Assessment and Prediction of Body Mass Index (BMI) Distributions among Adult Populations in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, 1988-2014

Unequal distribution of adult obesity across subpopulations in low- and middle-income countries has been reported, but findings have been mainly from data of women of reproductive age. While mean body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity prevalence are commonly used obesity indicators, incorporation of ever-changing skewed BMI distributions has been a challenge. In this context, our study aimed to assess differences in magnitude and rates of change in BMI distributions by sex, age, geographic and socioeconomic factors in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru by modeling entire BMI distributions. Furthermore, this modeling technique was applied for the prediction of future obesity indicators. Data from nationally representative health surveys conducted between 1988 and 2014 in these 3 countries were used. The analyses were conducted using the generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) in order to model BMI distributions. BMI was assumed to follow a Box-Cox Power Exponential (BCPE) distribution, and each of its 4 parameters was modeled as a function of demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic factors. Prediction models were evaluated using data before the last survey, with the predicted values compared to actual values at the time of the last survey. Whereas women had more right-shifted and wider BMI distributions than men across the countries in 2010, men generally experienced more rapid increases in BMI between 2005 and 2010. More education was negatively associated with BMI in women after covariate adjustment whereas it was somewhat positively associated in men. Higher household wealth was positively associated with BMI in men. Lower household wealth was associated with higher rates of change in BMI distributions in women. The BCPE-GAMLSS model yielded the best prediction performance among the assessed models in predicting obesity prevalence. Observed differences in BMI distributions across subpopulations suggest the necessity of tailoring relevant policies and programs to reach target populations. Increases in BMI imply increases in obesity-associated diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, for which preventive and preparative actions would be urgent. The BCPE-GAMLSS method worked well for estimation and prediction of BMI by modeling its distributions precisely

Characterization of a gene coding for a putative adenosine deaminase-related growth factor by RNA interference in the Basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes

A full-length cDNA coding for a putative adenosine deaminase (Fv-ada) was isolated from the basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes. Fv-ada encodes a polypeptide consisting of 537 amino acid residues, which has a consensus sequence conserved among adenosine deaminase-related growth factors (ADGF) found in several metazoa, including chordates and insects. Fv-ada transcript was detected at all stages of growth in dikaryotic F. velutipes cells, with a peak at the primordial stage. Heterologous expression of Fv-ada in the yeast Pichia pastoris produced recombinant Fv-ADA that catalyzed the conversion of adenosine to inosine. Dikaryotic mycelia from F. velutipes were transformed with the binary plasmid pFungiway-Fv-ada, which was designed to suppress the expression of Fv-ada through RNA interference. The growth rates of the resulting transformants were retarded in response to the degree of suppression, indicating that Fv-ada plays an important role in the mycelial growth of F. velutipes. These results suggested that ADGF could function as growth factors in fungi, as is seen in other eukaryotes.ArticleJOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING. 115(4):360-365 (2013)journal articl

fRNAdb: a platform for mining/annotating functional RNA candidates from non-coding RNA sequences

There are abundance of transcripts that code for no particular protein and that remain functionally uncharacterized. Some of these transcripts may have novel functions while others might be junk transcripts. Unfortunately, the experimental validation of such transcripts to find functional non-coding RNA candidates is very costly. Therefore, our primary interest is to computationally mine candidate functional transcripts from a pool of uncharacterized transcripts. We introduce fRNAdb: a novel database service that hosts a large collection of non-coding transcripts including annotated/non-annotated sequences from the H-inv database, NONCODE and RNAdb. A set of computational analyses have been performed on the included sequences. These analyses include RNA secondary structure motif discovery, EST support evaluation, cis-regulatory element search, protein homology search, etc. fRNAdb provides an efficient interface to help users filter out particular transcripts under their own criteria to sort out functional RNA candidates. fRNAdb is available a

Overexpression of Cortactin Increases Invasion Potential in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Cortactin, an F-actin binding protein, stabilizes F-actin networks and promotes actin polymerization by activating the Arp2/3 complex. Overexpression of cortactin has been reported in several human cancers. Cortactin stimulates cell migration, invasion, and experimental metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism is not still understood. In the present study, we therefore evaluated the possibility that cortactin could be appropriate as a molecular target for cancer gene therapy. In 70 primary oral squamous cell carcinomas and 10 normal oral mucosal specimens, cortactin expression was evaluated by immunological analyses, and the correlations of the overexpression of cortactin with clinicopathologic factors were evaluated. Overexpression of cortactin was detected in 32 of 70 oral squamous cell carcinomas; significantly more frequently than in normal oral mucosa. Cortactin overexpression was more frequent in higher grade cancers according to T classification, N classifications, and invasive pattern. Moreover, RNAi-mediated decrease in cortactin expression reduced invasion. Downregulation of cortactin expression increased the expression levels of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, and EpCAM. The siRNA of cortactin also reduced PTHrP expression via EGF signaling. These results consistently indicate that the overexpression of cortactin is strongly associated with an aggressive phenotype of oral squamous cell carcinoma. In conclusion, we propose that cortactin could be a potential molecular target of gene therapy by RNAi targeting in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Cesarean sections and social inequalities in 305 cities of Latin America

