A simple torsion-free nonlinear beam element for multibody dynamics

We propose in this work a very simple torsion-free beam element capable of capturing geometrical nonlinearities. The simple formulation is objective and unconditionally con- vergent for geometrically nonlinear models with large displacements, in the traditional sense that guarantees more precise numerical solutions for finer discretizations. The formulation does not employ rotational degrees of freedom, can be applied to two and three-dimensional problems, and it is computationally very efficient

Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Metformin on Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Children: Randomized Clinical Trial

Context: Insulin resistance precedes metabolic syndrome abnormalities and may promote cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in children with obesity. Results of lifestyle modification programs have been discouraging, and the use of adjuvant strategies has been necessary. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of metformin and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on insulin sensitivity, measured via euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique and insulin pathway expression molecules in muscle biopsies of children with obesity. Design: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Setting: Children with obesity were randomly assigned to receive metformin, CLA, or placebo. Results: Intervention had a positive effect in all groups. For insulin sensitivity Rd value (mg/kg/min), there was a statistically significant difference between the CLA vs placebo (6.53 ± 2.54 vs 5.05 ± 1.46, P = 0.035). Insulinemia and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance significantly improved in the CLA group (P = 0.045). After analysis of covariance was performed and the influence of body mass index, age, Tanner stage, prescribed diet, and fitness achievement was controlled, a clinically relevant effect size on insulin sensitivity remained evident in the CLA group (37%) and exceeded lifestyle program benefits. Moreover, upregulated expression of the insulin receptor substrate 2 was evident in muscle biopsies of the CLA group. Conclusions: Improvement of insulin sensitivity, measured via euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp and IRS2 upregulation, favored patients treated with CLA. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02063802

The CCR2+ Monocyte Subsets Increase in Obese Boys but Not Girls with Abnormally High Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: A Pilot Study

The differential contribution of monocyte subsets expressing the C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) to subclinical atherosclerosis in girls and boys is unclear. In this pilot study, we compared classical, intermediate, and nonclassical monocyte subsets expressing CCR2 in 33 obese children of both sexes aged 8 to 16 divided by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), considering values above the 75th percentile (p75) as abnormally high IMT. Obesity was defined as body mass index above the 95th percentile according to age and sex. Flow cytometry analyses revealed that boys but not girls with IMT ≥ p75 displayed increased CCR2+ cell percentage and CCR2 expression in the three monocyte subsets, compared to boys with IMT \u3c p75. The CCR2+ cell percentage and CCR2 expression in the three monocyte subsets significantly correlated with increased IMT and insulin resistance in boys but not girls, where the CCR2+ nonclassical monocyte percentage had the strongest associations (r = 0.73 and r = 0.72, respectively). The role of CCR2+ monocyte subpopulations in identifying an abnormally high IMT shows a marked sexual dimorphism, where boys seem to be at higher subclinical atherosclerosis risk than girls. View Full-Tex

Detection of severe obstructive sleep apnea through voice analysis

tThis paper deals with the potential and limitations of using voice and speech processing to detect Obstruc-tive Sleep Apnea (OSA). An extensive body of voice features has been extracted from patients whopresent various degrees of OSA as well as healthy controls. We analyse the utility of a reduced set offeatures for detecting OSA. We apply various feature selection and reduction schemes (statistical rank-ing, Genetic Algorithms, PCA, LDA) and compare various classifiers (Bayesian Classifiers, kNN, SupportVector Machines, neural networks, Adaboost). S-fold crossvalidation performed on 248 subjects showsthat in the extreme cases (that is, 127 controls and 121 patients with severe OSA) voice alone is able todiscriminate quite well between the presence and absence of OSA. However, this is not the case withmild OSA and healthy snoring patients where voice seems to play a secondary role. We found that thebest classification schemes are achieved using a Genetic Algorithm for feature selection/reduction

Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial

Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort

Vallenatos y fronteras: el zurcido sonoro de Colombia y Venezuela entre los años 2015 y 2022

While the dominant power structures, constituted at the level of national governments, establish their borders with the hardness of walls, barricades, demarcations, sentry boxes and flags, the subaltern groups react by creating their own boundaries and delimitations, characterized by a particular fluidity and mobility. The latter is achieved thanks to a symbolic marking in which music and the soundscape in general are of fundamental importance. In this article, we describe how the Colombian-Venezuelan border (conceived from the power as an offensive-defensive dividing line), has been redefined from subalternity, until it has become a space of encounters and exchanges. This process has given rise to a "border culture", in which vallenato integrates the population and the territories divided by binational territorial limits. Our approach in anthropological perspective, will allow us to know the position of the valle-natos in front of the "border closure" imposed by Maduro's government.Mientras las estructuras del poder dominante constituido a nivel de gobiernos nacionales, establecen sus fronteras con la dureza de las murallas, barricadas, amojonamientos, garitas y banderas; los grupos subalternos reaccionan creando sus propios zurcidos y delimitaciones, caracterizados por una particular fluidez y movilidad. Esto último se logra gracias a un marcaje simbólico en el que la música y el paisaje sonoro en general, tienen fundamental importancia. En este artículo, describimos cómo la frontera colombo-venezolana (concebida desde el poder como una línea divisoria ofensiva-defensiva), ha sido redefinida desde la subalternidad, hasta ser convertida en un espacio de encuentros e intercambios. Este proceso ha dado lugar a una “cultura de frontera”, en la que el vallenato integra la población y los territorios escindidos por los límites territoriales binacionales. Nuestro abordaje en perspectiva antropológica, permitirá conocer la posición de los valle-natos frente al “cierre de la frontera” impuesto por el gobierno de Maduro

