Insight about Colonic Microbiota Imbalance and Obesity

Since the 1990s, nutritionists have concluded that poor food hygiene, as well as environmental and food pollution, are the cause of the major serious diseases affecting humanity: overweight and obesity, which induce persistent systemic pro-inflammatory status, and hence all complications metabolic disorders, cancers, joint diseases, skin disorders, psychological disorders. The human body hosts a large number of microbes, including bacterial, fungal and protozoal microorganisms, which together constitute our microbe. Dysbiosis, generated by a sedentary lifestyle, consuming highly industrialized food, and non-compliance with the mass program, can lead to obesity, with a decrease in quality of life and shortening it. Obesity and metabolic disorders related to obesity are characterized by specific changes in the composition and function of the human intestinal microbe. Among the possible strategies for preventing and/or treating obesity, the microbiota is intended to restore or modulate its composition by consuming probiotics, prebiotics or both (synbiotics)

A Pilot Study Evaluating Preferences for Caffeinated Drinks Consumption Among Mures Medical Students

The scale of caffeinated drinks offered for young adults is large and also is the risk for abuse followed by heart or brain injuries due to high levels of caffeine, taurine, sugars etc. For this purpose, we chose to evaluate the risk behaviors in a group of Mures medical students and assess their practices and knowledge of excess caffeine drinks intake. For this study, we used a food frequency questionnaire containing 26 questions related to personal data, food behaviors, types of food and drink consumed and the frequency of consumption. The questionnaire was applied to 427 Mures medical students in 2016. On average, 2/3 of the Mures medical students associate an excess of coffee, energy drinks and other types of caffeinated beverages, especially during the exams period. From the list of preferred drinks that our students chose, in descending order, are: coffee, carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages and energy drinks. Students often turn to alcoholic drinks, sometimes in combination with energy drinks, raising the risk for their health. 25% have only coffee in the morning, on empty stomach, skipping breakfast. More than half of them have at least 3 coffees per day, with possible health impact on long term. Our data emphasizes once more the importance of health education in schools and universities, especially for medical students and future doctors, and the need for efficient community interventions in order to prevent lifestyle behaviors at risk

An insight of Romanians’ knowledge about dietary fibers in relationship with cancer

Objectives: To estimate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of Romanian population, and their knowledge towards dietary fiber intake, the information sources preferred and perception of cancer related health risks. Methods: We used a convenient cross-sectional survey, and the data were collected using a validated questionnaire, disseminated online. Six different Romanian counties with 57 cities were selected in 2015, with 670 participants, and we used the SPSS program 22.0 for statistical purpose. Results: The knowledge about dietary fibers intake was low in our sample, also was the ingestion of foods rich in fiber (fruits, vegetables and cereals). Compared to men, women agree significantly more frequent that fibers in appropriate amounts can prevent or treat diseases (U=44607, z=-4.66, p<0.001, r=0.18) and separately related to specific diseases, that fibers can prevent and/or treat cardio-vascular diseases, cholesterol, bowel cancer, breast cancer, constipation, and diabetes, but with no differences regarding the deficiency of vitamins and minerals (p=0.774) or obesity (p=0.399). The in-depth analysis of factors that are able to influence Romanian’s knowledge and attitudes towards food fibers, defined the social profile of the respondents with interest on dietary fiber intake, which is: young females, with at least high school education, that considers internet and television like main sources of information regarding fibers. Comparing to other EU countries, Romanian consumers have good information about dietary fibers importance for health but the daily intake is lower. Conclusions: Based on our results, we can elaborate efficient community and school intervention programs, more focused on modern information technology and communication skills, fit to the consumer’s profile in order to promote a healthy nutrition behavior and proper knowledge.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Insight into the biological pathways underlying fibromyalgia by a proteomic approach

