Silencing of the Na+/H+ exchanger 1(NHE-1) prevents cardiac structural and functional remodeling induced by angiotensin II

Chronic activation of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) favors several cardiac diseases, among which myocardial hypertrophy occupies an outstanding place. In this context, the hyperactivity of the cardiac Na+/H+ (NHE-1) exchanger plays a key role. The pathologic remodeling of the myocardium constitutes an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality with continuously increasing healthcare cost. Therefore, the development of better therapeutic strategies emerges as highly mandatory. Our goal was to prevent angiotensin II (ANGII)-induced cardiac hypertrophy by NHE-1 gene silencing in Wistar rats. The intramyocardial injection of a lentivirus coding a specific small interference RNA (l-shNHE1) significantly reduced NHE-1 expression exclusively in the heart (~ 50 %) and prevented cardiac remodeling in rats exposed to chronic infusion of ANG II (heart weigh/tibia length: 24,03 ± 0,7915 mg/mm vs 28,45 ± 0,9779 mg/mm and collagen volume fraction 2,526 ± 0,5003 vs 5,982 ± 1,043 in l-shNHE1 + ANGII and ANGII, respectively).Interestingly, this was accompanied by an improvement in cardiac function determined by echocardiography even though blood pressure remained elevated (Fractional shortening 0,5960 ± 0,4228 vs -0,9567± 0,06888 and blood pressure at the end of ANGII treatment 141,2 ± 6,117 mm Hg vs 134,1 ± 6,723 mm Hg ; in l-shNHE1 + ANGII and ANGII, respectively). ANGII infusion increased myocardial NADPH oxidase activity but the l-shNHE1 injection prevented oxidative stressas revealed by the normalization of lipid peroxidation (T-BARS 12,40 ± 2,887.vs 23,05 ± 1,537 in lshNHE1 + ANGII and ANGII, respectively). These results allow as to propose the partial silencing of the cardiac NHE-1 through lentiviralinjection as a promising tool in the prevention of ANGII-induced cardiac hypertrophy.Fil: Medina, Andrés Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Pinilla, Oscar Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Portiansky, Enrique Leo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Caldiz, Claudia Irma. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Ennis, Irene Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentin

Affective Visualization in Virtual Reality Systems

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.A cluster of research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) suggests that it is possible to infer some characteristics of users’ mental states by analyzing their electrophysiological responses in real-time. However, it is unclear how to use the information extracted from electrophysiological signals to adjust the stimuli inside a virtual environment according to the user’s affective state. Therefore, this research project’s main objective is to understand how to develop a VR system that adapts automatically to the user’s affective state. A reference implementation of a neurofeedback VR experience for training affective self-regulation is proposed. This experience aims to train the ability of users to regulate their affective states voluntarily. The main contributions are (1) the development of a technique for near real-time detection of affective states in VR users; (2) a virtual environment for visual representation of affective states; and (3) the implementation of the affect detection technique and the virtual environment for the development of a neurofeedback VR experience

Gender differences in cardiac left ventricular mass and function: clinical and experimental observations

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate gender-associated impact on left ventricular mass (LVM) and on left ventricular function (LVF) in humans and rats with aging. Methods: Myocyte area and collagen volume fraction (CVF) were studied in rats. LVM and LVF were evaluated in animals and humans by echocardiography and LVM index (LVMI) was obtained. Results: LVMI, myocyte area and CVF were similar in males and females of 1-month-old rats. LVMI in children was similar in both genders. In contrast, in 6-month-old rats (5 males and 5 females), LVMI (17.7 ± 0.7 mg/mm vs. 10.1 ± 0.2 mg/mm; p < 0.01), and myocyte area (4572.5 ± 72.6 μm2 vs. 3293.85 ± 57.8 μm2 , p < 0.01) were higher in male animals without differences in CVF. Men (n = 25) exhibited greater LVMI than women (n = 25) (77.4 ± 3.2 g/m2 vs. 63.3 ± 1.8 g/m2 , p < 0.01), whereas the LVF was higher in women (105.9 ± 2.9% vs. 95.3 ± 3.5%, p < 0.01). Conclusions: There is a clear gender-associated impact on LVM with aging in humans and rats. Similar CVF and LVF associated to greater myocyte size and LVM in male rats suggest a process of physiological response. However, the increase in cardiac mass without an associated improved cardiac function in men in comparison to women could likely represent a potential disadvantage in the adaptive response during growth. (Cardiol J 2014; 21, 1: x–x)Fil: Escudero, Eduardo Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Orlowski, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Diaz, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Pinilla, Oscar Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Ennis, Irene Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Aiello, Ernesto Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentin

Flexibilidad habitacional

Vivienda Flexible de Interes SocialFlexible Housing of Social InterestArquitecto (a)Pregrad

Development of a rainwater harvesting model for broiler farms

The access to water is critical in agricultural and livestock production. In the dry season, the water supply systems are under stress and have placed the region of La Mesa de Los Santos (Santander-Colombia) as susceptible to economic impacts due to water shortages, mainly caused by high demand in growth population, agriculture and the poultry production. Currently, the poultry production suffers from water shortages and has been supplied with liquid in tanker trucks during the dry season, presenting a significant added cost to the farmers. The implementation of a rainwater-harvesting (RWH) system could reduce the water stress on the poultry industrial production of the region. The main objective of this research was to develop a mathematical model to identify the numbers of poultry grown cycles that a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system could potentially feed in an average year of precipitations. The analyses performed here considered daily rainfall data ranged from 2010 to 2018 obtained from the weather stations in La Mesa de Los Santos. The results of this research can be helpful to the entrepreneurs and policymakers by evaluating the importance of water management and the opportunity to take advantage of rainwater as a resource for sustainable poultry production, currently an important alternative to the value chain in the agricultural, livestock and industrial sector of the region.El acceso al agua es crítico en la producción agrícola y pecuaria. En la estación seca, los sistemas de suministro de agua están bajo estrés y han colocado a la región de La Mesa de Los Santos (Santander-Colombia) como susceptible a los impactos económicos de la escasez de agua, causada principalmente por la alta demanda debido al crecimiento excesivo de la población. agricultura y la producción avícola. Actualmente, la producción avícola sufre de escasez de agua y se suministra con líquido en camiones cisterna en la estación seca, lo que representa un costo significativo para los avicultores. La implementación de un sistema de recolección de agua de lluvia (RWH) podría reducir la dependencia del "estrés hídrico" de la producción industrial avícola de la región. El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue desarrollar un modelo matemático para identificar la cantidad de ciclos de cría de aves de corral que un sistema de recolección de agua de lluvia (RWH) podría alimentar en el año promedio de precipitaciones. Los análisis realizados consideraron los datos de precipitación diaria entre 2010 y 2018 obtenidos de las estaciones meteorológicas en la región de estudio. Los resultados de esta investigación serían útiles para los empresarios y los encargados de formular políticas al evaluar la importancia de la gestión del agua y la oportunidad de aprovechar el agua de lluvia como recurso para la producción avícola sostenible, siendo actualmente una alternativa importante en la cadena de valor del sector agropecuario e industrial de la región

Experiencia en el manejo quirúrgico del síndrome de compartimento abdominal en el Hospital Occidente de Kennedy