Background: Cesarean section (CS) is a surgical procedure that, when medically justified, can help reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Worldwide CS rates (CSR) have been increasing; Latin America has rates that are among the highest in the world. Aim: Describe the variability of CSR across cities in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru and examine the relationship of individual-level, sub-city, and city-level socioeconomic status (SES) with CSR. Methods: We used individual level data from vital statistics over the period 2014–2016 (delivery method, mother's age and education), census data to characterize sub-city SES and city GDP per capita from other sources compiled by the SALURBAL project. We fitted multilevel negative binomial regression models to estimate associations of SES with CSR. Results: 11,549,028 live births from 1,101 sub-city units in 305 cities of five countries were included. Overall, the CSR was 52%, with a wide range across sub-cities (13–91%). Of the total variability in sub-city CSRs, 67% was within countries. In fully adjusted model higher CSR was associated with higher maternal education [(PRR (CI95%) 0.81 (0.80–0.82) for lower educational level, 1.32 (1.31–1.33) for higher level (ref. medium category)], with higher maternal age [PRR (CI95%) 1.23 (1.22–1.24) for ages 20–34 years, and 1.48 (1.47–1.49) for ages ≥ 35 years (ref. ≤19 years], higher sub-city SES [(PRR (CI95%) 1.02 (1.01–1.03) per 1SD)], and higher city GDP per capita [(PRR (CI95%): 1.03 (1.00–1.07) for GDP between 10,500–18,000, and 1.09 (1.06–1.13) for GDP 18,000 or more (ref. <10,500)]. Conclusion: We found large variability in CSR across cities highlighting the potential role of local policies on CSR levels. Variability was associated in part with maternal and area education and GDP. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for this pattern and any policy implications it may have.Fil: Perner, Mónica Serena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Lanús; ArgentinaFil: Ortigoza, Ana. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Trotta, Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Lanús; ArgentinaFil: Yamada, Goro. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Braverman Bronstein, Ariela. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Friche, Amélia Augusta. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Alazraqui, Marcio. Universidad Nacional de Lanús; ArgentinaFil: Diez Roux, Ana Victoria. Drexel University; Estados Unido

Effect of polyglycolic acid sheets with fibrin glue (MCFP technique) on the healing of wounds after partial resection of the border of the tongue in rabbits: a preliminary study

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of covering wounds to the tongue with a polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet and fibrin glue. Eighteen mature male Japanese white rabbits had a unilateral glossectomy involving an area 10 mm × 10 mm × 2 mm. After glossectomy the tongues were covered with PGA sheets 8 mm × 8 mm in size and fibrin glue (mucosal defect covered with fibrin glue and polyglycolic acid sheet = MCFP) 1 week after the operation (n = 3), after 2 weeks (n = 3), and after 4 weeks (n = 3). In control groups, after 1, 2, and 4 weeks (n = 3 in each group), the partially resected tongues were closed with absorbable sutures (polyglactin 910). One week (experimental and control groups 1), 2 weeks (experimental and control groups 2) and 4 weeks (experimental and control groups 3) after operation the tongues were harvested and stained for microscopic examination. Histological examination showed that the covered wound surface had not epithelialised and the basal layer had yet to form in experimental group 1, but had formed in experimental group 2. However, in control group 1, epithelialisation of the sutured wound had begun. Immunohistochemical examination showed that, in experimental group 1, the non-uniform epithelial layer of the covered wound surface expressed cytokeratin AE1/AE3, and the epithelial and connective tissue layers stained strongly for FGF-2. Similar results were obtained in experimental group 2, whereas in experimental group 3, FGF-2 was expressed only in the connective tissue layer, and epithelialisation was complete. However, in control group 1, AE1/AE3 was expressed in the epithelial layer, and FGF was expressed in the connective tissue layer beneath the basal layer. In control groups 2 and 3, AE1/AE3 and FGF-2 were expressed in patterns similar to those in experimental groups 2 and 3. We suggest that this method is useful and the operation is simple. However, further testing of the method is needed and it should be widely used clinically before it is recommended

N=4 SYM on R x S^3 and Theories with 16 Supercharges

We study N=4 SYM on R x S^3 and theories with 16 supercharges arising as its consistent truncations. These theories include the plane wave matrix model, N=4 SYM on R x S^2 and N=4 SYM on R x S^3/Z_k, and their gravity duals were studied by Lin and Maldacena. We make a harmonic expansion of the original N=4 SYM on R x S^3 and obtain each of the truncated theories by keeping a part of the Kaluza-Klein modes. This enables us to analyze all the theories in a unified way. We explicitly construct some nontrivial vacua of N=4 SYM on R x S^2. We perform 1-loop analysis of the original and truncated theories. In particular, we examine states regarded as the integrable SO(6) spin chain and a time-dependent BPS solution, which is considered to correspond to the AdS giant graviton in the original theory.Comment: 68 pages, 12 figures, v2,v3:typos corrected and comments added. To appear in JHE

Overexpression of CRKII increases migration and invasive potential in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

CT10 regulator of kinase (CRK) was originally identified as an oncogene product of v-CRK in a CT10 chicken retrovirus system. Overexpression of CRKII has been reported in several human cancers. CRKII regulates cell migration, morphogenesis, invasion, phagocytosis, and survival; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, we evaluated the possibility of CRKII as an appropriate molecular target for cancer gene therapy. The expression of CRKII in 71 primary oral squamous cell carcinomas and 10 normal oral mucosal specimens was determined immunohistochemically, and the correlation of CRKII overexpression with clinicopathological factors was evaluated. Overexpression of CRKII was detected in 41 of 70 oral squamous cell carcinomas, the frequency being more significant than in normal oral mucosa. In addition, CRKII overexpression was more frequent in higher-grade cancers according to the T classification, N classification, and invasive pattern. Moreover, RNAi-mediated suppression of CRKII expression reduced the migration and invasion potential of an oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line, OSC20. Downregulation of CRKII expression also reduced the expression of Dock180, p130Cas, and Rac1, and the actin-associated scaffolding protein cortactin. These results indicate that the overexpression of CRKII is tightly associated with an aggressive phenotype of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, we propose that CRKII could be a potential molecular target of gene therapy by RNAi-targeting in oral squamous cell carcinoma