El Obispo Lasso de la Vega en la confrontación de universos simbólicos de la época independentista

Índice Editorial Economía Políticas económica y sectoriales agrícolas: Efectos sobre la situación de la seguridad alimentaria en Venezuela, 1970-2000 Anido, Daniel Colombia y el modelo neoliberal Castaños, Ricardo Educación Interacción Universidad-Empresa: La nueva función de la institución universitaria Araujo Lobo, Alice Calidad de vida y productividad académica Morales, Carmen Cecilia El juego como estrategia de aprendizaje en el aula Torres, Carmen Minerva Filosofía Influencias y filosofía del programa educativo de Mathew Lipman Riaño, Iván Mateo Sociohistoria El Obispo Lasso de la Vega en la confrontación de universos simbólicos de la época independentista Medina, Carlos; Mora Queipo, Ernesto Análisis geohistórico de Puerto Moporo y el Jaguito a través de la geografía regional de Américo Valero Roa, José Gregorio Ensayos Mario Briceño Iragorry o el oficio de historiar como pasión vital Diana, Rengifo de Briceño Reseña de libros155-182Nivel analíticosemestra

Recurrence of Vertebral Fracture in Patients With Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures: Retrospective Review in Moncloa University Hospital. Preliminary Results

Background Current drugs for patients who suffer from stablished osteoporosis (OP) with osteoporotic vertebral fracture (VF) have demonstrated their efficacy with different levels of evidence for secondary prevention of fractures1. In fact, this level of efficacy can be limited in real clinical practice, with pluripathological and previously polimedicated patients. Objectives Main objective of this study is to describe the percentage of patients with VF in which the therapeutic goal of avoiding new VF during their follow-up has been achieved. As a secondary objective, clinical and therapeutic differences will be analyzed among distinct groups arisen from achieving or not the therapeutic goal. Methods Retrospective, observational, longitudinal, descriptive study of patients from Rheumatology Departament in Moncloa University Hospital who have suffered a osteoporotic VF. Results 133 cases have been reviewed, 115 (86.5%) females and 18 males (13.5%). Average age is 72 years (+/- 7) and average follow-up time is 2.68 years (+/- 2.3). 25 cases (18.5%) were smokers, 9 (6.8%) oncologic patients, 33 (24%) with chronic corticotherapy and 28 (21%) with immune-mediated diseases. 81 patients (60.9%) had previous VF (0.933 fracture /patient) and 14 (10.5%) non-vertebral fracture (NVF). The average VF was 1.967/patient and 0.133/patient for NVF. 52 patients (39.1%) had received prior treatment for OP (36 Biphosphonate, 23 Denosumab, 5 SERM, 2 strontium ranelate and 1 teriparatide) and in 39 cases (29.3%) a cementoplasty was performed. Initial treatments prescribed by Rheumatology Departament were Biphosphonates (48%),Denosumab (31%) and Teriparatide (21%). 35 patients received sequencial-treatment (26.9%). 86.5 % of patients haven’t presented new VF. 18 cases (13.5%) have been registered with new VF. This group is composed by 13 females and 5 males; the average age was 75 years (+/-7.5) and the average follow-up time 2.8 years (+/- 2.46); 14 (77.8 %) patients presented previous VF and 3 (16.7 %) previous NVF. The average number of previous VF was 2.0/patient and 0.33/patient for NVF. 14 cases (78.8%) of new VF ocurred during the first year of follow-up. The treatment they were receiving at the time of the new VF was in 8 cases with Denosumab (44%), 4 with Teriparatide (22%), 2 Alendronate (11%), 3 Riserdronate (16%) and 1 case without treatment. Conclusion These are preliminary data from a register for prognosis evaluation of patients who suffer VF in Moncloa University Hospital. A larger sample size is necessary to developed a strategic conclusion in this patients, pluripathological, with previous osteoporotic fractures and treatment.78 % of new VF ocurred during the first year of the follow-up, 44% of them were receiving Denosumab, 77% (vs. 58% of the patients without new VF) had previous VF and 44% (vs. 37% patients without new VF) had received previous OP treatment.Sin financiación16.102 JCR (2019) Q1, 2/32 Rheumatology6.142 SJR (2019) Q1, 6/280 Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous)No data IDR 2019UE