Introducción: El síndrome de compartimento abdominal (SCA) es resultado de una serie de alteraciones fisiológicas locales y sistémicas, producidas por un aumento anormal de la presión intraabdominal, que, en algunos casos, requiere la descompresión quirúrgica de la cavidad abdominal.Métodos: Es un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, de una serie de 28 pacientes con SCA que requirieron tratamiento quirúrgico en el Hospital Occidente de Kennedy, entre 1999 y 2003. Evaluamos retrospectivamente el rendimiento de la ecuación de McNelis para predicción de su desarrollo.Resultados: La patología desencadenante más frecuente fue la infección intraabdominal (n=6 21,4%). El tiempo transcurrido entre el diagnóstico y la descompresión quirúrgica fue menor de cuatro horas en el 75% (n=21) de los casos. Las variables que mejoraron significativamente tras la descompresión quirúrgica fueron la presión venosa central (PVC) (T:4,0; p:0,0001), la presión inspiratoria máxima (PIM) (T:2,7; p:0,004), la presión intraabdominal (PIA) (T1,8; p:0 034) y el gasto urinario (T:-2,4; p:0,02). Los niveles de BUN, la creatinina y la inestabilidad hemodinámica no presentaron mejoría. La estancia promedio en la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) fue de once días (SD:9) y la estancia hospitalaria, de dieciocho (SD13). La mortalidad global fue del 67,9% (n=19) y la mortalidad directamente atribuible al síndrome fue del 30% (n=8). El comportamiento de la ecuación de McNelis fue errático.Conclusiones: Las características demográficas y las patologías causantes del síndrome corresponden a las descritas en la literatura. La correlación de las variables fisiológicas asociadas al diagnóstico del síndrome es heterogénea entre diferentes pacientes. La mortalidad del síndrome en nuestra institución está dentro de lo esperado según la literatura mundial. El rendimiento de la ecuación de McNelis parece depender excesivamente del balance hídrico.The abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is the result of various physiological alterations produced by an abnormal increase of the intra-abdominal pressure. Some of these patients will undergo a surgical procedure for its management. Methods: This is a retrospective case series of 28 patients with ACS who required surgical treatment at the Hospital Occidente de Kennedy between 1999 and 2003. We assessed retrospectively the behavior of McNelis’s equation for prediction of the development of the ACS. Results: The leading cause of ACS in our study was intraabadominal infection (n=6 21,4%). Time elapsed between diagnosis and surgical decompression was less than 4 hours in 75% (n=21) of the cases. The variables that improved significantly after the surgical decompression were CVP (T: 4,0 p: 0,0001), PIM (T: 2,7; p: 0,004), PIA (T1,8; p:0,034) and Urine Output (T:-2,4; p:0,02). The values of BUN, Creatinine and the cardiovascular instability did not show improvement. The ICU and hospital length of stay were 11 days (SD: 9) and 18 days (SD13) respectively. Global mortality was 67,9% (n=19) and mortality directly attributable to the syndrome was 30% (n=8). The behavior of the McNelis’s equation was erratic. Conclusions: The demographic characteristics as well as disease processes associated with ACS are consistent with the literature. The association between physiological variables and ACS is heterogeneous between patients. Mortality rates attributable to ACS in our institution are within the range described world-wide. The behavior of the McNelis’s equation seems to depend greatly upon fluid balance

Real-time affect detection in virtual reality: a technique based on a three-dimensional model of affect and EEG signals

This manuscript explores the development of a technique for detecting the affective states of Virtual Reality (VR) users in real-time. The technique was tested with data from an experiment where 18 participants observed 16 videos with emotional content inside a VR home theater, while their electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded. Participants evaluated their affective response toward the videos in terms of a three-dimensional model of affect. Two variants of the technique were analyzed. The difference between both variants was the method used for feature selection. In the first variant, features extracted from the EEG signals were selected using Linear Mixed-Effects (LME) models. In the second variant, features were selected using Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross Validation (RFECV). Random forest was used in both variants to build the classification models. Accuracy, precision, recall and F1 scores were obtained by cross-validation. An ANOVA was conducted to compare the accuracy of the models built in each variant. The results indicate that the feature selection method does not have a significant effect on the accuracy of the classification models. Therefore, both variations (LME and RFECV) seem equally reliable for detecting affective states of VR users. The mean accuracy of the classification models was between 87% and 93%