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a form of non-articular rheumatism difficult to diagnose and treat because its etiology remains still elusive. Proteomics makes possible the systematic analysis of hundreds of proteins in clinical samples. Consequently, it has become a key tool for finding altered molecular pathways in different diseases. In this context, the present study analyzes changes in the plasma proteome of patients with FM by nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Deregulated proteins were studied using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Conventional analytical methods were used to validate selected proteins. We found a total of 33 proteins differentially expressed in patients with FM. Haptoglobin and fibrinogen showed the highest FM/control ratio. IPA analysis revealed that the top enriched canonical pathways were acute-phase response signaling, Liver-X Receptor/Retinoid-X Receptor activation, Farnesoid-X Receptor/Retinoid-X Receptor activation, and coagulation and complement systems. The importance of inflammation in FM was corroborated by the increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate. In conclusion, our results support the existence of a plasma protein signature of FM that involves different biological pathways all of them related to inflammation, and point to haptoglobin and fibrinogen as plausible biomarkercandidates for future studies. Significance: The etiology of fibromyalgia (FM) remains elusive making its diagnosis and treatment difficult. The characterization of the proteome signature of this syndrome will improve its understanding. However, to date proteomic analyses in FM are scarce. The goal of the present work is to analyse, for the first time, changes in plasma protein profiles of patients with FM in comparison to control subjects, using label free relative protein quantification by nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Our data demonstrate the existence of a common protein signature in the plasma of patients with FM that could explain some of the symptoms associated to this syndrome. The analysis of the 33 proteins differentially expressed corroborates the crucial role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. The interplay of the complement and coagulation cascades contributes to the inflammatory process, while the activation of Liver-X Receptor/Retinoid-X Receptor and Farnesoid-X Receptor/Retinoid-X Receptor could attempt to alleviate it. Finally, we have identified two proteins, haptoglobin and fibrinogen, as potential biomarker-candidates of FM for future studies

Romanian eating motivations scale – for community intervention strategies

Introduction: Our aim was to evaluate different aspects related with food choices made by Romanian consumers, influenced by their attitudes, practices and habits, in order to develop proper intervention preventive strategies. Materials and methods: The present study was a cross sectional survey, based on a validated questionnaire, develop through an international project in 2018 (EATMOT), filled in online after consent by adult population from various counties. The Romanian sample has 821 subjects (from wich 69% women), and represented 7% of total sample of 11.960 participants from 16 countries (Europe, America and Africa). Results: The results showed that women are generally better informed than men about healthy eating. There has been a conflict between traditional food-related cultural values and modern guidelines based on scientific information in the diet. The responses of some categories of patients have revealed the tendency to overdue the diets recommended for the afflictions they suffer, maybe due to a lack of more detailed information on specific and personalized aspects. Significant links have been identified especially between attention for calories intake and gender variables, cardiovascular disease, obesity and hypertension. Conclusion: This population food behavior screening scale may be used to better assessment of food choice determinants, and to plan strategies to improve healthy eating patterns, diminishing the burden of chronic diseases. Also well trained dietitians can compensate the population practice deficiencies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ESPUMA. Mejora docente en elementos de programación

En el presente artículo se presenta el proyecto educativo ESPUMA, que pretende hacer una mejora en la enseñanza de asignaturas básicas para la programación. Esta mejora se basa en la motivación del alumnado, haciendo uso de las nuevas tecnologías, y en la sencillez de un entorno de aprendizaje gráfico

Measurement of cortisol in saliva: a comparison of measurement error within and between international academic-research laboratories

Objective: Hundreds of scientific publications are produced annually that involve the measurement of cortisol in saliva. Intra- and inter-laboratory variation in salivary cortisol results has the potential to contribute to cross- study inconsistencies in findings, and the perception that salivary cortisol results are unreliable. This study rigor- ously estimates sources of measurement variability in the assay of salivary cortisol within and between established international academic-based laboratories that specialize in saliva analyses. One hundred young adults (Mean age: 23.10 years; 62 females) donated 2 mL of whole saliva by passive drool. Each sample was split into multiple- 100 µL aliquots and immediately frozen. One aliquot of each of the 100 participants’ saliva was transported to academic laboratories (N = 9) in the United States, Canada, UK, and Germany and assayed for cortisol by the same commercially available immunoassay. Results: 1.76% of the variance in salivary cortisol levels was attributable to differences between duplicate assays of the same sample within laboratories, 7.93% of the variance was associated with differences between laboratories, and 90.31% to differences between samples. In established-qualified laboratories, measurement error of salivary cortisol is minimal, and inter-laboratory differences in measurement are unlikely to have a major influence on the determined values

Anales del III Congreso Internacional de Vivienda y Ciudad "Debate en torno a la nueva agenda urbana"

