salud, a la preparación física, a sentirse bien, gustar la práctica de deportes, cambiar experiencias, conocer nuevas ciudades. Estos resultados muestran la necesidad de que la Educación Física proporcione, en la forma adecuada, la práctica de deportes para este grupo de edad. Palabras clave: Deporte. Anciano. Juego

Match running performance and physical capacity profiles of U8 and U10 soccer players

Aim This study aimed to characterize match running performance of very young soccer players and evaluate the relationship between these data and physical capacities and technical skills. Methods Distances covered at different speed thresholds were measured during 31 official matches using GPS technology in U10 (n = 12; age 10.1 ± 0.1 years) and U8 (n = 15; age 7.9 ± 0.1 years) national soccer players. Counter movement jump performance (CMJ), 20 m shuttle running (20 m-SR), linear sprint performance (10, 20, 30 m), shuttle (SHDT) and slalom dribble tests (SLDT) were performed to determine the players physical capacities and technical skills. Results Physical capacities and technical skills were higher in U10 versus U8 players [P 0.05, ES: 0.74). The U10 players covered more total (TD) and high-intensity running distance (HIRD) than their younger counterparts did (P 0.05, ES: 0.99). TD and HIRD covered across the three 15 min periods of match play did not decline (P > 0.05, ES: 0.02–0.55). Very large magnitude correlations were observed between the U8 and U10 players performances during the 20 m-SR versus TD (r = 0.79; P < 0.01) and HIRD (r = 0.82; P < 0.01) covered during match play. Conclusions Data demonstrate differences in match running performance and physical capacity between U8 and U10 players, and large magnitude relationships between match play measures and physical test performances. These findings could be useful to sports science staff working within the academies

Spontaneous low-protein intake in older CKD patients: one diet may not fit all

BackgroundProtein restriction has been extended to stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) regardless of age in the latest K-DOQI guidelines for the dietary management of patients with CKD. However, in elderly CKD patients there is a tendency to a spontaneous reduction in protein and energy intake that may impair the overall nutritional status. The aim of our study is to assess whether there are differences in malnutrition, exercise capacity and inflammatory status in elderly CKD patients with spontaneously low protein intake (sLPI) compared with patients with normal protein intake (NPI).MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis of 123 incident patients. Malnutrition was assessed using Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS) and serum markers; As for physical performance, we used Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and handgrip strength.ResultsWe found that in older patients with advanced CKD, as many as 68% had low spontaneous protein intake, and they were more malnourished evaluated with MIS (25% vs. 10%, p = 0.033), protein-energy wasting (PEW) (43% vs. 14%, p = 0.002) and nPCR (0.63[0.51–0.69] vs. 0.95[0.87–1.1], p &lt; 0.0001). They also had worse body composition, in terms of lower mid-arm muscular circumference (MAMC), fat tissue index (FTI) and higher overhydration (OH). sLPI patients also had higher levels of IL6 (4.6[2.9–8.9] vs. 2.8[0.8–5.1], p = 0.002). Moreover, sLPI patients were frailer (33% vs. 24%, p = 0.037) and had poorer physical performance especially when assessed with (SPPB) (7[5–9] vs. 9[7–10], p = 0.004) and gait test time (6.08 + 2 vs. 7.22 + 2.7, p = 0.04). sLPI was associated with lower physical performance [SPPB OR, 0.79 (0.46–0.97), p = 0.046] and malnutrition [MIS 1.6 (1.05–3.5), p = 0.041] independently from patients’ age and eGFR.ConclusionWe found that in older patients with advanced CKD, up to 68% had low spontaneous protein intake and were frailer, more malnourished and with lower physical performance. These findings emphasize the importance of assessing patients’ needs, and personalized approaches with individual risk–benefit assessments should be sought. To achieve the best possible outcomes, targeted interventions should use all available tools

Small world in the real world: Long distance dispersal governs epidemic dynamics in agricultural landscapes