Acta de congresoEl III Congreso Internacional de Vivienda y Ciudad “Debates en torno a la NUEVa Agenda Urbana”, ha sido una apuesta de alto compromiso por acercar los debates centrales y urgentes que tensionan el pleno ejercicio del derecho a la ciudad. Para ello las instituciones organizadoras (INVIHAB –Instituto de Investigación de Vivienda y Hábitat y MGyDH-Maestría en Gestión y Desarrollo Habitacional-1), hemos convidado un espacio que se concretó con potencia en un debate transdisciplinario. Convocó a intelectuales de prestigio internacional, investigadores, académicos y gestores estatales, y en una metodología de innovación articuló las voces académicas con las de las organizaciones sociales y/o barriales en el Foro de las Organizaciones Sociales que tuvo su espacio propio para dar voz a quienes están trabajando en los desafíos para garantizar los derechos a la vivienda y los bienes urbanos en nuestras ciudades del Siglo XXI

Monitoramento e Modelagem da distribuição potencial do coral invasor Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 (coral-sol) no atlântico sul: subsídios para o plano controle na Reserva Biológica Marinha do Arvoredo e entorno

Seminário de Iniciação Científica e Tecnológica Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Centro de Ciências Biológicas Departamento de Ecologia e ZoologiaO coral Tubastraea coccinea, conhecido popularmente como coral-sol, é uma espécie exótica invasora no Brasil. Sua introdução se deu através da bioincrustação em plataformas petrolíferas e/ou por navios de perfuração, sendo registrada ao final da década de 1990 pela primeira vez uma bioincrustação em um costão rochoso, na cidade de Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro. Por estar fora da sua área de distribuição natural, o cnidário pode promover um desequilíbrio no ambiente invadido, desestabilizando o ecossistema nativo ao se fixar nesse habitat. Os prejuízos podem se dar pela competição, tanto por recurso quanto por espaço, e pelas interações tróficas já estabelecidas. Para remediar a expansão da área de distribuição da espécie, se faz necessário o monitoramento da EEI, o qual irá gerir o impacto biológico causado e avaliar a distribuição e a abundância do Coral-sol, atuando também como uma importante ferramenta para decisões no manejo do invasor. Com o aumento da dispersão de T. coccinea na costa brasileira, contendo registros no Sul do país, nas proximidades da Reserva Biológica Marinha do Arvoredo (REBIO Arvoredo) e entorno, o Plano de Ação Coral-Sol se inicia no ano de 2022 em parceria com o ICMBio e o LabAR, a fim de monitorar, manejar e pesquisar o cnidário para propor ferramentas mais eficientes e compreender as estratégias do animal, assim como seu ciclo de vida. O objetivo desse trabalho foi estabelecer um protocolo de curadoria de dados e imagens do projeto PACS Arvoredo e Entorno através da organização e categorização dos arquivos de mídia obtidos durante as atividades de campo. Por meio da metodologia de busca ativa do coral-sol nas operações de mergulho, foram coletados materiais midiáticos e realizada uma filtragem, restando 774 arquivos. Esses foram triados de acordo com o sistema de organização estabelecido, restando 294 fotos e vídeos para a realização de divulgação científica e criação de banco de dados. Com a análise do conteúdo midiático trazido a cada campanha de campo pode-se ter a definição de um sistema organizacional do banco de dados midiáticos do projeto PACS, acompanhado de uma evolução quanto ao reconhecimento visual de organismos marinhos, em conjunto com o conhecimento sobre a biodiversidade marinha da REBIO Arvoredo. Tais ações promovem uma busca mais eficiente pelos conteúdos, tornando-a mais direta, minuciosa e eficaz. A organização do banco de dados também possibilitou a produção de vídeo criado a partir das mídias coletadas em campo com cunho de divulgação para o PACS Arvoredo, ilustrando todo o trabalho realizado nos eixos de Monitoramento, Pesquisa e Inovação do projeto, sendo o último realizado em conjunto com o LaSub/UFSC Joinville. Com a revisão bibliográfica realizada relacionada ao estudo de Inteligência Artificial (IA) e sua aplicação no reconhecimento de organismos marinhos, pode-se notar que tal tecnologia tem chance de ser uma ferramenta promissora para a otimização na identificação de focos de coral-sol através da análise de mídias coletadas em campo pelo algoritmo Deep Learning