Outbreaks of a plant disease in a landscape can be meaningfully modelled using networks with nodes representing individual crop-fields, and edges representing potential infection pathways between them. Their spatial structure, which resembles that of a regular lattice, makes such networks fairly robust against epidemics. Yet, it is well-known how the addition of a few shortcuts can turn robust regular lattices into vulnerable ‘small world’ networks. Although the relevance of this phenomenon has been shown theoretically for networks with nodes corresponding to individual host plants, its real-world implications at a larger scale (i.e. in networks with nodes representing crop fields or other plantations) remain elusive. Focusing on realistic spatial networks connecting olive orchards in Andalusia (Southern Spain), the world’s leading olive producer, we show how even very small probabilities of long distance dispersal of infectious vectors result in a small-world effect that dramatically exacerbates a hypothetical outbreak of a disease targeting olive trees (loosely modelled on known epidemiological information on the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, an important emerging threat for European agriculture). More specifically, we found that the probability of long distance vector dispersal has a disproportionately larger effect on epidemic dynamics compared to pathogen’s intrinsic infectivity, increasing total infected area by up to one order of magnitude (in the absence of quarantine). Furthermore, even a very small probability of long distance dispersal increased the effort needed to halt a hypothetical outbreak through quarantine by about 50% in respect to scenarios modelling local/short distance pathogen’s dispersal only. This highlights how identifying (and disrupting) long distance dispersal processes may be more efficacious to contain a plant disease epidemic than surveillance and intervention concentrated on local scale transmission processes.Peer reviewe

Renal Delivery of Pharmacologic Agents During Machine Perfusion to Prevent Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury: From Murine Model to Clinical Trials

Donor organ shortage still remains a serious obstacle for the access of wait-list patients to kidney transplantation, the best treatment for End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD). To expand the number of transplants, the use of lower quality organs from older ECD or DCD donors has become an established routine but at the price of increased incidence of Primary Non-Function, Delay Graft Function and lower-long term graft survival. In the last years, several improvements have been made in the field of renal transplantation from surgical procedure to preservation strategies. To improve renal outcomes, research has focused on development of innovative and dynamic preservation techniques, in order to assess graft function and promote regeneration by pharmacological intervention before transplantation. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of these new preservation strategies by machine perfusions and pharmacological interventions at different timing possibilities: in the organ donor, ex-vivo during perfusion machine reconditioning or after implementation in the recipient. We will report therapies as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, senolytics agents, complement inhibitors, HDL, siRNA and H2S supplementation. Renal delivery of pharmacologic agents during preservation state provides a window of opportunity to treat the organ in an isolated manner and a crucial route of administration. Even if few studies have been reported of transplantation after ex-vivo drugs administration, targeting the biological pathway associated to kidney failure (i.e. oxidative stress, complement system, fibrosis) might be a promising therapeutic strategy to improve the quality of various donor organs and expand organ availability

Simultaneous removal and replacement of the peritoneal catheter in CAPD patient with refractory peritonitis sustained by P. aeruginosa: A case-report

Pseudomonas peritonitis is often severe and associated with less than 50% complete cure rate, often requiring catheter removal, and transfer to HD. International guidelines recommend that peritoneal catheter should be removed if peritoneal dialysis (PD) effluent does not clear after 5 days of appropriate antibiotic therapy defining the episode as refractory peritonitis. To avoid the shift to hemodialysis (HD), the simultaneous removal and replacement of the peritoneal catheter (SCR) has been employed to treat recurrent peritonitis or tunnel infections associated with peritonitis, obtaining satisfactory outcomes. However, the use of SCR is still controversial in refractory episodes. At present there is growing evidence that refractory peritonitis can be sustained by bacterial adherence along the intraperitoneal portion of the catheter, especially when Pseudomonas species are involved. We describe a case of refractory peritonitis sustained by P. aeruginosa that after a partial response to antibiotics has been successfully treated by SCR

Long-term renal and cardiovascular outcome of living kidney donors: A single-center retrospective observation study

Background: The nephrectomy for donation reduces the renal parenchyma and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It is important to understand the clinical consequences of kidney donation by a living donor. Methods: In this single-center, observational, retrospective study, we defined the renal and cardiovascular outcomes of living kidney donors. We analyzed data of 124 donors who donated at the Kidney Transplant Center (TC) of Bari between February 2002 and December 2018. Biometric data collected at visit 0, that is, at the time of the study of the donor candidate, and at visit 1, or rather at the last nephrological checkup (October-2018/August-2019) were compared. Results: An overall drop in GFR of 29 mL/min was observed over the analyzed period of 81+/-59 months. At visit 1, two donors developed chronic renal failure, including one in ESKD who underwent a kidney transplant. No relationship between age at donation and GFR drop was found. A trend toward an increase in obese people was reported; 28% of patients had compensated dyslipidemia and 35% were treated for hypertension. During the follow-up time, 3% had major cardiovascular events and 24% were lost to follow-up. One patient died. Conclusion: The age of the donor does not represent a basic element for reducing GFR or for the occurrence of major cardiovascular events. Furthermore, older donor candidates, in optimal health, should not be excluded from the donation. It is important to promote careful and timely follow-up of the donor, preventing the most common clinical consequences of nephrectomy, in consideration of the poor compliance of a large part of donors over the long-term post-donation period